Vehicle Mechanics

## Introduction

In Sojourner, vehicles follow similar mechanics to individual characters though they differ slightly. For example, vehicles do not roll anything to avoid being hit in general with the exception of a small handful of vehicles such as motorcycles and starships. Vehicles still, on the other hand, use armor rating against armor piercing though they may have access to countermeasures which enhance their capabilities temporarily or entirely negate incoming attacks.

Every vehicle has a few major, universal parts. Those parts are the vehicles’ primary reactor (batteries, reactors, engines, etc.), motility (legs, wheels, tracks, thrusters, etc.), targeting systems (scopes, guidance computers, missile launching systems, cameras, etc.), coolant systems and sensors (thermal scopes, night vision, RADAR, etc.). Each of these systems has a unique effect on the vehicle in question if they are destroyed though unlike individual characters there is no immediate death that occurs if any of these individual parts are destroyed.

Modern vehicles in Sojourner, by design, have made it impossible to target an occupant of the vehicle without destroying the vehicle itself. Individuals inside of vehicles are protected by not only the armor of their vehicles but also by the systems around them mentioned before. Multiple redundant safety measures on each vehicle also make it nearly impossible to damage the occupant with subsequent explosions or with shrapnel (such as setting their fuel lines on fire). Thus, dealing with vehicles has become nearly a specialized task rather than the job of everyone on the battlefield.

Vehicles are exceptionally dangerous to anyone on the battlefield both because of their armor and because of their ability to bring extreme amounts of firepower that can remain mobile. Many vehicles are also capable of carrying additional characters who can, in some capacity, usually assist with a fight as well. Likewise, some vehicles are specialized and may have active camouflage or specialized sensor systems that uplink with their team members to increase their accuracy or similar abilities.

All vehicles, however, have a weakness. Primarily, their weakness is their size which prohibits them from entering confined spaces. Vehicles are also less useful on space stations and starships which cannot simply be blasted with explosives to make bigger gaps for them. Similarly, some terrains won’t support heavier vehicles such as deep mud supporting heavy tanks or houses with basements supporting everything other than the lightest of vehicles. Trenches can, potentially, make vehicles fall over. Any good infantry squad can, just as well, destroy a vehicle before it ever has time to react to their presence with a well-placed ambush.

## Hitting a Vehicle

Vehicles make attacks against other characters and vehicles the same way as normal with a skill check. Hitting a vehicle is a different affair. Rather than rolling Reflex, Willpower or otherwise against an incoming attack, vehicles instead have a to-hit DC based upon their class of vehicle. Lighter vehicles are, therefore, always harder to hit while heavier vehicles will rely on their armor and countermeasures to stop incoming attacks. Unlike characters on foot, vehicles suffer no penalty to being in the open. Shooters are not given advantage to attack vehicles that are not in cover. Likewise, vehicles can still gain cover bonuses to their to-hit DC by taking cover behind buildings or around corners. Smart vehicle commanders will roll completely behind cover after each shot, preventing their enemies from retaliating without the use of Overwatch.

 Light Vehicle

## Targeting a Flying Vehicle

Flying vehicles like starships are not targeted in typical methods. Instead, a weapon must have the Lock-on or Flak tag in order to target those vehicles. In this way, air superiority remains an incredible advantage in an era where most individuals use firearms while still providing a means to destroy such vehicles. Damage is applied normally to these vehicles upon a hit.

For the Lock-on tag, the individual piloting the vehicle makes a piloting check against the DC set by the device. If the pilot rolls lower than the set DC, the pilot's vehicle is struck by the explosive and damage is dealt after accommodating for AP vs AR in typical combat. Because Lock-on weapons do not require a check to use, they are useable by anyone that can wield the weapon.

For weapons with the Flak tag, combat is done normally as if the character was targeting another individual that is not in a vehicle. However, called shots are impossible with Flak weapons and likewise they cannot target individuals on the ground. These weapons use Gunnery and are explained in the Tags page more in depth.

## Called Shots on Vehicles

Called shots on vehicles cannot target the occupants unless that vehicle falls into the Ultralight category. Modern vehicles make extensive use of cameras, sensors and other methods to protect their occupants. Long ago, tanks preferred to ride with their hatches open for more situational awareness. In the modern era, tanks almost always have their hatches closed to protect their occupants. Such cameras have become so commonplace that even pirate vessels often make use of them.

A called shot can still be used, with weapons that are not Lock-on or Flak based, to target specific areas of the vehicle. To do this, the DC to hit those sections is raised by 5 for most areas but raised by 10 to target the cockpit. This is to simulate the vehicle being on the move, with the shooter likely being under fire while targeting a relatively small area of the vehicle. Certain situations may warrant bonuses that lower or debuffs that raise the difficulty to hit a vehicle in this manner.

## Aerial Combat

Starfighters against starfighters has proven to be the fascination of individuals everywhere even in the modern times. For these daredevils, there is nothing more incredible than downing a hostile plane while dodging flak and missiles all the while. For most attacks, the starfighter in question does not require a target lock. This includes any weapons without the Turret tag or the Missile tag.

