Weapons

This page has not been finished up!

Weapons

Adventurers often carry weapons of some sort, whether it's a knight's broadsword, a detective's snub-nosed .38, or a space pirate's blaster pistol.

Choosing Your Weapons

To determine what weapons to carry, consider your situation first, and then your skills, strength, and budget. If you can't use it or don't need it...don't buy it.

First, decide why you carry a weapon. Is it for self-defense, intimidation ("Stop or I'll shoot!"), battle, or hunting? Do you need a concealed weapon – or a quiet one – or does law or custom let you carry it openly? If you're a pacifist, do you want a weapon just as a threat, or one that you can use to disarm or subdue a foe?

Consider what the law allows, too. Most settings have laws or customs that govern the weapons and armor you may wear on the street or on the job without attracting attention (see Legality Class). This applies in historical settings as well. A stranger visiting the average medieval village wearing a suit of plate armor would be every bit as conspicuous – and threatening – as a person carrying an assault rifle into a corner grocery store today!

Also review your skills and Strength. High-tech weapons (such as guns) work equally well for anyone who knows how to use them. Low-tech weapons – clubs, swords, etc. – do much more damage if wielded by a strong person. Either may have a minimum ST.

Finally, look at the weapon's statistics. Each weapon is rated for its TL, weight, cost, and relative legality. A weapon's damage rating is the basic measure of its effectiveness, but there are also factors such as reach, range, rate of fire, and accuracy to consider. To learn what the various statistics imply for combat, read Combat, Tactical Combat, Special Combat Situations, etc.

Weapon Statistics

Weapon tables provide the items of information explained below. A given column will only appear on a table if it is germane to the weapons on that table. In all cases, "–" means the statistic does not apply, "var." means the value varies, and "spec." means to see the relevant weapon skill in Skills or applicable section of Special Combat Situations for special rules.

TL (Tech Level)

The tech level at which the weapon first becomes widespread. You may only buy weapons of your campaign's TL or less, unless you have the High TL trait.

Weapon

The general class of weapon in question; e.g., "shortsword" or "assault rifle." Each entry represents a wide range of individual types. For guns, this entry includes a projectile diameter, or "caliber," given in millimeters (e.g., 9mm) or fractions of an inch (e.g., .50), as customary for the weapon. The letters M (Magnum), P (Pistol), R (Revolver), and S (Short) appear after caliber in situations where different guns have the same caliber but fire different ammunition; for instance, 7.62mm ammo is not interchangeable with shorter 7.62mmS ammo.

Damage

For muscle-powered melee and missile weapons, such as swords and bows, damage is ST-based and expressed as a modifier to the wielder's basic thrusting (thr) or swinging (sw) damage, as given on the Damage Table. For example, a spear does "thr+2," so if you have ST 11, which gives a basic thrusting damage of 1d-1, you inflict 1d+1 damage with a spear. Note that swung weapons act as a lever, and so do more damage. For firearms, grenades, and some powered melee weapons, damage is given as a fixed number of dice plus adds; e.g., a 9mm auto pistol lists "2d+2," which means that any user would roll 2d and add 2 to get damage.

Armor Divisors: A parenthetical number after damage – e.g., (2) – is an armor divisor. Divide the target's DR from armor or other sources by this number before subtracting it from your damage (or adding it to the target's HT roll to resist an affliction). For instance, an attack with a divisor of (2) would halve DR. A fractional divisor increases DR: (0.5) multiplies DR by 2; (0.2) multiplies it by 5; and (0.1) multiplies it by 10.

Damage Type: An abbreviation indicating the type of injury or effect the attack causes.

Abbreviation	Damage Type
aff	affliction
burn	burning
cor	corrosion
cr	crushing
cut	cutting
fat	fatigue
imp	impaling
pi-	small piercing
pi	piercing
pi+	large piercing
pi++	huge piercing
spec.	special – see weapon notes
tox	toxic

A victim loses HP equal to the damage that penetrates his DR. Halve this for small piercing attacks; increase it by 50% for cutting and large piercing attacks; and double it for impaling and huge piercing attacks. Subtract fatigue damage from FP instead of HP. Afflictions cause no injury, but impose a particular affliction on a failed HT roll, as specified in the weapon' s notes. See Damage and Injury for additional rules.

Explosions: An "ex" after crushing or burning damage indicates the attack produces an explosion. This may injure those nearby: divide damage by three times distance in yards from the center of the blast. Some explosions scatter fragments that inflict cutting damage on anyone nearby (see Fragmentation Damage, p. 414). Fragmentation damage appears in brackets; e.g., "3d [2d] cr ex" means an explosion that inflicts 3d crushing damage and throws fragments that do 2d cutting damage. The "danger radius" for fragments is five yards times the dice of fragmentation damage; e.g., 10 yards for [2d]. If an explosive attack has an armor divisor, this only applies to the DR of a target that takes a direct hit – not to those caught in the blast radius or hit by fragments.

