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Leon K. had an excellent idea in starting up a a sticky topic for the purpose of posting new Armor, Weapons, Gadgets, etc... for Heroes Unlimited. So, I agreed!

Let's keep the items S.D.C. (feel free to note M.D.C. conversions), but the crux of this topic should be for the world(s) of HU2/AU/etc..

I feel the need to contribute to this thread. And the following item is one that, in every RPG I've ever played, doesn't exist until/unless I say something. It has to be one of the most basic things to think of.


Portable Bridge
As the title says, this device is a portal bridge, capable of spanning a crater, crevasse, river, or other chasm, and being used as a road to carry people, vehicles, and gear from one side to the other.

The device itself looks like a closed laptop, and has roughly the same dimensions. It opens in a fashion similar to a laptop, and once opened you can see that it has a very small keyboard and output monitor. The device comes equipped with a high-intensity self-levelleing laser system to accurately determine distance needed. The operator, using a combination of keyboard instructions and GPS coordinates obtained by the laser, can fine-tune where the bridge is to end, and the device will warn the operator if the terrain on either end is not stable enough to be anchored to. Anchor spikes come out from the sides of the device and anchor it to the ground, while the device seemingly splits into 2 pieces. The half that isn't anchored to the ground is then "pushed" away from the part that is anchored like two magnets with similarly charged poles push away from one another. Once the second half has reached the distance entered, anchor spikes protrude from it and anchor it to the ground.

Between the 2 halves is a heavy-duty force field, capable of holding up to 10 tons of weight at one time. The length is equivalent to the distance between the 2 halves of the device, with the width being about 1.5 times the width of a mid-sized automobile (about 109.5 inches, or about 9 feet). The device can be retracted with the push of a button, located on the side of the device. There are 2 of these buttons, one on each half of the device.

When retracted/not in use, the device can be stowed in a similar fashion as a laptop - in a bag or backpack. Surprisingly light, it weighs but a mere 2 pounds.

Device Statistics, Device Only

• Weight: 2 pounds
• Dimensions: 16 1/4" w x 10 7/8" d x 1 1/2" h
• AR: 10
• SDC: 75
• Power Supply: Quad-cell Magnetic-Ion Battery
• Power Supply Life: 10 hours of continuous use; rechargeable with a magnetic-ion battery recharger (see below)

Device Statistics, Field Bridge

• Weight: Negligible
• Maximum Payload: 10 tons
• Maximum Spannable Distance: 1000 ft.
• Minimum Spannable Distance: 15 ft.
• AR: 15
• SDC: 500

Costs
Characters who wish to build this device will need to spend the appropriate amount per the HU/N&SS rules for building devices. Generally, the cost will be $50,000+ to build. The AR and SDC of both the device itself and the field bridge can be increased. Any hardware or super-invention character should have the capacity to build one of these, although the time requirement may be a little hard to match (6 months or more).

Purchasing one of these is a different story. First, characters will have to find someone capable of building the device for them, and then they are going to have to convince that person to spend the time away from their own work to build this. Cost should range at about $200,000+ (time is money, and 6 months or more is expensive).

Magnetic-Ion Charger
This is more a series of power supplies, hardwired to a shop or laboratory's permanent power connection, capable of recharging any device that runs on magnetic-ion power. This unit is not portable due to its overall size (approximately 3 feet high, 8 feet wide, 1.5 feet deep), as well as the overall weight (right around 300 pounds). The charger has multiple connection ports/types to allow for recharging devices, and the typical charge time for a 10 hour battery is about 2 hours.

Cost to obtain one of these chargers ranges in the $75k-$100k range, if not more (depending on availability in your area). Some hardware shops have these, and characters can pay to have devices charged for them for $200 per 10-hour battery.

Damage to the Device
Considering the possibilities that this device could be used during an escape, it is worth noting what happens when the device is damaged. If the field bridge is in use when the device becomes damaged, there is a 10% chance that the battery/power supply is damaged or the power flow is interrupted. When this happens, the device automatically begins to retract to its original, unused state. Characters on the field bridge at the time must make a check against their PP to get off the bridge safely. Characters who fail will more than likely fall off the bridge into the chasm they were trying to cross (GM's discretion).

