By John Harper.
Why do the Gun Schticks have to suck so bad? When I played a Killer, I bought up Both Guns Blazing and that was about it. Hair Trigger Neck Hairs is okay, but BGB was the only one I ever really used.
The other character types (notably Martial Artists and TAs) get a very cool selection of schticks to pick from, with groovy names, Chi costs, etc. It's more interesting. Why does the Gun system have to be so bland in comparison? Well, I say it doesn't have to be.
Here's my new Gun system. Lemme know how it grabs ya.
First, anybody who has a Guns skill of 12 or better can buy these schticks. These schticks replace (not add to) the currently available Gun schticks. New Gun schticks cost (5 + x).
There is a new trait that Gun types need to have with this system. It's called Ammunition (AMO for short). AMO works similar to Fu for Martial Artists or Chi for Transformed Animals. A shooter can use a number Gun schticks during one sequence whose total AMO cost does not exceed his AMO trait.
Okay, so where does AMO come from? Ammunition has nothing to do with the actual capacity of the guns the shooter is carrying. In the wild gunplay movies FS is based on, actual capacity seems to have zero relevance on how much lead a character can spray during a fight. I always thought it odd that FS included a capacity stat for guns and then expected us to care about it when Lightning Reload was easily obtainable.
AMO is based on the idea that, the better you are with your guns, the less likely it is for you to run dry at an inopportune moment. In John Woo movies, people run out of bullets for dramatic reasons, not because they have a small clip.
For starting characters, AMO is based on REF. The Killer archetype gets AMO (=10). AMO can be raised with XP just like any secondary attribute.
Making a normal (non-schtick) attack costs no AMO. As long as you have your Guns with you, you may shoot normally all you want.
Here ya go:
Shot Cost: 1
AMO Cost: 1
Throw off your opponent's aim by showering them with a hail of lead. Add +5 to your Dodge Value. Counts as a defensive action.
Shot Cost: 3
AMO Cost: 1
Make a normal Guns attack. If you succeed, you may disarm your opponent by shooting their weapon from their hand. Your attack does no damage.
Shot Cost: 0
AMO Cost: 3
Reduce any 3 shot Guns action to a 1 shot action.
Shot Cost: 3
AMO Cost: X
Shoot your opponent from an unexpected direction by bouncing your shot off nearby surfaces. Make a Guns task check with a difficulty equal to 10 + X (where X is the number of bounces the shot will make). If you succeed, you may attack your opponent normally, regardless of cover or line-of-sight.
Shot Cost: 0
AMO Cost: 1
Draw a gun as a 0 shot action.
Shot Cost: 0
AMO Cost: 3
Add 3 to the result of your Initiative Roll. Your first action must be a Guns attack.
Shot Cost: 6
AMO Cost: X
Cut loose with a weapon on full-auto, slathering the area with hot lead. For this attack only, the opponent suffers a penalty to his or her Dodge value equal to the amount of AMO you elect to spend. Damage is equal to the normal (non-autofire) damage of the weapon.
This schtick costs two schticks to buy.
Shot Cost: 5
AMO Cost: 8
Make a normal Guns attack. If the task check is successful, you may make another Guns attack on the same opponent at 0 shot cost. You may continue doing this until you fail a task check.
This schtick costs two schticks to buy.
Shot Cost: 3
AMO Cost: 1
You may club an opponent with your firearm, using your Guns Action Value instead of Martial Arts. Damage is equal to STR + 3.
Shot Cost: 3
AMO Cost: 3
With a gun held in each hand, blaze away at your opponent. Damage is equal to (the total damage of both guns) + (outcome) - (opponent's toughness x 2).
Shot Cost: 3
AMO Cost: 2
Make a Guns attack that ignores any Armor your opponent may have.
Shot Cost: 6
AMO Cost: X
With a weapon on full auto, "cover" an area by continuously shooting into it. Suppression Fire activates the shot you declare it and continutes for six shots. During that time, you may make a one normal Guns attack per shot on any character in the affected area. The area covered may not be larger than a circle of radius X in meters.
Shot Cost: 1
AMO Cost: 3
Until the end of the sequence, your normal shotgun works as if it was capable of firing on full-auto.
Shot Cost: 0
AMO Cost: 3
Until the end of the sequence, you receive 2 points of Armor vs. Gun attacks.
Shot Cost: 0
AMO Cost: X
Subtract X from the damage suffered by a Gun attack.
Shot Cost: 3
AMO Cost: X
Attack X unnamed characters, making a normal Guns task roll for each.
Shot Cost: 0
AMO Cost: 0
Just like the regular schtick from the book.
Shot Cost: 3
AMO Cost: 5
Not only can you shoot, you're a mean sombitch. Shoot you opponent in the kneecap by making a Guns task check at -2. If you succeed, your opponent suffers -1 impairment for the remainder of the combat. This schtick cannot be used more than twice on a single opponent. Use of this schtick also adds +1 to Intimidation attempts.
Last modified: March 9th, 1998; please send comments to durrell@innocence.com.