Handgun d20 Modern Firearms

A handgun is a personal firearm that can be used one-handed without penalty. This includes all pistols and some submachine guns and shotguns. All handguns require the Personal Firearms Proficiency feat. Using a handgun without this feat imposes a –4 penalty on attack rolls.

Handguns can be broken down into three smaller groups: autoloaders, revolvers, and machine pistols.

Autoloaders (sometimes called “automatics”) feature removable box magazines, and some models hold quite a lot of ammunition. They work by using the energy of a shot fired to throw back a slide, eject the shot’s shell casing, and scoop the next round into the chamber. They are more complex than revolvers, but nevertheless have become increasingly popular in the modern age.

Revolvers are relatively simple firearms that store several rounds (usually six) in a revolving cylinder. As the trigger is pulled, the cylinder revolves to bring the next bullet in line with the barrel.

Machine pistols are automatic weapons small enough to be fired with one hand. Some are autoloader pistols modified to fire a burst of bullets in a single pull of the trigger, while others are modified submachine guns, cut down in size and weight to allow one-handed use.

Ranged weapons that use box magazines come with one full magazine.

Beretta 92F

The standard service pistol of the United States military and many American law enforcement agencies.

Beretta 93R

This close relative of the Beretta 92F looks like a large autoloader but can fire on automatic. It sports a fold-down grip in front of the trigger guard, an extendable steel shoulder stock that is attached to the butt of the pistol, and an extended magazine.

This weapon features a three-round burst setting. When used with the Burst Fire feat, it fires only three bullets instead of five and can be used with only three bullets in the weapon. This setting does not grant the ability to make burst fire attacks without the Burst Fire feat; if a character uses the setting without the feat, he or she makes a normal attack, and the extra two bullets are wasted.

Colt Double Eagle

Based on the M1911 mechanism, this pistol is an updated civilian version that fires a 10mm round.

Colt M1911

This .45 semiautomatic pistol was used by the United States military for decades until it was recently replaced by the Beretta 92F. Manufactured at three locations in the United States alone, the M1911 can be found all over the world, and is still in use in several other military forces.

Colt Python

The Python has a well-deserved reputation for accuracy.  Due to its high quality of manufacture, the Colt Python is always considered a mastercraft weapon. As such, it grants a +1 bonus on attack rolls.

Derringer

This pistol breaks open at the breech like a double-barreled shotgun. The two-shot weapon has one barrel atop the other and is barely 5 inches long, making it easy to conceal.

Desert Eagle

Manufactured by Israeli Military Industries, the Desert Eagle is the king of large-frame, heavy-caliber autoloaders. The version on Table: Ranged Weapons fires the massive .50 Action Express round. The Desert Eagle also comes in .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum models.

Glock 17

The Glock is typical of 9mm self-loading pistols carried by many police officers and military personnel.

Due to its high quality of manufacture, the Glock 17 is always considered a mastercraft weapon. As such, it grants a +1 bonus on attack rolls.

Glock 20

This slightly larger version of the Glock 17 is chambered for the slightly more powerful 10mm round.

Due to its high quality of manufacture, the Glock 20 is always considered a mastercraft weapon. As such, it grants a +1 bonus on attack rolls.

MAC Ingram M10

No longer in production, about 10,000 of these small submachine guns were made and supplied to United States police forces, the U.S. Army, Cuba, and Peru. Light pressure on the trigger produces single shots, while increased pressure brings automatic fire.

The M10 accepts a suppressor without modification.

Pathfinder

The Pathfinder is a high-quality weapon used as a concealed backup weapon by police officers or for personal defense. The Pathfinder is typical of a number of short-barreled (3 inches) small-caliber revolvers.

Ruger Service-Six

This revolver, designed specifically for police use, fires the .38 Special round. It was very popular with United States police forces prior to the increasing use of autoloaders in recent decades, and is still in service with many police forces today.

S&W M29

The Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum revolver fires one of the most powerful pistol cartridges in the world. The M29 is known for its deafening sound, bright muzzle flash, and powerful recoil.

SITES M9 Resolver

The compact SITES weapon is very narrow, making it easy to conceal.

Skorpion

The CZ61 Skorpion is a Czech machine pistol seen increasingly in the West since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Originally intended for military vehicle crews who don’t have space for an unwieldy longarm, it was widely distributed to Communist countries and in central Africa, and can now be found anywhere in the world.

