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[taalismn]

Courtesy of Abtex(a VERY hard worker around here), I now have this for your convenience:
Paladin Steel Master Catalog[/quote]



Been awhile since I did a Paladin Steel vehicle, so I figured I'd take an obscure vehicle and a misplaced concept and see if I couldn't make it workable from off-the-shelf bits and pieces of canon vehicles and systems....(like making scaled down robot versions of the RDF/REF Destroids using common hand weapons for the various guns, using the Robot Construction/Programming tables from Sourcebook 1 Revised, and having myself a set of mini-Gladiators as golf-caddies...or mounting the upper torso of a CS Enforcer robot on the turret ring of a Mark V APC... )

Paladin Steel ONTOS II Fire Support Vehicle
(aka “Firecracker”, “Missile Cart”, “Vesuvius”)

“Load the ‘Carts with plasma and incendiary today, squires! We’re celebrating Independence Day again with some fireworks for the Splugorth!”

The original ONTOS was a pre-Rifts Vietnam-era American design for a light air-transportable tank destroyer mounting no less than SIX heavy recoilless rifles. However, while the concept might have looked good for fast response against Warsaw Pact tanks excursing into Western Europe, the design proved suicidal when deployed in the jungles of Vietnam; with its cramped interior, exposed weaponry, and limited reloads(each cannon only carried one round, and had to be reloaded externally by crewmen who would have to stop the vehicle and expose themselves to enemy fire), the ONTOS was a clumsy thin-walled deathtrap. The ONTOS was quickly and quietly removed from service as an interesting, but badly-timed, experiment.
Enough records and descriptions of the ONTOS survived in databases, however, to inspire several Chai-Chuk engineers of the Vermont Free State to try resurrecting an improved version of the design, using already available off-the-shelf components(locally called a ‘bitzer’ design). Paladin Steel engineers, infatuated with the PS-CM22 Missile Cannon(their successful improved knock-off version of the Coalition States’ CCT-M20 Missile Rifle, and perhaps embolded by what the island-nation of Takamatsu had done with licensed copies of the weapon(in particular mounting the weapons on the Type T61 Light Tank), agreed to a limited production run of the Chai-Chuks’ idea.
Though enough performance data remained on the original ONTOS that engineers were loathe to tag their new vehicle with an ill-omened name(and on magic-rich Rifts Earth, superstitions can have some real power), the new combat machine got inevitabley tagged with the ‘ONTOS II’ moniker. Paladin Steel is hedging that potential buyers will look beyond the name and see the solidly-built machine beneath. The ONTOS II is a light, maneuverable, amphibious tracked vehicle with a revolving turret-rack mounting no less than SIX modified PS-CM22 Missile Rifles complete with co-axial lasers. The interior is still rather cramped for normal human-sized crew members, but for small-statured beings, such as Chai-Chuks and Dwarves, the cabin is roomy enough. Relaoding still poses a problem, since only a handful of extra rounds can be carried internally, and must be reloaded externally, but with the greater initial magazine capacity of the CM-22s, magazine capacity is NOT considered to be an issue. Mounted on top of the turret for defense is a standard AFV-mount rapid-fire rail gun, operated remotely from within the turret, or externally via hand-grips by the tank commander. The roughly pyramid-shaped hull has sloped sides for maximum shot deflection, while also being sealed against water, for amphibious operations(with the lack of bridges and prepared causeways in the modern post-Rifts world, Paladin Steel has considered advanced fording/amphibious capability a MUST for its vehicles). Armor is modest; not as much as most contemporary tanks, but heavy for a vehicle of its size and price-range. The engine packages include a multi-fuel liquid fuel engine or a more compact electric fuel cell(most crews prefer the fuel cell because of the smaller size and reduced chance of a cabin fire in event of a critical strike). A nuclear fusion micro-pac engine was considered, but was deemed too expensive for standard production runs. The three-man crew can access the vehicle through a forward driver’s hatch, top commander’s hatch, and rear gunner’s door.
The ONTOS II is best used as a fire support vehicle, firing from behind friendly lines as a light artillery support vehicle. It is also effective acting as an ambusher, attacking from a prepared position. Because of its slow speed, the ONTOS II is best deployed with infantry or other light vehicles to scout and screen for it while it maneuvers into position or retreats under covering fire(squads of ONTOS will typically cover each other, one half of the unit retreating while the other half lays down a missile barrage). Deployment in mixed-arms units also allows the tanks to take advantage of infantry laser-designators ‘painting’ targets for guided ‘smart’ ordnance attacks.
The ONTOS II is in limited production and distribution by Paladin Steel as the design sees advanced field testing, and PS evaluates how the machine does in actual combat. Its dirt-cheap price makes it attractive to mercenaries and community militias. The Vermont Free State military itself has taken delivery of several dozen for testing in National Guard units. Several have already been sold to concerns in Britain and the New Roman Republic(where in the latter’s service it has been given the moniker ‘Vesuvius’).
Type: PS-LT-47 ONTOS II
Class: Light Tank
Crew: 3 (Driver, gunner, commander)
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 300
Reinforced Crew Cabin 100
Treads(2) 70 each
Turret 150
Missile Launchers(6) 100 each
Rail Gun Cupola 70
Height: 6 ft 9 in.
Width: 9 ft
Length: 13 ft
Weight: 6 tons
Cargo:Small space in crew compartment for several backpacks, sidearms, and a few small personal possessions. With a crew of small statured beings( 5 ft tall or smaller), there’s enough room for 12-20 reload missiles, though these must be reloaded externally).
Powerplant: Liquid Fuel( w/ 300 mile range) or Electrical Fuel Cell( w/ 400 mile range)
A nuclear power pack with 15 year energy life has been tested, but adds 1.8 million credits to the price.
Speed:
(Ground) 65 MPH
(Water) 15 MPH
Market Cost: 2.2 million credits for liquid-fuelled version, 2.4 million for electrical
Systems of Note:
*NBC-shielded crew compartment with air filtration and 8-hour independent air supply
*Radio----100 mile range
*IR/Normal Light Headlights
*Optical Suite---Low Light/Nightvision Optics, Infrared, Thermo-Imaging, and Laser-Targetting(+1 to strike to ranged weapons)
*Mini-Radar---10 mile range
*Periscope---Standard optics periscope that can elevate up to 6 ft, allowing the tank to remain behind cover while surveilling surrounding territory.
Weapons Systems:
1) Mini-Missile Launchers(6)---One of Paladin Steel’s minor triumphs of reverse-engineering has been the knock-off of the Coalition’s CCT-M20 Missile Rifle,complete down to the light laser, but modified to take advantage of PS’s advancements in lighter weight composites and ceramics. Paladin Steel has begun applying the double-barrelled weapon to a variety of platforms, from full conversion cyborgs and power armors to armored cars and hovercraft. The ONTOS II mounts no less than six launchers with their lasers, replacing the antiquated recoilless rifles with superior, multi-shot, firepower. Backing the mini-missile launchers are their co-axial lasers; though weak in power and range, fired together, all six lasers provide a metal-vaporizing laser barrage at close range. The six launchers are mounted three to a side on a low turret that has 360-degree rotation, and 80-degree elevation.
Range:(Mini-Missiles) Varies by Missile Type(usually about 1 mile)
(Laser) 2,000 ft
Damage:(Mini-Missiles)Varies by Missile Type
(Laser) 2d6 MD per blast
(6d6 MD for three lasers firing simultaneously, 1d6x12 MD for all six firing simultaneously on one target).
Rate of Fire:(Mini-Missiles) Volleys of 1, 2, or 4
(or up to 24 missiles from all six launchers firing simultaneously!)
(Laser) ECHH
Payload:(Mini-Missiles)20 per launcher(10 per launch tube)
(120 mini-missiles total between all six launchers!)
(Laser) Effectively Unlimited attached to an external generator, or 20 shots per standard E-clip/30 per long E-clip as backup. The ONTOS II has a 120 shot battery that recharges off the main engine at 10 shots per hour during normal operations, or 20 shots per hour of idling.

2) Cupola-Mount Weapon----Mounted between the two sets of missile launchers on the trurret is a cupola for a standard model IH-100 Rail Gun (PS-100), a tried and well-tested(and much copied) weapon.
Range: 4000 ft
Damage: 1d4 MD single rd, 1d6x10 MD 60 rd burst.
Rate of Fire:EPCHH
Payload:12,000 rd drum(200 bursts)

Variants:
There are no variants of the ONTOS II as yet; PS is waiting to see what the customers come up with before offering variant and field-modification kits.
One experiment under consideration centers around the recent acquisition and importation of several Tarnow T-322 Stinger Light Tanks by Paladin Steel for evaluation. One proposed test configuration would be to strip the chassis of its magically-hardened aluminum armor and replace it with an equivalent weight of megadamage composite material, and swap out the turret for the ONTOS II ‘six-shooter’ turret, creating a tank with marginally better armor(310 MDC) and much greater speed(110 MPH).

[Aramanthus]

I always loved your stuff Taalismn! I think I've got it archieved somewhere at home. Paladin Steel material is always desirable equipment.

[taalismn]

Thanks!
I've always had a fascination with 'underdog' vehicles..ugly airplanes, failed projects, prototypes...some of which just looked cool, and looked like they might be great designs, even though they were flawed to the core...

Like the Sheriden Light Tank...I wound up using it as a basis for the New Roman Republic Auroch Light Tank...replacing the shoddy aluminum armor with megadamage materials...and the less said about the Shillagh Missile System, the better!

But as can be seen, some designs can be salvaged with some hunting through the Guides and the tech-listings for salvage and adaptable systems....

[Aramanthus]

I mean I found your old site online years ago and copied youor material for use in my game! I've always loved it! And I think most of my players have too! I use your stuff from here. But I've used pretty much all of your material.

[taalismn]

I mean I found your old site online years ago and copied youor material for use in my game! I've always loved it! And I think most of my players have too! I use your stuff from here. But I've used pretty much all of your material.

Well, then, I'll have to make more...

[Aramanthus]

Yeah!!!! I'm looking forward to that!!!!!

[taalismn]

Paladin Steel ‘Gun-Ripper’ Medium Tank
(aka ‘Rip-Saw’, ‘Prickly-Bear’, and ‘Buzzer’. Also ‘Herky-Jerky’, ‘Spinbox’, ‘Vomit Carousel’)

BBBBBBBBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
“What were those things?!”
“Why don’t you take a bucket out there and scrape up something for Doc Egon to look at under the microscope?....Maybe he can tell you!”

