Firearms Projectile

Longarms

Longarms are personal firearms that require two hands to be fired without penalty.

This group includes hunting and sniping rifles, assault rifles, shotguns, and most submachine guns.

The basic longarm is the rifle, a group that includes both hunting rifles and sniper rifles. Most rifles are autoloaders, and they function internally in a manner very similar to autoloader pistols. Some models are operated manually, however, with the user having to work a bolt or lever between each shot. Assault rifles are rifles designed for military use and feature automatic as well as semiautomatic fire. Shotguns are large-bore weapons that primarily fire shells full of small projectiles. They tend to be powerful, but only at short range. Reduce shotgun damage by 1 point for every range increment of the attack.

Submachine guns are relatively compact longarms that generally fire pistol ammunition. They can fire on automatic.

Longarms are not well suited to close combat. A character takes a –4 penalty on the attack roll when firing at an adjacent target.

Firearms - Projectile - HMGs and Heavy Weapons

Firearm Terms & Mechanics:

Damage: The damage the weapon deals on a successful hit.

Critical: The threat range for a critical hit. If the threat is confirmed, a weapon deals double damage on a critical hit (roll damage twice, as if hitting the target two times).

Damage Type: Ranged weapon damage is classified according to type: ballistic (all firearms), energy (of a specific type), piercing (some simple ranged weapons), or slashing (a whip). Some creatures or characters may be resistant or immune to some forms of damage. 

Range Increment: Any attack at less than this distance is not penalized for range. However, each full range increment causes a cumulative –2 penalty on the attack roll. Ranged weapons have a maximum range of ten range increments, except for thrown weapons, which have a maximum range of five range increments.

Recoil: This column indicates the penalty to attack imposed by the weapon’s recoil. Weapon recoil can never have a positive value.

Rate of Fire: Some ranged weapons have a rate of fire of 1, which simply means they can be employed once per round and then must be reloaded or replaced. Firearms, which operate through many different forms of internal mechanisms, have varying rates of fire. The three possible rates of fire for handguns, longarms, and heavy weapons are single shot, semiautomatic, and automatic.

Single Shot: A weapon with the single shot rate of fire requires the user to manually operate the action (the mechanism that feeds and cocks the weapon) between each shot. Pump shotguns and bolt-action rifles are examples of firearms with single shot rates of fire. A weapon with the single shot rate of fire can fire only one shot per attack, even if the user has a feat or other ability that normally allow more than one shot per attack.

Semiautomatic (S): Most firearms have the semiautomatic rate of fire. These firearms feed and cock themselves with each shot. A semiautomatic weapon fires one shot per attack (effectively acting as a single shot weapon), but some feats allow characters armed with semiautomatic weapons to fire shots in rapid successions, getting in more than one shot per attack.

Automatic (A): Automatic weapons fire a burst or stream of shots with a single squeeze of the trigger. Only weapons with the automatic rate of fire can be set on autofire or be used with feats that take advantage of automatic fire.

Magazine: The weapon’s magazine capacity and type are given in this column. The amount of ammunition a weapon carries, and hence how many shots it can fire before needing to be reloaded, is determined by its magazine capacity. How the firearm is reloaded depends upon its magazine type. The number in this entry is the magazine’s capacity in shots; the word that follows the number indicates the magazine type: box, cylinder, or internal. A fourth type, linked, has an unlimited capacity; for this reason the entry does not also have a number. Weapons with a dash in this column have no magazines; they are generally thrown weapons, or weapons (such as bows) that are loaded as part of the firing process.

Box: A box magazine is any type of magazine that can be removed and reloaded separately from the weapon.

Cylinder: A revolver keeps its ammunition in a cylinder, which is part of the weapon and serves as the firing chamber for each round as well. Unlike box magazines, cylinders can’t be removed, and they must be reloaded by hand. However, most revolvers can be used with a speed loader. Using a speed loader is much like inserting a box magazine into a weapon. Without a speed loader, a firearm with a cylinder magazine must be loaded by hand.

Internal: Some weapons keep their ammunition in an internal space, which must be loaded by hand. This is the case with most shotguns, as well as some rifles.

Linked: Some machine guns use linked ammunition. The bullets are chained together with small metal clips, forming a belt. Typically, a belt holds 50 bullets; any number of belts can be clipped together. In military units, as the gunner fires, an assistant clips new ammunition belts together, keeping the weapon fed.

Size: Size categories for weapons and other objects are defined differently from the size categories for creatures.

The relationship between a weapon’s size and that of its wielder defines whether it can be used one-handed, if it requires two hands, and if it’s a light weapon.

* A Medium-size or smaller Energy/Projectile weapon can be used one-handed or two-handed,

  if the gun does not need to be held in two hands and you do so reduce recoil by half.

* Size effects Recoil: If you are a Small Creature increase base Recoil by 2, If you are a Large Creature decrease base Recoil by 2,

   reduction takes place after calculating recoil due to one-handed/two handed use, not before, this includes powerful build, since lower recoil is beneficial.

* A Large Energy/Projectile weapon requires two hands  & A Huge Energy/Projectile weapon requires two hands and a bipod or other mount.

