A lot of GMs dislike and
avoid gunfighting in their roleplays. Why? Simply because they’re under the impression
that gunfights can be summarized in these two sentences:
“Shoots”
“Dodges, shoots back”
Utterly ridiculous! Melee
weapon fighting can also be summarized in nearly the same way. The underlying
reason, therefore, is because nobody really has any idea of how to conduct an
RP gunfight, and that RP gunfights are extremely prone to cheezewhizzing.
Which is such a pity, for
the game will be missing a weapon class, and less creative ability would
result.
Here, therefore, is a
document that should change GMs views of firearm combat, as well as serve as a
guideline of sorts for pretend firearm combat, be it in message board or actual
PNP RPGs, narratives or stat-based. In it, you will
find random descriptive elements that can be changed, mixed, combined for a
variety of different effects, as well as how to spot someone who’s attempting
to godmod in a gunfight (as if certain firearms aren’t powerful enough
already....how greedy these people are -_-‘).
The rules here are purely
optional and are not hard and fast. If the GM or player decides to judiciously
omit or add something, go ahead, it’s up to him, and it’s at his own risk. I
take no responsibility whatsoever for a ruined game because of a poorly
conducted RP firearm combat.
As I have said,
Gunfighting concerns more than just shooting and dodging. To perfectly describe
a gunfight in an RPG, these should be taken into consideration:
·
What kinds of rounds are loaded
into the gun?
·
General limitations of ALL
firearms?
·
Cross era firearms in the same
game?
Also included is an appendix of certain example weapons. Whether attempting to draw a descriptive inspiration, or making up
fictional firearms, this appendix should serve as a guideline.
To see what’s new since
the last update, check the version history.
Happy reading, all ye
pretend marksmen out there.....(^V^)...Boc.
Not all bullets go “goes
into the body and comes out the other side”. That’s pretty boring. Different
rounds should have different effects.
A high powered round will
most likely take off a sizable chunk of metal/flesh should it hit home.
A low powered round may
not penetrate, but may cause the person to stagger a bit.
Heavier projectiles have
the tendency to arc through the air, much like grenades. Actually, this occurs
for normal small arms too, but because of obvious differences in ammo size it
is not so apparent.
Beam projectiles do NOT
arc, and are not affected by gravity, since they are energy in nature.
An armor piercing round
not only will make short work of armor, but will also make holes through walls,
and can be used to attack THROUGH obstacles.
An explosive round invariably has a blast radius. If used in cramped spaces, avoiding collateral damage is IMPOSSIBLE.
As we have shortbows,
longbows and crossbows, so there are different types of firearms for different
purposes. And they all have different properties....
Energy Weapons will light
up the immediate area for a second with each shot. The GM may allow an energy
weapon to have different settings, like in Star Trek (Phasers can be set to Stun
or Full...).
A shotgun can attack
multiple opponents/objects at long range in a single attack (spread), and does
more damage at close range.
A machinegun eats
ammunition really fast, but will saturate the area with rounds such that, if
caught in the open, only the swift has any chance of not receiving a single
hit. It should keep the opponents from moving too much....until the firer hears
the dreaded clikclikclik.
A gatling gun invariably
has a little startup lag when firing, the barrels must start spinning first.
This process will take 1 round.
The size of the weapons
also determines whether the firer can wield it properly. A normal human will
stagger a few steps backwards, or (in worse cases) fly in the opposite
direction, when firing heavier class/caliber weapons, unless he is properly
braced.
An RP gunfight isn’t
always a western duel, where both combatants stand, in full view of each other,
immobile, fanning their hammers. Normal human instinct will always strategize,
and cause the human body to move around, since standing stock still is an
invitation for a bullet right through the head....not a good thing.
Single shots are generally
more accurate than burst shots, but burst shots increase the chance of hitting
a target by firing off more rounds (one of them HAS got to hit).
Firing while moving
(running or in a vehicle) messes up aim.
Firing in an awkward
position (swimming, climbing, uneven ground) messes up aim.
Firing while performing
stunts (drive-by shooting, backflip shots, two-gun combat) messes up aim.
