The Black Witch is the flagship model of SSC’s LUX-Iconic line of frames, on paper meant to compete with Harrison Armory’s dominance in the field of cutting-edge gravity and electromagnetic manipulation. Utilizing the newest technologies developed by SSC’s Exotic Materials Group, the Black Witch is a fearsome area-control platform, often fielded in support of heavier mechs engaged in direct combat.
With a slim profile and strong defensive systems, the Black Witch is especially popular among the wealthier houses of the Karrakin Trade Baronies, who often place multiple orders to outfit their personal guards and house company officers. Next to internally produced Baronic frames, the Black Witch (alongside other SSC LUX-Iconic models) is the most popular SSC chassis throughout noble Karrakin space.
The Orchis is the spear and shield of the house companies and makes up the bulk of the fighting forces in Baronic space. Its ubiquity does not bely its reliability and durability, nor its iconic status as the line mech of the baronies. Due to a trade negotiation with Smith-Shimano corpro, the Orchis is compatible with the Black Witch licensing scheme and can appropriate the majority of its gear and weaponry. Utilizing ancient and sturdy mag-lock technology, the Orchis wields a heavy Scuta shield, reinforced to deflect incoming fire. This shield can be locked in place and braced against another shield of its own kind, creating a tessellated wall of impenetrable strength. The half-mile long shield walls of the throne guard, blazoned with their house emblems, are an iconic and terrifying sight in Baronic history. The kuirassers of the Baronies decorate their Orchii with house heraldry, war banners, and trophies of past conflicts, each one the avatar resplendent with the regalia of a decorated warrior.
The Black Witch has Resistance to Kinetic Damage.
The Orchis and all adjacent allied characters have IMMUNITY to all damage and effects from missed attacks.
1/round, as a reaction, you may attempt to parry an attack that would deal Kinetic Damage to you or an adjacent allied character. Roll 1d6: on 5+, the attack misses. This effect does not stack with Invisible.
Adjacent allied characters can use the Orchis for hard cover.
When an allied mech adjacent to the Orchis moves, the Orchis can also move with that character as long as it doesn’t break adjacency, mirroring that character’s movement. The Orchis is still affected by obstructions and, between its turns, can only move a total number of spaces with this ability equal to its SPEED+1.This effect doesn’t take a reaction, and doesn’t provoke reactions or obey engagement.
Magnetic field generators are a portable and field-deployable variation on typical magnetic defense technologies. When activated, they create a magnetic bubble that traps all incoming ferrous projectiles. The strength of the field is so great that it can even draw mechs to its center. When the field is dispersed or its solid-state battery burns out – a feature, not a flaw – the field undergoes a sudden catastrophic implosion, drawing all captured projectiles to a point at the center of the bubble.
This system projects a blast 3 magnetic field with at least one space adjacent to you, causing the following effects until the end of your next turn:
The affected area is difficult terrain.
Ranged attacks that deal kinetic or explosive can’t enter or leave the affected area – projectiles stop at the edge, doing no damage. Record each attack stopped this way.
Mechs and other characters made at least partly of metal that start their turn in the affected area or enter it for the first time in a round must succeed on a Hull save or be pulled as close to the center as possible and become Immobilized.
When the effect ends, any ranged attacks that were stopped resume their trajectory – toward the center of the affected area. The GM rolls attacks against each character within, gaining +1 per blocked attack (to a maximum of +6). On hit, these attacks deal 1d6 kinetic damage per blocked attack (to a maximum of 6d6 kinetic damage).
“The man who took the reins of steel and became greater than man. The lowly one, the first, the greatest, the one who threw the sun at the face of his foes. IA! IA! Helion!“
1/round when the Orchis causes a character to collide with another obstacle or character, you can - in addition to any other effects - throw your mech's scuta shield at that character, dealing 3 kinetic damage and rendering them unable to take reactions until the end of their next turn. The shield then returns to you. This effect doesn’t take an action or reaction to activate.
You hurl your shield with a mighty throw at a mech (allied or hostile) within Range 6, making a special Ram attack that cannot miss and knocks the target 3 spaces back instead of 1. This can cause characters to collide with obstructions as normal. This action is Efficient, and refunds 1 Core Power at the end of any scene in which it’s used.
Line: 8
Damage: 1d3+1 Kinetic
On hit all characters within the affected area must succeed on a Hull save or be pulled 1d3+1 spaces toward you, or as close as possible.
2 SP
Choose a character within range 8 and line of sight. If they are allied, you may pull them 5 spaces in any direction; if they are hostile, they must succeed on an Agility save or be pulled 5 spaces in a direction of your choice. This movement ignores engagement and doesn’t provoke reactions.
If a hostile target moved by this system collides with an obstruction or another mech, they stop moving and are knocked Prone.
2 SP
Expend a charge to deploy an ICEOUT drone to a free space within Sensors and line of sight, where it hovers in place and generates a burst 1 field.
Characters at least partially within the ICEOUT drone's Burst 1 area gain Immunity to all tech actions, and can’t make tech actions. Existing conditions and effects caused by tech actions are not cleared but characters have Immunity to them while they are in the area, and they can be saved against normally.
The ICEOUT drone can be moved to any point within Sensors as a quick action. It cannot be recalled and expires at the end of the scene.
Limited 2
Unique
Drone
2 SP
This heavy metal Perimeter Command Plate (PCP) can be flash-printed and deployed to a free 2x2 space within range 5. The PCP is flat, doesn’t obstruct movement, and lasts for the rest of the scene. If you create a new PCP, the old one disintegrates.
The plate activates for a character the first time that character enters its space during a round, or if they end their turn there.
Upon printing, choose a setting:
Repulse: Hostile characters that move onto the PCP must succeed on a Hull save or be pushed 3 spaces in the direction of your choice. If this causes them to collide with an obstruction, they are knocked Prone. Allied characters that enter the space may immediately fly 3 spaces in any direction as a free action.
Attract: Characters that move onto the PCP must succeed on a Hull save or become Immobilized. They can clear Immobilized by successfully repeating the save as a quick action; it is also cleared if the PCP is destroyed.
Unique
Deployable
3 SP
Tech attacks against you or adjacent allied characters receive +1 difficulty. Each subsequent tech attack against you or an adjacent allied character receives an additional +1 difficulty, to a maximum of +3 difficulty.
Your Black ICE definitions roll over – resetting to +1 difficulty – when it would increase to +4 difficulty or at the end of the scene. Allied characters lose this benefit when they break adjacency.
Unique
2 SP
This system creates a line 4 forcefield, 4 spaces high – with at least 1 space adjacent to you – that is an obstruction for mechs and characters made at least partly of metal. It lasts for the rest of the scene and if a new one is placed, the old one deactivates.
The forcefield doesn’t block line of sight, but it provides soft cover. Characters gain Resistance to kinetic and explosive damage while benefiting from this cover.
Shield
Unique