Design : Commander Cauldo (Hard Difficulty)4+4-1 = 7: Superior craftsmanship
Looking for a hero to match Dofley, the Inklings find one very skilled instructor. Brevetted in rank to Commander, Cauldo is equipped with an experimental Inkerial Blotter design that uses lighter materials and a five-chamber arrangement to maintain superior firing rates and usability over the basic model, if one still too maintenance heavy to hand out to the troops. As well, highly experimental (and formerly explosive) ink energy batteries have been added to Cauldo's Ink Tank, allowing him to use his specials longer and more often. Unfortunately, the inventor who figured out how to make non-explosive ink batteries has vanished, and no more can be produced while engineers refuse to try taking the current ones apart to see how they work because that would break them.
Theoretically, Cauldo's greatest asset is his mind, for as a long term and high quality instructor of the Inkantry he possesses a high degree of tactical knowledge and skill, and will hopefully also gain a high degree of actual experience soon. This means that he is actually a pretty good commander, able to use an attached squad of Inkantry as support assets to his own activities. However, attempts to make use of this skill for higher echelon positions, coordinating larger groups, runs into the fact that to command, one has to be far enough away from the fight to have time to think and more importantly keep from getting tunnel vision on the fight in front of you. While Cauldo does have the skills needed to command at that level, attempts to deploy him at that level result in him being unable to personally fight, which is generally viewed as a more valuable contribution to the battle. He's not the only commander after all, but he is the only hero. Still, his attached squad and any other local Inkantry within earshot do benefit from his command skills. Within this smaller scale of command, Cauldo is pretty dang effective and known for his skilled use of specialist troops. Well, Markslings, but that's the only specialist troop the Inklings have right now anyway.
Basic Resources
Plastics : 2
Super Sea Snails : 1
Advanced Resources
Zapfish : 2
Primary Weapon- Bamboozler : A compression powered ink gun that was recently invented before the Great Turf War. It charges somewhat slowly, is hard to charge on the move, can not store a charge, has limited maximum range, has low ink usage efficiency hampering repeated use before one must refill their ink tank, and can not be fired while uncharged. In other words, a revolutionary improvement over all that came before. Despite being shaped somewhat like a hammer, it is not advisable to use it in melee to hit someone over the head with.
Cheap - Cost : 2 Plastic, 0 Super Sea Snails.
- Bamboozler Quickcharge Cartridges : A modification of the Bamboozler that adds a socket for a pre-filled and pressurized cartridge of ink. A simple lever allows the user to switch between normal firing mode and using the cartridge to fire an instant and fully charged shot, if one at only around 85% the range and power of a normal charged shot. Takes a little bit to unscrew the old cartridge and then screw another one in, limiting their ability to be used more then once in an exchange.
- Inkerial Blotter : An ink shell launching gun powered by super sea snail homeopathy and applied anti-logic. It fires blobs of ink that burst upon contact with a target, splattering a small area around said target with ink. It is hampered by its relatively short range, but uses a triple firing chamber array to permit an acceptable rate of fire. It's ink shells are also fired in an arc, instead of having a straight trajectory like other inkarms, permitting a limited amount of indirect fire. The recent addition of a proper pressurization chamber has both increased the AOE of the shells to a more average radius, and also has somewhat increased the range of fire to 'below average'. Also has snazzy new stone triggers.
Expensive - Cost : 3 Plastic, 2 Super Sea Snails. ⑨-Scope : A powerful charger that uses eight Quickcharge Cartridges arranged around the primary compression chamber to achieve the forces needed for long ranged fire. The necessity to replace all the Cartridges between shots as well as re-compress the ink in the primary chamber ensure the ⑨-Scope has an absurdly low firing speed as well as a ferocious amount of recoil when fired. On the other hand, with a normal compression chamber and eight cartridges powering the shot, at least it hits hard. Also, the designers ran out of time and never got around to designing a scope for the gun, hindering its accuracy at its maximum range.
Very Expensive - Cost : 4 Plastic, 0 Super Sea Snails, Complex.- 3D-Scope : A powerful charger that uses three secondary compression chambers around the primary chamber to power its shots. Using all three of the secondary chambers requires more charging time then using fewer of them for a weaker shot, but only when all chambers are used does the 3D-Scope gain its true power and range. Comes with a simple scope for accurate fire out into the long range bracket, but uses up lots and lots of ink when being fired out to its full range and power. Unlike the ⑨-Scope, using it will no longer cover your entire shoulder and or arms in bruises from the recoil.
Expensive - Cost : 4 Plastic, 0 Super Sea Snails.
