Fanning
Fanning a revolver is to shooting a pistol what fencing is to swordsmanship. It is a specialty skill that can only be learned once a character has mastered Handguns.
Fanning can ONLY be done with a Single Action Revolver. It involves holding the trigger back with one hand while using the other hand to swipe across and draw back the hammer at great speed. It requires a great deal of practice to accomplish this technique even without ammunition in the gun. Doing it with ammo, and accommodating the kick and flare AND hitting a target takes hours of practice and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. It also causes a callous to form on the palm of the ‘fanning’ hand. To facilitate the technique, some shooters will use a cord to tie the trigger back or even have the gun modified to remove the trigger entirely. In either case this results in a ‘slip hammer’ that immediately snaps back to strike the primer when the hammer is thumbed back. This can make for a very dangerous situation and can result in accidental discharges even while the weapon is still in the holster.
Accuracy suffers tremendously during fanning, and the further the target is from the shooter the worse it gets. Additionally, each successive shot become less accurate. These penalties are cumulative.
On the other hand, Fanning allows the shooter to fire ALL six shots (or four or five) during the FIRST HALF of the combat round. Instead of being spread across the round.
| Shot # | Recoil Penalty | Range Penalty | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 15ft | 16 to 20 feet | 21 to 25 feet | 26 to 30 feet | 30+ feet * | ||
| 1 | -0 | -5 | -6 | -7 | -8 | -9 |
| 2 | -1 | -5 | -6 | -7 | -8 | -9 |
| 3 | -2 | -5 | -6 | -7 | -8 | -9 |
| 4 | -3 | -5 | -6 | -7 | -8 | -9 |
| 5 | -3 | -5 | -6 | -7 | -8 | -9 |
| 6 | -3 | -5 | -6 | -7 | -8 | -9 |
* Range Increment Penalties may also apply.
Example: The Target is 18 feet away. First shot is -6 to hit. Second shot is -7 to hit. Third shot is -8 to hit. Fourth, fifth and sixth shots are -9 to hit.