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Ranged Attacks    Ranged attacks are slowing major actions. If you wish to make a ranged attack, choose a target you can see, proceed through the rules for any Ability or device you wish to use in conjunction with the attack, and expend any ammo or charge required for the shot. Next, you must succeed on an offense roll. Your target must then attempt a defense roll. Defense rolls are always on DEX. If your opponent fails their defense roll, the attack hits; proceed into the Damage & Drive rules later in this chapter.

    If you are not competent in the weapon you are currently wielding, you must make an incompetent ranged attack. First, make an offense roll of d20 on DEX. The defense roll is d20 on DEX, and any Marksmanship Abilities you have cannot be used. You may only attack at short range, and cannot fire while mounted.

    If you are competent, you may make a competent ranged attack. The defense roll is still d20 on DEX, but offense rolls will vary with range, depending on rules found in the Study of Marksmanship.

    No more than one ranged weapon (or weapon-equivalent Ability) may be involved in a single attack. Dual-wielding ranged weapons provides no extra benefit, as only one may fire in a given attack.

    If you are in a grapple, you can only attempt to use a non-thrown ranged weapon, and must wield it one-handed. Ranged attacks against characters you are grappling with are the only kind of ranged attack that does not require sight. You must still add melee interference Hindrance (see below).
Hands    All "conventional" ranged weapons are designed to be used two-handed, even small weapons like handguns. If you are wielding such a ranged weapon one-handed, you must add 1 Hindrance to any short-range offense roll, 2 Hindrance for medium range, and 4 Hindrance for long range. Thrown weapons are not included in this rule and neither are any weapon-equivalent Abilities, such as Energy Ranged Attack (Arcana). If any other weapon ignores this rule, it will be stated in that weapon's details.

Unaimed Attacks     In order to make a proper ranged attack, you must take aim, which is why ranged attacks are slowing actions. However, if you are normally competent with your weapon, you may make an incompetent ranged attack as a non-slowing major action. If you are not normally competent, you cannot perform such unaimed attacks.

Blind Ranged Attacks

    Characters who are fully blinded cannot make ranged attacks. However, if you are otherwise able to see, you can make an incompetent attack against a character you can't see, but you know is within short range (for example, a cloaked character). You must be normally competent with your weapon, and you must know the location of the character to the level of engagement range; typically, when they have done something to reveal they are engaged with you, or with your allies. You will not hit any allied characters, but if there are multiple enemies in the same engagement that you cannot see, your attack's actual target is randomly selected from among all of them. If you succeed on the offense roll, but no invisible enemies are actually in the engagement you specify, you do not know whether they are gone or if you simply missed.

    Ranged attacks cannot be both blind and unaimed.

Melee Interference Hindrance     If you have received any kind of melee attack since your last turn, or are currently in a grapple, you must add 2 Hindrance to any ranged offense roll. This is true for any melee attack that succeeded on its offense roll (or did not require one), regardless of whether it hit or damaged you. Even a nimble dodge - or accepting a hit that you know won't damage you - will still disrupt your aim.

    Some other rolls which are not ranged offense rolls are still specified as subject to melee interference Hindrance, following these same rules.

    Thrown weapons are more limited in the Marksmanship Abilities they can use and are often less powerful, but have the benefit of fewer countermeasures (such as kinetic shields or energy shielding). Any melee weapon can be thrown, but it must have the Throwing tag in order to enable a competent ranged attack. Unlike other ranged weapons, your STR is added to damage and possibly drive, in the same manner as if striking one-handed with the weapon in a melee attack.

    All throwable weapons have STR requirements. For items such as grenades and satchels, the stat requirement will be listed. For melee weapons, the stat requirement is the same as their One-Handed wielding stat requirement. The ranged offense rolls of any thrown weapon are d12/2d20/X.

Injury Type     When you damage another character with a ranged attack (except for area effects), the GM will roll a d20 to determine what type of injury will be inflicted (see Injuries):

Full-Auto Fire     Some projectile weapons have a full-auto mode, referring to the capability to rapidly fire multiple shots with one trigger pull. Without Full-Auto Skill (Marksmanship), weapons with full-auto capability can only use full-auto at short range, and can only target a single character.

