------------- BRIKWARS 2001 ------------- Copyright (c)1995-2002 Mike Rayhawk -------------------------------------------------------- Note: Due to the limitations of this format, the text version of the BrikWars Manual is necessarily less complete than versions in more advanced formats. Specifically, hyperlinks, illustrations, sidebar commentaries, and some clarifying and explanatory comments have been omitted. For proper formatting, you must view this document in a monotype font such as Courier. -------------------------------------------------------- BOOK THREE: WAR Chapter Eight: Standard Combatants -------------------------------- 8.1 Soldiers 8.1.1 The Trooper Specialty: Marksmanship Specialty: Shock Troop Specialty: Horsemanship Optional Rule: Troop Ratios 8.1.2 Trooper Performance Modification 8.2 Specialists 8.2.1 Amazons 8.2.2 Scouts Specialty: Targeting 8.2.3 Synthetix Specialty: Robot Brain 8.2.4 Slaves Specialty: Pacifism Unit Variation: Timmy Unit Variation: Porter 8.2.5 Pilots Specialty: Piloting 8.2.6 Mechanix Specialty: Mechanikal Ability 8.2.7 Medix Specialty: Medikal Training Optional Rule: Ker-Triage! 8.2.8 Technix Specialty: Technikal Training 8.2.9 Kamikazes Specialty: Kamikaze Bomb 8.3 Elite Troops 8.3.1 Ninjas Specialty: Hand Weapons Only Specialty: Stealth Specialty: Spider Gymnastics 8.3.2 Heroes 8.3.3 Champions 8.4 Civilians 8.4.1 Normal People 8.4.2 Abnormal People 8.4.3 Belligerent People Chapter Nine: Alternate Species -------------------------------- 9.1 Custom Species Base Species Stats Statistic Modifiers 9.1.1 Form 9.1.2 Movement Species Propulsion Modifiers The Ker-Stagger! Table 9.1.3 Intelligence Animal Intelligence Chart Idiot Ker-Duh! Table Sample Stupidity Ratings 9.1.4 Special Abilities 9.2 Animals 9.2.1 Domesticated Animals 9.2.2 Savage Beasts 9.3 Monsters 9.3.1 Monster Specialties Specialty: Evil Specialty: Attacked on Sight Specialty: Contagious Bite Specialty: No Flesh Specialty: Modular Specialty: Regeneration Specialty: Replication 9.3.2 JawJaws and Dimmies 9.3.3 The Horrifying Undead 9.3.4 Cave Monsters 9.4 Humanoids 9.4.1 Fantasy Races ----- BOOK THREE: WAR ----- --------------------------------------- CHAPTER EIGHT: Standard Combatants --------------------------------------- "It is not the critic who counts, not the man that points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt Every great Civilization has learned through bitter experience to maintain a standing army of trained military professionals. These dedicated soldiers are the men, women, animals, droids, and miscellaneous others who risk their lives (and the lives of as many innocent bystanders as possible) in a constant effort to destroy as many enemies and as much enemy property as they can, all in the name of their home Civilization. In a typical BrikWars game, each Civilization is represented by a single color (or group of colors, if a player doesn't have enough minifigs of a single color). A Civilization's professional soldiers are required to wear suits of these colors, and their vehicles and buildings feature these colors prominently in their paint jobs. 'Camouflage' means nothing to these hardened minifig veterans (true warriors do not learn French words, due to the widespread suspicion that familiarity with the language inspires a soldier to surrender at the first sign of trouble). 8.1 Soldiers -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "If one keeps his state founded on mercenary arms, one will never be secure; for they are disunited, ambitious, without discipline, unfaithful; bold among friends, among enemies cowardly; no fear of God, no faith with men; ruin is postponed only as long as attack is postponed; in peace you are despoiled by them, in war by the enemy. The cause of this is that they have no love nor cause to keep them in the field other than a small stipend, which is not sufficient to make them want to die for you." - Niccolo Machiavelli, "The Prince" There are many types of soldiers, from the generic Troopers to highly trained specialists like Medix and Mechanix. Most Civilizations develop intense training programs for their own unique specialist units. Every type of soldier has its part to play during the course of a battle. 8.1.1 The Trooper ------------------------- "It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I just beat people up." - Muhammad Ali +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Trooper | | (general purpose disposable infantry) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 5" | | Armor: TL + 1 AV (min 2) | | Skill: 1d6 | | Cost: TL + 1 CP (min 2) | | Specialty: None | | Ratio: None (troop) | +---------------------------------------+ The Trooper, who was originally introduced in 1.3: The Trooper, is the standard 'grunt' soldier of his Civilization. The costs and statistics of all other troop types are based on his basic model. Troopers are represented by generic warrior minifigs of their Civilization's color, wearing some kind of protective helmet (unless their Civilization is one that has not yet developed Helmet Teknology, such as CaveMen or TribalMen). For more information about Troopers and an explanation of the basic troop statistics, take a look back at 1.3: The Trooper. The two statistics new to this chapter are 'Specialty' and 'Ratio.' SPECIALTY. A regular Trooper never retreats, is incorruptibly loyal to his Civilization, has no need for sleep, food, or companionship, and is an expert in the use of all weapons of his Civilization's TekLevel. If he has any special training, powers, or limitations besides these normal Trooper abilities, they are listed under the Specialty heading. A soldier's specialties will affect his CP cost. Many troop Specialties can also be given to equipment items or Siege devices, whether through enchantment or special teknology, and some Specialties can be bought in multiples for cumulative effects. Players should be cautious if they explore either of these applications of the Specialty rules, as there is a potential for abuse. In the case of the basic Trooper, he has no particularly special abilities beyond his normal everyday talent for kicking PBB butt. These are a few of the Specialties commonly assigned to otherwise generic Troopers, and their associated CP costs: Specialty: Marksmanship (+0CP) ------------------------- The unit's training has focused on the use of ranged weapons, at some cost to its skill in hand-to-hand combat. The unit has +1 to Skill when firing a ranged weapon, and -2 to Skill when attacking with or defending against Close Combat weapons. This Specialty is appropriate to units like archers, musketeers, riflemen, or snipers. Specialty: Shock Troop (+0CP) ------------------------- This unit's training has focused on hand-to-hand combat, with a decreased emphasis on the use of ranged weapons. The unit has +1 to Skill when attacking or defending in Close Combat, but -2 to Skill when making ranged attacks. This Specialty is rarely seen after TL3, except among professional athletes. Specialty: Horsemanship (+1CP) ------------------------- Troopers of any age have a basic ability to ride the steeds appropriate to their culture. However, the ability to control an animal and make attacks at the same time takes an advanced skill in horsemanship. Without this specialty, a unit making attacks from horseback (or from the back of whichever animal on which he happens to ride) may not direct the animal to turn, accelerate, or decelerate in the same round. (This is similar to the Piloting Specialty described in 6.1: The Pilot.) RATIO. The Ratio statistic is only used when playing by the optional Troop Ratios rules. +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Optional Rule: Troop Ratios :P | | --------------------------------------- | | With all the new breeds of warrior introduced in this chapter, it | | is possible for an army to be overbalanced with too many of the | | more powerful troop types. If players are keeping careful CP | | budgets to ensure evenly matched armies, the army with too many | | high-end troops will often find itself at a disadvantage to its | | qualitatively inferior but numerically superior opponents. If | | players are ignoring point budgets and just building armies on the | | fly, it may seem unfair if one player builds his army entirely out | | of superheroes and demigods. If this becomes a problem, consider | | forcing everyone to play by the Troop Ratios rules. If this isn't | | a problem, keeping track of ratios will only waste everyone's time | | and should be ignored. | | | | Every troop type is given a Ratio statistic. There are no rules | | governing the choice of a troop type's Ratio, and a group of | | players may choose to change or ignore the Ratio stats of specific | | troop types if the mood strikes them. The Ratio statistic has no | | effect on the CP costs or abilities of units. | | | | Troop types that are not especially unique, powerful, or rare have | | no Ratio requirements and are counted as generic 'troops.' A more | | specialized troop type's Ratio will require a certain number of | | troop-level soldiers to be bought and fielded before the | | specialized unit will be allowed. The Ratio requirements of | | multiple specialized units must be satisfied separately; if a | | player hopes to field two units with Ratio requirements of 5 and | | 7, a total of 12 troop-level soldiers must be fielded first. | | | | Some special units will have ratio numbers based on other factors, | | such as the number of vehicles or androids in the battle. The | | most powerful units will be limited to one or two per battle, | | regardless of how many troops are in play. In general, units with | | a higher Troop Ratio outrank units with lower requirements (except | | for Synthetix, who are outranked by everyone). | | | | A group of players may invent its own Ratio limits on items like | | vehicles, buildings, or siege weapons. In a battle between teams | | of allied players, the group may decide that the units of one | | player's army may be used to satisfy the Ratio requirements of one | | or more of his allies. | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ 8.1.2 Trooper Performance Modification ------------------------- In the quest to produce new and superior types of soldiers and specialists, the great Civilizations have left no stone unturned. Experimental training programs, brainwashing, synthetik hormones, magical talismans, eugenic breeding systems, offerings to obscure gods, exposure to alien radiation and alternate dimensions, bio-mechanikal enhancement, and frequent calls to soldiers' mothers have all been employed with variable effects. Little do they realize, the easiest way to produce better soldiers is just to spend a couple of extra CP on them. The most direct way to improve a soldier is to give him a Trooper Performance Modification. These modifications do not give a soldier any surprising new abilities, they just make him a little better or worse at doing the things he can already do. As with all custom modifications, it is better to use the Trooper Performance Modifications to modify whole classes of troops rather than to make separate modifications to several individual troops - uniformity is the key to keeping a battle running smoothly. Multiple copies of single Performance Improvements or Disimprovements are allowed but should be used cautiously. FLEET FEET. For each additional +2" of Movement, the troop's cost is increased by +1 CP. THICK HIDE. For each additional +2 Armor, the troop's cost is increased by +1 CP. UNUSUAL SKILL. For each additional +2 Skill, the troop's cost is increased by +1 CP. SCHWARZENEGGERIAN STRENGTH. For each additional +1 point of Power, the troop's cost is increased by +3 CP. CLOSE COMBAT BONUS. For each additional +2 points of CC Bonus, the troop's cost is increased by +1 CP. (3.2: Close Combat) When adding dice to a statistic, remember that 1d6 is equivalent to 3.5 points, 1d10 is equivalent to 5.5 points, and 1d20 is worth 10.5 points. Always round up the final CP cost of the unit. If a player wants to get troops for a bargain price, he can get a 'slightly damaged goods' discount by giving them a few Performance Disimprovements. SLUGGISH. For each -1" loss of Movement, the troop's cost is decreased by 1 CP. BRUISES EASILY. For each loss of -1 point of Armor, the troop's cost is decreased by 1 CP. BUTTERFINGERS. For each loss of -1 point of Skill, the troop's cost is decreased by 1 CP. WUSSY AND WEAK. If the unit has zero Power (it cannot walk or manipulate objects), its cost is reduced by 5 CP. You cannot give a unit both a Performance Improvement and the corresponding Performance Disimprovement. No matter how many Performance Disimprovements a minfig has, it will always cost a minimum of 2 CP. 8.2 Specialists -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anyone who's read this far into the rulebook probably already has a few ideas for specialized troops he'd like to toss onto the field. If you have an idea for a special ability you would like to give one of your troop types, go right ahead and give it to them! You and your opponents will have to agree on a fair CP cost and limitations for the ability, and whether or not the troop type should have a Ratio requirement. We've included many examples of military specialists and statistics below. Players are encouraged to ignore or modify these examples as they see fit, or to create entirely new types. Make sure all of your opponents are aware of the types of units you're fielding, and their specific abilities and statistics (be honest - 'subterfuge' is another one of those Frenchy words unknown to the PBB warrior). Many of our example troop types will have new special abilities listed under their Specialty statistic. Where this is the case, a full description of the Specialty and its CP cost will be included in the supporting text. 8.2.1 Amazons ------------------------- "For the female of the species is more deadly than the male." - Rudyard Kipling +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Amazon | | (elite shock troop) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 7" | | Armor: TL + 1d6-3 AV | | Skill: 1d6 CC+2 | | Cost: TL + 2 CP | | Specialty: None | | Ratio: None (troop) | +---------------------------------------+ Once confined to minor skirmishes and ladies' auxiliary clubs, women warriors in the BrikWars universe were eventually able to prove themselves the equal of their male counterparts and the two were allowed to serve side by side in every battle, indistinguishable except when they wore lipstick (and sometimes not even then). For some women minifigs (or as the militant feminist figs say, 'wymynyfygs'), being merely equal wasn't good enough and so they went ahead and became better. Not every Civilization has been enlightened enough to realize that the best place for women is at the front lines of fierce battles, fighting as elite shock troops. Such women are nicknamed 'Amazons.' Armored lightly for increased mobility (they wear stylish PBB girl-hair pieces rather than helmets), Amazons are trained to close distances quickly in order to rapidly engage opponents in hand-to-hand combat before the enemy has time to dig into defensive emplacements. 