COMBAT SYSTEM C

By Ty Beard
V1.8
15 Aug 2018

Changes – added laser weapons at TL8-9 and TL13. Added ablat armor. Tweaked treatment of lasers
in “Range Effects on Penetration and Damage” optional rule. Made knockback optional. Note that
these changes reflect my own opinion of laser weapons and their efficacy; your mileage may vary.

Combat Sequence of Play

1. Initiative Roll. 2d6 per side. Add tactics skill of each side’s leader. (If the character does not
generally act as leader, the referee may deny the bonus).

2. Declare Cover, if necessary (initiative loser goes first).

3. Suppressive Fire. Side with initiative goes first, and results are applied immediately.

4. Movement & Snapshots. Side with initiative chooses which side goes first. Nonmoving side may
make “snapshots” anytime during or immediately after moving side’s move.

5. Normal Fire. Initiative loser declares attacks first, but all results are applied simultaneously at the
end of the phase. Figures who made snapshots, sprinted, or made suppression attacks cannot fire.

6. Melee Combat. Figures within 2m (or in adjacent squares on a 1.5m grid) engage in melee combat.

Normal Fire Resolution

1. Roll to hit on 2D. Base to hit roll is 8+. Add to hit modifiers.

2. For each hit, roll penetration (1d6+penetration). If the roll equals or exceeds the target's armor
rating, the hit penetrates. Do not use the group hits or double attack rules from CT.

Example: Biff fires a TL10 ACR at Jasper (in TL10 rigid armor) and scores 2 hits. For each hit,
Biff roll 1D and adds the ACR's penetration of 8. Any roll that equals Jasper's armor rating (12)
penetrates. Biff rolls a 2 and a 5 for a total of 10 and 13. The first shot is stopped by Jasper's
armor, the second penetrates. Biff rolls 4D damage.

3. Roll damage for penetrating hits. Damage is given for small arms in the various small arms charts;
for larger weapons, damage is a number of dice equal to penetration/2 (unless otherwise stated).
Damage is allocated exactly like CT.

Suppression Fire Resolution

1. Roll to hit on 2D. Base to hit roll is 8+. Add to hit modifiers.

2. For each hit, the target will be -2 to hit on his next fire action.

Melee Strike Resolution

1. Roll to hit on 2D. Base to hit roll is 8+. Add to hit modifiers.

2. For each hit, roll penetration (1d6+penetration). If the roll equals or exceeds the target's armor
rating, the hit penetrates.

3. Roll damage for penetrating hits. Damage is allocated exactly like CT.
 To Hit Modifiers
Firer

+weapon skill
+autofire bonus (see below)
+weapon to hit bonus, if any
+DEX modifier (see Weapons Chart)
-3 if firer evading
+2 if suppression fire
-3 if snapshot
-1 for every point of recoil greater than firer’s STR

Target

-3 if at point blank range (5m or less) with a rifle

-3 if at long range
-6 if at extreme range
-3 if target evading

Melee

+weapon skill
-opponent’s weapon skill
+required/advantageous STR modifier
+opponent’s required/advantageous STR modifier
+2 if polearm is set against charge
+weakened blow modifier, if applicable.

Autofire

Automatic weapons get a to hit bonus based on how many rounds they fire. Automatic weapons have
several special effects:

• They can hit a single target multiple times;

• If enough bullets are fired, multiple targets may be hit; and
• They can establish a fire lane.

Autofire Chart

Rounds To Hit Additional

Fired Bonus Targets Recoil
2 to 3 +1 0 x2
4 to 8 +2 0 x3
9 to 19 +3 1 x4
20 to 29 +4 2 x5
30 to 39 +5 4 x6
40 to 49 +6 6 x7
50 to 74 +7 8 x8
75 to 99 +8 10 x9
100 to 149 +9 12 x10
150 to 299 +10 14 x11
300 to 599 +11 16 x12
600 to 1199 +12 18 x13
1200+ +13 20 x14

Multiple Hits
An autofire attack may hit a target multiple times. If the modified to hit roll is 8, score 1 hit. If the
modified roll is 10, score 2 hits. If the modified roll is 12, score 3 hits. And so on, up to the maximum
number of bullets fired.

Additional Targets

An autofire attack may hit more than one target. Additional targets must be within the firer’s front 45
degree arc. Hits must be allocated to the targets nearest to the initial target. Additional targets are hit
with 1 round each. If the additional target is in the same or worse cover as the original target, no “to
hit” roll is made. If the additional target is better cover than the original target, a normal “to hit” roll is
made. In either case, a normal penetration roll is made.

Fire Lane

An autofire attack that fires at least 50 bullets may also establish a “fire lane”. A fire lane is an
imaginary line from the firer out to the weapon’s effective range (or until blocked by an obstacle). The
fire lane lasts until the end of the next movement phase. Any figure (friend or foe) that comes within
2m of the fire lane will be attacked at ½ the to hit bonus (and multiple hits can be scored if the to hit
roll is high enough). An automatic weapon establishing a fire lane does not use the Additional Targets
rules.

To establish a fire lane, a figure makes an attack against a target (or even a stationary point, like a
door or tree). Resolve the attack normally, but do not use the Additional Targets rule. The fire lane is
established in a straight line between the firer and the target (and extends past the target until the
weapon’s effective range is reached or the line of sight is blocked).

