TEXT: A RuneQuest 6th Edition Rules Supplement
  Firearms
  
  2
  Introduction
  As many of you already know, RuneQuest 6th Edition is primarily designed for historical and 
  fantasy settings. Yet some people have expressed an interest in using firearms in their games, 
  anything from piratical black powder weapons to the radium guns of Barsoom. Rather than 
  merely limiting the system to its default genres this supplement shows how to tweak the game 
  to handle any conceivable ranged weapons, even hi-tech Science Fiction firearms.
  The following rules will form the basis for firearms in many different settings, whether released 
  as published supplements or as future free-to-download guides. We fully encourage Game Mas-
  ters to take the following ideas and adapt them to suit their own imaginative campaigns. Enjoy!
  Credits
  Research, Rules, Mechanics and Lead Writing: Pete Nash
  Additional Material: Lawrence Whitaker
  Editing and Layout: Lawrence Whitaker
  RuneQuest is a trademark of Issaries Inc. Used under License by The Design Mechanism. All rights reserved. This edi-
  tion of RuneQuest is copyright © 2012. This PDF is a free supplement provided by personal, but not corporate or for 
  profit use. Material found in this book can be referred to freely under Fair Usage, but any use of the rules or mechanics 
  found herein requires the express permission and consent of The Design Mechanism.
  For details of the RuneQuest Gateway license, please contact The Design Mechanism  
  (designmechanism@gmail.com).
  
  RQ Firearms
  3
  Initial Considerations
  New Combat Actions
  On the face of it modifying the combat rules to 
  include gun combat is rather problematical, since 
  it is near impossible to avoid laser beams or bullets 
  which travel faster than human reflexes.
   
  Using the rules as written, this means that unless 
  you try to dive clear of the area using Evade, any 
  hit will immediately expose the victim to one or 
  more Special Effects. It also changes the Action 
  Point economy. If you can’t use points to reactive-
  ly defend yourself then most characters will end 
  up using all their actions to blast away, gambling 
  on the incompetence of their foes.
  To handle this paradigm shift both Game Masters 
  and Players may need to change the way they 
  view – and approach – gun combat. Some things 
  to note are:
  •	
  Gun combat is dangerous!
  •	
  On the whole people prioritise not being shot 
  over shooting others
  •	
  The most common method of protection is to 
  take cover
  •	
  Suppressing fire is the best way of preventing 
  foes shooting back
  •	
  Firearms are surprisingly inaccurate unless 
  time is taken to brace and/or aim
  •	
  When you are shot, bad stuff happens
  Defending oneself against gunfire will largely 
  become a question of body armour, using cover 
  and trying to prevent the opponent from being 
  able to fire back. As such, most gun battles tend 
  to become very tactical – lots of suppressing fire, 
  flanking movement and flushing foes from deep 
  cover – during which characters may pass entire 
  combat rounds being pinned down and unable to 
  respond until the opposition stops firing... which 
  some players may find extremely tedious.
  It is perfectly possible that an entire gunfight 
  will result in no injuries, just one side giving up 
  due to running out of ammunition or fleeing the 
  battle entirely. After all, few people want to risk 
  being riddled with a burst from a weapon on full-
  automatic.
  The following are addendums to the existing com-
  bat rules and should mesh seamlessly with them.
  To reflect the gritty reality of firearms, several new 
  types of proactive Combat Action have been cre-
  ated. Some of the following depend on weaponry 
  of a sufficient technological level.
  Reload
  As per Ready Weapon in the RQ6 core rules. 
  Reloading times can vary wildly according to the 
  type of weapon. Single shot black powder muskets 
  will be far slower to reload than changing an 
  ammunition magazine or power source. Under 
  combat conditions the former might take from 15 
  to 20 seconds (9-12 Turns) whilst the latter could 
  be as fast as 5 seconds (3 Turns).
  Sneak Peek
  Sneak Peek allows somebody currently shelter-
  ing behind cover to take a quick look-see to 
  judge what the tactical situation is. The action is 
  ostensibly safe, permitting the observer a single 
  Perception roll before ducking back into cover. If 
  the Perception test is a fumble however, they fool-
  ishly overextend their head or remain in sight long 
  enough for an enemy to take a pot shot.
  Steady Weapon
  Allows the character to establish a firm firing 
  posture and support an automatic weapon so that 
  it remains stable. It requires that the character be 
  at least partially exposed and not completely pro-
  
  4
  Why is Take Cover not reactive?
  Whilst it might appear somewhat unfair that Take Cover is not reactive, there are several reasons for this. Firstly 
  most projectile weapons fire ammunition which travels at supersonic or light speeds. In layman’s terms this means 
  that a musket ball or bullet actually hits you before you hear the sound of the shot and try to duck. Secondly it adds 
  a very tactical element to a fire-fight, making it risky to expose oneself to take your own shot, unless you wait until 
  the enemy needs to reload or you have friends providing suppressing fire.
  On the other hand, some genres possess ranged weapons like blasters which are both sub-sonic and highly visible. 
  In such cases it may be more ‘heroic’, or indeed just more fun, to allow characters the ability to use Take Cover 
  reactively.
  tected by cover. The primary benefit is that it reduces the 
  recoil penalty of Burst or Full-Automatic fire by one step. 
  This effect is similar to Brace in that its benefits continue 
  until the character moves.
  Switch Fire Mode
  Switch Fire allows the user of an automatic or dual pur-
  pose firearm to change the selector on their weapon to 
  take advantage of other fire modes. Thus an assault rifle 
  could be switched from semi-automatic to burst, choose 
  different types of ammunition (Judge Dredd Lawgivers) 
  or a supplementary system such as an integral grenade 
  launcher brought on line. Whilst modern weapons require 
  an Action Point on the character’s Turn to switch modes, 
  sufficiently advanced high-tech firearms may permit it as 
  a Free Action, triggered by electronic implants or psychi-
  cally reading the user’s mind. 
  Take Cover
  Take Cover is a proactive action which allows a shooter to 
  duck behind whatever cover is available in their immediate 
  vicinity, thereby gaining some degree of protection against 
  incoming fire. Unlike Evade it does not leave the user 
  prone, but does rely on some form of cover being available, 
  for example ducking back around a corner in a corridor or 
  crouching down behind a table in a bar. 
  Depending on circumstances, the available cover may or 
  may not be sufficient to completely protect the character.  
  The type of cover will also determine its protective quali-
  ties; a thick steel door for instance may prove impenetrable 
  to bullets, whereas a thin wooden wall might only provide 
  4 Armour Points. For general guidelines concerning the 
  protective qualities of certain materials, see the ‘Inanimate 
  Objects Armour and Hit Points’ table on page 123 of the 
  core rules.
  
