Custom Firearms

The easiest way to customize a weapon is to simply take one from the sample charts and add one or more modifications to it. Alternatively, you can design one from the ground up. This is slightly more complicated, although it allows for greater customization. First consult the chart on the following page, then add any modifications that you see fit. Total up the cost, mass, recoil, and other statistics, and you‚re done.

Weapon Scale: This is the weapon‚s scale. It is used for several purposes, such as determining the size of its blast radius with the Blast modification. It is not, however, necessarily the physical size of the weapon for determining toughness. To determine a weapon‚s scale for that purpose, take the finished weapon (with all modifications that increase mass) and find the value on the chart with the closest base mass. The weapon‚s physical scale is two less than the weapon scale on the chart for that weapon.

Range Increment: This is the base range increment of the weapon, before any modifications (such as Oversized or Accurized) come into effect.

Weapon Mass: This is the base mass of the weapon, before ammunition or modifications. Use the weapon‚s final mass or recoil, whichever is higher, to determine the effort necessary to wield the weapon.

Recoil: This is the weapon‚s base recoil before modifications (such as autofire, burst, or magnum). Use the weapon‚s final recoil or mass, whichever is higher, to determine effort necessary to wield the weapon. If the weapon has multiple rates of fire, it can have a different recoil (and therefore effort) depending on setting. For example, a strength 3 human could fire a carbine (mass: 2kg) on semi (recoil 3) as a standard weapon, but on auto (recoil 6) it would be a heavy weapon. However, an assault rifle has the same recoil, but has mass of 4kg, so would be a heavy weapon on either setting for a strength 3 human.

Examples: Here are listed one or more example calibres that fall into the listed class. While there is no difference in rules between, for example, a 9mm and a .45, the ammunition is not interchangeable between the two. So while a 9mm and a .45 pistol with the same modifications have exactly the same statistics for the purposes of this game, they use incompatible ammunition.

Base Cost: The base cost is equal to the calibre's base recoil x $100. Round the base cost to the first two significant figures. This is the cost for an unmodified weapon of this calibre with the single rate of fire and an internal magazine of 1 round. See weapon modifications, below, to improve this weapon.

Base Ammunition Cost: This is the cost for ten rounds of the weapon‚s ammunition with no modifications.

Base Ammunition Mass: This is the mass of ten rounds of the weapon‚s ammunition with no modifications. Add the mass of the weapon‚s ammunition to the weapon‚s mass to determine weapon effort.

Fire-Linked Weapons: Firearms can be linked together to fire more bullets in the same general direction. This multiplies the mass, recoil, and ammunition capacity by the number of weapons linked together. So, a twin-linked weapon has twice the magazine capacity, twice the mass, twice the recoil, etc.. For single-shot or semiautomatic weapons, the only advantage in this is increasing the number of times you can fire before all weapons must be reloaded. If three or more single or semiautomatic weapons are linked together, three can be fired at once to achieve the Burst rate of fire. If the weapons are automatic, every full doubling of weapons linked together increases the rate of autofire by 1. For example, if two assault rifles (Auto 1) are linked together, they can fire together at Auto 2. If four are linked together, they can fire at Auto 3, if eight are linked, they can fire at Auto 4, and so on.