Vehicles

Transportation is every bit as important as communicators or computers, and adventurers are constantly in need of new ways to get around. This chapter covers vehicles and other transportation technology.

The modern vehicles available here or in Vehicles should suffice for most campaigns; transportation is usually a background event. But some teams (and some missions) call for customized rides. These options are available, with “cost factors” (CF) that work like those for gadgets. Always round Acceleration and Top Speed down, after totaling all modifiers.

Attractive: Custom paint job, velvet-glove interior, etc., gives a reaction or Influence roll bonus in scenes where the vehicle is the center of attention: +1 for +1 CF, +2 for +2 CF, and +3 for +3 CF.

Rugged Design: Gives a HT bonus: +1 for +1 CF, +2 for +4 CF.

Superior Handling: Gives a Handling bonus: +1 for +1 CF or +2 for +4 CF.

Armored: Increases DR while possibly reducing Acceleration, Top Speed, and Range (p. B463). Halve the DR bonus (round down) for windows and tires:

Fast: Increases Acceleration: +10% for +1 CF, +20% for +4 CF, or +40% for +9 CF. The +40% level also adds +10% to Top Speed.

Champions on a budget can save money by buying a vehicle with some of the following problems. Each one gives -0.1 CF and is cumulative; e.g., -3 to Handling is worth -0.3 CF. The final CF cannot go below -0.6.

-10% to Acceleration and Top Speed; -1 to Handling (min. -3); -1 to HT; -20% to HP and -10% to DR (this can only be taken twice); or -2 to SR (min. 0).

Second-hand vehicles are cheap but often defective. Buy a vehicle from the Vehicle Table and apply the desired options. Then for every 10% knocked off final price (max. 60% off), roll 2d on this table in front of the GM:

• 2-3 – Bad Engine: Engine dies (effectively disabled) for 3d seconds on any failed control roll. Reroll for unpowered vehicles or repeated results.
• 4 – Unresponsive: -1 to Handling.*
• 5-6 – Mistreated: -1 to HT.*
• 7 – No problem!
• 8-9 – Short “Legs”: -10% Range.*
• 10 – Wobbly: -1 to SR.*
• 11 – Slow: -10% Top Speed.*
• 12 – Unsafe: No note or “c” (Combustible) on HT becomes “f” (Flammable), “f” becomes “x” (Explosive). Reroll after this reaches “x” (“f,” if unpowered).*
• Multiple occurrences are cumulative!

Example: Vince wants a flashy car! He goes for a sports car (base $85,000) with +3 for looks (+3 CF) and +2 to Handling (+4 CF), for a net Handling of +3. Such a car is $680,000 – the price of a high-end Ferrari. Vince lacks 68 points for Signature Gear, so he buys at 60% off, making the price $272,000 and risking six table rolls. He gets two 7s (no problems) but also a 3, two 9s, and a 10, meaning a failure-prone engine, 20% less range (becomes 400 miles), and -1 to SR (for a net SR 3).

The problem of efficiently moving masses of people and cargo confronts every society, especially heavily populated and urbanized ones.

In large space habitats or the downtown core of crowded cities, roads and sidewalks might be replaced by the slidewalk, a passenger conveyor belt similar to a high-speed horizontal escalator. The slidewalk is made up of two sets of belts running in opposite directions with a platform in between. Each set operates at five-mph intervals from 5 mph to 30 mph. The slowest belts are nearest the platform. While walking is easy, running on a slidewalk is difficult. Add or subtract two mph for each point of Move to the slidewalk’s speed to give the speed of travel. Make a DX+3 roll each turn to avoid falling. This roll is -1 per 10 mph if running in the direction that the slidewalk is moving, or at -3 per 10 mph if running in the opposite direction. Running on a slidewalk is ill-mannered, and may be illegal. GMs can impose reaction penalties or legal penalties depending on the culture.

Many ultra-tech vehicles are fitted with an inertial guidance system, a global positioning system, anti-collision radar, and computer autopilots. Taxis may be totally automated – just insert a credit card and give the destination; $2 per person per mile is the usual fare. In densely-populated metropolitan areas, or in regions with high Control Ratings, manually-controlled vehicles may be illegal. All vehicles might be required to lock into an automated Municipal Traffic Control system. After a destination is indicated, the system takes control of the vehicle and guides it to the specified destination. This makes it hard to sneak around, and easy for the government to corral fugitives in vehicles.

