VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS
There's a lot of things a creative mechanic
or shipwright can
do to improve on vehicles. It's usually ill advised to modify
flying craft too much, since technology isn't quite up to
aeronautical standards in the New West. Below is a
brief list of possibilites. The G.M. has final say on
what can or can't be done. These suggestions are based
in the vehicle combat system from 2nd. Edition Gamma
World, and are slightly biased toward automobiles. Costs
are estimated in gold dollars, which are equal to a normal
GW gold piece. Prices may vary with dealer participation.
ARMOR PLATING: The simplest and most
common modification. For large metal vehicles like cars, jeeps, and trucks,
each reduced point of Armor Class costs $1000, and slows the vehicle down
by 20%. For small metal vehicles like motorcycles and dirtbikes, the cost
is $500 per added A.C. point reduction. The speed decrease still applies.
Carts, Chariots, and Wagons cost $100 per A.C. reduction to armor, since
the protection is usually wood and sheet metal. Speed decreases still apply,
but can be countered by adding two additional animals for every A.C. point
reduced.
ARMORED FUEL TANK: This costs $500 regardless of vehicle, and eliminates the danger of leaks and explosions from hits to the fuel tank.
ENGINE SUPERCHARGER: This device can double the speed of the vehicle for 1d8 rounds when activated. It costs $1700 to install. It requires a special fuel additive that costs $75 a gallon, which lasts for five uses of the supercharger.
GUN SLITS: An economical alternative to turrets, these bestow 75% cover for the price of $200 per slit, but the user has a -2 to hit due to poor visibility, and can only fire in one direction.
LOW RIDERS: This consists of complex hydraulics and electronics installed in the frame of a motor vehicle. It starts at around $1500, and goes up from there, since mechanics capable of installing this machinery are rare in the New West. With this modification, a vehicle can raise and lower it's chassis, as well as hop up to 3 feet in the air. While it has limited use in dealing with rough terrain, it's really meant to strike terror into the driver's foes, and impress the opposite sex.
OILSLICKS AND CALTROPS: These are usually bought by the barrel and just dumped out the back to foil pursuit for land vehicles. Oil costs $30 a can, while caltrops are made of scrap and cost $25 a bucket. (There's also Kinetic Nullifier Fluid, which is a guaranteed show stopper and costs $90 a shot) A delivery system that a lone driver can activate costs $300 regardless of what's being dumped. These attacks when used against motor vehicles force a persuer to make both a Driving Skill Check and a Reliability Check for their vehicle, or else immediately lose control and possibly crash. Animal drawn vehicles will stop moving when faced with caltrops, and move at 1/2 speed over normal oil.
RAMS AND COWCATCHERS: A Ram on a boat or motor vehicle requires a measure of structural reinforcement, and can cost anything from $2000-$4000 depending on the size of the vehicle. The benefit is that damage from head on collisions made by the vehicle are negated (except in the case of a collision between two ram equipped vehicles.) Thus a vehicle with a ram can use crashes as a weapon. Cow catchers are cheaper, 'being simply attached to the existing vehicle structure. They cost $l000-$2000 depending on vehicle size, and only reduce head on crash damage by half. They're pretty darn good for bagging pedestrians, though. Motorcycles, animal drawn vehicles, and rafts can't use Rams or Cowcatchers.
SECURITY SYSTEMS: These are meant to protect the vehicle while it's sitting still. These can range from simple key locks on the doors ($75 a lock) to extreme and deadly like grenades wired to the starter ($100 plus cost of grenade) or electrifying ($400, affects victim like mutation ELECTRICAL GENERATION) You could also just buy a guard dog and chain him up in there, leave a window open, tho.
SOUPED UP ENGINE: This involves fine tuning
the vehicle's engine so that it's 20% faster than
it's regular listed speed. The operation can only be performed once on a
vehicle, at a price of $700.
If an engine is damaged or destroyed, it cannot be souped up again, and
if repaired will revert to it's normal speed value.
SPIKES AND SPOILERS: These are usually nails or other nasty things spot welded to the surface of a vehicle to discourage unwanted passengers. It costs about $300-$700 to cover a vehicle with nasties, and any creature attempting to board it while moving will suffer 1d12 points of damage per action taken while contacting the vehicle.
TURRETS: Adding attack stations to a vehicle is usually a good idea. These give beings attacking from a vehicle the benefit of added protection when firing. A turret that bestows 75% cover costs $500 per turret. One that bestows 90% protection costs $750. Turrets built for mounting heavy weapons (Like Heavy Machine Guns, Laser Cannons, or Missile Launchers) cost an additional $150-$300 depending on the sophistication of the weapon system.
WEAPON SYSTEMS: Cost $200 plus the cost of the weapon to install for heavy weapons. These are forward firing unless mounted. on a turret. For an additional $100 they can be wired so the pilot can fire them. Light (man portable) weapons can be hooked onto swivel mounts for $50.
OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES: These run the gamut from the useful, like Comlinks and Shield Units, to luxury, like refridgerators and tape players. Any addition of powered eguipment costs the price of the item, plus $200-$300 to wire it to the vehicle. The device then runs off of vehicle power and doesn't need power cells.
