Forums of the Megaverse®

abtex wrote:[

That way he will not need to convert his new ‘Damnthing’ into a Redundancy Hound so people can use it as pack mule or such. Like a Gun Caddy for his PSA-11. Ontos want-to-be with 2-4 rifles fixed to it's sides. Field Medic with robot arms to provide recovery injured and return them for MedAVac. Or something else.

Great ideas...I may use them...though I have other 'caddybots' in the works...

taalismn wrote:

abtex wrote:a bunch of Dumb ideas

Great ideas...I may use them...though I have other 'caddybots' in the works...

CaddyBot, Mod 1

Awesome new gear! I know for a fact that the Federated States is very interested in procuring several of each of these new craft. They would all have a part in the additional weapon systems we can use to protect ourselves from other various powers.

abtex wrote:

taalismn wrote:

abtex wrote:a bunch of Dumb ideas

Great ideas...I may use them...though I have other 'caddybots' in the works...

CaddyBot, Mod 1

BATTLEMULE!!!!!

"Cry Chaos and Let Loose the Donkeys of War!"

taalismn wrote:Paladin Steel ‘Moth’ Anti-Grav Transport
(Aka ‘Grav-Copter’)

Type: PS-GMRD-VTOL-CT-1
Class: Medium VTOLTransport, Gravi-Magnetic Resist Drive
Variants:
*PS-GMRD-VTOL-CT-02B Mega-Moth/Tarhe II---The ‘Skycrane’ version of the Moth,

some get my check book out i love these toys
and how would they look like ?

ZINO wrote:[

some get my check book out i love these toys
and how would they look like ?

Again, if I ever find the time, I'd like to do these things up...right....as in the way I see them in my mind, but which somehow loses definition(and technique) when they get to paper...

taalismn wrote:

abtex wrote:CaddyBot, Mod 1

BATTLEMULE!!!!!

"Cry Chaos and Let Loose the Donkeys of War!"

all terrain, self programming AI, Self Repairing, some models are able to produce new units,
What more could you ask for. in a basic model.

abtex wrote:

taalismn wrote:

abtex wrote:CaddyBot, Mod 1

BATTLEMULE!!!!!

"Cry Chaos and Let Loose the Donkeys of War!"

all terrain, self programming AI, Self Repairing, some models are able to produce new units,
What more could you ask for. in a basic model.

You forgot the ability to react to danger, and run like hell, giving you some indication you should too...

taalismn wrote:

abtex wrote:

taalismn wrote:BATTLEMULE!!!!!

"Cry Chaos and Let Loose the Donkeys of War!"

all terrain, self programming AI, Self Repairing, some models are able to produce new units,
What more could you ask for. in a basic model.

You forgot the ability to react to danger, and run like hell, giving you some indication you should too...

Only if you are a donkey. Now if you a BattleMule or nice friendly Western Cougar-Stomping Mule of Death, things might be different.

Abtex, couldn't that be Number 7? I mean that does resssemble that mule. I've seen that story about the mule and the cougar. Looking forward to seeing more new stuff that the Federated Staets can add to their arsenal.

Don't know mule number 7.

taalismn wrote:

abtex wrote:

taalismn wrote:

abtex wrote:a bunch of Dumb ideas

Great ideas...I may use them...though I have other 'caddybots' in the works...

CaddyBot, Mod 1

BATTLEMULE!!!!!

"Cry Chaos and Let Loose the Donkeys of War!"

HAVOC!.

Great...now I'm thinking arachnoquines from the Cambridge Jungle....Instead of American Quarter Horses...Double Quarter Horses(the eight-legged tree-climbing equines!)


Awww...Eyore with a Panzerfaust?

Number 7, waasn't that the mule that the Mountain man Jack had from that older show call "Grizzly Adams". Oh by the way does that little mule have some sort of fire control for that Panzerfaust? I think that little diamond shape antena is a fire control unit. WW2 level but still that little thing.

Aramanthus wrote:Number 7, waasn't that the mule that the Mountain man Jack had from that older show call "Grizzly Adams". Oh by the way does that little mule have some sort of fire control for that Panzerfaust? I think that little diamond shape antena is a fire control unit. WW2 level but still that little thing.

Heckuva photoshop job...
The antennae looks like an old radio unit...

Obviously we're looking at a unit of the dread PanzerEsel Brigade with attendant gebirgsjager ready to mount up for an assault in the Caucauses...

That's not from the PS West's showroom for Animal Harness?
Dammed.

One of the reasons that soldiers should never be allowed to get bored and should always be keep busy. So they not will be able to do dizzy and or dumb things.

Any more pictures?

abtex wrote:That's not from the PS West's showroom for Animal Harness?
Dammed.

One of the reasons that soldiers should never be allowed to get bored and should always be keep busy. So they not will be able to do dizzy and or dumb things.
?

Like try to teach dogs to carry anti-tank limpets under German tanks?

taalismn wrote:Like try to teach dogs to carry anti-tank limpets under German tanks?

hey, that worked. they just needed to use mockups of german tanks instead of russian tanks...

glitterboy2098 wrote:

taalismn wrote:Like try to teach dogs to carry anti-tank limpets under German tanks?

hey, that worked. they just needed to use mockups of german tanks instead of russian tanks...

