Alignment: Republican
Registration Number: RZ-028
Height: 12.2 Meters
Length: 25.9 Meters
Weight: 124 Tons
Top Speed: 305 Kilometers per Hour
Weapons: Alloy claws and teeth, dual impact cannon, twin repeater cannons, twin laser blades
Special Abilities: Frontal Force Shield, Blade Attack, High-Intensity Shield, High-Intensity Blade Attack, Armaments Conversion System
Second in the chain of Liger based Zoids, the Blade Liger was first created by the evolution of a Shield Liger. At the time, no one had seen a Zoid of the Blade Liger's caliber and even fewer people witnessed a Zoid that could go toe-to-toe in battle against it. Even the mighty Death Saurer was defeated by a Blade Liger. Unlike the later models such as the Snipe and Slash Ligers, the Blade Liger is equally capable of handling combat both at long range and short range. Outfitted with a retractable backpack booster system, extremely thick armor, and a defensive force shield system even stronger than the Shield Liger's, the Blade Liger is one of the most well-balanced Zoids in existence. It's also one of the most maneuverable. Natural cat-like flexibility and agility, coupled with its backpack booster, allow it to go move-for-move against even the quickest of enemies. Bear in mind, though, that the Blade Liger's top running speed is only 260 km/h.
However, the Blade Liger is not without weaknesses. First, is the lower legs. Though the hips and shoulders are covered by thick armor plates, the lower parts of the Liger's legs are unarmored. Don't be fooled, though. Because of the sheer size of the Blade Liger and the amount of alloy used in the construction of its legs, they are quite durable on their own. But, without armor, they are more susceptible to attack. Also, the alloy pylons which serve as the blade hilts aren't exactly strong. Put under extensive amounts of pressure, they tend to break. And a Blade Liger without its blades is naturally a lot less dangerous.
Weapons:
Dual Impact Cannon
Underneath the Liger's mane, between its front legs lays this unsuspecting yet incredibly powerful weapon. The Dual Impact Cannon fires high-density shells which explode on impact. The caliber is roughly AZ80mm. At close range, this weapon is deadly, able to take off a Zoid's armor in one or two shots, but its effectiveness decreases rapidly after 250m. The DIC can be fired singularly, or from both barrels at once, and it has a rate of fire just above semi-automatic. Unfortunately, there is a downside to the DIC, it's fixed facing forward, meaning it can only fire where the Liger is facing. Also, because the mount doesn't incline any, the DIC is highly inaccurate when the Liger is running.
Laser Armaments
Mounted to the back of each of the Liger's laser blades is a single 30mm laser armament. Due to being mounted on the laser blades, it can cover a wide area around the Blade Liger's body; behind it, above it, to the sides, or to the front, wherever the blade faces. As detailed under the Armament Conversion System, below, this weapon can be switched to one of three different settings. Please note that only one of the following weapons may be used at a time.
Laser Repeater Cannons
This is the default weaponry that the Blade Liger uses. They're single-barreled automatic weapons, firing bolts of laser energy at roughly 12 shots a second, slightly faster than a machine gun. They're slightly more accurate than most automatic weapons, due to firing laser bolts. They can be swapped out via the ACS system, as detailed below.
Laser Gatling Rifles
One of the alternate weapons available to the Blade Liger. They're triple-barreled automatic weapons, firing bolts of laser energy by rotating the barrels at a high speed, at roughly 30 shots a second. They're fashioned like normal gatling cannons, but fire concentrated laser bolts rather than standard shells; thus, they penetrate slightly better than average. They're slightly more accurate than standard gatling cannons, due to being rifles, but are not designed for pin-point accuracy. They can be swapped out via the ACS system, as detailed below.
Laser Sniper Rifles
One of the alternate weapons available to the Blade Liger. They're single-barreled sniper rifles, firing bolts of laser energy at a semi-automatic rate. Each rifle has a sniper scope mounted on it, allowing the pilot to zoom in on far-off targets, and allowing precision fire. They're more than capable of incinerating a beer can at three kilometers, and are effective even beyond that for targets the size of Zoids. They're fashioned much like normal sniper rifles, but fire concentrated laser bolts rather than standard shells; thus, they penetrate slightly better than average. In addition, they are extremely accurate, as mentioned above; between being lasers and sniper rifles, they are quite effective at what they do. They can be swapped out via the ACS system, as detailed below.