Snapshots

Snapshots are attacks made during the other side’s turn. They are much harder to make (-3 to hit), so
should be used only when necessary. A figure making a snapshot declares his attack any time during
the opponent’s movement phase and attacks its target(s) at that moment. Generally, snapshots are
resolved in order of declaration. If the referee is uncertain, resolve in order of weapon skill, then DEX,
then a die roll.

Note: Snapshots are necessary to prevent players from exploiting the sequence of play and doing ridiculous things like jumping
from one covered position to another without being exposed to fire.

Multiple Attacks

Firers may make multiple single shot attacks, if their weapon skill is high enough. Each attack is -2
(but the firer gets to add his weapon skill per normal rules) and can be aimed at the same target or at
different targets. A firer may make a number of multiple attacks equal to his weapon skill. This cannot
be combined with autofire.

Recoil

A firer’s “to hit” number is reduced by the amount that the weapon’s recoil exceeds his STR. Recoil is
given for single shots. When making autofire attacks, multiply the weapon’s recoil by the recoil number
on the Autofire Chart. When making multiple attacks, double the weapon’s recoil for each attack. If no
recoil is given for a weapon, assume recoil 1.

Armor
Base Rule
If the penetration roll is a natural “6”, the armor value is halved (round down). In any case, if the
modified penetration roll (1D+weapon penetration) equals or exceeds the armor value, the weapon
does full damage. If the roll is less than the armor value, no damage is done (see knockback optional
rule).

Optional Rule

In reality, no armor system will cover every area of the body with full protection. Due to weight and cost
considerations, armor will tend to protect the most critical areas the best and scrimp on less critical
areas. The base system seriously abstracts this by allowing a penetration roll of 6 to halve armor. For
more detail, here are some optional rules:

Option 1: Armor coverage is vest (only covers most critical areas like head and chest; includes a
helmet), partial (covers most areas, but gaps remain, or complete (self-explanatory). A vest is halved if
the penetration roll is 4+. Partial armor is halved if the penetration roll is 5+. Complete armor is halved
if the penetration roll is 6+. Regardless of armor rating, any hit on "halved" armor will do at least 1D
damage, as long as the firing weapon does at least 2D damage.

Option 2: If the penetration roll is a 6 (5 or 6 if the armor is vest or partial), armor rating is reduced to
1/4 of its rating (round down).

Option 3: If you want highly skilled characters to be able to defeat armor (my mind is not made up on
this), allow characters to aim for weak spots in the armor. Against comprehensive armor, the roll is -6.
Against partial armor, it's -4. Against vest, it's -2. If a hit is scored, here are the options:

(a) The armor is halved. (If a 6 is then rolled for penetration, the armor is ignored). Regardless of
the penetration roll, at least 1D damage is done.

(b) The armor is quartered (If a 6 is then rolled for penetration, the armor is ignored). Regardless
of the penetration roll, at least 1D damage is done.

(c) The armor is ignored.

Pick the option for your campaign that best fits your conception of how body armor works.

Knockback (optional)

Some folks would like to see more blunt force trauma on non-penetrating wounds. Frankly, I think that
Hollywood has greatly overstated this effect, but here's a clean way to portray it:

If a hit does 3D+ damage, even a non-penetrating hit may stun the target. For each hit, the target
must make a 2D roll of 8+ to avoid being stunned (substitute whatever task system you want), DM +2
if STR 9+, DM+1 for gauss weapons, DM-2 if shotgun at close or short range. If he misses any stun
roll, he's -2 on his next physical action. He must also make a DEX roll to avoid being knocked down
(5+; DM +2 if DEX 9+). At the referee's discretion (and depending on the JWF (John Woo Factor) in the
campaign, he may be knocked back 1d6 meters. Normally, only 1 knockback will occur, but in
campaigns with really high JWFs, knockback may occur with each hit. Knockback does not occur with
lasers.

Cover

Figures in cover must declare if they are going to be completely in cover. If so, then the cover will block
any line of sight traced through it for all figures who declared themselves to be completely in cover.
Otherwise, the cover will not block line of sight, but will instead give a defensive bonus (usually -1 or -2
to the attacker's to hit roll).
 So...a figure behind a 3 foot wall declares that he's completely behind the wall. For tracing line of sight,
he's assumed to be crouched behind the wall. He cannot be shot at by an enemy who has to trace a line
of sight through the wall (and vice versa). He can shoot a guy who's on the same side of the wall and
vice versa.

But if he doesn't declare that he's completely behind the wall, the wall will not block line of sight.
Instead, he'll get a defensive benefit (usually -1 or -2 to the attacker's to hit roll).

Note—this system prevents a clever player from exploiting the non-simultaneous sequence of play by requiring
him to expose himself to fire if he intends to fire past his cover. It also requires the cowards to declare their
cowardice...

Movement and Grids

This system is designed for fast play (believe it or not), so there will be no tactical movement system.
The referee will be responsible for describing location. In complex situations, sketch maps and
markers may be used. Figures can move 10 meters per turn and still fire. Figures can "sprint" and
cover 30 meters. Sprinting figures can't fire or execute an action, but they are considered evading (-2
to hit). A figure can ignore all cover and run as far as reasonably necessary -- but they will be very easy
to hit -- +4 to hit, no snapshot penalty and can perform no other actions.

