Transformers RPG Help


Homebrew and House Rules


So, I'm starting with the Pathfinder Modern (referred to as "PFM") system because I like the flexibility of the "Modern Hero." This is what I have so far.

Character Creation:
Race- Created using the Advanced Races Guide (9-12 rp). The races include Colonial, Soldier, Seeker, Scholar, Minicon, Worker, and Triple-changer, stats to be posted later.

Attributes- Rolled normally depending on campaign, modified by the chosen race.

Class- Using Modern Hero rules, linked here: http://www.d20modernpf.com/characters/modern-hero-base-class

Feats- A few homebrew feats have been added to the list, available for both PF and PFM, minus anything connected to a magical ability or spell-casting class feature. However, anything that requires the Human subtype can be chosen by Colonials, the Orc subtype can be chosen by Soldiers, the Elf subtype can be chosen by Scholars, the Dwarf subtype can be chosen by Workers, and the Halfling subtype can be chosen by Minicons.

Skills- Most of the skills remain, though a few have been replaced and a few added.
REPLACE: Handle Animal = Handle Primitive A.I. (Int), Heal = Medic (Wis), Spellcraft = Sparkcraft, Use Magic Device = Use Ancient Device (Cha)

ADD: Drive (Alt-mode)(???), Knowledge (Civics)(Int), Knowledge (Technology) (Int), Knowledge (Spatial) (Int), Knowledge (Arts)(Int), Knowledge (Tactics)(Int), Pilot (vehicle type)

The drive skill also gives a competence bonus equal to 1/2 its ranks to the Pilot skill when maneuvering a vehicle similar to their alt-mode (or to Ride if they have an animal alt-mode)

Alt-mode: This is the big one, obviously. At character creation, each Cybertronian selects an alternate mode to transform into. There are three groupings: Land, Aquatic, and Flight. Each type has numerous subtypes, to be detailed further below. They also get a bonus feat that is only usable/applicable while in vehicle mode, chosen from the feats labeled with a "V." A few of the Subtypes get additional vehicle feats as well, though that might change depending on balance issues. They also choose the size of their alt-mode, which is a seperate choice and does not affect the alt-mode, except for in the ways that a modified size would (i.e. more bash damage, bonus/penalty to CMB/CMD/attack rolls/AC, etc).

Equipment: Not entirely sure if I want to use the Modern system or the Original System for money, but I'm definitely using the Original system of weapons, since the guns in Modern are much more powerful than I'd like. I think I'll just rename the bows and stuff to more sciency sounding weapon names, such as bows become blasters and arrows become blaster cells, crossbows become photon cannons and bolts photon charges, etc.

Other Changes: Obviously, we'll need to come up with a bunch of fun rules for combat in vehicle mode, including ramming attacks, alt-mode maneuvering on the battle-field, rules for vehicular flight, and we'll also need to figure out zero-g combat.

WHAT I NEED: Links to online documents, other RPGs to look at, and assistance coming up with ideas/refining what I already have.


Races:

Colonial Racial Traits
+2 to one Ability Score
Medium: Colonials are Medium cybertronians and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size, and can take on Medium, Small, or Tiny alt-modes. (Human)
Normal Speed: Colonials have a base speed of 30 feet.
Bond to Land: At character creation, a Colonial chooses a terrain from the Ranger's "Favored Terrain" list. He gains a +2 Dodge bonus to AC while in this terrain
Skilled: A colonial gains 1 extra skill point per level.
Bonus Feat: A colonial gains 1 extra feat at first level.
Low-light Vision: Minicons can see twice as far as those with normal vision in conditions of dim light.
Languages: A Colonial speaks Cybertronian, and can choose additional languages if they have a high Intelligence score.

Soldier Racial Traits
+2 Str, +2 Cha, -2 Wis
Medium: Soldiers are Medium cybertronians and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size, and can take on Medium, Small, or Tiny alt-modes. (Orc)
Normal Speed: Soldiers have a base speed of 30 feet.
Natural Armor: Soldiers have a natural armor bonus of +2
Class Skills: Soldiers always have Survival and Drive(Alt-mode) as class skills
Battle-Hardened: Soldiers have a +1 to their CMD.
Ferocity: A Soldier's training allows her to continue figting after reaching 0 or negative HP. She is staggered and loses one HP per round and still dies upon reaching an amount of negative HP equal to her Constitution score.
Languages: A Soldier speaks Cybertronian, and can choose additional languages if they have a high Intelligence score.

Seeker Racial Traits
+2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Cha
Medium: Seekers are Medium cybertronians and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size, and can take on Medium, Small, or Tiny alt-modes. (Half-elf)
Fast Speed: Seekers have a base speed of 40 feet.
Defensive Training, Greater: Seekers have a +2 dodge bonus to their AC.
Jumper: Seekers are always considered running when making Acrobatics checks.
Gliding: A seeker has the unique ability (and built-in equipment) to slow their falls, glide, and hover temporarily. A seeker can use this ability a number of rounds equal to their Wisdom score, and these rounds do not recharge unless they remain at rest or in an alt-mode for at least one minute. Activating these rounds is a swift action. If used to glide, the Seeker will decelerate from their previous speed by 30 feet/round until they reach the typical 60 ft move speed depicted by the "glide" ability in the rulebook. If used to hover, they will decelerate by 30 ft/round until they stop moving completely. These abilities can be used only in robot mode, as the structures necessary are replaced with their alt-modes maneuvering structures (wheels, thrusters, rotors, etc.)
Languages: A Seeker speaks Cybertronian, and can choose additional languages if they have a high Intelligence score.

Mincon Racial Traits
+2 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 Str
Small: Minicons are Small cybertronians and gin a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a -1 penalty to their CMB and CMD, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth Checks, and can take on Small, Tiny, or Diminutive alt-modes. (Halfling)
Normal Speed: Minicons have a base speed of 30 feet.
Stalker: Perception and Stealth are class skills for all Minicons.
Class Skills: Sense Motive and Knowledge (Technology) are class skills for all Minicon
Sneaky: Minicons have a +4 Racial Bonus to Stealth.
Darkvision: Minicons can see in the dark up to a decent of 60 ft.
Low-light Vision: Minicons can see twice as far as those with normal vision in conditions of dim light.
Languages: A Minicon speaks Cybertronian, and can choose additional languages if they have a high Intelligence score.

Scholar Racial Traits
+2 Int, +2 Wis, -2 Dex
Medium: Scholars are Medium Cybertronians and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size, and can take on Medium, Small, or Tiny alt-modes. (Elf)
Slow Speed: Scholars have a base speed of 20 feet.
Curiosity: Scholars gain a +4 on Diplomacy checks to gather information, and Knowledge (History) and Knowledge (Local) are class skills. If they choose a class that has those as class skills, then they instead gain a +2 Racial bonus to them.
Class Skills: Knowledge (Technology), Knowledge (Religion), Knowledge (Civics), Knowledge (Electronics), Knowledge (Engineering), and Knowledge (Spatial) are all class skills for Scholars.
Gifted Linguist: Scholars gain a +4 Racial Bonus on Linguistics checks and gain an additional language each time they put a rank in Linguistics.
Dual-minded: +2 on all Will Saving Throws
Languages: A Scholar speaks Cybertronian, and can choose additional languages if they have a high Intelligence score.

Worker Racial Traits
+2 Con, +2 Int, -2 Cha
Medium: Workers are Medium cybertronians and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size, and can take on Medium, Small, or Tiny alt-modes. (Dwarf)
Slow Speed: Workers have a base speed of 20 feet.
Steelcunning: Workers recieve a +2 Racial bonus on perception checks to notice unusual metalwork, such as hidden traps and doors located in metal goods (walls, machines, etc.). They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, whether or not they are actively looking.
Class Skills: Knowledge (Mechanical) and Knowledge (Engineering) are always class skills for a Worker.
Skill Bonus: A Worker gets a +2 Racial Bonus on Knowledge (Mechanical) and Knowledge (Engineer) checks.
Languages: A Colonial speaks Cybertronian, and can choose additional languages if they have a high Intelligence score.

Triple-Changer Racial Traits
-4 Int, -2 Cha, +2 Wis
Medium: Triple-changers are are Medium cybertronians and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size, and can take on Medium, Small, or Tiny alt-modes. (Human)
Normal Speed: Triple-changers have a base speed of 30 feet.
Dual-minded: +2 on all Will Saving Throws
Resistant: A colonial gains 1 extra skill point per level.
Stubborn: A colonial gains 1 extra feat at first level.
Extra Alt-mode: Triple-changers can choose an additional alt-mode, and receive all the bonuses and such that it entails, such as the bonus vehicle feats chosen at first level. However, they do not receive an extra feat at every fifth level for the extra alt-mode. Instead, their additional feat can be applied to either mode.
Languages: A Colonial speaks Cybertronian, and can choose additional languages if they have a high Intelligence score.


Feats I need help figuring out. Consults on balance and stuff?

Biological Alt-mode (Vehicle)
Some modifications to your T-cog and mental connections allow you to take on a form different from your peers.

Prerequisites: Cybertronian

Benefit: This feat allows you to be modified to take an animal or plant alternate mode. This gives you all the extraordinary abilities, natural armor bonuses, Natural attacks, and some of the attribute bonuses of the creature chosen. The modifiers of the animal in question become the bonuses to your attributes (i.e. score 19 = +4 to that score, score 5 = -3 to that score), and these are applied to the target in both normal and alternate form. Taking this feat prevents you from choosing the normal vehicular feats, and will instead give you access to monstrous feats. For the purposes of the "Vehicular Carryover"

Normal: You normally can only choose from the list of vehicles when deciding on your alternate mode.

Special: If you choose this feat and also have the "Larger Alt-mode" feat, you can be retrofitted to become an animal that is larger than you as well, and the same is true if you have the "Smaller Alt-mode" feat.

Combiner Alt-mode (Vehicle)
You've been reformatted slightly, allowing you to combine with another mech into a more powerful form.

Prerequisites: Cybertronian, 3rd level

Benefit: This feat allows you to combine with other Cybtronians to form a single, more powerful unit. To determine the size and power level of one's form and weaponry, you must add a numerical value determined by the size of each participating character. A Tiny Cybertronian has a value of 0, Small Cybertronian has a value of 0.5, Medium has a value of 1, and a Large has a value of 2. If the combined total has a value of 1 or lower, the resulting form is a Medium Cybertronian. If the result is 2, the mech is Large. If 3, the Mech is Large with the Powerful Build racial trait. If 4, the Mech is Huge, 6 is Gargantuan, 8 is Colossal, and 10 is Immense. Values of 3, 5, 7, and 9 are equivalent to the previous values size, but also have the "Powerful Build" racial quality. If there is a fraction involved, then the combined mech gains an enhancement bonus to their attack rolls equivalent to the Small Cybertronian's highest ability score modifier.

Determining weaponry is a touch different, however. The ranged weapons of the forms, if any, are equivalent to either all of them individually (see "Volley" firing rules), or combine into a single weapon. This weapon is effectively a properly scaled version of the most prevalent weapon among the combined mechs (Blaster, photon cannon, etc.). The same goes for ranged weapons. Keep in mind that if the mechs have multiples of each weapon currently equipped, these should be taken into account as well.

On top of all that, the transformer has access to all the skills, feat bonuses, and such, but does not have a cohesive mind. When using abilities from a different character's sheet, the players all must roll a d20. If the player with the highest roll is not either the previous player or the one whose abilities are to be used, the Cybertronian instead acts on the "Confusion" table.

Also, choosing this feat does not simply mean that two mechs with this feat can combine at any time. After choosing this feat, the mechs in question must all go see a bot or group of bots with ranks in Knowledge (Mechanical), Medic, Knowledge (Engineering), Knowledge (Electrical), Knowledge (Technology), and Sparkcraft. A skill check must be made, equivalent to 10 + highest HD of all the mechs to be combined + the number of Build Points the resulting mech will have. This number x50 is the number of credits it will cost for the procedure to be done. If any of the checks fail, all the mechs involved will lose attribute points based on which ones failed! All six must be made regardless of failures. See table for what attribute is damaged based on which check failed. Damage taken is always equal to the amount of Build Points the final mech would have had. Also, if the amount of damage is greater than the mech's Hit-Die or the check fails by ten or more, then that individual mech takes 1 point of permanent ability drain. If any of the checks fail, then the procedure cannot be performed again until everyone has recovered from the damage (though not any drain that may have occurred.) Half of the credits used in the procedure must be paid again.
Special: Cybertronians can instead choose to become a vehicle in place of a robot form. If the Cybertronians in question all have the "Biological Alt-mode" feat, they can instead choose to take on an animal form in their combined state. Also, if they have the "Weapon Alt-mode" they can instead choose to take on the form of a massive weapon.

Normal: You normally can only choose from the list of vehicles when deciding on your alternate mode.

Weapon Alt-mode (Vehicle)
You have the ability to turn into a powerful weapon for others to use.

Prerequisites: Cybertronian

Benefit: This feat, and the prerequisite procedure, allows you to take on the form of a weapon that you can either fire yourself, or that can be used by another. The procedure is identical t the one detailed under "Larger Alt-mode." This is also the only feat that allows the mech to take on a form two sizes smaller than his own size, so that a medium sized Cybertronian can become a weapon that is the size of a two-handed weapon. If the mech also has the "Smaller Alt-mode" feat, they can become a one-handed or light weapon.

The power of this mode is as follows: it does damage dice equal to the hit-dice of the Mech. It does an additional dice of damage for every 4 hit-die the mech has as well (1 dice at 1st level, 2 at 4th, 3 at 8th, 4 at 12th, 5 at 16th, and 6 at 20th.) Also, if the weapon is used by another party member/cybertronian, the number of damage-die rolled also become an enhancement bonus to the attacks rolls.

Normal: You normally can only choose from the list of vehicles when deciding on your alternate mode.


http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=992180

I made Optimus Prime using some of the stuff I've been tinkering with, so feel free to take a look. He's based off of TFP Prime, thus the dual-weapons and swords XP.

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