Despite the cool effects of the Matrix (subway scene), they never really manage
to hit each other (yeah, it’s pretty laughable once you think about it. Oh well
-_-‘)
Recoil messes up aim.
Enemy being too close or
too far away messes up aim.
Firing in a braced
position (crouching, prone, supported) improves aim. However, remember that anyone
firing from a braced position has difficulty changing positions thereafter,
especially if carrying a heavier weapon.
The convention that all
ranged specialists are defenseless at point blank range is nonsense, and even
moreso for the modern era, where guns are made of the same heavy material as
broadswords and clubs. And don’t think they’ll always shoot at you no matter
what the range....if an opponent is close enough, why waste a precious bullet?
The butt of a rifle, as
well as a spent Rocket Launcher, is a good club.
The handguard of a pistol
can be used as a hammer.
The barrel of a gun can be
used as a thrusting weapon.
Not to mention that
accessories such as bayonets can be mounted....
And smaller guns can be
thrown like a stone.
Keep in mind tho, that
this MAY degrade the performance of the gun or break it entirely (except when
accessories are used, or it’s of robust construction). Firing mechanisms are
delicate, you know....
Damage that may occur:
chance of gun jamming increase, stock broken (no bracing, -accuracy), barrel
broken (can NOT fire or -accuracy), trigger malfunction (can NOT fire normally.
Can only fire off critical rolls.)
Who can use weapons?
Anyone who’s trained in them? BUZZZ wrong answer! The correct answer is
‘Anyone who can PICK THEM UP’. Yes, as long as someone can pick up a weapon, he
can use it....or at least, attempt to -_-‘. How he uses it depends on how much
experience he has with it.
Those who receive military
training or are of certain races (eg vampires) can perform better stunts than,
say, a civilian.
Those who are untrained
are worse off from recoil effects, nor can they aim right or change their
magazines quickly.
Anyone who’s injured in
his gun-arm won’t be able to use the gun properly. Anyone with a broken bone in
the gun-arm can NOT use guns in that arm, and must switch to his secondary arm
(Penalties if he’s not ambidextrous).
Anyone who’s injured in
his secondary arm will still be able to use 1-armed guns properly, but are
affected when it comes to 2-handed guns (Sniper Rifles, M60s).
A broken bone in ANY arm
means that the gunner can NOT use 2 handed guns.
It’s unrealistic to see an
everyday office worker leap from wall to wall, changing his magazine in a split
second, and fire off dead-on rounds. Unless you’re talking about military, top
secret organization terms, where such training is necessary....
Ok, GMs, the reason why
you think guns generally kill in 1 hit is because sometimes you don’t give
consideration to armor. Nobody smart enough goes to a gunfight completely
naked, you know....in fact, I believe than medieval steel armor can somewhat
protect against a 9mm round! So don’t discount ANY form of protection when
dealing with firearms. It’s really unfair to whoever’s at the receiving end of
the shot....
Armor made of tough metal
may deflect most ballistics aside from AP ones, but energy weapons will pass
through unaffected (metal is a good conductor of energy).
Due to an energy weapon’s
light & heat nature, it is somewhat stymied if the target is in an aquatic
environment (light is diffused by water, heat is dissipated by water), or if
the target’s armor is somewhat reflective (like Stainless Steel; while the heat
component is unaffected, the light is diffused, less damage results).
Nothing completely protects
against AP (armor piercing). However, note that AP is still affected by armor
like all other ammo, it’s just affected less. However, due to AP concentrating
on piercing armor and not on damage, AP rounds generally do less damage than
normal rounds.
Explosive weapons, damage
of which is mostly shockwave-based, are stymied by heavy armor, the weight of
which absorbs some of the shock and prevents the wearer from feeling it.
A gunner can’t properly
get a bead on anyone hiding behind an obstacle, or who have blended into the
environment using camouflage techniques.
Still on obstacles, only guns
utilizing AP ammo and properly angled heavy projectile shots can attack
opponents behind obstacles without having to destroy the obstacle first.
