Paladin Steel Storefront

[abe]

see "charle & the choclolate factory" & "chalie & the great glass elevator" for what I had in mind for magic candies.

[taalismn]

see "charle & the choclolate factory" & "chalie & the great glass elevator" for what I had in mind for magic candies.

Candy Golems? There's a Ludicrous Mage spell called 'Doughboy Golem'
Unless you're thinking of candies that have all the nutrients of a full meal(note, however, that tastier rations like that suffer from higher pilferage rates)
Alan Dean Foster also had candies with trapped sonic emissions held in bubble suspension...as you sucked them, the noises came 'unlocked', so you could laugh in different voices, whistle like a bird, or make other noises(screaming, growling like an animal, farting, etc...)

[taalismn]

Paladin Steel PDC-10 TriJet
“Attention, Passengers. We are currently in landing approach to Dublin International....Please return to your seats, fashion your passenger belts, and return your trays and seats to the upright position. For safety’s sake, please refrain from arming your weapons until AFTER you have left the aircraft...Thank you and thank you for flying Paladin Wings Airways. “

The TriJet is one of Paladin Steel’s more embarassing creations; a well-designed high-performance aircraft that has turned out to be something of a white elephant(*see below).
The PDC-10 TriJet was commissioned by Blaker Air, a short-lived civil aviation firm run by an eccentric New Lazlo multi-millionaire(or whatever the equivalent is on Rifts Earth). Blaker Air was founded with the intention of starting up regular commercial trans-Atlantic air service to Europe, taking a slice of the lucrative Triax-trade for independant kingdoms. In order to do so, Blaker Air needed aircraft, and contracted Paladin Steel, then enjoying fresh success with the release of their Hercules C-130-2 VTOL, to build some modified MDC versions of the old McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 for them. Blaker figured that the jets, flying at high speed and altitude, could avoid the worst of weather, ley line activity, and monster problems.
Paladin Steel took one look at the old DC-10 specifications, at Blaker Air’s facilities, and at the specifications they had drawn up for their own aircraft development programs, and in effect said “this just won’t do”, and turned to the drafting boards with a vengeance.
PS engineers completely redesigned the old DC-10 airframe, retaining the three-engine layout, but armoring the engine nacelles, and pulling them up closer to the fuselage. Forward canards were added for enhanced control. The wings became wider, thicker, to accomodate a set of shielded vectoring-thrust lift fans, allowing the aircraft to perform VTOL(a neccessity in post-Rifts aircraft operations, where paved runways were almost non-existant). The fuselage itself became thicker, with pronounced wing-body blending, and a “hump” just aft of the nose/cockpit to house enhanced avionics and defensive armaments. Owing to the increased size of the wing, the aft lateral passenger and cargo doors were replaced instead with a rear-loading ramp, the landing gear became heavier all-terrain types, and several small weapons turrets were added, including a tail gun(under the tail-mount engine thruster) position.
The old fuel-dependant engines were replaced by a nuclear powerplant insuring years of continous power, and the aircraft was clad in megadamage armor shielding. Despite this, and its armament, the aircraft is still rather poorly armored and undergunned, depending on its speed and altitude to protect it. The DC-10, now known as the PDC-10, is intended as an airliner, not a combat aircraft.
As per Blaker’s requirements, the passenger accomodations aboard the PDC-10 are luxurious (for the post-Rifts world), with comfortable seating, air conditioned interior, and in-flight movies. Blaker even managed to improve on food service; though the food is little better than military rations, the secrets of low-weight/bulk/residue airline food were(fortunately) lost in the Rifts.
Despite the delay in startup, and the fact that Paladin Steel had given them an entirely new aircraft from the upgraded GAW-style airliners they were expecting, Blaker Air declared themselves extremely satisfied with the PDC-10, and stated that they forsaw a new era in global travel openning up, with the promise of more orders for aircraft to come once they began openning up new routes.
Unfortunately, the new era(at least for Blaker) never materialized. Mismanagement, a gross underestimation of the desire (on the part of the average post-Rifts citizen) to travel abroad, the openning Coalition/New Quebec War, and a series of mishaps sank Blaker Air after only 5 round-trips to England and Ireland were ever made. Paladin Steel, having designed and built a solid aircraft, now found itself saddled with airplanes that Blaker hadn’t(and couldn’t) paid for, with no new buyers.
The PDC-10 is not easily converted to military duties, and buyers looking for cargo transports typically buy less expensive CAEK DC-3s, AHI VTOLs, or PS C-130-2s. Grumbling, but not willing to scrap their hard work, the workers of Paladin Steel have mothballed the tooling dies and construction jigs, and returned to smaller aircraft designs and utility transports, like the Hercules. The PDC-10 debacle also quashed PS plans for larger aircraft, like a MDC update of the old British Saunders-Roe Princess flying boat*.
Before Blaker folded, Paladin Steel constructed eleven PDC-10s. Of these eleven, 2 were shot down skirting Coalition airspace(one by naval units out of Halifax, who claimed the aircraft was an Air Castle bomber). One disappeared returning from Europe, with a cargo of Triax hardware, whereabouts unknown, and a fourth belongs to New Quebec, who use the aircraft to transport supplies to various wilderness outposts. The remaining seven aircraft lie in a fenced off lot at Paladin Steel’s New York compound, forlornly awaiting buyers.
(*Post-110 PA Update: The seven remaining PDC-10s would get a new lease on life when PS started expanding its overseas markets and required a heavy lift capability. The old ‘white elephants’ were taken out of mothballs, refurbished, and in some cases improved with systems previously unavailable, and returned to service carrying cargo and passengers.
Ultimately, the judgement of many is that the PDC-10 was constructed for a requirement that hadn’t yet materialized, but it only fell short by a few years. When the need DID finally arise, the aircraft were available and easily re-commissioned to service, where they have proven a great success. Had Blaker hung on for a few more years, it may well have soared on Paladin Steel’s coat-tails servicing the growing renewed intercontinental trade...
*In yet another irony, Farnborough Air, emboldened by the expansion of transatlantic trade, has commenced studies into producing an updated Saunders-Roe Princess flying boat of their own)

Type: PDC-10
Class: Airliner/Cargo Transport
Crew: Eight (Pilot, co-pilot, navigator/sensor operator, radio technician, Flight Engineer, 3 flight attendants{serve as gunners in emergencies})
Passengers: up to 270(380 under cramped conditions)
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 300
Wings(2) 150 each
Tail Assembly 100
Landing Gear(3) 50 each
Engines(3) 100 each
Lift Fans(2) 100 each
Weapons Turrets(3/6) 50 each
Height: 59 ft
Width: 165 ft
Length: 182 ft
Weight: 560,000 lbs
Cargo: Dedicated cargo space for 105,000 lbs.
Cargo conversion(cannot carry passengers): 200,000 lbs
Powerplant: Nuclear: 20 year energy life
Speed: Hover to 600 mph(just under mach 1/670 MPH).
Max. Altitude: 32,700 ft
Market Cost: 100 million credits; Paladin Steel would gladly slash the price 20-50% to get sales of the remaining aircraft
Systems/Features:
Radio: 500 mile range
Emergency Beacon
Emergency Floatation units(will keep the aircraft afloat for 3d10 hours if forced to ditch)
Radar-100 mile range. Track/ID 48 targets simultaneously
Inertial and Astrogation Navigation System
Owing to the silencing of the international air traffic radio beacons with the coming of the Rifts, long distance air travel has become somewhat more perilous owing to the difficulties in global navigation. PS has attempted to try to get around this by using a hybrid of systems, using an inertial compass to record the movements of the aircraft relative to the Earth’s surface and magnetic field, and classic navigation by the stars(requires flying above the cloud lair to get a good sighting, and is rather useless in daylight...), using stars and the few charted, reliable, artificial orbital landmarks(the Orbitals) to obtain heading information.
Life Support: 48 hours independant life support
Air Filtration Systems
Thermo Insulation---protects from extremes of heat and high-altitude cold, as well as screens out cosmic radiation encounterd in high altitude flight.
Onboard toilets, kitchenette, food storage for 2 weeks.
Accomodations include reclining upholstered bucket seats w/ fold-down tray table, individualized AC fans and lighting, in-flight movie and music.
Typical seating arrangement: 8 abreast, with 4 seat center area, and 2-seat rows outboard of the service aisles.
4 dedicated lower deck cargo compartments (105,000 lb capacity)

Weapons Systems:
1)Light Laser Cannon (3/6)---One is located in the tail and the other two are mounted one under each wing. PS would later add an additional three weapons; one above and behind the cockpit, one just below the nose, and the last under the tail.
Range: 2,000 ft
Damage: 5d6 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: Six times per melee
Payload: Unlimited

(*Paladin Steel would upgrade these weapons to more powerful pulse-types:
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 4d6 MD single shot, 1d6x10+10 MD pulse burst
Rate of Fire: EGCHH, or six times per melee on auto-defense mode
Payload: Effectively Unlimited)

2)Short Range Missiles (2)----Forward firing missile bays , one above, and one below, the cockpit
Range: Varies by Missile Type
Damage: Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1,2,3, or 5
Payload: 30 total, 15 per launcher
(*Paladin Steel would upgrade these weapons to accommodate ‘Black Talon’ LAAMs---Double the effective payload)

3)Chaff Launchers(4)
Triax-Style chaff-launchers, 2 on the wings, 2 in the main body on the tail
Range: Close Defense
Damage: None; similar to Triax-style chaff
01-50 Enemy Missile or volley detonates in chaff and threat is nuetralized
51-75 Missile/Volley diverts and may pursue/lock on to other targets
76-00 No Effect! Missile(s) still on target!
Will aslo temporarily blind and impede flying monsters who fly into it.
Reduce APMs/combat bonuses/ speed by half for 1d4 melees
Payload: 24 chaff clusters(6 per launcher)
(*Paladin Steel would later upgrade these launchers to carry double the payload; 12 clusters each, for a total of 48)

4)**Trailing ECM/IR Decoy---This is a trailing airfoil target that is pulled behind the aircraft at the end of a 200 ft tether, and which actively radiates an electronic/thermal signature similar to the aircraft’s own(only stronger), in an effort to lure missiles into attacking it(and not the parent aircraft), or confusing them enough to lose target lock. . The decoy is 75% successful in diverting missile attacks, but with a 40% chance of being targeted and destroyed itself. The Decoy is a one-shot; only one is deployed at a time, and if destroyed it has to be replaced.
Cost: 5,000 per decoy

[taalismn]

yooowwww...just picked up Bill Rose and Tony Butler's Secret Projects: Flying Saucer Aircraft and Robert Godwin's The Lunar Exploration Scrapbook:A Pictorial History of Lunar Vehicles through Amazon.com...both chock full of prototype hardware, design studies, proposals, and prototypes...Going to be having a field day looking through the stuff...reality tends to be crazier than than fiction anyway...

[Aramanthus]

Very nice! I think we can assume that PS is going to be busy filling orders for some new gear from the Federated States! I know we need a lot of all of these news devices.

[taalismn]

Very nice! I think we can assume that PS is going to be busy filling orders for some new gear from the Federated States! I know we need a lot of all of these news devices.

"Take out another accounting file for the FS...the BIG binders..."

[Arnie100]

I can't wait to see more Paladin Steel crunchiness!!! Toys are good!!! Now, how'sabout some sidearms!

[taalismn]

:D I can't wait to see more Paladin Steel crunchiness!!! Toys are good!!! Now, how'sabout some sidearms!