Sub Weapon- Inkdisc-A Bomb/Mine : A disk shaped plastic casing for ink filled balloons that can be used as a thrown projectile detonated upon impact with a needle of hardened ink, or with the flip of a lever the needle may remain unused to allow for the deployment of the Inkdisc as a sort of non-stealthy mine. While limited in range, despite and because of its frisbee like shape, by the muscle power and throwing ability of its user one good direct hit within its range can splat the average target. Takes a few seconds to inflate though.
Cheap - Cost : 2 Plastic, 0 Super Sea Snails.
Specials- Vortex Armor : A defensive special that generates a vortex of ink around the user. Its immense energy expenses prevent it from lasting beyond four to six seconds, with its time falling to half of that while being heavily used. While the vortex lasts it will cover anything nearby in friendly ink, turf or foe, as well as intercept enemy shots with its own ink. Its defensive coverage isn't perfect though, and well aimed, sufficiently lucky, or singularly powerful enough shots can penetrate its defensive shroud.
Cheap - Cost 1 Plastic, 1 Super Sea Snail
AbilityNo Abilities start out designed.
Personnel- Inkantry : Brave Inklings, run through basic training and drilled repeatedly in weapon use and other skills needed on the modern battlefield. The Inkantry not only know how to use a gun, but also hold a basic understanding of the concepts of planning, crossfires, flanking maneuvers, and actually communicating with each other, and have superior running and swimming speed from all those athletic drills. They're still fairly basic soldiers, but they actually are soldiers now.
- Markslings: Inklings whom have powered through the frequent and blatant distractions and misuse of the Firink Field to maximize their accuracy, snapshot skills, and ability to assess cover to as high as the Firink Field could take them. While few are dedicated enough to become known as a Marksling, those whom are are rightfully known for their skills.
Uncommon Specialist.
Cultural Artifacts- The Inkspire : A vast and continual open air market and cultural festival without end that has grown around Inkopolis Tower, better known as the Inkspire in those times. While of little direct military use, it's presence as a sign of what all Inklings fought for had noticeable effects on their overall morale. And besides, I found the cutest pair of booties there last time I went! Must visit again soon. And this time, I'll avoid drinking that homemade fire-water.
Other Gear- Mark 1 Ink Tank : A basic ink tank, invented by the same inventor that invented the Bamboozler, and designed to work with the Bamboozler. A quarter of its mass is taken up with the complicated gearing that connects it to a Lings primary weapon and the generator for the subweapon, limiting how much ink it can store. Still better then having to produce ink manually whenever you need a refill though.
Cheap - Cost : 2 Plastic, 0 Super Sea Snails.
- Super Sea Snail Filters: The heavy valves that controlled ink flow in the Mark 1 Ink Tank have been replaced with a system of Super Sea Snail derived filters, which control the flow of ink without any jams or needed maintenance. The decreased size of the filters, in comparison to the original valve system, allows the non-tank part of the Ink Tank to decrease to taking up only around 15% of its mass instead of 25%. This does, however, mean that the Ink Tank now needs Super Sea Snails for construction.
+1 Super Sea Snails (Cheap)
- Military Inkline Camp : A camp that teaches a two month course on the basics of military skills, with plenty of athletic and accuracy drills, as well as a new standardized basic training program to teach students how to be proper soldiers whom actually have basic military skills. Doesn't stand out as being awesome, but grants all students whom are put through its training a solid foundation for their new roll as Inkantry.
- Firink Range: An expanded weapons testing and training field with automatic targets that do things such as move and shoot back, as well as a multitude of different firing positions to practice from. For some reason the Inkantry have taken to using the place as a tournament ground, hindering attempts to train within it. Still, for those whom persist and fail to be distracted by the team verses team playfights, a noticeable level of skill can emerge. Markslings may not be common, but they have learned the lessons of the Firink Range well and full-heartedly.
SuperweaponsSo far, no Superweapons have been developed.
Heroes- Commander Cauldo : A former instructor of the Inkantry Brevetted to Commander and deployed to battle. Armed with a refined Inkerial Blotter using lighter materials and a five-firing chamber arrangement for greater firing speed and usability, as well as experimental ink energy batteries that are no longer mildly explosive when things go wrong. Commander Cauldo is known for his tactical skill and ability at small scale unit command, skills which seem to come from his days as an instructor, and unlike most heroes works closely with an attached squad of Inkantry. His presence is inspiring to said squad and any other Inklings around, and he can use his reputation to get other squads to listen to him, increasing local coordination.
Author
Topic: Inkling Research Facility - Splatoon Arms Race (Spring, Year 3) (Read 34607 times)