Afflictions: Some special weapons don't list dice of damage. Instead, they give a HT modifier; e.g., "HT-3." Anyone who is hit must attempt a HT roll at the listed penalty to avoid the effects of the affliction (e.g., unconsciousness). For example, a stun gun calls for a HT-3 roll to avoid being stunned for (20 - HT) seconds. Note that DR (modified by any armor divisor) normally adds to the victim's HT; for instance, a DR 2 leather jacket would give +2 to your HT roll to resist that stun gun.

Other Effects: A few weapons have additional linked or follow-up effects, noted on a second line. These occur simultaneously with the primary attack on a successful hit. For details, see Linked Effects and Follow-Up Damage.

Reach

Melee weapons only. This is the distance in yards at which a human-sized or smaller wielder can strike with the weapon. For example, reach "2" means the weapon can only strike a foe two yards away – not a closer or more distant one.

"C" indicates you can use the weapon in close combat; see Close Combat.

Some weapons have a continuum of reaches; e.g., a spear with reach "1, 2" can strike targets either one or two yards away. An asterisk (*) next to reach means the weapon is awkward enough that it requires a Ready maneuver to change reach (e.g., between 1 and 2). Otherwise, you can strike at foes that are at any distance within the weapon's reach.

Parry

Melee weapons only. A number, such as "+2" or "-1," indicates the bonus or penalty to your Parry defense when using that weapon (see Parrying). For most weapons, this is "0," meaning "no modifier."

"F" means the weapon is a fencing weapon.

"U" means the weapon is unbalanced: you cannot use it to parry if you have already used it to attack this turn (or vice versa).

"No" means the weapon cannot parry at all.

Acc (Accuracy)

Ranged weapons only. Add Accuracy to your skill if you took an Aim maneuver on the turn prior to your attack. If the weapon has a built- in scope, the bonus for this appears as a separate modifier after the weapon's base Acc; e.g., "7+2."

Range

Ranged weapons only. If a weapon has only one range number, this is the Maximum Range (Max) in yards at which it can attack a target. If two numbers appear, separated by a slash, the first is Half-Damage Range (1/2D) and the second is Max. Damaging attacks on targets at or beyond 1/2D inflict half damage, and those that require a HT roll to resist are resisted at +3.

Muscle-powered weapons usually list 1/2D and Max as multiples of the wielder’s ST, not as a fixed range. For example, “×10/×15” means 1/2D is 10×ST and Max is 15×ST, so someone with ST 10 would have 1/2D 100 and Max 150. For bows, crossbows and mechanical artillery, use the weapon’s ST in these formulas.

A few weapons have a minimum range, given in their Notes. The weapon cannot attack a target closer than this range – usually because it fires in a high arc, or has safety, fusing, or guidance limitations.

RoF (Rate of Fire)

Ranged weapons only. The maxi- mum number of shots an ordinary shooter can fire in a one-second turn. A weapon can normally fire fewer shots (to a minimum of 1), if you wish, but some special notes apply: "!" means the weapon can only fire on "“full auto," like many machine guns. Minimum RoF is 1/4 the listed RoF, rounded up.

“m×n” (e.g., 3×9) means the weapon can fire a number of shots per attack equal to the first number (m), and that each shot releases smaller projectiles equal to the second num- ber (n); see Shotguns and Multiple Projectiles (p. 409).

“Jet” means the weapon shoots a continuous stream of fluid or energy, using the jet rules (p. 106).

Shots

Ranged weapons only. The number of shots the weapon can fire before you must reload or recharge it. “T” means the weapon is thrown. To “reload,” pick it up or ready a new weapon!

The parenthetical number follow- ing Shots indicates the number of one- second Ready maneuvers needed to reload all of the weapon's shots (e.g., by changing magazines) – or, for a thrown weapon, the time needed to ready another weapon. An “i” next to this means you must load shots indi- vidually: the time listed is per shot rather than for all shots.

A crossbow or prodd takes the indi- cated time to ready (4 turns) only if its ST is no greater than yours (see Crossbows and ST, below). Double this if the bow's ST is 1 or 2 greater. If its ST is 3 or 4 greater, you need a “goat’s foot” device to cock it; this takes 20 turns, and requires you to stand. If its ST is 5 or more above yours, you can- not reload it at all.

Cost

The price of a new weapon, in $. For swords and knives, this includes a sheath or a scabbard. For firearms, this includes the minimal necessary cleaning kit.

Weight

The weight of the weapon, in pounds; “neg.” means “negligible.” For missile weapons with Shots 2+, this is loaded weight. The weight of one full reload appears after a slash.

Exception: If the weapon has Shots 1 (like a bow or guided missile launch- er) or has a backpack power supply (noted with a “p”), the unloaded weight is given. The weight after the slash is that of one shot (e.g., one arrow or guided missile) or the backpack.

