Gunner
TL; must specialise; DX/Easy; Default: DX-4.
This is the ability to use a heavy weapon, usually one mounted on a tripod or a vehicle, to make a direct-fire attack – that is, to aim and fire at a target to which you have a line of sight. For indirect fire, use Artillery skill (p. 178). Roll against Gunner skill to hit the target.
Make an IQ-based skill roll to take immediate action (e.g., clear a stoppage or restart a crashed targeting computer), should your weapon fail. Loaders can make ST-based skill rolls to improve the rate of fire of certain crew-served weapons; see individual weapon descriptions for details.
You must specialize by weapon type. The available specialties vary by TL, but include one or more of:
- Beams: Any kind of heavy directed- energy weapon: laser, particle beam, etc.
- Cannon: Any kind of heavy projectile weapon – e.g., the main gun of a tank or an ultra-tech railgun on a starship – that fires single shots.
- Catapult: Any kind of large, direct- fire mechanical bolt-thrower, such as a ballista.
- Machine Gun: Any kind of heavy projectile weapon capable of firing bursts.
- Rockets: Any kind of free-flight rocket fired from a mount.
These specialties default to one another at -4. The weapons covered by each specialty vary by TL. For instance, Gunner (Machine Gun) covers hand-cranked Gatling guns at TL5, automatic machine guns at TL6, autocannon at TL7, and electromagnetic machine guns at TL9+.
Familiarity is crucial here! Gunner/TL7 (Machine Gun) covers both tripod-mounted machine guns and aircraft autocannon, but going from one to the other gives you -2 for weapon type (machine gun to autocannon), -2 for aiming system (open sights to HUD), and -2 for mount (tripod to hull mount), for a net -6 to skill until you familiarize yourself with all the differences.
Modifiers: All applicable ranged combat modifiers; -2 for an unfamiliar aiming system (e.g., a camera when you’re used to open sights) or mount (e.g., a tripod when you’re used to a turret), or for an unfamiliar weapon of a known type (e.g., .30-cal when you are used to .50s); -4 or more for a weapon in bad repair.