TEXT: Modern Playaids: 
  Mongoose Publishing Presents
  Sniper
  
  2
  Introduction
  It takes skill and patience to kill with a riﬂe.  Whether it is the 
  casual hunter going up into the mountains for an easy weekend 
  of camping, the trained SWAT team member zeroing in on a 
  hostage taker or the lone soldier operating in no-man’s land, the 
  ability to strike with impunity at great range has remained one 
  of the chief roles of riﬂe weaponry.
  There is much associated glamour attached to the skills of 
  the sniper.  The idea of having nothing but your own survival 
  skills and ability with a riﬂe to separate success from failure, or 
  even life from death, is an appealing one.  It is just you against 
  nature and the enemy.  There are many wannabes, but few have 
  what it takes to become a true sniper.
  On the other hand, the acts of a sniper can often be seen 
  as cowardly and much concern has been made of the ethos 
  and even veneration of the sniper penetrating into civilised 
  society.  These are, after all, people who are trained to kill 
  at great distances and whose targets will never be aware of 
  their presence until it is too late.  When snipers operate on 
  covert missions during peace time, they may act as assassins.  
  Whether they are murderers, plain and simple, may depend 
  very much on what side of a national boundary you lie.
  Whatever your perspective is, the role of the sniper has 
  embedded itself in modern warfare and is becoming fast 
  ingrained within law enforcement, assassinations and civilian 
  hunting.  It is little wonder that the line between professional 
  sniper and murderers with riﬂes can become a little blurred at 
  times.
  What Makes a Sniper?
  Taking the examples above of a hunter, underworld assassin, 
  SWAT sharpshooter and military sniper, it is clear that each 
  operates in a vastly different ﬁeld with varying equipment, 
  support and training.  However, some abilities remain true 
  among all of them.  Each needs the knowledge and skill to get 
  into a position of advantage, remain undetected by his targets 
  and deliver a bullet that hits ﬁrst time, every time.  
  Skill with a riﬂe is the last of these and, no matter how good 
  a shot some sharpshooters become, there will be many who 
  are still unsuited to becoming a sniper.  The ability to size up 
  locations and targets quickly is essential as this will allow 
  a sniper to operate in even unknown territory – there are no 
  stupid snipers.  It will not always be possible for a sniper to 
  conduct missions on familiar ground and knowing what a 
  target is likely to do next has obvious beneﬁts for successful 
  completion of the mission.
  Stealth is another obvious talent for a sniper and this is closely 
  allied to patience.  The patience to overcome the desire to 
  take a quick shot and leave the area to get back to safety, the 
  patience to lie in wait, for perhaps days at a time, for the target 
  to reveal itself and produce the perfect shot.  Snipers learn 
  to blend into their 
  surroundings (given 
  their relative targets, 
  a process usually 
  harder for the hunter 
  than the military 
  sniper, and not always 
  necessary for the 
  SWAT sharpshooter), 
  to become one with 
  the terrain in order to 
  gain the best position 
  possible without 
  detection.  Contrary 
  to popular belief, 
  this is not always 
  the highest point 
  on the battleﬁeld 
  – such locations can 
  be difﬁcult to access 
  undetected, have 
  poor lines of ﬁre and 
  can prove deadly if 
  the sniper needs to 
  relocate quickly upon 
  being discovered.
  Hunters may have 
  companions, SWAT 
  sharpshooters are 
  likely to have an 
  entire team nearby 
  and military snipers 
  often have spotters.  
  However, every 
  sniper learns to rely on 
  himself above all else, ensuring that he knows where to position 
  himself and when to take the shot.
  So, what makes a sniper?  Stealth, patience, utter self-belief 
  and, last, being an incredibly good shot with a riﬂe.  It is also 
  an advantage to have no qualms about shooting a target in the 
  back of the head when they have no idea that they are even in 
  your sights. . .
  Using Snipers
  There are two roles for snipers in your campaigns – either 
  as player characters or NPCs under the control of the Games 
  Master.
  The latter is the easiest to place within a scenario as a foil for 
  the player, as it avoids any moral conﬂict players may have 
  about the nature of sniping. In this, quite simply, the sniper 
  is the enemy, probably hunting the players or their allies, and 
  it is up to the players to track him down and neutralise him.  