If the device or the field bridge are completely depleted of SDC, the field bridge will disappear immediately, with characters/vehicles/equipment on it falling into the chasm they were trying to cross. The device is then considered to be destroyed, and must be either completely rebuilt or a new one purchased.

Nice to have a place for these.

How about using an integrated laser rangefinder in the device, so the operator just sets the thing down, turns it on, and the device automatically measures the distance and deploys the bridge. This would ensure the correct measurement of the bridge in all cases, and eliminate the possibility of operator error during deployment. Better yet, make it a part of a sensor package which would automatically determine if the anchor point on the other side of the obstacle is stable enough for anchoring into, so you'd always get the right length and stability for a bridge.

Other considerations to take into account are a super-heavy version for heavier vehicles(such as tanks, APCs, trucks and the like), which could be up to 20' wide upon deployment, and capable of carrying a maximum weight of 100-150 tons, but fold down to the size of a surfboard for transport.

Great idea. Surprised I didn't think of that myself. Edited the device to allow for a self-levelling guided laser system to determine range and stability of the terrain on both ends of the bridge.


Not a bad idea, but I wanted to create one for starters that isn't completely military grade. And by starting with the small one, if people want to modify it to be able to transport larger vehicles (such as in your case of 100-150 tons), then they have a starting point and should need to make the applicable hardware checks to either build a new one or modify an existing one to allow for this. But a good idea, nonetheless.

Portable Bridge..I like that...Could likely use the technology for high rise rescue gear as well.

most ideas i have for hardware have to do with nonstandard rounds for shotguns and grenade launchers. the most creative two that i've come up with serve similar purposes, but in different ways:

a backwards facing remote control electronic camera round that adheres to the surface it's fired at, with optional single-shot firearm.

a harmless nanocolony that forms a near-perfect reflective surface on whatever surface it's fired at, which, due to its semi-liquid nature, is impossible to shatter.

Post these. I'd like to see what other people come up with as far as gadgets/hardware. I'd hate to have nimmy and I be the only ones with stuff posted in this thread.

sadly, that's about all i have on them; i lost some files somehow when i switched over to Ubuntu a few months back.

How about ideas for trick weapons like trick swords,like one spray a poison on the blade,or another one have a trap that hurts any one who is not the owner,(who knowns how to disarm it.)

You're welcome to try putting them together yourself. At the moment I'm too busy to even try to fit that into my schedule.

I had a character create a Quarterstaff with a few balls or rods inside of it that moved when the staff was swung, and converted the kinetic energy created into an electric shock.

Write it up. give us the stats to this wonderful device!

Here is one of the reversed engineered energy weapons from my ongoing campaign. An alien race known as the Ugari-Goguckan invades Earth at the very beginning and loses. Probaly some 80% of the hi-tech in my campaign is based off of this races technology. I have always thought that an Ion weapon should have a stun setting, maybe causing something like heat stroke due to the blast throwing the target's ionic balance out of wack.

XM-156 Ion Pulse Weapon

While human beings can and have used the directed energy weapons of the so called Chicken Invaders, the effective combat usage of a weapon designed for a hand that has six fingers, not to mention those fingers having five joints, is not as great as a weapon designed for human hands. Using captured Ugari-Goguckan technology the US DOD, DARPA, and the Marine armorers at Quantico set out to develop a directed energy weapon for human use. The XM-156 is the result. Capable of being used as both a stand alone weapon, via a M-4 style stock or attached under the barrel of an assualt/battle similar to M-203/M-320 grenade launchers, the XM-156 offers an amazing amount of versatility. Now a soldier can have a non lethal as well as an anti armor solution in the same weapon system. By adjusting the range setting the operator can control the amount of damage dealt to the target. The XM-156 can attach to the M-16/M-4 family, the FN USA SCAR family, M-249, M-240 and numerous other rifles. It is currently being issued at the fireteam level of the USMC as well as the US Marshall Extreme Circumstance Apprehension Team.

