The Modern Armory ยท Chapter 16
Ammunition
Changing what a gun fires changes what the gun does. This chapter lists twenty-five loads, and none of them adds to a weapon's damage.
The Three Rules
1. A load is one purchase. A load is enough ammunition of one kind to last a scene. Nobody counts cartridges. A load of ordinary ammunition is included in the price of the weapon and costs the following to replace:
| Weapon | Price of a load |
|---|---|
| Handgun, submachine gun | 20 |
| Shotgun | 25 |
| Rifle, carbine | 40 |
| Machine gun, .50 rifle | 100 |
A special load costs that figure times the multiplier in its entry.
2. One load at a time. A weapon holds one kind of ammunition. Mixed magazines are not modelled.
3. Switching loads is a maneuver. A character carrying armour-piercing in one pouch and hollow point in another chooses between them with the maneuver they would have spent moving.
When a weapon runs dry (Chapter 2), the load in it is used up. A weapon with Limited Ammo may be reloaded with any load its owner carries.
Bullets
Ball
No change. This is what every stat line assumes. x1 load
Every firearm.
Full metal jacket, lead round-nose, or whatever the armoury issues. It feeds reliably and behaves as printed.
Hollow Point
Vicious +1. The target's armour counts as 1 higher against the hit. x1.5 load
Handguns, submachine guns, rifles.
A bullet built to expand. It does more harm to an unprotected body and less to a protected one.
This is the ordinary police and self-defence load, and it is Common. It is the right choice whenever the opposition is not wearing armour.
Armour-Piercing
Pierce +2 against armour and cover only. Crit rating worsens by 1. x3 load
Service pistols and larger, all rifles, machine guns.
A hardened steel or tungsten core. Military.
The added Pierce applies only to Resistance that comes from worn armour, cover, or vehicle Armor. It never reduces the Resistance a target has from Might. Against an unarmoured target this load is worse than ball: it adds nothing, and the weapon's Crit rating is 1 higher.
Subsonic
Damage -1. Range one band shorter, to a minimum of Short. A Suppressed weapon firing it counts as Silent. x1.5 load
Handguns, submachine guns, rifles.
A heavy bullet loaded below the speed of sound, so that it makes no crack in flight. Restricted.
Without a suppressor it is only a weak load. With one, the weapon is Silent.
Match
After an aim maneuver, the next shot gains Accurate +1. x3 load
Rifles.
Ammunition made to tighter tolerances for target shooting. Common.
The bonus applies only to a shot that follows an aim maneuver in the same turn.
Tracer
Allies attacking the same target this round add 1 Boon Die. The shooter's position is revealed. x1.5 load
Weapons with Auto-Fire.
Every fifth round burns in flight. Military.
It shows the shooter where the burst is going. It shows everyone else where it came from: no check is needed to locate a character firing tracer, and Suppressed and Silent do not apply.
Incendiary
The weapon gains Burn 1. x4 load
Rifles, machine guns, the Anti-Materiel Rifle.
A bullet with an ignition compound in the tip, made for fuel tanks and aircraft. Military.
Frangible
The target's armour counts as 2 higher. Cannot damage cover, walls, hulls, or vehicle Armor. x2 load
Handguns, submachine guns.
A bullet of compressed powder that breaks up on anything hard. Restricted.
It is loaded where a miss must not go through a wall: aboard an aircraft, inside a ship, in a crowded building.
Shotgun Shells
A shotgun's profile changes more with the shell than with the gun. The Light Shotgun applies each adjustment to its own lower numbers.
Buckshot
No change. This is what every shotgun stat line assumes. x1 load
Every shotgun.
Nine to fifteen lead balls.
Slug
Range becomes Medium. Loses Blast. Gains Pierce 1. x1 load
Every shotgun.
One heavy projectile. It turns a shotgun into a short-range rifle.
Birdshot
Damage -3. Add 1 Boon Die against small or flying targets. x0.5 load
Every shotgun.
Hundreds of small pellets. It is the cheapest load and the least dangerous to a person in a coat.
Beanbag
Stun Damage. Loses Blast and Vicious. Gains Disorient 2. x2 load
Every shotgun.
A fabric bag of lead shot. Restricted. At Engaged range it deals its damage to Wounds as normal: it is less lethal, not harmless.
Breaching
Destroys a lock or hinge at Engaged range with no check. Damage 4 against people. x3 load
Every shotgun.
Compressed metal powder that spends itself in a door. Restricted.
Flechette
Gains Pierce 2. Loses Knockdown. x3 load
12 gauge shotguns.
Small steel darts in place of shot. Military.
Dragon's Breath
Damage 5. Loses Knockdown and Vicious. Gains Burn 2. x5 load
12 gauge shotguns. Not semi-automatic or automatic actions.
A magnesium load that throws a jet of sparks. Rare. It will not cycle a self-loading shotgun, and it sets fire to dry ground.
40mm Grenades
Both grenade launchers in Chapter 11 fire these. Each is bought singly and loaded singly.
High Explosive
No change: damage 8, Blast 6. 50 each
Both grenade launchers.
The standard 40mm round. Military.
Dual-Purpose
Blast 4. Gains Pierce 4. 80 each
Both grenade launchers.
A shaped charge inside a fragmenting case. Military. It is the round for a light vehicle or a wall.
Buckshot Canister
Damage 8, Range Short, Blast 4, Vicious 2. Knockdown for 2 Boons. 40 each
Both grenade launchers.
The launcher becomes a very large shotgun. Military.
Sponge
Damage 6, Stun Damage. Knockdown for 2 Boons. No Blast. 40 each
Both grenade launchers.
A foam-nosed impact round for crowd control. Restricted.
Smoke, Tear Gas, or Stun
As the hand grenade of the same name, delivered at the launcher's range. as grenade each
Both grenade launchers.
Each is the grenade from Chapter 12 in a cartridge case.
Illumination
No damage. Lights everything within Long range of the burst for three rounds. 30 each
Both grenade launchers.
A parachute flare. Military.
Rockets
Anti-Armour
No change. This is what every rocket launcher stat line assumes. 200 each
Disposable and Reloadable Rocket Launchers.
A shaped charge that burns a hole through plate. Military. A disposable launcher is bought with its rocket inside it.
High Explosive
Damage -2. Blast 8. Pierce becomes 1. 150 each
Reloadable Rocket Launcher.
A fragmenting warhead for people and soft cover. Military.
Thermobaric
Blast 10. Gains Burn 1. Pierce becomes 1. Indoors, its Blast ignores cover. 600 each
Reloadable Rocket Launcher.
A fuel-air warhead. Rare. From 1980.
Smoke
No damage. As a smoke grenade, covering Short range around the point of impact. 100 each
Reloadable Rocket Launcher.
Military.
Ammunition This Book Does Not Cover
Poisons and sedatives are delivered by the Dart Projector and the Tranquilizer Gun in Chapter 14. Use The Apothecary, or your Universe's own poison rules, for what the dart carries.
Silver, iron, blessed, and other supernatural loads belong to the Universe that needs them. They are applied on top of a weapon from this book, in the same way as any load here.