NG-NX12 Beach-Stormer

Amphibious Marine Power Armor
A recent addition to Northern Gun’s family of naval weapon systems is the NG-NX12 Beach-Stormer power armor. Just like its land-based counterparts, this marine power armor suit was developed to fill the gap between robot vehicles and regular body armor. Northern Gun executives recognized that marine infantry forms an essential element of naval combat forces, and that no North American arms manufacturers offered any marine armor suits besides simple body armor.
Even the folks at Iron Heart Armaments supplied only regular flying power armor with their ships, not aquatic suits capable of combat diving and prolonged underwater maneuvers. The Beach-Stormer would be Northern Gun’s first marine power armor suit, but it would not be its last (see Aurora Blazer, Blue Hawk, Grease Monkey and the Sea Demon amongst others).
The NG-NX12 has an underwater propulsion system, excellent durability and strength while remaining an inexpensive power a mor. IN the water, the Beach-Stormer has surprising quickness, as well as a reliable hydro-jet propulsion pack that enables the power armor to travel at speeds of up to 35 mph (56 km/30 knots) on the surface of water and 20 mph (32 km/17 knots) under the water.
The suit also has an impressive array of standard-issue underwater and surface weapons, making it a formidable water to surface combat machine. The NG-NX12 is excellent for all aspects of amphibious warfare operations, including scouting, underwater demolition, sabotage, search and rescue, ship escort, exploration, beach reconnaissance, and of course, amphibious landings, boarding ships, raids and assaults.

Beach-Stormer Power Armor

Model Type: NG-NX12
Class: Amphibious Infantry Assault Suit.
Crew: One.
M.D.C. by Location:

Hydro-Jet Propulsion Pack – 30
Hands (2) – 8 each
Arms (2) – 45 each
Legs (2) – 65 each
Feet/Flippers (2) – 11 each
* NG-P67 – 15
* NG-M100 Underwater Rifle – 30
* Head – 50
** Main Body – 170

* All of the targets marked with an asterisk are small and difficult to hit. Thus, they can only be struck when a character makes a “Called Shot,” and even then the attacker is -3 to strike.
Destroying the head of the power armor eliminates all forms of optical enhancement and sensory systems. The pilot must rely on his own human vision and senses; no bonuses to strike, parry or dodge from power armor combat, and will suffer from exposure to deep sea pressure at depths greater than 220 feet (67 m; takes 2D6 S.D.C./Hit Point damage per melee round and all bonuses are reduced by half)!
** Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will shut the armor down completely, making it useless.

Speed

Running: 40 mph (64 km) maximum. Removing the detachable hydro-jet propulsion pack adds +10 mph (16 km) to the top speed. The act of running tires out the operator, but at 10% of the usual fatigue rate thanks to the robot exoskeleton.
Leaping: The powerful robot legs can leap up to 15 feet (4.6 m) high or 25 feet (7.6 m) across.
Flying: Not possible.
Underwater Capabilities: The hydro-jet propulsion pack enables the power armor to travel at 35 mph (56 km) on the surface of the water or 20 mph (32 km or 17 knots) when submerged. In the alternative, the Beach-Stormer can swim 10 mph (16 km or 8.6 knots) or walk along the bottom of the sea floor at a speed of 4 mph (6.4 km).
Maximum Depth: 3,000 feet (914 m). Maximum Range: Unlimited if nuclear powered.

Statistical Data

Height: 7.2 feet (2.2 m).
Width: 4 feet (1.2 m).
Length: 5 feet (1.5 m) with hydro-jet pack; 3 feet, 4 inches (1 m) without.
Weight: 326 lbs (146.7 kg) total; 280 lbs (126 kg) without weapons.
Physical Strength: Robot P.S. of 24.
Cargo: None.
Power System: A rechargeable battery that holds enough power for 96 hours of continuous use. It can be recharged by any vehicle or facility with a nuclear power plant or other generator (takes about 2 hours to recharge). Also available with a Solid Oxide power supply or a nuclear battery (the latter has a 15 year life).
Cost: 340,000 credits for the original, inexpensive electric battery model complete with the Particle Beam Short-Gun, Multi-Rifle, 10 extra E-Clips, and a payload of grenades or torpedoes. However, NG has since made the Beach-Stormer available with the Solid Oxide power system for 720,000 credits and 1.2 million for the nuclear model.

Weapon Systems

1. NG-P67 Particle Beam Short-Gun: This is an underwater version of the NG-P7 particle beam rifle. It is a large, heavy-duty weapon and, although somewhat smaller than the rifle, the gun is still awkward to fire by those without Robotic or Supernatural Strength (-2 penalty to strike for a human P.S. under 26). There is a serious drawback to the NG-P67 Short-Gun, that being a limited payload: a regular E-Clip provides just 10 shots. To offset this limitation, a power cable extending from the NG-NX12’s forearm connects the gun to the suit’s battery. This is a stopgap solution to the payload problem at best, because for every 30 shots fired from the gun, one hour (or 2 minutes per shot fired) is drained from the battery (not applicable to nuclear power supplies).
Primary Purpose: Assault.
Secondary Purpose: Anti-Personnel.
Weight: 16 lbs (7.2 kg).
Range: 1,000 feet (305 m) in an atmosphere/air, 700 feet (213 m) underwater.
Mega-Damage: 6D6 M.D. per shot.
Rate of Fire: Each blast counts as one melee attack.
Payload: 10 from a standard E-Clip or the weapon can draw on the suit’s power supply, but every 30 shots drains one hour’s operation time from the battery.
Cost: It is possible to buy the NG-P67 Short-Gun separately from the Beach-Stormer at a cost of 25,600 credits.
Note: A normal Particle Beam weapon has half its normal range and half its normal damage underwater.
2. NG-M100 Multi-Weapon Underwater Rifle: The NG-M100 is the standard-issue underwater weapon of the Beach-Stormer power armor, and is also one of Northern Gun’s most exotic creations. It is not a built-in weapon system, but rather a rifle that was exclusive to the Beach-Stormer suit. The NG-M100 is an over-under combination weapon that consists of a stubby ion blaster mounted atop a smooth-bore, semi-automatic missile launcher. The ion blaster is unremarkable except that it is capable of firing above and under water.
A great deal more can be said of the launcher, which is based on the WI-23 of Wellington Industries. Like the WI-23, the launcher portion of this rifle is an auto-loading weapon fed by a top-mounted, detachable box magazine. But unlike the WI-23, this launcher is capable of firing both grenades and micro-torpedoes with no more adjustment needed than simply changing magazines! There is no rear opening on the launcher, because grenades and torpedoes are launched “cold” by compressed air; the motors don’t engage until the torpedo has traveled five feet (1.5 m) from the launcher.
Primary Purpose: Anti-Sea Monster/Anti-Ship.
Secondary Purpose: Defense.
Weight: 20 lbs (9 kg grenade and micro-torpedo magazines weigh 12 lbs (5.4 kg) each.
Range: Ion Blaster: 800 feet (244 m). Grenades or Micro-Torpedoes: 1,400 feet (427 m).
Mega-Damage: The ion blaster inflicts 4D6 M.D. Grenades do 4D6 M.D. each. Micro-torpedoes do 5D6 M.D. each; both grenades and torpedoes are considered armor piercing and have a 3 foot (0.9 m) blast radius.
Rate of Fire: Each blast counts as one melee attack/action.
Payload: Ion Blaster: 10 shots from a standard E-Clip. Grenades or Micro-Torpedoes have 20 rounds per magazine.
Cost: The NG-M100 can be purchased separately from the Beach-Stormer power armor at a cost of 34,000 credits for the rifle and one grenade or torpedo magazine. Additional magazines cost 5,000 cred-its, which includes the cost of the explosive ammunition.
3. Hand to Hand Combat: Rather than use a weapon, the pilot can engage in Mega-Damage hand to hand combat. See Basic or Elite: Ground-Based Power Armor Training, depending on the pilot’s level of skill, on pages 351 or 352 of Rifts® Ultimate Edition. Damage as per Robotic P.S. of 24.

Restrained Punch – 1D4 M.D.
Full Strength Punch – 1D4 M.D.
Power Punch – 2D4 M.D., but counts as two melee attacks.
Power Dive Punch – 2D6 M.D., but counts as two melee attacks and all combat bonuses except to strike are reduced by half, including roll with impact.
Kick – 1D6 M.D.
Leap Kick – 2D6 M.D., but counts as two melee attacks.

4. Sensors and Special Features of Note: The suit has all the sensors and systems common to power armor, except for the nuclear power plant. Instead, the suit runs off a rechargeable battery that holds enough power for 96 hours of continuous use (good for 4-12 days depending on how often it’s used. The battery can be recharged from any nuclear power plant. Takes about 2 hours to recharge), making it much more affordable than most types of power armor.

NG-NX12 Beach-Stormer