OCEANPUNK: GEAR AND EQUIPMENT
Introduction
Availability
Electronics
and Communications Cyberware
Bioware
Diving
Gear
HardsuitsSpearguns
Boomsticks
Torp
Guns
Other
WeaponsNeo-Dolphin
and Orca Equipment
Miscellany
OCEANPUNK: GEAR AND EQUIPMENT
Introduction
Availability
Electronics
and Communications Cyberware
Bioware
Diving
Gear
HardsuitsSpearguns
Boomsticks
Torp
Guns
Other
WeaponsNeo-Dolphin
and Orca Equipment
Miscellany
Each
of the
commercial items listed in Oceanpunk: Gear and Equipment is given an
Availability
rating to simulate how easy it is to locate and purchase. As an
example,
you can walk into almost any store and buy a "Common" Bic pen, but it's
going to take some work to locate a "Rare" Roland Aeroflo fountain pen
with gold plated fixtures and engraved celtic cross design.
The
chart
below lists all four classes of availability and the average time
necessary
to locate and purchase an item by shopping, making phone calls, or
hustling
for it on the street. If a character desperately needs a piece of tech
he can pay an amount equal to 150% of the item's purchase price to
lower
it's availability by one class. This accounts for money spent tracking
it down and bonuses paid to fixers and merchandisers to insure fast
delivery.
Time
Required 1-6
hours (1D6) 4-24
hours (4D6)
1-6 days
(1D6)
2-12 days
(2D6)Any
portable
piece of electronics can be rebuilt to marine specifications for an
additional
25% of it's original purchase price (minimum cost of $20). This
includes
a watertight case, corrosion resistant fittings, membranes in place of
keyboards, etc. and increases the items SDP by 50%.
The
OS-1200
is a useful accessory for divers working in deep water or murky
conditions.
A comfortable imaging monocle is wired to an external sonar unit that
attaches
to the upper rim of any facemask using a universal mount. The 50m range
of the standard setting gives you low resolution imagery while
switching
to fast pulse mode gives you crystal clear video of anything within
10m.
Real diehards would go for cyber sonar, but that obvious bulge in the
forehead
isn't for everybody.
This
is a combination
software/hardware package designed for the ubiquitous Zetatech E-Book
and
compatibles. Just jack the included cigarette pack sized transducer
into
your marine E-Book, hook up your audio headset, and the included
program
will translate for you at Delphin-6 and Sonde-2
A
sophisticated
underwater communications system using a blue-green laser to carry
voice
and data. In tight beam mode the laser can communicate with a
particular
underwater target within a 4 km line-of- sight, while broadcast mode
can
be picked up by any receiver within a 2 km line-of-sight.
A
simple, easy
to use piece of gear from the company that developed the de facto
standard
for underwater com systems. The matchbox sized phased array transducer
operates just like a personal multi-channel radio, but uses high
frequency
sound pulses instead of radio waves as a carrier. Range is 3-4 km
underwater
depending on local terrain and background noise. One feature that's not
advertised is how easy it is to encrypt your communications by swapping
out the factory standard chip containing the audio compression
algorithm
for a user configurable chip readily available on the street. You get
close
to a million possible encoding options and they other guy gets nothing
but white noise. One drawback, common to all sonic systems, is that
regular
sonar gear and neo-dolphins can readily detect transmissions from quite
some distance.
I
found out
first hand that standard cyberlimbs don't react kindly to the ocean
environment.
The constant salt spray can corrode fittings, futz up the contraction
rate
of myomers, and in general wreak merry hell on your subsystems. Not to
mention how much fun it is trying to swim when your balance is thrown
off
by a big hunk of metal and plastic filled with water. So the first
thing
you should do before walking up the gangplank is get all your
cyberlimbs
rebuilt to marine specifications with corrosion resistant diamond coat,
composite replacements for reactive metal parts, and smart air bladders
to maintain your limbs neutral buoyancy regardless of dive depth. It
takes
up one of your valuable option spaces, but I guarantee you'll be
grateful
for it eventually.
The
full name
of this wholly owned neo-dolphin company translates roughly from Sonde
into "rising shallow arc- moment before- fronting pressure wave-
transforms
(into)- empty swimming (flight)", but that gets tired pretty quick so
everyone
with legs calls them Rising Arc.
