Standard Weapons for Power armors

[phacon]

So I am thinking about taking some of the challenges that Kai and Uso posted; however, their are a couple of things I don't know about power armors especially weapons.

First what is the Standard weapon(s) typically on most power armors?
To be more specific what is the standard weapon(s) on a Mindy and other Yamatain power armors?
What about Nepleslian mechs. What is the standard weapon(s) typically found on a Nepleslian mech.

Basically I am trying to figure out the power armor equivalent of a pistol.

Great range and accuracy but low fire power?

 

[Fred]

x_x I think you mostly answered your own question, Phacon.

The most common power armor weapon is the 'rifle'. A pistol would probably perform less well than a rifle.

I'm unwilling to say more. Sincerely, I think you should just go on the wiki and do the research yourself. The Mindy II, Daisy, Hostile and Aggressor are easy to look up on the SARPwiki.

 

[Zack]

The primary weapon of Nepleslian power armors is this: https://wiki.stararmy.com/doku.php?id=nepleslia:hpar . Because power armors are essentially walking tanks, they need to carry portable anti-tank weapons to handle other power armored threats.

Secondary weapon systems are usually built into the power armor's themselves in the form of machinepistols, lasers, missiles, and other weapons that can be fired quickly without getting in the way of what power armors are doing at the time.

Range, Accuracy, and Firepower have less to do with it than the purpose of the weapon being there. Try not to make just another gun and instead go for something that will be used.

 

[phacon]

The primary weapon of Nepleslian power armors is this: https://wiki.stararmy.com/doku.php?id=nepleslia:hpar . Because power armors are essentially walking tanks, they need to carry portable anti-tank weapons to handle other power armored threats.

Secondary weapon systems are usually built into the power armor's themselves in the form of machinepistols, lasers, missiles, and other weapons that can be fired quickly without getting in the way of what power armors are doing at the time.

Range, Accuracy, and Firepower have less to do with it than the purpose of the weapon being there. Try not to make just another gun and instead go for something that will be used.

oh so
1) The main weapon of a PA is always a rifle and/or antitank weapon
2) missles, machine-pistols, lasers are secondary weapons
3) Weapons stats are defined by how it will be used; always make a weapons so that it has a use.

So the speaking of machinepistols Plasma Chaingun Turret would be a primary weapon but the Plasma Autocannon, Forearm Grenade Launder, and Bulldog Rapid Fire Mass Driver are secondary weapons. Right?

Ok so next question about stats:
https://wiki.stararmy.com/doku.php?id=stararmy:lasr

    *Purpose: Anti-personnel, anti-armor.
    *Damage: Medium. ADR 3.
    *Range: Up to 4,000 meters (max 13,000 m in atmosphere).
    *Rate of Fire: Semi-auto, 3 round burst, or full auto at 900 rounds/min.
    *Payload: 100 round magazine (or 200 round large magazine). Rounds may be ball (common), hollow-point (less common), armor piercing (less common), tracers, or dummy rounds for training.

https://wiki.stararmy.com/doku.php?id=stararmy:ke-m2-w2909_accelerated_plasma_rifle

    *Purpose: Anti-Mecha
    *Damage: Moderate to Heavy. Plasma is moderately effective against shields and will at the very least ablate enemy armor if not melt it. Damage to unshielded and unarmored targets is extreme.
    *Range: 2.5 kilometers in atmosphere. 2,500 kilometers in space.
    *Rate of Fire (Beam): 1 shot/sec sustained. 2 shots/sec maximum (can damage weapon).
    *Payload: Effectively unlimited when properly attached to the Power Armor. At any given time, the suit produces enough plasma for 50 blasts. Once all plasma is used, it can take up to a full minute to build back up. Does not recharge when not attached to the power armor.

https://wiki.stararmy.com/doku.php?id=stararmy:ke-m2-w2901_aether_beam_saber-rifle

    *Purpose: Anti-starship surgical Attacks, Hull cutting tool.
    *Damage: ADR 5
    *Range: Up to 294,000 miles (473,177 km). 7 feet (2.13m) for sword.
    *Rate of Fire (Beam): Three three-second blasts every 15 seconds. Sword can be constantly sustained.
    *Rate of Fire (Rapid Pulse): 9 Pulses per second (Automatic). Note: Effective on targets such as fighters.
    *Payload: Effectively unlimited when properly attached to the Mindy power armor (whom can connect the power cable to the side of each forearm - it will, however, have a hard time charging its forearm weapons while power is fed to the W2901). Free-floating 2901 rifles rely on a battery magazine (BU-M20) which holds enough power for twenty three-second shots, one full minute seconds of cumulative activity in sword mode or the same time in rapid pulse mode.

