VF-0A Phoenix

Craft: U.N. Forces Northrop Grumman/Stonewell/Shinsei VF-0A Phoenix
Type: Developmental Variable Fighter
Scale: Starfighter
Dimensions:
-Length: 18.69m (Fighter Mode)
-Mass: 16.191 metric tons (empty)
Skill: Aircraft Piloting (VF-0 Phoenix), Mecha Piloting (VF-0 Phoenix) (Or, this skill could be supplemented with Starfighter Piloting and Walker Operations)
Crew: 1
Cargo Capacity: 10 kilograms (or less)
Consumables: 1 week (survival pack)
Cost: N/A
Hyperdrive: N/A
Nav Computer: Yes (short-ranged, carrier-based)
Maneuverability: 2D+2 (Jet); 2D (Guardian); 1D (Battloid)
Speed:
-Space: 7 (Jet); 5 (Gerwalk); 3 (Battloid)
-Atmosphere: (Fighter Mode) at 11,000 m Mach 2.74
-Cruising Range (with standard dorsal conformal tanks) 2,075 km
-Service Ceiling 25,000 m
-G Limit: Unknown
Hull: 4D (Fighter); 4D+2 (Gerwalk); 5D (Battloid)
Shields: N/A
Sensors:
   Passive: 15/0D
   Scan: 25/1D
   Search: 40/2D
   Focus: 2/2D+2

WEAPONS:
   Mauler Laser Cannon
      Location: Top of head (battloid); ventral turret (fighter/gerwalk mode)
      Fire Arc: Turret
      Crew: 1 (pilot)
      Skill: Aircraft Gunnery (Or Starship Gunnery)
      Scale: Starfighter
      Fire Control: 2D
      Space Range: 1-2/6/10
      Atmosphere Range: 100-200/600/1 km
      Damage: 3D
      Ammo: Effectively Unlimited
      Rate of Fire: Single blast per attack; OR Autofire (see D6 Firearms article for Autofire rules on the site); OR continuous beam for cutting purposes.

   Howard GPU-9 35mm Gun Pod
      Location: Forward firing ventral position (Fighter); Held in hand or attached to forearm (Gerwalk/Battloid)
      Fire Arc: front (Fighter); turret (Gerwalk/Battloid)
      Crew: 1 (pilot)
      Skill: Aircraft Gunnery (Fighter)/Mecha Gunnery (Gerwalk/Battloid); Or use Starship Gunnery
      Scale: Starfighter
      Fire Control: 2D (Fighter); 1D (Gerwalk/Battloid)
      Space Range: 1-3/15/25
      Atmosphere Range: 100-300/1.5/2.5km
      Damage: 5D
      Ammo: 550 (heavy armor piercing or AHEAD rounds)
      Rate of Fire: Single round per attack; OR Autofire (see D6 Firearms article on site for Autofire rules)

   4 Variable Ordnance Hard Points
      Location: Under the wings, 2 each.
      Fire Arc: front (missiles); or down (bombing runs)
      Crew: 1 (pilot)
      Skill: Aircraft Gunnery (OR Starship Gunnery)
      Scale: Varies upon ordnance being used
      Fire Control: 2D
      Space Range: varies upon ordnance being used
      Atmosphere Range: Varies upon ordnance being used
      Damage: varies upon ordnance being used
      Ammo Per Hardpoint:
      -12 (total) Raytheon Bifors AIM-200A AMRAAM 2 I/ALH-guided medium-range air-to-air missiles (3-missile racks, 1 per hardpoint; Starfighter Scale MRMs; Damage 4D; Range 1-3/15/40; Single fire OR volleys up to max load!).
      -4 GH-28A 8-tube general-purpose micro missile launchers (capable of firing volleys of 3; 1 launcher per hardpoint; Speeder/Vehicle Scale MMs; Damage 5D; Range 1-2/6/14; Single fire OR volleys up max load!).
      -2 HAIM-95A medium-range maneuverability missile launcher pods (originally used in attack craft equipment, special attack/assault specification; 2 per hardpoint; Starfighter Scale MRMs; Damage 7D; Range 1-3/15/30; Dodge/Attack 5D; 1 per attack OR volleys up to max load!).
      -OR any combination of the above, but could probably use any other ordnance players and GMs can come up with.
      Rate of Fire: usually 1 per attack; OR volleys up to the maximum payload of a specific missile type.

OPTIONAL ARMAMENTS (See "Angel" entry):
   -2 FAST packs (external atmospheric combat super parts/conformal fuel tank)
   -2 Augmentative pylons welded to the conformal fuel tanks of the craft's dorsal surface for optional special attack/assault specification.
   -1 QF-2200A Ghost unmanned fighter equipped with five micro-missile launchers.
  