Length: 16" w/o stock, 24" w/ stock attached
Weight: 5.5 lbs w/o stock, 6.5 lbs w/ stock attached
Damage & Range : 5D6 @ 200', 4D6 @ 400', 3D6 @ 550', 2D6 @ 800', 1D6 @ 1000'
Stun: 100', 1D4 plus save or suffer -5 on initiative, -3 to strike, parry & dodge for 1D6 melee rounds.
Payload: Energy cell with 10 shots at 1D6 setting (i.e. at 5D6 the cell has two shots)€, 3 Stun Blast equal one 1D6 blast

i'm brainstorming some ideas for tech that utilizes a super-advanced form of self-powering , but i'm having trouble thinking of more applications than crank-charged basic energy weapons; does anyone have any suggestions, from the simple to the wildly complicated, on ways to expand this idea? i'd like it to be more fleshed out if i'm going to post it.

Gunchute

This stocy barrelled pistol uses a burst of compressed air to fire it's payload 4 feet before an attached cord causes it to break apart and unfurl. What unfurls is an aluminium composite frame that creates a 6x2 foot curved structure supporting a superlight fiberous canopy.

When unfurled, the canopy acts as as an improptu glider. while not usefull for controlled flight, the quick release nature makes it an invaluable rapid deploy descending tool. The gunchute comes with a clasp to attach to a harness and a wrist strap. opening one of these during a fall can cause the sudden jerk to wrest the chute out of the users hand. Firing the gunchute at a person causes (assuming they are within 6 or so feet) 2D4 damage, and the rapidly expanding frame can cause sufficient distraction to allow an escape. The chute is difficult to wrangle back into position in the field (can take 2-4 minutes. a lifetime in an emergency situation) so is desgined to be a single fire and forget device. the gun portion detaches from the chute, and the one use compressed air cartridge is integral to the chute portion. after detaching, a simple reload is all that is required to be good to go.

Batts

ULF data copier

This hand held device is no larger than a soda can (and can be built into one for discretion). when 'aimed' at a digital recording device (such as a usb drive, digital camera, even a mobile phone) it sends out ultra low frequency radiation to remotely map it's contents.

While slow (around 4 MBPS) it's scanning range is a little over 4 feet wide at a range of 50 feet. The data is copied and stored in it's own memory, and can be decompiled into something readable with around 15 minutes work with the appropriate software (an hour without it an a computer programming skill roll at -15%). The unit's hard drive has the appropriate software preloaded allowing it to be installed to a PC within 15 minutes.

Batts

Time released Knockout sauce.

This artificial chemical compound is designed to be applied to a surface (carpet is preferred) where it soaks in and slowly cooks in the presence of oxygen. when the cooking is complete, a process that can take upward of an hour, held micromolecules of a nerve agent is released, exposing the area to the effects of the agent. The typical load is designed to knock out targets, but more deadly versions have been cooked up.

The largest drawbacks are of course the unreliable nature of the release. The chemicals cook in the presence of air, so if dumped together in a single spot, it takes more time to take effect. likewise if dispersed on a carpet that sees regular traffic it could take effect sooner.

Roughly 36 ounces is required to sufficiently fill a typical (sealed) conference room. Sauce bottles are usually disguised as cleaning products. applied before a conference in the carpet is the reccommended application.

Batts

Liquid bead armour

This suit or armour reselmbles a flightsuit or other set of coveralls, and can be made to resemble a company uniform or even military fatigues.

