Fiery Wing Swarm

With the success of the Carrion Fly and Carapace Beetle Swarms being adapted by Clan Shelley, Lost Eclipse and the Necromancer units, Clan Vespa developed the Fiery Wing Swarm.

The Fiery Wing Swarm is a large group of two inch long robotic insects that resembles a firefly, which usually fly or crawl about their assigned controller, or contained within a container to recharge their power cells. Fiery Wings are used for offensive and some defensive purposes. Individual Fiery Wings can be used as surveillance bugs to record a few hours of audio and video, their abdomens can light up and be used as lights or when attached to a target can aid in targeting. They are equipped with a small plasma blaster in their abdomens. These blasters can also act as welders or torches for utility uses. When flying in a swarm, they can be quite dangerous, creating a field of plasmic fire with which they can engulf targets with, burning anything the swarm moves around. Defensively, the swarm can create a wall of plasma which can absorb plasma fire, or destroy other weapons fire aimed at anything they are protecting. Fiery Wings can be used to form armour, although with its fiery plasma field, this is dangerous to the user, unless they are protected from such abilities, such as the Blood Rider Zealots. Some zealots have used the Fiery Wing swarms in anti-undead fighting. Clan Shelley Necromancers and a few Shamanesses have used the swarms to simulate fire based spells.

The robotic intelligence of the Fiery Wing is about equivalent of fairly intelligent animals, but are connected together as a hive intelligence, increasing the intelligence when grouped together in large swarms.

Fiery Wing drones are completely AI robots and are never Awakened, seen as tools and weapons. The helmets and communications of the Necromancer can easily control and give instructions to the swarm, especially when grouped together for a higher hive
intelligence, allowing the swarm to act independently for a few hours, reporting surveillance intelligence the swarm gathers.

The swarm is usually kept in a specially designed container that looks like a wicker basket, about 1.5 ft diameter by 2 feet deep, holding 100 Fiery Wings. This container can recharge the flies and gets power via induction with the Shemarrian carrying it, or power hook up from a vehicle or war mount. An e-clip can be inserted near the bottom, recharging a full swarm in about an hour, but completely drains the e-clip. The container has 15 MDC and weighs 30 lbs. empty. A larger container measuring 2 feet wide by 2.5 feet deep is available that holds 150 Fiery Wings, weighing 35 lbs empty and has 20 MDC has gained more popularity as it allows the user to use more than the normal 100 beetles.

## Abilities

Fiery Wings are incredibly small and difficult to notice, attacks suffer -3 to strike, if the opponent is even aware of it. However, if light up with their plasma powers, only -2 to strike.

Each Fiery Wing has an effective IQ of 6, but when in groups of 20 or more, gain +1 IQ for the group per 20 additional bots, allowing a large swarm to operate independently quite effectively with missions of spying. The bots must be within 30 feet of each other for this additional boost in IQ.

### Systems of Note

* Multi-Optics
* Thermo-Optics (100 ft range)
* Camera/Video Eye w/ live transmission
* Basic Audio
* Radio, range: 20 miles
* Motion Detector (500 ft range)
* Recording Chip---Stores up to 8 hours of recorded observations.
* Modulating Voice Synthesizer Chip---Allows the Carrion Fly to imitate a variety of natural sounds, such as animal calls.

### Special Systems

#### Plasma Proof Construction

Using ceramics and EM fields, Fiery Wings are immune to plasma based attacks. Magical plasma attacks deal 50% damage, particle beam weapons deal only 50% damage due to the EM fields used to control and protect against plasma. Immune to normal fire, MD and magical fire deals 50% damage.

#### Distraction

Similar to the Carrion Fly ability, a group of 10 or more Fiery Wings will fly about and on a target causing as must of a distraction as possible, getting in the way of optics, nipping at bare skin, buzzing, getting in the way of triggers, etc. The target must make a save vs insanity 12 (+1 for every 10 fiery wing over the initial 10 to maximum save of 18) or suffer -1 attack, -2 to strike, dodge and parry, and can not make use of auto dodge.

#### Plasma Field

A group of 40 or more Fiery Wings can emit plasma from their abdomens, combined with their containment fields to create a cloud of plasma fire approximately 10 feet in diameter, dealing 2d6 MD every round. For every 10 fiery wings added to the group, the diameter of the field can be increased by 5 feet, OR increase the damage by 1d6 MD. The field can be maintained 5 minutes +1 per 10 bots over the initial 40 bots.

