Weapons

Modern firearms fall into four broad categories: slugthrowers, mass drivers, energy weapons, and the less lethal guns that don't reduce targets to bloody paste. Each weapon type has its own pros and cons, and each one has a place in modern warfare and criminal activity. Slugthrowers are inexpensive and easy to use. A tiny projectile from a mass driver can do massive amounts of damage. Focused energy weapons are accurate, nearly silent, and perfect for use in the vacuum of space. Less lethal weapons like stun batons and synap pistols are perfect for incapacitating an opponent without killing them. Finally, there are rare and even exotic weapons such as grenades, missile launchers, and even futuristic swords.

The list presented here is just a taste of the staggering variety of modern weapons. There is something for every taste and pocketbook, from disposable pistols to monoblades. A motivated character can nearly always find the right tool for the job on New Angeles’ streets.

### SLUGTHROWERS

Despite the advances made in weapons technology over the past few decades, slugthrowers remain the most common personal weapons available. Cheap, reliable, and easy to maintain, slugthrowers range from tiny, disposable pistols to massive, high-caliber machine guns.

Modern slugthrowers are constructed from lightweight composites with few, if any, metal parts. They use electrical firing mechanisms and generally shoot “caseless” ammunition. Most are also "smart," with onboard computers.

### ASSAULT RIFLE

Assault rifles are light, select-fire weapons designed to spit medium-caliber rounds at high rates of fire. They are relatively accurate (now even more so with the advent of smart systems) and are extremely deadly at medium to long ranges. Modern assault rifles are constructed mostly of buckyweave-reinforced composites with alloy barrels and interior parts. They can be fitted with a variety of attachments and smart systems to tailor them to specific missions or just improve their performance. The two most common assault rifle calibers are 5mm and 7mm, rounds descended from the old 5.56 and 7.62 rounds respectively.

While assault rifles are highly illegal for the average citizen to own, they can still be obtained if one knows the right dealer. Certain prisec outfits and mercenaries also obtain use permits from the NAPD allowing them to carry assault rifles and other military hardware within the city limits.

Models Include: Strelet Arms S101 MWS, Cantor M-101 Assault Rifle.

### BULLPUP CARBINE

Although assault rifles remain the go-to infantry weapon for most militaries, many PMCs and corporate security outfits prefer to use the more compact and accurate “bullpup” weapons. Around since the beginning of the twenty-first century, the nickname refers to any firearm that has the action and clip behind the trigger, which allows for an easier to handle weapon. Although the first bullpup weapons tended to have some balance (and therefore accuracy) issues, modern smart systems eliminate this problem, letting wielders take full advantage of a shorter gun that’s easy to swing around. Shorter ranged by nature, bullpup carbines tend to be used in enclosed spaces, and by criminals and security officers who like being able to hide an assault weapon in a briefcase.

Models Include: Strelet Arms S101.b MCW, Kalashnikov AK-X2 Carbine.

### COMBAT SHOTGUN

Whereas civilian shotguns are built for sporting and hunting, these weapons are built for military use. A typical combat shotgun is a light, short-barreled, magazine-fed weapon used by government and prisec forces. Primarily chambered in 12- and 20-gauge, combat shotguns are select-fire weapons that can fire a single round, fire a three-shot burst, or empty an entire magazine with a pull of the trigger. A combat shotgun’s major drawbacks are their savage kick and their nasty tendency to jam during automatic fire. The kick is easily contained by integrated smart recoil dampers, but even modern weapon development hasn't solved the jamming issue.

Your Game Master may spend 2 THREAT generated on a combat check using a combat shotgun to jam the weapon.

A jammed weapon cannot be fired. Clearing a jam requires a maneuver.

Models Include: HHI Model 8, Cantor XK Jackhammer.

### HAND CANNON

These colorfully named heavy pistols are big, loud, intimidating weapons built primarily for vicious firefights in close quarters. Often cumbersome and impossible to conceal, a heavy pistol has nothing subtle about it. Depending on their ammo, heavy pistols can punch through nearly any armor, and a few well-placed shots can down any angry cyborg or bioroid. One of their biggest downsides is their tremendous recoil. Most heavy pistols are equipped with smart recoil dampers to prevent them from breaking a shooter’s wrist.

