Shemarrian-related fan creations

[taalismn]

*Wraithtongue (BlackSteel-corrupted AA-60 Hunter-Destroyer)

“The Wraithtongue’s design and tactics speak volumes of the mindset of its designer. This thing was designed by a psychopath, a cold-blooded fiend with a love of slaughter. A monster.”
---Sister-Tinker Glendia Metalreader, Hawkmoon Tribe

When Factory/Temple-5 finally went completely corrupt and ceased communicating with ARCHIE-3’s home complex/self, ARCHIE and Hagan immediately assumed that the rogue Shemarrians had something to do it. Immediately they sent a large contingent of ‘bots, led by a dozen AA-60 Hunter-Destroyers to investigate, and ideally take back the factory complex from whatever EShemar occupied it. What they got back was several Wraithtongues, barely-recognizable as the AA-60 Hunter-Destroyers they’d sent out. The stealthy technoghouls almost managed to infect ARCHIE’s Allegheny Mountain complex before they were spotted and destroyed. Though the Allegheny infiltration ‘bots and their BlackSteel cargo were completely obliterated, they didn’t constitute ALL the AA-60s deployed to investigate Factory/Temple-5 and presumably the remaining units still reside at the corrupted facility.
Wraithtongues are still recognizable as AA-60 Hunter-Destroyers, but are even leaner, more spindly, and organic -looking. Their skin-armor looks more organic and has mimetic properties. Their heads sport fully functional jaws and an acid-spewing and extremely long tendril-tongue that gives them their name, Wraithtongue.
Wraithtongues are insanely strong for their spindly builds, and their upper body strength makes them terrors in melee combat, as was evidenced by (rare) surviving footage of one of these techno-abominations punching its way through a reinforced concrete wall and through the legs of the mercenary Northern Gun combat robot waiting for it on the other side.
Even more shocking to ARCHIE-3 and Hagan was the discovery of an integral flight ability in the Wraithtongues, The ‘bots now had an integrated jetpack and small folding wings, making them more mobile(the two have since considered making a similar feature standard in future AA-60s).
Wraithtongues serve the same purpose as EShemar Elites; they command special forces missions and are dispatched to carry out such tasks as high profile raids, terror campaigns, and headhunter assassinations, such as EShemar Chieftains, local militia commanders and leaders, and the (perceived) commanders of adventurer parties coming too close to the BlackSteel Citadel.

Type: BlackSteel Abomination---Wraithtongue
Class: Robot
Crew: Corrupted Robot Intelligence
M.D.C. By Location:
Hands(2) 30 each
Arms(2) 120 each
Legs(2) 140 each
Head 80
Tendril Tongue 50
Main Body 350
Chest Plasma Cannons(2) 55 each
Wings(2) 50 each
Height: 12 ft
Width: 4 ft
Length: 3 ft
Weight: 550 lbs.
Power System: Nuclear(?)
Physical Attributes: Equal to Supernatural PS. 40, PP. 24, IQ 21.
Cargo: None; only what can be carried.
Speed:
Running: 100 MPH
Jumping: 25 ft up/30 ft across, DOUBLE that with a running start in excess of 40 MPH.
Flying: Can fly via integral jetpack at a speed of 60 MPH, and maximum altitude of 1,200 ft. The flight is particularly silent, and roughly equivalent to a lightly blowing wind.
Underwater: Can swim at 25 MPH or run along the bottom at 30 MPH. Estimated depth limit of 8,000 ft.

Market Cost: EXCLUSIVE to the BlackSteel Citadel
Systems of Note:
Standard Robot Sensory Systems, plus:
*Basic, Low-Light/Night Vision(2,000 ft range), Infrared, Thermo-Imaging(2,000 ft range), telescopic (6,000 ft)and Magnification(x60) Optics.
*Amplified Hearing(can hear noises as low as 10 decibels at 500 ft), plus ultrasonic band hearing.
*Laser Targeting
*Motion Detector----100 ft range; 45-degree arc in front of the head
*Molecular Analyzer---Can track by scent 80%, and recognize specific scents 84%.
*Mini-Radar(8 mile range)
*Radar Detector---Detects radar and motion detection systems.

*Command Capability----The WraithTongue possesses a more limited form of the Warlustress’s ability to boost the murderous efficiency of other corrupted robots within its vicinity. Lesser units within a 1.5 mile radius of a WraithTongue are +1 to Initiative, +1 to strike, and +3 to Perception.

*Modulating Voice Synthesizer---WraithTongues are normally quiet killers, but they can, and are fond of, using imitated voices to fool others into ambushes. They like to imitate the sounds of normal conversation, fooling listeners into thinking several beings are nearby distracted by their own conversation, and the corrupted ‘bot can even fake the volume diminishing with distance, as if the source of the conversation were moving away. If they can sample a target’s voice and speech mannerisms long enough, they will often try to mislead their fellows(especially after the speaker has been killed) with calls for help or commands that only serve the Wraithtongue’s plans. On occasion, the Wraithtongue will taunt opponents; unlike the Night-Shredder, the Wraithtongue is an eloquent speaker, with smooth, suave, oily tones that give the impression of a professional killer or a well-mannered psychopath.

*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:
*Horror Factor---Has an effective H.F. of 13

*PPE Vampire---The Wraithtongue can actually drain targets of PPE; if the Wraithtongue can make contact with a living target’s flesh in melee combat, it can drain a number of PPE points equal to HALF its attack damage. TW and magical items with a listed PPE reserve(like PPE clips or batteries) can also be drained in the manner, but they only lose 25% of the attack damage in PPE. It is unknown if the Wraithtongue uses the drained PPE for its own eldritch life processes, or if it somehow passes it along to the greater BlackSteel Entity.

*BlackSteel Touch---A Wraithtongue’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.

*Stealth Armor----Wraithtongues 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.

*Chameleon----This seems more a mystic ability than a technological one; when standing still, the mimetic armor of the Wraithtongue allows it to blend into its surroundings. (0% undetectable when standing still, 70% when moving 2 ft per melee round of slower, 20% if going 6 ft per melee or slower. Any faster, and it can be seen, but then the stealth blurring takes over.

Vulnerabilities:
*Silver---Silver weaponry does DOUBLE damage to BlackSteel creations. If a called shot of 20+ (modified) strikes the skull or chest area 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).
*Holy Magic---Attacking with Holy Magic will cause the normal materials of the ‘bot to expel the BlackSteel. The ‘bot will still fight on using its original programming, but it will lose its viciousness and malevolent cunning(reduce initiative by HALF), and BlackSteel properties, and all other aspects of its operation remain unchanged. However, the expelled BlackSteel will remain a threat if picked up and incorporated into other machines.

Weapons Systems:
1) Chest Plasma Cannons(2)---These are retained from the AA-60, but appear to have been altered to deliver a lingering plasmic charge that continues to burn for several seconds after initial impact.
Range: 2,000 ft
Damage: 6d6 MD single blast, 1d6x10 MD per simultaneous dual blast. Residual plasma forms a cloud that clings via an imparted static charge around the target that does an extra 1d6 MD for an extra 1d4 melees. The cloud can be dispelled by the static field being grounded, or another person can touch the victim, taking 1d6 MD themselves in the process.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) Forearm Vibroblades(2)---Each forearm retains a retractable vibroblade. BlackSteel blades, however, are more jagged and produce savage lacerating wounds that take longer to heal.
Range: Melee
Damage: 4d4 MD, and wounds inflicted on organic tissues with these blades take twice as long to heal, and mystic healing is only HALF as effective.

3) Whip Tongue----An obscenely long and flexible tendril that emerges from the mouth. It may serve as an additional sensory organ, as the Wraithtongue has been observed ‘tasting the air’ with it like a snake’s tongue.
Furthermore, the tongue can be used like a stinger to deliver a dose of corrosive acid to a target. Ideally, the Wraithtongue will try to snake its tongue into a weak point in body armor, like a neck joint or respirator vent, to deliver its venom(the ‘Wraith’s Kiss’) to a vulnerable point, or even more grotesquely, into a victim’s eyes or throat.
Range: Melee
Damage: (Whip Lash) 1d8 MD
(Stab)(2 attacks) 3d6 MD
(Grapple/Choke) 4d4 MD
(Acid) 1d6 MD per melee for 1d6 melees
Payload: (Acid) Has enough for 10 doses. Regenerates the acid payload at one shot every hour.

4)Use of Handheld Weapons---The WraithTongue can pick up and use infantry weapons.
The most commonly used weapon is the BsP-15 Plasma Rifle, a ‘tainted’ copy of the Mechanoid M-15 Plasma Rifle.
Weight: 30 lbs
MDC: 55
Range: 4,000 ft
(Slag shot)2,000 ft
Damage: 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: 30 shots per e-clip; effectively unlimited when held by BlackSteel robots. The BsL-22 uses the same nonstandard e-clip/battery used by ARCHIE-3’s forces and cannot accommodate standard e-clips. The weapon can only be recharged by a BlackSteel robot, or by a necromancer channeling 80 PPE into the weapon.
(Slag shot) The underbarrel reservoir holds enough ichor for 15 shots.

Programming/Skills:
Same as for the baseline AA-60 Hunter-Destroyer, plus a few extras:
Pilot: Automobile, motorcycle, hovercycle, jetpack, aircraft, all at 90%
Automotive Mechanics 90%
Electronics: Basic 90%
Math: Basic 90%
Computer Operation 90%
Navigation: (ALW) 90%
Read Sensory Instruments 90%
Weapons Systems 90%
Prowl 70%
Swim 94%
Land Navigation 94%
Climb 90%/80%
Wilderness Survival 94%
Escape Artist 75%
Imitate Voices and Sounds 88%
Intelligence 70%
Find Contraband 80%
Trap & MIne Detection 80%
Palming 85%
Pick Locks 98%
Tracking 90%
Tailing 95%
Spelunking 96%
Detect Ambush 70%
Detect Concealment 70%
Demolitions & Demolitions Disposal 90%
Sniper
W.P. Blunt
W.P. Knife
W.P. Sword
W.P. Whip/Chain
W.P. Paired Weapons
W.P. Energy (all)

Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 8
Initiative +4
Dodge +6, +7 leap dodge, +8 in flight
Parry +4 (+6 w/ extended blades)
Strike +6 (+4 w/ ranged weaponry, +6 on called/aimed shots)
Roll +4
Pull Punch +2
Disarm +2
Entangle +3 with its tongue
Restrained Punch 5d6 +30 SDC
Full Strength Punch 5d6 MD
Power Punch (2 attacks) 1d6x10 MD
Vibroblade Stab 4d4 MD
Kick 3d6 MD
Leap Kick(2 attacks) 4d6 MD
Head Butt 1d4 MD
Tongue Lash 1d8 MD
Tongue Stab (2 attacks) 3d6 MD
Tongue Crush/Squeeze/Grapple/Choke 4d4 MD
Judo Throw 1d4 MD
Body Block(2 attacks) 1d4 MD and 50% chance of knocking an opponent off their feet

[kronos]

*Wraithtongue (BlackSteel-corrupted AA-60 Hunter-Destroyer)

“The Wraithtongue’s design and tactics speak volumes of the mindset of its designer. This thing was designed by a psychopath, a cold-blooded fiend with a love of slaughter. A monster.”
---Sister-Tinker Glendia Metalreader, Hawkmoon Tribe

Delightfully evil!
I wonder.. what would a BlackSteel Monst-Rex would be like.. the WarLustress needs a suitable mount..

[taalismn]

*Wraithtongue (BlackSteel-corrupted AA-60 Hunter-Destroyer)

“The Wraithtongue’s design and tactics speak volumes of the mindset of its designer. This thing was designed by a psychopath, a cold-blooded fiend with a love of slaughter. A monster.”
---Sister-Tinker Glendia Metalreader, Hawkmoon Tribe

Delightfully evil!
I wonder.. what would a BlackSteel Monst-Rex would be like.. the WarLustress needs a suitable mount..

Maybe something more like a monstrous RuinWorm,,,with buzzsaws pulling it along. Something more evil than the Terragore...

[taalismn]

*Burn-Bleeder(Black Steel-corrupted AA-50 Insecton)

“Don’t let Lorita come over here! I found Ortur...and there isn’t much left of him...’least nothing you want to remember...”

The Burn-Bleeder is a Black Steel-corrupted AA-50 Insecton. The Burn-Bleeder is even more twisted and grotesque than the baseline Insecton, with a more organic look, complete with plated carapace, and abdominal swellings. The head is even more insect-like, featuring a set of fully functional biting mandibles. The Burn-Bleeder has been described as looking like a lump of raw techno-muscle with weaponry stuck between the muscle fibers.
In addition to the Insecton’s original complement of ion cannons and spinning blades, the Burn-Bleeder has the ability to generate powerful molecular acid. The Burn-Bleeder produces this potent caustic acid from special techno-organic organ nodes on its body and then release it through vents in its armored skin. A favorite tactic of the Burn-Bleeder is to hang from a ceiling and first blast unwary victims from above with a shower of ion bolts, then rain acid on them. Furthermore, the techno-monster can spray the acid through vents in its arms. Spinning up its blade-claws allows it to toss the acid wider and farther.
Burn-Bleeders are even more quiet and animalistic than the other BlackSteel abominations; they’re pure ambush-predator and rampage-killer to the core. They do not like venturing out in broad daylight or in wide open spaces, but were found haunting the many abandoned mine shafts and tunnel complexes around the BlackSteel Citadel. They also liked hiding in places where potential prey might hide or seek refuge from the BlackSteel’s other techno-abominations.
Burn-Bleeders tend to be mute, only occasionally making high-pitched rasping insectile noises believed to be communications decipherable only to other Burn-Bleeders. They make no attempt to communicate with others, only inflict violence on them. Burn-Bleeders are smart enough to cut and run if opposition is too great for them, but the close quarters they like to operate in often hamper a clear line of retreat, so they will more often fight to destruction(either the targets’ or their own).
Burn-Bleeders became the bane of Shemarrian Warriors seeking to eradicate them; the close quarters of their hiding places made the ranged combat that would have been the preferred means of dealing with them impossible. Even when victorious, the sight of EShemar Warriors and Berserkers returning to camp, looking flayed, their outer integument shredded or dissolved off, told volumes of the ferocity and hardship suffered during these encounters.

Type: Black Steel Abomination---Burn-Bleeder
Class: Corrupted Robot
Crew: Corrupted Robot Intelligence
M.D.C. By Location:
Claws(4) 30 each
Arms(2) 120 each
Legs(2) 140 each
Ion Blasters(5) 20 each
Head 100
Main Body 480
Acid Nodes* (4) 50 each

*Destroying an Acid Node prevents any stored acid from being used and any more being produced by that node. Furthermore, if more than 50% more damage than is necessary to destroy the node is done, the protective lining of the node is breached and any remaining acid flows back into the ‘bot, doing DOUBLE damage to the internal systems. They are small targets, though, on the back, and are -2 to strike, even on a called shot.

Height: 9 ft
Width: 5 ft
Length: 3 ft
Weight: 960 lbs.
Power System: Nuclear(?)
Physical Attributes: Equal to Supernatural PS. 40, PP. 20, IQ 9.
Cargo: None; only what can be carried
Speed:
Running: 30 MPH, and can scamper along walls and ceilings at 25 MPH
Jumping: 15 ft up/across
Flying: Not possible
Underwater: Can actually power itself through the water using its whirling claws, especially those on its legs, as propellers; 20 MPH, maximum depth tolerance of 1,000 ft.
Market Cost: EXCLUSIVE to the BlackSteel Citadel
Systems of Note:
Standard Robot Sensory Systems:
*Basic, Low-Light/Night Vision(2,000 ft range), Infrared, Thermo-Imaging(2,000 ft range), telescopic (6,000 ft)and Magnification(x60) Optics.
*Amplified Hearing(can hear noises as low as 10 decibels at 500 ft), plus ultrasonic band hearing.
*Laser Targeting
*Motion Detector----100 ft range; 90-degree arc in front of the head

*Acid Resistance---The Burn-Bleeder is immune to the effects of its own acid and similar chemical attacks. The exception is if the outer armor is breached or the nodes destroyed and their inner linings pierced.

*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:
*Horror Factor---Has an effective H.F. of 13
*Stealth Armor----Like the other techno-abominations of the BlackSteel, Burn-Bleeders are covered in a dark psuedo-organic-looking material that appears ‘greasy’ and unreal to vision, blurring the outlines of the ‘bot. Normal vision just seems to want to REJECT seeing the abominations. 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---Silver weaponry does DOUBLE damage to BlackSteel creations. If a called shot of 20+ (modified) strikes the skull or chest area 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).
*Holy Magic---Attacking with Holy Magic will cause the normal materials of the ‘bot to expel the BlackSteel. The ‘bot will still fight on using its original programming, but it will lose its viciousness and malevolent cunning(reduce initiative by HALF), and BlackSteel properties, and all other aspects of its operation remain unchanged. However, the expelled BlackSteel will remain a threat if picked up and incorporated into other machines.

Weapons Systems:
1) Ion Blasters(5)---These multiple weapons have the same shock-stun enhancement as those mounted on the ClawSpawn. The monstrous Burn-Bleeder loves stunning targets, then dissolving them alive.
Range: 1,200 ft
Damage: 2d6 MD single blast, 1d6x10 MD for all five cannons firing simultaneously
Living targets 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 UNsuccesful save, augmented human(oid)s are -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. There is also a 15% cumulative chance per additional strike of being rendered unconscious for 1d4 minutes. If SDC is burned through, the damage goes to Ht Points, and at 0 H.P. the victim goes into full cardiac arrest and will die unless immediate medical care is not administered.
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

2) Molecular Acid----The Burn-Bleeder produces its titular corrosive ‘blood’ from nodes or ‘glands’ on its back, and can either squirt it through outlets around its ion blasters, or can perform a ‘sprinkler’ attack through its whirling claws.
Range:(Sprayjet) 60 ft
(Whirl Spray) 50 ft, 15 ft wide area
Damage:(Sprayjet) 1d6 MD per melee for 1d6 melees
(Whirl Spray) 1d4 MD per melee for 1d6 melees(lower concentration)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Conditionally unlimited; each node holds enough for 15 uses(60 total), and produces additional acid at a rate of 1 use per hour(so all four nodes produce 4 doses per hour)

Programming/Skills:
Climb 98%/50%
Detect Ambush 65%
Detect Concealment 75%
Land Navigation 94%
Mathematics: basic 98%
Intelligence 90%
Prowl 70%(+10% when hiding)
Swimming 60%
Tracking(People) 85%
Track Animals 80%
Tailing 85%

Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 9
Initiative + 3
Dodge +6
Parry +8
Strike +6 (+4 w/ ranged weaponry)
Roll +4
Pull Punch +3
Critical Strike on a Natural 18-20
Bite 1d4 MD
Restrained Claw Strike 6d6+25 SDC
Full Strength Claw Strike 5d6 MD
Whirling Claw Strike 1d6x10 MD
Kick 5d6 MD
Leap Kick 1d6x10 MD
Whirling Foot Blade Leap Kick 1d8x10 MD
Stomp 2d6 MD
Body Block 1d4 MD
Head Butt 1d4 MD

Variants:
One in ten of every Burn-Bleeders would be fitted with the same sort of static-cloud plasma blasters as carried by the WraithTongue; these weapons can do hideous amounts of damage, but suffer from overtaxing even the eldritch power capacity of the BlackSteel-enhanced powerplant, requiring time to cool down and recharge.
Range: 2,000 ft
Damage: 6d6 MD single blast, 1d6x10 MD per simultaneous dual blast, 4d6x10+25 MD for all five cannons firing simultaneously . Residual plasma forms a cloud that clings via an imparted static charge around the target that does an extra 1d6 MD per cannon for an extra 1d4 melees. The cloud can be dispelled by the static field being grounded, or another person can touch the victim, taking 1d6 MD themselves in the process.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Conditionally Unlimited; after firing more than 10 consecutive full barrages, the cannons must cool down/recharge for 10 minutes. If the ‘bot attempts to push it beyond this limit, even firing only one cannon, each subsequent shot has a 15% chance per cannon of melting the weapon down into inoperability.

