Aberrant 2.0 Taint Mutants
Dimensional Witch
Basics
Codename: Dimensional Witch
Allegiance: Lorentz
Author: Peel
Description
The 'dimensional witches' are taint mutants created by Lorentz, with the appearance of classical 'magical girls' from Old Earth. They inherit her delusional perception of reality, including the irrational hatred of Psi, and manifest powerful but extremely tightly focused metric warping abilities. They usually are created and operate solo, but themed groups of up to nine have been observed. They are highly mobile but individually little threat to a capable psion or even a well-armed baseline team. Operatives should be aware that they possess a simplistic but strong sense of morality within the constraints of their delusion; this makes them a low-priority threat unless psions are required to operate in the area.
Stats
Attributes
Strength 3; Dexterity 5 (acrobatic); Stamina 4 (gets back up); Perception 4 (root out evil); Int 2; Wit 4 (combat reflexes); App: 4 (cute); Man: 1; Cha 3.
Abilities
Brawl 3; Athletics 2; Martial Arts 3; Endurance 1; Resistance 3; Awareness 2; Science (physics) 3, Rapport 1; Intimidation 1; Performance (oratory) 2; Style 2
Other
Initiative: +9
Movement: walk 5m, run 17m, sprint 35m
Willpower: 5 (5)
Quantum Energy: 10 (10)
Quantum: ●
Taint: ●●●●● ●●●●●
Soak:
- Natural 5B 3L
Attacks:
- Strike: d8, +0 difficulty, 7B
- Kick: d10, +1 difficulty, 10B (3 MA points)
- Grapple: d8, +0 difficulty, 5B, holds target
- Disarm: d8, +1 difficulty, 5B, disarming
- Tackle: d8, +1 difficulty, 7B, knockdown (+2 diff)
- Block: d8
- Dodge: d8
Health Levels
- [ ]: Bruised, -0
- [ ]: Bruised, -0
- [ ]: Hurt, -1
- [ ]: Injured, -1
- [ ]: Wounded, -2
- [ ]: Wounded, -2
- [ ]: Crippled, -4
- [ ]: Incapacitated
- Dead
Powers
- Quantum Bolt ●●
- ROF 4, [3]+10B, [3]+8L
- Flight ●
- 64m/round, 80km/h
- Force Field ●
- 7 health levels
Aberrations
- Taint 10
- Quiet (magical girl)
- Overgrown sense of morality
- Cel-shaded
- Anima banner
Scorponox
Basics
The Scorponox taint mutants are the products of an aberrant known only as Scorponox. It is believed that it was once a military officer though no one is quite sure what military it served in. Despite repeated attempts no one has been able to find and destroy Scorponox proper, some claim it is served by a large aberrant cults, other that it is hiding out in a blight zone. With so little known wild speculation is quite common, but this report will only present the known facts.
Scorponox Tactics
Scorponox tactics rely on two things: Speed and infiltration. This is not simply a matter of tactical speed; Scorponox brawlers are quite capable of carrying Stingers on their back for several hundred kilometres. Contrary to popular rumours Scorponox attacks do not number in the hundreds, there have been no credible reports of formations larger than a platoon.
In a combat situation the Scorponox warriors try to get as close as possible to the enemy, preferably close enough to engage in melee combat. Often a Scorponox attack is preceded by a brief, but intense Stinger bombardment intended to break the enemy defences at key points. Once combat is joined the Scorponox brawlers try to stick as close to the enemy as possible, in order to neutralize their advantage in heavy weapons. Infiltrating civilian buildings and cities is also a favoured strategy, in the hopes that concern for civilian losses will prevent the use of heavy weaponry.
It is important to bear in mind that a Scorponox attack will usually have a purpose; pure terror raids are actually quite rare. This purpose can be raiding for additional victims, though such raids are usually very low key and include only a handful of Brawlers. It can also be to collect money, weapons, specialized equipment, or to destroy key personnel involved in finding and destroying Scorponox itself. The collection of money and human weapons is the best indication that there is indeed an Aberrant cult out there which serves Scorponox, but so far attempts to use marked currency has failed.
Bear in mind that Scorponox mutants can and do use technology, mostly light weight encrypted communications sets that have been nailed onto their exo-skeletons. However Scorponox mutants have also on occasion carried large demolition charges with them, in order to destroy specified obstacles. Whether such devices are made by Scorponox itself or by aberrant cultists is at this stage unknown.
For a team of VARG equipped troops Scorponox units are primarily a nuisance, the leading Brains and Scorponox itself is fully aware of this. In other words attacks are likely to come at times and in places where it is difficult to move in reinforcements.
