Setting⌗

A notional idea I have in the setting of Be Not Afraid is that it is a “modern setting,” which is to say from a technological and societal standpoint, it’s not much different from our own world.

The exception of course is made for the supernatural, and while I personally do believe in supernatural things, the element is greatly exaggerated for the sake of a gameable and interesting setting.

To that end, advanced weaponry in the setting is rare, typically only bleeding edge prototypes. They are not common weapons in this world because they are still very much in the R&D phase of testing, much like our own world. They suffer real hard limitations compared to their Hollywood depictions and counterparts, which are often shown as objectively better or more common than their projectile counterparts. These are the kinds of weapons that come out when crap has really hit the fan, when the player characters have pissed off one of the larger powers in the setting and are engaging in a gross breach of one of the many masquerades of the setting.

Design Notes⌗

As mentioned before, these are the weapons often fielded by state-level actors or megacorporations; as such, they are rare, potent, and bulky, often used as a single support weapon in a squad or unit. As such, I designed them to be fairly lethal within their limited roles.

I took a bit of inspiration from a game I’ve been recently enjoying called Quasimorph. In that game, laser weapons are very dangerous, but really only to unarmored organics; cyborgs and robots tend to be very resistant to them. As such, projectile weapons tended to be the “jack-of-all-trades” weapons while lasers were specialized at cooking organics.

As for masers, my core inspiration for that was “A Mote In God’s Eye.” In that story, a maser weapon was used to great effect on a subway train carrying a small army of enemy troops, as the beam was able to be fired through thin surfaces, is invisible, and like lasers, very good at cooking organics. Even better, it can do a number on solid metal and armor, causing them to heat and arc. That said, microwaves have some strong weaknesses, mainly range and power; they are pretty short range. The other big weakness they have is that thin metal conductive mesh totally reflects microwaves, so it’s quite easy to design armor that counters this weapon.

Laser Weapon Qualities⌗

To Hit: All laser weapons automatically get +2 to hit due to having no recoil.

Laser Damage: When a laser weapon strikes a target, it deals its die damage plus additional damage equal to 20 - target’s AC. This represents the laser’s ability superheat the target, flash frying them. the more armor the more material needs to be heated.

Battery Cells: Each laser weapon draws power from energy cells with limited charges. Once depleted, these cells must be replaced or recharged. Smaller weapons contain fewer charges while larger, military-grade weapons can sustain prolonged firefights.

Heat Capacity: The intense energy channeled through laser weapons generates significant heat. Each weapon can only fire consecutively up to its heat capacity (equal to its damage die) before risking overheating. After reaching capacity, the weapon must be vented before firing again.

Every shot taken once the weapon is overheating deals a cumlative +1 damage to the shooter per round, and has a chance of the weapon metling on a 2-6 chance on a d6.

Thermal Bloom: Lasers naturally diffuse when traveling through air or other mediums, causing them to lose focus and effectiveness at longer ranges. Each weapon has an effective range beyond which its damage is negated entirely.

Lasers being fired through light fog or light smoke or vapors suffers a -2 to hit, Lasers being fired through heavy smoke, fog or heavy airborne particulates suffers a -4 penality.

Laser Weapon Types⌗

Weapon Type Damage Range Charges Properties
Concealed Weapons
Laser Ring 1d4 30 ft 2 Concealable, One-handed
Laser Spectacles 1d4 40 ft 2 Concealable, Hands-free
Wrist Emitter 1d4 50 ft 3 Concealable, One-handed
Sidearms
Laser Derringer 1d6 60 ft 6 Concealable, One-handed
Standard Laser Pistol 1d6 100 ft 10 One-handed
Heavy Laser Pistol 1d8 120 ft 10 One-handed, Heavy
Rifles
Laser Carbine 1d8 200 ft 15 Two-handed
Standard Laser Rifle 1d8 300 ft 20 Two-handed
Heavy Laser Rifle 1d10 400 ft 25 Two-handed
Precision Weapons
Laser Marksman Rifle 2d6 800 ft 12 Two-handed
Laser Sniper System 2d6 1,200 ft 10 Two-handed
Heavy Weapons
Laser Cannon 3d10 600 ft 30 Two-handed, Heavy
Mounted Laser Array 4d10 1,000 ft 40 Fixed Position, Requires Crew

Reflection & Armor Vs. Lasers⌗

Semi-Reflective Armor: Reduces laser damage by 4 points per attack, 25% chance to deflect laser beam.

Highly Reflective Armor: Reduces laser damage by 8 points per attack, 50% chance to completely deflect laser beam

d20 Roll Deflection Result
1-2 Deflected back at attacker
3-5 Hits nearest ally within range
6-8 Hits nearest enemy within range
9-11 Hits nearest environmental object
12-14 Deflected at 45° angle
15-17 Passes harmlessly
18-20 Hits Weapon, misfires/shorts out

Maser Weapon Qualities⌗

  • Microwave Damage; Maser weapons apply damage based on sustained exposure and time spent in of the beam’s range. The weapon’s size and sustained contact directly influence damage, Each round out of the beam reduces the damage tier by one level. Returning to the beam resumes damage progression from the current tier.

  • Battery Cells: Maser draw power either from a grenerator or battery cell source for sustained operations. a typical batter single has about 1 minute of use for handguns, Rifles often use a battery backpack with about 10 minutes of sustained usage, while Heavy Masers require they be stationary or mounted and plugged into a power source.

  • Mettalic Targets: Targets wearing or compprised of metal take addtional damage equal to their AC Bonus. e.g someone wearing metal plates in their plate carrier with an AC bonus of +4 takes an addtional 4 damage each round when in a Maser beam.

Weapon Categories⌗

  • Handheld Maser: A compact, lightweight microwave emitter designed for officers. Roughly the size of a large revolver, with a bulky power pack and heat-dissipating fins. more of a show-piece or tool for torture or disciplinary action than a proper weapon.

  • Maser Rifle: A more substantial weapon designed for paramilitary operations. Resembling a futuristic assault rifle, with a substantial battery backpack powering the weapon, and multiple cooling vents. Preferred by special forces as a support weapon going up against more exotic spooks.

  • Heavy Maser: A massive, tripod-mounted or vehicle-integrated microwave weapon system. Resembling a cross between an artillery piece and a scientific instrument, with enormous heat sinks, multiple power generators, and complex targeting mechanisms. Used for siege warfare, fortification suppression, and anti-vehicle/anti-infrastructure operations.

Damage Progression Template⌗

Handheld Maser Damage and Cooling⌗

Beam Exposure Temperature Damage
1st Warming None
2nd-3rd Hot 1d4
4th Burning 2d4
  • Range: 5 W, 15 L

Rifle-Class Maser Damage and Cooling⌗

Beam Exposure Temperature Damage
1st Warming 1d4
2nd-3rd Hot 2d4
4th Burning 3d4
  • Range: 10 W, 40 L.

Heavy Maser Damage and Cooling⌗

Beam Exposure Temperature Damage
1st Warming 2d4
2nd-3rd Hot 3d4
4th Burning 4d4
  • Range: 15 W, 60 L

Defenses against Masers⌗

  • Saving Throw: Characters near cover (with 5 ft) may make a Reflex Save (Vs. Dragons Breath) to avoid taking damage or going up a damage tier.

  • Mesh Defense: Any creature wearing microwave mesh head to toe is immune to microwave damage.