Naboo Utility Blasters
Earlier in this chapter, I mentioned that some of the technological applications on Naboo might, in some ways, refelct the state of technology in the Prequel-Era galaxy as a whole. The Naboo "utility blasters," as I call them, are one such example.
Blasters are powered by small energy cells called power packs; this is common knowledge. What may not be known to some is that the bolts fired by a blaster are not composed of pure energy...rather, the energy output of the power cell serves to superheat and propel coherent matter also stored in the power pack, albeit in a separate container. This coherent matter is often referred to as "blaster gas". Tibana gas, as mined on Bespin in the Cloud City facility, is one such type of blaster gas, although prothium gas from the Killaniri system is also quite popular with manufacturers. The Wookiee bowcaster, on the other hand, uses energy to propel an explosive quarrel without the use of blaster gas.
What is interesting about this is that, as we see in Episode I, blaster gas has other applications as well: attachments can be affixed to certain types of weapons that allow the user to fire alternate types of projectiles for utilitarian purposes, such as the Naboo heavy blaster pistols, which are equipped with grappling lines and climbing reels. The mechanics of this are really quite simple...a smaller burst of power is generated by the optional attachment (just enough to propel the agitated coherent gas), which can launch a device that isn't designed for attack purposes (a Wookiee bowcaster, however, uses a standard charge; thus, the projectile is hurled at lethal speeds and cocooned in energy, enhancing its explosiveness and range). Still using the Naboo heavy blaster pistol as an example, the energy not used by the low-energy shot is then funneled into the reeling system for drawing the user up the grappling line (although, over enough distance, the energy usage would obviously be greater than that of a single blaster bolt).
The Prequel-Era, despite its problems, is still the tail-end of an age of relative peace...with entire sectors having been free of large-scale violence for many years, planets all over the galaxy may very well use blasters modified for utilitarian purposes on a daily basis.
Obviously, items of this nature would require very precise craftsmanship, and as such be more expensive than a normal blaster, but this is an era of wealth. In the days of the Empire and beyond, a manufacturer would be taking a serious risk by offering a high-end cost profile weapon, but in this "civilized" era, such a versatile tool would be considered worth the expense by the consumer. This value is compounded when you ake a moment to think of just what sorts of attachments could be fabricated:
*Grappling systems (ala the Naboo example)*
*Launchers for collapsible-framed nets, useful for law-enforcement or bounty-hunting*
*Emergency signal flare launchers with enough range to clear massive trees (Endor, Kashyyyk, Naboo, Dagobah) and other obstructions (rock formations, etc.)*
*Paint-packet bursters for marking emergency landing zones or signalling for aerial rescue (as per the tarpel guns of Frank Herbert's Dune)*
*Dart launchers offering a near-silent offensive option (for that matter, the darts themselves could be of a variety, ranging from tranquilizers to poisons to tracking devices!)*
...and potentially a great many more that your humble Webmaster just hasn't had a chance to dream up yet.
Yes, this is all original thought on my part...but it's reasonable thought, based on information from official sources (specifically, several of the Star Wars novels). We've known how blasters worked for years, and after seeing Episode I, the mechanics of this idea are rather self-evident. The social climate could very conceivably be interpreted to allow for this sort of technological application to be commonplace. Besides...like I said: we've already seen it in the movie!
I have taken the liberty of whipping up some game data for these utility blasters...enjoy. Feel free to use as much or as little of this information as you see fit; none of the data presented elsewhere in this Sourcebook is dependent upon any of this information, so you aren't being forced in any way to use any of this just because you want to use something else. It is, after all, your campaign.
Utility Blaster game data
Want to give it a try, eh? Well, here are some guidelines to run by while you check out this very fun concept.
First, there is cost to consider...a good rule of thumb: Each special attachment on the weapon adds 50% of the weapon's original cost onto the current total cost of the weapon. In other words, a heavy blaster pistol that costs 750 credits "stock" has an additional cost of 325 credits for each special attachment (Ex. That same heavy blaster pistol with a dart launcher and a grappling line system will cost a total of 1500 credits...steep, but useful!).
Weapons have to be fairly stout of frame to handle these sorts of modifications...I suggest allowing these mods only on heavy blaster pistols, blaster rifles, and blaster carbines.
Ammo consumption is a definite issue. I find that it is most fair to have a separate guideline for ammo consumption for each type of gadget: Simple attachments (dart launchers, paint markers, flare launchers) use 1 shot of ammo; grappling line systems cost 1 shot to fire, but cost 2 shots per 10 meters reeled in PER person using the line (Ex. Two humans using the line to travel 30 m would expend 12 shots, plus 1 for firing the line in the first place); large projectiles like collapsible net assemblies cost 3 shots to fire, and 2 hots per 10 meters reeled in if the device is so equipped (using the same guidelines as the grappling system).
Common devices would include dart launchers (tranquilizers, tracking devices, poison) for silent operations,grappling lines with reeling systems, emergency flare or paint canister launchers, collapsible nets, sticky foam nozzles, gyrojet projectiles, and so on. Calculating the specific game effects and/or damage of each one in your campaign is up to you, since I wouldn't want to suggest anything that would upset the balance in your campaign.