From: rorice@nickel.ucs.indiana.edu (rosalyn rice) This section of my expanded combat rules includes expanded and changed rules for ranged combat. Specifically, I've changed the arc of vision rules, consolidated the "to hit" modifiers found in Basic and High Tech (and added some of my own), I've added and consolidated information from the various GURPS books about special types of ammunition. I've also changed the way that indirect fire and opportunity fire works. Some of the information about indirect fire might have come from High Tech, but I think that I've added enough stuff of my own that it's not a complete rip off. Again apologies for any unintended copyright infringements. Combat Rules 9 - Ranged Weapons ARC OF VISION FOR RANGED COMBAT - If you have a ranged weapon, you can attack in a cone described by the borderlines between the front hex and the two side hexes. You can see and fire into the left and right front hexes at -4. This is your "arc of vision". A character with Peripheral Vision can see and fire without penalty into the left and right hexes (giving him a 180 firing arc), and can see into his left and right rear hexes at -4. A character with 360 Vision can see into all hexes at no penalty, but can still only shoot into his front three hexes. \ / \ legal/ -4 \____/ -4 / ^ \ -------< | >------- No \____/ No / No \ MODIFIERS TO HIT TARGETING Snap shot -4 unless adjusted skill => weapon's SS number One turn of aiming 0+ACC modifier Two turns of aiming +1 Three turns of aiming +2 Four or more turns of aiming +3 Bracing a crossbow, rifle, etc. +1 if time is taken to aim Pop-up attack -2, and -4 for snap-shot; total -6 SCOPES AND SIGHTS Targeting system (helps cancel speed penalty) +1 or more Scopes +1 ACC for each doubling of magnification for aimed shots Walking the burst (if burst seen) +1 @ burst after first to +3 Laser sights: +2 ACC, -1 snap shot penalty 50 to 100 yards -2 snap shot penalty over 100 yards -4 snap shot penalty Night Sights: Improved visibility sights +1 to +3 ACC for shots in dark Active IR eliminates darkness penalty Light Intensification up to +10 (eliminates darkness penalty) Thermal Imaging up to +10 (eliminates darkness penalty) CONDITION OF FIRER Firing on the move: walking (x2 crossbow, x6 bows,+1 Aim max) -1 running (x2 crossbow, x6 bows, no aim) -2 Obstructed hex -2 or more Bad footing -2 or more Awkward position -1 or more Nearsighted -1 to -10, doubled at long range Indirect fire: bows and crossbows -4 Grenades and thrown weapons -1 to -4 Buck Fever -1 to -10 Fatigue -1 per Fatigue lost Sweat/blood in eyes -2 Badly fitting goggles/gas mask -3 Distractions -1 to -3 Bullet shyness -1 to -10 Flinch: single or semi-auto (recoil on first shot) -1 to -10 auto weapons (added to recoil of first burst) -1 to -10 CONDITION OF TARGET Higher target +1 yard to range per yard higher Lower target -1 yard from range per 2 yards lower to half range Inanimate object +4 Erratic Movement -1 to -4 Shooting through occupied hex -4 per hex, -8 for area weapons Camoflague/Obscured target -1 to -5 Weapon as target (assumes weapon is in use, +2 if stationary): most weapons -6 Polearm, spear, rifle, greatsword -5 Knife, pistol -7 COVER OR POSTURE Head Only -5 Head and shoulders exposed (e.g. firing from a trench) -4 Body half exposed (e.g. hiding behind a wall or tree) -3 Hiding behind light cover (e.g. a screen of branches) -2 Slightly obscured (by smoke, mist or haze) -1 Behind someone. See attacking through occupied hex. -4@hex Lying prone without cover -4 Lying prone behind minimum cover with head up to observe -5 Lying prone behind minimum cover keeping head down -7 Sitting in a chair or Kneeling without cover -2 Sitting on the ground or Crawling on Knees without cover -3 Crouching without cover -1 OPPORTUNITY FIRE (doesn't include snap shot penalty) Wait for specific target before firing -4 Evaluate target before firing -2 1 hex -1 2 -3 3-4 -4 5-6 -6 7-10 -7 11+ -8 Straight Line -5 30 Cone -8 TYPE OF WEAPON Cocking and firing double action revolver with trigger -2 Recoil as specified for gun Accuracy as specified for gun Unfamiliar weapon of known type -2 Unfamiliar type of weapon -4 Unfamiliar vehicular aiming system of known type -2 Weapon in bad repair -1 or more Quality: very cheap (-2 Malf) -2 cheap (-1 Malf) -1 fine +1 very fine +2 PHYSICAL CONDITIONS Darkness -1 to -10 Smoke (esp. with black powder) -1 to -10 Rain/Dust/Snow/Fog -1 to -10 Shooting into bright light -1 to -5 Windage double speed penalty for shots over 1/2 D Ranging double range penalty for first shot over 1/2 D BLACK POWDER WEAPONS Careful Loading (black powder) +1 Careful weighing of shot and powder (black powder) +1 Fouling (black powder) -1 per 5 shots BOWS AND CROSSBOWS Using bow of too high ST -1 per ST point between you and the bow Improvised arrow -1 to -3 depending on modification Stabilizers +1 ACC for aimed shots TRACKING SYSTEMS - High-tech tracking systems will modify the target's effective speed. FIRING UPWARDS AND DOWNWARDS - Firing downwards increases the distance you can fire a ranged weapon; firing upward decreases range. This is not likely to matter at short distances, but can be important at long