HEAVY GUNNER
Unstoppable advance through suppressive fire
"You don’t control the battlefield until you control the blast radius."
Where others carry weapons, Heavy Gunners carry war zones. They are the masters of heavy ordnance, suppressive fire, and kinetic dominance. To them, terrain is just temporary. Structures are scenery. Enemies are red mist in waiting.
They're not reckless—they’re precise. Collateral damage is a tool. Suppression is a tactic. And ricocheted chaos? That’s the mark of an artist.
Most Heavy Gunners served in siege operations, urban purges, or orbital assault squads. They know what it means to hold the line
The Heavy Gunner is the Enforcer's answer to the question: "How do we make one person feel like a tank division?" These specialists are trained to wield weapons that most people need a tripod to fire—and then keep firing until nothing moves.
In the shattered battlefields near Void zones and across volatile rift-scarred colonies, the Heavy Gunners are deployed to control chaos with superior fire volume. Trained to operate in extreme environments, many are outfitted with strength-enhancing augments or powered rigs to handle their gear. They're often the first in and the last standing, anchoring squads with sheer presence.
To some, they’re brute-force thugs in powered armour. To their squads, they’re immovable bastions—gods of suppression who keep enemies pinned and allies breathing.
In the eyes of enemies? They’re the reason no one crosses the open floor.
LEVEL 1
Collateral Damage
"They duck behind a wall, thinking that’ll save them. But when you carry firepower like mine? The wall’s not the point—the blast is."
— Enforcer Geddan, Collapsed Rim Warfront
Where most soldiers see walls and rubble, the Heavy Gunner sees collateral opportunity. Every shot is a statement: you cannot hide. Trained to weaponize the battlefield itself, Heavy Gunners exploit every ricochet, shockwave, and pressure burst to dominate the space around them.
if your weapon is not AoE:
It gains Shockwave - On Moderate or High Damage, all creatures within 5ft take 1/1/2 Physical Crushing damage.
If your weapon already deals AoE damage:
Its Blast Radius is increased by +5ft, expanding its destructive range.
Suppressive Fire
Action"The point isn't to kill. Not yet. It's to make them think twice about standing up."
— Sergeant Vex Mallory, 17th Iron Vale Division
Suppressive Fire isn't just about lead and volume—it's about psychological warfare. Heavy Gunners are trained to leverage raw intimidation with battlefield control. By blanketing a zone in gunfire, they don't just limit enemy options—they own the space. Enemies caught in a suppressive zone know that standing tall could be their last mistake. This tactic keeps heads down, exposes reckless movement, and turns every alleyway into a kill box.
When the Heavy Gunner uses a weapon with the Heavy or Automatic keyword, instead of firing at a specific target, they can choose to suppress a 10ft radius area up to 30ft away.
What Suppression Does
Any enemy inside the area must flip a card and make a Willpower(tn12 + Strength Mod) test.
If they fail, they become suppressed
Suppression lasts until the start of your next turn.
If an enemy moves through the suppressed zone at any time, you get to make a free attack against them.
Unstoppable Advance
"Mobility is a luxury. Firepower is mandatory. Sometimes, you just have to move through the pain and let the recoil sort itself out."
— Commander Rhess Voro, Siege Doctrine Manual
The Heavy Gunner doesn’t ask for agility—they make a path through grit and iron. Unstoppable Advance represents the brutal training and powered stabilizers that let them haul massive ordnance across the battlefield. Accuracy takes a hit, but no terrain, no weight, no fear slows them down.
You may choose to ignore the Heavy movement speed penalty until the end of your turn.
However, doing so comes at a cost:
You suffer -2 to hit on all attacks made this turn.
LEVEL 2
Overpressure Detonation
Free Action"Less killing, more rearranging. They don't need to be dead — they need to be on the ground."
— Technical note attributed to Ordnance Specialist Brek Tannis
The shell isn't the weapon. The pressure wave is.
When you fire an Explosive weapon, you may choose to overload the shell before firing.
Effect: Double the Blast Radius of the explosion, but reduce the damage dealt to half (rounded down).
All enemies caught within the expanded blast radius must pass a Physique Save (TN 10 + your Strength Modifier):
Failure: The target Falls Prone and gains the Distracted condition until the end of their next turn.
Success: No additional effect.
Overloading is declared before the attack roll. The damage reduction applies even on a miss if the explosion still catches targets in its radius.
Ricochet Line
"Walls don't protect you from me. They work for me."
