Questions tagged [weapons]
For questions about existing weapons or designing new ones.
-4
votes
0answers
78 views
Ranged weapon made from Apollo 11 scrap [on hold]
You've crashed on a Mars-like planet in a spacecraft similar to the Apollo 11. A party of 5-10 hostile humanoid aliens are on the way and they have ranged weapons similar to rifles. The Apollo is ...
3
votes
9answers
266 views
How do I give my alien mercenaries a fighting chance?
So, Earth has run afoul of an alien power. The aliens have a working FTL drive, but no one else (including us) does. They have used their technological superiority to create a far flung mercantile ...
8
votes
2answers
143 views
Ball lightning projection as an alternative to plasma weaponry
Plasma weaponry is a staple of science fiction, but is often objected to on the basis that it expands too readily. There's no way to effectively deliver it to a target without spending a lot of effort ...
-1
votes
1answer
69 views
Forging swords from magic metals [closed]
Let's say you have a metal, we'll call it Xmetal, with properties like adamantium/vibranim/valyrian steel. I.e., weapons made from it are pretty much unbreakable and incredibly sharp compared to ...
12
votes
12answers
4k views
Is it possible to make sharp wind that can cut stuff from afar?
You know the typical wind slash in anime or games where the swordsman slashes from afar either vertically or horizontally and the wind pressure or projectile cut the opponent, like in this image for ...
5
votes
1answer
121 views
Can spiky arm guards/bracer be an alternative weapon for blunt attack or will wielder get broken bones upon hitting?
Basically what's in the title: If someone uses a spiky arm guard/bracer (long bracelet type armor not gauntlet) while bashing/battering an opponent (with or without armor) would this result in the ...
7
votes
3answers
207 views
After the head, what part of the body is most vulnerable to blunt force trauma?
I'm in the process of re-evaluating what weapons my superhuman characters would find useful when fighting each other, and something recently occurred to me regarding blunt weapons like hammers, maces, ...
8
votes
5answers
816 views
Fencing style for blades that can attack from a distance [closed]
Due to all the edits and clarifications asked I will re write the question tomorrow, thanks for your patience. Leaving this up until then, for reference.
In the setting I'm working on, magitech has ...
4
votes
3answers
157 views
What would a lethal laser attack by a sorcerer look like?
In a magic system that allowed the manipulation of energy by sorcerers, what would a bystander observe during such an attack? Some details are relevant:
As I understand it, lasers are visible due to ...
6
votes
3answers
299 views
Which edge shape is better to cut things with for a chain sword type/style?
To help you get the idea of what I mean, here is an example of the edge. Imagine the edge can move like a chain sword or chain saw, so don't take it too literally. Don't consider the entire sword ...
1
vote
4answers
363 views
Can titanium chain mail stop a bullet?
Can a titanium chain mail stop a bullet? How thick the chains would need to be?
Or a titanium plate would be more efficient? How thick the plate should be?
Of course, against normal weapons, like ...
4
votes
3answers
181 views
How to have a robotic whip move effectively?
I recently read The Prefect (now named Aurora Rising) by Alistair Reynolds. The book is about a police force protecting a belt of space stations. The local democratic regime has mostly disarmed the ...
-8
votes
2answers
186 views
Firing a gun instead of a bullet
NOTE - To the person who edited the title. I was not asking about recoil
in the sense of the gun travelling in the opposite direction to a
bullet. Please read the question carefully. There is no ...
-3
votes
12answers
348 views
A properly malfunctioning gun [closed]
A friend of mine wrote me: "I have designed a rifle that cannot be used for a terrorist attack. It fails to shoot in the instance of it. Other than that it is a good gun. In fact it is the best and a ...
0
votes
3answers
135 views
Is using Casaba Howitzer like devices as precision-cutting implements plausible?
How well would something like a Casaba Howitzer work as a beam weapon? A Casaba Howitzer is a type of directional blast that focuses energy from an explosion into a specific shape or direction. For ...
0
votes
7answers
218 views
Predators part 2: How can a boarding action from super aliens be repelled? [closed]
NOTE: This question has been reworded in response to an "on hold" designation.
In this post there is a description of an alien species: (You are murderous alien pirates, how do you get onboard a ...
