Radioactive Bullets, Effect on magic Options

[IceKatze]

hi hi

Does anyone know if there are rules for how radiation effects paracritters, spirits and things? I remember reading that radiation has an effect on background count and is harmful to magicians. People already use depleted uranium in bullets, but in the Sixth World, I'm sure you could make ammunition that is even more radioactive.

[Fatum]

Depleted uranium is called depleted for a reason - it's even less radioactive than uranium ore. As a matter of fact, it's so low-emitting while still being good at catching neutrons it's used for radiation shielding in medtech.

[Manunancy]

In my opinion, a bullet radioactive enough to generate significant background count and hamper the magic of whatever person or critter it gets stuck into would be radioactive enought to be a health hazard. not in teh 'glow in the dark after five minutes' sort of hazard, but nasty enough that the hassles outweight the benefits.

[MikeKozar]

... you could make ammunition that is even more radioactive.

Indeed...since lead is a well-known radiation shield and bullet material, it seems like you could have bullets with a 'hot' core that would rupture on impact. For fluff effect, I would describe it as a luminous green ooze. As far as game effects, I agree that it probably wouldn't be a force multiplier in a gunfight - rads are a slow poison - but I would seriously consider it being unnatural enough to get through nature spirits' ItNW as a houserule. Of course, if you're toxic enough to be making a case for being Toxic-aspected, then you are seriously messing up the neighborhood.

[IceKatze]

hi hi

Well, megacorps aren't really known for being nice guys. Maybe Ares Firewatch would be someone who would give it a shot.

[Ascalaphus]

I like. Rad-Bull ammo. Seriously difficult availability, and certainly Forbidden, but one of the few mundane products that work decently against spirits.

[Hagga]

I like. Rad-Bull ammo. Seriously difficult availability, and certainly Forbidden, but one of the few mundane products that work decently against spirits.

I'm still holding out for a weapon that injects orphans with deepweed, then fires them at 250km/h+ at the spirit in question. Would it still work if we dismembered the orphans after injecting them?

[DireRadiant]

Physics and Magic interaction ... just thinking about it will make your head explode.

[Stahlseele]

Especially if it's magic interacting with your physique . .

[Fatum]

Well, megacorps aren't really known for being nice guys. Maybe Ares Firewatch would be someone who would give it a shot.

Firewatch are highly trained professionals, each of whom costs Ares a bunch. I can imagine them giving the runners some new toys to try out, but giving their own best guys radiation poisoning? They've had enough of that in Bug City already.

[Manunancy]

Indeed...since lead is a well-known radiation shield and bullet material, it seems like you could have bullets with a 'hot' core that would rupture on impact. For fluff effect, I would describe it as a luminous green ooze. As far as game effects, I agree that it probably wouldn't be a force multiplier in a gunfight - rads are a slow poison - but I would seriously consider it being unnatural enough to get through nature spirits' ItNW as a houserule. Of course, if you're toxic enough to be making a case for being Toxic-aspected, then you are seriously messing up the neighborhood.

One thing to remeber is that the lead shield of most radiosources is inches thick. The outer layer of a radcore bullet is would be barely a tenth of an inch thick, which means gamma rays will leak through almost unhindered. Which is going to cause serious storage problems along with a significant safety hazard for the users. Which makes it rather unpractical. It's also a PR disaster waiting to happen.

[Stahlseele]

lead bullet, lead clip, lead gun.

[Delarn]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depleted_uranium

[Manunancy]

Lead is a lousy material for a gun - not strong enough. A lead-lined clip might be doable, but once again bulk problems makes a meaningfull thickness impractical. And as I've mentioned, the thickness the bllet's lead coating won't be enough, the bullet is too small.

[DamienKnight]

Indeed...since lead is a well-known radiation shield and bullet material, it seems like you could have bullets with a 'hot' core that would rupture on impact. For fluff effect, I would describe it as a luminous green ooze. As far as game effects, I agree that it probably wouldn't be a force multiplier in a gunfight - rads are a slow poison - but I would seriously consider it being unnatural enough to get through nature spirits' ItNW as a houserule. Of course, if you're toxic enough to be making a case for being Toxic-aspected, then you are seriously messing up the neighborhood.

Would the spirits immunity not stop the lead bullet from penetrating them? Even if the bullet broke on impact, the force would be diminished. It would be like shooting a spirit with a radioactive paintball. The entire bullet would have to be radioactive to penetrate immunity. Even then, Isnt radiation supposed to have a slow effect on magic, not an instantaneous devastating effect?

I'm still holding out for a weapon that injects orphans with deepweed, then fires them at 250km/h+ at the spirit in question. Would it still work if we dismembered the orphans after injecting them?

Fantastic! You may want to look into Deepweed's effect on non-sapients... might be a little easier to sell a Magic-Monkey-Blaster to Government regulated Military programs, rather than trying to sell them a 'Drugged-Dismembered-but-still-alive-Orphan-Blaster'. Magic Monkey Blaster just markets better (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[MikeKozar]

Would the spirits immunity not stop the lead bullet from penetrating them? Even if the bullet broke on impact, the force would be diminished. It would be like shooting a spirit with a radioactive paintball. The entire bullet would have to be radioactive to penetrate immunity. Even then, Isnt radiation supposed to have a slow effect on magic, not an instantaneous devastating effect?

Like I said, houserule. There are some practical issues that make the Rad-Bull rounds unrealistic; you need something ugly enough to be Toxic, but controlled enough to not hurt your team and to fire out of an ordinary gun. The Paintball effect is a concern when we start determining damage modifiers; treating them as gel-rounds might be an easy adaptation.

I keep thinking back to an older edition, and maybe somebody could help me recall which one I'm thinking of...spirits used to be pretty sharply aspected...City Spirits couldn't be summoned in a forest, and vice versa. Toxic was another aspect, and it follows that poisoning a region would have a disruptive effect.

I don't know if it's practical as a player weapon, but I might equip a Toxic Shaman's followers with it for sheer Evil value.

[Walpurgisborn]

Like I said, houserule. There are some practical issues that make the Rad-Bull rounds unrealistic; you need something ugly enough to be Toxic, but controlled enough to not hurt your team and to fire out of an ordinary gun. The Paintball effect is a concern when we start determining damage modifiers; treating them as gel-rounds might be an easy adaptation.

Polonium. Seriously nasty stuff. It's an alpha-emitter, meaning it's not very penetrative, paper will block emissions. But it's nasty when injected, or inhaled, where it's pretty much going to shred whoever is the unlucky recipient.

Add it as the creamy center to a lead jacket bullet, and you've pretty much dropped a massive rad count on your unsuspecting mage/critter. Further, even if they do survive, they're in for some major hospital expenses trying to use Sixth World medicine to heal what is arguably the most terrible way to die you can find.

[Dumori]

Nasty. All I can say alpha radiation is just nasty once inside you.

[Daylen]

in russia I hear ol 210 is a favorite assassination tool just to let everyone know who did it.

[Dumori]

Yeah the was a big(high media coverage) 210 assanation in the UK last year.

[Fatum]

in russia I hear ol 210 is a favorite assassination tool just to let everyone know who did it.

*facepalm*

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Polonium. Seriously nasty stuff. It's an alpha-emitter, meaning it's not very penetrative, paper will block emissions. But it's nasty when injected, or inhaled, where it's pretty much going to shred whoever is the unlucky recipient.

Add it as the creamy center to a lead jacket bullet, and you've pretty much dropped a massive rad count on your unsuspecting mage/critter. Further, even if they do survive, they're in for some major hospital expenses trying to use Sixth World medicine to heal what is arguably the most terrible way to die you can find.

I was always a big fan of "Doom" (See Shadowtech) laden Capsule rounds... what a nasty way to go...

Keep the Faith

[IceKatze]

hi hi

As far as the critter immunity is concerned, you could use the same technique as a copper penetrator with your radioactive material, that way the entire bullet wouldn't need to be radioactive. Or you could use a discarding sabot too.

[nemafow]

And as I've mentioned, the thickness the bllet's lead coating won't be enough, the bullet is too small.

Maybe use bigger bullets (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rotfl.gif)

All jokes..

[Manunancy]

In the aforementionned polonium poisoning case, as far as I know the target did die as much, if not more, from the chemcial toxicity of the polonium as from it's radioactivity. Polonium is toxic, like many heavy metals suc as mercury and cadmium. Of course being radioactive don't help, but even a non-radioactive istope would still be higly toxic.