Weapon Qualities & Damage Types

Weapon Qualities
Accurate: Some weapons are designed with precision in mind and respond superbly in skilled hands. They grant an additional bonus of +1 to the firer’s attack roll when used with an Aim Action, this is in addition to the bonus granted from Aiming.

Balanced: Some weapons, such as swords and knives, are designed so that the weight of the hilt balances the weight of the blade, making the weapon easier to wield. Balanced weapons grant a +1 bonus to Parry.

Blast(X): Many missiles, grenades and some guns create an explosion when they hit their target. When working out a hit from a Blast weapon anyone within the weapon’s blast radius in meters, indicated by the number in parenthesis, is also hit. Roll Hit Location and Damage individually for each person affected by a blast.

Defensive: A Defensive weapon, such as a shield, is intended to be used to block attacks and is awkward when used for making attacks. Defensive weapons grant a +2 bonus to tests made when used to Parry, but take a –2 penalty when used to make attacks.

Flame: Flame weapons project a cone of flame out to the range of the weapon. Unlike other weapons, flamers have just one range, and when fired, cast fiery death out to this distance. The wielder does not need to make an attack roll; he simply fires the weapon. All creatures in the flame’s path, a cone­shaped area extending in a 30 degree arc from the firer out to the weapon’s range, must make an DC 15 Reflex save(for 1⁄2 damage) or be struck by the flames and take damage normally. If they take damage, they must succeed on a second DC 15 Reflex Save or be set on fire. Cover does not protect characters from attacks made by Flame weapons. Because Flame weapons make no roll to hit, they are always considered to hit targets in the body, and will Jam if the firer rolls a 1 on his Damage dice (before adding any bonuses).

Flexible: Some weapons are made up from lots of loosely connected segments, such as chains or supple woven hides, such as whips. These kinds of weapons lash about when used to attack and cannot be Parried.

Inaccurate: Weapons with this quality are either badly designed or simply woefully made, and regardless of the care taken when used, offer little better than a lucky chance to hit. No bonus is gained from the use of the Aim Action with such weapons.

Overheats: Certain weapons are prone to overheating, either because of poor design or because they fire unstable superheated ammunition. An unmodified to hit roll of 1 or 2 causes the weapon to Overheat. Roll 1d10 and consult Table 5­6: Weapon Overheating to see what happens.

Power Field: A field of power wreathes weapons with this quality, increasing its Damage and Penetration. Such modifiers are already included in the weapon’s profile. When you successfully use this weapon to Parry an attack made with a weapon that lacks this quality, you can make a free Sunder attempt against your attacker’s weapon.

Primitive: Crude and basic in design, these kinds of weapons, while still deadly, are less effective against modern armor. All Armor Points (DR) are doubled against hits from Primitive weapons, unless the armor also has the Primitive quality.

Recharge: Because of the volatile nature of the weapon’s ammunition or due to the way it fires, the weapon needs time between shots to Recharge. The weapon must spend the Round after firing, building up a charge and cannot be fired—in effect you can only fire the weapon every other Round.

Reliable: Based on tried and true technology, Reliable weapons seldom fail. If a Reliable weapon Jams, roll 1d10 and only on a roll of 10 has it in fact Jammed, otherwise it just misses as normal.

Scatter: The standard ammunition of these weapons spreads out when fired, hitting more of the target. If fired at a foe within Point Blank range, each two degrees of success the firer scores indicates another hit However, at longer ranges this spread of small projectiles reduces its effectiveness. All armor Points are doubled against hits from scatter weapons at Long or Extreme Range.

Shocking: Shocking weapons can Stun their opponents with a powerful surge of energy. A target that takes at least 1 point of Damage from a Shocking weapon, after Armor and Toughness Bonus, must make a DC 15 Fortitude Save, though they receive a +1 bonus for every Armor point they have on the location hit. If they fail, they are Stunned for a number of Rounds equal to half the Damage they suffered.

Smoke: Rather than inflicting Damage, these weapons throw up dense clouds of smoke to create cover. When a hit is scored from a weapon with the Smoke quality, it creates a smokescreen 3d10 meters in diameter from the point of impact.

The smoke obscures all sight, beyond 2 meters. A creature within 2 meters has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker can't use sight to locate the target).
A moderate wind (11+ mph) disperses the fog in 4 rounds; a strong wind (21+ mph) disperses the fog in 1 round.

Snare: Weapons with this quality are designed to entangle enemies. On a successful hit, the target must make a DC 15 Reflex save or be immobilized. An immobilized target can attempt no other actions except to try to escape the bonds. He can attempt to burst the bonds (DC 23 Strength Check) or wriggle free (DC 20 Dexterity Check) on his Turn. The target is considered helpless until he escapes.

Tearing: Tearing weapons are vicious devices, often using multitudes of fast­moving jagged teeth to rip into flesh and bone. These weapons roll two dice for Damage and choose the highest.

Toxic: Some weapons rely on toxins and poisons to do their damage. Anyone that takes Damage from a Toxic weapon, after reduction for Armor and Toughness Bonus must make a DC 15 Fort save with a –1 penalty for every point of Damage taken. Success indicates there is no further effect from the weapon. Failure however deals an immediate 1d10 points of Impact Damage to the target with no reduction from Armor or Toughness Bonus.

Unbalanced: Heavy and difficult to ready after an attack, these kinds of weapons impose a –2 penalty when used to Parry.

Unreliable: Certain weapons misfire more often than normal because they are badly maintained or constructed. An Unreliable weapon suffers a Jam on a roll of 1 or 2, even if fired on Semi­ or Full Auto.

Unstable: Weapons with this quality use ammunition that is both volatile and unstable and can react unpredictably when detonated. When an Unstable weapon scores a hit, roll 1d10. On a score of 1 it inflicts only half Damage, on a score of 2–9 it deals normal Damage, and on a score of 10 it inflicts twice the normal Damage.

Unwieldy: Huge and often top­heavy, Unwieldy weapons are too awkward to be used defensively. Unwieldy weapons cannot be used to Parry.

Table 5–6: Weapon Overheating
Roll Effect
1–5 The firer must make a Toughness Test or drop the weapon. The weapon cannot be fired for 1d10 Rounds.
6–8 The firer takes 1d10+2 Energy Damage and must drop the weapon. In addition the weapon is too hot to pick up (anyone trying takes 1d10+1 Energy Damage) for 1d10 Rounds.
9–10 The weapon explodes and is destroyed. The firer and anyone within four meters takes Damage as if they had taken a single hit from the weapon.

Weapon Craftsmanship:
All the weapons detailed here are of Common craftsmanship. For weapons of better or worse manufacture use the following modifiers:

Poor: These cheaply constructed ranged weapons are more prone to malfunction. A ranged weapon of Poor craftsmanship has the Unreliable quality. If the weapon already has this quality then it will jam on any failed rolled to hit. Melee weapons of Poor craftsmanship incur a –2 equipment penalty to attack rolls.

Good: More carefully constructed and finished, these weapons are consequently more reliable. Ranged weapons of Good craftsmanship have the Reliable quality. If it already has this quality there is no further effect beyond the obvious fine workmanship of the weapon. Melee weapons of Good craftsmanship add a +1 equipment bonus to attack rolls.

Best: A work of art as much as a weapon, these items are created by skilled artisans and are often centuries old. Ranged weapons of Best craftsmanship never suffer from jamming or overheating. If a roll would result in either of these occurrences, simply count it as a miss instead. Melee weapons of Best craftsmanship add a +2 bonus to tests made to attack and add +1 to the Damage they inflict.