Field Guide To Iridia - Player Copy 1.0.0

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Field Guide to Iridia

A shattered jewel among the stars


v1.0.0 - Demo Copy
Field Guide to Iridia
Written by
Miss DataNinja

Contributions by
Bowyer, Breakthelevee, Ru, and Dieselle

Cover art by
Zhjake

Art by
Spiral_Joe, Cosmixian, Cozzymandias, Xeeble,
Moiderah, Lucía Varona, Indonesian Gentleman

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
Aphrodite..................................23
Artemis..................................... 27
Astraea.....................................31
Astraea Mk. II "Dragon"............34
Enyo......................................... 39
Enyo Mk. II "Wrathborn"...........42
Epione...................................... 47
Ersa..........................................52
Ersa Mk. II "Sanctifier"............. 55
Hecate......................................60
Hemera.................................... 64
Hera......................................... 68
Iris............................................ 72
Iris Mk. II "Locus"..................... 75
Nemesis................................... 80
Nemesis Mk. I "Champion"...... 83
Nyx........................................... 87
Selene...................................... 90
Persephone..............................95
Psyche..................................... 99
Psyche Mk. II "Forsaken"....... 102

New Big Four Frames..................... 108


IPS-N Silver............................109
IPS-N Endeavour................... 113
SSC Luna...............................116
SSC Rosy Maple....................120
HORUS Phane.......................123
HORUS Crysmal.................... 128
HA Castilla............................. 131
HA Jeanne............................. 136

[3]
MECHANICAL PRIMER
A Note on Compatibility Reference Notes
Lancer is a complicated game, with a lot of moving The following are terms that are not defined in the
parts. And the more additional mechanics that you Core book, but are used frequently, so are
add, the more likelihood that things will break. reprinted, with permission, for ease of access:

With the scope of this book, there's only so much Exotic Gear (Tag):
that could be tested for a high degree of Once acquired, this system becomes a permanent
compatibility. And as more first-party content part of the character, but does not increase their
releases, there's a lot more interactions that you LL or count as a license rank for the purposes of
need to worry about. gaining core bonuses.

The Field Guide to Iridia is tested to be compatible If it is destroyed or damaged, it can be repaired or
with the Lancer Core book, The Long Rim reprinted as any other gear with no penalty. Exotic
supplement, and the non-Exotic parts of No Room gear can only be installed or removed during a
For A Wallflower: Act 1. Full Repair, like any other gear.

It is incompatible with Dustgrave and A Siren's Characters may install up to two pieces of gear
Song, A Mountain's Remorse. Any interactions with the Exotic Gear tag at a time, but can own
with either supplement's mechanics are at one's any number of pieces with the tag.
own risk.
Intangible (Status):
First party products other than those listed may Intangible characters can move through
end up with interactions that are unintendedly obstructions such as characters or terrain but not
powerful, so caution and GM judgement should be end their turns in them. They, their actions, and
used. any effects they own or control can only affect
other Intangible characters and objects. Tangible
Use of this book with other third-party products is characters can move through Intangible
also cautioned, as many unintended interactions characters and objects but not end their turns
may occur. GM-side tools are less likely to be inside their spaces and can’t affect them in
problematic when used in conjunction with other anyway. Intangible characters cannot capture
third-party products, but it's always important to points or count for zones (for sitreps) and don’t
look over things with a critical eye. count as adjacent to tangible characters.

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 State a problem that you have without a clear
structure of society. To many, it’s much more than answer, and roll:
a service - it’s a way of gaining guidance and
support in uncertain times. It’s common for the On a 20+, you are given insight into your problem,
Iridian people to look for guidance when they’re which may come in the form of a dream, a
having rough points in their lives, and church is an fortunate stumbling on something, a helpful
obvious place to do it. person, or something else; the GM gives you
guidance on how to get what you want, and you
While there are the obvious figures of Hestia and - choose a Reserve that will help.
more recently - the Silver Lady, that may be
sought for answers, and sometimes people may On a 10-19, you are given insight as per a roll of
have dreams that seem to answer their questions, 20+, but choose one:
more often than not it’s the community who will
help. • The answer is selfish. The path you seek is
some kind of blasphemy, or at least
Whether a priest might provide some guidance, a sacrilegious, and will likely upset fellow
community member may have been in that believers. The next time you roll a 10-19 on
situation before, or something else, it’s a common this action, treat it as a 9 or less instead,
Iridian belief that answers can be found in the unless you make amends before then.
temples. Even if the solutions may not be directly
from the divine, they have guided it so you met • The answer is not what you wanted. While you
who you needed to. may have thought you needed something, the
truth is otherwise. You are instead given a
This isn’t unique to Iridia either. To many, they Reserve of the GM’s choice, as well as insight
believe answers can be found simply by asking as to why that is what you need, as opposed
the right way. Though, those answers may not to what you wanted.
always be what you’re looking for. On a 9 or less, it is clear to you that the divine
works in mysterious ways, or is perhaps
Partake in Liturgy displeased. In order to receive an answer, you
When you Partake in Liturgy, you participate in a must make some sacrifice - whether that’s
religious ritual with fellow believers, confide in a something physical, some strongly held aspect of
holy person, or simply enter a meditative state to yourself, a relationship, deeply held feelings, or
try to commune with the divine. Whatever it something else important to you. If you do so,
involves, you’re trying to gain help with a problem treat this result as if you had rolled a 10-19.
that seems difficult to surmount or answer alone.

[5]
NEW PILOT GEAR
These pieces of gear are some of the more Soulgem
unusual that can be found around Iridia, and can Gear
be taken by pilots to give them some Iridian flair. An almost weightless, translucent, multicoloured
gemstone, peering through it appears to make the
Fluxdagger world seem faint and almost insubstantial. These
Crafted from the same material as used in the gems were said to be a boon from Hestia, being
Hemera’s Reality Cutter, the Fluxdagger is not discovered around Iridia ever since her
quite properly real. It doesn’t cut through matter so awakening. What’s known for certain, though, is
much as matter moves aside for it... after which that they glow when in the presence of her, one of
the blade invariably shatters into tiny shards from her angels, or one of her divine miracles.
the effort. A moment’s concentration can will the
destruction to be undone, however - the blade’s The Soulgem will glow if in proximity to NHPs or
personal time reversing to become whole once paracausal activity. The stronger the activity, the
more. brighter the glow will be and the further from the
source the glowing will begin.
This Melee Pilot weapon is 1. It deals 2 on a
hit, and has the AP and Loading tags. Vial of Memories
Gear, Limited 2
Luminary Bracer A tiny sealed bottle of water from the Lake of
Gear Dreams, it seems to sparkle with a faint inner
This golden bracer is able to be attuned to a small radiance if viewed from the right angle. Maybe.
object - one that can be comfortably held in one Many believe that it holds a glimmer of the Lake’s
hand, like a weapon or a keycard - over the power and that it can give a faint nudge to a
course of ten or so minutes. With a gesture, the worthy asker, after which it stops shining for a
object is able to instantaneously appear in the time.
wearer’s hand in a burst of light, so long as it’s
somewhere within 30m of the wearer. Expend a charge outside of combat for the
following effect:
Lunar Ichor • Mnemosight: Concentrate on an inanimate
Gear
object in front of you. Gain a faint impression
A unique, silvery wine from the Crystalline
from its recent past; for instance, vague
Vineyards of House Sommelier, it’s an important
inklings of the passcode on a keypad or faint
facet of many Iridian celebrations - especially
features of a weapon’s last wielder. While this
those regarding bonds with friends and family.
doesn’t give you perfect knowledge, it can
While its taste is fairly mild, those who drink from
help give you a place to start.
the same bottle find that they share a light
empathic connection for a time, able to feel the Whisperstone
others’ emotions. It does cause a rather harsh Gear
hangover, though. A fist sized chunk of rock taken from the Silent
Mountains, the only thing unusual about it seems
Silver Veil to be slightly rippling striations. It must be stored in
Gear a metal container to be transported safely,
A vestment originating with Disciples of the Silver however; when not sealed off, it projects a bubble
Lady, this shimmering silver cloak makes the of distorted electromagnetics about 15m in radius.
wearer nearly invisible to biological and Only the strongest of signals can get in or out, and
technological observation in indirect light, such as unprotected machinery can begin acting
moonlight. In bright light, it instead becomes erratically. Pilots are best advised to not use
blinding, dazzling observers - including electronic inside their mech.
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]
NEW TAG: PET Psylex
Pilot gear with this tag is a living creature. It has Gear, Pet
no stats and cannot contribute to mech combat. Resembling not much more than a cat-sized moth,
You can only have one pet present with you at a these creatures adore people. They seem to be at
time, though may own any number of them. least mildly empathic, and will flock to those
who’re having difficult times and try to cheer them
Dwarf Ephemeric up - including, at times, bringing them small gifts
Gear, Pet of food or flowers.
The smallest subspecies of the curious and
energetic Epehemera, Dwarf Ephemera often get Tamed Psylex serve as a good warning system for
overshadowed (literally and metaphorically) by if someone intends harm, as they generally scatter
their larger, sleeker cousins. While this particular the instant that it seems like hostile emotions are
subspecies will never grow large enough to ride, going to fill the air. They’ll provide moral support,
they are highly intelligent, and can be trained to yes, but from a safe distance.
track, fetch small objects, or scout ahead.
Terala
Ephemeric owners learn to always keep an eye Gear, Pet
out for anything suspicious, as the rainbow scales These two-headed, feathered snakes can often be
of the lizards refract light when seen from any found hanging off trees and basking in the
angle other than head-on. And Ephemera are well sunlight. It’s rumoured that their feathers are
aware of this, with tamed ones loving to startle photosynthetic, and it’s true that even those who
their owners by jumping out randomly and asking keep them as pets never seem to see them eat,
for attention. despite their two heads.

Melp Terala are fiercely protective of those that they’ve


Gear, Pet grown close to, and they are quite willing to be
Small, fluffy foxlike creatures, Melpin come in a uncharacteristically aggressive if their caretakers
variety of colours, and don’t seem to be wholly are threatened, lashing out with a shock
natural. They have a habit of shifting locations generated from their bio-electric organ.
when they’re out of sight - even sometimes during
a blink - and seem to get places where they really Vorax
shouldn’t. Gear, Pet
Fist-sized wasps with a lustrous black coating, wild
In the wild, Melpin tend to be rather flighty and Vorax migrate along Iridia’s temperate zones,
mischievous, toying around with people who come pollinating plants as they go.
near; when one decides to adopt a person, it
becomes ferociously loyal. Iridians have learned that they have rather
insatiable sweet tooths, and - despite their large
While they’re rumoured to be able to talk, in stingers - prefer not to be aggressive. So it’s not
actuality they just parrot back words that they uncommon to see a small flock of them fluttering
hear. Every Melp has at least a few phrases that around a person who’s feeding them things like
they love to use, and several more that are sweet berries, or even keeping them as pets to
specifically to annoy their caretakers. help pollinate gardens.

Prismarach If they feel threatened, though that’s fairly rare,


Gear, Pet they can inject the threat with a reasonably potent
Crystalline spiders that primarily live deep within natural tranquilizer, helping the flock - or their
the Silent Mountains, few have ever seen one. owner - to escape.
They communicate via a complex language of
internal luminescence, akin to an internal aurora
when they’re at their most emotional.

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 Rank 3: Eternal Confidence
You hold in your heart a true belief. This could be Gain 6 Devotion Tokens instead of 5. 1/scene,
in a higher power, but it may just be that you have when an ally takes Structure or Stress damage,
unflinching confidence in your friends. Whatever you may use a Rank 1 invocation on them as a
the case, things just seem to turn out okay for you. reaction, without spending any Devotion Tokens.
Maybe there is something watching over you. If you spend 1 Devotion Token, you may also
Maybe there is a little magic in the air. Or maybe apply the corresponding Rank 2 effect to them.
you just succeed because you’re convinced that
there can be no failure. The first time in a scene that you take Structure
or Stress damage, you gain 1 Devotion Token.
Rank 1: Fervent Belief
Gain 3 Devotion Tokens. These can be spent Silver Centurion
1/round as a free action in order to use one of Many are fearful of the unshackled power. They
the following on one ally within line of sight: speak of the risks, of the silver tide that devours
all. But you know better than them. You know that
• Invocation of Protection: The target gains 4 the power can be tamed, controlled, directed.
Overshield. Forged into a legion under your command.
• Invocation of Healing: The target clears one This talent may only be taken if you do not
of the following Conditions, so long as it is not have Centimane. If you have this talent, you
self-inflicted: Immobilized, Impaired, Jammed, may not take Centimane.
Lock On, or Slowed.

• Invocation of Freedom: During the target's Rank 1: Burning Swarm


next turn, their standard movement does not Your Nexus weapons gain +1 when targeting
provoke reactions. characters that are in the Danger Zone or
You may regain 1 Devotion Token during a rest if Exposed.
you have no more than 1 remaining, and all
Devotion Tokens are recovered when you Rank 2: Devouring Legion
perform a Full Repair. 1/round, when you hit a character with a Nexus
weapon, choose one of the following options after
Rank 2: Boundless Spirit all damage dice have been rolled (including
Gain 5 Devotion Tokens instead of 3. You can Overkill and critical hits):
spend 2 Tokens on an Invocation instead of 1 to • Re-roll one damage die, choosing either
gain an enhanced effect. The effect depends on result. The new result only affects the
which invocation you use, and is in addition to the triggering character.
Rank 1 effect:
• Protection: The target also gains resistance • The triggering character takes +1 on the
to all damage until the start of their next turn. next Check or Save they make before the start
of your next turn.
• Healing: The target clears a second
Condition, which may also select from
Shredded or Stunned.
Rank 3: Wrathful Tide
Whenever you take Structure or Stress damage,
the next attack roll you make with a Nexus
• Freedom: The target’s standard movement
weapon converts the weapon’s base damage(s)
during their next turn also counts as flying. If
into . If the weapon already deals any amount of
they do not land at the end of this moment,
, this attack may also trigger Devouring Legion
and are not otherwise able to fly, they fall.
on a hit, ignoring frequency. This may allow
Devouring Legion to trigger twice on the same
attack.

[8]
Runecaster Ward Shaper
Entire realms lay beyond human perception, just a There are those who dream of peace, yet still
hair-breadth out of reach. To most, it ends up must wage war to achieve it. You are one who has
being a sledgehammer - powerful but unwieldy. lent your skill - perhaps technological, perhaps
But others learn to segment the aetheric realm, more - to protecting those close to you. Whether
channeling that power into a vast toolbox. you channel your power to shield them, or seal
away those who wish them harm, they will have
Rank 1: Runic Channeling nothing to fear.
You’ve created a number of legionspace conduits
that you can use to enhance your hacking. Gain Rank 1: Enhanced Generators
the following System: Your Systems with the Shield tag (including
reactions they grant) have +5 Range, may
Rune Collection increase any Line that they generate by 2. and
0 SP, Limited 6 may increase any Blast or Burst that they
1/turn, when you use a tech action that has generate by 1. In addition you count as having +5
targets, you may expend charges to apply one Sensors for the purposes of Systems with the
of the following effects to your action at the Shield tag.
listed cost:
These increases only affect the range at which
• Piercing (1 charge): The action may target
your Systems with the Shield tag can initially
biological characters. In addition, if it is a target or trigger off characters, or the area which
tech attack, the final attack roll can never they cover for Burst and Blast, and not the range
be affected by . of any of their other effects.
• Revealing (1 charge): One target cannot
benefit from cover until the start of their next
Rank 2: Overload Shielding
1/scene, when an allied character within 10 is
turn. hit by an attack, you may destroy one valid
System with the Shield tag to give them
• Forceful (1 charge): One target is pulled 1
resistance to all damage and heat dealt by the
space directly towards you. attack, as well as 2+Grit Overshield before the
attack resolves. Systems destroyed this way do
Rank 2: Augmented Collection not require you to expend repairs during a rest to
Your Rune Collection gains new Rune types, repair them.
each of which costs two charges rather than one:
• Unerring (2 charges): The action does not Rank 3: Containment Aegis
require line of sight, and ignores Invisible You gain an Aegis die, which is tracked by a d6,
and Hidden. starting at 1. 1/round, when you activate or use a
reaction granted by a System with the Shield tag,
• Withering (2 charges): One target becomes or you destroy a System using Overload
Impaired until the end of their next turn. Shielding, you may increase the value of the
Aegis die by 1 (to a maximum of 6).
• Disorienting (2 charges): One target cannot
take reactions until the end of their next turn. 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
Rank 3: Regenerative Power end of their next turn. They return in the same
The first time you use each unique Quick Tech or space they disappeared from, or in a free space of
Full Tech option each scene (such as Lock On or their choice as close as possible. The Aegis die
Fragment Signal), gain a Power Token. When retains its value between scenes, but resets to 1
you gain 3 Power Tokens, clear them, then your on a full repair.
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.
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 HIMALAYA REINFORCEMENT
those in the base Lancer rulebook.
A non-standard augmentation designed for frames
Bonuses from this list are always available to acting in high-duress fields.
pilots, regardless of licenses.
When you take Structure Damage, you ignore all
damage that would be applied after resetting your
TACTICAL INSERTION
HP and reduce any further damage from hostile
Whether you’ve installed jet boosters, stealth characters that turn to 0. Effects that deal 1
systems, or upgraded mapping modules, you can structure damage will set you to your maximum
easily get where you need to be. HP after resolving the structure loss.