The
clever
little fins market this bundle to anyone who expects to have dealings
with
neo-dolphins or to a lesser extent with any of the feral cetacean
species.
It includes a modified form of the Enhanced Hearing Range cyberaudio
option,
a high frequency version of the AudioVox vocal synthesizer, and a
mastoid
mounted mini-comp programmed to translate Delphin or Sonde to and from
the users native tongue.
The burgeoning
oceanic population has created an intense demand for workers capable of
long term work at moderate underwater depths. Now ConGen debuts the
answer:
the Seabreath respiratory rebuild. Our unique osmotic membranes are
installed
in flow channels located in slits between the ribs to maximize gas
exchange
with water passing through the mouth. By slightly reducing your excess
lung capacity, and installing a secondary tracheal valve, we make it a
simple matter to switch from breathing air to dwelling in the watery
home
of our ancient ancestors. After installing Seabreath we guarantee that
whole new areas of underwater employment will open up to you or we'll
refund
your money! Take the first step towards a bright future by calling
today
to schedule your Seabreath rebuild.
Return to
your ancestral home in style! Our new webbing rebuilds let you move
through
the water with the greatest of ease- and with a speed that would put an
unmodified Olympic swimmer to shame. Custom designed bone and skin
lines
are used to elongate your digits and create a frog-like membrane of
skin
between them. See ya' at the beach!
Seemingly
innocuous
forms of sea life like corals and jellyfish are equipped with a deadly
form of injector mechanism called a nematocyst. Now you can look just
as
innocent while packing the same lethal punch! The Ransom SK Stinger is
a shot glass sized bioimplant incorporating a meter long strand of
coiled
muscle tissue tipped with a razor sharp sliver of bone. At your mental
command the strand explosively uncoils, deploying through a nearly
undetectable
slit in your skin, and strikes your target like a cobra with the toxin
of your choice. We recommend implantation in the forearm to take
advantage
of the Stinger's rapid aim and fire potential, but you can pick
anywhere
on your body to hide our deadly surprise. (The Stinger requires a
companion
Venom gland to provide it's toxin supply. See the Bioware
supplement for more details.)
A
basic set
of old-tech dive equipment including mask, fins, wetsuit, weight belt,
air tank, regulator, etc. Opogomo has a reputation for rugged
reliability
and targets the beginner and casual diver with inexpensive, plain
vanilla
equipment. You won't win any fashion awards wearing it, but in certain
dive circles that puts you right on the cutting edge of cool. Usable
down
to the recreational dive limit of 40m and holds a 2 hour single tank
air
supply.
The Manta
is one of the best air systems on the market. The streamlined hard
shell
backpack contains a standard 2 hour air tank and a battery powered
electrolytic
system that extracts oxygen from sea water. With a full battery charge
a diver can stay submerged for up to 48 hours and then insert new
batteries
to extend his time underwater indefinitely. Industrial users love the
fact
that dive time is limited only by user fatigue, but the obvious bubble
trail and traceable electrical field has made it a tough sale to
military
forces. Good for dives down to 60m.
The only thing
better than a diver with this system is a neo- dolphin. The backpack
unit
looks intimidating, but it's filled with a lightweight osmotic aerogel
that removes oxygen from the surrounding water while the diver swims. A
bellows style compressor regulates breathing pressure while integral
scrubbers
in the mouthpiece prevent CO2 buildup. Total silence and no bubble
trail
make this the premier air supply for the covert community. The only
drawback
is that the aerogel becomes saturated in about ninety minutes and needs
to de-gas on the surface for an equal amount of time before another
dive.
Dive depth limited to 40m.
It's a sad
fact that accidents happen deep underwater. If help isn't available at
depth there's a good chance the victim will die from their injuries or
from pressure sickness induced by rapid surfacing. PanOceanic solves
the
problem with a carbon fiber/kevlar pod equipped with a single use rapid
ascent bag. Once the victim is placed in the unfolded pod all you need
to do is seal it up and activate the attached gas generator to fill the
ascent bag and get him to the surface. The EAP has mounts for an
external
air supply and is guaranteed to maintain up to 10 atmospheres of
pressure
at the surface to prevent decompression until a hyperbaric chamber is
available.