Subway and commuter trains may use magnetic levitation (mag-lev) for propulsion, eliminating rail friction and allowing speeds of up to 300 mph. Mag-lev lines are most efficient when constructed in evacuated tunnels, removing all air resistance and enabling the trains to reach supersonic speeds. If intercontinental tunnels are built, 1,000-mph mag-lev trains replace aircraft and surface shipping. The capital investment for an evacuated mag-lev system is enormous; only very wealthy societies can afford one. Operating costs are comparatively low, however, so a railway with the capital investment paid off can have cheap fares. Government subsidies may help pay for the infrastructure. Mag-lev is also cheap on worlds with no atmosphere.

Under these circumstances, fares average $20 per person (or $100 per ton of cargo) per 1,000 miles.

In atmosphere, cargo and passenger airships may be the most economical long-distance transport. Airships are cheap and reliable, though limited to worlds with dense or standard atmospheres and reasonably placid weather. Airships average 50 mph over long hauls, and streamlined vessels using airfoils and aerostats may fly faster than 100 mph. Fares are usually $10 per 100 miles, per person or per half ton of cargo. Airships need only minimal facilities, and can get by with no more than a mast to tie up to, so they are an attractive option for undeveloped areas.

Hypersonic suborbital space planes can carry 100 or more passengers to anywhere on an Earth-sized planet in less than three hours. The cost is $500 to $1,000 per person or ton of cargo. Suborbital vehicles require extensive takeoff and landing facilities, and are unlikely to make stops at small towns, frontier outposts, or lonely archaeological sites.

Robots and advanced boring machines can dig tunnels between continents for about $10 million per mile. (In contrast, the Channel Tunnel between France and the United Kingdom is 31 miles long and cost about $20 billion.) These are generally used for supersonic mag-lev rail lines.

Surface ships are one of the most economical ways to move massive cargoes over intercontinental distances. Vehicle-sized fusion reactors are likely to be used in both spacecraft and ocean-going vessels.

The key trouble with space travel is that reactionless thrust, contragravity, and faster-than-light technology still eludes science; as a result, interplanetary travel still takes months, and interstellar flight takes decades. Until scientists crack this mystery, our own solar system remains the homeland of humanity.

The first step into space – getting into orbit – is often the most difficult, especially from a world like Earth. A variety of technologies for getting into space are possible, including space shuttles and space elevators.

A space elevator, or beanstalk, is a super-strong cable running from the equator on a planetary surface into geostationary orbit (about 21,700 miles up for Earth). The beanstalk is built using carbon nanotube cables, thickest at the base, narrower at the top. A counterweight – either an extension of the cable (useful for snagging and hurling spacecraft) or an asteroid or space station – is attached to the other end. Elevator cars run up and down the cable, taking anywhere from a day to a week to reach the top. After the construction cost has been paid, it might cost as little as $3/lb. to reach orbit.

Beanstalks may range from satellite-sized systems with hair-thin cables to giant mega-structures with bus-sized elevator cars for passengers and cargo. The cost of construction is $40 billion per ton/day of cargo capacity (assume that passengers require about a ton each due to safety and life support requirements). Multiply cost by the square of local gravity, e.g., a lunar beanstalk (1/6 G) is 1/36 as expensive. The cost of construction may increase if space junk, satellites, or low-orbiting moons must be cleared away first! LC2.

Riding a beanstalk elevator to or from orbit costs $500 and takes from six hours to a week, depending on elevator speed. The best elevator cabins resemble those of trains, with food service, entertainment, and a spectacular view.

These systems are often found in ultra-tech vehicles.

Crashweb: An “smart” airbag that provides ablative DR 10 for seated vehicle occupants involved in a crash or collision. An activated crashweb will prevent the user from doing anything until he gets free (DX-2 roll to do so each turn).

If a collision is expected and the occupant is not worried about surviving it, he can turn off the crashweb. This feature is common in military designs or libertarian societies, but civilian passenger vehicles sold in CR3+ societies may require the crashweb to be operational. To disable a crashweb in such a civilian vehicle, make an Electronics Repair (Security) roll; each attempt takes one minute.

Full Life Support: A vehicle with full life support is completely sealed. It recycles air and water supply for its occupants as long as it has power. It can function normally in vacuum or other hostile environments. Its climate control system provides a comfort zone extending from absolute zero to 500° F. Some vehicles can moderate even higher temperatures.

Limited Life Support: This functions like full life support as long as it has power, but does not recycle air or water; it only has enough for a limited duration, specified in man-days. Six man-days of support can provide air and water for one adult for six days, two for three days, and so on. The vehicle can replenish this supply if it has a source of breathable air or drinkable water.

NBC (Nuclear-Biological-Chemical) Kit: This is an environmental control system equipped with sensors to detect contaminants, filters, and an overpressure system (the interior is kept at a higher pressure than outside) to keep impure air out. Much like a filter mask, it defends against nuclear fallout, germs, and chemicals such as pollution or poison gas. Only people entirely inside the vehicle may benefit from an NBC kit.

Vehicles in the less-developed world range from decades-old models and cheap designs to the latest in Fifth Wave chic (carefully smuggled). Very old designs are still available for 10 to 20% of their standard cost. These are usually alcohol-fuel conversions, which reduces power output by 15%. See GURPS Vehicles for details.

The Joint Tactical Electric Vehicle (JTEV) was the standard light-reconnaissance and striker vehicle for NATO from the 2020s through the 2040s. Although long retired from frontline use in the hyperdeveloped world, the basic design – commonly called a Light Strike Vehicle, or LSV – is still found worldwide in both civilian and military roles, due to its simplicity and high performance. The price reflects its older design and components, but current-generation rechargeable E-cells.

The standard model has a crew of two (driver, gunner) and room for one passenger in an open-frame, wheeled package. Foamed-Alloy armor provides reasonable protection. Two modular hardpoints on the top front of the LSV support a wide variety of equipment, from light-weapon systems, to tight-beam telepresence transceivers, to point-defense lasers. Fully electric, it presents a minimal heat signature, and is very hard to detect under cover; most units are constructed with stealth in mind.

Subassemblies: Body, four off-road wheels, 2× open mount.

Powertrain: 100-kW wheeled drivetrain with all-wheel drive, improved suspension and brakes, off-road tires, and 25 E-cell (500kWh) batteries.

Fuel: Energy bank provides drivetrain power for up to 5 hours, and otherwise powers auxiliary systems.

Occupancy: 2 NCS, 1 NS Cargo: 15 cf

Body: Very-Long-Range Tight-Beam Radio, 20 mile Thermographic sensor, Radar/Ladar detector, Military GPS, Cheap Small Complexity 5 computer (typical). Basic Stealth.

Size: 12’ long Payload: 900 lbs. Lwt: 6,400 lbs.

Volume: 169 cf Maint: 74 hours

Price: $26,675 + computer.

HT: 25/600 HP: 600 [body], 56 [each wheel]. gSpeed: 101 gAccel: 4.6 gDecel: 15 gMR:1 gSR: 5 Moderate GP. Off-road speed 34.

A Chinese design from the 2060’s, the Jian – more commonly called the “luck-vee” – is one of the most common light-combat vehicles on Earth. Solid engineering, off-the-shelf components, and versatile design have kept this model in use in much of the developing world. The six off-road wheels give it decent performance on and off road. The alcohol-burning ceramic engine is easy to repair, and runs for 8 hours on a full tank. Carbon-composite armor provides decent small-arms protection. The standard turret-mounted weapon is a 20mm autocannon (full rotation, universal mount, and 5,000 rounds of ammunition), but it is easily replaced with a water cannon for police duties. The standard model has a crew of two (driver, commander/gunner) and room for six seated, two standing passengers; main exit is a rear hatch. The mostcommon modification makes it a cybershell-only carrier, with room for 10 MCS-52 or four MCS-64 units and equipment. A point-defense laser is a common retrofit.

Subassemblies: Body, turret, six off-road wheels.

Powertrain: 300 kW standard ceramic engine, 300-kW wheeled drivetrain with all-wheel drive, and one E-Cell (20kWh) battery.

Fuel: 86-gallon self-sealing alcohol fuel tank provides 8 hours of full-power output from ceramic engine. Battery provides power for autocannon and auxiliary systems.

Occupancy: 2 NCS, 6 CS, 2 CSR Cargo: 50 cf

Body: Very-Long-Range Tight-Beam Radio, 20 mile Thermographic Sensor, Radar/Ladar Detector, Searchlight, Military GPS, Cheap Small Complexity 5 Computer.

Turret: Searchlight, 20mm Autocannon (see below, p. 138) on full-rotation, universal mount. 5,000 rounds of ammunition standard. Often replaced with a water cannon.

Size: 20’ long Payload: 5,550 lbs. Lwt: 21,000 lbs.

Volume: 487 cf Maint: 44 hours Price: $46,000

HT: 16/1200 HP: 1200 [body], 75 [wheels], 113 [turret].

gSpeed: 96 gAccel: 4 gDecel: 15 gMR:0.75 gSR: 5

High GP. Off-road speed 24.

These ground vehicles are designed for off-road travel in trackless wilderness. Ultra-tech ATVs aren’t just designed for Earth – they’re built for hostile environments on alien worlds as well.

This is an eight-wheeled all-terrain vehicle used by survey teams and prospectors. The wheels have oversized self-inflating tires and independent electric motors. The vehicle is powered by a pair of F cells, giving it a range of 500 miles. Its tough composite hull can survive up to 30 atmospheres of pressure. It has full life support and radiation PF 2. Standard equipment includes headlights, a one-man airlock, an inertial navigation system, a large radio, a personal computer, and three workstation terminals. An auxiliary solar panel can operate all onboard systems except the motors indefinitely, allowing the vehicle to be used as a base camp.

Use Driving (Heavy Wheeled) skill to operate it. It has a watertight hull and auxiliary hydrojet propulsion system, and can swim at Move 1/4.

This is a car-sized eight-legged vehicle designed for the roughest terrain, such as icy mountains or craters. It is powered by a closed-cycle turbine engine with a range of 360 miles. Its hull can withstand 30 atmospheres of pressure, and it has limited life support (10 man-days) and radiation PF 10. It has the same equipment as the wheeled ATV (above), except that it is equipped with a holographic crew station. Use Driving (Mecha) skill to operate it.

These are standard commuter vehicles. They could be family cars or police cruisers.

This is an electric car with a motor in each wheel, a light alloy and composite body, and a fuel cell power plant. It runs for six hours with a cruising range of 400 miles. It is equipped with a computerized crew station, an inertial compass, an infrared surveillance camera, a rugged personal computer, small ladar, a small cellular radio, and an entertainment console. Each occupant has a crashweb. The car has a biometric lock on its doors, and the vehicle is also equipped with headlights and tail lights.

The driver uses Driving (Automobile) skill to operate it, although the vehicle is often driven under computer control.

This four-wheeled electric vehicle is powered by superconductor cells. It can operate for 12 hours with a cruising range of 1,000 miles. The vehicle’s reconfigurable smart skin subtly adjusts the shapes of the body and the wheels for optimum aerodynamics and ground traction.

The car has the same systems as the smartcar described above, but its body has programmable camouflage allowing it to change color and pattern on command. The interior features self-adjusting memswear seats. If empty, it can fold into a SM+2 box for ease of parking. A $100, LC3 hack lets it do this on command, doing thrusting crushing damage to occupants based on its ST.

Ultra-tech advances in composites, flight-control software, and miniaturized power plants make the old dream of flying automobiles possible.

All flying cars have these standard systems: computerized controls, headlights, an inertial compass, a personal computer, and a small multi-mode radar. Other details depend on the model, as described below.

This is a streamlined automobile with a bubble canopy. It flies using thrust from four pod-mounted ducted fans, but it also has an ordinary wheeled suspension and electric drivetrain that lets it operate like an ordinary car. It can hover in mid-air, or take off and land vertically, or fly as fast as a light airplane with a range of 900 miles. The quoted performance statistics are for ducted-fan flight; as a ground vehicle, the air car has Handling/SR +1/3 and Move 3/45* on the ground, with an 1,800 mile range.

The vehicle has two doors and four seats. It is operated with Piloting (Vertol) and Electronics Operation (Sensors); Navigation (Air) is also useful!

