D2. MISSILE ATTACKS

Any physical weapon thrown or propelled at range is a missile weapon attack. Some magical attacks are also considered missile weapons although these often occur in initiative order as an innate ability.

MISSILE WEAPON

Missile weapon. [missile] (major) 

Missile weapon usage is fast, coming before melee or movement. In fact, missile weapons have no weapon speed factor so initiative ties mean simultaneous fire. Firing (or hurling) the weapon includes accessing ammunition readied in a case or the weapon from a ready sheath. Many missile weapons allow for more than one attack during the round. 

> MISSILE: <fire rate> weapon [ammunition] (damage; <short/medium/long range>; [attributes]; [AAC0])

> MISSILE: 2 longbow arrows (1d6; 70/140/210; arcing x3)

When using a missile weapon is combat, you should be familiar with a few important rules:

• Surprise. If you are ambushing a surprised opponent, you may be granted extra attacks. See Surprise.

• Declare Actions. While you are not required to declare a missile attack, by doing so, you gain a couple of important benefits:

  • 1. Initiative Benefit. If you have a positive Dexterity Reaction Adjustment, and you declare a missile weapon attack, you can apply this to your individual initiative. You must be unencumbered to gain this benefit.

    2. Charging Opponents. If any opponent charges, you can target them with missile attacks (with your full fire rate) before their charge terminates (as an immediate attack).

• Initiative. See Declare Actions above. If two opponents are tied in initiative and both are using missile weapons their attacks will be simultaneous.

• Attack Routine. All missile weapons with a fire rate over 1 per round are considered one attack routine. This means all attacks (gained from fire rate) must target a single creature. An exception is granted for creatures with the multi-attack ability. See Multi-attack.

• Improvised Missile Weapons. The GM may allow the player to throw a melee weapon not meant for throwing or other objects that could cause damage. Such objects should be light and hard and/or sharp to cause damage. The attacker will suffer a non-proficiency penalty on the attack and the range categories will typically be 10-ft./20-ft./30-ft. with the appropriate range penalties. You cannot normally throw a weapon larger than your size category. Depending upon the target's armor defense value and the type of object being thrown, the GM may assess an AC adjustment to the target.

• Combat Facing. Unless otherwise ruled by the GM, missile weapon attacks are not adjusted for facing. See also Combat Facing.

• Timing Considerations. Typically, exact timing is unnecessary to execute missile fire. 

  • In some cases, such as versus spell casting, timing is determined by comparing the casting time of the spell to the spell caster's initiative roll (if equal to lower than casting time, the spell goes first) unless the missile weapon wielder has won initiative (then the missile attack goes first).

  • In cases where no other activity matters other than movement (i.e. the opponent flees or is moving away), the GM can allow the missile weapon wielders to choose when they fire (assuming the missile fire was declared and the missile weapon wielder won initiative) or determine the segment based on Initiative (GM decides based on circumstances): Assuming the missile weapon wielder is on Low initiative, use the High initiative die as the segment that missile fire occurs (or if tied, the value of either). The missile weapon wielder will adjust any result by subtracting their Dexterity Reaction Adjustment (if any; ie. if they are granted one) to determine the segment of missile fire (again, assuming missile fire was declared; if not declared no adjustment is made).

IF YOU ARE IN MELEE

• Thrown Weapons. If you are in melee, you can attack with a thrown weapon normally. If targeting an opponent in melee, see Firing into Melee, below. If targeting an opponent not in melee, this is a normal missile attack. Using a thrown weapon does not affect your ability to defend yourself from others in melee with you.

• Non-thrown Missile Weapons. If you are in melee, you must declare the use of a non-thrown missile weapon, otherwise missile weapon use will draw a free attack from all opponents in melee and you are considered immobile against these free attacks. If you take damage, your missile attacks automatically fail. If you declare your attack, no free attacks are granted to opponents but you are immobile to all attacks until you fire your weapon. If you take damage, your missile attacks automatically fail. In either case, if targeting an opponent in melee, see Firing into Melee, below. If targeting an opponent not in melee, this is a normal missile attack.

