IV. Weapons, Armor & Equipment

Weapon Attributes

• 1H: One-handed weapon
• 2H: Two-handed weapon
• Ranged: Used for ranged combat
• SS: Single-shot
• SA: Semi-auto
• FA: Full-auto (see Automatic Weapons)
• AP: Armor-piercing (ignores armor)
• Sm: Counts as 1/4 of a normal item
• Lg: Counts as two normal items
• Reload X: Holds X rounds before needing to be reloaded
• Stun: See Conditions
• Heavy: Must have Brawn 2 or greater, or suffer a Penalty on attacks with this weapon
• Recoil: Must have Agility 1 or greater, or suffer a Penalty on attacks with this weapon
• Suppress: Can be used to lay down suppressing fire

Shooting Firearms

When shooting a firearm, roll Agility.

• Success: Full damage
• Partial success: Half damage (rounded down)
• Failure: Miss (no damage)
• Critical success: Double damage

On a critical failure, the weapon malfunctions and jams. You must make a Mind roll to reset the weapon. On a success, you reset and may use it again. On a partial success, you reset it, but must spend your next action reloading before firing again. On a failure, the weapon remains jammed.

If you fail two attempts to reset a firearm, it breaks and will no longer function until repaired. If you experience a second critical failure during the same combat, the weapon breaks completely and must be repaired.

Reloading

Unless otherwise specified, a player character can reload D3+1 rounds into a weapon for one action. This includes loading a revolver, shotgun, magazine, etc. Using a revolver speed-loader requires one action. Ejecting a spent magazine and reloading another requires one action. Belt-fed weapons require two rounds to reload.

A character using a bow can reload and fire in one action. However, crossbows require one full action to reload.

For most ranged weapons, players should track the number of shots taken during combat so they know when to reload. For weapons that hold more than 20 rounds of ammo, players can use the “ammo check” rule (see below).

Automatic Weapons

When attacking with an automatic weapon, roll Agility.

• Full Success: Full damage and you may immediately attack the same target a second time (but not more than twice in a turn).
• Partial success: Half damage and you may immediately attack the same target a second time (but not more than twice in a turn). The second attack is made with a penalty.
• Failure: The shots go wild. Roll a D6:
• 1-2: Reload required
• 3-4: The weapon can be fired one more time before reloading
• 5-6: Plenty of ammo remaining

Suppressing Fire

Rather than attacking with an automatic weapon, a character may choose to lay down suppressing fire, forcing up to 2D6 enemies in range (and located down range from the shooter) to take cover. For each enemy in the area of fire that does not seek cover, roll D6.

• 6: Full damage
• 4-5: Half damage
• 1-3: No damage

After one round of suppressing fire, make an ammo check.

Firing Ranges

All ranged weapons have an “effective range.” It’s possible to fire at targets beyond the effective range, but the attack action will incur a penalty. You can only attempt to shoot one level of range beyond the effective range listed for the weapon.

Example: Caleb wants to shoot an enemy with a 9mm pistol (medium-range weapon). The enemy is 150 feet away (far). Caleb has Agility 2 and the Firearms (Pistols) skill. Normally, he would roll 3D6 but incurs a penalty for shooting beyond effective range. He rolls 2D6.

Ammo Checks

Instead of tracking individual bullets and other ammunition, the GM can have players make an “ammo check” after combat ends for each weapon used. Each weapon starts at A3. Roll 3D6.

• Full success: You still have plenty of ammo for that weapon. It remains at A3.
• Partial success: Reduce ammo level by one (the next time you make an ammo check for that weapon, roll one fewer D6).
• Failure: Reduce the ammo level by two (the next time you make an ammo check for that weapon, roll two fewer D6).

To track ammo for each weapon, write A3, A2, A1, or A0 next to it.

• A3: Plenty of ammo
• A2: Moderate ammo
• A1: Running low
• A0: Out of ammo

Explosives

In most cases, explosives like grenades have a spherical area of effect (AOE). If the explosive detonates on the ground, the AOE is effectively half a sphere (since the explosive force does not penetrate the ground). The effective range of a thrown explosive is near, although it can be thrown up to medium range with a penalty.

Body Armor

To keep things simple, there are three types of body armor: light, medium, and heavy. Each absorbs a certain amount of damage and takes up a certain amount of normal item slots. Heavy armor includes both body armor and a combat helmet, making it heavier and more bulky.

When an enemy attack hits, roll to determine how much damage the armor absorbs and subtract that amount from the total damage taken.

Example: Ben’s character is wearing medium armor. An enemy attacks him and he fails his defense roll, taking 5 damage. He rolls a D6 for his armor, getting a 3. The armor absorbs 3 damage and he reduces his HP by 2.

If a single attack deals more than the maximum amount of damage a piece of armor can absorb, the armor becomes damaged and no longer provides any benefit until repaired. If a single attack deals more than twice the maximum amount of damage a piece of armor can absorb, it’s destroyed (cannot be repaired).