Transformers R.C.C.

Transformers R.C.C. v 2.0

By:
Necromancer Bob

  I've actually had the chance to use this RCC in Rifts and it actually worked well (granted, it was a medium-high game- the other characters were a Highlander Immortal, an NGR 'borg soldier, and an NGR Glitter Boy)... I had a guy playing as a Junkion (not Technobabble, BTW) and he was nuts. Lemme know what you guys think, and I'll work out a few more example characters.

  This RCC could easily be used in a HU, N&SS, or Robotech (some would consider the Transformers to be anime) game... for HU & N&SS, you'd need the robot character generation tables in HU for the SDC (make 'em SDC rather than MDC)....

A quote from "The Return of Optimus Prime":
  Hot Rod: The wisdom of the ages, it's lost?!
  Optimus: No, I think we're all a little wiser now.

  Yes, this is it! A Rifts character class based on that old cartoon (and the toys and the comic book and the underwear and...) THE TRANSFORMERS.

  Yeah, I know, it sounds like a munchkin's wet dream, to be able to play a 30-foot robot with heavy ordnance that makes Triax look like Northern Gun and no need for a weakling human pilot who has to do such annoying things like eat, sleep, and occasionally empty his bladder and/or bowels. To foil those munchkins, every Transformer has to have a personality quirk or flaw if you will that makes them...well, human. (For player-created evil characters, a roll on the phobia/obsession table would probably be appropriate). And not to mention, with most of the big guys, it'll take them 2 melee rounds to change forms, during which NO actions can be taken (For other, smaller ones, it's only 1 melee). And, of course, robots don't heal like carbon-based life forms do. Any damage they take can seriously hurt them in the long run, especially considering how few places have facilities to repair robots, especially such alien ones.

  That being said, I just hope you people won't think I'm a total munchkin for creating this class (like poor Allan Harrison and his Mecha-Knight thing). I just thought it would be a cool class. I have based this work on the OLD stuff, not the new stuff they've been coming out with. (Beast Wars? What in the name of God is that?) Not much post-movie stuff is in there, either, as everything changed once Prime died, but I possibly will be including Junkions, maybe a few other movie ones.... If you want references, check out the old comic books and the TV series (which is still on in some places in unbutchered form), and the movie is great. The Sci-Fi Channel sometimes shows the old TV series in cut-up format, too. I apologize if this takes forever to load, as I tried to put in as much detail and cool background about the Transformers I could think of and/or find, along with putting in several example characters.

How the Transformers got to Rifts Earth and their origins: (BTW, this is a combination of the origins told in the comic books, the TV series, and some other sources, some of which I can't remember just now. What I couldn't find, I bullshitted.) If you wanna skip this, even though it is really interesting, I won't feel offended if you just scroll down to the Skills section now.

  After the Big Bang which created the cosmos, three major humanoid races emerged long before mankind in three different star systems. One, the Micromen, hailed from Alpha Centauri. The second, the Acros, hailed from the Andromeda System. The third, the Waruders, hailed from the "Great Darkness Nebula." All these races, despite their different solar systems, independently developed transtechnology. Transtechnology mecha run on a plasma-like substance generally known as Energon (more about Energon later).

  A group of Transtechnological scientists from the Microman, Acro, and Waruder races decided to abandon this galaxy and seek another. On their way to what would later be known as the Quintesson galaxy, they found another galaxy right next to theirs, inhabited by the Romulans (no relation to Star Trek) and the Casmozoner. These scientists were disgusted with their pathetic humanoid bodies and decided to create artificial Transtech bodies. They also discovered a method of increasing their intelligence by merging as many as five minds--one from each of the five races (Microman, Acro, Waruder, Romulan, Casmozoner) with artificial neural/computer interfaces. They became the Quintessons, driven insane by the merger of minds.

  Only one of these scientists, their leader, refused to become a Quintesson, and through unknown means became the god known as Primatron or Primus (no relation to the band).

  The Quintessons built the Sharkticons as their slaves, who in turn built the supercomputer Vector Sigma, with enough memory to memorize the soul patterns of billions of people and could therefore create new mechanical beings from that. The Quintessons constructed Cybertron (about the size of Mars, but much heavier as it is entirely metal and air) and its twin moons around Alpha Centauri, vast laboratories for research in creating new mechanical beings. Vector Sigma, the ultimate computer, was the only way to control the Plasma Energy Chamber (the central power source for Cybertron) and other parts of the planet. The Quintessons, mistrustful of even their own creations, made the Plasma Energy Chamber give off too much energy, so that all robots trying to use it would overload. The Quintessons, being partly organic, had no such problem with the Plasma.

