The guns are not the deadly part of this section, for as every vampire knows, "guns don’t kill people, bullets kill people." A wide variety of ammunition is available to all who use firearms, but the differences are usually quite minor. The exceptions to this rule follow.

• Browning Machine Gun .50 Caliber

  These great big bullets were designed as anti-armor rounds. Modern tanks have armor thick enough to stop these bullets. However, the M-2 Browning is still in production, and many high-power rifles use this cartridge. Many different rounds were designed for this gun. Each is color coated and coded on the tip of the projectile.

  • Natural: Regular copper color of a bullet. This is the normal .50 BMG bullet. Big and ugly and all round bad when it hits you.
  • Red Maroon or Orange: These are tracer rounds (described below).
  • Black: The old armor-piercing bullet. As described above.
  • Blue and Light Blue: These monsters are incendiary bullets. Horrible things that do aggravated damage to Kindred and Garou, and anything else that has trouble with fire. As essential to hunting vampires as Silver Nitrate hollowpoints are to killing Garou.
  • Aluminum and Blue/Aluminum: These are armor-piercing incendiary rounds. These had horrific effects on tank crews when fired through the armor. Also fun for the Prince’s armor-plated limo.
  • Red/Aluminum: No, this is not made up. This is an armor-piercing, incendiary, tracer round. Has a little feature for every user. Also fun for vampire hunting, lets you see if you hit (as if the panicking vampire didn’t let you know already).

• Cookie-Cutter Rounds

  A cookie-cutter round is a specialized bullet that cannot be bought or stolen from the military or anywhere else. They are specially made by a SEAL for the SEALs. Anyone with Gunsmithing 5 and Demolitions 5 can make these with some difficulty (difficulty 9 at first, once perfected, difficulty 7). What are they and what do they do, you ask? Well...

  There are three elements to a cookie-cutter round. The first is the knifelike cutter, which opens a huge wound channel. Then comes a small charge of plastic-based explosive, which widens the path. Finally, a third charge implodes, causing tremendous, lethal trauma. The whole process takes less than three one-hundredths of a second. If you’re not killed by the initial shock, you die from loss of blood.

  -- Richard Marcinko & John Weisman, Green Team
  Fun stuff. Now what does this mean in game terms? Add three to damage done by the bullet, also reduce body armor by two because the bullets cuts, not penetrates. If hit, a mortal will die from this bullet. They lose an additional, non-soakable wound each round if not killed at once. Garou can regenerate after the initial wound, but they must roll for a Battle Scar. A Kindred must heal it and loses 5 Blood Points due to the massive wound. A ghoul can heal it with his vampire blood, if he has enough, he must heal 50% of the initial damage or he will continue to bleed until death occurs. A mummy is considered mortal for effects of this round.

• Grenade (40mm)

  The most popular size of launched grenades in the world, the 40mm has be a mainstay for over thirty years. The U.S. military has designed numerous types of munitions in this size (over three dozen by my count), and there are even some custom made rounds as well. They are referred to by XM designation, such as the XM661 Green Flare Grenade.

  • Buckshot: These are like giant shotgun rounds designed originally for clearing the jungle in Vietnam. The rounds are designated XM576 and do damage as buckshot shotguns.

  • Custom Rounds: Yes, there are people who design unique 40mm ammunition. This can be done with Gunsmithing 3 and/or Demolitions 3 depending on if the round explodes or not. The advantage of this type of ammo, is that it is generally easier to acquire than military ammo.

    XM Designation	Special Features
    26	Fires 26 1/4" Ball Bearings; Works like buckshot
    107	Fires 107 1.5" Flechettes; Works like flechette shotguns
    140	Fires 140 1" Flechettes; Works like flechette shotguns
    1822	Fires 18 .22 calibre bullets; Damage of 8

  • Flares: Many times there is a need to get a lot of light or a lot of attention. Flares provide an excellant way of doing both. The ones detailed here use a parachute that deploys at 550 feet. They then drift back to earth, burning for about 40 seconds. They are not much in the way of combat rounds; they will not even "detonate" until travelling 550 feet.

