[ SUPER ROBOT WARS D20] A comprehensive guide to running & playing a tabletop role-playing adventure featuring Japanese style giant robots.

Inspired by Banpresto co.'s©

Super Robot Teisen™ franchise.

2010

S.H.P.C

Tom C. Jr.

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Contents

A word from the Author........................Pg.2

Credits....................................................Pg.2

Chapter I: Preparing For Adventure......Pg.3

What will I need?.........................Pg.3

Building an Adventure.................Pg.3

Chapter II: Definitions...........................Pg. 6

Chapter III: Getting Started...................Pg.8

Chapter IV: Races...................................Pg.10

Humans........................................Pg.10

Balmarians...................................Pg.12

Deckhadarian...............................Pg.13

AI..................................................Pg.14

Cyborgs........................................Pg.15

Chapter V: Classes..................................Pg.16

Soldier..........................................Pg.16

Mercenary....................................Pg.18

Engineer.......................................Pg.19

Field Medic..................................Pg.21

Scientist.......................................Pg.22

Chapter VI: Constructing your Mech.....Pg.24

Super Robots...............................Pg.24

Real Robots.................................Pg.25

Hybrids........................................Pg.25

Transposers.................................Pg. 26

Fighters........................................Pg.26

Attack Properties.........................Pg.30

Chapter VII: Building Attacks.................Pg.31

Attack Types................................Pg.32

WP Costs......................................Pg.37

Additional Functions....................Pg.37

Chapter VIII: Feats & Seishin.................Pg.43

Feats............................................Pg.43

Seishin..........................................Pg.45

Seishin by Class............................Pg.47

Chapter IX: Mechanics & Gameplay......Pg.49

Filling in the Spaces.....................Pg.49

Flow of Mech Combat.................Pg.50

Chapter X: Final Notes............................Pg.52

Extra: Defense of Archis.........................Pg.53

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A word from the author

Few things have ignited our imaginations and pushed the limits of our dreams

as much as Japanese giant robots. I remember my days as a child watching shows like Power Rangers

and VR Troopers thinking they were very American shows, but I learned that by either influence or direct

import, these shows were very much rooted in Japanese pop culture. It was not until years later, during

my teens that I discovered shows like Gundam, Evangelion and the Big-O which sparked a whole series

of new passions, ideas and dreams in my heart and mind. Then, sometime early in the new millennium, I

was introduced to Super Robot Wars by a co-worker of mine when I was employed at the Path Mark

grocery store in Jersey City, NJ. That was, by far, the turning point that would make me realize just how

much I loved the idea of massive mechanized defenders of the peace.

It is with these inspirations that I now offer to take you , the reader; through the

same course of awe inspiring feats of mechanized bravery that I enjoyed for so long. In this guide, you

will find an easy to play, yet incredibly detailed system for tabletop role playing that allows you and your

friends to either create your own, or re-create some of the famous giant robots seen in anime,

videogames and other media.

Thank you, and enjoy~

Thomas L. Claridge Jr.-

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Credits

Executive Designer

Thomas L. Claridge Jr.

Co-Designer Robert J. Walsh

Combat Algorithm Design

Nick Baird

Executive Consultant Joseph Wilson

Q/A Testers

Thomas L. Claridge Jr., Robert J. Walsh, Richard A. Stewart, Amy Sala, Gino Cogliati

Super Robot Teisen Original Concept Banpresto Co.

d20 Tabletop RPG System Original Concept

Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson

Original Art / Cover Art

Branden Caspers / Banpresto Co.

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I. Preparing for Adventure

"He who fails to plan, plans to fail"

Before any great journey into the unknown, it's a good idea to prepare yourself for anything and

everything that could come your way. This section well help you do just that.

What will I need?

Wondering what you'll need in order to play SRWd20 without a hitch? Well look no further. The

following checklist will ensure your survival! (Or prolong it at any rate...)

Required Items

A note book: What's an adventure without any documentation? Ideal for DM's who

wish to pre-plan their adventures for their players, but also useful to players who want

to keep notes. It can also be used for making maps, drawing grids if you're too cheap to

buy graph paper... any number of things! Blank pages are your friend.

Pencils: I prefer these over pens personally. What else will you use to write? The blood

of your enemies?!

Calculator: This guide requires math with some large numbers and multiplication by

decimals to work certain things out properly. Sure you COULD do it in your head, but I

bet your players would start to get grumpy if a single round of combat took forty-five

minutes...

A copy of this guide: If you DIDN'T have one, and still somehow have gotten this far,

you're Batman. At any rate, all the rules to play by this system are in this book and...it's

free. Go get a copy.

Players: I suppose you COULD play with yourself, but you may go blind.

Dice: At least two, twenty-sided dice per player, two six-sided, two eight, a ten, a

percentile a four and a twelve. Lots of stores have them for sale for cheapo prices. Or

you could just ask your buddy Rich. He's got a bag big enough to clog Hoover Dam with.

An Adventure: This COULD have gone in the recommended list seeing as there have

been times where my friends and I would just do mock up battles gladiator style... but I

suppose the point of this guide is to promote actual role-playing so, whip up a world and

get ready.

Recommended Items

A Grid: This game, like most tabletop RPG's, features combat on grid-based maps. This

gives you a visual idea of your surroundings and the terrain involved during battle.

Figurines: Or any kind of representation for yourself on the aforementioned grid.

Obviously it would be difficult, BUT not impossible to get some custom made figures

that match your robots description but...my friends and I use extra dice personally.

An Artist: Every friend groups got one. It's of course, not necessary but, it may be nice

to have someone who can draw your character or their mech for visual reference.

Right?

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Snacks: An adventure, or 'campaign' can go on forever. They're normally divided up into

sessions which can last hours. If you're afraid you may pass out and knock your little

diabetic head on something, grab a soda and some corn chips.

A basement: To bury the bodies of those aforementioned comatose friends of yours.

But not really... Any place will do. A library, friends dining room. More or less, a place to

play that won't get the police called on you.

If you have all, or at least most of the items mentioned above, you'll be ready to explode your way into

sci-fi fantasy soon enough! But before you begin, one of the required items I noted has to be dealt with.

Building an Adventure

So you've got your friends together, all your materials are lined up nicely and Rob finally got out

of the shower. You're just about ready to start, and you, as the DM, open your mouth to say the first

lines to the opening of your campaign when you suddenly realize...you have no campaign. Well, you

might as well sign that organ donor card now, because odds are you won't be leaving that room alive.

To prevent your untimely demise, this section will guide you through the necessary steps to create an

adventure. As a bonus, at the end of this book; you'll find a pre-made, ready to play adventure that I

smashed together using the mecha series I've been working on for a while entitled: Metal-Messiah.

Sure, you can use it but- nothing beats a home brewed cup of win. So let's get started.

The Basics

What does an adventure consist of? Many parts to be honest, but usually the Earth or 'insert

custom planet here' is in some great peril and your players have to save it. Generally, there is some sort

of struggle that you guide your players through as they use their wits and prowess to overcome

whatever you throw at them. But how do you start? What would be a good adventure to begin with?

And furthermore, what KIND of campaign do you want to run? Well, since I just LOVE check lists, I'll

provide some basic info with one, that you could use to help kick start that atrophied brain of yours.

Setting

With this system in particular, it's a good idea to make things set in either a modern, or futuristic world.

With that in mind, here are a few basic settings you could work with.

Home world entering space age: This is more or less the setting I used for Metal-

Messiah. The planet Earth is finally perfecting space travel when 'something' goes

horribly wrong.

Post Apocalyptic: Yay, thousands of nuclear war heads turned everything into a barren

waste land over night. And you without your sun block...tut tut. Anyway, the colonial

pockets of humanity left are either violent, violated or vigilantes. Perhaps your players

are a police force stepping in to bring order. Or maybe the order that already exists is

corrupt, and your players wish to rush mankind back to a golden age. Who knows?

Space, the final frontier: Unlike the first setting I listed, perhaps humanity is already far

advanced and space travel is used as recreation. Colonies popping up all over the place.

Maybe your players are mercenaries from Mars, or a band of Jupiter Ring bandits hired

by the military for...something.

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You get the point. Your setting should be the backdrop in which your adventure takes place. It also

serves as a form of 'template' for the kind of character your players are going to be portraying AND what

style mecha they'll be wanting to utilize the most.

The Struggle

So you've got yourself a setting. Great, but what exactly is it that you'd like to have accomplished here?

Some of the settings I provided offered hints, and yours may as well, but without a solid direction for

yourself; you can't expect your players to be engaged for very long. Here are a couple of ideas to get

your fluids flowing.

Alien Invaders: A classic really. Aliens stop by to say howdy, some hic fires off a round

from ole' Betsy, and you've got an interstellar war on your hands. Are your players the

heroes of planet Earth that arrive just in time to free mankind from the brink of

servitude or destruction? Or are they the commanding officers of the alien hoard?

Evil Corporation: Someone foreclosed on granny Smiths farm! Fired up, your players

jump into their mecha to teach those bankers a lesson! Or... maybe they're the muscle

that smashed granny's dog, ole' Jasper, when serving her the papers...

Civil War: Marie Antoinette and the French people didn't really see eye to eye,

especially while her head was rolling about the without a body. Power to the people,

your players are at the forefront of the rebel campaign against the snarling jaws of

oppression. Or perhaps they want to keep their subjects in line and need to break some

eggs in the process.

Whatever the case may be, there has to be some sort of struggle for your players to overcome.

Whatever side they are on should only matter from a role play perspective. Conflict is Conflict.

Fleshing out the realm

You've gotten your setting done, and designated what your players are fighting for. But this is really only

half of the adventure. The rest is exploration, and allowing your players some freedom to travel through

the universe you've created for them. Within your setting, you'll need to supply locations. Be it an office

building where they find out the truth about their employers accounts, or a military base where they

discover a secret weapon, players need locations to visit and explore. Not all of them have to be a part

of the main story either. I for one, often offer my players a vast amount of land to explore, and ampoule

time to do so. Of course, I don't plan every detail for what's going to happen in every single location, but

when the time comes, I add lib and some of the best moments are when the least expected happens.

Campaign Type

So you've got the main points of your story worked out, figured out the setting, why your characters are

fighting and you even threw in some completely pointless locales to create a feeling of freedom and

open-endedness. Wonderful, now is the time to decide what kind of campaign you're going to run. "But

Tom, isn't there only ONE kind of campaign..?" Well, no. (I bet you expected some kind of snooty remark

or something eh?)

Campaigns can be played numerous ways, and really it depends solely on the group. Below will be yet

another check list, this one will have the various different kinds of campaign types, and to whom they're

best suited for.

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Full Campaign: This is your run of the mill, most often found campaign. It starts when

your players gather, gets the pause button hit when everyone goes home, and restarts

again once everyone is back together.

Episodic Campaign: These are one of my favorite type of campaigns. They run like a TV

show would, and have a clear beginning and end to each session, that follows a single

story but can branch off to different plots that eventually tie together as a whole. I like

this especially for a series that involves mecha. The last time I ran a campaign involving

robots, (While I didn't have this fancy fleshed out system we've got here...) I introduced

a main story to everyone, and what we would do is complete 'sagas' so to speak. The

first saga would be based solely around the main plot of the story, but the next would

then feature one of the player characters and their story as the focus point. Then, we

would alternate back to main plot, and then focus on another player character. What

this did, was allow for a lengthy campaign, but also aid character development. To top it

off, for any of you who have actually played the Super Robot Teisen series, you'd

instantly see why this campaign type is most attractive, since the series followed a main

plot while still following the original story of each of your collected allies.

Mini Campaign: This campaign type is more focused on individuals who enjoy a good

story and dynamic game play, but do not have the luxury of time. If a group is unable to

keep a controlled frequency of when they play, they can choose to do mini campaigns,

where relatively short- complete scenarios can be started and finished in a single sitting,

which they would then move on to a new one when they could meet again. Often times,

people that use this campaign type often carry their characters over to the new

adventures and almost make it as if they were experiencing something new every time.

I'm sure you could think of more, but these three campaign types are the ones which I'm most familiar

and comfortable with. Try each one out, see what fits best for your custom adventure and go from

there.

Putting it all Together

So, you've gotten your adventure compiled, you have your players and you're ready to start.

Before you embark on your travels into the unknown, I have a few final words of advice for you. Keep it

simple, keep it interesting and if you're ever in doubt with a ruling on how something works, make it up.

These rules aren't here to stifle your creativity, they're here to empower it. Use them as guidelines to

beat back the boring, dull processes of making everything from scratch. If you see something you don't

understand, or think could have been done better, DO IT YOUR WAY! The DM is never wrong, because it

is his/her world the players are in.

II. Definitions

"Motor cut. Forced landing. Hit cow. Cow died. Scared me."

~ Dean Smith, in telegraph to his chief

Within this guide, there are several things that may prove to be a bit much to understand fully. Of

course, I could be completely wrong, but rather than not be careful, I'll cover my bases. Below will be a

series of definitions for terms and objects we use in this system. Most of them are common to Tabletop

RPG's but, bear with me. Sure YOU may be an experienced gamer, but Billy, down the street is just

starting out. So; do it for Billy!

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d20: A system of Table Top Role Playing Games that primarily use a twenty sided dice to deal with most

things involving player and non-player statistics.

Role Playing Game: A game in which you play the role of your character in a world set before you by a

DM.

DM: Dungeon Master. Synonyms include: Game Master, Admin, Overlord, God and "that ass hole still

hasn't given me those items he promised from last game...". He/she is the one who controls everything

in the campaign setting that is not you. They are also responsible for controlling the flow of information

and the story's plot.

Campaign: The single, or series of sessions involving the story of the DM, and the players characters.

Player Characters: That's you buster.

NPC: Non Player Character, everyone in the campaign that is not controlled directly by a player.

Mech: Sometimes referred to as Mecha, or Giant Robots, these are often large suits of power armor

that are either piloted or controlled by AI, and used for a variety of tasks from combat to construction.

Ranging anywhere from 10 to 100+ meters, and made out of pure awesome.

Super Robot Teisen: A tactical role-playing video game series spanning most gaming consoles from the

Nintendo Gameboy to mobile phones. Designed by Banpresto Co. of Japan. Original release: April 20th,

1991. Each game in the series features many robots and characters from famous mecha anime except

for the OG (Original Generations) installments of the series which features the Banpresto original

creations.

PP: Personal Points used to purchase Seishin & Mech oriented feats.

Seishin & SP: A form of inner focus allowing pilots to call upon their will power to enhance their combat

abilities. SP, or Seishin Points are used in the casting of these Seishin.

AP & WP: Attribute points are used to enhance and purchase abilities of a pilots mecha. Weapon Points

are used in the creation of mech attacks.

HP: A mechs total damage threshold. If a mech reaches 0 HP, it is considered disabled, if it falls to a

value below 0 totaling their max HP, the mech is destroyed.

EN: Energy, required to utilize some attacks. Energy is also spent at a rate of 1 per square moved if the

mech is flying, and recovers at a rate of 10 per turn.

Armor: Used to reduce damage dealt to mech. To do so; multiply total current armor value by -0.6 and

add weapon damage. The result is the amount of damage dealt.

Mobility: Number of squares a mech can move on the field during their turn.

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Sensitivity: A representation of a mechs ability to detect things around it with sensors. It is used

as a modifier for accuracy in combat.

Reaction Time: A representation of a mechs ability to react to a pilots commands. It is used as a

modifier for evasion in combat.

Perception: This statistic is a direct representation of your characters ability to perceive all around

them. Thus, their wisdom modifier IS their Perception.

Reflexes: This statistic is a direct representation of your characters ability to react to sudden

events, and is directly their entire Dexterity modifier.

III. Getting Started “You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but

the staying down.”

Now that we've gotten the basics of creating your adventure and preparing in real life, for the fantasy

journey ahead. It's time to focus on the individual components of creating your presence in this

adventure. Who are you? Why do YOU personally take place in the series of events that have been laid

before you? Why do you pilot the mech you do? How did you get it? What kind of mech is it? What

powers it? What sort of weaponry does that beast of a machine have? All of these questions, and more

will easily be answered by the time you're finished with the next few chapters of this guide. But what's

the first step in creating your identity, and what steps will follow the first? This section is all about that.

Below I've laid out the flow of character creation, and included some commentary, if you will, for each

step. I hope it helps.

