Blackbeard
The Blackbeard is IPS-N’s aggressive solution to piracy: a front-facing, first-striking mech designed for environments in which combustible kinetic weapons are useless, dangerous, or likely to cause unnecessary collateral damage. With its distinctly slim frame, the Blackbeard doesn’t just look fast – it also has a reduced radar profile. This mech is hard to track and harder still to hit.
The Blackbeard range comprises two lines: the standard IPS-N/BB-L production line model, and the IPS-N/BB-Sk, a limited-release prototype purpose-built to house IPS-N’s SEKHMET-class NHPs.[1]
Core System
ASSAULT GRAPPLES
The IPS-N-branded Assault Grappling System is a class-leading technology rated for hauling, supporting, and securing chassis of sizes up to Schedule 4. Grapple heads are interchangeable and can be swapped for engagement with soft or hard targets – either electrified or loaded with codespike systems for long-distance incapacitation.
Omni-Harpoon
Active (1CP), Quick Action
This system fires grappling harpoons at any number of targets within Range 5 and line of sight. Affected characters must succeed on a Hull save or take 2d6 Kinetic damage and be knocked Prone, then pulled adjacent to you, or as close as possible. They become Immobilized until the end of their next turn. On a success, they take half damage and are otherwise unaffected.
Licenses
License I
Chain Axe
Main Melee, Reliable 2, [Threat 1] [1d6 Kinetic Damage] On Critical Hit: Your target becomes Shredded until the end of the current turn.
A simple tactical-scale version of a logging tool, IPS-N’s chain axe is a serrated chainblade run off core power. The axe’s teeth are tungsten-tipped, hardened to chew through both hard and soft targets. Chain axes are effective weapons and utility tools that are often used by boarding parties to breach reinforced bulkheads.
Synthetic Muscle Netting
2 SP, Unique
You may Ram targets larger than you, and when you Grapple or Ram larger targets, you count as the same Size as the largest opponent. When you Grapple or Ram opponents of the same Size or smaller, you count as at least one Size larger. Additionally, your lifting and dragging capacity is doubled.
IPS-N’s Synthetic Muscle Netting (SMN) is a proprietary, field-proven modification compatible with all existing IPS-N frames. This convenient spray-on catalytic and structural enhancement boosts manipulator and propulsion performance by roughly 25 percent with no demonstrated reduction in operational life. An SMN layer also enhances impact absorption and thermal insulation.
IPS-N recommends that pilots apply SMN to internal components only and practice frequent cleaning to prevent septic-analogous decay.
License II
Bristlecrown Flechette Launcher
Auxiliary CQB, Burst 1, Kinetic 1
This weapon ignores ranged penalties from Engaged, and deals 3 Kinetic damage to Grappled or Biological targets, instead of 1.
The IPS-N Bristlecrown Flechette Launcher uses a hive-analogous mechanism to project a total soft-target kill zone in a dome around the user, proactively denying hostile infantry-tier actions.
Nanocarbon Sword
Heavy Melee, Reliable 3, [Threat 1] [1D6+4 Kinetic]
IPS-N’s nanocarbon sword is a new spin on an old classic. Embedded nanosensors along the blade capture a full spectrum of data and transfer it to omninet storage banks for after-action review. Meanwhile, onboard software interprets the live feedback and adjusts the molecular composition of the blade edge in real time.
License III
Reinforced Cabling
2 SP, quick action, free action
Grapple swing 1/turn, when making a standard move, you can fly your Speed in a straight line as long as there is a clear path. This move must end on an object or surface, or else you begin falling. As long as you remain stationary, you can secure yourself to the destination surface or object, even if it’s vertical or overhanging. If you are knocked Prone or knocked back while secured to a surface, you fall.
Drag Down [quick action]:Make a contested Hull check against a character within 5 Range and line of sight: the loser is knocked Prone.
Reinforced grappling cables allow for full movement and utility in ≤1 g environments. Woven from incredibly strong nanocarbon and arachnosynth threading, reinforced grapple line is carried on waist-mounted spools and attached to charge-actuated brachial projectors. Once fired, the grapples penetrate and anchor to the target. Small meltdown charges seeded every thirty meters of cable both allow rapid disengagement and expose a fresh grapple head, ready for immediate use.
Sekhmet-Class NHP
3 SP, Unique, AI, Protocol
Sekhmet Protocol:
When activated, you give control of your mech to your NHP and gain the following benefits:
- All melee critical hits deal +1d6 bonus damage.
- 1/round, you can Skirmish with melee weapons only as a free action.
Your NHP uses all available actions and movement to move toward the closest visible character – allied or hostile – and attacks them with melee attacks, prioritizing melee weapons. It may benefit from your talents. If there are no characters within Threat, your NHP uses all actions to move as directly as possible to the next closest (visible) target. Your NHP can’t make ranged attacks, even if there are actions available.
You retain enough control to Overcharge as usual; however, your NHP uses the additional action for the same purpose as its other actions.
You can take back control of your mech as a protocol. When you do, you become Stunned until the start of your next turn. Otherwise, this effect lasts until your mech is destroyed – the pilot’s incapacitation or death has no effect.
“The IPS-N SEKHMET co-pilot is ready to be your first mate! SEKHMET comes standard with remote, omninet, IR tag, and voice control systems, and is fully compatible with all current and legacy IPS-N mechs.
Did you know that SEKHMET learns with you? Should the worst happen, your very own SEKHMET will continue to engage hostile targets using an emulated neural-net doppelgänger to pilot your IPS-N chassis until forced or voluntary shutdown!”
draft copy, IPS-N Polaris Pilot Lounge adbroad [struck and replaced w/current adbroad]
SEKHMET-class NHPs tend toward aggressive attitudes and dark humor. Pilots often call them “berserker systems” – dangerous NHPs that value combat efficacy over pilot wellbeing.
- ↑ Lopez, M. & Parkinson Morgan, T. (2019). LANCER Core Rulebook. Massif Press. p. 128.