Grey
Dialectical Hermeticist
Lead shot is the current form of ammunition used. Small balls of lead, these deform violently in the body and can ricochet around causing more damage. As such, their damage on impact will be treated as Crushing. HOWEVER, they might also simply exit the body. This will need testing and balancing, but thus far we'll say that a shot fired at close range or striking an extremity deals Piercing damage. At optimal range and/or hitting the torso, the damage is Crushing. Bullets will also ignore Soak.
Bullet fragments left behind might cause lead poisoning, which is just awful.
Only heavy metal armour provides any effective protection. It is treated as normal i.e half damage penetrates the armour, but Soak applies. This is to represent the kinetic force of the impact rather than actual penetration of the armour. Any lesser armour treats damage as Piercing.
Ultimately though you guys don't need to worry about calculating or tracking this stuff.
Damage is based on calibre and weapon. For example, a cheap pistol is only going to do 6+1 (+1 being the bullet) in damage. Nasty, but not the worst. A quality pistol is 8+1, even more if you go with some crazy wide bore. Mechan's revolver, for instance, is easily hitting for 8+2 and fuck me is that going to hurt when it hits something. Rifles bring the damage up to 10.
The less said about cannons, the better.
But Grey! What about projectiles from other weapons? Magic weapons?!
I'm glad you asked! Let me just look up railguns for a moment loljk they'll fucking kill you.
Assuming Stormlords load their railguns with elongated projectiles rather than spheres, you're looking at easily 16 Piercing Damage, unsoakable.
Mundane Weapons
A variety of weapons exist from all over the world that serve in close combat and use no magic to do so. From Kaeri daggers to Stormcircle spears to Orcish axes to Elemental katars, many weapons can be found and used.
Simple ranged weapons also exist, such as javelins, slings, bows, and thrown knives. Different regions and individuals have different preferences. For example, the warriors of House Olimak prefer to use their natural strength augmented by fist-weapons such as brass knuckles. The Elementals of the Awakened Wood like to use bows and spears, while the Treefolk favour more magical equipment.
The Orcs, however, have achieved the pinnacle of mundane weaponry. Orcish metalcraft outstrips even Kaeri and almost matches Guild metallurgy without magical enhancement. Better, Orcs have constructed firearms that have some major advantages over magical guns.
They don't need Magi to reload them. They can be mass-produced. Anyone can use them. And more importantly, once one understands their function, anyone can build or modify them. Many Orcish designs have been improved upon by industrious humans and rats. The town of Grulhavern near the border of Stormcircle even put the Orcish rifle on their banner in recognition of how much it aided in their revolution against their Magus ruler.
Orcish Revolver
Orcish Rifle
Orcish Scattergun
Orcish Cannon
Enchanted Weapons
Many melee weapons are enchanted by various Magi. These are one-of-a-kind, custom-made, very expensive items. They are normally named, and some customers will go so far as to pay the creator not to repeat their specific design ever again. Enchantments can vary quite a lot, from spears that electrocute their target to bells that raise the dead. They really are limited only by the ingenuity of the Magus and imagination of the customer.
'Casters
The Magi have developed ranged weapons of their own, called 'casters. These all work by using various Magical effects to propel projectiles or magical energy against their targets. Not every Pattern is suited to this purpose, or creates a very efficient model.
Railcasters
A stormtech weapon, sized for pistol, rifle, and cannon that uses magnetic fields to propel steel slugs at supersonic speeds. Somewhat bulky and lacking in ammunition unless used by a Stormlord, not to mention the risk of collateral damage. Less difficult to power than Stormcasters.
Stormcasters
A stormtech weapon that fires bolts of lightning. Short-ranged but devastating.
Screamcasters
A unique Necromantic invention, in pistol and rifle variants. Screamcasters are fuelled by ghosts, normally of animals, firing chunks of shriekingg ectoplasm at their targets. Powerful since they ignore armour and strike the soul directly, but they trade damage for penetration and are difficult to reload without a Necromancer.
Boltcasters
Pistol and rifles made by Conflagrants, they use a contained explosion to propel spheres of metal. They can be somewhat heavy, but are at least easy to reload.
Flamecasters
Essentially a flamethrower. Short ranged most of the time, bulky, and difficult to re-power, but quite potent if a bit temperamental.
Lightcasters
Pistols, rifles, and cannons built by Torchbearers, they fire focused beams of light that burn and pierce targets. Effective against Vampires. Some variants are solar-powered but slow to recharge. Very accurate, impossible to dodge, suffer somewhat due to diffusion of the beam through smoke or water.
Accelerators
Rare and made by Chronomancers, these are little more than a tube with a trigger. The trick is in the projectile - a bullet dropped from a cliff or fired somehow, then locked in time. Pulling the trigger removes the enchantment, allowing the projectile to resume it's early velocity.
Shadowcasters
Useable only by Shadows and extremely dangerous, Shadowcasters fire by methods unknown and use ammunition composed of shaped darkness. Sometimes they fire tiny imps instead that gnaw and burrow on the target.
Toothspitters
Curious plant/animal hyrbrids, Toothspitters are comprised of a tube between one and three feet in length, with a hole at one end, and a larger, handle-like construction at the other. By filling a opening on the side with small, sharp fangs, and squeezing the small flange near the finger grip, the weapon performs a powerful peristaltic spasm, propelling the tooth with armour-piercing force.
