Guns

From SteelStorm

Guns

Further examination and development of certain Precip emplacements led the the discovery of a basic Precip defense array. The arrays essentially operated by ramming a metal dart into one end, sticking a handful of explosive powder in the other, and attaching a cap made from an exotic metal. The cap was then hit with a mallet, with sufficient concussive force that the interaction of the metals produced sparks. The sparks then ignited a primitive explosive powder, propelling the dart out of the tube - and hitting the operator with a powerful backblast if the cap was not properly secured. Examination of these arrays led to a number of alchemical experiments - the most successful of which came up with a more efficient, clean-burning explosive powder (and the least successful, which destroyed much of Forefront's southeast sector some 200 years previous). From these humble beginnings, the weapons technology known as the gun began to develop.

Magic or Technology?

However, the development of what might be known as the conventional gun was hampered somewhat - primarily by the discovery of what some claimed to be a much more efficient propellant - concentrated magic energy. What use was firing pieces of metal at an enemy, claimed some mage-alchemists, when you could instead fire packets of powerful elemental force?

This debate caused the proponents of guns to split into two camps - one which favored the more scientific approach of chemical propellants, the other using guns as a method for delivering magic without using up a mage's internal energies. (for more on this debate, see The ongoing debate between magic and technology)

Over the years, both technologies improved and increased in prominence. The chemical-propelled guns gained popularity because they were easy to use, ammunition could be cheaply made and replenished, and the guns were effective against a wide, but not comprehensive, range of monsters. However, the magic guns saw much more frequent use, because of their versatility. While not quite as easy to use, as the residual forces of the blasts caused unpleasant side effects for those who were not dedicated mages, the guns packed an immense amount of power, and some could even be loaded with multi-elemental packs that could be used against virtually any enemy. The major drawback to these types of guns, of course, was that creating ammunition for them was a tricky and dangerous process - something that could only be done by a skilled, trained mage or alchemist/scitech. As a result, ammunition for these guns became much more scarce and expensive, but remained in high demand, as the incredible power and versatility of the weapons more than made up for their price. In modern times, these two concepts were actually combined, to make a highly efficient propellant that is now used for various hevay and accurate weapons systems, with dedicated magic-energy guns used only be powerful mages and high-end mechs.

Non-Projectile Weaponry

Of course, many aspiring adventurers still eschew guns entirely, instead opting to use the traditional weapons that have always enjoyed popular acclaim throughout Legend. A large amount of the original, timeless weapons still exist, and are used to good effect to this day, although they are in some cases less useful against some of the more evolved strains of monsters. Still, they remain the most effective devices against the armies of the undead and certain specialized creatures, who manage to shrug off projectiles with relative ease. Of course, even these weapons have not been ignored by the latest wave of technology, and plenty of magiscience-enhanced weapons are currently available, usually fairly inexpensively.