Beo's Thingamajigs

[Beowulf]

Idea

• Iron Crusaders. Aliens invade alternate universe Earth. Small, power suited infantry units called Iron Crusaders, with the help of alien artifacts called Cores, are created to help fight these invaders.
  • What are the Iron Crusaders?
    • Why?
  • What is known about Cores?
    • Invader's culture? Is anything known?
    • Need a name for aliens.
  • Setting? Futuristic almost post apocalyptic earth. Destroyed cities, dirty.
    • However realistic it could be considered, the whole thing will be more anime/cartoony in nature.
  • What makes them special?
    • For simplicities sake, they just have to have a reason to be an Iron Crusader. Genetic enhancements alongside cybernetic enhancements will be allowed within reason.
  • What do I hope to achieve with this?
    • For the players to eventually fight the leader (hive mind?) of the alien invasion and push back the invasion.
    • Losses suffered throughout the campaign will show that victory is not garunteed.
      • Possible losses. Losing fights, limbs, allies, npcs (IE family members and commanders)
  • Mechanics.
    • If the players make stupid decisions, ie a sniper with no cqc weapon or training going into melee combat with aliens or a heavy gunner firing at snipers that are well out of their range, should be punished. For the examples, the sniper would be stabbed several times and beaten black and blue, possible dismemberment or death of player. Heavy gunner, snipers would return fire and wound, possibly dismember or death of player. Case by case scenario.

Continue polishing until beyond happy with it.

Critics.
@T _ T Salty
@IceQueen

 

[Sir Salty]

Awesome, but tonight I am too damn tired to tell you anything. Brain tired. Not sleep tired.

 

[Beowulf]

Iron Crusaders is the name given to the project of soldiers that have undergone surgery in order to gain the full power of the Core. These soldiers, dubbed Crusaders, undergo training to fully understand the power their power suits give them as well as their limitations and weaknesses. Power armor of an Iron Crusader is simply called Armor, and varies (sometimes drastically) from Crusader to Crusader.

There are four major classes, Heavy, Medium, Light, and SPG.

Light Armors are the nimblest class of tanks, but suffer dearly for it in armor and weapon strength. These Armors can easily out pace other classes. Light class Armors have only one sub class, Recon, which is designed to specifically get eyes on the enemy and relay positioning and logistics to their team, and are even lighter then the standard Light Armor.

SPGs are moderately armored with a big gun. SPG class is divided into two sub classes, Destroyer and Sniper. Destroyers have heavy armor and a weapon large enough to take down buildings and blow up dams in one shot, this is traded for speed and maneuverability making them susceptible to flanks. Destroyers are meant to be front line bunker busters. Snipers are just that, light armor allowing for high maneuverability and with a weapon that, though not as powerful as the Destroyer class's, has a much higher range and damage potential then other classes outside of SPG. Sniper class does not fare well in sustained combat without support from other Armor classes.

Heavy Armors are designed with absolute protection and oppressive fire power in mind. This class is the most heavily armored as well as the slowest and least maneuverability. Weapons, though not as powerful as a Destroyer's or Sniper's, is respectable none the less. Easily out flanked by lighter foes. Heavy class Armors have one sub class, Super Heavy. Trading almost everything for armor, these Armors are almost indestructible, but their weapons are comparable to a Light class's in stopping power.

Medium Armors are the middle of the road. Not the fastest but not the slowest, not the most heavily armored nor the least, and a decent sized gun. Jack of all, Master of none. There are no sub classes for Medium Armors.

 

[Beowulf]

Early Armors and Crusaders.

The first Armor prototypes, and those that followed, attempted to combine the maneuverability and size of infantry with the armor and stopping power of tanks. The first prototype, perhaps fittingly labeled Little Willie which was the nickname given to the prototype of the first tank, was big, bulky, and excruciatingly slower then what was hoped for, however the armor was enough to sufficiently protect the wearer during testing. Even with the obvious faults, the design held promise and the scientists and engineers persevered and began polishing the design.

After many failed prototypes, frustration began to build. The power they could provide the frame without adding a diesel engine was to low to adequately put arms or armor on without drastically slowing down the wearer. Design after design was drawn before being angrily crumpled and possibly ripped to shreds before being tossed into the nearest bin. They were so close to what they dubbed the hybridization mark, the fusing of infantry and tank. But without sufficient power, they'd never be able to reach that mark.

With the discovery of the Core and it power output, scientists and engineers once more set to work designing what would become the first used Armor of the Iron Crusaders. They had finally reached it, the hybridization mark.

(Could be better. Think of better ending for Armor. Talk more about the first Crusaders.)

 

[Beowulf]

Cores, the heart of Crusaders.

Cores weren't unheard of at the start of the project, in fact several Cores were in storage throughout the entirety of the project. Cores were salvaged from combat with the alien invaders. Looking like creamy white pearls, they are only an inch in diameter but are surprisingly heavy for their size, nearly two pounds. This incredibly dense object has been commonly found in the weapons of killed invaders, these weapons refusing to fire before and after their Cores are removed.

When tested upon in an environment with no stimuli aside from light, nothing happened. Poke and prod as they liked with their machines and gloved hands, the Cores would refuse to do anything. It wasn't until one frustrated scientist took off their gloves and prepared to throw the Core at the nearest wall did something finally happen. An intense power surge briefly turned everything on in the whole facility before turning everything off again.

It was later learned that the trigger for releasing the power had been contact with the scientists skin. Further experiments showed that the greater the surface area touched by the skin, the greater the power output. Tests also showed that human flesh in general could release this power. Five years later and the first Core implant was performed. However, after completely implanting a Core in a willing volunteer, the Core did not activate and simply dissolved into the hosts body. Why this occurred is unknown, but even the slightest bit of exposure to air and light will prevent it from dissolving. Some biologists claim that this means that Cores are pseudo life and parasitic, like viruses but helpful. The safest part of the body to surgically implant a Core is the base of the neck by the T-2 and T-3 spinal column, about where the neck and shoulders meet.

 

[Beowulf]

Though invaded, the world did not unite as one to push off the threat. Instead, the major countries of Germany, Russia, Japan, and America worked individually on separate projects. The leader of these projects was America, who had the most to lose with an alien base deployed on their soil. It was the Americans that fielded the first Armor prototypes, the design of which was quickly copied by other nations and worked on to fit their specific needs. These designs were unanimously, though not intentionally, named after old model tanks such as the KV-2, Hellcat, Panzerkampfwagon IV, and the Type 95 Ha-Go light tank.

Russia focused on creating something that would not flinch even in the face of heavy fire. A common design choice by the Russians in World War Two, the large gun was added almost as an after thought. Their design was by far the biggest and bulkiest, yet it proved effective at close to medium battles simply because enemy shots could not penetrate the thick armor.

The United States was looking more into the large gun aspect of the design, believing firmly in not giving the enemy even a chance to fight back. They developed long range fire power that could blow away almost anything set in front of it. However, their focus on not letting the enemy close lead them to believe that it wasn't even going to be a possibility. Properly supported, however, it never will be.

Germany had a more balanced design. The designs did not shine particularly brightly on their own, but in a group they could trample anything that got in their way. Effective and cheap to produce compared to the other, more specialized designs, Germany could pump out hundreds of these armors once a successful model was finally designed.

Japan simply wanted to run circles around the enemy, find their weak points, and exploit them to full effect. Japanese designs sky rocketed to the front of the pack, literally, when it came to speed. However, reduced armor and lower gun caliber for decreasing weight meant that they could not survive a head on assault.

Eventually these four nations decided to work together and share their designs in an attempt for the perfect design. This lead to designs such as the type T28 super heavy from the Americans, the Russian ISU-122, German Leichttraktor, and Japanese Type 4 Chi-To. These designs were eventually separated out into the classes that they are in now.