Shoulda thought of that BEFORE they tried 'em with live munitions...Pavlov's Revenge!

Well, the United States had bat bombs...

ZINO wrote:

taalismn wrote:

ZINO wrote:[

some get my check book out i love these toys
and how would they look like ?

Again, if I ever find the time, I'd like to do these things up...right....as in the way I see them in my mind, but which somehow loses definition(and technique) when they get to paper...

lol

'tis true----Typically I get the DAMNEST imagery just as I'm falling asleep(and not in a position to jot one idea down before it mutates into something else) or just before I wake up, when I suddenly become aware that the great books I've just found, full of art and descriptions, aren't real....And if I do get the stuff down, the lines don't seem as clean, as clear, as precise, as in my mind's eye....

taalismn wrote:

ZINO wrote:

taalismn wrote:

ZINO wrote:[

some get my check book out i love these toys
and how would they look like ?

Again, if I ever find the time, I'd like to do these things up...right....as in the way I see them in my mind, but which somehow loses definition(and technique) when they get to paper...

lol

'tis true----Typically I get the DAMNEST imagery just as I'm falling asleep(and not in a position to jot one idea down before it mutates into something else) or just before I wake up, when I suddenly become aware that the great books I've just found, full of art and descriptions, aren't real....And if I do get the stuff down, the lines don't seem as clean, as clear, as precise, as in my mind's eye....

? your hurt my brain man ......need brain..... huh sorry got lost there for a second

Paladin Steel Shields

“I lost my shield, but I’d rather throw away a few thousand credits worth of armor plate than to have my arm chewed off...”

“It’s instinctive to dive for cover when the shooting starts, but sometimes you gotta bring your own cover along....”

“Oh wow, you HAVEN’T got on anything behind that shield, do yo-**YARghlllee....!!!....**”
----Last words of ‘Ladykiller’ Louez, upon meeting a genuine Amazon outside Old Pensacola.

Shields are such a simple idea...a piece of resistant material to block damage. But in modern combat where armor-piercing weaponry is common, and armor-penetration technology trumped armor technology time and time again, shields fell out of favor as cumbersome and ineffective, save in riot work.
The Megadamage Revolution began to reverse that trend, and the hard-scramble tooth-and-nail world of the Post-Rifts revitalized the shield. Compared to shaping and bolding body armor, making shields is cheap, and improvized shields cut from vehicle plate are a common sight in the militias of many a small community with the monsters baying at the doors. In close quarters, against fangs and claws that can snip off an arm or rip through a chest in a second, having a piece of armor plate in the way instead had proven a lifesaver!
Paladin Steel, true to the ‘Paladin’ in its name, has put out its own line of shields.
The most common PS models follow the Roman model: rectangular, slightly curved, easy to stack, easy to lock side by side in formation. These shields are most commonly used by prison guards, security forces, urban militia units, combat engineers, and d-bees from low-tech worlds, but Regular Army assualt units are also known to use them, especially when storming enemy strongpoints.
Besides the following options, PS will readily customize the shape and appearance of shields for no to little extra cost....The PS catalogue is full of ideas and patterns that have been suggested and requested in the past, from corporate logos and arcane symbols, to depictions of bottlecaps and manhole covers.

Light Shield---Weight: 4 lbs, MDC: 25, Cost: 6,000 Credits
Medium Shield---Weight: 8 lbs, MDC: 60, Cost: 13,000 Credits
Heavy Shield---Weight: 18 lbs , MDC: 90 , Cost: 18,000 Credits
Extra Heavy Shield---Weight: 25 lbs, MDC: 180, Cost: 24,000 Credits

Shields typically have 2-4 handholds/binders on the inside facing. They may also have 1-2 clips for small objects like flashlights, toolkits, combat/utility knives, grenades, and extra ammo/e-clips.

Options:
*Kick-Stands---These consist of flip-down stands or spikes that allow the shield to be stood upright to become a stand-alone barrier. Cost: 200 Credits

*Side-Locks---These are bolt assemblies that allow similarly equipped shields to be locked together to form crude armored walls. Cost: 200 Credits

*Thermal Resistance ---Developed from pre-Rifts aerospace heatshielding materials. Cuts the damage from plasma and other heat based attacks by 3/4! Cost: 10,00 Credits

*Laser-Ablative---Bonds a layer of laser resistant material that cuts laser damage by HALF. Cost: 12,000 Credits

*Viewport---An armored window in the shield that allows the carrier to see through without exposing themselves. In the alternative, it can take the form of a simple optical periscope that flips out from behind the edge of the shield. Cost: 600 Credits

*Gunport---Typically added in concert with a viewport, this allows a weapon to be fired through the shield while keeping the gunner under full cover. The drawback is that accuracy suffers due to the limited arc of fire; -2 to strike. Cost: 200 Credits

*Crystal-Transparent---Available only to Light and Medium Shields, this constructs the entire shield of transparent material. CANNOT be combined with Laser Ablative or Thermal Resistance. Cost: Increase base armor shield cost by 30%

*Forcefield Shield---This shield adds a small portable forcefield projector to the rear; 45 MDC for light, 65 for medium; protects the forward arc of the shield(+2 ft to either side) runs on E-clips(12 hours for the light, 10 hours for the medium). Cost: 40,000 credits for light, 80,000 credits for medium.

