Alright, listen up, recruits! Based on our background tests High Command has decided to exempt you from service on the front lines for a bit to put those piloting skills to good use. Now, this here is the INS Tartarus, your new home and headquarters to the Warframe Testing project. You'll each be assigned a model to work with based upon your personal aptitudes, and you'll have a bit of time to master the controls before we test them planetside. Be careful, there's a reason you don't see any officers among you. Last man standing gets a commendation, and anyone alive at the end gets a run with the R&D boys. Eventually, you may face real battles! Now, any questions? Good. Prepare to dock in four hours.Sequel to Warframe Prototype by Tsugarblegarble550. Blatantly stealing his intro:
You are the lowly recruit of the Imperial war effort- as class EE (Easily Expendable) recruits, you get arguably the most fun job there is: Testing beta warframes.
What is a Warframe?
A Warframe (or WF for short) is a small-scale mecha- sort of a combination of a hardsuit and a thinktank. Pilots have room to sit inside cockpits, but the Warframes aren't very large- in fact, while Warmechs exist (classic large-scale mecha) Warframes are much cheaper, faster, and useful in the long term. That's why your company builds them. That's why you test them.
Ok, so how do I get started?
You'll need a Tester ID card. If you don't have one, you can always apply for another: simply fill out this simple form.
NAME:
GENDER:
RANK: EE
WF CALL:
Rank stays at EE until you get promoted (explained later, when/if it comes up).
WF CALL is what you want your Warframe to be called. You will get to name it after seeing your warframe, but we ask you give a name beforehand for quick starting.
So I'm signed up. What about personal details?
These are fine. A bio is preferred, but there will be little in the way of influence this has on gameplay.
How do I get my Warframe?
The pilot of a Warframe needs to be in sync with the Warframe.
For this reason, we allow you to set up guidelines as to the Warframe's unique abilities to best suit your ability as a pilot. Another form:
SPEED: Determines movement speed and initiative, along with some types of dodge rolls.
REACTION: Mostly a dodge roll, this is also called upon when quick thinking is required- again, the pilot's syncing with the WF is important!
ARMOR: Primarily defense, Armor helps cut down on damage. Armor is most frequently debuffed by common attacks.
STURDY: When your armor gives in, can you still take hits? This is closer to HP, like Armor is with Defense.
ADAPT: Ability of your Warframe to make unconventional action. Throwing objects, using weapons not designed or engineered for use with a Warframe, and other actions.
ARMS: Ability of your Warframe to equip weapons and systems. A low stat here means you'll be penalized with any regular weapon at all, and a high stat means that multiple weapons are easy to use.
Stats can be shifted into the positive or negative, no greater than + or - 4. You will be assigned a prototype Warframe based around your response on this form. Overall stats must be neutral (pluses cancel minuses to equal 0)
So I have my Warframe. Can I customize it?
Yes and no. There is no shop, but sometimes a sponsor or R&D will give you some new arm or part you can use, or if you have the item at the end of combat (i.e, steal a rifle).
You can paint the Warframe however you like, customize it in any way you want aesthetically. If you do well in battle, you might be able to convince an engineer to make some "small changes" to the look of the frame.
Everything is set. Now what?
You'll be called when you're needed and payed for your work. You'll be paid nicely enough but note that having this job makes life expectancy plummet to less than a year more or so.
The Arena is outfitted to hold 4 Warframes in simulated combat. You aren't simulating the rounds, however. Either we get our data, we call a draw or merciful victory, or three of the four contestants die. It's simple, and effective.
Players are rotated. There will be Player Block A, then Waitlist Blocks that are cycled in after the players complete their match, so that everyone gets a chance and you can celebrate with your families that despite all odds you are still alive for another week and might get promoted if your luck can hold.
Huh? Blocks?
Each fight happens in a block. Blocks fill with players, and the overflow is sent to a new block. When the player block finishes, the next full block is moved to the player block, chaining down, and the survivor is put in the last available block.
So even if I win, there will be downtime.
More than likely, yes.
All right. So what is combat even like?
First things first, range is subjective. Firing at a target is considered getting in range if not already there then firing. If getting in range is not feasible, then the action fails with no penalty, if the action is considered feasible, you roll only an attack dice. Speed dice are used when breaking away from engagements, dodging, and moving large distances. There is no map, only a general idea of the Arena- It varies, so don't worry about it.
That seems confusing.
It probably will be, but if you post a turn that would fail I'll tell you, and only proceed from there if you aren't in any danger you could avoid by doing something possible.
The Wheel of Explosions:
1- NOTHING!
2- Repurposed Gear
3- Refurbrished Gear
4- Sub-Standard Gear
5- Low-End Gear
6- Standard Gear
7- Superior Gear
8- High-End Gear
9- Spec-Ops Gear
10- Experimental Gear
11- Exotic Gear
12- Artifact Gear
Block A:
NAME: Josh Lake
Player: darkpaladin
GENDER: Male
RANK: EE
WF CALL: "GODZILLA"
WF STATS: SPEED: -2
REACTION: -2
ARMOR: +2
STURDY: +1
ADAPT: +/- 0
ARMS: +1
J-1 Drakon:
This hulking behemoth of a warframe seems to be built for heavy assaults. Carrying a powerful close-range attack for piercing armor and a devastating cannon for roasting enemies en masse, it's a shoe-in for planetary warfare.
Weapons:
Inferno-Pattern Siege Cannon- (3d6 2 Highest) (Close)
Typically used as an anti-personnel weapon in close quarters, this crossbreed of flamethrower and artillery piece, fed by a volatile back-mounted canister, forcefully projects a "bolt" of flame from the wide barrel, which explodes into a burning halo on impact. The gun is often used to clear trenches of enemy infantry.
"Mauler" Thermal Claw- (6d8 4 Highest) (Melee)
Scavenged and assembled from technology discovered on a blasted, mineral-rich moon, this hulking "claw" uses a combination of powerful hydraulics and a not-fully-understood form of thermal generators to simultaneously crush and superheat whatever happens to be in its way. We think this system might have originally been used for creating high-temperature alloys. Regardless, it can rip through pretty much anything lighter than starship plating, and our techs haven't found any effective heat-shielded alloy that can resist it.
Systems:
Breaker-Pattern Mark V Heat Shield- (Halved Thermal Damage)
Often used among mechanized assault infantry, this hull-integrated system shunts heat away from vital systems and into absorption plates, dissipating the effects of extreme temperatures. This system is often added to anything that has a danger of hitting itself with its own thermal weaponry.
NAME: Simon Harvey
PLAYER: Tsugarble510
GENDER: Male
RANK: EE
TECHNOCRAT
SPEED: ++
REACTION: ++
ARMOR: --
STURDY: -
ADAPT: -
ARMS: =
Mars-Pattern Psion:
This light warframe looks to be a perfect fit for spec-op use. It's fast and accurate and though it might have only light ablative armoring, this thing could be very good for neutralizing heavy enemy weapons. I don't envy the driver on the wrong end of a siege gun, though.
Weapons:
Phoenix- Pattern Thunder Mark VI Electro-Blaster- (2d6) (Disabling) (Medium)
This cutting edge weapon, still in its testing stages, typically sees use with specialist infiltration teams. This mid-range rifle uses a sophisticated tracking system to project a beam of high-energy photons which wreak havoc with most electronic systems, disabling enemy weapons and subsystems with each shot, provided by a high-efficiency back-mounted charge pack.
Systems:
Trinity-Pattern Mark III Foresight Interception System- (1 Unit)
This decommissioned missile interception system from the early days of the war consists of a shoulder mounted triplicate launcher containing a series of small guided short-range counter-missiles. The system fires automatically upon detecting a target in range, dividing the three missiles among the available threats. It was used mostly on larger battlefields, mounted on support mechs. The thought was that the system could take down swarms of lesser missiles, or fire multiple times on the same larger target for greater chance of takedown. It was eventually tossed in favor of more advanced delayed-fire reactive systems such as the Mark V Foresight which didn't have as much tendency to expend the entire clip on one missile.
Name: Matthias Spiros
Player: USEC Officer
GENDER: Male
RANK: EE
"Spartan"
SPEED: -2
REACTION: -2
ARMOUR: +2
STURDY: +2
ADAPT: -2
ARMS: +2
Infratech Atlus:
Manufactured by Infratech Industries, this heavy warframe carries a high-grade auxiliary lance and a massive cannon apparently found on an abandoned outpost by Infratech miners. She's a beauty to see in combat, cumbersome to use, but cloaked in heavy armor and carrying a main weapon to match. I doubt this thing will be used in the field, and its really just a platform for testing that cannon, but the Atlus would likely be able to handle anything unable to disable it before it could fire.
Weapons:
Infratech Stiletto Mechanized Lance- (1d6) (Melee) x3
This unusual weapon consists of a hardened heavy-alloy pneumatic lance mounted a rotating barrel of three pneumatic shafts. Using these triplicate capacitators, the Stiletto can deliver a rapid trio of blows in a rough circle, though size constraints hamper its effectiveness. The weapon is especially good for breaking through especially tough armor.
Helios Thermal Cannon- (6d12) (Long) (Charge 2)
This beauty, evidently originating from the Martian forges, is a burnished cannon of unparalleled magnitude. The weapon must be braced, readied, and charged to use, but when fired it unleashes a massive column of white-hot radiation rivaling that of a star. I don't doubt that this weapon could punch through the hull of one of the mighty Imperial Battleships with ease, though it may be a bit cumbersome to use in closer fighting.
Systems:
Helios Capacitor System- (2 Slots)
The huge back-mounted system used to provide the ship-grade quantity of energy needed to fire the Helios cannon, this is actually a modified cruiser jump drive.
Name: Javier Meyer
Player: Dumbo
Gender: Male
Rank: EE
"STRYKER"
Speed:0
Reaction:+2
Armour:-2
Sturdy:+1
Adapt:-3
Arms:+2
86-V Prenetrator:
Weapons:
Tetanus-Class Mechanized Chainsword- (2d6) (Melee)
Originally designed for cutting through jungles, the Tetanus is an old standard also used as a close-combat weapon on lower-budget walkers. It's pretty straightforward; pull the trigger, and cut.
Mars-Pattern Fusillade IX Heavy Assault Cannon- (3d6 2 Highest) (Medium)
A standby on heavy assault walkers, this six-barreled machine gun fires high-caliber armor-piercing slugs equally suited to piercing vehicle plating as they are to mowing down infantry. Another standby, this weapon is the newest of its line and will likely prove a standard on the battlefield.
Systems:
SHIELD Generator- (Negates First Attack)
A favorite among heavy-fire vehicles, the Super Heavy Energy Leap Director is an energized plating system that uses large reserves of power to negate forces, whether kinetic, thermal, or more exotic. The system's capacitors can only handle so much fire before being depleted, however, after which the system needs a minute to recharge.
Waitlist Block A:
Name: Joshua O'brien
Player: Corsair
Gender: Male
Rank: EE
"White Glint"
Speed:++
Reaction:++
Armour:++
Sturdy:----
Adapt:----
Arms:++
Galades-Pattern Blizzard IV:
This mech is kind of strangely built. It has rather heavy armor, but an open cockpit. It's fast, but the controls are a mess. Its main and only weapon is designed to break siege lines, but it doesn't seem a good match for heavy combat, despite its armor.
Weapons:
Duality-Pattern Glaive III Missile System- (4d6 2 Highest) (Long) (Load 1)
This large shoulder-mounted missile system, designed for long-range surgical strikes, fires a single large explosive warhead. The launcher is designed with a pair of barrels, and the superior targeting AI integrated with the system can fire one or both at a time. The weapon also includes a microfactory system that can replicate the warheads from a supply of basic materials, allowing for sustained or burst fire.
Systems:
Crimson-Pattern Fire Suppression System- (Prevents Fires)
A standby commonly used on armored transports, this simple system uses bursts of a common endothermic solution to neutralize ongoing fires. It's not pretty, but you'll realize its value when the cockpit catches fire.
Thermos-Pattern Statue VI Hardened Armor- (Damage Resistance) (Freezing)
This energized armor system, commonly used in moments of heavy fire, can at a whim brace and harden the walker's plating, rendering it virtually immune to damage. However, activation of this system suspends all motor processes, effectively making the vehicle useless until it is dispersed.
Hall of Scrap Metal:
-You'll be here some day-
Any questions?