Power Core Combiner RPG outline

[Shockwave]

A zeppelin.

[Dominic]

Keep in mind, allocating drones for transport makes them more expensive or otherwise not-usable for other purposes.

Everybody is allowed one Commander. But, in theory, it would be possible for a player to eventually earn enough points to be able to command many drones and or Minicons. Controlling multiple Minicons would be like controlling multiple characters. Multple drones could be used to devastating effect
when attacking a large or powerful target. For example, I have a character roughly sketched out that is intended to command a dozen or so drones and maybe a Minicon or two. This character would be *very* expensive to build, and would likely start off with a drone or two.


And, for people who want more rules and such, here are my notes thus far on weapons and gear.

Most characters will have built in weapons/equipment of some kind or another. These weapons will be upgradable at a point
cost to the player. Additionally, players will have the option to buy or otherwise acquire (through in-game theft
or scavenging) additional additional weapons/equipment.

These additional weapons/equipment are intended for use by plyer controlled Commander characters. However, as combination and
inter-operabiltiy are a large part of Power Core, it is theoretically possible for some additional weaponry/equipment to be
mounted on drones or Minicons.

All weapons/equipment will have some kind of stat line to represent minimum requirments (if any) of their users as well as
the effect they may have on a target. Some weapons/euqipment will also include stat-modifiers (such as a movement penalty for
using a particularly cumbersome weapon or an endurance penalty for a consumptive device such as a force-field.


Weapons will generally be defined as being in one or more of the following categories. While it is possible to be wholly in
one category or another, it is not mandated. it is possible for a weapon to include traits (for better or worse) from
several categories. In fact, that will more often than not be the case.

-1a: Ranged Weapons
Ranged weapons include rifles, pistols and other other projectile/projecting or purpose made throwable. The are designed to
inflict damage on a target from a (hopefully) safe distace. These weapons are defined by their effective range, the level of
damage they can inflict and the necessary skill to use them. In some case, a Commander character may not be able to use a
weapon well, if at all. For example, the ability to lob a gredade would be a function of the character's skill and strength.

-1b: Skirmish weapons
Skirmish weapons are used for close combat. Sometimes, a range weapon just will not cut it....or dent it...or puncture it...
or do much of anything beyond scratching it. And, sometimes, you just might want to get up close and person because you want
to feel mech fluid spurting up in your face. For those times, we have skirmish weapons. These include blades, clubs,
the non-shooty ends of guns, knuckle-dusters, teeth, claws, axes, flails. occasional debris or a cleverly used appendage. These
can be used to soften a foe up before hitting them with a volley of shots or to start and finish the same job.

-2a: Solid construction
This category includes any weapon that is constructed primarily of matter. Despite what the name implies, these are not single
piece (solid state) weapons. For example, a spinning blade can be made of solid metal, but will require a number of moving parts
and some kind of power source. Similarly, solid ammunition is cast from matter, but still relies on kinetic energy to move and be
a problem.



-energy

-integrated
-external

-Combination example: beam swords solid ammo, energy projection, swords, energy contstructs.


Other gear:

-sensory altering (player or others)
-communcatioons (enhance/scramble)
-hacking/encryption


-black box systmes

-communicators

-sensor upgrades

-jamming/cloaking

-force fields

-flight gear

-explosives

And, revised damage to include the possibility of being captured.

Types of damage are not exclusive. it is possible to take additional (worse) damange later in a game. And, enough light
damage can be compounded in to something more serious over the course of several rounds. All repair are assumed to be made
*after* a game has been resolved. Repairs may be made on deficit at moderator's discretion.


-slight:
These are slight insults and injuries received in battle or daily life. Generally, this includes sensor disruptions like
Hound's or Mirage's weapons or temporary system damage like Starscream's null rays. In game, the effects of this kind of
damage would only be felt for a few rounds. And, repairs would be free *after* the game ended. The real worry here is that
slight damage could leave a player vulnerable to far worse. (Having one's sensor's scrambled in mid-flight could be
disasterous.)

