Sandrider

An impressive meld of battleship, sand walker, and sometimes even hydroplane, sandriders are the dominant war vehicle on Ar'Satros. Ranging from the practical and nimble quadruped runner to the walking city of a millipede megacrawler, sandrider battleships come in vastly different classifications. Although they are a common sight, these metal war machines are revered and feared by the citizens of Ar'Satros.

Every self-respecting colony, city-state, and warband on Ar'Satros is in possession of at least one sandrider battleship. Larger colonies led by powerful warlords may have hundreds of sandriders including several immense octopod battlecruisers, but most merely maintain a serviceable defence force.

Capabilities
Sandriders are reminiscent of the battleships of worlds with oceans. They have an armoured hull and a deck, usually with structures made for housing crew and armaments. But due to the endless desert of Ar'Satros, sandriders sport great metal legs attached to the sides. These legs enable easy traversal across the desert where sand ships could become bogged. Not without mobility, most sandriders are able to retract or flatten their legs to form a sled on which they are able to surf dunes like waves, and cover long distances quickly in good conditions. This "skimmer mode" is used to cover long distances in straight lines when no protruding rocks or obstacles block their way. Almost all battles are fought in "walker mode".

Classifications
Due to their vastly varying appearance and size, different models of sandriders are classified according to its number of legs and its primary function in battle. Considering the varying and often ramshackle production of sandriders, these classifications are often only noted in passing as an estimate of the ship's capabilites.

Quadruped Runner
Or "quadros" are small sandriders much like small yachts that can take a small crew quickly from point A to point B. Lightly armed, these riders often serve as transport vehicles or supply runners, although they are regularly deployed to battle.

Hexapod Battlecruiser
The hexapod is the smallest and most common of the front-line warships used commonly on Ar'Satros. These flexible battleships are capable of crewing anywhere from a dozen to over a hundred crew members. Large-scale battles are waged between groups of hexapod battlecruisers to devastating effect.

Hexapod Megacruiser
Larger hexapods are referred to as "megacruisers". These enormous machines can crew thousands, and have immense, heavily armoured legs capable of carrying the bulk of the machine's chassis. Rarer than many forms of battlecruiser, hexapod megacruisers are usually used as defensive bulwarks due to their heavy armour and lack of easy mobility.

Octopod Battlecruiser
Larger and more heavily armed battlecruisers, octopods usually crew several hundred staff, and are often attended by a small squadron of hexapods. Octopod battlecruisers are a sign of status; warlords who can maintain a fleet with a functional octopod battlecruiser are not to be taken lightly.

Decapod Battlerunner
Battlerunners are unique in that they employ different mobility priorities. Where battlecruisers are capable of comfortably skimming across dunes in good conditions, battlerunners often cannot, or have trouble doing so. Where battlerunners excel however, is their capable sand running. With extra legs on which to spread their weight, battlerunners can move more quickly and capably while in walker mode.

Centipede Auxiliaries
"Centipede" is the name given to any sandrider with more than ten legs. These nimble but often slower ships usually lack skimming capablities and are fielded when reliability is highly valued. Most are capable of functioning at nearly full capacity with fewer than 80% of their legs.