Post by Maxima on Oct 23, 2009 21:31:15 GMT -5
This is a blank Character Bio Sheet for you to use. Fill in the specs and information on your Transformer character then post it in the appropriate thread under Autobot or Decepticon for what multiverse they will be active in.
Please look to the Character Bio Cheat Sheet for info on how to fill out this Bio Sheet for your character. The reason for the Bio is for you to better understand your character and others as well.
Thank you.
Name:
Faction:
Funtion: (area of expertise or assigned station)
Alt mode: (vehicle or creature mode when not in robot mode)
Quote: (saying or statement often said by your bot)
Bio: (Characteristics that generally seperate your character from other characters. What is it about them that defines who they are? List also their character strength and weaknesses as no character is impervious to weaknesses)
Notes: (any additional information about your character)
Background history: (what information you are able to provide of your character's past. Doesn't have to be complete, but at least understandable and cooinside at least with what story arcs are out there. Please becareful what info you may have down of other characters so that it doesn't intrude upon their past history)
What are your character's stats? (Most stats range from 1-10, with some varying a little. There are no arbitrary stat- limits on TFDD, but please make sure the character's stats make sense and are nicely balanced for that particular character and their function. Does it really make sense for a medic to be toting a small armory of firepower, for instance? Well, maybe or maybe not - it depends on the rest of the profile.
Remember, we're not looking for cliche's, we're looking for realistic characters, and there's a whole variety of possibilities for them. But keep certain logical trade-offs in mind. Is it possible for a character to both be immensely strong and immensely agile? Unlikely. Above all, make sure that there are good and realistic reasons for the character to have these particular stats. Remember that everybody has certain strengths, and certain weaknesses.)
Strength: (How physically powerful your character is; how much damage they could do with a punch, how much of a heavy load they could pick up and carry, etc.; range from 1-10)
Endurance: (Covers several factors from how outright tough the character is, how many hits they can take in battle before going down which depends on armor, to how long they can keep going under adverse conditions. Note that this is a physical stat and not a mental/emotional one. Range from 1-10.)
Agility: (Flexibility, close-range reaction time, ability to dodge incoming attacks in any mode. Note that large, bulky, powerful characters are not likely to have very high agility; again, there's that trade-off. Range from 1-10.)
Intelligence: (covers a range of mental traits from how creatively the character can use new information to how high their problem-solving capacity is, to how much pure memorized/processor stored knowledge they have at their disposal. Note that someone with an excellent memory capacity for vital facts and figures, with a highly- organized and efficient thought process, need not always be fantastically creative; someone with extremely high creativity need not necessarily be able to solve calculus problems in their head at a moment's notice; both could be considered to have high intelligence. In general, an intelligence stat of 9 or 10 should be reserved only for true geniuses, with the average for your typical Transformer at 6 or 7. Range from 1-10.)
Courage: (How brave the character is; how they react to the threat of physical harm or death, overwhelming odds, unknown situations. Note that while courage is usually considered "the absence of fear," it can also be thought of as the determination to proceed in spite of fear. Range from 1-10.)
Charisma: (Natural leadership ability; ability to inspire others to follow them, trust them, and willingly do their bidding. This is not necessarily synonymous with Rank. Range from 1-10, low to medium range for newcomers. Your range can and will be altered throughout the story based upon your leadership abilities with other characters and the trust of your Faction Leader.)
Sharpshooting: (How accurate the character is at hitting something fired upon. This can apply to any ranged weapon, from firing a laser blast to dropping bombs onto targets from great height. This is more of their dexterity/hand-eye coordination than their firepower. Range from 1-10.)
Hand-to-Hand: (How well the character fights with melee weapons or their own servos (hands). This can include bladed weapons of all sorts, clubs, fists, teeth & claws for appropriate characters, etc. Range from 1-10.)
Tech Skill: (Skill in technological, computing, and/or scientific matters. This must include knowledge of the subject as well as actual applied ability. A specialized medic or a research scientist should both have quite high tech skill, while a warrior would be less likely to have such talents. List the particular or specific skill and range from 1-10 of their expertise. Use Judgment wisely for their skill and you better know what the hell you are talking about and an expert in.)
Rank: (This shall be determined by faction Leaders Megatron of the Decepticons and Optimus Prime of the Autobots.)
Velocity: (How fast the character covers distance in robot mode and vehicle mode both on land, air and sea if applicable. This is the top speed in the character's fastest mode, and they can and will of course move more slowly at times; please use your judgment wisely. This stat is not on a symbolic 1-10 scale; give this in miles per hour or kilometers per hour (please convert Mach to mph). Please refer to the chart below for further assistance.)
Size 1: (Character's size in mode 1, robot or equivalent. Give this in feet or meters in height. For a robot it would probably be height, for instance, while for an animal form it would be height at the withers/shoulders & length from muzzle to tip of the tail. See size chart below for examples.)
Size 2: (Character's size in mode 2, transformed vehicle mode. Give this in feet or meters, and describe the character's length and width dimension. For examples, please refer to the Size chart below.)
Size 3: (Character's size in mode 3, if applicable, the same as Size 2.)
Firepower
What are your character's weapons in each mode? ( List your weapons by mode, and try not to exceed a total 5 weapons for all modes. Range 1 – 10 the strength of each weapon listed. Please use better judgment on weapons strength as 9 – 10 are more for Megatron’s Fusion Cannon or Unicron’s Maw or the massive amounts of weaponry on Omega Surpreme, Metroplex and Tripticon. )
What are your character's special abilities? (All Decepticons will have flight in robot mode unless there's a specific reason for them not to, and in alt mode if it's clearly an aerial form. Other abilities, if needed, can be selected from the Abilities listed below. Limit total of abilities in addition to flight.)
Below is a guide in the developement of your character's abilities, weapons, skills and more.