-moderate:
This involves some physical damage, represented by diminished stats until repairs have been made. Generally the repair cost
would be 25% of the character or specific system that was damaged. It will usually be possible to use a moderately damaged
character, though they would be diminished.


-severe:
The chief different between "severe" and "moderate" is, as one might expect, a question of degree. The damage here is worse,
and the reduction in states is proportionately greater. Repair costs would likely run from 50% to 75%, depending on the
nature of the damage. Components may be assumed lost or too damaged to be useful. Trailbreaker's injuries in "Man of Iron"
or Prime's injuries in "Heavy Metal War" are good examples of this. If a character is immobilized, there must be a plausible
reason for them to be in a position to be repaired later.


-ruinous:
Great damage. Character is probably immobilized. Repairs made at 90%-100% cost of character. Most of the injuries in the
1986 movie, or damage inflicted by Starscream with the Underbase would fall in to this category. Mirage's injuries in G2
are also a good example. In theory, he could have been repaired. But, somebody would have to drag him to a repair bay,
and it would still take some doing to get him running again. Similarly, most of the Decepticons damaged by Omega Supreme
in the comics were eventually liberated and repaired. But, they were out of action for a while.


-obliterated:
Character is completely destroyed. May only be repaired at 300% cost *and* with moderator permission. Examples include
(but are not limited to) Shockwave in "Legacy of Unicron", IDW Ironhide, G1 Starscream's death in the movie, Terrorsaur
falling in to lava, "Armada" Megatron falling in to Unicron or any character eaten by the Swarm.


-caputured:
This covers characters who are alive or otherwise intact, but who are inaccessible to the player. Characters shunted in to
limbo during "Time Wars" or the above mentioned Decepticons damaged by Omega Supreme are good examples here. Players may
try to escape on a case by case basis. But, some prisons will simply be inescapable without outside help. Capturred player
characters may be replaced at cost or liberated by allied player characters. Being captured and liberated does *not* undo
or mitigate damage taken before or during captivity.

Dom
-that is all for this week.

[Ursus mellifera]

Sooo... A boat with a bunch of drones that combine into a ground transporter for it would be stretching the rules a little too far? =p Or helicopter drones that fly it around with cables? *shrug*

I want there to be some size differences, because I love the idea of riding on one of Ursus' carriages.

...what?

I always figured Railjumper would be kind of a big dude. I look forward to more clarification on sizes.

What if you were a hovercraft? Then you could drive on the water and the land.

Also... hovercraft!

[Gomess]

Hovercrafts are tricky, 'cos I'd strive for logic in the transformation process, meaning the hovery bit would either have to deflate in robot mode, or just stay as one big ring. Hmmmm.

Also I assume everyone's cool with my character being a Sino-Hispanic lesbian Transformer with a tragic past. Cheeeerrssss

[Dominic]

*beings thumbing through the "killing characters" sections of a Munchkin rulebook*

[Ursus mellifera]

Hovercrafts are tricky, 'cos I'd strive for logic in the transformation process, meaning the hovery bit would either have to deflate in robot mode, or just stay as one big ring. Hmmmm.

Also I assume everyone's cool with my character being a Sino-Hispanic lesbian Transformer with a tragic past. Cheeeerrssss

Only if her robot form has your real life face, but made of metal.

[Gomess]

I do have quite feminine features.

Thing about a hovercraft PCC is... what the heck would their Minicon / drones be? I'd like it to at least make sense. Mecha-porpoises?

[Dominic]

Maybe the drones could be tanks or some kind of mobile artillery? The 'craft could carry troops and equipment to the battlefield, deploy them, and then get the hell out of dodge.

[Ursus mellifera]

I do have quite feminine features.

Thing about a hovercraft PCC is... what the heck would their Minicon / drones be? I'd like it to at least make sense. Mecha-porpoises?

You could be a big hovercraft, and have a helicopter platform or something. The Minicon could be a helicopter.

[Ursus mellifera]

Maybe the drones could be tanks or some kind of mobile artillery? The 'craft could carry troops and equipment to the battlefield, deploy them, and then get the hell out of dodge.

I also like this idea. A big enough hovercraft would be a sweet troop transport.