However, these models and designs were next to useless until the discovery of the Core's power and the subsequent adaptation of the existing designs in order to integrate this new power source. And volunteers who have had Cores successfully implanted would have to be trained as well before they were more then just piles of metal.

 

[Beowulf]

Names: Knight Connor McKinley of the Order of the Maple.
Age: 25
Year of Death: 1584
Species: Human
Allegiance: He currently follows the Knights Templar, for their goals align. Though his loyalty will forever remain with the Order and the Lady.
Affiliates: Grand Master Alberic of the Order of the Maple. Sir Warren of the Knight's Templar. Abigail McKinley, mother, and Mattrim McKinley, father.

Equipment:
Solid green plate armor for him and his horse, Stepper.
Stepper, a large that could easily be mistaken for a beast that pulls the plow on a farm. The size, weight, speed, and resulting momentum leads to devastating charges. And once in the thick of battle, Stepper has been trained to kick and bite at any that approach. This means that one should not approach Stepper unless Connor gives you expressed permission to do so.
A large, green, and metallic lance. The vamplate further protects him from direct blows as he charges at the foe.
A green and yellow heater shield with a black, styalized maple tree in the center to represent his affiliation with the Order of the Maple.
A great sword rounds out his chosen equipment. Once he is fully committed to a melee, or his lance is lost (which ever is first), he will switch to his great sword.

Skills: A trained and experienced lancer, Connor can guide Stepper seemingly with thought alone while his lance pierces the foe, and his shield prevents that same foe from doing the same to him. An expert in wielding two handed weapons, specifically the great sword, it is ill advised to choose that weapon if you were to challenge him to a duel. While he can certainly more then handle himself in a duel, he thrives most in the midst of battle, his great sword cutting through the foe like the scythe through wheat. He can also speak several languages with little to no trouble and has adopted modern dialect. English, French, and a smattering of Latin.
Magic: Specializing in primarily Bronze and Silver magics, few spells and beasts can touch Connor without consequences. His skill with these two types of magics is so great, that they are often done unconsciously. However, for particularly difficult spells, concentration is required. He can also use Earth magic to a lesser degree, such as quickly filling in a hole that would otherwise break Stepper's leg and Connor's neck.

Appearance:

Armored

Connor stands at a respectable 6', quite tall for that time and a sign of his good health and the overall wealth of his family. Aside from that, he is quite dull to look at. Short brown hair, brown eyes, trimmed mustache and beard, and a couple scars scattered about from previous hunts and battles.

Backstory:
'Knight Templar Archives: Connor McKinley'

"The circumstances surrounding Connor McKinley's current situation, that of him being alive in well several centuries after most people are dead, is a special one, even among the other recovered knights. He was simply found wandering the European countryside, lost yet still slaying beasts as he went, speaking in Old English with an occasional French or Latin word thrown in. When first approached by our members, he was openly hostile. Can't blame him, I'd be rather annoyed myself. But after seeing our coat of arms and a portion of our history, he has accepted that we are the Knight's Templar. Though we were a much smaller order then what we were, and we are a speck compared to what we were at our peak, he recognized our order.

After asking key questions, we deduced that his name was Connor McKinley and was 'alive' in the late 16th century. And as a member of the Order of the Maple, he served a divine being called The Lady, who at the time we had no record of. It would seem that the last thing he remembers before appearing in the present day, was him being sent on a quest in the name of The Lady. My theory suggest that he stumbled upon a temporal anomaly that may have also put him in a pocket dimension. Take a record, we are on the outside of that record, whizzing by at an incredible speed and covering a lot of distance with little effort. No go to the inside of the disk. In the same quarter rotation, he has barely moved in comparison to us. That is how he has remained the way he has for so long, and with no recollection of any time passing. Upon further questioning, we have found the location of the temporal anomaly. I suggest we watch it for further disturbances. Perhaps another knight will fall into our laps."