— Heavy Gunner field manual, Chapter 4
Every surface on the battlefield is just another angle of attack for a gunner who knows how to use it.
Heavy Non-Explosive weapons you wield gain the Ricochet keyword.
Ricochet allows your attacks to bounce off solid surfaces. When you fire at a target behind Cover, you may designate a ricochet point on an adjacent hard surface. The attack travels to the surface first, then to the target, ignoring the Cover bonus for that attack.
The ricochet path must be physically plausible (GM discretion). The surface must be solid — not flesh, soft barriers, or thin partitions.
Shielded Platform
Action"I don't need to move. You need to come to me. That's the mistake."
— Sergeant Dava Korr, Ironveil Suppression Corps
A heavy weapon locked into position is no longer just a gun — it's a fortification.
As an Action, you may mount your Heavy weapon into any solid surface within reach (floor, wall, barricade, wreckage, etc.).
While mounted, you gain the following benefits:
You cannot move from your current position (you are anchored to the mount point).
+2 Hit Chance on all attacks made with the mounted weapon.
You ignore all Recoil penalties and Movement penalties on attack rolls.
+1 Defensive Flip against ranged attacks (you are behind your own hardware).
You are immune to being Knocked Prone or Pushed by any effect.
Unmounting the weapon requires another Action. You may move normally on your next turn after unmounting.
You may not mount a weapon into soft, unstable, or mobile surfaces (a creature, a vehicle in motion, etc.).
LEVEL 3
Anchored Advance
"Speed is for people who missed. I don't miss."
— Common saying among Ironveil Heavy Gunners
Stillness is not passivity — for a heavy gunner, it is a tactical posture that turns their body into a weapons platform.
While you are wielding a Heavy weapon, if you do not move at all during your turn (including bonus movement, forced movement you chose to accept, and reactions that cause movement):
You gain +1 Hit Chance on all attacks made this turn.
You gain +2 Damage Reduction against all sources until the start of your next turn.
These bonuses are lost immediately if you move for any reason before the start of your next turn (including being Knocked Prone and standing, or any voluntary repositioning).
Forced movement from enemy effects does not end this benefit, but voluntary acceptance of movement (e.g. choosing to be Pushed) does.
Perimeter of Pain
"You crossed the line. That was the only decision you got to make."
— Heavy Gunner Prya Solenne, after the Breach at Coldgate
The Overwatch zone isn't a warning — it's a verdict.
When you have declared Overwatch and it is triggered by an enemy's movement:
The triggering creature's movement is immediately halted — even before your attack resolves. They cannot continue moving as part of that action.
The target must immediately Take Cover (if any is available within 5ft). If no cover is available, they remain in place.
If your Overwatch attack hits:
The target gains the Staggered condition.
The target suffers -2 Defense until the end of their next turn.
These effects stack with standard Overwatch rules. The movement halt is the core feature — it applies regardless of whether the attack hits or misses.
Shrapnel Bloom
"The blast kills one. The casing kills everyone around them."
— Munitions instructor, Vael Station Ordnance School
Precision is a luxury. Fragmentation is an economy.
Whenever you land a High Damage hit with an Explosive weapon, superheated debris fans outward from the point of impact.
All enemies within 5ft of the primary target (not the blast origin, the creature struck) must pass an Acrobatics Save (TN 12):
Failure: The target takes 2/3/3 Physical Slashing damage from flying shrapnel and casing fragments.
Success: No effect.
This effect triggers automatically on any High Damage hit with an Explosive weapon. It does not require an additional action.
The shrapnel burst affects enemies only — allies caught in range are not targeted, but GM may call for checks in extreme situations.
LEVEL 4
High Impact Payload
Action"It's not an explosion. It's a relocation service."
— Scratched into the stock of a Grenadier Corps rotary cannon
The ground doesn't just shake — it throws.
Once per short rest, when you hit a target with an Explosive weapon, the detonation generates a Shockwave that radiates outward from the point of impact.
All creatures within 10ft of the impact point must pass a Physique Save (TN 12 + your Strength Modifier):
Failure: The creature is Pushed 10ft directly away from the impact and Falls Prone.
Success: No effect.
The Shockwave affects all creatures in range — allies included. Declare use of this ability before the attack roll.
The Shockwave originates from the explosion's center, not from your position.
Pulverize Pattern
"First hit rattles them. Second hit reminds them who they're fighting."
— Gunnery Sergeant Oma Dreis, Vael Suppression Brigade
Two rounds from a heavy weapon don't just wound — they dismantle.