The ‘Gun-Ripper’ is an experiment, using as many off-the-shelf components as possible, in producing a line battle unit capable of dealing with mass-’swarm’ attacks’ of enemy power armors, infantry, or airborne light units, such as Brodkil hordes or Xiticix swarms, screening other vehicles and infantry from massed attacks.
Rather than build in a single large main gun, supplemented by lighter secondary aramaments, PS engineers took another approach, installing a battery of individually less powerful weapons, synchronized to fire in concert for synergestic effect.
The Gun-Ripper is a ‘bitzer’; a vehicle built from as many already-in-production components as possible to save on development time and cost; normally a recipe for disaster, but PS has managed to make the practice work for them in part due to the rapid to-testable prototype stage production that allows them to get the vehicle to real-condition testing. Paladin Steel has elected to mount no less than six rapid-fire rail-guns in a single battery on the new Gun-Ripper tank. This number of weapons, it was felt, would throw out a virtually inescapable wall of projectile fire that would sandblast the armor skin off all but the toughest enemy targets. PS elected to use a commonly available rail gun, the NG-102 ‘Ol’Reliable’ design, much-copied and fairly basic, for its proven performance and the ready availability of both mechanics familiar with the weapon, and spare parts. A modified Iron Heart Armaments medium MBT tank chassis provided the base for the Gun-Ripper. For indirect fire, the Gun-Ripper mounts a pair of external SRM packs. A modified version of an anti-Juicer fire-control system has been mounted to acquire targets and quickly bring the main guns to bear for maximum effect, including a semi-autonomous automatic ‘sentry’ mode. This semi-autonomous fire control mode reduces demand and strain on the gunners’ attention, and allows the tank to more efficiently sweep large numbers of targets. The rapid-fire, high-speed spinning of the turret under auto-mode, as the computer directs the main weapons’ fire, has led to the Gun-Ripper earning such nicknames as ‘Herky-Jerky’, ‘Upchuck Carousel’, and ‘Spinbox’.
The Gun-Ripper has its shortcomings, naturally. The limited range of its main armament places it at a severe disadvantage against missile- and artillery-armed enemy vehicles with better range. Crews assigned to Gun-Rippers also complain about both the noise and the limited internal space(most of the available internal volume being dedicated to ammunition storage). A serious problem with early model Gun-Rippers was the electrical demands of six rail guns firing simultaneously, and the massed magnetic fields the stator-ring systems of the rail accelerators generated....in prolonged combats, this sometimes led to power system failures , and the knocking out of sensitive electronics(notably sensors and fire control) attached to the turret guns...PS engineers managed to redesign the power distribution systems and wiring harnesses, as well as install a degaussing system that would periodically ‘sweep’ and insulate the tank systems from field build-ups. However, Gun-Rippers still tend to average 20% more additional maintenance time for their electronics than other air defense vehicles.
Gun-Rippers are thus best deployed against large numbers of light targets like power armors, infantry, and monster packs/swarms, or in built-up urban areas where long range is of less use in urban fighting. They are typically assigned to base/garrison security, and as force escorts in hostile territory. The Vermont Free State/Greater New England military has acquired a few for security details and Homeguard units, while the rest of the production runs have gone to PS/VFS-affiliated paramilitary units for advanced field testing.
Type: PS-AA/AP-AFV32
Class: Anti-Aircraft/Anti-Personnel Fighting Vehicle
Crew: Three
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 450
Reinforced Crew Compartment 100
Main Turret 200
Main Battery Rapid Fire Rail Guns(6) 50 each
Cupola 80
Cupola-Mount Light Laser(1) 25
Short Range Missile Launchers(2, turret-mounted) 60 each
Hull-Mount Rail Guns(2, fore and aft) 40 each
Treads(2) 90 each
Height: 18 ft
Width: 10 ft
Length: 32 ft
Weight: 32 tons
Cargo: Small space in cabin for survival packs, sidearms, supplies, and a few small personal possessions
Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion w/ 15 year energy life
Speed: 66 MPH
Market Cost: 25 million credits
Systems of Note:
Basic Robot Features, plus:
*Advanced Fire Control---Adapted from a pirated Northern Gun software design for anti-Juicer weapons control systems, the Nominator-L3 Fire Control System rapidly designates targets in swarms(10 or more) and generates an optimal firing pattern.
The system gives the Gun-Ripper 7 attacks per melee on auto-defense mode, +2 to Initiative, and +2 to strike.

Weapons Systems:
1) Rapid Fire Rail Guns(6)---These are modified versions of the standard IH-100 Rail Gun (PS-100), a tried and well-tested(and much copied) weapon.
Range: 4000 ft
Damage: 1d4 MD single rd, 1d6x10 MD 60 rd burst
A full barrage of all six guns going off at once will do 6d6x10 MD to anything larger than 50 ft wide, or 2d4x10 MD to smaller targets caught in the guns’ 50 ft wide swathe.
Rate of Fire:EPCHH
Payload:12,000 rd drum(200 bursts) per gun

2) Hull-Mounted Rail Guns(2)---These are the same as mounted in the turret. On eis mounted forward and the other aft for maximum protection.
Range: 4000 ft
Damage: 1d4 MD single rd, 1d6x10 MD 60 rd burst
Rate of Fire:EPCHH
Payload:12,000 rd drum(200 bursts) per gun

3)Light Pulse Laser(1, cupola-mount)---This is a lightweight weapon of last resort with an effectively unlimited payload.
Range: 2,000 ft
Damage: 3d6 MD per single shot, 6d6 MD per pulse burst
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

4)Short Range Missile Launchers(2)---These were later added to give the ‘Ripper’ some long-range punch against armored targets.
Range: Varies by Missile Type(SRM)
Damage:Varies by Missile Type(SRM)
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-4
Payload: 4 each launcher, 8 total

5) Anti-Personnel Fletchette Packs----An effort to further protect the slow moving tank against faster power armor and infantry, this system consists of s series of directional ‘claymore’-style fragmentation grenades attached to the outer hull and triggred either by command or by motion detector trip to fill a ‘kill zone’ around the tank with lethal shrapnel and anti-personnel fletchettes.
Range: 100 ft
Damage: 5d6 MD to a cone swath roughly 50 ft long, by 10 ft wide.
Used as reactive arnor against plasma and armor-piercing missiles, the computerized firing system acts as a PARRY, rolling to match or better the missile’s strike roll...a successful counter means that the missile damage is HALVED, while a failure means the tank takes full damage. Note: when dealing with volleys, one reactive armor pack can match TWO missiles in a volley, so in order to effectively counter a five missile volley, the tank must expend 3 reactive armor packs...two packs would roll twice to defeat their respective missiles, the third would only roll once. If the enemy missile launcher has a line of sight on the tank, they can target a spot on the hull which has no packs covering it (a called shot), in which case the remaining reactive armor is -4 to cover the gap.
Rate of Fire: One at a time or can be simultaneously fired in volleys of 1-10
Payload: Each side of the tank(sides, front, back) has 10 fletchette packs each(40 total), the turret has 6 each side, three on top(15 total)

6) Smoke Mortars(2)
Range: 500 ft
Damage: None, smoke(chemical agents such as tear gas can be substituted) in 10 ft radius.
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1,2,3, 4, or 6
Payload: 6 smoke grenades per launcher, 12 total


Variants:
A few modifications have been made to Gun-Rippers in the field, mainly replacing the SRM launchers with more accurate ‘Black Talon’ L-SAM Launchers, two-shot MRM launcher rails, or even heavy flame throwers.

[taalismn]

BM-22 and RM-72 Multiple Rocket Launch Systems
“Whoosh, Whoosh, whoosh! That’s the sound of ‘Stalin’s Organ’!”
-----Anonymous Soviet Trooper

The BM-22 and RM-72 MRLs are examples of how relatively low tech can still be deadly serious in a world of high tech directed energy weapons and super-smart missiles. The BM-21/72 systems are simply large unguided artillery rocket launchers, stacked in multiple-tube ‘calliopes’, mounted on vehicles, and launched in massive area saturation salvoes like regular tube artillery, only in much thicker salvos to insure the chances of hitting the target. The designs have been around for over a century, descendants of the infamous ‘Katyusha’ rocket launchers used by the Soviets in pre-Rifts WWII, refined, and exported to dozens of other countries as ‘poor man’s artillery’. With the coming of the ‘Megadamage Revolution’ in materials and explosives, it was a simple matter for the producers of these rocket systems to simply swap out the warheads with newer megadamage-yeild explosives(typically chain-fuzed grenades or fusion blocks). By firing off massive salvoes of these weapons, from multiple launchers, even high tech laser anti-missile defense systems can be overwhelmed by the huge number of incoming targets.

The BM-22/RM-72 systems that are the standard of these weapons, fire two types of 122mm finned rockets, a long and short range version, 10 ft and 6 ft long respectively. Both of these projectiles use the same launch tubes, and have the same 45-pound warheads, but are carried by different sized propulsion stages. These projectiles lack any sort of guidance system aside from their fin stabilization, and thus are launched in salvos to compensate for their tendancy to drift off true aim. Ideally, the firers will have the ability to spot from the initial salvoes and correct their aim on subsequent barrages, but that isn’t always possible; hence most Katyusha systems are mounted on mobile launcher platforms.

The B/RM-22/72 systems have survived by virtue of their simplicity and their economy. Compared to a modern high-tech rail cannon or guided missile launcher, the MRLs are CHEAP; the projectiles aren’t even made with megadamage materials, but use recycled scrap metals and even pressure-formed composites. They are best used against massed enemy troops, entrenched positions, and fortifications/communities, but are next to useless against fast moving targets or individuals, owing to their low accuracy. On the plus side, their economy means that they can be mounted on just about any large prime mover vehicle, like a commercial flatbed or trailer, and towed by animal or cyborg. Because of their cheap cost and relative inaccuracy, they are typically mounted in multiple barrel launchers, firing for effect.
The Sovietski is the largest producer of the rejuvenated MRLS systems, as the Warlords still favor cyborg combat, but similar systems are already being produced in other parts of Europe and North America. The Soviets typically mount their weapons on the back of the ZSU 13/14 truck, a reliable and proven design that has becoem something of a workhorse of the New Sovietski. The Warlords rarely use anything larger than the six-shot artillery unit, and then mainly for bombarding known monster lairs and villages too ‘tainted’ or resistant to be worth taking with troops and looting. Occasionally, smaller, infantry-portable single-to-four tube launchers are deployed by adventurers, special forces, and smaller war parties; some Cossack cavalry units are known to use single-tube launchers designed to be rapidly assembled, fired, and then disassembled and transported rapidly by special horse teams.

Crew: A typical MRLS crew will consist of 3-4 men per battery unit; an artillery officer, radio man, and two drivers/loaders(usually a dozen additional for rapid loading and driving ammo trucks with additional reloads).
Weight: (Rocket)
(Short) 102 lbs
(Long) 170 lbs
Typical multi-battery launcher can weigh 600 lbs to 5 tons.
Range:(Short) 7 miles
(Long) 13 miles
Damage: Both missile types use a 122mm warhead, typically the following warhead types(damage may vary as much as 50% by the quality of warhead manufacture):
(Fragmentation) 1d6x10 MD to a 60 ft blast radius
(Incendiary) 1d4x10 MD to a 50 ft blast radius, plus 01-75% chance of setting combustible materials aflame
(High Explosive) 2d6x10 MD to a 20 ft blast radius
(Plasma) 3d4x10 MD to a 40 ft blast radius
(Smoke) Covers a 100 ft area in thick obscuring smoke. Typically disperses within 1d6 melees, depending on local wind and humidity conditions.
(Chemical) Varies, but typically used to dispense CS or nerve agents(currently only the Sovietskii uses chemical munitions, though it is rumored that Warlord Sokolov has been seeking to acquire such weapons). Typically covers a 100 ft area. Like the smoke, local weather conditions determine the dispersal rate.
(Submunition)---Detonates airburst style over the target and scatters a small cloud of grenade-like sub-mines, that can be used to infilade an area with contact explosives or delayed-fuze mines. Carries over 18 submunitions, scattering over a 100 ft area, and doing 5d6 MD to a 10 ft blast radius each.
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-30
Payload: Varies; the standard BM-21 has a 40-shot calliope array
There are a variety of operational systems, using anywhere from 6-40 launch tubes, and even a single shot infantry model.
Penalties: Katyushas use the standard rules for unguided artillery with regard to deviation from target. Best fired in salvoes of 4 or more rockets.
Cost: A typical Katyusha launcher costs 18,000 credits per tube, missiles cost 5,000 credits for short range, 10,000 credits for long, plus the cost per warhead; Fragmentation costs 45,000 credits, Incendiary 60,000 credits, High Explosive 70,000 credits, plasma 100,000 credits, smoke 800 credits, sub-munitions 120,000 credits.

