Swarm - Shooting at them

[GodBeastX]

Attacking a Swarm: Any attack
against a swarm hits automatically.
The swarm gets no defense roll. (A
swarm of hard-to-hit creatures just
requires more damage to disperse.) A
swarm takes damage as if it were
Diffuse – see Injury to Unliving,
Homogenous, and Diffuse Targets
(p. 380). Shields can crush flying creatures;
a shield does 2 HP per turn, and
can attack at the same time as a
weapon. Stomping does 1 HP per turn
to nonflying vermin, and can be done
while attacking with a weapon.

What about ranged attacks against swarms? And what about ranged attacks on swarms that are swarming people> According to that, you can't miss the swarm at any range.

[Anthony]

You should probably have to hit the hex, which is something like +2 to hit and has no active defenses. Realistically, shooting at a swarm shouldn't work at all, your bullet might disrupt 1 square inch of swarm and there's ~1100 square inches in a single hex.

[Green-Neck]

Originally Posted by Anthony

You should probably have to hit the hex, which is something like +2 to hit and has no active defenses. Realistically, shooting at a swarm shouldn't work at all, your bullet might disrupt 1 square inch of swarm and there's ~1100 square inches in a single hex.

Although a 12 gauge shot shell with 1400 #12 pellets makes quite a dent on a swarm...

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Green-Neck

Although a 12 gauge shot shell with 1400 #12 pellets makes quite a dent on a swarm...

Go annoy a wasp's nest and see how well the shotgun works. To the degree it will do anything, it's because of the loud noise and muzzle blast, not because of the shot.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Anthony

You should probably have to hit the hex, which is something like +2 to hit and has no active defenses. Realistically, shooting at a swarm shouldn't work at all, your bullet might disrupt 1 square inch of swarm and there's ~1100 square inches in a single hex.

That's a fair point. It might make sense to treat a swarm as Diffuse versus impaling, piercing, and tight-beam burning.

Bill Stoddard

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by whswhs

That's a fair point. It might make sense to treat a swarm as Diffuse versus impaling, piercing, and tight-beam burning.

Swarms are inherently Diffuse, as noted by the OP.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by whswhs

That's a fair point. It might make sense to treat a swarm as Diffuse versus impaling, piercing, and tight-beam burning.

No, it makes sense to treat them as insubstantial. They already count as diffuse.