  RQ Firearms
  5
  New Special Effects
  Some players of RQ6 often imagine that there are 
  few useful Special Effects for ranged weapons, 
  despite the fact that many of the offensive options 
  are easily transposed between weapon types (see 
  Modified Special Effects). To redress this inequal-
  ity, some new effects are presented below, specifi-
  cally for the use of firearms.
  Circumvent Cover
  Offensive, High-Tech Firearms Only
  Assuming that the shooter is using some high-tech 
  weaponry, they can fire around the target’s cover. 
  In most cases this will require something along 
  the lines of self guided ammunition. If used as a 
  trick shot, for example bouncing a laser blast off 
  a mirror or ricocheting a bullet off a wall, then 
  the special effect should be treated as a Critical 
  Success only with a commensurate reduction in 
  damage. 
  Drop Foe
  Offensive, Firearms Only
  Assuming the target suffers at least a minor 
  wound from the shot, they are forced to make 
  an Opposed Test of their Endurance against the 
  attacker’s hit roll. Failure indicates that the target 
  succumbs to shock and pain, becoming incapaci-
  tated and unable to continue fighting. Recovery 
  from incapacitation can be performed with a 
  successful First Aid check or using some form of 
  technological or narcotic booster if such exists in 
  the campaign. Otherwise the temporary incapaci-
  tation lasts for a period equal to one hour divided 
  by the Healing Rate of the target.
  Duck Back
  Offensive, Firearms Only
  This special effect allows the shooter to immedi-
  ately duck back into cover, without needing to 
  wait for their next Turn to use the Take Cover 
  action. The character must be already standing or 
  crouching adjacent to some form of cover to use 
  Duck Back.
  Marksman
  Offensive, Firearms Only
  Permits the shooter to move the Hit Location 
  struck by his shot by one step, to an immediately 
  adjoining body area. Physiology has an effect on 
  what can be re-targeted and common sense should 
  be applied. Thus using this special effect on a 
  humanoid would permit an attacker who rolled 
  a leg shot, to move it up to the abdomen instead. 
  Conversely shooting a griffin in the chest would 
  permit selection of the forelegs, wings or head.
  Overpenetration
  Offensive, Critical, Firearms Only
  If shooting at lineally positioned opponents or 
  into a densely packed group, this special effect 
  allows the shot to travel completely through the 
  first victim to strike a second behind them, as-
  suming that it overcomes the first target’s body 
  armour. The second victim however, only suffers 
  half damage due to attenuation or slowing down 
  of the shot. Overpenetration is generally of more 
  use with high powered weapons that inflict large 
  amounts of damage or those which have some 
  sort of armour piercing ability. Any special effects 
  inflicted on the first target are not applied to the 
  second.
  Pin Down
  Offensive, Stackable, Firearms Only
  Similar to Press Advantage, this special effect 
  forces the target to make an Opposed Test of their 
  Willpower against the attacker’s hit roll. Failure 
  means that the target hunkers down behind what-
  ever cover is available and cannot return fire on 
  their next Turn. Note that Pin Down works even 
  if no actual damage is inflicted on the target (per-
  haps due to a successful evasion or shots striking 
  their cover instead), as it relies on the intimidation 
  effect of gunfire passing very close by.
  Although a pinned victim is unable to fire back 
  for the requisite time, they can perform other 
  actions provided they don’t expose themselves to 
  fire in the process, such as crawling away to new 
  
