Shemarrian-related fan creations

Ley Line walkers, Juicers, Coalition Troops, Samas, Tolkeen, & The Federation Of Magic. Come together here to discuss all things Rifts®.

Moderators: Immortals, Supreme Beings, Old Ones

User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

You're kidding me, right? Better looking than my efforts.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

taalismn wrote:You're kidding me, right? Better looking than my efforts.

Well it IS a P-Shoop job and all... but usually my Cut & Splice is much more seamless. That was literally a "I gotta get this done now" jobbie. 45 minutes from raw stock to final post.
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

DhAkael wrote:
taalismn wrote:You're kidding me, right? Better looking than my efforts.

Well it IS a P-Shoop job and all... but usually my Cut & Splice is much more seamless. That was literally a "I gotta get this done now" jobbie. 45 minutes from raw stock to final post.



I wind up cutting and pasting then using the Eraser function in P-Shop to remove the unslightly white 'matrix' around my foreground image(because the stupid cookier-cutter feature almost always lops something off(an antennae, a wheel, a finger, a breast--ouuuchhh!!!, gun barrels). Takes up most of the time and requires a lot of fine control.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

Advanced Cultural Notes:(Shemarrian Star Nation) Wayfinders

“Do not underestimate scholars as being weak, distracted, or obsessed with clever plans and convoluted strategies when it comes to combat. True, many become enraptured with their own cleverness and do not manifest the casual disregard for lives in the heart of battle that wins charges and frontal assaults, but the DANGEROUS scholar-warriors are those who can disregard casualties, discard parochial concepts of honor and fair play, and who can study their targets thoroughly. THOSE scholars, they will know EXACTLY where to hit you.”

Founded by a refugee mage who’d managed to overwrite her soul onto one of ARCHIE-3’s long range scouts, the Wayfinders became the magic-users and the far-ranging scouts of the emergent rebel Shemarrians.
The Wayfinders would not have a serious influence on the Shemarrian Civil War until relatively late. Because of logistical concerns(the Wayfinders could not simply add converts like the Ecotroz could), distance(the Wayfinders had established themselves on the distant American West Coast to get AWAY from likely enemies), and other more pressing issues(such as the Wayfinders’ covert efforts against the Coalition States), the Wayfinders had a delayed entry into the SCW.
However, the Wayfinders would have a profound influence on the outcome and aftermath of the SCW; Wayfinder diplomacy and the many gifts they had developed during their time of separation helped smooth the transitions of the Reconciliation and ReUnification. It was Wayfinder diplomatic overtures that headed off what might have been ugly friction between the Hawkmoons and the Wolf’s Path for the dominant leadership position in the new Shemarrian Nation(though, it was rumored, at the sacrifice of Tysaldaen Silverstar’s own ambitions of wielding the Shemarrians as a weapon against the Coalition States). It is also suspected that the Wayfinders had a strong influence on the formation of the Shemarrian Star Nation.
Though relatively small as a Tribe(roughly the same size as the Blood Riders) the Wayfinders have an influence far wider and farther than many of the other Tribes. The Wayfinders are the seekers, the guides, the intrepid explorers. If there is a Tribe that will find things, it is the Wayfinders. If there is a Tribe that will get into trouble sticking its nose places, it is the Wayfinders. Their diplomacy with other species and their tendancy to collect interesting things makes them among the wealthier Tribes, when they are inclined to part with any of the treasures they find.
While the Wayfinders may have the highest percentage of overtly non-combat classes in their Tribal population, the Wayfinders are NOT slouches when it comes to combat. As nearly every Tribeswoman/man has spellcasting/psionic abilities or TW augmentation, Wayfinders are dangerous and unpredictable. Scholars and academics they may be, but they are WARRIOR scholars and academics, never to be underestimated.
Wayfinders have made sure that they aren’t restricted by the commonly held beliefs that magic and high technology don’t mix, and that the stuff of magic, PPE, cannot be born of robotics. Using combinations of refined PPE-gel organics and crystal power matrices, Wayfinders almost to a member, have high PPE. Many also use psi-mechanisms or psylite amplification crystals to boost their psionic potential.
Wayfinder society is almost the reverse of traditional Shemarrian society, owing to the circumstances of the founding of the Tribe. Initially, Wayfinder society was over ninety percent NeShemar, transferred intelligences of magic users and Tolkeen scholars making up the bulk of the Tribe’s numbers, and only a small percentage of ‘true’ Ecotroz Shemarrians coming in late to the organization. Later, as Progen became available and the transferred intelligence arcano-borgs availed themselves of the opportunity to start families, the percentage of natural-born psi-borgs/bots increased. However, the specifics of their parentage led to the problem that many of the new generations of Wayfinders started out with less of the ‘standardized’ programming common to the other Tribes. This meant that newly-born Wayfinders had to go to school to learn much of what their Ecotroz kindred were imprinted with. Fortunately, in a society obsessed with the acquisition of knowledge, there is no shortage of scholars, teachers, mentors, and instructors willing to impart their knowledge to young minds. While it may take slightly longer for a young Wayfinder to match the ‘instinctive’ levels of expertise in certain fields that EShemar may possess, Wayfinders often exceed their kin in the broadness of their educations and diversity of skills.

In the Three Galaxies the Wayfinders are equally at home on planets or in space. Though nominally they are nomadic in nature, driven to wander and explore, they have established many planetary enclaves, typically small outposts, often around worlds colonized by the other Tribes, usually centered around things of interest(astronomical phenomenon, archeological dig, strong PPE source, alien artifact). The Wayfinders have a powerful space fleet, heavily enhanced with magic and mystech, for both combat and exploration. About half of their fleet is heavily modified designs acquired from other sources; commercial transports and refurbished derelicts made over into research vessels and technowizardry warships. The other half of their fleet consists of specially designed elite units that show just what a combination of cutting edge technology and applied arcanotech can do. The expertise of Wayfinder Pathfinders in navigation, especially in the Unknown Regions, gives Wayfinder fleet forces(and those helmed by them) some considerable advantages in long range campaigns and operations.

The Wayfinders’ magical nature and presence in the far corners of the Three Galaxies makes them tempting targets for the Infernals in the Minion War, but it also makes the Wayfinders the Shemarrian Star Nation’s most potent weapon against the demonic and dyvall forces.

Relations:
Wayfinders consort with and get along best with the Hawkmoons and Darkwaters; the former for their willingness to embrace magic and the latter for their deep space exploration efforts.
Silvermoons are respected for their piety to their ideals, and are seen as good trade partners, especially for those hard-to-get materials that the Wayfinders rely on for their technowizardry creations.
The Wayfinders watch the curious spiritual development of the Sapphire Cobras with great interest and amusement; there’s just so much going on in the Cobras’ heads that the Wayfinders can’t make much sense of it, and that intrigues them to no end.
The Horrorwoods, Wolf’s Path, Ghost Riders, and Blood Riders are all respected for the various paths their respective cultures are taking them. There is occasionally some friction between the Wayfinders and the Blood Riders, who feel the scholarly Wayfinders ‘lack fire’, but such disagreements rarely last long, especially on the battlefield, and after the Wayfinders have deployed some spectacular magic weapon against the SSN’s foes.
The Skullcrushers are treated with respectful sympathy and some well-concealed pity. For all their grim-dark bluster, the Skullcrushers are seen as a Tribe laboring under its own burden of mis-assumed guilt, earnestly striving to redeem itself. The Skullcrushers’ repeated rebuffing of Wayfinder efforts to literally and metaphorically exorcise the Skullcrusher ‘taint’ is a constant source of frustration in Wayfinder dealings with the Tribe.
In general, the Wayfinders get along with most everybody, regarding their fellow Tribes with bemusement and affection.

Composition Notes:
*Shemarrian Mystics---Wayfinder Mystics are more often(75%) full-on Mystics, rather than simply high-psionic potential lore-masters.

*Shemarrian Males---The Wayfinders have a higher percentage of Males among them than any other Tribe(25%), and Wayfinder men suffer far less pigeonholing than among the other Tribes.

*NeShemar---After the HorrorWoods, the Wayfinders have perhaps the highest percentage of NeShemar among their number, nearly forty percent. This is a result of the continuation of the policy of the Wayfinders offering mages and scholars of interest to them a ‘second chance’ at life as a psiborg or transfered intelligence. Indeed, the Wayfinder Valkyri have been occasionally accused of having an undue bias in collecting magic users. This is not entirely true, as the Wayfinders regularly pass on ‘finds’ to other Tribes, but they do tend to keep mages and psychics for themselves.

Stat Bonuses:
-Magic: Nearly 80% of all Wayfinders possess some form of magic, even if it’s only a handful of cantrip spells powered by an implanted PPE crystal battery.
*Magic Users---Among the 45% of the population that can be said to be full-blown magic users, roughly 30% are TechnoWizards, 15% are Spacial Mages , 15% Ley Line Walkers, 12% are Mystics, and 5% are Dimensional Shifters. The remaining 23% are a mix of all manner of magic classes, with the exception of Necromancy, Witch-Pacts, and other evil-oriented schools of magic, which are banned from the Wayfinders.

-Third Eye Implant---The 3rd Eye implant that is the distinguishing physical characteristic of Wayfinders has evolved to be more than simply an extra optic; the SSN Wayfinders have refined it until it has the properties of the ARS-500 Arcane Scanner, with the following powers:
-Sense Ley Lines---3 miles(rifts at 6 miles)
-Sense Supernatural---450 ft
-Sense Magic---120 ft area
-Decipher Magic---72%
-Presence Sense---120 ft area
-See Aura
-Eyes of Thoth
-Sense/See Dimensional Anomaly

-PPE Generation Gel-Packs/TW Crystal Generators---Most Wayfinders sport TW PPE Powerstone Generators or enhanced PPE Gel Packs integrated into them; the former, especially in the case of the larger and more powerful systems, are made evident by obvious crystalline implants visible in the torso, forearms, or at the temples/skull. PPE-Gel is manifest as softer psuedo-tissues that are more susceptible to damage, but are relatively easier to hide and regenerates PPE at a slightly higher rate.
Crystalline---Add 2 lbs per 20 PPE capacity.
PPE Capacity:(Light)----100 PPE battery capacity; recharges at 10 PPE per hour, 20PPE/hour at a leyline, 40 PPE/hour on a nexus
(Medium)-----200 PPE battery capacity; recharges at 10 PPE per hour, 40 PPE/hour at a leyline, 80 PPE/hour on a nexus
(‘Wizard’)----300 PPE battery capacity; recharges at 14 PPE per hour, 50 PPE/hour at a leyline, 100 PPE/hour on a nexus
(‘Sorcerer’)--- 400 PPE battery capacity; recharges at 20 PPE per hour, 60 PPE/hour at a leyline, 120 PPE/hour on a nexus. The crystalline generators will be most obvious as large swaths of skin replaced by crystalline scaling or protrudances on the torso, limbs, or head.

