Paladin Steel DL-600 ‘Clysdale’ Heavy 8x8 Multi-Purpose Veh

[taalismn]

Yeah, it's a Mark V knock-off...but wait 'til you see what you can do with this baby!

Paladin Steel DL-600 ‘Clysdale’ Heavy 8x8 Multi-Purpose Vehicle

“Paladin Steel seems to have this theory that rather than build ONE or maybe two designs optimally configured to do the required jobs well, instead they will produce a half-dozen varieties of chassis, a warehouse each full of wheels, engines, armor plate forms, weapons, and sub-systems, and then get the buyers to do the rest for them. It is wasteful and it is absurd, but they still keep doing it...”
-----Sigmund Rothechec, Northern Gun Business Analyst and Vehicle Engineer

“The DL-600 combines the best of North America’s most proven technologies....modularity and familiarity....The former allows for the rapid servicing, improvement, and customization with whatever’s handy, while the latter means that buyers can rest assured that they’re dealing with time-proven and reliable hardware...It can be whatever you want, as your budget allows, from utility truck to wheeled tank. It is a reliable, versatile, multi-task vehicle for an uncertain future.”
------Ad spot in the The Armorer, a multi-media magazine produced in New Boston.

“The interesting thing about the DL-600 and some of its accessory systems like the Type 71 gun carriage, is that they’re compatible with a lot of older Coalition hardware....at first, people had the idea that maybe PS had gone ahead and cut some sort of deal with the Coalition or Free Quebec, like a non-aggression pact in return for open commerce....Now folks are worried if maybe GNE isn’t fixin’ to finally take the CS or the FQs down for good, and PS is simply anticipating a sudden availability of CS-style salvage bounty....More likely, however, is the story that the Clysdale was the product of several CS or Quebecois defectors who went over to the PSers and were given leave to apply what they knew to designing a new utility vehicle they KNEW could be serviced easily, as a first project to see what they could do. ”
-----Dremmond Micknals, Head Mechanic, City of Lazlo Municipal Motorpool

“We’re just giving people what they want....a reliable affordable base on which to run wild with their resources and imagination.....To prove it, we took a few of the early models, stripped down, into a junkyard to see how many combinations we could create from what was available....It’s amazing what you can do with some MDC sheet-stock and a laser torch, some mega-polycrete for filler, and a few basic tools!....We were tacking on all manner of turrets and fixtures...even made a tank destroyer by refitting the front hatch and running in a big gun that otherwise wouldn’t have been able to fit in a regular turret...Just slid it in, built a gun mantle on the spot, and rolled it out ready for action!”
-------JoJo Simms, Operator, Paladin Steel Heavy Machinery Division.

“Shouldn’t we be getting a piece of this action? I mean, it IS OUR design, after all! Right? RIGHT?!”
-------Captain Aldiss Sands, Coalition State Armed Services(Army)

“The DL-600 is what we call a ‘colonial’ design---it’s a fairly simple and easy to produce design intended for newly refitted factories in new territories recently developed or annexed by Greater New England and its allies.....The DL-600 gives the indigs something new to establish their industrial base, gives them a design they can use for both civilian and military aps, gives them jobs to keep them out of trouble, allows them to upgrade their tech to be compatible with PS designs in the long run, and the fact that the APC resembles a Coalition vehicle that has always gotten good prices on the black market is another plus...Pure politics is behind this design...”
------Tinker Gandolfi, Operator and Professor of Post-Apocalypse Economics, Lazlo

“Think of it as getting that big bad Deadboy RV you’ve always wanted for yourself, without the hassle of having to knock over a Coalition convoy or deal with some shady Black Market back alley used AFV salesman...”
--------Anonymous Paladin Steel Marketing Agent

“’Without the hassle’? At three mil creds for basic? Three words for you, buddy...Spoils Of War.”
----------Equally anonymous Headhunter.

