Talk:MJMecha

Very tentative!

Chargen Paths and Possible Bonuses

Aptitudes

Aptitudes are numerical bonuses to certain actions. "Sniper", for example, might be an aptitude which grants a bonus when attempting to make aimed shots, while "Hard to Kill" may grant bonuses to turning into the blow. Tentatively, assume an aptitude is ~1/3rd the value of an attribute.

Hypertech

Characters generally don't get hypertech components which provide an overall larger number of bonuses than your standard gear do. Certain lifepaths may give them. However, hypertech components are likely going to be costed at "fair price" so this bonus should be considered (relatively) minor.

Mecha Build Points

Mecha will have a point cost (or else you'll have frankenmecha everywhere with as many connectors as can be possible). Giving more MBP means more shiny and high-tech things to put on your giant death robot.

Stats

The lifepath chargen should give a character the majority of their stats. Players might end up with as little as 6-10 stat points for final customization. Current sketch is that the average character has a 5 in an attribute (means they fail a "simple" task (fail only on critical failures) 4% of the time during stressful circumstances, while a PC should probably average 7-9?. The 1d10 + Stat + Mecha system does mean each point of stat is rather important as of now.

Going up to 2d10 may be an option but not one currently under consideration.

Unique Perks

Some lifepaths may give unique perks that have no numerical value, like say, rerolling certain failures or plot coupons or whatnot. Price them with a lot of hand waving.

Background Fluff

Well yes, this is entirely a given.

Lifepath Alpha

Of note is the concept of Defining Events. These are major events around which your character is centered. Consequently you may only have one. If your life takes you through more than one you may only choose one. If your path goes through more than one mandatory Defining Events you must choose the first one to happen as your event.

Each +1 to a stat has been arbitrarily assigned a value of 10 Mecha Build Points (MBP).

Heritage

A - Destiny - note that this is defined for you by the GM, depending on what power level of game and/or power level of players.

None: You're a mook. Sorry.

Minor: You have some small destiny ahead of you. +1 to all stats.

Significant: Your destiny is one in a million. +2 to all stats.

Major: Your destiny is one in a billion. Your wikipedia page will suffer edit wars. +3 to all stats.

Epic: Your destiny is that of nations. +4 to all stats and you may take a second Defining Event. If your paths only go through one, you may chose any additional one because fuck the rules. You're special.

B - Lineage

Classic: The classic human, genofixed for health and longitevity and capable at anything. +1 to all stats.

Idoru: Your genofixing has given you improved ability to deal with people and awesome hair. +2 Per, +1 Kno, +1 Psy, +2 Cha

Fast Folk: Everything moves in slow motion for you. Probably more at home with computers than people though. +3 Rea, +1 Per, +2 Kno

Angeloid: A modification of the standard human bodyplan to include wings and superior spatial awareness. -1 Bod, +2 Rea, +1 Per, +1 Kno, +1 Psy, +1 Cha, may ignore the Strain effect of up to 2 Wings. Can also fly in low/null gravity atmospheres.

Silicon Being: This is a Mandatory Defining Event. You are not flesh and blood at all, but plesh and nanofluid. +4 Bod, +2 Rea, +1 Per, +1 Kno, +4 Psy

Atavism (plucky baseline): You're a throwback to the era before genetic upgrades. But that's never stopped you! This is a Mandatory Defining Event. You can ignore 3 points of Strain and you get an effective doubled Charisma for direct combat purposes only.

Atavism (loser): You're a throwback to the era before genetic upgrades. You're slow, a bit dim and probably have bad breath. You may take a second Defining Event.

Formative Years

C - Habitat

Flatlander: You came from one of the inner-system worlds near Fomalhaut that is broadly Earthlike in nature. You get +1 to all rolls when fighting on flat (metaphorically speaking) terrain, eg, hills, trees, clouds, towns, etc.

Plate Worlder: You grew up on and around the various megastructures that litter the Fomalhaut system. You get +1 to all rolls when fighting around megastructures or the like (cities count).

Belter: Your years were spent out in the inky deeps, far from substantial objects. You get +1 to all rolls when fighting in an empty battlespace. Note that atmosphere does not count - you never had to deal with gravity or aerodynamics out there!

Outlander: You come from the icy outer reaches of the Fomalhaut system. You get +1 to all rolls when fighting on moons or similar icy/rubble terrain.

D - Family

Nuclear: Your family was the classical 'nuclear family', or at least the equivalent circa 37,000 AD. +1 to all stats.

Creche-born: You didn't really have a family per se, just a crowd of same-aged kids you grew up with and adults who supervised. +2 Rea, +2 Kno, +2 Psy

Important: Your family is a known name, perhaps royalty or heirs to a vast fortune. This is a Defining Event if you are a (near) direct heir, not if you are distantly related. +2 Per, +1 Kno, +3 Cha. The defining effect is Clout.

Hereditary Holders: Your family has held an Avatar for generations. This is a Mandatory Defining Event. +1 to all stats and the defining effect is Heirloom.

E - Youthful Misadventures

Moisture Farmer: Use the Force, Luke. +2 Bod, +1 Rea

Mall Rat: Typical teenager. +1 Per, +1 Kno, +1 Cha

Otaku: Giant robots are so cool! +2 Kno, +10 MPB

Fell Into A Cockpit: By some improbable series of events you found yourself in the cockpit of an Avatar which immediately imprinted upon you. This is a Defining Event. You get a pool of 18 points that you may spent to raise any stat, no more than 2 per session and no more than +5 per total. Go to table X - Super Prototypes to determine your machine and then quit the lifepaths.

Supersoldier: +1 Bod, +1 Psy, [+1 Sniper, +1 Hard to Kill, +1 Command]

Remade: +3 Psy

Special Events

X - Super Prototypes

Glowing Lines

Super Robot

Mass Production Prototype: Your machine is fairly unexceptional but you gain +1 to all stats due to the rigorous testing regime honing your skills and getting you dates for being a test pilot. This may also represent past time spent as a test pilot and having moved back into normal machines.

Mechanics Sketch

Basic Rolls

In general piloting is pilot attribute + machine attribute + 1d10 (only for IRC RP). Agility is capped by a pilot's Body score. If a 1 is rolled, the player rolls an another 1d10 and subtracts it from their total. If a 10 is rolled, the player rolls another 1d10 and adds it to their total. This continues (if more 1s or 10s are rolled) until the rerolled dice come up not 1 or 10. A negative total is a critical failure.

• Evasion is Reactions + Agility + ECM/Shield Bonuses

• Close Combat is Reactions + Agility + Weapon Accuracy

• Ranged Combat is Perception + Targeting + Weapon Accuracy

• AI Weapons (i.e. Drones) are Knowledge + Electronics + Weapon Accuracy

Special Maneuvers

An attacker may make a called shot, subtracting -X from his attack total to add +X to his roll to select components to damage. Similarly, a defender may attempt to parry, subtracting -X from his dodge total to add +X to his roll in the damage allocation step.

Aimed Shots can seek weakpoints, subtracting -2 to weapon accuracy for every +1 to penetration. A defender may similarly turn into the blow, subtracting -3 to his evasion to increase Durability by +1.

Hit Resolution

If an attack hits, damage is either allocated by the attacker or by the defender to a component. In this case, the opposed roll is Charisma + Agility for the defender versus Charisma + Agility/Targeting/Electronics for the attacker (for close/ranged/AI attacks respectively), representing a combination of narrative priority and the ability to maneuver to create glancing shots versus the other guy's narrative priority and ability to hit. Physical shields add a bonus to this roll.

Sometimes a defender may want to allocate damage to the heavily armored main body, while sometimes they may want to have the attack remove a less vital component like a hand or a thruster pack. Some weapons may inflict multiple hits. These can be allocated on the same object unless the weapon has the relevant special property.

Damage is rolled as (Weapon Penetration - Target Durability) + 1d10 per hit. The net result is resolved as below:

0-3: No Effect. The attack glances off harmlessly, leaving at best a cinematic scar.

4-6: Minor Damage: The structural integrity of the component is compromised. Reduce its durability by 1 due to cracked armor plating/fractured bones/torn muscles/etc. This result stacks with itself.

7-9: Major Damage: A subsystem is destroyed. Destroyed hardpoints or hands lose grip of whatever they were holding. In addition, the armor integrity is compromised (as 'Minor Damage', above). If the defender chooses location he also chooses the damaged subsystem, and if the attacker wins, the attacker chooses the damaged subsystem.

10-12: Severe Damage: Treat as major damage, but reroll damage (Penetration - Durability + 1d10) and compare it to the table.

13-19: Critical Damage: Two subsystems are destroyed. An additional system is destroyed for every 2 the result exceeds 10, rounded down, so 3 systems are destroyed at 12, 4 systems at 14, and so on.

20+: Destruction: The component is destroyed irreparably.

Components are considered disabled if every usable subsystem in them has been destroyed. Components are considered destroyed if every Internal Structure subsystem has been destroyed.

Some larger or more durable components may be able to take multiple critical hits. Components like these will be explicitly marked with a number behind their name (i.e. "Cockpit (3)" or "Nanogauge Tap (5)"). In general these components will lose functionality as they suffer damage.

Example Record Sheet

Example Core (numbers are totally arbitrary)
Durability 15

Cockpit (3)

Power Distribution (5)

Internal Structure (6)

Thrusters (3)

Defense Laser

Armor (3)

Special Criticals

Cockpit: Each hit to the cockpit does progressive damage to the inertial dampening systems of an Avatar, reducing the pilot's effective Body by 1 for the purposes of maximum agility. The fourth hit disables the machine and triggers automatic ejection.

Musculature: Each hit to an arm's musculature reduces the accuracy of any integrated or handheld weapons by 2. Each hit to a leg's musculature reduces the accuracy of any mounted weapons by 1, as well as any agility bonuses by 1, to a minimum of 0.