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Welcome to the vague beginning of a hackneyed, homebrewed Transformers game! I attempted to run something like this a year or so ago, but life and a weird ennui about my system got in the way. I’ve refined things a bit and think that I can really get some interesting story out there, so feel free to take a look, critique, and join in! I’m not setting a limit on the number of player characters, and the system is rather freeform, with allowances for coming up with skills and ideas on the fly, so if you’re interested, come up with some bot ideas and post them either here, or discuss them in Discord – I’m more than happy to help come up with ideas and gauge whether or not something is within the flavor of the setting! Speaking of setting, the Transformers universe spans incredibly vast swaths of time, with individuals surviving geological eras-worth of war. The specifics of the setting will actually be determined by you, even if you don’t wind up playing! After the rules will come a series of posts. Simply roll a D6 and post the results (linked to a roller or just picked at random), and the most frequently-rolled number will have a result on some secret tables. All of the options, however, take place before the G1 TV show starts in earnest, however, which allows for the maximum amount of player agency in changing the course of history. Character Creation/System rules Those who remember the toys remember the near-useless Tech Specs. These specs make up the bot’s attributes, and work as follows: Strength: Melee modifier Intelligence: Perception/Insight modifier Speed: Dodge/actions per turn (Every 2 points) Endurance: HP Rank: Influence/social modifier Courage: Morale/luck modifier Firepower: Ranged modifier Skill: Interaction modifier As I’m expecting a long game, we’ll start a bit on the low side, with 25 points to spend across all stats. The maximum in a stat is 10. Alt Modes This is what the Transformers are known for! Alt Modes are entirely up to the player, but are locked in at the end of chargen barring various in-story chances to reconfigure. Transforming grants a +4 to a single Spec while in that mode (even above and beyond the maximum of 10), and permits use of a special ability based around that Alt Mode, created by the player. For example, Megatron transforming into his handgun Alt Mode would give him a +4 to Firepower, giving him a whopping 14 Firepower, and gives him Intimidating Presence, conferring a Courage check on anyone attempting to attack him. Skill Usage Specs can also be used outside of combat to manipulate the world around the players. In the example of a stuck door, there are multiple pathways, all of which are to be justified by the players. Strength could be used to force the door open. Endurance could be used to hold it open temporarily. Skill could be used to hack the door’s lock/terminal. Speed could be used to dash through the next time it opens. Intelligence could be used to find the door’s bypass circuit. Courage could be used to intimidate the bot monitoring the vidscreen. Rank could be used for authorized access. Skills can be used many different ways in many different situations – feel free to experiment! Equipment Each character can equip one piece of equipment per Tech Spec, up to a maximum of a bot’s Rank skill. Each piece of equipment grants either a special ability or a bonus to that modifier. For example, a Dol-Laser rifle would be a piece of specialist equipment granting a +1 to Ranged. The Matrix of Leadership would fill a Rank slot, and grant Knowledge of the Ancients (a per-scene chance to ask the GM any question, which he must answer) and Light Our Darkest Hour, a special ability only used against foes of a cosmic scale. This equipment can be found throughout the game, and only confers its bonus when applied to its actual use. For example, the Dol-Laser rifle only gives its bonus when shooting at someone, not when using Firepower to identify what’s being shot at you. Rolling All rolls are D20 plus the relevant stat, and gear found along the way can act as further modifiers. For example, if Ratchet (Firepower 3) shoots a Dol-Laser Rifle (+1 Ranged) at Breakdown (Speed 7), it would make for a tough, but still attainable attack. A 10 on a D20 + 3 for Firepower +1 for the gear makes for a 14, versus a 3 on a D20 + 7 for Speed’s total of 10. Damage is done with the remainder, so Breakdown would be in a world of hurt with 4 damage to his 5 Endurance! Alternatively, Breakdown could have rolled using his Endurance to bear the brunt of the attack, but reduce the damage by the difference. All ties go to the defender. Difficulty Difficulty DR follows the following curve: Trivial: 6 Easy: 10 Medium: 15 Hard: 20 Impossible: 24 Glitch Die One of my favorite elements from one of my favorite systems, the Glitch Die is rolled alongside every die roll. On a 1, something negative happens, and on a 6, something positive happens. This does not affect the success or