Note -- I have preferred tactical systems like GURPS and The Fantasy Trip, but recently I’ve discarded them
because combats took too long. In my experience, fiddling with movement is the single biggest time waster, so I
started there.

Melee Combat

Melee combat occurs when targets move to within 2m of each other. Use the melee combat modifiers.
Figures may make melee attacks equal to their END. After that, their blows have a “weakened blow” to
hit modifier. Figures who have a melee weapon readied use their weapon skill and
required/advantageous STR DMs as negative DMs against all enemy melee attacks.

Range Effects on Penetration/Damage

(Optional)

Most Traveller combats will occur at comparatively close range. However, long range fire is possible,
and such fire will reduce the penetration and damage of kinetic energy weapons. For kinetic energy
weapons, reduce damage by 1/4 (round remaining damage up) at long and by 1/3 (round remaining
damage up) extreme range. Do the same for penetration. HEAP rounds are not reduced for range. For
plasma/fusion/laser weapons: reduce damage and penetration by 25% at long range and 50% at
extreme range. Note that certain highly accurate weapons do not have extreme ranges. That is
intentional.

Scale

Traveller starship grids are an inconvenient 1.5 meters. Due to poor lighting, close quarters, etc.,
count each square as being 2 meters (3m diagonal) for combat and movement. Turns last (1D x 10)
seconds. A figure will not typically know how long the combat has lasted until the combat is over.

Note -- Real life combats typically take far longer than they take in games. The more tactical the system, the
worse the distortion usually is. This system attempts to correct for that distortion. Also, combat veterans often
report that they have a hard time keeping track of time. The variable turn length takes that into account as well.
 Armor
Archaic Armor
Vest Partial Comp
Armor Wt Wt Wt
TL Description Value (kg) (kg) (kg) Notes
1 Leather 1[4] 3 5 8 “Jack”
3 Chainmail 2[5] 5 8 13 “Mesh”
3 Half Plate 3[6] 8 12 20
3 Plate 4[7] 8 12 20
1 Shield 0[+1] - - 3
Note: Value in brackets is against melee weapons and TL3- missile weapons.
Flexible Armor
Vest Partial Comp
Armor Wt Wt Wt
TL Description Value (kg) (kg) (kg) Notes
6 Cloth 5 5 8 13
8 Flex 6 5 8 13
9 Flex 8 5 8 13
10 Flex 9 5 8 13
11 Flex 10 5 8 13
12 Flex 11 5 8 13
13 Flex 12 5 8 13
14 Flex 13 5 8 13
15 Flex 14 5 8 13
10 Reflec 12 v lasers 0 0 0
10 Ablat 10 v lasers* 5 8 13
3 v others*
*Armor value reduced by 1 for each hit.

Rigid Armor
Vest Partial Comp
Armor Wt Wt Wt
TL Description Value (kg) (kg) (kg) Notes
5 Flak Jacket 5 8 12 20
7 Rigid 6 8 12 20
8 Rigid 8 8 12 20 “Cloth”
9 Rigid 10 8 12 20
10 Rigid 12 8 12 20
11 Rigid 14 8 12 20
12 Combat Armor 16 8 12 20 “Combat Armor”
13 Combat Armor 18 8 12 20
14 Combat Armor 20 8 12 20
14 Battledress 20 n/a n/a 0
15 Combat Armor 22 8 12 20
15 Battledress 22 n/a n/a 0

Melee Weapons
Damage/ Required Advantageous Weakened
TL Description Pen STR STR Blow DM
0 Hands 2/1D 6/-2 9/+1 -2
0 Claws 1/1D - - -
0 Teeth 0/2D - - -
0 Horns 0/2D - - -
0 Hooves 1/2D - - -
0 Stinger 2/3D - - -
0 Thrasher 3/2D - - -
0 Club 0/2D 5/-4 8/+1 -1
1 Dagger 1/2D 4/-2 8/+2 -2
3 Blade 2/2D 5/-2 9/+1 -2
3 Foil 4/1D 5/-1 10/+1 -2
3 Cutlass 3/3D 7/-2 11/+2 -4
1 Sword 3/2D 6/-2 10/+1 -3
2 Broadsword 3/4D 8/-4 12/+2 -4
3 Bayonet 1/3D 5/-2 9/+2 -2
0 Spear 0/2D 5/-1 9/+2 -3
2 Halberd 1/3D 6/-2 10/+2 -3
1 Pike 2/3D 7/-3 10/+2 -3
0 Cudgel 1/2D 5/-1 8/+2 +1

Small Arms

Pistols
-------Range--------
TL Description Effective Long Extreme Pen/Dmg Magazine Recoil DEX Mods
5 7mm Revolver 10 25 80 -1/3D 6 1 7(-1) 9(+1)
5 9mm Revolver 10 40 100 0/3D 6 1 7(-1) 9(+1)
5 11mm Revolver 10 40 110 1/3D 6 2 7(-1) 9(+1)
6 7mm Autopistol 10 25 60 -1/3D 15 1 7(-1) 9(+1)
6 9mm Autopistol 10 40 90 0/3D 15 1 7(-1) 9(+1)
6 11mm Autopistol 10 40 90 1/3D 8 2 7(-1) 9(+1)
9 10mm Pistol 10 40 90 4/4D* 10 1 7(-1) 9(+1)
10 10mm Pistol 10 40 90 5/4D* 10 1 7(-1) 9(+1)
11 10mm Pistol 10 40 90 6/4D* 10 1 7(-1) 9(+1)
12 10mm Pistol 10 40 90 7/4D* 10 1 7(-1) 9(+1)
13 4mm Gauss PistolA 20 40 60 8/3D 25 1 7(-1) 9(+1)
14 4mm Gauss PistolA 20 40 60 9/3D 25 1 7(-1) 9(+1)
15 4mm Gauss PistolA 20 40 60 10/3D 25 7(-1) 9(+1)

SMGs
-------Range--------
TL Description Effective Long Extreme Pen/Dmg Magazine Recoil DEX Mods
6 7mm SMGA 20 40 80 -1/3D 6 1 7(-1) 10(+1)
6 9mm SMGA 30 50 100 0/3D 6 1 7(-1) 10(+1)
9 10mm SMGA 30 50 100 4/4D* 10 1 7(-1) 10(+1)
10 10mm SMGA 30 50 100 5/4D* 10 1 7(-1) 10(+1)
11 10mm SMGA 30 50 100 6/4D* 10 1 7(-1) 10(+1)
12 10mm SMGA 30 50 100 7/4D* 10 1 7(-1) 10(+1)

Rifles
-------Range--------
TL Description Effective Long Extreme Pen/Dmg Magazine Recoil DEX Mods
5 7.6mm Hunting Rifle 400 800 1200 4/3D 6 3 6(-1) 8(+1)
5 7.5mm Bolt Act. Rifle 300 600 900 3/3D 6 3 6(-1) 8(+1)
6 7.5mm Rifle 300 900 900 3/3D 20 3 6(-1) 8(+1)
6 7.5mm Carbine 100 150 300 2/3D 10 2 6(-1) 8(+1)
6 7.5mm AutorifleA 250 500 750 3/3D 20 3 6(-1) 8(+1)
7 5.5mm Assault RifleA 200 300 600 2/3D 30 2 6(-1) 8(+1)
7 7.5mm Assault RifleA 200 300 600 2/3D 20 2 6(-1) 8(+1)
8 12.5mm Sniper Rifle 1000 2000 3000 8/6D 5 4 6(-1) 8(+1)
8 Laser Carbine 150 300 1500 7/3D 50 0 6(-1) 8(+1)
9 Laser Rifle 180 360 1800 8/4D 100 0 6(-1) 8(+1)
9 Laser Pistol 90 180 900 6/3D 50 0 6(-1) 8(+1)
9 8mm ACRA — DS 450 900 -- 6/3D 30 1 6(-1) 8(+1)
HE 300 600 900 1/4D* 30
Slug 300 600 900 3/3D 30
10 9mm ACRA — DS 450 900 -- 8/4D 30 1 6(-1) 8(+1)
HE 300 600 900 2/5D* 30
Slug 300 600 900 4/4D 30
11 9mm ACRA — DS 450 900 -- 10/4D 40 1 6(-1) 8(+1)
HE 300 600 900 2/5D* 40
Slug 300 600 900 4/4D 40
12 4mm Gauss RifleA 600 1200 -- 12/4D 60 1 6(-1) 8(+1)
13 4mm Gauss RifleA 600 1200 -- 14/4D 60 1 6(-1) 8(+1)
13 Laser Carbine 200 400 2000 9/4D 200 0 6(-1) 8(+1)

13 Laser Rifle 400 800 4000 10/5D 200 0 6(-1) 8(+1)

13 Laser Pistol 100 200 1000 8/4D 200 0 6(-1) 8(+1)
14 Plasma Rifle 450 900 1500 16/6D 20 10 6(-1) 8(+1)
15 Fusion Rifle 450 900 1500 18/8D 20 12 6(-1) 8(+1)

Shotguns
-------Range--------
TL Description Effective Long Extreme Pen/Dmg Magazine Recoil DEX Mods
5 Shotgun -- Shot+3 50 100 -- -1/4D 10 3 4(-1) 9(+1)
Bullets+2 50 100 -- 0/4D 10
Slug 50 100 -- 3/6D 10
10 Shotgun -- Shot+3 50 100 -- 1/4D 10 3 4(-1) 9(+1)
Bullets+2 50 100 -- 4/4D 10
Slug 50 100 -- 5/6D 10
DS 75 150 -- 9/3D 10
HEAP 50 100 -- 7/5D* 10
Flech+3 75 100 -- 5/3D 10
12 Shotgun -- Shot+3 50 100 -- 3/4D 10 3 4(-1) 9(+1)
Bullets+2 50 100 -- 7/4D 10
Slug 50 100 -- 8/6D 10
DS 75 150 -- 13/3D 10
HEAP 50 100 -- 12/5D* 10
Flech+3 75 100 -- 7/3D 10
Note: automatic shotguns have the same stats, but can autofire.

