Encumbrance to Piloting, and Harry / Cover Fire Ammo Cost

[star20]

So, I'm caught in argument between different camps here. Piloting is a Dex based skill that doesn't suffer an ACP. The character in question in Encumbered. Encumbered says ALL Str and Dex based checks get a -5. So my question is, does Encumbrance override no ACP on Piloting to give a -5, or does it not suffer that since Piloting does not have a ACP?

Also, under the Harry Fire and Cover Fire actions, they talk about firing weapons, but do not indicate how much ammo/charges are expended in doing so. Am I missing that, or what is the cost?

Thank you for any input with these questions.

[Fuzzypaws]

Encumbered gives a -5 to Piloting since it is (for some weird reason) a Dex based skill.

Harry Fire and Cover Fire both say you make a ranged attack, so they consume ammo / charges equivalent to one attack.

[rook1138]

How are they encumbered while piloting? I'd assume they're probably only wearing their armor and maybe a weapon/sidearm while actually piloting, with the rest in a pack on the ground near them or in storage in their room. Or does the armor+weapon put them over their bulk limit?

[Metaphysician]

I don't see why they wouldn't suffer a penalty. Piloting involves a lot of operating controls precisely, if your weighted down, that won't be as easy.

( If your control system *doesn't* require precise operation of controls, then you probably need it to be an explicit mechanic that swaps Dex out for Int, or some such )

That said, yeah, why is the pilot encumbered in the first place?

[Vexies]

If for whatever reason they couldn't just store the unnecessary gear in their quarters then yes the encumbrance would hinder the piloting check.. but why cant they just store the xtra gear? even in a fighter you would think there would be a storage space equal to the task.

[bassman314]

I'm sort of agreement with the rest. If you opt to keep your full load-out on your person, 24-7, then encumbrance penalties should probably apply.

If your ship is Small or Larger, you likely have a berth, bunk, rack or even quarters where you can stash sufficient gear to reduce your encumbrance, even if it's just the space under a hammock slung up in the cargo bay.

If your ship is a tiny, one or two-person ship, it may apply if your armor keeps you encumbered. Even a small fighter should have a small storage bay to hold a back-pack and few weapons. I can't see someone traipsing across the galaxy with a flame-thrower in your lap. I would also assume that powered armor could not be work while in control of such a craft.

[Ravingdork]

rook1138 wrote:

How are they encumbered while piloting? I'd assume they're probably only wearing their armor and maybe a weapon/sidearm while actually piloting, with the rest in a pack on the ground near them or in storage in their room. Or does the armor+weapon put them over their bulk limit?

Not all piloting checks are for starships or similarly large vehicles. I can totally see the penalty applying when piloting a hover bike or something.

For starship combat (and possibly vehicle combat involving vehicles that carry multiple people), I would also operate under the assumption that they dressed down appropriately, and would not apply the penalty against them.

[Metaphysician]

Or that their standard equipment is calibrated to their strength, so they aren't encumbered. Still a problem for armor check penalties, but I would suggest the average driver of a high performance vehicle probably shouldn't be rocking heavy armor.