Damaging Mecha
All mecha have toughness. Like most inanimate objects, mecha also have Armour. Whenever a mecha takes damage, subtract the mecha's Armour to determine the HP loss.
Major System Damage
If a vehicle or giant robot takes damage from a critical hit, or any time it loses more than half its original Toughnessfrom a single attack, the GM can have it suffer major system damage: something important breaks. Based on the type of damage, certain special abilities or weapons might stop working or be reduced in level. For example, a hit could completely knock out a mecha's Force Field or sensors, or a transformable mecha's body-morphing mechanism might be put out of action, leaving it stuck in its current form. A fuel tank could start leaking, giving the mecha only a few minutes to land before it runs out of gas. The GM should choose something that seems dramatically appropriate — sometimes system damage can even lead to further adventure, as a damaged mecha is forced to stop for repairs or needs a particular part to bring things back on line. Another way to determine system damage is to roll randomly. GMs can create specific damage tables for individual types of mecha. Alternatively, this universal table can be used:
System Damage Table
2d10 Roll Vehicle or Giant Robot 19-20 Crew injury
• 17-18 Special damage 13-16 Weapon hit 10-12 Engine hit 7-8 Passenger injury
• 5-6 Cargo hit 1-4 Propulsion hit
• If a mecha suit, treat as special damage, since the wearer is automatically damaged anyway.
If a result cannot happen, the mecha suffers no extra effect. For example, a rowboat would be immune to most of the following results, because it is so simple it has little that can be damaged other than its structure.
Crew Injury
A key crew member aboard the mecha is directly in the path of any penetrating damage. He or she takes the same damage that the mecha sustained. This damage is halved on a Reflex save (DC 15). If the mecha has multiple key crew members, roll randomly to determine who was hit.
Special Damage
One or more of the mecha's special abilities (sensor, communication device, airlock, etc.) is knocked out. The GM decides what was hit, or rolls randomly.
Engine Hit
The mecha's engine, battery, or power plant is knocked out. The mecha must decelerate one speed category each turn until it reaches stationary speed. If in space, it will simply drift at its current speed. If this is not appropriate, the GM decides what happens. For example, a chariot's yoke might snap, or a ship's main mast could fall.
Propulsion Hit
The mecha's ability to manoeuvre is damaged. This may represent a flat tire, damaged leg, hydraulics rupture, fallen rigging, etc. The mecha is at -4 on all manoeuvring checks. In addition, its pilot must make an immediate check (as if making a Stunt, at the -4 penalty above) to avoid loss of control.
Passenger Injury
As Crew, above, but to a random passenger.
Cargo
Part of the cargo is damaged; this could include any smaller mecha carried aboard. The GM determines the effect, usually applying the damage to an item carried. Note that if the mecha is carrying bulk cargo (such as a load of grain) a cargo hit will usually have no effect.
Weapon Hit
The mecha's main weapon is knocked out. If it has a number of weapons, roll randomly.
Option: Hit Point Transference
For characters, high Hit Point totals represent luck and skill as much as they do increased durability. Consequently, if a mecha takes damage, its pilot may voluntarily choose to take some of the damage to his or her own Toughnessinstead of the mecha's, providing this does not reduce his or her Toughnessbelow his or her Constitution score. In games that split Toughnessinto vitality and wounds, the pilot may use his vitality. Example: A 10th Level Mecha Pilot with Con 11 and 50 Toughnessowns a fighter jet with 40 HP. Obviously, the pilot isn't tougher than 10 tons of steel — he's just luckier, and some of that luck can transfer over to his machine. In a dogfight, his fighter is hit by a radar-homing missile and takes 55 points of damage after Armour. Bad news! But the pilot isn't blown out of the air — instead, he decides to take 39 points of damage to himself (reducing his HP to 11 ... he can't drop them any lower than his Con); the remaining 21 points of damage are applied to the mecha, which drops to 24 toughness. Damaged, but flyable.
Damage Types and Mecha
Mecha are immune to subdual damage, but unlike ordinary constructs, can suffer critical hits. Mecha take half damage from acid, fire, and lightning attacks unless they have a Defect that indicates their vulnerability. Divide the damage by 2. Cold attacks deal 104 damage to mecha.
Apply these multipliers after Armour.
Mecha Suits and Damage
If a mecha suit takes damage, the wearer of the suit takes the same damage. This is because a suit (unlike a vehicle or giant robot) is form-fitting. An attack may kill or disable the wearer without doing the same to the suit, in which case someone else could salvage the suit. It might disable the suit while the wearer still has HP left, in which case he or is trapped in it until it is removed.
