Q Devices

 

Ankle Spin Pistol
Face Maker
Grenade Pen
Modified Ericsson Cellular Phone
Motorola Stun/Radar Beeper
Omega Laser Watch
Pen Incapacitator

Rappelling Belt

Watch Band "Recoverer"

X-Ray Glasses


Ankle Spin Pistol

This miniature weapon, strapped to an agent's ankle, is a single shot pistol with a barrel only a few millimeters longer than the cartridge. The cartridge is fired electrically, the trigger sensor being built into the heel of the agent's shoe. Rotating the heel counterclockwise while applying pressure causes a spring to be released and the barrel to orient itself towards the rear. Rotating the heel clockwise while applying pressure aims the barrel towards the front. Firing automatically occurs within milliseconds of the spin.

The weapon is for extremely short range as the bullet is fired at an angle of at least forty five degrees from the horizontal. The bullet will pass harmlessly over someone in the front 10 feet away, but will catch someone five feet away in the upper chest or head. The angle for the rear shot will miss someone even five feet away. The extreme rear angle is intended to hit an opponent who has grabbed the agent from behind. The most common cartridge is a specially modified .357 Magnum.

Q Evaluation: Captain Michael Roberts inspired this device when he mentioned the inherent problems with our standard ankle holster: an agent in trouble has very little chance of convincing his opponent to allow him to bend down to extract his weapon. While the ankle holster is ideal for concealment Captain Roberts felt there was a need for an emergency device which would allow a response which was quicker and less likely to be perceived by an opponent. A spin pistol prototype was built within 48 hours and proved to be successful. We only recommend that a field operative remember to take a spare pair of trousers. - Q

Game Information: The spin pistol is difficult to detect. In the round it is being fired, if a Draw situation exists, let the target character attempt an EF 2 PER roll. If successful the target character may draw normally, otherwise the character must draw with a -2 adjustment on his Draw.

PM S/R AMMO DC CLOSE LONG CON JAM DRAW RL
-2 1 1 H 0-1 Below -4 98-99 -1 10

For every Game Inch of range beyond the first over which the spin pistol is fired a -1 EF is applied to the firer's Fire Combat attempt. The modifier is cumulative. Thus a shot made at a target 5 Game Inches away would be made at a -4 EF. This assumes the firing character is already aware that he must compensate for the range by going down on his knee so that the shot does not automatically pass over the head of a target more than 5 feet away. The maximum range is 10 game inches. It is not possible to Take a Bead with the spin pistol.

See Credits below.


Face Maker

The Face Maker allows an agent to create a disguise of a person's face with perfect precision. The device consists of two basic units: a scanner to scan the face of the person you want to reproduce from a photograph or the actual person's face, and another device that actually creates the rubber-based mask. Both units are contained in a medium-sized suit case, which contains additional makeup and various types of facial hair to make the disguise complete.

Q Evaluation: I would like to say that the Face Maker is one of our inventions, but I'd be lying. The Face Maker is the product of our friends at Langley. This device is often used by members of the IMF (Impossible Mission Force). We've been using it for a very short time, and the results are astonishing. However, even though the Face Maker helps an overall disguise tremendously, an agent still has to be able to mimic how the subject speaks and acts to fool a personal acquaintance. - Q

Game Information: The Face Maker reduces the time needed to obtain a good disguise. While an agent usually need two hours to create a disguise for someone specific, this device reduce the time to twenty minutes. The Face Maker provides a +3 EF modifier when determining the disguise's success.

See Credits below.


Grenade Pen

This normal looking pen is in fact a deadly weapon, because it holds a class four grenade. If an agent clicks the top of the pen once, the pen can be used as a normal pen. However, if an agent clicks the top of the pen three times within three seconds, the grenade is armed on a four second fuse. To defuse the grenade, the agent must click the pen three times again within the four second window before the grenade explodes.

Q Evaluation: One of the most important services of a Q section is to hide useful devices into casual objects. And, the pen is one of the most casual objects around. This pen should help our agents create a diversion to escape or to help them get out of a tight situation. Agents must make sure it doesn't get into the wrong hands, especially with someone who has a nervous compulsion to click pens! - Q

Game Information: Treat the Grenade Pen as a typical high explosive stun grenade: Area Damage Class I, but damage from the blast is reduced one level. And, a character who takes damage must make Pain Resistance rolls for damage received at a -4 EF.

See Credits below. Used in Goldeneye.


