Paladin Steel Storefront

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Omegasgundam
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Omegasgundam »

For my next trick, I will give the Coalition some love so that they can stay up with the Jones. They're nut cases, but their not STUPID, so they have to have come up with something to make up the lost ground.
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Kinda surprised, though, that Forced March isn't one of the skills standard to the Grunts and rank and file military OCCs...Running in formation and drilling in team work seems pretty standard fare.
Didn't have RUE or was it just one straw too many to tip the OCC over?

As for the CS? They got the Unseen God, KS, shielding them. Either they got production capabilities out the wazoo, or somebody will need them as a buffer state against somebody else, like the Xiticix or the vampires.
-------------
"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
------------
Omegasgundam
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Posts: 440
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 11:04 pm

Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Omegasgundam »

taalismn wrote:Kinda surprised, though, that Forced March isn't one of the skills standard to the Grunts and rank and file military OCCs...Running in formation and drilling in team work seems pretty standard fare.
Didn't have RUE or was it just one straw too many to tip the OCC over?

As for the CS? They got the Unseen God, KS, shielding them. Either they got production capabilities out the wazoo, or somebody will need them as a buffer state against somebody else, like the Xiticix or the vampires.

The GNE has enough light vehicles that I don't think that their infantry have to march like a Napoleonic army. And if they have to move fast, that's what Running is for.

I'm buffing the Coalition up to 'not quite as good as NEMA' levels in their infantry equipment, having around as much performance but at a higher weight cost. Just throwing more bodies at a problem is ultimately sloppy, and if you bungle it bad enough its more costly in terms of material as well. Most of the CS Army is still burbs spawn with CWC-era equipment, but the actual Citizens will having something that's meaningfully better.

And the Line Backer is just BAD from a fundamental design perspective.
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Omegasgundam wrote:[

And the Line Backer is just BAD from a fundamental design perspective.



No kidding. If they'd ut the two main weapons in a common turret, so they could bring BOTH to bear more effectively on the same target...but I guess the reasoning is that as a hovercraft the whole tank can turn fast enough to brig both guns on a target in sequence.
-------------
"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
------------
Omegasgundam
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Omegasgundam »

taalismn wrote:
Omegasgundam wrote:[

And the Line Backer is just BAD from a fundamental design perspective.



No kidding. If they'd ut the two main weapons in a common turret, so they could bring BOTH to bear more effectively on the same target...but I guess the reasoning is that as a hovercraft the whole tank can turn fast enough to brig both guns on a target in sequence.

Gets worse; those guns can't be fire linked and need their own gunners. Any they only do 1D6x10.
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Omegasgundam wrote:[
Gets worse; those guns can't be fire linked and need their own gunners. Any they only do 1D6x10.


Hell, the missile launchers are its best weapons, so it should really be a missile-tank, but it lacks the payload for protracted shoot-and-scoot operations, and the rail guns and lasers get top billing.
-------------
"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
------------
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Omegasgundam wrote:I would like to put in a request for a Paladin Steel produced suit of Mage usable armor, preferably something more than a Skinsuit. The Cambridge Jungle would be able to provide a good organic material to make it out of, and Ectofibre will make up for the remaining loss in magical conductivity.


*VEBA-12CLTW ‘Magex’ Environmental Body Armor
(aka ‘Wizar Suit’)
“Don’t ask how the hell the stuff allows you to cast magic without resistance, but puts up a wall when malign magic tries to stream back the other way. Same thing with how it allows you to absorb ambient mana instead of locking it out. The way I hear it, the scientists and sages had to invent several new fields of metaphysics to make it work, and most of them had nervous breakdowns afterwards. It works, it protects you, and that’s all that matters for now.”

“PS doesn’t talk about how much the new armor really costs, given all the features they built into it, given the mass distribution they got going to all their field-magic workers, but either they have new mass-production means or they’re sacrificing a lot of capital just to keep their mages safe. That last idea really has a lot in the mage community happy.”

“The unspoken outlay on these new suits on top of the hormone treatments and the extra spell training just means that if you take the government shilling, expect the guv to work you HARD. Don’t expect cushy living if you take the Green.”

“I don’t care if your armor makes you an Olympic-grade athlete! You’re still giving me ten laps in your skivvies! Move it, lardass!”

“It was a right bastard finding a strain of clonable skin leather that could block radiation...well, seeping the stuff in magically-charged water under a low-level Resistance to Energy spell took care of that...then there was the hassle of finding a food water-resistant natural fiber that could be woven tight enough to be airtight..The electronics were easy enough, being off-the-self, but magic being picky about everything else, we had to come up with a dozen new materials, methods to hold them together and make them work together, and survive the wear-and-tear testing.”

“El-tee-dubbaya is a bit more maintenance-heavy than regular hardshell gear. Besides the mages and the materials engineers tearing their hairs in the deal, there’s a whole wing of industrial chemists who went fumma-fumma trying to figure out a leather polish/preservative that didn’t stink hard enough to give every DogBoy in a ten mile radius enough of a snootful to find the wearer. The chemists’, and alchemists’, only consolation is that Army mages have to spend extra time taking care of their personal suits...and the Army don’t let them use familiars or golems to do the chore if the mages are ornery.”

The proliferation and official employment of mages of various schools in the Greater New England Armed Services led to a pressing need for body armor that mages could use without the hindrance of their spellcasting abilities. While previously, GNE mages had been issued the standard armors of the GNEAS, while protected, they could not use their special abilities unless they compromised that protection by removing parts, if not all, of their armor, a move not always wise during combat or in a hazmat situation. With more mages being actively trained and employed by the GNE services, clearly a better solution had to be found to better protect these valuable personnel.
As the conventional alloys and synthetic composites normally used in PS/ASI armors had proven too resistant to magic energies, unless made too thin and light to offer much protection, Paladin Steel experimented with other materials, including magic materials, that could be enchanted to compensate. One such trial was with a stabilized ectoplasmic ‘alloy’ developed for aircraft construction, Mageplate Formulation-1C, that could actually repair itself with the application of PPE or ISP. Others were various magically-hardened woods, and new organic materials, based on studies and samples of supernatural creatures, that the Cambridge Jungle biotech tribes had been studying. Ultimately they came out with specification VEBA-012LTW.
Key to LTW armor is a webwork of stabilized Ectofibre woven through the armor’s various material components. This magically-conductive wondermaterial allows the mage to project their mystic energies with little to no loss of PPE.
Overlaying the bodysuit is a set of plates of light Mageplate alloy, platelets of armongus-impregnated wood ply, and megadamage leather, the latter two materials recently introduced in bulk from the Cambridge Jungle biotechs. The use of (super)natural materials in over 75% of the suit’s construction insures that all parts are covered, bit also protected, without hindering the mage’s natural mystic channeling .
The life support and helmet electronics are purely technological, but the helmet features a faceplate of armored Ecto-glass; clear armorplas doped with ectofibres and able to carry permanent enchantments.
Despite its mainly organic composition, -12CLTW armor has been designed to look much like regular GNEAS EBA, so as not to immediately make mages stand out. This riles some old-school conservatives in the magic community, but most mages, especially those raised and trained in Greater New England, recognize the value, thanks to the Coalition States’ rabid anti-magic policies, of not pointing themselves out for sniper-attention.
While not as durable as regular-issue GNEAS VEBAs, -12CLTW armor still offers mages substantial protection, and access to special features that allow them to keep up with their no-mage teammates in the field.

Weight: 13 lbs
M.D.C. by Location:
Head/Helmet 70
Arms 30 each
Legs 35 each
Main Body 60
Mobility: Good; -5% to climb, and -10% to prowl, swim, and perform acrobatics.
Special Features:
Standard EBA features, plus:
*Mini-Periscope--The helmet mounts a small extendable antennae/fiber-optic telescope that can extend eight inches out from the helmet and transmit its view to the HUD; perfect for peering from behind cover.

*Integral Language Translator--Holds about 14 different languages( typically the most common languages in use in the area of operations). Selections can be changed by swapping out the language crystal module and adjusting the new one for individual’s speech patterns( mechanical translators are notorious for not catching/misinterpreting nuances and inflections) .

*Helmet Combat Recorder---This system allows the soldier to record what they see and hear onto three six-hour mini-discs for later transmission/download, or review back at base. To prevent sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands, combat recorders can only be unlocked by special code-keys typically carried by officers; unauthorized tampering will wipe the discs.

*Mini-Head Up Display(HUD)---Allows for suit status and communications feed video data to be displayed on a mini-screen projected in front of the soldier’s eyes.

*Sensor Augmentations---The Helmet comes complete with IR/UV optics, integral telescopic magnification, passive nightvision, and Kirilian Aura viewer(detects PPE auras, including those of invisible beings, with 60% effectiveness at 200 ft range, but cannot determine power level or alignment). Additional sensors can be clipped on with a special visor system.

*Retractable Vibroblade---One, or both, arm vambraces will have a retractable vibroblade for use as a tool or a weapon. Does 1d6 MD.

*Extra Push--- The ectofiber mimics PS’s other passive-amp webbing systems in redistributing motion kinetic energy and giving back a little energy to each step. Reducing fatigue by 10% and increasing leap/jump distance by 10%.


Magic Features:
*Magically Regenerative--- One of the great advantages of the combination wood/armongus/leather/mageplate combination is that this armor and structural material actually repairs itself with the application of PPE/ISP: 1 MDC= 2 PPE/4 ISP.

*Muliplexor Amulet---Looking somewhat like the chest punch-plate of a Juicer harness, this socket allows the mage to chip in a spellcard(usually a self-amplification or protective charm) with spells not already integrated into the suit, and power them up.

*PPE Power Amulet Attachment----The standard -12CLTW armor doesn’t come with its own PPE source, so the wearer can power the features themselves. However, this handy attachment point at the waist allows the wearer to clip in PS (and, in a case of industrial espionage) Stormspire) PPE clips or any of Paladin Steel’s/Merrill Armament’s PPE ‘Regenerator’ powerstones. Note that the wearer cannot draw upon these PPE batteries for their own spells, but can use them to power attached TW systems.

*Ectoglass Faceplate---Besides possessing the PPE sensors in the LR-OTS07 rifle scope/Raptor-helm, the ectofiber-doped armorplas faceplate has been permanently enchanted to have a much wider field of vision for the optics.

* Magic Insulation---Borrowing from the Ectoskin suit, the ectofiber-weave also acts as an effective insulator against incoming directed magical energies, acting much like a Faraday Cage. Magical energy attacks to the armor are reduced in damage by 1/3, and the wearer gets to save +1 versus magic. Psionic attacks are unaffected.

*Integral Spells:
-Armor of Ithan ---100 MDC, 10 minutes, 5 PPE/10 ISP per activation.
-Impervious to Energy ---Energy attacks do NO damage to the wearer, 20 minutes/80 melees duration per level/activation. 10 PPE/20 ISP per activation,.

-Superhuman Strength ---Amps strength to SUPERNATURAL P.S. of 30 and P.E. of 24, +30 SDC for 300 seconds/20 melees duration, 5 PPE/10 ISP per activation

-Superhuman Speed ---Amps speed up 44(30 MPH), +2 parry, +6 dodge, for 10 minute duration, 5 PPE/10 ISP per activation.

-Superhuman Agility ---Boosts reflexes;+1 on initiative, +1 parry, +5 dodge, +5 roll, Automatic Dodge +5, Automatic Roll, +20% to Climb/Rappel, Tightrope skill of 88%. 20 melee rounds duration, 8 PPE/16 ISP per activation.

*Reduced TW Modification Cost---Subsequent technowizardry modifications if they don’t interfere with existing systems, cost 25% less to add to the -12CLTW armor. Popular additions include adding Spinning Blades or Silverize to the wrist blade(s).

*Backpack TW Link----The back panel of the armor has an interface plug that allows the fitting of a TW app-pack:

a) TW Flight Pack----Two flight systems are especially popular; Fly as the Eagle ( 50 MPH, 120 minutes, 13 PPE per activation)and Winged Flight;( 5 pts of Speed per point of P.S., 120 minutes, 18 PPE per activation).

b) TW Missile Launcher---Inspired by Triax’s TX-M4 Mini-Missile Launcher, this backpack can hold 12 TW Mini-Rockets or 4 Heavy TW Rockets. 90

c) TW Energy Weapon----This is a handsfree mounting for a magic energy weapon fitted to fire over the shoulder and aimed by a link to the helmet optics. Can be powered by its own PPE supply, the armor’s attached PPE batteries, or by the age themselves. A gyro-stabilized mount gives a +1 to strike in addition to any other optical sight and/o W.P. bonuses.

d) TW Defense Pack--- Carries an array of spells useful in area protection. Blast Shield( 10 ft radius, 10 melees, 9 PPE per activation), Sheltering Force( 10 hours, 10 PPE per activation), Protection Circle: Simple(includes an attached handheld stylus/paint sprayer to draw the circle)( 24 hours, 28 PPE per activation), Constrain Being( 60 ft, 20 minutes, 10 PPE per activation).

e) Dimensional Pocket Backpack---This ordinary-looking carryall is actually five times bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, and doesn’t weigh any heavier fully loaded than it is empty.

f) Underwater Operations Pack----Swim as the Fish: Superior( Spd: 20, 100 minutes, 6 PPE per activation), Armor of Neptune(150 MDC, 30 minutes, 10 PPE per activation), Sonar Hearing( 20 minutes, 5 PPE per activation), and Ride the Waves( 100 minutes, 5 PPE per activation). Popular with GNEN personnel.

g) Cloak Pack----Can provide a small group with stealth or camouflage capabilities, as long as they are in the radius of effect or touching each other(2-6 people, typically): Chameleon( 20 minutes, 6 PPE per activation), Path of Green( 300 ft range, 16 ft wide path, eliminates all traces of passage when it lapses, 40 minutes, 7 PPE per activation), Shadowmeld( 20 minutes, 10 PPE per activation), Invisibility: Simple( 20 minutes, 6 PPE per activation), Illusory Wall( 300 minutes, 8-15 PPE per activation), Illusory Forest( 300 minutes, 23-45 PPE per activation), Illusory Terrain( 300 minutes, 28-60 PPE per activation)

Options:
*Appliqué Armor---VEBA-012LTW can use the same appliqué armor overlays as the regular ‘mundane ‘ GNEAS suits, Though they add weight and hinder magic same as always, if spell-casting isn’t an issue and protection is, GNEAS mages can opt to use the extra plating, though most immediately remove it when the need is past.
In the alternative, wooden appliqué similar to the panels in the suit itself, can be applied. These cost 50% more than the regular ceramic and alloy plates, but interfere less with the wearer’s magic abilities.

Cost: Not for sale; exclusive to the GNEAS, but can fetch 490,000 credits or more on the black market

Variants:
None official, but an ‘economy suit’ without the integrated TW enhancements, would probably cost 95,000 credits
-------------
"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
------------
Omegasgundam
Adventurer
Posts: 440
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 11:04 pm

Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Omegasgundam »

Well above what I was expecting, but with the amount of resource that the GNE sinks into its mages it makes sense. If nothing else, the UWW would be willing to hand out major favor for it, and that has a value that cannot be expressed in mere coin.

As for me, I've fluffed up the Coalition's post-Minion War condition and arsenal. If the Dead Boys are going to be treated as an actual threat beyond simple numbers, they have to have SOME actual capability on the individual level, and while they're genocidal nut jobs they're not stupid. The overall theme is 'not quite NEMA' quality, which I believe is appropriate given their known scientific capabilities. The GNEAF would still whup them even 2-on-1 in most situations, but the Coalition can manage 3-on-1, which it just too expensive and risky to attempt without a good plan.

Post-Minion War Coalition States
The most positive thing to say about the Coalition States is that they didn’t lose any of their major infrastructure and their overall production capabilities have recovered. This came at the cost of their forces being severely depleted, its stockpiles of resources and equipment being effectively spent, and Greater New England being in a stronger position than ever. Emperor Prosek has proclaimed to Coalition High Command that the Coalition States is simply unable to effect policy east of the Appalacians, and none could find grounds to disagree. As such, the Coalition has embarked on a strategy of containment, focusing on preventing Greater New England from projecting influence further westward. This has the side effect of accepting the continued existence of the city-state of Lazlo for the indefinite future, ending the Coalition’s dreams of their 20 year expansion. The only plus side was that the Greeners are the best buffer state between the American heartland and Atlantis that could be asked for.

The Coalition’s strategic situation is so complex that High Command is unable to make an honest estimate for when they will recover to their pre-Tolkien force levels, with the least bad forecast being between 5-10 years. It will be another decade after that until they will have sufficient forces to properly secure their territory, during which they will be highly vulnerable to raiders. While the Coalition has a large number of human bodies, it lacks the equipment to make the most use out of them, which severely limits their options. Beyond opportunistic missile barrages at the GNE, which will be more aimed towards public consumption than actual effect, they are in no shape to engage in a modern conflict against anything resembling another organized opponent, and this is something of an open secret amongst the true power players of the continent. The Coalition will recover thanks to their increased resource intake, but that is a long day coming.

It can thus be considered incredibly ironic that the Coalition is now engaged in what is likely the only type of campaign it can currently fight; an anti-vampire crusade. The Vampire Kingdoms of Mexico have taken advantage of the Minion War chaos and engaged in a wide spread territorial grab and terror campaign in the American-South west, pushing their normal opponents to the brink of collapse. It was only with the intervention of the Lemaurians and Shemarians that Reid’s Rangers and Arzeno survived the onslaught, and few if any of the mortal powers in the region could put up any serious defense. But the vampires were ultimately just that little bit too greedy, and have drawn the attention of both the Coalition States and Greater New England, resulting in a tacit agreement to work towards the same general end. While nobody expects them to work side by side, look at their campaign maps shows a distinct lack of overlap, showing that both would rather not be in a position to start shooting at the other.

While requiring a tool set unlike anything needed against technological (and most magical) opponents, the actual resource requirements for war against Vampires are surprisingly minimal. There are a wide range of wooden munitions available that are quite effective against the undead, and the larger (and more expensive) platforms are of marginal use against massed supernatural blood suckers. Thus, the Coalition is deploying its vast numbers of Minion War volunteer holdovers in purging actions across the Mid-West, and is slowly marching south to the Rio Grande and will sweep into New Mexico and the eastern most sections of Arizona. Greater New England has (via what is believed to be Rift transportation) committed their forces into Southern California, and will be purging east toward Tuscon and potentially Brisbane. Both Arizona and most of New Mexico are too far from the Coalitions heartlands to make any form of territorial claim, but they hope to gain intelligence for prospective future plans over the course of the campaign. If the GNE wishes to pursue the vampire down into Mexico, they are free to do so, as it will hopefully distract them from making a major attempt to push across the Appalacians in the meantime.

The purging campaign is understandably popular, with the Coalition coming off of its post-Minion War high and going into another obviously justifiable campaign against a much less dangerous but still clearly evil and supernatural force. While this is generally understood by even the rank and file to be as much about letting the most problematic holdovers be worn away from attrition, the remaining Juicer armies are at least half addicted to their superhuman abilities, and had been looking at the high possibility of having no war to fight for the rest of their augmented lives. Thus, a chance to find a worthy death protecting humanity from a plague of blood sucking monsters has been met with great enthusiasm, and if most of them ‘go rogue’ and keep on going further south than Chi-Town is willing to write them off as dying an honorable death and send the benefits to their next of kin.

If there is a silver lining to all of this, it is that the American Mid-West is effectively clear for colonization efforts barring the Hive-Lands. This will consume the majority of the Coalition's attention for at least a generation, as High Command focuses on resource extraction and population relief efforts. Emperor Prosek hopes to have a network of outposts and homesteads almost reaching the Rockies by the time of his son's ascension to the throne, which will provide the materials needed to make the Coalition’s image of strength almost match what it projects. The mining programs will take years to mature, but the agriculture efforts promise to solve the nation’s food concerns for the foreseeable future, solving one of the constant fears of Chi-Town. With any luck, and barring any further major conflicts, the Coalition hopes to have a good 20 years to recuperate, and hopes to be able to formulate a plan to further expand their control over the continent.

Post-Minion War Coalition Arsenal
The Coalition is focused first and foremost on producing enough equipment to replenish its forces, and doesn’t have much resources to spare in developing more capable models. However, several long running projects have come to fruition, mostly revolving around reproducing the various bits of equipment used by NEMA during the early Dark Ages. The Coalition lacks sufficient ultra-high grade facilities to produce the light weight alloys that so much of it was made from, but the functioning internals are just within reach of their current production base. Thus, the Coalition is putting these superior systems into the bodies that they are already producing, resulting in a heavier (and at times less accurate) weapon, but having idental range, damage, and energy endurance. While this is a substantial leap forward, even NEMA’s own equipment falls short of the Three Galaxies spec equipment that the GNEAF is beginning to field in mass, which puts the Coalition at a major disadvantage on the infantry scale.

Post-Minion War Coalition Weapons
The Coalition’s original ‘War of Blood Revenge’ equipment was highly downgraded versions of NEMA’s equivalents, but were still better than anything Northern Gun was capable of producing. Most of the 105 PA replacements can be upgraded to use the still better components, but it will take several years for the production lines to fully switch over. The Coalition has also begun to produce knockoffs of certain Paladin Steel equipment, particularly its particle beams, which have proven to be far superior to the best efforts of Chi-Town.
Spoiler:
CP-31 Pulse Laser Pistol
While ultimately little more than a NEMA PLP-20 in the heavier shell of a CP-30 (4 lbs/1.8 kg), few would argue that is a bad thing. It is still found somewhat lacking compared to the GNE’s Adder, as its slightly better damage potential is generally considered more important at the ranges in which pistols are actually used. It was found to be possible to remanufacture the relevant internals of the CP-30 to the higher standard, so overall production costs are substantially lower than they would otherwise be. The C-20 remains in production for law enforcement purposes, but this Pulse Laser has replaced it as far as the front line is concerned.

CP-32 Pulse Ion Pistol
This is a repackaging of the MIP-21 in the heavier CP-30 shell (4 lbs/1.8 kg), which is still an all around improvement. Again, it is thought to be somewhat lacking compared to the GNE equivalent, the Kepper, due to the laters ability to deliver higher damage as much faster, with its range being tolerable given its normal operating environment. And then the modular Smasher just blows it out of the water. It has been adopted by the CS’s special forces units, who have monopolized production so far.

CP-45 Pulse Laser Rifle
The Coalition hasn’t managed to replicate the light weight of the LGR-360, but removing the grenade launcher and sticking it in the CP-40 shell (9 lbs, 4.1kg) is a close enough approximation for the average infantryman. Thankfully, it comes standard with the improvements to its pulse mode (8D6 MD per pulse) that NEMA did to theirs after the Coming of the Rifts. Its problem is that it is always compared to the GNE’s Maximus, which is simply a losing proposition. The changes that need to be done to the internals are much more extensive than those of the CP-31, so it effectively requires a complete component swap, which slows down the switch over. But the largest slow down is that these internals are used across several other CS weapons and power armors, which all have higher priority.

CP-55 ‘Dragonfire’ Assault Pulse Laser
The heavier Dragonfire is somewhat better quality in terms of components, gaining only 1 lbs (.45 kg) despite the addition of a 12 shot grenade launcher. It just has the misfortune of running up against the GNE’s Widower (which has longer range) and the Chintiss (whose firepower at normal infantry ranges is absolutely brutal). As the Dragonfire is given to more experienced soldiers that can be trusted to use it to best effect, it is likely that its upgrade cycle will be finished well before the CP-45’s.

C-34 ‘Hellfire’ Medium Plasma Cannon
Once again, little more than a NEMA weapon in a different and heavier package (12 lbs/5.4 kg), this time the post-Rift modified PR-470 (1D6x10 MD per shot). The results in a longer ranged and far more energy efficient weapon, and is considered far more worthwhile to lug around in the field. But once again the GNE rains on the parade with its Nimro Plasma and Flarehammer Particle Beam Rifles, which have generally better characteristics in all meaningful categories.

C-55 Particle Beam Rifle
The C-55 is little more than a derivative of the GNE Super-BAR in a heavier package, weighing 5 lbs (2.28 kg) more. It is functionally identical in all other respects, and is generally issued in situations where the lighter Hellfire would be too short ranged. It is relatively popular amongst the Coalition’s Juicers and Light Borgs, who can use it as a normal rifle. The later can make use of a UEL system to provide essentially unlimited discharges, but the former use a power pack with 5x the normal payload of a Long E-Clip.

C-61 Heavy Particle Beam Rifle
An upgrade of the C-60 first issued to the Death Knight, the C-61 has half again the range, which mostly makes up for its primary failing. It is still impractical to use without the UEL system, but Heavy Borgs consider it to be a good rifle sized weapon in their hands.

CTT-P41 Particle Beam Cannon
A casual examination of the internals of the -P41 would show it to be a knockoff of the GNE’s BlueBolt, substituting much heavier and less efficient materials to make up for the lack of Viritalium manufacture. This results in a doubling of range and effective payload, with the scope being upgraded to match. The energy consumption is still quite problematic, with the integral UEL system only providing the charge for 1 blast every 15 seconds, but this is far superior to the complete lack of such in the original. Its greatest problem is how large it is, with the sheer bulk of the thing making it a heavy weapon even in the hands of larger platforms such as Heavy Borgs and Power Armor.
    Weight: 89 lbs (40kg)
    MD: 1D6x10 per shot, but on a strike roll of 18 or more, the weapon does 2d4x10+10 MD!
    Range: 4000m (1220m)
    Payload: 80 per integral energy cell, recharges at a rate of 1 blast every melee when the UEL is active.
    Bonus: +1 to aimed
    Penalty: A of P.S. 24 or greater is needed to use it one handed, and even then it is -2 to strike unless it is being used by a large (10+ ft) platform

CTT-M25 Heavy Missile Rifle
The only real failing of the original Missile Rifle was the near irrelevant energy component, which wasn’t even burst capable. The upgraded model replaces it with the internals of the new CP-45, which solves its damage application problems. The Coalition is also taking advantage of its power armor use and including an UEL system by default, but it is effectively identical in all other respects.

C-200 ‘Dead Man’s’ Rail Gun
The C-200 is actually quite capable for a man portable EM rail gun, and was arguably better than NEMA’s R-660 Striker. It has been modified to be able to fire shorter 10 shot bursts (2D6), but this is not considered to be noteworthy by troops in the field.

C-45R SAMAS Rail Gun
The Coalition has managed to fully replicate NEMA’s version of the USA-40R, which is half again as powerful as the old C-40R while massaging the same. This is still far behind the GNE’s Gravitonic based Flamma, but it allows the Coalition to maintain a health advantage over everyone else. As the SAMAS is thought of by many to the most iconic Coalition unit, upgrading them is a priority.

Post-Minion War Coalition Body Armor
The Coalition had gained limited manufacturing capability for the legendary EBA-130 when it acquired Lone Star, but the production line was marginally capable, and the resulting suits were only issued to high ranking officers with stylistic changes. The GNE’s introduction of an improved version as its new standard issue armor was a cause for alarm, as it clearly indicated that the Coalition was falling increasingly far behind. This resulted in renewed efforts to improve manufacturing capability, which produced results in the closing days of the Minion War.
Spoiler:
CA-8 Elite Body Armor
The CA-8 is a limited production armor intended for the Coalition's VIPs and most elite forces, and is simply a restyled NEMA EBA-130. It is also arguably a knockoff of the VEBA-04, as it includes many of the changes that the GNE added to their armor, most notably the helmet systems. As a matter of course, the Special Forces Division equips theirs with forearm weapons similar to those on the CA-7.

CA-9 Standard Body Armor
The CA-9 is a major set towards making the EBA-130 the new standard, but it still has a significant penalty in overall weight, coming in at 15 lbs (6.8 kg). This is still an improvement over the CA-4, and it has all of the EBA-130s durability, so the production facilities are being converted when it comes time to do extended maintenance. So far, only 10% of new production is of this superior model, but the maintenance cycle will see it fully switch over within 5 years.