    XM Designation	Color Flare
    583	White
    661	Green
    662	Red
    695	Orange

  • High Explosive (HE): The most common of all 40mm grenade ammunition. There are numerous variations with special uses. Each is color coded and stamped with the XM designation. All have an arming distance for safety (in case a round bounces back off a tree limb or the like). There have been special rounds made with very short arming ranges. HE grenades generally inflict damage like a fragmentation grenade as described in the Players' Guide.

    XM Designation	Color of Grenade	Arming Distance	Special Features
    381	Black/Gold	2 to 3 metres	None
    386	Black/Gold	14 to 28 metres	None
    397	Gold	14 to 28 metres	Airburst 2 Metres
    406	Gold	14 to 28 metres	None
    433	Gold	14 to 28 metres	Penetrates 2 Inches of Steel (HEDP)
    463	Black	14 to 28 metres	Smokeless and Flashless (HESF)

  • Smoke: Smoke grenades can be used as signals, cover, or offense. The U.S. military has issued numerous types of smoke grenades over the years, each color coded by type.

    XM Designation	Color Smoke	Color of Grenade	Arming Distance
    382	Yellow	Silver	2 to 3 metres
    407A1	Yellow	Silver	14 to 28 metres
    680	White (Canopy)	White	14 to 28 metres
    713	Red	Red	14 to 28 metres
    715	Green	Green	14 to 28 metres
    717	Yellow	Yellow	14 to 28 metres

  • Tear Gas: Tactical CS tear gas rounds are used by SWAT and Special Forces teams to clear buildings. Some advantages of launched CS grenades is the fact that they have greater range than thrown, and they more easily penetrate windows. Its military designation is XM651E1.

• Hydra-Shok

  Hydra-shok rounds were specially designed for and by Navy SEAL teams. They are produced only in the U.S. by Federal Cartridge Company. They are a round that is made to knock a man down, no matter where it hits him. It would be extremely difficult for most Kindred to get this kind of ammo, short of robbing a Navy ammunition dump or police SWAT armoury. Body armor has standard effects against this type of bullet, but add one die to damage. This bullet is favored by assassins, as the bullet does not retain enough integrity for forensics to discover which gun it was fired from.

• Incendiary

  Incendiary rounds are especially attractive/repulsive to Kindred, because they so easily cause the Final Death. They are rarely used with small arms, and the most common form is the Dragonsbreath shotgun shell. This phosphorus shell turns a shotgun into a mini-flamethrower for a turn, spraying a spout of fire up to 20 feet. It hits like a regular shotgun, but inflicts two aggravated wounds (difficulty 7 to resist) and causes nearby Kindred to risk Rotschreck. Multiple use of Dragonsbreath rounds can seriously damage the integrity of a shotgun barrel, and Storytellers should take full advantage of botches.

• Manstoppers

  The opposite of armor-piercing bullets, manstoppers are designed to have an even greater impact area. They generally widen or fragment when they hit their target, causing damage over a wider area. These include hollow-point rounds, which flatten when they hit, glazier rounds, which fragment, and even homemade rounds made by carving an "x" on a slug. These bullets cause an extra die of damage when they hit, but armor provides double its usual protection.

• Rhino Ammo

  Rhino ammo is one of the latest deadly bullets. It comes in all the standard pistol sizes and is guaranteed to kill no matter where you hit. It was designed for home-defense purposes, so a person need only hit an invader once. The bullets are very costly, a few dollars each. Also, there is military/law enforcement only type known as the Black-Rhino. Black-Rhino ammo will shoot through body armor, car doors, steel plates, and just about anything else one cares to fire at. Oddly enough, both types of bullets are made of plastic and 90% of the bullet fragments inside tissue. Nasty. Add two dice of damage for both Rhino ammo types, but reduce body armor efficiency by two against Black-Rhino. On a side note, this ammo exists only in the World of Darkness. In the real world, these bullets were proven to be a hoax, performing in no way like advertised.

• Shotgun "Combo" Rounds

  These deadly little beauties aren’t sold in stores, so order now.... A "combo" round is made by home-loaders of shotgun shells. The round is designed as a "wildcat" thus giving it a little more power, and a slug and buckshot are loaded into the shell. When fired, the slug speeds along in its own deadly line while the buckshot fans out like normal. A very unpleasant situation. When an object is aimed at and hit, consider the slug to hit and cause normal shotgun damage, but also roll for hits with the buckshot as described above for normal buckshot damage to all other targets, not the one hit by the slug. No, this is not a cheap way to do double damage to a target. Sorry.

