Long Range Accoustical Device

[CorpCommander]

Just saw this nifty new Non-Lethal Weapon on CNN. Its a sonic cannon of sorts for crowd control.

 

Troops get high-tech noisemaker

 

NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S. soldiers in Iraq have new gear for dispersing hostile crowds and warding off potential enemy combatants. It blasts earsplitting noise in a directed beam.

 

The equipment, called a Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, is a so-called "non-lethal weapon" developed after the 2000 attack on the USS Cole off Yemen as a way to keep operators of small boats from approaching U.S. warships.

 

Here is my write up on it. It has two modes. The first mode allows it to broadcast pre-recorded messages. They can be in the local language. I am sure they are happy messages like "Disperse or we'll fire", "This city block is off limits until Hazmat Teams clean up the spill." and "Have a Nice Day - Don't Throw Rocks."

 

The second mode is an AOE NND sonic blast. You can survive it if you have extremely good ear protection on. Now, it is possible that this device puts enough vibration in the air that ear protection is not enough but the description seemed to indicate the pain comes primarily from ear drum over stimulation. We can adjust this later if that turns out to be the case.

 

END use comes from the vehicles END Reserve.

 

Cost	Equipment	END
30	LRAD: Multipower, 120-point reserve, (120 Active Points); all slots OAF Immobile Expendable (Very Difficult to obtain new Focus; -2 1/2), Crew-Served 2 crew (-1/4), Dependent on Vehicle Power Source Power loses about a fourth of its effectiveness (-1/4)
1) 1u	Broadcast Mode: Hearing Group Images 1" radius, +/-5 to PER Rolls (20 Active Points); OAF Immobile Expendable (Very Difficult to obtain new Focus; -2 1/2), Crew-Served 2 crew (-1/4), Dependent on Vehicle Power Source Power loses about a fourth of its effectiveness (-1/4)	2
2) 3u	Sonic Cannon Mode: EB 6d6, NND (Defense: High Quality Ear Protection) (+1), Area Of Effect (193" Cone; +2) (120 Active Points); OAF Immobile Expendable (Very Difficult to obtain new Focus; -2 1/2), minimum range 10" Power loses about a fourth of its effectiveness (-1/4), Crew-Served 2 crew (-1/4)	12

[Sociotard]

A few questions

• What is the expendable focus? The Cannon itself? I thought that expendable meant that the focus went away every time you used the power, and you had to go find another. Like ingredients to a potion.
  
• You made the energy blast NND, so it does STUN. You want this thing to K.O. people? I would recomend a limitation "Does no Stun, either", which might be a reduced cost form of NND rather than a limitation at all, but I digress. I might have recomended doing it as a Flash attack. We want it to force them to make an ego roll to simulate the pain (as is done with energy blasts and Hand Attacks), so that's probably an advantage.
  

[CorpCommander]

Good Questions

 

Expendable - that was a mistake. Probably should take that out.

 

STUN - it seems a reasonable effect. I can't imagine you can do much while the weapon is trained on you.

 

However if we don't think it would leave people laying in the streets unconscious whats the alternative? A massive presence attack? That could be reasonable because it would cause people to obey your command to leave the area.

 

Maybe it could be bought as mind control of a sort...

 

I'll redo the numbers and pick one that seems better suited. thanks for the comments!

[CorpCommander]

ok lets try this on for sizeI think this is better:

Cost	Equipment	END
43	LRAD: Multipower, 150-point reserve, (150 Active Points); all slots OAF Immobile Durable (-2), Crew-Served 2 crew (-1/4), Dependent on Vehicle Power Source (-1/4)
1u	1) Broadcast Mode: Hearing Group Images 1" radius, +/-5 to PER Rolls (20 Active Points); OAF Immobile Durable (-2), Crew-Served 2 crew (-1/4), Dependent on Vehicle Power Source (-1/4)_	2
3u	2)Sonic Cannon: Mind Control 10d6 (standard effect: 30 points) ( Minds with Ears class of minds), Area Of Effect (161" Cone; +2) (150 Active Points); OAF Immobile Durable (-2), only to disperse crowds (-1), Reduce result in half is target has flash defense hearing group (-1), Crew-Served 2 crew (-1/4) [Notes: At 30 points standard effect, it should be automatic that all normal humans of up to 20 ego will be susceptible to the EGO+10 suggestion to leave the area. Fanatics might be able to attempt to ignore this effect by making an ego roll each phase for which they are under attack. Heavy Duty Flash Protection vs the Hearing Group will also help defeat this weapon. The endurance should come from the vehicle the device is mounted on.] _	15

[CorpCommander]

Re: Long Range Accoustical Device

 

Well, it looks like this device finally got a real life trial by fire.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/11/07/somalia.pirates.sonic.ap/index.html

 

The cruise ship that was attacked by Somali Pirates used one to defend the ship successfully!

 

And yes, this is yet another zombie thread rising from the dead!

[Sean Waters]

Re: Long Range Accoustical Device

 

The write up of the power I am seeing is probably not as intended.

 

One possibility is mind control v CON: basically high CON better able to withstand high pain, single message 'Get away from me'. That way no one winds up unconscious, or the PRE attack you suggested could work.

 

Either effect would mean you could clear normals pretty quickly. You could even make the mind control cumulative if you like to simulate the vibrations building up.

[CorpCommander]

Re: Long Range Accoustical Device

 

That is pretty cool Sean, I'd have to agree with you. It doens't appear to knock anyone out but definitely makes it tough to approach. Also - the effect probably goes away pretty quickly and the effect of the mind control is very limited.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Long Range Accoustical Device

 

Oh and there should probably be some sort of limitation along lines of: "has no effect on fans of Death Metal", on the basis that they are quite used to sound at this volume, and if you put a really fast drum beat in they would probably buy the single.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Long Range Accoustical Device

 

We've had prototype weapons for a long time that can affect targets by emitting sound near the resonant frequencies of the human torso. We all know the feeling vaguely; I'm sure you've been to a concert or whatever at which you can feel the beat of the music in your chest. The trick with high powered, cohesive applications would be keeping real physical damage from occuring, but I'd guess this is the weapon's approach. The eardrum is too fragile to cause much hassel without potential permanent damage. So I'd likely make the defense some sort of good sound-dampening material covering at least the torso rather than ear protection (though ear protection may be a necessary part of the defense).

 

Of course, given the attitude of our military, I also wouldn't be extremely surprised to learn they are lying through their teeth about the affects of the weapon. Eh.