Shooting

Type
There are many different forms that a ranged weapon can take. Some types of weapons are restricted in their use which is denoted by their type. There are 3 different types of ranged weapons: light, basic, and heavy. The term hardpoint will be described later.

Light weapons can be easily held in one hand or can be installed without taking up hardpoints on a unit. Light weapons can also be used in close combat without penalty.

Basic weapons take two hands to be used properly. Holding a basic weapon in one hand is difficult and will be described later. Basic weapons usually take up 1 hardpoint.

Heavy weapons are large and powerful. Holding a heavy weapon always involves using both hands. These weapons can take up 2 or more hardpoints.

Range
Most weapons can be fired at any distance, however, depending on their range type, only certain distances are likely to have a chance to hit. If a weapon has a limited firing range, the distance will be in brackets. Consult the Weapon Range Chart for To Hit modifiers.

Firing Mode
There are five general types of firing modes, which are single, semi-auto, full-auto, flame, and blast. Single and semi-auto are the most common firing modes. A single shot fires once per Action. A semi-auto attack fires the number of times given in brackets in the weapon’s description. Some semi-auto weapons have a range of minimum and maximum fire rates. In this case the two numbers are divided by a slash (example: 2/4). Full-auto, flame, and blast modes are dealt with in the Special Weapon Types section due to their unique firing rules. Some weapons have multiple firing modes and the player must state which mode is selected when declaring the unit’s Actions for the turn (in some cases a weapon my need additional Actions to switch modes). If firing semi-auto, the player need only declare that he is firing in semi-auto. He does not need to describe the number of shots that will be fired until he makes the action. For every round fired, remember to keep track and mark off the shots from the weapon’s loaded ammunition.

Accuracy
This is the weapon’s inherent accuracy and will improve or hinder the wielder.

Damage
This is the number and type of dice rolled along with any modifiers to damage a target once it is hit.

Shots
This is the number of shots that a weapon can fire before it needs to be reloaded.

Reload
This is the number of Actions that must be used to reload a weapon. If the number is in brackets, this is the number of shots that may be reloaded per Action (such as some shotguns may reload 2 rounds per Action). If the number is underlined, then it needs to recharge, in which case the number indicates how many turns that the weapon cannot be used for. However, recharging and mounted weapons normally reload automatically and are consider free combined Actions to complete. Reloading Actions can be split over a number of turns. Therefore it is possible to spend one Action on one turn reloading, and then finish the reload at a later point if necessary.

Power
This is how much a weapon potentially needs to use to be active. Normally this number is how much Power is used per its Shots characteristic. If the number is in brackets, it denotes how much power must be committed to have the weapon active. Sometimes the power will be listed with both a usage and a commitment. Special rules may apply to how much power a weapon needs and how it is used.

Hardpoints
Hardpoints represent the general size and weight of a weapon. A mobile suit can only carry a number of weapons equal to the hardpoints that it has. In many cases weapons take up multiple hardpoints, so after picking which weapons to use, the maximum allowed is usually less than a unit’s total hardpoints. Each hand/manipulator is considered a hardpoint location, so a unit can hold up to 2 hardpoints worth of weaponry. Some weapons have more than 2 hardpoints but are still acceptable handheld weapons. In this case, a fuel line, power line, or ammo line, etc, extends from the weapon and is attached to the unit, using up one of its other free hardpoints. It is important to note that although the unit uses hardpoints to allocate weapons, in some cases these hardpoints are built solely to hold weapons, not to manipulate or fire them, or may hold particularly bulky pieces of equipment. Hardpoints are described later.

Special Rules
Certain weapons have extenuating rules for how they are used or operate. These rules are included in this characteristic.

Line of Sight
The most basic principle of shooting is being able to see the target. Some weapons do not need to have direct line of sight, but most do. Due to the nature of the miniatures, it is sometimes difficult to determine line of sight. Though discretion is advised, it is generally understood that if a hit location is visible, then the firer has at least some line of sight. Though you can fire at a target that is in cover, it will be harder to hit. Also, because the range of motion of the miniatures is not as high as they would be in real life, the units are capable of performing some actions that can not be represented in the model. On page X there are some examples of what a unit might be doing and how much of its body would be exposed in the process. A unit that is crouching is assumed to only be half as tall, and a crawling/prone unit is 1/4th as tall.

Certain types of terrain will obscure some or all of a unit. If the terrain has a distinct silhouette, the rules for cover are listed on page X. If the terrain is more amorphous, such as a wooded area, it might be easier to not treat each individual piece of terrain as blocking line of sight, but instead to treat it as a degree of cover. There are three degrees of cover density: light, medium, and heavy. Light cover only completely blocks a unit after 8 paces, medium after 6, and heavy after 4. If the unit is within the range allowed by its degree of cover, all hit locations still gain from a cover bonus to their armour.