    When used in this mode, weapons use their listed (much higher) full-auto damage rather than their normal damage, and require 10 rounds of ammunition per full-auto attack. The weapon's drive is unchanged. Weapons without a listed full-auto damage cannot perform full-auto fire.

    When attacking with full-auto, critical hits cannot be inflicted.

Area of Effect (AoE)    Weapons such as rockets, grenades, and satchel charges have two different sets of damage and drive values: impact for targets they actually hit, and area for nearby targets within their blast radius that are not directly hit. A character attacked directly with explosives may attempt a defense roll, just as with any other ranged attack. However, a successful defense roll only spares the character from impact damage; the explosive will still inflict area damage on them instead. This is called area of effect or AoE; other Abilities and devices may also refer to these rules.

    By default, an AoE will always hit an enemy who avoids impact damage, as well as any character currently grappling with, being touched by, or touching that enemy. It has a 80% chance to include each other enemy in the target's group (roll a d10 for each individual). If the attacker fails their offense roll, no enemies take impact damage or are automatically included in the AoE, but all enemies in the group have a 30% chance to be included. A character who takes impact damage never takes area damage.

    If the enemy is engaged with another group, the same hit chances apply to everyone in the entire engagement, thereby risking allies. If desired, the attacker can use caution, voluntarily altering the 80%-for-all chance to 60% for enemies and 30% for allies. The target character is still always hit with the AoE if they avoid impact damage, and there is no difference for a failed offense roll (30% chance for all). Allies you cannot see have hit chances as if they were enemies.

    Unless otherwise stated in the rules for an Ability or device, an attacker is included in the potential victims of an AoE if targeting their own engagement. Vehicles in the engagement are always struck by AoE damage, regardless of offense roll or caution.

    Whenever an AoE involves multiple weapons targeted at the same engagement (but still part of the same attack), hit chances are rolled once and apply equally to all weapons.

    In some cases (as determined by the GM, typically for a small zone or a large amount of groups), an AoE attacker may be able to hit characters from separate groups/engagements, if those engagements are within short range of one another. In such cases, the attacker cannot attempt to hit anyone with impact damage or be more cautious about hitting allies; all characters have a 50% chance to be hit, or a 20% chance with a failed offense roll. The same rules may be applied if an AoE is fired at the vicinity of groups the attacker can't see (but still knows their approximate position in the zone).

    Characters who are mounted roll once for both mount and rider.

    Characters who are using cover have the same chances to be hit by an AoE; however, they may add their cover's armor bonus against the area damage's drive. Shields have no effect against AoEs. Neither shields nor cover have any effect against non-damaging effects that happen to use AoE rules, unless specified otherwise by those effects.

    Flying characters or vehicles whose altitude is higher than engagement range are unaffected by area damage that explodes at ground level. They can still take area damage if they are engaged/grouped-up with another flying character that takes a direct hit from an AoE attack.

    All area damage causes Core Injuries, and cannot inflict critical hits.

    Powerful AoEs have a chance of causing structures to collapse if used in an indoor zone; see Demolition & Collapses.

Energy AoEs     Powerful energy weapons are capable of creating a damaging effect in a wide radius, much like an explosion. Any ranged energy weapon with a damage of 40 or more (consisting entirely of energy damage) can optionally perform an AoE using the rules above. The impact effect is equal to 50% of the attack's normal damage, and the area effect is equal to 25% normal damage. Light-ray weapons and Abilities are less effective against areas, with an area effect only 1/6 normal damage. Remember that energy drive is equal to damage.

Energy Overeffect     Some Abilities and weapons - such as high-tier arcanists or vehicle attacks - generate such a high amount of energy damage that they cannot avoid damaging their target's surroundings. Any ranged energy weapon that inflicts at least 120 damage always causes an overeffect energy AoE using the same rules as energy AoEs above, except that the area effect is equal to 1/6 normal damage and drive. Such a weapon can use the normal AoE rules above; it simply causes the 1/6 damage overeffect whenever it is not deliberately used in AoE mode. Caution and Area Tactics (Marksmanship) can be used in either mode. Light-ray weapons and Abilities cause less overeffect, with only 1/10 area damage instead of 1/6.

    Overeffect rules cannot be avoided with such powerful weapons; overeffect may in fact be a beneficial effect when attacking a powerful foe surrounded by weaker cohorts, but it can also be detrimental if your own allies are engaged with the target.