  In order to protect themselves from volatile experiments, they built a gigantic asteroid-ship, Quintessa, as their mobile headquarters.

  The asteroid Junkion (Also called the Planet of Junk) was built from the remains of mechanical being-slaves destroyed by failed experiments. Eventually, there evolved a race on the Planet of Junk, the Junkions, who were rediscovered by the Autobots in 2005 after the assault on Autobot City. Apparently, junk (for lack of a better word) kept collecting there from various sources, including Earth (Wreck-Gar's rather weird quotes in the movie; e.g. "Kill the Grand Pooh-bah! Eliminate even the toughest stain!") and Cybertron, giving the Junkions a constant if irregular stream of information about what was going on off-planet.

  In this new universe with few other life forms, Energon was plentiful --but the Quintessons soon expended Energon quicker than they could collect it, and so before the situation got any worse, they used their remaining Energon to create a huge, sentient robot the size of a small moon called Unicron. Unicron's mission was to seek worlds and devour them to produce Energon, and then return to the Quintessons to deliver mass Energon shipments. However, Unicron, seeing that he was WAY bigger than everybody else, revolted and made himself the leader of the Quintessons, who cowered in terror and became his slaves. Eventually, Unicron moved on, away from Cybertron, searching for worlds to use for energy.

  The Quintessons eventually shared part of their knowledge with a younger race known as the Robotech Masters. The Robotech Masters took these ideas and linked them to the use of protoculture as a power source rather than Energon. The Robotech Masters, rather than using Transtechnology to create sentient mechanical beings, used it in piloted mecha that could link with a pilot's mind more efficiently than any others (and still are, for the most part).

  The Quintessons' later experiments included new beings, smarter than the Sharkticons, who were purely robotic in nature, later to be called the Transformers. The robots developed true sentient 'souls' and, sick of fighting and dying in mock wars for the Quintessons' pleasure, the Transformers revolted (a lot of revolution going on here; that tell you anything about how the Quintessons treat beings?), freeing Cybertron from their Quintesson masters. Thus began the First Cybertronian War. A scientist robot named A3 was one of the leaders, with a female scientist called Beta as his second-in-command. A3 managed to make a controller device to override the Quintessons' Guardian enforcer robots. The Quintessons were forced to flee Cybertron. Thus began "the Golden Age of Cybertron", a time of pure science and self-discovery for the Cybertronian self-willed robots.

  A depository for the greatest scientists' and leaders minds' was made, and called the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. As time progressed, this Matrix was found to have strange powers of remote energy-matter transference. Only certain Autobots who have both the proper mind and body shape can use the Matrix. A tradition of calling the Autobot leader "Prime" was started.

  Vector Sigma was (and still is, for the most part) the only computer that can program new robot bodies. As asked by the Cybertronians, each robot is given a personality at "birth".

  The Quintessons and Unicron were forgotten....at least until 2005 (and the movie).

  Thousands of years later, the world of Cybertron was wracked by the Second Cybertronian War, this time between two factions of Transformers, the (good, selfish, mostly) Autobots and the (anarchist and evil) Decepticons.

  Over the next 5 million years different Decepticon and Autobots ruled Cybertron, their home, with the losers fleeing the planet or "jailed" (their AIs held in stasis), or outright killed. A3, now known as Alpha Trion, was a still a scientist Autobot at the end of the Third Cybertronian War. He inherited the Autobot Matrix when the last Autobot leader fell, but did not accept the mantle of leadership. When the current Decepticon leader Megatron damaged warehouse-worker Orion Pax and two others, Alpha Trion recreated them into Optimus Prime, Elita One, and Ironhide. He gave Optimus Prime the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, giving new life to the Autobot cause against the Decepticons. Thus the Fourth Cybertronian War begins.

  The force of this thousands of years-long war was so great that it actually tore Cybertron loose from its orbit to send it hurtling through space. As the planet careened through the cosmos, it happened to pass through an asteroid belt that would certainly destroy it. The Autobots, seeing this happen (and being the heroes, of course) built a spaceship (The Ark) to take them out there and blast the asteroids to dust before one crashed into the planet and sent all of their asses to mechanical hell. The Decepticons found out about their plan and, seeing the opportunity to crush the Autobots once and for all, built their own ship (unnamed) and followed them.

  After standing by and watching the Autobots destroy the asteroids and save their world, the Decepticons treacherously attacked, boarding the Ark and slaughtering the weakened Autobots in short order. Optimus Prime decided to send the Ark on a collision course into the nearest planet (which just happened to be Earth). All on board, both Decepticons and Autobots, died.

  But that was not the end of the Transformers, of course. The place where the Ark crashed just happened to be in a volcano. (Mt. St. Hillary aka Mt. St. Helens) A few million years later, in 1984 ad., the volcano erupted. Somehow, the force of the eruption reawakened the Ark's computer, Teletram One. Teletram One sent out a probe to examine the world around it. Much had changed in four million years. The indigenous, dominant life forms had a primitive technology. Teletram One scanned several native transportation and military vehicles, and used its' onboard repair units to reactivate the Autobots, giving them the form of these Earth vehicles (and other stuff). Unfortunately, the ship's memory banks were damaged and it accidentally revived the Decepticons too.

  The Decepticons, true to their nature, decided to take over the world. Prime & Co., regretful at bringing the menace here, decided to help to defend the world (being the heroes, it's their job) and find a way to get back to Cybertron.

  Ok, now to span the time between 1984 and Post-Apocalypse. The Decepticons created an early dimensional rift generator (sometime around 1986?) called the Space Bridge that allowed them to access Cybertron. The Autobots shared Cybertronian technology with the people of Earth, eventually helping them develop Exo-Suits, (as seen in the movie) an early form of power armor. This technology was instrumental in developing later power armor and manned robot vehicles.

  The Decepticons eventually left Earth for Cybertron as FTL starship drives were developed, allowing a short time of peace there. The Autobots built Autobot City, using it as a base and a gigantic Transformer warrior, Metroplex (a major munchkin). Autobots also set up bases on Cybertron's moons as a stepping-stone to attack the Decepticons. One of them was later eaten by Unicron.

  Unicron? He returned, tried to eat Cybertron, but Hot Rod, a brash young Transformer, took the Matrix and used it to blow him up, to put it shortly. The Autobots then re-conquered Cybertron.

  And this brings us to the Cataclysm. Somehow, these beings survived, having (barely) enough Energon. Remember; they're robots- they're immortal if they don't run out of juice or get stepped on by a Dinobot or melted by Megatron's 5D6x10 MD fusion cannon. With the colonies up there in orbit playing hell with anybody attempting to reach Earth orbit or beyond, their spaceship technology is almost useless. Anyway, seeing the Rifts erupt, the Transformers have found a possible way to get home (note: this will probably be covered later, if I ever get the time to finish a Quintesson NPC RCC).

  Despite being a race of sentient mechanical beings, the Transformers still haven't discovered 25-year nuclear power plants. Instead, they subsist on a form of energy stored in Energon cubes (which the Quintessons were always hungry for). Basically Energon is pure electrical/plasma energy formed into a translucent plastic-ish box. Transformers absorb these to power their circuits (even though some do have the ability to tap into other energy sources) and energy weapons such as Mirage's electro-disruptor (something like the Triax Lightning jet's Arc Blaster combined with a holographic projector) or force fields like Trailbreaker's, laser rifles and the like. (NOTE: Most hand-held energy weapons tap directly into the Transformer's power supply via a link in the robot's palm and the weapon's handgrip. The handgrip link is pretty much universal, meaning that any Transformer can, if necessary, use any other's weapon. Very few Transformers have adapted their energy weapons to use E-clips, although some, Wheeljack especially, like using Triax-style giant `bot weapons. Wheeljack has even modified a Triax VX-180 Maxi-Rail Gun (the one from the Ulti-Max robot) to link into himself, a definite plus. Energon can be produced by a conversion process from the energy of a star (something like the way the Mechanoids produce their power crystals, but less devastating to the star) or from other less powerful means, such as from high-octane gasoline, fusion reactors, even regular house current. Energon made from stellar matter is the best, and a single cube will last the average Transformer from three to six months, depending on use. However, an Energon cube made from fusion energy or gasoline will only last about a month at most. It takes (I think) about 100 gallons of gasoline to form one Energon cube. Regular old house current turned into the polymer-ish power source will only last a week, and it tastes like shit besides. Currently, there are only two plants built to make Energon cubes on Rifts Earth (one under each faction's control).

