Fichetti Pain Inducer usage? Options

[Ranger]

Does the pain inducer cause any real damage? The description states, "Treat this like a toxin attack (see p. 245) with a Power of 8. The target resists with Body + half armor (round up). If the modified Power exceeds the target’s Willpower, the target must spend her next Action Phase doing whatever it takes to get away from the pain (usually this means running away)" (SR4, 309). The description does not specify if the toxin effect is Physical or Stun damage. It sounds like the toxin Power is used just to see if the weapon has an effect, not to see if the weapon actually harms the target.

Later, the description states, "If the target cannot flee, she is incapacitated with pain and suffers a dice pool modifier equal to the modified Power on all tests for as long as the beam is trained on her" (SR4, 309-310). Since this is a custom rule for the weapon, it sounds as if the pain inducer does not inflict any damage, because otherwise I would think that the normal wound modifiers would apply. Also, I'm wondering why the target would suffer any dice pool modifiers when the target is incapacitated, meaning that the target is already unable to take any kind of actions.

Can anyone clarify how this weapon works?

[Rotbart van Dain...]

Does the pain inducer cause any real damage?

No. Toxins only cause damage if they got a damage effect.

[Ranger]

No. Toxins only cause damage if they got a damage effect.

Ohhh, thanks. I missed that simple fact. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Jaid]

i think the mention of taking a dice pool penalty if you can't get away is more along the lines of 'if you can't leave the range/get behind cover without taking a test'.

so for example, if you're in a moving elevator and someone were to open the hatch on the top and start zapping you with the pain inducer, you've got nowhere to run to so you can't run away, and any action you take is gonna be at a hefty penalty. so if you try to grab the guy with the pain inducer and pull him into the elevator, any applicaple tests (possibly a jump test, an unarmed combat test, grapple test, etc) are at a -8.

[Jhaiisiin]

There's a RL supersized bersion of the pain inducer that the military is testing. It basically only causes pain while you're in the beam. Pain is distracting, hence the dice pool modifiers. "Incapacitated" was likely just poor word choice.

[Ranger]

There's a RL supersized bersion of the pain inducer that the military is testing. It basically only causes pain while you're in the beam. Pain is distracting, hence the dice pool modifiers. "Incapacitated" was likely just poor word choice.

I was thinking more like maybe they meant that if the Power exceeds the target's Willpower, then the target must flee or be incapacitated--that is, the target can't take any actions. But, if the Power does not exceed the target's Willpower, then the target instead suffers the dice pool modifier and is not required to flee.