Abilities
These are the special abilities that you can apply for. Note that some abilities have the potential to be Twinkish or God Modish and good justification will be required in order for them to be approved and good judgment when using these abilities; they must match up with your character. These are generally your character’s special skill and abilities. Be aware that some of these will require more energy or resources to function properly. Abilities can be added and removed over time. But there is a limit to what abilities and special skills a Transformer may have.
enhanced_hearing - ability to overhear mutters/whispers and hear stealthed/invisible individuals moving nearby; note this is an auditory ability only, and differs from enhanced_senses which is largely visual or intuitive
enhanced_senses - ability to detect invisible individuals nearby, or hidden energy emissions, either through infrared/enhanced vision, or by having an intuitive sense that someone's there; this differs from enhanced_hearing in that mutters are not overheard
flight – applies to robot mode. *Note: given automatically to all Decepticons in robot mode unless there's a reason to the contrary
forcefield - ability to ward off an energy-based attack for one round, or use it to protect someone else
F(aster)T(han)L(ight) - the ability to travel at faster-than-light speeds in space
holograms - ability to project visual illusions
infiltration - ability to slip past locks/forcefields/other security devices without triggering alarms
invisibility - not visible, but not necessarily silent
radar - ability to pick up incoming objects or individuals from a distance
radar_stealth - ability to avoid showing up on radar
radio_intercept - ability to overhear radio transmissions in the same room,
ability to listen in on other "subfaction channels"
radio_jam - ability to block outgoing transmissions from the same room
repair - ability to repair damaged Transformers
research - ability to see hidden information encoded on an object
space_flight - ability to reach escape velocity and fly in space (requires a velocity of 27,400 mph or greater)
spaceship_pilot - ability to fly shuttles, spaceships, starships
stealth - silent movement, but still visible
teleportation - ability to move instantly from one place to another within a limited range
telescopic_vision - ability to see what's going on one room over in areas where it's structurally possible
Size
You will notice that size, rather than being on a symbolic scale, is given in exact measurements, representing a character's dimension in a particular mode. In robot mode, for instance, the longest dimension will probably be height, while in aircraft mode it may be either length, width or wingspan. To give some examples:
Rumble and Frenzy are ~up to 7'
Standard Cybertronian size are ~14’ to 27'
Large Cybertronian size is ~28’ to 35'
Megatron or Optimus Prime is ~40'
*Small vehicle (small car, motorcycle) size lengthwise~
*Medium vehicle (truck, car, etc) size lengthwise~
*Large vehicle (Semi, Boat, Jet, large helicopter, etc) size lengthwise~
*Gestalt (group forming one mega robot) size height~
*Omega Surpreme height~
Metroplex or Trypticon height is ~500'
An average non-living Cybertronian spaceship is ~1000' +/-
*please research dimensions of vehicle your character’s alt mode.
Velocity
You will notice that velocity, rather than being on a symbolic scale, is given in exact measurements, and represents a character's top speed in any mode. Obviously they can move more slowly than this as well. To give some examples:
0 mph - motionless, obviously
~35 mph - usual robot running speed
~100 mph - usual robot flying speed
~250 mph - minimum vehicle flying speed
760 mph/Mach 1
2280 mph/Mach 3 - top atmospheric speed for 'Con jets
3800 mph/Mach 5
27,400 mph - minimum space flight speed
>186,200 miles/sec or 300,000 km/sec - FTL
Weapons
Weapon type refers to the basic physics behind how a weapon causes damage. A fire type weapon heats or burns a target, while air weapons hammer a target with blasts of air. The actual weapon that uses these attack types can be of almost any shape, internal or external, and any level of power from 1-10. Here is a detailed list of types:
ACID - Delivers a quantity of corrosive material that begins eating away at armor or any other kind of outer layer. This can be an actual stream of liquid, or else a projectile that bursts open on contact.
AIR - Batters a foe with compressed blasts of air. Ineffective at long range or underwater, but can effect more than one opponent at close range.
BLADE - A melee weapon type, does damage by cutting materials like armor.
BLUNT - A melee weapon type, where the impact of the weapon causes damage.
ELECTRIC - Uses high-voltage electrical current to shock a foe. Effective at long ranges and close-up. Stopped by non-conductive materials.
ELECTROMAGNETIC - A rare type of attack that uses magnetism to physically push or pull a foe, usually into a solid object. Useless against non-metallic opponents and at long range.
ENERGY - A catchall for any type of beamed energy such as light or particle streams. Virtually unlimited range in any medium but solids. Lasers are the most common example of this type of weapon.
EXPLOSIVE - Creates a shockwave and hurls shrapnel from point of impact. This type often has the form of a projectile to gain the advantages of both. Missiles, rockets, and grenades are examples of this type.
FIRE - Creates intense heat to melt or burn armor or outer covering.
GRAVITY - Similar to electromagnetic, but uses gravity manipulation. Effective at any range, though power drain vastly increases with distance.
ICE - Any type of freezing weapon that lowers the temperature of objects. Note that a weapon which hurled ice shards would be a projectile type.
PLASMA - A powerful type of attack that uses a stream of superheated gas to inflict damage. A magnetic field keeps the plasma contained in a narrow beam. Plasma is a comparatively slow weapon, moving at subsonic speeds.
PROJECTILE - Inflicts damage from the mass of the projectile impacting at high speeds. Bullets and artillery are common examples of this type.
QUAKE - A special type of attack that causes an entire area to move and shake as though being hit with a groundquake. The effects are area-wide. Rumble's pile drivers are a well-known example of this type.
SONIC - Creates disruptive and destructive harmonics in the air which can scramble circuits and stress armor. Useless in space, but surprisingly effective underwater. Range is limited to a few hundred feet. Can effect multiple targets, either in a whole area or selectively.
WATER - A rare type of attack that uses an ultra high-pressure stream of water to slice through most materials. Essentially the water stream acts as a sharp blade. Range is limited to a hundred feet or less.
Weapon Modifiers
This refers to any special properties of a weapon. A good example is Starscream's null ray. The weapon type of the null ray is energy, but it actually doesn't do much damage. The real advantage of the null ray is that it stuns a target, making it possible to attack them again. The list of modifiers and their descriptions is below:
AREA - Indicates a weapon can effect more than one target with a single attack. This is true of attacks like missiles, which can impact between two targets, or a sonic weapon which might effect everyone in a given area. Area attacks are not specifically coded but it still should be noted if your attack can hit more than one target at once.
REBOUND - Indicates that the attacker will take some damage as well as the target. The best example is the ram attack, where one character strikes another with his or her own body. Another is Megatron's antimatter-powered cannon attack, which causes tremendous strain on him. A rebound attack will always damage the attacker less than the target however.
STUN - Immobilizes a character for a brief time, usually until they are attacked again, which has the effect of shaking off the stun. Examples would be Starscream's null ray and Reflector's blind attack. Stuns only last a few seconds, so it's generally not possible to tie an opponent up or disarm them in the time they are stunned. Please also note that stuns are powerful attacks and are fairly rare.
Putting it All Together
Hopefully by now you should be able to translate your character's weapons into terms. Perhaps you've also gotten some ideas for new weapons. If you still aren't totally clear on weapon strength and abilities, you can check how other characters have their weapons set up on their bios or discuss it with the RP list Admin.
For an even more in-depth discussion of the nature of Transformers weaponry, please see the RP Guide to Weapons
The RP Guide to Weapons
Introduction
Part of the Transformers trend towards individualism concerns favoring customised weapons over stock factory weapons. After all, many are known not only by their names and colors, but also by their particular weapon they carry. This cultural trait has lead to the development of many exotic individualized weapons. However, most of these so-called 'unique' weapons are based on stock factory components (with the exception of 'experimental research weaponry' but it must be noted that this quite rare and not common.) The average Transformer has to make do with customizing the stock weapons to suit their own individual style and sense of self.
Autobots favor external weaponry such as hand-held guns and cannons that can be detached and stored away in times of peace. Some Autobots have been known to have built-in weaponry. But most Autobots who have built-in weaponry, that weaponry is more for distraction and aide such as Inferno’s hydro-gun to put out fires or Smokescreen’s smoke screen.
Decepticon culture, with its more militant favor, prefers inbuilt weaponry. Part of this is the "intimidation factor"; a belligerent infantry soldier will feel more respect towards an officer who displays obvious weaponry such as a large shoulder-mounted cannons. In the line of Decepticon commanders, this social quirk has been taken to the extreme, where officers such as Megatron and Shockwave sport powerful weapons when in either robot mode or alt mode.
The drive from being a homogenous robot (in a unit of similar robots) to being an individual is an inherent part of Transformer Cybertronian culture and is seen by many as a "rite of passage." The traits that proclaim one's individualism include colors, names and of course customized weaponry.
Rather than focus on the hardtech of weapons, this guide is primarily a roleplaying guide to the use of the various weapons in the TF universe. Entries will describe the basic stock variety of its weapon and usually how to roleplay its usage in combat. Entries are in the following format:
Name: The type or category of weapon.
Description: A basic description of the weapon.
Stock Version: The base version of the weapon as it comes straight off the assembly line and it’s commonality.
Customised Version: How you can customize the stock version to suit yourself and your own armorments.
Why use of this weapon?: What are the positive and negative effects of said weapon
Transformer Warfare
The arms race between the two factions of Transformers has overdeveloped to the point of stagnation. "Anything that you invent, I can counter." This has lead to judicious weapons research into "superweapons" that will finally give the home side the advantage once and for all ¬however, soon the enemy side will have a counter for this and so the internal stalemate continues. Typical warfare revolves around "trying to gain an advantage", as the armorments of the two factions are quite evenly matched.
Melee Combat:
Transformers have a decent amount of armour, so the purpose of melee combat (either as hand-to-hand or with blunt weapons) primarily serves as a display of strength and might. Bashing continually at an enemy's armour is a long and tedious process and victory relies on causing enough damage to the internals to smash the opponent into shutdown. Hence, melee combat relies primarily on an odd assortment of cutting weapons coupled with inhibitors, to cut away the armour revealing the internals and to use an inhibitor to bring the target down.
Gun Combat:
Our esteemed source material for gun combat, the cartoon, consisted of many ineffectual laser shots and misses. The aim of gun combat is to cause enough collateral damage to the enemy, but this results in all sorts of interesting designs and tradeoffs. If you want to be strong enough to carry a rocket launcher, you're sacrificing agility, if you want to be light and agile, one direct hit with a plasma cannon will smelt your insides. When creating a character, think of these options in the design process.
Firepower and You
Where do I store the ammo?
With projectile weapons, assume that the bullets and shells are stored in a subspace pocket and are normally contained in drums. It'd be good roleplaying once in a while to rip out the old drum from your handheld and jam the new one in.
What about lasers?
Lasers and energy weapons are normally "built in" into your mechanoid framework and use your internal powersource for energy. External energy weapons will have a small battery that you'll have to recharge after extensive periods of use, normally by sliding it away into your exostructure. Like Robocop's hip.
Armour
For the purpose of this guide, assume that Transformers were developed in "waves", and each wave is typified by its own armour. Shockwave, who was part of an early wave, has thick armour but it is tremendously heavy. As time passed, better alloys were invented. There's a "mid-wave", where people have strong armour and a "later wave" typified by light, fibrous and plastic armours.
MELEE WEAPONS
Clangs
A "clang" is military slang for a "rough and ready" melee weapon, usually something such as a stout, blunt object like a bar or a post. Clangs usually grabbed up and wielded in the heat of combat and normally only good for one or two blows, although the legendary general Starhammer had been documented as often using a thick length of eternium piping, often in festival combats. Clangs are really only good for denting armour or smashing in optics or prying open vital bits. Although wielding a clang pits your brute strength directly against your opponent's, it isn't much of a feasible weapon when you're up against projectile fire.
Stock Versions: A handy bit of post that you find lying around
Customised Versions: If you want to customise your clang, you're better of making a more advanced melee weapon, such as a hammer or sword.
Vibros or "Electronic Chainsaws"
These are especially constructed blade weapons that have been modified with a sonic pulse unit to vibrate at an extremely high frequency, giving the blade the potential to cut through most alloys. As a side effect, the sonic "whine" of the vibro's pulse unit will cause minor static around transmission and communication devices. The sonic pulse unit is powered by a rechargeable battery that plugs directly into your own power source when not in use.
Stock Versions: Vibro Sword
Customised Versions: Vibro Dagger, Vibro Bayonet (clips into most of the GR-series of handheld guns)
Who'd Customise One?: Those who prefer to use clangs and "raw" melee weapons
Inhibitors
This category of melee weapon covers short-term stunning and shocking weapons. They disrupt the electrical flow of circuitry by discharging bursts of static and can either cause 'seizures' or temporary shutdowns. As most transformers are heavily insulated, the inhibitor is applied to best effect through an existing entry point into a transformer's exostructure. Those who prefer metal-cutting melee weapons, such as vibros, will normally deliver the coupe-de-grace with an inhibitor charge.
Stock Versions: Tarn Alpha Plus Inhibitor Unit
Customised Version: Neural Mace, Electron Whip, Stunstick
Who'd Use One?: Those that want to bring the prey in one functional piece. Popular with Decepticon Military Police, hunters and intelligence types.
CHEMICALS
Acids
Metal-eating acids were originally developed as part of a manufacturing process, though now they serve as a type of weapons. Because of the "splatter range" of acids, they are useful in blinding or distracting a target or weakening their armour so a project shot can get inside and do damage to the delicate internals.
Stock Versions: Corous Industrial Acid
Customised Versions: Acid Pellet Gun
Who'd Use One? Chemists or those "psycho" warriors who enjoy handling dangerous chemicals and watching their enemy's optical visor being eaten away.
PROJECTILES
Pistols
These small projectile-firing units are available either as handhelds or as built-in accessories. Pistols are lightweight, easy on the power reserves and are generally a favourite sidearm of non-combatant classes, such as scientists or analysts. Pistols will usually fire the G38 series of armour-piercing shells, which are 'cycloned' (scored so they drill right through armour plate) and deliver a minor explosive charge on contact with the target's internal mechanisms.
Stock Versions: G38 Built-In or G38 Handheld.
Customised Versions: Semi Automatic/ Automatic Machine Pistols
Who'd Use One?: Scientists, technicians.
G38 "Coldstar" Autocannon
Developed to compete against the line of lightfire Autobot handhelds (such as the Zargon Z Alpha and the Quarter 5), the Coldstar is the top weapon in the G38 range, offering full automatic and semi-automatic settings. Using slingshot magnets, the Coldstar can fire up to eight shells per second, guaranteeing to crack most heavy armours under its barrage. When utilised as a built-up option, the Coldstar is normally mounted on one's shoulder rack.
Plasma Weapons
Plasma is the fourth state of energy (after liquid, solid and gas) and can be said to resemble a superheated gas, found in stellar bodies. Plasma weapons consist of a superheated gas control chamber regulated through the gas release valves and kept in check by a cryogenic conductor and cooling system. When fired, a steady stream of white-hot plasma will emerge from the weapon, smelting the target's armour. Plasma weapons should be checked carefully for overheating and should not be used for long periods of use. Plasma weapons are expensive to issue and maintain. They can only fire as a beam making contact to a direct target and are unsuitable for scattershot work.
Stock Versions: #754 Plasma Chamber (with Cryogenic cooling system)
Customised Versions: Plasma Rifle, Plasma Handblasters
Who'd Use One?: Heavy infantry, troops who see a lot of groundfire, military field officers.
Plasma Pulse Cannon
This rapidfire cannon shoots plasma as a series of rapid-fire pulse bursts, rather than in a steady stream as most plasmic weapons do. The secret of the plasma pulse cannon is in its special plasma expansion range control regulator. The most danger with the PPC consists of overheating the cooling system, but pauses between pulses give the coils time to cool down.
Scattershot Weapons
Scattershot weapons (shotguns, scatter-burst machine guns) are useful because of their ability to cover a large area with projectfile. Scattershots include buckshot weapons and machineguns. Scattershots have an important place in Decepticon culture as large areas of territory can be quickly covered from the air.
Stock Versions: Tarn Regular Infantry SMG
Customised Version:
Who'd Use One?: This is a standard weapon, usually given to the infantry.
Gyrojet Weaponry
Gyrojet weapons are recoilless projectile weapon closely related to a rocket launcher. Gyroject projectiles do not drop in velocity over distance and explode upon impact, making them useful for long-range targets.
Stock Versions: Gyrojet Rifle, Heavy Gyrojet Gun
Customised Weapons: Gyroslug Rifle (holds more rounds than the standard rifle)
Who'd Use One? Heavy infantry.
LASERS
A laser is a high-powered beam of light, usually kept as an external gun because the crystals (through which the light is focused) is delicate. Lasers are energy- efficient, common (nearly everyone has one) but cause little damage (when used short bursts) to a target's exostructure apart from scoring and smelting. Short-burst laser-fire can cause flash damage to a target's optics, or can cut through delicate areas, such as exposed coolant cabling or gaps in the armour plate. However, if the beam is kept up for a decent period, the laser can be directed to cut through thick metals. Such an opportunity occurs rarely in field combat, where the focus is on causing the most amount of damage as quickly as possible.
Stock Versions: Laser Pistol
Customised Versions: Cutting Laser, Laser Rifle
Who'd Customise One?: Intelligent operative or technician
FLAMERS
Flamers are only effective at extremely high temperatures and newer model transformers have the upgraded R-Series of coolant transmission which is heat resistant to some extent. Nonetheless, chemical fires are useful especially in the later stages of combat when the target's armour has been shot away. Flames are sprayed out as a wet, sticky chemical and then ignited. Some flamers use a sodium based chemical mix that explodes on contact with air.
Stock Versions: Sodium mix, Zeta Paste
Customised Versions: Hellfire Flamethrower, Starburner Epsilon
Who'd Use One? Generally those who prefer close combat, especially those among the heavy infantry.
GRENADES
MicroGrenade - Explosive
Light grenade, fills an area with armour-piercing shrapnel.
MicroGrenade - Flash
Used to overload optical receptors. Causes blindness in an area
MiniGrenade - Explosive
A heavy version of the micro.
MaxiGrenade - Explosive
This grenade explodes causing huge amounts of armour-ripping damage.
SONICS
Sonic weapons use high pulses of UHF sound that effect the internal systems of the target. Vision is impaired is obscured by static, radios are rendered inoperative and internal systems are shorted out.
Stock Versions: Sonics blast unit.
Customised Versions: Sonic pulse cannon.
Who'd Use One? Communications units.
COMPRESSED AIR WEAPONRY
Although they do not cause large amounts are damage, airguns useful especially when coupled with armour-piercing shells. They are hard to detect as they are silent and admit little heat and do not rely and dangerous chemical reactions to take effect.
Stock Versions: B354 Air Rifle
Customised Versions: Compressed Air Cannon
Who'd Use One? Intelligence operatives, stealth units.
Please look to the Character Bio Cheat Sheet for info on how to fill out this Bio Sheet for your character. The reason for the Bio is for you to better understand your character and others as well.
Thank you.
Name:
Faction:
Funtion: (area of expertise or assigned station)
Alt mode: (vehicle or creature mode when not in robot mode)
Quote: (saying or statement often said by your bot)
Bio: (Characteristics that generally seperate your character from other characters. What is it about them that defines who they are? List also their character strength and weaknesses as no character is impervious to weaknesses)
Notes: (any additional information about your character)
Background history: (what information you are able to provide of your character's past. Doesn't have to be complete, but at least understandable and cooinside at least with what story arcs are out there. Please becareful what info you may have down of other characters so that it doesn't intrude upon their past history)
What are your character's stats? (Most stats range from 1-10, with some varying a little. There are no arbitrary stat- limits on TFDD, but please make sure the character's stats make sense and are nicely balanced for that particular character and their function. Does it really make sense for a medic to be toting a small armory of firepower, for instance? Well, maybe or maybe not - it depends on the rest of the profile.
Remember, we're not looking for cliche's, we're looking for realistic characters, and there's a whole variety of possibilities for them. But keep certain logical trade-offs in mind. Is it possible for a character to both be immensely strong and immensely agile? Unlikely. Above all, make sure that there are good and realistic reasons for the character to have these particular stats. Remember that everybody has certain strengths, and certain weaknesses.) Strength: (How physically powerful your character is; how much damage they could do with a punch, how much of a heavy load they could pick up and carry, etc.; range from 1-10)
Endurance: (Covers several factors from how outright tough the character is, how many hits they can take in battle before going down which depends on armor, to how long they can keep going under adverse conditions. Note that this is a physical stat and not a mental/emotional one. Range from 1-10.)
Agility: (Flexibility, close-range reaction time, ability to dodge incoming attacks in any mode. Note that large, bulky, powerful characters are not likely to have very high agility; again, there's that trade-off. Range from 1-10.)
Intelligence: (covers a range of mental traits from how creatively the character can use new information to how high their problem-solving capacity is, to how much pure memorized/processor stored knowledge they have at their disposal. Note that someone with an excellent memory capacity for vital facts and figures, with a highly- organized and efficient thought process, need not always be fantastically creative; someone with extremely high creativity need not necessarily be able to solve calculus problems in their head at a moment's notice; both could be considered to have high intelligence. In general, an intelligence stat of 9 or 10 should be reserved only for true geniuses, with the average for your typical Transformer at 6 or 7. Range from 1-10.)
Courage: (How brave the character is; how they react to the threat of physical harm or death, overwhelming odds, unknown situations. Note that while courage is usually considered "the absence of fear," it can also be thought of as the determination to proceed in spite of fear. Range from 1-10.)
Charisma: (Natural leadership ability; ability to inspire others to follow them, trust them, and willingly do their bidding. This is not necessarily synonymous with Rank. Range from 1-10, low to medium range for newcomers. Your range can and will be altered throughout the story based upon your leadership abilities with other characters and the trust of your Faction Leader.)
Sharpshooting: (How accurate the character is at hitting something fired upon. This can apply to any ranged weapon, from firing a laser blast to dropping bombs onto targets from great height. This is more of their dexterity/hand-eye coordination than their firepower. Range from 1-10.)
Hand-to-Hand: (How well the character fights with melee weapons or their own servos (hands). This can include bladed weapons of all sorts, clubs, fists, teeth & claws for appropriate characters, etc. Range from 1-10.)
Tech Skill: (Skill in technological, computing, and/or scientific matters. This must include knowledge of the subject as well as actual applied ability. A specialized medic or a research scientist should both have quite high tech skill, while a warrior would be less likely to have such talents. List the particular or specific skill and range from 1-10 of their expertise. Use Judgment wisely for their skill and you better know what the hell you are talking about and an expert in.)
Rank: (This shall be determined by faction Leaders Megatron of the Decepticons and Optimus Prime of the Autobots.)
Velocity: (How fast the character covers distance in robot mode and vehicle mode both on land, air and sea if applicable. This is the top speed in the character's fastest mode, and they can and will of course move more slowly at times; please use your judgment wisely. This stat is not on a symbolic 1-10 scale; give this in miles per hour or kilometers per hour (please convert Mach to mph). Please refer to the chart below for further assistance.)
Size 1: (Character's size in mode 1, robot or equivalent. Give this in feet or meters in height. For a robot it would probably be height, for instance, while for an animal form it would be height at the withers/shoulders & length from muzzle to tip of the tail. See size chart below for examples.)
Size 2: (Character's size in mode 2, transformed vehicle mode. Give this in feet or meters, and describe the character's length and width dimension. For examples, please refer to the Size chart below.)
Size 3: (Character's size in mode 3, if applicable, the same as Size 2.)
Firepower
What are your character's weapons in each mode? ( List your weapons by mode, and try not to exceed a total 5 weapons for all modes. Range 1 – 10 the strength of each weapon listed. Please use better judgment on weapons strength as 9 – 10 are more for Megatron’s Fusion Cannon or Unicron’s Maw or the massive amounts of weaponry on Omega Surpreme, Metroplex and Tripticon. )
What are your character's special abilities? (All Decepticons will have flight in robot mode unless there's a specific reason for them not to, and in alt mode if it's clearly an aerial form. Other abilities, if needed, can be selected from the Abilities listed below. Limit total of abilities in addition to flight.)
Below is a guide in the developement of your character's abilities, weapons, skills and more.
