Post by Morse on Sept 5, 2012 1:05:58 GMT -5
1 credit = 2.5 Platinum
1 credit = $25 U.S
Holsters and Rigs
• Gun Cleaning Kit: c3
Every good soldier (and settler) knows that you need to take care of your weapons if you want them to take care of you. Guns need to be cleaned and sometimes repaired. This small kit includes all the tools necessary for such. Bought on the Rim, the kit most likely comes in a leather pouch about the size of a shoulder bag. Purchased in the Core, it will come in a professional-looking metal case.
• Gun Vac Case: c3
Since most weapons need atmo to fire, it stands to reason someone would think of a way to fire one in space, too. A gun case is designed for a specific type of gun. It closes around the front end, making it look like it's got a barrel about five times wider than it should be. The case pumps air into the chambers and barrel when you pull the trigger, allowing the weapon to discharge normally. Unfortunately, a lot of the internal atmo is wasted with each pull, so the air generally lasts for only 10 shots before the case needs to be refilled back on the ship.
• Gun Rig: 30c
A shoulder-and-chest mounted harness with a projecting hydraulic swing-arm, distributing the weight of a heavy weapon and stabilizing it against recoil.
• Harness: 6c
An arrangement of shoulder and chest straps, a vest with detachable pockets, and a web belt, a combat harness is an essential part of any soldier’s gear while out in the field. It includes an assault sling that lets you hang your weapon ready across your chest, pointing horizontally when in combat and down when you’re idling. A harness is highly adjustable, letting you hook your gear on however you’d best like. No matter how effective it is, wearing a combat harness tends to make you stand out, so leave it at home if being conspicuous ain’t part of the plan.
• Holster, Concealed: 2c
A holster meant to keep a piece out of sight, rather than at hand.
• Holster, Null: 75c (Illegal)
This interesting piece of gear is just about as illegal as you can get on the Core worlds. A null holster keeps your sidearm safe and snug, and has a mesh flap that stretches over the butt. The material of the holster is “dead” tometal detectors, chemical sweepers, and to any kind of imaging sensor you might pass through in Alliance territory. Unless they’re making you strip or patting you down, your weapons’ll not be found while in this holster.
• Holster, Shoulder: 2c
A simple shoulder holster for one or two sidearms, configurable so you can draw upwards or outwards. No difference either way, as sah gwa dumb enough to put a gun up where they’ve got to skin it crossbody isn’t to be taken seriously.
• Holster, Speed-Draw: 10c
A gunslinger’s rig, a speed-draw holster hangs low on the upper leg, with the butt of the pistol resting just level with the palm of the wearer’s hand. Usually the tip of the holster is tied to the leg by a thin cord or strap, and the pistol’s held in place with a thumbbreak (a small strap over the hammer, snapped to the holster itself, keeping the iron in place but coming loose when it needs to). You see a fella wearing one of these you’d be wise to steer clear.
• Holster, Tactical: 8c
If you absolutely don’t want anyone taking your sidearm from you without your say-so, a tactical holster is for you. It features a pressure lock with a few options for releasing the catch.
Hand-to-Hand Weapons
• Axe: 2c
Whether you’re talking about a woodsman’s tool or something fierce like a Reaver might boast, an axe is pretty much the same—a handle with a perpendicular blade facing away from it.
• Baton, security: c2
The collapsible metal rod that extends up to two feet when unfolded is used for beatin' on folk who trespass where they ain't wanted. Usually has a rubber grip on one end.
• Baton, stun: c12
Kinda like a standard security baton, but with more zap and less thwap. Instead of smackin' someone with this, you use it like a cattle-prod and poke 'em. A battery in the handle discharges a fairly large jolt, enough to shock without doin' much real damage to the poor guy on the other end. The batteries cost c1, and last for up to 10 shocks (8 shocks will put someone unconscious).
• Bayonet: 2c
A bayonet can be used independently as a knife.
• Blackjack: 1c
A leather or nylon sack filled with lead shot, used to knock someone down without putting ‘em in the morgue.
• Bottle, Broken: PRICES MAY VARY
Sometimes when you’re drinking and someone draws a blade, you’ve got to make the best with what’s at hand.
• Brass knuckles: c1
This little piece of hand hardware is a nasty surprise in a bar fight.
• Caltrops: 2c
Not exactly a hand-to-hand weapon, but something capable of imparting a bit of pain upon an enemy. Caltrops are little, monosharp, pyramid-shaped spikes coated with an armor-piercing surface polymer. The price given is per handful (about a dozen). They’re thrown or left on the ground to hinder movement.
• Chain: 1c
A length of chain, usually grabbed as an improvised weapon from a toolbox or in a pinch.
• Chopper: 1c
An ugly, jagged blade about a yard long, favored by Reavers.
• Claws: 2
Anywhere from two to five metal claws affixed to a glove or handgrip. Given the wounds found on the remains of their victims, Reavers are partial to ‘em.
• Club: c1
A good, old-fashioned heavy stick. A but more brutal than a baton, since doin' some serious damage is now an option. You can buy a metal one, but if you're okay with somethin' a little less deadly, you can fashion a club out of wood that works the same.
• Garrote: 1
A length of strong cord made out of wire, leather, nylon, or what have you, used for strangling. Fancy ones have handles to make it easy, or you can improvise if you need to.
• Hatchet: c16
One of the most versatile hurtin' tools ever invented, you can also use it to cut down trees and chop firewood. You can even upend it and use it like a club (just don't grab it by the sharp part!).
• Knife, combat: c2
A 6"-10" long blade is standard. Combat knives make deadly weapons. Can be used to stab or cut, and can also be thrown with some accuracy if you practice at it. ((Mod note: however, the winner of the knife fight is always the one who brings the gun ))
• Knife, utility: c1
A paring knife or pocket knife can be used as a weapon, but not as well as others.
• Lasso: 1c
Also called a lariat, a lasso consists of a length of rope with a loosely coiled loop at one end. Out on the ranges of the Rim, every cowhand carries a lasso for working stock. You can’t rightly kill a man with one, but you can certainly put him in a state where more harm might come to him.
• Machete: c4
A broad, heavy knife used as both an implement and a weapon. Settlers on the Rim use machetes for chopping through brush and foliage.
• Nunchaku: 1c
Two short-staff lengths attached to each other with chain or rope. Time was these were used by farmers to thresh grain. Now they’re mostly used to beat on people.
• Polearm: 3c
Not exactly the most common of weapons, a polearm is a long haft with some sort of blade attached, usually at a right angle. Back in days of old, a bewildering spectrum of polearms in all shapes and sizes existed. Now only museums and scholars have any idea which was which.
• Ripper: PRICES MAY VARY
An unusual Reaver weapon consisting of a long haft with a circular, jaggededged saw blade projecting from it. A rotor within the weapon whirls the saw at high speed, causing horrible slashing wounds.
• Spear: 3c
A length of wood with a sharp end to it. One of the first weapons ever made. Staff: A two-yard long pole made of wood, high-impact plastic, metal, or some combination of all three. Used for walking, or hitting people hard. A popular improvised weapon, you can usually make do with a length of pipe or a metal strut.
• Stunner: 3c
A hand-held device that delivers a powerful incapacitating shock to the target it’s directed against.
• Sword, combat: c24
Weapon made of metal with a long blade and hand guard. The art of swordsmanship is considered a gentlemanly sport in the Core and for the wealthy on the outer worlds, where some indulge in the tradition of dueling to the death. Might be troublesome if you don't even know which end to hold.
• Sword, Extensible: 40c
When it’s retracted, an extensible sword appears as little more’n a griplike cylinder, usually disguised as something else. Press a small release on the hilt (a safety lock keeps it from accidentally opening) and the blade extends lightning-fast into a yard of telescoping double-edged segments that lock in place magnetically. Press the release again and it scoots back into the grip. These are covert weapons, used primarily in places where they screen for weapons. Some extensible swords are made of woven mono-string carbon fibers, stronger than steel, rendering ‘em invisible to metal detectors.
• Sword, Gentleman's: c30+
Swords like this are all fancied up with extra frills and decorations, and are more prone to breaking. Many gentlemen wear these to fancy-dress shindigs, to show what bad taste they have in weapons.
• Tool: 2c
If you’re caught with your guard down on your ship, the likeliest weapon to come to hand is gonna be a tool. There’s more types of hand tool than you can count, including crowbars, wrenches, I-testers, spanners, pryers, drivers, and others. Most of these fulfill the basic requirements of being relatively heavy, made of metal, and mounted on a handgrip.
• Tool, Farming: 2c
Folks out on the Rim make do with whatever comes to hand if they’re threatened. Farm tools include sickles, choppers, scythes, hoes, post-holer, pitchforks, shovels, dibbers, spades, crooks, sledges, rakes, plough staves, reaping hooks, adzes, and even more esoteric implements. Nary a one’s balanced for fighting, but they’ll do the job if need be.
• Tool, Power: 4c
A power tool is not something you’d likely choose in a fight, but if you’re forced, it’s better than having no weapon t’all. Examples include drills, pneumatic scrapers, welding torches, power saws, grinders, and planers.
• Whip: 3c
Not exactly the most sensible weapon, a whip’s more for putting pain into someone who can’t fight back. A whip has a range equal to its length and the arm of the user, near two to three yards in total.
Ranged Weapons
• Axe, Throwing: 2c
A short-handled, singlebladed axe, balanced for throwing.
• Blowgun: 3c
A small-to-long tube used to shoot tiny darts at a target by blowing through it. Blowgun darts generally don’t do much damage. The point is to deliver some sort of toxin that does the real work, like Kortine or Cyanol.
• Bolo: 2c
A throwing weapon consisting of two or more weights connected with a rope cord, used to entangle a target or even knock ‘em out.
• Bolter, Pneumatic: 200c (Illegal)
Pneumatic weapons use compressed air and fire cylindrical metal slugs with bone-shattering force. They’re quieter than anything but a dart pistol or a laser, but they’re just as deadly as any firearm. A bolter is the size of a semiautomatic rifle, though a bit bulkier around the stock.