CA-10 Juicer Body Armor
The Coalition’s Juicers were every bit as critical in the Minion War as they were anticipated to be, and easily warranted receiving upgraded armor in the later stages. The CA-10 has similar protection to the older CA-6, but removes the exoskeleton and uses a meaningfully improved armor composition, allowing it to remain only 30 lbs (13.6 kg). Production was fully switched over in the final stages of the Minion-War, and attrition has ensured that the older suits have been rendered extinct. While more than 70% of the rushed recruits died as a consequence of their duties, the Coalition has needed to retain the survivors to make up its needed deployments, with continued resource constraints ensuring that Juicers will be a critical part of the Coalition army going forward for the intermediate future.

CA-11EX Heavy Body Armor
The still new CA-6 has been upgraded with the superior exoskeleton of NEMA’s FR-EX 220, seeing a 5 lbs (2.27 kg) increase in weight for major improvements in overall capability. Overall product of these light-exoskeletons has been disappointingly low however, with the primary focus being on reconstituting the CS’s power armor formations.

Post-Minion War Coalition Power Armor
The Coalition has historically put no shortage of resources into its Power Armor for a large number of reasons, and none of those have changed. They may now face serious competition from massed Juicers, but they still offer a number of capabilities that even those superhuman warriors also need expensive equipment to gain.
Spoiler:
PA-07B ‘Smiling Jack’ SAMAS
The Smiling Jack was actually quite capable even by modern standards, and only lacked the incredibly durable Chromium armor of the Silver Eagle. This was considered unfortunate, but not critical, as the Coalition (outside of Free Quebec) have long lacked the various trace elements needed to fabricate Chromium armor in meaningful quantities. There was some room for improvement via incorporating a pair of the new CP-31s into the arms, granting some form of ammunition independence.

PA-08B ‘Striker’ SAMAS
Similarly, the Striker SAMAS still held up quite well, but the GNE’s higher end Furries outperformed it in all categories due to their ECM, CG propulsion, and force fields. The Striker-B would attempt to reduce the gap by including the first mass produced force field in Coalition service (120 MDC), derived from captured Naruni examples. Interestingly, it also featured the new ‘Counter-Crush’ enhancements, indicating that the Coalition is aware of the danger of Gravitic munitions. Efforts are underway to add similar systems to the Coalition’s other platforms, but mass production has still proven to be extremely problematic, and it is unlikely that they will be solved within a decade. The Striker remains a vanishingly rare sight outside of the Special Forces Division.

PA-09B ‘Super’ SAMAS
The Super SAMAS has received a mild upgrade in the form of replacing its back mounted lasers with higher damage versions taken from the CP-45. Additionally, changes in doctrine have resulted in it generally being issued with either a CTT-P45 or -M25 to provide some level of long range firepower. It will likely be the second unit to receive a force field due to its high value.

PA-100 Mauler
The Mauler still has some meaningful uses in the Great Lakes, so they have been retained. The energy weapons have been replaced with a single C-61 and dual CP-35s.

PA-200 Terror Trooper
The Terror Trooper had a few flaws, most notably its arm weapons and rear mounted missiles. The former have been replaced with CP-45s, almost tripling the damage output, and improvements in the control system have removed the accuracy problems with firelinked blasts. To further increase firepower, the chest has gained a twin battery of 6 cell launchers similar to that on the Striker SAMAS, granting it substantially higher burst potential. Interestingly, it also includes a basic ‘Counter-Crush’ field emitter, with ground platforms being far more likely to be targeted from Gravitic munitions.

PA-300 Glitter Boy Killer
While an effective brawler against Greater Demons, it was simply too expensive to continue producing, and was readily replaced with more than a half dozen Juicers with flight systems. Outside of a few oddball survivors in isolated commands, it was effectively extinct by the midpoint of the war, and High Command has no intention of resurrecting it.

PA-DK-200 Death Knight
The only problems with the Slayer were its weapons, with the C-60 having a very poor range and the forearm lasers not being intended for actual combat. The former has been replaced with a knockoff of the Paladin Steel Super-BAR, while the later have been upgraded with the internals of the CP-31. Additionally, most Death Knights have quietly replaced their side arm with some form of Paladin Steel produced projectile weapon, most often a Mofi due to its low cost and widely available ammunition.

J-1-W ‘Condor’ and J3-W ‘Falcon’ Death Wings
The Death Wings were produced in vast numbers during the Minion War, and many remained despite the attrition rate. The simplest modification was to replace the high powered lasers on both with copies of the laser section of the JA-12, and the robot arm weapons of the Condor with CP-45s. As the Coalition will continue to use Juicers, these craft are still in production, but it is hoped that a more effective replacement will soon be developed.

Post-Minion War Coalition Robot Vehicles
For all of their capabilities, large robot vehicles are expensive and time consuming to make, both of which are major problems in the post-war environment. The smaller designs are not considered to be too much of a hassle, but the large platforms are simply too resource intensive to build up quickly. Thus, the Coalition has put far more effort into its scouting platforms than its brawlers, which it hopes to replace with much more effective designs before they are needed.
Spoiler:
UAR-1 Enforcer
The spares for the old C-50R had been badly depleted during the war, so the survivors replaced them with the C-45R. There’s not many left, but they do a good job policing the Burbs.

IAR-2 Abolisher
The Abolisher was subject to a truly scathing criticism by several Triax representatives, and the analysis done by the GNEAF was even harsher on the overall doctrine that led in it. While the Coalition is loath to agree with the GNE, anything that the Greeners are actually eager to go up against is clearly too flawed to actually use, so the Abolisher is quietly being put out to pasture. In all likelihood, the campaigns against the Xicitic Hives will be its last serious use, with the swarming insects being the only opponent it's all-angle weapons are suitable against.

IAR-3 Skull Smasher
The Coalition found itself with precious few of these powerful machines by the fall of the last Hell-Pit, and has decided to make the best out of the situation by embarking on a comprehensive redesign. In the meantime, the survivors and trickle of new construction have replaced their energy weapons with the now normal substitutes, with heavy laser doubling in hitting power, the mouth lasers being replaced by -P41s, and the dual wrist guns being replaced by single CP-45s.

IAR-4 Hellraiser
The Hellraiser was a good chassis let down by simply idiotic weapon choices. During the Minion War the simply pointless Electro Stunner had been eliminated and the moronic Quatro-Gun was replaced with a -P40 with multiple UEL links. The Plasma Ejector was often replaced with a C-40R as well, and the short ranged laser turret was often replaced with a CP-40. The post-war version would upgrade these weapons with more modern ones. Most often compared to the Giliath, it generally comes out the loser in one-on-one engagement due to the Giliath’s far greater firepower.

IAR-5 Hellfire
The Hellfire was always a good performer, but post-war improvements in energy distribution technology allowed for the weapons to be replaced with substantially more effective ones. The rail guns have been replaced with more powerful C-45Rs, the Plasma Ejector with twin C-34s, and the laser turrets with CP-45s. It's only failing is that its weapons lack the range and often raw damage potential of the Paladin Steel Carney, which is considered to be its great rival. Efforts are ongoing to rectify this.

CR-003 Spiker-Skull Walker
The old walker was quite frankly too old and under armed, and far too many opponents surpassed it in a multitude of ways. It was on the verge of being discontinued until several turned up in the hands of mercenaries converted into missile platforms, which was quickly duplicated. The removal of its railguns and passenger capability allows it to mount 12 LRMs and 32 MRMs, and it has proven itself to be a very effective support platform across all terrain. Most of the old walkers have been converted, with the remainder relegated to urban suppression and policing, backing up the Enforcer.

CR-004 Scout Spider-Skull Walker
The only change that has been made was replacing the laser turret with a CP-45.

CR-005 Scorpion-Skull Walker
The tail end has been replaced with one that mounts triple C-45Rs and a single CP-45, and the hull weapons have been upgraded to dual CP-45. Efforts are underway to increase the melee capability of its pincers.

Post-Minion War Coalition Ground Vehicles
Despite what some say, robot vehicles are not the answer to all military problems, and arguably have more than their fair share of problems. Additionally, conventional vehicles are less expensive and better suited for long duration patrols, both of which are critical to the Coalition's current strategic needs. Thus, High Command has devoted a higher proportion of its resource budget towards replenishing the rosters of these platforms, and has allowed both modest upgrades and at least two major replacement efforts.
Spoiler:
Mark V Armored Personnel Carrier
The old Mark V is still produced and widely used, so some modifications were justified. To keep things as simple as possible, the older dual C-40R and heavy laser turret were replaced with dual C-45Rs and an equivalent that uses the laser from a JA-12.

Mark VI Missile Launcher Vehicle
The design was considered fine as it was.

Mark VII ‘Slayer’ Infantry Fighting Vehicle
The Slayer had its energy weapons improved, with the primary turret weapon replaced with a more powerful model from the Grinning Skull II, and the plasma and laser mini-turrets replaced with CP-45s.

Mark IX Expeditionary Personnel Carrier
The only change to the EPC was replacing the turret with one using the laser from a JA-12.

CTX-50 ‘Line Backer’ Hover Tank
The deeply flawed Line Backer was discontinued with the introduction of the Grinning Skull II, and is being allowed to wither away from attrition. To save on personnel requirements, two of the gunners have been replaced with Skelebot CPUs and the intelligence role has been merged with communications.

CTX-52 ‘Sky Sweeper’ AA Tank
The Sky Sweeper had a few flaws, but nowhere near as bad as those of the Line Backer. The primary lasers have been replaced with those with twice the hitting power and can now be firelinked. Additionally, the use of Skelebot CPUs has reduced the required crew to three, which is more than adequate considering its defensive role. Chi-Town hopes to soon replace it with a vehicle based around the Triax 30mm Flak gun, whose superior range has proven to be far more important than theoretical combat endurance.

Post-Minion War Coalition Light Hover/Flying Vehicles
While lacking the bells and whistles that festooned higher end GNE platforms, the Coaltion’s various hovercraft and Sky Cycles were still good performers and highly economical. Their only real flaws revolved around their weapons, which were simple enough to upgrade with more capable components.
Spoiler:
AFC-101 Command Car
The only real change is the option of replacing the tail gun with a CP-45.

AFC-103 ‘Scarab’ Officer’s Car
The lasers have been replaced with CP-45s, and the gunner has been replaced by twin Skelebot CPUs, allowing the pilot to focus on dodging.

AFC-105 ‘Skull’ Patrol Car
The plasma ejector was simply pathetic for a vehicle mount, and has been replaced with a CP-45.

AFC-111 Scout Rocket Cycle
The Scout simply lacks the room and energy budget to see a major change, so it has been left alone.

AFC-115 ‘Warbird’ Combat Rocket Cycle
The nose energy weapons have been replaced with dual CP-45s, which more than doubles the effective damage output from them.

AFC-033 ‘Wind Jammer’ Sky Cycle
As is often the case, the only change done was replacing the underpowered nose laser with a CP-45.

Post-Minion War Coalition Rotor Craft
Conventional helicopters are simply cheaper than VTOL jets, and are much better at patrol work. The Coalition hopes to replace the vulnerable rotors with GMR coils relatively soon, but the current models are more than sufficient against what forces the Coalition actually fights on a regular basis.
Spoiler:
CH-10 ‘Black Lightning’ Utility Helicopter
The simple and cost effective Black Lightning upgraded its forward weapons to a JA-12 laser and a C-45r Rail Gun.

CH-12 ‘Demon Locust’ Attack Helicopter
To maintain component compatibility, the laser and rail guns were replaced with a JA-12 and C-45Rs

Post-Minion War Coalition Conventional Flyers
The Coalition has adopted a policy of strategic containment, hoping to keep Greater New England on the eastern side of the Appacians, but to do this they must be able to at least contest the bordering airspace. While the various low end ground support platforms the GNE field are simple enough to deal with, the Skytiger and upgraded Skytiger II have proven to be simply unsurmountable opponents, with even a two-to-one advantage is insufficient. The Coalition is frantically working a better strike craft, and while it is anticipated that GMR technology will allow for a much more capable VTOL capable craft to be developed, it will take years to bring to fruition. As such, they are stuck with what they have, forcing them on the defensive.
Spoiler:
NF-15 Night Wing
The Night Wing was replaced by a non-naval version of the Shrike, and has been phased out due to attrition.

CSN-115 Sea Striker
These questionably armed craft have been replaced with Shrikes and Daggers, and have been rendered extinct due to attrition.

CSN-117 Shrike Interceptor
Arguably the best combat aircraft the Coalition has, its high speed and long range firepower have made it in hot demand in all theaters. Production has skyrocketed as a result, causing the effective cost coming down to 25 million each. It is still outclassed by the GNE’s Skytiger II by a near comical margin, but it does deter casual raidd into Coalition territory by bored GNEAF air wings.

CSN-118 Dagger Stealth Bomber
Wider scale production has seen the Dagger’s price be reduced to 50 million, which is enough to warrant moderate deployment with the Coalition Air Force. It is most often used as a means of intimidation against less advanced kingdoms, with its stealth capabilities allowing it to casually destroy their defenders if given half a chance. This allows the Coalition to avoid actually having to fight, allowing to project a stronger image than what is warranted.

SF-7A ‘Talon’ Stealth Fighter
The Talon was remarkable when it was first introduced, but the GNE had casually trumped it with the original SkyTiger, and the upgraded version hardly bears thinking about. In order to keep it at least marginally relevant, the Talon was improved via enabling its belly bay to carry up to 12 MRMs as an alternative to LRMS, and replacing the dismal lasers with copies of the JA-12. As its stealth features are only marginally useful against the Three Galaxy grade sensors of the GNE, production has ceased, and the remaining units have been mothballed in favor of the more effective Shrike.

Post-Minion War Coalition Aerodynes
The Coalition had always been jealous of the GNE’s Gravi-Magnetic Repulsion technology, with enough tattered scraps being found in the Chi-Town Library to know that the claims of it being due to a pre-rifts wonder-material are true, but nowhere near enough to actually begin developing their own. The increasing numbers of flying ships produced by Paladin Steel made it ever more clear that the Coalition was fast being eclipsed in large scale aerodynes, but it the most painful example would be during Operation Elbow Drop, where the GNE brought down four of their mighty Aurora class Star Frigates to help establish aerospace supremacy at Calgary. These spaceships each out-gunned the present Coalition air force units, which included several Death’s Head Gunships, and was perhaps one the most disquieting realisations to that High Command confronted since the Sorcerer's Revenge. Fortunately, reverse engineering efforts of recovered samples had just reached the limited production phase, so there was hope that they would be able to contest these craft in the future.
Spoiler:
Death Bringer APC
The Death Bringer was a very effective platoon level transport, but the GNE Slepnir frankly outclassed it in every aspect but raw durability. Fortunately, the hull was able to be converted to GMR technology in short order, allowing the existing fleet to be upgraded to the Death Bringer II standard depicted below. The Coalition’s quite finite GMR production capacity means that this will take years however, and the need to upgrade its larger Death’s Head Transports and Gunships means it will likely extend to over a decade.

AFC-050B Death’s Head Transport Mk II
The classic Death's Head Transport was long feared as the most dangerous sight in North America, as it meant that the Coalition was playing hard ball. However, it suffers from a number of design issues which limits its effectiveness, mostly revolving around its age and the inferior materials that it is built from. The post-war upgrade has increased its armor protection across all its external sections between 50% to 100%, with the main body being the later and the saucer section the later. It was decided to take advantage of the craft’s large mass to replace the C-200DHs with C-266s from Iron Heart Armories, and the side turrets have been swapped with that company’s endlessly copied Vulcan Lasers. The still developmental Mk III version is a full GMR conversion, and will eliminate the vulnerable saucer section and allow for even more armor to be placed over the hull.
(See Kitsune’s DHT-II for more details).

AFC-050C2 Death’s Head Gunship (Rifter #19)
While something of a rare sight, the Death’s Head Gunship was even more effective against Infernals than it was against Tolkien, being able to operate at altitudes that the supernatural invaders were unable to reach without the warmachines of Lord Kreelo, which were naturally priority targets. The post war upgrade saw it receive the weapon and armor upgrades of the Transport, and the side mounts were replaced with 135mm Long Barrel Mass Drivers. They have since been equipped with wooden fragmentation shells, and are the primary means of mobile fire support for the anti-vampire campaign.

CTX-54 Fire Storm Mobile Fortress
As mobile command platforms, the Coalition needs to be engaged in mobile warfare for these to be useful. Four of them have been assigned to the anti-vampire campaign, but the rest have been mothballed until they can receive a sweeping GMR upgrade. Those that are still active have replaced their secondary rail gun turrets with far more capable twin 135mm Long Barrel Mass Drivers and their defensive dual lasers with single JA-12s.

AFC-060 Sky Lifter
As a dedicated transport, the Skylifter rarely needs to use its weapons, and they have proven to be ideal in supplying the dispersed infantry formations in the current anti-vampire campaign. Still, the dual cannon was found to be near useless, so they have been replaced with dual 135mm Long Barrel Mass Drivers. The still theoretical GMR upgrade would free up substantially more space in the hull for additional troops and supplies, but this is quite low on the Coalition's current priority list.

CTX-55 ‘Grinning Skull II’ Medium Hover Tank
The ‘GS2’ is the Coalition State’s first use of reverse engineered Gravi-Magnetic Repulsion technology, and features a number of other improvements. The Line Backer had proven to be a fundamentally flawed design due to its lack of a turret and high crew count, prompting a return to the earlier format. Overall speed is equal to that of the Line Backer, along with overall component durability. The primary cannons have been replaced with powerful lasers (2D6x10), the mini-turrets have been replaced with much more powerful weapons, and the side mounted Mini-missile launchers have been replaced with MRM launchers off the Line Backer. The use of Skelebot CPUs has reduced the crew to 4; commander, driver, and two gunners, and they are protected by a crude but effective ‘Counter-Crush’ field. While production remains slow due to the bottleneck of GMR material fabrication, it will dramatically increase over the next few years.

The Coalition expects generally positive things out of their new tank, and despite its lack of electronic capabilities it has held up reasonably well against the GNE Bandersnatches it has encountered in skirmishes. The few occasions they have gone up against the mighty Cestus III have been complete routs, but High Command hopes that this can be compensated with far greater numbers and further refined designs in the decades to come. The effective production price of the GS2 is equal to that of the Line Backer, which is a strength considering its greater capabilities. The Coalition hopes to replace most of its frontline hovercraft with GMR platforms within a generation, but that is dependent on industrial expansion continuing at its current pace.
Spoiler:
Type: CTX-55 Grinning Skull II
Class: Medium Hover Tank
Crew: 4 (Driver, Commander, Two Gunners)
MDC/Armor by Location:
    Main Turret-------------------------350
    Main Lasers (2)-------------------150 each
    Forward Mini-Turrets (2)--------70 each
    Rear Mini-Turret-------------------80
    Forward MMLs (2)---------------40 each
    Side MRMLs (2)------------------150 each
    Rear Jet Thrusters (3)----------300 each
    Forward Ram Plate--------------300
    Rein Crew Comp-----------------200
    Main Body--------------------------800

Speed:
    Driving on the ground: 150 mph (240 km), typically 3-4 ft (.9-1.2 m) off the ground, but can manage 10 ft (3m) indefinitely. It is unaffected by water.
    Flying: None
    Underwater: Can manage 25 mph (40 km/21 knots), down to 2000 ft (610 m), but it will be flooded if it opens a hatch.
    Range: Improved propulsion jets do not need to cool down after sustained operation in Earthlike atmospheres.

Statistics:
    Height: 14 ft (4.2m)
    Width: 15 ft (4.6 m)
    Length: 20 ft (6 m)
    Weight: 40 tons fully loaded.
    Cargo: Has storage space for its crew’s field kits, along with the most common maintenance tools and spare parts. It is also issued a Skelebot Repair Assistant.
    Power System: Nuclear; average energy life is 15 years.

Market Cost: ~30 million to construct.

Systems of Note:
    Standard (RE) Robot Vehicle Systems, as well as the following;

    *Combat Computer System: The GS2 has three FASSAR-30 Skelebot AIs to control the mini-turrets, which have proven to be sufficiently reliable in regards to threat identification. They have received improved programming to make their targeting more accurate (+3 to strike) and retain a reasonable response capability (5 attacks per melee). One of the gunners typically looks over their targeting, and any crewman can override them if need be.

Weapons Systems:
    1) C-T70 Laser Cannons (2): Similar to the C-T60s on the Line Backer, these have twice the damage (2D6x10) and are firelinked by default. They suffer no firing penalty when the tank is moving.

    2) C-20R Rail Guns (2): As on the Line Backer, but they have a superior field of fire thanks to their position. They suffer no firing penalty when the tank is moving.

    3) Pintle JA-12 Laser Mini-Turret: The mini-turret on top of the main turret mounts the equivalent to the laser of a JA-12.

    4) Side MRMLs (2): Usually at the control of the Commander.
      Rate of Fire: 1, 2, 4
      Payload: 8 MRMs each, for 16 total.

    5) Forward MMLs (2): As on the Line Backer. Usually at the Driver’s control.

    6) Smoke Dispensers (2): As on the Line Backer.

    7) Ramming: As the Line Backer

AFC-152 ‘Death Bringer II’ Assault Hover APC
Clearly inspired by the GNE’s Slepnir derivative, the Death Bringer II replaces the older hoverjets with GMR systems, granting it superior performance at a far smaller cost. Similar to the Grinning Skull II, the mini-turrets have been handed over to Skelebot AIs, with one crewman overseeing their targeting. The collective saved mass has been invested into replacing the turret mount with a 135mm Mass Driver, close enough to the performance of the Slepnir’s that it makes no difference. Unfortunately, the DBII lacks the Sleipnir's force field, electronics, and extensive secondary weapons, making it a substantially inferior combatant, but it remains head and shoulders above what other nations on the North American continent are capable of fielding. The Coalition hopes to have something better by the time they are able to begin the next round of hostilities, but that is decades away.
Spoiler:
Type: AFC-151 Death Bringer II
Class: Medium Aerodyne Troop/Power Armor Transport
Crew: 5 (Pilot, Commander, Communications/Intel, Two Gunners)
Passengers: As the original Death Bringer.
MDC/Armor by Location:
    Main Turret-------------------------300
    Mini-Laser Turrets (6)-----------80 each
    Bay Doors (5)---------------------200 each
    Rear Thrusters (3)---------------100 each
    Rein Crew Comp-----------------200
    Main Body--------------------------900

Speed: Hover to 450 MPH, maximum altitude of 10,000 ft.

Statistics:
    Height: 26 ft (7.9m) main body + 10 ft (3m) turret
    Width: 35 ft (10.7 m)
    Length: 86 ft (26.2 m)
    Weight: 100 tons fully loaded.
    Cargo: 70 ft (21.3m) x 20 ft (6 m) x 20 ft (6 m)
    Power System: Nuclear; average energy life is 15 years.

Market Cost: ~70 million to construct.

Bonuses: +2 dodge at cruising speed, +3 dodge flying over 300 MPH, +10% to pilot in the hands of CS trained pilots.

Systems of Note:
    Standard (RE) Robot Vehicle Systems, as well as the following;

    *Thermal Imager: 2000 (610m)

    *IR and UV Optics

    *Enhanced Radar: 200 miles range, up to 96 targets.

    *Combat Computer System: The DB2 has six FASSAR-30 Skelebot AIs to control the mini-turrets, which have proven to be sufficiently reliable in regards to threat identification. They have received improved programming to make their targeting more accurate (+3 to strike) and retain a reasonable response capability (5 attacks per melee). Two of the crew typically look over their targeting, and any crewman can override them if need be.

Weapons Systems:
    1) 135 mm Long Barrel Mass Driver: As on the Sleipnir.

    2) JA-12 Laser Turrets (6): As on the original Death Bringer, but with more powerful weapons.
Last edited by Omegasgundam on Fri Nov 27, 2020 4:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

The GNE, once the disconnect from its USA outposts and colonies caused by the Minion War ends, would still find itself in somewhat the same position as the Splugorth...sure, they could bring in divisions of offfworld troops and equipment and SWAMP the Coalition States, but the GNE realizes that currently it has no real plan for governing the territory of the former CS in the event if/when the GNE won. At the very least, they'd be trying to undo generations of indoctrination, face a nasty guerrilla war, and have to deal with all the opportunists that would out for piece of the former CS and the ones now on top. While the GNE's USA arms have dealt wit situations like this on other planets, but the CS is in many ways a dark microcosm of the GNE itself, sharing common roots in a hellworld. Right now, it would be too much trouble reconstructing the CS and erasing its legacy of corruption, racism/specism, and fascist aggression. Even though standing on the sidelines and watching the CS go about what it does in middle America hurts, so far all the scenarios they war-game and scry out, indicate that a GNE steamroller would only make things worse for the people they would be hoping to save. .

Make no mistake, though...If the CS ever crossed certain lines of behavior, or used WMDs against GNE territory, the GNE WOULD come down on the CS and roll it up, ad to hell with the cost. The GNE has its own various flavors of WMDs, including quite a few aimed at Atlantis, and those weapons are just SOME of the GNEAS's options.
-------------
"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
------------
Omegasgundam
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Posts: 440
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Omegasgundam »

taalismn wrote:Make no mistake, though...If the CS ever crossed certain lines of behavior, or used WMDs against GNE territory, the GNE WOULD come down on the CS and roll it up, ad to hell with the cost. The GNE has its own various flavors of WMDs, including quite a few aimed at Atlantis, and those weapons are just SOME of the GNEAS's options.


The CS has enough awareness to know that the GNE would make life deeply unpleasant for them if they wanted to, and knows it can't knock them out of the equation, so it'll begrudgingly settle for a stalemate in its eyes. Thankfully, they don't have any reason to go full 'Final Solution' other than ideology, and its easier to just drive D-Bee's out to places where they'd probably die than to just shoot them all. So long as the CS doesn't think its loosing, they'll avoid escalating.

Too bad for them that they're loosing the intel war as bad as the Abwehr did.

EDIT: One of the more amusing things I can see GNE Intel doing is getting their hands on Prosek's college thesis paper (the one Tarn mentions in the main bood), tearing it to shreds academically, and releasing the it all over the CS data net.

EDIT EDIT: With this out of the way, I will now do more work on my munchtastic 'Thoth; Power Incarnate' side-sub-continuity, which I can actually enjoy.
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

And every time any legal psychic in theCS's PSINET mind-police does a clairvoyant scrying the GNE? MASSIVE headaches.....
" I don't know what 'KS Character ShIelding versus Fan-Powr' means, but I get beat-me-in-the-head-with-an-anvil lobe pains."
"Maybe it's some sort for weapons system?"


Omegasgundam wrote:[

EDIT EDIT: With this out of the way, I will now do more work on my munchtastic 'Thoth; Power Incarnate' side-sub-continuity, which I can actually enjoy.


Heh-heh-heh...Isn't power-corruption FUN?! :demon:
-------------
"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
------------
Omegasgundam
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Omegasgundam »

taalismn wrote:And every time any legal psychic in theCS's PSINET mind-police does a clairvoyant scrying the GNE? MASSIVE headaches.....
" I don't know what 'KS Character ShIelding versus Fan-Powr' means, but I get beat-me-in-the-head-with-an-anvil lobe pains."
"Maybe it's some sort for weapons system?"


Coalition morality debates are irrelevant because nobody other than KS gives a rat's ass about the point he thinks he's making. Which he fails at, because the Coalition is so ham-handedly a villain protagonist they may as well be called the Draka. It doesn't help that he's in complete denial that the only people that actually "play" Rifts are power gamers, with all the actual role-players having abandoned Palladium decades ago.
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Ah, I remember the all-too-short 'Curbstomp the Draka' thread over on Spacebattles...I think it got cut short because without author-shielding the Draka could get handed their arses by just about any decent spacefaring culture....and the less said about Draka vs the really BIG players, like the Culture, the less. I think ultimately the mods thought the whole business was getting too much sadistic kick-a-guy-when-he's-down.

Still, it did give us 'Night of the Superforts' and an even more decent (and similar) nuke-bombing story. 'Proof Through the Night'.
-------------
"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
------------
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

And now for something a little different....


(may as well use my beverage creation tables for something...)

GFC/G-Force Coffee
(aka ‘GeenBean Broth’, ‘Void Coffee’, ‘Black Hole Brew’, “Geener ####ing Cr@?”, ‘Grave Froth’, ‘Garage & Furnace Cleaner’, ‘Grease Pit Tea’, ‘Gravel-Flavored Concoction’)
“It’s not a narcotic, it’s just really bad ersatz coffee.”

“It’s a great unifier amongst us; you can’t live in Greater New England and NOT have an opinion about GFC.”

“One of the few things about the GNE that makes the Coalition States look attractive.”

“It doesn’t much eliminate your fatigue as it tractors you into its accretion disc, spins you around skimming its event horizon, yanks the fatigue poisons out of you, then gravity-slingshots you back out at a good percentage of light speed.”

“Hey, guys? Before we race off to face the Evil Kreeghor Overlord and his Invincible Henchies, can we fly by the USA outpost on Gildor and grab a cuppa GFC?”
“...we’re COSMOKNIGHTS, Dwi. You want to make a coffee run, NOW?!”
“It’s not coffee, it’s GFC. And we ARE facing Invincible Guardsmen.”
“...you think they have donuts there too?”

“We had an industrial accident....traincar of GFC syrup derailed and spilled into a local creek...the fish were jumping for DAYS.”

“The more you stare into the GFC, the more the GFC stares into you.”
“Shut up the philosophizing and drink it before it gets cold!”
“Before it eats through the bottom of the cup?”
“Before the barrista starts charging you rent for hogging that counter stool.”


‘G-Force Coffee’ is arguably the stimulant drink of choice for those in the business and military community of Greater New England. Rumors abound of how this drink came to be; some say it’s the synthetic product of a PS lab researching Juicer chemicals, others claim it was concocted by a mad alchemist who sold his secret formula to PS/ASI, while others believe it to be the secretions of bioegineered organisms created by the Cambridge Jungle.
Though it’s named ‘coffee’, GFC is not actually brewed from a bean, but diluted from an extract...temperature, water additives, and brewing/boiling/simmering time allowed to vary by the end-users. In its concentrated form, GFC is arguably toxic, and bright highly-visible warning notices on the shipping container recommend dilution ratios of a pint of extract in a -minimum- of five gallons of water to render it safe for most human constitutions.
GFC is easily adulterated, and depending on the species, a number of prefered compositions are known. ChaiChuks prefer theirs with enough lard to form a thick crust, Tavazans add ‘Amazon Moonshine’ in quantity and let the sobriety and intoxication factors fight it out, Steel Gaians take theirs with lubricating oil and a shot of gasoline, Apisori down it cold with ice cubes, Grackle Teeth prefer to make their GFC with hard water, and Drammin sip it with an anti-depressant. Chigdee seem able to take it straight and undiluted, but often have to be tranq-darted after a week of drinking it or else they start running around tearing off their clothes and trying to fly while singing Chigdee opera(described as sounding like a concerto for chainsaw and garden-trimmer).
Floopers noticeably avoid coming near GFC, and some people deliberately brew up pots of GFC as ‘Flooper repellent’. Larmac avoid drinking the stuff except in an urgent sober-up-or-else life-or-death crisis, and Greot Hunters have been known to give anybody drinking the stuff a wide berth. Vanguard Brawlers consider drinking GFC to be a religious experience.
Interestingly enough, pre-pubescents seem unaffected by consumption of GFC, aside from finding its taste ‘icky’(so it’s arguably household safe). Still, pregnant women are advised against drinking GFC.

a)*Source
Brewed in industrial quantities in massive factory-like production facilities.

b)*Cost
1d4 credits a cup the closer you get to the core of PS/GNE, ranging to 6d6 credits the farther away you get...and word and demand is spreading.
A pint of the undiluted extract costs 80-320 credits.

c)*Color
Light-absorbing non-reflecting black BLACK.

d)*Viscosity
Syrupy in its minimally diluted form.

e)*Temperature
Usually served pipping hot, but can be served chilled(it thickens when chilled, however---Kraks claim it’s good in the gelid form spread on sliced bread, like Vegimite)

f) *Presentation
Inert; it doesn’t bubble, froth, or roil unless something has been added to it. It just sits there...waiting...waiting to lure you in.

g) *Stored in/Served in
Stored in a metal drum or cistern. Served in a mug.

h)*Ingredients
It’s claimed that GFC is a mix of vegetable extracts and actual bean squeezings. Claimed, not proven.

i) *Bio-Compatibility
Actually compatible with a wide range of metabolisms and physiologies, making it popular as a pan-sophont drink(well, as popular as a drink that everybody can imbibe without being poisoned, and living to grouse about the stuff).

j)*Flavor
Acquired Taste---Drinkers claim that after the first dozen cups destroy enough brain cells, it starts tasting good.

k)*Intoxication
None; the amount of alcohol you’d have to add to it to make it even remotely intoxicating would outweigh the original volume. Not that this has prevented anybody from trying(i.e. Tavazan Amazons).

l) *Toxicity
In its concentrated extract form it’s regarded as borderline poisonous. In dilute form, it murders sleep and fatigue.
Note: Drinking the stuff at HALF its recommended dilution rate requires an immediate roll versus non-lethal poison. On a save, it holds off fatigue and the need for sleep for 3d6 hours, eliminates existing fatigue and hangovers, +1 on Initiative, +5% to skills requiring fine control and focus, and increase Speed by 25%.Lasts 1d6 hours. Taking another shot of the half-diluted stuff during that period imposes a cumulative -1 to each subsequent save vs poison attempt. On a failure, the drinker suffers mild trembling(-10% to skills requiring fine control and focus), -1 on Initiative, acts fidgety and very impatient, 15% chance of delirium tremens and hallucinations. Lasts 1d8 hours before they collapse and sleep like a stone for TWICE the duration they were awake..
Drinking GFC syrup STRAIGHT(or cut up to half the recommended safe concentration) requires an immediate roll versus lethal poison. On a save, it holds off fatigue and the need for sleep for 6d6 hours, eliminates existing fatigue and hangovers, +3 on Initiative, +1 to Dodge/Parry, +12% to skills requiring fine control and focus, and TRIPLE Speed. Lasts 1d8 hours. Taking another shot of the undiluted stuff during that period imposes a cumulative -1 to each subsequent save vs poison attempt . On a failure, -2 on Initiative, triple Speed, +3 Dodge, but movements are rather more spastic and impulsive(-20% to skills requiring fine control and focus), actandtalkREALLYfastanddisjointedlybecauseitshardtokeepfocSQUIRREL!, 45% chance of delirium tremens and hallucinations. Lasts 2d8 hours before they collapse and sleep like a stone for TWICE the duration they were awake..

Note 2: The above only applies to ORGANIC physiologies; non-organic drinkers like the Steel Gaians only drink the stuff to be sociable or because they like the taste.

m)*Side Effects
In its safely diluted form, a cup of GFC provides almost all the nutrients of a large meal. It won’t hold off scurvy, though, and more exotic carbon-oxygen biologies may require supplemental vitamins, minerals, and trace nutrients(fortunately, GFC is easily adulterated). It also perks the drinker up like caffeine, holding off fatigue onset for 1d6 hours, and reducing existing fatigue penalties by 75% for the same time period.
Some claim that unless it’s adulterated, a steady intake of GFC kills one’s sense of taste, making it easier for the local cafeteria/messhalls/food services to serve lower-quality foodstuffs.

n)*Magic
None, unless you count ‘transforms you into a high octane spazz-machine’.

o) *Recommended Quaffing Method
There have been many arguments over this; some prefer to sip cautiously, others prefer the straight suction draw. Others prefer direct IV drip.

p) *Hangover
Excessive use/abuse of GFC can result in hard fatigue once imbibing has stopped and the effects wear off.

q) *(Best)Cure for the Hangover
Rest and a proper diet.
Negate Poisons/Toxins or a Purge spell will remove the worst side-effects, but also leave the person groggy and fatigued as if they hadn’t taken the stimulant drink.
-------------
"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
------------
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

PS/ASI RFGR-01 Deep Space Tactical Rocket Launcher System.
(aka ‘Rifger’)
“Guess what? They managed to shorehorn something new in.”
---Colonel Vlar Reltish, CAF

“Works best if you’re wearing Stelmarine armor with the full sensor suite on it. In space combat, if you’re eyeballing a target direct, odds are you’re screwed big time. You want as much advance warning as you can get to start laying your sights and plotting fire on a bogey before it can wipe you out.”

“Star Wasps are pretty well-armored against stray space debris, which makes manpad-scale fragmentation rounds pretty ineffective against them, but the laser warheads seem to catch them off guard. Even if it doesn’t one-shot kill them, they still get distracted and start looking around for who shot them. That hesitation can save your life.

-Copy of the CAF’s Repeating Rocket Launcher, only modified to fire S-Sting(for ‘Space Stinger’) space mini-missiles. The RFGR-01 can also chamber regular mini-missile cassettes, allowing it to use standard mini-missile cassettes.
In addition, PS/ASI has developed a plasma-pumped x-ray laser warhead version of the S-Stinger, that has debuted with the RFGR-01. Though not as accurate as the long-rod warhead missile, it has an extended range of lethal that makes volleys of the missiles all the more dangerous to unwary enemy aerospace assets. The laser warhead mini-missiles can also engage two targets simultaneously; the one they contact-strike and anything close enough to be scored on by the laser, making the type especially effective in dealing with closly-packed swarm adversaries or missile volleys.
The RFGR-01, because of its ability to fire the S-Stinger, has been deployed almost exclusively with the Stelmarines, though it has also appeared in the hands of Fleet and Merchant Marine security units, and, like the PSMAGL-40DMs ‘Dhunker’ 40mm Marine Grenade Launcher with wetside port and harbor security, has caught on with space station defense units.

Note that the ‘S-Sting’ has only limited effectiveness in an atmosphere....HALF bonuses in a thin atmosphere and weak gravity well like Mars’, and NO bonuses, and HALF range in a thick atmosphere and standard gravity like Earth’s.

Weight: 23 lbs
MDC: 50
Range:(Standard Mini-Missile) Varies by Missile Type(Mini-Missile)
(S-Stinger)4 miles in atmosphere, 32 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 4 miles in atmosphere/ 400 miles in space)
(X-Ray Laser) 4,000 ft in atmosphere, 12,000 ft in space
(Kitsune values: 12,000 ft in atmosphere, 20 miles in space,
Damage:(Standard Mini-Missile)) Varies by Missile Type(Mini-Missile)
(S-Stinger)(Long Rod Explosive) 2d6x10 MD to a 15 ft blast radius
(X-Ray Laser) 2d4x10 MD to 12 ft blast radius+ Laser does 1d6x10 MD
Laser-reflective armors take FULL damage from the x-ray component of the laser strike.
Rate of Fire: 2 shots per melee
Payload: 4-shot cassette
Special Features:
*Sensor Package---The sensor package includes an IR/Thermal sight, laser rangefinder(2 mile range) and directional mini-radar(2 mile range/100 miles in space) with audio-alarm to notify the gunner of target-lock and counter radar-beams locking onto the shooter’s position.

Bonuses:(Standard Mini-Missile) Use W.P. Heavy Mega-Damage Weapons skill
(S-Stinger)(Long Rod Explosive) +7 to strike
(X-Ray Laser) +2 to strike
Cost: 27,000 credits for the launcher
Options:
*Missile Trap---PS-made missile cassettes can be converted into missile-launching mines/booby-traps with the simple insertion of a sensor and trigger core.
Typically all four missile cells are(ideally filled) fired when the sensor is tripped. The missile-trap can also be remotely command-fired.
Standard mini-missiles get NO bonuses to strike, and S-Sting missiles must have target profiles pre-loaded, and even then they only get a +3 to strike(+1 in the case of the x-ray laser warheads) in space, NO bonuses in atmosphere, without the benefit of the launcher sighting package to feed them more substantial targeting information.
Sensor triggers vary, from simple pointblank trip wires and motion detectors(typical range 1,000-4,000 ft) to more sophisticated hookups to remote sensors. PS/ASI supposedly has a large library of preprogrammed target profiles that can loaded into the missiles from a chip, with target data on Star Wasps, Sorm cuttercraft, Naruni drone pods, and TGE Warlord power armors, to name a few.
Booby-trap kits typically cost anywhere from 60 cedits for simple point-blank triggers to more sophisticated systems with disposable sensors costing 500-4,000 credits. One particularly adept Stelmarine technical specialist even supposedly rigged up a daisy-chain of missile cassettes linked to the still-functional radar systems of a wrecked Kittani RoboFighter drifting in a wrecked Splugorth space station, the trap distracting counterattacking Minion forces long enough for the Stelmarine raiders to escape.
Last edited by taalismn on Sun Aug 16, 2020 9:07 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
------------
Omegasgundam
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Omegasgundam »

That is a legitimate use of X-Laser warheads. That range increase is very significant, particularly on something infantry portable
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Omegasgundam wrote:That is a legitimate use of X-Laser warheads. That range increase is very significant, particularly on something infantry portable


Made perfect sense to me, too, since I already had plasma-pumped laser rifle grenades and echoes. Using them in space makes all the difference, though.

And the gauntlet had been thrown, after all. :bandit:
-------------
"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
------------
Prole
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Prole »

Do you sell explosive shotgun shells? Like the SDC ones?
Omegasgundam
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Omegasgundam »

Prole wrote:Do you sell explosive shotgun shells? Like the SDC ones?

The safe assumption to a consumable is yes. This is Paladin Steel we're talking about. The only things that's still out of their reach are the really high end Heavy AM and Singularity missiles, and I give them decent odds of being able to figure those out of they thought they could spare the effort.
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Prole wrote:Do you sell explosive shotgun shells? Like the SDC ones?


Yes.
And even if Paladin Steel didn't manufacture their own brand-name ammunition, there's plenty of smaller subcontracting firms based in Greater New England that manufacture ammunition(usually custom calibers for the odd off-brand weapon or special order),
IF PS had to, they could even import ammunition from out dimension, scubas from their United Systems Alliance associates, some of who can ONLY produce SDC ammunition at the current time....and they could, if everything's moving smoothly, bring it in enough quantities that even with extra dimensional shipping and handling, it would be 25% below cost on the Rifts Earth market.

Looking to buy or sell, Prole? ;)
-------------
"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
------------
Omegasgundam
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Posts: 440
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 11:04 pm

Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Omegasgundam »

I was on a strange food twist earlier, and it occurred to me that there is a food that that would be highly 'desirable' on Rifts Earth but is not readily present in the PS Catalog; Spam. If Coke-Cola could turn into Psi-Cola, then one of the Ur-survival foods has to get something out the apocalypse as well. It also gives PS an opportunity to see just what can be made palpable to mortal taste buds, and they could also make it truly imperishable with mystic tomfoolery.
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Omegasgundam wrote:I was on a strange food twist earlier, and it occurred to me that there is a food that that would be highly 'desirable' on Rifts Earth but is not readily present in the PS Catalog; Spam. If Coke-Cola could turn into Psi-Cola, then one of the Ur-survival foods has to get something out the apocalypse as well. It also gives PS an opportunity to see just what can be made palpable to mortal taste buds, and they could also make it truly imperishable with mystic tomfoolery.




SOMEWHERE in my old hard drives and micro-floppies, I should still have my decades-old postings on spam-based weaponry. I'd actually statted out the mystic properties of spam, and devised a. way of sending it via e-mail/weaponizing it(it picks up both velocity and an electrical charge when transmitted, resulting a potential meaty steam explosion at the other end
It may be time for that material to ride again.

Actually…PS already has a Spam analogue….it’s a synthesized meat -analogue made using a combination of chemosynthesis and a modified Stone to Flesh spell fooled into thinking it’s working on petrified flesh, that, through the wonders of technowizardry, can be ‘imprinted’ with the general characteristics of kinds of meat. In its simplest form, it’s a pressure cooker/crockpot-style device that one can load with rocks or gravel, close and seal the lid, and energize the spell card in the cover, maybe add in a heat spell, and wa-la! Meat! Or something very much like it in texture and nutrient content(though some rocks may be deficient in certain trace nutrients, but these can be added in, spice-style, before the transformation process).
This process can be scaled up to the point that PS/ASI has truck-sized conversion rigs for emergency relief, and asteroid-mining rigs that use big PPE generators, chemical catalysts tanks, and industrial 3D printers to produce ‘textured protein’ or, more commonly, ‘astromeat’. It’s why in PS/ASI territory, many of the asteroid-mining rigs also double as burger-stands, and why cooking spices are in high demand in the asteroid mining regions. Without a means of mystically-producing condiments like ketchup, and the food-chemical industry lagging behind demand, asteroid miners will FIGHT for tomato paste, saffron, and cheese wiz.
This ‘flesh-less’ meat also does NOT possess any DNA or lingering life-force PPE, and can be considered both kosher and vegetarian-safe, as no animals were harmed in the making of it. Its sourcing also means that the GNE doesn’t fear famine as long as it has access to rocks and PPE.

So, there’s plenty of jokes about ’stone soup’ . ‘masonry meat’ and ‘what doesn’t go on the roads or into the buildings goes into GNErs’ stomachs’.
-------------
"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
------------
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

And for the sake of humor, here's the Spam Weaponry from long ago...

Spam----The Megaversval Edition
(Special thanks to Carolyn Wyman’s “Spam: A Biography”, Harvest Original, Harcourt Brace & Company, 1999...THE definitive history of Spam and Spam-Americana)

“Spam, spam,spam,spam,spam,spam, spam, spam ........Lovely Spam, wonderful Spam!
(acrredited to Terry Jones and Michael Palin for ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’)

It’s cheap, it’s simple, it’s easy to prepare, it’s nearly megaversal, and despite its dubious value as nourishment and intellectual content, it continues to fly off shelves and circulate throughout society. Even if you despise it, you have to admit it has presence, if not substance...Love it, hate it, smear it all over yourself....it’s spam. That most curious of foodstuffs, that icon of lowest common denominator mystery(meat) that has made the transition to the high tech realm without loss to its reputation(which, admittedly, was ambigious to begin with). Though not quite one of the fundamental forces of the cosmos(that honor’s reserved for duct tape), Spam is recognized as one of the benchmarks of a civilization’s progress...Once those little blue cans begin appearing, they’re ready to face the universe....
The Zot has realized the military value of spam as well, and continues to study, with the cooperation of Hormel industry experts, the properties of this meat-based substance, which continues to fascinate xeno. Spam, in its natural form, seems to be a ready conduit of energy, stores energy with an efficiency rivaling the most advanced dry-chemical batteries(it’s speculated that it stores energy in ithe form of fat molecules), and easily makes the transition into an energy state(notably electrical energy), allowing it to be readily transported via matter-transmission(and pre-Transporter internet connections) systems with ease. This means that it costs less to ship Spam via teleporter and matter-energy reconversion systems than ordinary rations---a fact that hasn’t been lost on military logistics experts.
On the other hand, Spam seems to be inert to magical energy. Unlike the well-documented abilities of Twinkies to leech off magical energy and serve as accumulators for P.P.E., spam is totally inert to magic; no amount of mystical energy will affect the substance. This means that spam will readily pass through the most powerful mystical force barriers as easily as a bullet train through an empty cardboard milk carton.
This has raised all sorts of wonderful possibilities for The Zot’s weapons designers, although research on ‘Spam Body Armor’ was quickly discontinued(especially after one of the early prototypes and its wearer were carried off by dire wolves).
Spam is produced on Rifts Earth by several enclaves privy to its secrets, including the Washington Free State....though true scholars of the substance claim that modern-day versions are pale imitations of the ‘Real Spam’, and that only the vintage meat-stuff, occasionally found in centuries-old caches of still-intact canned goods, can be used as weapons grade-material. It also claimed that Spam has appeared on Phase World and in the Three Galaxies(FWL folklore tells of rebels suffocating Kreeghor commanders with Spam), but here the story is that only true Earth-Spam can be regarded as authentic......
Already a number of Spam-based weapons have appeared. The following is just a sampling...
Spam Properties(among many):
*Unaffected by magic
*Passes through magical defenses; forcefields, wards, protection circles, filtering programs...
*Shelf-life comparable to Twinkies; 3+1d6 centuries in the can.
*Malleable plasticity comparable to plastique
*Reusable metal container---Perfect for patching rail gun holes
*Gelatin makes a good industrial lubricant
*Actually EDIBLE!

And Remember:
ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES!
No Smeat, no Treet, no potted meat, no deviled ham, only the genuine Hormel product will save you from the legions of Hell...

Spam Wall
It’s difficult, but not impossible...with enough of those little 4 inch cans of Spam, piled one on top of the other, and epoxied together, it’s possible to build some quite serviceable(and stylish) fortifications of Spam, and even habitations. The Spam serves as a nice tidy insulator, and if you don’t mind taking out part of your walls, a ready food supply too.
Of course, the Zot springs for special MDC plastic cans(1 MDC per can), but even plain Spam cans can afford good protection, comparable to 6 SDC per can. Layered five deep, Spam walls will block most microwave(watch the sparks) and atomic radiation.
Of course, Spam Walls are absolutely proof against magical attacks, and even the magical breath weapons of dragons! This has earned these ready-fix constructions the nicknames of ‘firewalls’.

Spam Decoys
“You mean that stuff’s actually EDIBLE?”
“That, is open to debate...or at least it has the illusion of being edible.”

Despite what people say about its inedibility, Spam has the curious ability to pass as human(oid) flesh to the senses of many predators. Once the can is open, Spam’s aroma can fool everyone from Dog Boys with their acute senses of smell, to Xiticix, into thinking that they’re on the trail of a person...or at least of something appetizing. Of course,
The Zot have perfected a small electrical contact and battery-powered device that will heat up an open can of Spam and make it give off the illusion of life to chemoceptors, molecular anaylzers, PPE sensors(gives the impression of a masked PPE source), and thermographic devices. This makes an excellent decoy, or monster bait, for traps and deceptions.
Duration: Battery lasts 18 hours(about as long as the Spam lasts before it starts going bad, exposed to open air)
Cost: 55 credits for the device

Spam Hand Cannon

“%^&*%^&%! GODMODDERS! EAT THIS!”
BAPBAPBAPBAP
SPLATSPLATSPLATSPLAT
“ARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!AAAAaaiiieeeeeee!!!!!”
(from distance)“YOU FILTHY BASTARDS! YOU SPAMMED VERONICA! I’LL WRITE YOUR CONSULATE! I’LL BAN YOU FROM OUR NEWSGROUP! I’LL **SUE**!!!”
FFFFFFFWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHH
“GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!”
“THAT’S IT, GUNNY! GIVEM THE HEAT! FLAMEWAR!”
“God, war is hell, but spamwar and flamewar.....oh, the humanity!”
“QUIT THE SOLIQUIY GUNNY AND LOAD ME UP AGAIN! I GOT WEB-TROLLS TO SPAM!!”
(from distance) “UNCIVIL! VIOLATION OF OUR RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH! HACKNEYED CLICHE!”
“SHUDDUP! HERE”S A LOAD OF SPAM AND CHEESE FOR YAH TO CHEW ON !!!!! LOVE AND KISSIES FROM THE GREEN MIDGET!!!!”
SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM

This is a big-bore projectile weapon that looks like a cross between a sawed-off shotgun and a grenade launcher, that requires two hands to carry and use(or one-handed, for characters with a P.S. of 16 or better). It’s actually a gauss cannon/mini-massdriver that can accommodate a 12-ounce can of Spam canned meat.
In addition to hurling the metal can of...well...spam...with enough force to smash armor and pulp beings of lesser constitution, the magnetic impellor field of the weapon’s powerful stator rings conduct through the metal can to boil the meat within, and impart a partial electrical charge to it. Upon impact, this energy is liberated, either transmitting the charge to the target, causing momentary shock and possible cardiac arrest(electrical breakdown to technological systems), or exploding in a blast of superheated steam, scalding meat juices, clinging hot, fatty, meat, and metal flake shrapnel. Not a nice thing, it is, to be spammed.
Spam weaponry is not exclusive to the Zot, however, and the technique has been duplicated by many other allied nations. Though doing relatively low damage, the effects and shock of spam weaponry have led to them being banned, at least over the table, by most civilized nations that acquire the simple technology. UNDER the table, however, many of those self-same nations retain their own arsenals of spam, ready to be distributed to the front line troops at a moment’s notice. These arsenals include more powerful means of delivery and distribution; gatling spam cannon, mega-spam launchers, tactical spam bombards, and such odd off-products as neutron spam(condensed spam, effectively neutronium with fat). SpecFor units swear by spam weaponry, especially when combined with flamethrowers.

Weight: 12 lbs
Range: 2,000 ft
Damage: Can be selectively dialed to do 3d6 SDC, 5d6 SDC, 1d4 MD, or 2d6 MD impact damage, and a 60% chance of knocking human-sized victims down and back 2d6 ft.
Electrical Shock: 70% chance of delivering an electrical charge to the target, adding insult to injury; adds 2d6 SDC/MDC to the strike, and
Electrocution victims will tremble with frustration, rage, and pain, foam conculsively, scream nonsensically(as if they were afflicted with Turrette’s), and suffer acute cardiac pain as the sudden shock spasms through them, before bleeding off.
Victims must also make a recovery mental endurance roll to see whether or not they suffer any lasting effects of the spamming. If they make a successful save, they suffer no lasting trauma.
On a failure, there’s a 50% chance that they will become extremely aggressive(+1 to strike), lashing out at anyone who comes on too strong or challnges them, but also they get temporarily stupid and clumsy(-2 to dodge, roll, and parry, and -15% to skill rolls), or on a roll of 51-00, they will become meek and insecure, easily startled by loud noises, and afraid to assert themselves(-2 to initiative and strike rolls, +1 to dodge and roll) as they suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome. In both cases, effects last 1d6 hours.
Steam Explosion--30% chance of the Spam can exploding, inflicting an additional 4d6 MD to everything in a 10 ft radius, as bystanders get caught in the overkill of a spamming. In this case, bystanders do NOT have to roll for mental stress(they’re safely removed from the focus of the attack). Unless cleaned up immediately, the vicinity of a spam attack(of any magnitude), the rotting residue and residual stench will linger....a well-executed spam attack can mess up people’s days for a long time....
Rate of Fire: Single shot, ECHH
Payload: 6 shot cylinder
(can be fitted with an 18-round ‘super ring’ magazine)
Special Features:
*Waterproof Quick-Clean Action
* Ruggerized Construction
Cost: A Spam Cannon can be built for as little as 150,000 credits, and the ammunition costs about 2.5 credits per 12-oz. can

Spam Rocket
This is simply a can of Spam on a modified rifle grenade propulsion unit; an unguided hypervelocity projectile for sniper spamming. Single shot, but much more accurate, and enjoying slightly greater range. Unlike the Spam Hand Cannon, this weapon is a single shot chemical rocket, and lacks the shock/explosion factor, but has much greater range and impact kinetic damage.
The Spam Rocket can be fitted to any projectile weapon capable of firing special ball ammunition into the muzzle-fitted shot trap, or any laser rifle with a special ignitor prism adaptor fitted to the muzzle.
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 6d6 MD, and a 70% chance of knocking human-sized victims down and back 2d6 ft.
Rate of Fire: Single shot
Payload: Single shot
Cost: 200 credits for the adaptor, 150 credits per rocket

Spam Calliope
A variation on the multi-tube rocket launcher, this large-scale calliope-style Spam Launcher is used for mass air-mailings of Spam in aerial bombardments. Mounted on a whelled trailer, or a vehicle, the array of forty-odd gauss-launcher tubes can be quickly trained and fired, bombarding a wide area with flying tinned meat. Because it’s an electromagnetic rail gun, using magnetic pulse rings, its projectiles have the same effect as those launched by the smaller Spam Hand Cannon. Typically mounted on a wheeled artillery carriage or atop an armored vehicle.
Range: 12 miles
Damage: 1d4x10 MD per Spam can launched in a volley, plus secondary effects as described for the Spam Hand Cannon
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-40, up to 4 volleys per melee
Payload: 40 cans of Spam; an autoloader can load another 40 cans into the launcher in 30 seconds
Cost: 600,000 credits

Spam MAPS (Meat Analogue Projection System) Area Obliteration Delivery System

Daniel Bolton was a happy man, as he surveyed his room full of computer equipment. From this converted bedroom in his house, he now conTrolled a minor financial empire through his remote connections, tapping into a dozen servers and spreading e-mail advertizing and pop-up ads throughout the World Wide Web...Oh, he knew that he was roundly cursed throughout the world by private citizens and server technicians...that failed lawsuit alone, claiming that he had crashed that telecom company and cost them millions with his use of their computers....but he was protected by the commerce laws, and he was making a bundle with what the advertizers were paying him for what cost him pennies to send out over the phone lines. He thought of his swelling bank accounts and sighed with satisfaction....life was good for the former used car salesman, all because he took a few computer courses and spent a little start up money. And, as much as he hated to admit it, he frankly enjoyed being on people’s minds, and annoying them from the distance avoided him by the ‘web....He reached out to launch the next wave of e-mailings with a flick of his finger....
It was then that his screen went blank.
“Oh shi...”. Some damn bastard had slipped him a virus...Oh well, he’d clean up his computer, restore from his backup disks, and be back in business before the day was over...Then he’d start backtracking the joker who tried to kill his operation and sue them for interfering with commerce!
It was then that a sparkle started in the middle of his screen, growing into a blur of what looked like unfolding text...Despite himself, Bolton leaned forward towards the screen as the blue-white blip grew....
With a crackle of discharging electricity, a brick of metal-encased meat materialized, speeding with great velocity like a starship coming out of warp, colliding with Bolton’s perfectly positioned forehead with a meaty smack. The telemarketer flew backwards, flipping out of sight, a trail of blood arcing behind him, following him into the darkness. A dull thud, a clatter.
Then silence...
After an hour, the computer power saver decided to turn the machine off....

