Modern Firearms(weapon design section)

This section covers rules for chemically-driven solid projectiles typical from the 14th century to the 21st century.

Base Damage

Damage is based on the caliber of the round. The standard is a short-shelled, Parabellum round fired from a rifled pistol barrel at short range and achieving a non-grazing hit

Caliber

mm

Gage

Base Damage

Recoil

(cal -10)

.22

5.59

-

8 + 2d4

-12%

.30

7.62

-

10 + 2d4

-20%

.357

9

-

10 + 2d6

-25%

.38

9.65

-

12 + 2d6

-28%

.44

11.18

-

12 + 2d8

-34%

.45

11.43

-

13 + 2d8

-35%

.50

12.7

-

14 + 2d10

-40%

.60

15.24

20

16 + 2d10

-50%

1.0

25.4

12

22 + 2d10

-90%

1.2

30.48

10

24 + 2d10

-110%

Barrel Length and Type

Barrel length effects are as per the Damage, Speed, and Accuracy Effects of Barrel Length Table. Barrel length effects take into account rifling.

Barrel Length

Size Range

Damage Mod

Weapon Speed

To-Hit Modifier

Targeting Speed

Short Barrel- Pistol

derringers, pocket guns, ladies guns

-3

1

-25

3 

Full Barrel - Pistol

most revolvers and pistols

0

3

-20

4 

Long Barrel - Pistol

sub-machine guns

+3

5

-15

4 

Short Barrel - Rifle

assault rifles

+6

7

-10

5

Full Barrel - Rifle

standard rifles

+9

10

-05

5

Long Barrel- Rifle

long sniper rifles/elephant guns)

+12

13

+00

6

Silencer

(size dependant on gun- min: +2 counts; max: +5)

+0

+1 - 5

+ 10%

+1 - 5

NOTE: MACHINE GUN and SHOTGUN barrels, that is to say unrifled barrels, are at +6 DAM, unless it is shot, in which case it is half damage but includes an area of effect spread. Please remember that shotguns have VERY low ranges.(1/2 rifled)

MODS from Round Type, Shell, and Barrel

Type

Catagory

Damage Effect

Pene-

tration Effect

Notes

Long-Shell

Shell

-2

+4

Full-Metal Jacket

Round

-4

+8

Hollow Points

Round

+4

-8

Magnum

Shell

+5

+5

Recoil -20 for each round! 

Glaser 

Round

+2

-15

Will not penetrate aircraft or vehicles or walls

Shot

Round

1/2 DAM

-15

1/2 range(cum.)Area of Effect: 1/4 range

Dum-Dum

Round

+6

-10

NOTE: PENETRATION is a minus to target's armor. If PENETRATION is negative then it is added a s a plus to target's armor. If target's armor protection*2 is less than the adjusted armor use the smaller value.

Ranges

Ranges are determined by using real-life texts. In real-world texts one is usually given a Maximum Effective Range(MER). One can also get full maximum range(FMR). Short range is defined as that range in which the round has no significant drop(less than an inch) Short range equals (Muzzle velocity in ft/second*.0312.) Point-blank range is 1/4 of that.

 top of extra-long range = FMR ( if unavailable, 20X medium range) [-160 to-hit, -8 DAM]

 top of long range = halfway between MER and FMR (if unavailable, 10X medium range) [-40 to-hit, -4 DAM]

 top of medium range= MER (or, if unavailable, 2X Short Range)[-20 to-hit, -2 DAM]

 top of short range = muzzle velocity(feet/second)/100 in feet (Half for unrifled barrels)[+0 to-hit]

 top of point-blank = 1/4 Short Range [+40 to-hit, +8 DAM]

 NOTE: Projectile weapons get +8 at point-blank range, and +16 at contact range.

Rate Of Fire and Weapon Speed

All firearms have two speed numbers: Rate of Fire(ROF) and Weapon Speed(WSD).

Weapon Speed is based on barrel length and is the time it takes to move the barrel into a new hex face, or 60 degrees. Targeting speed is also determined by the barrel length. It always takes 2 counts to pull the trigger unless you have a very light pull trigger or a safe trigger with a heavy pull. See the Damage, Speed, and Accuracy Effects of Barrel Length Table for the details.

