Vehicles: Cunegl Moon Hopper

A wide a variety of vehicles have been called “moon hoppers”. The name is perhaps most apt for the Rieter Cunegl.

The cunegl is based on the observation that the hopping of a kangaroo is a very efficient means of locomotion. When hopping at speed the kangaroo’s body works somewhat like a pogo stick. As it lands its energy is stored in the tendons of the legs. This stored energy is utilized to make the next hop. Using this system the kangaroo can hop at speed for considerable periods of time for very little energy expenditure.

The passenger model cunegl resembles a chair mounted on two mechanical legs. Each leg has three sections and ends in a pad that is designed not to sink into loose moondust. Each foot also has retractable claws for better purchase on rocky terrain.

Mounted on a pillar above the chair is an array of four thrust nozzles, arranged to point outward and downward. Thrust from the two rear nozzles assist the vehicle when it begins hopping. Thrust from the forward nozzles brakes the vehicle, even when it is not in contact with the ground. Firing the nozzles in various combinations can alter the trajectory of the vehicle during a leap_.

Hopping behaviour is controlled by the vehicle’s computer. The driver merely has to determine course and speed. A lidar array scans each potential landing spot and configures the legs for the optimum configuration for either landing or another bound.

In the low gravity and airless environment of the lunar surface each bound of a cunegl can take it scores of metres at a time. These highly efficient vehicles can travel hundreds of miles across difficult lunar terrain on a single charge. The vehicle’s modest energy needs are easily met by a small solar panel.

Prospectors favour these vehicles since each hop takes them dozens of metres about the surface, giving an good view of surrounding terrain. In addition to the manned vehicle the same locomotive system is used on a variety of cybershells.

A wide variety of alternate names for the moon hopper may be encountered. These include “moon bunny”, “moon-roo”, “bounder” and “boomer”.

Weapons: 8mm Flechette Rifle

The 8mm flechette rifle is a weapon that is usually encountered in the hands of security guards. Users favour the weapon for its flat trajectory, high hit probability, low recoil and effects on unarmoured and soft-armoured targets. Its limited range and poor performance against hard armoured targets have precluded it from military adoption. Their minimal effects against hard armour can be exploited if friendly forces are armoured and the enemy is not. American insurgents and some criminals have also made use of stolen weapons.

The 8mm diameter polymer cartridge is straight-walled other than a slight bottlenecking at the end used to headspace the cartridge. Each cartridge contains a sabot that holds five 1.5mm steel flechettes. The light weight of the flechettes gives them a muzzle velocity in excess of 1,100 yards/ sec. At short ranges penetration is high and trajectory is effectively flat. At longer ranges the projectiles rapidly lose velocity and will be affected by cross winds.

Although they are commonly referred to as “flechette rifles” the weapons that use the 8mm round are usually of SMG configuration. Barrels are effectively smooth-bore, having a slow, shallow twist to aid sabot separation and flechette dispersion. The 8mm round is well suited to a simple blowback mechanism. The simplicity and low cost of such weapons is another feature that recommends them to security forces. Typically a reflex sight (+1 to Guns skill) is fitted.

Guns (SMG) (DX-4, or most other Guns at -2)

Weapon	Damage	Acc	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl	LC
8mm Flechette Rifle	2d+1(2) pi-	6	200/900	4/1	12 x 5	32	7†	-4*	1	2

Real world note: Relievable information on the terminal effects of flechettes has been hard to come by.

The original claim of the SPIW project was that flechettes that hit denser materials such as flesh would bend, dumping all of their residual energy into the target.

Another source claims that the tail of the flechette tends to stabilize the projectile in flesh too so flechettes are not prone to tumbling, giving poor energy transfer. Evidence for bent flechettes, it claims, is from wounds inflicted by multiple flechette rounds fired from recoilless rifles, tank guns and artillery. Flechettes were bent by the stresses of firing, not impact, it is claimed.

During the ACR rifle trials it was claimed that the flechettes used by two entrants “fishhooked” reliably.

