Why are all sniper weapons in Rifts Energy based?

[SittingBull]

I would like to see an old fashioned projectile thrower for a sniper rifle. Like maybe a 50 cal sniper rifle (already MD or close) and at least make it a ramjet round. Or maybe going with something more modern, I am not very gun savy.

[Grell]

There are already conversions for SD rounds via Ramjet or Explosive Ammunition in Mercenaries that does damage equivalent to a rail gun round. Lasers are often used because they are silent and tend to have the greatest ranges out of all the other types of energy weapons.

[kaid]

Frankly if you have a viable energy weapon why would you ever use a projectile weapon for sniping. A laser gun is invisible and soundless. There is no muzzle flash to point back to you nor any noise to give away your position. Now add those advantages to no bullet drop no worries about windage or ambient temp/altitude and you have pretty much an all around better tool.

[Nekira Sudacne]

I would like to see an old fashioned projectile thrower for a sniper rifle. Like maybe a 50 cal sniper rifle (already MD or close) and at least make it a ramjet round. Or maybe going with something more modern, I am not very gun savy.

Easy, laser weapons are increadibly more accurate at long ranges. with any kind of projectile, you have the shot constantly falling, being buffeted by wind, and even worse the wind can actually be different speads along the path of the shot. it takes an insane amount of skill and training to use a projectile sniper rifle.

Or, ya know, you could use a laser sniper rifle that any laymen could use to snipe effectively at 5000 feet. I'm guessing most everyone would drop the projectile sniper rifles as obsolete pretty well immediately.

Serously: one gun requires years of constant and intense training to use properly, the other you could grab a random infantryman out of parade formation and he'd have better odds of hitting the target.

There's a reason ramjets are so cheep: they're the crappy budget option for people who can't afford a real gun.

[wyrmraker]

I can see the pros and cons of both sides of the equation. Sniping with lasers is silent and invisible, but countered by laser-resistant materials and Impervious to Energy. Bullets make a loud noise and muzzle flash, and have issues with windage, drag, etc (all of which are ignored in PB for convenience), but can be made into different rounds for different effects (hollow-point, APFDS, explosive, etc).

In fact, the 12 gauge shotgun is considered to be one of the kings of variability. Sabot (armor piercing), strung buck (cutting damage), flechettes (lightly armored soft targets), explosive (self-explanatory), sandbag (knockdown/stun), leyden rounds (basically a shotgun taser) and the grand old stand-by, 00 Buck. And yes, all of these are manufactured today. In Rifts, APRJ rounds can be loaded into a 12 gauge.

In Rifts, normal gun rounds are pretty much considered out of fashion, and, in general do a lot less damage because of how the setting is viewed. I disagree with this perspective, and have been working out ways in our game to bring traditional forearms back up into the running against energy weapons.

[Talavar]

I can see the pros and cons of both sides of the equation. Sniping with lasers is silent and invisible, but countered by laser-resistant materials and Impervious to Energy. Bullets make a loud noise and muzzle flash, and have issues with windage, drag, etc (all of which are ignored in PB for convenience), but can be made into different rounds for different effects (hollow-point, APFDS, explosive, etc).

In fact, the 12 gauge shotgun is considered to be one of the kings of variability. Sabot (armor piercing), strung buck (cutting damage), flechettes (lightly armored soft targets), explosive (self-explanatory), sandbag (knockdown/stun), leyden rounds (basically a shotgun taser) and the grand old stand-by, 00 Buck. And yes, all of these are manufactured today. In Rifts, APRJ rounds can be loaded into a 12 gauge.

In Rifts, normal gun rounds are pretty much considered out of fashion, and, in general do a lot less damage because of how the setting is viewed. I disagree with this perspective, and have been working out ways in our game to bring traditional forearms back up into the running against energy weapons.

The problem with this (and it comes up really glaringly in the last couple of Fallout games) is that if traditional firearms are as good as energy weapons, no one would have ever started using energy weapons. Guns were better than bows and crossbows, bows & crossbows were better than throwing rocks at people, and energy weapons will have to be better than guns before anyone starts using them.

