Editing Spyrer


'''Spyrers''' (or '''Spyre Hunters''') are a subsect of high nobility from some [[hive world]]s in the [[Imperium]], especially in [[Necromunda]], which is also the game where the term comes from. 

==Overview==
Within the industrial underhives of a hive city, the poor people are forming gangs to fight for the scraps of the scarce resources. Sometimes the rich people, the upper nobility, send "gangs" for a different purpose. Spyrer groups are hardly more than the kids of the noble houses, sent to the Underhive to undertake a vow that has been impressed upon them by a sponsor '''Patriarch''' or '''Matriarch''', either to survive on their own or to get a designated number of kills. They are sent down and will come back with their task done or not at all. [[grimdark|Or they just felt like working off some stress.]]

In other words, they're either the [[Grimdark]] version of the bored rich kid who's out to callously cause mischief no matter who it hurts; or they're on a [[Grimdark]] rite of passage by surviving or killing people in the dangerous, rundown Underhive, which is infested by gangs, mutants, monsters, and sometimes other weird shit.

In the Imperium, where everything is fucked up, and especially in Necromunda, where things are ''really'' fucked up, this makes a certain amount of sense. If they come back having survived, and even killed a few people, this proves that the youth in question is resourceful and ruthless enough to do well in Hive politics. On most other Imperial worlds, most of these kids would end up debauchees and wannabe socialites, maybe inheriting a part of their family's interests or saddled into a political marriage, or they might buy a commissioned rank in the Imperial Guard or Navy. Some of them might even be good at what they do. But in Necromunda, you're going to be good or you won't live to see adulthood. ''Hardcore.''

As a last note, sometimes Spyrers actually like going on a hunting trip in the wilderness of the Underhive, so they'll end up coming back as a hobby, or sponsor other gangs as a Matriarch or Patriarch. Also, we know about the logical gap of the survival rate of weeding out the weak in your kids. Necromunda nobles must either have ''lots'' of kids, or toughen them up with a steady diet of diesel fuel and broken glass.

==Equipment==
Even though becoming a Spyrer is supposed to be a genuine test of ability and the will to survive, rich kids ''still'' get all the nice stuff. Each Spyrer is given a unique '''Hunting Rig''' which is a ''serious'' piece of hardware that outstrips most of the stuff in most Imperial institutions, unless you're a mid-to-high ranking [[Adeptus Mechanicus|robot]], a [[Space Marine|biologically enhanced killing machine]], a [[Inquisition|state sanctioned asshole]], or a [[Officio Assassinorum|state sanctioned asshole with a hit list]].  Hunting Rigs act as a suit of armour with built-in weaponry and cybernetic enhancements.

It is self-sustaining, providing sustenance to the wearer so that they are not burdened by the requirement of food.  It is also self-repairing, so that they do not require regular maintenance. (Meaning that survival challenge can by done by finding a nice little hidey hole and holing up for a few days. Way to go, guys.) However the most important feature of the hunting rig is their power boosting system.  As the wearer fights and gains experience in combat, the hunting rig will adapt and evolve to suit the wearer by increasing power to certain systems, (essentially [[Level|Leveling up]]) unlocking previously unavailable abilities and new potential as the hunt continues.

These suits are locked onto implants connected to the wearers central nervous system ensuring a seamlessly perfect fit, though make it practically impossible for someone else to wear the suit and even then they would have to have exactly the same body size and shape, so they are essentially useless as loot items or salvage.

[[Dark Heresy]] presents pieces of wargear built by the [[Jokaero]] for nobles in the Calixis sector, which are essentially the same as the ones found on Necromunda, these suits are scary as hell. Boosting the wearer's WS, Strength, Agility and Perception as well as granting a butt-ton of additional talents, turning the wearer into a 40k [[Ninja]]. However, the actual armour protection of the suit itself amounts to very little, so the user must rely on their enhanced reflexes to avoid injury or on some suits alternative defensive capabilities such as force fields or shields.