Private ownership of Katyusha weapons is forbidden in the Soviet(subject to imprisonment of possessor, and confiscation of the weaponry), as well as in the territories of Warlords Orloff and Sokolov(who simply torture the owner to see who sold them to them, kill them and any companions, confiscate the rockets, and raze the countryside for the heck of it). Warlords Burgasov and Alekseyevana will confiscate the rockets and beat up the owner before driving them out, Seriyev’s men will demand a hefty bribe for looking the other way, and Kolodenko and Romanov’s warriors will forbid anyone travelling with Katyushas from getting near any major communities(will typically escort travellers with such hardware out of their territory, or confiscate the weapons if the owners are acting too suspicious).

[Aramanthus]

Very nice stuff!! Thanks for sharing it Taalismn!

[taalismn]

THat's what you get when you hit the bargain table of the local big-chain bookstores....five-dollar books on world artillery...so I just HAD to update them for Rifts....
Sure, rail guns, energy weapons, missiles, and power armor have replaced tanks and traditional artillery, but the old tech is CHEAP, less likely to break down, and easier to maintain...And if you toss enough shells and dumb rockets at a target, and saturate it, you can maybe even catch a mobile target with some luck....

[Aramanthus]

I've got more than a few "Janes Guides" to various things. I know those bargain books stores are awesome!

[taalismn]

Farnborough Avionics British 2-Pounder ‘Pom-Pom’ Autocannon Mark IV

“I feel a lot safer trading across the Channel now since we bought our new pom-poms...Bloody big things, what with eight barrels and all, and taking up deck space fore and aft....Expensive, too, what with the way they eat shells at full rate of fire....But once we got the boys trained in them, they’ve proven their worth....Had occasion to deal with some pirates playing Jack the Ripper in a Channel fog last month...Gave them a spray of pom-pom at range...those two-pounder shells don;t do much by themselves, but when you have eight...and sixteen, once the other gun got laid in, guns going all at once...The racket on deck was deafening....but it was rather more...DEATHening on the other end of it.....I don’t think there was a splinter left of the blighters...”
---Captain Alor Rogers, MABSS Bold Venture, Merchant Association of Bath.

The FA-A9 Autocannon is Farnborough Avionic’s most recent bid to branch out into other fields, besides aircraft, as well as laying and establishing the infrastructure for future developments in armament production. Rather than copy American and European weapons designs or rely on TW hardware, FA’s engineers have elected to take what they have learned about megadamage explosives design and manufacture, and apply it to an ancient and time-tested pre-Rifts British weapon, and re-introduce the 2-pounder.
The 2-pounder cannon is a weapon of World War 1 vintage, that was subsequently upgraded through the interwar years, and saw extensive service in the Second World War. The weapon itself is a rapid-fire autocannon, sometimes deployed in mountings of up to eight guns, lobbing a roughly 2-pound shell(4 cm), of either a light high-velocity or heavier low-velocity cartridge. Relatively inexpensive to manufacture, reliable in combat, and easy to load and maintain, the 2-pounder was used as both an anti-aircraft gun and as a surface attack weapon, primarily on warships. The sound of these weapons pumping out shells at speed gave them their nickname; ‘Pom-Pom’.
FA has upgraded the weapons with dual-mode design, megadamage explosive fillings(actually an adaptation of the well-known Wellington heavy projectile grenade from North America...also of the same 40mm size as the Pom-Pom, but with different propellant cartridges), MD barrel materials(for longer operational lifespans and lighter weight), with the option of more advanced fire control systems. FA is offering the weapon in a variety of configurations, from a semi-portable single barrel mount for infantry use and individual shipboard use, to the massive eight-gun powered turret. Despite the weapon’s dependence on a specific ammunition type, which is still hard to come by, as FA has still to establish its distribution system, and near-impossible outside the British Isles, the Pom-Pom has become quite popular with various kingdoms around Britain, both as a static mount and as shipboard/vehicular weapon. Compared to the high-tech weapons being fielded by other nations/corporations, using more advanced materials, the FA-A9 is heavy and crude, but the weapon is tough, reliable, and inexpensive(even taking the ammunition dependence into account), making it sure to be popular with mercenaries and self-defense forces once FA gets to marketing this weapon outside the British Isles.
Weight: (Basic Single-Barrel Weapon, sans mounting) 600 lbs
(8-Gun Turret Powered Mounting) 15 tons


Weight of Shells: (HV Round) 1.81 lbs
(LV Rounds) 2.0 lbs

Range:(High Velocity Round)5,000 yards(15,000 ft)
Maximum AA altitude w/ HV shells: 13,300 ft
(Low Velocity Round) 3,800 yards(11,400 ft)
Damage:(Fragmentation) 4d6 MD to 6 ft blast radius
(High Explosive) (HV) 1d4x10+3 MD to 1.5 ft blast radius
(LV)1d4x10 MD to 1.5 ft blast radius

Rate of Fire: 120 rounds per minute(or up to 30 rds per melee)

Payload: Varies depending on mounting and platform; a shipboard mount might have 750-3,500 rds per gun available. Most vehicle and infantry models have a clip feed of 10 shells, or a box magazine of 50-100 rounds

Cost: (Basic Weapon) 70,000 credits for a single-barrel model, 800,000 credits for an eight-barrel mounting.
High Velocity(Fragmentation) shells cost 200 credits apiece, 245 credits for HE
Low Velocity(Fragmentation) shells cost 180 credits apiece, 200 credits for HE

[Aramanthus]

Very nice Taalismn! Great work!

[taalismn]

The Pom-Pom was a pretty lame weapon that was outstripped by more accurate and powerful weapons...but it was cheap and reliable.....like the smaller 20-mm cannons...
When you apply Palladium's own statistics , the NG auto-grenade launcher is 40mm, and a burst from a single barreled weapon does some impressive damage....Couple EIGHT together, with decent propulsive charges...and even with a multi-ton mounting, if you have a decent, warship-scale, ammo supply, you can do some MAJOR hurting with modern explosives and old-style guns....

[taalismn]

Paladin Steel ‘Roebling’ Combat Engineering Vehicle

“Measure with a micrometer, mark with a grease pencil, cut with an axe.”
----Pre-Rifts United States Army Corp of Engineers axiom.

“Don’t think that the computers on these things will solve all your problems or give reveal any GNE secrets; the things are just full of basic engineering knowhow and mathematics.....you gotta be the one to apply them. A good engineer won’t need to rely on the hardware, because he can do most of that stuff in his head or on a notepad....But, yeah, it’s a good training tool for newbies taking in-the-field classwork...”
-----Leiutenant Morton Habberly, Drill Instructor(Combat Engineering), Fort Ti, Vermont Free State

“The Roebling gives you themeans to figure out how to build a structure, can pull and push the equipment to build it, and allows you to survive if you screw up and end up dropping the whole thing on top of yourself!”
-----Corporal Chev Tian, Greater New England Corps of Engineers

The Roebling CEVT can be considered to be typical of the many, unsung, engineering, construction, and support vehicles that Paladin Steel churns out every year for both domestic use and commercial sale. While Paladin Steel remains best known as a manufacturer of combat vehicles and armor, its underlying goal has been the production of equipment to further expand the restoration of civilization(GNE civilization, most often with the use of force) to a wild, broken, Earth. Thus, the company maintains massive production lines for construction equipment, utility vehicles, and supplies, often licensed from other nations and companies, but using their larger production base and distribution network to get them to the various companies and small nations struggling to build new infrastructure. Much of this equipment is unexceptional, or simple variants on ‘public domain’ hardware(simple and/or adapted pre-Rifts designs that are produced by a large number of industrial nations under their respective tradenames, but which are essentially the same), often modified with only the addition of some applique armor and a gun-cupola/pintle mount, but a few examples of hardware do stand out as unique.
The Roebling is based on a Canadian design, itself an adaptation of a pre-Rifts British design, the FV180 Combat Engineering Tractor, which had been licensed to Canada. Though the basic design layout remains, the vehicle has been substantially improved through advanced megadamage materials, fusion nuclear powerplant, robotic actuators, and improved electronics. The Roebling is a treadlaying vehicle, carried by tank treads on land, but it is fully amphibious, propelled by two hydrojets. The Roebling carries a large bulldozer/payloader blade, but unlike most armored bulldozers, the Roebling carries its blade at the ‘rear’ of the vehicle. The Roebling actually has TWO drivers’ positions, facing in opposite directions, not unlike several pre-Rifts armored cars, and can be driven in either direction, though most personnel consider the sloped glacis-plate-bearing end the ‘front’ end for transport purposes.
As an engineering vehicle, the Roebling has an onboard computer system to assist its crew in their work, with a database of material types and tolerances, and even a small CAD-CAM workstation, allowing engineers to design virtual models of structures and carry out basic simulations to test them. It has external power take-offs and even the road wheels have mechanical power takeoffs to allow the vehicle to power external tools(like heavy winches, drills, field lathes) and provide electrical power to other facilities.
Though heavily armored(including substantial radiation shielding), and carrying light armament, the Roebling is, despite its ‘Combat’ designation, not considered to be a front line combatant, and is typically assigned to second echelon engineering units operating in secured areas, However, its ability to soak up a few hits, as well as the fluid state of ‘security’ on Rifts Earth, means that the Roebling is often found in the thick of battle, laying down bridges and digging defensive works.
The Roebling is a very common sight in the VFS/GNE military and civil engineering sector, being assigned to almost every engineering unit, alongside its larger brother, the Mauler. It is also widely used by the Tundra Rangers and the other allied nations, and there are no restrictions on its sale to the open market, where sales are brisk as more and more communities launch construction programmes.
Type: PS-CEV-U/T-18
Class: Combat Engineering Vehicle, Utility, Tracked
Crew: Two, with provision for 2 passengers
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 300
Command Cupola and Cannon 100
Treads(2) 90 each
Payloader Blade 100
Height: 7 ft
Width: 10 ft
Length: 18 ft(payloader blade adds another 5 ft)
Weight: 8 tons
Cargo: Small space in crew compartment for survival packs, map cases, small arms, and a few personal possessions. External tool racks/boxes can hold an assortment of power tools and heavy gear
Physical Strength: Can haul up to 25 tons of trailer-borne gear(cut speed to 15 MPH at maximum load)
Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion with 15 year energy life.
Speed: 35 MPH
Can cross trenches up to 7 ft wide
(Water) 6 MPH
Market Cost: A fully-equipped Roebling, without heavy MG, can fetch 3.5 million credits or more on the open market. Stripped-down models generally cost less, depending on available hardware and condition.
Systems of Note:
All Basic Robot Systems, plus;
*NBC Sensors---Combined suite of molecular analyzers, radiation detectors, and air filtration samplers that come in handy not just for detecting military threats, but for detecting industrial pollutants, radiation contamination, and dangerous mold concentrations(often associated with ancient pre-Rifts tunnel complex cracking).
*Laser Range Finder---Vital for engineering calculations, and tied into the internal engineering computer.
*Heavy Radiation Shielding
*Power Takeoff---If not moving, the Roebling can idle its engines and use its fusion powerplant to run other machinery through external power hookups; like field workshop machinery, e-clip rechargers, M.A.S.H. facilities, camp services, or small community power grids.
*Hull Hardpoints---The Roebling mounts multiple attachment points for carrying such basic gear as cable spools, wiring harnesses, tow chains, plants, construction beams, fascines, tow lugs, and A-frame assemblies.
*Heavy Winch---Able to haul up to 25 tons. 300 ft of high-strength molecular chain cabling on spool.
*Payloader Blade----Has 100 MDC and can be used for bulldozing and mine clearance.
*Rocket Anchor---For bridging and self-extraction purposes, the Roebling mounts a large heavy earth-anchor device mounted on its roof, that can be fired off using a mini-missile propulsion stage(or an electromagnetic catapult---performance is the same), trailing a cable, to find purchase in distant ground, after which the engineers can use the line to winch across additional cabling, or winch the vehicle itself out of a river or deep gulley.
Range: 350 ft.
Weapons Systems:
1) Cupola Mount Light Cannon----The Roebling typically carries only a single heavy machine gun (typically the ‘Arden’, described below) on a cupola mount for self-defense. However, this being an engineer’s vehicle, the machine gun can, and is, frequently replaced in the field with other weapons, such as light rail guns, heavy laser rifles, light autocannon, or multi-shot mini-missile launchers.
The 23mm ‘Arden’ is a favorite because it has both range and damage comparable to heavier ramjet and rail cannon. The light cannon is often nicknamed the ‘Gimlet’ after the large hole-making tool used by carpenters. With high explosive shells, it can rival a tank gun at full auto.
Range: (Effective Range)2,000 meters (6,000 ft)
(Maximum Range)(-3 to strike)3,600 meters (roughly 10,000 ft)
Damage:(MD)(Fragmentation)1d6 MD to 7 ft radius
4d6 MD per 5 rd burst, 10 ft blast radius
2d4 x10 per 10 rd burst, 15 ft blast radius