[Killer Cyborg]

I would like to see an old fashioned projectile thrower for a sniper rifle. Like maybe a 50 cal sniper rifle (already MD or close) and at least make it a ramjet round. Or maybe going with something more modern, I am not very gun savy.

Well, a .50 caliber ramjet round inflicts 1d4 MD, which would be GREAT for SDC targets.... but against MDC targets, the 3d6-4d6 MD for the average energy sniper rifle would be preferable.

If you're interested in home-brews, I wrote up a couple of sniper rifles a while back, one laser and one railgun.

viewtopic.php?p=2615462#p2615462

[Nekira Sudacne]

I can see the pros and cons of both sides of the equation. Sniping with lasers is silent and invisible, but countered by laser-resistant materials and Impervious to Energy. Bullets make a loud noise and muzzle flash, and have issues with windage, drag, etc (all of which are ignored in PB for convenience), but can be made into different rounds for different effects (hollow-point, APFDS, explosive, etc).

I'm not sure why laser-resistant materials comes up as a flaw. there is all of ONE kind of laser-resistant material, the glitter boy (and variants), and they're pretty effing rare. not to mention they have so much MDC you would never bother trying to snipe them in the first place. a GB has 760 MDC. Would you try sniping through that with your 4d6 laser rifle even if it did normal damage?

[Comrade Corsarius]

JA-11 has a 7.62 single-shot built into it for the specific purposes of sniping.

[wyrmraker]

I can see the pros and cons of both sides of the equation. Sniping with lasers is silent and invisible, but countered by laser-resistant materials and Impervious to Energy. Bullets make a loud noise and muzzle flash, and have issues with windage, drag, etc (all of which are ignored in PB for convenience), but can be made into different rounds for different effects (hollow-point, APFDS, explosive, etc).

In fact, the 12 gauge shotgun is considered to be one of the kings of variability. Sabot (armor piercing), strung buck (cutting damage), flechettes (lightly armored soft targets), explosive (self-explanatory), sandbag (knockdown/stun), leyden rounds (basically a shotgun taser) and the grand old stand-by, 00 Buck. And yes, all of these are manufactured today. In Rifts, APRJ rounds can be loaded into a 12 gauge.

In Rifts, normal gun rounds are pretty much considered out of fashion, and, in general do a lot less damage because of how the setting is viewed. I disagree with this perspective, and have been working out ways in our game to bring traditional forearms back up into the running against energy weapons.

The problem with this (and it comes up really glaringly in the last couple of Fallout games) is that if traditional firearms are as good as energy weapons, no one would have ever started using energy weapons. Guns were better than bows and crossbows, bows & crossbows were better than throwing rocks at people, and energy weapons will have to be better than guns before anyone starts using them.

I see your point, and as a fellow Fallout player I can both agree and disagree. Like any weapon, it's a matter of using the right tool for the job. I am not saying that energy weapons are inherently better than slugthrowers, just that, in certain settings, that they have been *made* to be so by the designers. If they really wanted to, a new line of conventional firearms capable of keeping up with energy weapons would be introduced and made wide-spread, instead of just being found in a very small amount of books.
To be honest, MD energy weapons have such a ridiculously high power output as to stretch the limits of my imagination. Going strictly by the book, one e-clip has the electrical storage capacity of 1000 car batteries. How long would that run an entire house? And instead of powering everything from houses to cars, it gets loaded into a gun.

As for the laser-resistant materials, how many laser rifles out there are counted as Variable Frequency? If laser resistance was as rare as the Glitter Boy series, then VF Laser weaponry wouldn't be cost effective to market, and would fall into the category of "Oooh, nifty!", as opposed to actually being useful.

[Killer Cyborg]

I can see the pros and cons of both sides of the equation. Sniping with lasers is silent and invisible, but countered by laser-resistant materials and Impervious to Energy. Bullets make a loud noise and muzzle flash, and have issues with windage, drag, etc (all of which are ignored in PB for convenience), but can be made into different rounds for different effects (hollow-point, APFDS, explosive, etc).

I'm not sure why laser-resistant materials comes up as a flaw. there is all of ONE kind of laser-resistant material, the glitter boy (and variants), and they're pretty effing rare. not to mention they have so much MDC you would never bother trying to snipe them in the first place. a GB has 760 MDC. Would you try sniping through that with your 4d6 laser rifle even if it did normal damage?