  6
  cover, communicating with others, reloading a weapon 
  and so on.
  Weapon  
  Malfunction
  Attacker Fumbles, Firearms Only
  The attacker’s firearm malfunctions in such a way that it is 
  rendered useless until time can be spent field stripping and 
  cleaning it.
  Modified  
  Special Effects
  Depending on the type of ammunition or energy they 
  project, some Special Effects should be slightly modified, 
  even restricted. It is impossible to cover all types of ranged 
  weaponry as there will always be exceptions, but some 
  general guidelines are provided for the most common 
  effects.
  •	
  Bash: Since Bash relies more on catching an op-
  ponent off balance, rather than throwing them 
  backwards by pure force, it is perfectly reasonable for 
  projectile ammunition to cause a target to stagger if 
  it strikes an extremity. Energy weapons are less likely 
  to inflict such an effect unless the physics of the beam 
  result in some sort of surface explosion.
  •	
  Bleed: Since most firearms produce very narrow 
  wound paths, it is actually more difficult to nick or 
  sever a major blood vessel than it is with a slicing 
  or stabbing weapon. Due to this Bleed should be a 
  Critical Success only – unless the gun is some sort of 
  weird weaponry which fires shuriken, razor fléchettes, 
  flattened force fields or some such exotic ammunition.
  •	
  Bypass	Armour: Although Bypass Armour can os-
  tensibly be used with any sort of attack, some types of 
  ammunition might either be prevented from access-
  ing this effect (shot gun pellets due to their spread) 
  or built into their base performance, granting it as 
  a bonus special effect in addition to any others won 
  (Teleportation rounds). Much depends on how the 
  Game Master wishes to model the weapon.
  •	
  Choose	Location: As per the default rules, Choose 
  Location should be restricted to being a Critical 
  Success only, unless the target is within close range 
  and is either stationary or unaware of the impending 
  attack. Telescopic scopes may extend this range (see 
  Spot Rules).
  •	
  Circumvent	Parry: This is obviously of little use un-
  less targets are using firearm resistant shields, or you 
  are shooting at a lightsabre armed Jedi...
  •	
  Compel	Surrender: Firearms are usually very intimi-
  dating weapons. Thus Compel Surrender need not 
  be restricted to only those targets placed at a tactical 
  disadvantage; and can be utilised at a distance also.
  •	
  Damage	Weapon: Since striking a hand held weapon 
  at range is even more difficult than targeting a spe-
  cific body location, this should generally be reserved 
  for Critical Successes only. There are several excep-
  tions however, the first being that a shield should, 
  by its very nature, be much easier to hit. The second 
  concerns exotic weapons which fire a cone shaped 
  beam able to target hand held objects within its area 
  of affect; for instance an induction gun that heats 
  metal objects.
  •	
  Disarm	Opponent: As per Damage Weapon above. 
  There’s nothing quite as satisfying than shooting an 
  enemy’s gun right out of their hands.
  •	
  Entangle: Although usually reserved for thrown 
  weapons such as nets or the bolas, entangling firearms 
  are a staple for some golden and silver-age science fic-
  tion settings. Tanglers should be permitted access to 
  this special effect.
  •	
  Impale: The ammunition of most projectile-based 
  firearms will be able to impale. Game Masters may 
  wish to restrict or ban this effect for plasma or laser 
  based energy weapons. Bullets, fléchettes and similar 
  projectiles are clearly too small to impose any second-
  ary impaling effects.
  •	
  Kill	Silently: Obviously this cannot be selected if 
  the weapon is inherently loud unless it possesses 
  some sort of silencer. In general, any gun which fires 
  ammunition travelling faster than the speed of sound 
  will make significant noise, no matter what method 
  it uses to accelerate the projectile. Sniping with some-
  thing like a Microwave Laser on the other hand will 
  be utterly inaudible.
  •	
  Maximise	Damage: This special effect should be 
  available for any firearm. Remember however, that 
  it only affects a single die. Something which should 
  be taken into consideration by a Game Master when 
  designing modern or futuristic weapons for their 
  
  RQ Firearms
  7
  campaign.
  •	
  Pin	Weapon: Useful only with specialised 
  firearms, it could be used for harpoon guns or 
  tractor beam rifles for example. 
  •	
  Rapid	Reload: Whilst useful for black 
  powder or single round firearms, this special 
  effect has less of an obvious application when 
  applied to automatic weapons, where the 
  next shot is chambered (or charged) instantly. 
  However, Rapid Reload could be utilised in-
  stead to quickly change weapon magazines. It 
  might also be applicable for energy weapons 
  that possess lengthy cycle times to recharge 
  capacitors or allow the barrel to cool.
  •	
  Stun	Location: Perfect for certain types 
  of projectiles, it could also be an inherent 
  bonus effect of non-lethal stun-ray weapons, 
  where the damage roll is only used to see if it 
  overcomes any worn protection rather than 
  inflicting a wound.
  •	
  Sunder: A somewhat unusual choice, Sunder 
  would be suitable for energy-based firearms 
  designed to destroy ablative armours or more 
  exotic concepts like gravity wave guns.
  •	
  Trip	Opponent: Assuming the firearm actu-
  ally shoots ammunition with mass, there is no 
  reason that this effect couldn’t be used when 
  shooting at the legs of an opponent, even if 
  no damage penetrates any worn protection.
  Spot Rules
  Whilst running gun based combat should be 
  relatively straightforward, the following spot rules 
  are provided to help resolve certain features and 
  situations caused by firearms.
  Accuracy of Fire-
  arms over Range
  Whilst firearms generally have far greater ranges 
  than their less technologically sophisticated coun-
  terparts, they are still subject to the same accuracy 
  issues when shooting at a distance. The design of 
  a firearm can also have a significant effect upon 
  their accuracy. For example, due to their short 
  barrel length and less stable firing position, hand-
  guns are typically more inaccurate than rifles.
  In general use the following modifiers when using 
  the ‘Size and Distance Difficulty Adjustment’ 
  table:
  •	
  Pistols – Increase penalty by 1 step
  •	
  Carbines/SMGs – No modifier
  •	
  Rifles – Reduce penalty by 1 step
  •	
  Sniper Rifles – Reduce penalty by 2 steps
  Remember that as an exception to the normal 
  rule, distance penalties stack on top of other 
  ranged combat situational modifiers.
  Automatic Fire
  Some firearms automatically chamber the next 
  shot, by using the waste gases, recoil or energy 
  from the previous shot. With no need to recock, 
  this grants the weapon a range of different firing 
  rates, all dependent on how much ammo the user 
  wishes to release.
  These firing modes are known as Semi-Automatic, 
  Burst and Full-Automatic. Whilst this ability can 
  make some guns capable of dealing out fear-
  some damage, trying to maintain accuracy with 
  recoiling weapons is problematic. Assume that the 
  following rules primarily apply to projectile firing 
  automatic weapons.
  Carlesn Weapon Systems 20mm Split Beam 
  Violator Light Repeating Blaster Rifle
  
