Sonic beam weapons project focused sound waves to hurt, incapacitate or kill. Their range is multiplied by air pressure in atmospheres, up to a maximum of two times the listed range. They won’t work in a vacuum or trace atmosphere unless physically touching the target (range C).

Sonic weapons will work underwater if designed for that medium. Underwater sonic weapons get double range, but their statistics are otherwise identical.

These weapons use acoustic heterodyning technology to process ordinary audible sound into a complex ultrasonic signal. The original sound is bound within the column of ultrasonic frequencies, becoming a tight beam that can travel hundreds of yards with no distortion or loss of volume. It causes pain, temporary hearing loss, and nausea. The weapons are not as reliable for self-defense as other weapons, but are effective for riot control.

Nauseator beams are audible only to the target, and the beam is invisible. Nauseator range is multiplied by air pressure in atmospheres. It has no range in vacuum or underwater.

Nauseators emit a cone attack – see Area and Spreading Attacks (p. B413). The effect is a hearingbased affliction attack that ignores DR, but has no effect on someone who cannot hear. A victim gets a HT roll to resist at the penalty noted for the weapon; add +5 for Protected Hearing and +3 beyond 1/2D range. Failure means suffering the disadvantages Hard of Hearing and the Moderate Pain (p. B428) irritating condition for minutes equal to the margin of failure on the target’s HT roll. Failure by 5 or more results in Deafness (making the target immune to further attacks) and retching (p. B429), plus loss of sphincter control, resulting in the Bad Smell disadvantage until cleaned up. The weapons are sometimes nicknamed “bowel disruptors” due to these unpleasant consequences.

These weapons are usually deployed as an alternative to electrolasers (p. 119), with a shorter range but wider beam and different effects.

Nausea Carbine (TL9): A short rifle-sized weapon. It is often used by police or troops assigned to riot squads.

Nausea Pistol (TL9): A handy pistol-sized version.

Tactical Nauseator (TL9): A tripod or vehicle-mounted riot-control weapon. It’s often installed in specialized antiriot vehicles, or set up to defend embassies and similar buildings that may be threatened by mobs of civilian attackers.

These lethal sonic weapons fire a beam that vibrates, heats, and even liquefies the target. Although the primary beam is an inaudible subsonic or ultrasonic frequency, the nickname comes from a tooth-jarring whine produced as a side. Particularly baroque sonic designs may even have an audio trigger, modulating the user’s battle cry or singing into an energy pulse!

These are superscience weapons. One possible explanation is that high levels of pulsed power are used to create discharges between electrodes in an insulating tube. The arcs ionize the air within the tube, causing a sudden expansion that generates a pressure pulse. Rapidly cycling these pulses creates a powerful acoustic wave in the form of a traveling vortex strong enough to damage the target.

Screamers deliver a cone attack – see Area and Spreading Attacks (p. B413) – that “shakes and bakes” victims, doing corrosion damage. Living targets suffer the symptoms of Hard of Hearing (p. B109) if the damage exceeds 1/2 HP or Deafness if over 2/3 HP; this doesn’t heal until the injury that caused it recovers.

Screamer Carbine (TL9^): A short, stubby weapon with a large, bell-shaped aperture; this is the most common screamer. Its short range limits its military utility. Like a shotgun, it is used for close-range hunting, home defense, and house-to-house combat.

Screamer Pistol (TL9^): A pistol-sized version, also called a “sonic disruptor pistol.”

Tactical Screamer (TL9^): A heavy semi-portable weapon used by powered troopers, or mounted on a tripod or vehicle. It’s also called a “tripod screamer.”

An evolutionary improvement of sonic screamers, sonic disruptors use “saser” technology. High-energy discharges from two electrodes are used to heat air in pulses, causing it to expand rapidly. More pulses create expansion waves to reflect the pressure pulse back and forth while building more sound waves in phase, releasing the coherent beam of sound towards the front of the weapon once it's reached a threshold of strength – essentially producing a sound laser. Since the sound beam is highly-focused, sonic disruptors are not projectors; they use the Beam Weapons (Pistol) and Beam Weapons (Rifle) skills.

Heavy Sonic Disruptor (TL10^): A heavy weapon that might serve as a squad support weapon, or mounted on a technical. It's ability to erode armor makes it useful against battlesuits and light military vehicles.

Heavy Sonic Disruptor Pistol (TL10^): A “magnum” sonic disruptor that can easily carve a cavity in the chest of an unarmored human. Its bulk makes it hard to conceal.

Holdout Sonic Disruptor (TL10^): A palm-sized disruptor, useful for boring holes in things discretely.

Sonic Disruptor Carbine (TL10^): A compact assault weapon with slightly reduced stopping power and range than a rifle. Popular with vehicle crews and special ops teams.

Sonic Disruptor Pistol (TL10^): A standard pistol. It's most often used for personal defense or as a military sidearm, since the erosion of armor can be useful in a pinch.

Sonic Disruptor Rifle (TL10^): A bulky rifle capable of destroying most civilian armors in one or two shots. It's often used against heavily-armored combatants due to its ability to chew through armor.

These advanced stunners fire a narrow, intense beam of ultrasonic sound that can shut down the target’s nervous system. Unlike a nauseator, a sonic stunner can affect someone who is deaf.

A hit requires a HT roll to resist at the penalty noted for the weapon. Add +3 beyond 1/2D range, and +1 per 5 DR the victim has at the point struck. If he fails, he suffers the Unconsciousness (p. B429) incapacitating condition for minutes equal to the margin of failure on his HT roll. The beam is narrow enough that if a limb or extremity is hit, it is incapacitated instead of the victim being rendered unconscious.

Sonic stunners may supplant nauseator (above) and electrolaser (p. 119) weapons.

Sonic Stun Cannon (TL10): A semi-portable weapon, usually tripod- or vehicle-mounted. Like the tactical nauseator, it’s used by anti-riot vehicles and for nonlethal perimeter defense.

Dinosaur Stunner (TL10): A powerful stunner capable of stopping an elephant. Hunters use it to capture big game.

Sonic Stinger (TL10):A nonlethal alternative to the holdout laser, the stinger is a tiny sonic stunner that can be disguised as an everyday item or strapped to the wrist.

Sonic Stunner (TL10): An effective palm-sized stunner, this self-defense weapon is also popular for covert operations. It has no grip and is held like a small flashlight or attached to the wrist.

Sonic Stun Pistol (TL10): A handgun-sized sonic stunner. It is effective enough that it can be issued as the standard sidearm for police or security guards.

Sonic Stun Rifle (TL10): A basic stun rifle. Like its electrolaser equivalents, it may be general issue to security and police.

BEAM WEAPONS (PISTOL) (DX-4, other Beam Weapons-4, or Guns (Pistol)-4)

BEAM WEAPONS (PROJECTOR) (DX-4, other Beam Weapons-4)

BEAM WEAPONS (RIFLE) (DX-4, other Beam Weapons-4, or Guns (Rifle)-4)

GUNNER (BEAMS) (DX-4, or other Gunner-4)