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Nice new addition.

I just noticed the BlackSteel doesn't have corrupted versions of the Shemarrian Wolf or Monst-Rex...

kronos wrote:Nice new addition.

I just noticed the BlackSteel doesn't have corrupted versions of the Shemarrian Wolf or Monst-Rex...

Uh-oh.

Something to work towards for Halloween?

taalismn wrote:

kronos wrote:Nice new addition.

I just noticed the BlackSteel doesn't have corrupted versions of the Shemarrian Wolf or Monst-Rex...

Uh-oh.

Something to work towards for Halloween?

I was thinking of some ideas.. nothing concrete, but I can't think of a name for either.. any suggestions?

Eshe-AWH06 Ice Fang Daggers
"Who wants an Icy Cone?!"

The Aurora Warriors growing experience with cold based weapons, particularly with solid liquid metallic hydrogen with their Icler heavy sniper weapon, they have expanded the technology into other weapons. The Ice Fang consists of a handle, with a pummel reservoir, with a crescent shaped structure at the top of the handle. From this structure a blade of pure solid liquid metallic hydrogen is formed, and has enough flex and flow to keep an armour penetrating edge. As an added advantage, when these daggers are thrown, or if the wielder wants on a potent melee strike, cause the blade to explode similar to the ammunition of the Icler.
These weapons were given as back up weapons to elite warriors and chiefs. A War Goddess can even replace her vibro-blades with Ice Fangs.

Weight: 5 lbs
MDC: 15 (handle)
Range: melee, thrown 100 ft
Damage: 3d6 MD
On a strike roll of 17-20 deals 6d6 MD
Creatures vulnerable to cold suffer double damage.
When thrown, the cryogenic blade explodes like a concussion grenade in a 15 ft area, dealing 6d6 MD
Against unprotected organic flesh, the projectiles also numb with intense cold; victims must save versus non-lethal poison or suffer debilitating numbness; -1 APM, -2 initiative, -1 strike/parry/dodge, and speed is reduced by 10%. Effects last 1d4 melees.
Payload: Refrigerated magazine holds enough material for 15 grenade uses, or approximately 3 months of heavy use. Power pack lasts for 1 month of heavy use, or powered via induction in the hands of an EShemarrian.
Linked to a reliable power supply, the weapon CAN generate its own cryogenic ammunition from scratch, but the process is slow: one round takes an hour to compress with the weapon’s small capacity and radiating surfaces. 
Special Features:
*Accurate Design---The Ice Dagger is balanced for accuracy; +1 to strike in melee.

kronos wrote:[

I was thinking of some ideas.. nothing concrete, but I can't think of a name for either.. any suggestions?

Corrupted Shemarrian Wolf:
-Necrowolf, Rabisoid, Mangoid, Blackrage

Corrupted Monstrex
-Orcus, Man-eater, Soul-Eater, Nemerex,

kronos wrote:Eshe-AWH06 Ice Fang Daggers
A War Goddess can even replace her vibro-blades with Ice Fangs. .

Getting a FANTASTIC visual in my mind of this, especially s they can regenerate new blades.

Added the Ice Daggers to the Codex Masterfile.

Probably should consider adding the new NPCs to the Name Registry. though I'm piecemeal combing through past posts to remember others quoted in the fluff.

Definitely will be reposting an updated Lexicon with new words and names.

EcoS-K-162 Wyvis Hawkmoon Warmount
(aka ‘Jagwing’, ‘Maul-flier’)

“It’s a flying gunship that punches.”

“BattleHawks just can’t cut it up in the Heborian highlands, I don’t care what the Hawk-riders think. The terrain’s close and the local predators like to lie in wait for anything flying through the buttes and canyons. The Wyvis on the other hand can lash out immediately and claw the living daylights out of whatever tries to jump them...or more correctly claw the throat and brains out of those munkers.”

‘The bite’s not much, but the Wyvis can claw the hell outta you!”

The Wyvis was the result of an early Hawkmoon attempt to streamline their logistics by creating a fully airborne variant of the Monstrex. To save weight, the Tinkers decided to replace the rear legs with folding wings. The effort almost completely undid the project, as the wings could not be articulated and made durable enough to take the weight of the rest of the warsteed without leaving it a hopelessly immobile cripple on the ground. With more immediate problems to deal with, the Hawkmoon elders had the project shelved, and vehicles such as the GaleHawk were adopted as a stopgap.
Still, Tribal Tinkers continued to work away at the idea, out of sheer bloody-minded persistence, even after the perceived need for a cheaper aerial warmount was seen as past. The project had become a personal challenge for many, and after many years and much experimenting and simulation, they finally designed appendages that could work. The Wyvis was realized and put into limited production.
The Wyvis retains the head and forequarters of the Monstrex(the shoulder sensor cluster has been faired into the head), while the rear body has been lengthened to accommodate a longer tail and four pivoting ventral thrusters. The rear hips have been redesigned to accommodate a pair of large articulated wings. The Wyvis can awkwardly balance and walk on the tips of these wings on the ground, allowing its forelimbs freedom to rip and tear at targets, or the warmount can scamper on four limbs. Using the ventral jets to leap into the air, though, the Wyvis can fully deploy its wings and take flight. Once airborne with room to maneuver, the Wyvis comes into its own.
While retaining the armor protection of the Monstrex, the Wyvis suffers the same problems of most aerial Warmounts; light armament. The Wyvis is little better equipped than its BattleHawk cousin. Though able to carry a heavier bomb load clutched under its body, the Wyvis lacks the wing hardpoints of the BattleHawk. Still, in close combat, the Wyvis has the BattleHawk beaten, with the former’s powerful foreclaws , razor-edged wings, and a slashing tail. Airborne predators such as gargoyles have learned to fear aerial grappling with Wyvis squadrons.
While considered no replacement for the BattleHawk, nor approaching it in production in anywhere near the numbers of the avian Warmount, the Wyvis has still managed to gain its share of loyal followers. Ultimately, though, so many changes had to be made in the base Monstrex design to make the Wyvis truly air worthy, that any economically and logistically advantageous commonality of parts was negated and, as one Hawkmoon Warchief put it, ‘it would be less resource-intensive to build a flock of Blackstars for the same effort’. Seen from that perspective, the Wyvis can be considered a failure, but many Wyvis-riders would disagree, swearing by their faithful flying steeds.

Type: EcoS-K-162 Wyvis
Class: Robotic Warmount, Aerial
Crew: None; robot intelligence
1 rider/pilot, and room for 1 passenger
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 430
Head 165
Front Legs(2) 145 each
Foreclaws(2) 115 each
Wings(2) 150 each
Ventral Thrusters(4) 50 each
Tail 90
Height: 10 ft. Standing in its wings, it towers 22 ft to the tops of its wings
Width: 8 ft, 40 ft wingspan
Length: 18 ft+16 ft of tail
Weight: 1.5 tons
Cargo: Small space inside/beside the saddle-seat for a few personal possessions and sidearms.
If not carrying ordnance, the Wyvis can sling a pair of Monstrex A-003 Pack-Mule cargo containers under itself.
Physical Strength: Equivalent to Robotic P.S. of 35
Powerplant: Nuclear w/ 20 year energy life
Speed: (Running) The Wyvis can awkwardly run in a crouched position with its forelegs and stilt-like on its wing tips at a maximum speed of 25 MPH.
(Flying) Hover to 470 MPH, maximum altitude of 10,000 ft.
(Space) Not possible
(Underwater) Not possible
Market Cost: Exclusive to the Ecotroz-Shemar
Systems of Note:
Full optical systems, laser targeting, passive nightvision, telescopic vision, thermal imaging, infrared, ultraviolet, and polarization filters. Also has motion and heat detection, built-in radar( 60 mile range) and other standard power armor-equivalent systems. Additional/special sensors may be built in by the creating Tinkers or at the behest of individual riders/owners.

*Bionic Cybernanite Repair Systems---ALL Wyvis have the same bionic nanotech repair system that the Ecotroz Shemar have refitted themselves with, and which is becoming the standard among NeShemar as well. These systems repair 4d6 MD per hour, and can repair 180 MDC before needing material stocks to convert to MD repair material.


Weapons Systems:
1) Eye Lasers(2)----Standard Shemarrian warmount eye-lasers.
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 3d6 MD single blast, 6d6 MD per simultaneous double blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) Wing Laser Clusters(2)---The ‘wing-ger’ of each wing mounts a fire-synched cluster of light lasers(based on the Flying Titan power armor’s wing guns)
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 2d6 MD single blast, 4d6 MD per simultaneous double blast, 6d6 MD triple blast, and 1d6x10+12 MD for both wing clusters firing simultaneously on the same target(counts as one attack).
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

3) Slash-Tail----Almost as an afterthought, the Monstrex’s tail has been replaced with a longer and more articulated tail. Though it helps serve as a rudder, the tail also ends in a slashing blade based on Naruni ‘ripper’ blades.
Range: Melee
Damage: 3d6 MD for the tail, 4d6 MD for the blade.
Combined, does 7d6 MD, plus, due to serrated nature of the blade, the jagged wounds inflicted take longer to heal.

4) Tnruster Blast----The Wyvis can angle its four ventral thrusters to deliver a concussive blast at short range, capable of knocking targets over.
Range: 30 ft, and covering a 20 ft wide area
Damage: 4d6 MD, plus objects up to 400 lbs in weight can be picked up and whirled by the thrust and thrown up to 50 ft, doing 2d6 SDC/MD damage on landing(or inflicting that much on hit targets).

5) (Optional) Spear Rack---The saddle can be fitted with a spear rack with 20 MDC and holding 4-6 spears. Thrown from the air, the spears get an extra +1 to damage, +1d4 if thrown as part of a dive-bomb, due to the extra speed behind the throw.

6) (Optional)Modular Weapons(2)---The Wyvis has provision for shoulder-mounting two weapons similar to those standard to the Monstrex.

7) (Optional) Bombs---The Wyvis can carry a single bomb, mine, or torpedo between its legs , but the extra drag will cut the Warsteed’s maximum speed by 1/3 until the ordnance is deployed/ejected.
Damage: Varies by weapon carried;
*250-lb Bomb----2d4x10 MD to 50 ft blast radius
*500-lb Bomb----4d4x10 MD to 60 ft blast radius
*750-lb Bomb----4d6x10 MD to 65 ft blast radius
*1,000-lb Bomb----1d4x100 MD to 70 ft blast radius
*Medium Torpedo ----2d6x10 MD
Payload: One bomb(up to 750 lbs) or a single torpedo(up to Medium class)
Note: The Wyvis can engage in dive-bombing maneuvers; doing so means that the Warsteed approaches the target in a dive(45-degrees or better), releases its bomb(at 5,000 ft or less distance from the target), and then pulls out. A successful dive-bombing attack requires a Piloting roll at -10%, but the dropped ordnance is +2 to strike, and gets a +2d4 MD for the extra speed assist in penetration.

Programming:
The Ecotroz have installed robotic AIs, then infected the matrix with a low-level Ecotroz sentience.
The Wyvis has all the same standard programing as the Monstrex, but is configured for aerial movement and combat.
Has the equivalent of the following(for aerial maneuvering purposes):
Pilot Jet Fighter 70%(+5% per level of experience).
The Ecotroz entity can also pick up one Secondary skill at levels 2, 6, and 12 of experience, though the nature of the Wyvis intelligence and design is such that it is limited to skill selections from Technical: Language(understanding) and Lore (Cattle & Animals, Indians, Juicers, Magic, Demons & Monsters, D-Bees, Faerie---at least with regards to identifying their relative threat level), and Wilderness( Hunting).

Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 6
(Following bonuses are for the Wyvis alone; remember, the rider can cybernetically/psionically link to her ride)
Initiative +2 (+1 from the Ecotroz entity for a total of +3)
Dodge +3 (+6 dodge in flight)
Strike +2 (+2 w/ ranged weaponry)
Roll +2 (+4 in flight)
Parry +7
Pull Punch/Kick +4
Critical Strike on natural 19-20
Controlled Bite/Nip 6d6 SDC
Bite 1d6 MD
Blunt Claw Strike 2d4 MD
Full Strength Claw Strike 4d6+3 MD
Power Claw Strike(2 attacks) 8d6+3 MD
Flying Claw Strike(Both claws. 2 attacks) 2d4x10+20 MD + 50% chance of knocking targets off their feet
Wing Slash 2d4 MD
Tail Lash 3d6 MD
Tail Blade 4d6 MD
Tail Blade Slash 7d6 MD

Note: The Ecotroz intelligence fragment inhabiting the ‘bot gives the Wyvis an aura and behavior more befitting a sentient being than a robot. Wyvises tend to be cunning and aggressive aerial hunters not unlike birds of prey(or the ancient flying dinosaurs). Some of their Monstrex ancestry does show through in their ability to easily work in flying packs, hunting cooperatively to chase down prey. Gargoyles and Black-Winged Monster-Men are considered favored prey/natural enemies, as are Leatherwings. A favorite tactic is for a pack of Wyvises to surround such monsters in their aeries(such as a mountain crag or abandoned skyscraper) and force the monsters out into ambush by other warmounts hovering in wait.

The Ecotroz fragment does occasionally need sleep/rest...though they only need 2 hours of rest/meditation per 24 hours...they can push this, going without for as many days as they have I.Q. points(most Warmounts, unless otherwise noted, have an effective IQ rating of 8 ), but will have to go dormant for 4d6 hours after such exertion.
Note also that the Ecotroz-possessed ‘bot can infect other bots with the Ecotroz viral-entity, by bite or sustained touch(takes 3 attacks).

Options:
*Ripper Wing Blades----The sharp edges of the wings can be fitted with serrated vibro-blades similar to those in the tail. When extended, these blades increase wing-slash damage to 2d6 MD and also create a distinctive whistling sound in flying slipstream.

*Flare/Chaff Launchers(1-2)---Countermeasure launchers can be mounted on the tail of the Warmount, for decoying guided missiles.

Range: Close Defense
Damage: None; similar to Triax-style 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!
Will also temporarily blind and impede flying monsters who fly into it.
Reduce APMs/combat bonuses/ speed by half for 1d4 melees
Payload: 18 per launcher

Nice new addition.. although you forgot to put the full damage of double blast from the wing laser clusters.. just says "4" MD

kronos wrote:Nice new addition.. although you forgot to put the full damage of double blast from the wing laser clusters.. just says "4" MD

Oops...fixed(should say 4d6x100 MD)


Advanced Cultural Notes: The Shemarrians and the (Non-Shemar) Sexes
“We recognize you, Vale Avans-AuraBlade and Sylva Trey-ShadeDancer, as Ne-Shadi Moraes, for your bravery, in spite of your physical challenges on the field of battle. Come forth and sit at the table of your Sisters tonight and henceforth, and on the morrow be Upgraded, so you may train with them without handicap in body!”

“You’re a good bed-mate, Kal, but you just aren’t command material. Nothing I could say or do can change that. Don’t feel bad about it; you can’t help it. Men just aren’t cut out to be high officers.”

“The one in the silver chains and nothing else? That one once commanded an army of several thousand men opposing us with robot steel and nuclear fire. Now she polishes my armor and trembles in fear of leaving streaks or blemishes on the chrome that I might notice.”
----Serenity Lunasfire---Silvermoon War Chief

“We armored bros? We may have the body armor and the big rifles, but we’re just spear carriers in the chorus. Those girls in the skintight body film, with the shiny plasma blades? The ones with the nanotech and biotech bo-augs? They’re blooded warriors. They’re our boss-lady’s Companions; she listens to them, and they get a vote in tribal meetings.”

While the Shemarrians may be a matriarchal culture, they do not regard all females alike. Indeed, the balance of genders in Shemarrian society favors females with regards to filling important societal roles(especially leadership and combat), with males making up a large minority assigned less dangerous tasks. However, many EShemar like acquiring retinues of female neshemar, who are often observed in subservient roles(and at worst as something akin to pets, to almost fetishistic levels). Male neshemar seem to be allowed to carry out the same responsibilities as the Female EShemar, filling the ranks of the militia and technical units, though in second and third echelons.
One school of thinking from outside seems to be that non-shemar females are treated as challengers, and the EShemar dominate their challengers, putting non-shemar rivals in their place under the control of the gynoids. Male non-shemar are not regarded as rivals, and are thus allowed to ‘play’ at being responsible in their former roles.
Another more informed take is that the EShemar, with their reproduction via assembly line or Progen, see their neshemar subjects as dependent on biological means to reproduce, and thus a form of ‘biological destiny’ is allowed to take place, with the females taking the softer childbearing and nurturing roles shielded by layers of males. Male non-shemar are regarded largely as drones, or perhaps expendable assets protecting their more valuable and important females. NeShemar women are thus seen as, by nature, non-warriors and regarded in the same light as Acolytes or Tinkers within the EShemar social structure, and patronized accordingly.
This is not entirely true. In fact, female neshemar in militia positions are far more likely to receive special training and preferential treatment when it comes to equipment and augmentation. An EShemar Elite may hold nominal command over an all-male platoon of neshemar militia, but she will also be directly sponsoring and overseeing a half-dozen female valta(‘little weapon sisters’) who receive her attention in training and equipment, and share her immediate household. Females are more likely to be promoted from the ranks of the low militia to more prestigious assignments with the EShemar. Few males receive the more advanced forms of augmentation that female neshemar get access to, and there are few initiatives to develop special augmentations for males(the Blood Rider Rajeshar being a notable exception). Though an EShemar might decide to leave her valta Companions behind on a particularly dangerous deployment, such decisions are usually made on the basis of physical advantage(taking organic companions along on a mission into a plague-zone or the middle of a yboor infestation would be suicidal for the organics, for example), rather than a discriminatory lack of faith in their abilities.

This is not to say that the Shemar do not value male neshemar. Indeed, many eshemar have established true friendships with the ‘lesser’ non-shemar and neshemar men, and Progen has made the more trusting and romantic relationships capable of bearing offspring. Exceptional neshemar men may enjoy the patronage, indeed competitive bidding of patronage, from female EShemar, if they are seen as hero and champion material, or display special talents. But males, especially neshemar men, rarely rise to positions of real authority in Shemarrian society, outside small fraternities such as the Ghezo Guard.

EcoS-K-163 Skeettra Aerial Warmount
(aka ‘BlackWing’, ‘StormWing’)

“Don’t try to dogfight with the enemy; the BlackWing’s not made for that....slip away from them, evade them, blast them at a distance.”

“Once you light off the ramjet for the supersonic dash to the target, you’re going to light up damned near every sky-sensor on the coast. You better hope that your countermeasures can handle whatever they throw up at you and that there aren’t any nasty surprises in your way. ”

“If you blasted that thing into a water crash here, shouldn’t we have found debris already?”
---Kydian coastal defense officer, after an aerial raid by unidentifed aerial forces on a Splugorth outpost, West Africa, and shortly before an amphibious attack on Splugorth shipping in the same area

“The Skeettra crews have become something of a new elite amongst the DarkWater forces, in that they’re undertaking missions with the potential to really HURT our enemies within their own territory and in areas we couldn’t easily reach before. Nobody resnts their newfound celebrity, however, because they work for their honors with the risks they take.”

The Skeettra was, on the first distant observations, mistaken for a variant, then an upscaled variant, of the EcoS-K-46 Aquilon. It is now known that the Skeettra started out as the DarkWaters’ effort to produce an amphibious variant of the EcoS-K-45 Cyroc, but even a joint Hawkmoon/DarkWater design team was unable to make the concept work with the technology at the time. Instead, the DarkWaters chose to develop the concept in their own time, eventually repurposing their work as a complement to the emerging Exocetii. The Skeettra would serve as a heavier air-sea strike warmount that could carry out attacks well inland. Though larger and slower at cruising speed than the fast and nimble Exocetii, the Skeettra would be able to carry a heavier warload of expendable ordnance.
The Skeettra resembles a giant cyborg manta ray, with wide wings, flying wing body, a long thin tail, protroding eye ‘horns’, and a large gaping mouth. The large mouth(a small feeding mouth is located in the roof of it, just inside the inlet) is now a large intake for several small turbofans venting through the ‘gill’ slits, and a larger and more powerful ramjet exhausting through a normally closed tailpipe under the tail.
The riders sit in a conformal cockpit pod attached to the dorsal surface of the body. An enclosing windshield canopy protects the riders from slipstream in both air and water, and the pod can eject in an emergency(deployable air foils assist the module in gliding away from the stricken warmount in the case of an aerial bailout.)
The Skeettra is heavily armed, befitting its assigned role as a fighter-bomber. Two powerful lasers are mounted in its eye stalks, and a third energy weapon protects the tail arcs. Four projectile launch modules mounted in the wings can carry torpedoes or missiles, and a weapons bay carries additional mission-tailored ordnance.
As an amphibious warmount, the Skeettra is meant to be able to quickly deploy by air to reinforce Darkwater squadrons, ideally dropping on an enemy’s un-watched flanks. As an aerial warmount, the Skeettra can engage opponents at long range, using missiles and lasers, or make high speed dashes to deliver strikes on enemy targets. Underwater, it is equally as capable as a hunter-killer, using the same lasers and possoble torpedo armaments. Stealth features, combined with the Skeettra’s wing-fin-body blending, increase the warmount’s chances of going undetected on either attack approach or escape course.
The weaknesses of the Skeettra are its melee combat capabilities. Despite its size, the cybermanta lacks effective weapons in-close, aside from a weak(and awkward) bite, wing slash or slap, and a slightly more effective tail slash. It is also, being a creature of air and sea, almost completely helpless on dry land. If assigned to a land-based deployment, its best chance of surviving attack is to hide in a fortified revetment or hangar until it can get airborne or escape to sea. It is also not as agile as some warmounts in the air, but can outpace them once it fires up ts ramjets.
That having been said, the DarkWaters are absolutely dotty about this latest addition to their arsenal, and the possibilities it represents for striking at the enemies of the SN. They’ve had to relearn a lot about bomber operations, however, so their first raids have been low-key affairs meant to train up the crews and acclimate the new Warmounts to their roles. The DarkWaters have also approached the Ghost Riders with intent to acquire the templates to the EcoS-K-51 Nightscream, or at least of forming joint units made up of the two warmount types, the Darkwaters envisioning the smaller Nightscreams assisting the larger Skeettra in penetrating enemy air defenses.
The Skeettra, it has been discovered(in the aforementioned talks with the Ghost Riders), has been mistaken during some of its runs along the American coast, for Coalition aircraft such as the NA-15 Nightwing and the SF-7 Talon, Though this confusion has alarmed nations like Lazlo(who have learned of the latter top secret stealth craft and regard it as one of their techno-boggiemen), the Shemarrian Nation has not corrected their nominal allies’ apprehension, instead using the rumors to hide their own development of advanced supersonic stealth strikecraft. To further the confusion, several of the raids in Africa have been accompanied by ‘leaked’ snatches of radio traffic using known CS Navy and military communications codes, while others have used NGR frequencies(or open Euro or Golden Age language ).
To many in the Shemarrian Nation, the Skeettra is closing the gap between Warmounts and true vehicles like aerospace fighters.

Type: EcoS-K-163 Skeettra
Class: Robotic Warmount. Air/Sea(Aerial)
Crew: None; robot intelligence
1 rider/pilot, and room for 1 passenger
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 490
Head 160
Laser EyeStalks(2) 100 each
Saddle Pod 120
Wings(2) 250 each
Missile Launchers(4) 90 each
Tail 100
Legs(4) 35 each
Height: 10 ft
Width: 70 ft wingspan
Length: 50 ft+25 ft tail
Weight: 43,000 lbs
Cargo: Small space inside the cockpit for a few personal possessions and sidearms.
Physical Strength: Equivalent to Robotic P.S. of 40
Powerplant: Nuclear w/ 20 year energy life
Speed: (Running) Can hobble along on its articulated landing legs at 5 MPH
(Flying) Hover to 1,005 MPH(Mach 1.5) , maximum altitude of 60,000 ft. Can engage a ramjet system for speeds of 1,257 MPH(Mach 2.1), but can only maintain this speed for 3 hours before needing 5 hours at cruising to cool down.
(Space) Not possible
(Underwater) 70 MPH, maximum depth tolerance of 9,000 ft.
Market Cost: Exclusive to the Ecotroz-Shemar
Systems of Note:
Full optical systems, laser targeting, passive nightvision, telescopic vision, thermal imaging, infrared, ultraviolet, and polarization filters. Also has motion and heat detection, built-in radar( 100 mile range) and other standard power armor-equivalent systems. Additional/special sensors may be built in by the creating Tinkers or at the behest of individual riders/owners.

*Bionic Cybernanite Repair Systems---ALL Skeettra have the same bionic nanotech repair system that the Ecotroz Shemar have refitted themselves with, and which is becoming the standard among NeShemar as well. These systems repair 4d6 MD per hour, and can repair 140 MDC before needing material stocks to convert to MD repair material.

*Radar/EW Detector---Detects radar or electromagnetic wave activity near the Skeettra.
*Laser Detector---Alerts if the Skeettra is scanned or locked by a laser beam

*Sonar ----30 mile range

*MAD---Mounted under the tail is a deployable boom for a Magnetic Anomaly Detector, that can be used to detect the presence and movement of large metallic masses(i.e. ships) by the ‘displacement’ wave they make in relation to the Earth’s magnetic field. Range: 5 miles, and has a 70% chance of detecting submerged vessels(-20%) for nonmetallic objects, and no chance of detecting organics).

*Stealth Design---The Skeettra’s blended wing design and ‘smartskin’ body covering give it good passive stealth characteristics.-30% to be detected by enemy sensor systems

*Silent Running---The flex-wing and tail, combined with the smartskibe features, allow the Skeettra to imitate the swimming motions of its organic inspirations, and it can quietly glide and flap through water at a leisurely 25 MPH, during which it is only 10% likely to be picked up on passive sonar systems.

*ECM Suite---The Skeettra mounts a powerful ECM suite, the better to survive enemy detection and attack. Enemy radar-guided weapons are -6 to strike

*Detachable Cockpit Pod----The entire cockpit pod can eject in the case of a high altitude/high speed bailout, and deploy airfoils to glide away. Underwater, it can deploy its own hydrojets and motor away at 50 MPH.

Weapons Systems:
1) Eye Lasers(2)---Not actually mounted in the eyes, but located adjacent to them in the protruding ‘palps’, these are powerful long range laser cannons.
Range: 6,000 ft in air and underwater
Damage: 2d4x10 MD per blast, 4d4x10 MD for both lasers firing simultaneously(counts as one attack)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively unlimited

2) Wing Missile/Torpedo Launchers(4)---The Skeettra’s wings each have two embedded arrays of launch tubes, one under and the other over the mid-line of the wing. Each array can hold ONE of the following configurations:
a) Mini-Torpedoes---24
b) Short Range Torpedoes----12
c) Medium Range Torpedoes---6
d) Mini-Missiles---24
e) Short Range Missiles---12
f) Medium Range Missiles---6
g)Sea/Air Rocket-Torps---A knockoff of Kittani nautical weaponry.
Range:(Underwater) 20 miles
(Air) 75 miles
Speed:(Underwater) 400 MPH
(Air) Mach 3
Damage: 4d6x10 MD
Payload: 6
Bonuses: (Torpedo)Because of the torpedoes’ higher speed and advanced targeting systems, the Sea Fire doesn’t suffer the same range and accuracy penalties as conventional torpedoes. The Sea Fire has a +1 to strike, and a +3 to strike within 3,000 ft of the target.
(Missile)---Not quite as accurate as a dedicated anti-shipping missile, but more powerful. +3 to strike


3) Weapons Bay---Behind the gill/thruster slits is a ventral weapons bay that can be fitted with a rotary weapons dispenser.
Other avionics and weapons packages are also possible(and in development), such as sensor pallets, jamming modules, and forcefield generators, to name a few, but the following configuratons are currently the most common:
a) Mini-Torpedoes---Volleys of 1-10, 100 mini-torpedoes.
b) Short Range Torpedoes----24
c) Medium Range Torpedoes---12
d) Long Range Torpedoes---6
e) Mini-Missiles---Volleys of 1-10, 120 missiles.
f) Short Range Missiles---24
g) Medium Range Missiles---12
h) Long Range Missiles----6
i) Sea/Air Rocket-Torps---A knockoff of Kittani nautical weaponry.
Range:(Underwater) 20 miles
(Air) 75 miles
Speed:(Underwater) 400 MPH
(Air) Mach 3
Damage: 4d6x10 MD
Payload: 12
Bonuses: (Torpedo)Because of the torpedoes’ higher speed and advanced targeting systems, the Sea Fire doesn’t suffer the same range and accuracy penalties as conventional torpedoes. The Sea Fire has a +1 to strike, and a +3 to strike within 3,000 ft of the target.
(Missile)---Not quite as accurate as a dedicated anti-shipping missile, but more powerful. +3 to strike

j) Mines----Mines are equivalent to their missile warhead counterparts, but have an underwater blast radius THREE times larger.

k) Underwater Decoy Pods---These countermeasure dispensers typically hold one of the following types of decoys.
-Screamers----Screamers are specialized one-use munitions that when fired, broadcast a massive burst of noise across all audio/sonic frequencies, with the intended effect of destroying acoustic target(sonar) locks, and allowing the sub to escape opponents using sonar to detect or track them. -60% to track the Warmount via sonar while the Screamer is in effect, while sonar-guided weapons are -10 to strike, plus acoustic-homing weapons will break target lock to attack the decoy.
Screamers also have the effect of stunning dolphins, whales, and other creatures using natural sonar and echo location. These creatures are disoriented/stunned for 1d4 melees.
A typical screamer will last 1d4 melees until it burns out or is destroyed.
Screamers can also be fused to ignite/activate anywhere up to a minute(4 melees) after deployment.
Note: Screamers will affect the user’s own sonar systems.
Range: 6,000 ft
-Deep Flares---Deep Flares are fast-burning underwater illumination sources used as distractions in deep sea operations. Though fairly useless as weapons, Deep Flares are effective at night and against deep-sea creatures sensitive to bright light. Deep Flares will blind surprised targets for 1d4 melees(half all combat bonuses and skill rolls while trying to overcome temporary blindness). Useless against targets using sonar, or without eyes.
Range: 1,000 ft
Damage: 1d4 MD if it scores a direct hit on a target; Otherwise, no damage, aside from possible flash disorientation. :
Area of effect: 100 ft area in diameter(suspended silt/debris in the water may limit this).
Payload: 18 decoys per pod, which is the size of a medium range missile/torpedo.

l) Bombs---Freefall ordnance. Can carry up to 5,000 lbs in bombs:
*250-lb Bomb----2d4x10 MD to 50 ft blast radius
*500-lb Bomb----4d4x10 MD to 60 ft blast radius
*750-lb Bomb----4d6x10 MD to 65 ft blast radius
*1,000-lb Bomb----1d4x100 MD to 70 ft blast radius
*2,000-lb Bomb----2d4x100 MD to 80 ft blast radius
“Smart’ guided bombs of various types are also likely to be carried by the Skeettra.
Can also drop TW munitions similar to those available to the HRL-54 ‘Pall Bringer’ Heavy Rocket Launcher:

*TW Magma Weapon---Modified River of Lava spell, that creates a pool 450 ft in diameter instead, that lasts 15 minutes. Anything caught in it takes 2d6x10 MD per melee. If deployed in shallow water it lasts only 7 minutes and does HALF damage, but creates huge bubbles, kills local sea life, and produces a massive cloud of superheated steam that blinds anyone on the surface, fouls up thermographic imaging systems, and creates a belching sonar static that can screw up passive sonar systems in the area.

*TW Tsunami Weapon---Designed for attacking coastal targets, this weapon creates a tidal wave roughly 150 ft high, 3,000 ft long, lasts 15 melees, reach as far as 450 ft inland, and does 4d6x10 MD per melee. Also has a 75% chance of capsizing any ships it catches.
Note: This weapon is INEFFECTIVE unless aimed at a sizable body of water, such as an ocean, large lake, or deep river(at least 20 ft deep).

*TW Hurricane Weapon----Ocean-attack weapon, but can also be used against large lakes. Creates a massive sea storm that covers a 120 ft area, 100-150 mph winds, and 30 ft high waves. Does 3d6x10 MD per melee to large structures, and 1d6 MD to anyone caught out in the open. Effects last 15 minutes.

*TW Maelstrom Weapon---Another ocean-attack weapon, for attacking shipping and submarine warships/installations(though in the case of the tank-mounted weapon, it is typically used to attack coastal, lakeshore, or riverside targets), generating a sizeable whirlpool in any large body of water it is aimed at.
Whirlpools are 120 ft wide, lasts 15 minutes, and does 1d4x10 MD to anything caught in its center, 2d6x10 MD per melee to large ships, and 1d6x100 MD to them if they get submerged or if the whirlpool ‘breaks the ship’s back’.

*TW Earthquake Weapon---Warhead acts as a 15th level Elemental Earthquake spell; 3500 ft area of effect, doing 2d6x100 MD per melee, for fifteen melees. Generates a fissure 900 ft long, doing damage to everything within 600 ft on either side of it. A full spread of Earthquakers can destroy a county.

*TW Stormfront Weapon---Airburst warhead that unleashes a Tornado, and an accompanying Summon Storm, both equivalent to the 15th level Elemental Warlock Spells. The HRL-54 round actually launches 4 smaller warheads in the larger LRM casing.
Tornadoes are 100 ft in diameter, last 15 minutes, and do 3d6x10 MD per melee to anything caught by them, and an additional 2d6x10 MD to anything hurled out. Wood, clay, and stone structures take 4d6x10 points of damage(SDC or MDC), and trees are uprootted in one melee round. The tornado will also randomly wander about in a half-mile area before dispersing.
The storm element creates a drenching, obscuring downpour that drops 4 inches of rain per hour, does 1-6 points of structural S.D.C. per half hour, creates immobilizing floods, and reduces visibility to near zilch; storm covers a 14 mile area, and lasts 7 hours

*TW Sphere of Annihilation---The most expensive and devastating of the TW Warheads is the Sphere of Annihilation, that creates a minute quantity of anti-matter, that explodes with a force greater than any nuclear device of comparable size! The MAULER round actually launches 4 smaller warheads in the larger LRM casing.
The warhead does 2d4x100 MD to a point target, plus an additional 4d6x10 MD to a 10 ft radius, and have a +3 on top of targeting system bonuses, to strike their target. The submunitions can be ‘shotgunned’ to spread out over a 1,000 ft arc to spread the joy across a wider front, or can be targeted on one target. All four submunitions going off on one target do 8d4x100 MD, 4d6x10 MD to a 150 ft radius, and 2d4x10 MD out to 300 ft!

*Enhanced EMP Weapon---This weapon generates an intense Electro-Magnetic Pulse capable of frying unshielded electronics and disrupting even shielded military systems. Against technological societies, this weapon can cause absolute chaos!
The warhead does 1d4x100 EMP damage(no physical damage) to a 5,000 ft radius. The resulting percentage of the target location MDC is the chance of shutdown/disablement. All damage is cumulative. Damage in excess of 50% target MDC will require repair to make it functional; 75% or more damage will require replacement of the entire electrical system. Does double damage to non-shielded civilian systems. Bionics are -1 to dodge, roll, and strike for the affected limb/system, lasting 1d4 melees, non-cumulative, before the system resets itself.

*Fusion Cluster Weapon---Deploys 11 submunitions that orient in flight to fire a directed blast of plasma at a target---Does 1d4x100+10 MD to a 15 ft blast radius,6d6 MD concussion damage to a 55 ft blast radius.

*Nuclear Warhead---Though the Skeettra has not yet been seen deploying nuclear weapons, it is certainly a possibility, and speculation is that the most likely type to be carried by the warmounts is a dialable yield 2-10kt weapon.

m) Aerial Decoys----The Skeettra can carry and deploy aerial decoys that power or glide away from the warmount while pumping out signals and emissions suggesting a much larger vehicle(such as the Skeettra). These were adapted from the decoy drones of other nations, but use Shemarrian technology. The Skeettra can use these to assist its own penetration of enemy airspace or to support other fully loaded strike units.
MDC of Drone: 50
Size: 8 ft long, 3 ft wide, w/ 13 ft wingspan w/ wings fully deployed
Speed: Mach 1
Range: 100 miles
Damage: None, aside from self-destruct
ECM: Jams enemy sensors and radio transmissions with 50% effectiveness (range: 25 mile radius). Can also be programmed to pump out misleading radar signatures conforming to other craft, including larger aircraft. In an emergency, the drone can pump out so much signature that enemy missiles and sensor guided weapons targeted on the mothership(must be within 10 miles of each other to be effective) will be +4 to strike the drone, and will lose target lock on the launch-ship.
Bonuses: Drones are +4 to dodge attacks
The Skeetra can carry up to six such decoys, or 2-4 and 2,000 lbs of ordnance.


4) Tail Ion Cannon---Imitating a stingray, the Skeettra carries a rear energy weapon to dissuade attackers from behind. It can fire in either a narrow beam or a scatter-fan mode that can affect a wider area. The ion blaster also has enhanced EM/overload properties similar to a Lightning Blaster.
Range: 7,000 ft
Scatter-Shot Mode: 4,000 ft
Damage: 1d4x10 MD
Scatter-Shot Mode: 5d6 MD to a 30 ft wide area
Plus, roll for the following:
01-15: No additional damage
16-30 Instruments flicker out, before coming back online in 1d4 seconds. Target loses Initiative.
31-45 All weapons temporarily out, and minor electrical fires. One system comes back online in 1d4 melee rds.
46-60 All systems temporarily out, and minor electrical fires. -30% to piloting skills if target is a manned vehicle. Systems come back online after 1d4 melee rds.
61-75 Communications, radar, and targeting are disabled, but weapons systems are unaffected. -3 to strike and no initiative. Damage requires physical repair.
76-90 Instruments are completely totaled. If a manned vehicle, the following skill penalties apply; -25% at one-third of maximum speed, -50% at HALF maximum speed, and -75% at full speed. NO initiative roll, -3 to dodge(-5 if an AI), -3 to strike(-5 if an AI), and lose one action per melee round(2 if an AI)
91-00 Total knockout. Controls do not respond, and machine is out of control. Crash/collapse/total shutdown within 2d4 minutes.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively unlimited

5) Flare/Chaff Dispensers(2)---Mounted in the tail is a pair of countermeasure launchers:
Range: Close Defense
Damage: None; similar to Triax-style 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!
Will also temporarily blind and impede flying monsters who fly into it.
Reduce APMs/combat bonuses/ speed by half for 1d4 melees
Payload: 18 per launcher

Programming:
The Ecotroz have installed robotic AIs, then infected the matrix with a low-level Ecotroz sentience.
Typically has the following: (for aerial maneuvering purposes):
Pilot Jet Fighter 70%(+5% per level of experience).
Underwater Navigation 80%(+5% per level of experience for Ecotroz entity)
Undersea & Sea Survival 94%
The Ecotroz entity can also pick up one Secondary skill at levels 2, 6, and 12 of experience, though the nature of the Skeettra intelligence and design is such that it is limited to skill selections from Technical: Language(understanding) and Lore (Cattle & Animals, Indians, Juicers, Magic, Demons & Monsters, D-Bees, Faerie---at least with regards to identifying their relative threat level), and Wilderness( Hunting).

Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 5
Initiative +2 (+1 from the Ecotroz entity for a total of +3)
Dodge +3 underwater , +7 in flight
Strike +1 (+2 w/ ranged weaponry)
Roll +4 underwater/in flight
Bite 1d6 MD
Wing Slash 4d6 MD+1 for every 20 MPH of speed from a full strength slicing attack(+30 MD at maximum speed)
Tail Slash 6d6 MD

Note: The Ecotroz intelligence fragment inhabiting the ‘bot gives the Skeettra an aura and behavior more befitting a sentient being than a robot. Skeettras are patient, careful, and intelligent, with an effective animal I.Q. of 10, and they can use their long range sensors to plot tactics(such as evasive courses or interceptions) even if they cannot see their opponents. They work well in squadrons, and are frequently teamed with Exocetti escorts.

