There are many weapons in use in the vicious internicene warfare of the Hive Bottom, from revolvers and sawn-off shotguns to missile launchers and smuggled PDF lasguns. These weapons all have some sort of advantage over their competitors, be it in power, reliability or maybe even just price and this is where you find that out. Below is a full list of weapons used by the fighters of the Underhive, complete with a description and profile to help you kit your gang out properly. For a full explaination of these profiles see WEAPONS, but if you're after a price list you'll just have to head on into town and ask around!
SUMMARYPISTOL WEAPONS
BASIC & SPECIAL WEAPONS
HEAVY WEAPONS
FIREARMSDespite the existence of more technically advanced weapons, the majority of Underhivers choose to arm themselves with weapons that would not look out of place in the twentieth century. This is likely due to the fact that since they can, for the most part, be manufactured below The Wall these weapons, their spare parts and their ammunition are all relatively cheap and in plentiful supply. Most fighters also feel that there is something more honest about a good, old fashioned bolt-action than some imported piece of techno-wizardry, which pleases the many gunsmiths to be found in any settlement no end.
HANDGUNSCalled smokers, sluggers, pieces and a variety of other colourful names by their owners, these fairly simple weapons are often lavishly decorated with chrome and engravings to display the fighter's status and wealth. Beyond the cosmetic, however, the only significant difference between one handgun and the next is in the size and power of its' ammunition. Most take the fairly standard 9mm round or something not far off it, but there are some gangsters who prefer to use big bore hand cannons that use larger, overpowered bullets. These do pack a bigger punch, but accuracy suffers thanks to the added recoil.
RIFLESThe rifle is a weapon favoured by gangsters who like to take down enemies from a safe distance. The power of it's armour piercing shots and it's accuracy over long ranges make this the weapon of choice for snipers, whilst its' reliability and low cost endear it to many others. Those that can afford to, however, often choose to arm themselves with this weapon's fully automatic relatives - the assault rifle and the battle rifle, whilst those looking for maximum penetration turn to heavy-calibre rifles (often called Autocannon, despite not being automatic) like those used by the armed forces to take out armoured vehicles.Assault rifle bullets are less powerful than the full sized rifle cartridges fired by the battle rifle which makes for a more accurate and reliable weapon. Autocannon rounds, on the other hand, are significantly larger with a much larger propellant charge and can punch straight through cover or armour an opponent may be using to turn whoever it hits to a messy pulp.
SHOTGUNSPossibly the most popular weapon in Hive Bottom, the shotgun spans a whole range of sophistication from fully automatic Combat Shotguns imported from Uphive to crude sawn-off two-shooters made by Ratskins or Scavvies. Like rifles, shotguns are cheap and reliable but their chief attraction is their versatility.This is down to the range of shells available to shotgun owners, all of which have something to reccomend them. The standard shell is cheap and fairly effective, whilst scattershot peppers a wide area with somewhat lighter pellets. In addition to these there are a few special types of shot that you can load your weapon with - Manstoppers and Dragonsbreath. Manstoppers shells replace the usual lead shot with lethal, razor-sharp flechettes which lacerate flesh and shred armour, whilst Dragonsbreath rounds employ flammable chemicals to turn the shotgun into a flamethrower. The stats below are for shotguns loaded with standard shells. You may load your weapon with either standard or scatter shot (or Manstoppers if you have them). All shells of another type to the one you loaded must be individually fed in to the weapon in the same way as reloading.
SUBMACHINE GUNSFully automatic and not much larger than a bulky handgun, SMGs (otherwise known as machinepistols or autopistols) can be highly effective if used correctly. Many fighters, however, consider them too unreliable and inaccurate to justify their universally steep price tags. Other, richer, gangsters swear by them and offer the corpses of incautious foes as proof of their worth.
