As only about half my group were present yesterday we decided to make new characters for a smaller game in those situations.
Its only 2 players and myself so I made a char as well. With our groups, a GM running a char as well is a common sight though actual "Player"-characters take priority in game.
We used the lifepath char-creation system from Transhuman (since its sooo much fun! :) ) and hey, I finally (first time) ended up with a synth morph this time, an Opteryx. A fully flight-capable recon morph, cool stuff! Its already got mapping software, enhanced vision, stuff like that.
Appart from me liking the concept of the morph I also think its cool for a "GMs-player-character" as it enables me to give the character more of a support role in action scenes. He can sore above doing recon, providing tactical data, doing infosec support (I think I have the groups highest infosec skill).
Now I also had the idea of flying support weapon, a concept I really like. Question is how to do it well without OVERdoing it.
Initial though was: yea cool, chameleon skin, sniper rifle on a weapon mount with gyromount, flash suppressor, silencer, and smartlink, maybe a bit of optical cyberware to improve on the enhanced vision... but the weapon and mount alone would be around 10k credits which seems quite a hefty chunk out of the 21k I have at my disposal just to spend on a weapon for my morph (and this is without having bought ANY other stuff yet).
Also there are details to think about such as: what use will it be in habitats or stuff like that? Can an Opteryx somehow reload a mounted weapon in mid flight? Can it even carry a mounted rifle to begin with or do I have to go for a smaller weapon anyways? Can I get a weapon mount that can be concealed with no weapon mounted (since a rifle will definitely be to large to conceal on an Opteryx) and only mount the weapon when needed? What would be the largest weapon an Opteryx can use with a concealed mount (the rules seem a bit vague here)?
What are your thoughts about this and how would you go about it?
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Help me gear up my morph without overdoing it
Mon, 2017-03-06 01:44
#1
Xestaro
Help me gear up my morph without overdoing it
Mon, 2017-03-06 03:42
#2
Xestaro
hmmm I just realised I should
hmmm I just realised I should probably look into Seeker weapons.
A Seeker pistol or maybe something like a SMG with underbarrel seeker (for added flexibility) looks like it would be just the thing for me.
Seeker ammo is more expensive of course but how much will I need? The weapon itself would only be around half the price of the sniper rifle setup with similar ranges and some good ammo options (plus all the kinetic ammo options for the SMG).
Also its a much smaller weapon that I guess could be small enough to be concealed with a concealed weapon mount.
I'm basing this last bit on the description of the Fighting Kite morph which is about the same size as an Opteryx (both have the small size trait) and has a weapon mount by default carrying a Laser Pulser which is "medium-sized" which I take to be roughly the equivalent of a SMG.
That sound right?
Mon, 2017-03-06 03:50
#3
Trappedinwikipedia
Don't get the chameleon skin
Don't get the chameleon skin augment, it's just not that good for people who move fast. If you want it, upgrading the built in armor with a chameleon coating (armor mod) is better, and about the same cost.
I'd avoid a sniper rifle, they're expensive, and it's not clear how well a size small morph can use one properly while flying. If you wanted a good support weapon for a small flying morph, I'd get a seeker pistol.
It's small, pretty cheap, and have similar range and damage. Ammunition is (much) more expensive, but also more flexible. Overload, smoke/gas, and similar seeker heads allow a lot of power from great distance.
As the seekers can turn, you can also use a cheap fixed weapon mount, or pay to conceal it.
The whole package of the pistol, concealed weapon mount, and a good supply of ammo should clock in at 5-6k credits.
Mon, 2017-03-06 07:26
#4
Xestaro
Wow thanks for the hint about
Wow thanks for the hint about Chameleon Coating! I wasn't aware of the difference and its actually a category cheaper than Chameleon Skin which is great.
Any idea if an Opteryx in flight has any chance or reloading a weapon or if it has to land to do that since its (fully functional) arms are also its wings?
I think the SMG with Underbarrel Seeker would be a good and flexible option that should be able to be concealed with an upgraded Weapon Mount.
EDIT: right now I'm thinking the following upgrades:
Armor: Chameleon Coating, Fireproofing
Implants: Radar absorbent, Anti-Glare, Weapon mount concealed
Submachine Gun with Underbarrel Seeker (which automatically has smartlink if I'm reading it correctly), extended smart magazine for seeker, gyromount
All in all thats 6600cr which sounds much more reasonable than the sniper rifle setup.
Just not sure what ammo to add on top of that...
Mon, 2017-03-06 16:25
#5
Xestaro
Here is another detail
Here is another detail question:
The book says that all seeker weapons come with a smartlink system by default. Now if my seeker weapon is an underbarrel seeker attached to another weapon (an SMG in this case), does the smartlink work for the whole weapon or only for the seeker?
Mon, 2017-03-06 21:59
#6
Trappedinwikipedia
All weapons come with a smart
All weapons come with a smart link.
