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Ammunition Variants

by Rich Redman
Editing:Marc Schmalz
Layout and Typesetting: Marc Schmalz

Ammunition Variants originally appeared on The Game Mechanics website as a free download, and was included as an appendix in Modern Player's Companion.

Proper ammunition customizes a firearm for a particular situation.

Some ammunition can make a weapon unreliable. Such a weapon jams if you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll. Each source of unreliability increases the "failure range" by 1. This means a weapon with three sources of unreliability fails on a natural 1, 2, or 3. Clearing a jam is a full-round action. GMs may rule that damage to a weapon or immersion of a weapon also counts as a source of unreliability.

Damage Modifiers: When ammunition does +1 or more, or -1 or less, points of damage, it does an additional +1 or -1 point of damage per die of additional damage done with Burst Fire or Double Tap. When used with Strafe or automatic fire, it does +1 or -1 point of damage to each affected target.

AET (accelerated energy transfer): AET is a classification of bullets, all of which incorporate a light, high-velocity bullet with an unusual shape. They penetrate cover and light armor but still rapidly shed velocity when striking soft material, like flesh. Because of their unusual shape, AET bullets cause feed problems in self-loading (semi-automatic or automatic) weapons, making them unreliable.

AP (armor-piercing): If your target has armor or natural armor, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus on attack rolls when using AP ammunition. However, you suffer a -1 penalty on damage rolls regardless of whether your target is armored or not. AP bullets do not provide any additional benefit when using Burst Fire or Double Tap. AP bullets have no effect on the Reflex save caused by Strafe or automatic fire.

Ball: Ball ammunition is the standard load for most weapons. No special rules apply.

Explosive: The tips of these bullets contain an unstable substance, like mercury fulminate. Firing the bullet arms the detonator, and the round then explodes on impact. Below .38 caliber pistol ammunition, there isn't enough explosive to make these functionally different from hollow-points (see below). Explosive pistol bullets do an additional 1d4 points of damage. Explosive rifle bullets up to and including 7.62mm do an additional 1d6 points of damage. Explosive rifle bullets over 7.62mm do an additional 2d4 points of damage. Any time a character carrying explosive bullets takes more than 6 points of damage from falling, fire, or an explosion, that character must make a Fortitude save (DC 20). If the character fails that saving throw, all the bullets explode at once and do their additional damage all at once to the character and any other character within 5 feet (Reflex save [DC 5 + the number of bullets] for half).

Flechette: Flechette ammunition turns any weapon into a shotgun. Instead of firing a single bullet, flechette ammunition fires a bundle of metal darts. When firing flechette ammunition, attacks suffer a -2 penalty to damage per range increment rather than the normal -2 penalty to hit (minimum 1 point of damage).

Glaser: Glaser is a specific brand of frangible bullet. Frangible rounds break apart, spreading out within the target. If your target has armor or natural armor, you suffer a -2 penalty to your attack roll when using Glaser ammunition. However, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to damage rolls. If you use Glaser ammunition with automatic fire, you don't suffer the -2 penalty (you're firing at a square, not an armored target), but neither do you gain the bonus to damage.

Hollow-point: Hollow-point ammunition has a hollow tip, or a tip filled with soft lead or plastic. It deforms on impact. If your target has armor or natural armor, you suffer a -1 penalty when using hollow-point ammunition. However, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to damage rolls.

Incendiary: The tips of these bullets contain a highly flammable substance. Firing the bullet arms the detonator, and the round then bursts into flame on impact.

Tracer: Coated with a chemical that burns, leaving a glowing trail behind it, tracer ammunition grants a +1 equipment bonus on attack rolls, but only when using automatic fire (or Strafe) and only when using at least 10 bullets in the attack.

Ammunition Modifiers

Hot Loads: Hot loads use a heavier propellant charge than is standard for the weapon. Hot loads do +1 point of damage. Hot loaded ammunition is a source of unreliability. You cannot combine hot loads with cold loads, but you may combine them with other types. If combined with ammunition that causes unreliability, such as AET, hot loads count as a separate source of unreliability. For instance, a weapon loaded with AET hot loads will jam on a natural 1 or 2 on its attack roll. Hot loaded ammunition doubles the purchase DC.

Cold Loads: This ammunition suffers an additional -1 penalty for each range increment over which it is fired due to its reduced propellant charge. Some weapons require this ammunition to be truly silent. Cold-loaded ammunition increases the purchase DC by +1.

Shotgun Ammunition

Shotgun ammunition comes in a variety of special types described here.

Birdshot: Similar to the standard ammunition, buckshot (see below), but with more and smaller pellets. Designed for hunting small game, birdshot leaves more of the meat intact. 12-gauge birdshot shells do 2d3 points of damage, and 10-gauge birdshot shells do 2d4 points of damage. Birdshot suffers a -2 penalty to damage per range increment rather than the standard -2 penalty to hit (minimum 1 point of damage). This rule supersedes the rule in the d20 Modern rulebook (see d20 Modern Roleplaying Game Chapter 4, Weapons, Ranged Weapons, Longarms) which penalizes damage in addition to penalizing the attack role.

