Weapon Mechanics

Weapon Mechanics

Weapons in general are different from either GMC and world of darkness, but mostly work as a blend between both games. From damage to armor piercing abilities, the game more or less works like a mixture of the two, and combines particular abilities from all the games into one large conglomeration. Certain abilities of weapons depend on new properties of newer materials, such as armor, but in general, most of the new changes will be explained, here! Ammunition type determines the type of bullets you're using, and their explicit features. Largely, the primary importance of ammunition will be weight, as some ammunition is simply more heavy than other ammunition.




Damage
The damage of the weapon works in two ways; the first number, such as +3L(1L), provides a bonus to accuracy, or to a damage roll. This provides a bonus to the standard damage roll, for instance Dexterity + Firearms, or Strength + Weaponry. So for example, an individual with firearms 4, dexterity 4, and 3 damage would result in a roll of 11 die, on a firearms attack roll. The second form of damage results in automatic successes, or automatic damage done to the target. So a weapon with +3L(1L) damage, would do 1L automatically, in addition to receiving the +3 bonus to the dice roll. On a roll with 3 successes, the user could essentially one additional success, for a total of 4 damage done to the target. This correlates differently to armor in either GMC or world of darkness, as armor possesses a myriad of properties other than the standard success mitigation or dice pool mitigation. For additional effects, see wounding mechanics.


Armor - Armor piercing
Armor piercing rounds work as usual, as they ignore aspects of armor that normal weapons would have to deal with. Like in the original world of darkness, they ignore armor penalties to firearms rolls, and the type of damage the rounds are reduced to (such as lethal to bashing). Armor additionally reduces the type of damage one would ordinarily receive to one lower, such as lethal to bashing damage, or aggravated to lethal, if the armor rating is equal to or higher than the opposing weapon. So, if a normal weapon would do +3L(1L) damage, and it's armor piercing rating was 2, and it was up against level 2 armor, the weapon do bashing damage, instead of lethal damage; if the armor piercing rating was 3, than it would once again do lethal damage, as it would exceed the user's armor rating. In this way, armor piercing rounds can be considered some of the more powerful aspects of a weapon, as the conversion from bashing to lethal or vice versa essentially doubles the damage and causes far more severe wounding effects.


Range
The range of the weapon is fairly straightforward; the range determines how far a weapon can shoot out to, in meters (or spaces). There are four main ranges to a weapon, the minimum range, medium range, maximum range, and absolute maximum range. The minimum range is the closest your weapon can fire without penalties. Medium ranges are the range in which your weapon is still relatively effective but experiences a -2 penalty to the firearms roll. Maximum ranges are the maximum effective ranges of your weapon, but not the absolutely maximum range of your weapon; these apply a -4 penalty to firearms rolls. These ranges are represented by a ?/?/? figure, or for example of the M4 Carbine, 150/300/600, for short, medium, and long ranges, respectively.

The absolute maximum range is the absolute maximum range the weapon can be used, whether it would be effective or not. At this range, the weapon's armor piercing diminishes by one (unless otherwise noted), as it's lower velocity simply makes it less able to get through hardened targets. In addition, there is a penalty on top of that of the maximum ranges. For every 100 meters past your maximum range, you receive an additional -1 penalty to the roll, in addition to your long range penalty; so, if you tried to fire a weapon with a maximum range of 600 meters, at 650 meters, you would experience a -5 penalty to your roll. If you tried to fire it at 750 meters for example you would experience a -6 penalty to your roll. So, for each 100 yards past your maximum range, you experience an additional -1 penalty. When that roll ends up at a penalty equal to your dice modifier, you do not roll a chance die; instead, you simply cannot fire past that range. So, if you had a firearms score of 4, Dexterity 4, and a weapon damage of 3, for 11 die, with a weapon with a maximum range of 600 meters, you simply could not fire past 1300 meters, as the penalty beyond this would reduce your firearms score effectively to 0. (600 = -4, -7 for 700 more meters, or 1300 meters, total). Some equipment can reduce these penalties or modify them, such as with scopes, which increase the range on top of halving range penalties all together.