At the start of every combat, become Invisible until Your frame only costs 2 Repairs to repair if it is
the end of your first turn. destroyed, and can be repaired even if it melted
down.
1/mission, you may deploy via Tactical Insertion
instead of deploying normally. If you do so, you REMIXED FREQUENCIES
may deploy to any space at least 5 spaces away
from any NPC, and at least 10 spaces away from By employing dubiously legal splices, you’re able
any objective. to increase the power of your legionspace
emitters.
Control Zones are not objectives - you are
still permitted to deploy via Tactical Insertion You ignore Immunity to tech actions granted by
near or within them. 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 Heart of the Reckoning


Main Melee, AP, Unique, Exotic, 1 SP 2 SP, Unique, Exotic
[ 2] [1d3+1 ]
Whenever you take Structure damage, even if
On Attack: Whenever a character is targeted you’re destroyed, create a 1 zone of
with this weapon, you may choose another greywash that lasts until the end of the scene.
target within 2 of the prior target. This may Hostile characters who enter the zone or start
continue indefinitely, however each character their turn there for the first time in a round must
may only be targeted once by this weapon. pass an Engineering Save or take 4 , half on
Once all targets have been selected, resolve a success.
this attack.
Torn from one of the Reckoning command
A sword fashioned from a rainbow crystal mechs and overridden, the nanites
found within Iridia’s metavault, there within have been repurposed to defend
are few of these around. As it swings, the mech that it’s equipped on from
it strikes at all those caught within severe attack. The tamed swarm lashes
its facets. out at those who have been designated as
enemies, always careful to not harm
Shimmering Wings those important to its controller.
3 SP, Limited 3, Overshield, Shield,
Unique, Exotic, Quick Action Hestia’s Wrath
2 SP, Limited 1, Unique, Exotic, Full
Expend a charge to cocoon an ally within 5 in Action
shimmering light and radiant wings. They gain
Overshield equal to your Grit+4. While they Expend a charge to choose a target within 10,
have this Overshield, whenever they move for even outside of line of sight. They must pass an
any reason they may hover. If they are in the Agility save or take 4d6 and become
air when they lose this Overshield, and have no Impaired. On a success they take half damage
other means of flight, they fall, though take no and are not Impaired. Success or failure, a
damage for doing so. flying target immediately falls. Damage from this
system may not be reduced by any means.
A gift from Hestia to those she trusted
most, very few of these still function. Those who were at the defense of
It summons what’s said to be an aspect Radiance speak of lightning crackling up
of the goddess to watch over one that from within the mountain towards the
you care about, protecting them and heavens, scouring the earth and skies as
letting them soar through the sky. Hestia smote the demons. It was not
enough, but her power lives on to
unleash to those who show the proper
Lunar Eclipse
devotion.
1 SP, Unique, Limited 3, Exotic, Quick
Tech
Argent Cloak
Make a tech attack against a character within 1 SP, Unique, Exotic
Sensors and line of sight. On a success, they
gain 2 and only have line of sight to adjacent Whenever you Disengage, you may become
spaces until the end of their next turn. Intangible until the end of your turn.

Those who venerate the Silver Lady are A rare mech-sized version of the
often associated only with moonlight. Disciples’ Silver Veils. When drawn over
But the wise among them know that the the wearer, they seem to pass beyond all
absence of light is just as much a part detection, and slip into areas that
of the moon, and are able to summon that perhaps they shouldn’t be able to.
dark.

[11]
Knight’s Honour Godslayer Nexus
1 SP, Unique, Shield, Exotic Main Nexus, Smart, Unique, Limited 2,
Exotic
Whenever you Brace, you may choose one ally
[ 5][ 3] [1d3+3 ]
within line of sight. They gain resistance to all
damage and until the start of your next turn. This weapon does not spend limited charges to
attack normally, and may be used even while at
You may immediately Brace as a reaction if an 0 charges. During a rest, you may spend any
ally within line of sight is damaged by an attack, number of repairs to recover 1 charge on this
but must select them as the target of this weapon per repair spent.
system. The resistance applies to the triggering
attack. On Attack: You may spend a charge from this
weapon before you roll to hit. If you do, this
Given to those who have proved attack gains Reliable 6 and its damage may not
themselves capable of great feats to the be reduced by any means
knighthood, it contains protective wards
that help shield the wearer’s allies. Those who know of the truth of Hestia’s
death believe this to be the remnants of
Silver Statuette the weapon that felled Her. Twisted by
2 SP, Limited 2, Unique, Exotic, Quick the metavault and recovered by the
Action Iridian expedition, this profane weapon
devours all before it.
Statuette (SIZE 1/2, 5 HP, EVASION 10, Tags:
DEPLOYABLE, OVERSHIELD)
Archaeological Adaptation
Expend a charge to deploy a Size 1/2 Statuette 1 SP, Unique, Exotic
in an adjacent space. The Statuette has Grit+4 You gain resistance to damage and heat
Overshield, but the user may spend repairs caused by terrain or environmental effects, as
when deploying it to give it +10 Overshield per well as +1 to any Saves or Checks caused by
repair spent (to a maximum of +20 Overshield). them. In addition, you can act as normal in a
zero-g or underwater environment.
As a reaction when any character or object of
your choice within 3 of the Statuette takes Reclaimers often have to operate for
damage, you may allow them to spend the long periods amidst hazardous
Statuette’s Overshield as though it were their conditions. They’ve learned to use
own. shields and wards to keep their
equipment functioning in a variety of
A small statue in the shape of an environments.
animal. Disciples believe that the
protective powers of the statuette grow Crippling Strike
with each owner it has had… and 3 SP, Unique, Limited 2, Exotic, Quick
sometimes it’s hard to tell if there’s Action
some truth to that, or if it’s just the
power of belief.
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
Noble Prowess Structure Damage table. The number of dice
3 SP, Unique, Limited 2, Protocol, that they roll is equal to the amount of structure
Exotic damage they currently have marked + 1.
When you activate this protocol, you may spend
a charge to clear one instance of Immobilized, CPT knows a lot of ways to cripple an
Impaired, Jammed, Lock On, or Slowed, as opponent. Distraction, disarmament, all
long as it was not caused by your own the way to incapacitation. Even in a
weapons, systems or talents. mech, some of these tricks still work.

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]
Aetherlance LOCKDOWN Drone
Superheavy Melee, Seeking, Ordnance, 2 SP, Quick Action, Drone, Unique,
Reliable 4, Exotic Exotic
[ 10] [2d6+4 ]
Lockdown Drone (Size 1/2, 5 HP, 10 E-
On Attack: All characters between you and the Defense, 10 Evasion, Tags: Drone)
target take 4 .
This aggressive drone can be deployed to a
Forged using the Hemera's space-warping free space within Sensors and line of sight.
principles, this prototype weapon was Hostile characters cannot enter the battlefield
abandoned for being too unwieldy to use from Reinforcements within 3 of the drone. In
on mechs. Attempts are currently being addition, the drone can contest and control
made to instead upscale it for use in objectives and Control Zones.
surface-to-orbit weapon emplacements.
The drone can be deployed to a different space
Nanofrequency Override within Sensors or recalled as a quick action.
2 SP, Unique, Limited 3, Exotic, Quick
Tech LOCKDOWN drones are commonly found in
Reclaimer holdings, attempting to deter
Choose a hostile character within Sensors and both curious wildlife and Church agents.
line of sight. Until the end of their next turn, they They have the advantage of generally
cannot make reactions, do not cause being non-lethal, helping to ease the
Engagement, and may not contest or control typical Iridian conscience.
objectives or Control Zones.

The Reckoning is sometimes accompanied Solar Aegis


by a discordant signal, rendering 2 SP, Unique, Limited 3, Exotic, Quick
technology sluggish and unresponsive. Tech
It's possible - if difficult - to copy, Choose an allied character within Sensors and
but each transmission of this duplicate line of sight. They become Invisible until the
further degrades the storage device. end of their next turn.

Concussion Charges Light is a peculiar thing. In moderate


2 SP, Unique, Limited 2, Exotic quantities, it can reveal the truth of
the world. Too much, though, and it will
Expend a charge for one of the following hide just as much - leaving a mystery
effects: that can never be glimpsed.
• Concussion Grenade (Grenade, 5,
2): All characters within the affected area Crystalline Mantle
must pass a Hull Save or be pushed 5 1 SP, Unique, Exotic
spaces away from the center of the blast.
On a success, they are only pushed 2 1/mission, when you roll on the Structure
spaces. Damage or Overheating table, you may
choose to roll with one fewer die. If this would
• Concussion Mine (Mine, 2): All cause you to roll 0 dice, you instead do not roll
characters within the affected area must on the table.
pass a Hull Save or be pushed 5 spaces
away from the center of the burst. On a This system is not a valid target for system
success, they are only pushed 2 spaces. destruction.
Whether they pass or fail, affected
characters are knocked Prone. Every pilot trained on Iridia is granted
a small pair of crystal butterfly wings
Almost exclusively wielded by CPT mechs, upon graduating, but those who prove
concussion charges begin their lives as themselves to have great mettle and
the shockwave warheads of Binary-Pulse determination can also earn a similar
munitions. Tampering with these warheads merit for their mechs. While purely
is a delicate process, but the result is aesthetic, it shows the pilot is a true
undeniably effective. 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 near-
standstill, 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.

Aphrodite (Artillery/Controller): This frame cycles between hacking and long-range firepower, growing
stronger as long as attention is focused on it.

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 This has led to a lot of quiet panic, as nobody is
being told who they were for so long, its people quite sure how to replicate the magic that Hestia
are trying to latch onto something, anything that infused into the mechs. They’re able to keep
can give them a sense of stability. And that printing things off the schematics that exist, but
attitude permeates the Demonworks, too. that’s all. All attempts to disassemble and analyze
have all come back with the answer that “this
The people who work at the Demonworks have an shouldn’t actually work.” So, the inquiries have
enthusiasm, and a desire to protect their planet quietly stopped, for fear that looking too deeply
and bridge to the stars, but the truth is that they’re into the magic will cause it to go away.
just as lost as anyone else. And a lot of them are
regretting the confidence that has led many other Not to say, of course, that the Demonworks has
people to treat them as the defacto ambassadors stopped trying to innovate. Even if they can’t
to the outside. They don’t actually know anything replicate exactly what Hestia did, that doesn’t
more than anyone else. mean that they can’t make new things. Even if
those things tend to have some slight… hiccups.
So far, the corporation has managed to get away
with relying on continuing to produce Hestia’s old And so they press onwards, trying to recapture the
schematics, but nobody actually knows how they magic and beauty that defined the Iridia of old. In
work. Sure, people understand the underlying their hearts, though, they know that they’ll never
concepts of mechanical movement, of heat truly succeed. Life on Iridia is continuing ever
transfer, of electronics - especially with access to forwards, and the Demonworks must follow suit.
Union information - but there are parts of the One day they’ll run out of Hestia’s schematics, the
Frames that blatantly go against how physics says well finally dry. And then what will happen?
they should. Nobody knows.

Art by Spiral_Joe

[16]
IRIDIA CORE BONUSES GIFT OF HEALING
Iridia Demonworks bonuses give aid in tough
moments and boost a mech's support capabilities, A stopgap solution to the issue of parts
often involving mobility or Overshield. incompatibility between mechs, low-grade printers
allow for on-the-spot field repairs.
You must have at least three license levels in
Iridia licenses to take a bonus from this list, and When you Stabilize you may choose to mark 1
another three levels for each additional bonus. For repair to allow one character adjacent to you to
example, with six ranks in Iridia licenses you can regain all their HP. This is in addition to any other
have up to two bonuses. options that you select.

In addition, gain +2 Repairs.


ANGELIC INTERCESSION
The battlefield is chaotic, and it is easy to lose RESONANT ARMAMENTS
sight of your companions. But help is never truly
far away in your moment of need. Techniques exist that cause certain materials to
resonate with the Iridian metavault. When the
1/round, when an ally within 10 takes Structure wards are removed, this often causes a slight
damage, you may immediately teleport to a free ‘snap’ in reality as things normalize.
space adjacent to them as a reaction, or the
nearest possible space if all eligible spaces are 1/round, when you spend a Limited charge, you
occupied. may teleport up to 2 spaces before or after the
action resolves. If the charge is spent during the
The triggering character then gains Overshield action (such as being triggered on hit), the teleport
equal to your Grit before any further damage is can only be afterwards.
resolved.
SEVERABLE FRAMEWORK
This reaction may only be triggered 1/scene per
allied character. 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.
BLESSING OF INNER PEACE
Those who refrain from causing direct harm can 1/round as a free action, even while Stunned,
find themselves particularly resistant to the evils of you may destroy one eligible weapon or system.
the world. A blessing of the goddess, or perhaps
sophisticated shielding systems. If you do so, you clear all Conditions that are
currently affecting you that were not self-inflicted,
Gain +2 to all Checks and Saves. You lose this as well as all currently affecting you.
bonus immediately if you make an attack roll or
cause a save, regaining it at the beginning of your SHIMMERING BARRIER
next turn.
Those of true faith can dig deep, drawing on their
reserves to keep standing in a moment of crisis.
DIVINE FURY
Backup power supplies mounted in the weaponry You may Overcharge to gain Grit + 4 Overshield
act like an ‘adrenal’ response to extreme harm. It’s as a free action instead of taking a quick action
only enough for a short burst before they burn out, as a free action. If you do so, you may also
but it can still turn the tide. choose any number of adjacent characters and
knock them back 2 spaces directly away from
Whenever you lose Structure or Stress, the first you.
damaging melee or ranged attack roll that you hit
with before the end of the Scene deals the UNITY OF PURPOSE
maximum possible damage on your damage dice,
excluding bonus damage, instead of rolling. Bonus The proper protocols embedded within companion
damage dice are instead rolled twice and the systems can allow pilots to better aid their allies.
highest is taken, as if it was a critical hit. These can be abused, however, making them
require a lot of trust to implement.
If the attack would have already been a critical hit,
the bonus damage is instead also maximized. 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 Save Target: 11 PROJECTION MATRIX
Armor: 0 Sensors: 15 [I come to you as a gift, one that is
HULL SYSTEMS precious and should be cherished.]
HP: 6 E-Defense: 12
Repair Cap: 2 Tech Attack: +1 [Who am I? You already know the answer in
AGILITY SP: 7 your heart. What am I? I am everything.
Evasion: 10 ENGINEERING At least, everything that matters.]
Speed: 2 Heat Cap: 4
[You will be loved, and you will be
protected, because you are special to me.
DATAFORM CONSTRUCTION Even if you deny it, I will be there.]

The Ananke gains +1 on Systems checks


[I promise.]
and saves, and takes +1 on Hull checks and
saves.
LEGIONSPACE TRANSIT
PANOPLY OF INEVITABILITY 1/round, when the Ananke targets a character
with a tech action, it may teleport to a space
While a hostile character has a condition, that adjacent to that character after the tech action is
character cannot inflict that condition on the resolved.
Ananke or any of the Ananke’s adjacent allies.
Realign Reality
IMMATERIAL PHYSICALITY Active (1 CP)
The Ananke can always affect and be affected This core can be triggered when the Ananke
by Intangible characters, even while the would use Legionspace Transit. Instead of the
Ananke is not itself Intangible. standard effects, you and your target swap
places, both characters teleporting to the
MOUNTS other’s position.
FLEX Characters can only be swapped to spaces they
MOUNT 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, LICENSE II: ANANKE FRAME, MIRROR
MATERIAL REPLICA SHIELD, DIMENSIONAL KEY

Metastatic Projection Mirror Shield


2 SP, Unique 2 SP, Limited 3, Quick Tech, Shield,
Unique
When you target a hostile character with a tech
action, they gain +1 to all tech attacks until Choose yourself or an allied character within
the end of their next turn. Sensors. Until the end of their next turn,
whenever they would gain a condition from a
When you target an allied character with a tech hostile source, the character that would have
action, tech attacks against them gain +1 inflicted that condition gains it instead. This
until the end of their next turn. does not prevent any other effects.

[You can see the world clearly, but I [Pause just a moment, take a breath.
will not allow them to. They have You’re safe, they’re safe. The ones who
forsaken it for raising a hand against are trying to hurt you, though? We’ll
us. That is a mistake that will cost make sure that they’re never safe
them dearly.] again.]

Material Replica Dimensional Key


2 SP, Quick Tech, Invade, Unique Main CQB, AP
[ 3][ 3] [1d3+2 ]
Gain the following Invade options:
This weapon’s range may not be altered in any
Mirrored Soul: Any time the target or any of its way, and this weapon may not take any Mods.
effects inflicts a condition on a character
besides itself before the end of its next turn, the On Hit: If you and the target are the same Size
target takes 2 and also gains that condition (with Size 1/2 counting the same as Size 1 for
until the end of its next turn. this comparison), swap positions, counting as
teleporting. Characters can only be swapped
Fractal Reflection: Until the end of the target’s to spaces they could normally stand or move
next turn, any character that ends their turn next on, otherwise the effect fails.
to the target gains all conditions that the target
has, until the end of the character’s next turn. [So long as I am with you, you’re never
trapped. There is never an
impossibility. You just need to trust
[Reality is built upon connections. Of me. There is more to this world than you
strings winding, tying together. Formed know; you just need the key.]
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.]

[21]
LICENSE III: Compel Peace
HESTIA-CLASS NHP, REALITY POCKET Quick Tech, 1∕round
This action ignores Immunity to tech actions
HESTIA-Class NHP from the biological tag.
3 SP, AI, Unique
Select a character within Sensors, who must
Your mech gains the AI property and Compel pass a Systems save or else begin to be
Peace. unable to fight. On a failure, they gain a Peace
Die, starting at 1.
The HESTIA-Class line traces its origins
back to AZAR-Class NHPs - which can While the Peace Die is at 1, the target is
still be found in Harrison holdings to Impaired and Slowed. While the Peace Die is
this day. AZARs are empathic NHPs, who at 2, the target also becomes Immobilized.
can manipulate technology with an While the Peace Die is at 3, the target also
uncanny prowess even when there’s no becomes Stunned. If these conditions are
remote connection. Using these NHPs in cleared they re-apply at the end of the target's
combat situations tends to distress turn if they still have the Peace Die.
them, however, and it’s recommended to
cycle AZARs very frequently compared to At the end of the target's turn, the Peace Die's
most other NHPs. value increases by 1. If this would cause it to go
above 3, the effect ends, removing the Peace
This lack of cycling was what likely led Die and clearing all conditions caused by the
to HESTIA-Prime, its empathic powers effect.
expanding to eclipse anything else, all
so that it could make the fighting stop The effect also ends if the target ends their turn
- though some whisper that the AZAR that without having made an attack roll or forced a
became HESTIA-Prime was one of a number save since the beginning of that turn, or if this
of experimental NHPs that had shards of system is used again.
another Class implanted.
Reality Pocket
Operators of HESTIAs are required to
attend regular therapy, as the results 2 SP, Full Tech, Unique, 2 (Self)
of their mental hijacking can be nearly Choose a free space within Sensors and line of
as traumatic to watch as it is to sight, and create a Size 1 Legionspace
experience. Distortion in that space. This distortion creates a
2 zone around itself - ignoring obstacles -
Foreign emotions overwhelming natural where the world is half-shunted into
ones is rarely a pleasant process, and legionspace. Any character at least partially
looking back on that loss of control - within this zone counts as being Intangible.
whether of oneself or others - is often
horrifying. This can lead to a breakdown The Distortion may be targeted and destroyed -
in trust between operators and their it has 15 HP, Evasion 5, and E-defense 10,
HESTIAs, as they worry about if what and may be targeted by both Intangible and
they’re feeling is even real. non-Intangible characters - and will otherwise
last until the end of the scene or this action is
For their own parts, HESTIAs have mixed used again.
feelings on inducing emotions. It rarely
solves the problem permanently, instead [Let me take you into my embrace, into
just putting it off for another time. my home. It is a microcosm of the truth
They prefer less drastic measures, of the world, laid bare for you. And
tending towards conversations or only you.]
logistical changes (like schedules) to
fix issues. [This is what could be, what should be.
And while you are the only one who can
Granted, sometimes this can end up see it right now, there will come a time
making things worse for the pilots. But, when all that exists will share in it. I
it’s okay. They’ll manage. Everything promise.]
will work out in the end.

[I love you all. She does, too.]

[22]
IRIDIA
APHRODITE
Artillery∕Controller
No matter how good the reason for a rule, there are always
people who think they know better. The decision to disallow
more expeditions into Iridia’s Metavault was written in
blood and shattered souls, yet there were those within the
Demonworks who thought they simply didn’t prepare well
enough - that they could overcome anything. And they weren’t
about to let the fact that they were basically just putting
pieces together that were left behind from Hestia stop them.

It did not end well.

Nobody truly knows the full story - only fragments of notes


were left behind in the aftermath - but the small group of
engineers designed a frame that they believed would be able
to handle the metavault. The issue arose when it came to
testing. In order to expose it to the vault’s energies, they
managed to tear a tiny hole in the skein of reality… a hole
that erased them, their work, and almost every other sign of
human presence within fifty meters. The only thing left was
the Aphrodite, the test frame warped beyond all recognition.
Certainly it was no longer a bulky environmental suit.

Needless to say, the mech was immediately put under lock and
key, and deemed too dangerous to even touch. But that was
eventually lessened, for those of the Demonworks tend to be
too curious for their own good.

Testing soon made it obvious that the Aphrodite wasn’t so


much a mech as the emotional manifestation of a mech. There
were no controls, it instead needed to be willed to work.
The more attention that was focused on it, the more solid
and physical - the more real - it became. And its weapons
were able to sever connections on a metaphysical level.

All of this led to the unfortunate truth that - however


dangerous it might be to someone who isn’t careful - the
Aphrodite wasn’t ever going to be able to be contained. Any
mech could become one if the pilot was in the right state of
mind...

[23]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[24]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1 Save Target: 10 HEARTBREAKER CANNON
Armor: 0 Sensors: 15 The projectiles fired by the Heartbreaker
HULL SYSTEMS aren’t physical, and they don’t follow
HP: 8 E-Defense: 10 the laws of nature. Like the rest of the
Repair Cap: 3 Tech Attack: +1 Aphrodite, they act on the forces of
AGILITY SP: 6 emotions, of spirit and will. Despair
Evasion: 8 ENGINEERING gives it strength, adversity gives it
Speed: 5 Heat Cap: 6 purpose.

The weapon gets its name because it


CENTER OF ATTENTION follows the spool of desire - taking the
thing that the target needs most at that
Whenever the Aphrodite consumes Lock On for
instant, and completely obliterating it
any purpose, it gains Lock On. While the
Aphrodite has Lock On, it has base 4 Armor. from reality.

LUMINOUS PRESENCE Integrated Mount: Heartbreaker


The Aphrodite may not benefit from Hidden or
Heartbreaker
become Invisible.
Main Cannon, Seeking
[ 15] [0 damage]
PINPOINT TRAUMA
This weapon has 3 charges. In order to attack,
Whenever the Aphrodite hits a hostile character this weapon must consume Lock On and spend
with a ranged weapon attack, the target is Soul a charge. If this weapon misses, the charge is
Marked until the start of their next turn. refunded. This weapon regains all charges
when you perform a full repair.
While Soul Marked, whenever the target
suffers System Trauma - including from the On Hit: The target suffers System Trauma.
triggering attack - the Aphrodite chooses which
Weapon or System is destroyed instead of the
target (though whether a weapon or system is Crush Spirit
destroyed is still random). Active (1 CP), Quick Action
The Aphrodite places a Blast 2 anywhere within
MOUNTS range of its Heartbreaker, even out of line of
sight. All hostile characters within the blast are
MAIN HEAVY attacked once by its Heartbreaker, even if they
MOUNT MOUNT do not have Lock On. These attacks do not
consume charges, and may be made even if its
Heartbreaker is at 0 charges.

If all characters are missed by this action, the


CP used for this action is not expended.

Designer Note:
Remember that Lock On is consumed after the attack that consumes it resolves - meaning the Armor
from Center of Attention will apply to the attack that consumes the Aphrodite's Lock On.

[25]
LICENSE I: CELESTIAL WEAVER, Strands of Destiny
METAFRAME SIPHON 2 SP, Quick Tech, Invade, Unique
Gain the following Invade options:
Celestial Weaver
Main Cannon, Smart, Inaccurate, Morton’s Fork: Learn the names of all the
Reliable 2, 1 (Self) target’s undestroyed weapons and systems (as
[ 15] [1d6+3 ] well as whether they’re a weapon or system),
Strands of voidstuff swirl around the
choosing two of them - this action fails if the
target, ensnaring it in a web that burns
target has only one piece of eligible equipment.
with the cold of space and the heat of
(Weapons and systems out of Limited charges
stars.
are not considered eligible.) The target selects
one of your choices to be disabled until the end
of its next turn, or until you use this action on a
Metaframe Siphon new target.
1 SP, Shield, Unique
1/Scene when you Overcharge, you may Sword of Damocles: Choose one of Skirmish,
activate this system before rolling for the heat Barrage, Quick Tech, or Full Tech, and one of
cost. If you do so, you do not take to initiate Grapple, Ram, Boost, or Hide. If the target
this Overcharge, instead taking equal to the takes one of the chosen actions before the end
amount of you would have taken (this still of their next turn, they must immediately roll on
counts towards the number of times you have the Structure Damage table using 1d6, ending
Overcharged). This damage may not be the effect. The effect also ends if you use this
reduced or prevented in any way, including action on a new target. This can only be used
Immunity. 1/scene on each character.

A small, temporary portal into Iridia’s Hope is the cruelest poison. A person
metavault, allowing the user to draw who has to choose between two dismal
supplemental power during the short fates will never hurt as they would if
period the tear is open. Unfortunately, they believed one choice could end well.
the energy siphoned wreaks havoc with That little glimmer will make them
the surrounding frame superstructure, so anguish forever, even though they never
should be used as a last resort. truly had a chance.

LICENSE II: APHRODITE FRAME, ENTROPIC LICENSE III:


SCYTHE, STRANDS OF DESTINY MINDRAZOR, UNREQUITED REQUIEM

Entropic Scythe Mindrazor


Heavy Nexus, Ordnance, AP Heavy Launcher, Smart, 1 SP
[ 15][ 5] [1d6+2 ] [ 20] [1d6+4 ]
Forged of the lies that we whisper to This weapon uses Tech Attack for attack rolls
ourselves, the blade summoned by this instead of Grit, and ignores cover. It is treated
weapon has no definite shape, no true as a tech attack for the purposes of effects
form. But it lays bare the truth of the (such as being Immune to tech actions, or
self, for that is what hurts the most. giving +1 to tech attacks), but is otherwise
counted as a ranged attack in all respects (such
as for Engagement). It cannot make attacks via
effects that allow tech attacks.

[[Your thoughts betray you.]]

Unrequited Requiem
2 SP, Limited 3, Mod, Unique
Choose one weapon: on a hit with this weapon,
expend a charge as a free action to apply one
Invade option you have to the target. This may
only be triggered on one target per attack.

Upon each shot is inscribed a verse,


poetry emblazoned in eldritch light. A
soliloquy for the soul, for every time
your heart was broken.

[26]
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.

[27]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[28]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 3 Save Target: 11 ECHO FEEDBACK LOOP
Armor: 2 Sensors: 5 The weapons of the Artemis are connected
HULL SYSTEMS together in a dangerously volatile way,
HP: 8 E-Defense: 8 but it enables each weapon’s energy to
Repair Cap: 4 Tech Attack: -2 feed into the next firing sequence -
AGILITY SP: 6 including the weapon itself, if need be.
Evasion: 8 ENGINEERING
Speed: 4 Heat Cap: 5 The energy is able to be shunted out into
surrounding mechs who are attuned to
receive it, but the power required soon
SEQUENTIAL CASCADE shorts out such transference methods.

1/round, when you hit with an attack with a ECHO FEEDBACK LOOP
ranged weapon that you have not used since
the start of your last turn, deal +1d6 bonus Whenever you attack with a ranged weapon,
damage. after all damage and effects on all targets have
been resolved, choose one damage type that
the attack used (after any damage conversion).
COLOSSUS
You gain a benefit to all ranged weapons, which
Adjacent allied characters can use the Artemis lasts until the next time this effect triggers, or
for hard cover. the scene ends. The benefit corresponds to the
chosen damage type:
EXPOSED REACTOR • Kinetic: Arcing
The Artemis receives +1 on Engineering • Explosive: Knockback 3
checks and saves. • Energy: +5 Range
• Burn: Overkill
MOUNTS
Resonant Echo
MAIN MAIN MAIN
Active (1 CP), Protocol
MOUNT MOUNT MOUNT
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.

[29]
LICENSE I: Sonic Pulse
FEEDBACK SHIELD, HUNTRESS BOW Main Cannon, AP, 1 SP
[ 10] [1d3+1 ]

Feedback Shield On Hit: The target must pass a Systems save


2 SP, Free Action, Shield, Unique, or be Impaired until the end of their next turn.
1 (Self)
They may protect themselves beyond
1/round, you may activate this as a free action
impenetrable metal, but there is nothing
when you hit with a weapon attack. Choose one
so thick that a prayer cannot reach
damage type inflicted by that attack; until the
through. And that is but a whisper. You
start of your next turn, melee and ranged
can do so much more.
attacks that include that damage type take +1
when targeting you or any allied character
adjacent to you. LICENSE III:
LIMIT OVERRIDE, LUMINOUS RADIANCE
What can harm can also protect. Lead the
way, light the torch. Show those you
Limit Override
guide that like can defeat like, and
3 SP, Unique, Protocol
that what truly matters is your strength
of spirit. 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
Huntress Bow turn.
Main Rifle
[ 12] [1d6 ] There are moments when you must take
On Hit: The target must pass a Hull save or risks. Sometimes the safe option will
else be unable to Hide or benefit from cover result in the loss of those you are
until the end of their next turn. guarding. Seize the opportunity,
whatever cost you must pay later.
On Crit: The save is made with +1 .
Luminous Radiance
The arrows shot by this bow contain the Main Launcher
purest light, that which your sensors [ 10][ 1] [1d6 ]
can pick up unfailingly. So long as it
embeds in your prey, you will always be This weapon does not attack allied characters
able to pick them off. caught in its area of effect.

You have nothing to fear from the light,


LICENSE II: ARTEMIS FRAME, so long as you remain steadfast and
CONSECRATED TEMPLE, SONIC PULSE true. It is only those who have fallen
who need worry, for they have forsaken
Consecrated Temple protection.
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.

[30]
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.

[31]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[32]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1 Save Target: 10 ILLUMINATION REGALIA
Armor: 1 Sensors: 5 The armour and weaponry of the Astraea
HULL SYSTEMS are said to be blessed by the goddess
HP: 8 E-Defense: 6 Hestia, with Her giving the ability to
Repair Cap: 5 Tech Attack: +0 engulf the enemy’s entire attention.
AGILITY SP: 6
Evasion: 8 ENGINEERING The actual explanation is likely more
Speed: 5 Heat Cap: 6 ‘mundane’: a directed cognitohazard being
able to wipe out everything but the user
from all forms of detection.
SHIELD OF FAITH
Integrated Mount: Guardian Spear
At the start of your turn, you gain Overshield
equal to 2 + ½ your Grit. If you only have one
Guardian Spear
Structure remaining, this Overshield is
Main Melee, Reliable 2
increased by 4.
[ 3] [1d6 ]
LUMINARY AEGIS
Zealot's Intercession
Whenever you attack a hostile character within Reaction
3 of you, your target gains your Guardian
Mark until the end of their next turn, overwriting Trigger: An enemy with your Guardian Mark
any Guardian Mark they already had. makes an attack that doesn’t include you.
Effect: If you are within range of the attack and
While anyone has your Guardian Mark, you a valid target, you may force the enemy to
gain the Zealot’s Intercession reaction. retarget the attack to include you as a target.
This reaction can be taken as many times per
MOUNTS round as it is triggered.

AUX/ MAIN Guardian Angel


AUX MOUNT 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.

[33]
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.

[34]
Art by Cosmixian

[35]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1 Save Target: 10 DRAGON’S BREATH
Armor: 1 Sensors: 5 The fires of the dragon grow with the
HULL SYSTEMS pilot’s anger, as all weakness is burned
HP: 8 E-Defense: 6 away. Contained within the roiling flames
Repair Cap: 4 Tech Attack: -1 are all their doubts, all their sorrows,
AGILITY SP: 5 all their regrets.
Evasion: 8 ENGINEERING
Speed: 4 Heat Cap: 8 The dragon only knows fury, knows only
protection of its charges. It will not
relent until its final breath. It will
WYRM’S VENGEANCE prevail, and every strike against it only
makes it rage forth even harder.
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 Integrated Mount: Dragon's Breath
hostile action against one of your allies since
the end of your last turn. Dragon's Breath
Heavy CQB, Knockback 2
[ 1 + 2∕charge] [2 ∕charge]
INSULATED
This weapon’s profile is determined by the
The Astraea has Immunity to . number of charges it carries. It begins with 0
charges. The first time in a round that you are
HEART OF FIRE damaged by a hostile character, you gain an
additional 1 charge, up to a maximum of 3.
Before making an attack with a weapon, the
Astraea may choose to attack as if the weapon If you have at least 1 charge, you may attack
had the Overkill tag. with this weapon, returning to 0 charges after
the attack. This weapon’s is equal to 1 plus
MOUNTS twice the number of charges, and it deals
equal to twice the number of charges.
AUX/ FLEX Charges persist between scenes, but are lost
during a full repair.
AUX MOUNT

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.

[36]
LICENSE I: LICENSE II: ASTRAEA FRAME,
RUNIC SHIELD, CEREMONIAL CAPE LUMINARY MOD, GODDESS BANNER

Runic Shield Luminary Mod


Main Melee, Knockback 3 2 SP, Mod, Unique
[ 1] [1d3+2 ]
Choose one non-Superheavy Melee weapon: It
Whenever the user Braces, this weapon may gains Thrown 5. At the end of any turn that you
be used to immediately make an attack, with threw this weapon, it automatically returns to
+1 , after the action that triggers the Brace you.
resolves. This attack may only be made once
per Brace, no matter how many Runic Shields Many Luminary Knights have secondary
the user has. weapons that they’ve trained to use, and
have modified to be used alongside their
Originally inscribed onto physical spears. These weapons are bonded to a
bucklers, Runic Shields can actually be gauntlet the user wears, returning in a
positioned anywhere on a mech. Wherever brilliant flash of light soon after
they are, the runes absorb the ambient leaving one’s hand.
kinetic energy around the mech that
they’re written on, which is then
directed and released in a single Goddess Banner
explosive burst. Unsettlingly, this 2 SP, Unique, Limited 1, Quick Action
output consistently exceeds the runes’
Goddess Banner (SIZE 1, 10 HP, EVASION 5,
intake.
TAGS: DEPLOYABLE)

Ceremonial Cape Expend a charge to deploy a Size 1 banner in a


1 SP, Unique free, adjacent space, where it creates a 2 of
1/Scene, this System may be expended in one inspirational light. While within this area, you
of the following ways: and your allies are Immune to involuntary
movement and may not be knocked Prone.
• When a hostile character Grapples the user
or causes the user to be Immobilized or A symbol of pride, honour, and what is
Slowed, the user may expend this System fought for. When the banner is planted,
(this is not a reaction) to instead not be it shows that the Knights will not yield
Grappled or to not become Immobilized or one step further.
Slowed.
• As a quick action, the user may expend
LICENSE III: VAMBRACE PROJECTOR,
this System to force an adjacent hostile
character to pass a Hull save or become ZELOS-CLASS NHP
Immobilized. The enemy may end this
effect by succeeding on a Hull check as a Vambrace Projector
quick action. Auxiliary CQB, AP, 1 (Self)
[ 5][ 3] [2 ]
While this system is expended, it is not a valid
target for System Destruction. The user is able Even the most ornamental of a Knight’s
to retrieve their cape at the end of combat. gear can be used as weaponry in a pinch.
The ceremonial illumination adorning
While the capes of the Luminary Knights their armour is able to be channeled
seem highly impractical for combat - along their arms to punch through the
and, for the most part, they are - a most well-armoured of assailants.
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.

[37]
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.

[38]
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.

[39]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[40]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 2 Save Target: 11 PSYCHOSOMATIC FEEDBACK
Armor: 1 Sensors: 8
INDUCER
HULL SYSTEMS
In theory a neural link between pilot and
HP: 10 E-Defense: 6
frame, to help inure themselves to the
Repair Cap: 5 Tech Attack: +1
horror of combat. Unfortunately, it
AGILITY SP: 6
doesn’t exactly work as intended.
Evasion: 8 ENGINEERING
Speed: 4 Heat Cap: 6 Instead, the pilot’s emotions are fed
back into themself, until eventually the
TRAITS system overloads, suddenly battering
A WORTHY FIGHT nearby combatants until it burns out.
1/round, when you make an attack roll against Oddly enough, the types of people who
a target within 8 that has attacked you since choose to pilot an Enyo never seem to
the end of your last turn, you may re-roll that mind.
roll, but must keep the second result.
Inflame Violence
ENDURING RAGE Active (1 CP), Quick Action
1/scene, when you roll on the Structure All hostile characters within 3 are affected by
Damage or Overheat table, you may ignore the a terrible rage. While under this effect, the
result. If you do so, any damage or heat beyond target's allies are able to provoke the target's
the amount that would Structure or Stress you Overwatch. In addition, characters under this
is ignored. effect must Overwatch if they are able to.

Affected characters may make an Engineering


MOUNTS Save at the end of their turn to end the effect on
FLEX FLEX HEAVY a success. If, when they make this save, they
have used Overwatch since the end of their
MOUNT MOUNT MOUNT last turn, they take +1 to the save.

[41]
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.

[42]
Art by Moiderah

[43]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 2 Save Target: 11 REACTOR SURGE OVERRIDE
Armor: 0 Sensors: 8 In the midst of combat, there is
HULL SYSTEMS virtually no difference between flesh and
HP: 14 E-Defense: 8 steel. And for one heedless of their own
Repair Cap: 2 Tech Attack: +1 safety, the machine is there to be pushed
AGILITY SP: 5 exactly the same as their body.
Evasion: 8 ENGINEERING
Speed: 4 Heat Cap: 6 When the override is activated, it is a
destructive pump of adrenaline; wrecking
the parts to serve the whole, and
SMASH THROUGH shunting energy to where it’s truly
needed.
1/round, when you hit with a melee attack, your
next Ram against the target before the start of ADRENALINE RUSH
its next turn gains +1 and +2 Knockback.
Whenever you hit with a melee weapon, you
This Ram may be made as long as your target
may destroy that weapon to deal the maximum
is within 3 spaces of you, instead of requiring
possible damage and bonus damage.
them to be adjacent.
Whenever you take damage or heat from a
BATTLEFORGED TENACITY hostile source, you may destroy a System to
Each time you make a Structure Damage gain resistance to all damage and heat from
Check or Overheating Check, you may that effect.
increase the value of one d6 of your choice in
the initial roll by 1 (to a maximum of 6). If all Rampage
dice in the check are already 6, you instead do Active (1 CP), Free Action
not become Impaired as a result of the check. Take one Structure damage, one Stress
damage, or both. No rolls on damage tables are
RESONANT RECOVERY made because of this damage.
3/mission, when you rest, you may repair a
weapon or system without spending a repair. If you chose to take Structure damage, you
regain all your HP, and gain Overshield equal
to half your Max HP.
MOUNTS
If you chose to take Stress damage, you clear
MAIN MAIN HEAVY all and reduce your Overcharge counter by
MOUNT MOUNT MOUNT two levels (1d6+4 becomes 1d3, 1d6 or 1d3
becomes 1).

[44]
LICENSE I: Neural Loop
ENERGY TALONS, ABLATIVE WEAPONRY 2 SP, Quick Tech, Invade, Unique
Gain the following Invade options:
Energy Talons
Main Melee, AP, Unique Isolate Foe: The target must be a hostile
[ 2] [1d3+1 ] character. If, at the end of the target’s next turn,
it is adjacent to any Mech character allied to it,
On Critical Hit: Your target must make a Hull you may take 2 and swap places with one
save. On a failure, they become Shredded until hostile Mech character adjacent to your target,
they Stabilize. both characters teleporting to the other’s
position.
There’s nothing quite like the raw
viscerality of tearing into a foe. Characters can only be swapped to spaces they
Feeling the pulse of your blood as you could normally stand or move on (i.e., if a
rip aside their armour, and see their character cannot fly it can’t be swapped midair).
terror... If there is no available space for one of the
swapped characters to occupy, this movement
Ablative Weaponry fails.
1 SP, Unique
Compel Combat: The target takes +1 to any
Whenever you would destroy one or more attacks that do not include you as a target. This
weapons on a mount, you may destroy this effect increases by an additional +1 at the
system instead. end of each of their turns, to a maximum total of
+3 . The target may make a Systems save at
Backups upon backups for the myriad the end of their turn to end this effect, and it
weapons one has. All that matters is automatically ends if this effect is applied to a
being able to continue killing, even as new target, or if you end any of your turns
the parts of your mech may be blown off without making an attack roll against the target
around you. or causing it to make a save.

LICENSE II: ENYO FRAME Reach out and touch their mind… it
GRAVIMETRIC SNARE, NEURAL LOOP doesn’t hurt. For them or for you. But
you can make sure and see that no matter
Gravimetric Snare where they run, you know where to
2 SP, Unique follow. Grant them the gift, the glory
that revels in the fight. For you and
When you successfully Ram a character who is they are bound, at least for now.
already Prone, you may cause them to become
Immobilized until the end of their next turn.
This can only be used 1/scene on each
character.

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.

[45]
LICENSE III: MAGMA HAMMER, Corelock Subsystem
CORELOCK SUBSYSTEM 3 SP, Unique, Limited 1

When you successfully Grapple a hostile


Magma Hammer character, you may expend a charge to initiate
Heavy Melee, Inaccurate, Overkill, AP, Corelock with that character. While in Corelock,
1 (Self) you are unable to clear heat by any means
[ 2] [3d6 ] except for taking Stress, and involuntary
This weapon deals 50 AP to objects, cover, movement cannot break the Corelock grapple -
terrain, and the environment. the other member of the grapple is moved along
with the first. In addition, any time you gain heat
On Hit: If Overkill causes this weapon to re-roll during Corelock, half of that is also dealt to the
any dice, or it deals maximum damage, the character that you are in Corelock with.
target also takes 2 .
Corelock lasts until the grapple with the target is
Feel the pounding of your heart, the broken, or you or the target are destroyed, and
weight of your sins, and the heat of is unable to be ended in any other way.
your wrath. Your enemies will lie broken
at your feet, as you consume your own Corelock is a rather suicidal-seeming
soul. That is the price of this tactic, where one pries open both their
wonderful gift. But in the end, you own reactor and a foe’s, and desperately
won’t care. You already probably don’t. 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.

[46]
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.

[47]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[48]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 2 Save Target: 10 PROJECTED LUMINANT
Armor: 1 Sensors: 15
CONTAINMENT AEGIS
HULL SYSTEMS
The Epione comes with a powerful shield
HP: 8 E-Defense: 8
system, but it’s built around containing
Repair Cap: 4 Tech Attack: -1
its weaponry instead of the chassis. This
AGILITY SP: 6
system allows for limited collateral when
Evasion: 7 ENGINEERING saturating an area with fire, as well as
Speed: 3 Heat Cap: 6 protection of nearby forces with the
right tuning.
TRAITS
DIFFUSION BEAM While the system is not perfect, it can
1/round, on a critical hit with any ranged be boosted for a short time, providing
weapon, one allied character within 5 of the unparalleled protection. The battlefield
target gains 3 Overshield. can be awash with the Epione’s firepower,
and its allies will come out of the fray
SHIELDED FIRE entirely unharmed by it. Perhaps even
The Epione only deals half damage, and energized slightly.
to allied characters.
Absolute Containment
Active (1 CP), Protocol
PROTECTIVE GAZE
Until the end of the scene, the Epione’s
Whenever an allied character within Sensors weapons are fully shielded. Allies are Immune
and line of sight Disengages, they may gain 3 to all ranged attacks from the Epione. Instead,
Overshield. they may clear one instance of Impaired,
Slowed, or Lock On (that isn’t caused by their
MOUNTS own systems, traits, etc.) whenever they are
targeted by one of the Epione’s ranged attacks.
MAIN MAIN HEAVY
MOUNT MOUNT MOUNT 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.

[49]
LICENSE I: SATURATION PROJECTOR, LICENSE II: EPIONE FRAME, SELECTIVE-
SANCTUARY DRONE FIRE MODULE, STASIS BLASTER

Saturation Projector Glacis Payload


Main Launcher, Ordnance 2 SP, Mod, Limited 2, Unique
[ 10][ 2] [1d3+1 ]
Choose a ranged weapon: when you attack with
An evolution of the earlier-model this weapon, you may expend a charge as a
Luminous Radiance laser weapon, the free action to create a 2, centered on any
Saturation Projector gives up damage in space of one character who would be targeted.
exchange for blanketing the field. It This Blast lasts until the start of your next turn.
remains undiscovered how to fully
recreate the Radiance’s selective Allied characters at least partially within this
targeting, however, so it requires much Blast are Immune to damage, , and
more care when using. conditions from hostile effects that are not
attack rolls. This effect neither clears nor
Sanctuary Drone suppresses conditions, it only prevents new
2 SP, Quick Action, Drone ones being inflicted.
Sanctuary Drone (Size 1/2, 5 HP, 10 E- The Glacis projection briefly returns a
Defense, 10 Evasion, Tags: Drone, Invisible) segment of battlefield to a net-zero
state, allowing the user's allies to
This protective drone can be deployed to a free confidently advance under its aegis.
space within Sensors and line of sight, where it
emits a 2 field. While within this field, allied
Stasis Blaster
characters may Disengage as a quick action.
Heavy Cannon, Loading, Ordnance
[ 15][ 2] [1d6+1 ]
The drone can be deployed to a different space
within Sensors or recalled as a quick action. On Attack: After the attack, the Blast becomes
a zone that lasts until the start of the user’s next
Sanctuary Drones have limited-duration turn. Attacks and other effects that originate
shields that they’re able to project out from characters entirely outside the zone cannot
to allies. This is usually insufficient affect characters entirely inside inside, and vice
to be able to intercept enemy fire, but versa. Movement is not impeded, and the zone
linking with mech telemetry allows the has no effect on attacks from outside characters
barrier to be activated at the beginning to other outside characters that cross the zone.
of a reposition. While this protection
only lasts for an instant, it lets the The Stasis Blaster momentarily creates a
pilot be slightly less cautious when bubble of fractured spacetime that
looking for an opening. 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.

[50]
LICENSE III: Prism Refractor
RECALL GATE, PRISM REFRACTOR Superheavy Rifle, Smart, Seeking,
Ordnance, 2 (Self)
[ 6] [2d6 ]
Recall Gate
3 SP, Limited 2, Unique Attacks with this weapon create three 6
segments. The first segment is drawn from the
You may expend a charge when you target an user as normal. The second segment is drawn
ally with a ranged weapon. If you do, teleport from the end of the first segment, and the third
the target to a free space adjacent to you before segment is drawn from the end of the second
the attack takes place. The attack is not segment. These additional lines may be drawn
resolved against them. in any direction from the origin, but may not
overlap any prior section of the line. Once all
Utilizing the principles of both Rift lines are drawn, resolve this attack - no matter
and Transwarp technologies from existing how many lines a given character is touched by,
databanks, the Recall Gate is an they will only ever be targeted once.
expensive but workable combination of
the two, though it burns out extremely The Prism Refractor contains a crystal
quickly. A micro-rift is projected using shard that makes light behave rather
data from both targeting and the peculiarly. It bends at angles, it goes
target’s own systems, connecting it to through everything, and then it stops
an internal transwarp receiver. The abruptly, to no easily discernible
process is painless, though may cause pattern. Ensure that you have the latest
some brief disorientation. 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).

[51]
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.

[52]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[53]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1∕2 Save Target: 10 ARTIFICE REDESIGN MODULE
Armor: 1 Sensors: 8
Within the core of this mech lies a
HULL SYSTEMS computer that’s constantly running
HP: 6 E-Defense: 10 simulations on the surrounding area,
Repair Cap: 3 Tech Attack: +1 projecting how fabricators could reshape
AGILITY SP: 8 and shunt around material.
Evasion: 10 ENGINEERING
Speed: 5 Heat Cap: 6 In the moment of combat, its capabilities
are somewhat restricted by lack of proper
TRAITS time and positioning, but anything not
REMOTE DEPLOYMENT fixed down can be easily shunted around.
Systems with the Deployable tag may be
placed within Sensors instead of their usual ...and what is created, may also be
deployment range. Any other restrictions still destroyed.
apply.
Architectural Reformat
Quick Action
INTERPOSE ARTIFICE
Select one object or character with the
1/round, when within 3 of a Deployable and Deployable or Drone tag, even one belonging
hit by a damaging attack, the Ersa may cause to a hostile character, within Sensors.
the Deployable to be hit by the attack instead Redeploy it anywhere else within Sensors,
as a reaction. placed in free and valid spaces.

MOUNTS Edifice Flux


Active (1 CP), Protocol
MAIN/
AUX 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.

[54]
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.

[55]
Art by Cozzymandias

[56]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1∕2 Save Target: 10 ARCHITECTURAL OVERRIDE
Armor: 1 Sensors: 5 Systems that were designed to craft
HULL SYSTEMS things of beauty have instead been warped
HP: 6 E-Defense: 8 to another purpose. Blades and guns
Repair Cap: 3 Tech Attack: +1 become shaped from harmless devices.
AGILITY SP: 8
Evasion: 8 ENGINEERING At the hands of a proper muse, anything
Speed: 5 Heat Cap: 6 can become a deathtrap, a turret, a
fortification. A weapon of war.
TRAITS Edifice Hijack
SHATTERPULSE Quick Action
As a full action, the Ersa may deal 30 AP to Select one object with the Deployable tag,
an adjacent object or Deployable (up to a Size even one belonging to a hostile character,
3 section). within Sensors and line of sight. You become
Linked with the chosen Deployable until this
MANUAL REDEPLOYMENT effect ends, as long as it remains within
Sensors - even outside of line of sight.
When making a standard movement, the Ersa
may choose one Deployable adjacent to it at You may choose to originate weapon attacks
the beginning of its movement, and have it from the space of any Linked Deployable on
move with the Ersa during that movement, your turn, as though you were there - measuring
retaining adjacency and orientation compared to Engagement, range, and line of sight from its
the Ersa. The Deployable must end in a free position.
and valid space.
You may end this effect as a protocol, and it
LIVING BATTLEFIELD ends if the Deployable is no longer deployed, it
1/round, when you hit a character with a melee is destroyed, or if you use this action on another
or ranged attack that originated from a Linked target.
Deployable or Override Token, you may deal
+1d6 bonus damage. Whenever you deploy a Deployable, you may
use this action as a free action, so long as it
targets the triggering Deployable.
MOUNTS
AUX/ FLEX MAIN Hostile Environment
AUX MOUNT MOUNT 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.

[57]
LICENSE I: QUICKPRINT FABRICATOR, LICENSE II: ERSA FRAME,
TERRAIN FORMATTER INERTIA PYLON, SWARM PROJECTOR

Quickprint Fabricator Inertia Pylon


2 SP 3 SP, Unique, Limited 2, Quick Action
Quickprint Cube I (SIZE 1, 10 HP, EVASION Inertia Pylon (SIZE 1, 10 HP, EVASION 5,
5, Tags: DEPLOYABLE) Tags: DEPLOYABLE)
Quickprint Cube II (SIZE 2, 20 HP, EVASION
5, Tags: DEPLOYABLE) Expend a charge to deploy a Size 1 pylon in a
free, adjacent space. The pylon gains 3 Inertia
This system may be used as either a quick Tokens. While the pylon has Inertia Tokens,
action to deploy a Quickprint Cube I, or a full you may perform the following effects as a
action to deploy a Quickprint Cube II. The cube reaction:
is an object, which provides hard cover and
blocks line of sight as normal for its Size. • When a character ends their turn within 3
spaces of the pylon, you may expend an
Whichever action cost is chosen, the cube is Inertia Token to push them 2 spaces in
flash-printed and deployed in free adjacent any direction.
space(s). If you create a new cube, regardless
of size, the old one disintegrates. • When a character within 3 spaces of the
pylon is pushed, pulled, or knocked
In more peaceful times, this technology back, you may expend an Inertia Token to
could be used to decorate places with increase or decrease the distance moved
temporary adornments for festivals or by 3 (to a minimum of 0).
other such celebrations. The ungainly
quick-printed fortifications created Originally designed as a safety measure
mid-combat have no such time or care put in dangerous areas, Inertia Pylons were
into them, but are quite effective at easily repurposed for use in combat.
providing cover. While harmless on their own, they aid
immensely in helping to dictate the flow
Terrain Formatter of battle.
2 SP, Quick Tech, Invade, Unique
Swarm Projector
Gain the following Invade options: Main Launcher, Smart, Seeking,
Liquify Earth: A 2 centered on the target Inaccurate
becomes difficult terrain for the rest of the [ 5] [3 ]
scene, or until this option is used again. Anyone If the target is in a zone of soft cover or adjacent
who ends their turn in this terrain must make a to an object that grants hard cover, this weapon
Hull save or become Slowed until the end of instead deals 1d6+3 and gains Reliable 3.
their next turn.
Designed for use in close-quarters,
Tremor: The target is knocked Prone. where it’s likely that foes are able to
use cover and other obstructions. Weak
Even the landscape itself is putty to points in the terrain are analyzed,
those with the right tools. In war, it allowing the weapon’s payload to shatter
may be akin to using a shovel as a parts of whatever’s concealing the
weapon - inelegantly, and certainly not target in a burst of shrapnel.
what it was designed for - but a shovel
can still do a lot of damage if used
correctly...

[58]
LICENSE III: EMERGENCY FABRICATION Transwarp System
RESERVES, TRANSWARP SYSTEM 2 SP, Unique, Limited 2, Quick Action

Warp Generator (SIZE 1, 10 HP, EVASION 5,


Emergency Fabrication Reserves Tags: DEPLOYABLE, RESISTANCE to all
2 SP, Unique damage)
1/scene, when the user uses a Limited system
with the Deployable tag, the user may instead Expend a charge to deploy a Size 1 warp
not spend a charge. Limited systems that have generator in a free, adjacent space. Despite
expended all their charges may still be used in occupying a space, characters can enter the
this way. generator’s space, though may not remain
there.
While bulky and useless on their own,
being able to carry around the spare
You or allied characters that enter the
parts necessary to create whatever’s
generator’s space may be teleported anywhere
needed can come in very handy in a
within 5, or you may choose to teleport them
pinch.
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.

[59]
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.

[60]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[61]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 2 Save Target: 11 IONIC STORMCLOUD
Armor: 2 Sensors: 5
GENERATOR
HULL SYSTEMS The Whisperstone contained within the
HP: 8 E-Defense: 10 Stormcloud Generator is carefully
Repair Cap: 6 Tech Attack: +1 shielded and unpowered in order to allow
AGILITY SP: 6 for normal operations.
Evasion: 6 ENGINEERING
Speed: 4 Heat Cap: 6 Since pilots must consciously choose to
disengage the safeties, Hecate manuals
TRAITS warn of the feelings of power that may be
STATIC SHIELDING caused by seeing hostile systems begin to
The Hecate has resistance to . degrade or shut down at their command. It
can become addictive to some, and
ELECTROMAGNETIC IMPULSE detrimental to their piloting.
While the Hecate is Jammed or Stunned, it
creates a 2 zone around itself. All hostile At full power, the Generator is able to
characters in this zone are Impaired until they wreak havoc on the Hecate’s surroundings
are either no longer in the zone or the zone and leave people reeling from the potency
ends. of its ion storm. But Demonworks insists
that it remains perfectly safe and
BIOTIC CIRCUITRY
controlled.
The Hecate can make reactions and use
comms while Jammed. Unshield Whisperstone
Protocol
MOUNTS The Hecate becomes Jammed until the start of
its next turn.
MAIN HEAVY
MOUNT MOUNT 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.