Terminal effects are more about damage than just energy dump. Even if the flechettes do bend and tumble the real question is the rate, depth and damage that occurs as they do so.

Flechettes lose velocity at a rate of 114 yards/sec per 100 yards.

 

Attrapeur

The attrapeur is a robot used by a number of police and security forces. It was first used with great success in the Paris student riots four years ago. An attrapeur has four multi-sectioned legs of about a metre length which join onto a compact, flat body of less than a third of a metre long. An attrapeur flipped on its “back” will simply pivot its limbs until they are under it again. The narrowness of its limbs and body make it a difficult target to hit with gunfire. Its appearance and movements are disturbing to severe arachnophobes.

When not in use the attrapeur folds itself up into a compact volume. Even vehicles with relatively limited cargo space can carry a number of attrapeurs.

The attrapeur can run at great speed. An attacking attrapeur will run to a target and seize them around the thighs with its forward limbs. Its body will then flip upwards and the rear limbs will wrap around the target’s arms and torso. This usually immobilizes the target. The attrapeur broadcasts its location to the command centre. A flashing LED and audible beacon is also activated to assist officers locating the attrapeur and its prisoner.

In many English speaking countries the attrapeur has gained the alternate name of “wrapper”.

Weapons: Burundi Broiler

 I let my gaze wander around the apartment. A water jug was on the table near the window. As I glanced at it the water suddenly began to violently bubble. No sooner had I began to marvel at the strangeness of this when it again settled. I looked towards the chairman to see if he too had witnessed the phenomenon.

He was already quite dead. His head lolled to the side, his eyes milky like those of a fish from under a grill.

The Burundi broiler first appeared in 2094 in the African state of the same name. While majority of evidence suggests that it was a local invention there is some doubt about the veracity of this. Within a few months the TSA was producing copies of the Burundi broiler. It is currently recognized that many broilers in current circulation that appear to be of TSA manufacture have other origins. Identifying the source of a broiler is problematic since the components have assembly numbers but no serial numbers or other distinguishing features. Broilers are apparently assembled by unskilled labour using a V-tag system. Only when a commercially available component has been used to repair a broiler is there a hint of the weapon’s history.

The broiler is a maser weapon firing a pulse of coherent microwaves. It resembles a rifle with a short but broad cylindrical barrel. The broiler is a weapon of specialised application. The pulse from a broiler is blocked by metal. The weapon has very little effect on military cybershells or battlesuits. Radiation suits, many space suits and various other protective outfits also provide some protection. The broiler has a low rate of fire and a relatively short range compared to more conventional weapons.

Unlike a laser beam, the maser pulse is invisible. The weapon is also relatively quiet. Listeners within a few yards of the firer may notice a humming noise as the weapon fires. Many will not recognise this as a weapon discharge and attribute the noise to some other machine or appliance. The maser pulse is not affected by smoke and will pass through glass. The pulse may interact with fog, causing swirling patterns to appear near the pulse’s path. Interaction with fog has no effect on the performance of the weapon. The maser pulse cannot pass through large volumes of water. Heavy rainfall may reduce the range of the weapon.

The maser pulse is highly effective against unprotected living tissues. This, and the weapon’s low firing signature make it a useful assassination weapon. The Burundi broiler is an uncommon weapon and unlikely to be acquired without underworld or covert connections. A few have been used by American insurgents. Possession of a Burundi broiler is generally highly restricted or illegal.

The Burundi broiler can be an effective weapon against equipment designed to receive microwave transmissions. This includes communication relays and most cybershells. This capability has seen the broiler used by some Luddite and vandal organisations. The broiler will often destroy or badly damage the communications capability of a targeted machine or vehicle. Cybershells of SM-7 or smaller will often take physical damage from the resulting power surge.

In 2096 the murder of journalist Tiffany Chen with a broiler triggered a media frenzy about their use. It was during this time that the slang term “curdler” became popular. This particular media crusade lost steam when a number of investigating reporters met the same end. Crimes committed with broilers still attract a high level of media attention and this often pressures law enforcement to prioritize them.

