Fantasy is my #1; I will give almost anything a chance if it has strong fantasy elements. Post apocalyptic, superhero, alternate history, science fantasy, some supernatural, romance, and a few fandoms (especially Game of Thrones) are also likely to catch my eye.
What are you talking about? We've got two Techie Artificers, one with a built in mortar launcher. Explosions are all the support you could ever need. 8D
What are you talking about? We've got two Techie Artificers, one with a built in mortar launcher. Explosions are all the support you could ever need. 8D
What are you talking about? We've got two Techie Artificers, one with a built in mortar launcher. Explosions are all the support you could ever need. 8D
Slot 4: Minor Weapons; In a seventh techtacle a high calibre pistol has been built in, in his hands he carries a polearm of unexplained construction capable of firing a terrific energy bolt every thirty seconds that'll strip a mans flesh to the bone, but is useless against armour.
Slot 5: Mortar; Behind his back is concealed his cyber-mortar, in combat it rises to a position on a small techtacle using advanced servos to maintain its targeting whereupon, using his creation engine, Alkazar can keep it loaded with shells.
Polearm can't have that effect. That's just too strong to start with, and in-universe it'd be more efficient to just compartmentalize that into a rifle, which artificers aren't trained in using.
High calibre pistol is a no-go. Same reason as the polearm: You aren't trained in using it, so it won't be very effective with you.
Lower the number of mechanical arms to six in total, you can upgrade more in later along with other effects.
Mortar is fine, just wanted to let you know that while firing, you'll obviously need to remain stationary until you get any appropriate upgrades that allow you to fire on the move.
Variable Mass Shield: A shield that's just large enough to cover Morris in his Power Armor the VMS is made of one of the strongest alloys known to the humans of Animus. Aside from that, its core of exotic material allows for the piece's mass to actually be rapidly shifted which makes it actually viable as physical cover. If Morris does manage to close into melee range, the shield can be broken into two halves to facilitate ease of use.
Tranquilizer Rifle – A rifle that shoots darts filled with tranquilizer that, when injected into a target, sedates them. It causes slowing, staggering gait, and poor judgment. Depending on the target and/or dose of sedative, can also render a target unconscious and may cause death. [Ten darts per mission, only five darts loaded at once]
You can have an unlimited number of tranquilizer darts to be blunt. This weapon isn't exactly going to put down armoured targets. Although you can make more ammo for yourself, seeing as how you're an Artificer. Also keep in mind that you still won't be as skilled using this weapon as a Ranger would be, but seeing as how it's non-lethal and doesn't pierce armour, the penalties won't be severe.
While making cybernetic components is possible and it's something Veritas aids in, the ship will not comply with turning people into full out robots. It claims there are insufficient resources to spend on such a project, because said resources would have to be diverted from weapons or tanks.
Expect lots of passion. Lots of distrust. And lots of ball-busting good times.
If it is acceptable by the great and merciful @Brovo, I would be more than interested in creating some "backstories" with a person or two be they friendships, rivalries or other.
Everyone, the order of content in this post: Character reviews/answering questions, teaser to your first mission, and additions to the lore, such as ship insignia & caste colours.
---------------------------------------- Decrypting audio logs. . . . . . . . . . Decrypted!
Subject: Fullcrum, Egidia.
Location: Planet Alvalossa, Jungle/Marsh biome mix.
Mission: Retrieve Mechanical Component from dead ship core at the heart of the marsh for Animus Veritas.
Status: M.I.A.
Last Known Logs, printed in text, in chronological order. Please show respect for those who pay the ultimate price to protect our home.
Egidia: ... I don't see what you're talking about. This ship is a lot smaller than the Veritas, there's no way she is still functioning. Derringer: You sure 'bout that? Look at how well Veritas held up, having to take care of us as well... Egidia: Look, Derringer, you're a hunter, I'm a techie. My mother was a techie, and my grandmother was a techie. The bigger the ship, the more you can scavenge to keep it running. Not to mention, from the looks of things here, nobody's been alive to care for this place in a long time. Derringer: You say that, but I swear I heard--
Background: Uninterpretable chittering is heard. Translators have failed to find a dialect in Veritas' computers so far.
Derringer: Told you! The ship is alive! Egidia: That ain't the ship! Derringer: Well how do you know that this ship sounds like other ships? Egidia: I swear, Veritas doesn't find that funny. Not one bit. She never has. Veritas (Remote Comm Link): Recommend you fall back. The two of you alone are not equipped for first contact or combat. Derringer: But, the ship's core is only a few decks aw--
Background: Human screaming and the howl of a creature that can only be described as totally alien to human ears. Gunfire.
There are several minutes of silence, though Egidia's radio contact is tracked by Veritas as managing to reach the surface level decks of the ship. The occasional sound of chittering is heard, but no further engagement.
Egidia: [Panting] Veritas, send help! Please! Veritas: Are you injured? Egidia: Yes, I can't feel my damn arm, and Derringer is just... Gone... Veritas: I will send assistance as soon as possible. Please remain calm and find some place to hide until help arrives. Maintain radio silence until then. Egidia: Yes! Of course!... I... I'm sorry I couldn't retrieve the core part-- Veritas: It's okay. We can try again. Your life is more meaningful right now than a component that can wait for a while. Do not blame yourself, just stay alive.
