MSGS: Chain-Linked Destinies Design Critique

[Clay]

Staff/Crew Requirement, perhaps?

[Sabersonic]

Staff/Crew Requirement, perhaps?

It's a bit of a redundancy. Especially since I already put in a Weakness for said requirement.

Perhaps "Dense/Dispersed Tenancy"? Not exactly as unique as "Tough/Frail" for Health and "Vigorous/Languid" for Endurance, but it'll hold for the moment....

[Sabersonic]

While we're on the subject of anything gundam related, I should let those who are following this topic know that according to This ANN Article, Daisuki will stream Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans on Sunday, October 4th at 6:30 AM EDT. Before that, Hulu will stream all twenty-six episodes of Gundam: Reconquista of G on Friday, October 2nd at 8:00 PM EDT.

Set your calendars.

[Sabersonic]

Okay, I've been pondering how to implement the above crew idea for a while now and I think I got enough to at least base a foundation on.

Ships, for the most part, are fundamentally different than the average vehicle/mecha in one important aspect: They need a large amount of people to operate at basic capacity. Thus, the Onboard Crew are the "life's blood" of the ship just in the same way Health and Endurance are integral to vehicle and characters. Unless certain Abilities or Weaknesses changes this, it is assumed that all ships have an Onboard Crew value of 40.

Generally, depending upon the setting and the design of said ship, it would be very difficult for all but the most powerful of ship-borne weapons to directly target the crew, but in many a story, the Onboard Crew do in fact suffer casualties ranging from the mundane as being knocked out cold to the horrific such as being tossed overboard/sucked out into the vacuum of space, to even something as stupid as accidentally getting locked in a room due to some mechanical failure. All this means is that a certain portion of the Onboard Crew cannot contribute to the current encounter, or at the very least that particular round.

How this is decided is dependent upon the setting and the fiat of the GM, but at its most basic form, each time the Ship takes damage in either the form of Endurance or Health, an equal amount of Onboard Crew become casualties. Optionally, the GM may rule that each time a ship is damaged, a Luck/Unlucky modified dice check is performed against the DX of the attack/event that caused damage. If the result is greater than the DX, then there are no casualties, if not then an equal amount of Onboard Crew to Damage are casualties, and if All Ones, double that number. If the Onboard Crew is reduced to zero, then that ship is unable to contribute to the fight, at all and is the equivalent to a player being knocked out cold or a vehicle being destroyed.

Like Health with Endurance and vice versa with characters, Onboard Crew may be used to supplement either the ship's Health or Endurance in the form of Damage Control Teams on a one-to-one basis. This is important since, like vehicles, the ship's Health and Endurance are not linked. However, unlike Health and Endurance, Onboard Crew is not so easily recovered in that it only occurs at the bare minimum of Between Adventures. The only exemptions being through GM discretion and largely to keep the plot going or dramatically significant.

To compliment this, I have new Perks and Flaws for attacks aimed specifically for the Onboard Crew.

Spalling (+5) - Your attack has the ability to impact the Onboard Crew of a ship directly, causing casualties that take them out of the fight. Whether it be through Longitudinal Waves, Radiation, actual Spalling, or some other method, the result is the same. Each time this Perk is Taken, add 1 to your Damage Modifier when using this ability for the purposes of calculating Onboard Crew casualties.

Whipple (-5) - Your attack is not as effective as others on the same level when it comes to causing casualties to the Onboard Crew. Each time this Flaw is taken, reduce your Damage Multiplier by 1 for the purposes of calculating Onboard Crew casualties. If the Damage Modifier is reduced to zero or below, reduce to 1/2 instead.

Those should be enough to get something started in terms of Crew-based damage. I'm sure there are some fine tuning to be made such as what would happen if a single attack takes out half the maximum Onboard Crew as casualties since I'm not sure such a thing would apply to ships, but for the foundation of ship-based combat rules, IMHO it's not a bad start.

So then, thoughts on the above proposal?

[Clay]

Sounds like a fine solution to me!

[Sabersonic]

Thanks Clay, wasn't really sure if it was really up to par since it's not exactly the most well thought out of ideas, but it's something to start. I also figured that having Crew supplement Health and Endurance of a ship not unlike characters is really a useful idea since it would represent Damage Control teams trying to keep said ship together through the fight and hopefully make it to port for proper repairs and overhauls, though give it an air of strategy to make it a finite resource that is replenished so infrequently.

Still looking for better technical terms than "Dense/Dispersed Tenancy" for the whole adding and subtracting Crew from the base total. But I can work with what I got.

[Sabersonic]

Well I've had some time to ponder this, and for my players to have their own two cents on the subject at hand, and I feel like we've made a more streamline design then what I initially started out with along side ideas that would probably use a reimagining due to previous assumptions.

Though before I ramble prematurely, allow me to illustrate this with the GINN.

Why the GINN? Well it more or less highlights the short comings of my initial assumptions for my Mobile Suit designs as per my previous understanding of the OVA2e system. That and Ace Combat Infinity had me think of differences between unit types as with damage dealt to targets rather then the performance of said unit.

ZGMF-1017 GINN (2 Vehicle/Mecha)

DEFENSE: 9
HEALTH: 40
ENDURANCE: 50
TV: 64
DX[END] - Attack

• 2[0] - “Unarmed Melee” (Affinity, Piloting. Ineffective x2)

Level - Ability

• +3 - Agile “Active Mass Balance Auto-Control”
• +3 - Armored “Super Hard Steel Alloy” (Cancel x2, Flanking and Rear Attacks)
• +2 - Combat Expert “Mobile Suit Combat”
• +3 - Evasive “Active Mass Balance Auto-Control”
• +2 - Life Support
• +3 - Perceptive “LADAR” (Cancel x2, Refraction-Heavy Conditions)
• +3 - Quick

Level - Weakness

• -3 - Dependency “Selective Devicer” (Coordinator or Extended)
• -3 - Periodical Maintenance
• -2 - Restricted Freedom
• -2 - Servitude
• -1 - Unique “Weak Points” (Joints)
• -2 - Unique “Volatile” (1d Check vs. DN 4 for Explosion when 0 HP or lower. Character suffers DX-4, Level 2 Area Effect Attack plus Scale Advantage)
• -1 - Vulnerability “Polymer Ringer Solution” (Fire/Igniting Attacks)
• -1 - Weak “Muscle Cylinder Actuators”

I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed, but to highlight the major changes to this design paradigm compared to the previous is using the flaws for abilities in place of house weaknesses and the removal of Gear and its associated weaknesses.

