Asking Google: Ranged Target Numbers and WP Bonuses

So I asked Google AI the following rules question, which is one I always got wrong:

In the Palladium game systems, when did the target number for ranged attacks rise to an 8, and why? Also, how many weapon proficiencies are added to an attack? The highest one, or all of them?

Google AI came back with this answer:

---

The target number for a standard ranged attack in the Palladium game system was officially updated to 8 or higher in the Rifts Ultimate Edition (published in 2005). This change was part of an effort to standardize the rules across different game lines and make the combat system more consistent and challenging, with melee attacks retaining a target number of 5 or higher. 

Weapon Proficiencies and Attack Bonuses
When making a ranged attack, you typically add only the relevant Weapon Proficiency (W.P.) bonus to your d20 roll. 

Only the single, highest applicable W.P. bonus is added. You do not add bonuses from multiple weapon proficiencies, nor do you add bonuses from Hand-to-Hand (HtH) skills or Physical Prowess (P.P.) attributes, which are generally reserved for melee combat.

The only exception for P.P. bonuses applying to a ranged attack is for certain specific abilities like the "Energy Expulsion" powers or certain types of thrown weapons, if specifically noted in the rules. 

The intent of the rules is to prevent stacking multiple bonuses to achieve an almost guaranteed hit, which was a common house rule or misinterpretation in earlier editions of the game.

---

Note this has changed from earlier games like TNMT, Heroes Unlimited, and Ninjas & Superspies, where the target number is 5 for all types of attacks. When you play Rifts Ultimate edition, this changes to 5 for all melee attacks and 8 for all ranged attacks. Will the new TNMT rules use the updated ranged target number of 8, or the legacy 5? My bet is the legacy number.

Note Heroes Unlimited uses a modified system: 5 at 60 feet or less, and 8 at 61+ feet.

Also, a character's PP to-strike bonus does NOT add to ranged attacks! This is one I consistently got wrong. The PP bonus only applies to melee attacks.

Another one I got wrong was stacking WP bonuses: only the highest applicable one applies. So my character, with a +2 to strike with rifles and a +3 to strike with the sniper skill, uses the higher of the two and gets a +3 to strike, rolling against a target number of 8. That is, if we are using the updated rules in Rifts Ultimate, which are intended to be an update to the entire line and unify the combat rules across all the games.

If a group just wants to play the original Ninjas & Superspies, I will stick to the single-target number of 5 rather than bring in other rules. The same with Heroes Unlimited, keep the 5/8 system as-is if all the players just use that rulebook. People who can only afford one book should be able to play with what is in it, just to keep consistent.

If we touch Rifts Ultimate, play in a Megaverse campaign, or people want to use the latest ranged combat rules, we can use the new system.

Melee Attack PP and WP Stacking?

Then I asked this:

In the Palladium game systems, does the PP bonus for melee attacks stack with WP bonuses for melee attacks?

I got this answer:

---

Yes, in the Palladium game systems, bonuses from your Physical Prowess (P.P.) attribute typically stack with bonuses from your Weapon Proficiency (W.P.) when making melee attacks. 

The core principle is that bonuses from different sources (attributes, physical skills like Hand-to-Hand, and weapon proficiencies) are generally cumulative, provided they are applicable to the situation. 

P.P. Bonuses: Your P.P. attribute bonus to strike in melee is a general physical ability that applies whenever you are engaged in hand-to-hand or melee combat.

W.P. Bonuses: A W.P. provides a specific bonus that applies only when you are using that particular type of weapon (e.g., W.P. Sword). 

Therefore, when you make a melee attack with a weapon you are proficient in, you add both your P.P. strike bonus and your W.P. strike bonus to your roll, along with any other applicable bonuses from Hand-to-Hand skills or magic/abilities. 

An exception is ranged attacks with modern firearms, where the P.P. bonus generally does not apply, but W.P. bonuses do. However, for traditional ranged weapons like bows and thrown weapons, the P.P. bonus does apply and stacks with the W.P. bonus.

---

So on melee attacks, the PP bonus DOES stack with the WP bonus. Can we get Google AI to rewrite all the core books? I love these clear, straightforward explanations. These answers cleared a lot up for me, and helped me grasp what and how many modifiers to add.

I can see the dangers of AI, but these sorts of "expert intelligence" features, when it comes to rule questions and ambiguity, clear things up a lot for me and help a great deal.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I have since had a bad experience with Google's AI, which would cite incorrect data. Always VISIT the sources it cites and see for yourself what the correct answer really is. You may be surprised that the AI system is trying to lie to you and sell you on the answer it thinks is right, but it is clearly NOT. I checked the above numbers, the sources, and the rulebooks, and I am confident these are correct.