In some cases, degrees of cover can also be used to completely negate damage from an attack. As an example, a unit is partially covered by a solid building, blocking its right arm and leg. If the shot fired lands on one of these locations, normally the building would deduct damage from the attack. However, if the depth of the building is 4 paces or more, it could be said to afford complete heavy cover and negates all damage to that location. A unit can only fire its weapons in certain directions, forcing it to change its facing to bring its weapons to bear on an enemy. These arcs are determined by which location on the unit the weapon is located is sometimes modified by a weapon’s special rules, upgrades, or a character’s special abilities. Most fire arcs are limited to a 45 degree angle extending out from the front of the unit. Weapons held in the hands/manipulators have the advantage to fire an extended 180 degree angle, though any shots fired outside the original 45 degree angle are at a -5 to hit penalty. If combining movement with shooting, the unit is considered facing in the direction it moved.

Hitting the Target
The raw number used to determine if a shot hits its target is the pilot’s Ballistic Skill (BS). Roll a D20 equal to or less than the pilot’s BS to hit a target. This value is affected by a number of modifiers which are described below.

Salvoes of fire, derived from attacks such as semi-auto and full-auto fire, happen simultaneously and as such the effects from the attack (such as injury and knockback) are applied at the end of the Action.

No matter how low or high modifiers affect a character’s chance to hit, there is always a chance that the shots will or will not hit. This is represented with automatic hits and misses. On a D20 roll to hit, a roll of 1 always hits. Likewise, a roll of a 20 always misses. Note that even if the roll technically hits, there are instances where the damage is still completely negated.

To Hit Modifiers
Sometimes there are a large number of factors in how hard or easy it is to hit a target with a ranged weapon. When Shooting, read through the following list and apply all relevant modifiers to the pilot’s BS. All penalties and bonuses are cumulative.

Weapon Accuracy
Located in the weapon’s profile, this is the weapon’s innate accuracy.

Range
A unit cannot normally measure the range to a target until this point in adding and deducting modifiers. Each weapon has a range type listed in its profile. Measure the distance to the target and cross-reference the Weapon Range Chart (see page X). The results modify the unit’s To Hit roll. Range is measured from the center of the firing unit to the closest visible part of the target.

Movement
Moving while shooting a weapon counts as a combined action. These modifiers are as follows: Sneaking -1, Walking -2, Running -4, Evading -6, Sprinting -8. All other movements performed while shooting use the normal rules for combined Actions, halving the success. All movement modifiers are doubled for firing heavy weapons (The combined action modifier is divided by ¾ for heavy weapons).

The movement of the target is also a factor in the chance to hit. The speed of the target is determined by its last Action. If the target did not move or only crawled, there are no negative modifiers. If the target used a normal move, the modifiers are as follows: Walking -1, Running -2, Sprinting -3, Evading -4. If the target moved in some other fashion, the target is at -1 to hit for every 2 paces it traveled.

Aiming
For every Action the unit spends aiming, the chance to hit increases by +4 (max +12). This is cumulative and carries over from turn to turn. If the pilot wishes to aim and there is an enemy within 5 paces of the firer, the pilot must past a Nerve test to aim with an -2 to Nerve for every additional enemy within 5 paces. If the test is failed, the character cannot aim and can only choose to fire at the closest enemy in sight.

As soon as the aiming unit moves, fails a Nerve Test, is hit by an enemy, takes damage, or does anything other than aim, or fires, all aiming bonuses are lost. After the first round fired, aiming is lost. For every action the target spends out of the firer’s line of sight, the aiming bonus decreases by -2 (note that only the bonus is affected, though make sure to also deduct BS for the target moving).

As well as aiming at target in sight, a unit can also choose to cover an area of the battlefield and wait for an enemy to appear. This is referred to as overwatch. The player must specify an area that is within the unit’s line of sight and should not cover more than a 4 pace stretch across. If an area is covered by overwatch, the unit may take a shot as soon as a target appears within that area, interrupting the target’s turn temporarily. This area cannot be “aimed” at and as such cannot gain a bonus to hit for aiming.

Aiming can also increase the chances of a placed shot, which is described later.

Rested Weapon
A unit can spend one Action resting a weapon against a solid surface and gain a +2 chance to hit. The surface can be vertical or horizontal. Some shields offer a Rested bonus. This bonus is lost if the unit moves, changes weapons, or fires anything other than a single shot per Action. The benefits of resting a weapon can be combined with aiming.