  This is a classic example of how a low level NPC can give 
  Modern Playaids: Sniper
  Matthew Sprange
  Mongoose Publishing Presents
  
  3
  relatively high level 
  characters a great 
  deal of trouble.  A 
  Games Master can 
  take a low level 
  character, give it 
  a high Dexterity, 
  a few well chosen 
  feats and skills, along with a good sniper riﬂe and instantly 
  create an enemy that can seriously endanger the players.  If 
  he is particularly mean, he may have several such NPCs in 
  the immediate area – many snipers in warfare have not been 
  professional soldiers at all and, armed with a riﬂe, they used 
  their own natural skills to hunt and survive while their military 
  fought in strength elsewhere.
  By constantly relocating these snipers, the Games Master can 
  create a lethal killing zone on one of his maps that may prove 
  deadly to the best of players.
  Having good stealth skills and being a good shot with a riﬂe 
  are things that any player can mess around with on a character 
  sheet in order to create a decent sharpshooter.  However, to 
  make that character a good sniper will take a certain degree 
  of roleplaying and of actually understanding, in part at least, 
  what it means to be a sniper.  Above all else, the player himself 
  will need to exercise patience.  The very nature of his character 
  will mean that it will often operate alone even when in joint 
  missions with other characters.  While they are storming 
  down the door of the latest bad guy, the sniper character will 
  have already moved himself into position.  He will have to 
  wait quietly while his comrades have all the ‘fun’ during a 
  prolonged shootout and will only come into his own when the 
  bad guy sees all is lost and tries to escape through the rear exit.  
  One clean shot from the sniper at that point will mean success 
  for all.
  The downside, of course, is that while the other players were 
  coming up with on the spur tactics, diving under cover and 
  trading shots with pistols and assault weapons, the sniper 
  player was literally doing nothing except watching and waiting.  
  If he has a good view of the battleﬁeld, the player can also 
  serve a good role in communications, warning others when 
  they are about to be ﬂanked or when the enemy brings new 
  reinforcements into play.  On the whole, though, he will be 
  largely inactive.  It takes a special kind of player to enjoy this 
  style of play but in doing so, he may well have the most lethal 
  character in the entire party.
  The Novice Sniper
  Now we know what a sniper is and does, some players (and not 
  a few Games Masters!) will be eager to create one for their next 
  campaign.  How best to create a novice sniper using the D20 
  Modern rules?
  For a start, any character can learn the discipline to become a 
  sniper but some will be born with the talent.  Fast Heroes in 
  particular will be naturals and will gain many unique abilities 
  that will provide good defensive measures for them if they are 
  ever detected.  Smart Heroes, too, can make for good snipers.
  The ideal sniper will have a background in the military or 
  perhaps law enforcement and, as well as weapons training, will 
  have concentrated 
  his skills into 
  those that will 
  allow him to move 
  stealthily or lean 
  towards survival 
  in the wilderness.  
  Throughout his 
  life, he will have expressed an intense passion for riﬂes and is 
  likely to have had the opportunity to start shooting at a very 
  young age.
  The primary skills a novice sniper should possess (those that he 
  should have at near maximum ranks) are Hide, Listen, Move 
  Silently, Spot and Survival.
  Of secondary beneﬁt will be Climb, Concentration, Disguise, 
  Navigate, Search, Swim and Treat Injury.
  A good combination of these skills will result in a well-rounded 
  sniper who can depend on his own mettle when alone in the 
  ﬁeld.
  Many gunslinging characters will try every trick in the book 
  to attain as many weapon related feats as possible.  A trainee 
  sniper, however, can be more selective. After all, he is unlikely 
  to need to use his riﬂe while running and nor will he be 
  required to constantly bring his weapon to bear in a fraction 
  of a second – if he has done his job right in the ﬁrst place, the 
  weapon will be trained on the target long before a shot is taken.
  For initial feat choices, therefore, a sniper should choose Far 
  Shot before all else, as the beneﬁts of raising range increments 
  will be of far greater beneﬁt at the distances a sniper usually 
  works at than the +1 bonus from Weapon Focus.  Given the 
  nature of sniper’s waiting for the best shot before acting, Dead 
  Aim will also prove of great beneﬁt.  Once these two feats have 
  been taken, only then should the dedicated sniper begin looking 
  at others such as Alertness, Endurance, Improved Initiative, 
  Quick Reload, Stealthy, Toughness and, of course, Weapon 
  Focus.  Many snipers never touch the Point Blank Shot and 
  other related skills in its tree. If a sniper was ever forced to use 
  them, he would likely be in a terminal situation anyway.
