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History: The original Centaur Hovertank was developed in the late 1990s by the United States and Britain, two major factions of the Internationalists. In many ways, the Centaur was a
These liabilities were somewhat offset by the tanks limited ability to transform. When transformed, the tank's fuselage lifts to a height of up to 18 feet, allowing the tank to "pop up" from concealment, while leaving its vulnerable hover components "hull down" behind cover. Also while in this mode, two weapon arms deploy, under the operation of the driver/gunner. In the initial pre-Visitor (SDF-1) production model, one arm was a derivative of the M134 7.62MM rotary machinegun, while the other arm could be either a 20MM autocannon, or twin-mounted .50 caliber (12.7MM) heavy machineguns. All were effective on lighter targets that the tank commander/primary gunner bypassed. With the arrival of the SDF-1, and its technological bonanza, the Centaur design began to mutate with each major discovery. By 2008, the Centaur had seen radical change, some seeing three refits while in service. It was in 2008 that the design was relegated to second-line duty, discontinued in favor of the presumably more versatile 1-man Destroid designs. The irony was that the Centaur was just as tough as a Destroid, much faster, more mobile, and was much lower in profile, even with the turret fully telescoped up. The source from inside the SDF-1 for many of the upgrades also is full of irony, as the majority of the items provided in the upgrades were reverse-engineered parts of Regult Tactical Battle Pods and Male Power Armors. The salvage was found in various states of damage in the SDF-1's recycling center holding area by the investigative team, providing some of the initial information on the T'sentraedi. What had been the auxiliary fusion power unit that provided 90% of the power to operate a Regult pod (the other 10% was the Protoculture power source) was reverse-engineered into the power plant of the tank, allowing (with materials technology advances) the switch to a cool jet system, and the exchanging of many of the projectile systems for energy weapons. The tank went from a cannon, to a plasma cannon (based off the MPA shoulder weapon) to a short-barreled version of the standard T'sentraedi Mecha particle beam cannon. It was these tanks second-line status that resulted in many of them assigned to lower priority stations- And even some ultra-high priorities that had to pretend to be low priority. It was one of the latter, the South American Grand Cannon, that would have its Centaurs feature predominantly on the Malcontent Wars. In the years following the "Rain of Death", any military vehicle was worth its weight in gold- Especially heavy combat models. In the years following DOLZA'S death, the unfinished Grand Cannon was captured by T'sentraedi, then liberated by Jonathan WOLFFE. This was one of the contributing factors to the founding of Cavern City, in one of the distant underground facilities built to support the cannon. Cavern City would salvage everything usable from the cannon to further its existence, and supply the RDF with vital components. Along the way, Wolfe discovered a dozen mothballed Centaurs, and immediately began restoring for the use of the town's defense forces, which he headed. After breaking four down for parts, and several unorthodox procurement missions for additional parts (of dubious legality), the remaining tanks were christened the Wolfe Pack, and a legend was born. The Wolfe Pack used the Centaurs until 2019, including a skirmish during the "Insanity Plague" incident where they fought their way out of a Southern Cross ambush with minimal damage to themselves, despite being outnumbered three to one by the experimental Veritech Hovertanks and Logans! The Centaur Hovertank would remain in production until the development of the Veritech Hover Tank, at which time the lines were shut down and re-tooled to VHT production; However, the Centaur would remain in service, right up to the Invid Invasion, and parts for them were easily obtainable for some 50 years. The REF also had a complete set of Centaur specs, though only a few would be deployed for the Tirol mission; After the liberation of Carbonarra, however, they were once again produced to give the newly liberated Sentinel Worlds some limited heavy mobile firepower, in case of an Invid counter assault or colab uprising. During this period, the Centaur was relegated to second-line and civil defense units. Though none remain in militry service now, the Centaur is still seen, from time to time, on some of the most backwater of UGC worlds, and often are found in the hands of malcontents; Even Tiresian malconts have, from time to time, utilized them (though only for short periods of time, usually only after a "proper" Mecha has been destroyed, and then only to effect the mission or an escape). Despite the age of the design, the Centaur is still a powerful weapons platform, and should never, under any circumstances, be snubbed or ignored. Weapons Systems The M-12 Centaur is armed primary with the PBC-84 Particle Beam Cannon, the same as used on the REF Excalibur. Though the gun can be used with the tank in the erected configuration, it does not have to be erected to use this weapon. Secondary armaments include twin heavy missile pods and another 6 light missile pods around the hull. The heavy missiles and 4 of the 6 light missiles can be used in either mode. Tertiary armaments include two forearm weapons pods; These can only be used in the erect mode. There are 5 available options: A 7.62MM Rotary Machinegun, an M-89 .50 caliber machinegun, a triple-barreled laser (similar to those used on VF-1), a TZ-II Gun Cluster (an expanded versions was used on RDF-Era Destroids), and 6-fingered mechanical hands (had 2 opposable digits, one on either side of the blade). Other Systems The M-12 introduced the concept of grappling hooks on tanks used in the fashion they are, that is as active components of the vehicle's combat systems; Traditionally they were only used to tow the vehicle or another vehicle out of ditches, up hills, etc. The M-12 advanced the theory exponentially, using them to actively effect the vehicle's forward and lateral motion, and in one case during the Terran Malcontent Uprisings (late 2014-mid 2018, late 2025 by some reckoning) actually fired the tow cables at a Stinger; The cable didn't do any real damage, and in fact the stinger was able to escape, but the Centaur was able to put a few more rounds in it before it pulled away, parting the cable. However, another Centaur was able to get in position to put more rounds on target, damaging the flight system, and forcing the Mecha to the ground, and was abandoned quickly after (the pilot may have escaped) Production History, M-12 Centaur Hovertank Centaur Mk I (1998-1999): The original prototype; 100 made. Jet turbine powered, hot hover system, Rotary 7.62MM MG & twin .50 HMG weapon arms, and 155MM main armament (36 rounds), but no missile launcher. Centaur Mk II (1999-2000): 37 made, the original 100 were upgraded to this variant. 86 were lost in combat with anti-unification forces after the SDF-1 arrival. The remaining 51 were scrapped in order to be rebuilt as Mk III models. Jet turbine powered, hot hover system, Rotary 7.62MM MG, & choice of either twin .50 HMG or single 20MM weapon arms, 155MM main armament (24 rounds), six-shot Hellfire missile launcher. Centaur Mk III (2000-2002): The First version to incorporate the new power plant (as did all later models). 2,000 made (including the 51 rebuilt from Mk II parts). 60 lost in combat with anti-unification forces; The rest were upgraded into Mk IV or Mk V (in some cases, into MK IV, then months later into Mk V) by 2005. Fusion powered, cool hover system, Rotary 7.62MM MG, & choice of either twin .50 HMG or single 20MM weapon arms, 155MM main armament (24 rounds), six-shot Hellfire missile launcher. Centaur Mk IV (2002-2003): The First version to incorporate energy weapons, as the main armament was replaced. 140 factory made, with additional units from upgraded MK III Centaurs. 19 lost in combat with anti-unification forces; the rest were upgraded to Mk Vs by 2005. Fusion powered, cool hover system, Rotary 7.62MM MG, & choice of either twin .50 HMG or single 20MM weapon arms, Plasma cannon main armament, single six-shot medium range missile launcher. Centaur Mk V (2003-2008): The final model, incorporating a Particle Beam Cannon, a new missile launcher and new weapon arm designs. 50,000 made new, plus another 2061 from upgrades of Mk III and Mk IV models; 52,061 total. A few were destroyed in place by DOLZA'S attack, but more than 40,000 survived. Fusion powered, cool hover system. Weapon Arms: choice of Rotary 7.62MM MG, twin .50 HMG, triple-barrel laser or TZ-II Gun cluster. Main Armament: Particle Beam Cannon, two six-shot medium range missile launchers. Centaur Mk IVa (2015-2352): The "IVa" variant was produced mainly on Tirol for the Sentinel Alliance; over 25,000 of these were built in the First year of that War, and remained in produce until the entry into the United Worlds Alliance some 12 years later. Only Garuda never produced a single tank (as factories are banned from Garuda), and before the line was ended almost 1 million units were manufactured. Most were eventually scrapped, but not until after the specs had been leaked to the public; The Atorian Empire would even field these tanks, in limited numbers, during their War with the UWA (though without the REF-designed PBC). Most now are museum pieces, but a few can still be found on the battle field. Mk IVa, MkIVb, Round And Blunt Turrets. The round (as bottom of document) versus blunt (as the First two images of this document) turret style only vaguely indicates generation; Round turrets indicate a vehicle that started life as a IVa, but may have been upgraded to an IVb. Blunt turrets ARE IVb's, and in fact are D-443's First used on the M-221 Grant Hovertank. The IVa can not be converted to the D-443 turret without spending much more money