• Boomerang: 2c
An aboriginal weapon dating back to the Earth-That-Was, used by hunters to stun or kill small prey. Settlers on Lilac tell of a feral child brandishinga metallic, razor-edged boomerang. They say it may be, heaven forbid, a Reaver child, if such a thing could actually exist.
• Bow: c6
Like the sword, the longbow has become a fashionable weapon of sport in the Core. Most quivers hold 20 arrows, costing about c1 per quiver, The Alliance does not regulate the sale of bows and arrows. Learning to skillfully use the bow and arrow can be part of the training of a Registered Companion.
• Crossbow: c8
A little more practical than the longbow, the crossbow is used as a hunting weapon. A case usually holds 20 bolts that cost c1.
• Crossbow, powered: c24
High-powered, fancy crossbows are used almost like sniper rifles by some, though they were meant for hunting game, not people. The bolts for these cost as much as bullets.
• Dart: .5c
A small weighted weapon thrown point-first at a target. These are larger and heavier than the kind of darts you use for a dartboard, and can cause a world of hurt.
• Grenade Launcher: c106 (Illegal)
These nasty devices can be loaded with any normal grenade, allowing them to be fired from a considerable distance. The damage done by the grenade is the same as the grenade used, but the launcher is twice as inaccurate than most guns.
• Grappler: 8c
This device fires a spiked grapple with force considerable enough to put it into a hard surface, or send it a ways. Someone in a pinch might use a grappler in an offensive manner, so to speak.
• Javelin: 2c
A short-hafted spear, usually lighter and balanced for throwing.
• Knife, Throwing: 1c
A lightweight knife, usually without a hilt or crosspiece, balanced for throwing. Throwing knives usually come sheathed in sets of three.
• Mace: 1c
A chemical spray used to cause temporary nausea, blindness, and coughing in the victim. Someone sprayed in the face with mace must make an Average Endurance
• Pistol, Dart: 30c
This light pistol uses a compressed air canister to fire small darts filled with any substance desired—generally some drug or poison.
• Pistol, Flare: 2c
Though a flare pistol’s intended purpose is to let folks know where you are if you’d like to be rescued, you can also use one as a pistol. Say you have a falling out with the other guy in a life-raft. If you shoot someone with a flare pistol and achieve an extraordinary success, gohn shi you’ve set ‘em on fire. They’ll take another d2 Basic damage each turn until they can extinguish themselves. A flare pistol usually comes in a padded case with six rounds ready for use.
• Pistol, Flechette: 18c
A sleek little weapon with a short range and a wide capacity for pain, a flechette pistol fires a hail of microthin knifelike blades at a target. They’re next-to-useless against armored targets, but against unarmored foes they’re quite nasty. No serious killer of men would use such a weapon—it’s a nasty toy for a dandy.
• Pistol, Gauss: 140c (Illegal)
A pistol that utilizes a magnetic coil inside the barrel to push a metallic slug forward at great speed. Gauss pistols have tremendous penetration power and are remarkably silent, though this is balanced by their slow rate of fire and intensely high power requirements. A gauss pistol ignores Armor. A gauss pistol can fire six times before needing to recharge (by either replacing the battery or spending an hour in its recharge cradle).
• Pistol, Heavy: 22c
This meaty, powerful pistol has a bit of heft and considerable physical presence. Two popular brands are the Century Marauder VI and the Deutrex SI–4. The best thing about a heavy pistol is that once you run out of ammo, you can always hit someone with it. If it jams and you can’t fix it, you’ve got yourself one fine and impressive nutcracker.
• Pistol, Laser: c330 (Illegal)
A highly coveted piece of Alliance Newtech, laser weapons are illegal for all except those on central planets who can obtain special permits for them (and that ain't easy!) and Alliance military, who don't often see them anyway, because of the high cost involved. Laser pistols inflict more damage than a normal weapon, in addition to causing burn wounds which take twice as long to heal. Laser weapons require extremely high-density batteries, which cost 2 credits each and are very difficult to find. Laser pistols don't sit on the black market for long.
• Pistol, Light: 16c
A ladies weapon or a good holdout gun, light pistols range in size and configuration from derringers to those fancy rigs some folks use for trick shooting.
• Pistol, Medium: 18c
A medium pistol is a standard sized pistol.
• Rifle: c30
Whether used for hunting or combat, the rifle is a very deadly weapon. Unfortunately, carrying one of these around is a might conspicuous.
• Rifle, assault: c40
Full-auto weapons are definitely frowned upon by most authorities ('cept when they're the ones using them), but the attraction of being able to saw a man in half is right strong in some. Most feds carry a Newtech assault rifle as their main weapon.
• Rifle, Gauss: 400c (Illegal)
A longarm using gauss technology. Slugs fired from such a gun have astonishing force and range. A gauss rifle can be fired a dozen times before needing recharging or a fresh battery.
• Rifle, sniper: c160
Used by those who prefer one shot, one kill. When bracing the rifle and using the scope, the range can cover 1,000 feet.
• Rifle, sonic: c140 (Illegal)
The standard issue weapon of choice for law enforcement on the central planets, the sonic rifle looks like a fancy shotgun with a couple of nested radio dishes about five inches across where the barrel ends. The sonic rifle fires a sonic burst that stuns the target, potentially knocking him down (or out). There is no risk of damaging any but the most fragile of goods (or glass). The gun as a very short range and is inoperable in a vacuum. Like a laser weapon, it runs on hard-to-find batteries (c1 each), and like most government equipment is equipped with a transponder chip that allows it to be tracked.
• Shotgun: c50
Two barrels of death. 'Nuff said.
• Submachine gun: c36
SMGs are popular in the criminal underworld. Machine guns eat ammo, but at least you can sleep better knowing your enemies are carrying around two pounds of lead.
• Shotgun, Automatic: 85c (Illegal)
A shotgun with a larger magazine, capable of burst fire.
• Shuriken: .5c
A flat, star-shaped piece of metal thrown at someone you’re not overly fond of. Throwing stars aren’t usually enough to kill someone, but do cause considerable annoyance.
• Sling: .5c
A primitive weapon consisting of a leather strap, used to hurl a weighted bullet or stone at the target.
• Slinger, Arm: PRICES MAY VARY
A scoop-shaped extension of a glove used to throw spiked weights at any gorram fool dumb enough to get within throwing distance of a Reaver.
• Speargun: 3c
A long pistol stock and frame, spring or gas-powered, firing a long metal arrow. Spearguns are traditionally used underwater, but few folks these days let tradition stand in the way of inflicting pain.
• Stunner, Ranged: 150c
A short-ranged energy rifle capable of firing a coherent electric pulse, set to the same frequency as human brainwave function, capable of scrambling the target’s mind and stunning him temporarily.
Ammunition
• Ammunition, Standard (50): c5
Needed to shoot weapons
• Armor Piercing: .5c per round (Illegal)
Armor piercing rounds are coated with a polymer that helps punch right through armor.
• Arrows, Specialty: 1c per arrow
Though the bow is far from the most commonly-utilized weapon in the ‘Verse, archery has its uses. The Companion’s Guild teaches its members the sport of archery for meditative and professional reasons—it is a sport of the idle rich, and a Companion should show such facility for social purposes. Savants who follow antiquated martial traditions may also practice archery, as well as covert ops mercenaries or even thieves with elaborate modus operandi.
• Blunt: 8c per round
A blunt arrow is used to down a target without killing. It does Stun instead of Wound damage.
• Depleted Uranium: 2c per round (Illegal)
Depleted uranium rounds are made from the byproduct of nuclear fission, and combine exceptional armor penetration, fragmentation, and radioactivity. Now illegal throughout the ‘Verse, depleted uranium rounds were used during the Unification War and are only found in abandoned weapons caches and the black market.
• Explosive tip: 4c per arrow (Illegal)
This arrowhead contains a small explosive that detonates on impact. The range is much shorter than regular arrows (10 foot increment), but they do a heap more damage when they hit.
• Explosive round: 11c per round (Illegal)
Each explosive round is like a tiny little grenade, set to go off when it hits. They’re expensive, they require a weapon tooled for ‘em (or a secondary barrel), and they’re pretty much illegal across the ‘Verse. The explosion has a five-foot increment.
• Flare: .5c per round
A flare arrow does the same damage as a regular arrow, and a phosphorescent chemical in the tip ignites when it’s scraped against a rough surface, so it lights up a room aplenty.
• Line: 6c per arrow
This is a reinforced arrow with a microthin, woven monofiber line attached to a spool that clips onto the bow. The spool has 100 feet of line, and the head of the arrow is designed to open with spring-loaded backpointing claws like a little grappling hook. That acts to snag any surface it sinks into. Once the line is taut, you can use special gloves to climb hand-over-hand along it, or use the convenient folding handles on the spool.
• Nonlethal: 1c per round
Nonlethal ammunition consists of semisolid projectiles—beanbag, rubber, or low-impact—designed to stun and knock downa target rather than penetrate flesh.
• Poison: 3c per arrow (Illegal)
This arrow has a hollow reservoir for any sort of toxin you’d like. Impacting causes it to inject the poison into the target.
• Tracer: 2c per round
Tracer ammo is covered with a chemical that ignites in the face of sufficient friction, lighting up a trail through the air so the shooter can keep a tight cone of fire.
Weapon Modifications
• Barrel Light: 1c
A clip-on flashlight resting below or alongside the weapon’s barrel that illuminates the area your gun’s pointing at.
• Bipod: 5c
A bipod clips or folds down from the barrel or stock of a rifle, assault rifle, or machine gun, stabilizing it while you’re firing. Generally a shooter using a bipod is prone or using an object such as a rock, fence, or window sill to elevate the weapon.
• Carbine Remodel: 6c
Carbine-remodeling means shortening the barrel of a rifle as much as can be done, and shortening or removing the stock altogether. This lowers a rifle’s range increment by one-quarter (round down), but makes it much easier to conceal and carry. The listed cost is for a professional craftsman to perform the service. Those possessing doit- yourself spirit do it for free if ’n they have adequate tools and make an Average Agility + Guns/Gunsmithing action. Zoe, first mate of Serenity, carries a carbine-remodeled lever-action rifle, worn on the hip in a long catch-release clip holster. Rifles and shotguns can be so remodeled.