8.2.2 Scouts ------------------------- +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Scout | |(advance target acquisition specialist)| |---------------------------------------| | Move: 12" | | Armor: TL + 1d6-4 AV | | Skill: 1d6-1 | | Cost: TL + 4 CP | | Specialty: Targeting | | Ratio: None (troop) | +---------------------------------------+ Fresh Scouts are picked from the ranks of newly recruited Trooper Cadets for 'accelerated field training.' Since they have no true battle-experience, these trainees are given the opportunity to act as Scouts for a time. They undergo a rigorous training regimen which may last as long as two days, consisting of jogging and swimming at the local YTCA. At the end of their training they are given a flimsy suit of ScoutArmor (often consisting of nothing more than a sash with one or two protective MeritBadges) and sent into the field. The ScoutArmor's lightweight construction allows a Scout to move swiftly and silently, and its near-uselessness at deflecting attacks inspires the Scout to move more speedily still. Scouts make every effort to stay under cover and out of sight at all times. The Scout is not in the battle to fight anyone, but to reconnoiter enemy positions and relay target locations back to his buddies manning the big siege weapons. Scouts are a jumpy and secretive bunch, and have many rituals in which they pray to be spared the wrath of MkV Missiles. It is during these rituals that the Scouts shave their heads in a ceremony known as "The No-More-Hair Ritual." Scouts are represented by a normal Trooper minifig, except that their heads have been shaved in this closely guarded ritual, known only to the Scouts themselves. Thus, Scouts wear nothing on their heads (no helmets, hair, or hats). Scouts are not heavily armed and may not carry any weapon or item that requires two hands (besides an occasional ShortBow) or incurs any kind of Movement Penalty. Scouts are not allowed any armor besides their ScoutArmor. Specialty: Targeting (+2CP) ------------------------- Despite their restrictions, Scouts have their uses. A Scout has the ability to 'tag' enemy vehicles, structures, and units in order for his army to target them with siege weapons. In order to tag an enemy target, the Scout must remain within 10" of it and be able to see it. As long as the Scout keeps the target tagged, his allies can ignore any penalties for lack of visibility, and fire at the target with a +1d6 Skill Bonus. (This bonus is not cumulative with other Targeting bonuses, and each Scout may only tag one target at a time.) If the allies are attacking with projectile weapons that can be sent over the tops of obstacles (grenades, arrows, missiles, Ballistik weapons, Mass Drivers, etc.) then gunners can easily send attacks over walls and embankments at enemies they can't even see. Scouts must have some way to relay vital target information to the gunners. If CB radios are not available, then the player must set up a Scout Network to relay information back and forth. With flashing mirrors, secret hand gestures, and complex Scout dances, a Scout can rapidly relay target and terrain information across any line of sight to a friendly unit with the power to interpret them - either another Scout, or any Heroic unit. The interpreting unit can then pass the information to all gunners within shouting range (8"). 8.2.3 Synthetix ------------------------- "The real problem is not whether machines think, but whether men do." - B. F. Skinner +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Synthetik | | (artificial general infantry unit) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: TL + 3" | | Armor: TL + 1d6+2 AV | | Skill: TL + 1d10-4 | | Cost: TL + 4 CP | | Specialty: Strength (Power: 2) | | Robot Brain | | Ratio: 1 for every 5 troops | +---------------------------------------+ Synthetix (Droids, or Golems at earlier TLs), are minifig shaped and sized robots which can fight alongside regular Troopers. The members of the squad to which a Synthetik belongs constantly repair and upgrade their artificial comrade, and treat it as if it were a real man. Because Droids and Golems are not human, and made from synthetik materials, their stats and abilities will be largely dependent on the teknologikal sophistication of the Civilization that constructed them. All Synthetix have built-in communications devices (Golems can communicate by magikal telepathy, while Droids have built-in radios), so their squads won't need to carry one. However, Synthetix are not fully autonomous and must be attached to a squad of regular organic Troopers. Synthetix may be given additional specialties in order to act as Medix, Mechanix, Pilots, or almost any type of specialist. Synthetix can be represented by any regular minifig, but must have an odd mechanical feature or two. If you don't have any of the special android figs in your Civilization's color, then you'll have to take a regular minifig and do something like replace its legs with wheels or replace its head with a maneuvering jet. The head of a Synthetik cannot be a normal minifig face (either due to teknologikal limitations or to the social prejudices of the Synthetik's creators). Specialty: Robot Brain (-2CP) ------------------------- Any unit with a Robot Brain (a Droid) must be in a squad, vehicle, or base with at least one human Trooper in it. Regardless of the range of a Droid's communication systems, Droids are very insecure and must remain within 5" of a friendly human at all times. Any time a Droid finds itself alone, whether because its companions have been killed or have traded it in for a more upgraded model, the Droid goes into a RoboPanik. A paniking Droid will abandon whatever its current mission is and do whatever it can to get to the nearest friendly humans. If no friendly humans remain, the Droid becomes intensely depressed and loses all motivation to go on. 8.2.4 Slaves ------------------------- "Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!" - Patrick Henry +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Slave | | (involuntary menial laborer) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 6" | | Armor: TL + 1d6-5 AV | | Skill: 1d6-1 | | Cost: TL CP | | Specialty: Strength (Power: 2) | | Pacifism | | Ratio: None (troop) | +---------------------------------------+ Many Civilizations make slaves of their prisoners of war or of the civilian populations of conquered enemies, but these slaves are often disloyal and prone to rioting. Among the more enlightened Civilizations, Slaves are culled from the populace's unfortunate mutants, who by some genetik accident were born with a horrifying pacifism. Unable to raise a weapon or fist in anger to hurt another, these unfortunate miscreants can never know true happiness. As it becomes apparent to their family and teachers that they are Violence Challenged, they are taken aside into Special Education classes. There they are taught the skills of the Slave, like pulling plows, carrying wrecked cars to the dump, and other menial tasks. All the while, they are dosed with whatever experimental steroids are in vogue. This does not make them very intelligent, but they do become very strong. Although snubbed by normal Troopers, Slaves have one great advantage: their immense strength, which allows them to carry heavy loads. Slaves are useful for quick assembly and disassembly of barricades and fortifications, and are often used to test for anti-personnel mines, to draw enemy fire, or as target practice when all the civilians have been killed. Slaves have no Armor, they just run around in overalls and a BaseballCap or HardHat, in the color of their Civilization. Minifigs from inferior clone brands make good Slaves, if you happen to have some and don't mind letting everyone else find out. If you have any old minifig heads whose faces have rubbed off, and you had to draw new faces with a Sharpee pen, and you slipped a little and the new faces look retarded, then those make the best Slave heads. Specialty: Pacifism (-2CP) ------------------------- A pacifistic unit is a rarity in the BrikWars universe, and normal Troopers react with horror and revulsion upon meeting a true Pacifist (some have been known to give in to convulsive vomiting at the sight of large groups of Pacifists). A Pacifist cannot attack or make any attempt to harm any machine or living creature except in self-defense, and even then only if he is completely cornered with no avenue of escape. Some Pacifists are of such base nature that they will not fight even then. Unit Variation: Timmy (Cost: 1 CP) ------------------------- When rampant Juniorization causes a minifig to de-evolve (9.3.2: JawJaws and Dimmies), he becomes more and more stupid and Dimmy-like in nature, and before long becomes Timmy, a kind of half-breed cross between a regular minifig and a vile Dimmy. This unfortunate throwback makes an excellent Slave, although stupider than most. Because of their unfortunate similarity to a Dimmy, any minifig who spots a Timmy, even one of his allies, must drop everything and destroy him on sight. Medix will not try to save a dying Timmy, although they may use them for experimentation. To keep Timmies from running wild, it is best to have another unit act as a SlaveMaster keeping them in line. A regular Slave works best for this, since his Pacifism prevents him from exterminating his Timmy charges, but sometimes an individual Trooper or Engineer can be trained to choke down his rage and direct a team of Timmies. However, if he sees other units (friendly or otherwise) attacking the Timmies, his discipline will be forgotten and he will not be able to resist joining in the Timmy-splattering fun. Unit Variation: Porter (Cost: TL + 2 CP) ------------------------- In many early Civilizations, prior to the invention of the wheel or the harness, heavy cargo had to be carried or hauled by professional Porters. Porters were also hired to act as galley oarsmen. Porters are just like Slaves except they are unhindered by any ridiculous Pacifism. 8.2.5 Pilots ------------------------- +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Pilot | | (assault vehicle operator) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 5" | | Armor: TL + 1d6-3 AV | | Skill: 1d6+2 | | Cost: TL + 2 CP | | Specialty: Piloting | | Ratio: None (troop) | +---------------------------------------+ Pilots are the elite and cocky group of warriors who operate a Civilization's war machines. While any Trooper can pilot a vehicle, the Pilots have the talent and education that give them the edge in vehicular combat. Before becoming a full-fledged Pilot, the Pilot Cadet must pass a special course called "Drivers' Ed," which is offered at the local high school. In Drivers' Ed, the Cadet learns arcane skills such as driving in straight lines, operating weapons and communications systems, and parallel parking. Once a Pilot is given his vehicle, he takes obsessively good care of it. On the weekends, with the week's fighting behind him, the Pilot tends to his vehicle. Pilots follow a grueling regimen which involves meticulously polishing and detailing the vehicle inside and out. After the external protective ointments have been applied, the Pilot carefully tunes and steam-cleans the engine, with the help of his squadron's Mechanik. Finally, he vacuums inside the vehicle, and cleans out the ashtrays. If the vehicle has tires, he rotates them. Every armed vehicle must start out with a Pilot. The Pilot may be killed in mid-battle, and then any Trooper can come along and commandeer the vehicle, but the vehicle has to start the battle with a trained Pilot. Unarmed vehicles can start out with whomever they like, since it's not as important that they have a skilled gunner in the pilot's seat. A Pilot may be represented by a minifig with a visored racing helmet or sunglasses or racing gloves or a special driving hat or whatever is appropriate to his culture. Pilots speak mainly in trite clichés involving "the need for speed" and the phrase "five by five." Specialty: Piloting (+1CP) ------------------------- Any Trooper can drive a car, fire a mounted Howitzer, or lock a group of SideWinder missiles onto a target, but it takes a special breed to do all three at the same time. If a unit other than a Pilot is trying to drive an armed vehicle, he can either steer the vehicle or fire one type of vehicle weapon, but he can't do both on the same turn. A trained Pilot can pull burly vehicle maneuvers and fire multiple weapon groups simultaneously, all the while engaging in witty radio chatter. (For more detailed information on Piloting, see 6.1: The Pilot.) 8.2.6 Mechanix ------------------------- +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Mechanik | | (vehicle maintenance specialist) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 5" | | Armor: TL + 1 AV | | Skill: 1d6 | | Cost: TL + 3 CP | | Specialty: Mechanikal Ability | | Ratio: 1 per vehicle | +---------------------------------------+ Mechanix are members of the elite order that repairs and maintains the vehicles, bases, and heavy machinery of the Troopers. When a potential Mechanik is identified in the Trooper Training Center, he is given a test for Advanced Mechanikal Aptitude. Troopers who pass the test are given the opportunity to spend up to ten years receiving extra training at the Citadel of Mechanix. In the Citadel, the Mechanik trainee is taught to design, test, and finalize machine blueprints in his head. A skilled Mechanik can design a new vehicle from wreckage and spare parts in about ten seconds; the fastest can do it in five. Mechanix require tools with which to work, and some of the sets of tools used by Mechanix have been in circulation for thousands of years, handed down from generation to generation. Mechanix are handy to have around. Not only can they repair damage done to vehicles, but they can salvage parts from wreckage and create new devices in the midst of battle. A Mechanik must be equipped with at least one tool, such as a wrench, hammer, robot arm, or nanoprobe hose. Tools cost 3 CP apiece. Mechanix typically wear little police hats and are under no obligation to shave. Although they don't usually carry weapons, they are as well trained in combat as any Trooper and can put up a hell of a fight if they get in a tight spot. Specialty: Mechanikal Ability (+2CP) ------------------------- Mechanix have two roles to play on the battlefield: they can repair damaged machines, or they can build new machines from wreckage. Repairing Damaged Machines A Mechanik can try to fix a machine or machine component that has suffered Functional, Statistic, or Platform Damage (5.3: Destroying Large Structures). To do so, he specifies which machine or machine component he is working on, and what type of damage he is trying to repair (a single machine or component can theoretically be affected by several damage types at the same time). A Mechanik cannot use parts that have been Destroyed. He cannot reactivate devices that have been Damaged Beyond Repair, although he can use them for purely structural purposes. He must stand within touching distance of the damaged machine for the whole turn in order to put his skills to use. The machine (or machine component) must not be in operation during that turn, or the Mechanik is likely to get a limb munched off in grinding gears. The Mechanik may attempt a repair as many times as he likes; each attempt takes one full turn. If the Mechanik is attempting to fix Functional or Statistical Damage, he rolls 1d6 for each tool he is holding (a maximum of two unless the Mechanik has more than two hands). He may repair up to this many points of Functional Damage to any single component, or up to this many points of Statistical Damage to any single statistic. If the Mechanik is attempting to fix Platform Damage, he must first pick the entry on the Platform Ker-Pow! Table that corresponds to the damage sustained by the machine, and calculate the number that corresponds to that entry (some number times the Platform's Size"). The Mechanik must generate at least that many Repair Points to repair the damage. Each full turn that a Mechanik operates on a machine, he generates 1d6 Repair Points for each tool he is using. For large jobs, he can create cumulative Repair Points over a series of turns, or work in a larger team. If a Mechanik has one or more personal assistants (Slaves or Synthetix), he can add another 1d6 to his roll. Building New Stuff From Wreckage When a Platform is destroyed, it is shredded to bits and half the pieces are removed from play. The rest are sprinkled over the area in which the Platform was destroyed. Besides being obstacles to foot traffic and serving as a grim reminder of the glittering Platform that existed only a short while before, this random debris is raw material for Mechanix to build something new, such as a small vehicle, a tiny weapons platform, or patchwork devices to weld onto a larger vehicle or building. First, the Mechanik must roll 1d6 to see if it is possible to create a new device from a given pile of wreckage on any given turn (if he has two Tools, he rolls two dice and uses the higher of the two rolls). If he rolls a four or higher, he can get to work. On a roll of 4, the Mechanik has fifteen seconds to reassemble the debris. A 5 gives him thirty seconds, and a 6 gives him forty-five seconds to build something new. An opposing player is chosen to keep track of the time limit. Once the clock has started, the player whose Mechanik is engaged in reconstruction may begin building. The player may use any loose pieces within three or four inches of the Mechanik (don't bother measuring, as time is precious), or any spare parts the Mechanik may have brought with him. He may also pull parts from friendly Platforms near the Mechanik, if those platforms have been stationary during that round. He may build onto another object or Platform, or he may continue a reconstruction effort from an earlier turn. Reconstructed objects have an AV of 1d10, although they may be welded onto more sturdy Platforms or objects. Reconstructed Propulsion Systems have a Movement Rate of 7", although this may be halved if the reconstructed vehicle is dragging parts or otherwise hindered. A new Power Source can be created as long as it is at least a Blok in size; it will provide 2 Power. Only one Power Source can be created for a single reconstructed Platform. Recovery Vehicles A Mechanik can have a separate vehicle all to himself. Vehicles driven as Recovery Vehicles cost an extra 5 CP and start out with up to 10 spare parts (parts like spare wheels, power and control cables, jets, consoles, and wings; not parts like spare MkIII Lasers). The pieces carried in the Recovery Vehicle are chosen by the player and may be used to help create new vehicles from wreckage. Recovery Vehicles also get one free tow harness, to tow wrecks to safer areas so the Mechanik can work on them, or one free crane arm, to pick up large pieces of debris. Recovery Vehicle equipment incurs -2" of Cargo Movement Penalty. Recovery Bays Mechanix can also have base workshops and garages (at a cost of ten points) which start out with up to fifteen spare parts in a parts bin. All Mechanix working in such a workshop get +1d6 to all repair rolls. When building new objects from debris, Mechanix in a Recovery Bay automatically get a full minute of building time. 8.2.7 Medix ------------------------- "Doctors are the same as lawyers; the only difference is that lawyers merely rob you, whereas doctors rob you and kill you too." - Anton Chekhov +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Medik | | (minifig maintenance specialist) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 4" | | Armor: TL + 2 AV | | Skill: 1d6 | | Cost: TL + 3 CP | | Specialty: Medikal Training | | Ratio: 1 per 10 troops | +---------------------------------------+ Medix are like Mechanix for minifigs. After initial training in the Trooper Training Center, those desiring to become Medix move on to their Civilization's Hypocritic College of Medix, where they spend many years learning to mend battle wounds like No-Knee Syndrome, Skull Inversion, Hyper-Extended Sternum, Melted Torso Disorder, and the devastating All-Bones-Fused-Together Trauma. Each Civilization has its own version of the Hypocritic Oath, but most sound something like "I swear to do everything in my power to keep our guys alive, and to prevent the other guy's guys from remaining so." This oath prevents the Medix from taking counterproductive mercy on wounded enemy soldiers and civilians. At graduation time, the Medik is awarded his MediKit, which contains high-tech field surgery gear such as BakTeen, industrial-strength BandAdes, a rubber mallet, and a reusable rectal/oral thermometer. They are then sent off to perform their duties with a specific battalion, to which they are attached for the rest of their professional lives. A Medik is best represented by a minifig in a doctor suit, wearing a backpack full of surgikal equipment, and carrying a MediKit briefcase. (The MediKit should not be confused with other units' suitcases that are PsiAmps and Brain Control Devices.) A Medik needs both hands free to perform emergency surgeries, and so does not normally carry weapons; however he is fully trained in their use, should he happen to pick one up. Specialty: Medikal Training (+2CP) ------------------------- Medix have the ability to heal soldiers who have fallen in combat. If he is lucky enough to reach a fallen comrade without getting killed himself, the Medik can administer medicines and perhaps a skull replacement. To raise a fallen friend, a Medik must be close enough to the victim to touch him. The Medik then gets one roll on 1d10. If the Medik rolls (TL) or below, the victim is saved. The victim's condition is upgraded from Dead to Unconscious on the next turn, and he may then recover as normal. If the Medik rolls above his TekLevel, however, the soldier is lost forever, and cannot be saved. A Medik only gets one try to save a fallen soldier. The Medik may make a similar roll (TL or lower on 1d10) to try and upgrade an Unconscious unit to Stunned, or a Stunned unit to Normal (or 'Frisky,' as this state is called in the Medikal books). The Medik gets one attempt per turn, and the patient suffers no ill effects on a failed roll. SickBays For 5 CP, a player can designate a Platform section of any size to be a SickBay. Within this space, he may install as many SickBeds as he likes. Each SickBed must be installed with a 1CP ComputerConsole to perform Medikal scans, monitor vital functions, and let patients play video games to distract them from the agonizing pain. (If the army's TekLevel is too low for ComputerConsoles, the player must still spend 1 CP on each SickBed for whatever Medikal tools are appropriate to the culture). When a patient is brought to the SickBay, a Medik can make as many attempts to revive him as he wishes; each attmept takes one full turn. If the Medik rolls a 10 on any such attempt, the patient is dead and cannot be saved; throw him in the OrganRecycler. If a patient recovering on a SickBed is moved by anyone other than a Medikal technician, moved to anywhere besides a different SickBed, or if enemies gain access to his SickBed's ComputerConsole, he is dead and can no longer be saved. +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Optional Rule: Ker-Triage! :P | | --------------------------------------- | | If you enjoy playing with Medikal troops and don't mind ripping | | apart your minifigs every now and then, you might enjoy the more | | complex Ker-Triage! rules. To use the Ker-Triage! Table, the | | attending Medik rolls 1d10 and adds his army's TekLevel. He may | | add +1 to this roll for each additional Medik assisting him. | | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | The Medikal Ker-Triage! Table | | | |--------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Ker-Triage! Roll | | | | | ( 1d10 + TL ) | What Happens | | | |------------------+-------------------------------------------| | | | Any time a '1' | Battlefield stress causes the Medik's | | | | is rolled, | hand to jerk involuntarily, and he | | | | regardless of TL | 'accidentally' severs twenty or thirty | | | | or other bonuses | major arteries. | | | |------------------+ | | | | The victim's status is downgraded from | | | | Dead to Really Really Dead, and his funeral is downgraded to | | | | Closed-Casket. The victim cannot be saved. | | | |--------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | Despite a valiant effort, the Medik is | | | | 7 or less | unable to improve the victim's condition. | | | | | | | | |------------------+ If the victim is in a SickBay, his | | | | condition is unchanged, and the Medik may | | | | continue to make attempts on following turns. | | | | | | | | If the victim is being treated in the field, then he is dead | | | | and cannot be saved unless he is taken to a SickBay. | | | |--------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | The victim is saved, but one arm or both | | | | 8 | legs must be amputated (Medik's choice). | | | | | | | | |------------------+ Remove the amputated limb or limbs from | | | | the victim's body. Status is upgraded from Dead to | | | | Unconscious. Victim cannot recover to better than | | | | Exhausted/Stunned for the remainder of the battle. | | | | | | | | If the victim takes damage or exerts himself in any way | | | | (including engaging in any type of hand-to-hand combat), | | | | he will begin bleeding profusely. He will take 1d6 Stun | | | | Damage every turn from blood loss until a qualified Medik | | | | re-bandages him. | | | | | | | | A minifig with no legs can drag himself about at 1" for each | | | | arm. If he has a wheelchair, he can wheel himself around at | | | | half speed if he has both hands free. | | | |--------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | The victim is saved, but one leg or hand | | | | 9 | must be amputated (Medik's choice). | | | | | | | | |------------------+ Same effects as for #8. | | | | | | | | If the victim is in a SickBay, hands and legs are | | | | automatically replaced with prosthetix. If the player | | | | didn't buy enough Pirate and Divers sets to have a ready | | | | supply of hooks and peg legs (for shame!), he can make a | | | | prosthetic hand out of any off-color minifig hand, and a | | | | prosthetic leg with an off-color leg or by attaching a 1x2 | | | | plate to the back of one of the minifig's legs. For the | | | | most part, these work as well as the originals, except that | | | | pre-TL5 prosthetic hands cannot be used for things like | | | | pulling triggers and playing pianos. | | | |--------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | The victim is saved but has a nasty head | | | | 10 | wound and a concussion. | | | | | | | | |------------------+ Status is upgraded from Dead to | | | | Unconscious. Victim is at -2 Skill for the rest of the | | | | battle. Put a red bandanna or a red 1x1 plate on the | | | | victim's head to serve as a bandage. | | | |--------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | The victim is saved with no major | | | | | complications. | | | | 11-12 | | | | | | Status is upgraded from Dead to | | | | | Unconscious. | | | |------------------+-------------------------------------------| | | | | The victim is somewhat dazed but | | | | | otherwise unhurt. | | | | 13-14 | | | | | | Status is immediately upgraded to | | | | | Exhausted/Stunned. | | | |------------------+-------------------------------------------| | | | | The