Models Include: Strelet Arms 12mm Bogatyr, Sturm & Co. Quadra .454, Argus M-1 “Titan” Big Game Revolver.

### LIGHT PISTOL

Lightweight, easy to use, and often disposable, light pistols are perhaps the most common firearm in the world. While their small-caliber rounds and underwhelming ballistics make them poor weapons, they're still popular with criminals and on the Moon, since they can be produced by 3-D printers and their low-velocity rounds rarely puncture domes. Some CorSec (equivalent to local police) officers carry a light pistol as a drop gun they can place on dead suspects after a questionable shooting. Anyone searching your character adds 󲊸 to any Perception checks they make to find a light pistol.

Models Include: Strelet Arms Stinger, Skorpios PD-01, Cantor “Ranger” Target Pistol, MarsGoods .22 Poly CCP.

### PISTOL

Pistols are the go-to weapons for law enforcement, military, self-defense, and general criminal activity. They come in a breathtaking array of calibers, styles, actions, and configurations and range from snub-nosed belly guns used by back-alley killers to the high-tech sidearms carried by NAPD officers. Pistols have respectable range, stopping power, and are widely available. Pistols are often equipped with smart links, either from the factory or through end-user modification, which increases their utility. All this makes them a very attractive choice for someone looking for a versatile and reliable carry weapon.

Models Include: Delta Arms "Enforcer," Cantor M2111, Sturm & Co. “Rapid 10."

### RIFLE

A rifle is any long-range, magazine-fed, semiautomatic weapon used for hunting, sporting, or combat. This category includes everything from small varmint rifles to antique battle rifles from the distant past to modern, high-end big-game and sniper rifles. A standard hunting or marksman rifle is a semiautomatic weapon about a meter and a half long and made of lightweight alloys and composites. Like shotguns, rifles are nominally sold for sport shooting or hunting, but since there aren't many opportunities for either in New Angeles (outside of a limited number of shooting ranges), most end up used by police sharpshooters and criminals. Of course, rich risties may also own antique or even artistic pieces, with furniture carved from exotic woods or precious minerals. These rifles can be incredibly valuable, and even become a target for heists.

Models Include: Gewehrwerks AG GR14, Skorpios Model 14 Police Marksman Rifle.

### SHOTGUN

The current generation of shotguns are entirely semiautomatic smoothbore weapons with integrated magazines. They chamber anything from tiny .410-gauge birdshot shells up to the much more dangerous standard 12-gauge shells. The wide variety of ammunition available makes them an incredibly versatile weapon, and while they are traditionally used for sport shooting and hunting, the lack of opportunities for either in the galaxy means most shotguns get used for home defense, law enforcement, or criminal activity. They are particularly useful in space and on the Moon, where their low-velocity pellets are unlikely to breach pressure domes and station bulkheads. The SEA and CorSec armories on Midway Station, the Challenger Planetoid, and Heinlein all have shotguns in case of particularly violent situations.

Models Include: Frazetta Maxum Sporting Shotgun, Horner Model 37, Argus Police-12.

### SUBMACHINE GUN

Today, submachine guns—or SMGs, as they are colloquially called—are much loved by paramilitary forces, special operators, criminals, and insurgents everywhere. They offer the small size and ease of use of a pistol, combined with the select-fire capabilities of a modern assault rifle. Modern SMGs are relatively small and use electronic firing systems to increase their performance. This makes for remarkably narrow cross sections which are easy to hide. Some SMGs can even fold up to look like briefcases or other innocuous objects.

Models Include: Gewehrwerks AG MP30, Cantor Model 4 10mm SMG.

### MASS DRIVERS

Mass drivers are a relatively new development in weapons technology, even though they are derived from research and theories presented by the nineteenth-century mathematician Carl Gauss. Instead of using a chemical reaction to fire a solid projectile, mass drivers use a series of powerful electromagnetic coils to propel inert, fin-stabilized projectiles. Mass drivers, along with laser weapons, look to become the future of weapons technology.

Mass drivers come in two broad categories, coilguns and flechette weapons. Also known as Gauss guns, coilguns are typically long arms or heavy, vehicle-mounted weapons used for light combat duties. Despite the fact that coilguns require immense amounts of energy to function, their accuracy, range, and penetrating power make them excellent sniper and anti-materiel weapons.

