Offensive Aerosol

     Notes: This is a general category for offensive aerosol dispensers of several sizes and liquids or gases.  They are sometimes used in assassinations or to incapacitate or kill several persons in a small, discrete area in a short time.

     Personal sprayers are used to kill or incapacitate one or two persons in a small area such as standing or sitting next to each other.  Such sprayers are small and may be disguised as a perfume or cologne sprayer.  These sprayers produce a 50-250-millimeter-wide cloud and have such localized effects that the person spraying them is in little danger of being harmed by his own sprayer if employed properly.  They contain enough liquid to allow four shots per sprayer. Each blast has the full effects of a standard agent of whatever type is being sprayed, though withstanding such an attack is one level more difficult. Such a sprayer, loaded with the nerve agent Novichok, was used to assassinate the Russian double agents Sergei and Yulia Skripal in England in March of 2018.

     Small Sprayers are about the size of a can of Lysol, and may spray in a stream or a cloud (not both).  If sprayed in a stream, they directly affect one target with the effects of the appropriate chemical agent. These affect the target hit directly at one level greater than a standard chemical agent attack, and those within one meter with normal strength. If sprayed in a cloud, the user must wear a protective mask or possibly a MOPP suit (depending on the agent used) to avoid being poisoned by his own chemical agent.  The cloud is 2 meters wide and affects all within normally. Small Sprayers contain 7 shots of chemical agent, or seven seconds of continuous spraying.

     Medium Sprayers are about the size of a can of turpentine, and many are indeed such cans, filled with chemical agent.  They differ primarily in having spraying spigots attached to the dispensing holes. The stream forms a mist in a 60-degree cone 2 meters long, but it will cloud up somewhat, and the user will need to wear a protective mask or possibly a MOPP suit (depending on the agent used) to avoid being poisoned by his own chemical agent.  5d6 seconds phases after spraying, the dispensed chemical agent will form a cloud 2 meters wide; this will dissipate after 3d6 minutes, though items sprayed may retain the chemical agent for up to 1d6 hours, causing local effects. The chemical agent in the can is sufficient for 1d6+4 minutes of spraying. The Medium Sprayer was used in the movie The Wild Geese to dispense with most of the Simba battalion at the prison in their sleep at the beginning of the Geese’s raid.

     Large sprayers are similar to agricultural insect sprayers, with a tank carried on the back or slung over a shoulder and a wand used to dispense the chemical agent.  The tank carries enough agent for a 2d6+2 minutes of continuous spraying and forms a stream of a 60-degree cone, four meters long. 5d6 seconds after spraying, the area sprayed will give rise to a cloud 3 meters wide, affecting all with the chemical agent sprayed.  This cloud will dissipate after 4d6 minutes, though items sprayed may retain the chemical agent for up to 1d6 hours, causing local effects. The user will need to wear a protective mask or possibly a MOPP suit (depending on the agent used) to avoid being poisoned by his own chemical agent.

*The damage and effects depend upon the agent used.

**This is also the maximum range.

***Shots may be made at up to double this range, but are treated as at long range.

Paint Pistol/Capsaicin Paint Pellets 

     Notes:  Custom-made pellets filled with 5% capsaicin solution. They are designed to be fired out of a standard .68-caliber paint pellet pistol of the sort used in paintball wargames.  Anyone in the same two meter square as an impact is attacked and must follow the irritant gas rules in Twilight: 2000.  If a person is actually hit by a pellet, he makes a DIF: Constitution roll rather than following the irritant gas rules.  Failure means that he suffers standard irritant effects. 

*Damage varies according to the ammunition. Normal paint pellets will not cause damage other than a welt or possibly an injured eye if they strike there.  The effects of capsaicin-laced pellets are described above.

