Ultratech Sleep/Paralysis Agents

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Langy

For a 'realistic' sleep agent, I'd probably do something like this:

If an individual fails their HT roll by ten or more, they suffer a Heart Attack. If they fail their HT roll by five or more, they fall into a Coma. If they fail their HT roll, they fall unconscious for minutes equal to margin of failure, followed by regular sleep. If they succeed by less than five, they are rendered Drowzy for 20-HT minutes and get a -2 penalty to all skill or attribute rolls, except for HT rolls. If they succeed by five or more, the gas has no effect.

That doesn't seem any more advanced than the TL7½ stuff Russians used in Nord-Ost.

[Langy]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

That doesn't seem any more advanced than the TL7½ stuff Russians used in Nord-Ost.

Possibly not - last time I looked up sleep agents was when I made the one in current use in Edgerunners (a TL9-10 setting), which is just:

If an individual fails their HT roll, they fall unconscious for minutes equal to margin of failure, followed by regular sleep. If they succeed by less than five, they are rendered tired for 20-HT minutes and get a -2 penalty to all skill or attribute rolls, except for HT rolls. If they succeed by five or more, the gas has no effect.

I'll have to look at current state-of-the-art agents to see what's better/etc.

Note that I didn't say 'realistic UT sleep agents' in my previous post - just 'realistic';)

[Nereidalbel]

The only way sleep/paralysis gas could realistically knock somebody out without the risk of lethality (bashing one's head onto a table aside) would be if said gas tended to be lighter than air. In an enclosed space, this would head towards the ceiling, so the gas can safely be turned off once people fall over and are no longer in the sleeping cloud. In open air, people who fall over are still going to be below the gas released from grenades, pipes placed strategically, etc.

[starslayer]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

That doesn't seem any more advanced than the TL7½ stuff Russians used in Nord-Ost.

Thank you for remembering this.

I think that's an excellent example of how advanced sleep drugs are RIGHT NOW.

The Russians have a sleep drug that can be piped in, knocks everyone out almost instantly, and is leathal to a small number of those it knocks out. It is a late TL7 tech, and the only reason it is not more used is that the backlash from its use is strong, it is of limited utility (like for knocking out insane terrorists before they can execute hostages).

As such I would be comfortable saying that a TL 8+/9 sleep agent could be either of the following (8+ being 'a sleep agent developed in TL8 because there was actually a perceived need for it and the money/moativation to develop it; Like say if a TL8 society wanted to quell a lot of riots/hostage takers without the messy backblast from tear-gas or mass police deployment):

Fast, effective, not so plessant, somewhat harmful.
Contact agent, primarily a respatory agent, but someone wearing a gas mask but still having exposed skin still needs to roll to resist at +5. It is a thick opaque gas which also obsures vision.
1. HT-5 per second of exposure or become mentally stunned
2. After 5 failures or a critical failure drop into a coma.
3. Subsequent critical failures induce soffocation for ten seconds, after which an HT roll to recover is required



A bit slower, effective, plessant, unlikely to cause permanant harm.
Respatory agent only, considered to have low signature 2: it cannot be detected except by special sensors
1. HT roll per ten seconds of exposure or become lethargic; the only way to break the lethargy is to leave the affected area.
2. Ht roll per ten seconds of exposure once lethargic or become mentally stunned, any damage or disruption while mentally stunned will move the individual back to being lethargic.
3. HT roll per ten seconds of exposure once mentally stunned or go to sleep, any damge or disruption while asleep will move the individual back to being lethargic.
4. HT roll per minute of exposure once mentally stunned or go into a coma.
5. HT roll per minute of exposure once in a coma or suffer 1 FP damage from soffocation.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

That doesn't seem any more advanced than the TL7½ stuff Russians used in Nord-Ost.

Which probably wouldn't have been nearly as bad if they hadn't bungled the emergency response.