As soon as I come up with new ideas for marketable weapons...
Getting one's head above the flood of other innovations out there is rather tough!

[Aramanthus]

I think that S-7 pistol is a great sidearm! It's probably one of the best out there in the multiverse. Being able to use any ammo, very flexible!

[taalismn]

Survival Watch

“Great....six-hundred credit wrist wonder, and I’m STILL lost!”
“Geez...typical case of the hardware being smarter than the idiot wearing it!”

A miracle of compact micro-electronics, this large wristwatch-sized device is a boon to the compleat techno-outdoorsman and ranger. With VFS and GNE forces going further afield, and often interdimensional, anything that increases the chances of survival of a person in unfamiliar surroundings is a GOOD thing!
Date of Introduction: 109 PA
Weight: 1/4 lb
Special Features:
*Shock Resistant
*Waterproof and pressure resistant
*Multi-mode chronometer--(Can display military or standard time) w/ stockwatch features
*Integral Clock Calender
*Geiger Counter and Rad-Counter
*Magnetic Compass
*Inertial Compass---Can remember and backtrack movements from a set point. A press of a switch blanks the memory, or resets it
*Short-range Distress/Homing Beacon---Can either broadcast actively, or can act passively(blinks when recieving a coded signal--can be used in hot-cold search patterns)
*Shiny metallic bezel-plate serves as a mirror, spark-striking surface, or signal device.
*A-class power cell good for 4 years before needing replacement
Cost: 600 credits

Hibernal
“Nighty-nite, and see you sleeping beauties when we’re back in the inner solar system!”

Hibernal is a special drug used to place people in short-term periods of suspended animation, either to keep them under control or to reduce their life support requirements. Hibernal was developed by Paladin Steel Medical as a sideline of their environmental adaptation studies program, as a means of allowing long-duration deep-polar work crews to ‘rotate’ during long periods of inactivity/inaccessibility. More commonly, however, Hibernal is used on spacecraft, medical centers, and correctional facilties.
Hibernal, which must be injected, puts the subject into a deep comatose state during which their metabolic functions slow down greatly. They still need to breath, eat, and defecate, but far less often than normal..... oxygen needs are reduced to 1/5 of normal, and they can go without food and water for one week plus as many days as their PE rating(7+PE days).
After that time, however, the patient starts losing 1 Hit Point per day until appropriate measures are taken to supply them with needed nutrients and water, usually an IV drip).
Use of Hibernal requires careful supervision; the medical journals abound with horror-story accounts of negligent users forgetting to revive or feed Hibernal’ed subjects, only to have them starve to death. Hibernal is NOT advised for long duration storage; expert medical supervision or monitored stasis pods are optimal for such situations. In the short term, however, Hibernal is extremely useful for preserving lives in space, or for keeping aggressive inmates under control until help can arrive or transfer to proper facilities can be arranged.
Hibernal can be used by most humanoid/mammalian lifeforms, but PS Medical is also issuing other formulations for other species as time and research permit. Research into a more powerful drug that could provide for longer durations, with less chance of damage(and ideally, preserve the person from hypothermia and cold damage) is also underway for the deep space program.
PS is looking at an internal injector for full and partial conversion cyborgs, that would allow their minds and vital organs to go to sleep for extended periods of time, while their life support systems ;power down; and continue to feed and monitor them. Studies suggest that a cyborg could last asleep 7-10 YEARS under a single dose of Hibernal, before awakening, or an internal antidote pump brought them back up. This makes Hibernal attractive as an emergency measure for free space-flying cyborgs such as the Copernicus and Hades, or for long duration missions beyond the solar system.
Duration: A single shot of Hibernal can last 1 month, before the body begins to flush it out of the system(provided the patient hasn’t died already)..it is a slow-acting, persistant drug. The patient may also be awakened before then with an injection of a powerful stimulant (tradename QuikRevv), which will awaken the person in about five minutes, after which they will be weak and dizzy (-1 to initiative, HALF all hand to hand bonuses and APMs) for 4d6 minutes afterwards. Long duration Hinernal inductees may also suffer weakness from tissue atrophication; -1 point of P.S. per week spent under beyond two; but can gain the strength back at a rate of one point per week afterwards of regular exercise.
QuikRevv is specially formulated for awakening Hibernal patients and nuetralizing the compound; any other use of this powerful stimulant, and the injectee must roll versus non-lethal poison or take 1d6 Hit Point damage, as well as suffer debiltating convulsions(lose all initiative, and HALF all hand to hand bonuses and APMs for 1d6 melees)...it confers no bonuses.
Awakening a Hibernal patient with OTHER stimulants(like massive intravenous intake of caffine) IS possible, but not advised, owing to possible systemic shock and unnuetralized toxic byproducts of the Hibernal breaking down. In that case, the patient must roll a save versus non-lethal poison; success means the person awakens, but in TWICE the time as noted above, and penalties last for TWICE the duration. Failure means the newly awakened person takes 1d6 Hit Point damage, and recovery may take 1d6 HOURS.
Description: Hibernal is a pale bluish liquid that comes in a 6cc ampule
Cost per Dose: 250 credits per Hibernal ampule.
100 credits per dose of QuikRevv(specialized drug, usually paired in the kit with the Hibernal).

HemoStop
“Aww man...I got tagged good...slap me a syringette before I bleed out!”

HemoStop is a coagulant drug intended to stop profuse bleeding, keeping wounded people from continually losing Hit Points due to bleeding wounds.
Once injected, Hemostop clots open wounds, stops(or at least slows) bleeding, and restores 1 Hit Point of damage.
Hemostop must be used carefully...excessive and uninformed use of the drug carries considerable risk, including stroke, heart attack, and paralysis from internal blood clots, as the blood thickens out of control. For every dose beyond the first used within 24 hours, the subject must roll versus Lethal Poison or take 1d6 Hit Point damage(damage cumulative per additional dose).
Description: Hemostop is a whitish liquid that comes in a 4cc dose ampule(typically packaged as a disposable foil squeeze ampule with plastic needle---tear, poke, and push)
Cost per Dose: 25 credits per dose

Thermodol
“Remind me again...when it’s twenty-five below and you start feeling good...is that a GOOD thing, or a BAD thing?”

Another chemical that came about from PS’s environmental adaptation studies. Thermodol is an injected ‘biological anti-freeze’ drug that provides temporary protection from frostbite and the ravages of extremely low temperatures.
Thermodol is NOT intended for long-term protection; but it can allow a person to work for brief periods of time in sub-arctic conditions, and to survive exposure. Thermodol is a common drug accessory to PS Corps of Exploration arctic survival packs and resource exploitation expeditions.
Effects: Protects against frostbite and cold damage(takes only 1/3 normal exposure damage from cold and cold-based attacks. Megadamage cold does FULL damage) for 1d4+1 hours per dose.
Penalties: After 4 consecutive doses, the body begins to feel numb and lose sensation---The person is -15% to perform precise tasks like Computer Repair and Pick Locks---After 6 consecutive doses the injectee may feel dizzy and disoriented(-1 to initiative, -1 to dodge, strike, and parry), and has trouble telling hot from cold(common horror stories in the Canadian mining fields tell of long-term users coming in from the outside and burning themselves severely on hot stoves because they had no hot/cold sensation
Description: Thermodol is a reddish liquid that comes in a 5cc ampule
Cost per Dose: 100 credits per dose

Nitronites
“Before you pop that hatch kid, remember your blue-needle injections...otherwise you’ll be wishin’ you drowned on the way up!”
---Ovverheard during the evacuation of GNENS Tarpin, Pacific War, 107 PA.

Nitronites are a PS Medical modification of Nanite Microsurgeons, developed from the Paladin Steel studies on deep sea operations. Nitronites are nitrogen scavenging nanites that are injected before or after a rapid ascent from deep sea depths without adequate decompression(causing the ‘bends’)...The nanites seek out and quickly dissolve/reabsorb any nitogen bubbles that form as the gas comes out of solution in the bloodstream, preventing any internal damage, if taken BEFORE a rapid ascent. Taken AFTER an undercompressed ascent, the nanites can reduce the damage(but doesn’t replace decompression). Nitronites were first issued to submariners during the Pacific War, but were later made available on the commercial market. Nitronites can be used by a wide range of species(the nanites scavenge nitrogen, not anything else).
Duration: Nanites are active in the blood for 1d4 hours
Description: Grayish-metallic ‘slurry’ in a 6cc injection
Effects: Taken before a rapid ascent, Nitronites prevent damage from the ‘bends’. Taken immediately (with 5 minutes) after an undecompressed rapid ascent, in conjunction with recompression, Nitronites reduce damage by 1/3.
Cost per Dose: 300 credits per dose

[taalismn]

Paladin Steel ‘Adder’ PSLP-1B Heavy Laser Pistol

“It’s convenient having a weapon that can both burn and vaporize in one hand...previously, you either had to carry two weapons, or trust that your target knows what a combat laser is, and follows instructions...And the fact that the Adder’s a laser, rather than a slugthrower, works to your advantage too; a bullet can lodge in a person’s body and cause all sorts of nasty entry wound infections. At lowest setting the laser leaves a wicked cauterized scar that can hinder, and hurt like hell, reminding the perp how lucky they were that you weren’t firing at full power.”
---Captain Jett Weslow, Military Police, Vermont Free State Regular Army

The Adder is another new weapon from Paladin Steel, born of the corporation’s increasing expertise with energy weapons. The Adder was developed in part to meet a VFS military request for a new multi-mode laser handweapon that could replace the older, less-powerful Wilks-style weapons then in service. Lasers were selected over other weapons-forms because of their ease of use and maintenance, and their lower cost, and effort to reduce the overall cost of the new multi-service sidearm. The new Heavy Laser Pistol benefits from PS’s improved superconductors and higher quality lasing crystals, courtesy of their space-based zero-gee industrial facilities.
The Adder has a lightweight, angular construction that sits well in the hand, with a distinctive wraparound handguard in the place of a conventional triggerguard. This allows the pistol to be used by a greater variety of manipulatory appendages, an important feature in a weapon intended for standard issuance and use by multi-species militaries like the Vermont Free State’s.
The inner workings of the Adder were copied off the Coalition’s own CP-30 Laser Pulse Pistol, but PS discovered that with the more efficient power usage of the new supeconductors and lasing elements, the range and power of the laser’s shots could be improved by as much as 30-50%.
The Adder meets all of the requirements for the 107 PA Standard Sidearm Bid Directive, and was quickly approved for service after rigorous testing with selected military units.
This weapon was first issued to the Paladin Steel/VFS Stelmarine Corps, but was quickly adopted by all other services in the VFS military.
Date of Introduction: 108 PA
Weight: 4 lbs
Range: 850 ft
Damage:(SDC Mode) 4d6 SDC per shot
(MDC Mode) 3d4 MD per shot, and 6d6 MD per 3 shot burst
Rate of Fire: Standard
Payload: 30 MD shots per e-clip---One MD shot equals 60 SDC shots
Bonuses:(Laser Targeting) +1 to strike on an aimed shot
Special Features:
*Targeting Laser
*Multi-mode power selection
*Low-contrast/sensor signature coating---A special rubberized covering that reduces visible glare off the weapon, as well as masks any noise from it banging against other objects. Microwave radar, thermal scopes, and metal detectors cannot easily detect this weapon, as well.
Cost: 18,000 credits
Options:
*Blue-Green Frequency Kit---This modifies the ‘Adder’ to fire more effectively underwater, down to 1,000 ft. Comes with a slip-on casing for the laser that gives the weapon neutral bouyancy if dropped in the water. 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 roughky equal to a Blinding Flash spell. One MD shot equals 200 ‘flash’ shots.
Cost: 4,000 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