• Flash Suppressor: 2c
A suppressor baffles the flash from a firearm’s discharge, helping a sniper keep concealed. It has no effect on range or accuracy, but increases the Difficulty of visually spotting a sniper by two.
• Sawed-off Barrel: 2c
A sawed-off barrel reduces the range of a weapon by one-third, but makes it easier to conceal.
• Scope: 8c
A sight lets you ignore range increment penalties. Scope Magnification lists the increase in range before penalties are imposed, as well as the cost. You can put only a 2x or 6x scope on a pistol; a scope has no effect on a shotgun, stunner, or other type of energy weapon.
• Scope, Night-Vision: 32c
A night-vision scope enhances visible light and allows the shooter to see in the dark.
• Scope, Ocular: 14c
A simple electronic scope, offering computer-assisted magnification and zoom capabilities. An ocular scope is more powerful than a regular scope, offering 64x magnification (7x range increment increase) or 128x magnification (8x range increase). Sometimes an ocular scope is more powerful than the effective range of the firearm.
• Scope, Thermal: 52c
A thermal scope detects the heat signatures of living beings (or anything putting off radiant heat).
• Sight, Laser: 4c
A laser sight snaps onto a barrel and projects a nice red line of light where you’re pointing, putting a little red dot saying “Shoot here” on your target.
• Silencer: 5c
A silencer can’t entirely muffle the sound of a gunshot, but it does muddle and soften it enough that it’s more difficult to hear. Trying to hear a silenced firearm from more’n 10 yards away is a Hard task, while trying to identify the location of the shooter is a Formidable one.
• Stock, Folding or Telescopic: 5c
A rifle, shotgun, assault rifle, or other longarm can have a folding or telescopic stock. This has no game effects when extended other than ease of carrying.
• Trigger Lock: 11c
A simple electronic feature, a trigger lock may be deactivated with a key, a code sequence, a fingerprint lock, or even a voice-activated release. It takes one full combat turn to release a trigger lock, but won’t you feel safer knowing that any crazy test subjects who get their hands on your sidearm won’t be able to shoot you with it?
• Underbarrel Launcher: 37c (Illegal)
A second barrel, mounted onto the barrel of your rifle. It lets you fire grenades if simple bullets ain’t enough. An underbarrel launcher only holds one grenade at a time, so you’ve got to reload it between shots
Explosives & Chemical Weapons
• Acid: .5c (Illegal)
It’s a horrible thing using acid as a weapon, but the ‘Verse is full of horrible people that think nothing of it. The really sick ones take pleasure from it.
• Charge, Breaching: 21c (Illegal)
A shaped charge designed to blow open a ship’s hatch or the door of some other structure. Usually it’s got magnetic plates to lock it in place, and is able to function without oxygen, either out in the black or underwater. Small breaching charges can take out a lock, while big ones are arranged around a hatch to blow the whole thing out. As they’re shaped to funnel the blast in a particular direction, a breaching charge has a very short range and is used as a prelude to busting in on someone.
• Charge, Satchel: 30c (Illegal)
A wide-purpose bomb the size of a small rucksack, a satchel charge can breach a door or wall, take out a structure, be rigged as a booby-trap, or even be tossed into a vehicle’s open hatch to watch it shake. Satchel charges come with either a timer or a remote detonator.
• ChemPlast Charge: c6 (Illegal)
A high-yield plastic explosive, these charges let loose their energy in a relatively small area. Shrapnel isn’t an issue (unless whoever set the charge packed it full of nuts and bolts and the such), but the blast wave is apparently a lot like being struck by a cruiser.
• Grenade, Concussion: c2 (Illegal)
Used offensively because their smaller blast radius is less dangerous in the open, these grenades can still clear an area very effectively.
• Grenade, Flashbang: c1 (Illegal)
Designed to stun enemies, flashbangs do relatively little damage, but everyone within 20 feet of the grenade is automatically stunned. The only way to deal with this effect is complete ear and eye protection.
• Grenade, Fragmentation: c2 (Illegal)
Sharp fragments of metal rip through everything and everyone in the area. The only effective protection usually involves diving behind something—or someone—big and thick and heavy.
• Grenade, Smoke: c1 (Illegal)
Inhaling the smoke does some damage, seeing as you get less air that way, but mostly the smoke obscures vision inside and through the cloud. The smoke fills the blast area and dissipates slowly (usually in about two minutes). NBC masks prevent the damage.
• Grenade, Gas: c2 (Illegal)
The grenades release a special nerve-gas designed to knock out those who breathe it. The effects are like several hours of hard drinking on an empty stomach. An NBC mask will prevent the damage. The gas dissipates in around a minute.
• Grenade, Incendiary: 3c (Illegal)
A grenade packed with highly flammable chemical gel capable of burning through metal when it’s ignited. This chemical gel doesn’t require oxidization, so it burns just as fiercely underwater as in vacuum.
• Grenade, Magnetic: 7c (Illegal)
Your basic fragmentation grenade, but with the added benefit of a magnetic field that lets it stick to most metallic surfaces.
• Grenade, Plasma: 9c(Illegal)
A plasma grenade produces enough heat to melt right through metal and nearly anything else. It works underwater or in vacuum. Unless you like the thought of synthetic skin grafts or extensive burn scars, you’d best get out of the way if someone throws one of these near you.
• Grenade, Pulse: 7c (Illegal)
Designed to take out electronics or cripple computer systems, a pulse grenade can also be used to immobilize a vehicle operating with any engine using electrical current (as opposed to combustion). A pulse grenade does no damage to living people, but takes out any unshielded electronics within the pulse range.
• Grenade, Web: 3c (Illegal)
When they go off, web grenades distribute a wide spray of liquid that instantly hardens into sticky biodegradable webbing that’s Hard to break. The webbing dissolves within an hour. Alliance security forces use web grenades for peaceful crowd control, though they can be put to other uses of a more nefarious nature.
• Explosive, Improvised: PRICES MAY VARY (Illegal)
A makeshift bomb fashioned with available chemicals, usually packed into a pipe or plastic bottle. You can fill an improvised explosive with pieces of metal if shrapnel appeals to you, or you can leave it as is if you’re trying to make the right “blast and set on fire” impressions.
• Flamethrower: 15c (Illegal)
Setting someone afire is just about the unkindliest way to do away with ‘em, and it’s not looked upon well by most folks. A flamethrower’s got a back-mounted tank full of liquid fuel, a hand-held igniter, and a hose connecting the two.
• Flamethrower, Barrel-mounted: 9c (Illegal)
A compact flamethrower, this mounts onto assault rifles and has a shorter range, smaller tank, and is less likely to ignite the user. An extraordinary success sets the target on fire. A botch only means that the flamethrower fails to ignite.
• Mine, Antipersonnel: 8c (Illegal)
Mines are a common enough hazard in ground combat, not so much in space, but they still see some use and turn up now and again. Antipersonnel mines injure enemy combatants instead of killing ‘em—a tactic devised by the Alliance during the Unification War. Wounded soldiers require considerable hardship getting ‘em off the battlefield, and caring for the stricken is even more of a drain on your resources. Antipersonnel mines throw a large blast upwards, generally taking off the limb that triggered the mine. Others, of the “Bouncing Betty” type, hop up into the air to spread the blast around. Mines are either concealed or simply scattered around out the open—or both.
• Mine, Pulse: 25c (Illegal)
This antivehicle mine uses an electromagnetic pulse to fry any electrical components when it goes off. When the charge triggers, it sends out a big blast of EMP radiation that cripples any vehicle liable to be passing within the range increment. Pulse mines were used by Alliance troops to capture vehicles and supplies without harming either. The men inside . . . they usually died defending their vehicle.
• Mining Charge: c20
Used to blast mine shafts, these charges are perfect for demolition of all kinds, and often come with a remote detonator or a timed electric fuse.
• Molotov Cocktail: PRICES MAY VARY (Illegal)
An improvised firebomb made out of a glass bottle filled with alcohol, a rag for a fuse, and the will to light it and throw it. A Molotov cocktail splashes an area a yard in diameter when it hits. An extraordinary success on an attack means the target has been set afire, doing the same damage each turn until the fire is put out. A botch often means the attacker has set his gorram fool self on fire to the same effect.
• Seeker Missile: c95 (Illegal)
A Newtech weapon from the war, Seekers are automated, flyin’ grenades. They use a small hover-drive to move around, and look a lot like a two-foot-long tadpole that wants to splatter you across the scenery. They tend to move toward motion and heat, and explode when they think they’re near a target–any mobile heat source not transmitting the proper transponder signal. Tossing a flare tends to fool Seekers, but the blast can still be deadly at a range.
• Squadkiller: c48 (Illegal)
A horrific little surprise left by retreating Alliance forces during the war, squadkillers are about the size of a large book, and are usually buried or hidden at a major intersection or common areas where people are likely to congregate. Built-in sensors wait until there are at least 12 warm bodies within 15 feet of this bomb, and then boom! Folk are all dead, just like that.
Heavy Weapons
• Machinegun, Heavy: 330c (Illegal)
A big and rugged weapon, usually too heavy to be easily carried about. Most heavy machineguns have foldable bipods or tripods, or they’re mounted on a vehicle.
• Machinegun, Light: 240c (Illegal)
Compared to an assault rifle, a light machinegun is a heavyweight.
• Microwave Broadcasters: 30,000c (Illegal)
This mounted weapon sends a wide-frequency microwave burst in a radius around the vehicle, low enough to avoid causing serious burns but strong enough to cause intense pain. Microwave broadcasters are usually mounted on Alliance security force vehicles, and are used to create a space around the vehicle.
• Mounted Flamethrower: 650c (Illegal)
This large flamethrower is capable of doing damage to vehicles.
• Mounted Machinegun: 500c (Illegal)
This high and mighty machinegun is bolted into a vehicle and cannot be used otherwise.
