The following material is an adaptation of mecha from MACROSS ZERO a follow on OVA to the original Japanese MACROSS TV series. Please feel free to use, as you see fit. All I ask is that you give credit to the Author, and do not claim it as your own work. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

OCTOS VARIABLE AMPHIBIOUS DESTROID

Stats by DANIEL HENWOOD (dhenwood@hotmail.com)
Layout Style Adapted from DAVE DEITRICH (deitrich@mcs.net)
Background info provided by the MACROSS ONLINE COMPENDIUM

BACKGROUND

Designed and manufactured by the Anti-UN Forces as a an amphibious destroid, the Octos is best used as a covert strike unit. Able to approach a target by seen unseen it can carry a squad of soldiers in its passenger compartment and unload them once it arrives. It is then able to use its multiple weapon systems to provide suppresive and supporting fire against the enemy. It is for this reason that the Octos features a variable system. For the transportation phase it would use submarine cruise mode. Upon arrival at te target area it can breach the surface and change to ground-combat quadruped mode once it hits the beach.

Rarely used, the Octos was first used in a major capacity against the island of Mayan in 2008. The year before the SDF-1 launched. Several octos were able to sneak up to the island and launch a devastating attack against its unarmed civilian population, and the under-manned UN contingent sent there to protect them. Like the SV-51, the Octos is an excellent design, and exceeds the mecha fielded by the United Nations Forces. Only a lack of numbers is its down fall.

RPG STATS

Vehicle Types: Variable Amphibious Destroid
Class: Octos
Manufacturer: Anti-United Nations
Crew: One pilot wearing Tactical Life Support System
Passengers: 5 to 6 (mostly commonly soldiers)

MDC BY LOCATION:

(1) Main Body                             240
    Legs (4)                               80
    Chain Gun (1)                         150
    Missile Launcher (1)                   50 each
    Searchlight                            25 each
    Reinforced Pilots Cockpit             100
    Reinforced Passenger Compartment      150

NOTES:

Depleting the MDC of the main body will destroy the mecha. The pilot will be automatically ejected from the doomed mecha before it explodes by the mecha's main computer.

SPEED:

TOP SPEED (QUADRAPED WALKING):: 40 mph (64 kmph)
TOP SPEED (WHEELS):: 150 mph (241.4 kmph)
TOP SPEED (SURFACE):: 20 knots (23 mph/37 kmph)
TOP SPEED (SUB-SURFACE):: 30 knots (34 mph/54.7 kmph)

STATISTICAL DATA:

HEIGHT (GROUND COMBAT MODE):: 14.63 metres (48 feet)

LENGTH (SUBMARINE CRUISE MODE):

20.72 metres (68 feet)

MASS:

PHYSICAL STRENGTH:

Equal to a P.S. of 60

CARGO:

Small compartment behind pilot's seat for personal belongings.

POWER PLANT:

Thermonuclear reaction furnace

AUXILLARY POWER PLANT:

Electric generator

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

CHAIN GUN: Identical in design to the gunpod carried by the SV-51, the Octos' chaingun does not have ammunition clips but an internal ammo drum which can only be reloaded back at its base of operations. The chain gun is located on the top right dorsal section of the mecha when it is in Ground Combat mode. It is not usable whilst in Submarine Cruise mode.
- PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault/Defense
- RANGE: 4000 ft (1200 m)
- DAMAGE: Does 3D6 M.D. per short burst, 6D6 M.D. per long burst, or 1D6x10 M.D. for a full melee burst.
- RATE OF FIRE: 4 short bursts (10 rnds each barrel) 2 long bursts (20 rnds barrel) 1 full melee burst (40 rnds barrel)
- PAYLOAD: 600 rounds in an internal ammo drum.
SIX TUBED MISSILE LAUNCHER: For fire support during beach landings the Octos features a single missile launcher pod on the top left dorsal section of the craft. Unlike its UN counterparts the Octos does not carry flares or missiles for rescue missions. They are purely for offensive purposes. Not usable in submarine cruise mode.
- PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault
- RANGE: 2 miles (3.2 km)
- SPEED: 500 mph (804 Kmph)
- DAMAGE: 1D6x10 per missile
- RATE OF FIRE: 1 or 2 per per attack
- PAYLOAD: 6 missiles
LASER GUNS: (2) Top dorsal mounted laser guns provide additional punch to the Octos. The lasers resemble the head lasers found on the Variable Fighters of the UN Forces. The Octos' lasers are alrger and more powerful though.
- PRIMARY PURPOSE: Anti-Mecha/Anti Vehicle
- SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-Installation
- RANGE: 4000 feet (1200 m)
- DAMAGE: 2D4 M.D. per laser for a single shot, 2D4x10 M.D. for a burst (counts as one attack).
- RATE OF FIRE: Single shots or bursts only. The cannons can be fire-linked so that firing both cannons at the same time counts as one attack (does double damage).
- PAYLOAD: Effectively Unlimited.
ANTI-PERSONNEL MACHINE GUN: Positioned on the ventral side of the main body, the machine gun is positioned for attacking infantry at close range and providing supporting suppresive fire of its own troops during beach heads.
- PRIMARY PURPOSE: Anti-Personnel
- RANGE: 1,000 metres
- DAMAGE: 5D6 S.D.C.
- RATE OF FIRE: 20 rounds per burst. Rate of fire equal to the pilot's combined number of attacks
- PAYLOAD: 2000 rounds
TORPEDO LAUNCHERS: (2) Situated within the arms of the Octos are two torpedo launchers. The only weapons that Octos is capable of using underwater. Although not capable of doing as much damage as torpedo's from more conventional submarines, the Octos is designed as a strike craft, able to fire at relatively unprotected area's of its target.
- PRIMARY PURPOSE: Anti-Submerisble
- RANGE: 6.8 Miles (11 KM)
- DEPTH: 750m
- DAMAGE: 4D4 x 10 M.D
- BLAST RADIUS: 5 metres
- RATE OF FIRE: 1 or 2 per round
- PAYLOAD: 4 (2 per side)
HAND TO HAND COMBAT: If necessary, the pilot of the Octos can engage in melee combat rather than use a weapon. The Destroid is quite agile for a Destroid, and can execute most typical hand to hand combat moves, such as punches and kicks, rolling with impacts, etc.
DAMAGE:
- Punch: 1D4 M.D.
- Kick: 1D6 M.D.
- Body Block/Tackle: 1D4 M.D.
- Stomp: 1D4 M.D. (only effective against small objects)

STANDARD EQUIPMENT FOR THE OCTOS:

