An easy mnemonic to remember is DADA- Declare, Attack, Defend, Apply.

Attacker declares an attack as part of their action phase. Remember, only one attack action can be taken per action phase. So even if the attack is a simple action, one cannot perform another simple action attack. Depending on the type of attack, the attacker may target multiple people by using a free action to target multiple attackers. Ways to attack multiple targets with a firearms are 1) One gun in each hand, 2) firing a burst or full auto attack, or 3) firing flechettes from a shotgun whose choke is set to medium or wide.

The defender declares the type of defense they are using to defend. The can do a standard defense test for free (Reaction + Intuition). They can also take one of the interrupt actions, which will penalize their initiative score but allow them to better defend. For range combat, your only option is Full Defense (One cannot block, dodge, or parry bullets in this world, no matter how fast or resilient they are!) Note: One can only perform an interrupt action before their action phase so long as they are not surprised!

Full Defense: -10 initiative, add your willpower to ALL defense tests for the rest of the combat turn. Despite the name, this does not mean you are doing nothing but defending, you can act as normal, you're just focused on playing it safe, hence the -10 initiative penalty.

For those who have low willpower, there are qualities to give you better options for a full defense action:

Acrobatic Defender (4 Karma): Use your gymnastics skill instead of willpower as the bonus to the defense test. NOTE: since this is a skill, your physical limit will apply to the defense test.

Agile Defender (3 Karma): Use your agility in place of willpower as the bonus to the defense test.

Perceptive Defender (4 Karma): Use your perception skill instead of willpower as the bonus to the defense test. NOTE: since this is a skill, your mental limit will apply to the defense test.

Too Pretty to Hit (3 Karma): Use your charimsa in place of willpower as the bonus to the defense test.

Since Full Defense is an interrupt action, so long as one is not surprised, they can state at the beginning of the combat turn that they are invoking full defense, before their actual initiative step, taking the -10 initiative hit and bonuses to defense then and there.

Attacker rolls the appropriate weapon skill plus attribute (agility for firearms) plus or minus any modifiers (which will be covered in the modifiers section), capped by one's limit. This last part is very important, you could be Joe Agile, the elven sharpshooter with an 11 agility and 8 in pistols, but if he's firing a pistol with 4 accuracy, it doesn't matter how many successes you get on the test, the most you could apply is 4. (Unless you spend edge)

If attacking multiple targets, calculate your full attack pool first, adding and subtracting modifiers from the full die pool first. If you are spending edge on this test, add it to this total pool. THEN, you can divide your attack pool between each target. i.e., if you are appropriate weapons skill is 6, and your agility is 4, and there's a -3 modifier from dim lighting conditions, you calculate the numbers up first (in this case a 7 total). You don't divide the pool, and then subtract the modifiers from each pool. The number of different targets you can attack during a multiple attack action is one half the appropriate combat skill. So, if you have automatics 6, you can target 3 people.

When dividing the pool, you must divide the pool as evenly as possible amongst the number of targets. If your total pool is 11, and you want to hit 3 targets, you can do 4 on two of them and 3 on the last, but never 9 on one target and 1 each on the other two.

Pistols: Tasers, Hold Out Pistols, Light Pistols, Heavy Pistols, as well as Machine Pistols firing in semi-automatic mode

Automatics: Machine Pistols firing in burst or full auto, submachine guns, assault rifles

Longarms: Sniper Rifles, Shotguns

Heavy Weapons: Machine Guns, Assault Cannons, Grenade Launchers, Rocket Launchers, Missile Launchers. Note: Any negative recoil modifiers after recoil compensation is applied are doubled!

Exotic Weapons: Flamethrowers, Lasers Note: Separate skill for each exotic weapon!

Defense is a two step process. The defender makes their defense roll, reaction + intuition + modifiers + any bonuses from defensive interrupt actions. Compare the attacker's successes to the defender's successes. If the defender has more, the attack misses. If its a tie, its a grazing hit, the attack makes contact but does no damage. However, this is sufficient to “tag” someone with a tracker, and certain attacks can still damage if they require contact only. If the attacker wins, the attack hits and does damage. If the attack does hit, note the net number of hits for the attack (the number of hits the attacker that exceed the defender's hits.)

Part two of the process, add the net number of hits to the weapon's damage value. This is the modified damage value. Then, if the attack has any sort of AP modifier, add it to the armor value of any armor the target is wearing. This is the modified armor value. If they have no armor at all, then this does not apply. NOTE: AP modifiers can be positive or negative. Some weapons have inherent armor piercing capability, and some projectiles are armor piercing. However, other projectiles, like flechette or hollowpoint rounds have positive AP modifiers, meaning they add to the defender's armor value. This is because while they are devastating against flesh, they are also less effective against armor.

