Night-Shredder

*“Watch yourselves out there; the ‘shredders like to come at you in the dark, with more blades than a berserker. Don’t get caught between them, but if you do, set your own swords and blades to break the wave of steel that’s going to come at you. They’ll try to clothesline you with those arm slicers of theirs. I wouldn’t engage them hand to hand; there’s no glory in fighting these monsters, and if you can, plunk them from long range. But even that’s difficult; they’re slippery to the sensors and they know how to hide.”*

## Night-Shredders (BlackSteel-corrupted A-63 All-Purpose Heavy Robot)

aka ‘Robber-Claws’, ‘Fan-Rippers’, ‘Nail-Ghouls’

The Night-Shredder is a BlackSteel-corrupted A-63 All-Purpose Heavy Robot. The A-63 has been warped by BlackSteel infection into an attenuated, almost-organic-looking alien construct. The forearms in particular are very long and ape-like, and the head has a larger and more articulated jaw. Their armor seems to take on a greasy look, as if skinned in some material that makes it hard for light to properly reflect off of. They move less in a run and more of a loping manner.

The Night-Shredder seems inspired to a degree by the Northern Gun MG-X39 Mantis power armor in that each grotesquely long forearm sports a long vicious slashing blade laid back along its length, and protruding well past the elbow. The effect has been compared to a bat’s pinions, only without the connective wing membrane-webbing. In combat, the blades can swing forward like extremely long sharp extra fingernails.

### Tactics

Night-Shredders favor melee attacks when they can close with an enemy, and use their cutlery to best effect. Typically half of a pack of Night-Shredders will use ranged fire to pin down opponents while the other half closes for the kill. A favorite tactic of Night-Shredders is for several to run abreast at a target, their claw
blades fanned out in a ‘slat-fence of death’. Other favorite tactics include
spinning their upper torsos and scything at opponents in front and in back of them.

Night-Shredders can talk, but almost always do so in a mockery of ARCHIE-3 or Hagan’s voices (though few people are likely to know this). They will often taunt victims, though their taunting has a repetitive or parroting singsong quality to it, suggesting that they are not terribly intelligent or original in their thinking.

Night-Shredders were first encountered terrorizing the locality of Factory #5/BlackSteel Citadel, slaying local villagers or driving them out, and stripping their abandoned homes of materials useful to the BlackSteel. They also ambushed any travelers and scavenged the remains of useful technology.

## Abilities

### Standard Robot Sensory Systems

#### Vision Sensors

Basic, Low-Light/Night Vision (2,000 ft range), Infrared, Thermo-Imaging (2,000 ft range), telescopic (6,000 ft) and Magnification (x60) Optics.

#### Amplified Hearing

Can hear noises as low as 10 decibels at 500 ft, plus ultrasonic band hearing.

#### Motion Detector

100 ft range; 45-degree arc in front of the head

#### Molecular Analyzer

Can track by scent 80%, and recognize specific scents 84%.

### Special Systems

#### 360-degree Waist Rotation

The Night-Shredder is able to spin at the waist in complete circles, which it uses when surrounded.

#### Modulating Voice Synthesizer

Night-Shredders will frequently mimic their victims to disconcert them, or imitate such things as distressed children or wounded comrades to lure potential victims into ambushes.

#### Self-Destruct

Standard. Just as ARCHIE-3’s ‘bots will destroy all evidence of themselves, the BlackSteel also leaves little trace of its creations. Completely obliterates itself (1d4x100+250 to immediate vicinity, and 2d4x10 MD to a 10 ft radius). Any remains will be a black slag-like material that slowly evaporates away with the taint of evil.

### BlackSteel Traits

#### Stealth Armor

Night-Shredders are covered in a dark psuedo-organic-looking material that appears ‘greasy’ to vision, blurring the outlines of the ‘bot. Laser targeting systems are -1 to lock on to the ‘bots, and even Mark One Eyeball is -1 to strike them (-2 under low light conditions) when they are moving. There is only a 25% chance of spotting them on thermal optics.

#### Vulnerabilities

##### Silver

Silver weaponry does DOUBLE damage to BlackSteel creations. If a called shot of 20+ (modified) strikes the skull or chest area with silver, the tainted container/CPU/powerplant will be struck and an explosion of 6D6 MDC to a 3 ft. radius will erupt and annihilate the Black-Steel... and decommission the ‘bot (self-destruct will still go off, however).

##### Holy Magic

Attacking with Holy Magic will cause the normal materials of the ‘bot to expel the BlackSteel. The ‘bot will still fight on using its original programming, but it will lose its viciousness and malevolent cunning (reduce
initiative by HALF), and BlackSteel properties, and all other aspects of its operation remain unchanged. However, the expelled BlackSteel will remain a threat if picked up and incorporated into other machines.

### Weapons Systems

#### Arm Blades (6, 3 each forearm)

 Range2
 Damage
 Damage2
 Damage3

The Night-Shredder’s forearm cutlery seem inspired by the Northern Gun Mantis Power Armor, a sign to some observers that the BlackSteel is both aware and possessed of a murderous ability to copy good ideas. Each forearm sports three massive vibroblades that fold back to extend past the elbow, or can swing forward like massive vibro-claws, or a slat-shield.

The Night-Shredder can also fling its arm blades like projectiles; it cannot regenerate the blades, but can reattach any recovered blades it throws.

#### Black Light Eye Lasers (2)

 Damage
 Damage2
 Damage3
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Factory #5’s complement of A-63s were just starting to get the eye

laser upgrade when the BlackSteel took over. The BlackSteel malignancy adopted
and modified it as a standard feature when it starting pumping out its modified
version of the A-63. The lasers now somehow deliver a form of ‘corrupt light’
that appears as black beams, and does additional damage to living tissue.

Do 25% more damage to living beings, and direct exposure of the wound to sunlight (and Globe of
Daylight spells) will cause the injury to become acutely photosensitive; victims must roll under their ME or be -1 on initiative, perception, strike, dodge, and parry due to the itching/burning sensations from the wound. The photosensitivity ends when the wound is healed.

#### Use of Handheld Weapons

The Night-Shredder can pick up and use infantry weapons.

The most commonly used weapon is a BlackLight version of the Arch-22 Pulse Laser (3,000 ft range,
1d6 MD single blast, up to 5d6 MD for a five-shot pulse blast, plus BlackLight damage, and has 90 shots; effectively unlimited when held by BlackSteel robots.

### Programming/Skills

Same as for the baseline A-63 All-Purpose Heavy Robot:

* Pilot: Automobile, motorcycle, hovercycle, jetpack, aircraft, all at 90%
* Radio: Basic 98%
* Math: Basic 90%
* Computer Operation 90%
* Prowl 70%
* Swim 94%
* Land Navigation 94%
* Climb 90%/80%
* Wilderness Survival 94%
* Swimming 94%
* Intelligence 90%
* Detect Ambush 70%
* W.P. Blunt
* W.P. Knife
* W.P. Sword
* W.P. Paired Weapons
* W.P. Energy (all)

### Combat

 Dodge
 Parry
 Auto Dodge
 Roll
 Pull Punch
 Disarm
 Entangle
 Full Punch
 Power Punch
 Kick
 Bite
 Leap Kick
 Body Block/Tackle
 Judo Throw/Flip

Night-Shredders are deadly melee combatants, favouring ambush tactics in small groups, using stealth and vocal taunting to unnerve and distract their targets before ripping them to shreds with their blades.