  Finally, once a sniper has had this initial training, it is time to 
  choose a weapon.  This is a matter of great import to a sniper 
  as it often characterises the kind of sniper he is.  Will he go 
  for sophisticated riﬂes with night vision scopes and electronic 
  range ﬁnders?  Or does he believe such devices on serve to 
  separate the sniper from his target and therefore rely on low-
  tech bolt action riﬂes and hand-picked ammunition?
  It is inevitable that when eyeing up the weapons table in the 
  D20 Modern rulebook, players will be drawn to the PSG-1.  
  It is a ﬁne riﬂe but it is also heavy, expensive and sometimes 
  difﬁcult to get hold of.  Beyond this, of course, is the Barrett 
  Light Fifty which takes the beneﬁts (and drawbacks) of the 
  PSG-1 to extremes.
  However, it will soon become clear that, in the hands of a 
  good sniper, any riﬂe is an extremely lethal weapon.  Even 
  something as basic as an AK-47 can become a superior weapon 
  when wielded by a trained sniper and it has the advantage of 
  being extremely durable.  Another weapon to consider, perhaps 
  
  4
  the best all-round budget riﬂe for sniping, is the Winchester 94. 
  Do not be discouraged by its description as a hunting riﬂe, with 
  all the civilian connotations that implies.  It is a very straight 
  shooter, light, cheap and still makes a mess of any target on the 
  receiving end.
  Sniper Training
  Once the novice sniper has made a few successful kills and his 
  aptitude for the role is clear, he will naturally want to progress 
  his training.  Here we look at some of the advanced skills and 
  abilities open to good snipers.
  New Uses For Old Skills
  Snipers are an inventive and self-reliant group and often 
  discover new ways of doing things for themselves.  This 
  process makes each sniper unique as he approaches any 
  problem with his own disciplined style.  The following are 
  new uses for existing skills that are particularly well suited to 
  snipers though Games Masters may permit other characters to 
  use them where appropriate.
  Climb (Str)
  Normal Use:  With the Climb skill, a character can scale cliffs, 
  scramble up walls, or climb trees.  He also knows how to use 
  various climbing tools.
  New Use (Rappel):  By anchoring a line at the top of a cliff 
  or similar vertical surface, a character can quickly but safely 
  drop by sliding down the line and using the vertical surface to 
  break his speed.  The character must have enough rope to reach 
  the bottom of the surface or he will stop at a point equal to his 
  line’s length.  He moves downwards at a rate equal to twice his 
  base speed.  While rappelling, a character retains any bonuses 
  to his Defence.  Rappelling requires a DC 10 Climb check.  On 
  a failure, the character slams into the vertical surface and drops 
  too fast, taking damage as if he had fallen half the surface’s 
  height.
  Disguise (Cha)
  Normal Use:  With a few props, some makeup, and a bit of 
  time, a character can modify the appearance of himself or 
  another person.  He may also impersonate a particular person.
  New Use (Blend In):  The character can move into a large 
  crowd of people and slightly change his appearance to resemble 
  those around him.  This allows the character to make a skill 
  check without spending time creating a disguise.  However, 
  he may only use Disguise in this manner if there is a group of 
  people nearby that he can escape into.  For example, a character 
  could blend into a small group of homeless by grabbing a 
  nearby ﬁlthy, soiled cloak, draping it over his shoulders, and 
  sitting down among them.  Obviously, this skill does not 
  prevent anyone who witnessed the attempt from pointing the 
  character out to any pursuers or enemies.
  New Use 
  (Camouﬂage):  
  The character 
  knows how to 
  hastily combine 
  face paint, debris, 
  and other items 
  to camouﬂage 
  himself or someone else.  Using Disguise in this manner 
  requires a skill check at DC 15.  On a successful check, the 
  recipient of a disguise gains a +2 competence bonus to Hide 
  checks made in areas with heavy undergrowth or debris.  This 
  Disguise check is made in secret, so only the Games Master 
  knows if the camouﬂage is truly effective.
