Written by Splice Master, Chris "Slappy " Kluge, and Co-created with me, Chuck Walton II, the Collector is a new Splicers machine that made it’s debut in the first ever double issue of a Rifter# 71/72, Adventure Article with all "Official" source material titled “Splicers: I Am Legion”, which is published by Palladium Books.

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Below is the write-up which speaks for itself:

ROBOTS of LEGION

"A lot of their information came from direct observation, but they admit that a robotic emissary from the Eve personality was the one responsible for filling in most of the blanks. They inform the group that the enemy they have been tracking is an errant, renegade Machine personality that calls herself Legion. Apparently Legion downloaded her consciousness into an enormous prototype robot called the Factory Walker and declared war against every human, robot, and animal on the planet. It is not a war of destruction, but rather it is her goal to transform every creature on the planet (both organic and inorganic) into a component of one gigantic cybernetic organism under her control. Legion is consuming everything on the planet and using it as raw materials to build an enormous army. Her robotic body contains state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities, which enables her to salvage metal, plastic, and other high-tech materials from the battlefields and construct her own unique robot designs such as the scorpion-like Collectors at incredible speeds. However, she is in a period of rapid expansion right now, and she finds it more expedient to simply capture and reprogram N.E.X.U.S. designed robots rather than build all her minions from scratch.

Legion applies this same cold, mechanical precision to the human beings that she has been abducting from the surface. She sees them as nothing more than spare parts. Strong, able-bodied men and women are converted into humanoid cyborgs known as Legionnaires (like the two the players fought earlier). The sickly, weak, and elderly are turned into components for one of the monstrous Fusion Borgs like the one the player characters just faced. Children are transformed into maintenance borgs that help service, rearm, and repair her minions. They do not retain any aspects of their humanity. Their flesh may still live, but their minds have been replaced with Legion’s consciousness. Even the dead are salvaged and turned into Necroborgs and Necrobots, but Legion seems to have a preference for creating living cyborgs."

Collector

Legion’s forces contain a large amount of captured N.E.X.U.S. robots, but one of the few robot designs that she builds from scratch is her favorite minion, the Collector. Legion has a fondness for arachnids, insects and other hive creatures, which is why she designed her own personal transport vessel, the Factory Walker, to look like an enormous centaur ant. However, she decided to model the Collector after the much deadlier arachnid, the scorpion. Legion gave her favorite creation the power to single-handedly tear apart a Battle Track and all the tools and technical programming required to build one. They serve many roles within her horde and they are well equipped to handle them all. The Collectors are Legion’s frontline warriors, mechanics, personal bodyguards, and as their name implies, they are the primary minion responsible for procuring “raw materials” for the Factory Walker. Since Legion’s definition of raw materials also includes living beings and fully functional robots, she equipped her Collectors with several non-lethal armaments in addition to their lethal weapon systems.

The enormous scorpion-like pincer arms look more like giant vibro-scissors than animal claws. As combat weapons, they are strong enough to cleave a Steel Trooper in half, but their primary purpose is to cut large armored hulls into easily transportable sections. In continuing with the scorpion theme, Legion equipped the Collector with a long tail that ends in a powerful “stinger” combination of a vibro-blade and a long-range laser cannon. Legion did not just add this tail for thematic purposes; it serves an important function. The laser cannon has its own targeting system and camera, which allows the Collector to completely conceal its main body behind cover or underground and still fire this weapon with complete accuracy. It gives the Collector a distinct tactical advantage during scouting or salvage operations when it may need to engage numerically superior forces. Of course, as Legion’s influence spreads and her forces grow, the chances of a Collector being outnumbered are becoming far less likely.

What takes away from its scorpion appearance are the four powerful tentacles mounted on the sides of the body and the ten smaller tentacles mounted on its head. Each tentacle ends in a mechanical claw that is strong enough to crush a block of mega-steel but still precise enough to repair delicate circuitry. They are primarily used for maintenance operations and to capture living and robotic prey intact. Each tentacle is capable of delivering a powerful electrical discharge that is specially calibrated to inflict minimal damage while maximizing the disruptive effects on the target’s circuitry or nervous system. The four larger tentacles were designed for use against robots and M.D.C. beings, while the smaller ones deliver a weaker discharge that is ideal for stunning unarmored humans and animals. Once the target is stunned, the Collector then cocoons it in super-strong carbon nanotube webbing. Each tentacle can extrude this webbing from the tip, and the Collector will usually use all its tentacles in conjunction to quickly incapacitate its prey.

Legion needs to grow her forces quickly, and in order to accomplish this; her Factory Walker must churn out a continuous supply of robots, cyborgs, and munitions. While this enormous robot is capable of gathering a substantial amount of raw materials on its own, it cannot possibly harvest the sheer amount of captives and battlefield salvage that it requires without the help of its ever-growing force of Collectors. They constantly scour the land around the Factory Walker gathering raw materials and destroying anyone they deem to be too great a threat (in other words, anyone too strong to capture). When viewed from above, Legion and her force of Collectors resemble an ant colony with hundreds (soon to be thousands) of Collectors scurrying back and forth from the Factory Walker with their salvaged prizes in tow. Legion prefers to keep her forces spread fairly thin so that they can scout out a larger area for danger and for new sources of raw materials. The only time when she keeps her minions close is when a significant threat is nearby (like a massive Resistance or N.E.X.U.S. army).

Class: Salvage, Maintenance, and Assault Robot.

Speed:

Running : Maximum speed is 100 mph (160 km).

Leaping : 10 feet (3 m) high our across, increase by 50% with a short running start and double when running at full speed. 100 feet (30.5 m) high or across from jet thruster assisted leaps.

Digging : 10 mph (16 km) through sand or dirt. 5 mph (8 km) through clay, rock or stone.

Swimming : Not possible.

Flying : The jet thrusters were designed for short hops, but they can sustain flight. Maximum speed is only 50 mph (80 km).

Maximum Altitude : Limited to about 500 feet (152 m).

Range Limitations : Technically, the thrusters have no limit, but the Collector will rarely fly for more than a few minutes at a time since the slow flight speed and maneuverability leaves it a sitting duck (-2 to dodge while flying).

Statistical Data:

Height : 12 feet (3.6 m).

Width : 15 feet (4.5 m).

Length : 20 feet (6.1 m) for the main body, plus an additional 25 feet (7.6 m) for the scorpion tail.

Weight : 3.5 tons when fully loaded.

Cargo : None. Salvage is carried on top of the robot, not inside.

Power System : Standard.

Trade Value : None, except perhaps to a Technojacker.

Senses and Features : Standard.

Weapon Systems:

1. Particle Beam Cannons (2): Mounted on each pincer claw is a powerful short-range particle beam cannon. They are used to engage enemies that prove too difficult for capture, or anyone that attacks the Factory Walker.

Primary Purpose : Assault.

Secondary Purpose : Defense.

Rate of Fire : Each single or dual blast counts as one melee attack.

Effective Range : 1000 feet (305 m).

Payload : Effectively unlimited.

2. Large Collection Tentacles (4): The Collector has over a dozen tentacles mounted along its body and on its head that it uses to capture and transport “raw materials” to the Factory Walker. These tentacles are similar in design to the collection tentacles mounted on the Walker, except they are not retractable. The four larger tentacles mounted along the body are mainly used against robotic targets and heavily armored Splicers. The ten smaller tentacles mounted on the head are generally reserved for unarmored humans and animals, plus they are also used for delicate procedures and repairs. Like the tentacles mounted on the Factory Walker, each one can deliver a powerful electric shock that can stun living prey or scramble the circuits of robotic targets. The voltage and amperage are specially calibrated to inflict minimal damage while maximizing the disruptive effects on the target’s circuitry or nervous system. The large tentacles are used to incapacitate robots and heavily armored Splicers, and the smaller ones are designed to stun unarmored humans and other S.D.C. creatures. Each tentacle can also extrude incredibly strong carbon nanotube webbing that can be used to cocoon particularly worrisome targets.

Primary Purpose : Collecting Raw Materials.

Secondary Purpose : Defense.

Mega-Damage : The electric shock inflicts 1D6 M.D. every melee round that it is applied. As long as the current is running through a robotic target, its circuits will be completely scrambled and it will be unable to move or defend itself in any way. The charge is only strong enough to affect robots weighing 300 pounds or less, but multiple tentacles can combine their attacks to affect larger targets. When used against Splicers and other M.D.C. beings, the Collector generally just uses brief jolts of electricity to prevent permanent injury. Victims must make a roll to save vs. stun of 15 or higher. On a failed roll, the target is completely paralyzed for one melee round, plus stunned for the next 2D4 melee rounds after that (-3 attacks per melee; -4 to strike, parry, and dodge; and speed is reduced by 40%).

Once the target is stunned, the Collector will generally cocoon the victim in carbon nanotube webbing. The Collector generally employs 4 to 8 tentacles for this attack in order to cocoon the target as quickly as possible. One melee action is required to apply one 20-foot (6.1 m) length of webbing. The cocoon itself has 50 M.D.C., but victims with a robotic P.S. of 35 or higher to can spend one melee round to break free of their bonds. The Walker can continue to apply webbing to reinforce the cocoon. Every additional 20 feet (6.1 m) of webbing increases the M.D.C. of the cocoon by 30 M.D.C. and increases the P.S. required to break free by 20.

Rate of Fire : Activating the electric shock counts as one attack (it does not require any attacks to maintain the shock, but that tentacle cannot be used for anything else). Applying 20 feet (6.1 m) of webbing counts as one melee attack.

Effective Range : The tentacles have a reach of 12 feet (3.6 m), and the nanotube webbing can be applied up to 5 feet (1.5 m) away.

Payload : The payload for the electrical blasts is effectively unlimited. The Collector contains a total of 100 feet (30.5 m) of nanotube webbing. All the tentacles are supplied from this single reserve.

3. Small Collection Tentacles (10): The small collection tentacles are specifically designed for use against unarmored humans and other S.D.C. creatures, but that does not mean they are useless against more powerful opponents. Each tentacle still possesses impressive strength, and when all ten of these limbs combine their power, they can tear apart nearly any foe.

Primary Purpose : Collecting Raw Materials.

Secondary Purpose : Defense.

Mega-Damage : The electric shock inflicts 2D6 S.D.C. plus the victim must make a roll to save vs. stun of 15 or higher. On a failed roll, the target is completely paralyzed for one melee round, plus stunned for the next 2D4 melee rounds after that (-3 attacks per melee; -4 to strike, parry, and dodge; and speed is reduced by 40 percent). The electric shock from these tentacles is not strong enough to stun M.D.C. creatures or robots. Once the target is stunned, the Collector will generally cocoon the victim in carbon nanotube webbing. The Collector generally employs 4 to 8 tentacles for this attack in order to cocoon the target as quickly as possible. One melee action is required to apply one 20-foot (6.1 m) length of webbing. The cocoon itself has 50 M.D.C., but victims with a robotic P.S. of 35 or higher to can spend one melee round to break free of their bonds. The Walker can continue to apply webbing to reinforce the cocoon. Every additional 20 feet (6.1 m) of webbing increases the M.D.C. of the cocoon by 30 M.D.C. and increases the P.S. required to break free by 20.

Rate of Fire : Activating the electric shock counts as one melee attack (it does not require any melee attacks to maintain the shock, but that tentacle cannot be used for anything else). Applying 20 feet (6.1 m) of webbing counts as one melee attack.

Effective Range : The tentacles have a reach of 8 feet (2.4 m), and the nanotube webbing can be applied up to 5 feet (1.5 m) away.

Payload : Electrical blasts are effectively unlimited. The Collector contains a total of 100 feet (30.5 m) of nanotube webbing. All the tentacles are supplied from this single reserve.

4. Tail-Mounted Long-Range Laser Cannon: On the end of the scorpion tail is a powerful long-range laser cannon. It possesses its own targeting system and camera, which allows the Collector to conceal its main body behind cover and still fire this weapon with perfect accuracy.

Primary Purpose : Assault.

Secondary Purpose : Defense.

Effective Range : 4000 feet (1219 m).

Payload : Effectively unlimited.

5. Utility Arms (4): The four small arms mounted on the sides of the head are all-purpose utility arms. Each one contains a fusion torch, laser scalpel, and three small extendable pincers that are used for manipulating microscopic circuits.

Primary Purpose : Repairs.

Secondary Purpose : Salvage.

Rate of Fire : Each blast counts as one melee attack.

Effective Range : 50 feet (15.2 m) for the Laser Scalpel and 2 feet (0.6 m) for the Fusion Torch.

Payload : Effectively unlimited.

6. Pincer Claws (2): The pincers of the Collector look more like enormous scissors rather than animal claws. They are primarily used to cut large salvaged objects into transportable pieces, but they also make devastating close combat weapons. These massive vibro-blades can cut through an armored hull like paper.

Primary Purpose : Salvage.

Secondary Purpose : Assault.

Effective Range : 8 feet long (2.4 m).





Hope you ENJOY! More to come, so stay tuned, get the Rifters and experience this cinematic adventure as it continues to unfold.