Scyther

Scyther

Fast, spindly, human-sized combat mechanoids specializing in rapid approach and close-range combat. Their bodies are covered in points and blades, but they mostly use their two arm blades to lop off limbs or gut their victims alive.

Base Stats

Type

Mechanoid

Market Value

1200 

Armor

Armor - Sharp

40%

Armor - Blunt

20%

Armor - Heat

200%

Pawn Stats

Combat Power

150

Move Speed

4.7 c/s

Health Scale

132% HP

Body Size

1

Mass

60 kg

Pack Capacity

35 kg

Carrying Capacity

75 kg

Filth Rate

1

Life Expectancy

2500 years

Comfortable Temp Range

-100 °C – 250 °C (-148 °F – 482 °F)

Melee Combat

Attack 1

Left blade
20 dmg (Cut)
30 % AP
2 second cooldown

Attack 2

Left blade
20 dmg (Stab)
30 % AP
2 second cooldown

Attack 3

Right blade
20 dmg (Cut)
30 % AP
2 second cooldown

Attack 4

Right blade
20 dmg (Stab)
30 % AP
2 second cooldown

Attack 5

Head
9 dmg (Blunt)
13 % AP
2 second cooldown
0.2 chance factor

Average DPS

5.52

Creation

Crafted At

Required Research

Standard mechtech

Gestation Cycles

2

Resources to make

75 + 75 + 4 + 1

Scythers are a fast-moving mechanoid that are powerful in melee.

Acquisition

Scythers can be gestated by a mechanitor at a large mech gestator once the standard mechtech research project has been completed. Note that this research requires a signal chip to unlock. Each requires  75 Steel,  75 Plasteel,  4 Components,  1 Standard subcore and 2 gestation cycles taking 1,800 ticks (30 secs) each to initiate.

Dead, friendly scythers can also be resurrected at the large mech gestator using the "Resurrect medium mechanoid" bill. This requires the corpse of the friendly Scyther,  50 steel, and 1 gestation cycle taking 1,800 ticks (30 secs) to initiate.

Summary

As mechanoids, every scyther is immune to fire, Flame and Heat damage, and temperature extremes, despite having Comfortable Temperatures defined. They have 100% Toxic Resistance and Toxic Environment Resistance, making them immune to toxic buildup, rot stink and other toxic effects. They do not need to eat, rest, and have no mood. They will be stunned by EMP attacks for a time proportional to the EMP damage inflicted and will "adapt" and rendered immune to further EMP strikes for 2,200 ticks (36.67 secs).

Dead scythers may be shredded at the machining table or crafting spot for  15 steel, though these values are affected by mechanoid shredding efficiency as well as missing parts on the scyther.

As an enemy

Scythers have no fear for their life, and will charge directly at colonists without regard to cover. As part of a raid, scythers will go ahead. But mechanoids part of a stationary threat, like a psychic ship, will only chase if a colonist continues to be within a certain radius.

Mechanoids can raid the player's base through events, and are found in most poison ships, psychic ships, and mech clusters. Scythers are often supported by heavier mechanoids like centipedes, but will charge ahead without letting them catch up.

Combat

Scythers attack with a blade attached to each arm, dealing a massive 20 damage per blade. Even for brawlers with high melee skill, scythers are extremely dangerous.

Melee Attacks	Damage Amount	Cooldown
Cut	20	2.0 sec

Scythers have a 62% melee hit chance, equivalent to a pawn with a Melee skill of 4. Their damage output is roughly equivalent to a pawn with 10 melee skill wielding a normal quality steel longsword.

Armor

Armor

As an ally

Mechs under player control require power: scythers use 10% of their power per day while active. If set to dormant self-charging, they instead recharge for 1% power / day, without pollution. They recharge in a large mech recharger (400W), for 50% power/day, creating 10 wastepacks whenever the recharger's waste is filled up.

Analysis

As an enemy

Main article: Defense tactics#Scythers

Scythers are dangerous melee fighters; they deal significant melee damage while forcing your gunners into melee combat. Usually, a 1v1 fight with a scyther and a gunner will result in the scyther emerging victorious. Melee fighters are essential in guarding against scythers, being able to 'peel' them off from more vulnerable allies. Even then, a scyther's blades can often result in permanent scars and even cut off limbs.

Scythers are vulnerable to spike traps, being more readily lured into them due to their melee nature.

As an ally

Scythers are one of the few melee-focused mechanoids that a mechanitor can control, and much faster than a tunneler. Mechanoids are much more disposable than other pawns engaging in melee: they are immune to pain, are slightly faster than an ordinary pawn, tend to remain fast after damage due to said pain immunity, and can repair "permanent" injuries or be resurrected for a fairly cheap cost.