The light suit of armour is enhanced with a layer of impact absorbing gel that absorbs and distributes impacts. The AR of the suit is 10 and the SDC is a mere 48. However, the suit covers so much of the body that any kinetic damage done is halved.
Impacts from large and heavy sorces, such as falls, and automobile impacts bypass this protection (there is not a lot of distributing it can do)
If cut, the armour reseals itself, as the gel becomes tack and rubbery when exposed to air.

as a welcome byproduct, the Liquid bead suit acts as a decent insulator and can extend the comfort of cold weather operations by around 30%. Due to the lightness of the armour, it is often combined with heavier, regular body armor. heavier body armour can be designed to incorporate an under layer of Liquid bead armour (increase AR by 1 but decrease it's SDC by 15%. the armour is usually stripped back in the process to retain flexibility, but its effective protection is overall improved) reduce the integrated armours weight by 10%.

Batts

Iczer's contributions have been added to Black Vault wiki!

many thanks

Batts

No problem. It is people like you willing to allow your materials to be posted that keep the black vault site going.

Imaging marbles

These small, marbel sized black balls are usualy carried in groups of 10-30. when rolled for more than a dozen feet continuously, they split evenly into two halves and start emitting high frequency waves out to around 8 feet each. a fistfull of these marbles can be used to rapidly sonar map a room or area, updating in real time. the data colelcted by these marbles, is linked to a portable unit carried by the deployer, and the dedicated software uses it to generate the real time sonar map.

Deploying the marbles requires an action to perform, and they react quickly. using the hand held unit, the deployer can quickly guage numbers and movements in the maped area.

a much larger (golf ball sized) unit is being field tested. these larger scanners have an effective 20 foot range, but rely on overlap. They are deployed by a gas cannister that is fired above an engagement, which rains down on the enemy. this method tends to scatter the sensors fairly wide so the data is less accurate, but spread over a wide area

in both forms, the units can be detonated at range. this is noisy and a little smoky, but the charges are designed to distract and confuse (as well as destroy evidence) rather than assault. Limited testing is underway to add a chemical warfare agent to the mix. Undetonated nodules can be collected.

Batts

Smartplastic explosives

The smartplastic explosive is a mildly tacky compound carrying nodules of binary agents. The compound itself is mimetic, ductile, shapable and programmable. electronic signals control the overall compound's shape and consistency. Attached to a surface, the smartplastic slowly adopts the colouration of that surface, making the substance difficult to find. decreasing the voltage on the charge causes it to become stickier and more shapable, while increasing it makes it firmer in the shape it is currently in. At it's highest charge threshold, a smartplastic compound can serve as a simple metal or plastic tool.

when the current is turned off, by timer, remote or the destruction of the battery network, the substance becomes as tacky and maleable as possible. externally it retains cohesion from simple reaction with air, but internally it liquifies, allowing the two binary agents to mix until critical mass is reached and it explodes.

current models have comparable explosive capacity equal to equal masses of C4. currently work is in progress to adapt to other binary type agents (such as gasses). In Vladivostok in the latter part of 2009, a mobile phone was found to have been made entirely from smartplastic explosives. When passed through the X-ray scanner at the local airport terminal, the battery ceased working and the explosion killed 4 security personnell, a flight attendant and the phone's owner. It is believed that the owner was unaware that his phone had been switched out but airline footage reveals that he had been using it moments before the explosion.

Batts

I'm not sure if I've given permission or not, but if you want to post any of the powers I've done in the black vault, I'd appreciate it.

I would prefer people post their own materials over. With all the ones I currently update, I am already pressed for time to do them. There are simple rules to follow for posting materials there. Otherwise, you could request NMI post them, or one of the other people who post powers there.

Telepathic expansion chair

This device, produced by Arantech initially as a project for the US military, has had its plans leak onto the internet buried in a series of youtube videos after a funding cut that has driven Arantech lead think tank undergorund. Accordingly, several modified designs on the chair have turned up across the world in the hands of scientifically inclined anarchist groups.

The chair itself is a remarkable device. using a series of magnetic pulses and neuro-electric pulses, it creates a virtual real time brain map and reroutes its signals through a processor bank underneath the chair. a skilled technician can filter the signals, discard waste thoughts, and pump out a heightened telepathic wave.

Two users in seperate chairs can open real time, simultaneous information exchange over several hundred miles, signals that are virtually unable to be decrypted. The process is debilitating and often painful for the users though who have varying degrees of tolerance for the procedure.