Here are some new vehicular gimmicks suggested by a group of manic mechanics operating in sunny California. Thanx to Fred Richards, William Fairweather, Jeff the GM, and the rest of you fighting freaks out there...
ADDED LIGHTS: High powered halogen spotlights are mounted on the vehicle on a rack. This costs about $300. For an additional $200 a special strobe function can be added, allowing the driver to make a blinding attack similar to the Light Generation mutation.
ELECTRONIC PULSE: By wiring the body metal
to the vehicle's generator, it can be electrified as a defensive measure.
Anyone touching the vehicle with bare skin or metal is treated to a 3d6
damage shock, similar in effect to the Electrical Generation mutation. This
device has the added benefit of driving Landsharks away. No Landshark will
approach the vehicle within 100 yards when it's activated. One of these
creatures will take double the damage if it is activated while they are
in close proximity to it. It costs $450 to install this modification. Car
batteries cost as much as
two Hydrogen Cells, and must be replaced every 10 times this device is used.
ENLARGED TIRES: These require some modification of the vehicle's frame, at a cost of about $700 per axle. They bestow the benefit of +2 per axle for driving skill checks. When combined with Spikes an additional +1 is added per axle.
HARPOON GUN: This example of primitive heavy
ordinance is basically a gas or spring powered spear fired with enough force
to punch through metal. It does 2d10 damage, and on a roll of 19 or 20 it
will automatically impale a random target inside a vehicle. These devices
are often used in tandem with a towline and winch. With a successful driving
skill check and a Reliability Check for the vehicle, the driver can force
an impaled victim to come to a stop. A harpoon also
aids considerably in boarding actions, and with the same checks a driver
can force a victim's vehicle to move at a constant speed similar to their
own vehicle. Defending drivers or captains can use the same checks to wrench
free of the harpoon. They cost $500 to install, plus $50 per harpoon
IMPROVED SHOCK ABSORBERS: This modification allows the vehicle to move as if it were one AC point less than it actually is. Fall damage is halved for a vehicle with these artifact shock absorbers installed. Improved Shocks cost $400 to install.
MINE LAYER: This is a special device mounted on the back of the vehicle that scatters 10 anit-personnel/vehicle mines when activated. The mines spread out in a 15 foot wide swath behind the vehicle, and function like a fragmentation grenade when stepped on or rolled over. The device costs $500 to install, and is activated by the driver. Two varieties of mine are available for it, a pressure activated type available at $50 apeice, or a timed variety that goes off 1d4 rounds after deployment, that are $75 apiece. Both types are modified from grenades, and are Reliability 12 at best. For every 25% of the vehicle's hit points in damage taken, check reliability for them. If the check is failed, the mines spontaneously go off on their own.
POWER WINCH: This device can be mounted anywhere on a vehicle, but usually is installed on the front or back. It can pull up to 10 tons of weight if anchored, or any mass below the weight of the vehicle it's mounted on if not. They usually come with 50 feet of duralloy cable. Power Winch's are very effective when combined with a Harpoon Gun. It costs $750.
RAISED VEHICLE: This raised the height of a vehicle by a foot, allowing for easier passage over rough and rocky ground with no decrease in movement. It costs $500 to raise a vehicle 1 foot.
ROLL CAGE: A welded cage inside the frame of the vehicle, that effectively protects the passengers from crash damage, cutting it in half. These frameworks are often used in conjunction with a Ram to further re-enforce the vehicle. A roll cage adds a +1 to crash damage from a Ram. It costs $1500 to install.
SPEAR GUN: A modified version of a Harpoon Gun, this device is a collection of metal tubes that fires up to 10 spears all at once in a concentrated area, about 10 feet across. Roll 1d10 to see how many spears hit, doing 1d8 damage per spear. These weapons are usually mounted in a fixed position, either the front, back, or sides of a vehicle. They take two rounds to reload, and are operated either by the driver (who obviously can't reload while driving) or a special crew. They're devastating against unshielded passengers and crew, and are a very effective weapon against wagon teams. The unit costs $400 to install.
SPIKE TIRES: These specially constructed tires are reinforced and studded with inch long metal spikes. They add +1 per 10 M.P.H. to damage done by hitting pedestrians, and improve the vehicle's traction considerably. The tires won't skid on an Oil Slick, and are effected only 50% of the time by Kinetic Nullifier Fluid. In general a driver gets a +1 to their skill check when driving, due to the increased traction of a spiked vehicle. They cost $100 per tire to install, and must be replaced every for every 1000 miles of highway driving.
TIRE CHAINS: These increase traction, allowing a +1 on driving skill checks. This bonus is cumulative in combination with other tire modifications. They cost $50 per wheel.
TIRE SLASHERS: A sturdy metal shaft, tipped with sharp blades is installed in the hub of each wheel, creating a device that can be used against another vehicle's tires. With a successful attack roll and driving skill check, the driver of a car or bike with tire slashers can shred a victim's tires, forcing them to make a driving check themselves or crash instantly. If the driver of the other vehicle avoids a crash they can only move at 1/4 their movement until they come to a stop. Once a car with slashed tires stops, it is rendered immobile until it's tires are replaced. Tire Slashers cost $250 per wheel to install. New tires cost $50-$75 depending on the vehicle they're for.