When you hit the same target twice with a Heavy weapon in a single turn, that target must pass a Physique Save (TN 11 + your Strength Modifier):
Failure: The target Falls Prone, suffers -1 Defense until the end of their current turn, and cannot benefit from Cover until the end of their next turn.
Success: No additional effect.
This effect can only trigger once per turn per target, regardless of how many additional hits land.
Both hits must be made with the same Heavy weapon.
The Physique Save is made after the second hit lands and is confirmed.
Sound of Thunder
Action"You don't aim. You commit."
— Heavy Gunner Rook Vassel, 3rd Suppression Division
The firing solution isn't a target — it's a zone that used to have people standing in it.
Once per rest, declare Suppressive Full Auto at the start of your turn. This replaces your standard attack action.
For 1 round, you may make up to three attacks with a Heavy or Automatic weapon. Each attack suffers -2 Hit Chance.
These attacks may target the same creature or different creatures, but all targets must fall within a 15ft cone originating from you.
For each creature hit by one or more of these attacks, they must pass a Resilience Save (TN 12 + your Strength Modifier):
Failure: The target Falls Prone from concussive shock and disorientation.
Success: No additional effect.
The Resilience save is made once per creature, regardless of how many times they were hit during Suppressive Full Auto.
LEVEL 5
Flak Saturation
Action"The wall doesn't stop the shell. It just changes the shape of the hole."
— Heavy Gunner Corps training doctrine, Volume II
The enemy hides behind cover because they think it protects them. It doesn't — it just tells you where to aim.
When firing an Explosive weapon, you may choose to use Flak Saturation targeting. This allows you to ignore Line of Sight to the target if they are currently behind soft cover or thin walls (wooden barricades, light partition walls, vehicle doors, sandbags, etc.).
This does not apply to reinforced structures, heavy blast walls, vaults, or similar hard cover.
If the attack hits:
The Blast Radius of the explosion increases by +5ft.
Targets caught in the outer edge of the expanded AoE take half damage even if they succeed on their saving throw (in addition to any normal half-damage on save mechanics).
You must still make a normal attack roll to hit. Firing blind through cover imposes no additional penalty but the GM may call for a positioning check in ambiguous situations.
Heat Sink Reflex
Free Action"Shook me. Bad call on their part."
— Recorded transmission from Specialist Brek Tannis, 11 seconds after being hit by a stun grenade
A heavy gunner doesn't stay down. The hardware won't let them.
Once per short rest, when you are afflicted with Stunned, Disoriented, or Distracted, you may immediately clear that condition as a Free Action — even if it is not your turn.
If the condition was caused by an enemy effect (not terrain, environment, or self-inflicted): you may immediately declare Overwatch against that enemy as part of the same Free Action.
This Overwatch declaration follows all standard Overwatch rules and triggers normally on the enemy's next eligible action.
Heat Sink Reflex cannot be used to clear conditions that are ongoing and actively being applied (e.g. you are still inside the source of the effect). The condition must have been inflicted — not sustained.
Improved Statistic
You push your body and mind beyond prior limits.
Increase a Statistic by 1.
LEVEL 6
Firestorm Rounds
Action"Standard ammunition stops targets. Firestorm rounds stop everything else too."
— Requisition note recovered from Forward Base Keth-7
An overcharged magazine doesn't just feed a weapon — it transforms it into a column of ignition.
Once per rest, load a Firestorm magazine into a Heavy or Explosive weapon as part of your Attack Action.
For the next 2 turns:
All attacks with that weapon deal +2 damage.
On a hit, the attack applies Burning(2) to all targets struck.
The overcharge applies to every hit during those turns — each target struck receives the Burning condition independently.
The magazine burns out after 2 turns. You cannot extend or refresh this effect mid-combat.
Shatter Line
"You want to charge the gun? Good. That's exactly where I need you."
— Sergeant Idreth Vonn, 3rd Siege Corps
The worst place to be in a firefight is between a Heavy Gunner and where they're already aiming.
When your Overwatch is triggered by an enemy's movement, if you are using a Heavy weapon:
The attack gains Piercing for that shot.
If the triggering target is moving toward you, the attack deals +2 damage on a hit.
Both effects apply simultaneously if the conditions are met. Declare Shatter Line after the trigger is confirmed but before the attack roll.
This ability stacks with other Overwatch modifiers.
Spray and Pray
Free Action"Pray harder. I've got more ammunition than you have luck."
— Heavy Gunner Mace Virel, before the Kolvar Siege
Volume of fire is its own kind of precision.
