Spray Weapons

Spray weapons blast their ammunition in a widening cone, allowing the firer to strike several targets at once (Area Effect). They are fired using Guns skill.

Ammunition: With the exception of buzzers (which use nanoswarms) and sprayers (which use chemicals/drugs, 3 doses per shot), spray weapons follow the ammunition and reloading rules.

Buzzer: Buzzers are used to deploy a particular type of nanoswarm, either at a target or over an area. They carry a limited number of swarms, but contain a specialized hive that can construct new swarms.

Freezer: Freezers spew out a fast-hardening foam that immediately hardens. They are primarily used as a non-lethal method of immobilizing or securing a target. Struck characters must immediately make a REF Check or become trapped; treat as the grappled condition. Breaking free requires a SOM Check by the trapped target (at −30) or an outside helper. The attacker’s superior successes can be used to apply a cumulative −10 modifier to these checks. Additional shots can be used to apply more layers to a trapped target (each requiring a SOM Check to break free). The foam allows characters to breathe even if their mouth and nose are covered, but it may impede sight. Freezer foam can be spiked with contact toxins or drugs to additionally incapacitate the target. It can also be used to construct temporary barricades or cover (creating moderate cover for 1 person per shot). Hardened foam has an Armor of 5/10 and Durability of 20. It slowly breaks down and degrades over a 12-hour period.

Plasma Rifle: This bulky, heavy, two-handed weapon blasts a stream of nova-hot plasma at the target, inflicting severe burns and thermal damage, possibly melting or evaporating the target entirely. Plasma rifles are perhaps the deadliest man-portable weapons in use. A superior success sets the target on fire; they will continue to take DV 2d10 per action turn (armor does not apply) until extinguished. Plasma guns suffer from dangerous overheating in vacuum and require 1 full action turn of cool-down time after every 2 shots.

Shard Pistol: This weapon fires a stream of diamondoid shards at high velocities with each shot. A blast of these micro-flechettes is very traumatic to flesh, but their armor-piercing capabilities are offset by their low mass. Shard pistols are ideal for close-quarters habitats, as the shards tend to shatter rather than ricochet. Shard ammunition is sometimes coated with drugs or toxins for extra efficiency.

Shredder: A heavier version of the shard pistol, the shredder fires a larger cloud of lethal flechettes, enough to shred a portion of the target into a fine mist.

Sprayer: This is a general-purpose two-handed squirtgun, loaded with tanks filled with the chemical or drug of the wielder’s choice. Each shot uses 3 doses; each target is hit with 1 dose.

Torch: This modern flamethrower uses condensed ammunition capsules rather than fuel tanks, scorching targets and setting them on fire. A superior success sets the target on fire; they will continue to take DV 2d10 per action turn (armor does not apply) until extinguished. These chemical fires are particularly difficult to put out unless they are deprived of oxygen.

Vortex Ring Gun: This less-lethal weapon detonates a blank cartridge and accelerates the explosive pressure down a widening barrel so that it develops into a high-speed vortex ring. This spinning, donut-shaped, concussive blast knocks down and stuns close-range targets. Drugs, chemicals, and similar agents can be loaded into the charge as well.