Flamethrower Stats Options

[Stephen_E]

Does anyone know of Flamethrower stats in a SR4 book, or have the stats from a SR3 book that I could convert.

I'm looking at building a PC who uses a flamethrower as his main combat weapon, but while the SR4 core book talks about it in the skills section (Exotic weapon IIRC) it doesn't provide any stats I can find.

Thanks
Stephen

[GrinderTheTroll]

[lorechaser]

Personally, I'd stat it up as a line attack out 10 meters, with a flat 6 dice of fire damage, with an option to sweep for additional targets at a penalty akin to changing targets (-2, iirc).

[kzt]

[Eryk the Red]

I'd probably make a flamethrower work like a shotgun firing flechette. Most flamethrowers would have a specific amount of spread, probably narrow or medium, but there could be a fancy flamethrower than has multiple modes.

[lorechaser]

Each round, resist 6-(num rounds)P damage of fire, unless you scrape it off?

[Lagomorph]

I'd imagine it would work similarly to the pain inducer

[Eryk the Red]

'Course, the pain inducer just works as long as your pointing it at someone. A flamethrower covers the target in flaming fuel. Slightly different circumstances. I'd say it causes continuous damage equal to the base damage of the flamethrower (or maybe your net hits on the attack roll?) each turn, for a given number of turns. (I wouldn't know how long, I'm not sure how long that kind of fuel will normally burn for.)

[zadiac]

perhaps you could use your net successes in rounds or so.
based on how well you soak the poor jerk down.
i would figure the extremities (arms/legs) would be easier to get it off of, whereas the torso/head would be... painful.

[Geekkake]

This is goddamned great against spirits. Slips right past the Immunity to Normal Weapons, and does a ton of elemental damage.

The way I'm working it out with my GM at this particular moment is that the initial attack does base 6P fire + net hits gross damage (before resist) after Dodge. Each following round reduces the gross damage by -1 until the fire is reduced to 0P and goes out. So, for example, with three net hits, the flamethrower would do 9P on the initial hit, 8P the next round, and so on.

We're currently considering ways the victim can reduce the burning times (as it were), including removing soaked clothing.

[edit]: Fun fact: we've decided to use the same rules for molotovs and general dousing. Happy lobbing!

Further consideration raises the questions: how does armor assist with resisting fire damage in this manner? And damage-stopping 'ware? Obviously, bone lacing and platelet factories would be useless. But what about dermal armor, natural and 'ware? Sure, the skin burns, so that's P damage right there, but good dermal armor would assist in reducing deeper tissue damage from el fuego. Thoughts?

[kzt]

[Stephen_E]

Thanks guys. This has been a lot of help.

Something I've gotten from some reading I've been doing on Flame throwes is that anyone been attacked by a Flamethrower should have to make a Composure check to avoid running. Probably requiring 1 successes if you're within range. One of the major sucesses in WW2 was the speed troops in dugin fortifications would surrender or run at the 1st blast of fire. US Marines loved the effect it had on dugin Japanese soldiers that would've taken major troop assaults to defeat/move.

Possibly the way to handle armour is apply a cumalative -4 AP/end of round penalty to non Fire Resistant armour, and when that's gone a -1 AP/round penalty to Fire Resistant armour.

Also anyone on fire has to make a Composure (2) check to do anything other than run or try and put the fire out, with no successes = you stay where you are screaming and flopping around taking no effective action. People on fire have great difficulty acting rationally. When it's really HOT fire it's going to be worse.

Stephen

[zeb.hillard]

I have damage be continuious, modified by net number of hits for accuracy in the dousing with fire part.

To reduce the damage from fire, I use a system that it takes a complex action, and you roll Agility+Intuition. Each hit reduces the amount of fire damage that you are taking by one. And, when it's reduced to 0, you successfully smother the flames.

[BRodda]

[lorechaser]

Much as I hate to do it, I have to go back to d20 modern. The d20 modern flamethrower's backpack can be specifically targetted. It has hardness 5 and 5 hp (which would translate to about body 2, armor 2, I think). If you rupture the backpack, the wearer takes 2x the flamethrower's damage, and everyone adjacent takes normal damage. I think maybe the equivalent would like ExEx - if it ruptures, take an attack, with no resistance, and everyone around you takes a normal attack?

[deek]

I had a couple NPCs with flamethrowers and we did have someone targetting the backpack. We used the barrier rules though and set it at reinforced material, which I believe is Armor 8, Stucture 9. Granted, took the structure rating down, due to it not being 10cm thick, so really, I figured that the Armor could stay at 8 but to pierce a hole in the tank, the Structure would be a 3.

I didn't end up having a player pierce the tank though, so I didn't have to figure out exactly what would happen in the explosion...but I thought I put it at 6P with no soak and -1DV per meter radius. I probably could have made that x2...and then obviously there was fire damage on top of that...

[lorechaser]

I'm not too familiar with the structure rules, but I don't think the flamethrower tank would be particularly strong, unless you've reinforced it.

[deek]

Yeah...I could see it either way, but at the time, we all agreed that the tank would be pretty strong material. I was adjusting stats from the 3rd edition flamethrower for 4th edition...none of the players ended up being targeted by the flamethrowers, so getting it perfect wasn't a major concern.

Granted, I would take more time if one of my players were wanting to use one on a regular basis...

[kzt]

[lorechaser]

Being horrible uneducated in these matters, would the bullet's passage through the tank be enough to ignite it?

[kzt]

[Austere Emancipa...]

You are unlikely to ignite a car gas tank by firing a (non-incendiary) bullet through it, and napalm is far more difficult to ignite. Do common forms of weaponized napalm even undergo vaporization, which would allow for a serious flame-out?

[Geekkake]

[Shrike30]

I was always a fan of the Shiawase Blazer, the Aliens-style flamethrower from Cannon Companion. Portable enough to be reasonable to use, enough ammo for a few shots... great little toy, IMO.

[blakkie]