Skeettras also exhibit a higher than normal level of natural psionics; the Skeettra has the following Natural Psionic Abilities(no ISP Cost), all equivalent to 6th level with regards to range and proficiency.
*See Aura
* See the Invisible

The Ecotroz fragment does occasionally need sleep/rest...though they only need 2 hours of rest/meditation per 24 hours...they can push this, going without for as many days as they have I.Q. points(most Warmounts, unless otherwise noted, have an effective IQ rating of 8 ), but will have to go dormant for 4d6 hours after such exertion.
Note also that the Ecotroz-possessed ‘bot can infect other bots with the Ecotroz viral-entity, by bite or sustained touch(takes 3 attacks).


Options:
*30mm Cannon Pods(2-6) ---A secondary armament of 30mm cannon has been suggested for improved ground attack capabilities. Two cannon can be mounted in the underside of the main body and an additional two cannon blisters can be mounted under each wing for a total of six forward-firing weapons.
Range: 9,500 ft
Damage: 4d6 MD single rd, 1d6x10 MD two rd burst, 3d6x10 MD for a six-shot burst
Rate of Fire: Single shot , two-round, or six-round burst
Payload: 240 rds per pod

There’s a million epic tales in the ranks of the Shemarrian clans; these are just a few of them.....

Doctor Lizbeth Sudenak
(aka “Lab Subject Sudie’)

“’Where’s my lab coat’? For anything involving alien organisms that I don’t know everything about and cannot certify as one hundred percent harmless, my ‘lab coat’ is a fully sealed, heavily armored, and heavily armed Class Five encounter suit!”

“-when I said I wanted some protection in my field work, I did NOT anticipate being locked into a full-body VR immersion tank linked to a cyberhumanoid telepresence simulation of my body!”

“Ah, seriously....the research assistants wear red leather when not in hazmat gear?”
#”Well, Blood Rider ones tend to do so. It reflects their -PASSION- for research work.”#
“The Blood Riders, they’re the ones who run into combat wearing nothing but a lot of skin, right?”
#’Some of them, yes. The Berserkers, certainly.”#
“But....we’re part of the Wayfinders, right? Why are we using Blood Rider dress code?”
#”You’re part of an Eccentric’s staff. They get to pick and choose what traditions they follow. And you were wearing arguably less when you were working on that space station.”#

<<“Hello, Sister CytoCrafter! I’m recalibrating my full-somatic cerebro-stimu-scanner interface! Can I borrow your neshe-assistant?”>>
))“Certainly you may, Sister Replimancer!”((
“What? Don’t I get a say in thi-AiiYE(fchlup!)(...!!!!...)
))“Just bring her back without any holes in her head or too many in her memory, okay?”((

“VEEEDDDOOORRRRR!!!!!! THISISALLYOURFAULT!!!GETMEOUTOFTHISTHI-mmphf!”

Former exobiology researcher for the emergent rim-world of Darspae, the young scientist thought she’d landed a plum position, despite her youth and relative inexperience, when she was assigned to Darspaean ExoXen Study Facility-03, a deep space laboratory studying samples returned by Darspaean space missions. The position took her off stultifying, mentally-calcified Darspae and out among the stars, on the edge of the frontier, studying new and wondrous things! In reality, as she found out, almost too late, she was being fed to an alien intelligence as part of a deep government deal in return for alien biotech. Fortunately, an EShemarrian scout studies group, that were watching the Darspaean space efforts, detected the alien lifeforms aboard the space station and the suspicious activity around it. They broke in and rescued Dr. Sudenak before she could be absorbed, and sabotaged the lab in their escape.
In the times that followed, young Dr. Sudenak might have wondered if she was still being sacrificed to aliens, what with how she was transported from alien facility to alien facility, encapsulated, bottled, frozen, dipped, probed, scanned, until her new alien captors/hosts decided to talk to her , rather than treat her as an intriguing new lab animal. Even after she was offered a position as a neshemar junior scientist working under a Research Tinker, she found that some of her new alien colleagues seemed to regard her more as an interesting biological test subject(to date, she’s been scanned multiple times, biopsied, injected with several varieties of nanotech, locked in a VR tank and linked to a telepresence proxy-body, electronically cloned, chased by prototype biota sampling devices, and zapped several times with remote stunning or stimulation systems, often without warning) . Her new superior, Tinker-Baotra Vaylane CytoCrafter, seems to find it all very amusing, especially when she reminds the young neshemar that it’s all in the name of SCIENCE, and that the frequent indignities Lizbeth suffers often end up with some improvement in her health and physical abilities.
Dr. Sudenak has since thrown in her lot with the Shemarrians, though she did try to pass back warnings to her few friends on Darspae about the duplicity of the world government. Has something of a love-dislike relationship with Doctor Kasic Vedor, the transferred intelligence AI who rescued her from being eaten alive. On one hand, she’s immensely grateful for what he did to get her out of harm’s way, and his endorsement of her abilities(though he did criticize her lack of caution)...on the other hand, so much weird and embarrassing stuff has happened to her since that she feels he’s at least partially to blame. Despite her modest beginnings with a society just entering the interstellar scene, and her seeming tendency to be treated as a lab animal or test subject by a lot of her gynoid superiors, she is respected for her occasional novel insights on galactic lifeforms.
Lizabeth will readily admit that she is a child of cities, and isn’t really into that wilderness stuff, so she’s most comfortable working in a lab, rather than roughing it with field teams. If she accompanies any group into an alien environment, she’ll either be bundled into heavy environmental hazmat gear, or operating a telepresence rig. However, any lab she’s working in, she’ll want to keep the alien stuff as far away from herself as possible with as many safety barriers or layers of isolation between her and it as possible. As a neShemar, she’s been obliged to take mandatory basic combat training, though she is not a warrior by disposition. It irks her that her supervisor(s) have seen seen fit to test and refresh her physical skills(as well as their prototypes) by slicing specimen-collection ‘bots on her from time to time; no body how cautious she is, or how fast her augments make her, the ‘bots seem to get faster.

Level of Experience: 6th Level AU Xenobiologist(was 3rd when she was rescued)
Rank: Assistant Research Scientist(ne-Komte equiv.)
Race: Human
Alignment: Principled
Land of Origin: Darspae, Devi Galaxy
Age: 24
Sex: Female
Height: 5’ 6”
Weight: 110 lbs
Physical Description/Appearance:
A young athletic-build Caucasian human(oid) female with light skin, blonde hair, and pale blue eyes.
Disposition:
Enthusiastic and cheery, with an upbeat disposition and a great curiosity about things. She likes staying fit and exercises regularly and intensely. Going into space to study alien life was the fulfillment of a dream for her.
Her enthusiasm took something of a hit when she discovered her Darspaean superiors valued her less for her mind and skills, and more for her body, brain-flavor, and expendability. Their betrayal of her has made her much more cautious and mindful of security protocols(she will always insist on knowing the particulars of, and having, a security presence at all times when any facility she is in plays host to alien artifacts or organisms). Her enthusiasm has been slowly rebuilding under the patronage of her Shemarrian benefactors, though many of their customs still leave her puzzled, bewildered, and sometimes embarrassed. She also occasionally wonders if perhaps they somehow meddled with her mind to make her more able to accept those customs.

Physical Attributes/Superlatives:
IQ: 21(+7% to skills)
ME: 11
MA: 18
PS: 13+4+1 /18
PP: 11(22)
PE: 13 +10 +5+4+8+1+1+1 /43
PB: 18+3(21)
SPD: 10+1 +5+ 7 /23

(ISP):----
(PPE): 7

Hit Points: +18+3 /23
SDC: 35+25+13+1 /74
MDC: 120+6+4+3 /133
Horror Factor:-----
Special Abilities/Characteristics/Powers:

-Extraordinary Physical Endurance(Minor)---Lizabeth Sudenak has been made a minor megadamage being, via an intermesh through her body, reinforcing joints and muscles, and creating a damage-resistant energy armor.
*Fatigues at 1/10th normal rate
*Effectively becomes a megadamage being with 4d4x10 MD +2d4 per level of experience.

-Healing Factor----+2d4 P.E., +2d6+6 Hit Points, +25 SDC, +20% save versus Coma/Death, +3 save versus magic, poison, and toxins, +3 save versus psionic attacks. Recovers 3 SDC/MDC every 10 minutes, 1 Hit Point every 15 minutes, twice per 24 hours can instantly speed-heal 4d6 HP/MDC, does NOT fatigue, fire and cold do HALF damage, toxins and poisons do 1/3 normal damage on a failed save, and the bio-mod doesn’t scar when healed. Even broken bones heal 10 times faster than normal.

-Physical Transformation---As one of the benefits of her nanite treatments, Sudenak has been physically optimized. +1d4 P.E., +1d6 P.B., +1d6 SPD, +2d6 Hit Points, +4d6 SDC, and +1d6 to P.S., plus it is considered to be Extraordinary.

- Mind/Body Attunement---Lizabeth’s nervous system is amped to be more in tune with themselves; +1 APM, +2 on initiative, +4 save versus Horror Factor, +1 save versus poison and disease, and +2 save versus possession.

-Increased Physical Agility and Dexterity---The Bio-Tinkers worked from the philosophy that the easiest way to survive damage is to not be hit; that, and lay down hurt on the OTHER guy faster than he can lay down hurt on YOU. Thus, physical agility and responses have been stepped up. Increase P.P. to 22, +1 APM, +2 on initiative, automatic dodge, paired weapons, and +5% to physical skills requiring physical dexterity. Lizabeth is also ambidextrous.

- Hypnotic Brain Conditioning----Because the Wayfinders know from experience that exploring strange new worlds or attending to extraordinary circumstances means facing exotic new terrors, strange new experiences, and exposure to all manner of alien influences, Lizabeth spent extra time ‘in the tank’ getting indoctrinated and hardened against negative mental influences; +5 save vs mind control, +4 save vs illusions and Horror Factor, +2 save vs all other psionic attacks. Impervious to Possession

Magic:---
Psionics:----
Cybernetics/Bionics:
*Universal Headjack(behind ear)
*Sub-Vocal 2-Way Radio Implant(5 mile effective range)
Skills: 6th Level AU Xenobiologist
Basic & Advanced Math 98%/ 98%
Language/Literacy:
Native Language(English/Trade Four) 98%/98%
Shemarrian 57%/37%
Xeno-Biology 87%
Xeno-Botany 82%
Anthropology: Alien 77%
Paramedic 97%
Pathology 87%
Chemistry 87%
Chemistry: Analytical 77%
Computer Operation 97%
Biology 87%
Zoology 87%
Research 77%
Oxygen Systems 98%
Basic Electronics 67%
General Repair & Maintenance 57%
Radio: Basic 97%
Read Sensory Equipment 82%
Pilot Hovercycle 88%
Vacsuit Operation 65%
Dance 77%
Writing 72%
Athletics
Climbing(Revised) 75%/65%
Swimming(Revised) 80%
Running(Revised)
Movement: Zero Gravity

Hand to Hand: Basic
W.P. Knife(+2 Strike/Parry, +2 Throw)
W.P. Energy Pistol(+2 strike)
W.P. Paired Weapons

Actions/Attacks per Melee: 7
Initiative: +4
Strike:+4
Parry:+7
Dodge:+7
Automatic Dodge
Roll:+3
Pull Punch:+2
Ambidextrous
Damage:+2

Saves:
Vs Coma/Death +62%
Vs Magic +11
Vs Psionics +5
Vs Illusions +4
Vs Mind Control +5
Vs Poisons +12
Vs Horror Factor +8
Charm/Intimidate 50%
Charm/Impress 55%
Effectively Impervious to Disease
Impervious to Possession

Notable Possessions/Equipment:
Wardrobe(including several sets of ‘BloodRider Technical Assistant Wear’ that she regards as ‘embarrassingly little’ , though it does afford 25 MDC of protection).
VR Interface Gloves(work in concert with holographic interfaces and the VR glasses)
HAZMAT Body Armor(80 MDC)
Personal Vac-Suit
Comm-Bracelet
Science Scanner
“SmartGlasses’(Optical band with language reader/translator and VR interface)
HI Laser Pistol
Knife/Laser Blade

Sudenak has access to her own lab space, and a small retinue of laboratory robots she can order around(on several occasions she’s used them to attempt to smoke out ambushes she’s suspected her superiors of having set for her).

Vehicle:
Sudenak doesn’t yet have a personal vehicle, let alone a Warmount, to her name, as she spends most of her time aboard spacecraft or space stations. She can operate the small public-access hover cycles many neshemar like for getting around the larger space constructs and colonies.

Dr. Sudenak has also been known to make use of various VR tele-operations proxy-rigs, including a full body simulacrum of herself...though one early test of this system resulted in the spawning of Nuyon, a partial electronic clone of Sudenak’s brain state, embedded in the simulacrum body(treat as a Cyberhumanoid cyborg frame, with half of Lizabeth’s skills at HALF the same proficiencies, but with eight available secondary skill slots). Nuyon has since been assigned to another Tinker’s retinue to avoid confusion between Lizbeth and her ‘clone’.

Darspae(Extradimensional)
A small rim out-world colonized by Humans(possibly seeded by the Atlantean diaspora). Darspae has only fairly recently(in the last 80 years) begun venturing out into space with light-hugger and low-end FTL drives. Their overall technology is several generations behind the standard CCW/TGE/GR level, and slightly behind that of Golden Age Rifts Earth(but ahead with regards to deep space propulsion systems).
Darspae itself is terrestrial, but heavily populated and industrialized. A world government has been in place for the last two hundred years, keeping the peace and managing resources for the population. The result has been an increasingly homogenous global culture that discourages personal growth and initiative for the sake of stability. A global info-culture of cheap entertainment and distractions has taken hold, encouraged by the world government
Early on in its space program, the Darspaen world government discovered evidence of intelligent alien life(starting with ancient ruins found on a nearby extrasolar world, but subsequent findings suggested more modern and active extraterrestrial civilizations), but moved to suppress it; outside a few top-ranked organization circles, few people know of these discoveries and think all that the deep space missions have brought back are really strange alien animal and plant life, all generally harmless.
The Darspaen world government is well aware of the many dangers facing a world like theirs out in the greater Megaverse, but doesn’t want to cause a panic if they revealed the truth to their citizens. Unfortunately, this fear has led some in the government to pursue courses of action, in the name of ‘planetary security’, that are increasingly unethical and acutely dangerous. Several agencies have become involved in questionable efforts to develop new weapons, or to better control society.
The most dangerous path being taken is covert contact with a group of alien intelligences(discovered dormant and subsequently awakened by one of the deep space probe missions), who have promised certain unscrupulous elements of the world government access to technology and information that will insure Darspaen security...and great power to a chosen few. However, the aliens have begun to make small,but increasingly insidious, requests as a sign of faith, and their Darspaen accomplices have complied, starting them on a slippery slope....

The recent destruction of one of their space stations and contact points(ExoXen Study Facility-03) has put a crimp in the plans of both the alien intelligences and their human coconspirators, with the intelligences most upset with what appears to be a double-cross. Whether the Darspaens will accede to the aliens’ even more depraved demands for placation or whether the time bought by the destruction of the station(and detailed warnings about the government appearing in the media sometime after) will allow more enlightened elements in Darspaen authority to discover and root out the conspiracy, remains to be seen.

‘Sunners’---Personal Solar Arrays(Skyeklad)

“Told yah that was a bad idea, attackin’ them sunbathers. They wuzn’t sleepy and stupid, they was chargin’ their lazers. Your stumps quit itchin’ yet? No? Good, maybe you’ll listen to me next time, fif there IS a next time, you moronic git.”

“I’m feeling GOOD today! I got my dose of vitamin C, so a plague-moncker like you’s not going to get me down! EAT SOLAR PHOTONS AND FRY!”

Sunners are an Upgrade developed by the SkyeKlad as a way of capitalizing on their constant (some would say obsessive or fanatical) exposure. Borrowing some technology from the DarkWaters’ Yakusha cyborgs, the SkyeKlad have developed lightweight memory-material ‘Sunners’, petal- or winglike-structures that unfold from the back and shoulders of a gynoid or cyborg. Surfaced in thermal/photo-sensitive film, these vanes or arrays absorb solar energy, which is assimilated and stored as electrical energy by the EShemar/NeShemar. Though EShemar are powered by compact nuclear micro-cells, the solar power provides a welcome source of supplemental power. More pragmatically, absorbed solar power gives a boost to the systems of those with this Upgrade. The system includes a ‘power bank’ or battery that stores the collected solar charge for up to 24 hours. The system also includes a feedback mechanism that makes the recipient feel good when charging or possessig a full charge; this translates into a sense of well-being, confidence, and mental fortitude that can be applied in combat.
The sunner-arrays are rather fragile, however, and do not stand up well to abuse. Fortunately, the arrays can be very quickly retracted back inside the EShemar’s skin(takes 5 seconds) and stowed until needed.
Besides the SkyeKlad, Sunners are catching on with the Silvermoons and some Horrorwoods as well. The Wayfinders, as well, are adopting sunners, especially those tribesmembers who practice solar-based magicks.
Size: Wingspan of 7-12 ft
MDC: 5 each wing
Bonuses: For every 30 minutes of exposure in direct sunlight, the EShemar/NeShemar with a sunner array can enjoy a +1 to initiative, +1d4 points of additional damage to their melee attacks, +1 point of damage to any integrated lasers, +1 to parry/dodge, and +1 to save vs horror factor for 1 minute.
Options:
*(TW)---Liquify Sunshine---Many Wayfinders who take on a Sunner-Upgrade like to also incorporate a TW Liquify Sunshine spell, collecting the resulting condensate in special ectoplasm-insulated reservoirs in their bodies for later use.
The expenditure of 10 PPE allows the collectors to create 3 gallons of LS per hour of exposure to direct sunlight, up to a maximum of 6 hours per PPE input. The Wayfinders have developed a specially-lined wearable ‘camelpack’ canteen that can hold up to 12 gallons(and doubles as a reclining cushion/backrest), or the LS can be tubed off to other containers. Internal body reservoirs can typically hold up to 2 gallons.
Note that when the Liquify Sunshine feature is engaged, the sunner-array CANNOT be charging the bonus bank simultaneously.

Anhurite Clan Panthereon Male Elite
(aka “PtideGuard’, ‘Beast-King’)

“’Stand Your Ground’ isn’t just an admonition with Anhurites, it’s an oath of battle and a promise of action.”

#”YOU WILL NOT TRESPASS ON THE SACRED GROUND OF THE CAT SPIRITS! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THE GATES OF THE COUGARAND! YOU SHALL NOT DISTURB THE SLEEP OF THE BAST-BLESSED!#
---sirShredKlaw, Guardian of the Cougarand Temple Repository, Alloun

“Anybody who thought the Pantherons were a smalltime bunch of feline furryfolk pretenders, never faced an Anhurite on the field of battle.”

“I seen one of those big cats tank a rainbow beam of death, practically claw up it to its source, and maul the ever-loving daylights out of the equestrian demon that shot it. The Pantherons may be a matriarchy, but their big toms are the kings of the beast battles.”

“Being hit by one of those guardian cats with the big axes, is like being smashed with a highway overpass. I do NOT recommend it.”

“Excellent battle, sirTom Goldfang. I doubt the Fenri will ever trouble this world again, what with the ferocity of your reproach to them.”
<<“Thank you. Matriarch, but the credit for victory was not mine entirely. The Warrior Sprit of the Cat was with me today.”>>
“Ah, that explains the aura of the Cat we observed at the height of battle. But what of your battle-consort? I understand you had to take on one on short notice when the call to arms came.”
<<“Indeed, I took on one from the visitor compound. It was a necessary expedient; I sensed it best to have the means to unlock my full potentials.”>>
“ It worked out very well for all of us! And how did she fare? Let her speak to me, so I may confer my thanks and grant her her proper glory.”
<<“...the battle was not without casualties, Matriarch. My battle-consort was unprepared for the full strain of combat. She is not in any mortal danger, but the battle has left its...mark...upon her mind and body. I thought it best to sequester her until she had some time to...deal with the effects.”>>
“Then you will let me see her at once! As one initiated into the Tribe by fire of battle, she deserves my attention!”
<<:”By your will, Matriarch.”>>
(#klack#*hissss*)
“Ah, I see the Cat Spirit has blessed thee.”
“-mrrrrreoooowwwww?”

The Anhurite is a Clan Pantheron Elite-class modeled after the Preserver, and considered to be an ‘icon-cass’ beyond the already impressive Simba Male Elites. Its sheer size and the inclusion of an internal cockpit for a ‘copilot’ also arguably place the Anhurite in the class of Arawa---Warmounts inhabited by full EShemar intelligences.
The Anhurite carries in its design aspects apparently inspired by another fringe tribe, the Aurora Warriors. Though possible that the Aurora Warriors may have visited the Pantherons on the latter’s glacier-locked spiritual homeworld of Alloun, many outside observers have trouble picturing what exchange of services may have occurred to result in an exchange of technologies such as seem to have been borrowed from the Aurorans’ Glaciton Male Elites and incorporated into the Anhurite.
The Anhurite is a massively heavy humanoid Elite on a size and scale as the Coalition States’ IAR-3 Skull Smasher. Instead of a giant skull facing the torso, however, the Anhurite features a large sculpted lion’s head and mane, complete with articulated jaw. The arms feature a combination of extendable paw-claws and plasma projectors, While not articulated enough to use handheld firearms, the Anhurite can, and does, typically carry large melee weapons. The sheer mass of the body makes the Anhurite difficult, if not impossible, to dislodge from its stance, and a combination of exceptional balance and deployable anchoring foot-claws make pushing one over even harder.
The Anhurite notably incorporates an ‘interface chamber’ that allows a smaller EShemar or NeShemar to directly link with the Anhurite, boosting its performance to mystical phenomenal levels and allows for some very impressive feats.
Anhurites are very rare in the ranks of the Pantherons; they are usually found with the security contingents of the highest Matriarchs of the Clan, or are assigned to guarding important sites in the Pantherons’ domain. However, they have, on occasion, been sighted as part of military campaigns(usually directed by powerful Matriarchs) with the troops. It is from these actions, as well as several defensive actions, that the Anhurites have earned the respect and awe of witnesses to their power.
Anhurites have quickly gained a reputation for being very powerful combatants. Even amongst the matriarchal clans of the EShemar, the presence of this Male Elite on the battlefield has been known to bolster the confidence and courage of warriors and rally hard pressed defenses to new heights of defiance.

Type: Shemar Anhurite
Class: Robot Android
Crew: Advanced Neural Intelligence
M.D.C. By Location:
Hands(2) 110 each
Arms(2) 250 each
Legs(2) 350 each
Head/Lion Face 400 .
Main Body 990
Reinforced Passenger/Crew Compartment 250
Backmount Weapon 130
Back Missile Launchers(2) 130 each
Tail 120
Height: 28 ft
Width: 14 ft
Length: 15 ft
Weight: 75 tons
Power System: Nuclear
Physical Attributes: Equal to Robotic PS. 60, PP. 20,.
Cargo: Small 2 ft x2 ft x3 ft space behind the seat in the chest compartment.
Speed:
Running: 90 MPH
Jumping: 30 ft up/across w/ a short running start
Flying: Not possible
Space: Not possible
Underwater: Limited to wading or walking along the bottom at 20 MPH, maximum depth of 1 mile.
Market Cost: EXCLUSIVE to the (E)Shemarrian Tribes
Systems of Note:
Standard Shemarrian Robot Systems, plus:
Full optical systems, laser targeting, passive night vision, telescopic vision, thermal imaging, infrared, ultraviolet, and polarization filters. Also has motion and heat detection, and other standard Shemarrian systems. Additional/special sensors may be built in by the creating Spinsters or at the behest of the individual.

*Bionic Cybernanite Repair Systems---A modified bionic nanotech repair system that originated with the Ecotroz Shemar, but has also been adopted by the Ghost Riders. These systems repair 4d6 MD per hour, and can repair 250 MDC before needing material stocks to convert to MD repair material.

*Interface Cockpit Chamber---Retained from the SkullSmasher, the cockpit/Link Chamber is heavily armored, buried deep in the torso, and fully environmentally sealed, with full life support.

*Molecular Analyzer---Samples the air for chemical traces. Also allows for identifying and tracking by smell at 84%.

*Integral SNARLS PPE Sensor System ----The result of trading with other Tribes, this paranormal sensing system scaled up from the Fellex e-animal’s, gives the Anhurite the ability to detect supernatural beings and activity. The sensor has a 400 ft range(out to 800 ft with 50% error in determination), 60-degree arc, and can detect invisible entities. Other penalties similar to the Japanese SNARLS system(on which it is based.....see Rifts: Japan, pg. 116).

Weapons Systems:
1) Eye Lasers(2)---The Anhurite mounts the more powerful variety of eye lasers.
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 4d6 MD single shot, 1d4x10 MD for a pulse burst
8d6 MD dual shot, 2d4x10 MD for a dual pulse burst(counts as one attack)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) Sonic Roar---The Anhurite mounts one of the most powerful sonic cannon seen on anybody’s technology.
Range: 5,000 ft
Damage: 2d4x10 MD per blast, plus 4d6 MD to a 30 ft diameter area around the blast area(double damage and range underwater)
Rate of Fire: Once per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

3) Plasma Claws--Each hand mounts four plasma projection cannon in the fingers. The weapons used as the basis of the finger blasters are modified plasma rifles with better range and an unlimited payload linked to the ‘bot’s power systems. As a result of this installation, the fingers tend to be thick and stubby; and are ill-suited for holding handheld weaponry. Any hand- held long-range weaponry will be -2 to strike, because of the poor balance and clumsy grip.
The Pantherons have modified this system to have a lower-powered mode that enhances punch/claw damage, similar to Kittani plasma melee weapons.
Range: 3,000 ft
Damage: 1d6x10 MD per finger blast (so a full hand blast does 4d6x10 MD!)
By angling the fingers slightly to shoot in different directions, the hand can also spray a 50 ft area with plasma blasts, doing 4d6 MD per strike(no bonuses to strike)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively unlimited

4) Back Missile Launchers(2)---Carried over from the Skull Smasher, these are two wing-like missile launchers holding medium range missiles. Each launcher holds 3 missiles each, for a total of six.

5) Backmount Weapon---Another holdover from the Skull Smasher, only the Pantherons offer a variety of weapons that can be mounted on the back and fired over the shoulder;
a) Heavy Laser------Adapted from the Glitterboy No. 7 of South America
Range: 8,000 ft in atmosphere, 16,000 ft in space.
Damage: 2d4x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

b) Particle Beam ---Orbital-style
Range: 11,000 ft in atmosphere, 22,000 ft in space
Damage: 4d6x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 25 blasts, recharges at a rate of 1 blast per minute

c) Heavy Rail Gun---Glitterboy-style rail gun.
Range: 12,000 ft in atmosphere
Damage: 3d6x10 MD per 30-rd burst, only fires bursts.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 200 rd drum

d)’SkullShatter’ Cannon---How Clan Pantheron got this weapon is anybody’s guess. Though a number of Tribes have acquired this formerly exclusively Skullcrusher multi-barreled cannon through trade and trial, since the Skullcrushers have more formerly reconciled, production templates for the weapon have not been bandied about, especially to fringe tribes, without their permission. It’s possible that, given the Anhurite body chassis’s origins as the IAR-3 Skull Smasher, some Tribe jokingly gave the Pantherons a true ‘skullsmasher’
Range: 6,000 ft
Damage: 2d6x10 MD per round, 6d6x10 MD for a three shot burst, 1d6 MDx100 for a six shot burst(!)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 820 shot drum per cannon.

e)Mini-Missile Launcher---- Volleys of 1-10, 120 missiles.

f) M-Ion Cannon----A copy of the Triax TX-8841 Ion Cannon(sans MRM launchers).
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 1d6x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively unlimited
Options:*Ion Scatter-Shot Module---This is a barrel mod that turns the cannon into a short range shotgun with an area of effect blast. Reduce range to 2,000 ft, but does 5d6 MD to a 30 ft wide area.
*Ion Booster Module---Another mod that boosts the range of the ion bolts, albeit with a small reduction in damage capability. Reduce damage to 1d4x10 MD, but boost range to 7,000 ft.

g) Heavy Plasma Cannon---This is actually a weapons pod copied off the BIF-67 Katana aerospace fighter. it does TREMENDOUS damage, but at very short range.
Range: 600 ft
Damage: 1d4x100 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: Twice per melee(and each firing takes up 2 APMs)
Payload: : Effectively unlimited


6) Handheld Weapon----Anhurites typically carry a massive mecha-scale club or spear, in keeping with their roles as guardian warriors.
A few examples as follows:
a)ES-SC-VB-01---Giant scale(15 ft long) vibro-blade
Weight: 0.6 tons
MDC: 180
Range: Melee
Damage: 6d6 MD + P.S. damage

b)VibroHammer---A giant vibromace/hammer with rocket thruster augmentation to increase the velocity of impact. It takes extra skill to swing the giant 4 ton sledge, but it’s a favorite with SkullCrushers who like the sheer simple brute force of the ‘Cracker’.
Weight: 4 tons
MDC: 320
Range: Melee
Damage: 5d6 MD un-powered strike, + P.S. damage, or 4d4x10 MD powered strike(-1 to strike due to the added momentum from the thrusters fighting control).

c) Kree-Blade---Giant axe or sword from the TransGalactic Empire’s Imperator Assault Robot. The massive weapon (300 MDC, 3d6 MD un-energized strike, 2d4x10 MD energized, 2d4x10 MD particle beam blast, 1,200 ft range) is a one-handed weapon for the heavy Anhurite. The Kree-Blade is particularly valued in part due to its rarity; the SSN has thus far had few contacts with the TGE.

d) Long-Claw Staff---A long spear sporting two Power Halberd blades on the end. The forked design allows for trapping and pinning limbs or other melee weapons.
Weight: 2 tons
MDC: 200
Range: Melee; 36 ft long
Damage: 2d6 MD un-powered strike, 2d6x10 MD on a powered strike

7) Forcefield/Aura of Power---Actually a technological forcefield with 300 MDC; a more powerful version of the one fitted to the Simba.
Furthermore, Anhurites can expand the field to cover nearby targets. The field loses some strength in the expanded coverage, but the effect is still enough to over some protection to bystanders. In this mode the forcefield only affords 150 MDC, but can cover a 25 ft radius area. This makes the Anhurite a good rally point for assaults and defensive positions, protecting accompanying troops.

8 ) Overcharge ----As with the smaller Simbas, by ramping up power to their forcefield, Anhurites can form a body-conformal barrier that amplifies their attacks, doubling the damage of melee attacks, and increasing the chances of the android being able to deflect attacks. The downside to this is that the overcharge taxes the android’s systems and builds up an overburden of heat that temporarily weakens the Anhurite.
In Overcharge mode, the Anhurite’s melee attack damage, roll and parry bonuses are DOUBLED for 1d6 melees, and the Anhurite gets a Horror Factor of 12(because he glows menacingly as hell and looks ####-ass POWERFUL), after which the android must recharge/cool down for 1d6 MINUTES. During this period, reduce maximum speed by HALF, and NO bonuses to Initiative, Strike, Dodge, and Parry.
In the aftermath of an overcharge, the Anhurite fairly glows with heat energy, making detection and targeting with heat sensors a fairly easy mater(+20% to Read Sensory Instruments if using heat sensors).

9) BattleLink----While EShemar can and do routinely link their minds to their Warmounts to take control of individual weapons systems or to enhance performance in battle, the practice is less common with fully sentient AI/Minds because the two consciousesses will, on some level, clash, leading to growing dissonance between the linked minds. Various Shemarrian Tribes have increasingly have been experimenting with advanced linkages with both AI to AI, and AI to organic minds. While the results have been dramatic, the systems still have many problems that need to be fixed before the practice can become more widely accepted. The Pantherons apparently witnessed such interface systems on the Aurora Warriors’ Glaciton Male Elites and thought a similar system worth pursuing.
However, the Pantherons seem to have taken their development along magical/psionic lines, rather than electro-thermal or electrochemical as have the other Tribes. This system, sometimes called(jokingly or not) ‘Bast’s Blessing’ or ‘Bast’s Curse’, has its advantages but also its unique drawbacks.

The Pantherons seem to be of the mind that to truly tap into the ‘spirit of the cat’, an organic interface is preferred/necessary; thus the favored partner in the Pantheron Battlelink is an unmodified(cannot have more than 4 cybernetic implants) human(oid), cannot be a negapsychic, and ideally is female. This is typically a volunteer who agrees to be the Anhurite’s ‘mind partner’ or more often ‘consort’, but the Pantherons have been known to impress prisoners to the purpose.

While Linked, the Anhurite enjoys the following bonuses:
*Quadruped Dash---The Anhurite can fall to all fours and run, without movement penalty, at speeds up to 120 MPH.
*DOUBLE leap distance
* Horror Factor---The Anhurite takes on a supernatural feline aura that can prove terrifying to observers not already cowed by a seventy-five ton feline warmachine charging at them. Horror Factor of 16.
* Psionic Abilities:
*Empathic Projection----The Anhurite can project an area of effect Empathic Projection attack with a range of 120 ft(180 ft if the link-companion is a Minor psychic, 240 ft if a Major psychic, and 500 ft if a Master psychic) and covering a 60 ft area, 90 ft area, 120 ft wide area, or 250 ft wide area respectively. Only one such attack can launched per melee and takes 1 APM. Saves and duration remain the same.
*Telekinetic Claw Strike---The Anhurite’s Claw Strikes gain an additional 3d6 MD in damage, and DOES affect supernatural beings vulnerable to magic and psionics. Organic beings struck by the TK claws must also roll versus psionics or fall victim to the effects of a Bio-Manipulation attack(Pain, Paralysis, or Stun).

OR:
* Overcharge Extension---The Anhurite can DOUBLE the amount of time spent in Overcharge mode.

Duration: 1d4 minutes(4 melees) per point of the link-consort’s M.E./2, 4 minutes per M.E./2 pt if the link-consort is female(the link is more reliable in the latter case).
It is possible to push the duration of the Link Fugue beyond this limit, but for every TWO melees spent past the ‘red line’, the organic must roll versus Insanity.
For every FIVE melees pushed past the ‘red line’, the organic must roll vs Magic or risk a physical alteration.
Once the Link-fugue is dropped, it cannot be reinitiated for another 12 hours. To attempt to do so before the ’cool down’ has elapsed would be to IMMEDIATELY incur the same risk of associated penalties, plus an additional +10% chance of any insanities acquired during this period becoming permanent.

Penalties:
*Insanity
While other Battlelink systems place a considerable strain on the organic component’s physiology, the Pantheron Battlelink taxes the ‘consort’s’ sanity. Channeling the ‘Cat Spirit’ can potentially unhinge a person.
Thankfully, most such breaks from sanity are only temporary, and last only 2d6+10 hours.
30% chance of it becoming permanent, however.

01-10% Random Insanity.
11-20% Obsession: Cats---Loves them, loves them, loves them. LOVESTHEMOHSNUGGUMSSSS! The person will seek to surround themselves with cats and cat-related paraphernalia, be it plushies, cat clothing, or bell collars, almost as if they were Objects of Power. Even for a Pantheron this can get too much, especially if the affected link-consort fixates on them as a ‘kitty’.
21-25% Random Psychosis
26-30% Phobia: Cats---Yes, this pretty much finishes off the link-consort’s future among the Pantherons. The person will have to be forcibly restrained and forced back into the presence of the Anhurite and the link-chamber if anybody REALLY needs or thinks using the person again as a Cat Spirit conduit is a good idea.
31-40% Obsession: Mice---01-50% Hates the little vermin, and will hunt them down, 51-00% Loves playing with them , chasing and batting them around. This extends to rodent-like aliens as well.
41-45% Phobia: Water---HATES getting wet. A shower is depression-inducing, a bath an ordeal of torture. Personal hygiene is likely to suffer.
46-50% Catty---Estrus cycle becomes more pronounced if female, leading to more aggressive behavior in seeking potential mates, and fighting any competition. Males become similarly more aggressive/possessive(tomcat-ish) around eligible females. (GMs’ discretion: characters are distracted and -1 on initiative for 2d4 days each month)
51-60% Playful Kitty----Easily distracted(make a save vs Insanity at +2) by balls of yarn and cat-toys.
61-65% Susceptible to Catnip----The person’s brain chemistry has been altered such that catnip and catgrass now act like a narcotic on the person. Save vs Non-Lethal Poison or be the equivalent of doped.
66-70% Hunting Obsession---Not hunting with a firearm or weapon, but rather up close and personal. Has a tendency(make a save vs Insanity at +2) to home in on small fast-moving objects and creatures and pouncing on them.
71-80% Cats and Dogs---While it’s a stereotype that cats and dogs are natural enemies, this person hasn’t heard of it. They react poorly to canines and dog-like beings(this applies to Wolfen, Dog-Boys, Kantaran, and even the Wolf’s Path members in general): (01-75%) deadly afraid of them, or (76-00%) becomes stupidly aggressive around them(acting generally suspicious of them at best, and hissing and spitting most of the time).
81-85% Vulnerability: Sunbeam Attack---The character becomes a compulsive napper, curling up in a comfortable spot, especially under a warm sunbeam or sunlamp, and will be nearly impossible to rouse from their lethargy short of food or immediate threats to their person.
86-90% Obsession: Property/Territory----The person becomes more aggressively covetous of things he or she considers personal, going even so far as to mark them....with perfume, scratch marks, hair....and will become agitated if they find signs of others trespassing.
91-95% Believes themselves to be a feline werebeast. Gets antsy around silver and full moons.
96-00% Believes themselves to be a true cat/feline, reverting to this feral state when under stress. Can be brought out of it only by a close friend or family member.

*Physical Transformation
Some claim it’s a result of neural interface nanites bleeding over into the link-consort’s body and performing surgical alterations, others claim it’s magic at work, the Cat-Spirit altering its flesh vessel to better accommodate it.
Note: This result is effectively permanent. Extensive surgery or transformation magic can correct/undo some of the changes, but otherwise the character is stuck with a feline physical characteristic.
01-10% Acute Sense of Smell---Becomes much more aware of scents in their environment and can track by smell with 50% acuity.
If possessing the Catty insanity, this is even more pronounced due to sensitivity to pheromones(-2 to initiative if distracted by smell).
11-20% Cat Eyes(cosmetic)---Eyes take on a catlike appearance.
` 21-25% Cat Eyes(functional)---Provide night vision good out to 80 ft.
26-35% Whiskers----The person grows a set of fine facial hairs that act as motion detection(effective range of 5 ft). However, people may comment on your sparse new mustache.
36-40% Cat’s Tongue---The person’s tongue becomes rougher, and they can lap up liquids. The minus side is that french-kissing somebody is like flossing their molars with sandpaper.
41-50% Claws(scratchers)---Finger nails become thicker and sharper and do 1d4 pts of damage.
51-55% Claws(retractable)---The person acquires retractable claws. 1d4 pts of damage and +5% to Climbing skill.
56-70% Increased Sense of Balance----The person’s sense of balance becomes more acute; +2 to Maintain Balance.
71-75% Legs of Leaping----The person’s legs become leaner and more tautly muscular; can increase their normal leap distance by 50%.
76-80% Cat Fangs---The person’s incisors become more prominent, and their bite does an extra +1 pt of damage. On the minus side, they might be mistaken for a vampire.
81-87% Body Hair---The person acquires a fully body coat of short fur. This can be kept under control by normal hair removal techniques.
88-94% Spine---The person’s spine becomes tougher and more flexible; +2 to roll, takes HALF damage from falls.
95-98% Tail ---The person acquires a long flexible tail; +1 to maintain balance. On the minus side, the tail, which is as long as 30% of the character’s height, is nearly impossible to hide and may require modification to clothing to accommodate.
99-00% Full Catgirl Transformation----The link-consort is now a full-bodied catgirl(even if originally male). Has all of the above features. However, there is also a 01-30% chance of permanently losing the ability to link.

