@PeacelessI don't believe there are weapons like that in the series to my own knowledge. Though it is a short visual novel so I'll give you that. There so far have only been weapons shown that are standard shooting, or melee weapons.
So just guns and swords? Do you really plan on limiting yourself to this alone?
@Heckno12 I believe has played the visual novel too so he may be able to help jog my memory too. Transformable weapons aren't a thing the closest thing to that would be eagle's ability to shift into overdrive mode which is basically trans-am from gundam oo mixed with G Gundam's Super mode. Though I suppose if you somehow worked in why you'd have an experimental weapon from some company, or your own design then I MAY consider it. Though the effects your stating probably won't be a thing as there is as of yet no standard for 'elemental' effects.
I didn't plan on playing a dude who designs weapons, but if this is the only way to override the "just guns or swords" thing, then yeah, why not. And I don't mind starting out small and improving the thing as we go, in fact it's an even better idea than what I originally had. But, the whole concept hinges on the assumption elemental or otherwise CC effects exist. Question is, do you plan on adding these at all.
A shield shouldn't be too out of the ordinary though there aren't none shown in the series I'm sure some mechs have that option. My best bet would probably go with a pistol build and drop the shield as you can spray, and move. Using a sword, or some other melee weapon to keep them from just wiping you out at close. Harass, and delay the enemy prevent them from making moves while my own character, and Heckno's work some sort of play out on the enemy. Or if you wanted a more melee oriented build then using an standard rifle, and perhaps a sword and shield. It's pretty basic as far as mechs go but it works for just general standardized things go. However there are also heavier weapons notable in the game as while some units have slimmer weapons, others have heavier builds like Eagle (The main protagonist's mech) notably uses a large buster sword like weapon.
Does this help at all?
From a strategic point of view this may make sense, but it is not what I was going for. The shield is to force range guys to go closer in order to stop my guy from harassing them. If the biggest problem of my concept is the grenade launcher turning into a melee weapon, we can forego that part and just have my guy be vulnerable to melee. No shame in that.
@PeacelessI'm assuming there's other weaponry in the world however we are in a school based environment. I'm sure certain pieces of tech are limited to prevent harm from students. Chances are a school would not let a student arm their gear with a bazooka for example. As for elemental effects I do not plan on adding them in. This universe seems to be at a point in time where gears are just starting to get into advancements. Most mechs are well operated, and well made but they don't seem to have the fancy equipment from say Gundam, or Shin Getter. However I'm sure if you modify your weapon to create some sort of kick back or whatever it can function in similar ways to some more traditional rpg like effects. As I said we're not in this to hurt people they're more like IGPX than an actual war based system though there ARE war game type gear teams out there as it's expounded that there are professional national, and pro teams that compete in them. China, and Japan namely fight each other in one throw away cut scene.
I'll see what I can do for Atlas later I have the general gist of his story down. I just don't want to get burnt out as there have been times where I have made entire characters just for the others to randomly drop out leaving me with a handful of useless ramblings.
So question, if these mechs are using actual weapons, are there any safety precautions for pilots? Giving a bunch of college kids giant robots with energy swords and telling them to hack at each other with them sounds like a good way to get (several) someone(s) killed.
@vietmykePlot wise mechanics from various companies set down the power, and or assign weapons that cause power downs of the enemy mechs when they cause sufficient damage. In other words they force shut down the unit when enough damage is done.
But like... What about ejector seats..? Auto-stopping weapons? My character's mech uses a Lance.. Powering down doesn't stop a Tungsten spike from impaling you
@vietmykeThat's why the school uses a majority of blade based weapons. Slashing weapons don't usually leave too much chance for a bad hit. Core breaches probably auto force down the systems on most gears. You're also not suppose to be aiming for places which could kill the pilot. All mechs in the battles so far have sustained heavy damage and then shut down, or beaten by a mech in personal combat resulting in a shut down. It's more about causing damage, and getting points than going for big power blows. If you're using a lance just aim at the arms, or the legs of a suit. You're not suppose to turn the thing into molten slag you're suppose to disable it.
As for ejection seats, and what have you I'm sure some models have things such as that for emergencies but they're not normally used.
For everyone here's an example of a battle. Spoilers for the story of course but this is what battles are typically like. There's someone talking in the video but you can mute it if you desire. The battle starts roughly around the 9:40 mark.
