HARD-eR mg69 LIGHT REPEATING BLASTER



   Somewhere in the Outer Rim of the galaxy is a barren world, bereft of life on the surface as the planet's native species were ecimated long ago and forced to leave this world.  Under the surface of this world, newcomers built underground habitats, shielded from the harsh conditions of the surface.  With proper know-how and technical aptitude, these subsurface habitats expanded and became underground cities.  Where the original inhabitants of this world have long since fled, this planet now offers a place to live for people looking to disappear from the galaxy.  This world is called "Refuge".  It is a myth, as no one seems to know the location of it.  Only a select few know the true coordinates of Refuge, how to get there, and how to make the landing to the subsurface hanger bays without being fried by the radiation from solar flares, or the hellish particle storms that constantly scour the surface and atmosphere.  These storms rend flesh from bone in minutes, and only the most sturdy of ruins remain on the srface of the planet.

   In this hidden world within a world, many people have come to the undercities of Refuge to hide.  Many of these individuals happen to be weapon techs on the run from any number of interested parties who would like to acquire their unique skill sets for weapons design.  Some of these people, after finding a safe place to live, began work on what they do best...designing and building weapons.

   Formed step by cautious step over time, Take-A-Stand Munitions (TASM) came unto being.  With secret routes to and from Refuge, TASM began selling weapons in their part of the galaxy.  Traders representing their goods traveled and sold in places as distant as Tatooine, as infamous as Nar-Shadaa and greater Hutt Space, and as resplendent as some of the more wealthy worlds in the Expanse region, and sometimes even reaching as far as Corellia itself.  While there are always people willing to buy TASM weapons, and the arms sellers keep a consistent supply of TASM weapons and fusion cells, they never quite took on like the more reknowned arms sellers in the galaxy.

   And maybe Take-A-Stand Munitions likes it that way, despite their name hinting otherwise.

   That little history lesson out of the way, TASM's HARD-eR mh69 Light Repeating Blaster (LRB) is arguably one of their most well-selling products.  While it costs more than more common LRBs like the BlasTech T-21, it makes up for this in dealing greater overall damage, fusion cells that extend its field use without need to replenish power cells anytime soon, variants and upgrades for these fusion cells, a backpack to carry and use multiple cells, and a mod kit that can take the blaster fire of the HARD-eR LRB and convert it into a blast with explosive properties in leu of a proper grenade launcher.

   While several never-do-wells have been caught red-handed bearing these weapons in shoot-outs with Imperial forces, the weapons are always difficult to track down back to their point of origin.  Rumor has it that the Empire would like to acquire the weapons designers for their own agendas, but upon investigating this, the Empire came up with nothing but dead ends, while running into other organizations who were looking for the same thing.

   The HARD-eR LRB's name is something that leaves some people wondering why it was named that way, while others simply make the jokes one would expect from such a thing.  On occassion someone may mention that "HARD-eR" is in fact a word from a long dead language, though extinct in the greater galactic community, though if true, details on this language and its origin are very hard to find, and even the University Of Sambra with all it's vast resources of knowledge on the species of the galaxy has no clue where to start (Hmm, maybe a language from Refuge?  Story idea...).

   This LRB, while it may be pricy compared to other weapons, has saved the lives of many users who found themselves in a stand-off where all they could do was hunker down behind cover and shoot it out with an enemy.  When it comes to who's ammo and power supply lasts longer, the fusion cells of the HARD-eR mg69 almost always last longer in small scale skirmishes.  Not only does the fusion cell keep on going and going like a pink power bunny, but the HARD-eR is designed to lay down some seriously heavy firepower.  After laying down some a volley or two of blaster shots, most enemies wait a bit before looking for an opening.  All the while, the gunner with this LRB is making use of this time to recharge the capacitors and prepare for their next chance to mow down any enemies brave or dumb enough to charge their position.

   It should also be noted that, when the HARD-eR is properly kitted out with the fusion cell backpack, more fusion cells, and the explosive shot mod kit, these drawn out stand-offs do not last very long at all, usually seconds to a minute as the gunner lays down multiple explosions that destroy barricades or reach around cover.  With so much destructive power cable of being caried into combat by a single person, it's no wonder why Take-A-Stand Munitions and their vendors charge so much for the weapon and its various options...



Model: Take-A-Stand Munitions HARD-eR mg69
Type: Light repeating blaster
Scale: Character
Skill: Blasters: light repeating blasters
Ammo: Fusion cell (see below)
Cost:
-HARD-eR mg69: 3,000
-Standard Power Cell: 25 (25 shots)
-Fusion Cell (24 hour, 30 shots): 300
-Fusion Cell (24 four, 60 shots): 500
-Fusion Cell (48 hour, 30 shots): 600
-Quick Recharge Cell Upgrade: Cost x3
-Fusion Cell Backpack (x4 Cells): 400
-Explosive Shot Mod Kit: 1,500
Availability: 3, X
Fire Rate: 1
Range: 3-50/130/300
Damage:
-Single Fire: 4D (1 shot)
-Burst Fire: 5D (4 shots)
-Full Auto: 7D (10 shots)
-Explosive Shot: 6D/5D/4D
--Blast Radius: 1/2/3

GAME NOTES:

FIRE SELECT: This weapon has a fire select option.  Single Fire fires a single shot per action and does 4D damage.  Burst Fire fires 4 shots in a single action for a total of 5D damage (+3 shots = +3 pips or +1D to Damage).  Auto Fire fires 10 shots per action for 7D Damage (+9 shots = +9 pips or +3D to Damage), but also incurs a -1D to defensive actions (Dodge, melee parry, brawling parry, etc) due to having to focus on unloading so many shots.  If using multiple actions to release several Auto Fire shots in a single round, each Auto Fire attack action incurs a cumulative =1D to defensive actions (3 actions gets -3D to defensive actions, etc).  This is on top of any other penalties that may be gained in the game, such as -1D to actions from Stuns, Wounds, armor penalties, and so on.