10) Faux Magic--To further their image as ‘magical guardian beasts’, Anhurites incorporate a few faux magic systems(if they aren’t Upgraded with true TW magic systems).
-Silver Claws---Extendable silver-plated claws can be added to do extra damage against opponents susceptible to silver poisoning.

-Shining Mane/Blinding Light of the Sun---Actually a set of small laser emitters hidden in the folds of the mane. They project a potentially blinding laser light display.
Range: 300 ft , 150 ft wide area
Damage: Unless the victim(s) are wearing tinted goggles or other protection against bright light, they will be blinded(-10 to strike, parry, dodge, and roll) for 1 melee round after being hit. Duration can be extended by 7 seconds(half a melee) for every subsequent melee that the target is kept bombarded by the strobe attack until their eyes manage to adjust.
Even with optical protection, opponents approaching from the front are -3 to strike in combat(-5 to strike if using optical amplification devices like telescopic optics or night vision gear), and -2 to parry/dodge incoming melee attacks from the Anhurite.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

-Summon & Control Felines----This is actually just a radio summoning of other feline-themed robots.

Programming/Skills:
All standard Shemarrian skill programs, plus:
Boxing
Wrestling
2 additional Ancient W.P.s of choice
Plus, Secondary skill advancement as standard for EShemar. 

Experience Table: Upon becoming an Anhurite, the EShemar uses the Dragon XP table to chart further advancement.

Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 8
Note: Bonuses are in addition to those possible from the Shemar’s elective training
Initiative + 2
Dodge +2
Parry +4
Strike +2 (+4 w/ ranged weaponry, +6 w/ Shemarrian Rail Guns)
Roll +2
Pull Punch +3
Disarm +1
Retain Balance +4
Knockout/Stun on a Natural 18-20
Restrained Punch 1d6 MD
Full Strength Punch 5d6 MD
Power Punch(2 attacks) 1d6x10 MD
Claw Pry/Tear 4d6 MD
Plasma Claw Strike(2 attacks)
Bite 1d6 x10 MD
Kick 5d6 MD
w/ Footclaws 6d6 MD
Running Leap Attack(Uses all but one attack that melee and must be declared at the beginning of a melee) 2d4x10
Stomp 3d6 MD
Body Block/Ram 4d6 MD
Full Speed Running Ram/Tackle(3 attacks) 2d4x10 MD
Tail Lash 2d4 MD

Some Warmount Variants:



* EcoS-K-162 Wyvis
“Laidis Roost, Windmapper-oh-one coming in on a one-six-two-cee with a psych-med emergency aboard. Patient is human, un-auged, suffering from psychic suicide imperative. Currently restrained in med-pod and under sedation. Request trauma team upon landing. “

* EcoS-K-162C----(aka ‘Weighty’)’Pack Mule’ variant of the Wyvis; the saddle has been pushed slightly more forward and an extra section of body has been added aft of the saddle to allow for an internal cargo compartment. The added length also allows for the addition of an undercarriage hook mount and side panniers.
Besides carrying cargo, the internal cargo compartment has proven convenient for carrying Life Pods similar to those available to the EcoS-K-131 Acesophibian. Up to two of the 8 ft tall medical pods can be carried upright in the internal storage compartment.
The EcoS-K-162C is commonly used as an emergency response and rescue unit as well as a popular exploration warmount, as its cargo capacity allows it to carry supplies and equipment for extended field missions.
Changes/Modifications:
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 460
Length: 25 ft main body
Weight: 1.8 tons
Cargo: Internal cargo compartment roughly 8 ft high x6 ft long x5 ft wide.
Can carry two cargo panniers on the sides as well as another two underslung.
Speed: (Flying) Fully loaded, reduce maximum flying speed by 25%

“All that thermal weaponry packed on your bird? What if your opponent is immune to plasma and heat?”
“Then I go hand to hand and tear them apart -personally-.”

*EcoS-K-162Br----(aka ‘BurnBird’) BloodRider variant. The EcoS-K-162Br appeared in the ranks of Blood Rider units unable to acquire or build Lavoenixes, but able to acquire the templates for the Wyvis from the Hawkmoons. The crimson-armored BurnBird makes slight improvements to the Warmount’s FIREpower with the addition of several plasma weapons, such as head-mounted plasma cannons and the replacement of the wing lasers with plasma ejectors. The extra power and plasma is generated by a supplemental power cell and plasma furnance in a small armored hump behind the rider’s saddle.
Changes/Modifications:
Speed:
Flying: Engaging the plasma thrusters will rocket the EcoS-K-162Br up to 520 MPH, and boosts altitude to 16,000 ft. Can typically engage the plasma thrusters for only three hours before needing an hour to cool down.

Systems of Note:
* Thermal Shielding--- Modifications to the EcoS-K-162Br’s skin and cooling systems allow them to takeonly HALF damage from heat- and plasma-based attacks. A more resistant skinning was considered, but rejected in favor of economy.
Weapons Systems:
2) Wing Plasma Launchers----The triple-barreled lasers on the ‘thumb’ mounts of the wings have been replaced with plasma projectors that can fire plasma streams, scattershot or plasma bolts that explode with an area of effect.
Range:(Plasma Stream) 1,500 ft
(Scattershot)1,000 ft
(Plasma Bolt) 700 ft
Damage: (Plasma Stream)5d6 MD per blast
(Scattershot)2d4 MD to a 30-degree arc(or roughly 15 ft wide area)
(Plasma Bolt)1d6x10+4 MD and explodes in a 5 ft blast radius
Rate of Fire: Standard
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

8 ) Head Light Plasma Projectors(2)---Rather than mount a mouth plasma ejector, the EcoS-K-162Br mounts two small plasma ejectors on either side of the mouth. The Blood Riders decided to adopt weapons adapted from the Coalition State C-27 Light Plasma Cannon over the bulkier and less powerful plasma ejectors that have been the standard modular Shemrrian Warmount accessory weapons since the first-gen. As the C-27 is a cruder copy of the NEMA PR-470 already in production for the EShemar militia, the savings in weight, plus the improvements in damage, over the pod-weapons, is considered a step up.
In the alternative, some BloodRiders have replaced the C-27s with copies or scavenged C-29s, or have installed EShe-NPR476 "Volcus" Plasma Cannons, complete with the mini-missile launcher, for added firepower.
Range: 1,600 ft
Damage: 6d6 MD per blast, 1d6x10+12 MD for both cannons firing simultaneously
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

9) Claw Plasma Blasters---The foreclaws can be modified with palm blasters, in this case plasma projectors, allowing the claws to shoot gouts of plasma. The plasma can also be more slowly bled through heat-resistant palm pads in the claws, giving the EcoS-K-162Br a ‘fiery touch’. BloodRiders assigned to EcoS-K-162Brs have also been known to use these claw-palm blasters as retro-jets, sharply decelerating the Warmount in forward flight(+5% to piloting rolls involving deceleration/braking maneuvers).
Range: 200 ft
Damage: 4d6 MD per blast, or adds +2d6 MD to a claw strike
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

10) Plasma Wing Thrusters/Ejectors(6, 3 each wing)---The Blood Riders further modified the already complex wings to incorporate hollow spars to conduct and project plasma, similar to the tribe’s Kometa Elite. Besides being usedto scorch ground targets, the plasma thrusters can be used to boost the warmount’s flying speed.
Note: These weapons CANNOT be used in the same melee as either the wingtip projectors or the claw blasters, as they draw power from the same source(and, in the case of the wingtip projectors, plasma, which is generated in the same chamber).
Range: 800 ft
Damage: 4d6 MD per single blast, 8d6 MD for a double blast, and 1d8x10 MD for all three ejectors on a wing firing on the same target at once.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

Variants:
*EcoS-K-42 Nechbet
“This one’s not for the Valkari, not just yet. Plug that hole in her gut, I’ll hook up the fluids and we’ll get her into stasis for transport back to camp.”

*EcoS-K-42Sm---(aka ‘Albatross’)---The Silvermoons’ version of the vulture-like Valkari warmount has been formatted as a flying ambulance assigned to the Silvermoons’ growing taidana medical corps, in response to the growing prestige of the Blood Riders’ combat medics. The EcoS-K-42Sm sheds the Nechbet’s ominous scavenger appearance for one more akin to an albatross, and the black stealth body skinning for a white and silver(and laser-reflective) sheathing. The EcoS-K-42Sm also incorporates a light forcefield generator providing extra protection. The beak is longer and more rounded, holding ground sensors for detecting life signs. The EcoS-K-42Sm’s back is somewhat broader, to accommodate a three-person paramedic ‘jumper’ team, or extra life support pods. Typically EcoS-K-42Sms are deployed in service flocks of 1-4, with one or two Nechbets as scouts(and ‘tithers’ looking for additions to the Tribes), with a EcoS-K-45 Cyroc as a ‘mothership’ carrying a deployable field hospital/aide station module.
Changes/Modifications:

Crew: None; robot intelligence
1 rider/pilot, and room for 1-2 passengers(typically SAR team members)
MDC/Armor by Location:
Forcefield 200
Weight: 10,000 lbs
Cargo:
Behind the saddle is a broad back deck that can carry up to 2,000 lbs of equipment(typically stasis canisters or medical pods of various sizes, depending on the size and completeness of the bodies carried in them).
Systems of Note:
*Laser Reflective Armor---Replaces the Passive Stealth Design. Lasers do HALF damage.

*Life Scanner---Copies the bio-signature sensors from the PSE-7000 Scanner, only mounts larger and more sensitive passive sensor arrays in the wings and elongated beak. Effective range of 1,500 ft and can detect and pinnpoint life signatures with 80% accuracy.

*PPE Sensor---Works off the same distributed network of passive sensors as the Life Scanner. Effective range of 1,000 ft, but can detect active spell magic at 2,000 ft.

Weapons Systems:
7) Dazzle Lasers---The wings of the Silvermoon ‘Albatross’ are lined with small lasers that play off mirrors in the wings to create an intensely bright aura that can blind anybody looking at it, and bollux laser targeting systems.
Range: 800 ft
Damage: Generates blinding effects similar to the Wilks Blinding Grenade(see Rifts Game Master Guide, pg. 177), blinding victims for 1d4 melees, -8 to strike, parry, and dodge, lose initiative and 2 APMs, afterwards the victims are stricken with blurred vision for another 2d4 melees; -1 initiative, -4 to strike, parry, dodge, and lose 1 APM. Even polarizing optics and eye protection are not able to screen out this attack, and even those in power armor or vehicles with optical protection will lose initiative and 1 APM from the flash. Cameras and optical systems will be temporarily overloaded for 1d4 melee rounds. Laser targeting systems lose lock.

Sorry for my silence lately..
I've got a few BlackSteel units in the works.. warmount Blacksteel units.

kronos wrote:Sorry for my silence lately..
I've got a few BlackSteel units in the works.. warmount Blacksteel units.

S'right...I'll post the Warlustress and another evil enemy before Halloween...maybe some heroes as well. I'm rather overdue for a posting surge.

Bizarrely enough; they (the PC crew) defeated the Blacksteel foundy base.
O.B.B. (Orbital Bovine Bombardment).
Not really, but close enough.

Think heavy mass-driver slug enchanted with the 'Charm Weapon' spell from Nightbane.

Still thinking?
I can wait.




There we go; NOW you see it.

Have some evil....


Neurallex (BlackSteel-corrupted Mechanoid Brain)
(aka ‘StormBrain’, ‘Psiclone’)

@@@@“YOUR FAULT!-DESTROY!-PAINS ME!-DESTROY!-FILTHYCREATURES!-HURTS ME!-CANNOT -THINK!-DESTROY ALL!-POISON-IN-MY-BRAINNNNN!!!-DESTROY YOU ALL!”@@@@

“Don’t matter if evil feeds on each other; sooner or later it gets back around to hurtin’ good folk. If the BlackSteel and the mecha-demons are preying on each other, don’t matter who wins; we all going to suffer.”

“No use taking cover in the eye of THAT storm; that’s where the brain of evil sits!!”

What happens when two great evils collide? Others suffer, that’s what. That’s the consequence borne of the crossing of paths of the BlackSteel and the Mechanoids.
The exact origins of the Neurallex, indeed even how many there really are, are shrouded in mystery. That they are in fact born of actual Mechanoids is confirmed, but how the two forces of evil merged is unknown. The Neurallex may be the result of a Mechanoid Brain attempting to repair itself with material that inconveniently contained BlackSteel, or perhaps the BlackSteel Citadel experimenting on a captured Mechanoid. Another rumor has a new Mechanoid Brain experimenting on an AbM Brain with BlackSteel and the torture running out of control, the BlackSteel assimilating prisoner and jailer both.
The Neurallex resembles a new-body frame Mechanoid Brain, but with the upper torso swelling grotesquely and translucently like the old-style(now AbM) Brain, tumorous brain matter visible through the encasing material. The sensor clusters and plasma globe have merged to form what looks like a grotesque screaming alien face. Numerous black spikes erupt from the body, piercing the alien brain tissue. More spikes grow from the legs and forearms, and the metallic surfacing of the alien cyborg is shot through with black corrosion streaks..
Whatever the causes of the union, it is abundantly clear that it is NOT of benefit to the Mechanoid organism, save making it a more rage-driven destroyer of humanoids. Shot through with corrupted BlackSteel, the Mechanoid Brain is in constant agony, fighting itself on a psychic level and lashing out at everything else. In fact, the Brain may use attacks on others as a means of focusing its mental powers and temporarily gaining a respite from its constant internal torture. Though the armored protection of the original Brain casing has been attenuated slightly, the Neurallex has become far more physically aggressive, powered by the strength of supernatural madness!
Neurallexes are walking psychic storms; psionic chaos whirls around them. The continual agony the corrupted Brain is in is so intense it even causes pain in other psychics, although the intense psionic activity also makes the Abominations easier to detect. The Neurallex shows little of the sophisticated intellect and subtle cunning of he Mechanoid Brain, but instead is more of a psychic berserker, seeking to do as much damage and harm to others as the Abomination rages across the landscape.
Neurallexes are still vulnerable to psionics(even more so; their defense save rolls are HALVED), which is why the Abominations will focus on attacking any psychics they encounter first
Though initially only one Neurallex was encountered and believed destroyed, subsequent incidents have suggested either the first was not killed as originally thought, or that there may be others; perhaps the result of a group of Brains being infected, or the Mechanoid somehow cloning itself It is a worrying development to the EShemar Elders. who can only speculate on what other evils may be lurking out there.

Class: BlackSteel-corrupted Mechanoid Cyborg Brain
Crew: Advanced Cyborg(Mechanoid Brain)
M.D.C. By Location:
Hands(2) 10 each
Arms(2) 50 each
Legs(4) 80 each
Large Rear Jets(2) 30 each
Small Rear Jets(2) 10 each
*Sensory Cluster 80
**Plasma/Black Slag Projector 35 .
Main Body 140
Lower Body 120

*Small target; -1 to strike
**Small target; -2 to strike

Height: 14 ft(spikes add another +3 ft)
Width: 6 ft
Length: 8 ft
Weight: 3 tons.
Power System: Nuclear
Physical Attributes: Equal to Supernatural PS. 30, PP. 24,.
Cargo: The Neurallex retains two small compartments in the lower torso.
Speed:
Running: 50 MPH
Jumping: 10 ft up/across
Flying: Limited; the Neurallex retains the ability to hover and fly on its antigravity systems. However, the Neurallex rarely takes full advantage of the performance of this system. It will leap into the air and fly erratically, or drop into the middle of a village and start killing indiscriminately. Can fly at 200 MPH and reach altitudes of 20,000 ft.
The Neurallex lacks the secondary hover system for the upper body, as the two sections have completely fused together.

Market Cost: None per say; the Neurallex’s technology is too integrated with the BlackSteel to be safely salvaged

Systems of Note:
*Full-Spectrum Optics Systems, Telescopic Optics(2 mile range).
*Built-in Language Translator
*Radar---2 mile range
*Radio Communications---100 mile range. 60% chance of tracking radio transmissions to their source(the Neurallex is drawn to radio sources) within a 20 mile range.

*MDC Regeneration---This seems to have evolved out of the Bio-Regeneration ability and, like it, is always ON. The Neurallex regenerates 2d4 MD per melee.

*Self-Destruct---If destroyed, the Abomination’s remains melt down into a useless toxic black slag of sludged plastics, oxidized metals, and organic ash.

Psionics:
The Mechanoid Brain’s original set of Master-level psionics has been corrupted by the BlackSteel implants, and have either been destroyed, replaced or perverted.
The Neurallex has only a fraction of the original Brain’s ISP available for directed use because most of it automatically gets spent on involuntary actions like the TK Storm.

ISP: 800

*TK Storm----The Neurallex is almost always (75% of the time) surrounded by a howling storm of rampant telekinetic energy. Objects in a 50 ft radius of the Abomination are swept up and hurled through the air, or pelted with other objects, A total of 2,000 lbs of material can be swept up and suspended in this manner. Regard damage from thrown objects as the same as for Telekinesis(Super).
Once per melee there is also a 50% chance of a Mind-Bolt-like emission of psychic energy lashing out and striking somebody in the radius of effect. Dodging this bolt is possible, but at -2, and if it connects, it does 2d4 MD.
The TK Storm also kicks up enough matter that it makes visually targeting the Abomination difficult; -1 to strike, using optical and radar sensors. The Neurallex, however, suffers no such penalties for shooting OUT of its self-generated chaos.
The TK Storm costs the Neurallex NO additional ISP(it’s already eating up over 60% of the Brain’s original ISP reserves).

*Mental Storm---Anybody attempting to reach the Neurallex via Telepathy, Empathy, or Mental Possession will immediately be struck by the sheer MADNESS afflicting it. Save versus psionic attack or be incapacitated with agony; -6 strike/parry/dodge, HALF all skill rolls, and -1 APM for 1d4 melees.

*Physical Psionics---The Neurallex still possesses ALL Physical-category Psionics:.

*Healing Psionics----The Healing psionics of the Mechanoid Brain have all been either eliminated or perverted into powers of torture:
-Bio-Regeneration(Self)----This power seems to be always ON, constantly regenerating the damage done by the BlackSteel to the Brain’s biological matter. It also keeps the nerves fresh and sensitive, plunging the organism into a continual cycle of agony.

-Debilitating Touch(18 ISP)---Formerly Healing Touch. It now does 1d8/2d4 Hit Point damage or 2d6 SDC.

-Deaden Pain---This has been effectively negated by the BlackSteel Touch

-Detect Psionics---DOUBLE the range; the Neurallex is acutely aware of psychics.

-Induce Sleep---This has been lost.

-Increased Healing---This has been lost

-Exorcism----This has been lost. Indeed, the chaos and misery surrounding the raging Neurallex may ATTRACT haunting entities and other monsters. On the other hand, no psychic creature with a wisp of self-preservation is going to dare try to possess the psionic maelstrom that is the Neurallex.

-Psychic Toxification(8 ISP)---The Psychic Purification power now hinders the body’s ability to fight the effects of drugs and toxins. Increase the duration by 50% of poisons, chemicals and toxins that would normally be flushed out of the body.

-Psychic Surgery(14 ISP)---This power now does random and detrimental physical alterations to whoever is touched. The damage is effectively permanent, until healed(magically, psychically, or technologically). Roll on the following:
01-10% Sealed nostrils---The victim loses their sense of smell until their olfactory organs can be surgically cleared.
11-20% Respiratory Closure---The victim’s respiratory tract has been psychically-surgically made smaller, cutting off air. The victim struggles for air(cut effective P.E. fatigue time by HALF).
21-30% Hamstrung---Leg muscle tendons have been molecularly fused wrong: reduce speed by 75%.
31-40% Muted---The victim’s vocal apparatus has been effectively cut or scarred to the point of uselessness. The best they can do is to get off guttural moans or groans. Can be surgically repaired.
41-50% Detached Optic Nerve---The character is blinded,unable to see until the damage is healed.
51-60% Hearing Loss----The eardrums/hearing organs have been damaged,rendering the victim deaf.
61-70% Cardiac Scarring-----It’s not immediately obvious, but the victim’s cardiac muscles have been damaged. Reduce P.E. and Speed by HALF.
71- 80% Nerve Damage----The victim is afflicted with agony whenever they move; reduce P.P. by HALF, and -15% to skills requiring a fine touch/manual dexterity.
81-90% Paralysis----If the Abomination touches a limb and successfully attacks, the victim’s limb is paralyzed. If the body or head is touched, the victim loses almost all (90%) control over their limbs.
91-00% Cracked Bone/Skeleton----The Abomination has introduced a fracture or weakness in the victim’s rigid body structures(bone, endo/exoskeleton). It’s not immediately noticeable, but the victim’s critical damage threshold drops by 1 pt(or, for any attackers’ strikes that connect, +1 towards critical damage), and a 30% chance of breaking if subjected to physical stress(such as punching something or landing on it), until healed or treated. Regard as broken bones/fractures with regards to healing.

*Telepathy---Unchanged

*Empathy---Unchanged

*Bio-Manipulation---Unchanged

*Empathic Transmission---Unchanged

*Hypnotic Suggestion---This has been lost, subsumed into the other warped powers.

*Mentally Possess Others---This power has been warped into the Skull Spike attack(see below)

*Mind Bond---This has been warped to do the same as Mind Wipe, as the Neurallex rips information out of the victim while downloading a white hot static of MADNESS in return.

*Mind Wipe----Still possessed, but rather than a subtle attack, the Neurallex simply overloads its victim’s mind with sheer AGONY.

*Mind Block Auto-Defense---This has been lost.

BlackSteel Traits:
*Horror Factor---Has an effective H.F. of 14.

*BlackSteel Touch---A Neurallex’s touch causes acute agony to living beings: It causes agonizing pain to any living being that touches it, even lightly. It can even send someone into a coma/death situation, unless they are devoid of a soul. Those who touch Blacksteel suffer -2 to all rolls, -20% to skills and loses 2 attacks for 1d4 minutes per melee round touched, plus must save vs coma/death 17. A successful save means the victim is rendered unconscious for 1d4 melee rounds in a near coma-like state, failure means they suffer 4d4 damage straight to Hit Points, or 5d6 M.D. for M.D.C. creatures. If save by more than 5, they are only stunned for that melee round, unable to take any actions or defend themselves.

Vulnerabilities:
*Silver---Silver weaponry does DOUBLE damage to BlackSteel creations. If a called shot of 20+ (modified) strikes the main body with silver, the tainted container/CPU/powerplant will be struck and an explosion of 6D6 MDC to a 3 ft. radius will erupt and annihilate the Black-Steel... and decommission the ‘bot(self-destruct will still go off, however).

*Psionics----Neurallexes have lower mental defenses and are vulnerable to psionic attack.

*Psychic Noise----Neurallexes throw out so much unrestrained psionic energy that they are easily detected by those with psychic powers. Sensitive psychic powers can detect the Abomination at THREE TIMES normal range, and Sixth Sense will trigger as soon as the monster gets within 4,000 ft.

*Black Slag Chamber---If the Black Slag/Plasma Projector is destroyed(must be called shots) while it still has any Black Slag material in it, the ichor is released back into the Neurallex’s brain chamber and does critical(DOUBLE) damage for as many melees as they have remaining shots of the slag, during which the Neurallex has only 1 APM, no dodge or strike bonuses, and can only stagger around without any real direction.

Weapons Systems:
1) Plasma Projector---The Mechanoid Brain’s plasma projector has been modified to fire Black Slag, an ichorous acidic mass that eats away at material it lands on.
Range:(Plasma) 4,000 ft
(Slag shot)2,000 ft
Damage::(Plasma) 1d4x10 MD per shot
(Slag shot) Does 6d6 MD to a 5 ft blast radius on impact and does 3d6 MD per melee for 1d4 melees. The material can be scrapped off or extinguished with magic, or total immersion in water, but conventional fire extinguishing measures are useless against it.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload::(Plasma) Effectively Unlimited
(Slag shot) The reservoir holds enough ichor for 15 shots. The ichor has defied chemical analysis and cannot be replicated by conventional chemical laboratories(a necromancer and alchemist might be able to intuit something of a process). The Neurallex regenerates the precursor substance at a rate of 1 shot per hour(It’s been suggested that the material may be waste product of the Neurallex’s mutated brain tissue).

2) Laser Fingers(2)---The Neurallex retains the laser fingers of the new-frame Mechanoid Brain, but the fingers have grown longer and more talon-like, and the lasers have gotten extended range, in addition to firing ‘negative light’.
Range: 500 ft.
Damage: Two settings: 2d6 MD or 4d6 MD per blast
Do 25% more damage to living beings, and direct exposure of the wound to sunlight(and Globe of Daylight spells) will cause the injury to become acutely photosensitive; victims must roll under their ME or be -1 on initiative, perception, strike, dodge, and parry due to the itching/burning sensations from the wound. The photosensitivity ends when the wound is healed.
On an unmodified ‘to Strike’ roll of 19-20, organic victims must roll to save versus non-lethal poison or be afflicted with acute photosensitivity to their entire bodies, not just the wound site. Exposure to sunlight(and Globe of Daylight spells) will cause exposed skin to redden and blister, soft tissues like lips to crack and bleed, and eyes will become acutely sensitive to glare and bright light(not just sunlight); -8 to strike, parry, and dodge in bright light without eye protection, and DOUBLE the other penalties from the broader degree of skin sensitivity. Recommended remedies are all-covering clothing, and advanced protection sunscreens. The hypersensitivity will end when the wounds are fully healed.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

3) Leg Spikes---Like the Skull-Eater, the spidery legs of the Neurallex have grown long sharp spikes that can be used to impale victims.
Range: Melee or can be ejected up to 300 ft
Damage: +1d6 MD to a kick or body block
On an unmodified ‘to strike’ roll of 18-19, the thorns can become lodged in the target. On organic targets, this results in a gangrene-style infection; roll versus lethal poison, or take 1d4 SDC/Hit Point damage per minute that the thorns are still lodged inside a wound. The damage quits accumulating when the thorns are removed, but the wounds will take twice as long to heal naturally.
Against material targets, the BlackSteel thorn attack reduces the MDC of metal-based body armors and light power armors by HALF, heavy power armors and light vehicles by 30%, and heavy robots and vehicles by 10%. Damage takes 4 melees/1 minute, and is obvious by acute discoloration and flaking of the armor. Other effects identical to those of Japanese nanites.
Payload: Each leg sports 10 quills. The Neurallex can regenerate the quills at a rate of 5 an hour.


4) Skull Spikes----The spikes of BlackSteel shooting through the Neurallex’s brain tissue are intermingled with spikes of blackened hardened neural tissue. These brain spikes can be ejected, and aimed at targets. They have the horrible side effect of reanimating inside a host body and infecting the host with berserker madness.
Range: 500 ft
Damage: 1d6 SDC/MDC depending on what the target is. Plus, if the spike ends up embedded in living flesh, the target must roll versus lethal poison or be infected with the Neurallex’s brain matter, which psychically channels the abomination’s madness into the victim. Every subsequent melee, the victim must save versus insanity or be reduced to a mindlessly aggressive state during which they will attack those nearest them. HALF their normal bonuses(none for attacks using ranged weapons), but +2 APMs. Multiple spikes in the same victm do NOT increase bonuses/penalties.
The berserker infection will continue until the spike(s) are removed from the victim’s body.
Fortunately, Group Mind Block can isolate the victim from receiving the Neurallex’s insanity transmissions. The spike MUST be removed, however, to prevent relapses. Simply tearing the spike out will do it, but the victim will take 1d6 Hit Point/MDC(again depending on what the victim is) damage, and must roll against insanity or pick up a random insanity. Deaden Pain only removes the penalties to the victim’s combat bonuses, but does nothing about the RAGE being channeled through them. A more measured approach such as a Field Surgery roll to excise the spike without damage or insanity, but is at -15%. Psychic Surgery can be attempted, but the spike will react badly to the presence of psionic energies trying to tamper with it, and will explode, doing 2d6 HP/MDC damage...unless the Psychic Surgery is also performed simultaneously with Psychic Purification. Psionic and magic Exorcism will work, as will the spell Purge. Touching the embedded spike with a silver or holy weapon will cause the spike to harmlessly dissipate into smoke.
Rate of Fire: One per attack
Payload: 10. The brain spikes regenerate at 1 per hour.

5)(Optional) Use of Hand Weapons---The Neurallex can still pick up and use hand weapons, such as energy rifles, with no loss in skill proficiency. Most Neurallexes tend to prefer to use burst-fire weapons, indiscriminately mowing down targets until the weapons run dry or melt from overuse, whereupon the Abomination will often use its TK to snatch another energy weapon off an incapacitated or dead opponent and use that one until it runs out.

Programming/Skills:
The Neurallex retains all the skills of the Mechanoid Brain, but the higher end thinking skills that require concentration(like Computer, Technical, Mechanical/Electrical skills) will all be at -25% and take twice as long due to the sheer mental suffering the Neurallex is experiencing.
Note: Using Deaden Pain on a Neurallex will allow the Abomination, for the extent of the psionic power, to use its skills at full proficiency. However, the ungrateful creature will most likely use its temporary freedom from pain to perpetuate some sophisticated mischief or pain and suffering on

Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 6 physical or psionic attacks
Initiative +1
Dodge +4
Parry +4
Strike +4 (+3 w/ ranged weaponry, +6 w/ finger lasers)
Roll +4(the TK storm actually helps the Abomination
Pull Punch +1
Knockout/Stun on a Natural 18-20
Restrained Punch 3d6 SDC
Full Strength Punch 3d6 MD
Power Punch(2 attacks) 6d6 MD
Kick 3d6 MD
Body Block Ram 2d6 MD
Immune to Horror Factor
+2 Vs Psionics
+2 Vs Magic & Poison

taalismn wrote:Have some evil....


Neurallex (BlackSteel-corrupted Mechanoid Brain)
(aka ‘StormBrain’, ‘Psiclone’)

I was just thinking of what some BlackSteel corrupted Mechanoids would be like. Haven't given much thought yet, but the Neurallex is scary!

And here's the improved WarLustress(with suggested Spark-eating ability)

*Warlustress(BlackSteel-corrupted A-SHE-15/A-SHE-8RK Shemarrian Wargoddess)
(aka ‘Dark Medusa’, ‘BLACK VELCRO’, ‘Death-Shag’)

“These things embody the worst of the Black Steel corruption. They are malevolent war machines on so many levels; melee combat, ranged combat, artillery, psychological warfare....they exist for one purpose only, to spread death and destruction by whatever means.”

“I’ve seen Warlustresses even kill their own allies....one just cooked a Mechanoid in its own shell, just because...well, I don’t know exactly why, but it just underscores that however polite and reasonable one of these things may SOUND, they are absolutely NOT to be trusted.”

The WarLustress is a BlackSteel-corrupted A-SHE-15/A-SHE-8RK Shemarrian Wargoddess. Initially only one was believed to exist, a former Skullcrusher Wargoddess who became mutated into hideous form, but it is now known that she may have been only the test case or prototype of a new line of production by the BlackSteel Citadel.
BlackSteel has wrought monstrous changes to the former Skullcrusher Wargoddesses, fusing their body armor to their bodies and distorting them. The head has become warped and elongated, the lower jaw becoming narrower and more predator-like, and can split open to reveal multiple mandibles and a serrated tongue. The legs become reverse-articulated and ending in claws. Multiple tentacles sprout from the back, shoulders, and head, and the missile launchers have taken on an even more organic look. The skin-armor takes on a jet black coloration with a glassy luster, while the little exposed ‘skin’ is darker and steel-gray.
Warlustresses are powerhouses of evil power, and are even more potent generals of the BlackSteel spawn. Warlustresses rarely deign to talk to prisoners, especially mere organics, prefering instead to let their minions deal with the inferiors. When they do speak, it is to project their presence and demoralize those that listen.
Fortunately, Warlustresses are rare, but those few who do exist can wreak terrible destruction and evil upon those unfortunate to be in their path. It is BELIEVED that only a handful(no more than a dozen) were produced by the BlackSteel Citadel before its destruction by the Tribes, but those that escaped continue to pose a deadly threat to innocent life.
.
Type: BlackSteel Abomination---Warlustress
Class: Corrupted Robot Gynoid
Crew: Corrupted Neural Intelligence
M.D.C. By Location:
Hands(2) 55 each
Forearms(2) 200 each
Forearm Plasma Projectors(2) 100 each
Upper Arms & Shoulders(2) 250 each
Legs(2) 250 each
Armored Skirt** 100
Retractable Whip Tendrils(56) 10 each
Projectile Tubes(6) 50 each
Head 100
Antennae(4) 20 each
Razor Tongue 10 .
Main Body 480

“Dark Sceptor’ Pole Arm/Rail Gun 100

**This protects the legs from attack from the back and sides; -4 to strike the legs, even on a called shot

Height: 12 ft
Width: 5 ft
Length: 4.5 ft
Weight: 2,500 lbs.
Power System: Nuclear(?)
Physical Attributes: Equal to Supernatural PS. 48, PP. 24, IQ 16.
Cargo: Nonel only what can be carried
Speed:
Running: 110 MPH
Jumping: 10 ft up/lengthwise. Increase distance/height by 50% with a running start.
Flying: Not possible without a jetpack or other conveyance
Underwater: Can swim at 5 MPH or run along the bottom at 8 MPH. Estimated depth limit of 800 ft.
Market Cost: EXCLUSIVE to the BlackSteel Citadel
Systems of Note:
Standard Shemarrian Robot Systems, plus:
Full optical systems, laser targeting, passive night vision, telescopic vision, thermal imaging, infrared, ultraviolet, and polarization filters. Also has motion and heat detection, and other standard Shemarrian systems.

*Self-Destruct---Standard. Just as ARCHIE-3’s ‘bots will destroy all evidence of themselves, the BlackSteel also leaves little trace of its creations. Completely obliterates itself(1d4x100+250 to immediate vicinity, and 2d4x10 MD to a 10 ft radius). Any remains will be a black slag-like material that slowly evaporates away with the taint of evil.

BlackSteel Traits:
* BlackSteel Touch---A Warlustress’s touch causes acute agony to living beings: It causes agonizing pain to any living being that touches it, even lightly. It can even send someone into a coma/death situation, unless they are devoid of a soul. Those who touch Blacksteel suffer -2 to all rolls, -20% to skills and loses 2 attacks for 1d4 minutes per melee round touched, plus must save vs coma/death 17. A successful save means the victim is rendered unconscious for 1d4 melee rounds in a near coma-like state, failure means they suffer 4d4 damage straight to Hit Points, or 5d6 M.D. for M.D.C. creatures. If save by more than 5, they are only stunned for that melee round, unable to take any actions or defend themselves.

* Acidic Ichor---Warlustresses ooze an oily black ichor that is acidic. Any attack that does more than 40 MDC in a single strike(or if a body part takes more than 50% damage) will cause the corrupted gynoid to leach this liquid, which does 1d6 MD per melee(DOUBLE if dripped/worked into a victim’s eyes or other orifices).

* Demonic Regeneration---ARCHIE-3 Loyalist ‘bots lack the nanite regneration systems of the EShemar, but the BlackSteel possessees have evolved a similar form of self-repair. The chassis wil regenerate damage at a rate of 10% per hour per location damaged. The Warlustress can also devour MDC materials, ideally MDC flesh and robot parts, and regain lost MDC at one point of regeneration MD per every two points of devoured MD, within 1d6 minutes of consumption.

*Coordination---Warlustresses can incite other BlackSteel-possessed robots in their vicinity to greater efficiency/bloodthirstness. Lesser units within a 5 mile radius of a Warlustress are +2 to Initiative, +2 to strike, and +3 to Perception.

*Horror Factor----Warlustresses radiate evil and malicious intent. Has an effective H.F. of 14. A "miasma" aura surrounds the infected Shemarrian warrior for any psi senstive to see / smell.

*Drain Psionic Energy and PPE--drain psi energy and AEtheric power by drawing blood; identical to the psi-stalker mutation and certain supernatural predators.

*Consume Spark---If a Warlustress can kill/destroy an EShemar's robot body, it can also attempt to consume the psionic entity itself before it gets an chance to disperse into the ether. The Ecotroz gets a final save versus magic to avoid being consumed; if successful, the entity vanishes(evaporates into random energy or ascends to another plane of existence, whatever). If the save fails, the spark is consumed by the Warlustress, who gets a temporary power-up; +1 to initiative, +1 to strike, and hand to hand strikes do 50% more damage for 2d4 melees, +5 to save versus magic/psionic attacks for 2d4 melees, and also instantly regenerates 1d6x10 MD.

*Stealth Armor----Warlustresses are covered in a dark psuedo-organic-looking material that appears ‘greasy’ and unreal to vision, blurring the outlines of the ‘bot. Laser targeting systems are -1 to lock on to the ‘bots, and even Mark One Eyeball is -1 to strike them(-2 under low light conditions) when they are moving. There is only a 25% chance of spotting them on thermal optics.


Vulnerabilities:
*Silver----Warlustresses take DOUBLE damage from silver weapons. Wargoddess's are actually safer from silver, having only the vulnerabilities of line warriors, but when they receive a critical hit, they turn into thermite mixed with fuel-air explosive. 1D8x10 MDC to a 30 ft. radius and if the elemental evil has manifested it may still remain manifested in the side-real universe to cause havoc and bloodshed (25% chance).

Weapons Systems:
1) Forearm Plasma Projectors(2)---These have been retained from the original Wargoddess, but have become more prominent, techno-organic, and obscenely tumescent. Besides firing plasma bolts, they also fire globs of vaporized metal slag that cling to targets and burn, or spatter like lava bombs.
Worse yet, by bringing its forearms together, the Watlustress can merge its two cannons togther to form a ‘Hellfire Howitzer’ that fires a longer-ranged and more powerful blob of enhanced Slag.
A further aspect of this weapon is the ability to use the Slag to repair damage to other BlackSteel units.
Range:(Plasma Bolt)4,000 ft
(Slag Bolt) 2,000 ft
(Hellfire Howitzer) 10,000 ft
Damage:(Plasma Bolt) 1d4x10 MD per shot
(Slag Bolt) Does 6d6 MD to a 5 ft blast radius on impact and does 3d6 MD per melee for 1d4 melees. The material can be scrapped off or extinguished with magic, or total immersion in water, but conventional fire extinguishing measures are useless against it.
(Hellfire Howitzer) 3d6x10 to target plus half to 10 foot area, plasma that is also capable of harming creatures immune to non-magical attacks.
Rate of Fire:(Plasma Bolt) ECHH
(Slag Bolt) ECHH
(Hellfire Howitzer) Twice per melee. It takes two actions to merge the cannons(another two to separate them)
Payload:(Plasma Bolt) Effectively Unlimited
(Slag Bolt) Has enough slag stuff for 25 shots per arm; regenerates payload at 5 per hour.
(Hellfire Howitzer) Each Hellfire shot takes up TWO Slag Bolt shots

Special: Any BlackSteel units struck with Slag Bolts actually HEAL half the damage the Bolt would have done.
Penalties: (Hellfire Howitzer) The merging of the forearms negates the use of the arms for anything else, and the Warlustress CANNOT strike or parry with the merged mega-cannon. The configuration also imposes a sniffness to the Abomination’s posture that interferes with its otherwise unworldly grace; HALF dodge bonuses.