Target Size
As long as the target is roughly the same size as the firer, there are no modifiers for size. As a rule of thumb, if the target is about 10-50% the size of the unit, there is an additional -6 to hit. Conversely, if the target is over 50% bigger than the unit, the firer gains a +6 modifier.

Semi-Auto
For every shot fired after the first, a weapon firing on semi-auto suffers a cumulative -2 to hit.

Multiple Weapons
A unit can fire multiple weapons as part of a single Action. However, they also will suffer an additional -4 chance to hit for each weapon. If only mounted weapons are fired, they can be linked. Linked weapons must use the worst weapon’s To Hit roll for all its attacks.

Multiple Targets
If the unit wishes to fire at separate targets in the same Action, each shot suffers a -4. If a target is outside of the 45 degree firing arc for handheld weapons but still within the 180 degree arc, they suffer an additional -5, for a total of -9.

One Handed
If a basic weapon is being fired in one hand when it normally is held in two, it suffers a -4 to Hit.

Placed Shots
There is a chance that a unit lands a hit just where they wanted it, which is known as a placed shot. A unit with a with a final To Hit of 10 or higher will make a placed shot on a roll of a 1. Players who score a placed shot may add or duct up to 4% from the hit location roll (see page X).

A unit that aims has an even greater chance of making a placed shot. If a character has one or more Actions spent on aiming, the chance of a placed shot becomes the To Hit number minus 1 for every 5 paces. This bonus applies even if the To Hit number is below 10. For example, if an aiming unit has a To Hit value of 15 and the target is 25 paces away, the attack will score a Placed Shot on a roll of a 10 or less. Even if the attacker needed an 8 to hit, a placed shot would still be achieved with a 3 or less.

Pining
If a unit is fired at, the pilot must pass a Nerve test or be pinned. If the shot failed to hit the target, he may add a +4 to his Nerve test. If a unit is in a blast, the Nerve test will be at -2 with an additional -2 for each hit the blast caused. Pinning is resolved after the effects of the hit have been resolved. A unit who is pinned and in the open will dive D6 paces towards the nearest cover and fall prone. If the unit was already in cover, no addition movement needs to be made, though the unit is still pinned. Pinned units must spend their next successful Action recovering from pinning (which is usually automatic) which cannot be combined with any other actions. Pinning cannot automatically succeed or fail, so a character with a Nerve of 20 or more does not normally need to test for pinning. Likewise, a character who has 0 Nerve (usually from certain effects of combat) will always fail their Nerve test. A pilot can also opt to automatically fail a Nerve test unless their psychology does not allow this option.

Firing into Close Combat
It is dangerous to fire into close combat because the units, though fairly static as miniatures, are actually moving back and forth quite a bit, making hitting the correct target difficult. Anytime you are shooting at a target that is within 2 paces of another unit, friend or foe, roll 2 D20s. The intended target is hit if both rolls succeed. The shot misses if only one roll succeeds. If both rolls fail, the next nearest unit in the close combat, friend or foe, is hit instead.

Special Weapon Types
Most of the rules for shooting up to this point have dealt with single shots. The following rules apply to firing multiple rounds or using weapons with special firing types.

Semi-Auto
A semi-automatic weapon fires a number of times equal to the rate (or within the range of rates) noted on the weapon’s profile. The player must declare that the unit is firing on semi-auto when he declares his Actions, but does not have to declare the number of rounds fired until the Action occurs. Each round fired suffers an additional cumulative -2 to hit. A unit can aim before firing on semi-auto but any aiming bonuses are lost after the first round is fired.

Full Auto
Fully automatic attacks are worked out differently than single and semi-auto. To fire on full auto, nominate a target group. All units in the group must be within 2 paces of each other and within the arc of fire. Empty spaces can be nominated to allow the unit to fire over wider areas, though these areas will sink some of the shots, reducing the number of shots fired at enemies. The number of shots a fully automatic weapon can fire is noted in brackets. The number of shots must be divided as evenly as possible between the units (and spaces) in the target group, starting with the closest target.

The To Hit roll needed is equal to the firer’s BS divided by 5.

Once any hits have been determined, proceed with rolls for hit locations and damage. All units in the target group must test for pinning when fired on by a full auto attack. Units that were not hit by the attack DO NOT gain the normal +4 to Nerve. Full auto shots never make placed shots.

Spray Weapons
Some weapons spray their attacks instead of firing rounds. Most often this caused by flame weapons, though there are many other types of weapons that use the same basic principle, such as webbing, gas, or fluid attacks.

