Ballistics are obsolete

[Ghost Face]

I have a Star Hero campaign and just thought about the types of weapons we're using, mostly beam weapons. Wouldn't the use of these types of weapons render ballistic testing obsolete? What do you think law enforcement would be able to utilize to replace that method of solving crimes?

 

Thanks

[Sundog]

Re: Ballistics are obsolete

 

Ballistics as such would be less useful (though I doubt we;ll ever get totally away fron slugthrowers), but Damage Examination would still be a valid way of gathering information. A Laser, Particle Beam and an Ion Bolt might all discharge the same the same quantity of energy, but would have dramatically different effects on flesh and bone, leading to knowing both the type of weapon in involved and probably the rough megawattage of the discharge - which in turn could be cross-referenced to known weapon types and give a likely make and model. Beam spread could be analyzed to determine the rough range the weapon was fired at. With a Laser or Maser you might even be able to determine what frequency/color the beam was.

[Nyrath]

Re: Ballistics are obsolete

 

One wonders if there are other damage examination signatures to examine.

 

Say that the the laser beam from the weapon used to commit the crime had slightly flawed optics, so the beam cross section was an oval at a given angle instead of perfectly circular.

[Ghost Face]

Re: Ballistics are obsolete

 

One wonders if there are other damage examination signatures to examine.

 

Say that the the laser beam from the weapon used to commit the crime had slightly flawed optics, so the beam cross section was an oval at a given angle instead of perfectly circular.

 

This sounds more like what I was thinking. I was wondering on what methods would be used in the future to differentiate between beam weapons and conclusively say, "This weapon/pistol is the one that fired the shot that killed this person."

[Sundog]

Re: Ballistics are obsolete

 

This sounds more like what I was thinking. I was wondering on what methods would be used in the future to differentiate between beam weapons and conclusively say' date=' "This weapon/pistol is the one that fired the shot that killed this person."[/quote']

 

Unless there was a flaw such as Nyrath mentions, that would be difficult. The boring of any two barrels, even of identical models of handgun, is always slightly different. Two laser pistols off the same line should produce exactly the same beam, however, and it's not like you have a slug to actually examine - you're only able to infer data points from the damage done. That can probably be done with some certainty, but it obviously isn't as exact a science.

 

Investigators would probably be forced back to good old MMO - Means, Motive and Opportunity. Mind you, once they identify where the beam was fired from, advanced DNA techniques would be able to tell them pretty quick who had been in that area in the appropriate timeframe, making Opportunity pretty certain.

[Starwolf]

Re: Ballistics are obsolete

 

There was a great episode of the original Battlestar Galactica series, where Starbucks blaster is used to kill someone. The investgators proved it was his blaster by comparing tissue damage done to energy released. The energy released was recorded by a meter/sensor built into the blaster. This could then be run against tissue sample and isolate the exact weapon that had been used.

 

I think a similar plot line was used in the Judge Dredd Movie and the fact that the Lawgiver could only be fired by a person with the correct DNA pattern framed Stallone (the gun was actually used by his genetically identical clone brother).

[Sir Ofeelya]

Re: Ballistics are obsolete

 

There I think a similar plot line was used in the Judge Dredd Movie and the fact that the Lawgiver could only be fired by a person with the correct DNA pattern framed Stallone (the gun was actually used by his genetically identical clone brother).

 

Who for some reason looked completely different, was a different build and a different height. God I hated that movie.