Re: [HoE] AB:Gearhead (Long)

["Paul Zichichi" <rook_7@hotmail.com>]

Foreward:

All credit for this post should go to Jim Burzelic and his initial Gearhead 
post, for putting the idea for the Gearhead in my head.

When Jim Burzelic posted his Gearhead idea on the list, it got me thinking 
about how screwed Road Warriors get, and, with his Gearhead Knack as a 
guide, I came up with one of my own.

Enjoy.

New Knack: Gear Head 1-5 pts.  (With all credit to Jim Burzelic)

The Gear Head Knack stands as a modification to the Road Warrior character 
type and the rules covering them.  In the current HoE rules, the Road 
Warrior does not exactly get the most of their character points.  They pay 
an inordinate amount of points for a vehicle which then costs a further 
amount of in game time and money to keep fueled and running.  I have no 
problem with the in game effects of owning this vehicle and paying the time 
and money in game to upkeep it.  I do have issue with the fact that, as a 
archetype, they get less for their points than the AB's (Sykers, Templars 
etc.) and those lucky few who pull Jokers in character generation and become 
Harrowed.  Now, I admit, most AB's (Templars, Doomies and Junkers) have some 
pretty steep ramifications to their powers, and Harrowed face a constant 
uphill battle for their very soul, but the advantages far outweigh those 
consequences, and a Sykers only real drawback is their lack of hair, and all 
for 3 points.

Road Warriors, by comparison, spend 10-15 points; three to five times as 
much as an AB, to be the primary target of the posse (who would you kill 
first, the goon with the sword, or the mobile weapons platform?), with the 
least replacable resource, and most of their playing time is wasted taking 
care of it.  Is that fair? No.  Is it balanced?  No.  Is it in keeping with 
the theme of the game?

Well, yes.  If you have something like an 18-wheel rig with howitzers and 
.50 machine guns poking out at every angle, you deserve all the attention 
those road gangs are going to give you.  However, does that mean that you 
should spend ALL of your character points on obtaining it?

No, you shouldn't.  All of the social negatives should be there, as well as 
the problems of having a large, mobile attention getter, but the cost, in my 
humble opinion, should not be as unbalanced.  So, with no further ado, the 
Gearhead Knack.

Knack: Gear Head 1-5 points

Each level purchased in Gear Head determines what type of vehicle the 
character may begin with as well as what level they may have in the Gear 
Head special abilities.

Level:	Vehicle:
1	Old motorcycle or Economy car
2	New Motorcycle/Economy car or Old Truck/Van,
3	New Truck/Van, or Old Hoverbike, Old Military Jeep/Hummer
4	New Hoverbike, New Military Jeep/Hummer or Old Rig, Old
        Military Cargo Truck
5	New Rig or New Military Cargo Truck

The character may customize this vehicle as they wish with the equipment and 
rules from "Road Warriors"

The Gearhead may increase their level in this Knack at a cost of 5 x the 
level desired, and no, you can't just pay 20 points to go from level 2 to 
level 4, you must buy the intervening levels.

Gearhead Abilities:
The Gearhead receives several special abilities.  They are purchased like 
skills, and the Gearhead begins with 5 points in these abilities, with at 
least 2 levels being in "My baby."  Also, a Gearhead may never have a higher 
level in an ability than his level in the Knack (so Gearhead 3 means no 
ability higher than 3).

"My Baby": The Gearhead gains +1 per level to any roll to diagnose problems 
with their vehicle.  This also gives them a straight Cognition roll to 
detect when their vehicle is in "danger."

"Know the Road": The Gearhead gets an additional Area Knowledge for each 
level in Know the Road equal to their current Gearhead level.  It also 
allows a straight Smarts roll for finding 		  routes through new or unknown 
areas.

"Smack It": The Gearhead gets +1 per level on all attempts to repair their 
vehicle.  This also allows them a straight Tinkerin' roll for unconventional 
repair attempts (kicking the tires, smacking the     dashboard, popping the 
hood and staring at the engine, checking the oil, etc.).

"Jesus Christ, Hold On!": The Gearhead can squeeze an extra +10 mph of 
acceleration and maximum speed out of their vehicle for every level in this 
ability.

"C'mon baby, hold together.": The Gearhead can spend chips to negate damage 
to their vehicle.  For every two levels in CBHT, the Gearhead can spend a 
higher chip:
		Level:		Chip:
		  1		White
		 2-3		Red
		 4-5		Blue

"Just a Little Further...":  The Gearhead can get an additional 5 mpg out of 
their vehicle for every level.

"What potholes?": The Gearhead gets +1 to all Drivin' rolls in their vehicle 
for every level

"It's gotta be around here somewhere...": The Gearhead gets +1 to all 
Scroungin' rolls for parts/fuel/ammo

"King of the Road": Every level in King of the Road reduces the  negative 
modifiers to Drivin' rolls due to road conditions, speed, etc. by +1


Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.  To keep the list clean, please 
send any feedback directly to rook_7@hotmail.com

Thanks,

Paul Zichichi
The Munchkin Masher of Mass.

"There is a fine line between `Hobby' and `Mental Illness.'"
-Dave Barry-

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