  Hide (Dex)
  Normal Use:  This skill is used to keep out of sight, evading 
  the watchful gaze of others.  A character sneak behind debris or 
  use shadows to conceal his presence.
  New Use (Tail):  A character can discreetly follow another 
  person, using the crowds or other cover to conceal his presence.  
  He will keep his quarry in sight while remaining far enough in 
  the background (up to 50 ft.) to evade sight.  Every ten minutes 
  of the pursuit, make a Hide check opposed by the target’s Spot 
  skill.  Note that if the character is following several people 
  travelling as a group, every person pursued makes a Spot 
  check.  Victims consciously looking for someone tailing them 
  gain a +2 competence bonus to their check, whilst unsuspecting 
  victims receive a –2 competence penalty.
  Listen (Wis)
  Normal Use:  This skill is used to detect someone sneaking 
  up on a character, hear a whispered voice, or listen in on 
  someone’s conversation.
  New Use (Ear for Detail):  Not only can the character detect 
  noises but he is also an expert at identifying their source.  After 
  a successful Listen check has been made, the character can 
  immediately attempt another to discern greater detail.  The 
  character can hear not only the scrape of boot against a ﬂoor 
  but also recognise the pace of the footsteps and the distinctive 
  sound of hobnailed boots, allowing him to identify an intruder 
  as a soldier wearing a shell jacket before he comes into sight.  
  If the character had met the soldier before, he would also 
  recognise his stride and know exactly who approaches.  If the 
  character beats the DC of a Listen check by 20 or more, he 
  attains an extraordinary success.  This allows him to determine 
  the precise source of a noise, such as the type of creature, what 
  actions might cause the noise, and so on.
  Move Silently (Dex)
  Normal Use:  The character treads carefully as he walk, 
  mufﬂing the sounds of his footsteps and allowing him to sneak 
  up on others.
  New Use (Whispery Movement):  As the character quietly 
  moves near an enemy, he can cause a moderate amount of 
  noise designed to draw his opponent’s attention away from 
  his position, such as throwing rocks or other small items away 
  from him.  In doing so, the character suffers a –2 competence 
  penalty to his Move Silently check.  In return, if he makes a 
  Hide check within 2 rounds of moving silently, he gains a +2 
  competence bonus if his Move Silently check was successful.
  Spot (Wis)
  Normal Use:  A 
  character can use 
  this skill to pick 
  out visual cues 
  and other details, 
  
  5
  such as a target sneaking down an alleyway or another sniper 
  hidden in a ruined building.
  New Use (Hawkeyed):  The character’s sense of sight and 
  eye for detail are so well-reﬁned that he can pick out minor 
  characteristics at a great distance.  Make a Spot check at DC 15 
  + 2 per 10 feet of distance when looking at a target more than 
  30 feet away.  On a successful check, the character picks out 
  details on the target as if it were only 10 feet away.  Obviously, 
  even extremely small creatures exhibit no real detail at a 10 ft. 
  distance, so the Games Master is free to use his judgement as 
  to what can really be seen.  The check suffers a –2 competence 
  penalty against small and tiny creatures.  For each size category 
  above medium-size, a +2 competence bonus is added to the 
  check.
  New Feats
  Once the basic abilities of sniping have been learned, a trainee 
  can access higher level disciplines that make him far superior to 
  any mere riﬂeman.  These incredible talents are represented by 
  the following new feats.
  Improved Far Shot
  Your keen eye allows you to sight targets a great distance away.
  Prerequisites:  Far Shot 
  Beneﬁt:  When you use a longarm weapon, its range increment 
  is increased by two.  This feat can only be used with longarm 
  weapons and does not stack with Far Shot. 
  Master Shot
  Even those who cower under cover cannot avoid your bullets.
  Prerequisites:  Weapon Focus (any riﬂe), base attack bonus +4 
  or higher.
  Beneﬁt:  When using a longarm against a target in cover or 
  concealment, you may count the target as being in one level 
  less of cover or concealment, as appropriate.  For example, if 
  you are targeting a cover who is claiming one-half cover, they 
  will actually receive only one-quarter cover against your attack.
  Team Sniper
  You have learned how to co-ordinate your ﬁre with other 
  snipers.