To address the first shift, I thought of Clay's own reply of a similar manner and decided to apply it to my own designs. Thus I increased the overall base cost of the design that, well to be quite honest, doesn't sound so cheap when it was first designed.

For the second shift, I've largely cast that out originally for players to purchase separately as a Gear for their character to utilize as a separate cost with the same value as normal Gear with the cravat that it's only used in mobile suits.

Then I slept on the idea and came to the realization that, like Vehicle/Mecha, the Mecha-Only Gear isn't a constant factor in the campaign like the canon Gear Ability. Thus I mandated that such Gear for Mobile Suit Equipment such as weaponry be half their usual cost due to the aforementioned reason.

And while Mobile Suit Small-Arms make a lot of sense, there's also certain abilities that are absent for what one expects from giant robots. Abilities such as rocket jumps, space flight, and the like. Thus I went back to the previous design paradigm of the Environmental Configurations and Tactical Packages! Here are some examples of the following:

Orbital Mechanics Superiority Configuration (1 Vehicle Gear)

As per the United Maintenance Plan of the Settlement Freedom League’s Fast Acting Integral Tactical Headquarters or FAITH, this environmental adaptation package can be placed upon any SRL mobile suit of their respective nations with enough personnel to commit an entire week’s worth of installation and overhaul. The primary focus of the environmental adaptation package is superior orbital mechanics, enhanced sensors to compliment long distance combat due to the ranges of space and protection of the pilot from the hazards of space.

Zeon and SRA Mobile Suits utilize thermonuclear rocket motors for propulsion, with the latter not as powerful as the former, while ZAFT Mobile Suits utilize Electrochemical-Thermal and Conventional Dual-Rocket Motors.

STANDARD MODEL

Level - Ability

• +2 - Perception “Infrared”
• +2 - Spaceflight “Thermonuclear Fusion Rockets” (Requirement, Water/Remass)
• +2 - Vigorous

Level - Weakness

• -3 - Prerequisite “Heat Radiators” (2x Radiator Panels)
• -1 - Endurance Use “Thermonuclear Fusion Rockets”

Command Tactical Package (3 Vehicle Gear)

As per the United Maintenance Plan of the Settlement Freedom League’s Fast Acting Integral Tactical Headquarters or FAITH, this tactical adaptation package can be placed upon any SRL mobile suit of their respective nations with enough personnel to commit an entire week’s worth of installation and overhaul. The primary focus of the tactical adaptation package is higher performance compared to the Orbital Mechanics Superiority Environmental Configured models through a more powerful power generation system to provide higher thrust endurance and power in addition to a more powerful wireless communication system to coordinate with other members of a mobile suit team or platoon. Such superior performance upgrades is typically reserved for mobile suit pilots that have shown exemplary skills in mobile suit combat, tactics, and leadership.

Level - Ability

• +1 -Agile
• +1 - Evasive
• +1 - Knowledge “Tactical Coordination”
• +1 - Knowledge “Wireless Communications”
• +2 - Perception
• +1 - Vigorous

Level - Weakness

• -1 - Restricted Freedom

To put it basically, the Environmental Configurations and Tactical Packages are the extras that are a separate cost.

Anyway, any thought on the current design paradigm that I have for mobile suits featured in my campaign?

[Sabersonic]

I'm gonna assume that my current thought process on mobile suit customization is OVA2e compatible, so I'm gonna move on.

Speaking of which, I have a new inquiry along the same lines as my earlier Ability Stacking question for vehicles, that both Sniffycrab and Clay have answered.

Basically, would it be plausible to use either Requirement or Focus for certain Mobile Suit abilities to be utilized only if a Character had either a Devicer Suit or equivalent HUD Helmet?

Allow me to explain with the following profile as originally conceived:

Devicer Suit
The standard space suit issued to combat astrogators whether they pilot space fighters, mobile armors, mobile suits or other type of mobile weapon. Like the Cosmo Suit, the Devicer Suit protects the wearer from the harsh conditions of space in addition to sudden acceleration and high-Gs of orbital superiority combat. However, the Devicer Suit is not meant to be utilized as a dedicated space suit in that it does not protect as well from Micro-Meteoroids nor does it offer any radiation protection in addition to a higher difficulty in manual dexterity.

The Devicer Suit, in particular those that are utilized for Mobile Weapons, are equipped with a flip-down visor commonly called a “Snooper” which is effectively a Virtual Reality display that allows the pilot to not only see through the view point of the combat spacecraft but to also view the space around the combat spacecraft without having to manually switching cameras. In the case of mobile suits and certain mobile armors with a rotary sensor suite turret, the helmet of the Devicer Suit is able to control the movements of the head/sensor turret and give it a sense of humanity in its movements as it is slaved to the helmet not unlike those of a helicopter gunship in ages past.

LEVELS - ABILITIES

• +3 - Armored “Micro-Meteoroid Protection”
• +1 - Attack “Weaponry, Mobile Suit”
• +1 - Combat Expert
• +1 - Knowledge “Weaponry, Mobile Suit”
• +2 - Life Support “Space”
• +3 - Resistance “G-Countering Seam Tube Network” (G-Forces)
• +1 Unique “Radio”

LEVELS - WEAKNESSES

• -2- Ineptitude “Decreased Manual Dexterity”

The above was under the assumption that Abilities such as Attack, Combat Expert, and Knowledge would be transferred to the Mobile Suit when the latter is in use.