victim makes an instant and | | | | | miraculous recovery. | | | | 15+ | | | | | | Status is immediately upgraded to | | | | | Normal/Frisky. | | | |------------------+-------------------------------------------| | | | Any time a '10' | The victim's recovery is so miraculous | | | | is rolled, | that it is a significant morale boost. | | | | regardless of TL | | | | | or other bonuses | Status is immediately upgraded to | | | |------------------+ Normal/Frisky. Either the victim or one | | | | of the attending Medix may take a small | | | | performance bonus, such as +1 to Skill or +1" Move, at the | | | | player's discretion. This bonus lasts until the end of the | | | | battle. | | | |--------------------------------------------------------------| | | | If you roll a result that cannot be applied to a certain | | | | victim (for instance, a 9 for a victim who is already a | | | | quadruple amputee), keep subtracting one from the roll until | | | | you get a result that applies. | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ 8.2.8 Technix ------------------------- "I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy." - Richard Feynman +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Technik | | (structure maintenance specialist) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 5" | | Armor: TL + 1 AV | | Skill: 1d6 | | Cost: TL + 2 CP | | Specialty: Technikal Training | | Ratio: 1 per 3 Slaves | +---------------------------------------+ Technix, or Engineers, are like Mechanix for buildings. They carry a SprayCan of hardening ABS SprayFoam, which they use to weld broken walls back together, and to create plastic Brix to patch holes and build barricades. Engineers often command a work-squad of Slaves. An Engineer is represented by a normal Trooper with a SprayCan and a boy-hair piece. Even female Engineers adopt this hairstyle, because getting long hair stuck in a hardening Brik of SprayFoam can be a fatal inconvenience when in the midst of battle. Specialty: Technikal Training (+1CP) ------------------------- Engineers are not given any special training at the Trooper Training Center, but earn their Technikal Degree by sending away for a study- by-mail course from one of their Civilization's second-rate vocational colleges. After they receive their diploma (in as little as nine months), they send $19.95 plus shipping and handling for rush delivery of their SprayCan of SprayFoam. Using this SprayCan, an Engineer can produce 1 Blok per turn, or any Brik, plate, or simple slope of equivalent or lesser size, if he does nothing else that turn. His band of Slaves can then assemble the Brix into large constructions, such as barricades, bridges, or staircases. A construction made out of piled Brix has AV 1d10. If the Technik then spends a turn welding the construction together with SprayFoam, it has an AV of 2d10. Alternatively, an Engineer can direct Slaves to reassemble a broken base wall from its debris, or use prefabricated parts brought in by Supply Trucks to build weapon bunkers and defense towers. Prefabricated parts cost half as much as the structure they are designed to build, except for siege weapons and devices, which cost full price. Piles of regular Blox can also be hauled in, costing 1CP for every (TekLevel x 2) Blox. The Engineer uses his SprayCan to mortar the pieces together, and the structure is as good as new. 8.2.9 Kamikazes ------------------------- "The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!" - Friedrich Nietzsche +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Kamikaze | | (suicidal maniak) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 8" | | Armor: TL + 1d6-5 AV | | Skill: 1d6 | | Cost: TL + 1 CP | | Specialty: Kamikaze Bomb | | Ratio: 1 per 4 Troops | +---------------------------------------+ Every now and then a Trooper gets bored with the normal humdrum ultra-violence, facing certain death day in and day out; it takes a little more to get his adrenaline flowing. Or maybe he's a few days from retirement, and can't stand the thought of not getting to kill anybody anymore. Maybe he's just seen one Jaw-Jaw too many. For whatever reason, a Kamikaze is a Trooper who is even more mentally unstable than his peers. He goes into battle without any armor (and sometimes without clothes), pumped up on CroakaKola and looking for insane risks and suicide missions. A Kamikaze appears to be a normal Trooper who hasn't shaved or bathed in awhile, and he usually wears some kind of funny hat. Specialty: Kamikaze Bomb (+1CP) ------------------------- What the Kamikaze's enemies don't know is that a deadman's switch in his brain is monitoring his vital signs. If the Kamikaze is killed (or holds his breath for more than half a turn), the switch sets off a 3d10 Explosive cleverly implanted in his cranial cavity, allowing him to instantly create large craters decorated with the particulate remains of his own entrails. Naturally, his superiors are fully aware of his explosive potential, and he is positioned far away from friendly squads. 8.3 Elite Troops -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest." - Muhammad Ali For specialists, the abilities that set them apart from common grunts are explicitly delineated. But some troops set themselves apart, not because of specific special abilities, but just by being heroic and able to do amazing things in general. Heroes, as these super-soldiers are called, have the unusual ability to perform Stupendous Feats. There are all kinds of Stupendous Feats; these are only a few examples: Attacking a second time (no automatic hits) Moving a second time Grabbing hold of a passing vehicle Punching a hole through a wall Climbing a sheer surface Deciphering the controls of an alien spacecraft Moving an impossibly large object, such as a building or mountain Leaping a great distance Performing field surgery Seducing a female of another species Repairing a vehicle with string and bubble gum Throwing an object over a vast distance Inspiring Civilians to band together for large-scale futile gestures Etcetera It would be impossible to list all the possible Stupendous Feats a Hero might possibly attempt, but player groups should be sure to establish early exactly how Stupendous their Stupendous Feats can be. Depending on the personalities of the players involved, Stupendous Feats can be extremely silly, stupid, or bizarre, and the best combine all three qualities. On the other hand, Stupendous Feats can be strictly limited to dreary realism or disallowed entirely. In a very serious game, Heroes might have the abilities of a Green Beret, a CIA Assassin, or an Airborne Ranger. More commonly, Stupendous Feats are limited to what might be seen in a typical action movie, giving Heroes the abilities of Rambo, James Bond, Jackie Chan, Conan the Barbarian, or Xena, Warrior Princess. But there's nothing stopping players from setting the limit even higher, giving Heroes the abilities of Superman, or Zeus, or God. As in all areas of BrikWars, you are not obligated to pay any attention to such petty constraints as good taste and common sense if they will keep you from doing something funny like having your Hero smash a vehicle by throwing a building at it or picking up a road baseplate and turning it upside-down. In order for a Hero to perform a Stupendous Feat, the player declares exactly what kind of Feat his Hero is trying to accomplish, and then rolls 1d6. If his opponent wants his attempt to fail (and he usually will), then he also rolls 1d6. If the player attempting the Feat rolls equal to or higher than his opponent, then the Feat succeeds. Otherwise, the Feat fails, and the Hero suffers whatever fate would normally befall someone who attempted such a thing. Sometimes the failure will have no particular consequences, but in general the Hero should suffer some negative effect, and if the attempted Feat was especially Stupendous then the consequences of failure should accordingly be Stupendously Bad. There are no rules dictating the exact results of failure in any situation, but it is helpful to start by imagining what would happen to Homer Simpson if he had made the same attempt. Some extra-Heroic units can perform more than one Stupendous Feat per turn. While such a Hero cannot use a second Feat to try and undo a first Stupendous Failure, he can use the second Feat to avoid or mitigate the consequences of that failure. Successive failures will of course lead to compounded consequences. A Hero can only attempt a certain number of Stupendous Feats per round. A Hero costs an additional +3 CP for each Stupendous Feat available to him. Only units whose abilities are already outstanding can gain the ability to perform Stupendous Feats, so most Heroes have high statistics from a bunch of Performance Improvements. 8.3.1 Ninjas ------------------------- +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Ninja or SpecialOp | | (covert operative and assassin) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 10" | | Armor: TL + 1d6-2 AV | | (+2d6 CC) | | Skill: 3d6+2 | | Cost: TL + 16 CP | | Specialty: Hand Weapons Only | | Stealth | | Spider Gymnastix | | 1 Stupendous Feat | | Ratio: 1 per 7 Troops | +---------------------------------------+ In every Trooper training class, there is one kid with an impenetrable air of mystery. He doesn't participate in class discussions, and no one can tell what he's thinking. These kids mystify their teachers, and so the thoughtful educators kick them out of school and send them to study under the local Ancient ZenMaster. Invariably, it turns out that these kids are just nearsighted, but by the time anyone finds this out it is too late and they are well on their way to becoming Ninjas. Ninjas are mysterious men and women who spend their lives training in secret gymnasiums, perfecting their skills in close combat and covert operations. Sabotage and assassination are the Ninja's primary focuses. When defending against Close Combat attacks and thrown weapons, a Ninja has an almost impenetrable defense, giving him an additional +2d6 AV. A Ninja is also filled with Special Chambara Power, allowing him one Stupendous Feat per turn, such as are frequently seen in no-budget kung-fu movies. A Ninja wears normal Armor, but instead of a helmet, he has either a NinjaHood, a topknot (made out of a one-dot switch piece), or a conical hat (made from the smallest radar dish piece). They often carry a grenade or time bomb in addition to a melee weapon. Ninjas prefer not to drive vehicles, but if they find themselves in control of one they'll often set it on a collision course with an enemy base and jump out at the last moment. If a vehicle carrying Ninjas is destroyed, they all jump out in the nick of time, taking no damage. Specialty: Hand Weapons Only (-1CP) ------------------------- Except for thrown weapons, a Ninja cannot use ranged weapons. Some soldiers assume that it is because the Ninja is unwilling to sacrifice stealth to muzzle flashes and rifle reports. Others think it is because ranged weapons offend the Ninja's professional sensibilities. In fact, it is because Ninjas so heartily enjoy slicing and dicing their opponents (and civilians, and small yapping dogs, and so forth), that to shoot one from a distance would seem like a criminally wasted opportunity. Specialty: Stealth (+2CP) ------------------------- The compulsion to pass unnoticed is so overwhelming that a Ninja often finds himself unable to raise his voice, make phone calls, or turn on any lights in his house. This pattern of mental instability, combined with years spent sneaking up on his parents and frightening the neighbors, has given the Ninja the ability to operate in almost perfect stealth. If a unit is not looking directly at a Ninja (a minifig's cone of vision extends 45 degrees to all sides from the direction it is facing), or if the Ninja has any significant cover (at least 1/3 hidden), then the Ninja goes completely undetected. Even if the unit saw the Ninja only moments before, the unit experiences a strange Stealth-induced amnesia and forgets where the Ninja is. Even if the unit is the Ninja's commanding officer, and the Ninja is maintaining constant radio contact with positional updates, the C.O. will still be unable to detect the Ninja under these conditions. The Ninja's Stealth advantages are cancelled if he is Scanned or gets 'tagged' by a Scout, but fortunately most Scouts have an extremely short life expectancy when within tagging range of a Ninja. When a Ninja sneaks up on an enemy minifig from behind (except another Ninja), his first attack always hits, and does +2 extra damage. Ninjas cannot sneak up on other Ninjas. Specialty: Spider Gymnastix (+3CP) ------------------------- A typical Ninja stunt is to leap into a low-flying Flyer, garrote the Pilot, bean the enemy general with the Pilot's decapitated head, send the Flyer careening into an enemy BattleJeep, and jump clear at the last possible instant. Thanks to hidden wires and camera tricks, Ninjas are able to leap amazing heights (up to two Stories high), run up and down vertical surfaces (at the same speed as horizontal ones), balance on treetops or waving pennants or the surface of cresting ocean waves, ignore Movement Penalties from harsh terrain, survive terrifying falls with no fear of damage, and climb ropes with no free hands. As long as they remain in motion, almost any surface is as easily traversable for the trained Ninja as level pavement. For a less disciplined individual, jumping around like an insane spider monkey in zero gravity would be an end in itself, but for the Ninja the use of these manic gymnastics is strictly limited to furthering his goals of mass homicide. 8.3.2 Heroes ------------------------- "We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by." - Will Rogers +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Hero or Officer | | (elite disposable infantry) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 5" | | Armor: TL + 1d10 AV | | Skill: 1d10+2 | | Cost: TL + 8 CP | | Specialty: 1 Stupendous Feat | | Ratio: 1 per 7 Troops | +---------------------------------------+ Heroes are Troopers who display feats of strength, speed, and agility beyond the abilities of other Troopers, on a regular basis. After displaying exceptional abilities in the Trooper Training Center, a Hero spends three or four extra years in the Hero Training Camp, where he hones his advantages, practices the projection and enunciation of his stage voice, runs drills at thrusting out his chest and walking groin-first, collects capes, scarves, and sashes in a variety of colors and fabrics, and poses for Trooper Training Center recruitment posters. Heroes are well aware that they are symbols of their Civilization's power and glory. Having a Hero on the battlefield is such a morale booster that regular Troopers are driven into a blind patriotic frenzy. Heroes are very efficient killers, and serve as tactical leaders of force divisions when no Champions are available. They have all the abilities of normal Troopers, only more so. They also have the handy ability to perform one Stupendous Feat per turn. They are represented by minifigs with visored helmets and fancy Armor, and often wear some accessory such as feathers in their helmets or braided epaulets. 8.3.3 Champions ------------------------- "Kill a man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill everyone, and you are a god." - Jean Rostand +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Champion or Commander | | (elite elite disposable infantry) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 10" | | Armor: TL + 2d10-3 AV | | Skill: 1d10+2 | | Cost: TL + 21 CP | | Specialty: 3 Stupendous Feats | | Ratio: 1 per player | +---------------------------------------+ When a Hero has been fighting steadily for a few decades, his skills, posturing, and oratory abilities increase even beyond their already-superhuman levels. If by some combination of planning, talent, and dumb luck he manages to live through a hundred battles or so, he will have gained the power, skill, and prestige he needs to be called a Champion. Tales of the great Champions circulate throughout the Civilizations, often making them legends within their own lifetimes. Normal Troopers and Heroes are so bloodthirsty and vicious they've been known to attack themselves out of sheer battle frenzy, and Champions follow in this grand tradition of adrenaline-induced moronitude. However, when they pull the trigger in such a situation, their natural combination of catlike reflexes and dumb luck causes them to miss themselves and hit the fuel line of the cloaked DeathSloop sneaking up behind them, making it spin off and destroy the nearby enemy base in a glorious crash-landing, igniting a forest fire that consumes three divisions of the enemy expeditionary force waiting in ambush on the other side of the hill. As a Hero is to normal Troopers, so is a Champion among Heroes. The most important advantage of the Champion over the mere Hero, beyond some enhanced statistics, is the fact that Champions have *three* Stupendous Feats *per turn.* Now that's something to write home about! Champions are represented by minifigs with visored helmets, fancy Armor, braided epaulets, capes, sashes, cloaks, and any other accessory they can drape over their Herculean physiques. They should be dressed in the most garishly extravagant suit that players can slap together, with all the flame decals and racing stripes. Champions are very vain, and you want to be able to tell them apart. Champions usually have a thick and badly-parodied accent when they talk, and action-movie-hero personalities. Players should know the name and personality of every Champion they field, if not every Hero. 8.4 Civilians -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I don't believe that the big men, the politicians and the capitalists alone are guilty of the war. Oh no, the little man is just as keen, otherwise the people of the world would have risen in revolt long ago." - from the diary of Anne Frank Sadly, not every minifig in the BrikWars universe is cut out for service in the army of a major Civilization. Whether due to physical, psychological, or philosophical weakness, many unfortunate individuals are denied the opportunity to take part in their Civilizations' campaigns of mass destruction. Even so, this unhappy majority still has its purpose to serve. Without the teeming Civilian hordes, who would build the war machines? Who, like rutting vermin, would breed the next generation of Troopers? How would the military finance its operations, without a large audience for their wars on pay-per-view? For many Troopers, the blood, gore, and agony they cause among their enemies is only half the fun. To them, piles of steaming enemy corpses are only appetizers in anticipation of the main course of terror, disfigurement, and lifelong psychological trauma that they can bring into being by staging battles in the midst of innocent and unsuspecting Civilian populations. Civilians come in all styles and flavors, and there are any number of ways to handle them. The Civilians may or may not be allied with one side or another in a given battle. Players may decide that they have to be bought with Construction Points, or they might be supplied along with the scenery. They can be controlled by one player or another, or control can be divided among or even shared by several players. Civilians will almost never have any serious effect on the outcome of a battle (unless one of the Champions refuses to fight until he gets some doughnuts, in which case his Civilization had better hope one of the local Civilians is a PastryChef). Civilians exist only to add a little light-hearted fun and casual casualties, so there's no need to stress out over how their initial placement and control are handled. Just go with whatever your playing style suggests. Before the game begins, players should briefly discuss whether or not there will be Civilians in the game, whether or not they will have Civilian Buildings and Civilian Vehicles and Civilian MailBoxes and Civilian FireHydrants and so forth, where and how many of these things are going to be scattered around on the battlefield, and who's going to take care of moving them around. One simple way to handle it is to only force each army to pay for and control whatever Civilian Specialists happen to be working directly for the military force, and to place all other Civilians free as scenery. At the end of each round, after all players have moved their military units and Civilian Specialists during their respective turns, there is a Civilian Turn during which the players assume control of roughly equal portions of the remaining Civilians and direct them in their everyday mundane tasks. This can slow the game down a bit, but the Civilian Turn can serve as a useful break to relax, step out to hit the refrigerator or bathroom, and explore the complex emotional melodrama of the soap-opera lives of common Civilian minifigs. Civilians may occasionally form small armies of armed rabble, if the military units get them riled up enough. It can sometimes be fun to play out battles in which one or more armies has a large Civilian component, just to watch the Civilians get blasted in a futile attempt to fight against vastly superior forces. Civilians may sometimes receive unexpected assistance from unaffiliated Troopers with whom they have shared pizza or nachos. 8.4.1 Normal People ------------------------- "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." - Thomas Jefferson +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Normal Person | | (autonomous target dummy) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 4" | | Armor: TL + 1d6-4 AV | | Skill: 1d6-2 | | Cost: TL-3 CP (min 1) | | Specialty: none | | Ratio: none (troop) | +---------------------------------------+ Most Normal People don't have the sense enough to get the hell out of a war zone, and end up stumbling across streets filled with gyro fire and exploding vehicles on their way to work at the office, barber shop, sporting goods store, or local restaurant. Occasionally, Normal People will band together in riots, revolts, and uprisings against government oppression or in support of their local sports team. Other times, they will grow tired of the local warlords' continued raids for supplies and entertainment, and take it upon themselves to try and fend off the brigands. Regardless of the situation, a Normal Person heading out onto the battlefield hasn't got much to look forward to besides getting splattered. Normal People do not have the training to use Death Guns, or any other military-only weapons like Missiles and Assault Helicopters. They can figure out how to use most handguns and Close Combat weapons, but don't expect them to be very effective with them. 8.4.2 Abnormal People ------------------------- "Even if the voices aren't real, they have some awfully good ideas." - Unknown +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Abnormal Person | | (autonomous nutcase target dummy) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 4" | | Armor: TL + 1d6-4 AV | | Skill: 1d6 | | Cost: TL-1 CP (min 1) | | Specialty: none | | Ratio: 1 per 10 Normal People | +---------------------------------------+ Every now and then an honest and hardworking group of soldiers will be innocently doing battle in an urban area, mowing down stray Normal People as usual, when suddenly some Psychotik will do something totally unexpected like blow up a bridge, plow through a brigade in his monster truck, or activate a whole pile of MkIII Lasers he's secretly installed all over the exterior of his house. The most typical Abnormal People have the stats listed above, but crazier types can be assigned other point values depending on exactly how Abnormal they are. In temperament, most Abnormal People are either Mad Bombers, Paranoid Arms Stockpilers, or Suicidal Maniaks. In appearance, they invariably come in one of three flavors: the unshaven blue-collar psycho who's missing a hand, arm, leg, eye, or face; the jet-setting businessman sociopath with his suit, briefcase, sunglasses, and carefully sculpted hair; or the homicidal postal worker. There are no restrictions on the kinds of weapons an Abnormal Person can get his hands on and learn to use. Better yet, they don't care at all who gets mowed down in their quest to reach their targets. 8.4.3 Belligerent People ------------------------- +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Belligerent Person | | (autonomous pain in the butt) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 4" | | Armor: TL + 1d6-3 AV | | Skill: 1d6 | | Cost: TL CP (min 1) | | Specialty: none | | Ratio: none (troop) | +---------------------------------------+ While most Normal People spend a battle doing Normal Things, there are some who don't react well to violence. Some even go out of their way to seek out violence for the sole purpose of not reacting well to it. These are people who live and work on whatever land the players have chosen as their battlefield, and who feel an unusual personal duty to defend their community. In more modern communities, these will be policemen and guardsmen. In more primitive societies, these will be the hunters and warriors. It will often be appropriate, especially in more primitive societies, to give the Belligerent People one or more copies of the Shock Troop Specialty (8.1.1: The Trooper). Belligerent People may be groups of Smuggling People defending their hideouts with Impact Pistols and jury-rigged MkI Lasers, or they may be a bunch of Islander People throwing spears, or a group of BlackBelt People from the local Brikido dojo, or a castle full of Aristocratic People with fencing swords poking your Troopers in their armored bottoms, and so forth. Unlike an Abnormal Person, their primary goal is to keep their communities safe, rather than to kill as many Troopers as they can. As long as Troopers respect the local laws and citizenry, the local Belligerent People will leave them alone. On the other hand, Belligerent People are pretty weak, so it's no big deal if the troops want to take a few squads in and shoot up the town. ----------------------------------- CHAPTER NINE: Alternate Species ----------------------------------- Humans are not the only battle-worthy creatures under the sun, and on some battlefields they are not even the most intelligent. Besides all the horses, crocodiles, dinosaurs, sharks, dragons, and other hostile beasts a warrior might encounter, in some settings the warriors themselves might be aliens, mutants, elves, giants, werewolves, or any of a number of sentient Species. A few examples of alternate animals and intelligent humanoids will be presented in this chapter, but more importantly, rules are also provided allowing players to create their own custom Species. 9.1 Custom Species -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When creating a humanoid Species, or any Species the up to the size of a Horse, it is best to start with the base statistics of a Trooper. (The TekLevel of most animals and many monsters is effectively zero, so their base Armor and CP cost will be 2.) +------------------------+ | Base Species Stats | |------------------------| | Move: 5" normal | | Armor: TL+1 (min 2) | | Skill: 1d6 | | Power: 1 | | IQ: Sentient | | CP Cost: TL+1 (min 2) | +------------------------+ Statistics can then be adjusted upwards or downwards using the Trooper Performance Modifications (8.1.2: Trooper Performance Modification), summarized here: +-----------------------------------------------------+ | Statistic Modifiers | |-----------------------------------------------------| | Statistic | To Improve | To Disimprove | |-----------+--------------------+--------------------| | Movement | +1CP per +2" | -1CP per -1" | | Armor | +1CP per +2 AV | -1CP per -1 AV | | Skill | +1CP per +2 Skill | -1CP per -1 Skill | | Power | +3CP per +1 Power | -5CP per -1 Power | +-----------------------------------------------------+ Species smaller and lighter than Troopers can have zero Power and still move around; however they cannot move or carry objects heavier than equipment objects, and they may not attack with Close Combat weapons or throw objects of any size. With larger Species, it's best to start by building them as Vehicles (ignoring TL limits and the 5CP minimum cost where necessary). With the basic statistics in hand, the player can proceed to flesh out the Species' distinguishing characteristics. 9.1.1 Form ------------------------- The most immediate aspect of a new Species is its form. Different Species come in all shapes and sizes, but the advantages and disadvantages of size and shape alone tend to cancel each other out and so do not have any effect on a Species' CP cost. Larger creatures can reach farther and jump higher, but offer an easier target area for enemy attacks. Smaller creatures can hide easily and sneak into tight spaces, but much of the world remains out of their reach. What can affect a Species' CP cost is whether it has any body parts that grant it special abilities. A Body Part's cost is determined by its length in inches and its Usage Category (Fine Manipulator, Coarse Manipulator, Non-Manipulator, and No Use). Whether a body part plays a part in the Species' means of locomotion is ignored, since Movement is bought separately without taking body parts into account. A Species may have any or all of the following items or their equivalents at no cost: Up to two 1" arms with hands (Fine Manipulators) One 1" mouth with teeth, bites for 1d6 Damage (Coarse Manipulator) Up to four 1" legs with feet (Non-Manipulators) Tail and wings (No Use) To buy a new body part, or to upgrade an existing body part, first decide its Usage Category. Fine Manipulators (+1CP per +1" length) (ape hands, rat claws, eagle talons, alien energy tendril clusters) ------------------------- Fine Manipulators are any organs that are functionally equivalent to the human hand. They can be used to pull triggers, scratch itches, play pianos, swing swords, dig with shovels, sort tiny plastic blocks, and furthermore perform any function of the other Usage Categories. Coarse Manipulators (+1CP per +2" length) (octopus tentacles, monkey tails, elephant trunks, dog mouths) ------------------------- Coarse Manipulators can be used for lifting, carrying, and occasionally throwing larger objects, and they can sometimes be used for climbing or hanging from. They cannot be used for precision work like attacking with a weapon, although they may themselves be weapons and can be used for attack. Non-Manipulators (+1CP per 4" length) (horse hooves, man feet, dinosaur tails) ------------------------- Non-Manipulators are prehensile body parts that might be used in locomotion or balance and are sturdy enough to be used for shoving or striking attacks. No Use (Free) (cat tails, dragon wings, ant antennae, fish fins, snail eye stalks) ------------------------- No Use body parts are prehensile and may in fact be quite useful for purposes of locomotion, balance, or sensory perception, but are not sturdy enough to shove objects or be used in attacks. Except for "No Use" parts, any body part may be used to strike objects or enemies. By default, this attack has a UR of 2 and does (Power x 1d6) Stun Damage. For +1CP, a body part can be converted from Stun to normal Damage, which is more appropriate for parts with teeth or claws. Creatures attacking with their own limbs can typically only make one attack per turn, regardless of how many dangerous body parts they have. Body parts that are specially designed to be used as weapons (such as a scorpion's tail or a swordfish's nose) can be enhanced with the Customized Equipment modifiers (2.5: Creating New Weapons and Equipment). If there is a weapon or equipment item that closely approximates the function of the body part, you can save time by simply paying the point cost of that weapon or equipment item. Powerful creatures with long limbs can often strike multiple opponents in a single swing. See 3.4.1: Overkill. 9.1.2 Movement ------------------------- One of the most important distinguishing characteristics of a new Species is its means of locomotion. Non-humanoid Species built off of Vehicle stats will already have their propulsion type factored in to their cost, but humanoids with extra propulsion types must buy them separately. If possible, it is best for humanoids with multiple propulsion types to have the same Movement Rating in each category; this will be easier to remember and cut down on bookkeeping during the game. +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Species Propulsion Modifiers | |--------------------------------------------------------------------| | Land Creatures | | | Normal ground propulsion (Arms and Legs) | first 5" Free | | | +1 per +2" | | (No Ground propulsion) | (-5CP) | | Wall crawling | +2CP | | Gymnastics (takes no damage from falls, jumps | | | up to Move" high or in any direction) | +1CP | | Burrows through soft earth | +3CP per +1" | | Tunnels through solid rock | +5CP per +1" | |---------------------------------------------------+----------------| | Sea Creatures | | | Swims and breathes underwater | +1CP per +2" | | Only breathes water (suffocates in air) | -1CP | |---------------------------------------------------+----------------| | Sky Creatures | | | Floats 1" above ground | 0 CP | | Floats up and down only (no lateral floating) | +1CP per +2" | | Gliding flight (lose 1 Story of altitude or 2" | | | of speed per turn) | +1CP per +3" | | Flight (min. 5" speed per turn to stay aloft) | +1CP per +2" | | Hover flight | +1CP per +1" | |---------------------------------------------------+----------------| | Space Creatures | | | No need for air or life support | +1CP | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ If a Species uses its limbs to move itself around, then any loss or injury of those limbs will incur Movement Penalties or prevent one or more kinds of movement altogether. When such a situation arises, it is up to the players to determine what Movement Penalties are appropriate according to the Species' specific physiology. Some Species have poor motor skills or erratic behavior, and up to half of their movement is completely random. Random movement costs half as much as the same type of regular movement, and the direction of motion is determined by a 1d6 roll on the Ker-Stagger! Table. +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | The Ker-Stagger! Table | |--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1d6 | Direction of staggering | |-----+--------------------------------------------------------------| | 1 | The unit falls on its face or turns upside down. | | 2 | Backwards | | 3 | 45° back and left or 45° back and right (enemy's choice) | | 4 | Dead left or dead right (enemy's choice) | | 5 | 45° front and left or 45° front and right (enemy's choice) | | 6 | Forward | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ Staggering direction is relative to the direction the unit is facing, and staggering movement takes place prior to normal movement. A unit does not stagger if it is at rest. 9.1.3 Intelligence ------------------------- While most of the actors on the BrikWars stage are assumed to have a certain basic level of intelligence, animals and monsters are often somewhat lacking in this area. As long as members of a Species have the basic cognitive ability to follow orders, act independently, and keep focused on simple tasks, they are considered Smart and their behavior and CP costs are unaffected. +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Animal Intelligence Chart | |--------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Wild animals flee from perceived threats unless | | | cornered or wounded. They may attack without | | Wild | provocation if a weaker opponent intrudes on its | | -4 CP | territory, comes between it and its offspring, or | | | appears tasty. | | | | | | Examples: Alligators, lions, mice, birds, T-rexes | |-------------+------------------------------------------------------| | | A Tame animal acts the same as a Wild animal, except | | Tame | that it does not perceive minifigs as threats | | -4 CP | (unless attacked by one) or as food. | | | | | | Examples: Sheep, cows, pigs, chickens, cats | |-------------+------------------------------------------------------| | | A Trained animal can follow the simple orders of any | | | minifig riding it or holding it on some kind of | | Trained | harness. If the animal escapes, or if its handler | | -3 CP | is killed, it behaves as if Wild. It may then be | | | recaptured and ridden or harnessed by minifigs | | | belonging to any team. | | | | | | Examples: Draft horses, oxen, elephants | |-------------+------------------------------------------------------| | | A Loyal animal can follow the simple orders of any | | | friendly minifig within 5", including orders that | | Loyal | carry the animal great distances from its master. | | -2 CP | If separated and without fresh orders, the animal | | | seeks out its master or the nearest friendly | | | minifigs. If all friendly minifigs have been | | | killed, the animal defends the bodies. | | | | | | Examples: Dogs, falcons, conjured or summoned beasts | |-------------+------------------------------------------------------| | | A Smart animal can act independently, without orders | | Smart | from minifigs. | | -1 CP | | | | Examples: Warhorses, wolves, monkeys | |-------------+------------------------------------------------------| | | A Sentient animal is as smart as any Trooper (which | | Sentient | is not as impressive as it sounds). Depending on | | 0 CP | its anatomical limitations, it may be able to use | | | tools, give orders to less intelligent animals, or | | | even speak. | | | | | | Examples: Dragons, magik familiars, parrots | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ An individual animal's Intelligence may vary wildly from the Intelligence level typical of its Species; its CP cost should be adjusted upwards or downwards to reflect this. Even if a Species is capable of standard minifig intelligence, they may be subject to lapses of judgement and periodic idiocy. If so, individuals of that Species are given a Stupidity Rating, and they must make a Stupidity Roll at the beginning of every turn and consult the Idiot Ker-Duh! Table. To keep Stupidity Rolls from slowing down the game, it is best to limit the number of Stupid troops on the table, or arrange Stupid troops into Squads and then make a single Stupidity Roll for the entire Stupid Squad. +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Idiot Ker-Duh Table | |--------------------------------------------------------------------| | Stupidity Roll | Effect | |----------------+---------------------------------------------------| | Critical | The unit may make actions as intelligent as | | Success | those of any Trooper during the turn, although | | | possibly for stupid reasons. | |----------------+---------------------------------------------------| | 4 or more | The unit behaves as normal. | |----------------+---------------------------------------------------| | | The unit forgets his orders and must be reminded | | 3 | in simple terms for 1/2 of his movement phase. | | | If there are no units nearby who can tell him, he | | | must turn back and seek some out on his own. If | | | there are no units he can ask, he wanders in a | | | random direction as for #2 below. | |----------------+---------------------------------------------------| | | The unit becomes confused and wanders in a random | | 2 | direction for its full movement phase (Roll 1d6 | | | on the Ker-Stagger Table for the direction). | |----------------+---------------------------------------------------| | | The unit's mouth falls open and drooling begins, | | 1 | possibly followed by loss of bladder or bowel | | | control. The unit takes no action this turn. | |----------------+---------------------------------------------------| | | The unit attacks the nearest recognizable target: | | 0 | enemy, ally, or otherwise. If this result is | | | rolled for a Stupid Squad, squad members do not | | | attack each other, but instead pick a nearby | | | object, unit, or squad to gang up on. | |----------------+---------------------------------------------------| | -1 | The unit attempts to destroy any equipment it is | | | carrying. | |----------------+---------------------------------------------------| | -2 | The unit falls asleep. It may attempt to wake up | | | on following turns as if it were Unconscious. | |----------------+---------------------------------------------------| | | The unit stupidly attacks itself. If this result | | -3 | is rolled for a Stupid Squad, the squad members | | | all attack one another. | |----------------+---------------------------------------------------| | | The unit is under enemy control for one turn. | | -4 | The enemy player may not direct the unit to | | | undertake actions beyond the unit's intellect. | |----------------+---------------------------------------------------| | -5 | The unit forgets to keep living and falls dead. | |----------------+---------------------------------------------------| | -6 | The unit forgets to exist and disappears. | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ Regular Sentient units are assumed to have a Stupidity Rating of 5; that is to say, without even rolling they always achieve a 'behaves as normal' result on this chart. If a Species' Stupidity Rating is converted to dice and lowered, their cost is decreased by -1CP for every point below 5 in the Stupidity Rating. +--------------------------------------------------------+ | Sample Stupidity Ratings | |--------------------------------------------------------| | Stupid# | CP Cost | Example Units | |---------+---------+------------------------------------| | 5 | 0CP | Regular Troopers, Civilians | | 1d6 | -1CP | Drunken Troopers, hippies | | 1d6-1 | -2CP | Orcs, high school football players | | 2d6-5 | -3CP | Trolls, alien worm masses | | 2d6-6 | -4CP | Attack blobs, politicians | | 3d6-11 | -5CP | Nintendo game sprites, AOL users | +--------------------------------------------------------+ 9.1.4 Special Abilities ------------------------- "You can't help respecting anybody who can spell 'Tuesday,' even if he doesn't spell it right. But spelling isn't everything; there are days when spelling Tuesday simply doesn't count." - Rabbit (A.A. Milne) Any really good Species has a special ability or two, in order to justify the extra hassle of fielding it. There are a number of different ways to handle special abilities. Special movement types, modified stats, and extra limbs have been covered above. Special abilites that mimic the abilities of troop or Siege weapons or equipment items are bought with the same stats as the equivalent item. Any remaining special abilities are bought as Troop Specialties (8.1.1: The Trooper). Any Troop Specialty described in Chapter Eight will work well as a Species' special ability, and new Troop Specialties can be invented using these as a model. A number of additional possibilites are included with the example Species below. (If you are using Supplement SP: Supernatural Powers, you can also create special abilities as if they were Supernatural abilities.) 