  Prerequisites:  Base attack bonus +1 or higher.
  Beneﬁts:  You gain a +1 bonus to your attack roll for every ally 
  who ﬁred upon your target earlier in this round.
  Trained Assassin
  You are a minister of death, preying for war when armed with 
  a riﬂe.
  Prerequisites:  Weapon Focus (any riﬂe), base attack bonus +8 
  or higher.
  Beneﬁt:  Whenever you use an aiming action, you may choose 
  to zero in on a particularly critical part of the target.  You will 
  lose any bonus to hit from aiming and will suffer an additional 
  –4 penalty to your attack roll.  If your attack is successful, it 
  will automatically count as a critical hit.
  Aiming Actions
  Snipers pride themselves on their sharpshooting abilities, and 
  are able to drill a dime at ﬁfty feet with ease.  Achieving this 
  level of accuracy requires skill, dedication and a steady hand.
  Instead of just blasting away at the enemy, any longarm weapon 
  may be aimed in order to gain a higher degree of accuracy.  In 
  order to do this, the longarm must be braced against a solid 
  object (such as a wall or tree), be mounted upon a bipod or 
  tripod, or the character must be prone while both aiming and 
  ﬁring.  Aiming a weapon is a full round action.  A character 
  must keep the target in view during every aiming action and 
  must remain stationary himself (he may not even take a 5-foot 
  step).  If the target disappears from sight during this time, 
  any rounds spent aiming are wasted.  This full round action 
  cannot be combined with acquiring a target through a scope – a 
  separate full round action must be used to do this.
  For every continuous round spent aiming a ranged weapon 
  at a single target, a character will receive a +1 bonus to his 
  attack roll, up to a maximum of a +4 bonus.  A character may 
  ﬁre his weapon immediately after an aiming action, as part of 
  his last aiming action.  A weapon aimed in this way may only 
  be used as a Single Shot weapon and only one attack may be 
  made.  In addition, the character may not combine an aiming 
  action with the Dead Aim feat.  He must choose to use one or 
  the other.  The feat reﬂects training in acquiring targets quickly 
  and accurately in an emergency while aiming actions represent 
  the typical sniper’s patience in waiting until the best shot can 
  be taken.
  If a character is wounded or otherwise distracted whilst aiming, 
  a Concentration check must be made, as detailed on the table 
  below.  If this check is failed, then all bonuses gained from 
  aiming are lost.
  Distraction
  Concentration Check DC
  Damaged while aiming
  10 + damage dealt
  Continuous damage while 
  aiming
  10 + half of continuous 
  damage last dealt
  Vigorous motion
  10
  Violent motion
  15
  Extraordinarily violent motion
  20
  Entangled in net or snare
  15
  Grappled or pinned
  20
  In high wind with blinding rain 
  or sleet
  5
  Weather is driving hail, dust or 
  debris
  10
  Tools of the Trade
  Once a sniper has the talent, he then needs the tools.  This is an 
  expanded list of equipment and weaponry that is particularly 
  suited to snipers, though certain items may also be of interest to 
  other characters.  Once suitable tooled up, an expert sniper can 
  turn himself into a world-class sharpshooter.
  Advanced Riﬂe Suppressor:  Though it is impossible to 
  completely silence most riﬂes, advancements in supression 
  technology can make it more difﬁcult for a sniper to be 
  detected.  The advanced riﬂe suppressor  functions in an 
  identical manner to the suppressors found in the d20 Modern 
  rulebook but increases the Listen check to pinpoint the user to 
  DC 28.
  
  Equipment
  Size
  Weight
  Purchase DC
  Restriction
  Advanced Riﬂe Suppressor
  Small
  4 lb.
  20
  Mil (+3)
  Advanced Scope
  Small
  4 lb.
  24
  Mil (+3)
  Automatic PSG-1 Modiﬁcation
  -
  +1 lb.
  14
  Res (+2)
  Bipod
  Small
  2 lb.
  5
  -
  Body Sling
  Small
  2 lb.
  8
  -
  G3 Magazine
  Tiny
  0.5 lb.
  4
  Lic (+1)
  Improved Ghillie Suit
  Med
  4 lb.
