Echoes of the Multiverse

catsi563 wrote: ↑Tue May 29, 2018 4:54 pm I used the macros saga as a fifth season to my Robotech campaign. basically I had the first second and third seasons , then I ran Sentinels, then I did a end of the cycle movie campaign, then I jumped it a hundred years in the future where humanity was using the Macross mecha and get attacked by the Zentran and Meltran and their masters. Once again Music and love win the day as the meltan and zentran have no understanding of it and it causes massive dissonance among them.

good for you! *gives a thumbs up* I could never understand the stuff myself(not for lack of trying by my bro Tatsuie040's part though).I mean,how could Music an Love PHYSICALLY STOP SOMEONE FROM MOVING?!

You have to have read end of the cycle actually to understand it as well as the Sentinels series . The harmony gold books did a great job filling in the missing pieces.

In essence it goes like this

Zor is born under mysterious cirucmstances

As he grows he is found to be a genius, he embarks on a cruise of discovery and exploration where he meets the invid race.

Zor discovers the invid use a plant for their social and physical mental and spiritual well being. he discovers the plants seends can be turned into virtually unlimited power with even more possible scientific breakthroughs

the masters put a compulsion on zor to gather the secrets of this Protoculture as he calls it to adfvance their ambitions of galactic conquest.

Zor seduces the invid queen who takes a human form for him and steals the secrets of protoculture from her.

the masters use protoculture to turn their giant slave race the zentadi to warriors faking their past and forbidding cross fratiernization with the sexes to keep them under control. they sue the zentradi to steal ALL he seed sof the flower of life from optera the invid home planet and then raze it.

Zor who by this time has traveled to Hadon 4 has a breakthrough where the planets intelligence and a vision form the flower of life petals he consumes shows him a future of peace and balance and breaks the masters conditioning

he tricks the masters by offering them a star ship of IMMENSE power--the sdf1-- with all the secret sof protoculture in it. he uses zentradi he rbeaks their condiitoning with music since the master us music to control the clones of their society. the musical weakness is bred into all the clones very DNA by Zor.

Zor the sends the sdf 1 and its secrets away befor dying in an invid attack a death he foresaw happening.

the zentrad it are all clones but at one time they reproduced normally and knew music thats the key. theyre vulnerable to it because they knew it long ago as part of their past, and Zor used his tech and science of protoculture which is BASED around love to strenghten the past in their DNA.

this by the way is a bit of a nutshell version the real stories much deeper but essentially the zentradi have no resitance to love or music because it was bred into their DNA and makes them remmber their distant past through the Masters condiitoning. seeing someone kiss brings back VERY old memories of the time they did it and causes them pain.

Or you can ignore the Frankenstein’s Monster that Harmony Gold stitched together from the corpses of three wholly unrelated series...

Batgirl III wrote: ↑Tue May 29, 2018 5:47 pm Or you can ignore the Frankenstein’s Monster that Harmony Gold stitched together from the corpses of three wholly unrelated series...

Why? I like that monster and the resultant world built from it.

That’s okay, like I told Ares, you’re allowed to be wrong.

Truthfully, I just enjoy Macross Plus too much to see it missing from the continuity. IMHO, it’s not only the best entry in the Macross franchise, it might be one of the best anime OVAs ever produced.

Ah, Rifts!

My first PC was actually from Heroes Unlimited, and he fell through an interdimensional warp and wound up in the Rifts setting, along with his partner in crime fighting. So my guy was basically early Nova on steroids (Invulnerable, Super Strength, Flight) and my friend was Mr Miyagi meets Snake Eyes (Ancient Master). Since we got to use the conversion book, we were absolute monsters in the Rifts setting...until we started to run into some of the, ya know, actual monsters! I loved the hell out of that game and it's wacky craziness. By the time we wrapped the campaign, my guy Titan was running around with a modified Shemarrian Railgun. So. Batshit. Awesome.

Also, they did Navy stuff. I lose my mind over cool Navy stuff, so this was amazing to me, even when the drawings were obviously made by people who thought the word "ship" only applied to fanfic.

Still, Rifts Underseas and Rifts Coalition Navy are two of my absolute favs. Even with some of the stinkers, there were a lot of really awesome crazy books.

Batgirl III wrote: ↑Tue May 29, 2018 6:04 pm That’s okay, like I told Ares, you’re allowed to be wrong.

Truthfully, I just enjoy Macross Plus too much to see it missing from the continuity. IMHO, it’s not only the best entry in the Macross franchise, it might be one of the best anime OVAs ever produced.

... and then you find yourself playing wingman to the one human competitor of Sharon Apple (that was more or less the plot of a Macross-themed Mekton campaign I played).

COALITION ELITE ROBOT POWER ARMOR O.C.C. (Grounded Armor Pilot)
Role: Elite Soldiers
PL 11 (168)
STRENGTH 2/9 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+5)
Expertise (Soldier) 6 (+7)
Intimidation 3 (+4, +7 Size)
Perception 4 (+5)
Technology 6 (+7)
Treatment 2 (+3)
Vehicles 6 (+10)

Advantages:
Benefit 2 (Rank- CS Soldier), Equipment 2 (CS Gear), Ranged Attack 3

Powers:
"Coalition UAR-1 Enforcer Robot" (Flaws: Removable) [91]
Growth 6 (Str & Toughness +6, +6 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -6 Stealth) -- (21 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) (13)

Enhanced Strength 1 (2)
Protection 5 (Extras: Impervious 13) (18)
Immunity 7 (Hot, Cold, Radiation, Pressure, Vacuum, Suffocation 2) (7)
Senses 9 (Infravision, UV Vision, Low-Light Vision, Extended Vision 2, Extended Hearing, "Radar"- Ranged Radius Radio Sense) (9)
Leaping 1 (15 feet) (1)
Speed 5 (60 mph) (5)
"C-50R Enforcer Rail Gun" Blast 14 (Feats: Ranged 3) (Extras: Penetrating 10, Multiattack) (51) -- (54)

• AE: "CR-6 Rocket Launcher" Blast 11 (Feats: Reach 8) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (41)
• AE: "A Thousand Missile Launchers, Really" Blast 11 (Feats: Accurate, Homing 2, Ricochet, Ranged 3) (Extras: Multiattack) (40)
• AE: "Smoke Dispenser" Concealment (Visuals) 2 (Extras: Attack, 60ft. Cloud +3) (12)

Immunity 4 (Visual & Audio Dazzles) (4)
Features 4: Increased Mass 2, Self-Destruct, Ejector Seat (4)
Stealth -4 (-2)
Initiative -4 (-1)
-- (114 points)

"Pilot Training"
Enhanced Defenses 2 (Flaws: Limited to Within Giant Robots) [2]

Equipment:
"CS Gear"
Mini-Computer (2)
Tinted Visor, Loudspeaker, etc. (3)
"Assorted Gear" Gas Masks, Radios, etc. (4)

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Punch +7 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Rail Gun +7 (+14 Ranged Damage, DC 29)
Missile Launchers +9 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Rocket Launcher +11 Area (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Initiative +2 (-2 in Robot)

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +4
"In Robot" Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +13 (+7 Impervious), Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications: 
Responsibility (The Coalition States)- All Coalition military personell are expected to uphold the virtues of the CS, and are subject to "reorientation", or worse, if they stray.
Enemy (Tolkeen)- The Magic-heavy state is anathema to the Coalition States.
Hatred (D-Bees, Psychics, Magic)

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 93 / Defenses: 13 (168)

-The UAR-1 Enforcer is the first actual "Combat Robot" you find in the Main Rulebook, representing the elite of the Coalition's city-based forces. It's got a pretty good drawing by Kevin Long, though looks somewhat unimaginative- it's just kind of a big, robotty-looking robot with a mean face, big eyes and some guns on it. It looks more like something I'd create, because I'm not so great at designing these things either.

-The Enforcer is very tough- about 100 MDC more than a SAMAS- and sports a more dangerous Rail Gun (1D6x10 instead of 1D4). Save for its inability to fly, it's arguably a superior machine, making the pilot PL 11. There's some granularity here, in that Rifts gives no penalties for enormous size (like being easier to hit), while M&M does, so I threw in some "Piloting Skill" stuff. The Enforcer can be piloted by one or two soldiers, and has a mass of weapons that I threw mostly into three categories, arbitrarily making their Missiles an Accurate Blast to differentiate them from the superior Rail Gun. The Rocket Launchers would actually make this thing PL 14 if I statted them up straight out (they do between a Rail Gun and a BOOM GUN when they hit!), but I didn't want to go that far.