  Okay, now to put the characteristics of the Transformers into Rifts terms. The Transformers are entirely robotic beings, meaning that they are not cyborgs like the Mechanoids or Quintessons. Though they have PPE for some odd reason, there is no organic brain inside their bodies. Instead, a Transformer's brain is more like ARCHIE-3, something akin to a neural intelligence/positronic brain kind of thing. Each has their own personality, with human flaws, quirks, etc, programmed into it by Vector Sigma. Perhaps a roll on the phobia/obsession table would be appropriate, especially for evil characters.

  Their bodies are heavily armored (read in that: mega-damage) and give them the ability to change from the form of a car or truck, jet fighter, handgun, whatever, to a large robot being. For creation of the body of a Transformer player character, see the Robot Character Class in Sourcebook 1. That has things like MDC, size, speed, etc. Just remember, the robot has two separate forms, and even sometimes three modes (two vehicular; reduce main body MDC by 1/3). GM's, use your good judgment. What I have done here is work out some of the basic skill packages for different roles like warrior, leader, scout, inventor, mechanic/doctor (remember, the two are the same thing to them) and others.

Note: Skills DO NOT grow. Experience levels are all but irrelevant. However, at 500,000 XP pts, two new skills may be chosen.

Attributes and skills by primary function:
Primary skills (note: all Transformers have these skills, plus their function skills):
  speak/understand and literate in American, Euro, and native language (94%, 94%, 98%)
  mathematics: basic (98%)
  land navigation (90%)
  radio: basic (92%)
  hand to hand: basic
  basic mechanics (94%)
  computer operation (98%, note that since they are robots, most have a standard headjack and can link with a computer in this way)
  read sensory equipment (95%)
  WP energy pistol.

  If vehicular in form, have the ability to pilot themselves at 98%.

P.P.E. for all is minimal, 1D4, and they cannot use spell magic. Exactly why they have PPE is a mystery, but can perhaps be explained by the fact that ley line energy (which includes PPE) is very similar to the plasma energy found in Energon.

Leader (note: there are only two leaders, Megatron and Optimus Prime, and I DON'T recommend using them as player characters, as they are VERY powerful. The skills are just here for reference.): All engineering, pilot related, computer, and communication skills, astronomy, both chemistries, and mathematics: advanced, all at 94%, hand to hand: martial arts (Megatron has HTH: assassin), WP heavy, WP heavy energy weapons, WP blunt, three others from list.

Warrior: IQ: 3D6, ME: 3D6+2, MA: 3D6 PP:3D6, all other attributes N/A. Skills: all pilot related, all communications except surveillance & cryptography, basic electronics (all at 80%), climb 70%, detect ambush 80%, advanced math 70% (can be changed to 98% at cost of one other skill), Hand to Hand: Expert (can be changed to HTH: Assassin if evil at cost of one other skill), WP energy rifle, WP heavy, WP heavy energy weapons, WP blunt, plus three others at 90%. Cannot prowl.

Sentry/Guard: IQ: 3D6, ME: 3D6+6, MA: 3D6, PP:2D6, all other attributes N/A. All standard Warrior-class skills + surveillance, detect concealment, intelligence, and two more, all at 90%.

Scout/Spy (ex: Hound, Bumblebee): IQ, ME, MA, PP all 3D6+bonus. all pilot related, all communications except cryptography, basic electronics, detect concealment, detect ambush, and intelligence all at 90%, advanced mathematics 97%, tracking 76%, climb 80%, prowl 35% (may be made higher or lower by individual bot), streetwise (base proficiency at first; gradually increases as knowledge of area does- it's the one skill that actually grows) WP Energy Rifle, WP Knife (most Scout-class have a vibro-dagger), and three others at 85%. Note that Scouts will generally have better optical and auditory equipment than other classes.

Healer/mechanic (ex: Ratchet): IQ: 4D6, ME, MA, PP: 3D6. all pilot related at 90%, all mechanical except locksmith, all electrical, laser communications, optic systems, computer programming, all science except anthropology, archaeology, biology, and botany, all at 96%, WP Energy Rifle, WP Knife (scalpel), and three other skills at 90%. Unlike other classes, Healer/mechanics can learn first aid, paramedic, and medical doctor skills. (Most, Ratchet included, want to heal all races, not just mechanical ones). Note that healer-types usually have medical-type cybernetic equipment, as well as similar to those used by human mechanics. See Triax & NGR for reference on these.

