Questions tagged [weapons]
For questions about existing weapons or designing new ones.
942
questions
1
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4answers
90 views
How Would an Anti-Gravity Gun Function
The Question
How would a gun, that uses anti-gravity as propellant, work? Is it even practical?
Background
I have been toying around with the idea of a gun that uses anti-gravity to shoot off heavy,...
6
votes
3answers
147 views
Space Combat Depiction 1: Laser Pew-Pew
After reading up on space warfare for a while now, I'd like show how I imagine a realistic depiction of lasers in space combat. This question is more about the general perception of lasers the ...
4
votes
3answers
138 views
Realistically, what type of weapon is the best at delivering a specific radiation in space battle?
It's 20 years into the future, and humanity is (trying to) reaching for the stars. And congratulation, we have met a lot of quirky alien civilization, as per SF tradition. Unfortunately, this isn't ...
9
votes
2answers
164 views
Tank armaments: railguns vs coilguns
Assuming power can be provided, what would be the more practical primary armament for a tank using an electromagnetic cannon? I am looking for a good compromise between accuracy, cost and durability ...
0
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0answers
58 views
Would bow shooting work different in an O'Neill cylinder? [duplicate]
The setting takes place in an Island 3 O'Neill cylinder. All type of bows included. I wonder if there are things to take into consideration when describing how a person would target and shoot, as well ...
9
votes
3answers
2k views
Destroying Hypervelocity Rounds With More Hypervelocity Rounds
In a previous question, I asked about using a scaled-up whipple shield to protect against a 250kg tungsten round traveling at about 60 km/s. The round in question is 'about' 10 cm in diameter and '...
5
votes
9answers
471 views
Are starfighters a realistic evolution of space naval warfare?
I’m making my story as close to real and theoretical science as possible. I remember reading an article a while ago saying realistic space warfare would be capital ships engaging in missile warfare ...
3
votes
8answers
165 views
What would be the best Tauren equipment to maximize it's charging abilities?
I'm currently designing a Tauren race (as in Minotaur, not centaur), pretty similar to the ones found in the Warcraft universe*. They are a biped race, with the head and feet of a bull, arms and torso ...
5
votes
2answers
229 views
Is there a velocity threshold that when passed would make a kinetic projectile more than just “piercing”?
As my recent inquiries have shown, when a kinetic projectile has sufficient speed, it does more than 'penetrate and perforate'. It will have somewhat of an explosive effect, right?
Difference to the ...
7
votes
5answers
289 views
What metallic alloys would be used for weapons and armor in the XXI century knighthood games?
The year is 2035 and Channel 55-KYED decided on a new reality show. the XXI century knighthood games.
It will be your basic renaissance faire re-enactment of medieval combat but since they are doing ...
11
votes
5answers
3k views
How much damage can be done just by heating matter?
By some eldritch means I am able to heat matter (raising the kinetic energy of the matter's particles).
I want to weaponize this ability, and need some guidance for its implications.
The obvious use-...
-1
votes
1answer
71 views
Is it possible to create a weapon that produce a flying slash? [duplicate]
In some fictional Samurai movies/book, there are some techniques that able to create a wound using a sword without making the sword touch the victim's body. Some references use the term "Flying Slash" ...
13
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15answers
5k views
Nanomachines exist that enable Axolotl-levels of regeneration - So how can crippling injuries exist as well?
One of my Brainstormings (a mesh of interconected ideas that didn't solidify into a concrete story yet) had an interesting sideplot:
One of the main characters, Cephit, is a young gold dragon with an ...
6
votes
7answers
3k views
Lead Amalgam as a Material for a Sword
Edit: To clarify, the Title is simply the title, the actual question is stated below.
It is a fantasy world where Magic has been fading away for a millennium and a half.
Lead naturally disrupts magic,...
6
votes
7answers
396 views
How would you design and build an American Civil War Steam Gun?
I am writing a Steanpunk novel and am interested in having a "plausible" Union Steam Gun that would help turn the tide in an Alternate History American Civil War.
The gun can be either a machine gun ...
14
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4answers
3k views
Cemented carbide swords - worth it?
Nowadays heavy duty drilling and machining is often done with cutting tools fashioned from cemented carbides, which consist of a hard phase like Tungsten Carbide embedded in a "soft" metal like Cobalt....