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  sitatur alit exero beaque lam, quam, 
  corro corpos iur, sundae nobitatque 
  sunto dolore nimil idus repe ped mag-
  nimp erciur, nonseq
  8
  Semi-Automatic: This is actually the default rate of fire 
  for most guns, where each pull of the trigger fires a single 
  shot and loads the next round.
  Burst: For burst fire each pull on the trigger releases a 
  short number of rounds, usually no more than three to 
  five depending on the weapon. Its original purpose was to 
  permit limited suppression fire, but restrict excessive am-
  munition use. It is not intended to improve the shooter’s 
  chance to hit since rapid, sequential recoil continually 
  jerks the weapon off-line. Firing in burst mode imposes 
  a penalty grade of Hard to the attack roll. If the attack 
  succeeds however, the shooter rolls a dice to see how many 
  of the rounds in that burst struck home on the target. So 
  a three round burst would use 1d3. Roll separate location 
  and damage for each round which hits.
  Full-Automatic: Normally used for full blown suppress-
  ing fire to pin down multiple targets, full-automatic can 
  be devastating if fired into a closely grouped body of en-
  emies. The shooter decides how many rounds of ammo to 
  fire (up to the limit of the cyclic rate of the weapon) which 
  are then evenly distributed across all the targets included 
  in the arc of fire. Any spare rounds are considered lost 
  whilst traversing aim (thus firing 15 rounds at 6 targets 
  would be two bullets each). A separate attack roll is made 
  for each target, but at a difficulty grade of Formidable 
  due to the increased recoil effects of sustained fire. Those 
  targets who are hit suffer a random number of rounds as 
  per Burst Fire.
  Note that only the first shot which strikes during a burst or 
  full automatic spray can benefit from special effects. Thus roll-
  ing a critical attack whilst firing in automatic mode would 
  permit the selection of Maximise Damage, but only with the 
  first shot, even if all the remaining rounds hit home.
  Dual Firearms
  Characters may use dual firearms, shooting both weapons 
  simultaneously during their Turn to gain a more rapid rate 
  of fire. However, this comes at a penalty to accuracy. Fir-
  ing a pistol in each hand suffers a penalty of Hard to hit 
  the target. Those trying to concurrently shoot with a car-
  bine or SMG in each hand suffer a penalty of Formidable. 
  Fumbling with  
  Firearms
  Since gunfire is not normally resisted by an opposing skill, 
  a special provision should be made when a shooter fumbles 
  their attack roll. In this case, whomever was the intended 
  target is allowed to select a fumble specific special effect, 
  which the shooter then suffers. See also the fumble only 
  special effect Weapon Malfunction above.
  Parrying Weapon Fire 
  with Shields
  As expressed earlier, it is almost impossible to deliberately 
  parry a supersonic projectile or energy beam. Shields how-
  ever still provide a degree of protection since in effect they 
  are portable ‘cover’. To utilise a shield in a fire-fight, just 
  use the Passive Blocking rules on page 154 of RQ6.
  Why is automatic fire so penalised?
  It may seem that the rules for automatic fire are unduly harsh compared with the apparent accuracy of modern fire-
  arms. There are several reasons for this, the primary ones being streamlining and game balance. Players who criticise 
  their character’s inaccuracy should be reminded that any tweaks to the rules will be applied against them too; which 
  given the lethality of rapid fire should be a sobering thought.
  Of course, some of these recoil penalties can be mitigated, for example by using Steady Weapon to brace automatic 
  firearms. The truth of the matter is though, that fire-fights are very different to target shooting on a gun range (see 
  The Disconnect Between Range Marksmanship and Combat). The instinct to take cover when bullets are flying, 
  the need to keep mobile and every shot taken pinpointing the shooter by its muzzle flash or sound, often prevents 
  any chance of aiming or bracing. The phrase ‘Spray and Pray’ was coined for very good reason!
  
