Behemoth Layout

[Hotrod]

I have a few thoughts. First off, it's a great concept. Having a mobile adventuring base/platform is a fantastic way to run a campaign. Best campaign I ever GM'd had the PCs based off a small sailing ship in PFRPG.

One potential issue: the Behemoth is a sitting duck, and has no way of getting out of dodge fast, like the Serenity. That means you'll either need peace through superior firepower, or you'll have to work through civilized areas. It's moderately tough, but its weapons are a joke, and it's a huge, slow-moving target.

Althernatives could include a large hovercraft, something like a Death's Head Transport, a seagoing small ship, like that patrol boat with the ginormous mini-missile rack on it, a submarine, or you could try importing an actual ship out of Phase World or Aliens Unlimited(ideal settings for a Firefly-like campaign, imo).

[Ectoplasmic Bidet]

I'm planning a sort of Firefly-esque campaign with a Behemoth as the main vehicle. I'd like to map out the interior, but I haven't found any canon interior plans. Does this thing have multiple decks? I'm picturing something like:
Deck 4 (top): Observation Lounge/kitchen.
Deck 3 (middle): Labs/Bridge.
Deck 2 (lower): Living quarters.
Deck 1 (bottom) Storage bay/Engineering.

Any thoughts on this? I've only looked at the Behemoth from the Core Book; I haven't seen any of the variants.

There is a modified Behemoth mentioned in WB27: Adventures in Dinosaur Swamp. You can also use the robot creation/modification rules in Revised SB1 and do a hover conversion on the Behemoth. That would seriously improve your mobility.

[DhAkael]

I'm planning a sort of Firefly-esque campaign with a Behemoth as the main vehicle. I'd like to map out the interior, but I haven't found any canon interior plans. Does this thing have multiple decks? I'm picturing something like:
Deck 4 (top): Observation Lounge/kitchen.
Deck 3 (middle): Labs/Bridge.
Deck 2 (lower): Living quarters.
Deck 1 (bottom) Storage bay/Engineering.

Any thoughts on this? I've only looked at the Behemoth from the Core Book; I haven't seen any of the variants.

There is a modified Behemoth mentioned in WB27: Adventures in Dinosaur Swamp. You can also use the robot creation/modification rules in Revised SB1 and do a hover conversion on the Behemoth. That would seriously improve your mobility.

OR have it semi-transformable with hover jets in the legs (which fold up against the bottom) for greater mobility in non-leg navigable terrain... like water or rocky hills

[DhAkael]

Thanks for the suggestions! I've seen a six-legged variant somewhere on this board, too. I agree, the two-legged design is rather...unwieldy, so I was thinking of using treads, but the hover idea is good, too (I just don't want the PCs to have full-flight ability, so it'd be very limited hover). What about the interior, though? Does it have multiple decks?

two decks...
and I was thinking present day hover; as in coasting on cushion of air just maybe a few feet above ground

[everloss]

sure the Behemoth has poor weaponry, but shouldn't a point of the campaign be for the player characters to spend their loot on upgrading it?

Why give them an awesome juggernaut right off the bat?

[DhAkael]

sure the Behemoth has poor weaponry, but shouldn't a point of the campaign be for the player characters to spend their loot on upgrading it?

Why give them an awesome juggernaut right off the bat?

...that too

[Zer0 Kay]

I'm planning a sort of Firefly-esque campaign with a Behemoth as the main vehicle. I'd like to map out the interior, but I haven't found any canon interior plans. Does this thing have multiple decks? I'm picturing something like:
Deck 4 (top): Observation Lounge/kitchen.
Deck 3 (middle): Labs/Bridge.
Deck 2 (lower): Living quarters.
Deck 1 (bottom) Storage bay/Engineering.

Any thoughts on this? I've only looked at the Behemoth from the Core Book; I haven't seen any of the variants.

There is a modified Behemoth mentioned in WB27: Adventures in Dinosaur Swamp. You can also use the robot creation/modification rules in Revised SB1 and do a hover conversion on the Behemoth. That would seriously improve your mobility.

OR have it semi-transformable with hover jets in the legs (which fold up against the bottom) for greater mobility in non-leg navigable terrain... like water or rocky hills

Wow wish I would have come up with that one too oh wait... SiegfreidZ, I hope you enjoy. If you like your welcome to it, just give credit where it is due.

[Todd Yoho]

There is a modified Behemoth mentioned in WB27: Adventures in Dinosaur Swamp. You can also use the robot creation/modification rules in Revised SB1 and do a hover conversion on the Behemoth. That would seriously improve your mobility.

Of the editing done to my parts of this book, the significant culling of my work for The Lazlo is the most tragic. I had deck plans and everything.

[Zer0 Kay]

There is a modified Behemoth mentioned in WB27: Adventures in Dinosaur Swamp. You can also use the robot creation/modification rules in Revised SB1 and do a hover conversion on the Behemoth. That would seriously improve your mobility.

Of the editing done to my parts of this book, the significant culling of my work for The Lazlo is the most tragic. I had deck plans and everything.

Gee even if they just printed it on the inside of the cover...

[Mech-Viper Prime]

There is a modified Behemoth mentioned in WB27: Adventures in Dinosaur Swamp. You can also use the robot creation/modification rules in Revised SB1 and do a hover conversion on the Behemoth. That would seriously improve your mobility.

Of the editing done to my parts of this book, the significant culling of my work for The Lazlo is the most tragic. I had deck plans and everything.

Gee even if they just printed it on the inside of the cover...

nope because we need that same crap on the horune again that was in the underseas book

[mobuttu]

This is my Behemoth map:

http://equip-r.blogspot.com.es/2010/08/ ... lorer.html

I made it with 3 decks taking a scientific vessel as a model.

Hope you like it.

(as always click on the upper-right button for an automatic google translation and also click on the image to enlarge it).

[Hotrod]

I just ran across this and did a face-smack for not remembering it earlier.

In revised Sourcebook 1, The Northern Gun NG-HCH-2000 Big Bertha. It's an armored, but unarmed, big rig hover vehicle used to transport heavy stuff. As a cargo hauler (like the Firefly), it would fit in well with your concept. The cab alone could accommodate a party of 3 or so, and if you kept a carried pod on the back, you could have a bay for robots, cargo, whatever.

[wyrmraker]

I have always felt that the Behemoth was packed full of potential for many things, but limited in desirability by both price and lack of combat effectiveness in a harsh, violent world.
A favorite thing to do with a Behemoth is modification. It's size provides many opportunities for techno-wizard mods, weapons platforms (it weighs HOW much? Surely mounting a Boom Gun or five wouldn't be out of the question), or even a full revision involving an additional deck or two (like an underslung vehicle bay).
And finally, the sheer size and design of the Behemoth would allow for someone with access to advanced technology to convert it into a low-end exploratory starship. Think about this: CG STL drive, starfighter shields, proper starship environmental controls and sensors...

[slade the sniper]

I thought about doing something similiar, but with a MAC II from Robotech instead. I did some alt history for it as a mobile TOC and artillery support vehicle, and used it as the travelling HQ for a group. I would suspect that the Behemoth would be excellent for that purpose if you modded out the vehicle.

Spoiler:

It has a crew of 3 with 8 passengers...and from the size of it, I don't think it just has 8 jumpseats in there...


M.A.C. II Monster - During the weapons development stage of the RDF's formation, there was considerable interest in the use of artillery assets in this new form of high speed and non linear warfare. Never before had maneuver units had the speed and mobility of the enemy Earth was soon to face. The question was not whether artillery weapons were needed, it was what form they should take.
In the late 1980's the United States military had approved for procurement the MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) as a corps artillery weapon. This was an incredibly lethal weapons system whose time had come, and armed with that fact, the weapons design teams of the RDF set out to create a missile artillery weapons system to put the MLRS to shame. They succeeded in the RDF's Spartan Destroid.
However, there was a nagging doubt that many "old school" RDF ground commanders felt when presented with the new Spartan. It seemed that perhaps they were simply unwilling to fully embrace the new Destroid technology. After all they had a perfect combined arms team, with Excalibers as the front line combat units, Gladiators for engineering support, Raider X's for tactical air defense and the new Spartan as a long range artillery and air defense unit.
When the RDF Army set out to hone their tactics with the new weapons systems at the United States National Training Center in Fort Irwin California, it soon became apparent what was left out. There was no suitable command and control vehicle for the management of any mech formations larger than a platoon (4 vehicles). The simple problems of communications and size of the combat area proved to be the undoing of the RDF at these early exercises.
At first it was deemed that perhaps one of the ubiquitous M113 APC varients the M577 could be refitted and upgraded to act as a mobile TOC (tactical operations center), after all it was performing that job in the US armored and mechanized divisions at that time.
That idea was soon thrown out, as it was too small and under armored to be useful for the RDF's purposes. It was within 6 weeks of the disastrous trials at NTC that the requirements for a command and control mecha were placed at the feet of the RDF design teams feet.
The requirements were quite daunting, perhaps even more so than those faced by the Excaliber's design team of six years ago. This new mecha was to be fast, well armed, heavily armored and contain the best Command, Control, Communications, Cryptographic, Intelligence and Information (known as C4I2) equipment in the world, and be able to hold a planning cell for any size formation from a battalion TOC to a division staff.
Unfortunately, many of these requirements proved to be mutually exclusive in the final analysis. The M.A.C. II's original designation was the Mobile Armored Command and Control mecha or MAC2 for short. This was soon converted to the now accepted M.A.C. II. The name "Monster" came about from the quote by General Arthur Halsey, UN RDF Army, who upon seeing the almost 300 ton prototype MAC was heard to utter, "Jesus Christ, look at that ******* monster!"
The MAC II, while a valuable addition to the mechanized forces of the RDF has a tendency to find itself in the middle of fighting it is supposed to be coordinating. The heavy weapons, sensors, and armor of this mecha make it hard to kill, but it is certainly not an impossible task. When used as a pure command and control vehicle, providing limited fire support this mecha is incredibly deadly, but when stripped of its supporting units, it becomes nothing more than a very valuable target.
Vehicle Designation: HWR-00-MK II Mobile Armored Command and Control, (M.A.C.C.) commonly called the M.A.C. II Monster
Variants of note: The MK III which replaces the tri-laser cannon arms with triple tube missile launchers. This Variant is called the Mighty Monster, or the Mighty Mo (perhaps a reference to the USS Missouri, a mothballed United States Iowa-class dreadnaught from WWII, whose nickname was "The Mighty Mo" due to her impressive firepower.)