[taalismn]

Sapphire Cobra Cadejar -----Shemarrian Sapphire Cobra Oreseme
(aka ‘SnakeDogs’, ‘FlowerBoys’, ‘Chihuahuinator’)

“On one hand, I’m rather miffed that they blatantly copied us. On the other hand, I’m glad we didn’t have to make any for them. And I never would have expected the Cobras to be the next to acquire that particular pattern; my betting was on the Skullcrushers or the Horrorwoods. ”
----Sister Terin BoneBuilder, Wolf’s Path Tinker

“Don’t let the term ‘flower warrior’ throw you; the ancient Aztec flower wars were meant to provide their temples with slaves and sacrificial victims; being taken prisoner in a flower war meant you were likely headed to have your heart carved out in a blood ritual. I’d argue that being taken prisoner by a Sapphire Cobra ‘flower warrior’ is just as horrifying a prospect if one values their minds and modesty.”
---Solari Raylin , Wayfinder Scholar

“Sapphire Cobras love their pageantry almost as much as the Silvermoons, and the Cadejar, fully plumed and painted up, fit right in with that, especially when they’re parading a fresh batch of captives to their Shemarrian matriarchs, like very flamboyant dogs bringing something to present to their masters. Kinda hard on the prisoners, because more often than not they’re perp-walked in very little to hide in, but since most of them wind up joining the snake-ladies anyway, it turns into a gesture of ‘having nothing to hide’. Still though, it must suck being the most underdressed members of a parade, especially with your hands and feet cuffed and one of those jungle-dogs hovering over you.“
---Traveler Hana LineTrekker, Eccentric

“ You are now a prisoner of the Bowwowen Snake Clan. You have been taken in honorable combat and are to be taken before the Sapphire Cobras for judgment. Do not resist, do not attempt violence, do not attempt escape, and you will not be harmed. Cooperate, and you will be well taken care of. If you are especially cooperative, we will even sing you the Great Epic of the Celestial Snake as we travel. We may sing it anyway; it is a wonderful story well-worth the singing. You will take great joy from the hearing of it; it is very inspirational and catchy.”
---Cadejar Warrior to a prisoner taken in the Alabama wilds

Impressed by accounts of the Adalwulf, Beorhtwulf, and Svarogar in the service of the Wolf’s Path, Silvermoons, and Blood Riders, the Sapphire Cobras thought that it would be fun to add a new ‘noble warrior’ oreseme to their tribal ranks. Rather than challenge, petition, or try win honors from the Wolf’s Path, the Sapphire Cobras decided to start from scratch and build their own. The base NG-DX-001/HX002 Thunder Hound Power Armor from Northern Gun was easy enough to come by, but the Sapphire Cobras weren’t interested in reproducing the Wulfgar. Instead of producing an AI-run copy of the power armor, the Sapphire Cobras used the power armor as the basis of a much-modified total robot. The power armor’s human-jointed legs were replaced with more dog-like retrodigigrade legs(these provide slightly better speed and leaping ability/shock absorption), the armor surfaced in suede-like blue-gray faux skin(about 50% are hairless, and 25% are albino-white), the head fitted with fully articulated jaws and snakelike fangs and tongue, and a prehensile tail added. They may appear lizard-like, but have a more canine muzzle and large external ears. The Wulfgar AI has been reworked with a neural A.I., and the Sapphire Cobras have shown great flair in reprogramming the basic skills of the new oreseme. The result has been a near-total rebuild into a new techno-organism. While arguably not as powerful as the other ‘bots of its type in terms of intergral weaponry, the Cadejar makes up for it in cunning, skill, and the sheer exuberance of presentation, as concocted by the Sapphire Cobras.
Whereas the Beorhtwulf may have been themed after European paladins or Roman centurions, and the Svarogar after samurai, the Sapphire Cobras seem to have patterned their new Cadejari on ancient Mesoamerican ‘flower warriors’. Cadejar dress in similar fashion, in colorful gear that seems to be made of giant snake or reptile leather, and often adorned with flowers(though they recognize the value of good camouflage and can quickly substitute less conspicuous flora as needed). Their weaponry also appears similar, with such things as obsidian-edged war clubs, shields, and spears. They speak a heavily accented form of Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, spiced with Dragonese, Spanish, and several other mesoamerican tongues, and even that pidgin mix is often phrased in heavily jargonized singsong and riddling. They conduct themselves in combat with a high code of honor, but are just as likely to fight to incapacitate an opponent as kill them outright, and they are adept at subduing enemies for questioning(or worse) by their Sapphire Cobra ‘allies’. Cadejar fight in a fashion which has been compared by some more worldly observers to Mien-Ch’uan ‘Cotton Fist’ kung fu(leading some wags to dub the Cadejar hand to hand style ‘cottonmouth’ -style). They also enthusiastically parrot the bizarre psuedo-religious/philosophical doctrine of the Sapphire Cobras with the zeal of the newly-converted. Cadejar also possess a quirky sense of humor in that they will often act the role of the ‘dumb savage’ or ‘stoic brute’ around outsiders, until they can surprise them by being surprisingly articulate, and even poetic(they like hearing and exchanging tribal folklore and tall tales, especially with outsiders). Both ‘male’ and ‘female’ Cadejar exist, with suggested(but only cosmetic) gender differences; both genders fight as equals.
Cadejar use Warmounts, but tend to use more natural-looking, or ‘feral’ warmount types such as the Robo-Ostrasaurus and robot horses, and avoid robotic-looking Warmounts. They are also fond of boats, such as canoes and longboats.
Though not resembling the original Thunder Hound from a distance, the new Cadejar is instead mistaken for a large mutant(or Splugorth-altered bioborg) Dog Boy, or dog-like D-bee. Their own cover story and cultural embellishments leads many outsiders to assume the Cadejar are d-bees run out of Mexico by the vampires, and accepting service with the Shemarrians. Upon hearing this rumor, the Sapphire Cobras were quick to make sure the Cadejar were observed leading Shemarrian scouting and war parties along the Central American coast, or in anti-vampire war parties further inland to exterminate the undead. These staged expeditions have only further increased the talk of the Cadejar being d-bees taken under the Shemarrians’ wing.
Cadejari are often used within the Sapphire Cobras to hunt down and capture fugitives in their territory. They are also frequently used in crowd control and police actions where a ‘softer’ touch and less lethal means are desirable, and are often used to serve as wardens and warders of prisoners awaiting judgment or assignment to anhaz bonders(although the Cadejar do not make use of uzari bondsmen themselves). However, in all-out combat mobilizations, Cadejar prove as fierce and resilient as any Shemarrian warrior.
Ironically, Cadejar do not get along particularly well with the related Svarogar; the new widely different cultural inspirations seem to grate against each other, despite their many similarities(or perhaps BECAUSE of them). Though both Thunder Hound-derived oreseme respect each others’ combat prowess, on a personal level, Svarogar and Cadejar regard each other as opposites with regards to courage and intelligence. If forced to work together, the two oreseme types will be continually baiting each other and trading verbal barbs(or, in several bizarre, but well-witnessed, incidents, very INTENSE floral arranging competitions). Strangely, Cadejar get along fine with other Blood Rider types, and friendly competition between them is common when the two Tribes meet. Besides their Shemarrian ‘hosts’, Cadejar seem to get along best with Idi Swamp Men and other jungle-dwellers. They have a particular hatred of undead, Horune, Splugorth(this plays to the ‘bioborg Dogboy’ rumors), and other monsters.
Among those who have heard the rumors are the gods Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl, who are intrigued by the accounts of these ‘snake dog warriors’ serving with the forces of serpent-worshippers. Xolotl would LOVE to have the Cadejar as followers, though he might be a little miffed to learn they’re really machines under the fur and skin.
The Horrorwoods Tribe has also been becoming intrigued by these new jungle warriors(which has the Wolf’s Path groaning already about whether they’re going to be asked to create a sub-variant for THAT tribe, or whether the ‘Woods will do their own knockoff).
Note: The name ‘cadejar’ is believed to be derived from ‘cadejo’, legendary mesoamerican spirit creatures with dog-like bodies, glowing eyes, goat-like legs, and the ability to drive people insane just by talking to them. The name is also said to have been derived from the Spanish word, ‘cadena’, for chain; something the Sapphire Cobras seem to have used as an excuse to give the Cadejar prehensile tails and proficiency with chain weapons. White cadejo were said to be protectors of travelers, while black cadejo were demonic(nothing is said about BLUE cadejo).

Type: Shemar Cadejar
Class: Robot Android, Oreseme
Crew: Advanced Neural Intelligence
M.D.C. By Location:
Arms(2) 60 each+ 60 appliqué body armor*
Legs(2) 100 each+ 60 appliqué body armor
Jump Jets(4 per lower leg) 10 each**
Tail 85 + 50 appliqué body armor
Head 90+ 75 appliqué body armor
Main Body 185 +100 appliqué body armor

*Note: The standard body armor of the Cadejar is pieces of padded leather armor or reptile scale. Cadejar can wear most other cyborg armors, up to Heavy types, with the appropriate penalties, but they prefer lighter, padded armors made of simulated or real monster hide. Padded jumpsuit-style overalls seemingly made of dyed cotton(but really MDC fabric, with 40 MDC, 80 with inserted plates) are also popular. Handheld buckler-style shields (100 MDC) are almost standard issue among Cadejar. Another popular accessory is a reversible cloak(60 MDC), with colorful designs on one side, and a drabber camouflage surface on the other, with multiple attachment holes for inserting foliage.
When camouflage isn’t an issue, Cadejar are almost blindingly gaudily accoutered in flowers, feathers, ornaments, and bright fabrics.

**These are small and inconspicuously hidden by leggings.

Height: 7 ft
Width: 3 ft
Length: 3 ft
Weight: 450 lbs.
Power System: Nuclear
Physical Attributes: Equal to Robotic PS. 30, PP. 20,.
Cargo: None; only what can be carried
Speed:
Running: 96 mph maximum un-armored. 80 MPH with full armor.
Jumping: 25 ft up/across standing jump, increase by 50% with a running start. 70 ft up/across with jet boost, again increase by 50% with a running start. Can drop safely from 220 ft; anything greater(up to 450 ft) and roll 1d20: on a 1-10, takes 4d6 MD to the legs(internal structure) and lose 1d4 melee rounds getting back up. 11-20 is a safe(if shaky) landing. Fully armored, though, reduce leap distances by 25%.
Flying: Not possible
Underwater: The Cadejar can swim at about 25% of its normal speed or walk along the bottom of a body of water (max depth 1,000 feet/305 m) at 10% of its normal speed.
Market Cost: EXCLUSIVE to the (E)Shemarrian Tribes
Systems of Note:
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.

*Enhanced Olfactory Sensor Tracking & Targeting – The Cadejar incorporates an extra-sensitive molecular analyzer system with multiple redundancy channels working in parallel to check trace olfactory clues.
Range: 6 miles (9.6 km).
Can Track by smell at 84%, and Recognize scent at 84%

*PPE Sensor---This is identical to the SNARLSystem deployed as a gun sight by the Rifts Earth Japanese military. Slightly more sensitive with a PPE trigger threshold of 40 PPE. Effective range of 200 ft, with 50% margin of error beyond that out to 500 ft.

*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.

*Stealth-Skin---The faux-flesh covering allows the Cadejar to alter its thermal profile. In full thermal stealth mode it is only 25% likely to show up on thermal scans, and even then its profile is unclear/fragmented.

*Self-Destruct---- Cadejar retain the self-destruct systems of the old ARCHIE-made Shemarrians. While they may be adept at taking others prisoner, Cadejar consider it dishonorable to be taken prisoner themselves, or at least to leave a body behind that can be desecrated. The Cadejar self-destruct is more self-contained, rather than explosive, and their bodies dissolve and break down very quickly, accompanied by an acrid chemical stench that leaves eyes and sinuses watering, and threatens to overload air filtration systems(1d6 SDC damage per melee, victims exposed to the vapors through inhalation or eyes and other orifices are -10 to strike, parry, dodge, and disarm, and lose 1 APM for 1d4 melees). Generally covers a 10 ft area. Cadejar who self-destruct in this manner are regarded by their fellows as having been ‘reclaimed by the earth’.

Weapons Systems:
1) Eye Lasers(2) ---The ‘laser stare’ is an increasingly popular feature of many Elites.
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 Weapons(2)---The Shemarrians have grafted over the ability to mount the same forearm weapons as the HX002(the human-piloted version of the DX-001) and made it modular, so the Cadejar can plug and shoot the same HX022 Forearm Lasers and HX122 Ion Blasters as the production model NG power armors(indeed, they are often sourced from battlefield salvage or hijacked spare parts supplies). These attachments are made to look like devices such as the Splugorth Wrist Blasters, rather than bionic or robotic plug-in modules.

3) Forearm Vibroclaws(2)---Same as for the Wulfgar. These are often silver-plated. Some even have the mounts modified to launch the blades(100 ft range).
Range: Melee
Damage: 2d6 MD

4) Chainsaw Sword(w/ silver-plated teeth) ---Unchanged functionally from the original and held in a back-scabbard. Cosmetically, the Chainsaw Sword looks broader and flatter, more like a war-club, and is more heavily reinforced. Furthermore, it incorporates a neural mace along the flat sides, allowing it to be used as a stunning blunt force weapon. Can be, but rarely is, replaced by other weapons, such as magic blades.
Range: Melee
Damage:(Chainblade) 4d6 MD slash, 1d4x10 MD power strike(2 attacks)
(Blunt Force) 3d6 SDC or 1d4 MD +P.S damage
(Neural Mace) 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.

5) Injector Fangs/Chemical Spray System--- The Cadejars’ jaws come equipped with extendable fangs, that can deliver a powerful drug or poison venom, or they can also spit the venom.
Range: (Bite)Melee
(Spit) 100 ft, or 50 ft and covers a 10 ft wide area.
Damage: (Bite) Bite does from 1 SDC to 1d6 MD. Chemical damage varies by chemical type.
(Spit) As for chemical/drug, but some chemicals will only do HALF damage used as an aerosol, or may be completely ineffective unless sprayed into open wounds, eyes, mucus membranes, or inhaled(GMs, use your discretion)
(‘Naga’s Sting’)---A dose of disassembler nanites that will do 3d6 MD damage per melee, for 1d4 minutes. These disassemblers ONLY work on inorganic materials(metals, ceramics, plastics) and not on organic/living flesh. The Cadejar is itself immune to the nanites.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 20 doses of up to 4 different chemicals

6) Accessory Weapons---The Cadejar can pick up and use any appriopriately-scaled weapons. Given their skill programming(and this can be upgraded if required), the Oreseme can use a variety of available types. Cadejar favor Mesoamerican-style weapons such as clubs, spears(they LOVE Shemarrian spears), and obsidian-like blades, as well as rope-flails and lariats. Buckler-style shields are often common equipment for Cadejar, and they will frequently drum on the shields’ surfaces to communicate or intimidate opponents(tail rattles are also common for this purpose). Cadejar also LOVE the Boomslang Sword-Whip, Binder-Boas, and Na-LB1 laser bows. They are rarely seen to use modern firearms, but will use them if necessary(proving quite proficient at sniping down flyers and escaping fugitives from the cover of thick jungle). Armored Shemarrian-issue backpacks (40 MDC) are also common.

Programming/Skills:
Cadejar-Wulfgar were originally programmed with modified AIs pulled(or copied) from the ARCHIE-3 A-63 All-Purpose Heavy Robot, but the Sapphire Cobras have modified and expanded on those routines:
Radio: Basic 98%
Math: Basic 90%
Computer Operation 90%
Prowl 75%
Swim 94%
Land Navigation 94%
Climb 90%/80%
Wilderness Survival 94%
Tracking(people) 85%
Track Animals 80%
Tailing 95%
Swimming 94%
Intelligence 90%
Detect Ambush 70%
Detect Concealment 70%
Pilot Boats: Sail Types 88%
Pilot Hovercraft 86%
Pilot Hovercycle 80%
Horsemanship: Exotic Animals 84%
Wrestling
Boxing
Singing 60%
Dancing 80%
Floral Arrangement 90%
Blending 30%(+5% per level of experience)(see Rifts Australia or Game Master Guide for this skill)
Camouflage 40%(+5% per level of experience)
Trap & Mine Detection 40%(+5% per level of experience)
Lore: Demons and Monsters(+15%)
Rope Works 90%
Hojo-Jutsu (Binding) 60%(+10%)
( All W.P.s start at 8th level proficiency)
W.P. Blunt
W.P. Knife
W.P. Sword
W.P. Paired Weapons
W.P. Energy (all)
W.P. Staff
W.P. Spear
W.P. Archery
W.P. Chain
W.P. Shield
They are also +20% to any Wilderness skills they elect to pick up naturally.

Cadejar also speak a fictitious language blended of Nahuatl, Dragonese, Spanish, and French(Creole)(a speaker of any of those languages has perhaps a 15% chance of figuring out anything of meaning hearing it). They can understand/speak and read over 30 different terrestrial languages(all at 92%), including Gobbley(92%), Splugorth(80%), and Demongogian(80%).

As advanced Neural Intelligences, they also get an additional 2 secondary skills at levels 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, and 15. As Awakened Ecotroz they get an additional 1d4 secondary skills on top of that.

Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 8
Note: Bonuses are in addition to those possible from elective training
A typical Cadejar will have the following combat bonuses:
+3 Initiative
+5 Strike(+4 Strike w/ Ranged Weapons)
+6 Dodge
+6 Parry
+6 Disarm
+5 Entangle
+5 Pull Punch
+4 Roll
Critical Strike on a Natural 18-20
Knockout/Stun on a Natural 18-20
Paired Weapons
Judo Throw/Flip
Controlled “Soft” Bite/Nip –2d6 SDC
Bite 3d6 MD
Restrained Punch 1d4 MD
Full Strength Punch 1d6 MD
Power Punch(2 attacks) 2d6 MD
Kick 2d4 MD
Leap Kick(2 attacks) 2d8 MD
Tail Restrained Slap 1d6 SDC
Tail Punch/Lash 1d4 MD
Tail Crush/Squeeze 2d4 MD


Ecotroz-‘Awakened’ Cadejar have all the traits and psionic abilities of regular Awakened Shemarrians.

Notable Weapons/Equipment
*Jewel-Scale Armor
This resembles the standard scale-armor, only made of crystalline scales; lasers do HALF damage to it.

*Plumed Helmet
This is very gaudily decorated plumed headdress that actually conceals extra sensory gear---A radar detector, enhanced motion detection(300 ft range), and projectile backtracker(the last allows for backtracking the origin point of incoming projectiles with 75% accuracy; important when fighting in a cover-rich environment like forest or jungle).

*Tribal Banner
This is a back banner or tribal icon worn on a pole or plank strapped to the wearer’s back. In reality it’s a small radar set with an 18 mile range and a long range radio transmitter(300 mile range). These sets are typically worn/entrusted to Tribe members trained in appropriate communications and electronic warfare/sensory skills as ‘listeners’. Bannermen-listeners have recently been seen accompanied by tribesmen trained in the use of ‘wing-breaker arrows’- manportable antiaircraft missiles.

*Soma Flowers
These are garlands of pretty(but synthetic) blossoms that are draped around, or fastened to, a captive’s neck, and deliver slow-release skin-absorption or inhaled sedative drugs that will keep most mammalian humanoids fuzzily docilated. Roll versus non-lethal poison or be at HALF initiative, strike, dodge, and parry, and reduce Speed by 50%(roll under P.P. for every 50 ft traveled to avoid stumbling and falling---lose initiative and 1 APM getting back up), plus -15% to skill performance. The person feels lethargic and disoriented. A typical soma-garland is good for 24 hours of docilation. Specific drug-blooms are available for different species.

*Soma Crown
This looks like a circlet or crown of crystalline flowers that sits on the wearer’s head like pretty decoration, but is really an incredibly sophisticated device that uses a combination of strong localized magnetic fields and TW energies to manipulate the wearer’s brainwaves, similar to a Trance spell. The Crown takes 1d6 melees to send nanothread probes into the subject’s scalp and run through an automated calibration sequence to maximize its effect before taking over. The victim must save versus mind control or be rendered into a mental zombie state; dazed, confused, and easily susceptible to suggestion. Like the spell, the entranced cannot engage in violent action, or anything against their alignment, but will follow simple commands. Physical attributes will be at HALF normal while under the influence of the device.
The Crown can be turned off with a simple command from its handler, or it can be forcibly removed, doing 1d4 SDC from the sudden withdrawal of its nanoprobes from the victim’s scalp. The victim will be still dazed for 1d6 minutes afterwards.

*Stun/Shock/Trap-Flowers
In a case of the Sapphire Cobras either misinterpreting historical data, or deliberately having fun with it, Cadejar’flower warriors’ frequently carry special flowers, blue or white in color, that they throw, with the assistance of atlatls, like grenades. The flowers, which are really made of special quick-burning explosive gels, act like flash-bang or shock munitions. Others unfold into sticky nets, entrapping targets.
Range: (Thrown) Typically 100 ft. The atlatl adds +150 ft to throws
Damage: (Flash-Bang) Those without protective goggles or environmental body armor will be -10 to strike, parry, and dodge, -1 to initiative, and lose 1 APM for the next 1d4 melees. Even those with protection will be -1 to initiative that melee. Effect radius of 15 ft.
(Shock) 2d6 SDC to a 5 ft radius, and targets must save at 17 or better, or be stunned/knocked out for 1d4 minutes.
(Net)Net covers a 6 ft area and holds with a strength of P.S. 30. Takes 2d4 melee actions/attacks to untangle self(half that for creatures with supernatural PS of 30 or higher)...in the meantime, the victim CANNOT strike or parry, is -2 to dodge, and reduce speed by 90%

*Shatter-Tooth Club---This looks like the traditional Aztec obsidian-lined war club, only it is implanted with plasma blast contacts instead. It is powered by induction in the hands of an Shemarrian android or cyborg.
MDC: 65
Range: Melee
Damage: 2d6 MD +P.S. damage

*Orchid-Flail(aka ‘Rose-Hydra’)---This is a goupillon flail, only instead of the four chains ending in spiked balls, they end in metal flower blossoms. Each flower-head conceals a contact blast-stud; on contact these unleash a powerful plasmic shock blast. The Orchid-Flail is powered by induction by the android/cyborg holding it.
MDC: 55
Range: Melee
Damage: Roll 1d4 for how many flail heads actually hit the target. Each does 1d8 MD.
Un-powered, the flail does 4d6 SDC +P.S. damage

*Quizator Warclub----This blunt-force weapon has a large spherical head on a smoothly curved haft, all apparently carved from ebony or some other hardwood. Its resemblance to a question mark led to it being dubbed the ‘quizator’ by Wayfinder observers. In reality, the seemingly solid warclub is actually a high-tech stun weapon(giving another reason it’s named for ‘quiz’, as many victims of this weapon wind up asking ‘what the hell happened to me?’).
MDC: 70
Range: Melee
Damage: !d6(SDC or MDC)+Robotic P.S. damage.
Save at 16 or higher or be rendered unconscious for 2d6 minutes
Held on or near the spine, unconsciousness is less likely, but on a failed save, the person will be paralyzed and benumbed from below the point of contact. Even on a save, the person will -8 to initiative, strike, parry, dodge, and roll for 2d4 melees. Does NOT work through body armor.
Save: Standard; 16 or higher
(Memory Loss)
In addition to the above, people hit with a stun shot can make a second roll to see if they suffer short term memory loss, succeeding at 16 or better. Failure means that the victim loses 1d4 minutes of memory of what happened around the time the stun was applied.

