Medieval Age
TODO
Jazz Age
TODO
Modern Age
Melee Weapons
Unarmed attacks, like punching, kicking, and strangling, use the Unarmed Combat skill. All melee weapons use the Melee Weapons skill.
| Sample Weapons | Damage |
|---|---|
| Bare hands and feet | 1D4–1* |
| Brass knuckles or steel-toe boot | 1D4* |
| Taser | Stun |
| Ordinary knife or hatchet | 1D4* |
| Combat knife, garotte or nightstick | 1D6* |
| Tomahawk, machete, or baseball bat | 1D8* |
| Large sword, chainsaw | 2D6* |
*Damage bonus is added for this weapon
Ranged Weapons
Old-fashioned ranged weapons that are aimed (e.g., crossbows, bow, and slings) use the Firearms skill even though they aren’t firearms. All such weapons require some kind of ammunition (arrows, bolts, bow) and are useless if the supply is exhausted. Primitive weapons that are thrown (e.g., spears) use Athletics skill.
| Sample Weapons | Damage | Base Range |
|---|---|---|
| Thrown Knife | 1D4* | STR×5 feet |
| Thrown Spear | 1D8* | STR×5 yards |
*Damage bonus is added for this weapon
Small Arms
| Sample Weapons | Damage | Base Range |
|---|---|---|
| Small-caliber pistol | 1D8 | 10 yards |
| Medium Pistol | 1D10 | 15 yards |
| Carbine or very large pistol | 1D12 | 100 yards for carbine 20 yards for heavy pistol |
| Rifle | 1D12+2 [Armor Piercing 3] | 150 yards |
| Shotgun blast, close range | 2D10 | 50 yards full damage up to 10yds; reduced to 1D10 for 10—20yds; reduced to 1D6 for 20+ yards |
Automatic and Heavy Weapons
| Sample Weapons | Skill | Base Range | Lethality | Kill Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Submachine gun, fully automatic | Firearms | 50 yards | 10% | 1–3 yds |
| Assault rifle or carbine, fully automatic | Firearms | 100 yards | 10% [Armor Piercing 3] | 1–3 yds |
| Very heavy sniper rifle | Firearms | 250 yards | 20% [Armor Piercing 5] | None |
| Light machine gun | Military Training (Heavy Weapons) | 200 yards | 10% [Armor Piercing 3] | 3 yds |
| Heavy machine gun | Military Training (Heavy Weapons) | 400 yards | 20% [Armor Piercing 5] | 3 yds |
| Hand grenade | Athletics | 20 yards | 15% | 10 yds |
| Improvised explosive device | Military Training (Demolitions) | N/A | 15% | 10 yds |
| Grenade launcher | Military Training (Heavy Weapons) | 150 yards | 15% | 10 yds |
| Rocket-propelled grenade | Military Training (Heavy Weapons) | 200 yards | 30% | 10 yds |
Depending on when and where the game is set, the Protagonists may have easy access to a range of different firearms. Firearms can be heavily accessorized. Popular gun add-ons include tactical lights, sound suppressors, holographic sights, telescopic sights, night sights, and targeting lasers. Many rifles can also be fitted with an under-barrel shotgun or grenade launcher.
Pistols
Lightweight pistols fire low-powered cartridges and are of limited use even against humans. Medium pistols are the standard sidearms in law enforcement and the military everywhere. They fire moderately powerful rounds. Most revolvers hold six shots, but some late models hold seven or eight. Pocket revolvers sometimes take only five. There’s a huge variety of ammunition capacities for semiautomatic pistol magazines, but 15 is typical, although 17 or even 20 is not uncommon. Large-caliber pistols often carry less. A typical figure for a heavy pistol is eight.
Shotguns
A typical pump-action shotgun holds five shots, although there are many with extended magazines for eight or more. Double-barrel shotguns hold one shot per barrel and can fire both barrels at one target with one attack roll. Shotguns can fire shot (a spread of small projectiles), slugs (a single heavy bullet), or “non-lethal” ammunition such as bean bag rounds, baton rounds, or rubber shot.
FIRING SHOT: Grants a +20% bonus to hit at all ranges: at point-blank due to the target being so close (see ATTACK MODIFIERS on page 46) and beyond that due to the spread of projectiles. If the target has an Armor rating due to armor or cover, double it.
FIRING BOTH BARRELS: You can fire both barrels of a double-barrel shotgun at one target with one attack roll. That inflicts an extra +1D8 damage at base range. It adds no damage beyond base range as the shot or the slugs separate.
OTHER GAUGES: These rules assume a standard 12-gauge shotgun. Modify the damage by +2 for a heavier gauge or −2 for a lighter gauge.
Submachine Guns
Submachine guns fire full-automatic bursts but are often also capable of semi-automatic fire. When firing semi-automatic, the weapon inflicts ordinary damage; with automatic fire, it uses a Lethality rating (see LETHALITY RATING on page 50).
Rifles and Carbines
Rifles fire more powerful cartridges than pistols or submachine guns, for better penetration, wounding, and range. However, they are also bulkier. Some military rifles — assault rifles in smaller calibers and automatic rifles in heavier calibers — are capable of firing full-automatic bursts with Lethality ratings. Especially heavy rifles have Lethality ratings with single shots.
Older rifles and many hunting rifles use a bolt action that must be manually worked before each shot, which delays aiming. An attack with one in the turn immediately after it’s already been fired is at −20%. A bolt-action rifle gets no benefit from the Aim action in the turn immediately after it’s fired.
Heavy Weapons, Demolitions and Artillery
Many unnatural things that Protagonists face are inscrutable perversions of physics no more vulnerable to explosions than they are to crucifixes. This never stops Protagonists from trying.
The Base Range for each weapon reflects the fact that it needs to be accurate enough only to get a target within the Kill Radius. Machine guns fired off their bipod, tripod, or vehicle mount halve Base Range.
Many of these weapons actually fire in automatic bursts as well, which is subsumed under their Lethality ratings and Kill Radius. The Ammo Capacity of these weapons also varies widely, often depending on the vehicle on which they are mounted.
Only the lightest of Heavy Weapons will be commonly found, usually in military bases and the like. Most of the heavier ones are vehicle-mounted or specialized gear designed for military support units; these will typically be hard for the Protagonists to get their hands on, and even harder for them to transport to where they need firepower.
| >> Unusual Ammunition |
|---|
| Most small-arms ammunition uses the standard, listed damage ratings. Special types are available. ARMOR-PIERCING: Pistols, rifles, and submachine guns can fire bullets designed to pierce body armor. An armor piercing bullet reduces Armor by 5 (see ARMOR PIERCING WEAPONS on page 54; this replaces the weapon’s usual Armor Piercing rating, if any), but it does −1 damage (to a minimum of 1 point). HOLLOW POINT: Pistols, rifles, and submachine guns can fire expanding bullets designed to cause greater tissue trauma at the expense of penetration. A hollow point round does +1 damage but armor is twice as effective against it. |
Selective Fire
| Type of Fire | Ammo Used | Lethality | Kill Radius |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short Burst | 3 | 10% | None |
| Long Burst | 5 | 10% | 1 yd |
| Short Spray | 10 | 10% | 2 yds |
| Long Spray | 20 | 10% | 3 yds |
Weapons with Special Effects
Some types of weapons do something other than (or as well as) inflicting damage to Hit Points.
Tear Gas and Pepper Spray
These irritant chemicals make eyes tear, lungs seize, and exposed tissues sting like hell. If hit, the target must make a CON×5 test or be stunned and suffer a penalty (usually -20%) to all actions for one hour. If the CON×5 roll succeeds, the target is not stunned and suffers half the usual penalty. As described on page 49, STUNNED individuals can’t take further combat actions until they succeed at a CON×5 test, which may be attempted once per turn.
A tear gas grenade only needs to land near a target to have effect, so the attack roll has a bonus of +20%. A tear gas grenade’s cloud lingers in the air only a minute or two. Pepper spray is best used before combat begins, when no attack rolls are needed. If a pepper spray attack roll fails, the attacker partially sprays himself or herself. The attacker must make a CON×5 test at +20% to avoid being stunned and suffers a −20% penalty for one hour.
Wearing a gas mask protects against these effects but incurs a −20% penalty to Alertness and Search tests.
Stun Grenades
A “flash-bang” is a grenade that makes a huge noise and bright flash which deafens, blinds and staggers everyone within a 10-yard radius (indoors) or 5 yards (outdoors).
Each target is stunned (unable to act until a CON×5 test succeeds; check each turn). After the stun wears off, the target suffers a −40% penalty to all actions for 1D6 turns. (Having eye or ear protection reduces the penalty to −20%.)
A stun grenade only needs to land near a target to have effect, so the attack roll has a bonus of +20%. If someone is tossing it into a closed room with the benefit of surprise, it doesn’t even require a roll.
Bright Lights
A bright flashlight in darkness can dazzle someone up to 10 yards away by shining it in the target’s eyes. This is an action in combat. It requires a DEX×5 test, which is automatically opposed by the target’s DEX×5 test. A dazzled target is at a −20% penalty to all rolls for 1D6 turns.
Electroshock Weapons
A conducted energy device or stun gun discharges a high-voltage electrical shock into the target, causing the target’s muscles to spasm violently. The victim must roll a CON×5 test to resist being stunned. If stunned, he or she is unable to act until a CON×5 test succeeds (attempted each turn). After the stun wears off, the victim suffers a −20% penalty to all actions for 1D20 turns.
Human bodies are excellent conductors of electricity. Anyone holding the target of an electroshock attack suffers the same effects.
Future Age Weapons
Melee Weapons
| Sample Weapons | Damage |
|---|---|
| Bare hands and feet | 1D4–1* |
| Brass knuckles or steel-toe boot | 1D4* |
| Taser | Stun |
| Ordinary knife or hatchet | 1D4* |
| Combat knife, garotte or nightstick | 1D6* |
| Tomahawk, machete, or baseball bat | 1D8* |
| Large sword, chainsaw | 2D6* |
| Power sword | 2D8 |
Ranged Weapons
| Sample Weapons | Skill | Damage | Base Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crossbow | Firearms | 1D8+2 | 50 yards/meters |
| Thrown Rock | Athletics | 1D4* | 20 yards/meters |
| Thrown Knife | Athletics | 1D4* | STR×5 feet |
| Thrown Hand Grenade | Athletics | Lethality 12%, 4 yds | STR×3 yards/meters |
*Damage bonus is added for this weapon
Small Arms (Projectile / Beam)
| Sample Weapons | Damage | Base Range |
|---|---|---|
| Small-caliber pistol | 1D8 | 10 yards/metres for projectile, 50 yards/metres for beam |
| Medium Pistol | 1D10 | 15 yards/metres for projectile, 100 yards/metres for beam |
| Carbine or very large pistol | 1D12 | 20 yards/metres for projectile, 200 yards/metres for beam |
| Carbine | 1D12 | 100 yards/metres for projectile, 500 yards/metres for beam |
| Rifle | 1D12+2 [Armor Piercing 3] | 150 yards |
| Shotgun/flechette blast, close range | 2D10 | 50 yards/meters (full damage up to 10m; reduced to 1D10 for 10—20m; reduced to 1D6 for 20+ meters) |
*Beam weapons (e.g., lasers and blasters), while about as damaging as projectile weapons, have far longer range and no recoil. They’re also capable of automatic fire without recoil penalties. Their power pack capacity is roughly equivalent to magazines in a projectile weapon.
Automatic and Heavy Weapons
| Sample Weapons | Skill | Base Range | Lethality | Kill Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Submachine gun, fully auto [projectile] | Firearms | 50 yards/meters | 10% | 1–3 yards/meters |
| Laser carbine, fully auto | Firearms | 200 yards/meters | 10% | 1–3 yards/meters |
| Battle rifle, fully auto [projectile] | Firearms | 100 yards/meters | 10% [Armor Piercing 3] | 1–3 yards/meters |
| Battle laser, fully auto | Firearms | 1000 yards/meters | 10% [Armor Piercing 3] | 1–3 yards/meters |
| Very heavy sniper rifle [projectile] | Firearms | 250 yards/meters | 20% [Armor Piercing 5] | None |
| Very heavy sniper laser | Firearms | 5000 yards/meters | 20% [Armor Piercing 5] | None |
| Plasma rifle** | Firearms | 200 yards/meters | 15% | 1–3 yards/meters |
| Light Support Weapon [projectile] | Military Training (Heavy Weapons) | 200 yards/meters | 10% [Armor Piercing 3] | 3 yards/meters |
| Light Support Laser | Military Training (Heavy Weapons) | 2000 yards/meters | 10% [Armor Piercing 3] | 3 yards/meters |
| Heavy Support Weapon [projectile] | Military Training (Heavy Weapons) | 400 yards/meters | 20% [Armor Piercing 5 | 3 yards/meters |
| Heavy Support Laser | Military Training (Heavy Weapons) | 4000 yards/meters | 20% [Armor Piercing 5 | 3 yards/meters |
| Hand Grenade | Athletics | 20 yards/meters | 15% | 10 yards/meters |
| Improvised Explosive Device | Military Training (Demolitions) | N/A | 15% | 10 yards/meters |
| Grenade launcher | Military Training (Heavy Weapons) | 150 yards/meters | 15% | 10 yards/meters |
| Rocket-propelled grenade | Military Training (Heavy Weapons) | 200 yards/meters | 30% | 10 yards/meters |
| Missile launcher | Military Training (Heavy Weapons) | 2000 yards/meters | 40% | 15 yards/meters |
*Plasma rifles fire single shots, but their plasma bolts spall on impact, creating a Kill Radius.
Selective Fire
| Type of Fire | Ammo Used | Lethality | Kill Radius |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short Burst | 3 | 10% | None |
| Long Burst | 5 | 10% | 1 yard/meter |
| Short Spray | 10 | 10% | 2 yards/meters |
| Long Spray | 20 | 10% | 3 yards/meters |