Yes Sheild/No Armor Weapons; Kinetic sheilds; Weapon Archive

2 posts · Jan 30 2001 to Jan 30 2001

From: Izenberg, Noam <Noam.Izenberg@j...>

Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 10:09:07 -0500

Subject: Yes Sheild/No Armor Weapons; Kinetic sheilds; Weapon Archive

Karl Heinz wrote

> Not a specific comment about your suggestion, but ...
How
> about some weapons that are affected by shields, but do ignore armor or

Some stuff Dean Gundberg and I talksd about quite a while ago might fit this
bill:

Graviton Beams - Each point of energy used gives 1 d6 to roll (like EFSB

HBW) with a -1 modifier per each portion of 8" range (0-8" -1, 8-16" -2,
16-24" -3, 24-32" -4, 32-40" -5), 6's get a re-roll.  Each level of
screens
on the target ship is a -1 modifer on damage roll (no modifier for
screens
on re-rolls).  Grav beam penetrates armor after one armor box is hit
(like
K-guns). PSB is the Grav Beam damages the whole ship by molecular shear.
Mass 3 +1/arc (max 3 arcs), Cost 3pts/mass

Other grave wepons would use the same armor-skipping PSB of a "ship
shaking"
type attack (like the (shudder) SFB Andromedan T/R beam)

Another idea is similar to Brendan's Mind Control Lasers - but I thought
of
it as a telepathic attack, either from a PSI-corps type setup or a
telepathic race. Different dynamic but similar concept. Sheilds disrupt the
attack, armor is ignored. Attacks differ from telepathic control of crew (for
"boarding action" combat) to telekenetic control (or disruption of control) of
the ship.

Schoon said:
> I don't care for the idea of "improved shields" against everything as

I felt the same way. Here's what I came up with at the Skunkworks:
1. (maybe poorly balanced) Gravitic Shields - Same function as normal
screens, but works against particle, torp, or mass (i.e. RG)
     weapons/missiles/torpedoes only. Ship with gravitic shields cannot
fire particle
     weapons/missiles/torpedoes on turns the shields are active.
Fighters treat shields as screens of same
     level. Cost/mass/levels are  the same as screens. Missiles, SLMs,
Torps, receive -2 per die of damage
per shield level (max level is 2). Energy weapons (or other weapons affected
by screens) are not affected by Gravitic Shields. Alternate effect (cinematic
only): Instead of restrictions on firing weapons, ship with active Gravitic
Shields has thrust reduced by 50%.

Plus two "all-purpose shield systems - I won't vouch for their level of
balance without having tested them:
   1.Mass/Energy Shields (ME shield) - Trek type shield. System has
emitters and generators generator
     costs 5% ship mass/level. Emitters: 360 degree coverage  = 3 mass,
180 = 2 mass, 60 = 1 mass. Acts as screen against beam weapons. Reduces other
damage by shield level. If a shield facing receives more damage than its level
from a single source (weapon, not ship), the emitter facing that direction
makes a threshold check at current level.
   2.Damage Shield - Generic damage absorption shield. Mass is 2% ship
mass per shield point (1 mass per point minimum), cost is 3 points per Mass.
Each shield point has its
own box on the SSD + 1 box for the
generator. When damage is taken from any source over one turn, it is applied
to the damage shield first, until the shield has absorbed as many points as it
has boxes. Each box that absorbs damage rolls a threshold at the current
level, and burns out if it fails (i.e. that box cannot absorb damage on
subsequent
     turns until/unless repaired). If the Shield is overwhelmed (damge
received is greater than number of functioning shield boxes), then the
generator also takes a threshold check. When a normal threshold due to
     damage is called for, each shield box _and_ the generator take
another threshold roll. SSD Symbols: Each shield point is an open diamond,
forming a row above Armor. The Shield Generator is an open octagon at the end
of the shield row.

And finally:

Beth Fulton Said:

> The recent exchange of weapon ideas reminded me to ask whether or not

My skunkworks page has ideas by other people as will as my own, but it's not
comprensive. It is something, however, I think I wouldn't mind undertaking. I
think I'm going to start looking around and collecting.

From: Charles Taylor <charles.taylor@c...>

Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 18:55:04 GMT

Subject: Re: Yes Sheild/No Armor Weapons; Kinetic sheilds; Weapon Archive

In message <6B3C0EEAB4FED3119F5F009027DC5E9EA9AD88@spacemsg3.jhuapl.edu>
> "Izenberg, Noam" <Noam.Izenberg@jhuapl.edu> wrote:

> Karl Heinz wrote
-2,
> 16-24" -3, 24-32" -4, 32-40" -5), 6's get a re-roll. Each level of
[snip]

Yet another idea surfaces from my memory - and this one is _nasty_

The Scrambler Beam (more Über alien tech)

Using advanced transmition techniques and information theory, this
weapon disables opponents systems by transmitting cross-platform viral
memes into the computer systems.

In essence - a _toned down_ FT write up of a Ian M. Banks effector
system.

Game Mechanics: A FC must be dedicated to the use ofthis weapon, the firing
player designates a single system on the target ship (like firing Needle
Beams, but longer range).
Roll a number of dice equal to the the class of the Scrambler Beam, -1
per full 12 mu of range. Count the dice as beam dice, screens & vapour shrouds
apply as usual. Any damage indicates that the system is knocked out (can be
repaired as normal)

The nasty bit - this thing can target core systems (which are treated as
having an extra level of screens) - the severity of the damage to the
core is based on the damage done - ie. bridge hit knocks out bridge for
1 turn per dp.

Very Nasty, and difficult to cost :-)