Rifter Rejects II
Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2020 2:37 pm
This is the other article that I had submitted to the Rifter, before it ceased publication. Hope you all enjoy... May this inspire others with unpublished articles to post.
( as with the previous posting, footnotes are in square brackets [] )
The Technological Vampire Hunter
[Transcript of a Presentation to a Chi-Town military audience by visiting Col Morkraft of Columbia [1].]
Introduction
Good day, Ladies and Gentlemen. I am a Colonel Morkraft of the Army of the Republic of Columbia, head of Defense Research and Development Columbia, and owner of the Morkraft Industrial Combine, the largest industrial conglomerate in Columbia – makers of everything from powered armor to industrial equipment.
This presentation is a high-level summary of how Columbia has been able to develop effective non-magical and non-psionic defences against the vampire threat. We are sharing this information with the Coalition States (and anyone else who wants it), because we hate vampires.
It is my understanding that the Coalition States believe that vampires are not a significant problem on the North American continent, that Mexico and the Yucatan are a wilderness inhabited by wild vampires without organization. I assure you that reports that vampires are purely wild and animalistic predators are absolutely false. Columbia has been at war with the Vampire Kingdom of Hakatla for over a century. Smart vampires exist in large numbers and can organize into effective states. When they do organize, they come with subtlety and cunning as well as animal bloodlust and supernatural power.
It is my strategic assessment that the Coalition States are being deceived by the vampires – there will be organized kingdoms, as rumor reports, hiding behind a screen of wild vampire tribes in the north of Mexico [2]. Thus, I expect you will need to know how to fight vampires. So, I give you the best of what we have learned, paid for in blood.
There are two major issues with fighting vampires – finding them and killing them.
Vampire Detection
Vampires have incredible supernatural powers, but perhaps the most difficult thing about fighting them is finding them. How do you find a vampire in the wilderness – the fiend can be a bat, a wolf or even mist? Worse still, how do you pick out an individual vampire from a crowd of your own citizens? Even with large scale psychic capabilities, such as the Coalition States’s psi-hound bioroids [3] (enabled by genetic engineering capabilities that Columbia simply does not possess), the CS has not been able to secure itself completely. Although Columbia does have organized psychic forces, they are even more thinly spread; we had to come up with an alternative means to ensure effective security.
One key feature of the vampire plague is that they have no reflection in a mirror, but they can be seen by C.C.D. cameras. Consider the following simplified diagram:
http://postimg.cc/ZB9mcG3N
A vampire will appear on camera #1’s image. It will not appear on camera #2’s. Comparative image processing will allow automatic highlighting of any vampire in the field of view, bat, mist, human-form, whatever. Adding more cameras in the infra-red spectrum adds certainty to the identification. Modern low light cameras can be used from very long ranges. As such, this system combined with a network of simple, cheap, airborne drones makes it very difficult for any vampire to be covert in our urban areas, or in any area our military units are operating in.
As an added advantage, this kind of observation system has significant combat applications. One of the most devastating direct combat capabilities available to a vampire is it’s mind-controlling gaze – speaking from experience, few things screw up a mission more than your troops pulling off their own armour and weapons and then falling asleep... Fortunately, this mind-control effect does not transmit through a video system. Morkraft Industries has therefore designed a new generation of helmets for Columbian body armours, exoskeletons and powered armours, which use multiple video cameras and internal VR display systems, rather than transparent faceplates or eye lenses. These systems automatically give the troops detection for any vampire encountered, and protects them against the vampire’s gaze.
Fighting vampires
Once you have tracked down your vampires, of course, you need to finish them. Fighting vampires can be difficult. As is typical with supernatural creatures, vampires are at their deadliest in close combat, where they can apply both their supernatural strength and their mind controlling gaze. Further their effective invulnerability to most non-magical weapons and tremendous regenerative powers makes technological stand-off tactics ineffective; you are almost forced to come right into their parlour.
Thankfully their invulnerability to non-magical weapons has weaknesses: silver, running water, wood, and the holy cross.
As you are undoubtedly familiar, the Coalition States do issue silver rounds for rail guns and for conventional firearms. Obviously, due to the expense involved, silver rounds are impractically expensive on a war-fighting scale. Silver and silver weapons are somewhat effective in melee.
Water guns do effective damage and they have a mild inhibiting effect on vampiric regeneration. Further, enough water damage will actually permanently kill a vampire. On the negative, water guns are very short ranged, and the “ammunition” extremely heavy and bulky, taking a minimum of 2 or 3 pounds of water to defeat an individual vampire, and that if the beast is somehow forced to stand and take the damage, rather than finding some time to regenerate. In practice, it’s 30 or more pounds of “ammunition” per vampire.
Wooden weapons are another practical melee tool, and wood fragment rail gun rounds can be manufactured. Wooden rounds result in much reduced ranges and an inability to penetrate any kind of M.D.C. cover, furthermore, they are only practical in rail guns, not conventional firearms – they disintegrate from the firing stresses [4] . Columbia has previously developed the R-series of rocket weapons, which fire miniature rockets, which can carry wooden penetrators or explosive heads.
The touch of a cross is both damaging, and has a significant in-combat disabling effect from the pain it inflicts. However, it is pretty much restricted to melee; throwing weapon-crosses are not practical, the holy symbol needs to be pressed to the undead’s body.
All of these techniques will damage a vampire, but none except absolute saturation with water will actually stop regeneration. It takes extreme good fortune to have a rail gun or firearm projectile lodge in the heart (without blowing through) and stake the beast. With even minutes of respite, the fiend will be raring to go again. Fighting vampires is a significant challenge.
The rifts have brought many D-bees to Earth and much trouble. They also brought a few solutions – not all d-bees are people – there are animals that never evolved here wandering the world. Further, there are also many alien plants! There are in fact several species of M.D.C. trees growing in Columbia. These are a tremendous pest to farmers, as you can’t clear them without M.D.C. force. Alas, M.D.C. wood is not actually a useful construction material – you need heavy machine tools or lasers to work it - casting conventional alloys and concrete is easier. Nor can you simply punch a nail into it. Yet, the Morkraft Industrial Combine maintains 2000 acres of M.D.C. tree plantations. Why? Specialized anti-vampire rounds. What we call AVSSC, (Anti Vampire Sacrificial Sabot, Crucifix).
Take M.D.C. wood, machine it to a 5mm dowel and then cut a 40 mm pieces. Sharpen one end. At the other, use M.D.C. contact cement to glue on 60 mm of fine steel chain. At the end of the chain, attach a small steel cross, 12 mm across by 18 mm long. The whole assembly is loaded into a bullet shaped thin brass shell, and held in place with wax and fibre filler poured in from the base. Attach a base plate. Cut groves in the nose of the brass shell to ensure it splits open on impact. Load the “bullet” into a cartridge with a reduced powder load. Obviously a “bullet” this size can only be used with large cartridges.
http://postimg.cc/gX4Mxjrq
When this round hits a target, the brass outer shell splits away along the stress concentrating pre-cut grooves, and the wax and fibre mix is forced aside from the impact point. The dowel drives into the target, pulling the chain and the cross after it. The cross is pulled tight to the wound, and then acts as an anchor, stopping the whole assembly, as it is much bigger than the 5 mm wound channel.
Against a normal target, this inflicts relatively little damage for such a large round, as it has limited penetration and a small, low-density, penetrator. The attached cross even provides a normal opponent a convenient handle to remove the dowel. Against a vampire, it is devastating. The wooden dowel stays in the wound like an arrow does, instead of blowing through (thus doing the typical enhanced wooden weapon damage to vampires). As the wooden shaft stays inside the target, a sufficiently accurate shot can effectively stake the vampire (using the usual rules for shooting to impale the heart, World Book 1 Vampire Kingdoms, New Revised Edition, pg 83). The cross on end of the chain, however, is what makes this round dominant. As you know, a vampire touching a cross is subject to agony (World Book 1 Vampire Kingdoms, New Revised Edition, pg 73). This ammunition effectively attaches the cross to the vampire! Continuous contact with the cross causes ongoing pain. (The attached cross effectively touches the vampire for 3 attacks per melee round, with the usual effects. A failed H.F. check in a given round will extend the disabled period to the next round. Multiple failed checks will not accumulate beyond the next round.) Further, a vampire simply cannot bring itself to handle the cross at all; to remove it he needs to either turn to mist or have a non-vampire ally remove it. The process of turning to mist takes time and concentration (2 attacks per melee); very difficult for an agonized vampire. (To do so, he will have to have passed all the H.F. check(s) he made on the previous turn. He can then attempt to transform. He will be subject to one of the crosses’s melee attacks before he transforms, for the usual effects – failing the H.F. check means the fiend does not transform, and is subject to the rest of the melee round of attacks from the cross). The monster suffers until the cross is removed. This can cause sufficient damage to actually put the fiend down, and the cross will continue to cause enough damage to overcome the things regeneration. However, much like a staked vampire, pull off the cross and it will fully regenerate in minutes.
Columbia fields this ammunition in both 15.5X106 mm and 3.5 inch 12 gauge. Issue weapons include 15.5mm heavy machine guns, 15.5 mm battle rifles, 12 gauge assault shotguns and bang-spears.
Another piece of field issue we have is garlic “mace” mist. Sufficiently finely pureed garlic, with an appropriate dispenser generates a mist that acts on vampires much like tear gas on humans (Vampires Sourcebook, pg 67). This mist does not have a significant effect on humans – no effect at all if they are wearing modern environmental combat armour. This development has led to fielding several different gas-dispenser weapons – grenades, directed chemical sprayers, and the helmet mounted “emergency” dispenser.
The final item of specialty kit which we have recently started to issue is the mini-plasma burner and burn tent. This is an underpowered wide beam plasma ejector, very short range and minimal damage, together with what is effectively, a memory metal sparred inverted umbrella. The point is to enable easy disposal of a staked and beheaded vampire without giving away your position. Press the button (in closed mode) and it automatically erects into a partial dome with a convenient port for the attached plasma ejector. Lift the dome over the severed head, and pull the trigger. Lift the tent over the body, pull the trigger. Press the button again, and it’s back in small mode. Ta Da: Head and body incinerated separately, with flash and smoke captured by the tent so they don’t give away your position.
Conclusion
Ladies and Gentlemen, the imaging techniques and weaponry I have discussed here have allowed Columbia to effectively root out vampires in our cities. We are currently preparing to move forward and take the war to our enemy. I have faith that I can see the end of the Vampire Kingdom of Hakatla. I hope you will be in a situation to do the same with your own vampire problems.
[Polite applause, followed by a Q&A session, transcribed in Annex II.]
[End Transcript]
Game Statistics Notes
Colonel Morkraft is a 10th level Powers Unlimited 2 Natural Genius who has prospered after being rifted to Columbia. (He was a Heroes Unlimited player character who made a significant error in the process of sabotaging the Parnassus Corporation’s dimensional slide device).
AVSSC Ammunition : These rounds can be manufactured for any sufficiently large calibre conventional firearm. Minimum practical calibers for manufacturing are 12 gauge by 3.5 inch, and 12.7mm x 99 mm (.50 BMG).
Cost: In Columbia, 2 Credits per round, as Morkraft Industries makes them on an industrial scale, and sells them at cost (via government subsidy). Outside of Columbia, availability is minimal. However, similar rounds could be manufactured as individual handloads, at an effective cost of 40 Credits per round.
Morkraft 15.5 X 106 mm Machine Gun [5] : a heavy machine gun that can be mounted on a tripod, on a vehicular ring mount, or as a 1 handed weapon for powered armour (Robot PS 28 or greater). Air cooled, it is has a interesting dual feed system to the firing chamber; the user can switch between feeds by moving a lever (1 attack per melee). Both feeds can support disintegrating link belts, 50 round banana clips (or one can have a belt and the other a clip – this is a popular configuration for vehicles and powered armour users), or a simple plug for single feed operation. The trigger block is digital, allowing electronically controlled bursts of programmed lengths.
Weight: 65 lbs (30 kg).
Range: conventional ammunition 4000 feet (1219 m), AVSSC 2000 feet (610 m)
Rate of Fire: Single Shot, 3 round burst, 10 round burst, 20 round burst – each counts as one melee attack
Damage: A single conventional round inflicts 1D8x10 SDC, a 3 round burst 1 M.D, a 10 round burst 1D8 MD, and a 20 round burst 2D8 MD.
To normal targets, A single AVSSC round inflicts 2D6 SDC, a 3 round burst 4D6 SDC, a 10 round burst 1D6x10 SDC, and a 20 round burst 2D6x10 SDC.