Beam Weapons (Rifle) (DX-4, other Beam Weapons at -4, or Guns (Rifle)-4

	Damage	Acc	Range	Wt.	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl
Burundi Broiler	6d special	12	300/440	11/C	1	5(4)	8†	-4	1

Armour protects normally. Metallic armour or other protection that blocks microwaves adds +8 to the active defence roll or saves on an 8 or less if no active defence roll is made.

Damage that penetrates armour causes triple damage to living tissues and electronic equipment. Non-living targets take half damage.

In addition to any physical damage a hit from a broiler also causes an EMP pulse that will disrupt electronics. This occurs on a roll of 14 or less, subtracting 1 for each 20 points of combined DR and HP the target has. Each point the roll succeeds by disables the system for 2 secs. A critical success or success by 10 permanently disables the system.

The stats above are for a basic Burundi Broiler. Usually accessories such as a bipod, telescopic sight and targeting computer will be fitted. A basic weapon costs upwards of $2,500. A takedown version that can be broken down into between four and six sub-assemblies costs $1,200 more.

 

Shooting Transhuman Space Weapons.

In GURPS firing a gun is an Attack, All-Out Attack or Move and Attack action. This may or may not be preceded by one or more seconds of Aim action. In Transhuman Space we have the added complication that smart ammunition, including homing bullets are relatively commonplace. Any firing in non-homing mode will simply be called “Shooting” in the following passages. “Shooting” includes firing beam weapons, firing “dumb” ammunition and firing smart ammunition in a non-homing mode.

Shooting rules for GURPs are spread across several volumes. At the minimum you need both volumes of the Basic set and High-Tech. Changing Times and Tactical Shooting are also desirable and Gun-Fu and Ultra-Tech can be useful. Even with all of these how the rules are specifically applied to Transhuman Space may not be clear.

Many weapons in Transhuman Space cannot use smart ammunition. These range from zip guns and shoukwans to relatively sophisticated weapons like the Xuan Feng and laser weapons. The following three firing modes apply to these and to smart ammunition used in “dumb” mode. TL9+ personal weapons usually have HUD and laser sights fitted as standard.

Shooting without using the sights is a Move and Attack or Attack action, never an All-Out Attack. There can be no Aim action before. Since such shots do not require seeing the sights -1 in darkness penalties can be ignored at ranges up to Per in yards. A targeting laser provides a +1 modifier. Other targeting aids including HUD links give no bonus to unsighted shooting. Items such as goggles, dive masks, gasmasks etc give -1 modifier to unsighted shooting. Items such as VR/AR visors and spectacles give no modifiers since many TS-era citizens wear them daily so are very familiar with them.

Sighted shooting is an All-out attack so +1 to Guns, Gunner or Beam Weapon skill. Goggles, dive masks etc give -4 to sighted shooting. You need to be able to see the sights so darkness penalties apply. A HUD-link or Improved Visibility Sights negate -1 of darkness penalties. The GM may allow that a HUD-link acts as a micro-reflex sight so gives +1 to Guns up to 50 yards. Some HUD-links perform at even longer ranges.

Deliberately Aimed shooting is represented by an Aim followed by All-Out Attack. The bonus for Aim usually only applies to the next attack (p. B372). The GM may allow shooters to retain half their weapon’s base Acc (round down) on subsequent sighted shots against the same target after using aimed shooting. Shooters with braced weapons may add full base Acc when firing at RoF 1; mounted weapons on flexible or fixed mounts may add full base Acc even when firing at a higher RoF.

In addition to these modes some weapons in Transhuman Space have a fourth mode of shooting using their homing ammunition.