Action
The action is the method of fire for the weapon. This can be a wide variety of things, the but key methods of fire are break action, bolt action, revolver, pump action, semiautomatic, and fully automatic. For all intents and purposes, semiautomatic weapons, pump actions, and revolvers all work the same, except for how the weapon is loaded. Revolvers take two turns to reload, instead of one, and pump actions can have 1 extra round loaded per turn as a free action. Bolt action weapons and break actions also essentially operate the same as each other, and operate like a semiautomatic weapon in that it is self loading, but otherwise does not receive any potential for special bonuses; only one round can be fired per turn. However, revolvers, break actions, bolt actions, and pump actions are incapable of jamming and suffer no additional penalties on a dramatic failure.

Fully automatic weapons gain access to special burst maneuvers, which allow you to fire more than one round at a time. These are short, medium, and long bursts, which consume 3, 10, and 20 rounds respectively, and in addition provide a +1, +2, and +3 bonus to the firearms attack roll. These maneuvers also allow you to target more than just one individual, with 2 with a short burst, 3 with a medium burst, and 5 with a long burst. This only applies to enemies within a 3 x 3 space, 5 x 5, and 10 x 10 space (also respectively).

To fire a weapon in a burst like this however requires a different strength rating; this is represented by ?/?/? markings, such as 2/2/3 with the M4 carbine. The first number represents what can be fired in single shots or short bursts (if the bursts are available). The second and third numbers represent what can be fired in medium and long bursts, respectively. So for instance, an M4 carbine would require 2 strength to fire a short burst or single shot, and 3 to fire a fully automatic burst consuming 20 rounds.


Strength Rating
The strength rating of a weapon is equal to how much strength is required to fire the weapon. These are represented by ?/?/? markings and dashes, such as 2/2/3. The first number represents what can be fired in single shots or short bursts (if the bursts are available). The second and third numbers represent what can be fired in medium and long bursts, respectively. So for instance, an M4 carbine would require 2 strength to fire a shot burst or single shot, and 3 to fire a fully automatic burst.

A weapon with a strength rating of 1 over your actual strength can be fired, however, at a -2 penalty to the firearms rolls. Beyond this however, you cannot fire the weapon unless something is used to reduce the weapon's strength requirement, such as a bipod, or tripod. So, an individual with strength 2 could fire a weapon with a strength requirement of 3 with a -2 penalty, but could not fire a weapon with a strength requirement of 4, as it would be 2 over his strength level. An individual with strength 2 and a bipod could fire a weapon with a strength requirement of 4 for instance (because a bipod lowers the strength requirement by 1), but only if the bipod was deployed.


Size
Size functions the same as it does in other books, in essence, in that it determines how large an object is, and contributes to it's structure. With weapons however, the strength requirement to use the weapon is based on an entirely different set of factors; thus, if a weapon was too large to be fired based on the size, or it's size would indicate a lower strength modifier, this would be completely ignored. However, size does determine how one can carry a weapon. Any weapon can theoretically be carried with a single hand by anyone, however, it cannot necessarily be fired, unless the strength requirement is met; weight penalties still apply. A weapon at or under the size of 2/L can be concealed underneath clothing, such as a trench coat or lab coat, or squeezed underneath the clothing of someone's back, but weapons beyond this cannot.

A person can effectively conceal two 2/S weapons, but cannot conceal two 2/S weapons with a 2/L weapon or any other larger weapons. A 1/L weapon can be concealed in a holster or container, of which there are 8 spots available on the body: under the left shoulder, under the right shoulder, on the right leg, on the left leg, on the left side of the hip, on the right side of the hip, and on the right and left ankles. Weapons of 1/S can be concealed in limits up to 40. A person can theoretically carry as many weapons as their strength allows, but issues regarding weapon carriage should be weighed with how important it is to carry another weapon, and how important it is to carry ammunition, accessories, and so on.

A weapon with a size of 1/L or lower can be fired with a single hand, if it is a firearm (thus opening up maneuvers given by abilities like "gunslinger"). Weapons, even that you otherwise meet the strength requirement for, above this size, are simply too unwieldy to be used single handedly. A melee weapon can be used one handed if the strength requirement is 1 above the weapon's strength requirement, unless otherwise noted. It should be noted however that firearms used with one hand reduce the damage or automatic successes, by 1.


Durability
The durability of a weapon is the same as at is in the world of darkness; it determines how hard it is to damage the structure of an object. One has to first exceed the durability of an object in successes to begin damaging it's structure, which is equal to it's durability plus it's size.


