The following rules are intended to make it easier to design weapons of various sorts by including all the rules, and house rules interpretations, for weapon design in one place.

Weapon Damage

Melee Weapons. Hand Attack or Hand Killing Attack, usually vs Physical Defense. Blunt weapons, like clubs, maces, and staves, are usually purchased as Hand-to-Hand Attacks. Bladed weapons are typically purchased as Hand-to-Hand Killing Attacks. High-tech energy weapons, like lightsabres or vibroswords, might conceivably be purchased as either no range EBs (essentially the same as a Hand Attack, but spreadable as a +0 advantage and can't add damage as a -0 limitation) or as HA vs ED.  House Rule:  Hand Attacks are purchased at 1d6 per 5 character points.

Ranged Weapons. This category includes muscle-powered ranged weapons like bows and slings. Most are purchased as Ranged Killing Attacks vs PD, although some forms of blunt projectiles (like sling stones) are best represented as Energy Blast vs PD. Ranged weapons of this sort are purchased as single arrows or stones; the bow or sling is represented as an additional limitation on the power. A quiver of arrows is thus 12 or 20 separate iterations of the same power, rather than one power with 12 or 20 charges.

Firearms. This includes gunpowder weapons as well as high-tech lasers, particle beams, and blasters. They are usually purchased as RKAs or EBs, and may affect PD or ED.

Increased Accuracy. Each +1 OCV is a +1/4 advantage to the base cost of the power.

Throwable. A melee weapon which can be thrown has a +1/2 advantage on the base cost of the power. A thrown weapon receives normal range modifiers (-2 per each doubling of range after 4").

Ignores Shields. Some weapons, like flails, are designed to "wrap around" an interposing shield and strike the target anyway. This a +1/4 advantage to the base cost of the power.

Armor Piercing (AP). These weapons halve the defense of the target. AP is a +1/2 advantage.

Increased Stun Multiplier (+ STNX). These weapons add to the normal 1d6-1 Stun multiplier roll for killing attack. Each +1 STNX is a +1/2 advantage.

Penetrating (PEN). Penetrating is a +1/2 advantage. Penetrating attacks automatically do some damage to the target; in the case of normal attacks, STUN equal to the BODY rolled on the dice. In the case of killing attacks, a penetrating attack does BODY damage equal to the BODY of the dice, not the dice total.

Reduced Endurance (Red END). Some weapons are lightweight or well-balanced, and so take less effort to use. Normal endurance costs for melee weapons is 1 END/5 active points; it is a +1/4 advantage to make the cost 1 END per 10 active points.

Indirect. This represents weapons which fire in a ballistic arc; their fire originates from the weapon and travels in a curving path so that it falls on the target from above. In modern campaigns, most artillery pieces are indirect fire weapons. In fantasy campaigns, catapults, trebuchets, and other siege engines will fall into this category. Indirect fire of this sort is a +1/4 advantage.

Increased Maximum Range. Normally, a ranged weapon's maximum range is 5 times the active cost of the power. As a +1/4 advantage, this may be increased by a factor of 5. The advantage may be purchased multiple times.

Increased Range Modifier. Normally, weapons fire with no penalty out to 4" and take -2 OCV per doubled range after that (-2 out 8", -4 out to 16", and so on). As a +1/4 advantage, the range modifier penalty may be decreased by 2, so that a weapon fires with no penalty out to 8" and -2 out to 16", et cetera.

No Range Penalty. This reflects a weapon that does not take range penalties; its chances to hit are the same at close range as at point blank. This is a +1/2 advantage.

Invisible. Some weapons have very small "signatures" making their use difficult to detect. Normally an attack is visible to three sense groups. It is a +1/2 advantage to make a weapon visible to two sense groups, +3/4 to make one visible to only one, and +1 to make it visible to none. A typical example is the blowgun ("visible" only to touch); another is the garrote (inaudible). In modern campaigns, a silenced pistol is inaudible, obviously. Under most circumstances, a successful Perception roll will allow the use of the weapon to be detected.

Increased Reach. Normal weapons have a 1 hex "reach." Long weapons, such as spears and polearms, have longer reach than other weapons. This acts essentially as Stretching, only usable with weapon's offensive power. A weapon with +1 hex reach has a +1/4 advantage; one with a +2 hex reach (pikes and halberds) has a +1/2 advantage.

Obvious Accessible Focus (OAF). Most weapons may be Grabbed or taken away in combat. OAF is a -1 limitation.

Independent. Most weapons are not paid for out of a character's available points; they are just "there." They can be bought, sold, traded, lost, and found. This -2 limitation reflects that property.

Has a Strength Minimum (STR Min). Characters attack at -1 OCV per 5 points of STR they possess below the STR Min of the weapon. A STR Min equal to the active points in the weapon divided by 3 is a -3/4 limitation. A STR Min equal to the active points in the weapon divided by 2 is a -1 limitation. This STR Min may be modified.

STR Min -10 (+1 to limitation)
STR Min -5 (+1/2 to limitation)
STR Min +5 (-1/2 from limitation)
STR Min +10 (-1 from limitation)
 
Can't Add Damage (No STR add). Normally, a character may add +1 DC to a hand-to-hand attack for every 5 points of STR he or she possesses above the STR Min of the weapon. If a character's STR cannot be used to add to the damage of the weapon, this is a -1/2 limitation to the active point cost of the weapon. This limitation applies only to melee weapons.

Two-Handed Weapon (2-hand). A two-handed weapon must be used in both hands; this prevents the character from using a shield or a second weapon, for example. This is a -1/2 limitation.

