Tactical SWADE – Modern Gun Options
Table of Contents
Introduction .........................................................1
Tactical Accessories .............................................1
• Aiming Aids ........................................................1
• Silencers ..............................................................2
• Other Gear ...........................................................2
Special Ammo ......................................................2
• For Most Firearms ...............................................3
• For Shot Shells ....................................................3
New Rules .............................................................4
• Hearing Gunshots ................................................4
• Concealing Firearms ...........................................5
• Acquiring Special Ammo....................................5
• Optional Rule: Bulky ..........................................6
• Optional Rule: Fragile .........................................6
Introduction
Ask what guns the heroes want, and you’ll find that
there are two kinds of players.
“An assault rifle.”
“An assault carbine converted to folding stock, with
reflex sight and detachable night scope, on a three-
point sling that also holds two clipped-on mags of AP
rounds and one of hand-matched.”
There’s nothing wrong with declaring all of that
detail to be “flavor” and using the stats as written.
After all, Savage Worlds should be quick and easy.
But for many players, tricking out their gun is a huge
part of what makes a modern setting fun. And since
there’s no extra work on the part of anyone but that
gun-loving player, these tactical options can be added
while keeping the game fast, fun, and furious!
Written By: Jason “PK” Levine
Revision 1.0
Savage Worlds License Agreement
This game references the Savage Worlds game
system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at
www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated
logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle
Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle
makes no representation or warranty as to the quality,
viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.
1
Tactical SWADE makes this sort of customization
possible, with new gear and ammo options. It also
offers the GM advice and optional rules to handle
firearm-related situations that often come up in play.
Tactical Accessories
Assume that every pistol comes with a holster and
every other firearm comes with a sling, for basic
carrying purposes. This is already included in the
weapon’s weight and weights 0.5 lb. on its own.
For the new keywords “Fragile” and “Bulky,” see
the optional rules on p. 6.
Installing Accessories
Adding an attachment to a firearm requires a Repair
roll at +2. It takes approximately 15 minutes, or twice
that for an aiming aid (as the gun must be sighted in).
Accessory rails change this, allowing accessories to
be removed or added with a single action (no roll
required). This only works for aiming aids if they
were sighted in previously! Many guns feature
integral rails; if not, adding them is $100 and uses the
rules above. They have negligible weight.
Aiming Aids
Red-Dot Sight*: A small frame to help the shooter
line up the target with a small red dot in the middle of
the display. +1 to Shooting at Short and Medium
Range. Common types include “reflex” and
“holographic” sights. ($150, Fragile)
Scope: Cancels 2 extra points of penalties when
aiming. Weight is 1 lb. for a pistol/SMG scope;
double that for a long arm. (1 or 2 lbs., $100, Bulky,
Fragile)
Scope, Night-Sight: As above, but it also ignores
the penalty for Dim or Dark illumination (when
aiming), at the cost of colorblindness. (1 or 2 lbs.,
$500, Bulky, Fragile)
Tactical Light: A small, powerful flashlight that
illuminates the target. Eliminates all illumination
penalties to see or shoot the target – for every shooter,
not just you! – but also does the same for anyone
shooting at you. (0.5 lb., $50, Bulky, Fragile)
Targeting Laser, Visible*: +1 to Shooting at Short
and Medium Range. However, the target and those
nearby may spot the dot (Notice roll), ruining
surprise. A built-in laser has negligible weight; the 1
lb. version from Savage Worlds is designed to attach
to an accessory rail. (neg. or 1 lb., $150)
Targeting Laser, Invisible*: An infrared or
ultraviolent version of the above. You must be
wearing night-vision goggles or similar gear to see
the dot (and get its benefit), but so must the targets!
(neg. or 1 lb., $500)
* You can get the benefit of a red-dot sight or a
targeting laser, but not both.
Silencers
These are properly called “suppressors,” but this
supplement sticks with common parlance. See
Hearing Gunshots (p. 4) for their specific effect, as
well as an important campaign decision about
whether silencers will be realistic or cinematic.
