Mechanik’s Union

This oddly stripped down suit of steam armor has a rather grisly history behind its current schematics. The design was first seen in use by a mercenary group working out Llaelese territory in 603 AR. The group was mainly comprised of rejects from other more successful mercenary groups, those drummed out for laziness, ill discipline and in some cases severe psychotic breaks. The mercs were finally decimated and disbanded 3 years later during the final push by Khador into Llael, it was then uncovered that the group had been employing prisoners as enslaved shock troops. Fitted into a form of steam armor and pumped full of alchemicals, these men would achieve superhuman strength and speed at the cost of deteriorating physical condition and mental health.

After the interrogation of one of the mercenary commanders was leaked, it became apparent that this device had first been created by a well meaning mechanik and alchemist named Boris ‘Badger’ Arcwright. It was designed to make the less stable individuals in the group more pliable and useful in combat. The suits each had a simple cerebral matrix built into them, which would lock up the entire armor on a recognised voice command preventing the wearer from turning on his comrades. It was only later that alchemicals were introduced into the system, and dangerous narcotics filtered into the users daily regime to make them both dependant and obedient. If the users weren’t psychotic when they went into the suits, the daily doses of powerful arcane stimulants and mind altering drugs soon made it hard to tell. A few even started developing dangerous mutations and odd warping effects from their repeated exposure.

This improved version has thankfully been altered from its original murderous design, but the principals remain the same. The suit itself lacks the heavy armor plating and fortification of normal light steam armor, instead focusing on augmenting the users speed and strength. The key to the suits abilities lies in the large cylindrical tank affixed to the back of the suits torso section, and the mechanikal filtration mask that replaces the suits helm. The tank splits open when the lock is disengaged to reveal the steam engine of the armor has been plumbed into a complex pumping and filtration system. There are 6 pressurized tanks in circular group in the upper section of the tank, which run into a selective valve system built around a small cerebral matrix. Vulcanized rubber tubing runs along and under the armors back-plate and over the shoulders to meet with the lower half of the filtration mask.

The matrix is trained to throw a series of valves in the engine when it hears the wearer give a numbered command word, usually ‘activate 1-6′. This releases a steady supply of the pressurized mix in the tank into an arcane atomizer, powered by the roiling energy of a standard accumulator furnace. The resulting gaseous mix is pumped into the sealed mask imbuing the wearer with the effects of the contained alchemical or potion. This whole process takes only a swift action. Each tank can contain enough of a alchemical or potion for 3 uses before it is empty, but must be refilled under the pressure of a hand pump or more advanced mechanism with a Craft: Alchemy check [DC14]. Anything corrosive to the metal tanks, or unable to be effective via ingestion/inhalation has no effect save ruining the engine or asphyxiating the user. A tank can also contain 3min worth of air supply but have to be activated as a standard action, due to the necessity of routing it past the atomizer.

The tank itself is armored enough not to worry about the tanks rupturing accidentally, but deliberate attacks which can bypass the DR and hardness on the tank could cause such an event. In which case roll 1d6 to determine which container ruptures. If the tubing is somehow pierced, melted or cut, the armors special ability can no longer function. The filtration mask can be unsealed as a standard action which provokes an attack of opportunity. The armor has all the airtight properties of the more common aquatic adaptation rig, but lacks the buoyancy effects. Meaning that as long as one of the containers in the tank has an air supply, the steam engine can run even if submerged. Two tanks must be active for submergence to be viable, one for the user to breath and one for the engine.

Exotic Armor – Light Steam Armor:

• AC – 14
• DR – -2/serricsteel
• Spell Failure – 100%
• Armor Check - -2
• HP - 20
• Speed - 30ft
• Strength – 23
• Cost – 16500gp
• Weight - 120lb.
• Activation - 15min
• Special – Alchemical Adaptation Engine [can contain 6 beneficial alchemical liquids or arcane potions, with 3 uses of each stored. Activating and in-biding from the device is a swift action.]

*not including ‘chemicals or fuel.