However, I'm of a current mindset that I wouldn't need to put said abilities upon the Devicer Suit Gear when I could perform a similar action to the Mobile Suit in question as exemplified by the following:

ZGMF-1017 GINN (3 Vehicle/Mecha)

DEFENSE: 9
HEALTH: 40
ENDURANCE: 50
TV: 64
DX[END] - Attack

• 2[0] - “Unarmed Melee” (Affinity, Piloting. Ineffective x2)

Level - Ability

• +3 - Agile “Active Mass Balance Auto-Control”
• +3 - Armored “Super Hard Steel Alloy” (Cancel x2, Flanking and Rear Attacks)
• +1 - Attack (Unique x2, Ranged Combat Only)
• +2 - Combat Expert “Mobile Suit Combat”
• +3 - Evasive “Active Mass Balance Auto-Control”
• +3 - Knowledge “Weaponry, Mobile Suit”
• +2 - Life Support
• +3 - Perceptive “LADAR” (Cancel x2, Refraction-Heavy Conditions)
• +3 - Quick

Level - Weakness

• -3 - Dependency “Selective Devicer” (Coordinator or Extended)
• -2 - Focus "Devicer Suit" (Attack, Combat Expert, Knowledge “Weaponry, Mobile Suit”)
• -3 - Periodical Maintenance
• -2 - Restricted Freedom
• -2 - Servitude
• -1 - Unique “Weak Points” (Joints)
• -2 - Unique “Volatile” (1d Check vs. DN 4 for Explosion when 0 HP or lower. Character suffers DX-4, Level 2 Area Effect Attack plus Scale Advantage)
• -1 - Vulnerability “Polymer Ringer Solution” (Fire/Igniting Attacks)
• -1 - Weak “Muscle Cylinder Actuators”

With the above Abilities, the pilot of this particular mobile suit can only utilize the dice check bonuses of Combat Expert and Knowledge "Weaponry, Mobile Suit" in addition to a DX increase if the pilot has the Devicer Suit upon their person. Though said DX increase has the Unique Flaw that it can only be utilized with ranged combat, that and I'm not sure if I have the correct Flaw/Wording to reflect this fact.

My inquiry to the forum is this: Is the above described method doable under OVA2e or is there an alternative?

Oh! And before I forget, a revamped Pegasus-class under the new Onboard Crew ruleset along with other suggestions offered by the forum:

Pegasus-Class Assault Battlecarrier (23 Points)


HEALTH: 90
ENDURANCE: 80
ONBOARD CREW: 80
TV: 30
DX[END] - Attack

• 0[0] - “LADAR PDS Mode” (Accurate x3; Defensive x2; Helper; Multiple Targets x6; No Gestures; Ranged. Activation; Assisted x5, Gunners; Ineffective x4; Requirement x2, Liquid/Humidity Light Environment)
• 1[0] - “Igelstellung 75mm Gatling Cannon CIWS Bank” (Accurate; Defensive; Helper; Multiple Targets x8; Overwhelming; Ranged. Assisted x6; Gunners; Ineffective x3)
• 1[0] - “PD AKV Launcher Battery” (Accurate; Area Effect; Helper; Multiple Targets x11; Ranged. Activation; Assisted x7, Gunner; Delayed; Ineffective x2)
• 2[0] - “Light AKV Launcher Battery” (Area Effect x2; Armor Piercing; Helper; Multiple Targets x9; Ranged. Activation; Assisted x6, Gunner; Delayed; Ineffective x2)
• 3[5] - “Anti-Materiel Laser Projection PDS Bank” (Area Effect; Armor Piercing; Helper; Multiple Targets x9; Ranged. Activation; Assisted x5, Gunners; Ineffective; Requirement x2, Liquid/Humidity Light Environment)
• 4[0] - “Heavy AKV Launcher” (Armor Piercing x3; Helper; Multiple Targets x3; Ranged. Activation; Assisted, Gunner; Delayed; Inaccurate x3)
• 5[0] - “Gottfried Mk.71 Dual 225cm-Barrel Mega-Particle Cannon Turret Battery” (Area Effect; Multiple Targets; Armor Piercing x3; Effective; Helper; Ranged. Assisted x2, Gunners; Buildup x2; Inaccurate; Requirement x2, Liquid/Humidity Light Environment)
• 4[0] - “Valiant Mk.8 110cm Linear Cannon” (Armor Piercing x2; Helper; Impairing; Multiple Targets; Ranged; Stunning. Assisted x2, Gunners; Buildup; Innacurate-2)
• 3[5] - “Minovsky Particle Dispersion, Electrical Disruption” (Area Effect x3; Continued Effect; No Gesture; Ranged; Strike Through. Canceled x4, Humans; Delayed; Ineffective; Requirement , “Minovsky Particle Dispersion”, “Minovsky Particle Dispersion, Lethal Density”; Unique x2, Effects Superconductor-based Computers only)
• 3[5] - “Neutron Jammer, Nuclear Fission Disruption” (Area Effect x4; No Gesture; Ranged; Strike Through. Ineffective; No Damage; Requirement , “Neutron Jammer”; Unique x4, Effects Nuclear Fission only)
• 8[30] - "Lohengrin Positron Blaster Cannon” (Area Effect; Armor Piercing x3; Blinding; Effective x4; Helper; Impairing; Ranged; Strike Through. Buildup x6; Delayed; Inaccurate x4)
• 6[30] - “Minovsky Particle Dispersion, Lethal Density” (Area Effect x3; Continued Effect; Effective x2; Impairing; No Gesture; Paralyzing; Ranged; Strike Through. Backlash x4; Canceled x4, Non-Living Objects; Delayed; Requirement, “Minovsky Particle Dispersion, Lethal Density”)

