XBR55 BATTLE RIFLE
   The XBR55 Battle Rifle is the first model of the BR55 line; it is described as "a prototype long barreled weapon with an optical scope."  The weapon fires 9.5MMx40 FMJ SAP ammunition from a 60 round magazine and has a range of at least 950 meters.  It was issued to Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson and Nolan Byrne as well as their militia squads' marksmen, Critchley and Jenkins by Lieutenant Commander Jilan al-Cygni for use during the Harvest event during the year 2525.
Model: UNSC XBR55 Battle Rifle
Type: Prototype field-test bullpup battle rifle
Scale: Character
Skill: Firearms: Rifle
Rate of Fire: Semiautomatic(1)/Burst (See below)
Fire Control: +1
Ammo: 60
Cost:
-Weapon: N/A (unique prototype)
-Magazine: N/A (unique to the weapon)
Availability: 3, X
Range: 1-100/230/475 (2x zoom, see below)
-Difficulty: Easy/Moderate/Difficult
Damage:
-Semiautomatic: 5D+1 (1 round)
-Burst: 6D+2 (3 rounds)
-Melee: Str+2 Physical (Blunt)
GAME NOTES:
-PROTOTYPE: This is a field test prototype model of what eventually became the commonly fielded version of the BR55 Battle Rifle.  As such, it has better accuracy (+1, given above), higher ammunition capacity (60 rounds, given above), and higher damage due to better overal weapon design (5D+1 semiautomatic/6D+2 burst, given above).  This is considered a more well designed variant of the more common Battle Rifle model, and will also be more rare, even when it was being issued for field-testing.
-HUD: When using a Heads Up Display (HUD) or Command Neural Interface (CNI) to work with the BR55's electronics suite, the user gains a +1 to their skill when using the weapon.  This stacks with any other bonuses, such as modifications to the weapon to increase Fire Control, other equipment, etc.  These also display various information on the weapon, such as ammo count, targeting reticule, overheating and other general relevant information.
-VS ENERGY SHIELDS: When used against energy shields, such as those used by the Covenant, the Damage of most UNSC firearms is reduced by -1D in Semiautomatic, and automatic fire (below) only gets half the stacking pip bonus from all bullets spent in Ammo Depletion (either "Sustained Fire' or 'Short, Controlled Bursts').  Specifically, Autofire will grant the +1D for the first extra bullet (as the Fire-linking rules from Star Wars RPG Revised Edition), but then every TWO(2) bullets fired grants +1 pips.  This can still be damaging at close range, but beyond this, energy shields become a problem.  Stronger weapons may be required!
-SMART-LINK SCOPE (2x): This weapon has a smart-link scope built into its frame.  It requires the use of a Heads Up Display (HUD) or Command Neural Interface (CNI) to use it.  This scope (which can look like a small camera attached to the body, or an actual scope mounted atop the frame) allows the user to see at TWICE the listed range above, provided they spend an action to use the zoom function.  If they want to zoom and fire the weapon, these count as two actions, and the attack will be at -1D.  If the GM requires the user to Search for their target before firing, and they are still doing two actions, then the Search skill roll will also be -1D.  The scope can also be used by those with a HUD/CNI to look around corners with the weapon while the user stays safely behind the corner.
-BURST: This weapon is designed to fire in semiautomatic or bursts of a preset number of rounds.  The burst acts similar to Autofire, stacking damage by the Fire-linking rules (WEG Star Wats RPG Revised Edition), adding +1D damage from the first extra bullet, and every bullet after counts as +1 pip.  In this case, with a three-round burst, the damage is +1D+1 (6D+2).
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TRIVIA
-This was the first weapon to be used against the Covenant and caused the first alien casualty in the Human-Covenant War.
-The prototype resembles the BR55HB SR much more than the standard BR55 model.
-When first observed by Avery Johnson, he observed that it had a 60 round magazine. However, the cover shows the ammo count as the standard 36. Johnson may have already fired off a few shots, or this could be an error on the part of the cover artist.