AUTO-PILOT: The Octos is equipped with a computerized auto-pilot. Although not as complex as those equipped in Variable Fighters, it can be reasonably trusted to get the Destroid from point A to point B safely. The onboard computer will alert the pilot when the Robot is near its destination, and can also be set to automatically signal when sensors detect objects near the mecha.
COMBAT COMPUTER W/HUD DISPLAYS: The Destroid is equipped with a combat computer that can store and analyze data during combat with hostile forces. The entire cockpit canopy of the Destroid is a large HUD display, which allows the computer to display large amounts of data to the pilot and even highlight enemies and missile attacks with overlaid graphics. The combat computer tracks and identifies specific enemy targets, and has a database of over 15,000 images stored in memory. The computer can identify and track up to 500 targets simultaneously.
EJECTOR SEAT: The reinforced cockpit of the Destroid contains an ejector seat which can be fired when the mecha is destroyed. The ejecter seat contain thrusters firing it high into the air before the parachute attached opens. The ejector seat also contains a powerful locator beacon. The combat computer is programmed to automatically eject the pilor if the mecha is destroyed (main body MDC reduced to 0), but this can be overridden if the pilot is feeling suicidal for some reason.
EXTERNAL AUDIO PICKUP: Range: 300 ft (91.5 m). A sound amplification system that can pick up normal conversation up to 300 feet away.
HEAT AND RADIATION SHIELDS: Special shielding prevents the penetration of life threatening heat and radiation. A radiation detection and alarm system are linked with the shields and will sound an alarm if there is a rupture in the shields and what the levels of radiation are.
HOMING SIGNAL: The ejector seat of the Destroid is equipped with a homing device that enables rescue teams to locate a disabled Destroid or ejected pilot. The range of the signal is 400 miles (640 km). Most UN Spacy ships, Variable Fighters and Destroids can locate and track homing signals, and the onboard computers will automatically notify their pilots if such a signal is detected.
LASER TARGETING SYSTEM: Range: 100 miles (160 km). Used for increased accuracy in the striking of enemy targets and is partly responsible for the mecha's strike bonus.
LOUDSPEAKER: A loudspeaker system is built into the craft, which can be used to amplify the pilot's voice up to 90 decibels.
OPTICS: INFRARED: Range: 2000 feet (610 m). This optical system projects a beam of infrared light that is invisible to the normal eye, but detectable by the mecha's sensors. The system allows the pilot to detect hidden/concealed objects by their IR reflectiveness. The beam will be visible to anyone with IR sensitive optics, however.
OPTICS: NIGHTVISION: Range: 2000 feet (610 m). A passive light image intensifier that emits no light of its own, but relies on ambient light which is electronically amplified to produce a visible picture.
OPTICS: THERMAL IMAGER: Range: 2000 feet (610 m). A passive optical heat sensor that detects infrared radiation projected by warm objects and converts that data into a false-color visible image. The system enables the pilot to see in the dark, in shadows, and through smoke, and also adds a +10% bonus to pilots using a tracking skill.
RADAR: 200 mile (321 km) range.
RADIO/VIDEO COMMUNICATION: Long range, directional communications system with satellite relay capabilities. Range: 600 miles (960 km) or can be boosted indefinitely via satellite relay.
SELF-DESTRUCT: To prevent capture of a Destroid by the enemy, the pilot can activate the self-destruct system, which will cause the Robot to explode after a delay of up to 60 minutes (time is set by the pilot). The explosive damage is contained within a 20 foot (6 m) area and inflicts 1D6x10 M.D. to everything within the radius of the explosion. All internal systems are obliterated. The pilot will be automatically ejected prior to the explosion unless the pilot overrides the ejection sequence.
STANDARD SURVIVAL GEAR: The Octos comes equipped with a portable survival kit. Inside the small reinforced box is a medium-sized flashlight, two hand flares, one rocket flare, a compass, a small mirror, a pocket knife, dehydrated and concentrated food (can be stretched into a five day supply for one person) and basic first aid items (aspirin, bandages, disinfectants, etc.) Also included amongst the survival gear are short use aqualungs, and flippers for escape whilst underwater.
TACTICAL LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM: The Octos's cockpit is pressurized, and also provides additional air feeds to the pilot's flight suit that provides him with pressurized breathing. The pilots suit also contains an upper and lower g-suit that promotes blood circulation during deep dives, and is water proof..

COMBAT BONUSES FOR OCTOS COMBAT TRAINING:

ADVANCED OCTOS COMBAT TRAINING

Advanced training for pilots specializing in the Octos
2 attacks per melee (plus those of the pilot).
Add one additional action/attack at levels three, six, eleven, and fifteen.
+1 on initiative.
+2 to strike
+2 to parry
+2 to dodge
+2 to roll with a punch or fall with an impact, reducing damage by half.
Critical strike same as pilot's hand-to-hand.
Body block/tackle/ram - 1D6 M.D. plus a 50% chance of knocking an opponent down, causing him to loose initiative and one attack that melee round.

REFERENCES USED IN THIS DESIGN

Macross Zero OVA Episode 3
"Doe's All The Worlds' Mecha Guide: Octos Variable Amphibious Destroid Entry"