Gear Descriptions

An early attempt to create a dedicated reconnaissance gear. The result was an adequate scout with an above-average maneuverability and an incredible operating range with a tendency to shutdown due to faulty electronics systems.

This chassis was conceived with a basic sensor array, straightforward controls, and a low grade neural net. It has relatively good armor (especially compared with other vehicles of its size and class) and a high performance engine, giving it excellent speed. In general, this chassis is a simpler version of the Jager.

Built to be the supreme stealth version of the Cheetah, this Gear maintains the extremely agile components of that chassis while adding rubberized components, a super-conductive battery, and a relative lack of surface features to reduce its visibility on the battlefield. In other words, the designers traded armor for the ability to avoid enemy fire completely.

Designed to "disappear" into its surroundings. At first glance, this Gear looks like a modified Iguana with blocky armor plates. However, the rubberized surfaces, the turbine/battery engine combo, and the ECM/ECCM packages allow this Gear to virtually disappear from enemy radar and sensors.

Built as a second generation of this popular scout vehicle, the MK II sports improved sensors, communication sensors, and additional armor. Unfortunately the extra armor also resulted in a slightly slower speed and a minor structural integrity flaw. However, the improved targeting system and the other modifications made the military happy to see this "improved" Cheetah.

This chassis has the distinction of being Terra Nova's only mass-produced, dedicated dueling Gear. The Republican Army and the Souther MILICIA take dueling very seriously and have built a powerful tradition around combat with vibro-rapiers in particular. The honor of a Souther Gear regiment is personified in the Duelist, a single pilot who represents all the best elements of the unit.

The Perseus' intended role is as scout/harasser. It was designed to detect large Gear forces moving toward Peace River, and then perform hit and fade attacks along the enemy advance. The Perseus has rubberized coatings on most surfaces in order to enhance its stealth capabilities.

The White Cat is nothing more than a standard Cheetah equipped with a special set of shoulders for the satellite uplink and ECM/ECCM pods, as well as upgraded communication equipment and sensor cameras.

Originally designed for civil defense as an inexpensive alternative to teh Jager, this Gear was not intended to face heavily armored enemies. The use of powerful weapons like the heavy grenade launcher does give the Asp an outside chance against tanks and Striders. Although the overall armor is lighter than an Iguana's, the frontal armor is actually heavier than a Jager's. Best of all, the Asp is inexpensive and quick to produce, allowing them to be delivered as needed to many locations.

The first dedicated scout/recon Gear on Terra Nova, it is both faster and more maneuverable than a Hunter. one of the Bocat's unusual features is that the pilot doesn't sit in chair in the chest, but rather, lies down on his stomach on a special couch. This chassis inspired a whole new line of compact battlefield vehicles.

The rarest of all Hunter variants, the full armor Hunter, known as the "armored can," is designed to be able to survive anything short of a tank's firepower. It's virtually invulnerable to Gear-held weaponry, but is about as agile as the average herding sprinter. Armor is double-thickness on almost every part of the Gear, resulting in extremely good protection, but it can barely move because of this. Thus, it has been relegated mostly to sentry posts in guard positions.

Designed to lead teams of Hunters on the field, the new Headhunter was fitted with a boosted communications array as the command unit. This chassis is slowly being replace by the command version of the Jaguar, but is still favored by many veteran pilots because of the chassis' more experienced neural nets.

This is the absolute latest version of the Hunter chassis It utilizes the new Duranium durasteel for its armor plates. Because of this, the XMG can support much more armor than other Hunters and still maintain its speed. The sensor suite of the Bobcat was transferred to the XMG for better battlefield perception. The actuators were copied from the Cheetah's because of their high quality and ease of repair. And the communication array was copied from that of the reliable Headhunter.

The Zerstorer was developed at the beginning of St. Vincent's War and achieved an amazing record during assaults in that war. It has heavy armor similar in composition to a Jaguar, sensor and radio equipment identical to a headhunter, and weaponry heavy enough to face ven CEF tanks. Maneuverability is slightly lower due to the extra weight, but that doesn't hinder it much, except against GREL forces.

Designed to be a versatile command center, not for front-line combat. It is outfitted with powerful communications equipment and sensor arrays that allow a commander to maintain a mobile command position in the field..