failure of the skill attempt, just a twist on how it works. Using the above example, if Ratchet were to roll a 1 on the Glitch Die, he still hits Breakdown, but his rifle jams, rendering it useless until he can use a Skill roll to fix it. Likewise, if Breakdown were to get a 6, he would still take the damage, but the kinetic force of the hit staggers him behind nearby cover. Combat All bots are assumed to have a basic sidearm for ranged combat and their cold, dead hands for melee. Rather than fiddling with a grid and initiative passes, combat will happen on a first-come first-serve basis. Were this being played in tabletop, Speed would dictate initiative, but in a PbP instance, it’s being used to determine the number of actions in a turn, at a rate of 2 points per action. For example, Ratchet’s Speed of 4 would permit him 2 actions in a turn: Move into position, shoot one bot. Breakdown’s Speed of 7 would permit 3 actions: Attempt to dodge, retreat into cover, and draw his sidearm. Experience Experience is given out at the GM’s whims in the form of Energon. All players start with 15 Energon and have a maximum capacity of 50. For example, if a player comes up with a creative solution to a simple problem, the GM could grant an Energon as a reward. If the team fights their way past overwhelming odds, the GM could grant the whole team 5 Energon, and so on. Do something cool, funny, smart, or otherwise remarkable/memorable to get Energon! Energon has the following uses: Add +1 to the modifier on a roll per point. For example, Breakdown could have used 4 Energon to even the roll between himself and Ratchet, negating the damage. Acquire a skill or ability in the nick of time! In the series, all sorts of things were pulled out of various exhaust ports for the sake of plot. For 15 Energon, in the midst of a situation, the player can create a permanent special ability to get out of or ensure the success of a particular need, and grants a conditional +2 to a Spec. For example, out of nowhere, Cliffjumper magically acquired the use of Glass Gas, which rendered metal as brittle as glass, only to rarely be used again. A player who failed to ramp over a cliff in vehicle mode could spend 15 Energon to remember in the nick of time that they had a monopole magnet in their undercarriage, allowing them to drive up the wall on the other side. Increase a Tech Spec. For 30 Energon, a bot can permanently increase a Tech Spec by one point, up to a maximum of 10. This does not require any downtime or training, as the increase is essentially the dawning of realization of their advancement in a particular practice. I’m sure there are plenty of holes and room for rules abuse, and everything certainly isn’t mathed out perfectly, but I think this provides enough of a framework to come up with some great story! If there are any questions or concerns, feel free to hit me up in Discord or right here in the thread! Now onto the mysteries of Creation. Rhyos fucked around with this message at 18:55 on Nov 14, 2018 |
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Oct 31, 2018 17:36
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When? The beginning is a very delicate time. The universe is incomprehensively vast, as is time. However, to the timeless and functionally immortal, millions of years may pass as what feels like a week to you and I. The question, then, is when are we? 3 Rhyos fucked around with this message at 17:53 on Oct 31, 2018 |
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Oct 31, 2018 17:41
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  NAME: Spinout ALT-MODE: Muscle Car QUOTE: "If you go fast enough, you can outrun anything. Just mind the oil slicks." code:With a lot of heart and drive, going 200mph to get things done what need getting done. Not exactly a loner by nature, sometimes just out of necessity Spinout is quick to warm to friendly faces and values a strong sense of shared community and believes that good allies are worth fighting for. Dicebot posted:Today at 4:18 PM Potsticker fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Nov 2, 2018 |
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Oct 31, 2018 17:57
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 pre:Name: Slam Alt-Mode: Anklyosaurus Quote: Slam uh SLAM! Strength 10 Melee modifier Firepower 1 Ranged modifier Courage 1 Morale/Luck modifier Speed 1 Dodge/actions per turn (every 2 points) Endurance 9 HP Intelligence 1 Perception/Insight modifier Skill 1 Interaction modifier Rank 1 Influence/social modifier ______ ______ Alt-Mode Ankylosaurus +4 to Endurance when transformed, and Slam uh SLAM! Special Ability: Slam uh SLAM! Add the glitch die amount to the attack modifier versus stationary objects Slam JAM! Gain flight capability by making use of Slam's weapon. @Ryuujin: 1d6 = (6) = 6 Second Roll DicebotBOTToday at 12:02 AM @Ryuujin: 1d6 = (4) = 4 Ryuujin fucked around with this message at 23:16 on Jan 9, 2019 |
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Oct 31, 2018 19:16
