Giant Transforming Robot Hero

[AdamLeisemann]

I once had a strange idea for something to cover in HERO system. GTR shows (like Transformers). So, I had a few quick notes for ideas.

 

Giant Transforming Robots in HERO System.

 

Note: This material uses stuff from Star Hero (SH) and Champions © along with the Hero System core rulebook (H5). None of these are revised editions, so the page counts may be off compared to more recent revisions.

 

CHARACTER CREATION NOTES:

When creating a Giant Transforming Robot, it is important to keep the following things in mind:

 

1) Size: Morphing robots tend to be larger than most humans. If you want to select a size for your character, it will do you well to use SH pages 30-32 to get all the information that is pertinent to your robot’s size.

2) Point Base: Giant Transforming robots tend to have a lot of power to them, so it’s a good idea to create them like super-heroic characters with 200 base points and up to 150 points in disadvantages. Remember, actual disadvantages count towards the disadvantage total while simple reductions in characteristics do not.

3) Everyman Skills: If you are playing a human character, you should use the Modern list of Everyman skills (H5 page 31). Robots get the following list of Everyman Skills.

Acting

Climbing

Computer Programming

Concealment

Conversation

Deduction

Mechanics

Native Language (4 points worth, includes literacy)

Persuasion

One PS at 11- (job or hobby or primary function)

Shadowing

Stealth

TF: one group of vehicles

AK: Home planet

4) Special skill considerations: Mechanics can be used just like the Paramedic skill on a robot.

5) All robots have the following, costing 48 points total.

Robot form: Armor (6 PD/6 ED) (18 points)

Robot form: Total Life Support (45 points)

Distinctive Features: Robot (Easily Concealed, Causes Major Reaction) (-10 points)

6) Alternate Form Rules: One of the defining features of a giant transforming robot is the transforming bit. To reflect this, there will have to be some variants on Multiform. Keep in mind that when you are buying a vehicle or base as a multiform, you only divide be five once.:

Animal-based forms: For this, the robot should buy multiform like normal. This is like Beast Wars or the Dinobots from the classic Transformers.

Building Forms: For some reason, there may be robots built to transform into buildings. If you want to do this in your game (I am not going to stop you), you take a Multiform and design a base as that multiform, using the base rules provided on the Vehicles and Bases section (H5 pages 314-326). Be sure to include a computer to represent the robot’s brain.

Object and Weapon forms: Megatron turned into a gun, and the Rock Lords turned into rocks. (Don’t ask.) To handle object and weapon forms, I created a special multiform template just for this kind of campaign. It will be discussed later.

Vehicle Forms: This is purely classic. Buy a Multiform and use a vehicle (H5 pages 314-326). Be sure to include a computer to represent the robot’s brain.

Gestalt: Some robots (like Devastator from Transformers) were made up of other robots. What you do there is to have the whole team pay for part of the Gestalt Multiform, just like how some teams pay for a base as an entire group in Champions.

7) Scaling Weapons and Foci: When buying weapons and similar powers for a robot, it helps to adjust the effects of the power to suit the size of the wielder. For attacks, just add one DC for each size above medium and take one DC away for each size below medium.

 

WEAPON/OBJECT FORM TEMPLATE:

To create an object or weapon multiform, you design the form with the following base characteristics:

 

Characteristic Base Cost

Intelligence (INT) 10 1

Ego (EGO) 10 2

Defense (DEF) 2 3

Body (BODY) 10 2

 

Then buy powers to represent the form’s function and disadvantages that pertain to the form as well.

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Giant Transforming Robot Hero

 

Feel free to give me your thoughts on this approach.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Giant Transforming Robot Hero

 

This is also covered in part in The Ultimate Vehicle, Chapter 6: "And I'll Form the Head." Your write up seems valid enough, though.

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Giant Transforming Robot Hero

 

This is also covered in part in The Ultimate Vehicle' date=' [/i']Chapter 6: "And I'll Form the Head." Your write up seems valid enough, though.

 

Oh. I didn't know that. Admittedly because I don't have Ultimate Vehicle.

[BobGreenwade]

Re: Giant Transforming Robot Hero

 

That chapter also covers such things as combining, and much more.

 

TUV also gives options and rules for including INT, EGO, PRE, and COM as Vehicle Characteristics, and doing this in a Transformers-style game is precisely what I had in mind for such rules. (This was inspired mainly by an episode in the original series, in the season following the movie, wherein four Autobots had their "minds" removed and put into human bodies while their bodies were piloted around like mecha.)

 

However, I do like your "sentient object" template. Whoever writes The Ultimate Gadgeteer or The Ultimate Automaton may want to lift it.

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Giant Transforming Robot Hero

 

That chapter also covers such things as combining, and much more.

 

TUV also gives options and rules for including INT, EGO, PRE, and COM as Vehicle Characteristics, and doing this in a Transformers-style game is precisely what I had in mind for such rules. (This was inspired mainly by an episode in the original series, in the season following the movie, wherein four Autobots had their "minds" removed and put into human bodies while their bodies were piloted around like mecha.)

 

However, I do like your "sentient object" template. Whoever writes The Ultimate Gadgeteer or The Ultimate Automaton may want to lift it.

 

I better save up for UV.

 

And as far as my template, you guys have my permission to use it. All I really ask if you do is that I get some minor contribution credit (no money for it, just a mention). Oh, and a notice of which book it shows up in so I can save for that too.

 

Okay... Maybe not that much, but a guy can dream.

[tgrandjean]

Re: Giant Transforming Robot Hero

 

All seems workable, but keep in mind that what you're looking to run is more in the way of 450+ points rather than 350pts.

