The Stellar Armory ยท Chapter 4
Kinetic Weapons
Weapons that throw a solid projectile: chemical slugthrowers, magnetic accelerators, flechette guns, and gyrojets. Their damage type is Ballistic.
Kinetic weapons are the cheapest and most common arms in settled space. They work in any atmosphere and in none, they are the only family with Auto-Fire at every size, and they are loud.
| Stopped by | Hard plate: the Security Vest, Combat Armour, and anything heavier. Gravitic Deflectors |
| Goes through | Reflec Coats and Deflection Screens, which are built for beams |
| Weakness | Recoil in free fall, and they run dry |
Zero-g recoil. A kinetic weapon fired in microgravity by a shooter who is not braced or anchored adds 1 Bane Die, and the shooter drifts. Weapons with Recoilless ignore this.
Running dry. The GM may spend a Calamity, or 3 Bane, from an attack to empty a kinetic weapon; 2 Bane after Auto-Fire. Reloading is a maneuver.
Skill: Light Ranged for pistols, Heavy Ranged for long guns, Gunnery for the two support weapons.
Holdout Slugger
Pocket pistol, sleeve gun, last resort
5 4 Short 1
Light Ranged 200 Common Ballistic Concealable 2
A small chemical-propellant pistol. It is the cheapest weapon in the book that hides, and nothing in a customs scanner's library flags it as military.
Concealable 2 on light-pistol numbers.
Slug Pistol
Slugthrower, powder pistol, colonial sidearm
6 4 Short 1
Light Ranged 200 Common Ballistic None
A plain cartridge pistol, made on every world that has a machine shop. Damage 6 at Short range and Crit 4, with no qualities and no drawbacks. It is the baseline sidearm of the frontier.
Service Sidearm
Caseless pistol, officer's sidearm, standard sidearm
6 3 Medium 1
Light Ranged 300 Common Ballistic None
A well-made kinetic pistol firing caseless or cased ammunition from a large magazine. Damage 6, Crit 3, Medium range. This is the reference handgun: every other sidearm in the book is this entry with something traded.
Heavy Sidearm
Hand cannon, magnum slugger, breaker
7 3 Medium 2
Light Ranged 350 Restricted Ballistic Inaccurate 1, Limited Ammo 4
A pistol chambered for a cartridge meant for carbines. Damage 7 is the top of the kinetic handguns. Inaccurate 1 and Limited Ammo 4 are the cost.
Flechette Pistol
Needle pistol, dart pistol, sliver gun
4 2 Short 1
Light Ranged 500 Restricted Ballistic Pierce 2, Vicious 2
Fires a bundle of hardened darts. The damage is low. Pierce 2 and Vicious 2 with Crit 2 are the point: it wounds badly through light armour.
Gyrojet Pistol
Rocket pistol, microjet, vac pistol
6 4 Medium 1
Light Ranged 450 Restricted Ballistic Recoilless, Point Blank 1
Fires small self-propelled rockets. There is no recoil, so it is the kinetic sidearm of choice in free fall.
Recoilless. Point Blank 1: the rocket is still accelerating at arm's length, so add 1 Bane Die at Engaged range.
Machine Pistol
Submachine gun, room broom, corridor gun
5 3 Medium 2
Light Ranged 400 Military Ballistic Auto-Fire
A compact automatic in a pistol cartridge. Damage 5, Medium range, Auto-Fire. It is the standard weapon of ship security teams, because it will not hole a bulkhead.
Slug Carbine
Militia carbine, colonial rifle, burst rifle
7 4 Medium 3
Heavy Ranged 375 Common Ballistic Auto-Fire
A cheap automatic carbine. Damage 7 with Auto-Fire at Medium range, and Crit 4. It arms colonial militias and most pirates.
Combat Rifle
Assault rifle, service rifle, line rifle
8 3 Long 4
Heavy Ranged 1000 Military Ballistic Auto-Fire
The standard kinetic infantry rifle. Damage 8, Crit 3, Long range, Auto-Fire, and nothing else. It is the reference long gun.
Scattergun
Shotgun, spread gun, boarding gun
8 3 Short 3
Heavy Ranged 700 Common Ballistic Blast 4, Knockdown, Vicious 2
A smoothbore firing shot. Damage 8 at Short range with Blast 4 and Vicious 2, and Knockdown for 2 Boons. It is the classic boarding weapon.
Flechette Launcher
Sliver gun, shredder, dart thrower
4 2 Medium 3
Heavy Ranged 800 Restricted Ballistic Blast 4, Pierce 2, Vicious 3
A long gun that throws a cloud of darts. Damage 4 with Blast 4, Pierce 2, and Vicious 3. It clears a corridor of lightly armoured targets and does little to a hardsuit.
Gauss Pistol
Coil pistol, mag pistol, rail sidearm
6 3 Medium 2
Light Ranged 900 Military Ballistic Pierce 2, Cumbersome 2, Silent
A magnetic accelerator in a pistol frame. There is no propellant, so it is Silent, and the slug arrives fast enough for Pierce 2. The capacitor makes it heavy: Cumbersome 2.
Gauss Rifle
Coil rifle, mag rifle, needle rifle
10 2 Extreme 5
Heavy Ranged 2000 Military Ballistic Pierce 4, Cumbersome 3, Slow-Firing 1
A magnetic accelerator rifle. Damage 10, Crit 2, Extreme range, Pierce 4. It needs Might 3 and a round to recharge after each shot (Slow-Firing 1).
Support Slugthrower
Squad gun, heavy slugthrower, belt gun
10 3 Long 6
Gunnery 1750 Military Ballistic Auto-Fire, Pierce 2, Vicious 2, Cumbersome 3
A belt-fed automatic carried by one soldier. Damage 10 with Auto-Fire, Pierce 2, and Vicious 2. It needs Might 3.
Rail Lance
Heavy gauss, anti-armour rail, mass driver
14 2 Extreme 7
Gunnery 4000 Military Ballistic Pierce 6, Breach 2, Cumbersome 4, Prepare 1, Slow-Firing 1
A shoulder-braced magnetic accelerator built to hole vehicles and light hulls. Damage 14 and Pierce 6 at Extreme range. It needs Might 4, a maneuver to set up, and a round to recharge.