A Mech Tech's Guide To Ursas
Aight y'all, still doing the full writeup on Gators, convincing Handler Fist to actually help me with it is taking some effort, he's a very stubborn man. I even offered to let him tap it, and he turned me down!
...ok maybe that was purely me selfish Bisexual Urges.
You likely have heard about Guard Hounds, I've talked about them offhandedly. Well, these are an evolution of that!
The process of making one draws from several schools of pilot creation, hypnosis, ego theories and whatnot, but here's the important part:
An Ursa isn't programmed for offensive ferocity, they're programmed for DEFENSIVE ferocity.
When inactive, an Ursa is the nicest subtype you'll meet. This is intended, because when deactivated a Handler must cultivate strong bonds with the Ursa's 'kin'.
Here's the rough outline to making an Ursa's mindscape:
Take a pilot that likes armored fast brawlers, especially with auto shotuguns and rotary cannons.
Imprint into them a sense of retaliatory vengeance, alongside a very strong sense of bonding. This is so that those they view as friends are their 'kindred', and those who harm their 'kin' are to be destroyed immediately. The Handler is always to be considered the most important bond in this dynamic.
Give them a mech with powerful armor, automatic weapons, and reactive fire sub-brains to allow the pilot to use multiples types of sensors and cams simultaneously, while minimizing strain.
Have the chassis and pilot rigged with autoinjector systems, with stims and stim-kill on standby at all times.
Establish strong bonds with the crew of your establishment. The Ursa must genuinely care for them for the programming to be effective, and it helps if the feeling is mutual. Having them set up with manual labor teams is a great, they fit right in. I'm totally not writing this out of bias, I think Ursas serve well on mech tech crews.
Of course, this is a very simplified list, but you understand the point. An Ursa is designed for the sole purpose of defending its home, and anyone who dares cross it will be met with the wrath of an angry bear with miniguns and flak cannons.
Now, here's the downsides:
They are very clingy and emotional. They are designed to love and care, and as such, when in resting state, they can get very mood swingy. Emotional dampers are ill advised, as it tampers with programming and intent of design.
While in combat, it can take a while for them to 'spool down' from their battle rage, unlike a Hound which can snap back from it. Even a deactivation phrase takes a few minutes to kick in fully. Likely, this is a downside of the sub-brains feeding them a loop of combat data, keeping them in fight mode for longer.
Reactions to violence. Play fighting and roughhousing amongst kin is fine, but being genuinely assaulted by anyone will trigger an Ursa's activation. Yes, you heard me, they can trigger their own activation. As such, having a Handler on hand at all times is crucial to preventing gorings, meaning that Ursas require a lot of investment to maintain. Of course, the solution is simple, don't punch the fucking bears. And yet, people seem to keep making that mistake...
These particular subtypes are new, so much is still being discovered compared to say, Harpies, which are the oldest post-Hound subtype to be discovered and created.
This report may change as Handler Fist personally experiences what handling an Ursa is like, depending on if he goes through with his ideas.
As per usual, happy hunting, my fellow creatures!
