Ammunition
Ammunition is defined first by its various
types (standard, gel, APDS, etc.), second by the class of gun for which it was made (light pistol, assault rifle, MMG, etc.),
and third as cased or caseless.
For simplicity, each kind of gun can trade
ammo with another of its class; for example, all light pistols can share ammo. At the gamemaster’s discretion, other
weapons types may be allowed to
share ammunition (some different firearm types do use the same ammunition in real life).
In these basic rules, the difference between
cased and caseless ammunition is that caseless ammo has its own propellant and does not have a cartridge case. A gun can fire
cased or caseless ammo, but not both. The ammunition’s Damage Modifier and AP Modifier are added to the weapon’s
usual DV and AP. For example, an Ares Predator IV (DV 5, AP –1) with APDS (AP –4) would have a modified Damage
Code of DV 5, AP –5.
APDS Rounds: Amor-Piercing Discarding Sabot (APDS) rounds are specially designed to travel at high velocities and pierce
armor. APDS reduces the effectiveness of Ballistic armor (AP –4).
Assault Cannon Rounds: These highly stable explosive rounds are made of HDX superplast compound.
Explosive Rounds: Explosive rounds are solid slugs designed to fragment and explode on impact. They
increase the DV by 1 and decrease the effectiveness of Ballistic armor (AP –1).
Explosive rounds will misfire whenever
a critical glitch is rolled. When this occurs, the character firing the weapon is automatically struck by one “attack,”
with a Damage Code equal to the normal damage done by the weapon. The character may make a damage resistance test as normal.
Any attack
the affected character is making at the
time misses.
EX Explosive
Rounds: This improved model of explosive rounds adds 2 to weapon’s DV and has
an AP of –2. It follows all other standard explosive rounds rules.
Flechette Rounds: Tiny, tightly packed metal slivers function as the business end of a flechette
round. They are devastating against unprotected targets, but not very effective against rigid armor. Flechette rounds raise
the DV of weapons by +2. They also raise the effective value of Impact armor (AP +5). Flechettes are resisted with Impact armor.
Guns with flechette ammo already figured into their Damage Code have an (f ) notation following the Damage Code.
Gel Rounds: These non-lethal rounds use a hard jelly-like substance and are often employed
for riot control. They are usually semi-rigid slugs that flatten on impact, disbursing their kinetic energy over a larger-than-normal
area. Gel rounds add +2 DV but have an AP of +2 against armor. Gel rounds inflict Stun damage and are resisted with Impact armor.
Gel rounds reduce the target’s Body by 2 when checking for knockdown.
Regular Ammo: Standard full metal jacket rounds for all kinds of uses (mostly killing).
Stick-n-Shock: This is a special adhesive projectile that sticks to the target and incorporates
a battery pack that delivers short bursts of high-voltage pulses. The Stick-n-Shock replaces the weapon’s Damage Value
with its own.
Tracer Rounds: Tracer ammo burns “tracers” along the line of flight, making it
easier for the shooter to home in on the target. This type of ammunition can only be used in fullauto weapons and are actually
loaded as every third round in a clip. This is an exception to the restriction of one type of ammunition to a clip. Non-smartgun
users firing tracer rounds receive a +1 dice pool modifier at all ranges beyond Short when firing a short burst, +2 when firing
a long burst and +3 when firing a full burst.
Taser Dart: These darts are designed to be loaded into taser weapons.
Rockets and Missiles
Rockets are projectiles consisting of
a light metal or plastic body with stabilizing fins, a propulsion system (usually solid-chemical), and a warhead. They are considered
“dumb” weapons because they go only where they are pointed and have no internal or external guidance capability.
Missiles are rockets that carry internal
guidance and tracking systems, and are more expensive than standard “dumb” rockets. Because of their sophisticated electronics,
missiles are considered “smart” weapons. The onboard electronics assist the firer in acquiring and hitting the
target. Rockets and missiles are set to arm when they have traveled 20 meters from their point of origin and explode on impact.
This safety feature can be disabled with an Armorer + Logic (3, 5 Minutes) Extended Test. Rockets/missiles fired with an airburst
link can be exploded in midair at a predefined location (reducing scatter to
1D6).
Anti-Vehicle: AV rockets/missiles contain a shaped charge warhead designed to burn or punch its
way through a
vehicle or barrier. Though the impact
causes a blast, it is limited compared to that of a High-Explosive projectile. AV attacks have an AP of –6 against vehicles,
–2 against other targets.
Fragmentation: Used principally against people, the warhead discharges high-speed metal or
plastic-metal fragments designed to tear into unprotected flesh. These rockets/missiles are very effective against unprotected
individuals, but fairly ineffective against barriers, structures, and vehicles.
High-Explosive: HE rockets/missiles are designed to do heavy damage to a large area. Their blast
pattern is similar to
that of a grenade, but much larger. They are not particularly effective against hardened targets, such as vehicles or protected military
structures. HE weapons use the standard grenade rules for determining the blast and its effects.