Need TL-H personal weapon advice

[SpaceBadger]

Hey, y'all, would appreciate some advice on a good personal weapon at TL-H.

My prefs would be for a pistol that can use either different settings or different ammo to have different degrees of lethality.

For example, a Gauss pistol by that TL should certainly be able to have non-lethal ammo (Tranq), fragmenting needles (deadly against soft targets but won't tear up the inside of a ship too badly), standard needles (for best penetration) and who knows what else.

Or maybe a laser pistol with different power settings, including something like the GURPS electro-laser that stuns like a wireless TASER, using low-power laser ion path instead of wires.

Actually, neither one of those seems quite right to me for TL-H (TL-17!!! ). The Gauss pistol's special ammo should be more like TL-13 (assuming you use TL-12 for introduction of the weapon, which I still think is too high) and the variable laser pistol maybe also TL-13. MegaTraveller had Neuro weapons at TL-15, but those aren't even on the effects chart of the GunMaker, as far as I can see.

Seems like by TL-17 you ought to have something like a phaser - stuns, burns, kills, or disintegrates at the flip of a selector switch!

 

[grendelttroll]

Your phaser idea is, pretty much, on the right track.

CT's Tech Levels show disintegrators coming out by TL-G. TL-H should start producing pistol formats. I am sure that they would be a variable-setting kind of weapon.

Hope this helps!

 

[SpaceBadger]

Your phaser idea is, pretty much, on the right track.

CT's Tech Levels show disintegrators coming out by TL-G. TL-H should start producing pistol formats. I am sure that they would be a variable-setting kind of weapon.

Hope this helps!

Thanks, maybe I can quote you to my GM!

 

[Hyphen]

Wasn't there a relativity rifle around that TL?

 

[whulorigan]

In MT I think the Plasma Pistol (i.e. "Blaster" ) is TL-17. Maybe it could incorporate an electrolaser stunner as well (it probably already has a laser as part of the beam-path guide, and has some type of plasma cartridge or pack for ionizables).

 

[robject]

IMTU had a Personal Plasma Gun (PPG), idea taken from Babylon 5.

 

[SpaceBadger]

I get the impression that the ATU of this GM is very high tech in some aspects, but not so much in others. I don't think the regular soldiers carry around phasers or blaster rifles. The few people I've met seem to favor old-fashioned autopistols or gauss pistols. So it appears that what I am getting is a gauss pistol, but with advancements in ammo and power supply to let it carry three kinds of ammo in one magazine and switch among them on the fly as needed. I can live with that.

 

[pendragonman]

The truth about high tech...

The higher the tech weapon, the less parts or ammo is available in out of the way place.

My guy uses a match-quality hand made 9mm autopistol. I can find ammo all the way down to TL4/5. How about that Gauss Pistol?

 

[SpaceBadger]

The higher the tech weapon, the less parts or ammo is available in out of the way place.

My guy uses a match-quality hand made 9mm autopistol. I can find ammo all the way down to TL4/5. How about that Gauss Pistol?

Nope, the ammo is pretty high-tech, and the gun automatically varies muzzle-velocity to suit the ammo - kinda misses the point of using a tranq needle if you also blow the target's arm off.

So that's his main carry sidearm, and he tries to make sure he has "plenty" of ammo available, but he also has some other weapons that will take lower-TL ammo. The places this character has been, that's just plain common sense.

 

[CosmicGamer]

Often the use of a weapon is to intimidate, influence, deter, and so on.

No, I'm not trying to be some pacifist. I'm just saying there are alternative weapons to slug throwers and ray guns. We have bean bag guns, tear gas, tranquilizers, stun guns, flash bang grenades, EMPs and so on at our tech level. Research into sound and energy weapons that disorient and nauseate troops. They are all still weapons. Some nastier ones could be biological and chemical.

What I'm getting at, is that as tech level goes up I'd think that some thought could be put into alternatives to slug throwing and ray guns.

The punch weapon. Nickname "Sledgehammer"
If one can manipulate gravity and has repulser tech, how about something that shoots energy that results in a punch or can push someone like they just got slammed by a sumo wrestler. Perhaps even forces them up against a wall so they can't move.

The paralysis weapon. Nickname "Mr. Freeze"
A EMP like weapon that effects the human nervous system paralyzing the target.

The memory wipe weapon. Nickname "Neuralyzer" (ok, ripped from men in black)
A device that can wipe short term memory so the target forgets why they are doing what they are doing.

More advanced heat and cold weapons.

Acid weapon.
Quite nasty on many things but designed to quickly eat away at battle armor and even armored vehicles.


Another concept - I'd like to give credit but don't recall the poster, my apologies - is that futuristic weapons may not need a barrel or even a hand grip. For example, something mounted on the shoulder or forearm. An attachment clipped to your handheld? Built into a helmet or if smaller, HUD goggles.

