Leviathan Evolved
Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:54 am
http://madjaguar.deviantart.com/art/SPL ... -176597319
Thought this would be easier in its own thread. Enjoy.
Evolved Leviathan War Mount
The Leviathan War Mount has been a staple within the Resistance armory for generations, but as the war continued to escalate and the Machine adapted to the Splicers’ tactics, this once seemingly unstoppable beast became somewhat obsolete. An increasing number of raids spearheaded by Leviathans against the Machine’s thick coastal defenses have resulted in failure and retreat, and Librarians from across the planet started looking at these tried and true War Mounts to see if any changes could be made that might turn the tide. As usual, it was the brilliant Librarians from Great House Artemis that refined the Leviathan and sold the design across the planet (for a tidy profit of course).
What most do not realize, however, is that the bulk of the new refinements were actually created by the demented minds from Great House Charlemagne and then stolen by agents from Great House Artemis (something that angers them quite greatly). House Artemis added its own unique twists and polished up the design a bit, but credit truly goes to House Charlemagne, something that neither House denies. When asked, Warlord Artemis proudly admits that his people stole this DNA strand from those “cultists and lunatics” because they never would have shared the design with the rest of the Resistance (which is true).
The basic problem with the old Leviathan design was that it was too slow and lumbering on land which made it too easy to target and far too easy to surround and overwhelm under the sheer weight of the Machine’s numbers. Great House Charlemagne came up with some clever solutions to these problems. They recognized that while this beast was a sitting duck on land, it was incredibly fast and maneuverable underwater thanks to its underwater thrusters. Charlemagne’s Librarians decided to add some additional Organic Thrusters to the Leviathan that worked out of the water. They are not strong enough to allow sustained flight, but they enable Leviathan pilots to perform surprisingly evasive maneuvers. The new Leviathan can perform quick hops in nearly any direction to confound and confuse attackers as they close in for the kill.
Another weakness of the original design was that it did not take advantage of the additional passengers in the pilot’s chamber. Leviathans typically transported highly skilled Splicers into battle, and it seemed foolish to squander their talents by reducing them to spectators. The most obvious solution was to give each passenger a weapon turret to control. Outriders may be skilled warriors, but they can only divide their attention so far. Giving each passenger a weapon to control drastically increased the combat capabilities of these War Mounts, plus it made riding in them a bit less unnerving. Splicers did not like feeling helpless while being transported into battle, and having a hand in combat made them feel a bit more in control of their destinies.
House Artemis thought the way Charlemagne created a partial bond between the passengers and the Leviathan without interfering with the full connection between the War Mount and the Outrider was ingenious, but they figured out a way to make it even more useful. The old Leviathans could only tap the P.E. of the rider to power the Bio-Energy Cannons, but the Librarians from House Artemis designed a way for the rider to manually decide which person in the pilot’s chamber would be used to power the cannons. This effectively tripled the payload of these powerful blasters. It also made Scarecrows highly sought after companions during beach assaults. These supernatural beings drastically increase the Bio-Energy Cannons offensive punch, plus they are actually pretty useful in battle once the Leviathans do reach their destination. The new Leviathan designs may actual bridge the gap between humans and these “withered skeletons” (or maybe not).
The final upgrade was to move the single Hydro-Cutter Beam out of the mouth of the War Mount and into a ball turret within the base of each pincer. This gives the Leviathan two of these mighty weapons, it increases the field of fire, and it enables the mount to unleash a devastating new attack. The new Leviathan can grab a robot within its powerful pincer (incapacitate the target) and then carve it up with its Hydro-Cutter. The new Leviathan design is already making a tremendous impact across the planet, but it is only a matter of time before the Machine takes this arms race to the next level.
Class: Amphibious War Mount
Crew: One rider, but has space for two passengers in the pilot's chamber.
M.D.C. by Location:
• Bio-Energy Cannons (2) - 160 each
• Armored Back Hatches (2) - 200 each
• Large Forearm Pincers (2) - 260 each
• Acid Pustules (20) - 3 each*
• Legs (6) - 190 each
• Eye Stalks (6; retractable) - 30 each*
• Anti-Armor Turrets (2): 200 each
• Head: 320**
• Main Body: 750***
* A single asterisk indicates a small, low profile, or shielded target that is difficult to hit. An attacker must aim and make a "Called Shot" to hit such targets, and even then is -3 to strike.