To Vampires, A single AVSSC round inflicts 6D6 to H.P. + H.F. 18 for the initial attack, and leave a cross attached to the vampire, a 3 round burst 12D6 to H.P. + 2 H.F. 18 checks, and 2 attached crosses, a 10 round burst 3D6x10 to H.P + 5 H.F. 18 checks. and 5 attached crosses, and a 20 round burst 6D6x10 to H.P. + 10 H.F. 18 checks and 10 attached crosses.
Payload: 30 round banana clip or 200 round disintegrating link belt. Belted ammo can be linked together for use in large feed drums.
Cost: 85,000 Credits (black market, when available)
Morkraft 15.5 X 106 mm Combat Rifle: a full sized battle rifle that has a bull pup design for maximum barrel length. It has a dual feed similar to the heavy machine gun, as well as similar digital trigger block. The dual feed system can switch between feeds by moving a lever (1 attack per melee). Both feeds can support disintegrating link belts, 50 round banana clips (or one can have a belt and the other a clip), or a simple plug for single feed operation. The gun risks overheating if used for longer bursts, so the trigger block is digitally limited. Thus, belt feeds are very uncommon.
Weight: 17 lbs (8 kg).
Range: conventional ammunition 2600 feet (792.5 m), AVSSC 1200 feet (365 m)
Rate of Fire: Single Shot or 3 round burst – each counts as one melee attack
Damage: A single conventional round inflicts 1D8x10 SDC, a 3 round burst 1 M.D.
To normal targets, A single AVSSC round inflicts 2D6 SDC, a 3 round burst 4D6 SDC.
To Vampires, A single AVSSC round inflicts 6D6 to H.P. + H.F. 18 for the initial attack, and leave a cross attached to the vampire, a 3 round burst 12D6 to H.P. + 2 H.F. 18 checks, and 2 attached crosses.
Payload: 30 round banana clip or 200 round disintegrating link belt.
Cost: 14,000 Credits (Black Market, when available)
Ramjet Note: Columbia (and Morkraft Industries) are delighted with WI ramjet ammunition. They will either arrive at agreement with WI to license it, or they will pirate it, very soon. (For damage values, see Rifts Merc Ops pg 100.)
Morkraft 12 Gauge Assault Shotgun [6] : a bull pup design with a dual feed system and a digital trigger block. Each feed supports a individual 12 round tube-clip. The dual feed system can switch between feeds by moving a lever (1 attack per melee).
Weight: 12 lbs (5 kg).
Range: conventional ammunition 300 feet (91.4 m), AVSSC 200 feet (60.7 m)
Rate of Fire: Single Shot – each counts as one melee attack
Damage: A single buckshot round inflicts 4D6 SDC, a 3 round burst 8D6 SDC.
A single slug round inflicts 5D6 SDC, a 3 round burst 1D6x10 SDC.
To normal targets, A single AVSSC round inflicts 2D6 SDC, a 3 round burst 4D6 SDC.
To Vampires, A single AVSSC round inflicts 6D6 to H.P. + H.F. 18 for the initial attack, and leave a cross attached to the vampire, a 3 round burst 12D6 to H.P. + 2 H.F. 18 checks, and 2 attached crosses.
Payload: Two 12 round tube clips.
Cost: 12,500 Credits (Available commercially in Columbia)
The Morkraft Industrial Combine has successfully pirated the 12 gauge / 16 mm ammunition for the Equalizer Combat Shotgun (South America 2 Pg 164), making this a deadly M.D.C. weapon and a Columbian favourite due to it’s versatility. For range and damage values for 16 mm ammunition, see World Book 9 South America: 2 pg 164. 16 mm Ammunition cannot be burst fired without overheating the chamber and cooking off (destroying the weapon and dealing 2d6 MD to a 4 feet radius) – and the digital trigger block is “smart” enough to recognize the ammo and restrict itself to single shot mode.
The Columbian Bang Spear: a 6 foot spear with a 5 feet M.D.C. shaft (60 M.D.C.), a foot long tri bladed head (ie. looking down the point on it looks like a Y), with a 6 inch cross piece below the head. There is a trio of canisters between the blades of the head. Each canister holds an individual 3.5” 12 gauge shotgun round. The rounds can be fired either with a buttons on the handle, or by the impact trigger set into the spearhead (armed with a fourth button). There is a butt spike. Both the primary head and the butt-spike are silver coated.
Weight: 6 lbs (2.5 kg).
Range: HTH only, not balanced for throwing
Rate of Fire: Single Shot– each counts as one melee attack. You can combine a shot and a attack with the spearhead in a single attack per melee in HTH combat.
Damage: Silver spear head 2D4 SDC, double damage to vampires. Silver Butt Spike 1d4 SDC, double damage to vampires.
To normal targets, A single AVSSC round inflicts 2D6 SDC
To Vampires, A single AVSSC round inflicts 6D6 to H.P. + H.F. 18 for the initial attack, and leave a cross attached to the vampire.
It is extremely uncommon for these weapons to be load with anything but AVSSC. If this is done, a single buckshot round inflicts 4D6 SDC or a single slug round inflicts 5D6 SDC.
Payload: 3 shells. Reloads must be carried separately. Manual reload takes one melee round to reload all 3 shells.
Cost: 2,500 Credits. (Available commercially in Columbia)
Garlic Grenade
See Rifts Vampires, pg 67. The Columbian version comes in both hand thrown and grenade launcher versions.
Cost: In Columbia, subsidized versions sell at 300 Credits per grenade.
Garlic Sprayer: A bionic chemical spray (Rifts Bionics Sourcebook, pg 91), adapted with a pistol grip and manual controls. It’s in game function is exactly the same as the bionic version.
Weight: 6 lbs (2.5 kg). (including garlic fill)
Cost: 2,000 credits. (Available commercially in Columbia) (far cheaper than the bionic version due to a) not needing bionic surgery, b) nor the electronics to connect to internal bionic control, and c) government subsidy)
Columbian AV1(Mil) helmet: This generic body armour helmet has 3 unique features. The first is an adaptive collar that allows it to be used with most environmental armour suits. The second is a doubled visor system. The inner visor is clear M.D.C. plastic, and is used as a projector screen when the outer visor is down. The outer visor supports multiple cameras (6 to be exact, using a similar mirror arrangement as that Col Morkraft discussed, 3 reflected, 3 direct. 3 Cameras for redundancy in case of failure.), which are set in stacked pairs (like a spider’s eyes). This collection of cameras has all the functions of a cybernetic multi-optic eye. The third element is the grenade mount on top of the head… The normal load is a garlic grenade (above) of course. Activated by coded voice command it detonates immediately.