[taalismn]

*Gremwrench(BlackSteel-corrupted A-49 Combat Robot)
(aka ‘Gremwrencher’, ‘Monkey-wrench’, ‘Mister Bad-Wrench’)

“The electrical barrier might have held off those beasts just about forever if somebody hadn’t sabotaged the generators! That much was obvious; it was deliberate that the power failed! And when the power failed, the monsters broke through...and our village was lost. I don’t know if you can counts the few of us who remain as the lucky ones, because we carry the burden of knowing we were hit from the outside and the inside. The one weak point in our defense and those bastards zeroed in on it...”
---Account of a survivor of the destruction of Kopeland Village

The Gremwrench is a BlackSteel-corrupted A-49 Combat Robot. Although the James T.-designed A-49 had long been superseded in ARCHIE-3’s view by the much more visually impacting and capable A-63, the type was still retained as a reserve second-echelon defender, and increasingly repurposed as a general labor ‘bot. The logistical demands of the Shemarrian Civil War forced a greater number of the old ‘bots back into front-line service, and ARCHIE-3 assigned a large number to expand and protect his satellite factory complexes. Those assigned to Factory/Temple-5 fall victim to the BlackSteel corruption afflicting the factory and are infected and distorted, becoming Gremwrenches in the process.
Gremwrenches resemble their previous baseline forms except that they look rusted and scabrous, covered in blistered paint and rust spots. Closer examination, however, will show that their finger manipulators are much longer and more attenuated, almost tendrils in their flexibility. It is these extremely dexterous hands that give some hint of the Gremwrenchers’ new roles.
It is not known if the technical expertise exhibited by the Gremwrenchers is part of ARCHIE-3’s original effort to convert the A-49 into something more useful, or if it is a diabolical inspiration of the BlackSteel, but the rather pedestrian A-49 has now become a saboteur (near)extraordinaire.
Even if the original A-49s were NOT neural intelligences, their BlackSteel corrupted forms seem to have acquired a base-emotion attitude; despite (or perhaps BECAUSE) being slightly more intelligent and more technically proficient than other corrupted robot types, they seem to realize that they’re second-class machinery considered obsolete(they don’t even get supernatural strength!) and they’re bitter about it. Gremwrenches act sullen and petty, and rather than rebel will take out their frustration at being yesterday’s technology by sabotaging other folks’ technology. Masters of any trade they aren’t, though they have gotten pretty good at monkeywrenching just about anything they can get their manipulators on. Unattended equipment they come across will be tampered with, even bridges and municipal structures they happen upon will have screws undone, nails pulled out, wires disconnected, cables loosened, joists sawed through, and bolts loosened. Ideally, the ‘bots will attempt to sabotage things such that their tampering is not IMMEDIATELY obvious, but will fail at a critical time, like when a vehicle’s crew are trying to brake in a high speed turn, or a crew-served weapon’s operators are bringing it to bear on a target.
Gremwrenches CAN speak, but their voices are fixed-tonal, ‘raspy, ‘rusty robot’, and their vocabulary isn’t much better than the average Skelebot or Northern Gun labor robot, which seems to further frustrate the BlackSteel ‘bots, who would likely LOVE to taunt opponents and ‘lessers’. They DO have built-in amplifiers for alarm sirens and warning klaxons, that can produce effects ranging from startling others, to just annoying them.
When encountered as part of a BlackSteel group, Gremwrenches will attempt to avoid combat if they can, leaving the fighting to the other ‘bots. Instead they’ll try to remain unobserved, sneak around the back, and get access to any equipment the opposition leaves unattended, and sabotage it. This can be gross vandalism, like dismantling a car or hovercycle and leaving the parts strewn about, or it can take a more subtle form, like disconnecting a hoverjet’s wiring and closing it back up, loosening the tire lugs on an ATV, or cutting the brake lines on a truck. Medical kits may find their nanite doses all expended into the ground, water filters spiked with poisons, vehicle life support systems gimmicked to catch fire or deliver dangerous fumes, weapons e-clip ports jammed, and radio settings altered. Gremwrenches present a real threat to a community’s technological infrastructure if they’re allowed to run loose and vandalize important services like communications, power grids, and gas lines.

Type: BlackSteel Abomination---Gremwrench
Class: Robot
Crew: Corrupted Robot Intelligence
M.D.C. By Location:
Hands(2) 15 each
Arms(2) 40 each
Legs(2) 80 each
Head 50
Main Body 200
Height: 6 ft
Width: 2.4 ft
Length: 2 ft
Weight: 500 lbs.
Power System: Nuclear(?)
Physical Attributes: Equal to Robotic PS. 28, PP. 18, IQ 18.
Cargo: None
Speed:
Running: 90 MPH
Jumping: 10 ft up/across, DOUBLE that with a running start in excess of 40 MPH.
Flying: Only via jetpack. Those that do get their manipulators on working jetpacks seem to like using them to bypass defenders and drop in on vulnerable rear-echelon locations like motorpools and utilities.
Underwater: Can swim at roughly 5 MPH, or run along the bottom at 20 MPH. Estimated depth limit of 800 ft. Gremwrenches seem to HATE underwater operations, sabotaging underwater phone lines and water systems, despite(or because) they they are constantly being ordered into the water.
Market Cost: EXCLUSIVE to the BlackSteel Citadel
Systems of Note:
Standard Robot Sensory Systems:
*Basic, Low-Light/Night Vision(2,000 ft range), Infrared, Thermo-Imaging(2,000 ft range), telescopic (6,000 ft)and Magnification(x60) Optics.
*Amplified Hearing(can hear noises as low as 10 decibels at 500 ft), plus ultrasonic band hearing.
*Laser Targeting
*Motion Detector----100 ft range; 45-degree arc in front of the head
*Molecular Analyzer---Can track by scent 80%, and recognize specific scents 84%.
*360-degree Waist Rotation

Tool Hands--Each hand is the equivalent of a cyborg Tool Hand, with a fingerjack, screwdriver tip, mini-pliers, and a laser cutter that has a 6 ft range, and does 1d6x10 SDC, 1 MD, 1d4 MD, or 1d6 MD.

*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+100 to immediate vicinity, and 1d4x10 MD to a 10 ft radius). Any remains will be a black slag-like material that slowly evaporates away with the taint of evil.

*Mundane Appearance-----Gremwrenches are notable among their other BlackSteel spawn for NOT being exceptionally hideous or having a Horror Factor. Because they look so mundane and lack the general aura of ‘not right’ that other BlackSteel spawn visibly exude, Gremwrenches are sometimes passed off as old utility robots by BlackSteel cultists(an unwelcome addition to the entity’s arsenal), evil-aligned dealers, or other BlackSteel ‘bots in disguise. This tactic gives them the opportunity to be snuck in close to sensitive areas like warehouses, factories, and power grid installations. Only a close physical examination and magic/psionic powers like See Aura or Detect Evil will reveal anything amiss about the ‘bots.

BlackSteel Traits:
*Acidic Ichor---If destroyed, Gremwrenchers leak a corrosive ichor not unlike powerful battery acid. This makes destroying the ‘bots near sensitive equipment a risky undertaking. Typically a destroyed Gremwrencher will splatter in a 4d6 ft radius, its fluids doing 1d6 MD per melee for 1d6 melees. Immediately dosing the splatter with a powerful base substance, or diluting it with copious amounts of water will stop or slow the damage.

Vulnerabilities:
*Silver---Silver weaponry does DOUBLE damage to BlackSteel creations. If a called shot of 20+ (modified) strikes the skull or chest area 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).
*Holy Magic---Attacking with Holy Magic will cause the normal materials of the ‘bot to expel the BlackSteel. The ‘bot will still fight on using its original programming, but it will lose its viciousness and malevolent cunning(reduce initiative by HALF), and BlackSteel properties, and all other aspects of its operation remain unchanged. However, the expelled BlackSteel will remain a threat if picked up and incorporated into other machines.

Weapons Systems:
1) Handheld Weaponry----Like the original A-49, the Gremwrencher has NO integral weapons, another thing which seems to gaul them. They are reliant on what they can pick up and scrounge.

Programming/Skills:
Retains the same skills as the baseline A-49:
Pilot: Automobiles, Trucks, Motorcycle, hovercycle, all at 98%
Pilot: Jetpack, Tanks & APCs, Helicopter, Combat Helicopter, Airplane, all at 90%
Radio: Basic 98%
Math: Basic 90%
Computer Operation 90%
Swim 94%
Land Navigation 94%
Climb 96%/86%
Wilderness Survival 94%
Swimming 94%
Intelligence 90%
Detect Ambush 60%
Detect Concealment 60%
Palming 80%
Pick Locks 95%
W.P. Blunt
W.P. Knife
W.P. Sword
W.P. Paired Weapons
W.P. Energy (all)

Demolitions & Demolitions Disposal 95%
Demolitions: Underwater 90%
Basic Repair and Maintenance 90%
Basic Electronics 90%
Automotive Mechanics 90%
Basic Mechanics 90%
Vehicle Armorer 90%
Weapons Engineer 60%
The Gremwrencher can use these skill proficiencies to determine how best to sabotage equipment without outright destroying it. A successful roll means the apparatus in question has been sabotaged. A second role can be taken to determine if the sabotage is immediately noticeable by others(may add Perception bonuses if you us them).


Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 6
Initiative +2
Dodge +4
Parry +4
Strike +3 (+4 w/ ranged weaponry)
Roll +2
Pull Punch +2
Disarm +2
Critical Strike on a Natural 18-20
Paired Weapons
Restrained Punch 1d4 MD
Full Strength Punch 1d6 MD
Power Punch(2 attacks) 2d6 MD
Kick 2d4 MD
Body Block 1d4 MD
Judo Throw 6d6 +6 SDC

[taalismn]

The Cadejar gets some illos:
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/img782_zpshheqhtr8.jpg
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/img783%202%20copy_zpshvwfjkyw.jpg
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/Cadejar-1%20copy_zpsb8ch6sot.jpg
(yeah, I liked doing them because they get to be so colorful )

[kronos]

The Cadejar gets some illos:
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/img782_zpshheqhtr8.jpg
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/img783%202%20copy_zpshvwfjkyw.jpg
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/Cadejar-1%20copy_zpsb8ch6sot.jpg
(yeah, I liked doing them because they get to be so colorful )

Nice new additions!

[taalismn]

Thanks....
To come from the BlackSteel:
The Infectus(basic 'bot is easy enough, have to come up with some new nanite 'diseases' and disorders)
The Hag-Rider---The main attack is statted out, now I just have to transcribe and mutate the rest of the bastard, and toss in any accessory systems.
WarLustress---Taking my time on this devil-#### because she's supposed to be Major Badass Evil, but I don't want to just pile on bonuses until her knees pop, or to create a robotic version of the Xenomorph Queen.

The Sapphire Cobras will also get some new toys and transforms(or, whatever will they do with all those prisoners the Cadejar haul in?)

And I'll work on returning to/finishing up some older Elites and Warmounts.

[DhAkael]

-snrk-
I'll send you a copy of the audio logs when my players encounter the second gen Blacksteel spawn in-game.
Though you may want to set your equalizer levels a bit so you don't blow your ears drums with the squeals of horror and rage as their PC's get curb-stomped.
over-confidence is a sickness that hits all players in RPG's at one time or another; always good to put them in their place once in a while.

[taalismn]

-snrk-
I'll send you a copy of the audio logs when my players encounter the second gen Blacksteel spawn in-game.
Though you may want to set your equalizer levels a bit so you don't blow your ears drums with the squeals of horror and rage as their PC's get curb-stomped.
over-confidence is a sickness that hits all players in RPG's at one time or another; always good to put them in their place once in a while.

You'll note that I made mention, in the description of the Gremwrencher....BlackSteel CULTISTS...now, I could pass it all off as just a typo, vague fluff gaff...but then again, that idea is rife with nastiness...Why worship something that brings agony to living things it touches? Well, you gotta be pretty well messed up to worship something that wants to kill you.
Then again, if you've ever read the Theodore Sturgeon story 'Killdozer' about a bulldozer that gets possessed by a murderous alien entity, one of the workers getting hunted by it goes nuts and begins bargaining with it.
Hmmm...such cultists might not amount to much overall(I mean, unless the BlackSteel deliberately misleads them, what can it offer them? A place as lubricant in its works?), but they might be able to do nastiness like putting BlackSteel in the works of other non-Shemarrian factories and whatnot(being careful not to touch the stuff with their own flesh).

[kronos]

-snrk-
I'll send you a copy of the audio logs when my players encounter the second gen Blacksteel spawn in-game.
Though you may want to set your equalizer levels a bit so you don't blow your ears drums with the squeals of horror and rage as their PC's get curb-stomped.
over-confidence is a sickness that hits all players in RPG's at one time or another; always good to put them in their place once in a while.

You'll note that I made mention, in the description of the Gremwrencher....BlackSteel CULTISTS...now, I could pass it all off as just a typo, vague fluff gaff...but then again, that idea is rife with nastiness...Why worship something that brings agony to living things it touches? Well, you gotta be pretty well messed up to worship something that wants to kill you.
Then again, if you've ever read the Theodore Sturgeon story 'Killdozer' about a bulldozer that gets possessed by a murderous alien entity, one of the workers getting hunted by it goes nuts and begins bargaining with it.
Hmmm...such cultists might not amount to much overall(I mean, unless the BlackSteel deliberately misleads them, what can it offer them? A place as lubricant in its works?), but they might be able to do nastiness like putting BlackSteel in the works of other non-Shemarrian factories and whatnot(being careful not to touch the stuff with their own flesh).

It's like why do people worship demons and the like.. they're more likely to kill them as reward them.. Maybe the BlackSteel finds those who are crippled, disenfranchised.. especially Tolkeen refugees.. offers them power (a weapon to use against the Coalition..), weapons.. a means at striking back at those who were mean by them. ooooh.. Now we gotta come up with just what could the BlackSteel do with cyborgs? I'm sure the original citadel had the equipment to produce cybernetics, and I'm sure the BlackSteel can find "volunteers" to "practice" on.

[89er]

Finally getting around to writing up the draft for the Gunkyard and Burblewrack, should be seen to taalismn by week's end for editing.

Would the greater Eshemar community take part in taking care of young August since he is technically a citizen/asset/hazardous individual/cuddle bait. As Gavin Bradbury would tell his son "Your mother's side is very large and diverse, compassionate is debatable but always make time for someone like you."

I'll look into expanding the Enblightened as a creditable threat, along with the idea of a group of experimental soulcrafters stumbling upon an adolescent black obelisk the size of a shipping container.

[DhAkael]

-snrk-
I'll send you a copy of the audio logs when my players encounter the second gen Blacksteel spawn in-game.
Though you may want to set your equalizer levels a bit so you don't blow your ears drums with the squeals of horror and rage as their PC's get curb-stomped.
over-confidence is a sickness that hits all players in RPG's at one time or another; always good to put them in their place once in a while.

You'll note that I made mention, in the description of the Gremwrencher....BlackSteel CULTISTS...now, I could pass it all off as just a typo, vague fluff gaff...but then again, that idea is rife with nastiness...Why worship something that brings agony to living things it touches? Well, you gotta be pretty well messed up to worship something that wants to kill you.
Then again, if you've ever read the Theodore Sturgeon story 'Killdozer' about a bulldozer that gets possessed by a murderous alien entity, one of the workers getting hunted by it goes nuts and begins bargaining with it.
Hmmm...such cultists might not amount to much overall(I mean, unless the BlackSteel deliberately misleads them, what can it offer them? A place as lubricant in its works?), but they might be able to do nastiness like putting BlackSteel in the works of other non-Shemarrian factories and whatnot(being careful not to touch the stuff with their own flesh).

It's like why do people worship demons and the like.. they're more likely to kill them as reward them.. Maybe the BlackSteel finds those who are crippled, disenfranchised.. especially Tolkeen refugees.. offers them power (a weapon to use against the Coalition..), weapons.. a means at striking back at those who were mean by them. ooooh.. Now we gotta come up with just what could the BlackSteel do with cyborgs? I'm sure the original citadel had the equipment to produce cybernetics, and I'm sure the BlackSteel can find "volunteers" to "practice" on.

Yeppers. After all the power BEHIND the power is quite intelligent. Think 'The One Ring' except as raw material that is cast into MANY things.
And yes, cyborgs would basicaly fall into the same sort of suckers as those merc's who use 'Angar Robotics' suits.

[kronos]

-snrk-
I'll send you a copy of the audio logs when my players encounter the second gen Blacksteel spawn in-game.
Though you may want to set your equalizer levels a bit so you don't blow your ears drums with the squeals of horror and rage as their PC's get curb-stomped.
over-confidence is a sickness that hits all players in RPG's at one time or another; always good to put them in their place once in a while.

You'll note that I made mention, in the description of the Gremwrencher....BlackSteel CULTISTS...now, I could pass it all off as just a typo, vague fluff gaff...but then again, that idea is rife with nastiness...Why worship something that brings agony to living things it touches? Well, you gotta be pretty well messed up to worship something that wants to kill you.
Then again, if you've ever read the Theodore Sturgeon story 'Killdozer' about a bulldozer that gets possessed by a murderous alien entity, one of the workers getting hunted by it goes nuts and begins bargaining with it.
Hmmm...such cultists might not amount to much overall(I mean, unless the BlackSteel deliberately misleads them, what can it offer them? A place as lubricant in its works?), but they might be able to do nastiness like putting BlackSteel in the works of other non-Shemarrian factories and whatnot(being careful not to touch the stuff with their own flesh).

It's like why do people worship demons and the like.. they're more likely to kill them as reward them.. Maybe the BlackSteel finds those who are crippled, disenfranchised.. especially Tolkeen refugees.. offers them power (a weapon to use against the Coalition..), weapons.. a means at striking back at those who were mean by them. ooooh.. Now we gotta come up with just what could the BlackSteel do with cyborgs? I'm sure the original citadel had the equipment to produce cybernetics, and I'm sure the BlackSteel can find "volunteers" to "practice" on.

Yeppers. After all the power BEHIND the power is quite intelligent. Think 'The One Ring' except as raw material that is cast into MANY things.
And yes, cyborgs would basicaly fall into the same sort of suckers as those merc's who use 'Angar Robotics' suits.

We're gonna need a table of things that happens when BlackSteel starts to corrupt robots, power armour, mechs and cybernetics..
And I'm gonna need to update the BlackSteel page (started with the Night-Shredder so far)..

Most common trait we have with BlackSteel, besides the vulnerabilities to silver and holy magic is a Horror Factor of at least 11, and it's "stealth" armour with the organic look that is just plain hard to look at and lock on to, except the Gremwrenches.
And the black lasers do extra damage to organics.

[taalismn]

[
We're gonna need a table of things that happens when BlackSteel starts to corrupt robots, power armour, mechs and cybernetics..
And I'm gonna need to update the BlackSteel page (started with the Night-Shredder so far)..

Most common trait we have with BlackSteel, besides the vulnerabilities to silver and holy magic is a Horror Factor of at least 11, and it's "stealth" armour with the organic look that is just plain hard to look at and lock on to, except the Gremwrenches.
And the black lasers do extra damage to organics.

We've had so long to evolve tricks for the EShemar....and not so long for the BlackSteel.
That having been said, though, I think it fair that the BlackSteel seeks to pervert stuff it gets incorporated into to some horrific effect. It might not be much, but it's that extra little nasty twist that makes it more than just 'rogue robot'.


*89er! We missed you! I'm glad to see you haven't fallen off the planet!
And I'll be looking forward to those Warmounts!


And here's a new Warmount!

EcoS-K-105 ‘Gretcher’ Warmount
(aka ‘Gun-Urchin’, ‘Gunion’)
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/gretcher_zpsalmejgup.jpg

“We should probably quit sending our soldier drones against those Shemarrians. Apparently all we’re really doing is giving them a steady source of additional ammunition.”

In many ways, the Gretcher can be considered to be a upscaled variant of the EcoS-KG47 Hurga Robotic Animal Drone in that the Gretcher is a mobile, self-reloading, projectile cannon. The Gretcher was developed by the Wayfinder Tribe, as a complementary unit to their long range exploration patrols; having a fire support Warmount that could produce its own ammunition was considered a good idea from the point of reducing logistical needs.
The Gretcher has a dome-like body carried on four large arched legs, placed equidistant around the rim of its body-shell. Central to the main body is a large projectile cannon mount, that has a full 360-degree arc of fire. The projectile gun is fed from spiral magazines under the skin of the main dome-body. These magazines, in turn, are fed from a modified nanofactory system adjacent to the nanite regeneration system. By ‘eating’ megadamage materials, the Gretcher can not only repair itself, but it can produce solid ammunition for its main weapon.
Backing the main projectile gun are four ‘knee-mount’ ball-turrets, each holding powerful pulse lasers. These weapons are mounted for all-around arcs of fire, protecting the Gretcher from being flanked and surrounded. Each leg mounts a set of powerful claws, as well, for shredding any opponent foolish enough to venture too close to the Gretcher, seeking to grapple.
The Gretcher is mounted either via a saddle on its small head or, more commonly, by the gunnery station on the main weapon. The top ‘gunner’ has the advantage of being partially protected by a large gun shield on the upper weapon mount.
The Gretcher shares symmetrical layout with another Wayfinder Warmount, the EcoS-K-81 Enigmoid; the Gretcher is equally at ease running backwards and sideways as it is in the direction of its head. Placement of less obvious sensor nodes around the main body give the Gretcher particularly acute peripheral senses, and destroying the warmount’s obvious head does little to curtail the Gretcher’s ability to sense its surroundings. The head itself is little more than a feeding appendage flanked by two tentacles, though it does have sensors, allowing it to be used to look around corners or into small spaces.
One of the Gretcher’s less obvious abilities is the capability of upping its armor via storage of extra solid ammunition. Surplus ammunition production can be attached to the outer body as appliqué armor. Of course, this requires the rider and any additional crewmembers to handle this, as the Gretcher is not adroit enough to armor itself in this manner.
The Gretcher was first deployed with Wayfinder land expeditionary forces because both its ability to produce ammunition and its all-around symmetrical sensory coverage endeared it to scout units. Because of its reliance on a large projectile weapon, the Gretcher also almost immediately caught the attention of the Skullcrushers, who successfully petitioned for the design templates. Soon afterwards, both the Radiant Edge and Clan Armorand fringe tribes, both of whom are known to scavenge battlefields for extra materials, sought Wayfinder permission to acquire the Gretcher.

Type: EcoS-K-105 ‘Gretcher’
Class: Robotic Warmount
Crew: None; robot intelligence
1 rider/pilot, and room for 1 passenger/pilot if a head saddle is used
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 480
Head 90
Main Gun 160
Gun Shield 150*
Sensor Nodes(4) 40 each
Tentacles(5) 75 each
Leg Turrets(4) 60 each
Legs(4) 200 each

*The gun shield offers partial cover to the rider, and attempts to target the rider are at -5 to strike.

Height: 12 ft
Width: 15 ft, legs can extend out to 35 ft
Length: 15 ft, legs can extend out to 35 ft
Weight: 7.5 tons
Cargo: Small space inside/beside the saddle-seat for a few personal possessions and sidearms.
Physical Strength: Equivalent to Robotic P.S. of 30
Powerplant: Nuclear w/ 20 year energy life
Speed: (Running) 90 MPH
(Leaping) Excellent leaper; 30 ft high/50 ft across standing jump
(Flying) Not possible
(Space) Not possible
(Underwater) Limited to running along the bottom at 20 MPH. Maximum depth of 1,000 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( 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 Gretcher 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 100 MDC before needing material stocks to convert to MD repair material.

*Nanofactory---Attached to the Cybernanite Repair System, this apparatus uses excess ingested MD material(or diverts it from the regeneration-repair systems) and shapes it into projectiles for the main massdriver. The size of the manufactory limits it to producing only SOLID munitions, but within that limitation it can produce armor-piercing dense-core solid shot or pre-fragmented casing antipersonnel rounds.
The Gretcher can also machine different sizes of rail gun ammunition and supply excess production to accompanying units.
-Fragmentation Rounds can be produced at a rate/ratio of ingested 40 MDC for every 5 rounds, and takes 30 minutes
-Armor-Piercing Solid Slugs take 50 MDC for every 5 rounds and 30 minutes.
-Scava(standard Shemarrian rail gun) ammunition can be produced at a rate of 45 MDC per 10 rds and 30 minutes
-BoomGun ammunition takes 50 MDC per 10 rds and 45 minutes
-Scava-sutek(NEMA R-670 “Lightning” Rail Gun, produced as the EShe-NRG670 )- 40 MDC per 10 rds and 30 minutes
-Scava-shron(NEMA R-660 “Striker” Rail Gun, produced as the EShe-NRG660)- 35 MDC per 10 rds and 30 minutes
-NG/CS Rail Gun Ammunition-30 MDC per 10 rds and 30 minutes
-‘Light’ Rail Gun Ammunition- 20 MDC per 10 rds and 30 minutes
Note: It takes about 45 minutes to shift between producing different ammunition types.

*Ammunition Armor----The Gretcher can up-armor itself with its own ammunition. The design of the internal magazines means that the stacked ready-to-fire ammunition jackets the internal core ‘organs’ of the Gretcher, in much the same way as old pre-petroleum warships used their own coal bunkers to provide additional protection to their steam engines.
Every 10 rounds of fragmentation gives the Gretcher an extra 3 MDC, and every 10 rounds of solid armor-piercing shot gives 4 MDC (Note: though each projectile typically has 1d6 MD, their size means that each individual round doesn’t give much in the way of protective coverage).
In the alternative, surplus ammunition can be mounted EXTERNALLY as well, with clips of solid ammunition attached to the outside of the main body(like ‘tread armor’). However, these extra rounds must be manually removed from the Gretcher’s internal works and attached by hand. Similarly, unless they are somehow detached from the main body and fall where the Gretcher can re-assimilate them, the appliqué armor-rounds must be manually detached and fed into the internal magazines before they can be used by the main gun; the Gretcher has no way of automatically pulling them in from the outside.


Weapons Systems:
1) Massdriver Cannon(1)---Mounted in a central turret atop the main body is a powerful rail gun, manned by the pilot/rider, who sits in the powered turret behind a gun shield. The cannon has a full 360-degree arc of fire, 90 degree elevation, and 30 degree depression. The cannon fires either solid slugs or fragmentation rounds.
Range: (Armor Piercing Slug) 12,000 ft
(Fragmentation) 10,000 ft
Damage:(Armor Piercing Slug) 3d6x10 MD
(Fragmentation) 4d6 MD to a 20 ft blast radius
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Conditionally Unlimited; carries 600 rounds internally. Can carry up to 700 rounds externally, strapped to the outer skin.

2) Leg Turrets(4)---Each leg sports a bulbous ball-turret with a laser weapon just next to the knee joint. The laser can fire blasts or ‘scatter shot’ pulse-bursts. Their mounting provides all-around active protection.
Range:(Beam) 2,000 ft
(Spray) 1,000 ft
Damage:(Beam) 4d6+6 MD single shot, 2d4x10+10 MD triple-shot burst
(Spray)) 3d6 MD to an 10 ft-wide area
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

3) (Optional) Modular Weapons(2)---The Gretcher has provision for mounting TWO weapons similar to those standard to the Monstrex, only on the main gun mount’s sides.

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 Gretcher 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 +3
Strike +3 (+4 w/ ranged weaponry)
Parry +6
Roll +3
Pull +4
Bite 1d6 MD
Kick 1d8 MD
Claw 2d6 MD
Power Claw(2 attacks) 3d6MD
Tentacle Lash 1d8 MD
Tentacle Crush/Squeeze 2d4 MD
Leap Attack(2 attacks) 5d6 MD

Note: The Ecotroz intelligence fragment inhabiting the ‘bot gives the Gretcher an aura and behavior more befitting a sentient being than a robot. Gretchers convey the sense of being opportunistic omnivores, and will happily scavenge corpses/kills/wreckage or graze on debris with equal enthusiasm. Some become real disciplinary problems, stealing bites out of armor on vehicles, or megadamage siding on buildings and other structures. In combat they are acutely perceptive, agily dancing out of the way of attacks.

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:
*Replacement Main Gun---Replacing the main massdriver armament with an alternate weapon would seem obvious, but few Wayfinders like the idea of cutting up the core concept weapons system of the Gretcher. However, it is known to happen that when the Gretcher’s main gun has been destroyed and a replacement not readily available, Tinkers have substituted other weapons in its place, sometimes able to leave the ammo manufactory working to produce rounds for other units in the party. This substitution tends to happen most often in Skullcrusher units(given their hard-charging combat style), who most commonly mount a Skullshatter cannon, and Clan Armorand(who don’t always have Shemarrian-standard weaponry available for repairs).

Variants:
*EcoS-K-105Wf(TW)---The Wayfinders have been experimenting with using technowizardry to modify and improve upon the Gretcher. Besides magical protections, the Wayfinders have also been looking at ways to use spells to enhance the main armament.
The EcoS-K-105Wf carries a ‘Wizard’-class powerstone/PPE generator----400 PPE battery capacity; recharges at 14 PPE per hour, 50 PPE/hour at a leyline, 100 PPE/hour on a nexus.
TW Features:
*Armor of Ithan---100 MDC, duration 40 melees(10 minutes). Activation PPE/ISP: 15PPE/25 ISP

*Impervious to Energy---( 5 minutes per 20 PPE)

*Wall of Clay---Can raise an earthern barrier roughly 60 ft away, with an 80x80x40 ft area and 500 SDC or 100 MDC for 40 minutes at a cost of 4 PPE.

*Wall of Stone---Can raise a barrier of stone roughly 60 ft away, with an 80x80x40 ft area and 2,500 SDC or 500 MDC for 40 minutes at a cost of 8 PPE.

TW Ammunition Enhancements:
*Silverize---This magically coats the shells, either type, with a layer of silver, giving the munition extra damaging power against targets vulnerable to the supernatural. Cost: 10 PPE per shell.

*Starburst---This causes the shell(either type) to burst on impact into an intense fireworks-like blast of light and chaos. Adds +3d6 MD to the strike, and those without eye protection will be temporarily blinded(-10 to strike, parry, dodge,a nd other combat moves) for 1 melee round afterwards. Vampires take an additional 1d6 points of damage, and are blinded for twice as long. Cost: 6 PPE per shell.

*Sonic Blast---This enchants the shell to release an extremely powerful sonic blast that affects a 20 ft radius from the point of impact(or 10 additional ft beyond the fragmentation round’s radius). It does an additional 4d6 MD and victims in the area of effect must save versus magic, or will be temporarily deafened and discombobulated by the vibratory blast; lose 2 APMs, -8 initiative, -3 to strike, parry. amd dodge, and -25% on skill performance, for 2d4 minutes. Also there’s a 40% chance of being knocked off one’’s feet (lose another APM for that initial melee). Cost: 13 PPE per shell.

*Fireballs---This spell enhancement wraps the shell(usually the fragmentation round) in a corona of magically-conjured plasma that does an additional 6d6 MD to damage, and has a 70% chance of setting combustible materials on fire. Cost: 10 PPE per shell.

*Hellfire---Similar to the Fireball enhancement, only the spell adds +2d6 MD to damage to normal(mundane) targets, but does an additional 1d6x10 MD to demons, deevils, and other similar Infernals. Even Infernals normally impervious to fire take HALF damage from this attack. Cost: 33 PPE for a full MELEE of damage enhancement.

*Ten Foot Ball of Ice----This uses a solid shot as the nucleus of a giant ice ball that forms after the projectile has left the barrel. Has the same range as the solid shot, but adds 2d6 MD on impact, then explodes, 60 ft blast radius, shedding hundreds of icy shards. 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 1d4x10 shards. Ships and targets 50 ft and larger will get hit by 2d4x10 shards. Victims must save versus magic or suffer debilitating numbness; -1 APM, -2 initiative, -1 strike/parry/dodge, and speed is reduced by 10%. Effects last 1d4 minutes, and are NOT cumulative. The Ice Ball has 70 MDC. 25 PPE per shot

*Disharmonize---This enchants the round to generate a field of confusion over a 100 ft blast radius, lasting 50 minutes, during which those caught in the area of effect must save versus the magic or be unable to work in concert with any comrades, acting confused and disoriented, and losing HALF their APMs, all initiative, and perform skills at -20%. Cost: 75 PPE per shot.

[kronos]

[
We're gonna need a table of things that happens when BlackSteel starts to corrupt robots, power armour, mechs and cybernetics..
And I'm gonna need to update the BlackSteel page (started with the Night-Shredder so far)..

Most common trait we have with BlackSteel, besides the vulnerabilities to silver and holy magic is a Horror Factor of at least 11, and it's "stealth" armour with the organic look that is just plain hard to look at and lock on to, except the Gremwrenches.
And the black lasers do extra damage to organics.

We've had so long to evolve tricks for the EShemar....and not so long for the BlackSteel.
That having been said, though, I think it fair that the BlackSteel seeks to pervert stuff it gets incorporated into to some horrific effect. It might not be much, but it's that extra little nasty twist that makes it more than just 'rogue robot'.


*89er! We missed you! I'm glad to see you haven't fallen off the planet!
And I'll be looking forward to those Warmounts!


And here's a new Warmount!

EcoS-K-105 ‘Gretcher’ Warmount
(aka ‘Gun-Urchin’, ‘Gunion’)

Looking good. And I need to get on my Skullcrusher e-nimal that can reload itself.. like a rhino it'll charge into combat, but it can also hold its ground and deploy a frill like shield to protect any warriors near by.. and it can reload most standard shemarrian railguns if it has enough 'food' nearby.

[taalismn]

Finally getting around to writing up the draft for the Gunkyard and Burblewrack, should be seen to taalismn by week's end for editing.

Would the greater Eshemar community take part in taking care of young August since he is technically a citizen/asset/hazardous individual/cuddle bait. As Gavin Bradbury would tell his son "Your mother's side is very large and diverse, compassionate is debatable but always make time for someone like you.".

Give how diverse the Shemarrian Nation has become, I'm sure there's somebody or something that will want to nurture him....

These are, after all, people who have taken to regarding some forms of cybersociopathy as cultural traditions....

[taalismn]

Sapphire Cobra Lamaid Bio-Augment
(aka ‘SnakeGal’)
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/Lamia_zpsi7vpz4cs.jpg

“Okay, that CAN’T be the Commander. Regenerating an arm I can see, but there’s no way in hell that she would be acting like that, dressed like that in public , moving like that, especially doing THAT with a snake-”
“And she just kissed that guy over there hard enough to curl his toes. Yeah, so...brainwashing? Clone? Shapechanger?”
“I asked one of those other people what the hell did those snake-women do to her. They just rolled their eyes and said it was just something the Sapphire Cobras do...”

“She’s fast as a striking snake, she embraces like an anaconda, and she flexes in ways that defy description. Don’t get me wrong, though I love her like no other, but sometimes, when she’s in a hurry she forgets that we all can’t dislocate our jaws and bolt our food...that sort of thing makes me pray I never have to explain that to my mother...”

Lamaiden are Sapphire Cobra NeShemar nanotech-implemented bio-mods(aka ‘soft cyborgs’) created when a Col Taros Pythoness stationed in a particularly violent part of the Megaverse grew upset with having her locally-recruited temple maidens continually being at risk of being injured or killed in the conflicts constantly erupting in the neighborhood. Not all of them that could be saved could make the mental transition to full cyborg, and having Valkari on constant standby struck the temple priestess as rather ghoulish. She appealed to her Tribal elders for a solution, and they in turn enlisted the help of Wayfinder Tinker Alisshon Stein-Nanomancer, already infamous for having created the Vada Transformation for NeShemar. She combined several previous bio-augmentations into a comprehensive whole that would appeal to the snake-worshippers. The resulting bio-mod ‘package’ caught on like wildfire with the Sapphire Cobras.
Lamaidens use nanotech transformation to instantly grow a ‘battleskin’ of bio-armor that forms from the skin and hardens into a scaly full bodysuit that makes them look like some sort of reptilian humanoid, and can be easily mistaken for a lizard(wo)man or other reptilian species.
Internally, Lamaids have modified musculature and skeletons that give them great flexibility without sacrificing strength, and improved nervous systems that give them great grace and agility. Their immune systems have also been amplified, giving them a higher resistance to disease/poisons and a reptilian ability to regenerate entire limbs.
Lamaid conversions aren’t as heavily protected as Vada Transforms, but they are easily to the equal of many cyberhumanoid cyborgs(and bioborgs) and also suffer fewer penalties from increased mass. Furthermore, they receive additional training and indoctrination that hardens their mental resistance to Horror Factor and supernatural possession.
Lamaids first appeared as temple maidens and dancers, starting with the temple that first requested them(the result being not only a much higher survival rate amongst the temple’s employees and residents, but the establishment of a most satisfactorily-enforced ‘no hostilities’ zone around it), but later Lamaids began appearing with mixed special operations teams, especially those with a heavy Yurei component, deployed by the Sapphire Cobras. The conversion is generally administered by a modified cybofab, but some sects of the Sapphire Cobras make the process into part of a ritual, the conscious convertee asked, as a sign of their faith and commitment, to step into a pit of modified cybercondas and immersed in a snake ball, and bite-injected with surgical conversion nanites.

Minimum Attribute Requirements: M.E. of 12 or better
Special Powers:
-Bio-Armor(light)---This is advanced nanoweave armor that is exuded/sweated through the skin pores and hardens, in combination with instant nano-reconstruction of the outer skin, into a dense, composite, megadamage fiber overlaying. The armor even includes special nictating membranes protecting the eyes. It is NON-environmental, so operatives facing toxic or contagious situations should wear some sort of environmental protection. The bio-armor is snake-patterned, with a visible scaled surface.
*80 MDC +20 per level of experience
*If completely depleted, regenerates completely after 24 hours. Partial armor(80 MDC +5 per level of experience) can be generated after 8 hours.
*Resistant to Heat, Fire, and Cold(including those created by magic and psionics) -Does HALF damage. Heat signature is 20% lower than normal.
*+1d4 to P.S.
* +1d6 SDC to hand to hand damage.

-Extraordinary Physical Endurance: Automatically becomes a megadamage being with 4d4x10 MDC+P.E. +2d4 MD per level of experience. Add +1d6+5 to P.E. rating.

-Lightning Reflexes---Lamaids have reflexes like a striking snakes’. +3 initiative, +1 disarm, +3 pull punch, +2 roll, +2d4 Speed, +1 APM, automatic dodge(+3), and W.P. Paired Weapons

-Double-Jointed---Modified joints and the subcutaneous skinweave combine to allow the Lamaid to bend in ways the original anatomy would hinder, if not make outright impossible. The Lamaid can even painlessly dislocate joints, and then pop them back into place afterwards, allowing them to escape grappling holds and slip restraints. They can also squeeze through fairly narrow alleyways and openings. +15% to Escape Artist skill, +1 roll with fall or impact.

-Physical Transformation---The recipient of a Lamaid aug is 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---The recipient’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.

-Eye Protection(Nictating Membrane)---The eyes are protected by sliding membranes of tough, transparent tissue; penalties from dirt, stand, smoke, and eye irritant particles and gases are negated.

-Heals at x3 normal rate in both forms. Amputated limbs will grow back in 2d4 weeks.
-Poison Resistance---+2 to save versus poisons, and damage, duration, and penalties from toxins are HALVED.
+5 save versus possession(the so-called ‘reptilian centers’ of the recipient’s brain have been modified into organic psionic scramblers for resisting intruders)
+3 save versus disease(in addition to P.E. bonuses)
-Heat Tolerance---The Lamaid is also effectively immune to normal extremes of environmental heat(an unprotected romp through the blazing desert isn’t going to hurt them).

Total bonuses:
*Effectively becomes a megadamage being with 4d4x10 MD +2d4 per level of experience, + combined Hit Points and SDC.
+2d6 Hit Points
+4d6 SDC
+1d6 to P.S., plus it is considered to be Extraordinary.
+1d6+1d4+5 to P.E.
+1d6 P.B.
+1d6 +2d4 SPD
+2 APM
+5 initiative
Automatic Dodge(+3)
+1 disarm
+3 pull punch
+3 roll with fall or impact.
+4 save versus Horror Factor
+3 save versus poison
+4 save vs disease
+7 save versus possession
+15% to Escape Artist skill
W.P. Paired Weapons

Penalties:
In normal form, the Lamaid weighs 20% more than they normally should, due to their denser musculature.
Many Lamaids also complain of an increased appetite, consuming 25-50% more food under normal conditions to stoke their altered physiologies.
Shedding---Re-assimilation of the bio-armor isn’t perfect, and after going ‘snakeskin’ and reverting back, many Lamaids find their outer skin hardening, cracking, and peeling off in a process that looks rather unpleasant. -1d6 PB, and it typically takes 1d6 melees of vigorous rubbing and scratching to remove the worst of the cast-off skin.

Magic and Psionics: Lamaiden Transformation is the equivalent of full cyborg conversion with regards to magic and psionics.

Cybernetics and Bionics: Additional implants, cybernetic or bionic, CANNOT be added; the altered physiology rejects any new implants. Some minor biological implants are possible, such as fangs and poison glands, forked tongues, heat-sensing pits, and the Sapphire Cobras are reportedly working on the possibility of implanted ganglionic ‘sub brains’ capable of managing accessory systems like Diamondskin Armor.
Common Upgrades:
*Forked Tongue---Combined with modified sinuses and sensory pits in the upper pallet, the recipient can track by tasting the air(60% +2% per level of experience), identify common odors(90%+1% per level of experience), and identify specific tastes(70%+1% per level of experience, +10% of common substance/taste)
*Heat Sensors---Usually a bump or depression in the forehead that allows the recipient to sense heat out to 50 ft, and track by heat senses(70%+2% per level of experience). Useless in ambient temperatures of 96 degrees Fahrenheit or greater.
*Fangs---1d6 SDC damage
*Venom Glands(can be spit--up to 50 ft--- or delivered through hollow incisors/fangs). Choice of mild poison(2d6, 1d6 if inhaled in a spray), lethal poison(5d6, 2d6 if inhaled in a spray), or sedative(roll versus non-lethal poison or be knocked out within 1d4 melees and sleep for 1d6 minutes).
*Torpor State----When cold, the Lamaid can slip into a hibernation state; it generally takes 3d6 hours to prepare for torpor, and can survive up to 8 months in a coma-like state during which the person uses very little oxygen(perhaps 5% of their normal normal respiratory needs, and can go without food or water. Rousing the torpor’ed person takes 4d6 minutes, and they will be at HALF all bonuses for the next 1d4 hours. The person can also feign death with 5 minutes of preparation, lowering their body temperature almost to room temperature, and their respiratory rate to an extremely low level for 10 minutes per level of experience. They are vaguely conscious of their surroundings, but can snap out of this state instantly. Can also slow their metabolism while conscious, and go without food and water for twice as long as normal.

[89er]

For inspiration what my late addition war mounts would look like, I provide youtube.

Gunkyard original inspiration, just merge Corrosion and Gunk

Glass Muscles

Burblewrack Tire Art Body

[taalismn]

The Gretcher gets its illo: http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/gretcher_zpsalmejgup.jpg

Yeah, I know it looks like Giger-Lite. Just the way it came out on the first pass.

[taalismn]

The Sapphire Cobra Lamaid gets an illo: http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/Lamia_zpsi7vpz4cs.jpg

[kronos]

Uploaded Gorger, ClawSpawn, BlackSteel Corrupted weapons and Locations page. Updated BlackSteel with links.

[taalismn]

Uploaded Gorger, ClawSpawn, BlackSteel Corrupted weapons and Locations page. Updated BlackSteel with links.

beautiful...will try to get back to forces of darkness and add art, plus finish off some new fun stuff(petrification, Sapphire Cobra style!)...factors against speedy completion? IRS-related work(nothing bad, just have to amend some tax information), plus horrible heat and humidity.

[kronos]

Uploaded Gorger, ClawSpawn, BlackSteel Corrupted weapons and Locations page. Updated BlackSteel with links.

beautiful...will try to get back to forces of darkness and add art, plus finish off some new fun stuff(petrification, Sapphire Cobra style!)...factors against speedy completion? IRS-related work(nothing bad, just have to amend some tax information), plus horrible heat and humidity.

Yeah, same on my end for not getting stuff done myself.. I'm trying to at least get the wikia caught up somewhat.. so much to do!

[taalismn]

[
Yeah, same on my end for not getting stuff done myself.. I'm trying to at least get the wikia caught up somewhat.. so much to do!

Yep, and just as I finally set up to try to crack one particular bloc on a posting project I've been stringing along for months, I get some new inspiration(and thus the cycle continues)....it feels like favoring each newborn child, then neglecting them when they're older and less shiny and cuddely...