Paincasters
A rare Heartwright creation, Paincasters are usually non-lethal, simply inflicting pain or sleep on their target.
Bullet fragments left behind might cause lead poisoning, which is just awful.
Only heavy metal armour provides any effective protection. It is treated as normal i.e half damage penetrates the armour, but Soak applies. This is to represent the kinetic force of the impact rather than actual penetration of the armour. Any lesser armour treats damage as Piercing.
Ultimately though you guys don't need to worry about calculating or tracking this stuff.
Damage is based on calibre and weapon. For example, a cheap pistol is only going to do 6+1 (+1 being the bullet) in damage. Nasty, but not the worst. A quality pistol is 8+1, even more if you go with some crazy wide bore. Mechan's revolver, for instance, is easily hitting for 8+2 and fuck me is that going to hurt when it hits something. Rifles bring the damage up to 10.
The less said about cannons, the better.
But Grey! What about projectiles from other weapons? Magic weapons?!
I'm glad you asked! Let me just look up railguns for a moment loljk they'll fucking kill you.
Assuming Stormlords load their railguns with elongated projectiles rather than spheres, you're looking at easily 16 Piercing Damage, unsoakable.
Mundane Weapons
A variety of weapons exist from all over the world that serve in close combat and use no magic to do so. From Kaeri daggers to Stormcircle spears to Orcish axes to Elemental katars, many weapons can be found and used.
Simple ranged weapons also exist, such as javelins, slings, bows, and thrown knives. Different regions and individuals have different preferences. For example, the warriors of House Olimak prefer to use their natural strength augmented by fist-weapons such as brass knuckles. The Elementals of the Awakened Wood like to use bows and spears, while the Treefolk favour more magical equipment.
The Orcs, however, have achieved the pinnacle of mundane weaponry. Orcish metalcraft outstrips even Kaeri and almost matches Guild metallurgy without magical enhancement. Better, Orcs have constructed firearms that have some major advantages over magical guns.
They don't need Magi to reload them. They can be mass-produced. Anyone can use them. And more importantly, once one understands their function, anyone can build or modify them. Many Orcish designs have been improved upon by industrious humans and rats. The town of Grulhavern near the border of Stormcircle even put the Orcish rifle on their banner in recognition of how much it aided in their revolution against their Magus ruler.
Orcish Revolver
Orcish Rifle
Orcish Scattergun
Orcish Cannon
Enchanted Weapons
Many melee weapons are enchanted by various Magi. These are one-of-a-kind, custom-made, very expensive items. They are normally named, and some customers will go so far as to pay the creator not to repeat their specific design ever again. Enchantments can vary quite a lot, from spears that electrocute their target to bells that raise the dead. They really are limited only by the ingenuity of the Magus and imagination of the customer.
'Casters
The Magi have developed ranged weapons of their own, called 'casters. These all work by using various Magical effects to propel projectiles or magical energy against their targets. Not every Pattern is suited to this purpose, or creates a very efficient model.
Railcasters
A stormtech weapon, sized for pistol, rifle, and cannon that uses magnetic fields to propel steel slugs at supersonic speeds. Somewhat bulky and lacking in ammunition unless used by a Stormlord, not to mention the risk of collateral damage. Less difficult to power than Stormcasters.
Stormcasters
A stormtech weapon that fires bolts of lightning. Short-ranged but devastating.
Screamcasters
A unique Necromantic invention, in pistol and rifle variants. Screamcasters are fuelled by ghosts, normally of animals, firing chunks of shriekingg ectoplasm at their targets. Powerful since they ignore armour and strike the soul directly, but they trade damage for penetration and are difficult to reload without a Necromancer.
Boltcasters
Pistol and rifles made by Conflagrants, they use a contained explosion to propel spheres of metal. They can be somewhat heavy, but are at least easy to reload.
Flamecasters
Essentially a flamethrower. Short ranged most of the time, bulky, and difficult to re-power, but quite potent if a bit temperamental.
Lightcasters
Pistols, rifles, and cannons built by Torchbearers, they fire focused beams of light that burn and pierce targets. Effective against Vampires. Some variants are solar-powered but slow to recharge. Very accurate, impossible to dodge, suffer somewhat due to diffusion of the beam through smoke or water.
Accelerators
Rare and made by Chronomancers, these are little more than a tube with a trigger. The trick is in the projectile - a bullet dropped from a cliff or fired somehow, then locked in time. Pulling the trigger removes the enchantment, allowing the projectile to resume it's early velocity.
Shadowcasters
Useable only by Shadows and extremely dangerous, Shadowcasters fire by methods unknown and use ammunition composed of shaped darkness. Sometimes they fire tiny imps instead that gnaw and burrow on the target.
Toothspitters
Curious plant/animal hyrbrids, Toothspitters are comprised of a tube between one and three feet in length, with a hole at one end, and a larger, handle-like construction at the other. By filling a opening on the side with small, sharp fangs, and squeezing the small flange near the finger grip, the weapon performs a powerful peristaltic spasm, propelling the tooth with armour-piercing force.
Paincasters
A rare Heartwright creation, Paincasters are usually non-lethal, simply inflicting pain or sleep on their target.