I imagine that it would be possible to reload while flying, either by installing an extra cyber limb, or just accepting the altitude loss.
As for ammo, Overload is good, as are the cheap ammo options like HE and frag.
Tue, 2017-03-07 01:17
#7
Xestaro
Thank you once again!
Thank you once again!
I have one more thing to clarify:
In the description of seeker ammo it says "Each seeker has one smart ammo option other than biter or flayer.".
Does that mean that when I buy for example 10 HEAP Micromissiles (moderate cost) for my underbarrel launcher I can decide to get them with the added benefits of (for example) Accushot ammunition for no additional cost?
Tue, 2017-03-07 15:05
#8
Trappedinwikipedia
Yes
Yes
Tue, 2017-03-07 18:27
#9
eaton
Oh, man. I've been poking at
Oh, man. I've been poking at this stuff for ages and totally missed the fact that seeker ammo gets an option *for free*.
Wed, 2017-03-08 01:45
#10
Xestaro
eaton wrote:Oh, man. I've
Yes I just now realised how flexible and useful seekers actually are. Great range, reasonable price, smartlink for free, smartammo option for free, grenade-like trigger options, ... The only downside seems to be high ammo cost for few shots so you kind of need a second weapon option.
What would you say about how seeker weapons fare in the "stealth"-department? How loud or noticeable in other ways is firing a seeker compared to firearms, railguns or energy weapons?
Being basically a coilgun I'd imagine they'd have a potential to be more silent then railguns. Then again the projectiles use scramjet engines themselves so will probably make more noise than a simple bullet. I'm by no means an expert in scramjet technology though...
It's just that it will probably prove an important question for this character when he's up in the air with no cover except for his small size and chameleon coating. It's not like an Opteryx is terribly resistant to damage so he will try to avoid being located if possible.
Wed, 2017-03-08 02:24
#11
Trappedinwikipedia
Seekers are air-breathing
Seekers are air-breathing supersonic to hypersonic projectiles, they're probably the loudest weapon in the game. Beam weapons are probably the quietest.
Wed, 2017-03-08 04:59
#12
Xestaro
So thats probably where a
So thats probably where a Sniper Rifle has an advantage (as at least an firearm variant can reduce giveaways further with silencer and flash suppressor attachments).
I guess for this character this means (if possible): keep a distance, shoot and immediately change position before keeping as still as possible so the chameleon-coating can do it's thing. (well or get into some form of cover)
Wed, 2017-03-08 15:13
#13
Trappedinwikipedia
Seekers can shoor around
Seekers can shoor around corners or over buildings, which helps mitigate that problem. Admittedly so can a sniper rifle with the right ammo, but it's a lot hard to hit people with bullets than bombs using indirect fire. Pick up Tacnet Sniper if you want to mess around with that kind of trickery.
Wed, 2017-03-08 23:29
#14
SquireNed
Stealth Seekers
I'd imagine that stealth seekers probably exist. They're not necessarily compatible with default seekers, and certainly won't have as much range, but it's not like you couldn't rig up alternate propulsion to stay subsonic, and "silenced" weapons are really more aiming for "don't recognize this as what it is" rather than "don't hear this at all" in the long run.
Of course, with explosive payloads, total stealth is right out, but there are EM or other sorts of payloads that could be deployed as utility or support weapons. There might also be an interest in stealthier seekers to avoid being tracked: if they don't recognize it until it goes boom that may reduce their ability to effectively use sound to locate the launcher.
Then you run into jerks with enhanced perception and the whole thing falls apart entirely.
Fri, 2017-03-10 10:59
#15
ORCACommander
I'd have my players use a
I'd have my players use a hardware check to integrate other weapons into the seekers free smart link failing that call in a minor medium favor depending on the polity involved. Bear in mind this character is essentially recon and close air support, however you seem to have better guidance systems for munitions than schlock mercenary
Sat, 2017-03-11 10:44
#16
Xestaro
True and I guess its more
True and I guess its more important for the seeker than the SMG anyways.
Speaking about seeker ammo: can you actually add a second smart-ammo option to seeker missiles by paying for the upgrade? like homing-accushot for example?
The more closely I look into this stuff the more questions keep popping up somehow. not only in regards to this character but generally.
Sat, 2017-03-11 11:49
#17
Xestaro
EDIT: oh and here is another
EDIT: oh and here is another thing: am i right in guessing that in order to use equipment or software as a team, like laser-com equipment or tacnet for example, every character has to purchase that piece of gear seperately?
Sat, 2017-03-11 15:00
#18
CordialUltimate2
Laser-comm is priced per unit
Laser-comm is priced per unit so yes.
TacNet is priced per 1 person licence. As you probably know it is only important in the inner system. Your GM may apply other narrative modifiers.
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Sat, 2017-03-11 22:02
#19
Trappedinwikipedia
Excluding Biter, Flayer, and
Excluding Biter, Flayer, and Proximity rounds smart ammo can be combined with other ammo types.