The lack of an improved shotgun silencer is
intentional, as is the lack of any silencers for
revolvers.
A silencer requires two actions to screw on or off
the gun barrel, which must have been modified to
accept it; see Installing Accessories (p. 1) for how.
Basic Silencer, Semi-Automatic Pistol or SMG:
(1 lb., $100, Bulky 2, Fragile)
Basic Silencer, Shotgun: (2 lb., $500, Bulky 2,
Fragile)
Basic Silencer, Rifle: (2 lb., $200, Bulky 2, Fragile)
Improved Silencer, Semi-Automatic Pistol or
SMG: (1 lb., $500, Bulky 2, Fragile)
Improved Silencer, Rifle: (2 lb., $1,000, Bulky 2,
Fragile)
Other Gear
Accessory Rails: See Installing Accessories (p. 1).
(neg., $100)
Ammo-Crafting Kit: Funnels, tongs, molds, etc.,
necessary for Crafting It (p. 6). Not part of the gun,
just a separate bag of stuff. (5 lbs., $150)
Bipod or Tripod: Takes an action to deploy or fold.
Negates Recoil and Min Str penalties. While
deployed, you cannot move on the same turn you fire
the weapon. (2 lbs., $100, Bulky 2)
Brass Catcher: A bag that collects spent shell
casings, for when it’s critical that none be left behind
as evidence, or in post-apocalyptic settings where
2
every shell matters. (1 lb, $30, Bulky, or Bulky 2
when full)
Extended Magazine: Increases a weapon’s Shots
by 50% (round up). Cost equals 10% of the weapon’s
base cost. (1 lb., $varies, Bulky)
Folding Stock: On a shotgun or rifle, the fixed
stock can be removed and replaced with a wire
folding stock. This gives +2 on Thievery rolls to
conceal the weapon (see p. 5) and reduces its weight
slightly. (-0.5 lb., $200, Fragile)
Muzzle Brake: An attachment that adds weight to
the barrel while also loudly venting the gunpowder
gases to the side. Reduces Min Str by one die type; if
Min Str is already d4, instead reduce the Recoil
penalty to -1. However, others have +2 to Notice rolls
to see and/or hear the gun in use. A gun can have a
muzzle brake or a silencer attached, never both. (1 lb.,
$150, Bulky)
Undercover Holster: Stays concealed beneath
clothing and flattens out any “gun bulges,” giving you
+2 on your Thievery roll to conceal the weapon (p. 5).
However, drawing the weapon becomes a full action
instead of a free action. (If using Readying a Bulky
Gun, p. 6, instead add 3 to the weapon’s effective
Bulky level.) Available for pistols and some small
SMGs (GM’s call). (1 lb., $80)
Special Ammo
Many of these options are not available on the open
market! See Acquiring Special Ammo (p. 5) for
suggested rules.
Some ammo types can realistically be combined
(like armor-piercing overpressure rounds, known as
AP+P). Others cannot (e.g., you cannot make armor-
piercing hollow-points). Due to the potentially infinite
number of combinations, this can’t be boiled down to
a simple rule; instead, the GM can check the Internet
for the viability of any proposed combo. In all cases,
the cost multipliers are cumulative; e.g., that AP+P
ammo is ×6 to cost.
For convenience, these are the base ammo costs
from Savage Worlds, converted to per-cartridge price:
Bullets, Small (.22 to .32): $0.20 each
Bullets, Medium (9mm to .45): $0.40 each
Bullets, Large (.50 and up): $1 each
Shotgun Slugs: $0.80 each
Shotgun Shot Shells: $0.60 each
For Most Firearms
The following options are available for bullets as
well as shotgun slugs.