-It should be noted that the range on all these things are completely bonkers, with the Rockets being able to hit from EIGHTY MILES AWAY in Rifts. This is actually the REAL advantage of "Giant Robots" over, say, the tougher, more damaging Glitter Boys- they can shoot without being shot at in turn.

Good ole UAR 1

first adventure my GB pilot was in had us against a patrol of 2 of them. Mass collateral damage later we won

I(as in Eduardo,not me personally) despised the Enforcers,as it not only made it harder to get in & out of Lone Star but the GM used these to raze D-bee village's and communities which forced us to come to the rescue(even if we KNEW it was a trap)...

In case you couldn't tell by the giant skull walking on spider-legs, these are the bad guys.

COALITION ELITE ROBOT POWER ARMOR O.C.C. (Grounded Armor Pilot)
Role: Obviously-Evil Walker-Vehicle
PL 11 (169)
STRENGTH 2/10 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+5)
Expertise (Soldier) 6 (+7)
Intimidation 3 (+4, +8 Size)
Perception 4 (+5)
Technology 6 (+7)
Treatment 2 (+3)
Vehicles 6 (+10)

Advantages:
Benefit 2 (Rank- CS Soldier), Equipment 2 (CS Gear), Ranged Attack 3

Powers:
"Spider-Skull Walker" (Flaws: Removable) [92]
Growth 8 (Str & Sta +8, +8 Mass, +4 Intimidation, -4 Dodge/Parry, +1 Speed, -8 Stealth) -- (30 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) (17)

Protection 4 (Extras: Impervious 13) (17)
Immunity 7 (Hot, Cold, Radiation, Pressure, Vacuum, Suffocation 2) (7)
Senses 9 (Infravision, UV Vision, Low-Light Vision, Extended Vision 2, Extended Hearing, "Radar"- Ranged Radius Radio Sense) (9)
Speed 5 (60 mph) (5)

"C-100R Spider Rail Guns" Blast 14 (Feats: Ranged 3, Improved Critical) (Extras: Penetrating 10, Multiattack) (52) -- (53)

• AE: "Smoke Dispenser" Concealment (Visuals) 2 (Extras: Attack, 60ft. Cloud +3) (12)

"Spider-Walker" Extra Limbs 2 (2)
Immunity 4 (Visual & Audio Dazzles) (4)
Features 4: Increased Mass 2, Self-Destruct, Ejector Seat (4)
Stealth -4 (-2)
Initiative -4 (-1)
-- (115 points)

"Pilot Training"
Enhanced Defenses 2 (Flaws: Limited to Within Giant Robots) [2]

Equipment:
"CS Gear"
Mini-Computer (2)
Tinted Visor, Loudspeaker, etc. (3)
"Assorted Gear" Gas Masks, Radios, etc. (4)

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Robot Strike +7 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Rail Gun +7 (+14 Ranged Damage, DC 29)
Initiative +2 (-2 in Robot)

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +4
"In Robot" Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +14 (+7 Impervious), Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Responsibility (The Coalition States)- All Coalition military personell are expected to uphold the virtues of the CS, and are subject to "reorientation", or worse, if they stray.
Enemy (Tolkeen)- The Magic-heavy state is anathema to the Coalition States.
Hatred (D-Bees, Psychics, Magic)

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 94 / Defenses: 13 (169)

-The Spider-Skull Walker is kinda/sorta more of a vehicle, but easy enough to stat up as a Robot. With 500 MDC, it's the toughest thing from the CS you're likely to actually directly fight, though their Troop Transports are much more powerful. The Rail Guns are a TEENY bit more powerful than those of an Enforcer, but it's such a small increment (1D6 vs. 2D4) that I'm just throwing on an extra rank of Improved Critical.