Gel Batteries---Add 5 lbs per 20 PPE capacity. Note that the Gel Batteries are implanted close to the Shemarrian’s psuedo-flesh skin;
(Light)----80 PPE battery capacity; recharges at 12 PPE per hour, 24 PPE/hour at a leyline, 45 PPE/hour on a nexus
(Medium)-----140 PPE battery capacity; recharges at 14 PPE per hour, 45 PPE/hour at a leyline, 90 PPE/hour on a nexus
(‘Wizard’)----300 PPE battery capacity; recharges at 18 PPE per hour, 60 PPE/hour at a leyline, 150 PPE/hour on a nexus

Sample Weapons/Equipment:
The Wayfinders can use any of the common TW weapons and cybernetics/bionics of Rifts Earth, and will likely try to reverse-engineer any of the less common types they can acquire for study. Thus, Wayfinders have perhaps the most eccentric layout of available weapons, armor, and equipment.

*TW Cloak---This is a thick cloak of layered megadamage plastics and treated natural fibers. Typically white or silver-gray in color with metallic or blue accents/broaching. Besides being tough, the cloaks have several TW protection spells woven into them:
MDC: 60
Spell Protections(Equivalent typically to 6th level, or more depending on the standing of the wearer)
-Armor of Ithan(5 PPE, 60 MDC, 1 minute per level of creator)
-Impervious to Energy(10 PPE, 2 minutes per level of creator)
-Energy Field(5 PPE, 10 MDC/ 1 minute per level of creator)
-Impervious to Energy(3 PPE, 5 minutes per level of creator)
-Blast Shield(9 PPE, 10 ft radius, 1 melee per level of creator)
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

taalismn wrote:Advanced Cultural Notes:(Shemarrian Star Nation) Wayfinders


Thank you kindly... saved ME a heck of a lot of work ;)

..and get outta my head mind reader :P
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

DhAkael wrote:
taalismn wrote:Advanced Cultural Notes:(Shemarrian Star Nation) Wayfinders


Thank you kindly... saved ME a heck of a lot of work ;)

..and get outta my head mind reader :P



The book ain't anywhere complete on the Wayfinders(or any of the Tribes)...this thing is still a WIP, but that's what I could come up with so far. :D
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

I will be sure to add my own contributions as the muse allows. :D :frust:
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

Of course, there's still the Darkwaters and Hawkmoons to cover. :D
I'm almost finished with a write up on the former, but I'm holding out for some last minute ideas to pop up(what delays a lot of my Paladin Steel stuff; a simple design gets delayed because I think of a variant, slew of options, or new system I want to testbed on the original 'simple' design...result: a months-long delay on completion and a one-page write-up runs to three or more pages). :P
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

Yeah...got a drabble for the First-Flight of the Hawkmoon into the outer-black.
It still needs time to gel-together though. We'll see how I feel tomorow. :erm:
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

DhAkael wrote:Yeah...got a drabble for the First-Flight of the Hawkmoon into the outer-black.
It still needs time to gel-together though. We'll see how I feel tomorow. :erm:



Here it's flaming hot and while my mind is racing a mile a minute, humidity and heat are making any effort to get it all down damn near impossible.
It's not a matter of stuff not gelling, it's a matter of it not MELTING. :x
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

Real life (re: girlfriend not giving me a single day to self) has curtailed any writing.
Oh well... :roll:
I'll get to stuff eventually.
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

To plug the gap(or slither through it)

EShemar ‘StarCobra’ Destroyer
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/img137.jpg
“They attack a world that we have touched! A Sister calls to us from her Temple, trapped beneath one of those invaders! She protects those who have taken shelter under the sanctuary of the Serpent, but she cannot hold forever!
So let us strike now and strike deep! Let these invaders feel the bite of our fangs and the swift fire of our venom!”


The ‘StarCobra’ is a fast strike starship that has thus far appeared only in the forces of the Sapphire Cobra clan, though it is presumed that the Sapphire Cobras sought the assistance of the DarkWaters in designing this high-powered vessel. It is perhaps a sign of the Sapphire Cobras’ growing affluence, through the expansion of their cult, that they have commissioned a warship type specifically to advertise their particular and peculiar iconic philosophy. The growing wealth of the Tribe means that these ships are starting to appear in greater numbers, supplementing, and in some cases supplanting, older designs.
The StarCobra resembles an oval manta-ray with a particularly long tail, or else a stretched-out cobra with its hood spread. The crew areas and weaponry are concentrated in the forward hood portion; the elongated tail is dedicated largely to sensor spoofing gear and stealth systems. Armament is heavy; two ‘fang’ g-cannon firing nanite warhead projectiles and a mix of plasma and missile systems. A powerful shield system protects the ship, while an ablative scaling to the armor provides last-ditch protection.
Like the Aureale, the StarCobra is a pure warship, designed for fast, hard, and direct strikes. It has no provision for internal hangaring of fighters, shuttlecraft, or War Steeds(though the crew will normally carry a complement of cybersnakes as assistants and repair drones). Crew amenities are scarce, as the EShemar and their cyborg NeShemar adjutants spend their off-duty time in ‘capsule’ compartments in VR repose. This saves on space and energy, which is devoted to weapons, armor, shields, and engines. The tougher physiology of the Shemar crews also allows the ships to perform at higher accelerations without the need of more advanced inertial damping; the StarCobras are ‘blindingly fast’(as one observer put it) compared to other Three Galaxies destroyer models.
The Star Cobra first appeared in Sapphire Cobra ‘enforcer’ flotillas dispatched to protect their enclave worlds, but it has also been seen escorting flights of Cobra-cult pilgrims. It has also begun appearing in raids against Splugorth worlds.

Type: ESheMar-DD06Sc Star Cobra
Class: Destroyer
Crew: 27+ about 12-36 cybersnakes
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 5,000
Bridge 1,400
Engines(2) 1,600 each
Heavy G-Cannon Turret(2) 540 each
Medium Laser Cannon(2) 540 each
Plasma Torpedo Launchers(5) 400 each
Long Range Missile Launchers(2) 500 each
Point Defense Turrets(6) 100 each
Variable Forcefield 1,500 each side(9,000 total)
Height: 60 ft
Width: 110 ft at the widest part of the ‘hood’
Length: 480 ft(mostly the elongated ‘tail’
Weight: 7,900 tons
Cargo: 200 tons in a small cargo bay
Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion w/ 30 year energy life
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 6; transatmospheric.
(Sublight) Mach 20
(Kitsune Values: 60% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 2% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) 6 light years per hour
(Underwater) Not possible
Market Cost: Exclusive to the Shemarrian Star Nation
Systems of Note:
Standard Starship Systems, plus:
*Sensor Baffling----The Shemar ships can partially mask their sensor spoor, making themselves difficult to detect at long range. This acts as Stealth(-70% to detect while stationary, -30% when moving)

*Sensor Decoy Generation----The StarCobra’s advanced ECM system can generate up to six sensor ‘ghosts’ up to 300 miles away from the ship. These projections cannot be definitely discerned for what they realy are at ranges less than 1,000 miles(by Galactic-standard sensors) or visual conformation.

*Ablative ‘Snake Skin’ Armor----Any harm actually done to the main hull armor ablates the armor into a cloud of microfragments and platelets that continue to protect the ship. Unless the ship is moving in an atmosphere or undertakes evasive maneuvering, the ablated armor ‘halo’ will reduce subsequent laser strikes by 1/3 and radar- and laser-guided weaponry will be -2 to strike, for the 1d4 melees before the cloud disperses(although other hull strikes in the interim may extend this time period).

*Tractor Beams(4)---- The Star Cobra mounts four light tractor beam projectors at the outboard ends of the hood, mainly as directors for the plasma torpedoes, but they are occasionally used to capture and hold small craft. The light tractor beams are each rated for 800 tons dead weight, but can be used for imparting small changes in momentum/direction to ships/structures several times that mass.
Range: 5 miles in space(NOT usable in atmosphere)
(Kitsune Values: 5,000 miles in space).

Weapons Systems:
1)Heavy G-Cannon Turret(2)---Mounted in the front are two heavy g-cannon that can fire nanite-warhead ‘Serpent’s Kiss’ munitions.
Range: 8 miles in atmosphere, 16 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 16 miles in atmosphere, 16,000 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4x100 MD per burst per single barrel, 4d4x100 MD per dual burst
On a Natural 19-20(18-20 if in atmosphere), the rail gun strikes does critical damage(DOUBLE damage) plus nanites are successfully embedded in the structure of the target. These nanites proceed to do an additional 1d4x10 MD for 2d4 melees(double damage and duration if in atmosphere)
Unlike the original ‘Serpent’s Kiss’, the nanites can work on organic and inorganic materials alike
Rate of Fire: EGCHH(4-6)
Payload: 2,000 bursts per cannon. Additional drums can be brought up from cargo and reloaded; process takes 20 minutes)

2) Medium Laser Cannon(2)---Mounted in the upper ‘jaw’ above the G-cannon turret are two fixed-forward heavy laser cannons
Range: 8 miles in atmosphere, 16 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 16 miles in atmosphere, 16,000 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4x100 MD per shot
Rate of Fire: Four shots per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

3) Plasma Torpedo Launchers(5)---Built into the leading edge of the ‘hood’ are four plasma torpedo launchers. A fifth smaller launcher is built into the tail, firing aft.
These unusual weapons fire volleys of plasma bolts like missiles, and are even able to ‘curve’(up to 90 degrees) the shots somewhat to skip around ships and obstacles to envelope a target, but this control seems ballistic in nature, rather than active control(though there is evidence that the Shemar are able to actively direct the bolts within tractor beam range). The bolts themselves seem to have been endowed with a weak magnetic field that contains the plasma in a tight’packet’, allowing the plasma to travel farther without losing cohesion and damage potential, and allowing the plasma to explode with area of effect on target. The result is an energy missile with superior range to normal energy weapons(though still well short of comparable missile weaponry) and potentially unlimited payload. However, the plasma packets CAN be grabbed/deflected by tractor beams(likely how the EShemar manipulate their energy projectiles at short range and correct their course....each of the launch arms’ mounted tractor beams being able to grab and direct a volley of plasma bolts), or destabilized by ion or particle beam weapons fire(takes 20 MDC to disrupt the plasma containment).
Range: 25 miles in atmosphere, 100 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 100 miles in atmosphere, 100,000 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4x100 MD to a 100 ft blast radius per missile
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-6 plasma bolts each array. The tail array fires volleys of 1-4. Three volleys per melee.
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Note: The PTLs come with integral Tractor Beams, mainly as directors for the plasma torpedoes, but they are occasionally used to capture and hold small craft. The light tractor beams are each rated for 800 tons dead weight, but can be used for imparting small changes in momentum/direction to ships/structures several times that mass.
Range: 5 miles in space(NOT usable in atmosphere)
(Kitsune Values: 5,000 miles in space).