Agreed.
While Palladium keeps making VF weapons, there only seems to be ONE kind of target, GB variants.
Which aren't common enough for most people to worry about, and which are powerful enough that using a laser rifle isn't the way to go in any case.

[Nekira Sudacne]

As for the laser-resistant materials, how many laser rifles out there are counted as Variable Frequency? If laser resistance was as rare as the Glitter Boy series, then VF Laser weaponry wouldn't be cost effective to market, and would fall into the category of "Oooh, nifty!", as opposed to actually being useful.

That's my point. all they've ever been is "Oooh, Nifty". I've never known someone to willingly take one unless there was nothing better offered.

[Grell]

Let's not forget that any good sniper will have to possess a well developed sense of discretion about choosing their targets. It's all about using the right tool for the job, as was already said.

[Zamion138]

I can see the pros and cons of both sides of the equation. Sniping with lasers is silent and invisible, but countered by laser-resistant materials and Impervious to Energy. Bullets make a loud noise and muzzle flash, and have issues with windage, drag, etc (all of which are ignored in PB for convenience), but can be made into different rounds for different effects (hollow-point, APFDS, explosive, etc).

In fact, the 12 gauge shotgun is considered to be one of the kings of variability. Sabot (armor piercing), strung buck (cutting damage), flechettes (lightly armored soft targets), explosive (self-explanatory), sandbag (knockdown/stun), leyden rounds (basically a shotgun taser) and the grand old stand-by, 00 Buck. And yes, all of these are manufactured today. In Rifts, APRJ rounds can be loaded into a 12 gauge.

In Rifts, normal gun rounds are pretty much considered out of fashion, and, in general do a lot less damage because of how the setting is viewed. I disagree with this perspective, and have been working out ways in our game to bring traditional forearms back up into the running against energy weapons.

The problem with this (and it comes up really glaringly in the last couple of Fallout games) is that if traditional firearms are as good as energy weapons, no one would have ever started using energy weapons. Guns were better than bows and crossbows, bows & crossbows were better than throwing rocks at people, and energy weapons will have to be better than guns before anyone starts using them.

I see your point, and as a fellow Fallout player I can both agree and disagree. Like any weapon, it's a matter of using the right tool for the job. I am not saying that energy weapons are inherently better than slugthrowers, just that, in certain settings, that they have been *made* to be so by the designers. If they really wanted to, a new line of conventional firearms capable of keeping up with energy weapons would be introduced and made wide-spread, instead of just being found in a very small amount of books.
To be honest, MD energy weapons have such a ridiculously high power output as to stretch the limits of my imagination. Going strictly by the book, one e-clip has the electrical storage capacity of 1000 car batteries. How long would that run an entire house? And instead of powering everything from houses to cars, it gets loaded into a gun.

As for the laser-resistant materials, how many laser rifles out there are counted as Variable Frequency? If laser resistance was as rare as the Glitter Boy series, then VF Laser weaponry wouldn't be cost effective to market, and would fall into the category of "Oooh, nifty!", as opposed to actually being useful.

But laser resistant armor is just that, glitter boys and the pilots laser resistant armor are the only things i can think of that are laser resisting. The variable frequency feature is a throw away feature practicly. Only Quebec's enemies should care about it as a selling point.

[Greyaxe]

I would like to see an old fashioned projectile thrower for a sniper rifle. Like maybe a 50 cal sniper rifle (already MD or close) and at least make it a ramjet round. Or maybe going with something more modern, I am not very gun savy.

Rifts Merc Ops has a projectile sniper rifle good for killing vampires and Xiticix. It is primarily an SDC weapon but is megadamage by heavy ramjet rounds.

[Grell]

I can see the pros and cons of both sides of the equation. Sniping with lasers is silent and invisible, but countered by laser-resistant materials and Impervious to Energy. Bullets make a loud noise and muzzle flash, and have issues with windage, drag, etc (all of which are ignored in PB for convenience), but can be made into different rounds for different effects (hollow-point, APFDS, explosive, etc).

