Nanobot - 1. a hypothetical, very small, self-propelled machine, especially one that has some degree of autonomy and can reproduce.
Although no one is certain where the Nanobot’s originated from, some scientists speculate that the Nanobots are a creation of the Drifters, Sleepers or Rogue Drones. After the destruction of a ship, Capsuleer or NPC, scientists watched as lifeless wrecks of ships become a new vessel. At first scientists went crazy, some even went mad, causing several very messy situations in air locks at the sight of a wreck suddenly staring back at them as a new ship. On a few occasions, salvage teams working inside of twisted wrecks trying to remove valuable modules, watched in horror as the steel mess came alive. Wrapping around the salvage team member until the camera feed went black.
Are the Nanobots a virus, something picked up from Abyssal or Sleeper space that has since replicated and found their way into almost every single new build ship? A virus that turns the dead wrecks into AI killing machines?
The Nanobot would be a new NPC that has infested the shipyards of New Eden and has gotten into every structure of nearly all new build ships. When the NPC ship is destroyed, the chance of the wreck containing Nanobots would be, somewhere between 10% and 35%. If the wreck does have a Nanobot infestation, the moment the ship is destroyed, an impenetrable field forms around the wreck causing the wreck to turn red. Inside the field, the Nanobots quickly reconfigure the wreck into a new vessel. Depending on the race of Nanobot and the new ship size, the reconfiguration may take a few seconds or a few moments.
Reconfigured wrecks would range from frigate to titan in size and would use exotic matter, only known to the Nanobots, that is used to power the systems and weapons of the zombie ship. The weapon of choice of the Nanobots is a combination of Triglavian and Edencom weapons, a buildup of DPS that is discharged over a random series of energy strikes. The larger the Nanobot ship, the more powerful the weapon discharge. If a Capsuleer’s ship is destroyed, the Nanobot takes the form of the ship. For example, If a Capsuleer was piloting a destroyer and the ship is destroyed, the wreck would become a Nanobot destroyer.
For larger Nanobot ships to return from the dead, the wreck would have to contain a Salvage Nanobot. If a Salvage Nanobot is released from the wreck and any wrecks are still on the field within 75km, the Salvage Nanobot establishes an impenetrable field and then begins to gather all the wrecks within 75km. Once a number of wrecks has been gathered, the Salvage Nanobot begins to reconfigure the wrecks and the useable modules still inside the cargo hold of the wreck, into a new Nanobot ship.
For example, 3 NPC frigate wrecks = 1 cruiser, 2 destroyer wrecks = 1 cruiser. 5 destroyer wrecks + 3 cruiser wrecks = 1 battlecruiser, 5 cruiser + 4 battlecruiser wrecks = 1 battleship.
Local security status also plays into what type of ships the Nanobots can reconfigure.
High Sec - frigate to battleship
Low Sec - frigate to FAX
Null Sec - frigate to titan
Abyssal Space - does not apply
Sleeper Space - frigate to dreadnought
Triglavian space - frigate to world World Ark
Weapon - the main weapon of a Nanobot NPC ship is the projector web and Nanobot Projector. The Projector Web will hold a certain number of ships, based on size of the reconfigured ship for no more than 20 seconds before going into a cool down period of 25 seconds. While the web is active, DPS Nanobot ships will launch their lightning like attacks that continually build up energy that causes more and more damage as the bolt bounces from player to player, player to NPC or NPC to NPC ship. A Nanobot NPC will have one or the other but not both.
Dreds use the same mechanics as the smaller ships but cause significantly more damage.
FAX Nanobots deploy Salvage Nanobots and occasionally a Nanobot Replicator that ensure Nanobots are constantly on the field.
Carriers and Super Carriers would not deploy drones but would have a large, 100km, spider web like attack, like the other smaller ships, but instead of dealing damage to multiple ships, one ship is struck, and damage is dealt, a chain reaction occurs causing the web of the carrier to be deployed. Any ship caught in the web would be immobilized that would allow smaller Nanobot ships to attack it. Once the carrier deploys its web, all smaller Nanobot ships within 50km of the carrier, race towards the web to destroy what the carrier has captured. The Carrier Web lasts for 30 seconds and takes 45 seconds to recharge. Once the projector web cycle has completed, the smaller Nanobots race back out to a distance of 25 to 50 km from the carrier where they continue to be on the lookout for interlopers.
Nanobot ships ranging from frigate to battleship could also have a webber, scrambler, jammer or dampener fit as well. Dreds and Fax will always have at least one scrambler and or webber. Carriers and Titans could have Neuts or Vamps fit.
ISK value for each class of Nanobot ship would range from 25k ISK to 1.5 million ISK for larger, non-capitol ships. Dreds and Fax 2 to 2.5 million ISK payout, Carriers 4 to 7 million and Titans 35 million ISK that would be distributed amongst the top damage dealing fleet members. A fleet should have no less than 15 Capsuleers. CONCORD would also hand out LP as well and would be based on the most damage dealt.
Nanobot wrecks cannot be scanned to determine what is inside. Opening the cargo hold of each wreck is the only way to determine what is inside.