Round Capacity
Round capacity is equal to how many rounds can be held in a weapon before a reload is necessary. A reload maneuver takes one turn. So, if a person emptied a 30 round magazine, they would need to reload before they could shoot again; this would require replacing a combat turn, such as a firing maneuver, in order to load the weapon, but otherwise only takes 1 turn. A person cannot fire a weapon while it is being reloaded or until it is loaded, if ammunition is necessary.


Weight
The weapon of a weapon is it's weight, in pounds. The may be confusing for some since I wantonly use metric and customary weights for fun, but essentially, it is it's weight, in pounds, or it's weight divided by 2.2 in kilograms. This is also important to consider when using ammunition, the weight of some of which is listed here. The strength of your character is their strength level x 25; so, if you had strength 4, you could realistically carry 100 pounds. You can carry weight equivalent to 1 dot higher than your strength rating, so for instance 125 pounds, at a considerable drawback however, or a -2 penalty to all actions. Temporarily, it is possible to carry much more, but this is what is realistically practical for long term carry purposes.

So, for instance, if you had strength 4, and you wanted to carry an m4 carbine and 300 rounds of ammunition (or 10, 30 round magazines), you would take up 16.5 of your 100 pounds of carry weight, to do so. To carry 10 m4 carbines would take 75 pounds; to carry a single FIM-stinger, however, would take a full 30 pounds. Thus, how many and which weapons you carry needs to be balanced with other issues, such as food, water, equipment, armor, and ammunition.


Initiative Modifier
Initiative modifiers are how much initiative a weapon provides. Some weapons are simply easier to draw and fire than other weapons, due to their size or cumbersome nature, or just their general ergonomics and design, and this is represented by the initiative modifier, or who goes first. Like usual, initiative is rolled, but an initiative modifier of weapons provides a bonus to the initiative roll, just as dexterity and composure do. Thus, a person with a weapon of an initiative modifier of +2, and an initiative modifier of +4 (Dexterity 2, composure 2), would roll a D10, with a +6 bonus in automatic successes. The initiative modifier only applies if a weapon is drawn; thus,


Overheating
When a weapon overheats, it essentially stops working. One has to wait a while for the weapon to begin working again, or cool down, which in game mechanics terms takes a full 20 turns since the shooter began shooting. In essence, one can only fire as many rounds listed in the overheating area in 20 turns, as the weapon stops working past this point. Some weapon's cannot overheat, such as machineguns, which possess a "N/A" symbol instead of a number for their overheating symbol, which stands for "not applicable". These weapons never have to worry about overheating. Other weapon's overheating levels are represented by a number, such as 90, which is how many rounds can be fired in a minute, or 20 turns, before the weapon overheats. So, if an individual fired fully automatic long bursts for four turns, this would consume 80 rounds, and be below the overheating limit. However, if an individual fired 90 rounds (say, 4 long bursts and 1 medium burst), the weapon would reach the overheating limit, and no longer be able to fire, until it cooled down (I.E. waited 20 full turns since the shooting began, or 15 turns afterwords).


Extra Capabilities
Extra capabilities apply to a wide variety of things. These are modifiers not ordinarily covered by basic weapon criteria, such as damage, or armor piercing. While these criteria generally cover most forms of weapon capabilities, extra capabilities mention something usually not listed.

With the M4 carbine for instance, this is that "The weapon has unusual accuracy, having a reduced penalty at long ranges. This is negative -1 at medium ranges, and -2 at long ranges (compared to -2 and -4, respectively). This can be completely eliminated with scopes that ordinarily halve range penalties." This would imply that range penalties are reduced, thus allowing the weapon to be more accurate, or have a higher firearms roll, at longer ranges than ordinary weapons, or that the rules would otherwise indicate. In this way, extra capabilities describe modifiers not otherwise easily explained by basic weapon criteria.

EXAMPLE FIREARM
M4 Carbine
-Damage: +3L (1L), (9 again)
-Ammunition: 5.56mm x 45mm
-Armor piercing: 2
-Range: 150/300/600
-Action: Fully Automatic
-Strength Rating: 2/2/3
-Size: 2/L
-Durability: 3
-Round Capacity: 30
-Weight: 6.5 lb
-Initiative Modifier: +2
-Overheating: 90 rounds
-Extra Capabilities: The weapon has unusual accuracy, having a reduced penalty at long ranges. This is negative -1 at medium ranges, and -2 at long ranges (compared to -2 and -4, respectively). This can be completely eliminated with scopes that ordinarily halve range penalties.


