SRW v.2 rules
Your Character
You have 70(?) points to design your character. Any excess points can be saved for increase later.
Level 1 - 1 CP
Level 2 - 3 CP
Level 3 - 6 CP
Level 4 - 10 CP
Level 5 - 15 CP
Level 6 - 21 CP
Level 7 - 28 CP
Level 8 - 36 CP
Level 9 - 45 CP
Level 10 - 55 CP
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.
Aleph
Alephs (or colloquially, Newtypes) are, depending on whom you ask, the next stage in human evolution, an ability gained due to the invaders, their faith in God, or something that has been with us all along. Your character's Aleph rating governs her access to "magical" abilities.
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.
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. 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 INTACT, the Combined ZOCU Militias, the USMC, etc. Depending on the campaign, one or more levels of it may be automatically granted.
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 there is rarely any loyalty, only self-interest in this.
Conspiracy is also normally bought for specific circumstances, such as Spymaster, Dirty Secrets, Infiltration, 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.
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 Creation 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 Smarts-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.
This section needs fleshing out.
Races
Grounders (Baselines)
Most of the human population of known space inhabit planets and have minimal if any genetic alteration. Classed as E-Types in the Solar Federation, these baseline humans are generally known as Grounder, and get a +1 bonus to Physical.
Spacers
Spacers have lived out in space on orbiting platforms, asteroid cities and the like for generations, generally the descendants of colonists who arrived in systems with no viable planets. All Spacers get +1 Education and +1 Zero-Gravity, but suffer -1 Physical. The Solar Federation generally labels these O-types, though few call themselves citizens of the Federation.
Low Transhumans
Earlier or less drastic enhancements to humans resulted in people that were only mildly changed from their parents. In the Solar Federation these are typically ranked as C or D type and get a +1 bonus to Physical and Smarts.
High Transhumans
The cautious early steps in human augmenation soon gave way to more drastic and significant upgrades to the human condition. At this point inherent biological immortality (or at least exceptionally long lifespans) became the norm. In the Solar Federation these are ranked A or B types and gets a +2 bonus to Physical, +1 to Smarts and +1 to Charisma.
Superior Transhumans
The pinnacle of the Solar Federation's power pyramid, Superior or S-Type transhumans are better than humans in almost all measurable ways. Living in the lap of power has given them a nearly universal sense of arrogance and confidence, one well-warranted by their immense personnel power. S-Type transhumans get a +3 bonus to Physical and a +1 to Smarts, Charisma, Education and Aleph.
Aleph Powers
TBA.
Machines
TBA.