Paladin Steel Zhu-Rong Grenadier Full Conversion Cyborg(aka ‘Zhu’, ‘Powderkeg’, ‘TNT’)
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/taalismn/img357_zps393e683a.jpg “Oh, we’re having a celebration? Good thing I brought fireworks!”
“Hey! Nobody told me about the natural gas pipe! Did you know about the natural gas pipe? Did you? Well, I sure as hell didn’t know about the natural gas pipe! So it’s not my fault my precision distraction strike just obliterated the entire hangar we were hoping to capture! I fired just a LITTLE bang-bang bomb! Nobody told me the whole frickin’ gasworks would go up!”
“I hear there’s a Japanese power armor built around grenades. I’d love to go up against one of ‘em, just to see who’s better.”
Named for an ancient Chinese god of fire(and presumably fireWORKS), the PS Zhu-Rong FC is a heavy artillery support cyborg that fairly drips with projectile firepower.
Zhus mount an impressive amount of area-of-effect firepower in the short- to medium-range, said firepower consisting almost entirely of a variety of mortars and grenade launchers, from the 23mm ’finger’ grenades up to the 40mm AGLs, and with provision to externally mount and fire 60mm rifle grenades. The cyborg chassis itself is fairly unremarkable, though being quite strong and durable in order to support the weight of ordnance and armor.
The major criticisms and shortcomings of the Zhu stem from the fact that it is so specialized with regards to its weapons. Aside from a small laser in the head, the Zhu’s integral weapons configuration is wholly dependent on projectile weapons with a finite onboard ammunition supply. Once a Zhu has emptied its tubes, it is virtually useless in ranged combat. For that reason, most Zhus in PS/GNE service carry handheld energy weapons powerlinked to the cyborg’s own powerplant.
Because of its design, Zhu cyborgs seldom operate solo, but work as part of a team, acting as mobile artillery and fire support. Teams of Zhus will frequently work in concert to infiltrate enemy formations, using mutual covering fire to support each other, while dishing out generous amounts of damage to surrounding enemy infantry and armor.
Type: PS-FC-35 Zhu-Rong
Class: Full conversion Borg, Assault (Fire Support)
Crew: One volunteer
M.D.C. By Location:
Hands(2) 30 each
Arms(2) 100 each
Grenade Vambraces(2) 80 each
23mm Grenade Launcher Arms(2) 100 each
Shoulder 40mm Grenade Launch Racks(4) 45 each
Legs(2) 130 each
Knee Mortars(2) 50 each
*Head 150
**Main Body 280
*Destroying the head of a Cyborg will kill the character!
However, the head is a small and difficult target to hit. The attacker
must make a called shot and even then he is -3 to strike. The hands, and
forearms are also difficult targets to hit and are -4 to strike on a
called shot.
**Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will effectively
destroy the artificial body, but emergency systems will keep the brain and
vital organs alive for 36 hours. Recovery of the severely damaged body
will enable doctors to place the character on life support systems that
will keep him alive until a new bionic body (same style or other) is
available, for full conversion. Failure to find the damaged Borg within 36
hours means the character dies.
Note: The Zhu CANNOT be fitted with any additional armor(the missile racks take care of that)
Speed:
Running: 100 mph max . However the act of running does not tire the operator out and the maximum speed can be maintained indefinitely.
Jumping: The powerful robotic legs are strong and capable of leaping 10 feet high or 18 ft lengthwise. A running leap adds 50% to distance/height.
Flying: Not possible without a jet pack
Underwater: The Zhu CANNOT swim, but sinks like a rock
Statistical Data:
Average Height: 11 feet
Width: 5 feet
Length: 4 feet
Weight: 1,000 lbs. 1,500 lbs fully loaded up
Power System: Nuclear
Physical Attributes: Equal to Robotic PS. 35, PP. 24,.
Bonuses: Standard cyborg bonuses of +3 save vs magic, impervious to
bio-manipulation
+3 initiative
+5 strike/parry
+6 dodge
+3 Pull Punch
+1 Attack Per Melee with 23mm Grenade Launchers
Penalties: Touch/tactile sense is 60% of human norm.
Prowl penalty: -20%
Special Skills/Training---Use standard 'Borg, Assault ‘Borg, or Headhunter. If the character doesn’t already possess the skills, they receive MANDATORY training in the following:
-Demolitions(+5%)
-Demolitions Disposal(+10%)
-W.P. Heavy Military Weapons(specifically mortars and grenade launchers)
Black Market Cost: 9 million credits with all standard features, weapons,
and sensors.
Standard Bionic Features
Note: These features are all found in the bionic and
cybernetic section of the Rifts RPG.
1. Bionic lung with gas filter & storage cell
2. Built-in language translator
3. Built-in radio receiver & transmitter
4. Clock calendar
5. Gyrocompass
6. Modulated voice synthesizer
7. Multi-optic eyes
8. Built-in loudspeaker
9. Universal headjack with amplified hearing and sound filtration systems.
Special Features:
*Launcher Ejection System---In event of a hang-fire, any of the launchers can be detached and ejected from the cyborg.
Weapons Systems:
1) Head Laser---A laser-eye is mounted in the head of the Zhu, providing short range energy attack capability. It has variable power, allowing it to be used as a cutting tool for precision work(typically cutting wires).
Range: 600 ft
Damage: Variable; 1d6 SDC, 2d4 SDC, or 3d6 MD single blast, 6d6 MD double blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Effectively Unlimited
2) ‘52mm ‘Knee’ Mortars---What look like particularly protrudent
genouiliere(kneecap armor) conceal breech-loading mortars, feeding from magazines on the outside of the leg. The cyborg just goes down on one knee and fires with the other, the configuration of the leg diverting the force of the recoil down and into the foot pad to the ground.
Range: 6,500 ft (over a mile!)
Damage: (PSX-II High Explosive) 2d4x10 MD to 20 ft blast radius. Cost per shell: 800 credits
(Fragmentation) 6d6 MD to 50 ft blast radius. Cost per shell: 600 credits
(Incendiary) 4d6 MD to 30 ft blast radius, does an additional 1d4 MD for 1d6 melees, plus 80% chance of setting combustible materials aflame. Cost per shell: 700 credits
(Armor-Piercing Self-Forging)----This is a new experimental special shell that contains a micro-sensor and dual-charge system. The disc-shaped warhead is ‘frisbeed’ to high altitude(800 ft), then scans for target-profiles with its micro-sensor. When it spots a likely target profile(thermal or optical outline)(the limited size and complexity of the micro-sensor severely limits its targeting ability to a total of 6 targets...fortunately, the profile-database can be changed easily enough by inserting a new chip into the fusing assembly before loading), the warhead fires downwards, the material of the ‘discus’ deforming into a narrow, pointed, high-penetration needle well-suited for penetrating armor. Does 3d6x10 MD; no blast radius.
Note: This munition does NOT suffer from the indirect fire penalty; roll to strike as normal, but without bonuses. PS is working on a micro-guidance system that would allow these munitions to home in on laser-’painted’ targets, as via a forward observer....as well as better target discrimination(the current model has a tendency to be distracted by flaming wrecks in the vicinity of the ‘live’ target. Cost per shell: 4,000 credits
(Plasma) 2d6x10 MD to 10 ft blast radius. Cost per shell: 3,000 credits
(Smoke/Chemical) Varies by chemical type. Typically covers a 20 ft area. Basic smoke shells cost 100 credits apiece
(Illumination) Fires a high altitude illumination flare that burns brightly for. The flare also has a 40% chance of decoying/confusing heat-seeking sensors/weapons systems. Cost per shell: 500 credits
(Sensor Decoys) The mortar can also fire special lightweight thermal-emission decoys for confusing sensors into thinking there are ground troops where there are none....To further the confusion, the spheroid decoy will randomly extend springloaded ‘legs’ that move the decoy about in 5-10 ft leaps, giving the impression of moving troops. Internal mini-batteries last for 30 minutes. A small acid-capsule or self-destruct anti-tampering charge may also be attached to prevent the decoy from falling into enemy hands. Cost per shell: 700 credits
Noisemaker decoys are similar, but they emit random amplified ‘soldier noises’...footfalls, clinking of weapons, gunshots, muffled voices, etc., but are otherwise similar to the thermal-decoys. Cost per shell: 400 credits
TW Warheads
One of Paladin Steel West’s refinements to TW armaments was the use of specially-treated cracked crystal quartz and quartzite in expendable TW munitions. The ability of to use lower-quality flawed crystalline materials meant that self-destructing ‘one-shot’ TW weapons could be produced much more cheaply, and thus in bulk, while reserving higher-quality materials for superior TW creations.
(TW Sandstorm)-----Creates a sudden sandstorm that lasts 5 minutes, covering a 100 ft area. People trapped inside it will find visibility cut down to 3 ft, hearing is reduced by HALF, speed by 75%, lose initiative, 2 APM, and -5 strike, parry, and dodge. The scouring sand does 1d4 SDC per melee. Even robot vehicles will find their sensors, including radar, bollixed by the flying grit. Cost per shell: 4,000 credits
(TW Chasm)---Opens up a chasm 160 ft long, by 80 ft wide, by 80 ft deep, that remains open for up to 40 minutes. Objects falling in take 2d6 SDC per every 20 ft of depth. At the end of the spell, the chasm belches everything up to the surface as if they’d never fallen(in other words, they don’t get crushed by the closing fissure). CANNOT be used against buildings. Cost per shell: 7,000 credits
(TW Lava Pool)----Creates a pool or lane of lava 60 ft long. 10 ft wide, 10 ft deep. Objects caught in this pool take 2d6x10 MD per melee. Cost per shell: 9,000 credits
(TW Air Burst)---Sets loose a Whirlwind that does 2d6+2 MD to everything caught up in its 20 ft wide funnel. The Whirlwind tracks randomly about a 300 ft area for 2d4 melees before dissipating. Cost per shell: 8,000 credits
(TW Storm Shell)---Essentially a longer-ranged version of the TW anti-vampire Stormflare. Effects are the same. Cost per shell: 3,000 credits
(TW SunBomb)---A more powerful version of the Globe of Daylight Flare, only this version is powerful enough to inflict flashburns on vampires! Does 6d6 HP per melee for 3d6 melees to a 50 ft radius. Cost per shell: 2,000 credits
Rate of Fire: 4 shots per melee
Bonuses/Penalties:(Optional)(Rifts South America 2 has no rules for the Arkhon’s Mortar Packs’ inaccuracy, but for diehard artillery buffs, figure on 50% chance of hitting moving targets, 75% chance of hitting stationary targets within 2,200 ft range, or 50% chance out beyond that. 50% of shells will fall within a ‘footprint’ or ‘box’ 131 ft long by 70 ft wide.
Payload: 8 shot clip feeding from the leg
3) 23mm Grenade Launchers(2)---Mounted on secondary ‘arms’ under the main torso are two automatic grenade launchers shooting 23mm ‘finger’ grenades. These are typically used for close-range antipersonnel work.
Note: The secondary ‘gun arms’ offer an extra attack per melee, but ONLY with the grenade launchers. The arms themselves cannot be used for hand to hand combat.
Range: 280 ft
Damage: (High Explosive)2d4 MD to a 10 ft area
A 5 rd burst does 1d4x10 MD to an 15 ft area
(Incendiary)---A slug of thermal gel that does 1d6 MD to a 12 ft splash, and an additional 1d4 MD per melee for 1d6 melees
(Flare) Burns with blinding incandescence for 1d6 melees, each round brightly illuminating an area roughly 100 ft in radius. These are NOT parachute flares, but fall normally.
Rate of Fire: ECHH; single shot or 5 round burst
Payload: 100 shot drum per AGL.
4) 30mm Grenade Launchers(2)---Mounted in each forearm vambrace are several ‘metalstorm’-style 30mm grenade launchers
Range: 1,200 ft
Damage:
(SDC)* (Fragmentation) 2d6x10 SDC to 16 ft radius
(High Explosive) 6d6x10 SDC to 4 ft radius
(Armor Piercing) 1d4x100 SDC, no blast radius
(Crowd Control rds)---Essentially an expanding plastic ‘flyswatter’ that delivers a bruising knockdown punch. Cut effective range to 200 ft. Does 2d4 SDC per rd, humans and human-sized D-Bees must roll a D20-5 to maintain their footing (must equal or surpass the attacker's roll to strike...Full rules in TNW p.174). Human-sized light power armors(500-800 lbs) also roll on a D20, but are +2 to save versus knockdown
(Wood Rounds) 7d6 SDC single shot (1d4x10+5 HP to vampires), no blast radius
*(Yes, I know, why include SDC when it just as quickly becomes MDC? You’re still being hit with a pretty hefty shell)
(MD)(HE) 2d6(12 ft blast radius)
A 5 rd burst does 1d4x10 MD to an 20 ft area
(Armor-Piercing) 4d6(3 ft blast radius)
A 5 rd burst does 1d4x10 MD to an 9 ft area
(light micro-fusion) 6d6 MD (12 ft blast radius)
A 5 rd burst does 1d6x10 MD to an 25 ft area
(HESH (High Explosive Squash Head)) - Designed to ‘spald’ off armor on the interior of power armors and vehicles. Composite ‘chobham’(layered armor and nylon mesh) armor reduces this internal damage by HALF, by holding the armor together.
