Metric Damage Capacity (the other MDC) R.P.G. Page Articles

MDC and SDC damage rules are similar, but still vastly different. MDC creates two strata of damage. While this does add to the realism somewhat by not letting a guy with a bo staff destroy a tank, it does make certain skills and abilities almost useless, and creates an environment where players with human character work, play, eat, sleep, and do anything else they can, encased in their protective armored suits. I propose a compromise system which addresses both concerns and makes conversion a lot easier. This system is called Metric Damage Capacity
NOTE: This system is still experimental. You may use it, but at your own risk. Certain values may have to be editted. It is recomemmended that you examine the whole list with a copy of Heroes Unlimited, Rifts, and the Rifts Conversion Book as you adjust values to try to retain Palladium game balance.

Metric Damage Capacity (the other MDC)

• The Basics: The Four Levels of Damage
• What is SDC?
• What is DDC?
• What is HDC?
• What is KDC?
• General Damage Conversions
• Metric Supernatural Strength Chart
• Some Super Power Conversions
• Some Psionic and Magic Conversions
• Some Tech Conversions

The Basics: The Four Levels of Damage

• Structural Damage Capacity (SDC): This is unchanged. SDC is the basic unit of damage.
• DecaDamage Capacity (DDC): This is equal to 10 SDC.
• HekaDamage Capacity (HDC): This is equal to 10 DDC or 100 SDC. HDC is equal to MDC
• KiloDamage Capacity (KDC): This is equal to 10 HDC, 100 DDC, or 1,000 SDC.

Items cannot be fractionally damaged, so a DDC item can only suffer damage from a whole DDC point. This means that is one attack inflicts 7 SDC damage and the next inflicts 8, then even though the combined damage is well over one DDC, no damage is inflicted.
AR is not used in this system.

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What is SDC?

Humans are SDC creatures and inflict SDC punches. Basically, this damage level deals with unarmored beings and structures and simple weapons such as melee weapons, light firearms, etc.

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What is DDC?

Most man-sized armored creatures are are DDC. Also, many superhumans are DDC. Light energy weapons do DDC damage, and most body armor is DDC. All light commercial and recreation vehicles are DDC

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What is HDC?

Giant creatures, war machines, giant robots, and light spacecraft are HDC. Heavy weapons inflict HDC.

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What is KDC?

Large starships, space stations, and other huge and powerful structures are KDC. Also, the larger weapons aboard starships are KDC weapons.

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General Damage Conversions

• Falls and crashes do standard damage to SDC creatures. They inflict 1 DDC per 4 SDC to DDC creatures. They inflict 1 DDC per 10 SDC for HDC beings. They inflict 1 KDC per 25 SDC for KDC beings
• Poison, choking, suffocation, disease, bio-manipulation, etc. damage is converted to the damage level of the victim on a one-to-one basis
• If a character has two or more powers which convert him to a DDC beings, then add the bonuses together. Also, unless the power specifically states that all SDC is transformed, then leave the other SDC intact. The character will be a DDC being until the DDC is removed, then he will be an SDC being. If an SDC being becomes a DDC being through an alter physical structure power, then divide SDC by 10 and add it to DDC

Metric Supernatural Strength Chart

Use the following chart for all characters who use supernatural strength

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Some Super Power Conversions

NOTE: To avoid copyright problems, I am not reprinting any descriptive data, just the basic SDC stats.

A NOTE ABOUT CONVERSIONS: Some of these conversions increase SDC to DDC. This is the only way that these abilities increase the damage level. If the character is already a DDC being before gaining these abilites, then he will NOT become a HDC being. Likewise, a DDC or HDC being who takes the Invulnerability power will not be elevated to a KDC being.