** Destroying the head will stop the War Mount in its tracks, eliminates all optics and sensory systems, reduces the speed to 20% of max, as well as reduces the number of melee attacks to three total (including the rider's) and negates all bonuses from the animal, but the rider can still fire the weapon systems and make the War Mount walk (at a ponderous pace) for up to 12 hours after the head is gone. Destroying all of the Eye Stalks will also eliminate all optics and sensory systems, and reduces the maximum speed, the number of melee attacks and all bonuses by half.
*** Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body kills it.
Speed:
Running: 50 mph (80 km) maximum, but normal cruising speed is only 30 mph (48 km). Running, swimming and combat tires the War Mount, but at one tenth the rate of humans.
Leaping: Organic Thruster assisted leaps can propel the massive War Mount 30 feet high, across, backwards, or sideways. It cannot leap without them.
Digging: 20 mph (48 km) through sand or dirt, but half as fast through clay, rock or stone. To dig down enough to adequately hide the Leviathan takes 2D4 melee rounds.
Swimming: 300 mph (480 km/259 knots), this also does not tire the War Mount or the rider.
Underwater Depth: Maximum underwater depth is to two miles (3.2 km).
Flying: Not possible. The thrusters are not designed for sustained flight.
Statistical Data:
Height: 12 feet (3.6 m).
Width: 14 feet (4.3 m).
Length: 8 feet (2.4 m) for the main body, 16 feet (4.8 m) including the massive pincer arms.
Weight: 4.8 tons (the added weight is from the additional ammo payload).
Cargo: Space inside for two passengers and some gear (about 600 Ibs/270 kg), but can carry 2000 Ibs (900 kg) on its back or can pull 6000 Ibs (2700 kg) at one third its normal Spd.
Physical Strength: 1D6+34
Production Cycle: 2 year gestation period plus 3 year growth cycle.
Operational Lifetime: 30 year life span.
Trade Value: 4.5 million credits for a healthy, undamaged unit.
Bio-Regeneration Rate: 3D6 M.D.C. per hour for the main body and 1D6 M.D.C. per hour for all other locations. The War Mount cannot regrow severed limbs or destroyed weapon systems (reduced to zero or less), there must be at least two M.D.C. points remaining to regenerate lost limbs, and such extensive re-generation takes 1D6 days.
Horror Factor: 14
Senses and Features: Standard for War Mounts.
Feeding: The Leviathan is an omnivore and eats from 70-100 Ibs (31.5 to 45 kg) of organic matter a day.
Color: It is a light tan color to help it blend in somewhat with the sandy beaches.
Sleep Requirements: As an artificially created organism, the Leviathan only requires 6 hours of sleep per day.
Other Data:
An unmanned Leviathan is able to function independent of a rider using its animal-like intelligence and instincts to respond to any given situation. However, the creature tends only to take action to defend itself when threatened or when obeying the commands of an Outrider or Packmaster (only), like a trained watchdog. It has no feelings about people or robots one way or the other.
Alignment: Anarchist, the War Mount operates more like a robot than a living creature; devoid of personality.
War Mount Attributes: I.Q.: 1D6 (low animal intelligence), M.E.: 1D6+6, M.A.: 1D6, P.S.: 35-40, P.P.: 1D6+8, P.E.: 1D6+10, P.B.: 1D4, Spd.: 50 mph on the ground
Number of Attacks per Melee: 3
Combat Bonuses: +2 on initiative, +3 to strike in hand to hand combat, +2 to strike with ranged weapons, +3 to parry, +4 to dodge, +4 to dodge while underwater, +4 to roll with punch, +3 to pull punch, +2 to disarm, and impervious to horror factor, disease, and poison.
Equivalent (Instinctive) Skills of Note: Climb 80%/70%, Identify Plants & Fruit (i.e., stuff it can eat) 80%, Land (and Under-water) Navigation 80%, Swim 98%, Track by Scent 35% (+20% underwater) and understands languages (2) at 75%.
Combat Capabilities:
• Bite: 3D8 M.D.
• Restrained Punch with Pincers: 5D6+ 15 S.D.C.
• Full Strength Punch with Pincers: 4D6 M.D.
• Power Punch with Pincers: 1D4x10 M.D., but counts as two attacks.
• Pincer Scissor (Cutting) Attack: 6D6+ 10 M.D., counts as one attack.
• Power Pincer/Scissor (Cutting) Attack: 1D8x10 M.D., but counts as two attacks.
• Kick: 3D6 M.D.
• Stomp: lD6 M.D., but the stomp is only effective against tar-gets 6 feet (1.8 m) or smaller.
• Body Block/Ram: 4D6 M.D. and has a 01-60% likelihood of knocking an opponent as large as 15 feet tall off of his feet and onto his back. If knocked off his feet, the victim loses initiative and two melee attacks. A ram counts as two attacks.
• Thruster Assisted Body Block/Ram: 8D8 M.D. and has a 01-90% likelihood of knocking an opponent as large as 20 feet tall off of his feet and onto his back. If knocked off his feet, the victim loses initiative and two melee attacks. The Leviathan must first retract its head into its shell before attempting a ram (counts as one attack), then it can perform the ram which counts as two additional attacks.
Bio-Weapon Systems:
1. Bio-Energy Cannons (2): While the vent-like Bio-Energy Cannons mounted above the Leviathan’s massive pincers are unchanged, the method of fueling these weapons has received a significant upgrade. Previously, the cannons could only tap the P.E. of the rider, not the passengers, but the Librarian designers thought this was a waste of potential resources. They made it so the rider could manually determine which person within the Leviathan would be used to power the weapons. This effectively triples the payload of the Bio-Energy Cannons and it has led to the inclusion of powerful passengers like Scarecrows on assault missions to really give these cannons some extra punch.
Primary Purpose: Assault
Secondary Purpose: Defense
Mega-Damage: 2D8+bonus M.D. per blast or 4D8+bonus M.D. per simultaneous twin blast at the same target (counts as one melee attack/action). The damage bonus is equal to the P.E. attribute of the currently selected rider/pilot or passenger. It takes one of the pilot's melee actions to switch the energy feed to a different person.
Rate of Fire: Each blast or pair of blasts count as one melee attack.
Effective Range: 1800 feet (549 m), but only 900 feet (274 m) underwater.
Payload: Effectively unlimited, but firing more blasts than the rider or passengers have P.E. will weaken them. Loses one melee attack and -2 on all combat bonuses for 1D6 minutes for each blast that exceeds an individual’s P.E. number. That means a character who has a P.E. of 15 can only fire 15 single or double blasts in an hour before additional shots fired weaken him. However, as one passenger becomes depleted, the rider can take one melee action to reroute the power feed to another passenger (or to himself).
2. Hydro-Cutter Beams (2): While limited in range, this weapon has proven itself time and time again, so some adjusts were made to make it even more versatile. The single Hydro-Cutter Beam was moved out of the mouth and into a ball turret mounted in the base of each pincer. This not only doubled the amount of attacks and increased the field of fire, but now the Leviathan can grab a target within its massive pincers and carve them up with its Hydro-Cutter Beams as they struggle to free themselves. Instead of snipping at a target, the Leviathan can choose to pin/incapacitate any target 15 feet tall or smaller on a natural roll of 16-20. If successful, the target cannot move its limbs to counter attack and can only be freed by pulling the claw apart (requires a combined robotic P.S. of 50). However, it can use any exposed weapon systems like head or chest mounted weapons to attack the Leviathan.
Primary Purpose: Anti-Armor
Secondary Purpose: Defense
Mega-Damage: 1D8xlO M.D. per water blast or 2D8x10 per dual blast, plus the beam has a 01-35% (50% from a dual blast) chance of knocking an opponent off his feet (if successful, the target loses initiative and one melee attack/action). (Rifts® Note: Against vampires, the water blasts do ID6xl0 Hit Point damage). In the alternative, the Leviathan can grab a target in its pincers, and blast the target with a single Hydro-Cutter Beam at close range. This attack automatically strikes the target (no need to roll) and it inflicts an additional +20 M.D. This strike can be performed repeatedly on the incapacitated target until it either frees itself or is destroyed. If a robot's main body M.D.C. is reduced below 40% (or 60% during a Pincer Attack), the hydro-cutter beam has penetrated the robot, maybe causing a short circuit as follows:
01-30% Target lucked out! No additional problems or side effects.