The DL-600 series is yet another in PS’s long line of utility vehicles that can be quickly converted to military applications. Unlike the other vehicles, such as the massive DL-90/400 series superhaulers, and the PS-UT-DL-M017 ‘Futura’ medium trucks, the DL-600 series has a clear lineage resemblance to the Coalition’s own Mark V APCs and hence, all the way back to the old NEMA MX-422 all-purpose transports. The remains of several MX-422s were among the artifacts that had long been salvaged and stored away at the Mountain Warfare School in Smuggler’s Notch, Vermont, but PS had not attempted to duplicate the old design until fairly recently; likewise, OTAR(Office of Technology Acquisition and Recovery) had acquired several Black Market Mark Vs; both the Coalition and NEMA vehicles were studied in the redesign that led to the DL-600.
The DL-600 shares the same ‘ eight wheeled shoebox’ design as the Coalition and NEMA vehicles, with the same sloped glacis plate front end and concealed boarding ramp/hatchways front and aft. It has a longer wheel base, however, and is slightly wider, the better to accommodate and stabilize heavy cargo loads. The sidewalls of the main body are also sloped for better deflection. The frame is given extra reinforcement for carrying extra armor and heavy loads. Like the original MX-422, the DL-600 has four main hatches, with a heavy armored outer hatch-cover, and a flexible inner megadamage plastic fabric and articulated slat hatch underneath. In its stripped down civilian form, and thanks to improved PS design, the DL-600 is lighter and slightly faster than its brethren designs of CS and NEMA service. The DL-600 is also offered with a variety of powerplants, from a low-cost multi-fuel internal combustion DynaFlow 350 of Canadian design(a favorite), through a selection of battery- and fuel-cell-powered electrics, to the expensive, but ever-popular micro-pack fusion mini-nuke. Depanding on how you need it, and desire it, PS will attempt to meet the customers’ request, from a private uber-limo with wet bar, pool table, and gring-leaper leather interior, to a self-propelled gun with TW powerplant and twin-mount massdriver thunder-guns.
To facilitate the rapid conversion of the civilian model transport to a frontline-capable combat vehicle, the DL-600 comes standard with attachment points and sealant-channels for applique armor, allowing for armor plate to be quickly hooked on, welded in place, or epoxied on. In the middle of the roof, a large universal turret mounting allows for the rapid addition of military-style turrets. Normally, the section is left open, or plated over, but it can also be used to mount a fixed roof ‘greenhouse’, ‘sun deck’, or open-sided observation turret. If something heavier is needed, an experienced crew of mechanics can slip in an armored ring holding turret rotation motors and mechanisms, bolt it in place, connect the power leads, then lower and lock a weapons turret into place. The turret collar has been deliberately designed to take advantage of existing turret designs, like those used on the PS-MBT-07 ‘Black Bear’ Medium Tank, PS-GEV-MBT-15 ‘FireDrake’ Heavy Hover Tank, and PS-MBT-05 ’Lynx’ Medium Tank, allowing the vehicles to use battlefield salvage(though many troopers point out that more often than not the turret of a wrecked MBT is the LAST thing that’s in any shape to be salvaged). The turret ring can also be used to mount utility devices, like cherrypicker hoists and cranes for work crews. It’s even been fitted with the upper torsos of light mecha like PS’s older Titan knockoffs, Jackalopes, and PS Mantis ‘bots for the ‘centaur’ hybrid vehicle configuration.
A smaller forward ring point can be similarly fitted to host a smaller turret, observation cupola, or hatchway...or it be left plated over, as per the wishes of the buyer/operator. Smaller lateral powered hardpoints are also available, plumbed with electrical outlets and fiber optic conduits for the installation of power leads and fire control/sensor feeds to additional weapons mounts, unmanned powered pintle turrets, or sensor gear...or, again, these points can be left sealed and plated over.
Larger than both the PS-APC-03 Rattlesnake APC and the PS-IFV-CIC-04 Gray Wolf Command APC/Tank Hunter, and less expensive than the giant PS-RV-08 MegaBago RV, the DL-600 is being touted as the East Coast’s ‘Dodge Ram for the Post-Apocalyptic Set’. Naturally, PS is also hedging on the fact that with the right modifications, the DL-600 can be modified into a cheaper and more versatile copy of the Mark V, for those who have taken a liking to the Coalition’s own toys, to bolster sales in the western territories.
PS’s adaptation of the still-used Mark V design for a mass-market ‘civilian’ (and merc-market) vehicle has irked the Coalition States and Free Quebec to no small measure(actually, quite a few CS contractors on the Mark V lines have gone apespit complaining to the Emperor about the ‘design theft’)...To the point where the CS has tried a ‘whispering campaign’ about ‘shoddy PS knock-offs’ in an attempt to discredit the company(even as the CS seeks to copy the design’s option features for their own use). Another discreditation campaign, this time by Northern Gun, draws attention to the similar appearance between the DL-600 and the CS APC, and the difficulty one might have distinguishing between a combat-ready CS APC and a DL-600 full of innocent civilians, on the battlefield. Neither rumor has noticeably hurt early sales, however. In fact, a number of military units have taken advantage of the DL-600’s similiarity to old CS and FQ vehicles to sneak through restricted territory(often assisted with the use of transponders lifted from legitimate CS vehicles). However, rumors also persist of the CS using tricked-out Mark Vs to pose as DL-600s in infiltrating mercenary bases along the long Mississipi front, adding to the fun and confusion.
The end result is that the GNE now has a massive number of vehicles, in part subsidized by the civilian owners/operators, at its disposal that can be quickly converted into front line-capable combat vehicles, in roles other than armored battle-taxi or light recon unit, in the event of an emergency. And since most of the numerous mechanics shops in the region are staffed with people who have done service with the local military or work regularly on their combat vehicles, and are thus intimately familiar with weapons systems, a Free Quebec or Splugorth invasion of the GNE becomes an even more difficult proposition. The DL-600 is often regarded as the ‘heavy’ of the ‘troika’ of Paladin Steel wheeled AFVs(the ‘light’ member being the GAC-02 ‘Wolfhound’, and the ‘medium’ being the DL-500 ‘Arabian’) in much the same pattern as PS’s power armor lines(with the PSPA-10, -11, and -12s).
The DL-600 was named the ‘Clysdale’ after a pre-Rifts breed of heavy-build draft horses(since believed to be extinct in North America. Shasdar (aka ‘BudMonster’) Breweries of White River Junction, Vermont Free State, has gotten some mileage out of its mascot animals being called ‘Clysdales’, but the reality is that the heavy legged shaggy quadrapeds are actually Wynaroan Ghadas, a warm-blooded sauroid brought to Earth by the Wynaro).
Since its introduction, the Clysdale has done relatively well with local military sales(the GNE has bought them mostly for its supply and engineering rear echelon units, while a few special forces units, such as the infamous Green Mountain Boys, have acquired a few and used them to infiltrate CS lines on several occasions), while sales to militia and independent groups have been far more promising in terms of numbers and advance orders. Paladin Steel has also announced plans to offer the DL-600 for export to the European markets(most likely through Dantegard, Barcelona, and the New Roman Republic), where it is likely to compete with Triax vehicles.
Type: PS-UT-DL-600
Class: Multi-Purpose Truck, Heavy, Utility
Crew: Minimum of 2, typically has 1-4 additional crew/gunners
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 280
Reinforced Crew Compartment 100
Wheels(8) 50 each
Main Outer Hatches(4, front, sides and back) 100 each
Main Inner Hatches(4, front, sides, and back) 50 each
Headlights(4) 5 each