Projectile AoEs     Powerful automatic firearms (such as those of vehicles) are capable of creating such a volume of fire that they can affect a whole area instead of using normal full-auto rules. Any projectile weapon with a full-auto damage of 150 or more can optionally perform an AoE using the rules above. The impact damage is equal to 50% of the weapon's normal full-auto damage, and the area effect is equal to 25% full-auto damage. The weapon's normal drive is used for both effects.

Zonewide Area of Effect (ZAoE)    Some attacks spread damage over so large an area that even AoE rules are too narrow in scope. Examples include many aircraft weapons such as bombs and rocket pods, a bombardment by airships or artillery, or the broadest energy attacks of dragons or powerful arcanists. Events such as these affect at least one entire zone with damage, and are called zonewide areas of effect.

    Unlike AoEs, there is no general rule that allows any powerful energy weapon to use ZAoE rules. Unless a weapon, Ability, or device explicitly states that it can (or must) use ZAoE rules, it never does. Unless a rule refers to ZAoE (with the Z), any reference to areas of effect uses only the normal AoE rules above.

    Similarities between AoE and ZAoE rules include countermeasures: cover, armor, and energy shielding are the only potential defense, with shields made useless and no defense rolls allowed. Unlike a normal AoE, there is no percentage chance to be hit, or an option for the attacker to use caution. A ZAoE affects all characters within a zone, with larger ones affecting all characters in adjacent zones as well.

    ZAoEs are not considered to inflict impact damage. However, they will always list two different values for area damage, simply called high damage and low damage. Which one is brought to bear against each character depends on the type of ZAoE. ZAoEs come in two types, cluster and point, and each one of those comes in lesser and greater varieties.

    Point ZAoEs originate from one point within the zone. Examples include a huge bomb, or a massive fireball from an arcanist or dragon. A lesser point ZAoE affects a single zone, and may involve an offense roll - if it does, it will be to hit a specific group/engagement with its high damage value, with the rest of the zone is hit with its low damage value. If there is no offense roll or the roll is failed, a random group/engagement might receive the high damage; roll d6 on the number of separate groups/engagements within the zone. If equal to or below the number, roll another die to randomly select which group/engagement; otherwise, only the low damage value applies throughout the zone. A greater point ZAoE simply hits an entire zone with its high damage value, and every adjacent zone with its low damage value. It does not have an offense roll.

    Cluster ZAoEs describe many smaller bursts within the zone, rather than a single origin. Examples include an aircraft's rocket pods, an airship bombardment, or a wide torrent of energy from an arcanist. For all cluster ZAoEs, simply roll a d6 for each character; on a result of 5 or 6, the character is hit with the high damage value, while any other result hits them with the low damage value. Vehicles, as well as creatures of at least 25 WGT, are always hit by the high damage. A lesser cluster ZAoE affects 1 zone, while a greater cluster ZAoE affects 1 zone, plus every adjacent zone. There are never any offense rolls.

    Until the end of the attacker's next turn, all ZAoEs consisting entirely of energy damage count as a bright light source in any zone they affect.

    Flying characters or vehicles are unaffected by cluster ZAoEs if they are at a higher altitude than engagement range. They are affected by point ZAoEs only if they are at an altitude of medium range or lower; they take the low damage unless they are over the center zone of a greater point ZAoE, in which case they take the high damage.

Cover     Cover is an important concept in ranged battles, and many Abilities from the Study of Marksmanship are impacted by it. Of course, any character can make use of cover, as it is not a complicated concept - simply putting something between yourself and the enemy, exposing less of your body to incoming ranged attacks. Cover describes everything from going prone in a field, to ducking behind a tree, to setting up behind a castle's battlements. Environments entirely without cover are extremely rare, although more cluttered battlefields provide more durable cover.

    You are able to begin using cover as a slowing major action, and continue using it without an action on subsequent turns so long as you make no rolls on SPD. You cannot use cover while grappling, flying, or mounted. You cannot touch grouped-up allies unless they are also using cover.

    While using cover, you gain an armor bonus against ranged attacks. The amount of the armor bonus depends on your environment:

    In special circumstances, the GM might vary the armor bonus from what is listed on the above chart (for example, in a field of stout boulders, or a forest of particularly thin trees).

