Questions tagged [weapons]
For questions about existing weapons or designing new ones.
1,353
questions
32
votes
6answers
4k views
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, ...
3
votes
5answers
534 views
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 ...
2
votes
4answers
711 views
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 ...
2
votes
2answers
72 views
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 ...
13
votes
14answers
5k views
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 ...
2
votes
6answers
203 views
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 ...
3
votes
2answers
101 views
How Would a Highly Organized Standing Army Accomodate Different Sentient Species?
In my book series, the Aurean Empire has a very organized and professional standing military, heavily influenced by the Roman and Eastern Roman Empires, in which weapons and armor between soldiers is ...
3
votes
1answer
69 views
Plausible dragons & dragon slaying for "The 51st Dragon" [closed]
What dimensions must a dragon have, in order to make cutting off their heads with a sideways axe swing a plausible method of killing them?
When I say plausible I mean (a) the axe can physically cut ...
9
votes
7answers
1k views
What materials would merfolk use to craft armor?
What materials in the environment could merpeople use to make armor? The merpeople live in the mediterranean sea and have contact and trade with humans who could provide resources and craft the armor ...
4
votes
2answers
501 views
Would wooden bullets work? [closed]
This article claims that the infusion of wood particles into the vampires bloodstream will cause blood clotting and eventually a stroke and other maladies for a vampires. This as opposed to other ...
5
votes
2answers
327 views
How rapidly can small nuclear weapons be produced?
In my setting, there is a ban on nuclear detonations greater than one kiloton in magnitude. This ban is enforced with a supranationally controlled strategic nuclear arsenal capable of essentially ...
2
votes
9answers
805 views
Why would a tank have multiple main weapons or a main weapon with multiple barrels?
Fiction is filled with examples of tanks with multiple main weapons, from Command and Conquer's Mammoth to Warhammer 40,000's Baneblade to World of Tanks's IS-2-II (although the IS-2-II was based on a ...
7
votes
9answers
926 views
Can Advanced Matter-based Weapons Target Fast-moving Targets Deep in the Atmosphere Without Collateral Damage?
UFO's are real and fighting around the Earth!
I have an alien spacecraft in modern Earth's atmosphere, and rival alien spacecraft in Earth's Orbit. Both aliens are capable of maneuvering at great ...
4
votes
3answers
142 views
How would one contain and direct a beam of high energy plasma from a nuclear fusion powered gun?
It’s pretty much just that. If one designed a weapon that draws plasma from a fusion reactor using high powered electromagnets (that’s the easy part) how would it concentrate that beam and prevent it ...
4
votes
4answers
784 views
Can feathers be used as a natural defense mechanism?
In some fantasy-themed games, feathers are sharp enough (I'm guessing through magic) to be used as daggers. This idea of using feathers as weapons inspired me to create a creature that would be able ...
1
vote
1answer
155 views
Concrete Warships vs Steel Warships
Humanity in my world has to deal with the invasion of inter-dimensional beings (Their tech level is around WW2 and in certain departments they're more advanced than we were around that period and in ...
0
votes
2answers
109 views
Effectiveness of lightning weapon on a medieval sea
How effective would a charged weapon be on a medieval sea
Alright, so imagine we have a barge — a city barge, similar to some of Technochtitlan raft farms. Due to (magicly caused) climate conditions ...
12
votes
8answers
3k views
Is a wood-core sword the best use of the metal?
I am currently reading the Steerswoman series by Rosemary Kirstein, and the second book introduces us to a unique weapon used by Outskirter tribes who have very little access to metal. Rather than ...
5
votes
1answer
124 views
How much power/pressure would be required for air weapons to be as deadly as fire weapons?
Ironically, it would be thought that with modern technology, the "next step" for fire weapons would mean to produce direct energy weapons such as Rail Guns, Lasers or Microwaves, however, ...
4
votes
2answers
151 views
What wavelength of electromagnetic energy is best suited for burning into a tank's hull?
Background: in my setting, there's a defensive directed-energy weapon installation that runs off of four gas turbine engines similar to the General Electric T64. Between the four of them, ...
2
votes
1answer
104 views
Mechanical-electric firearm ignition
For some time I've been thinking upon the concept of a firearm that uses a mechanical system to generate an electrical current for use in a electrically ignited firearm without the hassle of batteries....
4
votes
2answers
96 views
Explosive flechette. Mechanism of detonation
In a world I am currently conceptualizing, the militaries of said world make use of flechette ammunition due to advance ballistic armor which has made all but the higher caliber conventional slug ...
2
votes
3answers
803 views
Can compressed air be used as a weapon?
Obviously guns or similar weapons can use air to propel projectiles, but I'm thinking more about close combat, or even a medieval setting, or generally less technologically advanced setting.
If ...
1
vote
3answers
223 views
Could flammable alcohol be used as a weapon in combat?
I'm developing a character who becomes stronger the more alcohol is in his body but couldn't think of an appropriate weapon. Then I had the idea that he could use alcohol in some sort of flame based ...
4
votes
3answers
162 views
What threat would a highly technological alien species from a superEarth pose to human(-like) visitors?
I'm writing a setting where superEarths abound, frequently with intelligent life, but Earth-size habitable planets are rare, with the focus being on the five intelligent species from Earth-size ...
3
votes
2answers
127 views
Do my colonists stand a chance? A world of super-materials
When the first explorers returned from the New World, it was with terror in their eyes. Violent shores, a jungle with trees taller than hills, and unspeakable monsters behind every towering frond - ...
5
votes
5answers
248 views
How would a bow for super-humans use look like?
First, I shall explain the situation.
I have a species of humanoids, Astriads, who are already quite stronger on average than humans are. However, this difference isn't great enough to cause problems ...