Modified Ericsson Cellular Phone

This cellular phone is anything but your normal cell phone. Not only can an agent call someone while he's on the run, but it has the following extras:
  • Vehicle Remote Control - The remote control enables an agent to control a vehicle equipped with the remote control system modification. A flip-up panel reveals an LCD video screen and a touch panel. Two taps on the touch panel starts the vehicle, and drawing a finger across the pad maneuvers it. The LCD video screen provides a driver's side view. An agent must use his Electronic skill at a -1 EF to use the remote control.

  • Electrical Weapon System - By pressing 3, recall, and send, two retractable prongs appear from the bottom of the phone and emit 20,000 bolts of electricity, thus making the phone a deadly weapon. The distance of the electrical bolt is 10'. Once the system is activated, the send button controls the electrical output. Pressing the off button disables the system and retracts the prongs.

    If an agent successfully uses the weapon system against an enemy, the victim must make a Willpower roll at an EF equal to the QR of the Hand-to-Hand roll of the attacker or the result is a Knockout. The weapon system can also be used to disable security devices, such as a card reader. The electrical weapon system lasts for 5 rounds.

  • Fingerprint Scanner - The fingerprint scanner enables an agent to scan a fingerprint on any surface. Once the fingerprint is scanned, the phone can be connected to a database for quick identification from the MI6 databases. The scanned fingerprint can be also applied to a fingerprint-based locking mechanism to open it (if it's the right print, of course).

  • Antenna Lockpicking Device - The normal-looking antenna on the phone can be detached, which reveals a lockpicking device that can automatically unlock any mechanical lock that requires an EF 3 or higher. The lockpicking device is useless on more complicated locks.

Q Evaluation: In the cellular phone era, it seemed obvious that we should create a special phone, considering that cellular phones are now part of the standard equipment for agents. We have discovered that the trademark Ericsson provided us with a good start. Actually, I was very surprised that we could add so many modifications to this small device. - Q

See Credits below. Used in Tomorrow Never Dies.


Motorola Radar/Stun Beeper

Although it looks and works like an ordinary vibrating beeper, it has the following enhancements:

  • By twisting the belt clip 180 degrees, the beeper becomes an armed stun grenade. Obviously, the beeper is destroyed after it's used in this capacity, so the agent must be prepared to explain the missing beeper to Q. See the Q manual for details about stun grenade details.
  • By twisting the belt clip 90 degrees counter-clockwise, the beeper's display becomes a simple radar to help locate guards or intruders. The radar's maximum range is 25', fanning out to a 10' width at the end. It can detect any human-size movement (walking, running, jumping, etc.), even behind walls. Each separate movement is displayed as a small dot in a 5' increment grid that provides its range. The radar can be used for 5 minutes before needing a recharge, and it must be pointed in the desired direction.

Q Evaluation: I don't know why it took us so long to come up with an enhanced beeper for our field operatives, but this item is well worth its wait. And, the beeper is a great way to reach an agent when we need him. -Q

See Credits below.


Omega Laser Watch

The Omega Seamaster watch has been equipped with certain refinements that you can't find in anywhere else. It enables an agent to:

  • Control the magnetic mines issued from Q Branch. With the command buttons, the agent can activate or deactivate the clock (for the bomb) or even make the mines explode.
  • Shoot a laser beam (which lasts 5 minutes) that can cut through 3 centimeters of steel.



  • Shoot a small filament (15 meters long) with a motorized hook that can support 200 kilos.
  • See in the dark with a very powerful light system.

Q Evaluation: This is one of the projects that I'm particularly proud of. We have worked for years to make this watch to work and I honestly think it is a success. It is a standard equipment for the "00" section. - Q

Game Information:

The magnetic mines make an area Damage of K. There is no limit on the number of times the agent can activate/deactivate the clock. The hook requires a Fire Combat roll if the target is very small.

See Credits below. Used in Goldeneye.


Pen Incapacitator

Inside this fountain pen is a low energy cartridge/pen tip which is attached to 20 feet of wire. The wire, neatly coiled in a helix inside the pen cylinder, is connected to a potent lithium battery. An agent points the pen at his adversary and twists the top of the pen. The tip fires as a barbed projectile which sticks to whatever it hits. The target when it is hit receives many hundreds of volts of electricity, enough to deliver an incapacitating charge through a shirt and trenchcoat. The effect of the shock is usually unconsciousness lasting several minutes.