#### Plasma Force Field

A group of 40 or more Fiery Wings can create a force field with a strength of 50 MDC, +5 MDC for every 10 over the initial 40, that can regenerate at a rate of 5 MDC per minute. The swarm can maintain the field for 5 minutes +1 minute per 10 bots over the initial 40. The force field covers a 10 foot diameter area, which is usually centered on the controller or an ally the controller designates. The bots fly around the perimeter of the area with the force field energy flowing between and around them. Since the force field is infused with plasma, plasma weapons deal no damage, and actually replenish any damage the field has suffered. Kinetic attacks, such as railgun rounds, bullets and missiles will only deal half damage as the projectile is partly burned away before it strikes the field itself. Anything striking the field suffers 2d6 MD, this includes unarmed melee strikes (fists, claws, kicks). The constant movement of the bots makes it difficult for anyone to get a clear shot shooting into the area, suffering a -2 to strike. Anyone inside the field can fire to
strike targets outside the field, the bots, especially while protecting the controller easily move out of the way so they don't get hit.

#### Protective Armour

Developed first for the Carrion Flies, and not as powerful as the armour from the Carapace Beetles, but with the added benefit of encasing the wearer in a plasma field. 50 bots are required to cover the main body of a humanoid up to 8 feet tall, with another 15 for each limb and 10 for the head, granting 60 MDC to the main body and 30 MDC to limbs or the head. Each additional 5 bots adds 5 MDC to any location they cling to. This armour can be maintained for 10 minutes and can only regenerate with the addition of more flies as the MDC is depleted, the bots are being destroyed. Additionally the wearer is covered in a plasma field, plasma and fire attacks deal no damage, and unarmed strikes deal additional  2d6 MD from the plasma fire. Anyone striking the wearer suffers 2d6 MD.

 This armour can be maintained for 120 minutes and can only regenerate with the addition of more bots as the MDC is depleted, the robotic beetles are being destroyed. For creatures larger than 8 feet tall, +10 bots are required (this is distributed to all locations) for every foot over 8 feet, and increases MDC by +10 per additional foot. This does allow one to protect even small warmounts, if there are enough bots.

#### Enhance Melee Weapon

The fiery wing can attach to the base of a melee weapon's striking surface and coat it in plasma. Daggers and small blades require 2 bots and deal an extra 1d4 MD; swords, axes and most polearms require 4 bots to deal 2d4 MD; great swords and similar large weapons require 6 bots and deal 2d4 MD. An additional 2 bots can increase damage by a farther 1d4 MD to a maximum of 6d4 MD bonus plasma damage. The Fiery Wings can maintain this ability as long as they have power.

#### Flash-Blinder

The abdomen can act as a high-powered illumination source that can light up a 30 ft area, but can also produce a strobing effect similar to a Blinding Flash spell (has enough battery power for 12 such flashes, recharges at a rate of 12 flashes an hour).

#### Ignitor

A modified soldering iron, that can be used to inflict a severe burn or set materials on fire. Can also act as a welder or cutting torch. Dealing 1d6, 2d6 or 4d6 SDC, or 1 MD per melee. Groups of Fiery Wings can be used to cut or weld larger areas faster, making them quite useful around Tinker workshops or during battlefield salvage operations cutting pieces to more manageable pieces.

### Weapons Systems

#### Bite

 Damage

The heads are equipped with little mandibles, which can be used to hold wires or very small objects, but generally used in their distraction ability.

Technically ineffective against MDC creatures, but due to the design of the mandibles, when used as part of the distraction ability, they irritate the skin of MDC creatures, including creatures with scales, such as reptiles and even dragons.

#### Plasma Blaster

 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

The

abdomen of the Fiery Wing is fitted with a plasma blaster, giving it a ranged
attack. This blaster is also what fuels its plasma abilities.

Recharges at a rate of 1 shot per 5 minutes of inactivity. The power source will recharge the capacitor until it runs out of power. If the Fiery Wing is out of power but still has charges in the plasma blaster, it can transfer power from the blaster to its power cell, with each shot providing 5 minutes of power.

#### Fiery Aura

 Damage
 Payload

The

Fiery wing can coat itself in plasma fire, which it can use as a tracer, or to
deal a target. This can also be used as part of its Distraction ability.

As long as the bot has power. When using the Distraction ability, each bot used deals 1 MD, with a minimum of 10 MD, and doubles the penalties and increases the save by +1.

