Hit
Calculating the hit of shooting is no different from melee.
Accuracy = weapon accuracy + Sen : 2 + bonuses
Three modifiers
With ranged weapons the modifiers are very important, as they greatly affect the chance to hit. As a shooter you must account for:
1. penalty for range (see Range and reach)
2. modifier for size
3. penalty for position / movement / cover
Modifier by target size
Adjust your accuracy according to the target's size (see chapter Size - the GM decides what size it is, and thus what penalty / bonus you get against the target).
Note: If you shoot at a large target (the modifier is positive) and at the same time aim the attack at a body part (eye, neck, groin), you get either no size bonus, or only part of it.
If he aimed at the eye (-15), the GM decides that a giant's eye is as big as a human's eye and gives him no size bonus, the eye penalty remains -15.
Target's position, movement, cover
Besides size and range, it also matters whether the target is standing, kneeling, lying or moving, and what cover it has.
Each field in the line of fire with an inanimate obstacle that blocks passage (a tree, rock or wall) gives the shooter a -3 penalty to WA. Characters and monsters in the line of fire give no penalty; the arena only warns about them.
| Range and reach |
|---|
| Penalty to WA and WP by distance |
| You see | WA penalty |
|---|---|
| the whole target | — |
| most (3/4 of the body) | -2 |
| half (1/2 of the body) | -5 |
| part (1/4 of the body) | -10 |
| you only sense the target | -15 |
| Target movement/stance | WA penalty |
|---|---|
| standing | 0 |
| running, moving, fighting | -5 |
| dodging, running very fast | -10 |
| flying | -15 |
Shooter's position, movement, cover
Stance is very important when shooting and throwing. Some weapons require a firm stance (bow, throwing), and lying down they are almost unusable (they have a penalty); crossbows, on the contrary, are most accurate when lying down (they have a bonus).
| Movement/stance | WA modifier |
|---|---|
| shooter moving | -5 (-10*) |
| shooter on horseback | -5 (-10*) |
| kneel/lie crossbow** | +2 |
| kneel/lie others** | -2 (-5*) |
* An unsuitable weapon such as a long bow has a greater penalty.
** Crossbows and the like have a bonus; bows and throwing have a penalty.
Throwing while moving (running, galloping) gives +5 WP.
View penalty
If the shooter himself uses cover, it will obstruct his view. Here the penalty varies greatly by situation and weapon, so it is up to the GM how he judges the situation. In general, however, the shooter gets a penalty 5 lower than his cover. For example, a shooter lying behind a stone has a cover bonus of +10, but also a penalty of -5 to WA, because he himself sees much less.