CIMARRON SIX-SHOOTER

The six-shooter is a weapon. This little wonder was originally created by Smithy, a clever watchmaker, and Westron, a crossbow expert. They came up with the idea of a very light crossbow that could shoot darts. The true innovation lay, however, in the use of a spring mechanism that rearmed the weapon after each shot. A S&W hand crossbow can hold up to six small darts. Recocking the crossbow required only a quick motion of the hand, which could be done in the same round the weapon is fired. It takes a full turn to load another six darts into the weapon's handle.

Unfortunately, the six-shooter has always been a fragile weapon that easily jams. A to-hit roll of 1 or lower, after modifiers are applied, causes the dart to jam inside the weapon, requiring one round to clear and rearm the device.

Nowadays, a six-shooter costs 800 silver pieces (including a leather holster, the hand-crossbow itself, and 18 darts). The hand crossbow has encumbrance of 25 cn. An extra supply of 18 darts cost 50 silver pieces. Some notorious sharpshooters use depleted cinnabryl darts, which add a flat 10' to all ranges and cause an extra hit point of damage. These special darts cost 200 silver pieces each.

Normal proficiency and specialization rules do not apply to the six-shooter so disregard them. If a character isn't proficient in the six-shooter, he suffers a -5 to hit penalty. If the player devotes a weapon proficiency to this weapon the character earns a basic mastery of the weapon. For each additional slot, the player moves up to the next mastery. Note mastering a six-shooter isn't limited to the fighter class and any class can continue to devote proficiency slots to the six-shooter. The following table shows the advantages to mastering the six-shooter:

TABLE: Cimarron Six-Shooter Table

Two six-shooters can fired at the same time, one in each hand, provided they are both armed at the end of the previous round. Apply normal 2handed-used.

The availability of the S&W Repeater is relevant to where the characters are located. Most organized countries have "outlawed" the use of Schnell & Wilkes products except for their military usefulness. In the unclaimed territories and such, they are common place.

The ability a character has with a S&W Repeater is relevant to the number of weapon proficiency slots allocated towards it. Table 1 gives range, damage, to hit, and the skill slots based on proficiency slots.

TABLE 1: Proficiency Slots

* All special skills offered for the "six-shooter" are available at the same cost for the Repeater (except Fast Draw).

Other pertinent stats for the S&W Repeater are:
ROF: 1/round with max of 6/round
Reload Time: 10 rounds
Capacity: 5 in 'box', 1 on rail
Considered a heavy x-bow.
Speed: 6 (avg)

S&W SPAS SCATTERGUN

As time went by, many store and bar owners were complaining about the holes in walls and materials being busted by the many shoot outs which occurred in or near their establishments. As often as not, the shots fired were done by the owner themselves, trying to "keep the place serviceable".

With this in mind, Schnell and Wilkes went back to the drawing board, and designed a weapon which had the capability to kill a man at close range, but wouldn't throw its projectiles as far or with as much potential for damage to walls, windows, etc.. Their new weapon was dubbed the SPAS Scattergun (Short Power Area Spraying). It is available in side-by-side double barrel, or auto-loading. The "shells" consist of 25 needle thin shards wrapped in a paper casing to hold them together.

A firm leather strap runs around the back and this is what the string of the x-bow pushes against as it propels the pack of shards down its "tubular" barrel. As the "shell" reaches the end of the tube, the shards are "shot" out and spread apart. Due to each shards small mass, they only carry enough inertia to be damage effective at 9" max. However, they are very potent at close range, and with their "scattering" pattern, accuracy is less important. Some pioneers have reportedly used this weapon to kill waterfowl and upland game.

*Save for ½ vs

Other pertinent stats are:

Speed: 5 (avg)
ROF: 1/round upto 3/round auto-loader
        2/round double barrel
Reload Time: 10 rounds auto-loader
        4 rounds double barrel
Capacity: 3 "shells" auto-loader
        2 "shells" double barrel
NonProficient: May shoot this without the normal nonprof penalty.
Proficient: May shoot a full compliment of shots available (2 / 3) in one round.
Skilled: May shoot at speed 4, and add a Pointblank range at 3, where a the save doesn't count.

The only special skills available are Fast (Fan) Shooting and Repair. These require the shooter to spend 1 Weapon proficiency per to acquire.

S&W RATTLIN GUN

Sooner or later a government was bound to get their hands on this new technology and put it to work for military purposes. Hence the invention of the S&W Rattlin Gun. So named from the nose its gears make when it is fired. The Rattlin Gun consists of 4 heavy x-bows mounted on a rotating cylinder. The cylinder rotates when the Gunner turns a crank attached to a gear box mechanism. This whole system is mounted on an overturned wagon wheel axle which gives it 360 degree radius of fire. As the bows rotate, two metal rails bend the bow portion and an Assistant gunner cocks x-bow #2, at the same time the 2nd Assistant gunner is loading a bolt into x-bow #4, and simultaneously, x-bow #1 is firing. The Gunner sights by looking down the central cylinder and controls the rate of fire by the speed at which he runs the crank. View from gunners Position:

                                             1

                                            x

Here the 2nd         A. --> 4   x o \x/    2 <-- Slots which bend bow and allow loads the bolts

                                            x          Ass. Gunner to lock string back.

                                            3

Due to all the moving parts, the weapons accuracy is considered terrible, unless a skilled Gunner is behind the crank. Then with its incredible rate of fire, it can be very deadly weapon. It is most commonly used on battlements for defensive purposes. Some trade caravans have purchased licenses from "ruling powers" which allows them the utilize "wagon" mounted Rattlin Guns in protecting their goods on the way to market.

Pertinent stats are:

Thac0: 12
Range: 12/24/36
Damage: 1d6 +1 / 1d8+1 per shot
ROF:     8 shots per round sustained
        16 shots per round cyclic (max of 4 rounds before tiring)
Consider Armored targets at short range as if they have an AC+5 lower than they actually have (AC +2 penalty at medium range). *Armored = Chainmail, platemail, fieldplate, etc.