Any thoughts on stats for the Hand Lasers used by the Federation before Phasers as witnessed in the original series episodes “The Cage”, “The Man Trap” and “Where No Man has gone before”? I don’t believe they had a stun setting but did appear to have an adjustable power setting when used in the rescue attempt of Captain Pike on planet Talos IV in the episode “The Cage”. I was thinking a base damage of 1 with a high power setting damage of 2. Feedback welcome.
Already in ENT 1x01 “Broken Bow” Malcolm Reed mentions the then-used Phase-pistol to have two settings: stun and kill. So if you want those Hand Lasers (that I actually don’t remember, but I’m not well-versed around TOS) to have stun settings, this is, in priciple, back-able by Canon.
Regarding stats, I’d say to look for something in between of those Phase-pistols and actual Phasers. Maybe one of the upcoming products featuring DIS will have something for you. 
How are they realistically different to a phaser? Not being awkward- it’s useful to map out what the differences are to work out how to replicate them.
From current description I’d probably reskin a phaser, but remove the “Charge” quality. If it doesn’t have stun then you can add the “Deadly” quality
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Thanks, if Phase Pistols do 3 damage (which seems high considering the era) and Hand Lasers replaced them then it makes sense for them to be more effective. Perhaps 3 damage with the charge quality but limited to: Intense and piercing 1.
Thanks, they did appear to have a higher owner setting when used in “The Cage”.
They were also capable of bring set up a “forced chamber explosion” (essentially an overload) which would probably do the same damage as a grenade.
You can overload any phaser. It’s been used a few times, so I don’t think that needs to be represented mechanically. Personally I probably wouldn’t represent the higher power settings either, but if you wanted to I would probably only apply either the vicious damage effect, or the intense quality.
I think the laser pistol also appears in “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” Roger Korby’s team disappeared on Exo III in the “laser pistols and non-black uniform collar” period, and the production staff apparently gave them the older weapons. (There’s also a photo of Korby that appears on a screen where he’s wearing the older-style uniform).
If memory serves, in that episode, the laser pistol disintegrates Korby and the Android Andrea.
I always thought the old style hand lasers were cool-looking.
I think it depends whether phasers or disruptors also exist in your game. If they don’t, I’d just replace the word “phaser” with “laser”. Not having a stun setting seems largely irrelevant in STA. If you are determined to have a mechanic for that, give the laser the “Deadly” quality and allow the “Charge” quality to remove it.
Oh no?
Remember that an attack with a weapon that does not have a stun setting is an attack with deadly force. This might a) be conflicting with values/directives and b) will pile up Threat at the GM’s.
I just meant mechanically, you can do non-lethal attacks with any weapon, even disruptors, bat’leths and knives. Even the “Deadly” quality does not preclude you from dealing non-lethal damage, it just makes it a little more difficult.
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If we go by the on screen timeline, at some point Starfleet replaces Phase weapons with Lasers, which remain Starfleet issue until around the period of “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. We still see it being used by civilians in “The Man Trap” and “What Are Little Girls Made Of”. Based on what the Laser Pistol seen doing TOS and the Background Information in the Memory Alpha article (Laser pistol | Memory Alpha | Fandom) there is an argument to be made for it actually being and earlier model Phaser Pistol. I’m inclined to treat it that way.