Ikarean Battle Armor
by
Colin Chapman
Ikarean Battle Armor is anciet in design, representing some o the best armor available in the days of the Ancients. Unique to the Ikarus metrozone, these razor-winged flying battlesuits are a symbol of Ikarean pride and arrogance.
The antique technological lore used to make these marvels is jealously guarded, and the suits are never sold or traded to non-Ikareans. Pity the outsider who is found in possessio of one, for the Torturemasters will make their suffering legendary before giving them a final flying lesson...without their suit.
Each suit is custom-fitted to its wearer, making it comfortable and snug, and while a suit can certainly be modified to fit another individual of roughly the same size and stature no Ikarean would lower themselves to wear someone else's "cast-offs".
Further individualising their "stock" battlesuits, Ikareans often have them engraved or etched with intricate filigree, coats of arms, and badges of honor. Some of the wealthiest owners even have them inlaid with precious metals and stones, as befits their personal tastes.
Despite their aesthetic qualities, Ikarean battlesuits are functional and deadly, designed to preserve the lives of their wearer at high altitudes. They feature built-in life support systems and oxygen supplies, protecting against extremes of heat and cold, and the lack of air at extreme altitudes. Flexible metallic mesh and shock-absorbent linings protect against impact, energy and the perils of high-G acceleration. Sophisticated autopilot functions return incapacitated wearers to the safety of Ikarus, and their razor-sharp wingblades make lethal melee weapons.
Utilizing suspensor technology and gravatic vectoring to keep them airborne, they are whisper-quiet in flight. Works of art and weapons of war, all Ikarean battlesuits possess the following systems:
Powered Exoskeleton
All battlesuits are classified as powered armor, meaning that they contain internal powered skeletons and servo-systems that increase the suit's manoeuverability by effectively counter-acting its bulk and weight. These hydraulics not only remove any possible Dexterity penalties the battlesuit would have inflicted, but substitute their own ST (+1) for that of the wearer. The wearer may not add his own ST to this, nor may he override the suit's exoskeleton. Should the exoskeleton be disabled in any way, the battlesuit has a DP of -3, as not only does it become dead weight, but the non-functioning hydraulic system serves to impede the wearer's movement.
Shock Absorption
All Ikareans acknowledgte that the day will come when they will crash, and have made allowances for this eventuality in their battlesuit designs. Short-burst thrusters and powerful shock absorbers halve the amount of damage the wearer takes from a crash or fall, even if the suit's gravatic engines fail.
Environment Sensors
Battlesuits are designed to protect their users against changes in their environment. If altitude or air pollution becomes a problem the suit will automatically seal itself and switch over to it's own internal air supply. Since Ikareans are notorious poisoners, their suits are equipped with some of the best ambient toxin detectors available. In the presence of any form of harmful gas the suit will seal itself automatically, alowing its user to ignore the affects of the poison. Ikarean battlesuits can function in liquid environments, although they merely act as diving suits in such situations and do not grant any of their usual flight abilities. Battlesuits possess a 2-hour air supply, and will replensih this supply automatically after 2 hours in any area there is a relatively clean air supply (it does filter out the toxic dust particles common throughout the Wastes).
Motion Detectors
In order to prevent collisions, all battlesuits possess motion detectors. These will alert the user if anything moving enters a predetermined area around the suit (up to a 50-meter radius). Motion detectors can be set to detect even the movement of a snake, and have the advantage of being able to perform as security sensors if the Ikarean is asleep. This can be adjusted to ignore objects below a certain size so that the user can get some rest. This system also has the advantage of warning against impacts by objects larger than a rodent, and therefore also warns against imminent missile strikes. This grants the wearer a +1 bonus when attempting to dodge missiles or other objects thrown or fired at them, including crossbow bolts, arrows, spears, rocks, etc. It does not, however, warn against incoming energy blasts or bullets (which are too small and fast to register).
Comm-Net Relay
All battlesuits possess an internal comm-net relay allowing them to patch into all non-secure comm-grids within 10 kilometers and to communicate over and monitor a broad range of frequencies. It will not decrypt encoded transmissions.
Navigational Instruments
All Ikarean battlesuits contain powerful navigational datacores. These allow the wearer to know his position exactly with relation to a pre-programmed point on the planetary surface.
