TW-F6F-8HF “Hellfire” Hellcat Techno-Wizard Fighter:


One of the most famous fighters of World War II, the Hellcat was the fighter which firmly took command of the skies over the pacific from the Japanese Zero. It was a large plane with the Republic Thunderbolt being the only single engine fighter larger than the Hellcat during World War Two. It has heavy firepower with six .50 machine-guns and had the ability to take a huge amount of damage. Stories tell of one Hellcat which had been burning for a hundred miles before the fighter landed on its carrier. The Grumman fighter is credited with seventy five percent of all enemy fighters shot down by US Navy fighters and claimed over 5,000 enemy aircraft. It finest moment was the Battle of Philippine Sea during June 19 and 20, 1944. The unofficial name for the battle is "The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot". In the battle, a total of 350 enemy aircraft destroyed during the first day of the battle with virtually all were downed by Hellcats. The US carriers lost a total of thirty aircraft and virtually no damage was done to the carriers and their escorts. Late in the war, the Hellcat was replaced in many cases by Corsairs but was still operated in large numbers at war's end. While the standard Hellcat had a top speed of 380 mph, a set of prototypes with the standard R-2800-10W engine replaced by the upgraded R-2800-18W engine could reach greater speeds.


Among designs from the past, World War Two designs have grabbed the imagination of Techno-Wizards. Famous air force designs such as the P-51 Mustang have grabbed the attention of many techno-wizards but some techno-wizards prefer naval fighter designs. Famous naval aircraft include the Corsair fighter, Hellcat fighter, Kingfisher scout plane, and Avenger torpedo bomber. Each of these has a techno-wizard version. While it appears that the planes were developed independently, the “Hellfire” Hellcat has very similar enchantments to the Salamander techno-wizard jet which was developed by techno-wizards in Europe. When the techno-wizards which developed the Hellcat discovered the German design, they re-designated their fighter with the name "Hellfire." Being one of the most famous fighters of the Second World War, many were placed in museums and many books were written about the aircraft. From these sources, the techno-wizard fighter was created to be as accurate as possible. The most famous group of Hellcats are operated from the ghost carrier Lexington and is operated along with Corsair fighters. Both enchantments have advantages in certain circumstances.


The major enchantment of the Hellcat is the ability to create an aura of fire which it shares with the Techno-Wizard He-162. The fire aura can be created around the fighter up to three times per day to protect the fighter. Any attacks have to destroy the fire field before doing damage to the fighter itself and any creatures which attempt to touch the fighter will also take fire damage. Stories tell of a few crazy pilots who have tried to make swiping attacks with the fighter but most pilots consider maneuver to simply be too dangerous. The fire field is powered by a minor elemental creature of fire. Several fighters which are based on the element of fire are also powered by fire elementals. Like the air elemental based fighters, if the aircraft is destroyed, the fire elemental will simply go back to its home plane and not attack anyone in the area. It is believed that the elemental is asked to merge with the fighter and not forced or coerced. The fire elemental appears to give the fighter a personality which might not be expected.


Similar to other techno-wizard fighters, the conventional flight system uses a power armor fusion reactor to provide power to the propeller. Similar to other techno-wizard fighters, the engine produces far more power than the original eighteen cylinder R-2800 Double Wasp engine. As a result, top speed is increased by about 10% compared to the original conventionally powered Hellcat fighter. The Hellcat can reach a top speed of around 465 miles per hour and while a bit slower than the Techno-Wizard Corsair, it still is extremely fast for a propeller driven aircraft. Unlike the corsair, this flight system is backed up by Techno-Wizard Ley Line Flight system similar to what is carried in TW Flyers and allows the fighter to fly along ley lines with the main engines off. This flight system is virtually silent and is great for surprise attacks.


