Essential Guide to Weapons
Essential Guide to Weapons
As long as sentients have met in battle, civilizations have built weapons. From the hurled stone or a bone club to the horrific planet-shattering might of the Death Star, and beyond, galactic civilization has found new ways to incapacitate, maim, and kill in battle. Weapons both mundane and mystical, primitive and sophisticated, have shaped history, and will likely continue to do so.
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Blasters
The blaster dates back to the time of the Builders, or Rakata, and their wars of conquest and enslavement. Ancient records across numerous worlds known to have been under Rakatan rule speak of terrifying "rods of flame" and "beams of crimson lightning" being used to enforce the will of the Builders. After the fall of the Rakatan Empire, worlds with technological caches set about reverse-engineering the seemingly-magical weapons, while primitive chemical slugthrowers and edged weapons armed the former slaves. From these efforts, the first beam-tubes appeared around twenty millennia ago. These were followed by pulse-wave blasters, and then finally the modern blaster, which appeared shortly before the Mandalorian Wars.
Blasters have replaced slugthrowers in all but ultra-specialist applications for five primary reasons: blaster technology is massively scalable, from small holdout pistols to massive vehicle and starship-mounted defense guns; ammunition capacity is extremely compact, with a power pack capable of generating one hundred shots massing around 100 grams for a standard pistol, while even advanced chemical slugthrower designs require over a dozen times the mass for that capacity; the containment jacketing and galven circuitry has been refined to where modern small-arms and emplacement blasters compete with and even exceed the range of chemical slugthrowers (and some infantry-scale mass drivers) in similar roles; many blasters have a stun setting, allowing for flexibility of use and further decreases in equipment load a user must carry; and blasters are generally more powerful and lethal than slugthrowing weapons. One notable tradeoff is that blaster weapons generally have a slower rate of fire to avoid overstressing the weapon.
Two main types of blasters exist: particle beam blasters, the primary form of the weapon, and plasma blasters. Plasma blasters convert an energetic gas to plasma, collimate and jacket the plasma round until it is a bolt, and then accelerate it down the barrel. Plasma blasters were heavily used by Republic forces during the Clone Wars. Due to the ionized nature of the plasma, these bolts are especially effective against droids. However, their effects against living tissue are physically profound, boiling standing fluids and scorching drier tissues. Wounds from plasma blasters are extraordinarily painful, difficult to treat, but rather more shallow (relatively) than particle beam blaster wounds for a given discharge energy.
Particle beam blasters are the most common blaster in use. Tibanna gas is energized into create a stream of particles, collimated, jacketed, and then accelerated. Though not as devastating against droids, particle blasters are still sufficiently effective to be considered a general-purpose weapon against organic and synthetic threats. One interesting item to note is that particle beam blaster bolts do not generate heat on their own, unlike plasma bolts which are, by their nature, very hot. Instead, on impact, they create a displacement effect in the target matter. This is displacement carries kinetic energy, which is almost instantly dissipated as a flash of intense heat. Metals melt and scorch, flesh burns, and standing liquids in organic tissue flash to steam along a deep channel into the target. However, the process for generating the bolts themselves does create heat, which limits the rate of fire in blaster weapons and means sustained, automatic fire usually requires heavy cooling systems that bulk up a weapon quickly.
The blaster dates back to the time of the Builders, or Rakata, and their wars of conquest and enslavement. Ancient records across numerous worlds known to have been under Rakatan rule speak of terrifying "rods of flame" and "beams of crimson lightning" being used to enforce the will of the Builders. After the fall of the Rakatan Empire, worlds with technological caches set about reverse-engineering the seemingly-magical weapons, while primitive chemical slugthrowers and edged weapons armed the former slaves. From these efforts, the first beam-tubes appeared around twenty millennia ago. These were followed by pulse-wave blasters, and then finally the modern blaster, which appeared shortly before the Mandalorian Wars.
