Cyber-Centaur

Description

Creating a cybernetic centaur is relatively easy. The trick is to connect any sort of torso to a legged robotic chassis, be it a Centurion guard platform, or a quick moving Bouncer. When working with straight robotics, this is a piece of cake as very few considerations have to be made for the comfort or care of the machine components. This is typically used to put a human brain inside the body of the walker, where it is the most protected, and route the senses through sensors of the chassis and the robot extrusion. Thus this type of centaur is still completely functional if it's robot head and torso are shot off. Less commonly, a human cyborg that has a Cromwell chassis can opt to use the Cromwell as the mounting point and link their body to a legged undercarriage. This is almost always done with some sort of plug and socket or quick release option that allows the biological component to be removed from the legs, either for sleep, medical attention, or to evacuate the cyborg from their legs in case they are damaged. This is a much less popular option, one generally only used for entertainment programming. The human component is high and well exposed, making them easier targets for snipers, or collateral damage, and if the cyborg is knocked unconscious or killed, the entire unit it out of action.

Creation

There are no production models and runs for creating cybernetic centaurs, it is entirely an underground phenomenon being done by shadowrunners, body modification enthusiasts, and cybernetics enthusiasts. Each is a unique creation, even if they are pulling from the same general pool of equipment, in terms of what legged chassis are being used, to what sort of life support systems are involved, and what humanoid parts are being used. This has the side effect of most cyber centaurs having some interface issues, and some functionality bugs.

Any decent clocksmith or other cybernetics and cyborg doctor with access to a working polyforge station and the appropriate schematics (or access to a robotics recycling facility) can create a cybernetic centaur, but the it involves twice as many skill checks based on the size of the machine being made.

History

Cybernetic Centaurs do not have a cohesive history or even community, as they are exceedingly rare, and they are likely to keep close contact with fellow cybernetics enthusiasts and body mod extremists rather than attempting any sort of cyber-solidarity movement as some other scratch build mods have done. They are not used by military or paramilitary forces as a normal cybernetic centaur costs more than a suit of power armor, is too large for most base facilities, require special equipment to work on, are fully vulnerable to anti-power armor tactics and anti-robot warfare.

They are more represented in media, where they are typically featured as oversized villains for heroes to fight.

The most common professions for centaur are working as a cyberneticist themselves, wasteland surveying, exploration, and shadowrunning

Notable Cybernetic Centaurs

Baby Girl - the shadowrunner Baby Girl has a large six legged tank chassis for a body and her humanoid torso is built from a femme bot. Unlike most, her femme bot component is complete, the legs are tucked inside the tank body, which allows for her to use the femme bot to leave the tank component and walk around and do things, but generally not too much as the bot is tethered to the centaur by an umbilical. Baby Girl is a shadowrunner and surveyor, and her biological components are housed in the tank body.

MANDROID - a well known media personality, MANDROID has the quad legs of a common heavy Centurion Walker, and its gun arms are still attached. MANDROID himself is a cyborg who plugs into the top of the walker chassis, bare chested and bearded, frequently glistening with machismo, surveying his foes with his one good eye and his glowing red robot eye. Despite mounting 2 40mm autocannons, 4 20mm autocannons, and 1 body mounted 37.5mm high velocity cannon, MANDROID prefers to swing a plasma edged axe and fight his foes with fisticuffs. The show has a high violence niche audience.

Mama Bear - Mama Bear is a standard quad walker with a human host connected to the body at her waist. She is a scout and surveyor, and works with a team, usually half drones and autons, and half other terrestrial surveyors and explorers. She is considered a highly valuable member of the team as she can carry close to two tons of gear and equipment as easily as any other member of the team carries 60 lbs, and she has a dedicated mini-fusion reactor in her tank body. This fusion reactor isn't affected by things like dimensional sheer or strange radiation interference, and she has the ability to recharge robot power cells, and heavy equipment. Her only combat concession is carrying a thaser rifle that is much more used to take out hostile fauna than hostile people.