If the modified armor value ends up being negative, then the armor does nothing to protect against the attack, and the defender can only roll body to resist.

If the modified armor value is positive, compare it to the modified damage value of the attack. If the modified armor value is bigger, the damage is actually downgraded to stun (stun attacks still do stun damage as normal, there is no downgrade in damage). If the modified damage value is higher, then the attack still does physical damage (if it did physical damage in the first place).

The defender then rolls body plus modified armor value vs the modified damage value. Each success reduces on the test reduces the modified damage value to 1. If it is reduced to 0, the defender takes no damage.

Apply any remaining damage to the defender's condition monitor. Also, if the attack has any additional damage types (acid, cold, fire, electricity, etc) determine the effects on this step.

1) Attacker declares attack, defender says how they're going to defend. Attacker can only make one attack action per combat phase!

2) Attacker rolls attack- (Appropriate Weapons Skill) + Agility +/- modifiers. If attacking multiple targets, calculate the full attack pool first, including modifiers, THEN divide amongst the targets. Number of targets that can be attacked with a multiple attack option is 1/2 the combat skill being used. The number of hits is capped by the weapon's accuracy!

3a) Defender rolls defense- (Reaction) + (Intuition) +/- modifiers. Compare to attackers roll. If defender wins, attack misses. If they tie, the attack succeed in touching the target, but does no damage (unless the attack specifically has some sort of damage that only requires a touch to be achieved). If the attacker wins, record the number of hits they had over the number of the defender's hits.

3b) Modified Damage Value= Weapon's Damage Value (including modifiers from special ammo) + number of attacker's net hits.

Modified Armor Value= Defender's Armor rating (if any) + the Armor Penetration of the attack.

If Modified Armor Value is negative, the defender may only roll body to resist the attack.

If Modified Armor Value > Modified Damage Value, physical attacks are downgraded to stun. Stun attacks still do stun damage. Otherwise the attack still does physical damage.

Defender rolls their Body + Modified Armor Value vs the Modified Damage Value. Each success downgrades the Modified Damage Value by 1. If it is downgraded to 0, the defender takes no damage.

4) Apply and remaining Modified Damage Value to the condition monitor. If the attack has any other special effects, apply them now.

A character my aim a weapon as a simple action. This action may be repeated over multiple action phases and even multiple combat turns. Each aim action either increases the accuracy/limit of the future attack pool by 1 OR adds 1 to that future dice pool. The bonuses are lost if the character takes any other action (even a free action) before using the weapon. The maximum bonus one can get from aiming, either to their accuracy/limit or their dice pool is equal to 1/2 the character's willpower, rounded up.

Note: If using image magnification to downgrade the range modifier by 1 step, a take aim action must be performed in order to get that benefit. However, they do not get any of the normal bonuses one gets from aiming. If they take further aim actions after that, they can increase their limit/pool as normal.

If the defender is fully behind cover, the attacker suffers the blind fire penalty, -6 to the attacker's dice pool. This is the same as the total darkness modifier, and as such they are not cumulative (i.e., someone trying to fire at a target totally behind cover in total darkness does not take a -12 to their attack, only a -6.)

If the defender has good cover (more than 50% of their body is obscured by intervening terrain or cover) they gain a +4 dice pool modifier to their defense pool.

If the defender has partial cover (more than 25% but less than 50% of their body is obscured by cover) they gain a +2 dice pool modifier to their defense pool.

Here is a run down of the different firing modes guns possess, this will let you know how many bullets you can fire per attack, and what kind of action that attack is.

Single Shot (SS): The weapon can fire only fire one round as a simple action, and is denoted specifically as SS on the firing mode of the weapon. Though you can only fire one shot per simple action, firing one shot does not incur recoil. So you can fire the weapon continuously once per phase without having to worry about recoil.

Semi-Automatic (SA): The weapon fires one shot per pull of the trigger as a simple action, and is denoted specifically as SA on the firing mode of the weapon. This firing mode can suffer from progressive recoil modifiers. However, since everyone gets one point of recoil compensation for free, and even characters with a STR of 1 to 3 get an additional recoil modifier, one can fire two shots before having to worry about recoil. That, in addition to the fact that this is a simple action, and one can only attack once per action phase, it is relatively impossible to take any sort of recoil from firing a weapon in semi-auto mode, because they can always use their other simple action to do anything other than shoot in order to “reset” recoil. Note that if one is firing a weapon in each hand, the recoil of each weapon is cumulative. But again, since everyone gets one point of recoil compensation for free, and even the weakest of people get an additional point of recoil compensation, each point cancels out the recoil one would have taken from firing two guns at the same time.

