This document is Copyright 1997 by Christopher A. Goodwin. All rights reserved. All trademarks listed herein are owned by Hero Games, Inc., and are used without permission. Use of trademarks herein is not intended as a legal challenge to the rights and authority of Hero Games.
These are changes to the Robot Warriors rules to use when using RW robot construction and combat rules with the since-updated Hero System. This should go without saying, but a copy of Robot Warriors is necessary in order to use these rules. A reasonable familiarity with both 4th edition Hero System and Robot Warriors is assumed.
When not otherwise specified here, standard Robot Warriors mecha construction rules should be used. Character creation is entirely standard Hero System. All distances or ranges given in Robot Warriors refer to Size Class 4 hexes (16 meters across). If combat is played on a different scale, distances should be multiplied or divided appropriately as per the Ground Scale Chart on RW p. 36. All references to the BBB include references to the HSR.
Please note that the Robot Warriors mecha construction rules don't work well when mixed and matched with current Hero System vehicle construction rules. Vehicle combat shouldn't have too many problems per se, but don't expect a RW mecha to be balanced with respect to a vehicle constructed using Hero System rules -- You Have Been Warned. As suggested in Robot Warriors, the RW mecha construction rules could serve as alternate vehicle rules for the Hero System. Point costs are as per the BBB, with construction points substituting for character points. Everything else is as per Robot Warriors and this document.
Robot equipment does not use END. If it does not use charges, it is considered to be powered off of the robot's power plant, and ceases functioning if the robot's power plant is disabled, if the robot reaches 0 BODY, or (if the robot has the Requires Fuel disadvantage) if it runs out of fuel.
Autofire adds no automatic OCV bonus. The standard RW autofire rules should be changed as follows:
| 5 shots with 15+ Burnout: | -1 Advantage | |
| 5 shots with no burnout: | -2 Advantage | |
| Every 2x shots: | Additional -1 Advantage |
If the weapon requires charges, then there is no automatic burnout with autofire (as per RW).
| Increased OCV or Increased Range Modifier: | -1 Advantage per +2 OCV. | |
| Increased Area: | -1 Advantage per 2x area. |
Faster Than Light Travel has the same mass as one hex of flight. Each 2x velocity doubles the mass. Buying movement is otherwise as per RW (including noncombat multiples).
When applying advantages and limitations to general systems (as opposed to hardware), use the Hero System equivalent (if and only if there is no Hero System equivalent, then use the RW modifiers; a -1 Advantage in RW yields a +1/2 Hero System Advantage, and vice versa for Limitations), and figure the real cost of the system as per standard Hero rules. Activation rolls for general systems should be based off of the Hero System power limitation, as opposed to the one in RW, but the RW table still applies for hardware. Carried should be considered OAF.
Sensors: Use Hero System Enhanced Senses. Sensors become general systems, and have a construction point cost equal to their character point cost.
Other General Systems: For Find Weakness, Lack of Weakness, and Missile Deflection, use point costs in the Hero System Rulebook. For all other general systems, use point costs from Robot Warriors (unless changed elsewhere in this document).
Robot Disadvantages: Costs are as per RW. Rules for Watched (as a robot disadvantage) should be used verbatim from RW. The maximum amount of points a robot may receive from any one disadvantage category is 50. Otherwise, a robot can have any disadvantage that a vehicle can (see BBB p. 191) -- use Hero System costs for disadvantages that don't have a RW equivalent. (DNPC and Public ID probably aren't appropriate for most campaigns.)
Mechanic skill covers hardware (built on mass units); use Robotics skill from Robot Warriors to cover repair and building general systems (built on construction points).
Robots fall into a 1 point general Robots category for purposes of Transport Familiarity. GMs may vary this; each robot may fall into a "ground robot," "air robot," or "space robot" category, especially in a campaign where robots transform into various types of vehicles. They may even be broken up into separate types by category -- ground robots could be broken up into anthropomorphic, wheeled, hover, and tracked; air robots could be broken up into fixed wing and rotary, etc.
There are several ways of handling robot weapon familiarities. The simplest is to make Robot Weapons a 1 point weapon familiarity group. Robot Warriors suggests a separate 1 point weapon familiarity for each separate robot design. Another way would be for the GM to set up a standardized weapon list, making Robot Weapons a 2 point familiarity group, and having separate 1 point familiarities under that (i.e. missile launchers, energy weapons, ballistic weapons, etc.).