### Fletchette

Flechette weapons, or “fletchers” as they are colloquially called, use small, low-yield coils to fire razor-sharp darts over short and medium distances. While fletcher pistols are the most common flechette weapons, companies also make flechette SMGs, rifle-sized fletchers that fire clouds of killing darts like a shotgun, and even heavy, vehicle-mounted fletchers for destroying massed infantry formations.

#### AUTO-FLETCHER

Most fletcher pistols are semiautomatic and fire one dart with every pull of the trigger. A few more-expensive models are select-fire and marketed as machine pistols or light SMGs. These automatic weapons trade their accuracy for the ability to fill a space with darts rather than a single pin-point strike. Their needles tend to have a bit less stopping power, a trade-off for being able to fire dozens a second.

Models Include: Skorpios MP1 Flechette Machine Pistol.

#### FLETCHER

Fletchers are a modern, high-tech take on the tried-and-true shotgun. About the size of a combat shotgun, fletchers are heavy, short-barreled weapons that fire canisters of 2mm flechettes. Upon firing, the canister disintegrates and unleashes hundreds of razor-sharp darts that tear through armor, flesh, and bone as if they were old rags. While popular in the military, the NAPD has deemed them too vicious for police work. However, plenty of orgcrime outfits prefer these weapons as an intimidating enforcement tool.

Models Include: Strelet Arms FX09, NEXT XR11 Shredder.

#### FLETCHER PISTOL

Roughly the size of a 9mm pistol, the fletcher pistol is the smallest member of the mass driver family. Chambered for the 2mm NEXT flechette, these slim pistols are the go-to weapons for people interested in target shooting and personal protection, along with plenty of police and prisec outfits. They are also popular with special operatives, assassins, private investigators, and orgcrime enforcers.

Models Include: NEXT XP5 Needlegun, Argus Stiletto.

#### GAUSS RIFLE

If the fletcher is modern technology’s answer to the shotgun, the Gauss rifle is its answer to the long rifle. Gauss rifles are the largest human-portable mass driver on the market. Nearly two meters long, these powerful weapons are heavy, a bit fragile, and require immense amounts of power to operate. The trade-off for these shortcomings is a weapon that can easily punch a hole in an exosuit from kilometers away. Gauss rifles are the ultimate heavy rifle. Most are semi-automatic weapons that fire inert, tungsten-tipped penetrators. Packed full of smart systems and bleeding-edge weapons technology, these big rifles are often equipped with long-range optics, detachable bipods, recoil dampers, and other shooting aids.

Thanks to their outstanding performance, Gauss rifles have almost completely replaced slugthrowers as the sniper and anti-materiel weapons of choice in modern state and private militaries. However, the cost of keeping and maintaining them is too high for most private citizens.

Models Include: NEXT CG44 Anti-materiel Gauss Rifle, Cantor Model 4 “Deadeye” Light Gauss Marksman Rifle.

#### ENERGY WEAPONS

Portable energy weapons are still considered an emerging technology despite the fact that most state militaries have been using them in limited numbers for years. The first viable focused-energy weapons were large and cumbersome laser cannons that needed to be hooked up to a generator to meet their energy needs. Over the years, the weapons became smaller and more energy efficient, until NEXT finally released a laser pistol and a laser rifle that were affordable, durable, and efficient enough for practical use.

The most common type of energy weapon is currently the laser, which uses intense beams of light on the visible spectrum. Lasers have stopping power on par with equivalent slugthrowers or mass drivers, but they languished behind slugthrowers in popularity—until the Worlds War.

With onset of the War, laser weapons suddenly surged in popularity. As much of the fighting took place in the air-less environments of the Moon or the thin atmosphere of Mars, lasers proved much more useful than slugthrowers for military forces and insurgents. After the War ended, developments in laser technology remained, meaning these weapons are now much more commonplace than two decades ago.

### LASER PISTOL

The first mass-produced energy weapon to enter the market was a laser pistol—NEXT’s PL840.a, to be exact—and laser pistols have been the most iconic energy weapon ever since. Popular with senior military brass, exotic-weapon collectors, and those who live or work in space, laser pistols are the latest word in self-defense sidearms. Using a high-capacity rechargeable power cell, laser pistols are semiautomatic weapons that produce a nearly invisible beam of searing, coherent light instead of firing a projectile. They are exceptionally accurate over short distances and are shockingly effective against unarmored and lightly armored opponents.