And since firing two guns at the same time in semi-automatic mode is a simple action, on their next phase, they can reset their recoil modifiers by doing anything other than shooting with their other simple action.

Semi-Auto Burst (SB): This is three semi-automatic shots taken in quick succession and is a complex action. As three bullets are being fired, this incurs a -3 recoil penalty to the attack, but the defender receives a -2 dice pool modifier to their defense test. As this is a complex action, one cannot perform this action in successive action phases without being subject to progressive recoil, as one cannot have spent another simple action to reset recoil. This attack action can be used in conjunction with the multiple attack free action to attack multiple targets.

One would only perform this action with SA-only weapons, as it would be pretty dumb to do this on a weapon that can perform a Burst Fire (BF) action, as BF has all the same qualities, but is only a simple action.

Burst Fire (BF): This is a quick burst of three bullets from a burst fire capable weapon, and is a simple action. Like a Semi-Auto Burst, three bullets are being fired, incurring a -3 recoil penalty to the attack, but the defender receives a -2 dice pool modifier to their defense test. However, as mentioned above, since it is a simple action, one can avoid progressive recoil in successive action phases by using their other simple action to do something other than firing to reset recoil their modifiers.

This attack action can be used in conjunction with the multiple attack free action to attack multiple targets.

Long Burst (LB): This is basically firing two BF bursts in quick succession, and is a complex action. This uses 6 bullets, giving the attacker -6 to their attack due to recoil, but the defender takes a -5 dice pool modifier to their defense test. As this is a complex action, one cannot perform this action in successive action phases without being subject to progressive recoil, as one cannot have spent another simple action to reset recoil. This attack action can be used in conjunction with the multiple attack free action to attack multiple targets.

One would only perform this action on a weapon that has BF capability, but not a Full Auto (FA) option, as FA weapons can fire a FA burst as a simple action, which provides the same benefits but is a simple action.

Full Auto (FA) (Simple): The simple action version of Full Auto fire fires 6 bullets with a single pull of the trigger, giving the attacker -6 to their attack due to recoil, but the defender takes a -5 dice pool modifier to their defense test. Since it is a simple action, one can avoid progressive recoil in successive action phases by using their other simple action to do something other than firing to reset recoil their modifiers.

This attack action can be used in conjunction with the multiple attack free action to attack multiple targets.

Full Auto (FA) (Complex): The complex action version of Full Auto fire fires 10 bullets with a single pull of the trigger. While the attacker takes -10 to their attack pool from recoil, the defender takes a -9 dice pool modifier to their defense test. As this is a complex action, one cannot perform this action in successive action phases without being subject to progressive recoil, as one cannot have spent another simple action to reset recoil. This attack action can be used in conjunction with the multiple attack free action to attack multiple targets.

Your recoil modifier is equal to the number of bullets you fire during your attack. So if you fire a burst of 3 bullets, your attack suffers a -3 recoil modifier. If you are firing 10, you take a whopping -10 to your attack roll. This is negated by recoil compensation. Everyone gets 1 point for free. Characters get an additional number of points of recoil compensation equal to their strength divided by three (round up). So a character with 4 strength has an initial 3 points of recoil compensation- one standard, plus 2 more from their strength (4/3=1.33, which rounds up to 2)

Note that for Heavy Weapons, any recoil AFTER recoil compensation is doubled. So, if you are firing a 6 round burst from a heavy machine gun, and have 4 points of recoil compensation, compensation reduces the recoil to -2, which is then doubled to -4. When attacking multiple targets, recoil is ALWAYS applied first to the attack pool before it is divided amongst the attack actions.

Recoil is progressive, meaning recoil modifiers persist if you keep firing across action phases and combat turns. So, if on your first action phase you have a -3 recoil modifier, and on your next action phase decide to fire another 3 round burst, your total penalty to the attack will be -6. Note that recoil compensation is only applied when you initially started firing. It compensated for the recoil at the very beginning and that's it- you do not apply recoil compensation again to new attacks until you reset the recoil modifier.

Resetting the recoil modifier is pretty simple- just perform any sort of other action than firing your weapon. (You do not have to wait an entire combat turn before firing again as per the book, this was errata-ed.) As soon as you do, you're golden. The easiest way to do this is fire your shot, duck into cover or take aim the next time you have a simple action, and your recoil modifier is reset and you re-perform the calculation as normal.