Abilities
These are the special abilities that you can apply for. Note that some abilities have the potential to be Twinkish or God Modish and good justification will be required in order for them to be approved and good judgment when using these abilities; they must match up with your character. These are generally your character’s special skill and abilities. Be aware that some of these will require more energy or resources to function properly. Abilities can be added and removed over time. But there is a limit to what abilities and special skills a Transformer may have.
enhanced_hearing - ability to overhear mutters/whispers and hear stealthed/invisible individuals moving nearby; note this is an auditory ability only, and differs from enhanced_senses which is largely visual or intuitive
enhanced_senses - ability to detect invisible individuals nearby, or hidden energy emissions, either through infrared/enhanced vision, or by having an intuitive sense that someone's there; this differs from enhanced_hearing in that mutters are not overheard
flight – applies to robot mode. *Note: given automatically to all Decepticons in robot mode unless there's a reason to the contrary
forcefield - ability to ward off an energy-based attack for one round, or use it to protect someone else
F(aster)T(han)L(ight) - the ability to travel at faster-than-light speeds in space
holograms - ability to project visual illusions
infiltration - ability to slip past locks/forcefields/other security devices without triggering alarms
invisibility - not visible, but not necessarily silent
radar - ability to pick up incoming objects or individuals from a distance
radar_stealth - ability to avoid showing up on radar
radio_intercept - ability to overhear radio transmissions in the same room,
ability to listen in on other "subfaction channels"
radio_jam - ability to block outgoing transmissions from the same room
repair - ability to repair damaged Transformers
research - ability to see hidden information encoded on an object
space_flight - ability to reach escape velocity and fly in space (requires a velocity of 27,400 mph or greater)
spaceship_pilot - ability to fly shuttles, spaceships, starships
stealth - silent movement, but still visible
teleportation - ability to move instantly from one place to another within a limited range
telescopic_vision - ability to see what's going on one room over in areas where it's structurally possible
Size
You will notice that size, rather than being on a symbolic scale, is given in exact measurements, representing a character's dimension in a particular mode. In robot mode, for instance, the longest dimension will probably be height, while in aircraft mode it may be either length, width or wingspan. To give some examples:
Rumble and Frenzy are ~up to 7'
Standard Cybertronian size are ~14’ to 27'
Large Cybertronian size is ~28’ to 35'
Megatron or Optimus Prime is ~40'
*Small vehicle (small car, motorcycle) size lengthwise~
*Medium vehicle (truck, car, etc) size lengthwise~
*Large vehicle (Semi, Boat, Jet, large helicopter, etc) size lengthwise~
*Gestalt (group forming one mega robot) size height~
*Omega Surpreme height~
Metroplex or Trypticon height is ~500'
An average non-living Cybertronian spaceship is ~1000' +/-
*please research dimensions of vehicle your character’s alt mode.
Velocity
You will notice that velocity, rather than being on a symbolic scale, is given in exact measurements, and represents a character's top speed in any mode. Obviously they can move more slowly than this as well. To give some examples:
0 mph - motionless, obviously
~35 mph - usual robot running speed
~100 mph - usual robot flying speed
~250 mph - minimum vehicle flying speed
760 mph/Mach 1
2280 mph/Mach 3 - top atmospheric speed for 'Con jets
3800 mph/Mach 5
27,400 mph - minimum space flight speed
>186,200 miles/sec or 300,000 km/sec - FTL
Weapons
Weapon type refers to the basic physics behind how a weapon causes damage. A fire type weapon heats or burns a target, while air weapons hammer a target with blasts of air. The actual weapon that uses these attack types can be of almost any shape, internal or external, and any level of power from 1-10. Here is a detailed list of types:
ACID - Delivers a quantity of corrosive material that begins eating away at armor or any other kind of outer layer. This can be an actual stream of liquid, or else a projectile that bursts open on contact.
AIR - Batters a foe with compressed blasts of air. Ineffective at long range or underwater, but can effect more than one opponent at close range.
BLADE - A melee weapon type, does damage by cutting materials like armor.
BLUNT - A melee weapon type, where the impact of the weapon causes damage.
ELECTRIC - Uses high-voltage electrical current to shock a foe. Effective at long ranges and close-up. Stopped by non-conductive materials.
ELECTROMAGNETIC - A rare type of attack that uses magnetism to physically push or pull a foe, usually into a solid object. Useless against non-metallic opponents and at long range.
ENERGY - A catchall for any type of beamed energy such as light or particle streams. Virtually unlimited range in any medium but solids. Lasers are the most common example of this type of weapon.
EXPLOSIVE - Creates a shockwave and hurls shrapnel from point of impact. This type often has the form of a projectile to gain the advantages of both. Missiles, rockets, and grenades are examples of this type.
FIRE - Creates intense heat to melt or burn armor or outer covering.
GRAVITY - Similar to electromagnetic, but uses gravity manipulation. Effective at any range, though power drain vastly increases with distance.
ICE - Any type of freezing weapon that lowers the temperature of objects. Note that a weapon which hurled ice shards would be a projectile type.
PLASMA - A powerful type of attack that uses a stream of superheated gas to inflict damage. A magnetic field keeps the plasma contained in a narrow beam. Plasma is a comparatively slow weapon, moving at subsonic speeds.
PROJECTILE - Inflicts damage from the mass of the projectile impacting at high speeds. Bullets and artillery are common examples of this type.
QUAKE - A special type of attack that causes an entire area to move and shake as though being hit with a groundquake. The effects are area-wide. Rumble's pile drivers are a well-known example of this type.
SONIC - Creates disruptive and destructive harmonics in the air which can scramble circuits and stress armor. Useless in space, but surprisingly effective underwater. Range is limited to a few hundred feet. Can effect multiple targets, either in a whole area or selectively.
WATER - A rare type of attack that uses an ultra high-pressure stream of water to slice through most materials. Essentially the water stream acts as a sharp blade. Range is limited to a hundred feet or less.
Weapon Modifiers
This refers to any special properties of a weapon. A good example is Starscream's null ray. The weapon type of the null ray is energy, but it actually doesn't do much damage. The real advantage of the null ray is that it stuns a target, making it possible to attack them again. The list of modifiers and their descriptions is below:
AREA - Indicates a weapon can effect more than one target with a single attack. This is true of attacks like missiles, which can impact between two targets, or a sonic weapon which might effect everyone in a given area. Area attacks are not specifically coded but it still should be noted if your attack can hit more than one target at once.
REBOUND - Indicates that the attacker will take some damage as well as the target. The best example is the ram attack, where one character strikes another with his or her own body. Another is Megatron's antimatter-powered cannon attack, which causes tremendous strain on him. A rebound attack will always damage the attacker less than the target however.
