Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group

[FlashbackJon]

I've been savaging a setting (among others) in which high-powered man-sized robots hunt down other robots, usually anthropomorphic and elemental. NE is apparently PERFECT for designing said robots.

Even though in said setting almost every single character is a robot, I want to allow players to be human too (using AB[Robot Armor] and the Device modifier).

One thing I was considering, however, was making robots and robot armor weapons Heavy by default, and adding an additional level of damage/armor called Mega Weapons and Mega Armor, following the same rules and comparisons.

In this way, these robots are essentially a match for a standard tank, and while they are impervious to bullets, they can still be taken out with a well-placed rocket or missile. Meanwhile, a mega-tank or mega-robot still requires an exceptional weapon to be reduced to rubble.

Would this be too difficult to implement effectively while maintaining FFF?
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[zeth]

No, the mecha rules on Savage Heroes used something similar. But if ALL the robots have heavy weapons and armor then why not just make that 'normal' and the mega 'heavy' armor and weapons. Does anyone in the game use standard armor and weapons?

[FlashbackJon]

That would be the implication in this case. Even they are, for the most part, not present in the games - in the setting proper, there are still normal tanks and normal cars and normal weapons and normal people with normal armor and normal (that is, heavy) rocket launchers.

[Bill]

No particular reason you can's have a setting rule of:
normal
Heavy (normal weapons can't pierce Heavy Armor)
Mega (neither normal nor Heavy Weapons can pierce Mega Armor)

And then weapons would be normal, heavy or mega.

While it adds another layer of complexity it would be appropriate for this setting.

While Mega weapons would be available they don't have to do more damage, their AP would just be rated better. Thus a Mega rifle might do 2d8 damage with an AP M2 allowing it to ignore any type of normal armor and heavy armor but still do only 2d8 damage. A chance to take out that Toughness 14 tank but still hard. Against the Mecha with toughness 16 and Mega Armor 10 the net 24 (16+10-2) would be almost impenetrable to the Mega rifle. This would simply keep the dice rolling down.

OR

You can go with AP less than 4 is not a heavy weapon and bounces against Heavy or Mega Armor; AP less than 8 is not a Mega weapon and bounces against Mega Armor. Still most tank rounds will have AP over 8 so the main rounds would still damage the mechs. Damage would need to be escallated with those weapons you view as Mega, perhaps looking for a dice combo with an average damage value about 4 points higher than it's normal "heavy" equivalent. A 20mm AC with AP4 doing 3d8 damage (average damage 13.5) would be upgraded to a Mega 20mm AC with AP8 doing 4d8 (average damage value 1. Anyway, either would work.
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The More I Learn, The Less I Know

[FlashbackJon]

First attempt:

Heavy Weapons: These weapons are capable of affecting characters and vehicles with Heavy Armor. Weapons with an AP of 4 or greater are automatically considered Heavy Weapons.
Heavy Armor: Only weapons marked as Heavy Weapons can hurt this character or vehicle, regardless of the damage roll. Vehicles with Heavy Armor halve damage they take from colliding with other obstacles (including vehicles) that don’t have Heavy Armor.
Mega Weapons: These weapons are capable of affecting characters and vehicles with Mega Armor. Weapons with an AP of 10 or greater are automatically considered Mega Weapons. Additionally, Mega Weapons do an addition die of damage to targets with Heavy Armor and two additional dice of damage to targets with neither Heavy nor Mega Armor. (For example, a Mega Weapon Blaster Rifle would do 3d6 damage to a Mega Armored target, 4d6 to a Heavy Armored target, and 5d6 to a target with ordinary armor.
Mega Armor: Only weapons marked as Mega Weapons can hurt this character or vehicle, regardless of the damage roll. Vehicles with Mega Armor halve damage they take from colliding with other obstacles (including vehicles) that don’t have Mega Armor.


Leave the extra damage for Mega Weapons? Add an equivalent rule for Heavy Weapons? AP10 a decent cutoff point? Do I even want to specify "automatically becomes" for an AP value, or leave it only to those explicitly declared to be Heavy/Mega? It leaves Blaster Rifle as Heavy Weapons, but a Plasma Rifle becomes Mega (and also does a ridiculous level of damage to Heavy and Normal armored targets, so may need to be adjusted).
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[supercOntra]

I'd declare weapons heavy or mega in order to avoid having to adjust several weapons afterwards.
BTW I like the Idea of robot hunting robots. Reminds me of the ABC warriors. Keep us posted on your development.
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"Eyes without life…sundered heads…piles of carcasses…these are pleasing words to me"
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[FlashbackJon]

Take 2, this time with races! (And also, apparently I need to look up this A.B.C. Warrior TPB!)

SETTING RULES

Heavy Weapons: These weapons are capable of affecting characters and vehicles with Heavy Armor.
Heavy Armor: Only weapons marked as Heavy Weapons can hurt this character or vehicle, regardless of the damage roll. Vehicles with Heavy Armor halve damage they take from colliding with other obstacles (including vehicles) that don’t have Heavy Armor.
Mega Weapons: These weapons are capable of affecting characters and vehicles with Mega Armor. Additionally, Mega Weapons do an addition die of damage to targets with Heavy Armor and two additional dice of damage to targets with neither Heavy nor Mega Armor. (For example, a Mega Weapon Blaster Rifle would do 3d6 damage to a Mega Armored target, 4d6 to a Heavy Armored target, and 5d6 to a target with ordinary armor.
Mega Armor: Only weapons marked as Mega Weapons can hurt this character or vehicle, regardless of the damage roll. Vehicles with Mega Armor halve damage they take from colliding with other obstacles (including vehicles) that don’t have Mega Armor.

RACES

Human: Our race, only older and wiser and a little less populous.
Adaptable (+2): May take 1 free Edge during character creation.
Arcane Background [R-Grade Armor] (+2): Humans receive the Arcane Background Edge for free. This is functionally the same as Arcane Background [Super Powers] listed in Necessary Evil, p.19, except that all Powers are purchased as Devices. A human character may instead forfeit this Background for another free Edge.
Technophiles (+2): The character may either receive 5 Power Points free at character creation OR increase two skills below their linked attribute by one die size OR increase a single skill at or above its linked attribute by one die size.

Robot: All moderns robots are free-willed copies of the original thinking Androids, the technology for which is long since lost.
Arcane Background [Robot] (+2): Robots receive the Arcane Background Edge for free. This is functionally the same as Arcane Background [Super Powers] listed in Necessary Evil, p.19.
Construct (+2): Robots are constructs, as per the Power in Necessary Evil, p.36.
Toughness (+2): Even the smallest Robots are built out of post-space-age materials and have incredible resilience. Robots have 1 level of Toughness, as per the power on p.50 of Necessary Evil. This Toughness cannot be negated by Armor Piercing attacks and is Heavy Armor.

MODIFICATION TEMPLATE

Renegades: There are two basic types of Renegade: Freewill Renegades and Viral Renegades. Freewill Renegades have no special rules, as they are simply Robots who refuse to follow the rules. Humans may only ever be Freewill Renegades. Viral Renegades, on the other hand, have been infected by the Renegade Virus and had their behavioral inhibitors disabled or bypassed, resulting in what is a essentially Robot sociopathy. Renegade characters, if they are allowed, take the following modifications:
Heartless (-1): Most behavioral algorithms or inhibitors are destroyed by the virus. As per NE, p.18.
Outsider (-1): Renegades find it difficult to disguise themselves as law-abiding Robots. As per SWEX, p.17.
Servitor (-2): Renegades are ultimately subject to the whims and mandates of the virus and its self-perpetuating programming. As per NE, p.19.
Enhanced (+4): The virus enhances the Robot's physical characteristics. Two of the character's five attributes start as a D6, rather than a D4.
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[ronin3338]

I'm not familiar with the setting, but I'm picturing a Mega tank being able to drive through a normal building or bulldoze past a normal tank like nothing.

Maybe change the Mega Armor to "takes NO damage from colliding with other obstacles (including vehicles) that don't have Mega Armor"?

[supercOntra]

I like your races and the lates setting rules. I agree in part with ronin3338 that no damage should be taken by megas under certain circumstances. No damage vs non-mega damage seems a bit over the top.
Perhaps:
Vehicles with Mega Armor halve damage they take from colliding with other obstacles (including vehicles) that have Heavy Armor and no damage from those with normal armor. A bit less powerful and still FFF
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"Eyes without life…sundered heads…piles of carcasses…these are pleasing words to me"
http://www.savageslaine.com

[FlashbackJon]

Recommendations taken into account (went with half-damage from Heavy and none from Normal).

My next dilemma is the ubiquitous "hand blaster" and/or "plasma sword" that all robots more or less come with. The blaster is fairly straightforward, via the Ranged Attack power, but it's pretty expensive in PP to be considered "ubiquitous."

The sword is representative of Melee Attack, but that power augments the use of a different weapon. Any recommendations for making it a standalone, with the benefits of the weapon of choice? (That is, you can have a "plasma spear" with Parry 1, Reach 1, as opposed to your standard issue plasma sword.)
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[FlashbackJon]

Here's a thought:
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PLASMA GENERATOR (3/LEVEL)
Trappings: Requires a plasma weapon.
The character can fuel plasma weapons indefinitely. Each additional level (beyond the first) also provides them with an additional die of damage equal to the die type of the weapon.
---

Plasma weapons are HW versions of traditional weapons (down to weight and cost) but are non-functional without the generator. Alternatively, double the cost to get a power pack good for X uses.

i.e.
Plasma Sword: Str+d8, $300, HW
Plasma Spear: Str+d6, $100, HW, Parry+1, Reach 1, 2H

Thoughts?
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[supercOntra]

Looks good, I'd go for indefinite uses to avoid bookkeeping
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"Eyes without life…sundered heads…piles of carcasses…these are pleasing words to me"
http://www.savageslaine.com

[FlashbackJon]

Fundamental to the setting is the concept of Charging.

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CHARGE
All plasma weapons and some other weapons are able to Charge. A character who spends a full round charging (movement is allowed, but no other action) may increase the damage dice size of his weapon - it increases one die size per round up to maximum stated in the weapon description. Each turn spent charging costs 1 shot, unless the character has a Plasma Generator. The maximum charge may be held indefinitely - holding a charge does not cost ammunition. If the character is shaken or wounded while charging, they must make a Vigor roll or lose the charge. On the character's turn, he may fire the charged weapon at the charged damage level. After this shot, the damage of the weapon returns to its base value.
---


In exemplum, a buster cannon does 2d6 damage, but has "Charge d10" listed in its details. The player takes a turn, expends 1 shot of ammunition, and increases the damage code to 2d8. The next turn, he may fire a shot for 2d8 damage or continue charging. If he continues charging, he takes his turn, expends 1 shot of ammunition, and increases the damage code to 2d10. He can hold the "d10" charge indefinitely, but he can't go beyond it.

When he goes to fire, he expends another shot of ammunition and makes an attack as normal, only with increased damage.

Thoughts?
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