Gadget Design Advice Needed

[Armitage]

There are two gadgets I've been thinking about and I could use some input from other people
I don't have Alien Wars and given the subject matter, it's possible that #2 appears there. But I otherwise don't recall seeing either one in any other book.

1. Welding Torch

My first thought was Minor Transform, two separate objects to a single object. The BODY of the weld would be the BODY of the Transform or the BODY of the original material, whichever is less.

Or possibly an Entangle, just to stick the objects together. The DEF of the Entangle would be the maximum material DEF you could weld and the Entangle DEF likewise couldn't be greater than the material DEF (sort of like the Brick wrap-up stunt). Successive phases of welding would increase the BODY of the weld, as per the normal rules. The problem is that DEF can't be more than double the dice of Entangle, so welding really tough materials would create welds with really high BODY. You could make the Entangle Brittle, but it would then require a huge number of dice that don't do anything and it would elliminate cumulative welding.
Thinking now, I suppose you could buy Brittle on only some of the Entangle dice.

OK. I just checked the Online USPD and there it is under Fire Powers. Welding. Live and learn.

2. Laser Designator

Change Environment to designate the target, then the missle has No Range Penalty as a Naked Advantage with the Limitation Only vs. Designated Targets. Or if it's a missile designed as a vehicle, CSLs Only vs. Designated Target.

[ghost-angel]

Laser Designator/Painting the Target:

Detect: Target - visible power effects limitation; Sight Group; Focus (laser targeting device).

don't have books or HD on me so I don't want to give numbers since I'll probably be off on them anyway.

Painted Target Tracking:
Naked Power Advantage - No Range Limitation for (device); "Target must be Painted first".
-(device) is the missile/gun/projectile that you are intending to toss at the intended target.
-"Target must be Painted first" could be either a Linked to Detect or simlpy a Limited Power, however you'd want to work it. I'd be inclined to a Linked so you can't use it at all with the Detect being active.

some thoughts.

[Dust Raven]

Welding Torch is easy, just treat it as a weapon and by it as an HKA versus rED that doesn't add STR to the damage. Build it on a fuel charge or 0 END and Fuel Dependent. The fact that you can use it as a tool is just part of the SFX, like with a hammer or a shovel or a rake or a wrench.

For a Laser Designator it gets a bit tricky. For one, you can't use just any weapon with the designator, it has to be a weapon system that using the designator for targeting. Whats more, most of those kinds of weapons must use the designator or they have no chance of hitting. My advice is to just build such a weapon with the No Range Modifier and be done with it.

But if you want more of a take your time to pinpoint the target and then blast away at it... I'd use a Cosmetic Transform to "paint" the target (with Modifiers to suit the method of painting), and CSLs with the weapon system(s) Only Versus Painted Targets.