AToW premade NPCs for combat

[cmerwin]

Does anyone have any NPC Templates beyond just the couple that are in AToW?

[Daryk]

Depends on what you mean by "templates"... I've posted sample faction squads elsewhere on the board (linked in my sig block) and created several whole units all the way down through the support personnel.

[The Brant]

I too am interested in NPC sheets that someone else made.

I'm so used to pre-made stat blocks from other TTRPGs and not used to the do-it-yourself method that AToW has.

[Daryk]

If you give me some templates you'd like, I could probably generate a few this weekend with my spreadsheet...

[cmerwin]

Depends on what you mean by "templates"... I've posted sample faction squads elsewhere on the board (linked in my sig block) and created several whole units all the way down through the support personnel.

Was basically just thinking of the Templates as listed in A Time of War, pgs. 337-339.

Basically I am looking to build encounters for my PCs. We're set in Solaris right now, so mostly things like: gangs (yakuza, triad, mafia, bloods), fixers, bouncers, thugs. The usual cast that PCs might pick a fight with on Solaris out of the mechcockpit. 

Heck, if you have stuff already made, I could probably throw a bunch of them together as character templates, spruce them up in Photoshop, and post them back here for everyone as a kind of NPC compendium.

[Daryk]

All righty, then!  I'll see what I can put together this weekend... :)

[cmerwin]

All righty, then!  I'll see what I can put together this weekend... :)

You Sir, are fantastic!

[Daryk]

To begin laying out expectations, Solaris is a Lyran world in the Skye Province, so that's where the locals will all be from.  The gang types will likely have Stage 1 and/or 2 on the Streets.  Fixers and Techs will have more conventional childhoods, and probably the Solaris Apprenticeship Stage 3.  Cops will of course have Police training.  Organized Crime is its very own Stage 4, with the lower ranks of the organization going straight there from their Stage 2 module.  Higher ranks will have some kind of Stage 3 training, very likely that Solaris Apprenticeship.

Speaking of the Solaris Apprenticeship, it's a VERY flexible module!

[cmerwin]

To begin laying out expectations, Solaris is a Lyran world in the Skye Province, so that's where the locals will all be from.  The gang types will likely have Stage 1 and/or 2 on the Streets.  Fixers and Techs will have more conventional childhoods, and probably the Solaris Apprenticeship Stage 3.  Cops will of course have Police training.  Organized Crime is its very own Stage 4, with the lower ranks of the organization going straight there from their Stage 2 module.  Higher ranks will have some kind of Stage 3 training, very likely that Solaris Apprenticeship.

Speaking of the Solaris Apprenticeship, it's a VERY flexible module!

Oh nice! Those all make lots of sense!


Although, in terms of backgrounds, I'm not sure that all the gang members would all be universally Lyran, even if Solaris is in Lyran space. The sourcebooks state that most of the Yakuza are from the DC and most of the Triads are from Capellan space. The mafia could probably be from anywhere. It points out that even though it's called the Bertoli family mafia who were originally Lyran, there's no one in leadership with that surname name - it's just a historical holdover.

[Daryk]

Ok, for my first stab, I started with a run of the mill Technician just to see how the Solaris Internship would work out, and I'd say it's exactly as advertised.  Then I built four street toughs: local street gang (Steiner), Yakuza (Kurita), and both Triad and Tong members (the difference is subtle, but important!).  Those guys all came out pretty well too, I think.  The Lyran toughs aren't as good at hand-to-hand combat, but they're likely to have better guns and/or body armor.  I've also noticed criminals seem to have better EDG... ;)

[cmerwin]

Ok, for my first stab, I started with a run of the mill Technician just to see how the Solaris Internship would work out, and I'd say it's exactly as advertised.  Then I built four street toughs: local street gang (Steiner), Yakuza (Kurita), and both Triad and Tong members (the difference is subtle, but important!).  Those guys all came out pretty well too, I think.  The Lyran toughs aren't as good at hand-to-hand combat, but they're likely to have better guns and/or body armor.  I've also noticed criminals seem to have better EDG... ;)

@Daryk, this is outstanding! Thank you so much! I'll play around in Photoshop and jazz these up this week. Thanks for all your work,

[Daryk]

You're very welcome!  I'm not sure which ones I'll do next, but I'll keep adding to the file around the edges.