Variations on chair design have refined and improved the product:
* a soviet psychic alliance have found a way to make the chair much more potent for a single user (ISP is doubled while in the chair, and saving throws vs psionics against the chair's user are at a further -4)
* a Canadian group of hackers have discovered that they can emulate regular telepathy using the chair, as well as a kind of astral projection.
* Rabbithole, a rogue CIA faction operating out of Miami, were found to have a chair in their facility. their version of the chair inverted the signal. subjects placed inside were subjected to the chair's usual discomfort, but became highly suggestable. Data gathered from it's black box indicates that creating a falshood while strapped into the chair, caused painful feedback and brain lesions. It apparently ignored language barriers. The extraterrestrial found in the chair when the base was broken into was already deceased.

Batts

KNA-16 Exo-energy assault weapon.

Discovered in a vault underneath a veterinarian's office, were these remarkable weapons. Used by the Wraithguard, a group of 1970's super heroes, it is unknown how 16 of their unpatented weapons made it to their eventual location. The discoverer, Willam Brendon managed to offload 7 of them through E-Bay before he was arrested and his remaining weapons were seized.

The KNA-16 is not so much an assault weapon, as it was a ray gun. The basic assembly resembles a short rifle, with a trio of Barrells, tightly coiled by wiring and anchoured to a gatling style rotater. Battery and trigger mechanism were attached to a handle. the barrels were filled with a number of piezo electric crystals, and were capped by an amalgam of metalic plates. When the trigger was depressed the barrels spun, an electromagnetic charge was generated and the peizo crystals were agitated and discharged through the barrels and agitated the end cap plates.

Under test conditions, all this served was to make the end cap uncomfortably hot.

A retooled version, made from modern maufacturing techniques and modern materials produced greater heat and produced a scattershot of x-rays and radio 'white noise' that disabled electronic devices in a 22 degree arc out to 90 feet (including a shielded computer and one tester's pacemaker).

The Wraithguard made many claims in their time that they hunted and targetted supernatural enteties, but to date no official testing has confirmed the KNA-16's ability to affect these type of creatures. But it does suggest that the Wraithguard beleived that such manifestations were somehow electromagnetic in nature. At any rate, the retooled version is extremely effective, within it's effective area, of disabling even the most advanced and shielded electronics and progress is being made to enhance its range.

The only known surviving memebr of the Wraithguard Cybil, 'Esper' Colins is an inmate within the Golden springs institute for the the insane. Normally a sufferer of periodic catatonia, and a victim of growing dementia, she became extremely distraught and lucid when shown an original prototype, asking repeatedly if 'they' had come. She has since slipped into a long term vegetative state.

Batts

I currently have no internet at home, so it might take a while before I can get any more materials posted over to the wiki.

Got stats for these items?

Hover-chair
I recently had a hardware-Mechanical/Electrical, unfortunately, one of the players in the group, accidently blew his legs off 5 inches above the knees. this rather left me hindered, and unable to get around properly.
So, i designed a super hover chair.

A.R.- 12
S.D.C.- 120
Max altitude- 10ft
Max Speed- 30 mph.

Built in Features.
Micro Hover system.
Micro-Hydrogen Battery Cell System (50 hours of use)
Micro-Holographic Projector (Equivalent of a 17inch Monitor.)
Micro Computer (6 Thz processor, with 24gig DDR3, 4Terebyte HD.)
Micro-Radar (1 Mile Range)
Vehicle and Weapon Recognition Software
(takes 15 seconds for data to be displayed. currently has 20,000 weapons and vehicles programed in it. only 500 of which are military type.)
Combat Computer
Motion Detector and Warning System (50ft range)
Bio-Comp
M.S.U.
Adv. A.I. Specialized in Combat Evasion.
Docking System
Overall Bonuses of the Chair- +6 dodge, + 2 strike.

Nice!
With the docking system, what does it dock with?

