Lancer 4 Gay Babies: mech creation

Your Mech

Your Mech is composed of its Frame and Systems.

Frame

The Frame of a Mech is its actual structure and skeleton.
All Mechs have a Body and some number of Limbs.

Mechs have Limbs of two kinds: Legs and Manipulators.
Bipedal Mechs and Tripedal Mechs are taller than than Mechs with 4+ Legs.
Mechs with 4+ Legs are faster than Mechs with Bipedal and Tripedal Legs, making them harder to hit.
More Legs beyond 4 doesn't make your Mech go faster in meaningful way.
If your Mech has only one intact Leg, it falls prone and can only crawl.

Manipulators are the arms and hands of your Mech, which can do all the stuff that hands can do. Most importantly, while they can have Mounted systems, they can also can hold Systems without Mounting them.

Size

Mechs can have more than one Body; this increases their size. Large Mechs have disadvantage when their mass is a hindrance, notably when rolling to avoid attacks. Large Mechs deal an extra hit in unarmed combat, including in grappling. This doesn’t stack with 2+ Bodies.

Systems

the Systems of the Mech are the weapons and tools that make it useful.
a Weapon is a weapon. Modules are non-weapon Systems.

Some Systems have a Mag Size, which is the number of times it can be used before it needs to be reloaded with a new Magazine. If a system doesn't have a Mag Size you can use it as much as you want.

Mounting

Systems can be Mounted on any part of your Mech's Frame. this integrates them into the Frame of your Mech; if that part of your Frame is destroyed, so are the Systems on it. a Mech’s Body can hold 3 Mounted Systems, each limb can have 1 Mounted system.
Modules must be Mounted.
Weapons can be Mounted on a Mech or held in its Manipulators.

Structure

Pilots have Health, Mechs have Structure.
Each part of your Frame and each of the Systems mounted on it gives you Structure Dice, which are D6s.
Weapons that are held in your Mech's Manipulators do not give you Structure Dice, but they cannot be damaged during combat, except as Collateral damage.
Your Mech’s Body gives you 4 Structure Dice.
Each Limb gives you 2 Structure Dice.
So a standard Frame with a Body and four Limbs gives you 12 Structure Dice.
Each Mounted System gives you 1 additional Structure Die.
Your Structure Dice are rolled whenever your Mech is brought to a Hanger, and you divide the total between the parts of your Frame however you choose.
If a part of your Mech ever has 0 Structure, it has been destroyed.

If the Body of your Mech is ever destroyed, your Pilot takes any future damage dealt to the Body of your Mech, which kills them.

Distributed Systems

You may choose to Distribute a Mounted System. This essentially spreads the System thin, providing less Structure to your Mech's Frame, but reducing the likelihood of being unable to use a system. A Distributed System still counts as one System, not multiple.
Choose how many parts of your Mech's Frame you are distributing the System between, and consult the table below to determine how much Structure the System contributes to your Frame.

2 parts: 1d4 Structure
3 parts: 1d3 Structure
4 parts: 1 Structure
5 parts: 0 Structure

Building your Mech

your starting Mech has one Body and 4 Limbs. Determine how many of those Limbs are Legs, and how many are Manipulators.

Licenses

Using any System of any class requires a License for that particular System. You start with 3 Licenses. For each one, choose any of the Systems below. Licenses are not easy to come by. 3+ Licenses are a requirement for Lancer status; most Mech Pilots hold only one or two in their lives. Character creation is the only time you’ll be allowed to freely choose what Systems you hold Licenses for. Additional Licenses for specific Systems will be earned as rewards for missions, stolen from other Pilots, or obtained through entanglements with patrons. So if your build hinges on some fuckass HORUS system or something, choose it now.

Scavenging

Mounted Modules get too fucked up to use if you tear them off of other Mechs, but any held Weapons can be taken freely.

New Limbs and Bodies.

you may spend a License to put an additional Limb or Body on your Mech. This gives it additional Structure as relevant.

Synthesizing

you may spend a License to combine 2 Systems of the same type and create a new System. You must take the worse of each System's Mag Size and Damage, if relevant, but otherwise you may pick and choose between the qualities of each System. All parts of both systems must be incorporated. If you are combining a melee and a ranged effect, or some other mutually exclusive category, you must choose one.
For example, you could combine
Cloudscout Tacsim Swarm: choose a target; the next attack that targets them will miss. Mag Size: 3. and Divine Punishment Protocol: choose a weapon, then make an attack with it against every target you can see, within range. Mag Size: 1

To create Tactically Simulated Divine Punishment Protocol: choose a target; the next attack against them will miss. then choose a weapon, then make an attack with it against every target you can see, within range. Mag Size: 1

Arms Race

After each engagement where you use a Synthesized System, the GM rolls a 1d6. On a 1 or 2, this System is now available on the open market, and any Pilot can use it. Each additional engagement increases the odds by 1 (1-2 on the second engagement etc.)

Choosing Mounts

For each System you selected, decide if you are going to Mount it on your Mech's Frame. All Modules must be Mounted, and any Weapon may be Mounted. For each System you Mount, note where it is Mounted. Note that any remaining Weapons are carried in your Mech's Manipulators. Each Manipulator can carry one Weapon.

Structure Dice

Tally up your total Structure dice. You should have

4 for your Mech's Body
2 for each of your Mech's 4 Limbs
+1 for each Mounted System.

Roll all your Structure Dice, and divide them between your Mech's Body and Limbs however you want.

Mech Inventory

Your Mech can hold 1 thing in each Manipulator, but it can store 6 things on or in it. This includes Weapons not currently held, Magazines, and anything else of sufficient scale to track.

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