Robotech II: the Sentinels, Pathfinder Edition

Game Master Elton

Kicking off this discussion thread. Since we are mixing two systems together, its not impossible that there will be conflicts and misunderstandings between one system and the other to crop up. One already has--

Combat Skills vs. Base Attack Bonus
A misunderstanding how the combat skills work. The combat skills work like the Weapon Focus feats. Unlike the Weapon Focus feats that modify your attack by two points or more, the skills represent better use of your weapon by representing training and practice in using that weapon.

A combat skill does not represent your Base Attack Bonus completely. The base attack bonus represents your overall ability to hurt someone in a battle with any weapon. A combat skill relates to practice with a specific weapon.

Fencing manuals illustrate this point. Fencing is probably, defacto, the most intricate form of sword fighting in recent human memory. The only other weapon art that can possibly eclipse it is Tai Chi Quan (scene from Hero).

There were dozens of manuals that came out describing this fine weapon art, and Stage Fencing is the closest we get to seeing fencing. Its so intricate that one cannot simply use a feat to describe overall practice with your rapier. As the text shows: A 15th Century English Sword Text - MS 39564. A combat skill (fencing) can replace weapon finesse and with practice your pc too, can charm the ladies.

Other problems with the system can be related to in this thread.

I just finished the Old Sentinels comic today, so I have some ideas for missions to fly you all on. I'll do my best not railroad you through the comics plot, since we are doing our own plotting.

:)

"Duke" checking in! Sorry I'm late to the party, didn't know you started these threads.

About Attributes; are we supposed to modify our Mechs with these as well, or are they for the PC's only?

PCs only. :)

Player two come on down!

VF-XX Zentran Space Valkyrie

Description and History

The VF-XX Zentran Space Valkyrie is Russian company's Mikoyan's entry in the VF-2 Space Nova program. The Socialist Independent States competed in the VF-2 Space Nova program in return for a colony ship of their own. Russian company Mikoyan's engineers studied the Zentraedi power armor and designed the YF-XX Space Valkyrie Prototype in 2015. The prototype includes much technology from the Zentraedi's Queadluun-Rau female power armor and is built based on the design.

The YF-XX Space Valkyrie was test piloted by Miriya Sterling, and the U.N. Spacy/RDF Generals felt that due to the performance, it could be fielded as a Space Fighter in defense of the Colonies with the VF-4 Lightning as a second line in Defense. Commissioned as the VF-XX, the Socialist Independent States were given the Megaroad-05.

The Zentran Valkyrie sees the bulk of it's service as a primary Space Fighter in the colonies and is most often piloted by the Zentraedi/Meltrandi. Some 850 VF-XX space Valkyries went with the Pioneer Mission piloted by capable Zentran Pilots who were trained by the U.N. Spacy.

The VF-XX is built more like a rocketship rather than a jet. It does not have the wings of an Aircraft, though it can fly reasonably in an atmosphere. The VF-XX is designed to have three rocket thrusters and Mikoyan designed the fighter to be heavily more armored than the Queadluun-Rau. The VF-XX is armed with a plasma cannon under it's nose, firing lightning plasma and it is also armed with laser cannons. Designed for Spaceflight, the VF-XX is tough and reliable and the Zentraedi pilots have fear taking the heavy duty mecha into the thick of battle.

picture of the VF-XX Zentran Space Valkyrie's Battloid/Soldier mode can be seen here.

Dimensions:
Height
Soldier mode: 45 feet high (13.7 m).
Jet Mode: 17 feet (5.2 m).

Width
Soldier Mode: 19 feet (4.9 m) shoulder length
Jet Mode: 20 feet (6 m) wingspan.

Length
Soldier Mode: 16 feet (4.9 m)
Jet mode: 45 feet long (13.7 m)

Picture of the VF-XX Zentran Space Valkyrie's Jet mode can be seen here.

STATISTICS
-- Jet Configuration --

Class: Variable Fighter
Size: Huge (Weight: 29 tons)
Hit Points: 48
Occupants: 1 pilot
Cargo: 50 lbs.
Armor: 22
Defense: +7 (Military Armor)
Strength: 31
Spaceflight: 4G (Delta V 12,500 mph)
Handling: +2/+2

Special Abilities: Accessories (Standard to any REF/U.N. Spacy mecha), Booster, Long-Range Radio and Laser Coms, Electromagnetic Armor (+1 armor against missiles), Life Support, Sensors: Optics and Ladar

Exotic Qualities: Transformation (Jet to Soldier, Soldier to Jet)

Defects: Conditional Ownership (U.N. Spacy/Robotech Expeditionary Force), Hanger Queen, Reduced Endurance, Very Noisy, Startup Time (3 minutes), Volatile

-- Soldier Configuration --

Class: Variable Fighter
Size: Huge (Weight: 29 tons)
Hit Points: 48
Occupants: 1 pilot
Cargo: 50 lbs.
Armor: 22
Defense: +7 (Military Armor)
Strength: 31
Running Speed: 70 MPH.
Spaceflight: 4G (Delta V 12,500 mph)
Handling: +2/+2

Special Abilities: Accessories (Standard to any REF/U.N. Spacy mecha), Booster, Long-Range Radio and Laser Coms, Electromagnetic Armor (+1 armor against missiles), Life Support, Sensors: Optics and Ladar

Exotic Qualities: Transformation (Jet to Soldier, Soldier to Jet)

Defects: Conditional Ownership (U.N. Spacy/Robotech Expeditionary Force), Hanger Queen, High Ground Pressure*, Reduced Endurance, Very Noisy, Startup Time (3 minutes), Volatile

* Because of the Soldier Configuration's small "feet" in comparison to its size, it tends to sink
into the ground. The mecha will bog down in any swamp, deep snow, or mud (no movement). It moves at 1/2 speed when crossing sand, light snow, or soggy ground. This is cumulative with the penalties for Road Vehicle.

figured i might as well move over here since i am making a character.

here is the profile (it is a work in progress). I am working him as a serene person yet bestial fighter.

What skill do i need to put points in to get a mecha? you said Item Rank 2?

Also i would like Ajit to work for some organization. I gave him the lore of the robotech masters and invid since they jacked up his planet, so i figured he would learn a lot about them so he could kill any he comes across (if he can get away with it).

I imagine him as part of some group that promotes the security of the Garudan race, or at least does so while also promoting the security of the local group and/or "down with invids and robotech masters".

He most commonly uses the astral skin form of his suit, so he would have it on underneath a regular mecha pilot suit / combat armor / etc.

figured i might as well move over here since i am making a character.

here is the profile (it is a work in progress)

What skill do i need to put points in to get a mecha? you said Item Rank 2?

Depends on the points put into the mecha. Terran Mecha costs more than Zentraedi, Invid, or Robotech Masters Mecha. I'll convert a Bioroid for you and then divide the total Mecha Points by 2 to give you how much the item could cost (actually Own a Big Mecha had it's own mechanic. 1 CP = 400 Mecha Points, so I'll go by that. It may end up to be cheeper.).

Also, change the skill Fly to to the skill Pilot. I can't stress this enough. Your in a science fiction universe piloting a machine that's manufactured.

Alright, Robotech Masters' Bioroid. As a mercenary you would probably be outfitted with a Red Bioroid because of your psionic abilities.

====================================================

LEADER COMBAT BIOROID

click on a picture of a Red Bioroid here.

The "Red Bioroid" was a rare sight in the armies of the Robotech Masters. Superior in speed and armor to the other Type 1 and 2 Bioroids (Blue and Green, respectively), this mecha was usually reserved for senior commanders, for their supervisory capacity over other Bioroids in the field. The most noteworthy pilot of this mecha was Zor Prime, a clone of the original Robotech Master, who was allowed to be captured by Earth forces, and whose actions directly led to the end of the Second Robotech War.

The Bioroid is unarmed and incapable of flight, and makes up for these deficiencies with one of two types of gun pod and the Bioroid Hoversled. The Red Bioroid is usually equipped with the "Disk" gun pod, so named because it is shaped like an upright disk.

The Bioroid is controlled by a mechanism unique to all Robotech mecha. While Battloids and Battlepods use input from control sticks and pedals to translate pilot's intent to the mecha, and whereas Power Armors amplify limb movements to the mecha's own limbs, the Bioroid is completely mentally controlled. A series of biological "diodes" implanted into the pilot reroute brain signals from the pilot's motor nervous system to the Bioroid's, making the Bioroid an extention of the pilot's own body. Because of this, and because of the unique servo system, the Bioroid is extremely difficult to disable without killing or incapacitating the pilot. A side effect of the control system is that when the pilot is improperly removed from the mecha, his/her nervous system is damaged, and may become completely unresponsive.

It is also probable that controllers aboard Robotech Master Assault Corvettes were capable of controlling their Bioroid pilots directly, as evidenced by the fact that hits to the control center on the Corvettes often caused the Bioroids and Corvette to make a quick retreat.

RED COMMAND BIOROID

Concept: Mind Controlled Organic Robot
Type: Giant Robot
Size: Huge (20 ft. or 6.5 m tall)
Hit Points: 50 [60 MP]
Occupants: 1 Pilot [10 MP]
Cargo: none [0 MP]
Armor: 17 [85 MP]
Defense: +4 [20 MP]
Strength: 25 [45 MP]
Speed: 60 Mph, running -- [102 MP = Armor * Speed (60/10)]
Handling: +2/+2 [40 MP]

Sub total:

Special Abilities: Comm -- Long Range Telepathic Radio [10 MP], Electromagnetic Armor [34 MP], Life Support [12 MP], Meta-Scanner [1 mile, 8 MP], Targeting Computer +3 [15 MP]

Exotic Abilities: Mind-Interface System [10 MP]

Sub total: 449

Defects: Hangar Queen [-10 MP], High Ground Pressure [-10 MP], Reduced Endurance (several hours) [-20], Start Up Time: 1 minute [-2 MP], Weak Point (head) [-17 MP]

Grand Total: 390

Own a Big Mecha Equivalent = 1 rank (5 CP)
Item Equivalent: 2 CP

Also i would like Ajit to work for some organization. I gave him the lore of the robotech masters and invid since they jacked up his planet, so i figured he would learn a lot about them so he could kill any he comes across (if he can get away with it).

I imagine him as part of some group that promotes the security of the Garudan race, or at least does so while also promoting the security of the local group and/or "down with invids and robotech masters".

He most commonly uses the astral skin form of his suit, so he would have it on underneath a regular mecha pilot suit / combat armor / etc.

Oh, that changes everything. But you need to be on Tirol in order to join up with the other players ASAP.

Download BESM d20 Mecha from Scribd, if you dare. If you can afford it, its on RPGNow and DTRPG (OBS) and I'll let you design your own mecha. It can't be transformable, remember. You also need to provide a picture.

yeah, i decided that he would be similar to the Beast in XMen. Smart, but with bestial strength and also good at repairing things.

That's not to say that sometimes he might not use the other types of astral suits, but at the moment he commonly uses the skin.

I'll buy the pdf from rpgnow probably. i stopped downloading books for free when wotc stopped pumping out splatbooks with little to no usable content in them :D

much later in the levels, he will be able to manifest an astral suit big enough to cover his bioroid, that will be cool. or maybe at some point in the future he can invent a device that amplifies his astral suit over the bioroid.

here is a rough draft of my character point spending:

the leader bioroid fits in with the idea i had of him being a low-level leader (like probably nothing more than a platoon commander) in the organization he is beholden to

also, would my idea for an organization not work? i am open to any ideas you think would fit me in the setting better.

like some sort of mercenary company. the stuff about his wanting to protect Garuda can be internal motivations.

whew! seems like paizo has been down FOREVER today!!

Ajit seems to be mostly done, just need some guidance on equipment.

traded 4 minor items for one major, i was thinking he would have a hoverbike (one of his major items) that would be upgraded significantly (by me using another major item to indicate an upgraded engine and maybe some body armor on it)

i imagine him wearing some sort of body armor that most pilots would wear over their flight suit inside a mecha. something equivalent to a flak jacket with some SAPIs in it. also, i got him a pistol of some sort, i figured that would be something like standard issue.

he has the defect with gear where his organization owns it, but that could be either the bioroid or the pistol/flak jacket/etc. (since it might make more sense that he has unrestricted use of the mecha as opposed to issued weapons, since he is a mechanic? not sure)

also, would my idea for an organization not work? i am open to any ideas you think would fit me in the setting better.

like some sort of mercenary company. the stuff about his wanting to protect Garuda can be internal motivations.

A mercenary company would work. Most war veterans don't know anything else, and they would sell their skills at killing for a price. It's not impossible for aliens to have the same thing. Only thing is, your company's services is bought by Tirol to help with the defenses. You can name the Merc company.

The bioroid.

Ok ill come up with a name and the skeleton of a backstory when I get off work today.

How much AC does the flak jacket give, and how much damage for a pistol?

Also what kind of upgrade can I do to my hoverbike?

Ok ill come up with a name and the skeleton of a backstory when I get off work today.

How much AC does the flak jacket give, and how much damage for a pistol?

Also what kind of upgrade can I do to my hoverbike?

Q1A:That's the problem with Pathfinder not coming out with a Modern or Sci-Fi sister RPG. A Robotech Masters' pistol (the one used by Rem in Sentinels) does as much damage as a Glock 17.

Tirolian Personal Pistol - Damage 2d6; Critical 20; Damage Type: Energy; Range Increment - 30 ft.; Rate of Fire: Single Shot; Magazine - 17 per energy clip; Size: small; Weight: 2 lb; Purchase DC: 18; Restriction - Licensed (+1)

Q2A: A flak-Jacket = Tactical vest in d20 Modern, so: AC 16.
http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/resources/systems/pennpaper/modern/ smack/armor.html

Q3A: Several, actually. Page 104-106 of the BESM d20 Anime Roleplayer's Handbook lists about 12 different upgrades you can make to your hoverbike. Also, pages 105-107 of d20 Future lists additional options. The Robotech Masters' Empire is considered to be PL 7, while the REF is considered to be PL 5 with a jump start to PL 6 with Robotechnology. In GURPS terms, the REF is considered to be Tech level 10 -- Robotics without going to a micro tech age; with Tech level 11 in transportation.

Updates to the Webpage:

- 1 Veritech Hover Tank update.
- 2 Zentran Valkyrie added.
- 3 VF-4 Lightning III partially done.

Next: Working on Metal Siren Strike Valkyrie -- made to strike at Capital Warships. Note: Macross II has gotten some love from Shoji Kawamori.

Not sure what you mean about the hoverbike. How good of one can I have for the cost of 2 major items?

and i will likely have to downgrade the vest to something that allows for a little more dexterity, since dex is something he has a decent amount of. perhaps a concealable vest.

(although flak jackets arent as limiting as that document suggests, unless you burden them down with tons of ammo pouches and whatnot)

yeah. sounds okay to me. That document was talking about a tactical vest.

anything else you need from my characteR?

Make sure you have the Mecha (Bioroid) Operation feat?

oh, didnt know that was a thing

also i couldnt find hoverbike in the equipment chapter of the online rules

hover bikes are part of the Robotech canon.

They are essentially motorcycles with hovercraft locomotion instead of wheeled locomotion.

is this the right place to look? the only upgrade i see is a sidecar...

Yes, it is. All of those upgrades can work, well -- except nitro.

ah i see, so i will go with:

GPS
turbocharger
improved brakes
engine rebuild

might swap engine rebuild out for armor. the armor upgrade on that talks about armor in the sense of protecting the driver, but i am looking for armor that would specifically protect the vital parts of the bike itself. so if someone shoots at it to try to disable it, it would be better protected.

then again, i might just add an alarm, although i find it hard to believe that isnt standard in most vehicles.

ok all done with my character Ajit, just need to know a hoverbikes stats because my upgrades add:

Burglar Alarm
GPS
Turbocharger (+20mph max speed)
Improved Brakes (+2 drive check for any maneuver that requires quick stopping or slowing)

ok all done with my character Ajit, just need to know a hoverbikes stats because my upgrades add:

Burglar Alarm
GPS
Turbocharger (+20mph max speed)
Improved Brakes (+2 drive check for any maneuver that requires quick stopping or slowing)

All the stats come from Palladium Books, and therefore not open. Just a moment.

Police Motorcycle
Most police departments use Harley-Davidson motorcycles, specially altered to suit the department’s needs and painted to look obvious. It has a professional CB radio, siren, bubble lights, and a powerful 1450 cc engine. It has two large saddlebags that contain the following items: 6 zip-ties, 3 road flares, a multipurpose tool, a first-aid kit, and a flashlight. A police motorcycle is one square wide by two squares long.

Harley Davidson FLSTF (street bike) 1 1 0 lb. -1 +1 275 (27) 9 5 22 L 26 Lic (+1)

http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/resources/systems/pennpaper/modern/ smack/vehicles.html

Look under Harley Davidson FLSTF street bike.

Alright I should be ready to enter play then once I add that to my equipment on my sheet.

cool!!

Are we going to be a mixed unit then? Like a special ops unit thrown together from different squadrons of mechs and vehicles?

Yep.

does mine come with the saddlebags like the police one or no?

no it doesn't.

ok my sheet is up to date then.

Should I join gameplay?

Not-- yet-- unless you want to make up a throwaway human character.

Naaah I'll wait

Okay, I need a new human player to join the humans on the SDF-3 and interact with Wade. If you can find one, I'll be grateful. :)

I'll ask a friend of mine. Not sure if he will be interested.

He said he is in enough games. Later when I get home I will cross post in some games

no hits from my other games but i bumped the recruitment and looks like one possibly interested there.

Hello all! I think I'm nearly ready.

Okay, the game play thread is already open and ready for you to post. :)

you guys need to do stuff! gotta get into space so my character can be introduced! hahahaha

CAP = combat air patrol? combined action platoon?

I used it the same as Combat Air Patrol (in Space!)

GM - anything you need from us before we get started? Or do you have things to work on?