(High Explosive) 3d6 MD single shot, 5 ft blast radius
1d4x10 per 5 rd burst, 8 ft blast radius
2d4 x10 per 10 rd burst, 12 ft blast radius

(Armor Piercing)4d6 MD single shot, no blast radius
2d4x10 per 5 rd burst, 1 ft blast radius
3d4 x10 per 10 rd burst, 2 ft blast radius
*Note that beyond the accurate range of 6,000 ft, AP rounds lose some of their effective penetrating power due to diminishing velocity; reduce damage by 20%

(Crowd Control rds)---Essentially an expanding plastic ‘flyswatter’ that delivers a bruising knockdown punch. Cut effective range to 200 ft. Does 2d4 SDC per rd, humans and human-sized D-Bees must roll a D20-5 to maintain their footing (must equal or surpass the attacker's roll to strike...Full rules in TNW p.174). Human-sized light power armors(500-800 lbs) also roll on a D20, but are +2 to save versus knockdown

(Wood Rounds) 7d6 SDC single shot (1d4x10+5 HP to vampires), no blast radius
2d4x10+10 SDC per 5 rd burst (2d4x10+10 HP to vampires), 2 ft blast radius
6d6 MD per 10 rd burst (3d6x10+10 HP to vampires), 3 ft blast radius

Rate of Fire: Rated at 260 Rounds per minute...Can fire single shot, or in bursts of 3-10 rounds per melee( a 60-rd burst capability was tested, but it tended to wear out the gun barrel in two or three melees of continious fire).
Payload: The OCSW typically comes with two 37 round box-magazines(total of 74 rounds) or can be belt- or drum-fed.
Bonuses: From any sensor package fitted
Special Features:
*Air Burst ‘smart’ munition capability---Shells can be set to explode on contact or proxiimity fuze.

2) Smoke Mortars---The Roebling typically carries a cluster of six grenade launcher tubes on its rear deck. These are commonly used to deploy smoke grenades, but they have also been used to fire off chemical rounds or anti-laser aerosols.
Range: 500 ft
Damage: Varies by type
Smoke does NO damage, but covers an area of 25 ft per grenade
Chemical munitions vary by type
Anti-Laser Aerosol spreads a fine cloud of reflective particles that reduce laser damage by HALF, over a 15 ft radius per grenade, for 1d6 melees
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-6
Payload: 2 grenades per tube(12 total)

3)Optional Cupola-Mount Weaponry---Some engineering crews have fitted their Roeblings with an extra weapon mount for an automatic grenade launcher or mini-missile launcher, supposedly for ‘obstacle clearance’.

Options---Being an engineering vehicle, it is not unusual to see Roeblings sporting all sorts of different tools and heavy equipment, from fascines and various auto-deploy bridges to powered entrenching tools and giant motorized snowblowers. Below are a few of the more common:

*Folding Bridge----Two piece sliding bridgelayer frame. The bridge is a high-strength megadamage light alloy and composite frame that, when fully deployed, is 75 ft long(can safely bridge gaps of 60 ft in cases of soft banks, or 65 ft if the banks are firm/additional suspension is added), has 80 MDC, is rated for vehicles weighing up to 50 tons, and weighs 2.2 tons.
Cost: 60,000 credits

*Chemically Inert Body Armor---Covers the tank in the same jet-black, chemically-inert material as used by the Toxic Avenger Hazmat Cyborg. This material is slicker than Teflon, and resists chemical corrosion as well as adhesives. Paint, glue, and other chemicals simply refuse to stick to this stuff, and corrsoive chemicals just slide off, doing NO damage.
Cost: 1 million credits

*Trailers---The tank is able to haul, or push, a variety of trailers and flatbeds, which can range from simple flatbed platforms, to highly elaborate gyro-stabilized ‘eggholder’ beds, to massive, heavily shielded Hazmat and bomb-disposal drums(occasionally also used by police to contain violent superbeings).
Standard Flatbed-----Open cargo platform.
Cost: 500 credits
Enclosed Cargo Bed/Module
MDC: 20-200
Cost: 2,000 credits-12,000 credits
Tanker Module----For transporting liquid cargoes, be they water, petrochemicals, cryogenic fluids, corn syrup, distillated spirits, or hydrazine. Sometimes fitted with spreaders or sprayers for soaking large areas(like mosquito spraying). 500 gallon capacity
MDC: Typically 100-200
Cost: 9,000 credits-100,000 credits depending on capacity, armor rating, and any other special features(cryogenic cooling, gyro-stabilization, radiation shielding, slosh baffling, etc.).

*Spray Cannon---High powered water cannon for spreading a steady stream of liquid agent, or can be modified to spray an aersol mist for wide area applications.
Range: 300 ft
Damage:Varies by chemical carried; Some examples:
(Water)None, if carrying water, but human-sized beings struck with the stream but roll versus the ‘cannon’s To Strike roll, or be bowled off their feet(lose 1 APM and initaive that melee for getting back up). Does 2d6x10 HP to vampires per blast

(Gloop) PS’s sticky goop---This quick-setting polymer material is used in constuction, as well as to firm up the walls of tunnels and damaged structures. It is also used to cocoon valuable and delicate objects for moving. Each half-gallon application of this quick-set plastic covers about 5 cubic feet, and to cover a human sized target completely, the attacker must roll a 12 or better on the Strike roll. Anyone caught in the goo must have a supernatural or robotic P.S. of 30 or better to escape; otherwise, the target is stuck until released by an outside agency. Gloop has 2d4 MDC per application, and breaks down after 1d4 days of exposure, unless treated with a special binder chemical, and allowed to cure for 1d4 hours, in which case it stabilizes and has an MDC of 2d6+1 per cubic foot. Gloop costs 70 credits per half gallon(single application)
A variant of this gunk, ‘Boro-Slime’, is a quick-setting slurry of lead-powder and boro-silicate glass suspension, which is sprayed on leaking radiation sources, forming a thick crust to simultaneously trap radioactive materials and seal it inside a crusting shell for later safe removal. Best used to contain small (power armor and vehicle) reactor breaches and water leaks; larger reactor leaks will require more drastic measures. ‘Boro-Slime’ is otherwise identical to standard Gloop, and costs 120 credits per half gallon(single application)


(Slip Spray)---Rather than trap, this makes it impossible for people and many vehicles to gain purchase. A single application(a tablespoon) will cover nearly four square feet. Slipspray is very nearly water-resistant----it takes ALOT of water, roughly 6-10 gallons, to wash away an ounce of slipspray---or regular industrial solvents will do the trick. Slipspray breaks down after 1d4 hours of exposure to air.
Effects: Anyone trying to move across slipspray must make a roll under their Physical Prowess at -8 or go out of control at full speed. Vehicles, power armors, and light robot vehicles travelling in ground contact across sufficently large patches of slipspray will be at -15% to their piloting rolls..failure means the vehicel goes out of control and takes on the chaarcteristics of a giant hockey puck. Depending on the hardness of the surface(must be a hard surface, not a permeable surface like dirt or gravel), certain heavy vehicles and robots(like the MAC II) will be unaffected, as they simply stomp the effected surface into the subterrane. Hovercraft are NOT affected either.
Cost: 40 credits per ounce(covers 8 square ft...so a gallon’s worth will cover 1,024 ft! Instant ice rink anyone?)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 100 gallon internal tank, or can be attached to a trailer holding up to 400 gallons
Cost: 6,000 credits

*Multiplexor Module---A large dome-like device attached to the cupola(some historians say it looks like the top sensor dome from a robot on an ancient pre-Rifts flat-vid program called ‘Lost in Space’). The dome contains a PPE battery pack and SpellCard projection system(holds 3 SpellCards), allowing the tank crew to project ‘embedded’ spells through it. Rather than use the system to fire off offensive magic(though it is capable of that) the Multiplexor is typically used to project defensive(especially area of effect) spells and spells with application to construction and fortification(such as Earth Elemental magic).
Armor: Mage Pod 175
Weight: 1,000 lbs
Range: Varies by spell
Damage/Duration: Varies by spell
Typical ‘Engineering’ spells include:
----Mend Stone
----Create Mound
----Dig
----Create Wood
----Sheltering Force
----Implosion Neutralizer
----Featherlight
----Illusory Forest(or Terrain)(Great for concealing construction work)
Rate of Fire: EPCHH
Payload: Installation includes a 500 PPE power stone that, once exhausted, recharges at 100 PPE per day of inactivity(5 day total recharge)
PPE Cost per Use: Varies by spell. However, the use of focusing elements and activator spells effectively reduces spell PPE cost by HALF.
(So you Technowizards aren’t flummoxed by PPE costs in a long-running battle, while the still relatively high PPE costs for the high-end spells keeps someone from using Sphere of Annihilation in every battle).
Payload: Draws from the main PPE Battery, but can also draw upon additional PPE batteries if available. In an emergency, the pilot, if they are a mage or psychic, can kick in their own PPE.
Bonuses: As per spell(if any)
Cost: The basic mage Pod system costs about 1.6 million credits, Rarely available outside 5ST.
Spell Cards cost (as per Jason Richards’ guidelines in Rifter #2) 5,000 credits per PPE cost of main spell plus an additional cost (as per following modifiers)
*500 credits per level of the creating caster(Mages’ time and PPE are money, so expect to pay more for the longer duration/higher power spells)
*Warlock spells cost 20% more, in addition to above modifiers, owing to the difficulties of adapting Elemental Magic to ‘conventional” magic systems.

[Aramanthus]

Very nice PS vehicle! They need more of those type of vehicles!

