The MADOX-01 (Metal Armor Differential-Operational Experiment) is the quintessential "heavy metal" power suit.
Here is a breakdown of how to integrate this beast into your campaign.
## Design Philosophy
The MADOX-01 isn't a sleek, sci-fi exosuit. It’s a clunky, hydraulic-hissing slab of mid-tech engineering. In Hostile, it fits perfectly as a Weyland-Yutani or United Americas prototype that is terrifyingly powerful but prone to mechanical "quirks."
## Technical Specifications (Hostile Rules)
| Feature | Specification | Notes |
| Armor Value | 18 | Effectively immune to small arms and shotguns. |
| Strength Bonus | +6 | Can flip a ground car or punch through bulkheads. |
| Dexterity Mod | -2 | Bulky; not designed for gymnastics or stealth. |
| Speed | 10m / 30m | Walking vs. Jump-Jet assisted dash. |
| Life Support | 6 Hours | Internal oxygen and NBC filtering. |
## Integrated Weapon Systems
The MADOX is a walking arsenal. In Hostile, these are treated as fixed mounts:
Right Arm: 20mm Autocannon
Damage: 4D6+5 (AP 4)
Note: Recoil is absorbed by the suit’s stabilizers.
Left Arm: High-Frequency Chainsaw/Claw
Damage: 3D6+Str (Ignores 5 points of armor)
Shoulder Mount: Multi-Tube Missile Pod
Damage: 6D6 (HE)
Capacity: 6 Micro-missiles.
## Special Rules & Flaws
To keep the MADOX feeling "authentic" to its 80s OVA roots, consider these custom traits:
Tank-Leg Mode: The pilot can lock the legs into a high-stability mode. This grants a +2 DM to hit with the Autocannon but reduces movement to zero.
Experimental Cooling: On an Attack roll of 2, the suit overheats. The pilot must spend the next round venting steam (leaving them immobile) or take 1D6 internal damage to the electronics.
Sensor Array: Includes Thermal Imaging and a Laser Rangefinder, granting a +1 DM to all Recon and Gunner checks in low-light conditions.
GM Note: The MADOX-01 is a "Campaign Breaker." If a player gets one, the opposition needs RPGs, Pulse Rifles, or their own mechanized suits to stand a chance.
## Integration into your Campaign
In a typical Hostile setting, the MADOX-01 might be found in a derelict freighter's cargo hold or being tested in a remote colony like LV-426. It represents the "Military-Industrial Complex" at its most aggressive.
This encounter hook is designed to lean into the "Industrial Horror" aesthetic of Hostile, where the danger isn't an alien—it's a corporate product that refuses to fail.
## Scenario: "The Iron Ghost of Outpost 4"
The Setup:
The players are contracted by a logistics firm to recover "Sensitive Hardware" from a seismic research station on a dust-choked moon. The station went silent 48 hours ago after a "catastrophic software sync error."
The Twist:
The hardware isn't a hard drive; it’s a MADOX-01 prototype. During a combat-readiness test, the suit's "Auto-Guard" AI malfunctioned. The pilot is dead inside the suit—likely from a seizure caused by the faulty neural link—but the MADOX is still "operating."
The suit’s AI is now interpreting any movement within the station as a hostile breach. It is patrolling the narrow, dark corridors of the colony like a literal ghost in the machine.
### The Environment: Sector 7 Sub-Levels
Low Visibility: Red emergency strobes and thick hydraulic fluid leaking from severed pipes.
Audio Cues: The players won't see it first; they’ll hear the clunk-whirrr of servos and the heavy metallic thud of the MADOX’s feet on the deck plating.
Structural Damage: The MADOX is too big for the crew quarters. It has literally smashed new "doorways" through reinforced walls to get around.
### Potential Complications
| D6 Roll | The Situation |
| 1-2 | Collateral Damage: The MADOX nicks a fuel line. The area is now a tinderbox; one spark from a Pulse Rifle sets the room on fire. |
| 3-4 | Human Element: A terrified survivor is hiding in the vents. If the players loud-talk, the MADOX detects them and opens fire through the ceiling. |
| 5-6 | Remote Link: The corporate handler on the players' ship tries to "hack" the suit, but accidentally triggers its High-Frequency Chainsaw into "Sweep Mode." |
### How to Resolve the Encounter
Direct combat is likely a death sentence for the players. Instead, suggest these "Hostile-style" solutions:
The Kill Switch: The players must reach the Server Room to broadcast a "Stand Down" code, but the suit is currently standing guard right over the terminal.
Environmental Kill: Lure the 3-ton suit onto a cargo elevator platform and override the safety locks to drop it down a 50-meter shaft.
The Pilot's Key: The suit requires a physical biometric scan to shut down manually. Someone has to get close enough to the "corpse" in the cockpit to press the pilot’s thumb against the internal sensor.
"It’s not a tank, and it’s not a man. It’s the worst of both worlds, and it’s currently trying to remodel the mess hall with my head."
— Overheard on Sector 7 Comm-log
This encounter hook is designed to lean into the "Industrial Horror" aesthetic of Hostile, where the danger isn't an alien—it's a corporate product that refuses to fail.
## Scenario: "The Iron Ghost of Outpost 4"
The Setup:
The players are contracted by a logistics firm to recover "Sensitive Hardware" from a seismic research station on a dust-choked moon. The station went silent 48 hours ago after a "catastrophic software sync error."
The Twist:
The hardware isn't a hard drive; it’s a MADOX-01 prototype. During a combat-readiness test, the suit's "Auto-Guard" AI malfunctioned. The pilot is dead inside the suit—likely from a seizure caused by the faulty neural link—but the MADOX is still "operating."
