Weapon Fire from a Moving Vehicle

When using a weapon from a moving platform – be it a Tommy gun
from a getaway car, or a javelin from atop one of Hannibal’s elephants
– it’s usually harder to hit your target than when you’re standing still or
moving yourself. The penalty depends on how rough the ride is and
whether you’re using a weapon mount or a handheld weapon – see
Ranged Attack Modifiers (p. 548).
It’s even harder to shoot straight if you don’t know when the vehicle
will weave or dodge! If the vehicle dodged and you aren’t the operator,
you have an extra -2 to hit, or -4 if flying.
Aiming on the move is particularly difficult. The combined bonuses
from aiming (Accuracy, extra turns of Aim, targeting systems, and brac-
ing) cannot exceed the SR of a moving vehicle unless the sights or
mount are stabilized. Also apply this limit when firing from a station-
ary vehicle that is bobbing in the water or floating in turbulent air. In
space, only apply this limit when maneuvering, not when moving in a
straight line.
It is also important to consider apparent relative speed. If two cars
are rushing toward each other on a collision course, the speed of one,
relative to the other, may be over 120 mph . . . but the apparent relative
speed is zero. Only apply speed penalties for crossing targets. Ignore the
speed of targets moving more or less directly toward or away from you.
way, on subsequent turns, the operator
must make a Piloting-5 roll to pull out!
Ground Vehicle: Failure by SR or
less means the vehicle skids and fails
to go in the intended direction if you
were trying to turn – or veers random-
ly left or right otherwise. The GM
determines if it hits something.
Failure by more than SR, or critical
failure, means it rolls or spins out and
crashes. It skids or rolls for a distance
equal to 1/3 its current velocity before
coming to a stop, and suffers falling
damage based on the velocity it had
when it lost control.
Shooting through a window is unwise
if the vehicle is sealed, pressurized, or has
vacuum support.
Space or Underwater Vehicle: Failure
by SR or less means the vehicle charges
ahead or veers randomly instead of per-
forming the intended maneuver; if it
was trying to avoid an obstacle, it fails
to do so. A submarine also loses 5 yards
of depth, which might lead to a crash.
Failure by more than SR, or critical fail-
ure, results in severe stress. Make a HT
roll for the vehicle; on a failure, it suf-
fers stress-related damage: a leak,
engine failure, etc.
Water Vehicle: Failure by SR or less
means exactly what it does for a
ground vehicle. In addition, anyone
standing on an open deck must make
a ST or ST-based Seamanship roll to
hold on or be washed overboard.
Failure by more than SR, or critical
failure, means the vehicle capsizes!
Those on deck are tossed overboard
automatically. An “unsinkable” vehicle
like a surfaced sub, rubber raft, or
canoe can be righted. Other vehicles
simply sink.