Blasters have replaced slugthrowers in all but ultra-specialist applications for five primary reasons: blaster technology is massively scalable, from small holdout pistols to massive vehicle and starship-mounted defense guns; ammunition capacity is extremely compact, with a power pack capable of generating one hundred shots massing around 100 grams for a standard pistol, while even advanced chemical slugthrower designs require over a dozen times the mass for that capacity; the containment jacketing and galven circuitry has been refined to where modern small-arms and emplacement blasters compete with and even exceed the range of chemical slugthrowers (and some infantry-scale mass drivers) in similar roles; many blasters have a stun setting, allowing for flexibility of use and further decreases in equipment load a user must carry; and blasters are generally more powerful and lethal than slugthrowing weapons. One notable tradeoff is that blaster weapons generally have a slower rate of fire to avoid overstressing the weapon.
Two main types of blasters exist: particle beam blasters, the primary form of the weapon, and plasma blasters. Plasma blasters convert an energetic gas to plasma, collimate and jacket the plasma round until it is a bolt, and then accelerate it down the barrel. Plasma blasters were heavily used by Republic forces during the Clone Wars. Due to the ionized nature of the plasma, these bolts are especially effective against droids. However, their effects against living tissue are physically profound, boiling standing fluids and scorching drier tissues. Wounds from plasma blasters are extraordinarily painful, difficult to treat, but rather more shallow (relatively) than particle beam blaster wounds for a given discharge energy.
Particle beam blasters are the most common blaster in use. Tibanna gas is energized into create a stream of particles, collimated, jacketed, and then accelerated. Though not as devastating against droids, particle blasters are still sufficiently effective to be considered a general-purpose weapon against organic and synthetic threats. One interesting item to note is that particle beam blaster bolts do not generate heat on their own, unlike plasma bolts which are, by their nature, very hot. Instead, on impact, they create a displacement effect in the target matter. This is displacement carries kinetic energy, which is almost instantly dissipated as a flash of intense heat. Metals melt and scorch, flesh burns, and standing liquids in organic tissue flash to steam along a deep channel into the target. However, the process for generating the bolts themselves does create heat, which limits the rate of fire in blaster weapons and means sustained, automatic fire usually requires heavy cooling systems that bulk up a weapon quickly.
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Laser Cannons and Turbolasers
Lasers refer to two distinct technologies, with one built off the other. The origins of the laser are again lost to the mists of time, but the term began as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. These devices functioned by "pumping" electrons into a lasing medium, energizing it to a metastable state and inducing it to stimulated emission of photons. These lasers are widely used for optical data disc drives, secure line-of-sight comlinks, data transmission (via optical fibers), detection systems, industrial processes, and countless other uses.
One of those uses is in the laser-energized blaster cannon, an invention hundreds of generations old. Time and expediency has shortened the term to simply "laser cannon." Indeed, the simplest and smallest laser cannons are just blasters that use specially-tuned lasers to further excite the tibanna or plasma medium to allow for greater energy output. It must be noted that laser cannons do not, in fact, fire conventional lasers. This is, unfortunately, less well-known than perhaps it should be and has led less-informed individuals to think they can render themselves proof against attack with mirrored surfaces... generally with fatal and messy results. While it is true that highly reflective surfaces do help reflect away thermal energy from a bolt impact and reflective surfaces have been used for this purpose, the schoolyard concepts of simply warding off everything from turbolasers to pistol fire with a pocket mirror is--for better or worse--simple childish fantasy.
Laser cannons are generally found starting aboard larger ground vehicles and medium-sized starfighters; the added laser hardware and heat-dissipation systems needed have pushed the break-even point when compared to blasters out of the small arms and light vehicle weaponry ranges. In a few cases, powerful blaster cannons have been referred to as laser cannons, such as the onboard weapons of the Baktoid B2 battle droid, but in strictly technical terms, they are blasters.
Laser cannons, on paper, offer a higher energy output but at the cost of a lower rate of fire compared to blaster cannons. However, due to the added needs of a laser cannon, power and heat-removal systems are usually in place that allow for more rapid discharges of the laser cannon without sacrificing charge. An example of this would be the venerable KX9 laser cannons aboard the legendary X-Wing starfighter being each capable of firing 180 rounds per minute, while the blaster cannons of the infamous Vulture droids of the Clone Wars could only manage 144 rounds per minute with a weaker bolt. And when mounted aboard capital ships, laser cannons are free of the power budgets found aboard starfighters; while an X-Wing's capacitors might allow for two dozen shots per gun, a capital ship can feed a similar model of laser cannon continuously, at full power, and at a higher rate of fire as long as power and thermal regulation connections are maintained.
Another odd hybrid of classic laser and blaster is the beam cannon. While a laser cannon is essentially a laser-pumped blaster, the beam can be thought of as a blaster-pumped laser. Their discharges travel at the speed of light in a continuous beam instead of a galvened plasma or particle packet. Beam cannons were notably used aboard the LAAT/i gunship of the Republic, in a dual anti-infantry and anti-armor role, though the design and its use dates back centuries. Lower-yield beam cannons are especially suited to antipersonnel work against massed infantry, sweeping across the ranks and scything down anything in the path of the beam. Against armor, sweeping passes can target structural linkages and other weak points, literally cutting apart enemy vehicles. However, these weapons are less energy- and gas-efficient than standard blasters, generating copious amounts of waste heat compared to standard blaster and laser weapons. This has limited their deployment and the development of heavy weapons of this type.
The turbolaser is the ultimate expression of the laser cannon. At the heart of the design is a standard heavy laser cannon, connected to a large array of capacitors. These capacitors store much greater amounts of energy than the basic cannon, and allow the bolt to be charged to much greater extent. Additionally, the capacitors feed additional galven circuitry, enhancing collimation and thus extending range.When fired, the laser bolt passes through a chamber of energized tibanna. In the early days of turbolaser design, this extra gas was kept energized by a separate turbine generator. Modern systems usually draw off the primary power supply, but the turbine-powered excitation system lives on in the name of the weapon. After this first escalation of power, the capacitors now dump their energy into the turbocharged bolt as it enters the galvening barrel, where the beam is collimated and strengthened further. Before galvening, the bolt is about three times as powerful as the base laser bolt; afterward, it can be anywhere from twenty to almost a hundred times as energetic depending on the length of the barrel, galvening power, and capacitor size.
The added systems make turbolasers very large, very heavy, and very power-intensive weapons. On top of the machinery needed for the core weapon, all turbolasers require powerful cryopumps and cooling sleeves or sheer waste heat and energy wash from firing would slag any known turbolaser, past or present. The need for cryonic-level cooling systems does not endear the turbolaser to rapid fire. However, their ability to inflict damage is unmatched by conventional weaponry.
Lasers refer to two distinct technologies, with one built off the other. The origins of the laser are again lost to the mists of time, but the term began as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. These devices functioned by "pumping" electrons into a lasing medium, energizing it to a metastable state and inducing it to stimulated emission of photons. These lasers are widely used for optical data disc drives, secure line-of-sight comlinks, data transmission (via optical fibers), detection systems, industrial processes, and countless other uses.
One of those uses is in the laser-energized blaster cannon, an invention hundreds of generations old. Time and expediency has shortened the term to simply "laser cannon." Indeed, the simplest and smallest laser cannons are just blasters that use specially-tuned lasers to further excite the tibanna or plasma medium to allow for greater energy output. It must be noted that laser cannons do not, in fact, fire conventional lasers. This is, unfortunately, less well-known than perhaps it should be and has led less-informed individuals to think they can render themselves proof against attack with mirrored surfaces... generally with fatal and messy results. While it is true that highly reflective surfaces do help reflect away thermal energy from a bolt impact and reflective surfaces have been used for this purpose, the schoolyard concepts of simply warding off everything from turbolasers to pistol fire with a pocket mirror is--for better or worse--simple childish fantasy.
Laser cannons are generally found starting aboard larger ground vehicles and medium-sized starfighters; the added laser hardware and heat-dissipation systems needed have pushed the break-even point when compared to blasters out of the small arms and light vehicle weaponry ranges. In a few cases, powerful blaster cannons have been referred to as laser cannons, such as the onboard weapons of the Baktoid B2 battle droid, but in strictly technical terms, they are blasters.
Laser cannons, on paper, offer a higher energy output but at the cost of a lower rate of fire compared to blaster cannons. However, due to the added needs of a laser cannon, power and heat-removal systems are usually in place that allow for more rapid discharges of the laser cannon without sacrificing charge. An example of this would be the venerable KX9 laser cannons aboard the legendary X-Wing starfighter being each capable of firing 180 rounds per minute, while the blaster cannons of the infamous Vulture droids of the Clone Wars could only manage 144 rounds per minute with a weaker bolt. And when mounted aboard capital ships, laser cannons are free of the power budgets found aboard starfighters; while an X-Wing's capacitors might allow for two dozen shots per gun, a capital ship can feed a similar model of laser cannon continuously, at full power, and at a higher rate of fire as long as power and thermal regulation connections are maintained.
Another odd hybrid of classic laser and blaster is the beam cannon. While a laser cannon is essentially a laser-pumped blaster, the beam can be thought of as a blaster-pumped laser. Their discharges travel at the speed of light in a continuous beam instead of a galvened plasma or particle packet. Beam cannons were notably used aboard the LAAT/i gunship of the Republic, in a dual anti-infantry and anti-armor role, though the design and its use dates back centuries. Lower-yield beam cannons are especially suited to antipersonnel work against massed infantry, sweeping across the ranks and scything down anything in the path of the beam. Against armor, sweeping passes can target structural linkages and other weak points, literally cutting apart enemy vehicles. However, these weapons are less energy- and gas-efficient than standard blasters, generating copious amounts of waste heat compared to standard blaster and laser weapons. This has limited their deployment and the development of heavy weapons of this type.
The turbolaser is the ultimate expression of the laser cannon. At the heart of the design is a standard heavy laser cannon, connected to a large array of capacitors. These capacitors store much greater amounts of energy than the basic cannon, and allow the bolt to be charged to much greater extent. Additionally, the capacitors feed additional galven circuitry, enhancing collimation and thus extending range.When fired, the laser bolt passes through a chamber of energized tibanna. In the early days of turbolaser design, this extra gas was kept energized by a separate turbine generator. Modern systems usually draw off the primary power supply, but the turbine-powered excitation system lives on in the name of the weapon. After this first escalation of power, the capacitors now dump their energy into the turbocharged bolt as it enters the galvening barrel, where the beam is collimated and strengthened further. Before galvening, the bolt is about three times as powerful as the base laser bolt; afterward, it can be anywhere from twenty to almost a hundred times as energetic depending on the length of the barrel, galvening power, and capacitor size.
The added systems make turbolasers very large, very heavy, and very power-intensive weapons. On top of the machinery needed for the core weapon, all turbolasers require powerful cryopumps and cooling sleeves or sheer waste heat and energy wash from firing would slag any known turbolaser, past or present. The need for cryonic-level cooling systems does not endear the turbolaser to rapid fire. However, their ability to inflict damage is unmatched by conventional weaponry.
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Ion Cannons
The exact origins of ion weaponry on the galactic stage are lost to the ages, but their impact has been undeniable. Unlike blaster weapons and their variants, ion cannons disable electronics without causing physical damage. They have been scaled from the ancient ion pistols of the Mandalorian Wars and Great Droid Revolution to planetary defense installations that can lock down enemy vessels with a single salvo. Ion cannons use a packet of charged particles suspended in a plasma bolt--itself magnetically-contained ionized gas--which strongly interacts with ray and particle shielding, and on contact with unprotected hulls, overloads circuitry and forces automatic shutdowns. However, the nature of the bolt is much less stable and the generation process much less efficient than that of tibanna-fueled laser bolts; accordingly, ion cannons have considerably shorter range for a given size projector, and less power. Ion cannons also generate more waste heat, reducing the rate of fire and increasing maintenance needs over laser weaponry. Even so, single ion cannon bursts have changed the courses of battles throughout history.
The exact origins of ion weaponry on the galactic stage are lost to the ages, but their impact has been undeniable. Unlike blaster weapons and their variants, ion cannons disable electronics without causing physical damage. They have been scaled from the ancient ion pistols of the Mandalorian Wars and Great Droid Revolution to planetary defense installations that can lock down enemy vessels with a single salvo. Ion cannons use a packet of charged particles suspended in a plasma bolt--itself magnetically-contained ionized gas--which strongly interacts with ray and particle shielding, and on contact with unprotected hulls, overloads circuitry and forces automatic shutdowns. However, the nature of the bolt is much less stable and the generation process much less efficient than that of tibanna-fueled laser bolts; accordingly, ion cannons have considerably shorter range for a given size projector, and less power. Ion cannons also generate more waste heat, reducing the rate of fire and increasing maintenance needs over laser weaponry. Even so, single ion cannon bursts have changed the courses of battles throughout history.
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Explosive Projectiles
Explosive and incendiary missiles predate even the rudimentary heatbeams of Xim the Despot, and likely stretch back further than any surviving written records of most civilizations. Whether flaming arrows, or advanced assault missiles piloted by integrated droid brains, the objective is always the same: improve on the punch offered by a projectile by adding an explosive and/or incendiary aspect. The primary missile weapons in space combat are concussion missiles and proton torpedoes, with a little more diversity in ground combat.
The simplest weapon is the gravity bomb. An explosive device is encased for aerodynamic and protective purposes, fitted with some kind of detonator (which can be contact, barometric, timed, proximity, gravity-activated, or any of a myriad of other systems), and dropped into a gravity well onto a target. The detonator responds to whatever stimulus it is set up for, and the explosive is triggered. Lower-strength bombs for hitting unprotected ground troops and weak, primitive structures, typically use a simple chemical explosive like detonite. Harder targets may call for increasingly-lethal payloads, including thermonuclear, baradium-core, proton-scattering, and even antimatter bombs.
Space bombs have more in common with proton torpedoes than they do with their ancient, gravity-propelled ancestors. However, their shape and sluggish performance have led to the moniker stubbornly resisting all attempts by technical purists to change it. Essentially, a massive warhead with a small thruster attached, space bombs gain most of their forward velocity from the craft launching them and only accelerate away just enough to avoid smashing into the ship firing them. Usually.
Space bombs typically take straight-line paths, and so are easily intercepted. This limits their usefulness against most armed targets. However, their destructive power is unmatched except by the largest proton torpedoes and concussion missiles. They are the most potent, shot for shot, weapons that can be mounted on a starfighter.
Proton torpedoes are famous both for their widespread use as general-purpose munitions, and the critical moments in history that pivoted on the employment of these ubiquitous weapons. It was a pair of MG7A proton torpedoes that vaporized the first Death Star. It was torpedo salvos that broke the Blockade of Naboo and helped turn the tide of battle against the Confederacy over Praesitlyn. Proton torpedoes range from miniature warheads that fit into shoulder-fired launch tubes to starfighter-sized behemoths of destruction that will splinter the toughest dreadnought armor.
Proton-scattering warheads are ancient, but modern torpedoes have existed in one form or another for only the last four millennia. Originally general-purpose rockets, the designs were refined until a weapon that could be carried on either ships or snubfighters for general anti-ship duty was developed. These weapons were named "torpedoes," a reference to archaic missile weapons that traveled through water to breach aquatic vessels below their waterline. The proliferation of proton-scattering warheads for their power, compactness, and relative safety quickly led to the vast majority of missile weapons with such payloads being simply called "proton torpedoes."
An off-shoot of the proton torpedo came along as better armor technologies were developed to thwart the destructive strength of proton-scattering payloads. Concussion spheres were developed in the pre-Republic days, and were functionally gravity bombs with specialized warheads. These were superseded by proton bombs and certain high-efficiency thermonuclear devices for millennia. But as armor technology improved, generals and admirals alike needed a weapon that wouldn't suffer the same damage abatement as the proton torpedo. Numerous parallel developments resulted in a weapon with an armor-penetrating tip, powerful thrust, and an explosive warhead within the body of the missile triggered after the weapon had breached the barrier. Early warheads used refinements on the old concussion sphere technology, and so the new weapons were named concussion missiles.
As a general rule, concussion missiles will have somewhat less yield than a proton torpedo of equal size due to the volume demands of the armor penetrator, delay mechanisms, and secondary energy pack that triggers the bursting charge. Additionally, concussion missiles are generally fitted with more powerful thrusters and thus are capable of greater speed to drive the armor-piercing tip into a target, though the increased thrust comes at the cost of burn time and thus powered flight envelope.
Explosive and incendiary missiles predate even the rudimentary heatbeams of Xim the Despot, and likely stretch back further than any surviving written records of most civilizations. Whether flaming arrows, or advanced assault missiles piloted by integrated droid brains, the objective is always the same: improve on the punch offered by a projectile by adding an explosive and/or incendiary aspect. The primary missile weapons in space combat are concussion missiles and proton torpedoes, with a little more diversity in ground combat.
The simplest weapon is the gravity bomb. An explosive device is encased for aerodynamic and protective purposes, fitted with some kind of detonator (which can be contact, barometric, timed, proximity, gravity-activated, or any of a myriad of other systems), and dropped into a gravity well onto a target. The detonator responds to whatever stimulus it is set up for, and the explosive is triggered. Lower-strength bombs for hitting unprotected ground troops and weak, primitive structures, typically use a simple chemical explosive like detonite. Harder targets may call for increasingly-lethal payloads, including thermonuclear, baradium-core, proton-scattering, and even antimatter bombs.
Space bombs have more in common with proton torpedoes than they do with their ancient, gravity-propelled ancestors. However, their shape and sluggish performance have led to the moniker stubbornly resisting all attempts by technical purists to change it. Essentially, a massive warhead with a small thruster attached, space bombs gain most of their forward velocity from the craft launching them and only accelerate away just enough to avoid smashing into the ship firing them. Usually.
Space bombs typically take straight-line paths, and so are easily intercepted. This limits their usefulness against most armed targets. However, their destructive power is unmatched except by the largest proton torpedoes and concussion missiles. They are the most potent, shot for shot, weapons that can be mounted on a starfighter.
Proton torpedoes are famous both for their widespread use as general-purpose munitions, and the critical moments in history that pivoted on the employment of these ubiquitous weapons. It was a pair of MG7A proton torpedoes that vaporized the first Death Star. It was torpedo salvos that broke the Blockade of Naboo and helped turn the tide of battle against the Confederacy over Praesitlyn. Proton torpedoes range from miniature warheads that fit into shoulder-fired launch tubes to starfighter-sized behemoths of destruction that will splinter the toughest dreadnought armor.
Proton-scattering warheads are ancient, but modern torpedoes have existed in one form or another for only the last four millennia. Originally general-purpose rockets, the designs were refined until a weapon that could be carried on either ships or snubfighters for general anti-ship duty was developed. These weapons were named "torpedoes," a reference to archaic missile weapons that traveled through water to breach aquatic vessels below their waterline. The proliferation of proton-scattering warheads for their power, compactness, and relative safety quickly led to the vast majority of missile weapons with such payloads being simply called "proton torpedoes."
An off-shoot of the proton torpedo came along as better armor technologies were developed to thwart the destructive strength of proton-scattering payloads. Concussion spheres were developed in the pre-Republic days, and were functionally gravity bombs with specialized warheads. These were superseded by proton bombs and certain high-efficiency thermonuclear devices for millennia. But as armor technology improved, generals and admirals alike needed a weapon that wouldn't suffer the same damage abatement as the proton torpedo. Numerous parallel developments resulted in a weapon with an armor-penetrating tip, powerful thrust, and an explosive warhead within the body of the missile triggered after the weapon had breached the barrier. Early warheads used refinements on the old concussion sphere technology, and so the new weapons were named concussion missiles.
As a general rule, concussion missiles will have somewhat less yield than a proton torpedo of equal size due to the volume demands of the armor penetrator, delay mechanisms, and secondary energy pack that triggers the bursting charge. Additionally, concussion missiles are generally fitted with more powerful thrusters and thus are capable of greater speed to drive the armor-piercing tip into a target, though the increased thrust comes at the cost of burn time and thus powered flight envelope.
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Other Ranged Weapons
Primitive Weaponry
War is one of the few invariables in the ancient histories of galactic civilizations. Before the races of the universe clawed free of the atmosphere to first orbit their worlds, nearly all used those claws on each other. Thrown weapons began as sticks and rocks, then evolved into spears and javelins. Smaller rocks could be placed in slings or slingshots for speed and range, larger stones loaded into siege weaponry. Even as galactic society battles amid the stars in hypercapable vessels powered by solar ionization, there are dark corners with systems where the hurled stone or the metal blade is the height of warfighting technology. As these weapons derive much of their striking power from the strength and skill of their user, broad quantification is difficult. An Ewok hurling a spear during their ill-fated defense of their homeworld packed a considerably different punch than an improvised Wookiee javelin used during the Liberation of Kashyyyk.
Slugthrowers
Slugthrowers, as the name suggests, use a force to propel metallic or ceramic projectiles at high speeds, inflicting serious kinetic damage on what they strike. These ancient weapons are more common--and constructed with modern materials more frequently--than the average Galactic citizen may realize. Both common-sense Republic and tyrannical Imperial blaster restrictions allowed the slugthrower to flourish in economically-depressed areas. Modern chemical slugthrowers also gained niche recognition as a tool for assassination: with no power source to detect or disable, common weapon screenings up to the beginning of the Clone Wars would easily miss such a weapon.
Primitive Weaponry
War is one of the few invariables in the ancient histories of galactic civilizations. Before the races of the universe clawed free of the atmosphere to first orbit their worlds, nearly all used those claws on each other. Thrown weapons began as sticks and rocks, then evolved into spears and javelins. Smaller rocks could be placed in slings or slingshots for speed and range, larger stones loaded into siege weaponry. Even as galactic society battles amid the stars in hypercapable vessels powered by solar ionization, there are dark corners with systems where the hurled stone or the metal blade is the height of warfighting technology. As these weapons derive much of their striking power from the strength and skill of their user, broad quantification is difficult. An Ewok hurling a spear during their ill-fated defense of their homeworld packed a considerably different punch than an improvised Wookiee javelin used during the Liberation of Kashyyyk.
Slugthrowers
Slugthrowers, as the name suggests, use a force to propel metallic or ceramic projectiles at high speeds, inflicting serious kinetic damage on what they strike. These ancient weapons are more common--and constructed with modern materials more frequently--than the average Galactic citizen may realize. Both common-sense Republic and tyrannical Imperial blaster restrictions allowed the slugthrower to flourish in economically-depressed areas. Modern chemical slugthrowers also gained niche recognition as a tool for assassination: with no power source to detect or disable, common weapon screenings up to the beginning of the Clone Wars would easily miss such a weapon.
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Weapon Mountings
For a vehicle or starship weapon to be useful, it must be placed into some kind of mount. There are two broad categories which combine to classify a weapon mount: the number of weapons in the mount, and the mobility of the mount.
For a vehicle or starship weapon to be useful, it must be placed into some kind of mount. There are two broad categories which combine to classify a weapon mount: the number of weapons in the mount, and the mobility of the mount.
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Re: Essential Guide to Weapons
Comparative Blaster Weapons
E-5 Blaster Rifle
Manufacturer: BlasTech Industries
Length: 40 centimeters
Mass: 2.2 kilograms empty
Effective Range: 200 meters (organic marksman on a range, 100 meters when used by B-1 battle droids in combat conditions)
Maximum Range: 750 meters (organic marksman on a range, 500 meters when used by B-1 battle droids in combat conditions)
Capacity: 100 standard charges in power cell, 500 standard charges in gas cylinder
Damage: 15
Firing Mode: Semiautomatic
Features: Cheap, mass-produced weapon suited for droids. Heat dissipation not adequate for combat use by organics.
E-11 Blaster Rifle
Manufacturer: BlasTech Industries
Length: 48.1 centimeters with stock folded, 68.6 centimeters with stock deployed
Mass: 2.7 kilograms empty
Effective Range: 400 meters
Maximum Range: 1200 meters
Capacity: 100 standard charges in power cell, 500 standard charges in gas cylinder
Damage: 18
Firing Mode: Semiautomatic
Features: 2x optical scope, extendable stock
A295 Blaster Rifle
Manufacturer: BlasTech Industries
Length: 94 centimeters
Mass: 4.98 kilograms empty
Effective Range: 450 meters
Maximum Range: 1400 meters
Capacity: 100 standard charges in power cell, 500 standard charges in gas cylinder
Damage: 20
Firing Mode: Semiautomatic
Features: 3x optical scope
T-21 Light Repeating Blaster
Manufacturer: BlasTech Industries
Length: 128 centimeters
Mass: 12.7 kilograms empty
Effective Range: 500 meters
Maximum Range: 1800 meters
Capacity: 75 standard charges in power cell, 500 standard charges in gas cylinder
Damage: 20
Firing Mode: Automatic
Rate of Fire: 200 rounds per minute
Features: When coupled to a backpack generator, can be fired continuously without any concerns for ammunition. However, barrel is prone to overheat.
Mark II Medium Repeating Blaster
Manufacturer: Merr-Sonn Munitions, Inc.
Length: 112 centimeters
Mass: 23 kilograms
Effective Range: 850 meters
Maximum Range: 2000 meters
Capacity: 100 standard charges in power cell, 1000 charges in gas cell
Damage: 38
Firing Mode: Automatic
Rate of Fire: 192 rounds per minute
Features: Capable of accepting power from numerous sources. Comes with built-in recoil-absorbing tripod mount.
E-Web (Emplacement Weapon, Heavy Blaster)
Manufacturer: BlasTech Industries
Length: 165 centimeters
Mass: 38 kilograms
Effective Range: 1200 meters
Maximum Range: 2500 meters
Capacity: Connected to power generator
Damage: 80
Firing Mode: Automatic
Rate of Fire: 288 rounds per minute
Features: Comes with 20 kg recoil-absorbing tripod mount. Long-ranged, hard-hitting, and high rate of fire. Can be fitted with aftermarket electrobinocular scope.
E-5 Blaster Rifle
Manufacturer: BlasTech Industries
Length: 40 centimeters
Mass: 2.2 kilograms empty
Effective Range: 200 meters (organic marksman on a range, 100 meters when used by B-1 battle droids in combat conditions)
Maximum Range: 750 meters (organic marksman on a range, 500 meters when used by B-1 battle droids in combat conditions)
Capacity: 100 standard charges in power cell, 500 standard charges in gas cylinder
Damage: 15
Firing Mode: Semiautomatic
Features: Cheap, mass-produced weapon suited for droids. Heat dissipation not adequate for combat use by organics.
E-11 Blaster Rifle
Manufacturer: BlasTech Industries
Length: 48.1 centimeters with stock folded, 68.6 centimeters with stock deployed
Mass: 2.7 kilograms empty
Effective Range: 400 meters
Maximum Range: 1200 meters
Capacity: 100 standard charges in power cell, 500 standard charges in gas cylinder
Damage: 18
Firing Mode: Semiautomatic
Features: 2x optical scope, extendable stock
A295 Blaster Rifle
Manufacturer: BlasTech Industries
Length: 94 centimeters
Mass: 4.98 kilograms empty
Effective Range: 450 meters
Maximum Range: 1400 meters
Capacity: 100 standard charges in power cell, 500 standard charges in gas cylinder
Damage: 20
Firing Mode: Semiautomatic
Features: 3x optical scope
T-21 Light Repeating Blaster
Manufacturer: BlasTech Industries
Length: 128 centimeters
Mass: 12.7 kilograms empty
Effective Range: 500 meters
Maximum Range: 1800 meters
Capacity: 75 standard charges in power cell, 500 standard charges in gas cylinder
Damage: 20
Firing Mode: Automatic
Rate of Fire: 200 rounds per minute
Features: When coupled to a backpack generator, can be fired continuously without any concerns for ammunition. However, barrel is prone to overheat.
Mark II Medium Repeating Blaster
Manufacturer: Merr-Sonn Munitions, Inc.
Length: 112 centimeters
Mass: 23 kilograms
Effective Range: 850 meters
Maximum Range: 2000 meters
Capacity: 100 standard charges in power cell, 1000 charges in gas cell
Damage: 38
Firing Mode: Automatic
Rate of Fire: 192 rounds per minute
Features: Capable of accepting power from numerous sources. Comes with built-in recoil-absorbing tripod mount.
E-Web (Emplacement Weapon, Heavy Blaster)
Manufacturer: BlasTech Industries
Length: 165 centimeters
Mass: 38 kilograms
Effective Range: 1200 meters
Maximum Range: 2500 meters
Capacity: Connected to power generator
Damage: 80
Firing Mode: Automatic
Rate of Fire: 288 rounds per minute
Features: Comes with 20 kg recoil-absorbing tripod mount. Long-ranged, hard-hitting, and high rate of fire. Can be fitted with aftermarket electrobinocular scope.
Moff
^What happens when Moff tries to be artistic
^What happens when Moff tries to be artistic
