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Character Traits
Character Traits are an option that players may choose to have when playing their characters. Traits allow for a more developed character, and encourage role playing through their use. Every character has traits that are based on their personality, which may represent talents, mentalities, social patterns, and battle strategies.
Determining Traits
The number of Character Traits that a character has is determined by his/her Charisma Bonus. Their Charisma Bonus translates into the points that the are listed next to the Trait names. Therefore, if a character has a Charisma Bonus of +4, then that character has 4 Points. That character could take any traits who's point values equal 4.
Trait Types
|
| Level | Max Ammo |
| 1-5 | 2 |
| 6-10 | 3 |
| 11-15 | 4 |
| 16-20 | 5 |
Attacking a Single Unit
When using this trait in Mobile Unit combat, the target takes damage to all
sections (excluding Capital Ships and Mobile Armours, in that case, only the
sections facing the attacker take damage) and can only avoid damage with a
successful Dodge or Leap Dodge in order to avoid the hail of bullets headed
their way. The target may also choose to Parry, which will protect 1 section of
the target's choice (such as the Pilot's Compartment), all other sections other
than the one being shielded will take damage. If Parrying with a Shield, then
all sections that are behind the Shield are protected.
Attacking Multiple Units
Hitting multiple targets requires that the targets must be within arms length of
each other, weather attacking Mobile Units or Personnel. When attacking multiple
Mobile Units, the damage is applied to one randomly rolled section per unit of
ammo expended in the attack, the total damage is then evenly divided between the
sections that were hit.
Example
Lt. Frost is firing on a group of 3
GM’s with his Gattling Guns. He opens fire and uses up 3 units of ammo (Frost is
Level 6), and since the GM’s are all within arms length of each other he can
attack all of them at the same time. Frost rolls to Strike at –4 and the GM’s
all roll to Dodge. One GM’s manages to get out of the way, but the other two
rolled poorly and were struck by Frost’s barrage of lead. Frost’s player rolls
damage 3 times (1 for every unit of ammo used in the attack) and adds up the
results. The total damage is then divided between the sections that were hit on
the 2 GM’s. So if Frost dealt a total of 120 damage to 3 sections on each GM,
each section would take 40 damage.
Noble Captain – 4 Points
Fleet Combat Trait
A Noble Captain has total control over his ship, and with a dedicated crew no
opponent is too great. He can rally his crew at his command and survive almost
impossible odds in any fleet battle. This trait adds the captain’s Command
Ability bonus to all Strike rolls made against other capital ships and only
capital ships. The downsides of this trait are that if the ship fails its Fear
Save the first round, the bonuses don’t apply for that combat. The ship also
automatically wins Initiative against other capital ships (and only other
capital ships), unless an enemy capital ship also has a Noble Captain, then
Initiative is rolled as usual. A Noble Captain must also go down with his ship
should it be destroyed.
Example
A Zeon fleet of Musai Class ships is about to engage a fleet of Federation Salamis Class ships. The Captain of the Zeon Flagship, who has the Noble Captain trait, gives the order to attack. The fleet of Salamis Class don’t have anyone who has the Noble Captain trait and are outnumbered, so the Musai fleet automatically win Initiative and since they outnumber the Salamis, they don’t need to roll a Save vs. Fear. The Musai Flagship Captain has a Command Ability of 16 (+4 Bonus) and his ship (only his, the other ships in the fleet don’t get a bonus unless their captains have Noble Captain too) gains a +4 Bonus to all Strike rolls on the Salamis Fleet.
Nine Lives – 5 Points
Mobile Unit & Personnel Combat Trait
Like a cat, a character with the Nine Lives Trait can escape a life-threatening
situation by sheer luck, but like all good things their luck doesn’t last
forever. Effectively, the character can re-roll any failed Save vs. Death, but
only gets 9 chances to succeed. Every time a character re-rolls a failed Save
vs.
Death, he uses up one of his lives and will not get any of them back until he
progresses to the next Series (e.g. One Year War to Stardust Memory) Once the
character progresses to the next Series, he/she will get back one of the lives
that were lost. If a series is skipped, as in the character was active during
0079, but didn’t show up again until 0087, then they would not get the life back
for skipping 0083.
Example
Lt. Hibaraki’s Ground Combat Gundam takes a direct hit to the Main Body and the Gundam is destroyed. She now has to roll a Save vs. Death to survive the explosion, but fails her roll. Normally, she would have died, but she decides to use up one of the 5 remaining lives (She’s used up 4 during this Series so far). She succeeds the next Save vs. Death, and still has 4 lives left to use later in the Series. If she manages to survive until the Stardust Memory Series, then she’ll get 1 of her lives back.
Berserker
– 3 Points
Mobile Unit and Personnel Combat Trait
The Berserker can be very dangerous is enraged, and becomes a killing machine if
ever pushed over the edge. Usually, it takes a very traumatising event to set
off a Berserker, much more than just angering him. Seeing his best friend killed
before his eyes would cause him to go berserk, attacking the one responsible
without fear or mercy. Berserkers get phenomenal offensive bonuses when enraged,
+4 Strike, +3 Initiative, and +5 Hand Damage (Personnel Combat only). The
downside is that when enraged the Berserker does not get any defensive bonuses,
such as Dodge, Leap Dodge or Parry, which leaves him vulnerable. In addition,
the Berserker can attack the person responsible for the trauma, except when
others are interfering with his assault (i.e. others trying to hold the Berserker
back, or opponents who block the Berserker’s path to his target). The rage and
bonuses last until the person responsible for the trauma is killed,
incapacitated, escapes, or if the Berserker is killed or incapacitated. Anyone
with a Command Bonus of 16 or higher can talk a Berserker out of his rage with a
result of 20 on a roll of 1D20 + Command Bonus.
Example:
When Camille Bidan sees his mother killed in Z Gundam, he flies into a Berserker
rage, and attacks the Hi-Zack responsible for her death. He would get the
bonuses granted from the Berserker Trait until he destroyed the Hi-Zack or until
it left the area. In Z Gundam, Quatro managed to talk Camille out of his rage,
so in game terms, Quatro would have had a Command ability of 16 or higher and
rolled 20 or over on his roll.
Sniper – 2 Points
Mobile Unit and Personnel Combat Trait
Snipers are the opposite of a Trigger Happy character, and prefer to take one
clean shot at an enemy. They tend to prefer weapons that have a slow rate of
fire and high damage, such as bazookas, beam rifles, and sniper rifles. A Sniper
must take time to aim at a target, taking 1 turn to set their sights on an
opponent, and can't take any other actions besides moving while taking aim.
Taking aim at a target grants a +2 Strike bonus for every turn the
Sniper is aiming at the target, to a maximum of +6 after 3 turns, regardless of
whether the target is moving or not. Alternatively, in Mobile Unit combat, the
Sniper can choose cancel out the Strike Penalty on a Called Shot rather than get
the bonus, but only if the Sniper has been aiming for 3 turns. In Personnel
Combat, the Sniper may opt for a Kill Shot, even if he doesn’t have the
Marksmanship skill and only after aiming for 3 turns, instead of taking the
bonus. To get a Kill Shot, the Sniper must still be using a Sniper Rifle with a
scope. Any applicable Distance Penalties will still apply.
Example:
A Zeon pilot is piloting a Zaku II armed with a bazooka. He hides in the jungle
waiting for a group of Ground Combat GM’s that are supposed to be coming down
the road. Once the GM’s are in sight, he takes aim at the nearest GM, since
it’ll take the GM’s about 3 turns to get within Short Range, the Zaku’s pilot
decides to keep his aim on the closest GM, and will gain a +6 Bonus Strike bonus
to that GM by the time it reaches Short Range. The Zaku pilot’s player decides
to aim for the cockpit as opposed to taking the bonus, and fires the bazooka.
The Zaku pilot’s player rolls to Strike for a Called Shot, without the Called
Shot Penalty, and the Game Master rolls to Dodge for the GM. The Zaku lands the
hit, and the GM’s pilot is killed when the bazooka round pierces the cockpit.
Heavy Hitter - 3 Points
Mobile Unit Combat Trait
Big guns are the Heavy Hitter's weapon of choice, and a Heavy Hitter with a bazooka can cause some serious destruction. Using large bore projectile weapons, such as bazookas and cannons, a Heavy Hitter can score a Critical Hit when rolling a natural 20 on a Strike roll. When a Critical Hit is scored, the section struck takes double damage. Unfortunately, the Critical Hit can only take effect if there are no penalties on the attack roll.
Example:
A Federation pilot in a Guncannon takes aim at a Zaku, the Guncannon Pilot's player rolls to strike and rolls a 20. Since the Zaku is in clear view, within range, and there aren't any other penalties to Strike, the Guncannon can use a Critical Hit, but only if it uses its cannons. The Pilot opts to fire the cannons and take the Critical Hit, destroying the Zaku's left leg.
Bully – 2 Points
Social Trait
There are those who learn to intimidate others who are smaller than they are,
and a Bully gains several advantages over the timid. If the Bully manages to
Intimidate an opponent that’s smaller than he is, whether in mobile unit combat
or personnel combat, then he can apply his Charisma Bonus to the first Strike
roll of that combat. Obviously, if the opponent is of equal or greater size,
then the bonus doesn’t apply even if the Bully manages to intimidate his
opponent.
Example
A rather large Zeon Officer, about 6’9” and +200 lbs, manages to corner a young Federation officer, about 5’4” and 130 lbs, in a corridor. They’ve used up all of their ammunition in the previous firefight, and are about to start Hand-to-Hand Combat. The Zeon Officer wins the Initiative Roll for the new combat situation, and tries to Intimidate the much smaller Fed Soldier. The Zeon Officer succeeds his Intimidation roll and starts to trash talk the Fed Soldier, who is shaking in his boots. Since the Zeon Officer’s Charisma Score is 14, his bonus is a +6. He applies this +6 to his first Strike roll and delivers a devastating left hook to the Fed soldier’s head.
Smooth Talker – 2 Points
Social Trait
Smooth Talkers get what they want by influencing others around them. They know
the right thing to say and the right time to say it. This gives them an
advantage when dealing with NPCs. If the Smooth talker wants something from an
NPC, then he rolls 1D20 + Charisma Bonus, and the Game Master rolls 1D20 + NPC’s
Intelligence Bonus. If the Smooth Talker wins the roll, then he’s successfully
influenced the NPC to do what he wants (within reason), if the NPC wins then he
realizes that the Smooth Talker tried to pull a fast one on him. This Trait only
works on non-hostile NPCs, and will not work on any NPC with a Command Ability
of 13 or higher.
Example
A Fed MS Pilot finds himself trapped in a Zeon occupied village, after being shot down behind enemy lines. He managed to get his hands on some civilian clothes thanks to some of the locals, and he must now make it past Zeon patrols on his way back to Fed controlled territory. He gets stopped by a group of Zeon soldiers near the border, who start asking him questions. The pilot uses his Smooth Talker trait on the ranking soldier, (luckily the soldier’s Command Ability is only 9) and starts telling him that he’s one of the locals who’s on his way to another town to see a sick relative. The pilot’s player rolls 1D20 + the pilot’s Charisma Bonus ( +3) and gets a total of 12 (9 + 3). The GM rolls for the Zeon soldier and adds the soldier’s Intelligence Bonus (+1). The soldier gets a total of 15 (14 + 1). Which means the soldier didn’t buy his story, and the pilot is promptly arrested and brought back to base for questioning.
Loner – 1
Point
Social Trait
The Loner does everything on their own, and rarely likes to have other people
around. This makes them more adepts at things that don’t require anyone else’s
help. Loners get a +2 bonus for doing things on their own, whether it’s combat,
repairing something, or whatever. On the other hand, if a Loner is forced to
work with others, then his performance tends to drop, and suffers a -2 penalty
to when performing that task. Mind you the penalty only applies if working with
people who are there to help, not if the Loner is in the presence of enemies.
Loners tend to be Master Thieves, Mercenaries, Spies, or Civilian Heroes.
