Some while ago, I introduced a new weapon Quality while running a Deathwatch game. This new weapon Quality is known as Tempest.
The Tempest Quality was conceived while reading about the Rak'Gol, a savage Rogue Trader adversary. Their ranged weaponry is basically analogous to Imperial ranged weaponry, except "Rak'Gol Heavy Stubber" seemed not at all in keeping with a truly fearsome, savage and utterly weird alien race.
In general, Rak'Gol have a poor Ballistic Skill, in the main because they prefer to tear their victims into messy chunks in melee. Still, a few of their race use ranged weaponry, and the Tempest Rad Scourge is the result of my imagination merging poor BS and the Rak'Gol savage nature.
Rad Scourge- Class: Exotic, Heavy.
Range: 30m (see below) RoF: -/-/8, rarely 10 (see below) Damage: see below Pen: see below
Clip: variable (15kg Backpack Ammo Supply, 60-100 at most) Reload: 4 (though Rak'Gol would never consider doing so in the middle of an engagement, they'd simply revert to melee)
Special Qualities: Always Devastating (5), Inaccurate, Tearing, Tempest, (Toxic optional) and Unreliable- there are no exceptions; these weapons are constructed in such a bizarre manner by an utterly alien intelligence that has been heavily influenced by the Warp, and attempting to "tinker" Tempest weapons does nothing more than dismantle them, leaving them irreparable (requiring a Hellish [-60] Tech-Use Test coupled with Trade [Armourer} +20, at the GM's discretion). Targets of the weapon must make a Fear (1) Test the first time they ever encounter a Tempest weapon (this could mean seeing a Rak'Gol calls for one Fear Test, then getting shot at calls for a second Fear Test, even if they previously passed a Fear Test at a higher Rating).
The Rad Scourge fires much like a Spray weapon (in a 30-degree cone, 30' long), however it does not possess the Spray Quality (not technically, anyway). This AoE simply reflects the horrifying fire saturation of this up-close, strictly anti-infantry weapon- the fearsome quantity of projectiles the Rad Scourge emits is enough to beggar belief, and is nigh impossible to (entirely) Dodge.
Tempest weapons are strictly designed as anti-infantry weapons, and so will halve all Damage and Penetration values (rounded down) vs Vehicle Armour.
A single successful Ballistic Skill Test is required to hit with a Tempest weapon, with to-hit modifiers preferring targets that are within the AoE yet at its farthest reach (the 16-30m Range category) over those within the Short or Point Blank categories. However, rather than hitting a number of times based on DoS, Tempest weapons hit each target within the AoE just once (similar to but not exactly as the Spray Quality), instead increasing the Damage by +1d10 per DoS on the to-hit roll, up to a number of d10 equal to the weapon's RoF. The Pen value of the weapon is equal to the number of Damage dice a target suffers.
Due to their unbelievably high rate of fire and saturation, Tempest weapons double the modifiers to hit at Point Blank and Short Range. Though the RoF for a Tempest weapon is shown as -/-/8, each attack with a Tempest weapon is considered a Single Shot Attack Action (Half Action, +10 to Ballistic Skill Test). However, as the weapon is always Inaccurate, the weapon may never benefit from the bonuses associated with Aim Actions. The Rak'Gol would typically use a Half Action to shoot the weapon, then take a Half Action Move- fire and advance, repeat until within Charge range. They are not inclined to subtleties, so no Called Shots, definitely no Overwatch, definitely Suppressing Fire.
Before rolling Damage , each target in the AoE must make a Dodge Test. This Test is easier the closer one is to a Tempest weapon- +40 at Point Blank Range, +20 at Short Range, and +/-0 at Extreme Range. Once all targets have made their Dodge Test, Damage is rolled beginning with the targets having the highest number DoS on their Dodge Test. Each DoS on the Dodge Test negates one 1d10 of Damage, but since no one can ever entirely Dodge fire from a Tempest weapon- their area saturation is simply too great- any targets within the AoE that are hit will always take a minimum of 1d10 Pen 1, Tearing. Once Damage has been calculated for the target with the highest DoS on his/her Dodge Test, you move to the next lowest DoS on the Dodge Test, and so on, like so:
DoS on the BS Test to hit with Tempest weapon: 4 (total 4d10 Pen 4, Tearing)
PC Dodge 4 DoS- negates Damage to minimum, so takes d10 Pen 1, Tearing
PC Dodge 3 DoS- negates Damage to minimum, so takes d10 Pen 1, Tearing
PC Dodge 1 DoS- negates 1d10 Damage, so takes 3d10 Pen 3, Tearing
PC Dodge Fail- full Damage, takes 4d10 Pen 4, Tearing
Damage dice are rolled sequentially, one target at a time, adding any additional die results to previous die results to increase Damage and Pen.
Remember that the closer one is to the weapon, the more DoS are possible on the Dodge Test, and these bonuses partially or completely offset the weapon's Range to-hit modifiers. Well, that, and the fact that to-hit modifiers prefer targets that are farther away (because Rak'Gol are almost wholly indiscriminate and want to hit every target with one massive, fire-belching waste of ammo).
Tempest weapons are bulky, cumbersome, and damnably awkward (Wt: approx. 34kg, may never benefit from Gyro-Stabilizers or being Braced; Bulging Biceps reduces the -30 to-hit penalty to -20). They are extremely sturdy, and their already bizarre mechanisms are either water, inert-gel, or squig fart cooled by blocky heat sink units to prevent a total catastrophic breakdown of their wildly gyrating processes (Unreliable). Due to the utterly alien design and ferocious torque-recoil of a Tempest weapon, they may not be fitted with or benefit from any sighting devices, including such wonders as MIU Weapon Interface and Spoor Targeters.
There are meant to be no exceptions to these restrictions and defects, but some GM's may be lenient...
I strongly recommend against allowing PCs to alter Tempest weapons.
The typical gun-toting Rak'Gol might have a Ballistic Skill of 35. Because it cannot Brace its weapon, this is reduced to 5, raised to 15 (Bulging Biceps), and raised to 25 for Single Shot Action. Targets at Point Blank Range are +60 to hit (this is far less likely...), while targets at Short Range are +20 to hit (...than this). So, on average, you're looking at a modified BS of 45, 5 DoS, for 5d10 Pen 5, Tearing. One Rak'Gol armed in this manner might get one, possibly two shots in before being engaged in melee, and even so, the limited ammo supply leaves precious little for PC to get their hands on.
Getting one's hands on a Tempest Rad Scourge without an unfortunate encounter with the Rak'Gol being a precursor event is mind-bogglingly difficult, this based almost solely upon location (I've seen nothing of Yu'Vath sites or ruins in the Screaming Vortex, so no reason for the Rag'Gol to venture in), meaning the base Availability is Unique, with an additional -30 Difficulty modifier.
I've only used Tempest weapons the one time. We all had fun with something new. I don't have much intention ever using them again, let alone regularly. I just didn't want the write up to collect dust and disappear, so I thought I'd put it here.
Enjoy.
Edited by Brother Orpheo