Ares Packhorse ™ Linear Frame

The Ares Packhorse is the cutting edge in Linear Frame technology. Using a high-density aluminum frame wrapped around the user’s legs and operated through discrete servos and gyros, it can take the load off when carrying the heaviest pack through the thickest terrain. Its patented “Perpetual Motion” technology insures that battery recharging is never required, and it has been tested for the most extreme rugged conditions. Knowing the conditions troops sometimes find themselves in, it can synergize with the medium or large Ares Rucksack, creating a convenient upright stretcher and head brace, to allow for easy medical transport when vehicles are not available.

Game Information:
This device adds +2 to the user’s strength for the purposes of calculating encumbrance only. While worn, the user’s maximum quickness for the purpose of running is capped at 4. This is not compatible with Kid Stealth legs or cyberskates. The device can be disabled with a Complex Action by removing a pin in each knee. This removes all benefits and drawbacks of the Packhorse.

Name Weight Availability Cost Street Index Legal
Packhorse Linear Frame 12 12/2 weeks $40,000 3 5-W


>>>>>[That perpetual motion thing is crap. It’s just a free-hanging weight on a dynamo. Generates power from your movement. They used to put those sorts of things in watches. Not enough power to light a night light constantly, although I guess this is a bit more passive than that.]<<<<<
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>>>>>[Not real useful if you ask me. Alright, now you can carry out a few thousand more nuyen in gear to sell, but that’s no good if you can’t run to the door when things get hot.]<<<<<

>>>>>[Maybe not useful in your line of biz. Try trekking a month’s worth of food on your back through the middle of Amazonia. Thing pays for itself in chiropractor bills alone then.]<<<<<



Ares Samson™ Linear Frame

Ares continues to outperform the competition with its Samson™ full body linear frame. This rigid exoskeleton contains all the strength of a troll without the attitude. In addition to the increased load-bearing ability of the user, it is outfitted to serve as a gyro stabilization unit for any standard firearm, and comes pre-equipped for Smartlink users (compatible with Smartlink 1, Smartlink 2 and Smartgoggles systems). Unlike conventional gyro stabilization, this frame interacts with the wearer via his datajack, allowing it to move comfortably with him like a second skin, eliminating the unfortunate restrictions of conventional gyro mounts. It comes with Ares’ patented “Perpetual Motion” technology, as well as a backup battery. The Samson linear frame turns even the weakest member of the squad into a hero.

Game information:
This device adds +3 to the user’s strength for all purposes, including determining the size of weapon a character may wield and melee damage. It reduces quickness to a maximum of 4 for determining running speed, and takes 4 combat turns to remove or disable. It offers 6 points of recoil compensation, and has a built in Smartlink connection and goggles. While worn, it confers a +1 to all target numbers in melee combat and reduces combat pool by one quarter. If the user connects to the device using anything less than a datajack, the penalty is +2 to all target numbers in melee combat and combat pool is reduced by one half. Unlike the Packhorse, this unit uses pneumatics. Anyone in the area may make a Perception test with a base target number of 6 to hear the linear frame in use while the user is moving. It counts as 1/1 armor, but can be comfortably worn over any non-security armor.

Name Weight Availability Cost Street Index Legal
Samson Linear Frame 19 16/1 month $60,000 4 3-W


>>>>>[Awesome! Finally I can crush the heads of my enemies without blowing all my nuyen on cyberlimbs!]<<<<<

>>>>>[Think again. You gotta catch ‘em first, remember? Sure, it’s great at what it’s made to do, but you’re going to be slow and loud while doing it. I don’t think toting an MMG around is worth it when you can’t hide and can’t run.]<<<<<

>>>>>[This stuff is made mostly for things like anti-tank units and small anti-personnel gun nests. They cart around a lot of heavy gear into odd spots, then sit there for hours. This lets them change positions quickly and deal with the recoil when they get there.]<<<<<

Ares Goliath™ External Power Frame

The Goliath™ is the ultimate in infantry technology. In the bridge between men and vehicles stands Goliath. Goliath is a fully encasing external power frame, impervious to most small arms fire, but small enough to evade anti-vehicular weapons. It has the versatility of a man, but the strength of a tank. It sports all the tools the modern troop has come to see as necessary, in addition to the tremendous boost in strength and armor and the built-in heavy weapons mounts. Whether clearing rooms or transporting heavy weapons, Goliath puts the power in your hands.

Game information:
The driver may engage in most activities he would normally be able to do with his hands, at a +4 penalty due to the ungainliness of the oversized hands. In addition to this penalty, he cannot use his combat pool for any purpose except firing firearms mounted on his suit. He has an effective strength of 10. Goliath does not stack with any other form of armor. The Goliath has enough battery power to operate constantly for 4 hours. During this time, entering Goliath takes 5 minutes (or rushed in 15 Complex Actions). Leaving takes 2 minutes (or 5 Complex Actions). Once the battery has run down, leaving takes 10 minutes (or 20 Complex Actions). It adds one meter to the user’s height and weighs approximately 1,500 kilograms. This vehicle is only available for human-sized drivers.

Hand. Speed Accel Body Armor Sig Autonav Pilot Sensor Cargo
Goliath 4/4 10 4 2 5 4 0 - 2 1

Load Seating SI Avail Cost
20 1 4 16/6 months $250,000

Goliath has a Gas enviroseal and enough air for four man-hours. It has one smartlink-equipped hardpoint and rigger and datajack adaptations, but comes with no conventional controls.

>>>>>[Holy drek… Am I dreaming?]<<<<<

>>>>>[You wish. Sure, it looks nice now, but admit it, there’s no way you’ll ever get a chance to use it, and there’s always that chance that your target might. Trust me, this thing is bad news. If the closest you get to this is seeing it on the trid, you’ve still gotten too close.]<<<<<

>>>>>[Eh… It doesn’t fly, so stairs will stop it just like they stop every other ground vehicle.]<<<<<<

>>>>>[Think again. Unless the stairs break, it can keep following you until the battery runs out. You think you’re up to dodging auto-cannon fire for four hours? Because I’m sure not.]<<<<<

Ares Mule™ Construction Frame

The Mule™ is the multi-purpose work horse for any industry that requires the ability to engage in heavy labor with delicate precision. Whether the job is to drill through a meter of plasticrete within two millimeters of precision, or to carefully maneuver a 500 kilogram crate onto the top shelf, the Mule can do it all quickly and easily, without the need for additional vehicles. The Mule boasts an 800 kilo reinforced steel frame with oversized limbs to house the strongest pneumatics on the market. The hands are modularized, to allow a single Mule to be quickly and easily reconfigured for any of a dozen activities. Its straight-forward design layout allows most jobs to be accomplished with a minimum of training. If it needs to be done right, it needs a Mule.

Game information:
The mule is an entire exoskeleton, standing eight-feet tall. Aside from steel plates around the torso and head of the operator, most of the interior is exposed, providing only +2/2 armor. This acts like a shield for the purpose of armor calculations, and the operator can use other armor. It takes one combat turn to enter or leave the Mule, and one turn to pull on or remove the harness. While wearing the harness, the operator will not fall out of the Mule, however combat pool is reduced by half. The Mule’s maximum speed is 8 meters per turn. Because the operator’s arms are free and due to his height advantage, he suffers no penalties to melee combat, but is very vulnerable to flanking. The Mule is only useful for melee combat if the target is between one meter and four meters and in front or to the side of the frame, at which point the operator may attempt to engage the target using appropriate skills. It is not nimble enough to use ranged weapons of any sort. Hands take fifteen minutes to replace, and must be done by (metahuman) hand.

The Mule has a selection of modular hands and other upgrades, some of which are listed here. While basic actions can be achieved without significant ability, many require the use of the Robotic Arm skill. The frame does not come with a datajack interface, although one can be added using the standard vehicle rules. The Mule cannot be used by dwarves or trolls, or any metatypes outside of the normal human proportions. The Mule cannot use stealth, and its signature is 4. It has an effective Strength of 14.


Name Weight Availability Cost Street Index Legal
Mule Construction Frame 800 6/1 month $60,000 3 Legal
Standard hands 40 4/1 week $2,000 2 Legal
Pincer 50 4/1 week $3,000 2 Legal
Drill 30 4/1 week $3,000 2 Legal
Torch 60 6/2 weeks $7,000 2 Legal
Magnetic anchors (hands and feet) 20 4/1 week $2,000 2 Legal

Standard hands – these are three fingered hands made for most tasks. It comes by default with the frame. They allow for most actions require some degree of dexterity, using the Robotic Arm or Quickness test. Target numbers should be assigned appropriately. Picking up a 1 meter squared box requires a TN of 2 test. Picking up a person would be a TN based on the person’s quickness. Picking up a firearm would be a TN of 6. Anything much smaller would be impossible. Feedback to the controllers keeps the operator from accidentally crushing an item, although it may not respond quickly enough for especially delicate items. Should the operator try to crush something, the hands have an effective strength of 8 (causing 8M damage each round).

Pincer hands – these are designed for larger, heavier objects. They open wider than the standard hands and are stronger, they lack the dexterity. Add a +2 to all target numbers for successfully grasping an item. They have an effective strength of 12, (causing 12S damage each round).

Drill – this is a laser guided, dikoted drill designed for precisely drilling through the most difficult substance that takes a single hand slot. It is approximately five feet long. It comes with a shield for the other hand to help protect the operator and offers +1/1 armor for other purposes. It requires a Quickness(4) test to accurately and causes 14M damage per round (barrier and armor ratings halved).

Torch – this is a laser welding torch. Using carefully adjusted lenses, it has an effective range of only one meter, beyond that the calibrated laser beams are too weak to cause more than 8L damage. However, at the point of convergence, the torch causes 12S damage. Using it requires a Quickness( test against a moving target, 4 against a stationary target. It comes with a shield for the other hand to help protect the operator and offers +1/1 armor for other purposes.

Magnetic Anchors – These are a set of powerful electro-magnets that allow the Mule to magnetically stick to anything magnetic and strong enough to hold it. It requires two points of contact to keep from falling off (traveling requires “knuckling” to maintain the maximum points of contact). When turned on, it sounds an alarm and waits one minute before activating. Once activated, any metallic objects loose in the area are magnetically brought to and stuck against a foot or hand of the Mule. It requires an Strength(6) test to avoid losing an object in hand, and Strength(10) test to remove one already stuck on the magnet.