Mundane

While the forces of Cthulhu have access to advanced technology, not all of the entities use them. The reasons range from a lack of trust to a basic lack of intelligence. Just like the human armies with access to technology such as nuclear weapons, they are not entrusted to just anyone.

The most basic types of weapons utilized range from the (un)natural such as hand, claw, and tentacle to wielded weapons such as knives, swords, spears, etc. The fact that they are considered mundane does nothing to reduce how deadly they can be. There are creatures with enough strength to slice open a tank with its claws, or beings with tentacles that can crush an armored soldier with ease and yet others with maws so wide they can swallow a soldier whole. Likewise the wielded weapons are often made of a materials that are stronger than titanium and an edge measured in molecules that can cut through almost any material.

Many creatures also possess other natural defenses such as acid which can eat through the strongest armor, neurotoxin that can kill a human in a matter of moments, deadly venom, paralytic webbing, EMP bursts or any number of other abilities. Some of the most deadly entities faced by the forces of mankind do not use any form of technology or other augmented capabilities. To underestimate any creature within the army of Cthulhu is a fatal error.

Technology

The weapons used by Cthulhu’s host range from the mundane to the esoteric. Many of the most powerful are based on advanced technologies that harness various forms of energy. Following are some of the most common weapon types:

GAS COMPRESSION

Weapons based on gas compression are very similar in principle to how a human paintball gun works. It uses a compressed gas to propel a projectile down a barrel and then out towards its target. These weapons deliver small needle like projectiles with enough velocity to pierce armor. While these types of weapons are relatively low tech, they are still capable of inflicting significant damage and delivering all manner of toxins.

EMP

A favored tactic of the enemy is to deploy electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons during battle to disrupt sensitive electronic equipment. While most human systems have a high level of protection from EMP attacks they are not completely immune. In addition to manufactured weapons, some creatures such as the Pirig Utag have a natural ability to generate EMP pulses.

FUSION/FISSION

Some of the most devastating weapons used by the enemy are based on the principles of nuclear fusion a fission. While distinctly different in design the resulting energy release is very similar. Both produce superheated beams of energy that can melt through almost any material given enough time. 

PLASMA

Plasma weapons fire balls of plasma contained inside magnetic field bubbles. How this is accomplished is unknown but the devastation they unleash is well documented. Upon impacting the target, the magnetic field bursts and unleashes a rapidly expanding ball of plasma that can consume unprotected targets and turn armor plates into molten metal.

MOLECULAR

Molecular disintegration weapons are a form of miniaturized particle accelerator that fires subatomic particles at its target. Smaller versions are quite capable of severing limbs or punching holes in armor. The larger, more powerful weapons are able to superheat a target almost instantaneously and deliver a massive kinetic shock that effectively turns the victim or target into a burst of plasma vapor.

PSYCHIC

Psychic powers and weaponry are relatively new to human science and not well understood. While there are humans with psychic capabilities it is not known how this power can be imbued into mechanical devices. The enemy have the ability to create psychic devices that they use to either power their weapons or increase a natural psychics abilities.

ESOTERIC

There are even more esoteric weapons that defy all human understanding. Such weapons include the Dimensional Warp gun that seems to have the ability to create short lived vortices into another dimension which pull anything close by into them. Another example is the Shadow Generator which can envelop a target in a type of sticky shadow which then proceeds to consume the target in a slow and agonizing manner.

Psychic

One of the more prevalent and powerful weapons used by the enemy is psychic force. For some of the most powerful entities, such as the Warlocks, this is an innate ability and power that they draw upon. However, creatures without natural psychic capabilities are also able to wield psychic power in the form of weapons powered by psychic filaments. There are also artifacts that can be brought to bear and unleash psychic attacks or raise psychic defenses.

Psychic energy itself is not well understood. While it is known to factually exist, its exact properties or where it is drawn from is debated heavily.  It is an intangible force that can be drawn up to have any number of effects on the material world. It can be used in an attack, as a defense, to destroy or repair, provide locomotion and many other possibilities. It appears to be highly adaptable by the wielder and each psychic uses it in slightly different manners.

If there is a downside to psychic power, it is that it is a finite resource that must be replenished with time and rest. The amount of psychic energy that can be brought to bear is dependent on a number of factors. Chief among them is the length of time a practitioner has be exposed to and used its psychic power. The more experienced and wise the wielder, the deeper the well of energy seems to be.  Another factor is use of artifacts imbued with psychic energy. How the enemy creates these artifacts is not known.  But use of these artifacts permit a psychic to extend their supply of psychic energy or use it to boost a psychic ability. However, artifacts are not endless wells of power. Some can only be used once and others recharge over time.

Psychic energy itself is considered neutral meaning that it is neither inherently good nor bad. It just is. How it is used is up to the wielder of the power.  This being the case, finding or capturing a psychic relic is a high priority on the battlefield as it can be used as easily by humans as it is by the spawn of Cthulhu.

Fear

Without a doubt, the most powerful weapon in Cthulhu’s arsenal is the ability to tap into the primal fears of humans. There are many theories on why this is possible. The most popular being that since Cthulhu has existed on Earth for so long, his very essence and psychic aura have been imprinted on the human subconscious. Even though he sleeps his subtle psychic aura persists and is the origin of humanities most primal fears.

Regardless of the reasons, the fact is that fear is a potent weapon that humanity must constantly guard against. In the early days of the war many civilians and soldiers died from the sheer fright of just seeing some of the monstrosities attacking them. Over the intervening years, humans have begun to build up a type of callous over their fear. It is still there but can be overcome by willpower. This, in addition to the psychological conditioning of soldiers during training, has greatly reduced the number of deaths and desertions caused by fear. However, it is always there, lingering in the background, and must be watched for lest it take control and madness ensues.

The fear response is even more reduced in the Genetically Engineered Cybernetic Soldier (G.E.C.S.) forces due to their artificial creation, cybernetic implants and conditioning. While they are not immune, it has been said no GECS has fallen to the fear. There have been rumors of renegade GECS seen fighting for the enemy but this has never been verified. HADES high command denies these reports and says it is misinformation. They claim these types of rumors are just another tactic used by the enemy to induce terror.