The basic rules [p.B413] tell us that to be used as a homer a projectile must be aimed first. During the Aim manoeuvre the shooter must successfully roll against Artillery (Guided Missile) skill. Transhuman Space: Changing Times [p.64] tells us to make this roll with the appropriate Guns or Gunner skill instead. For clarity I will call the Aim manoeuvre with a success roll an “Aim and Lock”. If the Aim and Lock is successful the projectile(s) are fired with a Ready action. The attack roll is made by the projectile(s) when they reach the target, which may be the same turn or in subsequent turns. Changing Times tells us that the projectile(s) Attack is Homing (Vision). Optionally a Critical Failure in the Aim and Lock roll negates any Aim bonuses (A5) for the following shot.

Homing (Vision) implies that projectiles have night vision no better than an average human. Technological devices and biomods mean that shooters in TS will often see their targets much better than their bullets! The GM may allow that military or police issued ammunition have some level of Night Vision. This will be more common in calibres in widescale military use. 5.6mm, 6.6mm, 7.5mm and 10mm rounds may have Night Vision 4. The tiny 4mm rounds only have Night Vision 2. Larger calibre missiles may have even better Night Vision, depending on role and cost. Some will have multi-spectral capabilities. Budget homing ammunition or that from dubious sources may have no Night Vision.

What is not made clear in the sourcebooks is which, if any, modifiers apply to the Aim and Lock and the Homing Attack rolls. Logically locking onto a distant, fast target would be more difficult than on a larger, closer target. If you are on fire this may or may not distract you from carefully aiming. If you are a cybershell or wearing an armoured powersuit you might ignore a little bit of fire! Rather than giving rules for every possibility and variation of circumstance the GM should be logical and waive modifiers that do not apply.

Another question that arises is what happens if you fail an Aim and Lock? The original TS sourcebook and TS: Changing Times both make it clear that homing bullets and other projectiles may be fired without an Aim action before. If you still choose to fire the next action will be an Attack, All-Out Attack or Move and Attack. Another roll against Guns, Artillery or Gunner is made and the projectile(s) are treated as a non-homing “dumb” attack. Note that in Transhuman Space homing projectiles fired without an Aim and Lock still count as “stabilized” so treat ranges as 30% less than actual for purposes of determining range penalties. Gestalt ammo also counts as stabilized (TS:CT p.64 and TS p.157)

Many weapons mount targeting lasers. Beam weapons often have a targeting spot option. A targeting laser adds +1 to skill, even if an Aim action was not taken. This presumes that a shooter can see the spot. If the laser was set to infrared you will need vision sensitive in this range to see it. Targeting lasers are of limited use underwater. Green is hard to see, red does not travel far and water absorbs infrared.

Laser-homing ammunition locks on to a target designated by a laser. This is usually the firing weapon’s targeting laser but can be another source.  If the laser is moved or deactivated after firing the rounds continue to home in on their target. The round retains a “snapshot” of the target that was designated. Laser-homing ammunition works with both visible and IR lasers. Cheap, knock-off or black-market ammunition may only work in the visible but the buyer may not be aware of this! Laser-homing ammunition must be used with a designating laser. Without a laser it is dumb, stabilized ammunition, not homing. Smoke or other factors may prevent laser designation. The targeting laser gives a +1 to Aim and Lock and designation gives +1 to the Homing Attack roll.

Gestalt ammunition counts as stabilized so treat ranges as 30% less than actual for purposes of determining range penalties. Rapid fire bonus to hit (A7) is for 1.5x the number of rounds actually fired. Recoil is reduced by 1 for determining number of actual hits.

Below is a list of Ranged Attack Modifiers modified and annotated for use with Transhuman Space 4e.

When making a ranged attack, Homing attack or Aim and Lock figure your effective skill by:

1. Taking your base skill with your ranged weapon. A Homing attack uses a base skill of 10.

2. Applying the target’s Size Modifier (SM), rounding up.

3. Modifying for the target’s range and speed, rounding up; see Size and Speed/Range Table (p. 550). Remember, add range in yards to speed in yards/sec and take the modifier from the total. Adjust for elevation (p.B407) if necessary. Use actual adjusted range for Aim and Lock or firing of “dumb” unstabilized rounds. Use 0.7 of actual adjusted range for stabilized and Gestalt ammo. Ignore range for Homing Attacks. Range Ruler here.