Automatic Support Weapons

-------Range--------
TL Description Effective Long Extreme Pen/Dmg Magazine Recoil DEX Mods
5 7.6mm automatic rifleA 300 600 900 4/3D 20 3D 6(-1) 8(+1)
5 7.5mm MMGC, A 400 750 1200 3/3D 100 5E 6(-1) 10(+2)
6 7.5mm LMGC, A 350 700 1000 3/3D 100 5E 6(-1) 10(+2)
6 7.5mm HMGC, A 500 1000 1500 8/6D 100 5E 6(-1) 10(+2)
7 5.5mm MinigunC,A 300 600 1000 2/3D 2500 10E 6(-1) 10(+2)
8 5.5mm SAWA 300 600 1000 2/3D 100 2 6(-1) 8(+1)
9 8mm SAWA 550 1100 -- 6/3D 100 2 6(-1) 8(+1)
10 9mm SAWA 550 1100 -- 8/4D 100 2 6(-1) 8(+1)
11 9mm SAWA 550 1100 -- 10/4D 120 2 6(-1) 8(+1)
12 4mm Gauss SAWA 750 1500 -- 12/4D 200 2 6(-1) 8(+1)
13 4mm Gauss SAWA 750 1500 -- 14/4D 200 2 6(-1) 8(+1)

A-capable of autofire
C-Requires crew of 2 (1 if on vehicle). If fired by one person, maximum rate of fire is 50 rounds.
*HEAP ammo. If round does 5D+ damage, there’s a blast effect. attack anything within a 1m radius with. Pen is
halved (maximum 4) and damage is 1D.
+X To Hit bonus with that type of ammo
D-If used with a bipod, recoil 2.
E-If mounted on a tripod, no recoil.
 CSC Annex
Real World Weapon Damage
Damage is dependent on muzzle energy:

Muzzle
Energy Pen/ Modern
(J) Dmg Example
50-99 -2/1D .25
100-199 -2/2D .32
200-399 -2/3D .38 Sp
400-599 -1/3D 9x19mm; .40 S&W; .45 Auto
600-899 0/3D .357 Mag
900-1599 1/3D .44 Mag; .30 Carbine
1600-2599 2/3D 5.56x45; 7.62x39
2600-4599 3/3D 7.62x51; .30-06
4600-6599 4/3D 338 Win Mag
6600-9599 5/3D .470 Nitro
9600-13599 6/3D
13600-18599 7/4D 12.7x99 (.50 Cal)
18600-23999 7/5D
24000-30999 8/6D 14x114 (14mm HMG)
31000-38999 8/7D
39000-47999 8/8D
48000+ 9/9D

Muzzle energy is 85% at long range and 75% at extreme range, which may change pen/dmg. Most
commercial weapons will fall in the middle of a band.
Kinetic Energy Weapon Damage and Penetration
Kinetic energy weapons will do damage based on their penetration (some adjustment will be made for
small arms, especially pistols). The current rule of thumb is Penetration/2 equals dice of damage.
High Explosives Damage and Penetration
Weapons using high explosives will do contact damage based on the mass of explosives in the
warhead. As with armor, materials tech and everything else, I assume that the mass efficiency of high
explosives will continue to advance:
So, to determine the damage of an HE warhead, determine its equivalent HE mass. Multiply the
amount of explosives (in kg) in its warhead by the explosive's ME. This yields the warhead’s equivalent
mass (in kg of TL 7 explosive like RDX). Lookup the warhead’s equivalent mass on the HE Damage
chart below.
In the case of HE bullets, add the HE damage to the damage rating of a normal bullet (minimum of
+1D).
Fragmentation damage is tentative, but here's how I see it working:
If a target is hit by an HE weapon, the target takes the "Contact" damage. All targets within the
"primary blast radius", "secondary blast radius" and "tertiary blast radius" take the listed damage.
A target that straddles two blast radii is considered to be in the higher damage band.
For instance, consider a TL6 4cm fragmentation hand grenade. It has .22kg of TNT. Multiply .22 by
TNT's ME of 1 equals .22. Consulting the HE Damage chart, we get the following ratings:
Description Contact Primary Secondary Tertiary
TL5 Grenade 2/5D 5m 2/4D 10m 1/2D 15m 1/1D
So, it’s reasonably lethal against unarmored targets within 5 meters and can slightly injure targets as
far away as 15m.
Its TL15 counterpart is considerably more effective. It has .22 kg of TL15 megablastium-Q36. Multiply
.22 by TL15 explosive's ME of 8 equals 1.76kg. Note that it has a "dial down" capability, where
damage can be adjusted to lower settings damage (at full strength, it would be lethal against lightly
armored targets out to 46m; this might include the user of the grenade).
Description Contact Primary Secondary Tertiary
TL15 Grenade 16/32D 15m 16/31D 31m 8/15D 46m 4/7D

High Explosive Armor Piercing (HEAP) Damage and Penetration

HEAP rounds use a shaped charge to penetrate armor. Very simply, the explosive is shaped to form a
long, thin, plasma jet comprised of the liner material (usually copper or depleted uranium these days)
and explosive.

HEAP rounds are typically less effective against infantry than comparable-sized HE rounds, primarily
because the HEAP round has to devote considerable mass to the liner, while the HE rounds can
contain more explosive and fragmentation material (typically 50%-100% more).

To determine the damage and penetration in Combat System C, use the following formula.

1. Multiply the mass of explosive (in kg) of the explosive in the warhead by the mass efficiency of the
explosive material. In most cases, TL5-6 warheads will be considered "TNT", regardless of actual
composition. The result is the warhead equivalent mass (this is the equivalent amount of TL7
explosive, in kg) and is expressed in kg.

Example--A TL5 M307A1 56mm recoilless rifle (aka "bazooka") HEAT round has 0.18 kg of explosive.
Multiply 0.18 x 1 = .18. The warhead equivalent mass is 0.18.

