Weapon Classifications

Weapons are broken down into classes based upon several factors. Range, Ammunition type (where applicable), damage potential versus organic materials (people), Damage potential versus inorganic materials (structures and vehicles), Weight, and Legality.

Class A Class A weapons are weapons with limited or no range, blunt or sharp edges designed to cause damage through various forms of bashing, smashing, slicing, chopping, piercing, etc. Examples of Class A weapons would include Swords, Staves, Axes, Knives, Maces, Clubs, Cudgels, Spears, Pole-arms and so on. Also included in this class of weapons are various high tech versions of all of the above, including monowire weapons, high-frequency blades, concussive impact maces and staves and energy blades, which are rare, extremely destructive, and astronomically expensive to own and operate.

Class B Class B weapons are weapons that fire solid projectiles via expanding gas/chemical propellants such as gun powder and shaped explosive charges. Class B weapons are generally small, light weight, compact weapons that do moderate damage to organic targets and little to no damage to structures and vehicles. Examples of Class B weapons include semi and fully automatic pistols that fire bullets, light sub-machine guns, hunting rifles, bows, cross-bows, arbalests, shot guns, and other such ballistic weapons. Class B weapons are legally available to any civilian with no criminal record on file, or to anyone with enough money and the means to acquire them.

Class C Class C weapons are weapons that would typically be found only in law enforcement or military operations. They typically are high caliber ballistic weapons, weapons that fire extremely dense solid projectiles through means other than chemical propulsion, and some light energy weapons. Class C weapons are typically extremely effective against organic targets (almost always resulting in death unless wounds are treated immediately), and reasonably effective against lightly armored structures and vehicles. Examples of Class C weapons include medium and heavy assault rifles, sniper rifles, heavy machine guns, gatling cannons, rail cannons (electro-magnetic mass accelerators), ion, and plasma pistols and rifles. This Class of weapons also includes such light explosives as grenades, C4, primer cord, dynamite and a wide array of anti-personnel and anti-vehicle devices. Class C weapons are restricted to government special operations personnel, law enforcement, military, and a few super-powerful corporations, and their use is strictly policed.

Class D Class D weapons are weapons that are only used by the military and a very select few mega-corporations. These weapons are capable of obscene amounts of destruction. Organic materials are all but instantly and totally destroyed by them and lightly armored vehicles and structures stand little chance of surviving attacks from these weapons. Medium armored vehicles (such as main battle tanks) are likely to be disabled by Class D weapons fire, but usually survive a few hits, and heavily armored structures and vehicles (such as battle ship hulls and bomb shelters) will suffer moderate damage but can withstand several attacks without being disabled or destroyed. Examples of Class D weapons include, stinger and LAW rocket launchers, particle beam cannons, heavy rail cannons, mortars, and such explosive devices as limpet mines and demolition packs. Class D weapons are available ONLY to the military, with only one or two exceptions, and their use by anyone outside of those parameters is highly illegal.

Class E Class E weapons are included here for completeness’ sake, despite the fact that they are not ‘man portable’ (able to be carried and used by a single person). These weapons are unlikely to hit organic targets directly as they are usually ponderously slow to aim and adjust, but the likelihood of someone dieing from damage inflicted by one of these weapons is almost total. Light and medium vehicles and structures stand no chance what-so-ever, and heavy vehicles and structures will crumble quickly under their assault. These weapons are typically large, turret based, and crew served weapons and more often than not are attached to or built into vehicles and ships such as tanks, battle ships, and so forth. The use of Class E weapons by anyone not in the military is strictly forbidden and punishable by death without trial.

Class F Class F weapons are classified as weapons of pinpoint accuracy but incredible damage potential. This class of weapons includes laser guided, computer guided, and other ‘intelligent’ weaponry capable of destroying or causing severe damage to the most hardened of structures. These weapons are always launched from air craft/space craft, or other such large platforms (mobile gantries, battle ships, etc.). These weapons will obliterate any organic target that is in their direct blast radius and cause high amounts of ancillary damage through debris and collapsing structures. These weapons are highly illegal in the hands of anyone but the military and their possession/use outside of that arena is punishable by death.

Class G Class G weapons are classified as weapons of mass destruction. These are nuclear fission and fusion weapons, biological weapons, high energy mass drivers and high yield energy weapons capable of destroying large, city sized areas. These weapons do extreme amounts of damage to all matter, organic or inorganic, and are outlawed summarily.