The following material is an adaptation of a mobile suit from GUNDAM 0083: STARDUST MEMORIES one of the many sequels to the popular japanese mecha based tv series Mobile Suit Gundam. Please feel free to use, copy, and distribute it as you see fit. All I ask is that you give proper credit to me and do not claim that it is your own work. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

RX-78GP02A Gundam "Physalis"

RPG Stats by: Alex Hansen
Statistics Info Provided by: The Mecha Domain

Background

"I claim this mobile suit and its nuclear warhead for the resurrection of Zeon!" - Anavel Gato

During its military reconstruction following the devastating One Year War of the Universal Century Era, the Earth Federation contracted a private company, Anaheim Electronics, to develop a series of new Gundam-model mobile suits to serve as conceptual testbeds for new and improved mobile suit technology. One of the first prototypes to come out of Anaheim's Von Braun City lunar factory was the RX-78GP02A Gundam, code-named "Physalis." The GP02A and another prototype, the RX-78GP01 Gundam "Zephyranthes", along with Anaheim systems engineer Nina Purpleton and her team of technicians, were brought aboard the assault carrier Albion to be delivered to Earth for testing under full gravity. Arriving at Torrington Base in Australia for the field trials, the GP02A was loaded with a nuclear warhead, but was immediately hijacked by remnant Zeon military forces led by Anavel Gato. In the weeks to follow, Gato would escape into space with his stolen Gundam, joining up with Admiral Aguille Delaz's fleet for a critical rol in their "Operation Stardust." To diffuse the Delaz threat, the Earth Federal Forces carried out their Naval Review ceremony, assembling most of the entire Federation fleet at the Konpei Island asteroid base in a show of force. However, this was a primary target of Operation Stardust, and Gato used the GP02A's nuclear warhead to singlehandedly destroy or disable two-thirds of the fleet stationed there.
Built expressly for tactical nuclear warfare, the GP02A's primary armament was a large atomic bazooka, capable of launching a strategic-use Mark-82 nuclear warhead. The Gundam was also heavily armored enough to withstand the nuclear blast unleashed by its bazooka, and even carried a shield large enough to provide extra protection for most of the unit's body and contained cooling systems to help dissipate the heat it would absorb. The shield also carried the trigger and barrel for the atomic bazooka when it was no deployed for use. The GP02A was also designed to survive in close combat, being armed with standard head vulcan guns and a pair of beam sabers. With enough thrusters and verniers to keep it fast and agile despite its mass, the Gundam GP02A was truly "tactical" in a sense, though its use would have "strategic" consequences for the Earth Sphere.

Vehicle Model: RX-78GP02A Gundam "Physalis"
Class: Prototype General Purpose Tactical Mobile Suit
Manufacturer: Anaheim Electronics
Crew: One pilot

M.D.C. by Location:

Head --- 150
60 mm Vulcan Cannons (2, Head)--- 30
Arms (2)--- 160 each
Hands (2)--- 75 each
Legs (2)--- 250 each
*Upper Torso --- 450
*Lower Torso --- 350
**Large Thrusters (2; shoulders)--- 200 each
***Reinforced Pilot's Compartment --- 250
Atomic Bazooka --- 300
0.38 Megawatt Beam Sabre (2; stored in hips)--- 50 each
****Shield --- 450
 

*Destruction of the upper torso will render the arms, head, and backpack inoperative. Destruction of the lower torso will render the legs inoperative. Any additional damage done to the upper torso after it has been destroyed will go to the Pilot's Compartment.
**Destroying one of the thrusters in atmosphere will ground Unit 2. While destroying one in space will reduce thrust output by half.
***If the Pilot's Compartment is destroyed, then the will also be rendered inoperable and the pilot will open to damage and the vaccum of space.
****Unit 2's shield houses two important components for Unit 2, the barrel for the Atomic Bazooka, and Unit 2's cooling System. A Beam Sabre stab through this shield will totally ruin the cooling system, and will cause Unit 2 to overheat after 30 minutes of flight/space combat or 1 hour of running. The Gundam will be rendered inoperative until repaired back at base, as well as the cooling system.

SPEED:
Running: 125 km/h on a flat surface
Non-thruster Leap: 100ft up or across.
Thruster Leap: 1000ft up or across
Thruster Output: 32000kg x 4 (large thrusters), 6600kg x 4 (feet)
Acceleration: 1.87 G
STATISTICAL DATA:
Height: 19.5 meters
Width:
Weight: 54.5 tons (standard), 83.0 tons (fully loaded)
Sensor Radius: 6000ft
Physical Strength: Equal to a P.S. of 50
Cargo: The small size of the cockpit provides limited room for personal belongings.
Power Plant: Fusion Reactor w/ Minovski Shielding capable of generating 1860kW of power.
Range: The generator can supply power for approximately 10 years before requiring replacement.
 

