Car Wars: Chassis & Crossbow

House Rules

Players:

Each player begins with $12,000 to buy vehicles and equipment. Players can have as many characters as they can fit into their vehicles, up to four characters each. Each character begins with 80 skill points. No character can begin with a skill above level two. Your characters may purchase any weapons and supplies they can afford, except for firearms, explosives, and Kevlar armor.

Skills:

10/level

• Body Building (see optional rules below)
• Cyclist
• Driver
• Gunner
• Gunsmith (for repairing and modifying hand weapons and vehicle weapons)
• Handgunner (includes bows & thrown weapons — delete Archery skill)
• Luck (each level of Luck allows you to reroll one die roll per adventure)
• Martial Arts (includes all melee weapons — delete Blade skill)
• Mechanic
• Paramedic
• Runner (Base level free)
• Trucker

5/level

• Acrobatics (good for boarding moving vehicles)
• Area Knowledge
• Climbing
• Communications
• Computer Tech
• Explosives
• Fast-Talk
• Stealth
• Streetwise
• Survival
• Swimming
• Theft

New Body Building rules: The base level of bodybuilding adds +1 GE to the character's encumbrance limit. Level one gives the character +1 DP and adds 25 lbs. to the character's weight. The cycle repeats up to level four, so that the maximum limits for any character is GE 9, DP 5, and weight 200 lbs.

New Hit Location rules:

Head: Double damage. Any hit to the head, even if it does zero damage, causes the victim to roll on the concussion grenade table.

Leg: One DP to the leg reduces movement by ¼". Damage equaling or exceeding half the character's DP (round up) cripples the leg; the character loses 1" from his movement. With both legs gone, the character can only crawl ¼" every other turn.

Arm: One DP forces the character to roll 1d6; on a 5 or 6 he drops whatever he was carrying in that arm. Damage equaling or exceeding half the character's DP cripples the arm. A character with a crippled arm fires all hand weapons at —1.

New Mortality rules:

Characters begin with 3 DP, modified by bodybuilding skill. When a character is reduced to zero DP he must roll every turn to retain consciousness. Roll 1d6 against the character's original DP score. If the character rolls less than or equal to his original base DP, he remains conscious that turn. If he rolls higher than his base DP, he falls unconscious for 1d6 hours unless revived. When a character reaches his negative DP (for example, when a character starting with 3 DP reaches —3 DP), he will die unless he receives medical attention within 10 turns. If a character is reduced to twice his negative DP (a character starting with 3 DP reaches —6 DP), he dies automatically.

New Encumbrance Rules:

Characters begin with a GE limit of six, modified by bodybuilding skill. For each GE the character is carrying above his limit, he loses ¼" from his movement. While sitting in a vehicle, no character may carry more than his GE limit.

Fast-Drawing Weapons:

To fast-draw a weapon make a basic Handgunner or Martial Arts skill roll (target number 7), minus the weapon's GE.

Critical Hit Rules:

Any natural 12 rolled on a to hit roll is an automatic hit. A critical hit ignores the armor of the target and automatically scores the weapon's maximum damage. Any natural 2 is an automatic miss, with potentially nasty consequences if the character fails a luck check with a target number of 6 or better.

Rapid Fire:

Any automatic, semi-automatic, or double-action weapon may fire twice per second with a —2 penalty applied to each shot. Rapid fire shots do not earn bonuses for braced weapons or sustained fire. In addition, the range modifier is halved. Both shots must be taken at targets within a one inch zone like area effect weapons.

Damage Rolls:

For hand weapons that always do a minimum one DP damage, such as bows, firearms, and edged melee weapons, I suggest using an alternate method of rolling damage. For weapons doing 1d-4, divide 1d6 by 3 and round up. For 1d-3, divide 1d6 by 2 and round up. For 1d-2, simply re-roll any 5 or 6. For 1d-1, re-roll sixes. This method increases the average damage done by these weapons, which fits well with the new mortality rules.

