05 — Weapons

Purpose

This document specifies the complete weapon catalog for Tao Baryon v1.0. Each weapon is defined by its physics, doctrinal origin, mechanical behavior, heat curve, M-tier progression, ship affinities, and acquisition path.

Numerical values are placeholders for v1.0 launch and will be tuned during playtest. Identity and behavior are locked.

For full physics context, see 02_physics_mechanics.md. For ship-weapon affinity matrix, cross-reference 04_ships.md.

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Catalog Overview

Weapon	Tier	Resource Model	Doctrinal Origin
W1 Pulse Cannon	H	Unlimited (low heat)	Human
W2 Inertial Lance	H	Unlimited (negligible heat)	Human
W3 Coherence Beam	V	Heat (fast buildup)	Veiled
W4 Hawking Bolt	V	Per-shot cooldown (~1.2s)	Veiled
W5 Penrose Lance	C	Heat (slow buildup, distance-scaling damage)	Coalition
W6 Anomaly Field	C	Long cooldown (~6s)	Coalition
W7 Cosmic String Spear	C	Per-shot cooldown (~3s)	Coalition
W8 Boltzmann Cascade	V	Unlimited (random fire rate)	Veiled

Total: 8 weapons in v1.0.

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Universal Mechanics

M-Tier Progression

Each weapon has 4 visible states: M0 → M1 → M2 → M3.

• Each Mark improves stats and shifts visual feel
• M3 introduces a qualitative behavioral change (the "you can feel the M3" moment)

Heat System

Where applicable:

• Heat fills as weapon fires
• 0-50%: green/blue indicator, full firing
• 50-75%: yellow indicator, full firing
• 75-90%: orange indicator, full firing
• 90-100%: red indicator, full firing
• 100%: weapon locks until heat decays to 80%
• Decay rate: varies per weapon (2-5% per second when not firing)

Visual Progression Per Mark

Mark	Projectile Visual	Sound
M0	Base	Base
M1	Slight glow intensification	Punchier impact
M2	Trailing particles, distinct muzzle flash	Heavier "thunk"
M3	Detailed silhouette (comet-aura, additional geometry), enhanced screen shake	Game-changing bass impact

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W1 — Pulse Cannon

Origin: Human design, 2354 Doctrinal voice: "We made the simplest thing that works." Physics: Magnetically confined plasma. Pulsed-fusion plasma cannon research. Visual identity: Lime-green pulses, short and bright.

Mechanical Behavior:

• Resource model: Unlimited fire with slow heat buildup
• Heat per shot: +0.5% per shot
• Heat decay: 4% per second when not firing
• Effectively: can sustain fire for ~20 seconds before approaching overheat

Stats Progression

Stat	M0	M1	M2	M3
Damage per shot	10	14	19	25
Fire rate (per second)	5.0	5.5	6.5	7.5
Projectile speed	800	850	950	1050
Heat per shot	0.5%	0.45%	0.4%	0.35%

Mark Behavior Evolution:

• M0: Single straight projectile
• M1: Single projectile + 5% chance for spread (3-pellet)
• M2: Single projectile + 10% chance for spread; spread pellets pierce one enemy
• M3: Always-fire-double + 15% chance for spread; spreads pierce two enemies + rear-firing single projectile added (covers blind spot)

Ship Affinity Matrix:

Ship	Affinity
H-1 Vanguard	Native
H-2 Interceptor	Native
V-3 Striker	Native
C-1 Apex	Native
H-3 Bulwark	Compatible
V-1 Marksman	Compatible
V-2 Phantom	Compatible
C-2 Resonator	Compatible
C-3 Singularity	Compatible

Acquisition: Starter weapon, granted on game start. Free, no build.

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W2 — Inertial Lance

Origin: Human design, 2356 Doctrinal voice: "Matter, moved." Physics: Pure kinetic. Coilgun-accelerated tungsten slugs. Visual identity: White-hot streaks, audible kinetic thump.