Level - Ability

• +4 - Armored “Ablative Armor” (Cancel x2, Flanking and Rear Attacks)
• +3 - Art of Invisibility “Neutron Jammer”
• +3 - Art of Invisibility “Minovsky Particle Dispersion”
• +4 - Attack “Spacecraft Weapon Systems”
• +2 - Continuous Use “Minovsky Particle Dispersion”, “Minovsky Particle Dispersion, Lethal Density”
• +4 - Elite Force "G-Weapons"
• +2 - Flight “Minovsky Craft System, Demi-Float Type”
• +3 - Knowledge “Mobile Suit Repair and Maintenance”
• +6 - Heavy
• +2 - Heightened Senses
• +2 - Invisibility “Minovsky Particle Dispersion, Lethal Density”
• +3 - Life Support
• +3 - Perception “Infrared”
• +3 - Perceptive “LADAR”
• +2 - Perceptive “Radar”
• +3 - Resistance “Ablative Armor” (Directed Energy Attacks)
• +4 - Spaceflight “Inertial Confinement Pulse Rockets”
• +2 - Standing Force "Mobile Weapons"
• +2 - Swimming “Thermonuclear Turbo Hydrojets”
• +5 - Tough “Foamed Titanium Composite Fuselage”
• +2 - Quick
• +2 - Unique “Linear Mobile Suit Catapult”
• +2 - Vigorous “Minovsky-Ionesco Thermonuclear Reactor”

Level - Weakness

• -1 - Endurance Use “Inertial Confinement Pulse Rockets”
• -1 - Endurance Use “Thermonuclear Turbo Hydrojets”
• -1 - Expendable Use “Thermal-Antimatter Rockets” (Water/Remass)
• -1 - Identifiable Use “Neutron Jammer”, “Minovsky Particle Dispersion”, “Minovsky Particle Dispersion, Lethal Density” (Radar and Infrared)
• -1 - Identifiable Use “Thermonuclear Turbo Hydrojets” (Infrared and Sonar)
• -1 - Limited Uses “Neutron Jammer”, “Minovsky Particle Dispersion”, “Minovsky Particle Dispersion, Lethal Density”
• -2 - Periodical Maintenance
• -3 - Prerequisite “Heat Radiators” (4x Radiator Fins)
• -3 - Prerequisite “Skeleton Crew” (20x personnel)
• -1 - Prompt Use “Neutron Jammer”, “Minovsky Particle Dispersion”, “Minovsky Particle Dispersion, Lethal Density”
• -2 - Reduced Use “Minovsky Craft System, Demi-Float Type” (Solid Surface)
• -3 - Reduced Use “Neutron Jammer”, “Minovsky Particle Dispersion”, “Minovsky Particle Dispersion, Lethal Density” (Square Inverse Proximity)
• -3 - Reduced Use “Neutron Jammer”, “Minovsky Particle Dispersion” (Radar/Radio, Microwave, and Infrared Only)
• -3 - Restricted Freedom
• -2 - Servitude

Noticeably more economical compared to previous attempts, though I'm not sure if I should add in the Passengers and Storage Capacity Abilities to the above design or not....

Anyway, I finally decided upon the Onboard Crew number modifiers: Heavy and Light. It made sense, though the length of which I took the time to debate on the subject at hand greatly disturbed me, when Blue Water Naval units have their classes subdivided into Heavy and Light with the latter having more displacement for more cargo space, munitions, and personnel with the latter having less. Naturally, this utilizes the same progress table as Tough/Frail and Vigorous/Languid. Though now that I think about it, it does raises the question of what would the values be beyond Level 5. All I can figure is that each level is an increase of 10 until Level 5 when it's a difference of 20. I can only assume that it's a 20 difference beyond Level five in either Ability/Weakness category unless there's a different approach to this...?

[Sabersonic]

Again, I'm forced to assume that the previous design proposals are acceptable and compatible with OVA2e (still didn't get an answer on Tough/Vigorous values above Level 5... ) in terms of Mobile Suit Abilities and Devicer Suit limitations, so I'll move on.

Actually, now that I think of it, with consideration with both Life Support and Passengers Ability, I think that there should be a certain gameplay mechanic that could be employed when used as a setting of any campaign. Basically the Life Support of any vehicle has a maximum occupancy to which it can be utilized before issues pop up. I'm not sure how it would work in tabletop terms but I can visualize the idea that for each value above the Passengers Ability's quantified value, there is a penalty equal to the Level Difference in which either A) the mechanic, technician, or similar specialist must perform their dice roll against to fix and/or prevent any problems that may/may not arise else complications ensues or B) the usable level of Life Support is lowered when Ability Dice Checks are performed and said complications occur upon each individual within the vehicle due to the surrounding environment.

Arguably, the same thing could be said of Flight/Spaceflight/Swimming along with similar abilities such as Agility/Evasive/Quick and Storage Capacity when it comes to how well a particular vehicle performs when above its optimum Storage Capacity and with similar penalties as with the above. Though I'm sure someone who is more experienced in add-on game design theory than I would put this into more playable words since this was a last-minute gameplay design that's more brain fart than anything else.

And speaking of, a few Ability/Weapon Perks and Flaws came to me the other day and I've been mulling it around mentally for the past few days that might make such attack designs all the more interesting and flexible (in theory, in practice it just might be more kibble and bits to keep track). I call these Fuse, Setting, and Offensive.

Fuse (+10) - Your ability or attack is able to have a delayed or event triggered series of perks that are executed depending upon the target in question. In more general terms, the perks of the ability/attack in question would occur before or after DX vs. Armored have been calculated and decided for maximum effect. By default, the Fuse-equipped Ability/Attack occurs as normally, but with a declaration of intentions to activate the Fuse Perk, one or more Perks are activated only after Armored is defeated. The Fuse Perk may be taken multiple times for each additional Perk that may be executed after DX vs. Armored is determined successfully.

The only hitch to this is that if the ability or attack failed in anyway, through a poor dice check or a successfully countered opposed dice check, the Fuse Perk does not activate and thus those associated Perks do not activate as well or at the very least execute sub-par.

Setting (+ 10) - Your attack variation is simply a variation of another attack type, however it is able to inherit the core Perks and Flaws of that central Attack Variation. With a simple declaration of intent, your attack is able to stack their Perks and Flaws with that of the core Attack Variation to make it a more unique strike to suit the intended target the original Attack Variation could not perform successfully on its on or at least with the original intention.

