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Kinetic Piston Maul 115

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by

Dale
in

From: Lineage 942 of the Vitreous Weaver

  • Description: This short-handled hammer features a heavy head containing a small, magic-driven steam piston. The handle is made of reinforced ash wood with brass fittings. It is typically used for heavy demolition or for crushing the armored carapaces of subterranean creatures.
  • Properties: When the maul strikes a solid surface, the internal piston fires, magnifying the force of the impact through mechanical power transmission. This makes it particularly effective at destroying objects or structures, such as gears, chains, or locks in abandoned ruins.
  • Tier: 1

Lore

The Kinetic Piston-Maul 115 was originally conceived not as a weapon, but as a “Sovereign Key” for the heavy-duty reclamation teams of the Early Industrial Expansion. In the cramped, pressurized tunnels of the subterranean reaches, swinging a full-sized sledge was often impossible. The 115 solved this by utilizing a localized mana-vapor cycle; the force of the impact is not dependent on the user’s arc, but on the sudden, violent release of the internal piston upon contact.

It is said that the first 115 was forged to break the “Ever-Lock” of a deep-sea vault, where the pressure was so great that standard tools shattered like glass. The brass fittings are more than decorative; they are reinforced pressure-sleeves designed to contain the “Micro-Steam” generated when mana flash-boils the internal reservoir. For a Vitreous Weaver, the weapon feels alive—a rhythmic, mechanical heartbeat that pulses against the palm, waiting for the resistance of a solid target to unleash its stored momentum.

Kinetic Piston-Maul 115

  • Tier: 1
  • Specific Slot: Held (One-Handed)
  • Tier One Stats:
    • Damage: Extreme Crushing (Effective against rigid defenses).
    • Speed: Low (Heavy head requires recovery time).
    • Impact Force: Can knock back medium-sized creatures or shatter heavy objects.
    • Durability: High (Reinforced ash and brass are built for high-stress demolition).
  • Skills Gained (While held or openly worn):
    • Structural Weakness Detection: The user gains an intuitive sense for the “Stress Points” of non-living objects, granting a bonus to rolls involving demolition or breaking locks.
    • Steady Grip: The user is less likely to be disarmed by physical force, as the brass fittings provide a magnetic-like affinity to silicate hands.
  • Passive Magics:
    • Inertial Weight: While held, the maul feels lighter to the wielder than its physical mass suggests, but retains its full weight during the moment of impact.
    • Momentum Recycling: Each successful strike partially re-pressurizes the internal piston, reducing the mana cost of subsequent activations in a single encounter.
    • Thermal Shielding: The brass sleeves absorb the heat generated by the steam piston, protecting the user’s hands from thermal damage even during prolonged use.
  • Activatable Magics:
    • Piston Overload (Minor Action): The user manually vents the internal steam, creating a 5-foot cloud of hot vapor that provides partial concealment and deals minor fire damage to adjacent enemies.
    • Shatter-Point Strike (Full Action): By channeling a burst of mana into the piston, the user ensures the next strike delivers maximum mechanical force. This attack automatically destroys non-magical objects of Tier 1 or lower (like chains, wooden doors, or simple gears).
  • Tags:
    • Melee, Crushing, Demolition, One-Handed, Steam-Powered, Piston-Driven, Industrial, Reinforced, Pressure-Sleeved, Mana-Vapor, Subterranean, Heavy-Duty, Kinetic-Linked, Brass-Fitted, Impact-Vented, Breach-Tool, High-Torque, Structural-Bane

In the industrial landscape of Saṃsāra, the Kinetic Piston-Maul 115 is considered an essential piece of “Heavy Kit” for reclamation crews, tunnel-wardens, and demolition specialists. Its presence usually indicates that a Weaver is prepared to go through walls rather than around them.

