NPC Supporting
Characters
Part
of this game (and a lot of the original series) is also what goes on in-between
mecka combat missions. There are rules
for Social Interaction between the Characters and NPC’s which can tangibly
benefit the Characters. In other words,
you can earn XP for dating you min-max’ing bastards. Supporting Characters are Characters that the
Player Characters have ongoing relationships with. These relationships don’t have to be
personal, but don’t have to be all business either. There are two types of Support Characters:
Combat and Non-Combat based.
The
Players should establish some initial relationships during Character
creation. While the Ref will be
presenting additional NPC’s that the Player Characters will interact with, it
should be the Player’s decision as to whether those NPC’s become Support
Characters. (Don’t try to force any
relationships.)
Certainly
Support Characters will have minds, backgrounds, and agendas of their own. They should have ambitions: personal,
professional, and even inappropriate. Playing
out those backgrounds and agendas could involve the Characters. Helping out Support Characters in their love
life, their job, or even getting mixed up some in some shady dealings could
happen. (Nearly everyone in the Zee
Reconstruction or Hive occupation eras is going to have a tragic backstory and
a sketchy background.) Remember,
adventures outside your mecka pay XP too.
Support
Characters will have 1 + 1d2 Fate Points. These are their Fate Points for the entire
adventure session and not each
encounter. You might question why a
“Narrative” Character controlled by the Ref needs this. It’s to keep their existence honest and some
of these Non-combat Characters are going to be fragile, super fragile. Even if you’re planning on them meeting a
tragic end, the Ref should still be playing them as smartly possible, like they
are their own Characters. For important
recurring Support Characters you should give them a Perk and a Secondary
Skill. These can be left undefined and
made up in play as needed instead, but can’t be changed once defined.
Combat
Supporting Characters
These
are Supporting Characters that will regularly be getting into combat. These include squadron mates (or fellow rebel
mecka pilots) and typical combat troopers (which could also include mercenaries,
police, and private security personnel).
This class can also include recurring enemy opponents. Since they’ll have access to FP, this will
give them additional chances of survival and allow for escape from lethal
combat. It is possible that your
trigger-happy Players might develop a relationship with someone on the other
side under the right circumstances.
The
Ref should actually make up these kind of Characters like a Player
Character. First level pilots are
included in the Mecka section, if you need something quick. The squadron leader should be at least a
fifth level pilot. There are also level
tables for troopers in the Mecka section.
Stats for enemy forces are also listed there.
Unless
the NPC is fighting directly side-by-side with Characters, you shouldn’t bother
rolling out combat for them. If they’re
fighting in the same combat zone as the Characters, their combat should likely
be narrative-based or some simplified roll-off taking their FP into account. Should a Combat Support Character be allowed
to die “off-screen?” That’s up to you,
but if they’re in the same fight as the Player Characters, play them honest.
While
like a regular Character, they shouldn’t be advanced in level like one. Only increase their level or promote them for
narrative reasons or to have them keep up with the Player Characters (but don’t
let them outshine the Player Characters.)
Attrition of your comrades should be a fact of life during a war, so
don’t get too attached.
Non-Combat
Supporting Characters
There
should be other NPC’s around the Characters who are not going to be involved in
combat (or at least not want to or shouldn’t be). These Characters won’t have full Character
classes, because they’re really more for making skill rolls (great skills in
fact) and as plot devices. These
Characters can have Perks and Secondary Skills, but they probably shouldn’t be
combat-oriented ones. (Note that any
Secondary Skills are at +2 only.)
I’ve
given a set of stats for each of type of Non-Combat Supporting Characters. (You’re free to come up with more types as
you think of them.) These stats are
static. They don’t improve, because
these Characters don’t have class levels.
You can modify them and possibly advance them as you will, but on some
level, they don’t matter.
These
Characters shouldn’t be exposed to combat situations on a regular basis. Their main purpose is to use their skills and
to interact with the Player Characters.
Their stats are only for times they might find themselves caught in
combat or some other dangerous situation.
If you want one of these types of Characters to routinely engage in combat,
you should make up a trooper Character and just give them the specialized
skills on top of that. (If the Character
is a rebel and you’re planning on them being recruited and becoming a pilot,
give them pilot-level stats.)
These
kind of Support Characters should only be keeping their heads down if caught in
a combat situation. Under normal
circumstances, any intelligent foe is probably going to see the Player
Characters or other armed combatants fighting them as their main targets. Support Characters shouldn’t be directly
attacked unless they are the target (for capture, assassination, or mass
terrorism), or if they’re fighting back with lethal force, no matter how badly.
Non-Combat
Support Characters are assigned a skill level to reflect their expertise in
their given field. There are three Skill Levels: Beginner (+4), Expert
(+6), Master (+8). Given time and proper
equipment and a task in their specific skill area, don’t even bother rolling
for skill use. Only roll for rushed,
poor or stressful conditions, not having the right equipment, or in
field-related, but unfamiliar circumstances.
(Hey, Tony Stark made an Ironman suit under those conditions. Anything’s possible.) It’s up to you which level the Support
Character starts at, but they’re not going to be gaining levels, unless you
decide to do so for narrative reasons.
Special
Note on Skill Use:
No adventure should ever come to a
stop because of a failed technical skill roll.
This goes double for skill rolls by NPC’s. There should be a cost for failure, such as
making events harder to deal with, having to come up with a Plan B, or having
to having to track down additional materials or help, but there should always
be another way to accomplish the task.
For
example: There’s a failed repair check on salvaging your mecka. You need to track down a rare part to try
again. A hacking attempt fails on a
remote computer. You then have to break
into the physical facility to get access.
An Investigation attempt fails to uncover a clue. You have to track down an informant who might
know something and that person doesn’t want to be found.
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