range. FIRING DOWNWARD - For every two yards of elevation you have over your target, subtract 1 yard from the effective distance. Whenever this would reduce the effective range to less than half of the real ground distance use half the real ground distance instead. Normal range modifiers apply to sights. If you are firing down at a very steep angle you might be penalized for shooting in an awkward position or might not be able to aim properly with a long gun. FIRING UPWARDS - For every yard of elevation from you to your target, add 1 yard to the effective distance. BEAM WEAPONS - Ignore the elevation modifiers for beam weapons like lasers. FIRING ON THE MOVE - Any ranged weapon can be fired while the firer is walking or running, but it cannot be braced. Normal penalties (in addition to the Snap Shot penalty) are -1 for walking, -2 for running, and anything else the GM assesses if the firer is otherwise handicapped or distracted. Triple these penalties for crossbows, multiply the penalties by 6 for bows! In addition, firing on the move might interfere with moving, and moving will interfere with reloading. COVER AND CONCEALMENT - If you hide behind something, you will be a harder target to hit. The better the cover, the harder you will be to hit, anyone aiming at you must target an exposed part of your body. Some examples: -5 Head Only -4 Head and shoulders exposed (e.g. firing from a trench) -3 Body half exposed (e.g. hiding behind a wall or tree) -2 Hiding behind light cover (e.g. a screen of branches) -1 Slightly obscured (by smoke, mist or haze) -4@ Behind someone else. See attacking through an occupied hex. -4 Lying prone without cover -5 Lying prone behind minimum cover with head up to observe -7 Lying prone behind minimum cover keeping head down -2 Sitting in a chair or Kneeling without cover -3 Sitting on the ground or Crawling on Knees without cover -1 Crouching without cover Based on these examples, GMs can interpolate reasonable penalties for any exotic method of concealment. Do not add these modifiers to attacks to hit a certain hit location, unless some extra difficulty is being added. There is no difference between aiming at a target's head because you want to and aiming at it because that's all that's exposed. SHOOTING BLIND - If you have a ranged weapon you may someone to your side rear or rear hexes by "shooting blind". Your attack roll is a Wild Shot and you can't get a bonus for bracing or aiming. RANDOM HIT LOCATIONS AND SHOOTING - Don't use random hit locations for missile weapons except when: 1) The attacker is snap-shooting (no called shots allowed, unless the shooter hesitates and takes a -2 penalty) 2) The attacker is using an automatic weapon with a recoil penalty. The first 4 round group can be aimed though. 3) The attacker is attacking blindly (attacker is blinded, darkness, defender invisible, etc.) FIRING THROUGH AN OCCUPIED HEX - You can target an enemy if you can draw a straight line between any part of your hex and any part of his, without passing through a solid obstacle. However, if your chosen target passes through an occupied hex, the figures in that hex are in the way. You may hit them if you miss your intended target. Any character (friend or foe) gives you -4 penalty (-8 for weapons that have a wide fire pattern - like shotguns or ultra-sonic weapons). If your attack passes through several occupied hexes add the total penalty for each character in the way. Someone on the ground between you and your target is never in the way, unless you are prone too. Someone sitting or kneeling is never in the way, unless you are sitting or kneeling too, or the target is prone, sitting or kneeling. EXCEPTION: Burst fire from any weapon that has a recoil penalty of 1 or more and a RoF of 2 or more might hit a character in the way, even if they don't interfere with the shot. HITTING THE WRONG TARGET - If you attack with a ranged weapon and miss, your attack will probably go high, low, or wide unless you are attacking into a mass of people or you shot "through" an occupied hex. The more you miss your roll by, the more you miss the target by. If the shot missed by 4 points or less then it passes through the target's hex. Shots fired up or down automatically miss cleanly, unless there was another character within 2 hexes of the target (in any direction). For each extra 2 points the roll is missed by, the shot "goes wide" by one hex. This could be to the left or right of the target, over the target's head or in the dirt in front of the target. Roll 1d6 to determine where the missile goes; 1-2: Over 3-4: Under 5: Left 6: Right Once the direction of the miss has been determined draw a new line from the firer to the hex where the missile has gone and extend that line "down range" to the next possible target. Missles that go low or high or which would hit an obvious backstop before they would hit another target are ignored (unless there is target above or below the original character. If a missle passes through a hex occupied by something other than the target, it might strike the object. A man-sized object is hit on a 9 or the modified original hit number plus new modifiers for the new target's size, speed