Tanu Triop

 

Built by: Tanu

Used by: Tanu

Tons/Hull Points: 45

Crew: 22/45

Maneuverability Class: C, special

Landing - Land: yes

Water: yes

Armor rating: 2

Saves as: Glassteel {metal +2}

Power Type: Psi-helm or other

Armament:

Blunt Ram

2 heavy dual ballistae, crew = 5 each

2 light Ballistae, crew = 1 each

2 light Jettisons, crew = 2 each

Cargo capacity: 20 tons

Keel length: 135'

Beam: cabin 60', wingspan 85'

The Triop is the standard armored warship of the Tanu Legion. The Triop is made to be a swift, hard-hitting ship that can perform a wide array of duties, and stand against larger ships in battle. Its fully enclosed, plated design offers maximum protection, with its rigging controlled by levers, ropes & pulleys from interior stations while weapons platforms are warded by turrets. Some cargo & interior space is sacrificed for the standard mounting of twin dual heavy ballistae, but as this is a military ship, Legion crews are used to spartan quarters. They tend to travel with maximum crews, carrying a compliment of 20-30 armored Legion marines in addition to rigging & weapons personnel. The flight command crew, aside from the helmsman, have an observation station near the forward-mount weapon window, and communicate via speaking tubes and psionics to coordinate ship actions.

The Triop's lateral fin-sails are an example of gnome ingenuity. So long as the full rigging compliment are at their stations, the Triop can make a facing change to any direction at the cost of 2 SR points, either at the beginning or end of each fourth round. Alternately, it can increase or decrease its movement abruptly by 2 SR, at the same cost in time, so long as this movement is in a straight line. The intervening time is spent resetting the heavy jib-springs that allow this maneuver. All Triops are considered 'topped out' when constructed, and require 6 riggers to operate their fin sails; thus the large minimum crew number {including the 16 weaponeers}.

The Triop's heavy blunt ram packs a devastating punch, and crews are drilled relentlessly to be prepared for the potential of injury that can occur when the ship lunges forward at ramming speed. 'Ramming rings' are scattered throughout crew areas for their use in these maneuvers, and cargo containers are battened down at all times.

Triops are expected to remain versatile under varied conditions for extended periods of time without resupply, and viands and raw & finished repair materials made of Tanu glass take most cargo space. Crewmen are generally expected to pack all their equipment into the nooks within their bunkrooms, which are 'cozy' but designed for efficient use of space. The Triop is both a water and earth-capable landing vehicle; while a clumsy sea vessel requiring a draft almost 45 feet deep, the Triop is watertight and capable of full sail upon non-stormy water. This is rare, though, given the Tanu's general fear of the sea.

 

Mega Triop

 

Built by: Tanu

Used by: Tanu

Tons/Hull Points: 90

Crew: 32/90

Maneuverability Class: C, special

Landing - Land: yes

Water: yes

Armor rating: 2

Saves as: glassteel {metal +2}

Power Type: Psi-helm or Cloaking Psi

Armament:

Blunt Ram

2 heavy dual ballistae, crew = 5 each

4 Accelerators, crew = 1 each

2 medium ballistae, crew = 3 each

Cargo capacity: 40 tons

Keel length: 260'

Beam: cabin 120', wingspan - 170'

The Mega Triop was designed as an improvement on a good thing; for the most part engineers began with standard Triop architecture and doubled its dimensions. Crew accommodations are more comfortable, meeting space has been added and an additional pair of turrets was mounted to increase firepower. The main body of the ship is elongated, and the tall dorsal sail-fins reduced in size, since the enlarged lateral 'flip fins' take over much of the maneuvering duties of the larger ship. While the whole is still plated, topped out, and enclosed to protect the crew and interior devices, a second set of turrets now peer from the sides of the vessel. Also, cargo capacity improves some for the ship's size, as the Mega Triop is now the standard long-reach exploration vessel of the Tanu Legion. Like its smaller predecessor, the Mega Triop is also capable of special face and speed changing as the more common Triop. In addition, they are usually the first to receive newly-made Cloaking Psionic helms, to increase their advantages in both exploration and combat.

Designed for long-term travel and autonomous operation in alien spheres, this vessel allows its crew to explore air, water and earth based worlds while remaining safe within an armored carapace. It is capable of ocean sailing, though not on rough water, and can remain secure on land as well, a compact moving fortress warded by many weapons and a large compliment of armored psionic warriors. Typical marine compliment is 40 heavily armored warriors of the usual Legion racial stock {Tanu, Ginselian barbarians, dwarves and gnomes} trained for a variety of missions and survival situations. Mega Triops will also staff several mages and priests of medium to high levels for added firepower and rapid treatment of injury and unknown health & magic threats on foreign worlds.

These large ships also act as the anchor for Tanu war fleets in wildspace. A task force will typically be commanded from a Mega Triop via palantir, with between four and a dozen other ships in attendance, depending on mission and local threat levels. When truly heavy action threatens a Tanu colony or world, a Star-class vehicle with several Mega Triops as escort will darken the skies and roar down upon enemy fleets.