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 Anthony
Rogers originated in the serialized novel Armageddon 2419 AD by Philip
Francis Nowlan in Amazing Stories, August 1928. John Flint Dille, head of
the National Newspaper Service, hired Nowlan and artist Dick Calkins to
adapt Nowlan's story to comic strip form, and suggested the name "Buck",
as it sounded more heroic. It ran daily from 1929 until June 1967.
Below are Hero System adaptations of several of the weapons and other
pieces of equipment described in Nowlan's work.
Buck Rogers is a registered trademark of the Dille Family Trust
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Weapons
Rocket Pistol
The rocket pistol was very much
like an old automatic, except that it's magazine was much larger, and te propelling
charge was in a tiny cartridge case that travelled with the highly explosive
bullet instead of remaining in the pistol, giving flatter trajectory and greater
range.
Ability: 6d6 Energy Blast (vs PD) Explosion (+1); OAF Pistol (-1), Independent
(-2) , 16 Charges
Active Cost: 60; Real Cost: 15
Paralysis Gun
An efficient weapon for short range work; the paralysis gun is a pistol
from which flashes a visible, crackling beam of eneergy vibrations that temporarily
paralyze certain brain centers. A person hit by this ray instantly droped rigid
and paralyzed, to remain that way for minutes or hours, and the recovered with
no worse effects than a bad headache.
Ability: 10d6 Mind Control, Telepathic Command "Don't move"
(+1/4); Based on CON (-1/2), OAF Pistol (-1), Independent (-2) , 16 Charges
Active Cost: 62; Real Cost: 14
Rocket Gun
Similar in concept to the rocket pistol; rocket guns are great squat cannons
from which leaped self-propelling shells capable of shattering area of a mile
or more in radius.
Ability: 6d6 Ranged Killing Attack (vs rPD) Explosion (+1) increased
area x128 (+1 3/4); OAF Gun (-1), Bulky (-1/2), Independent (-2) , 16 Charges
Active Cost: 337; Real Cost: 75
Telev-eye
The telev-eye, used eithre a a weapon or destruction or for scoutin, was an
aerial torpedo, its weight eliminated by inertron counterbalancing, radio-controlled,
with a great "eye" or lens, behind which was located a television
transmitter that relayed back to its operator, who was safely entrenched miles
in the rear, the picture which this "eye" picked up. Once the telev-eye
picked up a fugitive aircraft, that ship was doomed, for no ship could out manuever
or out-speed these terrible projectiles of destruction.
Ability: Clairsentience (Sight) (Special effect, a rocket like device
a meter or so long flying through the area being seen), range x4096 (102400"),
is a Targetting Sense, 0 END (+1/2); OAF Console (-1), Bulky (-1/2), Independent
(-2)
Ability: 4d6 Ranged Killing Attack (vs rPD) Explosion; OAF Console (-1),
Bulky (-1/2), Independent (-2) , 1 Charge (-3)
Active Cost: 90 + 120=210; Real Cost: 36
Lightning Gun
Not really a gun at all, though it's called such from it's general appearance.
It's an electronic generator and projector. From it flashes forth an invisile
beam of carrier-wave oscillations along which could be sent a stupendous electrical
charge. Its use is against aircraft. It is only necessary to focus the eam on
an unsuspecting target, and then flash along it an electrical charge of opposite
polarity to that in the clouds. When that ship later nears a cloud, it is struck
by lightning.
Ability: 8d6 Ranged Killing Attack (vs rED), increased range x256 (+2),
Indirect "From the clouds" (+1/2), Trigger "Pass near cloud"
(+1/2); OAF Gun (-1), Immobile (-1), Independent (-2), Must have clouds in sky
(-1/4)
Ability: +10 Levels to offset range modifier; OAF Gun (-1), Immobile
(-1), Independent (-2)
Ability: Endurance Reserve [100 END, 10 REC]; OAF Gun (-1), Immobile
(-1), Independent (-2),
Active Cost: 480 + 15 + 20=510; Real Cost: 87, END Cost:
48
Other Stuff
Jumping Belt
The jumping belt was made of inertron, a synthetic element of great reverse
weight which falls away from the center of the Earth instead toward it, and
which counterbalances all but a few pounds of the wearer's weight.
Ability: +12" Superleap; OAF Belt (-1), Independent (-2)
Ability: 5" Gliding; OAF Boots (-1), Independent (-2)
Active Cost: 18; Real Cost: 4
