Vincha

*“What in the Eleven-armed Gods’ hells are those stupid shell-birds doing? Do they MEAN to cause a collision flying like that?! Make a note, underling; I’ll have words with High Lord Ts’kumpf about reigning in his allies if they all act like this! What the hells are they doing now?! -Tzko’vsky’s Bal-”*

*---Last words of Loden-Staphan Prime Minister Vaalon Tranos, on the start of the Loden-Splugorth War.*

## EcoS-K-64 ‘Vincha’ Aerial Warmount

aka ‘MurderCrow’

The third in the Dark Waters Tribe’s Warmount designs meant to emulate Metlza castes, the Vincha is based on the Murvolva Metztla. Rumored to have been developed in collaboration with PS/GNE’s RAW PHYLUM ‘BioClaw’ biofighter program, the Vincha shows many similarities, though it uses a different tech-base.

Unlike the prior Metztla-emulation Warmounts, that are meant to provoke by appearing as cyborgized examples of the Carapace caste, the Vincha is designed for infiltration, and resembles, at least externally, a perfectly normal Murvolva Metztla, at least until the pilot opens up the throttle and shows just how DIFFERENT the Warmount really is.

The Vincha uses a powerful contragravity propulsion system to give the Warmount the appearance of telekinetically hovering and flying. Modular gun pods replace the TK electrocannon ‘prongs’, and a small internal weapons bay conceals a powerful complement of missiles or torpedoes. The contragravity motor also allows for the generation of a light defensive forcefield.

The Vincha’s rider/pilot sits inside the Warmount, rather than rides outside it; another common feature of Dark Waters Warmounts. To save space and weight, the Vincha is piloted by the smaller Yurei-caste espionage Shemarrians.

The Vincha is remarkably intelligent for a Warmount, bordering on near-full sentience. It is a cunning and clever predator, with a strong competitive streak, especially against the real Murvolva Metztla.

The Vincha’s shortcomings are similar to the rest of the Metztla-emulations. Armor protection isn’t equal to the actual super-predators, and the Warmounts are lacking in the full range of psionic abilities. This makes more close-order infiltration of the Metztla impossible, as the pseudo-mollusks are quick to sense the ‘ringers’. Under such circumstances, the EShemars’ best response is to use their superior speed and armament strike hard, fast, and then retreat. The Shemarrians have also learned and contrived to use their imitation-Metztla in other creative ways. Vinchas have been known to have been used to launch attacks on Kittani and other Minions, driving a wedge of suspicion between them and the pseudo-mollusks. In a particularly daring strategy, Vinchas were also rumored to have been used to attack an equally rapacious reptilian species intent on conquest, and embroil them in brutal warfare against the Metztla and the Splugorth, distracting all three species and draining their resources, while the Shemarrians watched from the sidelines and picked off stragglers and targets of opportunity on the edges.

The Murvolva-disguised Vinchas appear only in the Dark Waters’ stables. The functionally identical, but cosmetically different, EcoS-K-64B variant has begun appearing with the Silvermoons, Hawkmoons, and Horrorwoods, where it is often mistaken for an unAwakened aerospace fighter. It is also rumored that the Vincha has appeared with the Lost Eclipse, where it is piloted by Kildren-caste assassins.

## Abilities

The pilot's compartment is cramped, even by Shemarrian standards, designed for smaller sized Shemarrians, such as the Yurei and NeShemar.

### Sensors

#### Sonar

A Sonar with a 10 mile range is installed for underwater operations.

### Special Systems

#### ECM suite

Electronic jamming system, mounted in the dorsal fin, that gives radar-guided weaponry a -4 to strike the Warmount. Or it can be used offensively, to foil ALL radar-guided weaponry in a 15 mile radius (-2 to strike).

### Weapon Systems

#### Blaster Cannon (2)

Like the other imitation Metztla, the Vincha’s main armaments have been made modular, allowing a variety of configurations, though the EVC was initially favored as it imitated the Murvolvas’ organic electromagnetic blasters.

##### Electromagnetic Vortex Cannon

 Damage
 Rate of Fire

This weapon is similar to the other Metztla imitation weapons.

* Within a 60 ft radius, people, animals, and objects weighing less than 500 lbs are 90% likely to be knocked off their feet and hurled 3d4 yards/meters.

* Characters/objects of 500-1,000 lbs weight are 50% likely to be knocked aside 1d4 yards/meters.

* Objects of a ton or more are only 20% likely to be knocked over.

* Flying characters/objects get knocked away twice the normal distance

* EM bolts are -6 to

dodge

##### Ion Cannon

 Range2
 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire

A common weapon among the Darkwaters, modified to also fire a spray bolt for affecting a larger area.

On a Natural 20 (Critical Strike) the ion weapon does TRIPLE damage instead of the normal double damage.

##### Laser Cannon

 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire

Shemarrian version of the JA-12 Laser Rifle.

##### Plasma Cannon

 Damage
 Rate of Fire

Reverse-engineered Mechanoid M-15 Plasma Rifle.

##### Particle Beam Cannon

 Damage
 Rate of Fire

Critical (DOUBLE) damage on a unmodified 19-20.

##### Rail Gun

 Damage
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Standard S-4000 pattern Shemarrian rail-rifles, easy to obtain ammunition and for loading special munitions.

##### Pulse Disruptor

 Range2
 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire

Copied from the Golgans.

1/4 that damage to everything in a 10 ft radius.

#### Slicer-Fins (3)

 Damage

The lateral fins and lower ventral ‘spike’ are reinforced for low-speed raking attacks.

#### (Optional) Carried Ordnance

The Vincha can carry up to 500 lbs of ordnance internally in a small ventral cargo/bomb bay, or a pod of 19 mini-missiles/mini-torpedoes OR 6 short range missiles/torpedoes OR 2 medium range missiles/torpedoes.

In the alternative, the Vincha can use its tentacles to clutch a larger ordnance payload (up to 750
lbs) semi-externally. This imposes a -25% to maximum speed, however, due to drag, until the encumbering load is dropped/discarded. This can be a Long Range Missile warhead (heavy) or a 750 lb freefall bomb or mine (4d6x10 MD to 65 ft blast radius for conventional explosives), or a single heavy torpedo.

### Programming

The Ecotroz have installed robotic AIs, then infected the matrix with a low-level Ecotroz
sentience. Vinchas tend to come across as eager, happy predators who delight in the hunt. They are good team players who work well in groups (or squadrons).

Has all the same standard programing as the Monst-Crane, but is configured for aerial movement and combat.

Has the equivalent of the following (for aerial maneuvering purposes):

 Undersea Navigation

The Ecotroz entity
can also pick up one Secondary skill at levels 2, 6, and 12 of experience, though the nature of the Vincha intelligence and design is such that it is limited to skill selections from Technical: Language (understanding) and Lore, Espionage (Detect Ambush, Detect Concealment), Wilderness (Track Humanoids, Track Animals, Hunting, Identify Plants and Fruits).

### Combat

 Dodge
 Parry
 Strike
 Roll
 Pull Punch
 Punch w/Tentacles
 Crush/Squeeze w/ Tentacles

Vinchas have a pack mentality, working well in groups.

## Ecotroz Fragment

The Ecotroz intelligence fragment inhabiting the ‘bot gives the Vincha an aura and behavior more befitting a sentient being than a robot.

The Ecotroz fragment does occasionally need sleep/rest...though they only need 2 hours of rest/meditation per 24 hours...they can push this, going without for as many days as they have I.Q. points (most Warmounts, unless otherwise noted, have an effective IQ rating of 8), but will have to go dormant for 4d6 hours after such exertion.

Note also that the Ecotroz-possessed ‘bot can infect other bots with the Ecotroz viral-entity, by bite or sustained touch (takes 3 attacks).

### Psionics

Has the following Natural Psionic Abilities (no ISP Cost), all equivalent to 6th level with regards to proficiency, but TRIPLE the range.

* Sixth Sense
* See Aura
* Presence Sense
* Sense Evil

## Variants

EcoS-K-64B

The Dark Waters use this variant when deception isn’t a concern. The ‘B’ variant looks much more mechanical and angular, more like a pure-tech fighter, though in all other respects the ‘B’ is identical to the baseline Vincha. The ‘B’, with varying stylistic differences, has begun appearing in the ranks of other Tribes such as the Silvermoons, Hawkmoons, and Horrorwoods.

EcoS-K-64Wp

Wolf’s Path variant of the ‘B’ model. Its main difference is that it uses a ‘link’ system similar to those used by the Wolf’s Path ‘wolfpacks’, improving coordination between members of a flight or squadron. In teams of five or more, they enjoy a +2 to Initiative, +2 to strike, and +3 to Perception as long as they are in line of sight of each other. The Hawkmoons are also reportedly intrigued by this system, and are likely to either petition the Wolf’s Path for the schematics, or attempt to develop their own version.