Tepasi Energy Bow

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Model: "Whisperer 6" model Tepasi Energy Bow

Type: Energy bow

Description: The Whisperer energy bow is a very simple weapon, consisting of a bow and string which when drawn develops a sizzling blue blaster bolt instead of an arrow. When the user releases the string, the blue blaster bolt is shot just like an arrow, but at the speed of a blaster bolt. If the user has been charging the bow, the arrow will be much brighter and appear wider in diameter, close to an artillery blaster bolt, and electrical energy will conduct up and down the bowstrings.

Operation of most energy bows requires that special gloves be worn on both hands so that the high levels of energy adjacent to the fingers does not burn them. These gloves are generally available on most worlds that have starports (usually between 20-30 credits per pair) because they are also used in hyperdrive repair, which was actually their original purpose.

Energy bows in general are preferred by individuals who aren’t keen on causing the kind of commotion a blaster might cause, as firing energy bows is only about 15% as loud as a standard DL-18. They also pack a punch and have a decently long range, which in turn makes them attractive to individuals searching for low-key arms that aren’t picked up by the Empire’s scanning technology.

Also known as: Blasterbow, lightning shooter, sixperer, assassin’s best girl, gundark’s mama, electric hunting bow, and other local names

Scale: Character

Skill: Bows: energy bows

Difficulty: Moderate

Ammo: 30 (1-3 per shot)

Cost: Energy bows are not generally for sale, though any given merchant could conceivably own one (roll 3D: if the result is 3 or 18, the merchant owns one [though he may not display it]). The merchant might be persuaded to sell it if the PC who is attempting to buy the bow makes a very difficult Bargain or Con roll. If the PC's fail a Con roll against the merchant, the merchant will get angry and eject the PC’s from his shop. After either of these rolls succeed, however, the PCs may Bargain with the merchant as usual. If they eventually succeed, it will cost the PC’s 1D+3 thousand credits to buy the Tepasi Energy Bow from the merchant. In addition to this, during the entire encounter, if the PC’s fail a Con roll against the merchant, the merchant will ask the PC’s to leave.

Energy Bows use power packs as ammunition, though they are only left attached to the bow itself for a round, after which the weapon has absorbed the 10 shots from the power pack and it is now depleted. The Tepasi Energy Bow can hold 30 shots worth of ammo, or three power packs’ worth, at 35 credits each.

Availability: 4, F, R

Body: 2D+1

Rate of fire: 1

Range: 5-30/80/200

Damage: 5D, thought this may be increased (see below) or changed to stun damage (see below)

Game notes: The Tepasi Energy Bow was popular as a sporting weapon among galactic big-game hunters for a time (ca. 600-300 BBY). This popularity first developed in the core worlds, then the expansion region, and then finally the mid rim, with the promise of new worlds and new game to hunt. New large animals to hunt were being discovered on an almost weekly basis in those days, so the big-game hunters wanted something quiet that would pack a punch and not require them to explain to Republic customs why they were carrying a very large blaster rifle. The popularity of the Tepasi Bow continued to increase steadily; a modified version was made which was popular with target shooters and eventually so using energy bows became an actual sport. The bow was already a popular weapon on worlds featuring many species of large game like Lolnar, Dathomir, Atrisia, Dantooine, and Shulxi, and of course Alderaan (all the way up until the day Grand Moff Tarkin destroyed the planet using the Death Star in 0 BBY). It is estimated that the galaxy lost roughly 20-50% of its existing Tepasi Energy Bows in that horrible event.

Special abilities:

Charging the bow:
After the Tepasi E-Bow is drawn back, it may remain drawn back for up to three rounds. Each round the user holds the bow drawn increases the Energy Bow’s damage by +1D per round (with a maximum of 8D total). A charged shot consumes three units of bow ammunition rather than one, no matter what the damage roll ends up being.