2) BlackSlam Launchers(6) ---- The Warlustress can launch mini-missile-like spheres of Black Steel-tainted explosive material that acts like plastic explosive in contact. The soft material impacts against hard armor and explodes, flaking off shards off the inside that can do damage to ‘soft’ targets such as crew.
Range: 5,000 ft
Damage:(Fragmentation Mode) 1d6x10 MD to a 18 ft blast radius
(Goo Mode) 4d4x10 +40 MD to 6 ft blast radius, plus 1d4x10 SDC to anyone inside the armor(or 6d6 SDC to anyone within 10 ft of the other side of the wall). HALF that if used against composite ‘meshed’ armors designed to flex, rather than spald(most power armors are contructed to have a certain amount of ‘warp’ to their structure, but cheaper armors, like Chipwell and early Northern Gun designs, lack this protection).
More advanced modern armors, such as those used by the Coalition, Triax, and other very high tech nations(the Kittani, for instance), for their EBA, power armors, robots, some vehicles, and special purpose fortifications(such as high echelon command bunkers) are designed NOT to spald, due to multiple composite layers of megadamage fabric and netting.....for these armors, spalding/bleed-through damage may be reduced to 1/4, or may not apply at all(GMs, use your discretion). Normal blast damage still applies, though, as the outer layers of armor are blown off/vaporized.
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-6
Payload: 4 spheres per launcher tube, 24 total. Regenerates at a rate of one sphere per hour.

3) Blacklight Eye Lasers(2)---The eyes of the Warlustress have a jet-black appearance, and they can also project focused beams of corrupted light.
Range: 1,000 ft
Damage: 1d8 MD single eye blast, 2d8 MD for both eyes(counts as one attack)
Do 25% more damage to living beings, and direct exposure of the wound to sunlight(and Globe of Daylight spells) will cause the injury to become acutely photosensitive; victims must roll under their ME or be -1 on initiative, perception, strike, dodge, and parry due to the itching/burning sensations from the wound. The photosensitivity ends when the wound is healed.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Bonus: +2 to strike

4) Tentacles(56)---These take the place of the Wargoddess body-blades. These resemble chains of blades sprouting from the back and shoulders, and surround the Warlustress in a waving, weaving, network or shaggy cloak of tearing and striking tendrils. Tangling up prey and using the captives as ablative hostage meat-shields against their comrades is a favorite tactic of the Warlustress. Furthermore, they can be used to infect struck targets with dreaded Black-Rot.
Other insidious aspects of these tentacles are the ability to be detached and formed into handweapons for the Warlustress, the ability to be thrown as spear weapons, and to act as vermiform drones once detached from the Warlustress’s body.
Range: Tendrils can extend about 15 ft.
As Shadow Spears, the tentacles can be thrown 120 ft.
Damage:(Lash) 1d4 MD
(Tear/Pry) 2d4 MD
(SPECIAL)Black-Rot----The tentacles can infect targets with a nanite plague causing Black-Rot, which gobbles up bionics and robotics, and converts them into pseudo-BlackSteel under the partial control of the WarLustress. By itself, Black-Rot can render a cyborg or robot crippled, or even dead, but if the Warlustress chooses to focus her attention on an infected target, she can manipulate the infected parts to follow her commands. This means that she can command an afflicted bionic arm to strike its owner, or use an embedded weapon to attack a colleague(no bonuses to strike). Black-Rotted legs can be pulled out from under the victim. Obviously, the greatest danger is if most of a cyborg or robot victim is infected, leaving them susceptible to being manipulated like puppets in their own bodies.
Black-Rot treats regular flesh less discriminately; it eats away at it like dissolver nanotech, and metabolizing the iron or copper in the blood.
Black Rot infection takes TWO attack actions to initiate. It does 2d6 MD per melee to metals and synthetic materials, 3d6 MD per melee to organics. Damage persists until the Black Rot has either destroyed/subverted its victim, or it is neutralized.
A robotic or bionic component that has lost all its MDC to Black-Rot is effectively susceptible to control.
Black-Rot can be countered with special nanites/reprogrammed nanite regeneration systems, or can be cauterized off with plasma(does 50% more damage to infected limbs/parts). Electronic jamming can DISRUPT a Warlustress’s control over victims as long as as the jamming is kept up, but this is a temporary respite, and attempts to jam the control signals are made at -15%. Other cures/countermeasures include magic(a Purge spell will work, but the Black-Rot actually gets a save vs magic of +4, Exorcism spells work without penalty), injections of silver suspension (but also do 1d6 MD to the infected body part in a cauterizing thermal reaction), and immersion in /injection of liquid PPE/liquified sunlight.
(SPECIAL) Morphic Hand Weapon---The tentacles can be detached and held in the hands of the Warlustress. Powered by the evil will of the Abomination, the tentacles can reshape into hand blades that do 1d8 MD+ punch damage, and on an unmodified 18-20, do DOUBLE damage, lodging temporarily in open wounds and thrashing about, doing extra damage.
(SPECIAL) Shadow Spear---Detached tentacles can stifffen and be used/thrown as spears; 2d6 MD.
(SPECIAL) ShadowWyrm---Thrown shadow spears can be recovered and re-attached to the Warlustress, but they can also be remotely animated to become snake-like drones. ShadowWyrms crawl at a speed of Spd 10 , has three actions/attacks per melee, is +2 to dodge and strike, and bites for 2d6 MD, or 1d4x10 MD for a full melee of drilling/cutting. The ShadowWyrm can only keep going for 3d6 minutes before running out of power and quickly deteriorating into rust-dust..
(SPECIAL) Rend---If the Warlustress can grapple with an opponent, they can cocoon the target in the cloak of tentacles; the overall effect is akin to being stuffed into a meatgrinder. Targets so trapped take 2d4 per committed melee action to ALL locations, target cannot dodge, strength is reduced by -4 for damage purposes, plus inflict Black-Rot, with the target suffering -2 to the save (getting stabbed by multiple tentacles), as the Warlustress entangles, infects and damages legs, arms, motive systems. making target easier for striking later, or possibly immobilizing them to suffer the effects of Black-Rot while it goes after another target.
The downside of the Rend attack is that it interferes with the Warlustress’s own ability to move; it is immobile while mauling a target, and the Warlustress cannot itself dodge attacks, and is at HALF bonuses to parry.
Bonus: +2 to parry and entangle with tentacles
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Can deliver 15 doses of Black Steel corruption per hour. Regenerates enough tainted material for one infection every 4 minutes(16 melees).


5) Agony-Caster---- The grotesquely-merged head and headdress hide a powerful short-range psionic-broadcaster that projects a beam of pure agony. The Agony is more than just psionic; it appears to have a microwave component as well, as it will interfere with cybernetics and bionics as well, creating a painful feedback effect. Being psychic beings, Ecotroz-Awakened machines are also vulnerable to this attack.
Range: 500 ft, and affects a 30 ft wide area.
Damage: Save versus psionic attack or be -6 to initiative, strike, parry, dodge, and -1 Hit Point per attack. Victims often exhibit bloody irises and bleeding from ears, eyes, and nose. Psychics will also lose 1d4 ISP per attack on a failed save, as the atatck scrambles their brains(the ISP is regained naturally).
Does 1d6 MD to the bionics of partial/full-con cyborgs; Partial Cyborgs have a 50% chance of having their cybernetics disrupted for 1D10 minutes, and a 20% chance of a non-vital system being permanently shorted out. Full conversion cyborgs have only a 25%/5% chance, and Assault Cyborgs and those with hardened systems aren’t affected at all.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited


6) Razor Tongue---Although not as long or sharp as the Wraith-Tongue’s, the Warlustress’s extendable tonge can still deliver a lethal jab, especially as it likes to use it to attack an opponent’s vulnerable face; stabbing into eyeballs is a favorite distraction.
Range: 6 ft
Damage: 2d6 MD

7) Use of Handheld Weapons---The Warlustress can pick up and use infantry weapons. The favored weapon is the ‘Death Sceptor’, a corrupted Shemrrian 6070 Rail Gun firing special ‘dark’ round that cannot be detected by radar or EM means(Sixth sense and visual tracking still works). The ‘Death Sceptor’, can also chamber grinder rounds,a lthough these can dodged and parried as normal.
The ‘Death Sceptor’ is more durable than its 6070 original form, with 200 MDC(it’s also twice as heavy), and can thus be used quite servicably by the supernaturally-strong Warlustress as a pole-arm weapon, and so sports an energized axe-blade under the muzzle.
Range: (Dark Rounds) 6,500 ft
(Grinder Rounds) 5,200 ft
(Polearm) Melee
Damage: (Dark Rounds) 2d6x10 MD per shot
Plus, motion-detection and radar-based senses are ineffective at detecting the incoming rail gun fire, making attempts to dodge or parry them ineffective(no bonuses to dodge/parry).
(Grinder Rounds) Grinder rounds have 20% less range and 25% less initial damage than the railgun rounds they replace(2d4x10 MD in the case of the ‘Death Sceptor’), but on an unmodified ‘to strike’ roll of 19-20. they lodge in the wound/hole and suddenly animate, rotating like a miniature buzzsaw, and burrowing into the wound, doing an additional 1d8 MD for 1d4 melees, before burning out and falling to pieces. Grinder rounds can be cut out of a living victim, and doing as little as 1 MD will destroy them, but such a procedure is messy and dangerous, and those without a Field Surgery skill will be -3 to strike the spinning munition(and a missed strike will likely do additional damage to the victim, as well as pushing the grinder further into them).

(Polearm) 2d4x10 MD per strike

Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 2,000 rd drum.


Programming/Skills:
Same as for the baseline A-SHE-15/A-SHE-8RK Shemarrian Wargoddess.

Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 10
Note: Bonuses are in addition to those possible from the Shemar’s elective training
Initiative +6
Dodge +6
Parry +5, +2 with tentacles
Automatic Dodge(takes no actions)
Strike +5 (+4 w/ ranged weaponry, +6 w/ Shemarrian Rail Guns)
Roll +5
Pull Punch +4
Disarm +4
Entangle +2, +5 with tentacles
Knockout/Stun on a Natural 18-20
Bite 3d6 MD
Tongue Stab 2d6 MD
Restrained Punch 1d6x10 SDC
Full Strength Punch 6d6 MD
Power Punch(2 attacks) 2d4x10 MD
Kick 6d6 MD
Leap Kick(2 attacks) 2d4x10+6 MD
Tentacle Lash 1d4 MD
Tentacle Tear/Pry 2d4 MD
Tentacle Crush/Squeeze 2d4 MD per melee

And in keeping with the Halloween theme...here's a different take on some standard villains...

Eshe-KP-FASSAR-36Sm SilverSkulls Myrmidon Drones
(aka ‘MoonSkulls’, ‘Nightbones’, ‘Knightbones’)

“Just how in the hells did all those mechanical abominations surround us so quickly?!”
“They are as quiet as the rising moon.”
“And what is THAT supposed to mean!?”
“Those are the Moonknights, the fearless Purification servants of the Silvermoons. I fear, as I had warned if we stayed in this region any longer, we have attracted the attention of a most powerful and persistent enemy.”

##”...regret we cannot bring you the head of Serenity Lunasfire as per your orders, oh dread Witch-Mistress. Your orders to overwhelm her and her handful of companions with superior numbers of undead has encountered an unexpecetd problem....Lunasfire now has an army of her own. One immune to the corrupting touch of your undead...”##

“Let’s see how many fangs we can collect tonight, shall we?”
-<“By Your Command.”>-
-<<“Roger. Roger.”>>-
-{{“Affirmative, fatso.”}]-
“I HEARD THAT!”

Despite the plentiful supply of skelebot drones pumped out deployed by the Coalition States, and the subsequent large amounts of wrecked skelebots to be found in North America, the EShemar have never thought well of them, and have rarely inducted them as is into the ranks of the neshemar, though they’ve gleefully recycled them for components and materials. Occasionally over-exuberant EShemar or overzealous kantaran have infected/Awakened legions of skelebots into rogue armies of their own, leading to outbreaks of ‘myrmidonitis’, but such mass-conversions rarely last long, before the EShemar break up the ‘bots for parts(and the Awakened AIs transplanted into different bodies) or the Coalition military bombs the rogue robots out of existence(and hard-rides its roboticists to come up with new security patches to prevent future ‘hack attacks’). A few EShemar, however, continue to hold out hope that they make better use of the plentiful resource the CS unwittingly provides them(or are simply tempted by the idea of mass-Awakenings/reprogrammings handing them ready and loyal troops by hundred-ton lots) , and continue to tinker towards that goal.
The Silvermoons in particular, with their emphasis on discipline and purity of purpose, seem especially intrigued with skelebots, liking the idea of somehow ‘redeeming’ the machinery by repurposing it, and quickly creating massive new ‘armies of light’. Only the warnings of the Reformed Shemarrian Nation council of elders and the consequences and cost of wholesale conversion of armies of skelebots have kept the Silvermoons from doing anything particularly rash, but that hasn’t stopped them from experimenting with various configurations in small batches with an eye towards applying one to larger numbers if and when the day comes. The ‘SilverSkulls’ are one such experiment.
The Eshe-KP-FASSAR-36s are based on the FASSAR-20/30 model skelebots, but have been modified. The skull-heads have been replaced with heads more closely resembling the helmets of the CA-4 Deadboy EBA, with the colors reversed(the white ‘bone’ now being jet black, and the black visor section now being silver mirror-chrome). The rest of the body is similarly black, with silver accents, and the torso is more streamlined, more like the FASSAR-40 Hunter model. The arms and legs are less skeletal and filled in to prevent catching hazards. The ‘bots are sheathed in a combination of laser-reflective and laser-ablative armors, giving them protection against photonic weaponry.
Internally, the SilverSkulls have been similarly improved. The head dome conceals extra sensors, including a PPE sensor system derived from tech exchanges with Clan Shinden. Combat programming is still based on that of the skelebots, but scrubbed of the more atrocious behaviors and expanded with the addition of several behavioral programs, utility packages, and databases.
In one experimental deployment, about a hundred SilverSkull robots have been worked up and placed under the supervision of the Silvermoon Warchief Serenity Lunasfire, who has led them and her special team of cross-Tribe specialists in actions against various forces of Darkness.
Lunasfire’s ‘Moonknights’ have been Awakened(not all assigned leaders do so, but Lunasfire has), and are slowly developing personalities, though they currently act like a formation of very well-disciplined and drilled soldiers, fearless and selfless. They are slightly more vocal and demonstrate a wider vocabulary than skelebots, but currently tend to be rather curt and to the point, and not very good conversationalists. However, occasionally one may make a sarcastic remark or humorous observation(usually dodging responsibility for it by hiding in the ranks of identical units). If any of the ‘bots show any particular aptitude that could translate into specialist or leadership positions, Lunasfire has suggested distinguishing such individuals with different color schemes, like gold or red chroming, in addition to any possible AI upgrades.
The few times these ‘bots have been seen by outsiders with a knowledge of Rifts Earth, the SilverSkulls have been mistaken for some sort of special Coalition States anti-monster unit. This is an annoyance to some of the Silvermoons who want the right proper measure of glory accorded to their Tribe, while minds of a more subtle bent see the confusion as working in the Shemarrians’ favor, concealing their ability to preempt the CS’s mechanical minions.

Type: Eshe-KP-FASSAR-36Sm SilverSkull
Class: Myrmidon Drone
Crew: None; Robot Intelligence
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 180
Head 60
Arms(2) 50 each
Hands(2) 22 each
Vibroblades(2) 25 each
Legs(2) 75 each
Height: 7 ft
Width: 3 ft
Length: 2.9 ft
Weight: 400 lbs
Cargo: None
Physical Strength: Equivalent to Robotic P.S. of 30
Powerplant: Nuclear w/ 20 year energy life
Speed: (Running) 90 MPH
(Leaping) 6 ft up/across
About 40% of Silverskulls have been refitted with leaping legs: 20 ft up/32 ft across, increase height/distance by 30% with a running start(note these ‘bots cannot have the Prowl ability)
(Flying) Not possible
(Space) Not possible
(Underwater) Slightly better streamlined than the original skelebots. Can run along the bottom at 24 MPH, maximum depth tolerance of 1,000 ft.
Market Cost: Exclusive to the Ecotroz-Shemar
Systems of Note:
Full optical systems, laser targeting(+1 to strike w/ ranged weaponry), passive nightvision, telescopic vision, thermal imaging, infrared, ultraviolet, and polarization filters. Also has motion and heat detection.

*Regenerative Self-Repair---SilverSkulls lack the ‘digestive’ self-replenishing nanotech repair mechanisms of the regular EShemar, but have a more limited system based on the original bionic MiRRs. Can repair 25 MDC of damage each usage, with up to 12 uses(that’s still 300 MDC!) possible before the system needs to be replenished.

*Integral SNARLS PPE Sensor System ----The result of trading with other Tribes, this paranormal sensing gives the SilverSkull the ability to detect supernatural beings and activity. The sensor has a 200 ft range(out to 400 ft with 50% error in determination), 60-degree arc, and can detect invisible entities. Other penalties similar to the Japanese SNARLS system(on which it is based.....see Rifts: Japan, pg. 116).

*Superior Teamwork---Silverskulls are wifi data-linked and programmed for team coordination; they enjoy a +1 to Initiative, +1 to strike, and +3 to Perception as long as they are in line of sight of each other.

*Prowl Ability---The feet, leg joints, and hip joints have been reworked and modified for quieter operation and muffled movement. ‘Quiet as the rising moon’ has been sometimes used to describe these ‘bots in night operations. They tend to save their emchanical snap-movement noisiness for when it can achieve a psychological impact.

Weapons Systems:
1) Integral Vibroblades---The retractable/extendable vibroblades of the original skelebots have been retained, but are typically silver-plated and/or ‘rippified’ (after the Naruni blade series) for extra effect.
Range: Melee
Damage: 2d6 MD

2) (Optional) Forearm Weapons Modules---A clip-on module can be attached to one or both forearms. If it is known in advance what sort of opponents the ‘bots may be facing on a mission, the appropriate weapon may be fitted. The forearm module may be linked to a backpack magazine or reservoir if another weapon’s ammunition supply is not already carried there.
a) Stake Launcher---Anti-vampire weapon
Range: 150 ft
Damage: 3d6 SDC/HP per wooden stake
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 3 stakes
A belt-fed version is also available, feeding from a dedicated backpack with 50 stakes.

b) Chemical Sprayer---Has been known to carry aerosol garlic, wolfsbane, or other chemicals.
Range: 20 ft
Damage: Varies by chemical
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 20 shots from a forearm reservoir; a dedicated backpack tank can hold 100 blasts.

c) Flamer----Multi-fuel flame thrower. Purify it with fire.
Range: 250 ft for napalm gels
Damage:
(Wellington plasma napalm) 3d6 MD burst
(MD Gel)4D6 MD Upon contact, burning for 1D6 rounds doing 2D6 MD per round. Anything that the character touches also starts on fire. Any combustible materials within touching distance, clothes, brush, etc. also ignite.
Rate of Fire:ECHH
Payload: Enough fuel for 10 blasts. If not carrying a rail gun ammo drum, the ‘bot can hook the flamer up to a backpack tank providing enough fuel for 100 blasts.

d) 30mm Grenade Launcher
Range:1,200 ft
Damage:
(SDC)* (Fragmentation) 2d6x10 SDC to 16 ft radius
(High Explosive) 6d6x10 SDC to 4 ft radius
(Armor Piercing) 1d4x100 SDC, no blast radius
(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

*(Yes, I know, why include SDC when it just as quickly becomes MDC? You’re still being hit with a pretty hefty shell)

(MD)(HE) 2d6(12 ft blast radius)
A 5 rd burst does 1d4x10 MD to an 20 ft area
(Armor-Piercing) 4d6(3 ft blast radius)
A 5 rd burst does 1d4x10 MD to an 9 ft area
(light micro-fusion) 6d6 MD (12 ft blast radius)
A 5 rd burst does 1d6x10 MD to an 25 ft area
(HESH (High Explosive Squash Head)) - Designed to ‘spald’ off armor on the interior of power armors and vehicles. Composite ‘chobham’(layered armor and nylon mesh) armor reduces this internal damage by HALF, by holding the armor together.
HESH rounds do NOT have a blast radius.
3D6 MD plus 4D6 SDC to the person(s) inside the object.
(Incendiary) 2d4 MD to a 12 ft blast radius, plus an additional 1d6 MD per melee for 1d6 melees.

The GL can also be used to fire radio beacon adhesion heads, flare rounds, paint shells, EMP grenades, flash-bangs, and other specialized munition types.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 12 shot magazine or a belt-fed backpack magazine with 60 rds

e)Light Machine Gun---Standard cyborg forearm light rapid-fire GPMG.
Range: 2,000 ft
Damage: (Conventional) 1d6x10 SDC/HP per 10 rd burst
(Exploding) 1 MD single round, 2d4 MD ten-shot burst
Rate of Fire: Standard
Payload: 400 rd box magazine or a belt-fed backpack magazine with 1,000 rds

3) (Optional) Heavy Rifle----Most SilverSkulls carry a long gun or heavy weapon as standard equipment. Though scavenged C-200 ‘Dead Man’ Rail Guns are common, having been standard issue with the original skelebots, not everybody(including many Awakened SilverSkulls themselves) are entirely happy with the weapons and substitute other types instead. 38mm PP-01 ESSPA Gauss Pistols are favorites, along with PR-476 ‘Incinerator’ Plasma Cannons, EShe-NLR360 "Trazzer" Laser Grenade Rifles, and, more recently, the Gothec GAK-01 Heavy AutoRifle, if relying on Shemarrian-produced weaponry. Otherwise, a variety of other weapons acquired from other sources may be used, depending on availability or mission profile(using non-Shemar weaponry is often done to hide the true origin/affiliation of the ‘bots on covert missions).


Programming:
The Ecotroz have installed robotic AIs(or rather taken the existing Skelebot AI), expanded the memory capacity, then infected the matrix with a low-level Ecotroz sentience.
Typically has the following:
Math: Basic 96%
Language:
English 96%
Spanish 96%
Euro 96%
Dragonese 96%
Gobblely 96%
Techno-Can 96%
Shemarrian 96%
Pilot Automobile 96%
Pilot Hovercycle 96%
Pilot Jet Pack 80%
Radio: Basic 96%
Intelligence 76%
Camouflage 80%
Detect Ambush 75%
Detect Concealment 70%
Tracking 80%
Military Etiquette 96%
General Repair & Maintenance 80%
Salvage 90%
Lore: Demons & Monsters 80%
Rescue Protocol 80%
Land Navigation 86%
Climbing 98%/91%
Prowl 76%

Hand to Hand: Expert
W.P. Sword(+3 strike/parry, +2 Throw)
W.P. Blunt(+3 strike/parry, +1 Throw)
W.P. Paired Weapons
W.P. Archery(+5 strike)
W.P. Axe(+3 strike/parry, +2 Throw)
W.P. Net(+3 strike/entangle/parry)
W.P. Spear(+3 strike/parry, +2 Throw)
W.P. Shield( +2 strike, +3 parry)
W.P. Automatic Rifle(+4 strike)
W.P. Energy Rifle(+4 strike)
W.P. Energy Pistol(+4 strike)
W.P. Handguns(+4 strike)
W.P. Heavy Military Weapons(+3 strike)
W.P. Heavy M.D. Weapons(+3 strike)
W.P. Flamethrower(+2 strike)


The Ecotroz entity can also pick up one Secondary skill at levels 2, 6, and 12 of experience
Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 7
Initiative +4 (+1 from the Ecotroz entity for a total of +5)
Dodge +7
Strike +4 (+6 w/ ranged weaponry)
Parry+7
Roll +4
Pull Punch+4
Disarm +3
Restrained Punch 3d6+15 SDC
Full Strength Punch/Elbow/Knee 1d6 MD
Power Punch(2 attacks) 2d6 MD
Kick 2d4 MD
Head Butt 1d6 MD
` Body Block 1d6 MD

Note: The Ecotroz intelligence fragment inhabiting the ‘bot gives the SilverSkull an aura and behavior more befitting a sentient being than a robot. Currently the former skelebots have not had much time to develop unique individual personalities, so they come across as rather laconic, but frighteningly efficient, soldiers, selfishly obediant and loyal to their superior officer(Lunasfire).

The Ecotroz fragment does occasionally need sleep/rest...though they only need 2 hours of rest/meditation per 24 hours...they can push this, going without for as many days as they have I.Q. points(most Warmounts, unless otherwise noted, have an effective IQ rating of , but will have to go dormant for 4d6 hours after such exertion.
Susceptible to Exorcism and Banish spells, but are +6 to save against such spells, +1 at levels 4, 8, and 12 of experience, and becoming IMMUNE at level 14 and up. Such Banishment causes the ‘bot to revert to its default robot programming. (OPTION: Ecotroz may become IMMUNE to Exorcism and Banishment with experience, and NEW BUILT EShemar constructs are immune to this)

Note also that the Ecotroz-possessed ‘bot can infect other bots with the Ecotroz viral-entity, by bite or sustained touch(takes 3 attacks).

Options/Upgrades:
*Chest Blazon---Some SilverSkulls mount silver insignia on their chests, usually the Silvermoon crescent, while others carry back-lit silver crosses when facing vampires.


Variants:
As works-in-progress, the ‘Skelebot Rehabiltation Project’ subjects show a range of variants, though economy and speed of conversion keep variants from becoming too radical(the SilverSkulls) fall in the upper middle range of modification). Most Tribes working with skelebots find it more expedient to use them as endoskeletons for salvaged suits of EBA, and deploy them Talos Legionnaire-style.

EcoS-K-164 Magnakappa Warmount
(aka ‘DouSkulk’, ‘Tukong’, ‘Apocalape’, ‘Spider Ape’, ‘Armstorm’)

“I HATE Halloween in these parts. It’s not that we get cultists or monsters...to the contrary, we hardly get anything at all. No, it’s those damn Nightmares! They LOVE debuting their latest scarumites right about this time! Gets us on edge wondering if we’re dealing with a genuine threat or one of our neighbors’ new walking freakshows!”

“Is this thing one creature, or a colony?”

“It’s like...if King Kong and Mecha-Godzilla had a two-headed love child...”

“Is it a kappa? Or a goblin-spider?”
“Who cares WHAT it is! I’m staying as far away from it as possible!”

“Ever watch a tukong in melee combat? It’s like watching a windmill at war. All those arms moving about, separating, combining, and making one hell of a mess of the poor damn fool stupid enough to get within arms’ reach of the thing.”

“ I’d have been able to get away unnoticed while that monstrosity chewed up the rest of my squad...if not for those damn flying heads finding me!”

“Nobody does freakish like the Lost Eclipse. Nobody.”

The Magnakappa is a simian-styled Warmount recently introduced by the Lost Eclipse. Initially mistaken for a two-headed variant of the EcoS-K-37 Hekatonheires, the Magnakappa is now known to be an almost wholly new design. Like the Abominator, the Magnakappa was developed by a sub-sept tribe’s(the Black River Howlers) Tinkers to meet the group’s particular needs, but, after combat testing, was standardized and offered to the greater Tribe.
The Magnakappa resembles a squat-bodied humanoid robot with thick legs, and even thicker arms made of bundled thinner armatures that can separate into individually-moving arms, or link toegther into a larger, clumsier, but brutally strong single limb(especially when delivering its much-feared ‘rock fist’ combining piledriver mass and speed with a jackhammering vibroblade in its center). Additional weapons are slung on backmounts. A thick club-ended tail trails behind. The most distinguishing feature, however, is the twin heads sitting on the ‘bot’s broad shoulders.
The Magnakappa gets part of its name from the fact that both heads can roll back their cranial domes to present open-air parapets, in which crew/passengers can sit. This resembled, to observers, the open ‘bath’ atop a kappa’s skull, hence the name.
With a nod to the N’R’Mar Rustoc and the Northern Gun Multibots, the two heads can separate and move independently as hover vehicle drones, or under the direction of their riders. Meanwhile, the apparently riderless body(though there is a small concealed cockpit in the lower back) can operate on its own as well, and often undergoes a modular transformation. What look like collar bones hinge out to become mandibles. Pectoral lights become giant glaring eyes. The two arms in humanoid mode each split into three sub-arms, two being manipulator armatures carrying the ranged weapons, and the middle third carrying a large punching blade. The legs expand and telescope into longer and more efficient running hind legs. The main body thus becomes a giant spider-like creature-construct while its detached heads fly about it acting as aerial scouts and harassers. The seat of consciousness resides in the main body, and the heads act as watch animals, obedient to the main body.
Early versions of the Magnakappa hint at the origins of some of its parts; the heads bear a striking resemblance to that of the Naruni Death-Knight Assault Robot, though internally they have been completely reworked with working jaws, plasma cannon, laser eyes, and hover jets. This similarity has been explained by either the Nightmares liking the design and wanting to mess with Naruni, or rumors of a shipment of Naruni weaponry that was ambushed by the Infernals and lost in the American SouthEast, that the Lost Eclipse found and scavenged. Either story the Nighmares are not denying, nor confirming.
The Magnakappa has thus far appeared in limited numbers with the Lost Eclipse, and is a rare unit, equipping only a handful of formations. .However, the appearance of several with the ‘vulture clan’, the Radiant Edge, has raised questions as to what the relationship between the Nightmares and the RuinRunners is to have occasioned the trade or use of such a unit. It is also rumored that Clan Shinden has taken an interest in the Magnakappa.

Type: EcoS-K-164 Magnakappa
Class: Robotic Warmount, Cavalry
Crew: None; robot intelligence
1 rider/pilot, and room for 1 passenger in each head
Small cockpit in the main body can hold ONE rider
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 500
Main Body Cockpit 100
Heads(2) 200 each
Cockpit Weathershield/Canopy(2) 80
Arms(2) 400 each
Sub Arms(4) 120 each
Sub Arm Weapons(4) 95 each
Slicer Arms(2) 160 each
Back-Mount Weapons(2) 120 each
Legs(2) 380 each
Tail 180
Height: 20 ft
Width: 17 ft
Length: 12 ft. Tail stretches out some 15 ft
Weight: 38 tons
Cargo: Small space inside the saddle-seats for a few personal possessions and sidearms.
Physical Strength: (Sub-Arms) Equivalent to Robotic P.S. of 30
(Combined Arm) Robotic P.S. of 60
Powerplant: Nuclear w/ 20 year energy life
Each head has a smaller powerplant with a 10 year energy life, but this can be extended by recharging from the main body.
Speed: (Running) 50 MPH on two legs, 90 MPH on all six limbs
(Climbing) Excellent climber, especially with the arms separated. Equiv. to 95%/90%
(Flying) Not possible for the conjoined main body, but the two heads/hovercraft can move from a stationary hover to 220 MPH, maximum altitude of 600 ft.
(Space) Not possible
(Underwater) Limited to running along the bottom at 20 MPH, maximum depth of 800 ft.
Market Cost: Exclusive to the Ecotroz-Shemar
Systems of Note:
Full optical systems, laser targeting, passive nightvision, telescopic vision, thermal imaging, infrared, ultraviolet, and polarization filters. Also has motion and heat detection, built-in radar( 60 mile range) and other standard power armor-equivalent systems. Additional/special sensors may be built in by the creating Tinkers or at the behest of individual riders/owners.

*Bionic Cybernanite Repair Systems---ALL Magnakappa have the same bionic nanotech repair system that the Ecotroz Shemar have refitted themselves with, and which is becoming the standard among NeShemar as well. These systems repair 4d6 MD per hour, and can repair 180 MDC before needing material stocks to convert to MD repair material.
Note: The two heads do NOT have their own separate regeneration systems but are dependent on the main body for self-repair.

*Sub-Brains---The two heads each carry a separate smaller AI unit that is subservient to the main AI consciousness in the main body. However, these two sub-minds also allow the Awakened Warmount to remain alert at all times, as one or both of the heads will always be aware of the warmount’s surroundings. The sub-AIs CANNOT take control of the main body, but are adjutants to it.

Weapons Systems:
1) Head Eye Lasers(4, 2x2)----The Magnakappa mounts the more powerful variety of Shemarrian eye-lasers.
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 4d6 MD single shot, 1d4x10 MD for a pulse burst
8d6 MD dual shot, 2d4x10 MD for a dual pulse burst(counts as one attack)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) Mouth Plasma Blasters(2)---Each head mounts a plasma canon in its mouth.
Separated from the main body, the heads retain these weapons, but they are less powerful, not being powered and fed from the main powerplant.
Range:(Attached) 1,800 ft
(Free-Flying) 1,600 ft
Damage:(Attached) 1d6x10 MD per blast
(Free-Flying) 5d6 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively unlimited

3) Chest Laser Headlights(2)---Mounted in the chest, and normally concealed behind shutters, is a pair of powerful lasers. With the heads detached and the body reconfigured into a quadruped, these lasers become more prominent, and appear as the ‘eyes’ of the spider-like main body.
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 6d6 MD per blast, 1d6x10 MD per simultaneous blast from both lights.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively unlimited

4) Arm-Mount Weapons(4, 1 each weapon sub-arm)---Mounted on each side of the shoulder are slots for modular weapons identical to those available to the Monstrex(these in turn have been upgraded to include Bionic forearm weapons).

5) Slicer Arms(2)----The middle arm in each arm-assembly ends in a large superhard punch-dagger-style blade. With all three arms linked together, this blade is typically hidden until it springs forward in the course of a punch. With the arms separated, the blade is free to slash and stab on its own, but can also be spun to form a large drill.
Range: Melee
Damage: (Punch/Stab) 1d4x10 MD
(Drill Attack)( 2 attacks) 1d6x10 MD

6) Back-Mount Weapons(2)---Mounted on swivel pylons on the back are articulated mounts for additional heavy weaponry.
a)Mini-Missile Launcher----19 shots

b) Short Range Missile Launcher---6 shots

c) Medium Range Missile Launcher----3 shots

d) 30mm AutoCannon
Range: 10,000 ft
Damage: 4d6 MD single rd, 1d6x10 MD two rd burst, 3d6x10 MD six-round burst per single gun.
Rate of Fire:EPCHH
Payload: 800 rds, 400 rds per cannon

e) Heavy Rail Gun---Modified Kittani design
Range: 6,000 ft
Damage: 1d6x10 MD per 40-rd burst
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 4,000 rd drum

f) Laser Cannon---Modified Kittani design
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 5d6 MD single shot, 1d6x10 MD double pulse shot
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

g) Particle Cannon
Range: 3,000 ft
Damage: 2d4x10 MD single shot
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

h) Ion Cannon
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 1d6x10+10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

i) Plasma Cannon
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 4d6 MD single shot
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

j) 82mm Mortar----Based on a Free Quebec Glitterboy weapon(and copied by the EShemar).
MDC: 100
Range:(Direct-fire) 6,000 ft
(Indirect Fire) 2.2 miles
Damage:(High Explosive) 1d6x10 MD to a 20 ft blast radius
(Fragmentation)1d4x10 +5 MD to 25 ft blast area
(Armor-Piercing High Explosive) 2d4x10 MD to 6 ft blast area
Rate of Fire: Single shot, EGCHH.
Payload: 6 rounds, ready to fire. Mount contains an autoloader with 18 additional rds ready to be loaded(total of 24).

Programming:
The Ecotroz have installed robotic AIs, then infected the matrix with a low-level Ecotroz sentience.
Typically has the basic Monstrex programming, plus the following:
Detect Ambush 60%/80% w/ both heads attached
Detect Concealment 60%/70% w/ both heads attached
Camouflage 50%(+5% per level of experience for Ecotroz entity)
Wrestling
Boxing

The Ecotroz entity can also pick up one Secondary skill at levels 2, 6, and 12 of experience, though the nature of the Magnakappa intelligence and design is such that it is limited to skill selections from Technical: Language(understanding) and Lore (Cattle & Animals, Indians, Juicers, Magic, Demons & Monsters, D-Bees, Faerie---at least with regards to identifying their relative threat level), and Wilderness( Hunting).

The detachable heads also have their own programming, though they tend NOT to be Ecotroz-Awakened. This also gives them the advantage of being active and alert 24/7.
Navigation 95%
Detect Ambush 80%
Detect Concealment 70%
Tracking 80%
Radio: Basic 94%
Prowl(quiet hoverjets) 70%

Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 5 main body+3 from each head(total of 11!)
Flying Heads: 5
Initiative +2 (+1 from the Ecotroz entity for a total of +3)
Dodge +4
Flying Heads +6 flying dodge
Strike +3 (+2 w/ ranged weaponry)
Roll +3
Flying Heads +6 flying
Parry +7 w/ separate arms, +4 w/combined arms
Pull Punch +5
Kmockout on Natural 20
Pin/Incapacitate on 18-20
Critical Damage on a Natural 18-20.
Head Bite 2d6 MD
Main Body/Mandible Bite 3d6 MD
Sub-Arm Restrained Punch/Kick 1d4 MD
Sub-Arm Full Strength Punch/Kick 1d6 MD
Slicer Arm Punch 6d6 MD
Slicer Arm Stab 1d4x10 MD
Drill Attack( 2 attacks) 1d6x10 MD
Combined Arm Punch 7d6 MD
Combined Arm Power Punch(2 attacks) 2d6x10+30 MD
w/ all three arms operating, the ‘rock fist’ does Critical damage on an unmodified 17-20.
Kick 2d8 MD
Stomp 1d4 MD
Tail Lash 2d6 MD

Note: The Ecotroz intelligence fragment inhabiting the ‘bot gives the Magnakappa an aura and behavior more befitting a sentient being than a robot. Magnakappa come across as gorilla-like when all parts are linked up; observant, wary, and brooding, with a touch of implied violence if provoked. Separated, the Magnakappa’s parts are aggressive and deadly; the heads acting in concert with the main body to herd an enemy into traps or other hazards.

The Ecotroz fragment does occasionally need sleep/rest...though they only need 2 hours of rest/meditation per 24 hours...they can push this, going without for as many days as they have I.Q. points(most Warmounts, unless otherwise noted, have an effective IQ rating of . The Magnakappa has an IQ of 9 ), but will have to go dormant for 4d6 hours after such exertion.
Note also that the Ecotroz-possessed ‘bot can infect other bots with the Ecotroz viral-entity, by bite or sustained touch(takes 3 attacks).

Options:
*Banshee Wail---The Magnakappa’s developers, the Black River Howlers, originally modified the hoverjets of the free-flying heads to make a wailing noise reminiscent of a hungry predator or wailing banshee. When the warmount design was finalized for template encoding ad production by other members of the Lost Eclipse, most other users forwent the banshee wail in favor of stealthier operation. The Howlers kept the banshee wail as their trademark, however, and have offered it as an option to those more willing to announce their presence.

*Web Sprayer----The heads can be fitted with sprayers that shoot an expanding stream of liquid polymer goo that quickly sets into a consytricting web-like material. This can be used to hinder or trap fleeing prey, holding them until the rest of the Magnakappa arrives on the scene.
Range: 300 ft
Damage:None. A single 1-inch strand of the synthetic spider-web can hold up to 3 tons and has 1 MDC per 10 ft length; more if braided.
Used to coccoon-spray a target, the cannon can spray up to 50 MDC in one attack, so if the head uses all five of its attacks on wrapping a single target, it can create a web shell with 250 MDC, or generate a 2,500 ft line in a single melee.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 20 streams. Unlike the Aracha, the Magnakappa CANNOT generate its own web-stuff.
Option: The mouth plasma cannon can be replaced entirely with a reservoir for the web-shooters, giving the head a capacity for 250 web-streams.

