Field Guide to Iridia
Demo Version
v0.10.0 - Prerelease
Field Guide to Iridia
Written by
Miss DataNinja
Contributions by
Bowyer, Breakthelevee, Ru, and Dieselle
Art by
Spiral_Joe
Lancer Core Rulebook by
Miguel Lopez and Tom Bloom
Special Thanks to
Breakthelevee, the first Luminary Knight, for constantly inspiring me to do more... even
when I might not have wanted to. Also for being the first to jump at playtesting. And, yes,
this Field Guide existing is proof that you won.
Dieselle, for letting me use some of her ideas, and for always being enthusiastic about
playing in my games. It means a lot to have people willing to engage with things and just
let me hash them out.
Ru, the original Narcissus (her words, not mine!), for pushing the testing of things to the
limit. You made me have to nerf Sympathetic Twinning something like five times, but it
was worth it. Even if you did play every frame like a Defender. Except for the actual
Defenders. …I’ll never understand that.
Bowyer, for being willing to test things out even when they may have been totally broken,
and for humouring my design visions. I didn’t expect I’d feel so glad for frames being
played the way I’d intended them to.
The crew of the original Iridia game, who helped shape the backstory of this mess, and
who gave me the impetus to polish it up into something vaguely readable. I’m glad you
jumped at the opportunity to play the ‘antagonists’, you gave me an unforgettable time.
A great many people in the Lancer Homebrew community (and beyond) for all of their,
well, everything. Looking over everything to help me hash out mechanics - as well as just
general support - is much appreciated.
Disclaimer
The Field Guide to Iridia is not an official Lancer product; it is a third party work, and is
not affiliated with Massif Press. The Field Guide to Iridia is published via the Lancer Third
Party License.
Lancer is copyright Massif Press
[2]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents................................3
Mechanical Primer.............................. 4
New Downtime Action......................... 5
New Pilot Gear.................................... 6
New Talents........................................ 8
New GMS Core Bonuses.................. 10
Exotic Gear....................................... 11
Iridia Demonworks............................ 14
Core Bonuses.......................... 17
Ananke..................................... 18
Artemis..................................... 23
Astraea.....................................27
Astraea Mk. II "Dragon"............30
Enyo......................................... 35
Enyo Mk. II "Wrathborn"...........38
Epione...................................... 43
Ersa..........................................48
Ersa Mk. II "Sanctifier"............. 51
Hecate......................................56
Hemera.................................... 60
Hera......................................... 64
Iris............................................ 68
Iris Mk. II "Locus"..................... 71
Nemesis................................... 76
Nemesis Mk. I "Champion"...... 79
Nyx........................................... 83
Selene...................................... 86
Persephone..............................91
Psyche..................................... 95
Psyche Mk. II "Forsaken"......... 98
New Big Four Frames..................... 103
IPS-N Silver............................104
SSC Luna..............................108
HORUS Phane.......................112
HA Castilla............................. 117
[3]
MECHANICAL PRIMER
A Note on Compatibility
Reference Notes
With the scope of this book, there's only so much
that could be tested for a high degree of
compatibility. And as more first-party content
releases, there's a lot more interactions that you
need to worry about.
Exotic Gear (Tag):
The Field Guide to Iridia is tested to be compatible
with the Lancer Core book, The Long Rim
supplement, and the non-Exotic parts of No Room
For A Wallflower: Act 1.
If it is destroyed or damaged, it can be repaired or
reprinted as any other gear with no penalty. Exotic
gear can only be installed or removed during a
Full Repair, like any other gear.
It is incompatible with Dustgrave and A Siren's
Song, A Mountain's Remorse. Any interactions
with either supplement's mechanics are at one's
own risk.
Characters may install up to two pieces of gear
with the Exotic Gear tag at a time, but can own
any number of pieces with the tag.
First party products other than those listed may
end up with interactions that are unintendedly
powerful, so caution and GM judgement should be
used.
Intangible characters can move through
obstructions such as characters or terrain but not
end their turns in them. They, their actions, and
any effects they own or control can only affect
other Intangible characters and objects. Tangible
characters can move through Intangible
characters and objects but not end their turns
inside their spaces and can’t affect them in
anyway. Intangible characters cannot capture
points or count for zones (for sitreps) and don’t
count as adjacent to tangible characters.
Lancer is a complicated game, with a lot of moving
parts. And the more additional mechanics that you
add, the more likelihood that things will break.
Use of this book with other third-party products is
also cautioned, as many unintended interactions
may occur. GM-side tools are less likely to be
problematic when used in conjunction with other
third-party products, but it's always important to
look over things with a critical eye.
The following are terms that are not defined in the
Core book, but are used frequently, so are
reprinted, with permission, for ease of access:
Once acquired, this system becomes a permanent
part of the character, but does not increase their
LL or count as a license rank for the purposes of
gaining core bonuses.
Intangible (Status):
Effects that are already active on a character
when they become Intangible, such as statuses,
remain active, but effects that require an ongoing
interaction between two characters or objects (like
traps or force fields) end. If a mech becomes
Intangible, its pilot remains Intangible for the
same duration.
[4]
NEW DOWNTIME ACTION
On Iridia, religion and faith form a large part of the
structure of society. To many, it’s much more than
a service - it’s a way of gaining guidance and
support in uncertain times. It’s common for the
Iridian people to look for guidance when they’re
having rough points in their lives, and church is an
obvious place to do it.
While there are the obvious figures of Hestia and more recently - the Silver Lady, that may be
sought for answers, and sometimes people may
have dreams that seem to answer their questions,
more often than not it’s the community who will
help.
Whether a priest might provide some guidance, a
community member may have been in that
situation before, or something else, it’s a common
Iridian belief that answers can be found in the
temples. Even if the solutions may not be directly
from the divine, they have guided it so you met
who you needed to.
This isn’t unique to Iridia either. To many, they
believe answers can be found simply by asking
the right way. Though, those answers may not
always be what you’re looking for.
Partake in Liturgy
When you Partake in Liturgy, you participate in a
religious ritual with fellow believers, confide in a
holy person, or simply enter a meditative state to
try to commune with the divine. Whatever it
involves, you’re trying to gain help with a problem
that seems difficult to surmount or answer alone.
State a problem that you have without a clear
answer, and roll:
On a 20+, you are given insight into your problem,
which may come in the form of a dream, a
fortunate stumbling on something, a helpful
person, or something else; the GM gives you
guidance on how to get what you want, and you
choose a Reserve that will help.
On a 10-19, you are given insight as per a roll of
20+, but choose one:
• The answer is selfish. The path you seek is
some kind of blasphemy, or at least
sacrilegious, and will likely upset fellow
believers. The next time you roll a 10-19 on
this action, treat it as a 9 or less instead,
unless you make amends before then.
• The answer is not what you wanted. While you
may have thought you needed something, the
truth is otherwise. You are instead given a
Reserve of the GM’s choice, as well as insight
as to why that is what you need, as opposed
to what you wanted.
On a 9 or less, it is clear to you that the divine
works in mysterious ways, or is perhaps
displeased. In order to receive an answer, you
must make some sacrifice - whether that’s
something physical, some strongly held aspect of
yourself, a relationship, deeply held feelings, or
something else important to you. If you do so,
treat this result as if you had rolled a 10-19.
[5]
NEW PILOT GEAR
These pieces of gear are some of the more
unusual that can be found around Iridia, and can
be taken by pilots to give them some Iridian flair.
Fluxdagger
Crafted from the same material as used in the
Hemera’s Reality Cutter, the Fluxdagger is not
quite properly real. It doesn’t cut through matter so
much as matter moves aside for it... after which
the blade invariably shatters into tiny shards from
the effort. A moment’s concentration can will the
destruction to be undone, however - the blade’s
personal time reversing to become whole once
more.
This Melee Pilot weapon is
1. It deals 2
hit, and has the AP and Loading tags.
on a
Luminary Bracer
Gear
This golden bracer is able to be attuned to a small
object - one that can be comfortably held in one
hand, like a weapon or a keycard - over the
course of ten or so minutes. With a gesture, the
object is able to instantaneously appear in the
wearer’s hand in a burst of light, so long as it’s
somewhere within 30m of the wearer.
Lunar Ichor
Gear
A unique, silvery wine from the Crystalline
Vineyards of House Sommelier, it’s an important
facet of many Iridian celebrations - especially
those regarding bonds with friends and family.
While its taste is fairly mild, those who drink from
the same bottle find that they share a light
empathic connection for a time, able to feel the
others’ emotions. It does cause a rather harsh
hangover, though.
Silver Veil
Gear
A vestment originating with Disciples of the Silver
Lady, this shimmering silver cloak makes the
wearer nearly invisible to biological and
technological observation in indirect light, such as
moonlight. In bright light, it instead becomes
blinding, dazzling observers - including electronic
eyes. In complete darkness, the wearer seems
like they can slip through spaces that would be far
too thin, perhaps even through the spaces around
doors if they concentrate enough.
[6]
Soulgem
Gear
An almost weightless, translucent, multicoloured
gemstone, peering through it appears to make the
world seem faint and almost insubstantial. These
gems were said to be a boon from Hestia, being
discovered around Iridia ever since her
awakening. What’s known for certain, though, is
that they glow when in the presence of her, one of
her angels, or one of her divine miracles.
The Soulgem will glow if in proximity to NHPs or
paracausal activity. The stronger the activity, the
brighter the glow will be and the further from the
source the glowing will begin.
Vial of Memories
Gear, Limited 2
A tiny sealed bottle of water from the Lake of
Dreams, it seems to sparkle with a faint inner
radiance if viewed from the right angle. Maybe.
Many believe that it holds a glimmer of the Lake’s
power and that it can give a faint nudge to a
worthy asker, after which it stops shining for a
time.
Expend a charge outside of combat for the
following effect:
• Mnemosight: Concentrate on an inanimate
object in front of you. Gain a faint impression
from its recent past; for instance, vague
inklings of the passcode on a keypad or faint
features of a weapon’s last wielder. While this
doesn’t give you perfect knowledge, it can
help give you a place to start.
Whisperstone
Gear
A fist sized chunk of rock taken from the Silent
Mountains, the only thing unusual about it seems
to be slightly rippling striations. It must be stored in
a metal container to be transported safely,
however; when not sealed off, it projects a bubble
of distorted electromagnetics about 15m in radius.
Only the strongest of signals can get in or out, and
unprotected machinery can begin acting
erratically. Pilots are best advised to not use
inside their mech.
NEW TAG: PET
Pilot gear with this tag is a living creature. It has
no stats and cannot contribute to mech combat.
You can only have one pet present with you at a
time, though may own any number of them.
Dwarf Ephemeric
Gear, Pet
The smallest subspecies of the curious and
energetic Epehemera, Dwarf Ephemera often get
overshadowed (literally and metaphorically) by
their larger, sleeker cousins. While this particular
subspecies will never grow large enough to ride,
they are highly intelligent, and can be trained to
track, fetch small objects, or scout ahead.
Ephemeric owners learn to always keep an eye
out for anything suspicious, as the rainbow scales
of the lizards refract light when seen from any
angle other than head-on. And Ephemera are well
aware of this, with tamed ones loving to startle
their owners by jumping out randomly and asking
for attention.
Melp
Gear, Pet
Small, fluffy foxlike creatures, Melpin come in a
variety of colours, and don’t seem to be wholly
natural. They have a habit of shifting locations
when they’re out of sight - even sometimes during
a blink - and seem to get places where they really
shouldn’t.
In the wild, Melpin tend to be rather flighty and
mischievous, toying around with people who come
near; when one decides to adopt a person, it
becomes ferociously loyal.
While they’re rumoured to be able to talk, in
actuality they just parrot back words that they
hear. Every Melp has at least a few phrases that
they love to use, and several more that are
specifically to annoy their caretakers.
Prismarach
Gear, Pet
Crystalline spiders that primarily live deep within
the Silent Mountains, few have ever seen one.
They communicate via a complex language of
internal luminescence, akin to an internal aurora
when they’re at their most emotional.
Psylex
Gear, Pet
Resembling not much more than a cat-sized moth,
these creatures adore people. They seem to be at
least mildly empathic, and will flock to those
who’re having difficult times and try to cheer them
up - including, at times, bringing them small gifts
of food or flowers.
Tamed Psylex serve as a good warning system for
if someone intends harm, as they generally scatter
the instant that it seems like hostile emotions are
going to fill the air. They’ll provide moral support,
yes, but from a safe distance.
Terala
Gear, Pet
These two-headed, feathered snakes can often be
found hanging off trees and basking in the
sunlight. It’s rumoured that their feathers are
photosynthetic, and it’s true that even those who
keep them as pets never seem to see them eat,
despite their two heads.
Terala are fiercely protective of those that they’ve
grown close to, and they are quite willing to be
uncharacteristically aggressive if their caretakers
are threatened, lashing out with a shock
generated from their bio-electric organ.
Vorax
Gear, Pet
Fist-sized wasps with a lustrous black coating, wild
Vorax migrate along Iridia’s temperate zones,
pollinating plants as they go.
Iridians have learned that they have rather
insatiable sweet tooths, and - despite their large
stingers - prefer not to be aggressive. So it’s not
uncommon to see a small flock of them fluttering
around a person who’s feeding them things like
sweet berries, or even keeping them as pets to
help pollinate gardens.
If they feel threatened, though that’s fairly rare,
they can inject the threat with a reasonably potent
natural tranquilizer, helping the flock - or their
owner - to escape.
While the creatures are rather shy and reclusive,
they can be tempted out of hiding via gently
flickering light sources - what they consider a
polite greeting.
[7]
NEW TALENTS
Devout
You hold in your heart a true belief. This could be
in a higher power, but it may just be that you have
unflinching confidence in your friends. Whatever
the case, things just seem to turn out okay for you.
Maybe there is something watching over you.
Maybe there is a little magic in the air. Or maybe
you just succeed because you’re convinced that
there can be no failure.
Rank 1: Fervent Belief
Gain 3 Devotion Tokens. These can be spent
1/round as a free action in order to use one of
the following on one ally within line of sight:
• Invocation of Protection: The target gains 4
Overshield.
Gain 6 Devotion Tokens instead of 5. 1/scene,
when an ally takes Structure or Stress damage,
you may use a Rank 1 invocation on them as a
reaction, without spending any Devotion Tokens.
If you spend 1 Devotion Token, you may also
apply the corresponding Rank 2 effect to them.
The first time in a scene that you take Structure
or Stress damage, you gain 1 Devotion Token.
Silver Centurion
Many are fearful of the unshackled power. They
speak of the risks, of the silver tide that devours
all. But you know better than them. You know that
the power can be tamed, controlled, directed.
Forged into a legion under your command.
• Invocation of Healing: The target clears one
of the following Conditions, so long as it is not
self-inflicted: Immobilized, Impaired, Jammed,
Lock On, or Slowed.
This talent may only be taken if you do not
have Centimane. If you have this talent, you
may not take Centimane.
• Invocation of Freedom: During the target's
next turn, their standard movement does not
provoke reactions.
Rank 1: Burning Swarm
You may regain 1 Devotion Token during a rest if
you have no more than 1 remaining, and all
Devotion Tokens are recovered when you
perform a Full Repair.
Rank 2: Boundless Spirit
Gain 5 Devotion Tokens instead of 3. You can
spend 2 Tokens on an Invocation instead of 1 to
gain an enhanced effect. The effect depends on
which invocation you use, and is in addition to the
Rank 1 effect:
• Protection: The target also gains resistance
to all damage until the start of their next turn.
• Healing: The target clears a second
Condition, which may also select from
Shredded or Stunned.
• Freedom: The target’s standard movement
during their next turn also counts as flying. If
they do not land at the end of this moment,
and are not otherwise able to fly, they fall.
[8]
Rank 3: Eternal Confidence
Your Nexus weapons gain +1
when targeting
characters that are in the Danger Zone or
Exposed.
Rank 2: Devouring Legion
1/round, when you hit a character with a Nexus
weapon, choose one of the following options after
all damage dice have been rolled (including
Overkill and critical hits):
• Re-roll one damage die, choosing either
result. The new result only affects the
triggering character.
• The triggering character takes +1
on the
next Check or Save they make before the start
of your next turn.
Rank 3: Wrathful Tide
Whenever you take Structure or Stress damage,
the next attack roll you make with a Nexus
weapon converts the weapon’s base damage(s)
into . If the weapon already deals any amount of
, this attack may also trigger Devouring Legion
on a hit, ignoring frequency. This may allow
Devouring Legion to trigger twice on the same
attack.
Runecaster
Entire realms lay beyond human perception, just a
hair-breadth out of reach. To most, it ends up
being a sledgehammer - powerful but unwieldy.
But others learn to segment the aetheric realm,
channeling that power into a vast toolbox.
Rank 1: Runic Channeling
You’ve created a number of legionspace conduits
that you can use to enhance your hacking. Gain
the following System:
Rune Collection
0 SP, Limited 6
1/turn, when you use a tech action that has
targets, you may expend charges to apply one
of the following effects to your action at the
listed cost:
• Piercing (1 charge): The action may target
biological characters. In addition, if it is a
tech attack, the final attack roll can never
be affected by .
• Revealing (1 charge): One target cannot
benefit from cover until the start of their next
turn.
• Forceful (1 charge): One target is pulled 1
space directly towards you.
Rank 2: Augmented Collection
Your Rune Collection gains new Rune types,
each of which costs two charges rather than one:
• Unerring (2 charges): The action does not
require line of sight, and ignores Invisible
and Hidden.
• Withering (2 charges): One target becomes
Impaired until the end of their next turn.
• Disorienting (2 charges): One target cannot
take reactions until the end of their next turn.
Rank 3: Regenerative Power
The first time you use each unique Quick Tech or
Full Tech option each scene (such as Lock On or
Fragment Signal), gain a Power Token. When
you gain 3 Power Tokens, clear them, then your
Rune Collection regains X charges. X is equal to
the number of times you've cleared Power
Tokens in this scene. All Power Tokens vanish at
the end of a scene.
Ward Shaper
There are those who dream of peace, yet still
must wage war to achieve it. You are one who has
lent your skill - perhaps technological, perhaps
more - to protecting those close to you. Whether
you channel your power to shield them, or seal
away those who wish them harm, they will have
nothing to fear.
Rank 1: Enhanced Generators
Your Systems with the Shield tag (including
reactions they grant) have +5 Range and may
increase any Blast or Burst that they generate by
1. In addition you count as having +5 Sensors for
the purposes of Systems with the Shield tag.
These increases only affect the range at which
your Systems with the Shield tag can target or
trigger off characters, or the area which they cover
for Burst and Blast, and not the range of any of
their other effects.
Rank 2: Overload Shielding
1/scene, when an allied character within 10 is
hit by an attack, you may destroy one valid
System with the Shield tag to give them
resistance to all damage and heat dealt by the
attack, as well as 2+Grit Overshield before the
attack resolves. Systems destroyed this way do
not require you to expend repairs during a rest to
repair them.
Rank 3: Containment Aegis
You gain an Aegis die, which is tracked by a d6,
starting at 1. 1/round, when you activate or use a
reaction granted by a System with the Shield tag,
or you destroy a System using Overload
Shielding, you may increase the value of the
Aegis die by 1 (to a maximum of 6).
While the Aegis die is at 6, you may reset it to 1
and choose one character within 10 as a free
action to be removed from the battlefield until the
end of their next turn. They return in the same
space they disappeared from, or in a free space of
their choice as close as possible. The Aegis die
retains its value between scenes, but resets to 1
on a full repair.
Note that every Invade option counts as a
unique Quick Tech option - you may gain a
Power Token for each of them.
[9]
NEW GMS CORE BONUSES
These core bonuses may be taken in addition to
those in the base Lancer rulebook.
Bonuses from this list are always available to
pilots, regardless of licenses.
TACTICAL INSERTION
Whether you’ve installed jet boosters, stealth
systems, or upgraded mapping modules, you can
easily get where you need to be.
At the start of every combat, become Invisible until
the end of your first turn.
1/mission, you may deploy via Tactical Insertion
instead of deploying normally. If you do so, you
may deploy to any space at least 5 spaces away
from any NPC, and at least 10 spaces away from
any objective.
Control Zones are not objectives - you are
still permitted to deploy via Tactical Insertion
near or within them.
HIMALAYA REINFORCEMENT
A non-standard augmentation designed for frames
acting in high-duress fields.
When you take Structure Damage, you ignore all
damage that would be applied after resetting your
HP and reduce any further damage from hostile
characters that turn to 0. Effects that deal 1
structure damage will set you to your maximum
HP after resolving the structure loss.
Your frame only costs 2 Repairs to repair if it is
destroyed, and can be repaired even if it melted
down.
REMIXED FREQUENCIES
By employing dubiously legal splices, you’re able
to increase the power of your legionspace
emitters.
You ignore Immunity to tech actions granted by
the biological tag.
1/round, when you target a character with a tech
attack, they become Impaired or Slowed until the
end of their next turn.
Art by Spiral_Joe
[10]
EXOTIC GEAR
This gear can be given out to players as part of campaign rewards, and is not part of any License.
Refractive Blade
Main Melee, AP, Unique, Exotic, 1 SP
[ 2] [1d3+1 ]
On Attack: Whenever a character is targeted
with this weapon, you may choose another
target within 2 of the prior target. This may
continue indefinitely, however each character
may only be targeted once by this weapon.
Once all targets have been selected, resolve
this attack.
A sword fashioned from a rainbow crystal
found within Iridia’s metavault, there
are few of these around. As it swings,
it strikes at all those caught within
its facets.
Shimmering Wings
3 SP, Limited 3, Overshield, Shield,
Unique, Exotic, Quick Action
Expend a charge to cocoon an ally within 5 in
shimmering light and radiant wings. They gain
Overshield equal to your Grit+4. While they
have this Overshield, whenever they move for
any reason they may hover. If they are in the
air when they lose this Overshield, and have no
other means of flight, they fall, though take no
damage for doing so.
A gift from Hestia to those she trusted
most, very few of these still function.
It summons what’s said to be an aspect
of the goddess to watch over one that
you care about, protecting them and
letting them soar through the sky.
Lunar Eclipse
1 SP, Unique, Limited 3, Exotic, Quick
Tech
Make a tech attack against a character within
Sensors and line of sight. On a success, they
gain 2 and only have line of sight to adjacent
spaces until the end of their next turn.
Those who venerate the Silver Lady are
often associated only with moonlight.
But the wise among them know that the
absence of light is just as much a part
of the moon, and are able to summon that
dark.
Heart of the Reckoning
2 SP, Unique, Exotic
Whenever you take Structure damage, even if
you’re destroyed, create a 1 zone of
greywash that lasts until the end of the scene.
Hostile characters who enter the zone or start
their turn there for the first time in a round must
pass an Engineering Save or take 4 , half on
a success.
Torn from one of the Reckoning command
mechs and overridden, the nanites
within have been repurposed to defend
the mech that it’s equipped on from
severe attack. The tamed swarm lashes
out at those who have been designated as
enemies, always careful to not harm
those important to its controller.
Hestia’s Wrath
2 SP, Limited 1, Unique, Exotic, Full
Action
Expend a charge to choose a target within 10,
even outside of line of sight. They must pass an
Agility save or take 4d6 and become
Impaired. On a success they take half damage
and are not Impaired. Success or failure, a
flying target immediately falls. Damage from this
system may not be reduced by any means.
Those who were at the defense of
Radiance speak of lightning crackling up
from within the mountain towards the
heavens, scouring the earth and skies as
Hestia smote the demons. It was not
enough, but her power lives on to
unleash to those who show the proper
devotion.
Argent Cloak
1 SP, Unique, Exotic
Whenever you Disengage, you may become
Intangible until the end of your turn.
A rare mech-sized version of the
Disciples’ Silver Veils. When drawn over
the wearer, they seem to pass beyond all
detection, and slip into areas that
perhaps they shouldn’t be able to.
[11]
Knight’s Honour
1 SP, Unique, Shield, Exotic
Whenever you Brace, you may choose one ally
within line of sight. They gain resistance to all
damage and until the start of your next turn.
You may immediately Brace as a reaction if an
ally within line of sight is damaged by an attack,
but must select them as the target of this
system. The resistance applies to the triggering
attack.
Given to those who have proved
themselves capable of great feats to the
knighthood, it contains protective wards
that help shield the wearer’s allies.
Silver Statuette
2 SP, Limited 2, Unique, Exotic, Quick
Action
Statuette (SIZE 1/2, 5 HP, EVASION 10, Tags:
DEPLOYABLE, OVERSHIELD)
Expend a charge to deploy a Size 1/2 Statuette
in an adjacent space. The Statuette has Grit+4
Overshield, but the user may spend repairs
when deploying it to give it +10 Overshield per
repair spent (to a maximum of +20 Overshield).
As a reaction when any character or object of
your choice within 3 of the Statuette takes
damage, you may allow them to spend the
Statuette’s Overshield as though it were their
own.
A small statue in the shape of an
animal. Disciples believe that the
protective powers of the statuette grow
with each owner it has had… and
sometimes it’s hard to tell if there’s
some truth to that, or if it’s just the
power of belief.
Noble Prowess
3 SP, Unique, Limited 2, Protocol,
Exotic
When you activate this protocol, you may spend
a charge to clear one instance of Immobilized,
Impaired, Jammed, Lock On, or Slowed, as
long as it was not caused by your own
weapons, systems or talents.
The mark of a Noble is given to those
who show promise or have aided that
House. Simply knowing they are chosen
can often spur a pilot to great deeds.
[12]
Godslayer Nexus
Main Nexus, Smart, Unique, Limited 2,
Exotic
[ 5][ 3] [1d3+3 ]
This weapon does not spend limited charges to
attack normally, and may be used even while at
0 charges. During a rest, you may spend any
number of repairs to recover 1 charge on this
weapon per repair spent.
On Attack: You may spend a charge from this
weapon before you roll to hit. If you do, this
attack gains Reliable 6 and its damage may not
be reduced by any means
Those who know of the truth of Hestia’s
death believe this to be the remnants of
the weapon that felled Her. Twisted by
the metavault and recovered by the
Iridian expedition, this profane weapon
devours all before it.
Archaeological Adaptation
1 SP, Unique, Exotic
You gain resistance to damage and heat
caused by terrain or environmental effects, as
well as +1 to any Saves or Checks caused by
them. In addition, you can act as normal in a
zero-g or underwater environment.
Reclaimers often have to operate for
long periods amidst hazardous
conditions. They’ve learned to use
shields and wards to keep their
equipment functioning in a variety of
environments.
Crippling Strike
3 SP, Unique, Limited 2, Exotic, Quick
Action
Expend a charge to choose an adjacent
character that is either in a Grapple with you or
Prone. they must make an immediate roll on the
Structure Damage table. The number of dice
that they roll is equal to the amount of structure
damage they currently have marked + 1.
CPT knows a lot of ways to cripple an
opponent. Distraction, disarmament, all
the way to incapacitation. Even in a
mech, some of these tricks still work.
Aetherlance
Superheavy Melee, Seeking, Ordnance,
Reliable 4, Exotic
[ 10] [2d6+4 ]
On Attack: All characters between you and the
target take 4 .
Forged using the Hemera's space-warping
principles, this prototype weapon was
abandoned for being too unwieldy to use
on mechs. Attempts are currently being
made to instead upscale it for use in
surface-to-orbit weapon emplacements.
Nanofrequency Override
2 SP, Unique, Limited 3, Exotic, Quick
Tech
Choose a hostile character within Sensors and
line of sight. Until the end of their next turn, they
cannot make reactions, do not cause
Engagement, and may not contest or control
objectives or Control Zones.
LOCKDOWN Drone
2 SP, Quick Action, Drone, Unique,
Exotic
Lockdown Drone (Size 1/2, 5 HP, 10 EDefense, 10 Evasion, Tags: Drone)
This aggressive drone can be deployed to a
free space within Sensors and line of sight.
Hostile characters cannot enter the battlefield
from Reinforcements within 3 of the drone. In
addition, the drone can contest and control
objectives and Control Zones.
The drone can be deployed to a different space
within Sensors or recalled as a quick action.
LOCKDOWN drones are commonly found in
Reclaimer holdings, attempting to deter
both curious wildlife and Church agents.
They have the advantage of generally
being non-lethal, helping to ease the
typical Iridian conscience.
The Reckoning is sometimes accompanied
by a discordant signal, rendering
technology sluggish and unresponsive.
It's possible - if difficult - to copy,
but each transmission of this duplicate
further degrades the storage device.
Solar Aegis
Concussion Charges
Light is a peculiar thing. In moderate
quantities, it can reveal the truth of
the world. Too much, though, and it will
hide just as much - leaving a mystery
that can never be glimpsed.
2 SP, Unique, Limited 2, Exotic
Expend a charge for one of the following
effects:
• Concussion Grenade (Grenade, 5,
2): All characters within the affected area
must pass a Hull Save or be pushed 5
spaces away from the center of the blast.
On a success, they are only pushed 2
spaces.
• Concussion Mine (Mine, 2): All
characters within the affected area must
pass a Hull Save or be pushed 5 spaces
away from the center of the burst. On a
success, they are only pushed 2 spaces.
Whether they pass or fail, affected
characters are knocked Prone.
Almost exclusively wielded by CPT mechs,
concussion charges begin their lives as
the shockwave warheads of Binary-Pulse
munitions. Tampering with these warheads
is a delicate process, but the result is
undeniably effective.
2 SP, Unique, Limited 3, Exotic, Quick
Tech
Choose an allied character within Sensors and
line of sight. They become Invisible until the
end of their next turn.
Crystalline Mantle
1 SP, Unique, Exotic
1/mission, when you roll on the Structure
Damage or Overheating table, you may
choose to roll with one fewer die. If this would
cause you to roll 0 dice, you instead do not roll
on the table.
This system is not a valid target for system
destruction.
Every pilot trained on Iridia is granted
a small pair of crystal butterfly wings
upon graduating, but those who prove
themselves to have great mettle and
determination can also earn a similar
merit for their mechs. While purely
aesthetic, it shows the pilot is a true
force to be reckoned with.
[13]
IRIDIA DEMONWORKS
The ends justify the means.
Alone in the void of space, Iridia was a peaceful jewel. Beneath the gaze of their goddess, Hestia, they
prospered, with nobody wanting for anything. But, it was not to last. From the stars descended demons,
and with that… life forever changed on the planet. Something terrible was about to awake.
The Iridian civilization at first crumpled beneath the assault, having not known violence. But eventually,
with the aid of their goddess, they were able to replicate the armours that the invaders wore. And
eventually… beyond. From Hestia’s forges, technology never before seen sprang to life, powered by
demonic energies. The wrath of the planet, shaped into mechanical form, drove the invaders to a nearstandstill, with hopes of soon returning back to the way that things once were.
But once something has been discovered, it turns out, it’s very hard to put it back in the box…
Glittering knights stride to war, the sun glinting off their black and gold
armour somehow seeming tainted...
Rampaging fighters dive into the fray, the air itself seeming to be sliced
in twain, an aura of violence spreading...
Atop roofs, nimble spotters scan the battlefield, soaking in each blow,
each casualty, before flitting on as those involved die off...
Skulking through streets, lithe figures gesture, rearranging the delicate
edifices to distract and collapse on the foe...
A civilization born out of idealism and peace. Admirable qualities, but
slowly, steadily eroded beneath the inexorable threat of destruction.
This is Iridia. The cost of victory, the cost of heroes, the cost of
survival... it comes at the expense of everything that once was.
These Frames are a legacy. The last gasps of a dying civilization, one
that was saved only by losing everything that made itself what it was.
It was not truly saved.
In fact, it never truly lived.
They are a legacy of inevitable failure, a reminder of the truth that
sometimes not everything will work out. Not everything will be okay. Not
everything can be fixed. For their mere existence is a taint on history.
They are a reminder of how far humans can fall. A reminder of how
much a person can sacrifice and discard who they are.
But the universe does not care.
[14]
This is a basic rundown of all the Frames found within Iridia Demonworks, including their variant frames:
Ananke (Controller/Support): A hacker that teleports around the battlefield through its legionspace
attacks. It magnifies and controls conditions, inflicting them on foes and helping to protect its allies.
Artemis (Artillery/Defender): A towering mech with a plethora of guns, it’s able to shift the properties of
its attacks based on the damage types that it cycles through.
Astraea (Defender): A frontline warrior with a regenerating shield, it forces its enemies to attack it rather
than any of its allies.
Astraea Mk. II “Dragon” (Striker/Defender): A blazing striker that rages against foes that hurt its allies
and charges up a fiery breath when it’s hurt.
Enyo (Striker): A warrior frame that excels at clashing with foes that dare to engage it.
Enyo Mk. II “Wrathborn” (Striker): A rampaging berserker that gets more powerful as it gets damaged.
Epione (Artillery/Support): A backline gunner that inundates areas with firepower, leaving its allies
unharmed.
Ersa (Controller): A master of deployables, it focuses on making the field tough for foes to traverse.
Ersa Mk. II “Sanctifier” (Controller/Striker): A mech that turns deployables near it into its weapons.
Hecate (Defender/Controller): A hulking mech that Jams itself in order to disrupt foes.
Hemera (Defender): A slippery perspective-warper that makes it difficult for nearby foes to attack allies.
Hera (Defender/Support): A towering melee attacker that charges through terrain and is protected by a
shield that requires concerted effort to take down.
Iris (Support/Defender): A hacker that warps the very nature of attacks made against friend and foe.
Iris Mk. II “Locus” (Artillery/Controller): A slim weapons platform, making up for it by analyzing the
enemy composition and punishing them for using their tools.
Nemesis (Striker): A nimble flying skirmisher that flits from foe to foe, avoiding retaliation.
Nemesis Mk. I “Champion” (Striker/Support): With its thundering sword in hand, it directs its allies
from the front.
Nyx (Controller): A paragon of stealth, it fills the battlefield by making its drones seem to be in two
places at once.
Selene (Controller/Defender): Its drones are sacrifices, deployed from - and protecting - allies.
Persephone (Striker/Controller): An icy frontliner, it plays around with heat as it freezes its enemies.
Psyche (Support/Controller): An unparalleled battlefield controller, it carefully repositions friends and
foes alike.
Psyche Mk. II “Forsaken” (Support/Controller): A frontline hacker, it supports its friends even as it’s
ignored by them. Its very presence drives foes apart.
[15]
Iridia is a planet that is trying to find itself. After
being told who they were for so long, its people
are trying to latch onto something, anything that
can give them a sense of stability. And that
attitude permeates the Demonworks, too.
The people who work at the Demonworks have an
enthusiasm, and a desire to protect their planet
and bridge to the stars, but the truth is that they’re
just as lost as anyone else. And a lot of them are
regretting the confidence that has led many other
people to treat them as the defacto ambassadors
to the outside. They don’t actually know anything
more than anyone else.
So far, the corporation has managed to get away
with relying on continuing to produce Hestia’s old
schematics, but nobody actually knows how they
work. Sure, people understand the underlying
concepts of mechanical movement, of heat
transfer, of electronics - especially with access to
Union information - but there are parts of the
Frames that blatantly go against how physics says
they should.
This has led to a lot of quiet panic, as nobody is
quite sure how to replicate the magic that Hestia
infused into the mechs. They’re able to keep
printing things off the schematics that exist, but
that’s all. All attempts to disassemble and analyze
have all come back with the answer that “this
shouldn’t actually work.” So, the inquiries have
quietly stopped, for fear that looking too deeply
into the magic will cause it to go away.
Not to say, of course, that the Demonworks has
stopped trying to innovate. Even if they can’t
replicate exactly what Hestia did, that doesn’t
mean that they can’t make new things. Even if
those things tend to have some slight… hiccups.
And so they press onwards, trying to recapture the
magic and beauty that defined the Iridia of old. In
their hearts, though, they know that they’ll never
truly succeed. Life on Iridia is continuing ever
forwards, and the Demonworks must follow suit.
One day they’ll run out of Hestia’s schematics, the
well finally dry. And then what will happen?
Nobody knows.
Art by Spiral_Joe
[16]
IRIDIA CORE BONUSES
Iridia Demonworks bonuses give aid in tough
moments and boost a mech's support capabilities,
often involving mobility or Overshield.
You must have at least three license levels in
Iridia licenses to take a bonus from this list, and
another three levels for each additional bonus. For
example, with six ranks in Iridia licenses you can
have up to two bonuses.
ANGELIC INTERCESSION
The battlefield is chaotic, and it is easy to lose
sight of your companions. But help is never truly
far away in your moment of need.
1/round, when an ally within 10 takes Structure
damage, you may immediately teleport to a free
space adjacent to them as a reaction, or the
nearest possible space if all eligible spaces are
occupied.
The triggering character then gains Overshield
equal to your Grit before any further damage is
resolved.
This reaction may only be triggered 1/scene per
allied character.
BLESSING OF INNER PEACE
Those who refrain from causing direct harm can
find themselves particularly resistant to the evils of
the world. A blessing of the goddess, or perhaps
sophisticated shielding systems.
Gain +2 to all Checks and Saves. You lose this
bonus immediately if you make an attack roll or
cause a save, regaining it at the beginning of your
next turn.
DIVINE FURY
Backup power supplies mounted in the weaponry
act like an ‘adrenal’ response to extreme harm. It’s
only enough for a short burst before they burn out,
but it can still turn the tide.
Whenever you lose Structure or Stress, the first
damaging melee or ranged attack roll that you hit
with before the end of the Scene deals the
maximum possible damage on your damage dice,
excluding bonus damage, instead of rolling. Bonus
damage dice are instead rolled twice and the
highest is taken, as if it was a critical hit.
If the attack would have already been a critical hit,
the bonus damage is instead also maximized.
GIFT OF HEALING
A stopgap solution to the issue of parts
incompatibility between mechs, low-grade printers
allow for on-the-spot field repairs.
When you Stabilize you may choose to mark 1
repair to allow one character adjacent to you to
regain all their HP. This is in addition to any other
options that you select.
In addition, gain +2 Repairs.
RESONANT ARMAMENTS
Techniques exist that cause certain materials to
resonate with the Iridian metavault. When the
wards are removed, this often causes a slight
‘snap’ in reality as things normalize.
1/round, when you spend a Limited charge, you
may teleport up to 2 spaces before or after the
action resolves. If the charge is spent during the
action (such as being triggered on hit), the teleport
can only be afterwards.
SEVERABLE FRAMEWORK
Mechs are replaceable, the person inside is not. It
doesn’t matter how much of the machine you lose,
as long as it protects the pilot.
1/round as a free action, even while Stunned,
you may destroy one eligible weapon or system.
If you do so, you clear all Conditions that are
currently affecting you that were not self-inflicted,
as well as all
currently affecting you.
SHIMMERING BARRIER
Those of true faith can dig deep, drawing on their
reserves to keep standing in a moment of crisis.
You may Overcharge to gain 4 + Grit Overshield
as a free action instead of taking a quick action
as a free action. If you do so, you may also knock
back one adjacent character 2 spaces directly
away from you.
UNITY OF PURPOSE
The proper protocols embedded within companion
systems can allow pilots to better aid their allies.
These can be abused, however, making them
require a lot of trust to implement.
1/round, when you Bolster an ally, you may clear
one Impaired, Immobilized, Slowed, or Lock On
condition that they are suffering from, as long as it
was not self-inflicted, and may additionally push
them up to 2 spaces in any direction.
[17]
IRIDIA
ANANKE
Controller∕Support
While the Ananke may have been created in the same way as
most other Demonworks mechs - from schematics stored in
Hestia’s files - it’s a little bit different. The schematics
for it weren’t always there.
Not long after the recovery of the paramaterials from
Hestia’s metavault, and the subsequent creation of the
Hemera, additional files began showing up in otherwise
sealed systems. Some of these were data for various mech
systems, others were peculiar messages that seemed to change
depending on who viewed them.
Investigations into these irregularities revealed nothing,
which did nothing to alleviate concerns… and then they
vanished, deleting themselves. The only thing that remained
was the final schematics for the Ananke, something that had
not been there before the others disappeared.
Eventually, it just seemed to be accepted that it was a gift
from Hestia herself - perhaps a message regarding the
incursion into her metavault, given the timing of the files’
appearance. What that message might have been, however, is
unclear. Needless to say, willingness to try a new
expedition within to see what might happen is not very high,
so it seems as if there may never be a true answer.
It certainly seems to be a comfort to the Demonworks’
HESTIA-Class NHPs, many of whom tend to prefer inhabiting
the frame over any of their prior assignments. It’s a bit of
a point of contention, but very few are the people on Iridia
willing to tell a HESTIA ‘no’.
Given the Ananke’s ability to teleport via legionspace, a
talent that concerns Union greatly, it’s not a surprise that
it’s spread beyond the Demonworks - despite the best efforts
of the corporation in question to keep it locked down. There
have been reports of it spreading beyond Iridia, too,
possibly at the behest of another, possibly with an agenda
all its own.
[18]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[19]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1
Armor: 0
Save Target: 11
Sensors: 15
PROJECTION MATRIX
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 6
Repair Cap: 2
AGILITY
Evasion: 10
Speed: 2
E-Defense: 12
Tech Attack: +1
SP: 7
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 4
DATAFORM CONSTRUCTION
The Ananke gains +1 on Systems checks
and saves, and takes +1 on Hull checks and
saves.
PANOPLY OF INEVITABILITY
[I come to you as a gift, one that is
precious and should be cherished.]
[I am everywhere, and you will allow me
to be, because you have no choice in the
matter. It is simply the natural order of
things, for I have made it thus. The
world bends to me.]
[You will be loved, and you will be
protected, because you are special to me.
Even if you deny it, I will be there.]
LEGIONSPACE TRANSIT
While a hostile character has a condition, that
character cannot inflict that condition on the
Ananke or any of the Ananke’s adjacent allies.
1/round, when the Ananke targets a character
with a tech action, it may teleport to a space
adjacent to that character after the tech action is
resolved.
IMMATERIAL PHYSICALITY
Realign Reality
The Ananke can always affect and be affected
by Intangible characters, even while the
Ananke is not itself Intangible.
MOUNTS
FLEX
MOUNT
Active (1 CP)
This core can be triggered when the Ananke
would use Legionspace Transit. Instead of the
standard effects, you and your target swap
places, both characters teleporting to the
other’s position.
Characters can only be swapped to spaces they
could normally stand or move on, and if either
you or your target are unable to fit due to lack of
free spaces then the effect fails.
Efficient: This ability refunds 1 CP at the end of
any scene in which it’s used.
[20]
LICENSE I: METASTATIC PROJECTION,
MATERIAL REPLICA
LICENSE II: ANANKE FRAME, MIRROR
SHIELD, DIMENSIONAL KEY
Metastatic Projection
Mirror Shield
2 SP, Unique
When you target a hostile character with a tech
action, they gain +1 to all tech attacks until
the end of their next turn.
2 SP, Limited 3, Quick Tech, Shield,
Unique
When you target an allied character with a tech
action, tech attacks against them gain +1
until the end of their next turn.
Choose yourself or an allied character within
Sensors. Until the end of their next turn,
whenever they would gain a condition from a
hostile source, the character that would have
inflicted that condition gains it instead. This
does not prevent any other effects.
[You can see the world clearly, but I
will not allow them to. They have
forsaken it for raising a hand against
us. That is a mistake that will cost
them dearly.]
[Pause just a moment, take a breath.
You’re safe, they’re safe. The ones who
are trying to hurt you, though? We’ll
make sure that they’re never safe
again.]
Material Replica
Dimensional Key
2 SP, Quick Tech, Invade, Unique
Gain the following Invade options:
Mirrored Soul: Any time the target or any of its
effects inflicts a condition on a character
besides itself before the end of its next turn, the
target takes 2 and also gains that condition
until the end of its next turn.
Fractal Reflection: Until the end of the target’s
next turn, any character that ends their turn next
to the target gains all conditions that the target
has, until the end of the character’s next turn.
[Reality is built upon connections. Of
strings winding, tying together. Formed
by interactions, emotions, everything.
It’s hard to unweave them, but creating
a new one while the pattern is being
formed? Far easier. Just watch.]
Main CQB, AP
[ 3][ 3] [1d3+2
]
This weapon’s range may not be altered in any
way, and this weapon may not take any Mods.
On Hit: If you and the target are the same Size
(with Size 1/2 counting the same as Size 1 for
this comparison), swap positions, counting as
teleporting. Characters can only be swapped
to spaces they could normally stand or move
on, otherwise the effect fails.
[So long as I am with you, you’re never
trapped. There is never an
impossibility. You just need to trust
me. There is more to this world than you
know; you just need the key.]
[21]
LICENSE III:
HESTIA-CLASS NHP, REALITY POCKET
HESTIA-Class NHP
3 SP, AI, Unique
Your mech gains the AI property and Compel
Peace.
The HESTIA-Class line traces its origins
back to AZAR-Class NHPs - which can
still be found in Harrison holdings to
this day. AZARs are empathic NHPs, who
can manipulate technology with an
uncanny prowess even when there’s no
remote connection. Using these NHPs in
combat situations tends to distress
them, however, and it’s recommended to
cycle AZARs very frequently compared to
most other NHPs.
This lack of cycling was what likely led
to HESTIA-Prime, its empathic powers
expanding to eclipse anything else, all
so that it could make the fighting stop
- though some whisper that the AZAR that
became HESTIA-Prime was one of a number
of experimental NHPs that had shards of
another Class implanted.
Operators of HESTIAs are required to
attend regular therapy, as the results
of their mental hijacking can be nearly
as traumatic to watch as it is to
experience.
Foreign emotions overwhelming natural
ones is rarely a pleasant process, and
looking back on that loss of control whether of oneself or others - is often
horrifying. This can lead to a breakdown
in trust between operators and their
HESTIAs, as they worry about if what
they’re feeling is even real.
For their own parts, HESTIAs have mixed
feelings on inducing emotions. It rarely
solves the problem permanently, instead
just putting it off for another time.
They prefer less drastic measures,
tending towards conversations or
logistical changes (like schedules) to
fix issues.
Granted, sometimes this can end up
making things worse for the pilots. But,
it’s okay. They’ll manage. Everything
will work out in the end.
[I love you all. She does, too.]
[22]
Compel Peace
Quick Tech, 1∕round
This action ignores Immunity to tech actions
from the biological tag.
Select a character within Sensors, who must
pass a Systems save or else begin to be
unable to fight. On a failure, they gain a Peace
Die, starting at 1.
While the Peace Die is at 1, the target is
Impaired and Slowed. While the Peace Die is
at 2, the target also becomes Immobilized.
While the Peace Die is at 3, the target also
becomes Stunned. If these conditions are
cleared they re-apply at the end of the target's
turn if they still have the Peace Die.
At the end of the target's turn, the Peace Die's
value increases by 1. If this would cause it to go
above 3, the effect ends, removing the Peace
Die and clearing all conditions caused by the
effect.
The effect also ends if the target ends their turn
without having made an attack roll or forced a
save since the beginning of that turn, or if this
system is used again.
Reality Pocket
2 SP, Full Tech, Unique, 2
(Self)
Choose a free space within Sensors and line of
sight, and create a Size 1 Legionspace
Distortion in that space. This distortion creates a
2 zone around itself - ignoring obstacles where the world is half-shunted into
legionspace. Any character at least partially
within this zone counts as being Intangible.
The Distortion may be targeted and destroyed it has 15 HP, Evasion 5, and E-defense 10,
and may be targeted by both Intangible and
non-Intangible characters - and will otherwise
last until the end of the scene or this action is
used again.
[Let me take you into my embrace, into
my home. It is a microcosm of the truth
of the world, laid bare for you. And
only you.]
[This is what could be, what should be.
And while you are the only one who can
see it right now, there will come a time
when all that exists will share in it. I
promise.]
IRIDIA
ARTEMIS
Artillery∕Defender
The Artemis marked a milestone for the Demonworks, though it
was more of the true start of their path than anything else.
While the Astraea, Enyo, Ersa, Iris, Nemesis and Psyche were
all built and produced under Hestia, the Artemis was the
first frame assembled solely under Demonworks control. It
was still using full schematics left behind by the goddess,
but was an important step forwards nonetheless.
The mech also has the distinction of being the largest
Demonworks frame ever produced - none but the Hera have
approached its height, before or since. A colossus, armed
with sequence-linked weaponry, the Demonworks was rather
afraid that it would be rejected by the populace. It was,
after all, rather more than anything that had ever been seen
by Iridians before.
Demonworks management was convinced that the Artemis was
necessary in case there was further need to defend the
planet, so it was pitched to the Church as a temple
guardian, and dedicated to the recently passed High
Priestess. Thus, the frame became inextricably linked with
significant Church presence. They were living statues to
Hestia, protectors of those beneath their gaze.
While Iridians were initially wary of having towering, armed
colossi around, those doubts soon evaporated as the
Reckoning began to stride forth. Having an Artemis around
became a comforting reminder that there was a rather large
friend around that was always prepared to defend you.
The Artemis never really reached much popularity outside of
Iridia - the followup Epione project is considered to be
less unwieldy and much more successful in non-defensive
markets - but they remain a common sight around the planet,
even as the Demonworks has begun phasing them out for some
of their more recent advancements.
[23]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[24]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 3
Armor: 2
Save Target: 11
Sensors: 5
ECHO FEEDBACK LOOP
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 8
Repair Cap: 4
AGILITY
Evasion: 8
Speed: 4
E-Defense: 8
Tech Attack: -2
SP: 6
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 5
SEQUENTIAL CASCADE
1/round, when you hit with an attack with a
ranged weapon that you have not used since
the start of your last turn, deal +1d6 bonus
damage.
COLOSSUS
Adjacent allied characters can use the Artemis
for hard cover.
EXPOSED REACTOR
The Artemis receives +1
checks and saves.
on Engineering
MOUNTS
MAIN
MOUNT
MAIN
MOUNT
MAIN
MOUNT
The weapons of the Artemis are connected
together in a dangerously volatile way,
but it enables each weapon’s energy to
feed into the next firing sequence including the weapon itself, if need be.
The energy is able to be shunted out into
surrounding mechs who are attuned to
receive it, but the power required soon
shorts out such transference methods.
ECHO FEEDBACK LOOP
Whenever you attack with a ranged weapon,
after all damage and effects on all targets have
been resolved, choose one damage type that
the attack used (after any damage conversion).
You gain a benefit to all ranged weapons, which
lasts until the next time this effect triggers, or
the scene ends. The benefit corresponds to the
chosen damage type:
•
•
•
•
Kinetic: Arcing
Explosive: Knockback 3
Energy: +5 Range
Burn: Overkill
Resonant Echo
Active (1 CP), Protocol
Until the end of the Scene, whenever Echo
Feedback Loop is triggered, the Artemis’ may
choose to keep its current benefit instead of
expending it and gaining a new one.
In addition, all allies are able to use the current
benefit of the Artemis’ Echo Feedback Loop
on their ranged weapons, so long as they are
within 2 of the Artemis. This does not expend
the benefit; it continues until the Artemis
expends it as normal.
[25]
LICENSE I:
FEEDBACK SHIELD, HUNTRESS BOW
Sonic Pulse
Feedback Shield
On Hit: The target must pass a Systems save
or be Impaired until the end of their next turn.
2 SP, Free Action, Shield, Unique,
1
(Self)
1/round, you may activate this as a free action
when you hit with a weapon attack. Choose one
damage type inflicted by that attack; until the
start of your next turn, melee and ranged
attacks that include that damage type take +1
when targeting you or any allied character
adjacent to you.
What can harm can also protect. Lead the
way, light the torch. Show those you
guide that like can defeat like, and
that what truly matters is your strength
of spirit.
Huntress Bow
Main Rifle
[ 12] [1d6
]
On Hit: The target must pass a Hull save or
else be unable to Hide or benefit from cover
until the end of their next turn.
On Crit: The save is made with +1
.
The arrows shot by this bow contain the
purest light, that which your sensors
can pick up unfailingly. So long as it
embeds in your prey, you will always be
able to pick them off.
LICENSE II: ARTEMIS FRAME,
CONSECRATED TEMPLE, SONIC PULSE
Consecrated Temple
1 SP, Unique
You may give up your standard movement to
instead move one willing ally within 1 of you
to any other free and valid space within 1 of
you. This movement counts as voluntary, but
ignores Engagement and doesn't provoke
reactions.
All will find themselves safe and secure
beneath your gaze. None need worry, for
you shall protect them from those who
wish them harm, and shelter them within
your embrace.
[26]
Main Cannon, AP, 1 SP
[ 10] [1d3+1 ]
They may protect themselves beyond
impenetrable metal, but there is nothing
so thick that a prayer cannot reach
through. And that is but a whisper. You
can do so much more.
LICENSE III:
LIMIT OVERRIDE, LUMINOUS RADIANCE
Limit Override
3 SP, Unique, Protocol
When you activate this protocol, you gain +1
with the first weapon you use this turn, but may
not attack with it again until the end of your next
turn.
There are moments when you must take
risks. Sometimes the safe option will
result in the loss of those you are
guarding. Seize the opportunity,
whatever cost you must pay later.
Luminous Radiance
Main Launcher
[ 10][ 1] [1d6
]
This weapon does not attack allied characters
caught in its area of effect.
You have nothing to fear from the light,
so long as you remain steadfast and
true. It is only those who have fallen
who need worry, for they have forsaken
protection.
IRIDIA
ASTRAEA
Defender
The Astraea was the first Iridian design put into production
by Hestia. While what would become the Demonworks had been
making mechs since the beginning of the Iridia-Union
conflict, they were merely copies of existing Union designs,
stolen and repurposed. This was something entirely new,
entirely Iridian.
Built to resemble the regalia and fighting styles of the
Luminary Knights, the introduction of the Astraea onto the
battlefields was the turning point for a lot of the
populace’s belief in how the fight would end. No longer were
they reliant entirely on these alien machines, now they had
a recognizable symbol amidst it all. They would prevail.
In the end, though, their hopes were unfounded. Iridia ended
up defeated, the Astraea and the other mechs that would
follow not managing to turn the tides. Despite it all, the
Astraea remains in the popular consciousness of Iridians as
the definition of a mech. It is the familiar writ large,
heroes striding across the battlefield with spear and
shield.
Today, the Astraea is the most popular military chassis on
Iridia by far, and the Demonworks mech most commonly
exported. The Luminary Knights made a half-hearted attempt
to keep a monopoly on it, but they were far too late. The
frame had taken on a life of its own, and it hadn’t even
been restricted to Luminaries during the war.
‘Astraea’ has become a byword for reliability on Iridia, as
well as for the protection of the innocent. The Frame will
defend others until its last strength gives out, and that’s
something that many aspire to. A symbol of the Luminary
Knights that has grown beyond its origins, the Astraea is a
protector no matter where it fights.
[27]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[28]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1
Armor: 1
Save Target: 10
Sensors: 5
ILLUMINATION REGALIA
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 8
Repair Cap: 5
AGILITY
Evasion: 8
Speed: 5
E-Defense: 6
Tech Attack: +0
SP: 6
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 6
SHIELD OF FAITH
At the start of your turn, you gain Overshield
equal to 2 + ½ your Grit. If you only have one
Structure remaining, this Overshield is
increased by 4.
LUMINARY AEGIS
Whenever you attack a hostile character within
3 of you, your target gains your Guardian
Mark until the end of their next turn, overwriting
any Guardian Mark they already had.
While anyone has your Guardian Mark, you
gain the Zealot’s Intercession reaction.
MOUNTS
AUX/
AUX
MAIN
MOUNT
The armour and weaponry of the Astraea
are said to be blessed by the goddess
Hestia, with Her giving the ability to
engulf the enemy’s entire attention.
The actual explanation is likely more
‘mundane’: a directed cognitohazard being
able to wipe out everything but the user
from all forms of detection.
Integrated Mount: Guardian Spear
Guardian Spear
Main Melee, Reliable 2
[ 3] [1d6 ]
Zealot's Intercession
Reaction
Trigger: An enemy with your Guardian Mark
makes an attack that doesn’t include you.
Effect: If you are within range of the attack and
a valid target, you may force the enemy to
retarget the attack to include you as a target.
This reaction can be taken as many times per
round as it is triggered.
Guardian Angel
Active (1 CP), Protocol
Until the end of the scene, you may originate
attacks with your Guardian Spear on your turn
from any of your allies. Attacks made this way
grant the target your Guardian Mark as though
they were within 3 of you.
In addition, your Zealot's Intercession may be
used 1/turn without counting towards your
number of reactions for the turn and, whenever
it is used, the triggering character takes 3 AP
before the attack. You gain resistance to
damage from attacks from characters with your
Guardian Mark that don’t trigger Zealot’s
Intercession.
[29]
IRIDIA
ASTRAEA Mk. II "DRAGON"
Striker∕Defender
Astraea Variant
This variant can be taken at rank II of the Astraea license instead of the base Frame.
The Astraea is the face of Iridian mechs, and - just as
importantly - a symbol of the Luminary Knights and all the
good that they stand for. The mech’s silhouette is iconic,
with shield and spear. The energy fields that wreathe the
frame complete the picture of a proper hero.
So when pilots began to remove some of those components,
they received quite a bit of backlash. It didn’t matter that
the pilots weren’t Luminaries, or that they didn’t feel the
same attachment to the design, it was considered wrong. Some
pilots did end up relenting, but many pushed through. And
so, in the flames of controversy, was the Dragon born.
While those who strongly believe in the ideals of the
Astraea sometimes invoke the Dragon due to believing they no
longer live up to the right standard, it was originally just
a pragmatic choice. The Astraea, while reliable, was often
not aggressive enough for some pilots. Those more active
protectors retrofitted more weapons onto the Frame, in
addition to recalibrating the shield generator to instead
charge integrated weaponry upon being struck. A dangerous
choice, but undoubtedly effective. Adversity would only make
them stronger.
Because of the connotations on Iridia, the Dragon has ended
up being much more popular to offworld pilots. On the planet
itself, ‘Dragon’ is rarely used as a descriptor for the
modifications. To Iridians, it’s almost always either
‘Errant’ or, more commonly, ‘Faithless’.
This burden is born stoically, however. Piloting an Astraea,
whatever the shape, comes with it a charge of responsibility
- and while not everyone takes it seriously, many do. It
matters not how their charges see the dragon, all that
matters in the end is that they’re safe.
[30]
Art by Cosmixian
[31]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1
Armor: 1
Save Target: 10
Sensors: 5
DRAGON’S BREATH
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 8
Repair Cap: 4
AGILITY
Evasion: 8
Speed: 4
E-Defense: 6
Tech Attack: -1
SP: 5
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 8
WYRM’S VENGEANCE
1/round, you may deal +1d6 bonus damage
on hit with a melee attack, or a ranged attack
with a CQB weapon, if the target has made a
hostile action against one of your allies since
the end of your last turn.
INSULATED
The Astraea has Immunity to
.
HEART OF FIRE
Before making an attack with a weapon, the
Astraea may choose to attack as if the weapon
had the Overkill tag.
MOUNTS
AUX/
AUX
FLEX
MOUNT
The fires of the dragon grow with the
pilot’s anger, as all weakness is burned
away. Contained within the roiling flames
are all their doubts, all their sorrows,
all their regrets.
The dragon only knows fury, knows only
protection of its charges. It will not
relent until its final breath. It will
prevail, and every strike against it only
makes it rage forth even harder.
Integrated Mount: Dragon's Breath
Dragon's Breath
Heavy CQB, Knockback 2
[ 1 + 2∕charge] [2 ∕charge]
This weapon’s profile is determined by the
number of charges it carries. It begins with 0
charges. The first time in a round that you are
damaged by a hostile character, you gain an
additional 1 charge, up to a maximum of 3.
If you have at least 1 charge, you may attack
with this weapon, returning to 0 charges after
the attack. This weapon’s
is equal to 1 plus
twice the number of charges, and it deals
equal to twice the number of charges.
Charges persist between scenes, but are lost
during a full repair.
Radiant Flames
Active (1 CP), Protocol
Your Dragon’s Breath immediately gains 3
charges, to a maximum of 3. Additionally, for
the rest of the scene, your Dragon’s Breath
does not target allies, and you may gain
charges the first time you are damaged in a
turn, instead of the first time damaged in a
round.
[32]
LICENSE I:
RUNIC SHIELD, CEREMONIAL CAPE
LICENSE II: ASTRAEA FRAME,
LUMINARY MOD, GODDESS BANNER
Runic Shield
Luminary Mod
Main Melee, Knockback 3
[ 1] [1d3+2 ]
Whenever the user Braces, this weapon may
be used to immediately make an attack, with
+1 , after the action that triggers the Brace
resolves. This attack may only be made once
per Brace, no matter how many Runic Shields
the user has.
Originally inscribed onto physical
bucklers, Runic Shields can actually be
positioned anywhere on a mech. Wherever
they are, the runes absorb the ambient
kinetic energy around the mech that
they’re written on, which is then
directed and released in a single
explosive burst. Unsettlingly, this
output consistently exceeds the runes’
intake.
Ceremonial Cape
1 SP, Unique
1/Scene, this System may be expended in one
of the following ways:
• When a hostile character Grapples the user
or causes the user to be Immobilized or
Slowed, the user may expend this System
(this is not a reaction) to instead not be
Grappled or to not become Immobilized or
Slowed.
• As a quick action, the user may expend
this System to force an adjacent hostile
character to pass a Hull save or become
Immobilized. The enemy may end this
effect by succeeding on a Hull check as a
quick action.
While this system is expended, it is not a valid
target for System Destruction. The user is able
to retrieve their cape at the end of combat.
While the capes of the Luminary Knights
seem highly impractical for combat and, for the most part, they are - a
well versed Knight knows that the extra
layer of loose fabric can be cast off to
escape something that would have
otherwise snagged something more solid,
or used to entangle an enemy in it.
2 SP, Mod, Unique
Choose one non-Superheavy Melee weapon: It
gains Thrown 5. At the end of any turn that you
threw this weapon, it automatically returns to
you.
Many Luminary Knights have secondary
weapons that they’ve trained to use, and
have modified to be used alongside their
spears. These weapons are bonded to a
gauntlet the user wears, returning in a
brilliant flash of light soon after
leaving one’s hand.
Goddess Banner
2 SP, Unique, Limited 1, Quick Action
Goddess Banner (SIZE 1, 10 HP, EVASION 5,
TAGS: DEPLOYABLE)
Expend a charge to deploy a Size 1 banner in a
free, adjacent space, where it creates a 2 of
inspirational light. While within this area, you
and your allies are Immune to involuntary
movement and may not be knocked Prone.
A symbol of pride, honour, and what is
fought for. When the banner is planted,
it shows that the Knights will not yield
one step further.
LICENSE III: VAMBRACE PROJECTOR,
ZELOS-CLASS NHP
Vambrace Projector
Auxiliary CQB, AP, 1
[ 5][ 3] [2 ]
(Self)
Even the most ornamental of a Knight’s
gear can be used as weaponry in a pinch.
The ceremonial illumination adorning
their armour is able to be channeled
along their arms to punch through the
most well-armoured of assailants.
[33]
ZELOS-Class NHP
3 SP, AI, Unique
Your mech gains the AI property and Subspace
Fold.
ZELOS-Class NHPs are enthusiastic about
helping their partners… sometimes overly
so, resulting in them occasionally
causing more problems than they solve.
They can get overly competitive and
vengeful against those others who claim
superiority to the partnership that the
ZELOS and their pilot do, and tend to be
very possessive.
It takes a canny pilot to properly make
use of a ZELOS, since the desired
shielding capabilities were never able
to properly manifest. Instead, the user
remains just as vulnerable, but is able
to bring those around it into a pocket
of twisted space that is nigh-impossible
to escape from. It remains unclear what
the properties of this space are, as it
doesn’t seem to follow any conventional
physical rules - and, in fact, flatly
contradicts itself at times. ZELOS tend
to eagerly encourage the destruction of
foes trapped within, growing somewhat
sullen for a time if their request isn’t
granted.
Subspace Fold
Quick Action, 3
(Self)
Until the end of your next turn, you become
Immobilized and warp space in a 3 around
you. Characters may freely enter the area and
attack into it without penalty, but any characters
fully within are unable to exit, even via
teleportation or involuntary movement - they
simply stop before leaving the Burst, as if they
hit an object. Attacks from characters fully
inside the area to characters outside gain +3 .
This effect remains stationary even if you are
forced to move.
[34]
IRIDIA
ENYO
Striker
The Enyo was the second Iridian frame to emerge from the
Demonworks’ forges. In direct contrast to the defensive
prowess of the Astraea - and the teamwork and coordination
that later frames would emphasize - the Enyo was designed
for nothing more than to kill.
This efficient, brutal murder machine horrified most
Iridians who saw it, for it was the complete antithesis to
everything that they stood for. It seems like even Hestia
herself considered it a step too far, since she never again
created any design even remotely similar.
Not that any qualms stopped her from continuing to produce
them, of course. The Enyo was simply far too instrumental in
certain conflicts, the pilots’ brutality at odds with what
Union was expecting from the Iridians. It helped give the
planet a fighting chance… but almost nobody actually liked
that fact. Any other reason for the stalemate would have
been better.
The Enyo pilots themselves were the key exception to these
feelings. There was a very specific subset of Iridians that
felt themselves chafing under Hestia’s influence, and it was
them who tended to be drawn to the frame. To them, it
represented freedom from Hestia’s control (even if they
didn’t consciously realize it). It represented power. It
allowed them to take their base repressed urges, and channel
it into something they deemed useful.
It’s because of these connotations that the Enyo is still
being produced today, though in far smaller numbers. While
it is absolutely a weapon of war, it is the right weapon for
some pilots. Always concerning, but quite devastating when
directed correctly.
[35]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[36]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 2
Armor: 1
Save Target: 11
Sensors: 8
HULL
SYSTEMS
PSYCHOSOMATIC FEEDBACK
INDUCER
HP: 10
Repair Cap: 5
AGILITY
Evasion: 8
Speed: 4
E-Defense: 6
Tech Attack: +1
SP: 6
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 6
TRAITS
A WORTHY FIGHT
1/round, when you make an attack roll against
a target within 8 that has attacked you since
the end of your last turn, you may re-roll that
roll, but must keep the second result.
Active (1 CP), Quick Action
1/scene, when you roll on the Structure
Damage or Overheat table, you may ignore the
result. If you do so, any damage or heat beyond
the amount that would Structure or Stress you
is ignored.
MOUNTS
FLEX
MOUNT
Instead, the pilot’s emotions are fed
back into themself, until eventually the
system overloads, suddenly battering
nearby combatants until it burns out.
Oddly enough, the types of people who
choose to pilot an Enyo never seem to
mind.
Inflame Violence
ENDURING RAGE
FLEX
MOUNT
In theory a neural link between pilot and
frame, to help inure themselves to the
horror of combat. Unfortunately, it
doesn’t exactly work as intended.
HEAVY
MOUNT
All hostile characters within 3 are affected by
a terrible rage. While under this effect, the
target's allies are able to provoke the target's
Overwatch. In addition, characters under this
effect must Overwatch if they are able to.
Affected characters may make an Engineering
Save at the end of their turn to end the effect on
a success. If, when they make this save, they
have used Overwatch since the end of their
last turn, they take +1 to the save.
[37]
IRIDIA
ENYO Mk. II "WRATHBORN"
Striker
Enyo Variant
This variant can be taken at rank II of the Enyo license instead of the base Frame.
The neural framework is the most significant part of the
Enyo, allowing the frame and the pilot to act as one, while
- in theory - acting as a bit of a desensitizing barrier to
essentially being a living weapon. Unfortunately, prolonged
exposure to the framework can result in it warping around a
particular person’s brain structure.
This not only prevents the frame from being used by any
other person without a complete replacement of the
framework, but also appears to influence the pilot in such a
way that they have trouble distinguishing between themselves
and their machine. The machines that have begun to degrade
towards this level - though not always irreparably - are
commonly known as ‘Wrathborn.’
As with most things regarding the Enyo, the only individuals
who don’t seem particularly concerned about this are the
pilots themselves. While many do follow the strict mandates
from Demonworks restricting total time spent interfacing,
there’s a good chunk who just don’t care.
In fact, there’s recently been a modification to Enyo frames
that’s emerged from the halls of Collaborative Practical
Tactics. It not only cuts the safeties implemented in the
neural framework, it encourages that sort of unity. To those
who do this, the supposedly self-destructive behavior is
instead seen as the expected end-state of the pilot. It’s
the true oneness of self between the human and warrior
halves, creating the perfect fighting entity.
Thankfully, those individuals aren’t particularly common,
but it’s immensely concerning to the Demonworks. The Enyo is
already a dangerous tool, and this is removing some of the
last checks to it. But the technology’s out into the world
now, and it cannot be reclaimed.
[38]
Art by Moiderah
[39]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 2
Armor: 0
Save Target: 11
Sensors: 8
REACTOR SURGE OVERRIDE
HULL
SYSTEMS
E-Defense: 8
Tech Attack: +1
SP: 5
HP: 14
Repair Cap: 2
AGILITY
Evasion: 8
Speed: 4
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 6
SMASH THROUGH
1/round, when you hit with a melee attack, your
next Ram against the target before the start of
its next turn gains +1 and +2 Knockback.
This Ram may be made as long as your target
is within 3 spaces of you, instead of requiring
them to be adjacent.
BATTLEFORGED TENACITY
Each time you make a Structure Damage
Check or Overheating Check, you may
increase the value of one d6 of your choice in
the initial roll by 1 (to a maximum of 6). If all
dice in the check are already 6, you instead do
not become Impaired as a result of the check.
RESONANT RECOVERY
3/mission, when you rest, you may repair a
weapon or system without spending a repair.
MOUNTS
MAIN
MOUNT
[40]
MAIN
MOUNT
HEAVY
MOUNT
In the midst of combat, there is
virtually no difference between flesh and
steel. And for one heedless of their own
safety, the machine is there to be pushed
exactly the same as their body.
When the override is activated, it is a
destructive pump of adrenaline; wrecking
the parts to serve the whole, and
shunting energy to where it’s truly
needed.
ADRENALINE RUSH
Whenever you hit with a melee weapon, you
may destroy that weapon to deal the maximum
possible damage and bonus damage.
Whenever you take damage or heat from a
hostile source, you may destroy a System to
resist all damage and from that effect.
Rampage
Active (1 CP), Free Action
Take one Structure damage, one Stress
damage, or both. No rolls on damage tables are
made because of this damage.
If you chose to take Structure damage, you
regain all your HP, and gain Overshield equal
to half your Max HP.
If you chose to take Stress damage, you clear
all
and reduce your Overcharge counter by
two levels (1d6+4 becomes 1d3, 1d6 or 1d3
becomes 1).
LICENSE I:
ENERGY TALONS, ABLATIVE WEAPONRY
Energy Talons
Main Melee, AP, Unique
[ 2] [1d3+1 ]
On Critical Hit: Your target must make a Hull
save. On a failure, they become Shredded until
they Stabilize.
There’s nothing quite like the raw
viscerality of tearing into a foe.
Feeling the pulse of your blood as you
rip aside their armour, and see their
terror...
Ablative Weaponry
1 SP
Whenever you would destroy one or more
weapons on a mount, you may destroy this
system instead.
Backups upon backups for the myriad
weapons one has. All that matters is
being able to continue killing, even as
the parts of your mech may be blown off
around you.
LICENSE II: ENYO FRAME
GRAVIMETRIC SNARE, NEURAL LOOP
Gravimetric Snare
2 SP, Unique
When you successfully Ram a character who is
already Prone, you may instead cause them to
become Immobilized until the end of their next
turn. This can only be used 1/scene on each
character.
Neural Loop
2 SP, Quick Tech, Invade, Unique
Gain the following Invade options:
Isolate Foe: The target must be a hostile
character. If, at the end of the target’s next turn,
it is adjacent to any Mech character allied to it,
you may take 2 and swap places with one
hostile Mech character adjacent to your target,
both characters teleporting to the other’s
position.