Much like full auto weapons, choose a target group. All the same restrictions of target grouping apply, but only roll to hit each potential target once. The chances of hitting are equal to 1/4th of the firer’s BS with no other modifiers. Any character hit takes a number of hits equal to the number determined by the range as noted below. Roll locations and damage for each hit individually. All units in the target group must test for pinning and DO NOT gain a +4 to Nerve if that were not hit. Ammunition is counted off for each burst of fire, not the number of hits made. A spray weapon cannot make placed shots.

Spray Weapon Range/Hit Chart
If a unit wishes to fire a spray weapon at speeds greater than walking, they run the risk of hitting themselves. After 4 paces, the unit will hit itself on a D20 roll of a 1, +1 for every 4 additional paces. Failure incurs 1 hit.

Blast Weapons
Some attacks are explosive such as grenades and rockets. These work slightly differently than other attacks. Designate the target point the unit is aiming for with a counter. The target point can be another unit, a terrain piece, or even an empty area. Roll To Hit as normal. If the weapon hits, the blast explodes centered on the target point. If it fails, it scatters in a random direction D10 paces plus 1 pace for every 2 points or part there of that the unit failed their To Hit roll by.

Example: The unit needs a 9 to hit and rolls a 15. That is a difference of 6, or D10+3 paces scatter.

Blast weapons also have two additional characteristics. The Area value is the distance from the attack’s final landing point that the blast can extend. Any units within the blast area automatically suffer a number of hits equal to the Blast value minus the distance to the center of the blast. So a unit 3 paces from the center of the explosion with a Blast value of 6 would suffer 3 hits. The total number of hits is halved if the unit is prone. Roll location and damage for each hit as normal. The hits caused in a Blast cannot be reduced below 1 due to distance from the center.

All pilots within the area of effect of a blast weapon must pass a Nerve test at –2 and an additional -2 for each hit or will be pinned. So if a unit is in a blast and is hit 2 times, he must pass a Nerve test at -6.

Thrown Weapons
Though it is not usually the case that weapons are thrown in mobile suit combat, sometimes it is necessary. Throwing grenades and bombs are included here. Thrown attacks are resolved exactly like shooting attacks with the exception that a unit can draw and throw such weapons as a single action. Thrown weapons have a maximum range equal to half of the unit’s Strength minus the number of hardpoints it takes up. So a Strength 15 unit could throw a 1 hardpoint explosive 9 paces. It takes one Action to prime a grenade and another Action to throw it.

If a thrown attack exceeds the unit’s potential throwing distance, it automatically misses. In the case of explosives, move the aiming point directly back towards the thrower until it is in range. The grenade then scatters 2D10 paces from this point before exploding.

Indirect Fire
Some weapons lob their attacks in a trajectory that takes it over intervening terrain, allowing units to fire at enemies outside their line of sight. Indirect fire is resolved as normal blast weapons except that each shot automatically scatters D10 paces. Add +1 to the D10 roll for every 2 points or part there off that the To Hit is failed by and deduct -1 from the D10 roll for every 2 points or part there of that the To Hit roll passed by.

Scattering Restrictions
The players and GM should use their best judgment when calculating scatter. Grenades cannot pass through walls. In this case move the aiming point back to the nearest possible target.

If a grenade scatters into a wall or obstacle, it will continue its movement at an angle equal to the angle it impacted the obstacle. So, for example, imagine a grenade scatters from its aiming location 5 paces and then after 2 paces it hits a wall. Measuring from the wall the impact hits at a 45 degree angle. The grenade bounces off the wall at another 45 degree angle for the last 3 paces. This is useful to know when throwing a grenade in closed in areas.

Indirect fire is not normally obstructed. However, keep an eye out for walkways or other such structures that might impede the attack.

Mounted Weapons
A weapon mounted on a suit’s manipulators follows its own rules for facing, firing, and reloading. Weapons that are mounted on standard hardpoints must choose a facing (front, side, or rear) as part of the build process and are limited to a 45 degree firing arc. Because of their location, mounted weapons are designed to reload themselves. Though the unit does not need to allocate any actions to reload mounted weapons, the weapon still cannot be fired until the set number of actions has occurred. Mounted weapons can be fire together, known as linked fire. When doing so, any or all mounted weapons that are able to fire can do so at a single target. The roll to hit for all shots is always equal to the worse initial To Hit score. Linked weapons do not suffer for firing multiple weapons unless a hand held weapon is also fired simultaneously. In the case of semi-auto or other special types of attacks, these modifiers will need to be rolled separately after the initial attack.