This DOES NOT allow you to make full attack pool rolls with each gun at the same or multiple targets. This is mostly an option for someone wielding two SA weapons in each hand and wanting to attack multiple targets as simple action, as opposed to having to doing a semi-auto burst (SB), which is a complex action. One could technically be trying to fire two BF or FA weapons at the same time, but since using two weapons does not increase the number of targets you can attack with the multiple attack action (one half the combat skill being used), you're doubling your recoil modifiers and possibly incurring an off hand penalty if you do not possess the ambidexterity quality for no good reason when you can attack perfectly fine with one weapon.

The only legitimate reason I can think of to use two guns that are already able to attack multiple targets as a simple action via burst fire or full auto capability is that they're using different ammunition types- perhaps firing the gun on your left hand using hollowpoints against the executive you've been hired to kill in his jammies and no armor, and the gun in your other hand has apds rounds for his bodyguards in full body armor.

To determine you TOTAL attack pool for the phase, total your agility and appropriate weapon skill, and apply any environmental and situational modifiers (including the -2 for firing a weapon in your off hand if you aren't ambidextrous), then determine the recoil penalty from EACH weapon and subtract it from the total pool. Then, divide this pool up between each of the targets you want to attack.

Presumably you are using two weapons of the same type, but if you're some big-ass troll firing an assault rifle in one hand, which uses the automatics combat skill, and a shotgun in the other, which requires the longarms skill, congratulations, you've broken the game. Though the book does not make it clear, presumably if you are using weapons of two different types, for fairness you are determining your attack pool using the lower of the two skills.

Smartgun systems provide a whole slew of effects and is pretty much a must have accessory for anyone who makes a living by their skill with a gun.

To reap the benefits of a smartgun system, the gun must have a smartgun system installed, either internally or externally, and the user must possess a smartlink, either installed in a cyber eye/installed in a normal eye as a retinal modification, or in some optical device like goggles or glasses.

If you are accessing the system simply by plugging a universal access cable from the smartgun system to the optical device containing the smart link, the gun simply receives a +2 to its accuracy when active. Additionally, the smartgun system contains a tiny camera with which to gather its aiming data. One can fire from cover, only sticking the gun out and using the camera as one's eyes, albeit at a -3 penalty.

If wireless mode is turned on, the user and the gun are as one, and a whole slew of options become available.

1) In addition to the aforementioned bonuses, a smartlinked user connected wirelessly to his smartgun gets a bonus to his attack pool. He gets +1 if the smartlink is installed in an optical device like glasses or goggles or contacts. If he has a smartlink in his cybereyes or a smartlink retinal mod, he gets +2.

2) He can perform all sorts of secondary functions mentally, provided he has some sort of DNI (direct neural interface). Functions such as ejecting a clip, changing the fire mode, or adjusting the choke on a shotgun become free actions rather than simple actions.

3) When aiming, the wirelessly connected smart gun user doesn't have to choose between +1 accuracy or +1 to the attack pool, they get both bonuses from each aim action. Note, the maximum bonus you can get to either is still equal to one half your willpower.

Thermographic Vision: Visibility Conditions shift one row up, unless conditions are from thermal smoke.

Ultraound: Visibility Conditions shift one row up.

Flare Compensation: Glare Conditions shift two rows up.

Low-Light Vision: Treat Partial and Dim Light as Full Light. w/ low-light flashlight: Treat Total Darkness as Dim Light.

Thermographic Vision: Light Conditions shift one row up. w/ infrared flashlight: Light Conditions shift an additional row up.

Ultrasound: Ignore Light Conditions up to 50 meters.

Smartlink: Wind shifts one row up.

Tracer Rounds: Wind in rows below light winds shift one row up.

Image Magnification Device: Range modifier shifts one row up, must spend aim action to gain this benefit.

Improved Rangefinder: Range modifier shifts one row up. No aim needed, but improved rangefinder can only be used in conjunction with smartlink.

Tracer Rounds: Ranges in rows below short shift one row up.

Attacker Firing From Cover Using Imaging Device: -3 to attack test This is when the attacker is hiding behind the safety of full cover, exposing only their gun and targeting via the micro-camera in their smartgun system or imaging scope.

Attacker Firing From a Moving Vehicle: -2 to attack test

Defender Inside a Moving Vehicle: +3 to defense test

Attacker in Melee Combat: -3 to attack test Applies when the attacker is trying to fire at a target whilst someone is harassing them at melee range.

Defender in Melee Combat: -3 to defense test Applies when the defender is being targeted by a ranged attack whilst someone is harassing them at melee range.

Attacker Running: -2 to attack test This only applies when trying to shoot while running. Performing a running melee attack is actually a charging attack.

