Star*Drive Saturday: Small Range Weapons

Last week was Melee Weapons, continuing with weapons and technology, this week it is:

SMALL RANGE WEAPONS

Advancements in the firearm is one of those things that never slowed down in development and progress. Since ancient humans figured out they could kill from afar, conflict was changed forever. Laser and other energy weapons began making the scene around the time of earth's gravity age (the time since meeting the fraal.) But before that slug weapons made a dramatic shift around the fusion age (the time after the invention of the fusion reactor) into the charge weapon. The mechanical firing pin was replaced by a contact delivering a massive shock to the cartridge, and gunpowder was replaced by an electrochemical compound that upon firing changes into a white-hot plasma that expands more powerfully and smoothly than a chemical explosive. Thus charge weapons have more muzzle velocity and accuracy than earlier firearms. Charge weapons require a clip of shells like an older weapon, but in addition to that a battery is required. However thanks to advancements in superconductors in the gravity age, battery life is significantly higher and much more powerful than the old devices of the information age (modern time for us.) A player shouldn't have to worry about battery life when it comes to charge weapons, only the clip size, if the referee wishes to keep track of those things. Even with powerful lanthanide cells, energy weapons require much more power per shot so they can drain quickly. Again like melee weapons, the referee should choose a number of shots available to any weapon to keep track of things easier. 10 works great in this case, as in after 10 shots from any gun, the battery (for energy weapons) or clip (for charge weapons) needs to be replaced.

The following is a list of popular small range weapons you can find in the Verge. The Special line describes any rules unique to the weapon. The Hide line tells whether the weapon is concealable or not for purposes of hiding it. Only pistol weapons can be fired one-handed, all other weapons listed are assumed to be occupying both hands.

Charge Pistol
Cost: 200 cr
Range: Medium
Damage: M
Hide: Yes

Charge Rifle
Cost: 250 cr
Range: Long
Damage: M
Hide: Yes
Special: Has both semi-auto and fully auto settings.

Zero-g Charge Weapons
For an additional 50 credits, the charge weapons can be outfitted with a sophisticated anti-recoil system to neutralize the gun's movement. It allows the user to fire the weapon in weightless conditions without throwing himself into awkward tumbles and turns.

Autoflechette Shotgun
Cost: 300 cr
Range: Short
Damage: V(short), M(medium), L(long)
Hide: No
Special: At Medium range the damage is M, and at Long range the damage is L.
The autoflechette gun fires a 25mm round that contains a bundle of tiny, razor-sharp aerofoils. A single hit can carve an unarmored person to ribbons.

Sabot Pistol
Cost: 400 cr
Range: Medium
Damage: V
Hide: Yes
Special: Holds only 5 rounds, and knocks any un-anchored target down upon hit.
This small handheld electromagnetic accelerator hurls a special, discarding-rocket slug at hypersonic velocities. The round fired by this weapon is a miniature scramjet that ignites soon after leaving the muzzle and quickly accelerates to incredible speed. Due to its extremely high velocity, the rocket round is designed to splatter against any appreciable resistance to transfer as much kinetic energy as possible to the target.

Laser Pistol
Cost: 300 cr
Range: Medium
Damage: L
Hide: Yes

Laser Rifle
Cost: 500 cr
Range: Long
Damage: M
Hide: Yes
Special: Has both semi-auto and full auto settings.

Mass Pistol
Cost: 600 cr
Range: Short
Damage: V
Hide: Yes
Special: Fires 5 rounds per battery, and targets hit are stunned for a round.
Utilizing the gravity induction technology also employed in shipboard weapon systems, the mass pistol throws an artificial short lived mass singularity at its target. The gravity point causes horrible damage through tidal effects to both animate and inanimate objects, but it is short-ranged and consumes an enormous amount of energy.

Mass Rifle
Cost: 800 cr
Range: Medium
Damage: V
Hide: Yes
Special: Fires 5 rounds per battery, and targets hit are stunned for a round.
Same as a mass pistol, but the rifle version is heavier and has a longer range.

Stutter Pistol
Cost: 150 cr
Range: Medium
Damage: M (non-lethal)
Hide: Yes
Special: Does not perform in a vacuum.
This hand-held pistol uses sonic energy - audible as a loud, low-frequency rumble - to incapacitate a target. Since the stutter pistol delivers non-lethal firepower, it is favored by riot response teams and those who seek to pacify rather than terminate opponents.

Render Rifle
Cost: 1,000 cr
Range: Long
Damage: L starting
Hide: No
Special: First round fired on a target it does L damage, each subsequent round it is fired on the same target, the damage steps up to M, then V, then X for every round after that.
This weapon utilizes gravity induction technology to strobe through a lighting-quick cycle of attraction and repulsion against the target. This action causes matter to literally tear itself to pieces. A lucky target may escape with bad bruises, surface abrasions, and a thorough battering, but a well centered hit by the render creates massive body trauma.