Fires
If a mecha loses 10 or more Toughnessdue to fire or explosion, it will catch fire if it fails a fire save. The fire save DC is 10 + the damage inflicted. The mecha has no bonus to this save attempt — simply roll 2d10. Mecha that have the Volatile Defect automatically catch fire. If it catches fire, it suffers +4 damage each round until extinguished; the mecha's Armour does not protect it. If a 10 is rolled when determining the amount of damage suffered, the fire grows in size: add another fire. Anyone occupying a mecha that is on fire is considered exposed to the fire and must make a Reflex save to avoid taking +2 damage: the DC is 20 if the mecha is large, 18 if huge, 16 if gargantuan, or 12 if colossal. If the mecha is medium-sized or a suit they are wearing, they cannot avoid the damage. Characters may try to fight a fire instead of avoiding it. This is a DC 15 Reflex save. Success puts the fire out.
Disabled Mecha
When a mecha is reduced to 0 Toughnessor less, it is disabled. Although it might be repairable, it ceases functioning. The effects depend on the type of mecha, and its situation: When disabled, weapons, special abilities such as sensors (excluding Ejection Seats), and exotic abilities such as Force Fields no longer function (or are frozen in the current form, for something like Transformation). If the mecha carries smaller craft (life pods, fighters, etc.) each still works on a roll of 1-4 on +2. A mecha may explode if it has the Volatile Defect.
Disabled on the Ground "
A vehicle drops one speed category each round until it comes to a stop or hits something. The pilot cannot attempt any manoeuvres except a 45-degree turn.
A giant robot or suit trips and falls over. It tumbles, losing two speed categories per round, and taking half normal collision damage each round until it stops or hits something.
Disabled in the Air
A disabled airborne mecha drops one speed and approximately 1,800' (550m) each round (unless diving enough to force an increase in speed, in which case there is no change) until it is stationary or stalls, then it falls from the sky. The pilot cannot climb, nor attempt any manoeuvres except a 45-degree turn or a dive.
Disabled in the Water
A mecha moving on the water drops one speed category each round until it comes to a stop. The pilot cannot attempt any manoeuvres except a 45-degree turn. The mecha will also take on water and start to sink. The mecha takes +2 points of flooding each round. When the flooding reaches (2 x total HP — the positive value of the current HP) the mecha will sink, or if a submarine that is underwater, will be unable to surface, and continue to sink. Example: A mecha that had 120 HP is reduced to -17 HP. It is disabled and sinking. Each turn, it takes +2 points of flooding. When the flooding reaches (120-17) 103 points, the mecha will sink. A sinking mecha drops at a rate of at least 50'015 m per round until it hits bottom, or breaks up due to pressure. Occupants will start to drown, unless they escape and make it to the surface, or can survive underwater. Occupants inside a large vessel may take several rounds to escape; if the vessel has sunk deep enough, they may be unable to escape due to water pressure without special gear. This is up to the GM. If a colossal-sized vessel sinks, it may suck people on deck or nearby swimmers down with it. This affects a radius equal to the mecha's longest dimension. Anyone in that radius must make a DC 15 Swimming check, to which they may add their Strength bonus; failure means that they go down with the ship.
Disabled in Space
A mecha that is disabled in space will continue drifting in the same direction at whatever speed it had before it was disabled. If it is disabled in a low orbit, its orbit may decay in minutes or hours. This assumes "realistic" physics. If the mecha was using some form of dramatic drive or faster-than-light drive that defies normal laws of motion, it may come to a dead stop, slowly decelerate (as if an aircraft), drop out of hyperspace, or whatever; it all depends on how the drive works in the GM's campaign.
Destroying Mecha
Mecha don't "die" when they reach -10 toughness. Instead, a mecha is destroyed when it loses Toughnessequal to twice its full normal total. A destroyed mecha cannot be repaired.
Repairing Mecha
Repairing damage to a mecha takes a full hour of work, an appropriate tool kit (mechanical tools for most modern mecha), and a garage, workshop or some other suitable facility. Without tools, a character takes a -4 penalty on his or her Repair check. At the end of the hour, a successful Repair check (DC 20) restores +4 toughness; failure repairs nothing. If damage remains, the character may continue to make repairs for as many hours as it takes to restore all of the mecha's toughness. Very large mecha may require extra time to repair. Multiply repair time by x2 for huge, x4 for gargantuan, or x8 for colossal mecha.
