Thursday, December 5, 2019

SOS: Arms for the 42nd century Gentleman

This is just a quick post for Weapons in Sea of Stars, my new Campaign setting.  Almost all of this is ripped from Dark Heresy, adapted by me for the OSR.

                                               source unknown

Quick Damage Rules:

You can find my full combat rules here, if you need further clarification.

Melee Weapons:

Quick    1d6
Balanced 1d6+STR
Powerful 1d8+STR

Types:

- Primitive Weapons.  Do damage as per the chart above. 

- Buzzblades.  Increase the damage die by 1.  Also, Buzzblades leave hideous wounds that do 1d6 damage a round until an action is taken to staunch the bleeding.  Ex: An Autoknife [Quick] does 1d8 damage, a Screeching Sword [Balanced] does 1d8+STR damage, an Autoaxe [Powerful] does 1d10+STR damage.

- Power Blades.  Increase the damage die by 2.  A Powered Mothknife [Quick] does 1d10 damage, a Power Sword [Balanced] does 1d10+STR damage, a Thunder Hammer [Powerful] does 1d12+STR damage. 

Ranged:

Bows        1d6+STR       
Crossbows    1d8

Pistols        1d8
Rifles        1d12
Shotguns    1d6/1d8/1d12 [far/medium/close range]
Submachine Guns/Assault Rifles 1d10 + can fire twice per round

Types:

- Primitive Firearms; Black powder, flintlock or etc.  Go down one die size.  Ex: A black powder pistol does 1d6 damage, a Blackpowder rifle does 1d8 damage, etc. 

- Modern Firearms: Does damage as per the chart above.

- Laser Weapons: Does damage as per the chart above.

- Plasma Weapons: Increase the damage die by 2.  Ex: A Plasma Pistol does 1d12, a Plasma Rifle does 1d20.

Melee Weapons:

Primitive Melee Weapons. 
The same tools that humans have been using for millennia to kill each other work perfectly well, even in more advanced eras.  Though of course, these weapons present certain distinct disadvantages.  As such, unless circumstances are special, they are rarely used on civilized worlds but on many of the feral worlds, it is all they have. 

I am not including special rules for these guys, the ones you have written yourself or ripped from your favorite retroclone will work fine.  Or if they won't, just use Arnold Kemp's Eldritch Americana rules, like I did.

                                             by OndUdenGrund

Autocutters or Buzzblades.  Autocutters are bladed weapons where the cutting edge moves with the power of an engine.  Chainswords, essentially.  Often called Buzzblades, Autocutters are fearsome on the battlefield, making mincemeat of anyone foolish enough to come into range.  Buzzblades cannot cut through everything, but they are terrible enough that most aren't willing to take the chance.

Rules:  
- When you injure someone with an Autocutter, the wound is ghastly and terrible, doing 1d6 damage a round until an action is taken to stop the bleeding.
- However, stealth is impossible when using a Buzzblade, unless your enemy is deaf or you are in an environment that is so noisy the whine of an engine might be overlooked

A selection for you...
1d3

1- Autoaxe.  Used primarily to cut wood, but there are versions that did show up on a few of the battlefields of the Alien Wars, especially against the Ulu and the Great Race.  Terrifying but difficult to actually wield, so only a few people actually did so.  Does 1d10+STR damage on a hit and leave a bleeding wound that does 1d6 damage a round until someone takes an action to staunch the bleeding.
2- Autoknife or "Electric Razor".  These blades are famous among the the Floro [Floor-oh] Gangs of the Great Cities of humanity as a weapon of terror.  Among these brutal men, to own an 'Electric Razor' is a sign of brutality and status, provided it looks like it has been used.  Gang leaders and crime bosses carry them to show their prosperity and to remind friend and foe alike what the penalty for betrayal is.  Gangers know what will happen if they go to the police.  They've seen the corpses with their tongues sliced off and their bellies opened by those terrible razors.  Autoknives do 1d8 damage on a hit leave a bleeding wound that does 1d6 damage a round until someone takes an action to staunch the bleeding.  
3- Buzzsword or "Screamer"/"Screecher".  Buzzswords are weapons almost solely of the military classes.  Officers in almost all militaries that possess the technology to manufacture 'Screamers' are trained in the use of such weapons and carry them as symbols of rank.  On more warlike rules, some Kings and Judges also carry them as badges of office.  Most of the time, that's all they are used for.  When they are not, they split men like sacks of wet oatmeal.  Buzzswords do 1d8+STR damage on a hit and leave a bleeding wound that does 1d6 damage a round until someone takes an action to staunch the bleeding.

