A Frame is a fully enclosed powered exo-suit built around a rigid chassis-harness system.
The pilot does not wear it like clothing.
They step into a reinforced internal frame cradle — a mechanical skeleton that locks around their body and seals.
Once engaged, the operator is:
Fully enclosed
Atmospherically isolated
Mechanically amplified
Internally supported by life systems
From the outside, a Frame stands between 8–9 feet tall, depending on model.
Inside, the pilot stands upright in a spinal harness, arms and legs locked into servo-assisted control braces.
The suit moves because they move.
It amplifies — not replaces — the human body.
Frames were developed before the Fall by multiple corporate manufacturers.
They were not experimental.
They were deployed technology.
New Hope City was a mega-urban environment prone to:
Corporate security escalation
Riot control situations
Heavy industrial construction
Hazardous zone maintenance
Disaster response operations
Frames were built to allow one operator to:
Lift heavy materials
Survive toxic environments
Withstand ballistic threats
Operate in structurally unstable zones
Dominate urban engagements
They were practical, not theatrical.
All Frames shared the same core chassis philosophy, but came in three primary pre-Fall variants.
Purpose:
Urban warfare and corporate escalation deterrence.
Characteristics:
Reinforced ballistic armor
Integrated weapon mounting hardpoints
Advanced targeting optics
High-output servo amplification
Tactical comm encryption
Military Frames were built for:
Counter-terror operations
Corporate paramilitary conflict
High-risk breach engagements
They prioritized combat survivability and controlled aggression.
Purpose:
Riot control, crowd suppression, high-risk apprehension.
Characteristics:
Impact-resistant plating
Non-lethal weapon integration
Crowd-density analysis software
Enhanced stabilization systems
Shock-dampened shield configurations
Police Frames were less heavily armored than military models but optimized for:
Holding lines
Urban containment
Tactical presence
Civil unrest escalation control
They were designed to intimidate without immediate lethal escalation.
Purpose:
Heavy construction, hazardous environment labor, infrastructure maintenance.
Characteristics:
Reinforced lift capacity
Extended operational endurance
Environmental hazard shielding
Tool modularity
Radiation-resistant lining
Industrial Frames were used for:
Reactor maintenance
Structural repair
High-elevation construction
Toxic spill containment
Seawall and flood defense work
They were the most common variant before the Fall.
Regardless of type, all Frames share these elements:
Once sealed, the pilot is:
Atmospherically isolated
Supplied by internal oxygen reserves
Protected by internal filtration systems
Stabilized by spinal harness
Life support includes:
Oxygen recycling
Temperature regulation
Waste filtration
Emergency trauma stabilization
Operational endurance varies by model but averages:
4–8 hours sealed before resupply.
In toxic zones, Frames are safer than any standard armor.
The internal harness:
Locks to spine
Connects to forearm control braces
Secures lower limbs in servo-linked greaves
Uses pressure and neural impulse interpretation
Movement is mirrored and amplified.
The suit does not “move for” the pilot.
It scales them.
Frames use:
Compact high-density pre-Fall energy cores
Rechargeable capacitor banks
External docking recharge ports
Post-Fall Bastion models often use modernized power cells.
Salvaged models sometimes operate on unstable or degraded cores.
The Bastion still produces Frames.
Primarily for:
UDF personnel
Heavy industrial workers
Infrastructure maintenance teams
High-risk reclamation forces
Modern Bastion Frames are cleaner, maintained, and standardized.
They are rare but not mythical.
They are tools of policy.
Frames are far less common.
Most seen beyond the walls are:
Salvaged pre-Fall units
Improvised repairs
Hybridized models
Partial-function suits
Some operate at reduced efficiency.
Some are dangerously unstable.
A functioning Frame outside the Bastion is a serious advantage.
They are:
Angular
Heavy but agile
Industrial in silhouette
Mechanically layered
Visor-based, not face-expressive
External features include:
Reinforced shoulder plates
Integrated sensor crown
Exposed servo seams
Hardline industrial joints
No capes.
No ornamentation.
No fantasy motifs.
They are engineered presence.
To civilians:
Frames are reassurance — visible protection and capability.
To infected:
No reaction — but they are among the only platforms capable of holding swarm density.
To gangs:
A Frame means escalation.
To corporations:
A Frame is leverage.
Frames are not faction-specific.
They are legacy city infrastructure technology.
Caliburn uses them.
The UDF uses them.
Industrial crews use them.
And beyond the walls…
Some people use them without permission.