6
votes
4answers
3k views
Plausibility and performance of a composite longbow
English Longbows were typically selfbows made of yew, and were pretty effective at what they did, however, I’ve heard before that while composite bows, like the Mongolian, could have less raw power, ...
5
votes
6answers
253 views
Indispensable tools for scavenging
In my world the „apocalypse“ dates back several decades and most people have settled down, the scavenging is left to professional adventurers who roam the less accessible and more dangerous ruins of a ...
2
votes
3answers
276 views
What would be the strongest “realistic” bow draw weight with ubertech?
I'm trying to help develop a "high tech" bow for a video game, to be used mostly by prestige soldiers with ubertech against low-tech industrial civilizations as a kind of a status game; their enemies ...
5
votes
1answer
189 views
Shooting around obstacles with bow and arrow (without magic) [closed]
Bow and arrow are a basic part of many medieval and fantasy settings.
Be it for assassins (silent), for (elven) tribes that live in harmony with nature (not industrialized), or to emphasize the skill ...
14
votes
2answers
341 views
Whip it like Indy
Is it possible to use a whip to seize things or persons like depicted in the Indiana Jones movies
(e. g. the whip is wrapped around a root so he can swing over an abyss)?
For example a slave trader ...
2
votes
2answers
256 views
Handheld Speargun used out of water for manhunting
Can I have a character make use of a handheld speargun in a postapocalyptic setting to shoot people and pull them back (or at least retain them) with the gun's cord?
I came across some criteria/...
4
votes
5answers
130 views
Propelled Spin Attack
How effective of a combat technique is a spin attack with a sword that actively propels you? How might it change the development of combat and counter-techniques?
Most experts of real-life combat ...
25
votes
19answers
8k views
Defending Castle from Zombies
TL;DR: You're defending coastal medieval fortress with help of about 1000 people from attack of zombies.
Long version: In my fantasy world, I'm dealing with problem of how would you defend city ...
5
votes
2answers
150 views
Is my plasma weapon design any good?
I'm currently designing the armory for my far-future hard-scifi setting. Technology is quite advanced and for the purpose of this question assume that liquid metallic hydrogen (LMH from now on) is ...
24
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13answers
5k views
Justifying the use of directed energy weapons
In my scifi setting I want a broad range of slugthrowers (bullets, smart ammo, grenades,...), exotic weapons (flame/chemthrowers, high tech blades, nano-bots,...), and directed energy weapons (heat ...
1
vote
5answers
158 views
A torpedo or bomb to kill everyone inside the ship or in general vicinity of the battle
I was thinking of chlorine gas bombs/rockets or cyanide torpedoes to kill everyone inside a sinking ship or on the general vicinity of the battle to insure that no one survives...
The only objective ...
21
votes
18answers
4k views
Quick destruction of a helium filled airship?
I am writing a steampunk novel and am working on a scene where an enemy quickly overwhelms and destroys a US airship. The enemy has flying gyro sleds and a large airship of their own that is armed ...
12
votes
19answers
6k views
How to prevent criminal gangs from making/buying guns?
TLDR: What can modern governments do to force criminal gangs to use melee weapons instead of guns.
So I am writing a novel where the main character is pushed out of society, and is forced to join a ...
5
votes
1answer
176 views
A practical post apocalypse bullet farm for the survivor on a budget [closed]
In a post apocalyptic society (let's say northern Arizona or southern Colorado) or just outside of a city what would be Needed to practically 'farm' (produce) modern bullets? The idea is to be able to ...
3
votes
9answers
1k views
Best gun to modify into a monsterhunter weapon?
In my post-apocalyptical-urban-fantasy setting, the main character is a mercenary mage who uses a gun with a big bayonet as his main weapon. The blade is supposed to be some kind of a glaive.
The ...
5
votes
5answers
336 views
Boomerang fighting style?
Context: I'm currently writing a story where I'm giving unconventional and otherwise impractical battle weapons more spotlight. So I am currently contemplating making my main character a boomerang(s) ...
-4
votes
2answers
124 views
Modern weapons in space [duplicate]
So in many space fighting games, if the game is 1st POV, there's aliens. And, it's common that the humans are fighting on alien ships. BUT, the weapons are often conventional (no plasma cannons) ...
43
votes
7answers
10k views
How to realistically deal with a shield user?