Voted "Best Product of the Year" by Pro Diver infozine.
It's amazing
how fast your body heat gets sucked out underwater. The Wave
Technologies
Hotsuit looks just like a standard full body wetsuit, but contains an
integral
battery powered heating system and automatic hermal regulator that can
keep you comfortable for 3 hours in water temperatures down to 10C.
Just
the thing for late season surfing or winter diving.
As
far as
I know this is just a rumor, but I include it out of a sense of
completeness.
From what I've heard it's a full body wetsuit that incorporates
GaltCo's
osmotic aerogel and links to the circulatory system through shunts
mounted
in a neck ring. Blood, or possibly a synthetic replacement, flows
directly
into the suit where it picks up oxygen and expels carbon dioxide and
nitrogen
into the surrounding water. I know it sounds wiggy, but there are too
many
stories about "guys in funny wetsuits without air tanks" floating
around
to discount the idea out of hand. If you run across more information
feel
free to contact me anonymously.
Underwater
depths up to 150 meters are accessible for a limited time with standard
dive gear, but the excessive decompression time needed to avoid the
bends
is a major stumbling block to any extended underwater work. In the
early
days of underwater industry technological limitations forced divers to
pressurize at their working depth and spend weeks, sometimes months,
living
in cramped underwater facilities. By the 1990's it became increasingly
clear from research and experience that even the use of exotic
breathing
mixtures to prevent nitrogen absorption wasn't preventing neurological
damage caused by living in a high pressure environment. Even when N2
was
removed from the air mix entirely the human body's own reserves of the
gas would turn on it to attack nerve and connective tissue like a slow
acid. The results were scores of perfectly healthy divers creeping
around
like old men with Parkinson's before their 30th birthday.
It
took
a series of high profile lawsuits, astronomical insurance claims, and
blistering
media reports to finally convince the major corporations that something
had to be done. They wanted something that would keep the divers
working
and cut down on the time wasted in decompression; the divers wanted to
stop worrying about becoming cripples from pressure induced nerve
damage.
The answer to everyone's problems was the full development of the long
neglected hardsuit: a one man diving suit built using advanced powered
armor technology that allows industrial users to work kilometers
beneath
the ocean's surface in a shirt sleeve environment.
Hardsuits
work around the pressure problem by maintaining a normal atmosphere
inside
an armored shell that protects workers from the crushing pressure of
deep
water. The mass and inflexible nature of the hardsuit makes some
activities
difficult, but clever joint engineering and strength augmentation can
keep
dexterity penalties to a minimum. With a good suit an experienced user
can snatch a shrimp from the water or rip the hull plates off a ship
with
equal finesse.
The
most
notable difference between an underwater hardsuit and conventional
powered
armor is the lack of legs. Why would anyone want to walk along the sea
floor when thrusters are more efficient and provide greater mobility?
The
complex and expensive articulated limbs are replaced by a one piece
tubular
shell that provides greater protection and more room for internally
mounted
equipment. It not only saves money, but makes it easier to maintain a
good
seal by placing the only break in the two piece suit at one of it's
strongest
points.
It
must have
taken some work, but PanOceanic has managed to produce a hardsuit even
more mediocre than GaltCo's. Not that there's anything wrong with the
Sprite
II- it's actually a well built little machine, but it's almost Russian
in it's austerity. Crude, unsophisticated, and serviceable pretty much
sums it up. The company has manufactured so many of these things in the
last 10 years, and they last so damn long, that you can usually find a
rebuilt one for bargain prices at dive shops in the platform cities.
If
you at
first you don't succeed, try, try again. That seems to be the defining
statement for the boys at the GaltCo labs if the Blue III is any
indication.
The first two models were downright dangerous thanks to a defect in the
section coupling mechanism along the waist, but it looks like the
problem
may finally be licked. Overall, this is a basic suit featuring alloy
armor
well designed for comfort and utility backed up with a reliable linear
frame. The sensor suite is a little better than you'd expect and comes
in handy in low-visibility conditions. One nice touch is the pair of
harpoon
style tethers available with magnetic or molecular adhesive heads for
work
in areas with strong currents like the North Atlantic.
Say what you
will about their business practices, but you have to admit TSR knows
how
to build a hardsuit. The Seawolf is a big, comfortable suit designed
for
long duration dives at deep depths. The twelve hour life support gives
you plenty of time to loiter at a work site while the thruster package
gives you the power to get down to depth and cover territory. The
communications
gear includes a fiber optic link to the surface that can handle two way
voice, data, and video simultaneously, a feature that really comes in
handy
when you run into a technical problem and need a little help. The
Seawolf
has some of the thickest armor around and I've heard some stories about
a certain company mounting stealth pods, torpedoes, and mini-mine
dispensers
on it to create a very tough underwater assault unit. Not that anyone
would
attack defenseless ocean installations without provocation, of course.
Spearguns
can be treated as a type of bow and the same variety of devilishly
clever
specialized heads used on arrows can be adapted for use on bolts. At
the
discretion of the Ref. bolts may qualify as edged weapons and be
entitled
to AP bonuses.
A
good, basic
gun for spearfishing and shark defense. The high tension polymer
stretch
band produces ample power for close-in work, but has the drawback of
being
manually drawn (hence the low ROF). If you expect to do anything more
than
spike groupers you'd be better off getting an air driven model. The
range
in brackets applies when the Seaflite is fired out of the water.
The clip fed
S-3 is typical of the current crop of professional spearguns. The screw
in air cylinder doubles as the weapons stock and is equipped with a
variable
release valve that automatically adjusts gas volume to account for
depth.
Each cylinder is good for 50 shots and can be readily refilled at any
commercial
dive shop. The range in brackets applies when the S-3 is fired out of
the
water.
The underwater
equivalent of a derringer. The 16cm cylinder straps under the forearm
and
fires it's single bolt using a standard CO2 cartridge. Inductance
sensors
in the wristband trigger the firing mechanism in response to the hand
being
flicked upward and the fist clenched. A nice holdout weapon, but it
would
seem smarter to carry a full sized air gun and keep yourself from
getting
in a jam in the first place.
Boomsticks
are close combat weapons utilizing a modified shotgun mechanism to
deliver
an explosive blast to the target. While intended for underwater use
it's
not unheard of for them to be used in surface combat with predictably
gruesome
results. Boomsticks get a large Accuracy bonus because they have to be
in contact with a target to fire; after making a hit in HTH combat
there's
only a slight chance the weapon will snag on clothing or drift from the
contact point so it's pretty tough to miss, but still possible. Don't
forget
that point blank shots from weapons in actual contact with the target
do
maximum damage. Ouch! The range in brackets is for when the weapon is
used
out of the water.
Gleason
advertises
this little baby as a shark defense weapon. The truth is that even in
the
unlikely event that a shark wanted to munch on you he'd probably bite
your
arm off before you were able to do anything about it. Any moron can see
just from the Lancer's design that it's meant to kill people
underwater.
It's a slim meter long cylinder with a recoil cylinder in front of the
rubberized rear handgrip and a projecting T-grip for close in work. The
clip is inserted just behind the head of the weapon and holds 10
standard
12mm rounds that fire when the trigger is squeezed and the tip of the
boomstick
is pressed against the target. It's not fancy or complicated, but at
that
range it blows a hell of a hole through you. For an additional $200
there's
a version that neo-dolphins can use as a snout mounted weapon.
The
first time
I saw one of these things I had some serious doubts about it's utility,
but after seeing it in action I became a believer. The Hammerhead is
basically
a chopped down boomstick mounted in an artillery shell shaped gauntlet
that fits over your forearm. You throw a punch, connect, and ruin
someone's
day with a point blank shotgun blast. Personally I loathe underwater
hand
to hand combat, but I once saw a guy wearing just a wetsuit take down a
TSR Seawolf hardsuit fully fitted out for combat with one of these
things.
'Nuff said.
Up
until the
last couple of years it's been impossible to find an effective
underwater
projectile weapon. Some marine rebuilds of conventional rifles were
produced,
but they were all handicapped by limited range and power because water
resistance rapidly decelerates projectiles. The Armscor division of
GaltCo
finally found a solution to the problem by adapting conventional
micromissile
technology for use underwater.
Torp
guns
fire self guiding, rocket propelled rounds that continually accelerate
using a solid fuel
rocket engine containing a high proportion of oxidizer
to insure reliable ignition and an even burn regardless of water
pressure.
After lock-on is achieved and the projectile is fired a sophisticated
active
sonar guidance system in the nose of the projectile guides it to the
target
using steering vents mounted in the engine chamber. The standard
micromissile
warhead detonates at impact with enough force to make torp guns
suitable
for both the anti- personnel and light anti-vehicle role. For safety
the
torpedo warhead isn't armed until the round travels 5 meters from the
launcher.
Torpedo
active homing systems slightly modify the normal attack procedure in
combat.
If the initial to-hit roll using the weapons accuracy modifier fails
the
round has a chance to correct it's course and reacquire the target.
Roll
a D10: on a 5-10 the torpedo attains a second lock on to the target and
a second to hit roll using the same modifiers as the first can be made.
If the second to hit roll fails the round goes wild: use the Grenade
Table
on pg. 99 of the Cyberpunk: 2020 rulebook to determine where it ends
up.
The engine will sputter out and the warhead will automatically be
disabled
if the torpedo travels more than 200m without hitting anything.
One of
the peculiarities of torp gun combat is that the relatively slow speed
of the projectiles, about 10 meters per second under full burn, allows
opponents to target an incoming torpedo as it travels through the water
towards them. Detecting a torpedo in the water requires an Awareness
roll
with a Difficulty determined by the Ref. based on the surrounding
environment
(sonar clutter, visibility, distractions, etc.). Any fire at the
torpedo
using a torp gun receives a +5 bonus to hit from the loud acoustic
signature
of the target.
You'll
note
that the explosive radius of torp gun rounds is limited in comparison
to
conventional micro-missiles using the same warheads. The mass of
incompressible
water surrounding the detonation point limits the immediate damage area
while concentrating the explosive energy, so torpedo rounds tend to
cause
more damage in a smaller area. Ref.'s may want to institute a house
rule
calling for a Stun save from anyone within 5m of an underwater
explosion
to reflect the possibilities of concussive effects from the pressure
wave.
The sequel
to Armscor's original torp gun model has been adopted by the United
States
Navy, International Seabed Authority, Cetacean Enclave Ranger Corp, and
GaltCo's elite "Tigershark" security squad. If that's not an
endorsement
I don't know what is. But who could resist it? The sleek lines of the
fully
sealed ceramic housing cut down on water resistance and snagging, while
you have to experience the balance provided by the internal buoyancy
compensator
to believe it. One major change from the original is that the torpedo
rounds
are now pre-packaged in a six round ammo cylinder you insert into the
top
of the weapons butt. Replacing the old cassette feed with the cylinder
cuts down on the Sea Viper's overall length by allowing the adoption of
a bullpup design and provides a tighter seal for trouble free deep
water
use.
It
took ol'
mother Russia a while to get her feet wet, but she dove in all the way
when she did. The KR-3 was originally designed for use by elite aquatic
forces in the Red's ever expanding underwater oil drilling operations.
After unsuccessfully trying to get a production license from Armscor
they
decided to go it alone with a round developed from the smart version of
the 30mm Racate mini-missile. The result has all the traits you've come
to expect from Russian craftsmanship: it looks kludgy, is powerful to
the
point of overkill, and could probably keep working after taking a hit
from
a tactical nuke. It may not be very pretty, but steady demand and black
marketers inside the military depots keep the KR-3 in heavy
circulation.
Own some underwater
real estate that needs protection? Want to keep infiltration teams from
swimming through a choke point? Installing a Swarm Mine PDU will give
second
thoughts to anyone thinking about trespassing on your territory. The
main
unit, about the size of large briefcase, can be tethered at any desired
depth to maximize sensor coverage regardless of terrain. The passive
sonar
system will detect anything man-size or larger within 500m and then
fire
a spread of 20mm torpedo rounds from it's internal 12 round magazine if
the intruder comes within 200m of the unit. You can even reprogram the
internal computer's firing parameters to specify the size or speed of
targets,
have it ignore certain profiles, or shrink the danger zone below 200m
to
give the intruder less warning. The internal fuel cell is good for 30
days
before replacement is needed and a sonar transmitted passcode
automatically
shuts the unit down for maintenance and reloading.