M.D.C.: 45
Effects: Against vampires, their Prowl skill rolls are -75%, Disguise skill is -100% (and this applies for anything else that cannot be seen in a mirror, but with a CCD camera). Similar penalties may be applied by the GM to any other skill that would be hampered by automatic identification as a vampire. The system automatically highlights anything that only shows up on the non-reflected camera in a fluorescent outline on the screen, and further issues a quiet warning beep inside the helmet when a vampire is in view.
Detonation of the grenade has, of course, the effects appropriate for the grenade type.
Weight: 3 lbs (1.5 kg) above and beyond the weight of a normal helmet.
Cost: 100,000 Credits (Black Market, when available).
The AV1(Mil) is the military version of the helmet. The civilian version, the AV1(Civ), does not have the multi-optic eye capabilities, but is much cheaper (and is commercially available in Columbia) for 10,000 Credits
An alternative version of this helmet, the AV2(Mil) is useable with Columbian D20 and D30 armours (South America 1, pg 25-27). It has 100 M.D.C. and does not weigh significantly more than the normal powered armour helmet.
Columbian Vampire Burner System: A cylindrical block with a pistol grip protruding off-center from one side, pressing the blue button expands it into a 4 foot tall, 7 foot in diameter, partial dome. The structure is made of memory plastic struts and black M.D.C. fabric with a mirrored inner side, and is light enough to easily heave over either a body or an individual head lying on the ground (1 Attack Per Melee to open and put over something). Pulling the trigger releases a minor plasma charge into the dome, which cremates the subject effectively (1D4 M.D.C.). The flash and smoke are contained by the dome. Pressing the blue button again contracts the dome.
Weight: 6 lbs (2.5 kg)
Payload: 40 cremations from a short e-clip
Cost: 8,000 credits. (Available commercially in Columbia)
Anti Vampire CCD System: From the outside, this looks like a normal CCD system – a mirrored bubble – but it employs a multicamera system like the AV1 helmets. The system functions exactly as does the AV1 helmet, but is deployed remotely (ie feeding to a security station). These are deployed by both the military and civilians all over urban areas in Columbia.
M.D.C.: 100
Effects: See AV1 helmet.
Cost: 100,000 Credits (multi-optic version. Black Market, when available) or 10,000 Credits (civilian version, with only regular and low-light cameras commercially available in Columbia).
Columbian Drones
The republic currently employs multiple models of UAV`s built by the Morkraft Industrial Combine in variety of roles, particularly aerial surveillance (with a wide variety of sensors) and communications relays (they are experimenting with strike). Only the low altitude surveillance drone is presented here, as it is most likely used by players. Larger drones have better low-light cameras (able to see a bat sized object at night, absent clouds of course, from miles away) and significantly improved flight capabilities.
Morkraft Mini Low Altitude Surveillance Drone: A simple, cheap, quadcopter design, this model is either remotely operated, or can be programmed in waypoint fashion, actually flying is done by the machine. The mission hardware is contained in a plastic bubble turret under the main body. The camera can be set to automatically track an identified target. In flight, the system is surprisingly quiet. The flat black paint job makes it close to invisible at night. The Republic has networked fleet of these drones orbiting over every significant urban area, from dusk to dawn. .
Vehicle Type: Reconnaissance UAV
Speed: 60 mph (96 km/s) maximum. Can hover and move in any direction.
Altitude: 1000 feet (305 m) maximum.
Crew: None on board, 1 remote operator.
Statistical Data
Height : 18 inches (38 cm)
Width: 24 inches (51 cm)
Length: 24 inches (51 cm)
Weight: 12 lbs (5 kg)
M.D.C. by Location
Rotors (4) : 5 M.D.C. (-25% on autopiloting checks for each rotor destroyed – 3 or more guaranteed to cause a crash)
Main Body: 25 M.D.C.
Mission Hardware: 25 M.D.C.
PS No applicable, no lifting appendages.
Bonuses: Autododge +2 (there is an onboard motion sensor linked to the autopilor). In general, due to the limited field of view the camera’s generate the operator cannot actually guide the drone to dodge. He can target the camera/lights/laser designator). Effective prowl skill: 65% + 20% at night, Autopilot effective skill 75% - Winds 40-55 mph, -25% to piloting, Winds > 55 mph will force the drone to land.
Cargo: None.
Power System: Long E-clip, for 60 hours of life.
Sensors: The drone mounts a multicamera system identical to the AV1(Mil) helmet (it has no civilian equivalent), and can record up to 48 hrs of video. Can see a bat sized object from 2000 feet away in low-light mode.
Communications: Laser and radio communications. The system can act as a simple relay or as a network node.
Targeting: The drone mounts a laser designator (600 feet range), and a mini spotlight (200 feet range)
Cost: 200,000 Credits (black market, when available)
[1] CS Intelligence Comment: Colonel Morkraft is known to be a human being from an alternate dimension who was spat from a rift in Columbia in 104 PA. He has been extraordinarily successful at integrating into Columbian society, and his skills and leadership have been instrumental in recent Columbian successes against the Hakatla Vampire Kingdom. His humanity has been confirmed by Psi-Division assets when he visited Chi-Town as part of diplomatic discussions.
[2] CS Intelligence Comment: Colonel Morkraft’s assessment is considered unconfirmed and inaccurate by CS Intelligence.
[3] CS Intelligence Comment: Colonel Morkraft is being somewhat deceptive. He is known to have personally established a limited Columbian dog boy capability by recruiting ferals and deserters, but primarily by purchasing captured and enslaved dog boys from the Splugorth through non-human intermediaries (although he does “free” the dog boys). The Columbians are encouraging breeding activity to ensure capability preservation and long-term growth.
[4] This is true for real world wooden bullets, they have been used historically for blanks and training ammunition. How wooden railgun rounds don’t suffer the same effect, I have no idea, but they do canonically exist in Rifts.
[5] Note to the editor, to be removed before publication. For visual inspiration see http://www.historicalfirearms.info/post ... s-fabrique . The barrel on the Columbian version is shorter, thus the reduced range.
[6] Note to the editor, to be removed before publication. For visual inspiration see https://www.keltecweapons.com/shotguns/ksg-25/
( as with the previous posting, footnotes are in square brackets [] )
The Technological Vampire Hunter
[Transcript of a Presentation to a Chi-Town military audience by visiting Col Morkraft of Columbia [1].]
Introduction
Good day, Ladies and Gentlemen. I am a Colonel Morkraft of the Army of the Republic of Columbia, head of Defense Research and Development Columbia, and owner of the Morkraft Industrial Combine, the largest industrial conglomerate in Columbia – makers of everything from powered armor to industrial equipment.
This presentation is a high-level summary of how Columbia has been able to develop effective non-magical and non-psionic defences against the vampire threat. We are sharing this information with the Coalition States (and anyone else who wants it), because we hate vampires.
It is my understanding that the Coalition States believe that vampires are not a significant problem on the North American continent, that Mexico and the Yucatan are a wilderness inhabited by wild vampires without organization. I assure you that reports that vampires are purely wild and animalistic predators are absolutely false. Columbia has been at war with the Vampire Kingdom of Hakatla for over a century. Smart vampires exist in large numbers and can organize into effective states. When they do organize, they come with subtlety and cunning as well as animal bloodlust and supernatural power.
It is my strategic assessment that the Coalition States are being deceived by the vampires – there will be organized kingdoms, as rumor reports, hiding behind a screen of wild vampire tribes in the north of Mexico [2]. Thus, I expect you will need to know how to fight vampires. So, I give you the best of what we have learned, paid for in blood.
There are two major issues with fighting vampires – finding them and killing them.
Vampire Detection
Vampires have incredible supernatural powers, but perhaps the most difficult thing about fighting them is finding them. How do you find a vampire in the wilderness – the fiend can be a bat, a wolf or even mist? Worse still, how do you pick out an individual vampire from a crowd of your own citizens? Even with large scale psychic capabilities, such as the Coalition States’s psi-hound bioroids [3] (enabled by genetic engineering capabilities that Columbia simply does not possess), the CS has not been able to secure itself completely. Although Columbia does have organized psychic forces, they are even more thinly spread; we had to come up with an alternative means to ensure effective security.
One key feature of the vampire plague is that they have no reflection in a mirror, but they can be seen by C.C.D. cameras. Consider the following simplified diagram:
http://postimg.cc/ZB9mcG3N
A vampire will appear on camera #1’s image. It will not appear on camera #2’s. Comparative image processing will allow automatic highlighting of any vampire in the field of view, bat, mist, human-form, whatever. Adding more cameras in the infra-red spectrum adds certainty to the identification. Modern low light cameras can be used from very long ranges. As such, this system combined with a network of simple, cheap, airborne drones makes it very difficult for any vampire to be covert in our urban areas, or in any area our military units are operating in.
As an added advantage, this kind of observation system has significant combat applications. One of the most devastating direct combat capabilities available to a vampire is it’s mind-controlling gaze – speaking from experience, few things screw up a mission more than your troops pulling off their own armour and weapons and then falling asleep... Fortunately, this mind-control effect does not transmit through a video system. Morkraft Industries has therefore designed a new generation of helmets for Columbian body armours, exoskeletons and powered armours, which use multiple video cameras and internal VR display systems, rather than transparent faceplates or eye lenses. These systems automatically give the troops detection for any vampire encountered, and protects them against the vampire’s gaze.
Fighting vampires
Once you have tracked down your vampires, of course, you need to finish them. Fighting vampires can be difficult. As is typical with supernatural creatures, vampires are at their deadliest in close combat, where they can apply both their supernatural strength and their mind controlling gaze. Further their effective invulnerability to most non-magical weapons and tremendous regenerative powers makes technological stand-off tactics ineffective; you are almost forced to come right into their parlour.
Thankfully their invulnerability to non-magical weapons has weaknesses: silver, running water, wood, and the holy cross.
As you are undoubtedly familiar, the Coalition States do issue silver rounds for rail guns and for conventional firearms. Obviously, due to the expense involved, silver rounds are impractically expensive on a war-fighting scale. Silver and silver weapons are somewhat effective in melee.
Water guns do effective damage and they have a mild inhibiting effect on vampiric regeneration. Further, enough water damage will actually permanently kill a vampire. On the negative, water guns are very short ranged, and the “ammunition” extremely heavy and bulky, taking a minimum of 2 or 3 pounds of water to defeat an individual vampire, and that if the beast is somehow forced to stand and take the damage, rather than finding some time to regenerate. In practice, it’s 30 or more pounds of “ammunition” per vampire.
Wooden weapons are another practical melee tool, and wood fragment rail gun rounds can be manufactured. Wooden rounds result in much reduced ranges and an inability to penetrate any kind of M.D.C. cover, furthermore, they are only practical in rail guns, not conventional firearms – they disintegrate from the firing stresses [4] . Columbia has previously developed the R-series of rocket weapons, which fire miniature rockets, which can carry wooden penetrators or explosive heads.
The touch of a cross is both damaging, and has a significant in-combat disabling effect from the pain it inflicts. However, it is pretty much restricted to melee; throwing weapon-crosses are not practical, the holy symbol needs to be pressed to the undead’s body.
All of these techniques will damage a vampire, but none except absolute saturation with water will actually stop regeneration. It takes extreme good fortune to have a rail gun or firearm projectile lodge in the heart (without blowing through) and stake the beast. With even minutes of respite, the fiend will be raring to go again. Fighting vampires is a significant challenge.
The rifts have brought many D-bees to Earth and much trouble. They also brought a few solutions – not all d-bees are people – there are animals that never evolved here wandering the world. Further, there are also many alien plants! There are in fact several species of M.D.C. trees growing in Columbia. These are a tremendous pest to farmers, as you can’t clear them without M.D.C. force. Alas, M.D.C. wood is not actually a useful construction material – you need heavy machine tools or lasers to work it - casting conventional alloys and concrete is easier. Nor can you simply punch a nail into it. Yet, the Morkraft Industrial Combine maintains 2000 acres of M.D.C. tree plantations. Why? Specialized anti-vampire rounds. What we call AVSSC, (Anti Vampire Sacrificial Sabot, Crucifix).
Take M.D.C. wood, machine it to a 5mm dowel and then cut a 40 mm pieces. Sharpen one end. At the other, use M.D.C. contact cement to glue on 60 mm of fine steel chain. At the end of the chain, attach a small steel cross, 12 mm across by 18 mm long. The whole assembly is loaded into a bullet shaped thin brass shell, and held in place with wax and fibre filler poured in from the base. Attach a base plate. Cut groves in the nose of the brass shell to ensure it splits open on impact. Load the “bullet” into a cartridge with a reduced powder load. Obviously a “bullet” this size can only be used with large cartridges.
http://postimg.cc/gX4Mxjrq
When this round hits a target, the brass outer shell splits away along the stress concentrating pre-cut grooves, and the wax and fibre mix is forced aside from the impact point. The dowel drives into the target, pulling the chain and the cross after it. The cross is pulled tight to the wound, and then acts as an anchor, stopping the whole assembly, as it is much bigger than the 5 mm wound channel.
Against a normal target, this inflicts relatively little damage for such a large round, as it has limited penetration and a small, low-density, penetrator. The attached cross even provides a normal opponent a convenient handle to remove the dowel. Against a vampire, it is devastating. The wooden dowel stays in the wound like an arrow does, instead of blowing through (thus doing the typical enhanced wooden weapon damage to vampires). As the wooden shaft stays inside the target, a sufficiently accurate shot can effectively stake the vampire (using the usual rules for shooting to impale the heart, World Book 1 Vampire Kingdoms, New Revised Edition, pg 83). The cross on end of the chain, however, is what makes this round dominant. As you know, a vampire touching a cross is subject to agony (World Book 1 Vampire Kingdoms, New Revised Edition, pg 73). This ammunition effectively attaches the cross to the vampire! Continuous contact with the cross causes ongoing pain. (The attached cross effectively touches the vampire for 3 attacks per melee round, with the usual effects. A failed H.F. check in a given round will extend the disabled period to the next round. Multiple failed checks will not accumulate beyond the next round.) Further, a vampire simply cannot bring itself to handle the cross at all; to remove it he needs to either turn to mist or have a non-vampire ally remove it. The process of turning to mist takes time and concentration (2 attacks per melee); very difficult for an agonized vampire. (To do so, he will have to have passed all the H.F. check(s) he made on the previous turn. He can then attempt to transform. He will be subject to one of the crosses’s melee attacks before he transforms, for the usual effects – failing the H.F. check means the fiend does not transform, and is subject to the rest of the melee round of attacks from the cross). The monster suffers until the cross is removed. This can cause sufficient damage to actually put the fiend down, and the cross will continue to cause enough damage to overcome the things regeneration. However, much like a staked vampire, pull off the cross and it will fully regenerate in minutes.
Columbia fields this ammunition in both 15.5X106 mm and 3.5 inch 12 gauge. Issue weapons include 15.5mm heavy machine guns, 15.5 mm battle rifles, 12 gauge assault shotguns and bang-spears.
Another piece of field issue we have is garlic “mace” mist. Sufficiently finely pureed garlic, with an appropriate dispenser generates a mist that acts on vampires much like tear gas on humans (Vampires Sourcebook, pg 67). This mist does not have a significant effect on humans – no effect at all if they are wearing modern environmental combat armour. This development has led to fielding several different gas-dispenser weapons – grenades, directed chemical sprayers, and the helmet mounted “emergency” dispenser.
The final item of specialty kit which we have recently started to issue is the mini-plasma burner and burn tent. This is an underpowered wide beam plasma ejector, very short range and minimal damage, together with what is effectively, a memory metal sparred inverted umbrella. The point is to enable easy disposal of a staked and beheaded vampire without giving away your position. Press the button (in closed mode) and it automatically erects into a partial dome with a convenient port for the attached plasma ejector. Lift the dome over the severed head, and pull the trigger. Lift the tent over the body, pull the trigger. Press the button again, and it’s back in small mode. Ta Da: Head and body incinerated separately, with flash and smoke captured by the tent so they don’t give away your position.
Conclusion
Ladies and Gentlemen, the imaging techniques and weaponry I have discussed here have allowed Columbia to effectively root out vampires in our cities. We are currently preparing to move forward and take the war to our enemy. I have faith that I can see the end of the Vampire Kingdom of Hakatla. I hope you will be in a situation to do the same with your own vampire problems.
[Polite applause, followed by a Q&A session, transcribed in Annex II.]
[End Transcript]
Game Statistics Notes
Colonel Morkraft is a 10th level Powers Unlimited 2 Natural Genius who has prospered after being rifted to Columbia. (He was a Heroes Unlimited player character who made a significant error in the process of sabotaging the Parnassus Corporation’s dimensional slide device).
AVSSC Ammunition : These rounds can be manufactured for any sufficiently large calibre conventional firearm. Minimum practical calibers for manufacturing are 12 gauge by 3.5 inch, and 12.7mm x 99 mm (.50 BMG).
Cost: In Columbia, 2 Credits per round, as Morkraft Industries makes them on an industrial scale, and sells them at cost (via government subsidy). Outside of Columbia, availability is minimal. However, similar rounds could be manufactured as individual handloads, at an effective cost of 40 Credits per round.
Morkraft 15.5 X 106 mm Machine Gun [5] : a heavy machine gun that can be mounted on a tripod, on a vehicular ring mount, or as a 1 handed weapon for powered armour (Robot PS 28 or greater). Air cooled, it is has a interesting dual feed system to the firing chamber; the user can switch between feeds by moving a lever (1 attack per melee). Both feeds can support disintegrating link belts, 50 round banana clips (or one can have a belt and the other a clip – this is a popular configuration for vehicles and powered armour users), or a simple plug for single feed operation. The trigger block is digital, allowing electronically controlled bursts of programmed lengths.
Weight: 65 lbs (30 kg).
Range: conventional ammunition 4000 feet (1219 m), AVSSC 2000 feet (610 m)
Rate of Fire: Single Shot, 3 round burst, 10 round burst, 20 round burst – each counts as one melee attack
Damage: A single conventional round inflicts 1D8x10 SDC, a 3 round burst 1 M.D, a 10 round burst 1D8 MD, and a 20 round burst 2D8 MD.
To normal targets, A single AVSSC round inflicts 2D6 SDC, a 3 round burst 4D6 SDC, a 10 round burst 1D6x10 SDC, and a 20 round burst 2D6x10 SDC.
To Vampires, A single AVSSC round inflicts 6D6 to H.P. + H.F. 18 for the initial attack, and leave a cross attached to the vampire, a 3 round burst 12D6 to H.P. + 2 H.F. 18 checks, and 2 attached crosses, a 10 round burst 3D6x10 to H.P + 5 H.F. 18 checks. and 5 attached crosses, and a 20 round burst 6D6x10 to H.P. + 10 H.F. 18 checks and 10 attached crosses.
Payload: 30 round banana clip or 200 round disintegrating link belt. Belted ammo can be linked together for use in large feed drums.
Cost: 85,000 Credits (black market, when available)
Morkraft 15.5 X 106 mm Combat Rifle: a full sized battle rifle that has a bull pup design for maximum barrel length. It has a dual feed similar to the heavy machine gun, as well as similar digital trigger block. The dual feed system can switch between feeds by moving a lever (1 attack per melee). Both feeds can support disintegrating link belts, 50 round banana clips (or one can have a belt and the other a clip), or a simple plug for single feed operation. The gun risks overheating if used for longer bursts, so the trigger block is digitally limited. Thus, belt feeds are very uncommon.
Weight: 17 lbs (8 kg).
Range: conventional ammunition 2600 feet (792.5 m), AVSSC 1200 feet (365 m)
Rate of Fire: Single Shot or 3 round burst – each counts as one melee attack
Damage: A single conventional round inflicts 1D8x10 SDC, a 3 round burst 1 M.D.
To normal targets, A single AVSSC round inflicts 2D6 SDC, a 3 round burst 4D6 SDC.
To Vampires, A single AVSSC round inflicts 6D6 to H.P. + H.F. 18 for the initial attack, and leave a cross attached to the vampire, a 3 round burst 12D6 to H.P. + 2 H.F. 18 checks, and 2 attached crosses.
Payload: 30 round banana clip or 200 round disintegrating link belt.
Cost: 14,000 Credits (Black Market, when available)
Ramjet Note: Columbia (and Morkraft Industries) are delighted with WI ramjet ammunition. They will either arrive at agreement with WI to license it, or they will pirate it, very soon. (For damage values, see Rifts Merc Ops pg 100.)
Morkraft 12 Gauge Assault Shotgun [6] : a bull pup design with a dual feed system and a digital trigger block. Each feed supports a individual 12 round tube-clip. The dual feed system can switch between feeds by moving a lever (1 attack per melee).
Weight: 12 lbs (5 kg).
Range: conventional ammunition 300 feet (91.4 m), AVSSC 200 feet (60.7 m)
Rate of Fire: Single Shot – each counts as one melee attack
Damage: A single buckshot round inflicts 4D6 SDC, a 3 round burst 8D6 SDC.
A single slug round inflicts 5D6 SDC, a 3 round burst 1D6x10 SDC.
To normal targets, A single AVSSC round inflicts 2D6 SDC, a 3 round burst 4D6 SDC.
To Vampires, A single AVSSC round inflicts 6D6 to H.P. + H.F. 18 for the initial attack, and leave a cross attached to the vampire, a 3 round burst 12D6 to H.P. + 2 H.F. 18 checks, and 2 attached crosses.
Payload: Two 12 round tube clips.
Cost: 12,500 Credits (Available commercially in Columbia)
The Morkraft Industrial Combine has successfully pirated the 12 gauge / 16 mm ammunition for the Equalizer Combat Shotgun (South America 2 Pg 164), making this a deadly M.D.C. weapon and a Columbian favourite due to it’s versatility. For range and damage values for 16 mm ammunition, see World Book 9 South America: 2 pg 164. 16 mm Ammunition cannot be burst fired without overheating the chamber and cooking off (destroying the weapon and dealing 2d6 MD to a 4 feet radius) – and the digital trigger block is “smart” enough to recognize the ammo and restrict itself to single shot mode.
The Columbian Bang Spear: a 6 foot spear with a 5 feet M.D.C. shaft (60 M.D.C.), a foot long tri bladed head (ie. looking down the point on it looks like a Y), with a 6 inch cross piece below the head. There is a trio of canisters between the blades of the head. Each canister holds an individual 3.5” 12 gauge shotgun round. The rounds can be fired either with a buttons on the handle, or by the impact trigger set into the spearhead (armed with a fourth button). There is a butt spike. Both the primary head and the butt-spike are silver coated.
Weight: 6 lbs (2.5 kg).
Range: HTH only, not balanced for throwing
Rate of Fire: Single Shot– each counts as one melee attack. You can combine a shot and a attack with the spearhead in a single attack per melee in HTH combat.
Damage: Silver spear head 2D4 SDC, double damage to vampires. Silver Butt Spike 1d4 SDC, double damage to vampires.
To normal targets, A single AVSSC round inflicts 2D6 SDC
To Vampires, A single AVSSC round inflicts 6D6 to H.P. + H.F. 18 for the initial attack, and leave a cross attached to the vampire.
It is extremely uncommon for these weapons to be load with anything but AVSSC. If this is done, a single buckshot round inflicts 4D6 SDC or a single slug round inflicts 5D6 SDC.
Payload: 3 shells. Reloads must be carried separately. Manual reload takes one melee round to reload all 3 shells.
Cost: 2,500 Credits. (Available commercially in Columbia)
Garlic Grenade
See Rifts Vampires, pg 67. The Columbian version comes in both hand thrown and grenade launcher versions.
Cost: In Columbia, subsidized versions sell at 300 Credits per grenade.
Garlic Sprayer: A bionic chemical spray (Rifts Bionics Sourcebook, pg 91), adapted with a pistol grip and manual controls. It’s in game function is exactly the same as the bionic version.
Weight: 6 lbs (2.5 kg). (including garlic fill)
Cost: 2,000 credits. (Available commercially in Columbia) (far cheaper than the bionic version due to a) not needing bionic surgery, b) nor the electronics to connect to internal bionic control, and c) government subsidy)
Columbian AV1(Mil) helmet: This generic body armour helmet has 3 unique features. The first is an adaptive collar that allows it to be used with most environmental armour suits. The second is a doubled visor system. The inner visor is clear M.D.C. plastic, and is used as a projector screen when the outer visor is down. The outer visor supports multiple cameras (6 to be exact, using a similar mirror arrangement as that Col Morkraft discussed, 3 reflected, 3 direct. 3 Cameras for redundancy in case of failure.), which are set in stacked pairs (like a spider’s eyes). This collection of cameras has all the functions of a cybernetic multi-optic eye. The third element is the grenade mount on top of the head… The normal load is a garlic grenade (above) of course. Activated by coded voice command it detonates immediately.