Armor-Piercing (AP): Better penetration, but
leaves less of a wounding channel. Gives -1 to
Damage, but also AP 2 (or +2 to existing AP). (Cost
×2)
Discarded Sabot: A high-end military round,
designed to penetrate vehicular armor; examples
include APDS, depleted-uranium, and SLAP.
Damage gains AP 3 (or +3 to existing AP) and HW.
Cannot apply to small bullets. (Cost ×100 on the
black market – or cost ×25 if requisitioned by an
official military team)
Hand-Matched: A cartridge crafted to perfectly fit
one particular gun. The combination gives +1 to
Shooting when making aimed shots. (Cost ×5)
Hollow-Point (HP): Expands drastically upon
contact, which is good if it hits flesh directly, bad if
anything else gets in the way. Gives +1 to Damage
but Armor is doubled. (Cost ×2)
Incendiary: Contains a small amount of white
phosphorus behind the head, designed to start fires.
Use the rules for Fire from Savage Worlds. (Cost ×3)
Liquid: Hollow-point ammo (see above), but with
some sort of liquid in the head. In addition to the HP
effects, the target is subjected to a partial dose of the
liquid. For most poisons, the Vigor roll is at +1 for
each bullet fewer than four which hit. In a
supernatural game, adding holy water may let the
bullet affect evil spirits. The specifics are, necessarily,
up to the GM. (Cost ×4 plus cost of the liquid)
Overpressure (+P): Overloaded with gunpowder,
for increased power, kick, and muzzle blast. Gives +1
to Damage but also adds +2 to Notice rolls for
Hearing Gunshots (p. 4) and increases any Recoil
penalty by -1. (Cost ×3)
Rubber: Less-than-lethal rounds. Damage is at -2
for most guns, -3 for shotguns (for slugs, these are
known as “beanbag rounds”). Using these on Extras
allows them to be defeated non-lethally. Against Wild
Cards, the first Wound inflicted with each rubber
ammo attack is actually Fatigue (bumps and bruises);
e.g., if you inflict 3 Wounds, they would take 1
Fatigue and 2 Wounds. (Cost ×2)
Silent: Subsonic ammunition for covert ops.
Gives -1 to Damage but see Hearing Gunshots (p. 4)
for benefits. (Cost ×10)
3
Silver: If you’re playing in a supernatural game, this
does whatever the setting says. If not, it’s a heck of a
way to flaunt your wealth! Either way, -1 to Damage
against normal targets. (Cost ×50)
Tracer: Some of the cartridges contain incendiary
material on a brief delay, designed to flare up after
being fired. This turns a stream of bullets into a bright
streak. Gives +1 to Shooting when firing at RoF 3+,
but adds your RoF to others’ Notice rolls to see where
you’re shooting from. (Cost ×3)
For Shot Shells
Standard shot can also have the rubber, silent, or
silver options from For Most Firearms, above.
More so than for any other firearm, vendors offer a
vast array of unique ammo options for shotguns...
most of which is gimmicky garbage. For game
purposes, treat things like “bolo rounds” and “triple
threats” as overpriced slugs.
Dragon’s Breath: Spews a gout of sparks and weak
flame out of the barrel, doing 1d6 fire damage in a
Cone template. In a cinematic game, these rounds
instead do 2d6 fire damage, turning a shotgun into a
mini-flamethrower. (Cost ×5)
Explosive†: Rare on the open market and tricky to
make. Damage becomes 2d8 in an SBT. (Cost ×50)
Gas/Smoke*: Fills an SBT with gas (effect varies)
or smoke (-4 to vision). (Cost ×3 plus cost of any gas)
Flechette: Fires tiny blades instead of tiny pellets.
Gives -1 to Damage, but the target is at -1 on all
Bleeding Out rolls. Rather gruesome; if you use these
rounds to kill a foe, take +1 to Intimidation with any
of their allied Extras who witnessed it. (Cost ×2)
Rock Salt: Doesn’t wound, just really hurts! If
Damage exceeds Toughness, a living target must
make a Vigor roll, at -2 for each Wound they would
have suffered had this been lethal, or be Stunned;
even on a success, they are still Shaken. (Cost ×1)
Stun*†: A mini-flashbang! Targets in an SBT must
make a Vigor roll (at -2 on a raise) or be Stunned.