 Rate of Fire is the speed with which the gun can be fired at a pre-aimed-at target. It consists of two numbers: the first number is the targeting phase, the second number is the squeeze and fire phase. The targeting phase is treated as a seperate weapon speed in terms of speeding it up (a change from Revision 5.0)

 Once you have acquired a target you do not have to re-target. As long as your enemy stays in the same hex (the same 60 degree angle) and at the same range. The second number is counts per round fired. With Automatic weapons some have multiple rounds per a single count. Automatic weapons cannot be fired in bursts of less than 2 counts unless they can be switched to single fire mode(weapon manufacture dependant).

 This all assumes one is already pointing the gun into the hex of the opponent(see WSD).

Type of Fire

Rate of Fire

Examples

Single Fire

1 round

Semi-Auto

1/1

Full Automatic

2/1

AK-47, M-16

Sub Machine Guns

3/1

UZI, Skorpion

Machine Guns

4/1

M-50, M-60

Note: No single-firing gun can fire faster than once per two counts, no semi-auto faster than once per count

 Recoil is based on caliber of round and sometimes modified by load, shell, and barrel, as noted. It is cumulative! Weapon Damage Bonus(WDB) is taken off of recoil:

 Effective Recoil = Recoil# - WDB.

Stabilization takes 5% per count away from recoil. One is allowed to use the targeting phase of firing or set-up as stabilization. Stabilization does not occur in any phase where the gun is moving through hexes or firing.

Weapon Drawing

Drawing speed will be

1 count for a 2" draw or less [short barrel pistol]

 3 cts for a 4" draw or less [full barreled pistol]

 5 cts for 8" [long barreled pistol]

 Onto:

 length in feet + 5

for foot long or longer weapons.

There will also be a three count period before draw speed can be used- that is one count to move the hand to the weapon, one count to orient the hand to the weapon, and one count to grasp the weapon properly. For WSD purposes these three will be tacked onto the draw speed as part of that action.

Modern Armor

Ultralight, Soft: Light Kevlar (underwear): 5/5

 Light, Soft: Light Kevlar vest: 10/10

 Heavy, Soft: Police Vest: 15/15

 Light, Hard: Flack Jacket, Kevlar Lined Plastic Shell: 20/20

 Heavy, Hard: Top Combat Armor, layered: 25/25

 The first number is the amount of damage that is stopped completely. The second amount is converted into concussive damage, to which PAB can be applied.

 For armor piercing or full jacketed rounds, the penetration value is subtracted from the armor's protection rating. However, due to the nature of AP rounds tendency to over-penetrate, their damage is reduced by PEN/2. The opposite effect is true with dum-dum and hollow point ammunition- the additional damage bonus these ammunition types receive are added to the armor's protection rating.

Pistol/Shooting Bonuses

Ways to improve your chance:

 Two-handed grip +20

 Stance: (standing) +15; (kneeling or partially braced) +20; (prone or fully braced) +30

 Shooting at target just hit(a new one) +15

 Tracking movement: Cut negative movement modifiers from target in half- only applicable to moving targets (if MCF perception roll is made- takes 4 counts)

 Gun mounted +50(replaces stance)

ON MOVEMENT MODS (Copied from System Rules Chapter)

It is exceedingly difficult to target an opponent that is moving.

Therefore these are the mods:

If you are moving at all: -40% to-hit
(Possible support skill: Shoot-While-Move.  Adds 3% per rank to your shot.)

If your target is moving at all: -40% to-hit
(Possible support skill: Targeting Perception.  If you make an ACTIVE targeting perception- i.e. follow the target, lead the target- that is successful you cut all the target based movement mods in half- including the velocity differential.)

For every foot per count your velocities are different: -10% to-hit.
(NOTE: If the velocity differential is at a significant angle- less than 45 degrees- then you may reduce the minuses in direct relation to the angle*2 as a percentage.  I.e. If it is at 45 degrees then you can
take 90% of the velocity differential minuses[9% per ft/ct instead of ten]. If it is heading straight towards or straight away it is 0% and you take no velocity differential but still take the opponent moving mod.)

An opponent is defined as moving if they:
(a) have a velocity greater than 1 ft/count, or
(b) are engaged in a maneuver skill of some sort (dodge, acrobatics, gymnastics, running, swimming, falling, actively riding).  Climbing or defense is usually not counted unless the climber/defender can fulfill condition (a).

Another mod is "Unstable Platform": -40%.  Includes: moving cars, helicopters, crumbling/unsteady standing/kneeling/lying surface