*’Flaming Skull Kappa’---This is a modification to the kappa-skulls, fitting them with plasma control fields similar to those carried by Blood Rider Zealots. Before detaching from their parent body, the head is engulfed in plasma vented from the main body. Both the onboard control field and specially modified hoverjets are able to maintain the plasma as a fiery sheath around the flying head.
Special Systems:
* Thermal Shielding---Modifications to the head section’s skin and cooling systems allow them to take NO damage from the plasma field, and NO damage from heat-based attacks(magic-based fire still does full damage). With the plasma field down, plasma attacks do only 1/4 damage(the plasma stream still has some kinetic kick to impart).
*EM Shielding---This protects the kappa head’s internal systems from interference by the plasma conduction fields. Note, however, that with the plasma field on, radio transmissions from the head suffer a reduction in range by two-thirds, and quality of transmission will be spotty; marred by static.
Plasma Field---This is a body conformal plasma field that incinerates anything that comes too close to the head.
Range: 1-2 ft.
Damage: 5d6 MD per touch, 1d4x10 MD per ramming melee attack. Anything flammable will be incinerated on contact, including SDC bullets and weapons.
Furthermore, with the plasma field up, other plasma attacks do NO damage, as they effectively splash around the projection fields
Payload: Can maintain the plasma field for 25 minutes before needing to return to the main body to recharge(the head’s own plasma cannon CANNOT refresh the field).

Variants:
*EcoS-K-164Re---(aka 'Radiape') Radiant Edge variant. Given the Radiant Edge’s propensity for haunting the desolate wastes and ruins of shatterworlds, , some sort of collaboration with the Lost Eclipse seems inevitable. Thus it came as no great surprise that reports surfaced of the Magnakappa appearing amidst the wrack and ruin of Radiant Edge territory, only the particulars of whatever arrangement landed the warmount in the ‘vulture-tribe’s’ hands. The observed EcoS-K-164Re touted an array of radiation-absorbing panels on its back and possible neutron cannons on both its arms and carried aboard its flying heads. Other more specific details remain unknown at this time, though some witnesses claim the warmount apparently used a radiation-powered power-up to fight several mechanized planet-pirates.

(My thanks to kronos for his Eshe-AWH06 Ice Fang Daggers on this one)

Cryptis Support ‘Bot
(aka ‘Gurgler’ , ‘Bernarder’)

“Why do the Tinkers love the Hellbuster so much? Frankly I think it’s because of the space inside it; like Nature, Tinkers abhor a vaccum, so they either got to fill it up with something, or make the empty space somehow central and related function-wise to what goes around it.”
---Doctor Vance Pepper/Aur-Steelspinner, DarkWater Tribe Liaison, during a Lazlo Unversity seminar Q&A

“Good thing we sent the Cryptises in to ‘negotiate’ with the Brodkil for the release of the hostages. ‘Hostage’ in Brodkil apparently means ‘don’t eat them up all at oce’. After our negotiators quickly punched out an agreement, they were able to pop what was left of the hostages into their life support tanks and extracted themselves.”

“I don’t remember much of the crash, except that I was on fire and in total agony. I think I recall coming to just in time to see what I thought was one of our patrols come to rescue me and thinking it was nice that I’d be put out of my misery by friendlies. The next thing I remember was...well...nothing...just a sense of painlessly floating, of being underwater, but not drowning....feeling, rather than hearing, gurgling and bubbling and things being just so peaceful for a long time....It wasn’t until I woke up naked and covered in fresh baby-pink skin, on the floor of a bunker somewhere that I learned I’d been rescued by the Shemarrians and that they’d carried me as they fought all their way through Hell Lord Rune’s Iron Guardsmen to reach their own territory. They kept me and few others they’d pulled out of the hellfire for a few days, then dropped me off near a Free Quebec patrol route so I could report back to Chi-Town.
Yes sir, I’m pretty certain I was on fire when I went down. I remember smelling my own flesh burning after those hell-bolts went through my cockpit canopy. I also remember seeing my body armor stripped away and my skin burning off my arms. Lost a fine set of tats along with my muscles, but I’m not complaining about the new skin. The Quecs checked me over but couldn’t sense any evidence I’d been voodoo’ed or psych-healed. Whatever else you want to say about those d-bee women, they know something about treating burns.”
-Report of Flight Lieutenant Estella Hawthorne, Coalition States Air Force

“Damn amazon-freaks captured me, stripped me naked, put me in handcuffs, and marched me through the camp in full view of everybody, until they got to a big suit of open power armor. When they stuffed me into it, I discovered it was full of water up to the neck, and I almost drowned before I found out I could breath the stuff...then they locked me in. After that, I could tell the armor was moving, but I couldn’t see a damned, couldn’t hear a damned, then after a while, they must have slipped something into the stuff I was breathing, because I couldn’t feel a damned. Or maybe I just blacked out due to sensory deprivation..I don’t know. Next thing I remember was being pulled out, yarfing up an ocean, and being locked in this blue cell until you came along. You here to spring me? Because I want to file some complaints! Damned freak-ladies cost me a fine set of nemelon leathers custom-made for me in MercTown! Whattyamean you’re not here to get me out?! Why the hell not? You’re human like me! What? Because of THAT?! Since when is that a crime!? That was business! You can’t hold me for that! You can’t do that to me for making a right honest credit! Now wait one moment, this isn’t the way this is supposed to work! Wait, we can make a deal! I know people-”
-Drayla Anmis, (ex)Headhunter, shortly before her Reformatting

“Bad news; that distress signal is coming from the heart of the Vore Forest. Anybody we send in to try to rescue those poor souls is going to be eaten alive by those mutant plants!”
“Don’t worry; I have some friends that can do it. They’ve already told me they have a few of their ‘Cryptises’ ready to air-drop into that hell. What I’ve seen of their equipment, I can sincerely tell you, the Hungering Green won’t pose a problem to them getting back out.”

The Minion War posed an unexpected (despite the warnings of the more psychic EShemar) challenge to the newly (re)formed Shemarrian Nation in that it was not only a war of weapons, but a war of medicine. The Infernal forces, with their long reaches and indiscriminate tactics, as well as a strategy of plagues, attacked not only military forces, but civilian populations. The Shemarrian Nation found itself not only fighting its many enemies, but struggling to protect and care for the many non-roboid civilians in its territories. Battlefield damage and casualties also placed a new priority on getting damaged/injured warriors back into action as quickly as possible. Waiting for a Tinker or an available slot in a Healing Cave wasn’t always an option. In addition to developing weapons systems, the EShemar Tinkers increasingly had to spend time on producing new means of repairing damage and healing robots and organic allies alike. Formerly disparaged specialties, such as the BloodRiders’ ‘combat medics’ and Acolite healers, gained new importance and prestige. The BloodRiders’ Ezenza corps became the new model of an increasingly important initiative focused on medical support, that also saw the wider distribution, if not outright inception, of new healer-oriented support units such as the Aralezan Elite, EcoS-K-131 Acesophibian Warmount, EShe-22Wf Kantaran Bernardus, Necrokrate and Rxnid Robotic Drones.
In many ways the Minion War was becoming a Healers’ War , spawning a new range of support units.
One of the more unusual developments in this informal initiative was the Cryptis Support ‘Bot, a new unit born of the Shemarrian Nation’s long scrutiny of the Coalition States’ war machines.
The Shemarrians had long eyed Coalition State weapons technology with interest, if only initially from the perspective of ‘know your enemy’ , but later with a desire to remain ahead of the average technology curve through espionage. The Coalition States represented a large pool of ideas and potential that the EShemar Elders knew they could not ignore. One of the major problems, however, was that the CS, believing itself to be the apex technological predator in North America, took pains to salvage or destroy its fallen war machines before others could get them and tease out their secrets. Thus some of the best new CS tech was inaccessible to the Shemarrians, pending the occasional industrial espionage intelligence coup by the Ghost Riders. Some of the Tribes, especially the SkullCrushers, posted bounties on prime CS salvage and technical materials.
Thus the defection of a CS Lieutenant in the Cyborg Striker Battalions was a surprise windfall as it gave the EShemarrians a perfectly intact and working suit of CA-66HC Hellbuster Cyborg SuperHeavy Combat Armor. The Hellbuster was exhaustively studied and every bit of data that could be extracted from it added to the EShemar tech base. Together with other technical gleanings, the Hellbuster inspired a series of new projects. As with the CS/NG DX-001 Thunder Hound becoming the basis of the Wulgar, Adalwulf, Svarogar and Cadejar lineage, the Tinkers evaluating the Hellbuster thought that it would make a good basis of a new line of adjutant ‘bots serving the Shemar cause. The Cryptis would prove that optimism out.
The Cryptis is a heavy robot suit of power armor combining aspects of the CS-PA-100 Mauler, CS-PA-200 Terror Trooper, and Hellbuster Heavy Cyborg Battle Armor. It has a central cavity that can hold a large cyborg-sized humanoid, but it possesses both robotic actuators and is directed by its own robotic A.I., allowing it to move about of its own volition. The central compartment is in fact a sealable nanite tank that can be used to stabilize and heal/repair injured personnel. As the passenger/patient is housed entirely in the main torso, the arms and legs can be occupied by robotic power actuators and myomer synthetic muscle. The shoulder missile launchers would be converted into storage bay space for the consumables feeding the central medical apparatus, while the forearm weapons would be replaced with modular tools for salvage and rescue work. A pair of eye lasers would be added to the redesigned head(which now resembles more a face and less a scowling skull) , and the forearm vibrosabers retained for debris and obstacle clearing.
Cryptis ‘bots are programmed in rescue protocols, their great strength put to use clearing away debris, prying open crushed vehicles, and body-ramming through obstacles to reach trapped victims. They have some labor programs, useful in cleaning up disaster sites and in setting up field shelters. They also, being developed by a warrior society, have combat programming for self-defense. Interestingly enough, the development of the Cryptis occurred in parallel with a similar concept being realized by the Gothecs overseas, which resulted in the functionally similar Bloxer civil defense/rescue ‘bot.
About a third of Cryptises end up being Awakened by their overseers. Awakened Crypytises almost always take up the personas of strong, silent, types, gentle giants with an undercurrent of hardened warrior to them.
The Cryptis originally appeared in the ranks of the Skullcrushers, announcing their own serious plans to upgrade their previously neglected Taidana services. The Cryptis soon proved itself in its baptism of fire during fighting against the Infernals, making a reputation for stalwartness and persistence in the face of adversity, and soon other Tribes were clamoring for the design. Thus far, the Wolf’s Path and Aurora Warriors have been observed using both baseline and variant models, and Clan Armorand has expressed interest as well. IT is expected that other Tribes will soon follow.
Cryptises are typically assigned to field medical units, often serving alongside dedicated SAR personnel such as Valkari, Innannan and medical-themed Manians.
The Cryptis is nominally grouped/classified as an e-animal, though its humanoid configuration better suggests a drone. However, as it is highly skilled within its specialization, many EShemar Awaken it into a proper Oreseme, like the TyraClaw.

Type: EcoS-KRP-53 Cryptis
Class: Robotic Drone, Medical Support(Provisional---can be Upgraded to Sgen Oreseme/Trollheim)
Crew: None; robot intelligence
Internal room for 1 passenger
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 400
Head Plate 120
Hands(2) 200 each
Arms(2) 70 each
Shoulder Spotlights(10, 5 each shoulder) 5 each
Tank Loader Arms(2) 40 each
Legs(2) 200 each
Height: 10 ft
Width: 5.6 ft
Length: 5 ft
Weight: 1,860 lbs
Cargo: Compartments on the hips hold medical supplies
Physical Strength: Equivalent to Robotic P.S. of 36
Powerplant: Nuclear w/ 20 year energy life
Speed: (Running) 50 MPH
(Leaping) 15 ft up/across
(Flying) Not possible
(Space) Not possible
(Underwater) Can run along the bottom at 13 MPH, maximum depth tolerance of 1 mile.
Market Cost: Exclusive to the Ecotroz-Shemar
Systems of Note:
Full optical systems, laser targeting, passive nightvision, telescopic vision, thermal imaging, infrared, ultraviolet, and polarization filters. Also has motion and heat detection, built-in radar( 60 mile range) and other standard power armor-equivalent systems. Additional/special sensors may be built in by the creating Spinsters or at the behest of individual riders/owners.

*Bionic Cybernanite Repair Systems---ALL Cryptises have the same bionic nanotech repair system that the Ecotroz Shemar have refitted themselves with, and which is becoming the standard among NeShemar as well. These systems repair 4d6 MD per hour, and can repair 140 MDC before needing material stocks to convert to MD repair material.

*Radiation Detector

*Life Scanner---Imported tech from the Three Galaxies. Copies the bio-signature sensors from the PSE-7000 Scanner. Effective range of 500 ft and can detect and pinpoint life signatures with 80% accuracy.

*Internal Med-Tank System---The central pilot’s cavity has been remodelled into a mobile miniature repair/surgerical suite that can accommodate Shemarrian ‘bots, cyborgs, or organics. The chamber is set to see to the patient type and filled with a nanite suspension bath(hyperoxygenated for organic patients) and the apparatus goes to work stabilizing the patient. The Med-Tank has a separate dedicated AI running it, allowing the Cryptis to focus on other things, like making an exit from a danger zone.
EShemar expert systems have a diagnostic proficiency of 91% for humans and most humanoid d-bees, 60% for others. Medical treatment is equivalent to a Medical Doctor at 88% for humans/humanoid d-bees, and 55% for others. Field surgery is performed at 98%/94% for simple procedures, 90%/60% for more serious internal work. In the event of more extreme injuries, stasis is generally implemented to stabilize and preserve the patient for transport to better treatment facilities.
Gynoids/Androids/Cyborgs--- Repairs 5d6 MD per hour, and can repair 160 MDC before needing material stocks to convert to MD repair material.
Organics----Heals 2d6 SDC/Hit Points an hour. Also gives a +15% to save vs disease.
The gel/liquid inside the chamber also cushions the patient from shock and tumble as the ‘bot moves.

*Secondary Arms---This is a pair of smaller utility arms normally housed retracted in the shoulders, but can be extended to assist in loading patients into the med-tank. These arms lack the articulation to be used effectively as weapons, but can lift and hold a stretcher or restrain a prisoner.


Weapons Systems:
1) Eye Lasers(2)---These were added to the redesigned helmet/faceplate.
Range: 1,000 ft
Damage: 2d6 MD single blast, 4d6 MD from both eyes simultaneously
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Bonus: +2 to strike (in addition to any other bonuses)

2) Forearm Vibroblades(2)---These are retained from the original design
Range: Melee
Damage: 2d6 MD

3) Backpack Weapons Laser Module---Rather than mount the triple-barrel laser mount common to both the Hellbuster and the Glitterboy Killer, the Cryptis mounts a point defense laser system copied from one of the EShemars’ associates. The PDL has its own sub-system that allows it to operate independentally of the Cryptis’s main AI.
Range: 6,000 ft
Damage: 3D6 MD single blast, 6D6 MD double- barreled blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH, or 4 attacks in auto-defense mode.
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Bonuses: +2 to strike airborne targets like missiles and aircraft/flying opponents(must be traveling higher than 10 ft off the ground)

4) Forearm Tools---In place of the forearm ion cannon and missile launcher, the Cryptis mounts several utility modules for rescue work.
-Jaws of Life---Copied from a Northern Gun design---2d6+4 MD
-Laser Torch---40 ft range, does 1d6 SDC, 2d6 SDC, 4d6 SDC, 1d6x10 SDC, 1 MD, and 1d4 MD.
-Chemical Sprayer---40 ft range, variable effects depending on what chemicals are dispensed. Has capacity for a total of 50 shots of up to 5 different chemicals.

5) (Optional) Use of Handheld Weapons----The Cryptis can pick up and use infantry- and cyborg-scale hand weaponry. The Cryptis usually carries a Shemarrian Assault Rifle, though some are known to carry ‘Dingo Cannon’(the spider-guns often set down to guard the Cryptis while it carries out rescue work) or RG-14-LX ‘Baby Boom Guns’.

Programming:
The Ecotroz have installed robotic AIs, then, in 30% of cases, infected the matrix with an Ecotroz sentience.
Typically has the following:
-Basic Military
Languages:
American 96%
Shemarrian 96%
Spanish 94%
Gobbley 94%
Dragonese 94%
Intelligence 85%
Climbing 96%/86%
Land Navigation 94%
General Repair & Maintenance 80%
Math: Basic 98%
Radio: Basic 94%
Military Etiquette 96%
Parachuting 90%
Pilot: Hovercraft 92%
W.P. Sword(+3 strike/parry, +2 Throw)
W.P. Blunt(+3 strike/parry, +3 Throw)
W.P. Paired Weapons
W.P. Assault Rifle(+4 strike)
W.P. Energy Rifle(+4 strike)
W.P. Heavy MD Weapons(+3 strike)

-Search and Rescue
Excavation 80%
Firefighting 88%
First Aid 90%
Mining 86%
Rope Works 90%
Rescue Protocols 80%
-Physical
Tumbling
Boxing
W.P. Shield( +2 strike, +3 parry)
W.P. Ax(+3 strike/parry, +3 Throw)
W.P. Staff(+3 strike/parry, +2 Throw)
W.P. Rope(+3 strike, +1 disarm/entangle)

-General Labor(Modified)
Wilderness Survival 80%
Salvage 90%
Recycling 90%
Carpentry 85%
Masonry 80%

The Ecotroz entity can also pick up one Secondary skill at levels 2, 6, and 12 of experience, though the nature of the Cryptis intelligence and design is such that it is limited to skill selections from Technical: Language(understanding), Literacy and Lore, Espionage(Detect Ambush, Detect Concealment), Wilderness(Track Humanoids, Track Animals, Hunting, Identify Plants and Fruits)
Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 6
Initiative +4 (+1 from the Ecotroz entity for a total of +5)
Dodge +4
Backflip Dodge +4
Strike +5 (+2 w/ ranged weaponry)
Parry+5
Roll +5
Pull Punch +4
Kmockout on Natural 20
Bite 1d4 MD
Restrained Punch 1d4 MD
Full Strength Punch 2d6 MD
Power Punch(2 attacks) 4d6 MD
Body Block/Ram(2 attacks) 3d6 MD
Kick 2d4 MD

Note: The Ecotroz intelligence fragment inhabiting the ‘bot gives the Cryptis an aura and behavior more befitting a sentient being than a robot. Awakened Cryptises tend to develop strong-willed dutybound personalities dedicated to the task of saving lives and property, as well as being ‘strong silent types’. In Paladin Steel-affiliated universes, Cryptises for some reason develop professional rivalries with Awakened PS-SASR-7 Spartoi ‘bots.

The Ecotroz fragment does occasionally need sleep/rest...though they only need 2 hours of rest/meditation per 24 hours...they can push this, going without for as many days as they have I.Q. points(The Cryptis has an IQ of 10), but will have to go dormant for 4d6 hours after such exertion.
Susceptible to Exorcism and Banish spells, but are +6 to save against such spells, +1 at levels 4, 8, and 12 of experience, and becoming IMMUNE at level 14 and up. Such Banishment causes the ‘bot to revert to its default robot programming. (OPTION: Ecotroz may become IMMUNE to Exorcism and Banishment with experience, and NEW BUILT EShemar constructs are immune to this)

Note also that the Ecotroz-possessed ‘bot can infect other bots with the Ecotroz viral-entity, by bite or sustained touch(takes 3 attacks).


Variants:
*EcoS-KRP-53F---(aka ‘Pyronis’, ‘Fuegor’) Firefighter variant----Clad in thermal-resistant armor(Heat and plasma-based attacks do 1/4 damage). It mounts a sprayer cannon array(400 ft range, 1d6x10 HP to vampires) in place of the point defense laser module. The Internal Med-Tank has been replaced with an internal water tank or fire retardant cistern(enough capacity for 300 water blasts).
As accessories, Pyronises typically carry fire axes/rescue hooks, frequently with a brushfire beater on the other end. Recently, several Pyronises have been observed carrying ice-mauls.

*EcoS-KRP-53P---’Warden’ variant---Used in the apprehension, transport, and incarceration of prisoners. The med-tank is replaced with a prisoner restraint and containment system, and the shoulder equipment spaces have been refitted with gas sprayers. The forearms sport a neural disrupter on one arm and a magazine-fed strap gun on the other, while the fingers have been fitted with neural mace contacts. The top laser weapon is often replaced with a capture foam sprayer.EcoS-KRP-53Ps are usually found guarding POWs in the Shemarrian Star Nation, standing watch on repository or hibernaculum worlds(like Dormis), part of the retinues of itinerant SSN Territory Justices, or accompanying Shemarrian bounty-hunters. They may also be used in hostage rescue missions, as they can provide full-body protection to vulnerable rescuees during extraction(though the regular Cryptises can also be used, with the added advantage of providing on-the-spot-in-progress emergency medical treatment).

Changes/Modifications:
Systems of Note:
*Prisoner Restraint Chamber---This is less a medtank and more a restraint system, though it does have a medical AI built in (Paramedic skill of 80%) and attached lfe sign monotoring and drug injection system for sedating prisoners. The prisoner is restrained ina full-body coccoon and may be aware through HUD, hooked into a VR setup, or locked down in sensory deprivation for the duration of their transport. The chamber is not recommended for holding majorly augmented, magicked/supernatural, or superpowered prisoners, but can be used for restrainig more mundane beings, and discretely transporting special cases.

Weapons Systems:
3) Backpack Weapon---The top weapons turret is typically replaced with spray cannon
a)’Gloop’ Blaster---- Sprayer that dispenses viscous liquids that form entangling/encasing foam. Capture foams are typically brightly colored, the better to assist in ID’ing restrained prisoners and speed cleanup.
Range: 100 ft
MDC : 25 for sprayer, 30 for tank.
Epoxy has 2d4 MDC per application, but hardens to 2d6 +1 MDC after curing for 1d4 hours
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) A quick-setting sticky goop---This material is used in construction, 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.
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

(Capture Foam) Alternatively, the cannon can be filled with a knock-off of Naruni Enterprise’s capture foam. The triple-barrel design of the sprayer means that the target is completely covered on a roll of 10 or better. This stuff takes a robotic or supernatural PS of 40 or greater to break free. Creatures with a greater strength can break free in 1d4 melees. The foam hardens in less than 2 seconds, and can take 60 MDC per application. A special enzyme spray will dissolve the foam in 1d4 melees.

Payload: Backpack tank holds 100 applications

4) Forearm Weapons---The forearms retain the vibroblades, but also carry the following:
a)Neural Disrupter Blaster(one arm)---A knockoff of a Northern Gun weapon(industrial espionage being alive and well), but tweaked for greater efficiency and range. Nicknamed the ‘nerve blaster’ and the ‘brain sandblaster’ for its brute force approach to taking people down. NOT recommended for gentle persuasion or use on children, elders, or other innocent bystanders.
Range: 1,400 ft
Damage: (Setting One) 2d6 SDC and victim must roll versus non-lethal poison(16 or better). On a successful save the target is -3 to strike, parry, dodge, and loses initiative and 1 APM for 1d4 melee rounds. A FAILED save means the target is -7 to all actions, loses initiative, reduce APMs to ONE, skill performance is -60%, -90% to Speed, and suffers convulsions that do 1d6 SDC per round for 2d4 melee rounds.
(Setting Two) Does 2d6x10 SDC(or 1 MD), and victim must roll versus non-lethal poison(16 or better). On a successful save an augmented human(oid) is -5 to strike, parry, dodge, and loses initiative and 1 APM for 1d4 melee rounds. A successful save by UNaugmented human(oid)s results in -10 to strike, parry, dodge, lose initiative and is reduced to 1 APM, skill performance is -80%, speed reduced 95%, and suffer painful convulsions doing 1d6 SDC per melee for 2d4 MINUTES.
A FAILED save by augmented human(oid)s means the target is -7 to all actions, loses initiative, reduce APMs to TWO, skill performance is -60%, -80% to Speed, and suffers convulsions that do 4d6 SDC per round for 2d4 melee rounds.
Note: Works through most body armor up to 50 MDC. Those in armor protection of 51-80 MDC are +6 to save. Those in heavier armor, power armor, full conversion cyborgs, vehicles, robots, or who are MegaJuicers or Dragons are impervious.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively unlimited

b) Strap Gun(one arm)---(adapted from Aliens Unlimited) Fires an expanding bundle of tough plastic straps covered in quick-set adhesive, that wrap around a target in a cocoon. The Warden Cryptis carries a belt-fed version with greater range.
Range: 175 ft
Damage: 1d6 SDC from impact, plus holds with a strength of P.S. 30.
Rate of Fire: Single shot or bursts of 1-6.
Payload: 60 shot magazine

6) Shoulder Floodlights/Flasher Stribes---The shoulder floodlights have been modified into powerful strobe lights that can stun and disorient onlookers.
Strobe Gun-----A high-powered flash device used to blind targets.
Range: 90 ft and affects a 30 ft wide area.
Damage: Those without eye protection or polarized vision will be affected similar to a Blinding Flash spell; -10 to strike, parry, dodge for 1d4 melees.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

7) Forehead Microwave Projector---Low power antipersonnel microwave projector. Those hit with it feel a sudden intense burning sensation. Microwaves will penetrate clothing and wood, but are deflected by metal armor/shielding.
Range: 900 ft. Can be ‘fanned’ to cover a 12 ft wide area.
Damage:(Setting One)1 SDC, plus roll under P.E. or be stunned with pain; -1d4 to initiative, -5 to strike, parry, dodge, and half Speed.
(Setting Two)1d6 SDC, plus stun effects; only -6 to strike, parry, dodge, effects last through the next melee.
(Setting Three)2d6 SDC, plus stun effects; only -10 to strike, parry, dodge, and effects persist for 1d4 melees.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

Programming:
Add the following:
W.P. Polearm(+2 strike, +3 parry, +2 Throw)
W.P. Net(+3 strike/entangle/parry)

*EcoS-KRP-53Aw(2/3)---(aka ‘Yeti’) Aurora Warriors’ variant(s)---Actually two base variants may exist, and a third major Upgraded variant of either. Both have a slit-visored head, thermal-stealth armor(takes HALF damage from heat-based attacks and kinetic damage, and has only a 25% chance of showing up on thermal sensors ), and large snowshoe feet. One retains the SAR(Search And Rescue) configuration while the second reverts to a full robot, the internal wearer/pilot/med-tank cavity filled up with support equipment(including a superpower heatsink) for an armament upgrade. The EcoS-KRP-53Aw(2) also does away with the secondary arms and modifies the programming for a more combat-oriented posture.
Changes/Modifications:(EcoS-KRP-53Aw(2))
MDC/Armor by Location:
Hands(2) (Ice Armor+15)
Arms(2) (Ice Armor+55)
Legs(2) (Ice Armor+80)
Feet (& Foot Pads)(2) (Ice Armor+30)
*Head (Ice Armor+80)
**Main Body (Ice Armor+150)
Weapons Systems:
1) -5)---Unchanged
6) Shard Mines(4, shoulders, knees) ---These replace the shoulder missile launchers and are based on the larger Shard Launchers of the EcoS-K-116 Arcus warmount. The smaller arrays are sections of temperature-controlled plating that can be supercooled to grow coatings of ice from ambient atmospheric material forced through the openings that previously accommodated mini-missiles or spotlights , or liquid reservoirs from inside the ‘bot. The ice coverings and icicles can then be blasted free to act like high-density shrapnel. Though short range and rather inaccurate, these launchers can act like claymore mines in lacerating masses of ground targets, or intercepting incoming missiles.
The knees also have smaller cryoplates, with a generally smaller cone of effect and damage curve.
The Shard Launchers can also be used to create a rapidly subliminating icy vapor that forms a cloud of chilling fog around the warmount when it is on the ground.
Range: (Ice Shrapnel) (Shoulders) 180 ft, to a 10 ft wide area, per shoulder.
(Knees) 90 ft, to a 10 ft wide area
(Cloud of Fog/Frost)) 100 ft radius
Damage: (Ice Shrapnel)(Shoulders) 1d4 MD per shard. Human-sized objects caught in its way will get hit with 1d6 shards, each doing 2d6 MD. Fighter- and Robot-sized targets (16 ft or larger) will get hit by 4d6 shards. Ships and targets 50 ft and larger will get hit by 1d4x10 shards.
(Knees) 1d4 MD per shard. Human-sized objects caught in its way will get hit with 1d6 shards, each doing 1d6 MD.
(Cloud of Fog/Frost) The cold fog is thick and can confuse thermal imaging and targeting systems. Those caught in the fog cannot see beyond 7-20 ft, and are -2 to initiative, strike, dodge, and parry, and speed is cut by HALF.
Furthermore, in ambient temperatures of under 30 degrees F, the mist will freeze on the ground, creating slippery conditions(reduce speed by HALF to reduce the chance of falling to 32%; going faster the chance rises to 80%. -4 to strike, parry, roll, and dodge, while attempting to move on the slippery surfaces), as well as on exposed surfaces such as windows and optics, fouling them until they can be scrapped clean.

Rate of Fire: Once per melee
Payload: Conditionally unlimited: Can recharge a new sheathing of ice every other melee.
Internal reservoirs carry enough liquid for 12 shots per shoulder, when there isn’t enough ambient humidity to work with.

6b) Icicle Launchers(4, shoulders, knees)----In the alternative, the shoulder ‘freezers’ can be fitted with a variant of the Eshe-AWH06 Ice Fang Daggers, only the former missile tubes now push out ultra-dense metallic hydrogen ice. The ‘icicles’ are 1-3 ft long, and can be used as spiked body armor, can be detached by accompanying troops and used as melee weapons, or they can be ejected by cold-gas charges and used as projectiles. The can regenerate these spikes much faster than the handheld weapon can because of the super heatsink and the greater power available to the larger ‘bot.
Note: If detached for hand-use, the spikes only last 2d4 minutes before melting/evaporating into free gas.

Range: Melee, thrown (by others) 100 ft, cold-jet propelled; 600 ft.
Damage: 3d6 MD on a body block, or fired.
On a strike roll of 17-20 deals 6d6 MD
Creatures vulnerable to cold suffer double damage.
When thrown, the cryogenic blade explodes like a concussion grenade in a 15 ft area, dealing 6d6 MD
Against unprotected organic flesh, the projectiles also numb with intense cold; victims must save versus non-lethal poison or suffer debilitating numbness; -1 APM, -2 initiative, -1 strike/parry/dodge, and speed is reduced by 10%. Effects last 1d4 melees.
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-7(all)
Payload: 7 per shoulder, 1 per knee. Regenerates icicles within 6 minutes.

7) Ice Armor--- The super heatsink can, in environments of sufficient humidity(50% or more)/availability of water, condense a superdense layering of ice around the ‘bot’s body. Though encumbering and brittle, the ice armor helps act as ablative anti-laser protection and camouflage. The resulting icy cladding isn’t as effective as purpose-built armor(all hand to hand bonuses to dodge, strike, parry, and roll are HALVED), but the armor is renewable, and cuts damage from lasers by HALF(the ice vaporizes rather spectacularly when hit).
Ice Armor takes 1d4 melees to fully form. With an adequate supply of moisture, it can be regenerated at 5 MDC per melee per location.


8 ) (Optional) CryoCannon---Places either the jaws of life or the chemical sprayer on one forearm.
Range: 1,000 ft
Spray Mode covers a 12 ft area
Damage: Has two modes; a straightout pinpoint beam that does cell damage(1d4x10 SDC/HP or 2d4 MD) , or a rapidly fanning spray-beam that freezes the air into a liquid(4d6 SDC), and can be used to encase targets in ice, or stun them with cold(Save versus lethal poison(14 or better) or lose 1 APM and all initiative, and HALF all hand to hand bonuses for 1d4 melees.
A victim who loses all SDC(but NOT Hit Points) to a cold attack lapses into a coma..still alive, but frozen stiff. They can be revived with even heat in 3d4 minutes. Those who lose both SDC and Hit Points are +25% to save versus coma/death, and get 3d4 Hit Points back when revived, but still suffer some cellular damage.
Beings vulnerable to cold-based attacks take DOUBLE damage, while fire elementals and fire-based beings take TRIPLE damage! Water Elementals will lose 2 APMs and cut their speed by HALF for 1d4 melees, while Ice Elementals actually HEAL 1d6 MD of damage.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

Programming:
-Replace Search and Rescue w/
Wilderness Survival 88%
Camouflage 80%
Detect Ambush 80%
Detect Concealment 75%
Tracking(people) 80%


-EcoS-KRP-53Aw(3)----A third possible variant, which can be of either type, features a limited modular transformation, with plowshields on each forearm(50 MDC each) and four high-speed tread units( 40 MDC each), two on the legs and two on pivots that swing them from the back and under the arms to the chest area. By laying prone, this variant can speed across snow like a snowmobile, hitting speeds of 100 MPH.

*EcoS-KRP-53Wp ---(aka ‘Busterhound’,’Baskerville’) Ironically, the Wolf’s Path version harkens back to the original purpose of the Hellbuster cyborg armor, and may have been influenced by the CS Death Knight power armor. The head is more bulldog- or wolf-like(including a more powerful articulated jaw), and some have mistaken it for a ‘super’ version of the NG-DX-001 Thunder Hound(much as the Super SAMAS is a heavier version of the SAMAS). Even more than any other version of the Cryptis, given the Wolf’s Path’s proximity to Coalition-held territory, this variant has been mistaken for a CS unit for both good and ill(Wolf’s Path patrols have taken fire for resembling CS units). “Baskervilles’ are considered pure combat machines, lacking the internal medical chambers(though they may carry emergency medical kits strapped to their hips or slung under their necks) and rescue programming of the baseline Cryptis. They are often assigned to escorting the rescue models in conditions of especially heavy combat. There have been some reports of Busterhounds being seen riding on EcoS-K-133 Bulwarg warmounts.
Changes/Modifications:
MDC/Armor by Location:
Tail(purely decorative) 50
Systems of Note:
*Molecular Analyzer---Can track by scent at 80%

*Integral SNARLS PPE Sensor System ----Sensors that ape a Dog Boy’s ability to detect supernatural beings and activity. The sensor has a 200 ft range(out to 400 ft with 50% error in determination), 60-degree arc, and can detect invisible entities. Other penalties similar to the Japanese SNARLS system(on which it is based.....see Rifts: Japan, pg. 116).

*Superior Teamwork---Wolf’s Path are wifi data-linked and programmed for team coordination; they enjoy a +1 to Initiative, +1 to strike, and +3 to Perception as long as they are in line of sight of each other.
Weapons Systems:
1) Head Weapons---In addition to the eye lasers, the ‘Busterhound mounts the same haed-mounted weaponry as the Adalwulf.
a.) Eye Lasers---Unchanged
b.) Assault Jaws: The NG-X9THK9’s/Adalwulf’s deadly hydraulic jaws are caried over onto the EcoS-KRP-53Wp, which can exert a bite that can penetrate M.D. hides and steel, snag flying power armor and creatures, and bite or latch onto monsters, cyborgs, drones, power armors and even some smaller robots in hand to hand combat.
Damage:
Controlled “Soft” Bite/Nip –2d6 SDC
Full Strength Bite – 2d6 MD
Power Bite – 4D4+4 M.D.
Power Bite & Lock Grip – 4D4+4 M.D. from initial power bite plus a 01-50% chance of holding on to its opponents in its teeth. This enables the Busterhound to hold on with its locked jaws and deliver an additional damage by shaking its head and neck violently. Each pair of shakes count as one melee attack, does 2D4 M.D. and does not require a roll to strike because the ‘bot is latched onto its prey with its vice jaws and teeth. To pull free, an opponent must roll 17 or higher to parry and pull free, but takes 3D4 M.D. in doing so! Otherwise, this lock grip (via only a power bite) automatically shakes lose at the end of the melee round . Note: In the alternative, the Thunder Hound/Adalwulf/Busterhound can simply hold on to its prey inflicting 1D4 M.D. by maintaining its grip or shock and electrocute it with its taser in its jaws.

d.) Shocker Taser(aka ‘Lightning Bite’) --- The Baskerville shares the Adalwulf’s opponent-intimidating toothsome open-jawed grin with electricity sparking between its teeth.
Range: Melee
Damage: Inflicts an electrical shock that does 1d6 SDC/HP per jolt. However, this is STUN damage and not tissue-damage. Save at 16 or better or be -6 to strike, parry, dodge, and roll, HALF speed and APMs, for 1d4+1 melee rounds, +1d4 if the ‘Wulf was able to bite soft tissues(like the neck, lips, back of the knee or inside of the elbow. Being shocked five or more times, or with less than HALF hit points remaining, and failing a roll of 15 or better means falling unconscious for 2d4 melee rounds, and suffering stun penalties for a minute(4 melees) afterwards.
Rate of Fire: Each blast or multiple pulse counts as one melee attack/action.
Payload: Effectively unlimited

c.) Thunder Sonic Emitter---A less powerful version of the sonic disorientor system built into the GunWolf. Indeed, failure to successfully miniaturize the system may have led to its cancellation as a power armor-scaled weapon and upgraded it to the GunWolf program. The Shemarrians have installed a working system using technology they acquired from other sources.
Range: 1,600 feet (488 m) for the focused beam, 100 ft for the area of effect sonic boom.
Damage: 2d4 SDC and save versus non-lethal poison(12 or better) or be stunned for 1d4 melee rounds; -5 on initiative, -4 to strike, parry, and dodge. DOUBLE effects and duration for those with particularly sensitive hearing(including, ironically, Dog Boys). It also produces a window-shattering sonic boom in a 45-degree arc along its path out to 100 ft, temporarily deafening those caught in the area of effect(those without ear protection will be -4 to initiative and -1 to parry and dodge for 1d4 minutes, while those inside EBA, light MDC vehicles and power armor will only be deafened for 2d4 melees.
Rate of Fire: Each blast or multiple pulse counts as one melee attack/action.
Payload: Effectively unlimited

6) Shoulder Mini-Missile Launchers(2)---The twin 14-shot mini-missile launchers of the original Hellbuster are restored to the EcoS-KRP-53Wp. The Busterhound uses its Secondary Arms for reloading the mini-missile launchers.

Programming:
-Replace Search and Rescue w/
Wilderness Survival 88%
Camouflage 80%
Detect Ambush 80%
Detect Concealment 75%
Tracking(people) 80%

*NE-P53(?)---It’s rumored that somebody leaked schematics of the Hellbuster, along with notes on how to convert it into into a power armor, to Naruni Enterprises . Though it’s possible NE may have acquired the plans on their own, to many familiar with the EShemar, the whole rumor smells of a Ghost Rider scheme to confuse the origins of the many Hellbuster-lookalikes the CS is likely to be hearing about in the near future(just as Northern Gun was framed for the Andalwulf). While Naruni is not above copying others, especially those they dislike, they’ve still walked a fine line about overtly annoying the Coalition States, so going out of their way to swipe details on CS cutting edge hardware seems out of character for them. HOWEVER, if somebody did most of the legwork for them, they just might see fit to tweak the nose of the CS by introducing a new power armor using CS tech, though initial sales seem more likely offworld.
The Naruni Hellbuster PA supposedly refits the shoulders with mini-missile launchers, carries a cartridge-fed plasma machine gun( 2,000 ft range, 1d4x10 MD per single shot, 2d6x10 MD per 10-rd burst, 200 shot magazine) on one arm, a flame thrower(100 ft range, 2d6 MD per blast, 32 blasts) and particle beam cannon( 1,600 ft range, 1d4x10 MD per blast, unlimited payload) on the other, triple pulse lasers( 2,000 ft range, 5d6 MD per single blast, unlimited payload) on top, has a P.S. of 35, and a running speed of 45 MPH.

Updated the Codex on page 1 to put in some stuff that had been left out for far too long, like the ESSPA PP-12 SMG, Ice Maul, and other stuff.
Hopefully this brings it fully up to date.