Full size heavy duty cargo van (Chevy, 1972- Resource/best deals on wheels, published weekly by penny press)

Main Body and Frame remade of Titan-Weave, a minor M.D.C. Material that i created over several campaigns, the description of Titan-Weave is listed at the end of this post.
Crew: Originally was 8, now it only seats 5.
Max Speed: 210mph. Cruise: 90mph.
Cargo: 6ftx4ftx4ft
Fuel: Micro Hydrogen Battery supply with super fuel efficiency it allows almost 3000 miles of travel before i need to recharge the system.

Total Vehicle weight of Main Body and Frame is 1200lbs.
M.D.C. By Location-
Main Body- 120
Doors- 5 12 each
Windows/Plexiglas- A.R. 17 S.D.C. 450
Tires- S.D.C. 500

Tires-Description:
The tires measure 48"x24", and are made of 6 layers of Rubber and Titan-Weave. The Tires don't have the standard problem of popping, because in each tire there are 60 air pockets, 10 per layer with each being lined with Titan-Weave.
The Tires are resistant to Blades, Most Bullets, electrical attacks, Fire, and Minor Explosives.

Van Passenger and Driver Doors Description:
To make it easier for me to move about with my Hover Chair, i redesigned the body, frame and doors. The standard doors of a van didn't fit what i needed so i took the doors on the cab area and made them motorized sliders, that slide forward to allow entry for my hover chair into the drivers side for docking and recharging of the power system. This also allows me to use and Boost the Ranges of my chair by 10, giving me a total of 10 miles range on my radar, and 100ft for my Motion Detection Systems.

Other Features-
Titan-Weave Body/Frame/Tires,
Super Fuel Efficiency,
Hover Chair Docking System,
Retractable Micro Satellite Dish,
Sensor Suite,
Wireless Internet Interface: Range 500ft.,
Ram-Prow,
Tele-mental Control Orbs (Idea came from several Anime-Dual Parallel Trouble, and VanDread),
Cell Phone up-link,
$25,000 stereo,
Multi-optic Holographic Heads Up Display( Overlays on windshield, but does not block view),

The Formula:
Your gonna need a calulator for this, its simple math, but theres a lot of it. the prices and materials im submitting are real metals and minerals. I am including Price of materials, what its purpose it, what it does when combined in this formula.
I will also include S.D.C., A.R., and M.D.C. of the finished mix.

Base material: Titanium: ratio is 10sdc/1mdc per 10lbs. Base A.R. 17
Properties: Reduce weight of item created by 50%.
Cost per pound: as of Dec 28th of 2007 Titanium ore was selling for $20 a pound or $22,000 per Metric ton.
Mix Value is 70%

Added Material: Vanadium: Increases Strength, Hardness and Durablilty of Metals it is mixed with.
Properties: Double S.D.C./M.D.C. per pound, +1 A.R.
Cost per pound: as of Dec 28th of 2007 Vanadium ore was selling for $85 a pound.
Mix Value is 7%

Added Material: Molybdenum: Increases Strength, Hardness and Durablilty of Metals it is mixed with, and resistant to Corrosive agents.
Properties: Double S.D.C./M.D.C. per pound, +1 A.R. 1/3 damage for corrosion based attacks.
Cost per pound: as of Dec 28th of 2007 Molybdenum ore was selling for $33 a pound.
Mix Value is 13%

Added Material: Iridium: This Material is used for Nuclear reactors, Fussion Reactors and other projects that involve extreme heat. This metal is also used in Space Equipment due to its high heat resistance and ability to withstand 2000C or 3000+F
Properties: No damage for normal fire attacks, magic fire or Psionic fire attacks, 1/3 damage from Nuclear fire, Plasma attacks, and Supernova.
Cost per Ounce: as of Dec 28th of 2007 Iridium ore was selling for $450 per ounce.
Mix Value is 6%.

Material Added: Niobium: A light but dense metal, Increases strength, Durablity, and Hardness of Metals mixed with.
Properties: Double S.D.C./M.D.C., +1A.R. per pound.
Cost per Pound: as of Dec 28th of 2007 Niobium ore was selling for $23 per pound.
Mix Value is 4%.

