Foci Drone

*#”No, I DON’T know how they got inside our perimeter without us knowing! I DO know they took out the generators and have released the animals! I mean the animals! The gladitorial monsters! They’re in the main compound now, trampling my troops! You there, zobi! Get your men over to the slave pens! They’re likely going to go for the slaves! Stop them! Kill all the slaves if necessary! Take these damn drones with you! May as well get SOME use from these useless floaters, damn ey-what the--?! Krelgar’s claws! TREAS-(buzz of vibroblades)!!”#*

## Shemarrian Foci Drone

Aka ‘Faux Eye’

(Note: ‘PPE gel’ and magic emulation based on Damon Sutton’s article for Rifter #53)

The ‘Foci’ is an infiltration and sabotage drone that was developed by the Shemarrians for the specific purpose of further hurting Splugorth interests. The existence of the ‘Foci’ (‘Foes-Eye’) was only recently revealed as a Shemarrian construct. Prior, the drone was mistaken for a tool of the Splugorth.

### Description

The Foci is deliberately constructed to look like one of the hundreds of variants of the ‘floating eye jar’ Eylor drones created by the Splugorth; a large liquid-filled container with a giant eyeball floating in it, suspended below a broad-rimmed cap of technology, with six robotic tentacles/weapons mounts attached to it. In reality, the Foci is a purely technological artifact, a robot drone propelled by contra-gravity, its powers technological trickery, and the fluid suspending the ‘Eylor’ in reality a quantity of the PPE gelatine originally created by ARCHIE-3 to fool psychic spies that the Shemarrians were actual living beings. The Foci is programmed to be sneaky and stealthy, to blend with the countryside and the Splugorth urban scene on its missions.

The Foci was originally believed to be associated with the so-called ‘Monster Tribe’, but in fact the drone is a creation of the Ghost Riders.

### Purpose

Foci drones are created with misdirection in mind; the drones are often sent to Splugorth-held worlds and positions to scout them out, infiltrate enemy positions, and disrupt the Splugorth organization. To the casual observer, the Foci resembles just one of thousands of Splugorth Eylor drones going about the business of spying on the populace, and thus is not likely to attract any attention. Thus SSN forces were often able to gather important intelligence and move espionage assets quite close to enemy facilities before being detected. In many cases, the drones were able to get within Splugorth bases and communities and sabotage key targets, or at least sew confusion in support of Shemarrian attacks.

Even when it was discovered that the Foci were being used by the Shemarrians, it was simply regarded as further evidence that the Shemarrians were a former Splugorth slave-race that successfully rebelled, and now use their former slavemasters’ technologies and artifacts against them.

Note: Foci drones have NOT been Awakened; they are strictly ‘hard-tech’. While quite clever for drone intelligences, they do NOT have personalities, simulated or acquired, and are regarded as simple and expendable tools by the Shemarrians.

## Abilities

### Sensor Systems

Full optical systems, laser targeting, passive nightvision, telescopic vision, thermal imaging, infrared, ultraviolet, and polarization filters. Also has motion and heat detection, built-in radar (3 mile range) and other standard power armor-equivalent systems. Additional/special sensors may be built in as required.

#### Broad-band Radio Recording/Monitoring

The Foci is constantly monitoring local communications, recording communications traffic for later re-transmission and analysis, and parsing through the chatter for key words that may indicate stepped-up activity.

### Special Systems

#### ‘Magic’ Weaponry

To continue the deception that the ‘bots are actually Eyes of Eylor, the Foci have a number of simulated ‘magic’ weapons.

##### Blinding Flash

Nothing but a high-powered strobe light; effective range of 60 ft, and a 10 ft area of effect. Effectively flash-blinds unprotected eyes for 1d4 melees.

##### Magic Net

Really a fine spray of ultra-fine high-strength adhesive plastic fibers that hold with a P.S. of 40. Holds for 1d6 minutes before the adhesive begins to break down.

##### Chameleon

Really an adaptation of Naruni adaptive camouflage. The drone’s surfacing can quickly change color and pattern to adapt to its surroundings. This is only truly effective if the drone is standing still against a solid background (rockface, building, forest, etc.). Takes 1d4 melees to adjust, and results in -20% to others to detect ambush/concealment.

### Weapons Systems

#### Pulse Lasers (6)

 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Each of the six tentacles has an energy blaster built into it, typically a laser, but other types can be substituted.

Alternatively, the Foci can be fitted with the following (all or individual tentacles)

##### Plasma

 Range2
 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

The plasma bolts can often be mistaken for magic fire balls.

‘Spray’ Mode Range
drops to 500 ft, but the bolts do 3d6 MD to a 20 ft wide area.

##### Ion

 Damage
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

The ion beams can often be mistaken for magic lightning bolts.

##### Particle Beam

 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

The beams can often be mistaken for magic lightning bolts.

Range: 1,500 ft

#### Ion Shock Blaster

 Damage
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Mounted atop the drone in a small turret is a powerful electrical blaster.

Victims must make a save of 14 or better, or be -8 to strike, parry, and dodge for 2d6 melees. A savings throw versus non-lethal poison means the person is unimpaired. 25% chance of knocking out unshielded cybernetics for 1d4 melees, and a 75% chance of permanently frying nanotech devices (like Armor-dissolving nanites or RMK/IRMSS systems).

#### Vibro-Blades (6)

 Damage

Each of the tentacles sports a retractable vibroblade

#### Chemical Sprayer

 Range2
 Damage
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

* Smoke Screen Lasts 1d4+3 melee rounds.

* Paralysis Gas Save versus lethal poison, or this nerve agent causes muscle lock of the polunary muscle functions for 1d6 minutes.

* Fuel Air Explosive This is a combustible gas that is sprayed to fuel flames. In confined spaces, it can also have an explosive effect. A single full-melee spray of aerosol fuel can fill a 20 ft x20ft x10 ft room, with a resulting explosion that does 5d6 MD to everything in it when ignited.

### Programming

Foci have robotic intelligences, but they are not given simulated personalities and never Awaken.

### Combat

 Dodge
 Parry
 Auto Dodge
 Roll
 Pull Punch
 Disarm
 Entangle
 Knockout/Stun
 Full Punch
 Tentacle Crush/Squeeze
 Body Block/Ram

Designed for infiltration and not combat, the Foci can defend itself if it needs to.

## Variants

Depending on the anticipated mission profile, the Foci can be customized to carry out specific tasks with special payloads, such as specialized sensors or munitions.

### Jamming Platform

Dual purpose radio jammer, that can pump out enough multi-wavelength white noise to jam civilian band communications with 90% effectiveness, and military comms with 70% effectiveness, over a 20 mile radius. Or it can be used offensively, to foil ALL radar-guided weaponry in a 15 mile radius (-2 to strike).

### EMP Bomber

This kamikaze fires off an intense area of effect electromagnetic pulse that can knock out electrical systems.

* Damage: 1d6x10 MD to 40 ft blast radius

* EM effects: Used against unshielded power grids (such as cities and towns), the particle blast has a 99% chance of knocking down electrical systems, including vehicles, in an 10-mile radius of the point of detonation. Unprotected computers and other hardware not protected by surge protectors, and hooked into the common power grid, may still be affected up to a hundred miles or more away by power surges through the power lines.
* The EMP is less effective against shielded systems such as those on space structures (25%) and military systems (10% for surface military vehicles), which are hardened against radiation.

### Kamikaze

This type is tasked with one-way missions to deliver a warhead (typically a tactical nuclear/plasma weapon) to a target. The warhead generally falls into the Long Range Missile warhead range (or may substitute the nuclear cruise missile/torpedo warheads from Coalition Navy for ‘city-buster’ missions).

### Nanite Sprayer

This type of drone has been fitted to spray delayed-action nanites. Typically the drone has enough nanite solution to cover a square mile of ground, and the typical dissolver nanites do 3d6 MD per melee for 2d4 melees. The activation of the nanites can be delayed to go off as much as 30 minutes.

### Magic Disruptor

This type, developed in a rare bit of intense cooperation with the Wayfinders, uses special biological components (actually tailored transgenic bacteria) to generate a temporary disruption in local magic flows. Effect covers a 100 ft radius and lasts 1d4 minutes per activation. When activated, the disruption field causes the following:

* Duration of active spells is HALVED.
* Spells cast in the area of effect will cost TWICE as much PPE, and have HALF duration, range, and effect (including damage).
* Sensory spells, including those used by magical constructs, will be effectively blinded within the area of effect.
* Purely magical constructs, such as Automatons, animated statuary, and animated skeletons/corpses will find their speed reduced to 25% of normal, and their normal actions/attacks per melee HALVED.

The tailored bacteria can be activated up to 25 times before needing replacement.