M E K H A N A U T S - A Far-Future Mecha RP Inspired by Dune, UnderRail, and BattleTech

[Senhara]

Again - tell me what you have in mind and we can go from there

@Yam I Am

I'm currently spitballing a few ideas but I'm thinking a large shoulder mounted cannon ala Armored Core, but modified for close range usage, then perhaps a medium range kinetic handheld weapon, like an autocannon but less heavy and one handed. Maybe a close range energy shotgun as well? Laser or plasma, mayhaps? Still thinking on this.

[Yam I Am]

<Snipped quote by Yam I Am>

I'm currently spitballing a few ideas but I'm thinking a large shoulder mounted cannon ala Armored Core, but modified for close range usage, then perhaps a medium range kinetic handheld weapon, like an autocannon but less heavy and one handed. Maybe a close range energy shotgun as well? Laser or plasma, mayhaps? Still thinking on this.

@Senhara

Yep, those are all in as defaults thus far.

a large shoulder mounted cannon ala Armored Core, but modified for close range usage

@Senhara

Howitzer with the Weapon Slot as your Back Subsystem.

a medium range kinetic handheld weapon, like an autocannon but less heavy and one handed.

@Senhara

Autocarbine, just flavoured however you please. Like, when it mentions 5.6mm, 7.62mm, and 9mm, it's in reference to large rifle rounds just of those calibre.

Maybe a close range energy shotgun as well? Laser or plasma, mayhaps?

@Senhara

I have this as a Plasma Projector: A close-range fan of superheated plasma as a heavy (two-handed) weapon.

Also, the CAWS, which is like an automatic shotgun that fires Armour-Piercing Incendiary Flechettes.

I think I got you covered in most of those regards for the ideas you have in mind so far, at least.

[Senhara]

I'm having some trouble understanding some of the stats, like POW and STR, considering they show up on several parts. Can you describe these a bit more and how to calculate them together or?

[Yam I Am]

I'm having some trouble understanding some of the stats, like POW and STR, considering they show up on several parts. Can you describe these a bit more and how to calculate them together or?

@Senhara

All the stats you see are additive, and everything except Energy (ENE) and Power (POW) cap at 10 - there's no benefit to picking things like, say, Agility (AGI) over 10.

EX// If you have a Juggernaut with a Raptor Chassis (3 STR), a Fusion Engine (3 STR), and a Tungsten Frame (1 STR), then it adds up: 3 + 3 + 1 = 7 STR. You record your 'naut as having a STR of 7.

Power (POW) and Energy (ENE) are used as "caps" for systems' Weight (WGT) and Energy Use (kY). The total of your Juggernaut's WGT can't exceed it's POW. Same goes for kY and ENE.

[Senhara]

Ohhh that makes more sense, and kY can't go over even if it's conditional?

[Yam I Am]

Ohhh that makes more sense, and kY can't go over even if it's conditional?

@Senhara

Normally no, you can't use more kY than you have ENE - the one exception to this is the Auxiliary Battery subsystem, which requires it to be manually "turned on" and thus lets you allocate more ENE to kY.

I apologize for all the confusion, as most of the creation is still in notes and not in presentable-format like everything else is thus far.

[Senhara]

Yeah that makes more sense, I'm gonna wait for the rest of the weapon cards before doing anything, and I'm still trying to figure out my character's backstory

[BCTheEntity]

I might lean hard into the psykic side of things. Make a psyonik who's got all the most psykic stuff. Because they're psykic. Only problem there that I'm noticing is some pretty serious reliability issues if I try to go down that route... anything I can do to balance the two points out? (Also, to wit, I assume having a stat at or below 0 is mechanically inviable and/or in-universe Bad.)

[Abstract Proxy]

I'm working on a character that is a mixture of what I found interesting about cybernewtypes from Gundam (admittedly not a ton), Clanners from BattleTech (less the society obsessed with bad tactics and more a upbringing in a very rigid caste system), the Bene Tleilax from Dune (more the whole Ghola / vat born created from centuries old genes vibes than shapeshifting peeps) and tossing in some sweet Undertail psy vibes.

[wikkit]

My idea is, if you're willing to work on lore elements, someone who belongs to a warrior-cult that worships the bond between man and fighting vehicles - non-Juggernauts included, but since those are the ones who get inhabited by intelligences, they're special. They practice a weird combination of asceticism and car tuner culture where they do keep possessions, but only as long as it takes to sell them to fuel maintenance and improvement of their personally owned craft. They live like monks in the desert, but their rides are wondrous things.

[Senhara]

Ok, @Yam I Am, I wish to propose an absolutely STUPID idea which I am mostly certain will immediately get shot down but I want to propose it, what if I give my Juggernaught an *extremely* modified autocannon? I'm talking like this.



Mind you, weapon systems like this can be uh, a bit insane to say the least

[Yam I Am]

I wish to propose an absolutely STUPID idea which I am mostly certain will immediately get shot down but I want to propose it

@Senhara

Well uh,

I already uh,

Y'know...



Yeah.

[Senhara]

Oh I'm more saying like a traditional firearm. Telescoping ammo has the propellant encase the projectile in some way, resulting in better barrel velocity for the same cartridge size when designed right, I'm more concerned about fielding such a weapon with insane RPM

[Yam I Am]

Oh I'm more saying like a traditional firearm. Telescoping ammo has the propellant encase the projectile in some way, resulting in better barrel velocity for the same cartridge size when designed right, I'm more concerned about fielding such a weapon with insane RPM

@Senhara

Yeah - I think the Autocannon with the Munitions Pack synergy upgrade describes what you want to go for pretty closely. Again, you can flavour the specifics how you please since there's lots of different autocannon models and what's presented is more an umbrella term describing the general idea.

[Senhara]

<Snipped quote by Senhara>

Yeah - I think the Autocannon with the Munitions Pack synergy upgrade describes what you want to go for pretty closely. Again, you can flavour the specifics how you please since there's lots of different autocannon models and what's presented is more an umbrella term describing the general idea.

@Yam I Am

Yeah I'm just really picky about this because an autocannon that fires at 80 RPM is a lot different from one that fires at 200+ RPM

[Stern Algorithm]

<Snipped quote by Stern Algorithm>

Keepers in the majority of Azvanrist sects are more kept as spiritual figures than they are in active roles - it's something that's dependent on local cultures and the exact nature of their upbringing. And though it wouldn't really be too out of it for a mekh operator to turn over a new leaf as a keeper as a religious experience, there's usually a stiff layer of economic and social calcification that keep a lot of people from doing so. Likewise depending on how long they were on that exact path, forsaking being a keeper could range from anything to a young devotee deciding (or getting persuaded) that they're not cut out for this whole monasticism thing to basically outright apostasy/excommunication. Owing to the nature of the "space feudalist" structure that the Empire has had there's only really a lot of social mobility on a local scale - anything that involves multiple planets is very much sealed-in.

In general, though, Keepers do maintain a similar role as there would be to, say, clergy in most militaries: That is, an important part of the maintenance of morale and as supportive roles, but not anywhere near the direct up-and-front fighting. This being said, it wouldn't be entirely out of the picture for a keeper to pilot a juggernaut...though it would be considered highly unusual, like how if the army base's Chaplin decided he was going to be a helicopter pilot for a day.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the goals of adherence and that of role as a keeper aren't mutually exclusive: "Keeper" as the term itself refers to a specific societal role that's in many ways part caste, part profession, and part lifelong journey. Think of it more as a dedicated monk.

Though, it's not to say that you must be a keeper in order to maintain or display that show of faith in androgyny. People throughout the Empire can and do present themselves in androgynous forms as to communicate their devotion to Azvanrism all the time, and i'd even go as far as to say it wouldn't be out of the question to say it's even a cultural norm on some planets' local societies.

There's still a good number of religious minorities all around the Empire and there's just not enough infrastructure or frankly care to clamp down on them all: Persecutions in the Sirian Empire were usually political and the religious aspect of trying to defend or push the faith typically came later. Really big influences - like the aforementioned Avrakhans - were usually the prime suspects because they put the stability of the Empire into question with clashing values and different collectives in things like churches, banks, common houses, soup kitchens, and so forth that they powers that be saw as potentially dangerous breeding grounds for insurrection. But if you're just some guy in his house praying to some obscure God in private then nobody will probably care. It's when you start Secret Society-ing that where the Empire does not fuck around.

<Snipped quote by Stern Algorithm>

I had a few of them written down, yeah. In general if someone has an idea for something - be it a part, weapon, subsystem, etc - then i'll allow it and draft something up for them.

@Yam I Am

Ok based on this, I think it makes sense for my character to not be a keeper, which is totally fine. I'm going to assume that based on the sheer size of the galaxy, that it would be impossible for Azvanrism to me monolithic? So I could have my character practice a form of Azvanrism with its own 'flavor'?

I'm thinking of having a mech that specializes in electronic warfare, such as jamming communications/radar, disabling enemy mechs, and scouting/disorienting engagements (with funnels/drones).

[Smike]

I think I have time for this, I’ll have to start thinking of a character. Probably going to go heavy weapons for the mech but we’ll see

[Yam I Am]

Was busy with the GF yesterday, but now's the time for some responses:

I might lean hard into the psykic side of things. Make a psyonik who's got all the most psykic stuff. Because they're psykic. Only problem there that I'm noticing is some pretty serious reliability issues if I try to go down that route... anything I can do to balance the two points out? (Also, to wit, I assume having a stat at or below 0 is mechanically inviable and/or in-universe Bad.)

@BCTheEntity

I think I answered this one in PMs but: Due to the fact that the stats so far aren't complete, there's gonna be additional subsystems for improving REL and ARM that haven't been showcased yet. So the stats you get for theorcrafting so far aren't indicative of the final result.

My idea is, if you're willing to work on lore elements, someone who belongs to a warrior-cult that worships the bond between man and fighting vehicles - non-Juggernauts included, but since those are the ones who get inhabited by intelligences, they're special. They practice a weird combination of asceticism and car tuner culture where they do keep possessions, but only as long as it takes to sell them to fuel maintenance and improvement of their personally owned craft. They live like monks in the desert, but their rides are wondrous things.

@wikkit

I'd even go as far as to say you could spin this off as a specific sect of Azvanrism that's mostly around warrior castes in certain systems. There'd be totems and lesser deities in Azvanrism to things such as mechanical and physical concepts - think of there being "Patron Saints" of things like fusion power, engines, etc., all mixed in with natural forces like wind and cosmos.

If that's an angle you wanted to take this, i'd see it being justified. If it's supposed to be something completely different then I'd just need some more to work off of.

Ok based on this, I think it makes sense for my character to not be a keeper, which is totally fine. I'm going to assume that based on the sheer size of the galaxy, that it would be impossible for Azvanrism to me monolithic? So I could have my character practice a form of Azvanrism with its own 'flavor'?

@Stern Algorithm

As with the response above: Yeah, the Sirian Empire was just too damn big to ever allow Azvanrist thought to be a monolith. It wasn't for lack of trying; There were several attempts to try and consolidate the faith under one universal train of thought, but every time it ended up splitting because there were just too many sects out there.

Azvanrist thought allows a certain deviance from some core tenants, but other than that due to its diffuse nature the central Perriarch of Azvan has been more of a guiding figure than a super-authoritative "my way or the highway" type. Think of how Hinduism and Buddhism have several different denominations but are still generally unified under the same founding guidelines.

[Yam I Am]

Also: Gonna try to really finish out the Juggernaut stat cards today.

Hopefully, they will be all done tonight - plans are for OOC to go up tomorrow and for IC to start around Wednesday.

@Smike@Stern Algorithm@Senhara@Abstract Proxy@BCTheEntity@Jeddaven@Bork Lazer@Fiber@Bartimaeus@TheEvanCat

[Abstract Proxy]

Hell yeah!

I've got my character pretty written out (vat born psy in a robe, let's go), still contemplating the exact mech (but prob just gonna go psy heavy for that sweet trance pilot RP).