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Mecha technology can be found in societies of PL 6 or higher.
Mecha bodies come in Large, Huge, Gargantuan, and Colossal sizes. A mecha’s size determines how many equipment slots (places where weapons and additional equipment can be installed) it has, and how well it measures up in combat. See Table: Mecha Sizes for a summary of this information.
Size Modifier: Apply this modifier to the mecha’s attack rolls and to its Defense.
Equipment Slots: The number of locations where weapons and other mecha equipment can be installed.
Hit Points: The mecha’s hit points, and the number of hit points the mecha provides its operator.
Base Speed: The mecha’s base land speed. Certain types of armor reduce base speed (see Mecha Armor).
Height: The mecha’s height in feet.
Weight: The mecha’s weight in pounds.
Fighting Space: The mecha’s fighting space.
Reach: The mecha’s reach, even without weapons.
Purchase DC: The base purchase DC of the mecha without armor, weapons, and other equipment.
Restriction: The level of license required to purchase the mecha legally.
Size Modifier
Equipment Slots
Hit Points
Base Speed
Weight
Fighting Space
Reach
Purchase DC
Colossal
–8
25
800
60 ft.
64–128 ft.
250,000 lb. or more
30 ft. by 30 ft.
15 ft.
60
Mil (+3)
Gargantuan
–4
17
400
50 ft.
32–64 ft.
32,000–250,000 lb.
20 ft. by 20 ft.
48
Huge
–2
11
200
40 ft.
16–32 ft.
4,000–32,000 lb.
15 ft. by 15 ft.
10 ft.
44
Large
–1
7
100
30 ft.
8–16 ft.
500–4,000 lb.
10 ft. by 10 ft.
40
Res (+2)
LARGE MECHA
Essentially big suits of armor, Large mecha excel in urban battlefields and starship boarding actions, where they move through buildings and corridors to find the enemy. Large mecha are the easiest to operate. However, they can’t carry the intense array of weapons that bigger mecha can, nor are they as strong or durable.
Combat Statistics: A Large mecha adds a +8 equipment bonus to a character’s Strength score. It imposes a –1 size penalty on attack rolls and to Defense. Depending on the material used, a Large mecha has 100 bonus hit points, which are added to the character’s total and subtracted first when the character takes damage. It takes a –4 penalty on Hide checks.
A Large mecha has a single slam attack that deals 1d8 points of damage (plus the character’s increased Strength modifier). Its reach is 10 feet, and its base speed is 30 feet.
Base Purchase DC: 40.
Equipment Slots: A Large mecha has 7 equipment slots available. These slots are located as follows.
Helmet: 1 slot.
Back: 1 slot.
Left arm: 1 slot.
Right arm: 1 slot.
Shoulders: 1 slot.
Torso: 1 slot.
Boots: 1 slot.
HUGE MECHA
Common weapons on the futuristic battlefield, Huge mecha offer a solid balance between cost, agility, and sheer bulk. They perform well in any combat environment, but they favor locations with some variation in terrain. In the wide-open desert or depths of outer space, they can fall prey larger mecha.
Combat Statistics: A Huge mecha adds a +16 equipment bonus to a character’s Strength score. It imposes a –2 size penalty on attack rolls and to Defense. Depending on the material used, a Huge mecha has 200 bonus hit points, which are added to the character’s total and subtracted first when the character takes damage. It takes a –8 penalty on Hide checks.
A Huge mecha has a single slam attack that deals 2d6 points of damage (plus the character’s increased Strength modifier). Its reach is 10 feet.
Base Purchase DC: 44.
Equipment Slots: A Huge mecha has 11 equipment slots available. These slots are located as follows.
Visor: 1 slot.
Left hand: 1 slot.
Right hand: 1 slot.
Belt: 1 slot.
GARGANTUAN MECHA
Gargantuan mecha are highly experimental in PL 6 societies, but quite common at PL 7. Units of this size are titans of the battlefield, able to destroy almost anything they can hit. Gargantuan mecha are common in outer space environments but are often too expensive and unwieldy for planet-based missions.
Combat Statistics: A Gargantuan mecha adds a +24 equipment bonus to a character’s Strength score and a –2 penalty to Dexterity. It imposes a –4 size penalty on attack rolls and to Defense. Depending on the material used, a Gargantuan mecha has 400 bonus hit points, which are added to the character’s total and subtracted first when the character takes damage. It takes a –12 penalty on Hide checks. A Gargantuan mecha has a single slam attack that deals 2d8 points of damage (plus the character’s increased Strength modifier). Its reach is 15 feet.
Base Purchase DC: 48.
Equipment Slots: A Gargantuan mecha has 17 equipment slots available. These slots are located as follows.
Cranium: 1 slot.
Back: 2 slots.
Shoulders: 2 slots.
Torso: 2 slots.
Left leg: 1 slot.
Right leg: 1 slot.
COLOSSAL MECHA
Colossal mecha do not exist in PL 6 societies and are rare sights even at PL 7. Only at PL 8 do they leave the experimental stage and enter the battlefield in respectable numbers. Massive juggernauts, Colossal mecha represent the epitome of futuristic warfare, with firepower sufficient to destroy starships or level entire city blocks. They typically serve as mobile artillery and walking weapon platforms.
Combat Statistics: A Colossal mecha adds a +32 equipment bonus to a character’s Strength score and a –4 penalty to Dexterity. It imposes a –8 size penalty on attack rolls and to Defense. Depending on the material used, a Colossal mecha has 800 bonus hit points, which are added to the character’s total and subtracted first when the character takes damage. It takes a –16 penalty on Hide checks. A Colossal mecha has a single slam attack that deals 4d6 points of damage (plus the character’s increased Strength modifier). Its reach is 15 feet.
Base Purchase DC: 60.
Equipment Slots: A Colossal mecha has 25 equipment slots available. These slots are located as follows.
Helmet: 2 slots.
Left arm: 2 slots.
Right arm: 2 slots.
Torso: 4 slots.
Belt: 2 slots.
Left leg: 2 slots.
Right leg: 2 slots.
Mecha can be built with four legs instead of two. A quadrupedal mecha sacrifices equipment slots for added speed and stability. Its base land speed increases by 10 feet, and it gains a +4 stability bonus on checks made to resist bull rush and trip attempts.
A Large quadrupedal mecha has 6 equipment slots instead of 7, giving up its boots slot.
A Huge quadrupedal mecha has 8 equipment slots instead of 11, giving up both hand slots (left and right) and its boots slot.
A Gargantuan quadrupedal mecha has 14 equipment slots instead of 17, giving up both hand slots (left and right) and its boots slot.
A Colossal quadrupedal mecha has 22 equipment slots instead of 25, giving up both hand slots (left and right) and its boots slot.
A mecha’s superstructure—its exoskeleton, interior braces, and other structural parts—can be made from any sufficiently advanced metal alloy. Whatever its composition, a mecha’s superstructure has a hardness that reduces the damage the mecha takes from weapons and collisions.
To build a mecha superstructure from scratch, a character must succeed at a Craft (mechanical) check (DC 30) and a Craft (structural) check (DC 30) after investing the requisite amount of assembly time, based on the mecha’s size: Large 150 hours, Huge 300 hours, Gargantuan 600 hours, Colossal 1,200 hours. A character without a mechanical tool kit takes a –4 penalty on both skill checks. The character must also make a Wealth check against the mecha’s base purchase DC.
Different types of superstructure materials are presented below and summarized in Table: Superstructure Materials.
Hardness: The amount of damage the material absorbs from a weapon hit or collision.
Base Purchase DC Modifier: The modifier applied to the mecha’s base purchase DC.
Restriction: Since mecha require a license to own and operate, the materials used for making them do not require special licenses to purchase.
—— Modified Base Purchase DC ——
Superstructure Material
Hardness
Alumisteel (PL 5)
10
36
56
Duralloy (PL 6)
15
Vanadium (PL 6)
20
52
64
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