  RQ Firearms
  9
  With regard to more modern firearms or those of 
  a science fiction nature, a Game Master may wish 
  to grant the shield an Armour Point value rather 
  than assigning it a Size, based upon the inherent 
  material it is made from. For example a wooden 
  shield might be treated as 4 Armour Points, a Kev-
  lar tactical shield 8 AP, and a Ulysses 31 bracelet 
  force field shield 15 AP.
  Telescopic Sights
  A telescopic sight improves the accuracy of a 
  firearm over greater distances when the user takes 
  the time to aim properly (see Aiming on page 
  159). The most basic telescopic sights are merely 
  optical magnifiers, but as technology advances 
  they begin to incorporate integral rangefinders, 
  projectile trajectory calculators, air movement sen-
  sors, atmospheric lensing compensators, IR or low 
  light amplifiers and a host of other gadgets which 
  improve its effective ‘hit’ distance.
  Thus telescopic sights reduce the apparent distance 
  (on the Size and Distance Difficulty Adjustment 
  table) by a number of distance steps equal to the 
  multiplier. For example an x12 scope will extend 
  Close Range to twelve times its base distance, 
  whilst additionally reducing the apparent distance 
  by 12 steps, or 240m (12 x 20m) before penalties 
  are calculated.
  The Disconnect  
  Between Range 
  Marksmanship & 
  Combat
  Since 1970, the Firearms 
  and Tactics Section of 
  the New York City Police 
  Department has gathered 
  statistical data about police 
  involved firearms exchanges. 
  The results have shown that 
  an officer’s ability on a target 
  range has little bearing on 
  what actually occurs in a 
  combat situation.
  The following statistics are 
  the hit percentages of trained 
  officers who fired during 
  a gunfight. They are not 
  only surprising, but also 
  demonstrate that some of the 
  more penalising Spot Rules 
  modelled for RQ6 gun com-
  bat are actually very lenient 
  in terms of what happens in 
  real life.
  •	
  3 or less yards: 1990, 
  38%; 1992, 28%
  •	
  3 – 7 yards: 1990, 
  11.5%; 1992, 11%
  •	
  7 – 15 yards: 1990, 
  9.4%; 1992, 4.2%
  •	
  15 – 25 yards (1990 
  not included in aver-
  age); 1992, 
  2.3%
  •	
  Average Hit Percent-
  age at 15 yards or less: 
  1990, 19%; 1992, 
  17%
  Creating Firearms
  Game Masters wanting to create their own 
  firearms for RQ6 must take into consideration nu-
  merous aspects of weapon design and the effects 
  they pose on characters.
  Purpose
  The first thing to think about is what the weapon 
  is designed to be used against. An elephant 
  gun for instance has ammunition calculated to 
  take down charging big game, and thus should 
  inflict more damage than a normal hunting rifle 
  intended for deer. 
  The type of damage is important too. A Rocket 
  Propelled Grenade is manufactured to be used 
  against tanks. Whilst it can inflict terrible inju-
  ries, its real purpose is to destroy vehicle armour, 
  often with the intent to follow up with a second 
  shot to the same location which then penetrates 
  the vehicle easier (see the Ablating trait below). 
  Thus the base damage dice for an RPG need not 
  be that large, allowing anyone caught in its blast 
  radius a better chance of survival.
  Other types of damage exist. Stunning or pa-
  ralysis allows the creation of non-lethal weapons. 
  Disintegration on the other hand might inflict 
  permanent damage on Hit Locations making it 
  very frightening if no method of regeneration 
  exists!
  Damage
  In real life it is quite possible to be shot by small 
  or medium calibre handgun rounds and still 
  remain functional. At the upper end of the scale, 
  rifle rounds can inflict terrible damage, incapaci-
  tating the victim, but still not necessarily kill 
  them outright. Much depends on the ammunition 
  of course, but the objective is generally to wound, 
  not completely annihilate the target.
  With that in mind, small firearms designed for 
  use against humans should probably be scaled at 
  around 1d6 damage, able to inflict Light Wounds 
  with a reasonable chance of a Serious Wound. 
  This would be something like a .38 pistol.
  Top tier weapons designed for use against hu-
  Tyrell Industries .408 Recoil-less 
  Gauss Pistol.  
  Nicknamed ‘Hand Cannon’
  
  10
  mans really shouldn’t inflict any more than 20 damage 
  maximum, but averaging just over half that, enough to 
  regularly inflict Major Wounds. A top of the line M24 or 
  Dragunov sniper rifle might be rated at 2d8+4 damage for 
  instance.
  Anything larger is just wasted ammunition mass or shot 
  energy, and works against player character survivability 
  when facing equally well armed foes.
  Projectile or Energy
  The type of projectile or energy shot from a weapon will 
  have consequences on how it works. For example a vis-
  ible Laser may be able to pass through bullet-proof glass, 
  bounce off mirrors, and yet be utterly useless in fog or 
  rain.
  Whilst energy weapons are pretty much fixed as to their 
  effects, projectile weapons can be quite versatile accord-
  ing to what ammunition they are loaded with. In fact the 
  type and amount of damage caused depends more on the 
  bullet, rather than the gun which projects it. The latter 
  having more influence over firing modes, range, accuracy 
  and such like.
  Ammunition Capacity
  Whether a firearm shoots physical projectiles or energy 
  beams, it will have a limited number of shots before 
  the magazine or power source needs to be swapped out. 
  This is important, not because of any real world or hard 
  science considerations, but without changing clips on a 
  regular basis, a firefight will simply be won by whomever 
  establishes suppressing fire first and then walks down his 
  cowering foes. 
  With no need to reload, every battle may well turn into 
  a bloodbath, which is fine if you are merely expending 
  clones or droids, but will become extremely frustrating to 
  players when rolling up new characters for the umpteenth 
  time.
  Modern projectile weapons currently have magazines of 
  about 10-30 rounds, which should be sufficient capacity 
  to enable a decent amount of shooting until needing to 
  change the clip. Heavier support weapons which have a 
  much higher rate of fire, should possess larger magazines.
  Overcoming Armour
  Some previous d100 settings using firearms have compen-
  sated for the protective value of armour by boosting the 
  base damage to very high levels. Although this enables 
  injury of those wearing significant body armour, it has a 
  detrimental effect of making such weapons near instantly 
  lethal against unprotected foes, which is not necessarily 
  realistic.
  A better alternative is that firearms should reduce or 
  bypass a certain number of Armour Points according to 
  their penetrative nature. This permits the base damage 
  of the weapon to remain within survivable limits. Some 
  weapons may be completely unaffected by armour entirely, 
  like electromagnetic weapons of higher or lower frequen-
  cies; or weapons which inflict other effects, such as brain 
  scramblers that induce unconsciousness.
  Of course, with more exotic weaponry there should always 
  be some form of counter or protection available to thwart 
  its effects. In a hard Sci-Fi setting, defending against an 
  X-Ray Laser might require 1cm thick lead-lined armour to 
  halve its effects (great for cross-genre Gloranthan trolls), 
  or conversely 150m of air, meaning that X-Ray rifles are 
  going to be rather poor as long range sniper weapons.
  New Weapon 
  Traits
  The following list gives some new Firearm specific weapon 
  traits. Further traits can be designed for more exotic 
  weaponry.
  •	
  Ablating: Designed to directly attack the protective 
  armour of an object or person. Damage is done to Ar-
  mour Points first. Once the armour has been reduced 
  to zero, any remaining damage continues through to 
  the target. Most HE (High Explosive) ammunition 
  fits this trait.
  •	
  Armour	Piercing: Ignores a specific number of 
  Armour Points equal to half the maximum damage 
  capability of the firing weapon. So Armour Piercing 
  rounds fired from a .45 pistol would ignore the first 
  four points of any protection, whereas those fired 
  
