Hydraulic

Description: This powerful tech-mod turns a suit of plated armor into a potential powerhouse for the warrior within it. Usually built to accommodate a phlogiston furnace, hydraulic armor uses mechanical advantage and unique engineering principles to augment the strength of the wearer. Powers: A suit of hydraulic armor gives the wearer a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength. In addition, pistons and metal bearings increase the wearer's maneuverability; wearing the armor does not slow him, the armor's maximum Agility bonus increases by +2, its armor check penalty decreases by -2, and its arcane spell failure chance decreases by -5%. Craft (armorsmithing) 10 ranks, Craft (technological device) 10, Craft Tech-Mod; Bonus Equivalent +3. STEAM ARMOR Technology has given rise to advances in metallurgy, pneumatics, hydraulics and powered mechanical systems. With the frequency of conflict in Azeroth it was only a matter of time before the power of phlogiston-driven technology hit the battlefield, and during the last war the goblins arrived with a new weapon. The goblin harvester was the first insidious introduction to a new series of steam-powered armors. The suit could level forests and troops, and take an insane amount of punishment before falling to the withering hail of spells and gunfire that unfailingly targeted it when it appeared in battle. The harvester wrought incredible results - none could deny the power of such a creation. The gnomes and the dwarves stared in the direction of the gleefully wicked goblins running rampant with their new innovation, and collectively slapped themselves in the foreheads for not thinking of it first. Within a handful of years, a group of more complex and powerful suits arose, designed by dwarven and gnomish hands. The steam armor race was on. Early steam armor was built with crude plates of iron and a steam-driven inner framework of mechanical pistons and hydraulics that served as the armor's muscle. Mechanical systems and drives interlocked to provide power to weaponry or tools mounted on the extremities. In most cases, the armor was built to resemble a humanoid form, although many incorporated some element of the fantastic: aspects of gargoyles, leering faces, griffin helms, and other flourishes that made the armors more fearsome and awe inspiring. Modern steam armor is based on modern technology and uses the refinements of dwarven and gnomish craftsmanship. Goblins rely on pell-mell construction; the older suits having proven reliable enough, goblins don't see much reason in adding to the design, and simply go on to build new devices. Gnomish and dwarven steam armor tends to be lighter and faster, and operates with a varying degree of maneuverability. Goblin steam armor is heavier and much more powerful, but not anywhere near as fast or customizable. Steam armor is almost always built with some form of integrated weaponry. Buzzing saws, blades, long piercing spikes, even steam powered ballistae and cannons have been seen attached to steam armor. Whether mounted on the arms, shoulders, or even the backs of steam armor, most of suits have at least one or two weapons they can use in combat. The Mechanics of Steam Armor The operating parameters of steam armor allow for an individual to turn himself from a single man into a massive engine of destruction. Yet the armor has its vulnerabilities. Such complex systems of mechanical interactions are prone to fail at some point, and the stresses of combat and conflict cause even more strain on what would otherwise be sturdy systems. Yet the rigors of combat are exactly what steam armor is built to endure. Because of this property, those who rely on steam armor, the steam warriors, often take to customizing and building the armor to suit their particular needs. There are a variety of devices and attachments that can be inserted into a suit of steam armor to enhance its functions and increase its capabilities. To ensure the armor lasts, most steam warriors also build redundancies, failsafe systems, and various features into their armor to ensure their survival. The dangers of using steam armor are usually not visible to the novice. For one thing, the armor is a tactical magnet for attention, causing even the shrewdest of commanders to direct his troops to defeat a suit of steam armor with the utmost effort and determination. So powerful is steam armor that even a couple of suits of the stuff can easily turn the tides of battle. In some cases the steam armor and the steam warrior inside save countless lives simply by showing up and proving that their force is indeed the superior one. Steam Combat! Combat involving steam armor is conducted much as it is between characters. Characters operating steam armor are simply much larger, stronger and well armored than they would otherwise be, and they can wield truly frightening weapons. However, they still obey the essential rules of movement and combat. They still threaten squares within their reach, take move actions and attack actions, duck behind cover to gain a bonus to Armor Class, and so forth. In some respects, however, steam armor movement and combat differs from character movement and combat. The following