• Mortar: 268c (Illegal)
A firing tube designed to propel explosive rockets at a target, usually a vehicle or structure. It uses a high-trajectory arc to maximize range, and often an electronic rangefinder is essential to properly target mortar fire
Protective & Emergency Gear
• Ballistic Mesh: c46
Used much like the bulletproof vests of Earth-That-Was, ballistic mesh is a finely woven cloth of metal and plastic over polymer sheeting. In basic dummy-talk, the mesh stops bullets, and isn't as heavy or bulky as other armors. The mesh was often used by the Independents during the war, since it was hard for them to find heavier body-armor. Ballistic mesh is meant to stop bullets and that's about it. It does not stop arrows, bolts, axes, knives, or explosive ammunition.
• Chaff Suit: 88c (Illegal)
A chaff suit is covered with a metallic weave and wired through with a host of electronic signal bafflers. Wearing one screens you from most forms of electronic detection other than visual, weight, or sound-based. It looks fairly ridiculous, like a pair of hooded coveralls covered with short streamers of shiny metal foil, but results don’t lie.
• Chameleon Cloak: 36c
The chameleon cloak shares the same technology as the chameleon suit, though it’s in the shape of a long hooded cloak, baggy enough to cover at least two people if they’re snug together. A chameleon cloak has an integral computer wired together with a passel of light sensors and emitters.
• Chameleon Suit: c40 (Illegal)
Snipers favor these to remain hidden whole on the job. Mostly consisting of a baggy set of overalls with clumps of fiber optic wires sprouting here and there, the suit also sports a small computer and dozens of light sensors placed around it. When activated, the suit attempts to match its color to the surrounding area. It does a fairly good job if the wearer is holding still. It also acts as normal Ballistic Mesh armor.
• Diving Gear: 18c
Based on the old-style SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) gear, diving gear contains a rebreather, mask, flippers, a weighted belt, and a bodysuit. There’re fancier ones, but the basics are the same.
• Duster, Armored: 6c
A long coat fashioned of tough-but-supple leather with armored mesh woven beneath the surface, and rigid plates on the shouldersand chest. Fashionable and functional.
• Flight Suit: 14c
A snug, reinforced suit for use by pilots and crew onboard planetary air defense vehicles, and some forms of starship without gravity plating. The suit helps the pilot resist G-forces and incorporates a thin layer of insulation.
• Grounder Mesh: 80c (Illegal)
If you’re in the line of work where you find yourself opposed to someone, say Alliance troops, armed with stunners, this is the pair of long-johns for you. A one-piece thin, grounder mesh goes under your street clothing and provides protection against any sort of electromagnetic pulse that would otherwise send you floorward in a hurry.
• Heartline Health Suit: c28
The HeartLine is an undershirt wired with sensors and other gadgets to monitor body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and so on. It generally transmits this data to a doctor or to a computer where it can be read by a doctor, who can monitor the patient's health.
• Helmet, Infantry: c16
A basic metal or composite helmet with a cloth of mesh covering (to which the wearer can attach grass and foliage). Protects the brain-pan ((Mod note: from massive amounts of hair))
• Helmet, Squad: c35
This helmet originated with the Alliance during the war. It functions he same as an Infantry helmet, but also includes a small communicator to allow members of a squad to stay in constant communication. Unfortunately the design impedes hearing and peripheral vision.
• Mask, NBC: c8
A fancy gas-mask, this gadget lets you breathe safely in an area contaminated by nuclear, biological, or chemical hazards. Unfortunately, the mask doesn't let you see all that well, and it doesn't protect the rest of your body.
• NBC Body Suit: c32
A full-body, airtight, hazardous environment suit provides complete protection from nuclear, biological, and chemical hazards. The mask allows for slightly better vision than the NBC Mask. The bulky material makes it difficult to handle small objects or perform feats that require coordination.
• Plate Vest: c30
Ceramic inserts sewn into a ballistic mesh offer torso protection on both the back and the front. Unlike the Ballistic Mesh, the Plate Vest will protect against sharp instruments (knives, axes), as well as bullets. The upside--the Plate Vest looks like a normal garment. The downside--the weight and bulk restrict movement slightly.
• Riot Gear: c92
Full law-enforcement riot gear consists of composite and ceramic plating sewn in various special pockets all over a specially made ballistic mesh suit. The effects of the mesh apply only to bullets, however it dampens all other damage. Unfortunately, the helmet impairs hearing and vision, and the suit is bulky enough to be a mite cumbersome--but then, there's some as like to see the law slowed down a bit anyway.
• Tactical Suit: c110 (Illegal)
This is the armor the Alliance Federals wear, usually with a squad helmet. The suit covers the entire body and is armored with ceramic and composite plates, along with heavy padding. It will stop a heap of damage, but tends to rattle when you walk.
• Vacuum Suit: c67
Heavy, bulky, and generally restricting, vacuum suits are an absolute essential out in the Black. They can be tricky to get on and off, though, so allow yourself some time to get into it. You need to take good care of these to keep 'em working. A bullet hole or similar can be closed up with patch tape, but it is generally worthwhile to invest in a new suit when you have the credits.
• Shield, Heater: 8c
An old-fashioned shield from times long gone, used for defense in a less civilized time, called heaters for their shape. Hold a heater shield defensively and it acts as light cover.
• Shield, Tactical: 10c
A big clear rectangle of reinforced ballistic polymers, this shield generally sees use in riots or crowd control situations—where a group of Alliance soldiers or constabulary line up and make a wall, one that’s flexible enough to shove back.
Covert Ops Gear
• Babbler: 120c (Illegal)
This boxy little device is covered with short-range frequency scramblers, which safeguard an area against electronic surveillance of any sort other than visual. A babbler has a range near 20 feet and is highly conspicuous to a body actively scanning you—it shows up like a big blob of static in the middle of his screen. On the other hand, it’s a big blob of static rather than anything more particular, like who you are and what you’re saying.
• Debugger: c20 (Illegal)
A palm-sized signal scrambler, these generally won’t interfere with high power transmissions, such as the Cortex, but they play merry hell with most electronic bugs in a 15’ radius
• Disguise Kit: c66 (c5 refill per 10 uses)
Disguise Kit: A suitcase filled with makeup, hair dye, wigs, fake beards, plasticskin, noses, ears, etc. Basically everything a professional spy might need, including several bottles of pills designed to alter the user’s skin tone and a few sets of ‘John Doe’ artificial fingerprints that adhere seamlessly and remain good for 24 hours.
• Eavesdrops: c48 (4 bugs and transmission hub) (Illegal)
Eavesdrops: If you want to know what people are saying behind your back, this is the way to find out. The microphones (no larger than the size of a pinhead) can be hidden anywhere within 30 feet of the transmission hub. The hub collects the audio data and stores it (up to 48 hours from each eavesdrop) or transmits it all in one burst. It can also transmit constantly at a range of up to half a mile
• Enabler: 100c
An enabler synchs a handheld computer to a system through a holo-proxied datastream bridge. In layman’s terms, this little widget lets you attach a handheld computer to another system without actually physically linking it with a cable or through a data port. It makes it possible to link into a closed system from any bridging point in the network, such as a cable or other hard line.
• Fake IdentCard: c4000 (Illegal)
Alliance IdentCards are extremely hard to actually fake, since they are embedded with hardwired microchips containing important data about the holder. As a result, it’s easier to steal someone else’s card and apply your face to the picture, even though this means the card will likely get you caught if anyone puts it through a card-reader. A truly usable fake IdentCard can be obtained only at obscenely high cost, and even then it won’t match Cortex records, meaning careful examination will reveal the fraud.
• Laserlight Mist: c2
A small can of mildly reflective aerosol mist will reveal security alarms and barrier fields, laser trip wires, and so on without setting off alarms. The mist dissipates within twenty seconds.
• Lock Picks: c14 (Illegal)
An assortment of small picks and wrenches for opening locks rolled up in a piece of cloth. Not worth much, since old-fashioned mechanical locks are rarely used where there’s anything worth stealing.
• Lock Picks, Electronic: c36 (Illegal)
Especially in the Core, most locks are electronic in nature and require either overriding a keypad or transmitting a code before they’ll open. This little pack of gadgets can help accomplish both.
• Mag Charge: c27 (Illegal)
A short-range, electromagnetic pulse charge, about the size of a large battery.Unless the electrical equipment is hardened against EMP waves (which is extremely difficult, if not impossible to do fully), all electrical equipment in the 10’ affected radius will short out and stop working until repaired. Most ships possess enough redundancies so that one of these will not cause fatal problems, but using them aboard a space vessel or atmospheric craft is not advised.
• Optical Bomb: c16 (Illegal)
A bundle of LEDs and fiberoptic cabling around a capacitor, optical bombs are designed to temporarily blind an opponent (and possibly nearby security cameras), making it easier to disable said opponent. To be truly effective, the bomb must go off within 15 feet of people and 10 feet of cameras and must be within the line of sight of the people and cameras. An NBC mask will protect a person’s eyes from this, while some more expensive security devices have an auto reactive coating to protect cameras from such attacks.
• Poison, Kortine (Debilitating): c11 (Illegal)
If a dose (usually about two milliliters) of this poison enters a victim’s bloodstream, it debilitates the victim as they will be unable to do anything that requires finesse. This includes moving more than a few inches. Three times this amount may stop the victims heart.
• Poison, Cyanol (Lethal): c13 (Illegal)
Equally lethal by ingestion or injection, a milliliter of this poison will give the victim a sudden and inevitable heart attack.
• Surveillance Gear: 120c
A set of surveillance gear greatly aids in spying—listening in on conversations or otherwise getting into another’s business. It includes long-range oculars, cameras, miniature imagers and recorders, microtransmitters, thermal imagers, a comm frequency scanner, and more of the like.
• Vox Scrambler: 35c (Illegal)
A hand-held device that matches the voice signatures of anyone speaking around it, and generates a 10-foot field of barely audible vocal noise. It’s noticeable, but not loud enough to make it difficult to talk. To any recorders, bugs, or long-range listening devices, it sounds like a crowd of people yammerin’ in utter nonsensical babble.
