While just entering the prototype stage, the Battle Maiden looks to be the new armored personnel carrier from Northern Gun. Like several other relatively recent designs from Northern Gun, the Battle Maiden is derived from an Iron Heart Industries design. The Battle Maiden looks virtually identical to the Iron Maiden. After the capture of the Iron Heart Industries facilities by the Coalition, Northern Gun started manufacturing large numbers of repair parts for Iron Heart Industries combat vehicles. This gave the engineers a ready base to begin manufacturing military vehicles using the parts for the Iron Heart Industries designs. Unlike the Lightning Fist and Lightning Bolt, the design is very little changed from the original Iron Maiden design internally and most modifications are in the weapon systems. There have been several parties that have shown an interest in purchasing the new design to either replace damaged troop transports or supplement their available forces. It is unknown if any of the Battle Maidens will be converted to a travel vehicle for adventures. Northern Gun plans to continue manufacturing repair parts for the Iron Heart Iron Maiden design and some of the weapon upgrades on the Battle Maiden may be offered for the Iron Maiden.

While Northern Gun does produce repair parts for non nuclear powered versions of the Iron Maiden, the present plan is for all Battle Maidens to be nuclear powered. While this is mostly to simplify production, nuclear power for the armored personnel carrier does have many advantages. It means that the vehicle has virtually unlimited range and means that there is no need to have supply vehicles carrying fuel for the combat vehicle. A few minor modifications were made to the propulsion system to increase efficiency and reduce wear and tear on several key systems. Like the Iron Maiden, the Battle Maiden is designed to pull a semi-trailer and has a tow hitch and witch to act as a recovery vehicle.

The largest modification in the design is in the main weapon. While the 30-mm cannon on the Iron Maiden is very powerful and can even badly damage a tank, the range is rather limited compared to most rail gun designs and larger cannons. For this reason, the engineers at Northern Gun replaced the Auto Cannon with the Howitzer rail gun design from the NG-V5 Northern Gun Hunter Mobile Gun. While the damages are comparable, the Rail Gun Howitzer has twice the range. The weapon is effective against both aircraft and other armored vehicles. This weapon will likely be offered as refit for the turret on Iron Maiden as well. The forward laser cannon mount has been modified and a pulse laser, rail gun, or plasma flamethrower can be mounted. The plasma flamethrower is mostly designed to deal with Xiticix which has become a serious threat. There was some discussion of replacing the mini-missile launchers with launchers for short range or medium range missiles but the old launchers were retained with few modifications. As well, the smoke and gas dispensers were retained. Like other Iron Heart designs, the sensor systems have been upgraded in the Battle Maiden to those carried on robot vehicles.

The Battle Maiden can carry ten infantry in body armor with standard equipment or eight soldiers in man sized power armors. The Battle Maiden has a cargo / troop bay that is ten foot long, eight foot wide, and six feet high (3 x 2.4 x 1.8 meter). Some sources have indicated that the Iron Maiden could carry ten light power armors and the cargo bay had a width of 10 feet but there were in error. The Battle Maiden is crewed by two with one pilot and one gunner.

Authors Note: Reduced height of the armored vehicle from the height of original Iron Heart Industries design to make them closer to that of modern tanks and armored vehicles. The author recommends reducing the height of Iron Heart Industry's tank and armored vehicle designs as well.

Model Type: NG-APC-10
Class: Infantry Assault and Transport Vehicle
Crew: Two: pilot and gunner
Troop Transport Capabilities: 10 troops

M.D.C. by Location:

	Weapon Turret:	180
	Howitzer Rail Gun Barrel (in Turret):	80
	MLRS-24 Mini-Missile Launchers (2):	40 each
	Smoke / Gas Dispensers (2):	15 each
	Modular weapon mount on Front:	75
	[1] Main Body:	320
	Reinforced Crew Compartment:	100
	[2] Treads (2):	60 each

Notes:
[1] Depleting the M.D.C. from the main body will shut the tank down completely, rendering it useless.
[2] Depleting the M.D.C. of a tread will immobilize the tank until it is replaced: replacing a tread will take 1D6 X 10 minutes by a trained crew (2 replacements are carried aboard) this is only possible are the vehicle is not under attack at the time.

Speed:
Ground: 70 mph (112.6 kph), on land; it cannot travel on or underwater
Maximum Effective Range: Effectively unlimited (10 year life).

Statistical Data:
Height: 9.75 feet (3 meters)
Width: 10 feet (3 meters)
Length: 25 feet (7.6 meters)
Weight: 22 tons (19.95 metric tons) fully loaded
Cargo: Storage space for extra clothing, weapons, and personal items; 10 rifles of any type, 4 rocket launchers, and 24 mini-missiles stored in locked overhead compartments. Cargo / Troop bay is 10 x 8 x 6 feet (3 x 2.4 x 1.8 meter) and can up to 8 tons (7.3 metric tons) of cargo when not carrying troops
Power System: Nuclear Only (10 year lifespan)
Black Market Cost: Not for sale at this time but Northern Gun has listed selling price as 18 million credits.

Weapon Systems

1. Rapid Fire Howitzer Rail Gun (1): Replaces 30 mm auto cannon and although an anti-aircraft design is also a very effective combat weapon against an armored vehicle. The cannon is controlled by the gunner. It is identical to the NG-H155, with the exception of a slightly different turret and external barrel, from the NG-V7 Hunter Mobile Gun. The turret can angle 90 degrees up and 30 degrees down and has 360 degree rotation.
   Maximum Effective Range: 6,000 feet (1,828 meters).
   Mega Damage: Short Burst of 40 rounds: 1D6x10. Long Burst of 80 rounds: 2D6x10.
   Rate of Fire: Equal to the pilots combined hand to hand of gunner (usually 5 or 6).
   Payload: Carries 8000 (200 short burst or 100 long bursts) rounds in a drum magazine. The cargo area has up to two additional drums. Reloading is done inside the vehicle and takes two melee rounds (30 seconds) for two crewmen or passengers and six melees (90 seconds) if only one person is involved or the people aren't trained in the reload procedure.
2. Support Weaponry Turret: Originally planned to only carry the NG-202 light rail gun and the pulse laser cannon, the mount was modified so that it could carry a plasma flamethrower to deal with Xiticix and other monsters than need to be dealt with in large numbers. The weapon is located in the front of the tank and the laser cannon and rail gun can engage aerial targets (The Plasma Flamethrower does not have the range).
   1. Pulse Laser Mount: This weapon is mounted on the front of the tank and can be fired by the driver. The weapons primary purpose is use against infantry but is effective against missiles and to a lesser extent both aircraft and other armored vehicles.
      Maximum Effective Range: 4,000 feet (1,200 meters)
      Mega-Damage: 3D6 for single shot and 1D6x10 for three round burst.
      Rate of Fire: Equal to gunners hand to hand
      Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
   2. NG-202 Rail Gun (1): Like the cannon on the Samson Power Armor, this cannon has been modified for a higher rate of fire. The tank commander the gunner, or the driver can access and use the rail gun. The main advantage of the Rail gun over the pulse laser is against targets which are impervious to energy weapons.
      Maximum Effective Range: 4,000 feet ( 1,200 m)
      Mega-Damage: A burst is 60 rounds and inflicts 1D6x10 M.D. One round does 1D4 M.D.
      Rate of Fire: Equal to number of combined hand to hand attacks (usually 4-6) of the gunner.
      Payload: 12,000 round drum, that's 200 bursts! Up to five drums can be carried by the tank. Reloading the drum takes 15 minutes if done by hand, 5 minutes if done with robots and special equipment.
   3. WI-NFT-1 Napalm P Plasma Flamethrower: While Northern Gun and Wellington Industries are not on the best terms, the need for this weapon system has forced Northern Gun to purchase them to place on the tank. While not effective against aircraft, the wide area the weapon covers is very effective. This weapon fires a stream of liquid which when activated "burns" for a short period of time (1D4 minutes) and inflicts damage during that duration. This is not a convention plasma weapon that heats materials to the point beyond gas and has some interesting properties. Because the canisters for the plasma cannon are well inside of the tank, the damage from explosion are minimal unless the tank is destroyed.
      Maximum Effective Range: 500 feet (152.4 meters)
      Mega-Damage: A short plasma burst inflicts 3D6 M.D. A concentrated plasma burst (counts as two attacks; 7 seconds) inflicts 1D4x10 M.D. As an additional option, the plasma weapon can be used to cover a wide area. Up to an area of 10 ft radius can be effected per melee attack. All targets within the area of effect will take 2D6 M.D. and will continue to receive 2D6 M.D. of damage per melee for a period of 1D4 minutes. The plasma fire cannot be extinguishes by water but must use sand or special chemical designed to fight metal fires.
      Rate of Fire: Equal to number of combined hand to hand attacks (usually 4-6) of the gunner.
      Payload: The armored vehicle has 4 Napalm-P tanks which gives the weapon 400 "shots".
3. MLRS-24 Multiple Launcher Rocket System (2): An MLRS-24 mini missile launcher is built into each side of the combat vehicle. Launcher is primarily controlled by gunner but can be controlled by the pilot as well. Each holds 24 mini-missiles and can rotate 360 degrees and can be raised 60 degrees.
   Maximum Effective Range: Varies with mini-missile type (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
   Mega-Damage: Varies with mini-missile type. Typically armor piercing and plasma (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
   Rate of Fire: One at a time or in volleys of 2, 4, or 6 mini-missiles.
   Payload: 48 total, 24 mini-missiles in each launcher.
4. Smoke/Gas Dispenser (2): A smoke/gas dispensing unit is attached to each side of the APC. The dispenser releases a dense cloud of smoke that covers a 40 foot (12.2 m) area in front of the vehicle. It can also release tear gas.
   Payload: 20 total; 10 charges each; typically all smoke.

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By Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune ).

Copyright © 2000, Kitsune. All rights reserved.