Ranged Combat Maneuvers

Today, most lethal combat involves firearms. The following maneuvers are a list of the basic actions possible during a firefight. Don't feel limited only to maneuvers on this list; Storytellers can allow other creative maneuvers at their discretion.

Key

Combat Maneuvers typically have a difficulty of 6. Maneuvers with specific combat effects may modify the attack roll, the difficulty or the damage dice pool.
Traits: The Trait combination used for the action being taken. If your character lacks the needed Ability, default to the base Attribute.
Accuracy: The dice added to the roll to hit an opponent. A "+3" adds three dice to the dice pool for the maneuver.
Difficulty: Any additions or subtractions to a maneuver's difficulty (which is normally 6). A "+2" means the difficulty increases from 6 to 8.

Aiming

Attackers add one die to their attack pool for their next shot for every turn spent aiming. The maximum number of dice that can be added in this way equals the character's Perception. Characters must have at least one dot of Firearms to aim. A scope or laser sight adds two more dice to the attacker's pool in the first turn of aiming (in addition to those added from Perception). Attackers may do nothing but aim during this time. Also, it isn't possible to aim at a target moving faster than a walk unless the character is using a laser sight.

Automatic Fire

The weapon unloads its entire clip of ammunition in a single attack against a single target. The attacker makes an ordinary attack roll, adding 10 additional dice. However, the attack gains a difficulty penalty of two due to recoil from the weapon. As always, extra successes add to the weapon's damage dice pool. When using automatic fire, the attack cannot target specific parts of the body. Only weapons capable of fully automatic fire can use this maneuver.

Cover

Hiding behind large objects makes you harder to hit. As such, taking cover increases the attacker's difficulty to hit a target, as well as the target's difficulty to fire back. All cover types list both the increased difficulty for someone attacking a target in that type of cover and the increased difficulty caused by firing from such cover.
Note that difficulties for combatants who are both under cover are cumulative. If one combatant is hiding behind a telephone pole and other has ducked behind a wall, attacks by either one against the other have a difficulty penalty of two.

Multiple Shots

An attacker may take a multiple action and fire several shots in a turn. As always, the first shot's die pool decreases by the total number of shots fired, and the dice pool of each subsequent shot decreases by an additional die, cumulative. The attacker can fire any number of shots up to the weapon's maximum rate of fire.

Range

The Ranged Weapons chart lists the short range for each weapon. Attacks made at this range are versus difficulty 6. Twice this range is the weapon's maximum range. Attacks made up to maximum range are versus difficulty 8. Attacks made against targets within two meters are considered point-blank. Point-blank shots have a difficulty of 4. Actually shoving a gun against someone's body is considered a close-combat maneuver.

Reloading

Reloading requires one full turn, but it does not require a roll. Like other maneuvers, reloading can be performed as part of a multiple-action sequence.

Strafing

Instead of aiming at a single target, weapons capable of fully automatic fire can affect an entire area. Strafing adds 10 dice to accuracy on a standard attack roll and empties the weapon's clip. The attacker divides any successes gained evenly among all targets within the area being strafed (these successes add to the targets' damage pools normally). A maximum of three yards can be strafed with this maneuver. The large amount of recoil from this maneuver increases the difficulty by two. Once successes have been divided evently, the attacker assigns any leftover successes as desired. If fewer successes are rolled than there are targets, only one may be assigned to each of the targets who are affected. If only one target is within this area, only half the successes affect him.

Short Burst

The attacker gains two additional dice on a single attack and expends three to five shots from the weapon's clip. Only specially designated weapons may perform this maneuver; see the Ranged Weapons chart for details. Attacks incur a difficulty penalty of one due to recoil. As with automatic fire, the damage dice are based on a single bullet from the weapon.

Two Weapons

Firing two weapons does more damage, and it looks very intimidating. Sadly, it is also more complicated. Attacking in this fashion is considered a multiple action. In addition, the attacker suffers a difficulty penalty of one for her offhand (unless she is ambidextrous(merit)). By performing even more multiple actions, the attacker takes multiple shots with each weapon, up to their fire rates.