GOSU INVID COMMANDER "ROYAL COMMAND ARMOR"

(Version 2.0 - Last updated:  10/07/03)  

Background and RPG Statistics by Kenneth Olson

Background Information derived from Robotech Technical Files and Robotech.com

Robotech Research Picture archive for Gosu Invid Commander "Royal Command Armor"

BACKGROUND

The Invid Commander was a unique design produced exclusively by the Invid Regess to accommodate the newly created humanoid form of the Invid.  Design of the mecha began as early as 2038, four years before the appearance of the first Invid  metamorphosis into a human form.  After six years of conflict with the Robotech Expeditionary Forces (REF), the Regess had come to the conclusion that the previous generation of linear mass wave tactics used against the Zentraedi and the Robotech Masters were not successful against the REF.  She decided that the conflict would only come to its successful conclusion once the Invid could produce high quality mecha with similar capabilities to the REF Veritech Fighters and Destroids.  New mecha designs and tactics, coupled with the fact that the Invid had control of the protoculture resources on Earth and would be on the defense with interior lines of supply and communication, would place the REF at serious disadvantages when trying to invade when they would have to bring all of their forces into the Sol system through hyperspace. 

The Invid Commander takes much of its design from the Zentraedi Quaedluun-Rau “Female” Power Armor and not the veritech mecha of the REF.  The Invid Commander is slightly taller than the VF-6 “Alpha” fighter and is powered by two massive IE-5 plasma shock expansion engines which can propel the mecha up to speeds of 1075 kph in atmospheric deployments and provide similar capabilities to the VF-6 in space.  The Regis had determined that most of the atmospheric engagements with the REF forces occurred at altitudes less than 10,000 ft and at speeds of under 700 kph.  She concluded that the additional expense of a variable mecha was not worth the expense and decided to build a single form battloid which could mount additional armor and weaponry over a similarly weight variable design .

The Invid Commander is the most heavily armed mecha ever produced by the Invid.  While earlier designs were armed almost exclusively with light plasma weaponry, the Commander mounts a single heavy plasma cannon on the right arm in an armored shield.  The PL-10 can either fire 20 MJ concentrated plasma beams out to an effective range of 2,500 meters or annihilation disks with 50% greater energy out to roughly half the range.  The weapon can switch between both modes at the pilot’s discretion, requiring  ½ of a second to switch.  To supplement the arm mounted PL-10, a single PL-3, the same design found on the Armored Scout, is mounted in the head and is used mainly used in the anti-personnel role.

Designed to be the primary weapons on the Invid Commander are four missile launchers mounted on the shoulders and the rear of the unit.  For short range defense against slow to medium velocity targets the Invid Commander has sixty-four 180mm missiles mounted in two launchers on the shoulders.  Each 180mm launcher holds thirty-two missiles in eight rows of four that allows the unit to fire its entire capacity in one volley.  To engage medium range high velocity targets, the Invid Commander mounts forty-two 290mm missiles mounted on two launchers mounted on the rear of the unit.  Both missile types had difficulty engaging high velocity targets and those using electronic countermeasures.  This was because the Invid had little experience with missile seeker technology prior to the development of the Invid Commander and these first generation missiles were easily defeated by the more sophisticated REF electronic defensive suites.  As a result of the premature technology and lack of experience, Invid pilots relied heavily on the arm mounted PL-5 and used the missiles primarily to shoot down incoming REF missiles or firing a massive missile barrage at airborne targets hoping a couple would find their mark. 

The Invid Commander is armored with an advanced composite of metals, ceramics, and organics which is capable of providing 50% more protection per unit mass over previous generations of Invid armor.  Additional protection is provided by sloping the armor which provides the unit immunity from all small arms and light anti-mecha weaponry up to 20mm in caliber.  The armor provides good resistance for rounds up to 55mm in caliber and the Invid Commander can only be disabled with multiple hits from heavy class anti-mecha weaponry.  In addition to the heavy armor, the Invid Commander was provided with two heavily armored arm shields which can be used to parry incoming attacks which would normally disable the unit.  Unlike the previous generation of Invid mecha, the Invid Commander is not disabled by penetrating the head mounted protoculture sensor; however, the pilot’s compartment is exposed to direct attacks and is not protected by the main body like most battloid mecha designs.

