Toroidal plasma weaponry (TPW) is the modern standard lethal handheld weapon for Austral forces. It retains the fundamental killing power of its predecessor plasma weapons, being specialized in blooming through water to create oxygen and hydrogen plasma, with devastating effects on unprotected targets.

The unique feature in TPW is the ability to improve beam collimation and range, extending lethal power to practically line-of-sight even in non-ideal atmospheric conditions by creating a vacated vacuum tube temporarily shielded by plasma along the line of the shot in a multistep lasing process when the trigger is pulled. This allows a central laser pulse to suffer minimal absorption, complimenting the damage caused by the plasma itself to deliver further damage to armored targets that are protected from conventional plasma weaponry, even melting through ordinary heat shielding. Nullifying most of the armor that a person could wear in a suit, the exact wavelengths and sequence of laser pulses needed to achieve this effect are classified, and all TPW weapons are designed with anti-tampering mechanisms to resist reverse-engineering. If they are opened improperly they are expected to corrode their critical elements while scrambling their circuits of all firing command records, and they are furthermore equipped with biometric scanners.    

Unprotected contact with Austral plasma weaponry in general results in quick death by the mechanism affecting most victims standing directly under a detonating nuclear weapon: the water in the brain is boiled in a matter of microseconds, believed to be a ‘humane’ death. Even a shot to the peripheral will often be lethal – firing at a hand or foot will produce jets of O2/H2 plasma along with conventional steam that will expand in all directions, blasting through the skin in the absence of an orifice to disintegrate the limb and furthermore shooting steam and plasma through arteries and veins into the victim’s heart. This water-blooming effect practically guarantees lethal results upon contact, while introducing compromised range for weapons as a function of humidity. In extremely humid environments normal plasma weapons will lose their killing power in mere meters, blooming the shot and likely blinding/injuring the shooter as well. TPW is still usable in humid conditions, though the enlarged bloom can still be blinding without proper eye protection.

While a few ‘dark’ laser designs are in use (see Lasers), which can shoot invisibly (to humans but more importantly for most automated sensors) most weapons produce a visible beam wreathed in white plasma, which can be temporarily blinding for unprotected eyes. A soldier’s eyepiece is typically in communication with their weapon to temporarily reduce the transparency of the lenses when the trigger is pulled, a feature that can be extended to a group. Eyepieces can also assist in aiming, though dependency on this feature is discouraged.