and range, whichever is less. If the attack hits, the character takes either normal or half damage. If the target dodges or the attack misses, reroll for the direction of the missile. Left and right results are treated as "missile continues" results. If the missile continues go to the next possible target (living or dead) "down-range" and apply the same procedure, until there are no more possible targets to hit, the projectile hits an obvious backstop, or it reaches Maximum Range. A critical miss will never "randomly" hit an enemy target. QUICK PLAY INTENSIVE FIRE - In most cases, the paths of most bullets can be ignored, unless there is a possibility that they could hit something important. The GM should only use this rule when the situation seems to warrant it. e.g. If the characters are low on ammunition, attacking a closely packed crowd, or someone fired a BIG missile that does lots of explosive damage when it hits. RANDOM FIRE IN COMBAT - If the GM wants to simulate the characters being under a LOT of fire without rolling for every missile fired, he can set an arbitrary chance for getting shot each turn. This rule should only be used in combat situations with a lot of unaimed, non-explosive, missiles or shrapnel flying around: occasional shell-bursts, harassment HE artillery fire, supression fire from machine guns, massed fire from artillery batteries or infantry regiments and the like. Normally, this roll should be a 9 minus modifiers for the characters' positions and sizes, but not their range or motion. If the fire is less intense, or accurate, the number should be less, say an 8 to a 3. In most cases, this means that if the characters keep their heads down under cover they're safe. If they stand up or expose themselves to fire they might just get hit. OVERSHOOTING - If you make your attack roll, but your foe blocks or parries successfully, the weapon as been knocked away and is no longer a threat. If your foe dodges, the missile went past him and may hit somebody beyond him. Proceed as above, but start with the closest character beyond your target. INDIRECT FIRE - Some weapons can fire in an arc, avoiding people and obstacles between them and the target. THROWN WEAPONS - Thrown weapons always use indirect fire if the are being aimed at a target at or beyond the 1/2 Dam range. They can be indirectly fired at a closer target at -2 to hit and half damage. LOW-TECH MISSILE WEAPONS - Slings, bows and crossbows always use indirect fire if they are being aimed at a target at, or beyond, the 1/2 Dam range. They can be indirectly fired at a closer target at -4 to hit and half damage. OVERHEAD CLEARANCE - Thrown and low-tech missile weapons can only be "lobbed" if there is sufficient overhead room to launch them on a high trajectory. Indirect fire is impossible in areas with very low ceilings or very thick overhead vegetation. If there is partial obstruction (chandeliers, tree-branches), the GM should apply a further penalty to the attempt from -1 to -4. HIGH-TECH MISSILE WEAPONS - Most gunpowder weapons have too much range to be accurately indirectly fired on their targets. The exceptions to these are grenade launchers, machine guns, thrown grenades and explosive charges, mortars, and artillery. Even then, mortars, artillery, and machine guns require a lot of range and an artillery spotter to guide them to their target. BEAM WEAPONS - Most if not all beam weapons can't be indirectly fired. SMALL INDIRECT FIRE WEAPONS SCATTER - If you "lob" an item on an indirect trajectory - like a mortar shell, baseball or long bow shot, it will land someplace near the target if you miss. If you miss with an indirectly fired hand weapon, you miss the target by a number of yards by with you missed your attack roll (rounded up) or half the distance to the target, whichever is less. Roll randomly for direction. Ignore or reroll impossible results (scatter beyond the maximum range of the weapon or over a very high obstacle). AIMING ON THE MOVE - A firer can aim while walking if the pace is no more than two yards per second (or half his Move, whichever is less). The maximum aiming bonus while walking is +1. Archers, except for crossbowmen can't aim while walking. The aim bonus can't be gained while walking on bad terrain, you need to pay attention to where you're going as well as firing. OPPORTUNITY FIRE - A character with a thrown of missile weapon may stand still, watching a specified area, and fire as soon as a target presents itself. This is called opportunity fire. To opportunity fire, you must choose the Wait maneuver. Your character is now staying still, facing the direction you choose and watching for a target in a specified area. If a target appears you must fire or throw your weapon, unless you stated that you weren't automatically firing. You may do nothing else that turn, except dodging, which would spoil your attack. If no target appears you wasted that turn. All of the area to be "covered" must be within your normal arc of vision. The larger the area you have to watch, the greater the penalty when you fire, as follows: HEXES WATCHED MODIFIER 1 -1 2 -3 3-4 -4 5-6 -6 7-10 -7 11+ -8 Straight Line -5 30 Cone -8 You may