 

[SpaceBadger]

Well, now I need to design this weapon (the variable gauss pistol) so I expect I am going to be needing advice on GunMaker. In fact, the first hurdle seems to be that GunMaker does not show "gauss" descriptor for a handgun, but only for longarms. Suggestions on how to get started around that barrier?

 

[pendragonman]

Well, now I need to design this weapon (the variable gauss pistol) so I expect I am going to be needing advice on GunMaker. In fact, the first hurdle seems to be that GunMaker does not show "gauss" descriptor for a handgun, but only for longarms. Suggestions on how to get started around that barrier?

If it works under carbine use that. Your gauss "pistol" is just a short carbine anyway. There has to be some minimum barrel length to make a gauss affect work.

 

[robject]

Well, now I need to design this weapon (the variable gauss pistol) so I expect I am going to be needing advice on GunMaker. In fact, the first hurdle seems to be that GunMaker does not show "gauss" descriptor for a handgun, but only for longarms. Suggestions on how to get started around that barrier?

If this is for a game you're running, simply use the rifle's "gauss" descriptor with the handgun. It may not be a valid publishable gun, but try it and see how it looks.

Code  : PrLtGP-18
Name  : Precision Lt Gauss Pistol-18
Range : 4
Mass  : 2.77 kg
Burden: 1
Damage: (3D) Bullet-3 
MgT   : 3D
Cost  : 1,600

A bit heavy for a pistol ... alternately, invent a line item for a pistol gauss option.

Here's a delightful abomination: a one-time-use FPMP (Fusion Pistol, Man Portable). Feels like Gamma World...

Code  : ADFPMP-18
Name  : Advanced Disposable Fusion Pistol Man Portable-18
Range : 4
Mass  : 1.82
Burden: -3
Damage: (11D) Pen-7 Burn-4 
MgT   : 5D
Cost  : 900

 

[pendragonman]

HIs Majesty's prerogatives...

Of course, HI&RM isn't allowing TL-H into private hands, so the discussion may be mute.

 

[JFGarber]

Outside the Imperium, the aptly named Brainstorm (Vanguard Reaches 1120) is TL-H.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Just a note before breakfast.

Of course, HI&RM isn't allowing TL-H into private hands, so the discussion may be mute.

First, HI&RM's prerogatives are just that, His Prerogatives.

Second, key word in that quote, private.

That is all. Oh damn..

So, Rob, why can't one extrapolate and then create and publish for their ATU a variable gauss pistol? See, I rather like the idea, so I am curious to hear why I can't have nice things.

EDIT: Also, I think I saw something about barrel length being the limiter for a gauss pistol, I would think it more a power and field strength issue. The barrel is just for accuracy.

 

[rancke]

Here's a delightful abomination: a one-time-use FPMP (Fusion Pistol, Man Portable). Feels like Gamma World...

Does it come with a one-use armor too? It's very hazadous to your health to fire a fusion weapon without adequate protection.


Hans

 

[robject]

Does it come with a one-use armor too? It's very hazadous to your health to fire a fusion weapon without adequate protection.

Hans

Nah, by TL16 or TL17 you've got the no-splashback Fusion Rifle, remember?

But... since you asked nicely, I figure the savvy merchant SHOULD have a rack of Disposable Armor next to these babies just to spur sales.

* note: this isn't as easy on the wallet as that weapon...

Code: ADAA-18
Name: Advanced Disposable Assault Armor-18
Mass: 32 kg
  AV: 19
 MgT: 14
      EMCage: 11
  Flashproof: 11
    Radproof: 11
  Soundproof: 11
   Psishield: 5
   Insulated: 41
      Sealed: 11

Cost: KCr 60

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Yeah, but this is T5.

Your phaser idea is, pretty much, on the right track.

CT's Tech Levels show disintegrators coming out by TL-G. TL-H should start producing pistol formats. I am sure that they would be a variable-setting kind of weapon.

Hope this helps!

Well, in this case the rule set is T5 and Disintegrator Pistols (which come before the oddly named "Wands") are TL-K (19). Now the Commando have Disintegrator Rifles at TL-H (17), but they are still primarily being used as a support weapon. The standard weapon listed for TL-H is the Fusion Rifle.

I do like an earlier suggestion of having Gravitic Weapons that are man portable. I have G-mines for AT use in my ATU and a PC who wants G-grenades, so those fit right in. I have to look at the list to see if there are others that might also get used.

 

[SpaceBadger]

Of course, HI&RM isn't allowing TL-H into private hands, so the discussion may be mute.

Eh, I'm sure the gauss pistol doesn't actually require TL-H, more like D or E. It shouldn't take a whole tech level to advance from a basic gauss pistol to the model we were discussing; the main advance is the ammo-selection.