TEC-9

The Intratec TEC-9 is an inexpensive machine pistol popular with criminals because it can be modified (Repair check DC 15) to fire on automatic. The pistol only works on semiautomatic fire or, if modified, only on automatic. Once modified to fire on automatic, the TEC-9 cannot be changed back to semiautomatic.

Walther PPK

The PPK is a small, simple, and reliable autoloader with a design that dates back to the 1930s. It remains in widespread service among European police, military, and government agencies.

d20 Modern Weapons Long Firearms

Longarms are personal firearms that require two hands to be fired without penalty. This group includes hunting and sniping rifles, assault rifles, shotguns, and most submachine guns.

The basic longarm is the rifle, a group that includes both hunting rifles and sniper rifles. Most rifles are autoloaders, and they function internally in a manner very similar to autoloader pistols. Some models are operated manually, however, with the user having to work a bolt or lever between each shot. Assault rifles are rifles designed for military use and feature automatic as well as semiautomatic fire.

Shotguns are large-bore weapons that primarily fire shells full of small projectiles. They tend to be powerful, but only at short range. Reduce shotgun damage by 1 point for every range increment of the attack.

Submachine guns are relatively compact longarms that generally fire pistol ammunition. They can fire on automatic.

All longarms are covered by the Personal Firearms Proficiency feat.

Longarms are not well suited to close combat. A character takes a –4 penalty on the attack roll when firing at an adjacent target.

AKM/AK-47

This assault rifle of the old Soviet Union is one of the most popular firearms in the world, having found common use in scores of bush wars and insurrections—on all sides of such conflicts. The AKM is a slightly more modern version of the AK-47, but functions essentially the same.

Barrett Light Fifty

The heavy but rugged Light Fifty is an incredibly powerful weapon for its size. Although it’s a sniper rifle, it fires a .50-caliber machine gun bullet, a round much more powerful than any other rifle ammunition.

Benelli 121 M1

The Benelli 121 M1 semiautomatic shotgun is reliable, simple, and sturdy, with one of the fastest shotgun actions in the world. Many military and law enforcement agencies use this or similar weapons.

Beretta M3P

Designed for police and security work, the M3P can fire either single shots or on semiautomatic. The M3P comes equipped with a tubular steel stock that folds over the top of the weapon to form a carrying handle, and its ammunition feeds from a box magazine—an uncommon feature in a shotgun.

Browning BPS

This heavy longarm fires the largest shotgun round available, the 10-gauge shell.

HK G3

The G3 fires the powerful 7.62mm cartridge, a round used in many light machine guns but increasingly uncommon in assault rifles. At one time, over sixty of the world’s armies used this rifle.

HK MP5

The Heckler & Koch MP5 family of weapons is among the most recognizable in the world. Many different designs exist; dexscribed here is the most basic model.

Due to its high quality of manufacture, the MP5 is always considered a mastercraft weapon. As such, it grants a +1 bonus on attack rolls.

This weapon features a three-round burst setting. When used with the Burst Fire feat, it fires only three bullets instead of five and can be used with only three bullets in the weapon. This setting does not grant the ability to make burst fire attacks without the Burst Fire feat; if a character uses the setting without the feat, he or she makes a normal attack, and the extra two bullets are wasted.

HK MP5K

A radically shortened version of the MP5, this weapon is optimized to be concealable. The steps taken to reduce the weapon’s size and weight negate the benefits of the parent weapon’s extraordinary quality, and as a result the MP5K is not a mastercraft weapon.

Although it comes with a 15-round magazine, the MP5K can also accept the same 30-round magazine as the MP5 (use of the larger magazine increases the weapon’s size to Large, though).

This weapon features a three-round burst setting. When used with the Burst Fire feat, it fires only three bullets instead of five and can be used with only three bullets in the weapon. This setting does not grant the ability to make burst fire attacks without the Burst Fire feat; if a character uses the setting without the feat, he or she makes a normal attack, and the extra two bullets are wasted.

HK PSG1

This high-precision sniper rifle, based on the design of the HK G3, has a fully adjustable trigger and stock for individual users. The PSG1 comes with a standard scope.

Due to its high quality of manufacture, the PSG1 is always considered a mastercraft weapon. As such, it grants a +1 bonus on attack rolls.

M16A2

Typical of the assault rifles used by militaries around the world, the Colt M16A2 is the current service rifle of the United States military, and is common with other armies and in the civilian world.

