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I may take you up on that, seeing as I'm trying to organize all my stuff into convenient categories myself(material STREWN across several dozen file folders!)

And my thanks for thinking so highly of my brain-dribbles that you've gone to so much trouble to pulling it all together in comprehensive format!

ZINO wrote:Paladin Steel ‘Brianica’ MotorTrike
what would this look like ? love it but HUH ?

Picture a beefier, more angular, military-looking version of this, with wider tires:
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z964/Mercedes-Benz-F300-Life-Jet.aspx

ZINO wrote:Paladin Steel ‘Brianica’ MotorTrike
what would this look like ? love it but HUH ?

well, this is the Gx3 he mentioned in the description.

Shark_Force wrote:

ZINO wrote:Paladin Steel ‘Brianica’ MotorTrike
what would this look like ? love it but HUH ?

well, this is the Gx3 he mentioned in the description.

Yep, I saw that, but went with the MB F300 because it had a smaller forward profile, and fully enclosed body for extra protection from the elements(like lead rain)

Sabre 1 wrote:On that note I have as of 14:03 10/09/2010 compiled all of Taalisms Paladin Steel posts into Word format.

They come in 8 flavours:

Paladin Steel Tanks & Vehicles, Paladin Steel Air & Space Craft, Paladin Steel Equipment & Miscellaneous Gear, Paladin Steel Cyborgs & Implants, Paladin Steel Guns & Weapons of Mass Badassery, Paladin Steel Ocean Vessels, Paladin Steel World Info & Paladin Steel Armour, Power Armour & Robots.

If anyone would like a copy please message me.

All work is of course Taalismns, these are just files for my own enjoyment.

I just turned the files he sent in to pdfs and there's over 1600+ pages of Paladin Steel material. Keep up the most excellent work Taalismn!

Veritas476 wrote:

Sabre 1 wrote:On that note I have as of 14:03 10/09/2010 compiled all of Taalisms Paladin Steel posts into Word format.

They come in 8 flavours:

Paladin Steel Tanks & Vehicles, Paladin Steel Air & Space Craft, Paladin Steel Equipment & Miscellaneous Gear, Paladin Steel Cyborgs & Implants, Paladin Steel Guns & Weapons of Mass Badassery, Paladin Steel Ocean Vessels, Paladin Steel World Info & Paladin Steel Armour, Power Armour & Robots.

If anyone would like a copy please message me.

All work is of course Taalismns, these are just files for my own enjoyment.

I just turned the files he sent in to pdfs and there's over 1600+ pages of Paladin Steel material. Keep up the most excellent work Taalismn!

Thanks for doing that. I'm keeping mine as Word for future editing.

I'm keeping the word files too.

Veritas476 wrote:I'm keeping the word files too.

Hopefully this will encourage Taalismn to produce more material for those eager for his "brain-dribbles".

I'm hopeful of seeing the PSA-12 and Fury SAMAS soon since both have been mentioned in the World Info and other areas recently.

Sabre 1 wrote:

Veritas476 wrote:I'm keeping the word files too.

Hopefully this will encourage Taalismn to produce more material for those eager for his "brain-dribbles".

I'm hopeful of seeing the PSA-12 and Fury SAMAS soon since both have been mentioned in the World Info and other areas recently.

The role originally envisioned for the PSA-12 has since been taken over by the PSA-18(PS;s version of the NEMA 'Mastiff'), but a Fury SAMAS is still in the works(the PSA-12 numerical designation may be reassigned to this bird when it emerges).
I just spent the day hammering out ideas for PS's presence in the Three Galaxies(amazing how much time you can waste hammering out a binary star system which is just going to serve as background) under the name Aegis Stellar Industries, while getting some ideas for PS/ASI spacecraft by looking at 1950-1970's aerospace projects(for the sort of 'tuff but cheap' spacecraft much like the bulk of PS's products)...

But 1600+ pages? You're kidding me, right? Glad I haven't included any illos yet, or the space/page requirements would go up..WAY up...

I can't wait to see what you come out with next. The 1600+ page count isn't exaggerating either. The bulk of the text was sent to me in Trebuchet MS 10pt.

Makes me realize I really need a life!
Add all the rest of the stuff I write and post....(whistles)...yeah, I scare myself sometimes....

Paladin Steel in the Three Galaxies

“To survive, we must expand. With enemies all around us, that poses a problem. However, the Rifts offer us an opportunity to push not simply over and past our borders, but BEYOND them, in ways no previous Earth nation has ever had available to it.”

Early in its Outdimensional Exploration programs, PS and the GNE learned of a fabulous place called Center, on a planet called PhaseWorld, and of a vast cosmos known asthe Three Galaxies beyond it.
It was only a matter of time before PS/GNE Shifters managed to find Center, and the GNE has launched several expeditions to explore the possibilities of the place. Simply one among millions of daily visitors to the dimensional hub/super-mall, the Rifts Earthers simply haven’t (and aren’t able to) make any real splash there. Though still very much agasp at the wonders they behold, the GNErs have tried their best not to appear as gape-mouthed rubes in the Big City. With great difficulty and considerable effort, PS/GNE has managed to acquire a small embassy/ outlet shop(not much larger than a small used car dealership) in SpaceTown(Level Two), which has come to double as an office for Aegis Stellar Industries. This modest little outlay sells PS/ASI goods(as wella s other Rifts Earth items), allows customers to place orders for larger products(which are either held in the Warehouse Sector or shipped from PS/ASI facilities elsewwhere), and has given PS/GNE a listening post presence in this hotbed of megaversal possibility. It hasn’t been PS’s most profitable outlet franchise office(rent is steep and competition fierce), but the GNE considers it a worthwhile investment for the possible long range benefits.
However, the GNE has found OTHER ways to the Three Galaxies as well, and finding reliable transit to points in it has encouraged Paladin Steel and the GNE to pursue several plans to explore and exploit what they find in the Three Galaxies, with an eye towards shoring up their positions at home.

Rum Bay

“In retasking this place and its purpose, we redeem its potential. Where once its halls served as a place of misery and crime, it now serves as an outpost of enlightment and growth.”

Rum Bay is the GNE’s secret outpost in the Three Galaxies....a hollowed-out asteroid in a backwater waste system that’s conveniently near a shipping lane, but not so close as to invite regular investigation.
‘Rum Bay’ got its name from the way it was acquired.....GNE Stelmarines simply took over the asteroid which had formerly been the hideout and transshipment/processing station for a band of pirate-slavers. The GNE happened to discover the complex and its criminal owners when the slavers hijacked a ship that had been infiltrated by an Outstep agent as part of that organization’s regular information gathering missions. The agent(who happened to possess the superpower of Shrinking) tagged along on one of the slaves taken by the outlaws, and subsequently discovered the location of their hideout. Recognizing the opportunity presented(rescuing hostages, taking out a gang of outlaws---always good karma with the locals---and acquiring some techno-loot for the hometeam), the Outstep agent trans-dim beaconed home with a magical artifact he had on him. SpaceForce Shifters then managed to Gate in a small commando taskforce into the pirate hideout. Appearing suddenly inside the supposedly secret base, the Stelmarines managed to get the drop on the pirates, forcing their way into the asteroid’s facilities and slaughtering most of them.
The event netted Greater New England a stealth outpost in the Three Galaxies, several pirate ships, info on the local criminal syndicates, and a wealth of miscellaneous loot. The GNE did repatriate the slaves/kidnappees, and most of the identifiable loot through a neutral intermediary at Phaseworld(not wanting to give up the location of their secret base just yet), but not before thoroughly interviewing the former prisoners and carefully studying any of the returned technology. The surviving pirates were NOT turned over to CCW authorities, but instead faced a GNE court, where slavery and sexual slavery carry harsher penalties. Most of the miscreants were summarily executed, while a few were left alive, sentenced to life with hard labor, as living information assets---with the understanding that if the GNE needed to pick their brains again, the ex-pirates had better comply---or else....
Rum Bay is, unlike the GNE’s various Embassies, primarily a MILITARY outpost, with an emphasis on intelligence gathering. The Outstep branch of OTAR has a major facility here, gathering, cataloguing, and studying potentially useful salvage. The station has an artificial interdimensional Rift gate that it uses for communicating and linking to its home dimension.
Rum Bay features, among other things, a state of the art medical center(including a large quarantine facility) for dealing with whatever alien ailments the exploration crews might encounter. Defenses consist of a variety of concealed weapons turrets(most of them lifted as plunder from military surplus ships, looted starships, or improvized from stolen military gear). The asteroid also conceals a number of long range sensor systems(an adhoc system knitted together of various sensor systems acquired on the black market). The outpost also has a small shipyard capable of constructing small craft and servicing larger vessels. PS is lookng at constructing additional facilities on neighboring asteroids, but is afraid that TOO much additional activity may jeopardize the camouflage currently enjoyed by Rum Bay.
Though aware of the Aegis Stellar Industries branch operation, the Rum Bay facility is under orders to maintain their distance unless a serious crisis threatens, and only intermittant contact is maintained between the two operations to keep them up to date. PS and the GNE hope that by keeping the two separate, there is less chance of an enemy taking out both of the GNE outpost missions.

Besides a handful of low-tech Rifts Earth manufactured ships for close-in defense, the station also plays host to a dozen former pirate prize-vessels, as well as a half dozen former pirate craft, taken as spoils of war. All of the ships were broken down and studied, then reassembled and modified to a different appearance, allowing them to be used for intergalactic studies, without attracting undue attention.
Rum Bay supports about 6,000 personnel at present, and can accommodate another 4,000.

Rum Bay’s purpose is several-fold;
1) Gather Intelligence on the Three Galaxies---Getting a complete picture of the affairs of the entire Three Galaxies is an impossible task, given that the GNE is still trying to get comprehensive information on places in the same HEMISPHERE of their own homeworld...still, the GNE would very much like to know who the major players are....Especially powers that have already shown up on Earth, such as Naruni and the Splugorth, and who might be likely to show up on Rifts Earth next. They also want to know who would make good business partners and allies.
2) Market Research---The GNE, and Paladin Steel in particular, would very much like to see what’s selling in the Three Galaxies. Given their original exposure to the market on Phaseworld, PS is aware of the vast potential market....and has become painfully aware of the hazards of dealing with native middlemen. One of the surprises they discovered is that backwards Earth products and especially weapons ARE selling in the Three Galaxies, often at a considerable mark-up from what the local middlemen have been acquiring the equipment for. Paladin Steel would very much like to market direct, and get their whole profit, but are well aware of the hazards of being a newborn lamb in an old wolves’ marketplace.
3) Technology Acquisition----One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure, and the Rum Bay contingent is engaging in dumpster-diving on a large scale. While they’re not looking to infringe on anyone’s copyrights(a real problem if PS markets on the open galactic market), they would like to acquire new technology that could help them out back home and also put them on an even footing against galactic-level threats, like renewed hostility from the Splugorth. So the Rum Bay staff are working to buy, salvage, or, in a few cases, steal, technology for study back home. Acquiring the technology of the original pirate owners of the Rum Bay facility was a start. Tapping into the ‘open tech’ databases of the CCW is another; it’s gotten them full schematics for High Intensity Lasers for one thing.
4) Military Operations---GNE extradimensional forces are getting some small measure of experience in fighting in different environments against various foes....excellent experience for defending the homeland, and for improving their skills as mercenaries on the galactic market. Already a number of weaknesses in the GNE’s overall military planning and tactics have been exposed(such as a lack of adequate defenses against nanotech weaponry), and the GNE is working to remedy them.


Aegis Stellar Industries
“We’re the High Frontier, and the Last Hope if everything goes sour back at home. Never forget that we are to represent the best of the values and ingenuity of Greater New England and Earth, no matter the temptations of Galactic culture. “

Aegis Stellar Industries(ASI) is a small aerospace company in the Three Galaxies that turns out mostly utility craft, transports, and fighters for the general market, but which has expressed ambitions of expanding into larger ship production. As ASI is part of the WZTechyards consortium, a ‘family’ of smaller aerospace firms united to give each other a leg up against such giants as Naruni Enterprises, General Galactic, Wolfpack Armaments, and others, that seems entirely possible and probable. For now, however, ASI is just one of many smaller companies that fall below the notice of the big interstellar governments and which scramble for those niches and crumbs of business overlooked by the larger, more established firms.
Aegis Stellar Industries is, in reality, the Three Galaxies front for Rifts Earth-based Paladin Steel. Over a decade ago, at the same time PS and the GNE were just establishing a presence around their own Earth in NearSpace, they mounted another extraterrestrial effort, spearheaded by their local Shifters and dimensional mages in the early days of their Outstep dimensional exploration effort. Fearful that their growing properity and population might draw undue attention from more powerful nations(like the Coalition States or the Splugorth) before the GNE was strong enough to keep them at bay. So a large contingent of ‘colonists’ was selected to journey to another world and establish a presence there. The expedition was equipped with a full set of compact tooling rigs, industrial hardware, and the templates and engineering data of the full range of PS products and projects to date. If regular and safe dimensional travel to the new offworld colony could be established, then the colony would be used to facilitate trade with the more advanced worlds of the Three Galaxies, funneling credits, resources, information, and technical data back to the homeworld. If regulat travel could NOT be guaranteed, then the colony would serve as a ‘seed’ to perserve some part of the GNE culture and the Paladin Steel establishment. Inititially, this major outpost called itself Aegis Stellar Industries, in part to protect the true nature of the expedition in event they encountered anybody already familiar with, and hostile to, the Paladin Steel name. Though at the beginning, indeed, there were problems in maintaining regular communications with the home offices/dimension, travel and communication have since been established.
Joining WZTechyards, a consortium of other small companies that have pooled their resources and staffs to more effectively and efficiently challenge the bigger companies, seemed a logical step to take, as the consortium already did what PS was doing back home; establishing alliances, and sharing technology and resources. It alloed PS/SSI to quickly come up to speed on what was needed and expected in Galactic spacecraft design. Among its first ‘gifts’ for back home were the specifications for the standard shipping containers that had been introduced by the Golgan Republik centuries ago, and which had become a Galactic mercantile standard. ASI started out producing ‘common domain’ designs for shuttles and cargo transports, before it finally put out the ASI-018 Frontera transport, and launched other original designs.
Discovering that Rifts Earth weapons were the rage in galactic arms markets, ASI has also turned a healthy profit on the side re-selling weapons confiscated at home and shipped to the Three Galaxies. ASI also sells regular Paladin Steel products, sometimes under the ASI name, and sometimes under the original PS stamp.
ASI remains apart from the secret Rum Bay facility, in part to perserve security.
The main ASI facilities are based in the Ambercirn system, a binary star system.
The Ambercirn system had already been colonized by settlers from Thesera V, a fifth-generation Human/Wulfen world, one planet by nationalist corporate blocs, and the other by a religious order. A fairly recent downturn in the fortunes of one of those worlds led to ASI receiving a very generous offer to establish their facilities on Amberjin.

The Ambercirn System:
Ambercirn is a binary star system consisting of Amber I, a red dwarf star, and Amber II, a yellow dwarf star. The two stars rotate around each other, with an attendant nine-planet solar system(three rocky planets, one dwarf planet, and five gas giants). Only two planets, Amberjin and Jerrin, support native life of any sort.
Ambercirn is nominally part of the CCW in the Anvil Galaxy, but lies near space claimed by the mysterious EShemarrians. Other systems of note in the area include the Susoda system, a desert system eight light years away that lays claim to a dimensional anomaly, and Thesera V, a densely-populated Human/Wulfen world eleven light years away, that has nominal governance over the sector and the Ambercirn system(though they gave up most of their rights to direct control when they essentially abandoned the colonists to local rule). Ambercirn lays on the busy Eyarn Hyperway, a ‘lane’ of space allowing for safe travel between two arms of the Anvil Galaxy. Thus, the system sees a good amount of trade; merchants and travellers dropping in to refuel, reprovision, repair, and transfer cargoes.
Number of Stars: 2
Types of Stars: Red Dwarf and Yellow Dwarf
Number of Planets: 9
Types:
- Asteroid/Dwarf Planet(Gadin)(95 mile diameter)
Really not much more than a planetisemal in a close orbit of Amber II, this scorched little lump of rock doesn’t attract much attention, aside from a robotic solar observatory on it monitoring the solar weather. Ocassionally a ship from the CCW outpost goes in to check on the station’s hardware and do any necessary repairs.

- -Gas Giant (Guriiy)(80,000 mile diameter, no moons)
Guriiy is notable in that its close proximity to Amber I and Amber II give it the appearance of an overgrown comet; solar wind pressure is stripping the upper layers of Guriiy’s atmosphere from it, creating a massive luminescent tail of vapor that stretches for hundreds of thousands of miles out from it

-Gas Giant (Duriin)(100,000 mile diameter, no moons)
Duriin is the biggest planet in the system. It had moons at one time, but they have all since broken up into the massive rings that now surround the gas giant. Duriin also describes an unusually high arc(60 degrees off) above and below Ambercirn’s average. That and a fast rotation rate have suggested to some astronomers that Duriin may be a captured extrasolar object.
Also of interest is that Duriin’s rings have a high percentage of refined metal dust and fragments, suggesting that at some time a large artificial construct or several came to grief in orbit of Duriin, and were gradually ground apart by the sandblasting effect of the ring fragments. The size and distribution of the metal fragments suggests that whatever happened, it happened many, many, thousands of years in the past; very little has been found intact enough to suggest who or what was responsible for the spacecraft/spacestation(?), how many they were, and what configuration they originally possessed. Still, Duriin’s rings attract the occasional ring-diver looking for some large, intact, and hopefully very valuable piece of alien hardware that has somehow survived the millenia.

- -Gas Giant (Murijan)(60,000 mile diameter, 10 moons)
Murijan is a favorite quick stop for more leisurely travellers in the area; the gas giant’s atmosphere has a particularly striking purple color to it(indeed, the planet’s name’Murijan’ comes in part from ‘Murix’, a Wulfen word for the color purple). There are several small gas mining and servicing stations in Murijan’s moon system.

- -Gas Giant (Tumjiin)(40,000 mile diameter, 5 moons)
Tumjiin’s moon system supports a number of mining operations and a CCW outpost(two Scimitar corvettes, and one Hunter destroyer).

-Gas Giant----(Surijan)(60,000 mile diameter, 18 moons)
Surijan’s moon system and upper atmosphere are being mined by crews operating from nearby Amberjiin; workers typically do an eight month tour aboard the gas miners and mining stations before rotating back to the comforts of home.

- Amberjin (Terrestrial)
Amberjin describes a slow arc around both Amber I and Amber II, remaining for the most part on the side of dim red Amber I, but for a brief three month(out of a fourteen-month year) ‘summer’ when it loops around close to brighter Amber II. Most of the year, though, Amberjin is only dimly lit by its primaries; many of the colonists get infrared cyberoptic implants to better see in the ‘raw’ light, or sport ‘raccoon welts’ from the extra optical sensors in their suit helmets. Some Amberjinians consider the warm months to be a blessing that keeps them from going insane the rest of the year.
Despite being cold, dark, and miserably dry, Amberjin was settled before the more attractive Deneros, in part because early surveys told of substantial mineral wealth locked in the planet’s crust. Other factors included an interest in the amazingly vibrant local ecology that had evolved. It was hoped that further study of the local ecosystem might yield biotech riches; so far only a handful of commercially viable species have turned up, but the scientists have yet to fully catalogue the local ecology.
Amberjin was originally a joint colonial development project by several national power blocs of the planet Thesera V, and the original colonial government reflected this; it was essentially a colonial confederation of psuedo-nationalist enclaves that loosely cooperated with each other to develop the planet. However, when the mother world lost interest in the cold worlds of the Ambercirn system to pursue more immediately promising colonial projects elsewhere, the national funding and associated nationalized corporate support was withdrawn, leaving Amberjin to fend for itself. With that funding went the regular Theseran government transport ships that paid call at the spaceports, taking away a good chunk of trade. The colonial government(s) threatened to collapse overnight into feuding between the various disowned and abandoned enclaves, except that several wealthy and powerful multi-national traders who had been doing business in the Ambercirn system stepped up and in to restore law and order, by electing themselves Oligarchs. With the wealth and muscle to make good on their authority, the newly minted merchant-princes stepped in, each taking reponsibility for a community or geographical district, and made certain that civil servents remained at their jobs, power and water flowed, police stations were staffed, and law and order prevailed.
Amberjin loses a lot of commercial traffic to neighboring Deneros largely because of the ready availability of water on the latter planet, enough that travellers tolerate the high gravity, eccentric local theocracy, and the rampant lawlessness in the streets.
Despite the depressed economy on Amberjin, the local government is beloved by the population because if not for their generousity and wise management, everybody knows things could be MUCH worse.
However, because the oligarchs sank most of their personal fortunes into keeping Amberjin afloat, it left them little left over to exploit the resources of the planet. They began looking around for other investors to come in, and even went so far as to offer the place of Twenty-Second Oligarch to anybody who could bring serious industrial investment to the planet.
Aegis Stellar Industries has chosen to locate their main facility here because of the welcoming economic atmosphere; the oligarchary has welcomed investment with open arms, giving ASI very good terms to settle and set up shop. ASI has been generously offered a place among the Oligarchs as fellow merchant princes, a share in the government, land, and the resources on those lands, provided that the new landlords meet the same responsibilites of keeping law and order, providing services to the local people in their district, and contributing to the overall economy.
Subsequently, ASI has set up shop in its new district, laid down ‘crete, recruited a local workforce, and has begun turning out PS-pattern (some cosmetically altered)goods initially, then ‘public domain’ technologies like High Intensity Laser systems, working its way up to more sophisticated products. Once shipyards were established, ASI began with a number of small spacecraft designs, then ‘shared’ WZTech designs, before starting to create wholly original designs.
ASI has a large surface complex(and tunnel system deep underground), several mining/processing plants across the surface, and at least two space station complexes in orbit, gathering materials and assembling ships.

Diameter: Average; 7,000 mile diameter

Gravity: Light(about .3 g) ; in order to keep in shape, the locals use centrifuges and gravity plates to simulate terrestrial gravity and maintain their original muscle tone.

Temperature: Cold; temperatures range between -315 and -279 F, with a brief warm season getting up to -73 F. Venturing outdoors requires environmental armor or suits(one of ASI’s first big sellers on-planet was cold-adapted Skinsuits)

Unusual/Special Features:
-Unusual Orbit---Amberjin occupies a position near one of the local gas giants, roughly equivalent to that shared by the Apollo asteroids in Sol System, with relation to Jupiter. Amberjin is actually fairly close to the gas giant known as Surijan, allowing for economical, low-transfer orbit travel to and from the gas giant and its resources.

-Energy Field-ASI mages believe that the vibrant local ecology has given Amberjin a fair ambient PPE level(roughly equivalent to that of the Palladium World). Though none of the local lifeforms and the settlers use or practice magic, the PS/ASI mages believe that they can make use of the local PPE to establish a reliable Dimensional Gate to Rifts Earth and the GNE(the alternative is an eight light year trek to the Susoda system, where there’s a dimensional weak point).

Atmosphere: Exotic---Despite Amberjin’s freezing cold temperatures which should be precipitating the atmosphere out as ice, Amberjin has a substantial atmosphere, with terestrial-like atmospheric pressure. The atmosphere is mainly hydrogen, helium, argon, and methane, with traces of neon and freon. Traces of liquid ammonia can be found in the air as well.
The air also has a number of exotic properties; the air is rife with bioluminescent aeroplankton that light in excitment when disturbed. At times, when the aeroplankton are dense enough, any movement creates brief lines and waves of neon glow in midair.
Another unusual phenomena are ‘glob-banks’, formed when certain kinds of aeroplankton bloom and generate large amounts of polymer-based bubbles that break. The light wisps and tatters of silky material gather in the air and clump together in large fogbanks and clouds that roll over the landscape like a wave of goo that can blind unwary travellers. Though startling, the glob-banks are harmless and annoying.

Terrain: Exotic---Amberjin features a variety of topographical features, including a number not ordinarily found on terrestrial worlds. Sinkhole craters from the ancient sublimination of pockets of underground ices, vast airy stone arches carved by erosion, and crystalline rock outcroppings. The most dangerous features are ‘trap canyons’, caused when a temporary crust of frozen precipitates forms on top of a higher pressure bubble of gas held in a sinkhole or small canyon. Froma distance, the ‘roof’ can appear as a solid dune or ice bank, but anybody venturing onto it will fall through the thin crust into the depression below.

Notable Mineral Deposits:
-Sapphire
-Copper
- Ruby
-Titanium
-Platinum
-Aluminum
-Quartz
- Tetzarite---An ore/mineral with superconducting properties. It can also be crystallized, forming electromagnetically-charged crystals.

Hydrosphere: Badlands----Most of Amberjin is arid, spotted with the occasional ‘oasis’ where water(or rather ice) can be found. The rare hot spring provides surface moisture, and during the warm season, underground ice sometimes subliminates, resulting in ice ‘geysers’. Amberjinians must dig into fossil ice deposits under the surface, or import ice from offworld.

Biosphere: Cornucopia---Despite its rugged, dry, and cold nature, Amberjin supports abundant life. Amberjin’s native ecology has come up with a variety of ways to survive the planet’s dim light, dry conditions, and freezing cold. Exotic antifreeze blood chemistry is the norm for most, while others hug or parasitize convenient heat sources. Most of the local lifeforms use infrared senses to make use of the scant light, and the local ‘plantlife’ is sustained by the weaker IR radiation. Few of the native lifeforms are dangerous to Humans and Wulfen, and a few are even commercially exploitable(those that have been catalogued and studied thus far). The three month ‘warm season’ sees a sudden burst of activity and the emergence of a ‘second tier’ of lifeforms more suited for warmer, yellow-shifted, light. It is during this time as well that a number of lifeforms more robust and dangerous to the local settlers emerge; ‘fog rays’ and ‘sun wolves’ claim a few unwary travellers who venture into the foggy lowlands during the warm months.
Other lifeforms of note include breadbugs(beetle-like heat parasites that have the unfortunate habits of attaching themselves to warmer creatures, like colonists, and also of being edible by those same colonists), freezno fans(fern-like trees that have copious internal reservoirs of antifreeze-like fluids), caravanser worms(large and long collective organisms that roam the frozen landscape foraging for food), sticknies(delicate spider-like predators that resemble elongated molecular diagrams made of long pipecleaners), and emmscreechers(tarsier-like anthropods that can generate short range radio signals).

Civilization: Colony

Population: At last census, Amberjin supported about 220,000 residents(ASI has added another 16,000) in the 21 (now 22) districts. The population is fairly evenly split 50/50 between Huamns and Wulfen, though ASI’s arrival has added several minorities of Dwarves, Elves, ChaiChuk, and a handful of other species. Most everybody lives in underground habitats heated by fusion powerplants. Farming is by hydroponics in artificially-lit farm tunnels, supplemented by fish vats and carniculture.

Technology: Stellar Age---The oligarchy has imported galactic technology, and each merchant-prince has made certain that even if every district doesn’t have its own spaceport to service the local oligarch’s merchant ships, they still can contribute to the overall effort.

Economy: Commercial---Most of Amberjin’s income still comes from servicing visiting spacecraft and the many refueling stations around the local gas giants. With over a dozen spaceport facilities on-planet, and low gravity, Amberjin is very attractive to travellers in the area, but for the hammerlock on local trade that the Thesaran government had (and duties imposed on outsider ships) until recently. The Oligarches hope to make Amberjin attractive to travellers again, offering low-cost facilities and, with ASI on hand, spare parts and even new ships.
With ASI’s assistance, the oligarchy hopes to add manufacturing and mining to the local economy.

Wealth: Depressed---Amberjin is still recovering from its abandonment, and it is hoped that ASI will help turn the situation for the positive.

Government: Oligarchy---Amberjin was taken over by an oligarchy of twenty-one ‘merchant princes’ (actually, five of them are female) who stepped in when the old civil government collapsed. The colony is now run by these concerned citizens. Each oligarch has laid claim to a district, and uses it as the basis of their local power, while coordinating with fellow oligarchs on matters of global policy.

Law Level: Moderate----Not as lawless as Deneros, and for different reasons. Lawlessness due to the collapse of prosperity has been on the downswing since the merchant-princes brought in their own muscle, recruited or incarcerated the lcoal thugs, and made it clear that the Law was still in effect. The recent arrival of ASI with its private army promises only to add even more stability to the situation.

Popularity: Beloved; the merchant princes brought law, order, stability, and peace of mind when the people of Amberjin needed it most. Though the oligarchs do take some privileges for themselves, they rule fairly and impartially, and the people don’t begrudge them those privileges.

Stability: Solid; there’s a general feeling of things getting better in the air on Amberjin; the people feel that the worst uncertainty is over, thanks to the merchant-princes, and everybody is willing to work hard for a brighter tomorrow. The Oligarchs would have to really screw up to change the peoples’ minds.

Military: The Oligarchs have a small number of tech-mercs beholding to them as security, and many of their ships sport at least one weapon for self-defense. The Amberjin colonial militia is more of a police and crisis-response force than anything else. Currently, ASI has the largest and best armed force on the planet, possibly in the entire Ambercirn system.

Foreign Relations: While the Oligarchs still trade with Thesara V, the general attitude of the Amberjinians towards their former nationalist governments back on the homeworld is decidedly chill. Private Thesaran concerns are welcome to trade on Amberjin, but any sort of official government interference in Amberjinian daily affairs is considered unwelcome, those governments having effectively given up their right to dictate law to those they abandoned to pursue more immediately profitable prospects. In that, goverment abandonment has unified the formerly nationalist enclaves into a common Amberjinian people.


-Jerrin (Terrestrial)
Jerrin is a cold, dark, rocky planet that is just as forboding as the other worlds of the Ambercirn system, with the added features of having punishingly high gravity and a violent atmosphere.
Jerrin has nevertheless evolved a sparse ecosystem. It remains unsettled by offworlders, however. The planet remains unclaimed by anybody(everybody’s too busy with matters closer to home).
Jerrin has attracted interest because early satellite probes detected substantial deposits of thorium, pitchblende, and samarskite on the planet. The intense gravity suggests substantial mascons deep underground; possibly a sign of even denser exotic minerals. ASI has recently evinced interest in developing robotic mining gear to mine some of the more accessible deposits and develop them commercially.
Diameter: Average; 26,000 mile diameter
Gravity: Extreme---8.5 gees on the surface
Temperature: Frigid--Temperatures range between -351 and -315 F, aside from the few explosive localized events of higher temperatures.
Unusual/Special Features:
-High Rotation ---Jerrin has a high planetaru rotation; its ‘day’ is only 16 hours long.
Atmosphere: Hostile---A mix of hydrogen, helium, and methane. The extremely low temperatures and a volatile atmospheric chemistry makes for violent weather. Powerful methane monsoons can quickly boil up, creating intense high-pressure bubbles that can crush standard habitat modules, then just as fast, the pressure fronts disipate, leaving everything in their path coated with thick heavy chemical ice. Occasionally, subliminating pockets of frozen oxygen will result in massive fuel-air explosions going off that can devastate hundreds of square miles.
Terrain: Jerrin’s terrain is wild; craggy rock ridges, massive basins(where frozen methane settles), canyons(carved by ‘rivers’ of liquified gases), and giant sinkholes(left by evaporating gas deposits).
Notable Mineral Deposits:
-scheelite
-antimony
-iron
-pitchblend
-thorium
-flourite
-samarskite
-diamond
Hydrosphere: Badlands---There’s water down there, but it’s locked under rock and ices of other less palatable substances
Biosphere: Sparse---Life on Jerrin has not evolved beyond simple lichens



-Deneros (Terrestrial)
Of all the worlds in the Ambercirn system, Deneros looked the most promising; though still frigidly cold, the planet boasts abundant water in the form of surface ice, and its rotation around the system’s primaries matches that of Amber II, the yellow dwarf star, so it enjoys sunlight of a type more comfortable to Humans and Wulfen. Its gravity is high, but not intolerably so, and it has a good mix of valuable mineral deposits in its crustal composition.
Deneros was settled at about the same time as Amberjin, by the Luxian Truist Church, a religious order that has much in common with ancient Terran Mormonism and Dutch Calvinism. The Truists are devout, stoic, hardworking people. Despite the strict hand of the Church, Deneroans are a fairly freewheeling bunch in their working lives; the Church preaches hard work and self-reliance, and encourages a certain laizz-faire appriach to business that allows rather outrageous competition, as long as it doesn’t alienate possible customers, especially offworlders. While not all Deneroans are Truists, most of the government positions and higher social standing ranks are occupied by Truists.
While Amberjin suffered/enjoyed government support/rule, the Denero colony had been chartered as a religious enclave and private effort from the get-go. That meant they relied more on private support initially, but relied less on fickle government funding, and suffered little outside interference in establishing their society. When Amberjin suffered its economic collapse, Deneros was quick to offer spacers in the area an alternate site for refueling and refitting.
With abundant water locked as ice on its surface, Deneros is waxing wealthy selling water to both travellers and to nearby Amberjin. Prosperity in spite of the fact that the booming economy is decidedly cutthroat; visiting merchants often have to wait an hour or more before venturing out of their ships because of the various local business factors dueling it among themselves to get first to a newcomer ship. Though few outsiders are hurt or killed by the local business jungle sorting itself out, the situation can be quite alarming and even deadly for the unawary and those unaccustomed to Deneroan society.
The situation on Deneros is rather less welcoming than on Amberjin; the local government is less trustful of outsiders establishing a permanent presence on their world, but they also recognize that the current lawless situation, while not threatening the stability of the government for now, could lead to problems down the road. Though ASI’s presence may well divert trade away from Deneros and over Amberjin way, the Truists have approached ASI for assistance in imposing law and order on the population. ASI has promised the Truists assistance in policing the more lawless regions of the planet.
Diameter:Average; 18,000 mile diameter

Gravity: High; about 1.19 g

Temperature: Cool; temperatures range between -183 and -73 F.

Unusual/Special Features:
-Rings---Deneros sports a thin set of rocky rings, suggesting that at one time the planet possessed a moon(or several small ones) that broke up. Some of the rocks composing the rings are large enough to act as the basis of orbital anchorages, though most of the particles are too small(fortunately) to pose much of a risk to the many ships that call on Deneros.

Atmosphere: Thin, and composed of mainly hydrogen, helium, and methane

Terrain: Deneros’ landscape is dominated by large salt plains/basins, low rocky hills, and a single sizeable mountain range.

Notable Mineral Deposits:
- molybdenite
-aluminum
-iron
-manganese
-borax
-salt
-titanium
-quartz

Hydrosphere: Moist; Deneros has a large and extensive ice covering, several miles thick in some places. This ice is an important part of the local economy, feeding the planet’s agriculture and being sold to offworlders as well.

Biosphere: Lifeless---only imported life sustains on Deneros.

Civilization: Colony

Population: Local population numbers about 380,000, about 40%Humans and 60%
Wulfen. About 65% of the population subscribe to the Luxian Truist Church. Most everybody lives in underground habitats, with large agricultural domes on the surface to catch what sunlight is available.

Technology: Information Age----Deneros produces its own electronics, most hardware, and, unfortunately, its own small arms which the locals use to protect their turf and intimidate each other. The Deneroans have not yet developed their own space capability beyond the most basic aerospace capabilities, and what’s needed to maintain their satellite net, rescue ships in orbit, and stevedore around equipment and cargo in orbit. Most of their homebrewed aerospacecraft are hydrox-powered. When ASI on Amberjin begins producing spacecraft, the Deneroans become immediate customers

Economy: Commercial---Deneros does some mining and their agricultural surplus is sold to visiting spacers, but the real bread and butter is maintaining the three spaceport/warehouse facilities on the surface, and the several anchorage stations in orbit.

Wealth: Prosperous---The ports and warehouses bring in substantial wealth and local investment. Enough that some serious greed is beginning to set in among the locals and that there’s some serious crime breaking out as various private concerns associated with the servicing sector are trying to cut out the competition.

Government: Theocracy----Luxian Truist
By the standards of pre-Galactic Terra, the Luxian Truist theocracy is fairly moderate in its stance on social norms; teen and unplanned pregnancies, drug abuse, and excessive alcohol consumption are frowned upon, and a certain thriftiness is encouraged. School prayer and regular church attendance are mandatory(unless the individuals have some more pressing business, such as manning life support systems, for instance), and all contracts are made and sworn to in the presence of a priest.

Law Level: Lawless---Luxian Truists tend to be pretty rowdy outside church, and an unkind word can often lead to a fistfight or a call-out. A lot of it is just venting between hard work in the farms and mines and the enforced politeness in church, but there have been a number of more critical incidents, including duels, vandalism, and straightout murder. There’s no organized crime above the family and small business level yet, but fights between families are bad enough, and it’s only a matter of time before several businesses or family clans ally with each other to better dispose of the competition. And outside business, there’s a fair degree of hotheadedness among the zealots, especially if they think they’ve been wronged.

Popularity: Popular---The Truist Fathers are very highly regarded, and the Elders respected. While not all fights and riots have been put down by the stern look and word of an Elder, more than a few have without resort to calling the gendarmes. If any of the Fathers or Elders were caught being anything less than completely impartial in the business violence, though, there could be serious trouble.

Stability: Stable; the firm hand of the Fathers and Elders has kept faith in the government, and quelled the worst outrages, so it’s stable for now. There is some discontent, especially among the poorer non-Truists(who argue that there’s an economic bias against those not of the Church) and younger, more economically competitive Truist merchants, but nothing large and nothing particularly organized.

Military: Deneros has a small, but well-armed, colonial militia willing to defend the planetary surface the bets they can. They are armed primarily with CCW-surplus equipment, including HI-laser weaponry, and some Naruni weaponry. They’ve also recently bought hardware from ASI.

Foreign Relations: Like the Amberjinians, the Deneroans have little use for the official Thesaran governments, though they still have strong ties to the Thesaran Luxian Truist Church and their investors in it.
The Deneroans regard their Amberjin neighbors coolly, but not with any hostility; the Truists regard the Amberjinians as unenlightened, but tolerable for Untruthed. It was taken as sign of who was favored when the Amberjin colonial government collapsed, and business that formerly went there instead went to Deneros. The Truist Fathers had hoped that the change in fortune might mean that the Amberjins would turn to Deneros for help(with a corresponding increase in conversion to Luxian Truist teachings), but the merchant-princes stepped in and set up their oligarchy. Which is just as well, because an impoverished Amberjin couldn’t continue to buy goods and resources from Deneros, while a stable government run by merchants CAN, so it’s been a win-win for Deneros either way.


Possible Adventure Hooks in Ambercirn System

*Runaway Bride
Rountine operations are interrupted when a small starship enters Ambercirn system at a high rate of speed. If challenged, a young female voice responds, calling for assistance in evading pursuers. As if to confirm the woman’s pronouncement, a squadron of heavily armed ships enter the system in obvious pursuit. They will ignore any calls to desist and power down.
If the pursuers are attacked, they will fight back, and mercilessly, until their attackers are driven to retreat. Then they will continue their pursuit. The faster, more heavily armed ships should be able to quickly overtake the first vessel and capture it. If the prey has taken refuge behind (or inside) another ship in the system, the pursuers will surround it and lay seige.
One way or the other the story will emerge; the person in the first vessel is Princess Telen D’Breslau of the anarchotechnic Human world of Brudheinn, a system some fifty light years away. She is fleeing an arranged marriage between her family and another aristocratic line, the powerful D’Havan family. The ships in pursuit are D’Havan retainers. come to drag her back to the altar for her matrimonial union. The princess is the stereotypical noble beauty, her pursuers the typical loutish jackbooted thugs(or, if the GM prefers, the princess is a chainsmoking lout and the pursuers are exasperated but well-mannered professionals tired of dealing with a spoiled brat’s antics).
The D’Havan retainers are professional soldiers, well trained, well-armed, and efficient. They’re efficient to the point of rudeness, and they won’t put up with any interference with their task, which is to bring the princess back, in chains if necessary, as becomes abundantly clear if the princess is captured(cue heart-rending screams of torment, and glimpses of evil-looking restraint devices). If the princess manages to take refuge with powerful protectors, the D’Havans will lay seige until they get reinforcements, but if pressed for time, they may offer their opposition a sizable bribe(“compensation”) for turning over the princess to them, and a good word to the Prince D’Havan. If the bribe is actually accepted, the D’Havans are honorable enough to actually pay up. If not, they’ll wait for an opportunity to storm the opposition and grab the princess, blasting anybody who gets in their way. If the seige goes on long enough, the groom may show up, in all his sartorial splendor, with his private army behind him (he can be a gorilla in uniform, or a svelte velvet-clad Adonis with a venomous tongue...maybe even literally, give what they’re doing these days with genetic engineering and implants).
The local CCW presence will NOT become involved(at least not officially); this is a matter for the local sovereignty to figure out, either the local Ambercirn authorities or (with a time lag) the Thesaran government. The Thesarans officially wash their hands of the situation, not wanting to offend the Brudheinnites, and push it onto the Ambercirn locals.

If either of the Ambercirn governments offer the princess refuge, or stage a rescue, a most grateful princess can offer them more than just her word of gratitude; she’s not without access to a sizeable fortune(her family hasn’t seen fit to cut her off or else she managed to smuggle out her own assets), and she has her own share of trade and political connections that she’ll offer to introduce to her rescuers. On the minus side, the rescuers will have made an enemy of the D’Havan family and THEIR connections; the D’Havans will not forget the uppity little colonials who got in their way, and they’ll seek revenge one way or another. Not good, considering that the D’Havans can raise an armed force far bigger and better armed than anything currently in the Ambercirn system, and even with ASI’s help, a shooting war with Brunheinn is NOT in anybody’s interests.
That’s even IF the princess doesn’t decide that she feels secure among the people of Ambercirn and decides to stay(cue starcrossed PC romance or something out of ‘Green Acres’).

If the locals DON’T assist the princess, or turn her over, they’ll have made friends of the powerful D’Havans, who will be true to their word and pay up, and may even throw additional business Ambercirn way. Considering that the D’Havans trade in weaponry for much of their income, this can be a big boon for a beginning firm like ASI. On the minus side, they’ll have to live with their consciences about turning over an innocent to unscrupulous thugs like the D’Havans. Furthermore, word of the locals’ complacency in the effective abduction of Princess Telen will get out to the friends she was trying to run to; they may come seeking revenge one way or another.

*We MIGHT Have a Deal for You
Sometime after ASI establishes itself in the Ambercirn system, a delegation of nondescript people approaches the company officers. They admit they’ve been watching ASI and are impressed by the quality of their products. So much so, and this doesn’t leave the room under pain of legal prosecution, the CCW is willing to make ASI a silent partner in their plans to downsize Naruni Enterprises by making them one of the firms engaged in establishing ‘shadow factories’ turning out copies of Naruni technology. All ASI has to do is convert a few of their out-of-the-way facilities into factories for some technology, the blueprints and templates for which the gentlemen have.
This sort of offer would be the ultimate windfall for a company like ASI/PS! Access to schematics of Naruni hardware, much of which they’ve not seen before?! Help in setting up reverse engineering and production works?! Contracts with a major Three Galaxies power?! You can hear the screams of glee all the way from the boardroom in Burlington, Vermont!!! It’s gotta be too good to be true! But if it is...
This can be played in any number of ways; yes, it could be true good to be true; the whole thing is a scam by some rather imaginative flimflam men out to con a beginning galactic tech firm out of millions, possibly billions, of credits. Or maybe it’s a scheme by Naruni Enterprises who is unknowingly using a true scenario as a means to find and crush competition. ASI coudl lose and big, and the economic turnaround they promised the Amberjinians could collapse like a house of cards. There could be rioting in the tunnels....
Even if it is true, and ASI gets the plans and assistance to manufacture reverse-engineered Naruni stuff, they’ll be under the thumb of CCW Intelligence, who will want to know what they’re doing, and what they’re selling to who, which could put a crimp in Paladin Steel’s plans. The CCW will also be getting the stuff at a considerable discount, as ASI/PS’s price for the gear they will be producing will be locked in as part of the deal. And to make sure the production project remains secret and doesn’t draw undue attention, the CCW gray ops boys and girls may put a cap on what ASI can do. There’s also the problem that if Naruni Enterprises ever found out what was going on, they’d target ASI and the Ambercirn system for legal action or worse. On the other hand, if ASI/PS don’t take this deal, they’ll be missing out on TRILLIONS of credits of revenue, big honking equipment deals that will pitch them into a league with Hartigal, and give the GNE and Alliance an edge back on Rifts Earth!

Paladin Steel/Aegis Stellar Industries Gandiva Aerospace Fighter
(aka ‘Silver Streak)
“Riding in a Gandiva’s more like being the arrow than the bow; the thing kickstarts such that you can feel it in your kidneys, if you got them, and you’re gaining on the enemey before you, and hopefully your opponent, know it.
Of course the downside to meeting the enemy more than halfway is that you’re usually the first there, all by your lonesome, and there’s nobody there but you for the enemy to shoot at.”

“The Gandiva’s less a bow than it is a rapier: against an opponent wielding a broadsword, you have to choose your target well and in advance, and make your strike count, then use your speed to get out of the way of the counterstrike. You can’t bludgeon your way through a combat with pure firepower; you have to THINK when you’re flying a Gandiva.”

The Gandiva is Paladin Steel’s next attempt to create a ‘galactic’ aerospace fighter using technologies acquired by the company’s out-dimension exploration group. The Gandiva was first produced and marketed by Paladin Steel’s front company in the Three Galaxies, Aegis Stellar Industries, as a means of testing and evaluating the design and the market for Rifts Earth designed/manufactured aerospace designs.
Despite its galactic technology, the Gandiva bears more than a passing resemblance to a pre-Rifts prototype Mach 3 interceptor, the Republic XF-103. The Gnadiva, named for a legendary Hindu bow, has a very long, clean, streamlined appearance, more like a manned cruise missile than anything else. However, under the retro-looking hull, is pure advanced aerospace systemry. Rather than a hybrid turbo/ramjet engine, the Gandiva is powered by a powerful fusion drive system and contragravity propulsor.
The Gandiva is meant for fast interceptions, strikes, and fly-bys. The Gandiva’s propulsion was set down with an eye towards matching the CCW’s Scorpion light fighter, a benchmark of speed among Three Galaxies fighters. Compared to its requirement inspiration, the CCW Scorpion, the Gandiva is just as fast, arguably better armored, and has superior protection, allowing it to take more punishment. Its narrow fuselage and stub wings give it a much smaller forward cross section, making it harder to target on approach to a target. The pilot is almost completely enclosed by the hull; aside from two small windows, the Gandiva’s pilot has to rely on his ‘virtual cockpit’ feeding him sensor data to his holographic displays. This means that the pilot cannpt rely on ‘mark one eyeball; in close order dogfights, but it also allows for more effective installation of the armored life support compartment and escape pod that protects the pilot.
On the minus side, the Gandiva’s elongated fuselage makes it unable to fit into the same small restrictive hangar spaces as the Scorpion. This limits deployment to vessels with rommier hangar facilities, or from space stations and surface bases. The Gandiva, while fast, isn’t as agile as the Scorpion either.
Speed does come at the expense of firepower; compared to other PS/ASI designs, the Gandiva is lacking in firepower, carrying only six medium-range missiles, a tray of mini-missiles, and possible modular weaponry. The lack of integral energy weaponry, and a limited missile load, means that the Gandiva lacks endurance in combat; once its missiles are expended, the fighter’s only option is to retreat from the battlefield to rearm. Gandiva pilots are taught to get in fast, hit hard in one or two volleys, then get out fast.
The Gandiva first showed up in the ranks of ASI Security Squadrons, protecting their facilities, before it was offered to approved customers. The Gandiva then began appearing in Rifts Earth Orbital forces, operating from PS space stations and asteroid/planetary base facilities.

Type: PS/ASI-TAV-SF09-103 Gandiva
Class: High Speed Medium Aerospace Fighter
Crew: 1
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 700
Reinforced Crew Compartment 100
Wings(2) 100 each
Tail 130
Forcefield 500
Height: 18 ft
Width: 35 ft
Length: 75 ft
Weight: 42,000 lbs (21 tons)
Cargo: Small space behind pilot’s seat for a survival pack and sidearm(s)
Powerplant: Nuclear-Fusion w/ 20 year energy life
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric.
(Sublight) Mach 18
(Kitsune Values: 40% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 1.8% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) Not possible
(Underwater) Not possible
Bonuses: +3 to Dodge
Market Cost: 31 million credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Starfighter Systems, plus:
*Cockpit Ejection System---The cockpit can be entirely ejected from the rest of the craft, to serve as a lifeboat. The cockpit pod can make a safe atmospheric re-entry, if necessary, with deployable parachutes, and can even float for a time on water, increasing the chances for crew survival.

*ECCM system: A semi-automatic system that uses electronic encryption and frequency jumping to (attempt to) negate jamming systems. The system has a 25% chance of negating radar or communications jamming (non-magical) on its own, or a +5% if the pilot has a Read Sensory Instruments or Radio: Scramblers skill and devotes a full melee to operating the system(no other attacks/actions are possible).
Having an Electronic warfare Skill gains a +15% bonus to operating this system.
Note that this only applies to received communications (the system filters them out from the jamming clutter) and sensory data received by that unit alone (other units cannot make use of it, unless they have an unaffected datalink/info-share with the ECCM equipped unit. Magic/psychic jamming is NOT affected by this system.

*ECM Suite----- The Gandiva has a standard ECM suite for confusing sensor-guided weapons; -5 to strike

*Cyberlink(optional): A late retrofit is this advanced cybernetic control system that allows the pilot 'jack in', if so equipped, to the plane, linking him with the plane as if by telemechanics. The pilot is so in tune with the plane and their environment that he instantly knows everything involving their plane and its operations. A series of tiny external cameras normally used for Virtual Environment Cockpits is tied into the cyberlink, giving them an uncanny 360 degree view around the craft, providing them a +1 to init and dodge, in addition to the normal cyberlink bonuses .


Weapons Systems:
1) Medium Range Missiles(6)---Six bays along the length of the fuselage forward of the wings each hold a single MRM. To increase the effectiveness of the limited payload, PS/ASI have experimented with various different MRM configurations
Range:Varies by Missile Type
(Kitsune Values: 160 miles in an atmosphere and 80,000 miles in space)
Damage: Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-6(all)
Payload: 1 each bay, 6 total
Missile Option Types:
-Heavy MRM---Taking a hint from Rifts Japanese ordnance, these are MRMs carrying LRM warheads. Reduce range by 25% due to the heavier warhead, but they hit harder.
- PS/ASI ‘Starslam’ AMRASIM(Advanced Medium Range AeroSpace Interception Missile)---An adaption of the ’SkyFlash’ Advanced Short Range Air to Air Multiple Missile(ASRAAMM). ‘Starslam’ is an MRM that splits in flight to unleash a pack of four smaller SRMs, each carrying an MRM warhead....a surprise that at relatively short dogfighting ranges(10-30 miles) can be devastating, filling airspace with a swarm of corkscrewing projectiles. It is also commonly fitted with a ‘swarmhead’ that breaks down into 10 plasma munitions, rather than four SRMs.
Range: 15 miles for the ‘bus’ in atmosphere, 60 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 60 miles for the ‘bus’ in atmosphere, 50,000 miles in space)
Damage: 6d6 MD per each SRM missile(3d4x10 MD per volley)
Or:
Medium Swarmhead--A Swarmhead is a new type of munition that fires a cluster of ten plasma-nuclear warhead ‘skeets’. These ‘skeets’ deploy airburst fashion about 60 ft up off the ground(or 6,000 ft in space), then deploy short range fast-scan targeting sensors. If a target is detected in the limited scope of the sensors, the warhead orients itself, and fires like a shaped charge, sending a powerful jet of superheated plasma lancing into, and through the target. A Swarmhead plasma jet does 2d6x10 MD to a 3 ft blast radius(so all 10 shells firing on a single target would do 2d6x100 MD!)
The initial focusing explosion also does a fair amount of concussion damage to the surrounding area, though this is considerably less than the critical damage inflicted by the plasma jet. The concussion does 6d6 MD to an 80 ft blast radius
Bonuses:+3 to strike

*TW ‘Breaker’ Missile---The ‘Breaker’ is a new, and extremely expensive, cruise missile-style munition t ghat came about after observations of the various weapons used in the Tolkeen struggle. Engineers were particularly intrigued by several of the anti-armor Technowizardry weapons systems deployed by Tolkeen, especially the Energy Disrupter Mechanism(EDM----See Seige on Tolkeen, pg 69 for details), which allowed small vehicles to infiltrate magically- and technologically-generated forcefields/energy barriers . Anticipating that the Coalition might at some future time acquire large battle-screen capabilities, as well as the knowledge that Atlantis already possessed both technological and magical forcefields, PS mated the EDM to a cruise missile. This addition allows the weapon to penetrate enemy forcefields to deliver its warhead to the target within. The PPE cost is actually less for the missiles than for the original EDM system, owing to the much smaller size of the projectile.
Range: Varies by Missile Type--MRM or LRM
Damage:Varies by Missile Type--MRM or LRM, but typically the heaviest warhead available.
Special: Can punch through forcefields and magical barriers, but only those larger than 12 ft or more(will not work on personal forcefields)
PPE Cost to Create: 300 PPE to enchant the crystal ‘initiator’ crystal.

2) Mini-Missiles---Located just under the ‘chin’ of the fighter is a retractable launch tray for mini-missiles. These are typically used to intercept incoming missiles.
Range:Varies by Missile Type
(Kitsune Values: 2 miles in an atmosphere and 100 miles in space.)
Damage: Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-12
Payload: 36

(Option)Laser Turret---In the alternative, a retractable light laser turret can be fitted instead. This was developed to address pilots’ complaints of a lack of integral energy weaponry.
Range: (Palladium) 4,000 ft in atmosphere, 8,000 ft in space
(Kitsune Values)4,000 ft in atmosphere, 400,000 ft in space
Damage: 4d6 MD per single blast , 8d6 MD simultanous blast
Rate of Fire: EGCHH, or 5 shots per melee in auto-defense mode
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

3) Modular Ventral Weapons Bay---What would have been the air intake on the XF-103 is, on the Gandiva, a ventral equipment bay that can be outfitted with direct fire weapons, additional missiles, or sensor pallets.
a) Mini-Missiles----36
b) Short Range Missiles---8
c) Medium Range Missiles----4
d) Long Range Missiles---2

e) Cruise Missile----1

f) Twin Pulse Lasers
Range: (Palladium) 8,000 ft in atmosphere, 16,000 ft(3 miles) in space
(Kitsune Values) 3 miles in atmosphere, 300 miles in space
Damage: 2d6x10 MD per blast each, 4d6x10 MD for both cannons firing simultaneously
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

g) Heavy Laser
Range:(Palladium Values) 6,000 ft in atmosphere, 60,000 ft(12 miles) in space
(Kitsune Values) 12 miles in atmosphere, 1,200 miles in space
Damage: 3d6x10 MD per pulse burst, 6d6x10 MD per sustained burst(counts as one attack)
Rate of Fire: EPCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

h)Particle Beam Cannon
Range: 10 miles in atmosphere, 40 miles in space
(Kitsune Values) 10 miles in atmosphere, 1,000 miles in space
Damage: 5d6x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: Twice per melee
Payload: Effectively unlimited

i) Heavy Gatling Rail-Cannon
Range:(Palladium) 6,000 ft/1.1 miles in atmosphere, 24,000 ft/4.4 miles in space
(Kitsune Values) 4.4 miles in atmosphere, 440 miles in space
Damage: 3d4x10 MD per 80 rd burst
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 20,000 rds(250 bursts)

j) Heavy Rail Gun--A heavier, longer-ranged gauss weapon, based on the PA-handheld Hellshot cannon, with a slower rate of fire, but comparable damage.
Range: 8,000 ft in atmosphere, 32,000 ft/6 miles in space
(Kitsune Values) 6 miles in atmosphere, 600 miles in space
Damage: 2d6x10 MD per projectile
Rate of Fire: 4 times per melee
Payload: 120 rd drum

k)Ion Cannon---Relatively low powered, but excellent effects against electronics
(ionization rules courtesy of Henning Rogge)
Range: 4,000 ft in atmosphere, 16,000 ft/3 miles in space
(Kitsune Values) 3 miles in atmosphere, 300 miles in space
Damage: 2d4x10 MD per blast,
In addition to physical damage, the cannon does EM damage. Percentage of EM damage is determined in relation to target’s main body((damage/main body)x100=percentage). For every 10% of damage from main body in ion damage, target will be -1 to strike, parry. and dodge. In space target acceleration will be reduced by 15%, in atmosphere top speed will be reduced by 15%. Roll once on critical hit charts in Phazeworld or Conversion book as appropriate.
If target takes 60% of main body in ion damage, ship or vehicle will be disabled completely. All weapon, navigation, and other systems will shut down and need to be repaired/replaced to work again/reboot.
Does NO damage against non-mechanical/electronic targets.
The ion cannon is equally effective against bionics
Rate of Fire: Five times per melee
Payload: Effectively unlimited

l)Jamming Pod---Integrates with the fighter’s own aeroshield/forcefield to electronically mask the fighter from detection. Adds +25% chance of eluding detection(or -25% to enemy Read Sensory Instrument rolls).

m)Recon Pod---In lieu of weapons, various sensor pallets can be carried instead, typically optical surveillance gear or radiation detection equipment.


Variants:
*PS/ASI-TAV-SF09-103D---A variant constructed with laser-reflective armor that reduces laser damage by HALF. Known as the ‘Silver Bullet’ or ‘Silver Arrow’

*PS/ASI-TAV-SF09-103E----Variant that replaces the modular ventral tray with extra engine, boosting the fighter’s speed to Mach 20 in space.

PS hits speed bump and had left the planet.
More please.

abtex wrote:PS hits speed bump and had left the planet.
More please.

Oh, there will be more mainstream terrestrial stuff to come....I'm proceeding along slowly on the small spacecraft and yet have any real capital units take fire in my mind.

just a side note, it's laissez-faire

definitely looks interesting though

Shark_Force wrote:just a side note, it's laissez-faire

definitely looks interesting though

Yah know, I was MEANING to go back and change that...but forgot...
Consider it an official 'Oops'...

Ambercirn System came out of random rolls using the charts in Rifts: Anvil Galaxy, with some random chart rolls from minerology charts in from a one-shot boxed RPG, the Well World RPG(which could have been FANTASTIC, but for lousy organization and put-together. On the plus side it had GREAT planet generation charts that I've used for nearly 20 years)

My thanks to Raven for the many Kera-Tech systems incorporated into this baby...

PS PSA-11B ‘Star Guard” Space Power Armor


“First time you approach a rock and begin to match rotations with it, it’s the queasiest feeling...all in perfect silence, stark shadows, and slow motion...the only noise you got is what you bring with you...takes what seems to be hours before your feet make contact and you’re doing a slow somersault over the surface, and praying that you don’t go rolling off the horizon of the thing, because there ain’t ANYTHING holding you down....
Then you learn that you’re going to have to do it in a TENTH of the time, under heavy acceleration, enemy shooting missiles that are on you before you know they’re there, beams you can’t see, and slugs going most of light speed, and be on your feet and chewing into that ***** of a rock and the claim-jumpers holding it...that’s when you get REALLY queasy...
But you do it..I did..and I still get the shakes on a rock jump. Thank the gods for the extra-powerful vacuum pumps they fit in the helmets of those things, ‘cause even the strongest stomach’s going to up on you after a hairball spacewalk. ”
---- Corporal Joseph-Jal Weedy, Stelmarine

“I grew up with the PSA-11 and fell in love with the multi-option forearm system, and when I transferred over to the Stelmarines, I was ecstatic to say the least to see that they’d adapted the PSA-11 for space combat. Though for a while there it was like learning to ride a bicycle all over again....space travel’s a whole hell of a lot different than bouncing over the hills of New England...but after seeing what they did to the old PSA-11 to improve it, I figure it was worth the pain of smashing my forehead against the helmet combing in zero gee...and some of the new weapons we bought from Kera-Tech! Gotta tell ya...some of these things just rocked! And the S-Stinger? SSwwweeeettttt......Of course, we were also the first ones to really test them in zee-gee, so I had to take the sour with the sweet...the long range plasma blaster for instance...massive damage at great range, but what we also discovered was that the cadmium-telluride slug vaporizing to produce the plasma bolt also shoves you like a nuclear pulse rocket...we had to learn how and when to hit the verniers just so as to kick when the plasma cannon kicked back....almost blew more than a few of us out of orbit when we missed...by the time we got it down pat, though, the tech-boys and ‘girls had figured out some fancy software patches to do it automatically when the cannon was fired...took all the fun out of it...
Still, on occasion I had to disable the safety-fire when we boarded a wreck and found it infested with a new breed of nasty...damn things ate my jet thrusters off, and were about to eat me, suit and all. I had a tachead demo-charge ready to spike, so I wasn’t eager to stick around, so I icked the patch’ware and fired the plasma cannon....made a great retreat frying pursuing buggers while rocketing assbackwards up the main corridor and out the airlock just in time to see the hulk become a bugcooker.......quite a ride. let me tell you!”
--- Major John Ruyter, Stelmarine

“Be careful when you go into the outer solar system...because not everything has been tested under the sort of conditions that are out there..heck, I don’t think we even KNOW of all the sorts of conditions you can find out there...For instance, when we dropped on Titan, we thought our thermo insulation was better than it really was....one of our string got dumped in a methane bog and the stuff flash-evaporated away from him from his exhaust heat...damn boiled away from under him and dumped him a good hundred feet onto razor-sharp steel-hard water ice crystals.... but the storm front he brewed up scattered the whole company....
And out in trans-Plutonian space, when we went out probing on the Long Walk,
we discovered that the Goop Guns weren’t as effective in near-absolute zero as we’d hoped. What should have set into a megadamage seal, tended to become as brittle as sugar-glass .... supercooling the stuff was just too much, and it shattered into dust with a simple tap.”
-----Major Tal Lygar, 2nd Stelmarine Regiment, from “Darklings, Hot Blood, and Liquid Air; A Soldier’s History of the Outer Worlds Campaign Expeditions”, Gallantry Press, Burlington, VFS, 132 PA

The PSA-11B is the special edition version of the PSA-11, adapted and modified in anticipation of Paladin Steel’s participation in the Freedom Project. Given its popularity with the armed forces of the Vermont Free State, it was only natural that when PS/VFS began recruiting for the new Stelmarines, that they would look at adapting the PSA-11 for space duty.
The PSA-11B sports heavier armor, a slightly taller, more built-up appearance, and multiple thruster verniers on the back, elbows, and legs. The torso and legs look thicker and heavier with the additional armor and thrusters added. A more powerful thruster assembly backpack, with larger reaction mass reserve, has been mounted in place of the smaller jumpjets of the original PSA-11. The spoiler assembly has been replaced by two smaller vernier armatures jutting from the back. The design retains the multi-option configurations of the older machine, but adds a few special weapons specifically designed for space combat. Because it is primarily expected to operate in zero- or micro-gravity, PS has taken the opportunity to upgrade the armor, adding better quality, and more of it. The PSA-11B is typically painted in dark, low contrast black and blue, though some units have been seen with white-and-blue ‘winter camou’, gray rock-hues, or even a bright orange and yellow(Io Expeditionary Force).
The PSA-11B is, like its predecessor, already finding considerable acceptance with the armed forces of the VFS Stelmarines, judging from evaluations of the first units battlefield-tested with the Plymouth One facility, and subsequent combats with Orbital, Arkhon, and Kittani forces. The design has been blooded in battles on the Moon, Mars, Mercury, and the outer planets(or their satellites). It is typically carried aboard PS spacecraft and orbital facilities as a boarder, raider, and hull security power armor(repelling other power armors). It is also used in planetary landings, and has occasionally been seen guarding Space Force’s Earth-side facilities, although this is rare. Its role as a one-man interceptor suit, however, is being gradually taken over by the faster and more nimble space-variant of the Fury(the ‘SpaceGhost’), though the PSA-11B is still the favored unit for planetary assaults.
Type: PS-AIAS-PSA-11B
Class: Armored Infantry Assault Suit, Medium, Space Combat
Crew: One. The cockpit system allows the pilot to be wearing light to medium(60 MDC) EBA.
M.D.C./Armor by Location:
Main Body 450
Head 90
Arms(2) 95 each
Hands(2) 50 each
Legs(2) 120 each
Auxiliary Sensor Pod 30
Thruster Pack 90

*Note: Thanks to the integral Laser Ablative Armor (LAA), lasers do HALF damage. Variable Frequency Lasers DO NOT compensate for the ceramic LAA.
Height: 7.9 ft
Width: 4 ft
Length: 3.2 ft
Weight: 5,000 lbs
Cargo: None
Physical Strength: Equiv to PS 30(for damage purposes). Lift 1.37 tons/Carry: .5 tons
Power Plant: Nuclear-Fusion w/ 5 year energy life
Speed:(Running) 40 MPH; Note that the pilot tires at only 10% of normal rate
(Leaping) 10 ft up/20 across, or 100 ft up/200 ft across with booster assist
(Flying/Hoverjets) 100 MPH. max altitude: 100 ft
(Flying: Space): Can reach accelerations of .5 G; has enough reaction mass for 4 hours of sustained acceleration, but rarely uses more than a third of total tankage for acceleration(remember, you have to DEcelerate as well)
After 129 PA, PS will begin retrofitting PSA-11Bs with gravitic drive systems that can push them along in atmosphere at 400 MPH and in space at Mach 2.5.
(Underwater)Can ‘swim’ using its thrusters at 12 MPH, or run along the bottom at 5 MPH. Max. Depth: 1 mile
Market Cost: 3 million credits
Construction Features:
a)Life Support----Extended 48 hour independent air supply
b)Emergency Ejection System(blows pilot free in an emergency). Note; This system is typically disabled in deep space/hostile environment theatres of operation.
c)External parachute pack---Allows for deployment from aircraft/altitude. Specialized jumps will require the Parachuting skill. Reeling in the parachute and auto-repacking it takes 1d4 melees. There was some discussion as to the value of this particular accessory to a space-based armor, but PS military planners elected to keep it, reasoning that it could be useful for emergency bailouts in atmosphere or drops on other solar system worlds with a suitable thick atmosphere.
d)Spotlight---800 ft
e)Radio w/signal scrambler--500 mile long range, 5 mile short range.
f)Laser Communicator ----Range: 300 miles in atmosphere, 1,000 miles in space
g)External Loudspeaker---80 decibels
h)ECCM system---A semi-automatic system that uses electronic encryption and frequency jumping to (attempt to) negate jamming systems. The system has a 25% chance of negating radar or communications jamming(non-magical) on its own, or a +5% if the pilot has a Read Sensory Instruments or Radio: Scramblers skill and devotes a full melee to operating the system(no other attacks/actions are possible). Having an Electronic warfare Skill gains a +15% bonus to operating this system.
Note that this only applies to received communications(the system filters them out from the jamming clutter) and sensory data received by that unit alone(other units cannot make use of it, unless they have an unaffected datalink/info-share with the ECCM equipped unit. Magic/psychic jamming is NOT affected by this system.
i) Gyroscopic Stabilization(+1 to dodge in zero-g. +20% to maintain balance)
j) Electromagnetic Pads---Mounted in the hands and feet, these allow the power armor to anchor to metal ship hulls.
k)Integral Maneuvering Verniers---14 small verniers distributed about the body for zero-gee maneuvering. The maneuvering verniers can reach speeds of 20 MPH in space, and have enough fuel/power for up to 18 hours of maneuvering.
l)Enhanced Electromagnetic Radiation Shielding---Both passive insulation and an active Magtech field protect the ‘armor from radiation. Incidentally, particle and ion beam weapons do HALF damage when this system is up. However, due to the EM field this system sets up, electronic cloaking and stealthing CANNOT be used simultaneously.
m) Damage Control Seals---Should any of the limbs be breached in a hostile environment and sealing becomes impossible, the suit’s self-diagnostics system can trigger one of a series of sixteen memory plastic irises inside the suit, that clamps shut with enough force to amputate a limb and seal off the damaged portion of the suit before air can completely escape or toxic gases infiltrate. The Medi-comp will automatically cauterize the wound, and apply anti-shock treatments, hopefully allowing the ‘trooper to escape the hostile environment and get to help.
n) Internal Medical Mini-Comp---Combines a biometrics package with an internal IRMSS and RMK medical kits, and an autodrug injector. The system monitors the ‘trooper’s vitals, and checks for signs of hypoxia, panic, and blood toxins, and applying any necessary treatment such as tri-ox injections or anti-shock.

0) Laser Ablative Armor---Laser Ablative Armor is STANDARD on the PSA-11B. Laser Ablative Armor is a special ceramic composite specially created to defeat laser weapons. All laser weapons do half damage, and because it's not reflective variable Frequency lasers may not compensate. Lasers do HALF damage.

Hardpoints on forearms(2; 1 each) and shoulders(4; 2 each)

Sensors:
Thermo-Imaging----2000 ft
IR/UV Optics-------2000 ft
Telescopic/Image Enhancement Optics---4000 ft
Low-light/Nightvision System---2000 ft
Laser Targeting------6000 ft, adds a +1 to strike w/ ranged weapons
External Audio Pickup---300 ft
Extended Radar Sensor----Range: 30 miles in atmosphere, 1,000 miles in space!

Weapons Systems: None standard/internally mounted. Can use any hand-held weapons systems and the OPTIONAL systems described later.

Hand to Hand Combat Equiv to standard Power Armor Basic or Elite Combat Training.
Restrained Punch 1d4 MD
Full Strength Punch 1d6 MD
Power Punch(2 attacks) 2d6 MD
Kick 1d6 MD
Body Block/tackle 1d4 MD
Flip/Throw 1d4 MD

Option Systems.
The PSA-11B can use the whole range of standard PSA-11 options, plus it has a few specially designed for it.

a)Long Range Laser Cannon(Manipulator Hand Module)---A longer-ranged laser weapon for inflicting damage at the expense of rate of fire. This weapon is mounted on the back of the forearm and standard manipulator hand sleeve.
Range: 6,000 ft (24,000 ft in space)
Damage: 2d4x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: Single shot, EPCHH
Payload: Effectively unlimited
Cost: 30,000 credits

b)Plasma Cannon(Manipulator Hand Module)---This weapon adapts both Kera-Tech and Paladin Steel plasma weaponry to produce a more powerful version of the PS ‘Nimro’ multi-mode plasma riffle. The basis of this weapon is the Kera-Tech KTR, now linked to the ‘suit’s nuclear power supply, and modified to be able to fire short-ranged ‘plasma vortices’ that burst with area of effect damage.
Range: 2,500 ft in both modes(10,000 ft in space)
Damage: (Direct fire) 1d6x10 MD per blast
(Vortice mode) 6d6 MD to 8 ft blast radius
Rate of Fire: EPCHH
Payload: Effectively unlimited
Cost: 60,000 credits

c) Goopblaster(Manipulator Hand Module)----Fires an expanding ball of rapid-set quickdry megadamage epoxy ‘goop’ that can blind an enemy’s sensors, lock up limbs, plug leaks, or block internal corridors.   Each application covers about five cubic feet,. To completely cover a human-sized target, the attacker must roll a 12 or better on the strike roll, otherwise only a limb is glommed. Anyone caught in the goo must
have a supernatural or robotic PS of 30 or better to break free; otherwise they are stuck until the goo is somehow removed.
   The epoxy sets within seconds, and can be used underwater. Unlike the
industrial strength Goo used in the Goo Gun, the Glooper uses a weaker, cheaper, bio-degradable grade of MDC cement, more like a thick lather or foam, for building temporary structures and filling corridors. The foam typically breaks down after exposure to air for 1d4 days, or faster(4d6 hours) under the effects of severe weather. If the foam structure is to be permanent, then the foam must be treated with a spray sealant that hardens the foam and stops its breakdown. However, the sprayed epoxy needs 1d4 hours to properly cure, at which point it attains its maximum strength. Once the two tanks are emptied, the twin bottles, which are
sold and attached together as a pair, can be quickly exchanged for fresh ones in one melee action, like changing an e-clip. For larger jobs, a backpack tank holding additional chemicals is available.
The Goop Blaster can also be used to generate a much lighter mass of bubbles that don’t have as much overall strength as a normal ‘blob’ of the cement, but which expands to fill up more space(15 square ft per application). This mass of bubbles will only slow down augmented or power armored troops(reduce speed by 50%), but will most effectively contain/restrain anyone without a supernatural or robotic PS of 30 or better..this mode is designed to effectively neutralize ship crews by blocking corridors and sealing access without damaging the vessel’s structure. A special solvent spray can be used to dissolve the bubble mass in 2d6 melees.
Mega-Damage: None, Gloop has 2d4 MDC(1d4 MD in ‘bubble mode’) per application, but if treated with the binder solution, hardens to 2d6 +1 MDC after curing for 1d4 hours. Gloop has a strength of 1,000 lbs per cubic foot.
After 1d4 days(depending on local conditions), reduce the MDC of the Gloop by 25% per 24 hours until you're into SDC, at which point the Gloop is so brittle it flakes away into dust.
Rate of Fire: Spray
Range: 500 ft
Payload: 30 applications per small tank.
Cost: 50,000 credits for the sprayer, 2,000 credits per 30-application
cartridge, 8,000 credits per 100-application tank.

d) Beam Saber Arc(Manipulator Hand Module)---A modified plasma blade, designed for extended ‘burn’
Range: Melee(12 ft blade reach)
Damage: 4d4 MD per slash, or 1d6x10 MD for a sustained cut(2 attacks)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Cost: 9,000 credits

e)Long Range Plasma Cannon Claw---This is a ‘snubby’ version of the Kera-Tech KTIW-2150 Plasma Cannon, acquired by Paladin Steel under licensed production treaty. The KTIW-2150 uses a cartridge system to generate a larger, more powerful plasma burst, though at the cost of limited payload. In many ways, this weapons system is a plasma-energy variant of the 45mm Launcher Claw
Range: 4,000 ft(16,000 ft in space)
Damage: 2d6x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: Single shots, EPCHH
Payload: 25 rounds
Cost: 75,000 credits

f)Destabilizer/EMP Cannon Claw---An enhanced EM weapon developed with the assistance of Kera-Tech(original system description and research work) , designed to overcome Orbital anti-radiation shielding and knock out electronics systems with a ‘tunneling’ particle beam and microwave combo. Its power is balanced out by its short range. (special thanks to Raven for his EMP weapons). Three fingered claw grip is standard.
Range: 800 ft(3,200 ft in space)
Damage: No physical damage, but does 5d6 EMP damage. Compare to the MDC of the location targeted. The resulting percentage is the chance the target has been disabled/knocked out. All damage is cumulative on the target. In addition, any damage in excess of 50% of target’s MDC will result in physical damage to the electronics, requiring their repair. Damage in excess of 75% will require replacement Does double damage to civilian/non-military vehicles due to they’re not being hardened against EMP(consider all Orbital vehicles to be hardened against EMP). Does NO damage against non-mechanical/electronic targets. Bionics are affected slightly, suffering a decrease in speed and mobility until they reset themselves (automatically resets to re-synch with their owner’s neural impulses), This results in a -1 to dodge, roll, and strike for the affected limb, lasting 1d4 melees, non-cumulative per blast.
Rate of Fire:4 shots per melee
Payload:Effectively unlimited
Cost: 60,000 credits

g) Magepod Claw---Rather than use a handheld Multiplexor, the PSA-11B can use a built-in Multiplexor cannon in the standard weapons claw forearm. Since few people, if anyone, expects to be hit by magic in orbit, this is a truly dangerous and versatile weapon.
(To those of you unfamiliar with PS’s Multiplexor/Magepod technology, a Multiplexor is essentially a Technowizardry projector, consisting of a crystalline focusing(‘lasing’) rod assembly, with an enchanted circuit board with spell-embedded gem(the ‘spellcard’) sliding between it and a PPE battery. The user can vary the sort of spell cast by changing the Spellcard. Multi-Spellcard weapons/devices use special rotary magazines to rotate and change the focus ‘card as the user wishes.)
Range: Varies by spell
Damage: Varies by spell
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 5 spellcards, 250 PPE battery
Cost: 40,000 credits, Spellcards cost 5,000 credits per PPE of main spell, plus an additional 500 credits per level of creating caster, and 20% more if the spell is a Warlock Elemental Magic spell. PPE batteries cost 80,000 credits

h) “S-Sting” ‘Smart Mini-Missile Launcher-----The S-Sting(for ‘Space Stinger’) is an attempt to scale down the advanced micro-intelligence guidance system of the Free Canadian HERET missile system into a package compact and accurate enough for an infantryman to tote. The ‘S-Sting’ is essentially a one-man, infantry-portable, ‘smart’ short-range, hyper-velocity, anti-air/spacecraft missile. The program has had its first successes with a space-based missile, owing to the fact that the vacuum of space negates the need for streamlining the weapon. As a result, the missile resembles a rather stubby cylinder with a blunt-nosed optical cluster and protruding verniers(extend after launching from the carry canister). The weapons system(missile(s), launch canister, and attached sensor/targeting/firing pack) are available as both a hardpoint module and as a handheld launcher. The S-Sting is heavier and more powerful than its atmosphere-based cousin, the ‘Black Talon’ L-SAM.
Note that the ‘S-Sting’ has only limited effectiveness in an atmosphere....HALF bonuses in a thin atmosphere and weak gravity well like Mars’, and NO bonuses, and HALF range in a thick atmosphere and standard gravity like Earth’s.
Range: 4 miles in atmosphere, 32 miles in space
Damage: 2d6x10 MD to a 15 ft blast radius
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 2 shots (3 shot magazine for shoulder mount model)
Bonuses: +7 to strike
Cost: 80,000 credits. 10,000 credits per missile

i) Spy-Eye---The Spy-Eye is a remote sensor for looking inside ships and other cramped spaces without risking the Trooper. This sensing device can be mounted o a hardpoint, or as a handheld device by regular troopers not in power armor. The Spy-Eye consists of a tennis-ball sized plastic sphere with multiple optic ports, and visual, IR, and Thermal Imaging sensors inside. To use, the Spy-Eye is lowered or thrown ahead of the ‘trooper to where it can relay what it sees back to be viewed on a handheld screen, Head Up Display, or cyperoptical implant. A small actuator or ‘jump stud’ allows the Spy Eye to move/jump/flex to the sides in ‘twitches’ of about a foot(12 inches) each. The Spy-Eye can use either short-range radio transmission(which can be blocked or jammed, but which offers excellent range), or a fiber optic link(shorter range, and the cable can be cut/damaged, but offers secure transmission, and allows the ‘Eye to be reeled back and recovered).
Range: Transmission range is 1,000 ft. Typical cable length is 100 ft
Cost: 10,000 credits per Spy Eye

j)EW/ECM Generators---Add-on electronic jamming suite, designed to keep the PSA-11B from being detected, or at least give the bad guys a harder time locking on while the armor is approaching. Though not the equal of the suite carried by the PSA-14 Fury, the PSA-11B’s jammers can still mean the difference between life and death in those precious moments hanging between cover.
Effects: Enemy radar guided weaponry and missiles have a -3 to strike

k)Forcefield Generator---Because of the harsh nature of space combat, the PSA-11B has the option of carrying a portable battlescreen projector in place of any additional weaponry.
Weight: 100 lbs
Megadamage: 200
Depleting the MDC of the forcefield means that the generator must cycle for 1d4 melees before re-activating.
Bonuses: +1 to parry
Cost: 200,000 credits

m) Damage Control Seals---Should any of the limbs be breached in a hostile environment and sealing becomes impossible, the suit’s self-diagnostics system can trigger one of a series of sixteen memory plastic irises inside the suit, that clamps shut with enough force to amputate a limb and seal off the damaged portion of the suit before air can completely escape or toxic gases infiltrate. The Medi-comp will automatically cauterize the wound, and apply anti-shock treatments, hopefully allowing the ‘trooper to escape the hostile environment and get to help.

Been reading Forever War recently?

Nice suit especially loved the story text.

PS PSA-11B ‘Star Guard” Space Power Armor love
but what is the close this look like?

Sabre 1 wrote:m) Damage Control Seals---Should any of the limbs be breached in a hostile environment and sealing becomes impossible, the suit’s self-diagnostics system can trigger one of a series of sixteen memory plastic irises inside the suit, that clamps shut with enough force to amputate a limb and seal off the damaged portion of the suit before air can completely escape or toxic gases infiltrate. The Medi-comp will automatically cauterize the wound, and apply anti-shock treatments, hopefully allowing the ‘trooper to escape the hostile environment and get to help.

Been reading Forever War recently?

Nice suit especially loved the story text.

Learn from the classics.

The Venerian Rangers
(Originally Taskforce Clementine, 8th and 10th Stelmarine Companies, Greater New England Aerospace Forces)

“Venus is a ***** beautiful, bright., gauze-clad bright star in the heavens when you approach her, but underneath the wrapping, she reveals her true nature....a crack-faced, fire-spitting, corrosive, mankiller who will take your soul and slay you without a second thought....Though I’ve looked supernatural evil in the face and seen the spawn of hell for real, there’s nothing more frightening to me than to face a planet that can kill so casually, so impersonally, without thought, without notice, all because that’s the way it is with nature. Venus makes you feel small and insignificant, not because she has it in for you, finds you amusing, or finds you tasty, but because Venus represents the universe as it is, without human conceit or pretension...it just doesn’t care....”
---Captain Ernesto DeThomas, GNESASF Stelmarines Venus Expeditionary Force (Taskforce Clementine)

“The soldiers of the Venus Campaign had it bad, and why more of them didn’t go mad, is beyond me....limited manpower, limited supplies, lethal air, crushing pressure, killing temperatures, firestorms that must have looked like breaths from hell, a determined enemy with superior weapons, help still months away, and their only refuge slowly eroding away like a sandcastle in a tidal zone.....Add on top of that the fact that nobody completely understood what changes the Coming of the Rifts had wrought on Venus, and you had some seriously stressed out troopers...Most of the psychics on the mission reported that they were sensing SOMETHING out in the hot-dark, though they couldn’t say what...Sensors weren’t much help in verifying, given all the beam refractions and equipment failures, and there were more than a few false alarms...even the PPE sensors couldn’t accurately gauge anything...one minute there would be only trace activity, the next off the scale ambient potentials, then the next a total void...It led to overstressed nerves and overstressed equipment giving some hinky readings....the ‘Venus Fugue’, as it came to be called....expedition members claimed to have seen everything from fork-tailed devils dancing in the heat shimmer to kelly-green jungles glistening with fresh rain...and more often than not, those reports were the last ever made by the personnel involved; they just plain disappeared.....Were they victims of the planet, or something else? No bodies were ever found....Another hidden face of Venus...”
---Doctor Lathem Rand, aerospace surgeon and historian, “On the Anvil; The Inner Solar System Campaigns”, Valiant Station Historical Press, Valiant Station, 135 PA

The elite Stelmarine unit known as the Venerian Rangers came about as a result of what in retrospect would appear to be one of GNE’s most insane gambles for a dubious payoff. The 120 P.A. Venus Expedition.
In 119 PA, a large object was detected making a high speed approach into the inner solar system from an abrupt hyperspace emergence event. The object was able to decelerate as it entered the perimeter of Earth orbit, revealing that it was artificial and likely under intelligent control. It was ultimately on a collision course with the planet Venus, however, and its speed of approach made it unlikely that it would survive re-entry on the cloud-shrouded planet, and interception before Venerian encounter would prove impossible.
Just before the object, now presumed to be an alien ship, entered the Venerian atmosphere, a broadband transmission was detected, and deciphered, as a call for assistance from a species identifying itself as the *Yetah*.
One week later, however, broadband transmissions were again detected from Venus, this time from UNDER the planet’s obscuring clouds of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid vapor. Again the *Yetah* identified themselves, and affirmed that they needed assistance...their ship had crashed, but survived mostly intact, and could survive the harsh planetary environment for some time(perhaps a year or so), but that the aliens lacked all the requisite abilities and materials needed to repair their ship. They urgently needed help to escape Venus’s grip, and were willing to compensate their rescuers, if rescue arrived soon. Though weak, the signal was picked up by a GNE scientific probe satellite that had been searching for leyline activity on the Venusian surface, and relayed to Valiant Station.
Debate within the GNE council was fierce as to whether or not to answer the distress call. Given the circumstances, the difficulties of reaching the Venusian surface and doing any sort of work there presented a suicidal challenge. Venus was one of the harshest planetary environments yet encountered by GNE; the surface of Venus being called politely ‘hellish’.....A solar-fueled greenhouse effect gone mad, with a thick obscuring atmosphere of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid vapor, a rocky, water-less surface baked by metal-melting temperatures, under pressures more akin to the bottom of Earth’s oceans...circumstances that would kill unprotected personnel in seconds in the event of equipment failure. Even megadamage hardware was at risk, and few wanted to risk precious resources, men, and material, to rescue what was most likely a doomed and unfortunate shipload of aliens.
However, altruistic and idealistic heads prevailed, fueled also by some more ulterior desire for what compensation the aliens, who indicated they possessed quite advanced technology, might provide. GNE and Valiant Station engineers were also confident that they could design and produce hardware that could enable a small expedition to reach the Venusian surface and carry out a quick search and rescue ...The original Valiant Station scientific establishment already had blueprints for hardware in their computers, that could be adapted using GNE technology. At the least, the advocates for a rescue mission argued, the GNE expedition could drop robot landers and repair supplies to the surface near the stranded *Yetah* ship, or even soft-land a rescue ship that would last long enough for the aliens to board and rocket out of the Venusian atmosphere to an orbital rendezvous with their rescuers. With decided reluctance by some members, approval for a relief expedition was passed. Contact was made, through the orbiters, with the *Yetah*, asking for their patience and cooperation in finding out where they were and what they needed to affect repairs, while the expedition was gathered and equipped with the necessary gear.
Thus, two months later, an all-volunteer (mostly recruits from Valiant Station and the Free Spacers) force left; two modified destroyers, and a heavy cargo carrier, carrying a battalion of combat engineers and scientists. The expedition also carried with them two companies of Stelmarines with specially fitted power armors, nearly a hundred modified robots, and three specially modified cargo landers. Taskforce Clementine, the Venus Expedition, was on its way.

Upon reaching Venus orbit, however, the Venus Expedition almost became a tragic debacle. The unmanned and manned surface landers managed to make it safely through the turbulent upper atmosphere to make soft surface landings(more than a few staff both on the Expedition and at home breathed a sigh of relief when the equipment performed to spec) not far from the downed alien ship, and the first units of technicians were able to make peaceful contact with the alien crew. The Expedition looked to off to a promising start, aside from a few mishaps and minor, but expected, problems. GNE coordinators were confident that they had another success in the making.
Of course, that was when the other shoe dropped.
Four Arkhon warships, the heaviest single ship formation yet seen in the inner solar system since the taking of Vesta in 119 PA, attacked the Expedition’s orbiting ships and destroyed two of them outright, taking out two of the landers as well, as they re-supplied prior to another trip to the surface. The remaining GNESSF vessel, one of the two destroyers, was badly damaged, but managed to break orbit, fleeing the larger Arkhon force. However. it did manage to make long range scans showing several larger and slower Arkhon craft making approach to Venusian orbit, while the raider warships began seeding the planet’s orbit with makeshift orbital mines and battle satellites. The Arkhons apparently were planning to make their own bid to ‘rescue’ the *Yetah* vessel, in return for what they could pry from the aliens.
Cut off suddenly from the orbiting support flotilla, the surface teams were shocked to find their landing site under attack by space to surface weapons fire. Fortunately, the thick Venusian atmosphere spoiled the aim of most of the Arkhons’ weapons shots, but enough scored hits that several shelters and the remaining transport were lost. A follow-up attack by power armored Arkhons revealed that Arkhon cermasteel was more than up to surviving the harsh Venerian environment, and their tribeams were equally effective in the dense atmosphere.
However, the PS engineers had also built well, and the presence of fully armed Stelamarines in their modified power suits, came as a rude surprise to the marauding aliens. Though many of the suits were armed with laser tool arms that were next to useless against Arkhon energy-resistant armor, enough of the Stelmarines had spike-throwing rail guns and rock-breaker missiles that they could crack and cripple that same Arkhon armor, and allow Venus to do the rest of the work. Surprise became fury, and the Arkhons were beaten back before they could wipe out the party and seize the *Yetah* vessel for themselves. But what news the ground force had received from orbit was not encouraging; the Arkhons had apparently arrived in force with a battlecruiser and escort, and were in no hurry to leave. Already, reinforcements from Earth were being mustered, but with Venus in the wrong position with respect to Earth, and the need to re-equip the relief expedition for Venerian conditions, the Arkhons were certain to be back on the surface before help could arrive for the beleaguered Taskforce Clementine survivors.
The Venus Expedition was now forced to take refuge in the crystalline *Yetah* vessel that they had come to save. Though it was slowly deteriorating, the damage was negligible, and the ship provided substantial protection for the time being. The *Yetah* could provide breathable air and water, and, after examining the expedition’s needs, basic dietary supplements, but their own engineers had been killed or injured in the crash, and they needed the Expedition’s assistance. And their protection.
For five months, the Stelmarine battalion battled for survival on the surface of one of the most inhospitable planets in the solar system, plagued by equipment failures that more often than not proved instantly fatal, dwindling supplies, freak storm conditions, and random attacks by the Arkhons(both manned assaults and orbital bombardments), as well as suspected random Rifts events, as their technicians struggled to understand the alien technology of the downed starship, and get it into orbit. Over half the original taskforce would be lost to the hellish environment before reinforcements from Earth, fitted with new gear, were able to break through the Arkhon minefields and get within magic teleport range of the surface, to resupply the troops and withdraw the survivors. With the added supplies and staff, the repairs were completed to the *Yetah* vessel, which was then able to lift off under its own power and claw its way into orbit. Once there, the crew were able to deploy their space drive, and after professing their great gratitude to those who had come, fought, and died for them, left for home.
For all the trouble that the GNESSF taskforce had gone through, the rescued *Yetah* were most grateful, but their form of gratitude that they ultimately gifted their rescuers with has left many in GNE more than a little upset and disappointed...Rather than present the rescue force with easily understandable technological secrets and assistance in adapting it to Terran use, the aliens instead left them with a generous supply of what one analyst called derisively ‘Puzzle Boxes’; enigmatic alien constructs of various unknown materials, that seem to each be locked by sophisticated ‘puzzle locks’, each needing a different solution or key(either material or procedural) to open or activate. While many in the GNESSF have declared their belief that the aliens have shafted the brave soldiers and crews of the force by leaving them a load of pretentious empty boxes, xenosociologists have expressed the belief that the *Yetah* have a truly alien perspective, and that such devices may be common place systems for cargo in their culture, or that the aliens may have a strict code against giving their advanced technology to ‘unworthy’ races ...By leaving GNE with the ‘puzzle boxes’, the stranded aliens have ‘winked’ at their own regulations and slipped the Terrans a substantial gift of goods on the sly, with the ‘puzzle locks’ being a lipservice ‘test of worthiness’, allowing the *Yetah* to be generous with a clear conscience. Even if most of the boxes prove empty, metallurgists and technologists have had a field day studying the materials and mechanisms...Fortunately, however, none of the few ‘boxes’ already opened have proven empty, and some of what has been discovered inside has proven most spectacular and promising.
While many members of Taskforce Clementine resigned from service or requested transfer to other duties, as a result of their ordeal, a sizable number of the Stelmarine contingent re-upped for service, with the provision that they remain together as a company. These grizzled, hardened, soldiers and fleet officers(those who were trapped on the surface along with the groundpounders) have become known as the Venerian Rangers, a tough, no-nonsense combat unit with their own distinctive style of combat and weapons usage. They have retained their distinctive ‘Hellion’ power armors, and have adapted their experiences on ‘Venus Hell’ to brutal effectiveness with their special, trademark, tactics. The Venerian Rangers like to advance under cover of thick smokescreens and clouds of stinging sulfuric vapor, striking their enemies under conditions of reduced visibility, and using plasma and sonic weapons. Venerian Ranger pilots also have a reputation for having steady hands and a close control on their vehicles even in the roughest turbulence, and their engineers are admired for their coolness under the worst conditions...because they can say they’ve seen some of the worst already and survived.
Even within the already elite Stelmarines, the Venerian Rangers are recognized as a breed apart. ‘Acid-washed, Hell-baked, Corps-approved’, as the saying goes. The 185 remaining survivors of the original expedition are regarded as a breed apart in more ways than one, and even though other newer members may be assigned to the Venerian Rangers to fill in operational gaps and manpower numbers, only the original members are regularly referred to as the Venerian Rangers.

GM Notes:
Owing to their unifying and shared traumatic experiences as part of the Venus Expedition, as well as, it is rumored, subtle mental or genetic alterations brought about by exposure to Venus’ leyline energies and/or living inside the *Yetah* vessel, Venerian Rangers have a few differences that set them apart from their fellow Stelmarines. Though subtle, these differences contribute to the ‘Rangers’ aura of toughness and mental fortitude under the worst conditions.
Venerian Campaign soldiers have the following bonuses:
+4 to save versus Horror Factor/Panic
+4 save versus toxins/poisons
+1 to Initiative
NO penalty to Strike/Parry/Dodge in conditions of darkness, target invisibility, or sensory blackout, and CANNOT be taken by surprise, as long as they’re awake---a form of presence/danger sense honed from months of fighting in ambulatory coffins, in toxic pea soup, with limited or no sensors.....it’s as if the soldiers have learned to sense enemies, even ones striking from ambush, even under conditions of no sensory input. This means the trooper can be covered in mud, blindfolded, in total darkness, and still fight effectively....It’s not psychic, and the troopers can’t explain it themselves .


A Quick Guide to Fighting on Venus....(Should you ever find yourself on the hellhole)

Warfare on Venus is more akin to fighting underwater, under intense pressure, in limited visibility....in boiling water. The atmosphere is so dense, and light so badly refracted, that an observer sees the horizon bend up at the sides of his vision, as if he were standing at the bottom of a fishbowl.
Many planetologists believe that under the concealing clouds, post-Rifts Venus may be even more severely affected than Earth, and may be entering a new phase of tectonic and atmospheric turbulence, fueled by previously unsuspected leyline and subcrustal Rift activity.
For the first 24 hours that a PC is fighting in this environment, using only their own vision, they are -2 to strike, parry, and dodge, due to the severe visual distortion, until their minds adjust and compensate for the perceived curvature and mirage.
Radar range is effectively cut in HALF. Optical System effectiveness, including laser targeting, is reduced to 1/4 of normal, while thermographic systems are effectively useless. Radio communications ranges are HALVED, while communications lasers are only at 1/4 normal range and effectiveness.

Rail Guns and other projectile weapons find their range reduced to HALF
Missiles have their range reduced by 1/3...ironically, though, concussive explosives increase their effective radius of damage by 25%
Lasers are badly affected by the thick, refracting, atmosphere; range is only 1/4 what it normally is, and damage is HALVED.
TriBeam Cannon reduce their range only by 1/3, but suffer no damage penalty.

MAGIC/Spell attack ranges are UNaffected.

The combined heat and acidic atmosphere does a slow, but relentless, job of eroding materials; 1d4 MD per every two hours of exposure. Should a suit or vehicle take more than 50% main body damage, the atmosphere damage is 1d6 MD per every SINGLE hour of exposure.
Padded and Soft EBA types are ineffectual in these conditions, unless specifically ensorcelled or designed against the heat, pressure, and acid, otherwise, the Venusian oven just cooks and melts the stuff. Likewise, SDC structures last only minutes, at most an hour or so.

Firestorms---Firestorms seem to be a phenomenon that has come to Venus with the Coming of the Rifts...possibly the injection, through dimensional rifts, of large amounts of volatile gases (and oxygen), forming bubbles and high-pressure centers of superheated gas that sweep across the Venerian surface with hurricane speed, until they burn themselves out (or, in the case of oxygen-fed fires, smothered by the local atmosphere).
A typical firestorm is 2d6 miles across, moves at 2d6x10 MPH, and does 2d6 MD per melee to anything caught in its path, typicall lasting 1d6x10 hours. Airborne vehicles caught in its way are -20% to their piloting skill rolls, because of the intense winds and turbulence. There’s also a 30% chance of large amounts of debris being swept up in the winds and being hurtled at high velocity, inflicting an additional 1d6 MD per melee. Larger observed storms may be 10-100 times larger in size, speed, and duration, though damage remains unchanged.
The best thing to do during a firestorm is to outrun it, or, if that isn’t possible, hunker down, reducing the damage by half, or dig in and get out of the way of the winds and debris, avoiding damage altogether.

Random Leyline Storms are also not unknown on Post-Rifts Venus, with all the usual penalties.
Earthquakes and tremors also occur, with greatest frequency around the more volcanically active regions of the planet. While these do not pose a problem to mobile units, stationary and underground facilities in these regions could be threatened.

PSA-11V ‘Hellion’ Venerian Assault Suit
(aka ‘Aphrodite’, ‘Acid Storm’)

“You’re a helluva lot safer breathing cold hard vacuum than if you’re standing on Venus...If you crack your can in open space, you got maybe a few seconds to hear the air hissing out and get to slap a patch on...heck, you have the right training, you could survive a half minute or more of death pressure...long enough to jump to a nearby airlock, or have a buddy toss you into an emergency bubble-bag.
You don’t have the luxury of time on Venus. You spring a leak in your suit on the Aphrodite Terra plains, you got ninety atmospheres of pressure driving a spike of superheated gas into you...You burn alive instantly before the acid in the stuff starts oxidizing what little’s left of your body...No such thing as a second chance on Venus Hell...”
-----Sergeant Lynn Oran Smashborg, VFSASF Stelmarines Venus Expeditionary Force (Taskforce Clementine)

“After about a month in the ‘can, you get to feeling pretty pickled and rank...The problem is, after a few days, you get used to your own stench and you no longer notice...When we got pulled in and started opening our armor after a month or so walking in tin, we noticed a lot of the techs who were facilitating us suddenly disappearing...half of them were taking off to throw up behind the equipment, while the rest were fleeing what they thought was a big chemical leak...But it was just good old Unwashed Trooper...”
-----Corporal Nix’a’nix, VFSASF Stelmarines Venerian Rangers

The ‘Hellion’ is the specialized power armor that was developed for, and later modified for, the 120 P.A. Venus Expedition, and the Stelmarine force tasked to it. It has since become one of the trademarks of the Venerian Rangers, the elite force of grizzled survivors who emerged from that expedition, and continue to serve.
The Hellion was developed from the deep-diving Dogfish PSA-11 power armor, owing to the latter’s high-pressure resistant design, but has been substantially modified almost beyond recognition as a PSA-11. The entire machine has been streamlined and reinforced, the better to survive an atmosphere that is corrosive, highly pressurized, and superheated to 400 degrees celsius at the surface. The PSA-11V is heavier, more massive, but also more rounded and streamlined than the regular PSA-11s, having an almost featureless exterior, with as many systems as possible incorporated inside the reinforced armor shell, away from damaging pressure and heat. The box-chest and squat, beetle-browed head have been replaced with a smooth, ovoid-skinned torso, with only a small optics plate in the center of the chest providing any sort of ‘facial features’. The limbs are more rounded and heavy armored, with multi-layered rotary joints replacing the original ‘accordion joints’ of the regular PSA-11 models.
The Hellion is armored to the maximum capacity of the reinforced frame with advanced armor , including an advanced coolant system. Because of the extended duration personnel must remain suited up in the ultra-deadly environment, the suit’s life support system is triply reinforced and shielded, with multiple redundancies. The entire suit is skinned and coated in Paladin Steel’s specially formulated acid-resistant materials, used to such good effect on Hazmat cyborgs, Mauler salvage tanks, and Orkin exterminator suits. A thicker layer of thermal-resistant armor backs the surface layers, providing protection from Venus’ killing heat. Because the wearers cannot just crack their suits and get relief after a short duty stint, the suit life support system is built for prolonged wear; users can spend up to a week inside the armor without external resupply, and special triple-sealed external ‘demon locks’ allow the suit’s systems to be quickly recharged externally without having to open the suit and decant the user.
In order to find its way through the thick Venusian atmosphere, which often renders conventional optics systems useless, the Hellion mounts a number of microwave and detailed laser-imaging systems to provide detailed CGI displays of the suit’s surroundings. The Hellion also mounts a standard optics suite in backup.
The Hellion has the same modular forearm assemblies as the regular PSA-11s, but of necessity, the forearms must be sealed and armored as the rest of the power armor against the harsh Venerian atmosphere.
The limb actuators of the Hellion have been beefed up for greater strength and reliable movement in crushing pressure conditions, and for manhandling heavy equipment. The Hellion also mounts a low-power internal GMR coil and integral jetpack for improved movement capabilities, allowing the suit to bound over surface obstacles and ‘swim’ through the thick lower atmosphere.
Designed to endure the lethal conditions and crushing pressures of the Venusian surface, the Hellion is surprisingly fast and agile for its bulk in other, less oppressive, conditions, especially in the hands of the experienced ‘Rangers.
Paladin Steel has only produced some two hundred units of the Hellion, mainly replacement units for the current Venerian Rangers. It is unlikely that the expensive powered armors would be adopted by any other services for mass production and deployment, given the suit’s cost and difficulties of manufacture. The Hellion is almost exclusively used by the Venerian Rangers, though there has been some talk of further expeditions to Venus to check up on anomalies detected during the first expeditions. Whether or not the Venerian Rangers will accompany these expeditions is unknown.

Model Type: PS-ASEAS-PSA-11V
Vehicle Type: Armored Special Environment Assault Suit, Heavy
Date of Introduction: 119 PA
Crew: One. The pilot is limited to wearing light(30 MDC) EBA
M.D.C. by Location:
Main Body - 480
Sensor Dome(1, top)-200
Arms (2) - 90 each
Hands (2) - 50 each
Legs (2) - 90 each

Thruster Pack - 150
Speed:
Running: 60 MPH; Note that the pilot tires at only 10% of normal rate
Leaping: 10ft up/across
Flying/Hoverjets: 350 mph, max altitude: 5,000 ft
(Space) Hover to accelerate at 0.2 g
Has enough reaction mass for 3 hours of acceleration at maximum
Underwater: Can 'swim' using its thrusters at 5mph, or run along the bottom at 10mph. Max. Depth: 3 miles

Statistical Data:
Height: 8.2 ft
Width: 5.5 ft
Length: 5 ft
Weight: 5,000 lbs
Cargo: Small internal compartment for a few toiletries and extra food supplies
Physical Strength: Equivalent to Robotic PS 45.
Lift: 1.37tons/Carry: 690lbs
Power Plant: Nuclear-Fusion with an average energy life of 15 years
Market Cost: Exclusive to PS/GNE, and none have been made available to the Black Market...If they were, one could expect offers of 15 million credits or more.


Construction Features:
Acid-Resistant Coating---The Hellion is plated with the same chemically inert material as used in the Toxic Avenger HazMat FC Cyborgs. This renders the Hellion resistant to the corrosive acids and toxins used by many mutant insects and aliens, and the sulfuric acids found in the Venusian atmosphere

Thermal Protection--------Special space-programme derived thermal tiles and cooling systems reduce the effectiveness of heat-based attacks, including plasma weapons, by HALF.

Life Support: Enhanced 96 hour independent air supply, 2 week recycling capability, water and food dispenser(pill rations and slurp-mash), relief catheter system and dump tank.
Internal Autodoc System--- Combines a biometrics package with an internal IRMSS and RMK medical kits, and an autodrug injector. The system monitors the ‘trooper’s vitals, and checks for signs of hypoxia, panic, and blood toxins, and applying any necessary treatment such as tri-ox injections or anti-shock.
Spotlight: 800 ft
Radio w/ signal scrambler: 500 mile long range, 5 mile short range. Includes signal decryption for incoming communications.
Directional Laser communicator---7,000 mile range
External Loudspeaker: 80 decibels

Enhanced Electromagnetic Radiation Shielding---Both passive insulation and an active Magtech field protect the ‘armor from radiation. Incidentally, particle and ion beam weapons do HALF damage when this system is up. However, due to the EM field this system sets up, electronic cloaking and stealthing CANNOT be used simultaneously

ECCM system: A semi-automatic system that uses electronic encryption and frequency jumping to (attempt to) negate jamming systems. The system has a 25% chance of negating radar or communications jamming (non-magical) on its own, or a +5% if the pilot has a Read Sensory Instruments or Radio: Scramblers skill and devotes a full melee to operating the system(no other attacks/actions are possible).
Having an Electronic Warfare Skill gains a +15% bonus to operating this system.
Note that this only applies to received communications (the system filters them out from the jamming clutter) and sensory data received by that unit alone (other units cannot make use of it, unless they have an unaffected datalink/info-share with the ECCM equipped unit. Magic/psychic jamming is NOT affected by this system.


Sensors:
Mini-Radar: 50 miles
Microwave Imaging----A high resolution personal radar system for mapping out details of the local surroundings for CGI displays. Can also see through thin walls and barriers. Effective Range of 10 miles
Motion Detector System----
Laser Imaging---Similar to the microwave imaging system, but using high speed scanning laser beams to outline, map, and identify objects. Most effective in environs where natural EM activity negates radar and similar EM-based sensors----Effective Range: 7 miles
Thermo-Imaging: 2000 ft
IR/UV Optics: 2000 ft
Telescopic/Image Enhancement Optics: 4000 ft
Low-light/Nightvision System: 4000 ft
Laser Targeting: 12,000 ft, adds a +1 to strike with ranged weapons
Laser Target Designator---A ‘painting’ laser for illuminating targets for strikes with laser-guided weaponry. Range: 8,000 ft.
External Audio Pickup: 300 ft

Weapons Systems:
1) Modular Forearms---Like the base PSA-11, the Hellion has modular forearms that can be quickly fitted with a variety of different weapons types. However, due to time constraints and the (presumed) lack of need for a great many weapons systems on what was essentially a rescue and repair mission, the number of options was initially very limited. Afterwards, however, PS began producing a larger array of weapons types for the Venerian Rangers for use in other environs. Because of the need to house and protect the internal workings of delicate actuators and gun mechanisms inside an acid- and pressure-resistant armor shell, the Hellion CANNOT mount combined claw/weapon forearms; only a robotic manipulator or wholly weapon module;
a) Hand/Claw Module---Basic heavy duty grasper/battlefist. Robotic PS of 45

b)Laser Forearms---Despite the low efficiency of lasers in the Venusian atmosphere, the Venerian Rangers landed with heavy laser modules because of their utility as tools.
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage:Varies; 2d6 SDC, 6d6 SDC, 1d6x10 SDC, or 4d6+2 per single shot, 2d4x10 for a triple pulse/long burn.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

c) Heavy Ion Beamer(ionization rules courtesy of Henning Rogge)
Range: 3,000 ft
Damage: 1d4x10 MD per blast,
In addition to physical damage, the cannon does EM damage. Percentage of EM damage is determined in relation to target’s main body((damage/main body)x100=percentage). For every 10% of damage from main body in ion damage, target will be -1 to strike, parry. and dodge. In space target acceleration will be reduced by 15%, in atmosphere top speed will be reduced by 15%. Roll once on critical hit charts in Phazeworld or Conversion book as appropriate.
If target takes 60% of main body in ion damage, ship or vehicle will be disabled completely. All weapon, navigation, and other systems will shut down and need to be repaired/replaced to work again/reboot.
Does NO damage against non-mechanical/electronic targets.
The ion cannon is equally effective against bionics
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload:Effectively Unlimited

d)Tri-Barrel Autocannon---This was of limited use in the atmosphere of Venus, but has proven useful in other environs.
Range: 3,000 ft
Damage:(20 mm) 1d4 MD per shell
4d6 MD per 5 rd burst
1d4x10+4 MD per 10 rd burst
Airburst does 1d4 MD to 2 ft blast radius(single shot)
(20mm Super-HEX)4d4 MD per shell
1d6x10 MD per 5 rd burst
2d6x10+4 MD per 10 rd burst
Airburst does 4d4 MD to 2 ft blast radius(single shot)
(Crowd Control rds) humans and human-sized D-Bees must roll a D20 to maintain their footing (must equal or surpass the attacker's roll to strike...Full rules in TNW p.174)
Rate of Fire:ECHH
Payload: 400 rds

e) Variable Mode Heavy Rail Gun/Spike Driver---Rather than fire a stream of small projectiles, this weapon fires a single larger spike projectile. On its lower power setting, it can also drive a fastener into material to be anchored/nailed.
The launcher can also fire a specially barbed spike used to carry a thin(sewing-thread sized), but high-strength, length of braided molecular line(‘Atlas Cord’) as a grapple, spooling off a small spool (w/2,000 ft of line) in the arm. A small powered winch in the arm can haul up to 30 tons of weight, while the cord itself has a pull strength of 80 tons.
Range: 4,000 ft
(Nail Driver Mode) 20 ft
Damage: 6d6 MD single shot
(Nail Driver Mode) 1d6 SDC or 1d6 MDC
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 200 rds
A separate pocket/magazine holds up to 250 fasteners and 50 grapple barbs.

f)Particle Beam Projector
Range: 5,000 ft
Damage: 2d6x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: Three times per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

g) TW Multiplexor Arm----Because of the usefulness of magical systems, a TW Multiplexor seemed a natural choice as an option. The Hellion’s model can hold up to 4 Spellcards/spells in rack.
Range: Varies by Spell Used
Damage:Varies by Spell Used
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Limited by its 250 PPE Battery Pack(replaceable if a fresh one is available)
Cost: 180,000 credits
PPE clips cost 6,000 credits for 50 PPE
12,000 Credits for 100 PPE
Spell Cards cost (as per Jason Richards’ guidelines in Rifter #2) 5,000 credits per PPE cost of main spell plus an additional cost (as per following modifiers)
*500 credits per level of the creating caster(Mages’ time and PPE are money, so expect to pay more for the longer duration/higher power spells)
*Warlock spells cost 20% more, in addition to above modifiers, owing to the difficulties of adapting Elemental Magic to ‘conventional” magic systems.


2) Integral Mini-Missile Launcher(1)----Built into the upper back is a mini-missile launcher system. It is especially useful for firing wide dispersion chemical munitions and smokescreen warheads. The original plans called for a grenade launcher, but it was decided that a conventional AGL would not propel its ordinance sufficiently far in the dense Venusian atmosphere for the Hellion to avoid being caught in the detonation of its own weaponry.
Range: Varies by Mini-Missile Type
Damage: Varies by Mini-Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-6
Payload: 24

3) Chemical Sprayer System---Built into the flanks and shoulders is a special chemical system originally intended to spray decontamination agents or acid-resistant ‘jelly skin’ on the armor’s surface. In regular environs, the sprayers are used for releasing tear gas, smoke, or acidic vapors in close combat. One of the nastier tactics that makes the Venerian Rangers so feared is their practice of creating a ‘mini-Venus’ cloud of smoke and acidic vapor to envelope enemy positions, forcing enemy soldiers to stay and fight under conditions of near total blindness and dissolving equipment, or flee their positions.
Range: 50 ft
Depending on wind and weather conditions, the chemical cloud can persist for as long as 6 minutes(1d6), while some effects may linger longer in closed, unventilated, quarters.
Damage: Varies by chemical type. Examples:
(Smoke)---Obscures everything in its area of effect.
(Tear Gas) Victims are -10 to strike, parry, dodge for 1d4 melees
(Mild Acid) 1d6 SDC/HP, and victims are -4 to strike, parry, dodge, and disarm, -3 to initiative, lose 1 APM, and reduce speed by 30%. for 2d4 melees
(Sulfuric Acid)----Nasty aerosol droplets of extremely corrosive acid...Limited effectiveness of only 60 ft, and lasts only 1d6 melees before dissipating, but anyone caught in the cloud takes 4d6 MD of damage per melee of exposure.
(Flash Gas)----Essentially a low-power Fuel Air Munition. Flash Gas is a kerosene-like aerosol that can be ignited to produce flash burns(4d6 SDC), concussive thunderclap, and blinding flash(stun and daze those without optical protection for 1d6 melees---). There’s also a 45% chance of knocking down humanoid-sized beings(tack on another penalty: lose initiative and 1 APM while scrambling to regain one’s footing).
(Anti-Laser Aerosol)------Persists for 1d4 melees. Reduce laser damage by HALF
Rate of Fire: Once per melee
Payload: Internal reservoirs hold enough for 20 blasts(total) of up to three different chemicals

4) (Optional) Handheld Weaponry---Any infantry hand weapon or PA-scale weapons pod can be picked up and used. An assault module, light rail gun, or heavy energy weapon can be used.
The Venerian Rangers will most often use heavy machine rifles or heavy plasma cannons(see below) in combat.

5)Hand to Hand Combat: Rather then using a weapon, the PSA-11V can engage in mega-damage hand to hand combat. Equivalent to standard Power Armor Basic or Elite Combat training with the following changes:
Restrained Punch - 1D6 MD
Full Strength Punch - 4D6 MD
Power Punch (2 attacks) - 1D6x10 MD
Kick - 2D6 MD
Body Block/tackle - 1D4 MD
Flip/Throw - 1D4 MD

Gives a +4 to Perception rolls (if you're using them),
+2 to Initiative
+1 to Strike
+2 to Dodge
+2 Roll

Options: Original options for the PSA-11V are rather limited, owing to its rigorous specifications, and the nature of their intended mission. Since the Venerian Rangers have been deployed in other theaters that are less demanding on their equipment, a few extra accessory systems have begun appearing for the unit.

*Heavy Variable-Mode Plasma Cannon---A massive rifle-like weapon, compared to a ‘jet engine on a stick’, firing mini-plasma torpedoes or a straight stream of superheated gas.
Weight: 200 lbs
MDC of Rifle: 120
Range:(Plasma Stream) 2,500 ft
(Plasma Torpedo) 6,000 ft
Damage:(Plasma Stream) 1d6x10 MD per blast
(Plasma Torpedo) 2d4x10 MD per blast, 6 ft blast radius
Rate of Fire:(Plasma Stream) ECHH
(Plasma Torpedo) Twice per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited hooked up to a PA’s powerplant
Emergency back-up E-clip port gives the weapon 10 plasma stream shots or 4 plasma torpedoes per long e-clip(only takes long e-clips)

*80mm MB Gauss Cannon(PS-MDJ80M)
A massive backpack mounting a gyro stabilized long-barreled 80 millimeter artillery piece, and a light GMR coil negating part of the weight, if not all of the inertia. This massive weapon has been seen on only a half dozen Hellions, and is still in the combat trial stage.
MDC/Armor by Location:
Cannon Pack 180
80 mm Cannon 150
Weight: 5,800 lbs (2.9 tons)
Penalty: Reduce running speed under 1.0 gee by HALF, and leaping range to 1/4.
Range: (Direct Fire)25,000 ft (5 miles)
(Indirect Fire) 62,500 ft (12.5 miles)
Damage: High Explosive(HE)----1d4x10 MD to 15 ft radius
High Explosive Anti-Tank(HEAT)---- 3d4x10 MD to 5 ft radius
Fragmentation--- 5d6 MD to 30 ft radius
Plasma----- 1d6x10 MD to 20 ft radius
(APFSDSDU)(Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot Depleted Uranium) 3d6x10 MD out to 6,600 ft, 2d4x10 MD out to maximum range
Rate of Fire: 5 shots per melee
Payload: Varies: Has a quarter ton ammo capacity.
80mm AP shell weighs 12 lbs( 166 shots per ton)

*Heavy Space Mobility Pack(HSMP-3)
A large, heavy, space mobility pack that wraps around the shoulders and covers the back of the PSA-11V, and giving the armor superior mobility in space. Besides heavy thrusters, the HSMP also adds a pair of grenade launchers for firing explosive rounds, chaff, and laser aerosol canisters, a powerful turret-mounted particle beam cannon, and integral EW system.
Type: HSMP-3
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 200
Grenade Launcher Clusters(2) 15 each
Particle Beam Cannon Turret 120
Weight: 1.2 tons
Speed:(Running) Reduce running speed by HALF, and leaping range to 1/4, while under 1.0 gee of gravity
(Flying) Limited; can hover at at altitude of 300 ft for 2d4 melees
(Space) Hover to accelerate at 0.4 g
Has enough reaction mass for 6.5 hours of acceleration at maximum
Systems of Note:
*Enhanced Long Range Radar. Effective Range: 100 miles
*Enhanced Laser Targeting/Lidar. Effective Range: 60 miles
*Advanced Laser Communications. Effective Range: 90,000 miles(LOS)
*EW Suite---A basic electronic suite capable of pumping out enough electronic ‘fuzz’ to jam and foul most enemy radars and target acquisition sensors. 8 mile range. Jams radars and radar targeting systems with 70% effectiveness. Radar-guided weapons are -6 to strike.
Weapons Systems:
a) Particle Beam Cannon
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 1d6x10 MD per blast, but on a strike roll of 18 or more, the weapon does 2d4x10+10 MD!
Rate of Fire: Three times per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
b) Grenade Launcher Clusters(2)---Located on each side of the pack is a triple-tube grenade launcher cluster.
Range:2,000 ft.
Aerosol Grenades typically detonate 50 ft away
Damage: Varies by Grenade Type (heavy)
Frag rounds do 4d6 MD to a 12-foot radius.
AP rounds do 1d4x10 to a 3-foot blast radius
Plasma rounds do 1d4x10+10 to a 5-foot radius.
(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 fy into it.
Reduce APMs/combat bonuses/ speed by half for 1d4 melees
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-3
Payload: Each launcher has 6 heavy grenades each(2 each tube), for a total of 12 heavy grenades

taalismn, have you been on http://ngeekhiong.blogspot.com/ again looking at the postings?

personally, i would've gone with venusian rangers... mostly because it doesn't sound so similar to venereal disease... (not that i expect anyone else would make a joke about that more than once in the presence of these guys, mind you, who are all very experienced, highly skilled soldiers)

Shark_Force wrote:personally, i would've gone with venusian rangers... mostly because it doesn't sound so similar to venereal disease... (not that i expect anyone else would make a joke about that more than once in the presence of these guys, mind you, who are all very experienced, highly skilled soldiers)

It's that emphasis on the second beat that made me swear off 'Venusian Rangers'---VeNUSian, or, as some people draw it out VeNOOSian----Yeah, Venerian and venereal...leads to quite a few fist/chairfights after a few glasses of brew have gone down...

abtex wrote:taalismn, have you been on http://ngeekhiong.blogspot.com/ again looking at the postings?

Okay...you gotta be kidding me...A Neo Genesis Evangelion playset? With crucified Lillith? WHO ARE THESE GUYS? Wait, they're Japanese...that explains everything.

ZINO wrote:PS PSA-11B ‘Star Guard” Space Power Armor love
but what is the close this look like?

Sending telepathic image...NOW...

taalismn wrote:

ZINO wrote:PS PSA-11B ‘Star Guard” Space Power Armor love
but what is the close this look like?

Sending telepathic image...NOW...

OHHHHHHHHHHHHH i like it

taalismn wrote:

abtex wrote:taalismn, have you been on http://ngeekhiong.blogspot.com/ again looking at the postings?

Okay...you gotta be kidding me...A Neo Genesis Evangelion playset? With crucified Lillith? WHO ARE THESE GUYS? Wait, they're Japanese...that explains everything.

Did you say PS Skinsuits? or those plug suits?

At least their companies can make toys, figures, models and more for movies and comic books [80 to 200+ pages]. Models that have inner bodies with working joints, armor and then they add exchangeable weapons, other carried & attachment equipment & shields and RPVs. Not just major shows even little ones, get support for their watchers, games even models. Vending machines, drop a .25 in and get something, support them. Like the game 'Border Break' or google it. There even things like:

http://ngeekhiong.blogspot.com/2010/08/ ... -2010.html
http://ngeekhiong.blogspot.com/2010/08/ ... -2010.html
[look at the mix of things, and not get ideas]
http://ngeekhiong.blogspot.com/2010/01/ ... phoon.html
http://ngeekhiong.blogspot.com/2010/09/ ... tokyo.html

How many times have you seen something in a movie and wanted a model of it. The vehicles of 5th Element come to mind, taxi or police cars. In US no way, Japan maybe. Movies, printed stuff hobbies work together. I will stop now.

Paladin Steel ‘SkyFox’ Light Combat Jet
(ala ‘Sly Fox’)
“No, we were unaware that another aircraft was in the area...No, we heard no distress calls...We were returning from a humanitarian aide mission in Micronesia when we ran into the storm cell...Thought to fly over it, but ran into some unexpected clear air turbulence that almost knocked us out of the sky while we were climbing to avoid the muck! We didn’t hear or see anything other than that.
Who, may I ask, is missing? Chairman Karmo? Head of Karmo Enterprises, the biggest promoter and seller of neural-link software in the Eastern market? The software suspected of addicting potentially millions of users and causing brain damage to memory? THAT Karmo? Oh, sorry, I was just repeating rumors. Yes, I admit they COULD be sensationalist rumors spread by a Western press jealous of Eastern economic and technological innovation. But back to what you were saying? No survivors? That’s a pity, really.”

The SkyFox is an aircraft that to many epitomizes PS’s ambitions to expand into the interdimensional marketplace, since many of the aircraft’s specialized features make sense only in a non-Rifts Earth environment(such as Ninjas and Superspies or Heroes Unlimited Earth).
The SkyFox would appear to be externally a replica of a pre-Rifts Learjet or other civilian jet transport. Underneath the innocuous-looking exterior, however, is an advanced post-Rifts combat machine, constructed of tough megadamage armors, powered by an advanced californium powerplant, equipped with various sensor-spoofing gear, and armed with an array of powerful concealed weaponry. Concealed instrument bays hold sensory gear for corporate recon and espionage. The interior of the cabin can be outfitted as a regular luxury jet(with equipment artfully concealed) or configured as an obvious flying command post/surveillance station.
The criticism of the design comes in that such elaborate deception wouldn’t make much sense on Rifts Earth, where ANYTHING flying is assumed to be armed. Therefore the SkyFox would seem to aimed at offworld markets, with much more hospitable skies.
On Rifts Earth, the SkyFox sees some small distribution and sales as a light transport and attack trainer. PS and the GNE use a few as corporate and government transport, but it is suspected that most of SkyFox production is sent to offworld deployment/sale in other universes.

Type: PS-C1407 SkyFox
Class: Light Armed Transport Jet
Crew: 2 +1-8 passengers
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 250
Wings(2) 90 each
Tail 90
Engines(2) 85 each
Height: 12 ft 3 in.
Width: 39 ft 6 in.
Length: 48 ft 8 in.
Weight: 9,900 lbs unloaded, 18,400 lbs fully loaded
Cargo: 6,000 lbs
Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion w/ 10 year energy life
Speed: 545 MPH, maximum altitude 46,000 ft
Market Cost: 6 million credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Aircraft Systems, plus:

*ECM Suite---The SkyFox mounts a powerful ECM suite, the better to close with an opponent. Enemy radar-guided weapons are -4 to strike

*ECCM system---A semi-automatic system that uses electronic encryption and frequency jumping to (attempt to) negate jamming systems. The system has a 25% chance of negating radar or communications jamming(non-magical) on its own, or a +5% if the pilot has a Read Sensory Instruments or Radio: Scramblers skill and devotes a full melee to operating the system(no other attacks/actions are possible). Having an Electronic Warfare Skill gains a +15% bonus to operating this system.
Note that this only applies to recieved communications(the system filters them out from the jamming clutter) and sensory data recieved by that unit alone(other units cannot make use of it, unless they have an unaffected datalink/info-share with the ECCM equiped unit. Magic/psychic jamming is NOT affected by this system.

*False Transponder---The aircraft’s IFF/ID transponder can be gimmicked to mimick other aircrafts’, but relies on intelligence of the local air traffic control protocols and ID formats to work properly.

*Cabin Sensor-Proofing---The cabin of the SkyFox is proffed against casual surveillence with such instruments as laser mikes and thermal imaging(so such optics cannot look ‘through’ the walls of the cabin to detect heat sources and how many). A layer of radiation-proofing (to guard against the added radiation exposure at high altitude) may offer some protection against such superpowers as X-Ray Vision. Furthermore, soundproffing protects against attached surveillance bugs.

