A Weapon is a specialized Tool whose purpose has been honed to a single, terrible point: the enactment of Violence. It is a physical argument, an instrument designed to resolve a Conflict by force.

Within ATET, a weapon is a choice made manifest. To draw a weapon is to make a statement about how one intends to engage with the world. A crude, scavenged pipe tells a story of desperate survival. A perfectly balanced, ornate dueling pistol speaks of a culture of formalized violence and honor. A terrifying, inhuman rifle made of living bio-matter whispers of a Faith that has collapsed the distinction between predator and prey.

Philosophy of Force

The existence of a weapon is the physical admission that persuasion, negotiation, and reason can fail. It is a tool built for the moment when a Thread must be forcibly cut. As such, the design and nature of a weapon are a direct reflection of a culture’s philosophy of Conflict. A faction that sees war as a sacred rite will produce very different weapons from one that sees it as a regrettable, messy necessity.

Mechanics of Conflict

Weapons are the primary interface for an agent choosing to resolve a conflict in the Physical Arena.

• Enabling Violence: While unarmed combat is possible, a weapon is the most efficient means of applying force. It translates an agent’s Skill into a specific form of damage and a set of available combat actions.

• Damage Types and Effects: Weapons are not created equal. They inflict different types of damage, which are effective against different kinds of defenses.

  • Physical (Kinetic/Blade): Effective against unarmored or lightly armored targets.
  • Energy (Plasma/Laser): Effective against shields and robotic entities.
  • Psychic (Telepathic/Eidic): Bypasses physical armor entirely to attack an agent’s Willpower or Narrative Coherence.
  • Biological (Poison/Toxin): Inflicts damage over time by compromising an agent’s physiological Needs.

• Skill Dependency: The effectiveness of a weapon is almost entirely governed by the wielder’s relevant combat Skills (Firearms, BladeWeapons, HeavyWeapons, etc.). High skill unlocks advanced maneuvers, improves accuracy, and increases critical damage, allowing a master to be deadly with even a subpar weapon.

The Subjective Burden

A weapon is rarely a neutral object in the mind of its wielder. It is a burden, a protector, a symbol, or a curse. The Subjective Interface reflects this complex relationship.

• Perception by Role: To a veteran soldier, a standard-issue rifle is a familiar and comforting presence. Its UI representation is clean and professional, displaying tactical information like ammo count and heat levels. It is a tool, and they are its master.
• Perception by Trauma: To a terrified survivor who was forced to kill in self-defense, the same rifle might be an object of visceral horror. The UI might render it with a dark, menacing aura. Its description might read, “Heavy. Cold. It still smells of blood.” Every time it is equipped, a faint, traumatic sound might echo.
• Perception by Faith: To a pacifist, a weapon is a source of profound narrative dissonance. The object itself might appear distorted, its lines sickeningly sharp. Holding it might inflict a “Spiritual Contamination” debuff, draining the Incarnation’s Willpower.

A weapon is the story of a conflict waiting to happen. The Eidos it generates is not one of utility, but of trauma, victory, loss, and regret. It is a tool that writes its history in scars—both on its targets and on its wielder.