“In local news tonight, local e-commerce maven Daniel Bolton, who ran the Lightning Bolt Online Graphics and Advertizing Group, and was recently sued by Westex Telecom E-Link, was found dead in his home and business office.....Investigators have yet to release any details of the controversial businessman’s death, but they have so far denied any connection to a recent spate of deaths in the e-commerce advertizing industry...”


The MAPS is an innovative weapon delivery system, designed specifically to be used against telecommunications and internet systems, that counts among its advantages the ability to be tailored in power and damage to the level of the technological target designated. The MAPS can be set to neutralize a single room of technicians, or can be dialed up to truly hideous levels to reduce whole wired communications grids to snot. The MAPS takes advantage of the ability of Spam to be digitally dematerialized and rendered into code, combines it with the latest pirated Transporter technology, and sets it loose on the ‘web. Simply put, technology allows the operator to digitally reduce a block of Spam, send it over the Internet, and remotely blast anyone accessing the network with a re-materialized block of Spam that screams out of their screen at high speed and clobbers them. In this manner, a single firing of the system can take out hundreds, if not thousands, of technology users, many of whom are skilled system operators and computer technicians, out in one single barrage.
The MAPS has also been referred to in company literature as the URL---Unspeakable Retaliation Launcher----a reminder of the weapon’s first use against a up-until-then anonymous telemarkerter that contantly bombarded the Zot’s computer netborks with unsolicited junk e-mail and pop-up ads, unaware of the giant he was prodding in the eye. Zot administrators, infuriated by constantly having to close out windows while cruising the ‘net, unleased a crude version of the MAPS for the first time operationally. The results were devastating; the entire staff of the telemarketing firm was later found either dead or effectively insane, at both the main office and their home work stations. Looking at one of the common factors of the mass-assault, large amounts of canned meat laying about the victims’ locations, horrified detectives could only surmise, as one of them put it, that someone had ‘launched an unspeakable retaliation’ against the annoying internet advertisers.
The MAPS is one of the Zot’s nasty little secrets and is NOT sold to anyone else.
Range: 25 ft from the receiving terminal display
Damage: Equivalent to the Spam Hand Cannon
Payload: Effectively Unlimited; the weapon draws upon the network’s own powersource to create the needed Spam from the common inputed template.
-------------
"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
------------
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taalismn
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Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

New MOS’s for ‘s Omegasgundam GNE OCCs:
(*some ideas lifted from John C. Philpot’s Rifter# 25 article ‘Guns for Hire: New Military Skill Programs and Mercenary Templates’)

(Available to the GNE Soldier/Grunt O.C.C)
*K-9 Corps Handler
(aka ‘Beastie-Boy/Girl’)---Besides knowing how to handle dogs(cloned or naturally bred), ‘Beasties’ learn how to handle a variety of small animals/dog analogues, and PS/ASI’s cyberanimals.
-Breed & Train Dogs(+15%)
-Veterinary Medicine/Paramedic(as it applies to small animals)(+5%)
- Prowl(+10%)
- Tracking*(+15%)
- Trap/Mine Detection*(+10%)
- Detect Ambush*(+5%)
- Detect Concealment*(+10%)
- Find Contraband*(+10%)
*These skills receive a bonus of +5% when working with an animal)

*Artillery(aka ‘Cannoneers’, ‘’Smities’)---Whether it’s classic tube cannon, calliope rocket launchers, or tactical guided missiles, these are the personnel trusted with the big vehicle-mounted/towed support weapons. Training includes proper siting and concealment of batteries, the safe handling of munitions, especially specialized types such as chemical, biological, and nuclear loads, and dealing with hang-fires.
- Pilot Trucks(+20%)
- Pilot Ranks/APCs/Tracked Vehicles(+15%)
- Basic Mechanics(+10%)
- Camouflage(+10%)
- Demolitions Disposal(+10%)
- Weapons Systems(+15%)
- NBC Warfare(+15%)
- W.P. Mortar
- W.P. Artillery

(
*Animal Cavalry
---Not so common on Rifts Earth, where PS/GNE can readily supply the troops with mechanized transport, but surprisingly common in the colonies, where taming and domesticating the local animals is common practice. There’s also rumors that the Cambridge Jungle biotechs may be supplying genetically-engineered mounts as well.
-Horsemanship: Cowboy(can be upgraded to Knight/Cossack at the cost of an elective ‘Other’ skill)(+15%)
-Horsemanship: Exotic, Equiv. to Cowboy(can be upgraded to Knight/Cossack at the cost of an elective ‘Other’ skill)(+15%)
-Wilderness Survival(+10%)
-Veterinary Medicine/Paramedic(as it applies to Horses/Riding Animals)(+5%)
- Land Navigation(+15%)
- Identify Plants & Fruits(+15%)
- Outdoorsmanship
- W.P. Rope
-W.P. Spear or Pole Arm(choose one)

(Available to the GNE Soldier/Grunt and Special Forces O.C.Cs)
*Horror Hunter
----(aka ‘Shadowhunters’) These are soldiers who have volunteered to face the worst of the worst; supernatural monsters from beyond. They are trained to recognize the spoor of the supernatural and have been specially mentally girded to face the stuff of nightmares up close. Taking the HorrorHunter MOS requires a minimum M.E. of 14.
-Horror Desensitization
-Torture Resistance
-Lore: D-Bee(existing skill gets a +10%)
- Lore: Magic(+10%)
-Lore: Faerie & Creatures of the Night(+10%)
-Lore: Demons & Monsters(+10%)
-Lore: Vampire(+10%)
-Tracking(+10%)
- One Modern projectile-based W.P. of choice
- Two Ancient W.P.s of choice


(Available to the GNE Technical Officer and Special Forces O.C.Cs)
*Drone Handler
(aka ‘Droners’, ‘Ayees’, ‘Robo-wrangler’))---The GNE equivalent of the Coalition States’ Skelebot Specialist, but instead commands groups of PS-produced ‘bots such as the Magnus, Wrektor, Shadowbot, or Spartoi. The Drone Handler also benefitted from recovered records of NEMA’s use of robot drones and from PS’s own Cyberpsychologist AI programs. DHs learn small unit tactics for coordinating their retinues of ‘bots, countering attempts to hack/jam them, and how their robot AIs are likely to perform under various circumstances. Though the CS has had more experience with their Skelebots, the GNE has access to better technology and more advanced AIs(giving advice).
-Command Robots 60% +5% per level of experience
(On a successful skill roll, the commanded ‘bots get a +1 to initiative and +1 to strike, dodge, and parry the same round the order is given)
- Computer Operations(+20%)
- Computer Programming(+15%)
- Computer Repair(+15%)
- Robot Mechanics(+15%)
- Electronic Countermeasures(+15%)
- Jury Rig(+15%)
- Artificial Intelligence(+15%)

(Available to the GNE RPA/Aircraft Pilot , Technical Officer, and Naval Operations O.C.Cs)
* Vehicular Drone Pilot
(aka ‘Droners’,’Drojockies’)---This MOS deals with remote piloting vehicular drones, such as flying surveillance/attack platforms, submersible ‘bots, and robot rovers. VDPs will choice an area of focus and select three different types of vehicle in that area(such as Air: Jet Aircraft, Helicopter, Airplane...Water: Motorboat, Waterscooter, Submarine...Land: Tank, Truck, Automobile) and learns how to control unmanned versions of those vehicles.
- Pilot Three of choice from one category(Air, Land, or Sea) or +5% to an existing Piloting skill, but ONLY when using a drone version of that vehicle.
- Pilot Drones(+15%)
- Read Sensory Instruments(+20%)
- Navigation: ALW(+15%)
- Weapons Systems(+15%)
- Radio: Scramblers(+15%)
- Electronic Countermeasures(+15%)
-------------
"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
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

. (and here's my take on the PS-associated GNE Naval OCC)

(Based on/ chunks borrowed from Omegasgundam GNE OCCs templates, with some ideas lifted from John C. Philpot’s Rifter# 25 article ‘Guns for Hire: New Military Skill Programs and Mercenary Templates’, and a hefty does of knockoff/rip-off from ‘Coalition Navy’ )

Greater New England/United Systems Alliance (Aquatic) Naval Operations O.C.C.
(aka ‘Squids’, ‘Hydrospheric Naval Operations Organization Officers’, ‘Nitrics’(HNO3) Aqua Fortisians(from ‘Aqua Fortis’—’Strong Water’))
“Being on a ship’s not like being in the army; we don’t have the whole landscape to scatter all over all over when the hammer comes down; we’re all in a single place where the enemy can hit us all. So we have to all work together and look out for the ship as a whole, not just ourselves. We learn to tolerate a lot of personal stuff that might drive others nuts or to anger, though there’s a lot of garbage that might be overlooked and passed over on land, but which will NOT be accepted aboard ship.”

GNE Naval Operations personnel training grew out of the Greater New England Navy and Coast Guard training programs. Though still found mainly on the GNE’s Rifts Earth homeworld, the training protocols are beginning to increasingly be found offworld on those GNE/USA colony worlds with substantial surface water coverage and boat/ship operations necessitating a ‘blue water’ naval presence. Worlds like Kaldia and Atium support defensive complements of GNEN to patrol their waters and protect settlements.
Like their land-based counterparts, GNE naval personnel share many similarities to Coalition States naval personnel, but have been trained longer and more exhaustively with exposure to a greater number of other cultures and technologies. On Rifts Earth, their areas of operation have been more limited and more pressurized in terms of risk by the offshore presence of the Splugorth, the Horune, and the Lord of the Deep, than the CSN in its relatively sheltered home waters in the Gulf of Mexico. However, the GNEN has risen to the occasion in protecting its commerce and keeping track of its maritime enemies.
A long tradition of seafaring and the necessity of having to extract a living from dangerous monster-infested coastal waters has given GNE seamen a hardened outlook, poised as they often are in fragile watercraft floating above dark abyssal depths.

Prerequisites: No physical stats less than 7
Bonuses: +1d4 PS and PE, +10 SDC, +1 on Initiative at levels 2, 6, 12, and 15, +1 to save vs Horror Factor at levels 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15
O.C.C. Skills:
Language (English): 98%
Language (Dragonese): 80%
Literacy (English): 95%
Literacy (Dragonese): 80%
Math: Basic(+10%)
Radio: Basic(+10%)
Computer Operation(+10%)
General Repair & Maintenance(+10%)
Pilot: Boat, Motor, Race & Hydrofoil(+10%)
Pilot: Hovercraft(+10%)
Military Etiquette (+15%)
General Athletics
Bodybuilding
Climbing(+10%)
Swimming(+15%)
Lore: D-Bees
W.P. Knife
W.P. Energy Pistol
WP Energy Rifle (gets an extra +1 to strike)
WP of Choice
HtH Expert, can substituted for either Judo or Jujitsu, or by Martial Arts for 1 other skill

MOS Skill Packages: (Select one)
*Bridge Operations---These are the commanding officers and the bridge details coordinating operations for the rest of the ship.
- Naval History(+10%)
- Naval Tactics(+15%)
- Intelligence(+10%)
- Navigation(+15%)
- Pilot: Warships & Patrol Boats(+10%)
- Pilot: Ship or Submersible(+10%)
- Read Sensory Instruments(+10%)
-Communications: One of choice(+10%)

*Communications---Vital to coordinating naval actions, task groups, and ship small craft complements, commtechs are the all-important ship’s link to the outside world.
-Computer Operation(+15%)
- Radio: Scramblers(+15%)
- Cryptography(+10%)
-Communications: Three of choice(+10%)
-Electronic Countermeasures(+15%)
-Basic Electronics(+10%)

*Corpsman---Since maritime craft are typically too far from land-based medical facilities to evacuate the sick and wounded to, the Naval Corpsman is vital to maintaining and protecting the health of ship crews.
- Medical Doctor(+5%)
- Field Surgery(+15%)
- Chemistry: Pharmaceutical(+10%)
- Sea Holistic Medicine(+10%)
- Biology(+10%)
- Chemistry(+10%)
- Pathology(+10%)
- W.P. Knife
*Note: GNE military personnel suffer only HALF the usual penalties when using medical skills on members of species other than their own.

*Damage Control---These dedicated crewmen fight fires and leaks in close quarters, and fight to restore damaged ship’s systems and structural integrity.
- Fire Assessment & Response (50+5% per level of experience)
- Excavation & Rescue(+15%)
- NBC Warfare(+15%)
- Jury-Rig(+20%)
- Basic Electronics(+15%)
- Basic Mechanics(+15%)
- W.P. Blunt
- W.P. Axe

*Naval Aviation---These are the support craft pilots, such as ASW VTOLs, rescue helis, flying boat crews, COD transports, and the like.
- Pilot: Airplane(+10%)
- Pilot: Jet Aircraft(+10%)
- Pilot: Combat Helicopter(+15%)
-Pilot: Hovercraft(+15%)
-Navigation(+15%)
-Read Sensory Instruments(+10%)
-Weapons Systems(+10%)
-Aircraft Mechanics(+10%)

*Naval Engineering---The ‘Black Gang’ may have traded their coal-stoked boilers for gas turbines, electric fuel cells, and fusion powerplants, but they’re still the vital hands that keep the ship running smoothly.
- Math: Advanced(+15%)
- Mechanical Engineer(+15%)
- Electrical Engineer(+15%)
-Weapons Engineer(+15%)
-Submersible Vehicle Repair(+15%)
-Jury-Rig(+20%)
- Mechanical skill of choice(+10%)
- Electrical skill of choice(+10%)

*Naval Gunnery---These personnel operate and troubleshoot the big turret-mounted weapons and missile systems on a ship.
-Weapons Systems(+10%)
-Demolitions Disposal(+15%)
-Weapons Engineer(+5%)
-Read Sensory Instruments(+15%)
-Math: Advanced(+15%)
-Basic Electronics(+10%)
- W.P. Artillery
- W.P. Torpedo

*Naval Security--- These are shipboard security, charged with protecting the vessel against boarders/saboteurs and breaking up fights between high-strung crew members. When mutant frogmen swim into the harbor to chew on anchor cables, it’s Naval Security who get out the light depth charge launchers. When Marines aren’t available, it’s the Naval Security personnel who board suspect vessels and bring back the prisoners gift-wrapped for interrogation. When the giant squid tentacles start probing around the deck, it’s the Naval Securitymen who lead the axe-teams.
-Hojo-Jutsu(Binding)(+15%)
-Boxing or Wrestling (Pick one)
- Running
- Physical: One of choice(+10% where/if applicable)
- Surveillance Systems(+5%)
- W.P. Ancient of choice
- W.P. Modern, two of choice

*Salvage---Plumbing the depths for useful stuff is the stock and trade of the marine salvager, and the GNEN trains its well.
- Undersea Salvage(+15%)
- Underwater Demolitions(+15%)
- Advanced Deep Sea Diving(+15%)
- Submersible Vehicle Repair(+10%)
- Demolitions Disposal(+15%)
- Recycle(+10%)
-Jury-Rig(+15%)
- Pilot: Submersibles, Robots, or Power Armor(choose one)(+5%)

*Search and Rescue---This is the MOS most often associated with the Coast Guard. though the regular Navy also has SAR teams, especially operating in support of aircraft carriers.
-Pilot: One water/aircraft of choice(+10%)
-Read Sensory Instruments(+15%)
-Excavation & Rescue(+15%)
- Paramedic(+15%)
-Climbing/Rappelling(+15%)
-Physical: Two of choice(including Acrobatics)
-W.P. Pole Arm
- W.P. Grappling Hook

*Sensor Operations---When one is all alone out on the open ocean, it’s imperative that you know what’s happening around you, so you can spot trouble, ideally before it spots you. Sensor Operations are the eyes and ears of a warship. Sensor Operators learn to identify the sensor spoor of the various underwater creatures and phenomena.
- Read Sensory Instruments(+20%)
- Electronic Countermeasures(+15%)
- Intelligence(+10%)
- Electrical Engineer(+10%)
- Computer Operation(+15%)
- Computer Programming(+15%)
-Track & Hunt Sea Animals(+10%)
-Oceanographic Surveying(+10%)

*Submarine Operations---It’s a different world under the waves, and Submarine Operations personnel are trained to thrive in it.
- Pilot: Submersibles(+15%)
- Navigation: Underwater(+15%)
- Submersible Vehicle Repair(+10%)
- Oceanographic Surveying(+10%)
- Advanced Deep Sea Diving(+15%)
-Track & Hunt Sea Animals(+10%)
- Undersea & Sea Survival(+10%)
- W.P. Torpedo

Skills: Select 5 ‘other skills at Level One, plus an additional 1 at levels 2, 5 and 8.
Communications: None; only those with the Bridge Operations, Communications(+10%), or Sensor Operations MOSes can select from this category
Domestic: Any (+5%)
Electrical: Basic only. Naval Engineering MOSes can select any at +5%
Espionage: None. Those with the Naval Security MOS can select Sniper.
Mechanical: Automobile and Basic only. Naval Engineering MOSes can select any at +5%
Medical: First Aid (+5%) or Paramedic(the latter costs 2 skill selections). Those with the Corpsman MOS can select any with a +10% bonus.
Military: None. Those with the Naval Security MOS can select Find Contraband and Trap/Mine Detection at +5%
Physical: Any but Acrobatics. +5% to S.C.U.B.A.
Pilot: Any, non-aircraft or Spacecraft. Watercraft get a +5% bonus and those with the Naval Aviation MOS can select additional aircraft with a +5% bonus.
Pilot Related: Any
Rogue: None
Science: Advanced Math (+5%) and Astronomy & Navigation only
Technical: Any
Wilderness: Carpentry(Damage Control MOS gets a +10%), Hunting, Track & Hunt Sea Animals, Navigation, and Survival/Undersea & Sea Survival only
Weapons Proficiencies(W.P.): Any

Secondary Skills: Select 4 at level 1, gain 1 additional skill at levels 4, 8, and 12

Experience Tables: Use the CS Sailor.

Standard-Issue Equipment:
Standard issue uniform and Skinsuit, GNE Battle Armor (usually the VEBA-02N or VEBA-04N), GNE energy rifle and energy pistol, 4 long e-clips, 4 standard or short E-Clips, GNE kinetic weapons of choice with 4 clips, vibro-knife, utility knife, and equipment appropriate to their MOS. Assignment to a ship or port facility, the latter of which may include access to a light vehicle from the base motorpool.

Starting Money: 1D4x1,000 in savings, base salary is 2,000 credits per month. Sailors are provided with full room, board, and medical treatment.

Equipment Available Upon Assignment: Just about anything that their Commanding Officer deems suitable and they are trained with. The GNEAS’s infamous reputation of getting involved in bizarre and credibility-stretching ‘shenanigans’ means that it is not unusual for squads to be given equipment that would normally be reserved for a country’s elite forces, and veterans quickly become numb to constant stream of ‘Adventure-itus’ experiences. This gets only worse at sea.

Cybernetics:
Prosthetics have come a long way since hand-hooks, peg-legs and eye patches; as long as they’re waterproof and don’t interfere with the ability to swim or boat, most mariners have no objections to cybernetics.
Bio-Modification:
The growing field of bio-modding has given sailors the chance to get stronger stomachs, longer-lasting lungs, and the ability to most comfortably ‘swim with the fishes’.


Note: Naval vessels will also support a wide range of other personnel, such as Mess Officers, Body-Fixers, RPA/Aircraft Pilots, Field Scientists , Cyborgs TechnoWizards, Mages(Water and/or Air Elemental Warlocks especially),Special Forces,, and the larger vessels may have Combat Psychiatrists along to counsel crew members.

Of course, the Irregulars and ‘special contract workers’ can feature a wider range of regular seamen, ex-pirates, ex-CS naval personnel and the like, who have not benefitted from the long grind of the GNE naval academies.
-------------
"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
------------
Prole
Wanderer
Posts: 89
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2019 10:55 pm

Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Prole »

How many firearms from PS have Polygonal rifling? Are they interested in gunpowder that reduces copper fouling and thus barrel erosion/corrosion?
Omegasgundam
Adventurer
Posts: 440
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 11:04 pm

Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Omegasgundam »

Prole wrote:How many firearms from PS have Polygonal rifling? Are they interested in gunpowder that reduces copper fouling and thus barrel erosion/corrosion?

We typically don't really pay attention to that level of detail. The primary damage method is explosive tips, so velocity for the conventional guns isn't that important for the non-sniping weapons. And really, energy weapons are more practical for a multitude of reasons.
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Furthermore, Paladin Steel tends to use fullerene coatings on the inside of its gun barrels. Easy cleaning and very little erosion...and corrosion? "What's that?'
-------------
"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
------------
Prole
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Prole »

I did some math and some thinking, then some more math, and it turns out that .500 Magnum might be able to fit inside the Big Bore Revolver weapons. The weight seems to check out, there is no way the caliber is any bigger then 36 gauge.

Was hoping for derringer in .500 Magnum, but would likely have more recoil then firing Big Bore revolver somehow.
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Prole wrote:I

Was hoping for derringer in .500 Magnum, but would likely have more recoil then firing Big Bore revolver somehow.


"This is possibly going to hurt me more than it hurts you. I hate broken wrists."
-------------
"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
------------
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Library Ogre
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Library Ogre »

taalismn wrote:
Prole wrote:I

Was hoping for derringer in .500 Magnum, but would likely have more recoil then firing Big Bore revolver somehow.


"This is possibly going to hurt me more than it hurts you. I hate broken wrists."


"It's an .88 magnum. It shoots through schools."
-overproduced by Martin Hannett

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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »



NOT the sort of terminology I'd want used in an endorsement.
-------------
"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
------------
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Orin J.
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Orin J. »

taalismn wrote:


NOT the sort of terminology I'd want used in an endorsement.


well now THAT depends on your market segment, doesn't it?
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Orin J. wrote:[

well now THAT depends on your market segment, doesn't it?


Yep, and selling to gangsters would kinda contradict the 'Paladin' in 'Paladin Steel', wouldn't it?
-------------
"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
------------
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Variants:
-PS-APC-03 ‘Rattlesnake’ Armored Personnel Carrier

*PS-HAPC-03GMR
----(aka ‘Gravsnake’) GMR Hover APC.
“E-yeah, it sounds pretty silly, making an attack VTOL out of a wheeled ground APC, but having cheap anti-grav available does funny things to designers. Well, silly-stupid as this may seem, this particular kludge WORKS. Not as roomy as Kerlun or an Arakeen, nor as fast or well-armed, but it’s small enough to fit through tight quarters and agile enough to turn in its own length and fly backwards as well as it does forwards. A lot of the lads have taken to the g-snake, especially as an urban patrol transport.”

It was inevitable that somebody would suggest making an antigravity hover model of the venerable Rattlesnake by taking off the wheels and sliding a truck-grade hoverplate under the armored body. The wheels have been replaced with gimbaled maneuvering thrusters(themselves forwarded from flying power armor designs) giving the HAPC both respectable speed and a good degree of agility. The variant also does away with the ram prow, instead adding extra sensory gear, and the driver compartment has been modified to better suit an airborne vehicle.
Changes/Modifications:
Maneuvering Jets(8 )*(replaces the wheels) 100 each

*Can lose up to HALF of these thrusters without losing speed or maneuverability. Destroying ALL of these thrusters causes subsequent piloting skill rolls to be at -25% and maximum speed is reduced to a mere 35 MPH.

Speed: (Flying) Hover to 320 MPH, maximum altitude of 6,000 ft.
Systems of Note:
*Radar---Nose-mounted radar set with terrain-following and look-down capability. Effective range of 50 miles.
*Lidar---Terrain-mapping laser scanner system. Effective range of 15 miles.
*Advanced Fly-By-Wire Systems---To aid transition of VTOL pilots to flying a ‘brick’, the G-snake has advanced controls and auto-stabilization that give a +5% to Pilot Hovercraft skill rolls for flying the HAPC-03GMR.
Weapons Systems:
1) Forward Turrets(3)---Adds a third turret identical in weapons compatibility under the nose.
2) Smoke/Countermeasure Launchers(4)---Adds a second set of smoke launchers, and upgrades all four to flare/countermeasure launchers.
4) Weapons Hardpoints(2)---Adds a pair of light weapons hardpoints to the nose, equivalent to those on light attack craft:

a) Micro-Missiles---3x25 shot cassette mounting(75 micro-missiles total)

b) Mini-Missiles----12 shot pod

c) Copperhead Anti-Tank Missile Pod---Uses PS ‘smart’ armor killers for more accurate fire.
Range: 1 mile
Damage: Armor-piercing: 2d4x10 MD, no blast radius
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1,2,3, 4, or 6
Payload: 5 shot pod
Bonuses: +5 to strike
Cost: 70,000 credits

d) Heavy ATGM---a medium-range armor-piercing missile warhead on a foreshortened rocket booster, with command guidance, for making precise anti-armor kills.
Range: 1 mile
Damage: 3d6x10 MD to 20 ft blast radius
Payload: 1 per hardpoint
Bonuses: +5 to strike
Cost: 20,000 credits per missile

e) L-SAM ‘Black Talon’
Range: 3 miles
Damage: 3d4x10 MD to 40 ft blast radius
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1,2, or 3(all)
Payload: 3 per launcher
Bonus: +5 to strike, and gets TWO attempts to strike the target(agile enough to loop back on a target and try again)
Cost: 90 ,000 credits per launcher, 10,000 credits per missile

f) MAULER Missile ---Essentially a long range missile warhead mated to a short-range booster. This system is perhaps best known for being used to deliver tactical WMDs of both nuclear and TW types.
Range: 2.5 miles
The MAULER-B system upgrades the booster system to a medium-range booster, with a range of 20 miles.
Damage:
Varies by Long Range Missile Warhead employed.
Payload: One per hardpoint

g) Bomb---Freefall bomb---1 per hardpoint
*250-lb Bomb----2d4x10 MD to 50 ft blast radius
*500-lb Bomb----4d4x10 MD to 60 ft blast radius
*Slammer Concussion Bomb---Knockoff Triax Weapon, acquired through industrial espionage. 1d4x10 MD to 90 ft blast radius. 88% chance of knockdown(lose 1 APM and Initiative), 65% chance of being stunned(-10 to strike, dodge, parry, and roll, NO Initiative, HALF speed and APMs for 1d4 melees)

h) L-SAW Mine Dispenser
Weight: 500 lbs
Range: Effective freeflight range of 5 miles. Submunitions can be launched up to 300 ft out to either side of the SAW’s flight path.
Damage: (AP Grenade) 4d6 MD to 8 ft area
(Chemical Grenade) Varies by chemical type and atmospheric conditions. A chemical grenade will generally generate a cloud of aerosol 15 ft in radius.
(HE Shell) 5d6 MD to 20 ft area
(Fragmentation Mine) 4d6 MD to 12 ft area
(Incendiary Bomb) Does 4d6 MD to 40 ft area, does an additional 2d6 MD for 1d6 melees, and 1d6 MD per melee for an additional 2d4 melees
(Angel Hair)---Does NO damage, but against conventional power generators and uncovered power lines and distribution systems, it can short out power grids, clog generator air intakes(80% effectiveness against industrial generators and internal combustion engines), and be a general nuisance to clean up.
Rate of Fire: A SAW can volley its submunitions in any combination
Payload:(Typical loadouts)
200 AP/Chemical grenades
OR
50 HE/anti-vehicle grenades
OR
50 Fragmentation Mines
OR
25 Incendiary Bombs
OR
250 spools of wire, each spool holding up to 4,000 ft of aluminum-coated filament

i) Torpedoes---Can carry the equivalent types of torpedoes as missiles.

j) .50 Caliber Machine Gun---The old reliable ‘Fifty’. An oldie, but still a goody.
Range: 6,000 ft
Damage: (SDC) 1d6x10 SDC single shot, 1d6 x100 SDC(1d6 MD) per 10 rd burst.
(Ramjets) 1d4 MD single shot, 1d4x10 MD per 10 rd burst.
(High Explosive)3d6x10 SDC single shot, 1d6 MD per 10 rd burst.
(PSX-2) 2d6 MD per rd, 2d6x10 MD per 10 rd burst.
(Tracer) Every 11th round is a tracer, which gives a +1 to strike with bursts. However, the tracer stream also makes it that much easier for enemies to backtrace and locate the machine gunner.
Rate of Fire: Standard
Payload: 300 rd box magazine
Cost: 8,000 credits

k) 40mm Grenade Launcher
Range: 7,000 ft
Damage: (Fragmentation) 4d6 MD to blast area of 12 ft
2d6x10 MD to blast area of 40 ft w/ 10-rd burst
(Armor Piercing) 1d4x10 MD to blast area of 3 ft
3d6x10 MD to blast area of 8 ft w/ 10-rd burst
Rate of Fire: Standard
Payload: 100 rds
Cost: 50,000 credits

l) Light Rail Gun(PS-RFG202)
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 1 MD single rd, 3d6 MD per 15 rd burst, 6d6 MD per 30 rd burst.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 9,000 rd drum per cannon
Cost: 75,000 credits


m) 12.7mm PS-MRG03 Snub-nose Short Gatling Gun --- This high-powered four-barreled gatling rail cannon features enormous damage potential, and fair range in a small package. The MRG-03 trades range for blistering short-range fire power, and is frequently used as a ‘streetsweeper’ in built-up areas.
Range: 2,000 ft
Damage: 1D6 MD single round, 1D6x10 MD per 10 round burst,
2D6x10 +60 per Full Melee Burst of 40 rounds
Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined hand to hand attacks of the pilot
Payload: 1,000 rounds
Market Cost: 12,000 credits


n) Neural Disrupter Blaster---A knockoff of a Northern Gun weapon(industrial espionage being alive and well), but tweaked for greater efficiency and range. Nicknamed the ‘nerve blaster’ and the ‘brain sandblaster’ for its brute force approach to taking people down. NOT recommended for gentle persuasion or use on children, elders, or other innocent bystanders.
Range: 1,400 ft
Damage: (Setting One) 2d6 SDC and victim must roll versus non-lethal poison(16 or better). On a successful save the target is -3 to strike, parry, dodge, and loses initiative and 1 APM for 1d4 melee rounds. A FAILED save means the target is -7 to all actions, loses initiative, reduce APMs to ONE, skill performance is -60%, -90% to Speed, and suffers convulsions that do 1d6 SDC per round for 2d4 melee rounds.
(Setting Two) Does 2d6x10 SDC(or 1 MD), and victim must roll versus non-lethal poison(16 or better). On a successful save an augmented human(oid) is -5 to strike, parry, dodge, and loses initiative and 1 APM for 1d4 melee rounds. A successful save by UNaugmented human(oid)s results in -10 to strike, parry, dodge, lose initiative and is reduced to 1 APM, skill performance is -80%, speed reduced 95%, and suffer painful convulsions doing 1d6 SDC per melee for 2d4 MINUTES.
A FAILED save by augmented human(oid)s means the target is -7 to all actions, loses initiative, reduce APMs to TWO, skill performance is -60%, -80% to Speed, and suffers convulsions that do 4d6 SDC per round for 2d4 melee rounds.
Note: Works through most body armor up to 50 MDC. Those in armor protection of 51-80 MDC are +6 to save. Those in heavier armor, power armor, full conversion cyborgs, vehicles, robots, or who are MegaJuicers or Dragons are impervious.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 18 shots standard E-clip, 24 shots long e-clip, 50 shots canister-clip. Effectively unlimited hitched up to a nuclear power plant.
Cost: 55,000 credits

o) Sprayer Pod---This liquid storage pod deploys two diffusers from the back to spray chemicals from the back. This is typically used to control agricultural pests(if the infestation is too great, the ‘copter crew typically fires the affected field), crowd control, firefighting, or other vermin management roles. In the case of the G-snake, the feed can be blown through the jet wash of the lateral maneuvering thrusters for faster spreading.
Range: Depending on wind and altitude, the helicopter can spray a 100 foot wide swath at maximum dispersal.
Damage: Varies by chemical type. If using water, typically does 4d6 HP to vampires(‘Bless the tank, Holy Father!”).
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 100 gallons
Cost: 10,000 credits

p) Beacon Launcher---This fires tracer beacon pod rocket-harpoons that have 4,000 ft range, do 1d4 MD on a strike, and have an active transmitter beacon with a 72 hour life, and can be traced from 8 miles away. The pod holds 12 tracer-harpoons.

q) Spotlight Pod---A high-powered directable searchlight: 9,000 ft range

r) ECM/Radar Jammer Pod---5 mile range. Jams radars and radar targeting systems with 60% effectiveness. Radar-guided weapons are -6 to strike. Note that this affects friendly systems as well unless they are set to specific, per-arranged, non-jammed frequencies(that it may be possible for the enemy to discover). Carrying extra jammer pods does NOT increase the range or effective bonuses of the system, but may provide redundancy and multi-wavelength coverage.
Cost: 50,000 credits

s) Plasma Machine Gun Pod----This is a limited payload plasma machine gun, using ‘light’ cadmium-telluride cartridges. Short range, but good damage.
Range:(Plasma)1,700 ft
Damage:(Plasma) 6d6 MD per shot
1d6x10+10 MD for a three-shot burst
Rate of Fire: Standard
Payload: 360 rd magazine
Cost: 40,000 credits. ‘Light’ cadmium-telluride cartridges cost 16 credits each.

t) Heavy Plasma Cannon---A heavier 40mm cadmium-telluride cartridge weapon with much better damage and range, but only capable of a dozen shots, due to its limited magazine capacity.
Range: 5,000 ft
Damage: 2d4x10 MD per shot
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 12 shot drum-clip.
Cost: 145,000 credits. 40mm cadmium-telluride cartridges cost 95 credits each.

u) Specialized Sensors---The lateral pods can be used to carry specialized sensors, such as side-looking optics, wide-angle cameras, chemical samplers, and the like.

Options:
Same as for the Rattlesnake APC.

Cost: 10.2 million credits
-------------
"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
------------
Omegasgundam
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Omegasgundam »

It's a basic flying metal box. You get exactly what you pay for, and there are plenty of times when that's all that's needed.
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Omegasgundam wrote:It's a basic flying metal box. You get exactly what you pay for, and there are plenty of times when that's all that's needed.


Yep. Cheap enough with enough commonality of off-the-shelf parts that the tinkers will go to town with them. Expect to see drone versions and flying claymore variants on the battlefield. Cheap AG will do that to mechanics.
-------------
"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
------------
Omegasgundam
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Omegasgundam »

taalismn wrote:
Omegasgundam wrote:It's a basic flying metal box. You get exactly what you pay for, and there are plenty of times when that's all that's needed.


Yep. Cheap enough with enough commonality of off-the-shelf parts that the tinkers will go to town with them. Expect to see drone versions and flying claymore variants on the battlefield. Cheap AG will do that to mechanics.

Considering that GMR is mechanically simpler than just about any other form of propulsion, so it has fundamental advantages over all the alternatives even without the mobility.
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Omegasgundam wrote:[
Considering that GMR is mechanically simpler than just about any other form of propulsion, so it has fundamental advantages over all the alternatives even without the mobility.


Trust me....there are enough mechanics obsessed with bolting on overkill amounts of thruster to overcome the mobility issue.
Whether this is practical or even sane, is the real question.

"Well, with the weight of the mega turbine and the nuclear reactor effectively negated we can now direct all the potential thrust to forward motion...ah, you might want to be taking cover behind the outer walls for this...."
-------------
"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
------------
Omegasgundam
Adventurer
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by Omegasgundam »

taalismn wrote:
Omegasgundam wrote:[
Considering that GMR is mechanically simpler than just about any other form of propulsion, so it has fundamental advantages over all the alternatives even without the mobility.


Trust me....there are enough mechanics obsessed with bolting on overkill amounts of thruster to overcome the mobility issue.
Whether this is practical or even sane, is the real question.

It was more that even without the mobility factors, its superior, and with them included its head and shoulders above nearly all ground bound motive options outside of niche circumstances.
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Though contra-gravity does have the advantage that it's self-adjusting, and can work in open space as a reaction-less drive, while GMR requires a local magnetic field to work off of. Though most terrestrial CG vehicles aren't going to be able to take advantage of that because they lack the power and specific adjustment systems that allow for spaceflight(not to mention all the rest of the necessary systems like airtight fittings, pressurized life support, radiation shielding, reentry systems, etc...).
-------------
"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
------------
kronos
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by kronos »

taalismn wrote:Though contra-gravity does have the advantage that it's self-adjusting, and can work in open space as a reaction-less drive, while GMR requires a local magnetic field to work off of. Though most terrestrial CG vehicles aren't going to be able to take advantage of that because they lack the power and specific adjustment systems that allow for spaceflight(not to mention all the rest of the necessary systems like airtight fittings, pressurized life support, radiation shielding, reentry systems, etc...).


I doubt that won't stop PS engineers from making an orbital drop version...
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

kronos wrote:
taalismn wrote:Though contra-gravity does have the advantage that it's self-adjusting, and can work in open space as a reaction-less drive, while GMR requires a local magnetic field to work off of. Though most terrestrial CG vehicles aren't going to be able to take advantage of that because they lack the power and specific adjustment systems that allow for spaceflight(not to mention all the rest of the necessary systems like airtight fittings, pressurized life support, radiation shielding, reentry systems, etc...).


I doubt that won't stop PS engineers from making an orbital drop version...



Oh, it's a given and standard practice that if they have the specifics of a planet's magnetic field in advance, PS/ASI engineers can pre-adjust GMR units so they can make drops easy enough, without having tp land first, then adjust the equipment.

On the other hand, if you're referring to CG CARS made spaceworthy, then I point you at the Civics-Class stellacommuttas. and there's probably some Flash Gordon'ed Hwins out there as well. And let's not forget the CG-GAAB. :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
------------
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Alright, I tackle PS/ASI space OOCs, with a general(but varied) SpaceForce OCC that borrows heavily from Omegasgundam’s formating, Mutants in Orbit, 2ed Robotech Southern Cross, and a number of other sources.

Greater New England/United Systems Alliance Space Forces Officer O.C.C.
(aka ‘Sofas’)

“For some of our personnel, just getting into space is the achievement of their planet or species. Some of them were using chemical thrusters a decade or so ago....some were worshipping the skies a generation ago. And glad we are to have’em! You can’t always use heavy weapons inside a ship, especially your own, but some of the backwater system recruits still know how to swing a mean ax, even in close quarters!””

“Don’t think we don’t know you call us ‘sofas’ behind our backs with the implication that we sit around on our ships all day and push buttons! Our physical training is every bit as rigorous as any ground-pounders’! It comes in handy when you’re trying to move around under ten hard gees of acceleration or working a patch into position on a hole in the hull without getting sucked out.”

The Space Forces Officer is the product of the GNE’s growing cooperation with the USA’s various space arms and the emergence of common training programs. Many of the constituent worlds of the USA lacked space programs, especially military ones, or have had to reinvent them from observations of the CAF and the Golgan Argosy, but a few members, such as Eugenia and the Tmelain Republic, had robust and well-organized military space forces. with experience in deep space operations
Many SFOs on the Rim come from backgrounds in the civilian sector, having served aboard civilian transports or space stations before joining the military. Some actually served as pirates from the more desperate worlds before coming around(and being thoroughly vetted, including by psionic means, by the GNEAS/AJC). The Rims worlds’ AJC takes what it can get and tries to standardize where possible, but even with the new training programs, there’s a virtual circus of occupational classes.
SFOs may lack many of the CAF Fleet’s out-of-the-gate physical bonuses and general overall jack-of-all-trades training, instead focusing on specific military occupational specialty roles , but they are balanced by having a more diverse vocational range and access to the GNE’s physical enhancement technology.

Prerequisites: I.Q. of 12 , ME 13. High physical attributes are recommended but not mandatory.
Bonuses: +1d4 to M.E., +1 on Initiative at levels 2, 6, 12, and 15, +1 to save vs Horror Factor at levels 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15
O.C.C. Skills:
Language (Trade Four/English): 98
Language (Dragonese): 80
Language (One of Choice)(+15%)
Literacy (Trade Four/English): 95
Literacy (Dragonese): 80
Literacy (One of Choice)(+15%)
Military Etiquette(+20%)
Math: Basic(+10%)
Radio: Basic(+10%)
Computer Operation(+15%)
Read Sensory Instruments(+10%)
Basic Maintenance & Repair(+15%)
General Athletics
Movement: Zero Gravity
EVA(+10%)
Vacuum Survival
W.P. Knife
W.P. Energy Pistol
HtH Basic, can substituted for either Judo or Jujitsu, or Expert for 1 other

MOS Skill Packages: (Select one)
*Bridge/Command---- Bridge Officers are trained in how to fight their ships and navigate galactic diplomacy.
- Intelligence(+15%)
- Ship to Ship Combat(+15%)
- Navigation: Space(+15%)
- Detect Ambush(+15%)
- Lore: Galactic(+15%)
- Law: Galactic(+15%)
- Read Sensory Instruments(+15%)
- Communications: Two of choice(+10%)

*Communications----Communications take on a whole new degree of importance when the next nearest friendly presence could be light years away.
- Radio: Scramblers(+20%)
- Cryptography(+20%)
-Radio: Satellite Relay(+15%)
-Radio: Deep Space/FTL(+15%)
-Laser(+15%)
-Electronic Countermeasures(+20%)
-Basic Electronics(+10%)
-Communications (one of choice; +15%)

*Corpsman----Like their wet navy counterparts, Fleet Corpsmen provide on the spot emergency medical assistance. Their training includes familiarity with alien physiologies, environments, and pathogens, and they also learn out to conduct emergency medical care through such impediments as environmental suits.
- Medical Doctor(+5%)
- Field Surgery(+15%)
- Chemistry: Pharmaceutical(+10%)
- Stasis System Operation (+10%)
- Biology(+10%)
- Chemistry(+10%)
- Pathology(+10%)
- W.P. Knife
*Note: GNE military personnel suffer only HALF the usual penalties when using medical skills on members of species other than their own.

*Damage Control----While most every crew member is expected to know how to patch a leak and seal a compartment, these personnel are experts at on the spot repairs and in-hull rescue work.
- Fire Assessment & Response (50+5% per level of experience)
- Excavation & Rescue(+15%)
- Paramedic(+15%)
- Jury-Rig(+20%)
- Basic Electronics(+15%)
- Basic Mechanics(+15%)
- W.P. Blunt
- W.P. Ax

*Engineering---- Fleet Engineers will typically tell you that they’re the ones who really own and know the ships; all others just borrow them. And never compare their ships to garbage scows. Never.
- Math: Advanced(+15%)
- Spaceship Mechanics(+20%)
- Mechanical Engineer(+20%)
- Electrical Engineer(+20%)
- Weapons Engineer(+20%)
- Computer Repair(+15%)
- Jury-Rig(+20%)
- W.P. Blunt

*EVA Specialist---- EVAspecs are trained in operating around and on the hulls of spaceships and space stations, doing repair and construction work.
- Navigation: Orbital(+20%)
- Pilot: Jet Pack/Grav-Pack(+20%)
- Pilot: Small Spacecraft(EVA Pod)(+15%)
- Pilot: Robot(EVA Pod)(+15%)
- Robot Combat: Basic
- EVA(+20%)
- Oxygen Conservation(+15%)
- Spaceship Mechanics(+15%)
- Electrical Engineer(+15%)

*Hangar Bay Operations---- More commonly found on larger ships with large small craft bay facilities, HBO personnel handle the duties of preparing small craft, especially fighters, for launch, overseeing recovering, and mounting and repairing weaponry and ordnance on turnaround. They are also frequently responsible for cargo handling and transfer between ships.
- Vehicle Armorer(+15%)
-Spaceship Mechanics(+15%)
- Field Armorer & Munitions Expert (+15%)
- Basic Electronics(+15%)
- Basic Mechanics(+15%)
- Optics Systems(+15%)
- Pilot: Power Armor(Powerlifters/Industrial Exoskeletons)(+5%)
- Physical Labor
-(Optional) Tractor Beam Operations(50%+5% ple, +15%)

*Helm---- These are the effective navigators and pilots of larger spacecraft, transports, and warships.
-Pilot Starship(Large)(+20%)
-Pilot Spacecraft: Advanced (+15%)
- Navigation: Space(+20%)
- Math: Advanced(+15%)
- Astrophysics(+15%)
- Ship to Ship Combat(+10%)
- Computer Programming(+15%)
- Weapons Systems(+15%)

*Life Support Technician----LStecs make sure that everybody aboard ship keeps breathing the right gases at the right temperatures, and that everything else that makes life possible and comfortable in space keeps functioning. They are also by default experts on how various hazards in space affect life.
- Hydroponics(+15%)
- Biology(+15%)
- Botany(+15%)
- Chemistry(+15%)
- Oxygen Systems(+20%)
- Recycle(+15%)
- NBC Warfare(+15%)
-Jury-Rig(+15%)

*Salvager----Arguably a variant of the EVA Specialist, Salvagers are experts in decommissioning spacecraft and space structures, recognizing and recovering equipment of value, and disposing of hazardous materials and derelicts.
- Salvage(+20%)
- Recycle(+20%)
- Demolitions(+15%)
- Demolitions Disposal(+15%)
- Chemistry(+15%)
- EVA(+20%)
- Appraise Goods(+10%)
-Spaceship Mechanics(+15%)
- One Mechanical or Electrical skill of choice(+15%)

*Security--- These are shipboard security, charged with protecting the vessel against boarders/saboteurs and protecting vital parts of the ship. Like their wet-navy counterparts, Security personnel are trained in shipboard combat. Occasionally, when Stelmarines aren’t available, they are used to board other vessels and secure space stations and port installations.
- Zero Gravity Combat
-Boxing or Wrestling (Pick one)
-Physical: One of choice(+10% where/if applicable)
-Surveillance Systems(+5%)
-HtH Expert, can substituted for either Judo or Jujitsu, or by Martial Arts for 1 other skill
-Hojo-Jutsu(Binding)(+15%)
-W.P. Ancient, two of choice
- W.P. Modern of choice
- Physical: One of choice(+10% where/if applicable)

*Sensor Operations---- The eyes and ears of starships, sensor operators are tasked with finding enemies, gathering detailed astronomical data, and charting planets from orbit.
- Read Sensory Instruments(+20%)
- Astrophysics(+15%)
- Electronic Countermeasures(+15%)
- Espionage: Choose either Detect Ambush or Detect Concealment(+15%)
- Computer Programming(+15%)
- Intelligence(+10%)
- Electrical Engineer(+10%)
- Optic Systems(+20%)

*Small Craft Operations----These are expert pilots of small craft such as shuttles, lighters, patrolcraft and small transports, with experience in both in-atmosphere and interplanetary operations.
-Pilot Jet Aircraft(+15%)
-Pilot Yacht: Space(+15%)
-Pilot Small Spacecraft(+20%)
- Navigation: Space(+15%)
- Navigation: ALW(+20%)
- Weapons Systems(+15%)
- Wilderness Survival(+5%)
- Oxygen Conservation(+15%)

*Starship Gunnery----These personnel man some of the most powerful weaponry in the GNE/USA arsenal. These are the people who can make those one-in-a-million long range coasting cruise missile bulls-eye strikes from halfway across the solar system.
- Weapons Systems (+20%)
- Math: Advanced(+15%)
- Demolitions(+15%)
- Demolitions Disposal(+15%)
- Weapons Engineer(+15%)
- W.P. Heavy Megadamage Weaponry
- W.P. Starship Weapons
- W.P. Starship Artillery

*Technical----These personnel see to the accessory systems and functions aboard ship.
-Basic Electronics(+15%)
-Basic Mechanics(+15%)
-Two Mechanical or Electrical skills of choice(+15%)
-Technical: Four of choice(+15%)

Skills: Select 4 ‘other skills at Level One, plus an 2 additional skills at levels 2, 5, 8, +1 at levels 10, 12, and 15.
Communications: None; only those with the Bridge Operations, Communications(+10%), or Sensor Operations MOSes can select from this category
Domestic: Any. Life Support MOSes get a bonus of +10%.
Electrical: Basic only. Engineering, EVA, and Technical MOSes can select any at +5%
Espionage: None. Those with the Security MOS can select Detect Ambush/Concealment at +10%. Bridge MOses can select at +5%.
Mechanical: Automobile and Basic only. Technical and Engineering MOSes can select any at +5%
Medical: First Aid (+5%) or Paramedic(the latter costs 2 skill selections). Those with the Corpsman MOS can select any with a +10% bonus.
Military: None. Those with the Bridge and Security MOS can select Find Contraband and Trap/Mine Detection at +5%
Physical: Any
Pilot: Any(+5%)
Pilot Related: Any(+5%)
Rogue: Any(+7%)
Science: Any. Sensor Operations and Technical MOSes get a +10% bonus
Technical: Any. Technical MOSes get a +10% bonus
Wilderness: Any(+5%)
Weapons Proficiencies(W.P.): Any

Secondary Skills: Select 4 at level 1, gain 1 additional skill at levels 4, 8, and 12

Experience Tables: Use the CAF Fleet Officer exp. tables

Standard Equipment:
Standard issue uniform, EVA-capable skinsuit, armored EBA, deck-grip boots/footwear, personal communicator/comp and environmental monitor. Multi-tool and patch kit. Under combat condotions, will have access to appropriate weapons matching their W.P.s.

Starting Money: 1D4x1,000 in savings, base salary is 2,000 credits per month. Soldiers are provided with full room, board, and medical treatment.

Equipment Available Upon Assignment: Just about anything that their Commanding Officer deems suitable and they are trained with. The GNEAS’s infamous reputation of getting involved in bizarre and credibility-stretching ‘shenanigans’ means that it is not unusual for personnel to be given equipment that would normally be reserved for a country’s elite forces, and veterans quickly become numb to constant stream of ‘Adventure-itus’ experiences. This gets only worse in space where ‘bold new worlds, alternate dimensions, and weird new civilizations’ beckon.

Cybernetics: None to start, but sees little to no reason to avoid getting them.

Bio-Modification:
The growing field of applied bio-modification has introduced a new realm of performance enhancement to the GNEAS and AJC. Many personnel anticipating long careers in space operations will seek, and be provided with, the opportunity to get a bo-mod package, typically one of the environmental adaptation/survival mods.

Like their wet-navy counterparts, the Space Forces will also have complements of other OCCs aboard, such as Operators, Body Fixers, magic-uses, diplomats, psychics, cyborgs, special forces, technical officers, combat psychiatrists, scientists, and the like, many of who may have one or more space-related skills as part of long-term shipboard or space-based deployments(but not always). And of course Irregulars and those seconded from other nations’ space programs(these can be OCCs from any other Palladium space-based settings, including Aliens Unlimited, Robotech, Manhunter, or even Ninjas & Superspies).
-------------
"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
------------
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taalismn
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

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PS-FCMcCFCR-04 ‘Pixen’ Smallkin Cyborg Frame Combat Robot
(aka ‘Assassin Bug’)
“We’ve been getting an increasing amount of faerie gold in from our regional outlets in the northeast. Admittedly, we’re getting some faux stuff, but our screeners pick that up fast enough to reject payment, but the rest is real enough. Somebody’s buying up smallkin-compatible hardware, especially mobile armaments, in company-strength allotments.”

The ‘Pixen’ is yet another in a series of cyborg-based robot vehicles meant for Smallkin-operation. The Pixen was designed with stealth operations in mind.
The Pixen is lower profile than its sister designs, in order to present a smaller target. It lacks a proper head, instead having a streamlined canopy atop its torso, and a ring of sensors. It is slower than the other cyborg-’bots, but only because it is meant to be stealthier. The Pixen has benefitted from PS’s experience with its PS-R-SOG-04 Shadowbot Espionage/Special Operations Robot(and a Smallkin-piloted version of that machine was originally planned, but for an executive order calling for alternative designs to be submitted).
Pixens are typically deployed as scout ‘mechs(their laser designators make them good forward spotters for units with laser-guided artillery), and sometimes as headhunters, picking off enemies and targets of opportunity.
Pixens have found a ready market among the smallkin of Canada’s ’faerie coast’; with the possible collapse of the Grand Banks Accord looming, and the threat of the Faerie Harvest resuming, many of the more liberal and less technophobic fay are investing in defenses.

Type: PS-FCMcCFCR-04 ‘Pixen’
Class: Cyborg Frame Combat Robot(Light Machine)
Crew: One, mutant animal or small-statured sentient of Size Level 1 or 2
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 180
Head 80
Arms(2) 60 each
Hands(2) 25 each
Pulse Laser 100
Micro-Missile Launchers(2) 30 each
Legs(2) 85 each
Feet(2) 25 each
Height: 5 ft
Width: 2 ft
Length: 2 ft
Weight: 300 lbs
Physical Strength: Equivalent P.S. of 30
Cargo:Whatever can be carried. The pilot’s compartment has room for a small survival pack and sidearms(typically a derringer-styled weapon) appropriately scaled to the crew.
Possible hidden compartments in the legs.
Powerplant: Nuclear Powercell w/ 15 year energy life
Speed:(Running) 100 MPH
(Leaping) 12 ft up/22 ft across; increase by 50% with running start
Cyberjet-boost allows for leaps of 25 ft up/ 50 ft across.
(Flying) Not possible
(Underwater) Can run along the bottom at about 7 MPH, maximum depth of 1,000 ft

Market Cost: 1.1 million credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Power Armor Systems, plus:
* Built-in language translator
* Built-in radio receiver & transmitter
* Clock calendar
* Gyro-compass
*Multi-optic eyes
*Nightvision/Thermal Imaging Optics
* Built-in loudspeaker
*Head-mounted IR/Normal Light Spotlights

*360-degree Waist Rotation

*Escape Pod----This is a modified MDC(50) helmet that closes around the tiny pilot, providing additional protection. In a bail-out situation, the pilot can eject, the helmet powered clear of the rest of the robot by rocket motors. Internal airbags cushion the pilot on landing(it was decided NOT to include a mini-parachute, in case such might give away to a watchful enemy that something was up). The escape pod can rocket up to 5,000 ft away.

Note that Size Level 1 and 2 crewmembers are commonly issued a miniaturized version of the PS Skinsuit, a light padded body suit of megadamage plastic fibers(4-6 MDC), with soft ‘tanker’s cap’(w/ chip radio with 2 mile range), plastic gloves, and boots, clear plastic faceplate with an air filter mask(an 02 cylinder can also be attached for 1 hour of air) .

*PPE Sensor---Thanks to micro-chip engineering expertise, PS has managed to get the size of the system down to compact enough to fit into the scope module. The sensor has a 200 ft range(out to 400 ft with 50% error in determination), 60-degree arc, and can detect invisible entities. Other penalties similar to the Japanese SNARLS system(on which it is based.....see Rifts: Japan, pg. 116).

*Laser Designator---- The Pixen mounts a laser designator concealed atop its main body. This allows the ‘bot to ‘paint’ targets for laser-guided weaponry. Range: 50,000 ft.

*Stealth Armor----The Pixen is clad in a skinning of material reverse-engineered from Naruni Enterprise’s thermal-stealth armor. The robot’s infrared and thermal emissions are masked, with only a 25% chance of showing up on thermal sensors. MD fire/heat attacks do HALF damage, and high speed impact damage attacks(bullets, rail guns, grenades, missiles, explosions, falls, and collisions) do HALF damage.

*Prowl Capability----The Pixen’s legs are padded for edxtra soft and dispersed ground pressure, and its actuators insulated to muffle the sound of their operation. The ‘bot can Prowl at 75%.

Weapons Systems:
1) Forearm Laser---One arm carries a powerful x-ray pulse laser
Range:(Pulse Laser) 3,000 ft
Damage:(Pulse Laser) 4d4 MD single shot, 1d4x10 +10 MD per triple shot burst
Can also perform a spray attack doing 3d6 MD to a 30 ft wide area
X-ray feature aspect means laser-reflective armors are ineffective.
Rate of Fire:(Pulse Laser) ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

In the alternative, the Pixen can mount a modified PSLR-50 ‘Widower’ Laser Rifle. This has similar range and damage, but drops the x-ray armor-penetration and sprayfire capabilities for a second laser designator and a grenade launcher.
Range:(Laser Designator) 50,000 ft
(Pulse Laser) 3,000 ft
(Grenade Launcher) 1,200 ft
Damage:(Laser Designator) None
(Pulse Laser) 4d4 MD single shot, 1d4x10 +10 MD per triple shot burst
(Grenade Launcher) 2d6(12 ft blast radius)/4d6(10 ft blast radius) for standard HE,
6d6 MD light micro-fusion(12 ft blast radius)
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:(Laser Designator) ECHH
(Pulse Laser) ECHH
(Grenade Launcher) ECHH
Payload:(Laser Designator) Effectively Unlimited
(Pulse Laser) Effectively Unlimited
(Grenade Launcher) 12 shot clip magazine, but the ‘bot mounting adds a 50 shot drum magazine
Bonuses: Laser Targeting gives a +1 to strike
Special Features:
*Variable Frequency Capability---This is less to defeat laser-resistant armors, and more to allow multiple designators to paint different targets for different weapons...A special integral chip can adjust the combat frequency to do maximum damage within 1d4 melees, or the designator laser can be manually set to pre-determined weapons-band frequencies.

*Optional Flash Suppressor---A screw-in cylinder containing special baffles and extra focusing elements, that allows for a tighter beam and less peripheral flash leakage from the combat laser---Greatly reduces the already slim chance of anyone seeing the laser flash(except under very dusty conditions) unless the person is looking directly down the barrel. However, it also reduces the range of the laser to about 1,800 ft.


2) MicroMissile Launchers(2)---Mounted on both sides of the torso is a modular micromissile launcher. The launchers give the ‘bot equivalent firepower to the ‘Farlane’, but the torso mounting is less obvious and frees up the arms for heavier direct-fire or melee weaponry.
Range:
Pattern-1A 5,700 ft
Pattern-1B 6,000 ft
Pattern-1C 6,000 ft
Pattern-1D 7,000 ft
Pattern-1E 7,500 ft
Damage/Bonuses:
Pattern-1A---1d4 MD to 2 ft blast radius
Pattern-1B---1d6 MD to 5 ft blast radius
Pattern-1C---4d6 MD to 4 ft blast radius, or 1d4 MD to a 10 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode
Pattern-1D----6d6 MD to a 5 ft blast radius, or 2d6 MDC out to a 18 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode
Pattern-1E---1d4x10 MD to 3 ft blast radius
Bonuses:
Pattern-1A (None) Spin-Stabilized
Pattern-1B (None) Gyro-Compass Chip
Pattern-1C (+1 to strike, in addition to W.P. Heavy bonuses. The Pattern-1C can also be set to be a ‘beam rider’, following a laser illuminator ‘painted’ on the target for an extra +2 to strike. However, this requires expediture of an extra attack per melee on the part of the gunner to keep the laser illuminator on target) Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip.
Pattern-1D (+2 to strike, in addition to W.P. Heavy bonuses. Like the Pattern-1C, the Pattern-1D can ‘beam-ride’...again, this requires the gunner to maintain target-lock at the cost of an additional APM, but the -1D is better able to remain on target if the lock is broken. Furthermore, the missile can be keyed to lock on to the laser illuminator of other gunners...done with a pre-determined key-chip...allowing squadmates to ‘paint’ targets for fellow soldiers with micro-missile launchers). Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip, Image Sensing Chip.
Pattern-1E(+4 to strike, in addition to W.P. Heavy bonuses, Same ‘beamrider’ capability as with Pattern-1D. ) Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip, Image Sensing Chip, Infra-Red Sensing Chip.
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-25(all)
Payload: 25 micro-missiles each launcher.
Cost:
Pattern-1A 25 credits per McM
Pattern-1B 32 credits per McM
Pattern-1C 60 credits per McM
Pattern-1D 95 credits per McM
Pattern-1E 220 credits per McM

In the alternative, 18-shot 20mm- or 8-shot 20mm MicroMissile launchers can be substituted instead:

3) Vibroblade---The forearm not mounting a laser carries instead a retractable vibrosword blade
Range: Melee
Damage: 2d6 MD

Hand to Hand Combat
Use Robot Combat Training bonuses(on account of the control set-up)
Restrained Punch 1d4 MD
Full Strength Punch 1d6 MD
Power Punch(2 attacks) 2d6 MD
Kick 1d6 MD
Body Block 2d4 MD

Options:
*Alternate Melee Weapon---Some blade arms replace the vibroblade with a PSPSR-1 ‘Saber Rifle’ Multi-Mode Plasma Carbine, TW Ice Saber, TW Combat Gauntlet, or TWMBW11 ‘SebaKatar’ TW Melee Weapon.

* *Fiber Optic Pre-Programmed Camouflage Scheme Surfacing----Can switch the overall color scheme of the armor to any one of 16 different pre-programmed designs(held in microchip memory). Changeover takes 30 seconds(2 melees) to take place.

* Cargo Compartment: Shoe box-sized space in the torso. Replaces one MicroMissile Launcher.

*EW Suite---A fairly basic radio jammer that can jam civilian band radio communications with 70% efficiency, military communications with 50%. Range: 1 mile. Replaces one MicroMissile Launcher.



PS-FCMcCFCR-05 ‘Pug’ Smallkin Cyborg Frame Combat Robot
(aka ‘Pug-Ugly’)
“I hate pugs. I hate the dogs and I hate the ‘bots. They’re both ugly. The dog is pretentious, useless, and looks like an overgrown gnat with bug eyes that look ready to pop out. The ‘bot is ugly, looks like a bug made out of metal scraps, and is deadly effective at keeping my warriors pinned down before ripping them up. The dog I can kick. The ‘bot takes way too much killing for my peace of mind. If I ever discover I am facing pugs piloted by pugs, I will know I have truly discovered hell.”
--- Warpack Leader Osmar Fourteen

The ‘Pug’ is another new Smallkin humanoid battle robot based on cyborg frames.
The Pug attempts to combine the ranged firepower of the -02 ‘Duelist’ with melee capabilities. Thus, one entire arm is taken up by a general purpose machine gun for long range suppression fire, while the other arm features an articulated hand and retractable vibro claws. A shoulder-mounted cluster of short range lasers gives the ‘bot a powerful mid-range weapon without an ammunition dependency.
The Pug uses slightly modified actuators for greater strength, but this also leads to a slower running speed. The Pug’s smaller size and more rounded armor make it both harder to hit and more difficult to put down, as it can more easily deflect projectile and melee hits.
A favorite tactic of Pug teams, if they have the time to scout out the terrain, is to split up into two groups. One group uses ranged fire to herd enemy into cover and keep them pinned down, while the other group slips in close to savage them at close quarters.

Type: PS-FCMcCFCR-05 ‘Pug’
Class: Cyborg Frame Combat Robot(Light Machine)
Crew: One, mutant animal or small-statured sentient of Size Level 1 or 2
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 180
Head 80
Machine Gun Arm(1) 70
Upper Arms(1) 60 each
Grasper Hand(1) 25 each
Laser Shoulder Pod(1) 60
Legs(2) 85 each
Feet(2) 25 each
Height: 5.5 ft
Width: 2.1 ft
Length: 2 ft
Weight: 360 lbs
Physical Strength: Equivalent P.S. of 30
Cargo:Whatever can be carried. The pilot’s compartment has room for a small survival pack and sidearms(typically a derringer-styled weapon) appropriately scaled to the crew.
Possible hidden compartments in the legs.
Powerplant: Nuclear Powercell w/ 15 year energy life
Speed:(Running) 90 MPH
(Leaping) 12 ft up/22 ft across; increase by 50% with running start
(Flying) Not possible
(Underwater) Can run along the bottom at about 7 MPH, maximum depth of 1,000 ft

Market Cost: 890,000 credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Power Armor Systems, plus:
* Built-in language translator
* Built-in radio receiver & transmitter
* Clock calendar
* Gyro-compass
*Multi-optic eyes
*Nightvision/Thermal Imaging Optics
* Built-in loudspeaker
*Head-mounted Spotlights

*360-degree Waist Rotation

*Escape Pod----This is a modified MDC(50) helmet that closes around the tiny pilot, providing additional protection. In a bail-out situation, the pilot can eject, the helmet powered clear of the rest of the robot by rocket motors. Internal airbags cushion the pilot on landing(it was decided NOT to include a mini-parachute, in case such might give away to a watchful enemy that something was up). The escape pod can rocket up to 5,000 ft away.

Note that Size Level 1 and 2 crewmembers are commonly issued a miniaturized version of the PS Skinsuit, a light padded body suit of megadamage plastic fibers(4-6 MDC), with soft ‘tanker’s cap’(w/ chip radio with 2 mile range), plastic gloves, and boots, clear plastic faceplate with an air filter mask(an 02 cylinder can also be attached for 1 hour of air) .

*Kinetic-Dissipation Armor---A derivation of work to develop a knockoff of Naruni Enterprise’s Thermal-Kinetic armor. High speed impact damage attacks(bullets, rail guns, grenades, missiles, explosions, falls, and collisions) do HALF damage.

Weapons Systems:
1) Machine Gun Arm---One arm mounts a rapid fire general purpose machine gun. Though ammunition-dependent, the GPMG is mechanically reliable, possesses excellent range, and both rate of fire and ammunition type can be varied.
Range: 10,000 ft
Damage:(SDC) 6d6 SDC single shot, 4d6 x10 SDC(1d4 MD) per 10 rd burst.
(Ramjets) 1 MD single shot, 1d10 MD per 10 rd burst.
(High Explosive)2d6x10 SDC single shot, 1d6 MD per 10 rd burst.
(PSX-2) 1d4 MD per rd, 1d4x10 MD per 10 rd burst.
(Tracer) Every 11th round is a tracer, which gives a +1 to strike with bursts. However, the tracer stream also makes it that much easier for enemies to backtrace and locate the machine gunner.
Rate of Fire: Standard; rated at 600 rpm
Payload: 250-rd belt drum
Cost: 8,000 credits

As an alternative, a 20mm ‘Taskin’ light infantry autocannon can be carried instead.
Weight: 25 lbs (cannon and backpack)
MDC of Weapon: The actual Taskin Rifle has 70 MDC, while the backpack has 40 MDC.
Range:(20mm)3,000 ft (1,500 ft for wood rounds)
Damage:(20mm) 1d4 MD per shell
4d6 MD per 5 rd burst
1d4x10+4 MD per 10 rd burst
Airburst does 1d4 MD to 2 ft blast radius(single shot)
(20mm PS-1) 4d4 MD single rd
1d6x10 MD per 5 rd burst
Airburst does 4d4 MD to 2 ft blast radius
(Wood Rounds) 6d6 SDC per round (1d6x10 HP to vampires)
4d6 MD per 5 rd burst
1d4x10+4 MD per 10 rd burst
Airbursts are not possible with wooden rounds

(20mm PSX-2)(after 110 PA)
4d6 MD single rd
2d6x10 MD per 5 rd burst
Airburst does 4d6 MD to 6 ft blast radius

Rate of Fire: (20mm)Standard.

Payload: 200 rds,
Cost: 20,000 credits
A box of 100 20 mm ‘smart’ rds costs 800 credits
A box of 100 20 mm ‘smart’ PSX-1 rds costs 3000 credits(after 110 PA, this drops to 2,000 credits)
A box of 100 20 mm ‘smart’ PSX-2 rds costs 3200 credits


2) Shoulder Lasers(3x1)---The shoulder opposite the machine gun arm holds a pod with a triple-barreled laser array. The standard-issue weapon(s) are modified versions of PS’s ‘Luzi’ laser SMG, which can fire devastating bursts at relatively short ranges.
Range: 900 ft
Damage: 2d6 MD single shot, or 1d6x10 MD per 5 shot burst per barrel, 3d6x10 MD for a simultaneous burst from all three weapons(counts as one attack)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Cost: 11,000 credits)
Options:
*Blue-Green Frequency Kit---This modifies the ‘Luzi’ to fire more effectively underwater, down to 1,000 ft. Cost: 6,000 credits

*Flash-Blinder---This adds a special power-stepdown chip to the weapon’s power regulation/draw system, and a scattering optic to the barrel. allowing the weapon to produce blinding flashes of light that can temporarily blind those with unprotected optics/eyes. Effects are roughly equal to a Blinding Flash spell. One MD shot equals 200 ‘flash’ shots.
Cost: 4,000 credits

*Scatter-Laser Kit---This conversion adds what looks like a round-tipped air-cooled muzzle or perforated silencer to the end of the muzzle. In reality, it is a beam-splitter that converts the PSLR-7 into a short ranged ‘laser shotgun’, doing 2d4 MD to an 9 ft-wide area, at about 400 ft range, with a single shot, and 4d6 MD to a 10 ft area with a burst shot. Cost: 7,000 credits

In the alternative, a pair of longer-ranged ‘Bushmaster’ laser pistol-based weapons can be mounted. Less damage, but better range.
Weight: 4.5 lbs
Range: 1,500 ft
Damage: 2d6 MD per single shot, 6d6 MD per 3-shot burst per barrel, 1d6x10+10 MD for a simultaneous burst from both weapons(counts as one attack)
Rate of Fire: Standard
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Bonuses: +1 to strike from the weapon’s superior balance and design
Cost: 18,000 credits
Options:
*Blue-Green Frequency Kit---This modifies the ‘Bushmaster’ to fire more effectively underwater, down to 1,000 ft. Cost: 6,000 credits

*Fan-Scatter-Laser Kit---This conversion adds what looks like a round-tipped air-cooled muzzle or perforated silencer to the end of the muzzle. In reality, it is a beam-splitter that converts the PSLP into a short ranged ‘fan laser’, doing 1d6 MD to an 10 ft-wide area, at about 300 ft range, with a single shot, and 3d6 MD to a 12 ft area with a burst shot.
Sometimes called a ‘paint stripper’. Cost: 5,000 credits

3) Vibroclaws---The free arm/hand sports a triple set of retractable vibroblades. Silver-plated and ‘ripper’ types are favored as upgrades.
Range: Melee
Damage: 3d6 MD

4)(Optional) Use of Handheld Weapons---The free grasping hand can pick up and use infantry-scale hand weapons, as long as they can be used one-handed.

Hand to Hand Combat
Use Robot Combat Training bonuses(on account of the control set-up)
+1 to Roll
Restrained Punch 1d4 MD
Full Strength Punch 1d6 MD
Power Punch(2 attacks) 2d6 MD
Kick 1d6 MD
Body Block 2d4 MD

Options:
*Palm Blaster---The free hand can be modified to house a palm-mounted blaster as a backup weapon or utility welder/cutter.
Range:(Laser) 500 ft
(Ion) 300 ft
(Plasma) 200 ft
Damage:(Laser) (Variable) 1d6-1d6x10 SDC, or 1d6 MD per blast
(Ion) 2d6 MD per blast
(Plasma) 4d6 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Cost: (Laser) 25,000 credits
(Ion) 20,000 credits
(Plasma) 35,000 credits

*Blast Plates---Some Smallkin operators make the Pug an even more lethal close quarters fighter by hanging claymore directional mines off parts of the ‘bot. This may have been suggested by Greater New England’s Shemarrian-tribe-in-residence, as it emulates their ‘blastron’ armor.
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 charges act as a PARRY, rolling to match or better the missile’s strike roll...a successful counter means that the missile damage is HALVED, while a failure means the armor 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 Shemarrian must expend 3 reactive armor packs...two packs would roll twice to defeat their respective missiles, the third would only roll once.
Rate of Fire: One at a time or can be simultaneously fired in volleys of 1-3
Payload: The Pug can carry three on the front(one on the chest and one on each knee) and two on the back.

Variants:
*PS-FCMcCFCR-05B----(aka ‘Cyberkappa’) Amphibious variant developed at the request of the Anowak turtle-Smallkin. The variant adds extra environmental sealing for prolonged underwater immersion, installs neutral bouyancy cells in the armor, and hydrothruster units on the back and in the legs. The weapon arm is replaced with a bundled package of underwater weapons. The -B variant trades long range firepower for underwater combat capability.
Changes/Modifications:
Speed:
(Underwater) 35 MPH. maximum depth tolerance of 2,000 ft.
Systems of Note:
*Mini-Sonar---- 15 mile range
Weapons Systems.
1) Underwater Weapons Arm----Replaces the machine cannon arm with a bundle of underwater-capable weapons;
a) Speargun/Needle Rifle/Blue-Green Laser
Range:(Spears) 200 ft underwater, 350 ft in air.
(Needles)(5.56mm, 120mm-long darts) 360 ft in air.
180 ft at depths of about 16 ft
120 ft at depths of about 66 ft
72 ft at depths of about 130 ft
(Laser) 1,200 ft
Damage:(Spears)These weapons can be tipped with an explosive head(2d6 SDC or 5d6 MD exploding head), armor-piercing hunting point(1d6 MD), magnetic grapple, or tracking bug, and can be used to attach a 100-foot line of high strength braided mono-filament cabling.
(Needles)3d6 SDC single round, 6d6 SDC per three round burst.
*Poison Darts---These have a small internal reservoir for holding drugs or toxins, to be dispersed inside a living target. PS itself doesn’t sell any poisons, but a variety are available on the open market(and it’s said the Cambridge Jungle tribes have a number of nifty drugs and poisons available). Cost: 75 credits per 100 basic, unfilled, venom rounds.
*MDC Penetrators---These use a more powerful propellant to fire the projectile that much harder, to the point that they each do 1 MD(range is unchanged). Cost: 500 credits per 100 rds
(Laser) 3d6 MD single shot, 4d6 MD pulse burst
Rate of Fire:(Spears) Volleys of 1-3(all)
(Needles) Single shot or 3-shot bursts
(Laser) ECHH
Payload:(Spears) 3
(Needles) 30-rd box magazine
(Laser) Effectively Unlimited
Cost: 21,000 credits


b) MTR-01 ‘SeaHammer’ Micro-Torpedo Launcher
Range: 2,500 ft underwater, 500 ft in air
Damage: (Pattern -T1) 6d6 MD to 3 ft radius per torpedo
Rate of Fire: Standard(Yes, bursts are possible)
Payload: 12 rds
Cost: 5,000 credits. Each micro-torp costs 250 credits, a magazine drum holding 12 costs 100 credits(2,100 credits full)
Note: As later MT-1 series micro-torpedoes become available, the SeaHammer can use them as well.

c) USR-11 Strakker Sonic Rifle
Range: 1,200 ft in water, 200 ft in air
Damage: (Variable power settings) 4d6 SDC, or 4d6 MD per blast
Area of effect ‘shotgun’ blast: Half damage to a 10 ft wide area.
Sonic weapons do HALF damage through light ‘soft’ armors like MDC barding and padded armor.
The sonic vibrations can also be used to set up a resonance in hard armor that can stun or disorient living beings. Humans(and those most like them) will find these subsonic vibrations particularly irritating, the barely audible buzzing setting up painful discordance in their eardrums and auditory apparatus. Beings with enhanced hearing are particularly vulnerable to this attack(DOUBLE penalties and duration of effects). Cyborgs and those with baffled hearing implants will NOT be affected by this.
Save versus psionic attack(12 or better) or be -1d4 to initiative, HALF all bonuses to strike/parry/dodge, and -1d4 to Maintain Balance for 1d6 melees. Roll under P.E. or fall unconscious for 1d6 melees.
Power Armor and EBA-wearers will be more susceptible to the effects of resonance, owing to their close proximity to the materials being affected. The effects are greatly diminished to occupants on a vehicle owing to the many interior structures that serve to disipate and insulate the sound waves.

Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Cost: 80,0000 credits
-------------
"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: 47908
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Using some inspiration from Omegasgundam's formats.

Greater New England/United Systems Alliance Stelmarines O.C.C.
(aka ‘Ship-crackers’)
“Last mission I was on, we had to go ee-vee-ay to deal with some deep galactic abyss emissary’s offspring who’d accidentally ingested something wrong and had undergone an unchecked explosive cellular metastis...kid was growing massive amounts of nondifferential protoplasm, had expanded to fill the spacestation it was staying on, and was threatening to both crush the other occupants of the station and bust it open into vacuum. We had to cut our way in, butcher our way through tumor-growth, find the kid’s alimentary channel, and deliver a big dose of mineral salts that we were told would stop the condition. Only, the stuff we had didn’t work completely the way the parents said it would, and we had to hold position while the xeno-docs came up with something ELSE. Fortunately we were able to rescue the station personnel who’d managed to hole up behind some sturdy bulkheads, because it took three tries before they found something that did the trick and cured the cancer. The emissaries thanked us for our work saving their kid, but I still can’t look at pudding without having some bad moments. But that’s in a day’s work in the Stelmarines.”

“I HATE boarding derelicts; there’s no telling WHAT you might come face to face with opening a door, turning a corner, or coming near a duct or hall panel. Might be a pirate, might be a macro-parasite, a mutated crewmember, crazed ship’bot, or alien predator. So why am I in the Stelmarines, where most of what we do is board other ships? Making damn sure that everybody in my fire teams follows the RIGHT protocols and doesn’t overlook anything. Doesn’t completely eliminate the possibility that somebody’s going to die on our side, but it weights the odds a lot better that it’s going to be the OTHER side that gets vapped.”

“There’s two modes of combat in the Stelmarines; extremely long range and extremely short range. In both, you have little time to respond at the speed things move, and you have to be extremely accurate in the application of a maximum amount of force, if you’re to survive.”

To many the GNE Stelmarines are the most visible in-person arm of the United Systems Alliance military they’re likely to encounter, usually in the course of boarding and securing a spacecraft or spacestation. They are trained in deep space combat, boarding actions, and, to a lesser extent, planetary combat, especially in hostile environments like ice moons and gas giant atmospheres. Stelmarines are trained in marksmanship with ranged weapons, but are also expected to be adapt at close quarters combat, where most shipboard combat takes place.
While the Stelmarine core originated with the Greater New England Armed Services’ aerospace arm, taking on hostile Orbitals, Arkhons, and mutant insects, the USA expansion of the Corps has benefitted from the swordsmanship skills of the Skensi Royal Commandos and the experience of the Grendlesec Bashers. They are regarded as one of the elite services of the GNEAS, protecting the far-flung outposts of the United Systems Alliance
Many of the Stelmarines’ MOSes are little different from those of their planetary counterparts, but the focus is on equipment, tactics, and performance in microgravity, shipboard operations, and exotic alien environs.