Vann-Chalese(Clan Megalith affiliated client City-State, Kuragow)

“There has never before been a city like the new Vann-Chalese on all of Kuragow; that makes its future so exhilarating. It’s what also makes it so frightening. I cannot fall back on the wisdom of my parents to guide me, nor lean on my parents’ generation’s advisors to tell me what to do. I must chart the course of my city, my kingdom, and my people using new and unfamiliar stars into a future I can know little about.”
---Princess Itimi Tayanato-Chalese

Vann-Chalese is a new mechano-arc recently completed on the world of Kuragow, a terrestrial planet that was liberated from brutal Splugorth occupation. The mechano-arc is based on the pre-occupation kingdom of the same name, a peaceful nation that suffered particularly badly when the Splugorth came calling. With their skills as jewelers, and reputations for glowing good health(particularly important in the mutagen-saturated Creche Clouds), the Vann-Chalesians were enslaved and subjected to Splugorth medical experimentation. Over three quarters of the kingdom were wiped out or exported as slaves, and the remainders enduring a living hell when Clan Megalith liberated the planet and destroyed the Splugorth occupation.
Vann-Chalese was one of the kingdoms that had virtually ceased to exist, but as a basket case(on some cases, literally, given the nature of some of the Splugorth experiments). Their ruling aristocratic family had been wiped out, but for a surviving daughter, and that one herself bore the marks of Splugorth cruelty. Clan Megalith stepped in and began rebuilding the survivors as best they could, including cyborgizing those mutilated by Splugorth biological experimentation. Well over half of the survivors had to be rebuilt to some extent, including Princess Itimi. The survivors of Vann-Chalese were enfolded into the Megalithians in all but name.
Vann-Chalese has been rebuilt as a mobile mechano-ark, able to roam the remains of the kingdom’s territories and adjacent badlands. The city’s design has been described as being patterned as a ‘four -legged swan’, with a large ovoid body carried on four large legs, two broad wing-like structures flaring out from the sides. One end, considered the front, rises in a curving spire ending at the top in a large gold sun-globe. The other end horizontally flares out into a series of fantail stepped decks. The wings hold hydroponic gardens and gather and channel light into public space in the middle of the city’s ‘back’. Additional light can be reflected to the sun-globe above. Living space lies around and under the wing-farms, with an industrial and support systems core running along the bottom and center. Landing pads are arrayed along the tail. The forward tower holds additional living quarters, sensors, and communications. The city is protected by heavy battle-screening and an array of point defense weapons. Already the designers of New Vann-Chalese are considering future expansion, should it become necessary, with the idea of ‘docking’ the core mechano-ark with a vaster outer wing structure.
Influences of Old Vann-Chalese and its culture can be seen in the Mechano-Arcology in the prominence of cut-glass and carved crystal adornments found throughout the new city.
Vann-Chalese the Kingdom is nominally run by an aristocracy; the surviving Vann-Chalesians have rallied behind their surviving royal, the Princess Itimi. The young cyborg is surrounded by a small cadre of other young cyborgs, mainly her surviving female friends and daughters of the savaged aristocratic houses; almost all of the older old guard leadership structure was exterminated during the Splugorth occupation, and of Princess Itimi’s two surviving pre-occupation advisors, one has expressed doubts of his ability to keep up with the many changes sweeping the kingdom. This has raised some tension with surrounding kingdoms, but has also helped solidify the populatity of the regime with younger Vann-Chalesians, who feel the Princess better represents the new realities on Kuragow and the prospects for a renewed and independent kingdom. Politically, Princess Itimi has embraced the constitutional models of the Megalithians, and the more cyber-spirtual roll assumed by women in Megalithian society.
Vann-Chalese the Machine-City is run and maintained by a crew of Megalithians seconded to the city, training the cyborged Vann-Chalesians in ark-operations. Princess Itimi and her inner circle have had their cyborg bodies data-linked to the operations of their rebuilt city, so that they may ‘feel’ when problems crop up, and more instinctually direct and service the advanced technology.
Vann-Chalese is something of a political sore point locally; it was originally nominally part of the much larger Kingdom of Tenynow, but as the latter fragments under the cultural revolution sweeping Kuragow, the surviving Vann-Chalesians have been agitating that their princess openly declare independence and, with Vann-Chalese now being a mobile kingdom, pull up stakes and go elsewhere. This option has been made more attractive by the assertations of some Tenynow nobles that, having received so much Megalithian aid in reconstruction, that they were still under fuedal tithe obligation to share some of their new wealth with the central government. Princess Itimi has yet to voice her own opinion on the matter, knowing that it would likely be taken as a ruling. The fact that her city is heavily armed gives her the luxury of waiting to give an answer, but it also worries many Tenynow nobles, who recall that at one time Vann-Chalese was an independent kingdom in its own right. These nobles also look with consternation on the ‘young upstart cadre’ regime of Princess Itimi and the growing agitation among younger Vann-Chalesians to renegotiate their relations with other nations, on terms more favorable to Vann-Chalese.
For their part, the surviving Vann-Chalesians have adjusted with frightening ease to their new reality as cyborgs, to the point that some Wayfinders who have a chance to observe them have worried about psychological problems. The ready adoption of many things foreign(and Shemarrian) such as personal technology, clothing styles, and mannerisms among the younger generation of Vann-Chalesians is also seen with great concern by both many of the surviving older generation and outsiders, who fear that the Machine City may sever its ties to its traditional obligations sooner rather than later. However, others feel that the current upheavals are a necessary part of the reconstruction, and point to how many ‘old’ traditions have been retained, and even resurrected, in the Vann-Chalesians’ efforts to re-establish themselves as anything other than victims. The Vann-Chalesians remain fanatically loyal to their princess, perhaps more so since she is also a cyborg for the same reasons as most of her surviving citizenry, and the surviving aristocracy is regarded more highly than before(though it should be noted that almost all the surviving Old Families are now younger members and almost all cyborged).
Vann-Chalese remains a community of crystal-carvers and jewelers, which would seem to indicate a future direction for them. A growing number of the citizenry have evinced an interest in studying optics, applying that science to construction, architecture, and art.

Vann-Chalese the Kingdom:
-Orientation & Disposition:
-Type and Size:
At its height, pre-Splugorth, Vann-Chalese boasted a population of 45,000. Currently the population is roughly 21,000.

A. Weapons and Armor:
The Vann-Chalesian Royal Guard and City Militia have been reformed and recruited up, and have made the transition from black powder slug-throwers and cannon to high-intensity lasers and rail guns quite easily. Another thing which worries their neighbors.

B.Medicine:
The Megalithians had to set up a large-scale cybersurgery to fix the many badly injured/disfigured Vann-Chalesians. The kingdom is still known as a ‘Gilding’ center for those seeking cybernetic/bionic replacement and augmentation, with a blend of both normal-appearing smartskin prosthetics and chrome-and-crystal implants.

C: Agriculture and Natural Resources:
Like many Kuragowan kingdoms, Vann-Chalese relied heavily on agriculture, but with a prominent secondary industry in mining and jewel-cutting. Both took severe blows during the Splugorth occupation, but are recovering, post-liberation. During the occupation, the mines were worked with slave labor; now they’re worked with cyborgs and machines.

D. Real Estate and Land:
WAS Prime agricultural land, but the Splugorth dropped it to Bad, through their heavy-tentacled harvesting of the local real estate. Imported bio-remediation techniques and the return of many of the former residents has raised it back up to a Fine rating.

E. Vehicles and Fuel:
Electric vehicles and robot animals have replaced most of the live mounts and petroleum motorcars that were the staples of local transportation before the Splugorth occupation.

F. Administration:
Royal Family: Princess Itimi is THE remaining royal in charge, with a small council of advisors and councilors.

G. Alignment: Effectively Principled and Scrupulous

H. Magic:
Kuragow does not know magic, but for what the Splugorth, and later the Shemarrians, have introduced. Vann-Chalese’s reputation for jewelers and crystal-cutters was targeted by the Splugorth for shaping crystalline elements in techno-wizardry; Vann-Chalese Reborn stands to profit handsomely if and when orders for similar crystal-work come in from TW-using Shemarrians like the Wayfinders.

I. Racial Tolerance:
Open. Any of the Kuragowan races are welcome in Vann-Chalese, and the survivors count a number of elves, dwarves, minotaurs, and wolfen among their number. Demonstrating the signs of recent reconstructive surgery and/or cybernetics is a good way to gain acceptance, regardless of species.

J. Trade:
Notable Allies:
-Clan Megalith---The Megalithians are an integral part of the community and its reconstruction, much to the dismay of Vann-Chalese’s more conservative neighbors. By extension, the EShemar in general are regarded as friends of Vann-Chalese.
-Local Kingdoms--A few of Vann-Chalese’s smaller neighbors, who also suffered during the occupation, and who are also chafing under the increasingly shrill demands of the Tenynow central regime, have made tentative moves to normalize relations with the reborn kingdom.

K. Threats:
Notable Enemies:
-The Splugorth remain the main bogieman in everybody’s thoughts and memories. Some of the new Vann-Chalesian militiamen would love the opportunity to hunt any surviving Minions to try out their new weapons.

-Rival Kingdoms---There is a growing amount of discontent and worry among neighboring kingdoms, especially the more conservative elements of larger Tenynow, that the Vann-Chalesians are either benefitting too much from their association with the Megalithians or that the Machine City is meant to settle old scores with rivals. There have already been several sabotage attempts on the building New City; Princess Itimi has had the perpetrator (a young handmaid from outside the kingdom who managed to ingratiate herself into the Princess’s household, at the behest of one of the kingdom’s rivals)of one of these attack attempts imprisoned in an acquired stasis capsule and displayed inside a crystal pillar, the saboteur’s case to be re-evaluated and sentence finalized only after the New City has become fully operational.

L. Skill Levels and Professionalism:(Notable skilled personnel groups)
*Artisans----Jewelers and Gem-Cutters----Vann-Chalese was well-known pre-Splugorth for their expert gem-cutters and crystal-shapers, and those specialists were among those preserved by the Splugorth for their own use. Many were infected with parasites that required regular suppression by the Splugorth overlords, in order to promote a proper ‘spirit of cooperation’ amongst the enslaved artisans. Thus many survived the occupation and subsequent liberation, and got priority for remedial treatment. Many of these survivors have stayed on to see the resurrection of Vann-Chalese through, return to a semblance of normalcy, or at least try to pass their skills on to a new generation. Of course, many of these artisans are now learning to cut with cybernetic limbs, computer-stabilized lasers, and are cutting more than just locally-mined gemstones these days, and many have taken up the study of optics.

M. Community Overall:
Skilled; between the surviving gem-cutters, miners, and workers laboring on New City and attendant structures the community has a good skill base.

N. Shelter:
Can be considered to be Fortified; especially the building mech-ark.
Little remains of Old Vann-Chalese. most of it having been razed by the Splugorth, then the slave barracks built in its place subsequently torn down and replaced with warehousing and dormitories serving the construction of the New City. The few old architectural structures that survive were mainly guild-halls or palaces appropriated by the Splugorth Minions for their own use, and modified accordingly.
The reconstruction of Vann-Chalese has also attracted a number of economic refugees from other kingdoms; these workers and job-seekers have established a shanty town of sorts, using scavenged materials(mainly from the demolished Splugorth structures) downriver. The Meglithians have tried to upgrade this neighborhood as best they can, without diverting too many resources from New City, but there always seems to be a dozen or so slum tenements that pop up whenever they think the task is completed. Princess Itimi has tried to provide better housing for these indigents by erecting more durable and modern structures as part of the remaining ‘dock’ that will remain in place after Vann-Chalese New City goes mobile, but she runs into the same problems as her Meglithian patrons.

O. Security and Fighting Force:
Wiped out during the Splugorth occupation, the Royal Guard and City Militia have been reconstituted with new recruits, and armed with advanced technology. A small number of militia are (PFRPG) knights or nobility(with martial orientation) who are effectively partial conversion or cybernhumanoid cyborgs. Some of those knights are pre-Splgorth retainers of the House of Chalese, and serve ‘old hands’ and advsiors to the new recruits and newly knighted.

P. Power/Energy:
Fusion Generators and Solar Power

Q: Special Features:
*Full Cybernetics/Bionics Hospital

Vann-Chalese the Machine-City(aka New City)
Type: Clan Megalith Vann-Chalese
Class: Mechano-Arcology, Space-Capable
Crew: 680+ 7,000 adult passengers. Total capacity is estimated at about 25,000.
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 100,000
Outer Hull per 100 ft area 450
Head/Tower 20,000
Head/Sun-Globe 9,000
Wing Bays(2) 40,000 each
Legs(4) 9,000 each
Point Defense Lasers(50) 150 each
Point Defense G-Cannons(50) 200 each
Forcefield 80,000
Height: 970 ft, while Head/Sun-Globe reaches 1,500 ft
Width: 4,800 ft
Length: 5,750 ft
Weight: 37 million tons
Cargo: 250,000 tons
Powerplant: Unknown, presumed to be some form of nuclear fusion, supplemented by super-solar systems.
Speed: (Land) 50 MPH
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric.
(Sublight) Mach 5
(Kitsune Values: 25% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 0.5% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) 3 light years per hour
(Underwater) Can float on the surface of the water and cruise at 30 MPH.
Systems of Note:
*Full Life Support---In addition to full oxygen and water recycling, once Vann-Chalese is in full operation, it will have hydroponics and mycogen-culture food production, reducing the station’s dependence on food stores and resupply from the surface.

*Long Range Radio and Laser Communications Networks--- Vann-Chalese will have long-range radio and laser transmission capabilities, both direct and satellite relay.

*Long Range Phased Array Radar --- 10,000 mile range.

*Long Range Laser and Computer-Assisted Targeting----+2 to strike with ranged direct fire weaponry.

*Full Sensor Suites---Vann-Chalese mounts a full spectrum of optical, EM, gravitic, and radiation sensors for both early warning and scientific research.

Weapons Systems:
1) Sun-Globe Laser(1)---Clan Megalith wanted to give the people of Vann-Chalese the means to defend themselves against renewed Splugorth attacks from space. This powerful long range laser cannon has the power to hit targets at high altitude.
Range: 30 miles in atmosphere, 100 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 100 miles in atmosphere, 100,000 miles in space)
Damage: 1d4x1,000 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: 4 shots per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) Point Defense Lasers(50)----The ‘wings’ of Vann-Chalese are lined with concealed laser systems.
Range: 12,000 ft in atmosphere, 36,000 ft in space
(Kitsune Values: 8 miles in atmosphere, 8,000 miles in space)
Damage: 2d6x10 MD per single barrel burst, 4d6x10 MD for a double-barreled blast
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

3) Point Defense G-Cannons(50)---A ring of concealed rapid-fire point defense gravitic g-guns provides backup for the lasers.
Range: 3 miles in atmosphere, 6 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 6 miles in atmosphere, 600 miles in space)
Damage: 4d4x10 MD per 50 rd burst
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: 800 bursts each gun. Additional ammunition drums could be stored as cargo, and replaced within 15 minutes.

Auxiliary Craft:
Has landing platforms, hangar/garage space for 40 aerospace vehicles up to heavy shuttle size.


Princess Itimi Tayanato-Chalese
“Forever young in looks, aged elder before her majority by loss, assuming responsibility for her people and an entire way of life before she ever had a teenager’s first crush, preparing to take flight into the future while carrying the weight of her people’s legacy. Megasteel itself would bow under the burden that girl carries. But the thing about pressue is, sometimes it makes diamonds, and the Van-Chalesans know more than a little about polishing gemstones, so I feel, when all is said and done, -oh- how this young woman will truly shine in starlight!”
---Etor-ag42342, Chromite Ambassador to Kuragow

Princess Itimi is the last survivor of her family, who have ruled Vann-Chalese for over seven generations. The rest of her family was slaughtered in the Splugorth invasion and occupation of Kuragow, and Itimi herself was subjected to biowizardry torture, prior to being shipped offworld for sale, when Clan Megalith liberated the planet. The young princess was ‘gifted’ with disfiguring variants on Living Armor and a SpineTwister. She was among those thousands of ex-slaves the Megalithians treated with bionic conversion, the ‘Gilding’ stripping off her parasitic covering and ravaged flesh and replaced with myomer psuedoflesh and smartskin, and her damaged spine and weakened skeleton replaced with buckyfiber composites.
The Megalithians quickly realized the symbolic value of having a surviving royal around which to rally survivors in the region, and risked announcing her survival to her family’s former subjects. The results were better than expected; the surviving Vann-Chalesians knew all about their princess’s torment with the rest of them, and her recovery was seen as a hopeful sign of their kingdom’s potential rebirth; a belief the Megalithians were quick to build upon to their advantage.
Princess Itimi has had a traditional schooling in the traditional culture of her kingdom from her youth, and in the ways and responsibilities of her class, including diplomacy and some basic orientation in the ways of intelligence, but she has also been schooled in high-technology. Though she does not have the gem-cutting skills that are her kingdom’s claim to fame, she has an excellent knowledge of gemstones and crystals. Pre-Splugorth, her parents indulged her in giving her lessons in driving a steam-car; she has since made the transition to more modern electric and hover-types. Like many Kuragowans of means, she has taken instruction in combat skills; though not a soldier by temperment or training, if the Splugorth ever return to attack her world, she means to fight alongside her people.
Increasingly, political rivals have criticized Princess Itimi for her wholly embracing of the Megalithian ways, and have even claimed that her Gilding and therapy were really brainwashing, or even placement of a pretender on the throne of Vann-Chalese. Itimi in response has contended that such critics are usually rivals or disgruntled opportunity-seekers looking to seize power over Vann-Chalese. Her people have almost unanimously backed her on her defense.

As Vann-Chalese New City nears completion, Princess Itimi has had little time to venture outside the city. She relies on her companions, especially two aristocratic young women who were her playmates before the Splugorth came and, like the princess, are now cyborgs, as her traveling eyes(literally, as she can network-comm to receive sensory feeds from them).

Level of Experience:5th Level Noblewoman/Cyberhumanoid
Rank: Princess-Queen-Herent, Kingdom of Vann-Chalese
Race: Human, Full-Conversion Cyberhumanoid
Alignment: Principled
Land of Origin: Vann-Chalese, Kuragow
Age: 22
Sex: Female
Height: 5’ 9”
Weight: 175 lbs
Physical Description/Appearance:
A slender-build, young, human(oid) female with light skin and waist-long banged chestnut hair. Her eyes are large, expressive, and brown-gold in coloration.
Thin silver metal wings, like the ribbing of an umbrella, can extend from her back, their slender spars joined by a transparent membrane of smart-plastic.
Disposition:
Kind, quiet, introspective. Conveys the image of a wide-eyed innocent, sometimes naive, young adult. She sometimes comes off as distracted or spacey, a combination of listening to her city-implants and coping therapy.
Under the ever wondering young woman and devoted new princess, hides a great deal of repressed sorrow, which she is coming to terms with, and anger, towards the Splugorth and those who seek to continue to dominate her people. She struggles to be fair and honest, even in the face of treason and betrayl, and her own anger. Faced with a young traitor who sought to sabotage the construction of Vann-Chalese at the behest of Tenynow interests, Princess Itemi sought solutions other than (the traditionally mandated) executing the prisoner.
Itimi is determined to NOT be the last of her family, either to rule Vann-Chalese or at all. She’s already looking into the reproductive alternatives hinted at by her Shemarrian benefactors, and means to one day have an heir of blood-descent to carry on her family line. She may be a starry-eyed romantic about such things, and is waitng for the right Prince Charming or Wandering Knight in Tarnished Armor to sweep her off her feet, but she has a serious reason for seeking the preservation of her bloodline.

Physical Attributes/Superlatives:
IQ: 15
ME: 13
MA: 21
PS: 17
PP: 20
PE: 7(pre-conversion))
PB: 18
SPD: 58 (40 MPH)

(ISP):----
(PPE): 3

Hit Points: 22
SDC:----
MDC:
Head 40
Main Body 100
Arms(2) 36 each
Hands(2) 25 each
Legs(2) 45 each
Feet(2) 17 each
‘Wings’(2) 30 each
Horror Factor: ----
Special Abilities/Characteristics/Powers: Bionics
Magic: None, aside from any TW crystal implants
Psionics: None
Cybernetics/Bionics:
Full-Conversion Cyberhumanoid with full human appearance

*Extended Range Comms---Itimi’s ‘wings’ are actually highly sensitive communications arrays that allow for high bandwidth wireless interface with her city’s systems. Effective range of 100 miles.

*Full-Spectrum Cyberoptics

*Advanced Audio w/ amplified hearing and sound filtration systems

* Gyro-compass

*Built-in loudspeaker

*Psionic Electro-Magnetic Dampener Implants--- +1 to save versus all psionic attacks, +2 save versus possession, and +1 to save versus magic illusions and mind control.

*Enhanced Radio/Wireless Communications Suite---Itimi has a more advanced radio communications suite with an effective range of 50 miles, with scrambling capability. It can also effortlessly link to local area networks through wireless connections.

*Hyperlink---An advanced interface system that can hardlink via a head/fingerjack into a computer system. Described in detail in Rifts Bionics Sourcebook, pg. 87-88, it gives the cyborg a +5% to Computer skills, +10% to communications skills(and can boost a system’s range by 2d6x10%, plus renders it effectively un-jammable), +5% to a vehicle piloting skill if jacked into a computerized version of the appropriate vehicle(+10% to speed and evasive/trick maneuvers), and +1 to strike, +2 on Initiative, and +1 APM with a single networked weapons system.

*Hardened Circuits---A feature standard in Shemarrian combat cyborgs. Shields the ‘borg’s systems against EMP and other electrical-disruption attacks.

*Ambidexterity Boost--- +1 APM, +1 parry, and automatically gets W.P. Paired Weapons(reflected in Bonus stats).

*Language Translator----Itimi has access to her city’s supercomputer cores and a gaint database of languages. She has immediate access via her internal databases to 10 other languages, and, through her network connections, another 50(or more).
This system also includes a video-link for translating written texts; pattern recognition software reads what her eyes scan, and attempts to identift and translate it via HUD image-superposing to her cybernetic eyes.

*Internal Comp-Calculator and Clock/Calendar

*Bionic Lungs w./ Filter and Oxygen Storage Cell

Skills:(5th Level )
-Native(Kuragowan North-Common/ -Devian) 98%/98%
-Native(Kuragowan South-Common) 90%/70%
-Dragonese(Old/Classic Kyrian) 90%/70%
-Shemarrian 75%/55%
Trade Four(English) 75%/55%
Trade Six. 70%/50%

Military Etiquette 75%
Play Musical Instrument 75%
Sing 75%
Dance 75%
Heraldry 40/45 %
Gemology 60%
Horsemanship: General 60/40 %
Horsemanship: Exotic 38%
Pilot Automobile 70%
Pilot Hovervehicle 75%
Wardrobe & Grooming 70%
Law 65%
Research 65%
Diplomacy 60%
History: Kuragow 60/55%
Astronomy 55 %
Public Speaking 55%
Strategy Games 55 %
Sensory Equipment 55%
Intelligence 42%
Radio: Basic 70%
Mathematics: Basic 98%
Computer Operation 65%
Computer Programming 55%
Lore: Galactic 50%
Artificial Intelligence 55%

Hand to Hand: Basic
W.P. Sword(+2 Strike/Parry, +1 Throw)
W.P. Handguns(+3 strike)
W.P. Paired Weapons
W.P. Energy Pistol(+2 strike)
W.P. Energy Rifle(+1 strike)

Actions/Attacks per Melee: 6
Strike:+4
Parry:+6
Dodge:+5
Roll:+2
Pull Punch:+2
Damage::+2
Saves:
Vs Magic+3
Vs Magic Illusions +4
Vs Psionics +1
Vs Mind Control +1
Vs Possession +7
impervious to Bio-Manipulation, Telemechanics(all), See Aura, and any attacks that do damage directly to Hit Points.
Charm/Intimidate 65%
Charm/Impress 40%
Notable Possessions/Equipment:
As Queen-Herent, Princess Itimi can claim a large percentage of Vann-Chalese as her personal fiefdom, but aside from her personal apartments, wardrobe, and a few family heirlooms, she has made most of her recovered family property part of the kingdom’s general treasury, Still, her personal jewelry and antiques are worth some 5d6x10,000 credits.
Vehicle:
Arguably the entire CITY of Vann-Chalese

* EcoS-K-62 ‘Shelong’ Variants

* EcoS-K-62Re
Within moments of the fallout shelter’s walls being breached by -something-, she’d been sucked through the opening, grabbed by multiple tentacles, stripped of clothing, spun about spread-eagled in midair, sprayed with lather foam, hosed down with powerful jets of fluid that left her skin tingling and her teeth aching, flipped through a series of warm lights, stung repeatedly, then dropped down a frictionless chute that ended in a thick and softly glowing blue liquid. But by the time the liquid had closed over her head, she was already unconscious and unaware of it entering her lungs...all bfore she had a chance to scream.
The Radiant Edge ezenza looked with satisfaction as the first patient successfully entered biostasis and the protective seal-shell already forming, before turning her attention to the next rescuee entering the processing system. The new mass-rescue system was going through its first live field test quite well. She spared an appreciative look with the Shelong-Radia’s Tinker-designer, who was smiling herself as she studied the engineering readouts in their armored cockpit.
“Got the idea from watching a group of Cyclopedes vacuum out a bunker of staybehinds during the Radus Flare evacuation operation. Packaged them nice and neat for transport out of harm’s way. Not the most dignified way to leave, but it beat the alternative.”

Radiant Edge version of the faux Kreelong Carapace worker drone Metzla-caste. The ‘vulture’ tribe uses these giant warmounts to sniff out survivors of shatterworld castastrophes and extricate them safely from shelters and hiding places. The EcoS-K-62Re sports a heavily radiation-shielded carapace, ‘frills’ of radiation absorbers, and the ability to produce thick anti-radiation and bio-sealed foams from sprayers in its front. The EcoS-K-62Re uses these sprayers to create hazard-locks within which the warmount can create radiation- and pathogen-free spaces from which to cut into survivors’ shelters for extraction.
Internally, the EcoS-K-62Re sports a second enlarged ‘gullet’ that is really a processing line for decontaminating, examining, and medically preparing living beings for immersion in biostasis nano-gel, which is further encased in a hard radiation/biohazard-sealed egg-like shell(100 MDC), which is than deposited at the nether end of the Warmount for collection and transport. The biostasis is considered good for 50 years without external maintenance(though the Radiant Edge ideally carries them off to safety long before that expiration date).
It’s rumored that some of the more sophisticated Baotra-Tinkers of the Radiant Edge have been further implanting encased survivors with Czhzetra nanotech to produce czhenalta ne-shemar, the transformations happening within the shells.
The EcoS-K-62Re boasts a secondary AI sub-brain dedicated to monitoring the health of rescued survivors, though it rarely operates in the field unsupervised, and will typically have a rider-crew of medtechs to oversee the care of refugees as they are moved along the ‘mount’s ‘medway’.

Changes/Modifications:
Systems of Note:
*Heavy Radiation Shielding---The EcoS-K-62Re carries both passive(in the form of thick dense armor cladding) and active(in the form of EM fields and radiatin absorbers) radiation shielding.

*Decontamination Systems---Both externally and internally the EcoS-K-62Re mounts sprayer systems and electrostatic deflection fields(meant to deflect dust and nanites) for decontamination.

*Life Sensors---Copies the bio-signature sensors from the PSE-7000 Scanner, only mounts larger and more sensitive passive sensor arrays in the prow and mouth-hands. Effective range of 1,500 ft and can detect and pinnpoint life signatures with 80% accuracy.

*’Medway’----This is a sealed and shielded conveyor system running the length of the Warmount, and lined with tentacles and armatures, used for subduing, decontaminating, examining, diagnosing, and prepping catastrophe survivors for transport and/or stasis. The equivalent of a hospital surgical conveyor belt system. Tunning at peak efficiency/expediancy, it can process up to four humanoids at once, and move them from induction to stasis in 15 minutes.

Skills/Programming:
Adds the following:
Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Warfare 90%
Medical Doctor 94%/94%
Stasis Tank Operation 90%




* EcoS-K-62Dw ‘Wetlong’
(aka ‘Sealongs’, ‘ore-rake’, ‘whale-wyrm’)

“Minion wrecks don’t linger long on the bottom is there’s a wetlong in the area. Those bugs can tear down a wreck and process it for every last iota of usefulness within an hour. Word is the Tinkersare hankering for something big to put the sealongs to a real test...like a sunken mothership.”

Darkwaters’ improved amphibious variant of the EcoS-K-62 ‘Shelong’‘, possibly inspired by the successful ‘Oarsman’ variant of the K-1 Centipede. The hull of the ‘Wetlong’ is sealed against ocean depth pressures, the legs fitted with webbing, and the fringe of the carapace equipped with an undulating ‘skirt’ that provides extra propulsion in the water. EcoS-K-62Dws are used in deep sea construction, mining and salvage operations.

Changes/Modifications:
Systems of Note:
*Sonar--- 60 mile range.
*Silent Swimming---The undulating 'ripple'-skirting allows for quiet movement through the water; underwater Prowl equivalent of 75%
Speed:
(Water)The Shelong is neutrally buoyant and can ‘swim’, paddling along at a rough 45 MPH. It can also crawl along the bottom at 13 MPH. Maximum depth tolerance of 3 miles.

Clan Gothec Bloxer Multi-Role Oreseme
(aka’Life Cabinet’, ‘War Cabinet’, ‘Caligories’, ‘Box-Templars’, ‘Republibot’, ‘Clankbox’)

“Sure, they look like walking vending machines. They dispense second chances.”

“Rumor is these things are a pre-Rifts Swiss civil defense design for an emergency response robot drone.”

<<“I am the Amazing Med-a-Dee! I can tell your fortune! And your fortune is: This day you will not lose your partner!”>>
“That’s a funny way of saying, Dehsh’s going to be alright?”
<<“Diagnosis is positive! Life signs are stable! All indications looking up!”>>
“Whoever programmed you had a real strange sense of humor...”

<<“I have met one of the others that have been compared to us; the so-called ‘Cryptis’...Big brutes, not very articulate. Nothing subtle about them. Not exactly what I would want as part of my guard units.”>>

“YOU SHALL NOT PASS. YOU SHALL NOT HARM. YOU SHALL NOT DESECRATE.”

((“Unit Theo has recovered the innocent! Form up on him and clear the way! Let not the infernal claim innocent life! We are the shield and the bastion!”))

The Bloxers are a series of odd-looking original robotic organisms created by Clan Gothec, apparently after one of the clan’s neoTinkers traveled to North America to attend a Grand Tribal Tinkerfest and saw several of Clan Shelley’s Necrokrates in operation. Inspired, the engineer returned to Europe and put together the first of what would be several oreseme that proved the concept.
Bloxers are crude-looking robots resembling large upright cabinets with two long robotic arms(copied or scavenged off the X-60 Flanker) and two shorter, thicker, legs(adapted from the DV-40 Hunter/Killer Drone ) holding the body up. The upper torso is large enough to hold a large central equipment space, large enough to hold a person, with smaller adjacent equipment slots and spaces for plug-in modules. Bloxers don’t have separate heads, but have sensors built into all surfaces of their torsos, so they have all-around sensory capabilities regardless.
The Gothecs built the basic frames and installed the basic programming, then Awakened the oreseme, but then let the nascent AIs, after a period of orientation working with the rest of the tribe, choose the path of the completion of their programming and construction details. The result has been two general paths.
“Life Cabinets’ sport an internal automed unit and four chemical sprayer nozzles on the front facing of the main torso. They also carry rescue gear in a modular backpack. They have expanded rescue and utility programming.
‘War Crates’ have chosen the path of combat and have expanded combat skills. They sport four small ball-mount ion blasters(or other energy weapon types) on their front facing. They also typically carry a backpack-style weapons mounting, usually a TX-M4-style mini-missile launcher.
Despite their cumbersomely crude and comical-looking appearance, Bloxers are actually quite capable, agile, and intelligent. They tend to develop very duty-driven personalities and can become quite stubborn in holding their ground. Many, their civil rescue or protection programming in mind, tend to affect cultured self-sacrificing, stiff upper-lip attitudes at odds with their resemblance to awkward simplistic machines.
The Gothecs are known to rent the services of these robots to towns, small companies, and industrial outposts wanting extra security or safety. The crude appearance of the Bloxers is often disarming in that few folks realize how intelligent the ‘bots really are. They often think that the periodic ‘cooldown’ period needed by the ‘bots is just a sign of their primitive engineering(it’s really the Ecotroz essence needing some sleep), so they typically give only a cursory examination of the ‘bots’ workings. The stints of duty help earn the Gothecs much-needed cash as well as allow them to gather intelligence(and when the need of the Bloxers’ services really arises, the good will of the employers). Their appearance as civil servants has earned them the nickname ‘Republibots’(though some Wayfinders claim the moniker is an allusion to pre-Rifts Republic Films and an iconic crude-looking rivet-studded robot that appeared in their movies).
Regardless of their orientation, all Bloxers are issued and programmed in the use of large bill-like hafted weapons. ‘Leben Kabinett’ use them as fire axes and boat hooks, while the ‘Kreigskiste’ use them as melee weapons.
Besides Clan Gothec, Bloxers have appeared in small numbers with the Ghost Riders(who reportedly are pioneering a third life path orientation for the Bloxers, by making them walking ‘black box’ hack-cabinets). and the Wayfinders. The Steel Gaians have also reportedly been seen with several. The DarkWaters have taken on a few, with a fourth life path in amphibious operations seemingly likely.
For its part, Triax and the NGR’s military intelligence services believe the ‘bots to be a pre-Rifts design(possibly Swiss or Swedish) that the Gothecs scavenged from pre-Rifts ruins and repaired, occasionally using bits of Triax ‘bots.

Type: Shemar Bloxer
“Life Cabinets’(‘Leben Kabinett’)
‘War Crates’(‘Kreigskiste’)
Class: Robot , Ecotroz-Awakened
Crew: Advanced Neural Intelligence
M.D.C. By Location:
Hands(2) 40 each
Arms(2) 150 each
Legs(2) 120 each .
Main Body 450
(“Life Cabinets’)
Internal Automed Capsule 75
(‘War Crates’ )
Ion Blasters(4) 25 each
Forearm Shields(2) 90 each
Height: 13 ft
Width: 7.8 ft
Length: 4.8 ft
Weight: 2,500 lbs.
Power System: Nuclear
Physical Attributes: Equal to Robotic PS. 30, PP. 20,.
Cargo: If not carrying a passenger/patient, or weapons system, the internal cargo space can hold up to 350 lbs of cargo.
Speed:
Running: 70 MPH
Jumping: Not designed for jumping; can barely manage a running leap of 7 ft across/6 ft up. (see Options)
Flying: Not possible(see Options)
Underwater: Limited to running along the bottom at 15 MPH. Maximum depth tolerance of 900 ft. (see Options)
Market Cost: EXCLUSIVE to the (E)Shemarrian Tribes
Systems of Note:
Standard Shemarrian Robot Systems, plus:
Full optical systems, laser targeting, passive night vision, telescopic vision, thermal imaging, infrared, ultraviolet, and polarization filters. Also has Advanced Audio, motion and heat detection, and other standard Shemarrian systems. Additional/special sensors may be built in by the creating Spinsters or at the behest of the individual.

*Bionic Cybernanite Repair Systems---A modified bionic nanotech repair system that originated with the Ecotroz Shemar, but has also been adopted by the Ghost Riders. These systems repair 4d6 MD per hour, and can repair 60 MDC before needing material stocks to convert to MD repair material.

*Radio---500 mile range.

*Loudspeaker---90 decibels. Amplified voice synthesizer, with an additional repertoire of warning klaxons, sirens, beepers, and alarms.

*Hydraulic Arm Extension---This is retained as part of the arm design from the X-60 Flanker; the forearms can extend out up to an additional 6 ft(total reach of 13 ft)

*Extra Radiation Shielding----Bloxers have extra-heavy radiation shielding; these things could walk right up to an open reactor meltdown and not suffer any detrimental effects from the radiation. Likewise anyone or anything carried inside them.

Weapons Systems:
1) Chest Mounts(4)----The Bloxer sports four small ball-mounting points arrayed around its upper torso. The LifeCabinet mounts a chemical sprayer system, while the WarCrate mounts energy weapons.
a) Chemical Sprayer(“Life Cabinets’)
Range: 150 ft
Damage: By chemical. Does 6d6 HP to vampires if filled with water
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 50 blasts. Up to 10 shots of 5 different chemical agents can be carried.

b) Ion Blasters (‘War Crates’ )
Range: 1,600 ft
Damage:(variable) 3d6 or 4d6 MD per single shot, ‘shotgun’ mode does 2d4 or 3d6 MD to a 10 ft wide area.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

c) Plasma Blasters (‘War Crates’ )---Because smaller plasma weapons are in short supply in Europe, the Gothecs had to import a design for a low-cost low-maintenance plasma ejector weapon they could build with their limited resources.
Range: 1,300 ft
Damage: 5d6 MD per shot
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Options:
*’Blow-Torch’ Mode---Not as refined or powerful as the ‘scattershot’ modification available to other plasma weapons, this add-on to the muzzle disperses the plasma somewhat to produce a fan-shaped ‘blowtorch’ that does less damage, but to a wider area. Does 4d6 MD to a 3 ft wide area, range drops to 500 ft.

*“Hot Shotting”---This system augments the normal air-draw plasma re-mass system with deuterium-gas injected into the plasma flow for a cleaner, hotter, more potent ‘burn’. The deuterium is stored in pressurized cylinders attached to the feeds of the gun, like a CO2 air rifle cartridge. This allows the plasma to do 50% more damage, but the ‘bot should brace itself against the backblast recoil.
Cost: HotShot modding adds a gas cylinder magazine and is good for 25 shots. If the central cargo space is used to hold a larger gas cylinder, then all the torso cannons fitted with hot-shot-mod plasma ejectors can draw on a central reservoir holding enough deuterium gas for 500 shots.

d) Laser Blasters (‘War Crates’ )---The Gothecs used a compact-frame version of the WR-15 laser rifle, further modified to the same spec as their (G)WR-15.
Range: 1,600 ft
Damage: 3d6 MD single shot, 1d4x10 triple- pulse fire mode, and ‘shotgun spread’ (2d6 MD to a 10 ft area)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

e) Particle Beam Blasters (‘War Crates’ )---A few Bloxers mount particle beam blasters( scavenged TX-26 PBPs)
Range: 400 ft
Damage: 5d6 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

f) Stun Blasters---Typically fitted to Life Cabinets, but some War Krates carry them for antiriot use.
Range: 100 ft
Damage: Roll versus non-lethal poison or be -10 to strike, parry, dodge, and roll for 2d4 melees
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) Pole Arm---All Bloxers carry a glaive- or bill-like pole arm weapon with 9th level skill equivalency in it. The original weapons were scavenged from Gargoyle melee weaponry, but the Gothecs have acquired the means to manufacture improved vibroblades. The standard ‘Bloxer-Bill’ has a long broad blade with a protruding spike that is often used as a hook by Life-Cabinets and as a stabbing weapon by War-Cabinets.
Range: Melee
Damage:(Ax Blade) 4d6 MD + punch damage
(Hook Spike) 1d4 MD
Options:
*Silver-Plated---Does extra damage to silver-susceptible beings.
*Plasma Blaster---Some martially-oriented Bloxers have acquired Kittani-style plasma-blades that can project a short-ranged plasma blast. 100 ft range, 4d6 MD plasma blast.

