Bit of a repost, but I put this onto the old forums just before they closed down, and it’s been an idea that has been stewing for quite some time before I arrived at this format, so I’d like to repost it here for commentary:
Adaptive Strike
Mechanikal Runeplate
Type: Melee Weapon, Ranged Weapon (ranged weapons without RNG:SP and with AOE: - only)
Cost: 300 gc
Rune Points: 2
Effect: While a weapon equipped with this rune is powered, the character making an attack with this weapon rolls an additional die on the attack roll and must then remove one die of their choice from the result, but retain the number rolled. If the attack hits, one of the die results of the damage roll against the character directly hit by the attack must then be replaced with the die retained from the attack roll.
Examples: Firing a mechanikal rifle equipped with the adaptive strike rune at a Khadoran warjack, Morgan rolls 6, 4 and 1 on the attack roll. Knowing that Khadoran 'jacks are not nimble at all but have thick armour, Morgan retains the result of 6, leaving an attack roll of 4 and 1, which is just enough for even a poor shot like Morgan (POI+Rifle 5) to hit his mark. When making the damage roll, Morgan then rolls 5 and 2, and switches out the 2 for the result of 6 retained from the attack roll, increasing his chances of punching through the 'jack’s armour.
If Morgan had instead been fighting a Stalker, a very nimble but poorly armoured Cryxian bonejack, Morgan would have instead kept the result of 1 from the attack roll, enhancing his chances at hitting his elusive target by keeping the results of 6 and 4, but then he would have had to swap out one of the dice from the damage roll for the result of 1 he retained from the attack roll.
Comments welcome, as usual.