The suit’s AI is now interpreting any movement within the station as a hostile breach. It is patrolling the narrow, dark corridors of the colony like a literal ghost in the machine.
### The Environment: Sector 7 Sub-Levels
Low Visibility: Red emergency strobes and thick hydraulic fluid leaking from severed pipes.
Audio Cues: The players won't see it first; they’ll hear the clunk-whirrr of servos and the heavy metallic thud of the MADOX’s feet on the deck plating.
Structural Damage: The MADOX is too big for the crew quarters. It has literally smashed new "doorways" through reinforced walls to get around.
### Potential Complications
| D6 Roll | The Situation |
| 1-2 | Collateral Damage: The MADOX nicks a fuel line. The area is now a tinderbox; one spark from a Pulse Rifle sets the room on fire. |
| 3-4 | Human Element: A terrified survivor is hiding in the vents. If the players loud-talk, the MADOX detects them and opens fire through the ceiling. |
| 5-6 | Remote Link: The corporate handler on the players' ship tries to "hack" the suit, but accidentally triggers its High-Frequency Chainsaw into "Sweep Mode." |
### How to Resolve the Encounter
Direct combat is likely a death sentence for the players. Instead, suggest these "Hostile-style" solutions:
The Kill Switch: The players must reach the Server Room to broadcast a "Stand Down" code, but the suit is currently standing guard right over the terminal.
Environmental Kill: Lure the 3-ton suit onto a cargo elevator platform and override the safety locks to drop it down a 50-meter shaft.
The Pilot's Key: The suit requires a physical biometric scan to shut down manually. Someone has to get close enough to the "corpse" in the cockpit to press the pilot’s thumb against the internal sensor.
"It’s not a tank, and it’s not a man. It’s the worst of both worlds, and it’s currently trying to remodel the mess hall with my head."
— Overheard on Sector 7 Comm-log
Sector 7 isn't a high-tech lab; it’s a high-ceilinged industrial fabrication bay connected to a cramped residential block. It’s designed for heavy machinery, which gives the MADOX-01 plenty of room to maneuver while the players feel like rats in a maze.
## Sector 7 Floor Plan: "The Killing Floor"
1. The Loading Dock (Entry Point)
Description: A massive pressurized door (currently stuck half-open). A yellow industrial lifter lies crushed in the center of the room—the MADOX’s first victim.
Tactical Note: Provides heavy cover (crates, lifter chassis) but is a "kill box" if the MADOX is perched on the upper gantry.
2. The Central Hub (The "Stalking" Ground)
Description: A circular junction connecting the labs, mess hall, and barracks. The floor is slick with hydraulic fluid (Difficult Terrain: Dexterity/Athletics check or fall prone).
The Hazard: The overhead lighting is flickering. Every 2 rounds, the room goes pitch black for 3 seconds.
3. The Mess Hall (Sully’s Hideout)
Description: Tables are bolted to the floor, but many have been sheared off. Sully is in the ceiling vents (3 meters up).
The Chokepoint: The entrance is a standard-sized bulkhead. The MADOX cannot fit through here without spending 2 rounds "breaching" (smashing) the wall.
4. The Prototype Bay (The Goal)
Description: Where the MADOX was housed. Contains the Diagnostic Computer and the Manual Shutdown Rig.
The Problem: The room is a dead end. If the players get cornered here, they have to go through the MADOX to get out.
## Sector 7 Visual Map (Conceptual)
[ LOADING DOCK ] <--- Players Enter Here
|
[ CENTRAL HUB ] ---- [ MESS HALL ] (Sully is above)
| |
[ BARRACKS ] [ VENTILATION SHAFT ]
| |
[ PROTOTYPE BAY ] <-----' (Shortcut for Small Players)
## Final Showdown Mechanics: "The Industrial Ambush"
If the players want to take the MADOX down without a total party kill (TPK), they can use the environment:
The Overhead Crane: Located in the Prototype Bay. A player can attempt an Electronics (Remote Ops) check to drop a 5-ton engine block on the MADOX.
Damage: 8D6 (Ignores Armor), but it's a one-shot deal.
Steam Vents: Shooting the red-labeled pipes in the Central Hub creates a cloud of scalding steam.
Effect: Blinds the MADOX’s thermal sensors for 1D6 rounds, giving players a chance to reposition.
The "Sully" Assist: If rescued, Sully can use her tablet to "Ping" the MADOX’s internal diagnostics, forcing it to turn its back to the players for one round while it "reboots" its comms array.
Gemini said
In the cramped, lived-in quarters of Sector 7, the players aren't going to find high-end military gear. Instead, they’ll find the grit and remains of a blue-collar research team that didn't see the MADOX coming.
Searching a room takes 1D6 minutes (dangerous when a 3-ton robot is patrolling nearby). Have the players roll 2D6 + Recon (or Intelligence) to see what they scrounge up.
## Scavenge Table: Sector 7 Barracks
## Atmospheric Details
To keep the tension high while they scavenge, describe the "near misses":
The Vibration: Dust falls from the ceiling tiles every time the MADOX rounds a corner in the next hallway.
The Audio: A distorted, pre-recorded voice loops from the suit's external speakers: "Safety protocols engaged. Please remain stationary for biological scanning." followed by the sound of a 20mm shell being chambered.
The Smell: The sharp, ozone tang of an electrical fire and the copper smell of dried blood near the bunk beds.
## Strategic Choice
The Seismic Charge (Roll 12) is the "Holy Grail." If the players find it, they have a choice: blow the suit and lose their "Recover Intact" bonus, or use it to blow a hole in the floor to create a pit trap.