The Tankhunter is very close in design to the Hunter Zerstorer and is an anti-armor variant of the Hunter. Badlands rovers and militias who can't afford newer machines typically use it.

The standard Jager chassis was reinforced and an upgraded engine was added. This, in addition to the lighter armoplast ballistic plastic armor, has resulted in a tough and maneuverable chassis.

The Command Jager has a long, distinguished history of service and remains the most common command Gear in the MILICIA This Gear is somewhat dated, however, and favored cadre commanders often receive more modern machines.

The Dartjager is a quick deployment model of the standard Jager chassis. With special alloy braces and wheel locks, this Gear is designed to be quick, reliable, and sturdy over uneven terrain. Consequently, it has become very popular in many front-line units and is often outfitted with the best weaponry possible.

The advent of the Dartjaer required a rapid-deployment fire-support vehicle to support it. Thus, the Heavy Shooter was developed. Most of its weaponry was stripped off to allow more armor plating with no loss in speed. The remaining weaponry is designed to quickly dispatch groups of lightly armored targets.

This model combines precision fire control and long-range weapons systems. The Long Bow Jager is the perfect mass-produced sniper gear.

This chassis was developed to fill the lack of an anti-aircraft capability among Gear units. A field kit was created for teh Jager that included a sensor upgrade and some new weapons, both of which were calibrated to take into account the higher speed and trajectory of their intended targets.

Designed to be a general purpose Gear that was particularly effective at hit-and-run guerrilla warfare. Armoplast ballistic plastic was used as the main armor material of the design in a successful effort to reduce overall weight. This allowed increased speed and maneuverability. Of course, the armor was slightly less effective, but the trade-off is generally accepted as worthwhile for a rapid-strike Gear.

An all-around fighting machine specially created to work in the Badlands territory, the Warrior covers its joints with thick cloth to protect against corrosive dust and harsh conditions. The engine has special dust filters and cooling systems and the pilot's compartment has a fresh water container for long field details.

Primarily designed as an electronic warfare Gear, the Weasel utilizes a relatively low profile to avoid enemy detection. Dedicated to its electronic warfare role, the Weasel is typically only lightly armed and armored.

The command variant of the Black Mamba. Extra armor plates on the head, shoulders, and legs, along with special crash bars, help to protect the officer within and thus prevent disruption of the command chain during battle. Additional communications systems are included as part of the head. Unfortunately, these additional arrays also make the profile distinctive and tend to attract enemy fire.

Designed to be a high performance, stealth commando Gear built for covert operations, assassinations, and lightning strikes. Rubberized coatings on the skirt armor plates and soles, coupled with an unorthodox battery/gas turbine power plant, give the Snakeeye very impressive stealth capabilities.

This chassis has very few, if any, innovations or changes from the basic Jager model. This is probably on of the chief reasons that the chassis failed as a prototype.

Built as a no-nonsense machine using a general configuration, this machine was mostly used in broken terrain and was given reinforced legs to compensate for that duty. Although not as reliable as the Jager, the Viper is more maneuverable, sports better armor, and typically wields more powerful weapons.

The Fer-de_lance was designed for one purpose: to look impressive and raise morale. Each Fer-de-Lance is handcrafted for its pilot by a team of armorer. Beautiful styling is combined with stat-of-the-art technology to create on of the most imposing Gears ever built. Unfortunately, because of demanding maintenance requirements, the Fer-de-Lance is almost useless as a front-line fighter.

This variant of the Jaguar chassis was designed as an elite commando/paratrooper. Typically found only in the cream of the Northern military crop and used mostly by the best pilots therein. It is designed to deliver high explosive weaponry directly onto tight targets for elegant kills, even in the heat of battle.

A stealth version of the Jaguar chassis, the outer surfaces are treated with the Racetech rubberized coating and the standard V-engine is replaced by an electric battery/turbine silent-running power plant. Also, and advanced model developed byHyperion Werks replaces the standard sensor array. Most Panthers also carry an advanced sniper rifle.