(Cost ×50)
* If fired from both barrels of a double-barrel
shotgun, these rounds affect an MBT instead of an
SBT. (Other types of ammo instead gain +4 damage,
as per Shotguns in Savage Worlds.)
† Loud! Gives +8 to Notice rolls for Hearing
Gunshots (p. 4), negates the effects of a silencer, and
cannot be combined with the silent option.

New Rules
These guidelines cover fairly niche situations, but
they’re exactly the type of niche that pops up in
modern action games.
Most of the time, these rules won’t be necessary; the
GM will make an on-the-fly judgement call (“Roll
Thievery at -2 to hide that gun”) and the game moves
on. But when the GM isn’t sure what’s fair, maybe
because the situation is weird or unfamiliar, it’s nice
to have ready-made rules and modifiers to fall back
on.
Hearing Gunshots
Sometimes you need to be sneaky, or at least not
alert the enemy to your exact position, even when
using your guns. These detailed rules are helpful
when the adventure hinges on whether a shooter can
evade detection – a situation that heroes may find
themselves on both sides of!
Realistic vs. Cinematic Silencers: The GM and
players will need to decide early on whether the
campaign uses real-world sound suppressors (which
somewhat muffle the shot) or action-movie silencers
(which can reduce it to a whisper). This can be a
separate decision from the realism level of the game
as a whole! Consider watching some Internet videos
to compare the two.
How Loud Is It?
First, determine your “level” of sound suppression:
• None: No silencer, normal ammo.
• Low: A basic silencer or no silencer with silent
ammo.
• Moderate: An improved silencer or a basic
silencer with silent ammo.
• High: An improved silencer with silent ammo.
Then use the table below.
“Initial Notice” is the bonus to the Notice roll of
anyone in the same area as the shooter; use either the
“Realistic” or “Cinematic” column based on the
decision made above.
“Per Area” is essentially the range penalty.
Multiply it by the number of areas that the sound
must travel to get from the shooter to the listener.
Example: With realistic silencers, if a gunman has
moderate suppression (+6), a listener three areas
away (-9) would roll Notice at -3 to hear the shot.
4
Also apply any bonus listed for noisy gear or ammo;
a penalty for background noise (GM’s call); and +4 if
several shots were fired (+8 for full-auto).
Suppression Initial Notice Per
Level Realistic Cinematic Area
None +10 +10 -1
Low +8 +6 -2
Moderate +6 +2 -3
High +4 -2 -4
What’s an Area?
Outside, an “area” is a short residential block (a
stretch of about 5-10 houses), a small neighborhood
park, about a quarter-mile of open air, or about 100
yards of forest.
Inside, an “area” is a few rooms connected by open
doors or halls. Any room with all the doors and
windows closed is its own area, no matter the size!
The gunshot sound may traverse both indoor and
outdoor areas.
Example: Ada fires a gun in her kitchen, and it’s
important to know whether her neighbor Bob heard
the shot. The sound will travel from her bedroom (all
doors closed, so an area), through her kitchen, hall,
and living room (no closed doors, so all one area),
outside and across the street, and into Bob’s living
room. Bob is therefore three areas away from where
the shot was fired.
Ada has a basic silencer (low suppression) in a
realistic game, so Bob’s initial Notice bonus is +8,
but he’s three areas away (-6), so the GM rolls Bob’s
Notice at +2 to see if he heard anything.
Result of the Notice Roll
• Success: The listener hears a loud, sharp noise that
may get their attention, but they aren’t certain
whether it was a gunshot. Most people will think it
was a fender-bender or something heavy being
dropped. Anyone expecting gunshots will likely take
it seriously; e.g., an alert guard may warn the other
guards and have someone check it out. Regardless,
they have only a vague idea of where it came from
(“to the east”).