2. Multiply the warhead equivalent mass by the penetration number given in the HEAT Warhead
Penetration Chart to determine the penetration of the round in cm of RHA. Double the final
penetration if the original explosive weighed less than 0.2 kg:

Example--the 56mm round above has a copper liner, so its PN is 30. Multiply its warhead equivalent
mass of .18 by 20 = 4.8. Final penetration is 4.8 cm of RHA.

3. Determine the penetration by referencing the Penetration/Damage chart.

Example--the 56mm round above will penetrate 4.8 cm of RHA. This corresponds to a penetration of
11.

4. Determine the damage by referencing the HE damage chart. The warhead equivalent mass is used
in the HE Eq. Mass column. Use the penetration determined in step 3 for contact penetration. Use the
values on the HE damage chart for primary, secondary and tertiary radii.
Example--the 56mm round above has a warhead equivalent mass of 0.18. This corresponds to a
contact damage of 4D. So the round looks like this:
Description Contact Primary Secondary Tertiary
TL5 57mm HEAT 11/4D 4m 2/3D 8m 1/1D 12m 0/0D

For comparison, let's consider a TL15 version.

It has 0.18kg of TL15 megablastium 4. Its warhead equivalent mass is 0.18 x 8 = 1.44 kg. It has a
DU/Tandem warhead, so its penetration in cm of RHA is 1.44 x 40 = 57.6 cm. This corresponds to a
penetration of 46. Consulting the HE damage chart, we find that 1.44 kg HE equivalent has a contact
damage of 28D. So, the round looks like this:
Description Contact Primary Secondary Tertiary
TL15 57mm HEAT 46/28D 13m 2/28D 27m 7/13D 40m 3/6D

Note that this TL15 bazooka round will knock out any TL6- Real World main battle tank from the front.
It could penetrate some TL7 main battle tanks from the front depending on where it hits. It could
probably defeat the side armor of main battle tanks through TL8. Like its TL5 counterpart, it's quite an
anemic weapon, although better than nothing. Of course, it would be devastating against unarmored
targets.

HE Mass Efficiency Chart

TL Description ME
5-8 RDX, etc 1
9 2
10 3
11 4
12 5
13 6
14 7
15 8

HEAT Warhead Penetration Chart

TL Liner Material PN
5 Steel 20
5 Copper 25
8 DU 30
8 DU/Tand 40
8 Copper/Tand 35
"Tand" = Tandem or multiple penetrators.
HE Damage Chart
HE Equiv Contact Primary Secondary Tertiary
Mass (Kg) Pen/Dmg Radius Radius Radius
0.05 1/2D 2m 1/1D 4m 0/0D 6m 0/0D
0.10 1/3D 3m 1/2D 6m 1/1D 9m 0/0D
0.15 2/4D 4m 2/3D 8m 1/1D 12m 0/0D
0.20 2/5D 5m 2/4D 10m 1/2D 15m 1/1D
0.25 3/6D 5m 3/5D 10m 1/2D 15m 1/1D
0.30 3/7D 6m 3/6D 12m 2/3D 18m 1/1D
0.35 4/8D 6m 4/7D 12m 2/3D 18m 1/1D
0.40 4/9D 7m 4/8D 14m 2/4D 21m 1/2D
0.45 5/10D 7m 5/9D 14m 2/4D 21m 1/2D
0.50 5/11D 8m 5/10D 16m 3/5D 24m 1/2D
0.55 6/12D 8m 6/11D 16m 3/5D 24m 1/2D
0.60 6/13D 8m 6/12D 16m 3/6D 24m 2/3D
0.65 7/14D 9m 7/13D 18m 3/6D 27m 2/3D
0.70 7/15D 9m 7/14D 18m 4/7D 27m 2/3D
0.75 8/16D 9m 8/15D 18m 4/7D 27m 2/3D
0.80 8/17D 9m 8/16D 18m 4/8D 27m 2/4D
0.85 9/18D 10m 9/17D 20m 4/8D 30m 2/4D
0.90 9/19D 10m 9/18D 20m 5/9D 30m 2/4D
0.95 10/20D 10m 10/19D 20m 5/9D 30m 2/4D
1.00 10/21D 10m 10/20D 20m 5/10D 30m 3/5D
1.05 11/22D 10m 11/21D 21m 5/10D 31m 3/5D
1.10 11/23D 11m 11/22D 22m 6/11D 33m 3/5D
1.16 12/24D 11m 12/23D 23m 6/11D 34m 3/5D
1.22 12/25D 12m 12/24D 24m 6/12D 36m 3/6D
1.28 13/26D 12m 13/25D 25m 6/12D 37m 3/6D
1.34 13/27D 13m 13/26D 26m 7/13D 39m 3/6D
1.41 14/28D 13m 14/27D 27m 7/13D 40m 3/6D
1.48 14/29D 14m 14/28D 28m 7/14D 42m 4/7D
1.55 15/30D 14m 15/29D 29m 7/14D 43m 4/7D
1.63 15/31D 15m 15/30D 30m 8/15D 45m 4/7D
1.71 16/32D 15m 16/31D 31m 8/15D 46m 4/7D
1.80 16/33D 16m 16/32D 32m 8/16D 48m 4/8D
1.89 17/34D 16m 17/33D 33m 8/16D 49m 4/8D
1.98 17/35D 17m 17/34D 34m 9/17D 51m 4/8D
2.08 18/36D 17m 18/35D 35m 9/17D 52m 4/8D
2.18 18/37D 18m 18/36D 36m 9/18D 54m 5/9D
2.29 19/38D 18m 19/37D 37m 9/18D 55m 5/9D
2.41 19/39D 19m 19/38D 38m 10/19D 57m 5/9D
2.53 20/40D 19m 20/39D 39m 10/19D 58m 5/9D
2.65 20/41D 20m 20/40D 40m 10/20D 60m 5/10D
2.79 21/42D 20m 21/41D 41m 10/20D 61m 5/10D
2.93 21/43D 21m 21/42D 42m 11/21D 63m 5/10D
3.07 22/44D 21m 22/43D 43m 11/21D 64m 5/10D
3.23 22/45D 22m 22/44D 44m 11/22D 66m 6/11D
3.39 23/46D 22m 23/45D 45m 11/22D 67m 6/11D
3.56 23/47D 23m 23/46D 46m 12/23D 69m 6/11D
3.73 24/48D 23m 24/47D 47m 12/23D 70m 6/11D
3.92 24/49D 24m 24/48D 48m 12/24D 72m 6/12D
4.12 25/50D 24m 25/49D 49m 12/24D 73m 6/12D
4.32 25/51D 25m 25/50D 50m 13/25D 75m 6/12D
4.54 26/52D 25m 26/51D 51m 13/25D 76m 6/12D
4.76 26/53D 26m 26/52D 52m 13/26D 78m 7/13D
5.00 27/54D 26m 27/53D 53m 13/26D 79m 7/13D
5.25 27/55D 27m 27/54D 54m 14/27D 81m 7/13D
5.52 28/56D 27m 28/55D 55m 14/27D 82m 7/13D
5.79 28/57D 28m 28/56D 56m 14/28D 84m 7/14D
6.08 29/58D 28m 29/57D 57m 14/28D 85m 7/14D
6.39 29/59D 29m 29/58D 58m 15/29D 87m 7/14D
6.70 30/60D 29m 30/59D 59m 15/29D 88m 7/14D
7.04 30/61D 30m 30/60D 60m 15/30D 90m 8/15D
7.39 31/62D 30m 31/61D 61m 15/30D 91m 8/15D
7.76 31/63D 31m 31/62D 62m 16/31D 93m 8/15D
8.15 32/64D 31m 32/63D 63m 16/31D 94m 8/15D
8.56 32/65D 32m 32/64D 64m 16/32D 96m 8/16D
8.99 33/66D 32m 33/65D 65m 16/32D 97m 8/16D
9.43 33/67D 33m 33/66D 66m 17/33D 99m 8/16D
9.91 34/68D 33m 34/67D 67m 17/33D 100m 8/16D
10.40 34/69D 34m 34/68D 68m 17/34D 102m 9/17D
10.92 35/70D 34m 35/69D 69m 17/34D 103m 9/17D
11.47 35/71D 35m 35/70D 70m 18/35D 105m 9/17D
12.04 36/72D 35m 36/71D 71m 18/35D 106m 9/17D
12.64 36/73D 36m 36/72D 72m 18/36D 108m 9/18D
13.27 37/74D 36m 37/73D 73m 18/36D 109m 9/18D
13.94 37/75D 37m 37/74D 74m 19/37D 111m 9/18D
14.64 38/76D 37m 38/75D 75m 19/37D 112m 9/18D
15.37 38/77D 38m 38/76D 76m 19/38D 114m 10/19D
16.14 39/78D 38m 39/77D 77m 19/38D 115m 10/19D
16.94 39/79D 39m 39/78D 78m 20/39D 117m 10/19D
17.79 40/80D 39m 40/79D 79m 20/39D 118m 10/19D
18.68 40/81D 40m 40/80D 80m 20/40D 120m 10/20D
19.61 41/82D 40m 41/81D 81m 20/40D 121m 10/20D
20.59 41/83D 41m 41/82D 82m 21/41D 123m 10/20D
21.62 42/84D 41m 42/83D 83m 21/41D 124m 10/20D
22.70 42/85D 42m 42/84D 84m 21/42D 126m 11/21D
23.84 43/86D 42m 43/85D 85m 21/42D 127m 11/21D
25.03 43/87D 43m 43/86D 86m 22/43D 129m 11/21D
26.28 44/88D 43m 44/87D 87m 22/43D 130m 11/21D
27.60 44/89D 44m 44/88D 88m 22/44D 132m 11/22D
28.98 45/90D 44m 45/89D 89m 22/44D 133m 11/22D
30.43 45/91D 45m 45/90D 90m 23/45D 135m 11/22D
31.95 46/92D 45m 46/91D 91m 23/45D 136m 11/22D
33.55 46/93D 46m 46/92D 92m 23/46D 138m 12/23D
35.22 47/94D 46m 47/93D 93m 23/46D 139m 12/23D
36.98 47/95D 47m 47/94D 94m 24/47D 141m 12/23D
38.83 48/96D 47m 48/95D 95m 24/47D 142m 12/23D
40.77 48/97D 48m 48/96D 96m 24/48D 144m 12/24D
42.81 49/98D 48m 49/97D 97m 24/48D 145m 12/24D
44.95 49/99D 49m 49/98D 98m 25/49D 147m 12/24D
47.20 50/100D 49m 50/99D 99m 25/49D 148m 12/24D
49.56 50/101D 50m 50/100D 100m 25/50D 150m 13/25D
52.04 51/102D 50m 51/101D 101m 25/50D 151m 13/25D
54.64 51/103D 51m 51/102D 102m 26/51D 153m 13/25D
57.37 52/104D 51m 52/103D 103m 26/51D 154m 13/25D
60.24 52/105D 52m 52/104D 104m 26/52D 156m 13/26D
63.25 53/106D 52m 53/105D 105m 26/52D 157m 13/26D
66.42 53/107D 53m 53/106D 106m 27/53D 159m 13/26D
69.74 54/108D 53m 54/107D 107m 27/53D 160m 13/26D
73.22 54/109D 54m 54/108D 108m 27/54D 162m 14/27D
76.89 55/110D 54m 55/109D 109m 27/54D 163m 14/27D
80.73 55/111D 55m 55/110D 110m 28/55D 165m 14/27D
84.77 56/112D 55m 56/111D 111m 28/55D 166m 14/27D
89.01 56/113D 56m 56/112D 112m 28/56D 168m 14/28D
93.46 57/114D 56m 57/113D 113m 28/56D 169m 14/28D
Penetration and Armor Scale
RHA Armor RHA Armor RHA Armor RHA Armor
Pen (cm) Rating Pen (cm) Rating Pen (cm) Rating Pen (cm) Rating
-2 0.01 2 29 13.50 33 60 190 64 91 2,790 95
-1 0.06 3 30 14.10 34 61 207 65 92 3,040 96
- 0.13 4 31 15.40 35 62 226 66 93 3,320 97
1 0.25 5 32 16.80 36 63 247 67 94 3,620 98
2 0.50 6 33 18.30 37 64 269 68 95 3,950 99
3 0.75 7 34 20.00 38 65 293 69 96 4,310 100
4 1.00 8 35 21.80 39 66 320 70 97 4,700 101
5 1.50 9 36 23.80 40 67 349 71 98 5,120 102
6 2.00 10 37 25.90 41 68 381 72 99 5,580 103
7 2.50 11 38 28.30 42 69 415 73 100 6,090 104
8 3.00 12 39 30.80 43 70 453 74 101 6,640 105
9 3.50 13 40 33.60 44 71 494 75 102 7,240 106
10 4.00 14 41 36.70 45 72 538 76 103 7,900 107
11 4.50 15 42 40.00 46 73 587 77 104 8,610 108
12 5.00 16 43 43.60 47 74 640 78 105 9,360 109
13 5.50 17 44 47.60 48 75 698 79 106 10,200 110
14 6.00 18 45 51.90 49 76 761 80 107 11,200 111
15 6.50 19 46 56.60 50 77 830 81 108 12,200 112
16 7.00 20 47 61.70 51 78 905 82 109 13,300 113
17 7.50 21 48 67.30 52 79 987 83 110 14,500 114
18 8.00 22 49 73.40 53 80 1,080 84 111 15,800 115
19 8.50 23 50 80.00 54 81 1,170 85 112 17,200 116
20 9.00 24 51 87.20 55 82 1,280 86 113 18,800 117
21 9.50 25 52 95.10 56 83 1,400 87 114 20,500 118
22 10.00 26 53 104 57 84 1,520 88 115 22,300 119
23 10.50 27 54 113 58 85 1,660 89 116 24,400 120
24 11.00 28 55 123 59 86 1,810 90 117 26,600 121
25 11.50 29 56 135 60 87 1,970 91 118 29,000 122
26 12.00 30 57 147 61 88 2,150 92 119 31,600 123
27 12.50 31 58 160 62 89 2,350 93 120 34,400 124
28 13.00 32 59 174 63 90 2,560 94

