Feb 13, 2022 10:54 pm
Structure of Combat
Combat is measured in Turns. Each Turn is 1 to 5 seconds long. The process of combat during each Turn can be broken down into the following four steps:
1. Determine Initiative.
2. Perform Actions (whether offensive, defensive, or non-combat Tasks/Tests).
3. Determine Damage, if any.
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 with each character, in order of Initiative.
Once everyone has had a chance to act, the Turn ends and a new Turn begins. Initiative is only rolled on the first Turn of combat; do not re-roll Initiative on subsequent Turns.
Initiative
• Roll Dexterity + 1d10 to determine Initiative.
• Ties are re-rolled.
• Anyone performing a surprise attack automatically has Initiative.
Actions
• There is no specific limit to the number of actions a character can perform in a single Turn. It’s up to the Chronicler to determine if the player’s choice of actions is possible within the span of one Turn.
• A character gets his first attack and first defensive action in a Turn without penalty.
• Each additional action beyond the first attack or defense incurs a cumulative -2 penalty (e.g., a second action will be at -2, a third action at -4, and so on) due to dividing one’s concentration.
• Actions that require no rolls to succeed (drawing a weapon, moving, getting up, loading a gun, etc.) still count toward determining penalties for multiple actions.
Attacking & Defending
• Combat is a Resisted Task.
• To strike, the attacker rolls the appropriate Combat Skill (Brawling, Martial Arts, Guns, Hand Weapon, Throwing, or Magic Bolt) + Dexterity + 1d10.
• To parry, the defender rolls the appropriate Combat Skill (Brawling, Martial Arts, or Hand Weapon) + Dexterity + 1d10. Only those with the Martial Arts Skill can parry melee weapons with their bare hands.
• To dodge, the defender rolls Dexterity + Dodge + 1d10. If he does NOT have the Dodge Skill, then he makes a Difficult Dexterity Test (Dexterity + 1d10) to avoid getting hit.
• Apply modifiers, if any.
• The higher result wins.
• The defender wins ties.
Damage
• Damage consists of a base die roll (usually a d4, d6, or d8), often with a modifier in the form of a Multiplier, or a flat bonus; sometimes both.
• Remember to apply any damage modifiers due to range, hit location, and/or Success Level.
• If applicable, subtract Armor Value and/or Barrier Value from the result of the damage roll. Whatever remains, if anything, is the "penetrating damage" (see rules for Armor Value & Barrier Value).
• Edged and pointed weapons can slice muscle, chop bone, and even pierce deep into a target’s vitals. Consequently, slashing and stabbing attacks do double damage, after penetrating armor. Blunt instruments do not enjoy this benefit.
• A regular bullet can shatter bone, pierce organs, and ricochet around inside the body. As a result, normal jacketed bullets do double damage, after penetrating armor.
• Other types of ammunition (such as hollow points and armor piercing rounds) also have their own specific modifiers and damage rules.
Armor Value & Barrier Value
• Armor Values are not fixed numbers, but instead are variable values. This reflects that no suit of body armor offers the same protection over every inch of the body.
• When the character is struck, roll for the Armor Value and subtract it from the damage. If the Armor Value is greater than or equal to the damage inflicted by the attack, then the character suffers no damage. If any damage remains, then it penetrates the body armor and goes to the character.
• When applied specifically to objects other than body armor (such as doors, TVs, chairs, walls, etc.), Armor Value is generally a fixed number and functions as damage soak, indicating the amount of damage that can be absorbed by the object before it becomes damaged.
• As with all equipment, body armor is affected by Encumbrance. Encumbrance measures the degree to which body armor slows down its wearer and penalizes some of his actions.
• In regards to body armor, there are four levels of Encumbrance. Each level imparts penalties to Speed, and to Tasks and Tests requiring silence (such as Stealth) or fast reaction times (such as Initiative rolls).
---Light Encumbrance imparts -1 to all of the above.
---Medium Encumbrance imparts -2.
---Heavy Encumbrance imparts -3.
---Extra Heavy imparts -5.
• Different types of body armor can be layered on top of each other. Add half the average Armor Value of the weakest armor to the Armor Value of the heaviest armor, and increase Encumbrance by 1 level.
• Barrier Value is similar to Armor Value, but applies only to objects other than body armor (such doors, TVs, chairs, walls, etc.). It measures how much damage an attack must do to penetrate and hit whatever is behind or inside the object.
• When attacking an object, both Armor Value and Barrier Value are subtracted from the damage inflicted. Damage that doesn’t surpass the Armor Value is completely ineffectual. Any damage that surpasses the Armor Value – but not the Barrier Value – indicates that the object was damaged, yet not penetrated.
Targeting Specific Body Parts
• To strike a vital area or specific part of an opponent’s body, the attacker must get at least a Good outcome (third Success Level) on his Strike Task.
• Targeting a specific area incurs penalties, but also modifies potential damage. See the chart below:
.
Combat Maneuvers
Aggressive Posture: The character goes all-out on his attack, abandoning any hope of defense in order to smash the enemy. This provides a +2 bonus on all offensive Tasks on that Turn, but no defensive Tasks may be made. If the character has already defended himself that Turn, then he cannot employ this maneuver.
Counter-Strike: This maneuver involves waiting for an attack, foregoing defense, and immediately attacking in response. The advantage is that the opponent cannot defend; in effect, both strikes hit if the Tasks are successful. The disadvantage is that the character launching the Counter-Strike must endure his enemy’s attack, which automatically strikes first. The person performing the Counter-Strike automatically foregoes Initiative, and his attack only goes into effect if he is not killed or disabled by his opponent’s attack. This is usually a desperate, last-ditch attempt to fight a superior opponent.
Defensive Posture: The character chooses to remain on the defensive, forsaking any chance to attack in favor of protection. A character using this tactic gets a +3 bonus on all defensive Tasks and Tests performed on that Turn, but no offensive Tasks may be made. If the character has already attacked that Turn, then he cannot employ this maneuver.
Feinting: This is a false attack meant to distract the enemy and lower his defenses against the real strike. A feint is resolved as a Resisted Task: the attacker’s Intelligence + Combat Skill vs. the defender’s Perception + Combat Skill. The attacker’s and defender’s Combat Skills need not be the same. If the attacker’s wins the contest, he gets a +1 on his next attack for each Success Level in the Feint Task.
Special Combat Rules
Dual Wielding: Using two weapons at the same time requires the Dual Wielding Skill (see the Dual-Wielding Skill for details).
Handedness: A character using a weapon in his off-hand suffers a -2 penalty to all combat Tasks (strike, parry, feint, etc.) involving that hand, unless he has the Ambidextrous Quality.
Keeping Your Cool: Characters who are not combat veterans (i.e., not used to getting shot at) tend to have difficulty remaining calm when under fire. To simulate this, the Chronicler may ask such characters to make a Simple Willpower Test ((Willpower x 2) + 1d10) during a gunfight. Passing the Test means the character is able to continue carrying out his original intention. Failing means he freezes up, losing any chance to act on that Turn.
Martial Arts Combos: Each combat move (punch, kick, arm lock, etc.) is a separate action, and performing more than one move in a Turn incurs multiple action penalties. However, a martial artist can negate some penalties by using a specific combo. A combo is a series of combat moves executed at one time as a single move, such as "Punch-Punch" or "Block-Grab-Judo Throw." The character may create a combo from almost any move that he has skill in. A combo is purchased just like a combat move (the cost is equal to the number of moves involved), and the number of moves in the combo can never exceed the character’s level in the Martial Arts Skill.
In combat, the character rolls for each move as normal, and the moves suffer no penalties for multiple actions. If any move in the combo is blocked, parried, dodged, or fails on the roll, the combo is broken and over for that Turn. Creating an impromptu combo in the heat of combat is possible, but all moves suffer a -1 penalty due to the combo’s unpracticed nature.
Mounted Combat: In mounted combat, riders get a +3 bonus to any attacks against opponents on foot, and a +1 to Strength for the purposes of determining damage with a melee weapon (does not apply to ranged weapons). Ground opponents suffer a -3 penalty to hit the mounted character, unless they are using a ranged weapon or long weapon (such as a staff, spear, or polearm), in which case there is no penalty.
Prone: A character on the ground suffers a -4 penalty to all actions (attacks and defenses) until he spends an action standing up. The Flip combat move allows combatants to stand without using up an action.
Two-Handed Weapons: Melee weapons wielded with two hands effectively raise the Strength of the wielder by 1 for damage purposes (e.g., a character with Strength 3 swinging an axe with two hands does damage as though he were Strength 4).
Improvised Weapons
• When employing an improvised weapon, the character falls back on the closest Weapon Skill he has.
• Anything that involves thrusting sharp objects (broken bottles, forks, icepicks, etc.) uses the Hand Weapon (Knife) Skill.
• A longer, swung object uses the Hand Weapon (Club) Skill or Hand Weapon (Sword) Skill.
• If no related Weapon Skill is available, use a Difficult Dexterity Test (Dexterity + 1d10) to strike and parry.
• Used defensively, a chair or similarly large object can be employed as a shield, giving the character a +1 or +2 bonus to his Parry Task.
• Very large, awkward, or clumsy improvised weapons may receive penalties of -1 to -3.
Knocking People Out
• In order to purposely knock someone unconscious, the player must specifically declare that he wishes to make a "knock-out attack."
• Using an unarmed strike or blunt instrument, the character must successfully strike the target’s head.
• On the strike roll, the character must achieve at least a "Very Good" outcome (fourth Success Level).
• In response, the target makes a Consciousness Test. Failure on the Test means that the target is knocked unconscious for several hours.
• If the target succeeds on the Consciousness Test then he doesn’t get knocked out, though he still suffers damage from the attack.
Ranged Combat
• Ranged attacks are divided into five range intervals (expressed in yards): Point-Blank, Short, Medium, Long, and Extreme.
• The parameters of each range interval may differ from weapon to weapon. For example, Medium range for a short bow is 40 yards, whereas Medium range for a .22 caliber handgun is 20 yards, etc.
• Each range interval incurs its own modifiers to Strike Tasks and damage. The farther away a target is, then the harder it is to hit and the less damage a hit will likely do. See the table below:
.
• Most bullets will continue traveling a fair distance beyond Extreme range and still be lethal, though the chances of hitting a designated target are nil.
• A telescopic scope on a gun generally adds +2 to +5 to any Aiming Task.
• Bows and arrows, crossbows, slingshots, and other forms of pre-modern, non-thrown ranged weaponry are considered varieties of the Hand Weapon Skill.
• Throwing knives, throwing irons, shurikens, and other forms of thrown weapons are considered varieties of the Throwing Skill.
• Supernatural ranged attacks that require the defender to dodge (such as the Lightning Invocation or the Mindfire power) are performed using their own innate Metaphysical Skills (Invocation level, Seer Art, Necromancy Skill, etc.), or via the Magic Bolt Skill.
Aiming
• By delaying his attack until the next Turn, the character can take the time to aim his weapon.
• Aiming can be applied to guns, bows, crossbows, slingshots, thrown weapons, and any other form of modern or pre-modern ranged weapon.
• Aiming is a Perception + Weapon Skill (Guns, Hand Weapon, or Throwing) Task.
• Each Success Level adds a +1 bonus to the attempt to strike.
Gun Rules
Semi-Automatic Fire (Multiple Shots):
• Any weapon that fires a shot every time the trigger is pulled can fire multiple times in a Turn.
• As usual, each shot after the first gets a cumulative -2 penalty.
• Pump-action and lever-action guns can be "fast-fired" in order to get off numerous shots in a Turn. This works just like semi-automatic fire for the purposes of Strike Tasks
Automatic Fire (Bursts):
• One burst of 3 to 5 rounds can be fired per Turn at no multiple actions penalty.
• Assuming the target fails to dodge, each Success Level in the Strike Task means a hit was scored, up to the total number of rounds in the burst.
• More than one burst can be fired in a single Turn, but each burst beyond the first incurs a cumulative -3 penalty (instead of the usual cumulative -2 penalty for multiple actions per Turn).
• Firing a burst consisting of more than 5 rounds counts as multiple bursts, and therefore incurs a -3 penalty for every 5 rounds beyond the initial 5 (e.g., a 10 round burst is at -3; a 15 round burst is at -6, and so on).
Automatic Fire (Sprays):
• One spray consisting of 10 rounds can be fired per Turn at no penalty; only one spray per Turn.
• Firing a spray consisting of more than 10 rounds incurs a -4 penalty.
• The attacker’s Success Levels have no bearing on a spray, since sprays are not intended to be accurate.