31-50% Temporary short circuit, sensors momentarily blink out and sparks fly. It snaps back on-line ID4 seconds later, but the target loses the initiative (if it had it) and one melee at-tack/action. This may give the Leviathan the opportunity to escape or strike again before the target has a chance to respond.
51-60% All weapon systems are temporarily out and there is a total failure in the targeting systems. One comes back online in ID4 melee rounds (15 to 60 seconds)! Penalty: -2 to strike, parry and disarm even in hand to hand combat.
61-80% Communications, radar and targeting are fried, but weapon systems okay. Must rely on optical targeting and cannot call for reinforcements. Penalty: -3 to strike, -2 to parry and dodge, as well as no initiative.
81-00% All systems are temporarily out and the robot is paralyzed and completely defenseless. Comes back online in ID4 melee rounds (15 to 60 seconds).
Rate of Fire: Each blast or pair of blasts count as one melee attack.
Maximum Effective Range: 500 feet (152 m) on land, but only 200 feet (61 m) underwater. Payload: The hydro-cutter beam has a payload of 20 blasts on dry land (both cutters share the same payload), and to refill the bladder it needs one melee action (3 seconds) of drinking water for one blast. Underwater the pay-load is unlimited.
3. Acid Pustules (20): White pustules the size of a grapefruit dot the back and rear of the Leviathan and can spit forth an acid paste (similar to battery acid, but in a white, sticky paste) to burn enemies in close proximity. These are primarily intended to keep the enemy from climbing onto its back, but they can be used as offensive weapons as well, via touch (body block) or firing them at close proximity (10 feet/3 m).
Primary Purpose: Defense
Secondary Purpose: Close Combat
Mega-Damage: 3D8 from initial contact plus I D8 M.D. additional per melee round for 1D4 melee rounds, or until the paste is scraped off or blasted away with a high-powered stream of water.
Rate of Fire: Each deliberate blast of paste counts as one melee attack. An enemy popping a pustule open via physical contact does not count as a melee attack.
Effective Range: Touch or 10 feet (3 m).
Payload: 20 pustules. Each pustule can produce enough paste for one attack each hour.
4. Anti-Armor Turrets (2): Two heavy weapon turrets were added to the back of the Leviathan to give the two enclosed passengers a way to contribute to an assault while being transported. Each gunner is granted control of a pair of the Leviathan’s eye stalks to view the outside world. Each turret possesses two different weapons, both designed for maximum area effect. The primary weapon is a cluster bomb launcher that fires powerful fragmentation shells that spray a 20-foot (6.1 m) area with razor sharp shrapnel. This is ideal for clearing out large groups of opponents, but sometimes this weapon is not the best choice. When the enemy gets too close, these turrets can switch to the secondary Spore Discharger to once again attack large groups of robots, but without the added risk of damaging the Leviathan or nearby allies. When no passengers are present, these turrets can be controlled by the rider.
Primary Purpose: Assault
Secondary Purpose: Defense
Mega-Damage: A single cluster bomb shell inflicts 1D6x10 M.D. to everything within a 20-foot (6.1 m) radius. The Spore Discharger inflicts 4D8 M.D. to any metal within a 40-foot (12.2 m) radius. Both cannons can attack the same target, but these are treated as two separate attacks.
Duration: The spores continue to do 1D8 M.D. to any metal for 3D4 melees as the spores complete their life cycle and die. Note: It is possible to fire both the cluster bomb and Spore Discharger simultaneously, but this decreases accuracy (-2 to strike).
Rate of Fire: Each attack counts as one melee attack.
Maximum Effective Range: A cluster bomb shell can be launched up to 2000 feet (610 m) away. The Spore Discharger has a maximum range of 1200 feet (365 m).
Payload: 20 cluster bombs per turret (40 total). One spent shell automatically regenerates every 2D6 minutes. The Spore discharger is effectively unlimited.
Bonus: +2 to strike.
Thought this would be easier in its own thread. Enjoy.
Evolved Leviathan War Mount
The Leviathan War Mount has been a staple within the Resistance armory for generations, but as the war continued to escalate and the Machine adapted to the Splicers’ tactics, this once seemingly unstoppable beast became somewhat obsolete. An increasing number of raids spearheaded by Leviathans against the Machine’s thick coastal defenses have resulted in failure and retreat, and Librarians from across the planet started looking at these tried and true War Mounts to see if any changes could be made that might turn the tide. As usual, it was the brilliant Librarians from Great House Artemis that refined the Leviathan and sold the design across the planet (for a tidy profit of course).
What most do not realize, however, is that the bulk of the new refinements were actually created by the demented minds from Great House Charlemagne and then stolen by agents from Great House Artemis (something that angers them quite greatly). House Artemis added its own unique twists and polished up the design a bit, but credit truly goes to House Charlemagne, something that neither House denies. When asked, Warlord Artemis proudly admits that his people stole this DNA strand from those “cultists and lunatics” because they never would have shared the design with the rest of the Resistance (which is true).
The basic problem with the old Leviathan design was that it was too slow and lumbering on land which made it too easy to target and far too easy to surround and overwhelm under the sheer weight of the Machine’s numbers. Great House Charlemagne came up with some clever solutions to these problems. They recognized that while this beast was a sitting duck on land, it was incredibly fast and maneuverable underwater thanks to its underwater thrusters. Charlemagne’s Librarians decided to add some additional Organic Thrusters to the Leviathan that worked out of the water. They are not strong enough to allow sustained flight, but they enable Leviathan pilots to perform surprisingly evasive maneuvers. The new Leviathan can perform quick hops in nearly any direction to confound and confuse attackers as they close in for the kill.
Another weakness of the original design was that it did not take advantage of the additional passengers in the pilot’s chamber. Leviathans typically transported highly skilled Splicers into battle, and it seemed foolish to squander their talents by reducing them to spectators. The most obvious solution was to give each passenger a weapon turret to control. Outriders may be skilled warriors, but they can only divide their attention so far. Giving each passenger a weapon to control drastically increased the combat capabilities of these War Mounts, plus it made riding in them a bit less unnerving. Splicers did not like feeling helpless while being transported into battle, and having a hand in combat made them feel a bit more in control of their destinies.
House Artemis thought the way Charlemagne created a partial bond between the passengers and the Leviathan without interfering with the full connection between the War Mount and the Outrider was ingenious, but they figured out a way to make it even more useful. The old Leviathans could only tap the P.E. of the rider to power the Bio-Energy Cannons, but the Librarians from House Artemis designed a way for the rider to manually decide which person in the pilot’s chamber would be used to power the cannons. This effectively tripled the payload of these powerful blasters. It also made Scarecrows highly sought after companions during beach assaults. These supernatural beings drastically increase the Bio-Energy Cannons offensive punch, plus they are actually pretty useful in battle once the Leviathans do reach their destination. The new Leviathan designs may actual bridge the gap between humans and these “withered skeletons” (or maybe not).
The final upgrade was to move the single Hydro-Cutter Beam out of the mouth of the War Mount and into a ball turret within the base of each pincer. This gives the Leviathan two of these mighty weapons, it increases the field of fire, and it enables the mount to unleash a devastating new attack. The new Leviathan can grab a robot within its powerful pincer (incapacitate the target) and then carve it up with its Hydro-Cutter. The new Leviathan design is already making a tremendous impact across the planet, but it is only a matter of time before the Machine takes this arms race to the next level.
Class: Amphibious War Mount
Crew: One rider, but has space for two passengers in the pilot's chamber.
M.D.C. by Location:
• Bio-Energy Cannons (2) - 160 each
• Armored Back Hatches (2) - 200 each
• Large Forearm Pincers (2) - 260 each
• Acid Pustules (20) - 3 each*
• Legs (6) - 190 each
• Eye Stalks (6; retractable) - 30 each*
• Anti-Armor Turrets (2): 200 each
• Head: 320**
• Main Body: 750***
* A single asterisk indicates a small, low profile, or shielded target that is difficult to hit. An attacker must aim and make a "Called Shot" to hit such targets, and even then is -3 to strike.
** Destroying the head will stop the War Mount in its tracks, eliminates all optics and sensory systems, reduces the speed to 20% of max, as well as reduces the number of melee attacks to three total (including the rider's) and negates all bonuses from the animal, but the rider can still fire the weapon systems and make the War Mount walk (at a ponderous pace) for up to 12 hours after the head is gone. Destroying all of the Eye Stalks will also eliminate all optics and sensory systems, and reduces the maximum speed, the number of melee attacks and all bonuses by half.
*** Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body kills it.
Speed:
Running: 50 mph (80 km) maximum, but normal cruising speed is only 30 mph (48 km). Running, swimming and combat tires the War Mount, but at one tenth the rate of humans.
Leaping: Organic Thruster assisted leaps can propel the massive War Mount 30 feet high, across, backwards, or sideways. It cannot leap without them.
Digging: 20 mph (48 km) through sand or dirt, but half as fast through clay, rock or stone. To dig down enough to adequately hide the Leviathan takes 2D4 melee rounds.
Swimming: 300 mph (480 km/259 knots), this also does not tire the War Mount or the rider.
Underwater Depth: Maximum underwater depth is to two miles (3.2 km).
Flying: Not possible. The thrusters are not designed for sustained flight.
Statistical Data:
Height: 12 feet (3.6 m).
Width: 14 feet (4.3 m).
Length: 8 feet (2.4 m) for the main body, 16 feet (4.8 m) including the massive pincer arms.
Weight: 4.8 tons (the added weight is from the additional ammo payload).
Cargo: Space inside for two passengers and some gear (about 600 Ibs/270 kg), but can carry 2000 Ibs (900 kg) on its back or can pull 6000 Ibs (2700 kg) at one third its normal Spd.
Physical Strength: 1D6+34
Production Cycle: 2 year gestation period plus 3 year growth cycle.
Operational Lifetime: 30 year life span.
Trade Value: 4.5 million credits for a healthy, undamaged unit.
Bio-Regeneration Rate: 3D6 M.D.C. per hour for the main body and 1D6 M.D.C. per hour for all other locations. The War Mount cannot regrow severed limbs or destroyed weapon systems (reduced to zero or less), there must be at least two M.D.C. points remaining to regenerate lost limbs, and such extensive re-generation takes 1D6 days.
Horror Factor: 14
Senses and Features: Standard for War Mounts.
Feeding: The Leviathan is an omnivore and eats from 70-100 Ibs (31.5 to 45 kg) of organic matter a day.
Color: It is a light tan color to help it blend in somewhat with the sandy beaches.
Sleep Requirements: As an artificially created organism, the Leviathan only requires 6 hours of sleep per day.
Other Data:
An unmanned Leviathan is able to function independent of a rider using its animal-like intelligence and instincts to respond to any given situation. However, the creature tends only to take action to defend itself when threatened or when obeying the commands of an Outrider or Packmaster (only), like a trained watchdog. It has no feelings about people or robots one way or the other.
Alignment: Anarchist, the War Mount operates more like a robot than a living creature; devoid of personality.
War Mount Attributes: I.Q.: 1D6 (low animal intelligence), M.E.: 1D6+6, M.A.: 1D6, P.S.: 35-40, P.P.: 1D6+8, P.E.: 1D6+10, P.B.: 1D4, Spd.: 50 mph on the ground
Number of Attacks per Melee: 3
Combat Bonuses: +2 on initiative, +3 to strike in hand to hand combat, +2 to strike with ranged weapons, +3 to parry, +4 to dodge, +4 to dodge while underwater, +4 to roll with punch, +3 to pull punch, +2 to disarm, and impervious to horror factor, disease, and poison.
Equivalent (Instinctive) Skills of Note: Climb 80%/70%, Identify Plants & Fruit (i.e., stuff it can eat) 80%, Land (and Under-water) Navigation 80%, Swim 98%, Track by Scent 35% (+20% underwater) and understands languages (2) at 75%.
Combat Capabilities:
• Bite: 3D8 M.D.
• Restrained Punch with Pincers: 5D6+ 15 S.D.C.
• Full Strength Punch with Pincers: 4D6 M.D.