It should be noted that, unless through GM fiat, the Flaws of the original Attack Variation take paramount over the Setting-equipped Attack Variation. If the central Attack Variation have a Flaw that limits the amount of times said Attack Variation could be utilized, then even if the Setting-equipped Attack Variation does not have the same Flaw it will not work unless the original Attack Variation is free to be utilized. Such limiting Flaws are Activation, Buildup, Ammunition, and Assisted. Others may be added as per the judgement of the campaign's presiding GM.

Offensive (-5) - Your Attack is well suited to delivering the hurt against the opponent, target, or whatever is on the business end, but when it comes to defending oneself or at the very least counterattacking, it's rather lacking. Whether its by inadequate weapon designs, poor materials or just incompatible technology the result is the same: Your defense is worse than your offense even if your dice check was successful. This Flaw may be taken multiple times; for each time Offensive is taken, the dice check penalty is increased by -1.

That last one, Offensive, is more or less a response to WackyModder84's claim that Beam Sabers in the Cosmic Era don't clash or block.

Anyway, thoughts on the above proposed Perks and Flaws?

[ZephyrMourne]

Man, that is a seriously impressive amount of work, and some really cool concepts. I'm also dealing with a setting where characters will be using pre-existing "standard issue" mechs, and this is a really great set of examples.

A couple questions, if I may.

What do "Environmental Configuration" and "Tactical Package" do in game terms?

How are you incorporating these designs with your player characters' build/point totals? Or are you just making a PC without the mech and then assigning them a mech based on the characters in-game affiliations?

What is the function of "Prompt Use" as a weakness, as opposed to simply applying the "Activation" or "Buildup" flaw to the specific ability?

I really like some of the unique abilities and weaknesses you have here. Would it be bad form to borrow some of these ideas for my own game?

[Sabersonic]

Man, that is a seriously impressive amount of work, and some really cool concepts. I'm also dealing with a setting where characters will be using pre-existing "standard issue" mechs, and this is a really great set of examples.

Thanks, it took some time, and plenty of trial and error along with peer advise along the way, to get my current design system for this campaign/setting. It's still an evolving process though.

What do "Environmental Configuration" and "Tactical Package" do in game terms?

Oh well they grant environmental specific abilities to the mobile suit in question. Abilities like Space Flight, Flying, Swimming, along with new skills such as wireless communications and tactical coordination.

That and it beats creating different versions of the same design.

How are you incorporating these designs with your player characters' build/point totals? Or are you just making a PC without the mech and then assigning them a mech based on the characters in-game affiliations?

Well it's mostly the latter. Doesn't make much sense for an SRA Devicer to pilot a ZAFT Mobile Suit after all.

As for incorporating the Configurations and Packages, well originally I was doing an elaborate Ability Swapping system akin to the tabletop engine they were based upon utilizing the Gear Ability, but after some time thinking it over and having some suggestions given to me by my players, along with a brain fart or two, I figured that I'll just toss out the original Gear-based system and just go with the cost of the Configuration/Package being added to the Vehicle/Mecha total.

What is the function of "Prompt Use" as a weakness, as opposed to simply applying the "Activation" or "Buildup" flaw to the specific ability?

Yeah....that Weakness was engineered before I got a better grasp of the Perks/Flaws for Abilities.

Still, Prompt Use does indicate an ability that could only be used once per Combat Scene at most to suggest that it's such a time consuming process to restart from a sudden stop that it would be a "make or break" issue that could decide the outcome of any spacecraft duel or similar. Activation just suggests that it takes one turn at the earliest to activate an Ability and can be turned on just as many times in a single combat encounter. That and ultimately I'm not really saving any EP expenditure with said Abilities.

But ultimately I'm on the fence on it so it could go either way to be completely honest.

Though now that I think about it, if I use something like Effective and Cancel on the same Ability, would it be safe to assume that Cancel just doesn't allow said Ability to function or just not use the Effective side of the Perks equation and thus lowering the dice check? Anybody got an answer to that one? Because if its the latter, I got some ideas I want to test out

I really like some of the unique abilities and weaknesses you have here. Would it be bad form to borrow some of these ideas for my own game?

So long as you give credit where credit is due, go right ahead.

[Sabersonic]

I guess I'm gonna assume that, for my inquiries of both Tough/Vigorous and Cancel with Effective, that for the latter it's just a difference between levels increasing to +10 every 4-5 levels and that Cancel doesn't just turn off Effective but the entire Ability.

Granted one could, theoretically, just do two versions of the same Ability; the base vanilla version and the Cancel and/or Effective version. Eh, sounds like a better idea anyway.... More costly, but whatever.

As for the other inquires on both the "Overloaded" mechanic and new perks/flaws, I guess that it has silent forum approval and leave it at that. Though I guess, for simplification sake, the Ability Level Tables for both Passengers and Storage Capacity could be used to determine the penalty involved: For each population/mass that exceeds the level for that vehicle/mecha/ship, the dice penalty is -1 per Level. Not sure when this'll come up as a challenge for characters outside dramatic sense, but I guess I could be used to abuse the "no good deed goes unpunished" trope to show the consequences of selfless (usually) acts as well as selfish (usually) decisions.

But those aren't the true reason for this entry, though while I was here I might as well add them. Anyway, this brain fart hit me like a ton of bricks when I was watching this segment of the Star Fox Zero trailer (I can't be the only one whose getting Star Fox 2 vibes from that) and I recalled Clay's own words on Alternate Form.

Alternate Form - You have the ability to alter your form into one that is more specialized, optimized, and suited for a task or obstacle your standard body is just not up to the task and quickly change into and out of that other form as needed and as long as it takes to get the job done.

For each level in Alternate Form, you may spend that many Levels in specialized and optimized Abilities. Weaknesses can also be added to increase the number of Ability Levels available to you in this new form. Any abilities and Weaknesses acquired from this Alternate Form are cumulative to your character's own that would either enhance or diminish what is already present before the the new form is taken. In some cases, certain Weaknesses could fully cancel out Abilities and vice versa.

Unlike Transformation, however, Alternate Form do not alter your appearance enough to escape recognition, though it will be a noticeable challenge for those unaffiliated with you to connect the dots. Also, unlike Transformation, Alternate Form is not instantaneous but rather it takes time. Time enough to be disqualified as a Free Action even if used defensively.