FIRING INTO MELEE

Because melee is so chaotic, launching missile weapons into an ongoing melee is dangerous to any allies engaged in that melee. 

Random Targeting. The target of each missile attack taken at a creature in melee will be randomly determined among all engaged in that melee. See also The Fog of Melee. The GM may assign weighting, but only if very small creatures are fighting man-sized opponents. 

Note that creatures Entering Melee are not yet engaged in melee and can be targeted normally.

[EXCEPTION] Large Creatures. If Large sized creatures are fighting man-sized or smaller opponents, the large creatures can be targeted by missile fire. If more than one large creature is in melee, random target assignment among all the large creatures will done.

Firing Missile Weapons Over a Melee. [missile] 

It is not uncommon to find missile weapon wielders on one side of a melee and their targets on the other side of a melee. If all in combat are at the same elevation (no side higher than the other), all missile attacks suffer a -2 penalty for soft cover. The GM may adjust this based on circumstances.

Ranged Contact Attack

Contact Attack. [missile] (major) 

Sometimes an attack form requires a ranged "touch" which ignores physical protections (e.g. a magical "ray"). Opponents are considered AC 10 unless they use magic or Dexterity. 

For example, a fighter wearing +2 chain mail, with a +1 small shield, wearing a ring of protection +1 and has a Dexterity of 16 will be AC 4 against the creature’s missile attack (10-2-1-1-2 = 4). If the attack hits, the victim is affected.

Ray Effect

Contact Attack. [missile or innate or spell] (major) 

Some effects are noted as being "rays" (eg. ray of enfeeblement). A ray is a line effect with no width that begins at the point of origin (typically the "caster").

• Rays use missile weapon rules as applicable. If targeting a creature in melee, use the Firing into Melee rules.

• A creature that makes its save has dodged the ray. No attack roll by the caster is necessary. If there are others in the path of the ray, and the target made its save, they must save as well. If firing into melee, the GM will allow random assignment of 25% of the creatures being caught in a line. Once one creature has been struck, the ray dissipates (unless the description states otherwise).

GRENADE-LIKE MISSILES

Small Splashing Weapons

Small Splashing Weapons. [missile] (major) 

Examples of splashing weapons are a glass flask of oil or a glass vial of holy water. Typically these are retrieved from a readied container (e.g. pouch), then thrown using a ranged contact attack (see above). 

• Range categories are Short (0-10-ft.), Medium (11-20-ft.), and Long (21-30-ft.). 

• If the target is hit, the container must save vs. Normal Blow (or Crushing Blow as determined by the GM) to break and release it’s contents. 

• A miss will require rolling 2d8. The first is to determine how far away from the target the missile lands (1-5 equals 5-ft. or in an adjacent square; 6-8 equals 10-ft. or two squares from the target). The second die is to determine the direction (see the figure provided). 

• A container that misses will roll a save to break and then creatures in all adjacent squares must rolls Dexterity save vs. Petrify or be splashed with the liquid. Use the Splash Location table to determine the location of a miss (using the 1st die for distance in that direction).

Siege-type or Giant Hurled Missiles

Siege-type or Giant Hurled Missiles. [missile] (major) 

Examples of siege-type weapons are a ballista bolt or catapult rock. A giant hurled weapon is typically a rock of about 2-ft. in diameter. These weapons have their own weapon characteristics and range attributes. 

• Defenders do not gain Dexterity bonuses to armor class against these weapons and they ignore Armor Defense vs. Weapon. 

• A weapon that hits its target will continue in a straight line until it hits a hard object (ballista bolt) or will bounce (rock). 

• Bouncing rocks will use the rules (above) for a miss even if they hit. Thus, a giant-thrown rock can hit multiple opponents (unlike a splash, a rock will use the giant’s original attack roll for each bounce attack). 

• A miss is handled using the 2d8 method as per splashing weapons (with no splash effect unless called for by the GM; e.g. volcanic glass).