4) Long Range Missile Launchers(2)----Mounted behind the plasma torpedo launchers and firing through scale-shaped hatches in the underside of the ‘hood’ are two long range missile launchers.
Range: Varies by Missile Type (Long Range)
(Kitsune Values: 3,400 miles in atmosphere, 1,800,000 miles in space)
Damage:Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-16
Payload: 80 missiles per launcher, 160 missiles total

5)Point Defense Rail Gun/Laser Turrets(6)---Standard Shemarrian-pattern rail gun/pulse laser combination in a common turret. Four are mounted in the ‘hood’, and the remaining two are mounted ventrally and dorsally protecting the tail.
Range: (Rail Gun) 2 miles in atmosphere, 4 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 4 miles in atmosphere, 400 miles in space)
(Laser) 1 mile in atmosphere, 3 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 3 miles in atmosphere, 300 miles in space)
Damage: (Rail Gun)4D6x10 M.D. per blast
(Laser) 3D6x10 M.D. per blast
Rate of Fire: (Rail Gun)EGCHH(4-6)
(Laser) EGCHH (4-6)
Payload: (Rail Gun) 2,000 rd drum. Additional ammunition can be stored as cargo, but will take 45 minutes to reload from stores.
(Laser) Effectively Unlimited

Auxiliary Craft: None

Variants:
*Eshemar-DD-06ScB---Nicknamed the ‘Sun Cobra’, this variant replaces the plasma torpedoes with an array of twelve x-ray laser cannon(in 3x4 arrays), giving the ship a vicious close-in direct fire capability.
Range: 8 miles in atmosphere, 16 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 16 miles in atmosphere, 16,000 miles in space)
Damage: 2d6x100 MD per cannon firing, so all twelve firing at once does 12d6x100(or, if you want to save rolling buckets of dice, 2d6x1200 MD)(!)
Ignores laser-reflective armors
Rate of Fire: Four shots per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

*Eshemar-DD-06ScC---Nicknamed the ‘Shock Cobra’, this variant replaces the plasma torpedoes with Golgan-style twelve disruptor cannons(in 3x4 arrays). The combined area of effect of these weapons firing in battery has proven devastating against larger targets such as capital ships, space stations, and surface installations.
Range: 5 miles in atmosphere, 14 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 14 miles in atmosphere, 15,000 miles in space)
Damage: 1d4x100 MD per cannon firing, so all twelve firing at once does 8d6x100 MD(!). Plus, does 25% damage to everything in a 30 ft radius of the point strike.
Rate of Fire: Four shots per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Last edited by taalismn on Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

taalismn wrote:EShemar ‘StarCobra’ Destroyer
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp16 ... img137.jpg


SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET :D
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

DhAkael wrote:
taalismn wrote:EShemar ‘StarCobra’ Destroyer
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp16 ... img137.jpg


SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET :D



Thanks. It was nice to be able to present the whole package(art, fluff, and stats) at once.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
Shark_Force
Palladin
Posts: 7128
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:11 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by Shark_Force »

i am a bit confused why anyone would swap out the PTL weaponry...

for example, a full volley from the PTLs (ie 6 torpedoes) will deal 12d4x100 MD to a 100 ft radius, and can fire 3 times per round. this is an average output of 3,000 damage per attack, or 9,000 damage per round, if all hit, per launcher. their range is 25/100 miles.

in comparison, a full volley from one bank of x-ray lasers is 3d4x100 (no AOE), and can fire 4 times per round. this is an average output of only 750 damage per attack, or 3,000 per round, if all hit, per bank. their range is 8/16 miles.

a full volley from one bank of golgan disruptor-cannons is the same as the x-ray lasers, except it also deals 25% of that damage to a 30 foot radius as well. range is 5/14

so... 1/3 the damage per round, shorter range... why would you do it? i'm trying to grasp the reasoning for this... pound-for-pound, the plasma torpedo launcher is the best choice, and not just by a small amount either.
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

Shark_Force wrote:i am a bit confused why anyone would swap out the PTL weaponry...

for example, a full volley from the PTLs (ie 6 torpedoes) will deal 12d4x100 MD to a 100 ft radius, and can fire 3 times per round. this is an average output of 3,000 damage per attack, or 9,000 damage per round, if all hit, per launcher. their range is 25/100 miles.

in comparison, a full volley from one bank of x-ray lasers is 3d4x100 (no AOE), and can fire 4 times per round. this is an average output of only 750 damage per attack, or 3,000 per round, if all hit, per bank. their range is 8/16 miles.

a full volley from one bank of golgan disruptor-cannons is the same as the x-ray lasers, except it also deals 25% of that damage to a 30 foot radius as well. range is 5/14

so... 1/3 the damage per round, shorter range... why would you do it? i'm trying to grasp the reasoning for this... pound-for-pound, the plasma torpedo launcher is the best choice, and not just by a small amount either.


Ouch...I claim stat fatigue
But I'm going to bump the X-ray laser damage up to 2d6x100 MD...that way with the faster rate of fire they are a BIT better than what they were.

As for the Disruptors? I'd say that only the rate of fire is better, allowing the 'Cobra to strafe more targets, rather than saturate one or two. It's also cheaper.

Also remember that Plasma Torps can be shot down/disrupted with point defense systems; lasers can't.

All in all, though, the variants are produced in small numbers as special purpose platforms or experiments(shaving costs, energy expenditure, etc.).

But thanks for ctahcing me on that. :D
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

taalismn wrote:
Shark_Force wrote:i am a bit confused why anyone would swap out the PTL weaponry...

for example, a full volley from the PTLs (ie 6 torpedoes) will deal 12d4x100 MD to a 100 ft radius, and can fire 3 times per round. this is an average output of 3,000 damage per attack, or 9,000 damage per round, if all hit, per launcher. their range is 25/100 miles.

in comparison, a full volley from one bank of x-ray lasers is 3d4x100 (no AOE), and can fire 4 times per round. this is an average output of only 750 damage per attack, or 3,000 per round, if all hit, per bank. their range is 8/16 miles.

a full volley from one bank of golgan disruptor-cannons is the same as the x-ray lasers, except it also deals 25% of that damage to a 30 foot radius as well. range is 5/14

so... 1/3 the damage per round, shorter range... why would you do it? i'm trying to grasp the reasoning for this... pound-for-pound, the plasma torpedo launcher is the best choice, and not just by a small amount either.


Ouch...I claim stat fatigue
But I'm going to bump the X-ray laser damage up to 2d6x100 MD...that way with the faster rate of fire they are a BIT better than what they were.

As for the Disruptors? I'd say that only the rate of fire is better, allowing the 'Cobra to strafe more targets, rather than saturate one or two. It's also cheaper.

Also remember that Plasma Torps can be shot down/disrupted with point defense systems; lasers can't.

All in all, though, the variants are produced in small numbers as special purpose platforms or experiments(shaving costs, energy expenditure, etc.).

But thanks for ctahcing me on that. :D


Orrrrrr... use tools available. Plasma Torp emmitors may be harder to manufacture / use more exotic materials. I know it's a Kevin Siembiada-ism explanation, but hey... it's a valid as, say, a complete second CS army sponteaneously appearing and defeating Tolkeen ;)
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
Shark_Force
Palladin
Posts: 7128
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:11 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by Shark_Force »

DhAkael wrote:Orrrrrr... use tools available. Plasma Torp emmitors may be harder to manufacture / use more exotic materials. I know it's a Kevin Siembiada-ism explanation, but hey... it's a valid as, say, a complete second CS army sponteaneously appearing and defeating Tolkeen ;)


no, that's a much better reason than was given for the march through xiticix-infested territory that took several months, with no supplies, no rest stops, no food breaks, no sleep breaks, no potty breaks, without anyone making a mistake that would have gotten the entire army killed... managing to somehow come out on the other side with troops that were somehow psychologically fit for combat. and then somehow proceeded to invade from behind without a single person managing to get out a warning, and apparently without anyone noticing the massive army on any sort of sensors. this is particularly absurd when you consider that there shouldn't *be* a behind; the CS has the capacity to airlift troops over or around the xiticix territories in a very short time. leaving no troops whatsoever on the other side of the nation for defense would be brain-crushingly stupid, and any general who did something like that would likely be shot for incompetence and/or treason before it could actually get executed.

lack of supplies is at least somewhat plausible, though not quite so plausible when the description basically says the cobra cult was getting so rich they could afford to mass-produce their own ships... but it's definitely more plausible than the siege on tolkeen storyline. not that that's saying much.
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

Shark_Force wrote:
DhAkael wrote:Orrrrrr... use tools available. Plasma Torp emmitors may be harder to manufacture / use more exotic materials. I know it's a Kevin Siembiada-ism explanation, but hey... it's a valid as, say, a complete second CS army sponteaneously appearing and defeating Tolkeen ;)


... though not quite so plausible when the description basically says the cobra cult was getting so rich they could afford to mass-produce their own ships... but it's definitely more plausible than the siege on tolkeen storyline. not that that's saying much.


hey..playing 'Shaper's Advocate' here ;)
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

Well, I'll be more circumspect about handing out the stats in future designs.
Though the Sapphire Cobras DO thank you, Shark_Force, since they got a more powerful variant(add up that forward attack from all the weapons, I dare you) out of the deal. 8) :bandit:
Mind you, they aren't going to sleep with you or anything, but they're still very grateful to you. But they might very well put in a good word for you if you ever run afoul of the Shemarrians somewhere(and aren't immediately vaporized in the ensuing melee). :D
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

Shemarrian Caravan Wagons
“INCOMING!”
The young NeShemar shepardess turned and ran, whistling sharply to her Wolves as she did so, the saber-toothed watch animals immediately herding the flock to cover in the woods. The shepardess herself ran to her assigned wagon, leapt up, caught the edge of the wagon frame, pulled herself up and inside, hastily pulling the skin fabric door flap closed behind her, then scrabbled up through the turret ring, pushing aside the tarp there. Within moments she had seated herself, checked and charged the ammo feeds of the two heavy machine guns, and unlocked the ring. Her feet stroked the pedals, and the ring rotated, left, right, while her hands worked the pressure plates, elevating and depressing the guns.
“READY!” Her shout is echoed by other voices up and down the line of the wagons. She spares a glance out of the corner of her eye; sees single, double, and in one case quad, weapon mounts uncovered. Then her gaze returns to the skies, searching for the enemy the picket has said is coming.
When the Kittani flier and its gargoyle escorts break into view over the trees, they run into a wall of fire as the caravansers open up with everything they have. The lucky attackers are pulverized in the exchange; the two unlucky ones live long enough to tumble to the ground, their wings shredded, their limbs shot through. For them, their agonies are protracted when the Tribesmembers not manning guns emerge from cover and converge on them.
By the time it is over, the shepardess will be nailing the flensed skull of a gargoyle on her family’s wagon, and her Wolves will have fresh bones to chew on.



