Blackstar

*“This is nova-core squad to all ground forces; brace for sterilization protocol. Danger close. I repeat; danger close.”*

*The gathered war-host of the Flamewing all turned to their gaze to the sky, seeing half a dozen serpentine silhouettes against the ash-choked sky. The strike-mounts of the air-corps arrowing in towards the entrenched Infernal horde. Though rail-lance and blade did seem to harm the hell-spawn the Flamewing’s usual method of quick dispatch, that being plasma & fire, seemed to be less than effective against these scum. It was time for Blackstar riders to bring the burning-blight onto the field. A song of victory rose to greet the air-corp sisters and their warmounts as six streams of invisible death scoured the enemy lines.*

*Even if the intial burn did not kill the Infernals outright, the lingering effects would ensure they were in no condition to argue the rebuttal of mega-steel and hypervelocity shot waiting in the Shemarrians grip.*

## Blackstar Aerial Warmount

The Blackstar warmount is recent addition to the fringe tribe of the Flamewing. It embodies many aspects of both the Thousand-Dragon & Hawkmoon aerial warmount designs. Fast & manuverable, along with reptilian aesthetics & directed high-energy weaponry. A long serpentine body, 4 legs ending in vibro-talons and long narrow wings of MDC polymer and plasteel. The body is covered in segmented plating painted coal-black and the head is a triangular wedge shape with two crimson ‘chevon’ style eyes. Aside from the terrifying image the Blackstar warmount presents, it is the primary weapon mounted behind the shark-toothed jaws that makes this robotic-beast truly horrific; a gamma-ray projector. Though the beam is not as focused as a GRASER, it releases lethal intensity 18 gama-radiation (save throw of 18+ or suffer from terminal radiation poisoning) which has the same effect on supernaturally regenerating flesh as Triax Uranium Rounds, along with a heat pulse strong enough to slag steel. This warmount is definitely in keeping with the Flamewing tribe’s doctrine of “OVERTkill”.

## Abilities

Destroying the Tail Assembly will reduce maneuvering bonuses by HALF

Contra-Gravity Pod (under saddle; along spine)

Destroying the contra-gravity pod reduces speed by 75%, reduces maximum operating altitude to 500 ft, and reduces manuevering bonuses by 25% (NO bonuses remaining if the Tail has also been destroyed). The Blackstar is essentially gliding and vectoring using the secondary jets.

### Weapons Systems

#### Magnetic Photon Arrays (2; eyes)

 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

The Blackstar is fitted with powerful magnetic photon arrays alongside the optical systems. The beams fired are a brilliant violet-purple and use the decay of compressed quarks / dark-matter as the laser medium.

Inflicts double damage to all energy fields; technological or arcane.

#### Gamma-Ray Projector (mouth)

 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Instead of a flame or plasma thrower, the Blackstar is armed with a magnetically focused gamma-radiation projector. The beam is nearly invisible (the Cherenkov effect appears as a ghostly blue steam of non-reflective / refractive light) and what it touches burns as if touched by arc-torch. Worse, anything in the stream’s path is subjected to lethal doses of highly energetic gamma radiation.

Targets struck or in the blast radius must roll a save of 18+ or radiation poisoning will occur. Lastly, any supernatural target struck by the gamna-ray burst that fails the saving throw, will be unable to regenerate for 1D4 days.

#### Foot Claws

 Damage

Like the Monst-Crane’s, the Blackstar’s feet are fully equipped with long curved claws that can deliver a flying kick or landing stab.

#### Jaws

 Damage
 Damage2

The vicious shark teeth of the Blackstar can rip open the side of an aircraft or flying monster, or tear into the roof of a ground-bound vehicle.

#### Optional Weapons Hardpoint (1)

A single weapons module, similar to those available to the Monst-Crane, can be fitted to the back of the Blackstar.

#### Optional Wing Hardpoints (2)

If available, the Blackstar’s wings can be fitted with expendable ordnance, though such will add drag (reduce bonuses to Dodge by -2) until the missiles/bombs have been ejected/deployed.

##### Flare/Chaff Launcher

Range: Close Defense

Damage: None; similar to Triax-style chaff

* 01-50 Enemy Missile or volley detonates in chaff and threat is neutralized
* 51-75 Missile/Volley diverts and may pursue/lock on to other targets
* 76-00 No Effect! Missile(s) still on target!