Even armorless can be considered a protection of sorts, for modern armor generally weighs the bearer down and impairs dodging.
ALL projectile weapons are
ammo based. Even energy weapons, for they have to run on an energy source, and
we all know that there is NO such thing as perpetual energy.
For this case, consider
Murphy’s laws of ammo limitation:
·
A small weapon
of high caliber will invariably have little ammo per clip.
·
A large weapon
of low caliber will invariably have lots of ammo per clip, at the obvious
expense of damage.
There is NO SUCH THING as
an anti-tank rocket launcher with clip size of 100. Such weapons may only be
carried on vehicles, are FAR TOO HEAVY for a human, and are cumbersome to
wield. Not to mention it’s really, really cheezy.
Clips and Magazines are
NOT formless or weightless. They take up space. Thus, nobody can carry infinite
amounts of them. Note, tho, that imposing this rule may make the game overly
complicated. If the GM or player is not confident enough: see the next rule.
It’s quite OK to implement
infinite ammunition, since it reduces game complexity by half. However, in
accordance with realism and common sense, the gun MUST have a periodic reload
requirement (eg once every x shots, where x depends on gun, during this period,
the gunner can NOT attack, and may suffer dodging penalties due to
concentration on the reload process).
Specialist ammunition
(like Outlaw Star Castor Shells, or even Tranquilizer/Knockout rounds) MUST be
limited for reasons of game balance.
Energy weapons can NOT
have specialist ammunition (Common sense...how DO you give properties to an
intangible projectile, like making a knockout laser bolt?). To give specialist
properties to Energy ammunition, the weapon itself must be modified.
We’ve all played games
like Arcanum, Shadowrun, and yes, definitely Final Fantasy. Clashes between
marksmen and wizards are common in these settings, or anything remotely in
these settings. Here’s how magic and gunnery can interact....
The same enchantment used
to create arrows with +X bonuses can also be used on gun ammunition, giving
them the same bonuses. Same here for giving bullets additional damage effects
(like +poison, +lightning etc). Energy weapon ammo can NOT be enhanced in this
way.
Armor piercing rounds
should affect magical armor spells as they would normal armor, i.e not even
magic can completely protect against AP. These rounds have relatively good
chance of piercing a Globe of Invulnerability, as D&D bolts of piercing do.
Bullets can collide with
magic spells in midair, since both have mass. However, if the bullet is small
compared to a spell (say a 9mm round vs a D&D Fireball spell), the spell
will ‘eat’ the bullet and continue on; If the bullet is about the same size as
the spell or larger (a 5.56mm round vs a D&D Magic Missile), they will
cancel each other out.
Under NO circumstances,
however, can a bullet ‘eat’ a magic projectile, due to their kinetic,
physical-based nature. Exception would be Energy Weapon shots.
Note: going patriot mode
with a machinegun in the hopes of nullifying an enemy projectile spell counts
as a STUNT.
Weapons count as
artifacts, and can be dealt with using an MtG style Shatter spell. This counts
as a STUNT in the middle of combat.
Energy weapon ammo, being
of energy in nature, are treated like magical artifacts. A properly aimed
disenchantment can drain the E.pack of all energy. Conversely, the same spell
used to restore charge in magical staves can be used to replenish the energy
supply for a spent E.pack. Energy is energy, whether created magically or
artificially.
Note that because of the
time taken to chant a spell, as well as the almost instantaneous loading and cocking
modern automatic weapons, gunners get the initiative during gunnery vs magic
combat. The only exception is when the spell can be cast instantaneously, like
something cast off a D&D Contingency spell.
Yep, I know in real life
that the Melee guy will get ventilated, but that isn’t really the case in
fantasy settings. Well, not always, but still, considering obstacles and taking
advantage of reload delay, it’s possible for a melee specialist to defeat a
gunner. Goes to show that higher technology doesn’t exactly mean victory,
doesn’t it?
There are no initiative
penalties to any party in a Melee vs Gunnery combat. However, the Melee
specialist obviously can NOT attack a Gunnery specialist immediately, if they
see each other at range.
