Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - [Psi/Space] Irar, the Jewel in the British Crown

Prince Charon · 11-24-2020, 03:10 PM

Some psi-tech that you might be curious about:

A force baton is a device or ability which creates a narrow cylinder of psychokinetic force, which can be wielded to do swing-crushing or thrust-crushing damage, like a strong but very light plastic tube with a domed tip; swinging or thrusting too hard can briefly 'break' the effect, though this is rarely a problem for human, or even Gormelite, levels of strength. Force batons with a maximum length of less than half a metre are often called force wands. Many force batons have a 'soft' setting (or are always 'soft'), limiting the maximum cr damage which they can inflict to 1d-3 or lower; note however that they are most often only 'soft' to physical objects, not to other force fields. Some force batons (particularly those for military or police training, or imitating same) follow the cr damage up with one point of burn, burn (surge), or burn (freeze) damage. A stun baton is a soft baton that follows the cr damage up with an EK affliction which is intended to shut down electronics and at least daze organic targets (Confuse with the Blue Screen and Daze techniques, GURPS Psionic Powers pp32-33), and preferably render them unconscious (Sleep, Psionic Powers p49, but as an Ergokinetic ability); the effect is basically painless beyond mild bruising later on. Stun batons are often legal in regions where other defensive tools are not.

A typical police or civilian stun baton may be used with just about any Force Sword skill (or Force Knife skill for stun wands), and is statted as follows:

Code:

TL Dmg    Reach   Parry   Cost   Wt   ST
^  1 cr   1, 2      0     $500   2    3
   aff (HT-5 Confuse)
   aff (HT-3 Sleep)

Alternate settings or designs might have Parry 0F, or a different Reach (e.g. stun wands and other force wands have Reach C or C, 1, and some force weapons can change length as a free action). Sport stun batons tend to have a much weaker effect, only stunning for a few seconds to maybe a minute (aff HT-2 Confuse, with no techniques or only Blue Screen) and not causing unconsciousness at all, though they are sometimes a bit more painful (1 point of electric burn damage, usually).

Thoughts?

11-24-2020, 03:10 PM	#8
Prince Charon Join Date: Dec 2012	Re: [Psi/Space] Irar, the Jewel in the British Crown Some psi-tech that you might be curious about: A force baton is a device or ability which creates a narrow cylinder of psychokinetic force, which can be wielded to do swing-crushing or thrust-crushing damage, like a strong but very light plastic tube with a domed tip; swinging or thrusting too hard can briefly 'break' the effect, though this is rarely a problem for human, or even Gormelite, levels of strength. Force batons with a maximum length of less than half a metre are often called force wands. Many force batons have a 'soft' setting (or are always 'soft'), limiting the maximum cr damage which they can inflict to 1d-3 or lower; note however that they are most often only 'soft' to physical objects, not to other force fields. Some force batons (particularly those for military or police training, or imitating same) follow the cr damage up with one point of burn, burn (surge), or burn (freeze) damage. A stun baton is a soft baton that follows the cr damage up with an EK affliction which is intended to shut down electronics and at least daze organic targets (Confuse with the Blue Screen and Daze techniques, GURPS Psionic Powers pp32-33), and preferably render them unconscious (Sleep, *Psionic Powers* p49, but as an Ergokinetic ability); the effect is basically painless beyond mild bruising later on. Stun batons are often legal in regions where other defensive tools are not. A typical police or civilian stun baton may be used with just about any Force Sword skill (or Force Knife skill for stun wands), and is statted as follows: Code: TL Dmg Reach Parry Cost Wt ST ^ 1 cr 1, 2 0 $500 2 3 aff (HT-5 Confuse) aff (HT-3 Sleep) Alternate settings or designs might have Parry 0F, or a different Reach (e.g. stun wands and other force wands have Reach C or C, 1, and some force weapons can change length as a free action). Sport stun batons tend to have a much weaker effect, only stunning for a few seconds to maybe a minute (aff HT-2 Confuse, with no techniques or only Blue Screen) and not causing unconsciousness at all, though they are sometimes a bit more painful (1 point of electric burn damage, usually). Thoughts? __________________ Warning, I have the Distractible and Imaginative quirks in real life. "The more corrupt a government, the more it legislates." -- Tacitus Five Earths, All in a Row. Updated 12/17/2022: Apocrypha: Bridges out of Time, Part I has been posted.