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

1.HEAD-MOUNTED 60mm VULCAN CANNONS (2): The only built-in armaments on Unit 2 are two vulcan cannons mounted in the head of the mobile suit. These two cannons are mounted on either side of the antenna and are fixed forward. The pilot must move the Gundam's head in order to aim the cannons. Both cannons fire at the same time, though one cannon will function if the other is destroyed.
Primary Purpose: Defense
Mega-Damage: 1D6x10 per burst (60 rounds from both cannons). A single round does 1D6 M.D.
Range: 3000ft
Rate of Fire: Equal to the pilot's combined number of attacks.
Payload: 600 rounds per cannon, which is enough for 20 combined bursts. Note: The ammo bins for the two cannons are NOT linked; if one cannon is destroyed the ammo feed CANNOT be automatically switched to the other cannon.

2.0.38 MW BEAM SABERS(2): These revolutionary mecha-sized melee weapon were first used on the RX-78 Gundam mobile suit. The beam saber works on the same principle as the beam rifle, except that the mega particles are captured and stored in a strong electromagnetic field instead of projected in a beam. The result is a concentrated energy blade which is one of the deadliest weapons in the Gundam universe.
The beam saber only contains enough energy and mega particles for about 60 seconds of continuous use. When not inuse, the beam sabers are stored in the hips of the mecha, where they are recharged by the Gundam's reactor. The Gundam can switch the beam saber on and off while holding it, in order to conserve power. Once totally depleted it takes 30 minutes for a beam saber to recharge to full capacity.
The Gundam carries two beam saber's, one in each hip.
Primary Purpose: Melee Combat
Mega-Damage: 5d6x10 M.D., or the saber output can be increased to do 8d6x10 M.D. (but sucks up 1.5 times more energy)
Range: The blade has a range of 15-30 ft (5-10 m) and is adjustable.
Payload: The beam saber can function continuously for 60 seconds (4 melee rounds) before running out of power. Once discharged, the beam saber must be returned to the Gundam's hip where it can recharge at a rate of 1 second of power per 30 seconds of charging.

3. ATOMIC BAZOOKA W/ MK-82 WARHEAD: This has to be possibly the greatest weapon of mass destruction created for any mobile suit. The Atomic Bazooka has two parts, the warhead and launcher mounted behind the Gundam's left shouled, and the barrel, which is stored in the shield. When assembled the weapon is capable of launching a devastating nuclear attack. Using a special Minovski field, the nuke is detonated inside the field, creating a massive ammount of energy which is then accelerated down the long barrel creating a beam which obliterates all in it's way. NOTE: After the Nuke is launched and the bazooka is discarded, the left arm of Unit-02 is disabled, -3 to all parry rolls with the shield.
Primary Purpose: Nuclear Assault
Mega-Damage: TOTAL DESTRUCTION! Everything within the devestating 100 mile beam is utterly destroyed.
Range: The beam is 250,000 miles long and 100 miles wide
Rate of Fire: The weapon must charge the energy for one melee before the attack can be fired.
Payload: One shot.

4. OPTIONAL HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT: Punch does 3D6 M.D., Body Block does 3D6 M.D., Kick does 4D6 M.D., Leap Kick does 5D6 M.D., Stomp does 3D6 M.D., but is limited to targets no more than 16 feet tall. Body flip does 2D6 M.D. Pilots who have experience with giant robots get full bonuses from Robot Basic combat training.

5. SYSTEMS NOTE: Unit 2 is alot more agile than your average mobile suit, +1 to parry and dodge, and one additional attack per melee.

OPTICAL TARGETING SYSTEM: Mobile Suits have very sophisticated optical tracking systems to assist the pilot in targeting. This system provides the pilot with a +2 to hit when using projectile or beam weapons. However, since the tracking system is optical, the target must be IN DIRECT LINE OF SIGHT from the MS in order to get the bonus.
COMBAT COMPUTER: Contains data on up to 120 different vehicles (both friend and foe). Can call up and project data on the HUD screens in the cockpit.
"SKIN TOUCH" COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM: Mobile Suits have sensitive microphones in their cockpits that can pick up a pilot's voice and project it to vibrating devices on the surface of the hand. By grasping hands with another Mobile Suit, the first mecha can transmit these vibrations to the other mecha. Sensors on the other mecha translate these vibrations into sounds and projects them via speakers in the cockpit. The result is a secure method of communication between mecha that cannot be intercepted by enemy scanners.
LASER COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM: The Gundam has a laser based communications system that allows the mecha to communicate over long distances. The only disadvantage is that the mobile suits have to be looking at each other in order communicate.
RADIO COMMUNICATIONS: Backup; usually doesn't work due to Minovski interference.
COMPLETE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION SYSTEM: Identical to the system described on Pg. 214 of the Rifts RPG book.

COMBAT BONUSES FOR MOBILE SUIT COMBAT TRAINING:

NOTE: These bonuses do NOT take into consideration special NewType piloting abilities.

• Three hand to hand attacks per melee (plus those of pilot).
• Body flip/throw.
• Body block/tackle/ram.
• Kick attack
• +2 to strike.
• +4 to parry.
• +3 to dodge.
• +3 to roll with punch, fall, or impact(explosion), reducing damage by half.
• Critical strike same as pilot's hand to hand.
• One additional attack at level five.
• One additional attack at level ten.