Firearms & Missile Weapons:

• Crossbows take two turns to reload, Compound Bows take one turn to reload.
• Bows and firearms will always do at least one DP of damage when they hit.
• Thrown rocks gain +1 damage for every 20 mph of collision speed.
• Shotgun. Buckshot: To Hit: 6. Damage: Three 1d-4 rolls. Damage drops to two 1d-4 rolls beyond 4" range; one 1d-4 roll beyond 8" range. Max range: 12 inches. Slug: To Hit: 8. Damage: 1d-2. Range modifier: 6 inches.
• Assault Rifle. Ammo: 30. When fired semi-auto, treat as a semi-auto rifle with a range modifier of 8 inches. Burst fire expends 3 shots, does 1d+1 damage. May rapid fire two bursts.
• Submachinegun. Ammo: 30. When fired semi-auto, does 1d-3 damage with to hit 7 and range modifier of 6 inches. Burst fire expends 3 shots, does 1d damage. May rapid fire two bursts.
• Machine Pistol. Ammo: 18. When fired semi-auto, treat as a light pistol. Burst fire expends 3 shots, does 1d-1 damage. May rapid fire two bursts.
• Pepper Spray: A hit to the Head forces the victim to roll on the Tear Gas table. A hit anywhere else gives the victim a +4 to his roll (a result of seven or greater means no effect). Gas masks provide complete protection.
• Molotov sets a ¾" square afire. All targets therein take full damage. On following turns, treat the square as a flaming oil slick. The fire burns out after five turns. Burn modifier 4/2.

Hand Weapon Accessories:

Hollow Point Ammo for LP, HP, MP, R, SG, AR: Double CPS, +1 damage versus pedestrians only. Treat hollow points as bow/melee damage against vehicles (vehicle armor value is tripled.)

Folding stock: $10. For pistols: +1 GE, -1 to hit, +2" range. For long arms: -1 GE, +1 to hit, -2" range.

Laser Sight: $1000. +1 to Hit.

Telescopic Scope: $200. Doubles range modifier and extends point blank range to 2 inches when braced and stationary.

Bulk Ammo Boxes: $50, one space, 10 lbs. Holds 12 GE worth of hand weapon magazines. Protects contents with one DP of vehicular armor.

Melee Combat:

The base To Hit number for fists is 6 (not including the plus four point-blank and minus three for pedestrian, with these modifiers factored in the final To Hit number = 5). The base damage for human fists is 1d-5, modified by Martial Arts skill. The minimum damage possible is zero, so normal humans only score one hit of damage on a natural six. Melee weapons add to the base damage roll. Edged weapons (axe, hatchet, knife, sword, spear, chainsaw) always do at least one point of damage when they hit.

Melee Weapons:

• Use brass knuckles stats for striking with small blunt objects like blackjacks, rocks, grenades, pistol butts, etc. Use light club stats for one-handed weapons like batons, nightsticks, tonfas, nunchakus, tire irons, and rifle butts. Use heavy club stats for two-handed weapons like shovels, monkey wrenches, baseball bats, staves, and chairs. Blunt weapons do no damage to tires.
• Use small knife stats for any small cutting or stabbing weapon like switchblades, pocket knives, ice picks, and concealable knives. Use large knife stats for larger edged weapons like bayonets, meat cleavers, butcher knives, tantos, bowie knives, and katars. Use Sword stats for heavy but balanced edged weapons like machetes, sabers, rapiers, katanas, short spears, etc.
• Use Spear stats for pikes, lances, and other long pole arms. When wielded by a charging cyclist, or set by a pedestrian to receive a charge, it does 1d-1 damage for every 25 mph of collision speed, up to a maximum of 3d-3. The spear is automatically lost in the target. On a critical miss, the attacker suffers 1d6-4 to his weapon arm per 25 mph.
• Hatchet stats will work for tomahawks, claw hammers, crowbars, and one-handed sledges. Use Axe stats for two-handed swinging weapons like fire axes, pickaxes, and sledgehammers.
• Chainsaw: A critical miss (natural To Hit roll of 2 followed by a failed Luck check with a target number of 6) causes a broken chain. Repairing is an easy job for a Mechanic.
• Stun gun: Any hit on a pedestrian forces the victim to roll on the concussion grenade table. Add 2 plus the victim's armor DP to the roll.