• Any targets in the area being sprayed (assuming they fail to dodge or find cover) take 1d4 hits each, up to the total number of rounds in the spray.
• A spray can target up to a 180 degree area in front of the character in a Turn.
Shotguns:
• Generally, shotguns fire two types of missiles: shot (small pellets in a cartridge) and slugs (solid shot).
• Shot scatters, creating a "cone" of bullets that spreads over a distance. Unlike normal bullets, shot does NOT do double damage after armor reduction.
• Characters using birdshot (the smallest pellets) get a +2 bonus to strike targets at any range.
• Characters using buckshot (larger pellets) get a +1 bonus to strike targets at any range.
• Slugs are treated like normal bullets, though using them will incur a recoil penalty for anyone with Strength below 5 (see rules for Recoil).
Revolvers:
• Double-action revolvers follow the normal rules for semi-automatic fire, as stated above.
• Multiple shots in a Turn with a single-action revolver can be achieved by "fanning." When a character "fans the hammer," he keeps the trigger depressed while smacking the hammer repeatedly with the palm of the other hand. This allows all of the revolver’s rounds to be fired in one Turn. Fanning works just like semi-automatic fire for the purposes of Strike Tasks.
• Single-handed thumbing and two-handed thumbing can also be used to fire multiple shots in a Turn with a single-action revolver. This involves keeping the trigger depressed while using the thumb of one or both hands to operate the hammer. These techniques work just like semi-automatic fire for the purposes of Strike Tasks.
Recoil
• Due to their recoil and "muzzle climb," some guns require a certain degree of Strength to keep them under control.
• All recoil penalties are in addition to the cumulative penalty from multiple actions in a Turn.
• Low caliber guns (under .44 caliber) impose no recoil penalty.
• For characters with Strength 3 or higher, high caliber guns (.44 caliber or greater) impose no recoil penalty.
• For characters with Strength below 3, high caliber guns impose a -2 penalty on each shot, starting with the first.
• Heavy machineguns and shotguns firing slugs impose a -1 penalty for anyone with Strength 4, and -2 to those with Strength 3 or below. These recoil penalties apply to each shot, starting with the first.
Combat is measured in Turns. Each Turn is 1 to 5 seconds long. The process of combat during each Turn can be broken down into the following four steps:
1. Determine Initiative.
2. Perform Actions (whether offensive, defensive, or non-combat Tasks/Tests).
3. Determine Damage, if any.
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 with each character, in order of Initiative.
Once everyone has had a chance to act, the Turn ends and a new Turn begins. Initiative is only rolled on the first Turn of combat; do not re-roll Initiative on subsequent Turns.
Initiative
• Roll Dexterity + 1d10 to determine Initiative.
• Ties are re-rolled.
• Anyone performing a surprise attack automatically has Initiative.
Actions
• There is no specific limit to the number of actions a character can perform in a single Turn. It’s up to the Chronicler to determine if the player’s choice of actions is possible within the span of one Turn.
• A character gets his first attack and first defensive action in a Turn without penalty.
• Each additional action beyond the first attack or defense incurs a cumulative -2 penalty (e.g., a second action will be at -2, a third action at -4, and so on) due to dividing one’s concentration.
• Actions that require no rolls to succeed (drawing a weapon, moving, getting up, loading a gun, etc.) still count toward determining penalties for multiple actions.
Attacking & Defending
• Combat is a Resisted Task.
• To strike, the attacker rolls the appropriate Combat Skill (Brawling, Martial Arts, Guns, Hand Weapon, Throwing, or Magic Bolt) + Dexterity + 1d10.
• To parry, the defender rolls the appropriate Combat Skill (Brawling, Martial Arts, or Hand Weapon) + Dexterity + 1d10. Only those with the Martial Arts Skill can parry melee weapons with their bare hands.
• To dodge, the defender rolls Dexterity + Dodge + 1d10. If he does NOT have the Dodge Skill, then he makes a Difficult Dexterity Test (Dexterity + 1d10) to avoid getting hit.
• Apply modifiers, if any.
• The higher result wins.
• The defender wins ties.
Damage
• Damage consists of a base die roll (usually a d4, d6, or d8), often with a modifier in the form of a Multiplier, or a flat bonus; sometimes both.