(Optional) Main Centerpoint Turret(1) Typically 100-200
(Optional) Forward Auxiliary Turret(1) Typically 50-75
(Optional) Hardpoint Turrets(1-6) 5-30 each
(Optional) Hardpoint Missile Launcher Boxes(1-6) 25-40 each
Height: 15 ft
Width: 10 ft
Length: 35 ft
Weight: 15 tons
Cargo: As an APC, can carry 1-20 infantry or 1-6 power armors(one power armor suit counting as 3 regular infantry troopers)
As an AFV, can typically carry 2 tons of ammunition and supplies, in addition to small space for crew survival gear and personal possessions
If not carrying a turret, the entire rear area can be openned up to carry cargo; up to 10 tons on its 11x9x10 ft cargo area(can accommodate bulkier loads if fitted with an open cargo deck).
Can tow up to 45 tons(but reduce maximum speed by HALF at maximum weight haulage)
Powerplant: Internal Combustion, Electric Fuel Cell(Both with 400 mile range), or Nuclear Fusion w/ 15 year energy life
Speed:(Driving) 95 MPH
(Water) Fully amphibious: can motor along the water’s surface at a speedy 35 MPH!
Market Cost: 3 million credits for the basic liquid-fuel vehicle, 3.2 million credits for electric, and 5 million credits for nuclear w/ 15 year energy life span
(MUCH cheaper than reconditioned CS vehicles, owing to its intentional mass production for the civilian/adventurer market)
Systems of Note:
*IR/Normal Light Headlights
*Variable Pressure Mesh Tires
*Anti-Lock Brakes
*Onboard Radio(5 mile range)
*Air Conditioning
*Onboard Compass
*Anti-Theft/Break-in Door Locks
*Side and Rear Cargo Bay Doors
*Built-in Servicing Jacks
*Winch with 100 ft of line and 5 ton pull capability
Weapons Systems:
None standard.

