Concealable Weapons and Equipment for GURPS
by Ian Freeman
Has this ever happened to you? You're monitoring someone, or maybe you're looking for someone. Whatever the reason, you've been invited to a ball, or a concert, or a movie. You don't want to go unarmed, but you can't very well carry your assault rifle with you. The solution: concealed weapons, of course. They've got style, substance, and most importantly: they'll all fit in your tux without anyone the wiser.
All of the equipment listed is TL7.
Electrode Gloves/Nails
The item is concealed as a glove of any kind. Attached to each of the fingers of the glove, concealed on the inside, is a small electrode. Each electrode is attached to a 6 yard, extremely thin wire that carries a strong electrical charge. When the gloves are simply worn, this wire wraps around the finger of each prospective launcher. The electrodes can be launched with a flick of the wrist. Once a nail electrode has been fired, that electrode can never be used again.
Upon use, the wearer makes a DX roll. The weapon has Acc 4, and SS 10 (DX). On a success, the electrode hits; on a failure, it misses. The defender may dodge or block, but not parry . . . but blocking with shields that conducts electricity does not work. A successful block with a metallic item counts as a hit on the part of the attacker. Anyone hit must make a HT+2 roll. On a failure they are immobilized by the charge and they drop to the ground for as long as the electrode is inside them (up to a maximum of 2 minutes).
Armor has no effect on the electrodes (disregard its PD), unless it is more than a 1/2 inch thick. Typically, any armor with a PD of 4, or a DR of 4, will be more than 1/2 inch thick. It must be this thick, because the current can jump that far. If the armor in question in conductive of electricity, never use its PD, regardless of thickness.
The user may fire as many electrodes as they choose, one from each finger. For each additional 3, the DX roll is penalized by 1. For each additional electrode, the targets HT is penalized by one for the purposes of the roll.
Treat multiple shots as you would any other burst (i.e., into 2 groups of 4, and 1 group of 2 if you fired all the electrodes).
While an electrode is in a target, they suffer -1 to all success rolls (per electrode), even if they succeeded their HT roll (it still hurts!). This effect lasts for 2 minutes, or until the offending electrodes are removed.
Alternatively, this item may be taken in a surgically implanted form. If the GM is willing to stretch the boundaries of TL7, or if the players have access to TL8 equipment, the electrodes may be surgically implanted under the users fingernails. The weapon works exactly the same way, except in terms of pricing.
Any close examination of the inside of the glove will reveal them to be abnormal. Only invasive surgery will reveal the nature of surgically implanted equipment.
Each gloves cost $150, and each electrode (which must be replaced after each use) costs $100. The implanted form costs $300 per finger, and each electrode cost the same amount ($100).
Cufflink Chemical Delivery System
A specific chemical is contained within each of your cufflinks. When the cufflink is snapped in half, it releases a chemical and has an affect. Each cufflink costs $25, but you must also pay for the chemicals. As a note, you typically wear 2 cufflinks on each sleeve. Their weight is negligible.
Magnesium Flares
Upon breaking, a spark lights on the magnesium strip in the cufflink. 2 seconds after the cufflink is broken, the magnesium ignites. Magnesium burns impossibly bright, and anyone directly looking at the flare must make an HT-10 roll. For every point the roll is failed by, the victim is blinded for 3 seconds. On a critical failure, the victim suffers serious damage to their retina and is blinded for 2d hours.
For each 5 yards that separate the target and the flare, they gain a + 1 bonus to their HT roll. The maximum range is 30 yards.
Anyone who knows what is about to happen may choose to look away; everyone else must make an IQ check to realize it.
Magnesium flare cufflinks cost $350 each.
Smelling Salts
This cufflink is used by breaking it under the intended target's nose. Upon inhaling, the target must make an HT roll. This roll is modified by anything that modified the original HT roll that resulted in their unconsciousness (unless, of course, there was no HT roll, in which case this check is unmodified). If the target succeeds at the roll, they are immediately roused to consciousness. They do not regain HT, so any further damage (if they are in the negatives) will immediately return them to unconsciousness, but other than that this return to consciousness is permanent. It will not return someone to consciousness if they are in the negatives as far as their own HT (i.e. In risk of death).
Smelling salt cufflinks cost $50 each.
Smoke Packet
The cufflink is filled with a compressed gas that reacts with oxygen to produce a thick, opaque smog. It does not restrict breathing, but does completely obscure lines of sight. Each charge contains enough chemical to fill a 4 yard by 4 yard by 4 yard area (64 cubic yards). The smog remains until cleared by fans or whatnot. If the ceiling of the targeted area is less than 4 yards, modify the area of effect appropriately. If the ceiling is 2 yards, then double the area of effect to 128 cubic yards, which is 8 yards by 8 yards by 2 yards (the height of the ceiling).
Smoke packet cufflinks cost $120 each.
Intoxicant
When cracked open, a liquid runs out and will dissolve in any liquid. It has no odor or taste. Anyone who drinks the concoction must make an HT-3 roll, or become immediately impressionable. Anyone using the fast-talk, sex-appeal, hypnotism or any other skills that depend on convincing someone gain a +6 to their checks against the subject. The effects last for 1 hour.
Intoxicant cufflinks cost $80 each.
Phosphorus Ceramic Dagger
This a small, ceramic (so it is not picked up by metal detectors) dagger that has been coated in phosphorus and is contained in a special one-use sheath. The sheath is in the form of a necktie, which costs $65 (but you can pay more for the necktie if you would prefer a higher quality one).
Immediately upon drawing the dagger, its phosphorus coating ignites into a white hot flame. Phosphorus ignites when it comes in contact with oxygen; therefore, the necktie is specially designed to prevent this reaction before the dagger is drawn.