-2
votes
1answer
130 views
space combat for a BTE 4x game game [closed]
l am currently writing a game - I'm making a racing table top game with high tech weapons. What's a weapon that would shoot through people that isn't just a high powered cannon? It doesn't have to be ...
1
vote
2answers
106 views
What are the chemical characteristics of a chemical weapon that kills in the short term and melts biomatter into slurry in the long term?
This substance must:
be usable as a chemical weapon (i.e. deliverable via bombs, shells, mines, grenades, canisters, mortars, etc., and won't explode/denature/etc. when you synthesize it)
within ...
16
votes
10answers
5k views
Taking the bayonet to its logical conclusion. Or, the pike-rifle
Due to some copious amount of handwavium, projectile weapons are not as effective as their melee counterparts. They are still very useful, but not to the point of replacing close combat. Historically, ...
2
votes
2answers
117 views
Use of fast-burning high-performance solid rocket fuel as gunpowder
Solid rocket propellants seem to have a much a higher energy density than smokeless powders. If you could somehow rig a mass of solid rocket fuel to burn almost instantly, would you get higher ...
4
votes
9answers
3k views
Making Dual Wielding Possible-And Effective
Self-explanatory title, right? No? Dual wielding is a common theme in fiction, but according to research is way too impractical; two weapons get in the way of each other, striking with both blades is ...
1
vote
2answers
89 views
Ergonomics of a Metal Storm Staff Gun
Upon the The Peaks of Comprehension lies the the Temple of Knowledge, where monks labor, record, observe and preserve knowledge both old and new. With the knowledge they have gained, the monks go out ...
8
votes
5answers
489 views
Viability of Sword & Knife Fighting
Sword and knife fighting: overview
Dual fighting w/sword & dagger (military knife)
Sword is used for range and additional strike power (swords are relatively larger and heavier and should ...
7
votes
5answers
1k views
Fire mage vs. magnesium dust attack
The probable results of the below (in my imagination) would be a toss-up between asphyxiation, blindness, and/or molten magnesium in uncomfortable places but I'm not entirely sure. So given this ...
7
votes
3answers
186 views
Insurgent weapons on Mars
I read a story about a Mars war. There was a lot of shooting by the Martians, which made me think about insurgents weapons on Mars. It makes no sense to me for all these guns to be accessible. Not ...
5
votes
4answers
213 views
How stealthed can a high speed projectile be for space combat?
High power projectile weapons, often firing their rounds near the speed of light, are a staple of sci-fi. Under certain assumption sets these weapons are valid, I'm not interested in the science (or ...
5
votes
4answers
155 views
How to make a sword that actually motivates its wielder?
Congratulations you obtained the Yamato!
Its power fills you with motivation
Reaching for the sword, the hairs on your arm are lifting, the skin on your fingertips gets colder.
Gripping the handle ...
7
votes
10answers
2k views
Best Weapon For Diplomats
In Alendyias, just like most places, there are diplomats. Those who hold the Class, however, have a distinct problem. You can win plenty of battles with words, but not against people who can't or won'...
8
votes
5answers
578 views
What would a hammer designed for throwing look like?
In D&D there is a history of allowing 'light hammers' to be thrown.
However, at the very least the ones I remember would be completely useless if thrown. The center of gravity and balance would ...
4
votes
2answers
94 views
How can my eco-hippies build a taser to down a polar bear?
I have some radical environmentalists as some of my characters. They don't want to kill any living thing, but they live in an area where the polar bear population is anomalously high, and attacks are ...
10
votes
13answers
3k views
What is a plausible weapon to use for a race of angels?
The angels in question aren't angels in the "pretty people with wings" sense, they're more of horrific flying abominations that share the gilded and glowing aspects with the angels most ...
0
votes
1answer
88 views
How would a 21st-century war play out if every country had these alien directed-energy weapons?
Before we get into the gigantic wall of text, here's the question: what applications would the following device have in a 21st-century war - asymmetric, conventional, nuclear, etc. - if every country ...
5
votes
4answers
156 views
How do examples of Power Armor stack against that of tankettes, and other small vehicles?
Many a time I've seen someone try to see how Power Armor could be used well, (in combat) they act like tanks on a smaller scale. It got me thinking "If these PA users can take small arms fire, ...
1
vote
3answers
124 views
Would gauntlets with claws be an effective weapon?
I am coming up with a kind of weapon a supervillain builds himself with fairly modern materials/tech. He uses it as a weapon, but also as a device for lacerating and torturing his victims.
I’m ...
16
votes
9answers
5k views
What would naval warfare look like with ubiquitous railguns?
Let's assume for the moment we're in an alternative history/steampunk sort of setting where oil/coal/explosives are exceedingly rare, but tech around electric generators, motors, and batteries are ...
2
votes
2answers
142 views
Designing a low technology flamethrower with limited resources
This is an extention of these question: Using dead bodies for material 4: ammunition and Arming all untrained people with firearms, which weapon would do?
The world is suffering from the creatures of ...
-1
votes
4answers
177 views
How does a projectile get past a rapid-firing, hyper-accurate point defense system?
Let's say that there's a point-defense system that's very good at hitting targets - as a matter of fact, it hits everything it shoots at. Moreover, it fires incredibly quickly and has, for the scope ...
6
votes
7answers
572 views
how might look and be used the firearm hand weapon for four-handed humanoids?
i mean, our firearms, in many ways, are depend on this fact - that we only have 2 hands. What would the weapon look like, its ergonomics and its qualities and properties and usage - if the use of 4 ...
25
votes
9answers
8k views
Arming all untrained people with firearms, which weapon would do?
This is an extention of this question: Using dead bodies for material 4: ammunition
The world is suffering from the creatures of fantasy and nightmares which can appear with just a few minutes of ...