Transport (note: rare. Ex. Astrotrain, Gears): IQ, ME, MA: 3D6, PP: 2D6. All warrior-class skills+detect ambush and detect concealment at 85% Engineer/Inventor (ex: Wheeljack. Note: usually tinkering with some new weapon or gadget or something. Think gnomes from Dragonlance): IQ 4D6, ME, MA, PP, 3D6. all pilot related, all mechanical, weapons engineer, all communications except smoke signals (just threw that one in to see if you were paying attention) computer programming, and three others at 96% WP Energy Rifle, WP heavy, WP heavy energy weapons.

Dinobot Warrior: This particular class is dumb (IQ 2D4-1, ME 2D6, MA 3D6, PP 1D8) so they don't get many skills. But in terms of hitting power, this is a munchkin's wet dream! +200 main body MDC, the basic skills plus WP heavy, WP heavy energy weapons, WP sword, WP battle axe, WP blunt (Dinobots love the giant electro-maces carried by the Triax Black Knight! In fact, if Triax makes it for their giant bots, the Dinobots will use it!) No other skills! Remember, Dinobots are dumb as hell (can end up with an IQ of one), but if you play in character (and use bad grammar), they are cool! Alignment is limited to good or selfish. The real problem is, of course, that Dinobots tend to get distracted by shiny objects.

Junkion Warrior Mechanic: These are a variant of Transformers that evolved independently on the Planet of Junk. Their race makes its living as scavengers, so most of them are basically walking discard stacks. Mostly, to outward appearance, they appear to be cobbled together from discarded parts of other Transformers into a barely-functional bot. This is deceptive, however, as they are extremely fast and agile. Most of the time, two Junkions will work together as a team, one in bot form and the other as a motorcycle. (Like in the movie) When one gets hit, they will just change forms and continue attacking. They're not really endurant, however, but can usually fix themselves up quickly on the battlefield, cannibalizing parts from fallen Transformers. This character class is basically a mechanized Crazy, and limited to good or selfish alignments (the Junkions have a loose alliance with the Autobots; most are unprincipled- they kinda just look out mostly for themselves, but they're not really bad). Junkions are always hyperactive, talk incessantly (even to themselves, if it comes to that) and natural mechanics. They usually tend to prefer the forms of motorcycles, skycycles, sports cars, and the like. A typical non-motorcycle Junkion would be a beat-up old heap of a car with a huge engine sticking out of its hood. Fast and loud. Skills and attributes are the same as warrior class with +2 to IQ and +1 to PP. They get the basic warrior skills plus all electrical, mechanical engineer, and weapons engineer at 90%, and two others at 90%. Note: all skills other than fixing or modifying machinery that require sitting still for more than five minutes are at -20% because of the Junkion's inability to pay attention for long periods of time. Working with extremely alien machinery (not TW items) can be done with NO penalty (a natural affinity with machines). Roll on the following table for wacko characteristics, like a Crazy, or pick one or two. Even combine `em, like with Technobabble.
Random Junkion Crazy Element Table
1-30 Phobia or Obsession (Roll on table below)
31-60 Multiple Personalities (create as for Crazy; Rifts p.59)
61-95 Crazy Man (Just like Rifts, p.62) 96-00 Frenzy (ditto)
Junkion Phobias & Obsessions
1-5 Phobia: Humans (Scared that human beings will attempt to haul the character off to a junkyard or something.)
6-10 Obsession: Rocky Horror Picture Show (Always doing impressions, quotes, making references, etc. Will listen to the soundtrack incessantly; usually owns the boxed set of CD's (most likely, a built-in CD player, too) and the movie on vid-disc. Will have seen the movie several dozen times and will watch it again every chance they get. Will most likely have a name like "Riff-Raff".)
11-20 Obsession: Old (pre-Rifts) TV Show (Roll as follows) (Always doing impressions, quotes, making references to the show, etc. Will even take a name in idolization of one of the characters.)
  1-10 Star Trek (any series)
  11-20 Seinfeld
  21-30 Cheers
  31-40 The Brady Bunch
  41-50 Car 54, Where Are You?
  51-60 The Muppet Show
  61-70 The Flintstones
  71-80 Looney Tunes
  81-90 Beavis & Butthead
  91-00 Speed Racer
21-30 Obsession: TV Commercials (Always reciting commercials. Plop, plop, fizz, fizz...)
31-35 Phobia: heights
36-45 Obsession: Movies (Will have seen at least two hundred pre-Rifts movies. Is always doing impressions, making quotes, playing sound bites, etc.)
46-55 Phobia: Anything bigger than them (They're Transformers. Anything bigger than them and they've got a right to be scared.)
56-60 Phobia: Rust (Note that Junkions are basically made of junk; they always rust)
61-70 Obsession: Super Mario Brothers (Enough said.)
71-80 Obsession: Weapons (either loves collecting them or is scared shitless of them)
81-90 Obsession: Danger (either loves taking risks or never takes them)
91-00 Obsession: Appearance (either a slob or is constantly polishing themselves)

