Post by Ashi on Nov 22, 2009 0:21:45 GMT -5
In light of numerous fallacies in understanding the effects of weapons in RPs, both those I'm directly involved in and those I've read, I feel it necessary to elaborate on the damage types and how they work. In addition, I will explain the end results of the weapons in question. I'll sort by commonality within the SW universe, with projectile (by far the most rare weapon type in the star wars universe) weapons being last.
Blasters:
Most blasters are, essentially, plasma powered particle accelerators. In terms of damage, it is most accurate to call it a type of gamma laser. When hit with a round like this, there is a very significant kinetic impact (roughly 250-300 PSI for a heavy carbine) and serious burns penetrating deeply into soft tissues and the areas surrounding the impact. Depending on where the hit happens, it is quite possibly a lethal round, but even if it is not lethal, the target will be in extreme pain. An untrained mind (primarily military or jedi/sith disciplines) will simply pass out do to sensory overload. A trained mind will be temporarily stunned, in addition to being limited by whatever damage was done.
Now, a lethal hit from a blaster is anywhere in the abdomen, torso, neck, or head. A hold out blaster to the face may seem effective, but most of the time it will not kill your opponent due to a lack of penetrating power. If you lack power, your best bet is an abdomen shot, which will cause damage to various essential organs with very limited need for penetration (unless your opponent is over-weight. Then you just shoot 'em a few more times). If you have penetration comparable to a standard blaster pistol or better, face shots are more effective, but due to accuracy issues, you'll usually be best going for a torso or abdomen shot.
Plasma Blasters:
Far less common than the standard blaster, the plasma-based blaster is a literal plasma thrower. These weapons cause extensive heat damage, in addition to having a far more potent kinetic impact than a standard blaster. The trade off is that they have noticeably less ammunition capacity, and are required to change their tibanna gas canisters in addition to their power packs. This kind of blaster usually doesn't come in a pistol form, and a hold out blaster would only get one, perhaps two, shots. Similar to a standard blaster, limb shots are not lethal, but a hit to the center-of-mass or head is generally a guaranteed kill.
Stun Bolts:
Usually integrated into normal blasters, a stun weapon is almost unfailingly non-lethal. These weapons are electrical in nature and specifically target an opponent's nervous system. While some races are resistant to these attacks, all known species with a nervous system are susceptible to them if hit often enough. A low-powered stun round will knock a human opponent out for between 45 minutes and an hour. A high-powered blast from a specialized stun weapon will generally put someone out for 30-36 hours. Most blasters fall around the 2-5 hour mark.
Repeated hits are not cumulative, but hitting an unconscious target will add a fair amount of time to the stun period. the specific amount of time depends on the type of blaster and the power of the bolt used. Upon waking, most sentients feel like they've been hit by a buss, with a splitting headache and near-total lack of equilibrium. Think of it like a really, really bad hang-over.
Sonic Weapons:
Contrary to popular opinion, the goal of a sonic weapon is not to deafen a target. While an oft-convenient side-effect of the intended goal, the main goal is to attack the fluid within the inner-ear. If you're curious as to the details of the inner-ear, you can find it on wikipedia here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_ear The practical effect of this weapon type is that the target looses all equilibrium, balance, and depth perception, as all three of these are dependent upon the fluid in the inner ear being relatively undisturbed (Yes. This is why a really loud noise can make you queasy and light-headed). Sonic weapons vary in power and range, but the average weapon will put out 300-350 decibels at 20-30 meters. This amount is more than sufficient to floor virtually every known sentient species, and is more than capable of killing a bith.
A sub-set of this weapon type, the sonic/concussion grenade, generates a broad-spectrum sonic effect (aka pressure wave), attacking anybody within 5-8 meters of the detonation with the effects, and disorienting those within two-three times that distance. The effects are magnified in enclosed spaces such as buildings and vessels. In the average room, a single grenade will incapacitate everyone in the room for as much as ten minutes; two such grenades in the average room will risk deafening everyone in the room, and a third will flat blow out their ear-drums.
Concussion Weapons:
Concussion weapons are similar to sonic weapons in that they are general area-of-effect and are very effective in incapacitating an opponent via equilibrium, balance, and depth perception. The manner in how they do it differs slightly, however, as they focus specifically on compressing and releasing atmospheric pressure rather than sound. The end results are the same, however.
Concussion weapons also differ in the fact that they're often lethal. The pressure systems turn air itself into a projectile of sorts, and it does have surprisingly significant penetrating capabilities. In addition, the concussive aspects of this kind of weapon have incredible kinetic impacts, often launching adult human males (calculated off the 200 lbs average) between 3 and 5 meters.
Disruptors:
The nature of disruptors is disputed. The most widely accepted version will be discussed here, but additional concepts are available on the wiki. The Disruptor is similar to a blaster in it's mechanics, but the blast is far, far more focused. The result is a weapon that is short ranged, usually less than 15 meters, but is unfailingly lethal. There is no difference between a lethal and non-lethal impact when wielding these weapons, as they release their energy in a disintegration effect on all nearby matter. No known form of armor is effective against this weapon type (no, not even my beloved beskar can hold up to it).
The other downside to disruptors being used in every-day and battlefield use is their extreme ammunition consumption. The same amount of power and tibanna gas that would power the average blaster for an easy thousand rounds, will give the user of a disruptor perhaps ten or fifteen. The weapons themselves have been outlawed by the republic, but a surprising number of races and governments still produce these weapons.
Thermal Detonators:
No. These are not grenades. While often delivered in grenade form, and usually not much bigger than one, these are best compared to a miniature supernova. Anything, save beskar and a very, very few kinds of thermal ablative, will disintegrate within the average thermal detonator's blast radius of 20 meters (No, this does not mean you'll survive this weapon even if you're in beskar, but the armor itself will). Surprisingly, this weapon does not produce radiation or radioactive effects, but the weapon itself is nonetheless quite distinctive. These weapons are outlawed within the Republic.
Dart Launchers:
Generally considered a secondary weapon, these very useful secondary weapons are usually found by those who need or desire non-lethal options in addition to being able to provide lethal functionality. A wielder is generally familiar with the vast variety of dart choices available to them as well, which combine to produce one of the most effective general-purpose weapons in existence. The kinds of darts include everything from miniature syringes filled with poisons or toxins, to mild explosives and incendiary weapons. The lethality of the weapon is dependent upon what the wielder has loaded the weapon/syringes with. Stunning chemicals are known to be used, in addition to the many kinds of toxins available.
Projectile Weapons (Namely, Mass Drivers / Railguns / Chemically-propelled slugs):
These kinds of weapons are primitive and virtually impossible to find outside of primitive cultures (contrary to popular opinion on this site). A wielder of these weapon types is both an expert in weapons' lore and aware of the extreme variety in round types. For example: in a single magazine, a wielder might load a series of non-lethal rounds progressively worsening until lethal rounds are reached towards the end of the clip. That same user might also choose to have a series of explosive, armor piercing, and other types of munitions available. The four commonly accepted categories are: nonlethal (usually a gel or rubbery material), standard lethal (usually a dense material, like lead), Armor piercing (usually a material with a high-tensile strength), and explosive.
Save disruptors, projectile weapons are the most expensive weapons to own and operate. They require frequent reloading, large stores of hard-to-find ammunition, and extensive practice and training to use effectively. In addition to this, finding projectile weapons on the market is difficult, as there are very few modern facilities producing projectile weapons. Most projectile weapons to be found are semi-automatic or bolt-action weapons; they are usually found on primitive and backwater worlds.
Lethality varies significantly among projectile weapons. It depends on the caliber (barrel/round size), speed, substance, and impact area. For example, a fast-moving but very small projectile made of something very hard will pass thru a soft target with relatively little damage. This isn't to say that these impacts aren't very painful and potentially problematic, but they're generally less than lethal. As a general rule, any hit with a projectile weapon is not lethal if it hits a limb, and is most likely lethal with a center-of-mass hit.