Scorponox Brains
The Scorponox Brain is a very rare taint mutant, so much so in fact that samples are exceedingly rare. What samples have been found indicates that the Brains are based on a Stinger body design but without the powerful explosive stringer, instead the brain of the creature has been greatly developed. Scorponox Brains excel in spotting weaknesses and then co-ordinating the rest of its kin to take advantage of said weaknesses.
This however is as detailed as we can get, as it would appear that the Brain design is far more variable than that of the other taint mutants. The Brains appear to be used for missions that are so important or difficult that the regular mutants cannot be relied upon, but too dangerous for Scorponox itself to be involved. Thus the Brains often have specialized skills, such as Intrusion, Demolition, Computers, and so forth to enable them to provide the "brains" that the regular Scorponox mutant lacks.
Recommended Counter-Measures
Scorponox mutants are not among the toughest aberrant out there, but they are a deadly threat to regular infantry. The trick to dealing with them is sending in heavily armoured assault VARGs as soon as possible. Bear in mind that a VARG may be immune to attacks that would quickly kill a Scorponox mutant. You should therefore dial down the yield on your weapons until you can no longer harm your teammates. Be eager to open fire as soon as possible in order to hose down comrades that are being swarmed or better yet prevent the Scorponox from closing to begin with.
LANSA scanners and aberscopes will normally have no problems spotting Scorponox mutants. Do not let your guard down! Scorponox mutants have been known to cover themselves with heavy metal sheets, to burry themselves, to hide inside of buildings or inside of large fuel tanks. Do not assume that simply because something is on fire there can be no enemies inside. Although Scorponox mutants are not immune to fire they are perfectly willing to sacrifice themselves in order to accomplish tactical surprise. Examine your surroundings; ensure that there is nothing that can block your scanners, and then advance.
For regular infantry the trick to defeating Scorponox mutants lies in heavy supporting firepower; machine-guns, grenade launchers, and even anti-tank weaponry. There will rarely be time to lay down a proper defensive line and advancing Scorponox brawlers can cross most distances very quickly. Retreating to previously prepared positions is essential during the initial attack, although Scorponox mutants may use atrocities to provoke troops from breaking cover it is imperative that you do not take the bait! Armoured vehicles, concentrated firepower, and cohesive unit operations is essential for winning the day.
As for Noetics it is worth noticing that the Scorponox mutants have no particular defence against Psions, except that they are invariably very high taint. It is strongly recommended that Psions attempt to track and destroy the Brain during any major attack.
Scorponox Brawler
Basics
Codename: Scorponox Brawler
Allegiance: Scorponox
Author: Norseman
Description
A giant 200 kg scorpion with hands and nasty looking blades, and which shoots venom from its giant stinger. Big, nasty, frightening and equipped with a low level of human intelligence to allow it to use it stealth and tactics to the greatest advantage.
Stats
Attributes
Strength 4 (Brutal); Dexterity 4 (Fast); Stamina 4 (Resilient); Perception 5 (Observant); Int 1; Wit 2; App: 0; Man: 2; Cha 2.
Abilities
Brawl: 3; Melee: 3; Might: 3; Athletics: 3 (Dodging); Firearms: 3; Stealth: 3; Endurance: 3 [free]; Resistance: 3 [free]; Awareness: 3; Linguistics: 1-3; Survival: 3; Intrusion: 3; Tactics: 3 (Infiltration)
Other
Initiative: +6
Movement: walk 17m, run 29m, sprint 71m
Willpower: 3 (3)
Quantum Energy: 10 (10)
Quantum: ●
Taint: ●●●●● ●●●●● ●
Soak:
- Natural 6B + 4B; 6L + 1L
- Blade Strike: d7, +0 difficulty, d9+[15]L
- Clinch: d7, +0 difficulty, d4+[15]
- Tackle: d7, +1 difficulty, d4+[15], both roll athletics at +2 diff or suffer knockdown, target destabilised (+1 diff for next turn) on success
- Block: d7
- Dodge: d7
Health Levels
- [ ]: Bruised, -0
- [ ]: Bruised, -0
- [ ]: Bruised, -0
- [ ]: Hurt, -1
- [ ]: Hurt, -1
- [ ]: Injured, -1
- [ ]: Wounded, -2
- [ ]: Wounded, -2
- [ ]: Maimed, -3
- [ ]: Crippled, -4
- [ ]: Crippled, -4
- [ ]: Crippled, -4
- [ ]: Incapacitated
- Dead
Powers
- Mega-Strength ●●● (Shockwave)
- Shockwave deals 10B damage to an area 30m in radius, and forces a Strength + Athletics roll at Difficulty 3 to stay upright or fall prone.
- Mega-Dexterity ● (Catfooted)
- Catfooted adds 1 success to any contested Stealth roll, and all attempts to track the Nova's footprints without superhuman senses automatically fail as long as the Nova does not botch her stealth roll. This costs 1 Quantum and lasts for a scene.
- Hypermovement ● (Running)
- Run 500km/h outside of combat, add 6 to dex for purposes of movement in combat.
- Body Modification
- Huge: A Nova with this modification is huge, easily about 180 kilos and 2.2 or more meters tall, and gains +2 Strength, +2 Stamina, 1 additional -0 HL, and 1 additional -1 HL. Huge Novas add +2 to dexterity for movement purposes only.
- Heavy Exoskeleton: A Nova with this body modification has no visible skin, replacing it with hardened metal or chitin plates that give him 6B/6L stackable armoured soak, and a penalty of -2, and counts as worn armor for the purposes of penalty calculation.
- Integrated Medium Weapon: In a brawler this is the equivalent of an assault rifle in the form of a venom spitting stinger.
- Multiple Legs: A Nova with multiple legs adds +5 to Dexterity for purposes of ground movement speed, and being able to kick with more than 1 leg increases kick damage by 2B per purchase. Like Multiple Arms, a Nova may support up to (Stamina or Wits) sets of multiple legs, and Mega-Attributes do not count for limb support.
- Blades: Lightning sharp claws grow out of the arms and legs and mandibles of the scorponox troops. These deal Str + 5L damage.
- Redundant Organs
- 1 x-2 HL and 2 x -4HL
Taints
11 Taint points
- Taint ridden crazed mutant in the form of a giant scorpion
- Under the thrall of Scorponox
- Humanitarian; Eats people
- Highly aggressive
Scorponox Stinger
Basics
Codename: Scorponox Stinger
Allegiance: Scorponox
Author: Norseman
Description
A giant 200 kg scorpion with hands and nasty looking blades, and which shoots explosive quantum blasts from its stinger. Big, nasty, frightening and equipped with a low level of human intelligence to allow it to use it flight and tactics to the greatest advantage.
Stats
Attributes
Strength 4 (Brutal); Dexterity 4 (Fast); Stamina 4 (Resilient); Perception 5 (Observant); Int 1; Wit 2; App: 0; Man: 2; Cha 2.
Abilities
Brawl: 3; Melee: 3; Might: 3; Athletics: 3 (Dodging); Firearms: 3; Stealth: 3; Endurance: 3 [free]; Resistance: 3 [free]; Awareness: 3; Linguistics: 1-3; Survival: 3; Intrusion: 3; Tactics: 3 (Infiltration)
Other
Initiative: +6
Movement: walk 7m, run 23m, sprint 53m, flight 12m
Willpower: 3 (3)
Quantum Energy: 10 (10)
Quantum: ●
Taint: ●●●●● ●●●●●
Soak:
- Natural 6B + 4B; 6L + 1L
- Clinch: d7, +0 difficulty, d4
- Tackle: d7, +1 difficulty, d4, both roll athletics at +2 diff or suffer knockdown, target destabilised (+1 diff for next turn) on success
- Block: d7
- Dodge: d7
Health Levels
- [ ]: Bruised, -0
- [ ]: Bruised, -0
- [ ]: Bruised, -0
- [ ]: Bruised, -0
- [ ]: Hurt, -1
- [ ]: Hurt, -1
- [ ]: Injured, -1
- [ ]: Injured, -1
- [ ]: Wounded, -2
- [ ]: Maimed, -3
- [ ]: Crippled, -4
- [ ]: Incapacitated
- Dead
Powers
- Quantum Blast ●●● (Area)
- Range: 60M; Damage: 15B or 14L
- 20 Meter radius area
- Bioluminescence ●
- Body Modification
- Huge: A Nova with this modification is huge, easily about 180 kilos and 2.2 or more meters tall, and gains +2 Strength, +2 Stamina, 1 additional -0 HL, and 1 additional -1 HL. Huge Novas add +2 to dexterity for movement purposes only.
- Heavy Exoskeleton: A Nova with this body modification has no visible skin, replacing it with hardened metal or chitin plates that give him 6B/6L stackable armoured soak, and a penalty of -2, and counts as worn armor for the purposes of penalty calculation.
- Wings: Large insectoid wings that enable the Stinger to fly.
- Multiple Legs: A Nova with multiple legs adds +5 to Dexterity for purposes of ground movement speed, and being able to kick with more than 1 leg increases kick damage by 2B per purchase.
- Redundant Organs
- 1 x-0 HL and 1 x -1HL
Taints
10 Taint points
- Taint ridden crazed mutant in the form of a giant scorpion
- Under the thrall of Scorponox
- Humanitarian; Eats people
- Highly aggressive