  RQ Firearms
  11
  from .50 calibre sniper rifle would ignore 12 
  points.
  •	
  Cauterising: The bolt or beam immediately 
  seals off any ruptured blood vessels, prevent-
  ing targets from bleeding out in the event of a 
  Major Wound.
  •	
  Disintegrating: Inflicts permanent Hit Point 
  damage to the target, literally vaporising the 
  area struck.
  •	
  Fragmentation: The projectile violently ex-
  plodes, affecting everything within its burst. 
  The radius of this effect should be listed in 
  parenthesis. Targets within the radius of the 
  blast receive half damage to 1d3-1 Hit Loca-
  tions (roll for each wound). Some explosive 
  rounds (HEAP) also possess the Armour 
  Piercing trait, so that they detonate inside an 
  armoured object. Those that do not fully pen-
  etrate, have their explosive damage reduced 
  by double the remaining thickness of Armour 
  Points.
  •	
  Frangible: A projectile designed to disin-
  tegrate when striking a surface harder than 
  itself. These are mainly used in fragile or dan-
  gerous environments, such as the inside of a 
  flying airplane or a fusion power plant, where 
  a stray hit on equipment can have potentially 
  catastrophic effects. They are generally inef-
  fective against body armour.
  •	
  Hollow	Point:	The projectile flattens inside 
  the target, increasing the amount of damage 
  inflicted. Roll damage twice and take the best 
  result.
  •	
  Incendiary: Designed to ignite whatever the 
  projectile or beam hits. If the target is natu-
  rally flammable it bursts into flame according 
  to the Fire rules on pages 120-121. Treat as 
  an Intensity 3 heat source for the purposes of 
  starting a fire.
  •	
  Knockout: Similar to the Paralysis trait, this 
  energy weapon does not inflict damage, but 
  renders the victim unconscious if the target 
  fails in an opposed roll of their Willpower 
  against the attack roll.
  •	
  Paralysing: The Hit Location struck by the 
  energy weapon does not take any physical 
  damage, but is instead rendered incapacitated 
  if the target fails in an opposed roll of their 
  Endurance against the attack roll.
  •	
  Scatter: The weapon or round is made of 
  tiny shot, fléchettes or pellets which spread 
  before they strike, reducing any range penal-
  ties by one step and inflicting damage to 1d3 
  adjacent Hit Locations. This comes at a cost 
  however. Firstly the weapon damage roll for 
  each location is halved; secondly any armour, 
  natural or worn, doubles its Armour Point 
  value against the damage.
  •	
  Self	Guided: Permits the selection of the 
  Circumvent Cover special effect.
  •	
  Tranquilising: Permits the delivery of a 
  narcotic or medicine, either by injection from 
  a tiny ampoule built into the projectile, or by 
  the projectile itself dissolving directly into the 
  bloodstream. Depending on its nature, dam-
  age might only rolled to see if it overcomes 
  any protection worn by the target.
  •	
  Weakness: Usually applied to energy bolts 
  or beams, the weapon suffers significant 
  degradation to some form of environmental 
  condition or material substance. The specific 
  weakness is normally specified as a footnote 
  or as part of the weapon’s detailed descrip-
  tion.
  
  12
  Sample Weapons
  This section provides a range of different example fire-
  arms, which can be used as a template to model additional 
  weapons. Most are intended for use against humans or 
  modest sized animals, and little effort is made to differ-
  entiate between specific firearms other than its form and 
  calibre.
  The following weapon statistics are merely rough approxi-
  mations, representing an average weapon of that calibre 
  and barrel length. Specific weapons may have different 
  performance characteristics. Game Masters with a deeper 
  interest in firearms are free to tinker with these values to 
  represent their favoured iconic weapons.
  In consideration of the nature of firearms, some of the 
  normal statistics for ranged weapons in RuneQuest have 
  been removed; such as Force, Armour Points, Hit Points. 
  Cost has also been left off since such things are setting 
  specific.
  Other aspects have been modified somewhat. Firing 
  Rate is now either a solitary number for single action and 
  semi-automatic weapons... or three numbers separated by 
  slashes; representing the rate of fire for semi-automatic, 
  burst and automatic fire in that order. The latter being 
  the maximum cyclic rate of fire which can be released per 
  combat action. 
  Likewise reloading (depending on the weapon) assumes an 
  easily to hand, preloaded magazine which can quickly be 
  snapped into place by ejecting and dropping the previous 
  one. If a spare clip or speedloader is not available, then a 
  single bullet or cartridge can be loaded per Turn.
  Ranged Weapon
  Damage
  Range
  Firing 
  Rate
  Ammo
  Load
  Weapon 
  Traits
  ENC
  Muff Pistol
  1d6
  5/10/25
  1
  Single Shot
  4 Rounds
  -
  Flintlock Pistol
  1d8
  10/20/50
  1
  Single Shot
  4 Rounds
  1
  Flintlock Pistol, Twin Barrel
  1d8
  10/20/50
  1
  2
  6 Rounds
  2
  Flintlock Musket
  1d10
  15/100/200
  1
  Single Shot
  4 Rounds
  3
  Flintlock Rifle
  2d6
  20/200/500
  1
  Single Shot
  4 Rounds
  3
  Blunderbuss
  2d6
  5/10/25
  1
  Single Shot
  4 Rounds
  Scatter
  2
  Black Powder Weapons
  Black powder is a mixture of sulphur, potassium nitrate, and powdered charcoal - ‘gun powder’.
  The flintlock is the most recognisable black poweder firearm. Flintlocks work by striking a sharpened 
  piece of flint against a curved, hard steel frizzen, which is attached to a pivot; the impact of the hammer 
  pushes the frizzen forward, and its bottom acts as a cover for a small priming pan. The sparks gener-
  ated fall into the pan and ignite a small priming charge. The resulting flash travels through a touch-hole 
  bored into the barrel to ignite the main charge.
  These weapons require more maintenance than their modern counterparts. Loading any black powder 
  firearm requires ammunition, which may come in the form of a ‘cartridge’ (containing a ball and the 
  requisite amount of powder, wrapped in paper), or simply the ball and wadding without pre-measured 
  powder; a flask of powder for pouring and priming; and a rod to ram the charge securely into the 
  weapon’s muzzle. As black powder weapons are muzzle-loading, it takes time to prepare each round.
  