This weapon features a three-round burst setting. When used with the Burst Fire feat, it fires only three bullets instead of five and can be used with only three bullets in the weapon. This setting does not grant the ability to make burst fire attacks without the Burst Fire feat; if a character uses the setting without the feat, he or she makes a normal attack, and the extra two bullets are wasted.

M4 Carbine

This is a cut-down version of the Colt M16A2, shortened by about a third by means of a telescoping stock and a shorter barrel.

M-60

Introduced in the Vietnam War era, this medium machine gun is still in widespread use with the U.S. military and that of several other armies.

Mossberg

The Mossberg Model 500 ATP6C is a pump-action shotgun designed for military and police work.

Remington 700

A bolt-action rifle with a reputation for accuracy, the Remington 700 has been popular with hunters and target shooters since its introduction in the 1940s.

Sawed-Off Shotgun

This is a 12-gauge, double-barreled shotgun with the stock and barrels sawed short. All that’s left of the stock is a pistol grip, and the barrels are roughly 12 inches long. Sawed-off shotguns are generally illegal; most are homemade by cutting down a standard shotgun.

If this weapon if fully-loaded, a character can fire both barrels at once.  The character receives a –2 penalty on the attack but deals +1 die of damage with a successful hit.  Attacking this way uses both shotgun shells.

Steyr AUG

An unusual and exotic-looking weapon, the bullpup AUG is the standard rifle of the Austrian and Australian armies. Its completely ambidextrous components make it equally convenient for left- and right-handed users, and it features a built-in optical sight.

This weapon features a three-round burst setting. When used with the Burst Fire feat, it fires only three bullets instead of five and can be used with only three bullets in the weapon. This setting does not grant the ability to make burst fire attacks without the Burst Fire feat; if a character uses the setting without the feat, he or she makes a normal attack, and the extra two bullets are wasted.

Uzi

Designed in the 1950s for the Israeli army, the Uzi has become the most popular submachine gun in the world. It features a collapsible stock, making it extremely compact.

Winchester 94

The Winchester Model 94 Big Bore is a lever-action rifle typical of big-bore hunting rifles found around the world.

d20 Modern Weapons Heavy Firearms

The weapons covered in this section fall under the Exotic Firearms Proficiency feat. Someone who wields a heavy weapon without the appropriate proficiency takes a –4 penalty on all attack rolls with the weapon.

M2HB

This heavy-duty .50-caliber machine gun has been in service since World War II, and remains a very common vehicle-mounted military weapon around the world. The Exotic Firearms Proficiency (heavy machine guns) feat applies to this weapon.

M72A3 LAW

The LAW (light antitank weapon) is a disposable, one-shot rocket launcher. It comes as a short, telescoped fiberglass and aluminum tube. Before using the weapon, the firer must first arm and extend the tube, which is a move action.

When the LAW hits its target, it explodes like a grenade or other explosive, dealing its 10d6 points of damage to all creatures within a 10-foot radius (Reflex save DC 18 for half damage). Because its explosive features a shaped charge designed to penetrate the armor of military vehicles, the LAW ignores up to 10 points of hardness if it strikes a vehicle, building, or object. However, this only applies to the target struck, not to other objects within the burst radius.

The M72 has a minimum range of 30 feet. If fired against a target closer than 30 feet away, it does not arm and will not explode.

The Exotic Firearms Proficiency (rocket launchers) feat applies to this weapon.

M79

This simple weapon is a single-shot grenade launcher. It fires 40mm grenades (see under Grenades and Explosives, below). These grenades look like huge bullets an inch and a half across; they can’t be used as hand grenades, and the M79 can’t shoot hand grenades.

Attacking with an M79 is identical to throwing an explosive: you make a ranged attack against a specific 5-foot square (instead of targeting a person or creature). The differences between using the M79 and throwing an explosive lie in the range of the weapon (which far exceeds the distance a hand grenade can be thrown) and the fact that the M79 requires a weapon proficiency to operate without penalty.

The Exotic Firearms Proficiency (grenade launchers) feat applies to this weapon.

Non-Firearm Ranged Weapons

Ranged weapons that are not firearms include such diverse objects as crossbows, tasers, and pepper spray. The feat that provides proficiency with these weapons varies from weapon to weapon, as indicated on Table: Ranged Weapons.