Gestalts/Headmasters/Targetmasters: Gestalts are generally normal robots (although slightly less armored than usual) who have a third form, that of combining with other robots, their team members, to form a single large humanoid robot. The first and most famous of the gestalts were the Constructicons (who I would really like to run a campaign involving, but it would take six people to play the Constructicons and at least a few others to balance them out). Generally, gestalts are made up of teams of multiple classes (one of each, sometimes) whose skills are all able to be used when in combined form. When in combined form, the separate characters must all agree on what action for their combined form to take; if they don't, they will automatically separate. I don't know if anyone would actually be able to use these as player characters, although it would be very cool.

  Headmasters and Targetmasters are another form of combining Transformer quite different from the gestalts (and probably quite a bit more useful than the gestalts). Headmasters and Targetmasters are Transformers with human or Nebulan secondary operators. Nebulans are a race of human-looking D-Bees who have learned a psionic power of super-telemechanics and use this to communicate with machines. Generally, for the -Masters, the human or Nebulan pilot wears a suit of power armor (usually about the same stats as Coalition SAMAS, but without the wings) or is a full-conversion borg. With the Headmasters, this power armor or their cyborg body transforms into a head for their Transformer companion. This provides enhanced targeting and agility, but, as with the gestalts, both of the binary-bonded pair must agree, or they will separate. Note that a Headmaster Transformer cannot function in robot form without the head PA pilot linked onto them (blind, no bonuses, -60% on all skills, -7 to strike, parry, and dodge).

  Headmaster bonuses for a human binary partner are as follows: gain all skills the human has at same percentage, +1 melee attack for the Transformer (note that the bonded human cannot take any actions when combined; remember, they're just a head.) +1 to strike, parry and dodge, and +1 to strike against targets smaller than the robot's size. Because of the additional power of super-telemechanics, binary-bonded Nebulans gives an additional +1 to strike against small targets.

  Targetmasters are another variation of binary-bonding Transformers with humanoid pilots. With a Targetmaster, the human's power armor or cyborg body transforms into a powerful giant bot-sized gun which the otherwise normal Transformer carries, resulting in improved targeting. Bonuses from a Targetmaster union (only apply when the PA pilot's suit is in gun mode and the bonded Transformer is the one using it) are +1 to strike on all shots and gain sniper and WP Sharpshooting skills.

  The type of weapon the human's PA turns into is up to the characters to decide; most are rail guns, ion pulse guns or lasers. Damage is as for normal giant-sized weapon.

  Human binary partners of Targetmasters or Headmasters can be of any normal human (or D-Bee) OCC except for magic classes. Usually the OCC of the human corresponds somewhat to what class the Transformer is, although psi-operators, headhunters, and rogue scholars tend to be the most common. For a full-conversion borg partner instead of a PA pilot, I recommend using the Cyborg Soldier OCC in Triax and NGR. Note that the human advances in levels normally, although requiring 25% more xp. pts. to gain levels, as they are essentially a split-class.

Skills available:
  Communications: any
  Domestic: any except cook and fish
  Electrical: any
  Espionage: any except wilderness survival and disguise (note: natural disguise!)
  Mechanical: any
  Medical: none except criminal science & forensics (disregard Biology required)
  Military: any
  Physical: only hand to hand, boxing, prowl, climb, and swim
  Pilot: none except spacecraft and jet pack
  Pilot Related: any
  Rogue: any except palming
  Science: any except archaeology, anthropology, and botany
  Technical: only computer operation and programming, languages, literacy, and photography
  Weapon Proficiencies: any
  Wilderness: none

General Combat Bonuses (WPs added separately):
Leaders: +6 to strike (HTH combat only; WP bonuses for ranged weapons), +5 to parry, +4 to dodge attacks from bots/beings of similar size; no strike/parry/dodge bonus against HTH attacks from smaller things (under 10 feet), +2 to roll with impact

Warriors, Sentrys, & Junkions: +4 to strike, +5 to parry, +4 to dodge attacks from bots/beings of similar size; no strike/parry/dodge bonus against smaller things, +2 to roll with impact

Engineers/Transports/Mechanics: +1 to strike, +5 to parry, +4 to dodge; same limitations. +2 to roll with impact.

