Psi-Wars Blasters II: The ARC Foundries

The Allied Resource Conglomerate governs the cooperative sharing of all the individual industrial assets of each aristocratic house.  While the Houses themselves govern the use of their own assets, when they know they will not be using them, they donate their time and material to ARC, which builds standardized assets, using ancient "patterns" familiar to all Maradon Foundries.

Thematically, ARC weaponry is over-priced, stylish, specialized, very effective in the hands of people who know how to use them, and meant to serve the distinct appearance of the aristocracy.  These weapons rarely see use outside of the Glorian Rim today.  Their naming conventions are the name of their "pattern," and a mark, which represents how old the design is: lower marks date back farther than higher marks.

New Weapon Type:

Stunners: These replace the rules for partical beam stunners (UT 124). These affect both robots and living beings. If any Electrical or biological (that is, vulnerable to metabolic hazards) character is struck with a stunner, they must roll HT at the listed penalty of fall unconscious for a number of minutes equal to the margin of failure (one minute minimum). Some weapons are just stunners (they have no particle beam setting). They always have an (5) armor divisor.

ARC Weapons

Arc “Thorn Pattern” Light Blaster Pistol, Mk III: The thorn-pattern light pistol is a delicate weapon small enough to fit into a lady’s handbag, or even to slip beneath some delicate garments. Nobles and diplomats often carry them as non-lethal protection. The Mk II, sometimes called the “Black Thorn” can switch between a stunner setting and a blaster setting with a Ready action: 2d+2 (5) burn, +$1000; all versions of the Thorn-Pattern have a +1 reaction modifier for its elegant design.

Dmg HT-5 Aff, Acc 4, Range 40/120, Wt 0.75/B, RoF 3, Shots 35(3), ST 3, Bulk -1, Rcl 2, Cost $2500; Stylish.

Arc “Resolution Pattern” Heavy Blaster Pistol, Mk V: This heavy weapon sports a curved hilt and an impressively thick barrel. Earlier patterns proved popular with non-aristocratic duelists; the modern use of the weapon is as a side-arm for space knights or aristocrats trained in the use of a single-handed force sword (such as the force saber) as a secondary “back up” weapon. The older Mk IV had a heating problem. It dealt 5d+5(5) burn damage, but had a Malf of 14, and could only fire a single shot before it needed to be reloaded. All versions of the Resolution-pattern have a +1 reaction modifier thanks to their elegant design.

Dmg 5d (5) burn, Acc 4, Range 50/150, Wt 2.4/B, RoF 1, Shots 3(3), ST 5, Bulk -2, Rcl 2, Cost $6500; Stylish.

Arc “Longshot” Pattern Blaster Rifle, Mk II: A very traditional Alliance design dating back all the way to the War of the Four Houses, the Alliance Regulars who serve the aristocracy directly still use them. Their long design makes them unwieldy and heavy, but they’re equipped with imposing vibro-bayonets (thr+1d+4(3), Reach 1,2) and an attractive design (+1 reaction), which makes them an impressive sight in the hands of bodyguards or in a parade formation, and decent sniper weapons.

Dmg 6d+2 (5) burn, Acc 6+2, Range 250/750, Wt 14/2C, RoF 3, Shots 40(3), ST 8†, Bulk -6, Rcl 2, Cost $16,000; Stylish.

ARC “Star Pike Pattern” Mk I Plasma Lance: A fairly unique weapon in the galaxy, this ancient design dates back to the rise of the Alexian Dynasty and was wielded by the forces of Alexus Rex himself. The long, beam-staff design supports the short-ranged, but highly effective “plasma lance” design. Boarding parties would use it along side force-sword-wielding space knights in the close confines of space ships to destroy heavily armored opponents, such as other space knights. Today, it’s largely a ceremonial weapon, carried by the aristocracy’s body-guards, but it can still be a devastating weapon in relatively close quarters.

Dmg 5d×5 (10) burn, Acc 2, Range 6/60, Wt 5/C, RoF 1, Shots 15(3), ST 5†, Bulk -6, Rcl 3, Cost $20,000; Stylish.