                                                    by Behance

Power Blades.  The tools of the obscenely rich, the well-connected and those with ancient lineages, but I repeat myself.  Power Blades are weapons surrounded by an energy field, giving them blades that are incredibly thin and superhard.  A Power Blade can cut through almost anything, except for a hard light field, things that reflect or absorb energy and some other things (Referee's Discretion).  Power Blades are rarely seen, but when they are, they bring death to almost anyone who faces them.  They also tend to be mostly used for ceremonial purposes these days- few highborn folk want to fight foes likely armed with ranged weapons with a melee one and if they were to, they would swiftly attract lots of attention, and fire, when they started chopping people in half.

Rules:
- Unless your opponent is using a power blade himself or has armor/natural resistance that can blunt a powered weapon's strike, treat the opponent's defense rolls as if they were unarmed and unarmored.
- Power Blades are so lethal that any failure using them is just as likely to endanger the wielder.  If you are wielding a Power Blade and roll a Natural "1", you suffer a critical failure and must save.  On a failed save, you injure yourself with the blade, doing damage to yourself as if you were hit by it.  On a success, it merely destroys some piece of equipment or otherwise inconveniences you, such as wounding a nearby PC or retainer.

What might the Master require today...
1d4

1- Powered Mothknife.  Mothknifes are often called 'butterers' or 'doubleflies' as they are similar to butterfly knives, except they possess two blades.  When one is out, it functions as a simple blade, but if both are out, the blade forms a large shuriken, which can be used as a throwing weapon.  The powered version of this weapon is the same, plus a powerfield generator.  They are designed so that the field only activates once airborne or when triggered, so the wearer doesn't cut their hands apart throwing the thing.  They are somwhat heavier and thus harder to throw, but when they hit, they can punch right through even the toughest opponents.  A Powered Mothknife does 1d10 damage on a hit. 
2- Powered Rapier.  A device meant for dueling.  It is all but useless for guarding or slashing, as with a powered weapon, when fighting or defending against it, the one who strikes first is usually the winner.  This weapon encapsulates that philosophy, being incredibly sharp at the tip, a fact only enhanced by the powerfield.  Nothing short of a platsteel bulkhead on a capital ship would even slow this weapon down.  The Powered Rapier does 1d10 damage on a hit.
3- Serpentine Power Blade.  If striking first is the way to ensure victory, striking before the enemy is aware a conflict has begun guarantees it.  Serpentine Power Blades are Powered Weapons, usually swords, concealed in ordinary objects.  Perhaps the old man leaning on a cane is merely old, or maybe it is an accessory, or perhaps the cane conceals a deadly weapon that will cut the first assassin who attempts to harm him in two.  Serpentine Power Blades do 1d10+STR damage on a hit.
4- Power Sword.  A weapon of war.  No, not war.  A tool of sheer butchery.  To fight someone with a Power Sword when you do not possess a powered weapon is an exercise of supreme nobility or foolishness, depending on your perspective.  Either way, it is usually a death sentence.  A Power Sword does 1d10+STR damage.

                                              from Doom: Eternal

Exotics.  This is the category for any melee weapon that does not fit neatly into one of the other categories. 

Rules:

- Varies.  See below.