-STS

[taalismn]

I thought about doing something similiar, but with a MAC II from Robotech instead. I did some alt history for it as a mobile TOC and artillery support vehicle, and used it as the travelling HQ for a group. I would suspect that the Behemoth would be excellent for that purpose if you modded out the vehicle.


-STS

Beautiful, simply beautiful. The big-footed, slow-stomping giant robots have an eccentric grace all their own.

[Akashic Soldier]

100,000,000 is a lot of credits. I have been saving up for a NG-EX for just under a year of game time and I'm still nowhere near having enough.

[Comrade Corsarius]

Sky-ship, kids. Sky-ship. As big as you need, as many decks as you need, and absolute BUCKETS of style.

[Akashic Soldier]

Sky-ship, kids. Sky-ship. As big as you need, as many decks as you need, and absolute BUCKETS of style.

Yup! WAY cheaper too!

You can check out an awesome TW transport barge in Rifter #60! Affordable, not overpowered, and overall pretty neat!

[eliakon]

Sky-ship, kids. Sky-ship. As big as you need, as many decks as you need, and absolute BUCKETS of style.

Yup! WAY cheaper too!

You can check out an awesome TW transport barge in Rifter #60! Affordable, not overpowered, and overall pretty neat!

Assuming TW works for your group that is.

[Akashic Soldier]

Assuming TW works for your group that is.

It'll fly for anyone. If it has any disadvantage its that it can only for fly for 2 hours away from a ley line. Even so, thats workable.

[taalismn]

Assuming TW works for your group that is.

It'll fly for anyone. If it has any disadvantage its that it can only for fly for 2 hours away from a ley line. Even so, thats workable.

Combine it with the flying housebarges from the Chinese Geofront.

[Akashic Soldier]

Combine it with the flying housebarges from the Chinese Geofront.

I'm not familiar with them?

[taalismn]

Combine it with the flying housebarges from the Chinese Geofront.

I'm not familiar with them?

They're essentially the flying noodle stand from The Fifth Element....They appear in the second Rifts China book near the back and are flying Hong Kong houseboats, the technological version of the Sky Ship. The description, however, suggests that the design dates back to the Golden Age(examples have been in the same families for generations) so it's possible that the design originated outside(and isn't exclusive to) the China Geofront.

[eliakon]

Assuming TW works for your group that is.

It'll fly for anyone. If it has any disadvantage its that it can only for fly for 2 hours away from a ley line. Even so, thats workable.

I was more talking about 'if the party is willing to use TW' Some parties wont use techno-wizardry and some wont use magic. If your playing a group of Quebec patriots out to do heroics for your fellow man.....you might not want a TW ship.

[Akashic Soldier]

I was more talking about 'if the party is willing to use TW' Some parties wont use techno-wizardry and some wont use magic. If your playing a group of Quebec patriots out to do heroics for your fellow man.....you might not want a TW ship.

This is a very good point. My Earth Warlock GrUz is not fond of Techno-Wizardry either. He would rather have the gem used in its construction over the device itself where possible.