Difference between revisions of "Technology"
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As a part of an initiative to improve the lot of the Skitarii, Petra and Fiona created the Tactical Dreadnought Armor system, a.k.a. the "Terminator" armor. It blurs the line between powered armor and a small, pilotable mech, standing 8 to 9 feet tall, boasting a powerful internal power source, massively increased strength, and slabs upon slabs of dense plasteel armor. Other functions include a multi-spectrum sensor suite and a sealed environment Most notable, however, is its ability to be wielded by anyone small enough to wear it--the "Terminator" was designed from the outset to be used by non-Ironform 4th Officio girls. Once worn, even an unaugmented Magical Girl will become capable of taking on a Heavy Ironform head-to-head. | As a part of an initiative to improve the lot of the Skitarii, Petra and Fiona created the Tactical Dreadnought Armor system, a.k.a. the "Terminator" armor. It blurs the line between powered armor and a small, pilotable mech, standing 8 to 9 feet tall, boasting a powerful internal power source, massively increased strength, and slabs upon slabs of dense plasteel armor. Other functions include a multi-spectrum sensor suite and a sealed environment Most notable, however, is its ability to be wielded by anyone small enough to wear it--the "Terminator" was designed from the outset to be used by non-Ironform 4th Officio girls. Once worn, even an unaugmented Magical Girl will become capable of taking on a Heavy Ironform head-to-head. | ||
Revision as of 19:52, 10 January 2015
Technology is eclectic in Magical Girl Noir Quest. Sometimes, Magical Girls use tech largely identical to the real world--other times, they wield science far beyond anything mundane humans could ever produce. Certain Officios are practically defined by their advanced technology; the 4th and the 13th, for example, are (in)famous for their mastery of mechanical engineering and bio-engineering, respectively.
Below is a list of some of the more advanced pieces of hardware used in Magical Girl Noir Quest, sorted by the Officio that invented or otherwise manufactures it.
Contents
Various
Silent Rooms
Work In Progress
Augmentations
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" --Apolakreon motto
Used by: Various
Augmentations, also known as "bionics" or "augmetics", are advanced prosthetics and other artificial body parts implanted into a flesh-and-blood body. Most commonly, these are replacements for damaged limbs or other body parts (such as eyes), though people simply desiring to "upgrade" their bodies are not always turned away, either.
At least two different Officios are known to manufacture and use augmentations.
Officio II: 2nd Officio bionics tend to prioritize strength, speed, and durability over fancy extraneous functions. They are often more obviously artificial than bionics made by the 4th, and therefore harder to disguise--in exchange, they are arguably superior for use in combat.
Officio IV: 4th Officio bionics, especially its synthetic limbs, tend to be more subtle and highly engineered compared to 2nd Officio bionics, trading sheer toughness and power for elegance and extra features. Augmentations made by the 4th tend to come with additional capabilities on top of increased strength, speed, and armor, such as hidden weapons, on-board computers, and sensory equipment. The 4th can even craft realistic synthetic skin that can disguise exposed augmetics, but doing so costs a very great deal of money.
Fourth Officio
Ironforms
"Flesh is weak."
Used by: Officio IV
More than perhaps any other piece of technology, the 4th is most well known for their synthetic bodies, i.e. Ironforms. An Ironform is completely artificial--the only part of the Magical Girl's original body that remains is her Soul Gem. The process is excruciating and not all Soul Gems are compatible with Ironforms, but those who succeed are granted bodies that are stronger, faster, and more durable than even the superhuman physique of a Magical Girl.
Those with Ironforms no longer need to eat or drink and never become physically fatigued, though users may require periods of mental rest. Other bodily needs (such as the need for companionship) typically remain untouched. Pressure sensors allow Ironforum users to handle objects without breaking them, while damage-detection diagnostics alert users of damage to their bodies.
However, this power comes at a price. Soul Gems do not as easily interface with synthetic bodies as they do with a Magical Girl's organic one, and the process of implanting a Soul Gem into an Ironform is a traumatic one, so to acclimate the Soul Gem a magical girl typically replaces more and more of her flesh body with augmentations. Even so, not all patients survive the process, and for others the process simply doesn't work.
Ironforms also put a strain on the Soul Gem, causing it to collect grief somewhat faster than normal. This is most of the reason why Fourth Officio girls are discouraged from using magic. Ironform users can still stave off Witching Out, however, through careful management of their Soul Gem and minimizing magic usage.
Tactical Dreadnought Armor
Used by: Officio IV, Officio IX
As a part of an initiative to improve the lot of the Skitarii, Petra and Fiona created the Tactical Dreadnought Armor system, a.k.a. the "Terminator" armor. It blurs the line between powered armor and a small, pilotable mech, standing 8 to 9 feet tall, boasting a powerful internal power source, massively increased strength, and slabs upon slabs of dense plasteel armor. Other functions include a multi-spectrum sensor suite and a sealed environment Most notable, however, is its ability to be wielded by anyone small enough to wear it--the "Terminator" was designed from the outset to be used by non-Ironform 4th Officio girls. Once worn, even an unaugmented Magical Girl will become capable of taking on a Heavy Ironform head-to-head.
There are at least two different classes of Terminator armor: the Indomitus, which was designed with firepower in mind, and the Cataphract, which was designed for optimized defenses.
The missing Indomitus prototype, dubbed "Tiny Pete", was originally from the 4th Officio.
The Olympia
"Home is where the explosions are!"
Used by: Officio IV
Headquarters, barracks, research facility, factory, siege engine: the Olympia serves as home and stronghold for the bulk of the Fourth Officio. Although the Officio does man a handful of outposts throughout the world (mostly as testing sites for new equipment), the majority of the Officio's 400 Magical Girls reside on the Olympia.
The Olympia itself is a vaguely humanoid-shaped robot, measuring approximately 2000 feet tall, with large, cylindrical towers rising from its shoulders and head. Its two arms each end in a large cannon, with collapsible runways installed on top of each to permit air traffic. Other features include housing for Officio personnel, manufacturing facilities, processing and refining facilities, point-defense guns, and hangars/garages for all Officio vehicles.
Warmaster Petra, and the Fourth's Incubator, Quartus, designed the Olympia.
Powered Combat Armors
Used by: Officio IV (Mk. VI "Maximus"), Officio II (Mk. I "Templar"), Officio XVI (Mk. I "Cadre")
Although the bulk of the 4th uses Ironforms for combat, the Officio nonetheless creates body armor for non-Ironform humans. Part of this is because Officio novitiates lacking Ironforms still need protection in combat; another part of this is because the Officio regularly exports advanced armor to outside customers.
The current production line of combat armors manufactured by the 4th are all powered exoskeletons-—that is, each suit uses an internal energy source to perform certain functions, such as augmenting speed and strength, providing multi-spectrum sensor data, and more. All 4th Officio production combat armors utilize a mixture of nanofiber weave and plasteel plates for flexibility and lightweight yet sturdy protection.
High-Explosive Gyrojet Weapons
"Ha ha, that's not a gun. THIS is a gun!"
Used by: Officio IV
The HE Gyrojet Weapons were developed by the Warmaster in conjunction with the Lyssatra. The Lyssatra made two observations:
First: Exploding shrapnel weapons cause tremendous damage to soft tissue, but are easily stopped by armor.
Second: Armor-piercing rounds are effective against armor, but against soft tissue have a tendency to overpenetrate and not disrupt as much tissue as softer rounds.
The solution to this conundrum developed by the Lyssatra was the High-Explosive Gyrojet Weapon. Each round of ammunition—-a “bolt”--consists of an armor-piercing cupronickel tip attached to a metal casing filled with high explosives. Upon encountering an object of sufficient mass, a pressure sensor ignites the explosives after a split-second delay; the result is a round that reliably penetrates up to and including Class III armor, while detonating inside the target for extreme stopping power. The entire round itself is propelled by a small amount of liquid rocket fuel, which is activated after an initial propellant charge moves the “bolt” out of the weapon's barrel, providing a flatter trajectory.
However, since each round is resource-intensive to manufacture, most HE Gyrojet weapons are relegated to higher-ranked members of the Officio. Furthermore, since each round is relatively weighty and the recoil is immense, only Heavy Ironforms or specially modified Light Ironforms can properly wield a HE Gyrojet weapon.
Materials
Used by: Officio IV
Ever since discovering the Golden Hammer, the 4th Officio has synthesized a variety of new compounds and materials. Of note are two materials in particular.
Matter-Disruptor Weapons
Used by: Officio IV
Matter-disruption weapons represent some of the most cutting-edge technology available to the 4th. They arose as a by-product of research conducted to understand the Warmaster's mysterious golden hammer, “Forgebreaker”. Each matter-disruption works by emitting either a field or a pulse of electromagnetism that heavily disrupts the molecular bonds within a piece of matter (with the exception of Forgebreaker-—see relevant entry); the result is that these weapons practically ignore all but the very densest and heaviest armor.
Matter-disruptors can broadly be divided into two categories: those that emit a matter-disruptor pulse (MD pulse), and those that emit a steady matter-disruptor field (MD field).
Furthermore, matter-disruption weapons are rated on two different attributes: Disruption Factor (DF) and Focus Factor (FF), each on a scale of 1 to 5 (1= lower, 5 = higer). The former typically refers to how large of a disruptor-pulse or how large the volume of a disruptor-field is, while the latter refers to how powerful the weapon's MD Pulse or MD Field is. A weapon with high DF will displace more matter on contact with a weapon with lower DF, while a weapon with high FF will penetrate denser matter more quickly than a weapon with lower FF. In short, DF refers to how “damaging” the weapon is, while FF refers to how well it penetrates armor.