steam punk steam mechs

[Gundark]

I play a steampunk D&D campaign which i have based loosely on the
iron kingdoms setting ( I might switch over totally once the setting
comes out). Anyhow I use steamjacks in my game, I had an idea to
use "Steam Mechs" as well. I was looking at the mecha crusade
minigame that appeared in poloyhedron a while back for ideas. The
mechs add extra hit points to the character (which come off first,
once these are gone the mech is destroyed) they also add additional
strength to the character (i was thinking of a penality to Dex since
they're cumbersome) as well the mechs would have their own AC.
Lastly they would be considered large creatures (around 15 feet
tall). I'm asking for help on rules and things to outfit the steam
mechs with. i was think of things like large weapons and strap-on
cannons. I'm a little worried about game balance. Let me know what you think.

 

[Gellion]

I cant really help you any. But i would like to see it, when you are done with it.

 

[Kareyev]

I like the concept. To keep things easy why not use the Savage Species template idea for your mechs. You could just plug in the racial bonus to create various mechs. There could be an ogre mech that has an ogre's reach, adds to strength, is a bit slow, etc. Or a displacer beast mech that was hard to hit due to enchantments places upon it... This gives you a monster manual full of mechs you can slap together at a moments notice. Though odd you could have speciality mechs like a green slime mech for an ooze master. Ooo. I like that. Hmmm. (scribbling notes for characters next encounter....)

 

[abraham]

you could also use the implant spellware feat from dragonstar for some ideas for magic items.

 

[Mike Sullivan]

One thing you might consider, Gundark, is giving the mechs a (high!) fixed Str score instead of adding to a character's strength. I think that that fits better with the flavour of a mechanical exoskeleton, and it also in all likelihood provides better balance.

Think of it this way: If you want common soldiers (say, Str 12) who use a given mech-type to have a total modified Str of 18, then it'd have to give a +6 Str.

Now, your Half-Orc Barb with a 22 base Str (8th level) and +4 Gauntlets of Ogre Power comes along and uses the thing, and you suddenly find that you're playing with someone with a 32 Str at 8th level. Yow!

On the other hand, if you gave a mech a fixed 24 Str, then your guards can use it and get a stellar +12 to their effective Str, but your Barb doesn't get any bonus out of it at all.

 

[Azure Trance]

Guardians of Order is realeasing a book called D20 Mecha in August with rules to make Mecha. Released before that, Dream Pod 9 is selling the D20 Mecha Compendium. You would be interested in Chapter 2 - Fantasy Mecha / Golem Suits. I have a thread on it I made today in the General Forum, because I think the mechanics are a bit skewed (though I love the idea for Golem Suits).

 

[paulewaug]

besm d20

Hey Gundark, if you haven't had a chance to check out besm d20 by Guardians Of Order I think it would definately be worth a look.

I picked it up the other day and it is an excellent book.

Besides breaking down the "core classes" as they are presented in 3.0 and expanding them to get something at every level (as 3.5 does, more or less) and being balanced against each other; it has a full set of complete classes of its own that can be used with, or in place of, the core classes.

One nice thing about the book is that it doens't focus just on a D&D/fantasy theme but could work for Any genre!
The reason I bring it up here is that among the classes are the "Giant Robot"and also the "Mecha Pilot." (both separate classes, there is also a new race "Artificial Construct")

The other classes are: Adventurer, Dynamic Sorcerer, Gun Bunny, Hot Rod, Magical Girl, Martial Artist, Ninja, Pet Monster Trainer, Samurai, Sentai Member, Shapechanger, Student, and Tech Genuis.
Although some of these have modren sounding names and some classic Fantasy names it is really set up to allow them to belong together.
The mecha types can just as well be techo or mgic or of course "techno-magic" I see no reason a "gun bunny" couldn't be a super archer such as Legolas.
I think the book is well suited for a setting in the steam punk genre and or the Iron Kingdom's "Full Metal Fantasy."

You can check it out pretty well with their anime d20 SRD although really the book itself is definately wroth the money and the charts and organization of the book make it very usable.
I have trouble deciding if I would rather use the besm d20 rules or the Savage Worlds rules to run my own Freeport-Iron Kingdoms adventures some day!

Well I hope some of this proves useful
Cheers!

oh: I was going to "edit" to list that I forgot to metion the upcoming "d20 Mecha" book but Azure Trance beat me too it. Thats what I get for taking so long to get my post togehter!

 

[Blacksad]

First, I would suggest that you do not use Mecha Crusade.

Second in Mecha Compendium you can find Cities&Empire a steam punk setting with steam powered armor, though to fully use the book you need d20 Mecha, which won't be out till august (and that is if there is no additional delay).

So now, some advice:

If you plan to use the mech mostly against each other or other steam powered monstrosity, I would suggest using altered ship rules. Some of those rule allow for quick and fast combat, with creation cost of the vehicles, or the possibility to add template, etc...

If you want your mech to interact with normal creatures, and possibly have character with or without mech, it's gonna be a bit more difficult

I think fixed stats is the way to go, not due to the Str 34 Barbarian, but due to the now 16 Str Wizard who can't do a lot against the hardness of the mech, from a physical point of vue, or due to reduced spell (because of scale, arcane spell failure, etc...).

If you make your mech working like most vehicle, you can balance their use by replacing Bab by a skill available to classes who suffer the most from using mech (rogue due to armor/size penalties, wizards/sorcerer who get little benefice, etc...), or only to one classe who might have two role in the group as mech pilot and scout, in a way that ensure that its abilities can't be used together.

If you prefer the version which follow easily every move of the pilot, consider using an ECL on the pilot (using the ECL of a monster with the stats of the mech) and the Xp rules from the forgoten realms (basically for an encounterof of a given EL, you calculate the Xp for each character, as if the group was of the same level as this character, then you divide by the number of characters in the group).