WarStriders/Construction
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War Strider Construction System
"I have been thinking that some kind of 'Warstrider Construction System' would be funky. Select size, speed, armour, enhancements, weapons, etc. Doesnt have to be complicated, simple, but allows for options differences and that nice crunchy feeling that I love. I will have to think about this more when I get S&S." - JackT
Killfalcon's quick attempt!
As for warstrider construction rules, here's a brief stab, based off Savant and Sorcerer's artifact creation rules.
Each component has a 'Power' rating (Savant and Sorcerer, p. 23). Power 1 covers minor useful things, notably cosmetic effects and air conditioning type gadgets. Power 2 covers most movement effects and essence 2 charms. Power 3 covers a mortal's lifetime achievements, and terrestrial circle magics.
Power is connected to the attunement and activation costs, coupled with any increase from the essence drawback (Savant and Sorcerer, p. 26).
(Here, I break from how the book does it).
For the purposes of this system, the Load of any given component is twice it's power, plus it's (undoubled) essence drawback.
The Strider's power output is twice the level of the hearthstones powering it, plus half it's attunment cost. This can be increased through the use of Essence accumulators (ornate vanes and wings often mistaken for ornamentation) and other such devices.
Some artifacts, especially those with limited uses, are powered directly by the user: most modern striders make extensive use of these weapons. These normally only have a load of 1 or 2, depending on their weight.
A strider can mount a number of weapons: normally one per hand and one per shoulder. Scout walkers may normally only mount 2 weapons, but there's no restriction as to where they can be. A few Royal warstriders and Juggernaughts have been known to mount minor weaponry in the legs: Tepet Fular was known to mount flame cannon in the legs of his Juggernaught to clear away enemy infantry, before his defeat at the hands of the Bull of the North.
Some Striders have backpacks to contain essence refiners and the like, often for use with medium essence cannon and fire lances.
Most striders have a few systems already included: it's increased speed, strength and soak, notably. Systems to keep the user comfortable are extra, often leading to experienced pilots arguing with savant-engineers as to how to load out the suits. The basic strider has no sensory increases, either.
Examples:
In the first of many attempt to slay Gryphon, Ledaal Lex, exiled dynast and guild factor, has hired a god-blooded son of a war god and purchased a scout-class warstrider. The scout has a level three hearthstone (the minimum for proper operation) and a pair of shock rams. Knowing the god blood's essence is too weak to operate the rams for an extended period, Lex has his savants attempt to wire the rams into the strider's power nexus.
The scout strider's output is (3*2+10/2)=11.
Shockrams are power 2: they don't add greatly to the strider's strength, but do allow ranged attacks. With a per-use cost of 2 motes, they are slightly inefficent (essence drawback of 1). This gives a load of (2*2+1)=5.
This allows both the rams to be powered by the stone.
However, the remaining output of 1 isn't enough to run even the most efficent internal cooling systems, so the poor godblood is going to have to contend with the southern heat.
So he intends to attack at night.
Master of Clockworks, deathknight engineer, has constructed for himself a terrifying engine of war. A Royal Warstrider of black soulsteel, this battlesuit is intended to ensure the safety of his master's holdings. Before construction begins, he names it "Justice Assured".
In each of its massive guantlets, he has his ghostly artificers bore dozens of tubes and chambers, forming them into a pair of immense maggot casters. In each he seals moliated ghosts, on which to breed hundreds of ravening maggots.
In the machine's skull, he mounts a device of his own design: a Black Heart of Attunment, allowing the user to gain the benefits of soulsteel armour and weapons while wearing Justice Assured.
Such a regal suit would not be complete without a Full Metal Immersion device, and it's essence conduits are built of purest moonsilver. Traces of red and white jade crawl around the carapce to form runic inscriptions of power and might.
Warstrider Modules
Full Metal Immersion, Power 1. (Senses mortal activities, doesn't defeat stealth charms).
Final Peace Bringers: Power 2 (scaled up weaponary), + Power 1 (corpse chambers).
Black heart of Attunement: (power 1, effectively adds slightly to soak and accuracy, inefficent (2 dots))
Total Load: 12
Power output: lvl 3 stone, + 12 mote attunment: =6+6=12
In this case, the added attunment cost has been used to offset the power increase.
Thoughts? It's a bit pulled out of the air to be 'balanced', but it does allow for some min-maxing, which is the point of mech design.