Options:
“I particularly liked the testing phase when they sent us with a prototype Clysdale and some tools into a local junkyard and set us loose to see how many parts we could adapt and add....I think we came up with about fifty variants using the same chassis.....I particularly like the armor-destroyer we came up by removing the forward troop door and stuck a 200mm rail cannon down the length of the APC...kept the turret for self-defense, and plated the whole thing in reactive armor....We had to aim the entire tank to bring the main armament to bear, and it wallowed like a rhino-buffalo, but the thing just looked plain MEAN and when it fired off its main gun, ...but there was damn little that could stand in the way of THAT thing!”
-----Lorenzo Manzetti, PS Heavy Machinery Division, Clysdale-EX Evaluation Team #7.

Like all good PS general purpose vehicles, the DL-600 has tons of extras to allow just about anyone to be able to customize the vehicle to their heart’s content. In fact, the very heart of the DL-600’s design is to act as a base for loading up with customization and option systems, netting PS more profit in accessories than on the basic vehicle. The following are a few of the more common:
*Engine Upgrade----A more powerful engine, more efficient power train, and improved transmission can be added, improving overall speed, but at greater expense;
Speed: Can improve top speed by up to 40%
Cost: 200,000 credits per 10% of improvement over base. 300,000 credits for nuclear upgrades. +60,000 per 10% for treadlayers, +90,000 per 10% for robotic walker legs, and +50,000 per 10% for hoverjet systems(actually simpler to upgrade GEV systems past the initial high cost by adding more/bigger jet thrusters).

*Main Turret Ring---As mentioned earlier, this hardpoint can be left decked over, fitted with an observation cupola, heavy weapons turret, crane/shovel, or robot waist torso mounting.
Cost: None(standard)

Sample AA Turrets;
*AA Turret Type 4---This is an re-armored twin-gun mounting from PS’s ‘Dorie Miller’ wheeled AAA carrier, complete with radar assembly;
MDC of Turret: 200
*Radio or fiber optic target link; allows the vehicle to patch into a larger air defense grid to share early warning information and targeting data.
*Target Acquisition Radar----30 mile range
*Targeting Sensors, including microwave radar lock and laser ranging; +3 to strike
Weapons Systems:
1) Twin Rapid-Fire 35 mm Cannon----These are fed from two massive ammunition drums on either side of the cannons. The turret has a full 360-degree arc of fire, while the guns can depress 5 degrees and elevate 85 degrees.
Range: 2.5 miles
Damage:(Proximity Fuzed Fragmentation) 3d6 MD to a 10 ft blast radius, 2d6x10 MD to a 30 ft blast radius per 10 rd burst.
(Armor Piercing Tracer) 4d6 MD single shot, 3d6x10+10 MD per 10 rd burst
Rate of Fire:EPCHH
Payload: Each drum holds 215 rounds
With a trained crew in power armor, a fresh drum can be changed in 3 minutes
Turret Cost: 500,000 credits

