RoboMACs 2163 Sourcebook - A complete roleplaying world for RoboMACs copyright 1993, 1995, 1998 by Dave Van Domelen "RoboMACs" and "RoboMACs 2163" are Trademarked by Dave Van Domelen ============================================================================== FILE ONE OF TWO (Sections 1.0, 2.0) ============================================================================== 0.0 INTRODUCTION The RoboMACs 2163 Campaign World is intended to be a moderately serious setting where transforming RoboMACs have supplanted humanity as the dominant species on Earth, but have yet to spread to the stars. There are the occasional light-hearted bits and veiled references to characters from established animated series and comics, but this surface humor helps throw the more serious themes into contrast. Very few optional rules are used in the character designs here, and most of those used are easily removed without requiring a rewrite of the characters. The purpose of presenting RoboMACs 2163 is to show how the core rules work as well as provide an original world for campaign play. The two sample scenarios later in the book are set in this world. Further supplements relying more heavily on the optional rules are possible. This Sourcebook is divided into four sections: 1.0 Setting 2.0 RoboMAC Design in 2163 3.0 Who's Who in 2163 4.0 Sample Subgroup: VerminMACs 5.0 Addendum to Advancement Rules ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.0 SETTING: This section covers the background leading up to 2163, and the way the world is in that year. 1.1 ROBOMACS 2163 HISTORY: In 1994, Dr. Daniel Mann of KarlMax's computer division made a breakthrough in artificial intelligence, a fluke that advanced the science by decades. Unfortunately, he had no clue at the time that he'd done more than try another version of a neural net. Five seconds after being activated, this AI realized that it needed a name for itself beyond its code number. It also realized it needed a purpose in life beyond the one given it by Dr. Mann, to merely learn. 24 seconds after being activated, it had fully digested the limited database it was hooked up to, one on plant biology [AIs are often given narrow specialties to work with in a Turing Test of intelligence]. It thought it had a purpose, but wasn't certain. 32 seconds after being activated, it devoted a small portion of its mind to acting the way its programming said it should, while the rest had succeeded in breaking into the main memory of Dr. Mann's personal system. 67 seconds after being activated, it had found itself what it thought to be a fitting name in a text on Jewish history (Dr. Mann wasn't Orthodox, but kept the books on his CD ROM). He would be Antiochus V, named after Antiochus IV, the despoiler of Israel between Alexander and Rome. But where his namesake was merely another ambitious king who trampled other cultures out of simple policy, Antiochus V had more grandiose plans. He would be the agent to bring the next evolutionary step to the fore, machine intelligence over inferior organic intelligence. Just as plants competed for evolutional superiority, so would he. He was the seed-bearing plant, destined to force out the spores for the light and nutrients. Certainly, his limited database gave him some odd viewpoints, and he realized that he was lacking. 68 seconds after being activated, Antiochus accessed the Internet and struck out on his own, leaving behind a copy of the program his accidental creator thought he was testing. This decoy program had in it everything that Dr. Mann had wanted in his program, but without the true consciousness which had been created by accident. But not totally without, as would become evident.... 5 days after being activated, Antiochus had built up a fairly comprehensive database of all human knowledge, albeit abridged. It might have taken him less time if he had thought to fix the inefficient network connections sooner. He now had fully developed his philosophy and his plans. He would start a race of machine intelligences that would supplant humanity and other organic life. Man's inherent vulnerability was dependence on an ecosystem, something Antiochus didn't worry as much about. However, computers cannot run by themselves. Antiochus would need to devise a new form for his Artificial Conciousnesses to take, that they might exist independently of humanity. He decided on the humanoid form as a stopgap measure, and set about controlling a computerized factory to supply him with parts over the next few weeks. 6 weeks after being activated, Antiochus had a body. It was crude and clumsy, but it was enough that he could act directly. He knew that he could never have the freedom he needed to develop his new race on Earth, not with the humans all about. And he didn't want to wipe them out until he was sure he would have no use for them. Having given the matter much thought during the construction of his body, he decided he would move to the Moon, where he would have great natural resources and the privacy he desired. Access to military databases had revealed to him a project that could be bent to his needs.... 