Used, Broken, But Unending.
“Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime” – Ernest Hemingway, 1946
World War 1. Mechanized warfare was something no nation had ever witnessed. The generals who set the strategies were shocked and horrified at the bloody toll machine guns, artillery and chemical weapons took on their troops. Even worse, was that the troops seemed to lose their motivation in the face of tens of thousands of men dying every day. Something had to be done…
The call went out to every corner of every empire. Universities, monasteries and deeper darker depths were searched. Learned men of science were found to drive the weakness and disloyalty from this new generation of soldiers. Deserters, criminals and the populations of remote villages were fed into hidden abattoirs. What came out, the generals thought, would be an unstoppable and easily controlled soldier.
The brain was the key, they thought. Remove it and the problem is solved. Instead of a head was something resembling a fist, at its base was a simple lens acting as an eye. Its front was armored with molded steel plates and at its back was a small portable engine to power the mechanicals. The soldier pushed forward heedless of weapons, dust, debris, or poisons. When the soldier reached the enemy armored fists would crush flesh to pulp. When necessary, the fist shaped head would unfurl into multiple appendages to tear away and consume the meat needed to feed the remaining biological needs of the soldier.
Of course it was an abject failure…
The “perfect soldier” stumbled in the trenches, became stuck on the narrow walls, or stupidly lost their fleeing victims. The enemy quickly exploited their obvious weaknesses. Wreaking the engines, blinding them and using flamethrowers to melt their armor and roast the flesh beneath. The generals that commissioned the project “forgot” that it had ever been. The war continued…
Except not every one of those first failures were accounted for. Some lie buried beneath tons of soil, others were turned around and wandered into the sea or into vast dense forests where even a century later not every shell and mine has been detonated. Perhaps some of these damned things wander still, still searching for a way home…
SPECIAL POWERS
Unstoppable armor: Faced head on the soldier has 20 points of armor. The only place where they are vulnerable is the rear where their mechanical components are exposed. Fire also ignores the armor
Feeding the machine: After taking damage the soldier will seek out the nearest investigator and try to grapple them. Once it has them its head will unfurl and begin to tear away chunks of flesh from the investigator doing 1D10+5 dmg and regaining the same amount of HP. surviving this attack or seeing it 1D4/1D10 SAN
Perfect Soldier: Used, Broken, but Unyielding
STR: (5D6+6)x5 135
CON: (5D6+6)x5 80
SIZ: (5D6+6)x5 125
DEX: (2D4+4)x5 50
INT: (1D4+1)x5 20
POW: (3D6)x5 35
HP: 20
Damage Bonus: +2D6
Build: 3
Magic Points: 07
Move: 8
ATTACKS
Attacks per round: 1
Maneuver: Feeding the Machine
Brawl(fists): 50%, damage 1D6+2D6
Brawl (grapple): 35%, mnvr
Dodge: 25%
Armor: 20 pts front, all other parts 4 pts armor. Fire ignores the armor
Skills: none,
Sanity Loss: 1/1D4
