In early 115PA, with S-Mart business booming, it was decided to develop a suit of heavy lift power armor to assist with loading and unloading transports. While conventional forklifts can be produced cheaper than powered armor, they lack the versatility and maneuverability of power armor. Power armor can walk right into a cargo truck and set a load down at the far back side of a transport vehicle - while most fork lifts with heavy lift capacity cannot. The suit eventually settled upon was one of the most simple ventures ever conducted by S-Mart, simply being a reduced standard class J layout, with a protective cage over the pilot's head, with the most basic of systems to permit it's function in the role intended. The only two amenities added was an internally mounted cell phone and a searchlight.
Since it's debut in the summer of 115PA the Hercules, as it came to be known, 650 suits have been produced and distributed among all of the Allied Nations, and for individual sale. The largest user of the type is S-Mart with one hundred of them serving in various positions at the factories and outlets.
Model Type: Hercules-A.
Class: Heavy Lift Power Armor.
Crew: 1.
M.D.C. by Location:
Head Protection Cage - 30.
Telescoping Arms (2) - 80 each.
Legs (2) - 130 each.
**Main Body - 195.
* The head is a small and difficult target to hit, thus a penalty of -3 to strike will result in any actions taken against it.
** Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body shuts the armor down completely, making it useless.
Note: The Hercules was designed specifically as a heavy lifting device - and only for that purpose. It is not by any means a combat suit which will show if combat is encountered. Any focused damage (e.g. lasers, rail gun rounds, missile impacts, particle beams or the like.) taken in excess of 20 M.D.C. will see an 80% chance of causing the suit to completely shut down or malfunction.
Performance:
Running Speed: 36 mph maximum. Note that the act of running does tire out it's operator, but at 10% the usual fatigue rate.
Endurance: The suit is powered by a pair of E-clips that can provide enough energy to continue to operate the Hercules for 8 hours. Operations may continue, so long as the E-clips are changed.
Leaping: The powerful robot legs can leap 10' high or across.
Statistical Data:
Height: 7'.
Length: 4'.
Width: 3'8".
Weight: 297 Lb., fully loaded. Can accomodate a pilot up to 6'8" in height.
Physical Strength: Equal to a P.S. of 52.
Cargo: None.
Power System: Electric.
Market Cost: 550,000 credits for a new, unused S-Mart Hercules. Typically it is available in light gray, dark gray, yellow, and orange with S-Mart's logo emblazoned on the chest in red.
1. Systems of Note: The Hercules is an open helmeted power armor suit, with only a cage around the wearer's head protecting him from the elements, thus there is no environmental systems to speak of, there is no heat or radiation shielding, and there are no real sensors. The Hercules does bear a couple of systems that helps it with it's service as a heavy lift unit, however.
1. Cellular Phone: A cell phone is built right into the Hercules, combined with a headset, to allow employers to contact the employee while they are in the loading docks, or outdoors.
2. Headlight: A chest mounted headlight provides the Hercules with it's night operational capabilities.
3. Telescoping Arms & Heavy Duty Claw Hands: The arms of the Hercules are of a telescopic type, that allows them to extend up to seven feet beyond their normal length. The heavy duty claw hands, are large three fingered hands, that allows the Hercules to better handle large loads. The thumb may extend all the way back and the fingers may extend all the way forward allowing it to carry objects as though it were a stabilized forklift.
4. Improvements Available: The Hercules is a bare bones exoskeleton with very little development made into it's design to keep it reasonably affordable. Remaining system requirement slots are as follows, the first number is internal, second is external. Head, as there is no head - nil, Left Arm 0/15, Right Arm 0/15, Left Leg 22/22, Right Leg 22/22, and Main Body 27.5/30.
2. Hand to Hand Combat Abilities: The Hercules is ill suited to combat in every way shape and form. The pilot is exposed, the armor is of a reduced standard for the layout, and the basic reflex control makes fast paced movements next to impossible. If attempting any combat all combat maneuvers are made at a -4. Furthermore the cage obscures vision and the sound of the power armor drowns out sounds around the armor - therefore combat initiative is at a -6. The lack of any sort of targeting system makes ranged combat difficult when using any ranged weapons, costing a -2 penalty on such attacks. The claw hands are also ill suited to using conventional firearms, making hand to hand weapons the only real option for weaponry. Still if used in combat, the Hercules can inflict a lot of damage, very quickly, just using it's incredible strength;
Punch: 4D6 M.D.
Power Punch: 1D4x10+8 M.D.
Kick: 4D4 M.D.
Leap Kick: Not possible.
Body Flip/Throw: 5D6 M.D.
Body Block/Tackle: 5D6 M.D.