Paladin Steel PSLP-3 ‘Asp’
“The Asp is as advertized---small, powerful, reliable, and affordable, but all that power in a small package comes at a price, of course.....the compact beam focal elements in the muzzle are only rated for about 500 shots(whereas a comparable Wilk’s is rated for 2,000) before they begin to degrade from thermo-excite stress, and after 600 shots the performance begins to degrade appreciably...Fortunately, new elements are readily available through PS, but only if you’re aware that you have a problem.... it’s pretty obvious to me that PS makes up for any loss they took on these weapons in initial sales price, with replacement and repair costs later...”
---Velocc Sellan, Arms Dealer, Tennessee Valley

“The Asp was originally designed for scouts and raiders in mind, but someone came up with the great idea of toying it up with a few different body stylings and advertizing the gun as a ‘pillow gun’ or ‘bosom pistol’ because of its small size and concealability, to make it attractive to women looking for a self-defense weapon---despite the fact that thing didn’t have a low power setting---
Then the company had to backpedal something fast when it was learned that the ‘Morning After Murderess’ in the Relic had taken a shine to the Asp when it came to vaporizing her lovers before breakfast....then they discovered that sales only INCREASED after all that...go figure...”
---Harry Hype, Black Market Analyst for the_Lazlo New Economist_

This weapon looks like a stubbier version of the ‘Adder’ Heavy Laser Pistol, with the same wrap-around handgrip and guard, but the Asp has an uglier ‘SaturdayNight Special’ look about it. The Asp is designed with commandos and scouts in mind; light weight, simple, reliable, and hard-hitting at short range. Nicknamed the ‘punch pistol’ because the wraparound handgrip guard can be used as a strike weapon in close combat, the Asp lacks many of the extras of other PS weapons in favor of high-power energy bolts, albeit at close range. Comes with a scope for range-finding and a ‘red-dot’ sight-spotter. Several different makes of the Asp are in service, the primary difference being different external casings, including a more rounded and streamlined version for commercial sales. Apart from the cosmetic differences, all Asp models are identical in performance and operation.
Date of Introduction: 108 PA
Weight: 2 lbs
Range: 400 ft
Damage: Two fire modes: 2d6 MD or 4d6 MD per shot
Rate of Fire: Standard
Payload: 20 shot E-Clip
Bonuses: +1 to strike from integral laser targeting
Special Features:
*Integral laser targeting
*Wraparound hand guard
Cost: 10,000 credits
Options:
*Low-contrast/sensor signature coating---A special rubberized covering that reduces visible glare off the weapon, as well as masks any noise from it banging against other objects. Microwave radar, thermal scopes, and metal detectors cannot easily detect this weapon, as well. Cost: 7,000 credits

*DNA Safety---Biometric microsensors pick up on the person’s DNA, fingerprint, and PPE signature. Up to three individuals can be locked into the pistol’s memory as ‘safe’. Cost: 7,000 credits

Paladin Steel LPPW-03 ‘Jasta’ Automatic Pistol
(Inspired by Heckler & Koch’s MP7)

“The Jasta’s a nice tidy little package of an autopistol, light enough to wave like a laser-pointer, and tough enough to take getting dropped and stomped into the mud, though hand-cannon men like myself are going to be put off initially by the small caliber....The point-three-two just doesn’t have the single-shot knockdown of a Colt forty-five classic, but with the autofire capability and exploding Chunkinator rounds in the clip, that isn’t a real problem. Recoil’s light, like a twenty-two, even when you’re squeezing off bursts on full auto, which the elves and gnomes out there will really appreciate....less wrist fatigue from recoil...Oh, sure, it doesn’t have the range and anti-armor vaporization of a good energy pistol, but you can load the thing with silver bullets or other ammo types for fire enhancement, which you can’t always do with a laser pistol..
All in all, I’m not about to trade in my hand cannon or my blaster, but I’m keeping a Jasta in my glove compartment as a holdout.”
-----Macky Cantrell, owner of New Lazlo’s Powder Keg Weapons Emporium, and regular contributor to Best Defense! magazine.

“Damnit, Holly, I wish you’d quit referring to your pistol as ‘my little friend Mortisse’!”
“But he’s so cute!”
“’He’s’ a GUN!”
“The way that Vanguard Brawler started gobbling like a turkey when you pulled Mortisse out of your back pocket and blew his sledgehammer to iron filings, now, THAT was cute!”
“Thanks!”
“You ain’t helping things none, Murphy!”

“It’s the small things that will kill you.”
-----Anonymous

The LPPW( ‘Light Personal Projectile Weapon’) is PS’s latest offering in the way of personal sidearms, and is being touted as the new standard personal projectile weapon for the GNE military.
Technically, however, the LPPW-03 could be considered to be one of the ‘Repliguns’---re-manufactured versions of ancient pre-Rifts hand guns and rifles, using SDC materials or modern age plastics, and modified to fire PS-manufactured megadamage rounds. The LPPW-03 was actually derived from an old Heckler and Koch design, the MP7 machine-pistol, which by the 2030s was being license-produced in the Americas. Paladin Steel has modified the weapon with more advanced megadamage composites that have cut the original weight of the weapon by almost a fourth, substituted a .32 caliber for the original(and less common) 4.9 mm ammunition system, added more advanced sensor options, and given it the ability to handle a greater variety of ammunition types.
THe LPPW-03 is almost twice as large as a standard 9mm pistol, with a squared-off frame and solid construction of lightweight, megadamage composites and ceramics. Like most PS-made firearms, the weapon has been thoroughly abuse-tested and its parts configured and treated for environmental wear and tear; including nonstick moving components made with the same ‘slide-slick’ inert material on HazMat cyborgs, and corrosion-proof ceramics. Though light and balanced enough for one hand firing, an extending wire-frame buttstock and a fold-down hand grip forward of the trigger guard quickly convert the weapon into a two-handed submachine gun, steadying it for accurate rapid-fire bursts. The LPPW-03 was selected by the Regular Army Quartermaster Procurement Board over competing weapons such as a modifed Colt .45 model, in part due to the weapon using a .32 ACP cartridge. Though this means that the LPPW-03 does less damage(even with the better penetration delivered by the higher velocity) per single round than the heavy bullets fired by the other weapons, it also means that the LPPW-03 has a lighter recoil and larger payload. With less recoil, and its SMG-configuration, the LPPW-03 can be used by the many lighter framed species who are entering service in the GNE Regular Army’s ranks. The weapon also has superior range and accuracy to any other conventional projectile pistol or machine pistol under consideration. The weapon can use standard long .32(7.65 mm) pistol cartridges, any of the variety of standard SDC rounds(Glaser, THV, teflon-coated penetrators, or silver bullets, all manufactured by PS), Paladin Steel exploder rounds(nicknamed ‘chunkinators’ by VFS troopers).
The LPPW-03 is being produced by the rebuilt Colt Works in the Connecticut Free State’s New Hartford region. The weapon is available to the open market, but the bulk of production is going initially to the GNE military and security forces. The weapon has also been licensed to the New Roman Republic, under the stamp of Lugiosa-Feneradi Arms(a small quality firearms company owned by the Lugiosa family, which has been a strong advocate of trade with North America).
The LPPW-03 was given the name ‘Jasta’ by Paladin Steel corporate security agents to honor Anieya Summerraine Jasta, a young junior grade Elven security officer, who threw herself in front of a Coalition assassin’s gun, and saved Paladin Steel CEO Deneva Khalane’s life, but at the cost of her own. As one of her former colleagues put it; “She was small and didn’t look like much, but she was there when you needed her”. The name has stuck, promoted by both Paladin Steel Security and the Vermont Free State Police.
Date of Introduction: 111 P.A.
Weight: 2.3 lbs
Range: 650 ft
Damage:(Standard .32 ACP Rd) 2d6 SDC per rd
(Armor-Piercing) 3d6 SDC, and has an armor penetration factor of +1 against
A.R. (Armor Rating)
(Standard Wellington/ Exploders) 6d6 SDC per rd
(PSX-2) 1d4 MD per rd, a three round burst does 2d6 MD
Rate of Fire: Standard; single shot or three-rd burst
Payload: 20 rd standard clip, 50 shot long clip
Bonuses: *Superior balancing gives the weapon a +1 to strike
Special Features:
*Balanced for one - or two-handed operation
*Composite Construction-----Standard magnetic detection sensors may have problems registering the weapon during scans.
*Extendable Shoulder Stock
*Fold-up Forward Hand Grip
*Integrated Flash Suppressor
*Muzzle Threaded for Silencer, Flash Suppressor, Rifle Grenade Launcher, or Water-Seal Membrane Attachment(for amphibious operations)
*Standard Attachable Sight Package ---
+Laser Spot Sight
+Lowlite Optics(2,000 ft)
+ Integral Photovoltiac Mini-Solar Cell(extends the battery life of the electronics)
*Standard Issue comes with plastic case, basic maintenance servicing kit
Cost: 2,000 credits

[taalismn]

Paladin Steel Modular Megadamage Shipping Crates

“Bob, could you order another gross of mini-missiles? I’m almost finished with my porch here, and I just need a front step.”

One of the bonuses of buying direct from Paladin Steel is that customers may get to keep the shipping containers. These are typically made of various polymers, composites, or thin ceramic sheets, but they are also (light)megadamage and designed to be stackable and interlockable for compact shipping. This means, that with a little ingenuity, the containers can be stacked, connected, and used to build structures, such as walls, fortifications, and, in the case of the larger shipping containers, bunkers and field structures. Shovelled full of fill)and/or the fire-retardant/shock-resistant aerogel padding used to cushion many parts and weapons during shipment) and cemented with megadamage concrete or epoxy(PS’s ‘Gloop’ is recommended), they can be used to create blast walls. The smaller boxes are one-piece-molded bins, but the larger containers(based on pre-Rifts ISO standard shipping containers) are welded/bolted construction.
Note: The composite plastics and ceramic sheet that make up these containers are either pre-molded in shape or too rigid/brittle to be scavenged for anything other than simple plate armor and shielding; in other words, don’t expect to be able to harvest these containers for cheap armor to patch up your SAMAS or Titan.

Type 1 Equipment Bin(1 ftx2.5 ftx1.2 ft) 5 lbs, 12 MDC, 3,000 credits
Type 2 Equipment Trunk(3 ft x5 ft x2.5 ft) 20 lbs, 20 MDC, 5,000 credits
Type 3 Equipment Cabinet (6 ft x8 ft x4 ft) 200 lbs, 45 MDC, 7,000 credits
Type 4 20 ft Heavy Container (8 ft x20 ft x8.6 ft) 4,800 lbs, 100 MDC, 10,000 credits
Type 4 40 ft Heavy Container (8 ft x40 ft x8.6 ft) 8,000 lbs, 180 MDC, 12,000 credits
Type 4 45 ft Heavy Container (8 ft x45 ft x9 ft) 10,000 lbs, 250 MDC, 20,000 credits

As it makes more trade contacts with outdimension concerns, PS is also considering adapting the Three Galaxies Standard ‘Can’ system for shipping, which would lead to the company producing similar shipping containers.

[abtex]

Ok Got the crates. Now need more stuff to put in them. Please.

[taalismn]

Ok Got the crates. Now need more stuff to put in them. Please.

Workin' on it, workin' on it...but new systems take time and field-testing...

[abtex]

No problem. Just moving the Storefront back up so people can find it.
like me.

[taalismn]

No problem. Just moving the Storefront back up so people can find it.
like me.

Trying to figure the stats and pluses/minuses of a rapid-fire missile gun...
Came across a reference to a proposed armament for a projected aircraft, that included a 'T-110' Missile Cannon....very little available on the internet aside from the fact that it was a code for a study for a 40mm rocket launcher...perhaps some sort of machine gun-type arrangement or gatling cannon spewing 40mm rocket shells....never went beyond the proposal stage...
But I was thinking...
Two possible ways this could be adapted....
1) simply take the rocekt guns from the Columbian military in Rifts: SA1....very cheap, very easy...
2) More high-tech...use my 15mm micro-missiles as projectiles.....cannon pushes them out to 3,000-4,000 ft, then their motors take over for another 3,000-5,000 ft of range....plus side is you can use smart guidance and laser illumination to allow the later marks of micro-missile to let them home in on a target, just like a volley...only it's a like laser-guiding a cannon-burst of 'smart' bullets....

[abtex]

T-110 Missile Cannon used in Project GUN-VAL, that equipped F-86F WITH 206 RK GUNS
http://www.ascho.wpafb.af.mil/korea/chap7.htm Neat stuff on this page besides the guns

Main page of Histories by ASC History Office, the above page is part of it, has several online histories, http://www.ascho.wpafb.af.mil/asc_hist.htm

http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/p86_25.html
May not be must help.

Having a mix of aircraft and weapons sounds good to me.

[taalismn]

T-110 Missile Cannon used in Project GUN-VAL, that equipped F-86F WITH 206 RK GUNS
http://www.ascho.wpafb.af.mil/korea/chap7.htm Neat stuff on this page besides the guns

Main page of Histories by ASC History Office, the above page is part of it, has several online histories, http://www.ascho.wpafb.af.mil/asc_hist.htm

http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/p86_25.html
May not be must help.

Having a mix of aircraft and weapons sounds good to me.

Thanks...I'll have to modify future models from what I read above...

[taalismn]

Paladin Steel/Hangar-18B ‘Scorpio’ TW Fighter

“HOLY----There used to a hilltop fortress there! What happened to the top of that ridge?!”
“We have to move the refugees up this pass, and those Brodkil were in the way, so I called in a favor and got some help..”
“SOME help?! What did you call in, an AirCastle?!”
“Nope...old friends itching to try out some new hardware they bought...Wing of ‘Scorpios’, I heard them say...Don’t know what they are exactly, but they seem to get the job done...Now let’s get those refugees through!”

The ‘Scorpio’ is Hangar-18B’s and Paladin Steel’s first official collaboration, confirming that the two companies are indeed working together. With the Scorpio, H-18B handled the TW systems and main powerplants, while PS handled airframe fabrication and the bulk of the technological systems.
The Scorpio is based on unearthed documents dealing with pre-Rifts aircraft manufacturer North American’s efforts to create a updated ‘super’ version of their F-89 Scorpion rocket-equipped interceptor. The Scorpio follows the same fuselage configuration; a conventionally-laid-out aircraft with straight wings, tricycle landing gear, and two jets in the main fuselage. the intakes on either side of the underside. Whereas the original Scorpion mounted its weaponry in wingtip pods, the Scorpio moves the pods to midwing, and makes them larger to accommodate an expanded missile capacity in the front half, (and, in the original, extended range fuel tanks in the rear half) and avionics space in the rear. The tail is of conventional vertical rudder and horizontal stabilizer, but on the Scorpio, the horizontal tail plane extends and sits well aft of the tail fin. H-18B/PS have made a few additional changes in the airframe design, however; adding VTOL capability with the inclusion of two inset vertical ducted fans in the outer wings outboard of the wing-pods, and an additional small vectoring jet in the tail.
For power, the Scorpio uses two low-level ‘animal’ Air Elementals housed in the main fuselage engines. Though individually, they cannot produce as much thrust as a Fire Elemental, the AEs combined can achieve supersonic speed and are less tempermental and cooler running. The outboard VTOL fans are powered by power takeoffs from the main engines/Elementals. A backup electrical generator system based on regenerating e-canister technology provides power for avionics and other pure-tech systems.
Slower and heavier than the TWF-94 Starfire, the Scorpio is intended to win fights by sheer firepower. Hangar-18B has elected to apply Paladin Steel’s modularity philosophy to the TWF-890SX with a vengeance...The large wing pods and the extended nose are modular, and can swapped out for several different weapons and avionics configurations, most based on technowizardry systems.
The Scorpio is heavily armored, making it suitable as a ground attack aircraft. The use of Air Elementals(even animalistic ones) in the powerplant give the aircraft remarkable handling in all weather states.
The Scorpio is new, so it hasn’t seen much action as yet, but early combat trials are promising. The Greater New England Air Force has bought a dozen so far, and another dozen have been purchased for affiliated Irregular units, and the design has been offered for sale to approved/prefered customers.

Type: PS/H-18B-TWF-890SX Scorpio
Class: Two-Seat All-Weather Fighter
Crew:2 (pilot and weapons/sensor operator)
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 400
Cockpit 150
Wings(2) 200 each
Wing Pods(2) 190 each
Tail 180
Height: 18 ft
Width: 59 ft
Length: 58 ft
Weight: 47,000 lbs
Cargo: Small space in cockpit for parachutes, survival packs, and sidearms.
Powerplant: 2xTW/Air Elemental Turbojets
Speed: Hover to 614 MPH, can boost to 714 MPH, maximum altitude of 53,000 ft
With Leyline Booster engaged, the aircraft can actually go supersonic(800 MPH), but only on a Ley Line.
Market Cost: 50 million credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Aircraft Systems, plus:
*Ejection Seats
*HUD-Head Up Display
*Environmental Protection/Life Support---Pressurized cabin(though crew typically wears pressure suits/EBA for additional protection).
*Long Range Radio----200 mile range
*Long Range Radar---100 mile range
*Radar Detector---Picks up enemy radar emissions and weapons locks
*Laser Rangefinding/Targeting----+1 to strike with cannon and rockets
Weapons Systems:
1) Wing Pods(2)---Mounted on the wings are two large pods for carrying armaments and additional avionics. With the substitution of an Elemental propulsion system, the need for fuel tanks has been removed, freeing up more space and lift capacity for extra weaponry and ammunition, giving the Scorpio some serious ordnance throw weight.
a)Configuration A:---TWRockets/TW Blasters(52/2)---The traditional ‘Rocket Interceptor’ warload of heavy TW Rockets(aka ‘Whizzers’), backed by two retracting TW blasters in the rear part of the pod
Range:(Missiles) 3 miles
(TW Cannon) 3,000 ft(double on a ley line)
Damage:(Missiles) 2d4x10 MD to a 30 ft blast radius
(TW Cannon) 4d6 MD per single blast; both guns firing simultaneously do 8d6 MD
Rate of Fire: (Missiles)Volleys of 1-8
(TW Cannon) EGCHH
Payload: (Missiles)52 in each pod, 104 total.
(TW Cannon) Effectively Unlimited. Spells have to be renewed every six months
Cost: 500,000 credits. ‘Whizzers’ cost 30,000 credits each

b)Configuration B:---20mm Vulcan (1)-----Experimental 20mm Super-Vulcan chaingun armament
Range: 7,000 ft
Damage:(Proximity-fuzed High-Explosive) 4d4 MD single shot (2 ft blast radius)
1d6x10 MD per 5 rd burst
2d6x10 MD per 10 rd burst(but -1 to strike)
6d6x10 MD for a 40 rd burst(takes THREE attacks and is -3 to strike targets smaller than 20 ft long)
Rate of Fire: EPCHH
Payload: 500 rds
Cost: 500,000 credits

c)Configuration C:----TW Fire cannon(1)---The pod has been converted into a holding compartment for a captive animal-level Elemental essence, specifically a Fire Elemental. The ‘fire dog’ can expel a fireball on command. Note: this pod has a small fuel tank for ‘rewarding’ the Elemental essence with a shot of flammable material.
Range: 4,000 ft(double on a ley line)
Damage: 2d4x10 MD per blast to 8 ft blast radius, plus sets flammable materials afire
Rate of Fire: Twice per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited, but the binding spells must be renewed every six months
Cost: 900,000 credits

d)Configuration D:----30mm Cannons(4)---Technological weaponry version with four 30mm cannon in the front:
Range: 9,500 ft
Damage:4d6 MD single rd, 1d6x10 MD two rd burst
Rate of Fire: Single shot or two-round burst
Payload: 100 rds per gun
Cost: 320,000 credits

e)Configuration E: ----15mm Missile Guns(4)---While researching the Northrop NF-89, Paladin Steel engineers came across tantalizing mention of a ‘T-110 rocket gun’, also mentioned as part of project designate MX-2014...The weapon was mentioned as a possible armament of the NF-89, with four being mounted in each wing-pod. However, little additional data was found, aside from the mention that it was to fire 70mm rockets. The best that PS engineers could guess was that the T-110 was an automatic-feed single-tube rocket launcher using a low-powered cartridge to blow rockets out of the weapon, whence the projectile would develop the bulk of its thrust and speed outside the barrel as its rocket propulsion ignited, similar to the short-lived ‘gyrojet’ weaponry experiments of the time. Having no suitable 70mm projectiles yet available to them for experimenting with a similar system, PS engineers instead attempted to develop a system using their existing 15mm micromissiles. Fitting the MiniMs with a propulsive cartridge, PS created a launcher gun that blasts the micromissile out through the barrel where the projectile lights off like a ramjet bullet, and streaks off to its target. The gun-launch system extends the range of the rocketprojectiles to those of conventional gun systems.
The micromissile ammunition for the PS-McMPG110 system are modified versions of the standard PS Pattern McMs; aside from the propulsive cartridge, the missiles have also been strengthened systems-wise for the more severe acceleration they get, over the relatively low-velocity launch speeds of the infantry models.
One of the advantages of the McMPG110 system is that with their internal guidance and onboard propulsion, the micromissiles tend to be more accurate. Also, with laser-homing guidance, one of the tactics currently under evaluation and field-testing is to use air- or ground-based laser illuminators to guide a burst of rocket-shells onto a target similar to larger missiles and bombs.
Range: Gun launcher fires the micromissile out to about 4,000 ft, whereafter the rocket propulsion takes over.
Pattern-1A 5,700 ft
Pattern-1B 6,000 ft
Pattern-1C 6,000 ft
Pattern-1D 7,000 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
Bonuses:
Pattern-1A (None) Spin-Stabilized
Pattern-1B (None) Gyro-Compass Chip
Pattern-1C (+1 to strike. 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. 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.

Cost: 200,000 credits for 4x gun pod
Pattern-1A 65 credits per RG-enabled McM
Pattern-1B 72 credits per RG-enabled McM
Pattern-1C 100 credits per RG-enabled McM
Pattern-1D 135 credits per RG-enabled McM

Rate of Fire: Bursts of 3-10 rds
Payload: Each cannon has 150 rds/McMs (600 rds total per pod)

f) Configuration F:---Medium Range Missiles(4)---A guided missile system, armed with 4 medium range missiles in each pod(8 total)
Cost: 300,000 credits. Missiles cost extra

2) Nose Module
a)Configuration A: Recon Nose---A nose radome fitted with superior long range air warning radar(500 mile range) that can ID and track 96 targets simultaneously.
Cost: 5 million credits

b)Configuration B: 30mm Cannon(4) Nose----Technological weaponry version with four 30mm cannon in the front:
Range: 9,500 ft
Damage:4d6 MD single rd, 1d6x10 MD two rd burst
Rate of Fire: Single shot or two-round burst
Payload: 100 rds per gun
Cost: 320,000 credits

c)Configuration C: Laser Cannons(4)---Adapted laser pulse rifles. The high energy draw of these weapons necessitates their own separate power generator.
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 4d6 MD single shot, 1d6x10+10 MD for pulse burst
4d6x10+40 MD for all four cannons in pulse mode simultaneously
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Effecively Unlimited
Cost: 380,000 credits

d)Configuration D: TW TK Cannons(4)
Range: 4,000 ft(double on ley lines)
Damage: 2d4 MD single shot, 3d6 MD short(5 shot) burst, 5d6 MD long (10 shot) burst, 2d6x10 MD full melee (50 shot) burst. Damage x2 for the synchronized fire from the 3 turret mounts)
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited; powering spells must be re-cast every six months. 200 shot ‘back-up’ PPE clip
Cost: 600,000 credits

3) Hardpoints(2)---Two hardpoints inboard of the weapons pods are mounted under each wing. Each can accomodate ONE of the following:
a) Mini-Missile Pod---19 shots
b) Short Range Missile Pod---5 SRMs
c) Medium Range Missile---One
d) Bombs--Can carry warhead equivalents of missiles, but DOUBLE the respective number, or retain the same number, and DOUBLE the damage.
General effective range of a gravity bomb is half a mile(0.8 km) from drop point.
‘Smart’ Bombs are laser or command-guided and hit large stationary targets automatically! Moving vehicles can also be targeted (at +6 to strike).

4)Flare/Chaff Launchers(2)---Mounted near the tail are two standard countermeasure launchers.
Range: Close Defense
Damage: None; similar to Triax-style chaff
01-50 Enemy Missile or volley detonates in chaff and threat is neutralized
51-75 Missile/Volley diverts and may pursue/lock on to other targets
76-00 No Effect! Missile(s) still on target!
Will also temporarily blind and impede flying monsters who fly into it.
Reduce APMs/combat bonuses/ speed by half for 1d4 melees
Payload: 12 per launcher


Additional TW Systems:
*Impervious to Fire(10 minutes per 5 PPE)
*Impervious to Energy( 5 minutes per 20 PPE)
*Protective Energy Field(50 MDC per 10 PPE, 10 minutes per 10 PPE)
*Leyline Booster(Accelerates the jet up to 50% greater top speed when on a leyline, -10% to pilot skill when engaged)
*Weather Autopilot---The use of Air Elementals(even animalistic ones) gives the aircraft some benefits in flying; the pilot gets a +10% to pilot in rough weather(or NO penalty for flying in bad weather) and a +2 to Roll/Recovery from air-based attacks like Wind Rush or Wind Blast.

Options:
*Doppleganger-Cloak----This amplification of the Multiple Images Spell allows the aircraft to project multiple ‘ghost’ images of itself(up to 3 separate images). These multiple images can carry out a series of pre-programmed ariel manuevars(can also simulate weapons fire/gun flashes, but only if the mothership is also firing at the same time), but must remain within a mile of the the projecting aircraft(or they vanish without a trace). Also note that the images don’t show up on radar or thermo-imaging, and cannot be used to fool homing missiles, though they DO give off a PPE trace similiar to the projecting aircraft.
Range: ‘Ghosts’ can be projected up to 5,000 ft away
Duration: 5 minutes per activation
PPE Activation Cost: 20 PPE per activation
Cost: 2 million credits

*Flicker-Dodge---An application of the Astral Hole spell. This allows the aircraft to quickly dodge out of sight/reality, for a few seconds, or move up to 2000 ft sideways, up, down, or backwards , with a +2 to dodge while doing so. Typically, an aircraft can engage this system 6 times before needing to recharge the system on a Ley Line(takes about 24 hours), or the pilot can pump in 120 PPE per “flicker-dodge”.
Cost: 3 million credits

*Forcefield---Provides 50 MDC per 10 PPE/20 ISP pumped into the system; lasts 10 minutes per 10 PPE/20 ISP. Cost: 500,000 credits

[taalismn]

Paladin Steel Custom Aviation ‘Greeb’ Flying Submarine(inspired by the Russian LBL Flying Submarine)

“Dude...this thing’s a chick-magnet...private plane AND private yacht in one package!”
“You dating a mermaid?”

The PSCA-S3C-3 ‘Greeb’ is the brainchild of a dimensionally-hopping TechnoWizard who returned to his native New England after a whirlwind tour of other dimensions. On one of the alternate Earths he visited, the technowizard claimed to have had the opportunity to view up close an aircraft called the ‘LBL Flying Submarine’(in most Earths, a Soviet Russian design study for a submersible naval scout plane, abandoned due to technical difficulties), a three-man light amphibious attack aircraft. Though aghast at the engineering he saw in that dimension, the technowizard nevertheless saw promise in the concept, provided it was done RIGHT with technowizardry. With some modifications, he felt, the design could most satisfactorily become an exc ellent adventuring aircraft for Rifts Earth and other worlds. After interesting several of his friends into becoming investors, he approached Paladin Steel’s Custom Aviation bureau to build a prototype, with the contract stipulation that if the design proved a success, PS reserved the right to produce and sell more aircraft, while giving its designers a royalty per aircraft sold.
Rather than duplicate the original three-man scout aircraft with its avgas and electric propulsion systems, and accompanying clumsy submergence systems, the ‘Greeb’ is scaled up, owing more of its design to the legendary DC-3 cargo aircraft. However, the Greb retains the overall design configuration; a three-engined, luna-moth-winged, pontoon aircraft. A low ‘conning tower’ over the cockpit serves as a ‘sail’ when running on the water surface, a persicope housing when underwater, and as a radome when in flight.
The two wing and single nose prop nacelles now sport TW powerplants that are superior in performance and design to the original spec gasoline-engines; electromagnetic induction drive trains mean that there is no need for elaborate waterproofing of the engines and radiators.
A ducted tail propeller provides most of the underwater propulsion. In flight, the tail prop is locked, and duct covers swivel to streamline the tail duct. However, the covers can be openned to use the tail prop as an airbrake(for slowing the plane during a crash dive into the water or for a dive-bomb maneuver).
The 'Greeb' is abysmally slow compared to other more modern jet-powered flying submarine aircraft, but its relative low cost and versatility as a transport compensate in the eyes of transport companies and adventuring groups looking for a multi-environment utility aircraft.
The ‘Greeb’ has proven a surprising success...already the Technowizard and his friends have had six aircraft constructed for their air freight company, and PS has had request orders for an additional dozen units. The GNE Navy and Coast Guard have a handful for testing in various roles, at least one aircraft has been sold to a private owner, who has customized it into a luxury ‘flying yacht’.
Type:PSCA-S3C-3 ‘Greeb’
Class: Submersible Transport Aircraft
Crew: 3(pilot, co-pilot, and radio/sensor operator), 1-28 passengers
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 400
Conning Tower/Radome 120
Wings(2) 190 each
Engines(3) 120 each
Pontoons(2) 110 each**
Tail Assembly 200
**Destroying one or both of the pontoons imposes a -15% Piloting control penalty when landing the aircraft safely on water, and prevents the aircraft from taking off from water(can still operate as a submersible craft).
Height: 17 ft
Width: 95 ft
Length: 65 ft
Weight: 26,000 lbs(11,794 kg)
Cargo: 10,000 lbs(4536 kg)
Powerplant: TW Powerstone/Electric Propulsion System w/ 12 year energy life
Speed:
(Flying) 180 MPH, maximum altitude 19,500 ft.
(Water) Can taxi along the surface of the water at up to 80 MPH
(Underwater) 20 MPH, maximum depth 2,000 ft
Market Cost: 21 million credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Aircraft Systems, plus:
*Periscope---10 ft extension
*Long Range Radar---60 miles
*Sonar---5 miles
Weapons Systems:
1) TW TK Machine Guns(4, wings)---Fixed forward-firing TK weapons in the leading edge of each wing.
Range: 4,000 ft(double on ley lines)
Damage: 2d4 MD single shot, 3d6 MD short(5 shot) burst, 5d6 MD long (10 shot) burst, 2d6x10 MD full melee (50 shot) burst
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited; powering spells must be re-cast every six months. 200 shot ‘back-up’ PPE clip

2) Underwing Hardpoints(2, inboard of engine nacelles)---Each hardpoint can carry ONE of the following
a) Cargo Pod---Can hold 1,000 lbs of cargo
b) Hydroscooter---A one-two person jet-ski or diver ‘man-torpedo’ can be carried
c) Mini-Missile Pod---19 shots
d)Mini-Torpedo Pod----10 MiniTs
e) Short Range Torpedo Pod---4 SRTs
f) Medium Range Torpedo Pod---3 MRTs
g) Heavy Torpedo(1)---Range: 20 miles. Damage: 4d6x10 MD. Can be launched underwater or air-dropped.
h) Bombs or Mines--Can carry warhead equivalents of missiles, but DOUBLE the respective number, or retain the same number, and DOUBLE the damage/blast radius.
General effective range of a gravity bomb is half a mile(0.8 km) from drop point.
‘Smart’ Bombs are laser or command-guided and hit large stationary targets automatically! Moving vehicles can also be targeted (at +6 to strike).
Note: The ‘Greeb’ can engage in divebombing maneuvers; doing so means that the aircraft approaches the target in a dive(45-degrees or better), releases its bomb(at 5,000 ft or less distance from the target), and then pulls out. A successful dive-bombing attack requires a Piloting roll at -10%, but the dropped ordnance is +2 to strike, and gets a +2d4 MD for the extra speed assist in penetration.

3)(Optional) Gun Mount(1)---A remote control gun mount can be placed in a commanding position atop the conning tower. This can be a TW gun of any model, an energy weapon, machine gun(preferably firing ramjet or supercavitating rounds), or a light rail gun. The gun has 360-degree arc of fire and 50 degree elevation, and is typically used for point defense.