9.2 Animals -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I loathe people who keep dogs. They are cowards who haven't got the guts to bite people themselves." - August Strindberg While any type of animal can be built out of PBBs by a sufficiently clever player, most of the animals in a BrikWars battle will be the ones specially provided as POOPs by one PBB company or another (and of those, most will be Horses). The stats of these standard animals are listed below as examples. 9.2.1 Domesticated Animals ------------------------- "A cat will look down to a man. A dog will look up to a man. But a pig will look you straight in the eye and see his equal." - Winston Churchill The most basic and common type of animal is the Horse, and so the Horse is used as the example to demonstrate the development of an animal Species. A horse has four 1" legs, a tail, and a mouth; there are few enough limbs that they are all provided free of charge. We start with the Base Species Stats for animals: MV:5" AV:2 Sk:1d6 Pwr:1 IQ:Smart CP:2 A Horse is faster, hardier, and stronger than a minifig, but less intelligent. We make the following modifications to statistics: MV:+5" AV:1d10+1 SK: - Pwr:+2 IQ:Trained (+2.5 CP) (+2.25 CP) (+6 CP) (-3CP) Rounding up the CP Cost, we arrive at the following results: MV:10" AV:1d10+1 Sk:1d6 Pwr:3 IQ:Trained CP:10 Further specialized breeds of Horses can be created in the same manner. +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Horses | |--------------------------------------------------------------------| | Type | CP | Move" |Pwr| Skill | IQ | Armor | Special | |-------------+----+---------+---+-------+-------+--------+----------| | Horse | 10 | 10"norm | 3 | 1d6 |Trained| 1d10+1 | none | | DraftHorse | 10 | 8" norm | 4 | 1d6-2 |Trained| 2d6 | none | | RidingHorse | 10 | 15"norm | 2 | 1d6 | Loyal | 1d10 | none | | WarHorse | 15 | 12"norm | 3 | 1d6+2 | Smart | 2d6+2 | none | |--------------------------------------------------------------------| | Kicks with the front or back legs does (Power x 1d6) Stun Damage. | | Bites do 1d6 Damage. Both attacks have a UR of 2. | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ Livestock and herd animals have been included (and used as projectiles) in more than one BrikWars game, but as there are not yet any livestock POOPs, their stats are not listed here. On the other hand, there are several types of available 'pet' Species. +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Pets | |--------------------------------------------------------------------| | Type | CP | Move" |Pwr| Skill | IQ | Armor | Special | |-------------+----+---------+---+-------+-------+--------+----------| | Puppy | 2 | 6" norm | 1 | 1d6 | Loyal | 1d6 | none | | Bite: UR:2 RNG:CC DMG:1d6 | | | | Kitty | 1 | 8" norm | 0 | 1d6+2 | Tame | 1d6-1 | gymnast | | Bite/Scratch: UR:2 RNG:CC DMG:1d6-2 | | | | Bunny | 4 | 5" norm | 1 | 1d6 | Smart | 1d6+1 | gymnast | | (Baalville) 2 hands, uses minifig weapons up to TL2 | | | | Monkey | 5 | 4" norm | 1 | 1d6+1 | Smart | 1d6 | gymnast | | | walcrawl | | 4 hands, uses minifig weapons up to TL3 | | | | Parrot | 1 | 2" norm | 0 | 1d6 |Sentnt.| 1d6-2 | talks | | | 12" fly | | | Bite/Scratch: UR:2 RNG:CC DMG:1d6-4 | | | | Falcon | 8 | 3" norm | 1 | 1d6+2 | Smart | 1d6-1 | none | | | 15" fly | | | Bite/Claw: UR:2 RNG:CC DMG:1d6 | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ 9.2.2 Savage Beasts ------------------------- "Wild animals never kill for sport. Man is the only one to whom the torture and death of his fellow creatures is amusing in itself." - Froude Wild animals usually avoid large battles and typically only become involved if the battle threatens their lair or their offspring, or if they are captured, starved, and released in the middle of a battlefield. Captured animals can be hidden under secret trapdoors or launched from catapults (either situation can be dangerous for the animal, depending on who lands on what). +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Vermin | |--------------------------------------------------------------------| | Type | CP | Move" |Pwr| Skill | IQ | Armor | Special | |-------------+----+---------+---+-------+-------+--------+----------| | Snake | 1 | 3" norm | 0 | 1d6 | Wild | 1d6-2 | none | | | 1" burr | | | Bite: UR:2 RNG:CC DMG:1d6 Poison | | | | Spider | 1 | 2" norm | 0 | 1d6-1 | Wild | 1d6-3 | walcrawl | | Bite: UR:2 RNG:CC DMG:1d6 Poison | | | | Scorpion | 1 | 2" norm | 0 | 1d6 | Wild | 1d6-2 | none | | Sting: UR:2 RNG:CC DMG:1d6 Poison | |--------------------------------------------------------------------| | Beasts | |--------------------------------------------------------------------| | Crocodile | 7 | 6" norm | 1 | 1d6 | Wild | 1d6+3 | none | | | 6" swim | | | Croc Chomp: UR:2 RNG:CC DMG:1d6+3 | | | | Polar Bear | 6 | 8" norm | 2 | 1d6 | Wild | 1d6+3 | none | | Maul: UR:2 RNG:CC DMG:2d6 | | | | Bunny | 5 | 10"norm | 0 | 1d6+2 | Wild | 2d6 | gymnast | | (Vorpal) Flying Bunny Chomp: UR:3 RNG:CC DMG:2d6+1 | |--------------------------------------------------------------------| | Sea Creatures | |--------------------------------------------------------------------| | Dolphin | 1 | 6" swim | 1 | 1d6 | Tame | 1d6+1 | none | | Ram Attack: UR:2 RNG:CC DMG: 1d6 Stun | | | | Shark | 1 | 6" swim | 1 | 1d6 | Wild | 1d6+2 | br.water | | Bite: UR:2 RNG:CC DMG:1d6 | | | | White Shark | 3 | 8" swim | 2 | 1d6 | Wild | 2d6 | br.water | | Bite: UR:2 RNG:CC DMG:2d6 | | | | Swordfish | 1 | 6" swim | 1 | 1d6 | Wild | 1d6+2 | br.water | | Chainsaw Nose: UR:5 RNG:CC DMG:2d6+1 | | | | Octopus | 2 | 4" swim | 2 | 1d6 | Wild | 2d6 | br.water | | Tentacle Crush: UR:2 RNG:CC DMG:2d6 Stun | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ 9.3 Monsters -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Horrifying monsters are a pleasant addition to any field of battle. Most monsters can be purchased as intelligent minions of one side or the other, but they are more commonly found running wild. Untamed monsters may behave like regular wild animals, they might defend a treasure or location, or they might just attack everything in sight. 9.3.1 Monster Specialties ------------------------- "Hence it is necessary to a prince, if he wants to maintain his position, to learn to be able to be evil, and to use or not use this ability according to necessity." - Niccolo Machiavelli, "The Prince" There are many Specialties that are particularly appropriate to monster Species. Here are a few. Specialty: Evil (0CP) ------------------------- For monsters, Evil is a much more serious matter than simple choices between right and wrong and abstract comparisons between Adolf Hitler and Mother Teresa. Evil is far more defining and irrevocable than some paltry philosophy or way of life: it's a union membership. After a long apprenticeship in a Monster Guild, a monster-in-training is allowed to go into practice as a Journeyman Monster only after he joins the local chapter of his Evil Workers' Union. Once he is a card-carrying member of Evil, he may only ally with other Evil monsters and the slaves of Evil monsters, or risk the wrath of the union. He may still fight against other Evil units if they get in his way, if they annoy him, or for his own amusement. Specialty: Attacked on Sight (-2CP) ------------------------- Some monsters inspire such outrage and hatred that any intelligent minifig that spies them must drop everything and attack with every means at its disposal. Hatred for these monsters can inspire bitter enemies to band together and dedicated pacifists to take up arms. Only the most Evil units are immune to this compulsion. Specialty: Contagious Bite (+1CP per Poison Point) ------------------------- Quite a few 'classic' monsters are blessed with a venomous bite that changes victims into monsters like themselves if not treated in time: vampires, werewolves, and zombies, to name a few. A Contagious Bite attack (UR:2 RNG:CC) injects the victim with Monster Poison. This poison behaves just like normal Poison (3.4.5: Poison), gradually making its victims Stunned and then Unconscious. After Unconsciousness, instead of dying, the victim turns into a copy of the monster that bit them. This new monster, no longer Unconscious or Stunned, zips around at full strength biting victims of its own. (If you plan to use Contagious creatures in a battle, be sure to bring a supply of extra figures to represent their increasing numbers if necessary.) Specialty: No Flesh (+3CP) ------------------------- Monsters composed of bone or rock have no soft flesh and so can ignore many kinds of damage. Units without flesh have no need to breathe and are immune to fire, poison, gas, vacuum, and cold. Cutting attacks (swords, knives) and impaling attacks (spears, arrows, rifle bullets) do half damage. Explosions, bashing attacks, and collisions do full damage and are the best way to deal with a No Flesh opponent. Electricity and energy attacks are also effective, as they can cause No Flesh monsters to explode. Specialty: Modular (+(AVx3)CP) ------------------------- A modular creature's parts are tied together by magic or by nanoprobe goo or by some other special method that allows them to be reattached once they have been knocked off. Any attack that exceeds the creature's Armor Value does not kill the creature but instead knocks off one body part (limb, torso, or head). Multiple body parts can get knocked off by a single attack if it does many times the creature's AV in damage. When body parts are separated, they are still 'alive' unless destroyed separately (each has an AV equal to the original unit's AV). Limbs will crawl back towards the torso (or any nearby limbless torso of the correct Species) at 1" per turn. If a headless torso has limbs to move with, it will move towards the nearest amputated head at half speed. A single modular creature may reattach one body part per turn instead of attacking. +------------------------------------------------+ | Speed Limits for Amputees | |------------------------------------------------| | Missing legs: -2" per missing leg | | No legs: 1" per arm | | No legs or arms: 1 dot, pulling self by teeth | | Just a head: 0" | +------------------------------------------------+ Specialty: Regeneration (Unit cost doubled) ------------------------- All damage taken by a Regenerating unit counts as Stun damage. Whenever the unit takes damage from a cutting weapon or an explosion that is greater than his Armor, he loses one limb (defender's choice), in addition to normal Stun effects. The wound closes instantly, so there is no further damage from blood loss as with regular amputation (8.2.7: Medix). If the unit loses both legs, it also loses its pelvis. If it has no limbs to lose, then it loses a torso instead and is reduced to just a head. If the unit has no torso to lose, then the head is destroyed and can no longer regenerate. A regenerating unit makes its Stun Recovery roll at +1. If the roll is successful, the unit may upgrade from Stunned to Normal, from Unconscious to Stunned, or even from Dead to Unconscious, unless the corpse has been incinerated or the head has been gibbed somehow. As long as the unit's head is still attached and operational, it can regrow lost body parts. A lonely head can regrow its torso, the torso can regrow an arm or a leg, and an arm can regrow a hand. Specialty: Replication (Unit cost tripled) ------------------------- A Replicating unit has all the powers of a Regenerating unit, with the additional ability that any amputated part can now grow into a whole new creature. Hands can grow arms, arms or legs can grow torsos, and torsos can grow new heads. (New heads arrive Stunned.) Component body parts can be attacked and destroyed at the AV of the original unit. (If you plan to use Replicating creatures in a battle, be sure to bring a supply of extra figures to represent their increasing numbers if necessary.) 