Methods of Acquisition

  • Infrastructure Bureau Requisition: Active members of the Bureau’s Maintenance or Excavation wings are issued a 115 upon reaching “Senior Technician” rank. These are stamped with a serial number and must be returned if the Weaver leaves the service.
  • Salvage from “The Collapsed Tunnels”: Because the reinforced ash handle and brass sleeves are so resilient, many 115s are recovered from failed mining expeditions in the subterranean deeps. These units often need their internal gaskets replaced but remain functionally potent.
  • Foundry Prototype Purchase: Occasionally, newer models (like the 116 or 117) are released, leading foundries to sell off their remaining stock of 115s to licensed freelancers or mercenaries at a reduced rate.

Trading and Purchasing Environments

The 115 is a heavy, loud, and industrial tool; it is rarely found in the delicate boutiques of the upper spires.

  • Heavy Industrial Foundries: These are massive, soot-stained workshops located near the docks or mining shafts. The 115 is sold here as a “Standard Breaching Tool.” They are often hung on heavy iron pegs and sold alongside jackhammers and pneumatic drills.
  • Reclamation Surplus Stores: Found in the “Normal” safety zones, these shops deal in second-hand gear. The air smells of grease and stale steam. Here, you buy the tool “as-is,” often with the previous owner’s initials carved into the ash handle.
  • Frontier Trade-Posts: In the Unsafe zones, these mauls are highly valued for their ability to crush the carapaces of subterranean monsters. They are often bartered for raw ores or salvaged clockwork components rather than standard currency.

Cost and Valuation

The value of a 115 is determined by the “Seal Integrity” of its brass steam-sleeves and the condition of the magic-driven piston.

  • New Industrial Cost: A factory-fresh 115 costs 28 to 34 Electrum (140 to 170 Silver). This includes a lifetime warranty on the brass gaskets and a full reservoir of alchemical coolant.
  • Surplus/Used Cost: A reliable, field-tested unit sells for 15 to 20 Electrum (75 to 100 Silver). These may have minor steam leaks that hiss during use, but the mechanical impact remains unchanged.
  • Scrap/Damaged Price: A 115 with a seized piston or cracked handle might go for as little as 6 Electrum (30 Silver), primarily for the value of the brass fittings and the internal mana-core.
  • Resale Value: Because of its utility in demolition, a working 115 retains its value well, usually fetching 50% of its current market price at any industrial depot.

Strategic Application of the Kinetic Piston-Maul 115

The Kinetic Piston-Maul 115 is a weapon of overwhelming momentum. In roleplay, its use is defined by the audible hiss of steam and the bone-shaking thud of the piston firing upon contact, making every successful strike feel like a mechanical execution.

Roleplay in Designated Safe and Somewhat Safe Areas

In the structured urban centers of Saṃsāra, the 115 is more of a heavy-duty master key than a weapon of war.

  • Social Offense: The avatar can use Shatter-Point Strike as a display of absolute authority. Roleplay the Weaver walking up to a “unbreakable” confiscated crate or a sealed gate and, with a single effortless swing, reducing the lock to brass shavings and splinters. It is a terrifying demonstration of how easily the city’s physical barriers can be bypassed.
  • Passive Defense: While guarding an industrial site, the avatar can roleplay the Steady Grip. When protesters or thieves try to push past or disarm the Weaver, the 115 stays anchored to their silicate hands like it’s part of their own anatomy, while the sheer bulk of the weapon serves as a physical wall that is impossible to shove aside.

Roleplay in Normal and Unsafe Areas

On the frontier or in the mining tunnels, the environment is as much a target as the enemies.

  • Tactical Offense: When fighting agile creatures, roleplay the Inertial Weight. The Weaver moves the maul with surprising speed, catching an opponent off guard. Upon impact, the piston fires with a roar of steam, sending the creature flying backward. Roleplay the “Momentum Recycling”—the second swing coming even faster as the internal pressure builds.
  • Physical Defense: In a narrow tunnel or bridge, the avatar uses Piston Overload. Roleplay the Weaver slamming the maul against the floor, not to break it, but to vent the internal reservoir. A scalding cloud of vapor fills the corridor, masking the party’s retreat and leaving pursuing enemies coughing and burned.

Roleplay in Deathly Areas

In the deep, ancient ruins where the structures are as dangerous as the guardians, the 115 is a survival necessity.

  • Surgical Offense: Against massive clockwork sentinels, roleplay the Structural Weakness Detection. The Weaver doesn’t aim for the armor plates; they aim for the “Pivot-Gears” or “Support-Pistons.” Describe the sound of ancient metal buckling and shearing as the 115 delivers thousands of pounds of force directly into the sentinel’s mechanical joints, effectively “amputating” its limbs.
  • Critical Defense: When trapped by a collapsing ceiling or a sealing stone door, the avatar roleplays a desperate Shatter-Point Strike. Describe the Weaver channeling every drop of mana into the brass fittings until they glow. The strike doesn’t just hit the obstacle; it pulverizes the stone into dust, creating a breach for the party to escape just before the ruin goes dark.

Interaction with Rule Breakers and Gestalts

  • Rule Breaker Synergy: A Rule Breaker might “Override the Safety Gaskets,” forcing the piston to fire at double speed. Roleplay the weapon vibrating so violently it threatens to shatter the Weaver’s own silicate arms, with steam venting uncontrollably in a dangerous, high-pressure scream.
  • Gestalt Coordination: Within a gestalt, one avatar focuses on the Thermal Shielding, managing the heat levels to prevent a meltdown, while the other times the Piston-Driven impact perfectly with an ally’s distracting strike. This coordination allows the 115 to hit with “Siege-Engine” levels of force, turning a portable hammer into a handheld wrecking ball.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

When the Kinetic Piston-Maul 115 strikes a surface, the Vitreous Weaver feels a “Mechanical Heartbeat.” It is not a jarring recoil, but a sudden, rhythmic expansion. Kaelen-7 perceives the weapon as an extension of their own internal pressure. At the moment of the Piston-Driven discharge, there is a sensation of “Sudden Weight,” as if the air itself has become solid for a microsecond, followed by the satisfying vibration of stone or metal yielding beneath the strike.

  • Internal Tactile: A sharp, pressurized kick that resonates through the reinforced ash handle, feeling like a heavy, industrial “thump” that settles deep in the avatar’s core.
  • Extra-Sensory – Structural Stress Mapping: Through the Mind’s Eye, the user perceives the target not as a solid object, but as a web of tension. The maul highlights the “Fracture Node” in a glowing red, showing exactly where the mechanical force will propagate to cause total structural failure.
  • Extra-Sensory – Thermal Echo: The user senses the heat of the internal steam as a warm, golden aura surrounding the maul’s head, allowing them to feel the “Charge Level” of the piston without looking at the brass fittings.

Observer’s Perspective

To an onlooker, the activation is a violent and loud display of industrial power that briefly disrupts the surrounding environment.

  • Visual: Upon impact, a ring of white steam vents violently from the brass sleeves, accompanied by a shower of sparks if striking metal. The head of the maul appears to “jump” into the target, as the piston fires with a visible mechanical jerk.
  • Auditory: A deafening, metallic CLANG followed immediately by the high-pitched HISS of escaping mana-vapor. The sound is low-frequency and “heavy,” often causing nearby loose objects to rattle.
  • Extra-Sensory – Pressure Wave: Those standing within five feet feel a sudden “pop” in their ears and a brief gust of hot air as the kinetic energy and steam are displaced outward.

Positives

  • Inertial Dominance: The Inertial Weight magic allows the Weaver to swing a weapon that should be too heavy for their frame, delivering “Great-Maul” damage with “Hand-Hammer” speed.
  • Absolute Breach: The Shatter-Point Strike makes physical obstacles like reinforced doors or heavy chains irrelevant, ensuring the party is never truly “locked out” of a ruin.
  • Psychological Impact: The sheer noise and steam of the activation are highly intimidating to primitive or biological enemies, often forcing them to hesitate.

Negatives

  • Steam Obscurity: The cloud of vapor produced by the Piston Overload or standard activation can briefly blind the user as well as the enemy if there is no wind to clear it.
  • Thermal Signature: The heat generated by the steam makes the user a “bright” target for creatures or sensors that track heat in the cold, dark subterranean depths.
  • Acoustic Signature: The loud hiss and bang make stealth impossible once the maul has been used, alerting every guardian in the sector to the Weaver’s presence.

Blueprint: Casting the Sovereign Breach 115

Materials Needed

  • Reinforced Ash Wood (1 meter): A dense, straight-grained segment of heartwood, seasoned to resist high-impact vibrations.
  • Cast Brass Pressure-Sleeves (2 kg): Heavy-duty brass casing for the steam-venting assembly.
  • Cold-Forged Steel Hammer Head: A hollowed-out block of iron-hard steel to house the piston mechanism.
  • Magic-Driven Piston Core: A precision-machined steel rod etched with mana-conductive grooves.
  • Alchemical Gasket Rings: Flexible, mana-resistant seals to prevent premature steam venting.
  • Internal Water-Vessel: A small, reinforced reservoir to hold the liquid that will be flash-boiled into steam.
  • Silver-Etched Mana-Cap: To interface the user’s palm with the weapon’s internal pressure-valve.

Tools Required

  • Hydraulic Press: To seat the piston core and alchemical gaskets into the hammer head without damaging the seals.
  • Brass-Solder Torch: For sealing the pressure-sleeves around the steam vents.
  • Wood-Burning Etcher: To carve the “Steady Grip” grooves into the ash handle.
  • Pressure-Testing Chamber: To ensure the maul can handle a full Piston Overload without catastrophic failure.
  • Precision Lathe: For machining the internal piston rod to sub-millimeter tolerances.

Skill Requirements

  • Industrial Smithing (Trained): Required to cast the brass sleeves and forge the hollowed steel head.
  • Pneumatic Engineering (Trained): Crucial for calibrating the steam-cycle and timing the piston-fire.
  • Woodworking (Basic): Necessary for fitting the ash handle to the brass fittings to ensure the “Steady Grip.”

Crafting Steps

  • Hollowing the Head: Forge the steel hammer head, leaving a precise cylindrical cavity in the center. The interior must be polished to a mirror finish to allow the piston to move with zero friction.
  • Installing the Piston: Slide the magic-driven piston core into the cavity, sandwiched between the alchemical gasket rings. This assembly must be air-tight; even a minor leak will turn the “Piston-Driven” strike into a harmless hiss.
  • Fitting the Reservoir: Place the internal water-vessel behind the piston. Connect it to the mana-cap via a series of silver-etched capillary tubes that will transmit the user’s mana to flash-boil the water.
  • The Brass Enclosure: Slide the brass pressure-sleeves over the steel head and weld them into place. Ensure the venting ports align with the piston’s “exhaust” cycle to facilitate the Thermal Shielding.
  • Seating the Handle: Heat the brass fittings and press-fit the ash handle into the socket. As the brass cools, it will shrink, creating a bond that no amount of impact can loosen.
  • The Steam Calibration: Fill the reservoir and perform a “Soft-Strike” on an anvil. The piston should fire with a rhythmic thud, and the steam should vent cleanly through the side ports without heating the handle.
  • The Overload Test: Place the maul in the pressure-chamber and trigger a full manual vent. If the gaskets hold and the brass doesn’t warp, the 115 is ready for the field.

Heavy Breath and Weaver Who Broke World’s Seal

In the time before the “Great Gears” turned in harmony, when the islands of Saṃsāra were but floating islands of “un-cut stone,” there lived a Weaver known as Kae-Len of the Iron-Pulse. It is carved in the Tablets of the First Piston that the people of that age were trapped. The “Beneath-World” was guarded by the Titan-Gates of the Unmoving Deep—doors of solid lead and ancient sorrow that no hand could push, and no spell could melt.

Kae-Len journeyed to the Misty Throat of the Earth, where the steam is born from the “Mother-Boiler.” He spoke to the “Spirit of the White Vapor,” whose breath smells of hot brass and boiling mana. “Give me a fist that does not tire,” Kae-Len commanded. “Give me a thumb of iron that can press the stars until they crack.”

The Spirit gave him a “Rod of Ash” from a tree that grew in a place where the wind is made of lead. To this wood, Kae-Len bound the Heart of the Piston, a hollowed stone of cold-steel that contained a “Storm-in-Waiting.” But the hammer was dumb; it had no “Voice.” To make the hammer speak, Kae-Len had to capture a “Scream of the Mana-Vapor” and seal it inside brass sleeves, which were forged in the “Sweat of the Labor-Drones.”