  12
  -
  6
  Advanced Scope:  Advanced scopes incorporate many 
  electronic devices designed to gauge range, improve visibility 
  in poor conditions and optimise the sniper’s talents in order to 
  deliver the acclaimed one shot, one kill.  The advanced scope 
  acts as both a standard and electro-optical scopes found in 
  the d20 Modern rulebook.  However, when combined with 
  aiming actions, the bonus gained to attack rolls is doubled 
  to +2 for every round 
  spent aiming, up to a 
  maximum of +8.
  Automatic PSG-1 
  Modiﬁcation:  As it 
  shares many common 
  internal components 
  with H&K’s G3 series 
  of longarms, some 
  snipers choose to 
  modify their beloved 
  PSG-1’s in order to 
  grant them Automatic 
  ﬁre.  This is usually 
  done to give the sniper 
  another option when 
  detected by an enemy 
  and gives him a viable 
  battle riﬂe.  The 
  downside is that the 
  highly tuned PSG-1 can 
  rarely take this abuse 
  for long.  The PSG-
  1 immediately gains 
  the Auto rate of ﬁre.  
  However, if it ever rolls 
  1 for any attack roll, it 
  will immediately lose its 
  +1 bonus to attack rolls for being mastercrafted.  Most PSG-1’s 
  modiﬁed in this way use the same 20 box magazines as the G3 
  which can be used without further modiﬁcation.
  Bipod:  A simple attachment that can be made to any longarm 
  manufactured, the bipod is an adjustable pair of legs that clips 
  on to the foreguard of a riﬂe.  When extended, this provides an 
  Longarm
  Damage
  Critical
  Type
  Range
  RoF
  Mag.
  Size
  Weight
  Purchase
  Res.
  AWS
  2d8
  20
  B
  90 ft.
  Single
  10 box
  Large
  13 lb.
  20
  Res (+2)
  Gepard M3
  3d6
  20
  B
  140 ft.
  S
  5 box
  Huge
  44 lb.
  25
  Res (+2)
  Harris/McMillan M86
  2d10
  20
  B
  100 ft.
  Single
  4 box
  Large
  11 lb.
  18
  Lic (+1)
  Harris/McMillan M93
  2d12
  20
  B
  110 ft.
  Single
  5 box
  Large
  21 lb.
  20
  Res (+2)
  Parker-Hale M85
  2d8
  20
  B
  90 ft.
  Single
  10 box
  Large
  14 lb.
  16
  Lic (+1)
  Tikka Model 65 Master
  2d8
  20
  B
  80 ft.
  Single
  10 box
  Large
  10 lb.
  13
  Lic (+1)
  Voere M2185SM
  2d10
  20
  B
  100 ft.
  S
  10 box
  Large
  8 lb.
  17
  Lic (+1)
  extremely solid ﬁring 
  position, though the 
  user has to remain 
  stationary while using 
  it.
  Body Sling:  Many 
  snipers swear by a 
  backup weapon, to be 
  used when surprised 
  and their main riﬂe 
  is out of position.  The body sling is a multi-adjustable device 
  that keeps one Medium-sized weapon (the H&K MP5K is 
  often preferred in this role) pinned close to the sniper’s front or 
  side.  When the weapon is grabbed, the sling allows it enough 
  freedom of movement to be brought into a ready ﬁring position 
  quickly and easily, granting the user the beneﬁts of the Quick 
  Draw feat with this weapon 
  only.  When dropped, the sling 
  automatically retracts the weapon 
  back to the user’s side or front.
  G3 Magazine:  The magazines 
  of the H&K PSG-1 and G3 are 
  interchangeable, something some 
  snipers take advantage of in order 
  to avoid constantly running out of 
  ammunition in a full-scale battle.  
  Using a G3 20-round magazine in 
  a PSG-1 adds 1 lb. to the weight 
  of the weapon.  It should also be 
  noted that many sniper ‘purists’ 
  look down on those who use 
  expanded magazines as novices 
  who cannot hit what they are 
  aiming at ﬁrst time round. . .
  Improved Ghillie Suit:  Acting 
  in every way as the standard 
  ghillie suit found in the d20 
  Modern rulebook, this item is 
  far lighter and allows a greater 
  degree of mobility.  It imposes 
  no penalty to Dexterity-based 
  checks.
  Longarms
  AWS (7.62mm sniper riﬂe):  Manufactured by Accuracy 
  International in England, the AWS is derived from the L96A1.  