I see you're only interested in the exceptionally rare...
1d6

1- Gauntlet Blades.  Gauntlet Blades are long blades that are concealed inside metal gauntlets or stored in large add-ons about the size of a steel thermos.  With the push of a button, these blades extend out from their sheathes in or on the gauntlet to cut and slash.  These blades come in two sizes, the smaller ones embedded in the gauntlet itself doing 1d6 damage on a hit.  The smaller ones are also concealable.  The larger ones are nowhere near concealable, but do 1d6+STR damage and are much, much scarier.
2- Power Fist.  Take the fist and forearm off a set of powered armor and strap it to your fist.  That's what a Power Fist is, and yes, it is as awesome as it sounds.  With this, your grip is strong enough to peel armor off a tank or crush a human skull like an eggshell.  The only downside is that it burn through its charge rather quickly, and once it has no power, its just a really expensive paperweight.  Does 1d10+STR damage on a hit before that, though.
3- Neural Flay.  A whip designed to send small electrical impulses through its barbed tips, inflicting hideous agony upon the person who is hit.  It doesn't actually do much physical damage, as this is an instrument of torture, not a weapon of war.  It is also an instrument that is banned on almost all civilized worlds and where it is not banned, it tends to be heavily restricted.  It does 1d6 WIL and WIS damage on a hit, and the barbs it leaves behind can be triggered remotely by the wielder. 
4- Lovebite.  A ring designed to conceal a single-use weapon, usual an electrical charge or a dose of poison.  The idea is that you use the ring to punch someone, which triggers the release of the payload.  Imminently concealable, but it only has 1 shot.  Does the damage of an unarmed strike (1d4), plus the payload, which varies.
5- Painkiller.  A series of rotating blades that looks like a weedwhacker from Hell.  The poor man's buzzblade.  Creates an immense amount of noise, making stealth impossible while it is on.  Tends to decimate any poor fool who ends up exposed to it though. Does 1d10 damage on a hit.
6- Plasma Blade.  This is one of the rarest weapons in the universe, one that instead of a power field generator wrapped tightly around a physical blade, instead projects an envelope of electromagnetic fields to contain a wide strip of superheated plasma.  Stealth is impossible while using this weapon, due to the noise and it ruins all nightvision, as it is bright as a torch and brighter still when actually cutting something.  Nothing escapes this blade though.  The Plasma Blade does 1d12+STR damage on a hit and sets anything flammable near where it hits on fire. 

Ranged Weapons:

                                                by J-Humphries

Laser or Blasters or Blinkers.  Laser, or blink, weapons are among the most common in the galaxy, especially among the armies and all classes of mankind.  Laser weapons are easier to mass produce, use, clean and control than solid shot weapons, plus they are much more versatile.  As such, the variety among blink weapons is staggering; there are more types of laser weapons than there are human inhabited planets in the galaxy, or so it is said.  

Rules:
- Laser weapons do fire damage.
- When using a laser weapon, you automatically give away your position, unless the Referee dictates otherwise.
- Laser Rifles have computer systems built into them and can be remotely accessed and controlled by authorized users, meaning it is impossible to fire someone's blink weapon unless he gives you permission or you can hack into his device.
- Do base ranged weapon damage [see above].

What do we have in stock today?
1d6

1- Civitas Pattern Pistol.  The standard laser pistol, found on every world with two computer processors to rub together.  A somwhat finicky and inefficient weaapon by military standards, but cheap and effective enough for civilians or criminals.      
2- Palatine.  If you want a laser pistol that isn't garbage and you know what you're doing, you get a Palatine Laser Pistol.  Palatines are pistols that work much better than most models, need minimal cleaning or maintenance and actually possess enough power to do more than scorch someone's skin.  The only problems with this model is that it is more expensive and is frequently mistaken for the Deluvian H89.
3- D-76 Venom.  A small type of laser pistol designed to be hyper concealable, able to fit inside a closed fist with only a length of barrel sticking out between the index and middle finger.  Very popular among ladies, courtiers and assassins.  Only real good for close up work though and only has an effective range of about 50 feet.
4- Dueling Torch or "Valentine".  A laser pistol that is designed to dump an entire power pack's charge, which usually provides about 25 shots, into a single, devastating blast.  Named after a famous duelist who left a trail of bodies in her wake.  They are still very common among the upper classes, but mostly as status symbols.  Using them in duels is considered unsportsmanlike, as being hit by a Valentine is rarely survivable.
5- Hamburg Pattern Blink Rifle.  One of the most reliable laser rifles in all the galaxy, the Hamburg Pattern is an ancient design that has only endured minor revisions in the intervening centuries.  Versions of it are still used by many planetary militaries, militant groups, terror cells and anyone else interested in a reliable, inexpensive firearm.  Most of the Hamburg Patterns these days are actually Mark 9, 10, or 11s, with the originals being only collector's items and museum pieces these days, though the actual differences between these rifles is negligible.
6- Crusader Hellgun.  All laser rifles have the ability to fire at half or full power as a method of conserving charge and lasting longer.  But sometimes, full power isn't sufficient.  Sometimes you need more.  That is what Hellguns are for. A Hellgun is a Laser rifle that is "tuned up" to fire more powerful shots.  The difference between the two is usually hard to tell at first glance, but it is quickly revealed when the Hellgun starts shooting.  They kick like mules and burn like whiskey, or so it is said.  This is mostly a joke though.  Hellguns don't burn like whiskey, they burn like the flames of Perdition.   