The translation becomes “choppy” here, but it says that the Weaver spent seven cycles “Talking to the Pressure.” He taught the brass to hold its breath and the steel to jump only when the stone was kissed. When he first struck the ground, the story says the “Earth-shook-as-if-it-had-a-fever.” The steam escaped in a ring of white fire, and the hammer’s head “danced with the joy of the crush.”

The Great Legend tells of when the Worm-of-Chitin-and-Steel rose to block the path to the “Sun-Gears.” Its shell was made of the “Refusal of the Gods”—no blade could pierce it, and no fire could char it. The Weaver stood before the beast and did not swing his arm in a circle. He simply “held the silence.” When the Worm struck, Kae-Len met the blow with the 115 Face.

The sound was the “Sound of the Mountain Sneezing.” The internal piston fired with the strength of a thousand falling stars. The Worm’s shell did not crack; it “ceased to be solid.” It turned into a cloud of dust and ancient memories. The Weaver then marched to the Titan-Gates of the Unmoving Deep and struck the Ever-Lock. The brass hissed like a “thousand angry snakes,” and the leaden door, which had stood for a million years, folded like a “wet leaf of tobacco.”

It is said in the Final Fragment that Kae-Len never let go of the handle, for the 115 and his silicate arm had become “One Song of Pressure.” He used the maul to open the islands for the people, turning the “Un-cut Stone” into the world we now walk. But the warning remains: the steam is a “Hired Ghost,” and if the brass is not respected, the ghost will escape and take the Weaver’s breath along with it.

The Moral of the Story: The greatest wall is not broken by the strength of the arm, but by the weight of the spirit channeled through the logic of the machine; he who holds the “Key of the Piston” must be prepared for the door to never close again.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Unique Name: The 115 Piston-Breaker

  • Item Type: Melee Weapon (Club)
  • Damage: 1d10+DB (Minimum damage is always 5 due to piston force)
  • Skill: Fighting (Flail or Brawl)
  • Malf: 95

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Structural Demolition: When used against inanimate objects (locks, doors, chains), the maul deals double damage. It ignores the first 5 points of Armor Value (AV) on constructs or armored horrors.
  • Piston Overload: The user can spend 3 Magic Points to vent steam. All characters in a 5-foot radius (except the wielder) must make a Dodge roll or take 1d4 burn damage and suffer a penalty die on their next action due to the obscuring vapor.
  • Steady Grip: The user receives a bonus die to resist being Disarmed.
  • Maintenance: If a “Fumble” occurs, the brass gaskets blow. The weapon deals only 1d6 damage and loses its demolition properties until a Mechanical Repair roll is successful.

Blades in the Dark

Unique Name: 115 Kinetic Maul

  • Type: Fine Heavy Weapon (2 Load)

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Piston-Driven Force: When you Wreck or Skirmish to destroy an obstacle or crush armor, you gain +1 Effect.
  • Shatter-Point: You may expend 1 Armor use (from your gear) or take 1 Stress to instantly destroy a Tier 1 or Tier 2 physical barrier (a door, a safe, a set of chains) without making a roll.
  • Vapor Screen: When you use the maul to create a distraction or escape, you gain Potency on your Prowl or Sway roll as the steam vents to mask your movement.
  • Unwieldy: Due to the heavy head and recovery time, you take a -1d penalty if you attempt to use this weapon for a “Limited” effect or high-finesse task.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Unique Name: Kinetic Piston-Maul 115

  • Weapon (warhammer), uncommon (requires attunement)

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Properties: Versatile (1d8/1d10), Siege.
  • Siege Weapon: This weapon deals double damage to objects and structures.
  • Piston-Driven Impact: When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack with this weapon, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.
  • Shatter-Point Strike (3 Charges): As an action, you can expend 1 charge to strike a non-magical object. If the object is not being worn or carried, it is automatically destroyed if it fits within a 5-foot cube. If used against a creature, the target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. The maul regains all charges daily at dawn.
  • Vapor Vent: As a bonus action, you can cause the maul to emit steam. You are heavily obscured until the start of your next turn.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Unique Name: 115 Breaching Hammer