“Pen” Gun

     Notes:  This is a representative of a large variety of emergency firearms made in the shape of a pen, such as the US SS-1 Stinger distributed by the OSS during WWII and the CIA during the Vietnam War. Similar weapons have also been made in the shape of cigarettes, cigars, penlights, cigarette packs, etc. Though some can be readily reloaded, others must be disassembled to be reloaded. Some of these weapons can actually be used as a pen, and a few can be fitted within a silencer. '”Pen” guns are typically airdropped to resistance forces in cases containing hundreds. They are also popular within special forces. “Pen” guns are very inaccurate, but always a great surprise. 

Personal Defense Aerosol

     Notes: These have been marketed extensively to civilians and police forces in the United States, but civilian sales have been prohibited in other Western nation such as Canada. Normally, the filler is CS or CN aerosol, but it can also be 1% capsaicin, a cayenne pepper derivative.  All fillers act as per irritant gas rules in Twilight: 2000.  A special 5% capsaicin solution is sold only law enforcement personnel, and the irritant gas rules are modified for this by making the Constitution roll at: DIF level.  Hitting is accomplished according to standard direct-fire rules, with the total range being limited to 10 meters. The spray contaminates any surface it hits, but disperses within 10 minutes.

     Some nefarious users may spray a stream of other chemical agents.  These affect the target and those within 1 meter as the appropriate chemical agent.

Stun Gun 

     Notes: A pistol-sized weapon used to stun rather than kill, the stun gun fires two small darts and two lengths of light wire into the target, then administers an electric shock. It doesn't always succeed in stunning the victim. With a successful hit anywhere on the target, that character immediately loses two Initiative levels and must roll versus his Constitution to stay conscious.  Failure means the target loses consciousness for six phases (30 seconds). Reloading the stun gun consists of removing the expended dart package and loading a new one. The dart package contains a charged battery, darts, three meters of fine wire and a compressed gas cylinder to propel the darts. 

*Damage is special and is described above.

**This is also the maximum range, limited by the length of the wire.

Super Shock Taser (Stun Gun)

     Notes:  A pistol-sized weapon used to stun rather than kill, the stun gun fires two small darts and two lengths of light wire into the target, then administers a heavy electric shock (100,000 volts).  With a successful hit anywhere on the target, that character immediately losses three Initiative levels and must roll versus 1/2 his Constitution to stay conscious.  Failure means the target loses consciousness for eight phases (40 seconds).  Reloading the Super Shock Taser consists of removing the expended dart package and loading a new one.  The dart package contains a charged battery, darts, four meters of fine wire and a compressed gas cylinder to propel the darts. 

*Damage is special and is described above.

**This is also the maximum range, limited by the length of the wire.

Tranquilizer Gun 

     Notes:  A specially made weapon designed to fire hypodermic darts containing a tranquilizer or other drug by means of compressed CO2 cartridges. These were designed originally for administering drugs to dangerous animals, but the merc industry soon adopted them for its own purposes.

     A hit in any part of the body will be effective eventually, but some areas give faster results than others. Head hits result in instant unconsciousness. Chest and abdomen hits result in unconsciousness after 1D6+2 phases (five to 15 seconds).  An arm hit requires the target to roll his Constitution or less on 1D10 to stay awake each phase. The drug will take effect even if the dart is removed immediately. Animals such as guard dogs will be rendered instantly unconscious from any hit (since their smaller body weight allows the drug to take effect faster). Tranquilizer guns count as medical equipment for contact assistance. 

*Damage is special and is described above.

Tranquilizer Pistol

     Notes:  The tranquilizer pistol uses the same 15mm dart cartridges as the tranquilizer gun. It is quite silent, making less noise than a bow.

     Animals larger than people are less affected by man-sized drug loads. An animal two to four times the mass of a human suffers only a -1 to Initiative for 1D6 minutes from a normal drug load if it succeeds at an Average: Constitution roll; otherwise, it takes 1D6 combat phases (five to 30 seconds) to go unconscious. Larger animals (over 400 kilograms) suffer the -1 Initiative for 1D6 minutes if they fail at an Average: Constitution roll. 

*Damage is special and is described above.