Once per rest, activate Spray and Pray as a Free Action at the start of your turn when wielding a weapon with both the Heavy and Automatic keywords.
This ability can be activated during Overwatch.
Effect (lasts for this turn):
All Multi-Target attacks you make this turn cost no additional shots for extra targets — volume of fire covers it.
You may target any number of creatures within range and the weapon's cone, not just up to the standard multi-target limit.
All attacks this turn suffer −2 Hit Chance rather than -1 per target — you're spraying, not aiming.
This ability does not grant Multi-Target if you don't already have it for example - via the Automatic keyword.
LEVEL 7
Broken Advance
"The gun doesn't move toward you. You move toward the gun. There's a difference."
— Heavy Gunner Kael Dresh, 9th Armored Push
There is a particular terror in watching a Heavy Gunner close the distance — because it means they've already decided the outcome.
Whenever you move at least 10ft toward an enemy while holding a Heavy weapon, that enemy must pass a Willpower Save (TN 10 + your Strength Modifier):
Failure: The enemy becomes Panicked.
Success: No effect.
Once per round: If this movement brings you into Overwatch range of that enemy, your next attack against them gains +2 Hit Chance.
The Willpower Save triggers on movement resolution. Panicked enemies may attempt to recover as normal on their turn.
This effect applies once per round regardless of how many enemies you move toward.
Reactive Channeler
Reaction"You shot first. Congratulations. Now watch what that gets you."
— Last recorded words of Gunner Pritha Vosk, Siege of Narathos Docks
Pain is just a targeting solution — and Heavy Gunners have learned to use it.
Once per short rest, when you take damage from a ranged attack, you may use a Quick Action to immediately fire your Heavy weapon at the attacker.
This shot is resolved as a normal attack roll against the attacker.
If the attack hits:
Your weapon gains Burning(2) until the end of your next turn.
If your weapon already has a Burning value, increase it by 2 instead.
The Quick Action fires back at the attacker regardless of whether it was your turn. You must have line of sight to the attacker to use this ability.
Saturation Sweep
Action"Accuracy is a luxury. Coverage is a guarantee."
— Heavy Gunner field manual, Chapter 9: Suppression Doctrine
When the magazine is full and the corridor is packed, precision is just wasted potential.
Once per turn, when you fire a weapon with the Automatic keyword, you may declare a Saturation Sweep instead of making a standard attack.
Spend 6 shots. Make attack rolls against a single target or distribute attacks across targets within a 15ft cone — your choice.
Escalating Damage: The first hit on any target deals normal damage. Each additional hit on the same target this turn deals +1 damage (max +4) — the sustained barrage punishes anyone who doesn't move.
Overheated: After resolving all attacks, the weapon cannot fire next turn while the barrel cools. You may still move, use items, or take other actions — you just can't pull that trigger.
This ability cannot be combined with Overwatch in the same action.
LEVEL 8
Iron Rain
Action"When the sky sounds like that, you don't run. You get small, and you pray the small is enough."
— Civilian survivor account, Battle of Urath Crossing
There is a moment in every firefight when the Heavy Gunner stops managing the battlefield and starts consuming it.
Once per rest, declare Iron Rain at the start of your turn. For the duration of this turn:
You gain +2 Hit Chance against Suppressed or Staggered enemies.
Enemies who Take Cover from your suppression during this turn suffer -2 Defense until the end of their next turn.
Any target reduced to 0 HP by your attacks this turn erupts in a 5ft radius, dealing 2/3/3 Physical damage to all nearby creatures from ammo cook-off and shrapnel. This secondary blast affects allies.
All three effects are active simultaneously for the full turn.
Declare Iron Rain before any attack rolls this turn. It cannot be activated mid-turn.
Locus of Collapse
"Fire enough rounds into the same patch of ground and it stops being ground. It becomes something else entirely."
— Combat engineer report, Site Oblique-9
Sustained fire doesn't just kill — it rewrites the terrain.
When you deal damage with a Heavy or Explosive weapon while in Overwatch, the area of impact becomes a Collapse Zone for 1 round.
While the Collapse Zone is active:
Enemies who enter or begin their turn within the Collapse Zone suffer 2 damage and become Slowed.
The zone is centered on the point of impact and has a 10ft radius.
If you fire into the active Collapse Zone again before it expires:
That attack gains Shockwave.
Only one Collapse Zone may be active at a time. Creating a new one immediately replaces the previous.
