Sphere Robot Wars Character Rules

Your Character

You have 50 points to design your character. Any excess points can be saved for increase later.

Level 1 - 1 CP - Hobbyist
Level 2 - 3 CP - Amateur
Level 3 - 6 CP - Professional
Level 4 - 10 CP - Skilled Professional
Level 5 - 15 CP - Experienced Professional
Level 6 - 21 CP - Expert
Level 7 - 28 CP - Master
Level 8 - 36 CP - Ancient Master
Level 9 - 45 CP - Superlative
Level 10 - 55 CP - Unmatched

In short, to improve a stat costs (current level + 1)

Stats

These are the defining 'hard' characteristics of your character.

Pilot

Your character's Pilot rating is an overall measure of how well he or she pilots a mobile suit, covering the breadth of skills as opposed to the specific increases some other stats may provide. It also covers other pilotable things such as fighters or shuttles as determined by the GM. Low Pilot does not in itself prevent access to a powerful suit, but even tremendous Newtype prowess and bleeding edge technology cannot replace basic proficiency in piloting skills.

Physical

This is the raw physical prowess of your character while she is on her own two feet, governing everything from proficiency with firearms, strength, agility, endurance, athleticism, and skill and/or talent in hand to hand combat. A character with a high rating in this category can make an excellent special forces combatant without other additions. However, it does not reflect her skill with the guns or melee weapons while inside her mecha.

Smarts

Your innate intelligence, as well as your ability to notice things and act on your feet.

Education

How well you paid attention during school; a measure of your book learning.

Charisma

Charisma measures the likeability of your character in several ways. Although few characters are anything but superior in physical attractiveness, those with high Charisma do tend to be the coolest or hottest, and they do tend to sell more figurines. More importantly though, charisma attracts followers, suitable romantic partners, and helps keep the faction together. Charisma is also the ability that governs your ability to get new or replace old/destroyed humanoid frames.

Specialties

You may also buy Specialties, which are substats giving you additional strengths in one field. Each specialty is bought as per regular stats cost and adds during the appropriate situation. For example, if a character has Pilot 4 and Melee Speciality (Pilot) 2, during mecha melee battleships he has effectively Pilot 6.

In especially appropriate situations, Specialties may add even more points to the stat.

Example for Physical: Sniper (superior gunmanship), Duelist (swordsmanship), Big Guy (brawling, clobbering, not-dying), Ballet (looking pretty), etc.

There are also a number of particularly important or common stats that are (almost) always bought as specialties. They are detailed below

Rank

Rank is a fairly straightforward rating of how much ‘pull’ you have in your armed forces. Sergeants don’t command battleships (except under exceptionally unusual circumstances) and Admirals do not go on infiltrations on foot. At higher levels it grants mook underlings and improved equipment.

Command is always bought in reference to a specific organization, such as ARROWs, the Combined ZOCU Militias, the USMC, etc. Depending on the campaign, one or more levels of it may be automatically granted.

While the specifics may vary depending on the exact organization one is a member of, these are the typical ranks and bonuses.

Level 1 - Specialist
Level 2 - Flight Sergeant
Level 3 - Master Sergeant
Level 4 - Lieutenant - 1 bonus Mecha Build Point
Level 5 - Commander - 2 bonus Mecha Build Point
Level 6 - Major - 3 bonus Mecha Build Point
Level 7 - Colonel - 4 bonus Mecha Build Point
Level 8 - Captain - 5 bonus Mecha Build Point
Level 9 - Commodore - Additional warships
Level 10 - Admiral - Additional fleets

Command

Command measures your character's raw proficiency at tactics, strategy, and his or her ability to make awesome plans and have them miraculously flow like water – most of the time. While low Command characters aren't necessarily stupid, high Command characters do tend to be the conspicuously smart ones. Note that Command ability doesn't necessarily have anything to do with rank.

Command is normally bought for specific (if broad) circumstances, such as Aerospace Operations, Warship Command, Mecha Squadrons, Infantry Combat, etc. General Command can be bought and applies to all situations where Command would be used, but it is treated as being one-half of its stated rating (rounded down, you munchkins), and is generally used to represent a basic amount of training that military officers (or resistance leaders) get before they specialize in any one field.

Conspiracy

While Charisma is a measure of how well you deal with people, Conspiracy is a measure of how well connected you are to the political machinations that underpin the story. In essence, it is how much of the ‘big picture’ the character sees. Conspiracy is an effective way of acquiring information, supplies, allies and even new machines, but remember that oftentimes there is no loyalty, only self-interest in this.

Conspiracy is also normally bought for specific circumstances, such as Spymaster, Dirty Secrets, Infiltration, Well Connected, Overt Political Power, etc. Likewise, it can be bought in the 'unlimited' format, for those who truly have their fingers in every pie and is treated as having 1/2 of its stated rating, rounded down.

Extras

These are things that are particularly limited in application or do not necessarily apply to character stats. It can cover things like having a family heirloom of exceptional power, a lot of money in portable format, mutant powers like healing factor, etc. Request one and the GM will provide a cost and effect.

Advantages

Veteran
Cost: 0
While most protagonists tend to be relatively new at this whole ‘heroing’ thing (though not, let it be known, does this mean it is solely the domain of the young – see James Links) there are some who have had their time in the spotlight in the previous anime. These characters are better pilots, generally higher ranked and simply more skilled, having had an entire season or more of combat under their belt (or the backstory equivalent, if you’re Roy Fokker). They get +1 to Piloting and +1 Command (specific). Furthermore, as humanity as a whole has been oblivious to the existence of Alephs until recently, all Veterans suffer a -2 penalty to their effective Aleph Potential.

Type Master
Cost: 3
You’ve intensive trained, having never been defeated in 2000 simulated engagements. Unfortunately your winning streak comes to an end when you encounter a Gundam. But just wait until you face off against a force of Mobile Dolls . . . You are particularly skilled against a particular type of unit or pilot, such as Mobile Dolls, Super Robots, Mobile Armors, Gundams, Newtypes, etc. You can expect to have the equivalent of at least one rank increase in your piloting skill if facing off against said, due to your almost instinctive understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. Note that ‘Conventional Mecha’ is not a valid choice. This stacks with both Pilot and any pilot specialty, making it particularly useful.

License Holder
Cost: 4
For whatever reason, you’ve been issued a ‘License.’ This effectively grants you autonomy from the command structure; you still get all the perks of your rank, but you can also chose to hare off on your own wild misadventures. While in theory a license holder answers to no-one but those who issued it, in practice excessive abuses will result in consequences.

Cybernewtype
Cost: 4
You’re a government experiment in pilot uniform. You got the benefits of being able to control funnels, dodge incoming blasts you shouldn’t really be dodging, but you also got the downside of ranging from ~moe pill~ addition, being eccentric to batshit crazy and also technically being government property. You automatically get the Aleph Skills Newtype Flash and High Level Control at no Aleph point cost.

Fan Favourite
Cost: 6
You are The Patrick. You might not be omnicompetent and flying the top-end craft like some, but your popularity ensures that you’ll survive all but the most ridiculous situations (or, of course, deliberate self-sacrifice). Note that generally this advantage won’t apply if you’re the best of the best; Kira Yamato never needed to be a Fan Favourite to survive.

Disadvantages

Obsession
Bonus: 3
Perhaps you're a (very) persistent womanizer (no matter your gender), mechaphile or have some other sort of very noticeable personal trait. Essentially have acquired an (un)healthy interest in someone or something else to the level that you have little self-control when faced with it. This goes far beyond schoolgirl yuri or a wandering eye; at the extremes it can reach the level of creepy stalker crush.

Code of Honor
Bonus: 5
You abide by a code of honor consisting either of one huge schtick (never kill anyone – just disable their suits) or a general mode of behaviour, such as being polite at all times, not taking advantage of people when they're down and so on.

Intolerant
Bonus: 3
You hate some group. Maybe baselines killed your father, or your little sister was captured by pirates. You never associate with them, abuse them if they're prisoners, and always go after them in combat with extra berserk.

Adventurous
Bonus: 3
Whenever in a situation where direct instruction from higher command or even when direct instruction is somewhat interpretable, your instinct is to go ahead and drag along a partner along if you have one! This will put you in a lot of dangerous situations, though you will also have a useful streak of fearlessness.

Damaged Goods
Bonus: 3
At some point in your past, you encountered something terribly traumatic that set your angst temporarily at 11. You may pick a circumstance, though if the GM doesn't think it'll affect things enough, he may pick one for you or expand on it. Often, people with this disad are very bright and cheerful but may have constant nightmares, try to keep themselves, and suffer debilitating flashbacks, seizures, or freezeups during battle.

Type Failure
Bonus: 3
Your training had gaps, perhaps due to a rushed schedule or simple lack of experience. There’s one type of enemy unit or pilot that you simply cannot handle. You are particularly unskilled against a particular type of unit, such as Mobile Dolls, Super Robots, Mobile Armors, Gundams, etc. You can expect to have the equivalent of at least one rank decrease in your piloting skill if facing off against said, due to your limited skillset.

Berserker
Bonus: 4
You go crazy in battle, forget to cover your friends and kill more shit then you need to. Even when you’re not in a berserker rage, you’re not likely to be terribly subtle. You may have a hair-trigger temper, or you just might have some ‘buttons’ that get pressed often.

Genetic Templates

Baselines

The majority of Humanity's population are 'baseline', though by the 22nd century this has expanded to include those who have had various genofixes for health and longitevity.

No stat modifiers

0 CP

Spacers

While various methods of generating artificial gravity have steadily become more common, a substantial number of people have spend generations in space, adapting both artificially and naturally to microgravity conditions.

+3 Zero-Gravity Specialization, -1 Physical

0 CP

Alpha Upgrade

A general category of genetic modifications common across the Expanse that offer broad improvements over baseline physiques and minds. While the specifics often vary, in practice they use the following statline.

+1 Physical, +1 Smarts, +1 Charisma

14 CP

Icarus Upgrade

An upgrade specifically marketed to spacers, the Icarus Upgrade adds various zero-gravity physiological modifications to the common Alpha template, making it particularly popular in the Rim where since its introduction in the 2140s it has spread to be one of the most common templates.

+1 Smarts, +1 Charisma, +3 Zero-Gravity Specialization

14 CP

Atlas Upgrade

'Atlases' are those who have taken to physical modifications while retaining baseline intellects.

+2 Physical, +1 Big Guy Specialization

12 CP

Ishtar Upgrade

A transgenic template that optimizes socialization and interpersonal abilities. The exceptional beauty (even for modern humans) helps as well.

+1 Physical, +2 Charisma, +1 Conspiracy (defaults to General Contacts)

17 CP

Mentis Upgrade

Representative of 21st century intellectual augmentations after the various bugs and kinks had been worked out.

+2 Smarts, +1 Education, -1 Charisma

12 CP

Omoikane Upgrade

A somewhat more recent 22nd century transgenic template, the Omoikane upgrade significantly improves mental 'power' without the problems plaguing earlier attempts to upgrade human intellect.

+2 Smarts, +1 Education, +1 Charisma

20 CP

Careers

Careers represent what your character does for a living. Like Races, they provide bonuses and penalties to stats and specialties; again like Races these modify the final value, not the inherent value (eg, what you calculate cost to buy with). Some Careers might also have minimum stats - nobody's going to make it through special forces training with a physical of 1.

INTACT Lictors

Lictors are the public face of INTACT, front-line warriors and troubleshooters. Due to stringent testing and requirements, Lictors almost always are a minimum of A-type transhuman, though a few exceptions exist. Lictors get a +1 Pilot, +1 Charisma and +1 INTACT Rank.

INTACT Censor

Those few humans who have been born with exceptional Aleph powers are often enrolled in INTACT to serve as Censors. These mentalists recieve special training to focus their mental powers. As such, they recieve +5 Aleph Points and +1 INTACT Rank, and require a minimum of Aleph 5.

INTACT Legate

The Legates are the commanders and leaders of INTACT, typically having authority over one or more warships, bases or ground operations group. They recieve +1 Unlimited Command, +1 Education and +3 INTACT Rank.

League Combatsystem Operator

The League has few pilots, instead having 'operators' acting as telepresent squad leaders. These men and women are rigorously trained to capably time-share their attention between various viewpoints and react to shifting engagements from a rear-area perspective. Combatsystem Operators recieve +1 Engineer, +1 Education and +1 League Rank.

League Battlemanagement Director

With the League's predisposition towards automated weapons, their leaders must be just at home managing complex info-combat systems as they are at managing people. Battlemanagement Directors recieve +2 AI Command (specific field) and +3 League Rank.