From 2038 until 2042 several experimental versions were produced to test the deployment of the new technologies which were being incorporated into the mecha, including the first use of missiles, more powerful armor, plasma weaponry, and the new humanoid mecha form.  The Solui form of the Invid piloted all of these experimental units, for as of that time the Regess had not yet decided to only pilot the new unit with humanoid Invid.  By 2043 the design for the Invid Commander was finalized with the decision by the Invid Regis to use the new mecha exclusively for her transformed humanoid Invid cumulating with the gifting of two new mecha to the Invid Price Corg and Princess Sera in 2043.  The evaluation period lasted three months, during which time the Invid Commander proved to be an extremely capable unit with no unforeseen flaws.  During the testing period, REF intelligence believed that these two mecha to be one of a kind produced for the two Royal pilots and designated them "Royal Command Battloids."  Little did the high command in the REF realize that the Invid had entered into full production of the unit in late 2043 which would allow every transformed humanoid Invid a newly manufactured mecha.  A total of 15,250 were constructed up until the end of the 3rd Robotech War on July 18, 2044.  A vast majority of these units were destroyed in the final assault; however, REF intelligence estimates several hundred units did not make the departure with the Invid Regess at the battles conclusion and are still hiding out in Earth's great wastelands.

RPG STATS

Vehicle Type:  Gosu Invid Commander "Royal Command Battloid"

Class:  Non-transformable Battloid

Manufacturer:  Invid Regis
Crew:  One Invid humanoid pilot

Service History: Served with the Royal Armed Forces of the Invid Regis from 2043 until 2044

MDC BY LOCATION:

		 
NOTES: 

1. The shielded arms can be used to shield the main body or body parts from damage.   The Invid can try to block incoming attacks of any kind, punches, blasts, and incoming missiles by blocking with one or both arms.
2. Destruction of the sensor eye will NOT destroy the mecha and pilot.  However, it is a small target protected by surrounding shielding, thus, to hit the player must make a called shot at -3. Its destruction will knockout all sensor systems, leaving the pilot to fly by visuals only
3. Depleting the MDC of the main body will destroy the mecha. 
4. The pilot's compartment  is not protected by the main body of the mecha and can be targeted directly.  Depleting the MDC will instantaneously kill the pilot and destroy the mecha

SPEEDS:

RUNNING:

112 kph

LEAPING:

50 ft (15 m) high or 70 ft (21 m) long without thrusters.

FLYING:

Max level speed :  650 kph (Mach 0.53) at sea level / 1075 kph at 18,000 m (Mach 0.93)
Stall speed : 0 kph (can hover in place)
Initial climb rate : over 20,000m per minute with boosters
Service ceiling : 20 km (unboosted)

DESIGNED G LIMITS:

+12.0/-6.5 (Computer overrides at 9.5g)

MAX ACCELERATION:  SPACE

1.59 g

DELTA V:

6.3 kps with 4,000 kg of D₂0

STATISTICAL DATA:

HEIGHT

8.75 m

BREADTH:

4.1 m

DEPTH:

3.6 m

WEIGHT:

23,000 kg empty / 28,000 with combat load

PHYSICAL STRENGTH:

Equal to a P.S. of 60

CARGO:

Small compartment in pilot's compartment for personal weapons and equipment

POWER PLANT:

T'zyerri Miniaturized protoculture-cell energizer with an estimated generator endurance of 100 hours of flight time

MAX ENGINE THRUST:

[Main] 2 x IE-5 PLASMA-SHOCK EXPANSION ENGINES:  Each engine is mounted in two engine blisters on the rear of the mecha.  Each thruster on the rear has a maximum thrust of 179 kN (257 kN augmented) in the atmosphere or 179 kN using internal reaction mass in space (specific impulse of 4000 sec).

