Technically speaking, we have yet to actually encounter any outright beam immunities. Just ones that require a higher roll to hit.
Also, such problems can typically be solved by applying more Wave Motion Gun.
Furthermore, It's not like Alice's new chassis will be fighting council forces alone. I for one got the feeling that it's implied that whatever build we end up deciding on will be joining the Solar Vanguard once Samsara finishes building it.
I will say, the one thing I don't want to specialize in is Beam.
Mostly because that's the one thing that gets resisted or limited the most often. Barriers, various forms of anti-beam coatings, armor types, and other things just...significantly weaken Beams. It has tons of advantages, but it's utility and effectiveness means that it often gets worked around in various series, even in ALICE'S own home timeline.
And with the nature of the Council, in particular, ALICE runs a significant risk of running into a lot of enemies that have beam-resistant *something.*
As much as I'd love to turn her into Nanoha, it's probably not the best way for her to tackle her stated nemesis. And having a lot of her attacks be resisted by said nemesis would be rather demoralizing.
[ ] Pick technologies to incorporate into ALICE's new Gundam body. Pick FIVE. Different Gundam timeline technology (UC, CE, and AC) is mutually exclusive. Different power sources are also mutually exclusive (GN Tau drive does not count as a power source). Different armor technology is also mutually exclusive, as are barrier systems.
-[UC Gundam] Technology to built mobile suits from UC Gundam up through what is available in Gundam F91
This is the most advanced of the three we can pick and also has the best power generation for power hungry defenses that we could boost even higher.
The -[] High speed bombardment option
is also the thing we should go with for ALICE because she does not have any of the Disadvantages that a Organic pilot would when it comes to very high G-force maneuvers and can also pull maneuvers with transformation capable units that would Mess up even people like Graham.
-[CE Gundam] Technology to build mobile suits from Gundam SEED up through what is available early in SEED Destiny. Phase Shift armor and N-Jammer Cancellers not included
-[Phase Shift Armor]
-[N-Jammer Canceller]
-[AC Gundam] Technology to build mobile suits from Gundam Wing up through what is available in Endless Waltz
This stuff is not bad but we can do better.
-[Minovksy Fusion Reactor]
This is our straight most powerful while also consistent power generation source for the real robots and is the base if we go with UC Gundam that we could add on to.
-[GN Tau Drive]
-[Variable Fighter] Technology to build Variable Fighters up through the YF-29 Durandal
This could be a crazy choice if we combine the transformation stuff both this and UC Gundam can do.
-[Arm Slave] Technology to build Arm Slaves that don't use a Lambda Driver
-[Knightmare Frame] Technology to build Knightmare Frames up through the 7th generation
These two are not really what we want but it's nice to have.
-[Super Alloy Z]
Works best with Photon Power.
-[Gundanium Armor]
-[Photon Power]
Works best with the Alloy Z.
-[Getter Ray Reactor]
The Getter Ray reactor really needs Organic pilots to be used to it's best effect so it's out.
These three defenses are all capable of blocking beam weapons but they all have different weaknesses. The Blaze Luminous is. Probably the best out of the three at the current moment because it's disadvantaged is it being power hungry which we can fix and it boost's defensive power against Kinetic weapons as well as beam weapons.
I went with Superior for the name as a play on the fact that ALICE's old body was the S-Gundam to both keep S in the name and to show this is a new and improved suit.
That's why we want to go with technology that can pierce things like beam shields and the other shields which is why I say we go with the UC Gundam as the base for the suit as that timeline has weapons designed to pierce defenses like the energy barriers of Code Geass and and weapons to attack suits with things like anti-beam coats. Also if we can get up to Victory Gundam then the Stuff from the Crossbone Vanguard should also possibly and that gives us a lot of things to work with. We also go mixed weapon load out to have a backup option.
[X] Operation Ketsu-Go
-[X] Gundam Virtue
-[X] Mount Asama
--[X] Amuro Ray, Judau Ashta, Bright Noa, Mu La Flaga, Ashley Ashra, W-0, Kallen Kozuki, Hilde Schbeiker, Chang Wufei, Duo Maxwell, Heero Yuy, Graham Aker, Nena Trinity, Alleljuah Haptism, Light Newman, Tapp Oceano, Kaine Wakaba, Aoi Hidaka, Kenichi Go, Benkei Kuruma, Hayato Jin, Ryoma Nagare, Boss, Sayaka Yumi, Kouji Kabuto, Mitsuko Yagyuu, 40 Jegans, 30 GM III, 60 Leos, 20 Tragos, 25 Taurus, 35 Sutherlands, 25 Gloucesters, 15 VF-25, 10 Heavyguns.
-[X] Directly above NERV HQ
--[X] Stella Loussier, Kamille Bidan, Fa Yuiry, Banagher Links, Roux Louka, Murrue Ramius, Kira Yamato, Villetta Nu, Jeremiah Gottwald, Shinichiro Tamaki, Kaname Oghi, Zero, Lucrezia Noin, Zechs Merquise, Quatre Raberba Winner, Trowa Barton, Patrick Colasour, Soma Peries, Sergei Smirnov, Setsuna F. Seiei, Kazuya Ryuuzaki, Hyoma Aoi, Kurz Weber, Melissa Mao, Sosuke Sagara, Jun Hono, Tetsuya Tsurugi, Tsubaki Tamashiro, Kenji Kusanagi, Yurika Misumaru, Izumi Maki, Hikaru Amano, Ryoko Subaru, Gai Daigouji, Akito Tenkawa, Mira Ayana 40 Jegans, 30 GM III, 60 Leos, 20 Tragos, 25 Taurus, 35 Sutherlands, 25 Gloucesters, 15 VF-25, 10 Heavyguns.
November UE 0083
Directly Above NERV HQ
You're aboard the Nadesico getting the Rose ready for combat when you hear an alarm sound.
"Alert! A foreign object is approaching the projected target area at high speed! All pilots, get ready to scramble!" Goat's voice informs the crew over the PA.
You curse before running through the rest of the pre-launch checklist as quickly as possible.
Who do you pick as copilot for this operation?
[ ] Nina
[ ] Yukari
[ ] Lucia You are Patrick Colasour, and your GN-X is airborne and well away from the projected landing zone of the Angel.
"Anyone see anything yet?" A Tragos pilot asks.
You look over the horizon and squint at your display. You see nothing, but someone else evidently does.
"Wait, I think that's it. Incoming!" Banagher Links yells in alarm.
Everyone on the ground scrambles to get as far away from the now more obvious point of impact as they can. It turns out they didn't need to bother, as the Angel's landing is surprisingly soft. Now that it's not moving, you see that it resembles some manner of arachnid, although it only has four legs.
"Contact with the 9th Angel Matareal confirmed, preparing to launch Unit 00, stand by to-" The transmission from NERV is abruptly cut off.
"What the hell was that?" You ask in bewilderment.
"Try to reestablish contact with NERV HQ!" Kati orders from aboard the Budapest.
You turn back toward the Angel, which is now secreting some kind of acidic substance from its mouth.
"Let him have it!" A Jegan pilot yells.
A quartet of Jegans, half the Tragos, Uruz team, and the Gundam Heavyarms open fire. All of their rounds bounce off of an AT field. However, Matareal doesn't seem content to simply sit still and wait to break through to NERV HQ on its own, as less than paper-thin layers peel off of its legs and turn into arachnid creatures around the size of an APC when they touch the ground. The mini-spiders go from several, to several dozen and counting.
"Ah hell, fall back!" A GM III pilot orders.
As those closest to Matareal fall back in the face of the spider horde, several of the VF-25s, the Freedom Gundam, and yourself provide covering fire from the air. To your relief, the miniature spiders don't seem to generate AT Fields of their own, and crumple easily to conventional weapons. The problem is that there are quite a few of them.
"Orders, Colonel?" You ask Kati. Around the same time
Mount Asama
You are Kouji Kabuto, and you feel an inexplicable sense of deja vu as you watch EVA-02 dive into the volcano, clad in Type-D equipment.
The minutes pass as Asuka reports nothing out of the ordinary at regular intervals. That doesn't last very long.
"Haha, found it! Initiating capture sequence!" Asuka says triumphantly.
As EVA-02 ascends, everyone receives an alert from NERV HQ.
"Blood Type Blue detected! Enemy confirmed to be the 8th Angel Sandalphon, receiving telemetry-" The transmission abruptly cuts off.
As Bright Noa and the local NERV team try to raise NERV HQ again, you hear Asuka curse over the radio.
"That damn thing broke free of the electromagnetic cage! What the-? It's growing?" Asuka says in a mixture of confusion and frustration.
Seconds later, there is a massive tremor. As those of you on the ground try to find some semblance of stability, Boss of all people spots the new danger first.
"That doesn't look good! Cello team, under you!" Boss calls out.
Cello team, a squad of 5 Heavyguns, immediately jump into the air away from cracks forming under them. Seconds later, a massive tentacle erupts from the side of the volcano, glowing hot and spraying lava, followed by at least 10 more in other locations.
"Photon Beam!" You yell, firing Mazinkaiser's Photon Beam at the closest tentacle. Your attack carves a cauterized gash into the tentacle and causes it to recoil. Boss takes the opportunity to run up with Boss Borot and deliver a haymaker to the tentacle. By some miracle, Boss Borot's arm isn't destroyed on impact, and the blow actually pushes the tentacle back. A group of Jegans and Sutherlands fire on the tentacle, shooting it full of holes which bleed a mixture of that strange orange fluid the copy Angels from the fight with Ramiel dissolved into and lava. The tentacle retreats into the hole it made, only for an uninjured one to emerge seconds later.
"Protect the lifting equipment and coolant pumps!" One of the Leo pilots yells as he fires his machinegun at a tentacle.
EVA-01 grabs a pallet rifle and fires on a tentacle attempting to smash the coolant lines for EVA-02. The tentacle goes limp before retracting into its hole. Shinji takes the opportunity to swap out the pallet rifle for an Evangelion-scale minigun, which he levels at the hole in anticipation of a new tentacle.
"Asuka, what's your status?!" Shinji asks as he hoses the next tentacle to emerge from the hole with his minigun, tearing it in half down the middle.
"Fighting this thing...isn't exactly easy while submerged in lava!" Asuka retorts. From the sounds of it, she's currently struggling. Tactical Information-Mount Asama
Enormous tentacles under Sandalphon's control have emerged in locations around where the rig to lower EVA-02 into the volcano was set up
The tentacles are trying to destroy the lifting equipment, coolant pumps, and coolant tanks, presumably to cripple EVA-02
The tentacles can be damaged and destroyed, but will retract and be replaced by new ones a few seconds later
EVA-02 is currently armed only with a Progressive Knife
What equipment, if any, do you send down to assist EVA-02? Ranged weapons will not survive the lava.
[ ] An extra Progressive Knife
[ ] A bladed gauntlet
[ ] A sonic harpoon
[ ] Nothing
How do you deal with the tentacles?
[ ] Plug the holes
-After forcing a tentacle to retreat, you will attempt to collapse or otherwise obstruct the hole that it emerged from
[ ] Write-in Tactical Information-Above NERV HQ
Matareal can spawn enormous numbers of small arachnid creatures to defend itself
Matareal is protected by an AT Field
The Arachnid creatures cannot generate AT Fields, and succumb easily to conventional weapons
Matareal is attempting to use an acidic substance it secretes from its mouth to burrow toward NERV HQ
NERV HQ is not responding to attempts to reestablish contact with them
Attempts to hit Matareal with the Archangel's Lohengrin positron cannons are consistently foiled by miniature arachnids jumping into the path of the beams en masse
What will you do to try and get back in contact with NERV HQ?
[ ] Comm relay
-Break open an emergency service hatch and send a team of Sutherlands with physical comm relays into NERV HQ
-Will commit 5 Sutherlands to this course of action
[ ] Write-in Other tactical information
The Angel projected to appear in low orbit has not arrived yet
A Skullrook has been spotted heading toward Mount Asama
A Balmian transport has been spotted heading toward Tokyo
Dimensional Distortions have been detected in the area around NERV HQ... A/N: And the start of the Angel combat begins! Please vote, discuss, and critique. Also, I don't know how nobody missed the fact that a copilot for this was never chosen Vote for ALICE's new Gundam body is still open.
It is late, so my brain isn't entirely at top power at the moment.
So question: How large around is the tentacle? Could the Mazinkaiser attack the tentacle, and then literally push it back down the tunnel it came through to reach the main body and assist in battle?
I wasn't sure if I was supposed to list a copilot for the Rose during the deployment, so I didn't choose one. Next time I will make sure to include a copilot from the start. No ideas regarding what to do as of yet, but I think we go with Nina as copilot here, since Fury could come in handy here.
It is late, so my brain isn't entirely at top power at the moment.
So question: How large around is the tentacle? Could the Mazinkaiser attack the tentacle, and then literally push it back down the tunnel it came through to reach the main body and assist in battle?
