The Modern Armory ยท Chapter 4
Pocket Pistols
Every entry in this chapter is built to be carried without being seen. Concealable is the family's reason to exist, and every other number on the stat line is what it cost.
The chapter runs on one trade. A gun that hides better holds fewer rounds, fires a smaller cartridge, or is harder to shoot well.
| Concealable | What it hides in | What it gives up |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | A pocket, a boot, a sleeve | Damage 4, or two shots |
| 2 | A waistband under a shirt | A range band, and usually a point of Crit |
Nothing here reaches past Short range. A character who expects a fight at a distance is in the wrong chapter.
Skill: Light Ranged throughout.
Derringer
Remington Double Derringer, Bond Arms, High Standard D-100
5 4 Short 0
Light Ranged 150 Common Ballistic Concealable 3, Limited Ammo 2, Inaccurate 1
Two barrels, two shots, and a grip that holds two fingers. It is carried by people who expect to need a gun once, at arm's length, and to have a second plan after that.
Limited Ammo 2 and Inaccurate 1 are what Concealable 3 costs at this damage. Reloading means breaking the action and feeding it by hand, which is a maneuver the owner rarely gets.
Mini Revolver, .22
NAA Mini, Velo-Dog, pocket rimfire revolvers
4 5 Short 0
Light Ranged 120 Common Ballistic Concealable 3, Limited Ammo 5, Inaccurate 1
A five-shot rimfire revolver small enough to close a fist around. The sights are a notch in the frame and the grip is an afterthought.
It is the lowest damage in the chapter and the easiest gun in the book to hide. Inaccurate 1 reflects a barrel shorter than the cartridge it fires.
Pocket Pistol, .22 or .25
Baby Browning, Beretta 21 Bobcat, Colt Vest Pocket, Raven
4 5 Short 0
Light Ranged 100 Common Ballistic Concealable 3
A flat vest-pocket automatic. It has no Limited Ammo and no Inaccurate, which is what separates it from the mini revolver: it is a real pistol, only a very small one.
Damage 4 will not stop a determined opponent quickly. It is here for the character who must be searched and must still be armed.
Pocket Pistol, .32 or .380
Walther PPK, Colt 1903, Makarov PM, Beretta 70, SIG P230
5 4 Short 1
Light Ranged 200 Common Ballistic Concealable 2
The plainclothes pistol of the twentieth century: slim, reliable, and chambered for a cartridge one step below a service round. Half the police and intelligence services of Europe issued one.
This is the standard light pistol with Concealable 2 and a higher price. It is the baseline the rest of the chapter is measured against.
Snub Revolver, .38
S&W Chief's Special, Colt Detective Special, Ruger LCR
5 4 Short 1
Light Ranged 180 Common Ballistic Concealable 2, Limited Ammo 5
A five-shot revolver with a two-inch barrel. It can be fired from inside a coat pocket and it does not jam, because there is nothing in it to jam.
It matches the .32 or .380 pocket pistol on every number and costs a little less. Limited Ammo 5 is the difference.
Subcompact Pistol, 9mm
Glock 26, SIG P365, Kahr PM9, S&W Shield
6 4 Short 1
Light Ranged 400 Common Ballistic Concealable 2
A service cartridge in a frame cut down to pocket size. It is the modern answer to the snub revolver and it did not exist in useful form before the 1990s.
It keeps service-pistol damage and gives up a point of Crit and a range band for Concealable 2. Of the guns that hide under a shirt, this one hits hardest without asking for Might.
Four-Barrel Pocket Pistol
COP .357, Sharps pepperbox, Lancaster howdah
6 4 Short 1
Light Ranged 300 Rare Ballistic Concealable 2, Limited Ammo 4, Cumbersome 2
Four fixed barrels and a rotating firing pin, in a block of steel the size of a wallet. The type runs from the Sharps pepperbox to the COP .357.
Four shots at service-pistol damage in a gun that still rates Concealable 2. It pays with Limited Ammo 4, a slow reload, and Cumbersome 2: a full-power cartridge in a pistol this small is hard to hold.