In fact, the 12 gauge shotgun is considered to be one of the kings of variability. Sabot (armor piercing), strung buck (cutting damage), flechettes (lightly armored soft targets), explosive (self-explanatory), sandbag (knockdown/stun), leyden rounds (basically a shotgun taser) and the grand old stand-by, 00 Buck. And yes, all of these are manufactured today. In Rifts, APRJ rounds can be loaded into a 12 gauge.

In Rifts, normal gun rounds are pretty much considered out of fashion, and, in general do a lot less damage because of how the setting is viewed. I disagree with this perspective, and have been working out ways in our game to bring traditional forearms back up into the running against energy weapons.

The problem with this (and it comes up really glaringly in the last couple of Fallout games) is that if traditional firearms are as good as energy weapons, no one would have ever started using energy weapons. Guns were better than bows and crossbows, bows & crossbows were better than throwing rocks at people, and energy weapons will have to be better than guns before anyone starts using them.

I see your point, and as a fellow Fallout player I can both agree and disagree. Like any weapon, it's a matter of using the right tool for the job. I am not saying that energy weapons are inherently better than slugthrowers, just that, in certain settings, that they have been *made* to be so by the designers. If they really wanted to, a new line of conventional firearms capable of keeping up with energy weapons would be introduced and made wide-spread, instead of just being found in a very small amount of books.
To be honest, MD energy weapons have such a ridiculously high power output as to stretch the limits of my imagination. Going strictly by the book, one e-clip has the electrical storage capacity of 1000 car batteries. How long would that run an entire house? And instead of powering everything from houses to cars, it gets loaded into a gun.

As for the laser-resistant materials, how many laser rifles out there are counted as Variable Frequency? If laser resistance was as rare as the Glitter Boy series, then VF Laser weaponry wouldn't be cost effective to market, and would fall into the category of "Oooh, nifty!", as opposed to actually being useful.

But laser resistant armor is just that, glitter boys and the pilots laser resistant armor are the only things i can think of that are laser resisting. The variable frequency feature is a throw away feature practicly. Only Quebec's enemies should care about it as a selling point.

Depending on who FQ fosters animosity with, that could be a huge market. I agree though that variable frequency is largely worthless as a feature and seems like a convenient excuse to mark up prices.

[Dr Megaverse]

S'pose there might be a I-Beam Rifle out there that could stay competitive. 2d6 per shot on 7mm ammo isn't terribad. I know referencing SA2 is tantamount to blasphemy here but the I-Beam is a neat idea. That kind if tech is really the only kind of technology I could see keeping slug throwers relevant. Otherwise the energy weapon simply offers more d6 and range, and as those two game mechanics tend I be rather important anytime you're using the gun I can see why folks prefer it...

[Grell]

I like SA2 so I approve of your blasphemy, good doctor.

[Shark_Force]

there's always the shemarrian rail gun.

i mean, obviously you can't just walk into a store and buy one or anything, but provided you can manage to get your hands on one, i'd say it could work as a sniper rifle.

[flatline]

10) Because WP Rifle advances one level faster than WP Energy Rifle

Because leading your target, accounting for bullet drop, and anticipating the wind is so much easier than simply pointing a laser at something.

Palladium, pretty much as a rule, treats weapons stupidly.

--flatline

[Grell]

there's always the shemarrian rail gun.

i mean, obviously you can't just walk into a store and buy one or anything, but provided you can manage to get your hands on one, i'd say it could work as a sniper rifle.

Not very subtle, but it's more likely to take down an armored target quickly than a ramjet for sure. In the same vein, you could snipe with a boom gun too.

[Grell]

10) Because WP Rifle advances one level faster than WP Energy Rifle

Because leading your target, accounting for bullet drop, and anticipating the wind is so much easier than simply pointing a laser at something.

Palladium, pretty much as a rule, treats weapons stupidly.

--flatline

Like how sniping in rifts is implemented so poorly it is almost comical

How so and how would you make it better? I'd follow a topic on that subject.

[flatline]

Isn't anything in Rifts determined by the GM and the players?

Man people want their hand held through everything.

Everything in Rifts is determined by the GM and players. The books merely offer ideas.

If I were to start a group again and you were in it, you wouldn't recognize much beyond character generation. I would use my version of the setting and my own rules. Actually, if it were a totally fresh group, I wouldn't even use character generation. I'd probably use FUDGE character generation instead.

The only Palladium system I've ever played (mostly) by the book was Fantasy 1st edition.

--flatline

[Zamion138]

S'pose there might be a I-Beam Rifle out there that could stay competitive. 2d6 per shot on 7mm ammo isn't terribad. I know referencing SA2 is tantamount to blasphemy here but the I-Beam is a neat idea. That kind if tech is really the only kind of technology I could see keeping slug throwers relevant. Otherwise the energy weapon simply offers more d6 and range, and as those two game mechanics tend I be rather important anytime you're using the gun I can see why folks prefer it...

Its not so much that SA is blasphemy so much Ibeam weapons are not production ready by any north american arms manufacturer.

[Dr Megaverse]

I like the Rifts idea (here are some guidelines, make it work), but it can slow the pace for an inexperienced GM. Of course I also like that you can pick up almost ANY GURPS book and plug stuff from it into Rifts (which I do ALOT) and GURPS is just one such system that works like so, almost anything from popular culture can be added. Hell I played a campaign once where we we're crossing a desert after being randomly Rifted and a lone Gunslinger travelled with us for a time .

Plus, anything which encourages home brew is a good thing in my book! Even if it has to be semi-broken to encourage that! Lol.

S'pose there might be a I-Beam Rifle out there that could stay competitive. 2d6 per shot on 7mm ammo isn't terribad. I know referencing SA2 is tantamount to blasphemy here but the I-Beam is a neat idea. That kind if tech is really the only kind of technology I could see keeping slug throwers relevant. Otherwise the energy weapon simply offers more d6 and range, and as those two game mechanics tend I be rather important anytime you're using the gun I can see why folks prefer it...

Its not so much that SA is blasphemy so much Ibeam weapons are not production ready by any north american arms manufacturer.

True, but that's why you jump through a Rift to SA, serve a term with the Legion, and bring one back! Sounds like a fun campaign.

[Subjugator]

Dinosaur Swamp has a projectile based sniper weapon that gives a natural bonus to hit.

*shrug*

/Sub

[Grell]

The Shemarrian 30-06 also gives a bonus to hit just from it's construction, I believe.

[Shark_Force]

Isn't anything in Rifts determined by the GM and the players?

Man people want their hand held through everything.

Everything in Rifts is determined by the GM and players. The books merely offer ideas.

If I were to start a group again and you were in it, you wouldn't recognize much beyond character generation. I would use my version of the setting and my own rules. Actually, if it were a totally fresh group, I wouldn't even use character generation. I'd probably use FUDGE character generation instead.

The only Palladium system I've ever played (mostly) by the book was Fantasy 1st edition.

--flatline

wait...

you would replace the setting and the rules...



why do you buy the books? 0.o

there's always the shemarrian rail gun.

i mean, obviously you can't just walk into a store and buy one or anything, but provided you can manage to get your hands on one, i'd say it could work as a sniper rifle.

Not very subtle, but it's more likely to take down an armored target quickly than a ramjet for sure. In the same vein, you could snipe with a boom gun too.

and ramjet rounds are your version of subtle? "hey, don't mind me, the attack just left a small rocket contrail pointing back to my location, but clearly that's just a trick to try to get you to shoot at the wrong place. pay no attention to the guy with the .50 cal rifle on his back running away from the exact location the contrail comes from, ktxhbai."

[Grell]

Um, no? If I were wanting to be subtle mega damage, I'd go lasers. But ideally, I'd prefer a situation where I didn't have to rely on mega damage weapons at all.

