Author Topic: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.  (Read 3018 times)

Stallion12

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Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« on: 25 June 2017, 14:44:01 »
I know game function wise it's no different than a freeborn, but should I have my player put alot into vehicle and custom vechicle? He wants a madcat. His background is he's a brain injured soldier who forgot his past and salvaged it. I don't know why my players are starting to want all mental health issues.

Maelwys

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #1 on: 25 June 2017, 15:43:08 »
Well, he should atleast pay what a Clanner would pay for picking a heavy Mech, mainly +5 for Custom Vehicle and +6 for a Heavy Mech. Depending on the story/group, I'd probably make him pay the extra in the vehicle trait so that he owned the mech (rather than it being assigned to him) and if you wanted to push it a bit more, extra to make the switch from IS to Clan vehicles.

Tai Dai Cultist

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #2 on: 25 June 2017, 15:56:40 »
That's not difficult at all to reconcile.  As noted by Maelwys, that's pretty much the exact sort of thing the Custom Mech trait is meant for.  Make it cost as much or as little as you feel fair based on the era of your campaign.  (it'd be very awe-inspiring indeed for an IS pilot possessing a Mad Cat in 3050... not so much in 3150)

Stallion12

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #3 on: 25 June 2017, 15:59:36 »
It'll be a solaris campaign in 3075ish. Jihad years.

Kitsune413

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #4 on: 25 June 2017, 16:06:28 »
Yeah. That's really really high custom vehicle. There are specific rules for it in atow under the custom vehicle rules.

It's a min maxed mech so it will be powerful. But that's alot of trait points into vehicle, custom vehicle and owns vehicle.
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Tai Dai Cultist

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #5 on: 25 June 2017, 16:11:44 »
Between the importance of one's ride in a mechwarrior-centered campaign, the in-universe glitz factor of a Mad Cat on Solaris, and that Clan-tech is still pretty rare in House Armies much less private hands 20 or so years post invasion... I'd ensure a LOT of custom vehicle points are required to get a Mad Cat.  Maybe 10 ranks (1000 of your 5000 points) is still reasonable.  If you want to make it be not quite that expensive, I wouldn't go below 700-800 points.  it's still going to be a huge advantage in several ways in your upcoming campaign; it should be costed accordingly.

Ghost cub

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #6 on: 25 June 2017, 16:25:06 »
You might give him a slight discount if others are constantly trying to steal the Mad Cat and/or a major source of jealousy. Another thing is one of the clans really want to get the Mad Cat back or destroy it. But even with those discounts I would expect it would cost at least 800 points. Also maintenance and spare parts will be a big issue.
« Last Edit: 25 June 2017, 16:35:40 by Ghost cub »

Kitsune413

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #7 on: 25 June 2017, 16:37:08 »
He could make it cheaper with the Lemon quality. It is salvaged.

I love lemons.  Really gives the mech some character.
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Stallion12

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #8 on: 25 June 2017, 17:07:14 »
I told him put 800 in vechicle and 500 in custom vechicle. I figured 1300 out of his allowed 5500 point buy (with 5 negative traits) should be enough, I'm going to try to get him to put the 5 traits in quirks so it's toned down.

Nav_Alpha

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #9 on: 25 June 2017, 18:27:21 »
From a purely RP'ing stand point you can have some fun. Tell him he can get a discount in Custom Vehicle if he takes Poverty and Bad Reputation/wherever to reflect he potentially deserted with a stolen Mech and needed to blow his whole wad on getting it out and repairing it.

I did something similar in a campaign a long time ago - it was set to become a plot point, complete with bounty hunters and such but the campaign fizzled out


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Lamont-Cranston

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #10 on: 17 July 2017, 12:25:52 »
Not only poverty and bad reputation, but probably bloodmark too since the owners would want their property back. Maybe dark secret and alternate ID if he's trying to hide.