Models Include: Argus 78P, NEXT PL1000 Blaster.

### LASER RIFLE

Laser rifles fall somewhere between assault rifles and mass drivers in the modern weapons market. More accurate than equivalent slugthrowers and more efficient than Gauss rifles, laser rifles are a compromise between the two. They are typically semiautomatic, although select-fire versions do exist, and they are most commonly used by assassins, sharpshooters, and support gunners. They produce lots of heat when fired, which makes their shots difficult to conceal or mask, but they more than make up for it with solid combat performance and ease of use. Although many organizations still use some variation of a slugthrower, laser rifles have become the iconic weapon of the U.S. Space Expeditionary Corps.

Models Include: NEXT L12 Laser Rifle, Argus 180R

### SYNAP PISTOL

Synap pistols, also known as Gandhi guns, are detuned energy weapons designed for detaining suspects without killing them. Using a low-powered “tracking laser,” these weapons fire off a bioelectric charge that disrupts a human or android’s synapses and leaves them paralyzed or unconscious. Unfortunately, a small percentage of people hit with Synap pistols go into cardiac arrest due to the energy discharge, but the weapons still remain incredibly popular as a (mostly) non-lethal way to defend ones self and incapacitate suspects.

Models Include: NEXT Syn-stun Pistol, Strelet Arms “Incapacitator.”

### FIRE SUPPORT WEAPONS

Fire support (or "heavy") weapons are vehicle or emplacement-mounted weapons designed to provide fire support and heavy anti-armor and anti-personnel fire. They chamber deadly large-caliber rounds designed to destroy fortifications and entire infantry formations, or fire long-lasting, intense energy beams that can melt an infantry fighting vehicle to slag in the blink of an eye.

Needless to say, fire support weapons are highly illegal in much of the galaxy. Still, plenty of prisec outfits, orgcrime enforcers, and even the CORSEC have the pull and money to keep some of these powerful pieces of military hardware at their disposal.

### GUIDED MISSILE LAUNCHER

Guided missile launchers are among the largest, most destructive human-portable weapons available. These reusable missile tubes fire powerful anti-aircraft and anti-armor missiles and can be equipped with all manner of standard and special warheads. Most guided missile launchers share the same general design principles as their ancestors from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. What sets these modern versions apart is the range and “intelligence” of the warhead. These days, a shoulder-fired missile can travel hundreds of kilometers, while its smart sensors can recognize a vehicle by the unique profile of its exhaust emissions or the electromagnetic signature of its hoverfoil rotors.

Modern guided missile launchers can be fired and operated by a single person, although they tend to be bulky enough that the operator needs to be either fairly strong or wearing a powered exosuit.

Models Include: Strelet Arms L101 Shooting Star Shoulder-Fired Missile Launcher.

### HEAVY FLETCHER

Heavy fletchers are designed to do one thing: destroy large groups of infantry. These huge smoothbore cannons are the largest flechette weapons produced, and they are rarely seen outside of military bases. They fire a 250mm-canister round packed with thousands of 2mm NEXT flechettes, similar to those fired by standard fletchers. The canisters disintegrate upon firing, releasing the flechettes and tearing enemy formations to shreds in seconds.

When using a heavy fletcher, your character may spend one fewer ADVANTAGE to trigger the Blast quality (one ADV if the attack is successful, or 1 TRIUMPH if the attack fails).

Models Include: NEXT HF10, Skorpios Suit-portable Needle Cannon.

### HEAVY GAUSS RIFLE

These powerful weapons are designed to destroy armor and fortifications at the edge of visual range. Heavy Gauss rifles are 25mm smoothbore weapons similar to a number of older light armored-vehicle cannons in both intended role and ballistic characteristics. Standard load is an inert ferrous penetrator with a buckyfilm-coated hardened tungsten tip. Very technically, Heavy Gauss rifles can be human-portable (with the aid of a tripod or load-bearing system), but more often are carried by exosuits.

Models Include: Cantor LACR-01 Gauss-Effect Anti-Armor Cannon, NEXT CG70(H) Anti-Armor Gauss Rifle.