[taalismn]

Paladin Steel ST-4 Mauler Salvage and Demolition Tank

“When I was younger and alot dumber, full of **** and bluster at my new command and the new facility I’d been put in charge of, I made the mistake of making a remark to the chief of the construction team that had been assigned to us that his little dinky construction vehicles had no right to call themselves ‘combat-rated’, and that title rightfully belonged to ‘my’ robots, along with a few other derogatory razzes about mechanics thinking they were soldiers....my squad, bblatantly encouraged by me, did the same, picking on every tank jockey who came in ‘looking obsolete’.....We were all drunk off our asses at the time, but I learned later that night that even a drunk engineer...ESPECIALLY a drunk engineer...is not to be ignored...
Sometime in the middle of the night, my barracks trailer got jacked up, put back on wheels, and then towed outside the perimeter onto the exercise range, then firmly blocked up in permacrete slabs tighter than a bunker...Then someone blew the alarm back at base to go out and find me as part of an unscheduled exercise, my squad scrambled, and found all of their combat ‘bots wearing concreate boots! So my hungover mecha-jocks spent the morning cursing and staring, as all the tankers and techs turned out smartly, located me(after an appropriately humiliating delay), and chipped me out of my own room!
Command stuck a medal and a commentation to the troops and techs for their ‘brilliant improvization and performance in a simulated attack that crippled the base’s heavy armor assets’ and I got a note congratulating me for being such a good sport....didn’t help me one bit that the General was an ex-SeeBee himself...but after I’d calmed down I saw that they’d made their point...
Don’t **** off the engineers...”
---General (retired) Dwight Miessner , Commonwealth of Massachussetts Armed Services, as quoted in Mulday Everson’s _Heavy Metal: The Shape of War_ , Innovation Press, Springfield, 125 PA.

‘I was part of the expedition asked by the NorthWestern Tribal Allaince to go in and clean up the old Hanford site in eastern Washington State...some of the local townies didn’t want us there, claiming we were going to bring some sort of oldtimer ‘curse’ down on us, but the local Yakimas were pretty adamant about us living up to treaty and helping them clean up, so we dropped in with a company of decon vehicles and Hazmat gear...quite a sight we were...all these high tech monsters clankering through the wilderness, escorted by all these braves on horse and lizard-back, trying to ignore all these hicks in homespun making warding signs as we drove past...
Of course, once we got into Hanford itself, and the ground started glowing green...well, I’ll hand it to the Indians...they stood their ground for longer than I thought they would, before running...can’t say I blame them, because when those nuclear zombies started coming up out of the ground...
Not that we were in any real danger, mind you...I’ve dealt with nuke-pukes before, and we sorta anticipated this sort of thing from previous experience, but it was what we hadn’t anticipated...anyways, it was justa Big Fight from then on, and I won’t bore you with the details, suffice it to say, we won...except that for some reason I won’t go anywhere near guacamole...”
---Lippo ‘RadEater’ Radowski, Gegarin Hazmat Specialist, Paladin Steel West Environmental Security Battalion.

“Learning to use the arms on the Mauler’s the really fun part about engineering school...for about two weeks you’re out on the field playing catch across the campus field with another undergrad and his Mauler, tossing around this big ball of solidified capture foam. In winter, it’s huge snowballs...Mister Moretti tells me the faculty used to do it just to blow off steam, until they accidently snowballed the Dean out of the parking lot, down the hill, and into the lake...so nowadays it’s only permitted to students, and only in roped off areas...and when the Dean isn’t looking, of course!”
---Vidian Rast, student, Vermont Whitney School of Engineering, Burlington, Vermont Free State.

In a post-apocalyptic world of giant robots, ruined cities, megadamage weaponry, and superheavy armor, you’d think that tearing things down and apart would be no big deal, yes? Just take your old Iron Fist tank, fit it with a winch and a bulldozer blade and start ramming it through those unslightly ruins, right? Tell that to the Gideon Brothers, who managed to kill themselves when they dumped a skyscrapper on top of themselves, or the amateurs who shoot thousands of rail gun rounds into an old wreck, only to have it still standing at the end of the day, full of lotsa holes, but still there, or the boneheads who waste a couple of plasma charges to totally vaporize all the nice copper wiring they’d hoped to pull out and sell later!
No, when it comes to wrecking and clearing, breaking down, and recycling, even in the world of Rifts it pays to have the right equipment, and Paladin Steel has it in the ST-4 Mauler Salvage Tank.
The Mauler is a fearsome looking beastie for a ‘utility vehicle’...based on the modified chassis of the Black Bear MBT, the Mauler is a low, deceptively sleek, treadborne vehicle with a roofing of heavy sloped armor(the better to shoulder off falling debris), and a heavily armored cab in the rear. The front of the tank-tractor is dominated by a combination bulldozer blade and hydraulic crusher jaw. With a nod to the REF TCH-10, the Mauler is fitted with two robotic arms for grabbing, lifting, smashing, and crushing.
The Mauler’s crew cabin is actually quite spacious for a utility vehicle, as the vehicel is expected to carry a variety of tools, demolition satchels, and other equipment. In extremely dangerous work environments, the cabin can be outfitted as accommodations, allowing the crew to spend 2-3 days at a spell in their ‘tanks, without having to leave the safety of the shielding.
The engine is heavy duty, juiced up for brute force, high-torque pulling, pushing, braking, and sustained effort, rather than speed or acceleration.
Armament-wise, the Mauler is poorly equipped to serve as a main line battle unit, but in close combat against robots and monsters, the Mauler is surprisingly effective. Many SeeBees and Combat Engineers(and the GNE puts out alot of both), however, take the stock Mauler and modify it with additional applique armor, laser cutters, and weapons turrets(frequently taken from other vehicles). The examples or weaponry listed below are simply the more commonly available weapons options; field-modified vehicles have been known to sport grenade launchers, Coalition railguns and particle beam cannon, and even more exotic systems scrounged from the battlefield.
In addition to salvage and demolition tasks, the Mauler is frequently used in construction, oil well fire control, hazmat cleanup, and other dangerous tasks. Because of its advanced sensors and resistance to damage, the Mauler is frequently attached to exploration expeditions, since it can venture into dangerous terrain and investigate suspicious sites.
The Paladin Steel ST-4 Mauler Salvage Tank---because all that pre-Rifts treasure may glow, and that’s the problem...
Type: PS-UV-ST-4
Class: Salvage/Demolitions Vehicle
Date of Introduction: 105 PA
Crew: One, with provision for 1-4 passengers
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 400
Reinforced Crew Compartment 200
8Treads(2) 90 each
Bulldozer Blade/Crusher Jaws(3) 90 each
Robot Gripper Arms(2) 150 each
Gun Turret(optional) 150
*If a tread is destroyed, it can be blown free and the tank can continue to move on its road wheels. However, this is effective only on a firm, packed, and level surface, and can only make 6 MPH.
Height: 10 ft
Width: 14 ft
Length: 30 ft...the arms can reach another 10 ft
Weight: 35 tons
Cargo:The forward compartment has an 8 square ft cargo space for additional tools, hardware, and supplies. The control cab proper has enough space for several backpacks, basic tools, fire extinguisher, and basic first aid kit. The tread guards also have tie-downs to hold additional gear on the outside of the hull, such as tools, planking, rolled up tarpulins, etc.
Physical Strength: Equivalent to Robotic PS of 50
Powerplant: Fuel Cell (400 mile range)or Nuclear-Fusion(w/ 10 year energy life)
Speed: 40 MPH
Can also close itself up and ford lakes and rivers up to 50 ft deep, driving along the bottom at 5 MPH
Market Cost: The Mauler is still considered a rather specialized piece of hardware, so it’s more expensive than the average APC; 2.8 million credits for the fuel-cell electric, or 20 million for the nuclear-powered model.
Systems of Note:
Basic Robot Features, plus:
*Heavy Duty Air Filters--Great for filtering out concrete dust and asbestos fibers.
*Geiger Counter---Detects and identifies radiation
*NBC-Detector--A crude Molecular Analyzer-style warning device that samples air through a series of ‘litmus strip’ air filters---a positive reaction from any of the test strips, and an alert bell is sounded, warning the crew of possible chemical contamination, and engaging the life support and environmental lockout/seal systems.
*Hydraulic Ram Anchor Pylons---The Mauler can deploy several Glitterboy-style heavy-duty anchor pylons, the better to keep the machine in place when winching heavy loads.
*Trailer Hitch
*Fore and Aft Winch and Cable---This thing can pull up to 50 tons(provided the vehicle is adequately braced)
*Advanced Radiation Shielding---The Mauler is heavily insulated against radiation, since removing radioactive debris and breached fusion reactor vessels is part of its routine work.
*Thermal Insulation----Special space-programme derived thermal tiles and cooling systems reduce the effectiveness of heat-based attacks, including plasma weapons, by HALF. This allows the Mauler to run right up to blazing oil well fires, jet fuel infernos, and plasma storms.

Weapons Systems: None standard, but most users like to fit the Mauler with a pintl-mounted light rail gun, grenade launcher, or nose-mounted machine gun, flame thrower, or pulse laser.

Hand to Hand Combat---The Mauler is one of the few vehicles able to engage in limited hand to hand combat, with its long robotic wrecking and lifting arms.
Restrained Punch 1d6 MD
Full Strength Punch 2d6 MD
Power Punch 4d6 MD(counts as 2 attacks)
Ram 1d6 MD
Crush/Bite 2d4 MD

Options:
*Chemically Inert Body Armor---Covers the tank in the same jet-black, chemically-inert material as used by the Toxic Avenger Hazmat Cyborg. This material is slicker than Teflon, and resists chemical corrosion as well as adhesives. Paint, glue, and other chemicals simply refuse to stick to this stuff, and corrsoive chemicals just slide off, doing NO damage.
Cost: 1 million credits

*Weapons Turret w/:
a)IH-100 Rail Gun (PS-100)
Weight: 300 lbs
Range: 4000 ft
Damage: 1d4 MD single rd, 1d6x10 MD 60 rd burst
Rate of Fire:EPCHH
Payload:12,000 rd drum(200 bursts)
Cost: 80,000 credits

b)IH-10RJ 30mm Ramjet Autocannon (PS-10RJ)
Weight: 2 tons
Range: 3000 ft
Damage: 3d6 MD single rd, 2d6x10 MD per 20 rd burst
Rate of Fire:EPCHH
Payload:2000 rds(100 bursts)
Cost: 120,000 credits

c)IH-34L Laser Turret (PS-34L)
Weight: 600 lbs
Range:4000 ft
Damage: 6d6 MD per dual blast
Rate of Fire: six times per melee
Payload:1000 blasts battery, unlimited nuclear
Cost: 40,000 credits

d)75mm Low Velocity Gun (Turret Mounted)
This snub-nosed artillery piece is the standard issue main armament of the Bonaparte. Using low-pressure propellant techniques, this cannon heaves a beer-can sized projectile at opponents with considerable punch. However, the 75mm can be used to fire a variety of rounds, from expanding foam-plastic "punching glove" non-lethal people-stoppers, to megadamage plasma shells.
Primary Purpose: Anti-armor
Secondary Purpose: Anti-personnel
Range: 6000 m(roughly 18000 ft)
Damage:
"Bubblegum Round": Restraint Caster(AKA "Loogie"-----Thank you, Mr.
Stephanson). This "safe" munnition blasts out an expanding glop of adhesive resin and plastic fibers that entangle and immobilize targets. The "Loogie" suffers from atrocious range; it can only reach 150 ft before flopping to the ground. Covers an area of 5 ft, and is air permeable, so even if a perp is covered head to foot they can still breath.
Damage: 1d4 SDC bruising damage on impact, restrains with a PS of 30(characters without a robotic or supernatural PS of 30 or greaterare stuck until released. Even with r/s PS 30, takes 1d4 melees to bust out/be cut out).
Note: Police carry solvents that dissolve the "Loogie" within 1d4 melees.
(Black Market cost for the solvent is 500 credits per 3-use tube)

Riot Rd: This munnition is an expanding ball of sponge plastic, swelling up to roughly the size of a basketball. The Riot Round has better range than the Restraint Rd, and is designed to deliver a bruising kinetic slap to resisting perps.
Range: 500 ft
Damage: 4d6 SDC plus 80% chance of knockdown(60% chance of stunning for 1d4 melees, -10 to initiative, strike/parry/dodge/roll, and half apms. Reduce percentiles for stun and penalties by half if wearing MDC armor)

Smoke Rd: Smoke in a 30 ft area
Foam Rd: Designed for fire-fighting. Covers a 15 ft area in fire-retardant foam.
High Explosive Rd: 8d6 MD to 10 ft area
Armor Piercing Round: 1d6x10 MD to 3 ft area
Plasma Rd: Rarely issued to police units, the plasma rd was a late addition to the B-9's arsenal. Essentially a heavy plasma grenade/charge configured as an artillery round. Does 1d8x10 MD to a 6 ft blast radius.

