Presently only in prototype status only, this fighter is one of the most advanced fighter designs currently in the United Worlds Warlock. Making a fighter invisible on radar systems is relatively easy but it is much harder to make a fighter invisible to gravity and other sensors. The fighter mixes conventional technology, techno-wizardry, and even Phase Technology. The Phase Technology of the fighter makes it extremely expensive compared to most fighters.

Currently, only about two dozen prototype Vampire fighters are believed to be in existence. So far, the fighter has passed all of its field but its future is unknown at this time. Several other fighters are being considered as a replacement for the aging Shadow Bolt fighter including a fighter known as the Crystal Shard, a light fighter known as the Komet II, and even an upgraded version of the Shadow Bolt.

Due to the use of Phase Technology and its cost, it is doubtful that the fighter will ever be purchased in large numbers but the developers are hoping for at least some small orders for special missions. As a result of concerns by the U.W.W. military leadership that the it might be sold to interest outside of the Warlock Military, the design has been put under military control and sales are restricted until further evaluation. There is a rumor that two prototypes disappeared but the engineers deny it.

The fighter is a flying wing type design with bat like wings. It does not have any tail stabilizers and is a dull painted black. In many ways, the design is similar to a World War II German fighter known as the Ho-229 although it is a bit larger. The pilot sits in the very nose of the fighter and it has an extended tail. One problem with the design is that the wings don't fold and likely cannot be stowed in as large numbers on small ships as the Shadow Bolt. Generally, the engineers who developed the fighter use the name "Vampire" for the fighter although some of the engineers prefer the name "Foxbat" for the fighter.

Several engineers who worked on the upgraded version of the Shadow Bolt later went to work on the program for the Vampire fighter. As such, both designs share several key components although it is a bit larger than the Shadow Bolt. Chief among these are the engines which are originally developed from the Consortium Osprey class fighter and give the fighter exceptional overall acceleration compared to most Warlock Fighter designs although still a bit slower than the top of the line Consortium fighters such as the Black Eagle and Katana fighters. For a Warlock built fighter, the Vampire is extremely maneuverable. Power is provided by a combination reactor using both fusion and techno-wizardry. The hull of the fighter is impervious to energy weapons like the Shadow Bolt and also carries a magical force field for protection.

Unlike most Warlock fighters, the Vampire mounts its missiles in a pair of missile bays instead of externally. This prevents drag while in an atmosphere. A mixture of different ordnance can be carried with a maximum of two cruise missiles per bay. Cruise missile type bottle demon missiles can be carried. These bays are combined with a pair of bottle demon missile launchers. The bottled missile launchers have been modified so they can also fire conventional mini-missiles. It is unlikely that the fighter will carry any type of bottled demon missiles outside of Warlock Navy service.

For direct fire weaponry, the fighter mounts two sub particle acceleration cannons and four telekinetic cannons. The telekinetic cannons are useful against targets which are impervious to energy and all six cannons can be combined into a single burst. The enchantments need to be recharged every two months for the cannons to remain operational. The engineers who developed the fighter are considering mounting a Phase Cannon on the fighter although none of the prototype mount that weapon system. There is some debate about the usefulness of the weapon system.

This fighter uses modified starship speeds and weapon ranges. See Revised Starship Rules for Phase World for more details.

Model Type: WF-F29V
Vehicle Type: Stealth Fighter
Crew: One

M.D.C. By Location:

	Sub Particle Acceleration Cannons (2, Nose):	100 each
	TK-Machinegun Mounts (4, On Sides):	80 each
	Heavy Missile Bays (2, Fuselage):	120 each
	Bottled Demon Missile Launchers (2, Outer Wings):	100 each
	Reinforced Pilots Cockpit	140
	[1] Wings (2):	200 each
	[2] Main Body:	600
	Magical Armor of Ithan Force Field (3 times per day):	300

Notes:
[1] Destroying a Wing will cause the fighter to crash if it is flying within an atmosphere. Destruction of a wing has no effect in space.
[2] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will put the fighter out of commission. All internal systems will shut down, including life support and internal gravity. The ship itself will be an unsalvageable floating wreck. Note: The fighter is impervious to all non magical energy weapons.

Speed:
Driving on the Ground: Not Possible.
Sublight: Has a special sublight engine that allows the ship to travel up to 40 percent of the speed of light. Fighter can accelerate/decelerate at the rate of 1.25 percent of light per melee.
Atmospheric Propulsion: Maximum normal speed is 6.5 (4,819.5 mph /7,756.2 kph) can enter and leave atmosphere because flight system is by contra grav.
Maximum Range: Effectively Unlimited by drive system but only has supplies for pilots for about a week.