*AA Turret Type 8----This was based on archival data of the old Soviet ZSU-4 AAA vehicle, mounting FOUR 23mm cannon and a radar suite. PS has upgraded the design with gauss technology and upgraded sensors
MDC of Turret: 200
*Target Acquisition Radar----25 mile range
*Targeting Sensors, including microwave radar lock and laser ranging; +4 to strike
Weapons Systems:
Range: 6,600 ft
Damage: 1d6 MD single shot, 5d6 MD for a 5 shot burst, 2d6x10 MD for all four cannons firing bursts(20 rounds) simultaneously(counts as one attack)
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: rd drum per cannon; shots total(bursts)
Turret Cost: 600,000 credits


*Auxiliary Turret Ring---Mounted forward of the main turret ring, this hardpoint can be outfitted in similar fashion, but with smaller cupolas, weapons mounts(light to medium weapons mounts), and tool rigs.
Cost: None(standard)

*Hardpoints(6)----The Clysdale has six mounting points for additional small weapons turrets or sensor/tool mounts. Two are on the roof(one on each side), and four are on the sloping sides(2 each flank).
Each hardpoint can provide support for a small remote-controlled turret mounting a light energy weapon, rail gun, or support weapon, OR, can provide servicing to a box-style missile launcher( 48 micro-missiles/RPGs, OR 24 mini-missiles, OR 12 short range missiles, OR 5 medium range missiles per hardpoint). Alternately, the hardpoints can be used to carry a pair of human-sized fine manipulator waldo arms or a single longer crane arm.
Cost:(Powered Turret)4,500 credits +cost of mounted weapon
(Missile Launcher) Micro-missile/RPG Launcher(35 shots)---45,000 credits(missiles cost extra)
Mini-Missile Launcher(20 shots)----85,000 credits(missiles cost extra)
Short Range Missile Launcher(10 shots)---- 120,000 credits(missiles cost extra)
Medium Range Missile Launcher(6 shots)----300,000 credits(missiles cost extra)
(Waldo Arms)
(Human-size)(MDC 15 each, Length 8 ft, Max P.S. 18 )----20,000 credits
(Derrick Arm)(MDC 50, Length 20 ft, Max P.S. 35(robotic) )----90,000 credits

*Applique Armor---Additional armor plates can be hooked, welded, or epoxied on. For the sake of calculating movement penalties, three armor weight categories are used; Light, Medium, and Heavy, and several armor options are offered.
*Light----Adds 10-100 MDC main body, + 1-2 tons, without movement penalties
----Cost: 15,000 credits per 10 MDC
*Medium---Adds 110-200 MDC main body, +2-4 tons, but with a reduction in top speed of 15%
----Cost: 16,000 credits per 10 MDC
*Heavy----Adds 210-360 MDC main body, +4-6 tons, but with a reduction in top speed of 25%
----Cost:18,000 credits per 10 MDC
*Laser Ablative Armor(Option)---PS laser-ablative ceramic. Lasers do HALF damage. VFLs can NOT adjust to compensate
----Cost:+800,000 credits(Rarely available to outsiders)
*Thermal Resistant Heat-Refractory Tile Armor(Option)---Special heat-resistant materials designed originally for reemtry vehicle shielding. Heat and plasma-based attacks do 1/2 damage
----Cost: +1 million credits
*Chemical Resistant Armor(Option)----PS’s patented chemically inert armor that sheds the effects of corrosive chemicals and stick’ums. Acids and chemical weapons do NO damage.
----Cost: +1.1 million credits
*Jettisonable Armor(Option)---Special pre-cut division channels, break points, and integral explosive bolts allow the vehicle crew to jettison the applique armor, shedding it, usually to restore mobility(in the case of medium- and heavy-armors), lose contaminated outer plates, or shed unwanted riders. Once jettisoned, the applique armor CANNOT be re-attached without extensive reconstruction and refurbishment(if anything is left at all of the original material)....Essentially, one has to re-buy the applique and/or jettisonable armor option to regain its benefitts.
OPTIONAL: The explosive bolts, at the GM’s discretion, can explode off with enough force to do 1d6 MD to an 8 ft radius around the vehicle, due to flying armor fragments.
----Cost: +10,000 credits+cost of armor