Will also temporarily blind and impede flying monsters who fly into it.

Reduce APMs/combat bonuses/ speed by half for 1d4 melees

Payload: 12 per launcher

##### Jammer Pod

Electronic jamming system that gives radar-guided weaponry a -4 to strike the aircraft. Or it can be used offensively, to foil ALL radar-guided weaponry in a 10 mile radius (-2 to strike). Additional pods DO NOT add cumultative bonuses, but do provide system redundancy.

##### Missiles

* Mini-Missiles: 10 shot pod
* Short Range Missiles: 3 per hardpoint
* Medium Range Missiles:1 per hardpoint

#### Optional Bombs

The Blackstar can carry a single bomb, mine, or torpedo between its legs. , but the extra drag will cut the Warsteed’s maximum speed by 1/3 until the ordnance is deployed/ejected.

Damage: Varies by weapon carried;

* 250-lb Bomb = 2d4x10 MD to 50 ft blast radius
* 500-lb Bomb = 4d4x10 MD to 60 ft blast radius
* 750-lb Bomb = 4d6x10 MD to 65 ft blast radius
* Medium Torpedo = 2d6x10 MD

Note: may also carry a 1kt dirty nuclear bomb or “light” antimatter bomb (latter is identical to standrad A/M cruise missible damage & blast radius).

Payload: One bomb(up
to 750 lbs) or a single torpedo (up to Medium class)

Note: The Blackstar can engage in divebombing maneuvers; doing so means that the Warsteed approaches the target in a dive (45-degrees or better), releases its bomb (at 5,000 ft or less distance from the target), and then pulls out. A successful dive-bombing attack requires a Piloting roll at -10%, but the dropped ordnance is +2 to strike, and gets a +2d4 MD for the extra speed assist in penetration.

#### Optional Spear Rack

The saddle can be fitted with a spear rack with 20 MDC and holding 4-6 spears. Thrown from the air, the spears get an extra +1 to damage, +1d4 if thrown as part of a dive-bomb, due to the extra speed behind the throw.

### Programming

The Ecotroz have upgraded robotic drone AIs as best they can, then infected the matrix with a low-level Ecotroz sentience. The Blackstar has a high animal intelligence of 9, with aggressive ‘instincts’.

The Blackstar has all the same standard programming as the Monst-Crane, but is configured for aerial movement and combat.

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

Pilot Jet Fighter 70% (+5% per level of experience).

The Ecotroz entity can also pick up one Secondary skill at levels 2, 6, and 12 of experience, though the nature of the Blackstar 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
 Auto Dodge
 Roll
 Pull Punch
 Body Block

Blackstars are aggressive combatants and use their flight and high agility to their advantage when engaged in close combat biting and clawing.

#### Ecotroz Fragment

The Ecotroz intelligence fragment inhabiting the ‘bot gives the Blackstar 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, but will have to go dormant for 4d6 hours after such exertion.

Susceptible to Exorcism and Banish spells, but are +6 to save against such spells, +1 at levels 4, 8, and 12 of experience, and becoming IMMUNE at level 14 and up. Such Banishment causes the ‘bot to revert to its default robot programming. (OPTION: Ecotroz may become IMMUNE to Exorcism and Banishment with experience)

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

The Blackstar has the following Natural Psionic Abilities (no ISP Cost), all equivalent to 6th level with regards to range and proficiency.

* Sixth Sense/Danger Sense

## Optional Systems

Fitted for space combat; it features multiple maneuvering verniers and a contra-gravity drive, boosting it to speeds of Mach 6 in space, and allowing it to enter and leave atmospheres without the need of assistance from larger craft. The Blackstar also features a 400 MDC forcefield, a scrambler field that reduces ion, plasma, and particle beam weapons fire by HALF and has a 40% chance of deflecting missiles, and molecular adhesion pads on the feet to allow the Blackstar to latch onto asteroids and spacecraft. Also, like all Flamewing constructs, the Blackstar is armoured with thermo-kinetic plating (1/2 damage from high velocity impacts and thermal effect weaponry / attacks).