It is a Mix of several metals, not just titanium. each metal in the formula is used in structures that would be considered to have MDC right now.
More than a few Military Tanks use this same formula to go into nuclear test zones during firing to get data, while they are firing the missiles.
Nuclear Bunkers, nuclear reactors, and other such vehicles and buildings are meant to with stand extreme amounts of damage.

A Toilet.

Electro-Kinetic Staff
This 6' long staff is slightly thicker then your typical staff. Both ends of the EKS are capped with a spiked copper cap. Within the staff is a self-regenerating micro-battery. The battery recharges itself by storing and converting kinetic energy. A majority of this kinetic energy is generated through the momentum generated when the staff is swung, hits something, etc... Converters then convert the kinetic energy into electricity which is then stored in a series of micro-batteries. This is energy is then used for multiple effects from stun, electrical field and energy bolts.

Nice! I added this to the Black Vault Wiki for you.

Dalton Industries Imprint Mat.

The Imprint mat is a square of fabric, typically rubber backed and matt black in colour, designed to respond to pressure by 'squirting' micro particles when pressure is applied. The particles are virtually invisible, but phospheresse in the ultraviolet scale. any target that has set foot (or in the case of the larger mats, driven over) not only is covered in these microparticles, but leaves a discernable trail of them as they leave.

when percived with specialised lenses designed to observe into the UV, or with any ultraviolet vision enhancements, the desired target can be identified by the tell tale splatter around his legs and feet, and can be followed with relative ease (+15% to track or surveilance skills when properly equipped). Tracking effects wear off after about a mile of regular foot travel, though rough weather or water can reduce this substantially depending on circumstances.

The mat has a secondary feature. It can store 1800 individual footprints, tagged with a time date stamp. auxilliary storage can expand this to a virtually unlimited dtabase, with support software able to make excellent guesses as to the target's height, weight and pace. Linked to a network of mats, they can be detect when a person of a specific print enters a specific area.

Batts

Plasma wand.

Picture a tube of shaped and pulsed magnets maintaining an open 'bottle' of magnetic fields. add an electric charge and push a volitile, electrically reactive gas and you have the plasma wand.

When active, the plasma wand creates a plume of highly ionised and directed gas. Being struck by a plume of this gas is relativey harmless from an assault weapon point of view (as much as a steam burn, perhaps 1D4 damage), but the eyes are very sensitive to it. targets shot in the face need to make a saving throw (16+ PE bonuses apply) or be temporarilly blinded (-6 to all combat manoevres, double normal damage. blindness lasts for 2D6 minutes)

The more tactical use is as a anti electronics weapon. unshielded or lightly shielded electronics suffer from the ionised gas. Typically one melee round of exposure has a flat 60% chance of destroying the contents of a typical hard drive, 30% of shorting out a vehicle's electronic systems and 100% of shorting out exposed electrical components. environmentally shielded objects, without conductive protection, remain impervious.
Metal objects saturated in the ionised gas becomes uncomfortable to handle. guns in particular will have a 30% chance of touching off ammunition.

Plasma wands come in all shapes and sizes. The smallest is the size of pen, and can fire only a 3 second burst for about 1 foot. It is used as a close in antipersonnel 'suprise' attack, and usually resembles a pen. a larger version requires it's own 4 inch screw in gas cylinder, but can only maintain 15 seconds of burst before the battery runs down.

A 'sword' sized version shoots 4 feet of the flame for around 60-80 seconds. the mechanism is around a foot long and can be installed in other objects.

a cannon style version, said to be able to shoot for 30 feet is projected but it's weight is less than feasable.

an arrow version is also available, and can be fired by regular bow, a crossbow or custom made gas gun. the shaft remains lit for the duration of the flight, or can go off on impact. an optional arrow head can be fitted to penetarte light barriers (like the shell of a standard terminal, or the hood of an automobile)

Batts

I'm pretty sure it would work just fine with people wearing shoes, because even if two people wore a pair of similar shoes(same make, width and size) there are always differences in gait, weight and little flaws in the shoes themselves due to manufacturer tolerances. I just can't imagine large office buildings having plaques near every security checkpoint reminding people to "Please take off your shoes and socks for security purposes."

