PGC's DN4 pistol; human version of a Dralasite design.
Needlers are a class of Projectile Weapons that fires a cluster of small needles. They magnetically propel the needles at high speed. They are less effective at long range because the needles spread like shotgun pellets. They hold 10 shots form an upright disc clip. They make only a very soft, coughing noise when they are fired. They fire two types of needles: barbed needles that cause 2d10 (11 on average) points of damage per shot, and anesthetic needles that cause only 1d10 points of damage but can put the victim to sleep for d100 turns (an individual can resist the anesthetic by passing a current Stamina check). Needles will not penetrate skeinsuits or inertia screens; neither the suit, screen, or individual are damaged.
There are two basic types of needler weapons:
- Needler Pistol. A needler pistol is a handgun used for self-defense and crowd-control.
- Needler Rifle. A needler rifle is a rifle-sized version of a needler pistol. As the longer barrel gives the needles more velocity, it has a longer range than a needler pistol and its barbed ammunition can do more damage.