COALITION ELITE ROBOT POWER ARMOR O.C.C. (Grounded Armor Pilot)
Role: Scout Vehicle
PL 11 (163)
STRENGTH 2/9 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+5)
Expertise (Soldier) 6 (+7)
Intimidation 3 (+4, +7 Size)
Perception 4 (+5)
Technology 6 (+7)
Treatment 2 (+3)
Vehicles 6 (+10)

Advantages:
Benefit 2 (Rank- CS Soldier), Equipment 2 (CS Gear), Ranged Attack 3

Powers:
"CR-004 Scout Spider-Skull Walker" (Flaws: Removable) [86]
Growth 6 (Str & Toughness +6, +6 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -6 Stealth) -- (21 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) (13)

Protection 4 (Extras: Impervious 11) (15)
Immunity 7 (Hot, Cold, Radiation, Pressure, Vacuum, Suffocation 2) (7)
Senses 9 (Infravision, UV Vision, Low-Light Vision, Extended Vision 2, Extended Hearing, "Radar"- Ranged Radius Radio Sense) (9)
Leaping 1 (15 feet) (1)
Speed 6 (120 mph) (6)

"C-104 Spider Tri-Barrel Rail Guns & Laser Turret" Blast 13 (Feats: Ranged 3) (Extras: Penetrating 8, Multiattack) (50) -- (52)

• AE: "Missile Launchers" Blast 11 (Feats: Reach 8) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (41)
• AE: "Smoke Dispenser" Concealment (Visuals) 2 (Extras: Attack, 60ft. Cloud +3) (12)

Immunity 4 (Visual & Audio Dazzles) (4)
Features 4: Increased Mass 2, Self-Destruct, Ejector Seat (4)
-- (107 points)

"Pilot Training"
Enhanced Defenses 2 (Flaws: Limited to Within Giant Robots) [2]

Equipment:
"CS Gear"
Mini-Computer (2)
Tinted Visor, Loudspeaker, etc. (3)
"Assorted Gear" Gas Masks, Radios, etc. (4)

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Punch +7 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Multiple Guns +7 (+13 Ranged Damage, DC 29)
Rocket Launcher +11 Area (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +4
"In Robot" Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +12 (+6 Impervious), Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Responsibility (The Coalition States)- All Coalition military personell are expected to uphold the virtues of the CS, and are subject to "reorientation", or worse, if they stray.
Enemy (Tolkeen)- The Magic-heavy state is anathema to the Coalition States.
Hatred (D-Bees, Psychics, Magic)

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 88 / Defenses: 13 (163)

-These are reconnaissance versions of the Skull-Walker, sporting a lower profile, faster speed, and some Missiles, which make it PL 11- otherwise, it's a more fragile PL 10 Robot. The Vince Martin art is immediately recognizable, because it's just so ORGANIC-looking comapred to the stiff, old designs.



COALITION ELITE ROBOT POWER ARMOR O.C.C. (Grounded Armor Pilot)
Role: Sketchpad Character
PL 11 (161)
STRENGTH 2/9 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+5)
Expertise (Soldier) 6 (+7)
Intimidation 3 (+4, +7 Size)
Perception 4 (+5)
Technology 6 (+7)
Treatment 2 (+3)
Vehicles 6 (+10)

Advantages:
Benefit 2 (Rank- CS Soldier), Equipment 2 (CS Gear), Ranged Attack 3

Powers:
"CR-005 Scorpion-Skull Walker" (Flaws: Removable) [84]
Growth 6 (Str & Toughness +6, +6 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -6 Stealth) -- (21 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) (13)

Protection 3 (Extras: Impervious 9) (11)
Immunity 7 (Hot, Cold, Radiation, Pressure, Vacuum, Suffocation 2) (7)
Senses 9 (Infravision, UV Vision, Low-Light Vision, Extended Vision 2, Extended Hearing, "Radar"- Ranged Radius Radio Sense) (9)
Speed 5 (60 mph) (5)

"Tail Rail Guns & Lasers" Blast 14 (Feats: Ranged 3) (Extras: Penetrating 8, Multiattack) (53) -- (56)

• AE: "Missile Launchers" Blast 11 (Feats: Reach 8) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (41)
• AE: "Smoke Dispenser" Concealment (Visuals) 2 (Extras: Attack, 60ft. Cloud +3) (12)
• AE: "Twin Pincers" Strength-Damage +2 (Extras: Penetrating 8) (10)

Immunity 4 (Visual & Audio Dazzles) (4)
Features 4: Increased Mass 2, Self-Destruct, Ejector Seat (4)
-- (105 points)

"Pilot Training"
Enhanced Defenses 2 (Flaws: Limited to Within Giant Robots) [2]

Equipment:
"CS Gear"
Mini-Computer (2)
Tinted Visor, Loudspeaker, etc. (3)
"Assorted Gear" Gas Masks, Radios, etc. (4)

