Laser Weaponry: Worth it?, Cool, but worth the Nuyen? Options

[Aberrant]

Ok. My GM said "go for it" but he also said lasers are not silent or invisible.

I am sad. And it is hardly a game breaker. The MP 3 Laser rifle would be doing (assuming 2 short bursts) 10P up to 100 yards, 9 P up to 250. The no recoil is nice, but at 2 'rounds' of power per shot, it'd end up being a 5 trick pony.

Still would be fun however to burn a hole in some corpsec.

[Aberrant]

Also, just a thought - should the spell Improved Invisibility provide extra damage resistance test against lasers, being as it bends light around the target?

[Mr. Mage]

Ok. My GM said "go for it" but he also said lasers are not silent or invisible.

I am sad. And it is hardly a game breaker. The MP 3 Laser rifle would be doing (assuming 2 short bursts) 10P up to 100 yards, 9 P up to 250. The no recoil is nice, but at 2 'rounds' of power per shot, it'd end up being a 5 trick pony.

Still would be fun however to burn a hole in some corpsec.

I can see why lasers aren't silent or invisible, As a weapon, there is so much energy needed to deal any damage that it's essentially lightning, visible and accompanied by thunder. The "Sound" of the laser probably come from the energy superheating the air around it, just like thunder.

Edit: Also, it depends on the type of invisibilty, Improved, maybe, since it actually does bend light, but the normal invisibility spell just tricks the mind of the viewer into believing you aren't there, but does not hide you from cameras and other detection devices.

[Traul]

Also, just a thought - should the spell Improved Invisibility provide extra damage resistance test against lasers, being as it bends light around the target?

Maybe with 37 net hits, as there is MUCH more light to bend.

[Aberrant]

Maybe with 37 net hits, as there is MUCH more light to bend.

I was, for game purposes, simply using the same basic idea as silence and sonic weapons, but applied to lasers.

[paws2sky]

I was, for game purposes, simply using the same basic idea as silence and sonic weapons, but applied to lasers.

That seems reasonable.

-paws

[Dakka Dakka]

Does the Improved Invisibility Spell help against other devices that use lasers such as photoelectric sensors or range finders?

[Aberrant]

Does the Improved Invisibility Spell help against other devices that use lasers such as photoelectric sensors or range finders?

I imagine being invisible is a pretty good start to not being detected (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
But that said, I'm not 100% - I know Improved Invisiblity affects machines, and that is all I know

[Mr. Mage]

Does the Improved Invisibility Spell help against other devices that use lasers such as photoelectric sensors or range finders?

As far as I can tell, the Improved Invisibilty actually warps the light around your body, rendering you invisible to electronic devices which rely on light rays. However, I don't know if it encompasses the entire Electromagnetic spectrum or just visible light. Basically, you need to figure what the device works on and whether that is covered in improved invisibility. For example, if improved invisibility also warps infrared radiation, then anything using infrared would be unable to detect whatever the spell is hiding. Examples of these devices would be Thermographic vision, IR goggles, heat sensors and ranged thermometers.

Also, as a bit of humor: If the spell covers Ultraviolet radiation as well, then it would work as a pretty good anti-sunburning method (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[TBRMInsanity]

In SR, Lasers have always been effective sniper weapons. No recoil, no way to identify the shooter, and no way to trace the wound to the gun (especially if your laser "fell of the back of a truck"). For high profile targets that have the resources behind them that could track you down quick if you use a bullet, I would consider laser weapons. As pointed out they are crappy in bad weather but if your doing a public assassination, what are the chances that it will be miserable out?

[Dakka Dakka]

As far as I can tell, the Improved Invisibilty actually warps the light around your body, rendering you invisible to electronic devices which rely on light rays. However, I don't know if it encompasses the entire Electromagnetic spectrum or just visible light. Basically, you need to figure what the device works on and whether that is covered in improved invisibility. For example, if improved invisibility also warps infrared radiation, then anything using infrared would be unable to detect whatever the spell is hiding. Examples of these devices would be Thermographic vision, IR goggles, heat sensors and ranged thermometers.

The rules actually say that it works against IR light.

This spell makes the subject more difficult to detect by normal visual senses (including low-light, thermographic, and other senses that rely on the visual spectrum).

Also, as a bit of humor: If the spell covers Ultraviolet radiation as well, then it would work as a pretty good anti-sunburning method (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) But you couldn't be seen in your new stylish bathing clothes

[tarbrush]

It's specifically mentioned in one of the Ares Vehicle to Vehicle lasers descriptions that it's invisible, so I would presume that all of the other lasers aren't invisible.

[Dakka Dakka]

While this may be true for the description, a beam of a LASER is always invisible unless you a) look directly into it or b) is reflected by some substance. Representation of LASERs in Star Wars is pretty much male bovine excrement especially in the vacuum of space. I'm not sure what the sound is supposed to be.