9.3.2 JawJaws and Dimmies ------------------------- "If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One... I am become Death, the Shatterer of Worlds." - J. Robert Oppenheimer, quoting "The Bhagavad Gita", Alamogordo, New Mexico, 1945 No figures are more hated in the BrikWars universe than JawJaw and Dimmy. Throughout every age of history, in every mystical dimension and every corner of the galaxy, these villains erupt in virulent hordes to destroy the very underpinnings of civilization. In filthy swamps, caves, cesspools, and garbage dumps, they spawn until their numbers are great enough to stage attacks on unsuspecting minifig settlements. Strangely, though similar in many ways, JawJaw and Dimmy hate each other and are bitter enemies, and the disaffected minifigs who worship them in underground religions are just as acrimonious. +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: JawJaw | | (Mother Nature's waste disposal) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 5" | | Armor: 3 | | Skill: 1d6 | | TL: 1 (Tribal) | | Stupidity: 1d6-1 | | Cost: 2 CP | | Specialties: Evil | | Attacked on Sight | | Replication | | Attacks: Bite UR:2 Rng:CC | | Dmg: (2 Poison) + 1d6 | +---------------------------------------+ The true origin and nature of JawJaw's Dungan species is a mystery, but it seems to be at least partially directed by some kind of collective hive mind. Rumors abound of a complex heirarchy of Dungan subspecies, including a mysterious Dungan Undermind, but these have never been confirmed. Dungans are especially attracted to the refuse of civilization, and typically breed in sewers and garbage dumps. Their favorite foods are garbage, rotting corpses, and sewage, although they can eat literally anything with no ill effect. JawJaw worshippers view the Dungan race as the physical embodiment of Nature's cycle of death and rebirth, destruction and recreation, and chaos and order. JawJaws dress in filthy, slimy rags and matted fur pelts. Two huge, leprous ears drape over their backs; glowing orbs squint maliciously from their bulbous eyestalks, and rotting sewage drips from their crocodilian maws. Their breath alone is enough to kill the most hardened Trooper, and any chunk of flesh that gets chopped off can grow into a whole new Dungan. Their only weaknesses are their abysmal Stupidity and bizarre language (featuring "words" like 'meesa' and 'big bombad'), which seems expressly designed to force any intelligent species they encounter to react with homicidal rage. +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Dimmy | | (society's lowest common denominator) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: (4" stagger) + 2" | | Armor: 3 | | Skill: 1d6-1 | | Power: 2 | | TL: 0 (CaveMan) | | Cost: 4 CP | | Specialties: Evil | | Attacked on Sight | | Contagious Bite | | Attacks: Bite UR:2 Rng:CC | | Dmg: 1d6 Dimmy Poison | +---------------------------------------+ In any developed civilization, there are powerful forces with names like 'Marketing,' 'Political Correctness,' 'Mass Culture,' 'Institutionalized Religion,' and 'Public Education' that advance their interests by engendering conformity, ignorance, and sloth while claiming to do the exact opposite. Minifig citizens are subjected to beer commercials, fast food, athlete-worship, pop music, and pontificating authority figures who are happy to relieve them of any obligation to think for themselves. Over years of continuous exposure, some minifigs begin to "Juniorize," a process of devolution in which minifigs lose all individuality and conform to every lowest common denominator. At first, they become simple Timmies (8.2.4: Slaves), out-of-shape slobs in baseball caps and gaudy T-shirts who stare wide-eyed and fascinated through hours of professional wrestling, televangelism, and junior college courses. If Juniorization is left unchecked, the Timmies eventually experience total loss of brain function and become horrifying flesh-eating Dimmy zombies. Slack-jawed, hollow-eyed, and unwashed, Dimmies stagger drunkenly around in the tattered rags of their baseball caps and T-shirts, munching on whatever minifigs they come across. Any minifig receiving a Dimmy bite is infected with Dimmy poison and may become a Dimmy themself. Dimmies are semi-intelligent and capable of building simple structures and vehicles, although they will always settle for the easiest and most half-assed design solution, using the smallest number of parts. Dimmies are irresistably attracted to POOPs (especially BURPs) and will collect them in great worthless hoards. Dimmy worshippers see in Dimmy the ultimate role model for Buddhist self-negation and Confucianist social harmony. As inappropriate as this may seem to any thinking person, Dimmyists are philosophically opposed to questioning propositions, and especially to searching for correct solutions where rough guesses will do. 9.3.3 The Horrifying Undead ------------------------- "Either this man is dead, or my watch has stopped." - Groucho Marx While not commanding the same level of all-consuming hatred as a JawJaw or a Dimmy, zombies, skeletons, and other undead creatures can be frightening and disgusting in their own right. Undead creatures may be especially vulnerable to 'holy' minifigs and 'blessed' weapons, according to the whims of the players; these will have to be handled as special cases. +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Zombie | | (rotting meat sack) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: (4" stagger) + 2" | | Armor: 5 | | Skill: 1d6-1 | | Power: 1 | | TL: any | | Cost: 6 | | Specialties: Evil | | Dead Flesh | | Contagious Bite | | Attacks: Zombie Bite UR:2 Rng:CC | | Dmg:1d6 Zombie Poison | +---------------------------------------+ An individual Zombie's biggest dream is to stagger into a backwater town, bite a bunch of hillbillies and start to raise a Zombie army. By munching the denizens of progressively larger and larger towns, Zombies hope to one day achieve the numbers necessary to be recognized as a sovereign Zombie nation, and end their persecution and misunderstanding by the living minifigs with the tasty, tasty brains. Being already dead, Zombies suffer no ill effects from pain, poison, lack of air, or extreme temperatures. Chopping off their limbs will slow them down but otherwise cause no ill effects. If a Zombie is set on fire or doused with acid, its flesh will eventually burn off, and the Zombie will become a Skeleton. +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Skeleton | | (meat support structure) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 6" | | Armor: 1 | | Skill: 1d6+1 | | Power: 1 | | TL: any | | Cost: 9 | | Specialties: Evil | | No Flesh | | Modular | | Attacks: Throw Bone UR:2 | | Rng:1d6" Dmg:1d6 Stun | +---------------------------------------+ Unhindered by the Zombie's hundred pounds of dead flesh, a Skeleton is much quicker and nimbler. Although no longer able to deliver Zombifying bites, the Skeleton has the nifty ability to reassemble itself from spare Skeleton parts when it gets smashed to bits. +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Ghost | | (misplaced soul) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 4" | | Armor: 2 | | Skill: 1d6 | | Power: 0 | | TL: any | | Cost: 3 | | Specialties: Evil (usually) | | Intangible | | Attacks: None | +---------------------------------------+ A Ghost is a mysterious and dreary individual; its glory days are far behind but it isn't quite ready to leave. A Ghost cannot make any kind of attack, although it can carry small objects, deliver messages, create spooky sounds, and cause all kinds of mischief. A Ghost spends most of its time in an intangible state, allowing it to travel through floors and walls and rendering it immune to any physical attack; however, the Ghost must solidify to speak or carry objects, during which time it is extremely vulnerable. Rumors of Ghosts having the ability to turn invisible are incorrect, although a Ghost can fake invisibility by quickly floating behind a wall or descending into the floor. It is rumored that two Ghosts in an intangible state may do battle with one another, armed and as dangerous to one another as they were when they were living minifigs. 9.3.4 Cave Monsters ------------------------- Although the undead can do a passable job of guarding historical relics and dusty antiques, the really big piles of treasure look out of place unless they're stuck in a cave with a big cave monster defending them. +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: BurpMan | | (POOP monster) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 3" | | (1" tunneling) | | Armor: 2d6+5 | | Skill: 1d6 | | Power: 3 | | TL: 0 | | Cost: 20 | | Specialties: Evil | | No Flesh | | Attacks: Smash UR:2 Rng:CC | | Dmg: 3d6 Stun | +---------------------------------------+ BurpMan is the most egregious of all POOPs, a Big Ugly Rock Person permanently cast in a bizarre posture with only a single moving part: his powerful throwing arm. Despite apparently being designed by a team of Dimmies, BurpMan remains a force to be reckoned with, thanks to his immense strength. BurpMan has the additional ability to tunnel into solid rock and masonry, allowing him to quickly camoflauge himself by burrowing into a cave wall and holding very still, or to tear a large boulder (up to 4 Blox) from the earth to use as a deadly shot-put (either act takes a full turn's Movement). +---------------------------------------+ | Classification: Dragon | | (low-tek flamethrower) | |---------------------------------------| | Move: 5" | | (10" flying) | | Armor: 1d10+2 | | Skill: 1d6 | | Power: 2 | | TL: any | | Cost: 20 | | Specialties: Evil (sometimes) | | Attacks: Bite/Claw UR:2 Rng:CC | | Dmg: 2d6 | | Fire Breath UR:3 Rng:8" | | Dmg: 2d6 fire (full-auto) | +---------------------------------------+ These stats are for the tiny POOP Dragons that are hardly the size of a horse; players may build larger Dragons and give them more impressive statistics. In addition to their fire breath and deadly cunning, many Dragons are able to cast magik spells and take advantage of the latest technologies, especially when it comes to setting traps and designing cave security systems. High-tek Dragons are especially fond of hiding computer-targeted machine gun emplacements in hidden wall panels. Dragons' famous fire breath can be switched to other breath types as necessary. Dragons fighting Skeletons and BurpMen may choose to switch to a corrosive acid spray. Non-Evil Dragons might employ an unconsciousness-inducing mist. Lightning bolts, frost beams, and even clouds of darkness are not unheard of, and after long Friday and Saturday nights some Dragons find themselves with the unexpected ability to breathe large half-digested volumes of beer and livestock. Dragons are wickedly intelligent and most place no value in chivalry, sportsmanship, or fair play. They are happy to confuse, frustrate, and demoralize opponents with dirty tricks and cheap shots, and if possible will never place themselves in danger at all. Because of their wiliness and ability to fly, Dragons would be very hard to pin down if not for their one weakness: treasure. Dragons defend their treasure hoards to the death, and can sometimes be lured into the most obvious traps by sufficiently large piles of gold. A Dragon on the wing is as elusive as the wind, but if you can threaten his hoard then he'll have to come to you. 9.4 Humanoids -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In a regular BrikWars game all minifigs are assumed to be Humans of a short, squat, boxy variety. However, many battle genres call for whole assortments of humanoid species to be tossed against one another. A sci-fi game can have any number of alien species varying from the nearly-human to amorphous tentacled spore clouds and energy spheres. Fantasy settings have their own traditional forces, pitting elves, dwarves, and halflings against orcs, trolls, and giants. With few exceptions, members of these races can take any Specialty available to regular minifigs, and can be integrated into any TekLevel or genre (space Orcs in starfighters, dark age Klingons at the Battle of Hastings, industrial age Fairies in the landing craft on D-Day, medieval Vorlons taking up the defense of Minas Tirith, and so forth). On paper, designing a new humanoid Species is as simple as choosing a Specialty or a stat modifier or two to apply to all members of the race. It's rare for a humanoid race to diverge wildly from the basic Human standard, and members of those races tend to show up only in ones and twos in a much larger group of less unusual troops. The real trick to making new humanoids is in trying to build them out of PBBs in such a way that they can be easily distinguished from regular Humans. It may therefore be easier for a player to design his new Species based on the minifig pieces he has available in large quantities, rather than pick a species from a movie or book and then scramble for the pieces he would need in order to build appropriate minifigs in the necessary numbers. 9.4.1 Fantasy Races ------------------------- While there are few standards when it comes to alien races (most alien races in BrikWars are discovered using the time-tested method of replacing minifig's heads with other pieces), popular fantasy races have held steadfastly to the models set forth by J.R.R. Tolkien (and subsequently robbed of their depth and grandeur by decades of juvenile Dungeons & Dragons players). For this reason, we will use a quick scattering of fantasy races as examples of new humanoid Species. Most fantasy races are little more than standard Humans of a different size, which is unfortunate since regular minifigs all have identical dimensions. Rather than try to build figures from scratch out of other PBBs, players can add or replace PBBs below a minifig's waist to quickly make a shorter or taller minifig. A 'short' minifig gets his legs replaced with two 1x1 cylinders, and possibly two 1x1 plates for shoes. A 'tall' minifig keeps his legs and has two 1x1 Brik boots attached to the bottom. Very tall minifigs have boots that are two Brix high, and very very tall minifigs have a 1x2 Brik inserted between the legs and torso (the arms start to look pretty short at this point). Larger humanoids can be made using other minifig types (there are several available), or even by using non-PBB action figures. Minifig size variations do not change a unit's cost or statistics until the point where individual limbs are longer than 1". (The legs of minifigs with 2-Brik boots are slightly longer than 1", but in the interest of expediency this can be safely ignored.) +--------------------------------------------------+ | Example Fantasy Races | |--------------------------------------------------| | Size | Races | Modifiers | |------------+------------+------------------------| | Short | Halflings | Sp: Marksmanship (0CP) | | (2 sillies | Gnomes | None (0CP) | | for legs) | Goblins | Sp: Evil (0CP) | |------------+------------+------------------------| | | Dwarves | Sp: Shock Troop, | | Normal | | Power +1 (+3CP) | | (standard) | Orcs | Sp: Evil | | minifig) | | Stupidity: 1d6-1 | | | | CC Bonus +2 (-1CP) | |------------+------------+------------------------| | Tall | Humans | None (0CP) | | (1-Brik | Elves | Skill +2, | | boots) | | Move +2" (+2CP) | |------------+------------+------------------------| | Very Tall | Elf Lords | Skill +1d6, | | (2-Brik | | Move +4" (+4CP) | | boots) | | | |------------+------------+------------------------| | V.V.Tall | Winged Men | Two 2" wings, | | (2b boots, | | Flight +8" (+4CP) | | 1b waist) | | | +--------------------------------------------------+ A individual of a fantasy race is bought as a normal unit (whether a Trooper, Specialist, Hero, or Civilian), and then given the the one or two modifiers appropriate to the race. Subspecies are just as easy to create; Dark Elves would be Elves with Sp: Evil, and Wood Elves would be Elves with Sp: Marksmanship.