Mechanical Behavior:

• Resource model: Unlimited fire with negligible heat
• Heat per shot: +0.2% per shot
• Heat decay: 5% per second
• Slow fire rate makes overheat practically impossible

Stats Progression

Stat	M0	M1	M2	M3
Damage per shot	25	35	50	70
Fire rate (per second)	2.0	2.2	2.5	3.0
Projectile speed	1200	1300	1400	1500
Heat per shot	0.2%	0.18%	0.15%	0.12%

Mark Behavior Evolution:

• M0: Single high-velocity kinetic slug
• M1: Single slug with slight gravity drop in low-grav sectors
• M2: Single slug + 20% chance for knockback (pushes enemy back briefly)
• M3: Always knockback + slugs split into 2 fragments on impact, each dealing 30% original damage

Ship Affinity:

Ship	Affinity
H-1 Vanguard	Native
H-3 Bulwark	Native
C-1 Apex	Native
H-2 Interceptor	Compatible
V-1 Marksman	Compatible
V-3 Striker	Compatible
C-2 Resonator	Compatible
C-3 Singularity	Compatible
V-2 Phantom	Forced

Acquisition:

• Story gate: Stage 4 cleared
• Cost: 2,500 credits
• Build time: 10 minutes (ad-skip: 5 min)
• Pilot Rank: 4

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W3 — Coherence Beam

Origin: Veiled schematic, integrated 2359 Doctrinal voice: "We finally let them teach us." Physics: Quantum-coherent photon emission. Free-electron laser. Visual identity: Thin sustained beam, white core with magenta fringe.

Mechanical Behavior:

• Resource model: Heat-based with fast buildup
• Fires continuously while held; tap fires brief burst
• Heat per second of firing: +18% per second
• Heat decay: 3% per second when not firing
• Sustained firing reaches overheat in ~5.5 seconds; designed for short controlled bursts

Stats Progression

Stat	M0	M1	M2	M3
Damage per second	60	80	105	140
Heat per second	18%	16%	14%	12%
Beam length	Medium	Long	Long	Maximum
Beam width	Thin	Thin	Medium-thin	Medium

Mark Behavior Evolution:

• M0: Continuous thin beam, fixed damage
• M1: Continuous beam + damage scales up over sustained fire (ramps to +25% over 3s)
• M2: Continuous beam + ramps to +50% over 3s; beam slightly bends toward nearest enemy (auto-aim)
• M3: Continuous beam + ramps to +75% over 3s; auto-aim is stronger; beam pierces all enemies in line

Ship Affinity:

Ship	Affinity
V-3 Striker	Native
C-2 Resonator	Native
H-3 Bulwark	Native
H-1 Vanguard	Compatible
H-2 Interceptor	Compatible
V-2 Phantom	Compatible
V-1 Marksman	Forced
C-1 Apex	Compatible
C-3 Singularity	Forced

Acquisition:

• Story gate: Sector 2 cleared (Stage 12)
• Cost: 18,000 credits
• Build time: 30 minutes (ad-skip: 15 min)
• Pilot Rank: 10

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W4 — Hawking Bolt

Origin: Veiled schematic, integrated 2360 Doctrinal voice: "Their physics can be ours." Physics: Contained micro-singularity radiating Hawking radiation. Visual identity: Dark sphere with bright aura, visibly shrinking as it travels.

Mechanical Behavior:

• Resource model: Per-shot cooldown (~1.2 seconds)
• Tap to fire (no hold-to-fire — each shot is deliberate)
• No heat
• Special: damage scales inversely with projectile size — smaller projectile = more damage and AoE on detonation

Stats Progression

Stat	M0	M1	M2	M3
Damage (small/end)	80	110	150	200
Damage (large/start)	30	40	55	75
AoE radius (on detonation)	Small	Medium	Medium-large	Large
Cooldown between shots	1.2s	1.0s	0.9s	0.8s

Mark Behavior Evolution:

• M0: Projectile shrinks over distance; detonates at end of range
• M1: Shorter cooldown; detonation damage scales with how much it shrank
• M2: Cooldown shorter still; detonation has visible shockwave that briefly slows enemies in radius
• M3: Cooldown 0.8s; projectiles can be manually detonated by pressing fire again while one is in flight (trade range for control)

Ship Affinity:

Ship	Affinity
V-2 Phantom	Native
C-3 Singularity	Native
V-1 Marksman	Compatible
V-3 Striker	Compatible
H-1 Vanguard	Compatible
H-2 Interceptor	Compatible
C-1 Apex	Compatible
C-2 Resonator	Compatible
H-3 Bulwark	Forced

Acquisition:

• Story gate: Sector 3 cleared (Stage 18)
• Cost: 35,000 credits
• Build time: 30 minutes (ad-skip: 15 min)
• Pilot Rank: 18

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W5 — Penrose Lance

Origin: Coalition joint design, finalized 2362 Doctrinal voice: "Their weapon, turned." Physics: Penrose process — extracting energy from a spinning black hole's ergosphere. Visual identity: Continuous beam, visibly growing in intensity. Bright gold-magenta at peak.

