OK - Mt RT turned up and obviously one of the first things I wanted to check out was what new kit I could have. (Its so quick and satisfying)

Storm Bolter - Check. Awesome. But 'storm' the quality, I think I need clarification.

For each degree of success grants an additional 'Hit' up to the maximum rof of the weapon.

So the storm bolter (with a full auto rate of four) scores a max of 4 hits or 8?

It would probably make more sense if I read it again, but Im at work.

It'd still only fire the 4 shots, as shown by the RoF, but you'd only need 2 DoS to do that, rather than 3.

Actually with the Storm quality RAW it would only take a hit with one degree of success to hit with four rounds.

Using a Storm Bolter with a BS total to hit = 60, You roll a 48 = hit + 1 DoS = 4 rounds hit. Just hitting means you hit with two rounds.

I read that and thought that I might try using it with the S/2/4 acting like a normal set of numbers but the weapon actually expends 2/4/8 rounds per squeeze of the trigger. Storm weapons eat ammo.

ItsUncertainWho said:

I'd though exactly the same thing. The advantages of 'Storm' don't seem to be represented by the ammo expenditure.

Cheers guys !!

Just that the wording of it seems to mean it increases the number of hits with the Degrees of Success, rather than with the original success, though I guess that makes sense.

The Storm quality is actually a much more accurate form of auto fire.

The RAW you would never fire more than 4 rounds in full auto but you will hit consistently with those 4 rounds.
My adjusted version you would fire 8 rounds in full auto with most people hitting with 4-6 rounds with 2- 3 DoS, pretty constantly. This might become a game breaker the more that I think about it. All but the toughest of creatures would be shredded under that kind of fire. Might need to stick with the RAW.

MILLANDSON said:

If you followed that you would, with BS 60 roll a 40, get a hit + 2 Dos which would equal 1 round hit, then 2 rounds, then 1 round. There is nothing wrong with this, but to me it feels off somehow. I would not say you were wrong in interpreting it this way.

I was going to limit the number of 'Hits' you get at 4, but still expend 8 rounds

That volume of fire there would be spillage right? I guess thats what Terminator Armour is for....

I think the way it is as written is fine, or how I take it to be at least, which is the same way ItsUncertainWho stated it: Need a 60, roll 48, means you hit (2 rounds land) and have an extra degree of success (another 2 land). Seems fine that they would land in pairs, since it's a linked weapon.

In any case it's nice to see Storm Bolter available at last!

The thing to remember about a storm bolter is that it is essentially 2 bolters welded together - I'm going to be classing it that each time it fires it fires 2 rounds, the ammo rating on the weapn just to me indicates how many shots the weapon gets before it hits empty. You also need to remember that characters are assumed to be able to get hold of as much ammo as they want to carry out of the ships stores now so it becomes less of a concern as RT characters don't have to fork out precious Thrones for every round they let off.

Okay, Needing to resurrect this thread as in my experience the storm bolter is a weeee bit insane.

So our group just started, and we ran the adventure in the back of the RT book. The seneschal character bought a storm bolter with his free acquisition, and proceeded to destroy everything with it.

We used the interpretation that a storm bolters is just two bolters firing at once, so every shot is two shots (in terms of ammo used and hits).

It didn't come into play too much durring the orc battle, as the orcs closed too fast and the terran made long range fire difficult. But against the servitors it was rediculous. I though that armour 6, 18 wound, and 8 TB would be hard to take down, but every other Full-Auto burst destroyed a servitor.

This is because of two things.

1) Storm+Tearing= Lots and lots of d10 rolls. For example 2 degrees of success on a Full Auto burst=3(basic+2 degrees)X2(storm)X2(tearing)=12d10.

All these d10 means that you are very likely to get Righteous Fury (~65% chance for 12). This bring us to

2)Righteous Fury is more powerful in than in DH. In DH you add 1d10, in RT you add an additional damage roll with modifiers.

