Tuomo
Keeper of the Funk
The context:
Moderate Dust is in effect, and a tank fires its MA on a building it suspects of hiding a HIP OBA observer. Area Target Type is used. The Original TH DR is a 1,1, with the Moderate Dust dr being a 6 (which gets halved, FRU, to a LV Hindrance DRM of +3, F11.72). The other relevant TH modifiers are +1 BU, -1 Armor Leader, -1 Acq, +2 concealed/HIP target, for a net +1, so the final TH DR was a 6. Since this is not the "lowest Final TH DR possible for that shot (to) achieve a hit", we played that it was indeed a Critical Hit.
But what if the Armor Leader wasn't there? With a net TH DRM of +4 (including the Dust hindance), the snakeyes would indeed have been the lowest final TH DR possible to achieve a hit, BUT, could one argue that the LV hindrance DRM could have been less, and therefore this wasn't the lowest final TH DR possible to achieve a hit? The tank could have rolled a 1-4, and that would have still been a hit...
The Question and The Answer:
Q: When considering whether a Dust-modified Final TH DR is "the lowest Final TH DR possible for that shot (to) achieve a hit", is the actual Dust Hindrance drm from the subsequent dr considered, or is the lowest possible Dust Hindrance drm considered? [EX: a player fires using the Area Target Type and rolls a 1,1 with a Dust Hindrance dr of 6. The Final TH DR is low enough to achieve a hit. Is this (a) automatically a Critical Hit since the Dust Hindrance dr could have been lower than 6, or (b) a case where a subsequent dr (as per C3.7) necessary to see whether the hit is a Critical or a Normal hit?]
A:
The Upshot: Take the as-rolled Dust Hindrance drm as a given for the shot, just like a Grain hindrance would be. The "lowest Final TH DR possible" verbiage from C3.7 takes it from there, rolling all of the various TH DRM (including the effective Hindrance for that shot) into one final TH DRM.
Moderate Dust is in effect, and a tank fires its MA on a building it suspects of hiding a HIP OBA observer. Area Target Type is used. The Original TH DR is a 1,1, with the Moderate Dust dr being a 6 (which gets halved, FRU, to a LV Hindrance DRM of +3, F11.72). The other relevant TH modifiers are +1 BU, -1 Armor Leader, -1 Acq, +2 concealed/HIP target, for a net +1, so the final TH DR was a 6. Since this is not the "lowest Final TH DR possible for that shot (to) achieve a hit", we played that it was indeed a Critical Hit.
But what if the Armor Leader wasn't there? With a net TH DRM of +4 (including the Dust hindance), the snakeyes would indeed have been the lowest final TH DR possible to achieve a hit, BUT, could one argue that the LV hindrance DRM could have been less, and therefore this wasn't the lowest final TH DR possible to achieve a hit? The tank could have rolled a 1-4, and that would have still been a hit...
The Question and The Answer:
Q: When considering whether a Dust-modified Final TH DR is "the lowest Final TH DR possible for that shot (to) achieve a hit", is the actual Dust Hindrance drm from the subsequent dr considered, or is the lowest possible Dust Hindrance drm considered? [EX: a player fires using the Area Target Type and rolls a 1,1 with a Dust Hindrance dr of 6. The Final TH DR is low enough to achieve a hit. Is this (a) automatically a Critical Hit since the Dust Hindrance dr could have been lower than 6, or (b) a case where a subsequent dr (as per C3.7) necessary to see whether the hit is a Critical or a Normal hit?]
A:
Yes.
No.
The Upshot: Take the as-rolled Dust Hindrance drm as a given for the shot, just like a Grain hindrance would be. The "lowest Final TH DR possible" verbiage from C3.7 takes it from there, rolling all of the various TH DRM (including the effective Hindrance for that shot) into one final TH DRM.