A gunner needs to have a
line-of-sight on the melee user in order to get a bead on him effectively. If
not, the gunner is firing blind (even if he knows the melee specialist is
behind a certain obstacle), suffering a penalty in accuracy.
A melee specialist, no
matter what the skill, can NOT enter openly the suppressive field of fire of a
high-ROF machinegun or similar weapon without suffering at least
3 hits/turn. Only the foolish make headlong charges into danger,
although I have no quarrel with you if you’re in a kamikaze mood....
It is possible to deflect
bullets and laser bolts, like arrows and crossbow bolts can be cut out of
mid-air by the skilled. This, however, counts as a STUNT, and requires the
melee specialist to at least wield a weapon or shield in his hand.
Under NO circumstances can
anyone deflect bullets with his bare hands (it’s possible with arrows, but not
gun ammo, sorry) unless the guy is Wally West, the Flash himself. A D&D
Haste spell doesn’t provide enough speed....use it to dodge instead.
The Gunner can attempt to
disable the melee user at range by shooting away his weapon. This counts as a
STUNT, and only applies if the melee user is wielding a weapon.
Similarly, the melee
specialist can disable the gunner by attacking his weapon, using a D&D
style disentanglement skill.
As a swordsman can learn
sword techniques like Cross Slash, Rosario Impale, Omnislash etc etc, so can a
gun user learn certain techniques to give him an edge in combat.
Such techniques can be
classified under two categories: Skills and Stunts.
Skills are techniques
learnt through training. They are inflexible; eg if you learn Rapid Reload for
one type of gun, you can NOT use it for any other type of gun. The good thing,
however, is that they are so physically conditioned into the body that they can
be performed as though it were second nature.
Example skills: Two-gun
combat (similar weapons), Improved Aiming Techniques, Recoil Control, Rapid
Reload, Head Hunting.
Stunts are techniques
performed from out of the blue. Although they can adapt more easily to any
situation, whether it’s successfully pulled off depends very, and I mean
VERY!!!!, much on luck. And unlike skills, they affect general accuracy,
especially if not performed often enough.
Example stunts: Two-Gun
combat (dissimilar weapons), Called Shots, Ranged Disentanglement, Projectile Interception,
Combat Gun Jam Clearing, Ricochet Shots.
There are not only
different classes of weapons, such as AP, Impact, Energy, Heat, Explosive. We
also have things like Hi-Ex, Jagged Hollow Point, Squash Head, Solid Slug etc
etc....terms of which are subclasses of a weapon class. While it’s not
necessary to discuss each and every one of them, it’s necessary to recognize
which is the more powerful of the subclass.
The piercing ability of a
railgun round will ALWAYS be better than that of a basic AP round.
The blast radius of a
rocket launcher will ALWAYS be larger than that of a grenade launcher.
A Gatling Gun style weapon
will ALWAYS have a faster ROF than that of a normal machine gun.
Although technically, the
Shotgun and the Machinegun can attack multiple opponents at range, the
Machinegun has the added benefit of being able to keep it up. Shotguns can NOT
give suppressive fire.
A laser gun will always be
more accurate than a sniper rifle at range, since sniper rounds are affected by
gravity and wind, whereas laser bolts are not.
This shall be the only
section where the rules are non-flexible. Anyone who breaks them (unless
judiciously) are to be classified as low-down, cheezewhizz kings, and should be
punished by the GM accordingly.
No firearm has infinite
range.
No firearm has an infinite
clip size.
No firearm has no recoil
effect.
No firearm is exactly
accurate. Conversely, nobody can always dodge a firearm.
No small firearm may
peruse too large rounds, even energy weapons (unless of course, you fancy your
gun breaking apart after just one shot, or you fancy flying backwards from the
recoil as J did with his Noisy Cricket. >:))
No firearm has a 100%
chance of killing in a single hit. Even in real life, people have survived
gunshot wounds. What are we to say of the fantasy world, where there is no
limit to armor and protection?
Weapons with a blast
radius must invariably be of high caliber (20mm and above, give or take 5mm).
Common sense: how much explosive can you possibly pack into a piddly 9mm round?
