Stun Baton

The Stun Baton, or Stunstick, is an electrified baton used by Civil Protection officers to enforce the law on unruly citizens, or simply to beat them. It is only seen in the first and third chapters of Half-Life 2, Point Insertion and Route Kanal.

Overview
Stunsticks are similar in use and appearance to the batons used by police officers today, though considerably more brutal in application. Often, they are used simply to beat citizens who do not comply with Combine rules and regulations, or who disobey Civil Protection officers no matter how trivial the matter may be. For instance, Gordon receives a beating if he throws the can at or behind the officer instead of into the bin, in the first chapter of Half-Life 2.

Stun Batons are also used in Civil Protection raids to subdue targeted citizens or Resistance members. Guards can be frequently observed using stun batons to restrain and harass citizens within City 17.

The small electrical device contained within the tip is used to electrocute anyone hit with the baton. When activated, the tip emits an electrical blue glow. It will stun citizens for a few seconds, causing pain and confusion.

The baton is approximately 22 inches long and is manufactured from a gray metal. The stunstick was to be implemented within the game as a usable weapon, however it was removed in the retail version. It can, however, be used in Half-life 2: Deathmatch and various mods. The usable stun baton only has one level of damage and cannot have its stun mode toggled on or off. It is very similar in function to the Crowbar, though it does significantly more damage, and has a slower attack rate. It is given to players who spawn with Combine player models.

Behind the scenes

 * There is a cut HUD icon in the Half-Life 2 files for the Stun Baton. The icons do not represent the baton but the words "STUNSTICK ICON".

Trivia

 * Interestingly, while Gordon cannot use the baton as a weapon, it can be picked up and used as a battery, recharging the HEV Suit's power by 7%. However, the stunstick will simply disappear once it is dropped if the enemy is killed from range.
 * In Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, the stunstick will take 3 hits to kill a fully healed enemy, however it is very slow. It is statistically worse than the crowbar against fully healed enemies, taking longer to kill them, but is more effective against enemies who are already damaged.

List of appearances

 * ''Half-Life 2
 *  Half-Life 2: Deathmatch
 * Source Particle Benchmark