Rate of Fire: EPCHH
Payload: 30 rds
Cost: 250,000 credits.

e) Hydro-Saw---An industrial tool, field-mounted. Rather than use a vibroblade or psuedo-diamond cutting edge, the Hydro-Saw uses high velocity water, pumped at near-supersonic velocity by a magnetic peristytic pump, then laced with fine ceramic grit, to rapidly cut through materials, acting as both blade and coolant at the same time. The cut is remarkably clean nad quick. This device is devastating if used as a weapon, especially against vampires, but its extremely short range limits its effectiveness as a combat weapon.
MDC: 150
Range: 50 ft
Damage: 6d6 MD per burst, 1d6x10 MD for a full melee cutting burst.
Does 2d6x10 hit point damage to vampires
Rate of Fire: EPCHH
Payload: 300 full melee bursts
Cost: 30,000 credits

f)Spray Cannon
Range: 300 ft
Damage:Varies by chemical carried; Some examples:
(Water)None, if carrying water, but human-sized beings struck with the stream but roll versus the ‘cannon’s To Strike roll, or be bowled off their feet. Does 2d6x10 HP to vampires per blast

(Gloop) PS’s sticky goop---This material is used in constuction, as well as to firm up the walls of tunnels and damaged structures. It is also used to cocoon valuable and delicate objects for moving. Each half-gallon application of this quick-set plastic covers about 5 cubic feet, and to cover a human sized target completely, the attacker must roll a 12 or better on the Strike roll. Anyone caught in the goo must have a supernatural or robotic P.S. of 30 or better to escape; otherwise, the target is stuck until released by an outside agency. Gloop has 2d4 MDC per application, and breaks down after 1d4 days of exposure, unless treated with a special binder chemical, and allowed to cure for 1d4 hours, in which case it stabilizes and has an MDC of 2d6+1. Gloop costs 70 credits per half gallon(single application)
A variant of this gunk, ‘Boro-Slime’, is a quick-setting slurry of lead-powder and boro-silicate glass suspension, which is sprayed on leaking radiation sources, forming a thick crust to simultaneously trap radioactive materials and seal it inside a crusting shell for later safe removal. Best used to contain small (power armor and vehicle) reactor breaches and water leaks; larger reactor leaks will require more drastic measures. ‘Boro-Slime’ is otherwise identical to standard Gloop, and costs 120 credits per half gallon(single application)


(Slip Spray)---rather than trap, this makes it impossible for people and many vehicles to gain purchase. A single application(a tablespoon) will cover nearly four square feet. Slipspray is very nearly water-resistant----it takes ALOT of water, roughly 6-10 gallons, to wash away an ounce of slipspray---or regular industrial solvents will do the trick. Slipspray breaks down after 1d4 hours of exposure to air.
Effects: Anyone trying to move across slipspray must make a roll under their Physical Prowess at -8 or go out of control at full speed. Vehicles, power armors, and light robot vehicles travelling in ground contact across sufficently large patches of slipspray will be at -15% to their piloting rolls..failure means the vehicel goes out of control and takes on the chaarcteristics of a giant hockey puck. Depending on the hardness of the surface(must be a hard surface, not a permeable surface like dirt or gravel), certain heavy vehicles and robots(like the MAC II) will be unaffected, as they simply stomp the effected surface into the subterrean. Hovercraft are NOT affected either. Cost: 40 credits per ounce(covers 8 square ft...so a gallon’s worth will cover 1,024 ft! Instant ice rink anyone?)

Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 200 gallon internal tank, or can be attached to a trailer holding up to 400 gallons
Cost: 10,000 credits

*Wrecking Ball Gantry---Rather than mount a heavy weapon, the turret can mount a raisable crane armature and wrecking ball.
Range: 30 ft swing
Damage: 4d6 MD on a swing (-1 to strike)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Cost: 12,000 credits

*Spinner Ball Turret---Adapted from the Wrecking Ball Gantry, this is actually a retractable(can raise up to 10 ft) high-speed turret fitted with two plasma ball-and-chains(copied from those carried by the Gargoyle Empire G Robot). The two morningstars can be reeled out to in opposite directions from each other. In full spin, these whirling balls of doom are extremely effective at mowing down approaching infantry, especially as the spinning chains can be ‘dipped’ unpredicatibly to prevent anyone from timing and ducking.
Range: Chains have a 30 ft reach
Damage: 4d6 MD per strike
Like the neural whip, the Blast Ball can release a charge on impact that temporarily shorts out nervous systems and overloads electronics.
SDC characters/beings are fried on contact. Creatures in environmental or power armor, as well as human-sized robots, stand a 40% chance of having electronic systems being knocked out for 1d4 minutes.
MDC beings must roll a 16 or higher versus non-lethal poison or be stunned for 1 melee(lose initiative, 1 melee action/attack, and -2 strike/parry/dodge.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Cost: 80,000 credits

*Tear Gas/Smoke/Flare Launchers---Can be fitted just about anywhere on the vehicle. Each launcher has 10 shots, and a 100 ft range.
Cost: 600 credits each

*Arm Electromagnets---The robotic arm claws can be fitted with powerful electromagnets, particularly useful for sorting ferrous metals out from other debris and garbage.
Cost: 5,000 credits

*Forward Mounted Pile Driver--The front of the Mauler can be modified to mount an enormous gas-propelled pile driver that snaps forward over the bulldozer jaws, then slides back to be reprimed, delivering a rock-crushing kinetic punch in the proccess.
Range: 12 ft
Damage: 2d6x10 MD per sledgehammer shot
Rate of Fire: Once per melee
Cost: 80,000 credits

*Chain Flail---Inspired by the anti-mine ‘flail tanks’ of WWII, this fits a powered sprocket armature ahead of the dozer-claws, to which multiple lengths of heavy chain are affixed. In action, these beat the ground ahead of the advancing Mauler, and can flay anything that gets too close. Roll to strike; a natural 20(critical strike) means that the victim is _entangled_ briefly in the chains for 1d4 melees, taking DOUBLE damage each melee as they are spun around and smashed about.
Range: Chains have a 10 ft reach
Damage: 1d6 MD per strike
Rate of Fire: Can be left on all melee; anyone caught in the path AUTOMATICALLY gets attacked. Any effort to DELIBERATELY ram someone counts as 1 attack action.
Cost: 30,000 credits

*Magnetometer---Detects disturbances in the local magnetic fields, signalling the presence of metal, active electronic hardware, or other EM-phenomenon.
Range: The magnetometer has a range of 4,000 ft and can detect vehicles and other metallic structures with 80% accuracy. Active fusion powerplant containment fields, energetic magnetic anomalies, and powered-up railguns can be detected at TWICE normal range.
Cost: 30,000 credits

*Advanced Molecular Analyzer---A more advanced chemical sampler and sniffer that includes a chemo-spectrograph...Useful for testing for the presence of trace radioactives(and what type), petrochemicals, explosives, and toxics. Includes a deployable ground probe for testing soil. It is typically hooked up to the security system to sound environmental alerts and auto-seal the vehicle in event that it detects an environmental hazard situation.
Cost: 30,000 credits

*Ground Radar---Useful for locating underground pipes, cables, hidden bunkers, basements, and for testing the stability of the ground(can determine if the underlying soil is sandy and soft, or hardpacked and firm). The ground radar has a range of 3,000 ft, and has a 90% chance of detecting metal-cased mines, 60% chance of detecting non-metallic ordinance.
Cost: 10,000 credits

*Trailers---The Mauler is able to haul, or push, a variety of trailers and flatbeds, which can range from simple flatbed platforms, to highly elaborate gyro-stabilized ‘eggholder’ beds, to massive, heavily shielded Hazmat and bomb-disposal drums(occasionally also used by police to contain violent superbeings).
Standard Flatbed-----Open cargo platform.
Cost: 500 credits
Enclosed Cargo Bed/Module
MDC: 20-200
Cost: 2,000 credits-12,000 credits
Tanker Module----For transporting liquid cargoes, be they water, petrochemicals, cryogenic fluids, corn syrup, distillated spirits, or hydrazine. 500 gallon capacity
MDC: Typically 100-200
Cost: 9,000 credits-100,000 credits depending on capacity, armor rating, and any other special features(cryogenic cooling, gyro-stabilization, radiation shielding, slosh baffling, etc.).

Amphibious Fittings-----Enables the Mauler to swim/float. Does NOT take up an option space. Can swim at 10 mph
Cost: 30,000 credits

Heavy Utility Arms----A heavier, stronger set of utility arms, with
stronger servo motors, and drill/buzz-saw/laser torch tool head. PS 40 (Turret
option)
MDC: 40 per arm, 40 for tool head
Range: (Arms) 12 ft extension
(Drill/Buzzsaw) Melee
(Laser Torch) 10 ft
Damage:(Arms) Restrained Punch 1d4 MD
Punch 2d6 MD
(Drill) 4d6 MD
(Buzzsaw) 3d6 MD, or 3d6x6 MD for a full melee cut
(Laser Torch) 1d6x10 SDC, 1d6 MD, 2d6 MD, or 4d6 MD
Payload:(Torch) Effectively unlimited
Cost: 25,000 credits


Rooter and Cutter------A pair of pincers and lift arm that snips a
tree off at the stump, and lifts it to be stacked and carted away. The
pincers can do 1d6x10 MD on a full-melee squeeze/snip(front/rear option)
MDC: 10
Cost: 20,000 credits

Tree-Lifter-------An enormous segmented cone-like digger for digging up and lifting trees, root-bulb and all. Can easily pick up to 50 sq ft of roots and attached dirt. Can tote up to 10 tons of tree. (front/rear
option)
MDC: 10
Cost: 18,000 credits




Shovel/Crane Assembly----- Mounted on a rotating turntable with optional enclosed control cab,
or can be controlled from the truck cabin.
Alternately, can be fitted with a crane assembly that can lift up
to 10 tons with 150 ft of cable (Body option)
MDC: 80
Damage: 1d8 MD on a swipe with its shovel.
Cost: 9,000 credits

Spray Mister-----a fanjet powered spray mister, for spraying
pesticides or fogging vampires. Consists of a sprayer on a
turntable/trunion assembly, and associated feed tanks.(Body option)
MDC: 20
Range: 1000 ft(more if the wind is with you)
Damage: None, unless spraying pesticides or irritant agents
To vampires, a water spray does 1d6 x10 HP
Rate of Fire: Six times per melee
Payload: Tank holds enough for 400 blasts/spray bursts of chemicals
or water
Cost: 6,000 credits

Cherry-Picker Assembly.-----basically a 30 ft long robot arm with
an armored basket on the end, which can be equiped with tools, spray
cannon, or weaponry. Great for firefighting and construction. PS 40 for
lifting/carrying purposes(Body option)
MDC: 20
Cost: 12,000 credits

[Aramanthus]

Very nice Taalismn! Thank you for the new Paladin Steele Vehicle!