Prerequisites:IQ 10, ME 12, P.S. 12, P.P. 14, P.E. 12
Bonuses: +1D4 to M.E., P.P. and P.E., +25 SDC, +1 on Initiative at levels 1, 4, 9, and 13, +1 to save vs Horror Factor at levels 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15, +3 vs Possession
O.C.C. Skills:
Language (Trade Four/English): 98%
Language (Dragonese): 80%
Language (One of Choice)(+15%)
Literacy (Trade Four/English): 95%
Literacy (Dragonese): 80%
Literacy (One of Choice)(+15%)
Military Etiquette(+20%)
Math: Basic(+10%)
Radio: Basic(+15%)
Computer Operation(+10%)
Read Sensory Instruments(+15%)
Weapons Systems(+15%)
Military Etiquette(+20%)
Pilot: Jetpack (+20%)
Pilot: Grav Pack(+20%)
Navigation: Orbital(+10%)
Movement: Zero Gravity
General Athletics
EVA(+20%)
Vacuum Survival
Boarding Spaceships(+20%)
W.P. Knife or Sword
W.P. Energy Pistol
W.P. Energy Rifle
Hand to Hand: Expert or Martial Art, may upgrade to Assassin (if anarchist or evil) for 1 other skill, or Commando for 2 other skills

MOS Skill Packages: (Select one)
*EOD/Demolitions Expert---Whether it’s blasting a hole through Nuk Rek Nuss armor, napalming a Necron ship’s ‘heart room’, or overloading a space fortress’s reactor, Stelmarine demo-men show an affinity inherited from their Marine predecessors for blowing crap up.
-Basic Electronics: (+20%)
-Basic Mechanics: (+10%)
-Demolitions: (+10%)
-Demolitions Disposal: (+15%)
-Demolitions Underwater: (+8%)
-Trap Construction or NBC Warfare: (+5%)
-Advanced Math: (+15%)
-WP Heavy Energy Weapons

*Heavy Weapons---These soldiers are trained in the use of heavy anti-armor, specialized antipersonnel, or bunker-busting ranged weaponry.
-Recognize Weapon Quality: (+25%)
-Field Armorer & Munitions Expert(+15%)
- Basic Mechanics(+10%)
-Sniper or Sharpshooting
-Weapon Systems (+10%)
-WP Heavy Weapons
-WP Heavy Energy Weapons
-WP Two of Choice

*Planet Ranger---These are the first ones down on a planet, scouting the terrain
- Land Navigation (+20%)
- Camouflage (+20%)
- Wilderness Survival (+15%)
- Sniper or Sharpshooting
- Prowl: (+15%)
- Surveillance Systems or Laser Systems(+10%)
- Parachuting(+10%)
- Climbing(+15%)
- W.P. Rifle

*Point Man---Typically the first Stelmarines to have the honor of entering another spacecraft, and also often the first to get killed, point men have to have nerves of steel, near-omniscent senses, and hair-trigger reflexes. The Stelmarine Corps gets plenty of volunteers.
-Detect Ambush (+15%)
-Detect Concealment: (+10%)
-Find Contraband: (+10%)
-Prowl: (+10%)
-Trap/Mine Detection (+15%)
-Physical: Two of choice(+10% where applicable)
-W.P. Paired Weapons


*Power Armor/Robots ---Power armor are such an integral part of Stelmarine operations they’ve enfolded it ito the standard Stelmarine training path, rather than form a separate RPA OCC.
-Navigation: Land(+15%)
-Navigation: Orbital (+20%)
-Pilot: Jet/Grav Pack: (+20%)
-Pilot RPA: (+20%)
-RPA Combat Basic
-RPA Combat Elite (‘Fury’ Power Armor)
-RPA Combat Elite (PSA-11B ‘Star Guard” Space Power Armor)
-RPA Combat Elite (Choice)

*Vehicle Crew---Sometimes the Stelmarines need to use specialized vehicles, especially planetside. For these, the Stelmarine Corps has its own in-house MOS.
-Basic Mechanics (+10%)
-Pilot Tanks & APCs: (+20%)
-Pilot Hovercraft or Shuttlecraft: (+15%)
-Pilot RPA: (+5%)
-RPA Combat Basic
-Navigation: (+15%)
-Sensory Equipment: (+15%)
-Weapon Systems: (+15%)

Skills: Select 5 ‘other skills at Level One, plus an additional 2 at levels 3 and 6, and +1 at levels 9 and 12..
Communications: Any(+5%)
Domestic: Any
Electrical: Any
Espionage: Sniper, Tracking, and Wilderness Survival only
Mechanical: Any
Medical: First Aid or Paramedic (the latter is two skill selections)
Military: Any(+5%)
Physical: Any
Pilot: Any(Those with the Vehicle Pilot MOS get a +10%)
Pilot Related: Any(Those with the Vehicle Pilot MOS get a +5%)
Rogue: Any
Science: Basic and Advanced Math only
Technical: Any(+5%)
Wilderness: Any(Those with the Planetary Ranger MOS get a +10%)
Weapons Proficiencies(W.P.): Any

Secondary Skills: Select 4 at first level, plus an additional +1 at levels 2, 5, 8, and 13

Experience Tables: Use the CAF Trooper OCC exp. tables.

Standard Equipment:
Standard issue uniform, EVA-capable skinsuit, armored EBA(typically VEBA-06 ‘Starman’ or VEBA-00X/2A) , personal communicator and environmental monitor. One weapon for each W.P. and four clips for each of those that require one.

Equipment Available Upon Assignment: Just about anything that their Commanding Officer deems suitable and they are trained with. The Stelmarines have an even more pronounced tendency to become involved in ‘interesting’ situations requiring special equipment so that it is not unusual for squads to be given equipment that would normally be reserved for a country’s elite forces, and veterans quickly become numb to constant stream of ‘Adventure-itus’ experiences.

Starting Money: 1D6x1000 in savings, base salary is 2200 credits per month. Soldiers are provided with full room, board, and medical treatment.

Cybernetics: Have no objection to cybernetics or bionics. Many start out with up to 3 implants or 1 cyberlimb.
Bio-Modification: Stelmarines can be expected to be offered Class IV bio-modification fairly early in their careers, and most take the offer
Last edited by taalismn on Sat Oct 31, 2020 12:27 am, 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
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47908
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Paladin Steel/Aegis Stellar Industries PS-A-21S ‘Kimat’ Deep Space Combat Robot
(aka ‘Sirius-B’, ‘Dogstar’, ‘Canis Major’)

“Time to rip.”
The two ‘bot-jock Stelmarines turned their Dogstars’ heavy p-spitters on the hull, invisible atomic fire tearing into the armor and blasting out chunks. Then the chunks became a storm of flakes and fine particles, then a billowing cloud of exploding vapor. With a shudder, the entire section of structure the two ‘bots were on seperated from the rest of the hull, carrying them, the last survivors of the hijacked starliner Vardigar Voyager, and their Stelmarine rescuers free of the pirate warship. Behind them, the gaping hole in the hull continued to spew atmosphere, debris, and the flailing dying forms of Sorm into open space as the entire hull section vented. Flashes along other lobes of hull told of other Stelmarines unleashing the fury of their weapons to cover the boarding team’s retreat. Other Canises darted by, unloading volleys of missiles at Sorm weapons emplacements as they tried to track the annoying vermin that had just stole a section of their ship and badly wounded them in the process-


“I hear that ‘Canis, gonna kick uranus’ once more I’m going to take that advice and put my boot up somebody’s-”
“Actually it’s not ‘kick’, it’s ‘lick ur-*GYAHHH!*”

“We’ll be coming in ballistically behind dark-shrouds; those are carbon-fiber umbrellas that helps hide our heat signatures and absorb radar beams. Of course, when we get close enough, somebodu might notice some stars being occulted, but by the time we get THAT close, it should be too late for the folks we’re sneaking up on.”

The ‘Kimat’ is a development of the PS-A-18S ‘Sirius’ (aka ‘AstroDog’) experimental space version of the PS-A-18 Mongrel, and studies of the d-bee MUTT(Military Universal Tactical Team) power armor,(See Rifts Manhunter pgs 159-160 for details on the MUTT) the latter of which had been copied and modified as the PS-MUERV03 Multi-Environment Utility and Exploration Robot Vehicle. Much as PS engineers loved the MUTT, and some wanted to do a point to point copy of it, the fixed configuration of the MUTT didn’t appeal to the versatility-minded GNEAS command. The PS-A-18S ‘Sirius’ had proven a hit with the Stelmarines in the RE Solar System, but the design suffered when imported to the wider theaters of the United Systems Alliance. The decision was made, therefore, to import the winning aspects of the Sirius to the larger frame of the MUTT and update the design with a range of options.
The Kimat(named for the animal companion of a Phillipine god of thunder) is based on the larger MUTT, but resembles a scaled-up PS-A-18S. Rather than retain the gun-arms of the MUTT, the Kimat keeps the Sirius’s hand-and-underslung-forearm gun mounts for versatility, and upgrades the actuators to keep the Mongrel’s enhanced strength.
The armor composition has been upgraded to the MUTT’s level, making it over over twice as tough as the Sirius-A, and the addition of an integral forcefield generator adds additional protection.
The more powerful propulsion system of the MUTT, laid over with the armaments range of the Sirius, give the Kimat a virtually unmatched degree of manueverability in both atmosphere and in space. Only its relatively slow speed and acceleration prevents it from competing with true aerospace fighters. The CG drive also makes the Kimat well-suited to orbital drop operations, and the same contragravity systems allow the ‘bot to self-extract, being able to make orbit on its own, albeit slowly(most Stelmarine operations in all but the weakest gravity fields have the robots recovered by faster and more reliable transport craft).
Since its introduction, the Kimat has caught on with the GNE/USA’s Stelmarine Corps like wildfire, becoming their preferred heavy support element in assault teams. Besides providing fire support for Stelmarine infantry, both in zero-gee and in gravity, the Kimat backs up formations of smaller power armors such as the Fury. Though currently exclusive to the Stelmarines, there have been more than a few requests from other USA AJC robot-using military branches for Kimat assignments.

Type: PS-A-21S Kimat
Class: Space Infantry Assault Robot
Crew: One
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 800
Reinforced Crew Compartment 150
Hands(2) 50 each
Arms(2) 180 each
Legs(2) 450 each
Forearm Guns(2) 100 each
Shoulder Laser Turrets(2) 75 each
Mini-Missile Launchers(6, chest) 55 each
Sensor Head 320
Propulsion Vanes(4, back) 45 each
Cameras and Electronic Eyes(17) 8 each
Forcefield 200
Height: 14 ft
Width: 7 ft
Length: 6 ft, 12 ft w/ jet vanes extended
Weight: 13 tons
Cargo: Small space inside cabin for a backpack and sidearms
Physical Strength: Robot P.S. of 35
Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion, w/ 20 year energy life
Speed:(Running) 135 MPH
(Leaping) 32 ft up/across standing leap, 195 ft across/100 ft up w/ jet assist
(Underwater) Run along bottom at 18 MPH. Maximum Depth of 6,000 ft.
(Flying) 450 MPH, no altitude limit
(Space) Mach 7
Market Cost: 27 million credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Robot Systems, plus:
*Long Range Radar----(effective range of 100 miles in open space)
*LiDar Array----(effective range of 100 miles in open space)
*Communications Laser(effective range of 10,000 miles)
*Magnetic/Molecular Adhesion Clamps---Points on the feet and legs for anchoring the ‘bot to a hull or other structure.

Weapons Systems:
1) Shoulder Laser Turrets(2)---The Mongrel’s shoulder lasers, based on the original BDR-22 Laser Turrets that graced the NEMA machine’s shoulders, have been retained on the larger Kimat/Sirius-B, but replaced with even more powerful systems. In this case, the decision was made to ‘port over the long-ranged point defense lasers and fire control systems first debuted on the PSA-11 Gendarme. The autofire PDS mode has proven especially useful in suppressing missile barrages and dealing with swarm enemies, both of which the Stelmarines see to much action with.
Range: 6,000 ft in atmosphere, 12,000 ft in space
(Kitsune values: 6,000 ft in atmosphere, 48,000 ft in space)
Mega-Damage: 3D6 MD single blast, 6D6 MD double- barreled blast
Rate of Fire: Equal to the pilot's combined hand to hand attacks, or 4 attacks in auto-defense mode.
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Bonuses: +2 to strike airborne targets like missiles and aircraft/flying opponents(must be traveling higher than 10 ft off the ground)


2) Forearm Hardpoints(2, 1 each forearm)----The under-slung forearm hardpoints have been retained, but Paladin Steel, already very familiar with modular design, have modified them to be capable of accepting a wider range of optional armaments. The Kimat is fully compatible with the Mongrel’s weapons options, and the larger size of the Kimat has allowed for slightly larger and more powerful weapons to be mounted. Each hardpoint can be fitted with ONE of the following:
a) Heavy 45 mm Autocannon---Originally mounted in a dedicated twin over-and-under gun arm on the PS-A-18G(aka ‘GunMoll’) variant of the Mongrel, the 45mm autocannon proved versatile enough that one was fitted under the Kimat’s forearms.
Range: 6,000 ft in atmosphere, 12,000 ft in space
(Kitsune values: 6,000 ft in atmosphere, 48,000 ft in space)
Damage:(High Explosive) 7d6x5 MD, no blast radius(Cost: 400 Credits/rd)
(Fragmentation) 5d6 MD to 15 ft blast radius(Cost: 200 Credits/rd)
(Plasma) 2d6x10 MD to 7 ft blast radius(Cost: 900 Credits/rd)
(Hellfire)6d6 MD on impact, does 4d6 MD per melee. burns for 2d4 melees(Cost: 700 Credits/rd)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 25 rds

b) Laser Cannon---Based on the new PS-RFL2-33D ‘Blazer’ Rapid-Fire Infantry Laser
Range: 5,000 ft in atmosphere, 10,000 ft in space
(Kitsune values: 5,000 ft in atmosphere, 40,000 ft in space)
Damage: 4d6 MD single shot, 8d6 MD short burst, 2d4x10 MD medium burst, 3d6x10 MD long burst(40 shots, 2 attacks), 6d6x10 MD full melee burst(80 shots, no bonuses to strike...does 4d6 MD to 4d4 targets if in a spray attack).
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

c) Ion Cannon(PSIC-03)---This is a heavy duty light ion cannon/ heavy rifle based on the M-80 “Stormbringer’, but modified through the incorporation of Paladin Steel-manufactured superconductors and ‘Series-2098’ ion technology. It trades range for greater damage and a spray mode.
Range: (Ion Bolt) 3,000 ft atmosphere, 6,000 ft in space
(Kitsune values: 3,000 ft in atmosphere, 24,000 ft in space)
(Spray Bolt)1,500 ft and affects a 15 ft wide area atmosphere, 3,000 ft in space
(Kitsune values: 1,500 ft in atmosphere, 12,000 ft in space)
Damage: (Ion Bolt) 1d6x10 MD per single bolt
(Spray Bolt) 4d6 MD to a 15 ft wide area
On a Natural 20(Critical Strike) the ion weapon does TRIPLE damage instead of the normal double damage
Rate of Fire: Standard
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

d) Ion Cannon-Adapted form of the PSIC-02 Infantry Ion Cannon
Range: 2,000 ft in atmosphere, 4,000 ft in space
(Kitsune values: 2,000 ft in atmosphere, 16,000 ft in space)
Damage: 1d6x10 MD per bolt to primary target.
Furthermore, a secondary bolt will jump to 1d6 targets in the vicinity of the main target, starting with the nearest target(or the nearest metallic target) as long as they are within 6 ft(10 ft for metal targets) of the initial target/point of impact, then jumping to the next one until the ball lightning dissipates. Secondary targets can attempt to dodge the energy ball as standard.
Secondary targets will take HALF damage(4d6 MD).
Does only 1/4 of the original damage if the secondary targets are nonmetallic or grounded
Organic targets roll for Stun; save at 16 or better or be -8 to strike, dodge, parry, roll, and initiative, reduce APMs and Spd by HALF, for 2d4 melee rds. A successful save means lose only initiative and 1 APM for 1 melee round.
50% chance of knocking out unshielded electronics(or 1d4 subsystems like radio, electronic image amplification, cybernetic sensory implant, or the like) for 1d4 melees.
Beings susceptible to electricity take DOUBLE damage.
Rate of Fire: Standard
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

e) Advanced Plasma Cannon-Adapted form of the PS PPR-4B ‘Comet Rifle” plasma cannon
Range: (Plasma) 3,500 ft in atmosphere, 7,000 ft in space
(Kitsune values: 3,500 ft in atmosphere, 28,000 ft in space)
(Plasma Bolt) 2,000 ft in atmosphere, 4,000 ft in space
(Kitsune values: 2,000 ft in atmosphere, 16,000 ft in space)
(Magnetic Vortices) 2,000 ft
Damage: (Plasma)1d4x10 MD per plasma blast, 3d4x10 MD for a 3-shot rapid-fire burst
(Plasma Bolt) 1d4x10 MD to 15 ft blast radius
(Magnetic Vortices-SDC) 2d8 SDC per vortex, plus 60% chance of knocking down human-sized targets, and affects a 10 ft radius
(MDC) 2d8 MD per vortex, 3 ft radius
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited; each deuterium tank has enough gas for 75 shots each.
Options:
“Hot Shotting”---This system augments the normal plasma re-mass system with deuterium-gas injected into the plasma flow for a cleaner, hotter, more potent ‘burn’. The deuterium is stored in pressurized cylinders attached to the feeds of the weapon , like a CO2 air rifle cartridge. This allows the plasma to do 50% more damage, but the weapon now has a bit of a recoil due to the more powerful plasma acting like a crude plasma drive(-1 to strike).

f) Particle Beam Cannon A---- Though lacking the damage of the original spec PBC, this adaptation of the PSPBW-10 ‘Flarehammer’ has both superior range and area of effect, both good for dealing with swarm attacks.
Range: 3,200 ft in atmosphere, 6.500 ft in space
(Kitsune values: 3,200 ft in atmosphere, 25,600 ft in space)
Damage: 1d6x10 MD to an 8 ft wide swath
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

g) Particle Beam Cannon B----When range AND damage are needed, the PSPBW-8 Bluebolt can be mounted(and the Stelmarines can get ready supplies of the vitallium-cored weapons by request).
Range: 4,000 ft in atmosphere, 8,000 ft in space
(Kitsune values: 4,000 ft in atmosphere, 32,000 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: Effectively Unlimited

h) 12.7mm PS-MRG03 Snub-nose Short Rail Gun
Range: 2,000 ft in atmosphere, 4,000 ft in space
(Kitsune values: 2,000 ft in atmosphere, 16,000 ft in space)
Damage: 1D6 MD single round, 1D6x10 MD per 10 round burst,
2D6x10 +60 per Full Melee Burst of 40 rounds
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: 700 rounds

i) Vibro-Chainsaw
Range: Melee(5 ft long)
Damage: +3d6 MD to punch or 5d6 MD sustained cut
Rate of Fire: ECHH


3) Chest Missile Launchers(6)--- The Mongrel’s missile launchers have been retained, but a greater range of options have been made available
a) Mini-Missiles---The chest mini-missile launchers have gone largely unchanged.
Range: Varies by Missile Type(mini) Range x2 in space(Kitsune Range value is 100 miles)
Damage: Varies by Missile Type(mini)
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-6
Payload: 6 each launcher

b) ‘Copperhead’ AT Mini-Missiles
Range: 1 mile. Range x2 in space(Kitsune Range value is 100 miles)
Damage: High Explosive 2d4x10 MD, (6 ft blast radius)
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1, 2, or 4
Payload: 6 per launch box
Bonuses: +5 to strike

c) “S-Sting” ‘Smart Mini-Missile Launcher-----The S-Sting(for ‘Space Stinger’) is essentially a small, ‘smart’ short-range, hypervelocity, anti-air/spacecraft missile.
Note that the ‘S-Sting’ has only limited effectiveness in an atmosphere....HALF bonuses in a thin atmosphere and weak gravity well like Mars’, and NO bonuses, and HALF range in a thick atmosphere and standard gravity like Earth’s.
Range: 4 miles in atmosphere, 32 miles in space. (Kitsune Range value is 100 miles)
Damage: 2d6x10 MD to a 15 ft blast radius
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-3
Payload: 3 per launch box
Bonuses: +7 to strike

d) 15mm Micro-Missiles---25 missiles per pod
Range:
Pattern-1A 5,700 ft
Pattern-1B 6,000 ft
Pattern-1C 6,000 ft
Pattern-1D 7,000 ft
Pattern-1E 7,500 ft
Range x2 in space(Kitsune Range value is x100), but outside an atmsphere, micro-missiles lose their self-guiding accuracy bonus)
Damage/Bonuses:
Pattern-1A---1d4 MD to 2 ft blast radius
Pattern-1B---1d6 MD to 5 ft blast radius
Pattern-1C---4d6 MD to 4 ft blast radius, or 1d4 MD to a 10 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode
Pattern-1D----6d6 MD to a 5 ft blast radius, or 2d6 MDC out to a 18 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode
Pattern-1E---1d4x10 MD to 3 ft blast radius
Bonuses:
Pattern-1A (None) Spin-Stabilized
Pattern-1B (None) Gyro-Compass Chip
Pattern-1C (+1 to strike, in addition to W.P. Heavy bonuses. The Pattern-1C can also be set to be a ‘beam rider’, following a laser illuminator ‘painted’ on the target for an extra +2 to strike. However, this requires expenditure of an extra attack per melee on the part of the gunner to keep the laser illuminator on target) Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip.
Pattern-1D (+2 to strike, in addition to W.P. Heavy bonuses. Like the Pattern-1C, the Pattern-1D can ‘beam-ride’...again, this requires the gunner to maintain target-lock at the cost of an additional APM, but the -1D is better able to remain on target if the lock is broken. Furthermore, the missile can be keyed to lock on to the laser illuminator of other gunners...done with a predetermined key-chip...allowing squadmates to ‘paint’ targets for fellow soldiers with micro-missile launchers). Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip, Image Sensing Chip.
Pattern-1E(+4 to strike, in addition to W.P. Heavy bonuses, Same ‘beamrider’ capability as with Pattern-1D. ) Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip, Image Sensing Chip, Infra-Red Sensing Chip.
Cost:
Pattern-1A 25 credits per McM
Pattern-1B 32 credits per McM
Pattern-1C 60 credits per McM
Pattern-1D 95 credits per McM
Pattern-1E 220 credits per McM

e) 20mm Micro-Missiles---9 shot cassette per pod
Range: 8,000 ft for all types
Range x2 in space(Kitsune Range value is x100), but outside an atmsphere, micro-missiles lose their self-guiding accuracy bonus)
Damage: (Pattern-2a) 4d4 MD to 2 ft blast radius
(Pattern-2b)6d6 MD to a 5 ft blast radius, or 2d6 MDC out to a 18 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode
(Pattern-2c)(Incendiary)2d4 MD to 5 ft blast radius, does an additional 1d4 burn damage for 2d4 melees
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1, 3, or 9
Payload: 9-shot clip
Bonuses:(All Patterns)(+3 to strike airborne targets, +1 to strike ground targets) Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip, Image Sensing Chip, Infra-Red Sensing Chip.
Special Features:
*Sensor Package---The sensor package includes an IR/Thermal sight, laser rangefinder(2 mile range) and directional mini-radar(2 mile range) with audio-alarm to notify the gunner of target-lock.
Cost: 28,000 credits (3,000 for the launcher assembly, 25,000 for the sighting package)
(Pattern-2a) 90 credits each
(Pattern-2b)130 credits each
(Pattern-2c)150 credits each

f) Short Range Missiles---One per launcher

g) Medium Range Missiles---One per launcher

h) MXLCMM01 X-Ray Laser Grenade Air/Space Countermeasure Mine Delivery System---’Lite’ version using 40mm rifle grenades. The ‘bot can use them as missile countermeasures or deploy them as flying mines.
Weight: 2.5 lbs per grenade
Range:(Grenade phase) 2,000 ft in atmosphere, 4,000 ft in space(active burn/boost phase---some operators have managed to delay detonation to allow for timed or command-detonations). (Kitsune values: 16,000 ft in space)
(Laser) 2,000 ft in atmosphere, 6,000 ft in space
(Kitsune values: 2,000 ft in atmosphere, 40 miles in space, though sensor range and accuracy limit effective accurate range to 10 miles)
Damage:(Grenade phase) 1d6x10 MD to 8 ft blast radius
(Laser) 1d4x10 MD
Laser-reflective armors take FULL damage from the x-ray component of the laser strike.
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-5
Bonus: +1 to strike
Special Features:
Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip, Image Sensing Chip, Infrared Sensing Chip.
Payload: 5 per launch box

4) Countermeasure Launchers(2, one each leg)---Mounted on the outside of each lower leg is a small countermeasures launcher, identical to those carried by PS/ASI aerospacecraft:
a)Chaff/Flare Launchers---Standard radar-reflective strips and thermal flares
Range: Close Defense
Damage: None; similar to Triax-style chaff
01-50 Enemy Missile or volley detonates in chaff and threat is neutralized
51-75 Missile/Volley diverts and may pursue/lock on to other targets
76-00 No Effect! Missile(s) still on target!
Will also temporarily blind and impede flying monsters who fly into it.
Reduce APMs/combat bonuses/ speed by half for 1d4 melees
Payload: 12 per launcher

b) Nano-Pods-----The second system releases a nanotech swarm of active jamming pods and decoys that are programmed to emulate a spacecraft’s sensor signature, or, at the very least, bury enemy tactical communications in ‘white noise’.
Effective Range: 25 mile jamming radius
Duration: 5 minutes per pod-spray
Effects: Jams radio signals(75% chance of jamming military band command-guidance ordnance), and 60% chance of deflecting ordinary missiles.
Payload: 6 swarm packs

c) Grav-Pack Decoy---The third system uses modified grav-pack drives and signal projectors to create a moving pattern of sensor signatures. The grav-pack mini-missile drives can go for 10 minutes before self-destructing, and can either be remotely directed or run a preset pattern.
Effective Speed: Mach 6
Duration: 10 minutes per pod
Effects: The decoys have a 70% chance of fooling enemy sensor operators and expert systems. They are are also +2 to enemy sensor-guided munitions to strike, increasing the chance that the missiles will elect to pursue the ‘louder’ sensor signature(the missile rolls to strike for both the original ship and each decoy deployed....highest to strike roll determines which target the missile(s) go after).
Payload: 6 decoys are carried, and can be deployed singly, or in ‘packs’ of 1-3.

d)X-Ray Laser Air/Space Countermeasure Mines
Payload: 6 per launcher

5) (Optional)---Can pick up and use power-armor scaled hand weapons, like the PSA-11 series’ 20mm autocannon-and -heavy cannon- launcher rifle pod, missile launcher rifle, or other weaponry. The KTH-65 32mm Assault Rail Gun and the GrHW-01 ‘Flamma’ Heavy Gravitonic Rail Gun are favorites.(Also see Options, below)

5)Hand to Hand Combat
Restrained Punch 1d4 MD
Full Strength Punch 1d6 MD
Power Punch(2 attacks) 4d4 MD
Tear/Pry 1d6 MD
Kick 2d4 MD
Power Kick(2 attacks) 3d6 MD
Body Block/Ram 2d4 MD
Full Strength Running Ram: (3 attacks) 4d6 MD
Stomp(effective against objects 5 ft tall or smaller) 1d6 MD

Combat Training: Use the training fr Light Ground Robots, with the following changes:
+2 Dodge in Flight
+2 Roll in Flight
+3 Dodge in Zero Gee
+3 Roll in Zero Gee

Options:
Because the situations that the Stelmarines are constantly getting into, both official and field improvised options have been devised. A few of the options considered certified for operational use:


*Variable Optical Camouflage Suite---Based on reverse-engineered Naruni and other alien ‘invisibility’ systems, this highly sophisticated system option renders the ‘bot effectively invisible to eyeball and sensor detection.
Bonuses: -20% to opposition Detect Ambush and Detect Concealment rolls; heat sensors are useless
Cost: 1.2 million credits

*Cold Gas Propulsion/Maneuvering System----For some operations, roaring in with the throttle wide open and the contra-gravity powered up is a really bad idea, especially against opponents with advanced sensors. This alternate propulsion system consists of a series of tack-on reaction thrusters and reaction mass tanks that allow the ‘bot to maneuver in zero-gee using spurts of inert gas(usually nitrogen) that are less likely to be detected. Speed is severely limited to Mach 2 and acceleration/deceleration a mere 0.02% of light per melee. There’s enough re-mass tankage for 4 hours of continuous thrust.

*Sensor Jammers---Takes the place of three missile launch boxes. but jams enemy sensors; -5 to strike. Note that these are ACTIVE jammers, not stealth, and their activity in itself will attract attention.

*Forcefield Booster---An additional supplemental power cell and forcefield booster that takes up 3 missile launch box spaces. The power cell is only good for 2 years’ operation, but boosts shield strength by an additional +160 MDC.

*Multiplexor Pack(s)----Similar to the ‘MetalMage’ TW Cyborg, this option replaces one or BOTH chest mini-missile arrays with Techno-Wizard MultiPlexor Projection Systems, spell card tray, and independent Power Stone PPE Battery or PPE Generator/Accumulator.
Each Pack has provision for 4 spellcards---that’s four different spell types the Multiplexor can cast.
Range: Varies by spell
Damage/Duration: Varies by spell
Rate of Fire: EPCHH
PPE Cost per Use: Varies by spell. However, the use of focusing elements and activator spells effectively reduces spell PPE cost by HALF.
(So you Technowizards aren’t flummoxed by PPE costs in a long-running battle, while the still relatively high PPE costs for the high-end spells keeps someone from using Sphere of Annihilation in every battle).
Payload: Draws from the main PPE Battery, but can also draw upon the Mongrel’s own PPE reserves. In an emergency, the pilot, if they are a mage or psychic, can kick in their own PPE.
Bonuses: As per spell(if any)
Cost: The basic mage Pod system costs about 1.2 million credits
Spell Cards cost (as per Jason Richards’ guidelines in Rifter #2) 5,000 credits per PPE cost of main spell plus an additional cost (as per following modifiers)
*500 credits per level of the creating caster(Mages’ time and PPE are money, so expect to pay more for the longer duration/higher power spells)
*Warlock spells cost 20% more, in addition to above modifiers, owing to the difficulties of adapting Elemental Magic to ‘conventional” magic systems.