### LASER CANNON

Heavy laser cannons were the first focused-energy weapons deployed in combat. Typically mounted on vehicles with high-output auxiliary power generators, laser cannons are much like their smaller cousins in that they are efficient and precise and inhabit a middle ground between slugthrowers and mass drivers. Vehicle-mounted lasers can tap directly into the vehicle’s energy systems, guaranteeing them a constant power source.

The first laser cannons were often as much a danger to their crews as they were to their enemies, but over time, the technology has improved drastically. That said, laser cannons still have a nasty habit of overheating and occasionally melting down during prolonged use.

Your Game Master may spend 3 THREAT or DESPAIR generated on any combat checks made while operating a laser cannon to damage the weapon one step. (See Table I.5–4: Repairing Gear, on page 89 of the Genesys Core Rulebook.)

Models Include: NEXT Mk I Annihilator Heavy Laser Cannon, Astra Consolidated SuperNova.

### LIGHT MACHINE GUN

Though machine guns have largely been replaced by heavy fletchers in most modern militaries, they still see use in some prisec outfits and military groups in less-developed sectors. Modern machine guns fire heavy, caseless slugs and typically come with gyro-stabilization units to help absorb their punishing recoil. They also rely on high thermovalent plastics and metal matrix composites to disperse the incredible heat that builds up with extended firing, meaning they keep shooting even when their barrels literally glow red.

Models Include: Degtyarev Collective-Plant Kord 40.r 10mm, Springfield M20 Machine Gun

### MASER

Masers—also known as microwave lasers—emit nearly invisible beams of focused microwaves instead of visible-spectrum light. Masers can be tuned to excite water molecules in their targets; this can't hurt targets in metallic armor but is utterly lethal to everyone else. Originally used for long-range, high-output communications and specialized industrial uses (such as “baking” lunar rocks to vaporize and release water molecules trapped inside), many were converted into weapons during the Lunar Insurrection. Most domes and fortified bunkers were constructed of a combination of composites and pressed lunar rock, both of which allow focused microwaves to pass right through.

Since the Insurrection, purpose-built maser weapons have been produced in small numbers by NEXT for military use. While still not as efficient or accurate as a laser, masers are nevertheless extremely deadly short-range anti-personnel weapons. While they can’t penetrate sheets of metal, they do tend to short out unshielded electronics.

When your character makes a combat check with a maser against a target that is covered or primarily composed of metal (what armor falls into this category is up to your GM, but generally should include plasteel carapace and exo-suits), the maser loses the Breach item quality for the duration of the check. When your character makes a combat check with a maser targeting a vehicle, your character may spend 2 ADV on a successful check to inflict 5 system strain.

Models Include: NEXT MX-990 Maser Cannon.

### MICRO-MISSILE LAUNCHER

The micro-missile launcher reaps the advances in miniaturization and programming of the last few centuries. Small enough to be carried into battle by a single soldier, this launcher has a magazine loaded full of missiles linked to a complicated guidance and tracking sensor suite. Most versions take a few moments to acquire any targets in range.

However, once the system has locked on, the soldier can bang off micro-missile after micro-missile, confident that they’ll home in on their target.

Micro-missile payloads are, by necessity, much smaller than those of their larger cousins. This makes them much less effective against armored targets.

Models Include: NEXT PR-40a Micro-Missile Launcher.

### EXPLOSIVES AND ORDNANCE

There are some situations in which not even a heavy fletcher or laser cannon can get the job done. Situations like this were made for explosives and ordnance.

#### GLOP GRENADE

Although officially dubbed "non-lethal immobilization devices," cops and bounty hunters prefer their more accurate nickname. Glop grenades are as effective as they are gross, which means they're really good at immobilizing and trapping anyone within their sticky "blast" radius. The goo is a highly-compressed liquid that reacts and foams when exposed to air, turning into an incredibly sticky, foaming mass that fills a few square meters of space. Once someone is covered with the glop, they run the risk of gluing themselves to anything they touch.

Glop grenades can be set to detonate on contact or set with a timer to detonate up to three rounds after being activated. Setting the timer can be done as an incidental. After being hit by a glop grenade, for the rest of the round your GM can spend 3 THREAT or 1 DESPAIR from any check your character makes to have them become immobilized until the end of their next turn.

