The firearms of Vegas and San Francisco are much higher quality than the fantasy firearms in the standard rules.
| Weapon | Damage | Fire Actions | Range | Hands | Bulk | Shots | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handgun | d6 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 4-15 | Simple |
| Rifle | d8 | 1 | 30 | 2 | 8 | 1-6 | Basic |
| Shotgun | d10 | 1 | 18 | 2 | 8 | 1-10 | Simple |
If the firearm automatically replaces a bullet under the hammer (such as does a semi-automatic or a double-action revolver) warriors may fire twice on the same action and against the same target. Only one attack roll is required. It has an attack penalty of one, and damage dice are doubled. Shotguns may also fire two shots if they are appropriately-designed double barreled shotguns. Double shots cannot be performed in close combat.
It takes one action to load a single bullet or (if a semi-automatic) a fresh clip into a firearm. It takes two actions to fill a normal firearm with bullets or to refill a clip. Depending on the circumstances, an Evasion roll may be required to successfully add bullets to a firearm or a clip during combat.
Firearms can also have scopes. Depending on their quality and power, a scope can negate one to ten range penalties. However, they also require one extra fire action to use.
Fully automatic firearms
Some firearms can be fully automatic. Although this is illegal in both 1955 and 1969, criminals will sometimes carry these firearms. Fully automatic firearms will usually have 10 to 30 bullets (handguns) or 30 to 100 bullets (rifle), and 50% more bulk than a normal semi-automatic. When fired in fully-automatic mode, the firearm will use ten bullets for each attack. Warriors can take the skill automatic firearms and can then choose one of three options when firing a fully automatic weapon:
1. Maximize damage: the attack does three dice of damage, and the attack is at a penalty of one.
2. Maximize success: the attack does one die of damage as normal, and the attack is at a bonus of four.
3. An unfocussed cone attack: the attack does one die of damage to anyone in the field of fire. Targets make an Evasion roll to take half damage. The field of fire is a cone one yard in diameter for every 6 yards (handgun) or 10 yards (rifle). Defense bonuses, such as from armor, aid the Evasion roll. Range penalties and any other penalties on the attacker also aid the Evasion roll. If multiplying their roll by five would still have been a success, they take no damage.
In each case, the warrior can fire two bursts to add a damage die. “Double bursts” add an attack penalty (or Evasion bonus) of 2.
Non-warriors, warriors without the automatic firearms skill, and warriors in close combat can only fire an automatic weapon unfocussed. Many automatic firearms can be switched to semi-automatic mode, acting as normal for semi-automatic firearms.
Rifles can also sometimes be fed from a belt, which may hold a hundred, two hundred, or more bullets. When belt-fed, rifles are not generally hand-carried but rather mounted in some way.
Modern arms: Armor
There are two types of armor in use during this time period, and both are fairly rare. Ballistic vests and ballistic shirts are both available to the military and to law enforcement in large cities.
| Armor | Defense Bonus | Bulk | Warrior Level | Other Level | Skill Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballistic shirt | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ballistic vest | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Ballistic vests and shirts will continue to work in Highland. However, they cannot be maintained and will eventually fall apart. Reduce their defense bonus by one for every six months of use.
Technology in the tree
Gunpowder, batteries, computers, and other such things only work well in worlds that are not unstable. Highland, on the edge of the abyss, will not support such things. Some will simply not work. Others may smoke slowly and fail.
