Warhammer 40k Bolter - Weapon Concept

[g3taso]

Bolter Pistol:  +40 STR, 32 Charges (+1/4), Autofire (10 shots; +1) (90 Active Points); Only For Throwing (-1), OAF (; -1), No Figured Characteristics (-1/2)

Bolter Round:  EB 1d6+1 (standard effect: 4 STUN, 2 BODY), Autofire (3 shots; +1/4), Penetrating (+1/2) (12 Active Points); 1 Charge (-2), OIF (-1/2)

Variant "Hold Out" Bolter Pistol:  +40 STR, Autofire (10 shots; +1) (80 Active Points); Only For Throwing (-1), No Figured Characteristics (-1/2), OIF (; -1/2), 12 Charges (-1/4)

 

After a long evening on warhammer40k.wikia.com I realized Bolters are awesome. They have a propellant sufficient to clear the barrel, but are autonomous drones that go after someone and are loaded with pin charges of explosive for horrendous wounds. I used the STR mechanic since they are actually being thrown.  You can see that while this weapon only has 3 or 1 "shots", it will do horrendous damage but is best suited for a phase or two where you need "a little extra". 

 

Feedback? Does it suck mightily? Can it be improved? Are there particular tactics that would enhance it's use?

 

And if you have your own weapon ideas to bounce off, I'd love to see them.

[Ninja-Bear]

I played W40K in the day. I don’t remember Bolters throwing people? Though that could have been fluff that I’ve missed.

[Ninja-Bear]

Ok looked at the stats again. Instead of STR why not use double KB? And why EN instead of RKA? 

[g3taso]

I used STR because it's not a bullet. it is essentially a fast-flying drone with explosives on it. "Smart bullets". So I used STR to throw them, since they are self-powered and all that.

 

As for EB vs RKA, frankly I arbitrarily picked one over the other for the matter of the "rounds". Multiple microexplosive charges inside for AutoFire.  Think of dum-dum rounds setting off microgrenades inside you. That's why no double KB

[Netzilla]

The fact that bolter rounds are self-propelled is entirely an SFX issue rather than a mechanical one.  You'd be better off buying a sufficiently large RKA.  Their self-guided nature would qualify them for OCV and PSLs vs Range.  The write-ups I did a while ago are as follows (note that I was using the Piercing rules from APG 1):

 

Bolt Pistol
2d6 RKA (30), 11 Piercing (33), +1 STUN Mult (+1/4), 20 Shots (+1/4) (95 AP), One Handed (+0), OAF (-1), STR Min 10 (Does Not Add Dmg, -1) (32 RC)

PLUS +1 OCV (5 AP), OAF (-1), STR Min 10 (-1/2), Ranged Only (-1), Only For Bolt Pistol (-1/2) (1 RC) [33 Total Cost]

 

Bolt Rifle
3d6 RKA (45), 11 Piercing (33), +1 STUN Mult (+1/4), 20 Shots (+1/4) (117 AP), Two Handed (-1/2), OAF (-1), STR Min 13 (Does Not Add Dmg, -1) (39 RC)
PLUS +1 OCV (5 AP), OAF (-1), STR Min 13 (-1/2), Ranged Only (-1), Only For Bolt Rifle (-1/2) (1 RC)
PLUS +1 PSL vs Range (3 AP), OAF (-1), Only For Bolt Rifle (-1/2) (1 RC) [41 Total Cost]

[Ninja-Bear]

Ok lost on the STR to throw them? Do you mean the Bullets or the target they hit? I thought you meant the latter hence the double knock back.

[Lucius]

4 hours ago, Ninja-Bear said:

Ok lost on the STR to throw them? Do you mean the Bullets or the target they hit? I thought you meant the latter hence the double knock back.

 

 

I am pretty sure he means the STR to throw the bullets, which is a very very very bizarre idea.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

And that's even from my point of view and I ride around on a palindromedary

[Ninja-Bear]

12 minutes ago, Lucius said:

 

 

I am pretty sure he means the STR to throw the bullets, which is a very very very bizarre idea.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

And that's even from my point of view and I ride around on a palindromedary

That’s what I’m thinking but I want to make sure then go from there. I think he’s thinking that because they are mini-grenades and grenades are thrown, hence +40 STR for throwing.

[g3taso]

10 hours ago, Lucius said:

 

 

I am pretty sure he means the STR to throw the bullets, which is a very very very bizarre idea.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

And that's even from my point of view and I ride around on a palindromedary

I got the idea from a grenade launcher written up somewhere. I thought it was pretty elegant, even throwing a grenade in an arc just like you threw it.

[Lucius]

14 minutes ago, g3taso said:

I got the idea from a grenade launcher written up somewhere. I thought it was pretty elegant, even throwing a grenade in an arc just like you threw it.

 

Yeah, but grenades are built with "Range based on STR." Your bullets aren't and it doesn't sound like they should be.

 

Also, you have 1 charge on the bullet. The 3 shot Autofire is going to waste because you don't have that many shots.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary still thinks autofire sounds like vehicular arson

[g3taso]

It appears the design isn't feasible. 

[Ninja-Bear]

I would make the damage RKA instead of EB because a Bolter is designed to kill. I would also give it AP and Pen too due to how deadly it is.

[Ninja-Bear]

The +40 STR for grenade launcher I suspect is make a grenade go farther if it has the RBS limitation. Probably did it this way so they didn’t  have to rewrite hand grenades.

[Netzilla]

That grenade launcher write up might have been mine (it is my preferred way of doing grenade launchers) and it is mainly to avoid having to write up the GL as a massive MultiPower with dozens of slots to account for all the different possible grenade types.  I don't remember if I gave it a Limitation for requiring GL-compatible grenades but I should have.

 

Regardless, as Lucias and Ninja-Bear point out, that only works because grenades are built as Range Based on STR.  Technically, you could rebuild other weapons where the ammo is RBoS and the "gun" is STR (only to throw the appropriate ammo; does not stack with base STR) but it wouldn't be worth it most of the time.