Ker-triage! And Creatures.

[Colette]

Once I somehow figure out how I'm going to make the Trattorian scientist statcard he can be a multidisciplinary bio-engineer if he wanted for some added cost.

[aoffan23]

I personally think it seems a little overkill to give a single minifig both powers. If he's a hero with a biomechanical expert cliche or something, then sure. But for a regular minifig to have both would be a little too much, at least in my opinion.

My suggestion is to have a rule that a biomekanik must be represented with two separate parts. Whether this be Dr. Frankenstein and his assistant, a mad scientist with his computer, or an engineer with his Anatomy for Dummies book. A single minifig could still have both powers, but they have the potential to lose vital equipment, thus hindering their abilities. So if the assisting object/minifig were destroyed, then the biomekankic would only be able to fulfill one role. Which role that is would be up to the players based on the equipment they lose (for example, the engineer would be a useless medik without his anatomy book), and they would also decide on what would be a suitable replacement (replacing the anatomy book with a medical school diploma) that could re-enable the biomekanik's abilities.

This allows for seamless integration of medical bays on ships, hospitals, or even libraries (if you're willing to agree that it has medical and engineering books). Rather than just being terrain, they can become valuable assets to your force by acting as stationary assisting objects.

[stubby]

The most basic version of the Biomechanik is the pirate Ship's Doc, who replaces lost body parts with peglegs and hooks.

[Whiteagle]

The most basic version of the Biomechanik is the pirate Ship's Doc, who replaces lost body parts with peglegs and hooks.

Ah, so that's what the pirate thing was about...

...Still think a 7 should make the creature turn-on its creator (yes, in that way)...

[IVhorseman]

Eh, I'm totally cool with a minifig having both powers. It's more CP (if you play with that) on a single unit with no added hit points or nothin - the tradeoff is that he's even easier to kill off than two minifigs would be. Either way, this:

My suggestion is to have a rule that a biomekanik must be represented with two separate parts. Whether this be Dr. Frankenstein and his assistant, a mad scientist with his computer, or an engineer with his Anatomy for Dummies book. A single minifig could still have both powers, but they have the potential to lose vital equipment, thus hindering their abilities. So if the assisting object/minifig were destroyed, then the biomekankic would only be able to fulfill one role. Which role that is would be up to the players based on the equipment they lose (for example, the engineer would be a useless medik without his anatomy book), and they would also decide on what would be a suitable replacement (replacing the anatomy book with a medical school diploma) that could re-enable the biomekanik's abilities.

This allows for seamless integration of medical bays on ships, hospitals, or even libraries (if you're willing to agree that it has medical and engineering books). Rather than just being terrain, they can become valuable assets to your force by acting as stationary assisting objects.

Is a tremendously cool idea. The other thing should have to be at least size 1 though so the engineer can't lug around a supercomputer database or a small bookshelf as easily as say, a book or a tool. Or (again, if you play with CP) you could buy it some move and a mind so that it can be an assistant.

[aoffan23]

Yeah, I was going to make the point that you can't just have a medik with a wrench. The wrench is a tool, and would only be good for mechaniks. You could, however, give the medik a large tool cabinet, and have him wheel it around the battlefield.

One reason I like this idea better than the idea of just giving a minifig both powers is that it adds some consequence to having the powers. One the one hand, you get both powers, but then you also have a greater potential to lose the second power. For example, the assisting object could be knocked away by an explosion, hit by a vehicle, picked up by a giant gorilla and taken to the top of a tower, etc. This kind of separation isn't possible with one minifig. I think it's important to balance risk and reward so that you actually have to think about whether to include something like that.

[stubby]

Actually I'm really liking the idea of basing Biomechanikal powers on the presence of one or more assistants. Like if you don't have the guy to collect the brains from the graveyard and pull the big electric power lever then there's just no point in performing mad science at all.

I'm not sure about the game mechanics yet; I need to figure out how to make it funny. I imagine that a failed Ker-Frankenstein roll will cost assistants the way Ker-Triage rolls cost limbs. And if it costs more assistants than you have left to spend, then the monster turns on you.

I've actually been thinking of adding Assistants for awhile - guys who act as general-purpose Skill boosters for Specialist units (the same way Gunners can assist other Gunners, or Mediks can assist other Mediks), but who have no special skills of their own.

[Colette]

Being socially-awkward and interested in science myself, I associate mad science with people who work alone. I.e our English teacher is making us read Frankenstein right now and it's a plot point that Frankenstein works alone on the monster. It's true that real scientists work with assistants and team-members but that's not as cool nor badass.

[Keldoclock]

I side with stubby on this one, more minifigs means more targets, and that means more fun! Especially if the targets are unarmed!

[Tzan]

it's a plot point that Frankenstein works alone on the monster.

[Colette]

it's a plot point that Frankenstein works alone on the monster.

read

[aoffan23]

I think we're all forgetting that this rule gives us the ability to include IVhorseman and brick walls into battles.

[stubby]

I believe in memetic Darwinism. Who has more cultural traction in today's audience - the original literary Frankenstein, or the movie version with Igor? For that matter, when you say "Frankenstein," how many people think of the doctor, and how many think of the monster? The solitary version of Doctor Frankenstein was fine for his day, but he is no longer relevant to ours. There's something about mad scientists with assistants that is much more compelling to our modern culture than mad scientists by themselves.

[IVhorseman]

If you don't have the guy to collect the brains from the graveyard and pull the big electric power lever then there's just no point in performing mad science at all.

Truefax. I'm opposed to ker-whatever tables on principle, but I think crit failure should mean that the assistant, be they a library or a henchman, no longer works and is killed if applicable. This would mean that WHOEVER helps the mad scientist as their assistant (be they a lowly minifig replacement dragged off the street or even a hero stepping in in a pinch) would be at risk of getting totally murdered by SCIENCE. I suppose it should also be assumed that the experiment is also now fully functional and on an enemy's team, whatever it may be.

[stubby]

Maybe what we need is like a Something Goes Wrong table. Like you roll some die against the number of body parts and devices grafted together, and if you miss then you have to make up the difference with a number of rolls on the bad results table.

Possible ideas:

6 something goes wrong, assistant is killed.
7 something goes wrong, grafted part falls off.
8 something goes wrong, grafted part explodes.
9 something goes wrong, grafted part turns against the creature.
10 something goes wrong, grafted part accidentally attached to assistant instead.
11 something goes wrong, assistant accidentally combined with creature.
12 something goes wrong, creature turns against the scientist. (If you roll this result twice, the creature dies.)
13 something goes wrong, creature explodes. (creature dies.)
14 something goes wrong, creature and assistant are on fire for some reason. (If you roll this result twice, the creature dies.)
15 something goes wrong, enemy player rearranges creature parts however they like.
16 something goes wrong, enemy player mixes and rearranges creature and assistant parts however they like.

If something goes wrong on an assistant or grafted part that has already gone wrong, the creature dies.