The Strange Bestiary
Vengeance-class battle chrysalides control an amazing amount of firepower, but in return, they give up a bit of autonomy. Designated commanders can upload their orders to Vengeance-class battle chrysalides via umbilical uplink.
Battle chrysalides are fashioned from normal Rukians, as opposed to venom troopers, which are synthesized entities cloned in lots.
Motive: Follow programming of battle commander
Environment (Ruk | Weird Science): Anywhere
Health: 21
Damage Inflicted: Major wound (10 points)
Armor: 3
Movement: Short when walking or flying
Modifications: Speed defense as level 5 due to size.
Combat: A Vengeance-class chrysalid can make a single attack with a fist or a shoulder-mounted laser cannon (long range) for a major wound (10 points). It can also attack two different foes as a single action, inflicting 8 points of damage with each attack (whether with fists or laser cannons).
Once every other round, a Vengeance-class chrysalid can fire a grenade at a target or area within long range that explodes in an immediate radius for a major wound (8 points). Creatures who succeed on a Speed defense roll still take 1 point of damage from shrapnel.
A Vengeance-class chrysalid regenerates 1 point of health per round while its health is above 0.
Interaction: A Vengeance-class chrysalid will specify its current duties if queried, but otherwise it doesn't interact. However, if a character is able to attach her umbilical to the port on the back of a chrysalid's "neck," she can attempt to compromise its orders. Doing so is a multistep process, first requiring a difficulty 5 Speed or Might defense roll each round to cling to the bucking chrysalid's back, and then requiring two difficulty 5 Intellect-based rolls, one per round, to reprogram it. The first successful reprogramming roll increases the difficulty of all the chrysalid's actions by two steps, and the second successful roll puts it back in standby mode.
Use: If anyone requires an extremely potent (and expensive) guardian for an area in Ruk, a Vengeance-class battle chrysalid is a good choice.
Loot: PCs who investigate an inert Vengeance-class battle chrysalid discover that 1d6 cyphers have been worked into the mechanism and can be salvaged with a successful difficulty 3 Intellect-based task.
GM Intrusion: The character who takes damage is also knocked down and disarmed by the chrysalid, which offers her a chance to surrender.