Hierarchy of Weapons

> Note: This article is written in an OOC Format.
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## Preface

The number of weapons in the families have no impact on which weapon type is stronger than the other, simply because it has greater, or fewer, numbers. Weapons in turret form are weaker than static versions. Please note that this list talks about weapons that are generally available, not the specialty weapons belonging to some nations, nor the wide variety of warheads on missiles and torpedoes. Numbers after the weapon type refer to the minimum length, width, or height of ship needed to mount them. Weapon mounts cannot be swapped on the fly. You cannot fire plasma out of kinetic barrel and vice versa. This list was created with balance in mind, not realism. Note that CF included in the number refers to Cold Fusion, meaning the weapon size restrictions are reduced so long as the nation has Cold Fusion.

### Family in order of weakest to strongest

* Plasma flak (Turrets only)
* Plasma Repeaters
* Plasma Pulse cannons (50 meters)
* Plasma Cannons (400 meters)(200 meters CF)
* Vehicle Plasma Cannon (ground vehicles only, varies)
* Plasma Bolt Launcher (Static only, 800 meters) (500 meters CF)
* Electromagnetic Plasma Cannons (Short range, turrets only, 450 meters) (350 meters CF)
* Plasma Beams (Short Range, 500 meters)

### Description

Plasma is held in a bolt shape by electromagnetic forces, which eventually fade once far enough away, giving them a range limit, though the range is rather far. Electromagnetic bolts have a shorter range, due to the additional EM field requirements. Plasma Beams are a Convent design. The beam can hold cohesion for up to five seconds if static, two if on a turret. While Plasma isn’t very good against shields, plasma has no ammunition requirements, so most modern navies will pelt a target with plasma bolts until the shields drop. EM Bolts are slightly better against shields and produce a minor EMP effect to the general area of impact. Not enough to incapacitate a ship, but enough to cause minor havoc. Plasma weapons can overheat if fired too much, with EM Plasma overheating quicker than other plasma weapons. Plasma weaponry is the most common type of weapon in the galaxy, due to the common use of armor over shields and the effectiveness when combating Dom’Kavosh.

### Family in order of weakest to strongest

* Point Defense Autocannon
* Repeating slug launchers/throwers (varies, automatic)
* Vehicle based Railguns (Varies, ground only)
* Mass Drivers (varies, semi-auto)
* Railguns (1.3 % speed of light, requires 1km of barrel space)
* Gauss cannons (2% speed of light, requires 4km of barrel space)
* Heavy Gauss Cannons (4% speed of light, requires a massive station, asteroid, or planet with 100km of space)

### Description

Kinetic weapons are the most widely varied, as the power of the weapons is strictly determined by the speed in which the slug is launched. However, acceleration of the slug is determined on the power source and the length of the weapon barrel, making the more powerful kinetic weapons unwieldy. Kinetic weapons have unlimited range in space, due to the laws of inertia, however the barrel length and the need to carry ammunition mean most modern navies tend not to use them en masse. The most common round for the larger versions are large ferrotungsten rounds, while smaller weapons will use smaller, less dense slugs. Some mass drivers use molten metal, giving them somewhat minor armor damage at close range, but those are more seen on weapons based on the ground, for use against atmospheric targets. The most common kinetic weapons are smaller, as they use smaller rounds and can fire more times. Kinetic weapons overheat faster than plasma. Railguns and Gauss Cannons MUST be static.

### Family in order of weakest to strongest

* Point Defense Nodes/Turbolasers (ineffective vs large ships, shortest range, turbolasers are turrets, PDNs are static)
* Repeating lasers (200 meters) (150 CF)
* Pulse lasers (275 meters) (200 CF)
* Polarized lasers (350 meters) (250 CF)
* Laser cannons (450 meters) (400 CF)
* Lasers (700 meters) (Static) (650 meters CF)
* Grasers (Gamma Ray Lasers, 1,000 meters) (Static) (800 meters CF)

### Description

Lasers are the most powerful general purpose weapon available for modern ships. However, they’re marred by shorter range than other weapons, with the range shrinking as the weapon gets more powerful. Energy weapons require massive amounts of power and room, making them unable to be operated by the smaller types of ships. Unlike plasma and kinetic weapons, energy weapons move at light speed. While energy weapons don’t have overheating issues, the prep time for firing prevents most lasers from firing in rapid succession. Repeating and pulse lasers deal significantly less damage than their larger counterparts, but can fire a lot faster.

## References

1. ↑ Static means the weapon does not move and you have to move the ship to move the weapon's barrel.
2. ↑ This was a reward for participation in the final battle of the VENGEANCE Arc.
3. ↑ Requires Cold Fusion