Secret Weapons (mage V20)
Secret Weapons*
What the heck was that?" Brent demanded as the buzzsaw like energy construct ripped through the tree.
Pavlov shrugged. "Just something that those crazy weapons makers came up with. Said it's some sort of bonded memory metal with a magnetic coil. Generates a perpendicular electric charge strong enough to plasmate the air around it while leaving the blade untouched.
Brent shook his head in disbelief. "That's about the weirdest thing I've ever heard. From our side anyway. What were you doing with it?
Pavlov shrugged again. "Just trying it out. They wanted to know what it was good for, aside from cutting trees. You see, you can't catch it or pick it up once it's on,
so you just have to throw it and then leave it until it runs out of power."
"How long does that take?" asked Brent.
"About three days."
You're a guinea pig- a trusted guinea pig for Q Division. Most ops have been trained with standard weaponry, but you've been suited up with the experimental stuff. When some new device comes off the drawing board, the designers give you a crash-course with it. Sometimes they even let you take it out for a spin....
Though devices are assigned to agents with fair alacrity, you are often assigned special gear. Q Division gives you the opportunity to test materials and projects that haven't made it into the general Technocratic ranks. Your rating in this Background determines how many special devices you can get for a mission, and it also determines how useful they'll be. Use Charisma or Manipulation + Secret Weapons to pull useful tools instead of random junk. With no successes, Q Division doesn't have anything for you this time; with one or more, you get something of dubious value. the more successes you score, the more the item is likely to be useful for your mission.
Why bother with the testing weird gadgets for Q Division, especially if they won't do you any good? Well, you get to play with stuff that the rest of the Union isn't using yet, but might be using in the near future. You also win points with Q Division and your superiors for trying out new techniques in the field test. Not a bad job, as long as it doesn't blow up in your face.
●○○○○ You can get an item of trivial utility ( a new sort of all environmental pen or a modified version of Erg Cola).
●●○○○ A minor toy is within your reach ( a small sensory device, power-source or minor single-effect device is accessible.)
●●●○○ They trust you with stuff most operatives never see. (A modified hand weapon, armor treatment or special medical supply)
●●●●○ You're familiar with the quirks of most Technocracy weaponsmiths, because you use their works so much. (Improved heavy weapons, a potent but quirky transportation device, some sort of mind-altering device)
●●●●●You can pretty much pull any experimental object on call. (Get two or three minor items, or test out a new vehicle, robot, or device or Procedure requiring additional Union Resources.)