The original Hellcat was mostly constructed from Aluminum. These have been replaced by conventional high tech alloys and composites on the “Hellfire” Hellcat and the fighter is hundreds of times stronger than the original Hellcat. In terms of actual strength, the techno-wizard Hellcat can withstand more abuse than the Corsair and is only a bit less durable than the techno-wizard Thunderbolt. The use of high tech materials makes the fighter easier to repair than it would using enchanted materials. Once complete, the fighter is enchanted so that it is impervious to fire. While the fighter is designed to appear general like the original fighter, some use of modern equipment and features are incorporated into the fighter. These include the use of modern electronics which are approximately the equivalent of those on most robot vehicles and the fighter uses an advanced fly-by-wire system for higher maneuverability. The cockpit features full life support system and is far more comfortable than any fighter cockpit during the Second World War. Like other techno-wizard fighters, the Hellcat's displays are in reality multi configuration holographic plasma displays but are designed to be able to simulate those of the original naval fighter. Virtually all techno-wizards prefer this to conventional gauges and gives a greater redundancy. The displays can be changed instantly when the pilot needs to and allows for the processing of data far more rapidly than the original fighter.


For weaponry, the original Hellcat mounted six .50 caliber Browning machine-guns and could carry up to 2000 lbs of ordnance or could carry rocket packs instead of underwing ordnance. Later models could substitute two 20 mm guns for the two inboard .50 calibers. The techno-wizard version of the Hellcat replaces the weaponry of the original fighter with two Telekinetic machine-guns and four heavy flame cannons. In terms of weaponry, the fighter is heavier armed than the Techno-Wizard Corsair. The magical energy for the four flame cannons is provided by the Fire Elemental merged with the fighter but the Telekinetic machine-guns have to be recharged each month. The Telekinetic weapons have the advantage of being effective against targets which are impervious to energy and this is considered worth the need to recharge by most pilots. The fighter has four hard points which a variety of missiles, bombs, or rocket packs can be mounted. Unlike the electrical field and whirlwind fields of other fighters, the flame aura is close to the fighter and missile weapons and bombs can be used while the field is active.


Model Number: F6F-8HF “Hellfire” Hellcat
Vehicle Type: Single Engine Techno-Wizard Fighter
Crew: One


M.D.C. by Location:

[1] Wings (2):180 each
[2] Elevators (2):80 each
[2] Rudder (1):80
Cockpit:150
Engine:120
Propeller:60
Landing Gear (2):10 each
[3] Main Body:380
Fire Aura (3 times per day):100


Notes:
[1] Destroying a wing will cause the plane to crash.
[2] Destruction of the elevators or rudder will leave the plane uncontrollable and pilot must eject to survive.
[3] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will shut the aircraft down completely, rendering it useless and causing it to crash if in flight.


Speed:
Driving on Ground (Taxiing): Only possible for take offs and landings as well as for parking and storage. Speed is 40 mph (64 kph) when traveling and not on take off or landing.
Flying: 465 mph (748.3 kph) with an altitude of 45,500 feet (13868.4 meters) using conventional propeller driven flight. 200 mph (320 kph) on Telekinetic flight system but aircraft must remain on a ley line for flight system to operate.
Maximum Effective Range: The Hellcat will overheat after twelve hours of operation at above 300 mph (482.8 kph) on propeller driven flight. Effective unlimited on Telekinetic flight system.


Statistical Data:
Height: 14 feet 5 inches (4.39 meters)
Wingspan: 42 feet 10 inches (13.05 meters)
Length: 33 feet 10 inches (10.31 meters)
Weight: 9,800 pounds (4,445.2 kilograms) empty, 15,500 pounds (7,030.8 kilograms) fully loaded
Power System: Dual Flight System, Fusion Reactor with five year life-span and Telekinetic flight system for flight on ley lines.
Cargo: Minimal (Storage for small equipment), does not include hard points
Black Market Cost: 18.2 million credits.


Weapon Systems:

  1. T.K. Machine-Guns (2): Mounted on the inner part of the fighter’s wings. They are enchanted by a series of spells so the cannon acts as a more powerful version of the T.K. Machine-gun. This increases the weapon's damage and instead of being reloaded, the cannon must be recharged by the spell Telekinesis and 100 P.P.E. once per month. The cannon does full damage to targets that are impervious to energy and can be fired through the “Whirlwind” field. Weapon can be combined with the Lightning Blasters.
    Maximum Effective Range: 4,000 feet (1,220 meters).
    Mega Damage: 2D6x10+10 for both cannons or 12D6 for one (Combined with flame cannons for a maximum total of 6D6x10+10)
    Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined hand to hand attacks of the pilot (usually 4 or 5).
    Payload: Unlimited, although the spells must be renewed every month whether the cannon have been used or not.
  2. Four (4) Heavy Flame Cannons: Mounted in the fighter’s wings and replace the guns mounted in the out wing positions on the original Hellfire. Each weapon is a converted heavy plasma weapon. All of the flame cannons can be fired together and inflict incredible damage when all four are fired together. No matter how many cannons are fired together, it counts as one attack. The flame cannons have a slightly better range and have an unlimited payload compared to hand held flame cannons. The weapon pulls its energy from the fighter’s fire elemental.
    Maximum Effective Range: 3,000 feet (914 meters).
    Mega Damage: 1D6x10 per flame cannon and 4D6x10 for all four cannons firing simultaneously (Combined with T.K. machineguns for a maximum total of 6D6x10+10)
    Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined hand to hand attacks of the pilot (usually 4 or 5).
    Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
  3. Wing Hard Points (4): The “Hellfire” Hellcat can carry a variety of ordnance on its hard points. The fighter has two hard points on each wing for a total of four hard points. With the addition of sensor systems, the fighter can control missiles instead of just bombs and unguided rockets. Mini-Missile pods are very popular. Weapons can be used while the flame aura is active and towed decoys are available for the fighter. There is no provision for jamming pods or towed decoys.
    1. Bombs and Missiles: The only restriction is that a hard point must carry all the same type of missiles or bombs. Both unguided and guided bombs can be carried.
      Maximum Effective Range: Varies by missile type for missile and varies by altitude that bombs are dropped at (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
      Mega Damage: Varies by missile or bomb type (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
      Rate of Fire: Missiles can be fired and bombs can be dropped one at a time per hard point. Multiple hard points can be linked as one attack but must be the same size (light, medium, or heavy) and style of ordnance (all missiles or bombs in a volley.)
      Payload: 4 short range missile or light bombs, 2 medium range missiles or medium bombs, or 1 long range missile or heavy bomb (all ordnance on a hard point must be the same size and type of ordnance)
    2. Mini-Missile Pod: Large capacity mini-missile pod. The aircraft normally carries missile pods for ground strafing, anti-troop, and anti-emplacement attacks. Normal missile used are armor piercing, plasma, or fragmentation mini-missiles.
      Maximum Effective Range: Varies with missile types, mini-missiles only (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
      Mega Damage: Varies with mini missile types.
      Rate of Fire: Each pod can fire missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), four (4), eight (8), or sixteen (16) mini-missiles and can be linked with other mini-missile pods for greater number of missiles (Counts as one attack no matter how many missiles in volley.)
      Payload: Each pod carries sixteen (16) mini-missiles.
  4. Magical “Fire Aura”: The “Hellfire” Hellcat can produce an aura of fire up to three times per day. The pilot can see clearly through the fire aura. While this field is active, the fighter is clearly on fire and cannot be concealed using the spells of Chameleon or Invisibility. The field is too close to the fighter for ramming attacks although some pilots have tried. It is effective against creatures who try to grab the fighter. Missiles can be fired from fighter and towed decoys are protected from the effects as well. See spell description for more details.
    Maximum Effective Range: 0.5 feet (0.15 meters) around fighter
    Mega Damage & Effects: 3D6 M.D.C. to any targets attempting to grab fighter and has a 50% chance of catching combustible materials on fire. Fire Aura also gives a 100 M.D.C. Force field which damage must be subtracted from first.
    Payload: Three Times per day.
  5. Techno-Wizard Modifications: The Hellcat has the following techno-wizard modifications built into the aircraft. These require P.P.E. or I.S.P. from the pilot.
    Special Features:
      Chameleon (6th Level) - 6 P.P.E. or 12 I.S.P.
      Impervious to Energy (6th Level) - 20 P.P.E. or 40 I.S.P.
      Invisibility-Superior (6th Level) - 20 P.P.E. or 40 I.S.P.


Special Equipment:
The fighter has all the standard features of a standard fighter (same as standard robot minus loudspeaker and microphone) plus these special features listed. The special equipment is a combination of both magic and technology

Combat Bonuses:


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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).


Copyright © 2004, Kitsune. All rights reserved.


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