Maelstrom Squid WM

[krispy]

Maelstrom Squid WM

The oceans of Splicers are quickly becoming a more frightening and crowded region of the planet as more and more flee the surface and enter the deep blue. Houses such H. Myre that live along the coast lines have had to rethink their strategies and tactics to counter potential coastal incursions from some of the darker sides of Splicers, such as the likes of the mysterious Violet Wave.

So to help defend their home H. Myre has developed a series of aquatic creations to face the Violet Wave

Maelstrom Squid

This WM was created by a small House that has since become part of H. Myre

MDC
Head/Maw: 310
8 armored eyes: 40 each
Main Body: 600
4 main barbed tentacles: 220 each
8 secondary barbed tentacles: 140 each
rear access hatch: 200

Speed:
Running: not possible
Leaping: not possible
Digging: with the hydro-cutters the MS can dig through dirt or sand at 50mph & 40mph through clay, rocky, stony ground
Swimming: 320kmh with Organic Thrusters & 40mph with undulating fins along the side of their body
Underwater Depth: the WM can reach depths of 3 miles (4.8 km)

Statistical Data:
Diameter: 6m
Length: 9m from caudal tail to head, the main tentacles are 12m long and the secondary tentacles are 9m long
Weight: 3.5 tons
Cargo: the MS does not carry any cargo on its back though it could drag 5 ton on a barge but it doenst
Physical Strength: of the main Tentacles 35+1D4 supernatural
Of the secondary tentacles deduct 5 from what you rolled for the main and they are supernatural

Production Cycle: 2 years gestation, plus 3 years growth
Operational Lifetime: 45 years
Trade Value: 8 million for a healthy, undamaged unit
Bio-regeneration Rate: 8D6 per hour for the MB & 4D6 per hour for all other locations
Horror Factor: 15
Senses & Features: Standard… The eyes are positioned around the maw (full circle) and due to the positioning of those 8 eyes the WM has a 360° field of vision, thus it cannot be ambushed from behind

Feeding: the Maelstrom is a Piscovore and needs to eat 55 – 65 kg of fish, crustaceans etc per day. It is not uncommon for MS to catch sharks for its meal
Sleep Requirements: 4 hours sleep/rest per day

Attributes:
I.Q. 1D6+6 high animal intelligence, M.E. 1D6+6, M.A. 1D6, P.S. 36 – 39 supernatural, P.P 1D8+15, P.E. 2D6+10, P.B 1D4. Speed: see above


Number of Attacks: 6

Combat Bonuses (in addition to possible attribute bonuses):
+2 Initiative, +2 strike ranged weapons, + 4 strike H2H, +4 to parry, +4 dodge apply to tentacles, +3 dodge when moving, + 1 pull punch, , impervious to horror factor, disease & poison

Equivalent (instinctive) skills of Note: Climb 85/75, underwater navigation 80%, Swim 98%, Track by scent 75%,
Understand language 75%, Prowl 90%, Hunt 80%

Combat Capabilities
Restrained Barbed Secondary Tentacle Strike: 3D6
Full Strength Barbed Secondary Tentacle Strike: 6D6
Power Barbed Secondary Tentacle Strike: 1D6*10+10 counts as 2 attacks
Restrained Barbed Main Tentacle Strike: 5D6
Full Barbed Main Tentacle Strike: 8D6
Power Barbed Main Tentacle Strike: 2D4*10+16 counts as 2 attacks
Bite: 3D4*10
Body Block Ram: 6D8
Power Body Block Ram (with thrusters): 2D4*10+10 counts as 2 attacks

Maelstrom Squid Bio-Weapon Systems:

1. Create Maelstrom: This WM is both a hunter who patrols territorial waters and an ambush predator, patiently waiting for its next victim like a spider on a web. Though this WM is a fast and powerful hunter its main design was as the name suggests, to create a maelstrom (whirl pool). This was achieved through implementing 4 powerful Organic Thrusters that are situated inside the maw of the WM and linked to a gill system like that of sharks – the OT draw the water into the mouth and out through the shark like gills to the side

Once anchored to the ocean floor the WM can use its 4 Organic Thrusters to create a maelstrom
It can form a maelstrom with a diameter of 30 meters drawing everything into its waiting maw. Though most targets are larger than the maw the barbed tentacles entangle the target while the OTs still operate but at a reduced capacity to provide a bit of drag towards the maw

2. Hydro-Cutters (8): along the body of the MS are a series of Hydro-Cutters

Damage: 2D4*10…..Rate of Fire: each shot counts as one attack….Range: 152m….Payload: unlimited underwater

3. pin/incapacitate, crush/squeeze, constriction: follow page 92 of the MB. And damage is increased by 2D6 per action due to the barbs

And damage is cumulative with each tentacle that goes towards killing a target

The Maelstrom Squid can constrict 4 victims at one time (one for each main tentacle) with 2 secondary tentacles contributing to each main adding to the damage and difficulty in escaping

Other Abilities:

1. Anchor System: To enable the MS to live up to its name a sophisticated system was designed to enable the WM to anchor itself to the ocean floor so it could generate the maelstrom and not just be propelled forward. This enables the WM to anchor itself to any ground state from a rock bed to coral or simply sand
For already stable ground such as rock, the WM has 2 pair of powerful pincers that enable the WM to latch on

A pure sandy ground state is the most unstable. So to be able to operate even in those situations Librarians combined ‘Tangle Foot’ and ‘Resin Ducts’. (Imagine those porous hoses that you put on your garden where the water just seeps out of the walls of the hose)
The tangle foot spreads out in all directions and the resin seeps out of the tangle foot and sets to make a huge solid base to anchor the WM to the ocean floor. It takes 4 melee rounds for the foundation to be made. Once anchored the WM can detach from it in 2 actions.

2. Chameleon Skin is incorporated into the design – pilots commonly upgrade to stealth field

3. The WM has the classic black ink.

4. The body of the WM is not like a standard squids. Instead it has a razor spiked carapace. This carapace enables the WM to emulated the Hold Breaking Spin of the Razor Shark from 62-63 of the Rifter 30 (that’s right, we caught a live one). Obviously the WM cannot execute this defense when anchored to the ocean floor so to provide a bit of defense while it frees itself there are 2 Hydro-cutter beams along each sides of the main body (equal to Leviathan not Kraken)

I imagined all 4 Hydro-cutters activating during Hold Breaking Spin to deliver massive amounts of damage to anyone foolish enough the get close and personal.... makes even my pesky Piranha HA think twice before they attempt to tackle this WM


……….
Ambush Hunting: This WM can bury itself into the ground vertically and splay their tentacles on the ocean floor where it waits for the trap to be sprung

how scary would it be having a Squid rider upgrading a number of their WMs tentacles with Tendril Injectors

or if possible, have a tentacle harpoon in each of the 4 Main Tentacles giving a total reach of 28m

[Snake Eyes]

Wow, most impressive, Krispy

[krispy]

Wow, most impressive, Krispy

Thanks mate

it is still a serious work in progress but i wanted to put it out there

and there are a few things i wish to get the opinion of the board on....like the amount of tentacles...and should they all be able to strike, crush and entangle a target due to their orientation.??


i imagined all 4 Hydro-cutters activating during Hold Breaking Spin to deliver massive amounts of damage to anyone foolish enough the get close and personal.... makes even my pesky Piranha HA think twice before they attempt to tackle this WM

[Snake Eyes]

You have two too many arms for this Squid.......a real squid has 8 arms plus two long tentacle arms...........but then this is a WM, so it really doesn't matter how many arms it has.

Should they all be able to strike, crush and entangle a target due to their orientation.??

Yes, search the net for some pics of squids, they have all those abilities......plus once they have a hold of something they try to bite it...(ok i see you added a bite attack)

[krispy]

You have two too many arms for this Squid.......a real squid has 8 arms plus two long tentacle arms...........but then this is a WM, so it really doesn't matter how many arms it has.

i might tone it down to 3 main and 6 secondary or follow the aesthetic of a squid and have 8 10m long tentacles & 2 15m tentacles.....decisions, decisions

Yes, search the net for some pics of squids, they have all those abilities......plus once they have a hold of something they try to bite it...(ok i see you added a bite attack)

if say for discussion sake there are 3 main and 6 seconday, maybe the WM has the option of using all on one target or can attack up to 3 targets at once (1 main and 2 secondary to a target)

i imagined a devastating attack from this WM when it entangles a target and starts to devour it while crushing it
the damage alone from 9 - 12 tentacles crushing you and tearing you apart

[Snake Eyes]

yeah, i can see it attacking something (or a couple somethings) andeither try to eat it (depending on size) or use its Hydro-Cutters to possibly slice up what it captured.......Does the razor-spiked carapace include spikes on the tentacles?

[krispy]

yeah, i can see it attacking something (or a couple somethings) andeither try to eat it (depending on size) or use its Hydro-Cutters to possibly slice up what it captured.......Does the razor-spiked carapace include spikes on the tentacles?

i envisioned a razor spike carapace and the tentacles following the style of the barbed tentacles of the Abomination WM

im still juggling whether i should add one or 2 more weapons to the design, or just leave it as is.

i mainly wanted to give the rider a lot of flexibility in how they advance their WM

[demos606]

My first thought is that it's just too small for the effects you want to produce. I'm also wondering if you view this as a Behemoth style WM or something more akin to Pack Hounds.

To address the size issue, and make 4 organic thrusters believable, I'd double the body diameter, add at least 50% body length and 150% tentacle length. This would also allow plenty of room for a harness/saddle system if you're thinking of this as a riden WM and not a companion similar to Falcons or Hounds. I'd also address feeding and metabolism - there are certain practical issues with several metabolisms in aquatic environments.

[Snake Eyes]

i envisioned a razor spike carapace and the tentacles following the style of the barbed tentacles of the Abomination WM

im still juggling whether i should add one or 2 more weapons to the design, or just leave it as is.

i mainly wanted to give the rider a lot of flexibility in how they advance their WM

Those are some good weapons as is....pretty nasty creature now..........the tentacles being barbed tentacles, yeah that will do some damage when it attacks.........

What did you have in mind for the extra weapons?

[Snake Eyes]

The thing is 3 meters wide, and 6 meters long minus the tentacles......thats pretty big right now

[demos606]

As giant squids go, it's really not that big and the tentacles are a touch short for the body as presented. Largest recorded giant squid is right at the length my recommendations put this at and weighs in around 1 ton. Even allowing for the biotech to weight a whole lot more than the real animal would, the initial measurements are off somewhere and adding length corrects that nicely. It also makes the maelstrom effect at 30 meters reasonable.

[Snake Eyes]

As giant squids go, it's really not that big and the tentacles are a touch short for the body as presented. Largest recorded giant squid is right at the length my recommendations put this at and weighs in around 1 ton. Even allowing for the biotech to weight a whole lot more than the real animal would, the initial measurements are off somewhere and adding length corrects that nicely. It also makes the maelstrom effect at 30 meters reasonable.

Ah, ok, i see what you're saying now

[krispy]

My first thought is that it's just too small for the effects you want to produce. I'm also wondering if you view this as a Behemoth style WM or something more akin to Pack Hounds.

To address the size issue, and make 4 organic thrusters believable, I'd double the body diameter, add at least 50% body length and 150% tentacle length. This would also allow plenty of room for a harness/saddle system if you're thinking of this as a riden WM and not a companion similar to Falcons or Hounds. I'd also address feeding and metabolism - there are certain practical issues with several metabolisms in aquatic environments.

thanks for the input Demos, thats why i put it on the board in such a raw state. i want the WM to be of the Behemoth style

with your recommended increase your looking at a 6m (bout 6.5 yards) diameter, 9m long (bout 10 yards) from head to tail and 25m long tentacles

sorry didnt put it in original post but i envisioned the rider to be inside the WM like the Leviathans

[krispy]

Those are some good weapons as is....pretty nasty creature now..........the tentacles being barbed tentacles, yeah that will do some damage when it attacks.........
What did you have in mind for the extra weapons?

that, im still thinking about....i had pondered incorporating the talent of the electric eel into the mix

[Snake Eyes]

The machine is not going to want to venture into the oceans with a herd/school/pod/group of these around........demo606 has a good point about increasing the size, more uniform.......

the shock ability is a nasty addition, that would be really cool

[demos606]

Yeah, I definately like my size numbers if you want this to function similar to Leviathans with internal housing. Allows for plenty of room for the pilot without the biotech being unbelievable. Also solves crush pressure and breathing for the pilot without forcing a lot of mandatory aquatic upgrades on the HA (if there even is HA).

As a point of interest, it might be worth developing a few ink specific "upgrades" for this one since things like casting guns are pretty useless underwater.

A small correction on your adjusted numbers, I'm suggesting 12-14m tentacles, not 25m

[krispy]

The machine is not going to want to venture into the oceans with a herd/school/pod/group of these around........demo606 has a good point about increasing the size, more uniform.......

the shock ability is a nasty addition, that would be really cool

i want to make the oceans a nightmare

dimensions will be adjusted

seriously thinking of implementing the electric shock into original design

[demos606]

Oh, looks like I wasn't quite specific enough with my tentacle adjustments - it's the secondary tentacles that needed adjusting. The main tentacles were pretty well proportioned to the main body at 3:5 and I'd keep that proportion.

[krispy]

Yeah, I definately like my size numbers if you want this to function similar to Leviathans with internal housing. Allows for plenty of room for the pilot without the biotech being unbelievable. Also solves crush pressure and breathing for the pilot without forcing a lot of mandatory aquatic upgrades on the HA (if there even is HA).

As a point of interest, it might be worth developing a few ink specific "upgrades" for this one since things like casting guns are pretty useless underwater.

A small correction on your adjusted numbers, I'm suggesting 12-14m tentacles, not 25m

gocha on the tentacles

i had thought about the ink but was getting a blank wall with ideas. the only thing that popped into my head was a detergent style ink (that breaks down in say 2 min) that effects the surface tension of the water which the WM can shoot at prey on the water surface and make them sink

the thought about weapons like casting guns had crossed my mind as well

[Snake Eyes]

What about adjusting the ink-type blast from the Dragon WM from the book, to underwater use.....

[krispy]

What about adjusting the ink-type blast from the Dragon WM from the book, to underwater use.....

nice thinking

[Snake Eyes]

What about adjusting the ink-type blast from the Dragon WM from the book, to underwater use.....

nice thinking

I'm glad i still had a few brain cells that were awake when i posted that comment

[demos606]

Ink mods could pretty easily be done for acid and a specialized gaseous bubble of methane that could be used to sink surface vessels and slow swimming targets.

[krispy]

Ink mods could pretty easily be done for acid and a specialized gaseous bubble of methane that could be used to sink surface vessels and slow swimming targets.

not bad, not bad. i like the gaseous bubble idea

[Blindscout]

Given that I don't know a whole lot about chemistry, wouldn't acid end up diluting very quickly (to the point of uselessness) underwater?

[krispy]

Given that I don't know a whole lot about chemistry, wouldn't acid end up diluting very quickly (to the point of uselessness) underwater?

you are right Blindscout, it would dilute the acid quite quickly. but interesting the pH doesnt change much

if you like, it could just be used on targets that are entangled and being eaten... as if they didnt have enough to worry about

or have acid nodules on the tentacles that release the acid when it strikes and just reduce the timeframe for the burn

[Shark_Force]

Given that I don't know a whole lot about chemistry, wouldn't acid end up diluting very quickly (to the point of uselessness) underwater?

you are right Blindscout, it would dilute the acid quite quickly. but interesting the pH doesnt change much

if you like, it could just be used on targets that are entangled and being eaten... as if they didnt have enough to worry about

or have acid nodules on the tentacles that release the acid when it strikes and just reduce the timeframe for the burn

or it could just be used to strike at targets above the water... providing them with motivation to come under the water, into the squid's domain

they can stay above the water and slowly dissolve, or come under the water and face the squid in it's home... their choice

[krispy]

or it could just be used to strike at targets above the water... providing them with motivation to come under the water, into the squid's domain
they can stay above the water and slowly dissolve, or come under the water and face the squid in it's home... their choice

your totally right Shark_Force, its main use could be for above water targets, and as a mild annoyance underwater

[demos606]

It will also depend to some degree on which acid and how it's delivered. Something delivered in an oil base like the squids ink isn't going to dissipate quickly and if you go with something along the viscosity of napalm you can get burning oil underwater.

[krispy]

It will also depend to some degree on which acid and how it's delivered. Something delivered in an oil base like the squids ink isn't going to dissipate quickly and if you go with something along the viscosity of napalm you can get burning oil underwater.

then its settled. its a super heated larva acid that is equally effective in water as it is in air

wwhooaa ha ha ha ha

[demos606]

You're familiar with lava lamps? Similar techniques can be applied to any number of liquids to keep them from diluting readily, or at all, when added to another fluid. Plus you have such lovely things as mercury that occur naturally and are too viscous to be diluted by most other liquids. The fact that you're under water doesn't eliminate fluid weapons, it just means some allowances have to be made Most projectile and melee weaponry on the other hand is dead in the water as it were. That gives me an idea .... time to do some research on how water would likely effect light cell upgrades.

[Shark_Force]

time to do some research on how water would likely effect light cell upgrades.

you'd likely want to use a different color of light, for one thing.

i do think bio-rockets underwater would be pretty crazy... should do bonus damage in the AOE because of better energy transfer...

[demos606]

Looks like green will be the color of choice for under water laser weapons (aka upgraded light cells and light cell rifle/pistol) and I'd apply the same half range Bio-e weapons suffer under water due to refraction. Bio-rockets would indeed do fairly well, though they may need a bit of cosmetic redesign to function properly as torpedos. Also, consider treanchfoot mines for this one as a standard feature.

[krispy]

this is good. i dont believe there has been any considerable discussion regarding how many of the Splicer weapons would fare underwater

i agree with you demos regarding weapons such as the casting weapons, and modifying organic rockets to torpedo style

the upgrade to green light cells is a great idea

i find it amazing they can we weld underwater .....oh i just had an idea (no joke just now) for an enhancement. a modified Heat Projection Cannon that has a crystal casing that turns it into an underwater welder & cutter (primarily a weapon against NEXUS)

thanks everyone for all your input regarding this WM

[krispy]

i just had another idea

when it comes to states of matter most people know: Gas, Liquid, Solid & Plasma.

but that isnt the whole picture. there is a fascinating scale as matter changes state

one such state is Supercritical - a state between liquid and gas..... but i digress

i would love to emulate that but it requires emense pressure and heat, something i dont believe even Splicers could replicate (i challenge you ) . They discovered that state at the black smokers in the depths of the ocean

so instead: because water cant get any hotter after its boiled, which is not much of a nuisance for either side. Steam on the other hand, that stuff can get hot.


so, long story shory: Combine Heat Projection Cannon with Hydro-cutters to produce superheated steam which would cause considerably more damage than the already infamous Hydro-cutter

[Aramanthus]

Can we get some more of these critters. They are very cool.

[krispy]

Can we get some more of these critters. They are very cool.

im trying

ever since H. Artemis and the Kraken appeared on the scence....and now the Violet Wave, i have been thinking of Splicer ways to counter a coastal incursion. A small House has merged with my H. Myre and they created this nasty

while at the same time H. Myre has the
* Piranha HA
* Croshak WM
* Mourning Star WM
* Coral Spider WM
* Gataconda WM (sorry that i havnt finished this Premier)
* etc etc

Come at H. Myre Violet Wave and face the wrath from H. Skyrus & H. Necrys

[Aramanthus]

Cool. Thank you for the update.

[krispy]

edited...i think its finished...corrections welcome

[Premier]

The Maelstrom has turned into a beauty of an aquatic WM! Its balanced and designed for its purpose very well. It has room to grow with Bio-emhancements and it can hold its own!

Such a WM will indeed draw the attention of the Violet Wave.
My Personal Suggestions:
I would make the extended tentacle arms even in quantity, either 2 or 4, preferably 4. This is based solely on the use of the arms as they relate to natural squids. 4 long tentacles shooting out to ensare and or subdue quarry at an alarming speed unwater is a horrorific thing to imagine, especially from a creature of this scale in the dark depths. It also allows the WM to be placed far enough from most melee harm until the quarry is sufficiently subdued or ensnared. Should the Outrider choose, they can mount attacks with the victim subdued far enough from the main body with the other tentacles and ranged attacks.

[krispy]

The Maelstrom has turned into a beauty of an aquatic WM! Its balanced and designed for its purpose very well. It has room to grow with Bio-emhancements and it can hold its own!

Such a WM will indeed draw the attention of the Violet Wave.
My Personal Suggestions:
I would make the extended tentacle arms even in quantity, either 2 or 4, preferably 4. This is based solely on trhe use of the arms as they relate to natural squids. 4 long tentacles shooting out to ensare and or subdue quarry at an alarming speed unwater is a horrorific thing to imagine, especially from a creature of this scale in the dark depths. It also allows the WM to be placed far enough from most melee harm until the quarry is sufficiently subdued or ensnared. Should the Outrider choose, they can mount attacks with the victim subdued far enough from the main body with the other tentacles and ranged attacks.

Thanks mate im glad you like it

i was thinking of going for 4 main tentacles but i wasnt sure if it would be too many...so 4 it is ....will edit

[abtex]

I am way late on this. But the extra 'too many tentacles' be sea snake like drones used for scouting and attacks? The drones hanging on the Maelstrom Squid WM.

[krispy]

I am way late on this. But the extra 'too many tentacles' be sea snake like drones used for scouting and attacks? The drones hanging on the Maelstrom Squid WM.

thats not a bad idea mate, some of the Outriders could have this as an alternative design