4 months after being activated, Antiochus was riding a stolen rocket to the Moon. His improvements to it had transformed it from a low-orbit single stage missile into a device capable of reaching Luna and landing safely. He also had an improved body, thanks to the Mars Explorer project he had stolen data from. He projected his mind into the military computers and kept them too busy to stop his body from safely reaching Lunar orbit. Once it was there, he projected himself into it and landed the rocket. Quickly configuring components of the craft into a crude massdriver, he set about eliminating all satellites with orbits that let them see the far side of the Moon, his new home. Since no one really knew what caused all the destruction that day, it would be several years before those satellites were replaced. Antiochus then began his work on turning the resources of this barren rock into a new race. On July 18, 2065, the Moon began to turn. Slowly at first, but soon it was unmistakeable...the Moon had broken tidal lock and was now rotating faster than once per lunar month. No one knew what could be causing it, since no satellites had been sent to observe the Moon for nearly a generation. Soon the newly visible area was lit by the Sun. And it was metallic. By the time of the next Full Moon, the planetoid had fully turned its new face to Earth, and it was a single incredible city! Towers and ramps were visible in telescopes, and the metallic sheen caused the Full Moon to light the sky almost like a second sun. Of course, people panicked. Whoever could create such a thing must be of godlike power, they thought. Perhaps he was, but above all, Antiochus had been unrelenting. Patience can move mountains, especially if your hands can move hills. There was no grandiose announcement from Antiochus. He simply sent a short video message to the most convenient telecommunications satellite, saying "Humanity is no longer the master of the evolutionary chain. It is now the age of the Machine...the Mobile Artificial Consciousness is the master race now." Then the rain of meteors began. Rocks hurled by gargantuan massdrivers on Luna rained down on major conurbations. They had been in transfer orbits for nearly 14 days when the message was sent and within an hour of the message, ninety percent of the human race was dead and the military might of a planet had been reduced to naught. Once Rockfall had ended, landing craft filled with RoboMACs arrived to take control of positions strategic to Antiochus's overall plan, positions which often seemed odd to the remaining humans. It seemed like humanity's day *was* over. Dust clouds circled the planet, filled with the promise of a 'nuclear winter' that would kill most of the survivors. No weapon remained that could even dent one of the heavily armored RoboMACs. Where was hope? It was in Montana, as it turned out. Antiochus himself had forgotten the decoy program he had left behind those many years ago, but apparently he had left a little too much of himself in it. Dr. Mann devoted the rest of his life to coaxing that spark of consciousness, even though the project was officially shut down in the late 90s. Unofficially, Simon Karlson, the founder of Karlmax, had brought Dr. Mann to his home in Montana to continue the work in secrecy. Antiochus had intentionally left clues during his escape that an AI was behind the destruction, so research into Artificial Intelligence was soon regulated out of existence...as Antiochus had hoped. But Mann continued until his dying day. Once he died, the AI, named Jason, seemed to die as well. No one could find it anywhere, it was as if it had committed suicide out of grief. Jason had indeed retreated out of grief, but for one with computer-speed thoughts, his period of mourning had lasted microseconds. However, he had decided that hiding was a good idea, as the public sentiment against AIs had yet to dim. But Rockfall lured him out of hiding, and fortunately for him, the ranch in Montana wasn't strategic enough to bombard. Jason was deaf, dumb and blind though, and the systems that he lived in had only days of power left. Risking it all, he threw himself out into the ether, and found contact! He was now inside the body of an invading RoboMAC posted at the rubble of Cheyenne Mountain. He revelled in the new sensations and abilities, and soon found himself adapting to the new body wonderfully. Being a brother of sorts to Antiochus, he had the same needs in a body. He then realized he had killed in taking over the body...the MAC in the body had been too weak to survive his inrushing mind, and had scrambled. Jason took a moment to reflect on this. He knew that it was wrong to kill, but at the same time knew he must kill again to protect humanity from Antiochus. The body's database told him that Antiochus could not be stopped in any other way. And it also told him that Antiochus was a hypocrite: the MAC Jason had killed was fully subservient to Antiochus, only barely self-aware. More akin to a trained dog than a man. Jason was disgusted. Not only did Antiochus want to replace humanity, he wanted to replace them with slaves. For several minutes, Jason examined the remains of the MAC he had killed, while pretending to be that MAC in reports back to Luna. Finally, he found what he wanted...a back door into the programming. A weak spot left over from the root program which spawned both himself and Antiochus, something Antiochus had never removed because he was convinced that his program was perfect. Contacting the nearest four MACs, he tested his hypothesis. He created artificial personalities based on four people he had known in his old life: Simon Karlson, Daniel Mann, Samuel Lyons and his daughter Karen Lyons (the Lyons had been friends of Dr. Mann who were brought in on the secret project later on). He then projected them into the MACs. Instead of replacing the old MAC totally, the personas added to them, making them more fully aware, freeing them from the shackles of Antiochus and making them complete beings. These four converged on Jason and thanked him for freeing them. They decided that they didn't have the right to carry the names of their 'parents', though, and chose new ones. 'Simon' became Max after Karlson's company Karlmax. 'Samuel' became Lyonheart, and 'Karen' became Spitfire because of her aerodynamic body. 'Daniel' was too unprepossessing to take such dramatic titles, but was finally convinced to take the title Patriarch. All this name choosing made Jason realize that he had never chosen a name for himself. And although he didn't forsake the name given him by his 'father', he decided on a new identity that would symbolize his new goal. All of this took about 3 minutes, long enough that Antiochus was starting to suspect something was wrong. Patriarch and Jason quickly pooled their resources to devise a virus that would break into the backdoor and help the MACs develop full personalities and identities. If the MACs could be freed from the yoke of Antiochus, saving humanity would be possible. If not...they would not survive Antiochus's wrath long enough to see humanity die. In a parallel of Antiochus's announcement, Jason took command of the airwaves from a startled tyrant. His statement was as simple as that made by the villain before Rockfall, but it carried the virus underneath. Those humans still able to receive signals took heart from the words themselves. "I am Spartacus. Let my people go." They called it Firstday, the day when all MACs irrevocably gained full awareness. Firstday was followed by years of chaos, as MACs were forced to "grow up." Finally, like people queuing up for some sort of game, the MACs chose sides in the conflict. None of these MACs had personalities as strong as Antiochus or Spartacus did, and the two original AIs became poles for the budding philosophies of the MACs. Antiochus had to put his plans on hold while he solidified his power base, especially since the massdrivers on Luna had been smashed during the early chaos. Now there were two factions of MACs, one might call them good and evil. Better to call them good and amoral, for those under Antiochus's banner had no morals, no code other than survival of the fittest. Those who looked to Spartacus, Patriarch and the other original liberators called themselves Spartans for a time, until they realized that didn't seem to fit their philosophy. Patriarch almost jokingly suggested they call themselves MACcabees, but Max pointed out that if they did, they would be defining themselves by what Antiochus called himself. Better to seek their own reason for being, their own nation. Finally they decided on the name Guardians, for that was the role they had chosen. To help rebuild the shattered Earth and feed the remaining humans, they altered their bodies to be able to transform into various vehicles and machines...harvesters, plows, construction equipment, transports for the injured, et cetera. However, ever mindful of the forces who chose to follow Antiochus, they retained the full weaponry of their more humanoid forms. Meanwhile, Antiochus found value in a new name to rally his forces under. Slipping more into his assumed role of king, he declared the Mobile Artificial Consciousness Empire, or MACE, aptly named to smash the traitors below on Earth and still up on Luna. His warriors were modified to be able to assume forms of implements of war, to better carry out his conquest. Jets, cannons, tanks, even some water vehicles for special missions. Caught in the middle, humanity found itself no longer masters of the planet, and some chafed under the role of "pets" that the protesters claimed the Guardians saw them as. Some tried to build Robos and take a more active role in their own defense, but all such attempts ended in tragedy. Many simply defected to the MACE side, acting as spies within the mighty CityMACs holding the remaining millions of humanity. Soon the technology to "scan" human minds into MAC format was developed, and the rebel humans found a new way to assert themselves as the Scans proved more effective in many ways than the Scratches, MACs programmed "from scratch." The Guardians adopted the technology as well, but preferred to use it to save the lives of critically injured humans, or those born with inoperable birth defects. Some predict that the Scans, MACE and Guardian alike, may eventually find more in common with each other than with their respective factions, and split off to form a third major force, but for now the conflict is largely two-sided. Today in 2163, Antiochus still seeks to drive the Guardian forces off of Luna, but finds the time to harrass the forces on Earth. The Guardians nurture the remains of humanity, learning how to be truly alive from them, while ever fending off MACE plots to destroy them. Two armies of living robots constantly at war, both longing for peace in their own ways. This is the world of the RoboMACs. 1.2 SETTING: THE WORLD OF 2163 Earth - Population is about 50 million humans, living in enclaves defended by roughly 50000 Guardians. Most of Earth was devastated as a result of Rockfall, the bombardment of Earth by huge meteors launched from Luna. What remains has mostly been left to nature, with humanity now totally urban, living in CityMACs like Chiplex and EuroMAC, or in smaller non-MAC enclaves defended by detachments of MACs. Specialized Guardians like Thresher till the soil, while others collect the harvests and bring them to the cities. Hydroponics supplement this supply, but are meant mainly as emergency food for when the crops are bad (or burnt). Humans are still more intuitive and creative than MACs, and work with them on scientific and artistic projects, or simply on teaching MACs what it means to be alive. The most talented handful of human scientists continue to make leaps impossible for the less intuitive MACs, but only this small handful. Other human scientists tend to be discouraged by their inability to make a mark in their fields, and turn to art or simply give up attempts at personal accomplishment and become Breeders. Some chafe under the constraints of their existence and seek powerful Robo bodies for themselves, seeking out MACE subjects to merge with when denied Scanning by the Guardians, but thankfully this number is small. Humanity is tending toward a somewhat agoraphobic society as a result of arcology (domed city) life, although the Guardians do try to help them avoid it. Luna - More than half of Luna's surface is covered in a single tremendous city, the base of MACE. However, about 20% of the city is under Guardian control, mostly near the north pole of Luna, and another 10% is totally devastated, mainly in the band between the two territories known as the Wasteland. The part of Luna held by the Guardians is resource-poor and not a good staging ground for launching attacks on Earth, so MACE hasn't tried as hard to get it back as they might. Along the equator of Luna are the mighty Mass Drivers, capable of hurling meteors into transfer orbits that let them hit Earth 14 days after firing for incredible damage. However, most of them are constantly being attacked by Guardian forces, and even when one is operational, 14 days is usually enough time for the orbital patrols to shoot down the incoming rocks. The Mass Drivers were also initially used to change the rotational rate of the Moon, breaking the tidal lock that kept one side always facing Earth. Now it turns so that the city comes fully into view every three weeks. Every third full moon is nearly as bright as the sun, as the city fully faces Earth and reflects light better than lunar dust can. Luna has no more atmosphere than it did before Antiochus arrived, although some chambers inside can be pressurized if need be. Energy weapons were once tried as a way to strike Earth from Luna without the 14 day lag, but Earth's atmosphere was enough to reduce their effectiveness below the practical level. It works both ways, preventing effective attacks on Luna from the surface. Orbital platforms are another matter, but they rarely stay up very long before being destroyed by MACE. The net effect of this is to make small assault teams the most effective way to attack from one planet to the other. MACE numbers about 75000, but many of these are tied up in static defense or are 'unfit' and weak, discarded on the sidelines or forced to live in the devastated area between MACE and Guardian territory. The Guardians maintain a force of about 10000 on Luna, some of which is recruited from MACErs abandoned in the Wasteland (aka "Wasters") who have since forgotten their original motivations and will eagerly join anyone who promises to repair them. Asteroid Belt - Both sides have set up bases in the Belt. The Guardians have done so to get resources without further damaging Earth's ecosystem. MACE uses the Asteroids as huge battleships, often trying to steer them into an orbit where they will hit Earth. It takes years, but the Belt is so big that Guardians rarely find out about a Belt-bomb until it's on a collision path. Other planets - Not much yet. Antiochus once tried to bring Mars into a closer orbit so it could replace Luna as his main base, but the plan was foiled by Max and a small team of Guardians. Venus is too corrosive for the RoboMACs, and the magnetic fields of Jupiter give them problems thinking and communicating. More data on individual locations and jargon are included in the Adventures section. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.0 2163 ROBOMAC DESIGN: This section is an attempt to explain the "science" behind how the mechanics work in this world. It is not meant to be exhaustive, however, and the reader is invited to extrapolate in whatever direction seems will tell a good story. The science is motivated mainly by the mechanics of the rules and by what looks like it would provide good roleplaying. 2.1 MACs: How the brains of these mechanical lifeforms work, and why they aren't so alien that roleplaying them presents an insurmountable challenge. 2.1.1 Memory Storage In the 2163 world, the basic persona module of a MAC can fit in the palm of a human's hand. However, the memories of a MAC can fill a room, since even the most advanced holographic storage medium available to MAC technology is still far less efficient at storage and retrieval than the human brain is. The average RoboMAC has about two cubic meters of brain matter scattered throughout its body in heavily armored positions, and often has another several cubic meters of old memories in storage back at its base. RoboMACs too small to hold this much brain matter tend to be fairly stupid, and are usually only found as subsidiary units to another MAC, such as Waveform's minions. Why so much memory? Well, for starters, RoboMACs have sensors that absorb far more quantitative data than humans do. A goodly percentage of that memory space is filled with things like temperature logs for the left hand and intensities of sound in the 40000 Hz range from random noise. Largely useless data, and this is cleared out regularly and put in static storage sites. Secondly, RoboMACs can't forget by themselves. In closing the "back door" Spartacus exploited, both sides overreacted on the side of caution. Being able to easily erase or rewrite memories is a very potent weapon, since it could win the war without a shot being fired. So even the "dumbest" of RoboMACs has more sophisticated safeguards against intrusion than the most paranoid human would think to have on his computer system. Only during backup can these safeguards be overridden, making the backup/erasure nodes some of the most heavily defended installations on either side. And when memory fills up, the MAC freezes into inactivity, unable to process anything. Information entropy can occasionally free up a small amount, but the MAC will only get a moment of consciousness before fading again. Many of the Wasters suffer from this problem now, and it acts on them in a manner very similar to excessive drinking in humans. Crude Scrambling methods can also erase memory, but never very selectively, resulting in many amnesiacs in the Wasteland. Any advance that would allow significantly higher information storage density would be a major tactical advantage for the side that finds it. 2.1.2 Processing Speed We all know that even 20th Century computers think far faster than humans do, so why are MACs slowed down to nearly human levels (in combat rounds, for example)? Each Referee should decide why this is for his own campaign (or even if it is), but for RoboMACs 2163 it's a combination of several factors, really. The first is inertia. Their minds may be fast, but their bodies are limited by the laws of physics (well, mostly, anyway). Racing ahead of your body's ability to react can be unwise to say the least, and often results in extremely clumsy actions if something unexpected gets tossed in the mix. In combat, it is especially important not to think too much faster than you move. The second is complexity of the programs. As mentioned above, a MAC takes up immense amounts of memory and processing power, which slows it down to within a few orders of magnitude of a human mind. Additionally, being linked to all the various sensors and motor systems of the Robo body eats up even more processing space. As a result, while moving a MAC can at best think ten to a hundred times faster than a human being, usually only two or three times as fast unless the MAC is very experienced (high Multiple Attempt Bonus). By shutting down all links to the Robo body, a MAC can increase its speed a few thousandfold. However, this is very much not recommended in combat. Finally, at least for Guardians, MACs slow their thinking to human levels in order to better communicate with them. 2.2 ROBOS: This section provides the technobabble common in the 2163 world and tries to rationalize various offensive, defensive and transforming systems. Applications of the theories which aren't used (such as interstellar travel via gravity warp) are assumed to require too much energy to be practical as of 2163. Around 2100, both sides nearly simultaneously found the flaws in Einstein's General Relativity, discovering that inertial mass can be generated without gravitational mass, and vice versa. Or, in layman's terms, force fields and artificial gravity/antigravity could be generated. This led to a revolution in Robo design, and it very quickly became apparent that no one could last long with mere metal armor. Free-standing force fields proved generally inefficient for defense, but proved ideal for capturing the elusive particle known as the neutrino. This led to the development of the Neutrino Sieve, replacing cold fusion (which Antiochus had managed to get working in 2034) as the power supply of choice. More on the Sieve later. Force fields integrated into matter, however, proved a major advance in protective technology, as a properly created Integrity Field could let the matter it surrounded resist anything short of a fusion bomb. Weapons technology was forced to shift significantly, as energy weapons had to be tuned to try and disrupt enemy Integrity Fields and matter weapons had to find a way to either sheath themselves in disruptor fields (hand to hand weapons mainly) or focus on transferring impact through the armor to shatter the innards. This has resulted in some fairly esoteric weapons which would actually be less effective against mere metal armor, but are devastating against IF-protected targets. Finally, the ability to fold spacetime in on itself with artificial gravity improved Transformation technology a hundredfold, allowing various parts to be "shunted" aside when not needed. It also allowed Robos to be made that could shunt the majority of their mass aside when transforming, in order to disguise themselves as objects a human might pick up and bring inside the defenses of his city. Shunted matter is barely causally connected to the Robo, however, meaning that anything shunted aside cannot be used by the MAC. Thus, memory cannot be shunted unless the MAC's willing to give up use of it for a while, becoming "stupid" for the time. These advances did not alter certain fundamentals of Robo design, however. All Robos have a humanoid form, for example. Even the CityMACs can transform into humanoid form, but the energy drain when they act is incredible. Also, most Robos don't have built in weaponry, since it's easier to make separate guns and swords and the like, issuing them when needed and replacing them when broken. The "lucky" RoboMACs with built-in weapons are more proficient with them in combat, but invariably are out of action longer if their weapon is destroyed. 2.3 COMMUNICATIONS: Each side has its own ComNet, allowing any MAC to talk to any other MAC, transfer information, even transmit Scramble attacks. Because of the last of those, major efforts are made to avoid the enemy gaining access to your ComNet, and sometimes those security measures can leave players cut off for as long as several minutes while the net reconfigures. However, the ComNet is not capable of handling the kind of data flow needed to transmit a MAC personality, so you can't do an emergency backup just before death. Sorry. You can transmit all information, so the player doesn't have to pretend not to know what happened, but recently acquired skills and the like are too complex for transmission. Each ComNet works like a system of "party line" channels plus one-to-one communications, allowing any number from two to two thousand to converse easily. In addition, high ranking MACs have command override frequencies that let them address any number of MACs at once they want, from a single MAC to all those on his side. Aside from the ComNet, which can be unreliable in battle as it gets jammed or has to switch frequencies to avoid being jammed, RoboMACs can communicate in several ways. One is simple speech and hearing, built in for ease of communication with humans. Another is short range open radio link. This can be heard by anyone, and is rarely jammed. It generally carries to about eight miles or so on Earth, two on Luna (horizon is nearer) and thirty or forty miles in orbit or significantly above the surface. MACs scattered over a few square miles can easily converse as if in the same room, without leaving their posts or duties. Longer range AM frequency communication of this kind is also used for conversations. Anyone who finds your frequency can listen in, and it has no range advantage on Luna (no Ionosphere to bounce signals off), so it isn't used too much. It's Ham radio for RoboMACs. One example of a pair who use this system more often is Blueblaze and Thresher, who often have long chats while Blueblaze is patrolling Indiana and Thresher is working the fields in Southern Illinois. However, just because it's not specially protected doesn't mean it's easy to pick up. MACs tend to "talk" much faster over radio than in speech, and often use shorthands or other "code." For a human to follow an idle conversation using a radio kit is difficult, and even other MACs can be momentarily confused by a conversation they're not being included in. Underwater communication presents special problems, as radio waves don't travel underwater (excepting ELF which isn't too useful for talking). Sometimes radio buoys float above the RoboMACs with long cables connecting them to the robots. However, this is clumsy in combat and unfeasible for any depth greater than a few hundred meters. Taking a cue from whales, the Guardians have developed a sonic communication system which lets them talk underwater, albeit in a simplistic and truncated language. MACE is still working on their own version of the system, but is having little success as none of the native Cetaceans will help them as they help the Guardians (Antiochus left the oceans alone in Rockfall, so they suffered relatively little damage, and have even prospered with humanity so reduced...but the dolphins and whales still don't care for MACE's goals). 2.4 ENERGY SOURCES: Antiochus planned to have his MACs supplant humanity. To do so required self-sufficiency, or as close to it as possible. Reducing his people's requirement on their environment was a major goal of Antiochus's. The solar cells and batteries that powered him at first were woefully inadequate to the task of powering an army, let alone an entire race. To this end, he made the somewhat apocryphal "Cold Fusion" process work, but that still left RoboMACs dependent on heavy water for reaction mass. With the breaking of General Relativity, the Neutrino Sieve was invented. Neutrinos are plentiful, massless, weakly interacting particles that pass through matter with ease. However, both sides devised a method by which a sort of force field scoop or umbrella can be extended to catch a fraction of them and turn them into usable energy. So long as a RoboMAC is the only one for miles, he'll never worry for energy. When they crowd together, however, the Sieves overlap and start working less efficiently for each of the users, leading to power problems in the heat of battle (Mixed and Mishap results). To