than the original cost of the tank itself. Additionally, the round turret has more collector value. Centaur Mk IVb (2105 onWard): The "IVb" variant is mainly used in the outlier systems and by malcontents; Unarmed versions are also available as museum pieces and/or for collectors of such things. The model detailed here is the "b" variant, which, with the exception of grav pods and tractioning drives, is exactly the same as the "a" variant, and requires only a few days per unit to convert. This was also the version produced by the Atorians, with the exception that they used anti-matter based powerplants (not a safe choice, due to the size of the power plant versus the tank) and their own native weapons systems (which mostly SD, not MD). Type: Fusion-powered multi-modal hovertank. Crew: Two; Driver (operates weapon arms) and Commander (fires main armament). MDC by Location: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Main Body/Turret- ** Commander's Cockpit- Reinforced Pilot's Compartment (Driver)- ** Particle Beam Cannon Barrel- ** Turret Missile Launcher Cover- ** Sensor Array (slung under turret, between legs)- | 250 80 120 30 60 40 | Leg Struts (2)- Leg Hover Systems (forWard; 1 per leg)- Leg Hover Systems/Thrusters (rear; 1 per leg)- ** Center Rear Thrusters (2)- **# Gun Arms- ** Recoil Damping cables(4)- *** Positioning Wheels (8)- | 100 each 75 each 60 each 40 each 30 each (all types) 10 each 10 each | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 * Destroying the Turret/Main Body shuts down the tank.** Require called shot at an additional -3 penalty to hit, from size and/or location. *** These wheels are -10 to hit, and effectively act as landing wheels for the tank. Losing 2 or more of these wheels on one side makes landing and takeoff attempts require a pilot hovercraft roll at -5% (-20% if both sides damaged this way). Failure results are up to GM and situational modifiers. # Only exposed during Combat Mode. Speed and Statistical Data: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tank Mode: Can reach speeds of 160 MPH; reduce speed by 20% for each rear thruster destroyed, 30% for each leg hover section destroyed (rear leg sections count as both, for a -50% penalty). Combat Mode (Turret Telescoped): 50 MPH, but pilot gets no combat bonuses if attempting to pilot at speeds over 10 MPH while using the Weapon Arms. Hover Height: Only 4.75 feet. Can NOT leap, but can go over crevasses not wider than 6 feet (regardless how deep they are). Height: 9 feet as a tank, up to 18 feet telescoped. Width: 15 feet; 18 feet with turret telescoped (legs spread outWard slightly) Length: 28 feet; 25 feet with turret telescoped (legs constrict slightly). Weight: 18 tons (Mk III-V). The Mk II massed about 28.4 tons, including fuel, and had an operational range of 120 miles (200 km). | Flight System: Grav pods. Thrust System: Tractioning drives. Powerplant: Type 400 Fusion Reactors (non-Protoculture). Fuel Supply: One year supply of fuel for the fusion reactor. Cost and Availability: Around 60 millioncredit for an UNARMED (legal) model. Availability varies, as the Centaur is currently only produced in the outlier systems. Black Market Cost and Availability: Generally the same; For the most part, a "museum piece" is purchased, then armed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1. Particle Beam Cannon, PBC-84: Identical to the Excalibur PBC, the PBC-84 is a medium-range, hard hitting anti-armor weapons system with a decent cyclic rate. Uses hyper-energized atoms and electrons, disrupting its structure, and can also disrupting electrical systems in the target. Note: These weapons are based on particle beam accelerators (used in atomic sciences and in some astrophysics), and one could be improvised or repaired with such a system. Primary Purpose: Assault/defense MD: 5D10+25 per blast Range: 10,000 feet Payload: Unlimited Rate of Fire: Four times per melee. 2. Heavy Missile Pods (2): Mounted under a protective lid next to the PBC, they are each identical to the system mounted above the right shoulder of the Excalibur Destroid. Each unit launches a total of six, medium range, medium Warhead missiles. The missiles can be launched one at a time or in volleys of two. Each volley counts as one attack. Primary Purpose: Assault/defense. Missile Types: Medium range, guided missiles. Specific Warheads vary. Mega-Damage: Varies with specific Warheads, as does range. Rate of Fire: Individually or in volleys of two. Payload: Six missiles per launcher, for a total of twelve. Manual reload, from somebody outside, requires the proper equipment and takes 6 melees. 3. Light Missile Pods (6): Mounted around the hull, mini-missile pods meant mainly for close-in self-defense have been installed. Smoke and hi-explosive are the most common used, though incendiary is often selected to it's anti-IR effect (burns out all but the best totally, and even the best are blinded for 2D4 melees). Primary Purpose: Defense. Missile Types: Mini-missiles. Mega-Damage and Range: Varies with specific Warheads, as does range. Rate of Fire: Individually or in volleys of two. Payload: Twelve missiles per launcher, for a total of 72. Manual reload, from somebody outside, requires the proper equipment and takes 1 minute per missile. 4. Gravity Tow Cables: The Centaur Hovertank is equipped with eight grav pods on  cables, one in each corner, one in the middle of each side, and one fore and aft. Each has a range of 400 feet, and may be launched in any direction in either mode. Though they may be used as weapons, they do minimal damage and can be broken by inflicting 5 M.D. to them by cutting, tearing or shooting them. they are most often used to tow another vehicle and on occasion to make hyper-hairpin turns at high speed (upon a successful roll to strike, the pilot can make up to a 180 degrees turn at full speed without slowing at no penalty).Purpose: Rescue, Recovery, and Capture. Range: 200 feet. Mega-Damage: 1D4 M.D. Rate of Fire: Once per each arm, per melee. | 4. Weapon Arms: The weapon arm systems are modular; any two arms can be used, and take 6 man-hours to swap one arm for another, provided the other arm type is available. Two identical arms are almost never used, as the ammunition space for the projectile arms is limited enough with only one present. The angle of fire for the arm weapons is limited to a 45 degrees arc up and down, 90 degrees right and left. Note: The picture to the right shows arm types 3 (right) and 4 (left) arms. A) 7.62MM Rotary Machinegun: Primary Purpose: Antipersonnel Mega-Damage: 4D6 times 10 SDC for short burst, 8D6 times 10 SDC for long burst. Bursts are considered to be one attack regardless of the length). If used to spray, treat as one burst category higher than the actual burst size, due to rate of fire. Payload: 3000 rounds (a short burst uses 60 rounds, a long burst 120 rounds) Range: 2000 feet (600m). B) Twin barrel M-89 12.7MM machinegun: Identical to the head-mounted weapon of the Excalibur Destroid.  Purpose: Antipersonnel Mega-Damage: 2D4 M.D. for short burst, 4D4 M.D. for long burst, or 1D4 times 10 M.D. for one full melee of continuous fire (each burst is considered to be one attack regardless of the length). Payload: 500 rounds (a short burst uses 10 rounds, long burst 20 rounds and full burst 40 rounds). Range: 2000 feet (600m) C) Triple-Barreled Laser: These lasers are similar to those later used for the head lasers on the VF-1 Veritechs. They have the long burst option, as well as the ability to be used as cutting tools. Primary Purpose: Assault/Defense Weapon. Secondary Purpose: Tool for cutting. Range: 2000 feet (609 m) Mega-Damage: 1D4 M.D. per laser, or 3D4 for a volley of all three at once. One, long, extended blast lasts on full melee and does double damage; counts as two attacks that melee and can not be used against fast moving/dodging opponents. Payload: Unlimited D) TZ-II Gun Cluster: Expanded versions of this system (the TZ-III and TZ-IV) eventually saw service on the Excalibur and Gladiator Destroids. Each TZ-II gun cluster contains the following: (1) laser, (1) 20MM auto cannon, and (1) flamethrower. Laser:2D6 mega-damage (MD); Range: 2000 feet (609.6m); Payload: Unlimited. 20MM Auto Cannon: 1D6 M.D. short burst, 2D6 M.D. long burst, 4D6 M.D. for one full melee of continuous fire. Range: 4000 feet (1200m); Payload: 240 rounds. 32 shells are fired per melee on a full melee burst, 16 in a long burst and 8 in a short burst. Flamethrower: 5D10 SDC (not MD). Range: 200 feet; Rate of Fire: Twice per melee (total 30 blasts). Note: Will ignite all combustible material; 40% chance of igniting fuel tanks.  E) Hands: Modern Centaurs (what few there are) are, occasionally, equipped with hand units, allowing the pilot to manually manipulate objects (such as people). They can carry gun pods, but most are too heavy; Only the E-20 and GU-XX are light enough for the Centaur. Either way, the pod must be carried on the OUTSIDE of the tank during transit, as there isn't sufficient space underneath, and can not be used in this mode. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Effect: 01-50: Enemy missile or missile volley detonates in chaff cloud- Missiles are all destroyed. 51-75: Enemy missile or missile volley loses track of real target and veers away in wrong direction (may lock onto another target). 76-00: No effect, missile is still on target. Also note that the chaff cloud will also blind nearby heat sensors (and optically based sensors at night) for 1 melee. They will suffer the following penalties: Reduce melee attacks/actions, and combat bonuses by half. Also, a cloud of smoke approximately 25 cubic feet wide and high by about 1 half-mile long. Duration: 1D4 melee rounds. Rate of Fire: Once per melee. Payload: 6 chaff/flares. MDC By Location: Pod: 50 Fiber Optic Cable: 10 Effect: Extends range of any sensors 10 times (or defeats other penalties in a 5 mile area). MDC By Location: Pod: 50 Fiber Optic Cable: 10 Effect: Extends range of any sensors 10 times. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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