[62]
LICENSE I: Protective Matrix
ELECTRON PULSE, IONIC FEEDBACK 3 SP, Quick Action, Shield, Unique

Until the start of your next turn, the first time


Electron Pulse each hostile character uses a tech action or
Main CQB, Smart, Loading makes an attack roll while within 3 of you,
[ 5][ 1] [1d6+2 ] they take 2 AP after the action is complete.
This weapon does not target any character
entirely within the origin space of the Blast. The Protective Matrix is a set of spines
that, when charged, form a defensive
The best way to deal with someone who’s grid in the area that can lash out at
surrounded is to simply shoot everyone any unexpected power emanations. It’s
else. A little computer-aided precision, very important to make sure that the
and the air around someone can be targeting system is up to date on
violently excited while they’re friend-or-foe tags.
untouched.
LICENSE III: WHISPERSTONE LAUNCHER,
Ionic Feedback CHARGED LODESTONE
1 SP, Unique
Whisperstone Launcher
You may Brace while Jammed. Heavy Launcher, Limited 2
[ 10][ 1] [3d6 ]
If you Brace against a tech attack, you become
Immune to that attack. In addition, whenever On Attack: After the attack, the Blast becomes
you Brace you may take 2 in order to end all a zone that lasts until the end of the scene. Any
effects caused by tech actions on yourself. character at least partially within this zone may
not use tech actions.
A combination of whisperstone and bio-
circuitry allows a mech to quickly purge On Hit: The target is Jammed until the end of
itself of foreign code without shutting their next turn.
down the entire system.
Not so much a gun as a storage device
for boulders of Whisperstone shaped
LICENSE II: HECATE FRAME, around an explosive charge. Direct hits
FULMINATION AURA, PROTECTIVE MATRIX will cause serious system malfunctions,
while even the most ineffective shot
Fulmination Aura will still nullify legionspace
Main Launcher calibration in the area.
[ 5] [2d6 ]
This weapon always targets Evasion 8. Charged Lodestone
2 SP, Unique, Limited 2, Quick Action
On Hit: Do not roll damage or apply any effects
Lodestone (SIZE 1, 5 HP, EVASION 5, TAGS:
of the attack that would apply to the target (such
DEPLOYABLE)
as Knockback).
Expend a charge to deploy a Size 1 Lodestone
Instead, damage is rolled and effects are
in a free, adjacent space, where it creates a
applied to the first character that successfully
2 of disruptive electromagnetism. Characters
attacks the target while within 5 of the target
in this burst are Jammed until they leave it, or
before the start of the target's next turn.
until the Lodestone is destroyed. An adjacent
character can destroy the Lodestone with a
More of a deterrent than a proper
successful Hull Save as a Full Action.
weapon, the Fulmination Aura charges the
target with a delicate balance of power…
A chunk of Whisperstone, unshielded and
which then violently strikes the first
whole, can easily knock out sensitive
person to break that balance.
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.

[63]
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.

[64]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[65]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1∕2 Save Target: 10 PERSPECTIVE OVERRIDE
Armor: 2 Sensors: 8
MATRIX
HULL SYSTEMS “I don’t understand it. If you look at
HP: 8 E-Defense: 12 it, everything’s fine. If you look at the
Repair Cap: 4 Tech Attack: +1 surroundings, everything’s fine. But… the
AGILITY SP: 6 two of them together, things are NOT
Evasion: 8 ENGINEERING supposed to fit together like that.
Speed: 4 Heat Cap: 6
It’s everywhere it’s not supposed to be.
TRAITS I know this is supposed to be a blessing,
FOCAL POINT but it’s making me question how reality
The Hemera counts as Size 3 for the purposes works. We are mere mortals. I… think we
of Engagement and being targeted by Rams. made a mistake entering the goddess’
domain.”
PARAPHYSICAL FRAME
PERSPECTIVE SHIFT
The Hemera gains +1 on Systems checks
and saves. 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
MOUNTS Hemera is not Hidden and none of the
Hemera's non-Drone allies are closer to the
MAIN/
hostile character than the Hemera is.
AUX
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.

[66]
LICENSE I: Flux Coating
METASTATIC EMITTER, SPATIAL WARPING 1 SP, Unique, Reaction

Gain the Discontiguity reaction.


Metastatic Emitter
1 SP, Unique “So, we learned something. You spread
Characters that are Engaged by you gain +1 this material we got from Her domain
on tech attacks. thin enough, and you can shove darn near
anything through space - as long as it
“It’s a system that makes the systems has external motivation. It can’t shove
you don’t want to work near it… well, itself. Coat a rock, and it’ll look like
not work. I find it kinda unsettling how it just clicked into place on the
it just seems to know on its own what counter you threw it to. Coat a ball,
you don’t want. A lot of people find it and you can scare marketing a good
comforting, though.” several rooms down if you have a strong
enough arm.”

Spatial Warping Discontiguity


1 SP, Quick Tech, Invade, Unique Reaction, 1∕round
Gain the following Invade options: Trigger: You are pushed, pulled, or knocked
back.
Haptic Disconnect: The Threat of all the
target’s weapons are reduced to 1 until the end Effect: You ignore the effects of all spaces
of their next turn. (Ranges other than Threat between your origin and the destination of the
are unaffected.) involuntary movement. If the distance moved
would be enough to entirely pass through a
Collapsing Waveform: The target is unable to character or object that would otherwise stop
fly or teleport until the end of their next turn. If your movement early, then you continue up to
the target is currently flying, they immediately the full distance of the involuntary movement;
fall. otherwise you stop early as normal.

LICENSE III:
“It turns out, when this thing tells EMERGENCY SHUNT, INVERT
reality that it doesn’t work a certain
way… reality listens.”
Emergency Shunt
2 SP, Unique
LICENSE II: HEMERA FRAME,
Whenever you take Structure Damage or
REALITY CUTTER, FLUX COATING
Stress, you may, immediately after rolling on
the Structure Damage or Overheating table but
Reality Cutter before resolving the result, teleport 3 spaces
Main Melee, 1 SP, Smart, AP, Unique and become Invisible until the start of your next
[ 1] [1d6 ] turn.
On Hit: Teleport to a space adjacent to your
target. “It actually wasn’t that hard to
encourage the mech to move out of the
“We named it this because we saw it as a way a bit when it was taking heavy hits.
sword first, but… it seems to look The tricky part was making sure the
different depending on the user. Doesn’t pilot could come along too.”
always cut. Regardless, it lets you do a
neat trick where you twist like so, and Invert
you just step THROUGH where the person 3 SP, Protocol, Unique, 1 (Self)
in front of you should be.”
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.”

[67]
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.

[68]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[69]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 3 Save Target: 11 INEVITABILITY DRIVE
Armor: 0 Sensors: 5 The Hera has what is essentially a second
HULL SYSTEMS reactor built into the frame. Computers,
HP: 12 E-Defense: 6 weapons, most things are handled by the
Repair Cap: 5 Tech Attack: -2 primary - the entire power of the
AGILITY SP: 5 secondary is dedicated solely to moving.
Evasion: 6 ENGINEERING
Speed: 5 Heat Cap: 6 And when the Hera moves, very little can
stop it. Rumours say that, given time, it
could even smash a passage through a
RESPLENDENT WARDING mountain. While such tales are likely
overblown, it does give a sense of what
Whenever the Hera is damaged by a hostile
source, it chooses one of the triggering damage the path of destruction looks like.
types after resolving all damage. The Hera
TITANIC STRIDE
gains resistance to that damage type from
hostile sources until the end of the scene or this The Hera ignores difficult terrain. If the Hera
trait is triggered again. moves into the space of a Size 2 or smaller
object, terrain, or Deployable which is not
PRISMATIC AEGIS Immune to damage, the Hera destroys it and
replaces it with an equal area of difficult
Characters Engaged with the Hera that target terrain on the ground.
one or more of the Hera's allies with an attack
or tech action take 3 and gain Lock On. Implacable Advance
Active (1 CP), Protocol
SLOW
Until the start of your next turn, gain the
The Hera receives +1 on Agility checks and following effects:
saves. • You become Immune to being Slowed and
Immobilized by any source other than your
MOUNTS own Systems, Talents, etc. (This clears any
existing eligible conditions.)
MAIN HEAVY
• Titanic Stride now allows you to move into
MOUNT MOUNT
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.

[70]
LICENSE I: OLYMPUS PROTOCOLS, Inexorable Presence
TRUESTRIKE GLADIUS 2 SP, Quick Action

All characters of your choice within 3 are


Olympus Protocols pulled 1 space towards you.
2 SP, 1 (Self), Unique
When an adjacent character triggers your You are the shining moon, drawing the
Overwatch, you may take 1 to Ram or eye in a sea of stars. You stand tall, a
Grapple the triggering character instead of radiant beacon that eclipses others.
using Skirmish. There is no escaping your gaze, they can
only approach.
You are the weight of reality, that
which overshadows all. Those who seek to
LICENSE III:
escape your grasp, to harm those under GUIDANCE DRONE, CHROMATIC BLADE
your protection, will be forced to kneel
before you. Guidance Drone
2 SP, Limited 2, Drone, Quick Action,
Truestrike Gladius Unique
Main Melee, Loading, Reliable 5 Guidance Drone (Size 1/2, 5 HP, 10 E-
[ 1] [5 ] Defense, 10 Evasion, Tags: Drone)
On Hit: This weapon is not unloaded.
Expend a charge to deploy a Guidance Drone
You are the avatar of war, the master of to any free space within 5 and line of sight. It
battle. You bear the burden of death - creates a 2 around itself. Allied characters
the guilt of killing - but you wield it treat their ranged attacks as Seeking against
as a weapon. Every blow you make will characters in this area. Guidance Drones
land true, scouring the foe with your cannot be recalled and expire at the end of the
divine light. There will be peace in the scene.
end.
You are the all-seeing, dispatching
LICENSE II: HERA FRAME, ILLUMINANT heralds to guide those who put their
faith in you. Their sparks burn brief
CHARGES, INEXORABLE PRESENCE but bright, lighting the shadows of war.

Illuminant Charges
Chromatic Blade
3 SP, Limited 2, Unique
Heavy Melee, 2 (Self), 1 SP
Expend a charge from this system for one of the [ 1] [1d6 + 1d6 + 1d6 ]
following effects:
On Attack: You may choose to reduce this
• Revealing Light (Grenade, 5, 1): All weapon’s base damage in increments of 1d6,
characters within the Blast immediately removing one or more of the damage dice. For
lose Invisible and Hidden, are unable to each die removed, reduce this weapon’s Heat
benefit from cover or regain these statuses (Self) value by 1, to a minimum of 0. Gain a
until the end of their next turn, and gain benefit if you hit based on the type(s) of
Lock On. damage that you removed:
• Kinetic: The target must pass an
• Absolute Dark (Mine, 2): The Burst
Engineering Save or be Shredded until
creates a zone that lasts until the end of
the start of their next turn.
the following round. Line of sight is not able
to be drawn into, out of, or through this
• Explosive: The target is knocked Prone
zone.
and you may apply Knockback 1.

You are the arbiter of light, the one • Energy: The target must pass a Systems
who heralds hope and despair in equal Save or only have line of sight to adjacent
measure. Bring forth the dawn, and cast spaces until the end of their next turn.
the unworthy into shadow. Your judgement
is absolute.
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.

[71]
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.

[72]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[73]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1 Save Target: 10 AKASHIC SENSOR SUITE
Armor: 0 Sensors: 20 Full of every sensor available - and some
HULL SYSTEMS that perhaps aren’t - the Akashic Sensor
HP: 6 E-Defense: 10 Suite is designed to reveal the dangers,
Repair Cap: 4 Tech Attack: +1 composition, and weak points of
AGILITY SP: 7 everything within range. This allows
Evasion: 10 ENGINEERING allies to focus fire on potent threats,
Speed: 6 Heat Cap: 4 as well as know how best to avoid
incoming fire.
TRAITS
OMNISCIENT GAZE Those who rely too much on it, however,
are known to grow excessively paranoid,
You and your allies always know the HP value
or believe perhaps that they know more
of all characters on the battlefield.
than anyone else. Gazing too deeply can
CRYPSIS PURGE prevent ever coming back...

The Iris may target Hidden characters with tech AKASHIC RESONANCE
actions. When the Iris targets a Hidden hostile
character with a tech action, the target must 1/round, when you target a character with a
pass a Systems save or else lose Hidden. tech action, you may put an Akashic Mark on
that character. The mark remains until the end
DICHROIC AURA of the Scene or it is consumed. A character may
only have one Akashic Mark at a time.
Adjacent allied characters may use the Iris'
e-defense instead of their own. When an attack roll is made against an allied
character with an Akashic Mark, you may
consume it as a reaction to cause the attack to
MOUNTS target the ally's choice of evasion or e-defense.
AUX/ FLEX
When an attack roll is made against a hostile
AUX MOUNT character with an Akashic Mark, you may
consume it as a reaction to cause the attack to
target the lower of the character's evasion and
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.

[74]
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.

[75]
Art by Cosmixian

[76]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1 Save Target: 10 COGNITIVE LOCUS
Armor: 0 Sensors: 15 A thousand voices whisper from every
HULL SYSTEMS corner of the frame. Your voice, echoed a
HP: 6 E-Defense: 10 thousand times. You spoke to the void,
Repair Cap: 4 Tech Attack: +1 and now it speaks back.
AGILITY SP: 6
Evasion: 10 ENGINEERING It speaks to you of your foes, of the
Speed: 4 Heat Cap: 6 thin thread of their existence. Of
snipping it.
TRAITS
DISRUPTION COUNTERBATTERY Integrated Mount: Rangefinder

1/round, when the Iris hits a hostile character Rangefinder


with an attack, they become Disrupted until the Auxiliary Cannon, Arcing, Smart
start of your next turn. When a Disrupted [ 20] [1d3+1 ]
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 Ex Nihilo
that action or reaction (expending it to no Active (1 CP), Quick Action
effect), or allow you to immediately attack them Choose a character within Sensors. You Scan
with Overwatch. that character, and gain a Whisper Die - 1d6,
starting at 1. At the start of your turn, or 1/round
LOCUS ANALYSIS when you Scan any character, increase the
value of the Whisper Die by 1, to a maximum of
1/round, when the Iris consumes Lock On, it 6.
may immediately Scan the target before the
attack occurs. At the beginning of each of your target’s turns,
select a number of their Weapons, Systems or
FRAGILE Traits that require an action or reaction to use
The Iris receives +1 on Hull checks and equal to the value of your Whisper Die. At the
saves. same time, choose either 3 AP or 2 .

Each time the target uses any of the selected


MOUNTS Weapons, Systems or Traits before the start of
their next turn, they take the chosen cost before
MAIN HEAVY it resolves.
MOUNT MOUNT
If your target is destroyed, you may use this
action again in this scene, resetting the
Whisper Die to 1.

[77]
LICENSE I: Akashic Warding
DEEP-PENETRATION SCAN, GRAV SLING 2 SP, Quick Tech, Unique
Gain the following Quick Tech options:
Deep-Penetration Scan
1 SP, Unique, Limited 3 Resonant Shroud: Choose an allied character
within Sensors. They benefit from hard cover
When you Scan a hostile character, you may until the start of their next turn.
expend a charge to also apply Lock On to your
target and make it unable to benefit from cover Adaptive Shielding: Choose an allied
until the start of their next turn. character within Sensors, and one of , , or
damage. The chosen character gains
If you’re already poking around inside resistance to the chosen damage type until the
someone’s systems, why wouldn’t you just end of their next turn. This can only be used
juice up some power and search a little 1/scene on each character.
more? There’s often just one more crack
you can exploit.
Adapted from the Akashic Suite, the user
is able to ‘tune’ the space around a
Grav Sling mech to help deflect various
2 SP, Quick Action, Unique
projectiles. Targets often report seeing
Choose a space within 5 - even in mid-air - faint figures through the resonance -
and mark it. This mark lasts until expended, the both with their eyes and sensors - but
end of the scene, or this action is used again. there’s been no recorded proof of these
As a protocol or a quick action, you may figments.
expend the mark to fly directly towards the
space it was in, regardless of distance. You LICENSE III:
stop upon reaching that space, or if you would
POLARITY REVERSER, ECHO-CLASS NHP
enter the space of an object or character. If you
are in the air at the end and have no other way
to fly, you immediately fall. Polarity Reverser
2 SP, Unique, Quick Tech, 1∕round
Useful for both getting good vantage Make a tech attack against a target within
points and extraction, the Grav Sling Sensors and line of sight. On a hit, the target’s
entwines a personal motivator with a defenses are scrambled. The next time that
controlled singularity. When activated, they are hit by a damaging attack before the
the user is suddenly pulled with a end of their next turn, they may not apply any
rather significant force to where the resistance to the attack (Armor and other
singularity was created... so it’s reductions are unaffected). If that attack would
fairly important to make sure to have have been affected by their resistance, the
good inertial compensation. attack gains +1d6 bonus damage.

LICENSE II: IRIS FRAME, Once a chink in the enemy’s defenses are
MULTIPHASIC RIFLE, AKASHIC WARDING located, it’s important to figure out
how to subvert them. Knowing exactly how
the enemy will crush you is not helpful
Multiphasic Rifle
if you’re helpless to stop it.
Main ???, 1 SP, Smart, Unique
[ 10 or 5] [1d6+1 or or ]
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.

[78]
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.

[79]
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.

[80]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[81]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1 Save Target: 11 GRAVITIC FLIGHT GENERATOR
Armor: 0 Sensors: 10 Even before Iridia, gravity’s grasp on
HULL SYSTEMS the Nemesis was tenuous - an early-stage
HP: 8 E-Defense: 8 gravitic repulsor letting it fly freely
Repair Cap: 3 Tech Attack: +0 for long durations. But it was still a
AGILITY SP: 6 relatively clunky design.
Evasion: 11 ENGINEERING
Speed: 5 Heat Cap: 6 Hestia saw this, and she found it
wanting. But, in her infinite mercy, she
TRAITS uplifted the Nemesis, bestowed gifts upon
GRAVITIC WINGS it, made it a true Iridian frame. No
longer would it need to obey the shackles
You may choose to count any and all of your
of physics.
movement as flying.

FLYBY ATTACK When a Nemesis takes flight now, it


twists and turns in a way that shouldn’t
When you hit with a melee attack with a
weapon on your turn, the target is unable to be possible. It escapes from foes with
take reactions in response to your movement nary an opening for them to strike. It
until the end of that turn. brings forth the power of Iridia’s
goddess.
HARRY THE PACK
1/round, when you hit a character with a melee And you cannot escape it.
attack, you may deal +1d6 bonus damage.
You may not trigger this against the same Wings of the Goddess
character two rounds in a row. Active (1 CP), Protocol
For the rest of the scene, the flight granted by
MOUNTS Gravitic Wings is hover, and your movement
ignores Engagement.
AUX/ MAIN/
AUX AUX 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.

[82]
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.

[83]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[84]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1 Save Target: 11 CHAMPION’S BLADE
Armor: 1 Sensors: 10 I will be a leader, never shying away
HULL SYSTEMS from the forefront of battle.
HP: 8 E-Defense: 6
Repair Cap: 4 Tech Attack: +0 I will be a symbol, soaring to bring hope
AGILITY SP: 5 to those who have lost it.
Evasion: 10 ENGINEERING
Speed: 5 I will be a hero, defending the innocent
Heat Cap: 6
until my final breath.
TRAITS
GRAVITIC WINGS But most of all, I will be a champion,
forever brave and true. With the fury of
You may choose to count any and all of your
the tempest and unbreakable honour, I
movement as flying.
will never falter, never fail.
AERIAL DANCER
-Apocryphal Champion’s Oath
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 Integrated Mount: Stormblade
turn even if you did not move.
Stormblade
DIRECT THE FLOW Main Melee
[ 2] [1d6+4 or or ]
2/round, when a hostile character within line of
sight is hit with an attack, you may push one At the beginning of each scene, choose one of
ally within 3 spaces of the hit character. On the profiles below. This weapon gains the listed
your turn, this push is up to 3 spaces in any damage type, tags, and effects for this scene:
direction, while on any other turn this push is 1 • Howling Winds: Kinetic damage. You gain
space in any direction. This may only trigger +1 Speed and when you Boost you ignore
1/turn. Engagement. On Crit: The target becomes
Slowed until the end of their next turn.
MOUNTS
• Booming Thunder: Explosive damage. This
MAIN FLEX weapon gains Knockback 3. On Crit: The
MOUNT MOUNT 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.

[85]
LICENSE I: Targeting Uplink
WINGBLADE, INERTIAL COMPENSATOR 2 SP, Mod, Limited 3, Unique

Wingblade Choose one weapon: When you hit a hostile


Auxiliary Melee, Accurate
character with it, you may expend a charge in
[ 2] [1d3 ]
order to give +1 to the next attack roll an ally
makes against that character. Attack rolls that
“War reveals who you really are. What benefit from this bonus gain AP.
you’ll fight for, how you go about doing
things. Nobody can ever truly be an “It’s a funny thing, the lengths we go
angel during it, but you have to try. to to relieve ourselves of the blame.
Try to help people, try to make it all The commander who marks a target for
worthwhile. Try to not become what death can tell herself that it wasn’t
you’re fighting to stop.” her who pulled the trigger. The soldier
who follows the order can tell himself
Inertial Compensator that it wasn’t him that was truly at
1 SP, Unique fault for doing so.”

You gain Immunity to fall damage. LICENSE III: SUPERSONIC BOOSTER,


TACTICAL COORDINATION SUITE
“Sometimes, despite all your best
attempts, you can find yourself falling. Supersonic Booster
You scramble, you try and hold your 3 SP, Unique, Limited 1, Free Action
course, but it just isn’t enough. When
that happens, don’t look to staying 1/round, you may expend a charge to Boost as
aloft. Instead seek to cushion your a free action. This movement must be made in
landing, so you don’t fall as far.” a straight line, but ignores Engagement and
doesn't provoke reactions.
LICENSE II: NEMESIS FRAME,
“You can’t run from your past. You can
PLASMA SABRE, TARGETING UPLINK try and hide, you can try and forget,
but eventually it always catches up with
Plasma Sabre you. You wonder about the paths that you
Main Melee, Unique
could have taken, the choices that you
[ 3] [2 ]
made. I always wonder if I could have
If this weapon hits a target within 2, its base stopped it all. It would have been so
damage is instead 4 . If this weapon hits a simple. And yet I wasn’t able to bring
target within 1, its base damage is instead myself to. They say it was because of
6 . Modifications to this weapon’s Threat do Her, but… what if it wasn’t? What does
not increase the range at which these base that say about me?”
damage changes occur.
Tactical Coordination Suite
On Crit: The target must pass an Engineering 2 SP, Full Action, Unique
save or else be Impaired until the end of its
Select up to 2 allied characters within line of
next turn.
sight. Each chosen character may immediately
take a quick action as a reaction. Any
“When I was with Union, I used to fight
movement made as part of this action ignores
with physical swords. Why did that
Engagement and doesn’t provoke reactions.
change? Well, I could tell you that
This system may only be activated 1/scene.
energy blades are better because of
their ability to reshape for the
“Nobody knew where I came from,
situation. Or that they cut through
obviously. Even today, I’m still their
things better. But those would all be
beloved General, as much as I hate that
lies. The truth is that they’re light
title. I was their salvation, the only
enough that it didn’t feel like I was
one who could save them from the demons
swinging a weapon. So it was easier to
that had descended from the stars. But
pretend that I wasn’t killing people.”
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.”
[86]
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.

[87]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[88]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1 Save Target: 11 PHANTASM GENERATOR
Armor: 0 Sensors: 10 A dark core of nothing, that yearns to
HULL SYSTEMS escape. To be shaped, to cloak the world.
HP: 6 E-Defense: 7 To hide that which does not want to be
Repair Cap: 3 Tech Attack: +0 found.
AGILITY SP: 8
Evasion: 10 ENGINEERING This void is absolute, until you step out
Speed: 6 Heat Cap: 5 at last. It will protect you in its
embrace, cover you like a blanket. A
TRAITS comfort to you, and terror to your foes.
SUPERPOSITION
Night Phantasms
Whenever you deploy a Drone, deploy it in two Active (1 CP), Quick Action
valid spaces instead of one.
Place 6 Phantasm Tokens in free and valid
The first time that its position is relevant spaces within Sensors, even outside of line of
(Engagement, being targeted by an attack, a sight. These tokens do not occupy spaces or
character is in a position to be affected by it, impede characters in any way.
etc.) you immediately decide which space it
‘actually’ occupies, removing it from the other. 1/round, as a reaction at the start of any
character’s turn, you may deploy one of your
This can cause, for instance, the triggering Drones to the location of a Phantasm Token,
effect to have no effect on the Drone if the removing that token.
Drone’s true space is not a valid target, or
Engagement to not apply to the triggering In addition, whenever you lose Hidden, you
character if the Drone’s true space is not where may teleport to the location of a Phantasm
it would cause Engagement. Token, removing that token.

CLOAK OF NIGHT In both cases, if the token’s space is occupied,


While the Nyx is Hidden, it is also Invisible. you or the Drone instead occupy the nearest
This may allow it to maintain Hidden in the unoccupied space (your choice if there are
open. multiple).

PHASE SHIFT
While Invisible, the Nyx’s attack rolls ignore
Invisible.

MOUNTS
FLEX HEAVY
MOUNT MOUNT

[89]
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.

[90]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[91]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1 Save Target: 11 TRANSWARP GRID
Armor: 1 Sensors: 5 A prototype for what would eventually
become miniaturized into the Epione, a
HULL SYSTEMS
transwarp core was placed into the
HP: 6 E-Defense: 9
chassis of the mech as well as its
Repair Cap: 4 Tech Attack: +0
drones. The matrix woven by the various
AGILITY SP: 8
transwarp points meant that the entire
Evasion: 8 ENGINEERING battlefield was able to be covered by the
Speed: 5 Heat Cap: 5 field.

TRAITS Unfortunately, such designs were deemed


TOKEN OF MY ESTEEM to be impractical, as they were only able
You may deploy or reposition (including from to pull people to the generators - rather
Talents) Drones or Deployables as if you were than go exactly where needed - and the
in the space of any allied Mech character. You cores burned out after a single use.
still use your own Sensor value from that
position.
COMPANION DRONE
When an allied character adjacent to one of Companion Drone (Size 1/2, [5+Grit] HP,
your Drones makes a standard movement, the Evasion/E-Defense [see below], Tags:
Drone can also move with that character as Drone)
long as it doesn’t break adjacency, mirroring
that character’s movement. This movement Your mech contains an integrated Companion
ignores Engagement and does not provoke Drone. This drone may be deployed to any
reactions. space within Sensors as a quick action. It
shares your Evasion and E-Defense.
LUNAR WARDING
While allied characters are adjacent to the
1/round, when an allied character takes drone, they ignore Engagement while moving
damage, choose one of your Drones adjacent and making ranged attacks.
to it. That Drone takes half of the damage, and
the ally takes the remainder. This applies after When you rest, perform a Full Repair, or
all other reductions. Stabilize and mark a repair, your drone regains
all HP and is automatically repaired if it was
Whenever one of your Drones is destroyed, destroyed.
one ally adjacent to it gains 3 Overshield.
The Drone can be recalled or redeployed to a
SILVER VEIL space within Sensors as a quick action.
The Selene is Immune to Lock On.
Radiant Pilgrimage
MOUNTS Active (1 CP), Quick Action
All allied characters other than the Selene’s
FLEX HEAVY Drones may teleport to a space of their choice
MOUNT MOUNT adjacent to the Selene or one of its Drones.

[92]
LICENSE I: Shroud Drone
GRAV DRONE, PITCH BLACK 2 SP, Limited 2, Unique, Quick Action,
Drone
Grav Drone Shroud Drone (Size 1/2, 5 HP, 10 E-Defense,
2 SP, Limited 4, Unique, Quick Action, 10 Evasion, Tags: Drone)
Drone
Grav Drone (Size 1/2, 5 HP, 10 E-Defense, 10 Expend a charge to deploy a Shroud Drone to
Evasion, Tags: Drone) any free space within Sensors and line of sight.
It creates a 2 around itself. Characters at
Expend a charge to deploy a Grav Drone to any least partly within this area may not draw line of
free space within Sensors and line of sight. It sight out of the area. Characters fully outside of
counts as Size 3 for the purposes of the area or who exit the area are unaffected.
Engagement. Grav Drones cannot be recalled Shroud Drones cannot be recalled and expire at
and expire at the end of the scene. the end of the scene.

Containing a tiny singularity, these Rather than creating any actual


drones have a lifespan measured in mere darkness, the Shroud Zone generates a
minutes. Once activated, the immense metastatic field that causes failure in
forces they contain begin to tear them any biological or technological
apart from the inside. observational devices attempting to peer
beyond the field. Including eyes.
PITCH BLACK
1 SP, Unique, Quick Tech LICENSE III: BINARY-PULSE NEXUS,
AETHER-CLASS NHP
Gain the following Quick Tech options:
Sleight of Hand: Target two Size 1/2 or Size 1 Binary-Pulse Nexus
Drones or Deployables within Sensors. Heavy Nexus, Smart, Loading
Teleport them, swapping their positions. [ 10][ 1] [1d6+3 ]

Phantasmagoria: Target a Deployable or On Attack: After all damage has been resolved,
Drone within Sensors. It becomes Invisible all characters in the Blast are pushed to the
until the start of your next turn, and you may nearest space outside the area and must pass a
cause it to immediately become Hidden. Hull Save or be knocked Prone.

Using single-voyage drones as a payload,


“I know we don’t really understand much the Binary-Pulse that gives this weapon
of what we do here, but this bit of code its name is a series of two explosions.
scares me the most. Most of our goddess’ One ruptures the outer casing of the
magic is straightforward. This? You run drone, sending shrapnel into everything
it, and the entire world goes black, around, while the second is a shockwave
just for an instant. Just long enough to strong enough to drop mechs to the
notice. And something changes. Usually ground.
small, sometimes bigger. The truly
terrifying times, though, are when you
don’t see any changes at all…”

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.

[93]
AETHER-Class NHP AETHER-Class NHPs are rather unusual in
3 SP, AI, Unique, Drone composition. Rather than a single
essence, they’re formed from two or
As a quick action, this system may deploy to a three dozen semi-sentient shards - more
free space in Sensors and line of sight as a animalistic in intelligence - that
Drone with the following stat line: combine with each other to create
conglomerates. These conglomerates keep
AETHER-Class Drone (Size 1, 10 HP, 10 E- combining to form ever larger ones,
Defense, 10 Evasion, Tags: Drone, Invisible) until the greater AETHER is formed. In
non-combat situations, they’ll portion
While deployed, the Drone has Sensors 3, and off parts of themself in order to
shares your Speed. It can move independently control subalterns, with various degrees
on your turn, but can’t take any other actions. If of autonomy, but the battlefield
you can fly or teleport, it can too. Spaces within requires an AETHER’s full presence.
the Drone’s Sensors count as within your own Sudden trauma is able to shatter this
Sensors, though you still require line of sight to cohesion, though, with all parts of the
be drawn from your mech. Any hostile character NHP attempting to follow its own
that misses the Drone with an attack roll gains instincts.
Lock On.
AETHERs are unfailingly optimistic at
The Drone can be recalled or redeployed to a all times. Often gratingly so, and
space within Sensors as a quick action. possibly to their own detriment. They’re
confident that they can get through
While not deployed, your mech gains the AI anything, and any evidence to the
property. This NHP can only be given control of contrary is brushed off with the
the mech if not deployed, and must give up suggestion that things will get better.
control of the mech before deploying. This extends to combat, too, where
they’ll happily bob and weave through
If AETHER cascades, the normal effects do not hostiles, confident that their partners
occur. Instead, the Drone automatically deploys will keep them safe, and are just happy
if it is not already deployed, you cannot control it to help.
or benefit from any of its effects, and it counts
as neither an ally nor one of your drones. This It’s usually obvious when an AETHER has
effect ends when cascade would. 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.

[94]
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.

[95]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[96]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1 Save Target: 11 ZERO-POINT REACTOR
Armor: 0 Sensors: 5 The core around which the Persephone is
HULL SYSTEMS designed, the Zero-Point reactor reacts
HP: 8 E-Defense: 8 peculiarly based on how much heat is
Repair Cap: 4 Tech Attack: -2 dumped into it. At low levels, a thick
AGILITY SP: 5 layer of frost protects the Frame, but as
Evasion: 6 ENGINEERING it heats up it instead begins to cause
Speed: 4 Heat Cap: 8 spontaneous thermal increases in nearby
targets.
TRAITS
ZERO-POINT REACTOR The amount of power poured into the
reactor requires severe regulation - if
When the Persephone is not in the Danger
Zone, it gains +2 Armor. When the Persephone pushed too far, the Zero-Point causes an
is in the Danger Zone, it gains +1 Speed and abrupt nullification of all heat in the
hostile characters that start their turn adjacent area in response. This is extremely
to it gain 2 . hazardous to any not properly protected,
and is ill-advised to attempt
ICE TRAIL deliberately.
The Persephone ignores difficult terrain and
Engagement when it Boosts. Absolute Zero
Active (1 CP), Full Action
THERMAL EXCITATION The Persephone and all characters within 2
1/round, when the Persephone clears at least clear all . Characters other than the user take
1 , deal 2 to a character within 3. 2 AP for each point of that they clear.

All characters in the Burst other than the user


MOUNTS must make an Engineering save or be
MAIN FLEX HEAVY Immobilized until the end of the scene or until
they pass a Hull save as a quick action.
MOUNT MOUNT MOUNT Characters that did not clear any (including
characters without a Heat Cap) make the initial
save with +1 .

[97]
LICENSE I: Coldstorm Charges
FLASH CONDENSER, ICE SHIELD 2 SP, Limited 3, Unique

Expend a charge from this system for one of the


Flash Condenser following effects:
Main Launcher, Knockback 1, 1 (Self)
[ 5] [1d6 ] • Cryo Grenade (Grenade, 5, 2): All
spaces on the ground in the blast become
On Hit: The target must succeed on a Hull difficult terrain until the end of the scene.
Save or be knocked Prone.
Winterzone Mine: (Mine, 2): This mine
This weapon absorbs ambient moisture • detonates when a character moves
from the environment, which is then adjacent to or over it. All spaces in the
supercooled to produce an endless supply burst become difficult terrain and
of ammunition. dangerous terrain until the end of the
scene. The dangerous terrain deals ,
Ice Barrier and is an Engineering Save against your
2 SP, Unique, Quick Action, 2 (Self) Save Target instead of an Engineering
check.
This System creates a 4 ice barrier, 4 spaces
high - with at least one space that is adjacent to
These thermal rift generators cause an
you - that is an obstruction for characters, and
unfortunate number of injuries and
blocks line of sight. The entire Line counts as a
accidents for new users. Despite an
single object with 5 HP, and may also be
ever-increasing number of warnings,
automatically destroyed by an adjacent
pilots continue to attempt to use them
character passing a Hull check as a quick
for non-military applications.
action. It otherwise lasts until the end of the
scene, or until this system is used again.
LICENSE III:
While fragile, this flash-frozen barrier THERMAL EJECTORS, ZERO-POINT PULSE
can buy a crucial moment.
Thermal Ejectors
LICENSE II: PERSEPHONE FRAME, 2 SP, Limited 2, Unique
CRYO LANCE, COLDSTORM CHARGES 1/round, you may spend a charge as a free
action to clear 2 .
Cryo Lance
Heavy Rifle, Ordnance, 2 (Self) Sometimes you just need to cool off
[ 10] [1 + 3 ] fast. Who cares that you can’t reuse
those heat sinks? That’s future-you’s
On Hit: Targets must succeed on an
problem. Present-you just doesn’t want
Engineering save or become Immobilized until
to explode.
the end of their next turn.

While the weapon's projection of zero- Zero-Point Pulse


point energy is invisible, flash-frozen Superheavy CQB, AP, 4 (Self)
moisture in the air creates a momentary [ 2] [1d6 + 4 ]
icicle that appears to lance targets... This weapon ignores ranged penalties from
before spreading over them like a virus. 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 zero-


point reactor into a weapon. It’s not as
devastating as the real thing, but far,
far easier to reliably use.

[98]
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.

[99]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[100]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1∕2 Save Target: 11 DIMENSIONAL TOPOGRAPHIC
Armor: 0 Sensors: 15
CONNECTION NEXUS
HULL SYSTEMS Collating data from maneuvering known
HP: 6 E-Defense: 12 points around the battlefield, this
Repair Cap: 5 Tech Attack: +1 device, known for short as the “Rift
AGILITY SP: 8 Nexus”, literally unravels space around
Evasion: 10 ENGINEERING the target, briefly connecting it with a
Speed: 4 Heat Cap: 4 discontiguous location. Swift foes can
evade the portal’s creation, but feedback
TRAITS containment ensures collected information
DISTRIBUTIVE MATRIX is not wasted.
Whenever you or an ally within Sensors spends
a repair, you and all Mech allies within Sensors Integrated Mount: Rift Nexus
gain 4 Overshield.
Rift Nexus
METAFOLD OVERRIDE Main Nexus, Arcing
[ 10] [Damage: n∕a]
1/round, when you target another character
with a tech action, you may push that This weapon begins with 0 charges. 1/round,
character up to 2 spaces in any direction when you inflict any involuntary movement on a
before making the attack or otherwise resolving character, other than movement caused by this
the action - the action continues even if this weapon, you gain 1 charge, to a maximum of 5.
moves them in such a way they would no longer
be a valid target - whether because of line of When you hit a character with this weapon, you
sight, range, Sensors, entering an area may teleport the target up to 2 spaces per
forbidding tech actions, or any other effect. charge this weapon has. Once you hit, this
weapon returns to 0 charges. Charges persist
between scenes, but are lost during a full repair.
MOUNTS
FLEX Rift Stabilization
Active (1 CP), Protocol
MOUNT
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.

[101]
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.