Turrets act on their starship's initiative and act on their own. Unlike other weapons, they do not require an operator and can fire independently. The only action a turret may take is to shoot and its skill is determined by the Nexus aboard the vessel which controls it. When the nexus is hacked, destroyed or otherwise, turrets cease functioning entirely. Some turrets are designed to shoot down other things, however, like missiles rather than starships. Some are designed to shoot down both. Point defense will be explained later in this section.

Missiles are not rockets. Missiles require a lock on in order to fire at a target and doing so sets a DC for the hostile pilot to evade rather than initiating a roll to attack. Missiles are defeated, without a roll, by countermeasures which expend a charge. For the defending pilot, they must determine if they are going to use countermeasures before making any defensive rolls. Once the pilot has made a defensive roll (using the piloting skill) there is no time to use countermeasures for that attack. Missiles can be used to attack terrestrial vehicles as well as aircraft but are generally very expensive and should be used with caution.

No pilot can make called shots against another pilot in an aircraft. There is simply too much movement, on both aircraft, to be able to accurately determine where a shot will land.

To attack with more conventional weapons like cannons, there are a series of events that must be true. It is not enough for a starship pilot to simply start shooting if they're facing the wrong direction, after all. First, the pilot must acquire the target. Both pilots make Piloting checks. If the defender rolls higher, the starship is not acquired. The pilot then decides to either engage or lock on. Locking on requires an action on an acquired aircraft but does not require a roll. Engaging uses more typical weapons. In this case, the attacking pilot rolls Gunnery and the defending pilot rolls Piloting. Damage is done as normal on a successful hit.

A defending pilot is not safe even if the first series of attacks fails! The defending pilot must shake off the pursuer, rolling another piloting check against the attacking pilot's check. If successful, they are no longer considered Acquired and the attacker must acquire their starship again before it can engage. This also removes lock on actions.

A starship with turrets has no need to acquire the target since turrets can fire in (mechanically) any direction. These ships may engage targets at will though turrets are typically mounted on larger vessels which come with their own set of issues. For example, a starship that is any larger than a Fighter cannot take evasive rolls and relies on its armor and countermeasures to avoid being hit. Such countermeasures include point defense to shoot down incoming missiles, chaff to cause missiles to lock on to a target that is not there or even flares that mimic their engine signature and velocity to confuse incoming missiles. Fortunately, most starships of this size have very tough, durable armor that allows them to shrug off the hits of smaller weapons like autocannons.

## Attacking from the Skies

For starships currently in a ground attack role, the skies are their oyster. Often, they are uncontested in attacking ground targets if they already have control of the skies. A starship attacking any ground target, other than if it is using a missile, rolls Gunnery. There is no need to acquire a ground target. They can't run. The starship does, however, require a line of sight and cannot attack targets that are underground, beneath sufficient overhead cover and incur immediate retaliation from other pilots that have them acquired without the use of an action to engage them. Damage is dealt normally under these conditions.

## Countermeasures

Countermeasures come in many forms and some are more useful than others. In this section, we will detail some countermeasures. All countermeasures are used to avoid damage in some way or another though some countermeasures can be used offensively, such as point defense to shoot down fighters in the area.

Chaff and flares are a significant bulk of most countermeasure systems. These systems have a set DC and are deployed via the use of charges. Once a vessel is out of charges, its countermeasures (at least, the countermeasure in question) is no longer capable of being used. When a countermeasure of this type is deployed, its DC is compared against the DC of any incoming missile of the defender's choice unless there is a missile with the Swarm tag, which the defender must accept as a target. If the missile's DC is higher than the countermeasure's DC, the missile ignores the countermeasure and instead strikes the defender. If the missile's DC is equal to or lower than the countermeasure's DC, the missile is intercepted by the countermeasure and fails its attack.

Point defense operates in the same way with one exception. Point defense can be used offensively! All point defense will have a number of stats just like a weapon that dictate what it can do if it is used offensively. Each charge used, on the ship's move in initiative, attacks a single starship. Point defense cannot be used to attack ground targets and will never attack individuals that are not in a vehicle.

## Terrain Hazards

Terrestrial vehicles, while they typically mount heavier weapons than their airborne cousins, have their own hazards to contend with. Rough terrain is especially deadly to heavier vehicles which cannot typically handle it without the risk, and a significant risk it is, of flipping over. Likewise, heavier vehicles tend to be larger and cannot fit into smaller spaces and are vulnerable to collapsing structures (such as bridges) which can kill the occupants without ever damaging the vehicle or its armor.

While there are no mechanical representations of these things, your GM may decide that crossing a particular bridge is risky for your vehicle or even impossible. A tank cannot readily cross a rope bridge, after all. Some rough terrain that does not involve fall hazards may incur flipping hazards, such as mountainous terrain, in which your GM may at any time call for a Driving check to remain stable.