Hardened Alloy Laser Blades
The mark of the Blade Liger and the origin of its name. On either side of the Liger's midsection is a 7.3 meter long, hinged, razor-sharp cutting blade. Normally, they rest on the Liger's back but have a great range of motion and can be turned upward, rotated out to the sides, or then pointed forward for a variety of cutting angles. The blades can be used either charged or uncharged (More about that below: See Blade Attack + HI-Blade Attack). Keep in mind though, their usefulness is greatly decreased if uncharged.
Hardened Alloy Claws and Teeth
The most basic of all Zoid weaponry. Deadly-sharp fangs and rows of equally sharp teeth adorn the Liger's mouth while its paws contain nasty, nasty claws of their own. Used for up-close-and-personal combat, in the dirtiest, most feral type of combat known. Good for ripping and shredding away all of your opponent's unwanted armor.
Executing Special Abilities:
Blade Attack
A melee combat maneuver which is executed first by extending both of the Blade Liger's laser blades to either side and then charging them to maximum. The attack is performed by running along side an enemy Zoid and using the charged blades to cut through it. The blades can be also positioned forward and used to skewer the opposing Zoid, though this can be difficult to execute. The blades can be charged whilst on the Liger's back, as well, which can have its uses.
Frontal Force Shield
Like the its predecessor, the Shield Liger, the Blade Liger is outfitted with a defensive force shield system. The shield is activated by the opening of both the top and bottom panels of the Liger's mane. Upon activation, the Force Shield will raise, providing coverage for the Liger's front and sides (all the way to the rear legs), though the Liger is still susceptible to attacks from behind it. The shield is quite strong against most beam weapons and cannon shells; however, it does not hold up as well against explosive weapons such as missiles and grenades, nor charged particle weaponry. The shield can also be used as a battering ram.
High-Intensity Force Shield
The High-Intensity Force Shield (HIFS or Hi-Shield) operates in a similar fashion as the High-Intensity Blade Attack. The energy of the laser blades is rerouted into the shield generator, thus dramatically increasing the shield's power and effectiveness, becoming just strong enough to take a full-on Super-charged Particle Gun blast, though a charged particle weapon more powerful than that will overload the shield. Most attacks are incapable of penetrating it. The shield forms as an omni-directional shield, due to the additional energy drawn from the laser blades, which takes approximately a second to form, ideal for quick, emergency defense. Please note that the blades do NOT have to be pivoted forward to execute this maneuver.
Because of the way the Hi-Shield forms, anything next to the shield will be pushed away with a lot of force. Thus, any Zoid that is within a few meters of a Liger that activates the Hi-Shield will be thrown away with great force, enough to take damage upon hitting the ground or anything else. Please note that a Liger cannot move while using this shield. In addition, the maneuver can only be used once per battle; the manuever uses emergency circuits that short out due to the massive power drain, and thus prevent it from being used a second time. The shield and blade energy are both drained by use of this maneuver; the shield takes three rounds to recharge, while the blades take one.
High-Intensity Blade Attack
Also known as the Hi-Blade or HIBA, it is executed by rotating the blades forward and routing the shield energy into them. The resulting field is twice the sharpness of a normal blade attack, and covers the front of the Blade Liger. It takes 1.5 seconds to charge the attack, and then lasts for 3 seconds. The attack is very potent, capable of slicing through most things, including charged particles, although CPGs will sap the power of the Hi-Blade. Normal weapons fire is unaffected by the Hi-Blade, and the Blade Liger is restricted to turning while moving forward; the faster it goes, the less it can turn. Afterwards, the blades and shield are out for 2 turns, and the Blade Liger suffers a 15% decrease in its speed for the same amount of time.
Armaments Conversion System
The Blade Liger's Laser Repeater Cannons are mounted to the back of the Hardened Alloy Laser Blades. Should the need arise, these cannons can be exchanged for either a set of twin 30mm Laser Gatling Rifles or twin 30mm Laser Sniper Rifles. The change can be executed at any time but takes one turn for the ACS to properly exchange weapons. During which time, the Liger can operate (run, shoot, boost, etc.) as normal; but the blades cannot be used.