*PSMBL-5000S Laser Cannon(handheld)---This is the equivalent of the NEMA Bulldog’s BDR-202 long range laser sniper rifle-cannon, and is a PSMBL-5000B pulse laser cannon upgraded with Three Galaxies adapative optics to produce starfighter-style range.
Range: 6,000 ft in atmosphere, 12,000 ft in space
(Kitsune values: 6,000 ft in atmosphere, 600,000 ft/120 miles in space)
Damage: 4d6 MD double blast, 1d4x10+8 MD quad blast, 1d6x10 MD full 5-shot blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited linked to the Kimat’s powerplant. Also has a 50 shot back-up battery.

*GrHW-01 ‘Flamma’ Heavy Gravitonic Rail Gun---- Because it uses gravotic pulses to drive its projectiles, the ‘Flamma’ is especially effective in deep space combat, with exceptional range, making it a favorite with Stelmarines, who like being able to snipe at starfighters on an equal footing.
Range: 4,000 ft in atmosphere, 8,000 ft in space
(Kitsune values: 4,000 ft in atmosphere, 80 miles in space)
Damage: 1d4x10 MD single shot, 2d6x10+10 MD for a 10 shot burst.
Rate of Fire: Standard
Payload: 30 rd drum or 200 rd belts

*PS-LGCGL03 Gravitic Grenade Launcher---This is a tech-up of the venerable 40mm automatic grenade launcher to use gravitic pulses, instead of chemical charges or electromagnetism, to throw the grenade-shells. The selection of munitions has been expanded to include fusion. anti-theron, repulsor and collapsar-grenades. It too benefits from having exceptional range in space, making it a favored weapon for those who like harkening back to the ‘marines’ history as sharpshooters.
Range: 7,000 ft in atmosphere, 14,000 ft in space
(Kitsune values: 7,000 ft in atmosphere, 140 miles in space)
Damage: (Fragmentation) 4d6 MD to blast area of 12 ft
2d6x10 MD to blast area of 40 ft w/ 10-rd burst
(Armor Piercing) 1d4x10 MD to blast area of 3 ft
3d6x10 MD to blast area of 8 ft w/ 10-rd burst
(Fusion) 6d6 MD to blast area of 12 ft
3d6x10 MD to blast area of 40 ft w/ 10-rd burst
(Collapsar) 2d4x10 MD to a 5 ft radius
4d6x10 MD to blast area of 16 ft w/ 10-rd burst
(Repulsor) 2d4x10 MD to an 8 ft radius
2d6x10 MD to blast area of 25 ft w/ 10-rd burst
There is also an extended ring-radius of lateral gravitic force that extends out an additional 12 ft. sending objects and people caught in it flying(2d4x10 ft): 90% chance of knock-down(lose 1 APM and Initiative), 80% chance of being stunned(-10 to strike, dodge, parry, and roll, NO Initiative, HALF speed and APMs for 1d4 melees).
Note that the gravitic waves work THROUGH armor, but NOT forcefields and other energy barriers.
(Anti-Theron) No damage to mundane material foes (acts like a flash-bang) but does 6d6 HP/MDC damage(based on what the creature is) to 24 ft blast area. The dispersal charge does 1d6 SDC.
2d6x10 HP/MDC to blast area of 75 ft w/ 10-rd burst
-Magic Modifiers:
*Techno-Wizardry Devices(including TW generators), enchanted objects, rune weapons, and other magically-infused(but INANIMATE) objects are NOT affected and take no damage.
*Non-magical beings. psychics, and ‘mundanes’ are unaffected and experience nothing aside from a slight tingling sensation, mild sunburn-like symptoms, and a passing feeling of nausea from a Disruptor strike.
*Magic Users and other beings who have ‘learned’ or artificially acquired magical abilities(including tattoos and implants), but who can otherwise survive without magic present are affected, but the effects aren’t as dramatic. They do NOT get a save versus the disruption because all of their effort has gone into OPENING themselves to the supernatural and embracing their magical potential.
*Supernatural Creatures who possess some small measure of magical ability will suffer a greater degree of damage/injury. ...normal damage x1.5. Gargoyles, Brodkil, Lycanthropes, Shapeshifters(including Nightspawn), Possessees, Shifters, and Witches, are all examples of beings in this category. Note that if these beings were to possess bionics or other conditions that NEGATE their magical abilities(like Brodkil bionics) they lose this vulnerability, and are NOT affected, taking damage only as normal. These beings do NOT get a saving roll versus the PPE disruption.
*‘High’ Supernatural Beings with a high level of, and reliance on, PPE will suffer greatly, taking DOUBLE damage. This includes Dragons, Angels, Demons, Splugorth, Faerie Folk, and Demi-Gods. However, these beings DO get a roll to SAVE versus their own PPE backfiring on them. A successful roll to save HALVES the damage done to them.
*Creatures of Pure Magic that cannot survive without magic are the most seriously affected, and take TRIPLE damage. This covers ghosts, possessing entities, Undead, Elemental Beings, Alien Intelligences, and god-beings. However, these beings DO get a roll to SAVE versus their own PPE backfiring on them. A successful roll to save HALVES the damage done to them.
*Golems, Iron Juggernauts, and other magically-powered automatons/automations will be effectively STUNNED, being paralyzed for 1d4 melees per shot, and will be unable to move or defend themselves, as magical energy shorts out and storms over them.

Other Effects:
*Magic Disruption----Each blast NEUTRALIZES HALF the number of PPE points that it does damage...these points are temporarily lost to the magic user/creature until it can regain them normally(by rest or drawing on other sources).
*Magical Forcefields take 1.5 normal damage.
*Invisible beings will be revealed by an anti-theron burst and will remain visible for 2d4 melees(gradually fading) as a result of residual anti-therons causing them to flouresce and become visible to the naked eye.

Rate of Fire: Single shot or selective bursts of 3-10 shots, ECHH
Payload: 250 rds



Variants:
The Kimat is still too new to have inspired any major variants, though rumors persist of a lucerin-augmented powered test-bed that reportedly has been hitting speeds of Mach 10 in trials.
-------------
"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
------------
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taalismn
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Posts: 47908
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

(Inspired by a remark by Vincent Takeda)
PS-TAA03G ‘Gunnar’ Semi-Autonomous Android, Cybernetic Intelligence Life Assistant
(aka ‘Arms Master’)

“We sell enough firearms to people. Why can’t we sell them something to take care of those firearms? I think we’re long overdue for something like that, don’t you think?”
---Charlie Katana, Paladin Steel Vice-President.

<“The target guarding this hole may be sporting anti-energy protection. May I suggest the Triax Assault Rifle with armor piercing rounds, sah?”>

#”STOP! HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!! DID YOU SAFE THAT GUN BEFORE PUTTING IT DOWN?! IS THE SAFETY ON? IS THERE STILL A CHARGE IN THE PRIMING CHAMBER? IS THE E-CLIP STILL HOOKED IN? I KNOW YOU WERE PRESENT AT MY INSTRUCTION ON FIREARM SAFETY! I HAVE THREE DIFFERENT SENSOR SYSTEMS CONFIRMING THAT! DO YOU HAVE AN ORGANIC SENSORY OR MENTAL DEFFICIENCY THAT MAKES YOU UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND MY INSTRUCTIONS?! IF SO, WHY DIDN’T YOU INFORM ME SOONER?! WHICH IS IT? IS IT A MEDICAL CONDITION YOU CAN’T HELP OR ARE YOU A MEATBAG WHO CAN’T BE TRUSTED WITH A WEAPON?!”#

Paladin Steel Robotics has gotten diverse enough in its product lines that it can increasingly take on the development of niche designs for fairly small customer bases and limited markets. Some of those niche designs, however, take off in unexpected ways, thus validating the decision to develop them in the first place. Such is the case with the TAA03G ‘Gunnar’, a robot drone originally developed as a personal gun-steward for dedicated (and wealthy) sportsmen.
The ‘Gunnar’ is based on the earlier TAA02 Cyberspinne , but has been modified with a redesigned head and upper torso. The body now supports SIX arms. The legs have a ‘jodhpur’ look, with wide hips holding internal compartments for holding e-clip rechargers, spare ammunition clips, and gun cleaning and repair kits. The frame is flexible and rugged enough to allow the ‘bot to be able to accompany its master across rough and wild terrain. The ‘bot’s actuators are strong enough to carry gun lockers, spare ammunition, large kills, and be able to punch with armor-piercing and bone-snapping power in defense of its masters. It’s also fast and agile enough to avoid being zeked by a novice’s misfire(though it will block a weapon’s path if the discharge would harm somebody else) or a charging rhino-buffalo.
The Gunnar is programmed and equipped to be an expert in firearms maintenance and repair, including sights and scopes. Sensors in its head and hands check the quality and state of the weapons in its care, an integral e-clip slot recharges depleted e-clips, and tools in its forearms help maintain the weapons in perfect working order. The Gunnar can instruct in proper firearm maintenance, protocols, and safety. It is also armored enough to survive range accidents, misfires, and blowbacks. The personality of the Gunnar is lacking in some human nuances, but is considered appropriately attention-commanding, in its strict, efficient, no-nonsense vocal delivery and manner, without being neglectful or rude(as one owner stated: “It doesn’t care that you have hurt feelings. It DOES care about you blowing holes in yourself.”). The Gunnar can also conduct drills and trials, and can serve as an impartial judge in shooting competitions. Database expansion updates can make the ‘bot a walking encyclopedia of information about local hunting conditions.
Though originally marketed with (obscenely)wealthy gun enthusiasts and firearm-oriented combat athletes in mind, the Gunnar has since gotten attention from bodyguard concerns, professional duelists, and big game hunters . A few paramilitary units and regular militaries have found the Gunnar handy as armory laborers, gunnery range managers, and firearms instructors. A few law enforcement organizations use them as forensic investigations assistants, as their knowledge of firearms and ability to examine weapons in minute detail can prove extremely useful in crime investigations. Interestingly enough, after the Battle of Altess Prime, PS/Aegis Stellar Industries received the largest individual order for Gunnars from the Altess Armoria. The ‘niche-bot’ is showing signs of expanding its market appeal, which makes Paladin Steel most happy to have its foray and investment in an initially small market pay off with greater than anticipated sales.

Type: PS-TAA03G Gunnar
Class: Semi-Autonomous Android, Cybernetic Intelligence Technical Assistant
Crew: None; Robot- Intelligence
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 60
Head 25
Arms(6) 30 each
Hands(6) 20 each
Legs(2) 35 each
Feet(2) 16 each
Height: 7 ft
Width: 2.8 ft
Length: 1 ft
Weight: 300 lbs
Cargo: Small compartment in the chest for tools and accessories, two larger compartments in the legs(can each hold 6 pistol e-clips or 4 long e-clips, plus a gun-cleaning kit), otherwise only what can carried in the arms or strapped to the body.
Powerplant:
-MicroCell Nuclear----15 year energy life

Physical Attributes: Equal to I.Q. 18, PS. 16, PP. 18, SPD. 58 .
Speed: (Running) 40 MPH
(Leaping) Can leap 12 ft up/across, while a full speed running leap(at 40 MPH) will add +10 ft to height/length of the jump.
(Flying) Not possible without a jetpack or vehicle.
(Space) Not needing to breath, most TAAs can operate in a vacuum, but CANNOT fly in space without the use of EVA gear.
(Underwater) Most TAAs are waterproofed and can handle depths of down to 800 ft, but most are limited to walking along the bottom at 5 MPH, unless specially programmed and equipped for swimming.

Market Cost: 4.3 million credits

Systems of Note:
*Standard Robot Optical and Audio

*Wireless Modem and Short Range Radio(5 miles)

*Zoom/Macro Lens---Can magnify up to 80x.

*Laser Range Finding--- 7,000 ft range

*Laser Targeting----4,000 ft range. +1 to strike

*Radiation Detector----Typically used to troubleshoot weapons such as particle beams, and the integrity of nuclear powerpack systems for weapons such as railguns. On some hunt worlds, the radiation detector can help the ‘bot and its party avoid radiation ‘hot spots’ and/or track radioactive prey.

*Explosives Detector---Uses vapor analysis to check for the presence of explosive materials such as gunpowder and other propellants. It can also check for the presence of burn residues of such materials.

*E-Clip Charger---Mounted in the upper thigh are two slots for charging e-clips. Generally takes 15 minutes to recharge a pistol e-clip, 30 minutes to recharge a long e-clip.

*Basic Voice Synthesizer(voice sounds obviously artificially and deliberately robotic)

*Locking Joints---Can freeze or brace in place(it’s joked the Gunnar can transform into a gun rack).

*360-degree Waist Rotation

*2x Extra Pairs of Arms---+2 APM

*Tool Arms(4)---Typically four are fitted with tools(can use the standard Mining Borg tool-arms, though precision tools are the usual fit), while the other two are fitted with sensors;
a) Ultrasound---Contact device for doing ‘echo’ soundings of materials
b) Mini-Magnetoscope---An EM device useful for checking metal materials for rust infiltration and stress fractures.
c) Circuit Scanner---Senses EM activity such as electrical flow; good also for tracing live wires and detecting active electronic surveillance bugs.
d) Laser Imager---Does a detailed surface scan and measurement of a surface or object. Typically the ‘bot will have to wave the scanner around the object to get the data for a full 3-D digital model.

Weapons Systems: None standard
Hand to Hand Combat:
Actions Per Melee: 6
Initiative +1
Strike+6 (+6 w/ranged attacks)
Parry+8
Dodge +5/+6 running
Pull Punch +2
Roll +2
Critical Strike on Unmodified 19-20
Restrained Punch 2d6 SDC
Full Strength Punch 1d6 MD
Power Punch( 2 attacks) 2d4 MD

Programming:
TAA03Gs have basic military programming
Mathematics Basic 98%
Military Etiquette 96%
Climb 96%/86%
Field Armorer 90%
General Repair & Maintenance 80%
Intelligence 80%
Land Navigation 94%
Language(Four of choice at 94%)
Pilot Automobile 92%
Pilot: Boat(Motor Type) 86%
Pilot Hovercraft 92%
Radio: Basic 94%
Weapons Systems 90%
W.P. Paired Weapons
W.P. Blunt
W.P. Knife
W.P. Rifle
W.P. Energy Rifle
Hand to Hand: Expert(6th level)
-Recognize Weapon Quality 90%
W.P. Handguns
W.P. Submachine Gun
W.P. Shotgun
W.P. Energy Pistol
-Basic Electronics 80%
Optics Systems 80%
Gun-Smithing 80%

Options:
*Programming Expansion---The available skill programs of the Gunnar can be expanded, typically with customized databases. Up to two additional programs can be added without additional changes to the CPU. (a third may be added, but costs an additional 250,000 credits to expand the memory capability of the ‘bot). Some specialized skill programs are as follows:
-Hunting---Updateable database of prey and predator species in a given area. Hunting, Track & Trap Animals(88%), Wilderness Survival(88%), and Skin & Prepare Animal Hides(88%) . Cost: + 170,000 credits
- Military Weapons: Adds expertise in the use of four additional modern W.P.s , all at 6th level. Cost: + 400,000 credits
- Game Camp Assistant: Adds Cooking(88%),Preserve Food(90%), First Aid(90%), Carpentry(85%), Sewing(88%), Wardrobe & Grooming(92%), and Taxidermy(75%). Cost: + 40,000 credits

*Frame Reinforcement---The durability of the TAA03G can be increased, albeit at the possible risk of bulking the robot out(preventing it from easily fitting inside standard body armor types). +10 MDC, +5 MDC per limb, per reinforcement, up to a maximum of +100 MDC, but add 20 lbs per reinforcement
Cost: + 30,000 credits per reinforcement

*Strength Enhancement---More powerful actuators and myomers can be added, increasing the robot’s strength to a maximum Robotic P.S. of 35
Cost: + 8,000 credits per point of enhanced strength

*Increased Speed---Running speed can be jacked up to a maximum of 125 MPH.
Cost: + 9,000 credits per extra 1 MPH of enhanced speed

*Environmental Sealing---Can be sealed for deep sea work, deep space work, and the like. Cost: + 280,000 credits

*Skeet Launcher----A shoulder-mounted launcher for ceramic or plastic discs(5 SDC each) used for target practice. Though the Gunnar can throw skeet-targets manually, this device allows for faster and farther throws. The speed of launch, and the angle of the launch and of the disc can be tweaked to provide for different flight speeds and patterns, and the Gunnar is programmed to be able to provide a mix of patterns so as to challenge the shooters. The Skeet Launcher can be used as a weapon, though each disk does relatively little damage.
Range: 2,000 ft
Damage: 1 SDC single projectile, 1d10 SDC per 10 rd burst/volley
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 1,000 rd drum
Cost: 7,000 credits, Plastic targets cost 2 credits each

* Supplemental Powerplant----The Gunnar’s internal powerplant by itself isn’t enough to power any handheld weapons via power linkage, but an additional power unit can be added. This power pack looks like a backpack and provides extra power, able to provide unlimited shots to handheld energy weapons via power links, or it can reduce the amount of time needed to recharge e-clips by HALF. . The power unit is good for 1 year. Cost: 180,000 credits

*HazMat Sealing---- Designed to operate in toxic environs. Sealed chassis and covered in Hazmat-K composite armor(Corrosives such as acids and alkaline solutions do NO damage). Cost: +140,000 credits

*Amphibious Operations Kit----This waterproofs the whole ‘bot and fits it with a ‘life preserver’ flotation pack, that allows the ‘bot to float and swim(Spd of 5 MPH).
For an additional 4,000 credits, the vest can be fitted with special neutral buoyancy packs and a mini-thruster, allowing the ‘bot to dive and swim faster underwater(moves at a speed of 10 MPH)
Cost: 7,000 credits

*Zero-Gee Maneuvering Pack---This requires the JetPack and EVA skill slots(part of the package) and fits the TAA02 with a mini-MMU for jetting around space stations and spacecraft. Has 8 hours of fuel/reaction mass, and allows the robot to reach speeds of 20 MPH.
Cost: 10,000 credits

Variants:
Though already considered a variant of the Cyberspinne technical robot, the Gunnar is rumored to have spawned a full combat variant with upgraded combat programming, and the ability to wield six firearms in each hand, and use them independentally to engage up to six different targets at once, with an astonishing total actions/attacks per melee of 14(!). This variant has been variously rumored to have been ordered by the Altess and/or field-trialed against ‘swarm’ opponents like the Sorm front. If such a model exists, it would be banned in the CCW worlds.
-------------
"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
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Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Feeding the Masses with Magic.

“Stone soup today, stone soup tomorrow, stone soup all week! When will it end?”
“As long as we got rocks, water, and magic. it beats drawing straws.”


One of the great benefits of offworld Crystal Trade(including asteroid mining) is the greater availability of crystals and gemstones for magic applications. Combined with other advances, such as mass-production ectofiber wiring, this has led to a lower overall cost for TW devices, which, in some cases, have dropped low enough in cost that many households can afford to have some of the more handy TW devices in the home. The discovery and application of a number of spells to the creation of foodstuffs has helped feed the GNE(and, increasingly, the less well-off worlds of the United Systems Alliance), though the GNE network still retains redundancy in maintaining a robust food distribution system and encourages self-reliance(such as greenhouses, ‘victory gardens’, and communal gardens) where possible to insure food security.
A few of these devices follow:


(based on a long ago creation of Galahad-Knight)
PS-3MTW ‘MystiMeat-Maker’ TW Matter Conversion Device
(aka ‘Stone Soup Maker’, ‘Gravel Graviator’)

“Stone. What doesn’t go in the GNErs’ roads and buildings goes in their stomachs. Those people eat rocks!”

The PS-3MTW resembles a large pressure cooker or crock pot with a TW crystal(rose quartz) array mounted on the inside of its lid, and a cover covering inscribed with mystic symbols.
The -3M is easy to use; load the pit with small rocks and minerals, seal the lid, supply a little PPE, and the device uses a modified Stone to Flesh spell to convert the rocks into nuggets of what looks and tastes like meat.
PS wizards have found ways to ‘imprint’ the spells involved with the texture and taste patterns of various meats, so different crystal arrays can be bought simulating beef, pork, chicken, veal, and other forms of poultry. The TW section of PS Culinary is constantly researching new meat simulations, including other animals(they’ve reported great success of late with mussels and clams).
The ‘meat’ itself looks rather nondescript and lacks bones, skin, or other hints as its origins, but it has a suggestive texture and close taste to what it’s supposed to be. The meat itself lacks DNA, but contains the appropriate nutrients of meat, though some consumers may want/need to add in supplemental vitamins and minerals to the conversion process. It is also non-allergenic, and the lack of origins in a living creature means that it is considered safe for vegetarians to consume.
The PS-3MTW is simply the smallest and most portable of the meat-mass converters produced by PS/ASI and is sold openly on the market(and is actually a slightly ‘dumbed-down’ version of the standard spell with regards to productivity). Most households in the GNE have one.
Naturally PS/ASI is researching more specialized applications as more spells become available; the ultimate goal of many culinary TWizards is to produce ‘instant T-bone steak’.
Weight: 5 lb.
MDC: 5
Spells:
-Generates 10 lb. of meat from 10 lb. of rock, for 15 PPE/30 ISP.
Special Features:
*Nonstick Surfacing---Makes cleaning up a snap!
Cost: 2,000 credits

Options:
*Battery-powered/Plug-in Heating Coil ---Standard technological heating system with attachable/rechargeable battery good for 24 hours continuous heating. Can also be plugged into outside power grids or powered by E-clips. Cost: +500 credits

*Magic Heating--Don’t like having your magically-created meat cooked with mundane technology? This add-on, for the cost of 4 PPE/8 ISP, will magically heat up your food(choice of boiling or roasting). Cost: +800 credits

*“Flavor’ Crystals---These are agate crystals that are imprinted with specific ‘flavors’ of animal tissue, and can be plugged into the matter-conversion device to reconfigure the basic pork/beef simulation to a more flavorful /textured style. Cost: 100 credits for common animal types like fowl(ducks, geese), pigs(boar), cattle(like buffalo), fish(like tuna or salmon), and game animals(venison) trending upwards in cost for more exotic animal types(though the GNE state police are reportedly VERY interested in investigating who the hell on the Black Market is selling ‘human’-, ‘dragon’-, ‘unicorn’ and other sophont-flavor agates).

*PPE Battery---Don’t have the mana or the psi-power to activate the meat-maker? No problem, PS can provide a regenerating PPE power cell (75 PPE capacity) for as low as 9,000 credits.

Variants:
Larger models are available that can convert 50 lb., 100 lb., up to 750 lb. at a go, at the same PPE cost, but greater mass of apparatus and material cost. The GNE employs MASSIVE static convertor banks in its ‘food factories’ and asteroid miner ‘meat mines’.


TW BreakfastBox
This simple device, looking like a microwave- or toaster oven, is a straightforward application of the Create Bread & Milk spell(PFRPG). Again, rose quartz is the active crystal element in the device. For the expenditure of 8 PPE/16 ISP, it will create a dozen loaves of bread and a gallon jug of milk. It’s a commonplace device in GNE households.
Cost: 1,900 credits

TW Breadbox
Modification of the TW BreakfastBox, the core spell edited to leave out the milk and create more bread instead; 16 loaves for the same expenditure of 8 PPE/16 ISP.
Cost: 2,000 credits

TW Salad Ball
This is a TW device supposedly inspired by a low-key pre-Rifts fad called ‘Chia Pets’, and indeed the device resembles a basketball-sized ceramic ball or animal figurine with multiple holes molded into it, the interior packed with spongy organic material, around a piece of amber and a nodule of clear quartz. Though the exact spells involved in the TWSB are classified, it’s rumored to be a combination of rare Biomancy spells, nutrition spells(here it’s rumored that Paladin Steel tortured an Aerobic Exorcist with being force-fed Twinkies for the AE’s secret magic) and possibly Cambridge Forest genetic engineering. In any case, applying 11 PP/22 ISP to instantly create the equivalent of a head’s worth of lettuce, or 13 PP/26 ISP to create a bushel’s worth of edible greens, sprouting from the ceramic ball. The greens will be rich in dietary fiber and contains enough vitamin C to hold off scurvy.
For best results, users are advised to occasionally water and fertilize(PS Agriculture sells convenient fertilizer spikes/tabs at a reasonable 5 credits each) the porous organic sponge-material inside the Salad Ball, and occasionally leave it in open sunlight.
PSAgri is currently trying to produce variants on this device that will insta-grow other useful plants, such as herbs(garlic is a favorite), citrus, medicinal plants such as quinine, and handy plants such as wolfsbane and mandrake root.
Cost: 3,250 credits
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"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
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taalismn
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Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Paladin Steel Storefront

Unread post by taalismn »

Cultural Notes: Greater New England Retrovilles (aka ‘Retroplexes’, ‘Fauxtons’, ‘Frillvilles’)
“We got an open porch for the summer days, and an enclosed porch section for the winter months...we have a good ocean view here, so we can watch the local squibird migrations...they’re spectacular, especially at night when they bio-glow and interchange between the water and the air. Armored shutters and quick-tint windows, of course, for when we get solar flares and follow-up thunderstorms...and they come strong and nasty here...and we’re far enough back from the water so storm surge and erosion isn’t an issue. Our bunker’s fully submergence-proofed, though, just in case.”

Retrovilles are residential development settlements established by Greater New England in their offworld/crossdimensional colonies where they intend to stay for awhile(i.e., permanent settlements). Unless local conditions/traditions dictate otherwise, the GNErs like to model their new colonies, especially those with waterfronts, on pre-Rifts New England architecture, so it is not unknown to find Cape Cod Saltboxes and gingerbreaded seaside cottages fronting ports servicing GMR- and contra-gravity vessels, or find Olde New England-style church steeples arrowing out of clusters of brownstone businesses under binary stars. The retro-design adds a touch of warmth of neighborhood to what might be otherwise depressingly mass-produced prefab housing.
Of course, the ‘hand-hewn’ wood and stone is computer-designed, laser-measured and cut, and put together with molecular annealing, the whole ‘historical look’ being a skillful phony. Under the wooden clapboard siding and painted-lady flourishes is most likely a webbing of hardened armongus reinforcing fibers, an inner bastion of M-factor ceramic armor plating, and an NBC-rated environmental saferoom, with a bombproof bunker-shelter in the basement, with coordinated line of sight with their neighbors, and patrolled streets and mapped-out evacuation routes to nearby security shelters, but that’s the ‘new normal’ of the ever-prepared Greater New Englander.
Other common features(or options, since a lot of them are available at a standardized cost from the Paladin Steel Civil Engineering section of their Master Catalogue) include stone walls(laser-cut local stone or artificially-weathered megadamage concrete), town greens(perfect for militia assemblies or VTOL landings), commemorative statues( genuine generic ‘period’ pieces in faux-aged bronze or stone, and with interchangeable features...though some towns have managed to acquire actual rune statues looted from Atlantis, or custom golems), antique cannon(these can range from being concealed TW types to being ‘antique’ pre-Golden Age M1A1 pack howitzers, 90mm M1s, or M198s), bandstands(concealing communications nodes), and town halls with classic Greek pillars fronting them. Coastal communities will feature the odd landlocked boat or fish sculpture, and possibly even a lighthouse(more often than not concealing a powerful laser cannon).

On Rifts Earth, fragile pre-Rifts construction is so out of place that it’s an immediate warning to genre-savvy strangers that Something Is Up(like finding your terrestrial hometown on Mars), which helps keep troublemakers away. Elsewhere in the megaverse, the GNE retrovilles are a comfort to Greater New Englanders abroad and a reminder of a continuation of happy traditions in strange new lands.
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"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
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