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CRMcNeill
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 Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 12:06 am Post subject: Particle / Plasma Beam Cannon |
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So, I have this vague idea that I'd like to try out. What I'm picturing is basically a lightning gun, firing a stream of electricity. What would make this unique is that, on a successful hit, the lightning would leave behind a virtual conduit in the air between the target and the shooter, such that subsequent shots would tend to bend the shot toward the original target. Short version, on a successful hit, the shooter would receive a +2D bonus to hit the same target again the next round even if the target has ducked behind cover. The bonus would only last one round, but each successful hit would generate a +2D bonus the following round.
The drawback would be that the 2D bonus to hit becomes a -2D penalty to hit if you attempt to shoot at another target in the same arc, due to the tendency of the beam to follow the ionized path of the previous shot. The only way to restart the process would be to hold fire for a round in order to give the ionization trail a chance to dissipate.
I haven't really put any thoughts into this, but I've always liked some of the visuals of arc-fire weaponry, where the beam bends and twists to maintain the connection to the target.
Thoughts?
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Last edited by CRMcNeill on Tue Sep 24, 2019 1:36 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Mamatried
Commodore
Joined: 16 Dec 2017
Posts: 1861
Location: Norway
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| Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 1:37 am Post subject: |
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Why did i get a ghostbuster mental image by this.
is actually a cool concept, though.
Arc Balster to me somehow sounded like some form of flechette |
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garhkal
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| Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 2:30 am Post subject: |
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Cool concept, but i can easily see this being very short range, such like a deck sweeper is..
Would it do only stun damage, or lethal?
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
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| Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 9:33 am Post subject: |
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| Mamatried wrote: | Why did i get a ghostbuster mental image by this.
is actually a cool concept, though. |
That occured to me, but my main inspiration was the plasma laser from the old top-scroller jet combat game Raiden II.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16326
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 9:37 am Post subject: |
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| garhkal wrote: | | Cool concept, but i can easily see this being very short range, such like a deck sweeper is.. |
Agreed, due to the tendency of the beam to arc into other objects as range increases.
| Quote: | | Would it do only stun damage, or lethal? |
I'm not sure. Stun mode is particular to blasters, so if a weapon that doesn't use blaster tech (which this doesn't) would have to have a different explanation as to why it would inflict lesser damage...
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
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garhkal
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| Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 3:16 pm Post subject: |
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I am thinking on how modern tazers are, they are non-lethal weaponry, and only in RARE cases can they kill/injure.
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CRMcNeill
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| Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 9:18 pm Post subject: |
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| garhkal wrote: | | I am thinking on how modern tazers are, they are non-lethal weaponry, and only in RARE cases can they kill/injure. |
True, but tasers are specifically designed for a non-lethal effect; direct lightning strikes are usually lethal, as are electric chairs. It’s mostly a matter of wattage and amperage of the electricity.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
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Bren
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| Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2019 2:29 pm Post subject: |
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| CRMcNeill wrote: | | ...direct lightning strikes are usually lethal |
But when they are not you sometimes get superpowers.
Oops wrong genre. 
The idea is interesting, but I wouldn't want to use it as a standard or available weapon. I use it as the special weapon of some particular alien species. Some connection with the environment would be nice as well. Not sure what environment though. Maybe a planet with a lot of thunderstorms. |
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Sutehp
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| Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2019 12:40 am Post subject: |
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| Bren wrote: | | CRMcNeill wrote: | | ...direct lightning strikes are usually lethal |
But when they are not you sometimes get superpowers.
Oops wrong genre. |
And if you strike a robot with lightning, it might gain sentience, like in Short Circuit. After all, Lightning Can Do Anything. (On that note, this forum needs an emoticon of Emperor Palpatine using Force Lightning on Luke. After all, we have one of Luke and Darth Vader dueling with lightsabers, remember?) 
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Bren
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| Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2019 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Sutehp wrote: | | And if you strike a robot with lightning, it might gain sentience, like in Short Circuit. |
Which explains how the Star Wars Universe ended up with sentient droids. Some Dark Sider used Force Lightning on a robot and FAZOOK! Sentient droid. |
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Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)
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| Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2019 6:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Sutehp wrote: | | (On that note, this forum needs an emoticon of Emperor Palpatine using Force Lightning on Luke. After all, we have one of Luke and Darth Vader dueling with lightsabers, remember?) |
I was wondering when someone would use that. A while back I finally figured out how to add emoticons to the forum, and added that one as a test. I haven't got back around to adding anymore. So someday there may be an Emperor shooting lightning one.
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CRMcNeill
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Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2019 9:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Bren wrote: | | The idea is interesting, but I wouldn't want to use it as a standard or available weapon. I use it as the special weapon of some particular alien species. Some connection with the environment would be nice as well. Not sure what environment though. Maybe a planet with a lot of thunderstorms. |
I'm not quite sure how I want to use it; I just like the concept. I've always wanted to do something along these lines, but couldn't really think of a balanced rule that did it justice.
The muse for this (a brief mention in Hull 721 part 2) doesn't offer any sort of description, just that, when prepping for an assault on an orbital habitat, the snipers of the Black Prince's stormtrooper legion swapped their marksman blaster rifles for arc blasters, which were better suited to close quarters combat. My mind immediately went to arc as in "electrical arc" but considering the only other context in which "arc" and "blaster" are used in combination in the series is the blaster shotgun (specifically, the "Variable Choke Arc Saturation Blaster"), which would also be pretty handy in a close-quarters battle aboard a space station.
But this is where my mind went...
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garhkal
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| Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2019 2:05 am Post subject: |
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Sounds like what they termed 'arc' was more of a deck sweeper like, broad arc blaster.
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CRMcNeill
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| Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2019 10:04 am Post subject: |
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| garhkal wrote: | | Sounds like what they termed 'arc' was more of a deck sweeper like, broad arc blaster. |
In context, it’s more like a blaster shotgun, which a deck sweeper really isn’t (or if it was intended to be, the stat writer had little or no experience with actual shotguns).
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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Darklighter79
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| Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2019 3:44 pm Post subject: Re: Arc Blaster |
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| CRMcNeill wrote: | So, I have this vague idea that I'd like to try out. What I'm picturing is basically a lightning gun, firing a stream of electricity. What would make this unique is that, on a successful hit, the lightning would leave behind a virtual conduit in the air between the target and the shooter, such that subsequent shots would tend to bend the shot toward the original target. Short version, on a successful hit, the shooter would receive a +2D bonus to hit the same target again the next round even if the target has ducked behind cover. The bonus would only last one round, but each successful hit would generate a +2D bonus the following round.
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Is it something like SWTOR's Vanguard Pulse Cannon/Ion Wave special attack? Area short range attack (cone) that inflicts ion damage.
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