Weapons

The PCs need tools of war in order to do their work. Instead of creating a long list of all the available weapons, they are generated in LUMEN games. This is borrowed from LUMEN’s heavy inspiration from the looter shooter and other similar genres. Here’s what you’ll need to arm your players with.

Types

The types of weapons available will be dependent on your setting. LIGHT is focused on gunplay, and so all of the weapons are different types of guns. NOVA has a blend of firearms and melee weapons, and so has a slightly different list of weapon types required.

When creating a weapon type, you will need three things:

♢ Name of the weapon type (e.g. rifle, sword, lascannon)

♢ Harm the weapon deals by default

♢ Range that the weapon works at (e.g. Close/Near, or Far only)

♢ (Optional) Any Tags the weapon requires

Here are some examples of weapon types from LIGHT:

Auto rifle: 1 Harm, Mid

Hand cannon: 2 Harm, Close

Sniper rifle: 3 Harm, Far, Stationary

SMG: 1 Harm, Close/Mid, Spray

Scout rifle: 2 Harm, Mid/Far

Tags

While weapon types offer some variety, what sets two weapons apart from one another are their tags. Think of tags like mods for the weapon, characteristics that change the way it functions from its default.

LUMEN weapons live and die by their tag lists. You’re going to want to make a long list, because you’re going to lean on it a lot whenever weapons are created. Here are some example tags from LIGHT:

Burst: Deals an additional Harm if you roll a 6 on the attack.

Charge: Must be charged momentarily before firing.

Close: Effective up close.

Elemental: Effective against shields.

Erupt: Enemies killed with this weapon explode in the Element used.

Far: Effective from far away.

Fount: +1 Light after getting a kill.

When creating tags, there are two approaches. First, you can make tags that are purely narrative in their function. They don’t mechanically change the way the weapon works, but still make it unique. Some examples:

Unique appearance or sound when used

A reputation attached to it

Glows when in a specific situation

Most commonly, tags are mechanical. They function as ways to differentiate two weapons on the battlefield. Two pistols may have the same core features since they are the same weapon type, but would behave very differently if one of them had an “autofire” tag, and the other had a “corrosive” tag. When creating mechanically focused tags, consider some of these things:

Increasing effectiveness when using a specific Attribute

More Harm when used against types of enemies

Flat increases (e.g. +1 to outcome) vs. variable increases (+1d6 on a roll)

Change the effective range

Unexpected ways for the weapon to function

Interacts with Powers or the Resource

The world is your oyster when it comes to tags and what you want to include. The more tags you create, the more variety of weapons the players will have access to. Plus, you can give some of your enemies these tags as well, which will really keep the PCs on their toes!

Weapon Creation

LUMEN games have a randomized weapon creation system by default. When PCs are being made, they also make at least one weapon that they have. This is typically done using a table to first determine the weapon type. After determining the weapon type, players should add 1 or 2 tags to the weapon.

The two schools of thought for this are either letting the players choose their tags, or randomly generating them. Allowing the players to choose is always nice, player agency is good. But it also pushes players towards having “ideal” weapons. By randomly generating tags, your players will have truly unique weapons that they will need to use in Battles. Don’t worry though, there is always more loot to have, and we’ll cover that later.

Using Weapon in Combat

The players use their weapons in combat during their turn. When a weapon is used, the PC chooses a target enemy within the weapon’s range, and then describes how they are using it. This activates the LUMEN system’s core mechanic. How someone is using the weapon determines which Attribute they roll, rather than having a “pistol skill” or a “sword fighting skill.”

The PC rolls the appropriate Attribute, and then deals the weapon’s Harm as long as they get some form of success (a 3+). Make sure to see if any tags are relevant for the attack and resolve them as well. If they fail, or succeed with a complication, the GM will be using the enemy, as described earlier.