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 Setting Die Roll #1 = 3 Setting Die Roll #2 = 1d6 Setting roll, part two. = (2) = 2 Setting Die Roll #3 = 1d6 Setting roll, part three. = (4) = 4 Shadowcaster I am but a shadow. A forgotten echo of a better age. The guardian of an empty castle. My existence ...such that it is? I appear where I want, and I take what I need. I travel roads that none will walk, in a vehicle that none would imagine can still exist. I am rich, in the one thing this world lacks. Energy. Yet my abundance gives me no pleasure.  Invisibility is a sort of immortality. You can live by being more brutal than all the others ...by being smarter ...or, by being unnoticed. You can exist, without living. You can wait, and wait. And one day, opportunity will come.  Chapter I: The Thing You Forget These days, people hear the word 'Cybertron', and one thing comes to mind: Autobots, Decepticons, battle waged to destroy, you get the idea. That's what happens when a civil war tears your society apart at the seams. In the eyes of everyone else, you're reduced to a one-dimensional shell of a people. 'Those people', you know, the ones engaged in civil war. What people forget is that there was a time before the war, when Cybertron was something more. Something better. That was my time. I am perhaps one of the few still alive who can remember it. Certainly the last who would still speak of it. I left my home a thousand cycles ago, accepting a solemn and lonely mission in service of that which you have all forgotten. I did as I was asked. I travelled. I observed. When possible, I influenced. When necessary, I sabotaged. Above all else, I protected. When my work was done, I returned to Cybertron. It was, unfortunately, long after the fuse of war had been lit. Long after the beginning of this 'Third Cybertronian War', I returned to find my homeland in ruins, torn apart from within. Yet I did not act. For I remember that which you have all forgotten. What is that thing? That thing you forget? Before we were a nation at war, we were simply a nation. And as a nation? We had enemies. And I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we still do. That is the truth of it, my friends. Observing you from afar, it is apparent that this war may not end until every single member of my race lies dead in a pile. Yet I know, if there is a happier ending to be found, it will only be the beginning of a larger tragedy. For there is a much greater danger waiting to attack. And so when opportunity knocks, I must act. For there must be someone to man the walls, when the barbarians are at our gates. pre:Attack Strength + 1 Firepower + 1 Courage + 1 Defense Speed + 1 Endurance + 1 Social Intelligence + 5 // + 9 (alt-mode) Skill + 9 Rank + 6 Alt-Mode: Reconnaissance Satellite // +4 Intelligence > Most Cybertronian sensor arrays only allow for basic analysis of a star system, sufficient to identify population centres, do rough scanning of an object's composition, and chart major navigational hazards. This upgraded survey sensor array greatly enhances sensor abilities, allowing for finely-detailed mapping of objects and planets, along with broad-spectrum communications analysis. Special Ability: Null-field Cloak // evade detection or deceive sensors > Device: Rendering objects within its field invisible to the electromagnetic spectrum, it would be an understatement to call this 'advanced technology', even by Cybertronian standards. A series of secondary stealth systems and emission dampeners have been implemented to mask its energy signature through careful output modulation, in order to mitigate the full-spectrum scattering limitations common in cloaking technology. History: In layman's terms, a cloaking device is any one of a variety of technologies that can cause objects, such as spaceships or individuals, to be partially or wholly invisible to parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. However, over the entire spectrum, a cloaked object has a rather unfortunate tendency to scatter more than an uncloaked object. Although such technology is not unknown to a world as advanced as Cybertron, this limitation, in combination with the non-linear scaling of power requirements relative to the size of the object to be obscured, have historically thwarted what would have otherwise been widespread adoption and integration into society. In the context of the energy shortages plaguing modern-day Cybertron, as well as the wartime attrition on most advanced technologies as they are consumed in battle at a faster rate than they can hope to be replaced by either side, a cloaking device is, at best, a rare commodity reserved for only the most important -- or otherwise defenseless -- of strategic objectives. Even then, if any were still in circulation, the level of technical expertise required to maintain and repair them would be limited to a mere handful of the best and brightest minds that Cybertron has to offer. With the benefit of