• Power Punch with Pincers: 1D4x10 M.D., but counts as two attacks.
• Pincer Scissor (Cutting) Attack: 6D6+ 10 M.D., counts as one attack.
• Power Pincer/Scissor (Cutting) Attack: 1D8x10 M.D., but counts as two attacks.
• Kick: 3D6 M.D.
• Stomp: lD6 M.D., but the stomp is only effective against tar-gets 6 feet (1.8 m) or smaller.
• Body Block/Ram: 4D6 M.D. and has a 01-60% likelihood of knocking an opponent as large as 15 feet tall off of his feet and onto his back. If knocked off his feet, the victim loses initiative and two melee attacks. A ram counts as two attacks.
• Thruster Assisted Body Block/Ram: 8D8 M.D. and has a 01-90% likelihood of knocking an opponent as large as 20 feet tall off of his feet and onto his back. If knocked off his feet, the victim loses initiative and two melee attacks. The Leviathan must first retract its head into its shell before attempting a ram (counts as one attack), then it can perform the ram which counts as two additional attacks.
Bio-Weapon Systems:
1. Bio-Energy Cannons (2): While the vent-like Bio-Energy Cannons mounted above the Leviathan’s massive pincers are unchanged, the method of fueling these weapons has received a significant upgrade. Previously, the cannons could only tap the P.E. of the rider, not the passengers, but the Librarian designers thought this was a waste of potential resources. They made it so the rider could manually determine which person within the Leviathan would be used to power the weapons. This effectively triples the payload of the Bio-Energy Cannons and it has led to the inclusion of powerful passengers like Scarecrows on assault missions to really give these cannons some extra punch.
Primary Purpose: Assault
Secondary Purpose: Defense
Mega-Damage: 2D8+bonus M.D. per blast or 4D8+bonus M.D. per simultaneous twin blast at the same target (counts as one melee attack/action). The damage bonus is equal to the P.E. attribute of the currently selected rider/pilot or passenger. It takes one of the pilot's melee actions to switch the energy feed to a different person.
Rate of Fire: Each blast or pair of blasts count as one melee attack.
Effective Range: 1800 feet (549 m), but only 900 feet (274 m) underwater.
Payload: Effectively unlimited, but firing more blasts than the rider or passengers have P.E. will weaken them. Loses one melee attack and -2 on all combat bonuses for 1D6 minutes for each blast that exceeds an individual’s P.E. number. That means a character who has a P.E. of 15 can only fire 15 single or double blasts in an hour before additional shots fired weaken him. However, as one passenger becomes depleted, the rider can take one melee action to reroute the power feed to another passenger (or to himself).
2. Hydro-Cutter Beams (2): While limited in range, this weapon has proven itself time and time again, so some adjusts were made to make it even more versatile. The single Hydro-Cutter Beam was moved out of the mouth and into a ball turret mounted in the base of each pincer. This not only doubled the amount of attacks and increased the field of fire, but now the Leviathan can grab a target within its massive pincers and carve them up with its Hydro-Cutter Beams as they struggle to free themselves. Instead of snipping at a target, the Leviathan can choose to pin/incapacitate any target 15 feet tall or smaller on a natural roll of 16-20. If successful, the target cannot move its limbs to counter attack and can only be freed by pulling the claw apart (requires a combined robotic P.S. of 50). However, it can use any exposed weapon systems like head or chest mounted weapons to attack the Leviathan.
Primary Purpose: Anti-Armor
Secondary Purpose: Defense
Mega-Damage: 1D8xlO M.D. per water blast or 2D8x10 per dual blast, plus the beam has a 01-35% (50% from a dual blast) chance of knocking an opponent off his feet (if successful, the target loses initiative and one melee attack/action). (Rifts® Note: Against vampires, the water blasts do ID6xl0 Hit Point damage). In the alternative, the Leviathan can grab a target in its pincers, and blast the target with a single Hydro-Cutter Beam at close range. This attack automatically strikes the target (no need to roll) and it inflicts an additional +20 M.D. This strike can be performed repeatedly on the incapacitated target until it either frees itself or is destroyed. If a robot's main body M.D.C. is reduced below 40% (or 60% during a Pincer Attack), the hydro-cutter beam has penetrated the robot, maybe causing a short circuit as follows:
01-30% Target lucked out! No additional problems or side effects.