Tactical Furnace
"The zone was already dangerous. I just gave it teeth."
— Heavy Gunner Mace Virel, post-action debrief at Coldgate
Stepping into a Heavy Gunner's kill zone doesn't just risk death — it risks burning.
When an enemy enters your Overwatch zone or your Suppressed Zone, you may trigger Tactical Furnace:
Your weapon gains Burning(2) for that attack.
If your weapon already has a Burning value, increase it by 2 instead.
Tactical Furnace triggers automatically on entry — declare it when the zone is entered, before the attack roll.
The Burning value persists only for the duration of that triggered attack. After resolution, the weapon returns to its base state unless the condition was already present.
LEVEL 9
Armorbreaker Payload
Action"Standard rounds knock. Armorbreaker rounds enter without asking."
— Armory Sergeant Dael Hurn, 6th Breach Battalion
Some targets trust their armor like a god. Armorbreaker rounds are a theology lesson.
Once per rest, load an Armorbreaker shell into a Heavy or Explosive weapon as part of your Attack Action.
This attack:
Ignores all Damage Reduction.
Gains Piercing.
Deals +3 damage on a hit.
If the target wears armor, they must pass a Physique Save (TN 12 + your Strength Modifier):
Failure: The target loses 1 point of Damage Reduction until their armor is repaired. This reduction is permanent for the encounter unless repaired.
Success: No additional effect.
Declare Armorbreaker Payload before the attack roll. The save is made after damage is applied.
Merciless Pressure
"Staying down isn't safety. It's just a slower way to lose."
— Heavy Gunner tactical evaluation, Sector 14 combat review
Suppression is not a pause — it is the grinding of a clock that only runs one direction.
If a target begins its turn inside your Suppression Zone, it automatically suffers 2 damage.
This damage cannot be reduced, blocked, or avoided.
This damage does not break Suppression — the target remains Suppressed regardless of this damage.
The target must then pass a Willpower Save (TN 10 + your Strength Modifier):
Failure: The target becomes Staggered.
Success: No additional effect.
This passive triggers at the start of the target's turn, before they take any actions.
Vortex Payload
Action"It doesn't push. It pulls. That's the part that breaks them."
— Ordnance specialist Renn Vael, on Vortex Shell field trials
A shell that collapses inward is a different kind of cruelty — it doesn't scatter the enemy, it gathers them.
Once per rest, fire a Vortex Shell from a Heavy or Explosive weapon as your Attack Action.
The shell deals normal AoE damage on impact.
All creatures within 10ft of the impact point must pass a Strength Save (TN 13 + your Strength Modifier):
Failure: The creature is Pulled 10ft toward the centre of the impact and falls Prone.
Success: No additional effect.
Flying targets who fail the save are grounded and lose the Hover condition for 1 round.
The pull resolves simultaneously for all affected targets after damage is applied.
LEVEL 10
Final Reign
Action"When it starts, stop counting. Just get clear."
— Standard warning issued to allied units before a Final Reign declaration
There is no doctrine for what happens next — only the silence afterward, and the cost of surviving it.
Once per long rest, declare Final Reign at the start of your turn.
For the next 2 turns:
You may fire twice per Action with Heavy or Explosive weapons.
You are Immune to Stunned, Fear, and Push effects.
All attacks made while in Suppressed zones or Overwatch gain Piercing and automatically deal High Damage.
When Final Reign ends:
You suffer Exhausted(2).
You suffer -2 Defense for the remainder of the current encounter.
The penalties cannot be removed, negated, or reduced until the encounter ends. Declare Final Reign before any attack rolls that turn.
Improved Statistics
You push your body and mind beyond prior limits.
Increase two Statistics by 1 each.
Warden of the Field
"Where I stand, you break. Where I see, you fall."
— Inscription on the barrel of Gunner-Commander Izel Krath's rotary cannon
A Heavy Gunner who stops moving has not become a target — they have become a fixture of the battlefield, as permanent and final as the terrain itself.
While you do not move during your turn, you gain all of the following benefits simultaneously:
All Suppression and Overwatch zones you control extend by +5ft radius.
Enemies within those zones cannot Dash or Teleport.
You may make 2 Overwatch attacks per round instead of 1.
Attacks made from within these zones gain +2 Hit Chance.
These benefits are active for as long as you remain stationary. They end immediately if you move on your turn, and resume on subsequent turns in which you do not move.
Involuntary movement (Pushed, Pulled, etc.) does not count against this condition — only voluntary movement on your turn cancels the effect.