Artillery

(Int) Trained Only

This skill encompasses training in the use of artillery bombardment weapons such as mortars, howitzers, and other weapons that can fire indirectly on targets.

Check: An artillery weapon is ether firing on a target the gun layer can visually see, thus using the weapons optics to aim at the target. Or is using the calibration settings of a Fire Mission to set the weapon to launch a projectile upon a target the gun layer can not see.

In the first instance (firing on a target the gun layer can see) the following steps are to be followed:

1. Select the Aim Point - The Aim Point is the point on the ground where the projectile will (hopefully) fall and take effect. The aim point can be a character square or immobile object. If the weapon has already been previously fired the gun layer may use that same Aim Point, doing so halves the DC in Step #2 (walking the Aim Point does not use the same Aim Point thus the DC is not halved).
2. Fire the Projectile - Assuming the weapon has been loaded and is ready, the gun layer rolls an Artillery skill test with a DC of 16, +2 per range increment to the Aim Point. If the skill test is successful the projectile lands on the Aim Point and takes effect. If the roll was not successful the projectile scatters in a random direction from the Aim Point by 1d8 character squares per range increment (use the grenade/thrown weapons scatter table to determine scatter direction). The point where the projectile falls becomes the weapons current Aim Point.
3. Reload & Fire Again - Return to Step #1 to fire the next shot.
   Firing artillery on targets the gun layer cannot see becomes a little more complex as an Artillery Spotter, better known as the Forward Observer or FO is required to locate targets. The Forward Observer locates the target, and supplies the gun layer with information such as weapon orientation, elevation, deflection, and the type of projectile to fire - this information is presented to the gun crew as a Fire Mission Order. The procedure for calculating a Fire Mission Order is given in the following section titled: The Role of the Forward Observer.

Walking the Aim Point: The Aim Point can be moved between shots by walking each subsequent shot in a set direction along a straight line. The gun layer or Forward Observer defines a direction and adjusts the weapon so that the next shot falls a short distance along this line. The Aim Point can be moved up to a number of character squares equal to or less than the characters total Artillery skill bonus.

If the Artillery skill test is failed during Step #2, instead of scattering the Aim Point moves the randomly rolled distance along the line defined as per Walking the Aim Point.

Walking the Aim Point cannot be carried out unless the gun layer receives feedback, ether through visual observation or feedback from a spotter.

Time: The speed at which a gun can be fired is determined by the weapons equipment description (the SROF stat). The crew of the weapon must spend one full SROF time period loading and calibrating the weapon before a shot can be fired.

The initiative value of the weapons gun layer is used to determine when the weapon fires during a combat round, with the weapon and crew operating on this value as a single entity.

Special: All skill tests are taken by the weapons gun layer, this character must be selected from the weapons crew.

Certain artillery cannons can also be used with the barrel depressed to fire the projectile in a straight line instead of a high arching trajectory. Doing so is a normal form of attack.

All shots must be within the weapons current field of vision which is 45-degrees to the front.

The Role of the Forward Observer

A character with a minimum 4 ranks in Artillery and 4 ranks in Orienteering can perform the tasks of a Forward Observer. The Forward Observers basic equipment was binoculars, map (1:25,000 scale artillery map), compass and protractor - with out these the character cannot triangulate the artillery fire. Artillery batteries also made use of telescopes, tripod mounted stereoscopic binoculars, optical range finders, directors and artillery boards for their Observation Posts, the last three items to enable silent registration - to register the position of the target without firing on the target. However, such equipment was not always conducive to a well-concealed OP and certainly inappropriate for a Forward Observer.

The Forward Observer calculates an Artillery Fire Mission via the following steps:

1. The position of the weapon is plotted on the Forward Observers maps, plus the orientation is taken as Compass Points. To do so is an Orienteering skill test. Once plotted the information can be kept until the weapon moves to a new site where the weapons new position will need to be plotted.
   Weapon map points can be radioed to a Forward Observer; in this case the Forward Observer uses the skill test results of the PC/NPC who sited the guns.
2. Plot the map position of the Forward Observation Post that the Forward Observer uses to spot targets from. To do so is an Orienteering skill test, this test needs to be taken when the Observation Post is set-up and is retained for its duration.
   Multiple Forward Observers may use a single Forward Observation Post, once the post is set-up the skill test that defines the posts map position applies to all characters that use the post.
3. The distance to the target Aim Point is estimated through the use of binoculars or range finders. The character makes a Spot skill check against DC:14, with the DC gaining a modifier of +2 per range increment of the device used to spot the target.
   

