Help with robot character idea?

[drewriggio]

Hi all, new poster here. I am toying with the idea of a robot character that is kind of a transformer or variable mech. I am basing the idea on a mix of Robotech Macross memories and that Transformer that turns into a flying transport that other Transformers can ride around in. Basically I am thinking of a guy with Multiform, but am struggling with how to build the "flying transport/drop ship" form. It would basically be a vehicle conceptually, but I don't think you can use multiform to buy a vehicle.

 

Anyone done something like this who might be able to share some ideas?

[Hyper-Man]

Here is great 5e character with a similar concept that you could mine for construction ideas:

 

http://killershrike.com/HERONet/Goodspeed.aspx

 

Since the vehicle costs are similar to that of Multiform I don't see the problem in making the vehicles actually be the character. 

 

Another option would to build an AI character sheet that stays the same while "piloting" the various forms he changes between.

 

For more on this see ERG-9 below.

*I've used this format to build a version of Red Tornado from the JLA. It would also work for Wildfire of the Legion of Superheroes.

 

suit:

http://www.killershrike.com/MillennialMen/CharacterFiles/NPCs/Hegemony/ERG-9.HTML

 

energy form:

http://www.killershrike.com/MillennialMen/CharacterFiles/NPCs/ERG-9.HTML

 

 

HM

[TheQuestionMan]

Herbie and Herbie Goes Bananas? - Government Coverup for early sightings of Transformers.  

[TheQuestionMan]

Christine - a psychotic Decepticon

[Christopher]

Multiform into a vehicle is problematic at best. Propably not even legal by RAW. So good that you asked.

 

"Movement Power, Usable by Nearby" is a common approach to build a "Vehicle/Transport" mode.

As would be just having enough strenght to carry everyone on the team while using the movement power:

The average human only weights 100 KG (for carry weight purposes) and that applies to all supers that have no permanent growth, Density increase or similar changes.

Note that usable by nearby has a different weight cap, based on the Advantage cost.

And teleportation has a nother seperate Weightcap.

So it depends how much strenght he has, how much movemen he has and how much to carry.

 

One generla advise on building robots:

Asume he can do (and needs to do) anything a normal human has to do - just with a different special effect - unless a poweroverrides.

He still needs to eat (or do a equivalent activity) every so often. He still needs to Sleep (Somatic-passive Longrunning Experience Evaluation Process). And he is not hindred in social interactions, unless you want him to be so (or need him to be so to fill complication points).

[Tasha]

you could multiform into a "Vehicle" ie Still a PC, but one with powers that allow character to do vehicle like things

 

take a Complication that the Characters is x Size.(Use the growth chart to figure out how big your pc should be to carry their teammates, also check other vehicles to get an idea as to how big they are)

Resistant protection(Defined as armor) that "Protects Carried" to simulate that he's carrying his teammates inside his hull

Enough Strength to carry everyone (best if they have double the strength needed to lift that number of PCs, so they can be using Casual strength to carry them).

Flight, Running etc obvious.

I wouldn't take any Automaton powers (ex perhaps doesn't Bleed). If your character already has everything else (ie Resistant prot. that Protects Carried, Lots of Strength, and lots of movement) then the character could just have a multipower(Assuming that the PC has a Multipower with attacks etc) slot that includes a ton of Growth (and the Protects Carried naked Power Modifer for Resistant Protection) and call that "Team Mover Vehicle mode". This would be instead of taking Multiform.

[freakboy6117]

I would suggest buying the movement power with usable by others perhaps with life support usable by others (if the vehicle form is spaceworthy etc) you could also buy growth to represent a growth in strength and toughness in the bigger size.

 

You can also buy armour or forcefield use able by others.

 

Alternatively if you don't want him any tougher buy the size difference as a complication.

[Lucius]

 

You can use Multiform to turn into a Vehicle. The problem is that a Vehicle doesn't have INT or EGO or in general an ability to choose its own actions.

 

As I recall when this subject came up before the solution was to Multiform into a combination of Vehicle PLUS an AI that represents the characters still functioning mind directing the Vehicle.

 

Another possibility is to use Duplication with the Altered Duplicates option to "split" into the AI plus the Vehicle.

 

And of course the popular option you see in this thread of NOT using Multiform or Duplication and just having enough size and STR to carry the passengers you anticipate, plus putting the "Protect carried items" adder on not only the Resistant Protection but also on Life Support and anything else you want to extend to cover the passengers.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Passenger on a palindromedary

[Killer Shrike]

Here is great 5e character with a similar concept that you could mine for construction ideas:

 

http://killershrike.com/HERONet/Goodspeed.aspx

 

Since the vehicle costs are similar to that of Multiform I don't see the problem in making the vehicles actually be the character. 

 

Another option would to build an AI character sheet that stays the same while "piloting" the various forms he changes between.

 

For more on this see ERG-9 below.

*I've used this format to build a version of Red Tornado from the JLA. It would also work for Wildfire of the Legion of Superheroes.

 

suit:

http://www.killershrike.com/MillennialMen/CharacterFiles/NPCs/Hegemony/ERG-9.HTML

 

energy form:

http://www.killershrike.com/MillennialMen/CharacterFiles/NPCs/ERG-9.HTML

 

 

HM

 

 

This is a more correct link for ERG-9's containment suit:

 

http://www.killershrike.com/MillennialMen/CharacterFiles/NPCs/Hegemony/ERG-9%20Containment%20Suit.HTML

[Mathew Robert Ignash]

I didn't even bother with Multiform for Transformers, I just considered it Shapeshifting. Here is my character sheet for Transformers Jetfire.

 

http://mattcave.fcpages.com/PDFs/JETFIRE.pdf

 

Meanwhile here is my conversion of the Veritech from Robotech/Macross as a vehicle.

 

http://mattcave.fcpages.com/PDFs/VF1A.pdf

[Cassandra]

KITT the Cylon.

[PaladinAg]

Here is great 5e character with a similar concept that you could mine for construction ideas:

 

http://killershrike.com/HERONet/Goodspeed.aspx

 

Since the vehicle costs are similar to that of Multiform I don't see the problem in making the vehicles actually be the character. 

 

Another option would to build an AI character sheet that stays the same while "piloting" the various forms he changes between.

 

For more on this see ERG-9 below.

*I've used this format to build a version of Red Tornado from the JLA. It would also work for Wildfire of the Legion of Superheroes.

 

suit:

http://www.killershrike.com/MillennialMen/CharacterFiles/NPCs/Hegemony/ERG-9.HTML

 

energy form:

http://www.killershrike.com/MillennialMen/CharacterFiles/NPCs/ERG-9.HTML

 

 

HM

Wow, thanks for those links Hyper-Man.  I think I might completely rethink how I've thought about my "Silver Paladin" character, and shown me how to give him the armoury I've wanted to give him.

 

PaladinAg

[PaladinAg]

One solution to the original problem would be to use robot and transport as separate vehicles with a 5pt premium to buy the second, less expensive vehicle.  However, the risk is here that it is possible to rapidly "break" the system.  
 
For example, for my Silver Paladin character for "just" 100 pts, it was possible to have 8 different 400 pt vehicles (5 different size 0 "vehicle" power armours, a giant version, a converting mecha/plane version AND a mobile base). With the OIF bulky limitation for most of the sensors, extra powers and weapon system these got very capable very quickly. 
 
I would suggest that this may be appropriate for a solo campaign, whereas the tradition OIF/OIAID approach to power armour would work much better in a team setting.
 
PaladinAg