  RQ Firearms
  13
  Ranged Weapon
  Damage
  Range
  Firing 
  Rate
  Ammo
  Load
  Weapon 
  Traits
  ENC
  .38 Pistol
  1d6
  50/100/200
  1
  6-9
  3
  -
  1
  9mm Pistol
  1d6+1
  50/100/200
  1
  6-9
  3
  -
  1
  .45 Pistol
  1d8
  50/100/200
  1
  6-9
  3
  -
  1
  .357 Pistol
  1d8+1
  50/100/200
  1
  6-9
  3
  -
  1
  10mm Pistol
  1d10
  50/100/200
  1
  6-9
  3
  -
  1
  .50 Pistol
  1d12
  50/100/200
  1
  6 Box Mag
  3
  -
  2
  5.56mm Assault Carbine
  2d6-1
  500/900/2000
  1/3/-
  30 Box Mag
  3
  -
  3
  5.56mm Assault Rifle
  2d6+1
  600/1000/3000
  1/3/20
  30 Box Mag
  3
  -
  3
  5.56mm Light Machine Gun
  2d6
  600/1000/3000
  -/-/20
  200 Belt
  6
  -
  4
  7.62mm Medium Machine Gun
  2d8+2
  800/1500/4000
  -/-/22
  50 Drum or 
  200 Belt
  3 Drum, 6 
  Belt
  -
  5
  7.62mm Sniper Rifle
  2d8+4
  900/1500/5000
  1/-/-
  20 Box Mag
  3
  -
  4
  .50  Anti-Material Sniper Rifle
  2d10+4
  1/-/-
  10 Box Mag
  3
  -
  6
  12 Gauge Combat Shotgun
  3d6
  20/100/200
  1/-/8
  8 Box Mag or 
  32 Drum
  3
  -
  3
  Modern Weapons
  Most modern firearms lack any inherent traits, but defer their effects to their ammunition. By default, 
  standard bullets possess none, merely inflicting the weapon’s basic damage. Special ammunition how-
  ever, can be purchased for most modern weapons however, permitting rounds with either the Armour 
  Piercing, Frangible, Hollow Point or Incendiary traits.
  Combat Shotguns are the exception to this rule, possessing a versatile range of different ammunition. 
  Other than a plain slug, shotguns may fire the following types of round: Anti-personnel grenades 
  (Fragmentation with 2m radius), Baton rounds (Stun Location, temporary damage), Breaching rounds 
  (Frangible), and Buckshot (Scatter).
  Energy Weapons
  The typical weapons of Science Fiction settings, energy weapons emit a beam or bolt of energy rather 
  than a physical projectile. The power source is typically a battery or powerpack held within the weapon 
  or carried separately and attached to the weapon via a cable. External powerpacks provide a far greater 
  capacity. Laser weapons are silent, projecting a lased beam of light in a continuous stream. Blasters fire a 
  pulse of plasma accompanied by a distinct crackle or sound as the bolt leaves the weapon’s muzzle.
  The load rating for energy weapons represents replacing a spent power source. The Ammo rating dictates 
  how many shots can be obtained from the power source before it is depleted. For simplicity, Ammo 
  ratings assume the weapon carries a battery or powerpack. For a separate, external source, increase the 
  Ammo rating by ten.
  Traits for energy weapons vary from the predictable to the more versatile. Blasters, for instance, can be 
  set to stun rather than kill. Changing the setting is a Free Action.
  Science Fiction has created some truly inventive energy weapons that have very different traits. The 
  selection here captures the traditional lasers and blasters, and offers some more exotic variants found in 
  different books, films and TV shows.
  