Self-Destruct

The fiery wing can overload its power cell and plasma blaster to deal a larger amount of damage in a suicide attack. This can also allow the bot to be used in demolitions work and sabotage. This destroys the bot completely. This is also used in case the bot can not return to its controller with a quick transmission to the controller with the query of pickup possible or not.

Damage: 6d6 MD to a 10 foot area.

### Options

#### Extended Abdomen

Fiery Wing can be fitted with an extend abdomen/thorax which can contain extra systems. The mini-pod adds extra drag (reduce maximum speed to 26 MPH) but allows the microrobot to carry extra systems such as the following based on the Vespina, although smaller:

##### Drug Needle and Injector

Stinger needle does 1 SDC damage, plus chemical effects. Can carry enough chemical for 3 doses. In armour mode, the beetles can be programmed to inject the drug anytime the user is grappled or attacks with an unarmed, or a fiery wing enhanced weapon.

##### Acid Sprayer

Can spray an area (3 ft wide) with a corrosive that, depending on the specific agent involved, does 1d6 SDC for 1d4 melees, or 1 MD per melee for 1d4 melees. Has enough for 2 applications. In armour mode, the beetles can be programmed to inject the drug anytime the user is grappled or attacks with an unarmed, or a fiery wing enhanced weapon.

##### Tracer Chip Dispenser

The Fiery Wing can attach (via adhesive or injection under the skin) a small micro-tracer to a target. The chip can act as a passive transponder or as an active ‘pinger’ (3,000 ft range, 48 hour battery life). Can carry up to 5 chips.

##### Micro-Explosive(s)

The Fiery Wing can deposit a small explosive device, ranging from a detonator chip (does 1 SDC and useful for destroying circuitry or setting off larger explosives....up to 10 can be carried) to larger explosive devices. Also consult the following for other micro-explosives:

Weight

* (.22) 1.9 grams
* (5.56mm/.22 ‘long’) 2.8 grams
* (7.62mm) 8 grams
* (9mm) 115 grams
* (15mm) 120 grams
* (20mm) 130 grams

Damage:

* (.22) 2d6 SDC to eight inch ft blast radius

* (5.56mm/.22 ‘long’) 6d6 SDC to 1 ft blast radius

* (7.62mm) 1d6x10 SDC to 1.5 ft blast radius

* (9mm) 9d6 SDC to a 2 ft blast radius

* (15mm) 2d4x10 SDC to a 2 ft blast radius

* (20mm) 4d6x10 SDC to a 3 ft blast radius

(MD)

* (.22) 1d4 MD to six inch ft blast radius

* (5.56mm/.22 ‘long’) 1d4 MD to 1 ft blast radius

* (7.62mm) 1d4 MD to 1.5 ft blast radius

* (9mm) 1d4 MD to 2 ft blast radius

* (15mm) 3d6 MD to 2 ft blast radius (\*uses more recent chemical technology)

* (20mm) 4d4 MD to 2 ft blast radius

Features:

Exploder Chip

A multi-mode detonator that be set for as little as a fifteen second count to as long as five minutes, or can be radio detonated.

Payload: The Fiery Wing can carry up to 90 grams of micro-explosives

##### Neural Stinger

Improved version of the Neural Stinger described in the Rifts Bionics Sourcebook (pg. 47). Targets are -8 to strike, parry, and dodge, plus reduce Speed and APMs by HALF. Four or more stings means that the victim must roll to save versus unconsciousness, a failed save meaning the victim is knocked out for 2d4 melees. The neural-stinger has enough power for 4 stings, then recharges at a rate of 1 sting per hour. The drones are programmed that they can use this while in armour mode when the user makes an unarmed strike or is being grappled, or while in weapon enhancement form.

##### Extra Battery

This extends the operational time of the Fiery Wing to 14 hours. The battery can be used to power the force field, increasing the recharge rate to 5 MDC per melee round, and the swarm and maintain the field for 10 minutes, +2 minutes per 10 bots,  if at least 50 bots are fitted with the extra battery.

### Programming

* Detect Ambush 60%
* Detect Concealment 60%
* Intelligence 80%
* Basic Math 98%
* Radio: Basic 98%
* Prowl 85%
* Tracking 90%
* Navigation 86%
* Wilderness Survival 80%
* Computer Operation 80%
* Language: Can

understand 5 different languages 80%

### Combat

 Dodge
 Parry
 Strike
 Roll
 Pull Punch

Fiery Wings are the most offensive designed of the swarms, using their plasma abilities to strike targets, but also defensively to protect civilians or wounded warriors.