ASSUMPTIONS
The assumptions used for this article are:
DAMAGE
"A high-energy beam produces such a rapid termperature change in a target's surface that it explosively vaporizes, causing shock damage to the target." -2300AD
Using GURPS Vehicles 2nd Edition (V2ed) and my own GURPS to SR damage conversion we can figure out the beam power for Shadowrun laser weapons (and even particle beams for systems such as ANDREWS).
The equation for GURPS beam weapon damage is:
Damage = (square root of output in kJ*)x .5 x 1.2857
* If less then 1000kJ then multiply by .03 instead
Note that the assumption is laser (.5) and TL 9 lasers. For lasers
in the 2050 era (original MP Laser) use a multiplier of 1.
EASY CONVERSION FROM SR TO GURPS DAMAGE
Based
on my GURPS to SR damage profile we can figure backwards for how
many GURPS dice of damage we need by taking the weapons (Power
x2 ) /3. To get more accurate results with high-powered weapons
use /2 for Serious and /1 for Deadly Damage Level beam weapons.
For example, the Redline laser pistol is 12M. Thus we need a beam weapon that does (12x2)/3= 8 dice of damage.
Special Note - Java Helper Applet: I would highly suggest that people working with GURPS beam weapons utilize the excellent utility at the Shipyards. http://members.tripod.com/~TheShipyard/BeamWepCon.html
| Weapon | GURPS Damage | Beam Power | Power Use | Battery Energy Density |
| Heavy Laser Plus | 12d | 622kJ | 1244kW | 4.15kJ/gram |
| Laser III | 10d | 519kJ | 1038kW | 10.38kJ/gram |
| Redline | 8d | 415kJ | 830kW | 8.3kJ/gram |
| Firelance | 15d | 778kJ | 1556kW | Unknown |
LASER POWER REQUIREMENTS
"Lasers are powered by high-efficiency liquid metal suspension (LMS) battery packs. Since a battery's discharge rate is insufficient to directly power a strong beam, the battery "pumps" a fast-discharge homopolar generator, which comprises most of the laser mechanism.
To determine the power requirements use the following math:
POW= Output in kJ x2 xRate of Fire (use 1 for SA/SS, 3 for
BF, 10 for FA)
*POW is rated in kilowatts.
Divide by 190 to get power requirements in PF.
For example, the Redline laser pistol is a 415kJ output weapon so it uses (415 x2 x1=) 830 kilowatts of power per shot, or 4 PF.
GUNS, GUNS, GUNS (3G3)
Even though 3G3s DV calculations for energy weapons are, to put it nicely,screwed, I'm sticking with their values for ease of use. To get somewhat more realistic values multiply the beam power by 100.
REDLINE
DV: 66
Weapon TL: 12
Power TL: 14
The Laser III is a 2995J beam semi-auto energy pistol with advanced
focusing and 3 folds/1 amplifier.
It uses a 10 shot internal rechargable battery. It is 4.1kg loaded with a 0.7kg internal clip.
LASER III
DV: 80
Weapon TL: 12
Power TL: 14
The Laser III is a 4295J beam semi-auto energy longarm with advanced
focusing and 2 folds/1 amplifier.
It uses a 20 shot external rechargable battery. It is 8.2kg loaded with a 2.3kg external clip.
HEAVY LASER PLUS
DV: 94
Weapon TL: 12
Power TL: 13
The Heavy Laser Plus is a 6005J beam semi-auto energy longarm
with advanced focusing and 3 folds/4 amplifiers.
It uses a 50 shot external rechargable battery. It is 32kg loaded with a 14.8kg external clip.