STUN - Immobilizes a character for a brief time, usually until they are attacked again, which has the effect of shaking off the stun. Examples would be Starscream's null ray and Reflector's blind attack. Stuns only last a few seconds, so it's generally not possible to tie an opponent up or disarm them in the time they are stunned. Please also note that stuns are powerful attacks and are fairly rare.
Putting it All Together
Hopefully by now you should be able to translate your character's weapons into terms. Perhaps you've also gotten some ideas for new weapons. If you still aren't totally clear on weapon strength and abilities, you can check how other characters have their weapons set up on their bios or discuss it with the RP list Admin.
For an even more in-depth discussion of the nature of Transformers weaponry, please see the RP Guide to Weapons
The RP Guide to Weapons
Introduction
Part of the Transformers trend towards individualism concerns favoring customised weapons over stock factory weapons. After all, many are known not only by their names and colors, but also by their particular weapon they carry. This cultural trait has lead to the development of many exotic individualized weapons. However, most of these so-called 'unique' weapons are based on stock factory components (with the exception of 'experimental research weaponry' but it must be noted that this quite rare and not common.) The average Transformer has to make do with customizing the stock weapons to suit their own individual style and sense of self.
Autobots favor external weaponry such as hand-held guns and cannons that can be detached and stored away in times of peace. Some Autobots have been known to have built-in weaponry. But most Autobots who have built-in weaponry, that weaponry is more for distraction and aide such as Inferno’s hydro-gun to put out fires or Smokescreen’s smoke screen.
Decepticon culture, with its more militant favor, prefers inbuilt weaponry. Part of this is the "intimidation factor"; a belligerent infantry soldier will feel more respect towards an officer who displays obvious weaponry such as a large shoulder-mounted cannons. In the line of Decepticon commanders, this social quirk has been taken to the extreme, where officers such as Megatron and Shockwave sport powerful weapons when in either robot mode or alt mode.
The drive from being a homogenous robot (in a unit of similar robots) to being an individual is an inherent part of Transformer Cybertronian culture and is seen by many as a "rite of passage." The traits that proclaim one's individualism include colors, names and of course customized weaponry.
Rather than focus on the hardtech of weapons, this guide is primarily a roleplaying guide to the use of the various weapons in the TF universe. Entries will describe the basic stock variety of its weapon and usually how to roleplay its usage in combat. Entries are in the following format:
Name: The type or category of weapon.
Description: A basic description of the weapon.
Stock Version: The base version of the weapon as it comes straight off the assembly line and it’s commonality.
Customised Version: How you can customize the stock version to suit yourself and your own armorments.
Why use of this weapon?: What are the positive and negative effects of said weapon
Transformer Warfare
The arms race between the two factions of Transformers has overdeveloped to the point of stagnation. "Anything that you invent, I can counter." This has lead to judicious weapons research into "superweapons" that will finally give the home side the advantage once and for all ¬however, soon the enemy side will have a counter for this and so the internal stalemate continues. Typical warfare revolves around "trying to gain an advantage", as the armorments of the two factions are quite evenly matched.
Melee Combat:
Transformers have a decent amount of armour, so the purpose of melee combat (either as hand-to-hand or with blunt weapons) primarily serves as a display of strength and might. Bashing continually at an enemy's armour is a long and tedious process and victory relies on causing enough damage to the internals to smash the opponent into shutdown. Hence, melee combat relies primarily on an odd assortment of cutting weapons coupled with inhibitors, to cut away the armour revealing the internals and to use an inhibitor to bring the target down.
Gun Combat:
Our esteemed source material for gun combat, the cartoon, consisted of many ineffectual laser shots and misses. The aim of gun combat is to cause enough collateral damage to the enemy, but this results in all sorts of interesting designs and tradeoffs. If you want to be strong enough to carry a rocket launcher, you're sacrificing agility, if you want to be light and agile, one direct hit with a plasma cannon will smelt your insides. When creating a character, think of these options in the design process.
Firepower and You
Where do I store the ammo?
With projectile weapons, assume that the bullets and shells are stored in a subspace pocket and are normally contained in drums. It'd be good roleplaying once in a while to rip out the old drum from your handheld and jam the new one in.
What about lasers?
Lasers and energy weapons are normally "built in" into your mechanoid framework and use your internal powersource for energy. External energy weapons will have a small battery that you'll have to recharge after extensive periods of use, normally by sliding it away into your exostructure. Like Robocop's hip.
Armour
For the purpose of this guide, assume that Transformers were developed in "waves", and each wave is typified by its own armour. Shockwave, who was part of an early wave, has thick armour but it is tremendously heavy. As time passed, better alloys were invented. There's a "mid-wave", where people have strong armour and a "later wave" typified by light, fibrous and plastic armours.
MELEE WEAPONS
Clangs
A "clang" is military slang for a "rough and ready" melee weapon, usually something such as a stout, blunt object like a bar or a post. Clangs usually grabbed up and wielded in the heat of combat and normally only good for one or two blows, although the legendary general Starhammer had been documented as often using a thick length of eternium piping, often in festival combats. Clangs are really only good for denting armour or smashing in optics or prying open vital bits. Although wielding a clang pits your brute strength directly against your opponent's, it isn't much of a feasible weapon when you're up against projectile fire.
Stock Versions: A handy bit of post that you find lying around
Customised Versions: If you want to customise your clang, you're better of making a more advanced melee weapon, such as a hammer or sword.
Vibros or "Electronic Chainsaws"
These are especially constructed blade weapons that have been modified with a sonic pulse unit to vibrate at an extremely high frequency, giving the blade the potential to cut through most alloys. As a side effect, the sonic "whine" of the vibro's pulse unit will cause minor static around transmission and communication devices. The sonic pulse unit is powered by a rechargeable battery that plugs directly into your own power source when not in use.
Stock Versions: Vibro Sword
Customised Versions: Vibro Dagger, Vibro Bayonet (clips into most of the GR-series of handheld guns)
Who'd Customise One?: Those who prefer to use clangs and "raw" melee weapons
Inhibitors
This category of melee weapon covers short-term stunning and shocking weapons. They disrupt the electrical flow of circuitry by discharging bursts of static and can either cause 'seizures' or temporary shutdowns. As most transformers are heavily insulated, the inhibitor is applied to best effect through an existing entry point into a transformer's exostructure. Those who prefer metal-cutting melee weapons, such as vibros, will normally deliver the coupe-de-grace with an inhibitor charge.
