HALO: Echoes of the Shield Worlds

[Pr0nogo]

This is a role-play that takes place well past the events of HALO 3. This premise was written prior to the release of HALO 4. As such, canon from that game may or may not appear in this role-play.

The massive leap in time and technology means that many articles on the game guide and game wiki are invalidated. If you have a specific question that you don't feel is sufficiently answered by this thread's extensive overview of the new technology or the pre-existing guide or wiki, feel free to contact me privately. In fact, any questions at all can be sent via PM and posting below. The same goes for character sheet submissions. I will approve or disapprove all character sheets personally, and I do not require a co-GM.

For historic events regarding your character and his or her encounters, feel free to consult the game guide. Otherwise, you can contact me.

Following the climactic destruction of the Gravemind on Omega Halo, SPARTAN 117 - the "Master Chief" - was left in a hunk of spaceship as it hurtled towards an unmarked planet. As the lone SPARTAN soon learned, the planet was a shield world, and he was greeted by a monitor much like 343 Guilty Spark. The SPARTAN disappeared inside the world soon after, and when a team did arrive at the former location of Omega, the Chief was nowhere to be found.

Ten years has passed since the events on the third Halo, and new conflicts have emerged. Ragtag Jiralhanae coalitions have steadily gained power over the years, fighting a perpetual war on the UNSC while an unusually-large influx of pirate and rebel forces merely adds to the strain. As a result of a massive civil war on Sangheilous, many Elites have left the UNSC and formed their own militia, complete with vehicular support and Unggoy followers. With small-scale conflicts and trouble stirring all around the UNSC's territory, it is understandable that no one has noticed the true threat that is sweeping across the outermost worlds.

Bizarre mutations and diseases have spread through pockets of newly-colonised worlds, outside previous human territorial reaches. The mutations transfigure the entirety of the human populace on the outer colonies, turning them into vile, virulent creatures that spread the disease like wildfire. It affects every living organism on the afflicted worlds, and there is no cure. That is not, however, the deadliest attribute of this newfound infection…

The deadliest attribute is that once full infection of a given region is complete, the populace returns to a normal appearance. In short, they look like humans, act like humans, and live like humans - but they've turned.

The sweeping virus is accompanied by a ruthless antidote - the Forerunner autonomous Sentinel and Guardian drones have awoken and even now lay siege to several of the afflicted colonies, en masse. This is where the infected's disguise comes in. For all intents and purposes, the UNSC believes them to be endangered human colonies and as such has been waging war against the Forerunner bots, inadvertently protecting the infection. This is allowing the virus to continue to spread across humankind's worlds relatively undetected, and with no one truly knowledgeable of the virus, it was assured of its safety.

Until now, that is. A transmission from the shield world Requiem has been received by UNSC cruiser Striking Force, providing only inter-planetary latitude and longitude coordinates and the text "Sierra". Unable to trace it back to anywhere specific, a small recon team of four ODSTs were dropped to the planet's surface. They were killed by Sentinel patrols less than 10 minutes after arrival. Dispatching a larger force and calling for SPARTAN aide, the Striking Force crew waged a short-lived battle against the small amount of Forerunner forces, and discovered a stasis tank in the bowels of the shield world.

Master Chief, Sierra 117, lay inside, frozen in stasis.

Retrieving their lost hero, the UNSC cruiser made a quick jump to Reach, which had been recolonised in the years during Chief's absence. This world would serve to help John recuperate and give his info to ONI. What he had to say proved the virus' existence, but gave no leads on how to combat it without randomly exterminating colonies left and right (which is what some members of ONI wanted to do). Cortana, John's personal friend and AI, had long ago lost viability as a reliable source and had 'expired'. She was terminated, as per the usual credence involving AI. ONI has nothing in terms of discerning who's infected and who isn't, but reliable data does reveal that the virus is a form of the Flood infection, and something external is controlling it - much like the original Flood infection controlled by the Gravemind.

It's not looking good for humanity. The brutes, elites, and pirates, while often suffering more defeats than enjoying victories, are a capital strain on the UNSC's military. The Forerunner armies remain openly hostile towards mankind, wiping out entire fleets during some battles. The most deadly threat of all, what ONI refers to as the "Feeder Virus", looms over the core worlds like a predator over fallen prey. Perhaps humankind doesn't face extermination quite yet, but the threats they face need to be dealt with - and fast.

Master Chief will not be enough this time.

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Synopsis:

Ten years after HALO 3, Master Chief is recovered from stasis on a shield world and tells humanity that there's a Flood derivative spreading through the outer colonies. Cortana expired and was terminated. At the same time, the UNSC is fighting off brute coalitions, pirate armadas, and rebel forces, while the Forerunner robots wreak havoc trying to exterminate the virus. In short, shit got thick.

NPCs:

Any characters here will not be played by anyone, including myself.

Master Chief, for obvious reasons; he's that big bad-ass whom no one should try to emulate directly in a role-play.

ONI Directors, because of the very nature of their job - looking at and discussion secrets. I may post conversations between ONI directors, though, so maybe I will end up playing them.

Pirates and rebels, due to their limited life expectancy and minimalist involvement in the overarching plot.

Fair Warning: I have a designated direction for which I intend the plot to go. If you deviate extensively, I will let you know privately, but we all have to come together in order to work with the role-play. As such, refusal to abide by the rules and private warnings (which I will refer to as “insolence” for negative connotation’s sake) will result in me reminding you what the shape of Italy is. Don’t make me talk about Italy.

Additionally, if you take on the task of playing one the hardest character roles of all - the infected overlord - I expect you to be able to play the part. The same goes for artificial intelligences. There should only be one of those for every four other characters in play, by the way. We don't need a role-play of twenty AIs and no physical characters.

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Character Sheet Outline

Name:
Appearance:
Age:
Rank:
Affiliation:
Equipment:
Biography:
Miscellaneous:

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Limits:

You can be a Sangheili (one who fights for or against the UNSC), a Marine, an ODST, a SPARTAN-IV, a Jiralhanae, an artificial intelligence (AI), or an infected overlord.

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F.A.Q.:

1.) "Why can't I be a rebel or a pirate?"
-They die too often for you to develop a character. It is stretching the constraints of reality for them to live half as long as the average UNSC marine once they're thrown into battle, thanks to their poor training and provisions.

2.) "Can I have more than one character?"
-I would normally say ‘no’ to this one, but if you’re comfortable with more than one character, I’ll give you the go-ahead (assuming I approve your sheets). I myself will be running with two, anyways, and hypocrisy only works if you’re a parent, a politician, or religious. I’m none of those, so I’ll keep it as low as I feasibly can.

3.) "If I'm unsure, can I check something with you via PM?"
-Of course.

4.) "The hell's an infected overlord?"
-They order around other infected during battle and are stronger and faster than regular infected. They're often bat-shit crazy, too, but then again, all infected are. Think of them as sergeants or squad leaders for Feeder forces.

5.) "Why can't I be a Kig-yar, a Yanme'e, an Unggoy, or an Mgalekgolo?"
-A lot of these are either too frail to survive long enough or too rare. Oddly enough, the Hunters aren’t seen very often any longer – the Jiralhanae are fairly averse to using anything but themselves and Unggoy, for some reason or another. Hunters have long since improved themselves, though, so if they do show up… Well, I didn’t know you very well, but rest in pieces anyways. I’m also pretty sure that Drones are controlled by Yanme’e Queens, so I’m gonna say no on both that and the frailty basis.

6.) "What goes under Affiliation?"
-UNSC, Jiralhanae Coalition, Sangheili, or Infected. If you’re infected, put what you once were, like Infected (formerly Sangheili). Remember that the standalone Sangheili militia is also at odds with the brutes.

8.) "So-and-so is godmodding! What should I do?"
-If you feel you or someone else may be godmodding, PM me.

9.) "Have there been weapons advancements?"
-See the next section, dummy.

Ten years after the climactic "end" of the Human-Covenant war, both sides have made great leaps in technology. The UNSC has sought to improve ground-based operations even further, but even with their numbers and new technology, they only barely have the upper hand in battles against the remainder of the Brute and Elite forces. The new Covenant technology is a fearsome threat.

The human ingenuity factor played an important role in the Human-Covenant war. Now, ten years later, the UNSC and co. have made great leaps in matters of weapons of war.

Assault Rifle -> MA7D - Featuring an 80-round clip, a 2x zoom (unreliable on faster firing speeds), and can empty the entire clip in under thirty seconds. The MA7C is a more lightweight build and doesn't have a scope, but has the same stats otherwise.

Battle Rifle/DMR -> HK9 Combat Rifle - Holds 30 rounds with single- and triple-burst firing speeds. 2x and 8x zooms.

Magnum -> M7A - Holds 12 shots and can fire five every two seconds. The stopping power of each shot is almost equivalent to the firing power of the infamous M6D, and the accuracy is much more reliable. No zoom, however.

SMG -> LMG-T2A - The T2A Light Machine Gun adds more burst, more speed, and more clip size to its predecessor, the SMG. When accuracy fails, just aim from one end to the other and pull the trigger. Your arm might disintegrate from the recoil, though.

Shotgun -> TR80 - With an 8 shell capacity and optional dispersion mode - which fires all shells rapidly into one target – the TR80 is a powerful close-range weapon. Stopping power has increased from the past version.

Sniper Rifle -> S4AP – Fire slowly for accurate hits, or in quick succession for those desperate times when a Brute Chieftain’s chasing your ass and you “misplaced” your shotgun. The weapon holds 6 slugs, and is equipped with 2x, 10x, and 20x zooms. Rounds are always armour piercing.

Grenade Launcher -> TK427 - Holding a single grenade, this grenade launcher can modify the explosive ordnance of its ammunition to toggle between incendiary, EMP, and fragmentation temperaments. Each one has an advantage in specific conditions, but you'll likely want to default back to fragmentation if there are a good amount of enemies in your vicinity.

Flamethrower -> Hellraiser - The updated model of the flamethrower is more compact than the original. While it requires fuel refills more often, it's a more reasonable weapon for the average marine. A funnel system has been installed to the ignition chamber, allowing the flames to be shot farther before losing viability.
Used in select situations and is not stocked in most armouries.

Rocket Launcher -> SPNKR/IAARL - The Individual Anti-Armour Rocket Launcher shows its stuff with three rocket pods loaded at a time. 2 and 5x zooms included, with vehicular heat-seeking/lock-on abilities.

SPARTAN Laser -> ICLWS - The Individual Combat Laser Weapon System can cycle between single, double, and triple charge (the more discharges, the longer the cooldown) and holds a pack large enough for 15 blasts. The laser can punch through almost any armour at a fairly-long range. UNSC cruisers have been upgraded with beefed-up versions as frontal weapons for space combat, known as "Credence Beams".

Fragmentation Grenade - The new frag boasts a larger blast radius by a single metre, but not much else has changed from the original design - a testament to its lasting effectiveness.

Incendiary Grenade - While the original brute manufacturers still occasionally make use of these, the "firebomb" grenade has largely shifted over to human use. The flames from this grenade last longer and burn hotter with additional napalm included, and spread like wildfire along flammable surfaces (and skin).

Warthog -> R/APV "Raptor", SAAV "Groundhog", SATV "Frontman", AMTV "Shuttle"
R/APV - The Recon/All-Purpose Vehicle, or "Raptor Warthog", is a redux of the standard LAAG model. It comes with a high-powered machine gun turret and has less plating than most other 'hogs, making it an apt replacement for both the LAAG and the Mongoose.
SAAV - The Specialised Anti-Air Vehicle, or "Groundhog", earned its nickname from its ability to ground enemy aircraft. The vehicle is armed with a quad-missile launcher and can fire up to sixteen consecutive shots before reloading (four from each launcher). It has reflective plating for limited defense against fuel rods, but talented Nightmare pilots can still land a killing blow if they strike the gunner.
SATV - The Specialised Anti-Tank Vehicle, or "Frontman", is armed with the T6-2A railcannon which rips through older human tanks in a few shells. The Frontman's armour is thick enough to require more than one rail shot to breach, in most cases.
AMTV - The Armoured Military Transport Vehicle, or the "Shuttle" (also called the "Long Warthog" due to its 6 wheels and long length), holds up to 8 passengers and is almost twice the length as the four-wheeler 'hogs. It is used as a fast-delivery system for reinforcements and supplies. The armour on the Shuttle is about the same as that of an older Scorpion tank.
Lastly, nearly all Warthog servos and plating are interchangeable. You can have a heavily-armoured machine gun ‘hog, and you can have a lightly-armoured rocket ‘hog. The one exception is the Shuttle's elongated model, which unfortunately doesn't allow for turrets.

Scorpion -> APT "Mastodon", ST "Loki"
APT - The All-Purpose Tank, or "Mastodon", is equipped with twin all-purpose cannons - much like the original iteration of the UNSC's Scorpion tank (though more closely related to the Grizzly). The turret that was originally manned by a separate gunner during the days of the Earth invasion has returned to the main cannons as an autonomous "autoturret" that picks off infantry units based on proximity to the tank's cabin (to prevent jackers). The armour has been made stronger without being too much thicker, keeping to the Scorpion's surprising mobility while increasing the overall resilience of the vehicle.
ST - The Specialised Tank, or "Loki", gets its nickname for its uncanny (and often unexpected) ability to switch weapon servos in battle. It can choose from dual railguns (anti-armour), tracked missiles (anti-air), and dual cannons à la the Mastodon (with an extra autoturret for anti-infantry purposes). The Loki suffers from less armour to prevent a loss of mobility, what with all the servos being stored within the tank.

HMAWP - The "Talon" Heavy Mobile Assault Weapons Platform is a marvel in size, damage output, and especially cost. The Talon is two hundred metres long, two hundred tall, and four hundred thick. It uses massive thrusters to hover around fifty metres over the battlefield (about as tall as the newer Scarabs) and provides extensive fire support via rocket pods, railcannons, autoturrets, and a MAC gun which rivals the older shipboard models. When damaged, a large section of the Talon will eject from the whole platform and attempt repairs before rejoining with the main body. Talons are completely autonomous, though they are often controlled manually from the orbiting UNSC cruisers they are dispatched from.

Hornet/Falcon -> AA "Crane", RC "Eagle"
AA - The Assault Aircraft "Crane" is armed with two rocket pods, a flare pod, and two autoturrets. Its crew is one pilot, and may contain two turret operators if the autoturrets have been swapped for conventional machine gun or grenade launcher turrets (à la Falcon).
RC - The Recon Craft "Eagle" is an autonomous drone that is armed with two autoturrets and a scanning system for reconnaissance. Its smaller frame naturally provides less armour than a Crane. The Eagle can additionally be remotely piloted if the need arises.

Pelican - MTC "Pelican", MT/AC "Majesty"
MTC - The Military Transport Craft "Pelican" is the new and improved iteration of everyone's favourite troop transport. With expanded armour, two extra thrusters, three autoturrets, and twin missile pods, the new Pelican is a strong addition to the ground-based UNSC forces.
MT/AC - The "Majesty" is a Military Transport/Assault Craft that forgoes larger troop space for more armaments. Numbering six autoturrets and twin railcannons, the Majesty packs a serious punch. It is, however, slow-moving and harder to manoeuvre due to its heavier frame and added plating.

Shortsword/Longsword -> ASF "Scimitar" - The Assault Space Craft, known amongst pilots and soldiers alike as the "Scimitar", replaces both the Shortsword bomber and the Longsword space fighter - and outdoes both. Roughly the same size as the Longsword and equipped with a dual Fujikawa engines, the Scimitar is a highly-mobile craft, keeping in line with its predecessors. The expanded firepower - consisting of two cruiser-quality railcannons and a mini-MAC gun like that found on the outdated Halcyon-class frigates - make it a force to be reckoned with. Its bombing payloads closely resemble the unguided bombs of the aged carpet bomb used in the Harvest conflict, but explode in a much larger radius.

The ten years since the High Prophet of Regret's slaying has had the shattered Covenant seen desertion and rogues. The technologies that the remnants of the Covenant use are largely upgraded forms of existing technologies or repurposed Forerunner inventions. Aside from one or two new weapons of war, the new Covenant war machine is based on pre-existing tech.

Spiker -> Plasma Ripper - the new Spiker's heft is almost double that of the original model, so if you aren't a brute, you can forget about wielding them easily. The Plasma Ripper fires superheated plasma spikes double the length and width of traditional Needler rounds, often resulting in decapitation, impaling, or complete shredding of the target. They move at roughly half the speed of a bullet, making them far faster than the Spiker’s projectiles, and even more deadly. The clip holds thirty rounds and empties at about eight rounds per second.

Needler/Needle Rifle -> Supercombine Launcher - The SCL is a complete overhaul of the initial Needler design, replacing both its predecessor and the once-popular Needle Rifle. The launcher fires two shots per cartridge. Each shot phases through anything non-organic until it finds an acceptable target (friendly or otherwise). The projectiles launched by each shot are millions of tiny blamite fragments that adhere to organic tissue, causing millions of supercombine explosions on a cellular level - basically resulting in disintegration of the target. However, the blamite cloud moves at the speed of fuel rod projectiles – slowly enough for most attentive soldiers to evade the pink mist. It does not lock on to heat signatures.

Carbine -> Plasma Lancer - While few Jiralhanae actually use these weapons, preferring to make use of the more brutish creations, Jackals far prefer Lancers to Plasma Shredders when their favourite Laser Rifle is out of the question. The Lancer uses the same base model as the Carbine, with several improvements. The firing chamber is now significantly larger, meaning the plasma lances are more finely-honed – boosting both accuracy and damage. This makes the weapon an excellent sniping tool when no actual rifles are around. The rate of fire has slightly increased, and the scope has been amplified to a 5x zoom. And of course, the new hellish-red colour scheme is a lot more menacing.

Plasma Pistol -> Plasma Bolter - Make no mistake; the Plasma Bolter is not the Plasma Pistol. The newest upgrade to the Plasma Pistol model results in overcharged shots completely melting half of most human targets. The plasma launched from the weapon can melt through almost any ground armour, be it tank plating, SPARTAN shielding and armour, or otherwise. Talon and UNSC cruiser hulls can generally withstand the impact. Overcharged shots have a large chance to leak into the entire weapon's surface, causing it to detonate; many Jackals (and brutes) have died due to careless use.

Plasma Rifle/Plasma Repeater -> Plasma Shredder - The brute upgrade to the Plasma Rifle is now more than a damage boost and a new coat of paint; it's a complete overhaul of the original weapon system, allowing for faster projectile speed and more shots per second. It holds up to brute standards so rigidly that waiting for the weapon to cool off after prolonged use is only recommended - not required - although your Ripper will explode after too much use without cooldown. The Assault Rifle trumps it in speed, but a boost in power makes the Ripper a roughly even match.

Mauler -> Impaler - The newest version of the Mauler has a deadly body-shredding close-combat attack, but also transitions to ranged combat in the form of launching the spearhead-length projectiles (at near-bullet speeds) into more distant enemies. This makes the Impaler a deadly weapon across all fronts. The blades atop the system don't do much to lower its threat level, either – they merely add to the fun of chopping up enemy limbs.

Brute Shot/Concussion Rifle -> PPL - The Plasma Projectile Launcher is a smaller cousin of the vehicle-mounted weapon on Telos tanks. It's more commonly known amongst UNSC Marines as the "Laser Grenade Launcher" because it fires explosive projectiles at bullet speed and leaves what appears to be a laser trail. It's actually an explosive smoke trail that looks so constant due to the projectile’s speed. The explosion is enough to knock down marines at ten metres, incapacitate and possibly deafen at five, and kill at three. The weapon holds four rounds per magazine, but the weapon can overheat if it launches two grenades before being allowed to cool off.

Beam Rifle/Laser Rifle -> Type 53 Special Applications System - The 53SAS, more commonly referred to as the "Beam Laser", combines the firing power of the Laser Rifle with the precision of the Beam Rifle, making it one hell of a sniper weapon. With four self-charging plasma cores, the Beam Laser promises a steady recharge rate for prolonged, active use, and its precision makes Jackal snipers (and the occasional brute sniper) a serious threat.

Energy Sword -> "Reaper" Plasma Scythe - The Energy Sword saw a general lack of use by Covenant forces during HALO 3, with Sangheili no longer a part of the main ground operations. The new Reaper model replaces the Sangheili "precise kill" weapon with the more violent and brutal style of the Jiralhanae. The Plasma Scythe cuts through matter much quicker and at a far greater range than the Energy Sword. Its extended reach and bulkier build makes for awkward untrained handling, so much that even SPARTANs have largely been unable to use the things. Brutes and Elites remain the only possible wielders, at large, and even then, Sangheili prefer their swords. With the updates in plasma weapons, the Covenant has enabled slow plasma regeneration for the weapon – about two energy every three seconds.

Fuel Rod Gun -> Plasma Condenser - Misconceptions the UNSC field troops have about the Plasma Launcher lead them to believe that the Covenant are creating plasma at the weapon's targeted location. In fact, it's condensing the air around the target with use of plasma. The molecules of air are crushed, leading to spectacularly gory deaths akin to implosion. Because the cooldown on the weapon allows for around two shots every minute, you can expect the chieftains using the weapons to have added spikes à la the Plasma Ripper for entertainment while the weapon is cooling off. The downside to the Condensor’s design lies merely in its costs. They are rarely encountered – though that’s not likely to ease any terror inspired by the sight of one in action.

Gravity Hammer -> Propulsion Hammer - The Brute Chieftains lusted for a more powerful model of their weapon of choice - the Gravity Hammer. As such, Covenant Engineers set to work crafting the Propulsion Hammer - a larger version of the Gravity Hammer that pulls enemies to the wielded, allowing for brutally efficient methods to deal with bunkered-down troops. The weakness in the ability to pull enemies away is that it uses up two strikes' worth of energy, not counting the charges one would use to actually strike and kill the foe. The gravitational lashes are now almost twice as large as they were in previous models. Lastly, the Propulsion Hammer, as with the Reaper Scythe, slowly regenerates energy when not in use.

Plasma Grenade - The new iteration of the Plasma Grenades has seen a more popular inclusion in Covenant ground forces. For once, the Jiralhanae's version of an existing weapon system is more lightweight than before, giving even the frail Yanme'e Drones the ability to hurl them into the fray from above. The blast radius has remained much the same as past versions.

Spike Grenade -> Slicer Grenade - The Slicer shows more contempt for any living creature than any past brute invention with its ridiculously-lethal design. It explodes on contact after being armed, but its wrath doesn't end there; rather than covering the area in superheated spikes like its predecessor, it covers the area in superheated spikes that also spray a smaller radius with their own superheated fragments. This results in the utter shredding of the insides of stuck targets, as well as anyone in the immediate vicinity. There's little explosive residue or damage, though, making the Slicer an almost exclusively anti-personnel weapon.

Ghost -> Skimmer - The Skimmer is a fast-response attack vehicle and scout, much like the Ghost. The Skimmer, however, has a sealed cockpit, and for a good reason - the vehicle also has the unique ability amongst vehicles of both races to make short slipspace jumps for around five seconds. Pilots can use this ability to avoid obstacles, sidestep enemy forces, and even evade locked-on rockets. Because slipspace travel can irradiate organic exposure, the cockpit must be sealed to activate the slipspace function. Add that to the fast-attack cannons and the elongated boost time and you have one of the most efficient ground vehicles on the field.

Chopper -> Carnivore - The Carnivore, piloted exclusively by brutes, sets out to become what the Chopper thought it was - a vicious, vehicular deathtrap. Between the copious amounts of flesh-dissolving spikes and the powerful anti-armour (and anti-personnel) cannons that fire their projectiles twice as fast as the Chopper did, the Carnivore is a prime example of brute ingenuity. It's a wonder the vehicle maintained its small boost time.

Wraith -> Telos - The Telos Battle Tank is an anti-ground hovercraft that looks to be slightly smaller than the Mastodon. Its armour is made out of thickened plates of mephite - a stronger metalloid derivative of the Hunter's blast shield. The pumped-up PPL systems, coupled with a Plasma Mortar that recently saw a damage modulator upgrade, and you have one hell of a tank. Railcannons from the Mastodon do their job in anywhere from three to six hits, but the UNSC tank can be destroyed in less time if all weapons are focused on it. The only reason the Telos tank isn't usually the victor is that there are generally more Mastodons and Lokis than Teloses.

