We need a little help over there at Pegasus' Forum. How does a dart gun work?



First step: Ranged Combat = Firearms + Agility vs. Reaction (+Dodge)
Second step: 2+ net hits?
No = missed
Yes = What now?

Third step: Damage Resistance, I guess. But how? As there's nothing listed against injection vector in the BBB, would it be just Body (+ware)? One the other hand, the dart gun has an AP of -2 so armor has to come into play somewhere along. So would it be toxin's damage level (without net hits as usual) against Body + Impact Armor - 2?

I myself don't own SR4A yet. Maybe the fellow who came up with the question might have overlooked something?

As I understand the rules, when using a dart gun, you first roll a damage resistance roll, essentially to determine whether the dart has indeed penitrated your armor and pierced your skin. Before, I was under the impression that it only took 1 net success to dose someone. And I fully intend to continue playing it that way in my game. Requiring two hits is, in my opinion, silly. One net success is still enough to do one box of damage to the character. But then, if a character is dosed, you have to make a second resistance, this time, against the drug or toxin according to its speed. Typically, they have a speed of Immediate or One Combat Turn, while a few others may have different speeds. The rule on speed is on pg. 245, at least in the standard SR4 book. And you essentially wait until the time it takes for the drug to have taken effect to have passed, and then the character makes the resistance test using Body+Ware, and/or any type of medications or slap patches. Hope that helps.

It seems to be saying that instead of just having to get 1 net hit to confirm the shot in the ranged combat test (as you would with a regular firearm), the dart-gun wielder has to beat your dodge test by at least 2. The darts themselves have no damage code, so two hits indicate you not only pegged them with the projectile, but it stuck in them. The stat block for the dart weapons themselves say the DV of the attack is that of the toxin payload. So the simplest reading would have you using that number and treating it like a normal ranged damage resistance test. If the defender wins, they got stuck, but the payload wasn't delivered for whatever reason. If the attacker wins, the defender would be subject to a normal toxin resistance test.

So the scenario would probably work like this:

1. Make the opposed ranged combat test and compare hits.
   Attacker's net hits < 1: Clean miss. Move onto the next action
   Attacker's net hits < 2: Dart hit, but didn't stick. Move on to next action.
   Attacker's net hits 2+: Defender is hit and the dart sticks. Proceed to step 2
2. Defender tests Body+(Impact-2) v. Toxin DV + Attacker's Net Hits
   Full soak: The payload was either ineffective or failed to be delivered entirely. Nothing happens
   Partial soak: Defender resists toxin at reduced DV (body+relevant augs v modified DV). Apply damage, if any.
   No soak: Defender resists the toxin as if they'd been dosed normally (body+relevant augs v. unmodded DV). Apply damage, if any.