Mechanical Behavior:

• Resource model: Heat-based with slow buildup
• Damage scales with distance the beam channels (longer = more damage)
• Heat per second: +12%
• Heat decay: 3% per second
• Sustained firing reaches overheat in ~7 seconds

Stats Progression

Stat	M0	M1	M2	M3
Damage per second (short range)	40	55	75	100
Damage per second (max range)	80	115	160	220
Heat per second	12%	11%	10%	9%
Beam length	Medium	Long	Long	Maximum

Mark Behavior Evolution:

• M0: Distance-scaling damage 1× to 2×
• M1: Distance scaling 1× to 2.2×; gains piercing through single weak enemy
• M2: Distance scaling 1× to 2.5×; piercing through up to 2 enemies; sustained at max range gains slight enemy-pulling effect
• M3: Distance scaling 1× to 3×; piercing through any number of enemies in line; at max range, enemies hit are briefly stunned

Ship Affinity:

Ship	Affinity
V-1 Marksman	Native
C-1 Apex	Native
C-2 Resonator	Native
H-1 Vanguard	Compatible
H-3 Bulwark	Compatible
V-3 Striker	Compatible
C-3 Singularity	Compatible
H-2 Interceptor	Forced
V-2 Phantom	Forced

Acquisition:

• Story gate: Sector 4 cleared (Stage 24)
• Cost: 75,000 credits
• Veiled Tokens required: 5
• Build time: 1 hour (ad-skip: 30 min)
• Pilot Rank: 25

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W6 — Anomaly Field

Origin: Coalition joint design, 2363 Doctrinal voice: "We will bend. We will not tear." Physics: Region of locally modified physical constants (varying-constants research). Visual identity: Spherical distortion field, particles inside flicker oddly, geometry of enemies inside decoheres.

Mechanical Behavior:

• Resource model: Long cooldown (~6 seconds)
• Deploy stationary field at target point
• Field lasts ~3 seconds, deals continuous damage to enemies inside
• Enemy projectiles inside the field are destabilized
• After collapse, ~6 seconds before next field can be deployed

Stats Progression

Stat	M0	M1	M2	M3
Damage per second (inside field)	80	110	150	200
Field radius	Small	Medium	Medium	Large
Field duration	3.0s	3.5s	4.0s	5.0s
Cooldown	6.0s	5.5s	5.0s	4.0s

Mark Behavior Evolution:

• M0: Field destabilizes enemy bullets passing through
• M1: Field also slows enemies inside by 30%
• M2: Field has visible decoherence shockwave on collapse; slows enemies by 50%
• M3: Field grows in radius over its duration; collapse triggers brief secondary anomaly (~1s, half damage) at the original location

Ship Affinity:

Ship	Affinity
C-3 Singularity	Native
H-3 Bulwark	Compatible
H-1 Vanguard	Compatible
V-2 Phantom	Compatible
C-1 Apex	Compatible
V-1 Marksman	Forced
V-3 Striker	Forced
C-2 Resonator	Forced
H-2 Interceptor	Forced

Acquisition:

• Story gate: Sector 4 cleared (Stage 24)
• Cost: 85,000 credits
• Veiled Tokens required: 7
• Build time: 1 hour (ad-skip: 30 min)
• Pilot Rank: 26

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W7 — Cosmic String Spear

Origin: Coalition theoretical design, 2364 Doctrinal voice: "The thread that does not bend." Physics: Simulated cosmic string — hypothetical 1D topological defect with immense linear energy density. Visual identity: Thin perfectly-straight white line crossing the playfield instantly. Slight gravitational shimmer.

Mechanical Behavior:

• Resource model: Per-shot cooldown (~3 seconds)
• Single high-damage, instant-strike projectile
• Pierces every enemy in line
• Almost zero AoE — precision is essential

Stats Progression

Stat	M0	M1	M2	M3
Damage per shot	200	280	380	500
Cooldown	3.0s	2.7s	2.4s	2.0s
Beam width (hitbox)	Minimal	Minimal	Small	Small
Pierce count	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited

Mark Behavior Evolution:

• M0: Single instant-strike line, pierces all in path
• M1: Shorter cooldown; ends in tiny flash (small AoE on impact at far end)
• M2: Cooldown shorter still; line lasts briefly (0.3s) on screen — enemies entering it during that window take damage
• M3: Cooldown 2s; line lasts 0.5s; on impact, briefly creates a gravitational lensing effect that bends nearby projectiles toward the line

Ship Affinity:

Ship	Affinity
V-1 Marksman	Native
C-3 Singularity	Native
C-1 Apex	Compatible
H-1 Vanguard	Forced
H-2 Interceptor	Forced
H-3 Bulwark	Forced
V-2 Phantom	Forced
V-3 Striker	Forced
C-2 Resonator	Forced

Acquisition:

• Story gate: Stage 27 cleared
• Cost: 110,000 credits
• Veiled Tokens required: 10
• Build time: 1 hour (ad-skip: 30 min)
• Pilot Rank: 30

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W8 — Boltzmann Cascade

Origin: Veiled experimental design, 2361 Doctrinal voice: "The universe is stranger than reliability." Physics: Boltzmann brains — random thermal fluctuations producing coherent patterns. Visual identity: Wildly varying projectile patterns — sometimes thin red darts, sometimes wide magenta sweeps, sometimes single massive purple slugs.

Mechanical Behavior:

• Resource model: Unlimited fire with random fire rate
• Per shot, randomly chooses between 5 patterns (described below)
• Heat per shot: +0.5% (effectively unlimited)
• Heat decay: 4% per second

Pattern Pool (per shot):

1. Narrow stream (10% chance) — thin red dart, 1× damage
2. Spread cone (30% chance) — magenta cone of 4-5 small shots, 0.6× damage each
3. Standard pulse (40% chance) — same as Pulse Cannon equivalent, 1× damage
4. Massive slug (15% chance) — single large purple slug, 2.5× damage, slower
5. Random spiral (5% chance) — 8-shot spiral, 0.5× damage each, surrounds the player briefly

Stats Progression

Stat	M0	M1	M2	M3
Base damage per shot	10	14	19	25
Fire rate (per second)	5.0 (avg)	5.5	6.5	7.5
Pattern randomness	Standard	Standard	Slightly weighted	Skill-influenced

Mark Behavior Evolution:

• M0: Patterns 1-5 in default probability
• M1: Pattern 4 (massive slug) bumped to 20% chance
• M2: Patterns can be slightly influenced by player movement direction (full deflection = more chance of damaging variants)
• M3: Patterns 4 (massive slug) and 5 (spiral) heavily weighted at 35% and 15% — chaos becomes powerful

Ship Affinity:

Ship	Affinity
V-2 Phantom	Native
H-2 Interceptor	Native
V-3 Striker	Compatible
H-1 Vanguard	Forced
H-3 Bulwark	Forced
V-1 Marksman	Forced
C-1 Apex	Forced
C-2 Resonator	Forced
C-3 Singularity	Forced

Acquisition:

• Story gate: Sector 2 cleared (Stage 12)
• Cost: 22,000 credits
• Build time: 30 minutes (ad-skip: 15 min)
• Pilot Rank: 11

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Weapon M-Tier Upgrade Costs

Weapon Tier	M0→M1	M1→M2	M2→M3
H-Series	1,500 cr + 1 shard, 5 min build	4,000 cr + 3 shards, 20 min build	9,000 cr + 6 shards, 1 hour build
V-Series	8,000 cr + 2 shards + 1 token, 20 min	18,000 cr + 5 shards + 2 tokens, 1 hour	40,000 cr + 10 shards + 4 tokens, 3 hours
C-Series	25,000 cr + 5 shards + 3 tokens, 1 hour	60,000 cr + 12 shards + 7 tokens, 3 hours	150,000 cr + 25 shards + 15 tokens, 6 hours

These costs are tuned to make M3 weapons a late-game investment, but not impossible by mid-Sector 4.

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Ship-Weapon Affinity Matrix (Reference Grid)

	H-1 Vng	H-2 Int	H-3 Blw	V-1 Mrk	V-2 Phn	V-3 Str	C-1 Apx	C-2 Res	C-3 Sng
W1 Pulse Cannon	N	N	C	C	C	N	N	C	C
W2 Inertial Lance	N	C	N	C	F	C	N	C	C
W3 Coherence Beam	C	C	N	F	C	N	C	N	F
W4 Hawking Bolt	C	C	F	C	N	C	C	C	N
W5 Penrose Lance	C	F	C	N	F	C	N	N	C
W6 Anomaly Field	C	F	C	F	C	F	C	F	N
W7 Cosmic String Spear	F	F	F	N	F	F	C	F	N
W8 Boltzmann Cascade	F	N	F	F	N	C	F	F	F

N = Native | C = Compatible | F = Forced (–25%)

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Document version: 1.0 (locked) Part of: Tao Baryon GDD — Tier 2 Content Systems