That lead to a recollection of the Fusion Ability I made earlier and another aspect of said form that could be utilized I like to call "Fission Evasion".

Fission Evasion - You have a unique, defensive ability that is not for the faint of heart: Able to separate limbs or even your body apart at will to defend against blows, especially those too fast for you to evade normally. It's so abnormal that when it's used upon an enemy for the first time, it disorients them and allows an opening for you to exploit. However, it still takes a noticeable time to put yourself back together (no pun intended) that, like Barrier, it cannot be considered a Free Action each time Fission Evasion is used. The length of additional time, however, depends upon GM fiat.

It's not that unfounded, since there's at least three instances where such an Ability was used defensively: The Gundam Zephyranthes against the Val V/Waro Mobile Armor, the infamous Freedom vs. Impulse duel, and the Monsoon boss fight from Metal Gear Rising. All three battles were decided (or in the latter case, more frustrating) by the ability to detach parts of their bodies to evade blows and put their opponents off balance.

So then, thoughts on the proposed Abilities?

And as for my previous "Recovery" Weakness proposal, well Open to Attack already had that covered so nevermind. Brainfarts and all. Though it doesn't say anything about taking the Flaw more than once, something to ponder unless Clay notes otherwise...

[Sabersonic]

So, no opinions on the above inquiry after all this time? Granted, my assumptions have been proved correct by Clay's own stance on the matter, in addition to applying Scaled Advantage to certain Abilities, however I am more curious towards my own summaries of both Alternate Form and Fission Evasion in terms of gameplay balance and such.

Shall I assume that the lack of response equates to lack of objections towards them?

[Sabersonic]

I'll take the lack of response as a "yes" then and just move onto why I'm making this entry after nearly half of year of inactivity.

This particular brain worm burrowed itself so deeply into my skull that it actually affected my sleeping pattern. The brain worm in question is a combination/hybrid of my two previous mobile suit arms systems: Available Slots/Space Required as suggested by Clay, and Gear which I am currently using for my still-running campaign in which players spend their Character Points (and eventually Experience Points) on the acquisition of mobile suit small arms to add to their Mecha/Vehicle Ability.

It took me a disturbing amount of time before I ultimately justifying the half-cost of Gear for Mobile Suits in the form of small arms all thanks to Clay's own words on the subject at hand:

The main reason Vehicle doubles points is because, by and large, it’s a completely separate part of the adventure. If a vehicle is the focus, odds are either A) everyone has their own vehicle or B) everyone is in the same vehicle. In either case, the double points are not unbalancing because everyone will have roughly the same benefit.

But this particular brain bug, when I was working on a more "pure" execution of the Available Slots/Space Required system, suggests that I use both at the same time.

Let's start with the Jenice as a base example, if only because Gundam X deserves more love even after all these decades:

RMS-006 Jenice (6 Vehicle/Mecha Points)

Customization Notes: May only have one Environmental Configuration and two Tactical Packages at one time.

HEALTH: 50
ENDURANCE: 40
TV: 17
DX[END] - Attack

• 1[0] - “Linked Chest Autocannon” (Area Effect; Overwhelming; Impairing; Ranged. Ammunition x2; Inaccurate x3; Ineffective x2)
• 0[0] - “Linked Chest Machinegun” (Area Effect; Overwhelming; Ranged; Stunning. Ammunition; Inaccurate x3; Ineffective x3)
• 2[0] - “Shoulder Bash” (Affinity, Piloting; Barrier Buster; Effective; Impairing. Countered x3; Low Penetration)
• 1[0] - “Unarmed Mobile Suit Melee Combat” (Affinity, Piloting. Ineffective x2; Non-Penetrating)

Level - Ability

• +5 - Armored “Super Hard Steel Alloy” (Unique x2, Half Value against Flanking and Rear Attacks)
• +2 - Attack “Mobile Suit Weapon Systems” (Unique x2, Ranged Attacks Only)
• +8 - Available Slots "Small Arms Loadout"
• +2 - Evasive
• +2 - Heightened Senses
• +1 - Knowledge “Ranged Mobile Suit Combat”
• +3 - Perceptive “LADAR” (Cancel x2, Refraction-Heavy Conditions)
• +2 - Quick
• +1 - Tough

Level - Weakness

• -2 - Compulsion “Proper Cool-Down”
  -1 - Dependency “External Power Jumpstart” (86.4 Kiloseconds required to initiate nuclear fusion reaction self-sufficiency)
  -2 - Focus "Devicer Suit" (Attack, Combat Expert, Knowledge “Weaponry, Mobile Suit”)
  -1 - Ineptitude “Melee Mobile Suit Combat”
  -3 - Periodical Maintenance
  -2 - Restricted Freedom “Conditional Ownership”
  -2 - Servitude “Conditional Ownership”

As the keen eye (and those that also remember mind you) would have noticed, the Jenice has the Available Slots Attribute added to its profile to denounce its ability to swap out GM-designed and designated Mobile Suit Small Arms-based weapon Gears. In a 'pure' execution of the Available Slots/Space Required system, the SRA Jenice Devicer would have the choice of either an Anti-Armor Bazooka and a single magazine for a weapon loadout, a weapon layout that includes a Submachine Cannon with two magazines, a Heat Hawk, and a grenade for tactical flexibility, or any other combination of small arms that any single mobile suit is able to carry at any one time.

In this brain fart of mine, these small arms allocations (all for the sake of gameplay balance of course) utilize both the Gear and the Available Slots/Space Required systems in which the mobile suit in question could only hold so many weapons at one time and in the detriment of Character Points for the PC. Or rather, the Gear Weapon/Magazine in the form of the Attack Ability with Attack Variations must be both within the Character Point budget of that PC in question AND the mobile suit itself must have enough room to be stored.

This is best exemplified by the following weapon profiles:

Vibro Hawk

The primary melee weapon for SRA mobile suits, it utilizes blades that vibrate at very high frequencies in order to cut through many types of armor.

• DX[END] - Attack
• 2[5] - “High Frequency Edge” (Armor Piercing)

Level - Ability

• +1 - Attack “Vibro Hawk”
• +2 - Endurance Reserve “Internal Battery” (Space Required)

Level - Weakness

• -1 - Non-Transferable Use (Attack "Vibro Hawk")

FAITH 90mm Assault Cannon (Free Republic of Noa, Space Revolutionary Army)

FAITH standardized weapon type for mobile suits of the Settlement Freedom League; it is a dual feed autocannon that fires two different rounds depending upon need in addition to an underslung grenade launcher. However, the operation differs between SRL member nations. The SRA utilize solid propellant and electrical primer technology for their autocannons due to their ruggedness and simplicity and accelerated via electromagnetic fields, but are unable to accelerate them to higher velocities due to limited electrical output.

• DX[END] - Attack
• 3[0] - “90mm Penetration, Standard Chem-EM Acceleration” (Affinity, Kinetic. Area Effect; Armor Piercing; Ranged. Ammunition; Elaborate Gestures, Both Hands on Weapon; Inaccurate x2)
• 3[0] - “90mm High Explosive, Standard Chem-EM Acceleration” (Affinity, Explosive. Area Effect; Ranged; Stunning. Ammunition; Elaborate Gestures, Both Hands on Weapon; Inaccurate; Low Penetration)
• 2[0] - “90mm Penetration, Subsonic Chem-EM Acceleration” (Setting, “90mm Penetration, Standard Chem-EM Acceleration”; Unique x2, Stealth. Countered; Ineffective; Low Penetration x2)
• 2[0] - “90mm High Explosive, Subsonic Chem-EM Acceleration” (Setting, “90mm Penetration, Standard Chem-EM Acceleration”; Unique x2, Stealth. Countered; Ineffective; Low Penetration x2)
• 3[0] - “180mm Underslung Grenade Launcher” (Affinity, Aiming; Area Effect x2; Impairing; Ranged; Stunning. Activation; Ammunition x2; Elaborate Gestures, Both Hands on Weapon; Inaccurate x2; Space Required)
• 2[0] - “Bayonet” (Armor Piercing x2; Defensive; Reach. Elaborate Gestures, Both Hands on Weapon; Feather Blow; Ineffective)
• 2[0] - “Buttstroke” (Defensive; Stunning. Elaborate Gestures, Both Hands on Weapon; Ineffective; Low Penetration x2)

Level - Ability

• +3 - Attack “Assault Cannon” (Space Required)

Level - Weakness

• -1 - Non-Transferable Use (Attack "Assault Cannon")

So then, is this a sound system for mobile suit arms or is it redundant to have a player pay for said Weapon Gear when the Mobile Suit itself under the Vehicle/Weapon Ability already paid for that allocated space to be filled and customized?

Or should I stick with either Gear-based or Available Slots/Space Required-based systems?

As for my previous issue on Gear and Attack Ability stacking, I guess I can use my other custom Weakness "Non-Transferable Use" that I actually forgotten about completely like I did with the above Gear Weapon profiles.

[Sabersonic]

I think it's safe to assume that the forum has no opinion on weather or not I should either stick with either the Gear-based or Available Slots/Space Required-based systems or the hybrid system I mentioned in the previous post.

Though in the meanwhile, had considered just using a pure Attack Variation version of said Mobile Suit small arms that would be most compatible with the Available Slots/Space Required system in both its pure form and Hybrid. Either way, the above mentioned weapon profiles would be more like the following:

Vibro Hawk

• DX[END] - Attack
• 2[5] - “High Frequency Edge” (Armor Piercing x2; Impairing. Ineffective; Offensive; Weapon)

Level - Ability

• +2 - Endurance Reserve “Internal Battery” (Space Required)

Level - Weakness

• -1 - Non-Transferable Use (Attack "Vibro Hawk")

FAITH 90mm Assault Cannon (Free Republic of Noa, Space Revolutionary Army)

FAITH standardized weapon type for mobile suits of the Settlement Freedom League; it is a dual feed autocannon that fires two different rounds depending upon need in addition to an underslung grenade launcher. However, the operation differs between SRL member nations. The SRA utilize solid propellant and electrical primer technology for their autocannons due to their ruggedness and simplicity and accelerated via electromagnetic fields, but are unable to accelerate them to higher velocities due to limited electrical output.

• DX[END] - Attack
• 3[0] - “90mm Penetration, Standard Chem-EM Acceleration” (Area Effect; Armor Piercing x2; Ranged. Ammunition; Elaborate Gestures, Both Hands on Weapon; Inaccurate x2; Space Required; Weapon)
• 3[0] - “90mm High Explosive, Standard Chem-EM Acceleration” (Area Effect; Ranged; Stunning. Ammunition; Elaborate Gestures, Both Hands on Weapon; Inaccurate x2; Low Penetration; Space Required; Weapon)
• 2[0] - “90mm Penetration, Subsonic Chem-EM Acceleration” (Setting, “90mm Penetration, Standard Chem-EM Acceleration”; Unique x2, Stealth. Countered; Ineffective; Low Penetration x2)
• 2[0] - “90mm High Explosive, Subsonic Chem-EM Acceleration” (Setting, “90mm Penetration, Standard Chem-EM Acceleration”; Unique x2, Stealth. Countered; Ineffective; Low Penetration x2)
• 3[0] - “180mm Underslung Grenade Launcher” (Affinity, Aiming; Area Effect x2; Impairing; Ranged; Stunning. Activation; Ammunition x2; Elaborate Gestures, Both Hands on Weapon; Inaccurate x2; Space Required; Weapon)
• 2[0] - “Bayonet” (Armor Piercing x2; Defensive; Reach. Elaborate Gestures, Both Hands on Weapon; Feather Blow; Ineffective)
• 2[0] - “Buttstroke” (Defensive; Stunning. Elaborate Gestures, Both Hands on Weapon; Ineffective; Low Penetration x2)

Granted, there's still an issue of Gear Value for the Vibro Hawk, but I think I'll let that one slide for the moment to illustrate my previous thought pattern.

