Flit-Striker

*“The beauty of these things is that while I’m engaging the enemy in a firefight, these little beauties are circling around behind them to do their work. I’ve conned many a foeman into spending more time and energy protecting themselves from ME than in defending my REAL target!”*

## Flit-Striker Projectile Launcher

 Weight
 MDC of Weapon
 Range
 Damage
 Rate of Fire
 Payload
 Original Tribe

Flit-strikers are forearm bracer weapons wearable by the Shemarrians and NeShemar that hold and deploy small explosive robotic projectiles. The projectiles are based on the Shemarrian version of the Northern Gun NMX-18 Stinger Anti-Flyer Mine (see Rifts Merc Ops, pg. 97-98 ). Three of the projectiles can be carried in/on the bracer and target-loaded with a cyberlinked-thought, then fired to flit on their way to the target. If the user has time and the knowledge, they can program the projectiles’ course, including evasive and circuitous paths to their targets. Depending on the Tribe producing the weapon, the flit-striker projectiles can look different from Tribe to Tribe; the Hawkmoons and Darkwaters prefer tern- or shrike-like small birds, the Ghost Riders, Wolf’s Path and Lost Eclipse small bats, and the Horrorwoods, Silvermoons, Bloodriders, and Clan Vespa large hornets and wasps. The Sapphire Cobras have their own dart-like model.

The Darkwaters are reportedly working on a variant capable of both air and underwater operation, ideally to create a projectile that could fly over the water to where a target was last sighted, dive into the water, re-acquire the target, and swim after it to deliver a powerful sonic warhead blast.

Flit-strikers can be incorporated into body armor in the forearm bracers or shoulder pieces.

### Variant Types

The standard Flit-Striker projectile is a plasma charge. Some of the tribes have come up with their own type of charge for different purposes.

#### Incendiary

The Blood Riders have an incendiary version that does 4d6 MD to a 15 ft blast radius, but continues to burn, doing 1d6 MD per melee for 1d4 melees, with an 88% chance of setting any combustibles in the immediate area aflame.

#### Sonic

Darkwater sonic munition, based on a design they acquired from a trade ally

* High Power Mode 4d6 MD to an 11 ft radius

* Low Power Mode 2d4 MD to an 8 ft radius, for 3+1d4 melees

The vibrofield will do 1/2 SDC damage through most body armors (100 MDC or less), 1/3 through
heavier armors and power armor (250 MDC or less), and 1/4 through small robots and vehicles (400 MDC or less).

#### Sonic Shock

25 ft radius, DOUBLE underwater. Beings with Enhanced Hearing or Sense Vibration abilities will be overcome and disoriented; Make a save versus Psionic Attack or lose initiative and be -8 to strike, parry, and dodge, and lose 2 APMs for 1d4 melees (continues even after the sound has been cut off). Beings who navigate by echolocation or motion detection will be effectively blinded. Even a successful save will leave the victim -2 to strike, parry and dodge for 1d4 melees, with a ringing in their heads. Beings without enhanced sonic senses will only suffer HALF penalties in either case.

Targeting Bonus

The Flit-Striker and its projectiles are linked wirelessly to EShemarrians and NeShemar, granting +3 to strike, +1 to dodge interception attempts, and gets FOUR APMs until the projectile hits (or is destroyed en route).

Cost: Exclusive to the Shemarrian Tribes. Tech-giants like Northern Gun and Triax would pay 60,000 credits or more for an intact flit-striker with at least one projectile loaded, to study(NG in particular, would LOVE to find out how the Shemarrians produce a more powerful and efficient plasma charge).