1 credit = $25 U.S
Holsters and Rigs
• Gun Cleaning Kit: c3
Every good soldier (and settler) knows that you need to take care of your weapons if you want them to take care of you. Guns need to be cleaned and sometimes repaired. This small kit includes all the tools necessary for such. Bought on the Rim, the kit most likely comes in a leather pouch about the size of a shoulder bag. Purchased in the Core, it will come in a professional-looking metal case.
• Gun Vac Case: c3
Since most weapons need atmo to fire, it stands to reason someone would think of a way to fire one in space, too. A gun case is designed for a specific type of gun. It closes around the front end, making it look like it's got a barrel about five times wider than it should be. The case pumps air into the chambers and barrel when you pull the trigger, allowing the weapon to discharge normally. Unfortunately, a lot of the internal atmo is wasted with each pull, so the air generally lasts for only 10 shots before the case needs to be refilled back on the ship.
• Gun Rig: 30c
A shoulder-and-chest mounted harness with a projecting hydraulic swing-arm, distributing the weight of a heavy weapon and stabilizing it against recoil.
• Harness: 6c
An arrangement of shoulder and chest straps, a vest with detachable pockets, and a web belt, a combat harness is an essential part of any soldier’s gear while out in the field. It includes an assault sling that lets you hang your weapon ready across your chest, pointing horizontally when in combat and down when you’re idling. A harness is highly adjustable, letting you hook your gear on however you’d best like. No matter how effective it is, wearing a combat harness tends to make you stand out, so leave it at home if being conspicuous ain’t part of the plan.
• Holster, Concealed: 2c
A holster meant to keep a piece out of sight, rather than at hand.
• Holster, Null: 75c (Illegal)
This interesting piece of gear is just about as illegal as you can get on the Core worlds. A null holster keeps your sidearm safe and snug, and has a mesh flap that stretches over the butt. The material of the holster is “dead” tometal detectors, chemical sweepers, and to any kind of imaging sensor you might pass through in Alliance territory. Unless they’re making you strip or patting you down, your weapons’ll not be found while in this holster.
• Holster, Shoulder: 2c
A simple shoulder holster for one or two sidearms, configurable so you can draw upwards or outwards. No difference either way, as sah gwa dumb enough to put a gun up where they’ve got to skin it crossbody isn’t to be taken seriously.
• Holster, Speed-Draw: 10c
A gunslinger’s rig, a speed-draw holster hangs low on the upper leg, with the butt of the pistol resting just level with the palm of the wearer’s hand. Usually the tip of the holster is tied to the leg by a thin cord or strap, and the pistol’s held in place with a thumbbreak (a small strap over the hammer, snapped to the holster itself, keeping the iron in place but coming loose when it needs to). You see a fella wearing one of these you’d be wise to steer clear.
• Holster, Tactical: 8c
If you absolutely don’t want anyone taking your sidearm from you without your say-so, a tactical holster is for you. It features a pressure lock with a few options for releasing the catch.
Hand-to-Hand Weapons
• Axe: 2c
Whether you’re talking about a woodsman’s tool or something fierce like a Reaver might boast, an axe is pretty much the same—a handle with a perpendicular blade facing away from it.
• Baton, security: c2
The collapsible metal rod that extends up to two feet when unfolded is used for beatin' on folk who trespass where they ain't wanted. Usually has a rubber grip on one end.
• Baton, stun: c12
Kinda like a standard security baton, but with more zap and less thwap. Instead of smackin' someone with this, you use it like a cattle-prod and poke 'em. A battery in the handle discharges a fairly large jolt, enough to shock without doin' much real damage to the poor guy on the other end. The batteries cost c1, and last for up to 10 shocks (8 shocks will put someone unconscious).
• Bayonet: 2c
A bayonet can be used independently as a knife.
• Blackjack: 1c
A leather or nylon sack filled with lead shot, used to knock someone down without putting ‘em in the morgue.
• Bottle, Broken: PRICES MAY VARY
Sometimes when you’re drinking and someone draws a blade, you’ve got to make the best with what’s at hand.
• Brass knuckles: c1
This little piece of hand hardware is a nasty surprise in a bar fight.
• Caltrops: 2c
Not exactly a hand-to-hand weapon, but something capable of imparting a bit of pain upon an enemy. Caltrops are little, monosharp, pyramid-shaped spikes coated with an armor-piercing surface polymer. The price given is per handful (about a dozen). They’re thrown or left on the ground to hinder movement.
• Chain: 1c
A length of chain, usually grabbed as an improvised weapon from a toolbox or in a pinch.
• Chopper: 1c
An ugly, jagged blade about a yard long, favored by Reavers.
• Claws: 2
Anywhere from two to five metal claws affixed to a glove or handgrip. Given the wounds found on the remains of their victims, Reavers are partial to ‘em.
• Club: c1
A good, old-fashioned heavy stick. A but more brutal than a baton, since doin' some serious damage is now an option. You can buy a metal one, but if you're okay with somethin' a little less deadly, you can fashion a club out of wood that works the same.
• Garrote: 1
A length of strong cord made out of wire, leather, nylon, or what have you, used for strangling. Fancy ones have handles to make it easy, or you can improvise if you need to.
• Hatchet: c16
One of the most versatile hurtin' tools ever invented, you can also use it to cut down trees and chop firewood. You can even upend it and use it like a club (just don't grab it by the sharp part!).
• Knife, combat: c2
A 6"-10" long blade is standard. Combat knives make deadly weapons. Can be used to stab or cut, and can also be thrown with some accuracy if you practice at it. ((Mod note: however, the winner of the knife fight is always the one who brings the gun ))
• Knife, utility: c1
A paring knife or pocket knife can be used as a weapon, but not as well as others.
• Lasso: 1c
Also called a lariat, a lasso consists of a length of rope with a loosely coiled loop at one end. Out on the ranges of the Rim, every cowhand carries a lasso for working stock. You can’t rightly kill a man with one, but you can certainly put him in a state where more harm might come to him.
• Machete: c4
A broad, heavy knife used as both an implement and a weapon. Settlers on the Rim use machetes for chopping through brush and foliage.
• Nunchaku: 1c
Two short-staff lengths attached to each other with chain or rope. Time was these were used by farmers to thresh grain. Now they’re mostly used to beat on people.
• Polearm: 3c
Not exactly the most common of weapons, a polearm is a long haft with some sort of blade attached, usually at a right angle. Back in days of old, a bewildering spectrum of polearms in all shapes and sizes existed. Now only museums and scholars have any idea which was which.
• Ripper: PRICES MAY VARY
An unusual Reaver weapon consisting of a long haft with a circular, jaggededged saw blade projecting from it. A rotor within the weapon whirls the saw at high speed, causing horrible slashing wounds.
• Spear: 3c
A length of wood with a sharp end to it. One of the first weapons ever made. Staff: A two-yard long pole made of wood, high-impact plastic, metal, or some combination of all three. Used for walking, or hitting people hard. A popular improvised weapon, you can usually make do with a length of pipe or a metal strut.
• Stunner: 3c
A hand-held device that delivers a powerful incapacitating shock to the target it’s directed against.
• Sword, combat: c24
Weapon made of metal with a long blade and hand guard. The art of swordsmanship is considered a gentlemanly sport in the Core and for the wealthy on the outer worlds, where some indulge in the tradition of dueling to the death. Might be troublesome if you don't even know which end to hold.
• Sword, Extensible: 40c
When it’s retracted, an extensible sword appears as little more’n a griplike cylinder, usually disguised as something else. Press a small release on the hilt (a safety lock keeps it from accidentally opening) and the blade extends lightning-fast into a yard of telescoping double-edged segments that lock in place magnetically. Press the release again and it scoots back into the grip. These are covert weapons, used primarily in places where they screen for weapons. Some extensible swords are made of woven mono-string carbon fibers, stronger than steel, rendering ‘em invisible to metal detectors.
• Sword, Gentleman's: c30+
Swords like this are all fancied up with extra frills and decorations, and are more prone to breaking. Many gentlemen wear these to fancy-dress shindigs, to show what bad taste they have in weapons.
• Tool: 2c
If you’re caught with your guard down on your ship, the likeliest weapon to come to hand is gonna be a tool. There’s more types of hand tool than you can count, including crowbars, wrenches, I-testers, spanners, pryers, drivers, and others. Most of these fulfill the basic requirements of being relatively heavy, made of metal, and mounted on a handgrip.
• Tool, Farming: 2c
Folks out on the Rim make do with whatever comes to hand if they’re threatened. Farm tools include sickles, choppers, scythes, hoes, post-holer, pitchforks, shovels, dibbers, spades, crooks, sledges, rakes, plough staves, reaping hooks, adzes, and even more esoteric implements. Nary a one’s balanced for fighting, but they’ll do the job if need be.
• Tool, Power: 4c
A power tool is not something you’d likely choose in a fight, but if you’re forced, it’s better than having no weapon t’all. Examples include drills, pneumatic scrapers, welding torches, power saws, grinders, and planers.
• Whip: 3c
Not exactly the most sensible weapon, a whip’s more for putting pain into someone who can’t fight back. A whip has a range equal to its length and the arm of the user, near two to three yards in total.
Ranged Weapons
• Axe, Throwing: 2c
A short-handled, singlebladed axe, balanced for throwing.
• Blowgun: 3c
A small-to-long tube used to shoot tiny darts at a target by blowing through it. Blowgun darts generally don’t do much damage. The point is to deliver some sort of toxin that does the real work, like Kortine or Cyanol.
• Bolo: 2c
A throwing weapon consisting of two or more weights connected with a rope cord, used to entangle a target or even knock ‘em out.
• Bolter, Pneumatic: 200c (Illegal)
Pneumatic weapons use compressed air and fire cylindrical metal slugs with bone-shattering force. They’re quieter than anything but a dart pistol or a laser, but they’re just as deadly as any firearm. A bolter is the size of a semiautomatic rifle, though a bit bulkier around the stock.