[Mr. Mage]

While this may be true for the description, a beam of a LASER is always invisible unless you a) look directly into it or b) is reflected by some substance. Representation of LASERs in Star Wars is pretty much male bovine excrement especially in the vacuum of space. I'm not sure what the sound is supposed to be.

Its not even a laser in Star Wars actually....
While it is true that none of the sounds should be heard in space (movies just have that for dramatic effect), the Blasters actually fire a solid projectile at supersonic speeds which has been superheated into plasma. So it actually isn't a laser, just a very hot, very energized bullet.

Wow, I'm such a geek.

[Zaranthan]

They explained the sound, too. As a way of addressing the issue of 3-dimensional combat, the sensors use sound to represent nearby craft. The sound is based on the craft's radar signature, which is why Vader's TIE Bomber sounds significantly different from the TIE Fighters despite using the same engines.

[Dakka Dakka]

My geekiness has just increased. According to Wookiepedia, the weapons of an X-Wing are called LASER cannons but are in fact plasma weapons just like blasters (IMG:style_emoticons/default/silly.gif)

[Stahlseele]

Are there IMPLANT-VERSIONS of Laser-Weapons and/or the Sonic Rifle or Flame-Throwers or something like that?

[Traul]

The welding laser modular hand deals the same damage as a Redline, but with shorter range and Single Shot firing rate.

[Stahlseele]

Hmm, when you redline OTHER Cyber-Limbs, you get more Power-Output . . could one redline a redline-style hand-laser?

[crash2029]

I was trying to find a laser cyber-implant weapon when I was building Iron Man-style heavy military armor.

I would go with lasers just because of the coolness factor. As for the "ammo" availability and cost, remember that power packs can be recharged.

[Stahlseele]

Remember that there's the external-clip option.
Just looks hella Cool if there's some big frigging energy wires coming from your back, going into your wrist and out comes big huge frigging laser power ^^

[Dumori]

Lasers will not make any ware near the same nose lvl as a gun firing but they would make some noise also visibility would likely be manually added to allow for better aiming much with sound so you know if you've fired or not. Theses feathcers Could n my eye be turned off and even replicated by a smartgun system.

[TBRMInsanity]

I think if you want an effective laser weapon (ala Iron Man) you would have to create a power armour vehicle that has a mounted Redline built in. That way the exoskeleton and not the person is carrying the weight. Depending on your power supply (ie if your using a pure electrical power plant) you could draw power from the suit directly, but that may cause problems in a long fight (you don't want your exoskeleton to die and have to be left behind).

[Muspellsheimr]

Okay, let me explain a little about how laser weapons work (yes, they do work in 'real life').

The laser emits beams of light that intersect at a single point; this point is determined before the weapon is fired. At this point is where the laser deals damage (this is also why they use lasers to etch inside glass & crystal). Nothing between the weapon and this point will be adversely affected, & nothing beyond the point will be adversely affected. Glass & other transparent materials cannot provide protection, except in the unlikely event they refract the beam before its intersection point.


Lasers do not generate audio when fired. Mechanical parts of the weapon might generate noise, as well as the target, but the laser itself does not.

Lasers do not create a visible beam of light. Although it is possible to construct them as such, doing so is more difficult & does not increase performance. Nor would it in any way help with aiming (you must already have a rangefinder / target designator for it to calculate where to place the intersection point).

And finally, laser weapons in Shadowrun have some viable uses, but in general, are less effective than conventional firearms, & significantly so compared to the Gauss weapons (although they are available in smaller units than the Gauss weaponry).

[Adarael]

That's mostly correct, but partially incorrect for all currently extant military lasers that I am aware of. Neither the YAL-1, THEL, or Northrup-Grumman FIRESTRIKE lasers use beam combinations on the target to deal damage: all are single-beam attack weapons. Or, more accurately, the multiple beams are joined prior to leaving the weapon's targetting array. This is visibly true of the YAL-1, as the laser is generated in the rear of the plane and directed by the nosecone mirror/aiming system at the tracked missile. Anything in the way or past the target risks being struck by the laser, although beam attenuation is certainly going to sap a lot of the heat. I imagine THEL's range is limited, as a truck-based platform: YAL-1 has severely reduced range at lower altitudes due to atmospheric interference.

I dunno how THEL targets, but I imagine it works like YAL-1: a separate, low-power targetting laser, as you have suggested. FIRESTRIKE doesn't need a separate targetting laser: it actually uses the main lasing array, but at a much-reduced power.

And also, the YAL-1 doesn't actually 'burn' the target in the traditional sense - it heats it enough for the skin to warp, whereupon the flight stress rips the frame apart due to uneven airflow.

Edit: The USN's MIRACL platform also propagates the beam continuously from the lasing array to the target.