How Powerful Are Aether Shock Cannons?

[Exhack]

There's been an issue of inconsistent portrayal and I have the distinct feeling that the current DR system doesn't represent their in-character offensive power (and vice versa), and there has been some argument over how powerful they actually are.

Ultimately, the question boils down to a simpler one.

Do they still destroy planets after the retcons to the setting that were moving away from small vessels being system-destroying superweapons?

 

[Zack]

Even with the small ASC that Toshiro is proposing with a 300,000km range and a 30 degree arc, it would have a base radius of 80,384km. Earth has a radius of 12,756km so it would easily fit entirely inside of the area of effect.

The ASC works by creating an aether shock wave which releases aether potentials at every point along the distance the wave travels. The wave can also only be stopped by anti-gravity. This means the wave is just as deadly throughout its rage and doesn't loose power when it passes through something like a planet.

This means that if the ASC has enough power to kill a human, then it has enough power to kill a human anywhere in its area of effect. Sense earth can fit entirely inside its area of effect it can kill everyone on earth.

Naturally the ASC is a bit stronger than that, has greater range, ect, so yes it can easily end all life on a planet and render it uninhabitable for quite some time even though it might not be able to deathstar a planet into dust.

 

[Wes]

Hmm, I never thought about it that way. Luckily almost all planets of importance have shield systems, and OOCly they're protected by the "GMs need to work major stuff out in the GM forum first" rule.

Basically, aether shock cannons do SDR 5. It seems low to me considering their old "total annihilation effect" but that's the max the DR system will give them, and one-shot kills on player ships aren't a good thing.

Of course, within his plot a GM has discretion on how to describe the effects.

 

[Toshiro]

The Yui 7 has been approved with a new 30 degree "wide mode" of 308 km -- giving it a maximum 25.6 km diameter blast at that range. Sufficient for relatively close range ship combat, and giving it the ability to take care of most pods that get too close -- especially unshielded ones.

The volume of both modes of fire is equal -- roughly 53,000 km^3.