TW features:
*Spinning Blades
Range: Melee(typically 3-4 ft ahead of the props, and up to half the prop radius out
Damage: Does 2d6 MD per blade (so the four-blade set does 8d6 MDC on a strike)
Duration: 10 melee rounds( 2.5 minutes per activation)
Bonus: Also has a +6 to parry rail gun rounds, autocannon shells, and other projectiles aimed at the propellers
PPE Activation Cost: 20 PPE per activation

*Black Water---The subcraft can spew an oily substance from its engines that forms a thick black cloud underwater, obstructing the sight and senses of underwater opponents, including marine predators. Equivalent to 8th level Black Water Ocean Magic spell:
Range: 180 ft(180 ft diameter area of effect)
Duration: 8 minutes
Effects: Same as for Black Water spell
PPE Activation Cost: 5 PPE per activation

*Fog Bank---This is used to cover the ship’s takeoff from surface opponents and is cast from the periscope mast
Range: 500 ft; covers 800 ft area
Duration: 40 minutes
Effects: Creates a thick fog bank as described by the Water Elemental spell Create Fog.
PPE Activation Cost: 5

*Leyline Booster(Accelerates the aircraft up to 50% greater top speed when on a leyline, -10% to pilot skill when engaged)

Options:
*Sonubouy Launcher Array---A technological feature that adds a ‘belly tray’ or ventral blister under the tail for the launching of sonar detection bouys. ---Sonubouys are small, expendable sensors deployed by air vehicles to set up temporary sensor nets. The typical sonubouy resembles a cylinder 2-5 ft long, made of light plastics, that when deployed, floats upright while deploying an acoustic sensor and line from its lower end. The sonubouy can either use passive detection, or can use an active sonar pinger, to detect submerged targets. Sonubouys are battery powered, and typically have an active life of an hour or so, but typically drift out of position in 10-20 minutes, depending on currents, conditions, and drop pattern.
They report their information via a radio uplink(standard range5-10 miles), and can report a sonar/accoustic contact, its strength, estimated range and heading(using a built-in compass to determine direction), and estimated speed. Consider the sonubouy to have a sonar range of 5 miles
Sonubouys are typically laid in a pattern, with multiple sonubouys allowing for the triangulation of a target. They are cheap, disposable, and virtually indetectable(their small size and plastic construction negate most forms of detection), making them extremely difficult to avoid and actively counteract. However, sonubouys are not as accurate as more sophisticated systems(hence, its a good idea to deploy many of them), and they are affected by currents, which can quickly break up a laid pattern. Recommended proccedure when using sonubouys is to lay them across the projected path of the target, or to lay them upstream/current of the target’s suspected location, so the pattern moves with the current. Sonubouys are best used when one is aware that something is there, but not exactly where it is; a pattern of sonubouys can help triangulate a target for more accurate firing solutions and weapons targetting(give guided weapons a +1 to strike an underwater target if using information patched in from a sonubouy network, or give sonar operators a +15% to detection and location rolls).
Once their batteries have given out, sonubouys self-destruct---a plug in the floatation chamber dissolves, and the whole apparatus sinks to the bottom, its electronics ruined.
Payload: 24 Sonubouys
Cost: The launcher addition costs 8,000 credits
PS’ DiFAR SSQ-400 series Sonobouys cost 100 credits apiece

*TW Sonar Stealth---Accoustic masking
Range: Self
Duration:3 minutes per 10 PPE
Effects: Masks the ship’s sounds and renders the ship effectively invisible to sonar and hydrophones, but the ship CANNOT be engaging weapons or active sonar systems of its own.
PPE Activation Cost: 10
Cost: 200,000 credits

*TW Invisibility(Superior)---Ideal for sneaking past underwater cameras or just sitting on the bottom, watching ships go overhead...
Range: Self
Duration: 3 minutes per 20 PPE
Effects:Renders the ship invisible to visual detection, as well as sonar and radar, but the ship CANNOT engage active sensors, weapons, or open any doors/hatches(cloak automatically dissipates).
PPE Activation Cost: 20
Cost: 3 million credits

*TW Deep Dive Empowerment:
Range: Self
Duration: 80 minutes
Effects: Renders the ship immune to the effects of depth, allowing for deep dives
PPE Activation Cost: 12 per activation.
Cost: 200,000 credits

[abtex]

Nice birdies.

[taalismn]

Nice birdies.

Thanks..My recent book acquisitions on x-planes and weird ideas is paying off...

[Arnie100]

FLYING SUBMARINE!?

[abtex]

:eek: FLYING SUBMARINE!?

It's not a sunking plane

[taalismn]

:eek: FLYING SUBMARINE!?

yep///schematics here: http:/[url]/commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Flying_submarine_Russia.svg[/url]

and more here: http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/08/flying-submarines.html


With looks like that, they just HAD to be TW masterpieces....

[Aramanthus]

AWESOME new material! I know we'll be ordering it here at the Federated States. And we can always use the new cases to ship them in. And I really find it interesting that PS has gone into the pharmacueticals.

[taalismn]

AWESOME new material! I know we'll be ordering it here at the Federated States. And we can always use the new cases to ship them in. And I really find it interesting that PS has gone into the pharmacueticals.

Hey, wwe're into nation building...and building requires a healthy work force...

[Arnie100]

Or *ahem* a happy one!

[taalismn]

:D Or *ahem* a happy one!

NO, we are NOT developing sex-droids.
And the Booz-O-Matic Auto-Distiller is for INDUSTRIAL use...

[Aramanthus]

But are you lacing the air of the work areas? That way the people work longer hours for less money and yet they keep turing out great material.

[abtex]

But are you lacing the air of the work areas? That way the people work longer hours for less money and yet they keep turing out great material.

He did say that ...

the Booz-O-Matic Auto-Distiller is for INDUSTRIAL use...

[abtex]

PS form of Russian Dolls

Does PS have in their catalogs
Baby Assault Tanks and Underwater Tanks? Running row boats?

[taalismn]

PS form of Russian Dolls

Does PS have in their catalogs
Baby Assault Tanks and Underwater Tanks? Running row boats?

Yeah...that's about right...

As for underwater tanks? I have the Polyphemus...

Paladin Steel Polyphemus Mini-Sub Crawler
"Multiple contacts on the sonar...stationary, metallic, sitting on the bottom...."
"Look alive, boys and girls...while that's right where it's supposed to be, we can't be certain it's ALL the old American Empire's New Atlantis submarine transport hub facility; I've run into Splugorth and Coalition subs not far from here, and they might have discovered this place too...And look out for giant squid! There's ALWAYS a f%^$$g giant squid in situations like this! Keep the lasers armed and ready!"

“Not enough to get somewhere? Gotta DO something once you get there? Well, this little waterbug’s what you need for the job!”


The Polyphemus Sub Crawler is an outgrowth of Paladin Steel’s Triphibian SeaDozer, and is an attempt to remedy many of that design’s short-comings. The Polyphemus takes its design from the venerable horseshoe crab, resembling nothing so much as a giant, high-tech speciman of that creature. The body, and the crawler-treads, of the Sub Crawler is practically buried under a heavy shell of megadamage ceramic and composite armor. The middle body-section, behind the blunt, rounded, forward compartment, is an interchangeable modular unit that can be swapped out for a variety of different work-specific equipment cradles and frames. Standard colors are tan, black, grey-green, or utility orange.
One of the previous SeaDozer’s biggest problems as pointed out by critics, was its small size and cramped crew compartment, that made it virtually impossible for anyone but a jockey, a Dwarf, or a midget to feel comfortable. In choosing a larger vehicle frame, Paladin Steel has also expanded the crew compartment to accomodate more crew for longer missions/work sessions. The new crew compartment of the Polyphemus has enough room for the crew to comfortable sit, monitor work, socially interact, and even sleep and eat on extended missions. A rear-hatchway opens to a service way with both top-mounted and bottom-mounted hatches(the latter intended for ‘piggybacking’ on submarines) and a fourth hatchway to the equipment servicing module.

The Sub Crawler enjoys superb mobility underwater, but has a rather mediocre land speed and handling. owing to its unusual design. It has trouble scrambling up steep slopes(-10% to skill roll Pilot Tank/APCs, and reduce speed by half)
Another interesting aspect of the Sub Crawler’s design is the amount of effort PS has put into reducing the sensor signature of the vehicle. The rounded hull, extensive use of ceramics and composites, muffled engine, and specialized heat-sink systems combine to make the Sub Crawler a decidedly stealthy “utility” vehicle. PS claims this is to reduce the chances of the Sub Crawler being attacked by supernatural predators, but experienced men-of-arms grin when they hear this excuse......

The Sub Crawler is being marketed as a deep sea exploration and work vehicle, but considering some of the less-advertized weapons oprions available, its expected to sell equally well among groups with military agendas.In Greater New England, the Polyphemus is a common sight, being used by Paladin Steel for both maritime security and utility work(Contract Engineering and SeaCon divisions), while the GNE Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard use Sub Crawlers for rescue and recovery, recon, and combat operations.

(Post-110 PA Update: Because of the GNE’s growing presence on the extremely dangerous Eastern Seaboard, the humble little Polyphemus has increasingly found itself in combat situations; this has led to an equally increasing number of combat-mod packages.)

Pilot Skills: Either Pilot Tank/APC and/or Pilot: Submersibles is applicable to operating the Polyphemus)

Type: PS-DSV-MS/UC-7
Class: Mini-Sub
Crew: Two, plus 2 passngers
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 650
Reinforced Crew Compartment 200
Extendable Manipulator Arms(2) 12 each
Laser Turrets(2) 30 each
Treads(2) 120 each
Height: 10 ft
Width: 15 ft
Length: 35 ft
Weight: 70 tons
Cargo: Small space in cabin for up to 300 lbs of cargo, personal possessions, small arms, and provisions.
Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion, w/ 20 year energy life
Speed:(Land) 30 MPH
(Underwater) Crawl on the bottom at 20 MPH, or swim at 65 MPH. Max Depth 3 miles
Market Cost: 40 million credits
Systems/Features:
Closed Environmental Life Support System(Can remain closed up/buttoned up and running off independant air supply and recyclers for up to a week)
Periscope/Snorkle---12 ft extension
Radar/Sonar: 20 mile range
Radio: 300 mile range
Spotlights
Extendable Utility Arms(2) Each arm has a reach of 10 ft and a PS of 20
(Damage: 6d6 SDC punch, 3d6 SDC snip/nip with pincer)
Stealth---the extensive use of composites, ceramics, and plastics in the construction, the rounded shape of the hull, advanced thermo-insulation, and noise reduction baffles combine to greatly reduce the Sub-Crawler’s sensor signature.
Reduce rolls to detect the Sub-Crawler on instruments by -50%.
Weapons Systems:
1) Multi-Lasers(2)
Two multi-setting laser cannon in rotating “eye-pit” mounts atop the main body. Can target/fire independantly, or can fire on the same target. Used for construction, welding, debris-clearance, and combat.
Range: 5,000 ft
Damage: 1d6 SDC, 3d6 SDC, 1d6x10 SDC, 2d6 MD, 4d6 MD, or 6D6 MD per laser
1d6x10 MD for both firing on 1 target(counts as one attack)
Rate of Fire: EPCHH
Payload: Unlimited

Options:
Because it wouldn’t be a Paladin Steel design without a gorking big book of add-ons, would it? While we’re designing more to plug into these babies, these are a few of the more common/available:

Pallets
The rear dorsal section aft of the horseshoe crab’s “Hump” is a removable modular cargo pallet system that can be fitted with a variety of specialized sections
Only one of the following modules can be fitted at a time:
*Missile Launcher----consists of multiple vertical-firing missile/torpedo cells
Range: Varies by projectile type
Damage: Varies by projectile type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1,2, 4,6, 10, or all
Payload: 50 Mini-missiles/mini-torpedoes
OR 30 short-range missiles/ torpedos
OR 10 medium-range missiles/ torpedos
OR 8 long-range missiles/ torpedos
MDC: 100
Cost: 450,000 credits plus missile/torpedo cost

*Airlock/Diver Module----Has a passenger compartment and airlock/decompression chamber for carrying divers underwater, and permit them to exit/enter the vessel. Can carry up to 4 divers(or 2 power armor)
MDC: 250
Cost: 1 million credits

*Work Arm Module----Mounts three heavy manipulator claws/work arms for underwater salvage/construction/drilling work. Also has a crane/winch with 500 ft of cable. Each arm has 50 MDC, a robotic PS of 40(Hand to Hand damage accordingly), and can be fitted with a modular forearm tool assembly similiar to the Cyborg Miners (Rifts: New West)
Has a small cargo space for up to 500 lbs of cargo or tools.
MDC: 50 per arm, 20 for tool rack/cargo area
Cost: 250,000 credits

*Basic Cargo Module------Open rack/pallet for carrying up to 5 tons of cargo. An armored “dry” cargo compartment can also be fitted, protecting the cargo from the elements, but at greater expense.
MDC: 20, Armored Module: 80
Cost: 5,000 credits Armored Module: 10,000 credits