Here are some examples:
| Task | Bonus/Penalty |
| Combat – 1 on 1 | +2 Strike |
| Combat – 1 on 2 or more | +2 Strike for every 2 opponents, max bonus of +12 (4 = +4, 6 = +8, 8 = +10, etc.) |
| Combat – Part of a Team | -2 Strike for Loner only |
| Repairs – Alone | +2 Repair Bonus |
| Repairs – With Team | -2 Repair Bonus to whole Team |
| Using any Skills requiring a Roll – Alone | +2 to Roll |
| Using any Skills requiring a Roll – As a Team | -2 to Roll for Loner only, the team doesn’t get the penalty. |
Example:
A Fed Mechanic, known for not liking others getting in his way, has been
assigned to repair a Mobile Suit. He starts the job on his own, gaining the +2
Repair bonus from his Loner Trait. Later, his commanding officer assigns another
mechanic to the same MS, in order to lessen the Mobile Suit’s downtime. The
first mechanic objects and the officer gives him a direct order to work with the
second mechanic. Now that he’s been forced to work on the MS with another, the
combined Repair roll for the both of them is reduced by 2.
Team Player – 2 Points
Social Trait
The Team Player is the exact opposite of the Loner, and tends to be the team
leader or a commander. They receive bonuses for being with their team, and
sometimes extend those bonuses to the rest of the team as well. There’s only one
rule that the Team Player has apart from the Loner, there can only be one per
team. The following table describes some examples
| Task | Bonus/Penalty |
| Combat – 1 on 1 | -2 Strike |
| Combat – 1 on 2 or more | -2 Strike |
| Combat – Part of a Team | +2 Strike for Team Player only |
| Repairs – Alone | -2 Repair Bonus |
| Repairs – With Team | +2 Repair Bonus to whole Team |
| Using any Skills requiring a Roll – Alone | -2 to Roll |
| Using any Skills requiring a Roll – As a Team | +2 to Roll for whole Team |
Example:
A Zeon MS pilot, also the team leader, engages a group of GM’s. As long as his
team mates are around to help him, he gets a +2 to Strike. Should he be
separated from his team, he would get a -2 Strike penalty.
Politician - 2 Points
Social Trait
Political influence can be advantageous to those of higher rank, and can earn extra supplies, more units, or even a few favours that could save the day. The Politician can call in some favours over the course of the campaign, some big and some small. Small favours, such as requesting extra supplies, can be done fairly easily. Of course, the Politician cannot request anything that would not be possible, so if there are no extra supplies, then the Politician will definitely not get them. Bigger favours, such as having new model MS assigned to your unit, would be more difficult, and might even require the Politician to return the favour. The Politician can of course do favours for his superiors and save them for later. A Politician must be of at least Officer Rank or higher to have any influence.
Example:
A Federation Lieutenant's team is running low on supplies, but his team isn't scheduled to be re-supplied for a few more days. He needs those supplies soon, since his team is going on another sortie the next day. Lucky for the Lieutenant, he has some connections in the upper ranks. He calls in a favour and gets his team supplied before his next sortie. Of course, since supplies are in demand in that area, this is a fairly big favour. His superiors would expect him to return the favour later on.
Devil's Luck - 3 Points
Social Trait
The Devil's Luck can bring as many problems as it does benefits. A character with Devil's Luck is playing a constant game of chicken with fate. The character can choose to re-roll any roll they like, except for a Save vs. Death, but at the cost of a -3 penalty to their next roll. The character might have a good roll the second time around, but the next time luck may not be with them.
Example:
A Fed Pilot has engaged a group of Gelgoogs, and takes aim at the closest one to him. He fires, and misses completely. The pilot's player chooses to push his luck and use the Devil's Luck Trait to re-roll his Strike Roll. He manages to hit the Gelgoog this time and destroys it, but another is coming in for an attack with it's Twin Beam Sword. The Pilot attempts to Dodge, with the -3 penalty from using Devil's Luck, and still winds up getting hit.
Hard Core – 1 Point
Mental/Psychological Trait
A Character with the Hard Core trait is not easily intimidated, and will often
tackle any challenge without fear or hesitation. In fact, these characters
thrive on conflict and competition, but only if there is something to gain from
winning, such as fame, fortune, or something else the character deeply desires.
Effectively, if the character wants it bad enough, nothing is going to stop him.
Players that take this trait must think very carefully about what their
character wants, such as gaining status in their Faction, defeating a rival, or
attaining some other goal. When such a situation arises, the character’s side
will earn a +2 bonus vs. Fear and Intimidation.
