A device used by the military and law enforcement to create a diversion or overwhelm an adversary in a tactical situation. The screamer employs a combination of jarring audio noise, hence the name, and asynchronous light pulses from powerful LEDs to distract and disorient. The output of the device can be synched in advance to the visor and sound pickups on a tactical helmet so that the wearer suffers no impediments.
A screamer will operate for five rounds of personal combat before exhausting its rechargeable power cell. The user can select beforehand how many rounds the device will run for. Anyone lacking the proper protection will suffer a TN-4 penalty for the first two rounds and then TN-2 thereafter if within 10 meters. Penalties drop by one for each 10 meters of additional range.
Optionally, anyone subjected to a screamer attack for three rounds or more must make a Body Test to avoid temporary hearing loss; the number of degrees of failure is the number of rounds or minutes (whichever is more appropriate) the effect lasts for.
Screamers are ruggedly built and can stand up to a fair amount of punishment, such as being thrown or dropped. When attached to a triggering mechanism, they can be used as perimeter or intruder alarms.
Weight: 0.25 kg.
Cost: 200$
Availability: Law enforcement and military only