Models Include: NEXT Non-Lethal Immobilization Device

#### MONOFILAMENT GRENADE

These modern fragmentation grenades are among the most vicious weapons produced today. Roughly the size of a clenched fist, these grenades consist of an explosive core wrapped in nearly a kilometer of monofilament and encased in a carbon-metallic shell. Upon detonation, the shell shatters, and the explosive spreads a deadly cloud of razor-sharp monofilament wire shards that can tear opponents to bloody shreds in seconds.

Monofilament grenades can be set to detonate on contact or set with a timer to detonate up to three rounds after being activated. Setting the timer can be done as an incidental.

Models Include: Taejo Technologies Mk IV Fragmentation Grenade, Springfield M11 M-Grenade.

#### STUN GRENADE

Stun grenades fall into that gray area of “ostensibly non-lethal but may still incapacitate or kill a target” that's shared by so many less lethal weapons. They employ a high-intensity sonic pulse combined with an electric capacitor discharge to disorient and confuse enemy combatants.

Stun grenades can be set to detonate on contact or set with a timer to detonate up to three rounds after being activated. Setting the timer can be done as an incidental.

Models Include: NEXT M7 Sandman Flash-Bang Grenade.

### BRAWL WEAPONS

Sometimes a character needs to get their hands dirty, and that’s where Brawl weapons come in handy. Typically easily concealed and dead easy to use, Brawl weapons help give a fighter a bit of an edge in any physical conflict.

#### BRASS KNUCKLES

One of the oldest and simplest ways for brawlers to increase their chances in a fight, brass knuckles have existed in one form or another for millennia. Little more than a bar of hardened steel or other heavy alloy with holes cut in—or welded on—for the fingers, brass knuckles greatly increase the power of a punch, and they are easy to use and conceal.

Wearing brass knuckles in a fight is widely considered poor form; typically, only criminals and particularly desperateindividuals use them.

Models Include: Various models and homemade versions.

#### CHROMECRUSHERS

These high-tech boxing gloves were originally invented for use in the new gladiatorial rings that sprang up after androids became commonplace. In shadowy, illegal establishments like Hoyo Rojo, stimmed-up humans pit themselves against bioroids as bets are placed on how long the androids can survive before being beaten into scrap.

Chromecrushers have reduced that survival time considerably. These heavy gloves fit powerful burst-discharge actuators over the knuckles, amplifying the power of each punch several times over. Heavy power cables run to a small backpack power supply. The entire rig is light enough that it won’t weigh a boxer down, but its bloody origins give this weapon (and its wielders) a dark reputation in civilized circles.

Chromecrushers require two hands to wield (since they can only be used in pairs).

Models Include: Kaluta Collective Hammerstryke!, Cyberclash Industries Punchmasters.

#### PALM STUNNER

A palm stunner is a small, inconspicuous item that delivers a powerful stunning jolt to a target on contact. Roughly one centimeter square and only a few millimeters thick, palm stunners are held in the palm and secured by a strap across the back of the hand. They are powered by a high-yield capacitor that dumps all of its charge on impact with a solid surface, then takes a couple of minutes to recharge off the integral micro-charger.

Activated with a punch or an open-handed slap, palm stunners make for exceptional self-defense weapons.

Models Include: Personal Defense Industries Stun-R 900, NEXT Palm Protector.

#### POWER GAUNTLET

Power gauntlets are intimidating weapons typically used by police forces and criminal enforcers. Basically the hand and forearm of an exosuit, a power gauntlet encases a wearer’s arm to just below the forearm in heavy, articulated power armor. A rechargeable power pack provides ample power to a thick, energized alloy shield mounted over the knuckles that delivers a punishing kinetic attack with every punch.

While they are considered “less lethal” weapons, it is easy to deal significant damage to a target without really trying.

Models Include: Argus PowerFist Powered Gauntlet, Mars Manufacturing MX-01 Crusher.

### MELEE WEAPONS

Handheld weapons may seem like an anachronism in this day and age, but a good solid blade or blunt object makes a great backup weapon. In addition, organizations such as the Tri-Maf use swords for ceremonial and, on occasion, combat purposes.