• Remember to apply any damage modifiers due to range, hit location, and/or Success Level.
• If applicable, subtract Armor Value and/or Barrier Value from the result of the damage roll. Whatever remains, if anything, is the "penetrating damage" (see rules for Armor Value & Barrier Value).
• Edged and pointed weapons can slice muscle, chop bone, and even pierce deep into a target’s vitals. Consequently, slashing and stabbing attacks do double damage, after penetrating armor. Blunt instruments do not enjoy this benefit.
• A regular bullet can shatter bone, pierce organs, and ricochet around inside the body. As a result, normal jacketed bullets do double damage, after penetrating armor.
• Other types of ammunition (such as hollow points and armor piercing rounds) also have their own specific modifiers and damage rules.
Armor Value & Barrier Value
• Armor Values are not fixed numbers, but instead are variable values. This reflects that no suit of body armor offers the same protection over every inch of the body.
• When the character is struck, roll for the Armor Value and subtract it from the damage. If the Armor Value is greater than or equal to the damage inflicted by the attack, then the character suffers no damage. If any damage remains, then it penetrates the body armor and goes to the character.
• When applied specifically to objects other than body armor (such as doors, TVs, chairs, walls, etc.), Armor Value is generally a fixed number and functions as damage soak, indicating the amount of damage that can be absorbed by the object before it becomes damaged.
• As with all equipment, body armor is affected by Encumbrance. Encumbrance measures the degree to which body armor slows down its wearer and penalizes some of his actions.
• In regards to body armor, there are four levels of Encumbrance. Each level imparts penalties to Speed, and to Tasks and Tests requiring silence (such as Stealth) or fast reaction times (such as Initiative rolls).
---Light Encumbrance imparts -1 to all of the above.
---Medium Encumbrance imparts -2.
---Heavy Encumbrance imparts -3.
---Extra Heavy imparts -5.
• Different types of body armor can be layered on top of each other. Add half the average Armor Value of the weakest armor to the Armor Value of the heaviest armor, and increase Encumbrance by 1 level.
• Barrier Value is similar to Armor Value, but applies only to objects other than body armor (such doors, TVs, chairs, walls, etc.). It measures how much damage an attack must do to penetrate and hit whatever is behind or inside the object.
• When attacking an object, both Armor Value and Barrier Value are subtracted from the damage inflicted. Damage that doesn’t surpass the Armor Value is completely ineffectual. Any damage that surpasses the Armor Value – but not the Barrier Value – indicates that the object was damaged, yet not penetrated.
Targeting Specific Body Parts
• To strike a vital area or specific part of an opponent’s body, the attacker must get at least a Good outcome (third Success Level) on his Strike Task.
• Targeting a specific area incurs penalties, but also modifies potential damage. See the chart below:
.
Combat Maneuvers
Aggressive Posture: The character goes all-out on his attack, abandoning any hope of defense in order to smash the enemy. This provides a +2 bonus on all offensive Tasks on that Turn, but no defensive Tasks may be made. If the character has already defended himself that Turn, then he cannot employ this maneuver.
Counter-Strike: This maneuver involves waiting for an attack, foregoing defense, and immediately attacking in response. The advantage is that the opponent cannot defend; in effect, both strikes hit if the Tasks are successful. The disadvantage is that the character launching the Counter-Strike must endure his enemy’s attack, which automatically strikes first. The person performing the Counter-Strike automatically foregoes Initiative, and his attack only goes into effect if he is not killed or disabled by his opponent’s attack. This is usually a desperate, last-ditch attempt to fight a superior opponent.
Defensive Posture: The character chooses to remain on the defensive, forsaking any chance to attack in favor of protection. A character using this tactic gets a +3 bonus on all defensive Tasks and Tests performed on that Turn, but no offensive Tasks may be made. If the character has already attacked that Turn, then he cannot employ this maneuver.
Feinting: This is a false attack meant to distract the enemy and lower his defenses against the real strike. A feint is resolved as a Resisted Task: the attacker’s Intelligence + Combat Skill vs. the defender’s Perception + Combat Skill. The attacker’s and defender’s Combat Skills need not be the same. If the attacker’s wins the contest, he gets a +1 on his next attack for each Success Level in the Feint Task.