It can fly with only two engines, but if a total systems failure occurs or it runs out of fuel while airborne, it deploys a landing parachute that will usually bring it down safely (assume Parachuting-11). All occupants are also provided with crashwebs.

Ground Vehicle Table

Flying Cars Table

In the future, tanks are still a battle-winning combination of protection, mobility, and firepower. Ultra-tech tanks improve all these areas, but their greatest advantage is better situational awareness, thanks to virtual-reality sensors and their own miniature air forces of drones or swarms. Even so, friendly infantry are still vital to avoid ambush in cities or rough terrain! Adventurers may see tanks as dragons that require cunning and courage to slay, or the cavalry that charges to the rescue. The tanks described below are all designed to be easily transported by aircraft or spacecraft. Larger ones are possible!

This tank has a tough composite-laminate hull that is reinforced by electromagnetic armor, but it relies on stealth and sensors to get the first shot. It runs quietly on rubber-band tracks, powered by a hybrid diesel-electric engine. The crew (a driver and commander-gunner) are stationed in the hull, protected by a NBC kit. Its unmanned turret is armed with a 100mm tank cannon with the electrothermal upgrade and a coaxial 15mm chaingun. Atop the turret is a smaller turret with a strike laser for air defense and missile interception. The rear hull houses 10 tactical missile launchers in fixed upward-facing mounts. Electronics include two holographic crew stations, a hyperspectral imaging sensor, a medium laser comm, a medium radio, a tactical ESM, and a tactical sound detector. It is operated by a driver who uses Driving (Tracked) and Electronics Operation (Sensors) and a commander/gunner with Artillery (Guided Missiles), Gunner (Beams, Cannon, Machine Gun), and Electronics Operation (Comm, ECM, Sensors).

This tank rides on a cushion of air, using auxiliary jump jets to cross rough terrain. The hull is sealed with full life support. The main turret has a 40mm railgun or a plasma cannon in a stabilized mount. The vehicle also has a small turret with a strike laser in a stabilized mount for point defense. Electronics include two holographic crew stations, hyperspectral imaging sensors, a medium laser comm, a medium radio, and a tactical sound detector. The vehicle is protected by infrared cloaking, a multispectral chameleon surface, radar stealth, and a tactical ESM.

Crew and skill requirements are the same as the light tank with the exception that Driving (Hovercraft) is used. LC1.

Tanks Table

TL Vehicle ST/HP Hnd/SR HT Move LWt. Load SM Occ. DR Cost Locations

These ground-effect vehicles ride on a cushion of air. Hovercraft are less maneuverable than conventional ground vehicles, but can travel on land and water.

This armored vehicle is designed to transport a squad of soldiers and provide them with fire support. It is also very effective as a coastal patrol (or smuggling!) craft. It uses a gas turbine or fuel cell power plant, and has a range of 800 miles.

Its crew compartment holds two, and is accessed through a top hatch. A powered rear ramp leads into a compartment that can carry up to eight passengers and cargo. Electronics include two holographic crew stations, hyperspectral sensors, an inertial navigation system, a medium laser comm, a medium radio, a personal computer with the hardened option, tactical AESA (10 mile range), and a tactical ESM. Defenses include infrared cloaking and radar stealth.

It has a small stabilized turret atop the hull. Its primary sensors are in a telescoping mast-mounted periscope (the X location) that extends up to 15 feet for over-the-horizon reconnaissance. It is protected by composite armor.

It has a small independent turret that is a stabilized mount; it can be fitted with up to 400 lbs. of weapon systems.

This open-topped light hovercraft is suitable for both civilian and military uses. It is powered by a single F cell for six hours, giving it a range of 240 miles. It has two front and four rear seats. The pilot uses Driving (Hovercraft) skill. Its equipment is fairly austere: headlights, a computerized crew station, a HUD (p. 24), an inertial compass, a medium radio, and a personal computer.

Hovercraft Table

These are vehicles designed for underwater research, salvage, and special operations. All three subs described below share certain characteristics. Each has a bridge with a pair of holographic crew stations plus a variable number of passenger seats, and a one-man airlock.

