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[Egan_BW]

Lightning repeater

Thanks to some more sturdy prayers, which the operators of the rifle have been taught, we can now safely fit five wands of thunderbolt into the lightning rifle, allowing for multiple shots before having to reload.

[crazyabe]

"Rechargeable wands of Thunderbolt"
Thanks to some... Slight changes to the prayers used to make our wands, repeating them can be used to re-enchant the wands for reuse.

[Egan_BW]

We have lots of wands, and a decent supply train thanks to flying transports, so I don't know how much that would help.

[crazyabe]

We have lots of wands, and a decent supply train thanks to flying transports, so I don't know how much that would help.

An experienced rifleman can fire six times a minute and carries with him 20 spare Wands of Thunderbolt

Thus, they run out of ammo after roughly 3.5 mins and 21 Shots. This increases the total amount of shots possible ENORMOUSLY, Especially in positions where resupplying is hard/impossible.
and lets NOT forget how many of the damn things go into a SINGLE shot of a thundergun,

Requires a 36-wand battery for each firing event

And that just sounds like a bit of a waste to me.

[Detoxicated]

Shortened riflewand
Through intricate slightly spirally metalshaping we have acquired the ability to lessen the carrying burden and reload times. The slightly spirally form aids to direct the spell without losing reach and due to thr fact that we are using less metal the rods become lighter increasing the rounds carried as well as reload times.

[Atomic Chicken]

Hold on, didn't we have a research credit this turn?

[Kashyyk]

Well, I guess no one realised that.

Regarding the recharging, I'm not sure we'll be able to get a mundane rifleman to recharge his wands during battle, but I do like not having to ship such vast quantities of them from Moskurg.

Also, 10 inches for a wand is about for using handheld, but we might need to shrink it a bit for rifle use. That's secondary to improving the rifle to the point that it is equivalent to a mage with a handful of wands though.

So, my suggestions are to allow full power wands to be used (so we can blast through a crystal breastplate reliably) and to cheapen the rifle (because quantity has a quality all it's own).

[Egan_BW]

Oh yeah, research credit. Maybe we could use that for lightning halbards, given that the rifles need a reload and are Expensive? Something to give to the footsoldiers while the officers use rifles, hopefully. Or we could make new armor, or possibly a faster combat version of the sky transport? That certainly seems like it would be helpful in the city.

[NUKE9.13]

Alright, well. That's... not the revolutionary new weapon we needed, I don't think. This war may yet drag on a few more turns.

In an attempt to prevent that, let's use our revisions wisely.

Infantry armour, for example, is something we can easily upgrade for a measurable boost in performance. Something as simple as

Starmetal Helmets: These head-covering helmets are made from transparent Starmetal, allowing for unencumbered vision whilst providing excellent protection. Insofar as possible, the metal has been made (magically) lighter without compromising strength, providing maximum protection with minimal weight.

Would increase the survivability of our footsoldiers in short-range and melee engagements. 

[Taricus]

Well, it's not revolutionary because it doesn't help us in melee; We're going to be fighting house to house here, and we need melee weapons. We don't have the option of sitting outside and trying to gun them down.

Of course, the fact that the WoT is more akin to a battery means the Arc Halberd just got a bit easier to make, and might that far more lethal than the rifles by virtue of not having to propel the lightning over a distance.

[Madman198237]

Path of the Righteous
A slight adaptation of the microspell that is now part of the Hammer means that it will not only seek crystal, but it will also avoid adamantine, making our soldiers effectively immune to the lightning we summon.

Youngling Training Exercise
Through intense meditation, study, and defiance in the face of the laws of physics perseverance, our Researcher Priests have discovered how a mere apprentice can utilize the power of the Hammer of Allah. And it's terrifying.
(Cheapen Hammer of Allah)

Results upon mild success: Point-blank lightning support capability, LOTS of lightning, possible help to the lightning rifle, by making it almost impossible to hit friendlies?

Anyway, it's the best method to kill off the Arstotzkans once and for all. More lightning means more aircraft kills and more soldier kills, lightning that won't hit friendlies means we can just keep zapping the Arstotzkans right up to point-blank range.

[NUKE9.13]

:I
I know this sounds like heresy, but I don't think the answer to our problems is yet more lightning. At some point, you reach diminishing returns.

[evictedSaint]

Well crap, you guys did have a research credit. Sorry about that, I'll roll the second dice set and revise the report.

[Detoxicated]

Sense squad
Through prayers of time we can sense squads prior to their arrival giving us an edge in positioning and stealth

[evictedSaint]

Design: Lightning Rifle [4/3, 5/3, 1/5] -> [4-1, 5+1, 5]

The Lightning Rifle is - surprisingly - based off the Thundergun artillery shells, which use a Wand of Thunderbolts as a detonation mechanism without magely interference.

Unlike Arstotzkan attempts to make magic usable by mundane individuals, the Wand of Thunderbolts has actually been more along the lines of an actual battery rather than contained magical force.  The spells, hymns, and holy words incorporated have largely been for the benefit of the wielding mage, to assist in their own native magical control of the electric discharge.  The Lightning Rifle attempts to emulate this with mixed results.

Initially, the Lightning Rifle was designed as a simple wooden handle with a trigger that connects the circuit on a modified Wand of Thunderbolts, allowing a discharge of electric potential.  This proved disastrous, as a mundane user has no way of controlling the output of the now-uncontained lightning.  Further modifications to the design saw the addition of a long, adamantium spike to help direct the flow away from the user, as well as a wooden stock to help brace the contraption against the users shoulder.  The stock continued around the slotting mechanism to hold the Wand, and then further to the forestock to provide a handhold for the user and insulate them from the adamantium spike as it grew hot through repeated discharges.

Wands of Thunderbolts are quite long, at about 10".  They must be carried in a special leather satchel to protect them from the elements and prevent accidental discharges, and a new one must be slotted in to replace the previous wand between firings.  An open bolt holds the wand in place, and must be unlocked and slotted back for reloadings.  An experienced rifleman can fire six times a minute and carries with him 20 spare Wands of Thunderbolt.

The Lightning Rifle is largely mundane in nature, with the most magical aspects being the components that store the lightning and some dubious hymns engraved on the adamantium spike praying for accuracy.  As such, the lightning blast tends to be accurate out to only Short Range, and invariably goes to ground before going beyond Long Range.  By necessity, the modified Wands of Thunderbolt have slightly less power and result in a more humble explosion upon striking their target.  Initial tests suggest it could penetrate lightly armored crystal, but won't crack anything beyond a breastplate.  The Lightning Rifles are simple to make and use no expensive parts, making it possible to distribute one to every footsoldier in the army. Normal Cost.