Stars Without Numbers rpg : Campaign Pitch: The Red Dawn of Sector X- War of the Worlds Update - The Martian Manta Ray Craft From 1953's War of the Worlds Move

 

Here's an update to the Stars Without Numbers rpg : Campaign Pitch: The Red Dawn of Sector X- War of the Worlds & that's the Manta ray craft from the 1953's classic War of the Worlds movie for this campaign. The Martian War Machine from the 1953 War of the Worlds film, often described as a "stingray" or "manta ray" craft, is an iconic piece of sci-fi.

Since there are no official Stars Without Number (SWN) stats for this specific vehicle, We can create a custom profile for it using the rules for Alien Craft or as a specialized Walker/Grav Vehicle from the SWN core rulebook (Deluxe Edition, or adapting from the standard vehicle/robot rules).

Here is a proposed stat block and description, focusing on its unique features:

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Martian War Machine (1953 Film)

This sleek, manta ray-shaped craft hovers on three invisible energy "legs" and is an incredibly resilient and terrifying war engine of an alien race.²

Trait	Value	Notes
Class	Grav Vehicle, Very Heavy	Treats Rough terrain as Normal. Ignores difficult terrain.
Crew	1 Martian Operator (Single Occupant)
Speed	50 kph (Standard), 200 kph (Max)	Standard for tactical movement; max for rapid travel.
Armor	15 (Force Field)	Invulnerable to all non-nuclear conventional weaponry.
Hit Points (HP)	40 (Structure)	Structure can only be damaged if Armor is bypassed/disrupted.
AC	10	The craft moves too smoothly to be targeted by small arms.
Hard Points	2 (Fixed)	Heat Ray (Fixed Fore), Wingtip Pulsars (Fixed Broad)
TL	5 (Alien)	Represents the Martian technological superiority.
Cost	Priceless (Alien Artifact)	Cannot be bought or replicated with known technology.

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Special Features

•  Invisible Energy Tripod: The craft hovers on three invisible "legs" of magnetic or energy force.³ Any attempt to ground the vehicle by damaging the earth beneath it is ineffective, but the energy emissions leave three scorched areas beneath the hull, briefly visible at takeoff or in wet terrain.

• Molecularly Cohesive Armor: The craft's hull, and more importantly, its powerful force field (represented by the high Armor score), is nearly impervious to conventional weapons. All attacks from TL0-4 conventional weapons (bullets, rockets, kinetic weapons) do no damage unless a Critical Hit (Natural 20) is scored. Even then, the damage is halved. Only nuclear weapons, extreme TL5 energy weapons, or the unique vulnerability (see below) can effectively damage it.

• Siren of War: The machine emits a terrifying, wailing siren sound when attacking or maneuvering. This can impose a -1 penalty to Morale checks for any troops within 100 meters who are actively aware of the machine.

Weapons

The Martian War Machine fields two devastating alien weapons:⁴

1.  Heat Ray (Mounted Fore, Cobra Head)⁵

   • Range: 1,000 meters

   • Damage: $4\text{d}10$ Energy

   • Special: The Heat Ray is a focused stream of energy capable of rapid molecular disintegration. It ignores 5 points of mundane Armor (but not the machine's own Force Field). Against objects (buildings, vehicles), it deals $\times 2$ damage. It is a slow-to-fire weapon and can only target one vehicle or area per round.

2.  Wingtip Pulsars (Broad Arc/Point Defense)⁶

   • Range: 300 meters

   • Damage: $2\text{d}6$ Energy

   • Special: Two pulsing ray emitters, one on each wingtip.⁷ They can target two different opponents or one target twice per round. These are primarily used to incinerate infantry or lightly armored vehicles.

The Vulnerability (Spoilers)

In the source material, the Martians and their technology are vulnerable to terrestrial bacteria.

• Infectious Failure: If the Martian occupant is exposed to the local planetary environment for a significant period (minutes/hours), their biological systems will begin to fail. This is a progressive threat. Once the occupant dies, the machine immediately becomes inert, its force field and systems shutting down. Its Armor drops to 5 (Structure) and its HP is now its main defense, allowing it to be damaged by any weapon.

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This stat block should give you a terrifying challenge for your Stars Without Number players, respecting the machine's near-invulnerability while keeping it within the system's framework.