This weekend my players are going to be assulting a remote Mechanicus outpost which has been taken over by tech heretics. The outpost is fairly small, as such things go, but should still be quite capable of defending itself. My question is, what sorts of defenses do you suppose the pcs should run up against - both inside and out - while attempting to take the place? I want the experience to have a strong tech cult feel to it while keeping it challenging, mysterious and disturbing all at once. I have a few ideas, but would love any input the list here can provide.

Thanks,

Motion detectors, Mine Fields, Sentry Guns, Servitors, Servo Skulls, Zero/High Gravity traps (remember the Gravity Gun from IH, either that effect or the complete opposite, no gravity ^^ ), Trash Compactor Trap (think Star Wars IV), the good old Lever Riddles and last, but not least, a big water tank with a narrow bridge above it ... and in the tank are Sharks. With Laserguns mounted on their heads

Inside they will find one door that leads to a bio-sphere. African savanne, with a few groups of trees in the distance, and 6feet high gras. They can hear (and see) birds, even some small monkeys playing in the trees ... but no humans. What do they study in here? And why is there no creature visible on the ground, only that high gras? Do they dare to enter, or rather close the door?

segara82 said:

a big water tank with a narrow bridge above it ... and in the tank are Sharks. With Laserguns mounted on their heads

I would love to do this ... but without Dr. Evil it would just feel wrong.

Praetorian battle servitors described in the Inquisitors Handbook could provide for formidable opponents. Then of course there are normal Gun Servitors and Warrior Servitors. A multitude of servo skulls fitted with firearms and melee weapons, the odd tech adept who have raided the "arcane weapons locker" bringing with him some potent and exotic weaponry (Rad-Cleanser perhaps?).

I wouldn't use many Skitarii though (Tech-Guard), since they function more like the military arm of the Adeptus Mechanicus and are probably fighting somewhere else. Servitors would most likely provide protection for most installations, giving the player's opponents a rather "automated" feel.

Instead of having (security-)panels and touchpad, install "half-embedded servitors" to doors leading into valuable vaults or as "interface" to the more arcane (complex) machinery. The freebee RT-Adventure "Forbidden Bounty" featured a "servitore puppet" as the voice/interface of ship main cogitator system. Nice idea, me thinks.

By the way, what was the purpose of the outpost? And what kind of TechHeresy-Cult is festering there now? The "Creatures Anathema" hoist some nice "Techno-MOnsters" while DotdG has some source material for "Logicians" and "warp tainted TechWitches" alike.

The ability to electrify certain passages is a nice thing. Or perhaps not that much of electricty but "shock"-systems. SC could be forced o pass Toughness-Test to leave the area before they lose consciousness (and will be captured).

The Hereteks will for sure have "sealed" some of the compartments or access to it, so the pc might have to find a clever way around.. perhaps climbing along the surface...perhaps in hostile atmosphere? Or if there is anything like "retacting bridges over defense chasmes" they need to fiend method to "fill the gap".
In this scenario, there are "loading servitores" (or simliar) that can be directed after the pc gain access to offices of the main cargo bay of the station. There (after a search) they can fiend a "amulett of control" (ID-amulet) for the loading servitores. While useless for fighting (not programmed to do so!) they might order them to freight containers into the "defensive chasm" so the pc can walk up to the security door..to tamper with it. Of course, defensive systems will spring into action.

Minefields, automated sentry guns, servo skull identification, hundreds of cameras, menials embedded into the walls watching the players passing and raising hell when they realse the PCs arn't on the guest list, riddles and cult mechanicus questions to pass certain doors.

And servitors. With guns.