Mechanik’s Union

The effective use of the Kommando squads on the battlefields of Immoren sparked a flurry of new devices to be rushed into dedicated military use. Along with flame projectors, mist engines and other weapons of war from the Llaelese workshops; methods of quick insertion have also been seen in the field. The Gaseous Translocation Apparatus is more of a designation that an actual title, as no official blueprints have yet found their way onto the black market. However it is an apt description of its use. It resembles a blunderbuss, with a large funnel-like barrel feeding into a mass of copper piping and a pressurized tank. Gutta Percha hoses feed back under the right arm to a backpack mounted steam plant.

When the secondary mechanikal trigger is activated, the convergence engine built into the weighty launcher target one willing subject the apparatus is pointed toward and causes them and their gear to discorporate into a faintly green gas as per the spell ‘gaseous form‘ (Cl6). The pneumatic vacuum that is activated at the same time, sucks in the gas cloud and stores it within one of the three ammunition spheres. These are lightweight glass spheres bound in copper, with a single pressure valve at their apex. It can store up to three of these sphere in its ammo rack at a time, and once stored in gaseous form the subjects can remain their for 12 minutes before returning to their original form.  Should this happen within the weapon, it is destroyed and the subjects take 1d6 damage. Reloading a rack of three valves is a standard action which requires a Craft: steam engines check (DC 10).  In addition to storing the subjects in this form, the engine also conveys the benefits of the spell ‘mage armor‘ upon each sphere, which protects it in firing and impact from shattering. This whole process draws 3 charges from a connected accumulator per use.

Pulling the trigger will cause a single sphere to be launched via pneumatic pressure towards a target. On landing it is treated as a random grenade-like effect. After firing the pressure valve is disconnected from the system, and the subject in gaseous form can exit the sphere at any time. In this way, heavily armed and armored agents are delivered into secure locations quickly and quietly.  It has been rumored that larger ‘cluster bomb’ versions of these devices are being quietly developed by Khadoran interests in occupied Llaeh for use in their impressive siege artillery, but nothing has yet been proved definitely on that mark.

Pneumatic Launcher:-

* Damage: 1d4
* Range: 50ft
* Critical: x2
* Ammo: 3 glass containers (5gp per container)
* Reload:  1 standard action (craft: steam engines DC 5)
* Pressure: The compression chamber must be fed by a working boiler or steam plant, it takes 1 full round to store enough pressure for 1 shot. The chamber can hold 2 rounds worth of pressure (2 shots). Shots taken with half the necessary pressure, reduce range and damage done by half.
* Weight: 43lb. [encumbering: requires two handed use]
* Cost: 11677gp
* Special: Dispersing [As a full round action, the gun can cause one willing subject to assume gaseous form as per the spell at CL 6. The subject of the effect is then drawn into one of the glass containers via a vacuum effect and stored there. The second iteration applies the effects of mage armor at CL 1 onto the container. ]