Banshee -> Nightmare CC/Terror SC - A good reason to fear the skies often came not just from troop transports, but also from Banshees. The Jiralhanae's personal iteration of the popular Covenant aircraft is the Nightmare Combat Craft, made from stronger material and hued a blood-red – as if it were a warning. Its weapon systems include a fuel rod cannon system (the only fuel rod system still in use in the Covenant army) that is capable of firing two shots in quick succession before recharging. The plasma repeaters, other than being replaced by Plasma Shredders, have been improved to track vehicle targets, but the automated targeting system isn't always reliable – particularly in high-mobility skirmishes. The iconic wail that earned its predecessor its name has only grown louder with the increased payload, as a larger engine was required to support the bulkier frame, but the mobility and flexibility of the Banshee has carried over quite well despite the Nightmare being larger. The spacefaring version of the Banshee has earned itself a new name, seeing as how it's nearly the size of the old Seraphs, and has double the payload of the Nightmare. Complete with a slipspace drive, the Terror Space Craft, along with the Nightmare, make the Covenant air support no less frightening.

Spirit/Drop Pod/Phantom -> Celestial - The Covenant have always had a need for reinforcing ground armies during assaults on UNSC planets and defenses of their own territories. In the past, the Spirits (replaced by Phantoms later on) and Drop Pods served as troop transports. Now, the Engineers have developed a faster, low-cost module that replaces all past forms of troop transporting; the Celestial Drop Pod. Extensive armour prevents troops inside from taking lethal injuries when the Celestial is shot down (though they may be incapacitated) unless the troop bay is destroyed. As a secondary function, empty Celestials can project extra overshields à la the Covenant Engineers, and provide links to Covenant ships in orbit - provided the angle is right - which lets reinforcements stream in rather quickly. This gives the UNSC even more reason to target them - and a Frontman's Railcannons will make short work of the transport if the gunner aims for the thrusters in the back or the thinner plating on the bottom.

Seraph -> Kryll SF - The Kryll Space Fighter, bordering on twice the size of the Seraph, boasts an array of three twin-linked lasers that, ten years ago, would have only been possible to arm Covenant Cruisers with. These are able to punch through most armour after numerous discharges, and pose a great threat to UNSC spacecraft. In such a time where the Covenant no longer have a sizable fleet, Kryll and Terrors comprise most of their spacefaring force, and encounters with cruisers are rare (although often result in a Covenant victory, as the power of a cruiser is formidable). The movement speed of a Kryll is only slightly slower than that of a Seraph, with a difference of maybe ten or twelve kilometres per minute.

Scarab - The new Scarabs stand a hundred and seventy feet tall and pack dual plasma repeater cannons for anti-air purposes. The main Scarab gun has gone through several upgrades and defective models before arriving at the current system; a repurposed triple-barreled rotating plasma drill based off of Forerunner technology. The drill cannot pass through atmosphere, but models of the weapon system have been adapted to the Covenant space armada. On the ground, a Mastodon will hold up for less than ten seconds after the rotation of the drill is at full speed. The key to fighting the Scarabs is avoiding their weapons long enough for the spin to slow, then going back for a strike. The core has been moved deeper into the heart of the vehicle, meaning the UNSC has to employ heavy anti-armour systems against the massive vehicles. A MAC round from a Talon or orbiting cruiser will do, and when those are absent, Railcannons to the drill will destroy the Scarab's weapon systems after concentrated fire. The rest is just a matter of dealing enough damage to cripple the legs and topple the beast of a vehicle.

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Ask any other questions you have, and post character sheets when you can. I’ll have character sheets for my characters up soon, assuming interest is shown.

[Sir Beowulf]

Ho sheet. Gimme dat OOC.
Awesome, I'll have a CS up by tonight.

W.I.P.
Name: Karl Shanks.
Appearance:

Age:


Rank: Sergeant First Class. SFC.
Affiliation: U.N.S.C.


Equipment:
• S4AP
• M7A
• 4 M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenades
• 4 Flashbangs
• HK9 Combat Rifle
Biography:
Enlisting into service at the age of 19, Karl battled as a marine, digging into the trenches and defending against masses of covies. His battalion was part of 91st Recon, and they specialized in repelling Covenant forces until everyone else had retreated. He was one of the few that survived. (I'll add more soon.)
Miscellaneous:

[Marx]

Name:
Marcus Swain (Marc - 126)

Appearance:
Marc stands at 6'8, being slightly shorter than many of his fellow Spartans. While in combat armour though, he stands at 7''. His hair is short, nearly at a buzz-cut with the remaining hair being jet black. From the genetic enhancements put upon his body, though not much was needed due to his background as an ODST, he has very well defined muscle without it being bulky, allowing him to be very mobile. The enhancements did bring wear and tear on his body though, causing his skin to rupture and build scar tissue along parts of his chest and left thigh. It's not pretty, but a Spartan spends too much of their time in armor to worry about physical appearance. Being an Asian/Caucasian with little pigment to his skin, the time sealed away in his armor would've left his normal skin tone incredibly pale though his Asian background has prevented him from being ghostly white. His hands are burned from over-charging Covenant weaponry he would pick up in the field.