*Repulsor Field---An electromagnetic repulsion field; ion weapons and rail gin projectiles do HALF damage trying to shoot through it, and metal bullets, shells, grenades, and other projectiles are tossed aside by it(has an 10 ft range)...Melee weapons must be wielded by a PS of 24(or Superhuman PS of 18 or better) or greater to be pushed against the field, or be knocked aside/away. Like the forcefields, it extends 2 ft to either side of the shield. An e-clip powers the repulsor for 8 hours of continuous operation. Cost: 32,000 credits.

*Spikes---Spikes can be added, that add +1d6 SDC(or 1d6 MD if vibroblade spikes are mounted) to a strike(or impact) with the shield. PS also produces a ‘memory plastic’ material that appears as flat plate, but with a brief electrical charge, undergoes a state-change to suddenly bristle with spikes. Cost: 300 credits for normal spikes, 1,000 credits for vibroblade spikes, 50% more for memory material(applies to both types)

*Tazer-Strips---ideal for riot duty. (Shock Damage---Generally nonlethal)
Light Prod: 1d4 SDC/HP
Moderate Prod: 2d6 SDC/HP
Lethal Zap: 5d6 SDC/HP, plus 01-33% chance of stunning humans, D-bees, and small animals for 1d4 melees, 01-33% against large or inhumanly strong/powerful animals. A successful save means victim takes HALF damage and only lose initiative and one APM.
Stun means -6 to strike, dodge, and parry, plus reduce APMs and Speed by HALF.
Being shocked on the strong/lethal setting for more than 5 times, or once the victim's Hit Points drop below half, means they are knocked unconscious for 2d4 melees. Chance of cardiac arrest as detailed in Rifts: Lone Star, pg. 50.
Ineffective against EBA, power armor, 'bots, and 'borgs.
Payload: 80 lethal (strong)shocks, or 150 moderate from a standard E-clip
Cost: 9,000 Credits

*Zap-Tap Studs----(2-6) Damage: 2d4 MD per strike, 50 blasts from a Standard E-Clip pack . Cost: 80,000 Credits per stud-mount.

*Claymore Reactive Armor---This mounts one to six shaped directional fragmentation grenades on the outside of the shield, keyed to fire from the opposite side by the carrier. Each mine is directional, and does 4d4 MD to 8 ft area in front of the shield, and 1d4 MD to everything out to 80 ft in a 100 -degree arc. Cost: 600 Credits per mine

*TW Modifications---Technowizardry modifications to stock shields are also available from PS; the most common are Armor of Ithan, Sheltering Force, Magic Shield, Deflect, Reflect, and Ricochet Shot.

taalismn wrote:Paladin Steel Shields
.

where my check book
do you have retractable shields with heavy force fields ?
I to need to buy some.........no a lot of these toys where i am going .

ZINO wrote:

taalismn wrote:Paladin Steel ‘Moth’ Anti-Grav Transport
(Aka ‘Grav-Copter’)

Type: PS-GMRD-VTOL-CT-1
Class: Medium VTOLTransport, Gravi-Magnetic Resist Drive
Variants:
*PS-GMRD-VTOL-CT-02B Mega-Moth/Tarhe II---The ‘Skycrane’ version of the Moth,

some get my check book out i love these toys
and how would they look like ?

May not be right but try the ones here there are more on links also.
This one is more of an oversize Reload vehicle from Free Quebec but I like it.

abtex wrote:May not be right but try the ones here there are more on links also.
This one is more of an oversize Reload vehicle from Free Quebec but I like it.

I LOVED that Gundam arc...sweet and hardboiled at the same time...Sanders the 'Angel of Death' was my favorite pessimistic hero...

ZINO wrote:

taalismn wrote:Paladin Steel Shields
.

where my check book
do you have retractable shields with heavy force fields ?
I to need to buy some.........no a lot of these toys where i am going .

Well, these are shields for mundanes...once we get into the power armor and cyborg accessories, you start seeing heavy stuff, like knockoffs of the Kittani Misisle Shields...
Then we get into the shields for the HUMUNGOUS cyborgs and robot vehicles...Stuff you could use to take your whole squad sledding down a snow-covered mountain...

I agree that that particular Gundam was an excellent watch. I've got it laying around here somewhere.

I can see those shields becoming quite widespread with their sales. Again another successful product for PS.

Aramanthus wrote:I agree that that particular Gundam was an excellent watch. I've got it laying around here somewhere.

S.

Though the aftermath, with shades of 'Heart of Darkness' with the artificial Newtype kids was kinda creepy...

I know. I've got to watch that one again. I can't wait for new PS material!

Finally had to copy/separate my Small Arms work into separate files(lasers, projectiles, ion, plasma, etc...) so I don't wind up repeating stats and ideas(essentially re-inventing the same thing eight times because I keep scrolling up and down big 200+ page files)...egad...

Oh boy!!! Massive posting flood or new Topic insight!!!
PLEASE!!!!

Hopefully he is going Gun Happy or maybe he will be happly jumping roof top to roof top because of it.

Why not get the Large Shield with options. It's worth it.

Bad-Ass, Yet Cute, Vehicle Has A HUUUGE Main Gun
Other DAILY SKETCHs
like "CHEETAH"

abtex wrote:Oh boy!!! Massive posting flood or new Topic insight!!!
PLEASE!!!!

Working on it....but I've had a busy week and the perfect storm of bad back and other mundane pains...
Plus I'm looking at some mass-production mundane 'classics'(raided the cheap military books table at my neighborhood Borders bookstore....)
Thanks for the links, as always...much to think about...
Of course, coming up with original material stats to match takes some time(don't like to re-invent wheel, or anybody elses' wheels ...

Do not write very well. Pictures are said to be worth a 1000 words and my are only worth 10 sometimes so, I may link to too many of them. [Added some to above.]

Only idea which classics?

Those were some truly awesome pics Abtex! Thank you for sharing that with us! We're looking forward to seeing more PS material when you have the chance Taalismn!

Looking at those 'big gun' vehicles, I've got to finish up my 'ThunderBunny' weapons concept...

Thunderbunny? That sounds pretty cool! Can't wait to see it!

Paladin Steel ‘Classic Movers’ Series

“I’m not lookin’ to storm Lord Dunscon’s Castle o’ Evil...I’m just lookin’ to move my harvest ten miles into town!”

Not every Paladin Steel vehicle is a battle-ready wonder or an option-heavy workhorse....and not everybody needs or has the resources to spend buying a million-credit tank or needs a nuke-powered uber-all-terrain vehicle...Sometimes just plain pure simplicity is needed....Paladin Steel recognizes the need for a ‘high-low’ approach to production and acquisition...mass-production of low-cost, simple, reliable designs and products to keep people meaningfully employed, and keep income flowing in so they can afford to work on more advanced projects(or buy more advanced equipment).
Often when PS and the GNE moves into a new territory, they bring in pre-fab factories and equipment to modernize existing facilities in an area, or to set up wholly new production factilities and train workers. These new factories get to work churning out lower-end products that will ALWAYS be in demand, if not to the immediate community, then to other new territories PS imports to. This policy also trains up new workers, gives jobs to those disenfranchised by the GNE’s presence(thus defusing a source of potential trouble), and gives the locals a source of income into community coffers. PS’s interdimensional trade means that such a system is not subject to the vagaries of the local economies; there’s always SOME other dimension willing to buy low-cost goods and equipment.
Among the products thus produced are basic transport vehicles such as jeeps and trucks...PS has resurrected a number of pre-Rifts designs dating back to World War 2, favoring them for their simplicity and reliability..Of course, the materials and technology have been upgraded somewhat....PS favors ceramics and silica-composites in place of metals for many parts, suspensions are rebuilt for improved handling, there’s greater fuel efficiency and speed built in, and engines typically use flex-fuel technology to use whatever’s available(performance may vary, however, between old cooking grease and high octane petrochem). Light megadamage materials give these vehicles the ability to survive the elements, and even survive light battle damage, though they’re not considered combat vehicles by most imaginations; in their straight-from-the-showroom state, they’ll take a few small arm hits, which should allow their passengers to bail out and seek cover elsewhere, or gun the motor and hopefully get out of danger. Weapons systems are not standard for these vehicles; typically all that is, or can be, mounted is a single pintle-mounted rifle, light missile launcher, or rail gun atop the cabin.
Of course, one can then go to town buying modifications and options, at extra cost, but few buyers go to extremes, when it’s easier and more logical to buy a more specialized vehicle. The emphasis of the Classic Movers line is on low cost, affordability, and reliability.
Such vehicles might not be as tough and rugged enough to go coursing cross-country, but for those who want to stick to more ‘civilized’ locales and (mainly) cleared roadways, these vehicles provide reliable, affordable, transportation.
The GNE military and commerically available versions do not differ in any significant way. In official GNE service, the Classic Movers series is seen primarily with local militia and state utility services, and rear echelon Regular Army usage.

Note: The following are compatible with any of the options mentioned under GAW vehicle modifications in RIfts Mercenaries. However, Paladin Steel generally offers similar mods at 20-30% less, inside their territories.
These vehicles come with only basic instrumentation, and are NOT environmentally sealed(can be added later at extra cost). They come standard with a dashboard radio receiver, normal light headlights, variable tire pressure system(reduces the penalties for wheeled vehciles going crosscounty by 30%), external winch w/ 50 ft of cable, tow hitch, and a complementary set of tools(jack, tire irons, jumper cables, folding shovel, crowbar, and other basics).
Paladin Steel offers discounts of 10-30% off for large orders of ten or more vehicles, depending on customer and circumstances(and occasionally offers even larger discounts as part of sales incentives).


*Jeep-GI---For those who can’t afford the Jeep-Warrior, or want something closer to the legendary WW2 classic, the Jeep-GI is the ride of choice
Type: Automobile.
Crew: 1+1-5 passengers.
MDC: Main Body-- 45
Wheels(4)---10 each
Length: 11 ft
Width: 5 ft, 2 in.
Height: 3 ft, 9 in.
Weight: 2,700 lbs.
Powerplant: Liquid Fuel (300 mile range)or Electric (325 mile range).
Speed: 60 MPH. Can ford 2 ft.
Weapons Systems: None. though a roller-bar pintle mount is standard.
Cost: 10,000 Credits (25% extra for electric propulsion)
Options:
*Fabric Top(25 MDC) Cost: 4,000 Credits
*Hard Top(35 MDC) Cost: 5,000 Credits