#### CHARGED CRYSTAL KATANA

A strange anachronism even by melee weapon standards, the charged crystal katana is as much a work of art as it isa weapon. Carried by certain factions of the yakuza and other aspiring swordsmen, a CCK blade is constructed from a milky rose electroconductive crystalline lattice instead of folded steel or advancedalloys. A small power cell in the weapon’s hilt sends an electrical charge through the blade, causing the crystals to align, which makes it almost indestructible and causes the blade to become nearly transparent. Hard to master and incredibly rare, charged crystal katanas are owned by only the wealthiest and most dedicated individuals.

Although a charged crystal katana requires only one hand to wield, while wielded in both hands, it gains the Vicious 2 item quality.

Models Include: None—each blade is handmade and unique.

#### MONOBLADE

Monoblades are clever, easily concealed weapons that are among the most deadly devices ever created. Built in various lengths and styles, monoblades feature a simple knife or sword hilt that contains a reel of retractable blade media, a static generator, and a powerful capacitor. The reel contains a set length of bucky- weave a single molecule thick that, when charged by the static generator in the hilt, stiffens into a wickedly sharp blade. Monoblades can cut through cloth, armor, flesh, and bone with equal ease and are extremely dangerous in the right hands.

Models Include: Strelet Arms Razor Edge, Delta Arms M30 Utility Blade.

#### PLASMA CUTTER

Plasma cutters are powerful cutting tools designed for use in shipbuilding, spacecraft manufacturing, heavy fabrication, and other industrial applications. Powered by a lightweight electrical generator, these tools create a high-intensity electrical arc that makes thermal plasma by reacting with a stream of pressurized carrier gas (generally argon). The powerful plasma jet can cut or weld almost any metal or alloy, making it both versatile and indispensable.

Many modern plasma cutters are designed to be portable and come with straps or purpose-built backpacks for carrying and storage. A standard unit consists of a power pack, a cutting head, an array of tips for different jobs, and a reinforced power cable. Like the HHI Neptune waterknife, many of these tools were repurposed by Lunar and Martian rebels into deadly melee weapons and used in ship boarding, hand-to-hand fighting, and for carving up bioroids.

A plasma cutter requires two hands to wield.

Models Include: HHI PX830 Portable Plasma Torch.

#### SLEDGEHAMMER

The sledgehammer wouldn’t be worth mentioning if it weren’t for the Human First fanatics who turned it into a symbol and a weapon. During the first protests against android labor, rioters bludgeoned many bioroids and clones to death with simple tools, the sledgehammer being chief among them. For Human First, the symbolism was perfect. The sledgehammer is a tool representing a hard, honest day’s work; it is a dangerous weapon; and best of all, it is impossible to regulate or outlaw.

A sledgehammer requires two hands to wield.

Models Include: Various models and homemade versions.

#### STUN BATON

A favorite of riot cops and criminal enforcers, stun batons combine an electrical discharge capacitor with a collapsible composite baton. They are simple, easy-to-use weapons made of high-strength, nonmetallic, flexible composites that make them nearly unbreakable. When collapsed, these weapons are about the size of an out- stretched palm and are easily concealed in a bag, toolbox, storage compartment, or coat pocket. A simple flick of the wrist activates the expandable polymer and extends the baton to over half a meter in length.

Models Include: Personal Defense Industries Mk I Collapsible Baton.

#### STUN GUN

These simple weapons are some of the more common self-defense devices on the market. Basically a small composite box containing a powerful capacitor and tipped with two sharp metal spikes, they are designed to deliver an incapacitating electric charge into their target. They follow the same principles as synap pistols, without the ability to shock someone at range. Modern ones use high-yield fuel cells to rebuild a critical charge in a few seconds.

Models Include: Personal Defense Industries Zapper-2.

#### WATERKNIFE

Waterknives are heavy industrial cutting tools designed for precision work on heat-sensitive materials. Instead of a sharp blade or a jet of superheated plasma, waterknives use a high-pressure stream of abrasive blasting media suspended in a viscous liquid. The liquid lubricates and cools the materials being cut, and the blasting medium— typically subminiature quartz pellets or powdered synthetic diamond—does the actual cutting.

Although many waterknives are so big and bulky that they need to be fixed in place, modern versions can be miniaturized enough to be carried around as a large and wet power saw. These portable versions are occasionally repurposed into ersatz and extremely vicious close-combat weapons.

A waterknife requires two hands to wield.

Models Include: HHI “Neptune” Hydro Suspension Cutting System.