*Bulldozer Blade----Adds a shaped payloader blade to the front for clearing debris and pushing dirt. Can be raised and lowered to clear the nose. Can also act as a basic ram , doing 1d6 MD on a ram/shove
MDC: 150
Cost: 10,000 credits

*Battle Beak----Basically a large applique armored form that fits over the front of the vehicle, adding reinforcement, and holding both a pair of mini-missile launchers and a Blast-Stud bumper for added ramming damage. Inspired by unearthed records of the original NEMA APC’s configuration
Weight: + 0.8 ton
MDC: +80 Main Body
Bumper 200
Mini-Missile Launchers(2) 80 each
Weapons Systems:
a) Mini-Missile Launchers(2)
Range: Varies by Missile Type
Damage:Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-10
Payload: 20 mini-missiles each launcher(40 total)
b) Ram Bumper---The nose of the Battle Beak is angled for maximum effectiveness in ramming attacks.
Range: Melee
Damage: 1d6x10 MD half-speed ram, 2d4x10 MD full speed ram
c) Blaster Bumper----Recessed in several wells on this extendable bumper are a half-dozen large electro-plasmic flash contacts, that can be extended to protrude out of the bumper. When triggered by contact against an object, they fire off a massive pulse of electricity that superheats air and material to a brief plasmic state.
Range: Melee
Damage:+3d6 MD per stud(does +2d4x10 MD for a full contact hit)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Conditionally Unlimited; can fire off 10 blasts before needing a full hour to recharge
Cost: 200,000 credits

*Mag Traction System-----The ‘economy’ version of Paladin Steel's Virtual Tread Traction System, that allows a vehicle superior handling on wet ground and sloping surfaces(by greating a low-powered combination planar forcefield and wheel-bond directly around the tire/ground interface). The downside of it is that in anything less than a nuclear-powered vehicle, the energy expenditure can quickly drain the truck’s batteries.
Bonuses:+15% to control rolls, and reduce movement penalties for travelling over soft ground/mud by 25%
Penalties: If driving with a liquid fuel or electric engine, reduce gas mileage/range by 10%)of baseline) per hour of activation that the MagTrac system is engaged.
Cost: 80,000 credits.

*Musher Tires----These oversized tires work the same way as tread grousers; by extending their width and increasing surface area. allowing the vehicle to cross soft ground without bogging down(a cheaper form of mud-treads or Super-MagField Virtual Roadbed gear). The vehicle is also harder to tip over The downside is that the larger tires are more obvious targets and the vehicle is 50% wider, making it harder to maneuver in tight spaces.
MDC of Oversize Wheels(4): 80 each
Bonuses: 1/3 normal penalties for traversing mud, mire, swampy ground, or other bog surfaces. Reduce chances of vehicle tipping over/being knocked over by HALF
Penalties: Reduce top speed by 10%, and impose -15% to trick driving roll success (harder to maneuver)
Cost: 300,000 credits.

*Treadlayer Conversion----This radical refit converts the DL-600’s four twin-wheel groupings into four tread units, sacrificing speed for greater traction and maneuverability in mud and soft ground. Comes standard with extendable grouser treads.
MDC of Tread Units(4): 100 each
Bonuses: NO penalties for traversing mud, mire, swampy ground, or other bog surfaces.
Penalties: Reduce top speed by 25%
Cost: 600,000 credits.

*Walker Conversion----An expensive conversion that does away with the wheeled drive altogether in favor of eight sturdy robotic legs. This reduces the overall speed and increases the mechanical complexity of the vehicle, but gives it incredible broken terrain performance
MDC of Legs(8): 100 MDC each
Speed: 80 MPH, can move on as few as four legs(must have 2 legs per side), can traverse/clear obstacles up to 8 ft tall(can clamber over other obstacles)
Cost: 2 million credits

*Hovercraft Conversion----Another expensive conversion that trades the conventional wheeled propulsion for a hoverjet GEV system.
MDC of Hoverjets(8) 60 MDC each
Speed: 120 MPH maximum, 1-8 ft off the ground, and can skim above water(no more than 3 ft waves) at 80 MPH
Cost: 2.5 million credits

*Smoke/Grenade Launcher Clusters---These mini-multi-tube grenade/smoke launcher clusters can be added to the sides of the vehicle. Up to 4 can be added...two forward and two aft.
Range: (light) 1,200 ft (heavy) 2,000 ft.
Damage: Varies by Grenade Type (heavy)
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-3
Payload: Each launcher has 12 light or 6 heavy grenades each, for a total of 36 light grenades or 18 heavy grenades
Cost: 28,000 credits for both light and heavy varieties(grenades cost extra)

*Stabilization Jacks---Tired of being knocked over by concussion blasts, or being rolled over by a giant’s kick? This interesting little system uses Glitterboy-style pylon technology to las and hydraulically drive eight stabilizer jacks up to 5 ft into the ground, even through concrete and metal gratings, within 5 seconds, affixing you like a barnacle, and able to stay upright in even hurricane-force winds. System can disengage in 2 seconds, for that speedy getaway.
Cost: 120,000 credits

*Robo-Mounts(‘Chimera-Mountings’)
Ever since Paladin Steel mounted the upper torso of one of their ‘Moljinar’ robots on top of a modified Iron Fist MBT chassis to produce their ‘Scrounger’ Tank, the company has loved tank/robot hybrids as cheap, but extremely useful, combat-utility vehicles, with the useful armatures of a robot, but the stability of a vehicle. So much so that their engineers have figured out how to scavenge the torsos of other major robot types, and quickly fit them to other AFVs, to produce a class of vehicles nicknamed ‘chimeras’(and often called by opponents ‘lice’). PS field engineers have become so profficient at these mods that they’ve standardized the practice with several purpose-built adaptation kits/mounting rings that have been made available as options for the Clysdale.
Ever, since PS doesn’t want to OVERTLY offend the major robot manufacturers of North America(The Coalition States and Titan Works) by suggesting that people should traffic in parts of their machines, or target them just for the fixin’s of a chimera-mod, the kits aren’t advertized upfront in the PS outlets. However, if one knows to ask, PS will sell the kits off-catalogue and out back. These kits include a modified mounting ring and adaptors, spare cabling, and software patch-ins. It is rumored that PS is also producing kits for Triax ‘bots being sold in North America(such as the Forager), but if they are, nobody’s seen one yet.
CS UAR-1 Enforcer Mount-Kit: 100,000 credits
Titan TR-003 Scout Mount-Kit: 60,000 credits
Titan TR-002 Light Combat Mount-Kit: 75,0000 credits
Titan TR-001 Combat Mount-Kit: 90,000 credits
Northern Gun NG-M56 Super Robot Mount-Kit: 50,000 credits
Northern Gun NG-V7 Hunter Mount-Kit: 200,000 credits
(Installation and labor costs extra)

[taalismn]

Multipost much?

ROWRRR*SLOBBER*SLOBBER*GNASHBITESNAP*GGGRFFFF!!!
Not since I got this here Doberrendundancy Deletion-breed Hound to compensate for Palladium's occasionally problematic system...no...

[Aramanthus]

Excellent new vehicle! I like it and I know a dozen merc units who'd snap these up for around 3 months worth of production.

[taalismn]

Thanks...We thumb our noses at CS claims they 'invented it first.'

[taalismn]

Yeah, but what does it look like?

Eight wheels, lower, more angled Mark V...depending on what options you buy, you can have an open cargo deck and forward turret, oversized wheels, robot legs, maybe even the upper torso(complete with arms) from a robot...

[taalismn]

Yeah, but what does it look like?

Eight wheels, lower, more angled Mark V...depending on what options you buy, you can have an open cargo deck and forward turret, oversized wheels, robot legs, maybe even the upper torso(complete with arms) from a robot...

Ah, somebody should make a 'paper doll' set of card stock vehicles and options for Rifts.

Hey, you want tail fins on it?
Full-hull chrome?
Custom paint job?
We deliver!