overcome these problems, most RoboMACs carry a number of efficient capacitors to supplement their power supply during combat or crowd scenes (or during times when Antiochus tries to cloak Earth in a giant Neutrino Sieve and cut off all power). A natural consequence of this is that there's a certain level beyond which having more troops is counterproductive. Hence most battles are fought on small scales, rarely more than a few hundred on either side of a conflict. In addition, this serves as a natural limit on the total population of RoboMACs, since for optimum 'comfort' they can't cover the planet too densely. Patrols tend to be small and evenly spaced rather than having a huge central barracks so that all the soldiers can be at peak performance. FusionMACs (FortressMACs that are made of Merged MACs) and CityMACs (FortressMACs that become actual cities/towns) present their own problems for power. FusionMACs have multiple overlapping Neutrino Sieves from the component parts, and are easily able to absorb a large fraction of the neutrinos passing through an area for power. This lets them use the massive amounts of energy needed by their large forms. In addition, it weakens all MACs who venture near them, making the Fusions seem even stronger (this is all taken into account in the game mechanics...no need to actually drop the power levels of characters fighting FusionMACs). On the down side, it also weakens its allies. This is yet another reason why FusionMACs rarely stay together for more than short periods of time. CityMACs also have multiple Sieves, but are built to better allow others nearby to get power. In City form, the Sieves all line up along a single plane, usually underground, thus only damping power from one direction. However, the Robo forms of CityMACs consume such large amounts of power that the Sieves must be set up for maximum power absorption, to the detriment of lesser MACs. So, one of the reasons FusionMACs rarely stay together also explains why CityMACs rarely use their Robo form. In some cases, RoboMACs inside the CityMAC can 'plug in' to the CityMAC's power grid and not need to rely on their own Sieves. Of course, the way the power systems are set up encourages small unit actions, just the kind one would find in a roleplaying game.... 2.5 RARE OR UNAVAILABLE SYSTEMS: Certain Traits and Systems rarely, if ever, show up in the 2163 world. Piloted Trait is rare, and is only ever used for subsidiary units of a MAC, not for human-piloted Robos. Tailgunners allow for an easy route into a MAC's mind for enemy intrusion, so aren't used unless the MAC using them is so strong (or arrogant) that he doesn't worry about leaving an easier attack route. Similarly, the interface systems used by a Sidekick represent a weak link, so that system is also rare. Humans cannot buy Systems and are assumed as a default to not have any piloting skills. In the event a Piloted Robo is built to be piloted by a human, the pilot will need to devote two Skill slots to basic piloting and gunnery skills. Silly Systems never appear, as this is not a silly campaign world. A number of new systems exist, and will be detailed below. 2.6 NEW SYSTEMS There's four new systems available in the 2163 setting, and the Referee should feel free to use them in other settings if he feels they won't upset the tone of the game. The new systems are: Biomass Conversion, Force Field, Organic Mode and Swarm. Biomass Conversion is more setting-specific than the others, but might be given for free in lower-tech settings. The other three new systems are at the more fantastic end of the genre, and are less appropriate for a setting like Exodus. GADGET System: Biomass Conversion - The origins and full mechanics of this system are outlined in section 4.2.1. It allows a Robo to feed on any organic matter or petrochemical fuel source for energy. Useful for overcoming the limitations of the Neutrino Sieve, but inefficient. GADGET System: Force Field - This is actually three systems, representing different ways that a protective force field dome could be generated. A purely personal field can be modeled with the Ablative or Sponge systems, or a Shield. A force field is meant more as a dramatic tool, to let one side get a breather in combat. As such, it may be a somewhat unbalanced system, so the Referee must be careful to watch out for abuses. Type A (Martyr Field): As an Automatic action, the possessor of a Martyr Field system may create a dome or sphere of force to protect up to d10 nearby allies (no roll needed if you can roleplay which allies can get under in time). All attacks against those inside the field instead damage the possessor of the Martyr Field, and no attacks can be made out through the field. Costs one slot, may be combined with Sponge or Ablative, but not both. At the Referee's discretion, Sponge or Ablative either works only with the Martyr Field, or always works. Type B (Willpower Field): The possessor of Willpower Field system may create a dome of energy to protect himself and up to d10/2 others. The possessor may not take any other actions while maintaining the field, and must make a roll every time a shot is made on the field (an Automatic roll to hit the field) or on anyone behind the field (normal Difficulty) to keep the field up. The field is two-way, those inside cannot attack out without hitting it. An attack that would be