Questions tagged [weapons]
For questions about existing weapons or designing new ones.
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If all humans of this era suddenly became fast enough to dodge bullets, how would this change the military's choice of weaponry?
Would they keep using guns, would they stick to melee weapons, or is there something else entirely that they could use with our current technological advancements?
There are two versions of this ...
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Cryogenic weapon
Lots of games have a type of "freeze" or "ice" element effect to their weapons, like for instance cryo weapons in Borderlands, but I'm trying to work out how that might be ...
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How to justify guns being advanced earlier
In my world's history, firearms were developed in their medieval period, much like our world. However, they have things like culverins in the 1300s, and handgonnes that work better than in real ...
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Firearms in early modern time - who could afford them?
Could a middle-classman eqivalent afford a whellock or later flintlock pistol? How realistic would it be to give them to regular bandits with an explanation that they've gotten them from soldiers' ...
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Defending against dinosaurs with an automatic shotgun that fires miniaturized anti-tank munitions
Like any reasonable billionaire, I want to breed dinosaurs on my private island - big ones. Like, T-Rex big. Of course, one needs a well-armed security force to guard such an endeavor, lest the ...
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Accuracy limits of Victorian-era rifles
I have a fictional character in 1870 who is a marksman of superhuman ability; basically, he doesn't need a sniper rifle with a telescopic sight, he is a sniper with a telescopic sight, and can get the ...
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A weapon that can instantly kill millions without harming the bodies
I have a world set in the far future, no specific time for vagueness sake, that is completely war-torn by 2 warring factions. This planet is both sides' last stand, so it's all-out, no-limits warfare....
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The immediate and long term effects of slashing wounds in microgravity
What would be the specific long term and short term outcomes of slashing wounds in microgravity?
The scenario is that a normal adult is slashed with a knife in a microgravity environment. Assume ...
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How would cephalopod-like aliens design firearms
(BTW this is my first question, sorry if this is bad.)
So basically, in my world there is a race of octopus-like aliens who use handheld firearms, now the question is how would they design them. Now ...
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Optimal Fuel for GyroJet Handheld Weapon? [closed]
Is there optimal fuel for gyrojet weapons?
Specifically, what fuel would best propel gyrojets from a hand held launcher (read gun -- ex: pistol, rifle, volley gun, etc.)? I'm looking for velocity -- ...
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Is it possible to build a transmitter small enough to fit inside of a .45 caliber bullet?
Is it possible to build a transmitter inside of working .45 caliber bullet?
Specifications:
The bullet must be fireable from a .45 semi-automatic pistol
Transmitter must function after firing
...
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How to justify arm mounted weapons on powered armor
I have a question about powered armor as it is often used.
The issue is that of hand or arm mounted weapons. These are extremely common with suits like Iron Man or Bobbie Draper in The Expanse. How ...
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How to make a bear trap deadlier to monsters [closed]
My question for a novel I am writing. What alterations do you have to make to your average bear trap to make it far more lethal to monsters? (Think trolls, orcs, goblins, wargs).
The trap has to be ...
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How much energy it would be required to propel a projectile with sound? Would it be lethal to its user?
Context: in a scenario where batteries suddenly became extremely energy dense due to some events between the main characters, I was thinking about which electromagnetic weapons I could use, such as ...
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What are some of the longest effective one handed weapons?
Writing about a character who used to be a veteran infantryman who was skilled with a two handed spear, both as part of a spear wall and in battlefield combat. Due to the loss of his non dominant arm, ...
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What kind of technology would a dragon-like species have during the golden age of piracy?
The world I'm working on contains multiple "sub-species" of sentient, European style dragons. When standing on all fours, a human comes up to your typical dragon's shoulders, and they are ...
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Could this world use a buoyant ballistic weapon?
I don't know if there is a word for a ballistic projectile with buoyancy, but feedback from the weapons in my dense atmosphere suggests that I should consider changing the shape of my projectile, and ...
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For how long a poisoned edge/surface would remain poisoned? [closed]
Background info:
Imagine a desert tribe of natives are preparing for an invasion from a big threat (highly developed civilization, or a big monster). They have access and knowledge of poisonous flora, ...
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A variable-ammo post-apocalyptic projectile-weapon
Needlessly long names aside, how would this weapon work?
Made from scratch with junk scavenged from a 21st century world, post nuclear apocalypse. Assume nothing was specifically preserved, only the ...
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If you were wearing a bomb suit, would it be safe to set off a Claymore mine strapped to your chest?
The M18A1 Claymore mine is a directional fragmentation anti-personnel mine. It is designed to kill by projecting a lethal hail of steel balls within a 60-degree cone in front of itself.
It seems ...
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How do I ensure my piranha solution chemical weapon will only eat the target and not me?
I want to use piranha solution to kill a large, horrible thing that I really don't like.
Piranha solution is an acid that makes organic substances not exist and can dissolve elemental carbon. You ...
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Weapon design for underwater hand-to-hand combat
Most hand-to-hand weapons are already streamlined for the obvious reason of minimizing air resistance. But would the same design work for underwater warfare?
My story has a character who is ...
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How destructive would a antimatter bomb be?
I already know that antimatter is a destructive thing. But how destructive is it? I want in my far future human reality there be a mass produced bomb using antimatter that makes sure aliens know to ...
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How to create a proper electric enhancement for melee weapons?
It is not uncommon for some fantasy and RPG's with a modern setting to boost their melee weapons with electricity. However some people think that such modifications won't really improve the killing ...
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Best handheld melee weapons for dragons to use?
The world I'm building contains multiple "species" of sentient dragons. All of them are around human-sized (in terms of body size, if you get what I mean) and quadrupedal with opposable ...