also specify that you are watching along single straight line or a 30 cone (15 to each side), and say that you will fire at the first target (or a specified target) crossing that line. All normal modifiers apply to opportunity fire, including the -4 Snap-Shot penalty. If you are aiming at a single hex, you may Aim while you wait for the target. This will give you your normal aiming bonus when you finally fire. If you are watching a group, cone or line of hexes, you may not aim. If you specify that you are not firing automatically, you need not fire at a target in the area you are watching. When a target appears, the GM makes a Vision roll for you and tells you whether you think it's friend or foe. You are at -2 to your shot because of the time you will spend deciding. If you are looking for a specific target to come into the watched area you are at -4 to your shot. If you want to keep your foes from knowing where you are aiming your opportunity fire, just tell the GM secretly. If two or more characters are taking opportunity fire at the same target, they all fire; their shots are effectively simultaneous. RELOADING TIME - Use the "Ready" option to reload a missile weapon. This will require several turns. With a sling, for instance, you need one second to "ready" the rock, and one second to put the rock in the sling. If you don't aim, you can fire on the third second. Crossbows take much longer. First you must cock the bow - this takes 2 seconds for a bow of your ST, or more for a heavier bow. Then you must ready the arrow (1 turn) and load the bow (1 turn). Reloading time for missile weapons is shown below. Sling: 2 seconds to reload - can be fired every 3 seconds. Bow: 2 seconds to reload - weapon can be fired every 3 seconds. Crossbow (your ST or less): 4 seconds to cock and reload - can be fired every 5 seconds. Crossbow (ST up to 2 greater than yours): 8 seconds to cock and reload - can be fired every 9 seconds. Note that the Fast-Draw skill can speed reloading. BLINDING LIGHT - When shooting a missile weapon into the sun, or into a bright light at night, you are at -5 to hit. If you are shooting into a shiny reflective surface you are at -1 to -5 to skill depending on how shiny the object is. WINDAGE - The speed of any cross-wind is applied as a motion modifier for any shot at long range (over 1/2 D range). RANGING - Shots beyond 1/2 Damage range have range penalties doubled unless the shooter knows or can determine the range to the target. Roll vs. Forward Observer skill to guess the range immediately. If that doesn't work, roll vs. Guns skill or Forward Observer skill (plus or minus any penalties for Bad Sight) after every shot to determine the range, assuming you can see where the shot went. If you are firing at night or into the air, you can't do this. At TL 6+ range-finders will do the job automatically. At TL 7+ laser sights serve as both range-finder and sight. INANIMATE OBJECTS - A ranged weapon gets +4 to hit a stationary target, that is unaware of the firer. This applies to all inanimate objects and attacks from ambush against people who are standing very still. Living creatures don't get a defense roll if the GM rules that they are attacked from suprise while stationary. Indirect fire and attacks against living targets that are making some movement don't get this bonus. LOW-TECH MISSILE WEAPONS INCREASED DAMAGE FROM MISSILES - It is assumed that a bowman or crossbowman is using the heaviest bow or crossbow of a type to get his normal range and damage, and that slingers are throwing the heaviest missile they can. However, some trade-off of range for damage can be made. Slings, as well as bows and crossbows can sacrifice some range in the hands of a strong man to fire a heavier missile. For each -1 ST to range calculations, a missile man can add +1 to damage up +2 extra points of damage. After 1/2 D range this damage bonus is lost. Missiles designed to do increased damage at the expense of range must be prepared in advance and can't be altered to give different damages or maximum ranges. DECREASED DAMAGE - Bows and crossbows are rated by ST needed to draw them. A bowman or crossbowman can use a bow of less power than he could normally draw at no penalty. Alternately, a bowman could use a bow too powerful for him at a penalty to hit equal to the difference between his ST and that of the bow. Damage and range are figured at the strength of the bowman, not the bow. A bowman can also not completely draw his bow and fire at less ST than he would normally use. Crossbows can eventually be drawn by anyone who has the proper equipment. There is no way to reduce the damage done by a crossbow bolt. FIRING BOWS FASTER - A roll vs. Bow skill can be used to fire a bow faster. Roll vs. Skill, each 3 points the roll is made by reduces the time to load and fire by 1 second. (To a minimum of 1 second). This can be further increased with the Fast Draw (arrow) skill. LONG RANGED LOW-TECH MISSILE ATTACKS - A arrow, spear or sling stone fired beyond 1/2 D range takes 2 seconds to hit its target. The target is at +2 to Dodge or Block if he can see the missile coming. INCREASED MAXIMUM RANGE - Like guns, maximum range for