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Punch +7 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Multiple Guns +7 (+14 Ranged Damage, DC 29)
Rocket Launcher +11 Area (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +4
"In Robot" Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +11 (+5 Impervious), Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Responsibility (The Coalition States)- All Coalition military personell are expected to uphold the virtues of the CS, and are subject to "reorientation", or worse, if they stray.
Enemy (Tolkeen)- The Magic-heavy state is anathema to the Coalition States.
Hatred (D-Bees, Psychics, Magic)

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 86 / Defenses: 13 (161)

-The most "Sketchpad Character" of the Robot Vehicles by far, this one just looks like a random piece Martin threw together, more or less looking like a giant scorpion with Spike Porn all over it. It's got pretty low armor, but some impressive Rail Guns (combined with two other kinds of guns, plus Missiles & Smoke Dispensers), making it a harder fighter than the Scout Spider-Walker.

The original Spider-Skull Walker, the Death’s Head Transport, and the original Dead Boys are one of the greatest aesthetics for Evil Enemy Minions in fiction, if you ask me. Right up there with class COBRA The Enemy from G.I. Joe with their Rattlers, H.I.S.S. Tanks, Crimson Guardsmen, and Blue Generic Mooks; the Storm Troopers and AT-ATs of Star Wars; or, the actual Nazis.

Everything about their appearance just screams “We Are Evil!” and yet there’s just enough plausibility to the designs, just enough realism/verisimilitude, just enough... normalcy... to them that you can believe it’s just a regular guy in a uniform asking himself “Are we the baddies?”

As much as I love Vince Martin’s designs for aliens, superheroes, and spaceships... His aesthetic just doesn’t quite have the same “Punch Clock Villain” aspect that the Kevin Long designs do. I rather like the Coalition States as being more morally grey, instead of just “Always Evil All The Time!” which the more organic, less man-made Martin designs seem to have.

Batgirl III wrote: ↑Tue May 29, 2018 6:04 pm That’s okay, like I told Ares, you’re allowed to be wrong.

Truthfully, I just enjoy Macross Plus too much to see it missing from the continuity. IMHO, it’s not only the best entry in the Macross franchise, it might be one of the best anime OVAs ever produced.

I'll never forget the guy's line "Or did you get lucky and get all the way to twenty-one?" and the Part-Zentraedi guy whupping on him .

Batgirl III wrote: ↑Wed May 30, 2018 3:51 am I rather like the Coalition States as being more morally grey, instead of just “Always Evil All The Time!” which the more organic, less man-made Martin designs seem to have.

I'm in complete agreement with you,BG. To me,the CS should be played as more "The Ends Justify The Mean's" rather than the "EEEEVVVVIIIILLLL" Cannon-fodder some GM get into the habit of doing.Sure it's fun to have them as that and cut 'em down like target dummies,but it bring's an extra depth of realism if,after you see a CS patrol slaughter a D-Bee convoy you then see them several hours later desperately trying to protect a Human settlement from a Rift monster.It shows that they're more than just a Storm Trooper variant....

Batgirl III wrote: ↑Wed May 30, 2018 3:51 am The original Spider-Skull Walker, the Death’s Head Transport, and the original Dead Boys are one of the greatest aesthetics for Evil Enemy Minions in fiction, if you ask me. Right up there with class COBRA The Enemy from G.I. Joe with their Rattlers, H.I.S.S. Tanks, Crimson Guardsmen, and Blue Generic Mooks; the Storm Troopers and AT-ATs of Star Wars; or, the actual Nazis.

Everything about their appearance just screams “We Are Evil!” and yet there’s just enough plausibility to the designs, just enough realism/verisimilitude, just enough... normalcy... to them that you can believe it’s just a regular guy in a uniform asking himself “Are we the baddies?”

As much as I love Vince Martin’s designs for aliens, superheroes, and spaceships... His aesthetic just doesn’t quite have the same “Punch Clock Villain” aspect that the Kevin Long designs do. I rather like the Coalition States as being more morally grey, instead of just “Always Evil All The Time!” which the more organic, less man-made Martin designs seem to have.

Martin has a REALLY same-y look to a lot of his stuff, having read the majority of his Rifts work recently- both Rifts Japan, Coalition War Machine and Juicer Uprising are chock-full of similar design archetypes. A LOT of repeated concepts and designs. His designs really give off a "soulless evil" mentality, since everyone's missing eyes with his stuff. It's all big, concealing visors.