Robomeck RPG: Generation and Stats

Robomeck RPG Index

ROBOMECK CHARACTERS

All the Characters are Mecka Pilots.  Realistically, even rag-tag rebel Characters need to be pilots to get in on the main action.  Non-pilots can be NPC support personnel for the group, though they should stay well-away from mecka combat.

Rolling up a Character

Abilities

Normal Abilities: 9 + 1d4

Prime Abilities: 13 + 1d4

If you roll a 17, roll 1d2, on a 2, you get 18

Sub-Normal Abilities: List as 9

Int and Dex are rolled as Prime abilities.  All Pilots must have these two stats as Prime.  Roll the other abilities as Normal and arrange as you like.  Players may choose to have a Sub-Normal ability to gain one more Prime ability.  (Military pilots with any discernible Sub-Normal abilities would not have qualified to get flight training, so there should be a backstory as to how they got by with one.)   

Read the Social Interaction section before making your choices for ability scores.  Every stat has value depending on how you want to play your Character outside of combat.  Social encounters are an important part of this game. 

● Strength (Str): Physical prowess.  Add bonus to physical melee attacks and damage (not mecka melee).

● Dexterity (Dex): Hand-eye Coordination and balance.  Add bonus to ranged attacks (which includes all mecka attacks), AC, and Reflex saves.

● Constitution (Con): Physical stamina.  Add bonus to hp and Fort saves. 

● Intelligence (Int): Knowledge, training, practice, and learning ability.  This is used for any technical skill rolls.   

● Wisdom (Wis): Experience, intuition, and empathy.  Add bonus to Will saves.     

● Charisma (Cha): Forcefulness or persuasiveness of personality.  This is used to measure the Character’s charm.

These abilities all tie into the Character’s Social Interaction skills.  These will be described in the Rules section.

Ability                            Deficient

Score          Bonus         Abilities      Penalty

10-11             0               9-8              -1

12-13           +1               7-6              -2

14-15           +2               5-4              -3

16-17           +3               3                 -4

18                +4              

Ability scores could be reduced from play, like specific injures and using XP to save your Character.  A 3 in any Ability (especially Prime ones) means the character is seriously disabled and cannot use mecka or probably even function at all without assistance.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Characters are trained with the mecka, personal weapons, and any armor appropriate to their era.  With some training, much of the equipment should be useable by Characters from different eras.  Using a non-proficient weapon gives the user no bonuses to attack.  Using non-qualified armor, the wearer will not have their Dex bonus to AC and cannot run.

Fortune Points (FP)

Characters and important NPC’s have the ability to change dice results with Fortune Points.  Use of FP will be described in more detail in the Rules section.  For now, Characters have FP equal to 1d2 + ½ level (round up).  This number will go up by 1 each time the Character gains an odd level number.  NPC’s may roll or have static number assigned to them by the Ref.  The FP # is the number of times a Character can change dice results in an Encounter.  These refresh after a short rest between encounters.  There is no penalty against the Character or NPC for using FP.  This might seem a bit soft, but you haven’t seen the lethality of mecka combat yet.       

  

Experience Points (XP)

The Ref should award XP for each group member for accomplishing tasks, as determined by the Ref and/or the players' own stated intentions.  It is recommended that the Players should definitely have a hand in determining what their main goals are, while the Ref determines the minor ones on the way to those main goals.  These should be graded based on the level of the characters and the magnitude of the accomplishment.  What is a major task for low-level characters is probably a minor one for higher level ones (4^th and up).  Giving out at least 1 XP to everyone at the end of a session, regardless of what happens, would probably be a good policy. 

    

Award 1 XP for a minor task, 2 for a tough task, and 3 for a major one.  No more than one major award (if that) should be given out per adventure session.  A major task should qualify as an accomplishment the characters could brag about to their peers without embarrassing themselves.  Very large tasks, like saving the earth from alien invasion, should be broken down into a multitude of major accomplishments. 

Low-level example: Shaking down an informant for information on a Zee secret jungle base (1 XP), driving off a Red Biomeck and his squad at an encounter (2 XP), destroying a Hive Mound (3 XP).  Any encounter where the group risks danger or failure with consequences should pay XP to them.  Complications in an encounter should still pay XP if the group achieves some success, but at a lesser rate.  If a group completely fails an encounter and survives (necessarily, dead Characters don’t earn XP) or totally blows a non-combat objective, the Ref could still award 1 XP for a good, valiant effort.

XP are also awarded individually for the Characters’ relationships with others outside of combat.  The Players will set the goals for their Characters’ personal lives.  The Ref may dangle possibilities in front of them, but can’t force the Players into them like combat missions.  This will require a longer explanation and will be described more in the Social Interaction section.

Level Advancement

I’d recommend immediately handing out any XP earned at the end of an encounter.  Players pay XP to gain the next level, one level at time.  They must also complete a major task in order to advance, even if they already have the XP to level up.  The cost may seem pretty low, but as detailed later, Characters may also be using XP to influence events in the game and to save themselves when facing certain death (though that comes with consequences, unlike using FP).  Refs, it is also recommended that new Characters be given the opportunity to earn a couple of easy XP up front.

Levels 2 – 6                            

2^nd      15 XP/1 Major Task          

3^rd      15 XP/1 Major Task                  

4^th      15 XP/1 Major Task

5^th      20 XP/2 Major Tasks                  

6^th      20 XP/2 Major Tasks                                               

(I’m going to post a separate “commentary track” on writing these rules on my blog, but I’ll go ahead and comment on this right here.  This game only goes up to sixth level because the math breaks down at higher levels.) 

Notes

● All calculations involving ½ level or two abilities averaged are to be rounded up.  Always at least +1, if more than 0.  Essentially skills increase by one, every odd level.

● Natural Roll: The number as rolled on the dice without modification.

● "Ref" is the game referee.  NPC is a Non-Player character controlled by the Ref.

● BAB is Base Attack Bonus.  Rd is Round.  AC is Armor Class.  DC is Difficulty Check.  HTH is Hand-to-Hand combat.  Sv is Saving Throw.

● M# (like M1d4) Mecka Damage, MAC Mecka Armor Class, MHP Mecka Hit Points

● The DC’s for skill use are generally listed as either 12 for hard tasks, 18 for very hard tasks.  The Ref is free to set more variability in those numbers for different situations.  I would recommend not bothering to roll for anything less than DC 12 or setting a task above 18. 

● I’d also recommend not setting any AC or MAC above 20, even if the math says so.