FUEL CAPACITY:

16 standard canisters of protoculture

4000 liters of D₂0 for reaction mass

COMPATIBLE FAST PACKS:

None

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

1. 1 x PL-10 PLASMA PULSE/BEAM CANNONS: The Royal Command Armor has the most advanced plasma cannon fielded to date by any  Invid mecha mounted on the right arm.  The weapon can either fire 9MJ  plasma beams or a shorter range but more powerfult 13.5 annihilation discs bursts.  Switching between the two modes of firing takes approximately 0.5 seconds or one hand to hand attack.
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-mecha
   • RANGE PLASMA: 6000 ft (2500m)
   • RANGE ANNIHILATION DISCS: 3000 ft (1000m)
   • DAMAGE PLASMA: 3D6 for each single shot, 1D4*10 for each short burst, or 2D4*10 for each long burst.
   • DAMAGE ANNIHILATION DISCS:  4D6 for each single shot, 1D6*10 for each short burst or 2D6*10 for each long burst.
   • RATE OF FIRE: Equal to the total number of hand to hand attacks
   • PAYLOAD: Unlimited

    

2. 1 x PL-3 PLASMA PULSE/BEAM CANNONS: As a secondary weapon, the Royal Command Power armor has a venerable PL-3 plasma cannon, also found on the Armored Scout, located in the head.
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-missile
   • RANGE: 4000 ft (1200m)
   • DAMAGE:  One single blast 1D6 MDC or single burst 2D6 MDC.
   • RATE OF FIRE: Equal to the number of attacks of the pilot
   • PAYLOAD: 60 single shots or 20 bursts per minute.

    

3. 2 x 180 MM SHORT RANGE MISSILE LAUNCHERS: The Royal Command Armor has the 32 short range missiles located in each shoulder mounted in eight rows of four missiles apiece.  The Invid Commander is the first Invid mecha to field short range missiles and as a result, the Invid do not yet posses the advanced missile seeker technology which can acquire and engage fast-moving airborne mecha.  These missiles have only been effectively used against Destroids and veritech fighters in Battloid and Guardian mode. 
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-mecha
   • RANGE: Varies with missile type
   • DAMAGE:  Varies with missile type; however, plasma warheads are usually used
   • RATE OF FIRE: In volleys of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, or all 64.
   • PAYLOAD: Each launcher has 32 missiles, for a total of 64 short range missiles.
   • NOTES:  These missiles have the inability of tracking any fast-moving targets.  As a result -1 to hit for every 50 km/hr over 300 km/hr.  However, they can be used to shoot down incoming missiles without penalty.

    

4. 2 x 290MM SHORT RANGE MISSILE LAUNCHERS: Each medium-range rear launcher can hold up to 21 medium range missiles.  The target acquisition and homing systems are similar in performance to the 180mm missiles and suffer from the same inability to target fast moving targets.
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-mecha
   • RANGE: 8 km
   • DAMAGE:  2D6*10 MDC
   • RATE OF FIRE: In volleys of 1, 3, 6, 9, 21 or all 42
   • PAYLOAD: Each launcher has 21 missiles, for a total of 42 medium range missiles
   • NOTES:  These missiles have the inability of tracking any fast-moving targets.  As a result -1 to hit for every 100 km/hr over 500 km/hr.  However, they can be used to shoot down incoming missiles without penalty.

    

5. HAND TO HAND COMBAT:.  Like all Invid mecha the Royal Command Armor possesses a considerable ability to engage in hand to hand combat.
   • Punch:  6D6
   • Crush with Hand:  5D6
   • Tear or Pry:  4D6
   • Kick:  6D6
   • Body Block/Tackle:   4D6
   • Stomp: 1D4*10  MDC (only effective against small objects)

STANDARD EQUIPMENT FOR GOSU INVID COMMANDER:

• ACTIVE SENSOR JAMMER: IMIB-SJ internal ECM providing broadband protection.  Estimated system effective radiative power 30 dBW
• AUTO-PILOT: The Gosu is equipped with a computerized auto-pilot, allowing the pilot to relax or even sleep during long voyages. The auto- pilot can be programmed with a single destination or a complex flight plan involving multiple speeds, directions, and destinations. The onboard computer will alert the pilot when the fighter is near its destination, and can also be set to automatically signal when sensors detect objects near the mecha. The auto-pilot was designed with long intra-system space journeys in mind.
• COMBAT COMPUTER: The IMIB combat computer tracks and identifies specific enemy targets, and has a database of over 10,000 images stored in memory. The computer can identify and track up to 250 targets simultaneously. 
• EXTERNAL AUDIO PICKUP: Range: 300 ft (91.5 m). A sound amplification system that can pick up normal conversation up to 300 feet away.
• HEAT AND RADIATION SHIELDS: Special shielding prevents the penetration of life threatening head and radiation. A radiation detection and alarm system are linked with the shields and will sound an alarm if there is a rupture in the shields and what the levels of radiation are.
• INFRA-RED COUNTERMEASURES:  IMIB-IR  providing protection from IR guided missiles
• INFRA-RED WARNING RECEIVER:  IMIB-IR (IRWR) providing rear aspect coverage from IR guided missiles
• LASER RANGE FINDER / TARGETING SYSTEM:  IMIB-1VS multi-frequency laser ranger and designator (Range 30 kilometers)
• LOUDSPEAKER: A loudspeaker system is built into the craft, which can be used to amplify the pilot's voice up to 100 decibels with a built-in translator
• OPTICS (INFRARED):  IMIB-1VS multi-band camera system range 1000 meters.  This optical system projects a beam of infrared light that is invisible to the normal eye, but detectable by the mecha's sensors. The system allows the pilot to detect hidden/concealed objects by their IR reflectiveness. The beam will be visible to anyone with IR sensitive optics, however.
• OPTICS (NIGHTVISION): IMIB-1VS multi-band camera system range 1000 meters.  A passive light image intensifier that emits no light of its own, but relies on ambient light which is electronically amplified to produce a visible picture.
• OPTICS (THERMAL IMAGER):  IMIB-1VS multi-band camera system range 1000 meters. A passive optical heat sensor that detects infrared radiation projected by warm objects and converts that data into a false-color visible image. The system enables the pilot to see in the dark, in shadows, and through smoke, and also adds a +10% bonus to pilots using a tracking skill.
• PROTOCULTURE SENSOR:  IMIB-1PS protoculture sensor providing detection and tracking of protoculture powered mecha and equipment.  For detection of a high-power Veritech fighter, good resolution extends out to 3.75 km, fair resolution out to 7.5 km, and poor resolution out to 21 km. A typical Destroid is detectable at slightly more than half these distances, a Cyclone at four percent of these distances, and a Gallant at about one percent of these distances.
• RADIO/VIDEO COMMUNICATION: Long range, directional communications system with satellite relay capabilities. Range: 600 miles (960 km) or can be boosted indefinitely via satellite relay.
• RADAR (SHORT RANGE / FIRE CONTROL):  IMIB-1RS x-band phased array with conformal antenna on the arms, forward edges of the main body, and secondary antenna in the legs and rear.  The system provides long-range detection and tracking of targets at all altitudes with multi-mode capability including high-resolution synthetic aperture and passive ESM modes.  Detection range against a 0 dBsm sized target 50 km.
• RADAR WARNING RECEIVER:  IMIB-1RS Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) providing all aspect coverage from radar guided missiles
• TACTICAL LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM: The Gosu's cockpit is pressurized, and also provides additional air feeds to the pilot's flight suit that provides him with pressurized breathing. The Invid flight suit also contains an upper and lower g-suit that promotes blood circulation even during high-g turns, thus decreasing the possibility of pilot's blacking out in combat.

COMBAT BONUSES FOR GOSU INVID COMMANDER:

• 5 attacks per melee plus those of the pilot
• additional attacks at levels 5 and 10
• +3 to roll with the punch
• +2 to strike (+4/ +3 / +2 to strike with Protoculture sensor at short / medium / long)
• +5 to parry
• +3 to dodge

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