  Incorporating an advanced riﬂe suppressor that runs the entire 
  length of the barrel and a standard scope.  It is a very quiet 
  weapon and its subsonic rounds do not automatically alert 
  
  7
  bystanders that the weapon has been ﬁred in the way other 
  longarms ﬁtted with suppressors do.
  Gepard M3 (.50 sniper riﬂe):  Regarded as the most 
  powerful sniper riﬂe in the world, the M3 will quickly tire 
  all but the strongest sniper, given its weight and length.  
  The position of the box magazine, in addition, restricts the 
  weapon to right-handed users and it is generally thought to be 
  more trouble than it is worth, despite its great power.  The M3 
  comes complete with a bipod as standard.
  Harris/McMillan M86 (7.62mm sniper riﬂe):  Contrasting 
  with many of the more advanced riﬂes here, the M86 is a 
  North American riﬂe that concentrates on 
  simplicity and is thus utterly reliable 
  when in the ﬁeld.  It comes ﬁtted 
  with a bipod as standard.
  Harris/McMillan M93 
  (.50 sniper riﬂe):  Simply 
  an enlarged version of 
  the M86, the M93 is a 
  powerful yet traditional 
  looking sniper riﬂe – it is 
  the weapon’s size, weight 
  and length that give away 
  its true potential.  A bipod 
  is ﬁtted as standard.
  Parker-Hale M85 
  (7.62mm sniper riﬂe):  
  Once considered for 
  use in the British Army, 
  the Parker-Hale was 
  subsequently rejected, 
  but has enjoyed usage 
  throughout the world in 
  smaller militaries and 
  police forces.  Incorporating 
  a bipod as standard, this 
  weapon is both cheap and 
  reliable, as sniper riﬂes go.
  Tikka Model 65 Master 
  (7.62mm sniper riﬂe):  A 
  modiﬁed 1898-pattern Mauser, 
  this competition riﬂe has found a role in some police 
  forces 
  of Northern Europe but it lags behind many other sniper riﬂes 
  in terms of performance.  It is, however, reasonably cheap 
  and light.
  Voere M2185SM (7.62mm sniper riﬂe):  An auto-loading 
  competition-grade riﬂe from Austria, this weapon is typical 
  of stock equipment that is sometimes pressed into sniping 
  service, whether by law enforcement ofﬁcials or terrorists.  
  Comes ﬁtted with a standard scope.  This riﬂe also counts as 
  a mastercraft weapon, granting a +1 bonus to all attack rolls.
  The Elite Sniper
  To become the best of the best takes time, experience and 
  cold, hard discipline.  Very few sharpshooters ever reach the 
  heady heights of the elite sniper but those who succeed can 
  claim to be the best trained killers in the world.  No shot is 
  too difﬁcult for an elite sniper, no position to remote to access 
  and no target is safe from his roving scope.  The elite sniper can 
  literally target enemies a mile away in high wind with a great 
  degree of accuracy and must therefore be regarded as utterly 
  lethal.  Many elite snipers, as they progress through their 
  careers, make a name for themselves either in military circles 
  or the criminal underworld.  This in turn can be traded as a rare 
  currency as the elite sniper’s reputation precedes him.
  Requirements
  To qualify to become an Elite Sniper, a character must fulﬁl the 
  following criteria.
  Base Attack Bonus:  +4. 
  Skills:  Hide 7 ranks, Knowledge (tactics) 4 ranks, Listen 5 
  ranks, Move Silently 7 ranks, Spot 5 ranks.
  Feats:  Dead Aim, Far Shot, Weapon Focus 
  (any riﬂe).
  Class Information
  The following information pertains to 
  the Elite Sniper advanced class.
  Hit Die
  The Elite Sniper gains 1d8 
  hit points per level.  The 
  character’s Constitution 
  applies.
  Action Points
  The Elite Sniper gains a 
  number of action points 
  equal to 6 + one-half his 
  character level, every time 
  he attains a new level in this 
  class.
  Class Skills
  The Elite Sniper’s class 
  skills are as follows.
  Climb (Str), Concentration 
  (Con), Hide (Dex), 
  Intimidate (Cha), Jump 
  (Str), Knowledge (tactics) 
  (Int), Listen (Wis), Move 
  Silently (Dex), Navigate 
  (Int), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), 
  Treat Injury (Wis).
