[FT] Action At A Distance

I always wanted a weapon that could be strong at a distance and weak 
close in. There have been a number of good attempts at this in the past 
(e.g. Schoon's Fusion Flare), but I've finally come up with one that has

the feel I want and looks like it balances pretty well. I don't yet know

if it needs tuning. My gut says no. Setting this up and making 
comparisons made me realize just how strong M and L pulsers are in a 
Dice-per-area-covered vs. Mass-and-Cost sense.

Action At A Distance Device (A3D)

Mass/cost: 3Mass*Class; Cost 4pts/Mass
Effect: Projects 2 beam dice at a distance from the firing ship 
depending on class:
Class I: 12-24 MU ring (all arc); Class II: 24-36 MU ring; Class III: 
36-48 MU ring, etc.
The A3D has no rear-arc firing restrictions, and can not fire in a PDS 
role.

An A3D-I + 2 class 1 Beams directly compare with a Pulser M-6. Both 
cover 2 beam dice over the same area, but the Pulser is Mass/Cost 4/20 
while the A3D/Beam combo is 5/18. The Pulser is a single system with PDS

cabability and aft fire restrictions. The combo is 3 systems with PDS 
capability (from the C1 Beams) and reduced aft restrictions (from the 
A3D). That appears a pretty even match, perhaps the edge to the A3D 
combo because it could fire at both ranges (if targets and firecons 
permitted).

An A3D-II + A3D-I + 2 class 1 Beams directly compare with 2x Pulser L-6:

2 Beam dice over the same area. Pulsers cost 8/40, combo costs 11/42. 
Similar PDS cabailities, 4 systems vs. 1, rear arc advantages and 
multiple targeting for A3D combo. Here the Pulser has the edge, but it's

pretty close.

PSB: The device tears space at a distance determined only by its mass. 
The resulting interdimensional burst of energy can damage ships in the 
vicinity of the rip.

Symbol: 3-D shaded ring with roman numeral class inside