During the 2080s power armor was seen as the next big step in military technology. For many years already power armor had provided invaluable support to urban combat situations, providing heavy weaponry, along with armored support. Now, however, power armor was expanding into other theatres of operations - including the open fields of combat. Eventually the American Empire settled on two major types - the ArmaTech SAMAS and the KLS Corporation Glitter Boy to serve in these new roles. Meanwhile, across the Pacific the new Soviet Union was developing their own types to fill these roles. The match for the Glitterboy, perhaps, was the powerful Bulava produced by Novaya Era. The Bulava, which means "The Mace" in Russian, was a powerful type and entered service in the mid 2080s, preceeding the Glitterboy in US service by a number of years. This gargantuan, near robot vehicle, carried a wide assortment of weaponry in all it's various guises, and although slow - some of the weapons mounted allowed it to inflict serious harm on any foe - near or far.
Naturally, the United States was interested in studying what would likely become an adversary on the battlefield, but getting one for that purpose was extremely difficult. In the end, acquisition of an actual suit was unnecessary. A premier CIA computer hacker managed to hack into Novaya Era's database, and downloaded all of the details available - right down to production techniques, layout of the factory floor, and details on all of the tooling. (This hack job was never discovered either by Novaya Era or by the Soviet government - if it had, heads would have rolled.) The result of this hack job was several years of study by some of America's top military and engineering minds, until all that there was to be known about the Bulava was common knowledge. Afterwards the hacked details, now translated to English, were transferred to Project Archive, the secret facility under Salt Lake City, for safe keeping. These files were stowed away, safely there, six months before Salt Lake City was destroyed by the surprise nuclear attack made by Mexico.
Afterwards, when the United States declared war on Mexico for their assault on Salt Lake City, the Bulava had numerous chances to meet the Glitterboy on the field of combat. The New Soviet Union had opted to "lend" several models of the Bulava to Mexico for their war against the United States. The savage battles between these two adversarys would become legendary - centuries later remembered in vague songs about clashing titans of steel and silver, among the Mexican people under vampire rule.
When S-Mart began to produce equipment for the N.O.M.A.D. Military, they looked for a design that would be best suited to supply this military with a heavy support power armor type. While the Glitterboy was considered briefly, ironically the chief adversary of the Glitterboy of pre-cataclysm times was chosen, the Bulava. It was cheaper to produce, and it's stronger layout allowed for a more versatile weapons load. S-Mart named this new production of the ancient Soviet type, the Titan.
In 115PA 75 of the Titans were produced by S-Mart exclusively for the N.O.M.A.D. Military. No others have been produced since then, and only two of the original order have been destroyed - both in combat against large groups of bandits. A number of pre-cataclysm Soviet produced Bulavas survived the cataclysm in Mexico. Some of which have been recovered by the Vampire Kingdoms and restored to full combat capabilities, others still lie in the rubble of ancient Mexican military bases, or hidden in forward supply depots that were buried by sediment layed down by tidal waves, or by the dust in the passage of time. In the old Soviet Empire, however, hundreds, if not thousands lie hidden throughout the region - waiting to be discovered. Several dozen have already been uncovered and are presently in the service with the Sovietsky. The Warlords of Russia have also uncovered a handful here and there, some of which have been restored and are presently in their service.
Model Type: Titan-A.
Class: Heavy Armor Support Unit.
Crew: 1.
M.D.C. by Location:
*Head - 150.
*Arms (2) - 185 each.
Legs (2) - 280 each.
RFFC-14 - 75.
*BFP-3 Backfire Flechette Packs (3) - 40 each.
*HPL-6A Heavy Pulse Laser (1; Right forearm) - 65.
*MML-1 8-Pack Mini-Missile Launcher (1; Left forearm) - 100.
**Main Body - 435.
* These designated areas of the armor are small and difficult targets to hit, so therefore may only be
struck with a penalty of -3 to strike.
** Once the M.D.C. of the main body is depleted, the armor shuts down completely, and is useless.
Performance:
Maximum Running Speed: 70 mph. Note that the act of running does NOT tire the user as this unit utilizes similar technologies used in the Ulti-Max and Terror Trooper to create essentially an ultra small robot vehicle.
Leaping: The powerful robot legs can leap 10' high or across.
Maximum Swimming Speed: Not Possible; The Titan is notorious for it's abilities of swimming, in that it sinks like a rock. In the alternative it may run across the bottom of a body of water at half it's running speed.
Maximum Safe Diving Depth: The unit is safe from the water tight seal being ruptured up to 900' in depth.
Statistical Data:
Height: 12'.
Width: 7'.
Length: 6'6".
Weight: 2,277 Lb. fully loaded, not including the weight of the pilot.
Physical Strength: Equal to a P.S. of 50.
Power System: Nuclear, average energy life of 5 years.
Market/Black Market Cost: None of the S-Mart produced Titans have made it onto the Black Market, and none are produced commercially. Each Titan costs the N.O.M.A.D. Military 2.05 million credits, at cost. About a dozen Mexican Bulavas have made it onto the Black Market in the past half century, selling for anywhere from 10-30 million credits each.
Weapon Systems
1. S-Mart RFFC-14 Rapid Fire Field Cannon: While the original Bulava was equipped with a 30 mm ramjet rifle, S-Mart opted to equip the Titan with the most powerful rapid fire field cannon available. This weapon, like all rapid fire field cannons, is essentially a 20 mm cannon that fires dual shell bursts of armor piercing 20 mm cannon ammunition, using conventional propellants. Afterwards, while passing down the barrel, banks of electromagnetic coils accellerate these shells to incredible speeds - giving one hell of a punch to these projectiles. While the most powerful and long ranged rapid fire field cannon produced by S-Mart, it is also by far the heaviest that is considered power armor portable.
Primary Purpose: Assault.
Secondary Purpose: Anti-Armor.
Mega-Damage: 2D6x10 M.D. per rapid fire dual shell burst.
Rate of Fire: Equal to the users hand to hand attacks.
Maximum Effective Range: 4,000'.
Payload: A drum containing 100 cannon shells is carried on the back of the power armor, providing enough ammunition for 50 dual shell bursts.
2. S-Mart HPL-6A Heavy Pulse Laser: Mounted in the right forearm is a powerful pulse laser weapon, intended to provide the Titan with a secondary weapon for the event of ammunition depletion or for defense. (The original Bulava carried a clip fed 14.5 mm Ramjet Machine Cannon in the right forearm.)
Primary Purpose: Assault.
Secondary Purpose: Defense.
Mega-Damage: 4D6+3 M.D. per single pulse or 2D4x10 M.D. per triple pulse burst.
Rate of Fire: Standard; Aimed, Burst, or Wild.
Maximum Effective Range: 3,000'.
Payload: Effectively unlimited, thanks to the nuclear power supply.
3. S-Mart MML-1 8-Pack Mini-Missile Launcher: This weapon system seems to have inspired the Coalition States Striker Special Forces SAMAS forearm mini-missile launcher, as they are essentially identical. A ring of eight mini-missile launch tubes surrounding the left hand of the power armor. These weapons are typically used to soften enemy targets from long range, or to destroy the most dangerous adversaries before wading in to do closer range battle. (The original Bulava was equipped with a dozen micro-rockets in a similar launcher.)
Primary Purpose: Anti-Armor.
Secondary Purpose: Anti-Fortification.
Mega-Damage: Varies with missile type.
Rate of Fire: This missile launcher can fire one at a time or in volleys of 2, 4, or 8.
Maximum Effective Range: Varies with missile type.
Payload: 8 mini-missiles. Typical load is 4 armor piercing and 4 plasma.
4. S-Mart BFP-3 Backfire Flechette Packs (3): These back mounted weapons are designed to cover the rear of the unit the power armor is assigned to by unleashing a hellacious rear fire attack, capable of shredding men wearing many types of contemporary body armor. What it is essentially is a controlled flechette firing pack that fires a cone of five flechette shells spreading out to cover a one hundred and twenty degree cone of fire out to the maximum range of the weapon system.
Primary Purpose: Defense.
Secondary Purpose: Anti-Personnel.
Mega-Damage: 1D4x10 M.D.
Rate of Fire: Equal to the users combined hand to hand attacks.
Maximum Effective Range: 60'.
Payload: Each pack contains enough flechette rounds to fire 6 times.
5. Systems of Note: This unit incorporates all the usual environmental features found in power armor including environmental protection, environmental control, air filtration, an independant 6 hour supply of air, heat and radiation shielding. Note however that this suit does NOT incorporate a radar system.
1. H.U.D. Wideband Interface: This system is one of the most common systems used throughout post-cataclysm Earth in power armor. Instead of relying upon human vision it operates using a wide angle lense camera to take in the scene. Built into the helmet it often sits directly in front of the pilot's face, concealed behind a curved LCD screen. With this model a full one hundred and twenty degree field of vision is attained AND it has no ill effects on the power armor operative. This system provides full integration of all systems in a comprehensive H.U.D. (Heads Up Display). Unlike the common systems found elsewhere, this type is joined with a more advanced targeting computer that allows up to two weapons to be trained on a target at once. The audio level in the H.U.D. Wideband Interface is advanced beyond normal human hearing, becoming only slightly less sensitive than the cybernetic "Amplified Hearing".
2. Anti-Dazzle Protection: This is essentially nothing more than a polarized film on the sensors that react to the ambient light. Thus if a bright flash occurs in the face of the Titan, the lense turns nearly black for an instant, and then quickly changes back to normal - protecting the operator from being dazzled.
3. Infrared Optics: This system allows the user to see the heat emanating from an object. It can be set to be white hot or black hot, depending on operating status. If in combat black hot would be best to avoid being blinded by explosions and similar. While in passive mode, outside of combat, white hot would be best, so as things like body heat would better stand out. The range of this system is 2,000'.
4. Nightvision Optics: This system uses the ambient light from starlight, moonlight and similar to allow a sort of green-tinged vision beyond normal visual ranges for a human. The range of this system is 2,000'.
5. Macrovision Optics: These optics are essentially like a microscope, capable of magnifying objects hundreds of times, from a distance of 6'. This is a useful system for analyzing clues in the field, such as tracks, spent shell casings and similar.
6. Telescopic Optics: These are exactly as they sound, telescopic optics that enhance the image of far away objects. At a range of 6,000' an object appears only 100' away, as an example. The range of this system is 6,000' effectively - but it can enhance the image of objects further away yet still, they just are not quite so well detailed.
7. Thermal Imaging Optics: This is very similar to the Infrared Optics in the sense that it detects heat, but unlike the imprecise nature of the infrared optics, this measures the heat signature precisely displaying them in colorful shades of reds, yellows, greens and blues with various degrees of heat. The thermal imaging optics are also far more sensitive than the infrared optics, actually allowing them to see heat through walls of structures at certain distances. The range of this system is 2,000', but it can only see heat through an obstacle such as a brick wall from 100'.
8. Military Radio & Scrambler: This is the same radio equipment, bolt for bolt, microchip for microchip, as the system found on the USA-G10 Glitterboy. The broadcast range is a modest 50 miles. By resetting the radio transmitter inside the armor to an elevated position, however, the same transmitter can achieve a fairly consistent 500 mile range using atmospheric bounce. Atmospheric anomalys can extend this range still further or can completely disable the radio system within a set radius, it just depends on the circumstances. The scrambler system allows the radio signals to be scrambled to all those not equipped with the correct scrambling codes.
9. I.F.F. Transponder System: This system transmits data such as alpha-numeric designation code, course, mission, base of operations, and unit, via radio signal, to other similarly equipped military stations, vehicles, and power armor suits that have been programmed with the correct access codes. This allows a friendly N.O.M.A.D. soldier in an S-Mart Assassin, overflying a squad of Titans, to quickly determine who these individuals are. This also allows field commanders to keep far better track of their military assets. A further feature of this system is that it functions well as a distress beacon. A note towards the safety of I.F.F. - is that the codes are very difficult to break. Since the N.O.M.A.D. Military periodically changes their I.F.F. safety codes - attempts to crack the codes that have taken weeks of supercomputer analysis - are for naught.
10. Improvements Available: The Titan's basic layout is far from overextended in fact there remains a GREAT deal of room for improvement in terms of the number of systems that can be carried. Remaining system requirement slots are as follows, the first number is internal, second is external. Head 30/45, Left Arm 0/45, Right Arm 15/45, Left Leg 55/55, Right Leg 55/55, and Main Body 65/15.
7. Hand to Hand Combat Abilities: In addition to Power Armor Basic or Elite pilot training, the Titan enjoys the following bonuses;
+2 to strike with ranged weapon systems.
Punch: 2D6 M.D.
Power Punch: 4D6 M.D.
Kick: 2D6 M.D.
Leap Kick: 4D6 M.D.
Body Flip/Throw: 3D6 M.D.
Body Block/Tackle: 3D6 M.D.
The picture used above is available courtesy of R. Talsorian's "Cyberpunk 2020®" as seen in the source book Maximum Metal. In the source book it is seen as the Russian Arms Boris, a power armor unit produced by a Soviet national company. This is by no means an attempt to steal the hard working efforts of R. Talsorian Inc's authors or artists, but merely used here as a means of utilizing interesting designs from their source materials, inside of Palladium Books' RIFTS. The image was edited to fit the Goliath as described on April 5, 2005 using Windows Paint and Print Shop Photo Pro 2.0.
