“Grendel” Modified A-1 “Avenger” Power Armor (Bio-Armor):

The race known as the Slayne have the ability to adapt their own bio-armor to other designs. The outer armor of starships, fighters, and even robots and armors can have their original armor replaced by this bio-armor. They will only do it for those who have done favors for the race. All attempts by other races to replicate the process have failed.

The bio-armor tends to be stronger than all but the most advanced alloys and composites in the Three Galaxies. In addition, it has the ability to heal damage like a living being although incredibly fast. The material also can adapt to attacks, allowing it to partially resist such attacks where they inflict far less damage than they might otherwise. This only works on conventional, non magical attacks.

In appearance, the bio-material is a dull black. In addition, the bio-armor is grown onto the vehicle and will appear to have spikes and thorns growing from it. Often this will give the vehicle, especially robots and power armors, a menacing appearance. The armor does not restrict movement although does effect atmospheric drag in most cases.

As far as known, there has only been one Avenger power armor fitted with this bio-armor. It has been given the nickname of “Grendel” due to its menacing appearance. The spikes and thorns growing from the black armor makes the armor look like something from out of a dark realm. The name “Grendel” comes from an ancient story, long before the days of space travel. It is said to be a monster of some kind, often described as some kind of troll. Whatever the owner did to get the Grendel modified is unknown although there is a lot of speculation.

What is know is that the owner is a skilled engineer who likely restored the Avenger from a partially functional model. There are a number of armors which have been badly damaged with few able to repair the armor. With the company which produced the Avenger out of business with the founder deceased, parts are becoming hard to come by. Only about eight thousand were produced in total as well. Many have been lost in combat with Naruni Industries has taken apart scores of armors in attempts to copy the armor without success. There is a rumor that the present owner once worked for Naruni.

With the bio-armor, as one might expect, Grendel lacks the adaptive camouflage of the standard Avenger design. The original armor materials are some of the most advanced in the Three Galaxies so the ability of the armor to withstand damage is not greatly increased. Otherwise, the armor retains all the normal systems of the standard Avenger design including the weapon systems, force field, and jamming system.

Due to the increased drag of the bio-armor, atmospheric speed is reduced although acceleration in space is unchanged. The bio-armor makes the power armor slightly more massive as well but that has negligible effects on performance.

Some of the spikes grow from the arms of Grendel in such a fashion as to be able to act as claws. These enable the armor to inflict greater damage than a normal punch might. Still, combat does not often involve such close quarters action.

Power Armor design uses modified starship speed and weapon range rules. See Revised Starship Rules for Phase World / Three Galaxies for more details.

(Note: The power system is fusion not anti-matter because the author’s opinion is that anti-matter is to dangerous to be used in vehicles that may be used in an atmosphere. If a starship powered by anti-matter was to detonate in an atmosphere it would cause huge planetary damage. At GM option, this can also be applied to all starfighters or this fighter can be changed to anti-matter.)

Model Type: ME-95A1 (Bio-Armor Upgraded)

Class: Multi-Purpose Combat Exoskeleton.

Crew: One

M.D.C. by Location:

	Arms (2):	220 each
	[1] Gravity Rail Gun (Left Arm):	100
	[1] HI-Laser (Right Arm):	100
	Mini-Missile Launchers (2, chest):	125 each
	[1] Helmet Lasers (2):	20 each
	Legs (2):	4200 each
	[2] Head:	240
	[3] Main Body:	890
	[4] Force Field:	200

Notes:

[1] These are small and difficult targets to strike, requiring the attacker to make a “called shot,” but even then the attacker is -4 to strike.

[2] Destroying the head/helmet has a 01-60% chance of knocking the pilot unconscious. If conscious, the pilot has

two problems: one, no power armor combat bonuses to strike, parry and dodge, and two, the human head is now vulnerable to attack. Note: The head is a small and difficult target to hit. Thus, it can only be hit when a character makes a called shot and even then the attacker is -3 to strike.

[3] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will shut the armor down completely, making it useless. The body of the power armor has the ability to repair itself. These repairs are affected at the rate of 6D6 M.D.C. per minute. The power armor can only repair up to half the M.D.C. of a system or the main body without needing additional resources.

[4] The force field will stop energy attacks and fast moving objects. Slow moving objects can pass through. It regenerates one (1) M.D.C. per melee round unless overloaded and then cannot be activated for 12 hours if overloaded. The force field pulls its power off of the power plant.

Speed:

Running: 100 mph (160 km) maximum. Note that the act of running does tire out the operator, but at 10% normal fatigue rate.

Sublight: Has a special sublight engine that allows the power armor to travel up to 20 percent of the speed of light. Power armor can accelerate/decelerate at the rate of 1.0 percent of light per melee.

Atmospheric Propulsion: Maximum speed is Mach 2.5 (1,853.6 mph /2,983.1 kph), can enter an atmosphere because flight system is using contra grav.

Range: Effectively Unlimited. The contragravity system on flight capable version does not overheat. Limited only by the pilot’s endurance. Emergency food and air supply is designed to keep the pilot alive for a week.

Statistical Data:

Height: Original Body: 11 feet (3.3 meters.) With Spikes: 11 feet 6 inches (3.5 meters.)

Width: Original Body: 8 feet (2.4 meters.) With Spikes: 8 feet 4 inches (2.5 meters.)

Length: Original Body: 6 feet (l.8 meters.) With Spikes: 6 feet 3 inches (1.9 meters.)

Weight: 1,220 pounds (553.4 kg)

Physical Strength: Equal to a P.S. 55

Cargo: Minimal (Storage for small equipment)

Power System: Advanced Fusion; average energy life of 50 years.

Market Cost: A standard Avenger suit can sell for 150 million or more credits. With the bio-armor, it is almost impossible to estimate the value of the armor, however a conservative estimate is likely several hundred million credits. The owner will not sell the armor however.

Weapon Systems:

One (1) Multi-Barrel Gravity Rail Gun: In the power armor’s left forearm is mounted a multi-barrel gravity rail gun. The rail gun fires projectiles at incredible velocities compared to rail guns on Rifts Earth and projectiles are fired from rail guns at a significant fraction fraction of the speed of light in space and when used in an atmosphere are fired at a slower but still at hypersonic speeds. It is used as an anti-starfighter and missile weapon and against targets that are impervious to energy.
Maximum Effective Range: 6,000 feet (1,828 meters) in an atmosphere and 56.8 miles (91.4 km) in space.
Mega-Damage: A burst is 60 rounds and inflicts 2D4x10 M.D. Can only fire bursts.
Rare of Fire: Equal to the combined number of hand to hand attacks of the pilot.
Payload: 6000 rounds in back-mounted magazine; that's 100 bursts.
One (1) HI-Laser: Mounted in the right arm of the power armor, the high intensity laser is the main weapon of the Avenger design.
Maximum Effective Range: 8,000 feet (2,440 meters) in an atmosphere and 76 miles (122 km) in space.
Mega-Damage: 2D6x10 M.D. per laser burst.
Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined number of hand to hand attacks of the pilot.
Payload: Effectively unlimited.
Two (2) Helmet Lasers: Two small lasers are mounted on each side of the power armor’s helmet with the main role being backup weapons. In addition may be used to engage incoming missiles and other targets not considered worth engaging with both weapons.
Maximum Effective Range: 2000 feet (610 m) in an atmosphere and 37.9 miles (61 km) in space.

Mega-Damage: 6D6 M.D. per simultaneous double blast. Single laser firing inflicts 3D6 per blast. Usually fired in pairs unless one is damaged.
Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined number of hand to hand attacks of the pilot.
Payload: Effectively unlimited.
Two (2) Chest Mini-Missile Launchers: In the chest of the armor are a pair of mini-missile launchers which stores sixteen mini-missiles which can be fired in volleys of up to four at a time. Missile has a top speed of Mach 10 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 2% of light per turn (slightly faster than any starship except if it is exceeding it maximum safe acceleration). Three Galaxy Mini-Missiles are normally guided with most common warheads being armor piercing types.

Maximum Effective Range: Mini-Missile range is 2 miles (3.2 km) in an atmosphere and 100 miles (161 km) in space.
Mega Damage: As per Mini-Missile Type (See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details.)

Rate of Fire: Can fire missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2) or four (4).
Payload: Sixteen (16) total, eight (8) per launcher.
Energy Rifles or Light Rail Gun and other hand-held weapons can be substituted in an emergency or used as a back-up weapon. Space limitations and the bulk of the armor limit additional rifle weapons to one rifle and one pistol.
Radar / Gravity Sensor Jammer: Mounted in the power armor is a radar/sensor jammer and "spoofer." While the jammer is on, conventional radar, gravity-wave sensors, and most missile guidance systems will not be able to function in the area affected (radar and gravity wave sensors only a 20% chance of detecting any targets in the area, including the armor).The jammer will affect a one mile (1.6 km) area in an atmosphere and 100 miles (160 km) in space. Leaving the system on all the time will automatically alert the enemy that a jammer-equipped vehicle is in the area and also interferes with the power armor’s own sensors so standard operational procedure is not to activate it until combat is under way, or just before attacking. Neutrino sensors only weakly interact with gravity so are not effected by the jamming.
Hand to Hand Combat: Rather than use a weapon, the pilot can engage in hand to hand attacks.

Restrained Punch:       2D6 M.D.

Full Strength Punch:   6D6 M.D.

Claw Punch:               8D6 M.D.

Power Punch:             2D6x10+20 M.D.

Kick:                           8D6+6 M.D.

Leap Kick:                  2D6x1O+26 M.D.

Body Flip:                  2D6 M.D.

Special Equipment:

Adaptive Body: The “Grendel” Power Armor has the ability to adapt to any non magical attacks on it. Once a specific attack has been used against the armor, it will adapt to that attack and any attack of that type that is encountered afterwards will only be at half effect in the next engagement. Magical attacks will continue to inflict full damage. Variable frequency weapons such as variable frequency lasers can be reset to do full damage once this is discovered. The adaptation takes about five days to be completed.

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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

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