I recently encountered a dilemma, specifically the Skitarii Vanaheim-Pattern Assault Shotgun from the Lathe Worlds book. It lists scatter in its special rules, and can also fire on full auto. How do I resolve the number of hits at point blank range? It seems to me that the scatter rule represents the single round doing more damage at close range, and so how would I balance that with multiple hits from a full-auto attack? Would each hit from full auto have a chance at extra damage in some way, or is it just adding the hits from scatter and full-auto together more abstractly? Any input would be appreciated.

Just adding the hits from scatter and full-auto together.

Tha's what I do anyway.

From the errata http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/dark-heresy/pdf/darkheresy-errata-v3.0.pdf , page 10

“When firing a semi- or full-auto burst at point blank range with a weapon that has the Scatter quality, the extra hits for rate of fire and scatter are worked out separately and both applied. For example, Horatius Kane fires his combat shotgun at Heretic X. Kane is at point-blank range and fires a semi-automatic burst. Kane rolls 01 with his modified Ballistic Skill of 70 (30 BS, +30 for point-blank range, +10 for firing semi-auto) and hits by an amazing six degrees of success. He gets one hit at 70, one hit for semi-automatic at 50, and a third hit for semi-auto at 30 (he does not get a fourth hit at 10, because the combat shotgun’s rate of fi re is 3). He would get additional hits for scatter at 50, 30 and 10, for a total of 6 hits on Heretic X, most likely shredding the cultist to bits in the Emperor’s name.”

In other words, you take both rules and combines the hits.

Yeah, it's a meatgrinder. Personally I use the somewhat updated rules from Black Crusade and Only War, where Scatter has changed to provide +10 to BS on Close/Point Blank range, and a +3 DMG on PBR.

Simpler, and generally more useful, even if it does lose some of the overkill potential from PBR.

I do like the better accuracy of scatter in the new systems. Almost what I feel I lose in damage, I gain in consistency. Up close I will hit more often and shred harder.