• Silver Nitrate Hollowpoints

  These are hollowpoint bullets filled with silver nitrate. Essentially, they act like regular hollowpoints, exploding inside the wound on impact and releasing the silver nitrate. Aside from the aggravated, non-soakable damage these do to Garou who are not in their breed form, silver nitrate is a poison in its own right, and spreads its toxin to affect the werewolf (regardless of form). The poison causes one Health Level of damage per turn for three turns to an infected Garou; this damage cannot be soaked. For those midnight werewolf hunts with the good old boys, these things can’t be beat. Because they are so potentially deadly and would therefore draw considerable attention were they to be discovered by agents of the law, they are issued on a need-to-have basis only (referring to Pentex First-Teams who are sometimes given these for wolf-popping missions).

• Teleshot Shotgun Rounds

  A Teleshot round is a specially designed shell that captures the gas released by firing. Thus, this greatly muffles the sound of the blast (in effect, it is like a suppressor for a shotgun). These rounds can be found in 12 gauge only with solid slugs or buckshot.

• Tracer

  Tracer rounds are similar to regular ball rounds, but they are unique in that they glow when fired. Often used in full-automatic fire, these rounds allow the user to see where his bullets are going. They are usually used every fourth or fifth round in a magazine or belt. They do standard damage as ball-cartridges.

• Wildcat Bullets

  There have always been people who are not satisfied with the performance of "off-the shelf" products. Some people have decided to make their own "special" bullets. These bullets are known as wildcats. Making these rounds require a successful Gunsmithing skill roll. A failure does not show up as such until the bullet is fired; it will be a dud. The Lord have mercy on those who fire bullets made by a botch! Most wildcats a simply normal bullets with more powder to propel the ball. Others are custom-built rounds for custom guns that can outperform any off-the-shelf firearm. Many are ballistic nightmares that are unreliable and dangerous to toy with. Handle with care. Any type of bullet (hollowpoint, ball, armor-piercing, etc.) can be taken apart and turned into a wildcat. Add an additional die of damage to such rounds. A botch while firing these will destroy the gun and probably the hand as well.

• Nonlethal Ammunition

  Not all bullets are designed to kill their targets. Many types of nonlethal ammunition have been created; each has its own purpose.

  • Blanks: These cartridges do not fire slugs. Only a small wad of packing leaves the gun. This packing does not travel more than 10 feet, and will only do damage at point-blank range. At that range, however, blanks can be fatal, and do the gun’s standard damage.
  • Drugs: Commonly used to capture animals, tranquilizer darts are usually fired out of large rifles (use the same statistics as a Remington M-700 rifle, but with a Capacity of 1). They have no effect on vampires, but do eight dice of damage to mortals. This damage is not applied to Health Levels, however; each level of damage subtracts one die from the victim’s Dice Pools. Additionally, if the character takes more damage than he has Stamina, he passes out for one hour for every point of damage over Stamina. Other kinds of drugs can also be fired from these guns. For their effects, see Poisons and Drugs, in the Player’s Guide.
  • Pancake: Pancake rounds flatten out as they speed through the air and smack their targets within a wide radius. If the round hits, it inflicts two damage dice upon the target. The number of successes to hit does not affect the damage dice. The person who was hit must make a Dexterity + Athletics (or Acrobatics) roll to remain standing (difficulty equals the damage successes + 3). At extremely close range, this damage Dice Pool should be increased by two or three dice.
  • Rubber Bullets: These bullets are usually used in riot control, and are generally nonlethal. They can kill, and characters should keep this in mind if they use them. Characters fire these bullets normally, but they do not get a damage roll. The bullets only inflict damage based on the attack roll; thus, if a character fired a rubber bullet from an M-16 and hit with three successes, he would inflict three Heath Levels of damage.

Firearms Accessories

This is a list of additions and gear that can be added to or augment firearms. Some of the gear listed will only work with the specified firearm. Some firearms will already have these devices.

