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Re: particle beam & ion weapons

Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 9:55 pm
by Temporalmage
iamgeorge wrote:this a 2 parter
1)what particles do particle beam weapons fire?
2)do ion weapons fire ionized atoms or ionized sub-atomic particles?


Well this is partially conjecture, as I don't believe any of Palladiums cannon material covers these questions.

1. A "particle beam" weapon doesn't fire particles. Instead it fires energy that, once striking the target, breaks down the target into particles. This is known as disintagration. (Taken from HU versions of particle beam weapons that state they disintagrate/partially disintagrate the target.)

2. I beleive they fire ionized atoms. Sub-atomic particles are so uber tiny that I don't believe they would really do anything to the target, as they are small enough to literally travle between two atoms. Also they can not be ionized, or given a charge. Thus by default it must be the former.

Re: particle beam & ion weapons

Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 10:02 pm
by Nekira Sudacne
Temporalmage wrote:2. I beleive they fire ionized atoms. Sub-atomic particles are so uber tiny that I don't believe they would really do anything to the target, as they are small enough to literally travle between two atoms. Also they can not be ionized, or given a charge. Thus by default it must be the former.


but. . .an Ion is an atom with more or less electrons than normal.

an ion blaster strips the electrons from the air in the barrel, then creates an opposite charge at the end of the barrel, fireing the electrons at the target at high speed, creating an effective lightning bolt.

Re: particle beam & ion weapons

Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 10:24 pm
by Temporalmage
MorganKeyes wrote:
iamgeorge wrote:this a 2 parter
1)what particles do particle beam weapons fire?
2)do ion weapons fire ionized atoms or ionized sub-atomic particles?


Around here....:

Ion weapons fire charged particles, hitting the target with a combination of kinetic and energy damage.

Particle weapons are related to ion weapons like an arquebus is related to a smoothbore tank gun. They both fire charged particles, but a particle beam weapon fires them faster, tighter, and more efficiently.

Just curious, but if it's a combination of Kinetic and energy, then why would the spell impervious to energy stop all the damage?

Re: particle beam & ion weapons

Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 10:28 pm
by Nekira Sudacne
Temporalmage wrote:
MorganKeyes wrote:
iamgeorge wrote:this a 2 parter
1)what particles do particle beam weapons fire?
2)do ion weapons fire ionized atoms or ionized sub-atomic particles?


Around here....:

Ion weapons fire charged particles, hitting the target with a combination of kinetic and energy damage.

Particle weapons are related to ion weapons like an arquebus is related to a smoothbore tank gun. They both fire charged particles, but a particle beam weapon fires them faster, tighter, and more efficiently.

Just curious, but if it's a combination of Kinetic and energy, then why would the spell impervious to energy stop all the damage?


it would sinse there is no kenitic energy DAMAGE. mearly a tiny amount of force.

Re: particle beam & ion weapons

Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2004 1:13 am
by Zer0 Kay
Temporalmage wrote:
MorganKeyes wrote:
iamgeorge wrote:this a 2 parter
1)what particles do particle beam weapons fire?
2)do ion weapons fire ionized atoms or ionized sub-atomic particles?


Around here....:

Ion weapons fire charged particles, hitting the target with a combination of kinetic and energy damage.

Particle weapons are related to ion weapons like an arquebus is related to a smoothbore tank gun. They both fire charged particles, but a particle beam weapon fires them faster, tighter, and more efficiently.

Just curious, but if it's a combination of Kinetic and energy, then why would the spell impervious to energy stop all the damage?


If impervious to energy makes you uh impervious whey doesn't it make you impervious to kinnetic energy? :P

Re: particle beam & ion weapons

Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2004 1:23 am
by Nekira Sudacne
Zer0 Kay wrote:
Temporalmage wrote:
MorganKeyes wrote:
iamgeorge wrote:this a 2 parter
1)what particles do particle beam weapons fire?
2)do ion weapons fire ionized atoms or ionized sub-atomic particles?


Around here....:

Ion weapons fire charged particles, hitting the target with a combination of kinetic and energy damage.

Particle weapons are related to ion weapons like an arquebus is related to a smoothbore tank gun. They both fire charged particles, but a particle beam weapon fires them faster, tighter, and more efficiently.

Just curious, but if it's a combination of Kinetic and energy, then why would the spell impervious to energy stop all the damage?


If impervious to energy makes you uh impervious whey doesn't it make you impervious to kinnetic energy? :P


because it's not ENERGY. it's FORCE.

that's palladium science for you.

Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2004 1:23 am
by Zer0 Kay
MorganKeyes wrote:Lesse,...probably because I don't follow Palladium's rather loose definition of rules, and as has been pointed out in numerous threads Palladium also has the same science skills as Space: Above & Beyond with most of it pulled from deep recesses best left unmentioned accompanied by furious hand-waving. Impervious to Energy stop particle beams too, neh? Well a particle accelerator does what it does by throwing those particles at velocities approaching relativistic and energy release comes from the impact of those same particles.

But that's Rifts for you. Leave your br... ah never mind.


Zubzub....yup and it has been scientificaly proven that particles have mass. m0 = sqrt(E2/c4 - p2/c2). Kinetic Energy equals one halve times mass times velocity squared. So if you use any size projectile and accelerate it fast enough it will create kinetic energy. In some sci-fi books a PBW's particles are small enough and traveling fast enough to cause atoms to split.

Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 12:30 pm
by Borast
To me...

A Particle Beam weapon (hearkening back to the days of Battletech's PPCs) is essentially almost a "lightning gun." It takes an energy charge, amps it up, and fires it at the target at light speed, doing damage from a variety of factors, but also creating a mini-EMP effect directly to the targeted object.

An Ion Gun either ionises air and shoots it at you (don't like that one), or it fires an energy packet at you the ionises YOU... (like that one MUCH better). :D

In any case, I still like the Particle Beam weapons better... (I'm thinking about introducing the "nick" rule that HU uses for PBs! :twisted: