acid damage to zombies

[azazel1024]

Acid would not be a good method to destroy zombies. Even pure aqua regia or nitric acid would take several minutes to dissolve a person if dipped completely in a vat of it. It would probably be fatal to a human in a fraction of that time, but with a zombie you would litterally have to dissolve its brain. For an acid squirt gun, you probably couldn't squirt enough to skill a zombie even if you blasted them right in the forehead and you'd have to deal with splatter and nozzle spray getting some on you.

Now if you were raiding a chemical plant and knocked a zombie in to a vat of something like sulfuric acid I'd say, yes it'll kill it, however it isn't going to be super quick and not something you could really weaponize.

There is a reason you don't see people using acid weapons against other people other then terroristic weapons (IE splash acid in people's faces). Compared to something like fire it just doesn't work very well and is dangerous to the user (more so then fire in a lot of ways).

A pint of even the most powerful acid would almost deffinitely not kill a zombie. A bucket's worth might, but its likely to run down and off a zombie in enough quantities that it wouldn't 'dissolve' their head/brain. A fire hose pumping it out could probably do the trick with a 20-60s hose down of really power acid, maybe.
-Matt

[azazel1024]

Better off just making thickened gasoline or some other thickened flamable liquid, such as thickened alcohol. A nice jar of vasoline mixed with an accelerant could make a nasty zombie fighting weapon, though you'd probably want to mix it in a container that would break easily, something you could use a fuse with. Maybe a glass jar with a small hole drilled in the top with a fuse put through.
-Matt

[azazel1024]

Also pit traps, if it is deep enough without any decent foot holds your golden. Zombies don't seem to be big on climbing ability, at least not shamblers.
-Matt

[Teltum]

Acid could have it's uses. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfuric_acid -- Sulfuric acid could be used in the tip of a lead bullet. If during a head shot the remaining moisture left in the brain would allow the Acid to work it's magic on the Zed's Brain. I would give it a 2 damage direct to brain hit points each melee for d4+4 melees. Or completely blind the zombie's "real" eyes granting a -2 to strike or remove one action.

Though a fail on the crafting roll.... Could be really nasty or fatal.

A pure magnesium round in a copper jacket (not even sure if this could be done) but when it deforms and hits a body the moisture in the body would make a damned hot fire assuming a slow moving projectile (see: .45) a magnum round would go through too quickly for it heat properly in the zed's body. (Pure Magnesium + Water = Really Hot/(See Extremely Dangerous) Fire.) Extremely Dangerous: http://mhfd1184.com/thebigones.aspx I was personally about 3 miles away when this happened.

Again, a failed crafting roll could mean death.

I do try and prove that I don't make this crap up.

[Teltum]

Sorry, just to note, "Napalm" is a cop-out. It has always been and always will be the second coolest method of killing zombies. Right behind the chainsaw.

[Gamer]

Well you are right napalm is a cop out and just how is it going to work?
Little glass jars are only going to do one thing IF the glass jar even breaks and that is to make a flaming zombie that is going to be setting everything that it touches on fire until it dropped for good, so you have to watch where you use it or you'll just be setting everything around you on fire.
You would need a very large amount to incinerate one or more zombies very quickly and you'll still be burning a sizeable plot of real estate in the process, so hope you have a killzone plotted out for that stuff.

I feel acid would be pretty much the same thing, you'd need a prohibitive amount to really do anything of value and just one mistake and you could screw yourself and/or or a buddy.

[azazel1024]

The point with something like thickened gasoline or fire for destroying a zombie isn't to toss it and stand their hoping it doesn't give you a bear hug, its to chuck it and RUN and wait the couple of minutes for the thing to burn out.

For magnesium bullets, the bullet won't heat sufficiently on impacting a colloid target, even bone. So it isn't going to have pyrophoric properties except maybe against something like metal plate or maybe stone.

For a sulfuric acid bullet that would be damned hard to manufacture and you'd have to find some way of capping the bullet, probably a 'cool' capping method with a cap material and adhesive that would withstand firing from a gun as well as be resistance or immune to sulfuric acid. I am not sure of the compressability of sulfuric acid, but it likely would function to fragment the bullet more readily due to the cavity of differing density. The volume would likely be so small as to cause an insignificant amount of damage to the brain of a zombie compared to what the actual bullet impact would case.
-Matt

[Gamer]

Napalm isn't just going to burn out, and it isn't going to drop the zombie anytime soon so everything the zombie touches is going to catch on fire.
So if your in a grassy field you now have a burning grassy field, if your hidey hole or potential supplies is nearby you might see it go up in smoke as well, you can't just chuck n run in any old place you feel like.

That's why I mentioned a "killzone" and area you know isn't going cause any problems for you, like a trap you lure them into to dispose of them with it.

[azazel1024]

Sure within reason, but not everything is super flamable. Sure using it in a house or building just scream trouble, unless you don't care about that house or building. However in an open area it wouldn't be to much of a problem. Unless the weather is really dry and warm/hot grass isn't going to sustain a burn and its unlikely a tree would as well. Even something like a full on napalm bomb tends not to burn too much more then the area exposed to the napalm unless it is used in a hot dry area (using one in southern california in a dry summer would be very, very bad, using one in say a temperate forest is likely not to cause to many problems so long as it hasn't been really hot and dry for a week or two).

So depending on where you are using it, no worries. If you don't care about the building go ahead. Using it outside in a non-vegetation area (grassy hill, in a parking lot, etc) shouldn't be an issue. Even using it in the woods likely wouldn't cause to many problems except as I mentioned.

Heck considering the zombie issue and lack of fire fighting humanities best chance is to start fires like crazy in major cities to burn them all down. It should kill most of the zombies in the city by starting a fire storm. Read up on Dresden, etc. Of course this would take more then a small amount of arson to accomplish.
-Matt

[azazel1024]

Are you basing it on currently available technology? Near future? Or science fiction?

For the first I'd say around 300lbs not including pilot with a 90 minute battery life and a maximum speed of 22 and a robotic strength of 20. Battery takes a generator to recharge and an hour long hookup to charge completely. Pilot fatigues at half the normal rate. SDC I would say should be maybe 200 with an AR of 16, the 'pilot compartment' 80 with an SDC of 15 (polycarbonate/lexan is pretty hard to damage). I wouldn't have any hydraulics and it isn't to hard to cover the power lines, though if you are going to leave them exposed I'd give a natural 19 or 20 striking a power line unless intentionally aiming for them (a zombie isn't going to aim for them) with each limb having 10SDC for the power line. If it is destroyed then that limb loses power. In the case of an arm only the other arm can work. With a leg because of the weight of the suit speed is reduced to 3 and fatigue is tripled until it is repaired.

For near future I's day 200lbs not including pilot with a 240 minute battery life, a maximum speed of 33, robotic strength of 25, SDC of 300 and AR of 18, pilot compartment SDC of 100 and AR 15, it takes 2 hours to recharge from a generator. Same vulnerabilities if you are going to have things exposed.

Sci fi, sky is the limit.

I'd use a flame thrower or your acid cannon idea. Unless he has salvaged an MG or autocannon or worked for the military or contractor doing R&D there is no way he'd have access to either. He could make a homemade flamethrower or acid cannon with a bit of work easily enough.

One downside to acid is that like fire it can be 'spread'. Getting a bear hug from a zombie covered in acid is going to ruin your whole weak and would also leave the powered exoskelleton vulnerable to this acid damage.
-Matt

[Gamer]

If this inventor person was building this "exoskeleton" for the military the odds of him also having a type 10 Federal Firearm Licence and class 3 Special Occupational Tax are pretty good. He could get machine guns, auto cannons, flamethrowers pretty much what he needed within reason of course.
he is an NPC so you could give him the licencing to help explain him having it, after the game starts his licences really doesn't mean anything anymore anyway.

I can't imagine any exoskeleton made "today" being practical much less "too powerful"
I'd go with Azazel's first suggestion unless it is going to be more sci-fi tech.

If I was going to go "mech" in DR I'd get the Timberjack walking harvester with a forest mower attachment, turn the mower into a tiller like you see on landmine tillers and go mow me down some zombies..

[azazel1024]

You could make something with current technology that would be rather impressive, but battery life is the key issue. Something that runs out of power in an hour or less just isn't all that useful as a weapon of war. Servos, linear actuators, armor, etc is to the point where we could make a pretty impressive suit of power armor. Not something that could stand up to say a tank, but something that could easily out class an infantryman in body armor or maybe even something like an APC.

Of course spending something like a million or two plus per suit and then needing to hook it up to a generator or the power grid once an hour or more frequently sort of limits its utility. I doubt we will see militarized PA until battery tech gets to the point where a resonable sized power pack (under 20 kilos) can supply something like that for at least 8hrs under battlefield conditions.

Hell an Abrahams tank costs maybe what two such suits would.

As for the licenses, he probably would not have such a license. The gov't doesn't generally hire independent contractors for such work, so he'd be working for one of the big defense contractors most likely and he may have access through them. The big contractors would procure the items for him, but aren't likely to get him licenses so he can privately purchase such equipment.
-Matt

[Gamer]

I know quite a few independent contractors with such licences and currently have military contracts.
You have any idea how many small independants grew to be large firms through such contracts.
He doesn't need any big firm to do anything for him.

[azazel1024]

I know quite a few independent contractors with such licences and currently have military contracts.
You have any idea how many small independants grew to be large firms through such contracts.
He doesn't need any big firm to do anything for him.

Accept for acquire all of the fun little goodies you'd need to make that thing really feasible along with a huge amount of grant money or corporate funds to make it a reality.

My near future tech and even a lot of the current tech was assuming access to research level of things like advanced air fueled lithium ion batteries, advanced boron carbide or titanium alloy armors, etc to make the thing feasible. Not something a home brew person, even with a small military contract could manage. Not many independents just happen to get $20 million DARPA grants with nothing already on the table.
-Matt

[Teltum]

I dig the idea of the mech. With a small gas generator. This would be able to run considerably longer if it was hydrolicly powered. However 5mph would be more the top speed. With a TI alloy skeleton with lexan windshield would be near invincable combo vs any human ps. Exposed lines are easy to cover and if ruptured the hydrolic fluid would cut a man in half. Purging the air from the lines in the case of a rupture makes it a glass cannon. I would give an ar 19 and a good amount of sdc vs zombies. Survivors aka hostile people ar 16 and about 100 general sdc 15 per limb 20 for head 40 main body.

[Gamer]

I know quite a few independent contractors with such licences and currently have military contracts.
You have any idea how many small independants grew to be large firms through such contracts.
He doesn't need any big firm to do anything for him.

Accept for acquire all of the fun little goodies you'd need to make that thing really feasible along with a huge amount of grant money or corporate funds to make it a reality.

My near future tech and even a lot of the current tech was assuming access to research level of things like advanced air fueled lithium ion batteries, advanced boron carbide or titanium alloy armors, etc to make the thing feasible. Not something a home brew person, even with a small military contract could manage. Not many independents just happen to get $20 million DARPA grants with nothing already on the table.
-Matt

No you don't need alot to get started, you didn't even look into it did you.

The inventor can very easily get his own licencing all he has to do is the paperwork, pass the security checks and pay the money and he is now licenced to get his "toys".
He creates a proof of concept, he gets a contract, he can now purchase what he needs to make his advanced demonstrators, he also now has the ability for getting other grants after his successful proof of concept demonstration and military backing.