Team Position: Skirmisher Age: 21 Gender: Female Year at Ace Academy: 2nd Year Appearance: Standing in a 5'2"(157cm) and weighing in at approximately 120lbs, Sara is easily the smallest one on the team. Her face is pale and round, and she has clear, clean skin, with a pair of round, pouty lips and a button nose. Her eyes are a light green, and her bright pink hair is in a bob, though is typically kept out of her face with a clip when she's piloting. Her frame is small, but lithe and its clear she keeps in shape. She keeps up with fashion trends, and often wears clothes from sponsors.
Personality: A bit of a wallflower, Sara is in general fairly quiet and soft spoken, preferring to stay in the background, though she tends to be more playful and outgoing around her friends. Highly intelligent and perceptive, Sara has an eye for detail and can notice things others miss, and can be surprisingly insightful. Friendly and amicable, Sara's demeanor is generally cheerful, and though she is quiet, she is neither meek nor timid, and her displays of anger and determination can be surprising.
Biography: The oldest of two, Sara was born to a rather poor family. The daughter of an auto-shop mechanic and a nurse, Sara and her brother Sam spent most of their childhood without their parents- not because of lack of love or care- quite the opposite in fact, but their father often came home exhausted, and their mother worked the night shift at the local hospital almost more than she worked the day shift. Sara was discovered to be quite brilliant at a young age, and with her wallflower tendencies, she tended to go by unnoticed, while her brother often got into scraps in the school yard.
While in high school, Sara and her brother got part time jobs at their father's auto-shop learning the ins and outs of machinery and vehicles while they progressed through school. The auto-shop worked primarily on cars, though other vehicles like GEARs weren't an uncommon sight. Both siblings showed an aptitude for this- though it was notable that Sara had much more fun driving the vehicles than actually fixing them, and occasionally got in trouble for taking fixed cars out for joyrides- her brother in tow and covering for her in the off chance they got caught.
Joyriding with GEARs was a bit more difficult, and though Sara and her brother both expressed an interest in GEARs, they never got the chance to drive one until their father bought a GEAR to do lifting and loading work around the auto-shop. Immediately falling in love with the machine, Sara convinced her father to teach her how to use it, and by the time her senior year of high school rolled around, she was the one in the shop teaching other mechanics how to use it.
A local talent scout spotted her one day while he was getting one of his teams' GEARs fixed, and offered her a chance to prove herself. Going to a private facility, Sara took a GEAR through its paces and thoroughly impressed the talent scout, who in turn linked her up to several GEAR developers. Sara graduated her local highschool with a scholarship for the esteemed ACE Academy, and was immediately picked up by sponsors during her first year. During her first year of school at ACE Academy, Sara was largely out of the competitive scene, preferring to watch from the sidelines, instead she worked jobs for various manufacturers, testing out new models of GEARs before they went on the market.
Currently sponsored by Lockheed Martin Aerospace, and Heckler and Koch subsidiary: Coaxed Arms, Sara, at the coercion of her brother, an engineering student at ACE Academy, has decided to enter the competitive scene. She joined up with Celestial Star, a team actively looking for new members.
Combat Section
Strengths: Sara is quick witted, with a quick reaction time and excellent spacial awareness, allowing her to weave through combat with ease. She primarily engages in close to medium close range, using a combination of melee weapons and firearms. As a test pilot for many major companies prior to her joining the competitive scene, she has extensive knowledge on a wide variety of GEAR models, likely having tested prototypes of them at one point. Weaknesses: Her aim isn't poor, but the nature of her machine and her equipment makes her less viable past mid-ranged combat. She also has a tendency to push her machine extremely hard, leading to longer downtime as it undergoes repairs. She doesn't like shot-calling, and relies on others for decision making. Neutral Values: GEAR maintenance and tuning.
Gear Section:
Gear Designation: Lockheed Martin Aerospace. V-A143 'Valkyrie II' Custom The Valkyrie II is a high performance GEAR designed by the American based company Lockheed Martin. Developed for combat use on futuristic battlefields, the Valkyrie series GEAR is designed as a replacement for the aging Einherjar series of GEAR. An excellent, well rounded machine with low development and operational cost, the Valkyrie series, unlike the more expensive Einherjar is meant to combine combat efficiency as well as affordability.
