Starcatcher
Whenever a meteor falls to the surface, there is a mad dash to claim its riches. Battles are vicious, but brief. Once the dust settles, the mining outfits dig in and extract as much ore as they can before conditions become unsustainable. In the ice wastes, energy is precious. To save on life support requirements, the soldiers who fight in the initial clash are expected to do double duty as miners and technicians. Dubbed Starcatchers, those who make a career out of this sort of work are a rough and tumble, ragtag lot. Used to working under pressure with limited resources, Starcatchers are masters at improvising.
Starting Skill= Exert
Quick Skills= Exert, Any Combat, Fix
Growth:
1: +1 Any Stat
2: +2 Physical
3: +2 Physical
4: +2 Mental
5: Exert
6: Any Skill
Learning
1: Any Combat
2: Connect
3: Exert
4: Notice
5: Trade
6: Talk
7: Fix
8: Sneak
Special Power: Overcharge. Once per engagement, a mech pilot ran reroute power to a subsystem for one turn to increase an attack’s damage dice by an additional die, increase speed by 2, or double lifting capacity.
Regular
In defense of Nihil Ultra, citizens from all areas have been called up, and some have been assigned to the mechanized corps.
As any existing background.
Special Power: Mech of the Line. Trained for protracted engagements, the mech pilot always treats his mech as having one additional “Ammunition Cell” fitting.
Ranger Corps
The ranger corps patrol the ice wastes of Nihil Ultra, one of the few groups equipped to handle the bitter cold. They heavily employ light mechs that are specifically outfitted for ranging. Their duties primarily consist of maintaining anti-orbital defenses and the few pieces of infrastructure that stretch across the wastes, such as pipeline or transport rails. Other duties include combatting raiders, search and rescue, and scientific expeditions. The ranger corps have been stretched thin during the invasion, defending the breaker gun batteries against probing assaults by the Harmony.
Starting Skill= Survive
Quick Skills= Survive, Shoot, Notice
Growth
1: +1 Any stat
2: +2 Physical
3: +2 Physical
4: +2 Mental
5: Exert
6: Any Skill
Learning
1: Survive
2: Any Combat
3: Notice
4: Sneak
5: Fix
6: Exert
7: Know
8: Heal
Special Power: Terrain Mastery. The mech pilot never needs to make a pilot skill check to navigate difficult terrain on Nihil Ultra. The pilot also can perform maintenance without dedicated facilities with only a basic toolkit.
Intelligence Operative
The government of Nihil Ultra seeks to maintain order at all costs. Infrastructure damaged by rebellion could leave entire cities vulnerable to the cold. A network of secret police is employed to maintain the status quo, investigating threats that range from mundane fraud and embezzlement to esoteric such as separatists and religious cults. In the face of invasion, most operatives have been employed to root out eugenicist spies.
Starting Skill: Talk
Quick Skills: Talk, Sneak, Administer
Growth
1: +1 Any Stat
2: +1 Any Stat
3: +2 Mental
4: +2 Mental
5: Program
6: Any Skill
Learning
1: Talk
2: Sneak
3: Administer
4: Notice
5: Any Combat
6: Trade
7: Program
8: Fix
Special Power: Subtle systems. The pilot of the mech has a +1 bonus to stealth rolls related to concealing his mech from detection, including by advanced sensors.
Protectorate Task Force
Prior to the Scream, the world of Trag was a minor seperatist world ruled by a paranoid doomsday prepper. The leader’s paranoia ultimately paid off and Trag emerged from the Silence centuries before other planets in the cluster. Through trade and conquest, the Traf Protectorate has forged the sector into a large hegemony. After over a century of dominance, the Protectorate has begun to fray around the edges. As advanced technology and space travel become more readily accessible, more and more worlds seek independence. To maintain its rule, the Trag Protectorate depends on small companies of elite warriors to disable rebel movements with rapid strikes and allow local loyalists to mop up the rest.
Starting Skill= Any Combat
Quick Skills= Any Combat, Lead, Exert
Growth=
1: +1 Any Stat
2: +1 Any Stat
3: +2 Mental
4: +2 Physical
5: Any Combat
6: Any Skill
Learning
1: Any Combat
2: Any Combat
3: Lead
4: Fix
5: Exert
6: Know
7: Connect
8: Notice
Special Power: Practiced Defense. Thanks to extensive training in evasive maneuvers, the mech pilot adds +1 to his AC.
Andrastan Expeditionary
The Protectorate is stretched thin, and few planets have answered Nihil Ultra’s call for aid. One that has is Andrasta, a world very much unlike Nihil Ultra. Hot, verdant, and lacking advanced technology, the world has bred boisterous barbarians who favor close combat. These cultural differences can cause tension between units of defenders, but overall Nihilans are grateful for any help they can get.
Starting Skill= Any Combat
Quick Skills= Any Combat, Exert, Survive
Growth
1: +2 Physical
2: +2 Physical
3: +2 Physical
4: Any Combat
5: Survive
6: Any Skill
Learning:
1: Any Combat
2: Exert
3: Survive
4: Notice
5: Talk
6: Work
7: Sneak
8: Stab
Special Power: Thruster Charge. Once per engagement, the pilot may overcharge its support thrusters to rapidly close distance with an enemy and make a melee attack that deals double damage if it hits.
Osprey Company
The last group to come to the aid of Nihil Ultra is Osprey Company, a mercenary group specializing in air superiority and drop troops. As payment for their services, the company has been given a detachment of mechs to add to their arsenal. Already modifications have been made.
Starting Skill= Pilot
Quick Skills= Pilot, Shoot, Fix
Growth
1: +1 Any Stat
2: +2 Mental
3: +2 Physical
4: +2 Physical
5: Fix
6: Any Skill
Learning
1: Pilot
2: Pilot
3: Any Combat
4: Program
5: Fix
6: Sneak
7: Exert
8: Talk
Special Power: Airborne Attack. The pilot can overcharge the support thrusters on his mech to gain the benefit of antigrav nodes for the duration of an engagement. After this ability is used, it cannot be used again and the mech’s speed is decreased by 1 until a full maintenance cycle has been completed on the mech
Regarding mech creation, you all start off with a suit class mech of your choice. You don’t necessarily need to stick to shock class if you’re a warrior and specialist class if you’re an expert, etc. but it seems like it works better that way. No credit limit on starting loadout. Feel free to equip whenever you want, as the mech is military issued.
