Copperfist Plate Puncher Ammunition
As the use of technology rises throughout the Iron Kingdoms, it is undeniable that armor is not only thickening, but becoming tougher and tougher to get through. Steam Armor, Warcasters, and even ‘Jacks are becoming more frequently seen prowling through Immoren searching for fortune and mischief, and with such daunting targets, sometimes it takes alittle more power behind a bullet to take the enemy down.
Plate Puncher Ammunition is a highly specialized type of ammp designed to do just as it says, punch its way through plate armor, steel, and even ‘Jacks. Physically, the ammunition is a serricsteel projectile in a brass sabot casing, which means it must be paired with a breechlock mechanism. The round its self is shaped in an odd fashion, the tip a long, thin, tapered point, which ends in a broad, flat surface, much like a thumbtack. This shape makes an initial, concentrated point of impact against a hard target, then follows it up with a full punch of blunt force, inverting the material and forcing a puncture. Because of the immense amount of force needed to punch through steel, and the tremendous amount of pressure needed to fire the round effectively, this ammunition can only be fired from a long rifle, military rifle, or similar rifled firearm with a length of more then 3 feet.
When attacking a living target with an Armor Bonus of +7 more, or a mechanical construct, increase the Critical Multiplier of the weapon by 2 and the Threat Range by 1, on top of the additional +3 equipment damage bonus the round gives to the damage dice of the weapon it’s fired from. For example, a Cygnaran ranger rolls a 18 for attack against a Menite light warjack with a Military Rifle. Not only does he roll 2d8+3 for damage, but he increases his Critical Multiplier from x3 to x5.
There are two drawbacks to the great advantages of this specialized ammunition. Because of the unique, yet un-aerodynamic shape of the round, users incur a -2 penalty to attack. Secondly, these rounds are very expensive; not only does the serricsteel material require the secret, Rhulic knowledge to forge it, but the added requirement of using sabot shells multiplies the original cost of the round by 10. Because of this, this ammunition is very rare, and is recommended for more experienced adventures, fighting very high priority targets.
Ammunition Cost:
Initial Weapon Ammo: 8-12 G
Serricsteel Plate Puncher Ammo: +10 G
Sabot Casing: x10
Projected cost per round: 180-280 G
*Note: Because of the nature of the materials, these rounds also ignore hardness up to 15/Serricsteel.
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#1 | Comment #16254 by TT on July 7, 2010 @ 5:49 am
Would this be similar to the ‘alchemicaly hardened’ ammunition used for a Cygnaran Hunter Light Warjacks cannon?
#2 | Comment #16257 by AnimaRaptor on July 9, 2010 @ 11:21 pm
I suppose the Hunter did inspire me to think up this design for ammunition, although at the same time, the stats i gave it are mostly based on the serricsteel material its made out of, the amount of powder charge to propel it, and the shape of the round itself.
See, my DM offered the idea of producing Serric rounds for use against ‘Jacks (our party is average of lvl15 and we’ve been playing for the past 2 years, so we have the money and resources), but i wanted something with a bit more punch. So, taking examples from modern day firearms and artillery, I thought about the actual design of the round and how i could calculate that into useful stats, coming up with the +3 against high armor class and the higher crit multiplier.
Now, I dont know if there are specific stats for alchemicaly hardened ammo for use in IK, but if you have any ideas, please share them.
#3 | Comment #16258 by TT on July 12, 2010 @ 4:09 pm
I havent found the stats for the Hunters ammo published anywhere myself, I’m assuming its likly an alloy of Serricsteel with some sort of added alchemical agent. Somthing like the Hardening spell from the Eberron setting in alchemical form added to the forging process maybe. I was personaly thinking of putting together a giant single shot anti-material rifle as a blueprint treasure for my game. The basics of which would involve taking appart a Hunters cannon and turning it into a gigantic mechanikal sniper rifle. Its for a dwarven character aswell, so its gonna end up three times his height or somthing equaly amusing, making it a situational weapon at best but still. Still debating what sort of stats to give it however, that and what exactly the shells would do to whatever they hit.
#4 | Comment #16268 by AnimaRaptor on July 19, 2010 @ 10:12 pm
See, my mind was also wondering in that direction, but before going into Rune plates or designing an entirely new weapon, i thought of this first.
So, in essence you want to make something more powerful then the Vanar Liberator, hmm? The .50 cal Barret isnt enough, so you want to upgrade to 20mm? lol
Well, let’s think. Bigger barrel = bigger shell, which also means alot more powder to fire a heavier round. Also, if going by current military standards, weapons of this caliber can only be used effectively as a two man team, and it would be impossible to use the weapon in anything but a prone position, or without the bracing of cover. The good news is that this could work well with a Sniping Shot ability, as it forces the user to hide, and can be devastating as a x3 or more crit multiplier.
Now, just as i had done, it would be highly recommended to use sabot tech on this gun, as trying to load something of this size would have to have a cannon check, and not small arms. Although this greatly increases the cost of the round (likely over 300G per shot), this would reduce reloading time dramatically, and would offer stable options for ammo type, such as the Plate Puncher ammo i have here.
And don’t rule out the option of a breakdown customization, where the stock and barrel can be broken down to a more transferable and compact state, and come up with how many rounds it would take to put it back together for combat, that way the user would have to think carefully about setting up prior to a fight.
#5 | Comment #16270 by TT on July 20, 2010 @ 5:39 am
Exactly my thoughts, I was looking to make a rifle that when used with sniping shot, could take out a Warjack with 1-3 shots from far enough away to avoid retaliation. The price of this would of course be that every shot was very expensive, but in the long run it would give a Sniper a way to tackle Warcaster squads and win.
It would likly use a Ghordson breechlock shutter type mechanism, where you’d use somthing like a lever action to pull back and eject the spent shell in order to load the next. The barrels likly got to have serricsteel in it somwhere even if its only alloyed, otherwise you’d need to keep changing it after it deformed.
Mixing it up with somthing like a Alchemical Goggle sight spell convergence engine, would sort out the need for a spotter somewhat.