Description: Oftentimes, the Arbites will want a suspect alive for a myrriad of reasons. However, due to the nature of the crimes that the Arbites investigate, their target will oftentimes be armed, and with the appearance of guns and ammunition - such as the Judgeslayer Handcannon - designed to penetrate the carapace armour employed by the Arbites, closing in the distance with shock mauls can be unreasonable at best and deadly to the Arbitrator in question at worst. The Arbites response to the need to incapacitate a person at range lead to the development of the Arbites MkI "Sai'ha" Sonic Stun-Gun. This marvel of engineering was developed in coordination with the Mechanicus of the Lathe Forge-Worlds and first deployed in Hive Tarsus on Scintilla and the manufactorums of Lathe-Het. After favorable reports from field testing, especially during the destruction of a minor gang in Hive Tarsus, the MkI was issued to Arbites forces throughout Calixis and even beyond Calixis and Segmentum Obscurus, becoming common equipment in Segmentums Obscurus, Tempestus, and Solar, with some guns making it to forces in Ultima and Pacificus. The MkI is a very compact gun, only the size of (and resembling) a small shotgun or a sawn-off, allowing for easy concealment. Thanks to the Mechanicus, the materials that make up the MkI are incredibly lightweight, making it weigh little more than a pistol. The MkI is a sonic weapon, firing a blast of sound designed to incapacitate a person as well as throw them to the floor or send them flying. The MkI has no recoil, making it very accurate. Although typically the sonic blast is designed to incapacitate a person, a secondary setting tunes the sonic blast to a resonance frequency that can be lethal by causing internal hemmoraging and organ collapse/failure. The MkI is powered by standard lasgun power packs, getting 40 shots per pack on either setting. Although the MkI fires a single blast in one direction, the air around the front of the gun can also cause a short-ranged blast similar to the main blast, allowing for the chance to attack and incapacitate multiple targets at once at close range. However, the blast weakens at long range, making this a primarily close-quarters weapon only. Also, after each shot, the weapon must recharge, making the MkI unsuited for extended firefights or takedowns involving more than 2 or 3 people per gun. The nickname "Sai'ha" comes from Tallarn Arbitrators, which is best translated to Low Gothic as "tormenting blast" or "tormenting cry", refering both to the loud sound produced when firing the gun as well as the sonic blast produced, which is powerful enough to hurl a suspect in full gutterforged armour several meters.

Stats:

Class: Exotic (Sonic Stun-Gun)

Range: 30 m

RoF: S/-/-

Dam: 1d10+2 I (Stun Mode), 1d10+5 E (Lethal Mode)

Pen: 3 (Stun Mode), * (Lethal Mode)

Clip: 40

Special: Scatter, Accurate, Recharge, Shock (Stun Mode only) *

Wt: 2.5 kg

Cost: 750

Availability: Very Rare

* Extra rules in notes.

Notes: The MkI uses standard lasgun packs, but cannot accept hotshot or overcharge packs. In lethal mode, armour, cover, and toughness bonuses are ignored as the specific frequency is designed to shatter metal and bone alike without weakening. Whenever a target is hit by a blast from a MkI in stun mode, the target must make a Hard (-20) strength test or get flung back 1d5 + degrees of failure meters back, suffering fall damage as normal. If a target is hit by a blast in lethal mode, the target must make a Hard (-20) strength test or get flung onto the floor if the target survives the initial blast.

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So, what do you think about this gun? Is it suitable enough to be used in-game?

First of all, you might want to add a few paragraphs in the massive wall of intro-text. Makes it alot easier to read through.

Secondly, its sounds dangerously close to the same sound tech as one of the traitor legions are using

I guess it could be used in-game, all tho using a web-gun would yield the same effect.
I also dont understand why the lethal mode loses its pen?

Faern said:

It ignores armour and cover, which is why I replaced it with a star. 2nd thing, sonic technology is also used in limited capacity by the Imperium in a more conventional way, so its safe to be used without being looked at funny.

Also, I'll fix the paragraphs.

CapitolImperialis said:

This is nothing personal, but if I'm reading this right your weapon is broken. And by that I mean obscenely overpowered. And by that I mean why would any character use anything else? Ever? Low cost, low ammo cost, high damage, huge ammo capacity, shocking, accurate, scatter, and the real kicker…

Ignores Armor & Cover?!

This isn't an Arbites suppression weapon. A successful stun shot is likely to KILL the suspects.

IdOfEntity said:

Id brought up a couple of really good points, but didn't go far enough , in my humble opinion.

Unfortunately, your whole premise of 'being tested extensively' is extremely flawed and seems to stem from a lack of understanding of the background 'fluff' of the universe. People of the 40k universe simply don't have the skill to design the thing in the first place. Period.

First, consider from where the weapon is coming from. It doesn't exist in the game currently, so the assumption will be made that someone must have found it. Ergo, it WILL get turned over to the Mechanicus for extensive testing, yes. That would likely take a lifespan longer than the players have, since the weapon must come from a time period of well over 30,000 years ago. We will need to find out what makes the thing work, after all, and it may blow up first taking a hive or planet with it…

If you're found using such a device, and it doesn't exist anywhere else, you will get branded as a heretek, whether or not that was your intention, as they may think you're now a member of the Logicians. Read carefully the explanation of what the Logicians are in Disciples of the Dark Gods. They are a group of heretics who have the thought process of the type that we have today…try to invent something better. That simply won't work in the 40k universe.

DIE, HERETIC, DIE!

Let's see, you'd need Trade-Technomat, just to get started. Forbidden Lore-Archeotech, just to have a basic understanding of the technologies needed to build such a device, let alone knowledge of a fusion power cell that might required to power the thing. Tech-Use, Common Lore-Tech, and Trade-Armourer simply go without saying. You would probably have to have a minimum of of a 40 Intel, no less to have a shot with all of the above skills, and a +20 with each of those. You might need Trade-Miner, as the thing just might need something like dilithium crystals (that's a joke, but given here as example of the stuff your GM SHOULD throw at you for materials). Then you start trying to build the thing… and your Inquisitor takes out a bolter and puts several rounds through your skull, no questions asked, you're done. You don't get enough Fate Points for that!

Characters simply cannot BUILD such a device from scratch, because if you did you would be a Tech Priest and such a device would be left in the hands of the Mechanicus for long term study. Characters, other than Tech Priests simply don't have the knowldge in game to be able to design the thing… and Tech Priests don't have the imagination, as they have, 90% of the time, already given up all their emotions and accordingly most of their creativity.

All of this is to show you that you simply CAN'T design a weapon in game and expect that a GM is going to let you have it. Unless you simply have a deathwish.

Denmar1701 said:

Well, I focused on the game balance issue. You tagged the background reasons.

The fact that this is a 2.5 kilogram weapon makes it even worse. Plasma pales in comparison to this, and plasma weapons cost a ton more. A Space Marine would rightly fear this weapon.

IdOfEntity said:

Noted.

I wasn't trying to be mean about it, but I often see a lot of people who are new who think these weapons would be great, but simply don't understand the game universe that they're playing in. I did the same thing myself when I started playing. I just don't want them to waste their time on things that they may feel are 'needed' in the game, when they're just not possible within scope, for entirely different reasons than they know of.

In any event, I believe the people of Fantasy Flight designed things this way intentionally , so to avoid a slew of weapons that people might come up with. Anyone ever play a game called "Star Fleet Battles"? That game had constant changes, new weapons etc., which led to years of hashing out over the rules, which led to a lot of people who quit playing the thing.