Body Armor:

• Body Armor DP is not ablative.
• Leather armor, Fireproof suit, and Cycle Helmet DP protects against melee weapons, bows, and falls only. Fireproof suit DP also protects against fire damage.

Equipment:

Car Designs:

Vehicle types available to players: Cars, motorcycles, sidecars.

Engines larger than 350ci are rare (x2 cost).

Turbos and superchargers are rare (x2 cost).

Turbo-superchargers and NO² bottles are very rare (x4 cost).

Gasoline costs $3/gallon when available. May be rare, very rare, or worse in some areas.

Chassis: Every vehicle has chassis DP equal to its total spaces (including cargo spaces).

Drivers take two spaces; Gunners occupy one space only.

Rare items (x2 cost)

Tripod MG, MG, PFT, SS, OJ, SD, SMG, AR, MP, Laser Scope, PR Tires, HD Fuel Tanks.

Very Rare items(x4 cost)

VMG, ATG, Tripod RR, RR, FT, RL, MD, LAW, VLAW, Bazooka, GL, URGL, Stinger, Plastique, Pintle Mount, Solid Tires, Racing Fuel Tanks, External Weapon Pods.

Normal Price Weapons & Accessories:

Debris Dropper, Body Blades, Roll Cage, Metal Wheelguards, Portable Fire Extinguisher, Radial and Steel-belted tires, HD Tires, Brushcutter, Articulated mount, Ring Mount, Bumper Spikes, Safety Seats, Sunroofs, Car Top Carrier, Fake Passengers, Long Distance Radio, Portable Shop, Sound System, Spoilers & Airdams, Tow Bar, Trailer Hitch, Winch.

Articulated Mount: Mounted facing the front, back or to one side, the articulated mount allows vehicle or hand weapons to fire into these arcs. It requires a gunner to sit behind the weapon and physically move and fire it. Only the designated gunner may fire this weapon. The gunner still suffers a —1 to hit penalty. Costs $500, weighs 50 lbs., and takes one space in addition to the gunner and the weapon (hand weapons in articulated mounts require no additional space).

Ring Mount: Mounted on the top of a vehicle that has either a sun roof or no top armor. It requires a gunner standing behind the weapon to move and fire it. Only the designated gunner may fire the ring-mounted weapon. The weapon can be fired in a 360 degree arc, but can only swing 90 degrees in one turn. A ring mount for a one space weapon costs $1000, weighs 100 lbs., and requires no space (besides the space taken up by the gunner). A ring mount for a two space weapon costs $1500, weighs 200 lbs., and requires no space.

Pintle Mount: Mounted on the top of a vehicle that has either a sun roof or no top armor. It requires a gunner standing behind the weapon to move and fire it. Only the assigned gunner may fire the pintle-mounted weapon. The weapon can be fired into a 180 degree arc designated upon installation. A pintle mount for a one space weapon costs $600, weighs 20 lbs., and requires no space. A pintle mount for a two space weapon costs $1200, weighs 40 lbs., and requires no space.

Vehicle Armor: The skin of unarmored vehicles provides 1 DP protection versus hand weapons only. Other weapons cut right through unimpeded.

Metal armor is available at x10 weight, x5 price of plastic armor. This primitive metal armor has x2 DP value versus hand-held firearms, and x3 DP value versus bows, melee weapons, and collisions.

Targeting a person in a car through a window imposes a -5 hit penalty. If you miss by two or less, then you hit the car instead.

Burst Effect:

When a burst effect weapon penetrates the crew compartment of a car, all passengers and crew suffer burst damage. Cyclists suffer burst damage if any part of their cycle is hit by a burst effect weapon. Other vehicles within the burst radius also suffer damage. Roll hit location and treat burst damage as hand weapon fire (vehicular armor values are doubled).

Collisions:

Apply one-quarter of the collision damage that penetrates armor (rounded down) directly to internal components (engines, gas tanks, weapons, crew, cargo). The remaining damage is halved (round down) and applied to the chassis. For every 10 mph a vehicle loses in a collision, apply 1d-5 damage to each crew member. Armor does not protect against this damage.

Vehicle Hit Location: