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	Original article by [[William Tracy]], edited by [[Bill Logan]]		Original article by [[William Tracy]], edited by [[Bill Logan]]

Terl obar: Created page with 'Original article by William Tracy, edited by Bill Logan right The Zamira has been used by the Yazirians for many centuries; it is a metallic disc ab…'

2010-03-08T23:55:05Z

Created page with 'Original article by William Tracy, edited by Bill Logan right The Zamira has been used by the Yazirians for many centuries; it is a metallic disc ab…'

New page

Original article by [[William Tracy]], edited by [[Bill Logan]]

[[File:Zamira.png|right]]

The Zamira has been used by the Yazirians for many
centuries; it is a metallic disc about 10 centimeters in
diameter, with sharp edges, used as a hurled weapon.
Yazirians wear a gauntlet of light metal mesh when using
this device so they will not be cut by it.

==History==
The Zamira was used in the early history of the
Yazirians as a dueling weapon. The two Yazirians in the
duel would climb separate poles about 20 meters in height
with a distance of about 5 meters between them. At a
given signal the Yazirians would leap from the poles and
glide downwards; each would have one Zamira to throw at
the other. If the duel was not between enemies, the
Yazirians would try to hit each other's wing-like
membranes, causing opponents to fall faster. The duelists
would try to critically wound or kill each other if they were enemies.

The winner of the duel had to fill several conditions. He
had to be alive when he landed, the last one to touch
down, and had to land within a two-meter diameter circle
which was clearly marked on the ground. One contestant
had to meet all these requirements or the duel was
considered a draw.

Sometimes duels were carried out using Zamiras made of
softer material. These were generally non-lethal, but
sometimes contestants were badly injured or slain with
them anyway. Over the years the Yazirians started using
the Zamira not only in duels but also in any sort of
fighting. Even now in the age of space travel, most
Yazirians know how to use the weapon.

==Combat==
The statistics for using Zamiras in STAR
FRONTIERS Alpha Dawn gaming is as follows:

{|
|- style="background:navy; color:white; font-weight:bold;"
|colspan="2"|Zamira
|-
|Damage|| 2d10 (1d10 if non-lethal variety)
|- style="background:#eeeeee;"
|Ammo|| 1 (itself)
|-
|Rate of Fire|| 1/turn
|- style="background:#eeeeee;"
|Defense|| Inertia
|-
|Range|| 5/10/20/30/40
|}

The chance to hit an opponent is by normal rules: half the
character's Dexterity plus 10% per level in Thrown
Weapons, modified by range and other factors as per the
normal Ranged Weapon Modifier table. Use an additional -
15% penalty if cast by a gliding Yazirian (such as during a
duel).

If cast at a gliding Yazirian, a roll "to hit" that is less than
or equal to 1/10th the thrower's normal "to hit" score may
(at the caster's option) disable one of the target Yazirian's
wing-like membranes, forcing him to cut his gliding
distance in half and land quickly.

If two Yazirians are throwing Zamiras at each other, each
has a chance to catch the Zamira thrown at him with the
battle-gloved hand. The chance is equal to one-half the
character's dexterity plus 3% per Thrown Weapons skill
level. If the gloved character is hit by a Zamira yet makes
his catch percentage, he will take no damage.

Any character with a skill level of four or better has a
chance to try rebound shots. For example, the
character may be pinned down by gunfire in a corridor,
with an assailant firing from around the corner. The
Zamira thrower may attempt to make the Zamira
bounce off a wall or other surface and strike the
assailant. There must be a hard surface for a rebound
shot to be attempted, and a Zamira can only bounce
off one surface to make an effective attack. The
following procedure must be used:

# Basic chance to hit: 1/2 dexterity (round fractions up).
# Bonus: +5% per Thrown Weapons skill level instead of +10%... skill helps, but not as much as normal use of the Thrown Weapons skill would.
# Add or subtract range modifiers, adding 5 meters of effective distance for the rebound itself.
# Use the rest of the modifiers listed on the Ranged Weapons Modifier table of the STAR FRONTIERS Rulebook.
# Subtract half from the damage roll if it hits the target, as the rebound absorbs part of the Zamira's kinetic energy.

==Limitations==
A Yazirian will carry at most two types of
Zamiras. One type is produced in a variety of colors
(except red) and can be used anytime the character
wishes. The other type is dark red, and can only be
used against that Yazirian's life-enemy. Often the red
Zamira will be carried as a sign of honor if the Yazirian
chooses a life-enemy that is not a living being, such as
a disease or a competitive company. Typically only one
red Zamira is ever owned by a Yazirian; to own more is
considered disgraceful. A character may own as many
other kinds of Zamiras as he pleases.

Other character races may use the Zamira, though
Yazirians tend to frown upon such practices. The
Zamira has a significant place in Yazirian folklore and
culture, and Yazirians like to see it treated with proper
respect (which they don't feel can be given the device
by other races). Although they usually won't attack
someone seen using a Zamira, Yazirians won't
necessarily be happy to see this situation, either.

Yazirian battle gauntlets and Zamiras are made of
strong, light alloy; Zamiras weigh about .5 kilograms.
Game characters can never "modernize" Zamiras by
adding devices to make them some sort of energized
weapon.

The Zamira will always be used before any other
weapon carried by a Yazirian if a life-enemy is being
fought. When a Yazirian is using a Zamira against his
life-enemy, he gains a +10% bonus to the chance that
he will go into a battle rage, which will last as long as
he is fighting his life-enemy. A red Zamira will be used
against life-enemies if possible, though other sorts will
do.

Zamira - Revision history

Terl obar at 17:33, 10 March 2010

Terl obar: Created page with 'Original article by William Tracy, edited by Bill Logan right The Zamira has been used by the Yazirians for many centuries; it is a metallic disc ab…'