• One Raise: That was definitely a gunshot! The
listener also has a better idea of where it came from
(“somewhere behind that building”).
 • Two or more Raises: They know the shooter’s
position and can return fire if possible. Unless they
can see the shooter (see below), this attack is at -8 for
Near Total Cover (see Cover & Obstacles in Savage
Worlds), even if the shooter is out in the open. Each
Raise past two lowers this effective Cover penalty by
one step (to a minimum of the actual Cover penalty).
Spotting the Shooter
If the shooter is also within line-of-sight, the listener
uses both hearing and sight to detect them; this is still
just one Notice roll (as above) but with an additional
bonus of +4, along with any visual modifiers (e.g., for
tracer rounds, p. 3). If the shooter made a successful
Stealth roll, each success and raise reduces this visual
bonus by 1, to a minimum of +0.
Concealing Firearms
Anyone trying to detect a concealed gun on a
subject must win an opposed roll of Notice versus
Thievery. The person hiding the weapon has to make
the Thievery roll (how you walk and shift your weight
matters) but another person can Support their rolls (in
advance) by overseeing the initial concealment.
This Thievery roll takes the following modifiers:
Weapon Size
• +2 for a Derringer or similar tiny holdout pistol
• +0 for a typical pistol
• -2 for a huge pistol (Desert Eagle, Ruger) or small
SMG (Uzi or machine pistol)
• -4 for a typical SMG
• -8 for a huge SMG (Tommy Gun) or sawed-off
shotgun
• -12 for a full-sized shotgun or typical rifle
• -16 for a huge rifle (Barrett .50)
For any of these, apply +2 for a folding stock or
undercover holster (p. 2).
Also apply the weapon’s Bulky penalty, if using that
optional rule (p. 6).
Clothing
• -8 for naked (it can be done, but only for a pistol)
• -4 for swimwear or a clutch purse (pistols only)
• +0 for most clothing or a full-sized purse
• +2 for a thick jacket, unusually baggy clothing, or
small backpack
• +4 for a trenchcoat or duffel bag
5
Racial Size
For nonhuman races, Size may apply as well, since
obviously it’s easier for an ogre to hide an SMG than
a pixie! If the weapon has been adapted for the race to
use, then Size cancels out; an ogre hiding an ogre-
sized SMG is just as hard as a human hiding a human-
sized one. If that isn’t the case, apply racial Size as a
modifier.
At the GM’s option, this can apply to Size acquired
via Brawny or Obese.
Method of Detection
• +0 to fool vision
• -2 to fool a casual pat-down
• -4 to fool a very thorough pat-down
• -8 to fool a strip-search
The GM should apply from +4 to -4 based on how
focused, overworked, etc. the opposition is.
In general, high-tech scanners (e.g. X-ray or MAD)
defeat concealment. The heroes may have to sabotage
the equipment, find a countermeasure, etc., at which
point the rules here apply; note that guards used to
relying on scanners are probably not very focused on
spotting visual clues.
Acquiring Special Ammo
The usual limiter on Special Ammo (p. 2) is cost. In
games where money is no object and/or the GM
wants to make the heroes jump through a few extra
hoops, use the following guidelines.
Some of the following rules refer to the “expense
modifier for the ammo,” which is based on the cost
multiplier for the ammo:
• +2 for Cost ×1 to ×3
• +0 for Cost ×4 to ×9
• -2 for Cost ×10 to ×24
• -4 for Cost ×25 to ×50
• -8 for Cost ×51 or more
Buying It
In a real-world campaign, a quick Internet search
will tell you which types of ammo may be legally
purchased in a given country. In a fictional setting,
it’s up to the GM to decide what rounds are legally
available.
When legal options just won’t do, of course, there’s
the black market or (if it exists in the setting) the Dark
Web.
 Black Market: Use the Networking rules from
Savage Worlds, with the modifiers below.
