Approved Tech LPD-43 Reckoning Assault Cannon

[Gir Quee]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To provide a LPD version of the classic Assault Cannon
• Image Source: here
• Canon Link: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
• Primary Source: LPD-31 Stormshard Rifle

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: Lucerne Personal Defense
• Affiliation: Directorate, Silver Jedi, Closed-Market
• Model: LPD-43 Reckoning Assault Cannon
• Modularity: Scopes, rail attachments, ammunition
• Production: Mass-Produced.
• Material: Slugthrower & blaster components, Phrik casing, electronics, Permex furniture, Magnatomic Grip Panels, multi-optic sight

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Classification: Ripper weapon / missile launcher
• Size: Large
• Weight: Heavy
• Ammunition Type: Turadium flechettes, power pack. gas canister, small missiles
  

  	Ripper Mode	Shotgun mode	Blaster Rifle Mode	Missile Launcher
  Ammunition Capacity	Average (300)	Average (30)	Average (300)	Very Small (6 missiles)
  Effective Range	Long Range	Average	Average	Battlefield
  Rate of Fire	High	Low	High	Low
  Stopping Power	High	Extreme	High	Extreme
  Recoil	High	Average	Average	Average

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Ripper (Energy-Propelled Slugthrower): The Reckoning is a type of Ripper weapon, which uses energy to rapidly launch metal flechette projectiles with exceptional shield-piercing qualities. The Reckoning itself uses laser ablation propulsion by using a blaster housed in the weapon's rear to ignite the rear of the projectile to turn it into plasma which then propels and envelopes the projectile with searing hot plasma as it leaves the barrel. Due to the projectile's high velocity and encasement in plasma, these flechettes are unusually effective at penetrating through shielded targets.
• Variable Fire Modes: While the Reckoning is typically used as a ripper weapon, it can focus more on its kinetic or energy nature to get different effects. The blaster mechanism at the rear of the weapon can be used by itself, which despite the cannon's large size, is as powerful as many smaller blaster rifles. While weaker than its other settings, this mode does noticeably provide Reckoning users with a viable stun setting. Alternatively, the Reckoning's variable chamber can be overloaded with flechettes. In this mode, the blaster in the back is not able to fully convert all of the flechettes' base into plasma at a consistent level, which effectively turns the Reckoning into a short-ranged if powerful scattergun.
• Missile Launcher: Like the original assault cannon, the Reckoning has a compact missile launcher built into the weapon that sits underneath the ripper's barrel. This launcher uses a superimposed load system with disposable blast washers separting the missiles from each other. The Reckoning is designed to use the relatively small 3t3 and Starbolt missile families, with each warhead weighing roughly 1.5 kilograms. Consequently, the weapon does become noticeably lighter as missiles are expended, leading many users to fire a barrage of missiles at targets before engaging in close quarters combat to improve its short-range handling.
• Stun Setting: The Reckoning does have stun setting via its internal blaster.
• Picatinny Rails: The Reckoning does have recessed Picatinny rails on its top and bottom, which allows it to use a variety of off the counter weapon's attachments such as aftermarket sights, scopes, or bipods.
• Multi-optic Sight: The Reckoning comes with a small, detachable multi-optic sight that is linked to the weapon's selector switch and automatically adjust its targeting reticle based on what weapon is selected. This is particularly invaluable in establishing the initial targeting lock for the weapon's missiles.
• Data Uplink: The Reckoning comes with a data uplink cable which allows the weapon to be directly plugged into power armor HUD system or a battle droid's targeting software to allow almost seamless integration of the weapon into these battle platforms.
• Magnatomic Grip: Magnatomic grips on the weapon make it more difficult for the weapon to be ripped out or fall out of a person's hands.

STRENGTHS

• Variable Fire Modes: The Reckoning can alter the intake of its ammunition and firing cycle to allow it to be used in different weapon roles, making it a versatile weapon.
• High Rate of Fire (Ripper & Blaster Mode): The Reckoning has a fairly high rate of fire compared to the average weapon, being largely equivalent to that of conventional blasters such as the famous BlasTech E-11.
• Impressive Stopping Power (Shotgun Mode/missile launcher): As a scattergun, the Reckoning can cast out an impressive number of flechettes at high velocities, which gives it a very high stopping power. As a missile launcher, the Reckoning fires warheads designed to destroy speeders and damage small starships – this makes its exceptionally powerful against personal-sized targets.
• Shield Penetrator (Ripper): The Reckoning, like other ripper designs, is fairly effective at penetrating through personal-scale shields, though the damage it inflicts after piercing is less than it would be against an unshielded target.
• Long-Range (Missile Launcher): The Reckoning's missiles are fairly long-ranged for a personal-sized weapon, mainly in order to allow them to successfully engage vehicles.

WEAKNESSES

• Large: The Reckoning is a large weapon that is significantly more difficult to maneuver in close quarters than the average rifle or stow in cramped spaces like inside vehicles.
• Heavy: The Reckoning is fairly heavy, especially with a full missile load, being roughly equivalent in weight to medium or heavy repeating blaster. While it can be carried and used by an individual, it is a noticeable encumbrance that usually slows down most users. Like the original, it functions best a weapon for exceptionally strong personnel or those wearing power armor.
• Slow rate of Fire (Shotgun mode/Missile Launcher): The Reckoning takes some time to fully load multiple flechettes into its chambers, leading to a load rate of fire. The missile launcher element of the Reckoning needs a brief cooling interval between missile launchers in order to ensure that the weapon isn't damaged by high heat.
• Jack of all trades, master of none: The Reckoning isn't quite as good in any of its secondary roles as dedicated weapons of that specific type: it's blaster mode is equivalent to that of a blaster rifle that's about a third of its size. While it's as powerful as even the largest shotguns, it doesn't have the same modularity in ammunition that most do. As a missile launcher, has a significantly slower rate of fire than most missile launchers with equivalent firepower, such as a PLX-2M.
• Complicated: The Reckoning is a pretty complicated weapon that is difficult to repair in the field or to clear any weapons malfunctions, such as a jammed turadium bolt. Its complexity also means that it requires noticeable familiarization to become proficient with – this is not the sort of weapon that can given at moment's notice to the average soldier and expect even decent performance with.

DESCRIPTION
As Lucerne Personal Defense began to break into the power armor market, users began to express a desire to obtain a heavier and more specialized weapon to accompany it besides typical personal weapons – something that could effectively be wielded against opponents also wearing power armor or the hulking Baedurin of the Bryn'adul or various Sithspawn employed by darksiders. The obvious answer was to turn to the ancient Imperial assault cannon wielded by Darktroopers during the Galactic Civil War.

Rather than merely copy the assault cannon, Lucerne Personal Defense attempted to mimic its effects by utilizing existing technology from their Stormshard Ripper Rifle. To that end, the designers essentially scaled the Stormshard up in order to build the basis for their assault cannon, which they dubbed the Reckoning. Like the Stormshard, the Reckoning's most basic mode is as a heavy ripper weapon, an energy-propelled slugthrower that is exceptionally potent against shielded targets, but like its predecessor, the Reckoning also has secondary features that allow it to act as a scatter gun or a blaster rifle. While these weapon modes provided the Reckoning with enough power to be a significant threat to most person-sized threats, there seemed to be merit in the original assault cannon's inclusion of dumb-fire missile launcher for extremely well armored persons, heavy battle droids, and light vehicles which could pose a threat to wearers of power armor. To that end, Lucerne Personal Defense opted to include a superimposed missile launcher that used 3t3 missiles and Starbolt series of missiles already in use or in production by either Lucerne Personal Defense or its parent company, Lucerne Labs. While somewhat more powerful than the original assault cannon's missiles, the Reckoning noticeably carries fewer warheads than its conceptual predecessor. However, this does make the Reckoning a larger threat to heavier potential foes of the Reckoning's wielders. In order to better facilitate the abilities of these warheads, the Reckoning comes with a detachable multi-optic as well as a data uplink that can directly patch into a power suit's or droid's software. The resulting weapon is an impressive, if heavy feat of weapons engineering.

While it took relatively little time to develop and start manufacturing the Reckoning due to its Stormshard heritage, the weapon's future is uncertain. The Reckoning is certainly a powerful enough weapon, but its complexity, weight, and cost have cut into the weapon's attractiveness to institutional buyers, many of who believe that using existing heavy personal weapons can provide similar performance at a significantly cheaper cost and with existing stocks of parts and ammunition to chose from. Independent operators and more elite units have taken to the designer more warmly, largely because of the adaptability that it affords the individual user. A number of infantry units have experimented with using the Reckoning as a crew-served weapon by attaching a bipod or tripod to it, allowing it to be used much like a repeating blaster with mixed results. It remains to be seen if this combination of versatility and power will be enough to sustain the assault cannon's production for the long term.