  • Damage: d10
  • Slots: 2 Slots (Bulky)
  • Quality: 4

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Demolition Tool: This weapon automatically destroys any non-magical lock or chain it strikes.
  • Kinetic Force: On a damage roll of 9 or 10, the target is knocked backward 10 feet.
  • Piston Overload: Once per encounter, you can vent steam to deal d6 damage to all adjacent enemies.
  • The Gods’ Pain: If you carry more than 10 attuned items, the heat from the brass sleeves becomes unbearable. You take 1 damage every time you roll an even number on an attack roll.

Fate Core / Fate Condensed

Unique Name: 115 Kinetic Breacher

  • Aspect: High-Pressure Steam Demolition Hammer
  • Stunts:
    • Mechanical Force Transmission: Because I am wielding the 115 Piston-Maul, I gain a +2 to Physique rolls made to smash, break, or demolish inanimate objects and structures.
    • Piston-Driven Impact: Once per conflict, when I successfully hit an opponent with Fight, I can choose to sacrifice my next turn’s movement to knock the target back one zone and apply the Aspect Stunned by Impact with one free invoke.
    • Vapor Screen: I can spend a Fate Point to vent the internal reservoir, creating a Thick Steam Cloud situation aspect in my current zone with two free invokes.
  • Drawback: Heavy Recovery. If I fail a Fight roll with style, my opponent can choose to have me lose my next action as I reset the heavy piston mechanism.

Numenera & Cypher System

Unique Name: 115 Impact Piston-Maul

  • Level: 4 (Tier 1)
  • Form: A heavy-headed hammer with brass pressure-sleeves and a reinforced wood handle.
  • Effect:
    • Piston Force: This medium weapon deals 4 points of damage. Against inanimate objects or stationary constructs, it deals 6 points of damage.
    • Shatter-Point (2 Might points): The user triggers the internal steam piston for a precise strike. The attack ignores 2 points of Armor and, if successful, knocks the target prone.
    • Structural Detection: The user has an Asset on all tasks related to identifying weak points in walls, doors, or mechanical systems.
    • Steam Vent (1 Might point): The user vents a burst of hot vapor. This deals 1 point of fire damage to all adjacent creatures and provides an Asset to the user’s Speed defense rolls for one round.
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (Check only when using Shatter-Point).

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Unique Name: Kinetic Piston-Maul 115

  • Item 3 | Rare | Force | Steam | Industrial | Invested | Magical
  • Usage: held in 1 hand; Bulk: 2
  • Base Weapon: Warhammer (1d8 B, Shove)

Mechanics and Syntax

  • Structural Bane: Your strikes with the 115 Maul against objects and constructs ignore the first 5 points of Hardness.
  • Steady Grip: You gain a +1 item bonus to Athletics checks to resist being Disarmed.
  • Activate (One Action): Shatter-Point Strike (Force); Frequency once per turn; Effect You channel mana to prime the piston. Your next strike this turn deals an additional 1d6 Force damage and you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to the Shove check if the attack hits.
  • Piston Overload (Two Actions): Vapor Vent (Fire); Effect You vent the internal steam. All creatures in a 5-foot emanation take 2d6 fire damage (Basic Reflex DC 17). The area becomes concealed until the start of your next turn.
  • Gods’ Pain: If you exceed 10 invested items, the brass sleeves become burning hot. You take 1d4 fire damage at the start of each of your turns while holding the weapon.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Unique Name: Model 115 Piston-Maul

  • Damage: Str+d8
  • AP: 2 (4 vs. Objects/Buildings)
  • Weight: 8
  • Min STR: d8

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Siege Tool: The 115 Piston-Maul is considered a “Heavy Weapon” for the purposes of damaging vehicles and fortifications.
  • Structural Weakness: The user ignores 2 points of Scale penalties when attacking inanimate objects or structures.
  • Steam Vent: As a Limited Action, the user can vent the piston. This creates a Small Blast Template centered on the wielder. Anyone inside must make a Vigor roll or be Distracted by the scalding steam.
  • The Gods’ Decree: If the user has more than 10 Attuned items, any Critical Failure on a Fighting roll causes a “Steam Snap.” The user takes a level of Fatigue from thermal shock that cannot be recovered until the weapon is stowed.