[cmerwin]

Attached is a Proof of Concept. It's not finished, doing the Skills took me longer than expected.

Also, Daryk - are the TNs on the spreadsheet right? They seemed low.

I realized that this is still not especially useful for NPCs because it lacks both equipment (i.e. damage) and a condition monitor, so I may see if I can tweak it a bit more for at the table use.

[Daryk]

The target numbers are right, but they're in the TN column, not "Tot".  5 levels of an SA skill like Martial Arts gives you a final adjusted TN of 3 (SA start at 8 and you subtract skill levels from there).  The AToW templates (for some reason) list the base TNs for each type of skill (over and over).  It's a bit of a waste of space in my opinion.

For reference, all SB skills start at 7, SA and CB at 8, and CA at 9.

That said, your page looks AWESOME!  Nice work! :)

[cmerwin]

The target numbers are right, but they're in the TN column, not "Tot".  5 levels of an SA skill like Martial Arts gives you a final adjusted TN of 3 (SA start at 8 and you subtract skill levels from there).  The AToW templates (for some reason) list the base TNs for each type of skill (over and over).  It's a bit of a waste of space in my opinion.

For reference, all SB skills start at 7, SA and CB at 8, and CA at 9.

That said, your page looks AWESOME!  Nice work! :)

Thanks. I'm still working on it, but unfortunately I'm out of time for tonight. Hopefully I can get us a base template going and the rest will be plugging in your awesome numbers.

Here's an updated concept which should be more helpful for a GM. What other GM information should be on here?

[Daryk]

One small correction: Wealth is -1, not +1 for the Triad members (the Capellans are pretty tight about capital transfers).  I'm not sure the TN/C column is really necessary.  For the GM all you really need is the final TN (so I guess the last column isn't really necessary either).  Equipment is something that should be on there, definitely.  I'll have to give it some more thought... :)

[cmerwin]

One small correction: Wealth is -1, not +1 for the Triad members (the Capellans are pretty tight about capital transfers).  I'm not sure the TN/C column is really necessary.  For the GM all you really need is the final TN (so I guess the last column isn't really necessary either).  Equipment is something that should be on there, definitely.  I'll have to give it some more thought... :)

Thanks for that. Hoping to carve out today some time to keep working on these.

Question: what life modules/gear would you give a Corporate Security officer? I'm not thinking rent-a-cop, more someone who protects corporate executives.

[Daryk]

A bodyguard?  Definitely ex-military or intelligence for that, Special Forces or Covert Ops if possible.  Aside from Tour of Duty, look at Agitator or Guerilla Insurgent for more goodness of the right kinds.  If they've been on Solaris for a while, adding the Apprenticeship and Communications Basic Skill Field would be a good add.  If they tagged along with the boss across the stars, Travel is a solid choice.

For gear, you're looking at low-pro armor of the best kind for most situations, but they should have a Tanker's Smock or Ballistic Plate Vest *(and HELMET) handy in the trunk if things go south (neither is encumbering like full suits are).  For the mid-range, a Steiner Jacket should do the trick (adorned with corporate logos, of course; it's also non-encumbering).

Weapon-wise, you want at least a high-powered pistol and a stun stick.  Maybe tuck a rifle or submachine gun in the trunk with the heavy armor.

Absolutely comms!  A micro or headset for normal duty, plus a civilian "Communications Kit, Long Range" in the trunk (it's only 5kg, and can connect to the satellite net).  Also in this category, bug scanners.  The watch version for most daily use but break out the 1kg model for meetings.

Maybe a stim-patch or small Medkit at all times, with a larger one in the trunk (to include a Preserving Sleeve).

A pair of binocs (preferably Range Finding) in the glove box, with the night vision goggles in the trunk (or built in to the helmet).

A basic tool kit and laser torch in the trunk, along with a ~10 square meter roll of radiation sheeting (just in case).

And finally, a couple of basic field kits and emergency rations.  You never know when you might need those!