• Unless otherwise noted, energy attacks inflict 1 DDC for exvery 2 SDC points. If an energy power raises by 1D6 damamge per level, then the same power would advance by 1D6 DDC damage per odd level.
• Alter
• Extraordinary Physical Endurance: Has 1 DDC point for every 5 SDC. Calculate when character is completed
• Extraordinary Speed: Has 25 DDC
• Healing Factor: Healing rate is halved if the charcter is DDC, and is halved again if he is HDC
• Manipulate Kinetic Energy: Damage remains SDEC (unless a DDC weapon is used), but double all SDC damage
• Power Channeling: Body Block does 1D4 DDC every odd level. Head Butt does 1D6 DDC plus 1D6 every fourth level. Kicks do 1D6 DDC plus 1D6 DDC every even level. Power Punch does 6D6 DDC. Jump Kick does 2xKick damage
• Superhuman Strength: The character's strength is still technically SDC, but he will inflict minor DDC damage due to the huge damage bonus
• Underwater Abilities: In water, becomes a DDC being with one DDC for every 2 SDC. The underwater SDC bonus of 100 SDC becomes 25 DDC
• Alter Physical Structure Powers: All energy blasts inflict 1 DDC for every 2 SDC.
  • Alter Physical Structure: Electricty: Has 20 DDC
  • Alter Physical Structure: Fire: Has 1 DDC for each 5 SDC points possessed in human form
  • Alter Physical Structure: Ice: Has 20 DDC. Ice objects have 1 DDC for every 3 SDC
  • Alter Physical Structure: Liquid: Remains SDC
  • Alter Physical Structure: Metal: Has 400 DDC
  • Alter Physical Structure: Plant: Has 10D6 DDC
  • Alter Physical Structure: Plasma: Has 25 DDC
  • Alter Physical Structure: Stone: Has 250 DDC
• Bio Armor: Armor has 75 DDC plus 10 DDC per level
• CEF: Air: Whirlwind inflicts 1D6 DDC. Call Lightning inflicts 3D6 DDC
• CEF: Earth: Earth objects have 1 DDC per 2 SDC
• CEF: Fire: Wall of Flame inflicts 1D6 DDC
• CEF: Water: Large Wave inflicts 2D6 DDC + 1D4 DDC per level. Huge Wave inflicts 3D4 damamge plus 1D4 per level.Water slam inflicts 1D6 DDC plus 1 per odd level.
• Control Insects: All giant insects have 1 DDC per 2 SDC. All giant insect biting, claw, or ram type attacks inflict 1 DDC per 2 SDC. All ginat insect acid attacks inflict 1 DDC per 3 SDC. Insect armor is 1D4x10 DDC
• Control Radiation: Generate Extreme radiation remains an SDC attack, but double damage. BOlt and heat attacks become DDC, inflicting one DDC per 2 SDC points
• Copy Physical Structure: Each material has 1 DDC per 2 SDC
• Create Force Field: Force field has 10 DDC for every point of P.E. (No, the force field is NOT an HDC structure)
• Disruptive Touch: Does normal damage to SDC beings. Convert damage one-for-one to DDC or HDC for beings with those damage levels
• Energy Absorption: All energy attacks do one damage level less than normal. THus, a DDC attack would inflict SDC damage. The first 20 DDC off of this reduced attack do no damage
• Force Aura: The force aura has 100 DDC plus 5 DDC per level
• Growth: Gains 2 DDC per extra foot of height
• Invulernability: The complete invulnerability to all physical attacks is gone, but the character becomes an HDC being in regards to these attacks. All attacks the character would normally be vulnerable to, such as magic weapons, magic, etc., affect him as though he were a DDC being
• Magnetism: Damage from magnetically hurled items is doubled. TIny to heavy still inflict SDC damage. Large or Heavy Items (120 to 200 lb) inflict 2D6 DDC. Large and Heavy Items (210 to 350 lb) inflict 4D6 DDC
• Negate Super Abilites: Will negate powers but leave all constant SDC bonuses intact. Negate Super Abilities is also unable to convert a DDC or HDC being into an SDC being
• Negative Matter: All damage from this power is doubled
• Shrink: If the character retains his own mass when shrunk, then divide SDC by ten and convert to DDC. This means that a character with 60 SDC would have 6 DDC when shrunk
• Sonic Power: Sonic Boom/Blast inflicts 1D4 DDC (+2 DDC underwater). All other powers are unchanged
• Sonic Flight: Character has 3D4 DDC. All damage from sonic flight attacks does one DDC per 2 SDC
• Sonic Speed: Character has 4D4 DDC. All damage from sonic speed attacks does one DDC per 2 SDC
• Spin at High Velocity: Character has 10 DDC. Create Mini-Tornado inflicts 2D6 DDC if used against a single target.
• Super Energy Expulsion: The super blast inflicts 5D6 DDC + 1D6 DDC per level
• Vibration: Shock Waves inflict 1D6 DDC per level. Vibrating punch inflicts 1D6 DDC

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Some Psionic and Magic Conversions

Specific Psi Powers

• Psi and magic powers which mystically affect the victim or affect his life force follow the same rules as poison in General Damage Conversions
• Telekinesis: Lesser is unchanged, but Telekinesis Super inflicts 2D4 DDC per 100 lb.
• Telekinetic punch inflicts 1D4 DDC. Telekinetic Kick inflicts 1D6 DDC
• Bio-Regeneration powers and Summon Inner Strength are unchanged for SDC beings. DDC beings draw 1 DDC for every 1 SDC the power would grant. HDC beings draw 1 HDC for every 2 SDC and KDC beings draw 1 KDC for every 2 SDC
• Electrokinesis: Electrical Bolt does 1D4 DDC
• Mind Bolt: Inflicts 1D4 DDC per six I.S.P.
• Psi Sword: Inflicts 1 DDC for every 2 SDC it inflicts under current rules, thus a 3rd level Psi Sword would inflict 2D6 DDC
• Telekinetic Force Field: 10 DDC per level

Specific Spells

• Armor of Ithan: Has 10 DDC per level
• Energy Shield has 60 DDC
• Circle of Flame: Inlicts 1D6 DDC
• Call Lightning: 1D6 DDC per level
• Fire Ball: 1D4 DDC per level
• Monster Insect has 3D4 DDC
• Invulnerability (from Rifts): has 35 DDC
• Summon Shadow Beast: Beast has 20 SDC in light and 5 DDC in darkness
• Finger of Lictalon: does 1D4 DDC to evil or selfish mortals and 2D6 DDC to supernatural evil and selfish
• Create Golem: Stone golem has 35 DDC and iron golem has 80 DDC. They inflict 2D6 DDC by punch

Magic Weapons

• Convert the SDC or MDC (depending on which system you are converting) to DDC

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Some Tech Conversions

• Standard body armor has 1 DDC per 5 SDC
• Firearm damage is doubled, but remains SDC (though it may inflict minor DDC damage)
• Energy weapons and light explosives inflict 1 DDC per 4 SDC
• Antitank and rocket launchers inflict 1 DDC per 5 SDC
• Robot exoskeletons, commerical vehicles, and non-armored architectural structures have 1 DDC per 2 SDC
• Large robots, tanks, and armored bunkers have have 1 HDC per 10 SDC
• Aircraft have 1 HDC per 20 SDC
• NOTE: When converting Rifts tech which is within the DDC range, just replace MDC values with DDC. If the tech is to be HDC, then just change the little "M" to an "H"