0
votes
2answers
161 views
Making a low-budget flash grenade during medieval era
In a world consisting of dark-age-esque technology, how would an alchemist go about making a low-budget "flash grenade?"
8
votes
3answers
187 views
Could a mass-proportional physical speed limit on projectiles “nerf” guns but not ruin archery?
Like many other writers, I'm hoping to create some sort of justification for destroying the monopoly firearms have on the modern combat scene so that I can justify mixing things up with melee weapons, ...
1
vote
0answers
48 views
What kind of weapons are needed to deal with modern pirates [closed]
I know modern american destroyers use CIWS and VLS for their ships but what is needed for dealing with modern day piracy and any other non-military threats such as terrorism or cartels?
9
votes
5answers
201 views
Are handheld electric weapons realistic?
I want to use Teslapunk weapons in my semi-realistic science fantasy RPG that behave somewhat like flamethrowers, in the aspect that they fire out a branching arc of raw electricity. It would ...
4
votes
2answers
140 views
Weaponising Implosion instead of Explosion
Explosions are really messy - they cause debris to be spread over a wide area. They may also cause collateral damage. I want to use implosion instead.
I wish to use a force-field sphere that contains ...
4
votes
1answer
84 views
What would be the ideal way to weaponize plasma?
Plasma is a relatively common weapon in science fiction, with weapons that fire magnetically-bound superheated plasma or melee weapons that hold plasma in a containment field to burn through just ...
2
votes
6answers
200 views
Stealthy and hard to sink marine drone made out of… fiberglass and styrofoam
OK, the weapon idea is the following:
general shape similar to the drone on this picture
modular armament, in default configuration with anti-ship missiles (but goes with torpedos, gun, mines, etc.) ...
4
votes
6answers
288 views
How could a silver sword give off a golden glow in the light?
Now, I am not talking about a golden glow that overtakes the sword itself. I'm not looking for a Lightsaber. I'm talking about a sword that is silver in color giving off a golden reflection (or ...
12
votes
11answers
3k views
Hot air balloons as primitive bombers
Imagine a medieval-style city, besieged by enemy army. It might be big and have wide river preventing besiegers from direct attack on the walls and launching projectiles significantly far into the ...
7
votes
8answers
311 views
Self-charging PCP Airgun
In my story idea the main character is given a PCP airgun with a sort of self-charging mechanism in order to commit certain covert operations by assassinating certain individuals. (Don't ask, he was ...
4
votes
5answers
276 views
How to detect gyroswords
So, in the land of futuristic feudalism, the board of sword duels has a dilemma. During a duel, one of the duelists added put gyroscopes in his sword. He claimed this was to improve his balance, which ...
-6
votes
1answer
67 views
Metal cannon wall thickness [closed]
I'm planning on making a cannon with a bore of anywhere from 2 inches to 3/4 inches.
How thick should the wall be?
4
votes
3answers
251 views
Use bomb to detonate a white dwarf?
Suppose there is a Sirius A based alien civilization, but their planet is heavily defended, so direct attack is useless. Could we use some kind of weapon to detonate the Sirius B and cause a disaster ...
4
votes
6answers
417 views
Causing motorcycle crashes with a sniper rifle, no evidence left
If you wanted to force motorcycles to crash utilizing a sniper rifle from no more than 800 yards, what part of the bikes would you aim for to not only cause the rider to lose control, but not leave ...
62
votes
16answers
10k views
Making a sword in the stone, in a medieval world without magic
This relates to a world in which there is no magic and only medieval technology. The ruling and religious classes want to convince the general populace that magic exists.
For example a sword-smith ...
-1
votes
2answers
186 views
Would weapon firing both recoilless projectiles and guided rockets be feasible?
Idea for a weapon:
hand held recoilless gun with caliber around ~75mm (to hit nearby, low value, easy to hit targets)
to this weapon also anti-tank or anti-air guided rockets can be loaded (when ...
6
votes
3answers
129 views
How to redesign modern weapons in order to make their indefinite storage easy?
As usual useful TVTropes:
Superweapon Surprise
[...]
Comes in at least six flavors:
Break Out the Museum Piece: It doesn't matter that there hasn't been
any fighting for a long ...
