While ostensibly banned as inhumane, during the decades of the Iron Hold, both the URRS and the WTA developed powerful blinding weapons aimed at permanently blinding enemy combatants instead of merely temporarily incapacitating them.
The pinnacle of such designs was achieved by the West as an outgrowth of their research into strobe shield defensive protocols, which finally lead to the development of the Mark 141 “Eyeburst” pulsed protocol active area denial weapon. Officially, only the non-permanently blinding Mark 141B was ever deployed, although allegations of use of the full power Mark 141 by WTA troops or BCI operatives regularly surface, as to date without conclusive proof.
Similar allegations have also been variously leveled at the Red Fleet and Kommissariat about their respective systems, such as the Central Protokast Institute’s Photon Defense Array.
These advanced blinding devices can be directly or remotely controlled, taking a standard action to activate. Their area of effect can be set to either a cone or spread originating from the device and any character with unshielded eyes within the area of effect who can draw an unobstructed line of sight to the device must succed at a DC 25 Reflex save or be blinded. This blindness lasts for 1d8 rounds at the end of which the character must make a DC 20 Fortitude save to avoid being permanently blinded if the device was of the banned, permanently disabling type.
Such devices are typically of large size, weight 24 kg and are good for 6 uses before they need to be recharged. Vehicle mounted versions take up 1 hardpoint and are good for up to 12 uses. Their Purchase DC is 25 (Military +3 for the incapacitating versions or Illegal +4 for the banned versions).
The Red Star and all related characters are ™ and © Christian Gossett. Used with kind permission.
The Red Star Campaign Setting is © Green Ronin Publishing, LLC.
The Red Star und alle verwandten Charaktere sind ™ und © Christian Gossett. Verwendet mit freundlicher Genehmigung.
The Red Star Campaign Setting ist © Green Ronin Publishing, LLC.