A related question: How would you value a heavy IS mech that is owned and custom modified with clan weaponry

Marauder 5D: 700
owned: +200
clan large pulse laser replaces IS, streak removed, extra armor & heat sinks - ? custom mech points

guardiandashi

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #11 on: 17 July 2017, 13:28:34 »
I think the cost should be about:
battlemech: +6 or +7 points (6+ is a heavy mech)
custom mech a minimum of 4 points which is design own IS mech (pg 112 in my copy of ATOW) because depending on faction the player could have picked the Mad-5D for 2 or 3 points of custom vehicle depending on affiliation.
adding 2 points of "custom" vehicle to allow the "refit" with clan parts is more or less in line with the intent of custom vehicle.
if using the +2 for owns vehicle...

this brings the total cost to by my calculations...
owns heavy mech 8 points (800)
custom vehicle 4 points (if davion) 400 points, 5 points (500) if the 5D is not a standard option for the faction.

total cost 1200-1300 points

Stallion12

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #12 on: 17 July 2017, 21:39:30 »
Yea I told him 1300, 600 for heavy, 200 to own, and 500 custom vechicle.

worktroll

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #13 on: 17 July 2017, 22:21:33 »
From a purely RP'ing stand point you can have some fun. Tell him he can get a discount in Custom Vehicle if he takes Poverty and Bad Reputation/wherever to reflect he potentially deserted with a stolen Mech and needed to blow his whole wad on getting it out and repairing it.

I did something similar in a campaign a long time ago - it was set to become a plot point, complete with bounty hunters and such but the campaign fizzled out
'

That's a great idea. Also possibly "enemy 3 - Clan Jade Falcon" or suchlike, as there's going to be lots of Clanners looking to relieve the shame of a Spheroid owning their toy.

And let's not start on the potential adventure hooks in terms of finding spare parts, ammo, etc. "Whaddya mean those Martell LRM rounds won't fit in my 'Mech's launchers?"
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Nav_Alpha

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #14 on: 18 July 2017, 21:12:14 »
'

That's a great idea. Also possibly "enemy 3 - Clan Jade Falcon" or suchlike, as there's going to be lots of Clanners looking to relieve the shame of a Spheroid owning their toy.

And let's not start on the potential adventure hooks in terms of finding spare parts, ammo, etc. "Whaddya mean those Martell LRM rounds won't fit in my 'Mech's launchers?"

The Dezgra warrior that follows him with brand plans of revenge... I like that


"Hold your position, conserve ammo... and wait for the Dragoons to go Feral"
- last words of unknown merc, Harlech, 3067

Lamont-Cranston

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #15 on: 01 August 2017, 01:12:06 »
Just to follow up, how would you rate a modified innersphere mech with a clan weapon? A Marauder, so thats 7, that the character owns, bringing it to 9, with the streak removed and large pulse laser replaced with a clanner and extra heatsinks added?

Maelwys

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #16 on: 01 August 2017, 02:51:25 »
Well, +4 on the Custom Vehicle Trait is Design your own Vehicle with IS tech, +6 is the same with Clantech (I've never quite figured out if IS characters can jump over to the Clan side with enough points, since it says to use the "Appropriate Affiliation column.")

Of course, as far as I can tell, the +4 or +6 seems to let you design your own vehicle from scratch, which might be a bit excessive, and a bit overpriced, if you just want to swap a weapon.

What you could do is look at the Customization rules in StratOps, and then assign point values for each level. So a Class A Customization is a 100 point Trait, while a Class F is a 600 point quirk. You could then add a surcharge for going from IS tech to Clantech (or not, it just depends)

This would allow you to do a small customization without having to spend as much (Want a PPC swapped for a LPL? That's just 100 points), but since each customization would cost points, then if you got too crazy it might be better to just go with the +4 or +6.

Yeah, kind of rambling, I know, but customization has always been a bit of an oddity for me, since as far as I can tell simply modifying a mech and designing one from scratch costs the same amount...

Daryk

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #17 on: 01 August 2017, 16:04:36 »
I think it was Monbvol who put something similar to that together down in his house rule thread...

monbvol

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #18 on: 02 August 2017, 10:19:24 »
It is something I've toyed around with from time to time to give Custom Vehicle a bit more value at ranks that really didn't have any reason to be taken before.

The current version I'm pretty happy with though I see I need to change a couple words here and there.

Col Toda

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Re: Innersphere PC starting with a clan mech.
« Reply #19 on: 10 August 2017, 04:40:18 »
Custom trait works for the most part . While stock mechs seen with Mixed tech in the Jihad WoB or many Dark Age units is better represented by a + 1or 2  custom trait and Equipped for F tech.