And speaking of thought patterns, another brain worm came about as I looked at my older builds and thought about both my Environmental Configurations and Tactical Packages and thought "Why can I NOT utilize the Available Slots/Space Required-based systems?" and that particular train of thought turned into the following:

Orbital Mechanics Superiority Configuration (1 Vehicle Gear)
STANDARD MODEL

Level - Ability

• +2 - Perception “Infrared”
• +2 - Spaceflight “Thermonuclear Fusion Rockets” (Requirement, Water/Remass; Space Required x2)
• +2 - Vigorous (Space Required x2)

Level - Weakness

• -3 - Prerequisite “Heat Radiators” (2x Radiator Panels)
• -1 - Endurance Use “Thermonuclear Fusion Rockets”

Command Tactical Package (3 Vehicle Gear)

Level - Ability

• +1 -Agile (Space Required)
• +1 - Evasive (Space Required)
• +1 - Knowledge “Tactical Coordination”
• +1 - Knowledge “Wireless Communications”
• +2 - Perception
• +1 - Vigorous (Space Required)

Level - Weakness

• -1 - Restricted Freedom

Reconnaissance Tactical Package (2 Vehicle Gear)

As per the United Maintenance Plan of the Settlement Freedom League’s Fast Acting Integral Tactical Headquarters or FAITH, this tactical adaptation package can be placed upon any SRL mobile suit of their respective nations with enough personnel to commit an entire week’s worth of installation and overhaul. The primary focus of the tactical adaptation package is that of long-range observation and stealth for reconnaissance, forward observation, and sniping duties.

Level - Ability

• +1 - Art of Invisibility (Space Required)
  +1 - Invisibility (Space Required x2)
  +2 - Knowledge “Wireless Communications”
  +2 - Perception “Infrared”

Level - Weakness

• -2 - Unique “Unarmored”*

Jenice Assault Tactical Package (1 Vehicle Gear)

An optional equipment package for the RMS-06 Jenice, it mounts additional weapon systems and armor at the cost of mobility. Its primary weapon is its massive, articulated servo arm mounted Heavy Support Cannon which many considered a semi-artillery cannon that several soldiers have also called affectionately the “Smart Gun” due not only its overall design but also the integrated fire solution system built into the weapon. Its other distinguishing weapon design attribute are its dual Assault Aegis shields mounted upon the shoulders that each hold a Dual Gatling Cannons and a two-tube RPG Launcher. Thus turning the Jenice into a walking heavy support platform.

• DX[END] - Attack
• 4[0] - “Articulated Servo Arm-mounted Heavy Support Cannon, Penetrative Round” (Affinity, Aiming; Area Effect; Effective; Ranged. Ammunition x2; Requirement, Both Hands on Weapon; Space Required)
• 4[0] - “Articulated Servo Arm-mounted Heavy Support Cannon, High Explosive Round” (Affinity, Aiming; Area Effect; Effective; Ranged; Stunning. Ammunition x2; Low Penetration x2; Requirement, Both Hands on Weapon; Space Required)
• 2[0] - “Dual Gatling Cannons” (Overwhelming; Ranged. Ammunition; Inaccurate; Ineffective; Space Required)
• 4[0] - “3-Tube Missile Launchers” (Area Effect; Effective; Impairing; Ranged; Stunning. Activation; Ammunition x2; Inaccurate x3; Space Required)
• 3[0] - “2-Tube RPG Launcher” (Area Effect; Ranged; Stunning. Ammunition x2; Inaccurate x2; Space Required)
  Level - Ability
  • +5 - Armored (Space Required)
    +2 - Barrier “Assault Aegis”
  Level - Weakness
  • -1 - Awkward Size
    -2 - Slow
    -2 - Unique “Cannot Utilize Explosive Ordinances”

RMS-006 Jenice (4 Vehicle/Mecha Points)


HEALTH: 50
ENDURANCE: 40
TV: 17
DX[END] - Attack

• 1[0] - “Linked Chest Autocannon” (Area Effect; Overwhelming; Impairing; Ranged. Ammunition x2; Inaccurate x3; Ineffective x2)
• 0[0] - “Linked Chest Machinegun” (Area Effect; Overwhelming; Ranged; Stunning. Ammunition; Inaccurate x3; Ineffective x3)
• 2[0] - “Shoulder Bash” (Affinity, Piloting; Barrier Buster; Effective; Impairing. Countered x3; Low Penetration)
• 1[0] - “Unarmed Mobile Suit Melee Combat” (Affinity, Piloting. Ineffective x2; Non-Penetrating)

Level - Ability

• +5 - Armored “Super Hard Steel Alloy” (Unique x2, Half Value against Flanking and Rear Attacks)
• +2 - Attack “Mobile Suit Weapon Systems” (Unique x2, Ranged Attacks Only)
• +4 - Available Slots "Environmental Configuration"
• +8 - Available Slots "Small Arms Loadout"
• +6 - Available Slots "Tactical Package"
• +2 - Evasive
• +2 - Heightened Senses
• +1 - Knowledge “Ranged Mobile Suit Combat”
• +3 - Perceptive “LADAR” (Cancel x2, Refraction-Heavy Conditions)
• +2 - Quick
• +1 - Tough

Level - Weakness

• -2 - Aided Use “Environmental Configuration”, “Tactical Package”
• -2 - Compulsion “Proper Cool-Down”
• -1 - Dependency “External Power Jumpstart” (86.4 Kiloseconds required to initiate nuclear fusion reaction self-sufficiency)
• -2 - Focus "Devicer Suit" (Attack, Combat Expert, Knowledge “Weaponry, Mobile Suit”)
• -1 - Ineptitude “Melee Mobile Suit Combat”
• -3 - Periodical Maintenance
• -3 - Precondition Use “Environmental Configuration”, “Tactical Package” (Hangar Bay)
• -10 - Prompt Use “Environmental Configuration”, “Tactical Package” (Refitting, 1x Month)
• -2 - Restricted Freedom “Conditional Ownership”
• -2 - Servitude “Conditional Ownership”

[/list]

So then, thoughts on this particular execution of the Available Slots/Space Required-based system?