*Cable Layer Pallet-----Designed specially for laying undersea/underwater telephone/fiber optic cabling and flexible piping. Holds two drums that can hold anywhere from 10-100 miles of coiled cabling/tubing each(depending on the weight and size of the cable being laid, from 1 inch fiber optic to 8 inch plastic pipe)
MDC: 20
Cost: 15,000 credits

*Energy Weapon Pod-----Mounts two large PSEW-2 tri-laser energy cannon( PS Advanced Weapons Division adaptations of the Type I Mechanoid Brute Tri-Laser Cannon Option, adapted to fire in the blue-green spectrum), on a rotating turret
Range: 6000 ft(3000 ft underwater)
Damage: 1d6x10 +10 MD per single cannon firing
2d6x10 +20 MD per double simultaneous blast from both cannon firing on one target(counts as one attack)
Rate of Fire:EPCHH
Payload: Unlimited
MDC: 120
Cost: 550,000 credits

*Minelayer Module---allows the Crawler to deploy floating or static mines
Can also deploy Paladin Steel/Wellington Industries new Captor Mines
Range: Triggered by targets entering 100 ft blast range. Can be set to identify/ignore/ or trigger on specific targets(such as the accoustic signatures of known Coalition vessel types. etc...)
Damage: 2d4x10 MD to 100 ft radius, 4d6 MD to additional 30 ft radius beyond that
Rate of Fire: Deploys in volleys of 1,2, or 4
Payload: holds up to 20 mines or 10 Captor Mines
MDC: 90
Cost: 100,000 credits

Captor Mines
Captor Mines are a joint project by Paladin Steel and Wellington Industries to product an aquatic form of WI’s SAWS mines. Captors are identical to the SAWS(see Rifts: Mercenaries) in every respect except that they fire torpedoes, not missiles, and generally cost 20% more over the cost of the specific SAWS type, plus the cost of the torpedoes.

****Accessories:

*Magnetic Anomaly Detector---Can mount a ‘stinger” appendage(resembling tthe tail of the actual horseshoe crab) for carrying a MAD (Magentic Anomaly Detector) sensor; particularly useful in ASW operations.
Range: 5 miles, and has a 70% chance of detecting submerged vessels(-20%) for non-metallic objects, and no chance of detecting organics). Also useful for detecting metal ores and other magnetic anomalies.
Cost:40,000 credits

*Hull Shock System---The hull of the Polyphemus can be electrified to discourage boarders, divers, and entangling tentacles.
Range: Hull contact plus 10 ft area around the sub
Damage: 2d4 MD per jolt
Rate of Fire: Three per melee
Payload: Effectively unlimited
Cost:50,000 credits

[abtex]

Ok just wondering if PS had any contracts with stranger than normal DBee military and other tech. that was missed in the catalog. Thanks.

[taalismn]

Ok just wondering if PS had any contracts with stranger than normal DBee military and other tech. that was missed in the catalog. Thanks.

Well, I'm just re-establishing the techbase for PS then working my way back up...
Paladin Steel and the GNE are infamous for industrial espionage, reverse-engineering, and technology exchanges both on Rifts Earth and through dimensional trade...They started with teh Wynaro(who contributed a few items) then had the Mechanoids accidentally contribute some material...The Great Slave Exodus from Atlantis(alternate timeline event) dumped a MESS of stuff looted from the Dimensional Market by escaping slaves in their laps, they benefitted somewhat from the Fall of Tolkeen, and refugees(mostly moved to Paladin Steel West and the Tundra Ranger territories), and they have orbital facilities...so, yeah, they could have some stranger than normal stuff available once they figure it all out...

[taalismn]

PS form of Russian Dolls

Does PS have in their catalogs
Baby Assault Tanks and Underwater Tanks? Running row boats?

Frank Tinsley, who did a great many speculative technology illos for magazines like Modern Mechanix, also did quite a few spacecraft designs that STILL have me going 'oh wow!' whenever I see them, despite they're bing in black and white, or that off-tint printing before cheap color printing..

[Aramanthus]

Excellent new vehicle from PS. We can definately use a decent number of these vehicles. We have places we can use them.

[taalismn]

Excellent new vehicle from PS. We can definately use a decent number of these vehicles. We have places we can use them.

Indeed? Any places we should know about in particular?

[Arnie100]

Okay, taalismn, what's next in that nasty, devious (and clever) mind of yours?

[abtex]

Do your Skinsuits use Genetically Engineered Microbes ? For self cleaning, power generating from fattie tissue, added healing (you need a Skinsuit that does that) and other stuff.

Here some more fun things for you. Top 5 High-Tech Guns for Next-Gen Infantry, yes you have used corner fire several time.

[taalismn]

:D Okay, taalismn, what's next in that nasty, devious (and clever) mind of yours?

Mini-vacation in about another week...that's what...
Pumping this stuff out and in several other threads is exhausting...

[taalismn]

Do your Skinsuits use Genetically Engineered Microbes ? For self cleaning, power generating from fattie tissue, added healing (you need a Skinsuit that does that) and other stuff.

Here some more fun things for you. Top 5 High-Tech Guns for Next-Gen Infantry, yes you have used corner fire several time.

PS doesn't yet have much of a genetic engineering capacity of yet, though that wouldn;t stop them from buying such organisms from third parties...They ARE trying to figure out how to bred some of the symbiotes they've acquired from Atlantian ex-slaves, including scuh organisms as the Talu Mindworms and Pathic Healer...

[abtex]

Mini-vacation in about another week...that's what...
Pumping this stuff out and in several other threads is exhausting...

Enjoy.

[Aramanthus]

Nice links. Thank you for sharing them with us Abtex! Looking forward to more new PS stuff when you have time Taalismn!

[taalismn]

Do your Skinsuits use Genetically Engineered Microbes ? For self cleaning, power generating from fattie tissue, added healing (you need a Skinsuit that does that) and other stuff.

Here some more fun things for you. Top 5 High-Tech Guns for Next-Gen Infantry, yes you have used corner fire several time.

The X-25 grenade launcher's already pretty much taken care of by the 20mm prox-fuzed rounds, and we got the 15mm micromissiles as well...
Folding guns...working on it...several varieties likely...

[Aramanthus]

Now if you could come up witha rifle version of the S-7 Flex Pistol. That could be another hot selling property! I know we'd buy a lot of them.

[taalismn]

Paladin Steel Skimmer Light Utility Aircraft
(Aka ‘Wright Flyer’, ‘Iron Butterfly’, ‘Flying Jeep’, ‘Flying Flapjack’)


“Think rotor craft are whimpy? Two hundred years of chaos have been good to designs like the Skimmer....a lot of the original conventional metal castings and components have been replaced by tougher materials these days.....In fact, lob a wrench or a fragmentation casing into the Skimmer’s fans while they’re spooling....The new compacted-density ceramic castings and polycomposite blades will just chew them to shavings without losing power!”
----’RoJo’ Genkins, High Plains Drifter and ‘Moto-Gypsy’ Mechanic

“Strictly a low level performer that you don’t want to take up into the highlands, or else those big wing fans starve for air and choke on you. Lots of hover cars can outgun, outrun, and outlast the Skimmer, let alone the range of hovercycles and true combat craft. About the only things going for this bird are its plain vanilla tech, easy maintenance, and dirt-cheap cost...There are so many knockoffs with enough component similarities that you can find matching parts just about anywhere...Of course, that means every Tom, Dick, Jane, and Hairy will be wanting or already riding one, and we can count on some of them being smugglers and mercenaries...”
-----Captain Peter Rudolph, Coalition States Air Transport Board, Michigan Sector

“The Skimmer’s a real comfy ride---smoother than a regular eggbeater, and there’s enough room in the rear cabin for a regular cot to stretch out on....Only problem is it doesn’t have regular plumbing like a toilet....but you can avoid that easily enough...just set the autopilot, go back, brace yourself against the rear bulkhead, drop the ramp, and let fly into the slipstream!”
-----’Duffy Man’, Nomad

“Oh jeez, not that stupid stunt! Do you know how many ways I’ve heard that go wrong? Everything from some Juicer sharpshooter who just got dumped on cleaning out somebody’s colon with a snap shot up the exit chute, to the ‘flying dutchmen’ the air cops find cruising along on autopilot because some dump crapper got snatched from behind by some monster or fell out the rear ramp while attending to business.”
-----’Captain Jack’, Great Lakes Smuggler

“We like to think of the Skimmer as the ‘Cessna’ of the post-Rifts generations.”
----’Smiling Al’ Allovitch, Paladin Steel Salesman

The Skimmer is actually one of Paladin Steel’s oldest designs, and has been around since the (post-Rifts) company began, and has been in more recent production since the company first managed to tool up for aircraft production. The design harkens back to the Pre-Rifts period, when Paladin Steel, known formally back then as Paladin Steel Industries and Construction, first attempted to make a bid for a U.S. government contract to replace the aging and accident-prone VC-22 Osprey-series aircraft and aging helicopters that the U.S Marine Corps had been relying on for several decades. Though advanced and well-designed, the prototype ducted-fan VTOL aircraft was late to trials, and Paladin Steel lacked the reputation, history, and political clout of established long-time defense contractors like Lockheed-Martin, Grumman, Sikorsky, Cyberworks, Bell-Rutan Limited, and Ares-Militech, and so PS lost out to the bigger boys and their cutting edge designs(and more powerful lobbying). Still, PS managed to produce a few dozen Skimmers and made some sales to both the military and the interested civilian market, and was tooling up for a second run of military trials for overseas buyers, and a promising commercial contract bid, before the Coming of the Rifts. Most of the original tools and dies survived the catastrophe in PS’s fortified Vermont factory complex(it’s nice to be a manufacturer of cheap megadamage construction materials, since even the rejected material could be used in building berms), and when the company began resuming production of war material, the aircraft program was given a new priority. The first post-Rifts production runs were slow and the aircraft virtually handcrafted, but as PS rebuilt more of its supporting infrastructure and found alternate materials and industrial processes, the production stepped up. Sales of the aircraft also picked up, and the Skimmer became quite common with merchants and travelers, though few people paid took note of the fact that it was manufactured by Paladin Steel(in part due to the fact that PS had mortgaged a substantial part of its operations at the time to Northern Gun, who freely distributed the design under its own trademark, as well as produced its own knockoffs). The Skimmer became one of several ubiquitous and similar designs known collectively as ‘fanjets’ or ‘hoverjets’ common throughout North America(remember the ‘hover jet’ used in the Rifts Main Book as an example of combat?).
The Skimmer is a fairly unremarkable aircraft, a low-altitude, low-speed light transport with both VTOL and amphibious landing capabilities, designed originally to accommodate troops in bulky EBA suits or light power armor on ‘sprint’ transports( short-range to and from a base camp facility or ship). The aircraft takes after the much earlier proposed Chance-Vought Turbo-Skimmer, and like that unrealized aircraft, has a robust, flattened saucer-like flying wing body, with a protruding radar nose and cockpit merging back into the saucer lifting body. Two small horizontal winglets marke the squared-off trailing edge of the body-wing, and two vertical stablilizers sweep up from the dorsal rear. The leading edge of the wing has two circular turbojet intakes flanking the cockpit and ech side of the main wing contains a vertical ducted fan lifter.
The Skimmer has a large cockpit, with a single pilot’s seat in front, and six seats passengers immediately behind. The cockpit is covered over with an armored glass canopy, though in an emergency it can be jettisoned for ejection seat or manual bail-out. Immediately aft of the forward cockpit is a small cabin that can be environmentally sealed in an emergency, though it can only hold three people. This cabin can also be accessed/exited by two small side hatches with deployable rampways, and a bottom-openning ramp in the tail, that allows for the deployment of small inflatable boats and the unloading of cargo from two small internal bays next to the cabin. Additional cargo can be carried slung from eight winch-points on the bottom of the flat hull; typically cargo pallets are carried winched up and snugged up against the main body to reduce drag. The thick wing contains the main engine and fuel supply, typically liquid hydrogen , fuel cells, or, in some later models, a nuclear mini-pack. The hull is fully watertight, and the vehicle can float on calm waters without any problems. The Skimmer can land on retractable four-point landing wheels/skis, or can safely be landed on its belly skids.
The Skimmer is described as remarkably easy to fly and handle, and anyone with basic helicopter piloting skills can fly it with a little practice, though pilots more familiar with fixed wing aircraft will have trouble at first with the low hover and VTOL modes.
The Skimmer is armored in keeping with the original design specs, which called for an aircraft able to survive small arms fire and light SAM fire, including the then-new generation of shoulder-launched RPGs that the Marines were worried about(remembering their experiences in Somalia, Iraq, and Pakistan). PS keeps the heavy armor, though the original light alloys have been replaced with ceramics and laminated composites.
The Skimmer lacks any built-in weaponry, though some post-production modifications have allowed the vehicle to carry mini-missiles slung under the wings. Otherwise, the Skimmer is unarmed, though the passengers can easily eject the canopy and use any handheld weapons they have. This lack of weaponry has been cited as a liability in a low-level air vehicle, especially in the post-Rifts world, and limits the Skimmer’s sales to combat groups and more aggressive adventurers, but it hasn’t hurt sales to civilians and merchants, and its nonthreatening design allows it to approach and enter communities who might otherwise ban combat-capable craft from coming into the city limits(the Skimmer is one of the few PS-built vehicles that can enter Coalition territory without being immediately shot at or pulled over, the design is so common). Though not recommended as a front-line combat vehicle, the Skimmer is often used as a light patrol and recon aircraft, and its low cost, easy maintenance, and ready availability of spare parts on the market make it attractive to many budget-conscious mercenaries and business groups looking for a cheap, reliable ride.
The Skimmer is still in production by PS today and is very common as an ‘aerial truck’ serving the commercial community. It is also used by the military and militia as a light troop transport and patrol craft(aka a ‘flying jeep’), and sales outside the GNE remain brisk and steady, though sales of the vehicle have begun losing market share to better-equipped vehicles such as the VW Super-Camper and Starfire jet.

