Weaponry & Armor

**\* - all can be made “smart”**

**Compression Rifle** – A non-lethal hand-gun. Super-tense concave flexiplates clap together at super speed, compressing the air so quickly that it instantly becomes extremely hot; the air expands and, with only one direction to go, a powerful wave of compressed air shoots out. Benefits: Low instance of mortality rates as it is only lethal within an immediate range. Extremely cheap to use. Users do not require much training. Downside: effectiveness is reduced at greater distances - thus, optimal distance of target is about 30 meters. Excellent for crowd control.

**Condensation Rifle** – Using advanced electrolysis and high-end laboratory catalysts it condenses water molecules in the air into a super dense ice-projectile. Benefits: No traceable ammo, inexpensive technology. Downside: has a relatively slow rate of 'reload' (1 shot every 3 seconds).

**RF Rifle** – When a control signal is lost, drones will either immediately land, return to their launch location, or hover until batteries drain, at which point they enter a controlled landing mode.

**Neural Disruptor** – Designed to generate theta waves of extremely powerful frequencies, it is able to disorient the target and create a powerful sense of vertigo. Extremely efficient on large groups. Benefits: affects everyone within range. Non-lethal weapon which can keep targets immobilised for up to 5 minutes. Also extremely cheap. Downside: Has been known to induce lethal seizures in those who are already at risk from strokes, hemorrhages, seizures or aneurysms. Can cause permanent mental incapacity if target receives prolonged exposure.

## Armor

Most of the items listed below will only be possessed by security, police and military personnel. However, in the Sprawls and in some Projects you will occasionally come across civilians wearing defensive clothing, from kinetic vests to full-body designer *DefSuits* (Defense Suits).

### Armor Types

#### Helmets

Helmets may be of skullcap, open-face or fully-enclosed design, and are usually made of either high impact plastic or *NanoPlast*. They are often used in anti-terrorist work and riot suppression. Optional features include:

* Wireless Communications
* Heads-Up Display
* Optics sensors
* Integrated Ranged Weapons

#### Combat Helms

The top of the line in helmet hardware is the Combat Helm, which includes all of the optional features listed above, plus GPS and dedicated software for enhanced navigation, information sharing, friendly force tracking and weapons targeting.

#### Shields

Shields may be small or large, and may be made of anything from high impact plastic to CMF.

#### Vests

Vests can rely on Kinetic Padding or *TexSteel* for their defensive properties

#### Defsuits

A practical combination of urban defense and sensible fashion, DefSuits feature an outer layer of woven *TexSteel* nanofibres with sheets of kinetic padding over strategic areas. Typically designed to cling tightly to the body, they allow full mobility with significant kinetic defense.

#### Body Armor

Used by police, security personnel and extreme athletes, the typical suit of body armor is an articulated exoskeleton of plates and sheaths which are connected to an underlying padded harness. With an exterior made of *NanoPlast*, the suits allow full mobility with superior defense.

#### Combat Armor

Combat Armor is comprised of fit-molded plates of CMF over a bodysuit of kinetic padding. The fully-equipped suit includes BioStatus Monitors and a helmet with High Bandwidth Wireless Communication, GPS, Local and Regional Mapping and Routing Capability, a 180° visor featuring Head-Up Display, Optics Sensors providing 360° situational awareness, and an integrated small-fire ranged weapon. Vital signs monitored include body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, hydration, stress level, sleep status, body positioning and workload capacity. If the warrior is wounded or fatigued, the system can notify medics and commanders. If suitably equipped, the suit can even activate embedded first aid or nanomed systems. Combat Armor typically restricts mobility until you’ve mastered wearing it, but offers greater defense then any other armor available.

#### NanoSuits

Interacting with neurosignals transmitted by its wearer, a nanosuit becomes an artificially-intelligent armored exoskeleton that learns the soldier's physical habits and communication patterns: a wearable, servo-mechanical, personal digital combat assistant. The suit provides defense equivalent to NanoPlast, and increases the soldier’s strength, speed, endurance and awareness.

#### Armor Materials

##### Aerogel Fill

Ultra-light aerogel is a nar-perfect insulator against heat and cold; a layer of aerogel within padded armor will protect its wearer from the direct blast of a flamethrower, or from the freezing void of space.

##### CMF (Composite Metal Foam)

Composite metal foam (CMF) is formed from hollow beads of one metal within a solid matrix of another, such as steel within aluminium, resulting in a tenfold strength-to-density ratio and a similar increase in energy absorption. This makes CMFs extremely useful as armor. A less than one inch thick plate of CMF has enough resistance to turn a 63mm M2 armor-piercing bullet to dust.

##### High-Impact Plastic

Modern plastics are far superior to those of the 21st century; they are lighter and more resilient thanks to new compounds recently discovered with the assistance of chemical design AI.

##### Kinetic Padding

Like today’s Kevlar, these synthetic polymers are spun into ropes or fabric sheets that can be used for body armor and layered with other materials.

##### NanoPlast

A dense but flexible supermesh of kinetically-responsive plastics which are interwoven at the molecular level.

##### TexSteel

A thick but flexible textile incorporating interwoven nanofibers of steel commonly used in body armor, as well as in various industrial applications.