4. Applying the relevant conditional modifiers below. Modifiers are cumulative, but combined visibility penalties cannot exceed -10. If any modifier marked with an asterisk (*) applies, adjusted skill after all modifiers cannot exceed 9.

A roll of this number, or less, is a hit. If using rapid fire, you score one extra hit for every full multiple of Recoil by which you make your attack roll.

A1. Attacker’s Manoeuvre.

A1 modifiers do not apply to Aim and Lock or Homing Attack

• All-Out Attack (Determined): +1
• Move and Attack: -2 or -Bulk of weapon, whichever is worse.
• Ranged Rapid Attack: 2 shots at -6 each. Uses an Attack or All-out Attack and requires a weapon with RoF 2+.

A2. Attacker’s Situation.

A2 modifiers affect Aim and Lock and Shooting. They have no effect on Homing attack roll.

Affliction (coughing, retching, etc.): see Afflictions (p. B428)

Afflictions that add a penalty to DX add an equal penalty to Guns, Gunner, Beam weapon or Artillery skill for Aim and Lock or Shooting.

Bad footing: -2 or more (GM’s option)

Close combat: a penalty equal to the weapon’s Bulk statistic (see Weapons for Close Combat, p. 391)

Aim and Lock cannot be attempted if in close combat. No effect on Homing attack roll of projectiles already in flight.

Damaged weapon: -HP of damage received last turn (maximum -4). This modifier may persist until weapon is repaired.

Major distraction (e.g., all clothes on fire): -3 or more (GM’s option)

Minor distraction (e.g., part of clothes on fire): -2

Shock: -HP of injury received last turn (maximum -4)

ST below that required for weapon: -1 per point of deficit.

Overheating: For pistols, rifles, SMGs, and shotguns, reduce Acc and Malf. by 1 after firing 225 rounds in under a minute. See Sustained Fire 4e HT p.85-86.

A3. Attacking from Moving Vehicle or Mount.

The increased relative motion between the firer and the target will affect the accuracy of homing projectiles. A3 modifiers are applied to Aim and Lock, Shooting and Homing Attack.

If weapon is not in a stabilized mount, the combined bonus for Accuracy, Aim, bracing, and targeting systems cannot exceed the vehicle’s SR.

• Air vehicle: -1 if handheld weapon, 0 otherwise.
• Exposed rider hanging on side of vehicle/mount and shooting over/under it: -6
• Ground vehicle, good road: -1 if handheld weapon, 0 otherwise.
• Ground vehicle, bad road: 0 if stabilized turret or stabilized open mount; -1 if fixed mount, hardpoint, or carriage; -2 if external open mount; -3 if handheld weapon.
• Ground vehicle, off-road: -1 if stabilized turret or stabilized open mount; -2 if fixed mount, hardpoint, or carriage; -3 if external open mount; -4 if handheld weapon.
• Space vehicle: 0
• Turning in exposed saddle/seat of vehicle/ mount to fire at foe behind: -4
• Vehicle/mount dodged last turn and you’re not operator/rider: -2, or -4 if flying.
• Vehicle/mount failed control roll: penalty equal to margin of failure
• Water vehicle, calm water: 0 if stabilized turret or stabilized open mount; -1 if fixed mount, hardpoint, or carriage; -2 if external open mount; -3 if handheld weapon.
• Water vehicle, rough water: -1 if stabilized turret or stabilized open mount; -2 if fixed mount, hardpoint, or carriage; -3 if external open mount; -4 if handheld weapon.

A4. Opportunity Fire.

Aim and Lock can only be used with Opportunity fire if the area watched is only 1 hex (no modifier). The projectile is considered to have locked onto a geographical location rather than an individual. The homing round will hit anyone or anything that happens to be in that hex. This mode of using homing projectiles cannot be used with targeting specific body parts or areas.