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What weaponry and equipment would a 'demonic' race use?
I'm writing a short story, and one of the species are Material Demons. I plan on there only being a single Material Demon character, but I'd like to know what weapons the Material Demons might use. ...
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How to defeat a pyrokinesis user using tech and science
The user can manipulate fire in many ways, and to a certain extent, he can also manipulate electricity. The fire he uses is special and can reach temperatures above sun, but the average temperature ...
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How does my bloodless sword work?
A LETTER FROM A ROYAL KNIGHT
I have a sword. It is an excellent sword, but it has one strange proprety. Any cuts made by the sword, regardless of their size or depth, do not bleed.
Unfortunatly, my ...
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Would Corrosive Weapons Work in Outer Space?
In the new Thrawn books by Timothy Zhan, he describes a weapon called a 'breacher missile'. In simple terms it is a missile that sprays a corrosive chemical onto an enemy ship or structure, damaging ...
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Would A Gravity Blade Be Possible To Create?
I am wanting to use gravity based weaponry in my plot. One of my ideas was to have some sort of blade that could focus extreme gravitational forces at the edge of the blade to slice through matter (...
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A world with WWII warships but more diverse classes/roles
I am trying to build a world where USN, RN, IJN, and KM are companies that build WWII ships that compete for ship components sales with more diverse/versatile roles in armour, turret, shells, rather ...
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Would 1000 glass cannons made out of sapphire be invincible throughout the 13th century AD?
This is the same material used in luxury watches to prevent scratches, it is called sapphire glass and now I am planning to donate 1000 units of these scratch-resistant glass cannons to assist the ...
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Give me a human-portable weapon capable of rapidly melting a Terminator into a molten puddle
See this?
I want it melted into a puddle of glowing metal, since, from my admittedly-narrow perspective, it's the only way to be sure.
I want it melted with something human-portable, so that I can ...
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Using a Dyson Sphere to Produce Antimatter?
Could a relatively sparse Dyson Sphere be used to produce a useful amount of antimatter for weaponry in the form of antimatter missiles and maybe basic antimatter fusion drives?
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How could pears be used as ammunition?
In a dramedy science-fantasy children's (for 8 to 15 years old) videogame I want to create, Salade de Fruits (which naturally means Fruit Salad) (my first language is French), there is a villainous ...
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Would people still be able to utilize Iron Alloy tools, Structures, Weapons & Armour in a Medieval high-oxygen world?
So me and my buddy are currently working on a story that takes place on a different earth-like planet similar to when carboniferous life like the Meganeura dragonfly inhabit the landscape. A few ...
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Could a active rotational bullet increase accuracy?
I don't know where I should ask this, on History, Aerodynamics, Physics or here. But here we go.
So, from what I could see on youtube videos (not the best source, I know), the bullets on rifles and ...
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Can you build an auto turret with Victorian-era technology?
Auto turrets:
When you think of auto-turrets you probably imagine something along the lines of: high tech or state-of-the-art weapon systems. You'd be right as such technology is heavily computerized ...
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Winged jetpack vs palm repulsors, which has more mobility in air?
Winged jetpack comes with 2 set of fixed thrusters and a pair of foldable wings with adjustable aileron. (You put on the jetpack like a schoolbag)
Palm repulsors are heavy duty gloves each is equipped ...
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What could make a good equivalent to late 1700s/early 1800s rifles/rifleman for a near future setting?
What could make a good equivalent to late 1700s/early 1800s riflemen in a near future setting? The The important qualities are that they're elite, use long range man portable weapons, & have it ...
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What types of enemies would a two-handed sledge hammer be useful against in a medieval fantasy setting?
I'm trying to build up a set of weapons for an RPG system and I'm trying to make a semi-realistic system that tries to strike what I think is a good balance between complex enough for a semi-realistic ...
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If a person's strength weren't a problem, what would bows be made of? [duplicate]
Context
I have a group of people with super strength and the durability to withstand its use. The super strength does not come with super weight/mass so they can't lift cars or punch through walls. ...
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Equipment, logistics and resupply of a team detecting hidden explosives in a warzone area?
I have a team (size can vary depending the answer to this question) that makes ends meet by sneaking through a warzone area and trying to detect a large amount of explosives hidden in for example a ...
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How would mallard ducks with Clawed fingers on their wing be able to handle guns?
How would mallard ducks be able to handle guns from say around World War 2 tech level? I assume with clawed fingers on their wing that it would be likely easier for them to handle a rifle, but not ...
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Can a NASER be used as a weapon?
Before I go to my question, let me refresh the basic principles of operation of a LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation): an active medium is brought in an excited state and, ...
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How would a rebel group best utilise ww2 era planes/equipment against a modern state/dictatorship? [closed]
For context: Modern United States, UK and several other countries have been taken over by a totalitarian dictatorship plotting to revive a Lovecraftian god(This happens later, does not affect this ...
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Realistic combat AI [closed]
The idea of combat robots is simple, they are robotic soldiers that don't eat, don't sleep and don't rest, but they never touch the issue of the AI they employ. The AI of a combat robot must meet the ...
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How Feasible are Weaponized Wings for Flayt?
Flayt, like Viji, are a race of anthropomorphic creatures, most resembling birds and around the size of a human. Back when I first imagined them, Flayt were essentially giant birds, with spotless ...
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How to make a weapon that never friendly fires?
On some computer games it is common to have a setting that disables friendly fire, it does not prevent shooting but it the bullets don't harm friend players.
In real life would it be possible to make ...
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How to best defend against someone with a knife while unarmed? [closed]
My main character is experienced at fist fighting, though is self taught. At 18, he travels to a city in an industrial era time period (circa 1820 - 1850) to find work, but upon arriving there, is ...
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