RHA—Rolled Homogenous Steel Armor

Conversions from Other Games

You can use weapons and vehicles designed in Striker, as well as vehicles from MegaTraveller and
other games. Use the comparable Combat System C weapons if possible, though.

Also, this system is compatible with any design sequence that outputs real world armor and
penetration levels. Just figure out how many cms of steel for armor and penetration, then use the
Penetration and Armor Scale. This makes it compatible with either version of FFS, GURPS Vehicles,
Guns Guns Guns, etc.

Striker and MegaTraveller use a semi-logarithmic armor/penetration scale. Here's a conversion chart:

RHA CSC CSC Striker/MT 6.5 15 19 21

(cm) Penet. AV AV 7 16 20 22
- -2 2 0 7.5 17 21 22
0.01 -1 3 0 8 18 22 23
0.13 0 4 0 8.5 19 23 24
0.25 1 5 1 9 20 24 24
0.5 2 6 2 9.5 21 25 25
0.75 3 7 3 10 22 26 26
1 4 8 4 10.5 23 27 26
1.5 5 9 6 11 24 28 27
2 6 10 8 11.5 25 29 27
2.5 7 11 10 12 26 30 28
3 8 12 12 12.5 27 31 28
3.5 9 13 14 13 28 32 29
4 10 14 15 13.5 29 33 29
4.5 11 15 16 14.1 30 34 30
5 12 16 18 15.4 31 35 31
5.5 13 17 19 +1 +1 +1
6 14 18 20
Coming Soon:

Heavy support weapons

Lasers
Vehicles and antitank fire
Weights and costs for weapons
Integration with High Guard(!)
Primitive weapons