An alternate theory is that the hunting rigs are the creation of [[Tau]] battlesuit engineering. This is strongly supported in the Tau 3rd edition codex, which defines several words that phonetically identical to the rig designations while being thematically accurate to the suit's functions:
* Orrus = Or'es (powerful)
* Jakara = J'karra (mirror)
* Malcadon = Mal'caor (spider)
* Yeld = Y'eldi (winged one)

Of course, considering the rigs are clearly much more advanced (such as freaking evolving), it is likely the nobles once upon a time illegally purchased Tau suits and hired hereteks to combine the knowledge gleaned with power armor to make something special and the names of the rig designations are due wanting to cover up the origins while also giving an arrogant finger to the law in plain sight.  Or the rigs were inspired by Eldar Aspects and the ignorant nobles used Tau words due to being stupid.

==Hunting Rig Classifications==
Although each Hunting Rig is unique, they are designed to incorporate ritualised combinations of weaponry, so that groupings of hunting styles can be identified.  But as the suits adapt to suit the wearer, even two suits that were similarly designed may be completely different by the end of the hunt.

===Orrus===
The Orrus is the most brutal of the Spyre aspects.  Specialising in brute force, they are characterised by oversized, piston-powered arms containing [[Bolter|Bolt Launchers]] built into the fists.  They are also protected from shooting attacks by a force field. Orrus rigs typically evolve by increasing the caliber and firing rate of the Bolt Launchers or by increasing the effectiveness of their force field.  Both of these scientifically unsound aspects sound suspiciously like the transforming abilities of [[Necrons|Necrodermis]]...or something [[Chaos|else]].  Of course, that’s true for all the rigs.

At its most basic, this suit increases the wearers WS, S & A by +1, provides a 4+ armour save and a 6+ invulnerable save.

The Bolt Launchers are functionally identical to ''Twin Linked'' boltguns, albeit with an 18" range.

===Jakara===
Jakara are the lightest but most agile of the Spyre hunters, specialising in speed and mobility.  They are equipped with a Sword with a Monomolecular edge and a unique Mirror Shield which can absorb energy-based attacks and fire it back at their enemies. Jakara rigs evolve by increasing the mobility and speed of the wearer, and the durability of their sword.  They also adapt by expanding the types of energy absorbed by their shield.

===Malcadon===
The most subtle and cunning of the Spyre groups.  They are armed like spiders, with Web Spinnerets designed to immobilise the enemy so they can be torn apart by their vicious claws.  They are also equipped with climbing hooks and hydraulic pistons to allow the wearer to reach perfect ambush points.  The Spinneret weapons can also be used to generate strands of web to aid in climbing.  These suits evolve by synthesising neurotoxins for application to their claws, or by increasing the range and area of their Spinnaret weapons.

===Yeld===
Are the most peculiar Spyrers, being equipped with Chameleonic armour and razor-edged wings.  They are armed with multiple [[Lasgun|laser]] tubes built into their gauntlets.  Though their wings do allow them to fly, they make for better gliders.  Their wings also incorporate the chameleonic technology which makes them difficult to track.  Yeld can evolve by increasing the chameleonic response and the sharpness of their wing-blades, as well as by increasing the focus and fire-rate of their laser gauntlets.

A starting Yeld gains +1 to BS ''(and movement, but this has no bearing in "modern" rulesets)'' as well as a 5+ armour save.

Their laser gauntlets start out identical to a pair of laspistols, but with a 20" range. ''(the original rules have them as identical to short ranged lasguns, but held as pistols; laspistols had considerably different accuracies)''.

Their wings give them the "Jet Infantry" type as well as inflicting a -1 on to-hit rolls when weapons fire at them from over half range.

===Patriarch===
This armour offers the best protection of all the Spyrer armours, and it is only worn by those who have already proven themselves and cannot evolve further.  It is equipped with four Mechadendrite arms; two wielding [[Power Fist|power claw]]s and two with pulse [[Lasgun|laser]]s that can track and target multiple opponents simultaneously due to the advanced sensor arrays built into the rig.

===Matriarch===
Designed for quietly stalking opponents from the shadows and slaying them up close, equipped with a camo-cloak to hide their position and mask their movements so that they cannot be tracked either at range or in melee.  They expertly dual-wield a large [[chainsword|chainscythe]] and a monomolecular blade.  Their armour offers the highest levels of speed and mobility and cannot evolve any further.

[[Category:Necromunda]]
[[category:Skirmish-Level Wargames]]
[[category:Wargames]]
[[category:Warhammer 40,000]]