Shadowrun (6th World Edition)

Unique Name: 115 Kinetic Piston-Maul

  • Weapon Type: Clubs
  • Attack Rating: 8/2/—/—/—
  • Damage Value: 5P
  • Close Quarters: —
  • Availability: 3
  • Cost: 1,500¥

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Structural Breacher: This weapon doubles its Damage Value when attacking inanimate barriers, locks, or structures.
  • Piston-Driven Impact: When the user spends 1 Edge, the piston fires with maximum force. Increase the Damage Value by +2 and the target is knocked prone if the attack results in any damage.
  • Vapor Vent (Minor Action): The user manually vents steam. This creates a “Fog” environmental effect in the user’s immediate vicinity for 1 Combat Round, providing a +1 cover bonus to Defense Tests.
  • The Gods’ Pain: If the user has more than 10 active Foci or attuned relics, the hilt vibrates violently. The user suffers a -2 dice pool penalty to all Close Combat tests as the weapon’s feedback disrupts their silicate nervous system.

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

Unique Name: Kinetic Piston-Maul 115

  • Level: 3
  • Price: 1,350 Credits
  • Bulk: 2
  • Damage: 1d10 B

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Weapon Traits: Forceful, Shove, Siege.
  • Siege (Property): This weapon deals double damage to objects, structures, and vehicles.
  • Shatter-Point Strike (Two Actions): Requirement You have a Focus Pool or are a Vitreous Weaver. Effect You prime the piston with mana. Your next attack this turn ignores the first 5 points of the target’s Hardness or Resistance. If the attack hits, the target is pushed 5 feet away from you.
  • Thermal Shielding: You gain a +1 item bonus to saving throws against heat-based environmental hazards.
  • Attunement Strain: If you exceed 10 attuned items, the steam gaskets leak. You take 1d6 fire damage whenever you use a Shatter-Point Strike.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Unique Name: Model 115 Demolition Hammer

  • TL: 6 (Special)
  • Range: Melee
  • Damage: 3D
  • Weight: 4 kg
  • Cost: Cr 1,200

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Breaching Tool: The 115 Maul has the AP (6) trait, but only when used against stationary structures, doors, or vehicles.
  • Kinetic Discharge: On a successful hit, the Traveler may choose to expend a mana-charge. The target must succeed on an Athletics (Dexterity) check (Difficulty 10+) or be knocked backward 2 meters and knocked prone.
  • Vapor Screen: As a Significant Action, the Traveler can vent the steam reservoir. This creates a 3-meter cloud that imposes a DM-2 penalty on all ranged attacks passing through it for 1 round.
  • The Burden: If the Traveler carries more than 10 Attuned artifacts, the weapon becomes “Heavy.” All Melee (Unarmed or Blade) checks using the maul suffer a DM-2 penalty.

Warhammer (Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition)

Unique Name: 115 Kinetic Piston-Maul

  • Price: 3 Gold Crowns
  • Encumbrance: 2
  • Availability: Scarce

Game Mechanics and Syntax

  • Weapon Group: Two-Handed (Hammer) or Basic
  • Reach: Average
  • Damage: +SB+5
  • Qualities: Crushing, Damaging, Pummel, Impact.
  • Shatter-Point: When attacking an inanimate object, the 115 ignores all AP and deals double Damage.
  • Vapor Vent: The wielder may spend 1 Advantage to release a cloud of steam. All adjacent opponents must pass a Challenging (+0) Endurance Test or suffer 1 Blinded Condition.
  • The Gods’ Decree: If the user possesses more than 10 “Attuned” items, the weapon gains the Tiring quality as the mana-weight becomes spiritually exhausting to swing.

 

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  1. Lineage 942 of the Vitreous Weaver – GearAscendancy.com

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