The robot or monster is built using standard RW rules, along with those in this document. An AI is added as a system, costing its full point cost in construction points. Robot or monster Presence is normal for robots as per Robot Warriors (10x the robot's Size Class). If a Comeliness score is desired for the robot or monster, it has a base of 0, and may be bought up as normal. AIs and monsters do not need programs, and may take Psychological Limitations, Berserk/Enraged, DNPCs, and Hunteds. Self aware robots and monsters do not need familiarity with driving themselves or using their attacks, although extra skill levels are not inappropriate.
In an otherwise non-self aware robot (that would ordinarily have a pilot), an AI or computer may be added as a system, as above. In this case, an AI or computer does require programs in order to use its skills with the robot, as well as having to pay points for skills in handling the robot.
For purposes of the penetration table, a computer or AI is considered a pilot. A self aware robot or monster that takes an AI hit is considered Stunned, and is treated exactly as a character that is Stunned (BBB p. 160). In a robot that has both a computer/AI and a pilot, the computer/AI is treated as a sensor.
Martial Arts is a 20 point general system, which allows the character to use any martial arts skills he may have while driving/piloting his robot. The character must take a 1 point Weapon Element: Robot with the martial art. Any maneuver which adds damage classes moves the robot's hand-to-hand damage down one level on the chart per +1 DC. Every 5 points of STR added by a maneuver moves the robot's effective lift capacity down the chart 1 level. Killing and NND damage provided by the martial art have no effect on robots. Self aware robots and monsters do not need to buy the Martial Arts general system in order to use any martial arts skills they may have (but note that robots with pilots and computers/AI must have this system; and also note that the computer/AI must have Martial Arts skill, a program to use it and Weapon Element: Robot if the computer/AI is to use the robot for Martial Arts.)
In figuring Darkness, Entangle, and Flash effects, assume that every level on the Weapon Construction Table gives 10 Base Points of effect, starting with .25 Mass Units. For Darkness and Flash, every additional sense is a -1 Advantage, or every additional sense group is a -2 Advantage. For Entangles, to stop a normal sense is a -1 Advantage, and additional senses and sense groups are as above. If you wish to apply entangle advantages and limitations from BBB p. 68, every +1/4 advantage translates to -1, and every -1/2 limitation translates to +1. Darkness starts with a base area of 1 hex (which is .5 hex radius), and every -1 Advantage adds +1 hex radius (note that this is equivalent to making additional radius cost 10 points per hex -- these are Size Class 4 hexes). Maximum ranges of these powers are as normal for Robot Warriors (i.e. based on the mass of the weapon).
These effects work exactly as described in the BBB. Flash Defense is a general system, and cost is as per the BBB.
[Author's Note: If making the active points 10 per level annoys you as a GM, feel free to use the amount in the "Maximum Range" column on the Weapon Construction Table as the active points. I think it comes out more balanced at 10 points per level, but feel free to use whichever works best for you.]
All combat is per standard Hero System combat rules, with the following exceptions:
For every size class the target is larger than the attacker, the attacker receives +2 to Range Modifier. For every size class smaller, the attacker receives -2 to Range Modifier.
The Penetration Table is used per standard RW rules.
In robot combat, the following maneuvers work exactly as described in RW, pp 44-45: Coordinated Attacks, Gangfire, and Overrun. Note: the GM may wish to use Gangfire as an optional rule, if he or she feels that it would unbalance the campaign.
Additional rules for damage from pp. 46-47 are used in robot combat.
Robot repairs are as per RW p. 48.
Presence attacks are per standard Hero System rules -- robots have a base Presence equal to 10x their Size Class.
Any situation in robot combat which would (in character combat) require a STR roll vs. STR roll should instead use a lifter damage vs. lifter damage roll.
Note that all robot weapons (and hand-to-hand attacks using lifters) do killing damage.
Feel free to give me feedback, especially to point out any omissions or outright mistakes I've made.
In self aware robots and monsters, the AI is now treated as a pilot. In robots with pilots, the computer/AI is treated as a sensor.
Piloted robots with computers/AIs must have the Martial Arts general system, Martial Arts skills, the program to use them, and Weapon Element: Robot in order for the computer/AI to use Martial Arts with the robot. (The pilot still only needs the skill, Weapon Element: Robot, and the system on the robot to use his skill with the robot, though.)
The mass unit cost for Darkness has been slightly fixed so that the increased radius "advantage" attached to it works consistently with the base cost.
The rules for Stunning self-aware robots and AIs above have been brought into line with the Hero System rules for Stunning characters.
The Robot Warriors Limitation Carried now translates as a straight OAF, rather than as a Bulky OAF.