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If there is any angle on the laser when it comes in to glass, lexan, or acrylic there will be some refraction. I honestly couldn't say if there is zero angle. Perhaps it will go right through, but very rarely will a sniper have a straight horizontal shot. The images above show what happen with an angle.

The thicker the material, the more refraction there will be. All light is refracted with these materials at angles. The deviance may not be noticeable with thin windows, but it does exist. In a real world example it may or may not be enough to ruin the shot, but it should be considered. Since transparisteel is a fictional material, I assume it has properties similar to acrylic but that would be up to the Game Master.

I hope this helps. If not, that is all I am going to provide for you on this topic of physics.

More importantly for a game perspective is the intention of the designer of the window. If the window is designed to protect a VIP, as in the example given, I would assume that the designer would take into account all common weapon forms that may be applied.

Gotta love that band! Armageddon. Mirror man.

It's been a while since physics, but aren't lasers a different wavelength than visible light? It's easy enough to say that transparisteel blocks those wavelengths while letting visible light through. Most lasers are a different part of the spectrum than visible light too. That could be blocked while letting regular light through as well.

I still stand by my first post, would like to hear what they come up with. Atleast it would get everyone involved for the climatic end scene.

In regards to the discussion around a laser being used I think it's not going to help his players. They don`t seem to have time to get a shipment in and they have already purchased an upgraded sniper rifle (I`m presuming heavy blaster). There is only one source that I can recall that ever uses a true laser sniper rifle and that is Wraith Squadron series, even then it is exceedingly rare, though it is regarded as very powerful and accurate. Might as well shoot a lightsaber from it, would probably be cheaper.

On more of a practical note: No glass that you`ll find in windows is 100% clear, most of them have a reflective coating at the very mimum of 10% more at 20%. Do you know why? ******* birds, you make glass 100% clear and you`re going to have alot of birds splattering against it all day. Kinda ruins the view. Ever see a skyscraper that you can clearly see through the windows? No, they all have lots of reflection.

Many exterior glass panels also have a plastic layer to prevent it from shattering when hit as well, and it prevents UV light waves. I actually did a physics test in college regarding much of this laser discussion. I was testing manufactured glass to see if the industry standards were the same in all cases. Had a class IV laser at my disposal. I setup a reflection and refraction lab and got to work. Interior glass is by far the most free of reflection/refraction, exterior glass and especially safety glass (which all public buildings have) are by far the worst when it comes to reflection/refraction I actually had several of them cook and distort after a few seconds which totally buggered up my findings. The plastic would absorb just enough light to begin to heatup and distort then that distortion would bend the light and cause it to scatter and heat up the glass. Never had a classic melting hole (it was only 700mW) but it wasn`t powerful enough to kill a person either. The more plastic, heavier grade of safety glass, the worse the affect got.

Afraid I didn`t work with bullet resistant glass or fictional materials. But it's enough evidence to me to say blaster resistant would also be laser resistant (note I never bulletproof).

Wanna test any of this? Grab your laser pointer and shine it against a window (at night is best when you can see the results) at an angle so it`ll bounce to a nearby wall. You`ll see a slightly dimmer reflection on the wall. If you grab a light meter you could even measure it yourself.

It's been a while since physics, but aren't lasers a different wavelength than visible light? It's easy enough to say that transparisteel blocks those wavelengths while letting visible light through. Most lasers are a different part of the spectrum than visible light too. That could be blocked while letting regular light through as well.

Laser light can be of nearly any wavelength. They can also be of several wavelengths at the same time.

Transparasteel, as a fictional material, is a metal alloy. Glass on the other hand, is an amorphus solid. A metal alloy of comparable thickness of glass will absorb the laser light significantly better. Essentially 0 photons will get thru compared to glass.

You could get thru transparasteel by focusing a high power laser beam that emits a wavelegth which is absorbed by transparateel. It probably would take some time, but that way you could cut your way thru the window.

Or you would have to have a really big laser that could blast thru the transparasteel. I'd assume that it would be the size used on a spaceship with the power of the ship used to generate the pulsed beam.

Transparisteel in the way, grab the laser gun instead of the blaster rifle. Since light gets through the window, so does the laser.

Yes, but I would suggest that it would be bent off target. Especially for any protective glass intended to prevent assassins.

It's worth mentioning, in light of the "physics" discussion, that "laser" is a misnomer for Star Wars energy weapons. They're superheated bolts of plasma, not lasers (visible in any medium, moves slower-than-light, etc.). The argument discussion always arises because of the use of the word "laser" ( occasionally ) in the movies, but it's used colloquially, not scientifically. Not a single shot fired in the movies behaves like an actual laser.

Transparisteel in the way, grab the laser gun instead of the blaster rifle. Since light gets through the window, so does the laser.

Yes, but I would suggest that it would be bent off target. Especially for any protective glass intended to prevent assassins.

It's worth mentioning, in light of the "physics" discussion, that "laser" is a misnomer for Star Wars energy weapons. They're superheated bolts of plasma, not lasers (visible in any medium, moves slower-than-light, etc.). The argument discussion always arises because of the use of the word "laser" ( occasionally ) in the movies, but it's used colloquially, not scientifically. Not a single shot fired in the movies behaves like an actual laser.

You are talking about blasters, yes? Absolutely true.

Of course the inaccuracies could be said about nearly any movie involving lasers.

Transparasteel, as a fictional material, is a metal alloy. Glass on the other hand, is an amorphus solid. A metal alloy of comparable thickness of glass will absorb the laser light significantly better. Essentially 0 photons will get thru compared to glass.

The is gist of the argument is really the intended effect of the material in context. Transparasteel is a material used to protect people on the other side of it against nasty stuff that wants to kill them, so it's reasonable to expect that the material as well as being able to let light through a metal also does something to interfere with both Blaster and Laser fire.

Seriously, if Transparasteel had such a weakness to Laser fire then it's reasonable to assume they've got some other way of preventing it from being an issue. Maybe theres a polarizing layer?

No way is a VIP going to use transparasteel windows for protection if they don't offer significant advantages over glass.

I would probably give the windows armour and the sniper rifle pierce. That way the windows still block common blaster fire, but the specialty sniper rifle can punch through.