Compound Bow

Bow hunting remains a popular sport in North America. A character’s Strength modifier applies to damage rolls made when using this weapon.

Crossbow

A crossbow requires two hands to use. Pulling a lever draws the bow. Loading a crossbow is a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

Flamethrower

A flamethrower consists of a pressurized backpack containing fuel, connected to a tube with a nozzle. It shoots a 5-foot-wide, 30-foot-long line of flame that deals 3d6 points of fire damage to all creatures and objects in its path. No attack roll is necessary, and thus no feat is needed to operate the weapon effectively. Any creature caught in the line of flame can make a Reflex save (DC 15) to take half damage. Creatures with cover get a bonus on their Reflex save.

A flamethrower’s backpack has hardness 5 and 5 hit points. When worn, the backpack has a Defense equal to 9 + the wearer’s Dexterity modifier + the wearer’s class bonus. A backpack reduced to 0 hit points ruptures and explodes, dealing 6d6 points of fire damage to the wearer (no save allowed) and 3d6 points of splash damage to creatures and objects in adjacent 5-foot squares (Reflex save, DC 15, for half damage).

Any creature or flammable object that takes damage from a flamethrower catches on fire, taking 1d6 points of fire damage each subsequent round until the flames are extinguished. A fire engulfing a single creature or object can be doused or smothered as a full-round action. Discharging a fire extinguisher is a move action and instantly smothers flames in a 10-foot-by-10-foot area.

A flamethrower can shoot 10 times before the fuel supply is depleted. Refilling or replacing a fuel pack has a purchase DC of 13.

Javelin

This light, flexible spear built for throwing can be used in melee, but since it’s not designed for it, characters using it in this manner are always considered nonproficient and take a –4 penalty on their melee attack rolls.

Pepper Spray

A chemical irritant that can temporarily blind a target, pepper spray comes in a single-shot container. To use it, make a ranged touch attack against the target. The target must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 15) or be blinded for 1d4 rounds.  Pepper spray is limited to 5 range increments.

Shuriken

A shuriken is a thrown, star-shaped projectile with four to eight razor-sharp points. A character may draw a shuriken as a free action.

Taser

A taser uses springs or compressed air to fire a pair of darts at a target. On impact, the darts release a powerful electrical current. On a successful hit, the darts deal 1d4 points of electricity damage and the target must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 15) or be paralyzed for 1d6 rounds. Reloading a taser is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

Whip

Whips deal a small amount of lethal damage. Although a character doesn’t “fire” the weapon, treat a whip as a ranged weapon with a maximum range of 15 feet and no range penalties.

Because a whip can wrap around an enemy’s leg or other limb, a character can make a trip attack with it by succeeding at a ranged touch attack. The character does not provoke an attack of opportunity when using a whip in this way. If the character is tripped during his or her own trip attempt, the character can drop the whip to avoid being tripped.

When using a whip, a character gets a +2 bonus on your opposed attack roll when attempting to disarm an opponent (including the roll to keep from being disarmed if the character fails to disarm the opponent).

Firearms Ammunition

Ammunition for firearms and other ranged weapons is covered on Table: Ammunition.

5.56mm, 7.62mm, 7.62mmR, .444, .50

These calibers of ammunition are generally used in rifles, assault rifles, or machine guns, and are sold in boxes of 20 bullets each. The 7.62mmR is used in the AKM and other ex-Soviet weapon types, and is not compatible with the larger 7.62mm cartridge. The .50 caliber is a huge cartridge generally fired from heavy machine guns, but also adapted to a few models of powerful sniper rifles.

9mm, 10mm, .22, .32, .38 S, .357, .44, .45, .50AE

These calibers are generally used in pistols or submachine guns, and are sold in boxes of 50 bullets each. The .50AE pistol round is not compatible with the much larger .50 rifle-caliber cartridge (see above).

10-gauge Buckshot, 12-gauge Buckshot

Shotgun cartridges, also known as buckshot, are sold in boxes of ten.

Arrow

Arrows come in quivers of 12 and are used with the compound bow and other types of archery weapons. These missile weapons consist of a slender shaft and a pointed head.

Crossbow Bolt

A shaft or missile designed to be shot from a crossbow, bolts come in quivers of 12.

Ammunition weight

To determine how much a loaded magazine weighs, look it up on the table, rounding the number of rounds in the magazine up.

Shotgun shells are a little heavier; use the weight value for one damage step higher.