MJMecha

Pilots

Note that all attributes have overall benefits to pilots, there is no separate "piloting" attribute. Neither are their skills, for the most part, those are just assumed.

Attributes

Body: The Body attribute measures the overall physical fitness of a character, their strength, stamina, and durability. Body is the primary determinant of the physical punishment a character can take, and also caps the effective maneuverability of a machine due to the pilots' g-tolerance.

Reaction: Reactions measures the grace, reaction speed, and agility of a character. A character with high Body but low Reactions is fast but clumsy, while low Body but high Reactions is a common purview of a wimpy surgeon or guys who paint miniatures all day long. Reactions is used for evasion and hand to hand combat.

Perception: A character's overall spatial awareness and ability to locate and identify important objects and clues fall under Perception. As targeting and tracking require precise spotting and the ability to quickly identify and "lock on" to targets and predict their method of movement, Perception is the primary determinant of success in ranged combat.

Knowledge: Knowledge represents a character's education and "book smarts". Outside of the obvious benefits to engineering, science, and so forth, knowledge is also necessary for the use of complex equipment, such as ECM suites, Active Stealth, drone controllers, and so on.

Psyche: A character's mental toughness is measured by psyche. As all Avatars use direct neural interface and AI control, nonhumanoid machines are much harder to control than humanoid ones. Psyche caps the alteration from human norm that a machine can achieve-low Psyche characters are greatly limited in terms of the systems that can be added to their machine. Note that this is every nonhuman feature-even something as simple as a set of thrusters or an integrated gun adds a Psyche tax. In addition, a character's ability to resist subversive attacks and stay cool under fire is based off of Psyche.

Charisma: A character's charisma is their physical and non-physical attractiveness, their ability to get along with people, and so on. In this world of half-salvaged hypertech mecha and frankenbots, Charisma adds to the amount of upgrades and the maximum technological level you can manage to scrounge up to stick on your machine. Charisma also gives characters narrative inertia.

Derived Attributes

Synch Limits: A character may synch to a frame with a maximum psyche cost of (Psyche * 2).

Maximum Agility: A character may take advantage of up to (Body) agility bonuses from their machine in question. Any further bonuses to agility have no beneficial effect.

Lifepath Alpha

This is the alpha chargen method.

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 15 Mecha Build Points (MBP). All players start with 90 MBP above and beyond any gained (or lost!) from lifepaths.

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 is desired.

None: You're a mook. Sorry. -1 to all stats

Minor: You have some small destiny ahead of you.

Significant: Your destiny is one in a million. +1 to all stats. This is the norm for PCs.

Major: Your destiny is one in a billion. Your wikipedia page will suffer edit wars. +2 to all stats.

Epic: Your destiny is that of nations. +3 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.

Conjoined: Your destiny is intertwined with that of another. You may create two characters at -1 to all stats who function as a team. However, only one of them may take a Defining Event - chose which!

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.

Maangardin: You were one of the sleepership passengers that arrived half a century ago, a xeno-human crossbreed. This is a Mandatory Defining Event. Go to the Maangardin tables and then quit the life paths.

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.

Urchin: Your family was the street. +2 Bod, +2 Rea, +2 Psy

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. +1 Rea, +1 Per, +2 Kno, +2 Cha

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

Rin: You suffered a (self-inflicted?) case of Asian Parentitis. +2 Kno, +2 Psy, -1 Cha

Otaku: Giant robots are so cool! +2 Kno, +15 MBP

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 - you've entered your destiny early!

Supersoldier: From a young age you were trained and modified to be an ideal combatant. +1 Bod, +1 Rea, +1 Psy, -1 Cha, [+1 Sniper, +1 Hard to Kill, +1 Command]

Remade: You fell in with a band of (cyber)punks and have reformatted your body and mind outside of the human norm. +2 Bod, -2 Cha, your Synch Limit is increased by +8.

Main Series

F - Higher Education

School of Hard Knocks: There is no school tougher than the school of hard knocks. +1 Bod, +1 Per, +1 Psy

Advanced Learning: There are a myriad of higher learning institutes +1 Rea, +1 Kno, +1 Cha

Mechanic's Apprentice: +45 MBP

Military Academy: +1 Bod, +1 Per, [+2 to three different military specialties], -15 MBP

Duel Court Page: +2 Rea, [+2 to a weapon style of choice, +1 Hard to Kill]

G - Early Career

Civilian: +1 to all stats

Socialite: +3 Cha, +2 Per, +1 Kno

Prodigy: This is a Mandatory Defining Event. +3 to all stats. Go to Standard Models and then quit the lifepaths.

Archeologist: This is a Defining Event. +1 Bod, +2 Per, +2 Kno, +1 Cha. If the defining event is taken, go to Super Prototypes and then return.

Duelist: +2 Rea, +2 Cha, +1 Psy, [+1 to any three specialties]

Military Pilot: +2 Rea, +1 Bod, +1 Psych, +2 Cha

H - Later Career

Civilian-turned-Runner: +90 MBP

Noble: +2 Cha, +2 Kno +30 MBP

Gundamjacker: This is a Defining Event. +2 Per, +2 Kno, +2 Psy. Go to Super Prototypes for the mecha.

Duelist Manager: +1 Bod, +1 Rea, +1 Kno, +1 Cha, +1 Psy, [+1 to any three specialties]

Master Duelist: This is a Defining Event. +1 to all stats. The Defining Event provides a further +1 to all stats.

Mechanical Genius: This is a Defining Event. +90 MBP. Go to Super Prototypes for the mecha.

Ace Pilot: +1 to all stats, [+3 to three different military specialties], -45 MBP

Ship Captain: This is a Defining Event. [+3 command, +3 ship gunnery] Gets an Assault Ship and +60 MBP for it

I - Maangardin Caste

Emulator: Psion. Unlocks the Aleph stat. +1 Bod, +1 Rea, +1 Per, +3 Kno, +3 Psy, +3 Cha, +6 Aleph

Jaan: Soldier. +5 Bod, +4 Rea, +3 Per, +1 Kno, +3 Psy, +2 Cha

Vergiz: Scout/commando. +2 Bod, +5 Rea, +4 Per, +3 Kno, +2 Psy, +2 Cha

Meydarin: Merchant/Civilian. +3 to all stats

J - Maangardin Rank

Supervision: +2 Rea, +4 Kno, +3 Cha, 3 points that may be spent on any stats

Elite: +3 Bod, +2 Rea, +2 Per, +3 Kno, +1 Cha, +1 Psy

Common: +2 to all stats

Rejectionist: +1 to all stats, +90 MBP

K - The Undefined

You have 6 points to increase stats that can be distributed as desired, so long as they do not exceed your highest unmodified stat. The highest unmodified stat may be increased if at least one one stat has been modified to match it. These may instead be used to buy additional MPB at 1 stat = 15 MBP

If you have not already gotten a Defining Event, gain 90 MBP.

Special: You're extra-special. You take -1 to all stats but can take a second Defining Event, if your paths covered more than one. This needs to be explicitly cleared by the GM first.

Mecha Table

X - Super Prototypes

Glowing Lines: Your machine uses hypertech systems in its construction. Gain 30 points to purchase hypertech systems. In this case, undefined points may be traded in for hypertech points for 5 points of hypertech per stat point.

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.

Y - Standard Models