Each round the bow is drawn requires a Brawn roll starting with moderate for the first round, difficult for the second round, and very difficult for the third. If one of the Brawn rolls is a failure, the bow misfires that round. The user first loses his or her aiming bonus, then loses his or her extra damage, then if he or she wishes to fire anyway, he or she rolls his or her Bow Skill at -3D to hit.

Taking aim:
If the Tepasi Energy Bow is drawn back for at least one round, its user gets a +1 bonus to his or her Bows Skill cumulatively per round until the bow is fired, to a maximum of +1D to his or her Bows Skill.

Knock-back:
If a character is dealt 5 or more damage by the Tepasi Energy Bow in one shot, he or she is also knocked back an additional 1D+2 meters.

Resistant to scanning:
Tepasi Energy Bows are less apt to be detected by scanning equipment due to their low-tech nature. Add +3D to the Sensors difficulty when the cargo area a Tepasi Energy Bow occupies is being scanned for tech items (unless other tech items are actually there).

Stun option:
The user of the Tepasi E-Bow may change the damage of the weapon to stun or back to lethal as a roll-less full action in a round. Also, the PC wielding the bow must declare at the beginning of combat which setting the bow is on to begin with.

Quiet: Tepasi Energy Bows are not noisy weapons—an uncharged shot is about as loud as a large book falling on the floor from a height of one meter. Add +3D to the difficult of any Search rolls attempting to detect the bow by its firing sound.
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The only words of explanation you need for any concept in the entire Star Wars universe are the words Science Fiction and Space Opera.

[Naaman]

Very well conceived.

Can the user substitute his lifting skill for the strength roll to draw the bowstring?

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[Whill]

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[Naaman]

That sounds fine to me. And not to hijack the thread, but I have always interpreted the skills as being very general in their application. Lifting is one example. The game designers (at least by my interpretation) were not so informed on the differences between various activities that might all seem the same to the uninitiated. As a body builder, you no doubt differentiate netween pushing and pulling muscles and even between different techniques for training the same muscles depending on the desired result (maximal strength vs explosive strength vs endurance, vs speed, etc).

For me, I have always regarded lifting as the measure of the characters overall bodily strength. So, whethee the character is doing pull ups or dragging a wounded friend out of a burning wreck or lifting a rock off his buddy's leg, all of these would trigger a lifting roll in my opinion (I could see climbing being used in some cases for pull ups).

In other words, I interpret "lifting" (the skill) just as you interprer the proposed brawn. To me, it seems like all you'd need is a name change to make it suit you. I say go for it.

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[garhkal]

Nice write up, though cause of the 'can draw back and hold, increasing damage' i would rather see it start at 3d or 4d damage and ramp up..

Also, what happens if someone gets a 'crit fail' roll when making a to hit roll (Nat 1 on wild die, OR all die are 1s)?? Does the 'bow string snap causing the energy package to go boom in the archers face"?
What if someone targets the bow with a melee weapon and hits? What is the bow's resistance vs being damaged?

Can the 'bolt' it shoots be parried by a lightsaber? What of its "Stun bolts"??
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

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[Naaman]

There doesn't necessarily have to be a risk built into the weapon. The body strength of weapons is usually around 2D or so.

[garhkal]

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^ I will take a look at some of that a little closer.

I don't see why the RAW wouldn't permit a rule saying this particular weapon is deflectable only at 5D because after that the bolts get too big (round, cylinder-wise) to redirect accurately. It's like, why can't I redirect a waterfall with let's say a 1m x 1m board? Because the waterfall is too broad. If I wanted to deflect and control a trickle with such a board, it would be way easier.

Also, they're not old technology. They are essentially blaster technology but presented in a different format.

I guess it would have a body of 2D+1 (it's a strong weapon).

The stun bolt...hmm...I liked the blue rings from A New Hope. Let's stick with those. Unblockable, right?
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The only words of explanation you need for any concept in the entire Star Wars universe are the words Science Fiction and Space Opera.

[Whill]

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[Zarn]

Maybe slightly off-topic, but the movie The Humanoid from 1979 actually has a glass-like bow shooting 'blaster arrows' (about 54:30 into the movie).