Dinobot vs. Chmee

[Imperial Overlord]

No, the two beam is the standard model of disintegrator. Being slow acting to avoid the charge flow might be a safety feature. The Wonderland Treaty Maker is notable in that they built each beam as a giant separate cannon and then fired one at one end of the target area and the other at the opposite end. The charge flow was so ferocious that it melted the rock and the Kzin bases sunk. Their stasis field protected them from the molten rock, but that only meant they ended up entombed in volcanic rock, literally buried alive. Sucked to be them.

No, the single beam is standard. The dual beam ones were part of the puppeteer's idea of diplomacy, for the party to have 'no weapons'. Instead they had laser flashlights that just happened to be highly destructive at maximum focus and intensity, a digging tool that just happened to be highly destructive if you used both beams at once, and so on.[/quote]

My Niven books are packed away so I can't refute it. I remember the Sea Statue Slaver having a double barrel one, but that could just be memories of different stories merging.

"It is worthless as a weapon," the kzin rumbled. "We have studied it. It works too slowly to be used against an enemy."

"Exactly. A harmless toy. This item -" The item held in the puppeteer's mouth looked like a double-barrelled shotgun, except that the handle had a characteristic puppeteer-built look, like quicksilver caught in the act of flowing from one shape to another.

"This item is exactly like the Slaver disintegrator digging tool, except that one beam suppresses the positive charge on the proton. One should be careful not to use both beams at once, as the beams are both parallel and seperate."

"I understand," said the kzin. "If the twin beams were allowed to fall next to each other, there would be a current flow."

That does confirm, from the first line, that the effect is too slow to be used very effectively as an antipersonnel weapon. I wouldn't rely on the current flow on the exterior armour of a war robot being enough to incapacitate it. I'm still going to have to go with a big ass laser rifle as a better choice of weapon against Dinobot and still going to go with the Transformer having the advantage in the gun fight because he has built in armour and is bigger and tougher than the Kzin. Give Chmee some of that high grade Known Space defensive tech as well as weapons and then I'll favor the kzin.

[Lord of the Abyss]

That does confirm, from the first line, that the effect is too slow to be used very effectively as an antipersonnel weapon. I wouldn't rely on the current flow on the exterior armour of a war robot being enough to incapacitate it.

It was rather explosive in effect, but since it was only used on a large window there's no good way to tell what it would do to armor. Although it should be possible to hold down the trigger to create a continuous explosion. However, the blast from the exploding window flung glass dust all over the explorers; it was stopped by the sonic fold. Unarmored, I doubt that Chmee could use the thing very safely.

I'm still going to have to go with a big ass laser rifle as a better choice of weapon against Dinobot and still going to go with the Transformer having the advantage in the gun fight because he has built in armour and is bigger and tougher than the Kzin. Give Chmee some of that high grade Known Space defensive tech as well as weapons and then I'll favor the kzin.

I agree.