Auto-Pilot
All battlesuits have an in-built auto-pilot system that, if activated, will return the suit and wearer to their home-landing site automatically if they are within 10 kilometers of Ikarus. In addition, if the wearer is rendered unconscious, medical sensors will detect this and the autopilot function will engage immediately. The autopilot can also be programmed to fly to a fixed point on the planetary surface, irrespective of range. If the suit encounters any difficulties while the wearer is incapacitated it flies itself using the basic
battlesuit skill of 0. It will not make attacks, but will attempt to evade attacks and obstacles.
Digital Magnocular Visor
The visor of each battlesuit can function as a digital stereoscopic telephoto camera and image engancer. This enables the user to see at up to 1000x magnification, and also take digital images of whatever he is looking at. The images are stored in memory and can be replayed through the visor or downloaded into a computer, and are used by wide-ranging scouts to locae potential areas for raiding.
Wingblades
The infamous weapons of Ikarean battlesuits, wingblades are retractable duralloy wings with razor-keen edges, and make lethal melee weapons as well as aiding in-flight manoeuverability. flying without them extended inflicts a -9 penalty on all the wearer's movement rolls while in-flight. They inflict 1M+2 damage (the wearer's ST does not adjust this; the damage already includes the battlesuit's ST of +1) and use the Ikarean's Battlesuit skill slot in close combat.
Basic
Rules
Ikaean battlesuits follow the basic rules for powered armor, as follows:
- All use banks of 100 DPCs, granting them a month of continuous operation between recharges.
- All Ikarean battlesuits have an Energy Rating. This is how many energy points you can spend each turn when wearing the battlesuit.
- It takes 1 energy point to move, to make a close-combat attack, or use an integral weapon or system.
- When lifting and carrying things, you must spend energy points eqqual to the ST you need to carry your burden.
- You cannot spend more energy points than your suit generates each turn. So, if your suit had anenergy rating of 2 and you had two attached weapons, a psi-shield and a visor, you could choose to move and fore one of the weapons, or move and activate the psi-shield, or fire two weapons. If the suit had an energy rating of 3, you could move and fire both weapons, or move and activate the psi-shield, and activate one weapon, and so on. At the start of your action phase, you get to decide how to spend your energy rating.
Basic
Battlesuits
Ikarean battlesuits come in three basic configurations, and these form the
basis for their more specialised battlesuits.
| Type | AR | DP | WT | Cost | Speed | Energy | Avail | Notes |
| Light | 4 | 0 | -- | 2M | 420kph | 3 | 0 | +1 Aerobatics |
| Medium | 6 | 0 | -- | 2M | 350kph | 3 | 0 | -- |
| Heavy | 8 | 0 | -- | 2M | 280kph | 3 | 0 | -1 Aerobatics |
Light Battlesuits: Light battlesuits sacrifice protection for greater speed and manoeuverability. Slighter in overall bulk than other battlesuits, they are favored among Ikarean couriers and scouts.
Medium Battlesuits: Medium battlesuits are the optimum balance of speed, armor and manoeuverability, making them superb general-purpose battlesuits. The stock medium batlesuit detailed here is the one presented in the Waste World rulebook. It is most commonly worn by the Eaglewarriors, the lesser bloodline nobles who form the bulk of the Ikarean air-borne military.
Heavy Battlesuits: Heavy battlesuits feature heavier, thicker armor, increasing protection at the cost of speed and manoeuverability. The least common of the stock battlesuits, they are primarily used by a small percentage of Eaglewarriors who specialise in assaulting massed groups of enemies and fortifications.
Special
Rules For Battlesuits
Overhead Attack
When facing a non-flyer someone in an Ikarean battlesuit will always count as attacking from above. In combat between two flyers, the one with the highest initiative roll can claim this close combat bonus.
Silent Attack
Ikarean battlesuits are very fast and near-silent. Their users can sweep in from a long way away and attack before their victim is aware of them. Unless their foe is already aware of them, a successful stealth roll will enable them to make a surprise attack with charge bonus on anything within range.
Combat Climb
As long as there is room overhead, an Ikarean warrior can very swiftly be airborne and out of combat. This means that if they can win a DX contest with their foe, they can speed upwards and out of close combat without allowing their opponent the free attack they would normally get. They cannot do this if they have been successfully grappled.
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WASTE WORLD is a trademark of Manticore Productions Limited.
All Contents Copyright Manticore Productions Limited, 1997.
No challenge to these trademarks is intended.
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