I'd very much like to shoot someone in the face with the grenade launcher on my Ares Alpha. Do I use Automatics or some other skill?

In SR3 you used the main weapon skill. It isn't stated in SR4 as far as I know. Presumably it would be heavy weapons, like for a standalone GL.

I seem to remember this coming up a long time ago. In strict RAW you need to use heavy weapons, but I don't see why they shouldn't be allowed to "default" to automatics for a slight penalty, especially on a weapon where the launcher is integrated.

Yup, Heavy Weapons skill for all launch weapons.

(italics mine)


If you lack the Heavy Weapons skill, you would default per the standard rules for defaulting, which would mean rolling your Agility -1 die.

Exactly what I was needing. Thanks!

You're welcome.

And gosh darn it, I'm sure I'm overlooking this, but I can't seem to find a Firearm Accessory for a Underslung Grenade Launcher. What's the best way to add one to a weapon that doesn't have a UGL already built in?

Check Arsenal. It's a mod using 3 slots. No cost, aside from the cost of the weapon (and using up half your mod space).

Using Heavy Weapons for an underslung launcher makes perfect sense. Grenades have a completely different ballistic path to bullets, so trying to fire one the way you'd use an assault rifle would just cause you to screw up even worse.
I'll admit, if you were point blanking, it'd be fair to allow it, but point blank the grenade wouldn't even arm, so they'd just get smacked in the face with a fast moving lump of metal. Be about the same as a good hard swing with an aluminium bat.

Also, please note that technically the underbarrel weapon mod can be applied to any weapon, including those that already have an underbarrel launcher. This means that you can mod a flamethrower onto an Ares Alpha, and go all Ripley on people's asses. As a GM I'd be perfectly OK with this, because it's awesome (and because the weapon is completely balanced by the fact that actually trying to use that monstrosity will bring the national guard down on your ass).

We have a winner!

You have to reign it in somewhere. An underbarrel shotgun on a 1 handed SMG is a bit much (it should be noted that the pictured gun has the highest upgraded barrel extender and the largest stock, so it's about 30% longer than the base gun, which is shorter than the shotgun).

As a note, that's not an SMG, that's a Giat FAMAS, which is definitely an assault rifle. And it actually can accept that mod IRL - it just doesn't look as ridiculous because it's not a whole shotgun.

(In army of two, that is exactly the weapon I used the whole game.)

In sr3 you could default skill to skill (tn+2) with your underbarrel grenade launcher. Otherwise you used the launch weapons skill...

Duely noted. I do think they called it an SMG though. Wish I could find a screeny of just the base gun with the shotgun; it looks so ridiculous.
Anyway, I only payed through the first mission with a friend's rented copy. The game is pretty awesome.

It gets exponentially more ridiculous as it goes along. Totally worth it as a rental.

Masterkeys are also very common underbarrel AR mods for urban environments. Locked door? *BLAM* What lock?

Masterkeys are also very common in dungeons. They allow you to access the boss chamber.

Also, if you have an underbarrel shotgun mod loaded with dragonsbreath rounds you can simulate the Ripley factor on a budget.

He keeps asking me if he needs to rent it again, and I've said yes like 3 times. We only see each other once a week (in the flesh) so it doesn't give us a very big window.

This is indeed awesome. That said, I think I'd be more inclined to mod the AA onto say... the Walther MA-2100. Or go with modding together an Ares Alpha and a Nitama Optimum to get 4 weapons (okay, two of them assault rifles) in one.

You need to attach a GL to a pistol.

The rules for the underbarrel weapon do clearly state that the underbarrel weapon must not be larger than the weapon it is mounted under. Just remember that lil tid bit. Otherwise you end up with heavy pistols with underbarrel assault cannons.