• Boomerang: 2c
An aboriginal weapon dating back to the Earth-That-Was, used by hunters to stun or kill small prey. Settlers on Lilac tell of a feral child brandishinga metallic, razor-edged boomerang. They say it may be, heaven forbid, a Reaver child, if such a thing could actually exist.
• Bow: c6
Like the sword, the longbow has become a fashionable weapon of sport in the Core. Most quivers hold 20 arrows, costing about c1 per quiver, The Alliance does not regulate the sale of bows and arrows. Learning to skillfully use the bow and arrow can be part of the training of a Registered Companion.
• Crossbow: c8
A little more practical than the longbow, the crossbow is used as a hunting weapon. A case usually holds 20 bolts that cost c1.
• Crossbow, powered: c24
High-powered, fancy crossbows are used almost like sniper rifles by some, though they were meant for hunting game, not people. The bolts for these cost as much as bullets.
• Dart: .5c
A small weighted weapon thrown point-first at a target. These are larger and heavier than the kind of darts you use for a dartboard, and can cause a world of hurt.
• Grenade Launcher: c106 (Illegal)
These nasty devices can be loaded with any normal grenade, allowing them to be fired from a considerable distance. The damage done by the grenade is the same as the grenade used, but the launcher is twice as inaccurate than most guns.
• Grappler: 8c
This device fires a spiked grapple with force considerable enough to put it into a hard surface, or send it a ways. Someone in a pinch might use a grappler in an offensive manner, so to speak.
• Javelin: 2c
A short-hafted spear, usually lighter and balanced for throwing.
• Knife, Throwing: 1c
A lightweight knife, usually without a hilt or crosspiece, balanced for throwing. Throwing knives usually come sheathed in sets of three.
• Mace: 1c
A chemical spray used to cause temporary nausea, blindness, and coughing in the victim. Someone sprayed in the face with mace must make an Average Endurance
• Pistol, Dart: 30c
This light pistol uses a compressed air canister to fire small darts filled with any substance desired—generally some drug or poison.
• Pistol, Flare: 2c
Though a flare pistol’s intended purpose is to let folks know where you are if you’d like to be rescued, you can also use one as a pistol. Say you have a falling out with the other guy in a life-raft. If you shoot someone with a flare pistol and achieve an extraordinary success, gohn shi you’ve set ‘em on fire. They’ll take another d2 Basic damage each turn until they can extinguish themselves. A flare pistol usually comes in a padded case with six rounds ready for use.
• Pistol, Flechette: 18c
A sleek little weapon with a short range and a wide capacity for pain, a flechette pistol fires a hail of microthin knifelike blades at a target. They’re next-to-useless against armored targets, but against unarmored foes they’re quite nasty. No serious killer of men would use such a weapon—it’s a nasty toy for a dandy.
• Pistol, Gauss: 140c (Illegal)
A pistol that utilizes a magnetic coil inside the barrel to push a metallic slug forward at great speed. Gauss pistols have tremendous penetration power and are remarkably silent, though this is balanced by their slow rate of fire and intensely high power requirements. A gauss pistol ignores Armor. A gauss pistol can fire six times before needing to recharge (by either replacing the battery or spending an hour in its recharge cradle).
• Pistol, Heavy: 22c
This meaty, powerful pistol has a bit of heft and considerable physical presence. Two popular brands are the Century Marauder VI and the Deutrex SI–4. The best thing about a heavy pistol is that once you run out of ammo, you can always hit someone with it. If it jams and you can’t fix it, you’ve got yourself one fine and impressive nutcracker.
• Pistol, Laser: c330 (Illegal)
A highly coveted piece of Alliance Newtech, laser weapons are illegal for all except those on central planets who can obtain special permits for them (and that ain't easy!) and Alliance military, who don't often see them anyway, because of the high cost involved. Laser pistols inflict more damage than a normal weapon, in addition to causing burn wounds which take twice as long to heal. Laser weapons require extremely high-density batteries, which cost 2 credits each and are very difficult to find. Laser pistols don't sit on the black market for long.
• Pistol, Light: 16c
A ladies weapon or a good holdout gun, light pistols range in size and configuration from derringers to those fancy rigs some folks use for trick shooting.
• Pistol, Medium: 18c
A medium pistol is a standard sized pistol.
• Rifle: c30
Whether used for hunting or combat, the rifle is a very deadly weapon. Unfortunately, carrying one of these around is a might conspicuous.
• Rifle, assault: c40
Full-auto weapons are definitely frowned upon by most authorities ('cept when they're the ones using them), but the attraction of being able to saw a man in half is right strong in some. Most feds carry a Newtech assault rifle as their main weapon.
• Rifle, Gauss: 400c (Illegal)
A longarm using gauss technology. Slugs fired from such a gun have astonishing force and range. A gauss rifle can be fired a dozen times before needing recharging or a fresh battery.
• Rifle, sniper: c160
Used by those who prefer one shot, one kill. When bracing the rifle and using the scope, the range can cover 1,000 feet.
• Rifle, sonic: c140 (Illegal)
The standard issue weapon of choice for law enforcement on the central planets, the sonic rifle looks like a fancy shotgun with a couple of nested radio dishes about five inches across where the barrel ends. The sonic rifle fires a sonic burst that stuns the target, potentially knocking him down (or out). There is no risk of damaging any but the most fragile of goods (or glass). The gun as a very short range and is inoperable in a vacuum. Like a laser weapon, it runs on hard-to-find batteries (c1 each), and like most government equipment is equipped with a transponder chip that allows it to be tracked.
• Shotgun: c50
Two barrels of death. 'Nuff said.
• Submachine gun: c36
SMGs are popular in the criminal underworld. Machine guns eat ammo, but at least you can sleep better knowing your enemies are carrying around two pounds of lead.
• Shotgun, Automatic: 85c (Illegal)
A shotgun with a larger magazine, capable of burst fire.
• Shuriken: .5c
A flat, star-shaped piece of metal thrown at someone you’re not overly fond of. Throwing stars aren’t usually enough to kill someone, but do cause considerable annoyance.
• Sling: .5c
A primitive weapon consisting of a leather strap, used to hurl a weighted bullet or stone at the target.
• Slinger, Arm: PRICES MAY VARY
A scoop-shaped extension of a glove used to throw spiked weights at any gorram fool dumb enough to get within throwing distance of a Reaver.
• Speargun: 3c
A long pistol stock and frame, spring or gas-powered, firing a long metal arrow. Spearguns are traditionally used underwater, but few folks these days let tradition stand in the way of inflicting pain.
• Stunner, Ranged: 150c
A short-ranged energy rifle capable of firing a coherent electric pulse, set to the same frequency as human brainwave function, capable of scrambling the target’s mind and stunning him temporarily.
Ammunition
• Ammunition, Standard (50): c5
Needed to shoot weapons
• Armor Piercing: .5c per round (Illegal)
Armor piercing rounds are coated with a polymer that helps punch right through armor.
• Arrows, Specialty: 1c per arrow
Though the bow is far from the most commonly-utilized weapon in the ‘Verse, archery has its uses. The Companion’s Guild teaches its members the sport of archery for meditative and professional reasons—it is a sport of the idle rich, and a Companion should show such facility for social purposes. Savants who follow antiquated martial traditions may also practice archery, as well as covert ops mercenaries or even thieves with elaborate modus operandi.
• Blunt: 8c per round
A blunt arrow is used to down a target without killing. It does Stun instead of Wound damage.
• Depleted Uranium: 2c per round (Illegal)
Depleted uranium rounds are made from the byproduct of nuclear fission, and combine exceptional armor penetration, fragmentation, and radioactivity. Now illegal throughout the ‘Verse, depleted uranium rounds were used during the Unification War and are only found in abandoned weapons caches and the black market.
• Explosive tip: 4c per arrow (Illegal)
This arrowhead contains a small explosive that detonates on impact. The range is much shorter than regular arrows (10 foot increment), but they do a heap more damage when they hit.
• Explosive round: 11c per round (Illegal)
Each explosive round is like a tiny little grenade, set to go off when it hits. They’re expensive, they require a weapon tooled for ‘em (or a secondary barrel), and they’re pretty much illegal across the ‘Verse. The explosion has a five-foot increment.
• Flare: .5c per round
A flare arrow does the same damage as a regular arrow, and a phosphorescent chemical in the tip ignites when it’s scraped against a rough surface, so it lights up a room aplenty.
• Line: 6c per arrow
This is a reinforced arrow with a microthin, woven monofiber line attached to a spool that clips onto the bow. The spool has 100 feet of line, and the head of the arrow is designed to open with spring-loaded backpointing claws like a little grappling hook. That acts to snag any surface it sinks into. Once the line is taut, you can use special gloves to climb hand-over-hand along it, or use the convenient folding handles on the spool.
• Nonlethal: 1c per round
Nonlethal ammunition consists of semisolid projectiles—beanbag, rubber, or low-impact—designed to stun and knock downa target rather than penetrate flesh.
• Poison: 3c per arrow (Illegal)
This arrow has a hollow reservoir for any sort of toxin you’d like. Impacting causes it to inject the poison into the target.
• Tracer: 2c per round
Tracer ammo is covered with a chemical that ignites in the face of sufficient friction, lighting up a trail through the air so the shooter can keep a tight cone of fire.
Weapon Modifications
• Barrel Light: 1c
A clip-on flashlight resting below or alongside the weapon’s barrel that illuminates the area your gun’s pointing at.
• Bipod: 5c
A bipod clips or folds down from the barrel or stock of a rifle, assault rifle, or machine gun, stabilizing it while you’re firing. Generally a shooter using a bipod is prone or using an object such as a rock, fence, or window sill to elevate the weapon.
• Carbine Remodel: 6c
Carbine-remodeling means shortening the barrel of a rifle as much as can be done, and shortening or removing the stock altogether. This lowers a rifle’s range increment by one-quarter (round down), but makes it much easier to conceal and carry. The listed cost is for a professional craftsman to perform the service. Those possessing doit- yourself spirit do it for free if ’n they have adequate tools and make an Average Agility + Guns/Gunsmithing action. Zoe, first mate of Serenity, carries a carbine-remodeled lever-action rifle, worn on the hip in a long catch-release clip holster. Rifles and shotguns can be so remodeled.