[taalismn]

Paladin Steel/ Twardy Vintage Vehicles MDUKWIII ‘MegaDuck’
“I have more than a few orders from coastal merchantmen who order Megaducks to place on the lifeboat divots of their trampers...just in case the waters get too dangerous for them, and they can make landfall, they can drive back up onto dry ground...land gets too hot for them, they can head back out to sea...zigzagging like that, they can maybe make it back to civilization.”
-----Antonio Twardy, Twardy Vintage Vehicles of New Boston

The ‘Megaduck’ is another modern reincarnation of a classic WW2 design, the DUKW amphibious truck. While the basic design configuration has been retained, the vehicle has been updated with improved power transmission, powerplants, suspension, and modern megadamage materials(in particular, the MDUKW has benefitted from PS’s single-piece MDC-plastic boat hull molding process). Slight improvements in performance, over the original statistics, have been made, and a variety of options are available for further improving and customizing the MDUKW. The MDUKW retains the six-wheeled, boat-shaped main body, and open-top of the original in its basic form. but a new suspension system allows the craft to raise and lower itself on its wheels, and a number of ‘hard shell’ canopies(or a megadamage fabric canopy) can be fitted for the protection of the passengers and cargo from the elements and light arms fire. The MDUKW does not come with any weapons standard, but pintle mounts and light turrets can be fitted.
Like its TVV cousin, the M3000 Halftrack, the MDUKW is considered too slow and lightly armored to be an effective military vehicle, but the design is nevertheless popular as a utility vehicle, and it is in service with various mercenary and adventurer groups.
Type: PS/TVV-MDUKW2
Class: Amphibious Utility Vehicle
Crew: One driver, but capacity for up to 25 passengers
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 150
Wheels(6) 15 each
Height: 8.8 ft
Width: 8.25 ft
Length: 31 ft
Weight: 7.5 tons
Cargo: 5 tons
Powerplant:Liquid Fuel(200 miles), electric(250 miles), or nuclear fusion w/ 7 year energy life(rarely fitted)
Speed:(Land) 55 MPH
(Water) 7 MPH
Market Cost: 68,000 credits for liquid fuel, 74,000 credits for electric, and 500,000 credits for nuclear
Systems of Note:
*Power Bilge Pumps
*Variable Pressure Tires
*Retractable Keel Board/Trim Vanes/Rudders
*Erectable Fabric Top(25 MDC)
*Dashboard Compass
*Dashboard Radio(15 mile range)
*Depth Finder
*Normal Light/IR Headlights
Weapons Systems:None standard; but most wilderness users will add 1-3 pintle mounts for light rail guns, energy rifles, or rocket/missile/mini-torpedo launchers.
Options:
*Water Speed/Performance Improvement----Speed can be increased as much as 150%(up to roughly 20 MPH) for 5,000 credits per 5% increase.
*Canopies---A hardshell canopy top with 80 MDC can be added for 180,000 credits
*Sonar--5 mile range. Cost: 70,000 credits
*Mini-Radar-Cost: 60,000 credits for 5 mile range, 120,000 credits 10 mile range.

[Aramanthus]

That is an awesome vehicle! I remember getting to ride in a duck at Wisconsin Dells as a kid! They were cool vehicles!

[taalismn]

Never rode in one, but both Providence and Boston have DUKW Tours, so I might have to roadtrip to ride one just for the experience....

[Aramanthus]

You might like it. I know as a kid I really had a great time riding in it.

[taalismn]

Wish I had one for my upcoming vacation...it would greatly alleviate the problems of making the right boat connection on time...

[Aramanthus]

I just wish I had a vacation. It sucks to be a contractor. I know I am one here!

[taalismn]

I just wish I had a vacation. It sucks to be a contractor. I know I am one here!

I'm only getting a vacation because I'm underemployed...at least until I geta job where I can earn PAID vacations...Besides, I might as well enjoy the summer place while it's still in the family...

But having a DUKW would greatly improve matters....One of the car rental places out there used to rent VW 'Things'(the VW 'Kumpelwagen' look-alikes)...thay mighta been better off renting German Schwimwagens....

[Aramanthus]

I can undersstand your needing a duck if you live in certain areas of the country where there are a lot of open water around. Out where you live there is a lot and right here in this area of the country there is a lot of water where a duck could be immensely helpful for those weekend fishing trips. Where you just leave work and drive right into the water if you had one and start fishing.

[taalismn]

Paladin Steel ASPD Assault Support Patrol Boat

“You may not be able to kill a CS Barracuda in a straightout fire-fight, but for the price, you can outnumber a CS river squadron, plus, if you can afford the ammo, you can rip ‘em up long before they can get close enough to hurt you...I’d invest some time and effort into training your gun crews on the old one-oh-fives, however, before you go hunting Deadboys, because at anything over line of sight, unless you know how to manage unguided ballistc fire, you may as well be lobbing your shells into the open river for all the good it does you.”
---Gaen Gisspie, Riverine Warrior, Old Louisiana Territory.

“Snuck a few scouts with laser-illuminators up the ridge over the Slash-Throats’ camp and had them play their pin-lights on promising-looking targets...boats, ammo dump, fuel depot, chiefs’ huts, that sort of thing....Then had the aspids open up at extreme range...We spent the creds for Copperheads...homing glide shells that came down the laser tracks...Not entirely perfect, but we fired enough of them that enough got the scent to do some decent damage on splashdown...Then their river pickets figured out where the fire was coming from, and came running down the waterway hot to kill...We whipped our fire-mission boats about and ran flat-out, having already marked the snags on the way up, and headed for the next phase....Once our shallow-draft speeders got over the submerged boom, we snapped that thing up and their boats met a daisy-chain of high explosive across their bows...nice beautiful log-jam with fireworks...Didn’t stop their waterbikes none, but we already had our boats pulled up and ripping up with the grenade launchers and twenties, so the light-fighters couldn’t do much but dodge and try running ashore...We got lots of video, and it looks like they isn’t much left of the Slash-Throats..Your militia oughta have fun cleaning out what’s left of their camp and flushing the stragglers out of the weeds...We’ll stick around to make sure we got all their heavy-hitters, but looks like your pirate problem’s taken care of, Mayor..Pleasure doing business with you.”
----Captain Adelaine Desmond, Paladin Steel 41st ‘River Tigers’ Riverine Security Squadron.

The PS-ASPD is a modernization of a resurrected pre-Rifts prototype design created by the arms company Sikorsky, in what is now the Connecticut Commonwealth. By drawing upon ancient historical records for inspiration, and publicizing that fact, Paladin Steel hopes to appeal to the patriotism of the newly-annexed Connecticut Territories and placate them into being contributing members of the Greater New England economy.
The ASPD is a fast, waterjet-propelled, shallow-draft, riverine/coastal patrol craft and tactical support craft. Essentially an old-fashioned tank in terms of armaments, with a far-ranging 105mm howitzer, and secondary armaments, all mounted on a high-speed water-borne platform, the ASPD is meant to rain fire support down on coastal enemies and river-vicinity targets, often in support of its own deployed commando team. PS has resurrected the design to be an inexpensive, easily maintained, and easily-deployed combat craft for open market sales to mercenaries and small kingdoms. The GNE military uses the boat and other small combatants for inland waterway protection, port security, and SEAL operations. Its simplicity of operations and maintenance, combined with its low cost, make it an attractive buy for those looking for some heavy amphibious firepower in a small package.
Paladin Steel had made a number of changes and improvements to the craft, including a single-piece megadamage composite hull, choice of powerplants, modular forward turret. Retractable twin keelboards allow the ASPD some improved open water handling characteristics, though it is not advised to deploy the craft in open seas.
Surprisingly, the ASPD comes without the usual catalogue of PS options; as one of the company’s early, and low-end, designs, PS has kept the basic vehicle simple and affordable. Thus far, this strategy has worked well, with the ASPD selling quite well.

Type: PS-ASPD-11
Class: Patrol Boat
Crew: 8(captain,helmsman, sensor officer,5 gunners)+1-12 passengers/troops
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 300
Bridge 100
Reinforced Crew Compartment 100
Main Turret 200
Bow Secondary Turret(1) 110
20mm Cannon Turrets(2) 90 each
Height: 8 ft, draft of 4 ft
Width: 20 ft
Length: 60 ft
Weight: 25 tons
Cargo: Can carry up to 2 tons of gear/supplies
Powerplant: Liquid-Fuel(500 mile range), Electric Power Cell(600 mile range), or Nuclear w/ 15 year energy life
Speed: (Water) 60 MPH
Market Cost: Liquid-Fuel(2.5 million credits), Electric Power Cell(3 million credits), or Nuclear(8 million credits)
Systems of Note:
Standard Robot Systems, plus:
*Mini-Sonar---10 mile range
*Radar---25 miles
Weapons Systems:
1) 105mm Howitzer---Mounted in a tank-like turret in the center of the deck is a powerful 105mm cannon, capable of both direct and indirect fire. The turret has a full 360-degree arc of fire from atop the deck house, and the gun has an autoloader, assisting in rapid fire.
Range: 9 miles(12 miles with rocket-boosted shells)
Damage:(Anti-Personnel Fragmentary) 5d6 MD to 40 ft blast radius
(Dual Purpose Fragmentary) 6d6 MD to 20 ft blast radius
(High Explosive) 1d4x10 MD to 10 ft blast radius
(Plasma) 1d6x10 MD to 25 ft blast radius
Rate of Fire: 3 times per melee
Payload: 100 rounds normally

2) 20mm Rail Guns/Automatic Cannon(2) ---Mounted aft of the 105mm turret, in individually manned shielded pintle-turrets are two rapid-fire 20mm autocannon, used for both air defense and for chewing up surface targets.
Range: 7,200 ft
Damage: 3d6 MD per single shot, 1d6x10 MD per 5 shot burst, 2d6x10 MD per 10 shot burst.
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: 1,000 rd drum per cannon

3) Forward 40mm Grenade Launcher/Pulse Laser Turret---Mounted in the bow is a smaller turret with a side-by-side 40mm AGL and a pulse laser, used for attacking shoreline targets and other small craft.
Range:(Laser)4,000 ft
(Grenade Launcher) 7,000 ft
Damage:(Laser) 4d6 MD single shot, 1d6x10+10 MD triple shot burst
(Grenade Launcher) (Fragmentation) 4d6 MD to blast area of 12 ft
2d6x10 MD to blast area of 40 ft w/ 10-rd burst
(Armor Piercing) 1d4x10 MD to blast area of 3 ft
3d6x10 MD to blast area of 8 ft w/ 10-rd burst
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload:(Laser) 200 shot battery for conventionally powered versions, effectively unlimited for nuclear.
(Grenade Launcher)400 rds

4) Flare/Chaff Launchers(2)---Two racks on the fantail fire illumination flares and anti-missile chaff. Some buyers modify these launchers to fire TW Globe of Daylight flares or other types.
Range: Roughly 500-1,000 ft altitude
Damage: Varies; Typically none
(Flares)Flares burn for about 1d6 melees, illuminating a 300 ft diameter area as they drift down
(Chaff)01-50 Enemy Missile or volley detonates in chaff and threat is neutralized
51-75 Missile/Volley diverts and may pursue/lock on to other targets
76-00 No Effect! Missile(s) still on target!
(Flare/Chaff)Will also temporarily blind and impede flying monsters who fly into it.
Reduce APMs/combat bonuses/ speed by half for 1d4 melees

Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-4
Payload: 10 flares/chaff bundles each; reloading each launcher takes about a minute per flare.