This modified Jaguar was designed to operate in the corrosive white sand deserts of the Badlands. The artificial SAP resin is used liberally over all joints and surfaces to prevent the usual corrosive effects and to allow operations in those areas. Unfortunately, the SAP smells awful and pilots are given to wearing gas masks while piloting the Sand Cat. This has also resulted in the Gear's nickname of "Skunk"

The Sidewinder was designed during the so-called "safety-minded" period, when the survival of carefully trained Gear pilots was deemed vital to an understaffed military force. The torso and head armor is thicker around the cockpit, forming a heavily protected box around the pilot.

In addition to a better sensors package, this variant of the SSidewinder was given a medium rifle and field mortar to support the units it was commanding. Unfortunately, the distinctive difference in appearance often makes it easy for enemies to distinguish the officers in a group, and this has mad it somewhat unpopular amongst battlefield officers.

Funded by corporate fat cats interested in preserving their restates, the Tiger was designed with the newest composite materials available. It also incorporated strong and fluid articulation systems giving it very good maneuverability for its bulk. Although expensive to produce, the Tiger has always been reported as being well worth the cost.

The Warrior IV was designed to provide a combination of speed and protection virtually unparalleled on the modern battlefield. Able to attain speeds like that of the Norther Cheetah, it carries enough armor to shrug off may light to medium weapons. It typically carries ECM components within its head unit.

This chassis has very few, if any, innovations or changes from the basic Hunter model. This is probably one of the chief reasons that the chassis failed as a prototype.

The Anaconda is a prototype based on the Python chassis. It is well armored, well armed, and has excellent crew protection. Like the Python, the Anaconda is typically relegated to a role of medium-range fire support for soldier Gears.

The Bear is designed first and foremost to be a true fire support specialist unit. Since it usually carries heavy artillery loadouts, it is uncommon to see one on the battlefield, but enemies have begun to fear that the sight of smaller forward observer Gears is a sign that a Bear is right over the hill somewhere.

Proclaimed as "the safest Gear every designed," the Black Adder was designed with crew survivability as its prime objective. Thick armor plates surround the Adder's chest and cockpit area. Otherwise, the Adder is similar to the Sidewinder, but features a redesigned main body. The head and torso are completely fused. The agility and electronic capabilities generally match that of the Jager but with the extra armor, the Adder's main role has typically become that of armored hunter.

The Boa is an underwater prototype based on the Python chassis. Like the Anaconda, it is well armored, well armed, and has excellent crew protection with the additional submersible feathers.

One of the longest lasting main artillery machines in the norther Guard, the Den Mother has stood the test of time. Affectionately known as "mom" or "Old Reliable," this chassis has been a mainstay of Norther ground forces for many years. It is fast enough to keep up with Cheetahs or Jaguars, while still able to face tough opponents like Black Mambas or Spitting Cobras.

Designed to compete with the Hunter chassis, the mad Dog is a large, hulking Gear whose most noticeable visual feature is the virtual lack of a "head." The designers decided that the pilot should be better protected and so they used sloping armor and a reliance on sensor pods instead.

The Panda is the next-generation version of the Grizzly. While still a dedicated assault Gear, the Panda has new actuators based on the Cheetah design that give it unparalleled maneuverability for a Gear of its size.

The Python is well armord, well armed, and carries a fairly good computer-control system. The Python is typically relegated to a role of medium-range fire-support for soldier Gears.

A heavily built machine with a stock, blockish appearance. Angling the main body and sinking the cockpit into the torso to avoid incoming rounds compensated for its flat armor plating. The Razorback does suffer from limited speed and maneuverability, but the thick steel alloy armor largely compensates for these drawbacks.

The greatest change from the basic Spitting Cobra is the weapons load and backpack assembly. This backpack assembly allows the carrying of weapons of greater range and power than those usually carried by Souther Gears and was a nasty surprise to Northern troops. This chassis is usually deployed in fire support cadres working closely with traditional artillery batteries.

Intended to be piloted by front line officers with some experience, the Brahmin Cobra is equipped with the maximum amount of firepower that could reasonably fit on the frame, and loaded with high tech communication systems to make it the master of all it surveys.

This chassis is designed to be a more popular model of the King Cobra. Some detractors say the King Cobra has so many varied weapons that it has no defined role on the battlefield. On the other hand, the Hooded Cobra is designed as a dedicated long-range specialist.