* PS P.75 ’Beep’---The so-called ‘Beep’(for ‘Big Jeep’), modelled after the Dodge T214 and M37 light trucks, slightly bigger and more robust than the standard Jeep-GI. It has a larger rear cargo bed that can be fitted with a fabric or hard-top, and can accommodate up to six passengers or a half-ton of cargo . It frequently is part of price wars on the open market, competing for market share with the HMMWV copies turned out by other manufacturers. The PS enclave in Takamatsu also produces a version of this vehicle for the local markets there.
Type: Light Truck /Automobile
Crew: 1+1-8 passengers.
MDC: Main Body-- 50
Wheels(4)---10 each
Length: 13 ft.
Width: 6 ft, 6 in.
Height: 6 ft, 9 in.
Weight: 5,400 lbs.
Powerplant: Liquid Fuel (300 mile range)or Electric (330 mile range).
Speed: 70 MPH. Can ford 2 ft.
Weapons Systems: None standard.
Cost: 19,000 Credits(25% extra for electric propulsion)
Options:
*Fabric Top(30 MDC) Cost: 5,000 Credits
*Hard Top(40 MDC) Cost: 7,000 Credits

*PS-M4 Tractor-Crawler---This is basically the chassis of the old Jeb Stuart Light Tank refitted for use as an all-purpose tractor-hauler, with a higher profile cabin that can be open, rooofed with a fabric cover, or a hard shell roof. It is frequently fitted with a dozer blade in front, or other tool appendages(pavement rakes, plows, mine rollers) and gear for use as an engineering vehicle. It sees service as a hauler, plow, all-terrain transport, artillery prime mover, and agricultural vehicle.
Type: Tractor
Crew: 1+10 passengers.
MDC: Main Body---65
Treads(2)---30 each.
Length: 12 ft
Width: 7 ft Height: 8 ft. Weight:
Powerplant: Liquid Fuel (160 mile range)or Electric ( 200 mile range).
Speed: 35 MPH. Can ford 4 ft, clear 2 ft vertical obstacles, and cross 5 ft trenches.
Weapons Systems: None standard.
Cost: 22,000 Credits(25% extra for electric propulsion).
Options:
*Grousers---Grousers are simply track extensions that widen the treads(by 2-3x) and allow the treadlayer to reduce its ground pressure and better traverse soft surfaces such as mud and snow, and reduce penalties for travelling over such surfaces by HALF. Cost: 8,000 credits per set of treads.
*Fabric Top(30 MDC) Cost: 5,000 Credits
*Hard Top(40 MDC) Cost: 7,000 Credits

*PS-M81300 ‘Rollalong’ Medium Truck---Pretty much an amalgam of the best features of such trucks as as the M813, M35, and GMC 6x6. It can carry 26 passengers in back, or carry 4.5 tons of cargo(can tow up to 12 tons without significant reduction in speed or range). The rear cargo bed can be left open or covered with a fabric cover or hard-back. An extremely common and popular vehicle in GNE-controlled territories, where it has become a staple of local transport.
Type: Medium Truck
Crew: 1 +1-2 passengers in the cabin
MDC: Main Body---65
Wheels(6)----15 each.
Length: 25 ft
Width: 8 ft.
Height: 9 ft, 8 in.
Weight: 31,000 lbs
Powerplant: Liquid Fuel (360 mile range)or Electric (400 mile range).
Speed: 55 MPH. Can ford 3 ft.
Weapons Systems: None standard.
Cost: 20,000 Credits (25% extra for electric propulsion)
Options:
*Fabric Top(40 MDC) Cost: 6,000 Credits
*Hard Top(50 MDC) Cost: 9,000 Credits

*PS/VWA ‘Thing’---This corrugated-sided groundcar harkens back to the German ‘Kubel’ car. PS’s Volkswagon America division churns out these vehicles for the open market, where they sell quite well for their rugged performance and ‘tuff’ looks(somewhat ruined by some requests for bright, primary color, paint jobs).
Type: Automobile
Crew: 1+1-5 passengers.
MDC: Main Body-- 40
Wheels(4)---10 each
Length: 12 ft, 3 in.
Width: 5 ft 3 in.
Height: 4 ft, 5 in.
Weight: 1,400 lbs
Powerplant: Liquid Fuel (375 mile range)or Electric (400 mile range).
Speed: 65 MPH. Can ford 2 ft.
Weapons Systems: None standard.
Cost: 16,000 Credits (25% extra for electric propulsion)
Options:
*Fabric Top(25 MDC) Cost: 4,000 Credits
*Hard Top(35 MDC) Cost: 5,000 Credits

General Options:
You didn’t think we’d shirk the options, did you? Here are a few of the more popular options ordered in the showroom.
Of course, depending on what options you select, your accessorization may cost you more than the baseline vehicle.

*Applique Armor---Adds additional protection(and weight) to the main body. Up to 100 additional MDC can be added, at 7 lbs, and 150 credits, per 1 MDC point. Lighter armor can be substituted, at 1 lb per MDC point, but the stronger polycarbonate armor costs 400 credits per MDC point.

*Armored Wheels----These are solid strung-mesh ‘run flat’ tires that don’t need inflatable inner tubes for shock absorption. 45 MDC each, at 1,300 credits per wheel/tire.

*Armored Cabin----Adds a 60 MDC hardshell sheath around the passengers, including armored doors and windshield. Costs about 10,000 credits. Can be made air conditioned and airsealed with its own independent life support, similar to EBA(2 hour air supply, and 12 hour filtration/recycling) for an additional 10,000 credits. Costs 50-200% more for fitting larger cargo beds for such protection.

*Amphibious Operation---Can be fitted for flotation for 4,000 credits. A small outboard motor or hydrojet can be added for an additional 800 credits and can propel the jeep at a leisurely 5 MPH

*Mini-Radar----8 mile range
Cost: 2,000 credits

*Radar Detector----A dashboard ‘fuzzbuster’ for detecting other folk’s radar sensors.
Cost: 200 credits

*Motion Detector----In addition to alerting the driver of approaching objects, it can also tell them from what direction a projectile attack came from. 50 ft range
Cost: 500 credits

*Stabilization Jacks---Tired of being knocked over by concussion blasts, or being rolled over by mobs of zombies before your flamethrowers can get to work? This interesting little system uses Glitterboy-style pylon technology to lase and hydraulically drive four stabilizer jacks up to 5 ft into the ground, even through concrete and metal gratings, within 5 seconds, affixing you like a barnacle, and able to stay upright in even hurricane-force winds. System can disengage in 2 seconds, for that speedy getaway.
Cost: 9,000 credits

*Dozer Blade---This is a mini-bulldozer/payloader blade that can be attached to the front, and raised up to 7 ft high by hydraulics, turning the vehicle into a mini-land clearance vehicle. Very popular in winter for snow removal.
MDC of Blade: 80
Cost: 3,000 credits

*Engine Upgrade----A more powerful engine and more efficient power train can be added, improving overall speed, but at greater expense;
Speed: Can improve top speed by up to 50%
Cost: 5,000 credits per 10% of improvement over base.

Aramanthus wrote:Thunderbunny? That sounds pretty cool! Can't wait to see it!

Paladin Steel New Colt ‘Thunderbunny’ MegaRevolver
(aka ‘God-Gun’)

“Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just buy and use a heavy missile launcher?”
“Cheaper, yes, but not as much fun.”
---’Dragon-Gunner’, mercenary, replying to a comrade

Paladin Steel has been better known for mass production slightly-above-average weapons with tougher-than-usual construction and high reliability, as well as a standardized system of modular customization, but it has also gained a reputation for producing limited numbers of flamboyant ‘what the hell, why not?’ items with snob appeal. The twenty-millimeter ‘Black Thunder’ revolver is one example, the eighty-millimeter ‘Pulverizer’ superheavy shotgun was another. When PS engineers start to play, gunplayas start to pray.
Soon after relaunching their company as a subsidiary of Paladin Steel, the engineers of New Colt Firearms decided that in addition to going the low-key comfortable route of producing cheap, reliable, conventional firearms for the GNE and mass market, that they would try to regain the elitist gun-collector market that was once theirs with a variety of new specially designed firearms. Their first challenge to themselves was to build the meanest, nastiest, most powerful sidearm they could conceive of, embracing all that they had learned from PS and its allies in the process. The result was the PS NCF-R100 ‘Thunderbunny’, a combination TW gun-and-projectile system that showcases the extremes of weapons technology, as well as arguably one of the biggest, meanest, handguns around.
For one thing, the gun is built around a 7.62 mm barrel, a caliber normally reserved for assault rifles. Though there are bigger calibers out there, the 7.62mm makes the Thunderbunny barely carriable by normal human beings, making it nominally still a ‘hand gun....Still, the 7.62mm is powerful enough to blow somebody’s arm off...However, make no mistake, the pain is just about to begin.....
The Thunderbunny is designed with several TW features to enhance the effects of the weapon as a showpiece. Both the gun and the bullet work in concert to synergistic effect; the incorporation of Mystic Marksmanship steadies the gunhand and calms the gunner for maximum accuracy, making the weapon usable by even novice gunmen. In addition, the Thunderbunny can chamber TW rounds for added joy.
For added effect, the TW matrix on the Thunderbunny can be set, at a small extra PPE drain, to set off a low level Blinding Flash and Thunderclap coinciding with the firing of the gun. This is for people who really want that one shot to impress a lot of people.
But wait...
That’s just the gun portion of the Thunderbunny system...
The pistol is just the window-dressing for the REST of the Thunderbunny.
The OTHER part, typically referred to as simply ‘the Rig’, of the Thunderbunny system is the size of a small van, and consists of an auto-reloading magazine with automated shell handling gear, that holds a supply of eight-inch rocket-propelled shells and a magic teleporter locus, tied into the pistol. The Thunderbunny revolver acts as the target designator and focus of the magic teleporter system....when the user activates the teleporter with the pistol, a signal is sent to the autoloader, a shell is robohandled into position, a teleport gate is openned, and the shell shoved through. Microseconds later, the shell reappears inches in front of the gun muzzle, already moving forward. Moments later, the shell’s short-range rocket propulsion lights off, sending it spinning(for stabilization) and screaming onto the target(a temporary forcefield around the Thunderbunny shields the gunner from the backblast). The result? It looks like a handgun just laid down a strike from a battleship gun(indeed, the original plan was to use sixteen-inch shells, but in one of the few concessions to reason made in the development of this weapon, the plan was turned down).
The snob appeal of this gun continues beyond its power and cost. The weapon is constructed with polished black walnut wood enlay on the grip, ruggerized with surface engraving for a better grip, and enchanted to megadamage hardness. The internal powerstone, hidden inside the grip, actually protrudes on either side, disguised as engraved cameos, for direct hand-to-mana battery contact. For extra dinero(chump change, really, compared to the rest of the weapon and rig), the revolver can be engraved, chromed, gilded, or whatever other decorative embellishments added.
The Thunderbunny is arguably the most expensive handgun(and some dispute that designation) ever made by a terrestrial nation. Aside from the sheer complexity of the system, its specialized ammunition, and the encumberance of lugging the rest of the rig around behind oneself, the Thunderbunny is STILL getting orders from the rich/insane, with a dozen sales made already. The most common installation is housing the Rig in a hidden room at a home or business; as was demonstrated most effectively by a Paladin Steel executive and gun afficionado who once obliterated a demonic assassin that attempted to slay him in his office, after barging through all the security(the exec originally wanted to install the system at his home, but his wife refused to allow it, owing to the presence of their child).
The Thunderbunny is pure expensive vanity...But it’s deadly malicious vanity.
Weight:(Pistol) 12 lbs
(Heavy Shell Rig) 18 tons+weight of ammo(8-inch shells each weigh 200 lbs)
Range:(7.62 Conventional) 800 ft
(8-inch Shell)1,200 ft
Damage:(7.62 Conventional) 6d6+2 SDC
(8-inch Shell)(High Explosive) 4d6x10 MD to 50 ft blast radius
Note: A special fuze delay prevents the shell from going off until it travels more than 80 ft from the gun, to prevent point-blank ‘friendly fire’ detonations and self-immolation. If ‘cold fired’, the 8 inch shell does 6d6 MD will knock its target back 3d4x10 ft, after which it MIGHT explode...
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 5 shot cylinder
An 8-inch ‘God Shot’ takes up 30 PPE(+5 for the thermal blast field)
The power stone in the grip has 180 PPE capacity, and can be recharged with the infusion f the appropriate amount of PPE/ISP, recharged at a leyline, nexus, or dimensional pyramid, or replaced altogether.
The Rig has a carousel with six shells ready to be fired , but depending on the size of the carrying vehicle(and additional attendant loading crew/mechanisms), additional ammunition can be carried and loaded.
Bonuses:
Special Features:
*Double Action
*Optional Underbarrel Laser Spot Sight(230 ft, +1 to strike)
*Optional Top Sight Rail(can be fitted with a scope)
*Iron Wood Handgrip
*Megadamage Stainles Steel Construction(available ruggerized, chromed, gilded, or enlaid)
Has the following TW features:
*Blinding Flash( 1 PPE)
*Thunderclap( 4 PPE)
*Impervious to Fire(5 PPE)---This engages when the God Sjot mode is enabled and renders the gun holder temporarily impervious to the effects of the rockets’ backblast(does 3d6 SDC scorching otherwise), Effects last 1 minute.
*Mystic Marksmanship(5 PPE, and lasts one melee)
*Starburst(12 PPE)---Rather than fire a bullet, the Thunderbunny can fire off a straight Starburst spell that does 3d6 MD, range 120 ft, and can cause temporary blindness.
Notes:
*The Rig must be within 3 miles of the gun to be operative.

Cost: 3 million credits for the complete system. Replacement pistols cost 3,000 credits, plus a 3,000 credit charge for re-synching them to an existing Rig.
*8-inch shells cost roughly 400,000 credits apiece

Nice new gear! I like it. The ordinary vehicles are cool. That little Thunderbunny looks pretty neat! I think we'll have to buy a number of them to test out. We've got Lexington, Ky as a neighbor. It's be good to test there on the undead!

Aramanthus wrote:Nice new gear! I like it. The ordinary vehicles are cool. That little Thunderbunny looks pretty neat! I think we'll have to buy a number of them to test out. We've got Lexington, Ky as a neighbor. It's be good to test there on the undead!

I'll have to look at the possibility of incendiary 8-inch shells then...
Zom-Burners...

That would be very nice. I'm sure someone in our own R&D department will be more than happy to assist in the production of this ammo.

Properly speaking, if you're balsting zombies, something that totally incinerates them/sterilizes the ashes instantly, or knocks them down, then plasmizes them is best...otherwise you have walking torches coming down on your position...

Yes, we know about that problem. Some of the first units we observed attempting that had that problem overrun them after very few minutes of combat had occured.

Robots and drones...plenty of robots and drones to plow over the zombies while you hightail it to safer ground...

Paladin Steel Packer-class Tanker

“The Paladins have fitted out several of these ships as Contract Engineering vessels...built on extra machine shops and carry extra materials stock to act as mobile depots and repair tenders...they go hoboing about the waters looking for work...Of course, while they’re offering their services, they’re scoping out customers and markets for PS products, and gathering intel for the GNE, but that’s expected.”

“We don’t always carry fuel liquids on a Packer....I made several ‘oleo runs’ carrying nothing but vegetable oil in the tanks, and turpentine on others....some communities pay top credit for feedstock materials to stoke their own local industries, especially when they’re looking to expand.”