Other equipment includes a medium hydrophone, a medium sonar, microframe computer, a periscope (15’) with a medium radio and thermal imaging sensors, and a medium sonar comm. A sound baffling system gives a -3 penalty on rolls to detect the submarines with hydrophones, but only when they are moving at speeds below 50 mph.

A stabilized turret is standard for all the minisubs described below. Civilian versions equip the turret with a searchlight and heavy laser torch; military or paramilitary models often carry a blue-green strike laser.

This is a 30-foot-long submarine that can dive into the deepest parts of the ocean or explore the seas of alien worlds. It is saucer-shaped, with a spherical pressure hull surrounded by an unpressurized engineering section that houses twin hydrojet propellers. It uses a nuclear power plant which gives it unlimited range, and it can safely operate at a depth of up to 10 miles. Another feature is a pair of ST 30 robot manipulator arms that an operator can control with his own DX and skills, using either virtual reality gloves or a neural interface.

This is a short-range sub designed for underwater courier, attack, or patrol duties. The vessel has a streamlined wedge-shaped body, and is propelled by vortex-combustor ramjet engines that combine aluminum dust with water (this serves as both oxidizer and reaction mass). It uses a gas generator to create a supercavitating bubble around the vehicle, reducing its drag and permitting very high underwater speeds. The supercav minisub can dive to a depth of 900 feet and has a range of 200 miles.

Nuclear Minisub (TL10)

This is a fusion-powered multi-purpose minisub. Its features are identical to the deep-sea minisub except that it has ST 45 arms, full life support (limited only by the food that is carried aboard) and unlimited cruising range. The reactor is good for 200 years.

These gadgets let single divers travel long distances underwater. Naval black ops teams find them particularly useful, and in underwater colonies, everyone might use them.

This one-man underwater propulsion system resembles a small sled equipped with a hydrojet propulsion system. The diver grips the control handles on the sled and is pulled forward. It has a headlight and depth gauge; it may carry up to 10 pounds of other gadgets, such as weapons or sonar. It runs for eight hours on a D cell and weighs 30 lbs. LC4.

This is a backpack underwater propulsion system using a vortex-combustor ramjet. It has a range of 10 miles and weighs 20 lbs. It takes three seconds to strap on or remove. An extra fuel cylinder is $40 and 20 lbs. LC4.

Minisub and Diver Propulsion System Table

Tilt-rotor airplanes have two oversized propellers that can swivel between a vertical position (to fly like a helicopter) and horizontal position (for efficient, highspeed airplane flight). They are especially useful for military special ops, but may also be popular commuter and cargo aircraft.

The tilt rotor has two computerized crew stations (p. 24) for the pilot and co-pilot, with a cabin and cargo area to the rear. Access is provided by two side doors and a rear cargo door under the tail. The aircraft is sealed with limited life support (60 man-hours). Other onboard systems include an inertial navigation system (p. 74), a personal computer (p. 22), a medium multi-mode radar (p. 65), and a medium radio (p. 44).

A tilt-rotor pilot uses Piloting (Light Airplane) when in fixed-wing flight (required for speeds over 150 mph) and Piloting (Helicopter) when in a helicopter mode. Electronics Operation (Comm, Sensors) and Navigation (Air) skills are useful. A co-pilot is not required, but can share the workload.

This is an armored special ops version of the tilt rotor. It has the same capabilities as the tilt-rotor transport plus infrared cloaking (p. 99), radar stealth (p. 100), and a large radar (p. 65). A small independent turret is under the nose. The pilot or co-pilot will usually have Gunner (Beams or Machine Gun) skill.

These are wingless direct-lift transport vehicles, similar to the air car (p. 225) but larger. They perform the same roles as helicopters do at TL7-8, but their lack of wings or rotors lets them maneuver in built-up areas. Typical missions include aerial assault, flying ambulance, logistics support, and VIP transport.

This is a streamlined vehicle like a wingless cargo jet, with a tail assembly, four pods containing vectored-thrust ducted fan engines, and a retractable skid undercarriage. It is lightly armored, but its redundant systems enable it to fly despite systems failures or combat damage.

It has a front cockpit with two crew seats for a pilot and a co-pilot; behind that is a small cabin with eight passenger seats and a cargo bay. There are doors on either side of the fuselage, and two under the tail. All seats are provided with crashwebs (p. 224). Electronics include a pair of computerized crew stations (p. 24), an inertial navigation system (p. 74), a medium multi-mode radar (p. 65), a medium radio (p. 44), two personal computers (p. 22), and a large radar (p. 65). Military models add additional stealth systems – see the Defenses chapter for various options. It has a sealed hull with an NBC kit (p. 224).

The pilot uses Piloting (Vertol) skill. Other useful skills are Electronics Operation (Communications and Sensors) and Navigation (Air). A co-pilot is common, and will have the same skills.

Tilt-Rotor and Vertol Table TL Vehicle ST/HP Hnd/SR HT Move LWt. Load SM Occ. DR Cost Loc. Stall 9 Tactical Tilt-Rotor 130 -1/4 12f 4/200 20 3 +6 2+18 30 $40,000,000 gt3WrWi 0 9 Tilt-Rotor Transport 130 -1/4 11f 4/200 20 4 +6 2+28 6 $20,000,000 G3WrWi 0 9 Utility Vertol 90 +3/3 11fx 4/200 10 2 +5 2+8S 30 $12,000,000 g3Rr 0

MICROPLANES

These are portable aircraft that can be stored in kit form and assembled with a few tools.

Dragonfly Microlight (TL9)

This small propeller airplane is often used as a recreational aircraft or carried by explorers, but it is also useful for covert insertions. The wings and body are constructed of transparent, high-strength polymers over foamed metal structural membranes. The Dragonfly can be broken down for transport into two backpack modules, each weighing a mere 35 lbs. Assembly or disassembly takes a single person only nine minutes; a Mechanic+2 roll and a tool kit are required.

It carries one person in an open saddle. It lands and takes off on skids; it has a range of 100 miles, or more if it can glide with a good tail wind. Its construction provides it with radar stealth (p. 100).

Backpack Dragonfly (TL10) This advanced version of the Dragonfly folds into a single 35-lb. backpack. No assembly is required. It takes three seconds for the aircraft to unfold or contract.

Microplane Table

TL Vehicle ST/HP Hnd/SR HT Move Lwt. Load SM Occ DR Cost Loc. Stall 9 Dragonfly 16 +2/5 12 5/35 0.14 0.11 +2 1 2 $4,000 E2R2Wi 15 10 Backpack Dragonfly 16 +2/5 12 5/35 0.13 0.11 +2 1 2 $6,000 E2R2Wi 15

These are strap-on aerial propulsion systems. Most flight packs are controlled by a panel built into an arm curving in front of the user; computer autopiloting is standard, so only one hand is required to operate them. Instrument readouts are usually projected into a helmet HUD, but the pack can connect to a neural interface for hands-free operation.

It takes four seconds to strap on a flight pack, two seconds to remove it. All of these “vehicles” require Piloting (Flight Pack) skill to operate.

This is a pair of three-foot wide ducted fans attached to a backpack harness and control unit. It’s useful for emergency rescue work, and thanks to the relatively quiet power plant, has some military applications. It won’t operate in a trace or vacuum atmosphere. It requires two yards of clearance to either side of the wearer – he can’t fly through narrow passages or doors. The helipack weighs 200 lbs. and uses an E cell for power. It has a range of 200 miles. LC3.

These are microgravity flight rigs used for short-range travel outside of spacecraft or space stations. They use coldgas thrusters to provide maneuverability, and can be easily donned, doffed, and serviced by a single individual. Use Free Fall skill to operate them.

A hand thruster propels the user with bursts of compressed gas. Each burst accelerates or decelerates a normal-mass human by one yard per second in the direction opposite to that in which the thruster is pointed. A successful roll against Free Fall or Vacc Suit skill is necessary to point the thruster in the desired direction. The unit’s cylinder is good for 30 one-second bursts. A hand thruster weighs four pounds, including the cylinder; extra cylinders cost $10, weigh one pound and take three seconds to replace.

A strap-on unit for short jaunts in free fall. It consists of a thruster pack, a pair of arms with reverse thrusters, and a control arm that curves in front of the user. Maneuver jets are located at strategic points along the entire pack; a builtin autopilot assists the wearer. It takes 10 seconds and a Vacc Suit roll (which can be tried again every five seconds if missed) to strap into the thruster pack. The large cylinder allows 100 seconds of full acceleration. Successful Free Fall rolls allow the user to control his speed and direction. It weighs 40 pounds, including one cylinder. Extra cylinders cost $30, weigh 10 lbs. and take five seconds to replace.