HAND-to-HAND COMBAT/DAMAGE(Skill: Mecha Melee Combat)
      Punch: 5D (Gerwalk); 6D (Battloid)
      Kick: 6D (Battloid)
      Stomp: 6D (Battloid, limited to targets 12 feet tall or less)
      Body Flip/Block: 7D (Battloid)

EQUIPMENT:
-Structure: Space metal material frame; titanium/carbon composite outer shell.
-AWAG/RA 105 SWAG Energy Converting Armor: Surplus power triples Fighter armor strength in Battroid mode, majority of engine output is dedicated to flight so energy converting armor is not functional during Fighter mode; in GERWALK mode the energy converting armor has a defensive power-equivalent to an attack helicopter.  The different dice are included above in the statistics.  if ever this feature is damaged or destroyed, then the mech will have the same 4D Hull in all modes with no bonuses.
-Power Plant: Two EGF-127 custom overtuned conventional turbofan jet engines, power rating unknown.
-Propulsion: 91.08 kN x 2; 148.9 kN x 2 afterburner; 3 x Shinnakasu ARR-2 maneuvering rocket motors (for use in GERWALK/Battroid modes).
-Thrust-to-Weight Ratio: 1.87 (empty)
-Design Features:
   -3-mode variable transformation (Fighter/Gerwalk/Battloid);
   -thrust-vectoring engine nozzles;
   -standard auxillary conformal fuel drop tanks (mounted on dorsal main body in Fighter mode, upper torso in Battroid mode);
   -rectangular underfuselage air intake with semi-retractable slit-style shutters for Battroid mode/space use;
   -1 x AN/ALE 55 flare and chaff dispenser system;
   -AN/ALQ 220A IDECM. ASS/PS 110 active stealth system (-1D to enemy sensors);
   -retractable shield canopy (Battroid mode);
   -underwater capable in silent mode for up to several minutes (max operational depth limit is 20 meters);
   -option of reactive armor system or 2 x regular external atmospheric combat super parts (mounted one on each leg/engine nacelle).
  