    If you fail your defense roll by 20 or more, you do not gain the armor bonus from cover against that attack; the attacker simply shoots an unprotected area. Though it shares a failure margin of 20, this is a separate effect from a critical hit; Clear Shot (Marksmanship) can also reduce the margin.

    The main downside of fighting from cover is your increased vulnerability when enemies close to melee distance. You do not receive cover's armor bonus against ranged attackers who are engaged with you, unless you are being defended via group defense (and the ranged attacker is not bypassing it). While using cover, you also have 2 degrees of melee disadvantage against all attackers, and are not counted for defending others in group defense, nor for outnumbering dice.

    You can leave cover as a free action, or as part of your movement phase. Rolling on SPD immediately removes you from cover, unless you voluntarily fail the roll. Any event that moves you at least short range also removes you from cover. Knockdowns do not remove you.

    Creatures of 25 or more WGT cannot use cover, unless it is improved cover designed for such use.

Cover, Shields, & "Hits"    Note that the rules for cover are similar to those for shields (see Armor & Shields). The armor bonus from a shield cannot be used at the same time as the armor bonus from cover; you must choose which one you are using against a given attack. Typically, cover is more useful; unlike shields, an attack that fails to cause damage through a cover armor bonus is not considered to have truly "hit" you, just as if you had succeeded on your defense roll. This means that cover always protects you against ranged attacks with an effect other than damage on their target (for example, adhesive points) unless you fail the defense roll by enough that your cover bonus is lost. Cover is also superior to shields during AoEs (see above). Choosing to use a shield's armor bonus instead of a cover armor bonus does not change your using-cover status nor remove its melee disadvantage.

Improved Cover    Improved cover refers to deliberately constructed cover intended to be used as such. Examples include castle battlements, arrow slits, sandbag bunkers, pillboxes, or trenches. Improved cover is distinguished by a much higher armor bonus of 100. It also has a greater effect on Weapon Bracing (Marksmanship). Improved cover usually has some sort of location-based limitation - for example, castle battlements would be ineffective against characters already on the wall, and a bunker would be ineffective against others inside the bunker.

Flight vs. Cover    By default, cover is ineffective against ranged attacks that originate from a flying character or vehicle, if that source's vertical height above you is at least equal to its horizontal range from you. This rule does not apply to the effect of cover on AoEs and ZAoEs, nor to certain types of improved cover (for example, a bunker with a roof). It may also not apply (or may require greater height) in zones with tall cover, such as trees or pillars.

Ranged Flanking     Splitting up can enable a group to make more effective ranged attacks, especially when dealing with enemies in cover. It is much harder to defend against ranged attacks when they can come from markedly different directions.

Basic Flanking    Basic flanking refers to a situation in which you can attack the enemy from two directions which, from the enemy's perspective, are at least around 90 degrees separated. The possibility or difficulty of maneuvering to flank in this way may be affected by the zone(s). A character flanked according to these rules must add 1 Hindrance to all ranged defense rolls.

Severe Flanking    Severe flanking refers to a situation in which you can attack the enemy from two directions which are virtually opposite each other. The possibility or difficulty of maneuvering to flank in this way may be affected by the zone(s), but it will likely require significant movement. A character flanked according to these rules must add 3 Hindrance to all ranged defense rolls.

Prioritizing a Flank    Defending characters may choose to "ignore" a flank, prioritizing defense rolls against the other direction. For example, the group in one direction may be far less of a ranged threat, or may not even be making ranged attacks at all. This choice is made by each character individually, but must be decided at the end of the movement phase. If done, flanking rules are ignored for ranged attacks coming from the prioritized group, but flanking Hindrance is doubled for attacks coming from any other direction.

Multiple Groups    If more than 2 groups are flanking an enemy, the most severe type of flanking applies to all groups. For example, if there are three groups, but two are on opposite sides of the enemy enough to count for severe flanking, then attacks from all 3 groups follow severe flanking rules. If two of those groups are in very similar directions from the enemy, however, the enemy can prioritize both of them at once.

What Doesn't Count    Ranged attacks at engagement range never add Hindrance from flanking, and a group that is engaged with an enemy group does not count for the purposes of helping anyone else flank that group. They may or may not be on opposite sides of a given character during the course of a round, but this is offset by the hectic close-quarters movement and the need to avoid hitting allies. Similarly, strafing aircraft do not count in regards to flanking rules.

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