Example
A Zeon commander has always wanted to test her abilities as a pilot against a Gundam type Mobile Suit, and in one battle her team encounters a group of Ground Combat GM’s lead by a Ground Combat Gundam. Despite being outnumbered 2 to 1, the fact that the Gundam is there gives her team an additional +2 bonus vs. Fear and Intimidation simply because she feels that she has to challenge the Gundam.
Death Wish – 1 Point
Mental/Psychological Trait
Having the Death Wish Trait is a double-edged sword, the character doesn’t
really value his life the same way others do, and will take risks that will
eventually destroy him. On the other hand, the character excels in situations
that could cost him his life. Jumping into the fray, outnumbered, out gunned,
and with nothing but a melee weapon is a good example of that. In this sort of
situation, the character gains a +2 bonus to all Strike rolls, but only if his
chances of survival are slim to none.
Example
A Zaku Pilot is trapped in a canyon; his Zaku is damaged, and cannot use it's thrusters. He’s used up all of his ammo, and must rely on his Heat Hawk to defend himself. He is surrounded by 4 GM’s, 2 on either side of him, all armed with fully loaded 90mm machineguns. The Zaku Pilot knows that his chance of making it out of this canyon alive is unlikely, and since he has the Death Wish trait, he gains a +2 to Strike.
Speed Demon – 2 Points
Mental/Psychological Trait
If it’s fast enough to do something stupid in, then the Speed Demon absolutely
loves it. These people become dangerous adversaries when piloting something
that’s fast. This Trait gives a +2 Dodge, +1 Leap Dodge, and a +2 bonus to all
Piloting ability rolls when performing stunts, as long as they are piloting the
fastest Mobile Unit or Vehicle their faction has on the field at the time of the battle.
Example
During the Battle at Side 7, Char’s
Zaku II Commander Type was the fastest Zeon unit on the field, so Char was able
to use the bonuses that Speed Demon provided.
Coward - 1 Point
Mental/Psychological Trait
Being a Coward isn't all bad, since their chances of survival are a little higher than most. Cowards have a sixth sense when it comes to being in mortal danger, and become incredibly mobile when they feel threatened. On the downside, Cowards lose focus on all other tasks when trying to escape from danger. So, when faced with mortal danger, such as when they are being shot at in Personnel Combat or when their unit is near destruction in Mobile Unit Combat, they gain a +1 to Dodge and Leap Dodge. Although, since they are totally focused on escaping, they suffer a -2 penalty on all other tasks not related to escaping. Of Course, the bonuses only apply if the Coward is attempting to escape, so if he should choose to stay and fight the bonuses won't apply.
Example:
A Federation private is on a recon mission deep within Zeon territory in North America. He's spotted by a Zeon patrol, who immediately open fire on him. The Fed Soldier then turns tail an runs for his life, attempting to reach the rest of his unit some distance away. While he's running and being shot at, he gains a +1 to Dodge and Leap Dodge, but when he tries to return fire he suffers a -2 Strike penalty.
Double Jointed – 2 Points
Physical Trait
A Double Jointed character is able to bend his limbs in the opposite direction to some degree. This can prove useful for escaping from handcuffs, ropes, wreckage, and many other confines. A Double Jointed character gains a +2 bonus to escaping confines.
Example:
A Mercenary is arrested by Military Police as a suspect in a terrorist bombing. The Mercenary wasn't involved, but her attitude towards the MPs is less than friendly. She decides to escape, and since she's Double Jointed, she gets a +2 bonus to her roll while attempting to get out of her handcuffs.
Fast Healer - 2 Points
Physical Trait
Fast Healer isn't as incredible as it sounds, although still pretty useful to have. If the character is injured, and is in the process of recovering from his injuries, in a hospital for example, then the time they have to spend there is reduced by 1/3. A character can recover from a broken leg in a matter of weeks instead of a month.
Example:
Lt. Hibaraki survived
the explosion when her Ground Combat Gundam was destroyed, but was seriously
injured. After being brought to the M.A.S.H. unit, the doctors estimated that
she would be in the hospital for about 3 weeks. Since Lt. Hibaraki has the Fast
Healer trait, she managed to recover enough to return to active duty after only
2 weeks.
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