Although it sounds
ridiculous, it’s actually quite possible, whether in fantasy or in real life
(gun collectors have some ancient weaponry available). The trouble is actually
differentiating them, since firing mechanisms remain relatively the same
throughout all the years. This is a guideline:
Crossbows, the distant,
ancient predecessor of the modern firearm, do not have anything to worry over.
It’s a basic, no frills, firearm.
Medieval era guns (hand
‘cannons’, muskets) are usually made of more wood and less metal. Fluted
barrels are common. They use gunpowder and circular-shaped rounds, and there
can only be 1 round in the barrel at any one time. They have 2 reload stages,
one with gunpowder and one with the bullet(s). Rifle-sized medieval era guns
MUST BE LOADED STANDING UP, breech loads haven’t been invented yet then.
Civil war to mid WWI era
guns (flintlocks, repeaters) introduces breech loading, ammo belts and clips.
Guns are still made of mostly wood, but the rounds are now more streamlined.
However, the weapons are NOT exactly automatic per se.....the more common ones
have to be cocked for every shot. Those with limited automatic capability
(repeaters) need not be cocked each turn, BUT still has a slow Rate of Fire,
and can NOT be used like a machine gun. Gatling Guns and chainguns (which were
invented at this time) are the exception, but they must use belt fed ammo, as
clip size is VERY SMALL in this era (5-10 rounds max). There are NO
hand-carried explosive guns in this era; personal explosive weapons are limited
to grenades.
Mid WWI to modern era guns
(Thompson, Brens, Lewis, M16, Steyr Aug and too many others to count)
introduces true automatic and machinegun capability. Guns are now completely
made of metal, with little wood construction, mostly concentrated in the
stock/butt. All guns now use ammo clips, and clip size is anywhere from 20-50
for normal sized rifles. Belt fed ammo is on the way out, but still can be seen
on the Vulcan guns (improved Gatling Gun) of this era. Automatic, suppressive
fire is pretty common, but if the weapon is meant to be used at range (eg
Sniper rifles), it will not have this ability.
Future era guns (lasers,
phasers, plasma guns) can easily co-exist with the Mid WWI to modern era guns,
but they are indeed of a separate, fictional era (what do you expect, they’re
not even invented yet!). Gone is the dependence of physical ammunition; Guns of
this era are mostly energy-based, and use a uniquely shaped, cylindrical, ammo clip
(whereas for modern era, the clips are squarish/rectangular). Note that, while
they are made of lightweight metal, they are actually heavy, for they generate
large amounts of heat per shot and must mount cooling systems. Laser Machine
Gun style weapons do exist, however, they can NOT sustain the rate of fire for
too long or risk overheating (weapon may explode in hand...owch).
This is easily overlooked
because most RP combats take place in ‘normal environments’. Yes, call it the ‘Demon
Zone’ or whatever name you give to other planes, and spread it with numerous
obstacles, but it’s still considered as a ‘normal environment’, simply because:
·
Gravity is still
normal
·
Atmosphere
breathable, air is clear of impurities
·
The laws of
physics aren’t changed.
·
Everything works
as it should.
This saves the GM and
players a fair deal of head-scratching, yes. But combat in normal environments
do get predictable after awhile, unless the GM and players are really creative.
Environmental factors can be included to keep everyone on their toes, and to
improve on a gunfight’s combat variety.
If gravity was reduced or
made nothing, no compensations for gravity need be made when aiming.
Projectiles from heavier weapons like Grenade Launchers will no longer arc, but
will now travel in a straight line. A sniper rifle is now just as accurate as a
laser rifle at long ranges, as gravity no longer has any effect on the round.
Also, because gravity is no longer a factor, more spectacular stunts can be
performed.
In an environment with no
oxygen, certain weapons can NOT function. This especially applies to weapons
using a propellant that can only be burnt in an Earthlike atmosphere. Medieval
guns suffer the worst from this, as they rely on gunpowder, which cannot be
burnt without oxygen. Energy weapons and weapons using alternative firing
mechanisms to hammer-against-propellant (like Railguns and Gauss Rifles) do not
suffer in such environments. Rockets using solid fuel will definitely not be usable,
but if the rockets were instead powered by fusion, then they can be fired as
per normal.
Aquatic environments are
unique. Not only do they count as both reduced gravity and no-oxygen
environments, they have yet more strings attached. Since a fluid has more
resistance than air, bullets do not travel quite as fast; as a result, there is
less range and less potential damage. AP rounds may lose their AP capability or
have it lessened. Energy weapons suffer the most in such environments, for
liquids tend to absorb heat and diffuse light from energy shots, drastically
reducing their range and damage. Stunts are harder to perform underwater, as
all movement becomes sluggish due to resistance of the fluid.
Then there are
environments with a different atmosphere. Perhaps it could be extremely dusty,
like in the middle of a sandstorm (weapon jam chance increase, LOS decreased),
or the gunfight occurs in rainy weather (Energy weapons suffer penalties). Or
perhaps it’s a different planet with a higher concentration of oxygen
(Explosive weapons do more damage and blast radii are increased), or maybe a
corrosive, acidic environment (unless made of non-corroding material, the
weapon will suffer cumulative penalties, then finally
stop working).
Shotgun, Pump
Action, modern
Era: Modern
Weapon size: Medium
Basic Damage Class: Impact.
Special: May attack while reloading.
Special: Reloads 1 bullet at a time, not entire clip.
Special: May attack multiple targets at one time, if all targets are packed together at medium range or longer.
Special: Damage inversely proportional to range.
Magazine size: 8-20.
Rate of fire: Slow
Recoil: Medium
Example specialist rounds: Solid Slug rounds (+Armor Piercing X1), Flechette Rounds (+damage vs living).
Sniper Rifle,
Electromagnetic Rail Gun
Era: Modern
Weapon size: Medium
Basic Damage Class: Piercing
Special: Armor piercing X3 obstacles
Special: Accurate at range
Special: victim is -4 to dodge each shot
Rate of fire: Slow
Recoil: Medium
Magazine size: 1-5.
Gatling gun,
personal sized, M369
Era: Modern
Weapon size: Large
Basic Damage Class: Piercing
Special: may NOT fire single shot, each pull of trigger causes 10 rounds (at least) to fire.
Special: warm up time (barrel spin) 1 combat turn, per each non-consecutive attack.
Special: May attack multiple targets at one time, if all targets are packed together at medium range or longer.
Special: Suppressive fire
Rate of fire: Extremely high
Recoil: Huge
Magazine size: at least 200.
Phaser, Star Trek
Era: Future
Weapon size: Small
Basic Damage Class: Energy
Special: 3 settings, Stun (-damage, +stun, uses ½ normal ammo), Full (normal), Kill (Slay living target, 75% chance, uses up 3 times ammo).
Rate of fire: Medium
Recoil: Small
magazine size: 20 normal shots
Noisy Cricket, Men
in Black
Era: Future
Weapon size: Small
Basic Damage Class: Energy.
Special: Blast Radius
Special: Hardy Construction (allows use of oversized caliber rounds without breaking)
Rate of Fire: Very Slow
Recoil: Beyond Extreme
Magazine Size: 1-5 (the Syringe like magazine seems to be enough for 5 shots.....)
Bazooka, Anti-Tank
Era: Modern
Weapon size: Large
Basic Damage Class: Shockwave
Special: Blast Radius damage
Rate of fire: Single Shot
Recoil: Extreme
Magazine Size: 1
Blunderbuss (a type
of shotgun used in the medieval era)
Era: Medieval
Weapon size: Medium
Basic Damage Class: Piercing/Impact
Special: 2 reload phases necessary per shot
Special: Reload while standing, through barrel
Special: May attack multiple targets at one time, if all targets are packed together at medium range or longer.
Special: Damage inversely proportional to range.
Rare of fire: Single shot
Recoil: Large
Magazine size: 1
Crossbow
Era: Ancient
Weapon size: Large
Basic Damage Class: Piercing
Special: None.
Rate of fire: Single Shot
Recoil: Small
Magazine Size: 1
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