Houserules and Campaign Details

WIP

Lancer and Stars Without Number

Class Bonuses to Mech War

Warriors can use their luck ability to automatically hit when piloting a mech, and also add their increased hit bonus in mech combat.

• Warriors add 1/2 level (round up) to all hit rolls when piloting a mech
• Partial warriors add +1 to hit, increasing to +2 at 5th character level

Experts have increased versatility, and can use their re-roll with mech skills when relevant

• Gain +1 mech skill per expert level
• Partial experts gain half their character level (rounded up) as bonus mech skills

Psychics benefit the least directly from their skills in armored combat, but excel in many other areas. The mech’s most potent asset is being an extension of the pilot, however this allows some abilities which may not normally affect vehicles to be psychically relevant when facing a mech. On the other hand most mechs prevent direct line of sight to a foe, and offer some degree of shielding.

For relevant powers a Main Action to activate is the equivalent of a Full Action as a pilot.

• Biopsionics
  • Major Organ Reconstruction is one of the very few ways to survive a mech which has self-destructed or overloaded
• Metapsionics
  • Synthetic Adaptation allows some powers to operate on mechs with the AI tag
    • From Biopsionics a psychic can use Psychic Succor, but the System Strain is increased by the Size of the mech being affected. No other biopsionic techniques are possible on a mech.
    • Most “AI” used by mechs tends to be a borderline VI in telepathic terms, while many powers work the effect on a mech may be more limited
• Precognition
  • most powers work as expected, including Intuitive Response and Anguished Vision
  • Alternate Outcome can be used on mechs piloted by allies
  • Destiny’s Shield can aid a mech pilot against attacks on their mech
  • Cursed Luck applies to mechs
• Telekinesis
  • Telekinetic Manipulation and Telekinetic Ram tend to not be useful as mechs are highly mobile and directly piloted by an intelligent creature
  • Impact Sump applies to mechs piloted by the psychic
  • Slip Field is opposed by an Agility save with Save Target = 10 + Telekinesis skill + Grit
  • Thermokinesis increases Heat by the adept’s telekinesis skill
  • Tangible Force Construct in mech terms has 5 Evasion and 5 HP
  • Reactive Telekinesis requires Committing Effort for the day to use in mech-scale combat
  • Force Puppetry works on mechs up to Size 1, but permits a Mental save from the pilot
• Telepathy
  • Although typically requiring direct vision, telepathy may be used on mech pilots if you have successfully hacked their systems with an Invade tech-attack
• Teleportation
  • Personal Apportation can be used to teleport inside your own mech if within line of sight
  • Burdened Apportation is not strong enough to teleport a mech, and most mechs do not have enough space inside to make Deep Intrusion a viable offensive strategy

Fighting a Mech on Foot

Most guns do nothing to a well-tended mech. Heavy weapons are able to take down vehicles, for every 5 points of damage rolled with a Heavy weapon one point of Mech HP is subtracted.

The reverse applies as well, a mech weapon which deals 1d6 mech HP deals around five times that much on the scale of human targets. Mechs also have advanced ECM systems which tend to render most long-range attacks nearly useless.

Not all is lost however, as mech targeting systems are not optimized for focusing down an individual human. A human who is likely to be taking every advantage of cover which would be too small for a mech to benefit from. If you are able to take cover and rely on luck then generally the first 3 + Cha bonus + Grit damage rolled by a mech against you will instead lead to a series of terrifying close calls and destroyed buildings. Armor class derived from protective gear also generally doesn’t mean much, and is a base of 10 + Dexterity bonus.

However once your luck runs out, or if you are caught on open ground or other poor circumstances the 5x damage applies.

Other Interactions

• Not using Pilot triggers from Lancer, these are superseded by having a full SWN character
• Full Repair on a mech requires an appropriate facility, and cannot typically be done in the field
• Initiative is used even in mech combat (per SWN)
• Combat Foci do not apply to mech combat, and Pilot Talents do not apply outside of a mech