                                                          by GiztheGunslinger

Firearms or Slug-Throwers or SP (Solid Projectile).  Nothing beats the smell of gunsmoke, or so they say.  And while Blinkers are very popular, firearms utilizing the current descendents of black powder have never truly gone out of style.  These weapons are especially popular among the criminal underclass, as SP weapons usually cannot be deactivated by the push of a button, a fact that often makes it hard to shoot at the police, unless you had the foresight to hire a hacker.  Even in that case, if the police have access to your network, or a hacker who can break into it, they can switch your guns off if you're using blinkers.  Solid Projectile weapons erase that problem though.  Additionally, SP weapons are also extremely common on less developed worlds, where electricity is too expensive or too infrequent to rely on laser weapons, who have power cells that require charging.

Rules:
- Unless modified, anyone can use a SP weapon just by picking it up and using it
- Police or those with access to 21st century technology or more recently can determine what caliber bullets are and if they have the gun that fired those bullets, they can usually make the connection.  This is why criminals use cheap solid projectile guns and ditch them after using them. 
- Do base ranged weapon damage [see above].

We got a big order coming in!
1d6

1- Ripper Clip Autopistol or "zip gun" or "cutter" or "lead ladies".  Ripper Clip Autopistols are a type of pistol mostly by criminal gangs operating stolen equipment they barely understand or on worlds where the local governors are operating on a shoestring budget.  Ripper Clips are incredibly cheap, capable of automatic fire and so easy to use even a drug-addled mind can figure out how one works.  The only problem with them is that they also horribly unreliable, jamming easily and suffering from a myriad of design defects, owning to their shoddy design.  Despite this, they are still popular among some groups, as they are still dangerous enough, at least occasionally, as long as you're at close range and lucky. 
2- Megido Pattern Autogun.  An assault rifle that is incredibly common on worlds that have yet to be able to mass produce blinkers, but are not longer reliant on blackpowder and sharp sticks to be their primary weapons.  Megido Patterns are incredibly durable, made of stamped steel, designed to be simple to clean and maintain.  They aren't a perfect weapon, tending to overheat and suffering from a smaller-than-ideal catridge size, but they have served millions of soldiers well over the decades since its introduction.
3- Westingkrup Model 20 Revolver.  Despite being over five centuries old, the Model 20 is still a prized firearm, a revolver of unmistakable reliability.  These guns are famed for their ability to function under almost any conditions, as well as their respectable stopping power and quick rate of fire.  The Model 20 is still used by many militaries across the galaxy, but it is also popular among security officers, bodyguards, police forces, assassin cadres and criminal syndicates alike.
4- Khaibar Fatemaker Revolver.  The Fatemaker is the revolver most often carried by nobles and the wealthy, at least on worlds where they are expected to carry weapons.  It is a perfectly balanced and deceptively complicated weapon, its long barrel enabling it to be accurate to long distances, as well as to look incredibly stylish when held.  The Fatemaker is a lethal weapon, but it is not without its difficulties.  The long barrel makes it an excellent choice for assassins or target shooters, but it also makes it difficult to quickly draw.  That, along with its low clip size makes it less than an ideal choice for actual combat. 
5- Flametongue Howdah Pistol.  The Flametongue is a twin-barrel handcannon meant for big game hunters who failed to hit their latest quarry when it was further off.  The Flametongue is designed to be the last line of defense, firing two enormous soft alloy bullets that splinter inside the target, leaving horrific wounds and usually dropping whatever poor creature dared to get to close.  The only downside to the Flametongue is that it only has two shots, kicks like a Grox and alerts every person or creature within a square kilometer where you are.  That being said, if you actually have to use your Flametongue, you've probably had a close enough shave that you might not want to hunt for the rest of the day, or maybe, ever again.  
6- Fykos Forge Nomad Rifle.  A true example of the gunsmith's art, Nomad Rifles are created by a clan of master gunsmiths from the fabled Gunmetal City, where the finest firearms in the Sector, maybe even the Galaxy, are built.  The family that produces them, the Fykos clan, produces approximately 10 per year, making them only of the finest materials money can be and customizing each one.  Despite the fact that they are obscenely expensive, those who have had the chance to use one claim that there is no rifle more beautiful or accurate in all the galaxy.

