Weapon Other Tri-Particle Beamer Technology

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TRI-PARTICLE BEAMER TECHNOLOGY

AFFILIATION
Free use.

MANUFACTURER
Various.

TYPE
Weapons technology.POWER SUPPLY
Shipboard power-plant.

SENSORS
Shipboard sensors.

SIZE
N/A.

COMPOSITION
Various circuit components.

DESCRIPTION​

Tri-particle beamer technology is a relatively archaic form of energy weapon which predates modern laser technology. Believed to have first been developed by civilizations in the Galactic Core at some point during the earliest known days of space travel, the tri-particle beamer - more commonly known as the tri-beamer - saw widespread use approximately until the invention of beam tube technology, which quickly supplanted it due to its increased versatility and lower cost.

Tri-beams, unlike modern blasters and lasers, are component weapons. Consisting of 3 barrels, each of which contains a particle beam generator, a tri-beam derives its destructive power from focusing 3 streams of exotic charged particles to converge at a single point. The interaction of these particles creates an explosion at the point of intersection, which can be sustained for a prolonged period by the intersecting beams. While undeniably potent, tri-beamers require precise ranging and fire control; if not properly adjusted to achieve intersection exactly on the hull of an enemy ship, the beams will either simply strike the hull of a vessel without interacting, or fall short of the target, in either case doing little or no actual damage. Thus, tri-beamers must be paired with high-resolution scanners capable of providing this precise targeting data on the fly.

Tri-beams were ultimately supplanted by beam tubes not due to any deficiency in the former's destructive power, but due to the latter's ability to cause damage without the need for precise fire control.

Due to their extensive sensor requirements, tri-beamers were and are generally only used on capital ships and other large installations, being unsuitable to the frenetic pace and limited space aboard starfighters, not to mention the requirements of most ground combat. Despite their extreme obsolescence, however, some exceptionally backward militaries do still use them, with the Daupherm Planet States still reportedly equipping their main-line warships with these weapons as late as the Galactic Civil War.

Tri-particle beamers are roughly analogues to conventional laser cannons in their power and classifications. They come in light, medium and heavy varieties.

LEGALITY​

Restricted. Being a weapon for use on starships, tri-particle beamers generally require a special license to own and operate..

INTENT​

To add a weapon from Legends into our site's fanon.