Statistical Data:
Length: 28.9 feet (8.8 meters)
Height: 10.5 feet (3.2 meters)
Width: 64.0 feet (19.5 meters)
Weight: 16.2 tons (14.7 metric tons) empty and 22.4 tons (20.3 metric tons) fully loaded
Power System: Main Power: Combination Fusion & Techno-wizardry with 10 year life span. Phase Power System: All special phase abilities of the ship are powered by a phase-field generator that has 200 "charges." When all these charges are spent (each use of a phase-field power uses up one charge), the generator needs one hour to regenerate power. Until it is fully recharged, no further special powers will be possible.
Cargo: Minimal Storage Space, place for a rifle, handgun, small survival kit, signal flares, and food rations. Does not include Ordnance Bay.
Market Cost: 180 to 200 million credits.

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

1. Sub Particle Acceleration Cannons (2): Mounted in the nose of the fighter and fire forward. Both are normally linked when fired. Can be linked with telekinetic machine guns for greater damage. Uses the spell of the same name from page 143 of Federation of Magic. The spells must be renewed every two months (costs 400 PPE and 20,000 credits per Cannon) but during theat period the weapon can fire unlimited blasts
   Maximum Effective Range: 200 miles (320 km) in space. 2 miles (3.2 km) in an atmosphere.
   Mega Damage: 1D6x10+10 for one cannon or 2D6x10+20 for both cannons (Can be combined with telekinetic machine guns for 3D6x10+25)
   Rate of fire: Equal to pilots hand to hand (Usually 4 or 5).
   Payload: Unlimited, although the spells must be renewed every two months whether the cannons have been used or not.
2. Telekinetic Machine Guns (4): These cannons are identical to those mounted in the standard Shadow Bolt Starfighter but are in a pair of twin mounts. Because the cannons do damage by impact, they do full damage to targets that are using the spell impervious to energy. The spells must be renewed every two months (costs 400 PPE and 20,000 credits per Cannon) but during the period the weapon can fire unlimited blasts.
   Maximum Effective Range: 200 miles (320 km) in space and 2 miles (3.2 km) in an atmosphere.
   Mega Damage: 12D6 per burst for all four telekinetic machine-guns (Can be combined with Sub Particle Acceleration Cannons for 3D6x10+25)
   Rate of fire: Equal to pilots hand to hand (Usually 4 or 5).
   Payload: Unlimited, although the spells must be renewed every two months whether the cannons have been used or not.
3. Large Missile Bays (2): The fighter has two heavy missile bays. Each missile bay can carry two cruise missile, four long range missiles, or sixteen medium range missiles. Each bay must carry all the same type ordnance although different bays can carry different ordnance. Cruise missiles are normally carried when on an anti-capital ship role and long range missiles when fighting other starfighters. Cruise Missiles has a top speed of Mach 25 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 10% of light per turn (far faster than any starship). Long Range Missiles has a top speed of Mach 20 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 8% of light per turn (faster than any starship). Medium Range Missiles has a top speed of Mach 15 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 6% of light per turn. Since starships will no longer engage at rock throwing distances, whether weapons can be shot down is calculated from the speed of target, launcher, and missile. When drive goes dead, missiles will still cruise unless set to self destruct but has very low odds of hitting starships (Great for hitting bases and planets because the target does not move and missile when dead at -25% to detect.) Cruise missiles have minuses to hit small targets but all missiles are all considered smart missiles. These missile launchers are normally controlled by the weapons officer but can be controlled by the pilot in emergencies.
   Theoretically, the fighter can also fire a special larger version of the bottle demon missiles although for safety purposes, only a few would likely be carried on board. It has been said by many people that an escaped demon is worse than a matter/anti-matter explosion. They can be launched at the same rate as conventional cruise missiles and can use the same programming, although slightly smaller than a standard cruise missiles. The missiles accelerate at the same rate as conventional cruise missiles. Missiles are super smart and have +4 to strike and +5 to dodge. Unlike normal missile, the bottled demon does not explode and keeps striking at its target over and over. If the target is destroyed or vanishes, the missile disappears. The missiles are literally powerful demons summoned and bottled into a missile and are an aggressive and intelligent guidance system. The evil demons will continue to chase its target until destroyed (100 MDC to the missile). Bottled Demon missiles are not available outside the United World Warlock Navy but are listed incase they become available.
   Optional: Because the super bottle demon missiles use a more powerful demon and the missiles are still experimental, there is a 5% chance that the missile will turn on the ship launching it.
   Maximum Effective Range: Conventional Cruise Missiles range is 8,000 miles (12,875 km) in an atmosphere and 4,000,000 miles (6,437,376 km/ 21.5 light seconds), Bottled Demon Missiles: Effectively Unlimited! Once fired, the demon controlled and powered missile will fly and pursue the designated target until its target or the missile is destroyed (or the target vanished from sight, jumps away, or gets away by another means), Long Range Missiles range is 3,400 miles (5470 km) in an atmosphere and 1,800,000 miles (2,89700 km/9.7 light seconds) in space, and Medium Range Missiles range is 160 miles (257.5 km) in an atmosphere and 80,000 miles (128,750 km/0.43 light seconds).