                                            from Fallout 4

Plasma or Godfire.  Lasers are efficient and slugs are pragmatic, but when you really need something to die, there's only one real option.  Plasma weapons have a reputation for being extremely dangerous and it is one that is well deserved.  There is very little that can actually stand up to a plasma blast.  One shot from most plasma weapons will vaporize a man or reduce a small vehicle to molten slag.  The only real downside to Plasma Weapons is that they can be as dangerous to the user as to their enemies, and not just because anyone with a Plasma Weapon will be targeted by every sensible enemy within visual range, but also because Plasma weaponry is something of a lost art.  Only a few corporations know how to manufacture them anymore, with these firms zealously guarding this information and only producing a small number every year for exorbitant prices.  As such, most of the plasma weapons available are either ancient relics kept fastidiously maintained by families or organization for centuries, or a shoddier, newer model packed full of anti-espionage devices so that if you so much as breathe on the weapon wrong, it melts the internal mechanism into slag and renders the whole device unusable. 

Rules:
- Plasma Weapons instantly destroy an attempt at stealth, nightvision, give away your location and make you priority target number 1, unless there is something more dangerous on the field of battle.
- If you are wielding a Plasma Weapon and your weapon takes damage or you roll a Natural "1", you must immediately save.  On a successful save, you can take an action before the weapon discharges.  On a failed save, you don't manage to do that.  After your save, the plasma weapon discharges a blast of blistering air and ionizing radiation, doing 1d20 damage to everyone within 1d4*10'.  Plasma Weapon users know about this and if their weapon starts acting up or is shot, standard procedure is to throw the weapon and run like hell. 
- Plasma Weapons do fire damage, but ignore all resistances to it.  Plasma is so hot that only complete immunity to fire/heat damage can protect you from it.     

Of course, Sir.  It's right here...
1d2

1- Golgothan Plasma Pistol.  A weapon of purest violence, a device made to finish conflicts in a single blast.  Only hard light or force shields can protect you from this weapon.  Everything else is incinerated or reduced to a flaming slag.  The only mercy this weapon grants you is that it is quick.  No one hit by plasma lives for very long.  They are either destroyed instantly or they die seconds later, as their body realizes that half of them just ceased to exist and the rest of them is one fire, the water in their blood instantly raised to its boiling point.  The Golgothan does 1d12 damage on a hit, with the usual saves permitted. 
2- Evolan Model Plasma Rifle.  This weapon is death incarnate.  It reduces whole platoons to memory and lays waste to unshielded armored vehicles.  This weapon gained its horrific reputation in the midst of the cauldron of the Alien Wars, most especially during the Europan Campaigns, when Humanity's home system was invaded by the original settlers of the Jovian Moon.  There it was used to heat the freeing oceans of that moon to temperatures uninhabitable by the aliens, or to boil them inside their liquid-filled exosuits.  This rifle does 1d20 damage on a hit, with the usual saves permitted.

                                                      source unknown
Exotics.  This is the category for any ranged weapon that does not fit neatly into one of the other categories.

Rules: 
- They vary.  See below. 