Special Combat Rules
Dual Wielding: Using two weapons at the same time requires the Dual Wielding Skill (see the Dual-Wielding Skill for details).
Handedness: A character using a weapon in his off-hand suffers a -2 penalty to all combat Tasks (strike, parry, feint, etc.) involving that hand, unless he has the Ambidextrous Quality.
Keeping Your Cool: Characters who are not combat veterans (i.e., not used to getting shot at) tend to have difficulty remaining calm when under fire. To simulate this, the Chronicler may ask such characters to make a Simple Willpower Test ((Willpower x 2) + 1d10) during a gunfight. Passing the Test means the character is able to continue carrying out his original intention. Failing means he freezes up, losing any chance to act on that Turn.
Martial Arts Combos: Each combat move (punch, kick, arm lock, etc.) is a separate action, and performing more than one move in a Turn incurs multiple action penalties. However, a martial artist can negate some penalties by using a specific combo. A combo is a series of combat moves executed at one time as a single move, such as "Punch-Punch" or "Block-Grab-Judo Throw." The character may create a combo from almost any move that he has skill in. A combo is purchased just like a combat move (the cost is equal to the number of moves involved), and the number of moves in the combo can never exceed the character’s level in the Martial Arts Skill.
In combat, the character rolls for each move as normal, and the moves suffer no penalties for multiple actions. If any move in the combo is blocked, parried, dodged, or fails on the roll, the combo is broken and over for that Turn. Creating an impromptu combo in the heat of combat is possible, but all moves suffer a -1 penalty due to the combo’s unpracticed nature.
Mounted Combat: In mounted combat, riders get a +3 bonus to any attacks against opponents on foot, and a +1 to Strength for the purposes of determining damage with a melee weapon (does not apply to ranged weapons). Ground opponents suffer a -3 penalty to hit the mounted character, unless they are using a ranged weapon or long weapon (such as a staff, spear, or polearm), in which case there is no penalty.
Prone: A character on the ground suffers a -4 penalty to all actions (attacks and defenses) until he spends an action standing up. The Flip combat move allows combatants to stand without using up an action.
Two-Handed Weapons: Melee weapons wielded with two hands effectively raise the Strength of the wielder by 1 for damage purposes (e.g., a character with Strength 3 swinging an axe with two hands does damage as though he were Strength 4).
Improvised Weapons
• When employing an improvised weapon, the character falls back on the closest Weapon Skill he has.
• Anything that involves thrusting sharp objects (broken bottles, forks, icepicks, etc.) uses the Hand Weapon (Knife) Skill.
• A longer, swung object uses the Hand Weapon (Club) Skill or Hand Weapon (Sword) Skill.
• If no related Weapon Skill is available, use a Difficult Dexterity Test (Dexterity + 1d10) to strike and parry.
• Used defensively, a chair or similarly large object can be employed as a shield, giving the character a +1 or +2 bonus to his Parry Task.
• Very large, awkward, or clumsy improvised weapons may receive penalties of -1 to -3.
Knocking People Out
• In order to purposely knock someone unconscious, the player must specifically declare that he wishes to make a "knock-out attack."
• Using an unarmed strike or blunt instrument, the character must successfully strike the target’s head.
• On the strike roll, the character must achieve at least a "Very Good" outcome (fourth Success Level).
• In response, the target makes a Consciousness Test. Failure on the Test means that the target is knocked unconscious for several hours.
• If the target succeeds on the Consciousness Test then he doesn’t get knocked out, though he still suffers damage from the attack.
Ranged Combat
• Ranged attacks are divided into five range intervals (expressed in yards): Point-Blank, Short, Medium, Long, and Extreme.
• The parameters of each range interval may differ from weapon to weapon. For example, Medium range for a short bow is 40 yards, whereas Medium range for a .22 caliber handgun is 20 yards, etc.
• Each range interval incurs its own modifiers to Strike Tasks and damage. The farther away a target is, then the harder it is to hit and the less damage a hit will likely do. See the table below:
.
• Most bullets will continue traveling a fair distance beyond Extreme range and still be lethal, though the chances of hitting a designated target are nil.
• A telescopic scope on a gun generally adds +2 to +5 to any Aiming Task.
• Bows and arrows, crossbows, slingshots, and other forms of pre-modern, non-thrown ranged weaponry are considered varieties of the Hand Weapon Skill.