This means that the storm bolter RF has a minimum damage of 21, and an average of ~28, with pen 4.

I can't think of much that can stand up to this short of a greater daemon or a space marine.

This may be intensional, but is a bit crazy.

monkyman said:

I think that's part of the problem. The Storm rule only doubles the number of hits gained from degrees of success on Full-Auto. It doesn't just double the number of hits you cause.

monkyman said:

You've hit too many times there. A Storm Bolter on Full-Auto getting 2 degrees of success has scored 4 hits (1 for hitting, +2 for 1 DoS, another +2 for the 2nd DoS = 5, reduced to 4 because of the maximum rate of fire). That's all - it can't get more, because it's rate of fire is only S/2/4, and the Storm special rule specifically says that you're still limited by the weapon's rate of fire.

monkyman said:

There's plenty in between Greater Daemons and Space Marines. A Greater Daemon (by my estimation) should have a Toughness Bonus in the 25-30 range, and will often be armoured as well, plus dozens of wounds.

Then again, a Carnifex isn't much different.

Thing is, that's kind of the point of the Stormbolter - withering bolter-fire from a single, more convenient package. That's why Terminators use them (particularly as Terminator armour is likely Auto-Stabilised as well, so they can move and fire at full effectiveness). If it's not bringing down targets, then surely there's something wrong with it.

I think that's part of the problem. The Storm rule only doubles the number of hits gained from degrees of success on Full-Auto. It doesn't just double the number of hits you cause.

You've hit too many times there. A Storm Bolter on Full-Auto getting 2 degrees of success has scored 4 hits (1 for hitting, +2 for 1 DoS, another +2 for the 2nd DoS = 5, reduced to 4 because of the maximum rate of fire). That's all - it can't get more, because it's rate of fire is only S/2/4, and the Storm special rule specifically says that you're still limited by the weapon's rate of fire.

This is not what the storm quality does at all. It's poorly worded in the rulebook but FFG has clarified (after being asked by mail) that a storm bolter subtracts 2/4/8 from their clip while their RoF is 1/2/4, that they DO double the first hit (from simple success) and the full auto part is meant as an example and not part of the rule (i.e. storm affects semi and single shot as well).

In conclusion: Storm bolters work like normal bolters except they drain twice the ammo listed under RoF and double their hits.

Graspar said:

Yeah... if you look at the date of the post you've quoted (over a month ago), you'll note that I wrote it before the official clarification went through. At the time of writing, there were several different equally-plausible explanations floating around the forum; that was the one I was going with.

I was surfing the older discussions and got my tabs mixed up. Sorry

Well, in any case, thank you all for a nice summary of the different perspectives to expect from my prospective players, and for the 'official' ruling.

The storm bolter gets two hits per success. So on Semi-auto it puts out four shots (semi-auto 2 = 4 hits) if you get the initial success and at
least two additional degrees of success. (Semi-auto needing 2 successes
for subsequent hits). On full auto, if you get four successes, you'll
get 8 hits.

Ammo use should take this into account.

Thanks!

Sam Stewart

It sure stumped me when I first heard it, but there you go. Apparently the Storm bolter can inflict eight hits even when the RoF says that four is the maximum.

I realize this is an oldish discussion but to answer you, Varnias, it is two boltguns, in effect, each with a rate-of-fire stat 1/2/4 but where both boltguns must fire for each 'shot' and where the fire-selector is not independent. In other words, both can fire a single shot, two shots or four shots but they cannot fire independently or with different fire rates. This is exactly how I and my friends always understood Storm Bolters to operate, so aye, really 8 rounds (for RT mechanics purposes) on target, potentially. Storm Bolters are meant to be the only thing short of the good old Assault Cannon that can stop a Genestealer advance, shred Chaos Marines and minor demons, etc, which is why they were standard issue for Terminator squads. Plasma weapons are fearsome enough but sheer force of fire makes a Storm Bolter more effective in many ways.