Does this version of the Mazinkaiser has the freezing beam? I do remember some of them do like the one from Mazinkaiser vs the great general of darkness, but sometimes the attack is just so forgotten.
Dunno could be useful to try to cool off the volcano since the laval is really our greatest enemy right now.
Right, Matareal. Which means it's sabotage time for us! And we also happen to have company from basically every super robot antagonist currently active. And the council because they still have a murderboner for Mira.
Very much succeeding in capturing the scale of just how crazy SRW can get at times. I'm expecting these engagements to get chaotic rather quickly, as more villains show up to cause trouble for our forces. Really making it tough to decide what to do.
Changing my ALICE vote because I was undecided on which Gundam tech to include when I was writing up my idea. My choice for Radiant Wave Shielding was partially for the cosmetics and partially because I feel that it may give the result access to Radiant Wave Weapons. Also I thought we also got a bonus to Radiant Wave Shielding on the same turn as we got the Blaze Luminous upgrade but in hindsight that might have just been giving shields to Zero's units derived from the Guren.
[X] Nina
[X] Mount Asama
-[X] A bladed gauntlet
-[X] Plug the holes
[X] Above NERV HQ
-[X] Comm relay
I'm not feeling at my most creative right now, but hopefully sending Asuka another weapon will even the odds to the point that Shinji doesn't swan dive into the volcano to help her. Going middle of the road so Asuka can use two weapons and not have to abandon her knife trying to two hand the harpoon. I'm tempted to try either grappling the tentacles to immobilize them or trying to do some damage to the volcano such that Sandalphon's main body is forced into a more vulnerable position. Both seem like poor decisions, and ain't that just the Evangelion experience for you?
Sending a single Sutherland squad to establish manual comms should probably work, and we have six other squads of five just at NERV. The Issue with that is Mat's mini spiders would probably try and use that tunnel themselves to gum up the works. I'm more concerned about the good odds that the council will try and screw us over again.
I think there may be some merit in going for the Harpoon, as we don't have sonic weaponry, wheareas we do have weapons akin to the Progressive Knife and the Bladed Gauntlet. Also, I'm hesitant to go for Comm relay as a communication method due to Ireul's capabilities, since it is likely the fourth Angel we have to deal with and probably the reason why we lost communication. On the other hand, until we actually become aware of why communication with HQ was lost, we can't really make any calls on what to do to restore communication and if my worries are actually something that I should be worrying about.
Bladed gauntlet sounds good, I imagine it would give Asuka a better grip than the Knife...but the Harpoon may have more piercing power than either.
But...
Could Mazinkaise get a good shot on the tentacles, either through grappling or just shooting, and freeze-ray them? If i remember right, Asuka actually had to use her own coolant in the show, so if those tentacles are connected, it should have some effect on the angel's body. If that fails, it should at least let us obstruct the tentacles with...well, their own frozen tentacles.
Would maybe give Asuka the idea of using her own coolant earlier, too, if needed.
If this is viable, I will call it Chilled Calamari.
Harpoon's risk is that in this environment, if she gets grabbed by Magma Kraken she can't wield it. The gauntlets seem best in this limited grip environment
[X] Mount Asama
-[X] A bladed gauntlet
-[X] Plug the holes
[X] Above NERV HQ
-[X] Comm relay
Tentatively voting for the standard options for now.
EDIT: Most of our forces will likely be tied up fighting the newly arrived intruding forces (whatever the Skullrook represents, Balmian forces and Council forces). So we may once again be counting on the EVAs to deal with the angels aside from the one who's supposed to show up in low orbit.
I'm somewhat worried about using a physical comms system, given this might be Ireul. Giving that damn thing a potential escape route is not something I'd like.
I'm somewhat worried about using a physical comms system, given this might be Ireul. Giving that damn thing a potential escape route is not something I'd like.
Any other ideas as to how we could get back in contact with HQ without using physical comm systems? Because we can't really currently plan around Ireul since IC we don't know about it and its capabilities...
Well, what comms systems do we have? We might be able to safely use a wireless connection, or sending down a tech expert like Light with the same plan (which may or may not fit his mech in particular.)
We could argue sending a tech expert ace as ensuring an immediate re-establishment of comms and prevention of other interruptions?
But the other issue is Matarael, the acid-spitting spider monster.
Vote for ALICE's new Gundam body is still open.