Liquid Projectors

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Liquid Projectors

A "liquid projector" is any weapon that dispenses a liquid in a stream or a mist. At TL6, this usually means a flamethrower or a powerful water hose. At TL7-8, other possibilities include aerosol dispensers intended for personal defense and water cannon used for riot control.

Flamethrowers

At TL6, flamethrowers appear that use a compressed gas such as nitrogen to propel an oil-based liquid through a tube. Normally, the fuel is ignited as it leaves the weapon – although many models can also fire "cold shots," drenching an area in unlighted fuel that can be set aflame later.

Flamethrowers soon become popular for bunker-clearing and house-to-house fighting (and for battling sci-fi and horror creatures that are immune to firearms!). At TL7, flamethrowers employ thickened fuel for increased range. They can use unthickened fuel – e.g., plain gasoline – but this halves Range. At TL8, incendiary projectile launchers like the Buck HAFLA and RPO-Z (see KBP RPO-A Shmel) supplant flamethrowers, offering superior range and fewer drawbacks.

Effects: Anyone hit by a flamethrower suffers large-area injury. The fuel continues to burn for 2d×5 seconds (1d×5, beyond 1/2D), inflicting 1d burn per second. Unsealed DR protects at 1/5 value; sealed armor protects completely. See also Catching Fire.

A flamethrower can be played over an area up to three yards wide as an All-Out Attack. Roll separately to hit each target. Divide damage and burn duration by the width of the area (round down). For instance, an All-Out Attack (Jet) on two men in a three-yard area requires two attack rolls. Each victim suffers 1/3 damage, and then 1d burn per second for (2d×5)/3 seconds.

Flamethrowers Table

LIQUID PROJECTOR (FLAMETHROWER) (DX-4, or other Liquid Projector at -4)

TL	Weapon	Damage	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Cost	LC	Notes
6	Fiedler Kleif	3d burn	15/20	68	Jet	1×20s	11†	-8	$1,500	1	[1]
7	TOZ ROKS-2	3d burn	25/40	50	Jet	10×1s	10†	-7	$2,000	1	[1]
7	Beattie M2-2	3d burn	25/40	72	Jet	5×2s	11†	-8	$1,800	1	[1]
7	DWM FmW46	3d burn	25/40	7.8	Jet	1×1s	6†	-4	$500	1	[1, 2]
7	TOZ LPO-50	3d burn	50/75	51	Jet	3×3s	10B†	-7	$2,500	1	[1]

Notes:

[1] Takes two Ready maneuvers to prepare for firing.

[2] Sling swivels.

Spray Guns and Aerosols

These weapons squirt liquids and gases, typically in less-than-lethal personal-defense and riot-control applications. Most must hit the face (-5) to be effective, but the wide jet grants the same +2 to hit accorded to blowpipe-delivered powders.

Pepper Spray (TL8)

Similar to tear gas spray (below), this dispenser uses a pepper solution that's more effective than most chemical agents – especially in cold weather, against animals, and on people who are emotionally disturbed or on drugs. The victim must make two HT-4 rolls: one to resist coughing (see Afflictions) and another to resist blindness. Both effects endure until the solution is removed with lots of water and towels. (Water? Well, if you say so :))

Tear Gas Spray (TL7)

This is an aerosol spray canister that dispenses any of several agents commonly called "tear gas". Treat it as a melee weapon with Reach 1, 2, not as a ranged attack; speed/range penalties don't apply. The victim must make two HT-2 rolls: one to resist coughing (see Afflictions) and another to resist blindness. Both effects endure for minutes equal to the margin of failure.

Tear gas sprays come in many sizes. The canister in the table is small enough to carry in a coat pocket or a purse. Dispensers are sometimes incorporated into other devices, notably flashlights and batons (see Clubs. One-shot models can even be concealed in items as small as wristwatches.

Fluid Projectors (Ultra-Tech)

These weapons project streams of liquid or gas. They are fired using Liquid Projector skill.

Sprays

These are pressurized aerosol spray cans or tanks. Their utility as ultra-tech weaponry comes from exotic biochemical or nanotech fillers.

