The Red Star Campaign Setting describes the Hydra Class superkrawls as cityblock sized modular fighting vehicles, which are individually assembled in vastly different variants to perform a variety of battlefield tasks. The book gives details and stats for one such variant, armed with multiple heavy siege guns, but leaves the others up to the individual group.
These are some of the variants I designed for my own campaigns:
Hydra-A
The Hydra-A variant is less specialized for heavy siege work than the conventional configuration. The powerful but painfully slow to reload 2000mm forward cannon mounted in the turret is replaced with a pair of quick firing 315mm cannons of the type normally carried by Invasion Class krawls.
A heavy hailer in a cupola on top of the redesigned turret further rounds out the armarments. It supplements the new guns by providing improved anti-infantry firepower beyond the protection of the Hydra’s deck squad of heavily armed troopers.
The crew complement of the Hydra-A is slightly higher than on the conventional siege variant. The gunner, supply kaster, and kaster’s assistant normally assigned to the operation of the 2000mm cannon are replaced by two gunners and two loaders for the new turret guns and a hailer guardsman manning the cupola.
Apart from the changes to weapon’s loadout and crew, all statistics for the Hydra-A are unchanged from the normal Hydra.
- Hydra-A
- Crew: 26 (6 driver-mechanics, 1 commander, 1 driver, 1 relief driver, 1 sorceress engineer, 2 assistant engineers (zeks), 2 supply kasters, 2 supply assistants (zeks), 5 gunners, 1 cupola gunner (hailer), 1 medikaster, 1 protocol gunner (warkaster), 2 loaders)
- Passengers: 90 (90 infantry, +20 deck squad)
- Weapons: Forward cannon 315mm (2), forward cannon 2000mm (2), 7 hardpoints (arc-firing protocol mount, Katyushas (1000mm), heavy hailer)
- Assembly time: 24 hours
Hydra-C
The Hydra-C is a command vehicle. Normally, senior staff of frontline units are expected to coordinate actions from aboard a sky furnace. In practice, some units may operate without any actual fleet support. For these, the Hydra-C offers some of the command and support facilities normally found aboard a sky ship in a mobile ground command post, almost as impenetrable to attack as the mighty air behemoths.
The Hydra-C does not carry the hull mounted forward cannons or the heavy center line turret. Instead it is equipped with four independent smaller turrets, each mounting a telekinetic quad-autocannon for close air-defense and repelling infantry attacks. Each of these bulky autocannon systems basically consist of four heavily modified 60mm Dragunov autocannons, making them telekinetic weapons. Like the Dragunov or the heavy hailer, they provide an interface for a hailer to insert his own personal weapon, giving him unprecedented control over the heavy gun system.
The main guns’ crews of three each are replaced by four hailer guardsmen acting as gunners for the autocannon turrets, reducing the total crew complement to 19. The infantry carried by the Hydra-C is likewise reduced, with only the outer track elements retaining their complements of 30 each (plus the top-riding deck squad of 20).
The rest of the superkrawl is taken up by a command center, including extensive communications and infokasting suites, and a fully equipped gate chamber, equivalent to those normally found on sky furnaces.
A command and sorcery staff of up to 30 can man these stations, including senior officers as well as a mix of a dozen sorceresses, mostly info- and supplykasters.
The extermely high rate of fire of the 60mm quad automatic cannon system results in special rules for autofire. An autofire attack with an 60mm quad affects an area 8m x 8m instead of 4m x 4m and the Reflex Save DC for taking half damage is 20 instead of the usual 15. Autofire expends 100 rounds of ammunition, burstfire expends 50 rounds of ammunition.
A character attempting to use a 60mm quad automatic cannon system without being armed with a hailer takes a -4 penalty to all attack rolls.
| Weapon | Damage | Critical | Damage Type | Range Increment
(Area of Effect) |
Rate of Fire | Magazine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60mm Quad Automatic Cannon System | 4d12 | 20 | Ballistic | 120m | A | 5000 int. |
| Weapon | Hardpoints | Purchase DC | Restriction |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60mm Quad Automatic Cannon System | 3 | 23 | Mil (+3) |
- Hydra-C
- Crew: 19 (6 driver-mechanics, 1 commander, 1 driver, 1 relief driver, 1 sorceress engineer, 2 assistant engineers (zeks), 1 gunner, 4 telekinetic gunners (hailers), 1 medikaster, 1 protocol gunner (warkaster))
- Passengers: 90 (30 command/sorcery staff, 60 infantry, +20 deck squad)
- Weapons: 18 hardpoints (60mm quad automatic cannon system (4), arc-firing protocol mount, Katyushas (1000mm))
- Assembly time: 36 hours
Hydra-NI
During the heavy urban fighting that characterised a lot of the action in the latter part of the Red Fleet’s first Nokgorkan campaign, gate deployed infantry regularly ran afoul of heavy protocol resistance shielding set up by the Nokgorkan guerillas, while mechanised infantry units in conventional APKs were easy prey for the Nokgorkans’ heavy weapons. In this situation the Hydra-NI assault karrier was born more out of sheer desperation than any deliberate design plan.
To allow for the most rapid assembly possible the Hydra-NI was constructed from its modules without mounting any form of weapons. Instead, replacement armor panels from a sky ship were mounted on the front, increasing protection and doubling as a bulldozer for forcing its way through the rubble of Bahamut.
Without the gun crews (all four gunners, along with the three supply kasters and their three zek assistants), the NI variant can carry an additional 10 infantry men, bringing the total complement up to a full 100, plus the 20-strong deck squad.
The reinforced frontal armor increases the Hydra-NI’s damage reduction by 10 (+2) against attacks from the front only. Without the huge siege cannons, the krawl is obviously also immune against boarding tactics aimed at firing up the gun’s open breech to destroy the Hydra.
- Hydra-NI
- Crew: 13 (6 driver-mechanics, 1 commander, 1 driver, 1 relief driver, 1 sorceress engineer, 2 assistant engineers (zeks), 1 medikaster)
- Passengers: 100 (100 infantry, +20 deck squad)
- Weapons: None (6 unused hardpoints)
- Assembly time: 12 hours
Hydra-S
This stratospheric defense variant provides heavy mobile anti-sky ship firepower to friendly ground forces. It replaces all weaponry, including main guns and harpoints, of the standard Hydra with one light stratospheric cannon.
Stratospheric artillery throws massive shells into the air, capable of seriously damaging sky ships. The light guns – still tremendously huge weapons – are prized for their exceptional range.
Just as the heavy forward cannons on the standard Hydra, the stratospheric cannon is supplied with ammuniation via teleportation, because the krawl would otherwise not be able to carry a sufficient supply of the massive shells.
The regular gun crews and secondary weapons’ operators are all replaced with the stratospheric cannon gun crew.
The stratospheric cannon may attack sky ships and similarly massive aerial targets within range, but is unable to fire on ground targets or at smaller aircraft. The cannon may attack targets flying at a height up to ten times its normal maximum range (based on the listed range increment).
Reloading a light stratospheric cannon takes a full round action with a team of twelve loaders (2 supply kasters and 10 zeks acting as assitants). With ten loaders loading requires one full round instead of a full round action. Every two missing loaders add one round to the reloading time. At least two loaders (1 supply kaster and 1 zek) are required to load a stratospheric cannon.
| Weapon | Damage | Critical | Damage Type | Range Increment
(Area of Effect) |
Rate of Fire |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light Stratospheric Cannon | 5d6x10 | 20 | Ballistic | 600m | S |
| Weapon | Magazine | Hardpoints | Purchase DC | Restriction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light Stratospheric Cannon | 3 | Structure | – | Mil (+3) |
- Hydra-S
- Crew: 27 (6 driver-mechanics, 1 commander, 1 driver, 1 relief driver, 1 sorceress engineer, 2 assistant engineers (zeks), 2 supply kasters, 10 supply assistants (zeks), 1 gunner, 1 medikaster)
- Passengers: 90 (90 infantry, +20 deck squad)
- Weapons: Light stratospheric cannon
- Assembly time: 36 hours
Hydra-T
Better known by its nickname ‘ground furnace’, the Hydra-T artillery krawl does indeed mimic the mighty sky ships and their most infamous means of attack, the immolation of ground targest by use of their ventral blast coils. On the Hydra-T the same unstable fuel mixture is deployed and ignited via heavy rockets instead of directly blasted from a ship’s reactor chambers. Two multiple launch systems, each carrying 8 of the devastating thermobaric munitions, replace the three siege cannons of the conventional Hydra. Using the same supply kasting array as for the removed guns, the massive reloads for the launchers are teleported into the krawl, ensuring continuous bombardment capabilities.
The Hydra-T has no turret and the turret gun crew (gunner, supply kaster, and kaster’s assistant) are dropped from the crew complement.
The Thermobaric MLRS deals a variable amount of fire damage, dependent on the number of rockets fired from the launcher. Any number of 1-8 rockets may be fired in a salvo, as long as a sufficient number of rockets is currently loaded. This does not count as an autofire attack, but is a single attack, using all the normal rules, though it obviously uses up ammunition equal to the number of rockets fired. For each rocket in the salvo, the attack deals 1d6 of fire damage to all targets in the area of effect. Targets may attempt a reflex save against DC 25 for half damage.
Up to 1 rocket per launcher can be reloaded per round by the responsible supply kaster together with her assistant.
| Weapon | Damage | Critical | Damage Type | Range Increment
(Area of Effect) |
Rate of Fire |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy thermobaric MLRS | * | – | Fire | 100m
(100m Radius) |
1 |
| Weapon | Magazine | Hardpoints | Purchase DC | Restriction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy thermobaric MLRS | 8 | Structure | – | Mil (+3) |
- Hydra-T
- Crew: 21 (6 driver-mechanics, 1 commander, 1 driver, 1 relief driver, 1 sorceress engineer, 2 assistant engineers (zeks), 2 supply kasters, 2 supply assistants (zeks), 3 gunners, 1 medikaster, 1 protocol gunner (warkaster))
- Passengers: 90 (90 infantry, +20 deck squad)
- Weapons: Heavy thermobaric MLRS (2), 6 hardpoints (arc-firing protocol mount, Katyushas (1000mm))
- Assembly time: 24 hours
Hydra-V
For much of the decades long stand-off confrontation of the Iron Hold, the West enjoyed a considerable advantage in sensor technology, guidance systems, and other electronic equipment. The development of the Burst Voltage Protocol was one of the URRS’ attempts to redress this situation using sorcery. Unfortunately for the Reds, a BVP – even if overkast – stands almost no chance of penetrating advanced military shielding, rendering this counter measure woefully inadequate for battlefield use against any but the worst equipped enemy.
To counteract the deficiencies of the standard BVP, the Hydra-V krawl mounts an experimental Burst Voltage Resonator designed by the Central Protokasting Research Institute. The system is housed in a specially constructed turret which replaces the usual forward cannon. So equipped, the Hydra-V is a potent if at times still temperamental electronic warfare platform.
The turret gun crew of three (gunner, supply kaster, and kaster’s assistant) is replaced by a warkaster manning the Resonator accompanied by a deckkaster, an infokaster, and a medikaster for support.
The experimental weapon requires the Protocol Gunnery feat and knowledge of the standard Burst Voltage Protocol to use. It increases the range of any BVP kast by the gunner to extreme (kast check result x 100m) and provides a +2 equipment bonus on the kast check for kasting a BVP.
Additionally, the gunner may elect to take non-lethal damage to increase the effects of a BVP. The gunner may take up to 5 points of non-lethal damage, with every 1 point taken modifying the d20 roll on the BVP effects table by a cumulative -2 (to a maximum of -10 for 5 points of damage taken).
- Hydra-V
- Crew: 25 (6 driver-mechanics, 1 commander, 1 driver, 1 relief driver, 1 sorceress engineer, 2 assistant engineers (zeks), 2 supply kasters, 2 supply assistants (zeks), 3 gunners, 2 medikasters, 2 protocol gunners (warkasters), 1 deckkaster, 1 infokaster)
- Passengers: 90 (90 infantry, +20 deck squad)
- Weapons: Burst Voltage Resonator, forward cannon 2000mm (2), 6 hardpoints (arc-firing protocol mount, Katyushas (1000mm)) Assembly time: 48 hours (an additional 2 sorceress engineers need to supervise the assembly)
Ammunition for new weapons:
| Ammunition Type (Quantity) | Weight | Purchase DC |
|---|---|---|
| 60mm (20) | 1 kg | 11 |
| Light stratospheric cannon shell (1) | 3500 kg | 28 |
| Thermobaric artillery rocket (1) | 250 kg | 24 |
A note on assembly times:
The campaign setting states that the assembly of a Hydra from its components takes between 12 and 36 hours, depending both on the specifications of the variant being assembled, and the number of zeks assigned to the work.
The influence of the variant on the assembly time has been addressed in the entries above (the conventional Hydra is assumed to have a standard assembly time of 24 hours). These entries assume a standardised work force of 360 zeks, working in 3 8-hour shifts of 6 work squads with 20 members each, supervised by a single sorceress engineer.
The assembly time of a Hydra is reduced by half if the leader of the work force succeeds at a DC 30 Craft (mechanical) check. For every 3 additional work squads (1 per shift) assigned to the assembly, the leader receives a cumulative +2 bonus to this check (up to a maximum of +12 at an additional 18 work squad (double the normal work force)).
Title illustration taken from the cover of The Red Star Annual 1 (2002) Run Makita Run, © Christian Gossett. Used with kind permission of the artist.
The Red Star and all related characters are ™ and © Christian Gossett. Used with kind permission.
The Red Star Campaign Setting is © Green Ronin Publishing, LLC.
Die Titelillustration wurde dem The Red Star Annual 1 (2002) Run Makita Run entnommen, © Christian Gossett. Verwendet mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Künstlers.
The Red Star und alle verwandten Charactere sind ™ und © Christian Gossett. Verwendet mit freundlicher Genehmigung.
The Red Star Campaign Setting ist © Green Ronin Publishing, LLC.