I scoured the forums and couldn't find an answer.

Heavy Bolter only fires under Full Auto. Is it possible to Called Shot the first shot and, if test is passed, scatter from there?

Page 238 Deathwatch Core Rulebook
TYPE: Full Action

SUBTYPES: Attack, Concentration, Melee or Ranged

The active character attempts to attack a specific or vulnerable area on his target. The attacker declares a location on his target (Head, Left Arm, Right Arm, Left Leg, Right Leg, Body) and makes a Hard (-20) Weapon Skill Test or a Hard (-20) Ballistic Skill Test . If he succeeds, he skips the Determine Hit Location step of the attack and instead hits the declared location.

I think it might be possible to take a Called Shot action on one round of combat, then on the next round actually take the Full Auto attack using the Called Shot's location. However, since they're both Full Actions it would seem you can't do both in the same round.

I dont think so: a called shot is always for 1 shot (I find it op if you let someone get that kind of bonus on full auto...)

And the attack is the same round, look at the subtype

Not being able to make called shots with full auto/semi auto has always been a part of the system. If players were allowed to do that, then Deadeye shot (remove called shot penalties), becomes the most awesome and broken talent ever (given that some enemies don't always wear even armour on all parts of their body).

In the rules the OP quotes, its quite clear full-auto cannot be mixed with a called shot. Called shot is its own attack, making a single shot. If the weapon does not have this as a firing mode, it simply can't make the shot.

A called shot is a full round action that allows you to make a single standard attack at a penalty where you can select the target location hit. A full auto attack is a full round action, not a standard attack action. You can only take one full round action per round, you can also only take one combat action per round. So they are mutually exclusive. Full auto attacks can never be made with a called shot.

This is actually good in my opinion, I missed this distinction when I first started playing and had players doing called full auto shots, it was rather OP. When firing on people behind cover in particular this provides some opportunities to choose between weapons and attacks.

Togath said:

Unless this has been errated (and don't think it matters here, so it's beside the point), auto-senses allow you to make a Called Shot as a Half Action. So you could Aim and Called Shot.

bogi_khaosa said:

Well Aim also benefits your next shot. Not your next shot this turn . Part of the benefit of Aim is it can be performed twice as a full action, for a greater bonus on the next turn. Same goes with ending a turn with a half action aim, followed by a full attack action the next turn.

KommissarK said:

You can do a half-action aim or a full action aim. Half action is +10, full action is +20. I can't read anything that says you can't half action aim and shoot in a single turn, could you provide additional info?

In theory you could aim and fire full auto this way- either do your aim at the end of your turn or spend your whole prior turn aiming. One could argue though that a reaction would disrupt aiming (which I do).

On the main topic though other books (DH and RT) state pretty clearly that you cannot make a called shot when firing semi or fully automatic fire. It seems clear to me the RAI, regardless of RAW, is that you cannot combine full auto attacks and called shots.

Charmander said:

I don't think we're disagreeing here. I was just using an example saying you can half action aim one turn, and fire the next turn. Obviously, you can always half action aim, half action attack. The point I was trying to make was that someone appeared to be saying that the only way to aim + called shot was to use auto senses. Which simply is not the case. You can aim on the turn before. (obviously, this doesn't matter as much for marine characters as they do have auto-senses).

I also do have evasion actions cancel the aim bonus.

KommissarK said:

Ah, I get you now, I misunderstood.