• Flash Suppressor: 2c
A suppressor baffles the flash from a firearm’s discharge, helping a sniper keep concealed. It has no effect on range or accuracy, but increases the Difficulty of visually spotting a sniper by two.
• Sawed-off Barrel: 2c
A sawed-off barrel reduces the range of a weapon by one-third, but makes it easier to conceal.
• Scope: 8c
A sight lets you ignore range increment penalties. Scope Magnification lists the increase in range before penalties are imposed, as well as the cost. You can put only a 2x or 6x scope on a pistol; a scope has no effect on a shotgun, stunner, or other type of energy weapon.
• Scope, Night-Vision: 32c
A night-vision scope enhances visible light and allows the shooter to see in the dark.
• Scope, Ocular: 14c
A simple electronic scope, offering computer-assisted magnification and zoom capabilities. An ocular scope is more powerful than a regular scope, offering 64x magnification (7x range increment increase) or 128x magnification (8x range increase). Sometimes an ocular scope is more powerful than the effective range of the firearm.
• Scope, Thermal: 52c
A thermal scope detects the heat signatures of living beings (or anything putting off radiant heat).
• Sight, Laser: 4c
A laser sight snaps onto a barrel and projects a nice red line of light where you’re pointing, putting a little red dot saying “Shoot here” on your target.
• Silencer: 5c
A silencer can’t entirely muffle the sound of a gunshot, but it does muddle and soften it enough that it’s more difficult to hear. Trying to hear a silenced firearm from more’n 10 yards away is a Hard task, while trying to identify the location of the shooter is a Formidable one.
• Stock, Folding or Telescopic: 5c
A rifle, shotgun, assault rifle, or other longarm can have a folding or telescopic stock. This has no game effects when extended other than ease of carrying.
• Trigger Lock: 11c
A simple electronic feature, a trigger lock may be deactivated with a key, a code sequence, a fingerprint lock, or even a voice-activated release. It takes one full combat turn to release a trigger lock, but won’t you feel safer knowing that any crazy test subjects who get their hands on your sidearm won’t be able to shoot you with it?
• Underbarrel Launcher: 37c (Illegal)
A second barrel, mounted onto the barrel of your rifle. It lets you fire grenades if simple bullets ain’t enough. An underbarrel launcher only holds one grenade at a time, so you’ve got to reload it between shots
Explosives & Chemical Weapons
• Acid: .5c (Illegal)
It’s a horrible thing using acid as a weapon, but the ‘Verse is full of horrible people that think nothing of it. The really sick ones take pleasure from it.
• Charge, Breaching: 21c (Illegal)
A shaped charge designed to blow open a ship’s hatch or the door of some other structure. Usually it’s got magnetic plates to lock it in place, and is able to function without oxygen, either out in the black or underwater. Small breaching charges can take out a lock, while big ones are arranged around a hatch to blow the whole thing out. As they’re shaped to funnel the blast in a particular direction, a breaching charge has a very short range and is used as a prelude to busting in on someone.
• Charge, Satchel: 30c (Illegal)
A wide-purpose bomb the size of a small rucksack, a satchel charge can breach a door or wall, take out a structure, be rigged as a booby-trap, or even be tossed into a vehicle’s open hatch to watch it shake. Satchel charges come with either a timer or a remote detonator.
• ChemPlast Charge: c6 (Illegal)
A high-yield plastic explosive, these charges let loose their energy in a relatively small area. Shrapnel isn’t an issue (unless whoever set the charge packed it full of nuts and bolts and the such), but the blast wave is apparently a lot like being struck by a cruiser.
• Grenade, Concussion: c2 (Illegal)
Used offensively because their smaller blast radius is less dangerous in the open, these grenades can still clear an area very effectively.
• Grenade, Flashbang: c1 (Illegal)
Designed to stun enemies, flashbangs do relatively little damage, but everyone within 20 feet of the grenade is automatically stunned. The only way to deal with this effect is complete ear and eye protection.
• Grenade, Fragmentation: c2 (Illegal)
Sharp fragments of metal rip through everything and everyone in the area. The only effective protection usually involves diving behind something—or someone—big and thick and heavy.
• Grenade, Smoke: c1 (Illegal)
Inhaling the smoke does some damage, seeing as you get less air that way, but mostly the smoke obscures vision inside and through the cloud. The smoke fills the blast area and dissipates slowly (usually in about two minutes). NBC masks prevent the damage.
• Grenade, Gas: c2 (Illegal)
The grenades release a special nerve-gas designed to knock out those who breathe it. The effects are like several hours of hard drinking on an empty stomach. An NBC mask will prevent the damage. The gas dissipates in around a minute.
• Grenade, Incendiary: 3c (Illegal)
A grenade packed with highly flammable chemical gel capable of burning through metal when it’s ignited. This chemical gel doesn’t require oxidization, so it burns just as fiercely underwater as in vacuum.
• Grenade, Magnetic: 7c (Illegal)
Your basic fragmentation grenade, but with the added benefit of a magnetic field that lets it stick to most metallic surfaces.
• Grenade, Plasma: 9c(Illegal)
A plasma grenade produces enough heat to melt right through metal and nearly anything else. It works underwater or in vacuum. Unless you like the thought of synthetic skin grafts or extensive burn scars, you’d best get out of the way if someone throws one of these near you.
• Grenade, Pulse: 7c (Illegal)
Designed to take out electronics or cripple computer systems, a pulse grenade can also be used to immobilize a vehicle operating with any engine using electrical current (as opposed to combustion). A pulse grenade does no damage to living people, but takes out any unshielded electronics within the pulse range.
• Grenade, Web: 3c (Illegal)
When they go off, web grenades distribute a wide spray of liquid that instantly hardens into sticky biodegradable webbing that’s Hard to break. The webbing dissolves within an hour. Alliance security forces use web grenades for peaceful crowd control, though they can be put to other uses of a more nefarious nature.
• Explosive, Improvised: PRICES MAY VARY (Illegal)
A makeshift bomb fashioned with available chemicals, usually packed into a pipe or plastic bottle. You can fill an improvised explosive with pieces of metal if shrapnel appeals to you, or you can leave it as is if you’re trying to make the right “blast and set on fire” impressions.
• Flamethrower: 15c (Illegal)
Setting someone afire is just about the unkindliest way to do away with ‘em, and it’s not looked upon well by most folks. A flamethrower’s got a back-mounted tank full of liquid fuel, a hand-held igniter, and a hose connecting the two.
• Flamethrower, Barrel-mounted: 9c (Illegal)
A compact flamethrower, this mounts onto assault rifles and has a shorter range, smaller tank, and is less likely to ignite the user. An extraordinary success sets the target on fire. A botch only means that the flamethrower fails to ignite.
• Mine, Antipersonnel: 8c (Illegal)
Mines are a common enough hazard in ground combat, not so much in space, but they still see some use and turn up now and again. Antipersonnel mines injure enemy combatants instead of killing ‘em—a tactic devised by the Alliance during the Unification War. Wounded soldiers require considerable hardship getting ‘em off the battlefield, and caring for the stricken is even more of a drain on your resources. Antipersonnel mines throw a large blast upwards, generally taking off the limb that triggered the mine. Others, of the “Bouncing Betty” type, hop up into the air to spread the blast around. Mines are either concealed or simply scattered around out the open—or both.
• Mine, Pulse: 25c (Illegal)
This antivehicle mine uses an electromagnetic pulse to fry any electrical components when it goes off. When the charge triggers, it sends out a big blast of EMP radiation that cripples any vehicle liable to be passing within the range increment. Pulse mines were used by Alliance troops to capture vehicles and supplies without harming either. The men inside . . . they usually died defending their vehicle.
• Mining Charge: c20
Used to blast mine shafts, these charges are perfect for demolition of all kinds, and often come with a remote detonator or a timed electric fuse.
• Molotov Cocktail: PRICES MAY VARY (Illegal)
An improvised firebomb made out of a glass bottle filled with alcohol, a rag for a fuse, and the will to light it and throw it. A Molotov cocktail splashes an area a yard in diameter when it hits. An extraordinary success on an attack means the target has been set afire, doing the same damage each turn until the fire is put out. A botch often means the attacker has set his gorram fool self on fire to the same effect.
• Seeker Missile: c95 (Illegal)
A Newtech weapon from the war, Seekers are automated, flyin’ grenades. They use a small hover-drive to move around, and look a lot like a two-foot-long tadpole that wants to splatter you across the scenery. They tend to move toward motion and heat, and explode when they think they’re near a target–any mobile heat source not transmitting the proper transponder signal. Tossing a flare tends to fool Seekers, but the blast can still be deadly at a range.
• Squadkiller: c48 (Illegal)
A horrific little surprise left by retreating Alliance forces during the war, squadkillers are about the size of a large book, and are usually buried or hidden at a major intersection or common areas where people are likely to congregate. Built-in sensors wait until there are at least 12 warm bodies within 15 feet of this bomb, and then boom! Folk are all dead, just like that.
Heavy Weapons
• Machinegun, Heavy: 330c (Illegal)
A big and rugged weapon, usually too heavy to be easily carried about. Most heavy machineguns have foldable bipods or tripods, or they’re mounted on a vehicle.
• Machinegun, Light: 240c (Illegal)
Compared to an assault rifle, a light machinegun is a heavyweight.
• Microwave Broadcasters: 30,000c (Illegal)
This mounted weapon sends a wide-frequency microwave burst in a radius around the vehicle, low enough to avoid causing serious burns but strong enough to cause intense pain. Microwave broadcasters are usually mounted on Alliance security force vehicles, and are used to create a space around the vehicle.
• Mounted Flamethrower: 650c (Illegal)
This large flamethrower is capable of doing damage to vehicles.
• Mounted Machinegun: 500c (Illegal)
This high and mighty machinegun is bolted into a vehicle and cannot be used otherwise.
