Wave Motion Gun
Relic/6 (unknown and obnoxious Song) 18pt*
Self powered 0pt
Disturbance: special -8pt
Fragility: Unbreakable, dammit +5pt
Tracking: special -2pt
Use Restriction: Ranged Weapon roll -1pt
Visibility: Automatically detected (hoo, yeah) -3pt
Total Cost: 9pt
*The Essence cost of zero adds 6 per level to the cost, and the universal reaction modifier of -3 per level takes it right back.
Yup, Sparky only thought that he had cleaned out Vapula’s stash of vintage anime tapes. Incidentally, the VCR of the Prince of Technology is a subtle and frightening artifact, indeed — but that’s an artifact for another time.
The Wave Motion Gun is a sonic weapon, more or less: anyone with Ranged Weapons may use it at -2 to skill. The target, if hit (Celestial Shields will protect, but not Corporeal) will take 1d6 Body Hits per level of the relic (if Stunned, the target will also be knocked back 1d6 feet by the sheer force of the blast). The user may choose to set the device on area effect, causing half damage in exchange for targeting anyone within a 30-degree forward arc. Also, those with the Damaged Sense (Hearing) Discord may subtract 1 die of damage for each level of the Discord.
Range is a straight 100 yards, with a wrinkle: the beam will harmlessly pass through anything that is not Symphonically Aware. This includes all inanimate objects and most animate ones. A shooter could use this relic to sweep a crowd for celestials or Soldiers, without risk to putatively innocent bystanders. Lastly, ammunition is effectively infinite, and the relic is virtually indestructible.
All in all, this item would hardly seem to be truly Vaputech, except for the minor problem about the composition of the beam. Strictly speaking, the Wave Motion Gun does not shoot sound beams at all.
It shoots beams of Disturbance.
Ignore the usual Disturbance rules when this weapon is in use: it’s redundant. Every entity within (CD of the Ranged Weapons roll) miles capable of detecting Disturbance will automatically learn distance and direction. Everyone within a 500 yard radius with Symphonic Awareness must make a Will Roll at -4 or cringe at the horrific sound as the Symphony is casually whacked with large metaphorical mallets. This will include the user’s own allies, of course — and the user, come to think of it. Again, having Damaged Sense (Hearing) will protect against the latter side-effect (+2 for every level of the Discord).
This is not a subtle weapon, and there are a lot of entities out there that will be more than happy to take out their poor, abused ears on anyone stupid or brazen enough to use this relic on a regular basis. This only makes it more attractive to most Calabim and virtually all Servitors of Hardcore (the latter are usually half-deaf, anyway). Saner celestials just try to give a Wave Motion Gun to somebody else, then run like Hell before it gets used: it does make a wonderful distraction when one needs a quick getaway…
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