Nerve Disruptor Standard Templates:
Technology Summary:
Nerve Disruptors are a category of weapons that use a combination of magnetic and radio waves to disrupt the nervous system of the target. The damage caused by this disruption is permanent, and requires full replacement of the damaged nerves. Hits to the brain are generally fatal, exposed limbs become paralyzed and non-responsive. Glancing, muffled (partially blocked), or brief (under 10 microseconds) exposure can cause numbness in the limbs, and non-lethal brain damage.
Nerve Disruptors serve primarily as anti-personal weapons, as they only threaten biological systems. They can also be used against non-human wildlife if properly tuned. Improperly tuned disruptors are less effective, resulting in effectiveness similar to muffled exposure.
Nerve Disruption can be blocked by most metals, counter magnetic fields, certain ceramics, and a few other materials. Because of this, standard personal armor almost always includes anti-Nerve Disruptor features. Therefor Nerve Disruptors are almost never distributed to military forces, with the occasional exception of Light Infantry, or as a sidearm for the officer core in a Navy. Instead Nerve Disruptors are usually used as civilian crowd control on the more violent and unstable colonies. Sometimes they are used as anti-wildlife defenses on planets with particularly dangerous wildlife. In some locations Nerve Disruptors are used as the official method of execution. Because Nerve Disruptors are silent, they are sometimes used when stealth is required.
See related weaponry:
Haywire Weapons (similar technology to target electronic systems)
Gauss Weapons (similar technology to target general matter)
Ion Cannons (related technology that fires charged particles)
Railguns (related technology that fires material bullets)
See also:
Wireless Magnetic Spinning Space Elevator
Variations of Nerve Disruptors:
Nerve Disruptor Pistols:
The most common form of Nerve Disruptor weaponry, and what most people think of when they imagine a Nerve Disruptor. Usually have an effective range of 20 to 30 feet. Most often carried as a sidearm. The Nerve Disruptor Pistol has the distinctive 2 inch diameter bell as the front end of the weapon, a narrow barrel conducting the energy, and a standard grip with power pack.
Comes in two variations. One that has a spreading beam, reaching nearly 5 feet wide at the edge of effective range. This variation is used primarily for crowd or wildlife control. The second version has a narrow beam that stays at roughly two inches in diameter, and is the version most commonly carried by the military as a sidearm.
Design schematics as follows....
Tuning instructions for maximum lethality towards humans follow...
General guidelines for tuning for other targets....
Nerve Disruptor Grenades:
Rarer than the pistol, but useful in lethal actions against crowds. The Nerve Distruptor Grenade is usually a torus with the pin within the torus holding the grenade inactive. Once the pin is removed, the grenade begins a countdown to triggering. Usually designed to have a seven second fuse, but this can be modified. The Nerve Disruptor Grenade does not explode, it merely emits a massive magnetic and radio wave combination that destroys all biological nervous systems within the effective range.
Range can vary from a 5 ft diameter sphere, to a 300 ft diameter sphere. Typically the larger variations are called Disruptor Bombs rather than Grenades, and require a larger device, and often have more complex fuses that can be set to longer times and can be modified in the field. Theoretically larger diameter effects could be achieved, but they would require multiple coordinated devices (see
Nerve Disruptor Cannons).
Design schematics as follows....
Tuning instructions for maximum lethality towards humans follow...
General guidelines for tuning for other targets....
Nerve Disruptor Rifle:
Rarely issued beyond occasional equipment of Light Infantry, the Nerve Disruptor Rifle has a far larger 6 inch diameter bell as the front end of the weapon, a narrow barrel conducting the energy, and a standard grip with power pack. Unlike most other rifle variants, the Nerve Disruptor Rifle usually does not have a significantly longer barrel than the Pistol, additional length only being used to provide greater stability when firing. The primary distinction is the size of the firing bell.
With an effective range of 1200 ft, the diameter of the beam slowly narrows to a 2 inch diameter at the edge of effective range. The Disruptor Rifle is far outclassed by other weapons, lacking in flexibility, lacking range, requiring clear line of sight, and having many common counters. Its primary advantage is that Disruptors are completely silent, and invisible to those without special equipment, allowing for skirmishers to strike without revealing their locations. It is for this reason that the Disruptor Rifle is occasionally distributed to Light Infantry, and similar Scout Regiments.
Design schematics as follows....
Tuning instructions for maximum lethality towards humans follow...
General guidelines for tuning for other targets....
Nerve Disruptor Cannons:
More properly understood as a Nerve Disruptor Array, but more commonly referred to as the Nerve Disruptor Cannon. This device is significantly different from other Nerve Disruptor Weaponry. Rather than a beam, the Nerve Disruptor Cannon creates a large field (usually of ovoid shape) in which nervous systems are disrupted at some distance from the Cannon. This requires the coordinated firing of multiple Cannons targeting the same location, properly tuned not only with the target type, but with each other Cannon to achieve lethal effect.
Typically a minimum of six Cannons are required to achieve effect, with more Cannons needed as size of the field is increased. Requiring a squaring of the number of Cannons to achieve a doubling of death field size. Personal armor defenses continue to be effective, even against Nerve Disruptor Cannons.
Because of the complexity of the firing mechanism, Nerve Disruptor Cannons are almost never deployed, except as fixed weapons with predetermined kill zones. They are usually only used against major wildlife threats, or on systems with a large violent underclass.
Design schematics as follows....
Tuning instructions for coordinating cannons...
Tuning instructions for maximum lethality towards humans follow...
General guidelines for tuning for other targets....
Nerve Disruptor Lances:
Methods to apply Nerve Disruptor technology to space based combat have been attempted. In many ways, the vast emptiness of space makes coordinating the firing of multiple disruptors easier, in other ways it greatly complicates things as the target cannot be a fixed area. Furthermore, the target distances required mean that the distance between Nerve Disruptor Lances dictate that they be mounted on different ships/stations who must fire in a coordinated fashion. The usual proposed solution has been to have one ship/station serve as the lead, firing its Nerve Disruptor Lance, and then use automated firing mechanisms to correctly align the firing of the additional Lances on supporting ships/stations.
Typically a minimum of six Lances are required to achieve effect, with more Lances needed as size of the field is increased. Requiring a squaring of the number of Lances to achieve a doubling of death field size. Personal armor defenses continue to be effective, even against Nerve Disruptor Lances. All human ships are immune to the effect, and provide sufficient protection that Nerve Disruptor Lances are considered worthless as weapons.
Because of the lack of effectiveness, Nerve Disruptor Lances have only been deployed once in known records. This instance was by the Skybar Confederacy. When facing a revolt on one of its vassal colonies, and hoping to kill the local rebellious population without damaging valuable machinery, they attempted to use Nerve Disruptor Lances as a planetary bombardment tool. They constructed six escort size vessels to contain the needed lances. After some effectiveness during the initial surprise, the attempt soon failed due to the population being able to take shelter and escape the effects.
Design schematics as follows....
Programming instructions for automated firing mechanisms for coordinating lances...
Tuning instructions for maximum lethality towards humans...
General guidelines for tuning for other targets....
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@durin First time I ever tried something like this. I hope I did it right.