ITT: We are in Giant Robots (Mekton RPG)

(Every series mentioned below has a Tropes page for those interested)

Welcome to Mekton, the RPG that simulates mecha anime. For starters, I'd like to point out that it generally works best with Real Robot stuff, like Gundam, Macross, Frontmission, etc. But first, let's learn how mecha anime works.

-BEGIN LESSON-

1. Real or Super?

Real Robots generally use realistic science and technology for its robots. They tend to be a bit more fragile and reliant on the skill of their pilots. And by "a bit" I mean "most side character pilots will not survive the series". These mechs are found in most of the Gundam franchise, along with Macross, Armored Trooper Votoms, Frontmission, Armored Core, Battletech, and similar works.

Super Robots are usually much larger than Real Robots, with powerful, over-the-top attacks. But they're also much slower, and their pilots aren't often all that skilled, mostly fighting with their MANLY SPIRIT or something like that. The most obvious Super Robots are Mazinger Z (and related series), Getter Robo, Daitarn 3, Gaogaigar, Raideen, and works of that nature.

There are a number of series that blur the line between Real and Super, such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, or Masou Kishin (one of Banpresto's in-house continuities, made specially for the Super Robot Wars series of games). Generally, these mechs are pretty tough and powerful, but also pretty quick, but not too much either way. Compared to the classic Gundams, the Gundams found in Gundam Wing are like this.

2. Setting the mood.

The mood of a mecha anime is far more important than the robots that inhabit it. This determines how the story plays out. This five-point scale should serve to elaborate:

-1: Yoshiyuki Tomino.

This is about as sad as you can get. Character death will be common and often pointless. The ending may kill off the few survivors along with most of the galaxy, end with the heroes failing in a huge way (such as failing to prevent a colony drop), or have the protagonist get Mind Raped by the dying bad guy and be left in a near-comatose state for several months. Basically, this sort of series happens when the director is suffering from clinical depression. Named for the man responsible for like 90% of works in this section, such as Victory Gundam, Space Runaway Ideon, Zambot 3, Gundam Z, and Gundam 0083. Betterman is another rare Super Robot example down here (the others mentioned being Ideon and Zambot 3).

-2: Not too sad, but far from happy.

A fair number of people will die in this show. If a main character dies, it will be a suitably major event, usually followed by someone taking a level in badass. Support characters, not so much. The ending will be bittersweet, the protagonist's survival is not guaranteed. Neon Genesis Evangelion is at the low end of this section. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann's second season is at the high end. Code Geass, Martian Successor Nadesico, and Macross Plus are probably the best examples. Typically, shows of this tone and lower feature strong "war is hell" messages.

-3: Average tone.

The main cast can expect a reasonable amount of plot armor, and supporting characters will die good deaths. A main character dying is a huge deal. The ending will be happy, for the most part. Gundam Wing manages this, and is one of the few Gundam series to rise above 2. Rebuild of Evangelion is also here, as is Voltes V. Depending on the exact sub-series, Mazinger and Getter Robo could wind up here (both are parts of long-running franchises, you see). "War is hell" is a common sentiment at this level, too, but far from universal. Big O's weird ending leaves it down here, too.

-4: Optimistic.

The supporting cast is all but immortal, but you can expect a main character to bite it in a most dramatic fashion. The first season of Gurren Lagann is here, as is King of Braves Gaogaigar and G Gundam (Gundam X is a good Real Robot example here). In fact, this is where most Super Robot series end up. There will be a definitive happy ending, Gaogaigar's being the most bittersweet. At this point, the bad guys are pretty much always monsters, and the message generally shifts from "war is hell" to "always have courage and fight for your dreams" or similar morals.

-5: Everybody lives.

Aside from a few minor characters, mostly villains, everyone will survive this and it will be mostly very happy throughout (though not without drama). Turn A Gundam pulls this off (and was directed by a reformed Yoshiyuki Tomino), as does Combat Mecha Xabungle. This is actually a fairly uncommon tone for a series, even the most optimistic Super Robot show will kill off a few people and have some really dramatic moments. This tone is nice for a more lighthearted sort of series.


3. Military or civilian?

Mecha anime generally has two categories. One is the type where the hero is just some kid who found a robot in, like, a lab or something, then goes and saves the day, usually used for Super Robot shows. The other has the hero as part of a military unit, following protocol, usually piloting some sort of Super Prototype or Ace Custom Real Robot.


-END LESSON-


Well, here's the first major thing about Mekton, is deciding how the game's going to be. Now, to keep things simple, we will assume that all Real Robot pilots are military (although "random teen who accidentally wound up piloting a cool robot for the military" is a totally valid character type within that set). Super Robot pilots can be civilians who either found or was "chosen" by a Super Robot, or they can be military test pilots, doing field runs with a special Super Robot prototype or something. Those are all individual choices. The big group choice is the tone of the game. Simply pick one of the five levels. Personally, I'd recommend between 2 and 4. 1 gets really dark, while 5 can get boring at points.

Once everyone has decided on what type of robot you want to pilot, the affiliation of your pilot, and the tone of the game, I'll run mech and pilot creation in more detail with each of you individually. If there's a specific work you'd like to emulate, that's a good start, but I can always assist with my extensive knowledge of both Super and Real Robots, for those unsure of what to do. But, don't think the robots are the only important thing, the best mecha anime are known for having interesting characters, as well, so be sure to give some thought to your pilot's characterization and personal skills (since there are gameplay segments in which you aren't inside your mechs). Specifically, determine your pilot's age (min. 16) and their level of education.

This is actually pretty interesting and I quickly came up with ideas for two pilots (but mostly their mecha). As for the tone... 4.

http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/70/15/42501570/photos/-My-favorite-images/ArmoredCoreNexus-23.jpg - The Super Robot one of my characters will be piloting (from Armored Core). I'll go with the fact that since it's a Super Robo that it's controlled by thought. Armaments are an energy cannon (seen on left arm), a multi-purpose energy weapon (can either be sword or shield, mounted on right arm), what I'll say is an electro-magnetic pulse cannon (mounted on right shoulder), a rocket launcher (mounted on left shoulder), and that seems to be it. For maneuverability, it's got thrusters in the feet, the back torso, and hidden in the engine is an Overboost thruster that allows it to shoot forwards.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9iMIweN5ntc/S8a1QFNrYAI/AAAAAAAABKw/D5kiv4Arj1w/s1600/Mech+Warrior+4+Vulture+Papercraft.jpg - The Real Robot, which is a Vulture-class OmniMech (BattleTech universe). Armaments are two LRM 50s (obvious where they're mounted: LRM 50 =/= long range missiles fired in 50 rocket bursts), two laser weapons mounted in the arms (can be hotswapped between pulsable and beam), and a machine-gun turret. As for maneuverability... it's got limited-use jump jets and its two feet. And that's it.

I'll come up with the ideas for pilots soon.

Okay, here's Sunova's mech, largely based on the Juggernaut unit from Command & Conquer 3. Hopefully this will also make clear most of the game's mechanics, at least as fast as the mechs go. Pilot stuff is a lot different, and mostly simpler.


-Torso: Mega Heavy (the largest possible torso), 11 tons, 22 spaces, 22 Kills (Kill are the unit of damage at mech scale, equal to 25 Hits, Hits being the human scale unit of damage) of structural integrity.

3x Giant Cannons, range of 17 hexes (1 hex is 50 meters, so 850 meters), 12 kills of damage each, 12 kills of structural integrity, 10 shots of ammo each, 6 tons weight, requiring 15 spaces each, for a total of 45 spaces. However, the cannons were physically integrated into one module, reducing this to 33 (but their total durability is 12). Then space efficiency techniques were applied to drop it to 31. Cannot be fired against any target more than 100 meters off the ground. These weapons are cross-linked and may be fired simultaneously as one action, or fired individually. The cross-link, while more expensive than traditional links, means that they will all hit the same location on the enemy. The maximum range for these weapons is 14.45 kilometers (289 hexes). Normally, you’d be at -4 to hit anything beyond 17 hexes, but your targeting systems are set for use as artillery with this weapon, meaning the penalty is reduced to -2, but the -2 penalty applies to all shots fired, regardless of range.

In order to make more spaces in the Torso, it’s possible to trade 1 Kill of integrity for 2 spaces. So, by reducing the Torso’s kills to 17, that gives us 32 spaces in which to install the cannons. We’ll use that last space for the main cockpit, which requires one space. We will then reduce to 16, however, to make room for Enviromental Pod technology, which will allow you to eject in case of emergency.

The last space is used for a Storage Module, which will be used for assorted munitions or other items, based on the current mission.

-Pod #1(attached to top of Torso): Medium Weight, 12 spaces, serves no purpose but to hold additional items. If the pod is hit, all of the damage goes to the systems within, since it has no structural integrity of its own.

2x Missile Pods, range 13 (650 meters), 5 spaces each, 6 kills damage, 1 ton weight, 5 shots each, 2 kills of structural integrity, +1 to hit rolls (the rolls you make to see if your attack hits). Can be fired in volleys. The missile racks are linked, so missiles from both may be fired with one action.

Main Sensors, 1 space, 2 Kills of integrity, 1 ton weight, detection range of 140 hexes (7 kilometers), communications range of 1000 kilometers.

Light Machine Cannon, 1 space, 1 Kill of damage per burst, 1 kill of structure, range 4 (200 meters), weight 1 ton, carries enough ammo for 10 bursts, mainly used for shooting down enemy missiles. Has an effective burst value of six when shooting down incoming missiles (normally burst value increases the number of times the weapon’s damage can be applied when fired in bursts, but this gun is so light that it can never do more than a single Kill to a mech in one burst).

-Pod #2 (attached to underside of torso, is deliberately positioned to be very hard to hit): Medium Heavy, 16 spaces, holds 8 ton R-Field generator, see below.

-Legs: Mega Heavy (still the largest possible), 11 tons combined weight (5.5 each leg), 12 kills of integrity, 12 spaces

4x Medium Cannons, two per leg, range 7 (350 meters), 6 spaces each, 3 tons weight, 10 shots each, 6 kills damage, 6 kills structure, all four are linked, and are also linked in pairs, so that you can fire all four, or just the left leg/right leg.

-Additional systems:

Linkwire: Allows you to enter the cockpit from the ground quickly and easily using what is simply a retractable wire with a foot loop at the bottom.

Thought Control System: Since your pilot will be interfacing directly with the mech, this applies. You get +2 MV (explained later), +67% Maneuver Pool (later), and +1 to all accuracy rolls. However, for every 3 kills dealt to the structure of your mech (i.e., not the armor), you will receive 1 hit directly to your Head, due to harmful feedback.

Full terrestrial environmental protection: Desert, arctic, and other environmental hazards found on land have no effect. However neither underwater no space operations are currently possible (although the technology exists for that stuff, and can fairly easily be applied).

Armor: Super Heavy (The second-highest type, and the highest available to realistic technology), 10 points of Stopping Power (how much it reduces damage by) applied to all locations. Each hit reduces this value by 1 on the affected location. Armor-piercing ammo halves the effective SP of the location for that hit only.

R-Field: A field of specially aligned Kirensky Particles diffuses Ultra Beam weaponry. This Mega Heavy module is normally only mountable on battleships, but your onboard fusion reactor isn’t powering much else. It will reduce the damage of all energy weapons by 15 Kills, all the time, across all locations. It will not weaken. However, if an attack of greater than 15 Kills should strike it, it will overload and shut down, and require three turns to come back online. The damage from that one attack will still be reduced, though. Energy melee weapons have their damage reduced by only 8 Kills, but they can’t overload the field. Additionally, in order to save on costs, this field lacks the ability to allow beam attacks out of the field, which suits your mech just fine, since all it has is kinetic and explosive weapons. Its generator can take 8 kills of structural damage before being destroyed, but it’s kept out of the way (the dice will favor other locations besides the pod containing the field generator, though there’s still a chance of it being struck).


-COST

Frame (body, armor, and sensors): 114 CP

Weapons (all weapons and their links): 89 CP

Misc. systems (ejection systems, linkwire, etc): 3.3 CP

R-Field: 16 CP
Cost Multipliers (environmental protection and Thought Control, Thought Control’s multiplier will be reduced as it’s a machine-machine interface instead of man-machine): x1.3 (the Environmental Protection multiplier is .1, Thought Control is usually .5, but I dropped it to .2 because it made sense to do so and that brought costs down to sane levels)

Total Cost: 289 CP (this is pushing the upper limit of Real Robot costs, which makes sense since this mech has more in common with a small battleship)

-Weight: 91.5 Metric tons (this affecting both Move Allowance and Maneuver Value, see below)

Mech stats:

Move Allowance (how far you can move with one action): 2 hexes

Maneuver Value (subtracted from your Pilot’s Reflex stat to determine your reflexes in the mech): -9, +2 for Thought Control for -7 final MV

Maneuver Pool (determines number of extra actions per turn): Equal to Pilot’s Mech Piloting skill -5, +67% from Thought Control. The table for number of extra actions (you always have a base of 2 actions per turn) is thus:

0-1: No bonus
2-4: +1
5-8: +2
9-12: +3
13-16: +4
17-20: +5
21+: +6

Um, here. This basically the gist of what I'll probably be working with here...only that it'd probably be carrying a lot more armor and be about...oh, 17 tons.

http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/OZ-00MS2B_Tallgeese_III

And as for onboard systems? This. Yes, I'm still in early days...give me some time to figure all this out, okay?

http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/ZERO_System

The specifics on weaponry? Let's see. By default, it'd be equipped with a beam saber. Basically, an energy weapon that's pretty much weightless and would obviously cut through metal and the like. There's an additional one on-board if necessary.

Then there's a 'heat-rod'. It's basically like a chain whip, only that becomes charged with energy and becomes super-heated to the point that it can cut through metal like a hot knife going through butter. With enough practice, it's capable of cutting down several foes at once.

Also as an optional extra, is the Mega-Cannon. A long-range rifle that would take...oh, probably a minute to charge and could probably only be fired...twice(?), it's destructive power is...well, that needs to be determined. Anyway, still early days.

Here's Wren's mech, based on the Tallgeese III from Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz. Note that all components, weapons, and systems can be renamed. Also you can make the Linkwire be whatever you want, it's just a device that gets you from the ground to your cockpit quickly and easily, since Real Robot pilots can't Anime Leap into it. :P

Heavy Striker Frame and Armor
Torso: 10 kills, 10 spaces
Arm/Leg: 6 kills, 6 spaces
Head: 5 kills, 5 spaces
Hands: 1 kill, 1 space
Armor: 5 Stopping Power

Weapons (most weapons have structure equal to their damage):

Light Autocannon (in head): 1 Kill (3 kills of structure), 1 space, burst value 4 (so you roll to hit four times, and deal damage for each success) 1 space, 10 ammo, usable defensively against missiles. Range 3 (150 meters)

2x Energy Swords (in shield, handheld): +1 to hit, 6 kills (3 kills of structure), melee

Heat Rod (in shield): +1 to hit, 6 kills Armor-Piercing, range 1 (50 meters)

Mega Beam Rifle (attached to storage mount on arm, uses 1 space): 15 Kills (only 6 kills of structure, though), range 15 (750 meters), +1 to hit, 3 shots.

Shield (attached to shoulder, uses 1 space): 10 Stopping Power (2 kills removed to make room for stored weaponry), loses Stopping Power as it gets hit, just like armor.

Additional systems:

Sensors (in head): 2 kills, 1 space

Liftwire

Cockpit with Environment Pod (for ejections): 2 spaces in torso

Re-entry protection

Complete environmental adaptation (allows for underwater and space operations without penalty, along with anywhere else)

Zero System: Passive +1 to MV (may increase MV above 0) and +50% to Maneuver Pool, 7 or more Cool recommended to operate, in order to prevent… “unfortunate circumstances” (review the case of Quatre Reberba Winner for what happens when a low-Cool pilot uses this system). Can be used more extensively to double those bonuses and grant +2 to hit rolls, and eliminating penalties for called shots. Additionally, you add your Cool score to all mech rolls and may made Dodge attempts against all incoming attacks, including those that normally don't allow dodges. However, each turn the system is in such an active state, the pilot must make a Stun roll at -5 the turn he activates it, and must make the roll again every turn it remains active, the modifier decreasing by one each time (-4 for two turns, -3 for three turns, etc.). A failed roll means that the pilot has passed out from the strain. Activating and deactivating this ability does not require an action, but it is recommended that the pilot have at least 9 Cool. This system may be left entirely offline in the case of pilots unprepared to use it.

Virtual Interface: Used only when the Zero System is not in use. 360 degree view of the battlefield, with the mech itself digitally edited out to not obscure vision. +33% to Maneuver Pool.

Boosted verniers: Top-of-the-line maneuver verniers allow for rapid action in combat. +33% to Maneuver Pool (stacks with bonuses from the control system).

Total weight: Approx. 39 metric tons

Costs:

Frame: 73 CP

Weapons: 70 CP

Additional Systems: 6.3 CP

Multiplier: 1.55 (the Zero System is not included in development costs, as it was made by a different research team, and was equipped to this mech as a field run)

Final cost: 231 CP (plus the unknown but certainly immense cost of the Zero System)

Stats:

Move Allowance: 5 hexes (the max without special systems is 6, by the way)

Maneuver Value: -3 (-2 with Zero System, which is pretty godly, since in order to get that low naturally, you need to be made of paper) The thing about Maneuver Value is it represents the delay between a pilot’s thoughts and the mech’s action. Even with the faster mech and best tech, you can never go above 0 MV, EXCEPT with Thought Control, or other neural interfaces (such as the Zero System).

Maneuver Pool: Again, based on Piloting, but the multiplier is +66% without the Zero System, +83% with it (and even higher if you activate its boosted mode).

An update on the Burst Value stat for weapons (Mekton has a LOT of errata to sift through, here their official clarification):

A Weapon's BV tells you two things: 1) How many consecutive Hexes its fire may be split between, and 2) How many times any target hit by the weapon may be damaged; each point over the Defender's roll = 1 hit, up to the BV of the weapon. Example: A BV6 machinegun can fire into as many as 6 connected hexes, and any target within any of those 6 hexes may be hit up to 6 times. Even if only one target is fired upon, it may only be hit up to 6 times

Okay, here's Sun's character. If you want to redistribute your points, Sun, I listed your totals below. You can alter your Attractiveness and Movement Allowance at will, they're not tied to your character points, as mentioned below.


Mizuki

Character points: 50

Special: Is using the ‘Oid “Stupid Mekton Trick” (yes that is what the game called things like that, by the way, one of the Stupid Mekton Tricks is being Super-Deformed, in case anyone wants to get ultra-cute and play SD Mekton sometime)

Stats (Body stat is excluded, all derived stats are covered by her mechanical body, while Movement allowance and Attractiveness are set by her designer, so she gets fewer character points as a result)

Attractiveness: 6
Cool: 9
Has no Stability score, is immune to mind-affecting stuff, but is unable to use neural interfaces
Intelligence: 10
Education: 8
Luck: 5
Reflexes: 10
Empathy: 4
Technical: 12
Movement Allowance: 6

Structure:

Head: 2 Kills
Torso: 5 Kills
Limbs: 3 Kills

Attacks dealing less than 25 hits do nothing. Attacks dealing 25 hits or more deal 1 Kill for every 25 hits they deal. Armor-piercing weapons need only do 13 hits per kill.

Does not make Stun rolls.

Unarmed/melee damage +2 hits

Heals at same rate as humans, but requires sustenance and sleep, as well.

+1 to on-foot Reflexes due to built-in maneuver verniers (i.e. thrusters). These also allow her to leap three meters in the air and move around in space without assistance. Requires a suit underwater and has no environmental protection aside from magnetic shielding to block radiation while in space.

Skill points: 77

Skills:

Attractiveness-based:

Personal Grooming: 0
Wardrobe & Style: 0

Cool-based:

Interrogation (getting people to talk about something specific): 0
Intimidate: 0
Oratory: 0
Persuasion & Fast Talk: 0
Resist Torture/Drugs: - (Is immune to drugs, can turn off pain receptors at will)
Streetwise: 0

Empathy-based:

Acting: 0
Human Perception (detecting lies, mood swings, etc): 0
Interview (getting people to talk about whatever, might let slip something important): 0
Leadership: 0
Seduction: 0
Social (composing yourself properly in high society): 0

Intelligence-based:

Awareness/Notice: 7 (is not affected by darkness, smoke, optical camouflage such as the Basic Cloaking System, etc.)
Compose/Write: 0
Disguise: 0
Expert (Guns) (this lets you, naturally, be an expert in a specific topic, and can have multiple entries): 6
Expert (History of mechs): 3
Gamble: 0
Know Language (one that isn’t your default language): 0
Programming: 4
Shadowing/Avoid Pursuit: 0
Survival: 0
Teaching: 0
Electronic Warfare: 3

Reflex-based (personal combat):

Automatic Weapon: 2
Blade (and all other melee weapons since the game neglected to make a skill for them): 0
Dodge & Escape: 3
Handgun: 4
Hand-to-Hand: 0
Rifle: 7

Reflex-based (non-combat):

Aircraft Pilot: 0
Athletics: 0
Dance: 0
Driving: 0
Stealth: 0
Swimming: - (cannot swim or operate properly underwater without assistance, but is watertight)
Zero G: - (Takes no penalty from zero gravity environments, obviously)

Reflexes (Mech Combat):

Mech Piloting: 5
Mech Hand-to-Hand: 0
Mech Melee: 0
Mech Gunnery: 7
Mech Missiles: 6

Technical Skills:

Basic Repair (small appliances and the like): 5
First Aid: 0
Jury Rig: 7
Mech Design: 3
Mech Tech: 5
Medical: 0
Play Musical Instrument: 0
Paint or Draw: 0
Photography & Film: 0
Pick Lock: 0
Pickpocket: 0
Sing: 0

All rolls:

Determine most appropriate ability to use (Education and Stability are not abilities).
Determine which, if any, skill applies, and add it.
Roll 1d10

Total must meet or exceed target number.

Most things use one action. Moving half of your Move Allowance takes 0 (once per turn), and you can make two unarmed attacks (assuming you have limbs to attack with) for each action.

All skills and abilities normally cap at 10 before outside modifiers, but robots can have Intelligence, Cool, and Technical above 10 with technological enhancements. Also, adding maneuver verniers can increase on-foot Reflexes above ten, but require 15 spaces per point of REF (which means you might be able to fit an additional point's worth of thrusters, but you'd start to look like Burnerman's long-lost sister:P).

Lee.

Character points: 75

Body: 5
Attractiveness: 7
Cool: 10
Stability: (equals Cool x 2.5 rounded down) 25.
Intelligence: 10
Education: 5
Luck: 5
Reflexes: 10
Empathy: 7
Technical: 8
Movement Allowance: 8
Stability: 0

Skill points: 39

Skills:

'Technodiver': Lee gains a +2 check to Computer Systems, such as programming and Electronic Warfare and can also use Perception on robotic beings should they possess them.

Attractiveness-based:

Personal Grooming: 1
Wardrobe & Style: 1

Cool-based:

Interrogation (getting people to talk about something specific): 0
Intimidate: 0
Oratory: 0
Persuasion & Fast Talk: 3
Resist Torture/Drugs: 1
Streetwise: 0

Empathy-based:

Acting: 0
Human Perception (detecting lies, mood swings, etc): 2
Interview (getting people to talk about whatever, might let slip something important): 0
Leadership: 0
Seduction: 2
Social (composing yourself properly in high society): 2

Intelligence-based:

Awareness/Notice: 3
Compose/Write: 0
Disguise: 0
Expert (Various AI's through History) (this lets you, naturally, be an expert in a specific topic, and can have multiple entries): 0
Expert (The History of His Family): 0
Gamble: 0
Know Language (one that isn’t your default language): 0
Programming: 3
Shadowing/Avoid Pursuit: 0
Survival: 0
Teaching: 0
Electronic Warfare: 0

Reflex-based (personal combat):

Automatic Weapon: 0
Blade (and all other melee weapons since the game neglected to make a skill for them) (Rapier): 3
Dodge & Escape: 2
Handgun: 0
Hand-to-Hand: 0
Rifle: 0

Reflex-based (non-combat):

Aircraft Pilot: 0
Athletics: 0
Dance: 0
Driving: 0
Stealth: 0
Swimming: 0
Zero G: 0

Reflexes (Mech Combat):

Mech Piloting: 5
Mech Hand-to-Hand: 0
Mech Melee: 5
Mech Gunnery: 2
Mech Missiles: 0

Technical Skills:

Basic Repair (small appliances and the like): 0
First Aid: 0
Jury Rig: 3
Mech Design: 0
Mech Tech: 0
Medical: 0
Play Musical Instrument: 1 (The Piano.)
Paint or Draw: 0
Photography & Film: 0
Pick Lock: 0
Pickpocket: 0
Sing: 0

Your stats derived from Body are as follows:

Hits:

Head: 6 Hits
Limbs: 9 Hits
Body: 12 Hits

Stun value: 6 (when told to roll Stun, you must roll EQUAL TO OR LESS THAN this number)

Melee/unarmed damage receives no bonus or penalty.

Mega Heavy Frame and Armor

Torso: 22 Kills
Arms/Legs: 12 Kills
Hands: 2 Kills (Punching has a base damage of 2 Kills for this mech, as well, rather than the usual 1 Kill)
Head: 11 Kills
Armor: 8 Stopping Power, and it’s made of Hyper Metal X, so its protection level never decreases

Is equipped with retractable 9 SP shield on forearm, made of the same material.

Thought Control System (Special): +2 MV, +67% to maneuver pool

Sigma Energy Reactor: +2 MA, +33% Maneuver Pool

Capable of operating in any environment, under any conditions

Movement Allowance: 4

Maneuver Value: -8

Maneuver Pool modifier: +100%

Weapons TBD

Renaming Weapons for Lee's Mobile Suit.

Swiftness (Autocannons)
Affluence & Wealth [Riches and Wealth, duh.] (Two Beam Sabers)
Vivacious [Burning Spirit] (Heat Rod)
Eterntal Judgement (Mega Beam Rifle)
Determination (Shield)
Displacement Device (Liftwire)
The Imperitive Destine OS Ver 0.9 [The Urgent Destiny OS] (The Zero System)

Built by the Landell Mechworks. The LM-00HF2B. Was it researched independently by Lee's family specifically so he could be a mech pilot and earn glory, not to mention to spread thier name. The actual's suit name is the Brilliante.

...Lee's profile is next post.

Okay, here's Sparty's mech, based on an Atlas from Battletech, with a custom loadout. This mech is pretty cheap and doesn't have much in the way of cost modifiers, so I didn't calculate the cost (it's within his limit of 350 points). The weight is between 80 and 90 tons. Be sure to let me know if the placement of any of the weapons is mixed up.


Torso: 16 Kills
Limbs: 10 kills
Head: 9 kills
Hands: 1 kill
Armor: 11 Stopping Power

ECM suite (in head): Missile Jamming, value 5 (requires an Electronic Warfare roll of 15 to operate, EW rolls are Intelligence+Electronic Warfare+1d10) 2 kills

Standard sensors (in head) 2 kills

Weapons (unless otherwise noted, weapons have as much structure as they have damage):

PPC (right arm, built-in): 12 Kills (6 structure), may only be fired once per turn

Long-Range Missiles (torso): 8 kills, +1 to hit, may be fired in volleys, 8 count, range 13

Short-Range Missiles (torso): 6 kills, +2 to hit, may be fired in volleys, 12 count, range 5

Medium Lasers x4 (torso): 4 kills each, linked (may be fired simultaneously)

Autocannon x2 (left arm, handheld): 4 kills each, Burst Value 4 linked (may be fired simultaneously), enough ammo for 10 uses each.

Hatchet (right arm, handheld): 6 kills, armor-piercing (armor is worth half against it)

Death From Above (Jump Jets): 20 kills to torso and legs of foe, and temporarily disables them, pinning them beneath your mech. 5 kills dealt towards your own mech’s legs (armor is ignored for this). Uses Piloting rather than any attack skill. Enemy can make Piloting roll to dodge if their Maneuver Value is -4 or better. Will not work on foes twice your size AND weight or larger (at which point you just wind up standing on them, which may be an advantage of its own). Not usable in space or underwater, nor in confined spaces.

Misc.

R-Field: Reduces energy damage by 8 kills. Overloads and shuts down when hit with attacks stronger than 8 kills (damage reduction still applies for that attack), will reactivate two turns later.

Ejection pod: Due to the unusual placement of the cockpit in the head of the mech rather than the torso, the ejection system is much safer, +3 to ejection rolls.

Environmental sealing: Is capable of terrestrial operations in all climates, and is safe to use underwater or in space. However, a -6 penalty to all rolls is applied underwater, -2 in space. The mech may be modified to eliminate these penalties during the story.

Standard control system.

All controls and systems perfectly adjusted to pilot. +33% Maneuver Pool, +1 MV

Ground-optimized locomotion systems: +1 MV, +2 MA

Capable of short-range jumps

Storage unit as part of cockpit/ejection pod, can store up to half a ton of equipment, up to and including a small personal vehicle such as a motorcycle (this is more or less identical to the storage unit in Sun's mech).

Stats:

Movement Allowance: 4

Maneuver Value: -6

Maneuver Pool modifier: +33%

Lee Annetts.

Age: 20
Height: 178 cm.
Weight: 52 kg.
Eye Color: Aquatic Silver.
Hair Color: Silver.

Appearance: Lee is a proud, mature looking figure of twenty years. His appearance is rather regal, as most of the time, his clothing matches this as he's dressed in a silver tuxedo, with a shield holding up a black cape, the shield has three hearts, along with a knight in the center, his family emblem. His gloves are white. Wears elegant shoes, too. When in the mobile suit, his attire remains unchanged, yet he wears a simple headset whenever he needs something that either requires precision...or when he activates the Imperitive Destine Engine.

Personality: Lee, like his appearance is rather proud...but was taught to be a proper gentleman and to live by a code of chivalry, meaning that for the most part, he is polite and curteous to his allies and even to his enemies, should they earn his respect. Yet, beneath this mindset lies a rather naive and interesting mind.

While it's true that he is polite and kind, he does occasionally use his family name to let his allies know that he does deserve some respect and believe that war should be fought with honor and chivalry.

Abilites: Surprisingly, Lee has a rather close connection with computers, artifical intelligence and robotic and is rather talented at programming and hacking. There's even rumours he can 'interact' and 'converse' with a machine simply using his mind, yet this is yet to be confirmed. Outside of this, he's quite the pilot. His reflexes are second to none and his ability to keep calm in the most serious of circumstances and quite intelligent.

He's also a very good speaker, in terms of persuasion, negotiation and how to converse with those in high society and women. He's also rather aware of his surroundings. His family upbringing has made him take lessons in the rapier and to play the lute in his spare time.

Backstory: Lee is the first and only son of the Annetts family, Lee's life was pretty much set in stone the moment he was born as his parents had a lot in store for him. Most of the time, even as a child, his days were busy, filled with tutoring, meeting other families of influence and trying to meet his parents expectations.

As time went on and he evetually took his family's values to heart, he was eventually approached by his parents and the Landells with the gift of a mobile suit for his 20th birthday, the Brilliante. He was told to show the world and universe thier families names and powers and was enlisted into the military shortly after. He's still new to the suit, however, his skills are indeed real. Whether this is natural talent or his affinity with machines is unclear, though...

Likes: Lee has rather refined tastes and is used to the finer things in life, but is also a fan of 'normal food'. His favourite food, surprisingly, is roast chicken and enjoy pizza. He's also a fan of easy-listening music and anything that'd involve computers, robots or machines.

Dislikes: For starters, Lee hates getting excessively dirty and hates the sight of blood. He's also not a fan of his parents constantly pestering him on trying to marry various girls from other families. ...There's also something about the Landells that makes him feel uneasy.

Jacob Bennett

Character points: 75
Body: 10
Attractiveness: 7
Cool: 8
Stability: (equals Cool x 2.5 rounded down) 20.
Intelligence: 8
Education: 4
Luck: 7
Reflexes: 10
Empathy: 7
Technical: 7
Movement Allowance: 7

Skill points: 50

Skills:

Attractiveness-based:

Personal Grooming: 1
Wardrobe & Style: 1

Cool-based:

Interrogation (getting people to talk about something specific): 2
Intimidate: 2
Oratory: 0
Persuasion & Fast Talk: 2
Resist Torture/Drugs: 1
Streetwise: 0

Empathy-based:

Acting: 0
Human Perception (detecting lies, mood swings, etc): 2
Interview (getting people to talk about whatever, might let slip something important): 0
Leadership: 2
Seduction: 0
Social (composing yourself properly in high society): 2

Intelligence-based:

Awareness/Notice: 5
Compose/Write: 0
Disguise: 0
Expert: 0
Gamble: 0
Know Language (one that isn’t your default language): 0
Programming: 0
Shadowing/Avoid Pursuit: 0
Survival: 3
Teaching: 0
Electronic Warfare: 0

Reflex-based (personal combat):

Automatic Weapon: 2
Blade (and all other melee weapons since the game neglected to make a skill for them): 0
Dodge & Escape: 0
Handgun: 0
Hand-to-Hand: 0
Rifle: 1

Reflex-based (non-combat):

Aircraft Pilot: 0
Athletics: 2
Dance: 0
Driving: 0
Stealth: 0
Swimming: 0
Zero G: 0

Reflexes (Mech Combat):

Mech Piloting: 7
Mech Hand-to-Hand: 0
Mech Melee: 5
Mech Gunnery: 5
Mech Missiles: 5

Technical Skills:

Basic Repair (small appliances and the like): 0
First Aid: 0
Jury Rig: 0
Mech Design: 0
Mech Tech: 0
Medical: 0
Play Musical Instrument: 0
Paint or Draw: 0
Photography & Film: 0
Pick Lock: 0
Pickpocket: 0
Sing: 0

Prototype Character Sheet

By prototype I mean this is subject to change so don't get a final verdict on it.

Jacob Bennett
Age: 24
Height: ??? cm.
Weight: 105 kg.
Eye Color: Green.
Hair Color: Brown.

Appearance: Twenty-four years have shaped Jacob well, his rough face being a posterior of that. He looks pretty good, having good muscles and a four-pack of abs. His clothing is usually jeans and a t-shirt, though he can often be found wearing other things, and occasionally wears a baseball cap. That isn't his military uniform. Inside his Kriegermech, Jacob is concentrated, and focused: a sure sign of his new veterancy.

Personality: Jacob is no-nonsense. Though he belives respect should be earned, he also can give people space, though he does have a limit to the shit he can take. He's sociable, a jokester (whether or not he's good is up for debate), a some-time snarker, a lampshade hanger, and somewhat genre savvy.

Jacob would like to command respect and dreams of leading a mech lance one day, with his customized atlas, the Lone Firewolf.

Abilites: Jacob shows examples of budding leadership, and human perception. His awareness is good, and his will to survive is growing. He is somewhat skilled in the use of automatic weapons and rifles, and is somewhat athletic. His mech skills are arguably the best he's seen in a long time, and he is somewhat good at persuasion, yet has little resistance to torture.

Backstory: Born to the Bennets, Jacob was a proud son, and a hard worker. He built up a reputation as a jokester when he was growing up (but as said before whether or not he's good is up for debate). He didn't prefer to fight, and took a shine to mechs in his early years.
By high school he was a mech expert and was trying out for several athletics teams, though he fell just short of getting them. He got in his exercise, and eventually signed up for the military to help pay for college. However, he began to see the army as a legitimate career path, and after finishing college stayed on.
He signed up as a mech pilot, and proved to be very adept with piloting mechs, quickly ascending mech types until he found the Lone Firewolf, his Atlas-class Kriegermech and one that he has modified extensively to be a very deadly weapon on the battleground. The Atlas itself was desgined to inspire fear. It's not the pilot, but when somebody sees the Lone Firewolf, one would prefer to run.
Likes: Jacob likes cars, guns, mechs, and airplanes. He takes a shine to comfort food, but also eats regular food as well. He likes to crack jokes, and appreciates a good friend. Though he would love a girlfriend (pun completely intended), he'd rather let it happen, though pressure is closing in as he ages.

Dislikes: Jacobs dislikes assholes. Though he has respect for the enemy, particularly dirty evildoers and such make his blood boil. As well, he hates several different things, among them child abuse, some vegetables, needles (though he simply hates them: not a phobia), and people in pain. He also hates disease.

This is the standard sidearm for all soldiers in the Planetary Defense Force (PDF):

MBW-1P Modular Beam Weapon "The Swiss", Basic Model, Personnel-type

100 Energy Points available. Can be charged to full from a standard electrical outlet in one hour, ten minutes in specialized chargers (found in pretty much every room of any decent military base or battleship).

Functions:

Energy Sword: +1 to hit. 5d6 hits, armor is worth 10 less points against it, and when a physical weapon is used to parry it, if it deals more than double that weapon's maximum damage, the parrying weapon is destroyed. Range of two meters. Requires 10 energy to use.

Energy Shield: Can be used to parry melee attacks (parrying rolls and other such combat minutae will be covered during the early parts of gameplay, which shall serve as a tutorial). Has 15 Stopping Power (reduces the opponent's damage by 15 hits). Damage exceeding 15 hits will be transferred to the armor on your arm, and then your arm. Shield is only active when parrying. Requires 1 energy per use.

Energy Pistol: +2 to hit. Deals anywhere from 1d6 to 4d6, depending on power setting (in increments of 1d6). Combat range is 16 meters (maximum range is 130 meters). Requires 4 energy for every die of damage it deals.

Heavy Energy Pistol: +2 to hit. 5d6 damage. 18 meters combat range (max 160). 20 energy.

Energy Shotgun: +1 to hit. 3d6 damage to all people in a 90 degree arc in front of user. Range 40 meters. 20 energy.

Energy Machinegun: 2d6 damage, Burst Value 5. Range 15 meters (max 100). 20 energy.

Full Blast: +2 to hit. 2 Kills of damage to all locations and possessions of target (only affects a single location on a mech), 10% chance of weapon becoming irreparably damaged. Range 20 meters (max 200). 100 energy. Unauthorized use of this function against human-scale enemies is a violation of the Twelfth Revised Geneva Conventions.

Let's get familiar with the world!

Major organizations:

-Neo United Nations: The world's government, run by the heads of the top noble families and their favorite siblings and cousins (supposedly representatives of their respective countries and space colonies, but they just each set up estates there specifically to become eligible for the seat, and then rig the system to get it).

-Planetary Defense Force: The world's military. They have a research division dedicated to figuring out how "Super Robots" work. Super Robots have been appearing lately, some developed by independent scientists (none of whom were available to explain their work, either through disappearance or death), while others appear to be lost or alien technology. PDF's research division has created a few prototype Super Robots from their data, but not many. The PDF also has its own manufacturing plants, used to construct their massive battleships (which fly, and are meant for space travel as well as moving around Earth).

Relevant Corporations:

-Volstadt Cybernetics: Makers of robotic prosthetics and operating systems. Lost a lot of influence some years back, after being contracted to supply parts and programming skill to create an experimental AI robot. Due to influence from the Landell and Rorchstag families, the project was cancelled, nominally for "financial concerns". Recently, they reported a top-secret prototype mech control unit as stolen. The Volstadt family is headed by Otto Volstadt, a widower and all-around broken man as misfortune piles upon him, his personal honestly making him an easy target for his fellow nobles. His youngest son, Geoffrey, is an up-and-coming Adaptable Battler pilot.

-Landell Mechworks: One of the two most prominent manufacturers of Humanoid Frames (the only two that make complete HFs, as well, rather than just components). Theirs tend to be more straightforward, without as many secret tricks. Recently spent a fortune developing a mech specifically for another family's eldest child, though it's speculated they built it primarily as a testbed for a new control system they'd developed, or at least, they claim they developed it. Headed by Bernard Landell, with his wife, Alice, both concerned solely with the expansion of their influence, keeping their clean-cut, well-dressed image as pristine as possible while stabbing anyone they can squarely in the back. Their eldest son, George, is a veteran HF pilot, using Landell Mechworks HFs, of course.

-Zharov Research and Development: Inventors of the Humanoid Frame, and by extension, all modern warfare. Their HFs tend to include more experimental tech, including, most recently, devices based on Type-2 research. They're also responsible for R-Fields and all other Kirensky Particle technology, although other corporations use Kirensky Particles in their products (such as energy weapons and it's what makes fusion reactors possible). Originally founded by Dmitri Zharov, his mech designs combined with the new developments of his partner, Gregor Kirensky, rocketed them to the forefront of the scientific world. The current lead researcher (Zharov and Kirensky having been dead for about a century) is Professor Igor Grauschatten, known largely for his groundbreaking, yet morally-questionable Type-2 research, which borders on mad science. Nobody knows exactly what goes on in his labs. Rumors abounded of ZRD making an unidentified shipment to Volstadt Cybernetics some time ago, but nothing came of it, true or false.

-Neptune Power: Sole manufacturers of Kirensky Particle Fusion Reactors, the backbone of this era. Their reactors are in everything. They power every electrical device on Earth or in the space colonies. Jointly owned by the Reichsfield and Gori families. Ernst Reichsfield, CEO of NP, died recently, supposedly naming Herman Gori his heir. Of course, Gori was the only one in the room when Ernst died. Gori's children are all accomplished Humanoid Frame pilots. Aaron, the youngest, is very popular with the common people. Gerald, the oldest, is perhaps even more cunning than his father. Derrick, the middle son, is a massive brute of a man, as subtle as a sledgehammer and only half as kind. Kylie, Herman's only daughter, second-youngest of his children, is a gifted strategist and tactician, able to lead troops into battle with great skill. More on the Gori family later in this post.

-Rorchstag Industrial: Purely a weapons manufacturer, they make weapons of every size, for humans, mechs, and even battleships. Prior to the development of more advanced Humanoid Frames and other mechs, the firm produced mobile weapons platforms, essentially giant guns with legs, though it stopped production of those decades ago. The head of the Rorchstag Family is Dietrich von Rorchstag, a fat, ruthless weapons dealer with as much morality as he has hair, and he's bald. His wife, Gertrude, is equally rotund and her temperament is almost as unpleasant as her husband's. Their elder daughter, Gina, is a powerful Type-2 who pilots an experimental HF given to her personally by Professor Grauschatten.

-Star League, Incorporated: Run by a council of smaller families, they make the cheap-to-produce Kriegermechs, which generally serve as frontline troops in combat. They also produce smaller mechsuits, colloquially referred to as "Roadstrikers", for their comparable size to automobiles. The current CEO is Hans Davian, head of the Davian household. His son, Lars, is a determined young Kriegermech pilot, out to prove the worth of the inexpensive machines.

-Colonial Enterprises, Limited: The primary manufacturer of space colony components. Run by a board of non-noble investors. Chairman Yang heads the board, always looking to increase his profit margins, hoping one day to build an estate of his own, joining the nobility.

-Boeing: Now responsible for all non-mech, non-battleship (well, non-space battleship) vehicle manufacturing, both civilian and military. However, they remain on the forefront of jet technology, having recently developed the Adaptable Battler, a fighter jet capable of transforming into a humanoid mech for ground assaults, and that generally hold a deceptively large number of missiles. While ABs remain somewhat uncommon in the field, the Modular Beam Weapon they use has been miniaturized and distributed throughout the PDF. CEO Max Goldwell rose up the corporate ladder the old-fashioned way, through hard work and skill, thanks to Boeing's outdated company policies. As a result of this, he is universally loathed by the nobility. Up to this point, all assassination attempts have failed due to the efforts of his star test pilot, Hikaru Tyson. Tyson, as a test pilot, is constantly equipped with the latest and best technology and the newest prototype AB. It was his idea to miniaturize the MBW for personal use.

The story so far:

With the takeover of Neptune Power by the Gori family, Herman declared himself lord of Colony 4, declaring it the Republic of Gori. With support from the Reichsfields (who seem rather hesitant to speak on the matter), Zharov R&D, and Colonial Enterprises, Ltd., he managed to raise an army more than equal to that of the PDF (many of them defectors) and demanded independence for the space colonies. The PDF is still supported by Star League, Inc., Boeing, Volstadt Cybernetics, and (supposedly) Landell Mechworks. Rorchstag Industrial has made clear that they have no intention of supporting either side, and will simply sell weapons to whoever can pay for them. As the first shots are fired and the battle lines drawn, a young man's imagination unwittingly summons a dark cloud on the edge of the solar system...

And in the midst of Earth's Civil War, the invasion will begin.

Here's Sapph's character, a mech geek and unconscious reality warper. His special ability is representative of that power, in that his "luck" never truly runs out (his powers manipulate fortune in his favor).

Character points: 75

Attractiveness: 8
Body: 4
Cool: 7
Stability (Cool x 2.5): 17
Empathy: 8
Intelligence: 10
Education: 6
Luck: 10
Reflexes: 9
Technical Ability: 7
Movement Allowance: 6

Hits:

Head: 5
Torso: 10
Limbs: 7

Stun Value: 5

Melee damage modifier: -1

Special Ability: Usually, when someone spends Luck to modify dice rolls, their Luck attribute will temporarily decrease. In this pilot’s case, while he still only has Luck Points equal to his Luck, his Luck attribute will never decrease (meaning he can spend Luck, and also use Luck for skill checks without worry). Additionally, while other character regenerate Luck Points at points deemed appropriate by the GM (usually between chapters or when a lot of time passes all at once), this pilot regenerates them at the beginning of each new scene.

Skills:

Skill points: 33

Attractiveness-based:

Personal Grooming: 0
Wardrobe & Style: 0

Cool-based:

Interrogation (getting people to talk about something specific): 0
Intimidate: 0
Oratory: 0
Persuasion & Fast Talk: 1
Resist Torture/Drugs: 0
Streetwise: 1

Empathy-based:

Acting: 0
Human Perception (detecting lies, mood swings, etc): 0
Interview (getting people to talk about whatever, might let slip something important): 1
Leadership: 0
Seduction: 0
Social (composing yourself properly in high society): 0

Intelligence-based:

Awareness/Notice: 4
Compose/Write: 0
Disguise: 0
Expert (Mecha anime and related media): 5
Gamble: 0
Know Language (one that isn’t your default language): 0
Programming: 1
Shadowing/Avoid Pursuit: 0
Survival: 0
Teaching: 0
Electronic Warfare: 0

Reflex-based (personal combat):

Automatic Weapon: 0
Blade (and all other melee weapons since the game neglected to make a skill for them): 1
Dodge & Escape: 2
Handgun: 0
Hand-to-Hand: 0
Rifle: 0

Reflex-based (non-combat):

Aircraft Pilot: 0
Athletics: 0
Dance: 0
Driving: 0
Stealth: 0
Swimming: 0
Zero G: 0

Reflexes (Mech Combat):

Mech Piloting: 3
Mech Hand-to-Hand: 5
Mech Melee: 5
Mech Gunnery: 0
Mech Missiles: 0

Technical Skills:

Basic Repair (small appliances and the like): 0
First Aid: 0
Jury Rig: 0
Mech Design: 4
Mech Tech: 0
Medical: 0
Play Musical Instrument: 0
Paint or Draw: 0
Photography & Film: 0
Pick Lock: 0
Pickpocket: 0
Sing: 0

Jacob's derived stats from his Body score:

Hits:

Head: 8
Torso: 16
Limbs: 12

Stun Value: 8

Melee damage modifier: +2

And to clarify what Lee's appearance looks like, I've got three picture. We'll only be seeing two unless certain events occur that causes the thrid one to show up.

Basically, Lee in his 'regal' outfit that shows him as a member of the Annetts family...Please note that Lee does NOT have long hair.
https://i.servimg.com/u/f23/16/33/31/20/mekton10.png

And Lee in his normal everyday attire.
https://i.servimg.com/u/f23/16/33/31/20/civili10.png