• Throwing knives, throwing irons, shurikens, and other forms of thrown weapons are considered varieties of the Throwing Skill.
• Supernatural ranged attacks that require the defender to dodge (such as the Lightning Invocation or the Mindfire power) are performed using their own innate Metaphysical Skills (Invocation level, Seer Art, Necromancy Skill, etc.), or via the Magic Bolt Skill.
Aiming
• By delaying his attack until the next Turn, the character can take the time to aim his weapon.
• Aiming can be applied to guns, bows, crossbows, slingshots, thrown weapons, and any other form of modern or pre-modern ranged weapon.
• Aiming is a Perception + Weapon Skill (Guns, Hand Weapon, or Throwing) Task.
• Each Success Level adds a +1 bonus to the attempt to strike.
Gun Rules
Semi-Automatic Fire (Multiple Shots):
• Any weapon that fires a shot every time the trigger is pulled can fire multiple times in a Turn.
• As usual, each shot after the first gets a cumulative -2 penalty.
• Pump-action and lever-action guns can be "fast-fired" in order to get off numerous shots in a Turn. This works just like semi-automatic fire for the purposes of Strike Tasks
Automatic Fire (Bursts):
• One burst of 3 to 5 rounds can be fired per Turn at no multiple actions penalty.
• Assuming the target fails to dodge, each Success Level in the Strike Task means a hit was scored, up to the total number of rounds in the burst.
• More than one burst can be fired in a single Turn, but each burst beyond the first incurs a cumulative -3 penalty (instead of the usual cumulative -2 penalty for multiple actions per Turn).
• Firing a burst consisting of more than 5 rounds counts as multiple bursts, and therefore incurs a -3 penalty for every 5 rounds beyond the initial 5 (e.g., a 10 round burst is at -3; a 15 round burst is at -6, and so on).
Automatic Fire (Sprays):
• One spray consisting of 10 rounds can be fired per Turn at no penalty; only one spray per Turn.
• Firing a spray consisting of more than 10 rounds incurs a -4 penalty.
• The attacker’s Success Levels have no bearing on a spray, since sprays are not intended to be accurate.
• Any targets in the area being sprayed (assuming they fail to dodge or find cover) take 1d4 hits each, up to the total number of rounds in the spray.
• A spray can target up to a 180 degree area in front of the character in a Turn.
Shotguns:
• Generally, shotguns fire two types of missiles: shot (small pellets in a cartridge) and slugs (solid shot).
• Shot scatters, creating a "cone" of bullets that spreads over a distance. Unlike normal bullets, shot does NOT do double damage after armor reduction.
• Characters using birdshot (the smallest pellets) get a +2 bonus to strike targets at any range.
• Characters using buckshot (larger pellets) get a +1 bonus to strike targets at any range.
• Slugs are treated like normal bullets, though using them will incur a recoil penalty for anyone with Strength below 5 (see rules for Recoil).
Revolvers:
• Double-action revolvers follow the normal rules for semi-automatic fire, as stated above.
• Multiple shots in a Turn with a single-action revolver can be achieved by "fanning." When a character "fans the hammer," he keeps the trigger depressed while smacking the hammer repeatedly with the palm of the other hand. This allows all of the revolver’s rounds to be fired in one Turn. Fanning works just like semi-automatic fire for the purposes of Strike Tasks.
• Single-handed thumbing and two-handed thumbing can also be used to fire multiple shots in a Turn with a single-action revolver. This involves keeping the trigger depressed while using the thumb of one or both hands to operate the hammer. These techniques work just like semi-automatic fire for the purposes of Strike Tasks.
Recoil
• Due to their recoil and "muzzle climb," some guns require a certain degree of Strength to keep them under control.
• All recoil penalties are in addition to the cumulative penalty from multiple actions in a Turn.
• Low caliber guns (under .44 caliber) impose no recoil penalty.
• For characters with Strength 3 or higher, high caliber guns (.44 caliber or greater) impose no recoil penalty.
• For characters with Strength below 3, high caliber guns impose a -2 penalty on each shot, starting with the first.
• Heavy machineguns and shotguns firing slugs impose a -1 penalty for anyone with Strength 4, and -2 to those with Strength 3 or below. These recoil penalties apply to each shot, starting with the first.