Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 30 STR * 15- Lift 1600 kg; 6d6 HTH Damage 18 DEX * 13- OCV: 6/DCV: 6 -- CON 0 -- +1 BODY * -- -- INT 0 -- PER Roll: (varies) -- EGO 0 -- ECV: (varies) 20 PRE * 13- PRE Attack: 4d6 10 COM 0 11- +4 PD * Total: +24 PD (20 rPD) +4 ED * Total: +24 ED (20 rED) -- SPD 0 Phases: (varies; usually 3+) -- REC 0 -- END 0 +1 STUN * * See Below Total Characteristics Cost: Movement: Running: 6"/12" Leaping: 20"/40" Cost Powers & Skills 17 Mobile Trooper Armor: Density Increase, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2),Inherent (+1/4); Always On (-1/2), OIF (-1/2) 5 Mobile Trooper Armor: Growth, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Inherent (+1/4); Always On (-1/2), OIF (-1/2) (+20 STR, +1 BODY, +4 PD/ED, +1 STUN, -4" KB, 1000 kg) 7 Stabilized Firing Platform: DEX +5; OIF (-1/2), No Figured Characteristics (-1/2) 7 Mobile Trooper Armor: PRE +10; OIF (-1/2) 10 Artificial Muscles: Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) on 30 STR; OIF (-1/2) 40 Mobile Trooper Armor: Armor (20 PD/20 ED); OIF (-1/2) 8 Optic Shields: Sight Group Flash Defense (10 points), Hardened (+1/4); OIF (-1/2) 5 Audio Shields: Hearing Group Flash Defense (7 points); OIF (-1/2) 13 Life Support: Life Support (Self-Contained Breathing; Safe Environments: High Pressure, High Radiation, Intense Cold, Intense Heat, Low Pressure/Vacuum); OIF (-1/2) 4 Artificial Muscles: Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) on 6" Running; OIF (-1/2) 20 Jump Jets: Leaping: +18" (20" forward, 10" upward), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); OIF (-1/2) 6 Suit Radio: High Range Radio Hearing (Radio Group); OIF (-1/2), Affected As Sight And Hearing Group As Well As Radar Group (-1/2) 3 IR Snoopers: IR Perception (Sight Group); OIF (-1/2) 12 Internal Radar: Radar (Radio Group), 360-Degree Perception, Discriminatory; OIF (-1/2), Affected As Sight Group As Well As Radar Group (-1/2) 6 Telephoto Lenses: +6 versus Range for Sight Group; OIF (-1/2) 7 Crypto-command Circuit: Mind Link, any other armored suit one at a time, No LOS Needed; OIF (-1/2), Can Only Be Maintained With Others Who Have Mind Link (-1), Flashed As Radio And Hearing Groups, Not Mental Group (-1/2) Talents 2 Internal Clock: Absolute Time Sense; OIF (-1/2) 2 Internal Locator: Bump of Direction; OIF (-1/2) 165 Total Powers & Skills Cost 165 Total Character Cost 100+ Disadvantages 0 Dependence: (Suits require regular maintenance and replacement of power cells, this is weekly to monthly depending on use, failure means 11- Activation Rolls for powers) (Uncommon) 15 Distinctive Features: Mobile Infantry Power Armor (NC) 20 Hunted: Mobile Infantry (MoPow, NCI, Watching) 14- 15 Physical Limitation: Certain characteristics are "preset". STR = 30, DEX = 18, Offensive PRE = 20, COM = 10, SPD = 4 (A, S) 15 Experience 165 Total Disadvantage Points
Description: And now we get to the good stuff, M.I. armor! I based the following write up directly on items mentioned by Heinlein in the course of Starship Troopers. He's not exactly forthcoming about certain specifics (like "how much can the armor lift?"), so I did my best.
First and foremost, M.I. powered armor grants a soldier extensive protection for his surroundings. It defends him from enemy weapons, including bullets, shrapnel, energy weapons, and explosions. It has optic and audio shields to protect the eyes and ears, and can functions as a space suit if needed. It also comes complete with food and water concentrates for extended operations. Second, the armor enhances the wearer's intelligence gathering abilities. IR snoopers, radar tracking, internal radio, internal locator, internal clock, encrypted "command circuit," the works. Third, the suit increases the wearer's mobility. Using a powerful series of synthetic muscles and jump jets, the user can hit close to 40 mph while "on the bounce." Finally, the suit increases the user's physical strength, allowing him to carry more and bigger weapons.
A note on suit stats. Heinlein states that one man in M.I. armor can just barely pick up a second man in armor. Hence, the 30 STR. The DEX add was included since by its nature, M.I. armor would make for a more stable fighting platform, allowing the wearer greater ease of movement. The PRE increase is simple, anyone wearing this thing is going to look pretty scary. Finally, the suit has limitations in regards to its physical abilities. Regardless of the abilities of the wearer, the suit cannot be pushed beyond specific limits (in this sense it is much like a vehicle). Thus, the Physical Limitation to that regard.
A second note on weapons. A M.I. trooper is equipped with some highly potent and destructive hand-held devices. These include: a hand flamer, used for antipersonnel and incendiary work; a heavy flamer, used to burn/cut through objects (and people); a rocket launcher that can fire 2 kilogram nuclear warheads; a Y-rack bomb launcher that can be set to fire automatically (and has a range of several hundred yards); belt bombs; and fire pills. I leave these toys up to the sick and twisted imaginations of individual GMs.
A third note on armor types. There are three main types of M.I. armor: command, marauder, and scout. Stainless Steel Rat describes them as such:
Command armor is as fast as scout armor, as tough as a grunt, with top of the line communications and electronics equipment, including large-scale tactical display. Very expensive stuff.
Grunt armor is the backbone of the MI. Strong, tough, reasonably fast, easy to mass-produce.
Scout armor is lighter and faster, and has better sensors. It is physically weaker, and carries less armor and fewer weapons. The superior electronics jack up the unit price somewhat.
Heinlein doesn't really describe the armor visually, other than to say that you look like "a big steel gorilla" with "gorilla-sized weapons" while wearing it. With full kit, the armor weighs about 2,000 pounds.
(Mobile Infantry Armor created by Robert Heinlein, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook. Additional material by Eric Pawtowski, John D. Prins, and Stainless Steel Rat.)