Shotgun Damage/Rate of Fire

[Beard For Charity]

I've been playing Gurps 4e now for about 4 months, and when it comes to combat, i've mostly dealt with melee or magic.

Now i'm running a cyberpunk campaign, and I realized mid-combat one adventure that i have NO CLUE how shotgun damage is supposed to work. I've read it several times, and I just don't get it...

Am I missing an explanation somewhere? I know it has to do something with rate of fire... but I would LOVE an official explanation of how shotgun damage works.

Thanks anyone-who-helps. I feel like a dork asking, but I just can't get it in my head.

[sir_pudding]

What exactly don't you understand?

[Beard For Charity]

Well its a question of how the damage interacts with Rapid Fire/Rate of Fire. As in, do you role as if using rapid fire every time you use the weapon? Do you make multiple attack rolls for each shot? How does range affect it?

I know I sound like I'm trolling or just being lazy, but I just don't get it. :(

[PK]

Originally Posted by Beard For Charity

Well its a question of how the damage interacts with Rapid Fire/Rate of Fire. As in, do you role as if using rapid fire every time you use the weapon?

Yes, exactly. If you're firing two shells, and each has 9 pellets, then you use the normal rapid fire rules for an attack with RoF 18 (2x9).

Do you make multiple attack rolls for each shot?

No -- you never make multiple attack rolls for a single rapid-fire attack against a single target. You only roll once, with a bonus for RoF, and then look at the margin of success and Rcl stat to determine how many shots hit.

How does range affect it?

Range penalties are on p. B550. At extremely short range, you apply different rules, but let's not get into that until you're 100% clear on normal shotgun damage.

[Beard For Charity]

Hmm, cool! Thanks!

Okay, lets see if i got this...

So Jeff the rookie cop has to use his pump action shotgun. He's trying to hit a target from 20 yards away. that's within the first range increment (damage is not halved). He has a skill of 13, and pops out of cover and fires, rolling 7. Now he's firing one shot, so its not rapid firing, and he's aiming for the torso, so no penalty to hit for location. his margin of success is 6; 13-7=6. so he'd roll 6d+6 for damage? any DR would apply normally, correct?

(I'm used to sword and magic; higher the TL, tougher the rules!)

[lexington]

Originally Posted by Beard For Charity

Hmm, cool! Thanks!

Okay, lets see if i got this...

So Jeff the rookie cop has to use his pump action shotgun. He's trying to hit a target from 20 yards away. that's within the first range increment (damage is not halved). He has a skill of 13, and pops out of cover and fires, rolling 7. Now he's firing one shot, so its not rapid firing, and he's aiming for the torso, so no penalty to hit for location. his margin of success is 6; 13-7=6. so he'd roll 6d+6 for damage? any DR would apply normally, correct?

(I'm used to sword and magic; higher the TL, tougher the rules!)

He'd roll 1d+1 six times with DR affecting each pellet separately, just like normal Rapid Fire. It's an important distinction, otherwise you get shotguns that tear right through armor.

[Beard For Charity]

Ahh, thank you, that makes a LOT more sense.

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by Beard For Charity

Hmm, cool! Thanks!

Okay, lets see if i got this...

So Jeff the rookie cop has to use his pump action shotgun. He's trying to hit a target from 20 yards away.

The range penalty for a target of 20yds distance is -6.

that's within the first range increment (damage is not halved).

There are no 'range increments,' as such. He is within the "half damage range," also denoted 1/2D, so damage is not halved.

He has a skill of 13, and pops out of cover and fires, rolling 7. Now he's firing one shot, so its not rapid firing,

If he's firing pellets, he always uses the rapid fire table. I believe 9 pellets is +2 to hit, a good thing, because his skill is 13, less 6 for range +2 for number of pellets, but -2 for the 'pop-up' attack. Net skill is 7, meaning he makes it exactly and hits with exactly one pellet.

I believe buckshot damage is 1d+1 or 1d+2 pi. So you'd roll it once, and DR applies normally.

[Beard For Charity]

See, I knew I came to the right place to figure this all out :)

Thanks guys, I think i'm getting it now, reading replies and referencing it all.

SO if Jeff is making an attack at an approaching enemy, lets say 35yds away, and he makes two attacks, rapid firing, he rolls one attack at +4 (18 shots), with a -8 range penalty, after aiming for two seconds (+2), at skill 13... and rolls a 10. After a net -2 to attack, he has a margin of success of 2, and since his recoil is only 1, that's two successful shots hitting. he'd roll 1d+1pi twice, applying DR to each roll. And this is assuming that Jeff's opponent didn't successfully dodge. :)

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Beard For Charity

SO if Jeff is making an attack at an approaching enemy, lets say 35yds away, and he makes two attacks, rapid firing,

Do you mean he is firing two shells (with one attack) at the same target, or he's making two separate attacks using rapid strike? If the latter, then both attacks are at -6.

after aiming for two seconds (+2),

Only if the weapon's Acc is +1. The first second of aiming gives the weapon's Acc bonus.

And this is assuming that Jeff's opponent didn't successfully dodge. :)

The opponent would have to make the dodge by at least 1 to dodge both hits.