NEURAL WEAPONS

These weapons use precisely-focused pulsed electrical or radio-frequency beams to affect the brain or nervous system at a distance. They are superscience weapons, but may be explained as improvements on electrolasers and microwave MAD beams. They only work on beings with a functional nervous system. Someone with Injury Tolerance (Diffuse, No Brain, Homogenous, or Unliving) or the Machine meta-trait is immune. A neural weapon won’t affect giant blobs, plant-creatures, silicon-based entities, and so on.

A neural weapon designed to affect terrestrial life may have an unpredictable effect on aliens, and vice versa. Depending on how alien they are, they might receive a HT bonus (e.g., +3 to resist), be unaffected, or may be affected differently. For example, a pain beam may cause the effect of an ecstasy beam.

Neural beams are silent and invisible. There are two categories: neural disruptors and mind rippers.

This family of weapons stimulates the nervous system, causing pain, pleasure, seizures, or other effects. They are popular for covert operations, as self-defense or dueling weapons, or as coercive weapons for slavers, prison guards, and security forces.

Neural disruptors project ranged cone attacks – see Area and Spreading Attacks (p. B413). The beams are ranged contact agents – ignore DR unless the target is sealed, in which case there is no effect. They deliver an affliction attack. The victim gets a HT roll to resist, at a penalty dependent on the weapon. Add +3 to resist beyond 1/2D range. Failure means the victim suffers a particular affliction for minutes equal to the margin of failure. The affliction suffered depends on the type of beam fired:

Agony: The victim suffers the Agony incapacitating condition* (p. B428). After recovery, he suffers Moderate Pain (p. B428) for an equal length of time.

Ecstasy: As above, but the victim suffers Ecstasy* followed by Euphoria (p. B428).

Neural Stun: The victim suffers the Unconsciousness condition (p. B429).

Paralysis: The victim suffers the Paralysis incapacitating condition (p. B429).

Seizure: The victim suffers the Seizure incapacitating condition (p. B429).

* If struck by an Agony or Ecstasy attack, a failure by 5+ causes a Heart Attack mortal condition (p. B429).

Tunable Weapons: Each extra setting after the first adds +50% to cost. Changing settings is a Ready maneuver.

Most neural disruptors are personal weapons that require Beam Weapons (Projector) skill to use.

Holdout Neural Disruptor (TL11^): An easily-concealed pocket-sized nerve gun with no handgrip. Depending on the weapon setting, it may be popular as an interrogation device or recreational toy.

Nerve Pistol (TL11^): The most popular neural weapon. In some cultures, these may be the standard weapons of police and security forces, supplanting sonic stunners. Also called a neural disruptor pistol.

Nerve Rifle (TL11^): A powerful neural disruptor sometimes used as a police sniper weapon.

Tactical Nerve Disruptor (TL11^): A large semi-portable weapon, usually vehicle- or tripod-mounted. It is often deployed in prison guard towers or police vehicles. It requires Gunner (Beams) skill to use.

At this setting, any failed resistance roll causes the Heart Attack mortal condition (p. B429). Add +1 to the TL of neural disruptors with death beam settings. Tunable: A death beam may have nonlethal neural disruptor settings such as agony or paralysis. Add +50% to cost for each setting.

These weapons are closely related to neural disruptor and ultrascanner technology. They perform a high-energy neurological scan of a single target that may simultaneously record and fry the target’s brain. They’re useful because they simultaneously destroy and capture an opponent.

A mindripper functions exactly like a mind disruptor (p. 132), except that failure to resist causes the Coma mortal condition (p. B429). Failure by 5+ results in a permanent Total Amnesia disadvantage even after the subject recovers.

A mindripper also uploads the subject, storing a copy in its internal database. This copy is enough to make a low-res “fragment” mind emulation (p. 220) if the subject failed by 1-4, or high-res if he failed by 5+. Less invasive ways of making a mind emulation exist, but they require special medical equipment and can’t be performed over a distance!

Long-Range Mindripper (TL12^): A semi-portable weapon, sometimes built into vehicles or robots, or tripod-mounted.

Short-Range Mindripper (TL12^): A bulky pistol-type weapon.