Dark Web: This takes a few hours and a successful
Research roll, with the modifiers below. Hacking can
Support this via accessing closed-off channels, but
then a critical failure on either roll (Hacking or
Research) will draw attention, complicating things.
Success is as for Networking.
Modifiers: +2 for the Streetwise Edge. Expense
modifier for the most costly ammo, plus -1 per
additional ammo type being sought. From -2 to -4 if
the heroes need a lot of ammo (GM’s call).
Requisitioning It
In a military game, most ammo will simply be
provided to the team, but the commanding officer
may feel it necessary to requisition special ammo.
Treat this as a Networking attempt, but the available
skills are Battle (since “general military knowledge”
includes red tape) or Persuasion – no Intimidation!
Apply the expense modifier for the most costly
ammo, plus -1 per additional ammo type being
requested.
Crafting It
Normal bullets are easy to make; anyone with the
Repair skill, an ammo-crafting kit (p. 2), and fire can
do it (no roll required). For more complicated stuff,
make a Repair roll modified as follows. (At the GM’s
option, gunslingers may be able to substitute Shooting
for Repair, at an additional -2 penalty.)
Modifiers: The expense modifier for the ammo. If
an ammo-crafting kit isn’t available, -4 for
improvised tools (plastic funnels and aluminum foil)
or -8 for no tools (digging “molds” in the sand).
The process takes about half an hour and requires
some lead, gunpowder, and casings – as such, it’s
usually assumed that the crafter will be upgrading
existing rounds to new, improved ones.
Failure wastes time and half of the existing
supplies/rounds. Each success and raise produce
about 50 small or medium bullets, 25 shotgun shells
or slugs, or 10 large bullets.
Optional Rule: Bulky
Several of the Tactical Accessories (p. 1) have the
Bulky or Bulky 2 keyword. Add up the number of
times this keyword appears, with “Bulky 2” counting
double, and put the total (e.g., “Bulky 4”) in its Notes.
Apply this as a penalty to Thievery rolls to hide the
weapon (Concealing Weapons, p. 5), to Agility rolls
to run and reload (see Reloading in Savage Worlds),
and to any other tasks made difficult by having an
awkward, off-balance weapon (GM’s call).
Readying a Bulky Gun
Normally, a hero may ready a gun as a free action
unless it’s in a difficult location; see Readying
Weapons in Savage Worlds. But realistically, it’s
harder to fast-draw a firearm festooned with awkward
accessories. In games where the GM wishes to
enforce this, use these changes:
Bulky 1 or 2: Readying it consumes both of your
free actions.
Bulky 3 or 4: Readying it is now an action.
Bulky 5 or 6: Readying it now takes up your entire
turn. Alternatively, you can roll Agility to do so as an
action. Failure wastes the action but you can try again
(if you declared multiple actions); critical failure
sends the gun flying d4” away.
Bulky 7+: As above, but the Agility roll is at -2.
Optional Rule: Fragile
This keyword reflects stuff added to the gun that is
simply less rugged than the firearm itself. This
doesn’t cause issues until the weapon is mistreated, at
which point the GM may roll a single die to see if
something breaks.
The die chosen depends on how badly the weapon
was treated. Grab a d10 if it was merely dropped, a
d8 if it was used in melee combat, or a d6 if someone
directly attacked it.
Add up the number of (unbroken) Fragile
accessories on the weapon. If the die rolls over that
number, it’s fine! Otherwise, that is the number of
Fragile accessories that break until repaired. The GM
can determine the specifics or roll randomly.
Example: Kitzia has a rifle with a red-dot sight,
scope, and tactical light. A mutant gets the drop on
her and she butt-strokes it in the face with her rifle.
The GM rolls a d8. With three Fragile accessories, a
roll of 4+ means nothing happens – but the GM rolls
a 1, which means one Fragile accessory breaks. The
GM rules that her scope is cracked.