Fantastic universe, but not necessarily magic involved in the process. You face a guy who has a shield (tower shield of not). You do not have a shield, but you are a better swordsman. How do you win?
...
14
votes
10answers
4k views
How to design an effective polearm-bow hybrid?
Full disclaimer : I acknowledge full well that in real life hybrid weapons are completely silly and impractical but I'm currently writing a fantastic-ish story where power fantasy is a key element. ...
18
votes
10answers
3k views
Reasons for using monsters as bioweapons
Let's say the world is threatened by eldritch monsters or nations at war. Instead of investing in tanks, aircraft and such, the government decides to invest in bioweapons that are basically monsters.
...
15
votes
19answers
5k views
Best Ergonomic Design for a handheld ranged weapon
I know I’m flirting with “Primarily Opinion Based” here, but I’m hoping there’s some established knowledge out there in the community that I might be completely oblivious to.
If you look at pretty ...
6
votes
2answers
111 views
How to roughly extrapolate artillery range for planets with different atmospheric pressure?
I'm looking for some rough way of extrapolating artillery range for planets with different atmospheric pressure:
Realistically, the data available:
Hypothetical range in vacuum: $\dfrac{V^2}{g}$ (V -...
3
votes
4answers
213 views
Is it possible to build weapons that shield the RF frequencies pre-cogs use to send their memories back in time?
TL;DR: The antagonists in my story have made nearly unstoppable soldiers who, through nanites embedded in their brains, are able to experience the future and send memories back in time. Since the time ...
8
votes
2answers
349 views
How would a rail gun affect the trajectory of a spacecraft?
What sort of force would a railgun need to produce to have a measurable affect on the trajectory of a large spacecraft?
In the scifi book I am working on the primary craft of the story is a military ...
6
votes
1answer
213 views
Effectiveness of lasers of different wavelengths in space combat
I'm working on a game with combat between spaceships. It will not be hard sci-fi, but I'd like to base the mechanics on (simplifications of) real physics.
When it comes to laser-weapons, I would like ...
12
votes
26answers
5k views
Why would guns not work in the dungeon?
In my setting I need to have a dungeon where people cannot use guns or other gunpowder weapons.
The reason can be anything: it's impossible to bring guns in, guns don't work inside the dungeon, ...
32
votes
23answers
5k views
What would be the ideal melee weapon made of “Phase Metal”?
Phase Metal is a material that is functionally similar to steel but can pass through its user (a single person bound to the metal when it is forged into a new form.) as if it didn't exist. Phase metal ...
28
votes
15answers
7k views
Would dual wielding daggers be a viable choice for a covert bodyguard?
In the setting of a royal court in a stereotypical 'medieval' low-fantasy world, the royal princess must obviously be guarded. Assuming this society sees it as 'unbecoming' for a woman to be armed, ...
0
votes
2answers
107 views
Creating a taser through magic [duplicate]
So I'm trying to explain the basic steps behind magically creating lightning between your hands by combining two or more basic elements together:
The elements you can use are: Fire, air, water, earth....
1
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0answers
77 views
Would it be possible to shoot lightning at someone? [duplicate]
Assuming that you could generate an electrical charge between your hands, and that you're actually insulated to prevent a backfiring effect: Would it be possible to guide the electrical charge between ...
5
votes
2answers
182 views
The impact of an intelligent and (mostly) hostile flying race on weapons and armor
A race of dragon-like humanoids - for brevity's sake just think of the Dragonborn of D&D, just with wings - were the first species to achieve sapience, and have had lots of time to establish a far-...
4
votes
4answers
352 views
What weapons could an Iron Age society wield that would be effective against Medieval (High Period) knights?
In numerous fantasy worlds, including my own, I have seen knights battling what appear to be "barbarians" inspired by the Celts, Germanic groups, or possibly some Scythians. From what I've seen, the ...
13
votes
4answers
4k views
Archery in modern conflicts
Imagine someone who could do everything Lars Andersen can, but with even more accuracy and power, in addition to being very strong and athletic and being able to do it with a heavier bow and faster ...
0
votes
0answers
84 views
Best weapons for warriors who are extremely strong? [duplicate]
The ruling caste of my empire consists of the descendants of gods. Although they are comparatively small in number, they play an important role in the military. They are extremely strong compared to ...