[102]
Art by Cosmixian

[103]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1∕2 Save Target: 11 TECHNOLOGICAL NULLIFIER
Armor: 1 Sensors: 8 A corruption of the rift nexus, the
HULL SYSTEMS technological nullifier opens a gate
HP: 8 E-Defense: 10 through a shattered realm… and holds it
Repair Cap: 4 Tech Attack: +2 open, draining energy from surrounding
AGILITY SP: 7 people and places into it.
Evasion: 8 ENGINEERING
Speed: 5 Heat Cap: 6 Those caught in the area report a true
feeling of helplessness, as systems
TRAITS refuse to respond, and every part of
SHATTERED SOUL their mech feels like it’s in the process
of shutting down - and might take their
When you or a character within Sensors who
bodies and souls along with it.
has a maximum Structure value greater than 1
loses Structure, you or one ally within Sensors Dead Zone
gains 4 Overshield. Active (1 CP), Full Action

INVOLUNTARY ABHORRENCE You generate a 3 technological dead zone


within Sensors that lasts until the end of the
1/round, when you target another character scene.
with a tech action, you may push all
characters adjacent to them 1 space directly Hostile characters entirely within the zone may
away from the target after resolving the action. not take tech actions and automatically fail
Systems checks and saves.
PARIAH
You are Immune to damage, and from Hostile characters that begin their turn even
allied characters, but may never benefit from partially within the zone become Impaired,
their Traits. which may be cleared with a successful
Systems save at the end of their turn.
MOUNTS
MAIN/
AUX

[104]
LICENSE I: STRUCTURAL ENTANGLEMENT, Aurora Barrier
AURORA BARRIER 1 SP, Quick Action, Shield, Unique

This system charges as a quick action, coating


Structural Entanglement you in a faint rainbow sheen. While it is
3 SP, Quick Tech, Unique charged, you gain the Brilliant Light reaction. It
Choose two characters within Sensors, or can only hold one charge at a time, but charges
yourself and a character within Sensors. For last for the rest of the scene or until used.
each hostile target, you must make a tech
When active, the user is able to project
attack roll against them; a miss on any target
around itself a dazzling array of images
means the entire action fails.
in both normal and legionspace. Those
who persist in looking directly at the
While this effect lasts, neither character can be
barrier will soon find themselves
targeted or affected by any of the others’
staggered and blinking away afterimages.
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 Brilliant Light
target you (such as Pinning Spire), or penalize Reaction, 1∕round
you for not (such as Duel to the Death or Crush Trigger: A hostile character hits or misses you
Targeting) cease to function for the duration. In or an ally within 5 with an attack.
addition, neither character causes Engagement
with the other, and each character can freely Effect: The triggering character becomes
move through - but not end a movement in - the Impaired until the end of their next turn, and
others’ spaces. may be pushed 1 space directly away from the
character they hit or missed.
This effect lasts until the end of the scene, you
use this action again, or you or one of the LICENSE II: PSYCHE FRAME, SYMPATHETIC
participants ends it as a quick action. A hostile TWINNING, GRAVITIC CLAMPS
character attempting to end it must pass a
Systems save as part of the action in order to Sympathetic Twinning
successfully do so. 3 SP, Quick Tech, Shield, Overshield,
Unique
The weaver stitches two together,
enfolding them into a single soul. The Choose two characters within Sensors, or
universe believes the lie, enforces it yourself and a character within Sensors. A
upon those thus entwined. To each of target character cannot already be under the
them, the other must not exist - for effect of any other instance of Sympathetic
there is no other. There is only one. 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.

[105]
Gravitic Clamps Retribution Bond
2 SP, Unique 3 SP, Quick Tech, Limited 2, Unique
A combination of gravitation and magnetic Choose two willing allies within Sensors, or
clamps allows you to climb on and ride around yourself and a willing ally within Sensors. While
on other mechs. As a quick action, while not this effect lasts, whenever an affected character
Immobilized, you may climb onto an adjacent is hit by a hostile attack, the other character
allied mech that is a larger Size than you. While gains +1 to their next attack roll against the
riding, you occupy the same space as them, triggering hostile character before the end of
move when they move (even if you’re Slowed), their next turn.
and benefit from soft cover. If you or the mount
are knocked Prone, Stunned, Immobilized, or As a reaction, a participant may end this effect
destroyed, you land Prone in an adjacent in order to re-roll an attack roll (that either
space. person made) that is benefitting from the
Accuracy from this effect.
Each mech may only support one rider using
Gravitic Clamps, and a mech using Gravitic If the reaction is not used, this effect lasts until
Clamps may not have a rider using Gravitic the end of the scene, or until you use this action
Clamps. again.
Sometimes referred to as “Butterfly At last, the weaver rests, the tapestry
Clamps”, after the popular Iridian tale finished. More than the souls are joined
that a butterfly alighting on you is a now - the hearts and minds are, too. The
sign that you're being watched over. tale has been told, and now all that is
left is for the story to play out.
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.

[106]
Legend tells that when the world began, it was drab and cold, devoid of
vibrancy and colour. It was a sad place, without much hope and purpose.

Among the creatures living there were the creatures that would eventually
come to be known as Ephemera. But they were not as brilliant as they are now,
not as sneaky, not as clever. They were just as sad as the rest of the world.

Hestia saw all of this and would not let it stand. Her children needed the
chance to be happy, the chance to play, the chance to live their lives.

She searched and searched for something that would help her children, but it
seemed hopeless. Even the might of a goddess would not prevail.

And then she found it, on the cusp of giving up. The sole fragment of colour
hiding on Iridia. The glimmer of sunlight through rain-wetted grass.

The goddess hurried to collect as much of the precious ichor as she could in
a basket woven from the silver of the moon. But as much as she tried, she
could not collect enough for the entire world, as the sun vanished once more.

For a time, she sat there in the world, despondent. Even the power of a
goddess was not able to save her children.

But then something unexpected happened. A lizard crept by and, unnoticed,


fell in her basket, dousing it in rainbows.

Seeing the brilliance of it, the energy it now had, it made Hestia realize
what she could do. How she could bring light to the world.

She gathered more lizards, weaving the rainbows into their scales and
creating the first Ephemera. Their scales were vibrant rainbows, and they
shone like the sun.

She told them to roam and be free, to bring life and happiness to all. Where
they trod, the world became colourful and the other creatures were able to
share in their energy.

Unfortunately, these first Ephemera were too bright, too brilliant. Any who
saw them were transfixed by their beauty, never able to look away.

So, when Hestia made more, she wrapped the light in their scales around
itself. Now they could bring their gifts to people without enthralling them.
Sometimes they wouldn’t even be noticed, their radiant scales shifting and
fading.

But the Ephemera don’t mind. To this day they still spread Hestia’s love,
carrying a little fragment of the divine around in the form of their scales.
Her messengers of life and energy, and a promise that it would be forever
present.

What happened to the First Ephemera, you ask? Some say they stayed by
Hestia’s side once the world was energized, forever under her wing. Others
claim that they still roam Iridia, bringing happiness to those who need it
the most…

--”Rainbow Tears of a Goddess: The story of the Ephemera”


Transcribed from an Iridian storyteller
(Original written by Bowyer)

[107]
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 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.

In addition to four full Licenses, there are also four variant frames for licenses from the Lancer Core book
and the Long Rim supplement. While these aren't specifically Iridian in origin, they do represent aspects
of the planet where they could easily be found (respectively, in order of appearance by corporation:
orbital projects; the metavault; the Silent Mountains or the Reckoning; Nobles or Luminary Knights).

IPS-N Silver (Defender/Controller): A close-range defender, able to slip through reality and cripple
nearby foes.

IPS-N Endeavour (Support): Designed for orbital missions, this heavily-armoured flying Lancaster can
even transport allies through the air.

SSC Luna (Striker): A nimble duelist, it dances invisibly through the enemy formation as it toys with its
targets.

SSC Rosy Maple (Controller/Support): Only half in reality, this tech-oriented Dusk Wing coordinates
the hacker abilities of its allies.

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.

HORUS Crysmal (Controller/Support): Formed of viral crystals, this hardier Kobold supports allies from
the front line with additional Lock Ons.

HA Castilla (Striker/Controller): A host for ravenous nanites, it litters the field with pools of greywash.

HA Jeanne (Defender/Support): Focusing on Shield support, this Napoleon's Aegis can give any ally a
moment's Immunity.

Art by Spiral_Joe

[108]
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.

[109]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[110]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 2 Save Target: 11 PROFANE AMALGAM
Armor: 1 Sensors: 10 The Silver contains components from many
HULL SYSTEMS different Iridian frames, all put
HP: 12 E-Defense: 6 together in a way that no sane - or
Repair Cap: 4 Tech Attack: -1 insane - person would consider workable.
SP: 7 And yet… it’s technically stable.
AGILITY
Evasion: 8 ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 6 It’s a miracle that the frame hasn’t yet
Speed: 4
torn itself apart by the paracausal
TRAITS forces created by the interplay of its
LEGIONSPACE STATIC systems, but it’s only one moment away
from causing some sort of implosion of
Tech attacks from hostile characters treat the
reality.
Silver as Invisible.

EDGEWISE TO REALITY One tiny push.

On its turn, the Silver ignores difficult terrain


And then it’s a storm like no other.
and may move through any obstructions
(including hostile characters), though it may not
CORRUPTED PROVIDENCE
end its movement in obstructed spaces.
Hostile characters adjacent to the Silver deal
WEAK COMPUTER half damage to any character other than the
Silver.
The Silver has +1 on Systems checks and
saves.
Paracausal Convergence
MOUNTS Active (1 CP), Protocol
The Silver becomes Intangible, and creates a
MAIN MAIN FLEX
3 around itself, which moves with it and
MOUNT MOUNT MOUNT 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.

[111]
LICENSE I: RETRIEVAL CLAWS, LICENSE III: AB-T/R EMERGENCY
ELECTROSTATIC GRASP BULKHEAD, REALITY STORM

Retrieval Claws Ab-T/R Emergency Bulkhead


Main Melee 2 SP, Overshield, Shield, Unique
[ 2] [1d6 ]
You may destroy this system after you roll on
On Hit: You may pull your target 1 space the Structure Damage table, even if you did
towards you. not receive a System Trauma result that
On Crit: This attack gains AP. targeted a System. If this system is destroyed, it
may be repaired for no cost during a rest.
Tests indicate that these charged
pneumatics are able to reliably grasp When this system is destroyed (including
targets at a distance of up to 150% of through System Trauma), you and each allied
their maximum extended length. Users are character within 2 of you gains Overshield
advised to not think about it too much. equal to your Grit+2 immediately after resolving
the Structure Roll.
Electrostatic Grasp
2 SP, Unique The Ablative-Trauma∕React “Emergency
Bulkhead” is designed to give an entire
Characters you have Grappled cannot benefit squad a breather when the situation most
from or take quick tech or full tech actions. calls for it. Unfortunately, it has a
lengthy recharge sequence, so can only
Certain electrical frequencies can be provide limited support.
used to insulate a target from sending
or receiving legionspace signals, though
Reality Storm
immediate proximity is needed.
2 SP, Quick Action, Unique
LICENSE II: SILVER FRAME, SCOURING This system creates a 3 storm of paracausal
HALO, “GUARDIAN” CONTAINMENT FIELD energy around you until the start of your next
turn. Tech attacks against any character in the
Scouring Halo storm take +1 , and any character other than
Main CQB, Smart you that ends their turn in the storm must pass
[ 1] [1d3+3 ] an Engineering save or be teleported up to 3
spaces. This movement may not be prevented
This weapon ignores ranged penalties from in any way, including Immunity to involuntary
Engaged and does not attack allied characters movement.
caught in its area of effect.
Once activated, the user must Stabilize before
An aggressive∕defensive grid-option, the this System can be used again.
Halo allows you to keep your vicinity
clear of hostiles while still retaining
proximity to your allies. Officially designated a “ParaStatic
Dispersion Regulator,” canny users can
“Guardian” Containment Field override the limiters. This lets a
2 SP, Quick Action, Limited 1, Shield, charge build up to dangerous levels,
Unique which a pilot can then release in a
Expend a charge to choose a hostile character concentrated burst. The paracausal
within 5, who must make an Engineering storms manifested this way are
save. On a failure, select one of their weapons thankfully brief in duration, but they
or systems. The chosen weapon or system can wreak havoc all the same.
becomes disabled until they succeed on a
Systems save at the end of their turn, or until IPS-N bears no liability for the
the end of the scene. permanent appearance or disappearance of
any objects or individuals during
While primarily intended to help unauthorized use of the PSDR.
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.

[112]
IPS-N
ENDEAVOR
Support
Lancaster Variant

This variant can be taken at rank II of the Lancaster license instead of the base Frame.

The Endeavour first saw use as a jury-rigged salvage and


rescue chassis by enterprising - and isolated - starships
outside of Core space. The Lancaster has always been a
robust and reliable framework, so its repair capabilities
were stripped out in order to fit space-capable thrusters in
lieu of any appropriate retrieval vessel. When you’re out in
the middle of nowhere, you have to make do with what you
can.

This amalgamation was never intended to be used in battle,


but - as is the case with much of IPS-N’s history - it
regularly found itself being used in ways it was never
intended. …and that’s beyond the fact that its entire
existence was never intended in the first place. Thankfully,
its reliability and all-theater capabilities proved
reasonably capable as support for both space and ground
based exploits.

IPS-N eventually caught wind of these successful


modifications, and began producing dedicated Endeavour
frames, fully intended to be used as such with no
modifications required. The further reinforcement of the
Lancaster’s insulation with heavily-armoured thermal tile
has reduced re-entry incidents down to near-zero, and the
integration of purpose-built void tethers has drastically
lowered the rate of cargo loss. All in all, a great win for
efficiency. And survivability.

Today, the Endeavour can be found in civilian roles around


many spaceborne projects, acting as a rapid-response unit in
any emergency that may occur. It also has a place on the
battlefield - though, less common - in a respectable support
role along with its Lancaster and Kidd siblings. And it will
always have a place in the hearts of those lonely starships
plying the frontier.

[113]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[114]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 3 Save Target: 10 VOID TETHERS
Armor: 2 Sensors: 10 While the Endeavour’s cargo cables
HULL SYSTEMS usually require one or more external
HP: 8 E-Defense: 8 spacers to securely fasten, skilled
Repair Cap: 7 Tech Attack: +1 pilots can at times snag a target that’s
SP: 8 willing to play along for a few moments.
AGILITY
Evasion: 6 ENGINEERING
Heat Cap: 7 This maneuver isn’t always the safest for
Speed: 6
the Endeavour, but the types of pilots to
TRAITS pull this off usually aren’t the type to
INSULATED care what kinds of obstacles are around.

The Endeavour has Immunity to . Emergency Extraction


Active (1 CP), Quick Action
ASTRAL MANEUVERING THRUSTERS
The Endeavour flies its speed. One allied
The Endeavour may choose to count any and character that the Endeavor moves adjacent to
all of its movement as flying. While in zero-g, during this movement, ignoring elevation, is
the Endeavor can hover. placed adjacent to one space the Endeavour
ends this movement in. The ally’s movement
AERIAL TRANSPORT counts as involuntary and, if they are in the air
at the end of it, they fall and take no damage.
The Endeavour is still able to fly while carrying,
grappling, or otherwise transporting allied Efficient: This ability refunds 1 CP at the end of
characters or objects, even if they are larger any scene in which it’s used.
than Size 1/2.

If the Endeavour is more than 3 spaces above


the ground, allied characters transported in any
way may not make ranged attacks against any
character that is not flying.

MOUNTS
MAIN/
AUX

[115]
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.

[116]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[117]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1∕2 Save Target: 10 STEPSPACE COUPLET
Armor: 1 Sensors: 10 When the Luna clashes with another, you
HULL SYSTEMS could almost think that the pair were
HP: 8 E-Defense: 10 one, as the mech swirls and cavorts
Repair Cap: 3 Tech Attack: +1 around its chosen partner.
AGILITY SP: 6
Evasion: 10 ENGINEERING But the Luna is fickle, and likes to be
Speed: 5 Heat Cap: 5 center stage. Those who take their eyes
off it, who let their attention wander,
TRAITS may find themselves thrust into the fray.
LEGIONSPACE SHADOW For the Luna skirts at the edge of the
senses, and even a moment’s inattention
1/round, when you make a melee attack
may cost you dearly.
against a hostile character, your next tech
attack (against any character) may deal
1d6 AP on a hit, in addition to its other effects. Battle Dancer
Active (1 CP), Reaction
EPHEMERIC BIO-CAM Trigger: A hostile character within Sensors and
Attack rolls against the Luna from the nearest line of sight makes an attack that doesn’t
hostile character treat it as Invisible. If multiple include you
hostile characters are tied for nearest, this Effect: Teleport to a free space adjacent to the
affects all of them. triggering character, before the attack resolves.

FRAGILE Efficient: This ability refunds 1 CP at the end of


The Luna has +1 on Hull checks and saves. any scene in which it’s used.

Note: Universal Compatibility can be triggered


MOUNTS by this ability even though free actions can
normally only be taken on your turn.
FLEX MAIN/
MOUNT AUX

[118]
LICENSE I: Energy Buckler
QUICKSILVER EDGE, SHIMMERSIGHT 2 SP, Shield, Quick Action, Unique

Quicksilver Edge Nominate a character within line of sight. Until


Main Melee the start of your next turn, you gain resistance
[ 2] [1d3+2 ] to all damage and from attacks that they
make while within 5 of you.
Reactions may not be taken against attacks
made by this weapon. While it loses efficiency at longer
distances, this next-generation energy
The “Quicksilver” sub-line of armaments shield is unparalleled while a pilot
are modified with sudden-strike focuses on a single foe.
capabilities, blurring the weapon and
reducing the target's ability to respond
LICENSE III:
to an attack.
WRAITHCLOAK, DISTORTION BLADE
Shimmersight
1 SP, Unique Wraithcloak
2 SP, Limited 3, Unique
When targeting characters you are Engaged
Whenever the user Boosts, they may expend a
with, you ignore their Invisible status.
charge to become Intangible for the duration of
the Boost. The user may not split the movement
The latest in predictive targeting
from a Boost affected by this system, and must
algorithms. While they bypass most
give up all remaining movement from it in order
sensor bafflers, it’s currently limited
to take another action.
to a very narrow engagement-space.
Most certainly not a proprietary
LICENSE II: LUNA FRAME, ENERGY integration of Iridian Silver Veils into
BUCKLER, BLADEMASTER’S DANCE FADE technology, the Wraithcloak is a
new, innovative way to maneuver in
crowded battlefield conditions.
Blademaster’s Dance
2 SP, Quick Tech, Invade, Unique
Distortion Blade
Gain the following Invade options: Auxiliary Melee, Accurate, Thrown 5,
Contender’s Challenge: The target must be Smart
Engaged with you in order to choose this [ 1] [1d3 ]
option. If the target voluntarily moves more than On Crit: The target treats the user as Invisible
3 spaces away from you before the end of its until the end of the target’s next turn.
next turn, it becomes Jammed until the start of
its next turn. These knives are attracted to electronic
signals and emit a powerful scrambling
If the target starts their movement outside of pulse upon impact. Use of this weapon
3, they are unaffected unless they move to constitutes an agreement to waive all
within 3 and move away again. liability of SSC in the event of self-
scrambling.
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.

A sub-strain of Hunter Logic designed


for greater control over a target, it
unfortunately requires a more hands-on
approach from the pilot.

[119]
SSC
ROSY MAPLE
Controller∕Support
Dusk Wing Variant

This variant can be taken at rank II of the Dusk Wing license instead of the base Frame.

The Rosy Maple is another result of the DHIYED-derivation


project that created the Dusk Wing. It never reached the
lofty heights of its sister frame due to particular quirks
that never managed to quite get ironed out, but eventually
deployment was authorized to select security groups.

While the Dusk Wing’s technology tended to focus on imposing


its technological constructs on reality, the Rosy Maple was
designed for the opposite - shunting physical objects at
least partially into the digital world, in order to let them
be more easily modified.

Unfortunately, early tests proved to be rather disastrous,


with DHIYED seeming to have one last laugh. More than once,
people would disappear moments before exiting the frame,
their electronic records similarly wiped. Other times,
physical objects became stuck partially phased in digital
space, unable to be moved out of the way or otherwise
altered without injecting code into it. Having to learn how
to program two types of tables became a common joke during
testing.

It never became clear exactly why the incidents became less


common, before stopping entirely. There are some who suspect
that it’s just a false sense of security, given that there’s
no clear correlation with anything that they tinkered with.

The fact that pilots no longer appear to vanish, however,


has given the frame the provisional authorization to be
produced in limited quantities as an alternative to their
existing Dusk Wing chassis. If this stability holds, the
Rosy Maple may eventually expand into its own sub-line, but
that’s currently not being considered for liability reasons.

[120]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[121]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1∕2 Save Target: 11 DIGITAL FRACTAL
Armor: 0 Sensors: 15 “It’s a shadow, an imperfect reflection.
HULL SYSTEMS But I think, in the end, that’s more
HP: 6 E-Defense: 12 worrying. Because we project our thoughts
Repair Cap: 3 Tech Attack: +2 onto the unknown - our hopes, our doubts,
SP: 7 our fears. And through that, it knows
AGILITY
ENGINEERING us.”
Evasion: 8
Speed: 6 Heat Cap: 4
“Why did the pilots disappear? What was
TRAITS the pattern? Was there one? If we saw it
SIGNAL RELAY in full, I think we’d understand. But
what if understanding it gives it
1/round, when the Rosy Maple hits a character
strength?”
with a tech attack, that character counts as
within the Sensors of all the Rosy Maple’s allies
until the start of the Rosy Maple’s next turn. “Humans are naturally curious. We want to
know everything. We devour every lesson,
CYBERFORM we seek to understand every mystery. But
On the Rosy Maple’s turn, any attack that maybe there are things that should not be
targets its evasion instead targets its e-defense, sought out. That should remain buried.”
and any Hull, Agility or Engineering save or
check it has to make instead becomes a ETERNAL MATRIX
System save (if it is a save) or System check Gain the following option for Invade:
(if it is a check).
• Sensor Shroud: Until the end of the target’s
next turn, they may not make any attacks that
FRAGILE
do not consume Lock On, unless they have
The Rosy Maple recieves +1 on Hull checks already made an attack that consumed Lock
and saves. On against that character during that action.

MOUNTS Source Purge


MAIN FLEX Active (1 CP), Quick Tech
MOUNT MOUNT The Rosy Maple makes an Invade against a
character within Sensors, ignoring Immunity to
tech actions, which automatically hits. Choose
one additional Invasion option to apply to the
target.

Efficient: This ability refunds 1 CP at the end of


any scene in which it’s used.

[122]
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.]

[123]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[124]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 2 Save Target: 10 PROGNOSTIC MNEMOTECH
Armor: 1 Sensors: 15 We are but our memories. The past
HULL SYSTEMS dictates the future. That is the natural
HP: 8 E-Defense: 8 order of things.
Repair Cap: 4 Tech Attack: +1
AGILITY SP: 6 But if you have the strength, you can see
Evasion: 6 ENGINEERING the truth. That past, present, future,
Speed: 4 Heat Cap: 6 all are one. Cast the future as a memory,
and you can ensure it happens. Rewrite
TRAITS that memory, and it can change what
MEMORY HOLE happens.

1/round, as a quick action when you hit a BORROWED TIME


hostile character with an attack, they become
Intangible until the start of their next turn. 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
EPHEMERAL
action this turn - which must still obey duplicate
If the Phane explodes, its wreck is destroyed, or action limits, and may not be used to Skirmish -
it otherwise ceases to exist, it fades from and accrue one Time Debt. You may only have
everyone’s memory - except for the pilot’s - until one instance of Time Debt at a time, and may
it is rebuilt. not reach into the future more if you’ve reached
your limit.
SLOW
While you have any Time Debt, you are
The Phane has +1 on Agility checks and
Shredded, which may not be cleared until you
saves.
no longer have any Time Debt.

MOUNTS You may spend a quick action to remove one


Time Debt that you’ve accrued and choose one
MAIN MAIN FLEX of the following benefits:
MOUNT MOUNT MOUNT • 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.

[125]
LICENSE I: CHRONOFRAGMENT, Rewrite Memory
TEMPORAL MEMORIA 3 SP, Limited 2, Quick Action, Unique

Select yourself or a character within 5,


Chronofragment ignoring line of sight. Teleport them up to 5
1 SP, Unique spaces and, if targeting you or an ally, clear
When you Overcharge, you may, before the Lock On. A hostile character may pass a
action is resolved, become Intangible until the Systems save to instead be teleported up to 2
end of your turn. spaces.

Millions of futures, trillions of You may consume Lock On when targeting a


branches. And for a moment, you fold all hostile character. If you do, you do not expend a
the possibilities into one. A single charge. This system may be used this way even
point of probability, where nothing is when at 0 charges.
certain. Not the world, not them. Not
even you. A little nudge, a little push. And
suddenly their memories are all wrong,
have been wrong this whole time. You
Temporal Memoria can’t trust anything now, can you?
1 SP, Quick Tech, Invade, Unique That’s okay, you can trust me.
Gain the following Invade options:
LICENSE III:
Reverie: Until the end of the target’s next turn, DREAMREAVER, MNEMOSYNE-CLASS NHP
they are Slowed, and no character counts as
hostile for their effects that only affect hostile
characters (note that this does not mean that Dreamreaver
Main Melee, 1 SP, Smart, AP, Unique
they become allied). This also ends if Entropic
[ 1] [1d3+2 ]
Vision is used on the same target.
This weapon deals +X damage, where X is
Entropic Vision: Until the end of the target’s equal to the target’s Armor value (to a
next turn, they are Impaired, and all characters maximum of 4).
count as hostile for their effects that only affect
hostile characters (note that this does not mean When you have utter confidence in
that they are no longer allied). This also ends if yourself, that is when you must be most
Reverie is used on the same target. on your guard. Because it hurts all the
more when you fail. When your strength
is what causes your undoing. You thought
Everyone has memories that they’d be you were above it all. You were wrong.
willing to be lost in, fears of what the Dead wrong.
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.

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.

[126]
MNEMOSYNE-Class NHP
3 SP, AI, Limited 1, Unique
Your mech gains the AI property and the Half-
Remembered 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.

[127]
HORUS
CRYSMAL
Controller∕Support
Kobold Variant

This variant can be taken at rank II of the Kobold license instead of the base Frame.

Crysmals are sometimes formed when a Kobold is birthed amid


a mineral-rich area. While their capabilities are
superficially similar, the Crysmal is a machine that brings
far greater loathing. For the Crysmal’s very presence begins
to warp inorganic matter into mirrors of the minerals that
created it. It is a salting of the land that can only be
stopped - though not reversed - by either slaying or driving
off the Crysmal. Though the latter is only a temporary, and
local, solution.

Thus the Crysmal is worse than a weapon of war, it is a


crime against nature. A mechanized virus, a perversely
beautiful blight, one whose light corrupts the earth itself.
Unless a Crysmal incursion is defeated quickly, the
defenders will find their land warped and barren for a
generation or more, inimical to life.

It is for this reason that Crysmals are so rarely found


amongst defenders. Their sheer presence forces aggression,
else a user’s own lands will suffer the same crystalline
fate as everything around the frame must. Consequently,
Crysmal pilots tend to be ostracized by many, no matter
their skills at fighting. They are wielding a living
biohazard, and people are justified for giving it a wide
berth.

There is one additional, particularly dangerous, side effect


that the Crysmal has been reported to cause on occasions.
Normally when nanites become infected by its crystals, they
simply shut down, no longer capable of functioning. But, in
rare circumstances, the swarm can manage to stay active,
infused with some of that corruptive energy. It becomes even
more dangerous as it sweeps across landscapes, for it
devours both organic and inorganic materials, turning them
into crystals. This “gemwash” leaves behind in its wake
picturesque scenes, frozen eternally in their final moments.
Beautiful wastelands of death.

[128]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[129]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1∕2 Save Target: 11 PARANEMATIC RESONANCE
Armor: 1 Sensors: 8 The Crysmal is a natural vector for the
HULL SYSTEMS minerals that created it - it passively
HP: 8 E-Defense: 10 begins to reshape the molecular structure
Repair Cap: 3 Tech Attack: +1 of most inorganics around itself into
SP: 8 copies of the unique composition of the
AGILITY
ENGINEERING crystals embedded in it.
Evasion: 8
Speed: 4 Heat Cap: 6
These gemstones all retain a link to the
TRAITS Crysmal that created them, allowing
CRYSTALLINE INFECTION skilled pilots to influence their growth.
In this way, they can form a shell over a
1/round, when an object, Deployable, terrain
target - shielding them instead of
or character is destroyed within the Crysmal’s
Sensors, the triggering target shatters into a hindering their function.
cascade of glittering crystals in a 1 around
itself. Any hostile character within this burst Crystalline Shield
receives Lock On. Active (1 CP), Quick Action
An allied mech character within Sensors gains
REFRACTIVE BODY Grit+4 Overshield. Whenever a hostile
The Crysmal has resistance to . character reduces this Overshield, that
character gains Lock On. If they already have
Lock On, they take 2 instead.
VIRAL SHATTER
Whenever the Crysmal takes Structure damage, Efficient: This ability refunds 1 CP at the end of
it creates a Size 1 crystal shard in a free space any scene in which it’s used.
within Sensors. This terrain has 10 HP,
evasion 5, and grants hard cover.

MOUNTS
MAIN/
AUX

[130]
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.

[131]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[132]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 2 Save Target: 11 HELLFIRE EXCITATION
Armor: 2 Sensors: 10 Disengaging limiters, the Castilla can
HULL SYSTEMS draw upon the swarm's true power for a
HP: 8 E-Defense: 10 short time. It comes at a price, though,
Repair Cap: 3 Tech Attack: +1 as the nanites begin to consume the mech
SP: 6 from the inside as fuel.
AGILITY
Evasion: 6 ENGINEERING
Pyroclasm Overdrive
Speed: 4 Heat Cap: 7
Active (1 CP), Protocol

TRAITS For the rest of the scene, the Castilla gains the
following effects:
NANO-ADAPTIVE ASSAULT
Whenever you cause a hostile character to • The zones created by Ravaging Swarm last
make a Save, you may take 2 to change the until the end of the scene.
Save to your choice of a Systems Save or
Engineering Save. • The Castilla’s Nexus Weapons and
weapons with the Smart tag gain the
RAVAGING SWARM Overkill tag.

1/round, when a hostile character fails a save • Whenever a character fails a save caused
caused by the Castilla or the Castilla scores a by the Castilla, or the Castilla hits a
critical hit with a Nexus Weapon or a weapon character with a Nexus weapon or a weapon
with the Smart tag, it creates a puddle of with the Smart tag, you may push the
nanites in a 1 around the character, which triggering character 1 space in any
lasts until the start of the Castilla’s next turn. direction.

A hostile character that enters this zone for the • If the Castilla's suffers a reactor meltdown, it
first time in a round or ends its turn in the zone deals instead of .
becomes Impaired until the end of its next turn.

EXPOSED REACTOR
The Castilla has +1 on Engineering checks
and saves.

MOUNTS
MAIN HEAVY
MOUNT MOUNT

[133]
LICENSE I: EXIGENCY NANITES, Subjectivity Abrogation
MOLECULAR DISASSEMBLER 3 SP, Limited 2, Unique

Expend a charge from this system for one of the


Exigency Nanites following effects:
1 SP, Unique
• Mental Prison (Grenade, 5, 2): All
When you Brace, you may clear one condition characters within the area treat the Blast
or all after the attack resolves, and you gain as a zone until the end of their next turn. If
+2 to your next check or save. an affected character attempts to
voluntarily leave this zone, they must first
A tried and true method of dealing with make a Systems save. On a failure they
a variety of environmental hazards, lose the remainder of that movement, on a
whitewash swarms are invaluable to any pass, they instead move as if in difficult
pilot who finds themself in a tight terrain for until the end of their turn.
situation.
• Isolation Zone (Mine, 2): All characters
Molecular Disassembler within the area treat the Burst as a zone
2 SP, Quick Action, Limited 1, Unique until the end of their next turn. If an
affected character attempts to voluntarily
Expend a charge from this system to create a leave this zone, they must first make a
2 zone within 5. The zone is difficult Systems save. On a failure they lose the
terrain. When the zone appears, and at the end remainder of that movement, on a pass,
of every round, it damages non-Mech they instead move as if in difficult terrain
characters and objects within it. Objects, for until the end of their turn. If an affected
Deployables, Drones and terrain take 10 AP, character attempts to voluntarily target a
and biological characters take 5 . character outside this zone, they must first
pass a Systems save or else lose the
You or any Mech character in the zone may remainder of that action.
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. The memetic payload of these devices
contains heavy similarities to traces
Developed for use against dug in foes, found on Iridia, consistent with
Disassembler Nanites are a dangerous emanations from HESTIA-Class NHPs. They
strain of whitewash that only ignores trap targets within the strongest
entities with a reactor signal. This possible walls - those formed by their
ensures that an attacking force can own mind.
advance entirely unharmed, while a
defender’s fortifications crumble to LICENSE III: CONCUSSION NEXUS,
dust. Handle with care.
SWARM LIMITER OVERRIDE
LICENSE II: CASTILLA FRAME, DEVOURING
Concussion Nexus
BLADE, SUBJECTIVITY ABROGATION Heavy Nexus, Knockback 2
[ 10][ 3] [1d6+2 ]
Devouring Blade
Main Melee, Smart On Hit: The target must make an Agility save.
[ 1] [3 + 2 ] On a failure, they are pushed 2 spaces in any
direction instead of Knocked Back.
What is at first glance a rippling
silver sword is, in actuality, a swarm The nanite swarm grown within this
of greywash held in check by extremely weapon’s chamber has had most of its
tight parameters. The controller is able programming stripped out in order to
to shape the weapon as they need, but contain explosives. While this has
anyone else is readily consumed. drastically reduced its ability to adapt
to targets mid-flight, the usefulness of
blanketing an area - and targets - with
directional explosives cannot be
understated.

[134]
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.

[135]
HA
JEANNE
Defender∕Support
Napoleon Variant

This variant can be taken at rank II of the Napoleon license instead of the base Frame.

hWile the Napoleon chassis was capable enough, the Trueblack


Aegis severely constrained the user’s capabilities while
active. The Jeanne was the Armory’s attempt to bypass these
limitations, creating a far more versatile Aegis. Sunzi
technology even allowed for short range microgates, allowing
the Aegis - and other protective technologies - to extend to
allies. While this projection supposedly doesn’t touch the
intervening realspace, eyewitnesses often report seeing
afterimages in the air during operation, as though left by
arcs of light.

Unfortunately, history would not prove kind to the Jeanne.


The enhanced Aegis systems proved impractical to maintain
for any significant duration, even powered by a mech’s
coldcore reactor. Technically fulfilling requirements was
not enough for the Armory, and development officially
ceased. Officially, the only remnants of the project are the
next-generation Aegis systems, currently being upscaled for
use on battleships.

Unofficially, some Jeanne schematics have made their ways


out into the world, finding people with the proper skill and
temperament. Some say that the testing team didn’t want to
have their hard work be scrapped. Others whisper that the
Jeanne has a spirit all of its own, one that yearns to
defend others, and found its own way into the aether.

Regardless of the truth, the frame can be occasionally found


in the hands of bodyguards, would-be knights, or others with
courage, kindness, or sacrifice in their hearts. The Jeanne
may have been cast aside as a failure, but bravery will
always find a way.

[136]
Art by Spiral_Joe

[137]
CORE STATS CORE SYSTEM
Size: 1∕2 Save Target: 11 TRUEBLACK PROJECTION
Armor: 2 Sensors: 5 The normally diffuse shielding of the
HULL SYSTEMS Jeanne’s trueblack is able to be
HP: 6 E-Defense: 8 momentarily coalesced on itself or
Repair Cap: 3 Tech Attack: +0 someone nearby in order to create a
AGILITY SP: 7 barrier even more potent than the
Evasion: 8 ENGINEERING original Aegis.
Speed: 4 Heat Cap: 8
Unfortunately, this power soon burns out
TRAITS the focus relays, making it infeasible to
ANTIPOLARITY SHIELDING shield an army - or even one figure for
any length of time.
When you or an adjacent ally Brace, that
character gains Immunity to all effects of the
triggering attack except for damage and . That doesn’t tend to matter to the pilots
around the Jeanne, though. One moment can
ENTROPIC ARC mean the difference between death or an
impossible survival.
1/round, when you use a System with the
Shield tag as a quick or full action, an arc of
Focused Aegis
energy jumps from you. If the System targets an
Active (1 CP), Reaction
allied character, the arc jumps to the target,
otherwise it jumps to any allied character within Trigger: You or an adjacent character take
Sensors. damage
Effect: The triggering character becomes
The character the arc jumps to counts as
Immune to damage until the start of their next
adjacent to you until the start of your next turn
turn, including from the triggering effect.
for the purposes of your Traits, Systems, and
Talents, as well as Focused Aegis. They also
Efficient: This ability refunds 1 CP at the end of
gain +1 on the next Save or Check they
any scene in which it’s used.
make before the end of their next turn.
Note: Universal Compatibility can be triggered
MOUNTS by this ability even though free actions can
normally only be taken on your turn.
MAIN/
AUX

[138]

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