Ranged Weapons/Heavy Ranged Weapons

## Heavy Ranged Weapons

The weapons covered in this section fall under the Exotic Firearms Proficiency feat. Someone who wields a heavy weapon without the appropriate proficiency takes a –4 penalty on all attack rolls with the weapon.

### Heavy Weapons Table

The following weapons each require the Exotic Firearms Proficiency feat selected for them to use, or a -4 penalty will be applied to all attacks with them.

### M2HB

This heavy-duty .50-caliber machine gun has been in service since World War II, and remains a very common vehicle-mounted military weapon around the world. The Exotic Firearms Proficiency (heavy machine guns) feat applies to this weapon.

### M72A3 LAW

The LAW (light antitank weapon) is a disposable, one-shot rocket launcher. It comes as a short, telescoped fiberglass and aluminum tube. Before using the weapon, the firer must first arm and extend the tube, which is a move action.

When the LAW hits its target, it explodes like a grenade or other explosive, dealing its 10d6 points of damage to all creatures within a 10-foot radius (Reflex save DC 18 for half damage). Because its explosive features a shaped charge designed to penetrate the armor of military vehicles, the LAW ignores up to 10 points of hardness if it strikes a vehicle, building, or object. However, this only applies to the target struck, not to other objects within the burst radius.

The M72 has a minimum range of 30 feet. If fired against a target closer than 30 feet away, it does not arm and will not explode.

The Exotic Firearms Proficiency (rocket launchers) feat applies to this weapon.

### M79

This simple weapon is a single-shot grenade launcher. It fires 40mm grenades (see under Grenades and Explosives, below). These grenades look like huge bullets an inch and a half across; they can’t be used as hand grenades, and the M79 can’t shoot hand grenades.

Attacking with an M79 is identical to throwing an explosive: you make a ranged attack against a specific 5-foot square (instead of targeting a person or creature). The differences between using the M79 and throwing an explosive lie in the range of the weapon (which far exceeds the distance a hand grenade can be thrown) and the fact that the M79 requires a weapon proficiency to operate without penalty.

The Exotic Firearms Proficiency (grenade launchers) feat applies to this weapon.

### RPG-7

This Russian-made rocket-propelled grenade is common throughout the third world. Consisting of a relatively simple firing tube into which a rocket-propelled explosive can be loaded, it’s something between a grenade launcher and a true rocket launcher.

When the RPG-7 round hits its target, it explodes like a grenade or other explosive, dealing 6d6 points of damage to all creatures within a 10-foot radius (Reflex save DC 16 for half damage). Because its explosive features a shaped charge designed to penetrate the armor of military vehicles, the RPG-7 ignores up to 10 points of hardness if it strikes a vehicle, building, or object. However, this only applies to the target struck, not to other objects within the burst radius.

The RPG-7 has a minimum range of 30 feet. If fired against a target closer than 30 feet away, it does not arm and will not explode.

This weapon requires the Exotic Firearms Proficiency (rocket launchers) feat.