Nonlethal Electrical Damage

High-voltage, low-power shocks
are unlikely to kill, but can stun the
victim or even render him uncon-
scious. This is called “nonlethal elec-
trical damage.” Examples include
electric stun weapons, realistic elec-
tric fences, and static shocks on a
cool, dry day. The GM should require
an immediate HT roll whenever
someone is zapped.
Modifiers: From +2 for a short cir-
cuit in a battery-powered gadget down
to -3 or -4 for a specially designed stun
weapon. Nonmetallic armor gives a
bonus equal to its DR – but surface
shocks (e.g., from a cattle prod) tend
to flow over armor rather than
through it, and have an armor divisor
of (0.5), while energy weapons
designed to arc through armor have
an armor divisor of (2) or even (5).
On a failure, the victim is stunned.
An instantaneous jolt (static electrici-
ty, electrolaser, etc.) stuns for one sec-
ond, after which time the victim may
roll vs. HT once per second to recover.
A continuous shock (stun gun, electric
fence, etc.) stuns for as long as the vic-
tim is in contact with the source, and
for (20 - HT) seconds after that, with a
minimum of 1 second. After this time,
the victim may roll vs. HT each second
to recover. The basic HT modifier for
the strength of the shock (but not for
DR) applies to all recovery rolls.
Electromuscular Disruption (EMD):
Some ultra-tech weapons deliver a
more powerful current that induces
convulsions. The HT roll is at -5, and if
the victim fails, he is knocked down
and paralyzed instead of merely
stunned. Otherwise, the effects are as
above.