  14
  Ranged Weapon
  Damage
  Range
  Firing Rate
  Ammo
  Load
  Weapon Traits
  ENC
  Blaster, Palm
  1d8
  5/15/90
  1
  20
  2
  Cauterising
  0.25
  Blaster Pistol
  1d8
  10/30/120
  1
  100
  3
  Cauterising
  1
  Blaster Pistol, Heavy
  1d10
  7/25/50
  1
  50
  3
  Cauterising
  1
  Blaster Carbine
  2d6
  15/50/220
  1
  50
  3
  Cauterising, 
  Knockout
  2
  Blaster Rifle
  2d6
  30/100/300
  1
  100
  3
  Cauterising, 
  Knockout
  3
  Light Repeating Blaster
  2d6
  30/100/300
  3 shot burst or 
  full auto (up to 
  25 shots)
  25 (250 if 
  connected 
  to backpack 
  generator)
  15
  Cauterising
  7
  Disintegrator, Pistol
  1d10
  8/24/100
  1
  15
  3
  Disintegrating
  2
  Disintergrator, Rifle
  2d10
  25/75/300
  1
  10
  3
  Disintegrating
  4
  Disruptor, Pistol
  1d6
  10/30/120
  1
  40
  3
  Knockout, 
  Paralysing
  1
  Disruptor, Rifle
  1d8
  30/100/300
  1
  50
  3
  Knockout, 
  Paralysing
  3
  Laser Pistol*
  1d6+1
  12/36/144
  1
  50
  3
  Cauterising, 
  Incendiary, 
  Weakness
  1
  Laser Carbine*
  1d8+2
  18/60/300
  1
  30
  3
  Cauterising, 
  Incendiary
  Weakness
  2
  Laser Rifle*
  1d10+2
  40/120/380
  1
  80 (800 if 
  connected to 
  a backpack 
  generator)
  3
  Cauterising, 
  Incendiary
  Weakness
  3
  Laser Rifle, Heavy*
  1d12+2
  80/240/1000
  1
  25 (250 if 
  connected 
  to backpack 
  generator)
  3
  Cauterising, 
  Incendiary
  Weakness
  4
  Phaser, Palm
  1d6
  4/12/50
  1
  12
  3
  Cauterising, 
  Knockout, 
  Paralysing
  0.25
  Phaser, Pistol
  1d8
  8/25/75
  1
  24
  3
  Cauterising, 
  Knockout, 
  Paralysing
  1
  Phaser, Rifle
  1d8
  20/60/240
  1
  48
  3
  Cauterising, 
  Knockout, 
  Paralysing
  2
  Sonic Rifle**
  Special
  Special
  1
  20
  3
  Paralysing**
  4
  * Lasers can be affected by defensive materials that diffuse, defract or reflect light, such as anti-lasre aerosol particles, mist, and mirrors. All and  similar 
  will help reduce or even block a visible light laser. Games Masters should decide on the effectiveness of deterrent and reduce the laser’s damage by an 
  appropriate percentage.
  ** Sonic Rifles produce an intense burst of sound that affects all targets not equipped with sonic dampeners or ear protection within a 20 metre arc 
  directly in front of the firer. Do not roll for Hit Location. Victims must succeed in a Hard Endurance roll (unopposed) or be incapacitated until the 
  weapon is deactivated.
  Energy Weapons
  
  RQ Firearms
  15
  Exotic Firearms
  Exotic firearms are ballistics, rather than energy-based, but have a wide variety of different traits to 
  distinguish them from Modern Firearms. They represent future advancements on ballistics technology, 
  some of which are being realised in current weapons research.
  Ranged Weapon
  Damage
  Range
  Firing 
  Rate
  Ammo
  Load
  Weapon Traits
  ENC
  Flechette/Needle Gun
  1d6
  5/15/90
  1
  80
  2
  Scatter, 
  Tranquilising
  1
  Gauss Pistol*
  1d12+1
  40/80/150
  1
  12
  3
  Hollow Point
  2
  Gauss Rifle*
  2d12+2
  80/160/300
  1/3/-
  30
  3
  Armour Piercing, 
  Hollow Point
  4
  Gauss Rifle, Heavy*
  2d12+6
  160/400/1200
  -/-/22
  80 Drum or 
  300 Belt
  3 Drum, 6 
  Belt
  Armour Piercing, 
  Hollow Point
  6
  Snub Pistol
  1d6
  5/15/90
  1
  20
  2
  Frangible
  1
  Snub Rifle
  1d8
  10/30/180
  1/3/-
  50 Drum
  3
  Frangible
  3
  Flamer, Hand
  1d8
  3/10/40
  1
  8
  4
  Incendiary
  2
  Flamer Rifle
  2d8
  12/36/150
  1
  20
  4
  Incendiary
  4
  Frag Pistol
  1d6
  10/30/120
  1
  18
  3
  Fragmentation
  2
  Frag Rifle
  1d10
  15/50/220
  1
  50
  3
  Fragmentation
  4
  Multi-Purpose Pistol**
  Special
  50/100/200
  1
  15
  3
  Variable
  2
  Multi-Purpose Rifle**
  Special
  100/400/1200
  1/3/-
  50 Box
  3
  Variable
  4
  * Gauss weapons include an electromagnetic array along the length of the barrel that increases bullet velocity substantially and means that a lower calibre 
  of round can be used to impart significant damage. All Gauss weapons have a power supply in the form of a internal battery that must be replaced after 
  every 50 shots.
  ** Multi-Purpose Weapons use sophisticated computer and ballistics manipulation technology to change the type of the ammunition being fired at the 
  flick of a manual switch (some advanced variants are voice-activated). These weapons can select one of the following Traits to augment their standard 
  ammunition: Armour Piercing, Hollow-Point, Incendiary and Self-Guided. Changing the selection uses the Switch Fire Mode Combat Action.
  A Bit Elaborate for a Toothpick...
  The example weapons provided here are not exhaustive and there are clearly hundreds - if not thou-
  sands - of variants. Our intention is to provide a representative sample that can act as templates for more 
  specific firearms, real or speculative, that Games Masters can develop for their campaigns.
  We hope you enjoyed reading this expansion for RuneQuest. With these guidelines you should be able 
  to create firearms perfectly suited to whatever genre you require and experience as much fun using the 
  rules as we did developing them.
  Feel free to post your creations on our website (www.thedesignmechanism.com) to inspire others!
  
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