Giant Robot RPG

These are my notes for a Giant Robot RPG. I’d love to be able to play a Voltron style game where a team of teenagers with attitude get giant robots they use to fight aliens, only to combine at the last minute and form a Turbo-Robot. I haven’t been able to find an RPG that does it in a satisfying manner, and this is my attempt. It’s not complete, and I may or may not get around to doing so, but you could theoretically play it with some effort. The skeleton is there, and it just needs fleshing out to really explain some of the concepts. Then testing to see if any of it is actually any good.

Stats

Start at 10, have 100 points to raise any of them you wish. You raise the stat, not the substat. Your Stat or substat mod is simply the first digit of your stat. A stat of 10 has a mod of 1. Your Substat is directly equal to your Stat mod +/- and mods that apply specifically to it.

• Melee (M)
  • Melee Attack (MA) – Typically opposed roll, you win you hit.
  • Melee Defend (MD) – Opposed MA. You win, you are not hit.
• Ballistics (B)
  • Ballistic Attack (BA) – Typically opposed roll, you win you hit.
  • Ballistic Defend (BD) – Typically opposed BA. You win you dodge.
• Energy (E)
  • Merge (EM) – Used to prime for merging. Make a check as an action on your turn.
  • Shield (ES) – Used to negate damage. The amount negated is your ES mod.
• Integrity (I)
  • Durability (ID) – Used to determine HP. HP = 5X ID.
  • Agility (IA) – Flexibility and agility of your unit. Used for mobility based tests. Basic moving around the battlefield, jumping, climbing ect.

Combat

2 types of tests. For both, the DM should modify the tests for easy or hard checks.

• Opposed- You and the opposition roll %, and add your score, whoever rolls highest wins.
• Unopposed- Roll % and get under your score.

Combat begins with initiative. Initiative is rolled as an opposed MA or BA attack roll. The highest people go first.

Actions. You get 2 in a given turn.

• Move- Go your speed. Not through someone’s square
• Attack – Make an opposed MA vs MD or BA vs BD check with a target in range.
• Other- You can prime for a merge, or do something else you want.

Attacks- Melee/Ballistics A vs M/B D if the M/B A user is successful, the attack deals damage. If the M/B D user is successful, the attack misses. For every additional M/B D check you make in a round, you take a cumulative -10% to your score.

Damage- Your listed value for damage – the targets ES mod. This value is subtracted from your hit points, and if they reach 0 or less you are disabled.

“Full Auto” – Spend 2 actions, deal X3 damage and get +20 to BA for the turn.

“Disarm” – MA -50 vs MD. Success means your opponent drops their weapons and takes a -20 MD for one turn. Picking up a weapon is an action.

Disable Shields – You can spend an action to turn your shields on or off. While off, your shields have a ES score of 0.

Dodge – You can spend an action to devote yourself fully to dodging. If you do, you do not take the penalty for dodging more than once in a round.  You cannot use your remaining action to attack this round. (nor can you use this option if you have already attacked this round)

Combinations

When Combined….

• Take 1 feature from each robot combining. Each character can use their one feature on their turn.
• Grow bigger. You take up 4 squares instead of 1.
• The unit’s new HP is simply the remaining of all individual units combined.
• A unit has a new combined shield score. Take the highest individual ES and then add ¼ (Round down) of all the other units and add them together.
• All damage values are doubled

To Combine a Unit

• All units must be”Primed”.
  • To prime make an EM check. Success primes you. When all units are primed, they combine instantly with no action.
  • When “Primed” you take a -20 to M and B until you combine.
  • Un-combining takes no action. (HP are doled out evenly between units, round down)

Building A Robot

Spend 200 points on any of the features below. You gain points instead of experience post session.

• Movement – No movement, means your robot is immobile.
  • 10 – Biped – Your robot has 2 legs. Its speed is 6 squares on land.
  • 20- Quadruped – Your robot has 4 legs and 2 arms. It has a move speed of 5 squares on land, you can also use back mounted weapons.
  • 40- Fast Quadruped – 4 legs no arms. Move speed of 8 on land. No arms means you can only use melee or back mounted weapons.
  • 40- Winged – Move 7 in air. Must move every round.
  • 60 – Jets – Move 6 in air.
  • 20 – Boat – You can move 10 on water without sinking.
  • 10 – Sub – You can move underwater using any of your other movement types.
• Weapons – You can wield as many combinations of weapons as you want. Back weapons can only be used provided you have the appropriate movement form.
  • Melee – Deals 5 damage for every 10 points invested, and cannot be disarmed. Claws.
  • Sword – Deals 10 damage for every 15 invested. If used without a shield, you gain 12 damage for every 15.
  • Rifle – Shoots 15 squares away. Deals 5 damage per 10 points. Can go “Full Auto”.
  • Back Cannon – Shoots 30 squares. Deals 75 damage for every 100 points invested. This is a back weapon.
  • Missiles – Shoots 15 squares. Deals 5 damage per 5 points invested. This is a back weapon. Attacks with this gun gain a +2 BA per 5 points invested. (Investing 5 points gives 5 damage and +2 BA.)
  • Shield – Cannot use a rifle. Gives +1 ES per 10 points invested.
  • Lance – Can only be used after a move action. Deals 10 damage per 10 points.
• Special – Other things you may want.
  • ?? – Armored Plates – +1 ID per point.
  • 50 – Radar – Know how many units are in an area (10KM). Spend an action to see invisible ones. Both uses detect shields, so units with shields off cannot be detected.
  • 30 – Space Seal – Your unit can go in space
  • 50 – Combat Boosters – spend an action to move 1.5X your speed and gain a +10BD, MD and a -10 to BA and MA.
  • 100 – Cloak – Spend an action and go invisible. You still have to turn your shields off to go invisible to radar. Invisibility gives +40 M and B.
  • EMP – 20 points per rank. Turn off all units/electronics in 10 squares with an E mod of this units rank, or lower. Includes you. Spend an action to activate, and an action to turn off.
  • 50 – Super Sonic Boosters – Your air travel speed can be turned up to Mach I, if you take no other actions. You must spend 2 full turns charging this action, and 2 full turns to stop it. Mach II, III, IV etc can be bought for an additional 50 points each. You must have a lower to buy a higher.