[Dragonstar] Minority Report Weapon Conversion Question

[Tetsubo]

I saw Minority Report today, it was a solid film. I quite enjoyed it. The world was
well realized and believable. The police state was John Ashcroft's wet dream.

There was a weapon used by the Precrime officers that looked very cool. It seemed
to generate a pure cuncussive force. Knocked people over while doing minimal physical
damage. What would the best way to translate that into a D&D or Dragonstar setting? It
was pistol sized (though a large pistol) and used an odd twirling action to reload.
Reminded me of John Wayne's modified rifle that he rotated in his hand to function the
cocking lever.

Any thoughts?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I don`t know the movie, but maybe I get an idea for it.

How about this: Range of a light Autopistol, damage 1d4. The attack acts like and trip attemt of someone with Strength 20. Only a touch attack is required for this effect, a regular hit for the damage.

Maybe the damage is to high, since 1d4 has a good chance of killing a commoner...

 

[CWD]

The players in my Dragonstar game wondered why there were no non-leathal weapons, so I created one.

We gave it the lame name of "stunner", and it does 3d6 subdual damage with a 50-foot range increment. Useless against undead, constructs, and the like, but great for taking prisoners. It also makes the game a little more "family friendly" if the PC aren't killing people all the time.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I highly recommend Stun Grenades and these glue grenades ("Greater Tanglefoot bag") .

Or use a taser - a "two-gun-shooting" rogue should be very happy. First shot stuns, second shots sneaks to sleep.
(I will test this tactic in... approximately 6 weeks. Probably the only chance the neutral evil halfling rogue/mechanist will have against the party, when it comes to fight...)

 

[Psion]

The players in my Dragonstar game wondered why there were no non-leathal weapons, so I created one.

I'm sure that there will be some in Imperial Supply.

Perhaps make a stunner model of a screamer... 3x as expensive... has a setting that does subdual instead of real damage. (This sort of weapon is actually being discussed.)

You could also make a "jolter" variant of blasters under the same rule (but I'd tone down the damage...)

There is a "tangler/adhesive" type trap mentioned in the GttG IIRC ... you could make a short range weapon with effects similar to a tanglefoot bag.

I hear there will be "needler" weapons in Imperial Supply. One obvious method is to make a tranquilizer version of the needles (say, minimal (1-2 pts) damage, use drow sleep poison stats). In some of Larry Niven's books, there were similar weapons that fired slivers of a crystaline substance that disolves in the bloodstream of the target when they hit, also with a tranquilizing effect.

 

[Brantai]

I'd like to see stats for the sicksticks, myself. Now _that_ is a nasty weapon.

 

[Neo]

well if it is any help the weapon in Minority Report is a Sonic weapon, which has quite a serious knockback effect.

but i know for sure it is sonic as i watched a new article making the comparison between the sonic pistols in that movie and a real life sonic weapon which has been developed.

 

[Asmodean]

I don`t know the movie, but maybe I get an idea for it.

How about this: Range of a light Autopistol, damage 1d4. The attack acts like and trip attemt of someone with Strength 20. Only a touch attack is required for this effect, a regular hit for the damage.

Maybe the damage is to high, since 1d4 has a good chance of killing a commoner...

I like this idea, but I'd make the damage 1d6 subdual. That movie was an excellent work of science fiction. I recomend it to anyone with an imagination.

 

[NeghVar]

For a completely different approach to stun weapons...go here:

http://www.geocities.com/nuelow/d20equip.html

Later!