The Rancor Pit Forum Index
Welcome to The Rancor Pit forums!

The Rancor Pit Forum Index
FAQ   ::   Search   ::   Memberlist   ::   Usergroups   ::   Register   ::   Profile   ::   Log in to check your private messages   ::   Log in

Plas-Boost Laser Cannon
Post new topic   Reply to topic    The Rancor Pit Forum Index -> Ships, Vehicles, Equipment, and Tech -> Plas-Boost Laser Cannon
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Director of Engineering


Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16163
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.

PostPosted: Fri Jan 05, 2018 2:08 am    Post subject: Plas-Boost Laser Cannon Reply with quote

One of the decisions as made as part of my Common Weapon Systems project is that turbolasers can't be mounted on starfighters, as the multi-ton capacitor banks just pack too much mass to be mounted aboard a starfighter and still have it be useful for anything.

As such, I was looking at options to boost weapon damage for ships like the B-Wing, and I came across mention of Plasburst Laser Cannon mounted on the Arakyd Helix. The only real difference between a Plasburst Cannon and a regular old Laser Cannon is a 1D bump in damage (a pair of laser cannon generally does 5D, not 6D). While the description of the Plasbursts is minimal at best, the name does infer that something is done to boost the power of a standard laser cannon.

So I started playing with that idea, and came up with an enhanced version that allows the gunner to build up a charge in the cannon, inflicting greater damage at the risk of overloading and blowing up.

Here's a bare-bones version of the concept:
    Plas-Boost Laser Enhancement Booster
    Cost: 100% cost of base Laser Cannon
    Availability: 2, X
    Effect: +1D to Cannon Damage. Also, for every 1 round spent building up a charge, add an additional 1D to the Laser Cannon's Damage roll, to a maximum of 4D.
    Fire Rate: 1. In addition, for every D of Boost Dice used, the cannon requires 1 round of cool-down time during which it cannot be used.
    Note:
      For every round of charge build-up, there is an increased chance of the weapon overloading and exploding when it attempts to fire. To generate this chance, compare the Wild Dice on the Damage roll to the following chart:
        Boost Dice Used = Wild Dice Target Threshold
        1D = 2
        2D = 3
        3D = 4
        4D = 5
      If the Wild Dice roll is less than the Threshold, the laser cannon explodes, inflicting the Boost Dice Used +2D Damage to the ship on which the laser cannon is mounted
EDIT: Per Zarn's suggestion, added a Fire Rate and cool-down restriction on using the Boost function.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index


Last edited by CRMcNeill on Sat Jan 06, 2018 7:11 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Sutehp
Commodore
Commodore


Joined: 01 Nov 2016
Posts: 1797
Location: Washington, DC (AKA Inside the Beltway)

PostPosted: Sat Jan 06, 2018 6:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is this anything like the Wave Motion Gun that was mounted on Quarrie's prototype B-wing in the Rebels "Wings of the Master" Season 2 episode?
_________________
Sutehp's RPG Goodies
Only some of it is for D6 Star Wars.
Just repurchased the X-Wing and Tie Fighter flight sim games. I forgot how much I missed them.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Zarn
Force Spirit


Joined: 17 Jun 2014
Posts: 698

PostPosted: Sat Jan 06, 2018 6:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A semi-educated guess is that a "plasburst laser cannon" is an example of a pumped laser. Laser pumping is the act of energy transfer from an external source into the gain medium of a laser. The energy is absorbed in the medium, producing excited states in its atoms.

In this case, it is the "plasma burst" = "plasburst" which is the external source that is piped into the gain medium of the laser - essentially force feeding energy into the lasing part.

I think it would be reasonable to let the 'plasburst' limit the rate of fire possible with the laser cannon - partially because you're overcharging the laser (and therefore likely causing it to overheat), and partially because your power generation likely won't be able to keep up - something needs to feed the plasburst mechanism, and you may not be able to run everything at max all the time.

Essentially, I suspect the plasburst is in the same family as a turbolaser, in the sense that a turbolaser is likely also a pumped laser, but that the turbolaser has a lot of supporting infrastructure to be able to overcharge more or less continuously.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Director of Engineering


Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16163
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.

PostPosted: Sat Jan 06, 2018 6:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sutehp wrote:
Is this anything like the Wave Motion Gun that was mounted on Quarrie's prototype B-wing in the Rebels "Wings of the Master" Season 2 episode?

No. I thought that thing was silly, and the Rebels wiki describes it as a prototype weapon that destroys the hyperdrive of a ship if used. This is something else entirely.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Director of Engineering


Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16163
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.

PostPosted: Sat Jan 06, 2018 7:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Zarn wrote:
A semi-educated guess is that a "plasburst laser cannon" is an example of a pumped laser. Laser pumping is the act of energy transfer from an external source into the gain medium of a laser. The energy is absorbed in the medium, producing excited states in its atoms.

In this case, it is the "plasma burst" = "plasburst" which is the external source that is piped into the gain medium of the laser - essentially force feeding energy into the lasing part.

I think it would be reasonable to let the 'plasburst' limit the rate of fire possible with the laser cannon - partially because you're overcharging the laser (and therefore likely causing it to overheat), and partially because your power generation likely won't be able to keep up - something needs to feed the plasburst mechanism, and you may not be able to run everything at max all the time.

Essentially, I suspect the plasburst is in the same family as a turbolaser, in the sense that a turbolaser is likely also a pumped laser, but that the turbolaser has a lot of supporting infrastructure to be able to overcharge more or less continuously.

Since the "Plasburst" Cannon had no rule for boosting Damage, my premise is that it uses a fixed amount of whatever it does that increases the damage, resulting a fixed bonus of +1D to Damage, no more, no less.

A "Plasboost", on the other hand, varies the energy transfer, maybe by injecting a reactant liquid into the blaster gas in the firing chamber (or some other form of techno-babble solution) with the attendant risk of blowing out the weapon due to over-charging it.

And you're correct; a cool-down period is a reasonable restriction. In fact, I had planned on including something to that effect, but forgot to throw it in. That's what comes from trying to write up a concept late at night while fighting to stay awake.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Zarn
Force Spirit


Joined: 17 Jun 2014
Posts: 698

PostPosted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 7:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

While we're on the topic of messing with the weapon systems of fighters - there's also the -B variant of the E-Wing, isn't there? Which basically was "I'll just crank it up to eleven and hope it holds together"?

http://d6holocron.com/wiki/index.php?title=E-wing

Seems I remembered right. Though the side effects table seems a bit harsh (8D damage? Yikes!), it might be ... inspirational if one decides to juryrig extra damage dice or use some prototype "overcharge plasma burst" thingy.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Director of Engineering


Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16163
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 12:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

IMO, assuming E-Wings even exist in the new universe, the blaster cannon kludge would likely be the result of a prototype fighter being rushed into combat, and would be replaced with something more reliable in a full production model.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Cpkeyes
Cadet
Cadet


Joined: 06 Jun 2017
Posts: 24

PostPosted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 10:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

CRMcNeill wrote:
IMO, assuming E-Wings even exist in the new universe, the blaster cannon kludge would likely be the result of a prototype fighter being rushed into combat, and would be replaced with something more reliable in a full production model.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/E-wing_escort_fighter

Apparently they kind of do.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    The Rancor Pit Forum Index -> Ships, Vehicles, Equipment, and Tech All times are GMT - 4 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group


v2.0