Maverick power armor from our groups custom rifts campaign

[Emerald MoonSilver]

Here is a new suit of power armor for you are, created by our mercenary group and the NGR for our custom Rifts campaign based out of California and using a new form of armor coating. I hope you all enjoy it.


Maverick
Custom Power Armor


The Maverick power armor is modified design of the original NEMA Gunbuster armor developed by the City of New Sacramento in conjunction with their new partnership with the NGR. IT was released after the Silver Eagle in response to the demonic invasion of Earth. This armor as well as the Silver Eagle and others are sold in the NGR’s new factory in MercTown and their new outlets in Arzno, Northern Gun and the Colorado Baronies.

What sets this armor apart from other is the use of a new type of thermo ceramic armor designed to lessen the damage done by demonic and any other fire using enemy. The armor causes any type of fire or plasma attack to doing only 1/2 of its usual damage, including magic and psionic damage.

Do to the more than serious nature of the invasion the chemical formula of the armor was released to all of the public computer networks in the US and in the NGR. The New Navy also has access to it and it spreading it to Japan and South America. This will allow any weapons manufacturer to create armor, both power and body armor with these features.

The main difference, besides the new TC armor is the weapons load out and the addition of jump jets added to the armor, described below.

Maverick Armor

Model Type: MV-210 (TC)
Class: Infantry Assault Armor
Crew: One Pilot

M.D.C. by Location:
Wilks 1000 Laser Cannon – 120
G-46 Rail Gun Cannon – 120
Optional Spotlight – 20
*Head – 100
*Hands (2) – 30 each
Arms (2) – 90 each
UEL Links in each arm - 12
Legs (2) – 200
Leg Mini Missile Launchers (2) – 150
**Back Mounted Jump Thrusters – 150
Reinforced Pilot’s Compartment – 150
*** Main Body – 300
Force Field – 100 M.D. (copied from Ultimax)

* A single asterisk indicates a small and difficult target to hit requiring a called shot and even then the target is -5 to strike.

** Destroying the Jump thrusters reduces the jumping ability to the base amount mentioned below.

*** Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will shut down the mecha completely and render it useless.

Speed:

Running: 90 mph maximum. The act of running tires out the operator at 10% of the usual fatigue rate.

Leaping: Without using the back thrusters the robot can leap up to 20 feet high or 30 feet across. Add 15 feet with a running start.

Using the new jump thrusters the robot can jump 60 feet high and 150 feet across. The thrusters can also allow the robot to jump from heights of 200 feet and land without damage to itself.

Underwater Capabilities: Airtight, and pressure resistant to 2000 feet. Can walk on bottom of of sea or lake at 25% of normal walking speed and can use back thrusters on surface or underwater at 45 MPH.

Flight: Inconceivable :>



Statistical Data:

Height: 9 feet, plus an additional 2 feet if the optional searchlight is installed. Width: 3 feet. Length: 4 feet

Weight: a little over 1 ton.
Physical Strength: Equal to Robot P.S. of 30

Cargo: Minimal storage space; a foot compartment and storage for a rifle, handgun, survival knife and first aid kit.

Power System: Nuclear, averages 20 years of life.

Cost and Availability: Quite new, fair to poor in most locations, except Merktown and other North American locations, in which is in fair to good supply.

Price can range from 2 to 4million depending on location and availability.

Weapon Systems:

1. Wilk’s 1000 Pulse Laser Cannon Mounted on right arm.

This is one of the most damaging laser weapons of its size available on the open market. The system is tied directed to the armor’s nuclear power supply, but a backup portable generator is also installed in the robot, providing ans additional 240 single pulse shots or 80 triple pulse blasts. The generator recharges at a rate of 8 charges per hour.

Primary Purpose: Assault
Weight: 40 pounds for the weapon and and addition 30 pounds for the generator stored in the main body of the mecha.

Mega-Damage: 5d6+3 M.D. for a single shot, or 3d4x10 M.D. for a 3 pulse blast.

Rate of Fire: Each single or multiple blast counts as a single attack.

Effective Range: 3000 feet.

Payload: Unlimited shots when tied to the main reactor.

2. G-46 Long Range Rail Gun mounted in left arm.

Primary Purpose: Assault

Weight: 120 pounds for weapon. Note rail gun ammo is composed of inert medal slugs. It is not explosive.

Mega-damage: A short burst fires 10 rounds and does 4d6 M.D.. A heavy burst of 30 rounds does 1d6x10 M.D. A single round does 2d4 M.D. If D.U. rounds are used then a short bust does 5d6+4 damage, a heavy burst does 2d4x10, and a single short will do 2d6 M.D.

The weapon can also fire silver ammo which will do double damage to creatures affected by silver.

Effective Range: 5000 feet.

Payload: Two 2000 round drums are hooks to the back of the mech providing a total of 400 short bursts or 132 heavy bursts.

3. Leg Mini-Missile Launchers (1 per leg)

Missile Type: Any type can be used.

Mega-Damage: Varies per missile used.

Range: 1Mile.

Rate of Fire: 1, 2, 4, or all 8.

Payload: 4 missiles in each leg launcher.

4. UEL Links

The suit is also equipped with a universal energy link in each arm that can accommodate any hand held human or power armor size weapon.

5. Force Field Array: The mecha is also equipped with a force field system taken from the Ultimax mecha.

Hand to Hand Combat: Available to those who take Power armor combat Elite: Maverick. Those not taking said skill use power armor basic combat stats.

Note: All bonuses are in addition to pilot’s own hand to hand combat bonuses and attribute bonuses.

+2 attacks per melee round, plus those of pilot at level 1, with 1 additional attack at level 3, 8 , and 12.

Critical strike the same as the pilot’s.
+2 initiative.
+2 strike with ranged weapons and hand to hand attacks.
+2 to parry
+2 to dodge.
+2 to disarm.
+2 to pull punch.
+2 to roll with impact, punch or fall.

Punch Damage: 8d6 S.D.C. on a restrained punch, 1d6 M.D. on a full strength punch.
Power Punch: 2d6 M.D. (Counts as 2 attacks)
Kick Damage: 2d4 M.D.
Power Kick: 4d4 M.D. (Counts as 2 attacks)
Running Leap Kick: 2d6 M.D.
Tear or pry with hands: 2d4 M.D.
Body Block/Ram: 2d6 M.D.
Full speed running ram: 6d4 M.D. but counts as 3 attacks.

Sensory Systems:

The mech incorporates all of the standard power armor sensors in addition to a language translator, depth gauge as well as full optical systems, laser targeting, telescopic, passive nightvision, thermo-imaging, infrared, ultraviolet, and polarization.

Note: Standard power armor systems are on page 271 or the Rifts RUE book.

[Warshield73]

That is an interesting PA. It is definitely tougher than most things we see from Bandito, NG, or other North American manufacturer. But, I always like when we see combinations of manufacturers. In this case Wilks, NG, Triax added to a NEMA base so interesting.

[Emerald MoonSilver]

That is an interesting PA. It is definitely tougher than most things we see from Bandito, NG, or other North American manufacturer. But, I always like when we see combinations of manufacturers. In this case Wilks, NG, Triax added to a NEMA base so interesting.

Glad you liked it, I plan to make more multi-manufacturer mecha and equipment in the future. Possibly some new ground vehicles and hover bikes.

[taalismn]

The Gunbuster doesn't get enough love IMHO as the basis of newer hardware.
The thermal resistance armor isn't too over the top considering the likely advances in heat tile protection for spacecraft during the Golden Age.
The underwater speed of 45 MPH IS a bit much for a power armor, which tend to be bricks in terms of streaming(and especially with all that ironmongery hanging off the arms).

All in all, while on the powerful side, it's a pretty decent machine.

[Warshield73]

The Gunbuster doesn't get enough love IMHO as the basis of newer hardware.
The thermal resistance armor isn't too over the top considering the likely advances in heat tile protection for spacecraft during the Golden Age.
The underwater speed of 45 MPH IS a bit much for a power armor, which tend to be bricks in terms of streaming(and especially with all that ironmongery hanging off the arms).

All in all, while on the powerful side, it's a pretty decent machine.

I agree. In fact I always thought thermal resistant armor should be more common in many Rifts settings. It just makes sense.

[dragonfett]

The Gunbuster doesn't get enough love IMHO as the basis of newer hardware.
The thermal resistance armor isn't too over the top considering the likely advances in heat tile protection for spacecraft during the Golden Age.
The underwater speed of 45 MPH IS a bit much for a power armor, which tend to be bricks in terms of streaming(and especially with all that ironmongery hanging off the arms).

All in all, while on the powerful side, it's a pretty decent machine.

I have always thought that the underwater speed of almost all power armor and robot vehicles are ridiculous, unless they have jets to assist them, and even then. Like an Iowa-class battleship (officially) tops out at 35.2 knots, or about 40.5 MPH. And it's built for the water. Water is far denser than air. In order to move through it, you have to displace it. The average human body as a volume of 62,000 cubic centimeters, and that is just for an average sized human.

[Warshield73]

The Gunbuster doesn't get enough love IMHO as the basis of newer hardware.
The thermal resistance armor isn't too over the top considering the likely advances in heat tile protection for spacecraft during the Golden Age.
The underwater speed of 45 MPH IS a bit much for a power armor, which tend to be bricks in terms of streaming(and especially with all that ironmongery hanging off the arms).

All in all, while on the powerful side, it's a pretty decent machine.

I have always thought that the underwater speed of almost all power armor and robot vehicles are ridiculous, unless they have jets to assist them, and even then. Like an Iowa-class battleship (officially) tops out at 35.2 knots, or about 40.5 MPH. And it's built for the water. Water is far denser than air. In order to move through it, you have to displace it. The average human body as a volume of 62,000 cubic centimeters, and that is just for an average sized human.

Forget the underwater speed the walking speed of robots and especially power armors is just ridiculous, but given the setting I think all of work.

[taalismn]

I have always thought that the underwater speed of almost all power armor and robot vehicles are ridiculous, unless they have jets to assist them, and even then. Like an Iowa-class battleship (officially) tops out at 35.2 knots, or about 40.5 MPH. And it's built for the water. Water is far denser than air. In order to move through it, you have to displace it. The average human body as a volume of 62,000 cubic centimeters, and that is just for an average sized human.

The assumption is...nuclear power running torpedo-like(or tuna-like biomechanical) propulsion systems on smaller frames, especially for submarine vehicles.
Maybe 'smart skin' materials that emulate sharkskin for better movement through water...plus maybe advances in supercavitation....but that would be high end (and expensive to maintain) vehicle types.

[Emerald MoonSilver]

I have always thought that the underwater speed of almost all power armor and robot vehicles are ridiculous, unless they have jets to assist them, and even then. Like an Iowa-class battleship (officially) tops out at 35.2 knots, or about 40.5 MPH. And it's built for the water. Water is far denser than air. In order to move through it, you have to displace it. The average human body as a volume of 62,000 cubic centimeters, and that is just for an average sized human.

The assumption is...nuclear power running torpedo-like(or tuna-like biomechanical) propulsion systems on smaller frames, especially for submarine vehicles.
Maybe 'smart skin' materials that emulate sharkskin for better movement through water...plus maybe advances in supercavitation....but that would be high end (and expensive to maintain) vehicle types.

Actually I just the set the speed to 45 mph as an arbitrary number, because I wasn't quite sure what an appropriate speed might be.

[taalismn]

[
Actually I just the set the speed to 45 mph as an arbitrary number, because I wasn't quite sure what an appropriate speed might be.

Well, for reference, most military submarines and submarine power armors in Rifts hit speeds of 30-40 MPH. The Sea SAMAS can hit speeds of 55 MPH, so the Maverick is not obscenely fast, just crazy fast(but I'd expect to see some serious streamlining).

Modern day, the Mrk 48 torpedo can hit speeds of 60 knots(that's 69 MPH). Russian supercavitating/rocket-powered/peroxide-powered torpedoes(like the ones that may have accidentally sunk the Kursk) are supposedly faster.