MACHINEGUNSThough far less useful downhive than on the open battlefield, machineguns are still highly feared and respected weapons. Their ability to spit powerful rounds at a ferocious rate of fire makes them lethal, particularly when defending a prepared position against attack. Light machineguns in particular are frequently seen in the hands of gangsters, though a few prefer the extra killing power of the heavier version.
LAUNCHERSThough not strictly firearms, Launchers are included in this section because they too can be built with the meagre facilities that the Underhive offers. The Launcher itself is generally not a very complicated weapon, often little more than a tube and a trigger. All the sophistication is in the ammunition which often costs considerably more than the launcher, making for an uneconomical weapon. Still, the results can be very impressive - antipersonnel missiles can do a lot of damage to an opposing gang, even if you only have a handful to spare and the same weapon can be turned against armoured targets by choosing other types of payload.The stats given below are for launchers loaded with fragmentation (Frag) projectiles.
IMPORTSSome things simply cannot be made below The Wall. Electronic components, precision engineering, laser technology - all are impossible in the Undercity. This isn't to say that Underhivers must do without them, however. Guilders and other "enterprising" individuals are able to bring in supplies of such things from the factories of the Hive City for a price, and settlers often bring such treasures with them when they descend into their new home.
BOLTERSLarge, bulky and very hard-hitting, bolt weapons can easily and swiftly reduce even the most powerful of men to bloody ruins. Their demanding maintenance routines, the lack of spare parts and the expense and rarity of bolt ammunition, however, make them an unreliable and uneconomical choice of weapon though their terrifying damage potential and prestige value ensure that bolters remain an item of much envy and covetousness despite these shortcomings.All bolt weapons from the bolt pistol to the heavy bolter use the same ammunition, a self-propelled projectile called a Bolt. Much like a missile in effect, Bolts are roughly the size of a shotgun cartridge and have an armour-piercing tip and an explosive core which detonates shortly after the Bolt has penetrated it's target, causing massive and obvious damage. Bolts are almost as hard to obtain as bolt guns, however and this alone keeps them rare.
LASER WEAPONSLaser technology has come a long way since its discovery, way back before the age of the Imperium. Beam generators have long been small and powerful enough to use as a personal weapon whilst simplified design and modular construction have resulted in weapons that are reliable and dependable, if a little underpowered.Laser weapons come in all shapes and sizes, from the cheap and reliable, if rather feeble laspistol to the bulky and excessively potent lascannon. Far more common, however, is the rifle sized Lasgun, the weapon used by most Imperial Guard regiments and Planetary Defence Forces.
ARCHAIC WEAPONSBLACK POWDER WEAPONSTechnological levels vary tremendously throughout the Underhive and whilst some gangs use military grade weapons of war, others are reduced to using home made Black Powder weapons. These crudely made, usually smoothbore weapons are more powerful than bows, but also slower, less reliable and less accurate. Many are willing to pay this price, however, and counteract the need to reload their weapons after firing by carrying several at once.
BOWSThough lacking in power and slow compared to a modern firearm, the bow is a simple to make, silent weapon with reusable ammunition. Ratskins in particular favour bows, using a range of sizes from the large and long ranged Longbow to the small and easily handled Shortbow. Wood is rare in the Underhive and scrap metal plentiful, so bows are likely to be a little more complex than those found on ancient Terran battlefields, utilising pulleys and springs to get round the fact that metal just doesn't bend that easily.A fighter will need to stop in order to pull the bowstring back far enough to launch the arrow if using one of the larger bows, which makes them a little poor. The Shortbow, however, can be quickly fired on the move, making it a fair substitute for a real weapon.
CROSSBOWSLittle more than a small, powerful bow mounted horizontally onto a stock, the crossbow is a simple weapon that can trace its lineage back into the dawn of time. Though slightly more complex than normal bows both the weapon itself and it's ammunition can be home made, making this a good choice for those on a limited budget or with little access to an armourer's workshop for bullets and parts. Although it is no more powerful than a bow and must be reloaded after each shot, the crossbow can be carried ready and fired on the move.
|