Scouts: +3 to strike, +4 to parry, +5 to dodge, +3 to roll with impact. Unlike the other classes, they actually get the bonuses of +3 to strike and +2 to dodge against smaller targets.

Dinobots: only bonuses from WP's apply.

Some Example Transformer Characters (for use as both PC's and NPC's):

  I had to do Bumblebee because he's one of my favorite Transformers. So, of course, in homage to him, he is here. He was also the first Transformer toy I got as a kid. I wonder if that has something to do with my choice of putting him first on this list. Hmmm....
Code Name: Bumblebee
Function: Espionage/Scout
Group Affiliation: Autobot
Quote: "Outta gas, but not outta luck!"
Alignment: Scrupulous
Earth Form: A yellow VW Beetle
Description: Bumblebee acts as a messenger, spy, and saboteur. Due to his small size, he dares to go where others can't and won't. He idolizes the bigger Autobots, especially Optimus Prime, and strives to be accepted. He is the most energy efficient (can go twice as long on the same amount of Energon) and has the best vision of all the Autobots. He can go underwater for reconnaissance and salvage missions. Although physically one of the weakest Autobots, his stealth more than compensates for this inadequacy.
Height: (robot form) 12 feet
Width: 5 feet at shoulders
Length: 5 feet
Weight: 3 tons
Speed: 120 mph car mode
  60 mph running robot mode
  5 knots/hr driving underwater (on bottom)
  Flying not possible without a jet-pack.
IQ: 18
ME: 20
MA: 16
PP: 11
PS: 25
Skills: All Scout-class skills + prowl at 50% robot mode/60% car mode, pick locks, demolitions, and swimming. His tracking skill is at 35%, due to his lack of experience in that particular field of scouting, but he is slowly learning more about it from Hound.

M.D.C. by Location:
  *Hands (2): 50 each
  Forearms (2): 70 each
  Upper arms (2): 120 each
  Legs (2): 120 each
  Feet (2): 80 each
  *Head: 75
  Main Body: 250
(Car mode:)
  Windshield: 20
  *Windows (3): 10 each
  *Headlights (2): 5 each
  *$Wheels (4): 10 each

*As usual, anything with a * beside it is small and hard to hit, requiring a called shot at -2 to strike.
$Wheels are made of an MDC composite similar to mega-damage Spandex.

Systems/sensors: Same as most power armor/robot vehicles;
Weapons:
Laser Pistol: Sorry, but the only weapon this guy has (or ever used on the show, for that matter) is a dinky little laser pistol; of course, it's not a bad weapon...
Purpose: Defense
Secondary Purpose: Offense
Damage: 3D6 MD
Range: 1000 ft.
Rate of fire: equal to HTH attacks
Payload: Unlimited, due to hand-link. Backup internal (non-removable) clip holds 20 shots. Internal clip can be recharged by hand-link (24 hrs) or by plugging into a power source (8 hrs).
Weight: 15 lbs.
Note: This weapon is still giant-sized, although somewhat smaller than most, and cannot be used by normal humans (possibly by borgs, tho).

And, of course, here's the chief munchkin himself...

Code Name: Grimlock
Function: Dinobot Leader/Head Munchkin
Group Affiliation: Autobot
Quote: "Good thing me Grimlock have hard head. Otherwise would now be Dinosplatter."
Alignment: Unprincipled
Earth Form: A metal Tyrannosaurus Rex
Description: Dumb but the brightest of the Dinobots (which isn't saying much). Grimlock functions as leader of the Munchkin Pack, as they have become known over the years.
  Actually, Grimlock is pretty smart; he just has problems with grammar and expressing himself (the speech center of his 'brain' is severely lacking). He is gruff but lovable, sometimes overprotective of smaller, weaker Autobots. Basically, he's just a good guy to have at your side to smash a door in or something.
Height: (robot mode) 36 feet (dinobot mode) 30 feet
Width: 12 feet
Length: (robot mode) 10 feet (dinobot mode) 20 feet
Weight: A lot.
Speed: 40 mph running, robot mode
  70 mph running, Dinobot mode
  Flight not possible
IQ: 9
ME: 12
MA: 18
PP: 5
PS: 50 (note: in dinobot mode, Grimlock's T-Rex forearms are weaker than his normal robot arms, limiting lifting/carrying weight to that of a PS 25)
Skills: All standard Dinobot Warrior skills

M.D.C. by location:
  Head 220
  Arms (Dinobot) 250
  Arms (Robot)/Legs (Dinobot) 350
  Legs (Robot) 400
  Tail 350
  Main Body 770

Weapon Systems:
Heavy Blaster Rifle (robot mode) - 4D6 MD
  Not a bad gun...has a reserve internal e-clip for if the palm link is damaged. 20 shot capacity.
Mouth Blast (dinobot mode) - 1D6x10 MD
  A plasma ejector mounted in Grimlock's mouth.
Giant-Size Vibro-Sword - 4D6 MD

HTH Combat:
Bite (Dinobot mode) - 4D6 MD
Stomp (against foes 10 ft. or smaller)- 3D6
Tail Swat - 3D6
Punch (robot mode)- 3D6
Forearm Punch (Dinobot mode; remember the T-Rex weak forearms) 1D6
Kick (either mode)- 3D6 + 4 (counts as 2 attacks when in Dinobot mode)
Body Block/Ram - 2D6 + has 80% chance of knocking over opponents between 20-40 feet tall. 98% chance for those under 20 feet.
Special Attack: Knockdown & Trample (combined Body Block/Stomp) If an enemy is knocked down by a body block attack, the Dinobot can use his next two melee attacks to run them over, trampling them. The combined attack does a total of 3D6x10 and will generally push the enemy about five feet into the ground (ouch!).

A rather brilliant, if I do say so myself, Junkion of my own creation:
Code Name: Technobabble
Function: Junkion Warrior Mechanic
Group Affiliation: Junkion/loosely affiliated with the Autobots.
Quote: "He's dead, Jim." (Yes, I know Bones said it first)
Alignment: Unprincipled
Earth Form: An orange, red, and yellow motorcycle. Several rust spots.
Description: A typical Junkion. Technobabble is, like all others, hyperactive and talks incessantly. He is obsessed with Star Trek (the original series). Needless to say, a Trekkie `bot having full audio/video recording and playback capability is an annoying thing. For some odd reason, Technobabble is always imagining Star Trek things are real, and putting himself into the roles of various characters (a combination of his obsession, schizophrenia, and multiple personalities). An example: right before transforming into his motorcycle mode, Technobabble will say something like "Warp 6, Mr. Sulu." in the voice of Captain Kirk. As he transforms, in the voice of Sulu, he will answer himself with "Aye, aye, Captain." or something similar. If he's having some mechanical failure or something (he's a Junkion, breakdowns are inevitable) he'll say in a flawless imitation of Scotty, "Aye canna hold it much longer." When talking on the radio, his voice will probably be that of Uhura. It only gets weirder from there. For some reason, Technobabble always refers to Coalition troops as "Romulans", as in "Captain, the Romulans are attacking!"- a phrase inevitably heard when Dead Boys show up. Optimus Prime and Wreck-Gar (the leader of the Junkions) are generally known as "Starfleet Command." The Splugorth and their minions are, to Technobabble, "Klingons." Note that Technobabble rarely talks in his own voice; always in that of the original Star Trek characters. This can be VERY annoying to anybody traveling with him.
Height: (robot mode) 10 ft.
Width: (robot mode) 5 ft. (motorcycle mode) 2 feet
Length: (robot mode) 3.5 ft. (cycle mode) 6 ft.
Weight: 1 ton.
Speed: 65 mph running robot mode
  140 mph cycle mode
  Flight not possible
IQ: 18
ME: 9
MA: 8
PP: 10
PS: 28
Skills: Standard Junkion-WM-class +computer programming and computer hacking at 90%

M.D.C. by location:
  *Hands (2): 50 each
  Forearms (2): 70 each
  Upper arms (2): 120 each
  Legs (2): 120 each
  Feet (2): 70 each
  *Head: 75
  Main Body: 250
(Cycle mode)
  *Windshield: 20
  *Headlight: 5 each
  *Wheels (2): 5 each

* as usual, anything with this * beside it is small and/or hard to hit. Called shot at -2 to strike.

transformers.html -- Revised: 970410