Well-Known Member
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: To create a specialized laser cannon system for use on a stealth vessel.
Image Source: N/A
Canon Link:
Primary Source:
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Vrotoa Industries / Visanj T’shkali
Affiliation: Closed-Market (Restricted)
Model: Shadowfire Cannon System
Modularity: Yes, can be configured to fit onto several starship designs.
Production: Limited
Material: Titanium, Laser Cannon Parts
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Classification: Laser Canon
Size: Average
Weight: Average
Ammunition Type: Tibanna-Synthetic Agrocite Compound, Colorless Variant
Ammunition Capacity: 20 Shots
Reload Speed: Average, Requires Landing
Effective Range: Average
Rate of Fire: Very Low (1 volley every 15-20 seconds)
Stopping Power: Very High
Recoil: None
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Fires a colorless variant of Tibanna-Synthetic Agrocite Compound, meaning it can't be seen even by the person firing it.
- Special sensor negating shroud on the barrel confounds sensors and prohibits them from precisely determining the point of origin of a shot fired. Sensors can only detect up to within 20m of the origin.
- Can be fired by a cloaked ship without causing it to revert from cloaked mode.
- Synthetic Agrocite - while not as powerful as actual agrocite - lends considerable kinetic damage to each round, stacking together with potent energy plasma bolts.
- Can be fired while a ship is cloaked without causing reversion from a cloaked state.
- Sensor-negating barrel shroud makes it difficult for enemy sensors to pinpoint the origins of a blast closer than 20m.
- Powerful cannons can easily disable or destroy an enemy starfighter, and when swarming together with other similarly-armed vessels can cause significant damage to larger ships when concentrated on specific weak points.
- Bolts cannot be physically seen and therefore allow covert firing.
- The sheer cost and complexity of synthesizing agrocite and then combining it with Tibanna to make the compound used for ammunition means that these weapons are cost-prohibitive to most individuals and minor factions / small companies. They cannot be sold in batches of more than 24 (a single squadron-sized purchase, presuming two weapons mounted per vessel) and munitions resupply may take some time.
- Best used for single ships or small specialty squadrons, and not intended for large fighter wings or massive capital ships’ weaponry.
- The inability to physically see or for sensors to accurately pinpoint the bolt or its origins applies to friends as well as foes, and the risk of friendly fire – especially in the case of a missed shot – is very high amid a dogfight situation.
- Though the sensor-negating barrel shroud makes it difficult to pinpoint where the shot originated from, several shots fired close together will make detection easier.
- Synthetic agrocite is not as powerful as genuine agrocite, so cannons are not as potent as true agrocite-enhanced weapons.
- Low rate of fire / long recharge times make this weapon a poor choice for dogfighting scenarios and prevents them from being used for consistent volleys against enemy targets; best used for 1-2 volleys against specific targets, such as disabling communications or sensor arrays, targeting engines, etc. rather than general attacking weapons.
For most stealth ships, firing onboard weapons often temporarily or even sometimes permanently causes the ship to revert from stealth mode, opening it to detection and counter-attacks. The solution therefore was to build a weapon which could be fired from a cloaked vessel to allow 1-2 powerful strikes against specific weak points on an enemy vessel or to pick off starfighter escorts surreptitiously. To do this, Vrotoa Industries partnered with Segroth Materials Corporation to synthesize agrocite ore which could be processed together with tibanna fuel to make powerful weapons able to cause significant damage with only a few shots. A special sensor negating barrel shroud was created, which made it impossible for enemy sensors to pinpoint the origins of these shots any closer than 20m, and the munitions used colorless variants to prevent physically seeing or tracking the bolts once fired, causing the shots to seem come ‘out of nowhere’.
When firing, the cannons slow rate of fire make them poor choices for primary weapons, but rather more akin to precision high-powered shots like those fired by a sniper, rather than the rapid firing of regular infantry weapons. Applying this idea to starships then, gives users the ability to fire 1-2 very powerful volleys against enemy targets, such as attacking a single starfighter, or seeking to neutralize a larger vessel’s communications or sensor arrays, engines, or other vital and exposed systems. Thus, a single ship, or small group of ships, can concentrate fire against a target such as a super-star destroyer’s sensor sphere, destroying it covertly and leaving the enemy ‘blinded’, prior to commencing the main attack against it.
A strong tool to ‘soften’ enemy defenses on capital ships or take out starfighter escorts quickly and decisively before the primary attack begins. However, the cost of the weapons, their munitions, and their limitations make these weapons an expensive, highly-specialized tool at best.