[taalismn]

Sapphire Cobra Basilisa Elite
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/img793_zpsxfdycqah.jpg

“I couldn’t help but notice the -interesting- new statute outside your domicile, sister!”
“Yes, I’m calling it ‘Stupid Bastard Who Thought Ambushing Me Was a Good Idea’. I’m planning on using it as a bird feeder. I thought I’d move it over next to ‘Inept Morons Trying to Rob the Temple’. Now this over here is something much more special, I’m calling ‘My Lover Sleeps’-”

“I’m sorry, Khloe, really I am, but you’ve seen too much already, and we can’t count on you not telling anybody else about what we’re doing here.”
*...choke...*
“ Mindwiping’s not a hundred percent effective on people like you, and killing....is rather extreme. So we’re going to put you away for a while.”
*...whimper...*
“This may hurt just a little, and it will feel strange, but I’m doing everything I can to make sure you’re as comfortable as possible while this takes hold. I owe you this much.”
*...gasp...*
“We had some fun times together. Maybe later, when the need for this has passed, we can again. I’d like that, and hopefully you will as well.”
*....cry....*
“I’ll keep you in a nice safe place. You won’t be uncomfortable. And I’ll look in on you from time to time. You’ll have pride of place. And a pose that’s dignified, and shows off your beauty to best effect. As beautiful as you are, and were, before we learned of your connections to Chi-Town military intelligence. You really should have come clean about that. It would have made things much easier.”
*...moan...*
“There, there, dear Khloe, just relax and sleep. Sweet dreams. Sweet crystalline dreams.”

“You froze her in CARBONITE?!”
“I sealed her in CARBON. Synthetic diamond crystal. Much higher quality protection. It catches the ambient light well, too, don’t you think? Especially with the positioning on the marble divan...I carved that myself...in the middle of the gazebo. Doesn’t she look so peaceful?”

Basilisa are a new Sapphire Cobra elite that seems to have been born out of a Tribal frustration with the number of outsiders who mistakenly thought the Medusa elite caste could really turn people to stone, and so decided to see if they could give them just such an ability, just to shut the pests up. At first this ability was pursued as a possible Upgrade, and such things as muscle-locking nano-venoms or faux magic quick-set clear cement sprays were experimented with. However, some Sapphire Cobra Tinkers thought a more thorough job could be done with a more complex and radical procedure, but it would take a MAJOR Upgrade for the already pushed-to-the-limit Medusa frame to accomplish. So a new gynoid chassis-caste was developed and dubbed the Basilisa.
Basilisa follow the ENaga model in dispensing with bipedal locomotion, in favor of a serpentine lower body. They retain the standard humanoid torso and only two arms, however, but adopt a more reptilian skin texture and coloration(they are thus often mistaken for an adopted species of d-bees). Basilisas are so similar to ENagas with regards to their systems(no wonder, because they were developed from the ENagas) that the two Elites often regard each other as sisters. But whereas ENagas are optimized for combat, Basilisas take advantage of advances in nanotechnology to becoming specialists in manipulating life.
Basilisa seemingly possess the ability to turn people into stone, even more so than their ENaga cousins/sisters. In reality, they use a combination of a variety of nanites and chemical preparations to lock living creatures into a state of biological stasis, then cover them in stony-looking coverings of megadamage polymers. Their serpentine lower bodies are packed with micro-nanofactory ‘glands’ for producing various chemicals used in their stasis and petrification procedures.
Basilisa tend to be more laid back and sedentary than their ENaga sister-kin, tending to be less travel- and combat-oriented and more concerned with support roles(considering that many are Upgraded/ReMade from the Acolite caste, this is hardly surprising). They are still quite combat-capable and will readily act in defense of their Tribes, but they are not likely to be found on the front lines or with war parties, unless traveling with them to some other location. Basilisa are most commonly found in Sapphire Cobra temples where they often serve as Apothecaries and archivists of Tribal lore and trophies(the latter often preserved through liberal application of the Elite’s ‘preservation’ abilities). Their petrification abilities come in handy there to ‘freeze’ mortally ill or wounded patients(typically members of the temple following) until they can receive more extensive treatment. They also serve as wardens of Sapphire Cobra detention facilities, watching over ‘stoned’ prisoners. Interestingly, many Upgrade-born Basilisa are raised from the humble Acolite caste, explaining in part their more reserved and place/service-oriented attitudes). Others are raised from the ranks of worthy, but retiring(to more spiritual contemplations) Warriors, or promoted from the Mystics and Psi-Shamanesses. Basilisa can also be characterized by a common interest in the arts, exhibiting a fondness for sculpture, architecture, and artistic composition, leading many Sapphire Cobra elders, when setting up new enclaves or personel residences, to turn to a Basilisa to design a proper ‘snake garden’. The more eccentric(or less scrupulous) Basilisa can become as obsessive as the crazier Domimatrices in cultivating ‘collections’ of petrified lifeforms.

Type: Shemar Basilisa
Class: Robot Gynoid
Crew: Advanced Neural Intelligence
M.D.C. By Location:
Main(Humanoid Torso) Body 260 without armor, 300 or 370 in armor
Head 100
Antennae(2) 10 each
Arms(2) 180 each
Hands(2) 20 each
Lower (Snake) Body 300
Snake Tail Blade 50

Height: Can rear up to stand at 12 ft tall
Width: 2.3 ft at shoulders
Length: 25 ft
Weight: 1,200 lbs.
Power System: Nuclear
Attribute Equivalents of Note:
IQ: 4d6
ME: 5d6
MA: 3d6
PB: 10+2d6
P.P.: 26
Physical Strength: Equivalent to Robotic P.S. of 35
P.P.E.: 8
Psionic Abilities: Object Read, Telemechanics, Telemechanical Possession, Telemechanic Mental Operation
Basilisa also possess Telepathy and Empathy(effective range for both of 10 ft), at no ISP cost. Random-rolled psionic powers with greater range WILL require ISP to burn.
About 30% of Basilisas are also Psi-Shamanesses with the extra psionic abilities.

Cargo: None; only what can be carried
Speed:
Running: 55 MPH
Jumping: Not possible
Flying: Not possible without a jetpack
Underwater: 40 MPH
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 60 MDC before needing material stocks to convert to MD repair material.

*Nanite Manufactory---The Basilisa shows the advance of Shemarrian nanotechnology by having several ‘factory glands’ inside her serpentine body that ‘breed’ specialized nanites and produce certain chemical compounds. These are then expelled for use through the mouth, hands, or spicules in the serpentine lower body.

*Bio-Monitors----By coiling around a person, a Basilisa can read their life signs, even through a petrification layer.

Weapons Systems:
1) Eye Lasers(2)---The Basilisa has the same ‘death gaze’ as the ENaga that fires short range laser bursts. They can also modulate the lasers to produce a blinding and stunning strobe-flash.
Range: 1,000 ft
Damage: 2d6 MD single eye blast, 4d6 MD for a simultaneous blast from both eyes.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Bonus: +1 to strike with eye-lasers
Strobe Attack: Effective strobe-blinds targets in a 50 ft radius; those without optical filtration(such as welder’s glasses) will be -10 to strike, parry, and dodge, with a 50% chance of falling for every 10 ft of distance they attempt to move.

2) Finger Claws---The Basilisa’s hands feature retractable vibroblades
Range: Melee
Damage: 3d6 MD

3) Injector Fangs/Chemical Spray System---Aka ‘The Naga’s Kiss’. The Basilisa’s jaws have been modified with extendable fangs, that can deliver a powerful drug or poison venom. The Basilisa can also spit chemicals, although their effect is diminished.
Range: (Bite)Melee
(Spit) 100 ft, or 50 ft and covers a 10 ft wide area.
Damage: (Bite) Bite does from 1 SDC to 1d6 MD. Chemical damage varies by chemical type(see also ‘Naga’s Sting’ below)
(Spit) As for chemical/drug, but some chemicals will only do HALF damage used as an aerosol, or may be completely ineffective unless sprayed into open wounds, eyes, mucus membranes, or inhaled(GMs, use your discretion)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 20 doses of up to four different chemicals

* ‘Naga’s Sting’---Any or all of the penetrating melee attacks(tendril bite, or any arm-mounted blade weapons can be designated as being able to deliver the ‘Naga’s Sting’; a dose of disassembler nanites that will do 3d6 MD damage per melee, for 1d4 minutes. These disassemblers ONLY work on inorganics(metals, ceramics, plastics) and not on organic/living flesh. This can also be used to ‘unfreeze’ those sealed inside a layer of ‘petrification’. The Basilisa is herself immune to the nanites.

4) Forearm Weapons(1-2) ---Basilisa can wear the same laser/weapon vambraces as other Shemarrians.

5) Tail Vibroblade---The tail end of the serpent body sports a wicked vibroblade that does 3d6 MD on a slash
Range: Melee
Damage: 3d6 MD
Note: Many Basilisa incorporate a shock prod next to the tail blade, often using the blade to slice through protective armor before applying the shock prod to stun living targets for capture.
(Shock Prod)(Shock Damage---Generally nonlethal)
Light Prod: 1d4 SDC/HP
Moderate Prod: 2d6 SDC/HP
Lethal Zap: 5d6 SDC/HP, plus 01-33% chance of stunning humans, D-bees, and small animals for 1d4 melees, 01-33% against large or inhumanly strong/powerful animals. A successful save means victim takes HALF damage and only lose initiative and one APM.
Stun means -6 to strike, dodge, and parry, plus reduce APMs and Speed by HALF.
Being shocked on the strong/lethal setting for more than 5 times, or once the victim's Hit Points drop below half, means they are knocked unconscious for 2d4 melees. Chance of cardiac arrest as detailed in Rifts: Lone Star, pg. 50.
Ineffective against EBA, power armor, 'bots, and 'borgs.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

6) Use of Handheld Weapons---Basilisa can pick up and use infantry- and cyborg-scale weapons. Many Basilisa prefer ranged stun weapons, the better to capture subjects, and will only resort to lethal force if pressed.

7) Petrification Attacks---These are what the Basilisa specializes in; various attacks that stop opponents in their tracks, freeze them in place, and in some cases seemingly turn them to stone. Several different kinds of attacks are possible, and part of the Basilisa’s bag of tricks:
a)(Faux Magic) Paralysis ---This is the same sort of ‘petrification’ attack fitted to the Medusas, but on the Basilisa, it’s considered one of the more underpowered attacks.
In reality, the Basilisa sprays a cloud of barely visible adhesive aerogel mist that quickly contracts around anybody moving through it, tightening into a virtually invisible straitjacket around them.
Range: 50 ft and covers a 10 ft area
Damage: None, but those with a PS of 15 or less will find themselves paralyzed and stuck in place. Those with a PS of 15-25 will find themselves suffering a -2 to dodge, and their speed HALVED. Those with a PS greater than 25 or have Supernatural PS will be unaffected.
If the targeted victim doesn’t move or resist through the first melee, for each subsequent melee that the Basilisa is able to spray the target, the penalties accumulate(so if the Basilisa is able to keep the target from moving for the first fifteen seconds, or keep them pinned down long enough to spray the adhesive at them for a good thirty seconds, then the target will be -4 to dodge) . However, with each additional application, the polymer adhesive layer becomes more visible and the true reason for the paralysis more evident and obvious.
The adhesive compound begins to break down after 10 minutes or with the application of a solvent.
Rate of Fire: Once per melee
Payload: The Basilisa has enough solution for 50 applications.

b)(Faux Magic) Carpet of Adhesion---Actually a spray of adhesive aerosol that has a 50 ft range, and covers a 10 ft area. The quick-set adhesive holds fast those with a P.S, of less than 15, those with a P.S. of 15-25 are slowed (-2 to dodge), and those with a P.S. of 25 or greater, or Supernatural Strength are not affected at all. Only works on solid surfaces. The Basilisa has enough adhesive for 50 applications.

c)(Faux Magic) --Magic Net---A glowing polymer fiber net that has 40 MDC. Effective range of 80 ft. The Basilisa carries 15 nets.

d)(Faux Magic) -Force Bonds---This ‘spell’ turns ordinary string, rope, or cloth bindings into megadamage restraints. In reality, it’s sprayed-on megadamage polymer threads with an added bit of phosphorescence for appearance. The restraints hold with a P.S. of 35, and last roughly 4 hours before they break down. The Basilisa has enough adhesive for 50 applications.

e) (Faux Magic)Life Drain---In reality, this is a modified form of Adrenal-Stop---A form of Three Galaxies-origin blck market m-nano that attacks a victim’s adrenal system, clamping down on a person’s ability to produce adrenaline and sustain physical activity---a victim simply cannot engage in anything physically exerting---like fighting or fleeing, without becoming extremely fatigued, short of breath, and rapidly burnt out.
Adrenal-Stop is common in ‘fixing’ sporting events, administered to athletes with, or without, their knowledge to diminish their ability to perform at peak levels(prompting stricter medical scanning procedures at sporting events).
The Sapphire Cobra version takes hold faster, allowing its effects to become evident quicker. It is applied by scratch or bite, and is used to impede targets for capture, or handicap esape attempts.
Incubation: 1d6 minutes
Duration: 2d6 hours
Effects: Victim fatigues 2-4 times as fast(roll a 1d4, with ‘1-2’ meaning double fatigue rate). -1 to strike, parry, dodge, and reduce Speed by 1/4.
Treatment: Powerful stimulants and artificial adrenaline analogues can supply what’s being cut off, though the recipient will feel even more like $&$# even with correct dosages.
Note: Juicers only suffer HALF penalties and duration from this attack because their modified bio-systems can more easily and quickly compensate for the deficit, and aggressively work to flush the nanites out of theri bodies.

f) (Faux Magic) Sensory Deprivation----This is a modified version of Sens-Dep(aka ‘Black Out’) ‘malnano’. One of the more common and favorite m-nano in the Three Galaxies is sens-dep, or sensory deprivation, nano, that attacks the senses. Sens-dep nano blocks vital connections such as the optic nerve, auditory nerves, and sensation. Trapped inside their own heads, unsure of their circumstances, many victims wind up wondering if they’re alive or dead, and can go insane from the experience. Kidnappers and organized crime enforcers love Black Out because it allows them to keep victims ‘on ice’ without leaving incriminating marks; only the slow incubation period keeps its use from becoming more common in the Three Galaxies. The Shemarrian form acts quicker, but also lasts shorter, and can be more easily overridden. It is dispensed by claw or bite injection.
Incubation: 1d6 minutes
Duration: 2d6 hours
Effects: Victim loses all senses(sight, hearing, touch, smell) and becomes trapped inside their own head for the duration of the attack. For durations over 10 hours, victims must roll versus their M.E. or can suffer coming out of the experience with a random insanity. The Basilisa can remotely deactivate the nanites at will.
Treatment: Powerful stimulants(and Juicers and Crazies get this automatically) can dull the effects of the sens-dep, restoring SOME sensation to the victim(lose initiative, -10 strike, dodge, and parry, and skill performance is at ) and removing the risk of insanity. Telepathic contact with the victim will also help keep them sane.
The Basilisa typically has enough ‘black outs’ for 15 doses.

g) (Faux Magic) Sleep---This is just an improvement on the RSU Robot Sedative Units(‘Sleepers’), The Basilisa can inject these tiny nanobots into the target’s bloodstream, they seek out the central nervous system and go about sedating the person. The Basilisa has enough ‘sleepers’ for 15 doses.

h) (Faux Magic) Suspended Animation---This is a combination of special nanites(including the aforementioned ‘sleepers’) and a powerful chemical cocktail that lowers the person’s metabolism, and life functions to a deep coma-like sleep. This is often done in conjunction with the pseudo Flesh to Stone process, described below. The induction process typically takes about 20 minutes.
The standard Basilisa drug regimens are good for six months of reduced, nearly stopped, metabolic activity. If longer durations are needed, the Basilisa may renew the chemicals and recharge the nanites, as well as supply supplemental nutrients and oxygenation through the protective shell(and incidentally, vent any heat-buildup).
The danger is if the duration runs out with nobody to monitor the suspendee’s life signs; it is entirely possible to die of asphyxiation within the airtight covering. It is possible for a suspendee to be revived without a Basilisa’s assistance, but will require cutting the patient out of any protective/restraining shell first, and then supplying strong stimulants and counteragents to neutralize the suspended animation drugs, a process that typically takes 1d4x10 minutes even with ample equipment.

i) (Faux Magic) Flesh to Stone/Encase in Stone----This is really a surface-shell of quick-form nano-deposit polymers that looks like some form of stone, such as granite, quartz, or marble. Creating the covering takes some time and preparation; it isn’t instantaneous. The Basilisa will typically subdue a victim using more short-term measures(as described above) to get the target within her power, then leisurely go to work ‘stoning’ them.
It IS possible to harden targets beyond what is listed below, but layering additional material on will reveal that the target isn’t itself petrified, but is simply being coated in a hardening material.
Besides petrifying living things, Basilisa can use this ability to coat other objects, to seal and protect them from harm, or to disguise them.
Basilisa may choose to SPECIALIZE in creating one particular form of petrification nanite, in which they cannot fall back on any other form.

*Hardskin---This is simply a layer of quick-dry acrylic that makes the person’s skin look tight, stiff, and shiny. It provides only 60 SDC(A.R. 10) of protection, but takes about 1 minute to fully apply(30 seconds if the gynoid specializes in this material) and another 5 minutes to cure. The Basilisa can generate 60 SDC of material per minute, up to 6,000 SDC before needing to restock reserves(120 SDC per minute and 18,000 SDC if she specializes). Basilisa who specialize in creating hardskin are known as ‘racers’.

*Bronze---Covers the subject in a thin coating of metallic particles. 100 SDC(A.R. 12)/1d4 MDC per minute spent layering the target(200 SDC/2d4 MD per minute if the Basilisa specializes). Lasers do 25% less damage against a bronzed target. The Basilisa can generate 60 SDC/ 1d4 MD of material per minute, up to 6,000 SDC/ 60 MDC before needing to restock reserves(120 SDC/MDC per minute and 180 SDC/MDC if she specializes).Basilisa who specialize in bronzing are known as ‘copperheads’.

*StoneCoat---This is a silica-clay-style layering created through nanite deposition, creating a material like megadamage ceramic-composite. It has better protection, adding about 40 MD of protection, and is applied at a rate of 8 MDC per minute(16 per minute if the gynoid specializes in this material). The Basilisa can generate 0 MDC of material per minute, up to MDC before needing to restock reserves(0 MDC per minute and MDC if she specializes).
Basilisa who specialize in creating stonecoat are known as ‘corals’.

*DiamondCoat---The Sapphire Cobras got the technology to produce synthetic diamond armor from their spawned daughter Fringe-Tribe, the Skyeklad. Rather than produce a temporary suit of articulated armor, however, Basilisas can cover targets in a layer or shell of synthetic crystal. The process takes somewhat longer, but is much longer lived.
The DiamondCoat grants 80 MDC and is applied at a rate of 5 MDC per minute(10 per minute if the gynoid specializes in this material). The Basilisa can generate 40 MDC of material per minute, up to MDC before needing to restock reserves(80 MDC per minute and MDC if she specializes).
Basilisa who specialize in creating diamondcoat are known as ‘diamondbacks’.
Special Properties:
-Laser Reflective---The multiple crystalline mirrors reduce laser damage by 1/3.
Note: Diamondcoat is NOT gemstone-quality and any gemologist will quickly discern its synthetic origins.


j)(Faux Magic) Wood to Stone---This is the application of specialized nanites that assemble tough silica fibers and platelets throughout a piece of wood. It is typically used to reinforce wooden objects(though the Basilisa more often use the ability to create ritual objects or preserve small pieces of wooden art).
Range: Touch(the Basilisa’s hands inject the nanites directly into the wood)
Damage: A single dose reinforces a cubic yard of wood with 20+4d6 MDC
Rate of Fire: ECHH, but each dose will take 1d6 minutes to fully ‘cure’.
Payload: 40 applications

k)(Faux Magic) Chameleon---This is simply special active digital camouflage, copied from Naruni camouflage systems. The Basilisa’s skn can change color and pattern in 2 melee rounds(30 seconds) to match their surroundings and gives the Elite a 75% prowl ability(80% if standing still or moving at speeds of less than Speed 4). Many an uninvited(and just as often INVITED) visitor to a Basilisa’s garden has been surprised by the sudden appearance of their ‘hostess’ seemingly from thin air.

Programming/Skills:
Basilisa tend to be Upgraded/Progen-Born from the ranks of the Sapphire Cobras’ Acolites, Warriors, and Mystics
In addition to whatever skills the Basilisa had prior to Upgrade, they receive the following:
Paramedic(84%+5% per level of experience)
Biology(75%+5% per level of experience)
Chemistry(75%+5% per level of experience)
Chemistry, Analytical(75%+5% per level of experience)
Chemistry: Pharmaceutical (80%+5% per level of experience)
Nanotechnology(60%+5% per level of experience)
Art(Sculpture)(many Basilisa also take up interests in Lapidary)(75%+5% per level of experience)

Actions/Attacks Per Melee: +1 tail attack
Note: Bonuses are in addition to those from the Ecotroz Shemar’s training
Initiative +2
Dodge +7
Automatic Dodge(Upper Body)(takes no actions) +2
Strike +8 (+4 w/ ranged weaponry, +6 w/ Shemarrian Rail Guns)
Parry +8
Roll +2
Entangle: +1
Knockout/Stun on a Natural 18-20
Restrained Punch 6d6 SDC
Punch 2d6 MD
Power Punch 4d6 MD(counts as two attacks)
Head Butt 1d4 MD
Bite 1 SDC -1d6 MD
Serpent Crush/Squeeze 3d6 MD per melee of pressure
Cobra Body Strike(counts as two attacks)----This is a lunge using the coiled tail to propel the body forward in a quick body block/attack. 5d6 MD
Tail Strike 2d6 MD
Tail Power Strike(counts as two attacks) 6d6 MD

Upgrades:
Basilisa favor/seek Upgrades that allow them to do their jobs better; extra sensory capabilities, extra manufactory nodes, and improvements to their petrification abilities, including anything to extend the duration of their hibernation effects, and speed the petrification process. Thus many Baslisa are looking to the Wayfinders with interest to see if Elemental spells like Encase Object in Stone, Stone to Flesh, Wood to Stone, Petrification, and Suspended Animation, cannot be somehow applied through Techno-Wizardry means. Other Basilisa are looking to see if the neural-nano they apply cannot be further modified to slowly imprint ‘petrified’ prisoners with subliminal mental messages and behavioral modification.