[SittingBull]

There are several reasons I like projectile based weapons.
1) Ammo is often less expensive and easier to find
2) I can usually make my own ammo given the right skills
3) The inner mechanisms are usually a lot simpler than something that runs on E-Clips
4) KE = knockdown attacks
5) Aesthetics: I like bullets more than lasers, that's why I'm sad that Rifts makes it so difficult to use bullets compared to lasers.
6) AP: most sniper rounds have it and it's one of the only ways in the game to increase your critical range.
7) Versatility. always carry a clip of silver ammo. Explosive ammunition has a blast radius. TW bullets are REALLY fun
8:) Some creatures can cast magic that make them immune to lasers, some are naturally resistant to energy. Not a whole lot of stuff is resistant to a Ramjet.
9) Standard projectile weapons are looked at with much less scrutiny than your average laser rifle, so it's much easier to transport them around.
10) Because WP Rifle advances one level faster than WP Energy Rifle

On a side note: I have also stated out some projectile based sniping weapons if you're interested.

Hear hear!!! ^^

[SittingBull]

I would like to see an old fashioned projectile thrower for a sniper rifle. Like maybe a 50 cal sniper rifle (already MD or close) and at least make it a ramjet round. Or maybe going with something more modern, I am not very gun savy.

Rifts Merc Ops has a projectile sniper rifle good for killing vampires and Xiticix. It is primarily an SDC weapon but is megadamage by heavy ramjet rounds.

What book and what rifle?

[Grell]

Merc Ops, Wellington Industries SR15 15 mm sniper rifle, pages 99-100.

[SittingBull]

Isn't anything in Rifts determined by the GM and the players?

Man people want their hand held through everything.

Everything in Rifts is determined by the GM and players. The books merely offer ideas.

If I were to start a group again and you were in it, you wouldn't recognize much beyond character generation. I would use my version of the setting and my own rules. Actually, if it were a totally fresh group, I wouldn't even use character generation. I'd probably use FUDGE character generation instead.

The only Palladium system I've ever played (mostly) by the book was Fantasy 1st edition.

--flatline

wait...

you would replace the setting and the rules...



why do you buy the books? 0.o

there's always the shemarrian rail gun.

i mean, obviously you can't just walk into a store and buy one or anything, but provided you can manage to get your hands on one, i'd say it could work as a sniper rifle.

Not very subtle, but it's more likely to take down an armored target quickly than a ramjet for sure. In the same vein, you could snipe with a boom gun too.

and ramjet rounds are your version of subtle? "hey, don't mind me, the attack just left a small rocket contrail pointing back to my location, but clearly that's just a trick to try to get you to shoot at the wrong place. pay no attention to the guy with the .50 cal rifle on his back running away from the exact location the contrail comes from, ktxhbai."

See I dont think there is enough fuel in one bullet to leave a trail of anything visible.

[Grell]

I always envisioned the ramjet fuel igniting in sequential bursts rather than a constant burn.

[SittingBull]

What if this conversation was for an SDC environment?

[Grell]

The advantages to lasers are still the same when compared to the disadvantages of projectiles and, depending on what conversion you use, lasers would probably still do more damage.

[SittingBull]

The advantages to lasers are still the same when compared to the disadvantages of projectiles and, depending on what conversion you use, lasers would probably still do more damage.

So how much damage would a 50 caliber sniper rifle really do?

[Grell]

The advantages to lasers are still the same when compared to the disadvantages of projectiles and, depending on what conversion you use, lasers would probably still do more damage.

So how much damage would a 50 caliber sniper rifle really do?

Roughly 5D10+6

Or more depending on if it's a specialty round or not. Regardless, something's going to be obliterated and it's probably going to be a person.

[SittingBull]

The advantages to lasers are still the same when compared to the disadvantages of projectiles and, depending on what conversion you use, lasers would probably still do more damage.

So how much damage would a 50 caliber sniper rifle really do?

Roughly 5D10+6

or 9D6.

[Grell]

Other books give a 10-60 or a 6-36 range, it's all over the place! I use 1d6x10, personally.

[Qev]

There are no projectile sniper weapons for the simple reason that Rifts does absolutely nothing to make non-energy weapons attractive in any way.

[wyrmraker]

There are no projectile sniper weapons for the simple reason that Rifts does absolutely nothing to make non-energy weapons attractive in any way.

Precisely. The writers set it up within the setting that energy weapons almost always trump slugthrowers.