In Gungnir armour when anticipating direct and heavy combat.
In Orbital armour when anticipating the necessity of stealth and mobility.
Both armour sets come standard gray in order to prevent him from overly standing out.


Age:
31

Rank:
Petty Officer Second Class

Affiliation:
UNSC

Equipment:

• M7A
• HK9 Combat Rifle
• x4 Fragmentation Grenades
• Built in flashlight
• Titanium-A Kukri
• (situational) x3 Incendiary Grenades
• (situational) Jet Pack when wearing Orbital armour
• (situational) Hard Light Shield when wearing Gungnir armour

Biography
(beginning at the age of 17)
Marcus entered the ODST at the age of 19 after enlisting at the age of seventeen by lying about his age during the surge of needed troops at the height of war with against the Covenant. After clawing his way through battle fields, risking life and limb on a frequent basis in order to become noticed by his superiors. Once being placed in a special operations unit belonging to the UNSC Army branch, he almost immediately attempted to jump ship to the ODST, which were in need of soldiers after particularly heavy losses. Being an all-volunteer branch with a high casualty rate, they accepted him and nearly all others who applied. He was told he acted like a machine, only living to fight, on more than one occasion when returning from drops and he had become increasingly well known amongst the ODSTs for his ferocity in the field as well as his near constant cycling from the drop pods, to the battle field and then back to the ships for his next job. What began to draw focus was when his number of confirmed kills of Jiralhanae has reached around sixteen and his capability with Covenant weapons, primarily the Type-51, which has since been replaced by the Plasma Lancer. After four years of being an ODST, the offer was extended to him to join the Spartan IV program, which he did with gusto.

Miscellaneous:
He identifies as a Spartan even though he was originally an ODST.
Due to the strained relationship between ODST and Spartans, he has been rejected by many of his former ODST brothers.
He prefers using Covenant weaponry when he finds any, though he will never discard his M7A.

[Sir Beowulf]

I have a question before we start. How will we all come together in this? Like, what brings ourselves together and such.

[Skull]

Interested. I'll have a sheet up no later than tomorrow.

[Pr0nogo]

T2 EW/H (gravity hammer)

Yeah, no. Not happening. SPARTAN-IIIs can barely use these - your ODST isn't going to magically have that ability.

Otherwise, try to watch out for a slew of grammar issues that I caught. Fix up some stuff for realism's sake (70 kills? HMMMMM), maybe expand the bio a bit more, and you're in.

I have a question before we start. How will we all come together in this? Like, what brings ourselves together and such.

The initial conflict will be had upon a fringe UNSC colony. I will be elaborating on that setting when I write up the IC thread. Suffice it to say that, as far as current plans go, the Jiralhanae coalitions will be assaulting the colony while the UNSC attempts to defend it. I'm waiting to see what kind of turnout we get before settling on my own characters, though that will obviously be subject to change.

[Marx]

Yeah, no. Not happening. SPARTAN-IIIs can barely use these - your ODST isn't going to magically have that ability.

Otherwise, try to watch out for a slew of grammar issues that I caught. Fix up some stuff for realism's sake (70 kills? HMMMMM), maybe expand the bio a bit more, and you're in.

I apologize. I was thinking in terms of the ODST as portrayed by the Halo: ODST game since they were fully capable of wielding the T2 EW/H. I'll tone down the kill count as well.

[Pr0nogo]

I didn't even remember them being able to do that. That's pretty retarded.

[Marx]

Direct quote from the wikia

ODSTs can use the Gravity Hammer effectively in Halo 3: ODST, despite them being normal humans, and not having the strength of a SPARTAN-II, SPARTAN-III, Elite, or Brute.

I'm still changing it. I just wanted you to understand that my post was not without reason.

[Pr0nogo]

Yeah, thanks for citing that source so I knew you weren't completely fucknuts. Nice to know that Bungie screwed up just as many times as 343 has.