Many Basilisa also add a non-functional ‘third eye’ in the middle of their foreheads, opening it whenever ‘casting’ faux magic effects. Some take this even further, and add a ‘blinding flash’ attack...actually a low-powered blinding and strobing laser(100 ft and covers a 20 ft area . Unless the victim(s) are wearing tinted goggles or other protection against bright light, they will be blinded; -10 to strke, 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). Some Basilisa just add a third eye-laser for both extra laser and strobe damage.

[taalismn]

The Basilisa gets her own (borderline NSFW) illo:
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/img793_zpsxfdycqah.jpg

[taalismn]

Advanced Cultural Notes: Shemarrian Agriculture

“In the Shemarrian territories, ‘truck farm’ can have a literal meaning. I’ve seen nut-and-bolt trees and even a tire tree....whitewalls. And be careful biting into anything you pick; mango-scented industrial lubricant smells real nice, but tastes NASTY.”

“Heavy leaf.”
“It’s gold leaf.”
“Yeah, autumn really is colorful.”
“No, I mean that leaf. It’s gold...as in the metal. And I’m pretty sure that silver fern is platinum. That ivy? Arsenic. Money and other things really does seem to grow in trees around here.”

As a nomadic hunter-gatherer culture, the ARCHIE-3 Shemarrians had little need to display any sort of agricultural tradition. In general, as androids, EShemarrians have little dietary requirements, aside from consuming the necessary minerals and molecules to provide their nanite repair systems with raw material, and what relatively little they eat for the sheer pleasure. However, as their numbers grow and they establish territories, the EShemar have discovered that history repeats itself in that agriculture allows for a more stable base to culture. Of course, the EShemar have their own twist on the agricultural revolution.
The EShemar increasingly use their ‘electrology’(networked robot plants and animals) to harvest and exploit natural resources. EShemar Cybertrees(the wholly robotic descendants of the A-SHE-26 Wyrding Tree(Rifter #53, Damon Sutton)) to provide additional logistical support for their society. Using nanite-scavenger deep root systems, cybertrees can pull minute amounts of metals and other minerals from soils that would otherwise be unworkable by conventional means. The trees then concentrate the sequestered materials in the form of bark, leaves, goiters, or ‘fruits’(some of which can actually be preformed ready-to-use mechanical components), some of them megadamage, that can be gathered and consumed by the EShemar, or used for other purposes. The branches and leaves of the cybertrees also act to harvest solar and wind energy, powering their harvesting work, and providing surplus power to EShemar industry. Such ‘orchards’ can be typically found around played-out mines, pre-Rifts dumpsites, and debris zones. Of course, these ‘plantations’ are also accompanied by scavenging herds of ‘feral’ e-animals, such as the ‘Mooncalf’ and ‘Ovidar’, who hunt out resources to graze on and process for harvest.
Conventional agriculture is also practiced by the EShemar, but this is most often for the benefit of the NeShemar, whose greater amount of biological material in their physiques requires a greater regular intake of actual organic food. Such agriculture follows a more traditional pattern, and is typically managed by the NeShemar, non-Shemar living in Shemarrian territories, Acolites, Oreseme(especially Awakened agricultural robots), and the occasional Eccentric or Unattached Shemarrian Mystic or Tinker. Occasionally, the EShemar may supply tools, seed and stock, and some landscape 're-engineering' to communities under their watch to assist the locals in maintaining productive farms.
Shemarrian farms of both types are much more common and visible offworld in the Shemarrian Star Nation, where the EShemar have larger enclaves and entire colony worlds with larger populations to feed. Surprisingly, after the Horrorwoods, one of the most adept tribes of EShemar ‘farmers’ is the Radiant Edge, who frequently establish large forests of cybertrees on the wreckworlds they favor, to slowly reclaim the planets for resettlement. The ‘orchards’ work to break down ruins and filter contaminants from poisoned soil, denaturing them or concentrating them for easy removal and possible recycling. The outbreak of these forests on what would appear to be hopelessly damaged or sterilized worlds has sometimes led outsiders to wrongfully assume that life has recovered on the hellworlds, but for the dark coloration of the e-trees and e-plants, meant to maximize energy absorption. The ‘black forests’, however, have come to be a tip-off of a Radiant Edge presence on a world; travellers have even reported spotting extensive black forests on several planets orbiting pulsars, the Radiant Edge apparently exploiting both local mineral wealth and the powerful celestial energy sources(although to what end, is anybody’s guess).

[89er]

" Trees and plant brethern, free yorselves from your metal shackles. I, arch druid Billiam beseech you. Lay waste to the metal maidens."

"sir get off the tractor, your making the Ovidar scared"

" I claim dominion over this very soil and ask the roots to crush the um... big non nature things and grant me the oken antlers of..
gets hit by a hose."

PS I saw your suggestions taalismn from July, they look good.

[taalismn]

" Trees and plant brethern, free yorselves from your metal shackles. I, arch druid Billiam beseech you. Lay waste to the metal maidens."

"sir get off the tractor, your making the Ovidar scared"

" I claim dominion over this very soil and ask the roots to crush the um... big non nature things and grant me the oken antlers of..
gets hit by a hose."

PS I saw your suggestions taalismn from July, they look good.

And don't stand so close to the metal trees during thunderstorms......

[taalismn]

EcoS-K-108 Killdeere Utility Warmount
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/img798%20copy_zpsnfg0mg2t.jpg

“This here robotic beast can turn a parking lot into a productive farm field!”

“Spiney Ravagers know better than to crash our fields when the Killdeere are out. Those that do...we got a nice bone pile over by the end of the north fields. Help yourself to some teeth if you want them.”

“Once the Toxatyls finish spraying for rip-beetles and suck-worms, and we burn off the acid-grass, we’ll send in the Killdeere. We move fast enough, there should be a harvest in in time to greet the refugees when they arrive here to take up residence. It’s not an ideal set-up, but it’s far better than what these folks have left for them on what’s left of their homeworld.”

“Nice orchard! What are you growing here?”
‘Germanium nodules.”

The Killdeere is another collaboration between the Steel Gaians and Clan Motron. Like other Steel Gaian-origin warmounts, the Killdeere is an obvious robotic construct, rather than a cyborg conversion of a feral animal, though the Steel Gaians like to occasionally drop hints that the Killdeere contains the brains and other organs of various creatures such as the Maxpary. In reality, the Steel Gaians observed a creation of their national host corporation, Paladin Steel’s TW-golem tractor, and felt they could improve on the design, creating a wholly robotic tractor that could work fields by itself. Clan Motron came aboard to advise on dual leg-and-wheel propulsion configurations, and the Wayfinders came along later to help integrate TW systems into it.
The basic Killdeere resembles a large pre-Rifts commercial agricultural tractor with certain techno-organic features, such as eyes, a working jaw, and combination wheels-legs. The chassis has some similarities to another Motron/Steel Gaian design, the EcoS-K-82 Willey, though the Killdeere is both slightly larger and seats fewer people. The Killdeere also apes the EcoS-K-52 Slingtail is having a tail, although the Killdeere’s is less flexible, modular, and detachable. Faster than a regular tractor, the Killdeere is also much slower than other warmounts. Despite its heavy weight(and the Killdeere is quite heavy, due to its less compact and sophisticated structural materials), the Killdeere’s large tires allow it to ‘float’ across soft ground that would mire even conventionally legged warmounts.
Though tough and well-armored, the Killdeere is not considered a front-line warmount, being rather slow and stodgy, although it is fierce and spirited enough to make a good hearthguard and watchbeast. The Killdeere is also unusually intelligent for a dray-beast, with a very high aptitude ‘instinct’ for farming and earth-moving. It has an excellent memory for ground conditions, and can display to its rider full read-outs of field soil chemistry, plantings, and recommendations for what to do(till, irrigate, fumigate, etc.).
Most Killdeere that come fresh out of the Assembly Forges are kept as basic robotic beasts of burden, able to work around the clock tirelessly on various projects. Those Awakened with the Ecotroz require regular rest, bit also gain the ability to use TW Upgrades, and Awakening a Killdeere typically coincides with the fitting of TW crystal powerstones for add-on technowizardry enhancements.
As a utility warmount, the Killdeere is not considered ‘worthy’ enough to be ridden by proper Warriors. Instead, the Killdeere is assigned to Acolytes, Male Shemarrians, and EShemar. The type sees the most use with NeShemar communities, as the EShemar have little need for extensive agriculture(being robots, they don’t need to eat). In direct EShemar service, the Killdeere acts as a prime mover for caravan wagons, and as an excavator. The Killdeere is also loaned out with riders to communities in the territories policed and watched over by the Shemarrian Nation.
The Killdeere is produced primarily by the Steel Gaians and distributed by Clan Motron. The Wayfinders also quickly acquired the design to serve their own communities, and several other tribes, especially those with large NeShemar contingents and attendant agricultural needs, have followed suite. The Horrorwoods have a love/hate regard for the Killdeere; on one hand a Killdeere can plant a forest, and on the other, it can clear-cut one down. The Radiant Edge reportedly deploys hordes of Killdeere of both the robotic and TW varieties to clear and restore the wreckworlds the tribe inhabits.
For some reason, almost all Killdeere sport a green and yellow color scheme; the Steel Gaians claim that the coloration is ‘traditional’, and no one else has seen fit to argue with them, and have adopted the colors for their own Template-produced Killdeere.

Type: EcoS-K-108 Killdeere
Class: Robotic Warmount, Utility
Crew: None; robot intelligence
1 rider/pilot, and room for 1 passenger in the cab/saddle
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 300
Head 100
Wheels (4) 55 each
Legs(4) 120 each
Tail 90

Height: 108 inches/ 9 ft
(Cab):145 inches/ 12 ft
(Tail): 163 inches/ 13.5 ft
Width: 193 inches/ 16 ft
Length: 319.5 inches/ 26.6 ft
Weight: 43550 lbs(roughly 21 tons)
Cargo: Small space inside/beside the saddle-seat for a few personal possessions and sidearms.
Physical Strength: Equivalent to Robotic P.S. of 40
Roughly 700 Horsepower, with a tail-lift capacity of 25,000 lbs
Powerplant: Nuclear w/ 20 year energy life
Speed: (Running) 50 MPH
(Wheels) 60 MPH
The Killdeere’s broad and deeply-treaded wheels give it exceptional traction and the ability to ‘float’ across soft ground; it better traverse soft surfaces such as mud and snow----reduce penalties for travelling over such surfaces by HALF.
(Leaping) Not really designed for leaping; it can manage a rather short 8 ft hop up/across, 12 ft with a running start.
(Flying) Not possible
(Space) Not possible
(Underwater) The Killdeere cannot swim (see Options), but can fjord bodies of water, or drive along the bottom at a slow 3 MPH, maximum depth of 500 ft. Killdeere, especially Awakened Killdeere, do NOT like going underwater if they do not have to, and will spend several hours after immersion sputtering, spitting, and draining water from their workings.
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(10 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 Killdeere 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 100 MDC before needing material stocks to convert to MD repair material.

*Mulcher---Part of the regenerative repair system’s material intake is an adjacent chipper/mulcher for chewing up materials, especially organics, mincing them fine, and storing or spreading the result as fertilizer.

* Power Takeoff---Allows the Killdeere to provide power for accessory farm machinery like threshers, mowers, baggers, rotary plows, wood chippers, water pumps, hoists, etc.

*Trailer Hookup---Designed for hauling around large agricultural equipment such as harvester wagons, plows, scrappers, mowers, seeders, and the like.

*High Traction Brakes and Wheel Locks---So it doesn’t roll over you.

*Molecular Analyzer----The Killdeere can both sniff and taste its surroundings, and can determine soil chemistry and even detect and track various forms of vermin tracking across the fields the Killdeere defends. Can track by scent with 84% proficiency.


Weapons Systems:
1) Laser Eyes(2) ---Standard robotic eye lasers, common in the Shemarrian arsenal. The Killdeere typically uses its eye lasers to cut obstacles down and chase off vermin.
Range: 2,000 ft
Damage: 3d6 MD per single blast, or 6d6 MD per double blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) Fender-Jaw----The front bumper-fender is an articulated jaw lined with small razor-sharp teeth, able to deliver a nasty bite. It can also lock its teeth on a target and worry it like a bulldog, or haul an opponent into a pin, or into mud or underwater.
Range: Melee
Damage: 1d8 MD

3) Claws---The Killdeere mounts conventional claws that are still capable of breaking apart boulders and slicing open bandits with ease.
Range: Melee
Damage: 3d6 MD claw, 6d6 MD power claw attack

4) Smokescreen---The Killdeere can spew a thick obscuring cloud of smoke from its rear exhausts.
Range: Each blast covers a 100 ft area.
Damage: Anyone caught in the cloud of thick, obscuring smoke is unable to see, except with thermal optics. Inhaling, or exposure through unprotected soft tissues like the eyes, the vapor does 1d6 SDC/Hit Points per melee of exposure, and victims are -4 to dodge, strike, and parry, even for 1d4 melees after being removed from the cloud.
Smoke persists for 1d4+3 melee rounds.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Has enough smoke-matrix for 12 clouds. Regenerates them at a rate of 1 every six hours(1 hour if fed petrochemicals).

5) (Optional) Modular Weapons(2)---The Killdeere has provision for torso-mounting TWO weapons similar to those standard to the Monstrex

Programming:
The Ecotroz have installed robotic AIs, then infected the matrix with a low-level Ecotroz sentience. Killdeeres tend to be placid and stoic beasts of burden, but can become quite territorial when it comes to defending their fields from trespassers and invaders. Though not particularly fast, Killdeere can become vicious in combat, often seeking to take hold of an opponent and track them to a convenient waste pit or mud hole, there to mire or drown them, away from the fields the Warmount is defending.
They work well with others, including other utility warmounts, such as Slingtails, Cyclopedes and Shelong, which are also often found working at EShemar ‘resource sites’. Awakened Killdeere can also engage in strange individualistic pursuits, like mowing fallow fields into elaborate maze patterns, or gather debris and piling it along the edges of cultivated fields in strange patterns.
Has the standard Monstrex base programming, plus the following:
Excavation 85%(+5% per level of experience for Ecotroz entity)
Mining 80%(+5% per level of experience for Ecotroz entity)
Gardening/Cultivation 75%(+5% per level of experience for Ecotroz entity)
Landscaping 75%(+5% per level of experience for Ecotroz entity)
Firefighting(brush fires) 80%
The Ecotroz entity can also pick up one Secondary skill at levels 2, 6, and 12 of experience, though the nature of the Killdeere 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
Strike +2 (+4 w/ ranged weaponry)
Parry +2
Roll +3
Pull +4
Pin /Incapacitate on a Natural 18-20. This means that the Killdeere uses its great strength and mass to pin a target to the ground, trapping them such that they cannot move. However, the Warmount is then limited to being unable to attack or move without releasing its trapped opponent, the exception being those Killdeere with tails, who can use the tail to attack a downed target.
Bite 1d8 MD
Claw 3d6 MD
Kick 2d6 MD
Power Claw (2 attacks) 6d6 MD
Tail Slap 1d4 MD
Tail Smash 1d6 MD
Body Block /Tackle 1d10 MD

Options:
*Fabric Top(50 MDC)---Covers the open cockpit with a fabric canopy.

*Hard Top(65 MDC)---Covers the open cockpit with an open-sided, but hard-topped, canopy.

*Cockpit Cage (100 MDC)----Encloses the open cockpit with a hardshell, environmentally-sealed, cockpit.

*Inflatable ‘Waterwalker’ Tires----Large oversized tires that allow the warmount to slowly thrash along on the surface of relatively calm water, at a slow speed of 3 MPH.

*Dozer Blade-----Articulated payloader bucket that is mounted on the front and can lift up to 12 ft up to lift and dump. MDC of Blade: 100 .
Can be vibroblade-edged for 4d6 MD on a ram

*Grapple Blade----This modifies the dozer blade with a two-part hydraulically-articulated teethed grapple that can close, with extreme force, on debris, doing 1d6 MD, or, if vibrobladed, a chomp doing 5d6 MD.

*Excavator Tail----Adds an articulated tail and scoop bucket that can do 1d4 MD on a slap. The scoop can be vibroblade-edged for 4d6 MD on a swat.


*Power Jackhammer---The tail can instead be used to carry a piledriver or jackhammer for cracking rock(and bunkers). 2d6x10 MD per melee of steady pounding.

*Tree-Claw---A set of vertically-oriented claws that are designed to grasp a tree trunk or root bulb and lift an entire tree for transport. Particularly handy in moving cybertrees.

*Mower Heads---These are rotary members that can be attached to the underside of the main body and forelimbs, and do 1d4 MD to anything they pass over. Their cutting height can be adjusted to clear-cut vegetation 1-2 ft tall, even down to 1 inch height. These can do further damage to objects pinned under the Killdeere, but the mower heads can only take 15 MDC of damage before they break and are rendered inoperable.

*Chemical Resistant Armor----Sometimes, in order to survive in particularly nasty environs, the Killdeere can be covered in chemically inert armor that sheds the effects of corrosive chemicals and stick’ums. Acids and chemical weapons do NO damage.

*Chemical Sprayer System---For spraying against vermin. If something more extensive is needed, the Killdeere typically hauls a sprayer trailer.
Range: 50 ft
Damage: Varies by the chemical agent used. If using water, does 4d6 HP to vampires
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 100 blasts of chemical/liquid

*Mine Detector-----A detection coil can be installed in the nose, and uses a variety of magnetic, chemical, and ground sonar detection systems to sniff out mines and buried ordnance. 85% accuracy.

*Mine Flail ---Rotary flail used to clear brush and detonate buried contact mines ahead of the Warmount.
MDC of Assembly: 80
Size: The flail assembly adds ten feet to the length of the Warmount
Range: 8 ft range
Damage: 1d6 MD per chain strike(Roll 1d6 to determine number of chains hitting)
Penalties: Reduce speed of tank by 20%

*Extendable Wheel Cutter-Spikes--These extend from the hubs of the wheels and can be used to slash targets on a run-by, but the Killdeere typically uses them in clearing brush.
Range: Melee; extend out 3 ft
Damage: 3d6 MD on a side slash

Variants:
*EcoS-K-108Wf---This is the robotic Killdeere Awakened/Uplifted with an Ecotroz essence. The Awakening is accompanied by the effective transplant of the capabilities of the PS TW Tractor into the guts of the Killdeere, along with an improved PPE-Powerstone generator to power the spell capabilities. In general, there is one EcoS-K-108Wf for every ten regular Killdeeres.
PPE Generation Capability:
(‘Wizard’)----400 PPE battery capacity; recharges at 14 PPE per hour, 50 PPE/hour at a leyline, 100 PPE/hour on a nexus
Spell Capabilities:
-Crumble Rock---Great for breaking down stony fields into usable dirt. 500 Lbs of stone can be
reduced per application, 5 PPE.
-Rock to Mud-----Equally good for breaking down rocky soil for planting. Crumbles 300 lbs of rock per
application, 3 PPE.
-Grow Plants----Increases the growth and maturation rate of plants. 100 ft area, plant growth
doubled, effects last 10 months; costs 4 PPE per application
-Wither Plants---Used to kill weeds and invasive species; 100 ft radius total kill; trees and large shrubs take 1d6x10 SDC, 5 PPE.
-Circle of Rain----Great for irrigating crops and, incidentally, nailing vampires) 150 melees (48
minutes), 600 ft radius, 13 PPE
-Fortify Against Disease----A modification of the human healing spell, this spell has been modified
for area of effect, and to work only on plants. This spell is designed to protect crops from ergots,
fungi, blights, and other plant diseases, but is ineffectual against larger pests like worms and
insects. Effects last 20 hours, covers 1,000 ft area, 15 PPE.
-Repel Insects/Animals---Effects last 2d4 days, 70 ft area. 12 PPE per shot.
-Repellent Mist---A combination of Miasma, Purple Mist, and Repel Insects/Animals----Does 1d4 SDC/
MDC per melee to non-intelligent lifeforms(does not effect plants or intelligent lifeforms), covers a
300 ft area, effects last 8 minutes. Costs 60 PPE
-Dig---Can be used to dig trenches or wells; digs through 10 ft of dirt per melee, 5 ft
of clay, or 2 ft of stone per melee, for 40 minutes(160 melees), for the cost of 8 PPE!

Some EcoS-K-108Wfs are rumored to also be Upgraded with the ability to cast spells such as Wall of Clay, Wall of Stone, Create Mound, Sand Storm, Chasm, Close Fissures, and Wood to Stone, as part of combat engineering magic.

Note: The Ecotroz intelligence fragment inhabiting the ‘bot gives the Killdeere an aura and behavior more befitting a sentient being than a robot.

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.
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 those produced at the onset as Awakened Warmounts are naturally immune to the aforementioned vulnerabilities)

[kronos]

Nice additions taalismn!

Quick update to the Shemarrian wikia.. Shemarrian Agriculture added to Ecotroz Shemarrian page, Silvermoon Tribe added, EShe-LPP800 Added, added blank links for Silvermoon warmounts, elites, weapons (to be added later). Added new category Events (I'll eventually make the Events page that lists major events and the pages that mention them.. such as Ecotroz first encountered, Civil War, BlackSteel, things like raids on Splugroth colonies to steal shipyards such as mentioned in Radiant Crescent write up, etc).

[taalismn]

Oi...by my reckoning, this makes my personal one hundredth Warmount!!! Wuuuu-hooo!!!!

EcoS-K-106 Lokyee Aerial Warmount
(aka ‘Double-Eagle’)

“The Splugs and their Horune parrots have been getting entirely too comfortable again cruising where they shouldn’t. Time to remind them again why trespassing in OUR waters is a bad idea.”

