Prismatic Pistol [TL4+4] – Google Docs
Prismatic Pistol [TL4+4]
Description: A wood and chrome, pistol-like object with a faintly-glowing crystal replacing the muzzle. The decorations on a Prismatic Pistol are typically garish, intensely overwrought, and purely cosmetic. There is usually an iron sight, but it’s equally cosmetic.
The universe that produced the Prismatic Pistol was one where the 17th century scientist Jan Marek Marci enjoys the same fame and renown as Isaac Newton does in ours. Aside from his own, considerable alchemy-based scholarship and research, Marci’s translation of the Voynich Manuscript into Latin had profound implications on esoteric optics and chemistry (not to mention also eventually securing the existence and health of the Holy Roman Empire into that timeline’s modern period). Marci was also the first researcher to discover the color-coded effects of specially-refracted light upon living tissue; which, of course, also helped secure the power and survival of the HRE. Modern Prismatic Pistols are directly derived from those principles, and their manufacture is a tightly held secret.
The Pistols also work in other timelines, don’t use a recognizable power source, and are unaffected by mana levels — which is why they’re very popular smuggler’s goods anyway. The Pistol’s’ only real weakness is the crystal itself: it can only hold twenty-one charges, and gets back one charge every ten full minutes. This makes them more of a bodyguard’s weapon than a soldier’s. Switching from one Ray to the other is virtually only a matter of intent.
Prismatic Pistol (TL 4+4): Acc 2, Range 250,Weight 3, Rof 3, Shots 21, ST 8, Bulk -1, Rcl 1.
- Red: Does 2d6 corrosion damage to the target.
- Orange: Drains 1d6 Fatigue from the target. This setting can be also manipulated (with the appropriate Armoury roll) to allow the Orange Ray to heal 1d6 Fatigue, instead.
- Yellow: Target must make a Will -4 roll or suffer from the equivalent of a Crippling level of the Neurological Disorder disadvantage for ten minutes.
- Green: Heals the target of 1d6 damage. Can close minor wounds.
- Blue: The target must make a Will -4 roll or be passive and compliant for the next ten minutes. Attacking the target breaks this effect.
- Indigo: The target’s surface thoughts become audible for ten minutes. The target may resist revealing his thoughts by making a Will -4 roll.
- Violet: Reduces the target’s Will by 1. Repeated shots stack.
The material presented here is my original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.
GURPS is a registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games, and the art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy.