Plasma Cannon

Plasma cannons are perhaps the most powerful handheld firearms in the Schlockiverse. They fire a stream of relativistic plasma, capable of penetrating even fullerene armor. Plasma cannons make an ommminous hummm when armed, and a satisfying THOOM when fired. The best-known line of plasma cannons is the Strohl Munitions BH-series "Big Handgun" Plasguns. To quote their ads:

The BH-209's variable mag-bottle aperture allows for full control of beam width, which can be dialed from a relatively narrow 1cm setting to a splashy 10:6 expanding cone (6-meter beam diameter at a range of 10 meters) useful for crowd control.

''Powered by a Striggs & Bratton 2-stroke microfusion plant, the BH-209 need never be recharged, provided it is allowed to "breathe" periodically. When primed and flipped from "safe" to "decidedly unsafe," the BH-209 cycles local atmospheric gases into the plant, producing a noticeable acoustic effect. While this hum is stealth-defeating, many law-enforcement agents have reported that it serves as an excellent deterrent.''

When annie-plants were miniaturized enough to be built into a plasgun, Strohl came out with the AP-130 model, which was much smaller and more powerful than the BH series. However, the gun sold very badly due to its dinky size and lack of menace. Strohl got the hint and brought back the BH line, although the AP-series guns did become more popular later as they gained a reputation for power (and more menacing models came out).

Plasguns and plasma rockets are built on virtually identical principles. The difference is that in a plasgun, the stream of plasma is made turbulent, causing cavitation and other eddies that virtually eliminate recoil. It should be noted that the BH-250, which weighs a colossal 19.5 kilograms (43 pounds), is able to stabilize itself while being fired in a full-extension hold by using its own recoil. However, since Strohl Munitions never wastes destructive potential, their plasguns' recoil suppressors can be switched off to produce a "rocket mode".

The "plasma lance" orbital-strike weapon is essentially a giant plasgun.

Known Models

 * BH-209m (Mormon, detonates in contact with ethanol)
 * BH-209i (Irishman, stable in contact with ethanol)
 * BH-250
 * AP-130
 * AP-229
 * Unknown rifle-pattern AP model