HESH rounds do NOT have a blast radius.
3D6 MD plus 4D6 SDC to the person(s) inside the object.
(Incendiary) 2d4 MD to a 12 ft blast radius, plus an additional 1d6 MD per melee for 1d6 melees.
The GL can also be used to fire radio beacon adhesion heads, flare rounds, paint shells, EMP grenades, flash-bangs, and, it’s rumored, TW grenades like the feared ‘Snuffers’ and Aura of Doom curse grenades.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 5 tubes, each packed with 5 rounds, for 25 total per arm.
5) 40mm Grenade Launchers(4; lower- 2x6 tubes, upper-2x10 tubes, 32 tubes total)----Mounted in the shoulders are several stacks of ‘metalstorm’ 40mm grenade launchers. Two lower pectoral racks hold six tubes each, while the two larger shoulder racks hold ten tubes each. Each tube is ‘metalstorm’-style(the same as available as an underbarrel launcher on many of PS’s rifles, such as the PPRCT-21), with three grenades each, loaded inline.
Range: 1,300 ft
Damage: Identical to the WI-GL20;
Frag rounds do 4d6 MD to a 12-foot radius.
AP rounds do 1d4x10 to a 3-foot blast radius,
and Plasma rounds do 1d4x10+10 to a 5-foot radius.
A 3 round burst of frag shells does 1d4x10 to a 15 foot radius,
a burst of 3 AP shells does 2d4x10 to a 5 foot radius,
and a burst of 3 plasma shells does 3d4x10 to an 8 foot blast radius
A 5 round burst of frag shells does 1d6x10 to a 20 foot radius,
a burst of 5 AP shells does 2d6x10 to a 6 foot area,
and a burst of 5 plasma shells does 3d6x10 to a 10 foot radius.
A 10 round burst of frag shells does 2d6x10 to a 40-foot radius.
A 10 round AP burst does 3d6x10 to an 8-foot area,
and a 10 round plasma burst does 4d6x10+10 to a 15-foot radius!!
Rate of Fire: Standard
Payload: 32 tubes, with 3 rds each, for a total of 96 grenades.
6) Retractable Vibroblades(2)---The arms of the Zhu feature retractable vibrosabres in the event the cyborg has to engage in hand to hand combat.
Range: Melee
Damage: 2d6 MD(or +2d6 MD to a punch)
7) Hand to Hand Combat
Restrained Punch 1d4 MD
Full Strength Punch 1d6 MD
Power Punch( 2 attacks) 3d4 MD
Kick 1d6 MD
Leap Kick(2 Attacks) 3d6 MD
Judo-Style Throw/Flip 1d4 MD
Body Block/Ram 1d4 MD
Options:
The Zhu can be fitted with any of the standard cybernetic and bionic features in the Rifts books. Favorite options include fitting the 'borg with additional concealed weaponry. Unless the cyborg is a non-human, extra limbs are rarely ever added.
*60mm Rifle Grenades----Launch spigots for 60mm RGs can be mounted on the shoulders.