Options:
ASPDs have shown up, after-sale, sporting a variety of different systems and weapons, such as rail guns or other energy weapons in the forward weapons turret, torpedo racks(no more than 4 torpedoes can be carried), mine racks(with capacity for 10 naval mines equal to medium missile warheads, or 6 equivalent to LRM warheads), mini-missile launchers(PS-style box-launchers with 10 MMs each), or Katyusha-style rocket launchers(up to 2 10-shot ‘calliopes’) on the fan-tail.

[Aramanthus]

Very nice! Always like to see littoral boats. And I like that you have fishing versions mentioned too! Sporting versions are going to be big sellers on the west coast.

[taalismn]

Very nice! Always like to see littoral boats. And I like that you have fishing versions mentioned too! Sporting versions are going to be big sellers on the west coast.

Fishing models?
Ah...fishing with mines and heavy ordnance...ah yes...Just what one needs for wishing what's left of New York's East River...

[Aramanthus]

Some of the fish you fish for require that sort of sporting equipment.

[taalismn]

Some of the fish you fish for require that sort of sporting equipment.

Yeah..I'm thinking about some of the monsters down around Mad Haven...I could probably sell some of these to the ApeMen mutants...
Fishing with high explosives and hellstring...

[Aramanthus]

Well that works for those pesky fish that distribe the natural order of things. So if you take care of them that way the other fish will return to the fishing hole.

[taalismn]

Well that works for those pesky fish that distribe the natural order of things. So if you take care of them that way the other fish will return to the fishing hole.

Which you then fish for straight ol' dynamite.

[Aramanthus]

Actually I'd prefer to use the old fashioned way of a rod n reel. Of course I'd catch and release.

[taalismn]

Paladin Steel ‘Alpaca’ Heavy Hover Carrier
(aka ‘Zoom-ship’, ‘Hoverbarge’, ‘Hoover-truck’, ‘hover-loader’)

“Forget about sneaking past the cops in an Alpaca....Even at quarter throttle, the fan-lifters on the ‘hover set up a groan that can be heard a half mile away easily...at full power, the whole county can hear you chewing across the sky...Fortunately, that shriek’s enough to drive even a lot of the bigger predators away, which is a good thing; unless you’re packing some serious firepower in the gun-mounts, the ‘paca’s a tempting target for the big monsters, especially if you’re carrying passengers or foodstuffs...I had a few close calls when I was working contract for the Cartier-Fury Ranch folks, ‘porting packed meat to Lazlo...Of course, that wasn’t the half of the fun working for the Cartier folks...They once had me carrying a narced-up Beetle they were raising for stock...Half-way through the Green Mountains, that bug started waking up in the hold and we suddenly had a shifting cargo problem...Darn near dropped the load and the contract then and there rather than lose my ship, but my deck crew managed to get the problem back under control, so’s I was able to make delivery after all...”
----Raol Kennigan, Hover-Captain, ‘Fat Mary’, H-H Hampshire Hauling.

A step up from Paladin Steel’s ‘Drom’ Heavy Hover Truck, the Alpaca is a high-performance, heavy-hauler hovercraft that is optimized for cargo transport.
The Alpaca has a roughly rectangular, heavy-set appearance that been likened to ‘an air-mattress crossed with a brick’, or a pre-Rifts Soviet assault hovercraft. A high-set armored cabin/bridge is set in the hull’s front end, above a set of three recessed lifter fans. The cargo section is set in the middle half of the ship, with unloading either through lower hatches(the hatches are hinged at the bottom and open out to form loading ramps) on either side of the hull, or from the top via cranes or robot. The cargo deck can either be fully enclosed or open-topped. The rear section of the craft is devoted to engineering, the large dorsal hoverjet air intakes, additional lift fans, and two stub-wings with positionable lift-and-drive fans enclosed in them. Armor protection is modest, but enough to survive the sort of strikes the large, slow-moving, vehicle is likely to attract in the course of operations. The basic vehicle is unarmed, but the craft has provision for several weapons stations in shielded ‘gun tubs’ mounted around the vehicle frame(if not armed, these stations are typically faired over or used as a observation stations).
Alpacas are more mobile than the ground-bound Droms, but are slower than dedicated cargo aircraft like PS’s C-130-IIs and other aircraft/aerodynes. While they have been used as assault carriers in several actions, moving troops and light vehicles into battlezones, they really aren’t intended as front line combat vehicles, owing to their large size and relatively slow speed.
Paladin Steel maintains a comany fleet of fifty Alpacas for moving raw materials and finished products about Greater New England and abroad. The GNE military operates about two dozen as part of its logistical support. It is also sold as a mercantile transport on the open market.
Type: PS-HACU-05 Alpaca
Class: Heavy Utility Air Cushion Hover Transport
Crew: 5, 1-8 passengers
If carrying passengers on the cargo deck, up to 200 people can be crammed in.
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 500
Bridge 120
Reinforced Crew Compartment 100
Weapons Turrets(optional, 1-5) 100 each
Cargo Hatches(2, sides) 80 each
*Wing Hoverjets(2) 100 each

*Destroying the wing hoverjets reduces speed by 50%, and imposes a -15% to piloting.

Height: 25 ft
Width: 40 ft
Length: 90 ft
Weight: 240 tons
Cargo: 150 tons(cargo deck is 40 ft x35 ftx22 ft )
Powerplant: Fuel Cell Electric(600 mile range) or Nuclear with 20-year energy life
Speed: (Flying) Hover to 200 MPH, maximum altitude of 600 ft
(Water) The Alpaca can move quite effectively over water, provided wave height doesn’t go aboue six feet and winds above 30 MPH; cut speed ad maximum altitude by HALF
Market Cost: 10 million credits for basic vehicle, 15 million tons for nuclear
Systems of Note:
Standard Robot Systems, plus:
*Radar--Mast-mounted radar with a 50 mile range
*Directional IR/Normal Light Spotlights
*Standard Cabin Accommodations---The central living quarters area features a small head/bathroom facility, kitchenette, 250 gallon water tank, and 4 cabins.
*Side-Mount Cranes(2)---For unloading through the top of the cargo bay. Each 10 ft -long crane can support up to 8 tons of weight.

Weapons Systems: None standard, but the forward section has provision for up to three weapons turrets(one on each side of the bridge, and a nose turret), and two hardpoints for missile/rocket launchers. The mid-deck can be open for any embarked vehicles/equipment to fire from, and the rear section has provision for an additional two weapons turrets.
The typical Alpaca gun turret can hold one of the following; a twin 20-mm gun mount(or equivalent rail guns) with 2,000 rd ammunition supply, a 40mm cannon mount(with 400 rds), 8 shot SRM launcher, 24 shot mini-missile launcher, or an energy-rifle-style weapon(or two on a twin mount) with power link.
The two upper deck hardpoints can each hold a mini-missile launch box with 32 mini-missiles, OR a 14 shot SRM launcher, or 6 shot MRM launcher. These weapons are typically used to clear obstacles from the path of the Alpaca.


Variants:
PS-HACU-05EV ---PS/GNE Regular Army Recovery Vehicle...crippled hovervehicles cannot be towed, so they have to be carried. With its large bay and cargo capacity, the Alphaca makes an ideal recovery vehicle for picking up damaged hovercars, trucks, and hovertanks, and hauling them back to be repaired. The HACU-05EV sports two heavy winches and side-mount A-frame cranes for hauling aboard crippled vehicles. Paladin Steel uses theirs to move vehicles to and from its garages, while the GNE armed services use theirs to repair their hovervehicle fleet.

PS-HACU-05 MFC----A dozen or so Alpacas have been acquired by the larger coastal fishing consortiums in the GNE and outfitted for better open-water stability( can land in the water and handle heavy seas, thanks to reinforced hulls(600 MDC) and deployable rudder-stabilizers. These craft are used to perform ‘sprint-fishing’, using sub-drone and aerial data to race to intercept schools of fish, quick-deploy nets, and quickly grab a load of fish and pull them aboard before larger predators, Splugorth slavers, or other dangers can interfere.

[Aramanthus]

Nice new hover craft! Again PS provides equipment that has a niche somewhere in the world. I'm sure we can arrange the procurment of at least a couple dozen for my people. And maybe we could arrange a contract to produce them for other areas.

[taalismn]

Figured a big ugly high-capacity transport was needed that could carry more than a skycrane, but would be slower than a helicopter or cargo plane...

Tools you need, at prices you can afford...

[Aramanthus]

More stuff to help rebuild the world from the wilderness it became in the game. Tools are always very helpful.

[abtex]

Figured a big ugly high-capacity transport was needed that could carry more than a skycrane, but would be slower than a helicopter or cargo plane...

Giant Heavy-Lifting Gyroplanes these are a little bit of Helicopter and Cargo plane.

How do we make an 'Alpace' into a super-ed size gun truck? How many places can you mount half track side mounts just for a start?

[taalismn]

Figured a big ugly high-capacity transport was needed that could carry more than a skycrane, but would be slower than a helicopter or cargo plane...

Giant Heavy-Lifting Gyroplanes these are a little bit of Helicopter and Cargo plane.

How do we make an 'Alpace' into a super-ed size gun truck? How many places can you mount half track side mounts just for a start?

Well, it lacks maneuverability and altitude, but you could start by putting automatic cannon in the gun tubs, lower or remove the side hatches, and lock down some laterally-firing cannons with gun shields, and put a vertical launch-cell missile launcher in the central bay firing up through the open roof of the cargo section...

[Aramanthus]

Sounds cool. Just one thing since you are dealing with an aircraft. Why not have a launch area like the F-22 except with a larger ammo supply.

[taalismn]

Sounds cool. Just one thing since you are dealing with an aircraft. Why not have a launch area like the F-22 except with a larger ammo supply.

Use the side doors for rotary weapons bays? Possible, but with the VLS system, you could fire at targets all around the Alpaca-Gunship, not just in a forward arc...

[bigbobsr6000]

Nice!....Like, real nice, man.

[taalismn]

Nice!....Like, real nice, man.

Thanks..Figured if people are going adventuring and looking to trade or haul back loot, having a variety of vehicles they can use can't hurt...

[Aramanthus]

That is true Taalismn! Especially if you equip it like a nuclear missile subs launch system. That way the missile ignites outside the tube. Making it easier to reload it. Unless you are using a system like the MLRS os the US Army. Then you just swap out containers.

[abtex]

Paladin Steel/ Twardy Vintage Vehicles MDUKWIII ‘MegaDuck’

Market Cost:credits for liquid fuel, credits for electric, and credits for nuclear

The MegaDuck is priceless or is Paladin Steel giving the vehicle away and charging for the extras?

[taalismn]

Of course, with a weapons system like that, your LLCM system is probably more expensive than the platform hauling it around...But I'm have to dust off the Megabago RV again and its missile-launcher derivative, which is a much better weapons platform for this sort of thing than an militarized Alpaca...

[slade the sniper]

Nice work on the ONTOS...it was an oddball vehicle, though I have heard that with all 6 loaded up with flechette rounds and fired simultaneously, it was very effective at clearing ambushes even through triple canopy out to 150 meters, though the weak armor was a very bad design flaw...sort of a one trick pony.

Two requests, though I'm sure you've already covered them somewhere...the MI-24 HIND family and the ZSU-23-4 updated for RIFTS...

I like all your stuff, though it always makes feel a little sad to see my beloved modern gear thought of so poorly by our future generations, but that is just my silly sentimentality.

-STS

[Aramanthus]

I can't wait to see that! It sound very promising!

[Aramanthus]

They are all nice vehicles! We here at the Federated States swear by them!