Nelson

## Traits

MOMENTUM1/round, after you BOOST, the Nelson’s next melee attack deals +1d6 bonus damage on hit.

SKIRMISHERAfter attacking, the Nelson can move 1 space in any direction as a free action as long as it isn’t IMMOBILIZED or SLOWED. This movement ignores engagement and doesn’t provoke reactions.

The IPS-N Nelson is the purest embodiment of the close-quarters doctrine espoused by its manufacturer. It is built to brawl, thriving when ordnance has been exhausted or when the environment is too volatile for firearms. With its functional size, the Nelson can strike fast and remain a difficult target to track. Layers of fractal-fold Armor-Lock plating with ceramic-analogous carbon flaking properties effectively nullify the impact of incoming ballistics by dispersing kinetic energy across a rounded hull. This null-k defense protects the pilot from impact trauma, allowing for sustained combat efficacy in high-trade scenarios.

The Nelson is an iconic IPS-N chassis, known across the galaxy as the favored frame of the Albatross, the nomadic order of Cosmopolitan peacekeepers. The Albatross’ distinctive white, gold, and red livery, mastery of the war pike, and apparent agelessness due to time dilation has won both them and the Nelson a venerated place in Diasporan lore – and secured an endorsement contract with IPS-N in perpetuity.

# Core System

## PERPETUAL MOMENTUM DRIVE

IPS-N’s Perpetual Momentum Drive exploits fighter-tier nearlight spooling to capture and sustain a passive .000001 ls charge, able to be dumped into boost systems upon command. Chassis equipped with this drive require heavy reinforcement, including strengthened joints and limbs, and installation of a k-comp crash couch to protect the pilot from sudden g-force and shear.

### Engage Drive

***Protocol***

For the rest of the scene, Skirmisher allows you to move 4 spaces at a time instead of 1 space.

# Licenses

## License I

### War Pike

**Main Melee, Knockback 1, Thrown 5, [3 Threat] [1D6 Kinetic]**

*A war pike is a simple weapon – a long haft, topped with a dense, slim point, meant to puncture armor. Early designs were derivative of mining pylons, but the modern war pike is a sturdy, balanced, and reliable weapon that’s perfect for a charge.*

### Bulwark Mods

**System, SP1, Unique**

Your mech’s extended limbs, additional armor, redundant motor systems, and other reinforcements allow you to ignore difficult terrain.

*All proprietary IPS-N mech cores feature their QuickMod system – a modular, legacy-compatible system of joints, hardpoints, and internal slots that makes installing upgrades simple. This proved to be a necessary feature for Albatross maktebas long out of synch with Union Realtime.*

## License II

### Thermal Charge

**Weapon Mod, Limited 3, Unique, 2 SP, [+1D6 Explosive]**

**Can be applied to: [Melee] , Auxiliary, Main, Heavy, Superheavy**

On a hit with the weapon this mod is applied to, expend a charge as a free action to activate its detonator and deal +1d6 explosive bonus damage.

*One popular modification to the classic war pike involves replacing the long, armor-piercing pike head with a disposable, impact-triggered explosive charge. On penetration, the pike’s head is severed from the shaft – moments later, the embedded pike head detonates in a conical explosion from the point forward. Spare thermal charges are stable, and transported in external tube magazines.*

*IPS-N also makes thermal charges compatible with GMS’s range of blades, hammers, and picks.*

### Armor-Lock Plating

**System, 1 SP, Unique, Heat 2 (Self)**

You can Brace while Grappling. When you do so, any grapples currently affecting you end. Additionally, when you Brace, you gain the following benefits until the end of your following turn:

* Attacks against you receive +1 difficulty.
* You can’t fail Agility or Hull saves or contested checks.
* You gain Immunity to Knockback, Grapple, being knocked Prone, and being moved by any external force smaller than Size 5.

*IPS-N’s Armor-Lock Plating is a total-body modification that provides additional chassis stability for any situation in which a pilot needs to put their mech through greater-than-anticipated stress.*

## License III

### Power Knuckles

***Auxiliary Melee, [Threat 1] [1D3+1 Explosive]***

**On Critical Hit:** Your target must succeed on a Hull save or be knocked Prone.

*IPS-N’s line of power knuckles are another popular purchase for pilots who prefer to fight up close. Taking the form of anything from shaped studs to hyperdense knuckles, or a series of magnetically accelerated micro-rams, power knuckles amplify the already incredible hitting power of a mech.*

### Ramjet

**System, 3 SP, Unique, Heat 2 (Self), Protocol**

**Activate Ramjet:** Until the start of your next turn, you can move +2 spaces when you Boost and your melee attacks (including Ram, Grapple, and so on) gain Knockback 2.
When you move during this time, you must move your full Speed in a straight line; however, you can stop if you would collide with an obstruction or hostile character, and you can change direction between separate movements (for example, standard moves, Boost, etc).

*There’s a threshold that veteran Nelson pilots know well: the point of endless momentum. You get moving fast enough in the right atmosphere and the air itself feeds into auxiliary ports on the chassis, screaming out like a demon’s almighty howl. The point of endless momentum is a giant’s hand on your chest and a god’s chariot under your feet. Makes you feel like you can outrun light itself, as long as you don’t pass out first.*

1. ↑ Lopez, M. & Parkinson Morgan, T. (2019). *LANCER Core Rulebook*. Massif Press. p. 140.