Range: Typically 1,800 ft
Damage:
(Riot)---Combination flash-bang and rubber pellet charge---Victims are -10 to strike, parry, and dodge, -1 to initiative, and lose 1 APM for 1d4 melees. Rubber pellets do 1d4 SDC damage, but have a 60% chance of knockdown for any human-sized, or smaller, beings, caught in a 10 ft blast radius.....lose initiative and 1 APM for that melee(cost: 80 credits)
(Fragmentation-SDC) 2d4x10 SDC to 20 ft blast radius(cost: 100 credits)
(Fragmentation-MD) 3d6 MD to 25 ft blast radius(cost: 280 credits)
(High Explosive) 6d6 MD to 10 ft blast radius(cost: 360 credits)
(Anti-Armor HEAT) Very heavy projectile(range drops to 120 ft) Does 2d4x10 MD to a 1 ft diameter area(shaped charge)(cost: 800 credits)
(Plasma/Micro-Fusion) 1d6x10 MD to 8 ft blast radius (cost: 800 credits)
(Incendiary) 2d6 MD flash damage to 12 ft blast radius, plus does 1d4 MD per melee for 2d4 melees(cost: 350 credits)
(Acid)---4d6 MD to a 5 ft radius, then diminishes in strength by 1d6 each melee(lasts about 4 melees)(cost: credits)
(Chemical) Effects vary, but contains enough chemical agent to cover a 15 ft radius
(Illumination) Can loft to an altitude of 600 ft, and illuminate a 500 ft radius for 4d4 melees. (cost: 15 credits)
Note: Additional grenade types, including TW munitions, are constantly in development.
Rate of Fire: Single shot. A trained user can load and fire a RLG once per melee
Payload: Up to three per shoulder can be mounted(6 total)
Cost: 1,000 credits per launch rod.
A grenade kit also exists that allows one to quickly fit a conventional grenade with a propulsion stick and contact fuzing strip, but standard grenades aren’t as aerodynamic as the dedicated RLGs; range is only 600 ft. Cost is 60 credits per grenade ‘launch stick’.
*RAP-(Rifleman’s Assault Projectile)---Similarly, up to three launch stick-racks for these spherical demolition missiles can be added per shoulder. In the alternative, either or both the upper shoulder 40mm grenade launchers can be replaced with launchers holding 9 RAPs each.
Weight: 5 lbs
Size: Warhead is 140mm/5.51 inches in diameter; rocket stage adds 6 inches
Range: 4,800 ft
Damage: 4d4x10 +40 MD to 6 ft blast radius, plus 1d4x10 SDC to anyone inside the armor(or 6d6 SDC to anyone within 10 ft of the other side of the wall). HALF that if used against composite ‘meshed’ armors designed to flex, rather than spald(most power armors are constructed to have a certain amount of ‘warp’ to their structure, but cheaper armors, like Chipwell and early Northern Gun designs, lack this protection).
More advanced modern armors, such as those used by the Coalition, Triax, and other very high tech nations(the Kittani, for instance), for their EBA, power armors, robots, some vehicles, and special purpose fortifications(such as high echelon command bunkers) are designed NOT to spald, due to multiple composite layers of megadamage fabric and netting.....for these armors, spalding/bleed-through damage may be reduced to 1/4, or may not apply at all(GMs, use your discretion). Normal blast damage still applies, though, as the outer layers of armor are blown off/vaporized.
Rate of Fire: Single shot
Payload: Up to three launchers can be mounted per shoulder(reloading takes 2 melee actions), or a 9-shot launch rack can replace one or both of the upper grenade launcher racks.
Penalties: The RAP is rather slow (250 ft per second) and is meant to be used against stationary and slow-moving targets(like vehicles)...Against faster, more agile, targets like power armors and hovercycles that actually get a dodge, the RAP is -2 to strike.
Cost: Launch Stick 1,000 credits, Launch Rack 43,000 credits. Projectile: 2,000 credits each
*150mm Mortar Bombs---One launch spigot for a 150mm mortar/rocket can be mounted on each shoulder(cannot be mounted if other weapons are already installed there).
Weight: 19 lbs(5 lb warhead)
Range: 700 ft...Maximum range of 2,500 ft, but -1 to strike beyond 700 ft due to the slow velocity.
Damage:(High Explosive) 2d4x10 MD to 30 ft blast radius
(High Explosive Anti-Tank-HEAT) 2d6x10 MD to 4 ft blast area and Critical Damage on a Natural 18, 19, or 20.
Rate of Fire: Single shot
Payload: Single shot
Cost: Launch Spigot: 2,000 credits.
Bombs:
(High Explosive) 1,200 credits
(High Explosive Anti-Tank-HEAT) 2,000 credits
