Alien Sky:Unit Special Rules

Fractal Rules

Basics

Fractals are designed using a progressive build system that accords a number of build points based on level, which can be slotted into the five attributes of Melee, Firepower, Speed, Defense and Special. High attributes allow a unit to buy better and more specialized equipment (up to its rating) which gives it contextual bonuses in the manner of Specializations for PCs.

Each tier essentially represents a full generation of A-Fractal and AN-Fractal technology, with Tsiolkovsky and Heng Sha skirting the bleeding edge around 7th generation units. N-Fractals, which are designed with Growth, operate on a maturity cycle that is comparable. When building N or AN-Fractals, generation is determined by the character's Growth or Conspiracy ratings, which is selected at chargen. Custom A-Fractals are also generated using either of those specialties, but at a -1 to effective Generation because of restraints on mass-produced technology.

Elites and Pilots generally use inferior versions of their commander's production runs, but may likewise receive customized equipment built using this table. They receive a -1 to Generation (which stacks with the penalties from using customized A-Fractals), but may otherwise be equipped with whatever equipment their unit qualifies for.

1st Generation - 10 CP
2nd Generation - 11 CP
3rd Generation - 13 CP
4th Generation - 16 CP
5th Generation - 20 CP
6th Generation - 25 CP
7th Generation - 29 CP
8th Generation - 32 CP
9th Generation - 34 CP
10th Generation - 35 CP

Fractal Attributes

Like characters, Fractals have their own attributes that come into play during combat.

Primary Attributes

Strength

Strength represents the physical strength of the living chassis beneath the shell of the Fractal's armored restraints and feedback equipment. Strength has a primary impact on the unit's usage of melee weaponry, and also has a secondary effect on hits and carry capacity.

Defense

Defense is the stat that reflects the resilience and endurance of the Fractal's chassis, as well as the strength of manmade defensive systems layered over it. Defense has a primary effect on hits and deflection rating.

Agility

Agility is a rough measure for the responsiveness and dexterity of a Fractal in response to neural input from a human being or AI. It is essential for ranged fighters, and also increases the ability to evade attacks.

Speed

Speed determines aerial and ground maneuverability, improving the ability to effectively dodge attacks and escape pursuers. Fractals with high Speed tend to grow spindly bodies and vestigial wings that are incorporated into their control units.

Sync

Sync determines the unit's ability to perceive things itself and control remote weapons and also allows the unit to incorporate theoretical physics weapon systems derived from the Vectors, such as Crysis Fields and Homing Lasers.

Utility

The unit's ability to carry equipment such as EWACs, advanced sensors and heavy weaponry such as

Derived Attributes

Hits

All Fractals have a limited amount of damage they may endure before being destroyed or forced into regenerative dormancy. A dormant Fractal can be 'puppeted' by its control harness and forced to fly back into dock, but will lose so much mobility and processing power (which will be devoted to keeping the machine in the air) that it will not be able to operate much more than decoy flares without the risk of stalling mid-air or crashing on the ground.

Total Hits are calculated by adding up Strength + Synch + [Defense] x2.

Weapon Stowage

Weapon Stowage determines what sort of weaponry a unit may carry, including rifles, melee weapons or missile pods. Although the kind of systems a craft can take are capped by their relevant attributes (Strength for Melee, Agility for Ranged and Synch for Exotics), having a higher average allows a unit to carry much much more.

Weapon Stowage is calculated with Strength + Agility + Synch.

Equipment

Equipment sets how much defensive equipment a unit may carry, including boosters, shield arrays and more advanced armor. As with Equipment, specific equipments might have associated requirements.

Equipment is calculated with Defense + Speed + Utility.

Fractal Upgrades

Weaponry

Glossary:

• Scatter#: Adds one attack per rating when fired at close range.
• Seeker#: Adds one attack per rating when fired at long range.
• Tearing#: Ignores armor points equal to rating. Calculated before Piercing, if applicable.
• Piercing: Ignores half of armor soak.
• Attenuation#: Ignores shield points equal to rating. Calculated before Cancellation, if applicable.
• Cancellation: Ignores half of shield soak.
• Area#: Gives an area of effect equal to 10^Area meters.
• Reach#: Higher reach allows for an attack to be made outside of the other character's melee range. They may parry as normal and are considered to be locked in melee for the purposes of allied fire support.
• Stability#: Applies only to remote weapons, increasing the number of rounds they may operate independently before docking for one round to recharge.
• Synergy#: Increases power for every unit of the same taxonomic group use, with rating as the interval for power increase.

Melee

Head/Wrists/Feet (5 Max, Fixed)

• Claw: Damage 2 Req: Strength 1; Tags: N/A; Cost: 1
• Pneumatic Claw: Damage 2 Req: Strength 1; Tags: Tearing 1; Cost: 1
• Oscillating Claw: Damage 4 Req: Strength 1; Tags: Tearing 3; Cost: 2
• Lance: Damage 3 Req: Strength 2; Tags: Reach 1; Cost: 1
• Pneumatic Lance: Damage 3 Req: Strength 2; Tags: Reach 1, Tearing 1; Cost: 1
• Oscillating Lance: Damage 4; Req: Strength 2; Tags: Reach 1, Tearing 3; Cost: 2
• Linear Geyser: Damage 4; Req: Sync 3, Strength 3; Tags: Piercing, Cancellation, Reach 3; Cost: 4

One Handed (2 Max, can Field Swap)

• Blade Damage 3 Req: Strength 1; Tags: N/A; Cost: 1
• Oscillating Blade Damage 3 Req: Strength 2; Tags: Tearing 2; Cost: 2
• Laser Blade Damage 3 Req: Strength 2; Tags: Attenuation 2, Tearing 2; Cost: 3
• Linear Wedge Damage 5 Req: Sync 2, Strength 3; Tags: Cancellation, Tearing 2; Cost: 4
• Boomerang Damage 2 Req: Sync 1, Strength 1; Tags: Stability 1; Cost: 1
• Oscillating Boomerang Damage 1 Req: Sync 1, Strength 2; Tags: Stability 1, Tearing 2; Cost: 2
• Laser Boomerang Damage 3 Req: Sync 1, Strength 2; Tags: Stability 1, Attenuation 2, Tearing 1; Cost: 3
• Linear Seeker Damage 4 Req: Sync 3, Strength 3; Tags: Stability 1, Cancellation; Cost: 4
• Spear Damage 3 Req: Strength 3; Tags: Reach 2; Cost: 2
• Oscillating Spear Damage 4 Req: Strength 3; Tags: Attenuation 2, Reach 2; Cost: 3
• Linear Impeller Damage 5 Req: Sync 2, Strength 4; Tags: Cancellation, Reach 3; Cost: 5

Two Handed (1 Max, can Field Swap)

• Giant Blade
• Hyper-Oscillating Blade
• Linear Tracer
• Giant Boomerang
• Hyper-Oscillating Boomerang
• Linear Effector

Ranged

Wrist/Hips/Chest (6 Max, Fixed)

• Integrated Autocannon
• Integrated Grenade Launcher
• Integrated Laser
• Integrated Railgun
• Integrated Wire Launcher
• Crysis Field Node (E)
• Crysis Field Nexus (E)
• Scattering Beam (E)
• Homing Beam (E)

Handheld (1 Max, can Field Swap)

• Hand Autocannon
• Hand Grenade Launcher
• Laser Rifle
• Rail Rifle
• Crysis Field Gauntlet (E)
• Scattering Beam Rifle (E)
• Homing Beam Rifle (E)

Backpack/Shoulder (2 Max, can Eject)

• Heavy Autocannon
• Heavy Grenade Launcher
• Heavy Laser Cannon
• Heavy Railcannon
• Integrated Wire Launcher
• Vertical Missile
• Cluster Missile
• High-Act Missile
• High-Velocity Missile
• Crysis Field Node (E)
• Crysis Field Nexus (E)
• Scattering Beam Array (E)
• Homing Beam Array (E)

Artillery (1 Max, can Eject)

• Extended Vertical Missile
• Extended Cluster Missile
• Extended High-Act Missile
• Extended High-Velocity Missile
• Light Howitzer
• Superheavy Laser Cannon
• Superheavy Railcannon
• Vector Impeller Cannon (E)

Equipment

Defensive

Shields

Armor

Regeneration

Mobility

Engines

Maneuver

Skimmers