While ARCHIE-3 has worked to give the illusion that the Shemarrians are a nomadic people, he has focused on the effectiveness of the Shemarrians as FIGHTERS first, before fleshing out the illusion of Shemarrian culture and society. Thus, he has only fairly recently begun equipping the Shemarrians with villages and cargo transport between camp sites.
With the Shemarrian Civil War, with both sides attempting to create their own independent logistical infrastructure, the Ecotroz rebels had to have those things for REAL. Campsites and industrial facilities, field factories, and transport to move the large amounts of materials they needed to keep their war effort going...or to move them out of the reach of their enemies. While most Shemarrians are happy enough pitching a tent (if even that much!) beside their War Mount, field workshops, labs, arsenals, medical facilities, bulk materials, wounded and convalescents, and heavier goods must be moved by other means. The EShemar have unconsciously copied the ways of Rifts Earth Gypsies and Road Nomads in their means of moving about with their Caravan Wagons.
Shemarrian Caravan Wagons on Rifts Earth typically use hovertrucks as chassis, while later models use constant-state contragravity, gravi-magnetic resist, or magical levitation. Few employ wheels, in order that Shemarrian movements not leave easily-followed trails. To save energy, the wagons are towed by beasts of burden, typically War Mounts and other cyberanimals, though the wagons can move independentally, albeit slowly(no more than 30 MPH) on their own.
While not meant for combat, Shemarrian wagons have to be armored to handle attacks that do strike them, as well the assaults by environment and random monsters. Most wagons are armored in what salvaged plate can be scared up off found wrecks, or are draped in MDC monster skins cured and mounted as adhoc armor fabric. Wagons will also mount one or more weapons, including powered turrets. Initially, the wagons were armed with what weaponry the rebels could find that was second-rate, or lacked sufficient available reloads to be continually used by front-line troops, but later on, as the EShemar began to establish reliable lines of supply and manufacturing, standardization set in and replaced the stopgaps with more powerful weaponry.
Also, EShemar wagons were typically manned and protected by Male Shemarrians and NeShemar who constituted the ‘second echelon’ in Shemarrian society.
Depending on the purpose for whch a wagon is fitted out, as well as its owners/passengers, exact features may vary; typically the EShemar outfit their wagons with available salvage.
In the Shemarrian Star Nation, the transport wagons will be relatively more advanced, with better propulsion, materials, power systems, weapons, and accessory gear. The Wolf’s Path, Horrorwoods, Blood Riders, and Skullcrushers still use similar vehicles extensively in their planet-based operations, but the other Tribes retain similar vehicles for traditional functions and work(the Silvermoons, for example, have ther own versions for prospecting airless moons and planets).
The Shemarrians have also been known to acquire and use other hoverplatforms as the basis of their Wagons. Hoveryachts, TW Battle Skimmers, Tech Flying Platforms, Chinese-style Sky Barges, and Russian Throne Barges have all been known to be used by the Shemarrians. In world-lines where the Shemarrian Nation lies adjacent to the Paladin Steel/Greater New England nation-state, the Shemarrians have acquired GMR platforms and hoverbeds for their use(one of the few outsiders allowed to acquire the proprietary technology). The Darkwaters are even known to have used pieced-together(and thoroughly deodorized) Metzla shells as the basis of wagons.

Type: Shemarrian Caravan Wagon
Class: Transport Wagon/Mobile Home, Hover/ContraGrav/Levitation Platform
Crew: Typically one driver and 1-3 gunners, plus 1-20 passengers
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 300-500(100+1d4x100)
Height: 10-15 ft
Width: 10-24 ft
Length: 30-40 ft
Weight: 6-20 tons
Cargo: 20-50 tons
Powerplant: Rechargeable Electric, Solar-Electric, or nuclear(5-15 year energy life)
Supplemental power provided by portable solar panels, wind turbines, and PPE generators/accumulators.
Speed: 30 MPH on its own, 80-100 MPH being pulled by a War Mount(or hitched team of them). Altitude of 3-15 ft.
Market Cost: Exclusive to the Shemarrians.
Systems of Note:
Depending on their purpose, Shemarrian wagons will have only basic systems(lights, basic radio, and tool kit) to extensive fitouts(radar, fire extinguisher systems, NBC-sealed life support, power tool tables, etc.). Wayfinder, Hawkmoon, and Sapphire Cobra wagons may sport TW modifications, and Darkwater wagons more likely than not have amphibious capabilities.
Weapons Systems: Typically will mount 1-2 weapons turrets, each holding 1-4 rifle-style weapons or heavy infantry weapons.
In the early days, these mounts typically held heavy machine guns firing ramjet rounds, recoilless rifles, and battlefield-salvaged energy weapons. Later configurations would mount Shemarrian-pattern rail guns and energy rifles, 20mm-40mm autocannon, mini-missile launchers, and even short range missile launchers. Radar- and laser-guidance are often added to improve the accuracy of the weapons.


Options:
*Increased Speed----A more powerful engine can be added, improving overall speed, but at greater expense; these souped-up vehicles are often called ‘dust-hounds’ or ‘scream-kings’ from the dust and racket kicked up by the engines......
Speed: Can improve top speed by up to 40%

*Amphibious Hull---This allows the wagon to float on water, without using hoverjets or other powered means.

*Splinter Shielding---This is a set of heavy mesh applique panels mounted on a vehicle and offset by 3-6 inches, ideally to trigger armor piercing warheads prematurely and keeping them from making a more lethal contact angle with the vehicle’s hull.
A Splintershield offers only modest protection against conventional attacks; a typical screen has only 30-45 MDC. However, it still has some effectiveness as defeating missile attacks; on a ‘To Strike’ roll of 6-7, Armor-Piercing missiles bash themselves on the cage bars, doing only 1d4 MD, and on a 8-10, do only HALF damage due to premature detonation or re-direct of their kinetic force. And, for additional cost, it can be ensorcelled with an Armor of Ithan(50 MDC, HALF damage from magic fire/lightning/cold, 5 PPE per 5 minutes, +28,000 credits). Energy Field(60 MDC, 5 PPE per 5 minutes, +12,000 credits), or Magic Shield(60 MDC, 3 PPE for 10 minutes, +25,000 credits) spell.

*Gunports---Allows the crew inside to blast away with their own weapons at the bad guys outside, without compromising their own safety and the vehicle’s environmental integrity, with these special gunports with one-way locks(they let the troops inside shoot out, but keep the outside from getting in). Gunports impose a -1 to strike because of the limited field of fire. Heavy Weapons CANNOT fit in the gunports.

*Mini-Crane---Includes a 12 ft deployable boom, 200 ft of MDC cable, and a winch capable of hauling up to 5 tons.
Weight: 1,000 lbs

*Logging/Loading Arm---A crude oversized robotic armature used for picking up and loading logs, pipes, and other cargo. It has a reach of 12 ft.
MDC: 15 MD
Strength: Can lift up to 1.5 tons

*Cherry-Picker Assembly-----Basically a 30 ft long robot arm with
an armored basket on the end, which can be equiped with tools, spray
cannon, or weaponry. Great for firefighting and construction. PS 40 for
lifting/carrying purposes
MDC: 20

*Chaff/Flare Launchers---For those of you afraid of eating a missile from your friendly Coalition Highway Patrol....
Range: Close Defense
Damage: None; similar to Triax-style chaff
01-50 Enemy Missile or volley detonates in chaff and threat is nuetralized
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

*EM Jammers---Great for blasting through radar traps. Radar-guided weapons are -6 to strike. Effective range of 500 ft

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

*Fletchette Packs----Located around the hull are special ‘reactive armor’ panels that can be also be triggered as anti-personnel grenades.This is one of several similar systems currently in service/under development by PS.
Range: 100 ft
Damage: 5d6 MD to a cone swath roughly 50 ft long, by 10 ft wide.
Used as reactive armor against plasma and armor-piercing missiles, the computerized firing system acts as a PARRY, rolling to match or better the missile’s strike roll...a successful counter means that the missile damage is HALVED, while a failure means the tank takes full damage. Note: when dealing with volleys, one reactive armor pack can match TWO missiles in a volley, so in order to effectively counter a five missile volley, the tank must expend 3 reactive armor packs...two packs would roll twice to defeat their respective missiles, the third would only roll once. If the enemy missile launcher has a line of sight on the tank, they can target a spot on the hull which has no packs covering it (a called shot), in which case the remaining reactive armor is -4 to cover the gap.
Rate of Fire: One at a time or can be simultaneously fired in volleys of 1-10
Payload: Each side of the APC(sides, front, back) can be fitted with 10 fletchette packs each(40 total)

*Fore and Aft Winch and Cable---This thing can pull up to 20 tons(provided the vehicle is adequately braced)

*Sensor Cluster--Small sensor dish on a turntable
MDC: 25
Sensors: Mini-Radar--5 mile range
Motion Detector--200 ft range
Laser Illuminator-----3 mile range, Designates targets for laser-guided munitions/weapons
Laser targeting System(+1 to strike)

*Long Range Radar----An erectable antenna that has a 60 mile range.

*Camouflage Net----A camouflage net that can be quickly drawn/erected over the vehicle to conceal it while parked.

*Reduced IR/Thermal signature: the use of exhaust “coolers” and thermal insulation give the Boone a reduced heat signature. Reduce skill rolls to track the wagon by IR/thermo-imaging by 50%

*Reduced Accoustic Signature---In ground mode, the quiet motors are further baffled to reduce noise by some 30%.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

taalismn wrote:Shemarrian Caravan Wagons

Cute...
Did NOT think of something like this ;)
Shoulda; after all, the NeShemarr & Progen-born who haven't earned their own war-mount need something to ride along with the tribe(s).

Hmmm....
I still need to get around around to Prelude #2 'First flight'.
Oh well, after I deal with my doctors' apointment and such, I may be able to think of some fluff-text.
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

Mobile workshops, mobile homes, mobile hospitals, mobile factories...yeah, the Shemarrian Nation doesn't like to be tied down too heavily and become vulnerable. :-D
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
Zer0 Kay
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 13729
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:59 pm
Location: Snoqualmie, WA

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by Zer0 Kay »

Shark_Force wrote:
kronos wrote:
taalismn wrote:
kronos wrote:So we'll be seeing things based on lionfish or swordfish designs? what about sea serpents for Sapphire Cobras? Lizard design robots?


I've got a Sapphire Cobra design already in the works(even working on an illo for it)...and I've been looking at primitive(or at least prehistoric) fish for design inspirations...The ostracoderms, in particular, have some fish bodyforms that look more like alien spacecraft than living critters...and it helped that my father had me researching them so he could do some wooden models of them for a friend.
The Shemarrians are also into stealing (at least initially) designs from enemies like the Splugorth, which helps lend credence to the popular rumor that they're an ex-Splugorth slave race that freed themselves and are no looking to settle a score with their former masters. However, the Shemarrians are also not above 'borrowing' technologies from the Golgans, TGE, and others(and sometimes they even pay their unintentional benefactors back by protecting their ships/worlds, or at least not shooting them up).


What about insects as a model for inspiration?

starting to sound like spelljammer here (not that i have a problem with that ^^ )

Nah, sounds like Battletech Clan names like Smoke Jaguar... you know 80% of the time they work all the time ^_^
:thwak: you some might think you're a :clown: but you're cool in book :ok: :thwak:--Mecha-Viper
BEST IDEA EVER!!! -- The Galactus Kid
Holy crapy, you're Zer0 Kay?! --TriaxTech
Zer0 Kay is my hero. --Atramentus
The Zer0 of Kay, who started this fray,
Kept us laughing until the end. -The Fifth Business (In loving Memory of the teleport thread)
User avatar
Zer0 Kay
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 13729
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:59 pm
Location: Snoqualmie, WA

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by Zer0 Kay »

taalismn wrote:Mobile workshops, mobile homes, mobile hospitals, mobile factories...yeah, the Shemarrian Nation doesn't like to be tied down too heavily and become vulnerable. :-D

Nah... they are just the trailer trash of the Rifts Era. :P There is a concept for ya
:thwak: you some might think you're a :clown: but you're cool in book :ok: :thwak:--Mecha-Viper
BEST IDEA EVER!!! -- The Galactus Kid
Holy crapy, you're Zer0 Kay?! --TriaxTech
Zer0 Kay is my hero. --Atramentus
The Zer0 of Kay, who started this fray,
Kept us laughing until the end. -The Fifth Business (In loving Memory of the teleport thread)
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

Zer0 Kay wrote:
taalismn wrote:Mobile workshops, mobile homes, mobile hospitals, mobile factories...yeah, the Shemarrian Nation doesn't like to be tied down too heavily and become vulnerable. :-D

Nah... they are just the trailer trash of the Rifts Era. :P There is a concept for ya



Backs away from Zero Kay.....
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

taalismn wrote:
Zer0 Kay wrote:
taalismn wrote:Mobile workshops, mobile homes, mobile hospitals, mobile factories...yeah, the Shemarrian Nation doesn't like to be tied down too heavily and become vulnerable. :-D

Nah... they are just the trailer trash of the Rifts Era. :P There is a concept for ya



Backs away from Zero Kay.....


ZK;"Funny...the thread troll almanac didn't say anything about a total eclipse..."

D;*Watches from five mile safe-zone as large geodesic mobile assault fort lands on the ZK* "Oh man thats gotta hoit!"
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

"NOBODY expects the Shemarrian Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise... surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and ...*AHEM* NOBODY expects the Shemarrian Inquisition! Our THREE weapons are surprise and fear and ..."
"Okay, what's the bit with the red robes?"
"It must be a Ghostrider thing..."
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

taalismn wrote:"NOBODY expects the Shemarrian Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise... surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and ...*AHEM* NOBODY expects the Shemarrian Inquisition! Our THREE weapons are surprise and fear and ..."
"Okay, what's the bit with the red robes?"
"It must be a Ghostrider thing..."

BUWAHAHAHAHAHA HA HA HA HAWWWW...and now for something completely different.
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

The importance of not being seen(around this thread)?
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

Advanced Cultural Notes:(Shemarrian Star Nation) Darkwaters

“Let our enemies learn to fear the fall of night, let them tremble in terror at the sight of the vast night sky, knowing the Great Dark Ocean is OUR domain, surrounding them, looking down upon them with its many eyes. Let them know that the coming of darkness offers them no shelter from us! Let those of dark hearts and souls choose rather to run and burn in the sunlight than to face the prospect of another night at our mercy! ”

During the Shemarrian Civil War, the Darkwaters were divided between two fronts; the SCW raging at their southern borders, and the suddenly active Splugorth(who were seeking to take advantage of the internal dispute dividing their continental foes) from the sea. Through brilliant tactics and strategy, the Darkwaters were able to keep the Splugorth fended off, while keeping their strength from being drawn off by ARCHIE-3 to deal with the EShemar rebels. The Ecotroz were able to take over only by not threatening the line of resistance against the Splugorth, and indeed by showing that EShemar were BETTER at fighting the slavers than the unAwakened. Once the rebel Darkwaters had settled their hash with the loyalists, they uncomplainingly turned back to the task of dealing with the Splugorth threat; in fact, so dedicated to the task of retaking ground from the Splugorth were the Darkwaters, that the First Council of Reconciliation between the triumphant Tribes had to be delayed for several weeks, as anyone senior enough to serve as the Darkwaters’ delegate(s) was at the Splugorth front, fighting!
With the peace brought by the Reconciliation and the reformation of the Shemarrian Nation, the Darkwaters were able to make steps to pursue more aggressive campaigns against the Splugorth and Horune, extending their reach into the Atlantic Ocean to intercept and ambush Minions and pirates well before the latter thought they could be in danger from continental foes. The Darkwaters were the first Tribe to embrace the use of regular vehicles, as few of the original pattern War Steeds were appropriate for long range oceanic combat. Initially, though, the Darkwaters’ deep water combat capabilities were severely limited, as most available maritime combat equipment was scaled for smaller humanoids, and more specialized gear was needed. In time, though, the Darkwaters were able to acquire, copy, and adapt various weapons and hardware to their own purposes. Once the Darkwaters were able to capture several Splugorth vessels, Kittani submarines, and (the greatest prize) one of ARCHIE-3’s stealth supply submarines, the Darkwaters were able to start making serious aggressive moves against the Splugorth and Horune far out at sea. The experience in adapting, maintaining, and operating large submarine vessels came in very handy when the Hawkmoons shared out information on the Kittani spacecraft they’d captured and studied, giving the Darkwaters an edge in spacecraft construction. The Darkwaters soon proved they were as adept at space combat as they were underwater combat.
The Darkwaters have become the Shemarrian Star Nation’s ‘silent service’; though occasionally seen participating in surface operations, they are more commonly encountered in deep space combat. Their space forces are second only to the Hawkmoons, and arguably their starships have the edge in quality.
The Darkwaters have almost entirely taken up living in deep space; their planetary enclaves tend to be on remote cold planets outside the ‘life zone’ of their stars, that few other species would look at twice as possible colonial prospects. The few enclaves the Darkwaters maintain on or around lifeworlds tend to be space stations, or deep undersea habitats, hidden from the eyes of others in the case of the latter.

If the Hawkmoons are said to like magic weapons, the Silvermoons lasers, the Sapphire Cobras chemical and nanotech, the Skullcrushers projectile weaponry, and the Blood Riders plasma ordnance, the Darkwaters specialize in exotic particle weapons. Particle beams, nuetron blasters, tachyon sprayers, gravitic lances, and the like are the specials of the Darkwater arsenal.
Though the Darkwaters seem to prefer to fight from spacecraft, they’re no slouches at personal combat. Their orbital drop forces are among the best trained and equipped, and for close-in combat in zero gravity, they are second to none. Even more feared is their profficiency at naval combat; the Darkwaters have by no means turned it ALL over to the Horrorwoods, and they continue to maintain a potent marine combat force in the DeepWatch. A favorite strategy of Darkwater attack forces is to drop into the depths of a planetary hydrosphere, often the largest and most unguarded region of a planet, going deep and running silent, to assault an enemy’s surface forces from the oceans and waterways.

Darkwaters are often regarded as aloof, standoffish, and emotionally distanced from their Tribe-kin. They tend to keep their thoughts to themselves and mind their own business, though they socialize as much as anybody with the other Tribes. They are very duty-bound and take their responsibilities very seriously. Like the Wolf’s Path, the Darkwaters are very team-oriented; few starships can operate effectively with one person, so teamwork is essentially in a ship crew. Even when off-duty and mingling with other Tribes, Darkwaters tend to cluster together along crew lines, watching out for each other in social groups that take on the familiarity of families. Assigned a duty, they are all business, and can sometimes come off as rude and brusque with their attention to the job at hand. That having been said, Darkwaters ARE indivdiuals with their own dreams and aspirations, arts, and hobbies that they freely indulge in on their own time. While there might not be much personal privacy aboard a ship, what there is is vigorously respected by fellow crewmates, although pleasurable events and experiences are often shared with each other; ‘collective joy’ is a common aspect of Darkwaters’ arts and celebrations, with participation by a starship’s or spacestation’s entire complement. For their part, Darkwaters delight in the freedom of the depths of deep ocean and deep space, and marvel at the beauty of the universe to a degree equal to that of any Wayfinder mystic.