[DD The Shmey]

Yep, when I read it the underwater speed jumped out at me too as being a little bit high for something not purpose designed for underwater operations, but like taalismn said it's not anything obscene in terms of speeds.

The heat resistant armor idea is great. I've made space ships from one of the races i made up have similar ceramic based heat resistant armor that takes 1/2 damage from heat.
I would caution that the statement that the technology is being given to all other nation states to incorporate into their existing designs makes it seem like these nations can simply take the mdc stat block for all their creations and add a note that says "takes half damage from heat/plasma". ... There should be some kind of drawback to such conversions to maintain some level of balance and offset power creep. Something like needing to reduce the listed MDC by 25% in order to gain the resistance, or increased weight, or it takes extra damage from kinetic attacks, or something that would be a reason why the new stuff isnt categorically better than what came before it, and would immediately make all standard mdc materials obsolete, and inferior.

The ultimax was a lot bigger than this 9ft 1 ton power armor, so you might want to add a sentence about a new triax advancement in miniaturization of the force field used by the ultimate being used in this armor.

You seem to have a math inconsistency in the wilks 1000 arm laser. One shot does 5d6+3, but a burst of 3 does 3d4x10? That damage, 3d4x10, is closer to a pulse of 4. I suggest reducing this to 2d4x10+10. If you want to keep the high end damage you could make a single shot do 1d4x10. ... in either case this weapon is fairly powerful for an arm mounted weapon, most of the time palladium caps such damage at 1d4x10, with a main big gun for a PA being capped at 1d6x10, but there are some exceptions like in phaseworld or the triax 2 book with the arm mounted lasers on the new predator doing 1d6x10. Depending on what kind of things your party goes up against it, this amount of damage may be appropriate.

Balancing things in Rifts is hard because of swinging or inconsistant power levels of published materials. Also how the game was balanced around combat at the party level really messes with the economy of scale in ballance, with small hand held weapons weighing 7lbs that the party uses being a significant threat to large 30ft robots with armor 6 inches thick while the main weapon of said 30ft robot, a big cannon weighing 2 tons, doesn't simply one shot a party member wearing armor 1/2 an inch thick.

Overall I think you did a great job with the write up here, so don't let my critiqus discourage you. I approached the power armor looking for anything that seemed out of place, and for the most part you did a good job, and with the few exceptions I noted, it's about as good as other published material.

[Emerald MoonSilver]

You seem to have a math inconsistency in the wilks 1000 arm laser. One shot does 5d6+3, but a burst of 3 does 3d4x10? That damage, 3d4x10, is closer to a pulse of 4. I suggest reducing this to 2d4x10+10. If you want to keep the high end damage you could make a single shot do 1d4x10. ... in either case this weapon is fairly powerful for an arm mounted weapon, most of the time palladium caps such damage at 1d4x10, with a main big gun for a PA being capped at 1d6x10, but there are some exceptions like in phaseworld or the triax 2 book with the arm mounted lasers on the new predator doing 1d6x10. Depending on what kind of things your party goes up against it, this amount of damage may be appropriate.

SNIP


The wilks 1000 was not created by myself. It is a published weapon in the Merc Ops book. Now if you want to alter the damage for your campaign go right ahead, but the version I am using is the official one.

As a side not one of the players in our campaign has a Grackle Tooth character who carries around one of these lovely cannons and its generator as a personal rifle. When asked, how he can carry such a heavy weapon, his response is usually, "What heavy weapon?", as he smirks at them

[DD The Shmey]

You seem to have a math inconsistency in the wilks 1000 arm laser. One shot does 5d6+3, but a burst of 3 does 3d4x10?

The wilks 1000 was not created by myself. It is a published weapon in the Merc Ops book. Now if you want to alter the damage for your campaign go right ahead, but the version I am using is the official one.

As a side not one of the players in our campaign has a Grackle Tooth character who carries around one of these lovely cannons and its generator as a personal rifle. When asked, how he can carry such a heavy weapon, his response is usually, "What heavy weapon?", as he smirks at them

Oops, I don't own a copy of Merc Ops book. I suppose the palladium editors missed that one then, the weapon does more damage in bursts than in the sum of individual shots I guess.