Nephilax
If the great empires and generals of the galaxy could find out where the makers of the rare Nephilax mecha lived and worked, they would do so. The makers of the Nephilax are a very private clan, known only as "The Craftsmen." They craft these mecha and give them to pilots who prove worthy of this special machine. They do not even sell the Nephilax to those skilled pilots, they only award them as a gift to show their appreciation for an impressive individual pilot's performance. The gold alloy plating declares its status as the ultimate gold medal.
Whenever a King of the Mountain contest is held, a Craftsmen representative contacts the tournament organizers and transports the prize mecha to a storage facility. The new Nephilax are held there until the contest is completed. The Craftsmen mysteriously always seem to know when a King of the Mountain contest is being held. This distribution process ensures than no one knows the location of The Craftsmen's workshops other than the Craftsmen themselves.
| Statistical Readout | |
|---|---|
| Tonnage | 40 |
| Armor Points | 80 |
| Start Weapons | 6 |
| Levels/Weapon | 5 |
| Manufacturer | The Craftsmen |
| Bonuses | |
|---|---|
| Build | Speed + 4 |
| Build | 3X Damage 5% |
| Build | Precision (1) |
| Level 5 | + 1 Weapon Slot |
| Level 6 | Shield (2) |
| Level 10 | Slow (5) |
| Level 10 | + 1 Weapon Slot |
| Level 12 | + 1 Shield Slot |
| Level 12 | Proj. Damage + 5% |
| Level 14 | + 1 Engine Slot |
| Level 14 | Laser Damage + 5% |
|
Level 15
+ every 5 levels |
+ 1 Weapon Slot |
| Level 16 | + 1 Chassis Slot |
| Level 18 | + 1 Cockpit Slot |
| Level 18 | Proj. Damage + 5% |
| Level 19 | Missile Damage + 5% |
| Level 23 | Proj. Damage + 5% |
| Level 24 | Precision (3) |
| Level 28 | Fire Damage + 5% |
| Level 33 | Ice Damage + 5% |
| Level 42 | + 1 Shield Slot |
| Level 44 | + 1 Engine Slot |
| Level 46 | + 1 Chassis Slot |
| Level 48 | + 1 Cockpit Slot |
| Level 50 | Shield (10) |
| Level 56 | 1.5X Damage 5% |
| Level 58 | Proj. Damage + 6% |
| Level 60 | + 1 Shield Slot |
| Level 64 | + 1 Engine Slot |
| Level 66 | Laser Damage + 6% |
| Level 68 | + 1 Chassis Slot |
| Level 72 | + 1 Cockpit Slot |
| Level 74 | Ice Damage + 6% |
| Level 77 | Speed + 4 |
| Level 82 | Missile Damage + 6% |
| Level 88 | 2X Damage 5% |
| Level 90 | Fire Damage + 6% |
| Level 93 | Splash Shield 20% |
| Level 97 | 3X Damage 3% |
| Level 102 | Laser Damage + 4% |
| Level 106 | Ice Damage + 4% |
| Level 109 | Missile Damage + 4% |
| Level 111 | Fork Shield 20% |
| Level 114 | Fire Damage + 4% |
| Level 118 | Precision (2) |
| Level 122 | Shield (5) |
| Level 126 | Proj. Damage + 4% |
| Level 129 | Speed + 4 |
| Level 133 | Laser Damage + 4% |
| Level 137 | Splash Shield 25% |
| Level 141 | Ice Damage + 4% |
| Level 146 | Fork Shield 20% |
| Level 149 | Missile Damage + 4% |
| Level 152 | 1.5X Damage 5% |
| Level 156 | Shield (7) |
| Level 161 | Fire Damage + 4% |
| Level 164 | Precision (2) |
| Level 168 | Proj. Damage + 4% |
| Level 173 | 2X Damage 5% |
| Level 177 | Speed + 4 |
| Level 179 | Shield (8) |
| Level 182 | 3X Damage 3% |
| Level 186 | Laser Damage + 4% |
| Level 189 | Ice Damage + 4% |
| Level 193 | Missile Damage + 4% |
| Level 197 | Fire Damage + 4% |
| Level 200 | Shield (2) |
| Level 207 | Slow (2) |
| Level 212 | Proj. Damage + 2% |
| Level 233 | Laser Damage + 2% |
| Level 244 | Proj. Damage + 2% |
| Level 247 | Missile Damage + 2% |
| Level 250 | + 1 Shield Slot |
| Level 250 | Proj. Damage + 2% |
| Level 262 | Precision (2) |
| Level 266 | Fire Damage + 2% |
| Level 274 | Ice Damage + 2% |
| Level 281 | Shield (5) |
| Level 292 | 1.5X Damage 2% |
| Level 297 | Proj. Damage + 3% |
| Level 300 | + 1 Engine Slot |
| Level 303 | Laser Damage + 3% |
| Level 309 | Ice Damage + 3% |
| Level 312 | Speed + 2 |
| Level 321 | Missile Damage + 3% |
| Level 325 | 2X Damage 2% |
| Level 333 | Fire Damage + 3% |
| Level 336 | Splash Shield 5% |
| Level 339 | 3X Damage 2% |
| Level 342 | Laser Damage + 2% |
| Level 349 | Ice Damage + 2% |
| Level 350 | + 1 Chassis Slot |
| Level 353 | Missile Damage + 2% |
| Level 358 | Fork Shield 5% |
| Level 378 | Fire Damage + 2% |
| Level 382 | Precision (2) |
| Level 386 | Shield (2) |
| Level 390 | Proj. Damage + 2% |
| Level 399 | Speed + 2 |
| Level 400 | + 1 Cockpit Slot |
The Nephilax is without a doubt the most powerful mecha in its class. For a prize mecha, the Nephilax is a well-balanced and practical tool of war. It's equipped with the intricate Craftsmen Tetrapod Movement System, a revolutionary system that was first designed for the Nephilax. The Tetrapod Movement System and has proven to be a highly agile system, so the Craftsmen continued to use it in later designs. Many larger mecha cannot move as quickly as the smaller tonnages but even as a medium-weight mech, Nephilax has formidable speed advantages. Additional shielding pods mounted on the Chassis also protect the Nephilax from various attacks.
The A.I. mounted in the Nephilax is aptly named the Eye of Horus, or simply "the Eye", as it is ideal for hunting other mecha. Built-in Target Assist enhances the pilot's accuracy. The standard Craftsmen optical firing solution programming is also included, generating above-average damage from all types of weapon systems. Projectile systems gain an additional boost from this programming making Cannons a very popular choice for the Nephilax. An Electronic Warfare systems is mounted in the cockpit to slow enemy mecha, making them easy targets for the pilot.
The Nephilax carriers triple-redundant customization slots, allowing the pilot of further enhance its already impressive arsenal. While the Craftsmen's later Zadok and Vizi mecha use the Hercules power plant, the Nephilax mounts the larger Colossus model. The Colossus is faster and has a greater power output off the assembly line. The Nephilax will also periodically generate weapons overloads, enhancing its already impressive damage to target profile.
Beginning around the year 3300, a technological Renaissance began throughout the galaxy. The Craftsmen were at the forefront of new research efforts and at the center of a new era of cooperation and sharing of information, research, and technology among the Major Powers and Great Clans of the Galaxy.
While the Great Clans experienced changes in alliances that lead to unprecedented access to new technologies, The Craftsmen quickly took advantage of the resources available during this age of development. They subsequently unlocked rare mecha abilities and executed a significant expansion of the existing capabilities of niode matrices. Perhaps their more thorough understanding of the niodes allowed them to coax higher levels of performance from the matrices.
The Nephilax update package of 3306 transformed this mecha from a dangerous opponent that still had some room to grow into a power house. Advances were made in the targeting algorithms, helping to ensure that all weapons are even more likely to hit the target. Individual weapon damage continues to exceed factory standards at an even larger margin, while the addition of a sophisticated tracking system allows fire to be directed onto incoming enemy mecha.
As the premier mecha in the Craftsmen line, it is only fitting that the Nephilax benefited greatly from the new technologies unlocked from the niode matrices. On the defensive side, the addition of protection from area attacks such as Splash and secondary targeting systems like Fork add considerably to the Nephilax's endurance in battle. The shield pods' function also increases significantly at multiple stages.
The most exciting improvement in this update was made to the Modular Overload Capacitor. When a target lock is achieved, any excess power stored in the Capacitor is used to generate an overload. As with many Craftsmen designs, the capacitor has a three-stage function. The tri-compartment design can generate a 1.5X, 2X, 3X or any combination of the three as an overload. When all three are fully charged, a devastating 9X overloaded blast will cripple or destroy even the largest of mecha.
Many will try to earn one of these impressive mecha from the Craftsmen. Pilots who prove that they are capable of handling themselves in the high-pressure competitions in the King of the Mountain tournaments will really have a chance to see the Nephilax shine.
Legendary Pilots
-
Duncan Cecil Goetz
As of today a new legend is being told Duncan Cecil Goetz has become renowned as a legendary pilot of the 40 ton Nephilax Class Mecha. Such mastery of the Nephilax immediately suggests Goetz has seen countless victory in the King of the Mountain, as the Nephilax cannot be bought. Rather, the Nephilax can only be obtained from it's mysterious creators, "The Craftsmen," through victory in combat. Despite such difficulty in acquiring new Nephilax mecha, Goetz is able to maintain a small fleet; particularly advantageous when acting as a specialist for his clan, a role he has excelled in. In such role Goetz uses the speed and precision of the Nephilax to seize victory where other pilots might only find the bitter taste of defeat. Though dabbling in smaller combats earlier on, Goetz first made a name for himself in the Faction War of 3282 where he found his first gold medal. From there Goetz has earned hundreds of medals and the accolades of his peers in his more than a galactic decade of steady mecha combat. Currently Goetz can be found fighting for the "Death's Collectors {AFF}" where he continues to excel in his specialist role, a continual thorn in the side of those would seek to defeat his clan. Known to his companions as the "Eternal Warrior" due to his grit and tenacity that never let him stay down, one thing is certain about Goetz: his legend will continue to grow throughout the mecha galaxy.