Atlantis East
Atlantis East was one of the Darkwaters’ secret aces during their offensive against the Splugorth and Horune. Atlantis East was an experimental underwater community complex established pre-Rifts off the Eastern Seaboard not far from New York City. The facility was part undersea workshop and part environmental laboratory, set up to oversee the environmental cleanup of the continental shelf in the area, and monitor the re-establishment of the once-rich fishing grounds thereabouts. Built with the latest megadamage materials and underwater technologies, the complex was also being developed to serve eventually as an underwater resort(the New Jersey gambling establishments had a hand in driving this), but those plans were quietly quashed when NEMA decided that the facility would also make a nice underwater bunker complex for security operations. Whatever Atlantis East might have eventually become became a moot point with the Coming of the Rifts. Though surprisingly much of the complex survived the massive upheavals attendant with the Rifts and the rising of Atlantis, the occupants were all either killed trying to escape to shore or by monsters that caught them in the open ocean. The complex, partially buried and coincidentally shielded by the massive amounts of debris swept back from the coastal cities, was rediscovered by chance by Shemarrian underwater scouts. Though much of the usable technology had been destroyed or decayed by time and exposure to the elements, the structures themselves had held up remarkably well, and the power systems could still carry power, once the generators were replaced. The Darkwaters quickly refurbished the complex into a submarine haven where their deepwater patrols and strikeforces could take shelter and rearm between missions.
Though never very comfortable by the standards of other species, Atlantis East nevertheless gave the Darkwaters experience in underwater operations, that would be applied to other outposts, both on Rifts Earth and on other worlds.

DeepWatch
Though the Horrorwoods Tribesmembers are generally acknowledged as the planetary combat experts of the SSN, including marine combat, the Darkwaters have not entirely given up their early role in the Shemarrian Nation. The Darkwaters continue to maintain the DeepWatch, effectively a tribe within the Tribe, consisting of specialists in marine combat. While the Horrorwoods typically stays close to continental plain and litoral zones, the Deepwatch typically keeps to open ocean and deep water. The Deepwatch maintains permament facilities in the oceanic abyssal and hadal zones, where they can hide assets from probing spacecraft, giving the Darkwaters the means to stage surprise attacks on invaders or wreak havoc on marine transport, coastal commerce, and submarine communications and industry.

Relations:
The Darkwaters get along best with the Silvermoons and Hawkmoons, both extensively space-based Tribes. They also deal extensively with the Wayfinders, both because of the dominant role of the Pathfinders as navigators, and because of the specialized spacecraft orders the Wayfinders frequently commission of the Darkwaters. They do considerable business with the Skullcrushers, largely due to the latter’s diminished spacecraft-production capabilities. The Darkwaters hardly have any contact with the Sapphire Cobras, beyond the odd spacecraft contract or joint military operation, though they are amused and intrigued by some of the Cobras’ latest ship designs. Relations with the other Tribes are usually joint military operations or through necessary interstellar trade and other space-based projects.

Composition Notes:

*Spinsters/Tinkers---The Darkwaters have one of the highest percentages of Tinkers(nearly 25%) in their Tribal population.

*Preservers---The Preservers(or rather their equivalent) of the Darkwaters are focused less on camouflaging themselves as natural foliage, and more on disguising themselves as TECHNOLOGY at remote, farflung, outposts of the Darkwaters’ deep space network. Those few outsiders who have stumbled across what they thought were uninhabited automated industrial satellites, listening post, communications relays, or robotic mining platforms, full of Shemarrian technology ripe for the taking, have been rudely surprised to discover a caretaker (or force of them) lurking, disguised as a communications antennae, pump tower, or other miscellaneous piece of hardware. The Darkwater Preservers are the equivalent of lighthouse keepers, doing long lonely tours of duty, contemplating the magnificent solitude of the cosmos around them, while performing a vital role in maintaining the network of waystations and relays that keep the Shemarrian Star Nation running. At a moment’s notice, the Darkwater Preservers are ready to spring into action to defend their facilities against enemies, or render aide to a Shemarrian starship in need.

*NeShemar---The Darkwaters draw their NeShemar primarily from deep space professions and locations(typically wrecked spacecraft), and occasionally from coastal/hydrosphere regions(wrecked ships). More than a few NeShemar have come to the Darkwaters as year-or-more-frozen corpses found in the depths of space. The profficiency of the DarkWaters at resurrecting such finds has earned them the nickname ‘space angels’ in some quarters.
The Darkwaters draw no distinctions between regular Shemar and NeShemar when it comes to promoting ability; there’s little room in starships for ‘class’ politics and segregration.

Stat Bonuses:
*Space Training---Darkwaters all have the following skills(in addition to their normal programmed/transferred skills):
-Movement: Zero Gravity(+5%)
-Hand to Hand Combat: Zero Gravity
-EVA--75%(+5% per level of experience)
-Navigation: Space--- 70%(+5% per level of experience)
-Basic Mechanics(Repair and Maintenance)70%(+10%)
-Pilot Small Spacecraft---70%(+3% per level of experience)

*Repulsor Tethers---One Upgrade that is unique to the Darkwaters is the Repulsor Tether. Darkwater members are modified with implants that allow them to fly effortlessly inside and around their spacecraft when in zero-gee without the need of kicking off surfaces or wasteful reaction jets, but by alternate attraction/repulsion between their own bodies and the structures of their ships. With the RT system, Darkwaters crewmembers can flit about their ships at running speed, effortlessly. The RT system also provides a safety net when performing EVAs; the crewmembers can fly about (at up to x4 times their maximum running speed) their spacecraft like orbiting satellites(effective range; 12-15 ft for ships of 15 tons mass or less, up to 50 ft for ships of up to 6,000 tons mass, and up to 200 ft for ships of 50,000 tons mass or more), making them deadly adversaries in close combat about their spacecraft.

*Multitool Hand---It was first seen among Darkwater Tinkers, but this Upgrade quickly spread among the other Tribes. This Upgrade replaces/modifies a Shemarrian hand to incorporate a nanotech Multitool(see Rifts Dimension Book Two: Phase World, pg. 143, for full details on the Multitool) able to reconfigure into the appropriate tool the possessor needs. This Upgrade is common among Darkwater supporting personnel such as Tinkers and Acolites, but is less common among dedicated combat personnel, such as Warriors and Elites.

Sample Weapons/Equipment:
*Stealth Systems---Most Darkwaters body armor carries properties copied from Naruni Enterprises’ Thermo-Kinetic Armor.

*Shooting Star Battle Armor---This is a suit of Medium Cyborg EBA fitted with launchers for the Shemarrian knock-off copy of the Naruni Enterprises MicroMissile. The armor has all the properties of Thermo-Kinetic Armor, a powerful anti-gravity pack, and micromissile launchers in the forearms, shoulders, and legs, turning the Darkwater warrior into a miniature fightercraft.
-250 MDC
-Anti-Gravity Propulsion: 400 MPH in atmosphere, Mach 1 in space
-Micro-Missile Launchers---Identical in performance to the regular NE micromissiles with regards to speed, range, and accuracy, but the Shemarrian version sports slightly more powerful warheads
Range: 2 miles in atmosphere, 4 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 2 miles in atmosphere, 20 miles in space)
Damage: 6d6 MD to a 5 ft blast radius, or 2d6 MDC out to a 18 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode
(Incendiary)2d4 MD to 5 ft blast radius, does an additional 1d4 burn damage for 2d4 melees
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-4
Bonuses: Smart micro-missiles get a +4 to strike.
Payload: 4 each forearm, 8 each shoulder, 6 each leg(36 total)

*EShe-HLW04Dw---The HLW04 started as a copy of the Kittani Spider Gun, but the Darkwaters saw fit to modify it to taste, using different technologies. First, they eliminated the separate lower-powered laser and inside used a variable-mode, variable-frequency main laser barrel to combine the functions of both the light and heavy barrels. The Darkwater Tinkers then used some of the savings in weight to add a superior beam focusing system and smart-sight. Finally, the three-shot smoke grenade launcher was replaced with a six-shot Naruni-style micromissile launcher. The HLW04 retains the spider-legs and automated robotic AI of the original design and thus can be set as a watchdog, rearguard, or hull defender.
Weight: 75 lbs
Range:(Laser) 4,000 ft in atmosphere, 12,000 ft(roughly 2 miles) in space
(Micromissiles)2 miles in atmosphere, 4 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 2 miles in atmosphere, 20 miles in space)
Damage:(Laser)(Variable) 4d6 MD or 1d4x10 MD per blast
(Micromissiles) 6d6 MD to a 5 ft blast radius, or 2d6 MDC out to a 18 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode
(Incendiary)2d4 MD to 5 ft blast radius, does an additional 1d4 burn damage for 2d4 melees
Rate of Fire:(Laser) ECHH
(Micromissiles) Single shot or rapid-fire burst of 2-3
Payload:(Laser) 100 light blasts or 40 heavy; recharges in 30 minutes.
(Micromissiles) 6 micromissiles
Bonuses: (Laser)+3 to strike
(Micromissiles)Smart micro-missiles get a +4 to strike.
Special Features: All other properties identical to the Kittani spidergun.

*EShe-HLW04DwC---The HLW04DwC is a modification of the HLW04, only with a small contragravity generator replacing the spider-legs. The weapon can now float/fly alongside its operator, being fired remotely, or respond as a separate flyng gun platform. Up to six HLW04DwCs can be remotely operated/attached to a warrior in combat, often assuming positions at the cardinal points when in zero gee.
Weight: 100 lbs
Speed: 80 MPH in atmosphere, maximum altitude of 100 ft.
300 MPH in space.

*EShe-WpPB30 Particle Beam Rifle---This is a Darkmoon favorite using technology acquired through trade with an alien partner, and adapted to use a more compact and powerful portable particle source-generator and accelerator than the original design, that relied on isotopic rods for the particle source.
Weight: 50 lbs
Range: 4,000 ft(8,000 ft in space)
Damage: 1d6x10 MD per blast, but on a strike roll of 18 or more, the weapon does 2d4x10+10 MD!
Rate of Fire: Single shot, ECHH
Payload: 20 shots from a long E-Clip, 80 shots from an e-canister
Bonuses: +1 to strike from the laser spot sight.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

Nice to see the sailors of both water and void sea given an excellent upgrade into the SSN. :ok:
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

EShemar Mooncalf Robot
Lise felt, rather than heard, the blowout before she saw it. She felt it as a trembling coming up through her boots. Moments later the electronic squalling of her charges rang in her emsense and her gaze snapped up to see the rising mushroom of white vapor ascending into the jet-black sky...then saw the shockwave crinkling the surface ice as it shot towards her. She had just enough time to throw herself flat before the landscape bucked and buckled under her.
When the shaking subsided, she stood up and sent out a pulse signal to the herd. Moments later she had her answer; all four of her herders replied immediately, and sixteen out of her twenty cows responded from ground level. The other four; her eyes tracked skyward, her optics zooming in at several bulbous forms, legs windmilling futily against ground that just wasn’t there, high in the sky just now beginning to arc back to the surface.
Sighing, she dispatched her four herders to track the skyborne grazers and watch where they landed, the canibots loping off into the distance. With any luck the tough harvesters would survive the low-gravity fall with a few dings and scratches and still be functional. If not, well, she’d have them ground up for scrap to add to the sector’s harvest, though recycling your harvesters was generally not considered to be a profit measure.
Already the harvester nearest to her was back to work, scraping away surface ice looking for the chemical-rich substrata below, the big white ‘bot placidly chewing away as ammonia snow began to fall around the re-organizing herd. Lise leaned against it as she contemplated the column of vapor still geysering into space.
Another damn subcrustal pocket of subliminated gas! Either she’d have to speak to the vet-mechs about programming the cows to be more careful in their surface-mining or else get better charts of the pasture-sector! She hated working a potential minefield!