Well, I suppose I could check the back...
1d6

1- Ion Rifle.  There has never been a robot uprising.  AI just aren't smart and robots only do what we program them too.  However, if there was a robot uprising, Ion Weapons would ensure it would be a quick affair.  These weapons are designed to fire bolts of ionizing radiation that are designed to melt circuitry from the inside, destroying computers and obliterating any data stored on them.  An Ion Rifle does 2d8 damage to robots and ignores all armor not specifically hardened against EMPs.  If you hit a human with this weapon, he must save or be paralyzed, but otherwise takes no damage. 
2- Rad Cleanser.  A weapon designed to use chemical waste as ammunition, Rad Cleansers siphon radiation off of elements or chemicals that emit such byproducts and turn it into a horrific weapon.  They are named Cleansers because a person using one can cleanse any area of any life.  Rad Cleansers fire pulsating beams of energy that irradiate an enemy, shredding his RNA and cooking his organs inside his body, causing massive cell death.  And even if the target survives such a hideous attack, which is unlikely, he will rapidly beginning suffering from radiation poisoning as a result of being hit by this weapon.  This weapon does 2d8 damage to organic tissue and nothing else, with the usual saves permitted.  Wearing a radiation suits completely negates any damage from it, provided the suit is undamaged.
3- Dartcaster.  Dartcasters are the modern descendents of crossbows and blowpipes, using compressed air to propel slivers of metal over medium ranges to bury themselves in flesh.  These darts are not nearly as fast as bullets and do not possess nearly the stopping power or armor penetration as almost all SP weapons.  To compensate for this, many dartcaster users coat their darts in toxins or poisons, to ensure the target dies.  Combine this tendency with the fact that dartcasters are almost completely silent and you will understand why Dartcasters are stereotyped as assassin's weapons.  The fact that it is often true doesn't make it any less of a stereotype though.  Dartcasters do 2d4 damage on a hit, with the usual saves permitted.  Any poison damage takes effect a round later.    
4- Cold Light Rifle.  A weapon most strange, Cold Light Lasers are  actually based on some of the first laser weapons ever developed.  In the beginning, there was a debate over whether or not a focused laser targeting one point or a single laser fired and quickly switched off, would be better.  The latter one, resulting in the Blink Weapons of this era.  Focused Lasers didn't die though, but were largely reduced to novelties and scientific experiments.  One inheritor of this ancient knowledge did manage to turn it into a weapon though.  Cold Light Lasers work by targeting the molecules they hit and holding them in place, instantly plunging them to temperatures approaching Absolute Zero.  This cools the surrounding area rapidly and not only damages any creature hit, but also robs them of their dexterity and ability to fight back as their muscles are cooled rapidly.  Cold Light Rifles and Pistols do cold damage, but otherwise follow the same rules as laser weapons.      
5- Anti-Material or Rail Rifle.  A weapon that uses electro-magnetic fields to accelerate a rod of metal at ludicrous speeds, this weapon is as simple as it is stupidly lethal.  Often derided as the 'Poor Man's Plasma', Anti-Material Rifles are associated with the planets unlucky enough to have lost the knowledge of how to manufacture plasma weapons.  However, all the jokes made at the weapon's expense is cold comfort to the person who just watched a tungsten rod punch through the side of his tank and explode, liquefying the entire crew as it did.  The only problem with Rail Rifles is that they are slow to fire and extremely cumbersome.  Only the largest men can carry it unaided and the ammunition is so heavy most users only carry a handful of rounds, as each one weighs about as much as a prize-winning pumpkin.  Rail Rifles do 2d10 damage, with the usual saves permitted, but take 1d6 rounds to reload and charge up for another shot. 
6- Hypo Pistol.  Hypo Pistols are the less lethal cousins of the Dartcaster.  They are just as quiet, but possess less range. However, they also possess the ability to not damage the target.  This, along with the ability to customize the contents of each dart means that Hypo Pistols are favored by bounty hunters and assassins alike.  Hypo Pistols do 1d4 damage on a hit, plus injecting the contents of the dart.

                                                           This is actually a cane sword.
                                                                  source unknown

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