Imagine our Character "Joe Smchoe" is attempting to use such a weapon. He has Dexterity 4, Strength 2, and Firearms 4. With the weapon dice modifier, he would have 4 (Dexterity) + 4 (Firearms) + 3 (M4 Carbine) dice to roll on a firearms attack, or 11 die. He would also do one automatic success; so for example, if he rolled a 3 successes, he would do a total of 4 damage, adding 1 success equal to the amount of damage in parenthesis. Being 2/L, he can just barely squeeze it under his jacket, which makes it concealed.

In a firefight, Joe draws the weapon and attempts to engage a band of marauders. There's three of them and he's heavily outgunned, so he decides to use a medium burst. Being within his strength roll, and focusing on three targets, he successfully rolls 4 (Dexterity) + 4 (Firearms) + 3 (M4 Carbine) + 2 (Medium Burst) -3 (For 3 targets) or rolls 13 - 3 dice, for 10. This burns through 10 rounds of ammunition, and cuts in to the overheating penalty. If he were to fire 80 more rounds in the next 20 turns, he would essentially be unable to fire the weapon. In the attack, he makes three separate rolls, one for each target, each at 10 die. For the first target, he rolls 2 successes, for the second he rolls 4, and for the third, he rolls 0; in fact, he receives a dramatic failure. This does 3, 5, and 0 damage, respectively to each target. With the last roll being a dramatic failure, he makes a roll to see if the weapon jams or suffers another failure; unfortunately, the weapon does jam, and makes it inoperable until he manually clears it, which essentially sacrifices his next combat action. Luckily however, his teammate picks off the last enemy and, the marauders run away bleeding.

Additional mechanics

Dual Wielding or One-handed weapons
Any firearm, when held with one hand, has it's damage reduced by 1. Simply the difficulty of maintaining the position combined with the recoil makes the weapon do less damage. Any merits, such as gunslinger, are effected by this, as the user does 1 less damage per attack, in addition to the normal penalties imposed. If the user suffers the arm wrack tilt, this same effect applies, as they cannot use both arms. Melee weapons are unaffected.


Melee Weapons
Melee weapons have an effective range of 1, or can only be used at close range. They are subject to defense penalties as normally, although they typically can ignore defense. Melee attacks gain a +2 bonus to targeted attacks, such as to the head or leg, in addition to any other bonus's they receive. Melee weapons are generally perceived to be silent, and don't attract attention or warrant a perception roll unless visually spotted. They also use their full damage when duel wielded, and have access to a number of specialized merits.


Dramatic failure
One more aspect of weapons is the chance for a dramatic failure, which means the weapon fails in a particularly horrific manner. On an ordinary failure, a weapon simply fails; it simply does not strike the target. The round misses the target, or is obstructed for some reason. On a dramatic failure, however, there is a chance that the weapon may fail more catastrophically; this could be a result of a jam, misfire, or other poor form of attack. There is even a result of a weapon breaking, or taking a considerable amount of time to repair. Some weapons experience no additional penalties on a dramatic failure, such as a 1911, which is unusually reliable, or all revolvers, bolt actions, break actions, and pump actions. Other weapons, such as semiautomatics, do often experience said penalty.

When a dramatic failure occurs after a firearms attack roll, there is 1 of 6 potential options that can occur, as a result of a dice roll of a D6. These effects are potentially, Nothing (as in, literally nothing), a jam, and a catastrophic failure. Nothing more or less means that the dramatic failure is counted as an ordinarily failure, with no special modifiers. A jam takes a turn to resolve, and takes up a combat action, equivalent to a firearms attack roll; you cannot fire while your weapon is jammed, but once it's resolved, you can fire as normal. You can perform other actions, such as moving during this time, but not other combat actions. If a catastrophic failure is rolled (a 6), then you roll another D10. If you succeed on the roll, you downgrade the catastrophic failure to a jam. If you fail on the roll, you suffer a catastrophic jam, which functions like an ordinary jam, except that it takes two turns to resolve. If you get another dramatic failure, then your weapon breaks. It takes 3 cumulative successes on an extended crafts + intelligence or firearms + intelligence to resolve (then the weapon continues to function as normal). Failing on this roll can simply destroy the weapon permanently.



1. Nothing!
2. Nothing!
3. Nothing!
4. Jam
5. Jam
6. Catastrophic failure