Sure, they're
the masters of the open ocean, but watching a cetacean trying to
operate
sophisticated equipment with it's snout is pathetic. Until the
neo-cetaceans
get fully functional fingers (about three generations from now) they'll
continue to rely on glovesets: matched pairs of specialized cyberarms
that
slip over the pectoral fins.
The
Digit
series from neo-dolphin owned Rising Arc has been widely hailed as one
of the best lines available because of it's sophisticated design and
innovative
engineering. Everything from the custom fitted fin sleeve and improved
conduction point interface has been designed to make using them as
comfortable
as possible. To facilitate long term wear the mantis-like manipulator
arms
fit perfectly into the recessed contours of the ventral pod, minimizing
drag and and fatigue. They're pricy, but worth every penny.
The initial
fitting and calibration for a gloveset takes about 2 hours with an
experienced
tech. The orca version can be used by beluga's, but cost an additional
$2000 and must be custom built to account for the differences in
anatomy.
The drag of a gloveset reduces underwater MA by -2 in the retracted
position,
-5 in operational position.
Tired of being
bogged down by obsolete gear harnesses? The new Slickskin system from
Wavetech
gives you all the room you need to store your equipment and fits more
comfortably
than any other harness on the market. The unique flex-plastic fitting
straps
won't chafe thanks to our patented "Smartfit" technology and are rated
for work down to the abyssal level. The streamlined storage pods are
side
mounted, give you plenty of room for gear, and feature boundary layer
texturing
to produce the same drag coefficient as natural cetacean skin! Get out
of the past and up to speed with Wavetech!
If
you find
yourself stranded in the middle of open water this is the raft you can
trust to get you through alive. Reflex has licensed technology from
companies
better known for their space equipment to produce the state of the art
in emergency shelter craft. The non-tip inflatable hull is topped off
with
a fully sealed shelter incorporating flexible solar cells into the
upper
roof panels to power a ten channel radio, water purifier, combination
optical/radio
locator beacon, and an environmental system that can keep you
comfortable
from 0 to 50C. On top of that every Dryad series raft includes a one
week
supply of food bars for every occupant and a well stocked survival kit!
They don't come cheap, but when you need them you'll know it's the best
money you ever spent.
An
opened
ended polymer bag used to lift objects from the sea floor to the
surface.
Once you unfold it and fill it with 3-5 minutes worth of your air
supply
it'll lift 100kg to the surface at an ascent rate of 1m/second.
If
you plan
on covering any kind of distance underwater it would be a good idea to
buy a sled. You not only move faster, but get to conserve your own
energy
for when you really need it. The Seahorse is typical of the models
available
and features a meter long torpedo shaped body with a battery powered
prop
and diving planes controlled from the rear mounted handgrips.
Attachment
points for external equipment like lights, spare air tanks, and the
occasional
mini-torpedo launcher are built- in to the streamlined casing.
Standard
hardsuit
buoyancy systems can get you to the surface at a rate of 1-2m/second,
but
that's not nearly fast enough when your life depends on getting up
fast.
Very fast. The Fastbreak system is a backpack mounted sealed unit
containing
a large polymer drogue chute and gas generator. When the package is
triggered
by the hardsuit operator the drogue inflates with gas and pulls you up
like a parachute operating in reverse at a rate of 2m/second in
addition
to your normal buoyancy system. It's a little pricey for anyone working
near the surface, but if you're down more than 5 km this thing can save
your life.
You can reach me by e-mail at: morninman@aol.comLEGAL MUMBO-JUMBO
Cyberpunk is a Registered Trademark of R. Talsorian Games, Inc. Original Cyberpunk material Copyright 1995 by R. Talsorian Games, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Used without permission. Any use of R. Talsorian Games, Inc.'s copyrighted material or trademarks in this file should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. I've seen how devious Mike Pondsmith can be and wouldn't want to annoy him.
Copyright © 1995, 1996 Big Brain Industrial