M.D.C.: 45
Effects: Against vampires, their Prowl skill rolls are -75%, Disguise skill is -100% (and this applies for anything else that cannot be seen in a mirror, but with a CCD camera). Similar penalties may be applied by the GM to any other skill that would be hampered by automatic identification as a vampire. The system automatically highlights anything that only shows up on the non-reflected camera in a fluorescent outline on the screen, and further issues a quiet warning beep inside the helmet when a vampire is in view.
Detonation of the grenade has, of course, the effects appropriate for the grenade type.
Weight: 3 lbs (1.5 kg) above and beyond the weight of a normal helmet.
Cost: 100,000 Credits (Black Market, when available).
The AV1(Mil) is the military version of the helmet. The civilian version, the AV1(Civ), does not have the multi-optic eye capabilities, but is much cheaper (and is commercially available in Columbia) for 10,000 Credits
An alternative version of this helmet, the AV2(Mil) is useable with Columbian D20 and D30 armours (South America 1, pg 25-27). It has 100 M.D.C. and does not weigh significantly more than the normal powered armour helmet.
Columbian Vampire Burner System: A cylindrical block with a pistol grip protruding off-center from one side, pressing the blue button expands it into a 4 foot tall, 7 foot in diameter, partial dome. The structure is made of memory plastic struts and black M.D.C. fabric with a mirrored inner side, and is light enough to easily heave over either a body or an individual head lying on the ground (1 Attack Per Melee to open and put over something). Pulling the trigger releases a minor plasma charge into the dome, which cremates the subject effectively (1D4 M.D.C.). The flash and smoke are contained by the dome. Pressing the blue button again contracts the dome.
Weight: 6 lbs (2.5 kg)
Payload: 40 cremations from a short e-clip
Cost: 8,000 credits. (Available commercially in Columbia)
Anti Vampire CCD System: From the outside, this looks like a normal CCD system – a mirrored bubble – but it employs a multicamera system like the AV1 helmets. The system functions exactly as does the AV1 helmet, but is deployed remotely (ie feeding to a security station). These are deployed by both the military and civilians all over urban areas in Columbia.
M.D.C.: 100
Effects: See AV1 helmet.
Cost: 100,000 Credits (multi-optic version. Black Market, when available) or 10,000 Credits (civilian version, with only regular and low-light cameras commercially available in Columbia).
Columbian Drones
The republic currently employs multiple models of UAV`s built by the Morkraft Industrial Combine in variety of roles, particularly aerial surveillance (with a wide variety of sensors) and communications relays (they are experimenting with strike). Only the low altitude surveillance drone is presented here, as it is most likely used by players. Larger drones have better low-light cameras (able to see a bat sized object at night, absent clouds of course, from miles away) and significantly improved flight capabilities.
Morkraft Mini Low Altitude Surveillance Drone: A simple, cheap, quadcopter design, this model is either remotely operated, or can be programmed in waypoint fashion, actually flying is done by the machine. The mission hardware is contained in a plastic bubble turret under the main body. The camera can be set to automatically track an identified target. In flight, the system is surprisingly quiet. The flat black paint job makes it close to invisible at night. The Republic has networked fleet of these drones orbiting over every significant urban area, from dusk to dawn. .
Vehicle Type: Reconnaissance UAV
Speed: 60 mph (96 km/s) maximum. Can hover and move in any direction.
Altitude: 1000 feet (305 m) maximum.
Crew: None on board, 1 remote operator.
Statistical Data
Height : 18 inches (38 cm)
Width: 24 inches (51 cm)
Length: 24 inches (51 cm)
Weight: 12 lbs (5 kg)
M.D.C. by Location
Rotors (4) : 5 M.D.C. (-25% on autopiloting checks for each rotor destroyed – 3 or more guaranteed to cause a crash)
Main Body: 25 M.D.C.
Mission Hardware: 25 M.D.C.
PS No applicable, no lifting appendages.
Bonuses: Autododge +2 (there is an onboard motion sensor linked to the autopilor). In general, due to the limited field of view the camera’s generate the operator cannot actually guide the drone to dodge. He can target the camera/lights/laser designator). Effective prowl skill: 65% + 20% at night, Autopilot effective skill 75% - Winds 40-55 mph, -25% to piloting, Winds > 55 mph will force the drone to land.
Cargo: None.
Power System: Long E-clip, for 60 hours of life.
Sensors: The drone mounts a multicamera system identical to the AV1(Mil) helmet (it has no civilian equivalent), and can record up to 48 hrs of video. Can see a bat sized object from 2000 feet away in low-light mode.
Communications: Laser and radio communications. The system can act as a simple relay or as a network node.
Targeting: The drone mounts a laser designator (600 feet range), and a mini spotlight (200 feet range)
Cost: 200,000 Credits (black market, when available)
[1] CS Intelligence Comment: Colonel Morkraft is known to be a human being from an alternate dimension who was spat from a rift in Columbia in 104 PA. He has been extraordinarily successful at integrating into Columbian society, and his skills and leadership have been instrumental in recent Columbian successes against the Hakatla Vampire Kingdom. His humanity has been confirmed by Psi-Division assets when he visited Chi-Town as part of diplomatic discussions.
[2] CS Intelligence Comment: Colonel Morkraft’s assessment is considered unconfirmed and inaccurate by CS Intelligence.
[3] CS Intelligence Comment: Colonel Morkraft is being somewhat deceptive. He is known to have personally established a limited Columbian dog boy capability by recruiting ferals and deserters, but primarily by purchasing captured and enslaved dog boys from the Splugorth through non-human intermediaries (although he does “free” the dog boys). The Columbians are encouraging breeding activity to ensure capability preservation and long-term growth.
[4] This is true for real world wooden bullets, they have been used historically for blanks and training ammunition. How wooden railgun rounds don’t suffer the same effect, I have no idea, but they do canonically exist in Rifts.
[5] Note to the editor, to be removed before publication. For visual inspiration see http://www.historicalfirearms.info/post ... s-fabrique . The barrel on the Columbian version is shorter, thus the reduced range.
[6] Note to the editor, to be removed before publication. For visual inspiration see https://www.keltecweapons.com/shotguns/ksg-25/
