Disruptor Weapons

[Akumakaji]

Hello everyone, today I want to talk about Disruptor weapons.

In the lore of Star Wars, on older technology predating the blaster, was the Disruptor. The Disuptor breaks the target down on a molecular level and leaves quite nasty wounds and an especially painful way to die. They also use much more blast gas and would have a much more reduced ammunition counter, rate of fire and range. The lore around them makes them somewhat more powerful and the preferred tool of assassins or brutal and though crime syndicate thugs, but mechanically speaking, not a lot of this translates into the actual game.

There are only a handful of Disruptor weapons in the game, and most of them deal +2 pip or +1D more damage then a comparable blaster and many have indeed a very small range and ammo counter, but not every one has a reduced RoF.

I would like to somewhat brainstorm rules for Disruptors and maybe device some rules that you could simply add on to a normal blaster, to make it into a Disruptor.

Something like "reduce Rate of Fire to 2, reduce range to 0-3/5/7, increase damage by +2".

I am toying with letting them ignore 1D of protection, or maybe damaging and reducing armor, as they would besically disolve it. It should be noted that the use of a Disruptor is illegal on nearly every world and looked down upon by everyone, so my aim isnt to min-max the damage, but to somehow make the appearance of a Disruptor in the story somewhat special and maybe even hated.

In something like DnD I would let them also inflict pain or maybe a fear effect, but in d6 we dont have this kind of added effects. Just toying with ideas, there could be a Willpower roll if someone on your team gets wounded or even dies by a Disruptor, to reflect the demoralizing effect (10 for a wound, 15 for incapacitated, 25 for being killed) or suffer -1D demoralization.

[CRMcNeill]

An Ignore Protection rule is best reserved for dedicated armor piercing weapons, as it will actually reduce effectiveness against unarmored targets. Personally, I’m okay with disrupters being powerful, short-ranged hand cannon with limited ammunition. Something like a personal anti-matter cannon.
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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

[FVBonura]

We are discussing disruptor technology here: Phase Tech.
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Star Wars Deckplans Alliance
Star Wars Prequel Commentary

[CRMcNeill]

When I redid the stats, I invented a weapon called the Assault Turbolaser for things like the Alliance Assault Frigate and similar craft. It hit like a turbolaser, but with a shorter range and low fire rate. My thinking was that assault ships’ mission was to run in fast and hit targets at close range with a powerful energy weapons.

However, a recent conversation elsewhere got me thinking. Disrupters are already a thing in the SWU, so why not scale them up for use on capital ships and combat starships?
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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

[pakman]

Don't need anything too crazy.

If target is incapacitated, they lose a limb and will need a cybernetic replacement. If they are killed - they are disintegrated.

I do like the demoralizing idea- in my game, I use fear checks (typically against willpower) and a competent opponent with a disruptor may qualify...hmmm.....nice.


As far as starship based - I would say too much power and too short of range makes them impractical.

There is already a proliferation of too many weapon types (blasters, laser cannons, auto blasters, turbo lasers etc. etc.) in my opinion. We don't need complexity for the sake of complexity.

However - everyone runs a different game - so to each their own.
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SW Fan, Gamer, Comic, Corporate nerd.
Working on massive House Rules document - pretty much a new book. Will post soon....

[CRMcNeill]

Disruptor weapons already have a general premise in the SWU (see the Han Solo & The Corporate Sector SB): powerful for their size and short ranged. Starship-mounted versions would just be that, scaled up.
_________________
"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

[FVBonura]

I just read the Han Solo Adventures. In "Han Solo at Stars' End" the character Rekkon set his disruptor to overload then fired, and the weapon did so much damage it stopped a CSA hovervan (i.e. Speeder-scale damage). He burned his hand and the weapon was melted.

I came up with a house rule such that an overload setting does the normal damage plus one pip of damage for each charge remaining in the weapon.

Example: the disruptor does 6D damage and has 6 shots. Setting to overload and firing does 6D + 6 pips or 8D damage and the weapon is destroyed.

This is based on 2nd Ed R&E combined fire rules so its easy to remember and implement in play.

Food for thought.

P.S. Disruptors are used a great deal by the late Brian Charles Daley in his trilogy. They may not be as illegal in the Corporate Sector and the Tion Hegemony as the rest of the galaxy at large.
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Star Wars Deckplans Alliance
Star Wars Prequel Commentary

[fogger1138]

I liked how Telsij handled disruptors with his write-up of the Amban pulse rifle:

[raithyn]

[CRMcNeill]

I would suggest that the threshold for complete disintegration be moved above Killed, such as +10 or more.
_________________
"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

[garhkal]

I'd agree. Disintergrate should need a kill result.
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]