• Checking target before firing: -2
• Hexes watched: 0 if 1 hex; -1 if 2 hexes; -2 if 3-4 hexes or a line; -3 if 5-6 hexes; -4 if 7-10 hexes; -5 if 11+ hexes watched.

A5. Aiming and Targeting.

The A5 modifiers come into effect “after the trigger is pulled”. A5 modifiers are not applied to Aim and Lock. They are applied to Homing Attack and are applied to Shooting if an Aim action preceded it.

• Aim for one turn: +Accuracy (Acc) of weapon
• Scope: +1 per second of Aim, to a maximum of the scope’s bonus
• Extra Aim: +1 for 2 seconds, +2 for 3+ seconds. Bonus cannot exceed weapon Acc or scope bonus, whichever is lower.
• Range known. +3 to Acc or Scope bonus. Requires a Ready action to adjust sights or switch aimpoint.
• Laser sight: +1 (also gives this +1 bonus if no Aim action preceded the shot)
• Match-grade Ammunition: +1 to weapon Acc.
• Braced weapon. Weapon rested on sandbag, car, wall or other object; pistol used two-handed; long arm used prone and with a bipod: +1 if stationary and took a turn to Aim.
• Pistol used two-handed: +1 if took a turn to Aim. Multiply minimum ST by 0.8 and reduce Bulk by 1.
• Bipod: Use of a bipod changes minimum ST for weapon to ⅔rds its value. Long arm used prone and with a bipod: +1 if stationary and took a turn to Aim.
• Tripod or similar flexible mounting, arm mount etc: +2 Acc for bracing.
• Fixed Mount such as hardpoint, turret etc: +4 Acc for bracing.
• Shooting Long arm with sling: Treat as braced. Takes one Ready manoeuvre per -1 Bulk of the weapon to prepare; a successful Fast-Draw (Long Arm) roll halves this time (round down). Leaving the position takes two Ready manoeuvres – or one with Quick-Sheathe (Long Arm) and a successful Fast-Draw (Long Arm) roll.
• Firing a long arm with the stock folded or removed improves Bulk by 1, but removes stability that resting it against the shoulder provides. Apply -1 to Acc and +1 to Rcl (unless Rcl is 1), and multiply ST by 1.2, rounding up. Using any sling or a shoulder rig on a stockless long arm avoids the Rcl and ST modifications, but not the Acc penalty. It does not count as braced.
• Vehicular targeting system: +1 to +3 if shooter took a turn to Aim
• Unfamiliar weapon or targeting system: -2

On a moving vehicle, the combined bonus for Accuracy, Aim, bracing, and targeting systems still can’t exceed the vehicle’s SR, unless stabilized (p. B548).

The combined bonus for sights, scopes, and/or targeting computers cannot exceed the value of the weapon’s base Accuracy.

A scope or similar device gives a +1 bonus to hit per full doubling of magnification if you take one or more Aim or Aim and Lock manoeuvres.

With a fixed-power scope, you must Aim for at least as many seconds as the scope bonus. With a variable-power scope, you may Aim for fewer seconds but this reduces the bonus by a like amount.

The Acc bonus and related bonuses are lost if any of the following occurs:

• You lose sight of your target;
• Switch targets;
• Make an attack roll;
• Move more than the step allowed by the aim manoeuvre;
• Attempt a defense roll;
• Fail the will roll after being injured;
• Choose a different maneuver from aim (e.g., ready to reload);
• Switch weapons or unbrace a braced weapon,
• Switch between sights, or otherwise change your weapon’s mode of use

A6. Other Actions by Attacker

Affect Aim and Lock, Shooting. Affect Homing Attack unless stated.