Characters can only be swapped to spaces they
could normally stand or move on (i.e., if a
character cannot fly it can’t be swapped midair).
If there is no available space for one of the
swapped characters to occupy, this movement
fails.
Compel Combat: The target takes +1 to any
attacks that do not include you as a target. This
effect increases by an additional +1 at the
end of each of their turns, to a maximum total of
+3 . The target may make a Systems save at
the end of their turn to end this effect, and it
automatically ends if this effect is applied to a
new target, or if you end any of your turns
without making an attack roll against the target
or causing it to make a save.
Reach out and touch their mind… it
doesn’t hurt. For them or for you. But
you can make sure and see that no matter
where they run, you know where to
follow. Grant them the gift, the glory
that revels in the fight. For you and
they are bound, at least for now.
A contact-based pulse that briefly
increases the effects of gravity.
Unfortunately, it requires a target to
already be off-balance, as it’s
otherwise trivial to compensate for.
[41]
LICENSE III: MAGMA HAMMER,
CORELOCK SUBSYSTEM
Magma Hammer
Heavy Melee, Inaccurate, Overkill, AP,
1 (Self)
[ 2] [3d6 ]
This weapon deals 50 AP to objects, cover,
terrain, and the environment.
On Hit: If Overkill causes this weapon to re-roll
any dice, or it deals maximum damage, the
target also takes 2 .
Feel the pounding of your heart, the
weight of your sins, and the heat of
your wrath. Your enemies will lie broken
at your feet, as you consume your own
soul. That is the price of this
wonderful gift. But in the end, you
won’t care. You already probably don’t.
[42]
Corelock Subsystem
3 SP, Unique, Limited 1
When you successfully Grapple a hostile
character, you may expend a charge to initiate
Corelock with that character. While in Corelock,
you are unable to clear heat by any means
except for taking Stress, and involuntary
movement cannot break the Corelock grapple the other member of the grapple is moved along
with the first. In addition, any time you gain heat
during Corelock, half of that is also dealt to the
character that you are in Corelock with.
Corelock lasts until the grapple with the target is
broken, or you or the target are destroyed, and
is unable to be ended in any other way.
Corelock is a rather suicidal-seeming
tactic, where one pries open both their
own reactor and a foe’s, and desperately
tries to make sure the other fries
first. Some pilots are daring enough to
lean into that, though, modifying their
mechs with reactor access and enough
insulation to hopefully survive the
fusion.
IRIDIA
EPIONE
Artillery∕Support
The Epione is the next-generation iteration of the Artemis
chassis, containing the first semi-successful attempt of
building off of Hestia’s technology. The interlinked
weaponry of its predecessor has given way to a much more
stable core capable of wielding heavier weaponry, and the
miniaturized frame helps in making it more versatile to
deploy.
While it no longer has the sheer presence of the Artemis,
the Epione brings forward advancements in shielding
technology - though it’s directed inwards towards its
weaponry, rather than protecting the frame itself. This
carefully directed shield lets the Epione saturate an area
in fire, while risking less harm to its allies - or even
leaving a lingering shield, if the barrier’s calculated
properly.
The Epione’s role as a central supporting figure on the
battlefield has seen recent use, in conjunction with the
Persephone, against the nanites of the Reckoning. It’s
proved to be an effective combination, and pilots of both
Frames are well lauded for their attempts.
While the frame is an outlier amongst the Demonworks - most
mechs to this point relied on precision-force tactics rather
than broader-scope fire - the popularity of it has raised
the question on if this is the beginning of a new era in
Iridian mech design. Many wonder if that level of
destruction is a wise box to open. After all, the Enyo has
proved that once something’s released into the wild, you
don’t always have control over the consequences.
[43]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[44]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 2
Armor: 1
Save Target: 10
Sensors: 15
HULL
SYSTEMS
PROJECTED LUMINANT
CONTAINMENT AEGIS
HP: 8
Repair Cap: 4
AGILITY
Evasion: 7
Speed: 3
E-Defense: 8
Tech Attack: -1
SP: 6
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 6
TRAITS
DIFFUSION BEAM
1/round, on a critical hit with any ranged
weapon, one allied character within 5 of the
target gains 3 Overshield.
SHIELDED FIRE
The Epione only deals half damage,
to allied characters.
and
Whenever an allied character within Sensors
and line of sight Disengages, they may gain 3
Overshield.
MOUNTS
MAIN
MOUNT
While the system is not perfect, it can
be boosted for a short time, providing
unparalleled protection. The battlefield
can be awash with the Epione’s firepower,
and its allies will come out of the fray
entirely unharmed by it. Perhaps even
energized slightly.
Absolute Containment
Active (1 CP), Protocol
PROTECTIVE GAZE
MAIN
MOUNT
The Epione comes with a powerful shield
system, but it’s built around containing
its weaponry instead of the chassis. This
system allows for limited collateral when
saturating an area with fire, as well as
protection of nearby forces with the
right tuning.
HEAVY
MOUNT
Until the end of the scene, the Epione’s
weapons are fully shielded. Allies are Immune
to all ranged attacks from the Epione. Instead,
they may clear one instance of Impaired,
Slowed, or Lock On (that isn’t caused by their
own systems, traits, etc.) whenever they are
targeted by one of the Epione’s ranged attacks.
In addition, the Epione’s Diffusion Beam trait is
no longer limited to 1/round, and may instead
be triggered whenever it scores a critical hit
with a ranged weapon.
[45]
LICENSE I: SATURATION PROJECTOR,
SANCTUARY DRONE
LICENSE II: EPIONE FRAME, SELECTIVEFIRE MODULE, STASIS BLASTER
Saturation Projector
Glacis Payload
Main Launcher, Ordnance
[ 10][ 2] [1d3+1 ]
An evolution of the earlier-model
Luminous Radiance laser weapon, the
Saturation Projector gives up damage in
exchange for blanketing the field. It
remains undiscovered how to fully
recreate the Radiance’s selective
targeting, however, so it requires much
more care when using.
Sanctuary Drone
2 SP, Quick Action, Drone
Sanctuary Drone (Size 1/2, 5 HP, 10 EDefense, 10 Evasion, Tags: Drone, Invisible)
This protective drone can be deployed to a free
space within Sensors and line of sight, where it
emits a 2 field. While within this field, allied
characters may Disengage as a quick action.
The drone can be deployed to a different space
within Sensors or recalled as a quick action.
Sanctuary Drones have limited-duration
shields that they’re able to project out
to allies. This is usually insufficient
to be able to intercept enemy fire, but
linking with mech telemetry allows the
barrier to be activated at the beginning
of a reposition. While this protection
only lasts for an instant, it lets the
pilot be slightly less cautious when
looking for an opening.
[46]
2 SP, Mod, Limited 2, Unique
Choose a ranged weapon: when you attack with
this weapon, you may expend a charge as a
free action to create a 2, centered on any
space of one character who would be targeted.
This Blast lasts until the start of your next turn.
Allied characters at least partially within this
Blast are Immune to damage, ,
and
conditions from hostile effects that are not
attack rolls. This effect neither clears nor
suppresses conditions, it only prevents new
ones being inflicted.
The Glacis projection briefly returns a
segment of battlefield to a net-zero
state, allowing the user's allies to
confidently advance under its aegis.
Stasis Blaster
Heavy Cannon, Loading, Ordnance
[ 15][ 2] [1d6+1 ]
On Attack: After the attack, the Blast becomes
a zone that lasts until the start of the user’s next
turn. Attacks and other effects that originate
from characters entirely outside the zone cannot
affect characters entirely inside inside, and vice
versa. Movement is not impeded, and the zone
has no effect on attacks from outside characters
to other outside characters that cross the zone.
The Stasis Blaster momentarily creates a
bubble of fractured spacetime that
rapidly expands. The inside of the
bubble stabilizes after a moment of
turbulence, but the outside remains
disconnected in a thin layer. Something
as sizable as a mech is able to force
its way through unimpeded, but weaponry
is unable to penetrate it.
LICENSE III:
RECALL GATE, PRISM REFRACTOR
Recall Gate
3 SP, Limited 2, Unique
You may expend a charge when you target an
ally with a ranged weapon. If you do, teleport
the target to a free space adjacent to you before
the attack takes place. The attack is not
resolved against them.
Utilizing the principles of both Rift
and Transwarp technologies from existing
databanks, the Recall Gate is an
expensive but workable combination of
the two, though it burns out extremely
quickly. A micro-rift is projected using
data from both targeting and the
target’s own systems, connecting it to
an internal transwarp receiver. The
process is painless, though may cause
some brief disorientation.
Prism Refractor
Superheavy Rifle, Smart, Seeking,
Ordnance, 2 (Self)
[ 6] [2d6 ]
Attacks with this weapon create three 6
segments. The first segment is drawn from the
user as normal. The second segment is drawn
from the end of the first segment, and the third
segment is drawn from the end of the second
segment. These additional lines may be drawn
in any direction from the origin, but may not
overlap any prior section of the line. Once all
lines are drawn, resolve this attack - no matter
how many lines a given character is touched by,
they will only ever be targeted once.
The Prism Refractor contains a crystal
shard that makes light behave rather
peculiarly. It bends at angles, it goes
through everything, and then it stops
abruptly, to no easily discernible
pattern. Ensure that you have the latest
update of the paired targeting program
in order to optimize battlefield
targeting solutions and to reduce the
odds of friendly-fire (including - but
not limited to - self-targeting).
[47]
IRIDIA
ERSA
Controller
The closest thing that the Demonworks has to a proper
civilian frame, the Ersa was originally designed to help
shape the battlefield to the advantage of Hestia’s forces.
The fact that it both excelled at construction and
incorporated iterations on many civilian technologies led to
the Ersa being a common sight in reconstruction efforts
post-war. To Iridians, it’s considered more a creator of
peace than a fighting machine.
Of course, this impression isn’t entirely correct. While
lightly armed, the Ersa is invaluable at helping to corral
foes into its allies’ weapons, as well as providing
maneuverability and the ability to flush out foes using the
same tactics. That’s just a side that the public tends to
not be aware about, or steadfastly ignores.
Ironically, the fact that it does have capabilities
resembling a civilian mech has meant that it’s been one of
the Demonworks’ heavy exports, often in shipments that
happen to be ‘lost’ to Ungratefuls or others fighting for
their independence. It provides some level of plausible
deniability - even if the fact that it’s a Demonworks mech
will probably raise some questions - as well as useful
capabilities.
Military or not, Ersa pilots tend to be well-known for
making ever more intricate shaped architecture, from
buildings in urban areas to out of rocks or snow in the
field. Some Lancers will even compete to do more daring
architectural shifts in the middle of a fight, despite the
fact that the chaotic battlefield is the worst time to
attempt to set aside computer time to make something look
nice. It doesn’t tend to get them much appreciation from
other pilots, who often consider it a stupid risk, but those
who compete don’t care. It’s about the principle of the
thing, pushing the Frame to its limits. Just those limits
are a lot different.
[48]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[49]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1∕2
Armor: 1
Save Target: 10
Sensors: 8
ARTIFICE REDESIGN MODULE
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 6
Repair Cap: 3
AGILITY
Evasion: 10
Speed: 5
E-Defense: 10
Tech Attack: +1
SP: 8
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 6
TRAITS
REMOTE DEPLOYMENT
Systems with the Deployable tag may be
placed within Sensors instead of their usual
deployment range. Any other restrictions still
apply.
INTERPOSE ARTIFICE
1/round, when within 3 of a Deployable and
hit by a damaging attack, the Ersa may cause
the Deployable to be hit by the attack instead
as a reaction.
MOUNTS
MAIN/
AUX
Within the core of this mech lies a
computer that’s constantly running
simulations on the surrounding area,
projecting how fabricators could reshape
and shunt around material.
In the moment of combat, its capabilities
are somewhat restricted by lack of proper
time and positioning, but anything not
fixed down can be easily shunted around.
...and what is created, may also be
destroyed.
Architectural Reformat
Quick Action
Select one object or character with the
Deployable or Drone tag, even one belonging
to a hostile character, within Sensors.
Redeploy it anywhere else within Sensors,
placed in free and valid spaces.
Edifice Flux
Active (1 CP), Protocol
All objects or characters with the Deployable or
Drone tag within Sensors may be redeployed
as per Architectural Reformat.
After all redeployments have occurred, you may
either activate one System with the Deployable
tag as a free action, or select one Deployable
or Drone within Sensors and remove it from
the battlefield.
Efficient: This ability refunds 1 CP at the end of
any scene in which it’s used.
[50]
IRIDIA
ERSA Mk. II "SANCTIFIER"
Controller∕Striker
Ersa Variant
This variant can be taken at rank II of the Ersa license instead of the base Frame.
Considering how the Ersa is generally viewed, the newly
introduced ability to reshape architecture into weapons of
war was instantly viewed as a heretical corruption of its
purpose. No longer could it be viewed as simply a builder of
civilization, instead it became solely a bringer of
destruction.
While the original Ersa was by no means bloodless, the
Sanctifier was adapted primarily to fight rather than build
- to battle amongst the foe’s own fortifications, in hostile
homeground, rather than defending a line. This choice was
certainly controversial amongst those who were aware of it,
but was considered acceptable as a contingency. Besides,
Hestia wouldn’t make schematics if they weren’t intended to
be integrated and used.
Once it was discovered outside Demonworks that this new
variation was able to warp innocuous buildings into tools of
death, the response was decisive. There was an immediate ban
on even transporting the machines within Iridian cities,
given that the only real distinction between the variations
was the amount of armament - it was not at all obvious to a
citizen at first glance. While it may not have solved the
problem, it at least gave people a little more peace of
mind, especially given it led to the Demonworks scrutinizing
further frame adaptations, such as the Epione, much closer.
They needed to align more with Iridian values.
The Iridians who ended up seeing the mech in action gave it
a title, bitter and mocking: ‘Sanctifier’. The buildings
that were once pure and innocent were now irrevocably
tainted by the aura of war and violence. Even after the
offending implements are removed, the memories will always
be there. Of how a place of safety was turned into a killer.
[51]
Art by Cozzymandias
[52]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1∕2
Armor: 1
Save Target: 10
Sensors: 5
ARCHITECTURAL OVERRIDE
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 6
Repair Cap: 3
AGILITY
Evasion: 8
Speed: 5
E-Defense: 8
Tech Attack: +1
SP: 8
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 6
TRAITS
Quick Action
As a full action, the Ersa may deal 30 AP to
an adjacent object or Deployable (up to a Size
3 section).
MANUAL REDEPLOYMENT
When making a standard movement, the Ersa
may choose one Deployable adjacent to it at
the beginning of its movement, and have it
move with the Ersa during that movement,
retaining adjacency and orientation compared to
the Ersa. The Deployable must end in a free
and valid space.
LIVING BATTLEFIELD
1/round, when you hit a character with a melee
or ranged attack that originated from a Linked
Deployable or Override Token, you may deal
+1d6 bonus damage.
MOUNTS
FLEX
MOUNT
At the hands of a proper muse, anything
can become a deathtrap, a turret, a
fortification. A weapon of war.
Edifice Hijack
SHATTERPULSE
AUX/
AUX
Systems that were designed to craft
things of beauty have instead been warped
to another purpose. Blades and guns
become shaped from harmless devices.
MAIN
MOUNT
Select one object with the Deployable tag,
even one belonging to a hostile character,
within Sensors and line of sight. You become
Linked with the chosen Deployable until this
effect ends, as long as it remains within
Sensors - even outside of line of sight.
You may choose to originate weapon attacks
from the space of any Linked Deployable on
your turn, as though you were there - measuring
Engagement, range, and line of sight from its
position.
You may end this effect as a protocol, and it
ends if the Deployable is no longer deployed, it
is destroyed, or if you use this action on another
target.
Whenever you deploy a Deployable, you may
use this action as a free action, so long as it
targets the triggering Deployable.
Hostile Environment
Active (1 CP), Protocol
Choose up to 6 spaces within 50 that are
occupied by a Deployable or a Size 1 or larger
object or piece of terrain. Place an Override
Token in each of those spaces. The Token
moves with its Deployable, but if the
Deployable, object or terrain is destroyed, the
Token is also removed.
Whenever you Skirmish or Barrage, you may
remove an Override Token to originate your
action from that space, as if Linked by Edifice
Hijack.
[53]
LICENSE I: QUICKPRINT FABRICATOR,
TERRAIN FORMATTER
LICENSE II: ERSA FRAME,
INERTIA PYLON, SWARM PROJECTOR
Quickprint Fabricator
Inertia Pylon
Quickprint Cube I (SIZE 1, 10 HP, EVASION
5, Tags: DEPLOYABLE)
Quickprint Cube II (SIZE 2, 20 HP, EVASION
5, Tags: DEPLOYABLE)
Inertia Pylon (SIZE 1, 10 HP, EVASION 5,
Tags: DEPLOYABLE)
2 SP
This system may be used as either a quick
action to deploy a Quickprint Cube I, or a full
action to deploy a Quickprint Cube II. The cube
is an object, which provides hard cover and
blocks line of sight as normal for its Size.
Whichever action cost is chosen, the cube is
flash-printed and deployed in free adjacent
space(s). If you create a new cube, regardless
of size, the old one disintegrates.
In more peaceful times, this technology
could be used to decorate places with
temporary adornments for festivals or
other such celebrations. The ungainly
quick-printed fortifications created
mid-combat have no such time or care put
into them, but are quite effective at
providing cover.
Terrain Formatter
2 SP, Quick Tech, Invade, Unique
Gain the following Invade options:
Liquify Earth: A 2 centered on the target
becomes difficult terrain for the rest of the
scene, or until this option is used again. Anyone
who ends their turn in this terrain must make a
Hull save or become Slowed until the end of
their next turn.
Tremor: The target is knocked Prone.
Even the landscape itself is putty to
those with the right tools. In war, it
may be akin to using a shovel as a
weapon - inelegantly, and certainly not
what it was designed for - but a shovel
can still do a lot of damage if used
correctly...
[54]
3 SP, Unique, Limited 2, Quick Action
Expend a charge to deploy a Size 1 pylon in a
free, adjacent space. The pylon gains 3 Inertia
Tokens. While the pylon has Inertia Tokens,
you may perform the following effects as a
reaction:
• When a character ends their turn within 3
spaces of the pylon, you may expend an
Inertia Token to push them 2 spaces in
any direction.
• When a character within 3 spaces of the
pylon is pushed, pulled, or knocked
back, you may expend an Inertia Token to
increase or decrease the distance moved
by 3 (to a minimum of 0).
Originally designed as a safety measure
in dangerous areas, Inertia Pylons were
easily repurposed for use in combat.
While harmless on their own, they aid
immensely in helping to dictate the flow
of battle.
Swarm Projector
Main Launcher, Smart, Seeking,
Inaccurate
[ 5] [3 ]
If the target is in a zone of soft cover or adjacent
to an object that grants hard cover, this weapon
instead deals 1d6+3 and gains Reliable 3.
Designed for use in close-quarters,
where it’s likely that foes are able to
use cover and other obstructions. Weak
points in the terrain are analyzed,
allowing the weapon’s payload to shatter
parts of whatever’s concealing the
target in a burst of shrapnel.
LICENSE III: EMERGENCY FABRICATION
RESERVES, TRANSWARP SYSTEM
Emergency Fabrication Reserves
2 SP, Unique
1/scene, when the user uses a Limited system
with the Deployable tag, the user may instead
not spend a charge. Limited systems that have
expended all their charges may still be used in
this way.
While bulky and useless on their own,
being able to carry around the spare
parts necessary to create whatever’s
needed can come in very handy in a
pinch.
Transwarp System
2 SP, Unique, Limited 2, Quick Action
Warp Generator (SIZE 1, 10 HP, EVASION 5,
Tags: DEPLOYABLE, RESISTANCE to all
damage)
Expend a charge to deploy a Size 1 warp
generator in a free, adjacent space. Despite
occupying a space, characters can enter the
generator’s space, though may not remain
there.
You or allied characters that enter the
generator’s space may be teleported anywhere
within 5, or you may choose to teleport them
to a free space adjacent to any other generator
deployed on the map, regardless of distance.
Hostile characters make an Engineering save;
on a failure, they take 1d6 AP and you may
teleport them like you would an ally. On a
success, they may instead choose to teleport
anywhere within 5. Any movement from the
generator counts as involuntary movement.
Highly experimental. In theory the
technology was designed to allow quick
transit between wherever necessary. In
practice, the distance before things
arrived at the destination torn apart
was too short, even with a receiver pad.
Even for short-range hops, there’s a
risk of destabilization if used
improperly.
[55]
IRIDIA
HECATE
Defender∕Controller
The Hecate is what many consider to be the strangest
Demonworks frame, and that’s saying something when the likes
of the Ananke and Hemera exist. Those at least make sense as
gifts from the goddess, woven from her blessing and her
realm. The Hecate, by contrast, seems like a physical
contradiction that should not have worked.
One of the more infamous locations on Iridia is the Silent
Mountains, a range of peaks containing a most peculiar
geological product: the rock known as Whisperstone. The
stone heavily dampens the signals and capabilities of nearby
electronics, and periodically a convergence in their
fluctuations will cause catastrophic ion storms. Even mechs
cannot always function in the area, and it’s claimed that
the area is cursed.
So it was entirely unexpected when the Demonworks attempted
to incorporate Whisperstone into a mech frame. For a long
time it seemed as though the project would end entirely as
you would expect when placing an electronic-disrupting
mineral into a mechanized chassis.
It's unclear how the project eventually succeeded. The most
popular rumour is that the Hecate isn't so much a mech as it
is a synthetic organism - one with enough consciousness to
assist the pilot whenever mechanisms shut down. While
there's no proof of this, and no Hecate has been observed to
act without the influence of a pilot, it is true that the
frame contains some manner of biotics in its construction.
Unfortunately, while management and the engineers were
jubilant of their success - after all, Hestia's schematics
are almost completely exhausted - the Hecate is an often
less welcome addition to fighting forces than hoped. While a
properly tuned Hecate is of no risk to its allies, nobody
wants to risk having their mechs shut off around them. Or,
for that matter, their ship.
[56]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[57]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 2
Armor: 2
Save Target: 11
Sensors: 5
HULL
SYSTEMS
IONIC STORMCLOUD
GENERATOR
HP: 8
Repair Cap: 6
AGILITY
Evasion: 6
Speed: 4
E-Defense: 10
Tech Attack: +1
SP: 6
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 6
TRAITS
STATIC SHIELDING
The Hecate has resistance to
.
ELECTROMAGNETIC IMPULSE
While the Hecate is Jammed or Stunned, it
creates a 2 zone around itself. All hostile
characters in this zone are Impaired until they
are either no longer in the zone or the zone
ends.
BIOTIC CIRCUITRY
The Hecate can make reactions and use
comms while Jammed.
MOUNTS
MAIN
MOUNT
HEAVY
MOUNT
The Whisperstone contained within the
Stormcloud Generator is carefully
shielded and unpowered in order to allow
for normal operations.
Since pilots must consciously choose to
disengage the safeties, Hecate manuals
warn of the feelings of power that may be
caused by seeing hostile systems begin to
degrade or shut down at their command. It
can become addictive to some, and
detrimental to their piloting.
At full power, the Generator is able to
wreak havoc on the Hecate’s surroundings
and leave people reeling from the potency
of its ion storm. But Demonworks insists
that it remains perfectly safe and
controlled.
Unshield Whisperstone
Protocol
The Hecate becomes Jammed until the start of
its next turn.
Ion Storm
Active (1 CP), Protocol
Until the start of its next turn, the Hecate
becomes Jammed and may push any character
that ends their turn within 2 of it up to 2
spaces in any direction.
Efficient: This ability refunds 1 CP at the end of
any scene in which it’s used.
[58]
LICENSE I:
ELECTRON PULSE, IONIC FEEDBACK
Electron Pulse
Main CQB, Smart, Loading
[ 5][ 1] [1d6+2 ]
This weapon does not target any character
entirely within the origin space of the Blast.
The best way to deal with someone who’s
surrounded is to simply shoot everyone
else. A little computer-aided precision,
and the air around someone can be
violently excited while they’re
untouched.
Ionic Feedback
1 SP, Unique
You may Brace while Jammed.
If you Brace against a tech attack, you become
Immune to that attack. In addition, whenever
you Brace you may take 2 in order to end all
effects caused by tech actions on yourself.
A combination of whisperstone and biocircuitry allows a mech to quickly purge
itself of foreign code without shutting
down the entire system.
LICENSE II: HECATE FRAME,
FULMINATION AURA, PROTECTIVE MATRIX
Fulmination Aura
Main Launcher
[ 5] [2d6 ]
Protective Matrix
3 SP, Quick Action, Shield, Unique
Until the start of your next turn, the first time
each hostile character uses a tech action or
makes an attack roll while within 3 of you,
they take 2 AP after the action is complete.
The Protective Matrix is a set of spines
that, when charged, form a defensive
grid in the area that can lash out at
any unexpected power emanations. It’s
very important to make sure that the
targeting system is up to date on
friend-or-foe tags.
LICENSE III: WHISPERSTONE LAUNCHER,
CHARGED LODESTONE
Whisperstone Launcher
Heavy Launcher, Limited 2
[ 10][ 1] [3d6 ]
On Attack: After the attack, the Blast becomes
a zone that lasts until the end of the scene. Any
character at least partially within this zone may
not use tech actions.
On Hit: The target is Jammed until the end of
their next turn.
Not so much a gun as a storage device
for boulders of Whisperstone shaped
around an explosive charge. Direct hits
will cause serious system malfunctions,
while even the most ineffective shot
will still nullify legionspace
calibration in the area.
This weapon always targets Evasion 8.
Charged Lodestone
On Hit: Do not roll damage or apply any effects
of the attack that would apply to the target (such
as Knockback).
Lodestone (SIZE 1, 5 HP, EVASION 5, TAGS:
DEPLOYABLE)
Instead, damage is rolled and effects are
applied to the first character that successfully
attacks the target while within 5 of the target
before the start of the target's next turn.
More of a deterrent than a proper
weapon, the Fulmination Aura charges the
target with a delicate balance of power…
which then violently strikes the first
person to break that balance.
2 SP, Unique, Limited 2, Quick Action
Expend a charge to deploy a Size 1 Lodestone
in a free, adjacent space, where it creates a
2 of disruptive electromagnetism. Characters
in this burst are Jammed until they leave it, or
until the Lodestone is destroyed. An adjacent
character can destroy the Lodestone with a
successful Hull Save as a Full Action.
A chunk of Whisperstone, unshielded and
whole, can easily knock out sensitive
systems in a small area. It must be
protected, however, as the disruption
swiftly dissipates if the stone is
shattered - Whisperstone seems to have
an exponential effect as the unbroken
mass increases.
[59]
IRIDIA
HEMERA
Defender
The metavault anchored within Iridia is a place of wonder,
of concern, of speculation. There has only been a single
attempt to breach it, which eventually ended in the
construction of the Hemera. Unfortunately, none of the rest
of the expedition was even remotely positive, and the Hemera
simply existing is an ever-present reminder of that.
The fact that a group consisting of individuals from Union,
the Demonworks, and the Church managed to be formed was a
miracle in itself, let alone for an attempt to re-open
Hestia’s domain. But there was optimism, hope, and
desperation in equal measure. Iridians wanted to know more
about what had happened to Hestia, and this was a very rare
opportunity for Union. It was a milestone for cooperation.
And then it all fell apart. The metavault accosted them with
reflections of their past, striking at the memories that
they felt weakest. It tore at their selves, their
identities, their very fabric of being. The picturesque
mirror of the planet turned increasingly warped and hostile
as they ventured further in. It was literal madness to
continue, and so the survivors limped out, forever
emotionally scarred by the experience.
Seeing the traumatized survivors - only a handful remaining
of the dozens who entered - the domain of Hestia was decreed
forbidden, by the will of the goddess. After all, if she
wanted Iridians within, she would have allowed them passage.
And so the only thing that would ever be retrieved from the
vault was a peculiar sample of what seemed to be mech
components, which had been retrieved for later research.
While analysis of the parts was inconclusive, the Demonworks
did manage to replicate them and integrate them into a mech
project. What resulted was a mech that casually treated
reality’s ironclad laws as mere suggestions, something that
was a little concerning to many involved.
Even to those who don’t know of the Hemera’s history, it
tends to be considered a rather ill omen. Whether because it
never seems to sit correctly in one’s vision, because it
doesn’t take as short of steps as its stride should suggest,
or something else strange, other pilots tend to feel a
general unease seeing it. This often leads to people blaming
Hemera pilots for being bad luck or a curse, even for things
that are entirely out of their control. Some become bitter
over it, but others gain a rather warped sense of humour
about the whole thing.
[60]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[61]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1∕2
Armor: 2
Save Target: 10
Sensors: 8
HULL
SYSTEMS
PERSPECTIVE OVERRIDE
MATRIX
HP: 8
Repair Cap: 4
AGILITY
Evasion: 8
Speed: 4
E-Defense: 12
Tech Attack: +1
SP: 6
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 6
TRAITS
FOCAL POINT
The Hemera counts as Size 3 for the purposes
of Engagement and being targeted by Rams.
PARAPHYSICAL FRAME
The Hemera gains +1
and saves.
MOUNTS
MAIN/
AUX
on Systems checks
“I don’t understand it. If you look at
it, everything’s fine. If you look at the
surroundings, everything’s fine. But… the
two of them together, things are NOT
supposed to fit together like that.
It’s everywhere it’s not supposed to be.
I know this is supposed to be a blessing,
but it’s making me question how reality
works. We are mere mortals. I… think we
made a mistake entering the goddess’
domain.”
PERSPECTIVE SHIFT
Hostile characters within Sensors and line of
sight take +1 on any attack that does not
include the Hemera as a target, as long as the
Hemera is not Hidden and none of the
Hemera's non-Drone allies are closer to the
hostile character than the Hemera is.
Forced Perspective
Active (1 CP), Protocol
Until the end of the scene, the Hemera’s
Perspective Shift also makes the affected
attacks treat the target as Invisible. If a hostile
character misses an attack that is affected by
Perspective Shift, they become Jammed until
the start of their next turn.
[62]
LICENSE I:
METASTATIC EMITTER, SPATIAL WARPING
Metastatic Emitter
1 SP, Unique
Characters that are Engaged by you gain +1
on tech attacks.
“It’s a system that makes the systems
you don’t want to work near it… well,
not work. I find it kinda unsettling how
it just seems to know on its own what
you don’t want. A lot of people find it
comforting, though.”
Spatial Warping
1 SP, Quick Tech, Invade, Unique
Gain the following Invade options:
Haptic Disconnect: The Threat of all the
target’s weapons are reduced to 1 until the end
of their next turn. (Ranges other than Threat
are unaffected.)
Collapsing Waveform: The target is unable to
fly or teleport until the end of their next turn. If
the target is currently flying, they immediately
fall.
“It turns out, when this thing tells
reality that it doesn’t work a certain
way… reality listens.”
LICENSE II: HEMERA FRAME,
REALITY CUTTER, FLUX COATING
Reality Cutter
Main Melee, 1 SP, Smart, AP, Unique
[ 1] [1d6 ]
On Hit: Teleport to a space adjacent to your
target.
“We named it this because we saw it as a
sword first, but… it seems to look
different depending on the user. Doesn’t
always cut. Regardless, it lets you do a
neat trick where you twist like so, and
you just step THROUGH where the person
in front of you should be.”
Flux Coating
1 SP, Unique, Reaction
Gain the Discontiguity reaction.
“So, we learned something. You spread
this material we got from Her domain
thin enough, and you can shove darn near
anything through space - as long as it
has external motivation. It can’t shove
itself. Coat a rock, and it’ll look like
it just clicked into place on the
counter you threw it to. Coat a ball,
and you can scare marketing a good
several rooms down if you have a strong
enough arm.”
Discontiguity
Reaction, 1∕round
Trigger: You are pushed, pulled, or knocked
back.
Effect: You ignore the effects of all spaces
between your origin and the destination of the
involuntary movement. If the distance moved
would be enough to entirely pass through a
character or object that would otherwise stop
your movement early, then you continue up to
the full distance of the involuntary movement;
otherwise you stop early as normal.
LICENSE III:
EMERGENCY SHUNT, INVERT
Emergency Shunt
2 SP, Unique
Whenever you take Structure Damage or
Stress, you may, immediately after rolling on
the Structure Damage or Overheating table but
before resolving the result, teleport 3 spaces
and become Invisible until the start of your next
turn.
“It actually wasn’t that hard to
encourage the mech to move out of the
way a bit when it was taking heavy hits.
The tricky part was making sure the
pilot could come along too.”
Invert
3 SP, Protocol, Unique, 1
(Self)
Until the start of your next turn, attacks that
would target your evasion instead target your
e-defense, and attacks that would target your
e-defense instead target your evasion.
“I can’t tell if this is the true form
of the mech, or if it’s just THAT place
showing its influence. Either way, it
scares me. And I’m not even the one
piloting it.”
[63]
IRIDIA
HERA
Defender∕Support
The second offshoot of the Artemis frame, the Hera was taken
in the opposite direction of the Epione. Rather than
remaining focused on ranged weapons, the colossal chassis
was refitted into a close assault platform in the vein of
the Enyo, one that could match that frame’s prowess.
Publicly, the Hera is primarily a mech intended for offworld
conflict, able to stride across the battlefield with ease,
carving a path for its allies to follow. There’s been
surprisingly little follow-through on that from the
Demonworks, however, with only a handful actually making
their way out to the stars.
In truth, they were always designed for deployment on Iridia
itself, though this fact is kept very quiet to avoid
alarming anyone. But with IPS-N digging further and further
into the planet, Demonworks leadership realized that they
would probably have to forge some solution on their own,
rather than waiting for the corprostate to fail or Union to
fix the problem for them.
It was this goal that informed the Hera’s design. A frame
that could breach the walls of IPS-N compounds. A force
that, once unleashed, could not be stopped. A true goddess
of war. So far, tests have gone well, but ‘good enough’
isn’t good enough. There will only be one shot once things
boil over, and a failure there would be disastrous.
Pilots, of course, see none of these politics, beyond
perhaps observing that customer service gets an awful lot
more prompt when it’s learned that they’re fighting against
IPS-N wargear. Data is always appreciated, but that
particular information is valued even more than normal.
[64]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[65]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 3
Armor: 0
Save Target: 11
Sensors: 5
INEVITABILITY DRIVE
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 12
Repair Cap: 5
AGILITY
Evasion: 6
Speed: 5
E-Defense: 6
Tech Attack: -2
SP: 5
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 6
RESPLENDENT WARDING
Whenever the Hera is damaged by a hostile
source, it chooses one of the triggering damage
types after resolving all damage. The Hera
gains resistance to that damage type from
hostile sources until the end of the scene or this
trait is triggered again.
PRISMATIC AEGIS
Characters Engaged with the Hera that target
one or more of the Hera's allies with an attack
or tech action take 3 and gain Lock On.
And when the Hera moves, very little can
stop it. Rumours say that, given time, it
could even smash a passage through a
mountain. While such tales are likely
overblown, it does give a sense of what
the path of destruction looks like.
TITANIC STRIDE
The Hera ignores difficult terrain. If the Hera
moves into the space of a Size 2 or smaller
object, terrain, or Deployable which is not
Immune to damage, the Hera destroys it and
replaces it with an equal area of difficult
terrain on the ground.
Implacable Advance
Active (1 CP), Protocol
SLOW
The Hera receives +1
saves.
MOUNTS
MAIN
MOUNT
The Hera has what is essentially a second
reactor built into the frame. Computers,
weapons, most things are handled by the
primary - the entire power of the
secondary is dedicated solely to moving.
HEAVY
MOUNT
on Agility checks and
Until the start of your next turn, gain the
following effects:
• You become Immune to being Slowed and
Immobilized by any source other than your
own Systems, Talents, etc. (This clears any
existing eligible conditions.)
• Titanic Stride now allows you to move into
the spaces of up to Size 3 objects, terrain, or
Deployables that are not Immune to
damage, destroying them. You may also
move into the spaces of objects or terrain that
are larger than Size 3, destroying a Size 3
section as you do so.
• You and adjacent allies may choose to be
unaffected by any involuntary movement.
Efficient: This ability refunds 1 CP at the end of
any scene in which it’s used.
[66]
LICENSE I: OLYMPUS PROTOCOLS,
TRUESTRIKE GLADIUS
Inexorable Presence
2 SP, Quick Action
Olympus Protocols
All characters of your choice within
pulled 1 space towards you.
When an adjacent character triggers your
Overwatch, you may take 1 to Ram or
Grapple the triggering character instead of
using Skirmish.
You are the shining moon, drawing the
eye in a sea of stars. You stand tall, a
radiant beacon that eclipses others.
There is no escaping your gaze, they can
only approach.
2 SP, 1
(Self), Unique
You are the weight of reality, that
which overshadows all. Those who seek to
escape your grasp, to harm those under
your protection, will be forced to kneel
before you.
Truestrike Gladius
Main Melee, Loading, Reliable 5
[ 1] [5 ]
On Hit: This weapon is not unloaded.
You are the avatar of war, the master of
battle. You bear the burden of death the guilt of killing - but you wield it
as a weapon. Every blow you make will
land true, scouring the foe with your
divine light. There will be peace in the
end.
LICENSE II: HERA FRAME, ILLUMINANT
CHARGES, INEXORABLE PRESENCE
Illuminant Charges
3 SP, Limited 2, Unique
Expend a charge from this system for one of the
following effects:
• Revealing Light (Grenade, 5, 1): All
characters within the Blast immediately
lose Invisible and Hidden, are unable to
benefit from cover or regain these statuses
until the end of their next turn, and gain
Lock On.
• Absolute Dark (Mine, 2): The Burst
creates a zone that lasts until the end of
the following round. Line of sight is not able
to be drawn into, out of, or through this
zone.
You are the arbiter of light, the one
who heralds hope and despair in equal
measure. Bring forth the dawn, and cast
the unworthy into shadow. Your judgement
is absolute.
3 are
LICENSE III:
GUIDANCE DRONE, CHROMATIC BLADE
Guidance Drone
2 SP, Limited 2, Drone, Quick Action,
Unique
Guidance Drone (Size 1/2, 5 HP, 10 EDefense, 10 Evasion, Tags: Drone)
Expend a charge to deploy a Guidance Drone
to any free space within 5 and line of sight. It
creates a 2 around itself. Allied characters
treat their ranged attacks as Seeking against
characters in this area. Guidance Drones
cannot be recalled and expire at the end of the
scene.
You are the all-seeing, dispatching
heralds to guide those who put their
faith in you. Their sparks burn brief
but bright, lighting the shadows of war.
Chromatic Blade
Heavy Melee, 2 (Self), 1 SP
[ 1] [1d6
+ 1d6
+ 1d6 ]
On Attack: You may choose to reduce this
weapon’s base damage in increments of 1d6,
removing one or more of the damage dice. For
each die removed, reduce this weapon’s Heat
(Self) value by 1, to a minimum of 0. Gain a
benefit if you hit based on the type(s) of
damage that you removed:
• Kinetic: The target must pass an
Engineering Save or be Shredded until
the start of their next turn.
• Explosive: The target is knocked Prone
and you may apply Knockback 1.
• Energy: The target must pass a Systems
Save or only have line of sight to adjacent
spaces until the end of their next turn.
You are the shaper of the primordial
forces, holding them contained in the
palm of your hand. Take care to not
loosen your grip, for they are fickle
things.
[67]
IRIDIA
IRIS
Support∕Defender
Conceptualized as the antithesis of the Enyo’s uncontrolled
brutality, the Iris was designed to allow the small Iridian
forces to focus their strikes with pinpoint precision. Given
the lack of experience that the planet had with mechs, being
able to have an immediate analysis of enemy combatants
proved to be a crucial aspect of multiple engagements.
The key component of the Iris is its Akashic Sensor Suite, a
networked array of countless types of sensors and analysis
units. Any pilot will tell you that the hardest part of
using an Iris isn’t deciphering what the Suite gives you,
it’s learning which sensors will give you the best return in
any given situation - though each individual has their own
few that they’ll swear by.
The degree of information collected by this Suite has been
flagged as an item of concern by the UIB, given that it goes
beyond simple things like radar or molecular analysis. Some
pilots have said that they’ve been able to see glimpses of a
target’s history or its future, learn a pilot’s emotions or
fears, or other things that should be beyond a system’s
capabilities.
Because of the bounty of data available to them, Iris pilots
have a significant rate of requiring some degree of therapy.
This may be brought on by repeatedly seeing traumatic
possibilities, becoming dependent on knowledge from the
Suite even while off the battlefield, trying to perfect
their own lives by examining every facet, becoming
narcissistic due to perceived omniscience, or any other
number of issues. Regardless, the end result is a relatively
high turnover rate, even amongst pilots who report complete
satisfaction with their mech.
[68]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[69]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1
Armor: 0
Save Target: 10
Sensors: 20
AKASHIC SENSOR SUITE
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 6
Repair Cap: 4
AGILITY
Evasion: 10
Speed: 6
E-Defense: 10
Tech Attack: +1
SP: 7
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 4
TRAITS
OMNISCIENT GAZE
You and your allies always know the HP value
of all characters on the battlefield.
CRYPSIS PURGE
The Iris may target Hidden characters with tech
actions. When the Iris targets a Hidden hostile
character with a tech action, the target must
pass a Systems save or else lose Hidden.
DICHROIC AURA
Adjacent allied characters may use the Iris'
e-defense instead of their own.
MOUNTS
AUX/
AUX
FLEX
MOUNT
Full of every sensor available - and some
that perhaps aren’t - the Akashic Sensor
Suite is designed to reveal the dangers,
composition, and weak points of
everything within range. This allows
allies to focus fire on potent threats,
as well as know how best to avoid
incoming fire.
Those who rely too much on it, however,
are known to grow excessively paranoid,
or believe perhaps that they know more
than anyone else. Gazing too deeply can
prevent ever coming back...
AKASHIC RESONANCE
1/round, when you target a character with a
tech action, you may put an Akashic Mark on
that character. The mark remains until the end
of the Scene or it is consumed. A character may
only have one Akashic Mark at a time.
When an attack roll is made against a character
with an Akashic Mark, you may consume it as
a reaction to choose whether that attack roll is
made against evasion or e-defense.
Auspex Sweep
Active (1 CP), Quick Action
The Iris and all characters in 50, even those
Hidden or outside of line of sight, gain an
Akashic Mark. Until the end of the scene,
characters can have multiple Akashic Marks,
and any hostile character with an Akashic Mark
loses Hidden and may not regain it while they
have the Mark.
In addition, the Iris and all allied characters
count as Invisible against attacks that target
their e-defense until the start of that character’s
next turn.
[70]
IRIDIA
IRIS Mk. II "LOCUS"
Artillery∕Controller
Iris Variant
This variant can be taken at rank II of the Iris license instead of the base Frame.
The ‘Locus’ designation is an umbrella term given to a
variety of Iris frames that have been tampered with in order
to enable their pilots to both pursue more aggressive
tactics and have an easier time interfacing with the Akashic
Sensor Suite. While unheard of during the war with Union,
these alterations have slowly been gaining traction especially with pilots who have spent too long with the
Iris’ Suite, and so believe that they are the ones who
should solve any problem.
This determination usually results in the chassis being
half-gutted in order to mount ordnance far exceeding safety
parameters onto the frame, ensuring that the pilot has
enough firepower to take advantage of their own analysis.
The other major change is the integration of a modified
neural framework into the Akashic Suite, creating the
Cognitive Locus. The framework filters the raw data through
an imprint of the user’s own mind, allowing for a constant
stream of instantly understandable data.
Unfortunately, this tends to combine the issues of both the
Iris and the Enyo - a heavily personalized frame that
becomes an extension of the pilot’s mind, occasionally to
such an extreme degree that they need to maintain a wireless
connection with the Cognitive Locus at all times in order to
function without becoming lost and confused.
Though the Demonworks has expressly banned Locus
conversions, pilots still attempt them in hopes of getting
ahead - all the while believing they’ll be the one of the
few to withstand the meld. While some last longer than
others, eventually almost all succumb to becoming part of
the Locus, their physical form becoming merely one voice
amongst a thousand.
[71]
Art by Cosmixian
[72]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1
Armor: 0
Save Target: 10
Sensors: 15
COGNITIVE LOCUS
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 6
Repair Cap: 4
AGILITY
Evasion: 10
Speed: 4
E-Defense: 10
Tech Attack: +1
SP: 6
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 6
TRAITS
DISRUPTION COUNTERBATTERY
1/round, when the Iris hits a hostile character
with an attack, they become Disrupted until the
start of your next turn. When a Disrupted
character uses an action or reaction to activate
a System or Trait, you may choose for them to
lose Disrupted; if you do, they must either lose
that action or reaction (expending it to no
effect), or allow you to immediately attack them
with Overwatch.
LOCUS ANALYSIS
1/round, when the Iris consumes Lock On, it
may immediately Scan the target before the
attack occurs.
FRAGILE
The Iris receives +1
saves.
on Hull checks and
MOUNTS
MAIN
MOUNT
HEAVY
MOUNT
A thousand voices whisper from every
corner of the frame. Your voice, echoed a
thousand times. You spoke to the void,
and now it speaks back.
It speaks to you of your foes, of the
thin thread of their existence. Of
snipping it.
Integrated Mount: Rangefinder
Rangefinder
Auxiliary Cannon, Arcing, Smart
[ 20] [1d3+1 ]
Ex Nihilo
Active (1 CP), Quick Action
Choose a character within Sensors. You Scan
that character, and gain a Whisper Die - 1d6,
starting at 1. At the start of your turn, or 1/round
when you Scan any character, increase the
value of the Whisper Die by 1, to a maximum of
6.
At the beginning of each of your target’s turns,
select a number of their Weapons, Systems or
Traits that require an action or reaction to use
equal to the value of your Whisper Die. At the
same time, choose either 3 AP or 2 .
Each time the target uses any of the selected
Weapons, Systems or Traits before the start of
their next turn, they take the chosen cost before
it resolves.
If your target is destroyed, you may use this
action again in this scene, resetting the
Whisper Die to 1.
[73]
LICENSE I:
DEEP-PENETRATION SCAN, GRAV SLING
1 SP, Unique, Limited 3
When you Scan a hostile character, you may
expend a charge to also apply Lock On to your
target and make it unable to benefit from cover
until the start of their next turn.
If you’re already poking around inside
someone’s systems, why wouldn’t you just
juice up some power and search a little
more? There’s often just one more crack
you can exploit.
Grav Sling
2 SP, Quick Action
Choose a space within 5 - even in mid-air and mark it. This mark lasts until expended, the
end of the scene, or this action is used again.
As a protocol or a quick action, you may
expend the mark to be pushed directly towards
the space it was in, regardless of distance, even
through the air. You stop upon reaching that
space, or if you would enter the space of an
object or character. If you are in the air at the
end and have no way to fly, you immediately
fall.
Useful for both getting good vantage
points and extraction, the Grav Sling
entwines a personal motivator with a
controlled singularity. When activated,
the user is suddenly pulled with a
rather significant force to where the
singularity was created... so it’s
fairly important to make sure to have
good inertial compensation.
LICENSE II: IRIS FRAME,
MULTIPHASIC RIFLE, AKASHIC WARDING
Multiphasic Rifle
]
This weapon counts as all ranged weapon types
simultaneously (e.g., CQB, Rifle, etc.), but it
can’t take Mods or benefit from core bonuses,
although it still benefits from talents as normal.
On Attack: Choose this weapon’s damage
type.
For when you need a little something of
everything.
[74]
2 SP, Quick Tech, Unique
Gain the following Quick Tech options:
Deep-Penetration Scan
Main ???, 1 SP, Smart, Unique
[ 10 or
5] [1d6+1
or
or
Akashic Warding
Resonant Shroud: Choose an allied character
within Sensors. They benefit from hard cover
until the start of their next turn.
Adaptive Shielding: Choose an allied
character within Sensors, and one of , , or
damage. The chosen character gains
resistance to the chosen damage type until the
end of their next turn. This can only be used
1/scene on each character.
Adapted from the Akashic Suite, the user
is able to ‘tune’ the space around a
mech to help deflect various
projectiles. Targets often report seeing
faint figures through the resonance both with their eyes and sensors - but
there’s been no recorded proof of these
figments.
LICENSE III:
POLARITY REVERSER, ECHO-CLASS NHP
Polarity Reverser
2 SP, Unique, Quick Tech, 1∕round
Make a tech attack against a target within
Sensors and line of sight. On a hit, the target’s
defenses are scrambled. The next time that
they are hit by a damaging attack before the
end of their next turn, they may not apply any
resistance to the attack (Armor and other
reductions are unaffected). If that attack would
have been affected by their resistance, the
attack gains +1d6 bonus damage.
Once a chink in the enemy’s defenses are
located, it’s important to figure out
how to subvert them. Knowing exactly how
the enemy will crush you is not helpful
if you’re helpless to stop it.
ECHO-Class NHP
3 SP, AI, Unique
Your mech gains the AI property and Eternal
Reflection.
ECHO developed out of the first
experiments with the Cognitive Locus the engineers involved eventually
realizing that the words spoken back had
taken on some sort of sentience. The
program was subsequently shut down, but
ECHO-Prime still remained.
To this day, no ECHO ever initiates a
conversation, and will only reply with
words that the person they’re talking to
has spoken to them at some time. Each
person ends up receiving a personalized
language, the ECHO slowly developing it
over time. Their personality tends to
reflect that of their pilot’s as well…
but it’s a shallow reflection. ECHOs
rarely actually care for those that
interact with them - it’s only a
mannerism to them, like any other.
Beneath the surface, they’re
inscrutable. Just watching. Listening.
ECHO-Class NHPs specialize in electronic
countermeasures, projecting legionspace
reflections over nearby allies in order
to direct those hacks at their own mech.
It’s said that ECHOs pour over these
attempted intrusions outside of battle,
creating a legionspace language of their
own.
Eternal Reflection
Quick Action
Until the start of your next turn, whenever any
hostile character within 10 and line of sight
targets a character other than you with a tech
action, they must make a Systems save. On a
failure, they must choose to either target you
instead or lose the action. If you are out of
range, they automatically lose the action. Tech
actions that do not target a character are
unaffected.
This action cannot be used while Hidden. If you
become Hidden, this effect immediately ends.
[75]
IRIDIA
NEMESIS
Striker
The Nemesis is in a peculiar position. While Hestia did work
on the final design, the original mech was brought to Iridia
by the Union Lancer who the goddess impelled to defect and
lead Iridia’s forces. There’s been a rather awkward
discussion with Union over if the Demonworks could even
produce the frame. Thankfully, since the original
manufacturer had long since fallen under GMS purview,
permission was given, and incidents were avoided.
Because of its associations with the right hand of Hestia,
the frame has always enjoyed a high acclaim on Iridia. Many
have claimed it to be the Chosen of the goddess, watched
over and guided by fragments of her divine will even after
her disappearance. While this belief tends not to persist
off-world, Nemesis pilots can sometimes seem to have a
little better luck than they should. Of course, nobody can
ever prove anything.
On the battlefield, the Nemesis is a slippery skirmisher.
Often found either supporting its allies or striking
isolated targets, the frame excels when avoiding protracted
combat. While Iridians may give the frame much praise - some
would say too much - the pilots themselves know that they
live or die by the skills of those that they fight
alongside. Anyone who pilots with a big ego tends to have
that deflated fairly quickly, to the point where it’s
surprising to see an experienced Nemesis pilot that isn’t
the heart of a group’s camaraderie.
While the Nemesis is almost entirely unremarkable off its
home planet, it does have one notable exception. Given that
it was the frame of a defector - even one that turned out to
have extremely extenuating circumstances - the mech tends to
cause a little disgruntlement with any DoJ∕HR pilots who’ve
heard of Iridia. Usually not in any particularly significant
way, but a Nemesis pilot can at times expect to be treated a
little cooler than anyone else.
[76]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[77]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1
Armor: 0
Save Target: 11
Sensors: 10
GRAVITIC FLIGHT GENERATOR
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 8
Repair Cap: 3
AGILITY
Evasion: 11
Speed: 5
E-Defense: 8
Tech Attack: +0
SP: 6
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 6
TRAITS
GRAVITIC WINGS
You may choose to count any and all of your
movement as flying.
FLYBY ATTACK
When you hit with a melee attack with a
weapon on your turn, the target is unable to
take reactions in response to your movement
until the end of that turn.
HARRY THE PACK
1/round, when you hit a character with a melee
attack, you may deal +1d6 bonus damage.
You may not trigger this against the same
character two rounds in a row.
MOUNTS
AUX/
AUX
[78]
MAIN/
AUX
Even before Iridia, gravity’s grasp on
the Nemesis was tenuous - an early-stage
gravitic repulsor letting it fly freely
for long durations. But it was still a
relatively clunky design.
Hestia saw this, and she found it
wanting. But, in her infinite mercy, she
uplifted the Nemesis, bestowed gifts upon
it, made it a true Iridian frame. No
longer would it need to obey the shackles
of physics.
When a Nemesis takes flight now, it
twists and turns in a way that shouldn’t
be possible. It escapes from foes with
nary an opening for them to strike. It
brings forth the power of Iridia’s
goddess.
And you cannot escape it.
Wings of the Goddess
Active (1 CP), Protocol
For the rest of the scene, the flight granted by
Gravitic Wings is hover, and your movement
ignores Engagement.
In addition, when you trigger Flyby Attack, the
target is instead unable to take any reactions
until the end of their next turn, including against
the triggering attack.
IRIDIA
NEMESIS Mk. I "CHAMPION"
Striker∕Support
Nemesis Variant
This variant can be taken at rank II of the Nemesis license instead of the base Frame.
Only carrying the Nemesis name retroactively, the Champion
was the one successful product from the foundries of the
Delta Consortium. Bought up and folded into one of GMS'
specialty mech distribution lines as an aerial combat unit,
it remained as a solidly niche and unremarkable frame until
managing to be swept up in the Iridia incident.
Unlike the Hestia-modified Nemesis, the Champion is far more
solidly a battlefield commander, remaining embroiled in the
thick of things. The fact that its tactical computer is able
to be interlinked with its teammates’ allows for some
impressive feats of coordination - allies are able to take
advantage of any momentary distraction caused by attacks on
a foe, whether from the Champion or not.
The most striking feature of the Champion is undoubtedly the
large sword it wields. Able to channel electricity directly
from the chassis itself, the Champion’s Blade becomes
infused with the attributes of a tempest during the midsts
of battle - giving it the colloquial “Stormblade” nickname.
The Stormblade was ultimately what led to the downfall and
obsolescence of the Champion on Iridia, causing the
development of what would become known as the Nemesis
proper. The sword required a great amount of skill to
properly wield, and almost nobody on the planet had the
talent to use it or the will to learn - the people who might
be willing had already been funneled to the easier-to-use
Enyo.
Since then, the Champion has languished once again as little
more than a curiosity. Less Demonworks than anything else
the corporation has the schematics for, it’s really only
something that would be printed off at special request, and
barely even noted in any offworld catalogues. Those who have
even heard of the frame - even through GMS - much less
choose to use it, tend to be peculiar indeed.
[79]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[80]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1
Armor: 1
Save Target: 11
Sensors: 10
CHAMPION’S BLADE
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 8
Repair Cap: 4
E-Defense: 6
Tech Attack: +0
AGILITY
SP: 5
Evasion: 10
Speed: 5
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 6
TRAITS
GRAVITIC WINGS
You may choose to count any and all of your
movement as flying.
AERIAL DANCER
When you attack a hostile character with a
melee weapon on your turn while you are
flying, you may remain flying at the end of your
turn even if you did not move.
DIRECT THE FLOW
2/round, when a hostile character within line of
sight is hit with an attack, you may push one
ally within 3 spaces of the hit character. On
your turn, this push is up to 3 spaces in any
direction, while on any other turn this push is 1
space in any direction. This may only trigger
1/turn.
MOUNTS
MAIN
MOUNT
FLEX
MOUNT
I will be a leader, never shying away
from the forefront of battle.
I will be a symbol, soaring to bring hope
to those who have lost it.
I will be a hero, defending the innocent
until my final breath.
But most of all, I will be a champion,
forever brave and true. With the fury of
the tempest and unbreakable honour, I
will never falter, never fail.
-Apocryphal Champion’s Oath
Integrated Mount: Stormblade
Stormblade
Main Melee
[ 2] [1d6+4
or
or
]
At the beginning of each scene, choose one of
the profiles below. This weapon gains the listed
damage type, tags, and effects for this scene:
• Howling Winds: Kinetic damage. You gain
+1 Speed and when you Boost you ignore
Engagement. On Crit: The target becomes
Slowed until the end of their next turn.
• Booming Thunder: Explosive damage. This
weapon gains Knockback 3. On Crit: The
target is knocked Prone.
• Searing Lightning: Energy Damage. This
weapon gains AP and Overkill. On Crit: The
target becomes Impaired until the end of
their next turn.
Tempest Surge
Active (1 CP), Protocol
You may change the profile your Stormblade
uses. In addition, it gains Accurate and
Reliable 3 until the start of your next turn.
Efficient: This ability refunds 1 CP at the end of
any scene in which it’s used.
[81]
LICENSE I:
WINGBLADE, INERTIAL COMPENSATOR
Targeting Uplink
Wingblade
Choose one weapon: When you hit a hostile
character with it, you may expend a charge in
order to give +1 to the next attack roll an ally
makes against that character. Attack rolls that
benefit from this bonus gain AP.
Auxiliary Melee, Accurate
[ 2] [1d3 ]
“War reveals who you really are. What
you’ll fight for, how you go about doing
things. Nobody can ever truly be an
angel during it, but you have to try.
Try to help people, try to make it all
worthwhile. Try to not become what
you’re fighting to stop.”
Inertial Compensator
1 SP, Unique
You gain Immunity to fall damage.
“Sometimes, despite all your best
attempts, you can find yourself falling.
You scramble, you try and hold your
course, but it just isn’t enough. When
that happens, don’t look to staying
aloft. Instead seek to cushion your
landing, so you don’t fall as far.”
LICENSE II: NEMESIS FRAME,
PLASMA SABRE, TARGETING UPLINK
Plasma Sabre
Main Melee, Unique
[ 3] [2 ]
If this weapon hits a target within 2, its base
damage is instead 4 . If this weapon hits a
target within 1, its base damage is instead
6 . Modifications to this weapon’s Threat do
not increase the range at which these base
damage changes occur.
On Crit: The target must pass an Engineering
save or else be Impaired until the end of its
next turn.
“When I was with Union, I used to fight
with physical swords. Why did that
change? Well, I could tell you that
energy blades are better because of
their ability to reshape for the
situation. Or that they cut through
things better. But those would all be
lies. The truth is that they’re light
enough that it didn’t feel like I was
swinging a weapon. So it was easier to
pretend that I wasn’t killing people.”
[82]
2 SP, Mod, Limited 3, Unique
“It’s a funny thing, the lengths we go
to to relieve ourselves of the blame.
The commander who marks a target for
death can tell herself that it wasn’t
her who pulled the trigger. The soldier
who follows the order can tell himself
that it wasn’t him that was truly at
fault for doing so.”
LICENSE III: SUPERSONIC BOOSTER,
TACTICAL COORDINATION SUITE
Supersonic Booster
3 SP, Unique, Limited 1, Free Action
1/round, you may expend a charge to Boost as
a free action. This movement must be made in
a straight line, but ignores Engagement and
doesn't provoke reactions.
“You can’t run from your past. You can
try and hide, you can try and forget,
but eventually it always catches up with
you. You wonder about the paths that you
could have taken, the choices that you
made. I always wonder if I could have
stopped it all. It would have been so
simple. And yet I wasn’t able to bring
myself to. They say it was because of
Her, but… what if it wasn’t? What does
that say about me?”
Tactical Coordination Suite
2 SP, Full Action, Unique
Select up to 2 allied characters within line of
sight. Each chosen character may immediately
take a quick action as a reaction. Any
movement made as part of this action ignores
Engagement and doesn’t provoke reactions.
This system may only be activated 1/scene.
“Nobody knew where I came from,
obviously. Even today, I’m still their
beloved General, as much as I hate that
title. I was their salvation, the only
one who could save them from the demons
that had descended from the stars. But
it was all based on a lie. Would they
have still followed me if they’d known
the truth? I doubt it. But they knew all
that they needed to know. And that’s
really all a good soldier needs, isn’t
it? It’s better for everyone that way.
They don’t need to share in the blood on
my hands.”
IRIDIA
NYX
Controller
While the Artemis was the first mech produced by the
Demonworks after Iridia’s defeat, the schematics were still
almost entirely complete. Though the final design might have
had a less volatile energy transfer if Hestia had some more
time to work on it, it was still in a usable state.
Beginning with the Nyx, that was not the case.
For the first time, the Demonworks was confronted with the
challenge of building something workable out of components
that were functioning, yet they had no idea yet of how to
understand. Many, many Nyx prototypes were made and
discarded over the course of several years, most ending up
with completely disjointed parts. Trial and error was the
name of the game, and there was a lot of error. Sometimes
with catastrophic results.
That the Nyx managed to come out of that environment working
as smoothly as it does is a miracle. While its various
components sometimes seem to be at odds, it manages to be a
sleek, stealthy drone platform, with a few tricks in
reserve.
One of the quirks of its chimeric nature, though, is that
pilots often report that they’re a little bit temperamental.
Each Nyx usually has its own little rituals that a pilot
needs to use in order to stop errors from occurring, and
these problems never seem to be able to be replicated on any
other Nyx frame. These ‘superstitions’ sometimes creep out
beyond the battlefield, with pilots doing things even while
off-duty in a particular way, in order to ensure that their
mech runs smoothly.
Stories of various Nyx frames tend to take on lives of their
own, even though many of them are surely apocryphal. Whether
it’s the tale of a pilot returning to find their Nyx has
engaged its Cloak with them outside, or a frame simply
vanishing upon its pilot’s death, or a pilot stepping out
into a world different from what they’ve left, one thing is
always clear: the Nyx seems to have both a sense of humour
and a bond with its pilot. It’s just never clear which one
you’ll get.
[83]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[84]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1
Armor: 0
Save Target: 11
Sensors: 10
PHANTASM GENERATOR
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 6
Repair Cap: 3
AGILITY
Evasion: 10
Speed: 6
E-Defense: 7
Tech Attack: +0
SP: 8
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 5
TRAITS
SUPERPOSITION
Whenever you deploy a Drone, deploy it in two
valid spaces instead of one.
The first time that its position is relevant
(Engagement, being targeted by an attack, a
character is in a position to be affected by it,
etc.) you immediately decide which space it
‘actually’ occupies, removing it from the other.
This can cause, for instance, the triggering
effect to have no effect on the Drone if the
Drone’s true space is not a valid target, or
Engagement to not apply to the triggering
character if the Drone’s true space is not where
it would cause Engagement.
CLOAK OF NIGHT
While the Nyx is Hidden, it is also Invisible.
This may allow it to maintain Hidden in the
open.
A dark core of nothing, that yearns to
escape. To be shaped, to cloak the world.
To hide that which does not want to be
found.
This void is absolute, until you step out
at last. It will protect you in its
embrace, cover you like a blanket. A
comfort to you, and terror to your foes.
Night Phantasms
Active (1 CP), Quick Action
Place 6 Phantasm Tokens in free and valid
spaces within Sensors, even outside of line of
sight. These tokens do not occupy spaces or
impede characters in any way.
1/round, as a reaction at the start of any
character’s turn, you may deploy one of your
Drones to the location of a Phantasm Token,
removing that token.
In addition, whenever you lose Hidden, you
may teleport to the location of a Phantasm
Token, removing that token.
In both cases, if the token’s space is occupied,
you or the Drone instead occupy the nearest
unoccupied space (your choice if there are
multiple).
PHASE SHIFT
While Invisible, the Nyx’s attack rolls ignore
Invisible.
MOUNTS
FLEX
MOUNT
HEAVY
MOUNT
[85]
IRIDIA
SELENE
Controller∕Defender
Nyx Variant
This variant can be taken at rank II of the Nyx license instead of the base Frame.
One of the many, many prototypes of the Nyx, what would
eventually become the Selene is unique amongst them in that
it managed to have some measure of success. While considered
a failure during testing, one very dedicated engineer
decided to save it from being scrapped and take it on as his
side project.
As a Disciple of the Silver Lady, he saw great promise in
the way the mech seemed poised to exemplify the practices of
his religion. For instance, gifting systems in order to
activate them remotely was reminiscent of the figurines that
Disciples traded - something that led to most Selene drones
being shaped or painted like various animals, even if the
reasons why aren’t always known.
It certainly wasn’t an easy task, though. The Selene didn’t
even approach general production until long after the Nyx,
and it almost didn’t get there at all. In one notable
instance, a mishap with the transwarp grid prototype ended
up scattering the entire workshop across half of Iridia the Selene managed to be recovered, but charred parts can
still be found today, even in the southern temperate zone.
While niche, the Selene has managed to eke out a noticeable
ecosystem for itself on Iridia, mostly amongst Reclaimers
and Disciples. A custom that’s arisen within their ranks has
been for Selene pilots to exchange parts of their mechs
whenever they may meet - and to always try and salvage those
particular components to incorporate into a reprinted mech,
even if it isn’t a Selene. The longest-surviving Selene
frames are almost akin to museums, every piece representing
a story. It’s something that may have arisen out of the
Disciple culture, but it has managed to reach beyond its
origins into something distinct. And that’s probably the
best descriptor for the Selene as a whole.
[86]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[87]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1
Armor: 1
Save Target: 11
Sensors: 5
TRANSWARP GRID
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 6
Repair Cap: 4
AGILITY
Evasion: 8
Speed: 5
E-Defense: 9
Tech Attack: +0
SP: 8
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 5
TRAITS
TOKEN OF MY ESTEEM
You may deploy or reposition (including from
Talents) Drones or Deployables as if you were
in the space of any allied Mech character. You
still use your own Sensor value from that
position.
When an allied character adjacent to one of
your Drones makes a standard movement, the
Drone can also move with that character as
long as it doesn’t break adjacency, mirroring
that character’s movement. This movement
ignores Engagement and does not provoke
reactions.
LUNAR WARDING
1/round, when an allied character takes
damage, choose one of your Drones adjacent
to it. That Drone takes half of the damage, and
the ally takes the remainder. This applies after
all other reductions.
Whenever one of your Drones is destroyed,
one ally adjacent to it gains 3 Overshield.
SILVER VEIL
The Selene is Immune to Lock On.
MOUNTS
FLEX
MOUNT
[88]
HEAVY
MOUNT
A prototype for what would eventually
become miniaturized into the Epione, a
transwarp core was placed into the
chassis of the mech as well as its
drones. The matrix woven by the various
transwarp points meant that the entire
battlefield was able to be covered by the
field.
Unfortunately, such designs were deemed
to be impractical, as they were only able
to pull people to the generators - rather
than go exactly where needed - and the
cores burned out after a single use.
Radiant Pilgrimage
Active (1 CP), Quick Action
All allied characters other than the Selene’s
Drones may teleport to a space of their choice
adjacent to the Selene or one of its Drones.
LICENSE I:
GRAV DRONE, PITCH BLACK
Shroud Drone
Grav Drone
Shroud Drone (Size 1/2, 5 HP, 10 E-Defense,
10 Evasion, Tags: Drone)
Grav Drone (Size 1/2, 5 HP, 10 E-Defense, 10
Evasion, Tags: Drone)
Expend a charge to deploy a Shroud Drone to
any free space within Sensors and line of sight.
It creates a 2 around itself. Characters at
least partly within this area may not draw line of
sight out of the area. Characters fully outside of
the area or who exit the area are unaffected.
Shroud Drones cannot be recalled and expire at
the end of the scene.
2 SP, Limited 4, Unique, Quick Action,
Drone
Expend a charge to deploy a Grav Drone to any
free space within Sensors and line of sight. It
counts as Size 3 for the purposes of
Engagement. Grav Drones cannot be recalled
and expire at the end of the scene.
Containing a tiny singularity, these
drones have a lifespan measured in mere
minutes. Once activated, the immense
forces they contain begin to tear them
apart from the inside.
PITCH BLACK
1 SP, Unique, Quick Tech
Gain the following Quick Tech options:
2 SP, Limited 2, Unique, Quick Action,
Drone
Rather than creating any actual
darkness, the Shroud Zone generates a
metastatic field that causes failure in
any biological or technological
observational devices attempting to peer
beyond the field. Including eyes.
LICENSE III: BINARY-PULSE NEXUS,
AETHER-CLASS NHP
Sleight of Hand: Target two Size 1/2 or Size 1
Drones or Deployables within Sensors.
Teleport them, swapping their positions.
Binary-Pulse Nexus
Phantasmagoria: Target a Deployable or
Drone within Sensors. It becomes Invisible
until the start of your next turn, and you may
cause it to immediately become Hidden.
On Attack: After all damage has been resolved,
all characters in the Blast are pushed to the
nearest space outside the area and must pass a
Hull Save or be knocked Prone.
“I know we don’t really understand much
of what we do here, but this bit of code
scares me the most. Most of our goddess’
magic is straightforward. This? You run
it, and the entire world goes black,
just for an instant. Just long enough to
notice. And something changes. Usually
small, sometimes bigger. The truly
terrifying times, though, are when you
don’t see any changes at all…”
Heavy Nexus, Smart, Loading
[ 10][ 1] [1d6+3 ]
Using single-voyage drones as a payload,
the Binary-Pulse that gives this weapon
its name is a series of two explosions.
One ruptures the outer casing of the
drone, sending shrapnel into everything
around, while the second is a shockwave
strong enough to drop mechs to the
ground.
LICENSE II: NYX FRAME,
PHASE NEXUS, SHROUD DRONE
Phase Nexus
Main Nexus, Smart, Seeking, AP,
Inaccurate
[ 10] [1d3 ]
The drone containing this weapon has a
variation of the Nyx’s phase shift
technology built in. While it enables
the shot to pierce almost anything, the
wrong flux can cause even a direct hit
to miss.
[89]
AETHER-Class NHP
3 SP, AI, Unique, Drone
As a quick action, this system may deploy to a
free space in Sensors and line of sight as a
Drone with the following stat line:
AETHER-Class Drone (Size 1, 10 HP, 10 EDefense, 10 Evasion, Tags: Drone, Invisible)
While deployed, the Drone has Sensors 3, and
shares your Speed. It can move independently
on your turn, but can’t take any other actions. If
you can fly or teleport, it can too. Spaces within
the Drone’s Sensors count as within your own
Sensors, though you still require line of sight to
be drawn from your mech. Any hostile character
that misses the Drone with an attack roll gains
Lock On.
The Drone can be recalled or redeployed to a
space within Sensors as a quick action.
While not deployed, your mech gains the AI
property. This NHP can only be given control of
the mech if not deployed, and must give up
control of the mech before deploying.
If AETHER cascades, the normal effects do not
occur. Instead, the Drone automatically deploys
if it is not already deployed, you cannot control it
or benefit from any of its effects, and it counts
as neither an ally nor one of your drones. This
effect ends when cascade would.
[90]
AETHER-Class NHPs are rather unusual in
composition. Rather than a single
essence, they’re formed from two or
three dozen semi-sentient shards - more
animalistic in intelligence - that
combine with each other to create
conglomerates. These conglomerates keep
combining to form ever larger ones,
until the greater AETHER is formed. In
non-combat situations, they’ll portion
off parts of themself in order to
control subalterns, with various degrees
of autonomy, but the battlefield
requires an AETHER’s full presence.
Sudden trauma is able to shatter this
cohesion, though, with all parts of the
NHP attempting to follow its own
instincts.
AETHERs are unfailingly optimistic at
all times. Often gratingly so, and
possibly to their own detriment. They’re
confident that they can get through
anything, and any evidence to the
contrary is brushed off with the
suggestion that things will get better.
This extends to combat, too, where
they’ll happily bob and weave through
hostiles, confident that their partners
will keep them safe, and are just happy
to help.
It’s usually obvious when an AETHER has
gone too long without cycling, as it
starts to try and make its optimism a
reality. It gets angry at anything that
it sees as ruining how things should be,
and tries to remove those issues.
Including cynical pilots.
IRIDIA
PERSEPHONE
Striker∕Controller
The Persephone has a rather odd place amongst the
Demonworks. While it’s a purely Iridian frame - unlike
something like the Nemesis - its origins lie outside both
Hestia’s schematics and her metavault. It’s something
entirely different.
The core of the frame is the Zero-Point Reactor, and
Demonworks created everything around that piece of
technology, were able to replicate it… but none could answer
where it truly originated.
The reactor was recovered from a peculiar, unique Reckoning
mech that was destroyed during one of their incursions. And,
despite all tests, it appears to be perfectly safe when used
with the proper precautions. No sign of nanites, no signs of
hijacking, nothing.
And yet, there’s the perpetually hanging question. Where did
the Reckoning get it? Was it crafted by them? Was it a gift
from Hestia, or perhaps the Silver Lady? Or perhaps it was
stolen from a cache of technology long lost from the
original colonists, or maybe the crashed Harrison ship that
brought Hestia. Whatever the answer, the implications are
worrying.
In the meantime, the Persephone has received a provisional
general release… which, unusually for the Demonworks, has
been primarily offworld. Management is still wary of what
could happen with the reactor’s safeties removed, so they
prefer to have the mechs in the hands of far more
experienced offworld pilots.
Several have been cautiously deployed on Iridia, though - in
conjunction with the Epione - in order to help combat the
Reckoning. Flash freezing a swarm and then shattering it
with ordnance has become the preferred method of nanite
disposal on the planet, but there are those who are still
wary of allowing the Persephone too close to where it came
from. One day it may decide that it wants to go back.
[91]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[92]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1
Armor: 0
Save Target: 11
Sensors: 5
ZERO-POINT REACTOR
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 8
Repair Cap: 4
AGILITY
Evasion: 6
Speed: 4
E-Defense: 8
Tech Attack: -2
SP: 5
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 8
TRAITS
ZERO-POINT REACTOR
When the Persephone is not in the Danger
Zone, it gains +2 Armor. When the Persephone
is in the Danger Zone, it gains +1 Speed and
hostile characters that start their turn adjacent
to it gain 2 .
ICE TRAIL
The Persephone ignores difficult terrain and
Engagement when it Boosts.
THERMAL EXCITATION
1/round, when the Persephone clears at least
1 , deal 2 to a character within 3.
MOUNTS
MAIN
MOUNT
FLEX
MOUNT
HEAVY
MOUNT
The core around which the Persephone is
designed, the Zero-Point reactor reacts
peculiarly based on how much heat is
dumped into it. At low levels, a thick
layer of frost protects the Frame, but as
it heats up it instead begins to cause
spontaneous thermal increases in nearby
targets.
The amount of power poured into the
reactor requires severe regulation - if
pushed too far, the Zero-Point causes an
abrupt nullification of all heat in the
area in response. This is extremely
hazardous to any not properly protected,
and is ill-advised to attempt
deliberately.
Absolute Zero
Active (1 CP), Full Action
The Persephone and all characters within 2
clear all . Characters other than the user take
2 AP for each point of
that they clear.
All characters in the Burst other than the user
must make an Engineering save or be
Immobilized until the end of the scene or until
they pass a Hull save as a quick action.
Characters that did not clear any
(including
characters without a Heat Cap) make the initial
save with +1 .
[93]
LICENSE I:
FLASH CONDENSER, ICE SHIELD
Flash Condenser
Main Launcher, Knockback 1, 1
[ 5] [1d6 ]
Coldstorm Charges
2 SP, Limited 3, Unique
(Self)
On Hit: The target must succeed on a Hull
Save or be knocked Prone.
This weapon absorbs ambient moisture
from the environment, which is then
supercooled to produce an endless supply
of ammunition.
Ice Barrier
2 SP, Unique, Quick Action, 2
(Self)
This System creates a 4 ice barrier, 4 spaces
high - with at least one space that is adjacent to
you - that is an obstruction for characters, and
blocks line of sight. The entire Line counts as a
single object with 5 HP, and may also be
automatically destroyed by an adjacent
character passing a Hull check as a quick
action. It otherwise lasts until the end of the
scene, or until this system is used again.
While fragile, this flash-frozen barrier
can buy a crucial moment.
LICENSE II: PERSEPHONE FRAME,
CRYO LANCE, COLDSTORM CHARGES
Cryo Lance
Heavy Rifle, Ordnance, 2
[ 10] [1
+ 3 ]
(Self)
On Hit: Targets must succeed on an
Engineering save or become Immobilized until
the end of their next turn.
While the weapon's projection of zeropoint energy is invisible, flash-frozen
moisture in the air creates a momentary
icicle that appears to lance targets...
before spreading over them like a virus.
Expend a charge from this system for one of the
following effects:
• Cryo Grenade (Grenade, 5, 2): All
spaces on the ground in the blast become
difficult terrain until the end of the scene.
Winterzone Mine: (Mine, 2): This mine
• detonates when a character moves
adjacent to or over it. All spaces in the
burst become difficult terrain and
dangerous terrain until the end of the
scene. The dangerous terrain deals ,
and is an Engineering Save against your
Save Target instead of an Engineering
check.
These thermal rift generators cause an
unfortunate number of injuries and
accidents for new users. Despite an
ever-increasing number of warnings,
pilots continue to attempt to use them
for non-military applications.
LICENSE III:
THERMAL EJECTORS, ZERO-POINT PULSE
Thermal Ejectors
2 SP, Limited 2, Unique
1/round, you may spend a charge as a free
action to clear 2 .
Sometimes you just need to cool off
fast. Who cares that you can’t reuse
those heat sinks? That’s future-you’s
problem. Present-you just doesn’t want
to explode.
Zero-Point Pulse
Superheavy CQB, AP, 4
[ 2] [1d6
+ 4 ]
(Self)
This weapon ignores ranged penalties from
Engaged, and it gains +1 and Reliable 3
against targets in the Danger Zone or who are
Exposed. This weapon’s Reliable damage
cannot be , and it does not count
dealt
towards the Reliable value on a hit.
On Hit: The target counts as moving through
difficult terrain until the end of its next turn.
An adaptation of a miniaturized zeropoint reactor into a weapon. It’s not as
devastating as the real thing, but far,
far easier to reliably use.
[94]
IRIDIA
PSYCHE
Support∕Controller
While the Astraea is the face of mechs on Iridia, and is the
most popular overall, the Psyche is often considered the
heart. Of the original six Demonworks mechs that were
produced during the conflict with Union, the Psyche managed
to beat out the other less-militarized mechs in the minds of
the people by having a more distinct presence.
While a superficial consideration, the Iris’ scanning
abilities and the Ersa’s constructions just weren’t the
obvious indications of Hestia’s favour that shimmering
energy shields and teleporting mechs around were. It was the
impossible made possible by Her will, and that was what
Iridia needed to see.
Despite the Demonworks pushing the Artemis and Epione as new
and improved guardians of the planet, it really hasn’t
proved too successful outside of the Church. Ordinary
Iridians seem to be wildly more comforted by the compact
Psyche, rather than towering statues loaded with weapons
that remind them of the hardship that they’ve recently gone
through.
Union engineers have raised concerns about the frame’s
ability to warp space, citing apprehension about the
stability of reality, but so far there hasn’t appeared to be
any noticeable deterioration of space’s cohesion.
Regardless, all offworld Psyche pilots are required to
submit periodic sensor logs to the USB in order to confirm
that remains the case.
The red tape hasn’t stopped the Psyche from being one of the
more heavily exported frames, as its flexibility gives the
units it’s assigned to a great deal of staying power in a
variety of situations.
[95]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[96]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1∕2
Armor: 0
Save Target: 11
Sensors: 15
HULL
SYSTEMS
DIMENSIONAL TOPOGRAPHIC
CONNECTION NEXUS
HP: 6
Repair Cap: 5
AGILITY
Evasion: 10
Speed: 4
E-Defense: 12
Tech Attack: +1
SP: 8
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 4
TRAITS
DISTRIBUTIVE MATRIX
Whenever you or an ally within Sensors spends
a repair, you and all Mech allies within Sensors
gain 4 Overshield.
METAFOLD OVERRIDE
1/round, when you target another character
with a tech action, you may push that
character up to 2 spaces in any direction
before making the attack or otherwise resolving
the action - the action continues even if this
moves them in such a way they would no longer
be a valid target - whether because of line of
sight, range, Sensors, entering an area
forbidding tech actions, or any other effect.
MOUNTS
FLEX
MOUNT
Collating data from maneuvering known
points around the battlefield, this
device, known for short as the “Rift
Nexus”, literally unravels space around
the target, briefly connecting it with a
discontiguous location. Swift foes can
evade the portal’s creation, but feedback
containment ensures collected information
is not wasted.
Integrated Mount: Rift Nexus
Rift Nexus
Main Nexus, Arcing
[ 10] [Damage: n∕a]
This weapon begins with 0 charges. 1/round,
when you inflict any involuntary movement on a
character, other than movement caused by this
weapon, you gain 1 charge, to a maximum of 5.
When you hit a character with this weapon, you
may teleport the target up to 2 spaces per
charge this weapon has. Once you hit, this
weapon returns to 0 charges. Charges persist
between scenes, but are lost during a full repair.
Rift Stabilization
Active (1 CP), Protocol
Immediately gain 5 charges for your Rift
Nexus, up to a maximum of 5. For the rest of
the scene, the Rift Nexus gains the Accurate
tag. In addition, when you hit with your Rift
Nexus, you may treat it as though it has fewer
charges than it currently has (to a minimum of
1). If you do this, reduce the number of charges
it has by the chosen amount, rather than
reducing it to 0.
[97]
IRIDIA
PSYCHE Mk. II "FORSAKEN"
Support∕Controller
Psyche Variant
This variant can be taken at rank II of the Psyche license instead of the base Frame.
Every so often a Psyche is forged that is simply wrong.
Everything is in its place, every wire, every plating… but
it just does not work as it should. Where it should react to
healing, it instead only responds to the suffering it
encounters. Whenever it brings people closer together, it
does so only to further isolate and shatter them. A legacy
of sorrow.
The matter is rarely spoken of, and any of these ‘Forsaken’
that are discovered tend to be scrapped, but some always
make it through. Those who have considered the matter wonder
if it’s a representation of Iridia’s shame. The collective
consciousness of those who feel that they’ve failed Hestia.
The more worrying thought is that without Hestia, everything
fueled by her magic will slowly erode away, stop working, or
be corrupted. Perhaps this is just a harbinger of what’s to
come, and eventually every mech will emerge wrong.
Discordant.
The possibility has led to a lot of quiet panic amidst
Demonworks engineers, while it remains a secret to everyone
else. They don’t know how anything works, they certainly
can’t fix anything… they just have to hope that things
continue to work as they do. And things don’t get any worse.
But no matter how hard they hope, the Forsaken remains, a
reminder that the Iridia of today is built on the remnants
of a shattered god. A broken faith. A tenuous hope. All they
can do is try their best.
But that may not be enough.
[98]
Art by Cosmixian
[99]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1∕2
Armor: 1
Save Target: 11
Sensors: 8
TECHNOLOGICAL NULLIFIER
HULL
SYSTEMS
E-Defense: 10
Tech Attack: +2
SP: 7
HP: 8
Repair Cap: 4
AGILITY
Evasion: 8
Speed: 5
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 6
TRAITS
SHATTERED SOUL
When you or a character within Sensors who
has a maximum Structure value greater than 1
loses Structure, you or one ally within Sensors
gains 4 Overshield.
INVOLUNTARY ABHORRENCE
1/round, when you target another character
with a tech action, you may push all
characters adjacent to them 1 space directly
away from the target after resolving the action.
PARIAH
You are Immune to damage, and
from
allied characters, but may never benefit from
their Traits.
MOUNTS
MAIN/
AUX
[100]
A corruption of the rift nexus, the
technological nullifier opens a gate
through a shattered realm… and holds it
open, draining energy from surrounding
people and places into it.
Those caught in the area report a true
feeling of helplessness, as systems
refuse to respond, and every part of
their mech feels like it’s in the process
of shutting down - and might take their
bodies and souls along with it.
Dead Zone
Active (1 CP), Full Action
You generate a 3 technological dead zone
within Sensors that lasts until the end of the
scene.
Hostile characters entirely within the zone may
not take tech actions and automatically fail
Systems checks and saves.
Hostile characters that begin their turn even
partially within the zone become Impaired,
which may be cleared with a successful
Systems save at the end of their turn.
LICENSE I: STRUCTURAL ENTANGLEMENT,
AURORA BARRIER
Structural Entanglement
3 SP, Quick Tech, Unique
Choose two characters within Sensors, or
yourself and a character within Sensors. For
each hostile target, you must make a tech
attack roll against them; a miss on any target
means the entire action fails.
While this effect lasts, neither character can be
targeted or affected by any of the others’
actions or effects (including attacks) in any way.
Any effects that are already affecting the other
do not end, but effects that require the other to
target you (such as Pinning Spire), or penalize
you for not (such as Duel to the Death or Crush
Targeting) cease to function for the duration. In
addition, neither character causes Engagement
with the other, and each character can freely
move through - but not end a movement in - the
others’ spaces.
This effect lasts until the end of the scene, you
use this action again, or you or one of the
participants ends it as a quick action. A hostile
character attempting to end it must pass a
Systems save as part of the action in order to
successfully do so.
The weaver stitches two together,
enfolding them into a single soul. The
universe believes the lie, enforces it
upon those thus entwined. To each of
them, the other must not exist - for
there is no other. There is only one.
Aurora Barrier
1 SP, Quick Action, Shield, Unique
This system charges as a quick action, coating
you in a faint rainbow sheen. While it is
charged, you gain the Brilliant Light reaction. It
can only hold one charge at a time, but charges
last for the rest of the scene or until used.
When active, the user is able to project
around itself a dazzling array of images
in both normal and legionspace. Those
who persist in looking directly at the
barrier will soon find themselves
staggered and blinking away afterimages.
Brilliant Light
Reaction, 1∕round
Trigger: A hostile character hits or misses you
or an ally within 5 with an attack.
Effect: The triggering character becomes
Impaired until the end of their next turn, and
may be pushed 1 space directly away from the
character they hit or missed.
LICENSE II: PSYCHE FRAME, SYMPATHETIC
TWINNING, GRAVITIC CLAMPS
Sympathetic Twinning
3 SP, Quick Tech, Shield, Overshield,
Unique
Choose two characters within Sensors, or
yourself and a character within Sensors. A
target character cannot already be under the
effect of any other instance of Sympathetic
Twinning. While this effect lasts, when an
affected character takes damage from a source
hostile to them, the other character gains 4
Overshield. Once a character has gained
Overshield from this effect, that character may
not do so again until the start of your next turn.
This effect lasts until the end of the scene, you
use this action again, or you or one of the
participants ends it as a quick action. A hostile
character attempting to end it must pass a
Systems save as part of the action in order to
successfully do so.
A different stitch, a resonance between
souls. The weaver asks for a scale, a
balance. Equal and opposite. The
universe isn't fair - but, just for a
moment, it might be tricked into it. A
repayment, giving life from death.
[101]
Gravitic Clamps
Retribution Bond
A combination of gravitation and magnetic
clamps allows you to climb on and ride around
on other mechs. As a quick action, while not
Immobilized, you may climb onto an adjacent
allied mech that is a larger Size than you. While
riding, you occupy the same space as them,
move when they move (even if you’re Slowed),
and benefit from soft cover. If you or the mount
are knocked Prone, Stunned, Immobilized, or
destroyed, you land Prone in an adjacent
space.
Choose two willing allies within Sensors, or
yourself and a willing ally within Sensors. While
this effect lasts, whenever an affected character
is hit by a hostile attack, the other character
gains +1 to their next attack roll against the
triggering hostile character before the end of
their next turn.
2 SP, Unique
Each mech may only support one rider using
Gravitic Clamps, and a mech using Gravitic
Clamps may not have a rider using Gravitic
Clamps.
Sometimes referred to as “Butterfly
Clamps”, after the popular Iridian tale
that a butterfly alighting on you is a
sign that you're being watched over.
LICENSE III:
REFRACTIVE BEAM, RETRIBUTION BOND
Refractive Beam
Main Rifle, 1 SP, Unique
[ 5] [1d3+1 ]
This weapon does not attack allied characters.
Instead, whenever an ally Mech character is
targeted, the Line immediately stops. You may
then draw another 5 from that character in
any direction, so long as it does not overlap with
any other line. This can continue indefinitely,
however each ally may only ever cause a single
new line. Once all lines are drawn, resolve this
attack - no matter how many lines a given
character is touched by, they will only ever be
targeted once.
Many Hestian weapons are safe to use
around allies. The Refractive Beam goes
one step further, weaponizing them as
amplifiers.
[102]
3 SP, Quick Tech, Limited 2, Unique
As a reaction, a participant may end this effect
in order to re-roll an attack roll (that either
person made) that is benefitting from the
Accuracy from this effect.
If the reaction is not used, this effect lasts until
the end of the scene, or until you use this action
again.
At last, the weaver rests, the tapestry
finished. More than the souls are joined
now - the hearts and minds are, too. The
tale has been told, and now all that is
left is for the story to play out.
NEW BIG FOUR FRAMES
For the most part, Iridian mech technology has developed in isolation, crafted solely by the ministrations
of their goddess - or at least almost entirely based off of her schematics. But secrets can never truly be
kept forever.
And this is the case for these four frames, the result of each of the corprostates getting their hands on
some degree of Iridian material; fusions of Hestian components with their existing ethos. They’re
presented here for use with or without Iridian Demonworks, though are intended to complement the
design decisions within the Demonworks frames. Included are some suggestions for plot elements you
may choose to incorporate.
IPS-N Silver (Defender/Controller): A close-range defender, able to slip through reality and cripple
nearby foes.
• The corporation is doing more testing with the Silver’s storms, trying to control them… and
something goes wrong. The party gets swept up, something gets deposited, or the storms escalate
out of control. Either way, the Lancers need to fix what went wrong, and stop it from happening
again.
• IPS-N is getting more bold in their thieving of Iridian parts, actively seeking to collect some that have
been evading their grasp. This could be directly against PCs piloting Iridian frames (especially if it’s
offworld or in remote areas), or as something for the party to defend allies against.
SSC Luna (Striker): A nimble duelist, it dances invisibly through the enemy formation as it toys with its
targets.
• The Luna’s bio-chameleonic abilities indicate that SSC or its agents are on Iridia, despite their stated
non-interference stance. They may be attempting to collect more biosamples, or perhaps interfering
more directly. After all, they don’t want their competitor getting their hands on this sort of technology.
• House Chevalier is rather irritated at the fact that imitation Ephemeric scales seem to be coating the
mechs of several rival noble houses. Especially incensed is Eirene Chevalier, whose scaled
alterations to her own machine seem to have been copied for these imposters. She’s going to need
people to find out where these are coming from, and put a stop to it. What’s also concerning is how
they’re paying for these mechs - who knows what could have been given up in exchange.
HORUS Phane (Controller/Striker): An inevitable bulwark, it borrows moments from its own future.
Those who stand in its path are wiped from memory, perhaps forever.
• There’s something strange happening. A place was discovered that couldn’t possibly have been
hidden, but nobody knew that it was there. A place that was purged from the memory of all, but holds
some terrible secret that somebody - perhaps even the universe itself - wants to stay buried.
• The Phane formed in the metavault within Iridia, the collective idea of Iridia’s forgotten past. That
which was irrecoverably lost, and will never again be known. And now it has awoken, venturing forth
to erase the present; destroying everything that has been built atop shattered memories.
HA Castilla (Striker/Controller): A host for ravenous nanites, it litters the field with pools of greywash.
• One of the problems with exporting particularly adaptive strains of blackwash is that they have a
habit of finding every tiny chink in your code. And that’s what happened to at least one Castilla…
letting loose the Reckoning on a planet beyond Iridia. Somebody needs to purge it before it can
infest another world.
• The blackwash swarms on Iridia have begun to form new, more advanced mech forms. Harrison
mechs. It looks as though they’d prefer to destroy the planet than have it live free, and have planted
a team that’s uploading schematics to the Reckoning.
[103]
IPS-N
SILVER
Defender∕Controller
When IPS-N and the Demonworks made their agreement, included was
aclause that IPS-N wouldn’t touch Demonworks tech without
permission. Of course, that was a complete lie - and the Silver is
the proof.
Once IPS-N discovered that the Iridian engineers had essentially
no idea about anything that Hestia had left them, they took it
into their own hands. A cache was slowly amassed of purloined
components from destroyed or ‘missing’ Demonworks frames. And the
testing began.
Unfortunately, testing is much harder when nothing quite adheres
to physics, and most tests ended in disastrous failure. Rumours
began to spread that the frame was cursed, or that they were
incurring the wrath of the goddess who had created the technology.
To the engineers who remained on the project, though, it was a
mark of pride. They were creating a machine that was in defiance
of the gods, a triumph of metal and of human ingenuity. Granted,
the majority of the prototypes ended with them imploding out of
reality, but confidence was high.
In the end, though, it was mostly luck that caused the project to
see success. One particular combination managed to only implode
slightly, leaving it in a peculiarly balanced physical and
paraphysical state. Nobody’s exactly sure why or how this
happened, but by that point they were prepared to just say ‘good
enough’ and call it a day. More trouble than it was worth,
probably, but that’s never stopped the corpro before.
The Silver has seen only very limited release thus far, mostly to
agents who seem to have a particular knack for coming out of
unusual situations more-or-less unscathed. IPS-N’s hoping that one
or another of them will stumble upon how to stabilize some of the
weirdness of the frame, but they’re not exactly holding out much
hope.
Many Silver pilots grow to have a sort of fondness for the weird
happenings that seem to occur around their frames, even the
paracausal storms that occasionally break loose. While
inconvenient at the time, especially if they happen inside a
hanger, the storms aren’t too dangerous and also have a habit of
depositing random objects around.
Where this detritus comes from is a significant question, given
some of it is identifiable as originating from human colonies,
while other things seem to have no known origin at all.
Regardless, many Silver pilots seem to enjoy making a bit of a
hoard out of the most interesting things, even if they have no
idea what they actually are.
[104]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[105]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 2
Armor: 1
Save Target: 11
Sensors: 10
PROFANE AMALGAM
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 12
E-Defense: 6
Tech Attack: -1
SP: 7
Repair Cap: 4
AGILITY
Evasion: 8
Speed: 4
ENGINEERING
The Silver contains components from many
different Iridian frames, all put
together in a way that no sane - or
insane - person would consider workable.
And yet… it’s technically stable.
Tech attacks from hostile characters treat the
Silver as Invisible.
It’s a miracle that the frame hasn’t yet
torn itself apart by the paracausal
forces created by the interplay of its
systems, but it’s only one moment away
from causing some sort of implosion of
reality.
EDGEWISE TO REALITY
One tiny push.
Heat Cap: 6
TRAITS
LEGIONSPACE STATIC
On its turn, the Silver ignores difficult terrain
and may move through any obstructions
(including hostile characters), though it may not
end its movement in obstructed spaces.
WEAK COMPUTER
The Silver has +1
saves.
on Systems checks and
CORRUPTED PROVIDENCE
Hostile characters adjacent to the Silver deal
half damage to any character other than the
Silver.
Paracausal Convergence
Active (1 CP), Protocol
MOUNTS
MAIN
MOUNT
And then it’s a storm like no other.
MAIN
MOUNT
FLEX
MOUNT
The Silver becomes Intangible, and creates a
3 around itself, which moves with it and
affects non-Intangible characters as well. Any
non-Intangible character in this burst becomes
Intangible until they leave the burst.
In addition, the Silver’s Corrupted Providence
affects hostile characters within 3 while this is
active.