arrows and crossbow bolts is considerably greater than their effective combat range. If it matters, the true maximum range for an arrow or bolt fired purely for maximum range is twice normal MAX range. A successful roll vs. Bow or Crossbow skill will add 1 to the effective ST for every point by which the roll was made. This means an experienced, strong bowman with proper equipment could drive an arrow 600 yards or more! At this range all but the largest targets will be impossible to hit, so this use of archery is mostly limited to signalling or sport. ARROWS AND BOWS - Arrows or bolts must be of the correct weight for the bow that will be firing them. Very light arrows fired from a very heavy bow will be at -1 to hit for every 3 points of difference of the ST of the arrow and the ST of the bow. Unless a character is using scavenged arrows this should not be a problem. MIXING DIFFERENT TYPES OF ARROWS - If two or more types of arrows are mixed in the same quiver, it takes 3 turns to ready a bow, since it takes a turn to choose the right sort of arrow. Fast Draw skill can't be used if arrows are randomly mixed in a quiver unless the shooter is willing to draw arrows randomly. RECOVERING AND GLEANING ARROWS - Arrows may be gleamed from the battlefield or retrieved from the dead. Arrows which missed are fit to be re-used on 1-4. Arrows retrieved from the dead are fit to be re-used on 1-2. These probabilities imply a fairly involved melee and/or victims who had time to struggle. The GM may modify these numbers based on conditions. SPECIAL ARROWS - Arrows and crossbow bolts come in many different styles. ARMOR PIERCING - These arrows have a hardened, barbless head. They are designed to penetrate armor. DR of armor is reduced by -2 (minimum 1), damage is Thrust+1 (impaling), maximum damage is 1d6. 1/2 D range is STx20, MAX STx25. BLUNT HEAD - These arrows have blunt heads and are designed to hunt small game. They do -1 point per die of damage and do crushing damage. Damage is Thrust-1 (cutting), maximum damage is 1d3. 1/2 D range is STx15, MAX STx20. BODKIN POINT - These arrows are slightly heavier and have a hardened, barbless head. They are designed to penetrate armor. They have slightly shorter range than many arrows. DR of armor is reduced by 2 (minimum 1). Damage is Thrust+2 (impaling) and maximum damage is 1d6+2. 1/2 D range is STx15, MAX range is STx20. BOWEL RAKER - This is a Japanese arrow which is roughly trident-shaped. It is designed to do as much damage as possible to the enemy's vitals. DR of armor is doubled, but damage which gets through armor is doubled. A successful roll vs. First Aid or Surgery is required to remove the arrow without doing an additional 1d3-1 points of additional damage.Damage is Thrust+3 (cutting) and maximum damage is 1d6+4. 1/2 D range is STx15, MAX range is STx20. BROAD HEAD - This is a double-edged slightly barbed arrow also called a flight arrow by medieval archers. Variants of this design are found around the world. This is the standard combat arrow. A successful roll vs. First Aid or Surgery is required to remove the arrow without doing an additional 1d3-1 points of additional damage. Damage is Thrust+3 (impaling) but maximum damage is 1d6+4 points. 1/2 D range is STx20, MAX range is STx25. EXPLOSIVE - Modern bowmen can design loads which carry explosives. These can be as simple as sticks of dynamite taped to an arrow (which would be hard to target and risky to use) to custom loads which explode on impact. As a general rule, an arrow should not be able to carry enough explosive for it to do that much explosive damage. A custom arrow might be able to do 1d6 explosive damage, or up to 3d6 points of damage for an arrow which sacrificed a great deal of range and accuracy. Damage for an improvised arrow would be as the head type, but with 1d6 to 3d6 explosive damage. If the explosion is triggered by contact then explosion damage is doubled. 1/2 D range would be STx10, MAX range would be STx15. In addition, there would be at another -2 penalty to hit. Damage for a custom arrow would be 1d6 points of explosive damage, doubled since the arrow is designed to explode on contact. 1/2 D range would be STx15, MAX range would be STx20. In addition, the arrow would do Thrust (crushing) damage up to 1d6-3 points of damage from the impact of the arrow itself. FLYING ARROW - This sort of arrow is designed to be fired at extremely long ranges. It is very light and is designed to be areodynamic as possible. It is especially popular in Turkey and other Arabic countries where distance shooting was a popular sport. It is virtually useless except as a sport arrow, but clever characters might use it for signalling or for carrying messages. Damage is Thrust-1 (impaling), but maximum damage is 1d6-3 points. 1/2 D range STx20 and MAX range is STx35 or more. FROG CROTCH ARROW - This is another Japanese arrow and was used to demonstrate the precision of the archer's aim. The head was a U-shaped cutting blade, suitable for slicing though a rope. On a good enough roll (depending on distance and size of the target), it could down a banner, sever a fan tied to a ship's mast, or cut lacings that held a samurai's helmet or armor. It does 1d6-3 damage to humans but 2d6 points of damage to ropes and similar objects. Damage is Thrust-1 (crushing) and does a maximum of 1d6-3 damage. 