Weapons
The rules presented here are optional house rules for Call of Cthulhu d20 and the d20 rules system, and will require the use of the Call of Cthulhu d20 rules book.
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Mace/Pepper Spray
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Pepper spray, mace, etc., are chemical self-defense sprays contained in small, easily carried canisters. Designed to disable an attacker in a non-lethal manner, these sprays (in general) inflame the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs causing a very painful burning sensation, continuous tearing, uncontrolled coughing, choking, nausea and disorientation. This swells the veins in the eyes, causing the assailant's eyes to slam shut with temporary blindness and instant swelling of the breathing tube tissues, cutting off all but life support breathing. The effects can vary, however, depending on the target and other circumstances. These rules only take into account human or normal animal targets such as dogs - Cthulhu only knows how such sprays would affect Serpent People or Byakhee. Obviously creatures such as undead or those without mucous membranes would be immune.
Below are very rudimentary stats for some generic types of sprays. While damage is subdual in nature, if such damage drops a target below zero hit points they are not knocked out but are completely incapacitated, reduced to lying prone on the ground or floor and writhing in agony. If the target remains above zero hit points, however, they are still able to act but at a reduced ability according to the Effects column in the table below. If the target makes a successful Fortitude save, both the subdual damage and effects are halved. Regardless, all subdual damage and effects last 2d8 minutes, though flushing the affected area with water can reduce the length of the damage and effects by half.
It is interesting to note that a cobra's (or other creature's) spit-poison attack could use this exact system as well.
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Type
DC
Damage *
Effects
Civilian Grade
15
1d4
-4 To Hit (Temporary Blindness)
Police Grade
20
1d6
-4 To Hit (Temporary Blindness)
-2 Ref & Fort Save (Nausea)
-2 AC (Nausea)
Prison/Military
25
2d4
-6 To Hit (Temporary Blindness)
-4 Ref & Fort Save (Nausea)
-4 AC (Nausea)
* Subdual damage only, lasting 2d8 minutes. A successful Fort save reduces all effects and damage by half.
Pepper Spray Combat
Attacks are ranged touch attacks. HOWEVER, since the attacker must hit the target in the face, the target gets a +7 bonus to AC, as if he had 3/4 cover (to account for the small target that a face makes). Furthermore, if the target is wearing any sort of covering headgear (such as glasses) then they have further bonuses to AC as shown in the following chart.
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Type
AC Bonus
Glasses, Sunglasses
+1
Brimmed Hat *
Coat/Sweatshirt Hood *
+1
Motorcycle Helmet (Open Face) *
Military Helmet *
+2
Motorcycle Helmet (Closed Face) *
+3
Welding Mask, Police Riot Helmet *
+4
Ski Goggles
+5
Chemist Goggles
+6
HAZMAT (Hazardous Materials) Suit
NBC (Nuclear/Biological/Chemical) Suit
(Equivalents)
Wearer
Cannot Be
Affected
* Wearing glasses or sunglasses in addition to these headgear gives a stacked +1 bonus. Wearing multiple glasses or multiple helmets (if somehow possible) does not stack bonuses, however. Thus, you could wear glasses and a motorcycle helmet and stack the bonuses, but wearing two pairs of glasses yeilds only a +1 total bonus.
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