Equipment for Buck Rogers in 25th Century

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

Weapons

Rocket Pistol

Picture of Rocket PistolThe 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

Picture of Paralysis GunAn 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

Picture of Telev-EyeThe 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

 

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