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“Requires the Mutants & Mastermind’s Hero’s Handbook by Green Ronin Publishing for Use.”

Table of Contents

NAU................................................................................................................................................... NAU Grunt............................................................................................................................. NAU Grenadiers ................................................................................................................... NAU Firebugs......................................................................................................................... NAU Glue Gunners................................................................................................................ NAU Sniper............................................................................................................................. NAU Hero Sergeants............................................................................................................. NAU War Dog................................................................................................................... . . . NAU Cavalry.............................................................................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Playing Mutants & Mastermind’s in Splintered Serenity...............................................................

(Cover) John Gonzalez John Gonzalez : NAU Sargent/Sarge

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“Requires the Mutants & Mastermind’s Hero’s Handbook by Green Ronin Publishing for Use.”

NAUThe United States had a considerable and modern military force prior to the Event. Many claim that the US was the first to develop the High-bred process. Whether or not that was the case, the land that was the Midwest is now claimed by the High-bred.

The North American Union (NAU) is the remnants of the once-mighty U.S. domestic armed forces. Rising from the rubble of former military bases, the NAU exists as a loose union of "base states" that provide mutual defense, cooperation, and security for one-another. Forged together by the ever-present threats around them, the High-bred who make up the NAU have little choice but to join forces or perish.

Beset from the east by the insidiously-growing plague known only as the Undead Infection, and with their backs to an impenetrable Flux Front wall in the west, the continued existence of the NAU hangs by a mere thread. To make matters even worse for this stalwart group of militaristic High-bred, the numerous and varied throwback Churl tribes have entrenched themselves to the south and are attacking their former-brothers-turned-enemies in what promises to be a never-ending war.

Every NAU is a citizen-soldier: a six year tour of duty in the Army is mandatory, while two of those years must be spent “on the front line” at one of the three forward bases: Wright-Pat, Whiteman or Outpost FLW. Once they've completed their tour, they can reenlist or shift to reserve status. The reserves allow individuals the chance to have a more regular job (everything still supports the war efforts), and to raise a family, but reservists still have to serve every few weekends and they can always be called up in a time of need. The blunt truth is no one ever truly retires from the NAU Army: once a soldier, always a soldier.

Life in the NAU is hard, not only due to the constant threat from the creatures that prowl the wilderness, but also because of the conditions that they are forced to live in. Due to both the unusual nature of the lethal Flux storms that roll off the Flux Front to their west and the attraction and interaction of the eastern Undead Infection with electronics and advanced technology, the NAU are forced to maintain a primitive lifestyle reminiscent of the late 1800s. The common citizen-soldiers of the NAU are unable to enjoy the simple luxuries brought about by electricity and even the tactical uses of “modern” technology must always be balanced against its potential dangers.

“Requires the Mutants & Mastermind’s Hero’s Handbook by Green Ronin Publishing for Use.”

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“Requires the Mutants & Mastermind’s Hero’s Handbook by Green Ronin Publishing for Use.”

The population of the NAU is centered around the NAU bases:• Blue Grass Depot• Newport• Crane Lab• Rock Island Arsenal• Fort Knox• Scott AFB• Fort Leonard Wood (Outpost FLW)• Whiteman• Iowa Arsenal• Wright-Patterson (Wright-Pat)

Wright-Pat is on the NAU's eastern front, while Outpost FLW and Whiteman sit on the western front. Without the protection of the “forward bases” the Flux Horrors, Undead, and Churl would overrun the less defended NAU heartland. While the forward bases protect the NAU, Scott and Fort Knox train the NAU – every soldier reports to one of those posts initially to go through basic training. Blue Grass, Iowa, and Rock Island supply the NAU – guns, bullets, and like material are produced in the Arsenals, while the Depot produces the remainder of the gear to equip the NAU citizen-soldiers. Finally, Newport and Crane Lab house the “special projects” that the NAU is continually working on.

The leadership of the NAU resides at Crane Laboratory within the heart of the Union. Their leader is the Chief of Staff, who is also the highest ranked officer within the Army because the NAU is a stratocracy – the state government and Army leadership are identical – all government positions are Army positions, and the only law is military law. However the NAU strives not to be oppressive or autocratic – the United States Bill of Rights and the tenants and regulations of the United States military forces serve as its foundation. It is the duty of the NAU military to preserve the peace and security, and provide for the defense of the Union.

NAU( Continued )

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“Requires the Mutants & Mastermind’s Hero’s Handbook by Green Ronin Publishing for Use.”

The Grunt is the cornerstone of the NAU armed forces - arguably the best trained military in the world. Armed with deadly and accurate rifles, Grunts are ranged specialists that almost always serve in a fireteam of four, making them even more versatile and dangerous. With skills honed in the dangerous world that earth has now become, Grunts can be depended on to get the job done, period.

Grunts are the lowest enlisted ranks within the NAU Army: Private and Private First Class. They are the most numerous enlisted in the NAU Army, and Grunts in the Army and the Reserve are the largest percentage of the NAU population. There is an NAU saying: “Once a soldier, always a soldier.” Within the harsh environment of the former United States, everyone serves, and they serve for life – anyone can be called up at anytime. The best a soldier can hope for is an extended stint in the Reserves.

Grunts are trained at either Scott or Ft. Knox, while most serve at one of the three bases on the Fronts: Wright-Patterson in the east, and Whiteman and Outpost FLW in the west. Outside of fighting for their lives against Undead Infection and Flux Horrors, Grunts are just young men and women. They blow off steam during their down time and try to raise families. When they transfer to the Reserves, the Army finds them a home away from the fronts and trains them for jobs that best suits their specialties and secondary training. However, everyone believes it is a momentary peace, and everyone is ready for the call.

Tactics:Grunts never appear alone – they are almost always part of a four-person fireteam which consists of: a team leader (either a Firebug or a Glue Gunner), a rifleman (the Grunt), a grenadier, and an automatic rifleman (the Grunt with Automatic Rifleman Option). Fireteams are trained to act as cohesive unit, focused around the Automatic Rifleman. When defending a target, the fireteam will find a defensive position where the automatic rifleman can cover a forward arc while the Grunt and the Grenadier cover side arcs.

The team lead acts as close support and calls targets to the Automatic Rifleman. If advancing on a target the Grunt and the Automatic Rifleman will provide covering fire so the team lead and the Grenadier can advance and then the roles switch. As stated above, they are trained to function as a team and they don't think; they simply act. They will either be given an arc to guard or the team lead will give them a target. When working against the same target, they are experts at using Teamwork to take down tough foes be it Undead, Flux Horror, or beast from the wilderness.

Grunts train relentlessly with their M8 “Standard Issue” carbines and they are deadly shots. They make every bullet count and conserve their shots unless the situation looks dire. They are well suited for this, because in a usual encounter their foes usually outnumber them three to one. The Army also trains and equips their soldiers for melee combat: Grunts wear a light plate armor and carry a keen saber. However, their armor and sword can't stand up to heavy combat, it is only meant to keep them alive so that they can fall back to use their trusty rifle once more.

John Gonzalez : NAU Grunt

NAU Grunt

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“Requires the Mutants & Mastermind’s Hero’s Handbook by Green Ronin Publishing for Use.”

The most common alternate to the Grunt is the Automatic Rifleman. They replace the M8 SI Rifle with the M219 Automatic Rifle. The goal of the Automatic Rifleman is to use their rapid fire gun to focus fire on tough foes and to stop the advance of hostile groups.

NAU Grunt PL 5STR STA AGI DEX FGT INT AWE PRE2 2 3 2 5 0 1 0ADVANTAGESEquipment 4, Ranged Attack 3, Teamwork

SKILLSAcrobatics 2 (+5), Athletics 4 (+6), Expertise: Soldier 4 (+4), Expertise: Tactics 4 (+4), Intimidation 2 (+2), Perception 2 (+3)

EQUIPMENTM8 “SI” Rifle: Ranged Damage 5 • 10 points Saber: Damage 3, Slashing, Critical (19-20) • 4 pointsNAU Light Armor: Protection 3 • 3 points

OFFENSE INITIATIVE +3M8 Rifle +5 Ranged, Damage 5Saber +5 Close, Damage 5, Crit(19-20)

DEFENSEDODGE 5 FORTITUDE 5PARRY 5 TOUGHNESS 5/2*WILL 3 *w/o armor

POINTSABILITIES SKILLS POWERS DEFENSES ADVANATGES 30 9 0 7 8 TOTAL: 54

Assault Rifleman (Optional Template) PL 6

ADVANTAGESEquipment 5 Equipment (M219 “Saw” Rifle): Ranged Multiattack Damage 6 • 18 points

OFFENSEM219 Rifle +5 Ranged, Damage 6, Multiattack

POINTS: +1

NAU Options

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“Requires the Mutants & Mastermind’s Hero’s Handbook by Green Ronin Publishing for Use.”

NAU Grunts may compose the backbone of the NAU army, but Grenadiers compose the powerful right hand. Grenadiers are semi-elite units who specialize in breaking enemy strong points, specifically with explosives and high caliber rounds.

Grenadier training is not incredibly extensive. The old saying goes “Give a Grunt a bigger gun and you’ve got a Grenadier.” The truth isn’t far from this. Particularly brave or smart Grunts are given a two week “crash course” in Grenadier tactics, which focuses primarily on picking the best targets for their grenades. After training, the new Grenadiers are integrated into the standard NAU fireteam.

The life expectancy of a Grenadier is significantly shorter than that of an average Grunt. The Grenadier poses a significant threat to enemies, and Grenadiers are often targeted by enemy leaders. Grenadiers can be found in every fireteam and on all fronts of the NAU, with their strength and flexibility being a benefit to any NAU commander.

Tactics:Grenadiers are part of the core NAU four person fireteam. When advancing on a target, Grunts and Grenadiers provide suppressive fire allowing their squad mates to advance. They are specialists a breaking up enemy formations and strong points, helping the fireteam to target stronger enemies and blanket the area with explosives and bullets.

NAU Grenadier

John Gonzalez: NAU Grenadier

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