  Skill Points at Each Level:  5 + Int modiﬁer.
  Class Features
  The following features pertain to the Elite Sniper advanced 
  class.
  Trademark Weapon:  At 1st level, the Elite Sniper chooses 
  one longarm.  This type of weapon will become his trademark 
  and whenever he uses it, he will gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls 
  and a bonus to damage rolls equal to his class level.  The Elite 
  Sniper can only change his Trademark Weapon to another 
  longarm when he advances a level in this class.
  Hawk-Eyed:  At 2nd and 7th level, the Elite Sniper ﬁnds that he 
  has ﬁne-tuned his eyes to a degree that a bird of prey would be 
  
  Level
  BAB
  Fort
  Ref
  Will
  Special
  Defence
  Reputation
  1
  +0
  +1
  +1
  +0
  Trademark Weapon
  +1
  +0
  2
  +1
  +2
  +2
  +0
  Hawk-Eyed
  +1
  +0
  3
  +2
  +2
  +2
  +1
  Bonus Feat
  +2
  +1
  4
  +3
  +2
  +2
  +1
  Improved Critical
  +2
  +1
  5
  +3
  +3
  +3
  +1
  Cover Use
  +3
  +1
  6
  +4
  +3
  +3
  +2
  Bonus Feat
  +3
  +2
  7
  +5
  +4
  +4
  +2
  Hawk-Eyed
  +4
  +2
  8
  +6
  +4
  +4
  +2
  Additional Trademark Weapon
  +4
  +2
  9
  +6
  +4
  +4
  +3
  Critical Strike
  +5
  +3
  10
  +7
  +5
  +5
  +3
  Ranged Killer
  +5
  +3
  8
  envious of.  He gains a cumulative 
  +2 bonus to Spot checks and 
  increases the range increment of his 
  Trademark Weapon by 20 feet every 
  time this class feature is gained.
  Bonus Feat:  At 3rd and 6th level, the 
  Elite Sniper ﬁnds new abilities as he 
  continues his rigorous training.  He 
  gains a bonus feat, chosen from one 
  of those detailed on p4.
  Improved Critical:  At 4th level, the Elite Sniper gains the 
  ability to increase the threat range of his Trademark Weapon by 
  one.  A PSG-1, for example, will have its threat range increased 
  from 20 to 19-20.
  Cover Use:  At 5th level, the Elite Sniper gains the ability to use 
  cover and concealment to his best advantage, a vital trait while 
  lying in wait for a target.  As a full round action, he can secure 
  himself within cover.  So long as he does not move, the Elite 
  Sniper will now gain cover or concealment, as appropriate, one 
  step better than normal.  For example, if the Elite Sniper has 
  positioned himself round a corner, he would normally gain one-
  half cover.  By spending a full round action positioning himself 
  properly, he will now gain three-quarters cover.  Note that this 
  can effectively place an Elite Sniper in total cover while he is 
  still able to ﬁre, if he uses nine-tenths cover.  This is when a 
  sniper is at his most dangerous.
  Additional Trademark Weapon:  At 8th level, the Elite 
  Sniper is sufﬁciently conversant with longarms as to be able 
  to designate two as his Trademark Weapon and thus gain the 
  appropriate beneﬁts.  This allows the accomplished sniper to 
  choose weapons to ﬁt speciﬁc missions.
  Critical Strike:  At 9th level, the Elite Sniper will automatically 
  cause a critical hit whenever he scores a threat with his 
  Trademark Weapon, without the need for a second attack roll to 
  conﬁrm the critical hit.
  Ranged Killer:  At 10th level, the Elite Sniper is capable of 
  making coup de grace attacks at range.  This may only be done 
  against a target within his ﬁrst range increment and he must 
  make an attack roll as if making a normal attack against the 
  target.  In addition, a longarm must be used to make the attack.  
  If he hits, the Elite Sniper will automatically gain a critical hit 
  and the coups de grace attack is made as normal.
  
  9
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  Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002, Wizards of 
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/D20 system/D20 Modern/Mongoose Pubilshing/D20 Modern - Mongoose Publishing - Supplement - D20 Sniper Class.pdf