a thousand cycles of field experience, Shadowcaster is perhaps the most knowledgeable mind across all of modern-day Cybertron insofar as stealth technology is concerned. [Legacy - TBD] Jump Drive > Technically, it is only supposed to be used for interstellar travel. Preferably as far away from a gravity well as possible. Practically ...well, if you need to get somewhere in a hurry... You'll definitely void the warranty if you do that, though. [Legacy - TBD] Fuel Scoops > Device: Fuel scoops allow for the harvesting and extraction of hydrogen from gas giants or the penumbra of solar bodies. The extraction process requires four days of processing and refinement, but completely refuels the user. Such fittings were once common on explorer craft that could not expect to find refueling stations. Waador fucked around with this message at 22:37 on Nov 2, 2018 |
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Oct 31, 2018 20:42
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  Starfire, Armed Recon pre:Name: Starfire Alt-Mode: Cybertronian Jet Quote: "Trust in the commander, trust in the mission. We will survive this." Energon: 41 Strength 1 Melee modifier Firepower 5 Ranged modifier Courage 3 Morale/Luck modifier Speed 6 Dodge/actions per turn (every 2 points) Endurance 3 HP Intelligence 3 Perception/Insight modifier Skill 2 Interaction modifier Rank 2 Influence/social modifier ______ ______ Alt-Mode: Cybertronian Jet +4 to Speed when transformed, and Active Camouflage. Special Ability: Active Camouflage Invisible (-GD to enemy Firepower) until an INT vs INT+GD test is made. Equipment: GLOO Gun (Firepower) +1 Firepower when firing to disable; general benefits of a space-age foaming adhesive launcher. quote:DicebotBOTToday at 1:50 PM quote:DicebotBOTToday at 2:32 PM quote:DicebotBOTToday at 1:40 PM Tricky fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Jan 17, 2019 |
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Oct 31, 2018 20:55
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When: 2 Where: 1 What: 3  Sidewinder "Hi! I'm Sidewinder! And I'm new!" code:Inkspot fucked around with this message at 21:10 on Jan 10, 2019 |
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Nov 1, 2018 21:19
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2,3,3,3,4,6 Just because I’m continuing with the setting rolls, don’t count yourself out! The more, the merrier! When  All stories must start somewhere, and this one begins nearly 11 million years before the rise of humanity. Not long after the Quintessons’ defeat and subsequent exile at the hands of the self-proclaimed Guardians of Cybertron, the newly-liberated Cybertronians existed in a state of anarchy. All freed slaves crave agency and the exploration that freedom provides, but even the slightest privilege makes one covetous, even paranoid. As the spark of Primus was still bright at the time, protoforms were continuing to be created in the Plasma Energy Chamber. These wandering protoforms eventually solidified into fully-grown bots, their alt modes emerging as a result of their growth. Seemingly random, the dogmatic worship of Primus would soon decree that these alt modes were granted by Primus himself, a sign of the significance of their “birth”. A Senate was formed of representatives of the city-states of Cybertron, with a council of twelve Functionists dividing society based on the rarity of a Cybertronian’s alt modes. Over time, the rare, more specialized elites were paid far more attention and had far more say in the governings of the fledgling empire than the more common, ubiquitous ones. As the first method of self-governance, it was, necessarily, their worst. As security slips, and unrest foments, the elites would impose more and more dire punishments, leading to the widespread practice of Empurata; the loss of face, in a literal sense. With the most public instance being the empurata of Senator Shockwave, a condemned Cybertronian had their head and hands removed, replaced with a simple monocular optic, and more specialized, less versatile manipulators. Within the social structure, even the elites were ostracized, their public shaming visible to all. In spite of the social stratification, Cybertron grew and expanded from their home planet to create a small, but burgeoning empire in their errant, drifting stellar cluster. It is amongst this cluster that the next important question arises: Where? Be it on another world, or the city-states of Cybertron, every story has to start somewhere. Even a black hole in the right place can save a galaxy from its own entropy. So, too, can a faction within an empire affect sweeping change. In the vast cosmos, where are we? 1,2,4,4,4,6 Rhyos fucked around with this message at 19:43 on Nov 2, 2018 |
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Nov 1, 2018 21:29
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Tricky posted:
Was thinking of playing and you literally had the same idea I was going to do, but with the VF-19! Love it!
