GURPS Non-Lethal Weapons (TL 7)

Version 1.11

The U.S. Department of Defense defined Non-Lethal Weapons in 1995 with the following words: "Non-lethal weapons are weapons systems that are explicitly designed and primarily employed so as to incapacitate personnel or material, while minimizing fatalities, permanent injury to personnel, and undesired damage to property and the environment. (...) Non-lethal weapons will not be required to have a zero probability of producing fatalities or permanent injuries. However, while complete avoidance of these effects is not guaranteed or expected, when properly employed, non-lethal weapons should significantly reduce them as compared with physically destroying the same target."
This article deals with the following examples of non-lethal weapons for GURPS: Electrical Stunners, Spray Weapons and the Strobe Flashlight.

Electrical Stunners

Ranged stunners and hand stunners are electronic incapacitation devices that use he same rules regarding damage: The victim must make a HT-4 roll to avoid being stunned; if stunned the victim remains stunned for as long as the weapon is in contact, and (20-HT) seconds longer. If the victim makes the HT-4 roll he is not stunned. A critical failure indicates the victims heart has stopped: his HT goes to 0 immediately, he passes out and will die in HT/3 minutes unless he receives CPR, which requires a First Aid-4 or Physician roll. The electrical current (300,000 volt) might trigger a coronary attack in someone with a bad heart (HT+4 roll to avoid this), and will certainly do so if the victim has a pace-maker.
 

Ranged Stunner

Airtaser
Weapon Malf Type Damage SS Acc 1/2D Max Wt. RoF Shots ST Rcl Cost LC  Holdout
Stunner Crit. Spcl Spcl 14 2 10 10 2 1/10 1 8 -1 150 5 -1
The weapon is a.k.a. Taser or Air Taser. It utilizes compressed air to shoot two small darts at an attacker. These darts are connected by wire back to the handheld power handel. An electric surge is automatically transmitted along the wires to the body of the assailant. Use the Guns [Taser] skill. The Taser fires two darts simultaneously. The victim takes 1 HT damage from the darts (p. HT97, CII138).

Hand Stunner

Weapon Type Damage Reach ST Wt. Cost LC  Holdout
Hand Stunner Spcl Spcl C,1 - 0.5 50 5 +0
Note: Contact weapon; works through ordinary clothing but not through any DR. If the victim resists the attacker can try another attack on his next turn. The weapon is a.k.a. Stun Gun. Use DX+3 or any unarmed combat skill (e.g. Brawling or Karate) +3 to hit. For more on electrical stunners and the effects of electricity on humans see p. HT97, and p. CII138.

Spray Weapons

These weapons spray jets of liquid, gas or foam. They use the Guns [Flamethrower] skill; Default is DX-4. Use the rules for Aiming Successive Groups (p. B121, CII67), adding the Accuracy after the first shot and aiming bonuses after that. There is no range given for 1/2D since neither Accuracy nor Damage drop significantly within the short effective range of the sprays mentioned here.

CS Spray Gun

Weapon Malf Type Damage SS Acc Max Wt. RoF Shots ST Rcl Cost LC  Holdout
CS Spray Gun Crit. Spcl Spcl 9 1 2 1 1 10 - 0 50 6 +1
Note: CS is a "tear gas" (see p. B132), or rather, to be precise, a cloud of irritating smoke. The rapid spreading of the cloud gives +2 to skill. The cloud will last for 10 seconds. The victim has to roll each round vs. HT (GMs may assign negative modifiers of -1 to -4 for heavy breathing as a result of physical exertion or stress). A failed roll means 1 point of damage and another roll vs. Will, modified by -1 for each point of damage already taken by the gas. Failure means coughing, tightness of the chest, and panic (deadly fear of suffocation). A critical failure means 1d damage to the lungs; if taking more than HT damage the lungs are scorched and the victim will suffocate as per p. B122. Tear gas is also a contact agent to the eyes and mucous membranes. The victim has to roll vs. HT-2 to resist if CS is sprayed in or near his eyes. A failed roll means he is partially blinded (-5 on DX) for 3d seconds and his eyes hurt intensely: -4 to IQ to think clearly. A critical failure means involuntarily closing of the eyes (-10 on DX) for 6d seconds. Recovery takes at least 10 minutes in fresh air. Fresh water is needed for the eyes. For more on Spray Guns see p. UTT67.

Pepper Spray

Weapon Malf Type Damage SS Acc Max Wt. RoF Shots ST Rcl Cost LC  Holdout
Pepper Spray Crit. Spcl Spcl 9 1 4 1 1 10 - 0 40 5 +1
Using Oleoresin Capsicum ("OC"), an inflammatory agent, the pepper spray does only 1 HT damage to the eyes, but the victim is blinded and in pain (-10 to combat skills) for 5 minutes if a roll against HT-4 is failed. If the roll is made the victim is blinded and in pain (-5 to DX) for only 3d seconds. The GM rolls in secret (the victim shouldn't know how long he will be blinded). If inhaled the effects are very similar to CS including the risk of death (sorry, but that is the grim truth and it happened several times). In addition to other effects this attack causes intense pain: roll at -4 to IQ to think clearly, and subtract -5 from DX unless a will roll is made. Pepper spray is not volatile and is not giving of fumes like tear gas. The spray contains an ultraviolet die for identification of sprayed individuals. Recovery takes about 45 minutes in fresh air. Fresh water is needed for the eyes. Unlike mace (CN) and tear gas (CS), pepper spray is usually more effective on people who are drunk, on drugs, or mentally disturbed.

Gas Pistol

Weapon Malf Type Damage SS Acc 1/2D Max Wt. RoF Shots ST Rcl Cost LC  Holdout
U.D.A.R. 16 Spcl Spcl 10 1 - 5 0.4 1 5 6 -1 10 5 0
Note: The UDAR is a light-weight plastic non-lethal self-defense tool made by the Soviet State Arsenals and designed to deliver fluid CS or OC (pepper spray). The weapon holds 5 specially designed cartridges. These are similar to a shotgun shell, but use a primer to fire a piston which ejects the liquid at the assailant. This is a fairly quiet weapon, as well as one with a longer range than typical CS sprayers. Water filled training cartridges are also available. The effects of a hit are very similar to a hit by the CS or pepper spray guns, depending on the used cartridges.

 

Strobe Flashlight

A very bright pulsing electronic flashlight, used to dazzle and temporarily blind. More effective at night. Requires a roll vs. HT-2 every second for anyone within 10y looking in the direction of the strobe flashlight or the person is blinded for 1d minutes. Add +2 over 10y, +5 for sunglasses; +4 at daylight or similar bright conditions. The strobe flashlight may - under extremely rare conditions - cause an epileptic fit like that described for Epilepsy on p. B28; roll against HT, a 17+ indicates a seizure. Characters suffering from the Epilepsy disadvantage have to roll against HT-2 and any failure results in a seizure. 1 lb., $100.

Note: This "weapon", mentioned in an article of "Jane's Defence Weekly", is much more humane (and compact) than so-called dazzle or "glare" lasers (p. UTT56), which are carrying the distinct risk of damaging the victims eyes permanently. Blinding antipersonnel battlefield laser weapons are a reality today and laser eye protection is an issue of growing importance. Blinding laser weapons are known to have been developed by the Russians and the Chinese, and proliferation is a big concern.


Copyright © 1999 by Christoph Sticherling. GURPS is copyright © of Steve Jackson Games.
Thanks to Christoph Sticherling for allowing me to post his page on my page.