Blasters:
Most blasters are, essentially, plasma powered particle accelerators. In terms of damage, it is most accurate to call it a type of gamma laser. When hit with a round like this, there is a very significant kinetic impact (roughly 250-300 PSI for a heavy carbine) and serious burns penetrating deeply into soft tissues and the areas surrounding the impact. Depending on where the hit happens, it is quite possibly a lethal round, but even if it is not lethal, the target will be in extreme pain. An untrained mind (primarily military or jedi/sith disciplines) will simply pass out do to sensory overload. A trained mind will be temporarily stunned, in addition to being limited by whatever damage was done.
Now, a lethal hit from a blaster is anywhere in the abdomen, torso, neck, or head. A hold out blaster to the face may seem effective, but most of the time it will not kill your opponent due to a lack of penetrating power. If you lack power, your best bet is an abdomen shot, which will cause damage to various essential organs with very limited need for penetration (unless your opponent is over-weight. Then you just shoot 'em a few more times). If you have penetration comparable to a standard blaster pistol or better, face shots are more effective, but due to accuracy issues, you'll usually be best going for a torso or abdomen shot.
Plasma Blasters:
Far less common than the standard blaster, the plasma-based blaster is a literal plasma thrower. These weapons cause extensive heat damage, in addition to having a far more potent kinetic impact than a standard blaster. The trade off is that they have noticeably less ammunition capacity, and are required to change their tibanna gas canisters in addition to their power packs. This kind of blaster usually doesn't come in a pistol form, and a hold out blaster would only get one, perhaps two, shots. Similar to a standard blaster, limb shots are not lethal, but a hit to the center-of-mass or head is generally a guaranteed kill.
Stun Bolts:
Usually integrated into normal blasters, a stun weapon is almost unfailingly non-lethal. These weapons are electrical in nature and specifically target an opponent's nervous system. While some races are resistant to these attacks, all known species with a nervous system are susceptible to them if hit often enough. A low-powered stun round will knock a human opponent out for between 45 minutes and an hour. A high-powered blast from a specialized stun weapon will generally put someone out for 30-36 hours. Most blasters fall around the 2-5 hour mark.
Repeated hits are not cumulative, but hitting an unconscious target will add a fair amount of time to the stun period. the specific amount of time depends on the type of blaster and the power of the bolt used. Upon waking, most sentients feel like they've been hit by a buss, with a splitting headache and near-total lack of equilibrium. Think of it like a really, really bad hang-over.
Sonic Weapons:
Contrary to popular opinion, the goal of a sonic weapon is not to deafen a target. While an oft-convenient side-effect of the intended goal, the main goal is to attack the fluid within the inner-ear. If you're curious as to the details of the inner-ear, you can find it on wikipedia here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_ear The practical effect of this weapon type is that the target looses all equilibrium, balance, and depth perception, as all three of these are dependent upon the fluid in the inner ear being relatively undisturbed (Yes. This is why a really loud noise can make you queasy and light-headed). Sonic weapons vary in power and range, but the average weapon will put out 300-350 decibels at 20-30 meters. This amount is more than sufficient to floor virtually every known sentient species, and is more than capable of killing a bith.
A sub-set of this weapon type, the sonic/concussion grenade, generates a broad-spectrum sonic effect (aka pressure wave), attacking anybody within 5-8 meters of the detonation with the effects, and disorienting those within two-three times that distance. The effects are magnified in enclosed spaces such as buildings and vessels. In the average room, a single grenade will incapacitate everyone in the room for as much as ten minutes; two such grenades in the average room will risk deafening everyone in the room, and a third will flat blow out their ear-drums.