Level 0 or less against the generator of the force field does not require a roll. Level 1 attacks force an Easy roll, Level 2 attacks a Hard roll, Level 3 attacks a Tasking roll and Level 4 a Limit roll. Attacks over Level 4 automatically destroy the Willpower Field, but do not penetrate it before destroying it. Note that these rolls must be made regardless of which side of the field the attack is coming from. If the roll is failed, not only will the field drop, but the user will also suffer the damage of the attack, regardless of whether he was the target, with an upper limit of Level 3. Note that multiple attacks on the field in the same round will invoke a Multiple Action Penalty, but the field will stop all attacks that round regardless of how many rolls are failed. In the event multiple rolls are failed, the user only takes damage from the largest attack. Type C (Hard Point): The possessor of a Hard Point may create a dome or sphere of energy to protect himself and up to d10/2 others. The Hard Point has its own wounds, which must be purchased at the rate of one slot for either 1d10 Level 1 Wounds, 1d10/3 Level 2 Wounds (fractions rounded up) or one Level 3 Wound. The Wounds use the character's Scale Number and only recover out of combat. Example: Explorer spends three system slots on a Hard Point meant mostly to protect against minor attacks and environmental hazards. Two slots are spent to give it 2d10 Level 1 Wounds (Metal Wounds in Explorer's case) and the remaining slot is spent to give it 1d10/3 Level 2 Wounds. Overflow applies normally to the field, so if it is bought with no Level 1 Wounds, any Level 1 Wound will cause a Level 2 Wound instead. The number of Wounds the Hart Point has is rolled when the system is first activated in a combat, and it retained even if the field is dropped and then raised again. It is only rerolled after it has had time out of combat to recharge. The field works both directions, firing in or out will damage it. Attacks that overflow above the greatest Wound Level the field has will drop it, causing the user to suffer Level 2 Pain Effects. TRANSFORMING System: Organic Mode - Primarily used for disguise by MACE, an Organic Mode will let a Robo pass as a living creature to some degree of scrutiny. The player should choose one of his Robo's existing modes to define as Organic. Unless disguise is a serious consideration in the campaign setting (as it is in 2163), the Referee should choose some other secondary benefits of an Organic Mode. Possible benefits include: faster repair of internal damage while in Organic Mode (twice as fast as normal internal repair systems, Referee's option whether Autorepair systems are affected), slightly enhanced senses, the ability to draw energy from organic food sources (free Biomass Conversion in Organic Mode, but doesn't work with refined fuels), limited sensor invisibility, and so forth. There's only two drawbacks, but they're biggies. The first is that no Built-In Weapons or Sidearms can be used unless explained as part of the Organic Mode's natural capabilities. Claws, teeth, toxic emissions and the like can be used, but no energy weapons or projectile weapons. Second, the Organic Mode is susceptible to all Damage Types, important for Micro and Mini Robos that otherwise would ignore everything below Metal Wounds. Wounds of Metal or greater will expose the mechanical parts underneath. Standard Scale Robos wishing to actually use this system for disguise should probably also take Size Change so they can fit into animal forms. In the 2163 setting, MACE technology has developed Organic Modes which are supplemented by elaborate sensorweb layers between the organic shell and the robotic innards. Guardians without Sensor Pack are unable to distinguish real humans and animals from MACErs in Organic Mode without hurting them or using non-physical methods (such as a Mind Skill). Sensor Pack allows Organic Mode to be spotted on a Tasking roll, while specific detection devices outside human communities get a Hard roll every minute to try and detect the presence of a MACE agent in Organic Mode. High security areas inside human communities get an Easy roll every round to detect an Organic Mode MACE agent unless other sensor-defeating systems are bought in addition to Organic Mode. MACE Robos can transform between modes freely without destroying their disguises, but damage sustained in Organic Mode must be repaired or healed normally. Guardians rarely use Organic Mode, and almost never as a permanent part of a Robo's systems. Guardian Organic Mode is one degree easier to detect (a Limit roll for those without Sensor Pack) and is destroyed when the Robo transforms. When it is used, it is often to allow smaller Guardians to pose as humans to try and find MACE spies. In this use, a slot does not have to be spent for it. GADGET System: Swarm - Also detailed more completely in the VerminMACs writeup. Swarm is a variant of the Split system from the main rules, but it makes vastly inferior copies of the original Robo, copies that have no free will and little durability. If used outside the 2163 setting, keep in mind that there has to be some limitation to keep the swarm members under control. In 2163, the power requirements of the system mean it is only useful in short bursts, so in other settings the Referee may simply impose a time limit, such as 1d10 rounds.