3
votes
8answers
320 views
Tactics for society with indestructible material
I'm thinking of creating a society with an indestructible material at its disposal, with molecular bonds impossible to break once it has been synthesized and cast. How would a society using this ...
14
votes
13answers
7k views
How do you make a gun that shoots melee weapons and/or swords?
In my industrial-punk-with-airships setting, I think it would be cool to have ship-mounted and personal-use ranged weapons that shoot swords, axes, glaives, or other heavy melee weapons. I'd like this ...
8
votes
9answers
670 views
What could be a means to defeat a child’s nightmare? [closed]
In my world, there is a monster that materializes as a childhood nightmare (nothing specific, just this general fear children feel when they are alone in the dark). I wonder what would be a nice way ...
8
votes
4answers
847 views
High pressure canisters of air as gun-less projectiles
Imagine a small metal canister, with a narrow exit on the top. There is a sort of door covering this, with a metal plate that is removed from the side. The pressure inside of the canister acts as a ...
11
votes
1answer
90 views
Degradable ammunition for electro magnetic guns
Would it be possible to make ammunition for railguns and gauss rifles that would degrade over time either through a natural process or by the means of star radiation, so the missed shots don't ...
11
votes
15answers
2k views
Slow moving projectiles from a hand-held weapon - how do they reach the target?
Human Earth explorers land on planet X. They are there to survey it. They are unaware that there is life on X until ...
The locals are very aggressive and fire on them from a distance. The thing is ...
47
votes
15answers
6k views
Quenching swords in dragon blood; why?
Imagine a typical fantasy world. Elves, goblins, dragons, magic. If you were to equate it to a D&D campaign, you would be close enough for proverbial government work. That said, thanks to time ...
4
votes
3answers
145 views
Vacuum Cleaners as Weapons against the Spider Folk - improving their range
Background
The spider folk, excluding their legs, are about the size of a golf ball but they are very numerous, they are highly venomous and, they're invading. Various tactics have been tried but the ...
22
votes
19answers
11k views
What is a good reason for every spaceship to carry a weapon on board?
In the near future humanity has started mining on Mars. International (and interplanetary) treaties governing the use of lethal weapons in space dictate that anyone possessing such a weapon must carry ...
3
votes
4answers
202 views
Could a Civil War tech society reverse engineer modern weapons/vehicles?
This is a continuation of my other question How does a mid-19 century military combat a modernized one?
So, let’s say our USCA was able to destroy those damn meddling Bunkerites once and for all. ...
4
votes
14answers
3k views
How to achieve physical gender equality? [closed]
Now, I am constructing a human-like civilization that has more advanced technology than our own. They share genes through sexual reproduction.
I hope in this world, there will be fewer rapes caused ...
0
votes
1answer
125 views
What was the range of Greek Fire? [closed]
As stated above, what was the range of this Byzantine superweapon and could it be modified to increase its range? If so, how would the Byzantines have done it?
-1
votes
3answers
94 views
Non-lethal nanite weapon, how could they quickly incapacitate any animal?
So, I was working on limitations for my cheesy overpowered cyborg, Anon, and then pacifism came to my mind. Being forced into using non-lethal measures drastically decreases and caps any character, ...
31
votes
34answers
12k views
How can guns be countered by melee combat without raw-ability or exceptional explanations?
I'm writing a science fantasy setting for a tabletop game. Its major influences are Dune, Final Fantasy 7, and Borderlands. My goal is to give a universal account why swords, spears, etc., equal or ...
4
votes
2answers
114 views
Best Way to Weaponize Malleable Golems
There is a race of golems that can
Change their shape at will (although not their color)
Manipulate objects within their body
Change their hardness between modeling clay soft and rock hard
The ...
18
votes
12answers
4k views
Hands-Free Methods of Firing Arrows for Flying Soldiers
There are flying warriors wear wing suits.
Kind of like this but with wings extending past the arms that they control with their hands
These warriors do not have the technology to make guns but ...
3
votes
3answers
204 views
What weapons would nanomachines use? [closed]
So, the strongest of my current characters is a happy little cloud, that's composed of nanomachines (well, not exactly nano, it's well in the micro prefix, but individual parts obviously require ...