Defender Running: +2 to defense test

Attacker Using Off Hand Weapon: -2 to attack test The ambidexterity quality removes this penalty.

Blind Fire: -6 to attack test This applies when the attacker cannot see the target at all, whether due to total darkness, the target being invisible, or completely obscured by cover.

Called Shot: -4 to attack test

Attacker firing Flechette Shotgun on Narrows Spread: -1 to defense test

Attacker firing Flechette Shotgun on Medium Spread: -3 to defense test

Attacker firing Flechette Shotgun on Wide Spread: -5 to defense test

Attacker firing Full Auto (complex): -9 to defense test

Attacker firing Long Burst or Full Auto (simple): -5 to defense test

Attacker firing Burst Fire or Semi-Auto Burst: -2 to defense test

Area Effect Attack: -2 to defense test This applies whenever the defender is targeted by weapons like spells, grenades, rockets, and missiles with a blast or area effects.

Attacker previously aimed: +1 accuracy OR +1 dice pool per aim action Either bonus is capped by half the attacker's willpower each, round up. If using a wireless smartlink, get BOTH benefits with each aim action.

Attacker using image magnification: Move range penalty down one step. Attacker must take an aim action first to gain this benefit, they do not gain the normal benefit of aiming for that particular aim action, but do with subsequent aim actions.

Attacker using smartlink in wireless mode: +1/+2 Benefit is +1 if using a smartlink installed in gear, +2 if through something the attacker paid essence for. (i.e. installed in a cyber eye or a retinal modification)

Defender has Good Cover: +4 to defense test Cover is considered “good” if it protects more than 50% of the defender.

Defender has Partial Cover: +2 to defense test Cover is considered “partial” if it only covers 25-50% of the defender.

Character wounded: -Wound Modifier Character takes penalty to all appropriate tests. Remember, physical and stun modifiers are cumulative!

See General Combat Page.

See General Combat page.

Notes: Medium and Wide Spreads CANNOT be used with called shots.

Basically firing a series of controlled full auto bursts to saturate an area with lead. This is a complex action and requires 20 rounds of ammo. A character can suppress a triangular area projecting outward from the shooter, to a distance of their choosing (up to the maximum range of the weapon), with a width of 10 meters and height of 2 meters. The shooter makes a Weapon Skill + Agility [Accuracy] test, including any bonuses from smartlinks, laser sights, tracer rounds and other game-master approved modifiers, and record the number of hits. This suppressive fire zone lasts until the end of the combat turn, so long as the shooter does not move or perform any other action.

Anyone within the suppressive fire zone or immediately adjacent to it take a negative dice pool modifier equal to the shooter's hits on all their actions (so long as they're aware of it! If they don't realize a bunch of bullets are whizzing by, they're not harried)

Any character in the suppressive fire zone but not behind cover or prone, or attempt to enter or leave the suppressive fire area risk getting hit by the wall of lead. These character must make a Reaction + Edge Rating test, including any bonus dice they get from choosing to do full defense. The threshold of this test is the number of shooter's hits. If they fail, they take damage equal to the weapon's base damage value modified by any special ammunition being fired. Characters can choose to avoid rolling by using their free action to immediately go prone to prevent being hit. If they have no free action left, they can use the hit the dirt interrupt action to go prone instead of getting hit. If they don't have enough initiative left to perform the interrupt, they're pretty much screwed.

Characters who stand up or try to move before the suppressive fire action is over must make the test to see if they are hit.

If MULTIPLE suppressive fire zones occur covering the same area, only the HIGHEST dice penalty counts to target in or next to the suppressed area. However, those within the suppressed area must make the reaction test against EACH suppressive fire action they are subject to, taking damage for each one they fail. Also, these reaction tests are subject to the diminishing pool effect of being shot at by multiple attackers in the same action phase, taking a -1 dice pool modifier with each successive test.

This enhanced version of suppressive fire narrows the width at the end of the zone to 5 meters, but this prevents the users from dropping prone to avoid having to make the reaction test to see if they take damage, unless they use the Lucky Cover edge action. Otherwise their only hope is to quickly flee the area and risk catching a bullet while doing so.

A devastating attack that can only be performed by a full auto capable shotgun, this combines the suppressive fire action with the flechette ammunition type. Like Enhanced Suppressive Fire, those within the fire zone cannot drop prone to avoid the reaction test. However, unlike enhanced suppressive fire, the width at the end of the firing zone is not decreased, but rather increased when using the medium or wide spread choke settings. If set to narrow spread, then this functions exactly as Enhanced Suppressive Fire. If set to the wider choke settings, the attack confers a number of modifiers as per the charts below: