Stunners are a non-lethal form of energy weapon that were designed to incapacitate their target by overloading the central nervous system. A Shoot Test is used when firing a stunner. A person hit by a stunner beam makes a Body Test to resist its effects. The number of successes earned from the Body Test is subtracted from the successes from the Shoot Test. Any remaining successes are deducted from the target’s Dexterity. If the target’s Dexterity is reduced to zero, the person collapses. Any additional successes after this point are totaled and compared to the character’s Body Ability. If the total number of successes equals or exceeds the characters Body, he is rendered unconscious. The effects of being stunned last one Round for each degree of success the target is hit for. Multiple hits in the same or subsequent Rounds have a cumulative effect. A Critical Success result of a stunner Shoot Test results in the target being rendered immediately unconscious for a number of Round equal to the character’s Body Ability.
Licensing requirements for stunners are commonly rather lax because of their non-lethal nature although this can vary from place to place. Stunners are ineffective against individuals wearing space suits or armor that fully covers the entire body. A TN-2 penalty to the Shoot Test is applied when the target is only partially covered by armor. (This figure can be adjusted up or down by the GM as the situation warrants). Interactions between personal energy shields and stunner fire tend to be idiosyncratic. Additionally, the effectiveness of a stunner may vary depending on the species or clade targeted.
Stunners are pistol-sized weapons with a range value of 10m. They cost around 800$ for single shot versions and 1100$ for fully automatic models.