Nothing like a good weapon...

[BitKnot]

I loved designing custom weapons...

In D&D it started with crossbow fired flasks of oil with impact igniters (had to not ignite on firing and air pressure - model rocket 'missles' taught me that

) and depth charge style deployment harnesses for giant eagle born defenses! Magic targeted gattling style crossbow turrents were another favorite.

For traveller I made various personal nuclear grenades, guided projectile (bullets) and antipersonnel (watch my back) aerial mines

... If I can find my notes (yeah, I probably still have them one of my blasted boxes) I'll post them - I usually had (simplistic) sketches and a writeup for each.

One of my favorite 'sneak' weapons was monofilament wire - great for getting out of jails and inconspicuously slicing up the red tape NPCs!

 

[Thorog the Slasher]

Isn't that like the alternate use for a wall of force? In the description it is said to have no width (which basically means monomolecular)...so when that band of orcs charges, just cast a wall of force extending horizontally towards them at waist height and watch their faces as they run onto it...

 

[far-trader]

Good one, also not Traveller but it reminded me of our D&D group setting up camp for the night decades ago. The Cleric had first watch and for our protection, after we had all sacked out and without telling us, cast a Blade Barrier horizontally over our sleeping bods, boy were we surprised when we awoke to an orc attack and stood up to fight, RIGHT INTO HIS BLADE BARRIER!

 

[far-trader]

OK, I'm feeling guilty posting off-Trav above, and I really need some sleep, but first to make amends. I had a Scout years ago and besides the standard issue "if I tell you I have to kill you or enlist you" secret weapon/tool (that I think came from some early publication. LBB era, but can't recall which one. It was a belt and buckle, the weapon/tool not the publication, aw now you have to join the Scouts, will that be voluntarily or post mortem?) he had picked up a couple levels of blade and had a very fine fencing sword made with a large intricate basket hilt, which, with the grip, hid a body pistol, just so he could always bring a gun to any knife fight. I have/had a nice little sketch of it somewhere. OK I think I can sleep now.

edited - my half conscious insomniac brain goofed, corrected by by my sleep deprived half conscious brain... I think...

 

[Uncle Bob]

I may have mentioned my portable bar. I had a character with Demo-3 skill and he went everywhere with a small valise.

The valise contained several disposable tumblers, stirring sticks, napkins, wet wipes, and a liter each of "ouzo" and "absynthe". Actually the booze was a two component hypergolic explosive, the tumblers used to mix it, the napkins made a paper mache "plastique" and the wet wipes a neutralizing agent.

Just mix it up and two minutes later, BOOM Stick in a stirring stick and the catalyst in the stick makes it explode in thirty seconds and the blast starts at the swizzle stick so it can be used as a shaped charge.

 

[Shadow Bear]

How about a battering ram sharpened on one end with an iron spike (pointy end out) and drenched in giant scorpion poison. Used by jamming into the rear end of a minataur by an exceptional strength PC.

 

[gardclan]

The dwarves in my current 3E campaign are not very fond of missile weapons to kill opponents... they are however not opposed to using them as harrassment and disruption weapons.

The main missile weapon of the dwarves of Tazra Dum is a "pump" action heavy crossbow (with lots of gears and pullies to make it possible to cock with average strength)... very heavy, but feasible. They are fitted to use three types of quarrels:

1. Tanglefoot quarrels... equivelent to tanglefoot bags in the PHB.
2. Alchemist fire quarrels
3. thunderstone quarrels.

These are fired by the volley at advancing troops to disrupt the formations before the dwarves charge into the fray.

Now, there's probably a use for these in traveller by a primitive culture if you work the tech just right. At higher tech, you have napalm and HE to do the same thing... so it becomes pretty much a moot point.

 

[Zolomion Shoul]

Zolomion has gotten rich thanks to a super bacteria (I gess it was a bacteria), and i will tell you how...
We went on a lonely planet, being invaded by Aslan troops. this planet was bareburnt and covered mostly by sand deserts.
We attempted to sneak through the two spaceships that were patrolling upstairs... failed.
Then we decided to stand and fight, until we unjammed our sensors to see that each of these ships were twice as armed as our own... thanks to a superb piloting manoeuver we crashed smoothly in the desert. The ships was close to being wrecked, the problem was to bring the shipyards to it
Then we found an ancient tomb, much like the Egyptian pyramids. The Aslans assaulted us in there and liberated a metal eating bacteria which corrupted the complete planet atmosphere within a few days: all ships wwere eaten up, we had won the battle !
Then we realized we were all half naked, with most of our equipment gone, and GROUNDED for nobody knows long as there were no means to contact someone anyhow !! Luckily a huge portion of the population had fledbefore all the ships were gone, or had left the useless cities...
Then my Vargr fellow had the absolute ultimate idea: Credits 'notes' were made out of plastic, while safes were made in metallic alloys... then we were rich !
It took three years of back to fire age technology survival contest to have a full plastic probe sent out on this planet... And four VERY long months to have a way back to civilization...

The weapon idea (metal eating bacteria) was good, and I guess I'll reuse it someday as a gamemaster !

 

[vegascat]

Metal metabolizing bacteria, Now that is a refinable idea. Use it to eat just specific metals? and what does it turn the metal into? rust? A bacteria that went after lanthanum would definately restrict the planet, RED ZONE!!! Howabout one that went after transparent materials? Land your ship, andall view ports eaten away, along with video feeds, and your brand new fiber optic computer. Can't wait totry it out.

--------------------------------
In the end, Murphy will rule