FUSION CELLS: The HARD-eR Light Repeating Blaster is powered by a revolutionary fusion power cell.  Where normal power cells have a hard-limit finite supply of power but are relatively light and easy to carry in numbers, and fusion generators for heavy repeating blasters are cumbersome and often require a two-man team to man such weapons, the HARD-eR LRB has a power supply that fits the weapon's stature and lies somewhere between both of these.  The fusion cell is a limited micro fusion generator.  It generates power similarly to a fusion generator, as well as storing this power in a built-in energy capacitor.

The down side of this is that the fusion cell generates power slowly, and the power supply does not last forever.  With the slower power generation combined with the capacitors, the HARD-eR's power is "regenerative", as shots can be drained from the capacitors like a regular powr cell, but the micro fusion cell replenishes this power over time (5 shots per round).

Due to the limitations inherent in a micronized fusion power generation system, fusion cells do not last forever and burn out after a certain time during constant use.  Standard cells last 24 hours before bunout and have capacitors that can store 30 shots (5 more than the most common LRBs).  One enhanced version offers twice the capacitors and shots (60 shots), while another doubles the life of the fusion cell (48 hpurs).  Fusion cells can also be purchased or upgraded to have an quicker recharge time that charges x2 the number of shots per round (10 instead of 5), but at a cost of half the cell's power life (from 24hrs to 12hrs, or 48hrs to 12hrs).

Please note that fusion cells can be turned "ON" and "OFF" to conserve power life, however once a cell is burned out, it cannot be repaired, but may be able to be refurbished (manufacturer offers 1/4 original selling price for fusion cells).

[NOTE: Players and GMS, pleae keep track of how much time is left on your fusion cells]

While many question the logic of the fusion cell over standard power cells (which is possibly part of the reasons why it never caught on in the greater galactic community), the fusion cell has proven itself time and again to be preferable when in tight combat situations where a mix of heavy firepower and mobility are required.  The recharge time of a fusion cell has been looked down upon by many, but the devoted users of the HARD-eR LRB say that time needed to replace a power cell in combat can also lead to the same problems, and that the fusion cell eliminates the need to swap and reload power cells, leaving the user to only need to focus on finding cover during energy depletions to wait for recharge.

While the HARD-eR LRB is designed to use the fusion cell, it can also take galactic standard LRB power cells, and most users of the this LRB say that having some of these as backups is always handy as unlike the fusion cell, standard power cells are still reusable and rechargeable and have no limit to their life.  Both fusion cells and power cells have their uses, depending on the situation one finds themselves in.

For the technically inclined who would like to tinker with fusion cells, any and all Difficulty Levels for modifying/jurry-rigging/engineering will be +1 Difficulty Level/+5, at least (from Moderate to Difficult, etc, or 20 to 25).  This is because while the fusion cell and equipment may be designed to accomodate galactic standards in technology, the internal working of fusions cells are anything but, and are somewhat unique to their homeworld of origin.  Most technically inclined specialists and species do not deal with them very often, as galactic standard power cells and fusion generators are more plentiful.  Never the less, many a soldier and bounty hunter have found themselves in plenty of situations where their power cells run out of juice during non-stop combat, and find themselves wishing they had the advantage of a fusion cell equipped blaster weapon.

FUSION CELL BACK PACK:  When one fusion cell just isn't enough, Take-A-Stand Munitions offers the Fusion Cell Backpack.  Able to hold up to four fusion cells in spacially designed slots, each slot has a cover for each cell to protect them from damage, with power feeds that link to two power outlets at the bottom sides of the backpack.  The backpack comes with a single power cable to connect to one of these slots (users choice of preference), though spare cables are available (10 credits).

With more than one fusion cell equipped to the backpack, the user has access to power option selector switches on the pack.  These allow them to: use one cell at a time, swapping to another as one burns out, greatly extending their time in the field; use two or more cells at the same time, gaining access to their capacitors as one unified power feed (4x 30 shot cells = 120 shots, 4x 60 shot cells = 240 shots), though this does not extend their power life.

EXPLOSIVE SHOT MOD KIT: While the HARD-eR delivers devastating firepower for a weapon of its size, the fact is that it's casing and other hardware, upon closer inspection, seem built to handle more power than what it common uses.  The Explosive Shot Mod Kit is built to take advantage of this.  When the kit is properly applied to modify the HARD-eR mg69 LRB (Blaster Repair skill roll, Moderate Dissiculty, requires proper tool kit), the weapon is then able to take the charge of a full auto blast (10 shots), and launch this energy as a single blast that disperses it's energy upon impact with explosive force.  This mod is similar to field modifications seen in many models of blaster weapon dating back to the Clone Wars, if not further back (Star Wars Battlefront II 2017).