“Got bounced by several of those twin-engined biomechanoid bastards out of a cloud bank while I was trying to get photo-recon of the Shemarrian-claimed coastline. Thought I’d run into a thunderhead, but it turned out the Shemar had seen me first. They were popping in and out of the clouds shooting lightning at me before I even knew they were there. Fried half the electronics in my Sea Striker even with the shielding and they certainly baked my recon pod, so I wasted the trip. They made it pretty clear, though, that they could have done more than just rough me up and erase my ‘tronics; they had me outnumbered, outgunned, and whatever accursed magic they got powering those prop-thrashers, they can keep up with our jets easy. After they played with me for a while, they let me go down to the deck and out of the clouds...and I suspect that ‘storm’ was entirely of their making....and made sure I was well on my way to Free Quebec territory to nurse my way to a landing and to report a failed run. Lucky me.“
---Lieutenant Karlos Fisk, Coalition States Navy Aviation, 35th Photo-Reconnaissance Squadron

“Twice the engines means twice the fun, all around.”

The Lokyee has been variously described as ‘two Kondars joined at the hip’ or as ‘the sanctified offspring of a Kondar and a P-38’. The Lokyee is the result of a collaboration between the Wayfinders and the Hawkmoons, though it is also suspected that the Steel Gaians may have provided some advice as well.
The Lokyee looks like a more organic Lockheed P-38 Lightning(specifically the XP-58 ‘Chain Lightning’ prototypes or extended gondola ‘Swordfish’ prototypes ) or a slimmer P-61 “Black Widow”. The wings outboard of the engine nacelles, however, resemble raptor wings and are multi-positional. The engine nacelles hold dual contra-rotating ‘grav-prop’ drives that give the Warmount blistering high speed, as well as exoatmospheric performance, making the Lokyee one of but a handful of dual air/space aerial Warmounts. The rider sits in an armored pod attached to the top of the central head, and has the luxury of added protection(although some traditionalist Shemarrians complain about the inability to engage enemies directly with personal weaponry such as thrown spears). The Lokyee also has two hawk-like legs that pull up into streamlining recesses under each nacelle, each leg also incorporating a roller-bearing. An unusual third limb drops from just behind the head, giving the Lokyee tricycle landing gear. Overall, the Lokyee's frame is more flexible than a more conventional airframe, allowing the Warmount to flex and bend in flight to present the best aspects for flight, and position in mid-flight to dodge and maneuver. Much of the equipment and armament of the earlier Kondar is carried over to the Lokyee, easing logistics for those Tribes that already deploy the Kondar. Though not as agile as the smaller Kondar, the Lokyee is faster, heavier in armor and armament, and carries more aerial equipment to insure the success of its mission, thus justifying, in the eyes of many Tribe members, the added resource expense and difficulty in creating the larger Lokyee, rather than a pair of Kondar for the same price.
Besides the Hawkmoons and Wayfinders, the Darkwaters also use the Lokyee, exploiting its excellent speed and endurance to launch attacks on Splugorth shipping in the Atlantic. The Steel Gaians are also known to have recently fielded a squadron of them.
The Lokyee began appearing on Rifts Earth at about the same time as several different types of strikingly similar-looking d-bee ‘biomechanoids’ with WW2 aircraft themes also began being seen, and it’s been assumed that the Lokyee is one of them; even when associated with the Shemarrians, it’s just further assumed that the Shemar have been domesticating the biomechs for their own use.

Type: EcoS-K-106 Lokyee
Class: Robotic Warmount, Aerial
Crew: None; robot intelligence
1 rider/pilot
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 400
Head 100
Pilot’s Saddle-Pod 100
Wings(2) 120 each
Legs(2) 60 each
Tail 110
Forcefield ( 800 front, 400 sides)
Height: 14 ft
Width: 55 ft
Length: 42 ft
Weight: 29,000 lbs
Cargo: Small space inside/beside the saddle-seat for a few personal possessions and sidearms.
Physical Strength: Equivalent to Robotic P.S. of 30
Powerplant: Nuclear w/ 20 year energy life
Integral PPE Powerstone: (Medium)-----300 PPE battery capacity; recharges at 10 PPE per hour, 40 PPE/hour at a leyline, 80 PPE/hour on a nexus

Speed: (Running) Can walk or taxi at about 7 MPH
(Flying) Hover to 1,300 MPH---roughly Mach 1.9(the forcefield streamlines the aircraft as it approaches the Mach barrier), NO altitude limit.
(Space) 13,000 MPH, roughly Mach 19
(Kitsune Values: 40 % of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 1.9% of light speed per melee)
(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( 75 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 Lokyee 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 90 MDC before needing material stocks to convert to MD repair material.

*Radar Senses---The Lokyee can sense radar radiation, warning it of the presence and activity of search and targeting radars. DarkWater raiders are particularly fond of using this ability to avoid early warning radar sensors and to locate air defense sites(both the Kittani and Horune-affiliated pirates use technological radars).

*Secondary Brains---in keeping with the reputation of the original P-38 Lightning as a long range fighter, the Lokyee has advanced techno-ganglion in each engine pod that allows the Ecotroz organism to fly long durations without needing to stop to rest its psionic component, by turning over control to its robotic ‘cruise brains’.

*Saddle-Pod--The Lokyee features a fully enclosed and ejectable ‘saddle pod’ protecting the rider/pilot. The pod can deploy glide wings from its back and can float, allowing it to become a lifeboat in an emergency.

Weapons Systems:
1) Ion Blaster Cannon---The Lokyee can ‘breath’ a powerful ion discharge from a projector in its forehead shield. Adapted from a Triax weapon, this ion projector has the bonus of knocking out technology, but its range and damage are fairly low compared to other weapons. Its signature lightning bolt-like appearance, though, make the Lokyee seem like an Elemental predator.
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 6d6 MD
01-15: No 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.
Organic targets are
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) Eye Lasers(2)---These are larger and more powerful versions of the standard Shemarrian warmount eye-lasers, and are meant for the longer ranges of aerial combat.
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: EPCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

3) Rail Guns(2)--- The rail guns specially developed by the Hawkmoons for the Kondar have been retained by the Lokyee, and are installed in the nose/headshield.
Range: 10,000 ft
Damage: 1d4 MD per rd, 1d4x10 MD per 10 rd burst, 2d4x10 MD for a dual burst(counts as one attack).
(Tracer) Every 11th round is a tracer, which gives a +1 to strike with bursts.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 500-rd belt per gun

4) Tail Gun Mounts(2)---The Kondar’s rear-facing tail gun has been retained by the Lokyee, only TWO are mounted, one under each tail boom, to dissuade pursuers.
Range: 2,000 ft
Damage: 4d6 MD single shot, 1d4x10 MD for a pulse burst, Both can be brought to bear on a common target astern the Warmount, doing 8d6 MD simultaneous shot, and 2d4x10 MD for a double burst.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

5) Spinning Blades-----A modified application of the Spinning Blades spell, this system converts conventional propellor blades(or, in the case of the grav-props, material ornamentation on the spinners) into powerful melee weapons.....When activated, a series of mystical blades(typically 3- 12) appear in a floating circle ahead and slightly wider than the arc of the converted propellor. These blades then spin like a demonic buzzsaw, protecting the engine and shredding anything that gets in front of them(acting as a limited protective mechanism). In the case of the Lokyee, the prop-blades can also fire short range projectiles of force in front of the Warmount, and with twin dual-prop engines, this means the Lokee can unleash a veritable STORM of shard-blades in front of itself.
Range: Melee(typically 3-4 ft ahead of the props, and up to half the prop radius out
(Projectile) 1,000 ft
Damage: Does 2d6 MD per blade (so the six-blade set does 12d6 MDC on a strike)
(Projectile)2d6 MD per blade fired
Duration: 10 melee rounds( 2.5 minutes per activation)
Bonus: Also has a +6 to parry rail gun rounds, autocannon shells, and other projectiles aimed at the propellers
PPE Activation Cost: 20 PPE per activation

6) Wing Hardpoints(6; 4 light, 2 heavy)---Mounted under each wing is a set of hardpoints for carrying ordnance. A heavier hardpoint is located inboard of each nacelle, between the tail booms and the central head/body pod.
Note that the wings CANNOT be folded for high speed flight or diving while ordnance is still attached to the wings. A fully loaded Lokyee is also slower than normal; -2 to dodge and reduce maximum speed by 20% until the wing ordnance has either been at least 50% expended, or jettisoned altogether.
Light Hardpoints(4):
a) Flare/Chaff Launcher
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: 12 per launcher

b) Jammer Pod---Electronic jamming system that gives radar-guided weaponry a -4 to strike the aircraft. Or it can be used offensively, to foil ALL radar-guided weaponry in a 10 mile radius(-2 to strike). Additional pods DO NOT add cumulative bonuses, but do provide system redundancy.

c) Mini-Missiles---5 shot pod

d) Short Range Missiles---1 per hardpoint

e) Fragmentation Rocket Launcher( a copy of an imported Russian design). Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 1d6 single projectile, 1d6x10 MD per 10 rd burst/volley
at 3,500 ft, the rds go ‘grapeshot’, doing 3d6 MD(1 MD for a single shot) in a 12 ft wide area.
(Incendiary “Hot-Grape” Version)---Do an additional +2 MD per rd, and 1 MD of damage for 1d4 melees as the flare portion burns down.
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: 250 rd magazine
g) Bombs---
(Modified 35-60mm Rifle Grenade)
(Fragmentation-SDC) 2d4x10 SDC to 20 ft blast radius--- 150 rd dispenser/pannier
(Fragmentation-MD) 3d6 MD to 25 ft blast radius--- 100 rd dispenser/pannier
(High Explosive) 6d6 MD to 10 ft blast radius--- 100 rd dispenser/pannier
(Anti-Armor HEAT) Very heavy projectile. Does 2d4x10 MD to a 1 ft diameter area(shaped charge)--- 50 rd dispenser/pannier
(Plasma/Micro-Fusion) 1d6x10 MD to 8 ft blast radius--- 60 rd dispenser/pannier
(Incendiary) 2d6 MD flash damage to 12 ft blast radius, plus does 1d4 MD per melee for 2d4 melees--- 90 rd dispenser/pannier
(Acid)---4d6 MD to a 5 ft radius, then diminishes in strength by 1d6 each melee(lasts about 4 melees)--- 20 rd dispenser/pannier
(Chemical) Effects vary, but contains enough chemical agent to cover a 15 ft radius--- 30 rd dispenser/pannier
(Illumination) Can illuminate a 500 ft radius for 4d4 melees. --- 150 rd dispenser/pannier
*250-lb Bomb(takes up 2 hardpoints)----2d4x10 MD to 50 ft blast radius


Heavy Hardpoints(2):
a) Mini-Missiles---19 shot pod

b) Short Range Missiles---3 per hardpoint

c) Medium Range Missiles---1 per hardpoint
Steel Gaian Lokyees have been known to carry the Paladin Steel-made Harpoon III Missile. Harpoon IIIs are medium-range, plasma-explosive, wave-skimming, “smart” missiles designed to close with an enemy vessel under effective radar coverage, then jink up and dive, so as to penetrate the thinner upper works armor, or else can be set to penetrate below the waterline armor belt.
Range: 40 miles
Damage: 2d6x10 MD to 40 ft blast radius
Bonuses: +5 to strike
In the alternative, both Steel Gaian and Dark Water Lokyees have also been observed carrying SeaFire Missile/Torpedoes, themselves reverse-engineered from Kittani weapons.
Range:(Underwater) 20 miles
(Air) 75 miles
Speed:(Underwater) 400 MPH
(Air) Mach 3
Damage: 4d6x10 MD
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 Harpoon III, but more powerful. +3 to strike

d) Long Range Missiles---1 per hardpoint

e) Bombs---Up to 1,000 lbs per hardpoint
*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

f) Torpedoes---Each hardpoint can carry a single torpedo(up to Medium class)

g) Gunpod--- 30mm Cannon
Range: 10,000 ft
Damage: 4d6 MD single round, 1d6x10 MD two rd burst, 3d6x10 MD per six-shot burst
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 124 rds per gun

h) Laser Pod
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 6d6 MD single blast, 1d6x10 MD double-pulse burst
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

i) Laser Illuminator Pod---Pointable laser target designator for ‘painting’ targets for laser-guided weaponry. Range: 5 miles.

j) Jamming Pod-----A mini-radio jammer, that can pump out enough multi-wavelength white noise to jam civilian band communications with 90% effectiveness, and military comms with 70% effectiveness, over a 20 mile radius. Additional pods DO NOT add cumulative bonuses, but do provide system redundancy.

k) ECM/Radar Jammer Pod---10 mile range. Jams radars and radar targeting systems with 60% effectiveness. Radar-guided weapons are -6 to strike. Note that this affects friendly systems as well unless they are set to specific, per-arranged, non-jammed frequencies(that it may be possible for the enemy to discover). Carrying extra jammer pods does NOT increase the range or effective bonuses of the system, but may provide redundancy and multi-wavelength coverage.

7) Flare/Chaff Dispenser---Mounted in the empennage is a countermeasure launcher:
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.
Has all the same standard programing as the Monst-Crane, 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).
Pilot Space 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 Lokyee 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 +3 (+7 in flight)
Strike +3 (+4 w/ ranged weaponry)
Roll +2( +7 in flight)
Parry +3
Pull +2
Critical Strike on a Natural 19-20
Bite 1d6 MD
Beak Tear 3d6 MD
Prop Chew 12d6 MD. Against especially large targets where BOTH props can bite into the target, a pass-by can do 24d6(or 1d6x24) MD
Claw Rake 3d6 MD
Dual Claw Aerial Rake/Pounce 6d6 MD
Wing Slice 1d6 MD glancing blow, 3d6 MD +1 for every 20 MPH of speed from a full strength slicing attack(+30 MD at maximum speed)
Body Block/Tackle 1d6 MD


Note: The Ecotroz intelligence fragment inhabiting the ‘bot gives the Lokyee an aura and behavior more befitting a sentient being than a robot. Lokyee are aggressive aerial predators who savor aerial combat and ambushing prey. They work well as both solitary hunters and in predatory flocks with other large aerial Warmounts. They may behave somewhat contemptuously or haughtily towards smaller flying Warmounts, however.

The Lokyee has the following Natural Psionic Abilities(no ISP Cost), all equivalent to 6th level with regards to range and proficiency.
*Sixth Sense/Danger Sense

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 that its use of sub-brains allows it to keep flying for much longer, as the main intelligence can hand off flying duties to its integral ‘autopilots’.
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:
*Laser Reflective Armor---Some Lokyee fliers like to Upgrade to the ‘bare metal’ look...actually a chroming that reduces laser damage by HALF.

*Expanded Crew Pod---This is a slightly larger and longer cockpit pod, with room for both the rider/pilot, and an additional passenger/crewmember.

*Quad-Guns---Some riders double up the number of Nose Rail Guns, for a total of four, that can do 4d4x10 MD on a full burst.

*30mm AutoCannon----This replaces the ion projector in the head with a
30mm AutoCannon
Range: (Palladium) 2 miles in atmosphere, 4 miles in space
(Kitsune Values) 2 miles in atmosphere, 200 miles in space
Damage: 4d6 MD single rd, 1d6x10 MD two rd burst, 3d6x10 MD six-round burst
Rate of Fire: EPCHH
Payload: 360 rd drum

*Heavy Ion Blaster----This replaces the ion projector in the head with a large
Ion Cannon with multiple fire modes.
Range: (Palladium) 7,000 ft in atmosphere, 5 miles in space
(Kitsune Values) 5 miles in atmosphere, 500 miles in space
(Spray Mode) (Palladium) 4,000 ft in atmosphere, 3 miles in space
(Kitsune Values) 3 miles in atmosphere, 300 miles in space
Damage: 1d4x10 MD per blast
(Spray Mode)1d4x10+10 MD per blast, to a 50 ft wide area
Rate of Fire: EPCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

*Heavy Pulse Laser----This replaces the ion projector in the head with a large pulse laser with both greater range and greater damage. However, the larger weapon takes up much space, and the integral rail guns will only have 250 rds each(and a second pair of rail guns is NOT possible). The laser also has a distinctive long barrel that protrudes ahead of the head.
Range:(Palladium Values) 6,000 ft in atmosphere, 60,000 ft(12 miles) in space
(Kitsune Values) 12 miles in atmosphere, 1,200 miles in space
Damage: 3d6x10 MD per pulse burst
Rate of Fire: EPCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

*Pontoons---Adds paired pontoon-floats(120 MDC each), which are clasped by the leg landing gear claws. Reduce maximum speed by 20% due to the increased drag, and -2 to dodge. The idea, advanced by the Dark Waters, was that these would allow Lokyees to operate from open water, possibly rendezvousing with submarine forces to rearm the warbirds. The pontoons have proven unpopular with air crews, though at least one Tribe Tinker is reported working on improved versions that would be self-propelled and do double duty as robotic submersible drones or kamikaze torpedoes.

Variants:
* EcoS-K-106Wf---Wayfinder variant, which expands on the base Powerstone to add even more TW accessories. The Powerstone is sometimes upgraded to a ‘Wizard’-class----400 PPE battery capacity; recharges at 14 PPE per hour, 50 PPE/hour at a leyline, 100 PPE/hour on a nexus.
TW Features:
*Armor of Ithan---------100 MDC, duration 40 melees(10 minutes). Activation PPE/ISP: 15 PPE/25 ISP

*Impervious to Energy( 5 minutes per 20 PPE)

*Leyline Booster(Accelerates the aircraft up to 50% greater top speed when on a leyline, -10% to pilot skill when engaged). The aircraft is protected from mach compressibility issues when going supersonic by modifications to the spell.

*Forcefield---Provides 50 MDC per 10 PPE/20 ISP pumped into the system; lasts 10 minutes per 10 PPE/20 ISP.

*Mystical Stealth System----Renders the aircraft silent and invisible, even during the day. Great for evading detection, surveillance, and tailing, but the moment the aircraft takes any sort of aggressive maneuver, the stealth drops and the aircraft can be readily detected. Costs 20 PPE per 3 minutes of activation.

*NIghtcloak System---Effective only at night, this system renders the aircraft virtually invisible in darkness; enemies are -6 to strike, -4 to dodge. Costs 10 PPE per 30 minutes.

Popular TW Add-ons:
-Substitute TW Weapons----The canopy guns can be TW-enhanced(firing TW ammunition for example, in the case of the rail guns, or firing sunlight-spectral laser beams able to burn creatures of the night) , or, in a few cases, replaced altogether with TW equivalents(typically doing 50% better range and damage on a leyline).
*TK Heavy Machine Guns(substitute for the canopy guns)
Range: 4,000 ft(double on ley lines)
Damage: 2d4 MD single shot, 3d6 MD short(5 shot) burst, 5d6 MD long (10 shot) burst, 2d6x10 MD full melee (50 shot) burst.
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited; powering spells must be recast every six months. 200 shot ‘back-up’ PPE clip

*TW Lightning Cannon(replaces the head ion blaster)----Launches a vertical blast of mystic lightning.
Range: 9,000 ft
Damage: 2d4x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: 15 PPE per shot



-Doppleganger-Cloak----This amplification of the Multiple Images Spell allows the aircraft to project multiple ‘ghost’ images of itself(up to 3 separate images). These multiple images can carry out a series of preprogrammed ariel maneuvers(can also simulate weapons fire/gun flashes, but only if the mothership is also firing at the same time), but must remain within a mile of the the projecting aircraft(or they vanish without a trace). Also note that the images don’t show up on radar or thermo-imaging, and cannot be used to fool homing missiles, though they DO give off a PPE trace similar to the projecting aircraft.
Range: ‘Ghosts’ can be projected up to 5,000 ft away
Duration: 5 minutes per activation
PPE Activation Cost: 20 PPE per activation

-Flicker-Dodge---A special capability, and an application of the Astral Hole spell. This allows the aircraft to quickly dodge out of sight/reality, for a few seconds, or move up to 2000 ft sideways, up, down, or backwards , with a +2 to dodge while doing so. Typically, an aircraft can engage this system 6 times before needing to recharge the system on a Ley Line(takes about 24 hours), or the pilot can pump in 120 PPE per “flicker-dodge”.

-Foo-Fighter Defense Drone System---A variant combination of the Magic Warrior and Ball Lightning spells, this TW-projector creates an attendant ‘parasite’ fighter to protect the aircraft and harass pursuers or intercept missiles. The Foo-Fighters are semiautonomous and can be released/directed at specified targets then sent on their way to do their damage, or they can be remotely directed by a gunner/weapons officer on the generating aircraft. The Magic Warrior ‘drone’ can be chosen to appear to appear as a robot aircraft, smaller version of the aircraft, winged animal, flying knight, or a miniature whirlwind/air elemental accompanying the aircraft. Foo-Fighters attack by ramming or by firing short range bolts of eldritch lightning at their targets. Foo Fighters can be targeted and destroyed by conventional means, but Dispel Magic and Anti-Magic Cloud spells stop them dead. Multiple Foo-Fighters are also possible, though each materialized ‘escort’ costs an additional 60 PPE
Range: Typically the Foo-Fighter will stray no more than 6,000 ft from the creating aircraft.
MDC of Foo Fighter: 110
Speed: 400 MPH
Damage: Does 3d6+10 MD per electrical bolt(1,500 ft range)
Duration: 10 melees (roughly 5 minutes) per activation
PPE Activation Cost: Costs 60 PPE per fighter per activation
Bonuses: Each Foo-Fighter has 5 actions/attacks per melee, +5 to strike, roll, and dodge, and +4 on initiative

-Penetrating Vision Optics---These use a new spell;, to peer through cloud and even into water as if these barriers to clear observation didn’t exist! When engaged, the optics have a range of roughly 7,000 ft, so flying at an altitude of 5,000 ft, the bombardier can actually see down 2,000 ft through the water! The downside, of course, is that the optical field is fairly limited(think Nordon Bombsight), and the more powerful TW optics burn PPE at a higher rate; 10 minutes per 10 PPE.

[kronos]

Nice.
Uploaded Silvermoon weapons (photonic grenade, kip-22, lpp800, battle standard adl), Selen, Darkwaters' Teuthy, Airquid, Drepanaspis crusier, Blood Rider Verasus cruiser, Capture Gear, Flit-Striker, Blastrons to the wikia.
http://eshemarrian.wikia.com/wiki/EShemarrian_Wiki

SLOWLY catching up with what we've posted here.. very slowly.

[taalismn]

I figure on working on art for both the Lokyee and the Killdeere over my upcoming(and woefully brief) annual vacation. Four whole days of no internet or keyboarding ...ah, blissful techno-isolation to come.

