Bears the inscription - Ultima Ratio Regum

Source: Graeme/Tom

First Appeared In: Yet to make an appearance

Invented by: Professor Thomas Crapper/Jack Calloway

Owned by: Professor Thomas Crapper/Jack Calloway

Availability: This weapons use is restricted to employees of Crapper & Flightmaster Industries Ltd

Description: An experimental large calibre handgun which fires metal-jacketed caesium bullets.

History: In designing and manufacturing firearms Crapper has long realised their essential limitations. The amount of damage any gun causes is related to the kinetic energy of the bullet it fires, the amount of energy a bullet has is dependent upon its mass and its speed, and the mass and speed of the bullet is limited by the physical restraints of what is achievable with chemical propellants. If a handgun is to be both safe to use and to provide optimal performance then there are limits to the mass and muzzle velocity attainable and thus to the maximum damage the gun can inflict. Crappers latest invention circumvents these limits by using chemical energy to inflict additional damage on a target.

The gun itself is a conventional large calibre revolver although it has been modified by a gunsmith to allow it to handle oversized ammunition. Crapper's innovation is in the design of the bullets which consist of a convention black powder propellant, an outer metal-jacket of brass and an interior core of caesium. As caesium is two-thirds the mass of lead the cartridges are 1½ times longer than conventional rounds so that there is no reduction in the physical damage they inflict. The bullet is designed to mushroom upon impact exposing the caesium core and contaminationing the wound with frgments of the alkali metal.

Crapper has carried out tests on pig carcasses using the gun and the secondary damage caused by the caesium is extensive. There are three common effects likely to be seen:

• The caesium reacts explosively with the water in the target.
  
• The caesium reacts with the air in the target and catches fire spontaneously burning with a brilliant sky-blue flame.
• The caesium reacts with the target producing caesium hydroxide the most powerful aqueous base known to man capable of etching glass and eating through flesh and bone.

One effect not mentioned above is the psychological effect of witnessing this weapon in use. The sight of a pigs rib cage exploding outwards in a splintering of bones and blue fire has left an indelible mark on Crapper who has sworn that he would never use such a weapon against a human opponent. Who knows, however, what cryptozoological specimen he might bag with such a weapon?

Stats:

Effective range Total load Wounds(Partial) Wounds(Full) Wounds (High)

40yds 6 Shots 3* 4* 5*

 

*If a target has been wounded they must make a phsique check at the beginning of their next round to see if they suffer any secondary damage from the caesium. The target number is the original markmanship check which injured the them to represent how vital an area the bullet has become lodged in.

High Success
The bullet has passed clean through the wound - No additional damage is taken

Full Success

The bullet is completely intact and easily removed from the wound - No additional damage is taken

Partial Success

The caesium core has not been exposed but the bullet is still lodged in the wound - No additional damage is taken but the the bullet will be hazardous to remove from the wound.

Failure

Fragments of caesium ignite in the wound producing caesium hydroxide - Take 3 points of additional damage

Fumble

The core of caesium explodes deep in the wound tearing through vital tissues - Take 5 points of additional damage

Cost: The revolver is no more expensive than similar large calibre handguns; the real cost comes when the gun is loaded with ammunition.

Every bullet Crapper produces requires hours of work in his laboratories. First he extracts the caesium from the minerals lepidolite and pollucite; then he must isolate it by the electrolysis of its fused cyanide. Once the pure element has been isolated expensive procedures must be undertaken to insure that the metal does not come into contact with either air or moisture. The caesium core is coated with a barrier of oil and encased in a precision engineered airtight brass metal-jacket. The production of a full chamber of bullets can take upwards of two days skilled work making the bullets prohibitively expensive compared to the cost of lead bullets. Thus the gun is unlikely to ever enter military service as it would be cheaper to throw silver-plated snuff boxes at the enemy compared with allowing a company of soldiers to fire salvo after salvo of caesium bullets at them. Bora has nicknamed the gun 'The Bankrupter'.

Research Hours: Two weeks of experimenting are required to develop the necessary procedures to purify the caesium and fabricate the bullets.