The ‘Mooncalf’ is a robot drone(not an Ecotroz-infused Enimal) that was first developed by the Silvermoon Tribe as a semi-autonomous surface mining and mineral gathering rig, able to maneuver places that a conventional chassis mining rig could not easily go. The ‘bots are also occasionally used as beasts of burden, carrying externally-slung loads or pulling wagons and sledges. They can also be used as excavators, digging trenches and pits, or uncovering subsurface structures and mineral deposits.
The Mooncalf has a roughly arachnoid-like body, with a bulbous abdomen, hemispherical head covered in multiple optics, but only four high-kneed legs. The ‘bot is well armored against the rigors of long deployment exposed to the elements, and can take quite a lot of abuse. The underside of the head sports a set of vibro drills and gouges arrayed around a conical mouth tube that is used to draw up finely ground ore into the ‘gullet’ of the Mooncalf. The bulk of the body holds a minifac refinery for processing metals and minerals(though only fairly simple extractions and refinements, not more sophisticated distillations or refining), rendering the raw material into ingots, bricks, or compacted concentrate. The processed bricks or ingots can be carried in an expanding net attached to the rear of the Mooncalf’s body, or ejected to lie on the ground to be picked up by other robots/vehicles.
The Silvermoons set loose herds of these robots to gather minerals and metals, ‘farming’ them like certain ant species farm aphids. The herds are rotated back to a base camp for repairs, though units that collapse in the field are typically junked for parts and recycled for their metals(often chewed up by other drones).
As robot drones, Mooncalves are rather dull-witted, slow, and passive, more concerned with slow, patient, toil grazing on rock and mineral sands for days on end, than in anything else. They are fairly simpleminded, but are capable of cooperative behavior, fanning out to map and graze an area, and converging on a rich find. Mooncalves have no real offensive capabilities, being unarmed, but they can be programmed to report any anomalous activity around them, including intruders, and can be ordered by Shemarrians to attack a target, in which case they are limited to rushing, kicking, and trampling an opponent. Mooncalves are NOT 'awakened' with any Ecotroz splinter essence; they're rather dumb, personality-less robotic cows/mining drones.
The N’Re’Mar and NeShemar are often found as ‘shepards’ of Mooncalf herds, often with the assistance of smaller robots and e-animals such as Shemarrian Wolves.
Though originally developed by the Silvermoons, Mooncalves have since begin appearing in the stables of other Tribes, especially those with space-based mining operations, as well.
Type: EShemar MCRD-01Sm Mooncalf
Class: Mineral Collection Robot Drone
Crew: Robot Drone
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 300
Head 200
Legs(4) 100 each
Height: 6 ft, 11 ft standing up.
Width: 6 ft main body, 15 ft overall
Length: 14 ft
Weight: 9 tons
Cargo: Can hold up to 3 tons of refined materials
Physical Strength: Robotic P.S. of 30
Powerplant: Nuclear w/ 5 year energy life; some sport ‘wings’ of solar collectors for additional power, or run entirely off solar energy.
Speed:(Running) 55 MPH
(Climbing) 75%
(Leaping) 20 ft across/ 10 ft up
(Flying) Not possible
(Underwater) Limited; can run along the bottom at 5 MPH. Maximum depth of 500 ft.
Market Cost: Exclusive to the Shemarrian Star Nation. Another robotics firm could probably duplicate them for 11 million credits
Systems of Note:
Basic Robot Optical and Audio, plus:
*Molecular Analyzer
*Magnetometer
*Locator Beacon---A radio transponder/locator tag, for finding and identifying the mineral gatherer.

Weapons Systems:
1) Short Range Laser Torch---Mounted in the mouth is a short-range laser cutter meant for melting rock ores and ice. It is too short-ranged to be an effective weapon at anything other than point-blank range.
Range: 5 ft
Damage: 3d6 SD, 6d6 SD, 1d6x10 SD, 1d4-6d6 MD
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

Hand to Hand Combat(Basic)
Actions/Attacks Per Melee: 5
Strike +1
Parry +2
Dodge +2
Roll +2
Pull Punch +2
Bite 4d6 MD
Kick 1d6 MD
Stomp 2d6 MD
Head Butt 1d4 MD
Bodyblock/Ram 3d6 MD

Programming:
Navigation 80%
Climbing 75%
Spelunking 80%
Excavation 85%
Mining 90%
Recycling 80%
Salvage 80%

Variants:
Depending on what is being harvested/collected, and how extensively it is being processed onsite, there are different ‘breeds’ of Mooncalf. The ones deployed on Scenkelko IV, with its shallow and mineral-rich seas(evaporating under the heat of its expanding sun) have large broad moth-like ‘antennae’ that are really filters for sifting the waters and shoreline silts. The Mooncalves deployed to mine hexen on Malrundos use acid jets to break down the tough natural fullerenes enough that they can be quickly sucked up. The herds scrapping up arenex-bauxite on Arend B17 are studded with over a dozen long cylindrical radiators for cooling the internal smelters used in processing the exotic ore.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

Really need this darned thing stickied
*BUMP*
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

DhAkael wrote:Really need this darned thing stickied
*BUMP*

That's why I occasionally rub it across my hair while shuffling my feet through thick carpeting... :P
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

What has been up with the Hawkmoon?
Stay tuned.
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

DhAkael wrote:What has been up with the Hawkmoon?
Stay tuned.



Been holding off on doing an Advanced Cultural Notes for them, since I sorta regard them as your girls(though I am working up some equipment for them). :D
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

Equipment & toys are always welcome.
Fluff text is what I have in the woiks. :D
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

Prelude: Hawkwind Rising & the Diaspora of the Hawkmoon Tribe. Part 1.

Late summer in the Northern reaches of Ontario were sultry in the year of PA 109. Mammals and insects both took shelter from the intense sunlight and humid still air. Yet activity occurred near a place once called 6-Mile Lake. A massive durra-steel and ceramic construction, loosely shaped like a living organism melded to a baroque aircraft the size of most naval destroyers of the old wet navies of humanity swarmed with figures dressed in armour almost as ornate.
Sparks and wisps of superheated metal vapour came off the salvaged Kittani Mantid cruiser. Shemarrian Spinsters, males, and even a few warriors worked tirelessly to finish the retrofitting of their prize. It had already flown twice within Gaea’s skies since its recommissioning; once to the Eastern European continent into the Russian steppes, to establish a small enclave of riders (and if the goddess willed it, a viable progen temple) and again to return to the new lands of the Hawkmoon tribe. Now though, the next part of the Hawks of the Moon’s plan was soon to begin. To take their sisters and adopted NeShemarr wards out into the blackness of the void; to space and other worlds. There, it was hoped that the EctrozShemarrian crew of spinsters & Warriors could gather resources and even more allies to assist in their un-civil war against the Skull-Crushers and their masters; the Maker & Shaper.

Shemharsahd Firemane looked on as her tribe laboured to finish the final touches to the ‘Hawkwind’, first of what would hopefully be many vessels to bear the crest of the Hawkmoon. Her Monst-Rex war mount shifted under her restlessly. The awakened mind of Ape-Slayer (an unflattering name in regards to the mounts preferred prey, Kittani warriors) disliked inaction, preferring to walk across the fields and prowl the forests of the Hawkmoon tribelands. Patting Ape-Slayer, the Lore Mistress and matriarch of the tribe pulsed a wordless command to the Monst-Rex and both steed and rider moved closer to the makeshift (and camouflaged from the air) scaffolding around the vessel.

“Greetings Matriarch. Pleasant day for a ride.” Hailed one of the Spinsters from the base of the mantid. Goodbones, mistress of the forge and Progen mid-wife shuffled over to her leader while wiping down her hands with a cloth rag.

Shemharsahd smiled and bowed her head to the relatively diminutive and bandy-legged Spinster.
“And to you too, forge mistress. I see that things move apace.” All three antennae curled in complex patterns mirroring the matriarch’s thoughts.
“How soon until the chosen may depart?”

Reaching the side of Ape-Slayer, Goodbones scratched under the bestial construct's chin and fed it a tidbit of scrap cermaite coated in organic oils and heavy metal salts, doing the same for herself as she decided on her reply to Shemharsahd.
“well…” swallowing the ceramite, “the reactor shielding is fully repaired, the hull re-modeled as is the bowsprit sensor head, and lances have been installed into the defense turrets. All we need is that Shem-Rahn, Aeryl Frostmane, to give us the word that the arcane systems are singing sweetly…shouldn’t be more than an hour to check that. Then I suppose it will just be a matter of gathering the volunteers, boarding them, and then standing back so we don’t get our skins scorched.”

The Matriarch smiled at the irreverent humour of her soul-sister and nodded her approval; flame coloured hair coming loose from her head-dress. “Very well then Goodbones. Tonight then. I must go and prepare my acolytes for the ceremony. I will let you continue your tinkering and artistic endeavors.”
With that, Shemharsahd wheeled her mount fully around and set off at a gallop to the village, leaving the Spinster to smirk and shake her head at the chiefteness in fondness.

Goodbones turned back to her prize project. Tonight it was then.
The sooner, the better.
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

8) 8) 8) :ok: :ok: :ok:
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
Cytibor
Dungeon Crawler
Posts: 238
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:44 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by Cytibor »

Good stuff as always. :D
Rifts GM, casual gamer, self-published author.
Rifts Campaign Forum Thread: http://palladium-megaverse.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=115582&start=0
Smashwords profile: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MatthewJones
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

Prelude: Hawkwind Rising & the Diaspora of the Hawkmoon Tribe. Part 2.

-Three months later:
[Sector Sigma 5, Thundercloud Galaxy. Halfway point between Nightshade Nebula and TGE Tyr system. Kittani / Kydian listening station]

“Veil base 1, Veil base 1, this is Servitude ‘Willbreaker’ Oziru Paltrov in command.”