• Mortar: 268c (Illegal)
A firing tube designed to propel explosive rockets at a target, usually a vehicle or structure. It uses a high-trajectory arc to maximize range, and often an electronic rangefinder is essential to properly target mortar fire
Protective & Emergency Gear
• Ballistic Mesh: c46
Used much like the bulletproof vests of Earth-That-Was, ballistic mesh is a finely woven cloth of metal and plastic over polymer sheeting. In basic dummy-talk, the mesh stops bullets, and isn't as heavy or bulky as other armors. The mesh was often used by the Independents during the war, since it was hard for them to find heavier body-armor. Ballistic mesh is meant to stop bullets and that's about it. It does not stop arrows, bolts, axes, knives, or explosive ammunition.
• Chaff Suit: 88c (Illegal)
A chaff suit is covered with a metallic weave and wired through with a host of electronic signal bafflers. Wearing one screens you from most forms of electronic detection other than visual, weight, or sound-based. It looks fairly ridiculous, like a pair of hooded coveralls covered with short streamers of shiny metal foil, but results don’t lie.
• Chameleon Cloak: 36c
The chameleon cloak shares the same technology as the chameleon suit, though it’s in the shape of a long hooded cloak, baggy enough to cover at least two people if they’re snug together. A chameleon cloak has an integral computer wired together with a passel of light sensors and emitters.
• Chameleon Suit: c40 (Illegal)
Snipers favor these to remain hidden whole on the job. Mostly consisting of a baggy set of overalls with clumps of fiber optic wires sprouting here and there, the suit also sports a small computer and dozens of light sensors placed around it. When activated, the suit attempts to match its color to the surrounding area. It does a fairly good job if the wearer is holding still. It also acts as normal Ballistic Mesh armor.
• Diving Gear: 18c
Based on the old-style SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) gear, diving gear contains a rebreather, mask, flippers, a weighted belt, and a bodysuit. There’re fancier ones, but the basics are the same.
• Duster, Armored: 6c
A long coat fashioned of tough-but-supple leather with armored mesh woven beneath the surface, and rigid plates on the shouldersand chest. Fashionable and functional.
• Flight Suit: 14c
A snug, reinforced suit for use by pilots and crew onboard planetary air defense vehicles, and some forms of starship without gravity plating. The suit helps the pilot resist G-forces and incorporates a thin layer of insulation.
• Grounder Mesh: 80c (Illegal)
If you’re in the line of work where you find yourself opposed to someone, say Alliance troops, armed with stunners, this is the pair of long-johns for you. A one-piece thin, grounder mesh goes under your street clothing and provides protection against any sort of electromagnetic pulse that would otherwise send you floorward in a hurry.
• Heartline Health Suit: c28
The HeartLine is an undershirt wired with sensors and other gadgets to monitor body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and so on. It generally transmits this data to a doctor or to a computer where it can be read by a doctor, who can monitor the patient's health.
• Helmet, Infantry: c16
A basic metal or composite helmet with a cloth of mesh covering (to which the wearer can attach grass and foliage). Protects the brain-pan ((Mod note: from massive amounts of hair))
• Helmet, Squad: c35
This helmet originated with the Alliance during the war. It functions he same as an Infantry helmet, but also includes a small communicator to allow members of a squad to stay in constant communication. Unfortunately the design impedes hearing and peripheral vision.
• Mask, NBC: c8
A fancy gas-mask, this gadget lets you breathe safely in an area contaminated by nuclear, biological, or chemical hazards. Unfortunately, the mask doesn't let you see all that well, and it doesn't protect the rest of your body.
• NBC Body Suit: c32
A full-body, airtight, hazardous environment suit provides complete protection from nuclear, biological, and chemical hazards. The mask allows for slightly better vision than the NBC Mask. The bulky material makes it difficult to handle small objects or perform feats that require coordination.
• Plate Vest: c30
Ceramic inserts sewn into a ballistic mesh offer torso protection on both the back and the front. Unlike the Ballistic Mesh, the Plate Vest will protect against sharp instruments (knives, axes), as well as bullets. The upside--the Plate Vest looks like a normal garment. The downside--the weight and bulk restrict movement slightly.
• Riot Gear: c92
Full law-enforcement riot gear consists of composite and ceramic plating sewn in various special pockets all over a specially made ballistic mesh suit. The effects of the mesh apply only to bullets, however it dampens all other damage. Unfortunately, the helmet impairs hearing and vision, and the suit is bulky enough to be a mite cumbersome--but then, there's some as like to see the law slowed down a bit anyway.
• Tactical Suit: c110 (Illegal)
This is the armor the Alliance Federals wear, usually with a squad helmet. The suit covers the entire body and is armored with ceramic and composite plates, along with heavy padding. It will stop a heap of damage, but tends to rattle when you walk.
• Vacuum Suit: c67
Heavy, bulky, and generally restricting, vacuum suits are an absolute essential out in the Black. They can be tricky to get on and off, though, so allow yourself some time to get into it. You need to take good care of these to keep 'em working. A bullet hole or similar can be closed up with patch tape, but it is generally worthwhile to invest in a new suit when you have the credits.
• Shield, Heater: 8c
An old-fashioned shield from times long gone, used for defense in a less civilized time, called heaters for their shape. Hold a heater shield defensively and it acts as light cover.
• Shield, Tactical: 10c
A big clear rectangle of reinforced ballistic polymers, this shield generally sees use in riots or crowd control situations—where a group of Alliance soldiers or constabulary line up and make a wall, one that’s flexible enough to shove back.
Covert Ops Gear
• Babbler: 120c (Illegal)
This boxy little device is covered with short-range frequency scramblers, which safeguard an area against electronic surveillance of any sort other than visual. A babbler has a range near 20 feet and is highly conspicuous to a body actively scanning you—it shows up like a big blob of static in the middle of his screen. On the other hand, it’s a big blob of static rather than anything more particular, like who you are and what you’re saying.
• Debugger: c20 (Illegal)
A palm-sized signal scrambler, these generally won’t interfere with high power transmissions, such as the Cortex, but they play merry hell with most electronic bugs in a 15’ radius
• Disguise Kit: c66 (c5 refill per 10 uses)
Disguise Kit: A suitcase filled with makeup, hair dye, wigs, fake beards, plasticskin, noses, ears, etc. Basically everything a professional spy might need, including several bottles of pills designed to alter the user’s skin tone and a few sets of ‘John Doe’ artificial fingerprints that adhere seamlessly and remain good for 24 hours.
• Eavesdrops: c48 (4 bugs and transmission hub) (Illegal)
Eavesdrops: If you want to know what people are saying behind your back, this is the way to find out. The microphones (no larger than the size of a pinhead) can be hidden anywhere within 30 feet of the transmission hub. The hub collects the audio data and stores it (up to 48 hours from each eavesdrop) or transmits it all in one burst. It can also transmit constantly at a range of up to half a mile
• Enabler: 100c
An enabler synchs a handheld computer to a system through a holo-proxied datastream bridge. In layman’s terms, this little widget lets you attach a handheld computer to another system without actually physically linking it with a cable or through a data port. It makes it possible to link into a closed system from any bridging point in the network, such as a cable or other hard line.
• Fake IdentCard: c4000 (Illegal)
Alliance IdentCards are extremely hard to actually fake, since they are embedded with hardwired microchips containing important data about the holder. As a result, it’s easier to steal someone else’s card and apply your face to the picture, even though this means the card will likely get you caught if anyone puts it through a card-reader. A truly usable fake IdentCard can be obtained only at obscenely high cost, and even then it won’t match Cortex records, meaning careful examination will reveal the fraud.
• Laserlight Mist: c2
A small can of mildly reflective aerosol mist will reveal security alarms and barrier fields, laser trip wires, and so on without setting off alarms. The mist dissipates within twenty seconds.
• Lock Picks: c14 (Illegal)
An assortment of small picks and wrenches for opening locks rolled up in a piece of cloth. Not worth much, since old-fashioned mechanical locks are rarely used where there’s anything worth stealing.
• Lock Picks, Electronic: c36 (Illegal)
Especially in the Core, most locks are electronic in nature and require either overriding a keypad or transmitting a code before they’ll open. This little pack of gadgets can help accomplish both.
• Mag Charge: c27 (Illegal)
A short-range, electromagnetic pulse charge, about the size of a large battery.Unless the electrical equipment is hardened against EMP waves (which is extremely difficult, if not impossible to do fully), all electrical equipment in the 10’ affected radius will short out and stop working until repaired. Most ships possess enough redundancies so that one of these will not cause fatal problems, but using them aboard a space vessel or atmospheric craft is not advised.
• Optical Bomb: c16 (Illegal)
A bundle of LEDs and fiberoptic cabling around a capacitor, optical bombs are designed to temporarily blind an opponent (and possibly nearby security cameras), making it easier to disable said opponent. To be truly effective, the bomb must go off within 15 feet of people and 10 feet of cameras and must be within the line of sight of the people and cameras. An NBC mask will protect a person’s eyes from this, while some more expensive security devices have an auto reactive coating to protect cameras from such attacks.
• Poison, Kortine (Debilitating): c11 (Illegal)
If a dose (usually about two milliliters) of this poison enters a victim’s bloodstream, it debilitates the victim as they will be unable to do anything that requires finesse. This includes moving more than a few inches. Three times this amount may stop the victims heart.
• Poison, Cyanol (Lethal): c13 (Illegal)
Equally lethal by ingestion or injection, a milliliter of this poison will give the victim a sudden and inevitable heart attack.
• Surveillance Gear: 120c
A set of surveillance gear greatly aids in spying—listening in on conversations or otherwise getting into another’s business. It includes long-range oculars, cameras, miniature imagers and recorders, microtransmitters, thermal imagers, a comm frequency scanner, and more of the like.
• Vox Scrambler: 35c (Illegal)
A hand-held device that matches the voice signatures of anyone speaking around it, and generates a 10-foot field of barely audible vocal noise. It’s noticeable, but not loud enough to make it difficult to talk. To any recorders, bugs, or long-range listening devices, it sounds like a crowd of people yammerin’ in utter nonsensical babble.