ST (Strength)

The minimum Strength required to use the weapon properly. If you try to use a weapon that requires more ST than you have, you will be at -1 to weapon skill per point of ST you lack and lose one extra FP at the end of any fight that lasts long enough to fatigue you.

For a melee weapon, your effective ST for damage purposes cannot exceed triple the weapon’s minimum ST. For instance, a large knife has minimum ST 6, so its “maximum ST” is 18; if your ST were 19+, you would compute your damage as if you had ST 18. Natural weapons (e.g., a punch or kick) have neither minimum nor max- imum ST.

“†” means the weapon requires two hands. If you have at least 1.5 times the listed ST (round up), you can use a weapon like this in one hand, but it becomes unready after you attack with it. If you have at least twice the listed ST, you can wield it one-handed with no readiness penalty. But if it requires one hand to hold it and another to operate a moving part, like a bow or a pump shotgun, it always requires two hands, regardless of ST.

“‡” means the weapon requires two hands and becomes unready after you attack with it, unless you have at least 1.5 times the listed ST (round up). To use it in one hand without it becoming unready, you need at least three times the listed ST.

“R” indicates a firearm that uses a musket rest. The weapon’s weight includes that of the rest. It takes a Ready maneuver to balance the weapon on the rest – but after that, any aimed shot fired while stationary and standing up is automatically braced (see Aim, p. 364).

“B” indicates a firearm with an attached bipod. When firing from a prone position using the bipod, treat the weapon as if it were braced and reduce its ST requirement to 2/3 of the listed value (round up); e.g., ST 13 becomes ST 9.

“M” means the weapon is usually mounted in a vehicle or gun carriage, or on a tripod. Ignore the listed ST and Bulk when firing the weapon from its tripod or mount; the ST requirement only applies when firing the weapon without its mount. Removing the weapon from its mount (or reattach- ing it) takes at least three one-second Ready maneuvers.

Crossbows and ST: Bows, cross- bows, and prodds have their own ST value. Use this instead of your ST to determine range and damage. You must specify the ST of such a weapon when you buy it. You can always use a weapon that is weaker than you. You can use a stronger crossbow or prodd; it does more damage but take longer to cock (see Shots, above). You cannot use a stronger bow.

Bulk

Ranged weapons only. A measure of the weapon's size and handiness. Bulk modifies your weapon skill when you take a Move and Attack maneuver (see Move and Attack). It also serves as a penalty to Holdout skill when you attempt to conceal the weapon.

Rcl (Recoil)

Firearms only. A measure of how easy the weapon is to control when fir- ing rapidly: the higher the value, the less controllable the weapon. Rcl 1 means the weapon is recoilless, or nearly so.

When firing at RoF 2+, every full multiple of Rcl by which you make your attack roll means you score one extra hit, to a maximum number of hits equal to total shots fired; see Rapid Fire (p. 373). (Firearms with RoF 1 still list Rcl, for use with certain rules.)

LC (Legality Class)

This is only noted for firearms and grenades. All melee weapons and mus- cle-powered ranged weapons intended for combat are LC4. An exception is the force sword, which is LC2. Ignore LC for “weapons” intended as tools, or for hunting or recreation, and for those that are completely improvised (like a wooden stake). See [[Legality Class]].

Notes

The numbers listed here refer to applicable footnotes (if any) at the end of the table.

Basic Set, Low-Tech and High-Tech

• Melee Weapons
• Muscle-Powered Ranged Weapons
• Beam Weapons
• Hand Grenades and Incendiaries
• Firearms (Guns and Launchers)
• TL 4 to 5 Firearms
• Firearm Accessories
• Electric Stun Weapons
• Liquid Projectors
• Explosives and Incendiaries
  • Nuclear Weapons
• Heavy Weapons
• Weapon and Combat Accessories
• Warheads and Ammunition
• Biochemical and Nanotech Weapons

Ultra-Tech

• Typical Weapons by TL
• Ultra-Tech Beam Weapons:
  • Lasers
  • Electrolasers
  • Microwave Weapons
  • Neural Weapons
  • Particle Accelerators
  • Sonic Weapons
  • Plasma Weapons
  • Gravity Weapons
  • Nucleonic Beams
  • Reality Disruption Beams
  • Psionic Beams
• Ultra-Tech Fluid Projectors:
  • Fluid Projectors (Ultra-Tech)
• Ultra-Tech Guns and Launchers:
  • Conventional and ETC Guns (Ultra-Tech)
  • Gas-Powered Air Guns
  • Electromagnetic Guns
  • Grav Guns
  • Gyrocs
  • Rockets and Missiles (Ultra-Tech)
  • Hand Grenades (Ultra-Tech)
  • Firearm Accessories (Ultra-Tech)
  • Warheads and Ammunition (Ultra-Tech)
  • Biochemical and Nanotech Weapons
  • Melee Weapons (Energy Weapons, Ultra-Tech)