Zobi (Lt.) Dangah leaned forwards in his chair and frowned at the monitor in front of him. It figured that the pompous skrell-leaving was back a full 2 deca-cycles ahead of schedule. Accepting that he couldn’t just will away the Oziru, no matter how developed his psi-powers were, Dangah opened the two way com-system. voice only. No need to give the commander of the Servitude cruiser any ammunition for his interminable dominance displays.
“Willbreaker, this is Veil Base 1. Welcome home for what it’s worth. Get any good stock this time out?”

An almost physical chill seemed to ooze out of the speakers when the approaching cruiser’s commander replied.
“Keep your idle prattle & questions to yourself, Idsdahe. We will be docking in two demi-segments. Be ready with full honours for my arrival.”

Nodding his gorilla-like head while smiling with bared teeth at the deactivated vis-screen, Dangah made a very rude gesture, as he ended the communication with painful politeness; “Certainly Oziru-kas. Full honours. Veil base 1 awaits you with baited breath. Over.”

“Hauk-duk scatt.”

A deep basso-profundo chuckle from the Kydian standing guard to the traffic control room along with a few hoots from the other kittani stationed in there met Dangah’s final unsent comment. He bowed to the appreciative audience, basking in their approval, though an annoying buzzing from the station’s savant A.I. helper made his ears twitch.

“What is it Veil-Guard?” he asked of the machine.

>>Approaching vessel is anomalous. Visual scans detect parasite vessel docked to ventral hull.<<

The kittani operators sat up as one and locked their gazes onto their screens pulling up what the semi-sentient computer had “seen”

There…I see it. Odd, but not uncommon. Willbreaker must have picked up a damaged ship from their own flotilla after the raid.
Something tickled the back of the Zobi’s brain though, which further caused him to engage his eidetic psi-skills.

Wait a demi-segment…the Willbreaker went out without any escort vessels.

Authors note; play this link for full effect http://youtu.be/LRLdhFVzqt4

At that moment, the mantid cruiser docked under the spider-like Servitude cruiser detached itself and flared its drives, arrowing forwards. In concert, the larger cruiser fired its engine to full military power as well. Both ships coming straight for the under-equipped listening post.

“Veil-Guard! Activate…”

Zobi Dangah was unable to complete his final command as the neutron cannons of the Willbreaker opened fire on the command and traffic control pods of Veil base 1.


~*.*~


The silvery hulled mantid pulled ahead of its larger companion, revealing that it really didn’t look much like the insect it had originally been based on. In place of the bulbous triangular sensor “head” in the bow, a beaked & streamlined head with tele-optical lenses resembling fierce eyes glared fury at the void. The arm-cannons now sculpted to appear like bird clawed fore-limbs with talons fisted, and the four upright wing panels etched with feather patterns. Instead of an insect, it now showed the form of a giant mechanical gryphon. On the ventral hull below the “head” a symbol had been welded in golden and blue-steel alloys. A crescent moon, points downward with golden wings crowning the moon.

The same symbol now revealed on the bow of the Servitude, that had been hidden by its passenger.

~*.*~


Matriarch Tylex the Mink-souled smiled as her sisters, NeShemarr & freed slaves fought their ships with alacrity and finesse.

“Beautiful…” she exclaimed as another precise hit with plasma and neutron cannons tore apart the command and control abilities of the target structure.

We are no Skull-Crushers or Blood Riders; blasting away at all and sundry until there is nothing left. Like the Hawk, we strike ONCE at each target and kill only what needs to be killed.

“Now sisters & adoptees; there may be more soul-sparks and chained flesh to free from the Apes. Do try and not tear the entire thing apart.”

Ignoring the rolled eyes and head shaking of her fellow warriors on the twice-blooded Hawkwind, Tylex stood up from the captains’ throne and drew her sabre, pointing it at the very-soon-to-be-defenseless station and flared her (now 3) Antennae and cried out;
“Let there be light for the chained, and Mael-Dannan, total destruction, for those who forge the chains. SHE-MARR-AH!


~*.*~


An outside observer would not have been amiss to suppose that the very stars themselves shook to the answering warcries of the Hawkmoon sisters unleashed.
Last edited by DhAkael on Wed Jun 22, 2011 10:29 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

*BUMP*
viewtopic.php?p=2382177#p2382177
Cleaned up and put through at least one cycle in the Spellchecker. :clown:
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

Word to the Kydians and Kittani:
Nobody Expects the Shemarrian Invasion!
(and they don't back out of the room if they find themselves in a run-on sentence either. They just shut up and run YOU through.)
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
Cytibor
Dungeon Crawler
Posts: 238
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:44 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by Cytibor »

Cool stuff, gryphon designs are always :ok: by me. Chuckled a bit at Tylax making Matriarch, didn't see that one coming. ;) Still, she couldn't be hitting on non-tribe organics ALL the time, right? :lol: ...Or maybe that was just with the Phoenix Force group? :D
Rifts GM, casual gamer, self-published author.
Rifts Campaign Forum Thread: http://palladium-megaverse.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=115582&start=0
Smashwords profile: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MatthewJones
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

Cytibor wrote:Cool stuff, gryphon designs are always :ok: by me. Chuckled a bit at Tylax making Matriarch, didn't see that one coming. ;) Still, she couldn't be hitting on non-tribe organics ALL the time, right? :lol: ...Or maybe that was just with the Phoenix Force group? :D

No...no.
Tylax got the second name "Mink-souled" for a reason.
It's that she found other things to occupy her time BETWEEN attempted mating sessions. :nh:

It was thought giving her command of the Hawkwind would be good therapy.
It was for her.
NOT so good for any poor sploogie minions or other slavers that caught her (and her sisters) eyes. :demon: :nuke:
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

DhAkael wrote:
Cytibor wrote:Cool stuff, gryphon designs are always :ok: by me. Chuckled a bit at Tylax making Matriarch, didn't see that one coming. ;) Still, she couldn't be hitting on non-tribe organics ALL the time, right? :lol: ...Or maybe that was just with the Phoenix Force group? :D

No...no.
Tylax got the second name "Mink-souled" for a reason.
It's that she found other things to occupy her time BETWEEN attempted mating sessions. :nh:

It was thought giving her command of the Hawkwind would be good therapy.
It was for her.
NOT so good for any poor sploogie minions or other slavers that caught her (and her sisters) eyes. :demon: :nuke:


Psionic metaphysical hormones....arguably worse than the biochemical kind....and they get worse on leylines(don't ask what happens on a nexus). :P :shock:
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

Advanced Cultural Notes: InterTribal Relations
“Anya MagmaWalker, the Goddess has seen fit to give you wings of the soul, and given to one of our own the ability to see that trait within you. You step from one Tribe to another, as from one world to another, as from one family to another. Come, take your place beside your mate, beside your new sisters, beside your new family, and welcome to the HawkMoon!”

While the Shemar Tribes generally keep to themselves when not collaborating with other Tribes in business or campaigns, there is a certain amount of interTribal socialization. With the technology of Progen available, it is inevitable that interTribal romances will take place. Generally, in such cases, one of the pair will elect to join their mate’s Tribe, which is permissible.
Such cross-Tribal ‘Marriages’ are not taken lightly, and are cause for consultation between the elders of the respective Tribes and the members of the couple. The Tribe being left may demand an evaluation of the leaving member, which may take the form of a spiritual inquest, presided over by a Tribal Mystic, to see if where the member’s loyalty truly lies. Similarly, the receiving Tribe may demand the incoming member undergo a test or trial to prove they are worthy of joining the Tribe. The SkullCrushers in particular, brook no weakness of spirit in new members, the Bloodriders want to know if a new member truly has passion, and Darkwaters want to know if they have a true ‘team player’ who can cooperate seamlessly with others. Depending on the Tribes, such tests may take the form of elaborate exercises, small quests, ritual combat, or a spiritual retreat in the company of Tribal priestesses, to seek the blessings of the Shemarrian Goddess(es). In some cases, the petition of marriage may be denied by one or both Tribes, though this is often a test of the character of the two petitioners to see if their relationship is truly solid.
Even in the case of failure, however, the Tribes generally allow cross-Tribal lovers to continue to see each other, as long as the relationship does not interfere with their Tribal duties. Procreation via Progen is even allowed, though the children so produced will be raised by one or the other Tribe, and only allowed to seek to change Tribes when they reach their majority, when they will be evaluated and tested just as their parents were.
Joining a new Tribe has its own rituals once a new member from another Tribe is judged worthy. Depending on the Tribe, the new member may be expected to give up some if not all of the distinctive Upgrades and Mods they received from their old Tribe and obliged to begin anew, being built up to the standards of their new Tribe. So it is not unusual to find such things as Hawkmoons who have Darkwater repulsor tether implants, or SkullCrushers who retain their Bloodrider Elite tolerance of high temperature. Regardless, the new Tribal member is wholly accepted, and their past Tribal affiliation rarely again mentioned.
No system is perfect, however, and though extremely rare, it is not unknown for pair-bonds to wither and break, or a new Tribal member to suffer a crisis of faith(especially if their mate is irretrievably lost). Breaking faith with their new Tribe is seen as a grievous social disgrace, and even their old Tribe may not accept them back, depending on such circumstances. If the wavering member cannot be reconciled with counseling and the arbitration of the Elders, the member may become ronin, unwilling or unable to claim a Tribal affiliation. Some may voluntarily elect to ‘go pariah’, having themselves stripped of their combat implants and becoming low-level Acolites, until such time as they can prove themselves worthy of rising again and testing to rejoin the ranks of a Tribe. Though unsubstantiated, it is rumored that such ‘ronin’ drift into the company of others like themselves, in the so-called ‘Monster’ or ‘Shadowblades’ Tribe.
Last edited by taalismn on Wed Jun 29, 2011 5:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
DhAkael
Knight
Posts: 5151
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:38 pm

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by DhAkael »

taalismn wrote:Advanced Cultural Notes: InterTribal Relations

Nice, and pretty much in keeping with how everything has been laid out so far.
...But holy typo-daemons Matban :eek:
I take it your muse punted you into the chair and forced you to get this commited to text, regardless of sleep deficit.
Bind the body to the opened mind
Bind the body to the opened mind

I dream of towers in a world consumed
A void in the sentient sky
I dream of fissures across the moon
Leaves of the lotus rise


~Dream Again By Miracle of Sound
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47887
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Shemarrian-related fan creations

Unread post by taalismn »

DhAkael wrote:
taalismn wrote:Advanced Cultural Notes: InterTribal Relations

Nice, and pretty much in keeping with how everything has been laid out so far.
...But holy typo-daemons Matban :eek:
I take it your muse punted you into the chair and forced you to get this commited to text, regardless of sleep deficit.



Yeah...I was feeling guilty for not having posted anything of late...
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
Post Reply

Return to “Rifts®”