Q Evaluation: Espionage probably was never the gentleman's game some of Admiral Sir Messervy's friends remember it to be. Nevertheless they make the rules, including that which says our agents should not kill unless in self defense until they have obtained their "00" license. The enemy seems less constrained about killing our fellows without provocation. I feel that my job is to give our field operatives a chance to survive while still working within the edicts of the Foreign Office. The pen incapacitator is one result of our efforts, one of our best. - Q

Game Information:

PM S/R AMMO DC CLOSE LONG CON JAM DRAW RL
-1 1 1 A 0-2 -- -4 99 0 4

When a character is hit by the pen incapacitator he must make his WIL role at a -6 EF. If the character fails he falls unconscious for 15 + 3D6 minutes.

Reloading the pen incapacitator consists of inserting a new battery/wire/cartridge combination, but the old battery must be removed first which is why the reload time is higher than might be expected. The pen comes with 5 reloads.

See Credits below.


Rappelling Belt

This device looks like a typical male belt, size 34 (can be altered), with a spiked buckle. But, it can be converted into a rappelling device with seventy-five feet of steel-reinforced cord designed to hold an agent's body weight. The buckle contains an explosive piton that an agent can shoot by squeezing the inside part of the buckle.

Q Evaluation: This is yet another object with an innocent appearance. When this Q item is used, the agent needs to take extra caution when buckling his belt. - Dr Elaine Turner

Game Information:

When shooting the piton, the agent must make a Fire Combat Roll.

See Credits below. Used in Goldeneye.


Watch Band "Recoverer"

This band has been hollowed to contain three pressurized containers each containing .11 millimeters of a special chemical mixture. By pushing the control button on the side of the watch casing the agent injects himself with one dose of the "recovery drug." This mixture temporarily reduces the pains of wounds, as well as acting as a stimulant to allow the agent to perform the necessary actions to get himself to a place of safety. The effect of each dose lasts about two hours.

Q Evaluation: Dr. Turner and Dr. Cobbett are responsible for the development of this device. The mixture in the watch band consists of two chemicals synthesized here at Q Branch. Prosapine is a stimulant, ViCol a pain killer which acts in a manner similar to an alkaloid. Each effective in dosages which range in the parts per million.

The item has proven useful. The mission which remains most vivid in my mind was 005 on the Karanikas affair. His contact had been captured by Czechoslovak counterintelligence. 005 entered into an ambush, taking the full effect of an AKM burst which robbed him of the use of most everything on his left side. Three doses of the watch band recovery mixture and a tremendous determination allowed him to cover the nearly twenty kilometers to the Austrian border, all of it on foot. Since the incident 005 has always worn the special watchband. - Q

Game Information:

The recovery mixture will reduce the effects of the Wound Level by 2 for two hours. A character who had a Heavy Wound would operate under the effects of a Light Wound for two hours. A character who is Incapacitated may be injected with the recovery mixture for full effect, but the mixture has no effect on dead characters.

The side effect of the recovery mixture is due to the stress it places on the body. Each hour under the influence of the drug counts as 4 for the purposes of determining exhaustion. A character who had been awake for 9 hours and was wounded, and then spent 5 hours under the influence of the drug would be considered to have been awake for 29 hours.

See Credits below.


X-Ray Glasses

These innocent looking, blue-tinged glasses enable an agent to see through light clothing and find those hidden weapons (or other hidden accessories) to even the odds.

Q Evaluation: This simple-looking gadget enables an agent to know if he is in a hostile environment or not. However, certain agents with a weakness for the opposite sex may be distracted when the glasses show more than expected, leaving little to the imagination. - Q

Game Information: Any agent who has the Attraction to Members of the Opposite Sex weakness incurs a -1 EF to all rolls while he wears the glasses and members of the opposite sex are in close visual range.

See Credits below. Used in The World is Not Enough.


 

Credits

Ankle Spin Pistol

Gordon, Greg. "Accessories for Agents: The Newest Devices From Q Division." Heroes: The Role-Playing Magazine Volume1, Number 3.

Face Maker, Grenade Pen, Modified Ericsson Cellular Phone, Omega Laser Watch, Reppelling Belt, X-Ray Glasses

Translated from Olaf Krumscheid's web site: Le Jeu De Rôle. Minor additions/modifications from Paul Kasper.

Motorola Stun/Radar Beeper

Paul Kasper

Pen Incapaciter, Watch Band "Recoverer"

Gordon, Greg. "More Accessories for Agents: The Newest Devices From Q Division." Heroes: The Role-Playing Magazine Volume1, Number 4.