Weapons Systems:
1) Nose-Mount Cannon(2-4)---The SkyFox’s nose can hide 2-4 fixed-forward-firing cannons
a) 20mm Cannon
Range: 6,000 ft
Damage: 4d4 MD single shot (2 ft blast radius)
1d4x10 MD per 5 rd burst (2.5 feet blast radius)
2d4x10 MD(3 feet blast radius) per 10 rd burst(but -1 to strike)
4d6x10 MD(6 feet blast radius) for a 40 rd burst ( -1 to strike)
Rate of Fire: EPCHH
Payload: 800 rd drum
Cost: 80,000 credits

b) 30mm Cannon
Range: 9,500 ft
Damage:4d6 MD single rd, 1d6x10 MD two rd burst, 5d6x10 MD for a 5-rd burst!
Rate of Fire: Single shot ,two-round, or five-round burst
Payload: 150 rds per gun
Cost: 100,000 credits

c) Pulse Laser
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 4d6 MD single shot, 1d6x10+10 MD pulse burst per single laser
DOUBLE for synchronized fire from BOTH cannon(counts as one attack)
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

d) Ion Cannon
Range: 2,700 ft
Damage: 3d6 MD per shot; 6d6 MD per double-shot burst
Rate of Fire: Single shot, ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Cost: 25,000 credits

e) Particle Beam Cannon
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 1d6x10 MD per blast, but on a strike roll of 18 or more, the weapon does 2d4x10+10 MD!
Rate of Fire: Single shot, ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Cost: 180,000 credits

f) TK Heavy Machine Gun
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
Cost: 600,000 credits

g)PS TSC-01 Shock Cannon(copy of the Triax TX-275 ‘Lightning’ Arc Charge Blaster. Only one can be carried in the nose, and no other weapons.
Range: 2,000 ft
Damage: 6d6 MD
01-15: No damage
16-30 Instruments flicker out, before coming back online in 1d4 seconds. Target loses Initiative.
31-45 All weapons temporarily out, and minor electrical fires. One system comes back online in 1d4 melee rds.
46-60 All systems temporarily out, and minor electrical fires. -30% to piloting skills if target is a manned vehicle. Systems come back online after 1d4 melee rds.
61-75 Communications, radar, and targeting are disabled, but weapons systems are unaffected. -3 to strike and no initiative. Damage requires physical repair.
76-90 Instruments are completely totaled. If a manned vehicle, the following skill penalties apply; -25% at one-third of maximum speed, -50% at HALF maximum speed, and -75% at full speed. NO initiative roll, -3 to dodge(-5 if an AI), -3 to strike(-5 if an AI), and lose one action per melee round(2 if an AI)
91-00 Total knockput. Controls do not respond, and machine is out of control. Crash/collapse/total shutdown within 2d4 minutes.
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Cost: 300,000 credits


2) Wingtip Weapons Pods(2)---What look like fuel pods on the ends of the wings are in reality concealed weapons modules that can fitted to ONE of the following configurations:
a) Micro-Missile Launcher(15mm, 20mm, or 30mm format)----24

b) Mini-Missile Launcher---10

c) Short Range Missile Launcher---3
*Black Talon Light SAM Pod---Fires the super-accurate PS/FC ‘Black Talon’ air defense missile
Range: 3 miles
Damage: 3d4x10 MD to 40 ft blast radius
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1,2,3, or 4(all)
Payload: 3 per pod
Bonus: +5 to strike, and gets TWO attempts to strike the target(agile enough to loop back on a target and try again)

d) Medium-Range Missile----1

e) Light Rail Gun
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 1d4 MD single rd, 4d6 MD per 20 rd burst
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload:400 rd drum(20 bursts)

f) 20mm Autocannon
Range: 3,000 ft
Damage:(20mm) 1d4 MD single shot
4d6 MD per 5 rd burst
1d4x10+4 MD per 10 rd burst
(Super-HEX) 4d4 MD single shot
1d6x10 MD per 5 rd burst
2d6x10 MD per 10 rd burst
(Wood Rounds) 6d6 SDC single shot (1d4x10 HP to vampires)
2d4x10 SDC MD per 5 rd burst (2d4x10 HP to vampires)
6d6 MD per 10 rd burst (3d6x10 HP to vampires)
(Crowd Control rds)humans and human-sized D-Bees must roll a D20 to maintain their footing (must equal or surpass the attacker's roll to strike...Full rules in TNW p.174)
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload:500 rd magazine
Cost: 20,000 credits

g) Pulse Laser----PS-AWD-RFL-4------Based on the Mechanoid Exterminator Rapid-Fire Laser Cannon
Weight: 500 lbs
Range:2000 ft
Damage:2d6 MD single blast
1d4x 10+ 6 MD quadruple blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively unlimited

h) L-Ion Cannon--A lightweight weapon derived from the ‘Beach Stormer’ power armor rifle.
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 1d6x10+10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Effectively unlimited
Cost: 230,000 credits

i) Particle Beam Cannon---PS-AWD-DBPBC-2------Based on the Mechanoid Exterminator Double-Barreled Particle Beam Cannon
Weight: 1,000 lbs
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 1d4x 10 MD single blast
2d4x10 MD double blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively unlimited
Cost: 380,000 credits

k) TK Machine Gun
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
Cost: 600,000 credits

l) ‘Tactful Roamer’ Drones(1 per wingtip pod)----These are MRM-sized mini-cruise missiles, developed from the larger ‘Tacit Rainbow’ drones, configured as ‘smart’ decoys that can be deployed from the craft, then fly off on their own power, emitting false sensor signatures, and their own ECM. Adding to the confusion, the drones can be programmed to behave in appropriately evasive ‘stealthy’ fashion, to give the impression that they are in reality a real target attempting to evade detection...only to pop up again later to confuse enemy observers.
When their fuel/power is exhausted, the drones then activate a self-destruct device that destroys them completely( destroys drone and does 3d6x10 MD to everything in a 10 ft radius)
UP to two can be carried by the SkyFox, one carried in each wingtip pod.
MDC of Drone: 30
Size: 8 ft long, 2 ft wide, w/ 13 ft wingspan w/ wings deployed
Speed: Mach 1.4
Range: 500 miles
Damage: None, aside from self-destruct
ECM: Jams enemy sensors and radio transmissions with 50% effectiveness (range: 25 mile radius). Can also be programmed to pump out misleading radar signatures conforming to other craft, including larger aircraft. In an emergency, the drone can pump out so much signature that enemy missiles and sensor guided weapons targeted on the mothership(must be within 10 miles of each other to be effective) will be +4 to strike the drone, and will lose target lock on the SkyFox.
Bonuses: Drones are +4 to dodge attacks
Cost: 290,000 credits each

3) Flare/Chaff Countermeasures Launchers(2)
Damage: None; similar to Triax-style chaff
01-50 Enemy Missile or volley detonates in chaff and threat is nuetralized
51-75 Missile/Volley diverts and may pursue/lock on to other targets
76-00 No Effect! Missile(s) still on target!
Will also temporarily blind and impede flying monsters who fy into it.
Reduce APMs/combat bonuses/ speed by half for 1d4 melees
Payload: 10 per launcher

Options:
The following are a few of the more common(non-TW) and available options mounted on SkyFoxes:

*Supersonic Boost---The flight performance can be boosted into the supersonic range with some modifications. Maximum speed is Mach 1.2. Cost: 4 million credits

*VTOL System---The SkyFox can be made capable of vertical take offs and landings usinga concealed hoverjet system. Cost: 4 million credits

*EW Jamming System---A more sophisticated version of the ‘black box’ system used on the Bandito Arms ‘Wild Weasel’ SAMAS. This system has a 01-80% chance of jamming all civilian band communications, and a 01-70% chance of jamming military bands within its 25 mile radius of effect
The target jamming aspect of this system means that in automatic mode missiles and sensor-guided weapons systems are normally -2 to strike the ‘copter. If the EWTech chooses to devote an APM to defense per attack, he or she, using their Electronic Countermeasures skill, can raise that to -6 for a volley, or -9 if they elect to focus their efforts on one missile/weapon for that action.
Electronic Cloak:
In the alternative, the system can be used as an electronic cloak, to mask the aircraft from detection, by creating enough backscatter and sensor ‘fuzz’ to mask the exact location and nature of the intruder. This system is essentially a scaled-up version of the Juicer ‘Scrambler’ electronic cloakers, powered up and improved to shield the larger and more complicated(in terms of sensor signature) aircraft. With luck, such disappearances can be explained away by weather anomalies or radio transmission errors(most air traffic control systems rely not on radar, but on transponder signals to pinpoint the whereabouts of aircraft). However, a sharp military EW officer will know that something is out there, but he just won’t be able to tell the WHAT and the WHERE.
Under the protection of the Cloak, the ‘copter has only a 20% chance of being detected by standard thermal optics, motion detectors, and radar. Laser targeting systems have NO bonuses(lose lock-on), and missiles are -2 to strike(Conventional jamming CANNOT be activated simultaneously with this...the increased EM ‘noise’ will blow the cloak).
EM Detector---This system picks up and backtracks radio and radar signals, allowing their point of origin to be determined.
Cost: 1.2 million credits

*Electronic Bug Sweeper---Detects the telltale EM signature of electronic trackers and listening devices on or inside the vehicle.
Cost: 2,000 credits

*PPE Detector---Detects the presence of PPE concentrations(including magically-concealed beings) in and around the vehicle(25 ft radius)
Cost: 9,000 credits

*Mini-Bar w/ Ice Maker---Ah! One for the road! Two spigots, attachments for beer or soda, and carbonation tanks.
Cost: 450 credits for basic setup; liquid contents cost extra

*Refrigerator----Because your life wouldn’t be complete without one, am I right? 12-inch capacity( can be bought several times, to reflect larger coolers)
Cost: 200 credits

*MicroWave Toaster--Because adventuring is tough and hungry work, and you can’t always wait until you can get out of your vehicle and try to start a fire to make one lousy hot-pocket....
Cost: 200 credits

*Fold-Out Bed---Converts the back seats into a comfortable bed for 1-3 people; great for camping out or that romantic rendevouz(satin sheets optional)
Cost: 500 credits

*Leaper Leather Upholstery---This is typical of many specialized luxury options(others include Dire Wolf Fur, Tyrannosaur leather, and Chimaera pelt) offered for the more exotic-minded. This came about as a result of a skinner who found a way to render Gring Leaper hide(see Rifts: New West) soft and supple(it takes several hours of soaking in varying concentrations of acids and bleaching agents), while still retaining its megadamage properties(though it’s too soft to make good armor). When the man moved to Paladin Steel West, he sold the proccess to PS, who started industrial-scale harvesting and proccessing, in an effort to clear western lands of the mosntrousities. The leather produced has a rich, iridescent dark green color, and a soft pliability that is resistant to scuffing, water, and fire damage.
Upholstering the interior of a luxury jet will cost roughly 24,000 credits.

*Stereo System---What’s a luxury vehicle without a really decent sound system? Pretty pathetic, that’s what! Pre-Rifts folks wouldn’t recognize the name of the stereo system, but it’s top of the line for the post-Rifts world.
Cost: 400-800 credits

*TV/Video System---Installs a 18-inch fold-out television video flat-screen, that can display transmissions, or CD/tapes.
Cost: 600 credits or more

*Holographic Entertainment System---Full 3-D display and entertainment center...comes with Surroundsound. Not advised for the cockpit or easily distracted pilots(certainly no monster movies!).
Cost: 900 credits

*Hot Tub---Takes up the space of four passengers with a heated bath tub and jacuzzi that can seat two people
Cost: 18,000 credits

*Auto-Doc---An onboard medical system that can be quickly hooked up to a passenger to monitor and diagnose life signs, and administer common medications and broad-spectrum drugs. +10% to medical rolls when used by a competent medical technician, or can be considered to have a First Aid skill of 40%.
Cost: 40,000 credits. Drug refills cost extra

*Enhanced Life Support---This feature installs a robot-quality life support system that can recycle air for up to a week
Cost: 500,000 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

*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

*Security/Ambush Restraints---These are designed not to hold people in a crash, but to hold them, period. Specially reinforced shackle-mounts and lock-braces make sure that anyone locked into them ain’t going anywhere until you unlock them.
Ambush retraints deploy instantly from concealment, at a signal(secret control or verbal command)(+4 Entangle strike roll). Combined with an Auto-Doc, this system can be used to administer sedation drugs and keep prisoners from injuring themselves, or calling attention to themselves.
Restraints hold with a PS of 30
Cost: 8,000 credits

*Smuggling Compartments---special sensor-screened(acoustic, thermal-imaging, magnetic) smuggling compartments built into false floors, hollows in the engine spaces, or hollowed out(reinforced) structural members for concealing those special cargoes from prying eyes and cursory probings. Most smuggling compartments are only large enough to hide a small bundle in small cars, but some compartments can hold fairly large contents. The SkyFox has enough space for up to EIGHT trunk-sized compartments, or 15 suitcase comartments.
Cost:(Small-glove compartment) 8,000 credits
(Medium--Suitcase) 100,000 credits
(Large--Trunk) 500,000 credits


*Cyberlink Drive System--Allows a driver with a headjack to ‘jack in’ to the vehicle for more responsive control. This allows the driver to drive without their hands on the wheel(“Look, Mom, no hands!”), and/or to respond with greater speed to road situations. Similar to the system presented in Rifts: Russia, but GNE makes them less expensive(the real expense is in the implant end).
Bonuses: For anyone with the CyberVehicle Link, the following bonuses apply: +1 to initiative, +1 to strike using the vehicle or vehicle-mount weapons, +1 to Dodge, +1 Action/Attack per Melee, Base Driving skill of 45%, or +10% to existing driving skill. Driver can also ‘tweak’ the vehicle’s maximum speed by 1% per I.q. point. Note that the operator can only be controling the vehicle while doing this....no other relevant actions(can carry on light conversation, or take a quick bite/drink, but can’t disassemble their weapons or whittle a wooden toy .
To anyone lacking the CVL, there are no bonuses to vehicle operation, but they CAN make minor adjustments to vehicle peripherals’ without using their hands(turning on/off headlights, booting up the stereo, rolling down the electric windows, adjusting the AC, etc...).
Cost: Vehicle installation is 10,000 credits, the cybervehicle link(implant) costs 120,000 credits

*Autopilot---Available in both a ‘dumb’ and a ‘smart’ version. Dumb versions will basically just keep the vehicle going straight and level on a pre-set course, never deviating from said course...the ‘dumb’ system will alert the crew if anything trips the sensors or gets in the way, and it can be programmed to stop, or deviate a set distance from course in such events, until the crew can regain/resume control.
A ‘smart’ system is actually an onboard Artificial Intelligence(AI) using PS’s new microtronics AI chips. The ‘smart’ system can actually evade and maneuvar to avoid obstacles, and even anticipate trouble, while remaining on the general course. The ‘smart system’ has a +1 to dodge
Cost: 7,000 credits for the ‘dumb’ version, 12,000 credits for the ‘smart’ Auto-Pilot
For an additional 8,000 credits, this can be modified with a remote start(triggered by a remote control in the keycard) and a remote ‘recall’ that allows the owner to summon the car to him, and for another 8,000 credits, even command its functions by remote control.

*Onboard Artificial Intelligence---This installs a micro-computer AI that, in addition to monitoring the vehicle’s functions, can also actively scan for problems outside itself, anticipate problems, advise the driver. The OAI is much more responisve than a ‘smart’ autopilot, and is able to plot far more extensive course deviations, even take independant action as it falls within its orders and program parameters. An OAI, for instance, can determine that its operator/passengers are hurt and unable to help themselves(critically wounded by a passing SAMAS, for instance), and the car will begin looking for medical assistance. Most OAIs have a verbal interface, pleasant synthesized voice, and a psuedo-personality, giving them the illusion of ‘life’. An OAI has an IQ-equivalent of 10, and comes with Navigation, Aircraft Mechanics, Read Sensory Instruments, Weapons Systems, and Radio: Basic, all at 98%, has 3 actions/attacks per melee . Additional specialized programming may be added as the buyer/owner specifies...many owners program their cars to be able to sing or read.
Anything more sophisticated than this, and the buyer is best off using the Robot Creation Tables from Rifts Sourcebook One or Heroes Unlimited.
Cost: 550,000 credits

*Sensory Cluster----MDC 80---(Usually concealed in a retractable mini-turret under the aircraft)Has the following sensors:
*Laser Illuminator-----9,000 ft range, Designates targets for laser-guided munnitions/weapons
*Laser Targeting System(+1 to strike)
*Aura Scanner---For detecting and identifying PPE concentrations
Range: 2000 ft
* Optical Cluster--- Telescopic, IR/UV, Thermo-Imaging, Audio-Video-Survellance System. Wide-angle optics are typically included.
Cost: 50,000 credits

*Enhanced Communications System-----Extends radio communications out to 700 miles with a retractable antennae.
Cost: 350,000 credits

*Sensor Pallet---Rather than have an obvious sensor turret, the SkyFox can carry a sensor pallet concealed between the landing gear wells and hidden behind sliding panels. The sensors carried are usually high speed and wide-angle optic recording devices, but may include air samplers, radiation detectors, and EM/EW recorders.
Cost: 60,000 credits plus the cost of any specialized sensors

*Parasail System---Great emergency system for those times you lose both engines, or a wing or two. Automatically stows/packs itself on command.
Cost: 20,000 credits

*Laser Ablative Armor(Option)--- Eight coats of wax not enough? Get your plane refitted with PS’s laser ablative armor, available in just about any color(though metallic hues are most often requested). Reduces laser damage done to your vehicle by HALF. VFLs can NOT adjust to compensate. As an added bonus, Arkhon triphase weapons do 1/10 less damage.
----Cost:+550,000 credits(Rarely available to outsiders)
*Thermal Resistant Heat-Refractory Tile Armor(Option)---Special heat-resistant materials designed originally for reentry vehicle shielding. Heat and plasma-based attacks do 1/4 damage
----Cost: +1.2 million credits

*Chameleon Coat---No, it can’t make your plane invisible, but it CAN allow you to change its paint job(and external registration numbers). Up to ten different color scheme configurations can be programmed in (or up to thirty different serial numbers, if that’s all you’re changing), from simple camouflage schemes to the flashy full-fuselage logo-job of a private air carrier. CANNOT be combined with LaserAblative Armor. Cost: 650,000 credits


*Mini-Turret(1-2)---A concealed and retractable light weapons turret can be added, one to the ventral and one to the dorsal side of the fuselage. The turret(s) have 30 MDC each(they’re small), have a 360 degree rotation and 60-degree inclination, and can be fitted with a rifle-sized weapon(like a light rail gun, energy rifle, or light grenade launcher), and have a standard-sized box magazine/ammo drum/e-canister(energy weapons can be linked to the powerplant for unlimited shots). Can be remote controlled from inside the plane, or slaved to an auto-shooter. Great for surprising other aircraft trying to tail or sideswipe you.
Cost: 75,000 credits for the turret, weapons cost extra

*Shock Blaster Security System---This addition to the standard anti-theft locks and alarms BLASTS the miscreant with bullhorns and industrial-strength strobelights that override passersbys’ normal apathy about car alarms, and limelights the thieving bastards like jack-lit deer, as well as chiseling their eardrums and optical nerves. Imagine a flash-bang grenade going off in your face while you’re trying to jimmy the door-lock.....
Range: 10 ft radius
Effects: Targets without ear and eye protection are temporarily blinded and deafened; -5 to strike, -10 parry/dodge, and 40% chance of stumbling and falling per 10 ft of movement. Has a Horror Factor of 8 to anyone else standing nearby, who think the car just exploded. Effects last 1d4 melees
Cost: 700 credits

*Shocker Security System---Scaring them not enough? This system feeds them a charge of electricity that’s sure to curl their toes.
Range: 3 ft
Damage: 3d6 SDC plus Humanoids struck with this weapon must save
vs. coma or be shocked unconscious for 1D6 minutes.
Payload: 10 charge battery, or unlimited if linked to a nuclear powerplant.
Cost: 1,000 credits

*Auto-Shooter Security System--Scaring them or shocking them doesn’t do it for ya, no? You take your private property rights SERIOUS? With this little baby, anyone trying to break in will find themselves targeted by whatever weaponry your ride’s toting. A five-second warning gives them enough time to back off if they’re smart.
Bonus: +3 to strike(targeting bonus), 2 Attacks per Melee until the target leaves the area of alert(typical 10-20 ft from the car), then resets itself.
Cost: 10,000 credits

*Fryolater Shock Security System---Screw mercy; they’re messing with your ride! This system blasts them with megadamage electrical force; enough to reduce the average hijacker or burglar into a puff of ionized plasma and some easily swept aside ash on the ground.
Range: 3 ft
Damage: 3d6 MDC plus Humanoids struck with this weapon must save
vs. coma or be shocked unconscious for 1D6 minutes.
Payload: 10 charge battery, or unlimited if linked to a nuclear powerplant.
Cost: 20,000 credits

*Smoke Screen Generator---Generates a thick, obscuring cloud of dense smoke. Each blast covers a 60 ft area and anyone caught in the cloud of thick, obscuring smoke is. Great for fooling pursuers into thinking you’re going down...or for skywriting. Has enough smoke-matrix for 12 clouds.
Cost: 10,000 credits

Variants:
*PS-C1407C---’Hyperagile’ variant that removes the wingtip weapons pods in favor of winglets, sacrificing firepower for improved handling and maneuverability; +2 to Dodge

N1 !!!!!! but pre-Rifts Learjet ?????

http://www.vaq34.com/vaq34/fsilearstores.gif

Yah....that's why I mentioned that it's likely for outdimension sales...
Plus it's easy to visualize, given how fairly common small jets are in our modern world(heck, the local airport near me started hosting them about ten years ago....it's easy to drive by or just look up and visualize that it's a covert PS ops on a trade mission).
The Coalition States, Quebec, and Triax likely have quite a few similar aircraft(that is, private jets like the Lear) able to operate ONLY from the paved runways of airports in 'civilized' territory, and used by the more well-to-do citizens who have need to travel between various CS locations, but who don't rate a ride in a DHT or similar military aircraft, or escort(at best, maybe a pair of SAMAS or Flycycles). The restrictions of runways and liquid fuel allow the CS to control and track what use these aircraft are put to,
Elsewhere, such aircraft would be very rare...Lazlo might have a few, but outside of that, such aircraft would be inappropriate for getting around and would be considered a waste of resources. VTOL hoverjets, more versatile helicopters, and more military aircraft with rough field operating capability would be the norm.

Paladin Steel Bionic Heavy MicroMissile Launchers

“Okay, okay, I admit it was overkill, firing a full spread of micromissiles indoors when the target was only a thirty yards away...but did you see the LOOK on that bastard’s face when he saw ALL those rockets coming at him?! -Priceless-. Truly a candid camera moment.
I assure you, man, that taking out the support beam behind him was ENTIRELY accidental. I really didn’t mean to bring the upper floors down on top of us, really! The doctors say you’ll be out of this cast in just a month! And look what that pretty little thing from Eighth Squad wrote along your leg!”

Taking advantage of the size of PS’s 15-20mm format micromissiles, PS has decided to offer a series of cyborg McMissile launchers .
HMcMLs come in three forms; one is a pair of racks integrated into the upper shoulders and chest inboard of the shoulder joints that takes advantage of upper-body armoring for additional protection.
The second style takes the form of large shoulder pads. These have the advantage of larger ammunition capacity and modularity, but are more easily damaged, and increase the width of the shoulders, making for a potentially more topheavy and awkward cyborg.
Third style consists of a pair of folding wing-like appendges on the back. This system has better balance and allows for larger missiles to be carried, but imposes many of the same balance problems as the shoulder pad launchers, and may interfere with other backpack-mount systems.
Weight:(Forearm Rack)+12 lbs each
(Shoulder Rack)+35 lbs each
(Folding ‘Wing’ Rack)+50 lbs each
MDC: (Forearm Rack) Use Bionic Arm MDC
(Shoulder Rack) 40 each
(Folding ‘Wing’ Rack) 50 each
Range: Varies by Micro-Missile Type;
(15mm Format)
Pattern-1A 5,700 ft
Pattern-1B 6,000 ft
Pattern-1C 6,000 ft
Pattern-1D 7,000 ft
Pattern-1E 7,500 ft

(20mm Format) 8,000 ft for all types
Damage: Varies by Micro-Missile Type;
(15mm Format)
Pattern-1A---1d4 MD to 2 ft blast radius
Pattern-1B---1d6 MD to 5 ft blast radius
Pattern-1C---4d6 MD to 4 ft blast radius, or 1d4 MD to a 10 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode
Pattern-1D----6d6 MD to a 5 ft blast radius, or 2d6 MDC out to a 18 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode
Pattern-1E---1d4x10 MD to 3 ft blast radius

(20mm Format)
(Pattern-2a) 4d4 MD to 2 ft blast radius
(Pattern-2b)6d6 MD to a 5 ft blast radius, or 2d6 MDC out to a 18 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode
(Pattern-2c)(Incendiary)2d4 MD to 5 ft blast radius, does an additional 1d4 burn damage for 2d4 melees

Rate of Fire: (Forearm Rack)Volleys of 1-8
(Shoulder Rack) Volleys of 1-18
(Folding ‘Wing’ Rack) Volleys of 1-25
Payload: (Forearm Rack) 8
(Shoulder Rack) 18 each launcher
(Folding ‘Wing’ Rack) 25 each launcher
Bonuses:
(15mm Format)
Pattern-1A (None) Spin-Stabilized
Pattern-1B (None) Gyro-Compass Chip
Pattern-1C (+1 to strike, in addition to W.P. Heavy bonuses. The Pattern-1C can also be set to be a ‘beam rider’, following a laser illuminator ‘painted’ on the target for an extra +2 to strike. However, this requires expediture of an extra attack per melee on the part of the gunner to keep the laser illuminator on target) Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip.
Pattern-1D (+2 to strike, in addition to W.P. Heavy bonuses. Like the Pattern-1C, the Pattern-1D can ‘beam-ride’...again, this requires the gunner to maintain target-lock at the cost of an additional APM, but the -1D is better able to remain on target if the lock is broken. Furthermore, the missile can be keyed to lock on to the laser illuminator of other gunners...done with a pre-determined key-chip...allowing squadmates to ‘paint’ targets for fellow soldiers with micro-missile launchers). Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip, Image Sensing Chip.
Pattern-1E(+4 to strike, in addition to W.P. Heavy bonuses, Same ‘beamrider’ capability as with Pattern-1D. ) Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip, Image Sensing Chip, Infra-Red Sensing Chip.