While the Valkyrie was designed for general purpose use, and can adapt to various environments by using various equipment setups, the Valkyrie II was developed to be lighter, and more agile, with higher top speeds and unparalleled maneuverability. Unlike the baseline Valkyrie, the Valkyrie II sports thrusters on its back, as well as feet, knees, shoulders, and ankles, with mirco thrusters popping out of the sides of its legs and forearms, allowing it to turn on a dime. To protect its pilot, the Valkyrie II uses a G-Cockpit, specially designed to absorb G-Forces and maintain equilibrium during high G maneuvers. As a result, the Valkyrie II is considerably less armored than the Valkyrie, and relies on shields and maneuverability to make up the difference. The Valkyrie II is also considerably more expensive than the baseline Valkyrie, and has only just left the testing phase.
Sara's sponsored Valkyrie II is primarily painted white, with a few purple accents on it. The legs are black and often have the logos of various sponsors on them.
Nicknames: White Hare
Weapon(s):
A large, re-imagining of a medieval lance, the AX90 is a multi-part pile bunker consisting of three main parts. The primary part is the lance head itself, which consists of a superdense alloy tip connected to a large chemical charge- though the competition grade version replaces the dense alloy tip with a tip that crushes and folds over on itself, with a powerful directed EMP charge that immobilizes the affected part, simulating the lance strike.
The lance head then attaches Lance Gauntlet, which connects to the forearm and hand of the Valkyrie, immobilizing and stabilizing it. Attached to the lance gauntlet and the Valkyrie's hand is a Micro Type-4 Energy Cannon, a submachine variant of the Type-3 laser machinegun. The Type-4 is a lightweight assault weapon that can be held in a single hand and fires medium bore energy rounds. The Type-4 fires at a rate of 900 rounds per minute, and has a semi-automatic, three round burst, and fully automatic fire modes. If needed, the Lance Gauntlet can be ejected from the GEAR, without removing the lasergun portion. A spare lance head is often stored on the thigh.
On the left arm of the Valkyrie is an EMP Claw- attached to a spool of cable on the Valkyrie's left forearm, the claw can be launched with the intention of grappling to a GEAR's leg or arm to temporarily immobilize it, either setting up teammates, or Sara herself for a finishing blow. The outer edges of the claw also act as energy projectors, allowing the claw to be used as a melee weapon in a pinch.
Base Parameters: Strength: C Endurance: D *Armor Quality: D *Shield Quality: A Agility: A Energy Level: B Long Range Quality: D Short Range Quality: B
@vietmykeMasurao is a professionally built mecha built for a star pilot in the pro leagues. It was made for a man who could handle extremely precise melee combat scenarios. Bill is not as capable as his older cousin who the machine was made for specifically but he can still handle it. As such it's statistics reflect that. Just because the machine is good doesn't mean my character is capable of using it to it's full potential.
Name: Marie Lenard Nicknames: Team Position: Engineer Age: 20 Gender: Female Year at Ace Academy: 1 Appearance: With light brown hair and blue eyes, Marie sticks out in Ace Academy to say the least. She stands at a short 5 foot 6 and her hair reaches down to her shoulders when not tied up. Light freckles cover her nose and cheeks, not enough to be really notable but noticeable at a close distance. She can often be seen wearing work dungarees and a tank top when working. Personality: The first word that comes to most peoples minds when describing Marie is enthusiastic. She is always up for anything and will do whatever it takes to help her team succeed. She is also slightly naive though, something which was heavily taken advantage of in terms of pranks and whatnot when she first enrolled in Ace Academy. As a result of her rather terrible first year, she has grown rather untrusting of people and it takes a lot to fully gain her trust. Biography:
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Combat Section (if applicable strengths, and weaknesses should even out remember personality traits aren't necessarily hindrances in combat.): Strengths: Weaknesses: Neutral Values:
quick note I'll get to work on an IC when the characters are all finished. I'll probably set it in the afternoon after the first set of classes are done. Most second years will probably be taking Gear piloting lessons like Gear 102 or something. Some of us who haven't been here for a year and transferred may be in a different class like 101. If you want to include classes specifically tailored to your character you can do so as classes won't be having a big impact on the story overall.
