Personal Weapons

A personal weapon is a weapon that can be carried and employed by a single person, although its use may be restricted to specialist members of attack or defense teams. Some larger personal weapons may usually be operated by two man teams, an aimer and a loader.

Blades

Antique Painblade

This antique weapon is the traditional precursor to the modern day's Painblade. In ancient times, Jin-Mei soldiers riding to the field used to plunge their swords into filth, in the well-founded expectation that the wounds they inflicted would cause infection and rot. This nasty tactic was given new life when royal technicians (in those days referred to as Nuyin, something akin to "wizards") developed a blade whose surface, when unsheathed, swiftly attracted and encouraged bacterial growth, giving life to all kinds of deadly filth.[1]

Plasma based weapons

Plasma Rifle

An automatic charge-firing rifle. Charge munitions are typically composed of lead and use a cyclotronic firing mechanism. All variants project magnetic containment bottles up to their targets for the plasma to travel in. Because of this, plasma rifles do not have long ranges, make inadequate sniping rifles, and are extremely vulnerable to EMP countermeasures. These are power-intensive weapons. First generation rifles required separate battery and ammunition clips to operate; second generation rifles recycle the energy used in the solid-state-to-plasma conversion to power the magnetic bottle projection. These weapons are produced by Caldari and Gallentean arms manufacturers.[2]

Models

• Gistii-10: Charge-firing handheld sidearm. Fires plasma rounds only, lethal at close range, inaccurate and ineffective at long range. Not a discreet weapon, but ideal for fighting in close quarters.[3]
• Pithum-2 Automatic: Caldari-Gallente War era charge-firing sidearm.[4]

Laser based weapons

These weapons emit coherent beams of light to damage their target. However, they require enormous amounts of energy, so a personal-based application is a little tricky. Some laser weapons have an integral power supply but are not very powerfull and thus largely insufficient for engaging targets in heavy bodyarmor. Other types, especially military rifles, use an external miniature reactor strapped to the users back and can provide excellent firepower with extraordinary accuracy. On a side note, lasers do not require ammunition, only energy, and thus ease the logistic burden of ground forces. Handheld laser weapons are predominantly used by the Amarr and the Khanid Kingdom.

Projectile based weapons

These weapons are primitive in comparison to plasma or laser firearms. However they work pretty well nonetheless. Modern variants can switch between different types of ammo, have large ammo capacities to support sustained automatic fire and are gyrostabilized to control recoil. Simpler variants are cheap and difficult to pick up on scanners since they have no energy signature. Some projectile based weapons are also capable of functioning in an area effected by an EMP blast because they lack electronic components. A completely different kind of projectile based weapons are railguns. They are a little less common in handheld applications, because handheld models usually lack the calibre to be able to fire grenades containing a plasma charge. This plasma charge is an important part of the firepower of larger starship railguns. However they posses good accuracy and range and are thus used for sniper applications. Low-powered electromagnetic accelerators are also used to chuck large calibre grenades. One advantage of railguns is their penetration - allowing them to pierce astounding amounts of armor.

Grenades

Multispectral Grenade

A grenade whose function and impact level is chosen upon activation. Like starship weapons, it has four main damage types: kinetic, thermal, electromagnetic and explosive. In order, these cause shockwaves, fires, electric disruptions and classic, big ol' bangs. A fifth damage type, optical, distorts light and seriously disorients anyone whose optic nerves pick up the signals. The different levels of multispectral grenades mean that they can be used variously to slow down pursuers, create momentary distractions, cause intense damage to people and machines, or even kill anyone in the vicinity.[5]

Non-lethal Weaponry

Traditionally designed to incapactitate an enemy without killing him. Also covers restraints.

Null Crown

A brace worn around the head which incapacitates motor skills and physical movement below the neck by using neurologically-tuned, modulated electromagnetic pulses. Victims in this "null state" are aware of their surroundings but are paralyzed. Movement and sensation return after the device is removed, but permanent damage is possible if left in this state for extended periods of time. [6]

Stun Cuffs

Handcuffs that emit a modulated electromagnetic pulse which disrupts neurological activity at the point of contact, specifically the wrists. Victims are unable to move their hands or forearms.[7]

Z-Stick

A small, concealable, pointer-like weapon that induces a paralyzing, electro-chemical burst of nerve agents when placed into contact with human skin. Works best when placed near the base of the spine. The pain and paralysis disappear as soon as the object is removed. [8]

Stun Baton

A larger, heavier version of the Z-Stick that delivers a crippling shock when placed into contact with human skin. Unlike the Z, the effects last long after physical contact with the device ceases. Can penetrate light clothing, but is ineffective against body armor. Also doubles as a blunt trauma delivery weapon. [9]

Spoke Bombs

Used in rescue operations. Supercompressed constructs of interconnected tritanium pins encased in an isolated chamber, with a small discharger set at their center. When a Spoke ruptures and the tritanium comes into contact with air (or the encased backup pocked of oxygen contained within the bomb), it expands violently, blowing away anything in its immediate vicinity. The tritanium spokes click into place and form a complex prismic polyhedron, similar to a hubless wheel. The spokes are perfectly balanced, and effectively create a hole in a wall through which a person can pass. It should be noted that they are not biased in operation, and will not distinguish between a hole created in a wall, a crumbling piece of metal wreckage, or someone's torso.[10]