   Mega-Damage & Properties: Conventional Missiles: See Phase World Missiles (Cruise Anti-Matter does 4D6x100 MDC and Long Range Fusion does 2D4x100 MDC). Bottled Demon Cruise Missiles: 6D6x100 of magical energy every time the missile strikes (3% chance of releasing the demon every time it hits)
   Rate of fire: One at a time or in volleys of two, four, or eight.
   Payload: Two Cruise Missile (Or Bottle Demon Missiles) , Four Long Range Missiles, and Eight Medium Range Missiles per missile bay (Maximum of four cruise missiles / bottle demon missiles, eight long range missiles, or sixteen medium range missiles)
4. Bottled Demon Missile Launchers (2): On each side of the fighter on the outer wing, the fighter has a launcher for bottle demon missiles. The missiles are literally demons summoned and bottled into a missile and are an aggressive and intelligent guidance system. The evil demons will continue to chase its target until destroyed (50 MDC to the missile). Bottled demons are slightly larger than mini-missiles and require special launchers. Missile has a top speed of Mach 10 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 2% of light per turn (slightly faster than any starship except if it is exceeding it maximum safe acceleration). Missiles are super smart and have +4 to strike and +5 to dodge. Unlike normal missile, the bottled demon does not explode and keeps striking at its target over and over. If the target is destroyed or vanishes, the missile disappears. The launchers have been modified so they can fire standard mini-missiles. This is done mainly by fitting the mini-missiles with a special sleeve that allows them to be fired from the launcher. Many fighters do not carry bottle demon missiles and simply replace them with conventional mini-missiles. In those cases, increase conventional missile payload. Launchers can launch on multiple targets each.
   Maximum Effective Range: Bottled Demon Missiles: Effectively Unlimited! Once fired, the demon controlled and powered missile will fly and pursue the designated target until its target or the missile is destroyed (or the target vanished from sight, jumps away, or gets away by another means) Conventional Mini-Missiles: Missile range is 2 miles (3.2 km) in an atmosphere and 100 miles (161 km) in space
   Mega-Damage: Bottled Demon Missiles: 3D4x10 M.D. of magical energy every time the missile strikes (3% chance of releasing the demon every time it hits). Conventional Mini-Missiles: Varies with mini-missile type (See Phase World Missiles)
   Rate of fire: Can fire missiles one at a time or in volleys of two, three, or four.
   Payload: Bottled Demon Missiles: 4 per launcher for a total of 8 bottled demon missiles. Conventional Mini-Missiles: 6 per launcher for a total of 12 mini-missiles. If Bottle Demon missiles are not carried, increase mini-missiles to 12 per launcher and to a total of 24 mini-missiles.
5. Phase Fields: The ship can generate two different protective phase fields. The first is a deflector shield that disperses incoming energy attacks, bullets, rail gun rounds, and explosions. When system is active, damage from incoming attack is divided by 10 (With the exception of magics, psionics, and other phase weaponry - These do full damage). When phase field is active, only laser cannons systems can be used. The phase cannons are not operational and the fire control for the missiles are disrupted. Second field is "Ghost Mode", an Out of Phase field that renders ship insubstantial and immune to all non magical attacks and energy. Ship is removed from normal three- dimensional space. Ship can observe things in the three dimensional world but is completely undetectable by normal means including the see the invisible spell and most sensors (it is not invisible to Prometheans and phase technology). Ships speed is reduced to 25% of ships speeds and accelerations when in this mode but it can move in any direction including up and down and is not impeded by normal barriers. Ship can be stopped by Phase Fields, Force Fields, and Magical Fields and cannot resolidify inside other ships or solid objects. No weapons can be fired either while ship is out of phase.
   Duration: Deflector Fields: Eight minutes per charge. Ghost Mode: One minute per charge.
   Payload: 200 "Charges" Each activation consumes one "charge" from phase-field generator in the ship (see Power System, above). Activating either field counts as one melee action/attack. Activating a field can be used as a dodge to avoid incoming attacks. Only one field can be activated at one time and not both simultaneously. They cannot be activate at the same time as the ships conventional force field as well.
6. Special Bonuses: The fighter is extremely maneuverable for a United Worlds Warlock Fighter, add +5% to the pilots piloting skill, +1 to strike, +2 to dodge energy and projectile fire, and +3 to dodge missiles, obstacles, and stellar debris. The fighter also have a very advanced terrain following system. All bonuses are in addition to pilots bonuses (Hand to hand and Starfighter Pilot: Basic or Elite).

[ Phase World TM, Naruni TM, Kreeghor TM, Bushido Industries, and CAF TM are trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]
[ Rifts® is a registered trademark owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc.]

By Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

Copyright © 2008, Kitsune. All rights reserved.