Flight Pack and Thruster Pack Table

TL Vehicle ST/HP Hnd/SR HT Move (G) Lwt. Load SM Occ DR Cost Locations Stall Speed 9 Hand Thruster 6 +1/1 12 1/30 (0.1G) 0.1 0.1 -5 1 5 $50 – – 9 Helipack 17 +2/2 12 3/30 0.34 0.3 -2 1 10 $20,000 E 0 9 Thruster Pack 14 +3/1 12 3/300 (0.3G) 0.12 0.1 -2 1 10 $2,000 E –

These are designed to let their occupants enter atmosphere safely. They have small rocket engine clusters that provide limited maneuverability, but careful landing is a manner of good navigation. De-orbiting takes two or three rotations around a planet with an Earthlike atmosphere (more for a planet with a thinner atmosphere, such as Mars). During this time, radio, radar, and all passive sensors will be blinded due to plasma effects.

Life pods and drop capsules incorporate a computer with Navigation (Space)-12, or the user can override this and program his own landing. Critical success means the user lands within a mile of where he intended. Success means he’s within 5d ¥ 100 miles, less 200 miles times his margin of success (e.g., success by 5 reduces the radius by 1,000 miles), minimum one mile. Failure means he could be anywhere on the planet. Critical failure means a disaster of some sort: landing in rough terrain, getting stuck in orbit without fuel to deorbit, or optionally, a too-steep reentry that results in the capsule burning up (a fate best left to NPCs).

This is a four-person escape capsule designed to let people evacuate a spacecraft or space station in the event of disaster.

If launched from a vessel in deep space, a life pod is designed to maneuver a safe distance away from a damaged vessel and broadcast a distress signal.

If launched from a vessel in planetary orbit, the pod provides its occupants the option to land; if they are not responsive, it will do so if its library data indicates it is safe to do so (e.g., it won’t try to land on a gas giant!). Reentry is handled by an autopilot. After a series of braking parachutes have reduced speed, the capsule uses a parachute to descend to a soft landing. If it lands in water, air bags are automatically inflated, and the capsule will float.

A life pod is equipped with padded acceleration seats for four people and a pair of lockers holding 200 lbs. of cargo. These are usually stuffed with medical and survival kits, but in an emergency the lockers can be emptied, allowing an extra person to cram into each locker.

The capsule is equipped with a medium radio beacon, an inertial navigation system, and 90 man-days of limited life support. Its internal energy bank will power its beacon and life support system for up to a month.

The pod’s surface is equipped with a programmable camouflage intended to give it a radar-reflective surface or adjust the exterior for high visibility. The pod is controlled by a personal computer and a simple crew console. Its maneuvering rockets require Piloting (High-Performance Spacecraft), but most pods are equipped with an AI so they can be used by unskilled escapees. LC4.

A drop capsule is a re-entry capsule protected by an ablative shield, allowing an occupant or cargo canister to be safely dropped from a spaceship in low orbit. It takes two minutes to load a drop capsule. The capsule must be launched from a vehicle bay or missile launcher on a trajectory that will de-orbit it.

Re-entry is handled by an autopilot. After a series of braking parachutes have reduced descent speed, the capsule breaks up a mile or so above the surface. A conventional parachute or parawing can then be used. The drop capsule is not reusable. A drop capsule’s split DR is DR 100 ablative armor (all of which is usually gone after the re-entry) on its underside, plus DR 20 from its composite body. LC3.

These are similar to standard drop capsules, but are made of material with a low sensor signature and packed with ECM equipment and decoys. They have radar stealth and sensor jammers. A stealth capsule automatically launches radar and infrared decoys and activates its own jamming systems, giving itself an extra -5 to be struck by homing missiles. It may also deploy a spare parachute to “jink” itself off a sensor screen. This generally triggers a second roll (at -5) by the sensor operator to avoid losing contact. A stealth capsule is somewhat more cramped than a drop capsule. LC2.

Drop Capsules Table