Programming/Skills:
(Basic: Both Life Cabinets and War Krates)
Math: Basic 96%
Language/Literacy:
Speak/Read Euro, German, French, Spanish, Gobblely, Dragonese, Shemarrian, and American English at 98%/98%
Land Navigation 90%
Read Sensory Instruments 94%
Radio: Basic 96%
General Repair & Maintenance 80%
Pilot: Hovercraft 90%
Pilot Truck 90%
NBC Warfare---Bloxers are programmed with appropriate protocols for responding to nuclear, biological, and chemical emergencies.
W.P. Pole Arm(9th level proficiency)(+3 strike, +4 parry, +3 thrown)

“Life Cabinets’(‘Leben Kabinett’)
-Search and Rescue
Excavation 80%
Firefighting 88%
First Aid 90%
Mining 86%
Rope Works 90%
Rescue Protocols 80%
Carpentry 85%
Masonry 80%
Demolitions and Demolitions Disposal 85%
Rope Works 88%
Salvage 90%

-(‘Leben Kabinett’ can also select an additional Labor or Technical skill program set from pgs. 19-20 of Rifts Sourcebook One, Revised, or Science, Communications, or a custom skill program from pgs. 196-197 of Heroes Unlimited))

‘War Crates’(Kreigskiste’)
-Intelligence 96%
Detect Ambush 81%
Detect Concealment 70%
Military Etiquette 96%
Camouflage 86%
Boxing
W.P. Rifles(+4 strike)
W.P. Energy Rifles(+4 strike)
W.P. Heavy M.D. Weapons(+3 strike)
W.P. Heavy Energy Weapons(+3 strike)
W.P. Sword(+3 strike/parry, +2 Throw)
W.P. Blunt(+3 strike/parry, +1 Throw)
W.P. Axe (+3 strike/parry, +2 Throw)
W.P. Shield( +2 strike, +3 parry)
W.P. Paired Weapons

As Awakened neural intelligences, ALL Bloxers get 3 Secondary Skills at levels 2, 4, 6, 9, 12 and 15 of experience.

Actions/Attacks Per Melee:
“Life Cabinets’ ---6
‘War Cabinets’---7
Note: Bonuses are in addition to those possible from the Shemar’s elective training
Initiative
“Life Cabinets’ +3
‘War Crates’+5
Dodge
“Life Cabinets’ +4
‘War Crates’+5
Parry
“Life Cabinets’ +4
‘War Crates’ +5
Strike
“Life Cabinets’ +3
‘War Crates’+6 (+4 w/ ranged weaponry)
Roll
“Life Cabinets’ +4
‘War Crates’+4
Pull Punch
“Life Cabinets’ +4
‘War Crates’ +4
Disarm
“Life Cabinets’ +2
‘War Crates’ +2
Knockout/Stun on a Natural 18-20
(‘War Crates’ ) Critical Strike on a natural 19 or 20

Tear/Pry 1d4 MD
Restrained Punch 4d6+15 SDC
Full Strength Punch 1d6 MD
Power Punch(2 attacks) 2d6 MD
Kick 1d6 MD
Body Block/Ram/Tackle 1d4 MD

Options(General)
*Appliqué Armor---Additional armor can be added to the Bloxer, increasing protection at the expense of encumbering the ‘bot and making it look even more boxy. Some fit-outs make the Bloxer reportedly look like an early pre-Rifts stock character robot drone known as the ‘Republic Films Robot’ or the ‘Clanker’. Up to 125 MDC can be added to the main body, MDC to each arm, and +MDC to the legs. Each additional 25 MDC reduces top speed by 10%.

*Chemical Resistant Armor---This is an imported material, hard to come by in Europe. Acids and chemical weapons do NO damage.

*Thermal Resistant Armor----Like the Chemical Resistant Armor, this is an imported material. Special heat-resistant materials designed originally for reentry vehicle shielding. Heat and plasma-based attacks do 1/4 damage.

*Laser-Reflective----It’s very hard to come by in Europe(Triax is the only local source), but the Bloxer can be fitted with laser-reflective ‘glitterchrome’ that reduces laser damage by HALF.

*Leg Pylons---The legs of the Bloxer can deploy Glitterboy-style pylons to secure the ‘bot against being knocked over.

*Spring Legs---These add longer, more coiled, reverse-knee-jointed legs that allow for a standing leap of 6 ft across/up, and a running leap of 15 ft across/12 ft up. However, the legs only have 100 MDC each.

*Leg Extensors---These do for the legs what the Hydraulic Arm Extensions do for the arms. The Bloxer can rise or lower on special hydraulics, up to an additional 6 ft, allowing it to reach second floors, or reach the tops of walls. However, reduce running speed to 30 MPH with legs full extended.

*Wheels---The Bloxer’s legs can be fitted with powered wheels, and an augmented gyrostabilization system added. On firm level ground, the ‘bot can hit speeds of up to 120 MPH.

*Forearm Baton Launchers---These return the X-60 Flanker’s baton launchers to the forearms, necessitating the removal of any tools that were installed in their place.


*Top-Mount Mini-Turret---A small mini-turret can be mounted atop the head. This can be fitted with one of the following:
a) Searchlight---Powerful spotlight with a 3,000 ft range

b) Mini-Laser
Range: 1,000 ft
Damage: 2d4 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

c) Stun Blaster
Range: 800 ft
Damage:(Setting One) ‘Soft’ setting; used against children, weak, elderly, sickly. 1d6 SDC.
(Setting Two) Moderate: 2d6 SDC. Teens, adult in poor to average condition, small to medium-sized animals.
(Setting Three) Heavy; 3d6 SDC. Adults in good condition
(Setting Four) Extreme; 6d6 SDC, recommended against Juicers, Crazies, large animals.
(Setting Five) Maximum power, anti-Juicer: 1d6 MD, crazies, partial/full-con cyborgs, and non-humans
Each setting , the target must save versus non-lethal poison(16 or better; children and small animals need an 18 or better). On a successful save, the target is
-1 APM from the jolt, plus takes damage. On an Unsuccessful save, they are -9 to initiative,
-7 strike/parry/dodge, and reduce Speed, APMs, and skill performance by HALF. Duration of stun is 2d4 melee rounds, and duration is cumulative with successive hits. There is also a 15% cumulative chance per additional strike of being rendered unconscious for 1d4 minutes.
Being struck by a too low setting for one’s body type means the character suffers little or no effect(+4 to save per level below the appropriate setting). Being struck with a HIGHER setting runs the risk of a +15% chance per level above one’s recommended tolerance setting of being rendered unconscious, provided the target isn’t fatally electrocuted already.
Rate of Fire: Single shot, ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

d) Machine Gun---Modified cyborg forearm weapon
Range: 2,000 ft
Damage: (Conventional) 1d6x10 SDC/HP per 10 rd burst
(Exploding) 1 MD single round, 2d4 MD ten-shot burst
(PSX-1)1d4 MD per single rd, 1d4x10 MD per 10 rd burs
Rate of Fire: Standard
Payload: 100 rd box magazine

e) 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
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 50 gallon internal tank, or can be attached to a backpack tank that provides 250 gallons

f) Sonic Cannon
Range: 1,200 ft in water, 200 ft in air
Damage: (Variable power settings) 4d6 SDC, or 4d6 MD per blast
Sonic weapons do HALF damage through light ‘soft’ armors like MDC barding and padded armor.
The sonic vibrations can also be used to set up a resonance in hard armor that can stun or disorient living beings. Humans(and those most like them) will find these subsonic vibrations particularly irritating, the barely audible buzzing setting up painful discordance in their eardrums and auditory apparatus. Beings with enhanced hearing are particularly vulnerable to this attack(DOUBLE all penalties). Cyborgs and those with baffled hearing implants will NOT be affected by this.
Save versus psionic attack(12 or better) or be -1d4 to initiative, HALF all bonuses to strike/parry/dodge, and -1d4 to Maintain Balance. Roll under P.E. or fall unconscious for 1d6 melees.
Power Armor and EBA-wearers will be more susceptible to the effects of resonance, owing to their close proximity to the materials being affected. The effects are greatly diminished to occupants on a vehicle owing to the many interior structures that serve to dissipate and insulate the sound waves.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

g) Microwave Projector---Low power antipersonnel microwave projector. Those hit with it feel a sudden intense burning sensation. Microwaves will penetrate clothing and wood, but are deflected by metal armor/shielding.
Range: 900 ft. Can be ‘fanned’ to cover a 12 ft wide area.
Damage:(Setting One)1 SDC, plus roll under P.E. or be stunned with pain; -1d4 to initiative, -5 to strike, parry, dodge, and half Speed.
(Setting Two)1d6 SDC, plus stun effects; only -6 to strike, parry, dodge, effects last through the next melee.
(Setting Three)2d6 SDC, plus stun effects; only -10 to strike, parry, dodge, and effects persist for 1d4 melees.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

h) Grenade Launcher
Range: 300 ft
Damage: Varies;
(Fragmentation)2d6 MD to a 20 ft radius
(Plasma) 5d6 MD to a 6 ft radius
(Smoke/Tear Gas/Flash-Bang/Concussion) Covers a 20 ft radius
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-3
Payload: 48

i) Ion Blaster
Range: 1,600 ft
Damage: 3d6 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

j) Particle Beam Blaster
Range: 400 ft
Damage: 5d6 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

k) Plasma Blaster
Range: 1,000 ft
Damage: 4d6 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

l) Pulse Laser----An advanced weapon for the Bloxer and one that’s been imported from North America(or else is seen on North American-fitted Bloxers).
Range: 6,000 ft
Damage: 3D6 MD single blast, 6d6 MD double blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Bonuses: +2 to strike airborne targets like missiles and aircraft/flying opponents(must be traveling higher than 10 ft off the ground)

*Modular Backpack Unit
a) Grapple Launcher----Pneumatically-propelled grapple, high-strength cable, and a powered winch. Effective launch range of 500 ft. 1,000 ft of high-strength(test strength of 2 tons) cable.

b) Jet Pack---Brute force lift thrusters that can fly the ‘bot at speeds from a hover to 100 MPH. Maximum altitude of 2,000 ft. Comes with a programming downloaded Pilot Jetpack 86%

c) Fire Suppression Kit----A reservoir-tank and sprayer holding 80 gallons of water or fire retardant chemicals. Can be hooked up to a mini-turret-mounted spray cannon.

d) Mini-Missile Launcher---Copy of the TX-M4; 4 mini-missiles

e) Flotation Unit---A buoyancy tank, emergency lift bag(inflated by a gas cartridge) and marine propulsion unit(allows the ‘bot to ‘swim’ at 16 MPH).


Options(“Life Cabinets’)
* Stasis Freezer---In an emergency, the ‘bot can put its patient into deep stasis.

* Forearm Tools---In place of the X-60 Flanker’s baton launchers in the forearms, the Bloxer can instead mount a cyborg tool module similar to mining borgs’. Many Bloxers use these tools in rescue and humanitarian aide work.

*Drug Injector Hands---One finger of each hand has a powerful needle or
hypo-injector, for administering drugs. The needle can be replaced between uses, or can be laser-sterilized by a modification of the finger laser-scalpels.
Range: Melee
Damage: 1 SDC plus chemical/drug effects
Payload: 5 doses of up to 4 different chemicals, 20 doses total.

Options(‘War Crates’ )
*Back Mini-Missile Launcher Tubes----Adds 2-6 launch tubes(25 each) identical to those on the VX-500 ‘Manhunter’ Cyborg. Each tube holds 2 mini-missiles.

*Internal Weapons Bay----If the Bloxer decides that it does not want to have the capacity to carry internal cargo or passengers/prisoners, it can choose to use its internal space to carry weapons instead.
a) Flamer----Bloxers carrying this option are sometimes referred to as ‘SuperZippos’.
Range: 200 ft
Damage:(Direct-Stream Mode)
(Gasoline/Alcohol) 1d4x10 SDC
(Napalm) 1d6x10 SDC, plus does 5d6 SDC per melee for 1d4 minutes
(MD Fluid) 1d4 MD per blast, 1d4 MD per melee for 2d4 minutes
(Incendi-Gel)2d6 MD, 2d6 MD per melee for 1d6 minutes
(WI Napalm-P) 3d6 MD per blast, 1d4x10+10 MD per concentrated burst(counts as two attacks). 2d6 MD per melee for 1d4 minutes.
Note: The flame-thrower can also be used to cover an area with fluid: up to 10 ft per attack used. Used with Super-Napalm, this does 1d4 MD, Incendi-Gel does 1d6 MD, and with Napalm-P, this does 2d6 MD.
Rate of Fire:(Direct-Stream Mode) Standard
Payload:(Direct-Stream Mode
(Gasoline/Alcohol) 20 blasts
(Napalm) 60 blasts
(MD Fluid) 100 blasts
(Incendi-Gel) 120 blasts
(WI Napalm-P) 200 blasts per tank(much more concentrated than the regular gasoline/alcohol).

b) MIni-Missile Launcher----8 mini-missiles

c) Grenade Launcher
Range: 300 ft
Damage: (Light Explosive) 2d6 MD to blast radius of 20 ft
(Heavy Explosive) 3d6 MD to blast radius of 30 ft
Can also fire smoke, flash-bang, and tear gas grenades
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-3
Payload: 50

d) Razor Disc-Launcher---Adapted from a Russian weapon, but shorter-ranged. Bloxers carrying this weapon are sometimes called ‘JukeBloxes’.
Range: 1,000 ft
Damage: 1d6 single projectile, 1d6x10 MD per 10 rd burst/volley
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 500 rd drum


Variants:
As noted above, Bloxers are beginning to appear with association with other Tribes outside the Gothecs, which may lead, in time, to more hardware and programming configurations, especially as older oreseme grow in experience and personality. Unique individuals are already believed to have begin appearing the line, such as one brightly-colored ‘Mucho Frio’ ice-cream-vending Bloxer recently identified working in the Relic and a possibly related cookie-baking peddler-bot working its way across England.
The two most immediately likely variants seem to be:
*Ghost Rider Bloxer---’Hack Bloxes’---The most likely new life path would involve an emphasis on computer and communication skill programs, accompanied by the central cavity of the Bloxer being filled with additional computer equipment, or even a stasis-jacked organic hacker or symbiotic organic hacker’s cyborged ‘box’-brain assisting.
*DarkWater Bloxer---’Deep Bloxes’ would be programmed for underwater operations, and reinforced for deep water travel and combat.

I've been kind of quite lately, just been busy with life and work being stupid.
Ripjaw Variants

EcoS-K-85Dw ShredJaw - A heavier and larger version of the Ripjaw that sees use along coastlines and deeper waters. The larger body allows for heavier armour and increased depth tolerance, with improved propulsion that allows it to handle rougher waters. The gimbled eyes are able to retract partly into the head to help protect them at the greater depths the ShredJaw can reach. An increase in the number of launcher cells, as well as the shoulder torpedo launcher magazines expanded. The underside of the neck has a large bulge that allows it to carry several e-animals or small drones. These e-animals or drones are released through the mouth, and the sight of a ShredJaw spitting out a number of smaller creatures has spooked a number of enemies.
Changes Modifications:
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 6000
Head 310
Missile Launch Cells (10 ) 50 each
Legs(4) 170 each
Tail 200
Height: 14 ft 
Width: 18 ft at shoulders
Length: 78 ft
Weight: 39 tons
Physical Strength: Equivalent to Robotic P.S. of 48
Speed: (Running) 65 MPH
(Underwater) Can swim at 60 MPH on the surface, 55 MPH submerged. Maximum depth tolerance of 5,500 ft. 

Systems of Note:
*E-animal Storage - The bulge under the neck is designed to hold, maintain and recharge up to 10 e-animals up to 3 ft in length. They can be repaired using the ShredJaw's nanite repair system, but any destroyed can not be rebuilt, must be replaced.

2) Missile Launchers (10 cells) ---Mounted under the armored scales of the back lie vertical launch system cells capable of holding an arsenal of ready-to-fire ordnance, the ShredJaw's larger body holds two more cells. Each cell can hold ONE of the following configurations:
a) Mini-Missiles----40 per cell
b) Short Range Missiles----10 per cell
c) Medium Range Missiles---5 per cell
d) Long Range Missiles---1 per cell
e) Cargo----Instead of carrying missiles, the modular missile launch cells can instead be replaced with cargo modules, each one having enough capacity for 2 tons.
f) Troop Compartment----In the alternative, modular cells can be swapped out for a module with space for a single Shemarrian, or two average-sized humans, though the accommodations amount to a watertight compartment with fold-down bench-style seating, and are not recommended for long duration occupancy. 
g) Boom Gun Turret----This is a highly specialized module that sports a Shemarrian Long Rail Gun on a turret, with a generous supply of ammunition. Deployed for action, the rail gun can be trained on a target to savage it with direct fire. If all 8 cells are fitted with these modules, the Ripjaw can deliver an impressive four gun broadside. 
Range: 6,000 ft
Damage: 2d6x10 MD per shot
Rate of Fire: EGCHH, or multiple turrets can be slaved to fire simultaneously. A sub-brain gunnery AI can be added that has 5 APMs and +2 to strike. 
Payload: Extra-large ammo drum; 1,640 rd drum per module. 


3) Mini-Torpedo Launchers (2)---Mounted in each front shoulder is a five-tube mini-torpedo launcher fed from magazines in the main body. The ShredJaw has expanded magazines, giving it greater endurance in a fight.
Range: Varies by Torpedo Type (Mini-Torpedo)---1 mile
Damage: Varies by Torpedo Type (Mini-Torpedo)----Typically 1d6x10 MD to a 10 ft blast radius
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-5
Payload: 5 mini-torps ready to fire; stores an additional 40 torpedoes per launcher (80 total) inside the main body of the Warmount. Reloads in 1 melee.
Note: The Horrorwoods have a modified model of mini-torpedo patterned after the ‘jumping catfish’ that have invaded many North American inland waterways. The torpedo will run underwater until just short of the target, at which point it will leap up out of the water(up to 30 ft) and explode, its modified warhead acting as an airburst fragmentation charge, doing 5d6 MD to a 20 ft blast radius.

Attacks
Kick 2d6 MD
Claw 6d6 MD
Tail Lash 5d6 MD



EcoS-K-85s MinusJaw, aka ZipJaw - A lighter and faster version of the Ripjaw, with a thinner body, longer legs to allow it improved and faster movement on land and in the water. The tail is longer and not as thick, but allows faster silent movement in the water and surprisingly more agile in the water and on land. The MinusJaw are not as heavily armoured or armed as other Ripjaws, but their higher speed and maneuverability makes them excellent fast strike or quick response units in rivers and small lakes.
Changes/Modifications:
1 rider/pilot
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 350
Crew Compartment 100
Head 200
Missile Launch Cells (6) 50 each
Legs(4) 150 each
Tail 160
Height: 14 ft 
Width: 9 ft at shoulders
Length: 70 ft
Weight: 29 tons
Physical Strength: Equivalent to Robotic P.S. of 40
Speed: (Running) 90 MPH
(Underwater) Can swim at 80 MPH on the surface, 70 MPH submerged. Maximum depth tolerance of 1,000 ft. 

Weapon Systems
2) Missile Launchers (4 cells) --- Mounted under the armored scales of the back lie vertical launch system cells capable of holding an arsenal of ready-to-fire ordnance. The Zipjaw only has 4 cells due to its narrower boddy. Each cell can hold ONE of the following configurations:
a) Mini-Missiles----40 per cell
b) Short Range Missiles----10 per cell
c) Medium Range Missiles---5 per cell
d) Long Range Missiles---1 per cell
e) Cargo----Instead of carrying missiles, the modular missile launch cells can instead be replaced with cargo modules, each one having enough capacity for 2 tons.
f) Troop Compartment----In the alternative, modular cells can be swapped out for a module with space for a single Shemarrian, or two average-sized humans, though the accommodations amount to a watertight compartment with fold-down bench-style seating, and are not recommended for long duration occupancy. 
g) Boom Gun Turret----This is a highly specialized module that sports a Shemarrian Long Rail Gun on a turret, with a generous supply of ammunition. Deployed for action, the rail gun can be trained on a target to savage it with direct fire. If all 8 cells are fitted with these modules, the Ripjaw can deliver an impressive four gun broadside. 
Range: 6,000 ft
Damage: 2d6x10 MD per shot
Rate of Fire: EGCHH, or multiple turrets can be slaved to fire simultaneously. A sub-brain gunnery AI can be added that has 5 APMs and +2 to strike. 
Payload: Extra-large ammo drum; 1,640 rd drum per module. 


3) Mini-Torpedo Launchers (2) --- Mounted in each front shoulder is a 3-tube mini-torpedo launcher fed from magazines in the main body.
Range: Varies by Torpedo Type(Mini-Torpedo)---1 mile
Damage: Varies by Torpedo Type(Mini-Torpedo)----Typically 1d6x10 MD to a 10 ft blast radius
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-3
Payload: 3 mini-torps ready to fire; stores an additional 24 torpedoes per launcher (48 total) inside the main body of the Warmount. Reloads in 1 melee.
Note: The Horrorwoods have a modified model of mini-torpedo patterned after the ‘jumping catfish’ that have invaded many North American inland waterways. The torpedo will run underwater until just short of the target, at which point it will leap up out of the water(up to 30 ft) and explode, its modified warhead acting as an airburst fragmentation charge, doing 5d6 MD to a 20 ft blast radius.

5) Ripjaw---The Ripjaw’s signature weapon is its two chainsaw-style rotary vibroblade-teeth jaws. Besides being able to rip-tear objects clamped between its jaws, the Ripjaw’s teeth are hinged so they can act like a giant chainsaw, attacking objects OUTSIDE the jaws. The sound of this system in action is unmistakable, sending multiple vibrational ripples through the water that can be easily both heard above and below the water, and seen in a distinctive pattern for several dozen yards around the Warmount. The Minusjaw's narrower and more angular jaw is weaker than a Ripjaw;s, but the altered shape and angling does give it an increased chance to causing increased damage if it tears into critical systems.
Range: Melee
Damage: 2d4x10 MD bite, 5d6 MD chainsaw strike. Critical strike x3 damage on a natural roll of 20.

kronos wrote:I've been kind of quite lately, just been busy with life and work being stupid..

Well, some of us gotta be gainfully employed and live in the real world to keep it going.
But I appreciate what you've done here! And more stuff to add to my big late night reading file!

taalismn wrote:

kronos wrote:I've been kind of quite lately, just been busy with life and work being stupid..

Well, some of us gotta be gainfully employed and live in the real world to keep it going.
But I appreciate what you've done here! And more stuff to add to my big late night reading file!

I was thinking of an Aurora Warrior version as well.. reinforced mouth with ice breaker style beak.. can equip ice powered weapons/equipment in a cell..
I've got an idea for a Koilus variant..
Plus several warmounts and few elites still in the works..

A couple BlackSteel units started as well.

Looking forward to thoughts from outside my head.
Yeah, my long-term monster project is a Clan Gothic-style kludge-list for creating frankenbots form salvage found in North America, but that's still a long way off.
In the meantime, more NPCs, fluff, and one or two Elites in the works.
Maybe I'll have something special ready for the holidays, but I KNOW if I set out to do a specific thing by a deadline, it won't get done and instead some side project will get finished instead because the inspiration necessary to complete it seems to come more easily if I don't think about it.

Really, this thread is becoming more about a exploration of the mechanisms of inspiration than anything else.

EcoS-K-165 Meghar Warmount
(aka ‘Nogre’, ‘Posleer’)
“I thought the things were dumb and slow too, until I saw them wade into the Hellweed Jungle and they cut a path right through the carnivous plants to the base root and burned it as deep as it could go. Them Nogres know how to rop and tear when tehy have to. Earned a lot of respect for the R’Mar too; the chinkers got soem serious courage of their own and tey know how to handle cutter bars and blowtorches like a shemar wields a scava.”

“Attack not the Shemarrians’ baggage and scutler trains. Their caravansers may not be their front-line troops, but they are more than trained and armed enough to bleed even hardened warriors. And having spilled your strength, you will also have aroused the ire of their battlers.”

The Meghar is a N’R’Mar development of parts of scavenged NG-EXC-17 Ogre. Sometimes called an ‘NG Ogre with a caboose’, the Meghar does indeed resemble an NG-EXC-17 Ogre with a second set of legs attached to the back. This allows for a large flatbed (initially made from scavenged NG-AT46 Mammoth APCs) to be mounted on the back. Other changes have included the modification of the helicopter-style cockpit into a cabin atop a modified Black Market T-Rex robot neck and head. An articulated tail doubles as a crane for loading the rear deck.
The N’R’Mar couldn’t tell which was better suited, the Ogre’s grasper and blade hand combo, all-grasper configuration, or all-blade hand fitout, so they left it to the individual operators to determine what was best for them, so Meghars can be seen sporting all three configurations of forearms.
Though slow and cumbersome, the Meghar is a brute, strong and stodgy, with a reputation for being able to shrug off damage. It’s also brutishly strong, and a bear to engage in melee combat. Still, however, the Meghar is considered to be a utility Warmount because of ts slow speed, lack of maneuverability, and general lack of long range firepower.
Meghars are typically used in a support role, escorting caravans, or engaged in excavation and salvage work. The Meghar has become a favorite of the N’R’Mar because it allows ‘family’ groups to ride as one along with their possessions and salvage. First appearing on Rifts Earth, it has also begin appearing with the outdimension Ne’R’Mar of the Shemarrian Star Nation(it is presumed that these are made with new built copy-parts, rather than salvage).
Northern Gun has become aware of a ‘frankenbot’ or ‘monster cyborg’ using a large percentage of their parts, but, as with the Sting Tongue, while not entirely happy with the unlicensed kitbash, have tried to spin it into positive publicity, citing the increase in demand for the Ogre and spare parts for it(not realizing that the Ne’R’Mar, more often than not, are making their own from scratch).

Type: EcoS-K-165 Meghar
Class: Robotic Warmount, Utility
Crew: None; robot intelligence
1 rider/pilot, and room for 4 passengers in the saddle cockpit
The lower cargo/passenger hold(retained from the Mammoth APC) can hold an additional 14 passengers.
Additional passengers can ride on the open deck, but will be exposed to the elements(see Options)
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 570
Flatbed 480
Lower Cargo/Passenger Compartment 100
Head 200
Saddle-Cabin 200
Upper Arms(2) 200 each
Grasper Forearm(1-2) 350
Blade Forearm(1-2) 520
Legs(4) 330 each
Tail 200
Height: 36 ft
Width: 35 ft
Length: 65 ft + 14 ft tail
Weight: 60 tons
Cargo: Small space inside/beside the saddle-seat for a few personal possessions and sidearms.
The open cargo deck is wider than the AT46 Mammoth’s by a considerable margin(25 ft as opposed to 7/16 ft)
Physical Strength: Equivalent to Robotic P.S. of 45
Powerplant: Nuclear w/ 20 year energy life
Speed: (Running) 40 MPH
(Leaping) Not possible
(Flying) Not possible
(Space) Not possible
(Underwater) Can run along the bottom at 16 MPH, maximum depth tolerance of 800 ft.
Market Cost: Exclusive to the Ecotroz-Shemar
Systems of Note:
Full optical systems, laser targeting, passive nightvision, telescopic vision, thermal imaging, infrared, ultraviolet, and polarization filters. Also has motion and heat detection, built-in radar( 60 mile range) and other standard power armor-equivalent systems. Additional/special sensors may be built in by the creating Tinkers or at the behest of individual riders/owners.

*Bionic Cybernanite Repair Systems---ALL Meghar have the same bionic nanotech repair system that the Ecotroz Shemar have refitted themselves with, and which is becoming the standard among NeShemar as well. These systems repair 4d6 MD per hour, and can repair 400 MDC before needing material stocks to convert to MD repair material.

*360-degree Waist Rotation---The upper humanoid torso can swivel completely around. This allows it to load the rear cargo deck, or retrieve items stowed on it.

*Rail Grasper---The prehensile tail carries a combination mechanical gripper claw and molecular adhesion panel, allowing it to grasp, hold, and lift objects. It also conceals a winch and 300 ft cable for pulling and towing.

Weapons Systems:
1) Eye Lasers(2) ---Carried over from the BM T-Rex ‘bot
Range: 1,200 ft
Damage: 2d6 MD single blast, 4d6 MD double blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

In the alternative, when NG salvage or spares are unavailable for repair-replacements, or as Upgrades, the eyes can be replaced with Shemarrian standard eye lasers of either type:
a) Standard Eye Lasers
Range: 2,000 ft
Damage: 3d6 MD per single blast, or 6d6 MD per double blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

b) Heavy Eye Lasers
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 4d6 MD single shot, 1d4x10 MD for a pulse burst
8d6 MD dual shot, 2d4x10 MD for a dual pulse burst(counts as one attack)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) Nose Rail Guns(2)---Another carry-over from the T-Rex ‘bot
Range: 2,000 ft
Damage: 1d4x10 +6 MD for a dual 40-rd burst
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 4,000 rds (100 bursts)

3) Mouth Plasma Cannon---Having kept the eye lasers and rail guns, the N’R’Mar saw no reason not to retain/refurbish the mouth plasma projector with the T-Rex head as well.
Range: 1,000 ft
Damage: 6d6 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Option: Spray Mode---Can be modified with a spray mode that foes 4d6 MD to a 30 ft wide area.

4) Shoulder Mini-Missile Launcher---Kept from the Ogre.
Range: Varies by Missile Type(Mini-Missile)
Damage: Varies by Missile Type(Mini-Missile)
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-4
Payload: 24

5) Flare/Chaff Launchers(20, 8 per side)---Carried over from the Ogre and unchanged, except that, recognizing that the big and lumbering Meghar would attract missile attacks, the N’R’Mar added four more launchers to the rear deck and fantail.
Range: 6,000 ft
Damage: Varies by payload
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-6
Payload: 20; each tube holds one flare rocket

6) (Optional) Handheld Weapons(Grasper Hand only)---If fitted with one or more grasper hands, the Meghar can pick up and use simple melee weapons, like maces or large blades.

7) (Optional) Deck-Mounted Weapons---It’s not common practice, but sometimes operators of the Meghar will mount artillery on the open cargo bed. The Ne’R’Mar have been known to mount mortars, antiaircraft guns, multi-tube rocket lauchers(Katyushas are a favorite) and in one case a scavenged Coalition States C-58M ‘Rock Thrower” Variable Bore Cannon.

Programming:
The Ecotroz have installed robotic AIs, then infected the matrix with a low-level Ecotroz sentience(only about 30% are so Awakened).
Typically has the following, in addition to the baseline Monstrex programming:
Excavation 85%
Camouflage 60%(+5% per level of experience for Ecotroz entity)
Mining 90%
Excavation 83%
Salvage 80%(+5% per level of experience for Ecotroz entity)

Note: The Meghar CANNOT climb; its design prevents it.

The Ecotroz entity can also pick up one Secondary skill at levels 2, 6, and 12 of experience, though the nature of the Meghar intelligence and design is such that it is limited to skill selections from Technical: Language(understanding) and Lore (Cattle & Animals, Indians, Juicers, Magic, Demons & Monsters, D-Bees, Faerie---at least with regards to identifying their relative threat level), and Wilderness( Hunting).

Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 6
Initiative +2 (+1 from the Ecotroz entity for a total of +3)
Dodge +2
Strike +4 (+2 w/ ranged weaponry)
Parry +4
Roll +1
Critical Strike on Unmodified 19-20
Bite 1d4x10 MD
Restrained Punch 1d6 MD
Full Strength Punch(Grasper hand) 3d6+5 MD
(Blade Hand) 3d6+9 MD
Power Punch(Grasper hand) 1d6x10+7 MD
(Blade Hand) 1d6x10+15 MD
Blade Hand Drill Strike 1d6x10+30 MD
Stomp 3d6 MD
Tail Lash 4d6 MD

Note: The Ecotroz intelligence fragment inhabiting the ‘bot gives the Meghar an aura and behavior more befitting a sentient being than a robot. Meghars tend to have quiet, stoic, laconic personalities like those of well-trained warhorses or draft animals. They work well with other utility Warmounts such as Herculites, Lughauls, and Haulites.

The Ecotroz fragment does occasionally need sleep/rest...though they only need 2 hours of rest/meditation per 24 hours...they can push this, going without for as many days as they have I.Q. points(most Warmounts, unless otherwise noted, have an effective IQ rating of 8 ), but will have to go dormant for 4d6 hours after such exertion.
Note also that the Ecotroz-possessed ‘bot can infect other bots with the Ecotroz viral-entity, by bite or sustained touch(takes 3 attacks).

Options:
*Hardshell---This mounts an armored canopy(120 MDC) over the flatbed rear, providing protection for carried cargo/passengers

*Thermal/Chemical Resistant Armor Cladding---Trade with the Steel Gaians mean that some Meghars sport heat-resistant armor(reduces damage by anywhere from half to 1/4) or chemical-resistant sheathing(corrosives do NO damage).

*Mini-Missile Launcher x2--This doubles the number of shoulder mini-missile launchers

*Missile Launcher Replacements---Some operators replace the mini-missile launcher with alternative weapons, such as air-defense laser cannon( 6,000 ft range, :2d4x10 MD per blast) or rail gun turrets(the C-30R Rail Gun with its 2 mile range is a favorite) and attendant fire control hardware/software(+3 to strike airborne targets).

*Forcefield Generators----Some Meghar have been observed sporting Naruni- or Triax(presumably acquired from Clan Gothec)-style forcefield generators, providing up to 200 MDC of protection.

*Treads(4)---The Meghar's legs can be fitted with tread units similar to those available to the MMB-02 'Junior' Mini-Mobile Medical Robot. Each tread unit has 70 MDC, and when lowered, can carry the war mount over terrain at 48 MPH. The treads also allow for a lower ground pressure, for travel over softer ground, like sand or marsh.

Variants:
No major variants, aside from those mounting different hand configurations, exist as yet.

EShe GMWGL-03 ‘BlastArm’ Grenade-Launcher Pole Arm Weapon
(aka ‘GimWiggler’)
“Call them cybergypsies or robotramps, but those Gotheks make damned fine weapons! Those pole arm guns they sold us may have been made in whatever field camp they bang stuff together in, but they work like good Triax weaponry. When the ‘roah-cultists attacked the palace, the Royal Guard were able to use their staff weapons like mortars, once they switched from the riot control rounds they normally carry, on the villains’ rear ranks after they used their blades to dispatch the front ranks. They then were able to chase the ‘gyptors out of the center of town, firing from behind cover. All in all, a very succesful blooding of the Royal Guards’ new toys. I consider it Royal Treasury money well spent!”
---King Stoyzoggen, Kingdom of Upper Rumanian

The Blastarm is a halbard-like weapon that first appeared in the ranks of Clan Gothec, in the robotic hands of their Bloxer proxies. Inspired by the use of salvaged Gargoyle Empire Grenade Maces, the Blastarm would instead be a lighter pole arm-style weapon with a thinner shaft and using a smaller and more commonly available Triax pattern rifle grenade. The thick metal barrel of the grenade mace would be replaced with lighter carbon composites, allowing for a lighter, thinner, and longer shaft-tube that would allow the rifle grenade to build up more propellant pressure, for greater range. Initial arguments that the carbon-composite windings would not be as tough as the original metal, and that the slight flexing of the material would prevent the pole arm from being able to deliver the same amount of kinetic damage, were disproved with it was discovered that the robotic users of the weapon could ‘whip-snap’ the shaft to bring the axe-blade end with slightly greater velocity on target.
The grenade launcher is also improved, using a smaller, but arguably more powerful, grenade of Triax design. Range is greater, owing to the longer barrel and more precise machining tolerances possible with the Gothecs, and the smaller size of the grenades allows for a larger capacity in the revolver-style magazine. The versatility of the grenade launcher is another draw, as the weapon can chamber non-lethal smoke, tear gas, and flash-bang rounds as well, making the weapon popular with civil guardian units that may have to engage in crowd control. The launcher also has a limited-burst capability, using a recoil-powered re-cocking system to ready the weapon for action between shots.
Though slightly more expensive to produce than the grenade mace(mainly owing to the use of a vibroblade and the special carbon composites), the Blastarm is proving a popular weapon with melee-inclined Clan Gothec members. The weapon is also beginning to make its way to other Shemarrian tribes as well. A limited number of the weapons have been made available to outsiders as well.
Officially, the NGR disapproves of the Blastarm because it uses the same grenades as their combat cyborgs. Unofficially, as long as they aren’t used on German citizens, Triax likes the increased sales demand for their VX-series grenades(they are as yet unaware that Clan Gothec is starting to manufacture copies).

Weight: 30 lbs
Size: 7 ft long
MDC: 75
Range:(Axe) Melee
(Grenade Launcher) 2,000 ft
Damage:(Axe) 3d6 MD vibroblade damage + any bonus damage from Robotic/Supernatural Strength
(Grenade Launcher) Varies:
-Fragmentation:---3d6 MD to a 50 ft blast radius
-Plasma---5d6 MD to a 12 ft blast radius
-Smoke/Gas----Depending on local wind conditions, can dispense a cloud of gas 20-30 ft in radius
-Flash-Bang---Goes off with a disconcerting bright flash and sharp report; those without eye and ear protection will be -10 to strike/parry and dodge, -1 on initiative, and -1 APM for 1d4 melees. Even those in protective armor will lose initiative that melee. Effective radius of effect is 20-30 ft.
Rate of Fire:(Axe) ECHH
(Grenade Launcher) Single shot or quick-fire bursts of 2-3.
Payload:(Grenade Launcher) 8-shot revolver-style magazine
Special Features:
*Burst-Fire Mode---Capable of being set to fire bursts of 2-3 rounds.

*Selective Firing---If cyberlinked to the shooter, the magazine chambers can be loaded with different rounds, and a desired munition type selected while firing.

*Speedloader Compatible----The entire magazine can be swapped out for a pre-loaded one(takes 2 APMs), otherwise the weapon must be manually reloaded(takes 2 APMs to hand-load each new round).
Cost: 27,000 credits
Options:
*Silver-Plated Blade

Slaybell
"Jingle Bells *CLANG* Jingle Bells *CLANG!* MINIONS SMELLS! *CLANG CLANG*"

The Slaybell is a weapon developed by the Lollipop Tribe, seen in use by their VatFathers and groups of smaller members, particularly during the winter seasons.
The Slaybell appears to be a large bell attached to a chain and handle, and can function as a regular bell or as a potent flail. The weapon is made of strong MDC materials that allow it to survive combat used by robotic users, with the bell end containing a potent sonic generator while lined with material that enhances the sound generated by the bell into a potent weapon. When the Slaybell is used against a target, the sonic generator emits a potent blast damaging the target struck plus anything within the weapons short burst range. Alternatively, if the Slaybell is swung about above the user's head, it can release a low level sonic burst that can disorient most living beings.

Weight: 15 lbs
MDC: 100
Range: Melee, 15 ft reach, Disorienting Ring 50 ft radius.
Damage: As a blunt force weapon 2d12 SDC + P.S. Damage plus 4d6 MD sonic damage to the target plus half to 10 foot radius. Objects over 20 ft also suffer additional 50% damage.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Powered by induction when held by a Shemarrian
Special Features:
*Disorienting Ring - When swung over the user's head, the sonic generator releases a low level sound, that can disorient living beings. Humans (and those most like them) will find these subsonic vibrations particularly irritating, the barely audible buzzing setting up painful discordance in their eardrums and auditory apparatus. Beings with enhanced hearing are particularly vulnerable to this attack (DOUBLE all penalties). Cyborgs and those with baffled hearing implants will NOT be affected by this.
Save versus psionic attack(12 or better) or be -1d4 to initiative, HALF all bonuses to strike/parry/dodge, and -1d4 to Maintain Balance. Roll under P.E. or fall unconscious for 1d6 melees.
Grants +2 to entangling.
Options:
Silver Plating - The bell and chain can be coated in silver to damage foes vulnerable to silver.

kronos wrote:Slaybell
"Jingle Bells *CLANG* Jingle Bells *CLANG!* MINIONS SMELLS! *CLANG CLANG*".

Ow. OW. OW.
The bad pun and the devastating weapon......Owwwwwwwwwww.....

Now I wanna rewrite all that horrible Christmas muzak I hear while shopping.

taalismn wrote:

kronos wrote:Slaybell
"Jingle Bells *CLANG* Jingle Bells *CLANG!* MINIONS SMELLS! *CLANG CLANG*".