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Nov 2, 2018 14:25
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BR0ME0 posted:Was thinking of playing and you literally had the same idea I was going to do, but with the VF-19! Don’t let that stop you! Hop in Discord if you want to bounce some ideas around!
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Nov 2, 2018 19:26
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1,2,4,4,4,6 That's the Where, with What being the last of the setting items! I plan on keeping recruitment open for a few more days after the setting's complete, so if you're working on something, don't fret! There's still plenty of room. Where The target would have been key to winning the war against the Quintessons. The mission was considered a suicide run, a desperate push into Quintesson territory on the search for... something. There was a pursuit, a firefight, a nuclear ordinance alarm - who in their right mind would implement something like that? Imprecise, indiscriminate destruction - it was just as liable to kill the assailant as the target! An explosion, a hole ripped in the side of the ship, a bright flash of light, then... nothing. Slower than the speed of light, there was no way to keep up with stellar drift. With no planets around, there were no gravity wells to anchor the doomed Solstice in place, cosmically. Trapped in the nuclear cloud in the wake of the explosion, none dared venture near the wreckage, lest their squishier frames be granted a death sentence. The EMP had shut down everything, and for a species with electricity in place of blood, there was nothing left functional enough to start anything back up after the passage of time. The transport ship Solstice was well. And truly. Adrift.  What? But what was it that was so crucial, so important that it was worth risking the prospect of an indefinite lifespan in order to retrieve? What could be so influential as to end an interstellar war with its very possession? 1,1,2,2,3,4,4,6 A 3-way tie! With multiple objectives, it's a search for- Rhyos fucked around with this message at 02:42 on Nov 4, 2018 |
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Nov 2, 2018 21:35
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 Backstory Coming Soon... pre:NAME: Flashdrive Alt-mode: USB drive Quote: Jack. Ping. Bounce. ST 1 FP 3 CO 1 SP 7 EN 4 IN 3 RN 1 SK 5 (9 during Alt-mode) ALT-MODE USB drive (+4 SK when transformed) SPECIAL ABILITY Powerlink (Temporary control over non-sentinent machinery) ENERGON: 15 pre:AnonymousIdiotToday at 2:21 PM Oh right... I should do three dice rolls. /r 1d6 #when DicebotBOTToday at 2:22 PM @AnonymousIdiot: 1d6 when = (6) = 6 AnonymousIdiotToday at 2:22 PM /r 1d6 #where DicebotBOTToday at 2:22 PM @AnonymousIdiot: 1d6 where = (4) = 4 AnonymousIdiotToday at 2:22 PM /r 1d6 #what DicebotBOTToday at 2:22 PM @AnonymousIdiot: 1d6 what = (6) = 6
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Nov 3, 2018 21:23
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What An improbability so infinitesimal that any sound mind would consider it an impossibility. Like two drops of rain forming a larger one as they fall, like two bullets in a warzone impacting one another, sometimes all it takes is a nudge. A collision with a micrometoroid, just enough to start the derelict in a listing spin, contents floating still in the zero-gravity as the ship itself slowly moves. How many years of uninterrupted inertia went by? The ship spinning millimeter by millimeter as the disabled Cybertronians float ever-closer to the fore of the ship. Somewhere along the line, an outstretched hand collides with the lever of a circuit breaker, a screen flickers to life, and a thought finally reaches completion. code:Hope everyone enjoyed the pseudo-interactive setting creation! With the world locked in its place and time, all that's left is to wait on Monday, when I can kick the game off in earnest. If you've been wanting to make a character but ether have had no ideas, or aren't sure were to start, hit us up in Discord! I'll be more than happy to help bounce ideas and create characters. In the meantime, buckle up - there's a whole sector of space to explore! Game thread's here! edit: Just because the game's started doesn't mean more bots can't be found down the road! If you're still interested, feel free to make up a character - I'll find a way to shoehorn it in! Rhyos fucked around with this message at 23:09 on Nov 5, 2018 |
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Nov 4, 2018 03:16
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