   Equipment	Range Increment
   Binoculars	100ft
   Generic tripod “rabbits ears” range finder	200ft

4. With the information gathered the character must now triangulate a set of Fire Mission Orders that will tell the gun layer how to set his weapon in order to fire on the Aim Point. These calculations are a DC:20 Artillery skill test.
   The Fire Mission is now ready to transmit to the guns, when the artillery weapon crew perform a Fire Mission the standard 3 steps are followed for firing the artillery weapon. But the Forward Observer provides the Aim Point and the DC for step #2 is always 16. The projectile will always scatter from the Aim Point - the amount of scatter is determined by how well the Fire Mission was triangulated. Thus when rolling for scatter the player rolls 1d8, plus 1d8 per skill test failed to calculate the Fire Mission or to fire the weapon - multiplied by the number of range increments to the Aim Point from the weapon.
   Eg: If the Forward Observer failed two skill tests, then the gun layer failed his skill test, and the aim point is four range increments from the artillery weapon - the scatter would be 4d8 X 4. Thus the greater the failure - the greater the shot will go wide.

Using Artillery in the Military

Field artillery is made up of three components or teams, the first is the Forward Observer (FO), this team scouts ahead or with the main force to spot targets. This target information is then sent to the second component, the Fire Direction Centre (FDC) that controls the artillery batteries in the area and issues Fire Missions. The third component is the artillery battery itself.

Requesting Artillery Support: Just because a unit did not have attached artillery teams did not mean they did not have the support of divisional artillery assets. By communicating the request to higher Head Quarters there is a chance that artillery assets from the division can fire on the target.

Firstly someone must correctly plot the map coordinates of the target, this information is then sent along with the artillery request. The character in whom name the request is being made makes a d20 roll and adds his reputation bonus, plus +1 per rank level above the base rank of the characters national forces. If the result is 20 or over there is artillery support available, if below there is no support available. It is Game Master disgression as to what support is avalible.

Battery Fire

So far all of the rules outlined have been for the firing of one artillery weapon, but in the military it is commonplace for artillery weapons to be grouped into batteries. In the British army a battery consisted of two gun sections each consisting of two guns, with two batteries grouped together into one field brigade, with two field brigades per artillery Division for a total of 16 guns.

Instead of working out the Aim Point for each weapon in the battery, the Aim Point for the “Pivot Gun” is worked out. The Pivot Gun is the one weapon in the battery that is used to register the battery. Effectively once this one gun has ranged in on the target, all other guns in the battery copy that guns settings and commence fire.

Thus when working out Battery Fire the same procedures are followed as outlined for normal artillery fire - the spotter spots the target, the gunner fires the weapon, the Aim Point is walked towards the target to correct any scatter, etc.

When the Aim Point is in a position where the spotter wishes to centre a barrage, the spotter can call in the rest of the battery with a radio signal - “Fire for effect.”

The next time the artillery weapon can fire the Battery Fire takes effect, this creates a rain of projectiles that fall in an effect area centred on the Aim Point of the Pivot Gun, with the longest side of the effect area facing the battery.

Area Effected (width): 200ft per battery.

Area Effected (depth): 50ft per battery.

Effect: All characters within the area for the duration of the bombardment must each round roll a special saving throw verse DC12 (+2 per battery after the first), the characters gains any cover bonus as a dice roll bonus. If the save is failed the character has been caught within the area effect of a falling shell - roll saving throws and damage as per normal.

Projectiles: A bombardment normally consisted of a number of different projectile types to cause a variety of effects. When shelling, determine the percentage of shells in the bombardment and when a character is affected by one, roll % dice to determine which shell the character is effected by.

Duration: The bombardment will last for 2d4 periods of time, with each time period equel to the SROF for the artillery weapon in use of the battery. eg: if the SROF is 3, and the Game Master rolls 3, the bombardment will last for 9 combat rounds (3x3=9). After each bombardment there is a 25% chance it will continue for another period of time.