Assan Pyrohydra Volley Gun
Model: Assan Aeroplane Company Pyrohydra Flintlock Volley Gun
Type: Black Powder Volley Gun
Skill: Archaic guns: Black powder volley gun
Ammo: 1
Cost: 300, ammo 5
Availability: 2
Range: 1-5/10/30
Damage: 6D/5D/4D (Damage corresponds to range)
Game notes: Hits everyone in a 30 degree arc with a successful attack, though they may dodge as usual. Targets in close range receive a -1d penalty to dodge. Due to immense recoil, the firer suffers 4d damage (armor protects normally). Loading a double charge results in +1d to damage rolls for the weapon, but +2d damage to the user. Any heavier charge will destroy the gun.
Description: The Assan Aeroplane Company viewed deck-clearing blasters and stunners as excellent weapons in the fight against piracy, but due to the restrictive laws concerning their ownership, these weapons were not in the hands of legitimate spacers where they needed to be.
As archaic weapons were not nearly as restricted, Assan's engineers recreated an archaic volley gun intended for much the same purpose of fending off boarding parties. The Pyrohydra is a black powder flintlock weapon featuring 7 barrels (six barrels arranged about a central 7th one) that fire simultaneously, each barrel firing a buck and ball load producing a tremendous amount of lead going downrange over an area. While the Pyrohydra's area of effect is not as great as a deckclearing blaster, its longer range somewhat compensates, and the huge amount of noise, smoke and flame is quite intimidating.
Unfortunately the weapon kicks like a bantha, and has been known to literally snap a man in half killing the wielder, with numerous broken or dislocated shoulders as well. The Pyrohydra also takes 4 minutes to reload after firing (and an easy Archaic guns check). If left loaded for an extended period of time it may not fire (roll 2d6, if the roll is less than the number of weeks that have passed since the gun was loaded it doesn't fire).
Assan subcontracts production of these weapons to many primitive or frontier planets, and production values vary considerably, from beautiful handcrafted weapons by individual craftsmen, to ugly things stamped out by Industrial Age assembly lines and everywhere in between. The prettier and more ornate weapons trade well and at much higher prices. When someone orders a weapon from Assan the weapons quality is based on what the next weapon they have in the warehouse is.
Pyrohydras are somewhat good sellers, being sold to bounty hunters, criminals, and ceremonial troops, and some mercenaries and free operators. They are not popular with spacers however despite that being their intended market, as most spacers dont want a weapon that needs continual reloading and may break them in half.
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