They are, indeed, fairly expensive; given their sheer bulk and come delicate components, they're not battlefield-portable, so they tend to be emplacements. Ulfdin tends to see a fair surplus to their treasury whenever one gets comissioned, as they have the secret of growing the 'warp crystals' that help focus the transformation effect. I expect other nations are vigorously researching the method of creation, but as the sub suggests, it involved less than pleasant methods to divine the secret. That said, it's only a matter of time and will, and I'm sure that eventually you'll have battlefields that have soldiers equipped with firearms equivalents of Uther Doul's Possible Sword, each firing producing a swarm of nigh-bullets.
A Cold War situation is highly probable as a result of their creation, yes. Go to Comment
That was the chief inspirational effect, yes. Rather than a sustained and steady operative field, this is a split-second pulse of utter devastation. The Device is a bomb with fallout. The Cannon is just a devastating gun. Go to Comment
Something to consider is that powerful countries don't necessarily have the resources to field a large number of these. Depending on any number of factors, these could result in a global Cold War, or roughly the equivalent to the US after WWII, when we were the only ones with The Bomb for a while.
Heck, you only need one to be the most dangerous world power. Go to Comment
This is fantastic. I imagine they are relatively more expensive than nuclear weapons in our world, hence a powerful nation might only employ a handful of these, correct? Then, I would think that most war efforts would consist of espionage and sabotage, locating and deactivating these weapons so that a conventional invasion would be possible. Very very good submission, and an easy 5. Go to Comment
You just made my head hurt, man. Steampunk ninjas. Ow.
But yes, for assassins and scouts who need relative silence, they're excellent. They lack the full stopping power of a black powder weapon, really, but for what they're meant for, they're excellent. Go to Comment
Sort of. It comes with a crank you plug in, like hand-cranking an old car to kick-start it, except here each wind compresses a bit more air in the canister. Otherwise it's essentially a clockwork rendering of an air rifle. Go to Comment
Items (Ranged Weapons) (Magical)
A Cold War situation is highly probable as a result of their creation, yes. Go to Comment