• Unfamiliar aiming system, mounting, action etc: -2
• Weapon in bad repair: -4 or more
• Dual-Weapon Attack: -4/-8 with primary/ off hand (-4/-4 with Ambidexterity)
• Off-hand attack: -4 (no penalty with Ambidexterity)
• Reflex sight adds +1 Guns/ Gunner/ Beam weapon skill at 300yds or less.
• One handed shooting of long arm: Multiply ST by 1.5 or 1.2 if sling used. Round up. Weapon becomes unready unless shooter has 2x weapon ST or 1.7x with sling.
• One-handed shooting for bullpup long arm or long arm with magazine in grip: Multiply ST by 1.2, rounding up or no modifier if sling used. Weapon becomes unready unless shooter has 1.7x weapon ST or 1.5x with sling.
• Long arm fired one handed and held against heavy object. No ST multipliers but does not count as braced (A5).
• Limp-wristed gangsta-poseur shooting: -1 (Must be treated as unsighted shooting. Cannot be braced and no bonus for two-handed grip)
• Pop-up attack: -2, and no Aim possible. (Cannot be used with Homing attack)

A7. Rapid fire or Multiple Projectiles:

A7 modifiers are “after the trigger is pulled” so are applied to Shooting and Homing Attack, not Aim and Lock.

Gestalt ammunition gets the bonus for 1.5x the number of rounds actually fired. A 10 round burst gets the +3 bonus for 15 rounds. 

 0 if 2-4 shots;

 +1 if 5-8 shots;

+2 if 9-12 shots;

+3 if 13-16 shots;

+4 if 17-24 shots;

+5 if 25-49 shots;

+6 if 50-99 shots;

+7 if 100-199 shots;

+8 if 200-399 shots;

+9 if 400-799 shots;

+10 if 800-1,599 shots;

+11 if 1,600-3,199 shots;

+12 if 3,200-6,399 shots;

Fast Firing: (Pump or lever actions up to double tabled RoF, Semi-automatics, beam weapons and double action revolvers up to triple). Rcl increased by +1, Attack roll modifier equal to actual number of rounds fired.

  An attack scores one extra hit for every full multiple of Recoil by which you make your Attack roll. The total number of hits cannot exceed shots fired.

A8. Target.

A8 modifiers apply to Aim and Lock, Shooting and Homing Attack.

To attack hit locations or weapons, use the penalties under Melee Attack Modifiers (p. B547). If the target has cover, you can either choose to take no penalty and roll hit location randomly (shots that hit a covered location always strike full cover, and hit partial cover on 4-6 on 1d) or target an exposed hit location (add an extra -2 if only partly exposed).

• Very light cover (solid cover exposing ¾ of body): -1
• Shooting through light cover (solid cover exposing ½ target): -2
• Medium cover (Solid cover exposing just ⅓): -3
• Heavy cover (solid cover ¼ or less exposed): -4
• Targeting the face, hand(s) or weapon of an enemy firing from cover: no penalty for cover, usual penalty for body part (see below).
• Target behind someone else: -4 per intervening figure
• Target crouching, kneeling, sitting, or lying down: an extra -2 to hit torso, groin, or legs
• Target only partly exposed: -2
• Shooting at narrow apertures or object: Use SM of item.

Hit location for humans:

0 for torso,

-2 for arm or leg,

-3 for groin or pelvis,

-4 for hand or foot,

-5 for face,

-7 for skull; impaling and piercing attacks can target vitals at -3 or eyes at -9

Weapon, to damage: -5 to hit a reach “C” weapon (e.g., knife or pistol); -4 to hit a reach 1 weapon (e.g., broadsword, baton, bangstick); -3 to hit a reach 2+ weapon (e.g., spear or rifle)

A9. Visibility.

A9 modifiers apply to Aim and Lock, Shooting and Homing Attack. Visual capabilities of the shooter and the homing round may differ!

• Blind, target completely invisible, or in total darkness: -10*
• Cannot see foe: -6, or -4 if you know his location to within 1 yard*
• Partial darkness, fog, smoke, etc.: -1 to -9 (GM’s option)
• Target has light concealment (e.g. bushes): -2
• A telescopic sight removes -1 of darkness penalties.
• A reflex sight removes -3 of darkness penalties. A micro reflex sight for a pistol removes -1.
• Night vision goggles that limit depth perception: -3 (TS-era devices are likely to use holographic or AR technology that removes or reduces this penalty).