Have some fun and enjoy the fact that Hero can do the whole changing scale bit better than most of the games out there.

Where else can you have a 40ft tall robot change into a compact car?

[Seenar]

Re: Giant Transforming Robot Hero

 

how does UV handle the fact that once you start taking body, a vehihcle starts to fall apart pretty fast.

 

The Old Robot Warriors had a table that seemed to work pretty well.

[tgrandjean]

Re: Giant Transforming Robot Hero

 

What you get is multiple tables (all optional) for different types of vehicles. So, they all take damage a bit differently.

For Transformers, actually you won't want to use them unless you plan on running an extremely brutal campaign.

They work better as straight characters (with Stun, Con, etc...).

[RomanMetal]

Re: Giant Transforming Robot Hero

 

I found at least 2 web sites with Transformers. Sadly I don't have the websites' addresses with me. But I found a profile of Bumblebee that has the name of the creator, so I hope he would not mind.

 

Name: Bumblebee (Transformer)

Val Char Cost

27 STR 2

18 DEX 24

28 CON 38

17 BODY 10

24 INT 14

20 EGO 20

13 PRE 3

10 COM 0

18 PD 15

22 ED 15

4 SPD 12

8 REC 0

56 END 0

37 STUN 0

= 153

 

Characteristic Rolls: STR: 14-, DEX: 13-, CON: 15-, INT: 14-, EGO: 13-, PER: 12-

Run: 10", Swim: 7", Jump: 2", Lift: 1055.5 kg

 

Cost Powers END/Roll

13 0 END on STR

10 12 PD/ED Damage Resistance; 15- act.

13 Growth (x4 mass, +10 STR, -2" KB; +2 BODY/STUN, -1 DCV, +1 PER

against); 0 END pers., +1; always on

12 +4" running; 0 END

4 x2.5 NC on running; car mode only, -1/4; turn mode, -1/4 {120 km/h

noncombat}

7 +5" swimming; 0 END

74 +37 sight PER

27 Full Invisibility; 0 END, +1/2; only in traffic, -1/2; 12- activation,

-3/4

37 10d6 EB; 0 END, +1/2; OAF laser gun

27 Transformer package

7 Density Increase (x2 mass, +5 STR, -1" KB, +1 PD/ED); 0 END, +1/2;

persistent, +1/2; always on, -1/2

5 Radio listen/transmit

 

Cost Skills, Talents, Perks Roll

11 Stealth, 17-

12 LS: self-contained, need not excrete

3 KS: Autobot/Decepticon tactics (INT based)

 

100+ Disadvantages

15 Psych: Eager, brave (c,s)

10 Psych: Idolizes "strong" Autobots (c,m)

5 Transformer package vuln: x1.5 STUN from magnetic attacks

 

OCV: 6; DCV: 5; ECV: 7; Mental Def.: 0; Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

PD/rPD: 18/12; ED/rED: 22/12

 

Costs: Char.: 153 Disad.: 30

Powers: + 262 Base: + 100

Exp.: +

Total: = 415 Total: = 130

 

Background: Small, eager, and brave, Bumblebee acts as messenger and spy. Due to his small size, Bumblebee dares to go where others can't and won't. He idolizes the bigger Autobots, especially Optimus Prime and Prowl, and strives to be accepted.

 

Identifying Quote: "The least likely can be the most dangerous."

 

Powers/Tactics:

He is the most energy efficient and has the best vision of all the Autobots.

He can go underwater for reconnaisance and salvage missions. Although physically the weakest Autobot, his stealth more than compensates for this inadequacy.

 

Appearance: Bumblebee's disguised form is that of a yellow Volkwagen Beetle.

 

Writer's Notes: The invisibility is to represent the ability that small cars have of being virtually unnoticed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Write-up copyright © 1996 by Tim Larson (spock@courtave.net)

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Giant Transforming Robot Hero

 

I like the input coming from you guys. Admittedly, I had one idea for a GTR campaign in HERO system. The idea would work as follows:

 

In the second world war, The Ally and Axis powers created GTRs to combat the enemy forces. Essentially Transformers in WWII.

 

Then my brother had a neat idea: A GTR superteam in a regular Champions game.

[tgrandjean]

Re: Giant Transforming Robot Hero

 

You might want to see if you can pick up Kishin Corp an anime dealing with mecha in a WWII setting; highly recommended.

Also, if you can find it consider Giant Robo. Giant robots, wild martial arts, and strange mystic powers all stuffed into a conflict between two opposing teams with the fate of the world in the balance!

Very, very, very highly recommended.

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Giant Transforming Robot Hero

 

Thank you for your suggestions. I'll look for those.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Giant Transforming Robot Hero

 

I found at least 2 web sites with Transformers. Sadly I don't have the websites' addresses with me. But I found a profile of Bumblebee that has the name of the creator' date=' so I hope he would not mind.[/quote']

 

*SNIP*

 

That one looks like it came from The Great Net Book of Real Heroes. You'll also find a lot of HERO Transformer writeups on "Matt's Champions Page": here's where you can see templates for a basic Transformer car and Transformer jet. And if you go here you'll find full writeups for several Transformer characters. (Note: the links on that last webpage are sometimes cranky, and may take you to the author's homepage instead. Just go Back and try the link again.)

[Mathew]

Re: Giant Transforming Robot Hero

 

Speaking of giant transforming robots, here is the biggest one I did yet. It's Depth Charge from the Revenge of the Fallen toy line.

 

http://home.comcast.net/~mathewignash/PDFs/DCROTF.pdf

 

He turns into a rather large warship. Equal to 15 levels of Growth, always on. The model ship he turns into is an actual ship, called a Visby class corvette.