Zakulian Blaster Technology

[Baobhan]

Zakuulian Blaster Technology​

Affiliation: Void Serpents


Ownership: N/A


Intent: To develop a unique take on the origins of blaster technology from an underdeveloped world and integrate that into the greater galaxy as a whole with a somewhat interesting mechanic which I think, while good in PvP, has clear drawbacks and disadvantages which can be taken advantage of by FU’s and NFU’s.


Model/Name: Zakuulian Blaster


Type: Blaster Technology


Power Supply: Power Cell / Pack and Blaster Gas


Size: Heavy Pistol and Larger


Composition: Variable

Description: At first glance, the Blasters developed by the people of Zakuul are far from a marvel of engineering in the eyes of the rest of the galaxy. However true it may be, to the people of Zakuul, the plasma weapons they develop are a powerful and efficient weapon, devastating on any battlefield. With the culture itself having embraced the many faults of the weapon, seeing the increase of weight, shorter range and lower ammunition count as hurdles that need to be overcome in order to become a great warrior, be it in the sacred arena, or in war against the many other civilisations that fan out before them. So it is, that the training one goes through to gain the ability to wield a Zakuulian blaster weapon efficiently, is considered part of a sacred rite that grants ones’ right and eligibility to be able to wield one of the sacred weapons supposedly forged from the Outsiders wisdom.


The Basics: The weapons themselves work in much the same way as a conventional bowcaster; By using a powercell or power-pack to charge a bolt of plasma within the weapons shell, it’s then projected through an electromagnetic field to hold the plasma together in a central concentrated mass as it is being projected out of the weapon in a high density bolt, all within the basic pull of a solitary two pressure trigger. The bolt in of itself is incredibly hot, capable of melting through steel on impact, carrying some but little kinetic force behind it due to what small mass the bolt of plasma has. Penetration of the weapon depends almost solely on the individual blasters’ power compared to the durability and nature of the steel it impacts with, though the trade is often in the weapons’ favor making it widely considered an anti-armour weapon. Though it’s here where the common similarities with garden variety plasma weapons end.

Unique to Zakuulian blasters, and solely because of the primitive nature of their blaster technology, the Zakuulians were not able to master creating a means in which an Electromagnetic field consolidates the plasma into a neatly structured and stable beam, rather fires something that looked similar to a raw comet of blaster gas. Their ineptitude created a function where the heat and power of the charged plasma would decay due to the charged superheated particles moving erratically, causing the EM field to break-down rapidly and releasing the mass of blaster-gas freely in a small thermal cloud of superheated gas that was dangerous to the touch though rapidly cooled and diffused under the influence of an open atmosphere. While many would see this effect as a failure to be overcome, some people of Zakuul saw it as the intended nature of the weapon to begin with, believing the weapon was of divine inspiration and seeking to maintain the property, as it did increase the weapons offensive potential per shot.


Unlike particle weapons or other blaster variants, against the likes of lightsabers and other deflective elements, the blaster shots from Zakuulian weapons are deflected normally, but it does ‘reduce’ their effective range by half after they have been deflected. This effect is due to the additional EM field of the alien source destabilizing the already fragile field around the plasma shot. So while the bolts can be deflected in defense, it can be exceedingly difficult to deflect a bolt ‘back at’ the shooter, as the EM Field around the plasma will likely decay before it reaches its target.


In recent times, blasters seen to have this characteristic are known as Zakuulian Blasters, as they have become somewhat iconic of the small, primitive planet in the Unknown Regions as they seem to be one of the few cultures or groups seeking to improve the function and built around it, rather than remove it like many other groups and in some ways, they succeeded.

The Cloud: The Thermal Cloud that is created by the shots of Zakuulian blasters as the shots come into contact with solid substances or as they reach their effective range. Though the effective radii differs from weapon to weapon it usually follows a simple enough pattern. Pistol Class weapons usually create a cloud no larger than one or two feet wide which disperses in fleeting moments no higher than 5 seconds in normal conditions. Rifles, on the other hand are known to create thermal clouds about two meters wide which linger for up to 10 seconds. Heavier weapons like blaster cannons however can create clouds between five to eight meters wide which can persist upwards of 15 seconds. The thermal cloud is hot enough to heat exposed steels to red hot in but a few moments, causing harrowing burns to unprotected / exposed flesh or ruining the structural integrity of armours, especially those of plastic nature, making them brittle and almost useless for future blasts. The weapons are designed for raw frontal power, delivering harrowing rounds worth double that of their lighter, more common counterparts..


Firing Mechanics: The range and ammunition capacity of the blasters native to Zakuul, while not ideal, are often manageable. Across the board, the ranges of Zakuulian weapons are about 20% lower than that of standard blaster weapons, though the big hit comes in the drastic ammunition disadvantage. Pistol class weapons tend to have no higher ammunition count than six shots before the user would need to reload the weapon, rifles would hold no more than ten to fifteen rounds and heavy weapons, depending on their primary function would hold between six and twenty blasts. Zakuulian blasters are never automatic in nature below heavy repeating cannons due to the need to charge the powerful plasma blast and are exceedingly slow firing, usually at rates of approximately a single round a second for faster firing weapons and up to five seconds for heavier weapons.


Size / Class: Physically, Zakuulian blaster weapons are larger and heavier than average simply because of the parts that are used to create them. This means that should a weapon be made within any class, Ie; a Pistol, Rifle or Cannon, they will always sit firmly within the ‘heavy’ category for that class. (A Zakuulian blaster pistol will always be considered a heavy blaster pistol and would weight about 1.9 kilograms.) This fact alone can make the weapons unruly or tiring to those who are not used to using heavy weapons, turning many off their use. That being said, comparing the weapons to a standard pistol is a common mistake, as they are more akin to that of a plasma based missile or canon of whatever class they fall into. Additionally, higher grades of Zakuulian blaster often fall into the ‘anti-materiel’ category due to their forward destructive strength.




Features:

• + Highly powered single fire weapons similar to plasma hand-canons or small rockets
  
  
• + Create a Dangerous Thermal cloud on impact or max range which dissipates moderately quickly
  
  
• - Heavier than normal blaster weapons (Pistols = Heavy Pistols/ Hand Canons)
  
  
• - Lower ammunition capacity (Pistol:6 , Rifle:10-15, Heavy: 3-20)
  
  
• - 20% less range than standard Blaster weapons on average.
  
  
• - Low firing rate, approx 1rp/s
  

 

[Clayton]

Honestly, I'm not sold. It's essentially an area-of-effect gun that could quickly turn an entire room uninhabitable in six shots from a pistol. Too OP, and since the cloud is really the "special" part of the submission...archived.