31-50% Temporary short circuit, sensors momentarily blink out and sparks fly. It snaps back on-line ID4 seconds later, but the target loses the initiative (if it had it) and one melee at-tack/action. This may give the Leviathan the opportunity to escape or strike again before the target has a chance to respond.
51-60% All weapon systems are temporarily out and there is a total failure in the targeting systems. One comes back online in ID4 melee rounds (15 to 60 seconds)! Penalty: -2 to strike, parry and disarm even in hand to hand combat.
61-80% Communications, radar and targeting are fried, but weapon systems okay. Must rely on optical targeting and cannot call for reinforcements. Penalty: -3 to strike, -2 to parry and dodge, as well as no initiative.
81-00% All systems are temporarily out and the robot is paralyzed and completely defenseless. Comes back online in ID4 melee rounds (15 to 60 seconds).
Rate of Fire: Each blast or pair of blasts count as one melee attack.
Maximum Effective Range: 500 feet (152 m) on land, but only 200 feet (61 m) underwater. Payload: The hydro-cutter beam has a payload of 20 blasts on dry land (both cutters share the same payload), and to refill the bladder it needs one melee action (3 seconds) of drinking water for one blast. Underwater the pay-load is unlimited.
3. Acid Pustules (20): White pustules the size of a grapefruit dot the back and rear of the Leviathan and can spit forth an acid paste (similar to battery acid, but in a white, sticky paste) to burn enemies in close proximity. These are primarily intended to keep the enemy from climbing onto its back, but they can be used as offensive weapons as well, via touch (body block) or firing them at close proximity (10 feet/3 m).
Primary Purpose: Defense
Secondary Purpose: Close Combat
Mega-Damage: 3D8 from initial contact plus I D8 M.D. additional per melee round for 1D4 melee rounds, or until the paste is scraped off or blasted away with a high-powered stream of water.
Rate of Fire: Each deliberate blast of paste counts as one melee attack. An enemy popping a pustule open via physical contact does not count as a melee attack.
Effective Range: Touch or 10 feet (3 m).
Payload: 20 pustules. Each pustule can produce enough paste for one attack each hour.
4. Anti-Armor Turrets (2): Two heavy weapon turrets were added to the back of the Leviathan to give the two enclosed passengers a way to contribute to an assault while being transported. Each gunner is granted control of a pair of the Leviathan’s eye stalks to view the outside world. Each turret possesses two different weapons, both designed for maximum area effect. The primary weapon is a cluster bomb launcher that fires powerful fragmentation shells that spray a 20-foot (6.1 m) area with razor sharp shrapnel. This is ideal for clearing out large groups of opponents, but sometimes this weapon is not the best choice. When the enemy gets too close, these turrets can switch to the secondary Spore Discharger to once again attack large groups of robots, but without the added risk of damaging the Leviathan or nearby allies. When no passengers are present, these turrets can be controlled by the rider.
Primary Purpose: Assault
Secondary Purpose: Defense
Mega-Damage: A single cluster bomb shell inflicts 1D6x10 M.D. to everything within a 20-foot (6.1 m) radius. The Spore Discharger inflicts 4D8 M.D. to any metal within a 40-foot (12.2 m) radius. Both cannons can attack the same target, but these are treated as two separate attacks.
Duration: The spores continue to do 1D8 M.D. to any metal for 3D4 melees as the spores complete their life cycle and die. Note: It is possible to fire both the cluster bomb and Spore Discharger simultaneously, but this decreases accuracy (-2 to strike).
Rate of Fire: Each attack counts as one melee attack.
Maximum Effective Range: A cluster bomb shell can be launched up to 2000 feet (610 m) away. The Spore Discharger has a maximum range of 1200 feet (365 m).
Payload: 20 cluster bombs per turret (40 total). One spent shell automatically regenerates every 2D6 minutes. The Spore discharger is effectively unlimited.
Bonus: +2 to strike.
Joking aside, this a great modifiucation. Every Scarecrow I've seen has a P.E. of 30+; this weapon is devestating. 
) This turret-pincer combo wicked. 
