HK-36
The Iron Lord Protector (Neutral Good)
Image Source: Deviant art, a piece called Scarlett's Staff by an artist SilverMovie, link here
Intent: To create a standard blaster and melee weapon for Abregado forces
Development Thread: If necessary, based on canon Force staff and blaster staff tech
Manufacturer: Abregado-Rae Guild of Hammers, Firemane
Model: Plasma Energy Firearm- Blaster Staff- 1
Affiliation: ARGH, Firemane, Galactic Alliance, Open Market
Modularity: Can be set to stun
Production: Mass
Material: Graphite Shaft, Electrite electrical components, Graphite capsule for vital electronic components, durasteel and bronzium for aesthetics
Classification: Blaster/Electrostaff
Size: Handheld
Length: 1.6 meters (Based on the previous electro spears)
Weight: 10 kg (Based on the previous electro spears)
Ammunition Type: Power cells and gas canisters
Ammunition Capacity: Gas canister needs to be replaced every 700 shots, but the power pack lasts only 175, about 90 if the electrostaff electrodes are active as well.
Effective Range: Optimal Range: 50 meters for novice soldiers, 100 meters for veterans Maximum Range: 300, suppressing fire, low accuracy
Rate of Fire: full automatic
Special Features:
- Electrodes- the weapon contains electro-staff electrodes, capable of dealing shocks anywhere from stunning to lethal range
- Magnetized shaft- the graphite shaft is magnetized through electromagnets in a process similar to that of original Mandalorian Force Staves, capable of deflecting blaster bolts
- Lightsaber-resistant materials- the weapon is made from Graphite, granting it high energy and lightsaber resistance, capable of blocking strikes from the energy weapons, however it is not indestructible, physical strikes from weapons like contemporary warhammers can break it with sufficient force.
- Lightsaber resistant- due to the shaft of the weapon and electrodes being made largely out of Graphite, this weapon is resistant to lightsaber strikes and other forms of energy weaponry, sufficient physical strikes can still damage or break it however.
- Electroshocks- the weapon is capable of dealing melee electric strikes much like the electrostaves or force pikes, this can range from simple stun shocks or enough electricity to rip and cut limbs off, like the canon force pikes and previous Abregado spears.
- Magnetized- just like the original Mandalorian Force Staves, the shaft of this weapon is magnetized through application of electro-magnets, allowing it to deflect blaster bolts much like the lightsabers do.
- Fire rate- these staves inherit the fire rate of standard contemporary blaster rifles from the Blaster Staff design, making this one of the fastest firing infantry weapons in Abregado armory outside of the shattergun rotary cannons and miniguns.
- Energy- because this weapon deals energy damage on range it is useful when dealing with armor designed to have high resistance to physical damage but low energy resistance
- Size- due to the weapon doubling as an electro-staff the weapon is much larger than a standard blaster rifle while having the firepower of one, as such it cannot be comfortably holstered, instead forcing the soldier who chooses to wield it to carry it with them at all times, taking up space that could be used for more equipment. They also take up more storage space than normal blasters.
- Weight- with their size comes more weight than a standard blaster rifle, while it's not a crippling amount it can wear down a soldier over time.
- Hip fire- as a staff the weapon can't have any scopes or even iron sights attached to it, firing it from the hip is pretty much the only option, lowering the accuracy of the weapon, especially for most organics.
- Easy to learn hard to master- this weapon is easy to pick up and use, simply point it and press one button to fire blaster bolts, then press another button to activate the electrostaff electrodes and use it in melee combat. However, both firing blaster from a hip and melee with an electrostaff are not easy tactics to master, requiring some training to really hone the skills.
- Plasma bolts- using plasma bolts provides one weakness, they are so common in contemporary times that plenty of armor evolved to protect against them, plus there are weapons such as lightsabers or these very staves that can deflect them.
- No stabs- the weapon can't really stab in melee, instead of tip of the electrode it has an opening for a blaster tube.
Based on ancient Mandalorian design of Force Staves, and the Empire-era Blaster Staves sometimes used by Stormtroopers in stead of their standard E-11 blasters, these staves utilize their basic plasma projectile, electrode, and magnetization systems along with a staff Graphite shaft similar to that previously used with the Spears of Rae already manufactured by Abregado. Their purpose is simple, to place Abregado's both first standardized blaster firearm and melee weapon on the market, as well as supply it to the planet's existing and future troops while making it diverge from the already existing blaster weapon on the market.
The advantage of this weapons when compared to most of the other firearms manufactured by Abregado is its high rate of fire and usefulness in melee combat. Pretty much anyone can pick up one of these staves point it, and start spewing blaster with a push of a button. Thanks to the contemporary energy cells Gados developed parallel to the development of new shatterguns, to keep up with the rising energy demands of the electromagnetic weapons, these weapons can keep up with the battery capacity of a contemporary blaster rifle. The weapon also includes a graphite capsule protecting its most vital electronic components, as a result the weapon can withstand electric, ionic, and EMP attacks although they will still turn the weapon off, it simply needs to have its power pack replaced and re-activated. The weapon also contains two openings for the blaster tube, one in front, one in the back, each connected to a separate firing button, if for some reason one would wish to fire in two directions at once, although this does present a danger of accidentally firing behind the user. The plasma canister and power pack have slots in the middle section of the staves. The staff is also able to deflect blaster bolts due to its magnetized shaft and electrodes, much like the original Force Staves of old, although such feat requires extensive training to do properly, especially in the middle of a gunfight.
The disadvantages of the blaster staves are its weight, size, lack of scopes, and the spike in power requirements when firing while using the weapon as an electro-staff. Usually Electro-Staves do not run out of power easily, otherwise they would be rather unreliable in combat, however the bursts of energy required to form plasma bolts out of Tibanna gas are much more costly, even more so when the systems have to keep up the energy required for electrode systems to keep charge. As such the battery life of the weapon is halved if fired while the electrodes are activated, which means it could potentially run out of power in the middle of a melee fight if the staff is fired in close combat. The weight and size of the weapon make it much less convenient to carry around than a standard blaster rifle, not to mention it could wear down the soldier over time if they are not properly used or trained with the weapon. The lack of scopes and even ironsights, along with the weapon's size, makes it rather hard to aim at, restricting the user to firing this blaster pretty much only from the hip, greatly reducing its accuracy and the range at which it is reliable, although it should not matter much considering the high rate of fire, Just like deflecting the bolts and combat with an electrostaff in general, firing from the hip requires proper training and experience, as such this gun is reliable in hands of a recruit, but truly deadly when given to a veteran trooper.
Primary Source: Force Staves, Blaster Staves, Spears of Rae