Concussion Weapons:
Concussion weapons are similar to sonic weapons in that they are general area-of-effect and are very effective in incapacitating an opponent via equilibrium, balance, and depth perception. The manner in how they do it differs slightly, however, as they focus specifically on compressing and releasing atmospheric pressure rather than sound. The end results are the same, however.
Concussion weapons also differ in the fact that they're often lethal. The pressure systems turn air itself into a projectile of sorts, and it does have surprisingly significant penetrating capabilities. In addition, the concussive aspects of this kind of weapon have incredible kinetic impacts, often launching adult human males (calculated off the 200 lbs average) between 3 and 5 meters.
Disruptors:
The nature of disruptors is disputed. The most widely accepted version will be discussed here, but additional concepts are available on the wiki. The Disruptor is similar to a blaster in it's mechanics, but the blast is far, far more focused. The result is a weapon that is short ranged, usually less than 15 meters, but is unfailingly lethal. There is no difference between a lethal and non-lethal impact when wielding these weapons, as they release their energy in a disintegration effect on all nearby matter. No known form of armor is effective against this weapon type (no, not even my beloved beskar can hold up to it).
The other downside to disruptors being used in every-day and battlefield use is their extreme ammunition consumption. The same amount of power and tibanna gas that would power the average blaster for an easy thousand rounds, will give the user of a disruptor perhaps ten or fifteen. The weapons themselves have been outlawed by the republic, but a surprising number of races and governments still produce these weapons.
Thermal Detonators:
No. These are not grenades. While often delivered in grenade form, and usually not much bigger than one, these are best compared to a miniature supernova. Anything, save beskar and a very, very few kinds of thermal ablative, will disintegrate within the average thermal detonator's blast radius of 20 meters (No, this does not mean you'll survive this weapon even if you're in beskar, but the armor itself will). Surprisingly, this weapon does not produce radiation or radioactive effects, but the weapon itself is nonetheless quite distinctive. These weapons are outlawed within the Republic.
Dart Launchers:
Generally considered a secondary weapon, these very useful secondary weapons are usually found by those who need or desire non-lethal options in addition to being able to provide lethal functionality. A wielder is generally familiar with the vast variety of dart choices available to them as well, which combine to produce one of the most effective general-purpose weapons in existence. The kinds of darts include everything from miniature syringes filled with poisons or toxins, to mild explosives and incendiary weapons. The lethality of the weapon is dependent upon what the wielder has loaded the weapon/syringes with. Stunning chemicals are known to be used, in addition to the many kinds of toxins available.
Projectile Weapons (Namely, Mass Drivers / Railguns / Chemically-propelled slugs):
These kinds of weapons are primitive and virtually impossible to find outside of primitive cultures (contrary to popular opinion on this site). A wielder of these weapon types is both an expert in weapons' lore and aware of the extreme variety in round types. For example: in a single magazine, a wielder might load a series of non-lethal rounds progressively worsening until lethal rounds are reached towards the end of the clip. That same user might also choose to have a series of explosive, armor piercing, and other types of munitions available. The four commonly accepted categories are: nonlethal (usually a gel or rubbery material), standard lethal (usually a dense material, like lead), Armor piercing (usually a material with a high-tensile strength), and explosive.
Save disruptors, projectile weapons are the most expensive weapons to own and operate. They require frequent reloading, large stores of hard-to-find ammunition, and extensive practice and training to use effectively. In addition to this, finding projectile weapons on the market is difficult, as there are very few modern facilities producing projectile weapons. Most projectile weapons to be found are semi-automatic or bolt-action weapons; they are usually found on primitive and backwater worlds.
Lethality varies significantly among projectile weapons. It depends on the caliber (barrel/round size), speed, substance, and impact area. For example, a fast-moving but very small projectile made of something very hard will pass thru a soft target with relatively little damage. This isn't to say that these impacts aren't very painful and potentially problematic, but they're generally less than lethal. As a general rule, any hit with a projectile weapon is not lethal if it hits a limb, and is most likely lethal with a center-of-mass hit.