• Bipod: The bipod allows for steady aim, allowing a +1 bonus to aiming when the bipod is used.

• Flash Suppressors: Every gun releases a flash when it is fired. A flash suppressor reduces the light released, making it harder for someone to aim at the flash at night.

• Muzzle Brakes and Compensators: When a gun is fired, the barrel will "climb." That is each shot forces the barrel to point upwards somewhat. It must be forced back down for the next shot, thus blowing accuracy out the window. Muzzle brakes and compensators chamber the releasing gases of the gun upwards to force the gun down. The opposing forces help cancel each other out. This makes the gun stay closer to target and more accurate. A gun such equiped reduces the penalty for multiple shots by one. A gun with a muzzle brake cannot use a silencer or suppressor.

• Red-dot Laser Sight: A red-dot sight projects a tiny beam of red light in front of the gun. Put the beam where you want to shoot and pull the trigger. Reduce the difficulty for such a shot by two. Be warned, a red-dot can be seen by the enemy. Most pistol-sized red-dot attach to the trigger guard of the gun, and are obvious to those who know what a red-dot is. There is a red-dot made for the Glock handguns which fits under the barrel and under the slide, becoming almost invisible without inspection. Note that red-dots are close-range accurate devices and do not work very well in smoke, rain, water, etc.

• Scope: One of the most common of all firearms options. A scope can be added to most rifles, submachine guns, and large pistols. A regular image magnification scope will add a +2 dice to a shot as described in Vampire: The Masquerade page 226. There are other types of scopes, however. A regular scope isn’t worth beans at night. Just try and use one. A night scope could use ambient light and magnify it, or it could be infrared, or night-vision, or... you get the idea. At night time, these scopes add the +2 bonus like a regular one.
  One popular SpecWar scope is the thermal-imaging one. It can be used to see heat patterns (even through a wall). When put on top of a large gun (like a Barrett M82A1) it allows people inside building to be hit. The bullet must travel through a wall and any other obstacles, but the scope still does add the +2 dice. Damage will be lowered depending on how much flak the bullet must travel through.
  Also, a scope can be mounted on a submachine gun. The rules state that a submachine gun cannot be aimed. Where this came from is bewildering. SWAT teams and SpecWar teams use and aim submachine guns all the time. Granted, automatic fire blows your aim, but when set to single or three-round bursts, aiming is essential for the submachine gun.

• Silencer: A silencer is made to trap the gases of a fired round behind the bullet as it travels down the barrel and then redirect them into another area to cool and dissipate. Unfortunately, silencers have parts that touch the bullet. Accuracy is less when something touches the bullet, and silencer like to "gunk up." Increase difficulties for all silencers by one (except for weapons with built-in silencers). Also regular cleaning is a must.

• Suppressor: A suppressor is a more elaborate version of a silencer that uses baffles and channels to contain gases. Nothing actually touches the bullet, so accuracy is not compromised. One important note about silencers and suppressors. They are useless if not used with the proper ammunition. For a gun to be successfully silenced, sub-sonic ammo must be used (ammo that goes along at under 1000 feet per second). Faster bullets create a "sonic boom" which is much of the noise heard when a gun is fired. All the suppressor in the world cannot fix that.

The following is a list a neat items and handy tricks to modify specific weapons.

• Glocks: Like those Glocks? Like more ammo per clip? A "+2 device" can add two more rounds to your favorite Glock. Enjoy. Also, the 30 round clip of the Glock 18 works in the Glock 17, Glock 17L and Glock 19 as well.

• H&K MP-5: C&S Metall-Werkes has developed a drum magazine for the MP-5. It weighs 5 pounds loaded and 2 3/4 lbs. empty. This large magazine will hold 72 9mm bullets.

• M-16A2: Sick of that stupid little handle/sight on your favorite assault rifle? Update the M-16A2 with SERFSS (Swan Extended Rigid Frame Sleeve System). The handle is replaced by Picatinny Arsenal mounting rails so you can mount your favorite scopes. AN/PAQ 4C built-in red-dot sight. Picatinny rails below for that M-203 grenade launcher. Also, the sleeve protects the barrel from hands, sling, and bipod. No more barrel warp.