sections describe specific situations that arise when steam armor maneuvers and clashes on the battlefield. Defenses A suit of steam armor provides its operator with potent defenses. Steam armor grants its operator temporary hit points depending on its size, as shown on Table 5-4: Steam Armor Sizes. These hit points represent the extra toughness of the steam armor. Steam armor also grants its operator a hardness value, which reduces incoming damage. The hardness depends on the suit's hull construction, as shown on Table 5-5: Steam Armor Hull Compositions. Operation Suiting up requires a full-round action that involves opening the steam armor's operator cabin, and then getting in and closing the hatch. Once inside it's a simple question of activating the armor. Exiting is a full-round action. Modern steam armor suits are built for rapid deployment and operation. Activating a suit of steam armor requires a DC 15 Use Technological Device check. Once activated, the steam armor's controls respond to the movements and directions of the operator automatically. Characters without the Vehicle Proficiency (steam armor) feat (see penalty on Use Technological Device checks related to steam armor, including checks to use equipment that requires Use Technological Device checks. Piloting and Moving Steam armor operators use the Use Technological Device skill to operate their steam armor. In general, steam armor operators don't need to make Use Technological Device checks to steer their suits around the battlefield. However, this skill comes into play in combat under the following circumstances: • When trying to move past a foe without provoking an attack of opportunity, a steam armor operator can make a Use Technological Device check instead of a Tumble check. • A steam armor operator can oppose a trip attempt with a Use Technological Device check. • A character in a copilot cockpit can use the aid another action, making Use Technological Device checks to aid the operator's checks. STEAM ARMOR Steam Armor: Critical Hits A solid critical hit can still rock a suit of steam-powered armor. Whenever steam armor is struck in combat and a critical hit is confirmed, roll on the following table. Medium or smaller melee weapons take a penalty on this roll according to their size. Medium melee weapons take a -6 penalty, and a Small melee weapon takes a -12 penalty (minimum result 1). Tiny weapons automatically get a result of "1" on the table. Table 5-3: Steam Armor Critical Hits d20 Roll Effect(s) 1-3 Normal damage, operator dazed 4-7 Normal critical hit, operator dazed 8-9 Normal critical hit, steam armor knocked back 10 Severe critical hit, operator dazed, steam armor prone 11 Severe critical hit, steam armor prone d20 Roll Effect(s) 12 Operator hit (normal damage) 13-14 Normal damage, equipment malfunction 15-16 Normal damage, equipment destroyed 17-18 Normal critical hit, slot damaged 19-20 Normal critical hit, slot destroyed Normal Damage: The attack deals normal damage (do not apply critical hit multipliers). Operator Dazed: The operator must make a Fortitude save (DC = damage dealt) or be dazed for 1 round. Normal Critical Hit: Roll critical hit damage normally. Steam Armor Knocked Back: The steam armor drops what it is holding and is knocked back 1d4 x 5 feet. It can take no actions for 1 round. Steam Armor Prone: The force of the attack knocks the steam armor prone in the same square. The operator takes 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage as he is knocked about the coffin. Severe Critical Hit: Roll critical hit damage, and increase the weapon's critical hit multiplier by 2 steps (x2 becomes x4, for example). Operator Hit: The attack bypasses the suit's armor and hardness. Apply normal damage to the operator ignoring the armor's bonus hit points; do not multiply the damage for the critical hit. Equipment Malfunction: A piece of equipment (attacker's choice) is damaged and begins to malfunction until repaired. It can be a weapon (handheld or integrated), or system. The GM should determine the results using Table 11-3: Malfunction Effects in the World of Warcraft RPG book. Repairing a malfunctioning device requires 1 hour of work and a DC 20 Craft (technological device) check. Equipment Destroyed: One piece of equipment (attacker's choice) is destroyed and ceases to function. It can be a weapon (handheld or integrated), shield, or system. A destroyed piece of equipment cannot be repaired, only replaced. Slot Damaged: One of the steam armor's equipment slots (attacker's choice) is damaged. Any piece of equipment wholly or partially installed in that slot does not function until the slot is repaired. Repairing a damaged equipment slot requires 1 hour of work and a DC 25 Craft (technological device) check. Slot Destroyed: One of the steam armor's equipment slots (attacker's choice) is destroyed along with any piece of equipment wholly or partially installed in it. Rebuilding a destroyed equipment slot requires 12 hours of work and a DC 30 Craft (technological device) check. Ranged Attacks and Attacks of Opportunity Steam armor suits only provoke attacks of opportunity from creatures of their own size or larger (including other steam armor) when they fire a ranged weapon in a threatened area. Building Steam Armor Steam armor consists of several parts. Steam Armor Chassis Steam armor chassis come in Medium, Large and Huge sizes. A steam armor's size determines how many equipment slots (places where weapons and additional equipment can be installed) it has and how well it measures up in combat. See Table 5-4: Steam Armor Sizes for a summary of this information. Size Modifier: Apply this modifier as a bonus on the steam armor's attack rolls and to its AC. Equipment Slots: The number of locations where weapons and other steam armor equipment can be installed. A suit of steam armor has specific slots allocated to its frame: Hardpoints where the steam armor can accept equipment and tie the systems into the steam armor's phlogiston furnace. The creator decides which locations on the steam armor have equipment slots based on the number listed in this entry. Table 5-4: Steam Armor Sizes Size Size Equipment Hit Base Build Base Modifier Slots Points Speed Height Weight Space Reach DC Cost TS Medium 0 3 50 30 ft. 5-8 ft. 300- 5 ft. 5 ft. 25 8,000 gp 5 500 lb. Large -1 5 100 30 ft. 8-16 ft. 500- 10 ft. 10 ft. 30 16,000 gp 6 4,000 lb. Huge -2 9 200 40 ft. 16-32 ft. 4,000- 15 ft. 10 ft. 35 32,000 gp 7 32,000 lb. A suit of steam armor has eleven potential locations where it can incorporate equipment slots: head, back (2 slots), left arm, left hand, right arm, right hand, shoulders, left leg, right leg, and boots. No suit of steam armor actually uses all eleven slots, and every suit of steam armor uses a different combination of slots. A character can move an empty slot from one location to another with 1 hour of work and a DC 25 Craft (technological device) check. Each suit of steam armor includes two additional slots in the torso. The operator occupies these slots. Hit Points: The steam armor's hit points, and the number of hit points the steam armor provides its operator. Steam armor hit points are added to the character's total and subtracted first when the character takes damage. When the armor is reduced to 0 hit points, it ceases functioning. Base Speed: The steam armor's base land speed. Certain types of hull material affect this base speed (see "Steam Armor Hulls," below). Height: The steam armor's height in feet. Weight: The steam armor's weight in pounds. Fighting Space: The steam armor's fighting space. Reach: The steam armor's reach, even without weapons. Build DC: The base DC of Craft (technological device) checks to build the steam armor without armor, weapons and other equipment. Base Cost: The base cost of components and materials for building the basic steam armor frame. The market price is three times the base cost. TS: The armor's Technology Score. Medium Steam Armor Combat Statistics A suit of Medium steam armor provides the operator with a +5 enhancement bonus to Strength. It takes a -2 penalty on Stealth checks. Kodosbreath Battle Armor Note that the rules presented in this section replace the normal technology rules for creating steam armor. The Kodosbreath battle armor example, provided in the WoW RPG book (Chapter 11: Technological Devices) is therefore no longer accurate - though it is still a valuable example of technological device creation in general. Fuel Steam armor suits require a constant supply of phlogiston to function. Medium suits consume 1 vial per hour, Large suits consume 2, and Huge suits consume 3. Unarmed Medium steam armor has a single slam attack that deals 1d6 points of damage (plus the operator's Strength modifier). Large Steam Armor Combat Statistics A suit of Large steam armor provides the operator with a +10 enhancement bonus to Strength. It takes a -4 penalty on Stealth checks. Unarmed Large steam armor has a single slam attack that deals 1d8 points of damage (plus the operator's Strength modifier). Huge Steam Armor Combat Statistics A suit of Huge steam armor provides the operator with a +15 enhancement bonus to Strength. It takes a -6 penalty on Stealth checks. Unarmed Huge steam armor has a single slam attack that deals 2d6 points of damage (plus the operator's Strength modifier). Steam Armor Hulls A steam armor's hull - its exoskeleton - can be made from any available metal that can serve as a potential shield against damage. To build a steam armor hull from scratch, a character must make Craft (technological device) checks with DCs equal to the build DC of the steam armor's chassis. Hulls can be built from a variety of different metals; each type of hull has a different hardness, cost and other statistics. Armor Bonus: This is an armor bonus that applies to the operator's AC. Hardness: Whenever the operator takes damage, subtract this number from the damage he takes (minimum of 0). The armor's hardness also protects the armor itself if it is the target of an attack. Max Agy Bonus: The maximum Agility bonus the operator can apply to his Armor Class, just like conventional armor. Armor Check Penalty: Like conventional armor, steam armor imposes a penalty on certain skill checks. STEAM ARMOR Table 5-5: Steam Armor Hull Compositions Material Armor Hardness Max Agy Armor Check Arcane Spell Speed TS Bonus Bonus Penalty Failure Adj. Adj. Cost Tin +3 2 +3 -2 20% +10 ft. +0 200 Iron +6 5 +0 -5 50% +0 ft. +0 500 Steel +10 10 +1 -4 40% +0 ft. +0 2,000 Mithril +13 10 +3 -2 20% +10 ft. +2 10,000 Thorium +17 15 +0 -10 80% -10 ft. +4 20,000 Dark Iron* +20 20 +0 -5 50% +0 ft. +6 50,000 * Dark iron steam armor also provides the wearer with resistance to fire 10. Arcane Spell Failure: Like conventional armor, steam armor makes it difficult to cast spells. Speed Adj.: This adjustment applies to the base speed on Table 5-4: Steam Armor Sizes. TS Adj.: Add this modifier to the armor's base TS to ascertain the armor's overall Technology Score (see World of Warcraft RPG , Chapter 11: Technological Devices). You cannot add a hull to a steam armor chassis if it would increase the suit's TS beyond your Technological Limit. Cost: The cost of the raw materials required to create the hull with a Craft (technological device) check. The armor's size alters this value: Large hulls cost twice as much, and Huge hulls cost four times as much. A hull's market value is three times the cost of the raw materials needed to create it. Steam Armor Equipment Most steam armor is more than just a collection of furnaces, armor plates and technological gizmos. A cunning steam warrior makes the most of his steam armor, adding components to it to increase its capabilities and its potential in battle. This means a variety of mounted equipment, weapons, integrated technological systems and other inventions. There are three types of steam armor equipment: weapons, shields and systems. Weapons deal damage. Shields are methods of defense. Systems are miscellaneous pieces of equipment that add to the steam armor's functions. Installing a piece of equipment on a suit of steam armor requires a DC 20 Craft (technological device) check and 1 hour per equipment slot that the device occupies. Removing the piece takes half this time and another DC 20 Craft (technological device) check. In addition to a general description, each piece of equipment includes the following information: Equipment Slots: The number of equipment slots needed to install the equipment. Some pieces of equipment are limited to specific body slots. Activation: What is required to activate the piece of equipment (usually a standard action). If this entry is absent, the device is use-activated (it activates automatically through normal use as long as the armor is active). If activation requires a Use Technological Device check, the character takes a -4 penalty on this check unless he has the Vehicle Proficiency (steam armor) feat (see Chapter 1: Spell Slingers and Gear Grinders). Duration: The amount of time a piece of equipment continues to operate before it needs to be reactivated, or how long its effect lasts. If this entry is absent, the equipment functions until the steam armor is destroyed (reduced to 0 hit points) or the operator turns it off (usually as a free action). MR: The item's Malfunction Rating. If using the item does not require a die roll, it malfunctions based on the Use Technological Device check to activate the armor and in extraordinary circumstances. See Chapter 11: Technological Devices in the World of Warcraft RPG book for more information. TS Modifier: Add this modifier to the armor's base TS to ascertain the armor's overall Technology Score (see World of Warcraft RPG , Chapter 11: Technological Devices). If this entry is absent, the device does not affect the armor's Technology Score. You cannot add a piece of equipment to a suit of steam armor if the equipment would increase the armor's TS beyond your Technological Limit. Craft DC: The DC of the Craft (technological device) checks required to create the device. Cost: The cost of the raw components required to build the device. The device's market price is three times this amount. Steam Armor Weapons Steam armor suits have gauntlets and can wield weapons just as creatures can. (Medium steam armor suits wield Medium longswords one-handed, for example.) A handheld weapon does not take an equipment slot. However, a suit of steam armor with a handheld weapon can be disarmed. Characters can also integrate weapons into a suit of steam armor, attaching them directly to the armor's frame. An integrated weapon occupies an equipment slot on the left arm, left hand, right arm, right hand or shoulders. Integrating a weapon costs 250 gp and requires a DC 15 Craft (technological device) check and 1 hour. Integrated weapons gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls. An integrated weapon takes up one of the steam armor's equipment slots, but the weapon cannot be disarmed. An integrated weapon replaces the equipment location to which it is attached. Since steam armor suits wield weapons of the appropriate size, their weapons often deal more damage than normal weapons. Consult Table 5-6: Weapon Damage by Size to determine how much damage such a weapon deals. Large weapons cost twice the normal amount, and Huge weapons cost five times as much. Table 5-6: Weapon Damage by Size Medium (normal) Large Huge 1d4 1d6 1d8 1d6 1d8 2d6 1d8 2d6 3d6 1d10 2d8 3d8 1d12 3d6 4d6 2d4 2d6 3d6 2d6 3d6 4d6 2d8 3d8 4d8 2d10 4d8 6d6 3d6 3d8 6d6 In addition to standard weapons, some steam armor suits wield weapons specifically designed for them, such as the following. Dragon Mouth