Buckshot: Standard load for shotguns, buckshot suffers a -2 penalty to damage per range increment rather than the standard -2 penalty to hit (minimum 1 point of damage). This rule supersedes the rule in the d20 Modern rulebook (see d20 Modern Roleplaying Game Chapter 4, Weapons, Ranged Weapons, Longarms) which penalizes damage in addition to penalizing the attack role.

CS: This shell fires a tiny tear gas grenade. A target struck by the shell takes 2d4 points of nonlethal damage. However, users normally fire the shell at a 5-foot square. On the round that it is fired, the CS gas fills the square in which it lands. On the following round, the cloud fills all adjacent squares.

CS Penetrating: Similar to the CS shell, this one is designed to fire through doors and other barriers. If the target has armor or natural armor, the firer gains a +1 circumstance bonus on attack rolls when using this ammunition type. A CS penetrating shell deals 2d6 points of lethal damage. If it deals more damage than an intervening barrier's hardness, it penetrates the barrier and effects the 5-foot square immediately on the other side. It releases its gas exactly like a CS shell.

Dragon: This shell effectively turns a shotgun into a low-powered flamethrower. When fired, the shotgun shoots a five-foot-wide, 20-foot-long line of flame that deals 2d6 points of fire damage (Reflex save, DC 15, for half) to all creatures and objects in its path. No attack roll is required. Any creature or flammable object that takes damage from a dragon shell risks catching on fire (see the d20 Modern rulebook, Chapter 7, Catching on Fire). Dragon shells lack sufficient power to operate semiautomatic or automatic shotguns. Such weapons must be operated manually to chamber the next shell. Furthermore, any weapon that fires a dragon shell becomes unreliable until it receives special maintenance (requiring 30 minutes).

Riot: Riot shells do the same damage as buckshot rounds, except that the damage is nonlethal. They are meant for dispersing crowds.

Slug: A slug shell contains a single, heavy projectile, similar to a conventional bullet. Because of their size, low velocity, and the lack of rifling in a shotgun barrel, shotgun slugs are not as accurate as rifle bullets. Shotgun slugs suffer a -2 penalty per range increment on the attack roll and a -2 penalty per range increment on damage. If the target of the attack has armor or natural armor, the firer suffers a -1 penalty on attack rolls when using this ammunition type.

Shotgun slugs can be used to fire explosive and incendiary rounds from shotguns. Such slugs do additional damage as rifle bullets over 7.62mm.

Slug, penetrating: This is a slug shell designed to penetrate armor or cover.

Penetrating slug ammunition is most often used to get explosive or incendiary loads past intervening barriers. Penetrating slugs suffer the same -2 penalty per range increment on the attack roll and a -2 penalty per range increment on damage as other shotgun slugs. If the target of the attack has armor or natural armor, the firer gains a +1 circumstance bonus on attack rolls when using this ammunition type. If it deals more standard damage than an intervening barrier's hardness, it penetrates the barrier and deals its additional damage to the target. If it fails to deal more standard damage than the barrier, then it deals both the standard and additional damage to the barrier.

1 If your target has armor or natural armor, you suffer a -2 penalty on attack rolls when using this ammunition type.

2 If your target has armor or natural armor, you suffer a -1 penalty on attack rolls when using this ammunition type.

3 If your target has armor or natural armor, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus on attack rolls when using this ammunition type.

4 When using this ammunition, you suffer a -2 penalty to damage per range increment rather than the standard -2 penalty to hit.

5 When using this ammunition, you gain a +1 equipment bonus on attack rolls, but only when using automatic fire (or Strafe) and only when using at least 10 bullets in the attack.

1 If your target has armor or natural armor, you suffer a -2 penalty on attack rolls when using this ammunition type.

2 If your target has armor or natural armor, you suffer a -1 penalty on attack rolls when using this ammunition type.

3 If your target has armor or natural armor, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus on attack rolls when using this ammunition type.

4 When using this ammunition, you suffer a -2 penalty to damage per range increment rather than the standard -2 penalty to hit.

5 When using this ammunition, you gain a +1 equipment bonus on attack rolls, but only when using automatic fire (or Strafe) and only when using at least 10 bullets in the attack.

1 If your target has armor or natural armor, you suffer a -2 penalty on attack rolls when using this ammunition type.

2 If your target has armor or natural armor, you suffer a -1 penalty on attack rolls when using this ammunition type.

3 If your target has armor or natural armor, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus on attack rolls when using this ammunition type.

4 When using this ammunition, you suffer a -2 penalty to damage per range increment rather than the standard -2 penalty to hit.

5 When using this ammunition, you gain a +1 equipment bonus on attack rolls, but only when using automatic fire (or Strafe) and only when using at least 10 bullets in the attack.

6 When using this ammunition, you also suffer a -2 penalty to damage per range increment as well as the standard -2 penalty to hit.

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Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JD Wiker.

 

Ultramodern Firearms d20, Copyright 2002, Charles McManus Ryan.

 

Modern Player's Companion, Copyright 2003, The Game Mechanics, Inc.; Author: Stan!

 

Ammunition Variants, Copyright 2003-2004, The Game Mechanics, Inc.; Author: Rich Redman