[say652]

high level mages have access to impervious to energy spell.so if your target ant be hurt by energy "hard"rounds my be your only option. for a fifty cal. i use the d6x10 damage ramjets also deal d6x10md explosive rounds deal d6x10md to a three foot radius. unless collateral damage is a concern use missile volleys for sniping. way way more effective. also for the realistic feel i give the 50cal the realworld range of 2.5miles sdc or mdc but firing mdc rounds out of a sdc 50cal damages the weapon 1/10 damage converted to sdc to the weapon when more than 50%of weapons sdc is gone no bonus to strike and reduce range to 2500 feet.

[Subjugator]

The Shemarrian 30-06 also gives a bonus to hit just from it's construction, I believe.

I'm referring to something different though (unless the Shemarrian also does this). A natural bonus to hit can qualify you for a natural 20. For example, if you roll a 19 and have a +1 *natural* bonus to hit, it's a 20.

Yeah...pretty sweet.

/Sub

[Subjugator]

The advantages to lasers are still the same when compared to the disadvantages of projectiles and, depending on what conversion you use, lasers would probably still do more damage.

So how much damage would a 50 caliber sniper rifle really do?

Roughly 5D10+6

It's 7D6 for the .50 BMG, but that's not for a bolt action. I'd say 8D6 for a bolt action.

/Sub

[Grell]

The Shemarrian 30-06 also gives a bonus to hit just from it's construction, I believe.

I'm referring to something different though (unless the Shemarrian also does this). A natural bonus to hit can qualify you for a natural 20. For example, if you roll a 19 and have a +1 *natural* bonus to hit, it's a 20.

Yeah...pretty sweet.

/Sub

Ah, like a crit range of 19-20. Very nice perk, but no the Shemarrian 30-06 doesn't have it.

[Subjugator]

The advantages to lasers are still the same when compared to the disadvantages of projectiles and, depending on what conversion you use, lasers would probably still do more damage.

So how much damage would a 50 caliber sniper rifle really do?

Roughly 5D10+6

It's 7D6 for the .50 BMG, but that's not for a bolt action. I'd say 8D6 for a bolt action.

/Sub

The damage for .50 cal rounds changes depending on what source you're using.

At first I thought you meant the source weapon - now I think you mean book. I don't have my book of Contemporary Weapons handy. I'd move it up a single die to go from a BMG to a sniper rifle though.

/Sub

[wyrmraker]

To be honest, the .50BMG is a fairly good sniping round, with a range of about 1.5 miles (currently). It's range is mostly limited by the very heavy weight of it's bullet, which is why the current sniping record is held by the 6.8mm Lapua round.

As for terminal ballistics, regular gunpowder isn't going to do MD. However, the Golden Age of Man held many, MANY scientific developments. Surely some of them involved new chemical compositions that would act as an accelerant to bring a 7.62x51mm round up from current speed of 2800 fps (1900 mph, or about Mach 3) to a substantially higher speed. Not only would this allow a round tipped with MD material to do MD (acting as a, armor piercing penetrator), it would also extend it's range from about 3/4 mile to a mile. And this could be done for most rifle rounds above 6mm (has to be enough space in the shell for the propellant, and the bullet itself has to be long enough not to tumble, thus reducing it's ballistic arc).

[Zamion138]

Well even with current tech you could get a larger round going much faster, its making the gun able to hold in the extreme preasures, not weigh a ton, not have so much kick it makes the already substantial "kick" and recoil of a 50 seem small.
They make a bolt actaction 40mm rifle, its not a practicle military weapon due to its size, its an upper middle class toy at its price. But to get something quicker than that you start running into preasure issues and weight problems of the weapon so i dont think a propelent issue, an mdc rifle could be packed to shoot might hot with conventional balistic rounds.

[Subjugator]

Ah, like a crit range of 19-20. Very nice perk, but no the Shemarrian 30-06 doesn't have it.

Not quite.

This would really be a *NATURAL 20* range of 19-20. One could hypothetically get a natural 21 with this gun. That'd be impossible to dodge unless someone had something that gave a natural bonus to dodge.

If one crits on an 18-20 and the target gets a dodge of a 19, they can dodge it just fine...even if their crit range is only a 20.

I just wish they had a version of the rifle that did more damage (say...3d6).

/Sub