DESCRIPTION:
    The VF-0A Phoenix is a transformable mecha fighter jet with three modes of transformation; a fighter jet for standard air combat tactics; a Battloid mode that takes a humanoid form with almost complete human-like articulation; and Gerwalk mode, a cross between Fighter jet and Battloid, being comparatively weak in either of these capacities, but making for a beautiful mix of what both can do, not as fast as a jet but able to manipulate things by hand, and not as flexible as the battloid but being much more maneuverable.
    In 1999, the world was already locked into a Global War that threatened to wipe out mankind and destroy the world as they knew it.  Nation fought nation, some tearing apart as the fighting grew.  It was during this time that an alien vessel tore itself from a space fold high in Earth orbit and crash landed on the surface.  The shock waves from its atmospheric entry devastated entire cities, until it came to rest on Altair Island in the Pacific ocean.
    The event caused most of the combatants in the war to pause and take stock of what had just happened; an alien ship had just crashed on Earth and no one could have missed it.  While everyone was fighting for supremacy over resources, there were beings in space with the power to possibly obliterate the human race if they came searching for this ship.  much of the fighting was stopped and people were sent to explore the wreckage.  Sure enough, much of it had survived and new technologies were discovered, reverse engineered and adapted to work with existing technologies, or advance them generations ahead of anything else on Earth.  Much of these discoveries were in the areas of robotics, power generation, computers and electronics, and of course weapons technologies, all affectionately called 'OverTechnology' by the developers.  Among these developments was that of a new transformable variable fighter that could change into alternate modes and assume different roles as the situation dictated.  The final result of this project would be the VF-1 Valkyrie.
   The downed vessel that had crashed on Altair Island was codenamed Alien Starship 1, or ASS-1.  Over the next decade, the human race would be galvanized into unity by the discovery of extraterrestrial life beyond Earth, and work to rebuild and refit the ship, eventually classifying it as the Super Dimansional Fortress 1, or SDF-1, and eventually christening it the Macross after the events that would happen later on.
    During development of the VF-1 Valkyrie, the U.N. Spacy development teams found it necessary to utilize other variable fighters as test beds and trial production models for the various new OverTechnology systems. The VF-0 Phoenix was one such variable fighter project which began in 2002 and delivered the first completed craft in 2004. In 2008, the VF-0 Phoenix was utilized in combat when delivery of the thermonuclear reaction engines delayed deployment of the VF-1 Valkyrie. The Phoenix was deployed around the island of Mayan in the South Pacific Ocean that same year and many VF-0 variable fighters participated in an operation to combat Anti-U.N. forces for the purpose of recovering of an alien artifact.
    The VF-0A was the primary fighter of the series, possessing many of what would become the standard variable fighter technologies including the famous three-mode variable transformation system. Unfortunately, the lack of thermonuclear reaction engines meant the VF-0A was deployed with larger conventional (but overtuned) jet engines and dorsal conformal fuel tanks. These problems seriously limited the operational range of the VF-0A and ultimately assured the series would remain a small production model. Nonetheless, the VF-0A was combat worthy and possessed a Mauler laser cannon, one standard Howard GPU-9 35mm gatling gun pod (with 550 rounds) and four underwing hard points with a variety of missile loads. For defense, the VF-0A featured the first incarnation of the energy converting armor system which utilized surplus power to triple fighter mode's armor strength in battroid mode (a similar system would become standard in all future variable fighters). The VF-0A could also be fitted with the leg/engine nacelle conformal missile/fuel tanks for increased firepower and range, these parts belonging to the VF-1 "Super Pack" that were not yet fully completed.
    The VF-0A was a successfully deployed unit, but was only produced in small numbers as production resources were devoted to the more advanced VF-1 Valkyrie that would follow. The U.N. Spacy manufactured 24 VF-0A general-issue single-seater fighters, 4 two-seater fighters and 2 two-seater armed reconnaissance units. An unknown number of delta wing VF-0D units were constructed as well as 4 VF-0S commander versions. U.N.G. pilots Shin Kudo and Edgar LaSalle piloted VF-0 fighters as did ace pilot Roy Focker when conducting operations around the island of Mayan in 2008.
   It is important to note that a major difference between the VF-0 Phoenix and the VF-1 Valkyrie is the engine types they both make use of.  The VF-1s had a nuclear reactors to produce power and propulsion, which gave them longer operational time and range than any other fighter craft ever created beforehand, allowing them to stay operational for many days at a time of constant use if it was needed.
   The VF-0s instead had two EGF-127 custom overtuned conventional turbofan jet engines made from conventional technologies already available and not developed from the newer tech found in the ruins of the SDF-1 Macross.  This meant that the engines actually lessened their operational time and range, keeping them relatively close to their base of operations or aircraft carriers, as they ate up more fuel than other standard jet engines.  But, considering the advantage they brought to the battlefield in newly advanced technologies and weaponry, along with their variable combat transformation modes, they seemed to balance out well enough.  At least, until the VF-1 Valkyries were fully developed.
   The VF-0s also could operate underwater for about two or three minutes.  They were designed for space flight and combat, though were never actually used in space.  The pilot must close the air intakes which keeps the water from entering for a few minutes, allowing the Phoenix to enter the water and maintain thrust for this limited time, if ever needed.  One of the side qualities Shin Kudo discovered during his time at the cockpit of a VF-0 that came in handy.
-NOTE: During development of the Macross game for the Playstation 2, when the VF-0 was being considered for inclusion, it was named "Phoenix" (ultimately, the VF-0 was not included in the game). This "pet name" was then dropped only to reappear in 2008 on the official Macross Frontier website. The Macross Chronicle (2008) has since made the name "Phoenix" official.

ROBOTECH:
   If people would rather run a 'Robotech' game, then the VF-0 Pheonix could easily make a predecessor to the VF-1 Veritech Fighters as the VF-X-1, and have similar origins such as here (since, after all, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross and Robotech's Macross Saga are the same series, just dubbed differently for an almost entirely different story).

-A NOTE ON MECHA COMBAT: Using a mecha, even one that moves very much like a real human, is still more like piloting a vehicle than a real fist brawl.  Because of this, the pilot must use Mecha Melee Combat, Mecha Gunnery and Mecha Piloting/Operations (OR substitue these skills for other similar skills such as Starship Gunnery, Walker Operations and/or Aircraft or Starfighter Piloting) to perform the same actions a normal person would do with other skills, such as Brawl (or Martial Arts), Brawling Parry, Doge, Melee Combat, Melee Parry, Sneak, Blaster (for GU-11 Gunpod OR other 'aquired' weapons of blaster type), and even Thrown Weapons.  
   In Battloid mode, all of these types of actions are still available as if the person were acting normally, but instead of actually using these skills, they use the skills relevant to the mecha itself, and use it's vehicle bonus dice to add to the skill check.  For instance, to Dodge, roll a Piloting/Operations check and add the mecha's maneuverability to it, just like any other vehicle.  To punch, roll the Mecha Melee Combat skill and still add the maneuverability dice to this for the attempt.  The same with pretty much any other skill, even when trying to "Sneak" the mecha around.
   The Gerwalk (or Guardian) mode is not able to do as much as the battloid.  It does not have the same human-like form and acts more like a human-jet hybrid, which it is.  It can still Punch and Parry, but that's about it for melee combat, aside from picking something up and making a quick getaway.  It may not be as versatile and agile as the battloid, but it still has a great degree of speed and maneuverability to make up for any lack in other areas.