1/2 D range is STx15, MAX range is STx20. HUMMING ARROW - This is a Japanese arrow that made a humming noise as it flew. It is also called a turnip-head arrow. It was customary to begin a battle by firing these arrows over the heads of the enemies, but they could also be used for signalling. Sometimes fighters filled the turnip-head with black powder and lit it, creating a fire-arrow. This did no damage to an enemy but would set inflammable material on fire. Damage is Thrust-1 (crushing) and does a maximum of 1d6-3 damage. 1/2 D range is STx15, MAX range is STx20. Other arrows were made by different cultures which whistled or screamed as they flew. INCINDIARY - Any sort of arrow can be turned into an incindiary by wrapping a wad of flammable material around the shaft and igniting it. It takes 1d6 turns to set an incindiary arrow on fire from a ready flame source. Incindiary arrows go out on a roll of 6 on 1d6. They do no extra damage, but will eventually set flammable materials on fire. The arrows are destroyed by the fire. Incindiary arrows do damage like their head type, but 1/2 D range is STx15, MAX range is STx20. LEAF HEAD - This is a leaf-shaped arrow used by a number of cultures. It does the same damage as a broad-head arrow but can be removed without doing extra damage. It does thrust+3 (cutting), maximum damage is 1d6+4. 1/2 D range is STx20, MAX is STx25. TARGET HEAD - These are light arrows used for target practice. It does Thrust-1 (impaling) damage, maximum damage is 1d6-1 points of damage. 1/2 D range is STx20, MAX is STx25. Modern Bow Improvements - The following improvements can be added to bows at TL 6+. In some fantastic cultures these improvements might occur earlier. Compound Bows - These bows are made out of fiberglass or graphite fibers and are equipped with a system of pulleys which increase the efficiency of the archer's drawing strength. They give +5 to effective ST. This in turn increases damage and range. Peep Sights - These are specialized sights mounted on the frame and string of the bow. A peep sight allows an archer to quickly determine the range to his target. They add +2 to Acc to any bow equipped with them. Stabilizers - Stabilizers stabilize a bow, allowing it to naturally balance at the proper angle in the archer's hand when his arm is in firing position. They give +1 to Acc, and +2 SS Number. Quick Releases - Quick release mechanisms are tools that fit around the string and allow a straight, accurate, arrow release. They give +2 to hit. It takes 1 second to attach a quick release tool to the bow string. As long as the quick release mechanism is attached the +2 bonus applies - including any snap shots. Subsequent snap shots don't get this bonus. Arrow Holders - These are plastic or ceramic holder mounted on the side of the bow frame on a compound bow. These allow up to three arrows to be carried on the bow itself, eliminating the need for a quiver. Quick Drawing an arrow from an arrow holder is a separate skill. Vibration Dampers - Vibration dampers are small plastic "dust-mops" placed above and below the arrow nocking point on the string. They silence the bow slightly. Normally it takes a Hearing roll to hear a bow at 3 hexes distance. With vibration dampers it takes a Hearing-2 roll roll at the same distance. Bows may also be equipped with laser sights and laser range finders, just like guns. SLING MISSILES - Many variations are possible with sling missiles. It is possible that slings could be used to deliver very small contact grenades or incindiaries. The details of this are up to the GM and the player. SINGLE SHOT WEAPONS - The earliest guns (TL 4 and early TL 5) must be loaded with loose powder and bullets. Each barrel or chamber must be loaded seperately. Loading time for matchlocks and wheellocks is 60+ seconds. Loading time for smoothbore caplocks and flintlocks is 20+ seconds, for rifled versions 30+ seconds. Rate of Fire (RoF) given for such weapons is the time necessary to load; e.g. the RoF of a matchlock is 1/60+. A roll on Black Powder Weapons skill is required to successfully load such a weapon. A matchlock pistol is a "fire and forget" weapon. Fire it once, and then forget about it until the next fight. Many TL 5 through TL 7 guns, as shown by the RoF of 1 on the weapon table, may be fired once per turn; they take time to reload, charge or cycle. However, many "single-shot" weapons may be fired up to three times a turn with repeated trigger pulls. This is shown by a RoF of "3-." For recoilless weapons, such as lasers, there is no added penalty for the second and third shots. Weapons which recoil have a hit penalty for each added shot; this is the Rcl number on the weapon table. This penalty is double if your ST is below the minimum listed for the weapon. LOADING BLACKPOWDER WEAPONS FASTER - Roll vs. Black Powder Weapons skill to increase loading time. -1 second per point you made your roll by. A critical success removes 10 seconds from loading time, to a minimum of 1/2 normal time to load. USING