Fire Robot Wars Character Creation

Basics

You have 140 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.

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 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

Command

Command measures your character's trained 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 or clever ones. Note that Command ability doesn't necessarily have anything to do with rank and is entirely optional - it is normally paired with Rank (see below).

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 depending on who you're aligned with, there may be no loyalty, only self-interest in this.

Conspiracy is normally bought for specific groups ('Conspiracies),

Finally, Conspiracy can be used more generally for investigation, streetwise, simple cover-ups and other general low-level skullduggery.

Tuneup

Tuneup represents your ability to squeeze just that extra bit of effectiveness out of whatever you're flying. Every level of Tuneup gives you one additional Mecha Build Point, to a max of the associated primary stat. Note that in all cases these require a certain level of 'maintenance', be it the only person who repairs (or touches!) your machine to having to spend hours every day flying it to keeping good relations with your secret patron.

Mechanic is Wits-based, and represents tinkering with your own (or someone else's!) robot to make it work better. It most commonly increases melee, firepower or speed.

Engineer is Education-based, and represents applying advanced principles and techniques along with a dose of fancy R&D equipment to your machine. It most commonly increaseses firepower, defense or special.

Crack Pilot is Pilot-based, and represents simply getting every possible sliver of red-lined performance out of a machine. It most commonly increases melee, speed or defense.

Special Connections is Conspiracy-based, and represents someone out there with special interest in you providing you with some nifty toys. It almost always increases special, with firepower and defense being distantly behind.

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.

Background

Ordinary High School Student with a Mad Scientist Relative

Trained from Birth

Cyborg

Rich Eccentric

Traits

Traits are particularly exagerated aspects of your character. All Traits are free, and while multiple can be taken, they should make sense.

Cold-Blooded!
Hahaha, Motherfuckers. Having the Cold-Blooded trait means that your courage stat can never go above 1, however, you gain bonuses to Shooting (+3) Charisma (+1) and Smarts (+2)

No Such Thing As Overkill

Blademaster
You are the sword that cleaves all evil.

Made Of Iron

Rival

Advantages

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 already just that awesome; Yazan Gable never needed to be a Fan Favourite to survive and kick ass even when surrounded by Newtypes.

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.

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.

Renegade Interrupt
Bonus: 4
You've been implied, accused or caught on tape doing something not quite sufficient to get you discharged but certainly enough to merit a bad reputation. While some may applaud you doing 'what needed to be done', most will ask 'did you have to do it that way?' Expect to be distrusted, even by those in your own chain of command and charisma penalties will be common. This can synergize well with License, in which case you're probably very dedicated (or simply promised a rich reward) to The Cause, to the detriment of your relations with those in your public association.

Races

You want your Races? Enjoy your races.

Non Humans

Martians, Turians, Vulcans, Androids, Oh my!