Stock Versions: Tarn Alpha Plus Inhibitor Unit
Customised Version: Neural Mace, Electron Whip, Stunstick
Who'd Use One?: Those that want to bring the prey in one functional piece. Popular with Decepticon Military Police, hunters and intelligence types.
CHEMICALS
Acids
Metal-eating acids were originally developed as part of a manufacturing process, though now they serve as a type of weapons. Because of the "splatter range" of acids, they are useful in blinding or distracting a target or weakening their armour so a project shot can get inside and do damage to the delicate internals.
Stock Versions: Corous Industrial Acid
Customised Versions: Acid Pellet Gun
Who'd Use One? Chemists or those "psycho" warriors who enjoy handling dangerous chemicals and watching their enemy's optical visor being eaten away.
PROJECTILES
Pistols
These small projectile-firing units are available either as handhelds or as built-in accessories. Pistols are lightweight, easy on the power reserves and are generally a favourite sidearm of non-combatant classes, such as scientists or analysts. Pistols will usually fire the G38 series of armour-piercing shells, which are 'cycloned' (scored so they drill right through armour plate) and deliver a minor explosive charge on contact with the target's internal mechanisms.
Stock Versions: G38 Built-In or G38 Handheld.
Customised Versions: Semi Automatic/ Automatic Machine Pistols
Who'd Use One?: Scientists, technicians.
G38 "Coldstar" Autocannon
Developed to compete against the line of lightfire Autobot handhelds (such as the Zargon Z Alpha and the Quarter 5), the Coldstar is the top weapon in the G38 range, offering full automatic and semi-automatic settings. Using slingshot magnets, the Coldstar can fire up to eight shells per second, guaranteeing to crack most heavy armours under its barrage. When utilised as a built-up option, the Coldstar is normally mounted on one's shoulder rack.
Plasma Weapons
Plasma is the fourth state of energy (after liquid, solid and gas) and can be said to resemble a superheated gas, found in stellar bodies. Plasma weapons consist of a superheated gas control chamber regulated through the gas release valves and kept in check by a cryogenic conductor and cooling system. When fired, a steady stream of white-hot plasma will emerge from the weapon, smelting the target's armour. Plasma weapons should be checked carefully for overheating and should not be used for long periods of use. Plasma weapons are expensive to issue and maintain. They can only fire as a beam making contact to a direct target and are unsuitable for scattershot work.
Stock Versions: #754 Plasma Chamber (with Cryogenic cooling system)
Customised Versions: Plasma Rifle, Plasma Handblasters
Who'd Use One?: Heavy infantry, troops who see a lot of groundfire, military field officers.
Plasma Pulse Cannon
This rapidfire cannon shoots plasma as a series of rapid-fire pulse bursts, rather than in a steady stream as most plasmic weapons do. The secret of the plasma pulse cannon is in its special plasma expansion range control regulator. The most danger with the PPC consists of overheating the cooling system, but pauses between pulses give the coils time to cool down.
Scattershot Weapons
Scattershot weapons (shotguns, scatter-burst machine guns) are useful because of their ability to cover a large area with projectfile. Scattershots include buckshot weapons and machineguns. Scattershots have an important place in Decepticon culture as large areas of territory can be quickly covered from the air.
Stock Versions: Tarn Regular Infantry SMG
Customised Version:
Who'd Use One?: This is a standard weapon, usually given to the infantry.
Gyrojet Weaponry
Gyrojet weapons are recoilless projectile weapon closely related to a rocket launcher. Gyroject projectiles do not drop in velocity over distance and explode upon impact, making them useful for long-range targets.
Stock Versions: Gyrojet Rifle, Heavy Gyrojet Gun
Customised Weapons: Gyroslug Rifle (holds more rounds than the standard rifle)
Who'd Use One? Heavy infantry.
LASERS
A laser is a high-powered beam of light, usually kept as an external gun because the crystals (through which the light is focused) is delicate. Lasers are energy- efficient, common (nearly everyone has one) but cause little damage (when used short bursts) to a target's exostructure apart from scoring and smelting. Short-burst laser-fire can cause flash damage to a target's optics, or can cut through delicate areas, such as exposed coolant cabling or gaps in the armour plate. However, if the beam is kept up for a decent period, the laser can be directed to cut through thick metals. Such an opportunity occurs rarely in field combat, where the focus is on causing the most amount of damage as quickly as possible.
Stock Versions: Laser Pistol
Customised Versions: Cutting Laser, Laser Rifle
Who'd Customise One?: Intelligent operative or technician
FLAMERS
Flamers are only effective at extremely high temperatures and newer model transformers have the upgraded R-Series of coolant transmission which is heat resistant to some extent. Nonetheless, chemical fires are useful especially in the later stages of combat when the target's armour has been shot away. Flames are sprayed out as a wet, sticky chemical and then ignited. Some flamers use a sodium based chemical mix that explodes on contact with air.
Stock Versions: Sodium mix, Zeta Paste
Customised Versions: Hellfire Flamethrower, Starburner Epsilon
Who'd Use One? Generally those who prefer close combat, especially those among the heavy infantry.
GRENADES
MicroGrenade - Explosive
Light grenade, fills an area with armour-piercing shrapnel.
MicroGrenade - Flash
Used to overload optical receptors. Causes blindness in an area
MiniGrenade - Explosive
A heavy version of the micro.
MaxiGrenade - Explosive
This grenade explodes causing huge amounts of armour-ripping damage.
SONICS
Sonic weapons use high pulses of UHF sound that effect the internal systems of the target. Vision is impaired is obscured by static, radios are rendered inoperative and internal systems are shorted out.
Stock Versions: Sonics blast unit.
Customised Versions: Sonic pulse cannon.
Who'd Use One? Communications units.
COMPRESSED AIR WEAPONRY
Although they do not cause large amounts are damage, airguns useful especially when coupled with armour-piercing shells. They are hard to detect as they are silent and admit little heat and do not rely and dangerous chemical reactions to take effect.
Stock Versions: B354 Air Rifle
Customised Versions: Compressed Air Cannon
Who'd Use One? Intelligence operatives, stealth units.