Hand-and-a-Half Weapon (1.5-hand). This is a weapon which may be used one-handed, but is more easily wielded using both hands. The STR Min of a hand-and-a-half weapon is two less than the calculated amount when used two-handed, but is normal when used with one hand. This is a -1/4 limitation.

Charges. Most firearms will be purchased with one or more clips of charges as their "basic load." Additional clips cost 1/10 of the real cost of the weapon. Thus, a ballista costing 5 real points could have 2 additional bolts on hand per 1 point spent.

Recoverable Charges (Rec Chg). Most ranged weapons will have recoverable charges, in the sense that an arrow can be picked up and used again after combat. Buy the weapon as 1 recoverable charge for a -1.25 limitation. Essentially, what this means is that the character is paying for the arrow; the bow is SFX is represented by the "Requires Launcher" limitation. Additional charges can be purchased at a cost of 1/4 the real cost of the weapon per doubling of the number of charges. Thus, an additional arrow for a 5 point bow costs 1 point; 2 arrows cost 2 points, 4 arrows cost 3 points, 8 arrows cost 4 points, and 16 arrows cost 5 points. This modification to the charges rule is intended to enable charges to be purchased separately from the weapon.

Requires Launcher (Req Launcher). This limitation indicates that an attack may only be used at range if the required launching device is available -- a sling or bow, for example. It is a -1/4 limitation. It is also useful for buying the increased range that an atlatl gives a javelin, for example (That is, a javelin can be purchased as a multipower, with the first slot representing its use as a melee weapon that can be thrown, and the second as a ranged weapon when hurled with a spearthrower).

Reduced Accuracy. Each -1 OCV a weapon gives its user is worth a -1/4 limitation.

Reduced Penetration (Red Pen). Reduced penetration attacks are divided in two and applied separately against the target's defenses. This is a -1/2 limitation.

Bulky. This reflects a weapon which encumbers the user. Characters employing bulky weapons are 1/2 DCV. This is a -1/2 limitation.

Immobile. This reflects a weapon emplacement which cannot be moved by a single person, but may conceivably be operated by one. Immobile weapons generally must be emplaced, requiring a set up time of several minutes. As a rule of thumb, require 1 minute of set-up or breakdown time per 5 active points in the power. In order to prepare a 45 active point catapult for movement, for example, the crew must spend 7 minutes packing things away and loading things up. For purposes of determining how much the weapon masses (and thus the STR required to move it), assume that the weapon has Growth on the Vehicle Chart equal to half its active point cost. The same catapult thus has 5 levels of Growth, and masses 3.2 tons. Immobile is a -1 limitation.

Limited Arc of Fire. This is used to represent emplaced weapons which can only fire in a specified direction or range of directions. The size of the limitation depends upon how restricted the arc of fire is.

• 0 degree arc (single hex row) -1
• 60 degree arc (one hex side) -3/4
• 120 degree arc (two hex sides) -1/2
• 180 degree arc (three hex sides) -1/4
• only on same horizontal level -1
Increased Unreadiness Time. Normally, a weapon may be used every phase. Some weapons, however require time to be readied again after use. After a clip of charges is expended, it is normally a half-phase action to reload. This time may be increased as a -1/4 limitation per increment lower on the time chart.

Crew Served. Most weapons may be operated by a single person. Some, however, require more than one operator. This minimum crew size is a -1/4 limitation per individual over the first that is required. A five-man artillery piece, therefore, receives a -1 limitation. The referee may decide what the effects of having fewer crew members than required are. Suggestions: The weapon cannot be used at all, the weapon can be used but at -2 OCV per missing crewman, +1 unreadiness time interval per missing crewman, or some combination.

Longsword (HKA 1d6+1, OCV +1, 25 active, end 5; OAF sword (-1), independent (-2), STR Min 13 (-1)) [5]

Bastard Sword (HKA 2d6, 30 active, end 6; STR Min 15 (-1), OAF (-1), independent (-2), 1.5-handed (-1/4)) [6]

Spear (HKA 2d6, +1 reach, 37 active; OAF spear (-1), independent (-2), STR Min 12 (-3/4), OCV -1 (-1/4), two-handed (-1/2)) [6]

Staff (HA +6d6, 18 active; OAF staff (-1), independent (-2), STR Min 6 (-3/4), two-handed (-1/2)) [4]

Awl Pike (HKA 1d6, +2 reach, 22 active; end 4; OAF pike (-1), independent (-2), STR Min 11 (-1), OCV -2 (-1/2), No STR add (-1/2), two-handed (-1/2)) [4]

Shortsword (HKA 1d6, OCV +1, 19 active, end 4; OAF sword (-1), independent (-2), STR Min 10 (-1)) [4]

Catapult (EB 6d6 vs PD, indirect, 45 active; OAF catapult (-1), immobile (-1), independent (-2), crew 5 (-1), 1 recoverable charge (-1.25), requires launcher (-1/4), 0 degree arc (-1), increased unreadiness 5 minutes (-1) [5]

Ballista (RKA 2d6, 30 active; OAF ballista (-1), immobile (-1), independent (-2), crew 3 (-1/2), 1 recoverable charge (-1.25), requires launcher (-1/4), increased unreadiness 1 minute (-3/4) [5]

Elven Bow (RKA 1d6+1, OCV +2, Range Mod +4, 40 active; STR Min 13 (-3/4), 1 Rec Chg (-1 1/4), requires launcher (-1/4) two-handed (-1/2), OAF bow (-1), independent (-2)) [6]