(20mm Format)(All Patterns)(+3 to strike airborne targets, +1 to strike ground targets) Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip, Image Sensing Chip, Infra-Red Sensing Chip.

Cost: (Forearm Rack) 14,000 credits
(Shoulder Rack) 25,000 credits each
(Folding ‘Wing’ Rack) 45,000 credits

(15mm Format)
Pattern-1A 25 credits per McM
Pattern-1B 32 credits per McM
Pattern-1C 60 credits per McM
Pattern-1D 95 credits per McM
Pattern-1E 220 credits per McM
(20mm Format)
(Pattern-2a) 90 credits each
(Pattern-2b)130 credits each
(Pattern-2c)150 credits each

Paladin Steel BM-12 ‘Kickoff’ 52mm Leg Mortar
“Going for a field goal on the rail gun nest! He kicks, it soars, he SCORES!!!”

This unusual bionic weapon was designed to give cyborgs some light artillery. Some say it was inspired by erronous reports of a pre-Rifts Japanese ‘knee mortar’(which was teally a case of mistranslation- as more than a few soldiers who acquired dislocated or shattered legs from firing captured weapons could attest). Concealed along the front or side of an obvious bionic leg is a single-shot light mortar, attached to a hinging system in an armored ankle bracket. When cleared for action, the mortar tilts forward from the ankle, the baseplate bracket dropping on either side of the foot to help transmit recoil into the ground. The cyborg stands still, swiveling his foot and elevating or depressing the mortar barrel to aim, and then shoots.
The ‘Kickoff’ uses the same 52mm warheads and ammunition as the existing 52mm ‘Gunther’ infantry automortar, but the longer barrel and slightly better stabilization mean better range.
Two versions are available; a single shot muzzle-loading version for light cyborgs and a larger breech-fed automatic mortar for heavier cyborgs.
MDC: 25
Range: 6,500 ft (over a mile!)
Damage: (PSX-II High Explosive) 2d4x10 MD to 20 ft blast radius. Cost per shell: 800 credits
(Fragmentation) 6d6 MD to 50 ft blast radius. Cost per shell: 600 credits
(Incendiary) 4d6 MD to 30 ft blast radius, does an additional 1d4 MD for 1d6 melees, plus 80% chance of setting combustible materials aflame. Cost per shell: 700 credits
(Armor-Piercing Self-Forging)----This is a new experimental special shell that contains a micro-sensor and dual-charge system. The disc-shaped warhead is ‘frisbeed’ to high altitude(800 ft), then scans for target-profiles with its micro-sensor. When it spots a likely target profile(thermal or optical outline)(the limited size and complexity of the micro-sensor severely limits its targeting ability to a total of 6 targets...fortunately, the profile-database can be changed easily enough by inserting a new chip into the fusing assembly before loading), the warhead fires downwards, the material of the ‘discus’ deforming into a narrow, pointed, high-penetration needle well-suited for penetrating armor. Does 3d6x10 MD; no blast radius.
Note: This munition does NOT suffer from the indirect fire penalty; roll to strike as normal, but without bonuses. PS is working on a micro-guidance system that would allow these munnitions to home in on laser-’painted’ targets, as via a forward observer....as well as better target discrimination(the current model has a tendancy to be distracted by flaming wrecks in the vicinity of the ‘live’ target. Cost per shell: 4,000 credits
(Plasma) 2d6x10 MD to 10 ft blast radius. Cost per shell: 3,000 credits
(Smoke/Chemical) Varies by chemical type. Typically covers a 20 ft area. Basic smoke shells cost 100 credits apiece
(Illumination) Fires a high altitude illumination flare that burns blightly for. The flare also has a 40% chance of decoying/confusing heat-seeking sensors/weapons systems. Cost per shell: 500 credits
(Sensor Decoys) The mortar can also fire special lightweight thermal-emission decoys for confusing sensors into thinking there are ground troops where there are none....To further the confusion, the spheroid decoy will randomly extend springloaded ‘legs’ that move the decoy about in 5-10 ft leaps, giving the impression of moving troops. Internal mini-batteries last for 30 minutes. A small acid-capsule or self-destruct anti-tampering charge may also be attached to prevent the decoy from falling into enemy hands. Cost per shell: 700 credits
Noisemaker decoys are similar, but they emitt random amplified ‘soldier noises’...footfalls, clinking of weapons, gunshots, muffled voices, etc., but are otherwise similar to the thermal-decoys. Cost per shell: 400 credits

TW Warheads
One of Paladin Steel West’s refinements to TW armaments was the use of specially-treated cracked crystal quartz and quartzite in expendable TW munitions. The ability of to use lower-quality flawed crystalline materials meant that self-destructing ‘one-shot’ TW weapons could be produced much more cheaply, and thus in bulk, while reserving higher-quality materials for superior TW creations.

(TW Sandstorm)-----Creates a sudden sandstorm that lasts 5 minutes, covering a 100 ft area. People trapped inside it will find visibility cut down to 3 ft, hearing is reduced by HALF, speed by 75%, lose initiative, 2 APM, and -5 strike, parry, and dodge. The scouring sand does 1d4 SDC per melee. Even robot vehicles will find their sensors, including radar, bolluxed by the flying grit. Cost per shell: 4,000 credits
(TW Chasm)---Opens up a chasm 160 ft long, by 80 ft wide, by 80 ft deep, that remains open for up to 40 minutes. Objects falling in take 2d6 SDC per every 20 ft of depth. At the end of the spell, the chasm belches everything up to the surface as if they’d never fallen(in other words, they don’t get crushed by the closing fissure). CANNOT be used against buildings. Cost per shell: 7,000 credits
(TW Lava Pool)----Creates a pool or lane of lava 60 ft long. 10 ft wide, 10 ft deep. Objects caught in this pool take 2d6x10 MD per melee. Cost per shell: 9,000 credits
(TW Air Burst)---Sets loose a Whirlwind that does 2d6+2 MD to everything caught up in its 20 ft wide funnel. The Whirlwind tracks randomly about a 300 ft area for 2d4 melees before disipating. Cost per shell: 8,000 credits
(TW Storm Shell)---Essentially a longer-ranged version of the TW anti-vampireStormflare. Effects are the same.Cost per shell: 3,000 credits
(TW SunBomb)---A more powerful version of the Globe of Daylight Flare, only this version is powerful enough to inflict flashburns on vampires! Does 6d6 HP per melee for 3d6 melees to a 50 ft radius. Cost per shell: 2,000 credits

Rate of Fire: (Single Shot Model) Single shot. Handloaded; a single operator(the borg himself) can typically get off one shot a melee, while a well-trained/coordinated fireteam(2 members with at least 3rd level W.P. Heavy Weapons or a single person with 5th level W.P. Heavy Weapons), can load and fire 2 shells per melee.
(Auto-Fire Model) 4 shots per melee
Bonuses/Penalties:(Optional)(Rifts South America 2 has no rules for the Arkhon’s Mortar Packs’ inaccuracy, but for diehard artillery buffs, figure on 50% chance of hitting moving targets, 75% chance of hitting stationary targets withing 2,200 ft range, or 50% chance out beyond that. 50% of shells will fall within a ‘footprint’ or ‘box’ 131 ft long by 70 ft wide.
Payload:(Single Shot Model) Single shot
(Auto-Fire Model) 8 shot clip feeding from the leg
Cost: (Single Shot Model) 40,000 credits
(Auto-Fire Model) 60,000 credits

love both ideas will take 300 of each plus ammo foe each 200 item !!!

taalismn wrote:

ZINO wrote:Paladin Steel ‘Brianica’ MotorTrike'
what would this look like ? love it but HUH ?

Picture a beefier, more angular, military-looking version of this, with wider tires:
Mercedes Benz F300 Life Jet

So it looks something like a R.A.P.P.A?

Here is another little transport you can do the India Yeti, even has pictures of it.

abtex wrote:

taalismn wrote:

ZINO wrote:Paladin Steel ‘Brianica’ MotorTrike'
what would this look like ? love it but HUH ?

Picture a beefier, more angular, military-looking version of this, with wider tires:
Mercedes Benz F300 Life Jet

So it looks something like a R.A.P.P.A?

That's one possible variant, yes....

As for an ATV called the 'Yeti"? Nothing so conventional looking...I'd want something that would look like it go unseen on mountains, and climb Mount Everest in Third Gear.

Paladin Steel PSIP-18 “Bergan” Ion Pistol
(aka ‘Sharpie’, ‘Berger Blaster’)
“Sits in your hand like a laser pointer; light and easy to aim. Doesn’t do as much damage as a heavy blaster, but there are few targets that are going to sit still and just get chipped away. The range is excellent for an ion pistol, on account of the extra length of barrel pushing the ion stream.
The trigger, submerged as it is in the gun’s frame behind the e-clip receiver, limits the sort of users for this gun, though. You gotta be able to get your finger through the hole, which not everybody can do. Ogres in particular; I felt like I was trying to pull on a too-small ring on my trigger finger. Sure, you can hack away the bottom part of the triggerguard for more room and comfort, but most big folk aren’t going to bother with a lightweight like the Berg when they can grab something heavier.”
----Cassius Merleiter, Ogre Headhunter(ret.) and Paladin Steel Gun Range Officer

Though the market for ion handguns had been pretty much sewn up by Northern Gun with its famous ‘50’s’ series blasters, Paladin Steel still felt the obligation to at least make a gesture of challenging Northern Gun with an ion pistol of their own. The small PSIP-18 is their humble effort towards this goal, bolstered by PS's advancements in heavier ion weaponry.
The PSIP-18 ion pistol bears a superficial resemblance to the 1896 Bergman automatic pistol, with its elongated barrel and faired-in triggerguard, but is a modern energy weapon. Performance-wise, the PSIP-18 is almost identical to the NG-56 Light Ion Pistol, but the PSIP-18 has almost double the range, is slightly more energy efficient, and sits lighter in the hand. However, it is also more expensive than the NG-56.
The PSIP-18 was named the ‘Bergan’ for Dwitta Bergan, a VFS militia-woman who died defending an outlaying community from an attack by demonic monsters. Though outnumbered and outgunned, the small-statured Bergan managed to hold off the attackers long enough for a church full of children to get to safety in the church’s basement bunker. Bergan managed to hold the attention of the monsters long enough for other militia to arrive with heavier weapons and slay or drive off the beasts, but not before she lost her own life. Paladin Steel decided to memorialize her with the new weapon, meant to put inexpensive, but hrd-hitting, firepower into the hands of more community defenders.
The PSIP-18 hasn’t attracted much serious attention from military circles, where heavier stopping power is favored, but the weapon has done reasonably well in the commercial market. The PSIP-18’s lighter weight and streamlined frame with fewer sharp angles to catch on clothing have made the weapon popular with duelists and gunners looking for a good hold-out weapon. The NG-56’s lower price and distinctive rugged looks, however, insure that the less sophisticated weapon put out by Nortehrn Gun will continue to dominate sales among those looking for a good cheap blaster.
Weight: 2,6 lbs
Range: 700 ft
Damage: 2d6 MD single shot
Rate of Fire: Standard
Payload: 7 shots standard e-clip, 14 shots long
Special Features:
-Top Sight Rail---Allows a variety of scopes and sights to be added.
Cost: 6,500 credits
Options:
*Ion Scatter-Shot Module---This is a barrel clip-on that turns the PSIP-18 into a short range shotgun with an area of effect blast. Reduce range to 200 ft, but does 3d6 MD to a 12 ft wide area. Cost: 4,000 credits

*Ion Step-Down Module---This barrel attachment, rather than increase range or power, actually ‘steps down’ the power of ion bolts into the SDC range, and modulates their effect, making the weapon in effect a ‘super-taser’(albeit it with flash-burns). An added power regulation chip allows the weapon to use less power in SDC mode. Switching between MD/SDC modes takes 2 actions. Popular with urban security and police units.
Range:(SDC shots) 600 ft
Damage: 2d6 SDC shock-burn. Plus, victims must make a save of 14 or better, or be -8 to strike, parry, and dodge for 2d6 melees. A savings throw versus non-lethal poison means the person is unimpaired. 25% chance of knocking out unshielded cybernetics for 1d4 melees.
Payload: One MD shot equals 10 SDC shots
Cost: 4,000 credits

*Buttstock(choice of wire frame, solid wood/plastic, or tubular alloy/plastic). Plastic buttstocks have a hollow interior that can hold a cleaning kit and a spare magazine(or 2 spare maagzines instead of the maintenance kit). Cost: 100 credits


Paladin Steel PSIP-19 ‘Sparkshot’ Derringer Ion Pistol
(aka ‘Sparkler’, ‘Zappie’, ‘Vap-Flash’, ‘Lightning Stick’)
“Okay, I thought you were kidding about busting out, until you vaporized that guard! Where were you hiding that thing? I mean, they strip-searched us!”

The PSIP-19 is a three-shot ultra-compact ion projector that aims to do for ion weaponry what the laser and plasma derringers have done for their respective weapon types. The ‘Sparkshot’ is a small, palmable, flashlight-like weapon that can be easily concealed in clothing, yet can deliver a devastating vaporizing one-two punch shot at close range. It cannot use conventional e-clips, but is instead powered by its own special replaceable/rechargeable -power cell. With the twist of a ring around its emission bulb, the weapon can either fire a direct ion bolt, or a shotgun-like scatter blast to encompass a small area.
The PSIP-19 has started out with strong sales already to urban guerillas, smugglers, and those wanting a good hold-out weapon. It is also selling well to beings with small statures, who can’t comfortably handle larger weapons. A recent order(and delivery) of over eight hundred PSIP-19s by the Sidhe Liberation Army has led many in Paladin Steel to believe that the SLA is arming the Fairie Folk of Nova Scottia.
Weight: 8 ounces
Range:300 ft
Damage: 2d4 MD single shot
(Ion Scatter-Shot Mode) A twist of the barrel converts the ion derringer into a short range shotgun with an area of effect blast. Reduce range to 150 ft, but does 3d6 MD to a 12 ft wide area
Rate of Fire: Standard
Payload: 3 shots
Cost: 8,000 credits
Variants:
*PSIP-19(TW)---This is theTechnowizard variant. Same damage and payload, but range is increased to 450 ft and it can be recharged by the application of 10 PPE/ 20 ISP per shot, or by placing it in a dimensional pyramid for 4 hours.
Cost: 19,000 credits

1896 Bergman automatic pistol from Cyborg Central : The Gunslinger Girl Forum topic Unique / Odd Weapons that has a nice assortment of weapons in it.

Paladin Steel PSP05 Derringer
(aka ‘Pop Stick’)
Trooper Trimons leered at the prisoner in Cage Number 3. He LOVED his job guarding the ‘experimental animals’. Sometimes Doctor Bargus even let him ‘play’ with them a little before the mad geneticist went to work on them. Trimons had heard the guy worked at Lone Star before he escaped. Now he worked miracles and atrocities for the highest bidder. Certainly the bio-augmentations he gave his protectors were cool stuff; Trimons loved showing them off to intimidate the test subjects Bargus used to test his latest ideas on.
Trimons leaned over the cage and grinned at the figure huddled within. A pretty little thing, already susceptible to suggestion by the drugs Bargus had fed to the test subjects prior to working on them. Trimons let his armored eyelids snap open and closed, revealing the bug-eyed opticals show. It wasn’t a full transformation to his ‘warrior’ mode, but it got a terrrified whimper out of the prisoner.
“See yah later, my pretty!” Trimons gloated as he turned aside for a moment, looking for any of his ‘toys’. Bio-Aug was great, but for some work he still prefered his ‘tools’.
That was when something softly dropped onto his shoulder and something long and furry wrapped around his face, covering his mouth. Before he could react, to remove the whtever it was and throw it off him, something else cold and metallic poked hard into his flesh behind his ear.
A soft voice hissed in his ear; “Make a wrong move, try to make a sound, or try to bite me, and I’ll blow your ###ing head off. I can’t miss at this range. And don’t EVER try ‘morphing; a HEPA load treats your skull like styrofoam. Do EXACTLY as I say, though, and your chances of surviving this get that much better. Now, blink your eyes ONCE if you understand me!”
Trimons blinked once.
Then ‘morphed anyway, feeling his musculature start to bulge explosively. Nothing could beat-
There was a resigned sigh from next to his ear, a click, a sharp hiss, and Trimons’ world went first white then eternally dark.

Corporal Scrantis jumped down off the shoulder of the dead guard, careful to avoid landing in the puddle of brains spreading out under the collapsed body.
Dumbarse. They ALWAYS think they can move faster.
The squirrel chambered a fresh round into his weapon then slung the PSP across his back before turning to the job at hand. He was REALLY hoping he could have used the guard for some of the heavy lifting before he had to dispose of the goon. Freeing a Big Person, even a teenager, wasn’t going to be easy when the liberator is only eight inches tall. He hoped the rest of his squad came soon, once they were done setting their micro-charges throughout the Black Market lab. He might need their help to get the kid out through the vents if the Big Person was either too hysterical or too limp to make it on their own.
But first he had to get the cage open. He’d watched from the overheads long enough to know the cages were print-locked. The print was either the mad doctor’s or the guards’ thumbs.
Scrantis pulled out a wire-blade and made his way over to the dead guard’s outstretched arm. Time to get cutting.


Ths is simply a two-shot derringer firing twelve-gauge shotgun shells. It uses ‘Metalstorm’ technology to house two shells, in-line, inside a short length of barreling, to provide short-range smack-down.
A variety of shell-types are available, allowing for custom loads. The increasing availability of various megadamage munitions allows the little weapon to be particularly potent, even against body armored and naturally armored opponents.
The PSP05’s small size and good kick have endeared it to Special Ops agents and those needing a good hold-out weapon. It’s also a favorite among smaller beings looking for a good defensive weapon. Unfortunately, despite PS’s best efforts to sell only to reputable customers, the ‘poppers’ have also become quite popular among criminals.
Weight: 8 ounces
Range: Varies(see below)
Damage:(12 Gauge)
*Standard Shotgun shell--100 ft range, 5d6 SDC
*Standard Buckshot shell---100 ft range, 4d6 SDC to 5 ft area
*Teargas shell---100 ft range, 25 ft radius---victims are -10 to strike, parry, and dodge, -3 initiative, lose 1 melee attack/action, for the next 1d6+1 melees
*Baton shell---100 ft range, 2d6 SDC, plus humans and human-sized D-Bees must roll a D20 to maintain their footing (must equal or surpass the attacker's roll to strike...Full rules in TNW p.174).
*S-9Dex Incapacitation Munition ---100 ft range, Essentially a paper-shelled shotgun shell-sized gas-propelled 'cold rocket', packed full of taser beads. Beads powder on impact, reducing the chance of bystanders or ingoing police stepping on undischarged beads. Great for crowd control and dealing with closed-space situations(alleyways, rooms, vehicle interiors, etc...)
Effective Range: 100 feet, w/ 20 ft radius
Damage: Nil. Humanoids struck with this weapon must save vs. coma or be shocked unconscious for 1D6 minutes.
Cyborgs have a 60% chance of having their cybernetics disrupted for 1D10 minutes, and a 30% chance of a non-vital system being permanently shorted out.
*High Explosive Armor Piercing Shell---400 ft range, 6d6 MD(no blast radius)
*Mini-Grenade(plasma)--- 400 ft range, 5d6 MD to 5 ft blast radius
*Mini-Grenade II(Fragmentation)---400 ft range, 2d4 MD to 10 ft blast radius
*Standard HESH Shell---400 ft range, 2D4 M.D. plus 4D4 S.D.C. to the person(s) inside of EBA power/body armour & roll versus knockdown (14)
Rate of Fire: Single shot
Payload: 2
Cost: 4,000 credits
A box of 100 shotgun slug rds costs 60 credits
A box of 100 baton rds costs 45 credits
A box of 100 tear gas rds costs 80 credits
A box of 100 S-9Dex Incapacitation Munition rds costs 360 credits
A box of 100 Mini-Grenade rds costs 2,000 credits
Options:
*Mini-Silencer---An aerogel jacket wrapping in and around the barrel. Reduces the effective range by half, but reduces the accoustic report to a light cough. Good for ten shots before needing replacement. Cost: 400 credits

Paladin Steel VEBA-06 ‘Starman’ EBA
“When you’re several million miles away from help, an inch away from cold airless death, a twitch away from falling into eternity, and all too aware that what you’re going to be facing is likely more technologically advanced than you and a hundred times more powerful, you’ll take whatever extra protection you can get.”

This is the specialized body armor of the Greater New England Stelmarines. It can be distinguished by its larger, more streamlined(the better not to snag on rocks or spacecraft parts) body shell, multiple verniers at shoulders, ankles, and back, and its distinctive opaque(one-way sensor plate) helmet wisor with four insect-like antennae on it. Specially reinforced against chance leaks, radiation, and battle damage, the Starman also augments the ‘trooper’s sensory, life support, and mobility capabilities for space combat and exploration. Some consider it to effectively be a light power armor rather than an EBA; the ones who use the suit the most call it a life-saver.
Weight: 22 lbs
M.D.C. by Location:
Head/Helmet 70
Arms 60 each
Legs 80 each
Main Body 100

*Laser Resistant Armor: Lasers do HALF damage.
Mobility: Good; -5% to climb, and -10% to prowl, swim, and perform acrobatics.
Special Features:
Standard EBA features, plus:

*Extended Life Support---8 hour air supply bcked up by 18 hour air recycling system.

*Mini-Periscope--The helmet mounts a small extendable antennae/fiber-optic telescope that can extend eight inches out from the helmet and transmit its view to the HUD; perfect for peering from behind cover.

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

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

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

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

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

*Mini-Radar---3 mile range in atmosphere(30 miles in space)

*Laser Distancing--5 mile range(50 miles in space)

*EM Magshield Systems---This is an electromagnetic ‘forcefield’ particle shield designed to protect the ‘trooper from cosmic radiation and solar wind. It effectively HALVES damage from particle beam weapons and ion weaponry.

*Integral Micro-Gravity Maneuvering System---Small gas jets at wrists, elbows, shoulders, chest, back, knees, and ankles, plus a gyroscope system, allow for improved manueverability in zero-gee. Can move the ‘trooper at speeds of 30 MPH, and is good for 6 hours of maneuvering.

*Molecular Adhesion Pads---MAPads on the elbows, knees, and soles of the boots allow the ‘trooper to attach him/herself to other objects, such as asteroids and ship hulls.
*Integral First Aide System- Integrated RMK and IRMSS with drug dispenser

*Gel Sealant---In the event that the suit is punctured, an internal layer of semi-liquid polymer gel quickly ‘clots’ to seal the hole, within 1d6 seconds, hopefully before much internal air is lost, or too much outside atmosphere invades.

*Light Exoframe Augmentation---Adds the following bonuses: +8 P.S., +10 Spd, +10 ft to leaping, reduce fatigue rate by 50%

*Hands-Free Forearm Clip----The forearms of the suit are fitted with special clips that allow a pistol or rifle to be mounted along the forearm, and still be accurately aimed and fired without using the hands, leaving them free to hold other objects.

*Backpack Interface/Attachment Points----Wired connector points allow the suit to hardlink with accessory life support, maneuvering, weapons, and vehicle packs.

Cost: 140,000 credits

Options:

*Umbrella Shield---This is an umbrella-mechanism folding shield of light MDC fabric, coated in laser-reflective material.
Weight: 4 lbs
Size: Unfolds to a 7 ft diameter
MDC: 50 (Lasers do HALF damage)
Cost: 11,000 credits

Any great industrial power can tell you: one of the keys to success is good transportation---the ability to get materials to the people and facilities that can use them, and to get the finished products to where people can buy them. Early on, Paladin Steel decided to invest heavily in transportation infrastructure, and that investment has paid off handsomely. In a world where a journey of a few miles can sometimes take days, and take one through detours to hell and other locations, good roads and reliable mass transit outisde the walls of a fortified city are a minor miracle.

