Spirit/Critter Fighting Equipment

One of the biggest balance problems in shadowrun between the mages and the mundanes is spirits.

Spirits may be difficult (or impossible) to properly target by mundanes, meanwhile they can drop spirit powers with no saves that load up on the TNs (accident, conealment, etc) making a combat very long and drawn out.

The following are spirit-fighting equipment that can be used by mundanes so they don't have to feel useless when the spirits show up.

PKE:
The ghostbuster's scanner. It has the capacity to located auras of mages or spirits (or other awakened astral signatures) in Rating x 25 meters. It can also make assensing tests, using a number of dice equal to it's rating, allowing the person to find out what they're dealing with. It's a hand-held unit that takes a complex action to use, though cyberware versions are available that are usable as non-actions that display results on a hud in your field of vision.

PKE Rating_ Device Cost _Cyberware Cost Essence Index
1-3 ______R*500 _____R*1000 ______R*0.1
4-6 ______R*1000 ____R*2000 ______R*0.15
7-9 ______R*1500 ____R*3000 ______R*0.2
10-12 ____R*2500 ____R*5000 ______R*0.4

This can detect even non-manifested spirits.

Proton Pack
A specially designed energy weapon. Bulky and heavy, it involves a backpack power source that is carted around with a wand at the end that fires positronic energy beams that damage spirits as if it were magic. (It's not magic, but it's not a normal weapon, so bypasses all resistance or immunity to normal weapons). This is not available in a cyberware equivelent currently. The blaster takes 2 hands to operate.

They use the laser weapons skill to fire. They have the same range as heavy pistols. They take a complex action to fire, and have large batteries (Cost $1000 each) that can handle a payload of 20 shots before needing recharging/reloading. Damage is physical to spirits, mages, and other awakened beings, but stun to anything non-awakened. To objects (including mechs and vehicles and such) the beam does 1/2 power (rounded down, min 1) and 1 damage code less.

Pack Rating Cost Damage
R1 ______$1500 3L
R2 ______$3000 5L
R3 ______$5000 5M
R4 ______$7000 7M
R5 ______$10,000 7S
R6 ______$15,000 9S
R7 ______$25,000 9D
R8 ______$35,000 12D

Spirit Trap
A small box that is designed to trap and contain manifested spirits. When opened (remotely, either with a wire or remote control), it opens up sending out bright lights which attempt to pull the spirit into the trap.

The spirit can be a total of Rx5 meters from the trap, and must be facing the opening of the trap (above it if the trap is on the floor). The trap is blocked by physical objects (and can't catch a spirit 1 rank above the floor). The spirit need not be manifested, but non-manifested spirits treat the trap as if it were 2 ratings lower when dealing with it (and thus a R3+ trap is needed to catch them). The trap rolls a number of dice equal to its rating against a TN of the spirits force. The spirit rolls a number of dice equal to its force against a TN of the trap's rating. Wound modifiers apply to the spirit's roll. If the trap wins, the spirit is moved 2 meters towards the trap- entering the trap's square means the spirit is caught within and contained until the trap is re-opened. If the spirit succeeds, it moves 2 meters away from the trap- moving beyond range allows it to escape. The spirit can do nothing else except battle the trap in this manner. Greaterform spirits act as if 1 force higher when dealing with the trap. A tie indicates no ground is gained or lost by either.

Once trapped, only opening (or destroying) the trap may free the spirit, the spirit may do nothing to free itself, and cannot communicate or affect the outside world. During this trap's battle with the spirit, people may target the spirit with ranged attacks or whatever in an attempt to weaken it, and allies of the spirit may simply pick up and move the trap, or damage it.

The traps are re-usable but may only contain 1 spirit at a time. A special containment unit may be constructed to contain multple spirits. Such a thing costs at least $100,000 to construct and takes the same cost as a medium lifestyle to maintain each month (in addition to the actual lifestyle which contains it). The trap has no affect on non-spirits, though a channeling mage may have a spirit ripped from him if he is over the trap.

Trap Rating Cost
R1-R3 R x $2000
R4-R6 R x $3000
R7-R9 R x $4000
R10-R12 R x $6000

Slime Blower
Like the proton pack, this is a type of energy weapon that is almost impossible to conceal, has a sprayer at the end of a gun, uses energy weapons to use, and the range of a heavy pistol. Unlike the proton pack, the slime blower does not damage anything. It can be used on a manifested spirit. If the spirit is coated in slime (via a successful hit), it cannot stop manifesting, and loses all weapon resistances until the slime is removed- a process that takes a number of complex actions equal to the net successes of the "hit" roll. These stack with multiple coatings.

The slime canisters themselves cost $500 and can hold 5 blasts of slime. The blower can accomodate 2 cannisters at once, and each takes 3 complex actions to replace, though someone besides the wielder can perform this task. The slime must be specially created and costs $3000 per full canister. The blower itself costs $3000. It takes 2 hands to operate the blower. The slime does no damage to physical things, but can coat a channeling mage or critter to remove any resistance to natural weapons that it has while the slime is coating it. Because of the awkward spray of slime, and cover modifiers are 150% effective against this weapon.

All such equipment has a street index of 1.5 and an availability of 8+ R

Critters

One of the biggest problem ability of critters is regeneration. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to weapon foci. Enter the anti-critter gear.

Bullets:
Ammo can be specially treated to bypass regeneration. Typically, this ammo is not a skeleton key, but keyed to specific critters by targetting their specific allergies (such as bullets that affect HMVV regeneration, or some other specific critter type). Such bullets have a -1 penalty to power, but damage done by them cannot be regnerated by their target critter. (It can be healed normally or through magic). Such bullets generally have a very high street index and availability and may have a base cost double or triple that of normal bullets.

Allergy Smoke:
Special smoke grenades that, like the bullets, are keyed to specific allergies to certain critter types. Such grenades typically deal stun damage to the target critter, and little or nor damage to others. Being stun damage, it isn't regenerated. The problem is having the appropriate genade on hand, as they are typically fairly expensive- though HMVV grenated are more generally useful than other critter ones. (Shapeshifter is also a good one).