* Energy/Projecile weapons are only manufactured in one size, and are not resizable, as it would have no effect on the bullet cailbur's damage output.

* A Small or smaller weapon is considered a light weapon. It can be used one-handed and, as a light weapon, is easier to use in your off hand.

Weight: This column gives the weapon’s weight when fully loaded.

Restriction: The restriction rating for the weapon, if any, and the appropriate black market barter DC modifier. Remember to apply this modifier to the barter DC when making a Diplomacy check to acquire the weapon on the black market.

Reloading Firearms

Reloading a firearm with an already filled box magazine or speed loader is a move action. Refilling a box magazine or a speed loader, or reloading a revolver without a speed loader or any weapon with an internal magazine, is a full-round action.

Loading a belt of linked ammunition is a full-round action. Linking two belts together is a move action.

Table: Heavy Weapons

2 This weapon does special damage. See the weapon description.

3 See the description of this weapon for special rules.

Heavy Weapons

The weapons covered in this section fall under the Exotic Firearms Proficiency feat. Someone who wields a heavy weapon without the appropriate proficiency takes a –4 penalty on all attack rolls with the weapon.

M2HB: This heavy-duty .50-caliber machine gun has been in service since World War II, and remains a very common vehicle-mounted military weapon around the world. The Exotic Firearms Proficiency (heavy machine guns) feat applies to this weapon.

M72A3 LAW: The LAW (light antitank weapon) is a disposable, one-shot rocket launcher. It comes as a short, telescoped fiberglass and aluminum tube. Before using the weapon, the firer must first arm and extend the tube, which is a move action

Weapon Feature(s): When the LAW hits its target, it explodes like a grenade or other explosive, dealing its 10d6 points of damage to all creatures within a 10-foot radius (Reflex save DC 18 for half damage). Because its explosive features a shaped charge designed to penetrate the armor of military vehicles, the LAW ignores up to 10 points of hardness if it strikes a vehicle, building, or object. However, this only applies to the target struck, not to other objects within the burst radius.

The M72 has a minimum range of 30 feet. If fired against a target closer than 30 feet away, it does not arm and will not explode.

The Exotic Firearms Proficiency (rocket launchers) feat applies to this weapon.

M79: This simple weapon is a single-shot grenade launcher. It fires 40mm grenades (see under Grenades and Explosives, below). These grenades look like huge bullets an inch and a half across; they can’t be used as hand grenades, and the M79 can’t shoot hand grenades.

Weapon Feature(s): Attacking with an M79 is identical to throwing an explosive: you make a ranged attack against a specific 5-foot square (instead of targeting a person or creature). The differences between using the M79 and throwing an explosive lie in the range of the weapon (which far exceeds the distance a hand grenade can be thrown) and the fact that the M79 requires a weapon proficiency to operate without penalty.

The Exotic Firearms Proficiency (grenade launchers) feat applies to this weapon.

Other Ranged Weapons

Ranged weapons that are not firearms include such diverse objects as crossbows, tasers, and pepper spray. The feat that provides proficiency with these weapons varies from weapon to weapon, as indicated on Table: Ranged Weapons.

Flamethrower: A flamethrower consists of a pressurized backpack containing fuel, connected to a tube with a nozzle. It shoots a 5-foot-wide, 30-foot-long line of flame that deals 3d6 points of fire damage to all creatures and objects in its path. No attack roll is necessary, and thus no feat is needed to operate the weapon effectively. Any creature caught in the line of flame can make a Reflex save (DC 15) to take half damage. Creatures with cover get a bonus on their Reflex save.

A flamethrower’s backpack has hardness 5 and 5 hit points. When worn, the backpack has a Defense equal to 9 + the wearer’s Dexterity modifier + the wearer’s class bonus. A backpack reduced to 0 hit points ruptures and explodes, dealing 6d6 points of fire damage to the wearer (no save allowed) and 3d6 points of splash damage to creatures and objects in adjacent 5-foot squares (Reflex save, DC 15, for half damage).

Any creature or flammable object that takes damage from a flamethrower catches on fire, taking 1d6 points of fire damage each subsequent round until the flames are extinguished. A fire engulfing a single creature or object can be doused or smothered as a full-round action. Discharging a fire extinguisher is a move action and instantly smothers flames in a 10-foot-by-10-foot area.

A flamethrower can shoot 10 times before the fuel supply is depleted.

Javelin: This light, flexible spear built for throwing can be used in melee, but since it’s not designed for it, characters using it in this manner are always considered nonproficient and take a –4 penalty on their melee attack rolls.

Pepper Spray: A chemical irritant that can temporarily blind a target, pepper spray comes in a single-shot container. To use it, make a ranged touch attack against the target. The target must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 15) or be blinded for 1d4 rounds. Pepper spray is limited to 5 range increments.

Taser: A taser uses springs or compressed air to fire a pair of darts at a target. On impact, the darts release a powerful electrical current. On a successful hit, the darts deal 1d4 points of electricity damage and the target must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 15) or be paralyzed for 1d6 rounds. Reloading a taser is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.