The Great Ribbon----The Interstate Highway System

“This land used to be teeming with highways...you can still see the collapsed overpasses and read the old signs...but the Rifts shattered the old roads, buried, and broke them, and in the case of the most radical local geographical upheavals, rendered them useless...Oh, adventurers and travellers blazed open the more commonly used roads afterwards, but many of them are still little more than dirt roads, cleared by incident rather than intent.
We like to think, as we’re laying down our new roads, that we’re reclaiming a part of the old Golden Age, making new arteries of commerce and communication out of the wilderness. And more often than not, we find, as we’re clearing the way for laying down the new road, that we’re right on top of the old highway system...Walking in the ancients’ path, as it were...”
-------Lavar Vonruff, Wolfen Engineer, Paladin Steel Contract Engineering.

“The ancient Romans built roads of stone and gravel that lasted for centuries after their empire collapsed....Part of their legacy to Europe...We have superior technology, greater motivation, and our own empire to build, one of trade and commerce....Can we not do better? And at the very least, can we not leave a similar legacy of transportation?”
-----Michael Redfern, Paladin Steel Company Historian

“It’s amazing how many ways one can get around now...You can pick up a bike from any one of a dozen local bicycle manufacturers, fit it out an electric motor, buy a vehicle from an even greater selection of new and used vehicle dealers in the region, buy a ticket on a local bus, rent a taxi, ground car or hovercraft, hop a train, get on a maglev, rent a flying carpet, hire a rickshaw, borrow a flying animal steed, grab a seat on a leyline sailor, get on one of the air taxis, or, if you make enough, hire a local mage to teleport you to where you wanna go! Whether you like slow, cheap, and utilitarian, or fast, expensive, and luxorious, scenic or expedient, you can pick and choose. Or if you can’t make up your mind, you can always walk, .....or, in my case, fly....”
-----Veda Emeraldeye, Green Dragon and author of ‘The Definitive Thrillseeker’s Guide to Post-Rifts New England’, Road Rat Press, New Seattle

“It’s a wise idea when travelling on the highways to keep one eye on the road, one eye on the side of the road, and one eye looking over your back watching the sky. Traffic ain’t as heavy as it was in the old days, the Highway Patrol can’t be everywhere, and a good many predators have learned that the highway is a good place to stake out fresh meat...that means anything from bandits to daemons to Coalition fighters looking for moving targets.”
------Habille Gregan, ‘How to Get From Penobscott Bay to Baja Without Losing Too Many of Your Companions’, Relic Rag Publishers, The Relic

“Mommy? Are we there YEEeeeeeettttttt....?!”
----Any child, any era...

Modern paved highways of any great length are a rarity in the world of Rifts Earth, for, despite their obvious utility, roadways are notoriously easy to damage, expensive to maintain, and attract bandits and monsters to prey upon the traffic; the more traffic, the more likely the attendant host of predators, human and inhuman alike. So it came as a great surprise when, in 106 PA, Paladin Steel announced plans to connect the Vermont Free State with the facilities of the nascent Commonwealth of Massachusetts with a series of high-tech roadways for easier overland travel. Work began from both ends on two major highway systems, following the route of the old Route 91 and 89. Despite vandalism and, in some cases, guerilla warfare, especially by Renegades from the Long House Preserve, the roads were completed in 108 PA, though commerce had already commenced along the existing stretches well before then. Payment for the construction and maintenance of these roads has come almost entirely from PS donated labor, with some public funds kicked in, as well as contributions from several mercantile consortiums(the local representative for the Black Market in Burlington, Mister Septimus, made a very public, and very large, donation to this cause.). The recently formed Greater New England Transit Authority(GNE-TA) has taken over maintenance and expansion of the system, and related public transit networks, working hand in hand with Paladin Steel Security, Regular Army Corps of Engineers, and the Highway Patrol.
New Route 89 starts out heading east from Burlington, past the remains of Montpelier and New Barre, then crosses the Connecticut River near Lebanon, then angling southeast across New Hampshire, past the outpost community of New Concord, then through Lexington and into New Boston.
Route 91 branches off from Route 89 at Lebanon and proceeds south along the western bank of the Connecticut, past Springfield, VFS, then enters the CoM and crosses the river west of New Springfield.
The roads follow the same construction; a six-lane highway of plasma-fused glassphalt (1d4 MD per 10 ft stretch)with a plasticized duracrete covering. Where possible, the highway has a ten yard clear zone on either side of the roadbed, that is kept clear of brush and trees, to cut down on hiding place for monsters and bandits.
Bridges are equally important to the new road system; a river twenty feet wide may as well be a mile wide for some people if they can’t get across it, especially with wild weather and the monsters lurking in the waters. The Transit Authority builds its bridges to last, being made of reinforced megadamage materials with stout, deep-sunk footings. The average single-lane ‘country bridge’ will have 100-200 MDC; enough to resist casual vandalism and mutant animals gnawing on them, while the larger structures will have 3-4 times that amount of MDC. Not leaving to chance, however, PS has designed its bridges to a variety of modular designs, so that damaged sections can be quickly repaired, replaced, or shored up with modular sections stored either on-site, or brought in from TA storage facilities or other communities. In real crisis situations, the Corp of Engineers will throw up 1-2 pontoon bridges to handle traffic until the main span(s) are replaced. The Transit Authority regularly inspects its bridges for damage and monster infestation(even to the point of posting a few obliging Discworld Trools to take up temporary residence and whack any giant spiders and other critters attempting to make lairs under several bridges), and severe penalties are leveled against anyone vanadalizing public transit bridges. The CoE has also been experimenting with various ‘anti-critter’ measures to prevent any future recurrance of the Denzelville Tragedy of 108 P.A.(when a bridge span, weakened by an unsuspected infestation of alien Rock Worms, collapsed, killing seventeen people), including magnetically-charged ‘decoy posts’ and ‘repellent’ paints to dissuade alien appettites.
Taking a cue from Roman fortifications such as Hadrian’s Wall, the highways have ‘outposts’ every ten miles---these small emergency stations are patterned after the Free Canadian bunker complexes, and support teams of four to eight militia watchmen, at least one of whom has paramedic training, who act as highway patrolmen and maintenance workers, under the direction of a Highway Patrol officer commander. These road personnel typically come from the local communities, and have a Highway Patrol officer as a supervisor. The bunker complexes also support a garage, holding 1-4 power armors, 1-2 hovervehicles or land rovers, and 2-6 utility robots for clearing brush.
For every four ‘outposts’ there is a larger ‘castle’ with heavier fortifications, a communications tower, and a larger contingent of 10-20 men. These ‘castles’ typically have, in addition to the usual number of standard vehicles, several APCs/wreckers, a high speed ambulance serving the attached medical clinic, 1d4 robot vehicles, and an airborne gunship(ranging from a Skycycle to a helicopter gunship). ‘Castles’ also are located at major bridge crossings and communities. Besides policing the roads, these outposts serve as part of the regional law enforcement State Police system, and as defensive works for the National Guard/Militia.
At any given time, there are also 2d4 patrols of drone robots, with a pair of power armor or squadcar-borne police supervisors, going up and down the sides of the roadways, looking for trouble.
In addition to providing security and land communications, it is hoped that these outposts will provide further incentive for the development of communities along the Roads. PS, and the various municipal governments involved, hope that sales and property taxes on lands adjacent to the Roads will ultimately defray the costs of maintenance currently undertaken by the Engineering Corps.
Early efforts to light the highways proved economically and technologically unfeasible, owing to expense and vandalism.Other plans, to equip the Roads with semi-autonomous teams of robot maintenance and emergency response drones, have been proposed....and abandoned owing to their expense(despite several promising design studies from the Commonwealth of Massachussets Institute of Technology(CoMAIT) and the UV Engineering School. However, as the population in the region grows, the ability to more effectively maintain highway lighting and safety systems will improve, so the Transit Authority hasn’t tossed out the plans just yet.
The Roads have not been entirely free from problems, even after their construction; in 108 PA, soon after the highways were completed, a large terrorist group managed to infiltrate the borders of the VFS and seized control of two of the bunkers, killing the constables, on a fifteen mile stretch of Route 89. Posing as roadway security, the assailants managed to trap two convoys between their two positions and nearly killed everyone in them before survivors and local police were able to get word out of the situation, Regular Army and Militia units were called in and surrounded the security bunkers...whereupon the occupiers fought to the death. The human attackers refused to be taken prisoner, and even their wounded committed suicide with explosives, leaving few clues as to their identities and affiliation(rumor has it that they were a suicide squad of terminal Juicers from either the CS or one of the more radical factions of Free Quebec). After the ‘Route 89 Massacre’, security and random patrols were increased, but the incident underlined the vulnerability and importance of the highway system.
Work has begun on Route 7 following the eastern bank of the Hudson, and on spur roads from Route 89 to Fort Morgan at the time of this printing.


MagLev Lines

“Thought it was a good idea to go walking along what I thought was a nice clear firelane through the forest when I almost freakin’ had my head taken off by a flying boxcar full of cereal for the kiddies in Burlington! They oughta have warning signs on those damn train lanes!”
-----Leslie Carter, Headhunter

“You can float just about ANYTHING on a big enough Maglev GMR pad...and don’t think we regularly test that! Whole merchant ships assembled inland going to the coast, huge aerospace assemblies, bauxite and titanium ore, cars full of meatbeasts, tankers worth of petrochem, megatonnes of soil fill....even once sent a small forest in transhippment....If you can get it onto a platform, we’ll send it on!”
-----Captain Nicole Shevernatzen, Greater New England Transit Authority

Another invaluable form of mass transit and heavy transport throughout the GNE are the recently introduced MagLev lines....The GNE uses a ‘buried lane passive conduit’ maglev system. These are buried(6-12 ft down) conduits of room-temperature superconductor, bundled in 4 ft-thick pipes with superconductor ‘coolant wicks’, and in some places water cooling, that serve as the nearly invisible ‘base’ for massive electromagnetic levitation ‘train-ships’ that fly 20-35 ft off the ground, hitting speeds of up to 120 MPH. The trains or ‘maglev modules’, are massive slab-sided transport craft fitted with low-power GraviMagnetic Repulse(GMR) pads that push against the heightened magnetic fields around the buried superconductor ‘lane’. Though aircraft and hovercraft are more capable and versatile, these cutting edge ‘trains’ are far more energy efficient for moving large amounts of cargo and people over busy internal traffic routes. The new technologies make the trains more effective and less vulnerable as well, as the maglev lines can now be buried, much like natural gas and power lines were, and the trains can safely fly over most obstacles(such as people walking along the maglev lanes). However, many newcomers to the GNE often use the cleared lanes as travel paths, resulting in several(well-publicized) accidents in the five years since the system came online.
Maglev ‘corridors’ connect Burlington, North Wilder, New Bath, Penobscott Bay, Springfield, New Boston, New Hartford, and Ticonderoga. with plans to expand the network to include New Rochester on a western spur. Besides the mass movement of materials, these Maglev lines also serve as emergency evacuation routes, in the event the coastal communities have to be abandoned in the face of a Splugorth invasion of the NorthEast.
Paladin Steel offers complete MagLev systems for sale to communities as part of its Infrastructure Builder packages.

MagLev Modules
The most visible part of the maglev system are the impressive maglev module trains, massive floating ships that remind many of flying Liberty Freighters. These hulking vehicles loom 1-3 stories tall, and are essentially land-based bulk freighters, hauling massive loads of raw materials and finished products, including hull assemblies, building structural members, and complete vehicles, back and forth across the GNE. MagLev Modules have little in the way of independent flight capability off the maglev lane, but they are fitted with airbrake baffles, retrorockets, and emergency crash bags in the event the trains have to make sudden stops, and they have enough reserve power that in event of main conduit power loss, they can slow down and coast to a halt under their own power.
MagLev Modules are rarely armed; their routes inside the GNE rarely expose them to the sort of danger travellers are commonly subjected to in more dangerous parts of the country. However, they are well armored, and most will carry a well-armed security officer or three, a contingent which can be greatly reinforced if travelling in more dangerous regions(such as the Vermont to New Rochester run) or carrying sensitive cargo.
Smaller, faster, passenger MagLev modules are also coming into service, but the bulk of maglev traffic continues to be freight; even in relatively pacified regions as the GNE, the local populations have not yet acquired the sort of mobility, or desire to travel far from their homes, so familiar to pre-Rifts Americans.

Typical MagLev Module
The Type 01 ‘Hobo’ MLM is a typical MagLev Module used for heavy transport of dry, containerized, cargo, with limited passenger capacity. The ‘Hobo’ has a boxy shape, even larger and more imposing than an old railroad boxcar’s, sturdy construction(enough to survive fairly heavy small arms fire and crashlandings), minimal propulsion capabilies aside from its levitation capabilities, and a fuel cell powerplant. The ‘Hobo’ has a large main interior cargo deck large enough to accommodate most light robot vehicles, and an upper deck, accessed by ladderway or internal stairwell, that is intended for passengers, but can also be used to hold additional cargo, crew, or even an apartment-style residence. Four large cargo doors, one on each side, and one fore and aft, permit roll-on/roll-off loading of the main deck, while four smaller doors allow gantry access to the upper deck. The ‘Hobo’ has air conditioning/climate control, but lacks self-contained life support. The ‘Hobo’ is typically linked as part of a maglev train, but it can be controlled from a small control cabin with basic controls. This cabin is typically kept locked and/or disconnected when the module is train-linked.
Type: PS-MLM-01
Class: Magnetic Levitation Heavy Cargo Transporter Module
Crew: 2, plus 1-4 security officers,
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 300
Passenger Compartment Windows(6-18) 5 each
Cargo Doors(4) 90 each
Passenger Doors(4) 50 each
Height: 50 ft
Width: 50 ft
Length: 100 ft
Weight: 75 tons
Cargo: Can hold up to 180 tons of freight
Powerplant: Rechargeable battery or fuel cell, good for 56 hours of continuous operation
Speed: 120 MPH. Hovers 1-15 ft off the ground over a buried maglev line
Cost: A typical MagLev Module costs anywhere from 30,000-500,000 credits, depending on features and configuration. Putting it on the maglev lanes requires the permission and notification of the Transit Authority, that coordinates maglev schedules.
Booking passage on the Maglev costs 5-15 credits, or 150 credits for a pass good for a whole year. Transporting cargo or a vehicle up to 25 tons costs about 50-100 credits. Military equipment may cost more(1,000+ credits for transporting a heavy military robot, for instance), especially if it requires special handling gear.
Systems of Note:
*Air Conditioning
*External Warning Lights and Siren
*Airbag Crash Landing Gear(‘Pontoon Bags’)
*Emergency Radio(Automatic Rail Line Beacon warns of module’s speed, heading, and location to other modules and rail controllers)
Weapons Systems: None standard.

Note: Many other MagLev Module variants exist as well, from large open deck flatbeds used to transport prefab ship components(and sometimes entire vessels), robots and artillery, and rolls of sheet steel, to large tanker modules for carrying liquid cargoes.
The military(and Paladin Steel) is known to have armed and armored transport modules, with as many as eight gun positions and twice as much armor. Rumors persist of ‘missile cars’ carrying large batteries of missiles, including massive LRM launchers, and even train-transported IRBMs, targeted at Atlantis.


Variants:
*MagLev Type-02 ‘Floaters’(aka 'Sky Trains', 'Sky Trams')----These are simply MagLev modules fitted with more powerful GMR repulsor systems, allowing them to operate like regular hovercraft off the superconduction lines. Larger than hovertrucks and smaller than GMR Grav-Ships, MagLev Floatersfill an intermediate cargo transport roll between those vehicles. They can still be linked in massive ‘trains’, but beyond a single car, larger ‘trains’ may need a separate engine(often times a small GMR skyvessel, TW skyship, or larger GMR ship like the 'Nantucketer' is used, rather than a special purpose unit, for this roll) to pull them at any great speed. The advantages of Type-02 Floaters are that they can operate off set ‘lines’ and have greater freedom of movement, but at the expense of generall slower speeds and higher cost per unit.
Size: Unchanged
Speed: 80 MPH, at altitudes of 20-200 ft. Higher speeds will require a dedicated external ‘puller/pusher’ engine/tug
Powerplant: Varies: a low end ‘floater’ has electrical propulsion batteries good for 248 hours of continuous operation (it will still levitate even with the batteries drained, but won’t move under its own power) before needing a recharge, but nuclear and technowizardry powerplants are available at extra cost.
Cost: 50% extra over the regular cost of a MagLev Car.

Conventional Railways
Besides the massive high capacity maglevs, there are dozens of smaller maglev routes and conventional railways serving local areas and providing transportation between the smaller factory complexes. Most of these are combustion engine or electric powered, and travel is generally less expensive than on the heavy haulers, but they also don’t go as far(or as fast). The maintenance and security of these lines is assigned to local authorities, who frequently inspect their lines, and who are overseen by GNE Transit Authority supervisors.

N1!!!!!!

Okay, corrected some bad formatting. But yeah, it's your flying trains for moving heavy cargo around regular routes.

Sweet! Mass transit! People in the northeast will be seeing the Road Trains a lot more.

Veritas476 wrote:Sweet! Mass transit! People in the northeast will be seeing the Road Trains a lot more.

We'll have the truck stops waiting to greet them! Food, fuel, lodging, news, and entertainment.

Okay...andddd....I just updated the Skytrains to include some of the various 'engines' that might be used to pull them around, if you don't plan on springing for self-propelled units.

Yep, moving goods and people is VITAL to a larger nation state, and PS doesn't plan to neglect that at all!
"Building the roads to the future, carrying the future to you!"

Paladin Steel ‘Tansa’ Submersible Landing Craft

“Well, gentlemen, it would appear as if the Shogunate has ignored our generous offer with regards to slavery in the Western Isles...We will NOT be overseeing an emancipation program via interviews with the islands’ slave population, nor will we be allowed access to the records of their ‘re-education centers’ to parse the genuine rehabs from those who have been callously brainwashed into submission...The Shogunate frankly thinks our force projection this far from our shores is a joke, and our ultimatum unenforceable...We don’t have the means to back up any inspectors we could get to the islands in a timely fashion, let alone do a full sweep of the slave plantations before the grinning little shogies shuffled around the slaves to present us with smiling happy ‘tenant farmers’...Well, they’re about to be proven wrong...”

...The FireDrake howled off the ramp and plunged into the surf, seeming to drown in a white wall of sea-spume before re-emerging, its fans hammering as it skimmed up the beach, the timbre of the hoverjets changing appreciably as the air cushion bit into solid ground. Two more banshees followed after the lead tank, quickly joining it in its rapid advance inland. In the surrounding landscape, the herky-jerky movements of exo-augmented infantry and power armors kept pace with the heavy units. Barely visible in the early morning gloom, several Skimmers and Bat hoverjets flitted overhead, performing aerial recon and ready to provide clsoe support.
From where he watched on the beach, the beachmaster grinned. Looked to him like the slaveholding Shogies were going to be rudely awakened on their plantations this morning. With that thought in mind he turned back to the work of guiding in the next landing craft and organizing forces still gathering on the beach.

Paladin Steel recognizes that there isn’t any one successful approach to survival in the violent environment of Rifts Earth(and beyond), so it has taken a ‘try everything’ approach, experimenting with various designs and strategies to improving the survival rate of customers and end-users. Thus, the company produces a variety of heavily armed, heavily armored, high-speed, stealth, airborne, and semi-airborne transport vessels. It should come as no great surprise therefore that PS has experimented with submersible amphibious transports.
Using the ‘Juno’ as a template, PS has devised a submersible landing ship for getting marine troops ashore on hostile shores. With its long hull and stern-mounted sail, the Tansa looks like a submarine tanker, but its cargo is a company of troops and associated armor. A small watertight hangar facility on the upper deck provides for two light aerodynes (skycycles or light aircraft) that can be deployed from the vessel as recon and light air support.
The Tansa has a reinforced bow for beaching, and several armored prop-ducts, including a pair of rotatable props that can swivel to ‘walk’ the landing craft up a beach. Two kedging anchors are mounted in the rear for assisting in self-recovering off a beach or tidal shelf. The Tansa sports a fair amount of armor, and carries a light torpedo armament, but a heavy gun armament, centered around its sail, for self-defense while in the vulnerable surfaced(and beached) position. Special consideration has been made in the design for stealth, to maximze the chances of the ship and its vulnerable cargo of troops to avoid being detected by enemy sonar systems. Accoustic insulation and sound/vibration dampening has been installed around the vessel to minimize leakage of telltale noise frommachinery and crew.
Compared to other submarines, the Tansa is a mediocre vessel, with shallow diving capabilities, but its ability to land a company of mechanized infantry or armor makes it a valuable asset to any combined arms operation or amphibious warfare campaign. The biggest complaint about the Tansa, though is its limited available space for embraked troops to engage in recreation or practice drill; long transit deployments aboard Tansas are thus not recommended if troop readiness is concerned.
Too late to see action in the Pacific War, the Tansa has nevertheless entered service with the GNE and PSW-affiliated nations. Ships of the class have been used in nationalist mercenary units(GNE Armed Services forces operating as government-sponsored mercenary forces) in multiple smaller actions. The Tansa has also been used by PS as a stealth tanker and frieghter, allowing PS delivery crews to smuggle much-needed equipment to purchasers under coastal seige.
Type: PS-S/LST01 Tansa
Class: Submersible Landing Ship, Tank
Date of Introduction: PA
Crew: 45+160 troops/passengers
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 3,000
Bridge 500
Bow Ramp 400
Hangar 400
Medium Range Missile Launchers(2) 100 each
Short Range Missile Launchers(2) 80 each
Point Defense Gun Turrets(4) 80 each
Height: 17 ft
Width/Beam: 60 ft
Length: 350 ft
Weight: 5,000 tons
Cargo: 12 tanks, OR 18 trucks, OR 1,800 tons of cargo
Powerplant: Liquid Fuel (Two 2,500shp engines, w/ 600 mile range), Electric(w/ 800 mile range), or Nuclear(15 year energy life)
Speed:18 kt(20 MPH), 800 ft maximum dive depth
Market Cost: 30 million credits for liquid fuel, 37 million credits for electric, 42 million credits for nuclear.
Systems of Note:
Standard Submarine Shipboard Systems, plus:

*Desalination System---The ship can make its own fresh water from salt water

*Hull Degausser---A necessary part of the ship’s antimine and anti-torpedo defenses is its ability to bleed off electromagnetic charge, reducing its magnetic signature, and reducing its trigger-threshold to magnetically-armed mines and torpedoes.

*Stealth Design--- (-15% to enemy detection roles)

*Magnetic Impeller”Caterpillar” Drive--Rather than drive a conventional screw, the engine can power a special hydro-magnetic impellor jet. Speed is 20% slower than a regular screw/hydrojet, but the system has the advantage of being far quieter.
Bonuses: -15% to Detection rolls using sonar/accoustic scanners

Weapons Systems:
1) Torpedo Tubes(4)---These are primarily used for clearing and blasting beach obstacles.
Range: 17 miles
Damage: (High Explosive) 3d6x10 MD to 15 ft blast radius
(Plasma) 4d6x10 MD to 25 ft blast radius
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-4
Payload: Total of 20 torpedoes carried

2)Medium Range Missile Launchers(2)---These are used for surface bombardment and long range air defense, occasionally in the anti-shipping role.
Range: Varies by Missile Type
Damage: Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-8, reloads in 1 melee
Payload: 72 MRMs each launcher

3) Short Range Missile Launchers(2) ----Primarily used for air defense.
Range: Varies by missile type
Damage: Varies by missile type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1,2, 4, 8, or 16
Payload: 48 per launcher(16 preloaded, 24 in ready reserve), 96 total
Additional missiles can be carried in the cargo hold and reloaded in 10 minutes(1 ton of cargo per 48 missiles).

4)PS-L-CIWS Vulcan Chain Guns(aka “Button Guns”)(4, two mounted on top of the main sail structure, two on the foreward hull)---This installation, introduced on the Minotaur Battle Robot, then adapted as an air defense weapon option for the VW Camper Gunship, has been adapted for shipboard use as PS’s standard light maritime weapons system. The system is a very compact and neat installation that takes up little space, and has been compared to the pre-Rifts Russian ADMG-630 30mm Gatling CIWS that saw extensive service aboard Russian warships. The PS-L-CIWS is often called the “Button Gun” because of its squat, flattened dome-like turret.
One of the suggested changes or modifications of the Tansa class calls for augmenting or replacing these weapons with energy pulse weapons(lasers or ion cannon are the favorites).
Range: 4,000 ft
Damage: 1d4x10 MD per 20 rd burst(can only fire bursts)
Rate of Fire: EGCHH, as an automated defense system linked to a radar/sensor system, the “Button Gun” has a +2 to strike, and four attacks per melee.
Payload:8,000 rd drum(200 bursts)

Auxiliary Craft:
2 Light Aerodynes

-----love but this sound like a pre rifts design or is me

ZINO wrote::?: -----love but this sound like a pre rifts design or is me

Actually got the idea from a proposed Soviet design that was never built(as far as we know!). The Western press somehow learned of it, and published an article on the idea.

again N1 !!!