The Skimmer can be considered to be representative of the various types of megadamage light aircraft drifting about America and Europe; light military transport craft or uparmored civilian designs that have survived the Coming of the Rifts and endured, if not so spectacularly.

Ironically, Paladin Steel would later also resurrect the Skimmer’s Chance-Vought prop-driven ‘prototype’(the XF5U-1) that actually HAD been built, as its PS-TWF5U-3 NightCloak TW Fighter.

Type: PS-L-VTOL-U1
Class: Low-Altitude Light Vertical Takeoff and Landing Utility Aircraft
Crew: One, with provision for up to 8 passengers
MDC/Armor by Location:
*Cockpit 100
Main Body 200
Lifter Vans(2) 110 each
Stabilizer Wings(2) 50 each
Tail Fins(2) 70 each

Height: 12 ft (18 ft at tail)
Width: 45 ft
Length: 32 ft
Weight: 4 tons
Cargo: 6,200 lbs internal stowage
Physical Strength: Can carry up to 2 tons slung under the main body
Powerplant: Liquid Fuel(220 mile range) , OR Electric Fuel Cell(300 mile range), or Nuclear (w/ 10 year energy life)
*Flying range can be extended by as much as 30% if the aircraft remains below an altitude of 60 ft and uses wing-in-ground effect(WIG) to fly, but this carries the risk of exposing the aircraft to ground clutter and attack.
Speed: Hover to 300 MPH , maximum altitude 8,000 ft
Market Cost:(Brand New) 300,000 credits for Liquid Fuel, 350,000 credits for Electric Fuel Cell, 1.8 million credits for Nuclear
Used vehicles can be purchased for 20-40% less, but may suffer from patchwork armor(-1d6x10% of original MDC), defective or missing systems, run-down engines(reduce speed by 20%) or other mechanical wear-and-tear issues
Systems of Note:
*Radio----150 mile range
*Mini-Radar---30 mile range
* IR/Thermo-Imaging Vision Blocs----2,000 ft range
*Collision Warning System------2,000 ft range
*Forward Searchlights---600 ft range.
*Environmentally-Sealed Cabin ---With independent AC and air filtration. 10 day life support endurance
*Internal Fire Control Systems---Fire extinguisher bottles, placed to be able to foam internal engineering spaces and put out electrical fires.
*Underside Cargo Sling Attachment Points---The underside of the hull has eight latch points for carrying cargo slings and nets; the Skimmer can lift up to 2 tons.
*Amphibious Operation-capable---The Skimmer is fully watertight and can float, allowing it to operate from water.

Weapons Systems: None standard, though some buyers modify the aircraft to carry up to four mini-missiles under each wing, light weapons mounts on the sides of the cockpit, and chaff/flare dispensers in the tail-fins.
4 20mm cannon or two larger 30mm cannon can be mounted in the nose(or on either side of it in the leading edge of the wing(s). Pulse laser rifles, ion blasters, or other infantry-scale weapons can be modified and installed.
Post 110-P.A. modifications allow for the two external cargo panniers to be replaced with semi-recessed mini-missile launchers(19 shots each), torpedoes(10 mini-torps, 4 SRTs, or 2 MRTs ), or bombs.

Options:
The list of small-item options available to the Skimmer can fill a large phone book, but a few of the more common/most often requested are:
*Enhanced Communications System-----Extends radio communications out to 100 miles with a retractable antennae.
Cost: 300,000 credits
*Flare/Chaff Launchers(up to 4 may be added)------6 bundles/flares per hardpoint---3,000 credits each
*Radar Detector---Alerts to the presence of any radar beam
Cost: 3,000 credits
*Terrain-Following Radar---Maps the terrain and alerts the pilot in event of imminent collision. Also gives the pilot a +10% to piloting rolls in night-time or nape-of-the-earth flying
Cost: 60,000 credits
*AutoPilot---Straight out cruise control; can be set to maintain a steady course, or a simple, preprogrammed flight plan.
Cost: 9,000 credits

*JATO Boosters---Temporarily boosts the speed of the craft up to 450 MPH for 3 minutes per jet; up to six jets can be attached
Cost: 80,000 credits per booster
*Ejection Seats---Great for last minute bailouts, or, if one decides to take the ‘master control’ option built into a secret control, ejecting unwelcome passengers from the vehicle. Includes auto-deploy restraints and head protector. Typically fire the seat up to 250 ft away; comes standard with zero-altitude capability, so if you leave the kids in the car, folks, while you pick up some groceries, disable the seats first....
Cost: 6,000 credits per chair
(Master Control): 1,000 credits
*Crash Control/Safety Restraints/Fire Control System---Reduces the damage that passengers take in a crash by HALF. PS actually offers a 10% discount on other options if this option is taken(hey, auto insurance is sorta ridiculous in monster infested Rifts Earth, but there should be some economic incentives for safety devices...).
Cost: 10,000 credits

*Solar Wing---The dorsal surface of the aircraft is fitted with solar panels, and the powerplants supplanted/complemented with a Super-Solar Power System. The large wing surface area of the Skimmer is particularly well-suited for photovoltaic enhancement, as it allows for substantial energy-gathering. Switching over to the electric power system drops maximum speed to 155 MPH, Flying in broad daylight, mostly unobstructed sunlight gives the batteries an 8-hour charge; cloudy and overcast days cut available power to 4 hours.
Cost: 500,000 credits

Variants:
PS has manufactured no OFFICIAL variants of the Skimmer, believing that simplicity is the key to the design line’s success, and leaving any post-production modifications to buyers and individual garages, so a wide variety of ‘home-bashed’ Skimmers exist, from Black Market mercantile ‘roamers’ to ambulance skimmers. The military has a few Skimmers fitted with a dorsal turret sporting a light pulse cannon or rail gun and forward-mounted gatling guns, and several mercenary companies have made similar modifications, but these are individual unit mods, or the result of special kit conversions, rather than major design variants.
However, in recent years, a number of experimental variants have been sighted, or have appeared in PS industrial literature.
In 110 P.A. Paladin Steel experimented with an upengined variant of the Skimmer, the L-VTOL-U1M, fitted with more powerful turbothruster engines(knockoffs of the same engines used in the Northern Gun Flying Gun), allowing for speeds of 400 MPH, and increased altitude of 13,000 ft. Payload was also increased to 2 tons. It is not known if the U1M is to become a production model, but if it were, the price would be 30% more than the current commerical model, due to the better engines.
Another variant, the L-VTOL-U1N, seems to be a naval version, with better flotation capabilities, radar-absorbant skinning(-15% to Read Sensory Instruments rolls to detect the aircraft using radar), and larger wing panniers for ordnance(DOUBLE the number of missiles/torpedoes/bombs), and has two overwing hardpoints for firing medium-range anti-ship missiles(1 per hardpoint). The naval Skimmer seems unlikely to be offered for general sale, if it goes into production; likely it will be produced for Greater New England’s Navy.
The final known experimental variant that looks promising as a production model, is the L-VTOL-U1P, which is slightly wider(+7 ft to span) and has two smaller fans in each wing(for a total of four altogether) rather than one large one, wider apart tail fins, and a large cargo bed behind the cabin and between the tail fins. Folding accordion-style panels cover the top of the cargo bed; they can be left in place to hide/enclose the cargo, or retracted, allowing oversized loads to stick up above the fuselage. The L-VTOL-U1P can carry up to 5 tons of cargo, and the rear bed is large enough to carry a vehicle like a Big Boss ATV. This ‘Pickup’ version seems aimed at the light transport market, and sources say, if produced for sale, would cost 20% more than the standard model.

[abtex]

Nice and different. Where did this one come from?
Goggle did not help me at all. Must be one of books.

[taalismn]

Nice and different. Where did this one come from?
Goggle did not help me at all. Must be one of books.

If you google XF5U-1 you'll find the Chance-Vought 'flying flapjack' story...some of the pieces MAY mention that thought was given to a later pure jet-powered model....Tony Butler and Bill Rose published a picture of what the jet would look like in their book Secret Projects: Flying Saucer Aircraft, but that was a single seater with one tail fin...I bulked it up into a transport aircraft..
Unicraft Models is also a good source of images of weird and unusual aircraft...they do small batch model kit production for specialists and diehard 'fringe aviation' enthusiasts...often, they're one of a handful of websites to have actual pictures and data on a particular aircraft

[abtex]

Thanks. Never used Vought Jet skimmer in my searchs. There could a health tread on versions of your Skimmer design done by different companies and home/shop builts. Flapjack is almost a early flywing just round, just not 'normal' looking.

Unicraft Models has some very strange looking aircraft. Can see some DBee designs.
The Payen ones at the bottom are very different.

Here are some sites I found. You will hate the jedsite one
Lone Sentry: World War II Photographs, Documents, and Research
http://www.jedsite.info/content/jed1.html
Arcane Fighting Vehicles - AFVs