Ikarean Battle Armor

In the Waste World Rulebook we did not have time or space to go into the detail we would have liked for every piece of equipment. We gave people enough material to get them started but that was it. We knew that sooner or later we would go back and cover things the way we would have liked to. This is the first in a series of occasional articles intended to fill the gaps. It cover one of the most popular of all purchases, the Ikarean battlesuit.

Ikarean battle armor is made in only one place; Ikarus. It is created by teams of master craftsmen, each immensely knowledgeable in the ancient lore of technology. Each suit is individually tailored to its wearer. They fit comfortably and snugly and everything is in exactly the right position for the user. With a little work a particular suit can be adjusted for another person of approximately the same height and build, but few of the proud Ikareans want to use someone else's cast offs so this rarely happens. Ikareans are very secretive about the technology of their battlesuits and do not sell them to anybody else. If a non-Ikarean is found in possession of one, they are subjected to the nastiest techniques the Torturemasters can devise before being given a flying lesson without their suit. Many of the more expensive suits bear intricate filigree and metal work designed to beautify them and reflect the wealth status and good taste of their owners.

Of course battlesuits are functional as well as beautiful. They are designed to preserve the lives of their owners at high altitude. They have their own built-in oxygen supply and life-support systems, which protect their users against extremes of heat and cold. They use flexible metallic mesh and a shock absorbent undersuit to protect their owners against bullets and blaster bolts and the perils of high-g acceleration. They also have sophisticated auto-pilot functions to return their users home when they are incapacitated. They are famous for having razor sharp metallic edges to their wings. These are used to decapitate their foes.

Ikarean battlesuits use suspensor technology and a technique known as gravitic vectoring to keep them airborne. They are near silent when they fly although some suits have noisy afterburner attachments which can be used to increase their speed greatly. They possess an impressive area of microminiature sensors and comm-systems as well as various fail-safe systems which can be over-ridden by their owners.

All standard Ikarean Battlesuits possess the following systems:

Shock Absorption

The Ikareans know that the day will come when they will crash. Their suits have backup systems and powerful shock absorbers which halve the amount of damage the wearer will take in a crash even if the suits gravitic 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 its 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 allowing its user to ignore the affects of the poison.

Motion Detectors

In order to help prevent collisions battlesuits possess motion detectors. These will alert their user if anything moving enters a predetermined area around the suit. Motion detectors can be set to detect even the movement of a snake within 50 meters. These have the advantage of being able to perform as security sensors of the Ikarean is asleep. On the ground if anything moves within 50 meters of the suit an alarm will go off. This can be adjusted to ignore objects of below a certain size so that the user can get some rest.

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.

Navigational Instruments

All Ikarean battlesuits contain powerful navigational datacores. These have allow the wearer to know his position exactly with relation to a pre-programmed point on the planetary surface. If the wearer is within 10 kilometers of Ikarus the auto-pilot system can be activated and will return the suit to its users home-landing site automatically. If the user is unconscious medical sensors will detect this and take over automatically. If the user is unconscious and within 10 kilometers of Ikarus the suit will automatically break of combat and return home. The auto-pilot can also be programmed to fly to a fixed point on the planetary surface. If the suit encounters difficulties and its wearer is incapacitated, it can fly itself using the basic battlesuit skill.

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 anyone within range.

Combat Climb

As long as their is room overhead, an Ikarean warrior can very swiftly be airborne and out of combat. This means they 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.

Future Updates

I want to think through the role of afterburners before I give rules for them, and doubtless some changes and updates will occur as I get feedback from playtesters. Watch this space!