New Ammo, not really new but need rules Options

[djinni]

the Bolo round fired from a shotgun, instead of using piano wire string microwire between the balls.
proposed ruling:
Bolo microwire
Damage: 8
Armor: -4
Cost: 80¥ (per 10)
Special: there is the chance of losing a limb, a Critical Success on the attack test will result in the loss of a limb if the target takes more boxes of damage than their natural body rating (Bone lacing and Bone density augmentation add their body dice to the body rating)
a Glitch on the resistance test always results in the loss of a limb.
{edit}: added a suggestion on rules for it.

[Moon-Hawk]

I would claim that monowire just isn't strong enough for that kind of thing, and if you braided enough of it to be that strong it wouldn't be thin enough to treat as monowire, and you're back to piano wire.
But I'm a big stick-in-the-mud like that. :-)

edit: Let me just add, I don't indend to come down on your idea, I'm just saying I wouldn't use it in my game. But since monowire (as it is described in SR) is highly imaginary, I'm sure some people will have better suggestions than me.

[djinni]

[Moon-Hawk]

[Banaticus]

This is already being discussed here:
http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?showtopic=16155

[djinni]

[Banaticus]

It's chain shot -- microwire or whatever strung between some objects fired from a gun, how is it different?

[djinni]

[Banaticus]

Chain shot was originally a bunch of chain fired from a cannon -- no weights at all.

I'm having a hard time visualizing two round things fired from a shotgun, with the two balls somehow seperating such that the line between them is exactly perpendicular to the line of fire but yet in such a manner that the balls aren't rotating in any way. Because if there is any rotation, then we're already discussing chain shot in that other thread. Perhaps you could draw me a diagram showing me how the balls seperate without any centrifugal or gyroscopic forces which would cause them to rotate about an axis.

[djinni]

[Banaticus]

So, your stance is that the rounds would rotate, but that there just isn't enough room between two close combatants for the rounds to really rotate well? How does the closeness of the combatants and whether the ammunition gets enough spin change the physical type of ammunition?

Where do I find this bolo round in SR4? How does its normal damage compare with a monowhip?

[Thane36425]

The important thing is how fast the shot would separate from each other. That would depend on the choke used in the shotgun. I'm sure there is website out there somewhere that talks about this subject in detail. If the two shot don't spread very far, then the wire won't be of much use. But I have seen such rounds on the market, but nothing about how effective they actually are.

[djinni]

[Thane36425]

[Banaticus]

Shadowrun has rules for how fast ammunition seperates when you adjust the choke of a shotgun, p144. ;)

[djinni]

[ornot]

meh... I wouldn't bother with that kind of thing in my game. Even if someone wanted to make them, they'd be expensive, inaccurate, and not guaranteed to work. You're relying on the natural spread of a shotgun to make the thing work so it's as likely to wind up someplace other than where you aimed it, especially over longer ranges. But then I also consider a monowhip to be quite a technical device, rather than just sharp string with a weight on the end.

It would make more sense to me if you were suggesting a weapon round based on a bolas, that would entangle non-lethally, but even for that you still have stuff like stick'n'shock.

Incidentally in my copy of SR4 monowire is described on p252 and microwire on p329. While microwire does inflict damage if used incorrectly, it is stated that it can be safely handled with rapelling gloves, so I would rule that it is defeated by most impact armours.

[Thane36425]

I did find a lengthy article on shotguns on Wikipedia, which included a chart showing choke and how it affected shot grouping. It also lists some of the specialty ammunition. Going by what they say about Flechette ammo, it shouldn't have a bonus to armor penetration against soft armor. Are we allowed to post outside links on here?

[Fortune]

[Thane36425]

[Trigger]

I think this would make a better thrown weapon than an ammunition type. For the weights on the the bolo to be of enough weight for the bolo to properly wrap around the target and cut while doing so they need to be quite a bit bigger than what could be fit inside a shotgun. They would have to be a bit closer to shotput size to work in the way intended.

[Thane36425]

[Austere Emancipa...]

[Moon-Hawk]

[djinni]