Winged Cat
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A warstrider and a jet fighter
Artifact 4 (mixed materials)
This class of fighter can transform between three modes: Tiger, a common warstrider; Phoenix, essentially a fighter with arms and legs; and Dragon, a pure fighter. The official name for this class is thus Tiger-Phoenix-Dragon, but most people call it by its abbreviation. This transforming ability gives unprecedented versatility, allowing for maximum use of the pilot - who is usually an Exalt with useful Charms; said Exalt can treat the TPD as a suit of armor for Charm purposes (see Wonders of the Lost Age, page 156). In Heaven's Reach, TPDs come with anima circuits; in other settings, they are similarly equipped (e.g. in Modern, TPDs are effectively using a permanent Integrity-Protecting Prana on themselves and their contents). The intelligences that operate these circuits are often full warstrider AIs capable of using their own Charms (see Wonders of the Lost Age, page 145).
In a sense, Phoenix is the "true" form, with the other two stowing various aspects. A TPD has somewhat blocky arms (which become weapon pods under the body in Dragon form) and head (a sensor pod under the body in Phoenix and Dragon forms), but aerodynamic legs (the main engines in Dragon form, and able to boost jumps as a Tiger or hover as a Phoenix; the engines can only fire in brief bursts in Tiger mode). In Tiger's humanoid body plan, its wings are swept back and stowed, the chassis folding roughly in the middle to put the cockpit (which rotates internally so the pilot is seated correctly relative to gravity) at the warstrider's belly. It takes a miscellaneous action to transform, during which a TPD uses the stats of the mode being switched from. Switching directly between Tiger and Dragon without passing through Phoenix is not possible.
Unlike most modern atmosphere-capable spacecraft, Dragon form takes advantage of old-fashioned aerodynamics to stay aloft in a gravity well (surrendering the typical solution of vertical thrust to Phoenix mode), which means it suffers from a minimum speed. A Dragon in a gravity well that has substantial atmosphere must travel at least 40 yards each tick (80 mph) or fall 40 yards each tick (80 mph), though it can devote part of its movement to upward movement. In a gravity well without substantial atmosphere, it will always fall. A Dragon on the ground can not move. The solution is to stay in Phoenix form (which already has the feet - engine exhausts - pointing down) until out of the gravity well or moving fast enough. Notably, this restricts hovering to Phoenix form; takeoff and landing are usually done in this form too. (Though it rarely happens, a Dragon or Phoenix is capable of "flying" underwater, with its speed and all numbers in this paragraph halved. A Tiger swims instead; the exhaust chamber in the legs are used instead as variable ballast tanks.)
Where statistics differ between the three forms, they are given in Tiger; Phoenix; Dragon format.
Unlike normal warstriders, a TPD has neither Mobility nor Fatigue penalties, though it still replaces its pilot's Strength with 12 for purposes of determining damage it inflicts, what it can break, and how much it can carry (if properly secured, this cargo can be carried in Phoenix and Dragon forms too). The leg-mounted engines boost its jumping capability, giving a Strength of 20 for determining jumping distances in Tiger form.
Artifact 4 (mixed materials)
This class of fighter can transform between three modes: Tiger, a common warstrider; Phoenix, essentially a fighter with arms and legs; and Dragon, a pure fighter. The official name for this class is thus Tiger-Phoenix-Dragon, but most people call it by its abbreviation. This transforming ability gives unprecedented versatility, allowing for maximum use of the pilot - who is usually an Exalt with useful Charms; said Exalt can treat the TPD as a suit of armor for Charm purposes (see Wonders of the Lost Age, page 156). In Heaven's Reach, TPDs come with anima circuits; in other settings, they are similarly equipped (e.g. in Modern, TPDs are effectively using a permanent Integrity-Protecting Prana on themselves and their contents). The intelligences that operate these circuits are often full warstrider AIs capable of using their own Charms (see Wonders of the Lost Age, page 145).
In a sense, Phoenix is the "true" form, with the other two stowing various aspects. A TPD has somewhat blocky arms (which become weapon pods under the body in Dragon form) and head (a sensor pod under the body in Phoenix and Dragon forms), but aerodynamic legs (the main engines in Dragon form, and able to boost jumps as a Tiger or hover as a Phoenix; the engines can only fire in brief bursts in Tiger mode). In Tiger's humanoid body plan, its wings are swept back and stowed, the chassis folding roughly in the middle to put the cockpit (which rotates internally so the pilot is seated correctly relative to gravity) at the warstrider's belly. It takes a miscellaneous action to transform, during which a TPD uses the stats of the mode being switched from. Switching directly between Tiger and Dragon without passing through Phoenix is not possible.
Unlike most modern atmosphere-capable spacecraft, Dragon form takes advantage of old-fashioned aerodynamics to stay aloft in a gravity well (surrendering the typical solution of vertical thrust to Phoenix mode), which means it suffers from a minimum speed. A Dragon in a gravity well that has substantial atmosphere must travel at least 40 yards each tick (80 mph) or fall 40 yards each tick (80 mph), though it can devote part of its movement to upward movement. In a gravity well without substantial atmosphere, it will always fall. A Dragon on the ground can not move. The solution is to stay in Phoenix form (which already has the feet - engine exhausts - pointing down) until out of the gravity well or moving fast enough. Notably, this restricts hovering to Phoenix form; takeoff and landing are usually done in this form too. (Though it rarely happens, a Dragon or Phoenix is capable of "flying" underwater, with its speed and all numbers in this paragraph halved. A Tiger swims instead; the exhaust chamber in the legs are used instead as variable ballast tanks.)
Where statistics differ between the three forms, they are given in Tiger; Phoenix; Dragon format.
- Repair: 4
- Speed: (pilot's Dexterity)x10/(pilot's Dexterity)x20 mph on ground, 20/40 mph in space; 60/120 mph; 100/200 mph (but see description for minimum speed)
- Maneuverability: N/A on ground, -2S (Lore 1 Sail 2) in space; +0S (Lore 2, Sail 2); +2S (Lore 3, Sail 2)
- Endurance: A TPD requires a 10 mote commitment from the pilot. Beyond that, it requires an hour of maintenance after 10 hours of operation, with each hour of combat, heavy lifting, or the like counting double. Each 10 hours of operation beyond that either reduces Armor by 2L/2B and Hardness by 1L/1B, subtracts 1/4 of the maximum speed in each form, imposes an internal one-die penalty to all rolls made to operate the TPD, reduces the Accuracy and Damage of its weapons by one, or deactivates some system (transformation is notoriously among the first to fail). These penalties are lifted once maintenance is performed.
- Crew: 1/1
- Cargo: 6 pounds of emergency supplies in case a TPD is shot down in hostile territory. Also see Other Notes, below.
- Armor: 20L/20B, with Hardness 10L/10B
- Health Levels: Ux8/Mx3/Cx3/Ix3/D
- Weapons: Perhaps the greatest versatility of a TPD is its ability to use any warstrider or fighter weapon. In Dragon form, a warstrider weapon held in the left hand becomes a turret under the left wing, and likewise for the right. Likewise, in Tiger or Phoenix forms, fighter weapons become either handheld or strapped to the body. A typical configuration is twin heavy vehicular blasters (as a blaster rifle, with Damage 11L, Range 150, Ammo 300), one in each hand. Melee weapons are not often used in Dragon form, though employing them via sideswiping is possible (a botched attack results in a ram, with the target taking 10B damage and the Dragon taking 30B).
- Other Notes: other warstrider systems can be fitted, and work in all three forms. The lone exception is flight systems, which are not only redundant but would interfere with Phoenix and Dragon forms.
Unlike normal warstriders, a TPD has neither Mobility nor Fatigue penalties, though it still replaces its pilot's Strength with 12 for purposes of determining damage it inflicts, what it can break, and how much it can carry (if properly secured, this cargo can be carried in Phoenix and Dragon forms too). The leg-mounted engines boost its jumping capability, giving a Strength of 20 for determining jumping distances in Tiger form.
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