The energy economy of Greater New England is no longer dependent on fossil fuels; however, Paladin Steel still has the pressing need to build liquid cargo tankers. Greater New England’s fusion- and magic-powered industrial complexes(and colonial outposts) produce a variety of valuable liquid products, such as synthetic oil/petrochem(good as fuel, lubricant, or chemical feedstocks), cracked hydrogen, alcohol fuels, and the like that must be safely transported to market destinations. While as yet there is no safe and economical way to move massive amounts of these substances overland, the coastal waters offer a just barely more effective means of moving product to market. And the most economical way continues to be conventional-hull tankers. With Greater New England’s growing mercantile empire, and the at least temporary subsidence of the Splugorth threat along the Eastern Seaboard, Paladin Steel is rushing to take advantage of the window of opportunity to move products along the eastern waterways.
Based on the design of pre-Golden Age naval logistical ‘oilers’, Paladin Steel Packer-class tankers are the primary means of getting liquid cargoes to market points. They are also among the largest dedicated tankers currently in production in the post-Rifts world(only Triax is known to produce larger tankers for their own use). Advancements in material engineering and propulsion systems have allowed for stronger and faster vessels(an absolute necessity in the post-Rifts world), and the vessels carry provision for abundant weaponry. Among modern modifications, include the inclusion of reinforced self-sealing fuel tanks to prevent the loss of cargo and the threat of catastrophic cargo ignition. The Packers also mount extensive fire control systems, including inert gas and sea water pumping systems to reduce the threat of fire aboard these ships. They have better than average sensors and communications for mercantile ships, the better to detect danger well in advance of the plodding speed these vessels are capable of, and to keep in constant contact with their escorts.
Still, despite the heavy armor reinforcing and abundant defensive weaponry, smart operators rarely operate these vessels without escort(if nothing else, to have sufficient fast escort vessels to take the crew off and out of danger as quickly as possible).
Type: PS-AOR/T-7
Class: Multi-Role Tanker
Crew: 120(+ can accommodate up to 128 additional crew)
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 4,900
Bridge 500
Internal Fuel Holds(10) 200 each
Height: 32 ft draft(overall height of about 60ft including masts)
Width: 75 ft
Length: 553 ft
Weight: 11,300 tons empty(24,480 tons fully loaded)
Cargo: 150,000 barrels of liquid cargo, distributed in ten self-sealing armored tanks.
625 tons ordnance(or dry cargo)
Powerplant:Liquid Fuel/Gas Turbine(9,500 mile range between refuelings) or Nuclear(w/ 25 year energy life)
Speed: 20 knots
Market Cost:43 million credits for the basic ship, powerplant, and fittings(no weapons). 51 million credits for nuclear.
Systems of Note:
Standard Ship Systems, plus:
*Long Range Radar---100 miles
*Long Range Radio--- 200 mile range
*Sonar-------30 miles
*Limited Life Support---The main crew compartments can be sealed airtight and supplied with air conditioned tanked air for up to 48 hours, or filtered external air for 4 days.

*On-Way Cargo Transfer/Refueling Capability---Through the use of cable trams(3 each side, 6 total) and extendable hose systems(2 each side, 4 total), the Packer can transfer cargo and fuel while underway, allowing it to restock other vessels at sea.

*Fire Control Systems---A combination of sea-pumps and chemical sprayers mounted throughout the ship can duct fire-fighting water and retardants to jsut about any location in an emergency, with battery power back-ups in the event the main engine/powerplant is disabled. Typically, the system can put out a room-sized fire in 3 minutes or less.

Weapons Systems:
Similar to the Liberty and Victory Ships, the Packers come standard with 4 heavy gun mounts(capable of carrying a medium range missile launcher or 5-inch cannon), and 4 medium gun mount positions(usually fitted with twin- or quad-mount weapons) and a dozen or so lighter gun mounts.
They also typically carry 2-6 countermeasure launchers, firing anti-missile and anti-torpedo chaff/decoys. Another popular measure is a stern-tow accoustic decoy or counter-torpedo pod/raft.

Auxiliary Craft:
*10 lifeboats
Typically has a contingent of 6-10 power armors aboard to assist in self-defense and loading/refueling operations.

Options:
The Packer-class is fully compatible with the full range of options available to the Liberty- and Victory-classes.

Variants:
*PS-AOR/T-7-LNG/CGC05---Modified hull with four semi-spherical reinforced tanks for carrying liquified natural gas, cryogenic chemicals, or deterium slush....particularly hazardous cargoes. These tanks each have 800 MDC each, emergency venting, and have a TW system(Extinguish Fire, Dissipate Gases) mounted on them, that automatically goes off in event of breach). These ships cost 40% more than the standard Packer.

Paladin Steel Packer-class Tanker

Nice, simple and cute with the right paint job and lots of some Deck Bunnies .

How did we refit Packer-class Tankers in to buses/tourist ships for amiph and sea races who want to go surface watching?

It is a great ship. Just one thing I noticed is that the fully loaded weight is messed up. You might want to edit it.

We here at the Federated States will be procuding several of these ships. We can see a definate need for expanding their numbers.

(Redundancy has been detected....Redundancy has been devoured...Redundancy Hound is starting to get a little fat...Take me out to the park so I can run around and exercise some of this off, please?)