The dagger itself is a fairly average knife, dealing Thrust -1 piercing damage, or Swing-1 slashing damage. But then comes the phosphorus. The white hot flames deal 1d-1 damage in addition to the damage done by the attack.
The Dagger can be used on inanimate objects. It will ignite paper instantly, and wood in 1 second.
The burning chemicals last for 90 seconds.
The burning chemicals essentially destroy the dagger, at the end of the elapsed time.
The tie costs $65 (or more for a nicer tie), and the dagger and chemicals are $450 ($200 for the dagger, $250 for the chemicals). It weighs a third of a pound.
Razor-Barb Neck Protector
A thin metal strip, about an inch wide, is wrapped around the wearer's neck. It is concealed under their collar. If any substantial amount of force is applied to the wearer throat or neck, tiny razor sharp barbs pop out of the metal strip, slicing through flesh, bone and almost anything else.
If the wearer is being choked by some sort of garrote wire, cable, or rope, it is immediately sliced through by the razor barbs, freeing the wearer.
If someone is unfortunate enough to use their hands or arms to strangle the wearer, the bards immediately do 1 point of damage, and the attacker must make a Will-6 roll or let go (unless, of course, they want to let go). If the attacker manages to hold on, they are at -3 to all strength checks to hold on to the wearer due to the excruciating pain inflicted by the barbs.
The wearer may choose to coat the barbs with any poisons they choose, at additional cost.
The Neck Protector weighs a half pound, and costs $370.
Arm Guards
Thin strips of a carbon-fiber titanium alloy run up and along the wearer's outer, lower arms. These are so that the wearer may more effectively parry melee attacks.
The user makes unarmed parry rolls as normal, but, if the user succeeds by at least 2, there is no chance that their arms can be struck. Typically, these are worn under ones clothing.
These weigh 1-1/2 pounds, and cost $800.
Shoe Contained Caltrops
These can be added to any reasonably sized shoes. A number of caltrops, and a small explosive charge, are placed in the heel of a shoe. A small cable runs up your pant-leg into your pocket. The wearer can reach into their pocket and press a button, releasing the caltrops and allowing the small charge to scatter them about.
The caltrops fill a 2 by 2 yard area on the ground immediately behind the wearer. An enormous number are scattered about, because they are stored in the form of very small ball bearings, but they expand into 4 stainless steel blades. To move through the caltrops, you must make a DX roll. On a success, the person may move though the caltrops at 1/4 speed. On a failure, they take 1 point of damage to their feet. The excruciating pain restricts their movement (and dodge roll) to 1/3 of normal. Also, they are at -1 to all success rolls.
The entire unit, consisting of the trigger, the caltrops and the installation costs $250, plus the cost of a shoe. The weight is negligible.
Garrote Wire
A thin, very sharp wire is stored in the wearers belt. It can be easily removed in a single second. This wire is about 2 feet long, and is used to aid in strangulation and suffocation attempts.
While using a garrote wire, strangulation attempts are handled exactly as they normally are, except the user gets an effective +5 to strength due to the leverage granted by the wire and the difficulty of removing it from around the target's neck.
Alternatively, the wire can be stored within a watch, pulling on the winder extracts the wire.
The wire costs $35, the belt costs $40, and the watch costs $90 (or more, for a better watch).
Arm Shiv
A shiv is a long, 3/4 inch thick dagger that can deal either piercing or slashing damage.
While it may not make it through a metal detector, it sure is deadly. An 18" retractable shiv is attached to your lower underarm. By touching the controls on your arm, the Shiv can be fully extended, fully retracted or extended up to the wearers knuckles.
If it is extended to the knuckles, treat attacks with it as a standard close combat strike dealing normal punching damage. Except, on a successful hit it deals an additional Thrust-1 slashing damage. On the other hand, when extended to its full 18" size, it is deadly weapon indeed. It uses the Knife skill, or any unarmed combat skill, or Shortsword-1 (what with it being a foot and a half long . . .). It deals swing+2 slashing damage, or thrust+1 piercing damage.
It takes a single second to alter the length of the blade. If the player takes the skill Fast Draw (Arm Shiv), the size can be changed in (effectively) zero time.
If you would like, you can coat this weapon with phosphorus and add an airtight containment sheath (so that you don't burn your arm). Doing so gives all the same bonuses as the Ceramic Dagger, but costs more, since this one is bigger.
This weapon weighs a 1/2 pound, and the complete set-up (including dagger and sheath) costs $950. Coating it in phosphorus costs an additional $450 for the chemical, and $200 for the modified sheath.
Reversed, Concealed Holsters
This is a holster which is designed to be worn on your back, under clothing. The holster is upside-down, so that the gun inside can be accessed by reaching up the bottom of your shirt. Naturally, tucking in clothing will cause problems. Therefore, if you are wearing a suit, the holster can be worn on the outside of your undershirt. It's not visible, but accessible by reaching under your blazer or coat.
The holsters are designed to be concealed and confer a +6 to all Holdout checks. They will only work with pistols that are not overly large. For example, a .50 caliber desert eagle with a 9" silencer would be too big. What can and cannot fit is up to the GM, but almost all pistols will.
The holster weighs 1/2 pound, and costs $75.
Article publication date: April 6, 2001
Copyright © 2001 by Steve Jackson Games. All rights reserved. Pyramid subscribers are permitted to read this article online, or download it and print out a single hardcopy for personal use. Copying this text to any other online system or BBS, or making more than one hardcopy, is strictly prohibited. So please don't. And if you encounter copies of this article elsewhere on the web, please report it to webmaster@sjgames.com.