Most pawns with a ranged weapon are unable to fire once engaged with melee combat. This makes scythers great at targeting specific, deadly threats in the back, like frag grenades and sniper rifles. This also makes them helpful against enemy centipedes, assuming your other colonists can dish out firepower. Against the diabolus or war queen, a mere scyther won't stop their ranged attacks, but the former's flame burst has no effect against machines. Against other mechanoids, watch out when using EMP. However, it's generally worth stunning your scyther in order to stun a centipede in the process.

Health

Biology

Scythers, although mechanical and not very human-looking, are actually almost the same in structure as a typical human (minus the organs). However, they're more durable than humans, don't feel pain and do not fear for their life - they don't even use cover. This can make them very dangerous to fight against when under-armed.

Like Lancers they have two arms, run on two legs, and (surprisingly) have a neck and make vocal communication. Why a machine would use standard human-like air-based vocalization is unknown at this time - especially when Centipedes are completely unable to manually communicate.

Diet

Much like Centipedes and Lancers, it's unknown what exactly drives a Scyther, but it's likely it would be similar to whatever powers the Centipede.

Body Parts (Summary)

Scythers, again, are practically humans in biology, although they lack many of the human organs and bones.

Body Part Name	Health (×1.5 Health Scale)	Base Health	Quantity	Coverage (per part)	Group	Function / Required for following System	Effect if Destroyed/Removed
Mechanical Thorax	40	40	1	?	Core part	Functioning in general	Machine failure
Mechanical Neck	30	30	1	8.0%	Top of Thorax	Communication (vocal), connector of thorax and head	Machine failure
Mechanical Head	30	30	1	75%	Neck	Houses Artificial Brain, Sensors	Machine failure
Artificial Brain	30	30	1	15%	Head	Dataprocessing	Machine failure
Sight Sensor	10	10	2	15%	Head	Sight	Loss of sight/Blindness
Hearing Sensor	10	10	2	5.0%	Head	Hearing	Loss of hearing/Deafness
Smell Sensor	10	10	1	10%	Head	-	-
Arm	30	30	2	10%	Thorax	Manipulation	Loss of manipulation ability/Unable to work (if both lost)
Hand	20	20	2	20%	Arm	Manipulation	Loss of manipulation ability
Fingers	7	7	10	5.0%	Hand	Manipulation	Loss of manipulation ability (minor)
Leg	30	30	2	10%	Thorax	Moving	Unable to move
Foot	20	20	2	20%	Leg	Moving	Loss of moving ability
Toes	10	10	10	5.0%	Foot	Moving	Loss of moving ability (minor)

Trivia

Scythers have a unique slashing sound when they use their melee attacks.

Gallery

• 

  Age 0-99 Scyther facing east

• 

  Age 0-99 Scyther facing north

• 

  Age 0-99 Scyther facing south

• 

  Age 100+ Scyther facing east

• 

  Age 100+ Scyther facing north

• 

  Age 100+ Scyther facing south

Version history

• 0.5.492 - Added.
• Beta 19 - Scythers, who could previously use melee or wield charge lances, were split into scythers and lancers. Downed scythers can no longer be be salvaged through a medical operation to obtain their blades if they are intact after the battle.
• Beta 19/1.0 - Now dies when downed.
• ? - Fix typo in description. Description changed from "[...] but their mostly use two arm blades [...]" changed to "[...] but they mostly use their two arm blades [...]".
• Biotech DLC Release - Introduced ability to create and control scythers.

• 

  Scyther from Alpha 6

• 

  Charge lance wielding scyther before Beta 19

---

Mechanoids

Mechanoids | Core

Centipede (Blaster, Burner, Gunner) • Lancer • Pikeman • Scyther • Termite

Combat

Centurion • Legionary • Militor • Scorcher • Tesseron

Command

Apocriton • Diabolus • War queen (War urchin )

Labor

Agrihand • Cleansweeper • Constructoid • Fabricor • Lifter • Paramedic • Tunneler

Cluster | Buildings

Condition causer • Count-down activator • Mech assembler • Mech capsule • Mech drop beacon • Mech high-shield • Mech low-shield • Mech node • Proximity activator • Unstable power cell

Turrets

Auto charge turret • Auto inferno turret • Auto mortar • Mini-slugger turret

Creation | Pawn

Mechanitor

Buildings

Mech gestator • Large mech gestator • Mechband antenna • Mechband dish