This is a playtest version of a conversion for using Zoids as Mecha in the Mutants and Masterminds 3rd Edition ruleset without needing to have statted characters as pilots. The stats for Zoids are based on the stats in Official Fanbook 4 (with the known error of Berserk Fury not having an e-Shield resolved) as that is the most complete known list of stats available for Zoids.
Strength is the determiner of melee damage and lifting power. The next iteration will see zoids with dedicated melee weapons having their strength lowered to account for the weapons giving a damage bonus (the current implementation results in some zoids having far too much lifting power).
Agility is balance, grace, speed and overall gross physical coordination. It determines things like how well a Zoid dodges ranged attacks or moves through tight terrain
Dexterity covers precision physical coordination, for things like the ranged attacks and the zoid picking up small objects without breaking them
Skill in melee combat. Your attack bonus with melee weapons and the primary determiner of your parry defense
The quality of your sensors. This is used to counter the stealth of enemy zoids.
Your ability to avoid incoming fire. This can vary from smaller zoids dodging fire completely to larger zoids angling themselves so that shots skip off their armor without dealing damage.
Your ability to avoid melee attacks. In smaller, more agile zoids this will generally look like ducking and dodging while larger zoids will be more likely to block attacks outright.
Your ability to take damage when an enemy does land a direct hit.
The energy shield is a special form of defense that only certain zoids have. While Active, it provides an extra toughness save against damage but prevents weapon attacks from being made (though you can use the shield itself as a melee weapon with no damage bonus).
The goal of these rules is to make for fights that are more fun to play than the fights featured in the anime and (to a lesser extent) in the battle story where there's a constant escalation of “this zoid gets a one-hit kill against everything that came before it”. The ultimate aim is that in a one-on-one battle, three rounds of active engagement between Zoids of a similar power level and cost will determine a fight.
Initiative is determined by a coin flip.
Not all zoids have the weaponry to attack at all ranges (in particular, very few can engage at an actual long range).
| Range Band | Distance |
|---|---|
| Melee | Physically engaging your enemy |
| Close | 0 - 500 meters |
| Mid-Range | 501 - 1000 meters |
| Long | 1001-2000 meters |
Each round lasts six seconds during which you can move up to your applicable speed (ground if you're walking, water if swimming, air if flying), activate special systems (currently only shields are implemented), and attack (unless you're prevented due to a status or active system).
Each Zoid has a set of powers that are a subset of “Melee”, “Close Range”, “Mid-Range”, and Long Range which correspond to the ranges above. The Rank of these powers determines the maximum amount of damage your Zoid can do at that range.
If hit, you need to make a toughness save. There are two variations of this.
As noted above, active energy shields provide an extra layer of protection.
| Toughness Roll | 1d20 + Energy Shield Rank |
|---|---|
| Target DC | 15 + the damage rank of the attack that hit |
| Results | Effect |
|---|---|
| Meet or exceed | No Effect |
| Fail | Shield is disabled for the rest of the combat |
This is the default toughness roll, where an enemy's attack has actually made significant contact with your armor.
| Toughness Roll | 1d20 + Toughness Rank |
|---|---|
| Target DC | 15 + the damage rank of the attack that hit + the number of Dents you have |
| Results | Effect |
|---|---|
| Meet or exceed | No Effect |
| Fail by less than 5 | gain one Dent |
| Fail by 5 or more but less than 10 | Gain one Dent and gain the “Stunned” status |
| Fail by 10 or more but less than 15 | Gain one Dent and gain the “Disabled” status |
| Fail by 15 or more | Gain the “Command System Freeze” status |
At the end of each round, statuses other than “Command System Freeze” decrease by one.
| Status | Effect |
|---|---|
| Stunned | Can move or attack, but not both |
| Disabled | Can't move or attack |
| Command System Freeze | Entirely disabled, further damage will destroy the Zoid (if that's allowed) |
While this system is designed to be usable without requiring a third party, online Zoids RPs have traditionally had a “Judge” to determine the effectiveness of each player's actions. If you wish to do this, you can. Just have the judge handle the rolls for both players. In this case, it is highly recommended to alternate who acts first every round as many people find it impossible to not metagame based on their opponent's actions.
When fighting more than one opponent, you can split your attacks between them as long as they're in the same range band. To do this, you just choose how much of your total damage ranks you want to use for each attack before you roll your attacks. Note that this can significantly reduce the chance of inflicting damage on your enemies.
Stats for the existing zoids are available here: Zoids RPG Stats Index