Hoplite

**Key Features** | »» *"Dory"* man-portable railgun»» *"Hoplon"* bipod/mantle»» Performance boosting drug shots (prepackaged)»» Nerve staple procedure»» Cybernetic optics w/ zoom function

*"If the cyborg forces are to prove themselves an indispensable augmentation to the Mediterranean Syndicate, they will have to earn the privilege."*

- Legatus Legionis

## Tactical Analysis

* **Hop to it!**: The Hoplite is the Syndicate's solution to armour, equipped and trained to take out hostile vehicles from a range beyond which they can't possibly retaliate.

* **Anti-Tank Spearhead**: Armed with a 'Dory' man-portable railgun, the Hoplite can propel a pointed metal spike straight through armoured targets. While this may do less damage than other anti-tank projectiles, a single shot can punch through multiple enemies.

* **Mobility is Key**: In times of neccessity, Hoplites can boost their performance with shots of adrenaline, letting them move more quickly and shoot more rapidly for a time. Bear in mind that Hoplites usually put the cost of the adrenaline shots under their expenses.

* **Dead Weight**: After enough time on the job, Hoplites will buy dense penetrator ammunition. These rounds stay in their target and weigh it down, causing it to lose speed.

## Operational History

Tanks are a difficult nut to crack for a private military corporation. High explosive weapons and large bore rockets are usually prohibited by law, so except for the most lawless reaches of the world PMC companies must rely on antiquated anti-tank rifles, handheld shaped charges, or simply go without. With the Syndicate taking an increasingly militant stance, confronting armour has become inevitable, placing a definite requirement for a standardised handheld anti-armour weapon for Legion Security.

The resulting *"Dory"* railgun is a five-foot long weapon with a mantle to protect its user from shrapnel in case of a short-ranged shot. The 3mm rod it fires will, like larger varieties, punch straight through multiple layers of armour plate. Lighter tanks, especially those with low-grade armour plating, tend to shatter when struck, filling the crew compartment with deadly spall, and though better-constructed vehicles will not break in this way, virtually no amount of armour can resist the weapon.

In a nod to the spear-and-shield appearance of the weapon, those trained in its use are popularly referred to as **Hoplites**. The reinforced helmets and shoulder-pads help this appearance, as does the horizontal fibre-optic strip on the helmets. They are kitted out in a fully armoured suit like other Syndicate infantry, which assures them a certain degree of safety when positioning themselves for the optimal shot.

Also unique is that the Hoplite, to ensure a calm battlefield demeanour, has had a procedure done called a *"nerve staple"*, a manipulation of the area of the brain from which fear and self-preservative instinct comes. A Hoplite will stand in the open to use their weapon while comrades dive for cover, giving them a vital few seconds more to line up a lethal shot.

## Behind the Scenes

"Nerve staple" is a reference to *Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri*.

## Just the Stats

 **Armour Type** | Infantry

 **Kill Reward** | 400

 **DPS** | 8.3