I have no idea how you are getting the idea that acquiring such licences is so incredibly hard to nigh impossible, or needs corporate help, but it's not hard getting them or the weaponry at all.
He can also get simple licence to just merely own the weapons and it would work and there are alot of people running around with such licences.

An independent contractor isn't just Joe redneck in his garage.
That's like saying Kevin S. an independent publisher is publishing Palladium books out of his basement, he might have started there but that's not where he is now.

Ron Barret started as a small independent and after his Barret .50 designs garnered military contracts his weapons are now all over the world and he is still considered a small independant.
There are quite a few independants building military hardware that also have access to weaponry.
There are "robots" made by independants that have machineguns and 40mm grenade launchers on them being tested for the military, the military doesn't just rip the weaponry off the bots when they leave the range, the contractors have the licences.
There is alot of military hardware fielded right now that was designed by independants.
It doesn't take much to find it online.

I'm just trying to help Housepalmer make his NPC more plausible, instead of just saying he can't or letting him presume it's too hard to do.

[Teltum]

Okay just got home.

Stats for what was proposed as I can tell (I had to check my Hero's Unlimited pg 194 is where parts of this info are pulled.)

# of attacks per melee should be players base + 1 but!!! The exoskeleton proposed in Heros Unlimited is way more advanced so I would give +1 to some one with no hand to hand otherwise it is transferred from the character.(Pulled from HU:SE pg)

A Robotic PS of 40 (for lifting up to 1 ton) which converts into 30 Regular PS for Combat (Pulled from R:UE/DR/HU:SE)
PP = Character -4 as it is very bulky (New non-refined Tech. - My Ruling)

A small gas powered generator that can be turned off and run purely on battery power. Life with generator 5 hours, can be refueled and run up to 10 hours at that time the motor has to cool off. The battery will power the skeleton for 45 mins.(My Ruling)

AR 15(Pulled from Hero's Unlimited)
SDC 225-900. (I would go about 400-600 myself depending on how generous the DM is feeling Again Pulled from HU:SE)
SPD - 8 (5mph as that is a good clip for most humans. My Ruling)

1-18% chance of malfunction(Charge time for battery is less than expected, the gas generator has a fuel supply problem due to intense combat. The motor seizes due to oil not being there when needed ect Pulled from HU:SE)
This can go up as the exoskeleton takes damage (see exposed wires and hydraulic lines. My Ruling)

Weapons:
No stats but suggestions:
Propane Flame Thrower
Sharpened Large Chunk of Steel (See Sword)
Chainsaw
Hammer
Acid sprayer
Grabber Claw
Belt Fed machine gun.

Please note because I am using derivatives from the full works:
The world, characters, likenesses, rules, titles, names, publications, trademarks and copyrights related to all Palladium Publications are owned and licensed exclusively by Palladium Books Inc.; all rights reserved, worldwide.

[azazel1024]

Not everything is still readily available and even that that is, isn't cheap. Of course if we are talking sky is the limit budget, sure why not.

As for some of the other stuff, it just wouldn't be available and I am not refering to the weaponry. A research team or two are working on air fueled lithium ion batteries that are showing and have the potential for about 10x the energy density as regular lithium ion batteries. The problem is since they are in the research stage and possibly not even patented yet (and certainly not licensed) I doubt very much that the research team would either whip one up for the invetor or give him the specs to create one him/herself.

So even if the weaponry was 'readily available' a lot of the advanced tech that does exist is either still under heavy R&D and the inventors/research teams wouldn't let it out of their sight, or else it is to early in the R&D steps to be considered viable yet (example carbon nanotube ultra capacitors or carbon nanotube armor).

Of course you could still build it with existing tech that is out of R&D stages, but it limits what is possible by quite a bit considering how much some of this 'near tech' promises.
-Matt

[Gamer]

Don't forget all those miles of tunnels, catacomes and aqueducts, man there seemed to be no end to those things and were fun exploring through when I was there.