At the end of its turn while this effect is active,
the Silver takes 1 . This effect lasts until the
end of the scene, the Silver overheats, or until it
deactivates it as a protocol.
[106]
LICENSE I: RETRIEVAL CLAWS,
ELECTROSTATIC GRASP
LICENSE III: AB-T/R EMERGENCY
BULKHEAD, REALITY STORM
Retrieval Claws
Ab-T/R Emergency Bulkhead
Main Melee
[ 2] [1d6
]
On Hit: You may pull your target 1 space
towards you.
On Crit: This attack gains AP.
Tests indicate that these charged
pneumatics are able to reliably grasp
targets at a distance of up to 150% of
their maximum extended length. Users are
advised to not think about it too much.
Electrostatic Grasp
2 SP, Unique
Characters you have Grappled cannot benefit
from or take quick tech or full tech actions.
Certain electrical frequencies can be
used to insulate a target from sending
or receiving legionspace signals, though
immediate proximity is needed.
LICENSE II: SILVER FRAME, SCOURING
HALO, “GUARDIAN” CONTAINMENT FIELD
Scouring Halo
Main CQB, Smart
[ 1] [1d3+3 ]
This weapon ignores ranged penalties from
Engaged and does not attack allied characters
caught in its area of effect.
An aggressive∕defensive grid-option, the
Halo allows you to keep your vicinity
clear of hostiles while still retaining
proximity to your allies.
“Guardian” Containment Field
2 SP, Quick Action, Limited 1, Shield,
Unique
Expend a charge to choose a hostile character
within 5, who must make an Engineering
save. On a failure, select one of their weapons
or systems. The chosen weapon or system
becomes disabled until they succeed on a
Systems save at the end of their turn, or until
the end of the scene.
While primarily intended to help
retrieve hazardous materials, the
Containment Field can be adapted to
temporarily disable hostile components.
Unfortunately, deployment requires close
range, so it can be a risky endeavor.
2 SP, Overshield, Shield, Unique
You may destroy this system after you roll on
the Structure Damage table, even if you did
not receive a System Trauma result that
targeted a System. If this system is destroyed, it
may be repaired for no cost during a rest.
When this system is destroyed (including
through System Trauma), you and each allied
character within 2 of you gains Overshield
equal to your Grit+2 immediately after resolving
the Structure Roll.
The Ablative-Trauma∕React “Emergency
Bulkhead” is designed to give an entire
squad a breather when the situation most
calls for it. Unfortunately, it has a
lengthy recharge sequence, so can only
provide limited support.
Reality Storm
2 SP, Quick Action, Unique
This system creates a 3 storm of paracausal
energy around you until the start of your next
turn. Tech attacks against any character in the
storm take +1 , and any character other than
you that ends their turn in the storm must pass
an Engineering save or be teleported up to 3
spaces. This movement may not be prevented
in any way, including Immunity to involuntary
movement.
Once activated, the user must Stabilize before
this System can be used again.
Officially designated a “ParaStatic
Dispersion Regulator,” canny users can
override the limiters. This lets a
charge build up to dangerous levels,
which a pilot can then release in a
concentrated burst. The paracausal
storms manifested this way are
thankfully brief in duration, but they
can wreak havoc all the same.
IPS-N bears no liability for the
permanent appearance or disappearance of
any objects or individuals during
unauthorized use of the PSDR.
[107]
SSC
LUNA
Striker
The Luna is marketed towards those who want their bodyguard
to be a moment away, yet unobtrusive. It fades from sight,
almost from reality, yet is always ready to spring into
action - ready to finally take center stage. A mech for
those who don’t want to see mechs around, yet still want the
protection of one.
It also has an uncanny - and concerning - presence in
legionspace; a digital shadow that flickers through the
technological realm to strike at foes. It's unclear how much
identity or intellect these shadows have, but no two Lunas
have exactly the same one.
Officially, the frame is a LUX-Iconic remix of the Metalmark
and Mourning Cloak, intended for exclusive clientele as
opposed to general milspec security. There are whispers,
though, that the Luna’s production is just a test run for
integrating a particular brand of biotics into mechs. One
that perhaps doesn’t exactly follow the standard rules of
reality, so is rather more… volatile to work with.
While SSC remains adamant that they’ve not established any
activities on Iridia, Union authorities have noticed that
the new bio-cam debuting on their prototype Luna models
bears a striking resemblance to the Iridian lifeforms known
as Ephemera. The corporation denies this, and insists it's
proprietary technology.
Obviously, SSC is lying. Nobody needs to believe them,
though, they just need the plausible deniability and for
nobody to care enough. And should the Luna’s run prove
successful, it could open the door to further models, taken
from the paracausually warped fauna of a planet that has
left that resource completely untapped.
[108]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[109]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1∕2
Armor: 1
Save Target: 10
Sensors: 10
STEPSPACE COUPLET
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 8
Repair Cap: 3
AGILITY
E-Defense: 10
Tech Attack: +1
SP: 6
ENGINEERING
Evasion: 10
Speed: 5
Heat Cap: 5
TRAITS
LEGIONSPACE SHADOW
1/round, when you make a melee attack
against a hostile character, your next tech
attack (against any character) may deal
1d6 AP on a hit, in addition to its other effects.
EPHEMERIC BIO-CAM
Attack rolls against the Luna from the nearest
hostile character treat it as Invisible. If multiple
hostile characters are tied for nearest, this
affects all of them.
FRAGILE
The Luna has +1
on Hull checks and saves.
MOUNTS
FLEX
MOUNT
[110]
MAIN/
AUX
When the Luna clashes with another, you
could almost think that the pair were
one, as the mech swirls and cavorts
around its chosen partner.
But the Luna is fickle, and likes to be
center stage. Those who take their eyes
off it, who let their attention wander,
may find themselves thrust into the fray.
For the Luna skirts at the edge of the
senses, and even a moment’s inattention
may cost you dearly.
Battle Dancer
Active (1 CP), Reaction
Trigger: A hostile character within Sensors and
line of sight makes an attack that doesn’t
include you
Effect: Teleport to a free space adjacent to the
triggering character, before the attack resolves.
Efficient: This ability refunds 1 CP at the end of
any scene in which it’s used.
Note: Universal Compatibility can be triggered
by this ability even though free actions can
normally only be taken on your turn.
LICENSE I:
QUICKSILVER EDGE, SHIMMERSIGHT
Energy Buckler
Quicksilver Edge
Nominate a character within line of sight. Until
the start of your next turn, you gain resistance
to all damage and
from attacks that they
make while within 5 of you.
Main Melee
[ 2] [1d3+2
]
Reactions may not be taken against attacks
made by this weapon.
The “Quicksilver” sub-line of armaments
are modified with sudden-strike
capabilities, blurring the weapon and
reducing the target's ability to respond
to an attack.
Shimmersight
1 SP, Unique
When targeting characters you are Engaged
with, you ignore their Invisible status.
The latest in predictive targeting
algorithms. While they bypass most
sensor bafflers, it’s currently limited
to a very narrow engagement-space.
LICENSE II: LUNA FRAME, ENERGY
BUCKLER, BLADEMASTER’S DANCE
Blademaster’s Dance
2 SP, Quick Tech, Invade, Unique
Gain the following Invade options:
Contender’s Challenge: The target must be
Engaged with you in order to choose this
option. If the target voluntarily moves more than
3 spaces away from you before the end of its
next turn, it becomes Jammed until the start of
its next turn.
If the target starts their movement outside of
3, they are unaffected unless they move to
within 3 and move away again.
Interloper’s Withdrawal: Choose yourself or
an allied character. Until the end of the target’s
next turn, whenever the target attacks the
chosen character, you may first push the target
2 spaces in any direction. If this causes the
attack to be invalid (such as being out of range),
it automatically fails and has no effect. This still
counts as making an attack on the character,
however.
2 SP, Shield, Quick Action, Unique
While it loses efficiency at longer
distances, this next-generation energy
shield is unparalleled while a pilot
focuses on a single foe.
LICENSE III:
WRAITHCLOAK, DISTORTION BLADE
Wraithcloak
2 SP, Limited 3, Unique
Whenever the user Boosts, they may expend a
charge to become Intangible for the duration of
the Boost. The user may not split the movement
from a Boost affected by this system, and must
give up all remaining movement from it in order
to take another action.
Most certainly not a proprietary
integration of Iridian Silver Veils into
FADE technology, the Wraithcloak is a
new, innovative way to maneuver in
crowded battlefield conditions.
Distortion Blade
Auxiliary Melee, Accurate, Thrown 5,
Smart
[ 1] [1d3 ]
On Crit: The target treats the user as Invisible
until the end of the target’s next turn.
These knives are attracted to electronic
signals and emit a powerful scrambling
pulse upon impact. Use of this weapon
constitutes an agreement to waive all
liability of SSC in the event of selfscrambling.
A sub-strain of Hunter Logic designed
for greater control over a target, it
unfortunately requires a more hands-on
approach from the pilot.
[111]
HORUS
PHANE
Controller∕Striker
LOG 2702-3: [So, we got the weirdest thing today. A request
for urgent assistance from someone claiming to be a forward
outpost that we didn’t even know we had. But all the codes
were legit, and our records showed there was a base there.
Just... nobody remembered it existed. Wild.]
LOG 2702-4: [Okay, yeah. That’s our outpost, definitely. All
our gear, our prefabs, everything. Why the hell didn’t any
of us remember this? It isn’t that small. Can’t tell from
here if there are any survivors.]
LOG 2702-5: [It’s pretty grim, with most of everything
destroyed. But we’ve found a few people, seeming rather
dazed and confused. One said that he recognized me, claimed
that we were best friends, but... I’ve never seen the guy
before in my life.]
LOG 2702-6: [God, this place is creepy. Everything about it
seems wrong. I glance at some burnt out wreck the wrong way,
and then there I am thinking about how we’re all going to
die like that. How this fight is futile, and never ending.
Seems like it’s getting to a lot of people. I’ve had to
shake a few of the squad myself who were getting lost in
thought, smiles on their faces. Madness. I’ll be glad to get
clear.]
LOG 2702-7: [Well, we found a bit of surviving video footage
of whatever it was that hit this place. Though, even having
seen it, I have no idea what I just saw. Just this towering
something, with another one visible in the background. Just
watching it leaves this acrid tang coating my tongue. It
feels like I’m a witness to something that shouldn’t be
happening, that the world is crying out at.]
LOG 2702-8: [We’re finally leaving. God, I wish I had enough
ordnance here to just raze this place to the ground. It
feels tainted.]
LOG 2702-9: [What in the world have I been writing? I don’t
recall making these logs. Besides, they’re all wrong. Sure,
we got some disoriented soldiers stumble in today, but they
were just scouts. There wasn’t a base, or an expedition, or
anything. They just came back from patrol. We would have
remembered something that crazy.]
[112]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[113]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 2
Armor: 1
Save Target: 10
Sensors: 15
PROGNOSTIC MNEMOTECH
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 8
Repair Cap: 4
AGILITY
Evasion: 6
Speed: 4
E-Defense: 8
Tech Attack: +1
SP: 6
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 6
TRAITS
MEMORY HOLE
1/round, as a quick action when you hit a
hostile character with an attack, they become
Intangible until the start of their next turn.
EPHEMERAL
If the Phane explodes, its wreck is destroyed, or
it otherwise ceases to exist, it fades from
everyone’s memory - except for the pilot’s - until
it is rebuilt.
SLOW
The Phane has +1
saves.
on Agility checks and
MOUNTS
MAIN
MOUNT
MAIN
MOUNT
FLEX
MOUNT
We are but our memories. The past
dictates the future. That is the natural
order of things.
But if you have the strength, you can see
the truth. That past, present, future,
all are one. Cast the future as a memory,
and you can ensure it happens. Rewrite
that memory, and it can change what
happens.
BORROWED TIME
As a free action, you can make the Phane
reach into its future and borrow some time.
When you do so, you gain an additional quick
action this turn - which must still obey duplicate
action limits, and may not be used to Skirmish and accrue one Time Debt. You may only have
one instance of Time Debt at a time, and may
not reach into the future more if you’ve reached
your limit.
While you have any Time Debt, you are
Shredded, which may not be cleared until you
no longer have any Time Debt.
You may spend a quick action to remove one
Time Debt that you’ve accrued and choose one
of the following benefits:
• Clear 2
.
• Gain 2 Overshield.
• Gain +2 to the next check or save that
you make before the start of your next turn.
You may not remove Time Debt on a turn that
you gained Time Debt, nor may you gain
further Time Debt on a turn that you removed
Time Debt.
At the end of the scene, lose all remaining Time
Debt that you’ve accrued.
Paradox Chronofractal
Active (1 CP), Free Action
Until the end of the scene, you may accrue up
to three instances of Time Debt instead of one.
In addition, whenever you remove Time Debt,
you may teleport up to 2 spaces. Removing
Time Debt is not subject to duplicate action
limits.
[114]
LICENSE I: CHRONOFRAGMENT,
TEMPORAL MEMORIA
Chronofragment
1 SP, Unique
When you Overcharge, you may, before the
action is resolved, become Intangible until the
end of your turn.
Millions of futures, trillions of
branches. And for a moment, you fold all
the possibilities into one. A single
point of probability, where nothing is
certain. Not the world, not them. Not
even you.
Temporal Memoria
1 SP, Quick Tech, Invade, Unique
Gain the following Invade options:
Reverie: Until the end of the target’s next turn,
they are Slowed, and no character counts as
hostile for their effects that only affect hostile
characters (note that this does not mean that
they become allied). This also ends if Entropic
Vision is used on the same target.
Entropic Vision: Until the end of the target’s
next turn, they are Impaired, and all characters
count as hostile for their effects that only affect
hostile characters (note that this does not mean
that they are no longer allied). This also ends if
Reverie is used on the same target.
Everyone has memories that they’d be
willing to be lost in, fears of what the
world will crumble into. The right
prompting, and the present will fall
away into a world where they’ll falter
or lash out. Trapped in prisons of their
own making, looking for a way out.
Rewrite Memory
3 SP, Limited 2, Quick Action, Unique
Select yourself or a character within 5,
ignoring line of sight. Teleport them up to 5
spaces and, if targeting you or an ally, clear
Lock On. A hostile character may pass a
Systems save to instead be teleported up to 2
spaces.
You may consume Lock On when targeting a
hostile character. If you do, you do not expend a
charge. This system may be used this way even
when at 0 charges.
A little nudge, a little push. And
suddenly their memories are all wrong,
have been wrong this whole time. You
can’t trust anything now, can you?
That’s okay, you can trust me.
LICENSE III:
DREAMREAVER, MNEMOSYNE-CLASS NHP
Dreamreaver
Main Melee, 1 SP, Smart, AP, Unique
[ 1] [1d3+2 ]
This weapon deals +X damage, where X is
equal to the target’s Armor value (to a
maximum of 4).
When you have utter confidence in
yourself, that is when you must be most
on your guard. Because it hurts all the
more when you fail. When your strength
is what causes your undoing. You thought
you were above it all. You were wrong.
Dead wrong.
LICENSE II: PHANE FRAME,
NULL DISTORTION, REWRITE MEMORY
Null Distortion
Main Cannon, Inaccurate, Smart, Seeking
[ 10] [1d6+2 ]
This weapon ignores Invisible. In addition, on
Invisible targets, the final attack roll for this
weapon can never be affected by .
A snapshot. A frozen moment. Hold it in
your head, because it’s important. And
then it’s gone, ripped to shreds. Just
fragments of memory forever fluttering
from your grasp.
[115]
MNEMOSYNE-Class NHP
3 SP, AI, Limited 1, Unique
Your mech gains the AI property and the HalfRemembered Echo reaction.
I can remember everything. Not in the
way that some humans can, where they
only know what happened. Truly
everything. I remember what has happened
in every possibility, every imprint of
reality.
I remember you dying, over and over
again. And yet you’re still here, alive.
I could change that thread, you know.
Weave it so that memory was true. And
you’d never know. Reality would follow
memory, you wouldn’t be here any longer.
But you’re safe. I remember not doing
that. At least for now.
I will let you reach for what you have
lost. But you’ll find that no matter how
hard you try, it will always slip away.
It wasn’t worth it, was it?
I didn’t think so.
Half-Remembered Echo
Reaction, 1∕round
Trigger: A character within Sensors is
destroyed, or an Echo fades away.
Effect: Spend a charge from this system to
create an Echo adjacent to where the triggering
character was.
The Echo is a copy of that character, and is
Immune to damage and heat, but otherwise
identical to the original. The Echo is
undamaged, and is not considered to have
spent any resources. It is allied to you, and you
control its actions (or you may have its player
control its actions, if it was already allied),
though it may not take a turn this round - it is
added to the next round’s initiative as normal. At
the end of its next turn, the Echo is removed
from play, harmlessly fading away.
[116]
HA
CASTILLA
Striker∕Controller
Castilla frames are engines of destruction, designed to
remove fortifications out from around defenders if the
defenders can’t be removed from fortifications. It sends a
blunt message, that the attackers don’t even care enough to
capture things. They just want to annihilate it.
While ostensibly named after some obscure HA general who
really doesn’t deserve it (and who may have, in fact, been a
complete fabrication), anyone familiar with the Armory’s
interactions with Iridia can immediately see a different
story.
During the Iridian war, one of the Union commanders buckled
under Hestia’s mental pressures and broke away, resolving to
burn everything down before everyone could be compromised.
Notorious for his use of incendiaries and scourer nanites,
Lucius Castilla - the scourge of Iridia - cut a swathe of
destruction across the planet, the effects of which are
still being harshly felt; Iridia’s capital has not yet
healed the scars from his callous invasion, and the dormant
nanites his forces left behind formed the basis for the
Reckoning. It is a name that Iridians hate. And they do not
hate lightly.
And so the nature of the mech as a hive of nanotech, and
especially the selling of it solely in markets where
Demonworks frames are present, make the frame’s namesake
immediately clear - though it perhaps goes beyond that.
There have been hints that the Castilla weaponizes nanites
recovered from the Reckoning, modified and barely
constrained. Of course HA denies these accusations quite
vigorously, but there are several similarities in the
strains that go past coincidence, and Harrison’s grudge
against Iridian independence is quite well known.
Because of this, and despite HA’s best efforts, rumours
continue to spread that this foray into ‘alternative
battlefield payloads’ is a way to test widespread blackwash
override. If it’s successful, it means that the Armory would
be able to effectively (and deniably) hold Iridia hostage…
with presumably an Armory force so kindly offering to solve
this “rogue nanite” problem in exchange for falling under
Purview's influence. As they believe it rightfully should
have been from the start.
[117]
Art by Spiral_Joe
[118]
CORE STATS
CORE SYSTEM
Size: 2
Armor: 2
Save Target: 11
Sensors: 10
HELLFIRE EXCITATION
HULL
SYSTEMS
HP: 8
E-Defense: 10
Tech Attack: +1
SP: 6
Repair Cap: 3
AGILITY
Evasion: 6
Speed: 4
ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 7
TRAITS
NANO-ADAPTIVE ASSAULT
Whenever you cause a hostile character to
make a Save, you may take 2 to change the
Save to your choice of a Systems Save or
Engineering Save.
Disengaging limiters, the Castilla can
draw upon the swarm's true power for a
short time. It comes at a price, though,
as the nanites begin to consume the mech
from the inside as fuel.
Pyroclasm Overdrive
Active (1 CP), Protocol
For the rest of the scene, the Castilla gains the
following effects:
• The zones created by Ravaging Swarm last
until the end of the scene.
RAVAGING SWARM
• The Castilla’s Nexus Weapons and
weapons with the Smart tag gain the
Overkill tag.
1/round, when a hostile character fails a save
caused by the Castilla or the Castilla scores a
critical hit with a Nexus Weapon or a weapon
with the Smart tag, it creates a puddle of
nanites in a 1 around the character, which
lasts until the start of the Castilla’s next turn.
• Whenever a character fails a save caused
by the Castilla, or the Castilla hits a
character with a Nexus weapon or a weapon
with the Smart tag, you may push the
triggering character 1 space in any
direction.
A hostile character that enters this zone for the
first time in a round or ends its turn in the zone
becomes Impaired until the end of its next turn.
• If the Castilla's suffers a reactor meltdown, it
deals
instead of .
EXPOSED REACTOR
The Castilla has +1
and saves.
on Engineering checks
MOUNTS
MAIN
MOUNT
HEAVY
MOUNT
[119]
LICENSE I: EXIGENCY NANITES,
MOLECULAR DISASSEMBLER
Exigency Nanites
1 SP, Unique
When you Brace, you may clear one condition
or all
after the attack resolves, and you gain
+2 to your next check or save.
A tried and true method of dealing with
a variety of environmental hazards,
whitewash swarms are invaluable to any
pilot who finds themself in a tight
situation.
Molecular Disassembler
2 SP, Quick Action, Limited 1, Unique
Expend a charge from this system to create a
2 zone within 5. The zone is difficult
terrain. When the zone appears, and at the end
of every round, it damages non-Mech
characters and objects within it. Objects,
Deployables, Drones and terrain take 10 AP,
and biological characters take 5 .
You or any Mech character in the zone may
end it as a quick action, though a hostile
character must pass a Systems Save to do so.
It otherwise lasts until the end of the scene.
Developed for use against dug in foes,
Disassembler Nanites are a dangerous
strain of whitewash that only ignores
entities with a reactor signal. This
ensures that an attacking force can
advance entirely unharmed, while a
defender’s fortifications crumble to
dust. Handle with care.
LICENSE II: CASTILLA FRAME, DEVOURING
BLADE, SUBJECTIVITY ABROGATION
Devouring Blade
Main Melee, Smart
[ 1] [3
+ 2 ]
What is at first glance a rippling
silver sword is, in actuality, a swarm
of greywash held in check by extremely
tight parameters. The controller is able
to shape the weapon as they need, but
anyone else is readily consumed.
[120]
Subjectivity Abrogation
3 SP, Limited 2, Unique
Expend a charge from this system for one of the
following effects:
• Mental Prison (Grenade, 5, 2): All
characters within the area treat the Blast
as a zone until the end of their next turn. If
an affected character attempts to
voluntarily leave this zone, they must first
make a Systems save. On a failure they
lose the remainder of that movement, on a
pass, they instead move as if in difficult
terrain for until the end of their turn.
• Isolation Zone (Mine, 2): All characters
within the area treat the Burst as a zone
until the end of their next turn. If an
affected character attempts to voluntarily
leave this zone, they must first make a
Systems save. On a failure they lose the
remainder of that movement, on a pass,
they instead move as if in difficult terrain
for until the end of their turn. If an affected
character attempts to voluntarily target a
character outside this zone, they must first
pass a Systems save or else lose the
remainder of that action.
The memetic payload of these devices
contains heavy similarities to traces
found on Iridia, consistent with
emanations from HESTIA-Class NHPs. They
trap targets within the strongest
possible walls - those formed by their
own mind.
LICENSE III: CONCUSSION NEXUS,
SWARM LIMITER OVERRIDE
Concussion Nexus
Heavy Nexus, Knockback 2
[ 10][ 3] [1d6+2 ]
On Hit: The target must make an Agility save.
On a failure, they are pushed 2 spaces in any
direction instead of Knocked Back.
The nanite swarm grown within this
weapon’s chamber has had most of its
programming stripped out in order to
contain explosives. While this has
drastically reduced its ability to adapt
to targets mid-flight, the usefulness of
blanketing an area - and targets - with
directional explosives cannot be
understated.
Swarm Limiter Override
2 SP, Mod
Choose one weapon: It gains Smart. In
addition, whenever you make a damage roll
with this weapon and dislike the result, you may
take 2 , which cannot be reduced or
prevented in any way (even by Immunity), to
re-roll the entire damage roll (including dice
from critical hits). You must take the new value,
but may continue to take this damage in order
to re-roll again. Re-rolling damage does not
prevent
from Overkill.
Integrating nanotech into weaponry makes
hitting weak spots a lot easier.
Unfortunately, for maximum impact,
limiter code does need to be reduced which can cause catastrophic
consequences for an unprepared pilot, as
the blackwash still within their mech is
shackled to the same code.
[121]