[kronos]

I figure on working on art for both the Lokyee and the Killdeere over my upcoming(and woefully brief) annual vacation. Four whole days of no internet or keyboarding ...ah, blissful techno-isolation to come.

Enjoy your vacation. I don't get any vacation time. I've been spending some of my weekend doing the wikia, so I've been semi productive.

[taalismn]

Kist came across a reference and a picture of a P-38 Lightning with an extra cockpit on one of its tail booms...they were testing the effects of having an asymmetrical aircraft arrangment(similar to what the Germans had deployed earlier with their Bv 141....

Hmmm....maybe detachable single-person glider-drop pods for transporting commandos?

[kronos]

Kist came across a reference and a picture of a P-38 Lightning with an extra cockpit on one of its tail booms...they were testing the effects of having an asymmetrical aircraft arrangment(similar to what the Germans had deployed earlier with their Bv 141....

Hmmm....maybe detachable single-person glider-drop pods for transporting commandos?

Or e-nimal attached?

[taalismn]

Or e-nimal attached?

Aerial lampreys?

[kronos]

Or e-nimal attached?

Aerial lampreys?

Coalition fighter following one.. looks like large chaff releases from the warmount, Coalition fighter starts to dodge when the 'chaff' veers and surrounds the fighter, start shredding it to pieces.. winged gremlins!

[taalismn]

Or e-nimal attached?

Aerial lampreys?

Coalition fighter following one.. looks like large chaff releases from the warmount, Coalition fighter starts to dodge when the 'chaff' veers and surrounds the fighter, start shredding it to pieces.. winged gremlins!

Or gargoyle feels something between its shoulder blades where it can't reach. Anything sticking to him CAN'T be good news. Partner tries to pull it off, and it either starts chewing its way in, or it explodes.

[kronos]

Or e-nimal attached?

Aerial lampreys?

Coalition fighter following one.. looks like large chaff releases from the warmount, Coalition fighter starts to dodge when the 'chaff' veers and surrounds the fighter, start shredding it to pieces.. winged gremlins!

Or gargoyle feels something between its shoulder blades where it can't reach. Anything sticking to him CAN'T be good news. Partner tries to pull it off, and it either starts chewing its way in, or it explodes.

Definitely would be something I think the Lost Eclipse should have their hands in developing. Gremlins were nightmares for aircrews.

[taalismn]

[q

Definitely would be something I think the Lost Eclipse should have their hands in developing. Gremlins were nightmares for aircrews.

Gremlins ARE nightmares for air crews. Remember; this is Rifts Earth. Gremlins exist. I just don't think they have flying abilities.

[DhAkael]

[q

Definitely would be something I think the Lost Eclipse should have their hands in developing. Gremlins were nightmares for aircrews.

Gremlins ARE nightmares for air crews. Remember; this is Rifts Earth. Gremlins exist. I just don't think they have flying abilities.

Mechanoids are terrified of 'em. Think the CS took out that Spider-fort? *shakes head* ONE Gremlin... ONE.

[taalismn]

Gremlins ARE nightmares for air crews. Remember; this is Rifts Earth. Gremlins exist. I just don't think they have flying abilities.

Mechanoids are terrified of 'em. Think the CS took out that Spider-fort? *shakes head* ONE Gremlin... ONE.

Yeah, sucks when you're a Big Bad reliant on artificial life support.

I'll be out for the next few days to recharge the mental batteries. Try not to schedule any reality-threatening developments until I get back, okay? But if you DO decide to end the world as we know it, try to get it cleaned up before I return.

[kronos]

Gremlins ARE nightmares for air crews. Remember; this is Rifts Earth. Gremlins exist. I just don't think they have flying abilities.

Mechanoids are terrified of 'em. Think the CS took out that Spider-fort? *shakes head* ONE Gremlin... ONE.

Yeah, sucks when you're a Big Bad reliant on artificial life support.

I'll be out for the next few days to recharge the mental batteries. Try not to schedule any reality-threatening developments until I get back, okay? But if you DO decide to end the world as we know it, try to get it cleaned up before I return.

I make no promises.. on the clean up anyway...

[taalismn]

I'm back....many new ideas were had...grand visions of space-going Millennium Trees in particular, but much new hardware for the Darkwaters inspired by actually being on the water.

[kronos]

Vola'Dry

*The building shook repeatedly, knocking soldiers about as they scrambled to their posts.*
"Sir, the east wall is almost breached, and more creatures are approaching the south wall!"
"What of the warriors?"
"Moving steadily and shooting our troops trying to man the guns. Using some of the creatures as living shields!"
*The building shook violently with a deafening crash from the east, followed by screams, shouts and weapons fire.* "They breached the east wall!"

Vola'Dry
Aka Frilled Basher

The Vola'Dry is a thick, leathered skinned creature, with a body similar to an Earth rhino, with short, but powerful legs. Its head is well armoured and designed for ramming, similar to a plow. Behind the head, where the neck joins is a retractable frill that can extend. An extended frill is both a display of aggression and mood, and functions as part of the forcefield generator. On their back is a mass driver based on the Hurga's. The mouth is well suited for chewing up virtually any material, which it uses to ingest material to make ammunition. A small nano-factory in its gut shapes the ammunition and, with sufficient materials, can make special rounds, such as explosive. Each leg mounts a deployable pylon, similar to those used on Glitterboys. The rear legs are reversed jointed, which gives them incredible sprinting power, able to get to full speed very quickly, easily clearing 300 feet in a few seconds. The rough skin around the neck is designed so that it can be easily grabbed and held by a Shemarrian, to act as hand grips.
The Vola'Dry have developed fairly territorial and aggressive traits, being very eager to warn, by extending and shaking its frill, then charging those who threaten it and any Shemarrians and Shemarrian e-nimals and warmounts. They are fearless and will take on creatures, robots and vehicles many times their size and weight. They also have developed a bit of a pack mentality, fitting in with Shemarrian Wolves quite easily, usually falling into Alpha or first Beta rolls, deferring to a well established Wolf alpha in a pack. During and after battles, they will eat fallen enemy vehicles, robots, buildings and creatures, to replenish their ammunition supplies. If during combat, they will have their frills extended and the forcefield active to protect them as they eat. Many enemy infantry have found themselves and their gear the Vola'Dry's next meal, and ammo supply when they try to remove them from a fallen robot or vehicle.
Vola'Dry's were developed after the Skullcrushers acquired the Hurga, but wanted something that fit with their fighting style, and not just an expendable weapon drone. Vola'Dry's are used both offensively and defensively, able to lead a charge, knocking aside anything between them and their goal, firing their back mounted mass driver, based on the Hurga's, at their goal, or at targets of opportunity. Quite often used to break through fortifications when larger warmounts or weapons can not be brought to bear fast enough. Then they can hold their positions, digging in, extending their frill and engaging a powerful forcefield, which has been augmented to share the same qualities as its thermal-kinetic armoured skin. With their frill extended, Shemarrian warriors can use a Vola'Dry as a mobile bunker, using the frill as a shield, and the Vola'Dry can attack other targets. The frill also acts as a brace for the large Shemarrian rail guns. In this role of mobile bunker, the Vola'Dry has ports on either side of its body that accept any current Shemarrian handheld projectile weapon, from the Esspa PP-01 to the standard Railgun, and even the Skullshatter Cannon. The pylons in their legs allows the Vola'Dry to remain in place against anything that could attempt to move it, such as large creatures, tornado level winds, both natural and created by magic. The natural hand grips on its neck can be magnetized to keep a Shemarrian warrior that holds onto one from being blown away in such a situation, although they may not be touching the ground, they will at least remain in the same spot.
Currently Vola'Drys are not wide spread amongst the Skullcrushers, but slowly increasing in numbers, with 1 to 4 being assigned to higher ranking members.
A tactic that was developed in some of the first engagements with Vola'Drys was to use a charging line of Vola'Drys to smash into armoured columns with Shemarrian Wolves following directly behind then leaping over the Vola'Drys once they established a defensive line to protect the Shemarrian Warriors following directly behind, giving them a strong rally point before advancing again.

The Skullcrushers have created a few 'feral' herds of Vola'Dry which they have released on a few of their worlds, and ones that are currently contested that they plan to establish an enclave. These feral versions lack the back mounted weapon, but still regain the reloading ports, although concealed under flaps of thick leathery armoured skin. These feral versions display similar habits to Earth rhinos, although they 'eat' more rocks and minerals, which they shape into ammunition, that they store internally, or leave deposits of the ammunition in secured, secluded locations, for Shemarrian warriors to locate, usually close to a herd's nesting grounds. They will usually have nests not too far from mining areas, enemy storage facilities, and areas where there is heavy enemy traffic, or large battlefields, foraging the scrap left there.. When not 'eating', attacking creatures or enemies of the Shemarrians, they graze on rocks and minerals, ram their heads against each other in feats of strength, trying to push the other the farthest, and have races as they are great sprinters.

Type: Eco-KRP24-KAScr Vola'Dry
Class: Robotic Animal Drone
Crew: None; robot intelligence. Vola'Dry are usually Awakened with an Ecotroz Essence. 
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 350
Head 200
Frill 150
Legs (4) 85 each
Weapon Turret 100
Forcefield 250, regenerates 50 MDC per melee round, covers only front arc.
Height: 6 ft, frill extended adds another 2 feet, weapon is 2 feet.
Width: 5 ft, frill extended adds another 4.5 feet to each side.
Length: 15 ft
Weight: 2000 lbs
Cargo: None, pull or carry up to 3 tons.
Physical Strength: Equivalent to Robotic P.S. of 35, PP 15, IQ 8
Powerplant: Nuclear w/ 5 year energy life
Speed: (Running) 100 MPH
(Leaping) Not built for leaping but can manage to leap 4 feet up and 10 feet across with a running start. Usually just smashes through obstacles.
(Flying) Not possible
(Space) Not possible. Cannot fly in space; limited to crawling along ship/structure hulls. 
(Underwater) Limited to crawling along the bottom at 5 MPH. Maximum depth of 1,500 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( 5 mile range) and other standard power armor-equivalent systems. Additional/special sensors may be built in by the creating Spinsters/Tinkers or at the behest of individual riders/owners. 

*Bionic Cybernanite Repair Systems---ALL Vola'Dry 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 80 MDC before needing material stocks to convert to MD repair material.

Thermal-Kinetic Skin - The Vola'Dry is skinned in thick armour skin that functions just like thermal-kinetic armour. Thermal sensors only have 01-25% chance of detecting the Vola'Dry. Normal fires deal 5% of normal damage only after being exposed for more than 10 minutes. Mega-damage fire, heat, plasma and magic fire deal half damage. S.D.C. kinetic energy attacks do no damage, while M.D kinetic energy attacks deal half damage. Note low speed kinetic impact from punches at bionic, robotic and supernatural strength do full damage. The Vola'Dry suffers no damage when it rams into an object, as the frame is well reinforced and protected.

Internal Micro Nano-Factory - The Vola'Dry contains a small factory that allows it to manufacture ammunition from scrap and other material it ingests. This system even allows the Vola'Dry to ingest materials that certain creatures are vulnerable to, such as jade, wood, silver, megadamage bone and chitin. It can create a jacket for materials that are not magnetic. Also if provided the proper materials, the nano-factory can make a few specialty rounds, such as explosive (decrease damage by 2 die ((7d6 becomes 5d6)), or if only 1 die, reduce to next smallest die ((1d6x10 becomes 1d4x10)) and deals damage to a 15 foot area), napalm, acid or other toxin filled rounds, and others.

Reloader - Mounted on each side is a port that a Shemarrian can insert an empty magazine for their railguns, assault rifles, and other projectile weapons. The internal micro nano-factory will create ammunition from any stored materials, or material eaten by the Vola'Dry, and reload the magazine, creating and loading 20 rounds per melee with sufficient materials available. These ports are designed to accept all current Shemarrian hand held projectile weapons, with enough flexibility to be easily adaptable to accept new types developed later.

Frill - The Vola'Dry possesses a large frill around its head, similar to the Frilled Neck Lizard. This frill is part of the forcefield system, and reinforces the forcefield. Due to how the frill is created and new forcefield generating technics gained from Clan Armorand, this gives the forcefield properties similar to thermal-kinetic armour, taking half damage from mega-damage fire, heat, plasma and magic fire, not damage from kinetic energy attacks. A Shemarrian warrior, or other elite, up to the size of a War Goddess, or about a foot taller, can stand on either side of the Vola'Dry and use the frill as a defensive barrier. The defended warrior will have an effective AR of 17. The frill is also designed to act as a weapon brace, decreasing penalties for non-called shots by 1.

Anchoring Pylons - The feet and legs contain anchoring pylons similar to those of the Glitterboy, allowing it to anchor itself in place and not budging, used when holding ground. Requires a minimal Strength of 40 Robotic to uproot an anchored Vola'Dry.

Wrecker - A combination of its programmed skills and physical structure, the Vola'Dry is a natural destroyer of buildings and objects. This gives the Vola'Dry its double damage to buildings, anchored targets, etc. If the Vola'Dry spends a melee round studying its target (it can still dodge, but can't attack and must be facing the target), making a successful Military Fortifications skill check, the next attack against that target with the Vola'Dry's ram attack, which must be made the next melee round, has the critical range increased to natural 18-20.

Sprinter - The powerful legs of the Vola'Dry are designed to get it to charging speed quickly, able to cover 300 feet as a melee action.

Weapons Systems:
Back Mounted Rail Gun (1) - The Vola'Dry mounts a massdriver railgun similar to the Hurga, which it can replenish the ammunition by eating materials either fed to it, or from battlefield scrap. The Vola'Dry can shape its own ammunition, then electromagnetically expel it, at rail gun velocities. For nonmagnetic materials, such as stone and megadamage bon and chitin, the Vola'Dry can also use more powerful EM fields to expel the round, albeit with less force and damage. If there is some magnetic metal also available the nonmetallic round can be expelled with the same force and damage as MDC metal.
Range:( SDC/MD Metal) 4,000 ft
(MD Stone/Concrete) 2,000 ft
(MD Bone/Chitin) 1,000 ft
Damage:(SDC Metal) 7d6 SDC single round, 1d4 MD per 10 round burst
(MDC Metal) 1d6 MD single round, 1d6x10 MD per 10 round burst
(MD Stone/Concrete) 1d4 MD single round, 1d4x10 MD per 10 round burst
(MD Bone/Chitin) 1 MD single round, 1d10 MD per 10 round burst
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Conditionally Unlimited; the Vola'Dry can make and store up to 2500 rounds of ammunition in a helical magazine around its ‘gut’. If situated on a good supply of megadamage materials, such as a wrecked vehicle or monster corpse, the Vola'Dry can chew up 20 rounds’ worth of ammunition per melee. 

Eye Lasers (2) - These are mini-lasers, that are typically used to help carve up MDC materials for use as cannon-fodder, but they can also be used for antipersonnel work. 
Range: 800 ft.
Damage: 2d4 MD single blast, 4d4 MD double blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH 
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

Bite - The mouth of the Vola'Dry is powerful, able to rip and tear into megadamage materials, crushing and shredding it for use in the Nano-factory for its ammunition.
Range: Melee
Damage: 2d6 MD

Ram - One of the Vola'Dry's primary attacks is its powerful ram head, able to smash through reinforced bunker walls, smash tanks aside. The Vola'Dry's head is designed for smashing, and when running, the head lowers and lines up with the spine and neck, locking into place. The whole structure of the Vola'Dry is well reinforced, reducing any damage it might suffer from striking something it couldn't knock over, which is rare.
Range: Anything struck within running distance, typically within 300 feet/melee.
Damage: 5d6, critical damage x3.
Rate of Fire: Uses 2 attacks/melee (one to cover distance, second to make the actual attack).
Special: Automatically deals double damage to immobile targets, such as buildings. Against a wall/building, if more than 50% damage is done, the wall is breached (10 foot area is used typically to calculate) and weakened, farther rams will deal double damage, on top of the Vola'Dry's special double damage to walls.
Knockdown: Has a 01-75% to knock down anything up to 30 feet tall, weighing up to 30 tons. Every 10 tons or 10 feet over this reduce the chance by 10%. Ground vehicles (up to 40 feet long, weighing up to 30 tons, every 10 tons or feet over this reduces the chance by 10 feet) struck have a 01-60% chance to lose control and be moved 1d6x10 feet in the direction the Vola'Dry was moving in, even if maintains control. Hover vehicles struck will have a 01-80% to lose control, and are pushed back 2d4x10 feet in the direction the Vola'Dry was moving in. The Vola'Dry will continue to move half the distance the vehicle is moved. If the vehicle strikes an object as it is being moved, it suffers 2d6 MD to all areas the part of the vehicle strikes the object with. For example, a Coalition Mk V APC is struck on the right side, and pushed back 30 feet, striking a wall at 20 feet, suffers 2d6 MD to main body and 4 wheels, two side laser turrets and one of the hatch lasers all on the left side.

(Optional) Self-Destruct - Vola'Dry are frequently equipped with thermal-explosive or thermal-corrosive self-destruct charges to prevent their capture if overrun by an enemy. 
Range: Self
Damage: Completely destroys the gun-beast. Thermal-explosives can do an additional 4d6x10 MD to a 40 ft radius, plus 80% chance of setting combustibles in the area of effect alight in a 30 ft radius beyond that. Thermal-corrosive charges do 2d4x10 MD to a 15 ft radius, but can ‘splatter’, doing an additional 2d4 MD to a 60 ft radius of effect, and 1d6 MD for an additional 1d4 melees afterwards. 

Programming:
The Ecotroz have installed robotic AIs into the Vola'Dry. They are rarely infected with a low-level Ecotroz sentience. Vola'Dry tend to be aggressive and protective creatures, ready for a fight, and using their powerful ramming abilities the first chance they get.
Radio: Basic 98%
Math: Basic 96%
Land Navigation 96%
Intelligence 76% (knows enough to identify and prioritize targets like enemy officers and heavy weapons, or target specific points on armored vehicles)
Detect Ambush 60%
Sniper (+2 to strike on aimed shots)
Military Fortifications 60%

If infected with an Ecotroz Essence, the Ecotroz entity can also pick up one Secondary skill at levels 2, 6, and 12 of experience, though the nature of the Vola'Dry intelligence and design is such that it is limited to skill selections from Technical: Language (understanding) and Lore, Espionage ( Detect Concealment, Camouflage), Wilderness(Track Animals, Hunting, Identify Plants and Fruits). 
Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 6
Initiative +3 (+1 from the Ecotroz entity for a total of +4)
Dodge +2
Parry +2
Strike +5 (+4 w/ ranged weaponry, +6 with an aimed shot, from the sniper skill, +2 with bursts) 
Roll +2
Claw 1d6 MD
Pylon Impalement 1d4 MD per pylon.

Note: The Ecotroz intelligence fragment inhabiting the ‘bot gives the Vola'Dry an aura and behavior more befitting a sentient being than a robot. Ecotroz-invested Hurgas, however, seem little different from their unAwakened brethren, except for perhaps slightly greater cunning and creativity in stalking targets and setting up firing positions. 

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, 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:
A few options have been made available for the Vola'Dry

Skullshatter Cannon - This is an alternate weapon sometimes mounted to a Vola'Dry, and usually only assigned to very high ranking Warriors or Chieftess, or when exceptionally heavy combat is expected. When this weapon is mounted, the Vola'Dry is more picky about the material it eats as the Skullshatter will not accept nonmetallic ammunition as easily, even with the magnetic jacket. It's also been noted that Vola'Drys with a Skullshatter mounted are even more aggressive and have a particular fondness of using the Skullshatter at extreme close range, even climbing up onto a target, latching on with claws and pylons, chewing at what it can reach, usually legs of a robot, or lower portion of main body of a vehicle to replenish spent rounds as it fires the Skullshatter at another part of the main body.
Reduce the speed of a Skullshatter equipped Vola'Dry to 80 mph due to the weight of the weapon.
Weight: 1,000 lbs
MDC: 420
Range: 6,000 ft
Damage: 2d6x10 MD per round, 6d6x10 MD for a three shot burst, 1d6MDx100 for a six shot burst(!)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 2500 rd internal feed, but effectively unlimited with sufficient material available.

Quill Defense - This addon is basically a flechette launcher system that it uses to defend itself from swarming enemies or creatures, loosely based on the Blastron directional explosive armour addons for Shemarrian warrior armour. Instead of explosives, it fires a spread of flechettes, which can be replenished via the Vola'Dry's nano-factory, making it even more effective as it is only limited in uses as available materials to replace spent uses. There are 3 launchers on either side of the spine, just behind the short neck.
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 launchers 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 armor takes full damage. Note: when dealing with volleys, one launcher can match TWO missiles in a volley, so in order to effectively counter a five missile volley, the Vola'Dry must fire 3 launchers...two packs would roll twice to defeat their respective missiles, the third would only roll once. 
Rate of Fire: One at a time or can be simultaneously fired in volleys of 1-6
Payload: Effectively unlimited, but 6 loads are available, and with sufficient materials (about 20 lbs of metal, preferably MDC metal), can be reloaded within one melee round.

Chromed - The frill and head is coated in laser resistant material, increasing MDC by 50 to both areas, and laser weapons deal half damage. The forcefield also gains the benefit of laser weapons dealing half damage, but recharges at only 30 MDC per melee round. This removes the thermal-kinetic armour properties from the forcefield, head and frill.

Variants
Eco-KRP24-KAScr-Fr Feral
This variant is the feral version, which is fundamentally the same, but the weapon turret is removed, and covered completely in its leathery armoured skin. The Quill Defense can be added still, but the launchers are modeled to look similar to twin thickets of porcupine-like quills on either side of the spine just behind the neck. About 10% of feral Vola'Drys will have this. The internal ammunition storage is increased to 4000 rounds, and the magazine reloading ports are concealed under flaps of leathery skin. The feral Vola'Dry can also leave a package of ammunition, usually 50 to 100 rounds contained in a thin plastic or metallic container, depending on materials available in the area, via a port on its underside.
Feral Vola'Drys have the following changes:
remove forcefield;
remove weapon turret;
Increase speed to 120 mph;
Increase internal ammunition storage to 4000 rounds.

[taalismn]

EEewwwwwwwww....I like...must start artwork to do it justice.

Related; should have some art for the Lokyee up tomorrow.