Mechanik’s Union

Amongst the talented gunsmiths that Vislovski Gunwerks has drawn in to work alongside the great Grigor himself, there have been more than a few who excelled at their work. One of those few that rankled under Grigors teachings was Daniil Ivanov, a Khard who had spent time amongst the workshops of Caspia, Llael and even Rhul while a mercenary sharpshooter. Although he was a patriot, Ivanov would gripe endlessly about the Gunwerks refusal to make use of more advanced technology in Vislovski weapons. He had witnessed first hand the sort of devastation a coordinated group of Hammerfall Corps could deal against attacking forces, and seen a squad of the heaviest plated Khadoran ‘jacks get taken apart at range by the precision shots of Hunter Light Warjacks. But Grigor always extolled the virtues of the tried and tested, bigger makes better approach to firearms, ignoring Ivanovs petitions for innovation.

Eventually this came to a head and after a shouting match devolved into a fistfight and Ivanov was forced to leave the Gunwerks. But before he left, Ivanov took both his and several other key prototype blueprints with him. Dubbed a traitor and hunted by the Khadoran Military Police,  Ivanov escaped into Ord by dint of shear determination and not a little dumb luck, finaly vanishing into the port of Five Fingers.  Some have it that he gained employment with the secretive Four Star Syndicate on Crane Island, producing a number of custom firearms for their forces. The ‘Annihilator’ itself surfaced mainly as rumors concerning its use and various black market blueprints. Its link to Ivanov was speculated due to the unique combination of Khadoran power, Cygnaran precision and no nonsense Rhulic mechanisms.

The basic chaise looks to have been salvaged from the Longarm Cannon of a Hunter Light Warjack, but stripped down to allow it to be carried by a person rather than a smoke belching machine. Its length is still considerable, almost 5 feet in length with added muzzle brake, the barrel itself being mostly serricsteel alloy to reduce bulk and weight without compromising strength. The mechanism incorporates the Ghordson shutter breachlock design,  allowing spent shells to be ejected from the weapon as a new one is loaded. Three consecutive shots can be fired in this manner with only a short pause for reloading. But afterward the barrel needs to be thoroughly cleaned with a Craft: Cannoneer check (DC 14). Instead of a wooden stock, there is a sliding section of steel piping surrounding a heavy duty shock absorbing spring. This is padded to fit the shoulder of the user and prevent it being shattered by the rifles kick. A folding metal bi-pod is affixed to the weapons barrel to support it during firing, a process which itself would require the user to lie prone to avoid being thrown over backward by the tremendous recoil the charge produces.  The weapon also has a set of basic iron sights on most of the blueprints but retains a rail along its upper portion for a scope of preference. Around and above this rail set is a thick metal handle with a leather grip around the top bar, positioned in the approximate center of balance for the weapon to allow it to be moved around with greater ease.

This vast rifle, dubbed the ‘Annihilator’, has earned its fair share of flak from more seasoned veterans who deride the deafening retort and massive payload as typical Khadoran overkill, and prefer to be on the move rather than lying around. However it is undoubtedly one of the few weapons fielded by a single operator that can demolish a Heavy Warjack with a few precise shots, and do so from a range usually only achieved by light artillery pieces. This has gained it niche appeal to those riflemen that are forced up against heavily armored targets and aren’t afraid to shell out a hefty sum for ammunition that can make a very big hole in them.

Exotic Weapon – Retrofitted Hunter Longarm Cannon:

• Damage – 3d8+5
• Range – 400ft
• Critical: 19-20 x3
• Reloading – 1 standard action [requires cleaning every 3 shots or risk fouling the barrel]
• Cost –  4000+gp (rare:- often only found as blueprints rather than finished product)
• Weight - 45lb [encumbering: two handed use only, 4-5ft in length]
• Ammo - Ghordson Sabots 100-200gp per round. [alchemically hardened]*
• Special – Must be set up before firing with adjustable bi-pod stand and user must fire while prone (2 full rounds to get into position). Failure to do so imposes a -10 penalty on attack rolls, additionally the user must make a Balance check (DC 20) or be knocked prone by the recoil. Users with the stability racial feature may add their +4 bonus to this check to avoid being knocked over.
• Available Upgrades – Breakdown [8000+gp], Scope [75gp], Embellishment [10-200gp]

*when fired from this rifle, the ammunition is treated as quenched serricsteel for the purposes of overcoming resistances, and doubles the weapons threat range against mechanikal constructs as if the user had the Improved Critical feat.