Weapons

Pocket Aerosol (TL9): A palm-sized disposable tank that sprays a single dose. It is used for black ops or self-defense. Respiratory agents must be sprayed into the face, but there's no location penalty to hit due to the size of the cloud. Contact agents can be sprayed onto the body.

Spray Can (TL9): The size of a can of bug spray, it holds 10 doses of gas. It can spray up to three doses at once to fill a one-yard radius. The cloud lasts 10 seconds indoors, but dissipates quickly in a strong wind.

Spray Tank (TL9): A spray gun attached by a short hose to a tank, which can be worn as a backpack. The tank has DR 10, but is under pressure: any penetrating damage can rupture it, releasing the entire store of chemicals. This has the same effect as a 100mm biochemical liquid warhead. Spray tanks are often integrated into buildings as part of their security systems.

Vortex Ring Projectors

These advanced gas projector weapons consist of a reservoir tank, a chamber for mixing the delivery gas with a propellant, and a wave-shaping chamber that forms the ejected cloud into a vortex ring – a high-velocity smoke ring. This allows the weapon to deliver doses of gas at long range. Vortex rings retain their momentum and cohesion for a long distance, and are not affected by light winds. They break up, depositing their payload, on direct collision with a solid object...but will bounce from a glancing impact. Thus, they can be bounced around corners, if the user is skilled and knows where his target is. Each bounce gives -2 to hit and -10% to range per bounce; e.g., a weapon with Range 30 could bounce four times at -8, but this would limit the total path length to 18 yards.

Vortex ring projectors can fire almost any gas. Some of the more exotic "gas missiles" include carbon dioxide to choke internal combustion engines, Halon to extinguish fires, and even explosive vapors. On a smaller scale, vortex ring projectors may be the enabling technology behind high-efficiency medical inhalers.

Vortex ring projectors are regular ranged weapons that deliver a linked area-effect release of whatever gas they are loaded with. The vortex ring also has enough velocity to inflict crushing damage with double knockback.

Weapons

Underbarrel Vortex Ring Projector (VRP) (TL9): A vortex ring projector that can be clamped under the barrel of a rifle or other long arm in place of a grenade launcher. Use the Bulk, ST, and sighting bonuses of the weapon it is installed in.

Vortex Pistol (TL9): A vortex ring sidearm the size of an ordinary automatic pistol.

Backpack Vortex Ring Projector (TL9): A heavy flamethrower-like device sometimes used by combat engineers or police for house-to-house fighting or riot control. It's also occasionally used for non-combat applications, such as projecting fire-extinguishing foam.

Spray Guns, Aerosols, and Fluid Projector Tables

LIQUID PROJECTOR (SPRAYER) (DX-4 or other Liquid Projector-4)

TL	Weapon	Damage	Acc	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl	Cost	LC
7	Tear Gas Spray	spec.	-	1, 2	0.1	Jet	20	3	-1	-	$10	4
8	Pepper Spray	spec.	-	1, 2	0.1	Jet	20	3	-1	-	$10	4
9	Backpack Vortex Projector	spec. (2 yards)	3	30	12/12p	1	10(5)	10†	-4	1	$1,200	3
	linked	1d-3 cr dkb
9	Pocket Aerosol	spec.	Jet	1	0.1	1	1	1	-1	1	$10	4
9	Spray Can	spec. (1 yard)	Jet	2	1/0.5	1	10(5)	2	-2	1	$25	4
9	Spray Tank	spec. (1 yard)	Jet	3	8/5	1	10(5)	4	-4	1	$400	4
9	Underbarrel Vortex Projector	spec. (1 yard)	2	20/40	5/3	1	10(3)	–	–	1	$150	4
	linked	1d-3 cr dkb
9	Vortex Pistol	spec. (1 yard)	2	15	1.8/0.8	1	5(3)	7	-2	1	$100	4
	linked	1d-3 cr dkb

LIQUID PROJECTOR (SQUIRT GUN) (DX-4 or other Liquid Projector-4)

TL	Weapon	Damage	Range	Weight	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Cost	LC	Notes
8	Squirt Carbine	spec.	8	3.5/2	Jet	2	4†	-3	$30	4	[1]

Notes:

[1] Sling swivels