Ow. OW. OW.
The bad pun and the devastating weapon......Owwwwwwwwwww.....

Now I wanna rewrite all that horrible Christmas muzak I hear while shopping.

I'm tempted to do a Christmas Tree version of the Preserver.. just not sure what all to include..

kronos wrote:[
I'm tempted to do a Christmas Tree version of the Preserver.. just not sure what all to include..

You're reading my mind again...
I'm tentatively sketching out the capabilities of Weeping Willow, Battling Fir, and Battle Shrubbery Preservers(maybe Poison Oak?).
But for your Killer Pine, you'd want needles, acting like splinter-armor, and blinding flashers/blinding lasers. Ornament grenades/decoys. Maybe laser-reflective tinsel. Maybe a retinue of attack squirrel drones or silver angel-insectoid drones.
Maybe candy cane gravity spear(we got them!) rechargers(or mini-gravity spear candy canes...of DOOM!).

Annoying(then terrifying) jingle music optional.

taalismn wrote:

kronos wrote:[
I'm tempted to do a Christmas Tree version of the Preserver.. just not sure what all to include..

You're reading my mind again...
I'm tentatively sketching out the capabilities of Weeping Willow, Battling Fir, and Battle Shrubbery Preservers(maybe Poison Oak?).
But for your Killer Pine, you'd want needles, acting like splinter-armor, and blinding flashers/blinding lasers. Ornament grenades/decoys. Maybe laser-reflective tinsel. Maybe a retinue of attack squirrel drones or silver angel-insectoid drones.
Maybe candy cane gravity spear(we got them!) rechargers(or mini-gravity spear candy canes...of DOOM!).

Annoying(then terrifying) jingle music optional.

Sounds like you have better idea started already. If you want to do it, go ahead. I've still got other WIPs needing to be finished...

kronos wrote:[

Sounds like you have better idea started already. If you want to do it, go ahead. I've still got other WIPs needing to be finished...

Oh nonononohohohoho.....I'm up to my eyebrows already. I was just reeling ideas off the top of my sleep-deprived head there.

ESheHC04 ‘’Fliff’ Light Hovercycle
(aka ‘HighChair’, ‘Tea Cup’, ‘Egg-Cupa’)

“It’s a novel idea, and something we might have thought of if we had a ready supply of salvage, but we lack the firepower and the insanity to go after the biggest bunch of monsters on the planet just for a few scrap parts to make ‘cycles outa. Only the Shemarrians got that sort of nerve.”
-Anonymous Le Marche Noir executive

“They’re really great little zippers; good speed, high altitude, good stabilization....just don’t fly them anywhere near the East Coast where them Spluggies might see them, because I heard they go **** if they see them buzzing around!”

**Jingle-jingle!*Ping-ping!*
“Yep, what hovercycle is complete without a spring-loaded bell dinger on the handlebars?”

The ESheHC04 is another low-end Shemarrian hovercycle meant for its neshemar members. The ‘Fliff’ is merely the lower torso of the Kittani ABW -4 Basic Work Drone. The humanoid upper torso has been replaced with a cup-like saddle or ‘high chair’ that secures the rider in place, hence some of the rather condescending names applied to it. The Shemarrians don’t consider it a worthy or dignified vehicle because of its lack of combat capability, but have no problems with their neshemar servants and companions using them to keep up.
Besides the neshemar, the ‘Fliff’ is used by the N’R’Mar, and non-Shemar residents of the Shemarrian Nation zone. It is also one of the few vehicles permitted by the Tribal Elders to be sold to outsiders, as it is considered to be ‘salvaged goods’.

Type: ESheHC04 ‘’Fliff’
Class: Hovercycle, Light
Crew: One
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 100
Saddle-Chair* 95
Lower Hoverjets 110

*The high sides and back of the saddle, plus the front control plate and pedestal provide partial protection for the rider, who is -4 to strike on a called shot.

Height: 6 ft.
Width: 3 ft.
Length: 3 ft.
Weight: 1,000 lbs
Cargo: External racks on the sides and back of the chair can hold up to 500 lbs.
Powerplant: Nuclear power cell w/ 5 year energy life
Speed:(Flying) Hover to 100 MPH, 1,000 ft altitude
Market Cost: 560,000 credits on the Black Market. Rarely available
Systems of Note:
*Autostabilization---Remains upright; +10% to basic Pilot rolls,-10% to stunt piloting maneuvers(system must be disengaged first).
* Headlights
Weapons Systems: None
Options:
Most customization done to the Fliff are cosmetic in nature, but the most common practical modifications done involve adding a weather cowl(adds 15 MDC and completely surrounds the rider), parachute/ejection seat, radio, or even a Naruni-style forcefield. Rumors of armed versions equipped with a single laser headlight remain unsubstantiated.

My last warmount post of the old year.....

EcoS-K-166 Horrorwoods Pondora Warmount
(aka ‘NeShell’)

“Normally, in the scream-vids it’s the giant monster in the wilderness that picks off the hapless RV campers. In this case, the campers’ RV IS the giant monster...or monsterS, and the other poor varking predator in the woods doesn’t stand a chance.”
---Anonymous Wayfinder, on traveling with Pondoras.

“Hey, Kuukuu, you still yawping about seeing nekkid women cavorting among the wolf-turtles?”
“YahyahyahYAH! They musta been ridding clingin’ to the underside like limpets! ‘Cause when I first saw them, they were under the big things! But they wuz cavortin’ amongst the legs of those big man-stompes like they hadn’t a care in the world! And the Huntas? They just ignored them swamp womenz whiles the ladies did their fishing and gatherin’ and swimmin’, but when I tried to get a little closa...to see if I’z could make out what swamper tribe them women were of, mind you, one of them shells came lurchin’ through the weeds lookin’ for me, I kiddayanot! When I fine-nelly circuled back to the rivva, them turts and girls were gone! But I swayr I saw dem with me own three eyes! Honest!”

“So, that Pondora the Elders gave to your two fangir-ah, ‘priestesses’...I hear you call it ‘Jewel Box’. Is that bcause you keep precious items safe and secure inside it?”
“No, because they’re pretty, shiny, tactically useless, and liable to be grabbed by somebody and make me trouble getting them back.”

The Pondora might, in the opinion of some, be better classified as a Repli-animal or Maskirova variant; to the untrained eye the Pondora resembles a Giant Hunter Turtle of the Dinosaur Swamps. In reality, it is a robot warmount optimized as a cargo hauler, similar to Black Market ‘dino-bots’ or a mobile home, less function-oriented than the massive StoneEater industrial Warmount. Tucked under the Pondora’s massively armored shell is enough space for a small, but comfy, RV-style cabin room with bunks, ‘fresher, and a food storage/preparation area. However, enough Pondoras have been produced, with enough changes made in the design, that the Wayfinders, following the Shemarrian Codex nomenclature tentatively developed by the scholars of Lazlo(and secretly adopted and expanded on by the Eshemar) have decided to give the design its own Warmount code and name.
The Pondora’s main selling point outside its hidden cargo/passenger capacity is its sheer toughness; Pondoras are heavily armored in cutting edge armor. For times when simply shrugging off damage and stomping an attacker flat isn’t enough, Pondoras carry a respectable amount of concealed firepower. Four powerful eye lasers can deliver a burning gaze that tells most opponents to ‘back off!’, and the tail can throw artificial lightning. However, the lack of any heavier firepower or ability to be easily fitted with more powerful weaponry without compromising its true nature as a robot, has limited the Pondora to second echelon roles.
Considered too slow to be an effective Warmount, the Pondora is most often deployed as a utility-beast, carrying/hauling heavy loads in Shemarrian caravans. As a mobile home, it is most often given to neshemar, as the protected internal cabin space gives them a (relatively) safer place to hide in during any attacks. NeShemar like the Pondora because it allows them to move about the jungles relatively unmolested and unseen(though the few times ‘normal’ people have been seen associating with the Great Hunter Turtle look-alikes has led to rumors of barbarian swamp tribes somehow able to domesticate the beasts). Only a few other giant fauna and the occasional insanely foolhardy hunters dare bother the Giant Hunter Turtles.
Developed by the Horrorwoods, the Pondora has become a tradable design, and has begun to appear with the Darkwaters(where they often work alongside the similar Mantazee and Ironback warmounts), Wayfinders, the Lost Eclipse, Skullcrushers, Skyeklad, Radiant Edge, and Aurora Warriors.
The proliferation of Pondoras outside the Dinosaur Swamp has led to some confusion for biologists studying the fauna of the region, as the Pondoras are beginning to be sighted in areas where the Giant Hunter Turtle isn’t normally found(or thought to be able to survive). Taking advantage of this, and perhaps feeling a little prankish, some Shemar have begun cosmetically modifying their caravan Pondoras with features indicative of cold weather species such as winter mottling skin patterns or fur. As hoped, this has led to a number of academic reports and papers erroneously describing new subspecies of Giant Hunter Turtle.

Type: EcoS-K-166 Pondora
Class: Robotic Warmount, Utility(Transport)
Crew: None; robot intelligence
1 rider/pilot, and room for 1 passenger
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 920 upper shell/420 undershell
Internal Cabin 100
Head 135
Neck 155
Whip Tongues(2) 100 each
Legs(6) 130 each
Feet(6) 75 each
Tail 200
Height: 14 ft
Width: 18 ft
Length: 18 ft
Weight: 14 tons
Cargo: Internally, can carry up to 7 tons, or can comfortably accommodate 2-4 people in RV comfort, or up to 18 people in bus seating.
Physical Strength: Equivalent to Robotic P.S. of 56
Powerplant: Nuclear w/ 20 year energy life
Speed: (Running) 50 MPH
(Flying) Not possible
(Space) Not possible
(Underwater) Can swim at 30 MPH, or run along the bottom at 10 MPH. Maximum depth of 1.5 miles
Market Cost: Exclusive to the Ecotroz-Shemar
Systems of Note:
Full optical systems, laser targeting, passive nightvision, telescopic vision, thermal imaging, infrared, ultraviolet, and polarization filters. Also has motion and heat detection, built-in radar( 60 mile range---rarely used in active mode, as the emissions can blow the ‘turtle’s’ cover) and other standard power armor-equivalent systems. Additional/special sensors may be built in by the creating Tinkers or at the behest of individual riders/owners.

*Bionic Cybernanite Repair Systems---ALL Pondora have the same bionic nanotech repair system that the Ecotroz Shemar have refitted themselves with, and which is becoming the standard among NeShemar as well. These systems repair 4d6 MD per hour, and can repair 400 MDC before needing material stocks to convert to MD repair material.

*Kinetic Armor---The Pondora is sheathed in thick padded ‘cellular’ armor that helps distribute shock damage from high speed impact/concussive attacks(bullets, rail guns, grenades, missiles, explosions, falls, and collisions) which now do HALF damage. This is especially true of attacks on the underside, which is shaped to deflect damage from mines and IEDs.

*Molecular Analyzer---Can track by smell/taste(in water) 80%

*Internal Cabin----The internal passenger/cargo cabin sports robot vehicle-style life support(4 week air supply), and benefits from gill-filtration air and potable water supply.

Weapons Systems:
1) Eye Lasers(4) ---Standard robotic eye lasers, common in the Shemarrian arsenal. The Pondora’s are modified for blue-green frequencies, for maximum penetration underwater.
Range: 2,000 ft in air and underwater.
Damage: 3d6 MD per single blast, or 6d6 MD per double blast, 12d6(or 1d6x12) MD if all four eyes are firing on one target simultaneously.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) Whip Tongues(2)---The Pondora duplicates the GHT’s sticky prehensile tongues, adapting one from the Bursk. The two tongues can hold with molecular adhesion grip pads that hold with a grip-strength equivalent to a Robotic PS of 56, and are used to pull targets into range of the Pondora’s ripping beak and snapping jaws.
Range: 18 ft
Damage:(Punch) 2d4 MD
(Lash) 1d6 MD
(Constrict) 2d4 MD
(Adhesive Tear) 1d6 SDC
Bonuses: +1 Entangle.

3) Electro-Mace Tail---The Horrorwoods borrowed from traded Clan Gothec data on both Triax and Gargoyle electrical weaponry to give their Giant Hunter Turtle look-alike’s globular bashing tail extra kick. Some paranaturalists who have observed the electrical discharge and its effects on targets have mistaken it for a previously unseen natural ability of the (sub)species, like an electrical eel’s shocking discharges.
Range:(Melee)Melee
(Electro-Blast) 1,000 ft
Damage:(Melee) 4d6 MD, +10 MD electrified strike.
(Electro-Blast) 1d4x10 MD
Stun Damage: Unshielded or partially shielded (partial body armor, magic armor, and Armor of Ithan) SDC beings must save at 16 or better, or are -8 to strike, parry, and dodge for 2d4 melees, cumulative with each successive strike. On a save, they only lose initiative that melee.
Megadamage beings only lose initiative and 1 APM per strike on a successful save, and only lose initiative with a save.
Partial Cyborgs have a 50% chance of having their cybernetics disrupted for 1D10 minutes, and a 20% chance of a non-vital system being permanently shorted out. Full conversion cyborgs have only a 25%/5% chance, and Assault Cyborgs and those with hardened systems aren’t affected at all.
Rate of Fire: ECHH for melee attacks. Can fire off three electrical blasts per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

4) Vibro-Claw Feet---The six feet can each extend a fearsome array of vibroblade claws that can savage targets at close range. Imitating its organic inspiration, the Pondora has proven adept at lunging out of water at targets and disemboweling them with a few swipes of its claws, or using its sticky tongue to pull them close to be dismembered.
Range: Melee
Damage: 6d6 MD


Programming:
The Ecotroz have installed robotic AIs, then infected the matrix with a low-level Ecotroz sentience.
Has the basic Monstrex programming.
The Ecotroz entity can also pick up one Secondary skill at levels 2, 6, and 12 of experience, though the nature of the Pondora intelligence and design is such that it is limited to skill selections from Technical: Language(understanding) and Lore (Cattle & Animals, Indians, Juicers, Magic, Demons & Monsters, D-Bees, Faerie---at least with regards to identifying their relative threat level), and Wilderness( Hunting).

Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 6
Initiative +2 (+1 from the Ecotroz entity for a total of +3)
Dodge +4
Strike +3 (+2 w/ ranged weaponry)
Roll +4
Parry +4
Pull Punch +4
Entangle.(w/ tongues) +1
Bite 1d4x10 MD
Head Butt 2d6 MD
Body Block/Ram 4d6 MD. 1d4x10 MD if running in excess of 40 MPH, but takes 2 APMs. 01-80% of knocking targets under 20 ft in height over; lose initiative and 2 APMs.
Kick 4d6 MD
Claw 6d6 MD
Stomp 1d10 MD
Tail Slap 3d6 MD
Tail Sweep/Mace Smash 1d6x10 MD

Note: The Ecotroz intelligence fragment inhabiting the ‘bot gives the Pondora an aura and behavior more befitting a sentient being than a robot. Pondoras count on their resemblance to the Giant Hunter Turtle to go unaccosted while they move about, as their main goal is to protect their concealed passengers/cargo(one Wayfinder has described the Pondoras’ general attitude as ‘mother alligatoring’). Most strangers who have a passive ( and non-dismembering) encounter with a Pondora to be a case of the giant predators not seeing them as threats, or not being hungry enough to bother going after them. If threatened, or if so commanded, though, Pondoras are every bit as vicious as the GHTs they’re modeled after.

The Ecotroz fragment does occasionally need sleep/rest...though they only need 2 hours of rest/meditation per 24 hours...they can push this, going without for as many days as they have I.Q. points(most Warmounts, unless otherwise noted, have an effective IQ rating of 8 ), but will have to go dormant for 4d6 hours after such exertion.
Note also that the Ecotroz-possessed ‘bot can infect other bots with the Ecotroz viral-entity, by bite or sustained touch(takes 3 attacks).

Options:
*External Cupola---The Pondora is often fitted with a cupola when deployed as an obvious ridding animal. The EShemar have occasionally been able to use this to their advantage , ducking down inside the Pondora when attacked, or abandoning the fighting top altogether if it looks as if it is about to be destroyed(and in some cases the cupola/howdah and its warriors IS completely destroyed). sending the animal running in apparent panic. Meanwhile, the passengers inside the warmount go unseen and undetected, as few enemies, having just destroyed or dismounted the obvious defenders, bother with the panicked beast running away.

*Foot Pylons----Each massive foot of the Pondora can sport a laser drill and stabilization pylon similar to the infamous Glitterboy’s. These are deployed in less than a melee to anchor the Warmount against being bowled over by melee attacks or concussive shock(such as explosions or extreme high winds). The pylons add 1d6 MD to stomp damage(impalement).

*Reactive Armor----The Pondora can ‘grow’ blisters of rough-textured ‘callus’ or shell, on its legs or shell, extruding panels of course composite material in panels. These plates serve as more than just passive protection, however; they can, on command, be expelled by powerful gas jets from behind, and fragment in flight, becoming shrapnel charges.
Range: 50 ft
Damage: 4d6 MD to a cone swath roughly 50 ft long, by 10 ft wide.
Used as reactive armor against plasma and armor-piercing missiles, the charges act 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 warmount 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 warmount 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 warmount, they can target a spot on the body 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 leg of the Warmount can be fitted with 3 fletchette panels each, the front head with 2, the shell top with 12, and the underbelly with 6 (38 total)
The Pondora can regenerate these panels at 4 per hour. It takes 3 MDC from the repair capacity to regenerate a single reactive armor panel.

*Thermal Resistant Armor--Pondora can be plated in insulated, thermal-resistant armor akin to aerospace craft heatshielding. Thermal weapons and attacks such as plasma projectors only do 1/4 their normal damage.

*Thermal-Kinetic Armor---A rare few Pondoras(mainly with the Darkwaters) are sheathed in a production-intensive knockoff of Naruni Enterprise’s Thermal-Kinetic armor. The Warmount’s infrared and thermal emissions are masked, with only a 25% chance of showing up on thermal sensors. MD fire/heat attacks do HALF damage, and high speed impact damage attacks(bullets, rail guns, grenades, missiles, explosions, falls, and collisions) do HALF damage. This armor is difficult to mass-produce, limiting its distribution and availability. A Pondora so outfitted is often nicknamed a ‘blackback’ or ‘leatherback’. CANNOT be combined with Thermal Resistant or Reactive Armor.

*Appliqué Armor---The Pondora can be loaded with even more armor barding, with plates added to the head, shell(top and underside), and legs. The added protection comes at the cost of some mobility, however. The extra armor adds +400 MDC to the main body, and +100 MDC to the head and each leg, but reduces overall speed to 30 MPH, and leap distance by HALF. Negates Reactive Armor until the overlay plates are depleted or jettisoned.

* Body Spikes----(aka ‘Urchin Armor) This radical armor augmentation allows the Pondora to adopt the heavy body spikes of the Thunderbeetle warmount. The shell now sprouts multiple long. They effectively count as ‘splinter armor’ protection to passengers riding in the ‘cockpit’ of the Thunderbeetle; effective Armor Rating of 14; if an attack’s ‘To-Strike’ roll exceeds that, the attack bypasses the shielding altogether and strikes the main body of the target. The spikes also have some effectiveness at defeating missile attacks; on a ‘To Strike’ roll of 6-7, Armor-Piercing missiles bash themselves on the cage bars, doing only 1d4 MD, and on a 8-15, do only HALF damage due to premature detonation or redirection of their kinetic force. All other missiles do normal damage..
The legs, head, and tail also sprout bushels of smaller quill-spikes patterned after the body spikes of the Hystric e-animal. About half of them can be fired as projectiles.
Pondoras so outfitted are often nicknamed ‘Porcudoras’ or are mistaken for larger Hysteric beasts.
MDC: (Shell Spikes) 50 each
(Projectiles) 10 each
Range:(Melee) 3-7 feet long
(Projectile) 250 ft
Damage: (Offensive) Adds 1d6 MD to a headbutt, kick, or bodyblock
(Defensive) Does HALF of enemy’s MD melee attack damage to enemy(so if an enemy performs a punch for 3d6 MD and rolls a 15, the attack does 7 MD(round down) to the attacker’s fist). Also takes 1d6 MD from a successful parry by the ‘bot. The spike armor has an effective A.R. of 16...any roll to strike lower than a 16 hits the spikes instead of the main body of the ‘bot.
If detached, a quill of superhard plastic-composite can be used as a stilleto for 2d6 SDC damage.
(Projectile) 1d8 per quill-spike
Rate of Fire: ECHH
(Projectile) Volleys of 1-10 spikes
Payload: (Shell Spikes) 60
(Projectiles) 40 per leg, head, and tail, half of which are projectiles.
Regenerates spikes at a rate of 6 per hour, quills at a rate of 20 an hour
Note: the Body Spike option CANOT be combined with any other armor enhancement or Applique Armor

*Tongue Options
-*Neural Zap---Identical to the Neural Mace; 2d4 SDC, and victim must save at 16 or higher is -8 to strike, parry, and dodge, plus speed and actions/attacks per melee are reduced by half, for 2d4 melees, plus 2d4 melees per additional strike. After being struck four times, the victim may be stunned unconscious(42% chance) for 2d4 melees. Upon waking up, the victim continues to suffer the stun penalties for 1d4 minutes.
-*Nematocyst Tongue---The Tongue has an adhesion pad that allows it to stick to exposed flesh, which allows tiny injector ports in its tip to deliver skin-contact poisons or sedatives. A reservoir in the throat supplies the chemicals.
Damage: 2d4 SDC, plus chemical effects.
Payload: 100 dose reservoir, that can be divided up into 5 separate cells, allowing for five different chemicals to be carried.
Note that the Pondora CANNOT generate its own chemicals, but must have its reservoir(s) refilled from an outside source.

*Chemical Breath/Smog Breath--- Pondoras outfitted so can generate a dense obscuring chemical fog similar in composition to pre-Rifts theatrical ‘fog’. Though not toxic under normal conditions, the chemical fumes DO obstruct vision, and can provide quite the distraction, especially if multiple Pondoras are pumping out the fog.
Range: Can cover a 100 ft area
Damage: None. Those caught in the fog are -4 to strike, parry, dodge, disarm, and entangle while caught in the cloud. Depending on local air current conditions, the cloud dissipates in 2d6 minutes.
Rate of Fire: Can pump out a 100 cubic ft of vapor cloud per melee
Payload: Can generate 1,600 cubic feet of fog-mix per hour.

~Reformed Skullcrusher's on Mars?
~A new temple to The Lightbringer in Olympus-Mons?
~A Mechanoid battle cruiser under construction near Syria-Planeum, hiding 3 secnds in the future (or 20,000 years in the past)?
~Ancient Martians were a thing of 'Dark & Golden eyed'ness, and there WERE canals?

Tune in later for details.
...or not.

DhAkael wrote:~Reformed Skullcrusher's on Mars?
~A new temple to The Lightbringer in Olympus-Mons?
~A Mechanoid battle cruiser under construction near Syria-Planeum, hiding 3 secnds in the future (or 20,000 years in the past)?
~Ancient Martians were a thing of 'Dark & Golden eyed'ness, and there WERE canals?

Tune in later for details.
...or not.

Oh no! Year End/Season End CLIFFHANGERS!!!!!! ARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!

There’s a million epic tales in the ranks of the Shemarrian clans; these are just a few of them.....

“Mothman”---Hawkmoon Oreseme NPC

“The enemy cannot behind the cloak of night from a moth!”

“No, we’re not going to throw together a scratch team of a Hawkmoth and two vespina just so you can have a moth-squad.”

“Hawks and sparrows during the day! Bats and moths during the night! I cannot advance in the face of this constant air attack! Send me gargoyles! Send me effreeti! Send me storms from the tortured air of the Pit! Send me something that flies and fights! We cannot conquer this land if we cannot own the sky!”

Mothman is a heavily modified X-10 Predator Flying Power Armor(export model)-based oreseme, made as an experiment by the Hawkmoons.
Mothman mounts no less than four arms in a symmetrical configuration; two arms sporting regular hand manipulators in the usual place, and two arms bearing X-10-453A Pulse Cannon forearms underneath. The shoulder mini-missile launchers have been doubled and moved to the upper forearms, allowing for the installation of an extra air intake feeding an upgraded jetpack unit(necessary to compensate for the extra mass). Rebuilding the jet system meant extending the length of the wings and redesigning the propulsion system, incidentally allowing the Tinkers to address the overheating problem.
Mothman is an accomplished night-fighter(and has subsequently been Upgraded with several stealth fearures, including a partial ‘black box’ electronic warfare system), and he is typically part of his Tribe’s night patrols(the ‘Night Shift’ or the ‘Owl Moons’). Several operations in the American NorthEast brought Mothman into encounters with the faerie-folk, some of whom have ‘adopted’ the ‘bot as a ‘metal brother’ after Mothman interfered in the Faerie Harvest. The Minion War has diverted Mothman back to central North America and fighting the Infernals.
.
Level of Experience: 6th Level Awakened Neural Intelligence
Rank: neCorporal
Race: Oreseme
Alignment: Scrupulous
Land of Origin: North America
Age: 3
Sex: Identifies as male
Height: 9 ft, w/ 16 ft wingspan
Weight: 1,200 lbs
Physical Description/Appearance:
A heavily modified X-10 Predator Flying Power Armor with four arms; an upper pair based on the normal manipulator hand arm, and a lower pair of matched pulse laser claw-arms. The head sports a pair of antennae and small mandibles on either side of a small working mouth. The wings have been redesigned to be longer and have more surface area. Mothman is a dark gray in overall color, with accents of earth-tones, especially on the wings.
Disposition:
Soft spoken and always calm, A quiet observer of things around himself, and a patient hunter. Despite his decidedly portly appearance and slow flying speed(compared to other fliers) he can turn his slow speed into an asset, quickly turning the tables on careless opponents.
Mothman has recently taken an interest in Faerie culture, after several encounters with the Fay in the field.
Physical Attributes/Superlatives:
IQ: 17(+3% to learned skills)
ME: 16
MA: 8
PS: 40
PP: 20
PE:----
PB:----
SPD:(Running) 50 MPH
(Leaping) Not really capable of leaping with all his mass, but can manage a standing leap of 10 ft up/across, but a jet-assisted leap of 100 ft up/200 ft across.
(Flying) 250 MPH, maximum altitude 800 ft.

(ISP):-----
(PPE): 5

MDC:
Main Body 250
Head 130
Antennae(2) 12 each
Chest Spotlight(1) 2
Upper Shoulders(2) 150 each
Upper Arms(2) 70 each
Mini-Missile Launchers(2) 20 each
Lower Laser Arms(2) 100 each
Legs(2) 120 each
Wings(2) 50 each
Main Rear Jets(2) 60 each
Lower Maneuvering Jets(2) 30 each
Horror Factor:----
Special Abilities/Characteristics/Powers:
Awakened Neural Intelligence Robot w/ Special Psionics
Magic:-----
Psionics:(Ecotroz)(No ISP expenditure)
Object Read, Telemechanics, Telemechanical Possession, Telemechanic Mental Operation
Cybernetics/Bionics:(Robotics)
*Radio---500 mile range
*Radar---10 mile range
*Optics w/ Telescopic, low-lite, thermal imaging, IR/UV, polarized.

*Laser Targeting

*Advanced Audio

*Motion Detector----60-100 ft range
*Laser Detector---Registers hostile laser systems.
*Radar Detector---Registers hostile radar systems.
*Biometric Monitor---Monitors air pressure and humidity; a weather gauge.
*Molecular Adhesion Pads---Mothman can cling to virtually any surface able to take his weight. He frequently clings to the hull of faster warmounts and vehicles to get around more quickly.

*Reduced Acoustic Signature---Mothman’s jet systems have a ‘whisper mode’ that cuts their noise by 75%. However, the ‘bot cannot be flying at faster than 60 MPH.

*EW Suite----Mothman has a partial ‘black box’ system copied from the Bandito Arms Wild Weasel SAMAS(a system also copied in its entirety in the Shemarrian Males).
-Jamming---Can jam enemy radio communications in 30 mile radius with 60% effectiveness.
-Targeting Jamming---Can also jam targeting sensors with a successful Electronic Countermeasures skill roll; a success means enemy sensor-guided weapons are -7 to strike the ‘bot.

Weapons Systems:
1) Eye Lasers(2)---Mothman’s helmet optics conceal lasers---look, spot, and shoot.
Range: 1,000 ft
Damage: 2d6 MD single blast, 4d6 MD from both eyes simultaneously
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Bonus: +2 to strike (in addition to any other bonuses)

2) Mini-Missile Launchers(2)---Each of Mothman’s upper arms sports a two-tube mini-missile launcher behind the wrist. Each launcher has two mini-missiles(one per tube).

3) Pulse Lasers(2)---Each of Mothman’s middle arms ends in a claw-and-pulse laser forearm. The two lasers give the oreseme a powerful ranged attack. They have been further Upgraded with variable frequency capability.
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 2d4 MD single shot. 1d4x10 MD pulse burst. 2d4x10 MD for both lasers firing simultaneously on the same target(counts as one attack).
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

4) Concealed Vibroblades(2)----The knuckle-guards on Mothman’s upper arms conceal retractable vibroblades....silver-plated for extra damage against supernatural enemies.
Range: Melee
Damage: 2d6 MD

5) Flare/Chaff Decoy Launchers(2)---Another knockoff of the Bandito Arms Wild Weasel SAMAS. Each thick wing conceals a launcher for ‘moth dust’ chaff launchers. Each wing holds 18 bundles that are fired through the wing tips. Each bundle has a cumulative 15% chance of decoying incoming guided missiles.

6) Use of Handheld Weapons----Mothman can pick up and use human-scale handheld weapons such as swords and rifles.

Skills/Programming:(6th level Awakened Neural Intelligence)
Math: Basic 96%
Language/Literacy:
Speak/Read Euro, German, French, Spanish, Gobblely, Dragonese, Shemarrian, and American English at 98%/98%
Language/Literacy: Faerie 53%/33%
Navigation 90%
Read Sensory Instruments 94%
Radio: Basic 96%
Optic Systems 90%
Laser Communications 94%
Electronic Countermeasures 94%
General Repair & Maintenance 80%
Camouflage 80%
Detect Ambush 75%
Detect Concealment 68%
Intelligence 96%
Tailing(People) 80%
Demolitions 94%
Demolitions Disposal 92%
Basic Electronics 90%
Basic Mechanics 92%
Computer Operation 96%
Military Etiquette 96%
Lore: Magic 68%
Lore: Demons and Monsters 68%
Lore: Faeries & Creatures of Magic 48%
Identify Plants & Fruits 48%
Pilot: Jetpack(for maneuvering purposes) 92%
Parachuting/Skydiving 90%
Boxing
Acrobatics 85%
W.P. Paired Weapons
W.P. Blunt(+2 strike/parry)
W.P. Sword(+2 strike/parry)
W.P. Grappling Hook(+1 strike/make fast)
W.P. Grenade(+2 strike w/ thrown grenade)
W.P. Handguns(+2 strike)
W.P. Energy Pistol(+3 strike)
W.P. Energy Rifle(+3 strike)


Actions/Attacks per Melee: 10
Initiative: +5
Strike: +6 (+ w/ ranged attacks)
Parry:+8
Dodge: +3, +6 flying
Roll: +4 , +5 flying
Pull Punch: +3
KnockOut/Stun on Natural 20
Damage:
Bite 1d4 MD
Restrained Punch 1d4 MD
Full Strength Punch 1d6+1 MD
Power Punch(2 attacks) 4d6 MD
Claw Punch 2d4 MD
Claw Power Punch(2 attacks) 2d8 MD
Claw Tear/Pry 1d6+1 MD
Kick 1d8 MD
Flying Kick(2 attacks) 2d8 MD
Wing Swat 1d6 MD
Saves:
Ecotroz do occasionally need sleep/rest...though they only need 2 hours of rest/meditation per 24 hours...they can push this, going without for as many days as they have I.Q. points, but will have to go dormant for 4d6 hours after such exertion.
Susceptible to Exorcism and Banish spells, but are +6 to save against such spells, +1 at levels 4, 8, and 12 of experience, and becoming IMMUNE at level 14 and up.

Notable Possessions/Equipment:
Mothman doesn’t have much in the way of material possessions, but he does have a few preferred tools and trophies of war.
*Moonstone Broach----A gift from some appreciative Faerie-folk. Ot actually gives a +1 to save vs magic.
*Grappling Hooks(1d4 MD) with 100 ft of high-strength cable attached to them.
*Silver VibroSword----Silver-plated vibrosaber presented to Mothman as a gift from a grateful Silvermoon warrior after a joint night mission that almost went bad.
*Bandolier with a dozen grenades(favors a mix of high explosive, fragmentation, incendiary, and a couple of chaff grenades usually)

Vehicle:
None; Mothman is his own vehicle. If he needs to get somewhere else fast, he hitches a ride on a warmount or vehicle.

A couple more Straw Warrior variants.

EcoS-R65HwRb Rosamar
An offshoot of the Rosetta, where instead of the arms fitted with Multi-mode FryFlower lasers, the head mounts a larger and more powerful version, with the x-ray laser capabilities. Its arms are also fitted with extending vines that allow it extend its melee range, and also enable it to climb better, making it an excellent ambush unit, plus one pit launcher is installed. Its 'skin' is able to change colour and texture to match local plants to better blend in. Rosamar are used as heavier assault units amongst Straw Warrior units. They are larger than normal Straw Warriors, and require more resources to produce. Entkin that have Rosamar programmed for creation typically keep at least two 'planted' on them, sharing resources to keep them alive longer and are used as close defense. In pod form they are double the size of a normal Straw Warrior, and take up double the space in missiles designed to carry and deploy Straw Warriors. Usually when fitted in a modified medium range missile, one Rosamar plus two normal sized, of any variant, Straw Warriors are carried.

Changes/Modifications:
MDC Location:
Main Body 70
Weapon Head 40
Arms (2) 35 ea
Legs (2) 35 ea
Tentacles (2)

Height: 4 ft
Width: 1.5 ft
Length: 1.2 ft
Weight: 26 lbs

*Camouflage - The moss-like covering of the Moss Hound allows it to naturally blend in with the forests it operates in. The coating is able to change colour to allow it to blend in even more, even darken for night operations. Takes 2 melees to blend in with its surroundings, -20% to opposition Detect Ambush and Detect Concealment

1) Multimode ‘RoseFlower’ Laser Cannon----The head of the Straw Warrier is now a giant sunflower with mirrored petals and a powerful laser cannon. 
Range:(Laser Mode) 6,000 ft
(Scatter-Shot Mode) 3,000 ft
(X-Ray Mode) 1 mile
Damage:(Laser Mode) 2d4x10 MD per blast
(Scatter-Shot Mode) 1d4x10 MD to a 30 ft wide area
(X-Ray Mode) 1d6x100 MD and ignores laser-reflective armor
Rate of Fire:(Laser Mode) EGCHH
(Scatter-Shot Mode) EGCHH
(X-Ray Mode) Once per melee
Payload:(Laser & Scatter-Shot Mode) Effectively Unlimited
(X-Ray Mode) Has enough onboard chemical fuel for 5 shots before needing refueling
Bonus: +1 to strike

2) Pit Launcher - The Straw Warrior has one arm that is thicker and a bit stiffer than normal, and terminates in what appears to be a barrel. This functions as an organic railgun, able to launch a harden, dense projectile similar to the thorns, but looks more like a pit of a peach or similar fruit.
Range: 600 ft
Damage: 1d6+1 MD ea
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 50 pits, regenerates 1 thorn every hour.

3) Tentacles (2) - The Rosamar can extend 2 tentacles from its arms, 35 each, PS and PP of 16, are +1 to strike, +3 parry, +2 dodge, +3 entangle. They have a reach of 15 ft.
Tentacle Restrained Slap 1d6 SDC
Tentacle Punch/Lash 1d4 MD
Tentacle Crush/Squeeze 1d6 MD
+1 APM for each pair of tentacles, and the added APMs are possible ONLY with the tentacles. +15% to Climb.



EcoS-R65HwA Aloe
This variant of the Straw Warrior is much larger than any other Straw Warrior and forgoes any combat systems, instead boasting an improved regenerative powers. It's body can stretch quite a bit as it is designed to collect wounded warriors or civilians, provide healing and extraction. The Aloa has a large pouch in its torso which it puts the wounded into, which functions like a bio-tech version of the medical tanks found on the Cryptis, but with the Aloe's organic make-up, it can replenish the system over time on its own. This pouch can hold a being up to 9 feet tall, but they will be put into a fetal position, giving the Aloe a bulging middle section, as it stretches to hold the victim. Aloes, being larger than normal Straw Warriors, and require more resources to produce. In pod form they are a little more than double the size of a normal Straw Warrior, and take up more than double the space in missiles designed to carry and deploy Straw Warriors. Usually when fitted in a modified medium range missile, one Aloe plus one normal sized, of any variant, Straw Warriors are carried.
Aloes are deployed typically in missile volleys mixed with regular Straw Warriors, allowing them to quickly get to where wounded are, with one Straw Warrior as escort.

Changes/Modifications:
MDC Location:
Main Body 80
Head 40
Arms (2) 40 ea
Legs (2) 40 ea

Height: 8.5 ft
Width: 3.5 ft
Length: 3.2 ft
Weight: 56 lbs

*Bio-Regeneration - The organic nature of the Aloe Straw Warrior allows it to heal 1d4 MDC every 30 minutes.

*Internal Med-Pouch System---The central cavity is a large pouch, that once a wounded victim is placed inside, multiple tentacles attach to the victim and begin diagnosing the victim. The chamber is set to see to the patient type and filled with a nanite suspension bath (hyperoxygenated for organic patients), along with organic healing systems such as antibodies, plasma, enzymes that promotes healing, and the apparatus goes to work stabilizing the patient.
The Aloe's systems have a diagnostic proficiency of 91% for humans and most humanoid d-bees, 60% for others. Medical treatment is equivalent to a Medical Doctor at 80% for humans/humanoid d-bees, and 55% for others. Field surgery is performed at 90%/90% for simple procedures, 90%/60% for more serious internal work. In the event of more extreme injuries, stasis is generally implemented to stabilize and preserve the patient for transport to better treatment facilities.
Gynoids/Androids/Cyborgs--- Repairs 4d6 MD per hour, and can repair 80 MDC before needing material stocks to convert to MD repair material.
Organics----Heals 2d6 SDC/Hit Points per 30 minutes. Also gives a +15% to save vs disease.
The gel/liquid inside the chamber also cushions the patient from shock and tumble as the ‘bot moves.
The MD material and organic material are regenerated as long as the Aloe Straw Warrior is able to remain in sunlight, access to water and fertile soil for at least 2 hours.

Programming
-Search and Rescue
Excavation 80%
Firefighting 88%
First Aid 90%
Rescue Protocols 80%

kronos wrote:A couple more Straw Warrior variants.

EcoS-R65HwRb Rosamar
An offshoot of the Rosetta, where instead of the arms fitted with Multi-mode FryFlower lasers, the head mounts a larger and more powerful version, with the x-ray laser capabilities.

Now I've seen everything...an X-Ray Rose.

taalismn wrote:

kronos wrote:A couple more Straw Warrior variants.

EcoS-R65HwRb Rosamar
An offshoot of the Rosetta, where instead of the arms fitted with Multi-mode FryFlower lasers, the head mounts a larger and more powerful version, with the x-ray laser capabilities.

Now I've seen everything...an X-Ray Rose.

The Horrorwoods are making sure no one messes with their gardens.
And yes, I know how much damage it does.. good for 5 shots only.. then it's back to regular lasers for it. It's a glass canon.. throw it into the fight, hope it fires off its five powerful shots. If it's wounded but not destroyed, it can regenerate given time and use again later. If it dies, helps fertilize the battlefield so nature can begin to recover.