Step 1, rolling your stats: Before anything else is determined, you must first roll your pilots base

attributes. To do so, roll 3 six-sided dice and tally the results together seven times. Re-roll all 1's and

then after the 7th roll, drop your single lowest roll and replace it with whatever the 7th rolls values

were. Then plug these into your character sheet beside the statistics you desire. (STR, VIT, DEX, INT, WIS,

CHA only. Perception & Reflexes are worked in later)

Step 2, choosing your race: What are you exactly? This step identifies you by your background and

history. Are you an Earth born human? Perhaps you at some time, and maybe altered yourself with

mechanical parts to become a cyborg. Whatever you decide, choose carefully. Each of the selectable

races in this game have their own unique strengths and weaknesses in certain areas, and may be a

deciding factor in the ultimate development of your character.

Step 3, choosing your class: What do you do? Obviously you'll pilot some kind of mech; that's what this

system is all about, but what were you before a pilot? The different classes listed in this guide are each

geared to perform specific tasks better than others, and so, are an important part to deciding who you

are in the world before you.

Step 4, constructing your mech: My favorite part personally. This is the step where you get to

determine your robotic identity. The thing about Japanese style giant robots is that they aren't just a

tool used as a means to complete a goal. They quickly become part of their pilots personality and convey

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these quirks readily. Make no mistake, creating your mech will be one of THE most important parts of

this system, and require you to spend some time thinking carefully over not only your mechs statistics,

or what type it is, but what it looks like, how it works and other such things. These more cosmetic

decisions will help shape who and what you want to be in the world.

Step 5, building your attacks: So you've got a mech, awesome. What can it do? Is it a physical beast that

uses martial arts? Or maybe it's a gunslinger that has a variety of firearms at its disposal. Regardless of

what you decide, make sure you understand that the attacks your mech possesses are a direct

interpretation of how your mech works. Use the notes you made when creating your mech to choose

what attacks would make most sense. Perhaps your mech fires a beam of energy made of the raw

power in which the mech itself runs off of. Maybe your mech can perform magic or other such

supernatural abilities based off of its arcane origin. The point behind creating attacks yourself, instead of

me just handing you a bunch and saying "Use these" is that the attacks themselves are as much a part as

your mechs personality as the mech is of yours.

Step 6, Selecting feats and allocating skill points: This is the second to last step. Excited yet? Here's

where you pick some of the final bits and pieces that round your character out. What skills does your

character possess? Is he/she good with diplomacy? Can your character figure his/her way around

security devices with ease? Can they pilot anything they come across with ease? Feats and skills will

further identify your characters personality, as well as allow you to perform actions in the world that

have real substance and meaning.

Step 7, equipping yourself: Aside from creating attacks, you may decide to supplement your arsenal

with some of our pre-constructed weapons. These can be purchased, traded with friends and upgraded

and serve as a means of filling in empty spaces between your first created attacks, and when you're able

to create more in the future. Aside from your mechs attacks, not all combat will come in the form of

giant robots assaulting your base. There will be times where you need to defend yourself when your

trusty metal beast is not available to you. Various weapons and equipment for both you and your mech

will be selected during this step. Choose wisely, because a thoughtful purchase could save your life.

With these seven steps out of the way, you're just about ready to start kicking some serious butt. But

first, take a quick glance at all of the information you've gathered while creating your identity. Are you

happy with it? Is there enough here to explain who and what you are? If you feel that you're lacking

emphasis on what you were trying to go for so far, flesh some things out. Give your character a

biography, a history. Give them some quirks or habits that may make them more fun or memorable. The

best way to play a role playing game is YOUR way.

But enough talking about the process of generating your in-game persona. Let's get down to business!

A note on pilots attributes

Much like standard d20 systems, pilots use the six basic attributes of STR, VIT (or con), DEX, INT, WIS and

CHA. But you may notice that we reference 'Perception' And 'Reflexes' constantly. These two statistics

are extra modifiers this system adds to the mix. 'Reflexes' should not be confused with the 'Reflex'

saving throw, as these are two different, albeit similar stats. The reflex saving throw is still used as a part

of non-mecha conflict and serves the same purpose it always has, while Reflexes serve as a modifier for

evasion during mech based combat. Later, in a section labeled "Flow of Combat", the rules for

determining Reflex, and exactly how it is used will be covered.