I didn't think I implied otherwise. The mention of 'feet' above was a little careless I suppose, but the intention was exactly as you state.

Batts

What do you think need to be in a Utility belt for a hero?

anything you can fit and can reasonably carry

which i suppose isn't an optimal answer.

Cell phone, lockpicks (or the lockpick gun) zippo lighter, swiss army knife (or leatherman) 2-5 bullets, a few marbles, caltrops, Bubble gum, aspirin, a weapon sight (telescopic), first aid kit (one of the mini-ones) Compass, Glow sticks, handcuffs.

of course it always depends on how high-tech your arsenal really is.

Batts

It also depends on whether the hero has access to micronized tools and equipment.

That's a pretty functional belt, I tried to think of some other possibilities to include, and came up with: small mirror, micro-tape recorder, pen or pencil, q-tips, remote car starter, empty medicine bottle, syringe (for taking blood samples, or injecting painkillers), several loops for larger items like a full size flashlight, billy club, etc...I can't think of anything else that's small and light enough to be practical in a utility belt.

Anti-Shark Repellant

That's Bat-Anti Shark Repellent actually.

Invention item with Instant Wardrobe, Instant Weapon, and Dimensional Pocket at 8th level.

Moving right along, I think an expansion and clarification of damage for real world ammunition would be nice. Preferably something that doesn't just wing it and hopes the players are too stupid to notice that a 5.56mm NATO round is about half again as powerful as a .41 magnum bullet, and thus assigning both of them 5d6 S.D.C. damage is brain damaged beyond words. Or that '7.62mm Rifle' covers at least half a dozen different cartridges. most of which have *more* energy than 5.56mm NATO, and therefore should not be doing 1d6 *less* damage.

I know that may seem nitpicky, but Hardware Weapons (and Vigilante Hunter) characters live or die by the guns they bring to the party. I feel it's a nit that needs to be picked, especially with the wide variety of civilian-legal real world rounds and guns that would be unbelievably useful against tough super powered threats.

For instance, there's a five shot single-action revolver *that really exists* that fires the .600 Nitro Express round designed for hunting elephants and cape buffalo. It's called the Zeliska and is just begging to be used by a super-powered gunslinger! Or the insanely huge, yet still-civilian-legal .950 JDJ round that uses a necked-up 20mm autocannon cartridge and delivers over two and a half times the energy of the .50 BMG round.

I can't believe I never went through this topic before now! I'm gonna have to turn Uncle Remus' mind to more modern pursuits from time to time now!

Collapsible Battle Staff: This weapon consists of a Mono-Filament Blade and a Staff. It is +1 strike and +2 parry. The can be turned into either a Bo-Staff, dual bladed staff, Naginata, pair of staves, paired katanas.
Mono-Filament Blade: The edge of this blade consists of a mono-filament molecule chain stretched tight on a diamond reinforced carbon nanotube blade that can severe the bonds of other molecule sand normally invulnerable characters but is ineffective against force fields (reduce damage by 1/3) Mono-Filament Blade: 5d6+4+STR

Staff: 4d6+STR+ Neural Stun: It is a weapon that releases an energy charge that temporarily short-circuits the nervous system. Damage: 3d6+STR if used as a club, 1d6+STR if used as a jabbing weapon plus stun. Save vs stun (16) or be stunned for 2d4 rounds (-8 strike, parry, dodge plus reduce speed and attacks by half). A successful save means character has lost initiative and one melee attack. Has a 1-72% chance of knocking target unconscious for 2d4 minutes (after waking up will be stunned for 1d4 minutes more). Effects are cumulative, if struck more than 4 times with unsuccessful save, will be rendered unconscious for 1d6x10 minutes.