Railgun and Coilgun

**Magnetic Weapons** are futuristic energy weapons using powered magnets around the barrel in order to propel projectiles at extreme speeds that can't be reached by gunpowder-propelled projectiles. By consequence, their power of penetration and damage are extreme but they are special and experimental technologies, fragile and very power-hungry.

The two main kinds of Magnetic Weapons are the Lorenz Gun, or Railgun, and Gauss Gun, or Coilgun. The main difference between the Railgun and the Coilgun is the kind if magnets used : A Railgun will use powered rails whereas a Coilgun will use coils around the barrel.

## Details

Technically in concept, if the scientific physical details are ignored, Magnetic Weapons are simple : In effect they consist of electromagnets as rails or coils disposed around the barrel which once powered propel a metallic projectile. With real ordinary materials, powerful magnetic weapons can propel projectiles at around Mach 3, which is more than enough to bypass any armor.

However, the weapons are subject to multiple technical difficulties. They are very power-consuming, they need huge quantity of power to function efficiently and this implies that they have a long charging time and/or need great power generation to work. It also implies that the components have to cool down as part of the electrical energy becomes heat. As well, they are fragile and sensitive to Electro-Magnetic Pulses (EMP), their barrels and components can deteriorate considerably at each shot as EMP can also destroy their components. With ordinary materials like steel, Mach 3 projectiles is the max speed possible a magnetic weapon can send projectiles at. Another problem is that strong unusual outer magnetism can perturb a magnetic weapon's working.

All these factors combined make magnetic weapons dangerous for the target and very expensive to the user as potent magnetic weapons are generally very heavy artillery on structures or vehicles large enough to hold the batteries and/or power generators they require. Through, Yōma, Star Platinum, as well as any "aberrant" or magical tech and materials can allow the creation of more powerful magnetic weapons that can bypass some of these technical limitations by making deterioration impossible for example. However, power consumption and sensitivity to magnetism and EMP can still be trouble.

## Example of Magnetic Weapons

### **Ryōki's 90mm "Hope" Lorenz Gun**

Ryōki's 90mm "Hope" Lorenz Gun is a magnetic weapon which use was taught to her by Judge Silver. Most powerful known type of Magnetic Weapon she can summon in a dedicated Art, it is a 4 meters long 15cm large railgun with 2,5m rails and barrel, and 1,2m batteries behind the weapon's breech.

It is capable of sending with flawless accuracy at all ranges a projectile at light speed, capable of piercing every kinds of armor and make holes of 2m in diameter. The charging time takes 30 seconds and the weapon emits blue light while charging and a blinding white flash when firing.

The weapon doesn't pump power through anything else than Ryōki's own vital energy and essence, and would have been deadly to her if she wasn't a spirit. It pumps from her an amount of energy such as that she can't fight anymore and falls unconscious after using it just once, and thus it constitutes a last resort weapon that can theoretically defeat anything but that are tactically and strategically extremely risky.

### **Judge Silver's Magnetic Weapons**

As mentioned earlier, Silver taught Ryōki to use a magnetic weapon. In fact, Silver has developed railgun and coilgun arts that are very powerful but unfortunately very risky for their users as these Arts consume their users' energy. Due to this important factor, Silver prefers not to use these arts nor teach them to mortals, through as Ryōki was a spirit, Silver deemed it was acceptable to teach a life-threatening Art to a person whose life can't be threatened anymore.

Her railguns and coilguns arts have in common, excepting pumping their users' energy, to be able to propel projectiles at speeds higher than mach 3 and even very close to light speed if not equal. Their caliber vary with a max of 90mm, but generally the more important the speed and caliber the more important the energy will be pumped from the user at each shot.