Background: Chittering is heard once more, though it sounds distant.
Egidia: Shit! Time to go. Get here soon, please!
Egidia maintains radio silence from here on out. Transmission ends.
Logs submitted to Elder Council. Copies are available for free public review. Volunteer team being assembled from the three castes: Warrior, Techie, and Caregiver. All volunteers who are approved for the rescue and retrieval mission will arrive on Planet Alvalossa via ship portal, fully equipped, within the hour, to meet up for final briefing at Alvalossa's military outpost, before being sent out with the cavalry.
Derringer's family has been informed of their loss. He died for Veritas: May his sacrifice not be in vain.
---------------------------------------- Lore Extensions (You can find these in the first post from now on as well.)
Insignia: The insignia of Animus Veritas was discovered long before the AI even awakened on several deck plates and damaged uniforms. It is also the first time people got the hint that the ship had a female gender. The insignia is shaped like a feminine woman wielding a blade in one hand, and a beaker in the other. Recently, through magnification of the image and Latin translations, small words found inscribed on the blade and beaker were translated to English. Upon the blade it reads "Bellum", Latin for War. The other word is "Scientia", Latin for Knowledge and Science. This insignia is often inscribed anywhere appropriate: On tanks, on uniforms, on firearms, on power suits, and so on.
There may be further words written along a ribbon wrapped around the feminine woman's waist, though Veritas has requested they remain untranslated, and so, by request, they remain untranslated.
Caste Colours: Each Caste has a colour for formal dress, for occasions such as dating or funerals. Hunters wear dark red dresses or suits, often satin or polyester. Techies wear light blue, like that of a species of bird once known as a Blue Jay, as a dress or suit. Caretakers wear green, like that of grass, also as a dress or suit. It's not uncommon for members of a Caste to wear an identifying bandana, armband, headband, coloured cloth wrapped around the arm, et cetera, which signifies their place within society at a glance.
Alvalossa: A planet several thousand light years from Earth, located in a system with a green star which shines in a pale, almost sickened way upon the planet below. With two moons, it suffers wild tidal shifts at the coasts, making them unsuitable for human life. The high degree of CO2 will poison humans without gas masks that can filter the outer atmosphere. Thankfully, thanks to advancements in technology, gas masks can be as small and unobtrusive as the user desires.
The planet is covered in a thick, green mix of jungle and marsh, even at the north and south poles, which contain a myriad of bizarre, inhuman creatures--primarily giant lizards, insectoids, and arachnids. It's comparable to the late Cretaceous period on Earth. In a small clearing, there is a military outpost temporarily established to scavenge a nearby, crashed ship which has components that Animus Veritas requires for its core.
Overall, it is an ugly and muggy planet, and if there is any semblance of civilization on such a world, it was not one that humanity would have considered in high standing to its values of order and peace.
Egidia Fullcrum: Child of multiple generations of Techies on both sides of the family, became a Techie Ranger as a result. Smart, typically optimistic. Irish ethnic background, and one of the few to show interest in the Earth of old, despite information on it being limited due to non-essential data servers being shut down years ago. Enjoys a good cup of tea.
Egidia, should she be rescued and kept alive, is a useful scout and combat intelligence asset. She's typically the person to go in even before players, so the longer she stays alive, the more information you'll get. In combat, she's a competent sharpshooter, but is best left to staying away from the front line, as she's prone to panicking when under heavy duress.
Derringer: A power suit user who is presumed dead as a result of contact with unknown species in the middle of a scouting mission. He leaves behind three adopted children and a husband.
Firearms: The traditional sense of the 'boomstick' has been largely replaced by laser rifles and explosives-tipped ammunition. Laser rifles are by and far the standard, able to hit targets at long distance and cause lasting damage that nanobots cannot immediately repair. Larger calibre, higher power output, or otherwise harder hitting weapons, tend to be more effective on the battlefield: It's better to get one solid hit than a rapid succession of pointless automatic fire that cannot even pierce the shell of a power suit. Flamethrowers still see some niche use, but against power suits they're largely irrelevant unless a target can be pinned down.
In short: Automatic firearms = terrible. Automatic turrets may still see some use in certain situations, but certainly not firearms. The more damage it can do in one shot, the better your odds of being able to do something in a fight with it.
Power Suits: Potent pieces of technology that service as full body suits that cover the user head-to-toe in incredible potent armour. The armour is strongest at the front, so remember when engaging power suits or using one: Your sides, your back, your knees, your elbows, your shoulders, and your neck, are all weak points for rangers to hit. As such, it's most common for power suits to protect their neck first and foremost, and to wield shields of several different varieties to be able to absorb blows. Power suits come with shock absorbers to allow the user to withstand hard hitting blows and come out of it in one piece, though the shock absorbers aren't perfect: Bruising and cracked bones are common injuries after heavy firefights, or especially violent sparring.
Because it's awkward to wield a Power Suit, the essence of ranged combat is lost on the majority of them: The level of precision necessary to wield a rifle, simply isn't there without severe levels of modifications that draw great attention to the user. Plus, whilst a power suit uses a ranged weapon, it cannot put up a proper defense, becoming extremely vulnerable to ranged sharpshooters. Melee weapons are common, as it's easy to imbue a great deal of power into a melee weapon, and complements a kit that favours wielding shields as well.