DIFFERENT POWDER IN BLACK POWDER WEAPONS - Using a coarser powder than a black powder gun was designed for will foul the barrel faster and decrease range. Using finer powder than the weapon was designed to use increases damage and range, but might burst the barrel. Too-coarse powder gives -1 to hit and decreases 1/2 D and MAX ranges by 25%. After the first three shots, reloading takes 50% longer due to fouling. Too-fine powder adds 1d6 damage and increases 1/2 D and MAX ranges by 25% but increases Recoil by 2. The barrel of the gun will burst on a 1 on 1d6 (better for good or fine weapons, worse for cheap weapons) doing 1/2 normal damage to the firer's face. Cannons using too-fine powder will burst on a 1-2 on 1d6 (1-3 if they use priming powder). Coarser powder is designed for cannons. Fine powder is designed for priming the pan of flint-, wheel-, and match-locks. PISTOL MODIFICATIONS - Shortening the barrel of a gun to 1-2" gives -1 per die of damage and -2 ACC, but +1 to Holdout skill and Fast-Draw. Lengthening the barrel of a pistol to 9-15" gives +1 per die of damage and +1 ACC, but -2 to Holdout skill and Fast-Draw. BULLETS Different types of bullets do different types of damage. Some types of rounds will be expensive, illegal, and/or rare. ARMOR-PIERCING INCINDIARY (API) - These rounds combine the effects of armor piercing and incindiary bullets. Damage that gets through armor is halved before the +1 damage due to the incindiary effect is applied. API bullets cost five times as much as normal ammunition and are Legality Class 0. ARMOR-PIERCING EXPLOSIVE (APE) - These combine the effects of Armor-piercing and explosive bullets. If the bullet hit, it has a 50% chance of exploding on contact, damaging the armor. If it pierces the armor, the damage done is halved, since it is shrapnel damage. If bullet doesn't explode on contact and gets trough the armor it has a 50% chance of exploding in the wound doing +1d6 damage per every 6d6 of basic damage the bullet does. If an APE bullet passes through hard cover without exploding, it does 1d6-3 shrapnel damage per 6d6 basic damage, to anyone in the hex on the opposite side of the cover, even if the bullet doesn't hit. APE bullets cost five times as much as normal ammunition and are Legality Class 0. ARMOR-PIERCING SABOTED (APS) - These rounds use a high-density depleted uranium or tungsten-carbide penetrator in a much larger plastic sheath - the "sabot" - which is designed to fall away as the round leaves the barrel. This gives a flatter trajectory and a much higher velocity to the smaller, sub-caliber bullet. Increase 1/2D and MAX ranges by 50% and add +1 to damage per die. More importantly, the target's armor protects with only 1/2 DR. However, because of the small size of the projectile, APS rounds do less damage to living tissue; halve the damage that gets though armor (round damage down). APS rounds cost five times as much as standard ammunition and are usually restricted to the military. They are feasible for handguns, but highly experimental, at TL 7 (-2 to Malf). They are available at TL 8. APS rounds cost five times as much as standard ammunition and are Legality Class 1. BLANKS - These shoot paper wadding or no charge at all. They tend to foul guns more quickly than normal ammunition. Blanks do no damage except at 1 hex range. Then they will do 1 point of damage to the brain, eye, ear, or vitals. If the gun is pressed against the head or brain and fired, the bullet will do 1d6-3 damage doing a minimum of 1 point of damage. It is possible to kill someone with blanks but you have to work very hard at it. A gun that fires blanks before or with normal ammunition has -1 to Malf. Blanks cost as much as normal ammunition and are Legality class 4. DUAL BULLETS - A dual bullet splits after it is fired from the gun to form two smaller missiles each of which rolls to hit independently from the other. If one hits the other is at +2 to hit. Each bullet does base damage -1d6. Early dual bullets give -2 to Acc and -1 to Malf. Dual bullets are twice as expensive as regular bullets and are Legality Class 3. DUM-DUMS - These are improvised hollow points. They are normal bullets with the ends cut or hollowed out to make them expand. They give -1 to Malf and -1 to hit. They have a 50% chance of expanding correctly when they hit the target. If they expand they double the DR of any armor they hit, but double any damage they do to the target (after DR has been subtracted). Dum-dums can be improvised from normal ammunition. EXPLOSIVE - Explosive bullets do -1 per die to bullet damage and double the DR of any armor they hit. If the bullet damage damage is expended on the surface of personal armor, the explosion of the bullet adds 1d6 points of damage to blunt trauma damage to the target underneath (1 point of crushing damage for each 5 or 6 rolled). If the bullet penetrates armor and buries in meat, the explosion damage is 1d6 x 5 in addition to the bullet damage. Explosive bullets have a 50% chance of setting fire to Class A flammables. Explosive ammo costs twice as much as normal and is Legality Class 0. FLECHETTE - Flechette means literally "small arrow." Small-arms flechettes