[GhostKnight]

What's the stats on that 200mm rail cannon?

[taalismn]

What's the stats on that 200mm rail cannon?

Working on it...soon...

[glitterboy2098]

something that seems to be forgotten frequently is how bad the MkV, it's larger NEMA forefather, and it's Triax cousin would have been for cross country travel. if you look at the art, there is Zero ground clearance with those wheels. these are "low rider" APC's only good for work on paved and fairly intact roads. good luck finding those post-RIFTS.

unfortunately this is a mistake made by many movie and TV show designers. just look at the M577 A.P.C. From Aliens.

in movies at least it's often a budget issue. easier to add cosmetic shells to existing vehicles (in the case of Aliens, a 70 ton Aircraft towing vehicle). in RPG's it's usually just the problems of basing vehicle designs off Movie inspirations.


though in the case of the MkV and it's relatives i think they were based on the APC's used by the ADPolice from the Bubblegun Crisis anime.

[Aramanthus]

Of course maybe there is something that raises the APCs up when moving. And when it gets ready to unload it settles more too the ground. It could be a hydraulic system with several redunduncies. Just a thought. Oh yes, and when they show a picture of the MK5 it is loading and unloading troops. Theerefore it is lower to the ground than when moving.

[taalismn]

What's the stats on that 200mm rail cannon?

THis is the straight-out direct fire 'tank-killer' model of this weapon(the artillery model would require a mounting capable of at 45-degrees elevation, in which case it would have an artillery-fire range of 20 miles). The center-line monster gun mount discussed in the exercise above lacks that sort of mounting, and would be limited to about 10-15 degrees elevation...it's more a fixed position Jagdpanzer theme...

PS 200mm Massdriver Cannon(PS-MD200M)
Range:(Direct Fire) 40,000 ft (8 miles)
Damage:High Explosive(HE)---- 5d6x10 MD to 55 ft radius
High Explosive Anti-Tank(HEAT)----6d6x10 MD to 15 ft radius
Fragmentation--- 4d6x10 MD to 75 ft radius
Plasma-----1d6x 50+15 MD to 60 ft radius
(APFSDSDU)(Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot Depleted Uranium) 8d6x10 MD out to 15,000 ft, 4d6x10+5 MD out to maximum range
Rate of Fire:Once per melee
Payload:Varies
200 mm AP shell weighs 200 lbs( 10 shots per ton)
Cost: 9.5 million credits

[taalismn]

something that seems to be forgotten frequently is how bad the MkV, it's larger NEMA forefather, and it's Triax cousin would have been for cross country travel. if you look at the art, there is Zero ground clearance with those wheels. these are "low rider" APC's only good for work on paved and fairly intact roads. good luck finding those post-RIFTS.

unfortunately this is a mistake made by many movie and TV show designers. just look at the M577 A.P.C. From Aliens.

in movies at least it's often a budget issue. easier to add cosmetic shells to existing vehicles (in the case of Aliens, a 70 ton Aircraft towing vehicle). in RPG's it's usually just the problems of basing vehicle designs off Movie inspirations.


though in the case of the MkV and it's relatives i think they were based on the APC's used by the ADPolice from the Bubblegun Crisis anime.

We're fixing that problem with variable-clearance wheel jacks....alters ground clearance from a mere 1 ft to a more healthy 4 ft as standard ...I wouldn't go crashing through rocky terrain chasing Mountaineers, though...

[Blight]

I was going to convert the 16"/50 (40.6 cm) Mark canon to rift but i figured nobody would want it. but your company might have a use.

[taalismn]

I was going to convert the 16"/50 (40.6 cm) Mark canon to rift but i figured nobody would want it. but your company might have a use.

Hell, yeah! If nothing else, we mount them on coastal defense batteries or on the battleships our Naval Division, based out of New Bath, Maine, is working up!

If we don't have it in stock, we'll build to order!

[Aramanthus]

Those 16in/50s are wicked as hell! I know I worked up some rounds for my game for the mobile arty system they had.

Nice 200mm cannon from PS! I know people who'd love to have a tank system capable of handling that one!