[cmerwin]

A bodyguard?  Definitely ex-military or intelligence for that, Special Forces or Covert Ops if possible.  Aside from Tour of Duty, look at Agitator or Guerilla Insurgent for more goodness of the right kinds.  If they've been on Solaris for a while, adding the Apprenticeship and Communications Basic Skill Field would be a good add.  If they tagged along with the boss across the stars, Travel is a solid choice.

For gear, you're looking at low-pro armor of the best kind for most situations, but they should have a Tanker's Smock or Ballistic Plate Vest *(and HELMET) handy in the trunk if things go south (neither is encumbering like full suits are).  For the mid-range, a Steiner Jacket should do the trick (adorned with corporate logos, of course; it's also non-encumbering).

Weapon-wise, you want at least a high-powered pistol and a stun stick.  Maybe tuck a rifle or submachine gun in the trunk with the heavy armor.

Absolutely comms!  A micro or headset for normal duty, plus a civilian "Communications Kit, Long Range" in the trunk (it's only 5kg, and can connect to the satellite net).  Also in this category, bug scanners.  The watch version for most daily use but break out the 1kg model for meetings.

Maybe a stim-patch or small Medkit at all times, with a larger one in the trunk (to include a Preserving Sleeve).

A pair of binocs (preferably Range Finding) in the glove box, with the night vision goggles in the trunk (or built in to the helmet).

A basic tool kit and laser torch in the trunk, along with a ~10 square meter roll of radiation sheeting (just in case).

And finally, a couple of basic field kits and emergency rations.  You never know when you might need those!

Outstanding, sir! Thank you!


Also, you had mentioned earlier something about designing the character sheet, particularly the Skills section.


Do you think it's better to get rid of the Level column and just calculate the final TN? So basically instead of having: 9/CA   +1,
you think it's better to just have one column: 10/CA?

[Daryk]

That would be 8/CA, but I think a single column would be easier, yes.

And you're more than welcome!  As I've said before, I love making characters in AToW... ;)

[cmerwin]

That would be 8/CA, but I think a single column would be easier, yes.

And you're more than welcome!  As I've said before, I love making characters in AToW... ;)

Ha! Thanks. My coffee still hadn't kicked in!

[cmerwin]

(Cross-posted from the Fan Designs & Rules board)

Greetings MechWarriors!

A while back I began working with @Daryk on a project to make some NPCs for A Time of War. I am a new AToW GM - although I have been GMing various other systems now for 35+ years - and began to realize that the lack of available NPCs to throw at my players was becoming frustrating, so I took it upon myself to change that.

With Daryk's help I came up with a proof of concept which has now developed into a FIRST LAYOUT DRAFT. Which you can find here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N2Xo2ILhqlJjlzxF5vllN9xKVAI32vSi/view   (because the file is too large for the boards).\

The NPCs come primarily from MechWarrior's Guide to Solaris VII and the Solaris VII boxed set because my game takes place on Solaris, but the NPCs can be used in almost any part of the MechWarrior RPG universe. I have made a few minor tweaks from the source material (like changing "Sycophant" to "Ultra Fan"), but have tried to stay as faithful to the original material as possible.

The art is AI generated and there is a disclaimer at the beginning about that.

I am looking for anyone who might be interested in helping on the project: whether proofreading, editing, adding flavor text, or doing character sheet development. Something like this is easier and often better when collaborated upon, and if you are interested in helping, I would love to add you to the credits. More importantly, I'd be grateful, and I think other AToW GMs would be too.

When we're done we'll make the final version available for the community, as a thank you to the universe we all love!

[Daryk]

Thanks for the shout out, but I'm compelled to mention it's an "a", not an "e"... ;)

[cmerwin]

Thanks for the shout out, but I'm compelled to mention it's an "a", not an "e"... ;)

Oh shoot! Thank you! Fixing now.

[Daryk]

Thanks for the edits, kind sir! :)

[cmerwin]

Thanks for the edits, kind sir! :)

Absolutely, and my apologies for the mistake!

Psyched to have you (and your magic spreadsheet!) on the project! Thanks again for helping light the fire!

[Daryk]

Lighting cognitive fires is literally my job... ;)