DC-15A Blaster Rifle
Model: BlasTech DC-15 Clone Rifle
Type: Assault blaster rifle
Scale: Character
Skill: Blaster: blaster rifle
Ammo: 500 (300 Charge Shots)
Cost: 1,500
Availability: 3, R or X
Fire Rate: 1D
Range: 10-50/250/500*
Damage: 5D+1 (8D Charged Shots)
Game Notes:
Ammo: The DC-15A could fire 500 regular powered shots per gas cartridge, or fire 300 Charged Shots. Every 50 Charge Shots requires 1 round to change the Charge Cartridge.
Range: When mounted on a tripod, the DC-15A maximum accuracy range extends from 500 meters to 10000 meters.
Background: The DC-15A blaster rifle was the weapon of choice for the Galactic Republic’s clone troopers in the Grand Army of the Republic. The weapon is notable for it’s incredible range when mounted on a tripod. A version with a wooden stock was the standard weapon of the Senate Commandos. It was a larger and more powerful long-range alternative to the DC-15S.
The DC-15A blaster rifle was one of the standard issue weapons for clone troopers. While the use of blasters allowed a clone trooper to carry significantly more ammunition than a projectile weapon, the DC-15A weighed a heavy 4.3 kg, and despite the weapon’s size, it was not a true dedicated repeating blaster rifle; the inherent instability of plasma gas in the blasters reduced the weapon’s accuracy under sustained fire. Even so, the DC-15A was very powerful and deadly in the hands of the skilled clone troopers that received extensive training in its use.
The weapon’s tibanna gas cartridge carried enough gas for up to 500 shots, depending on the power settings of the weapon, while the charge pack lasted about 50 shots To replace a charge pack, the user hit the release button located directly behind the pack, slid it out, and put in a fresh one. To replace the tibanna cartridge was more difficult. The wielder snapped open the blaster and removed the old cartridge from the buttstock, and then snapped it back in place. Like its smaller cousin, holding the trigger down produced sustained fire, with the drawback of decreased accuracy. On the top of the blaster was a triangular object that encased circuitry, with a wiry switch on it that controlled the power settings to the weapon. Its power-charge magazines ionized the gas into charged plasma within its ignition chamber. These bolts would then be accelerated out of the rifle electromagnetically. The octagonal-like barrel would compress the plasma into a thin bolt. On the high setting, the large rifle’s powerful blue plasma bolts were more than capable of penetrating the armor of most infantry personnel, and because of the hyper-ionization, they were exceptionally effective against both droids and living targets.
In addition to standard iron sights on the rifle’s upper surface, the DC-15A could interface with the helmets of clones to project a graphical gun-sight on the clone trooper’s heads up display. It also included a sniper scope that could double as a handhold in storage position. Mounted on a tripod, the maximum effective range of a DC-15A was 10 kilometers.
On maximum power, a shot from a DC-15A could leave a 0.5 meter wide hole in any ferroconcrete wall; however, firing at maximum power demanded a higher rate of power consumption; while on the low power setting a DC-15A gas cartridge would last for 500 shots (300 shots on high power). The blaster could be outfitted with ascension cable projectors to climb up walls or cliffs as seen during the Battle of Teth. Despite the superior power of the DC-15A, many clone units preferred to use the lighter, more compact DC-15S rifle. The DC-15A was preferred when fighting against larger and more heavily-armored droids such as the super battle droid and the dwarf spider droid on open battlefields, whereas the DC-15S was less bulky and easier to maneuver when engaging in close combat in the cramped confines of indoor structures or star ship corridors. The DC-15A also proved to be a good weapon to have on hand if a clone unit confronted large biological threats, one such encounter being the Battle of Felucia, where the 501st used it to great effect in an unexpected confrontation against several wild acklay beasts.