So like Fred suggested, I tried looking up some primary weapons. These are all primary weapons right?

What are the main differences between these weapons? When should you use one over the other? At first I thought the answer was obvious in that one was Anti-Mech while the other was Anti-Starship. However, when I looked at the ranges I wasn't sure.
Plus what I am really confused by is what the difference between the first two really is... I mean they are both supposed to be antimech rifles... So what is the difference between the LASR and the Accelerated Plasma Rifle?

 

[Zack]

Primary in the sense that it is what you use most of the time,

Seconday in the sense that it is convenient to have/use for whatever reason.

Primary, Secondary, and even rifle are poor descriptors here though. Most of these weapons aren't even rifles (meaning having some type of rifling in the barrel)

The W2909 is more for when power armors have to go up against other power armors. A power armor might carry the LASR when they need to shoot power armors or need to be flexible (carrying different ammunition types) or if they don't want their weapon to explode in their face planetside (Plasma and electrical fields together). If the power armor is being used in space or perhaps close quarters then you might take the W2901 for cutting hulls.

There is also a lot of overlap between weapon systems as people like to create their own thing, or might want to have a certain functionality added while still being able to preform the same duties as whatever weapon their character is currently using.

In the end, power armors can carry hand weapons, and can have weapons built into the armor. Worry less about what is primary and secondary (these descriptors don't really mean anything) and more about what your weapon is going to do and how it is going to do it.

 

[Fian]

Nep armors are designed around the fact that they will be combating other Power Armors for an extended period of time. So an easy way to find out which is the primary weapon for each ELEMENT(E) or MAVOLENT(M) series is to see:

1. Which weapon has a good enough DR to damage enemy PAs
2. Which weapon has enough ammo to last several firefights.
3. Is not a backup to a more superior weapon.

Though there are no examples in Nep PAs, Rule 2 can be circumvented if the PA is built around that specific weapon.

All handheld weapons available to Nep PAs usually fall under the category of primary weapons (HPARs, LBRs, MPRs, Type 1s, AMPs, AOPs and LPAs), together with some inbuilt weapons both ranged and melee unique to certain models (M1 AIR FMDs and PPGs, M3 FIRE PALs and FECs, M4 EARTH PCTs and RRWs, M4 NIGHT FEGs and VCS-02nc, M7 VOID CFCs, M8 Hostile PPPs and M9 Aggressor PCTs, PALS and BULLDOGs)

Secondary weapons are everything else. All Nep PAs have these installed (Except for the LSP with regards to E-Series). These are.
1. PLA Anti-Missile CWIS (Fails rule 1)
2. DART, ARROW or BOLT launchers (Fails rule 2)
3. LSP Machine Pistols and VCS Vibro Chainswords (Fails rule 3)

 

[Cy83r K0rp53]

The BULLDOG, being hand-held, is technically a primary weapon. However, it is classed as heavy support since it takes up a secondary weapons package on the Aggressor's EWC hardpoints.

• A good secondary weapon generally would appeal to the following proponents...
• Rapid Deployment
• Minimal Effort in Use
• General Rffectiveness Over a Wide Range of Targets and Situations

The LSP, for example, adheres to all three of these principles of design. It is small, requires one hand to fire, sits at the hip or other easily reached 'softpoint', can be reloaded, and supplies adequate firepower and accuracy when other armaments are depleted or restricted in use.

In summary, a weapon must not only have a use, but also be useful enough to equip on an armor in lieu of standard equipment or competing secondary options. While not everything can exceed it's predecessors in overall quality, it can provide superior qualities in specialised areas, allowing a soldier to tailor their loadout for planned missions or commonly occuring oddball situations where a standard load would be less effective.