Proof Of Concept: Rotery Weapon Emplacement.
Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 12:00 am
Making a rapid-fire rifle with mundane munition and firing assembly wasn't difficult with the type of technology and alloy available in sigil but it just wasn't useful. It was dirty, inefficient and ineffective but someone wanted a weapon that didn't require singular focus to use effectively as longbows were difficult or didn't suit the taste of many. Thus, Deledia again tossed out all manner of conventional logic telling her things wouldn't work and started researching the few examples she could find of high output weaponry that was smaller them a siege golem platform.
As it turns out, there was a way to make a personal operated rapidfire weaponry with sufficient enchantment to penetrate planar targets. It would still be dirty and inefficient but she could make it work. It was heavy and had a good deal of kickback so she decided on a eightlegged stabilizing structure to allow it to be rotated in any direction and fired at most reasonable angle. Three heavy, fault tolerant smoothbore barrels which cycled based on the same crank used to pull in ammunition and fire it.
The receiver was fairly simple except for the box of gears which gave a mechanical advantage to the act of turning the crank to tug on a chain separating the rounds from each other which was necessary given that the primary reason semiautomatic or automatic powder weapons have failed in the past was catastrophic gangfireing caused by proximity and magical bleed. As it was, bullets must be separated by a minimum of three links to reduce the accidental discharge rate to safe levels. Even if the next round were to detonate prematurely, there is enough slack between each bullet to prevent a chain reaction leading to the crate itself allowing the user to cycle the dud link out and onto the next one, resulting in only a mild disruption in the firing pattern. Due to this reducing rate of fire, heat is unlikely to be a issue with any sane rate of cranking.
The second issue, the rapid fouling of the barrel given the amount of residue left behind by impure powder is defeated, once-again, by brute force tactics. The barrels and front component of the firing assembly are detachable, allowing for replacement in a short period of time by a competent operator, thus spares would be standard issue with the assembly should it ever be manufactured beyond the prototype. As it was, the assemble require three persons at a minimum to transport and two persons to deploy as the ammunition and separating chain should be carried in a reinforced crate, adding significant weight to the setup and both the weapon and replacement parts are quite heavy as-well. This problem can be compensated for slightly with magical bags but setup is still quite difficult by only one person.
Despite the constraints, the platform would provide a rarely witnessed variety of psychological warfare as unlike arrows or bolts, shields and most variety of mass produced armor will do little to guard against this manner of attack. Each round is liable to penetrate through lightly armor targets and tumble into another, allowing a comparatively small number of persons to decimate anything motivated enough to move into optimal range.
As it turns out, there was a way to make a personal operated rapidfire weaponry with sufficient enchantment to penetrate planar targets. It would still be dirty and inefficient but she could make it work. It was heavy and had a good deal of kickback so she decided on a eightlegged stabilizing structure to allow it to be rotated in any direction and fired at most reasonable angle. Three heavy, fault tolerant smoothbore barrels which cycled based on the same crank used to pull in ammunition and fire it.
The receiver was fairly simple except for the box of gears which gave a mechanical advantage to the act of turning the crank to tug on a chain separating the rounds from each other which was necessary given that the primary reason semiautomatic or automatic powder weapons have failed in the past was catastrophic gangfireing caused by proximity and magical bleed. As it was, bullets must be separated by a minimum of three links to reduce the accidental discharge rate to safe levels. Even if the next round were to detonate prematurely, there is enough slack between each bullet to prevent a chain reaction leading to the crate itself allowing the user to cycle the dud link out and onto the next one, resulting in only a mild disruption in the firing pattern. Due to this reducing rate of fire, heat is unlikely to be a issue with any sane rate of cranking.
The second issue, the rapid fouling of the barrel given the amount of residue left behind by impure powder is defeated, once-again, by brute force tactics. The barrels and front component of the firing assembly are detachable, allowing for replacement in a short period of time by a competent operator, thus spares would be standard issue with the assembly should it ever be manufactured beyond the prototype. As it was, the assemble require three persons at a minimum to transport and two persons to deploy as the ammunition and separating chain should be carried in a reinforced crate, adding significant weight to the setup and both the weapon and replacement parts are quite heavy as-well. This problem can be compensated for slightly with magical bags but setup is still quite difficult by only one person.
Despite the constraints, the platform would provide a rarely witnessed variety of psychological warfare as unlike arrows or bolts, shields and most variety of mass produced armor will do little to guard against this manner of attack. Each round is liable to penetrate through lightly armor targets and tumble into another, allowing a comparatively small number of persons to decimate anything motivated enough to move into optimal range.