look like a finishing nail with fins. Because of their light weight, they can be driven at high velocity; because of their poor ballistic coefficient, they don't retain velocity very well. They are mostly a short-range weapon. Fin stabilization doesn't work very well in such small sizes, so they are not very accurate. Existing flechette loads are mostly for shotguns or rifles, but they could be made for pistols. These little darts do impaling damage. They "slip through the weave" of mail or Kevlar; so its DR is only 2 against them. They tumble and rip flesh, so damage that gets past armor is doubled. On the other hand, they are poor penetrators of any rigid armor, such as steel plate or ceramic inserts; double its DR against them. Rifles and pistols only have 2/3 of their normal accuracy bonus and 1/2 D and Max are also reduced by 1/3. Shotguns keep the same accuracy and range; each 2d6 of damage is applied against armor and damage that gets through armor is doubled. Flechette rounds cost twice as much as normal shells and are Legality Class 3. HOLLOW POINTS - Hollow points double the DR of any armor or obstacles they encounter (including things like windows). If they hit any damage that gets through armor is doubled. Hollow points costs the same as normal ammunition and are Legality Class 3. INCINDIARIES - Lightweight bullets filled with incindiary compound (for instance barium nitrate and magnesium). They do half normal damage and double DR of armor. They will ignite any normally flammable material, and the incindiary compound will burn underwater. They will not ignite living flesh, but they add +1 burn damage for any bullet wound. The incindiary needs to rest against the flammable material for a time in order to ignite it (as with any fire starter). If the bullet simply passes through (as with curtains or thin office partitions) it is unlikely to start a fire. If it is stopped by fireproof armor before it hits the flammable material, it won't start a fire. GMs have the final determination. As a guideline, the bullet should have enough damage to penetrate anything covering the flammable, but not enough damage to go through it. Incindiaries automatically set Class A combustibles on fire and have a 1/3 chance to set Class B combustibles on fire. Early Incindiary bullets are at -2 to Malf. Incindiary bullets cost three times as much as normal ammunition and are Legality Class 0. PLASTIC/RUBBER - These do 1/2 damage and have 1/2 range. Any armor they encounter has its DR tripled. They are still lethal if they hit the head or vitals. They cost the same as normal ammunition. They are commonly used by riot police to disperse rioters. These bullets cost the same as normal ammunition and are Legality Class 3. SUBSONIC AMMUNITION - Slowing bullets down to below the speed of sound (about 1,100 feet per second at sea level) makes them much easier to silence. 9 x 19 Parabellum, the most common pistol caliber, usually has a muzzle velocity of around 1,100 to 1,500 feet per second, depending on exact load. With a slightly heavier bullet and a lighter charge, it can be safely subsonic. This reduces damage to 2d6-1 in either pistols or SMGs. .357 Magnum subsonic loads are also 2d6-1; .44 Magnum subsonic loads are 2d6. Standard loadings in .38 Special, .45 ACP, .32 ACP, .380 ACP and .22 Long Rifle are already subsonic. Bringing rifle or shotgun rounds down to subsonic velocities halves damage and all ranges. TRACERS - When these make up at least 25% of the rounds fired from an automatic weapon in a turn, they allow "walking the burst", even if firing into the air or at night. At night they give +6 to vision rolls to spot a gun position. During the day this bonus is halved. Early tracer bullets give -1 to Malf. Tracer bullets that hit flammables have a 1/3 chance of setting Class A combustibles on fire and a 1/6 chance of setting Class B combustibles on fire. Tracer bullets cost twice as much as normal ammunition and are Legality Class 1. SHOTGUN ROUNDS BOLO ROUNDS - Shotgun loads containing two lead balls connected by a wire. The whole combination spins erratically in flight; if it hits flesh it tears through like a runaway buzzsaw. The load is wildly inaccurate (-4 to Acc) and short-ranged (halve Max but no change to 1/2 D or 1/4 D). Penetration is very poor (triple the DR of any armor) but double the damage that actually hits a live target. Teh load is also devastating to soft and complicated inanimate targets such as computers. STUN BAG - This round expands to form a flat heavy "bean bag" missile. It does 1/2 basic damage, but full stun damage out to 1/2 D range, after that it is useless. If it hits the brain, vitals, eye or nose it does normal damage rather than double damage. Hits to the eye never penetrate to the brain. It is at -1 to hit. Stun bag rounds cost twice as much as normal shells and are Legality Class 3. WHITE PHOSPOROUS SHOTSHELL - These shotgun rounds fire a cone of white-hot phosporous, forming an instant flamethrower. They cause 4d6 fire damage in an area 2 hexes wide by 6 hexes long, starting at the gun muzzle. This round also has the effect of causing a flash attack (like the advantage) in dark areas.