Character Advancement

Advancement

Experience Points

Experience Points (XP) will be awarded at the end of a ‘campaign’. A ‘campaign’ is typically 3 to 5 encounters and revolves around a plot mechanism. (e.g. The defense of Planet Y, The assault of Planet X, Reconnaissance of 3 planets in the Draconis March, etc.) Usually 1 XP will be rewarded for a campaign, even if it is a failure. We learn from mistakes after all. Exceptional success, brilliant ideas or superb role-playing may be rewarded with an additional XP.

Experience Points can be spent to buy ‘Perks’ in-between sessions, if the change in your character is plausible. For example you can’t spend 2 XP on a Conversion Kit if the last session ended with your unit trapped behind enemy lines, but you certainly could improve your Gunnery.

The following table lists the costs for typical ‘Perks’:





Explanations

Gunnery: This is the cost to upgrade gunnery from the values shown. These costs are cumulative. For example if you currently have a Gunnery of 4 and wish to upgrade to Gunnery of 2, it will cost you 7 XP (3 to go from Gunnery 4 to 3, and 4 to go from Gunnery 3 to 2)

Piloting: See Gunnery

Gunnery / Laser, Missile or Ballistic: Gives you a bonus of 1 to hit with all weapons in that particular class.

Dodge: Enables the unit to make a dodge maneuver instead of a physical attack. This maneuver adds +2 to the BTH to physical attacks against the unit

Maneuvering Ace: Enables the unit to move laterally like a Quad. Units also receive a -1 BTH to rolls against skidding

Melee Specialist: Enables the unit to do 1 additional point of damage with physical attacks and subtracts one from the attacker movement modifier (to a minimum of zero)

Pain Resistance: When making consciousness rolls, 1 is added to all rolls. Also, damage received from ammo explosions is reduced to 1

Tactical Genius: A pilot who has a Tactical Genius may reroll their initiative once per turn. The second roll must be accepted. Note: Only one Tactical Genius may be utilized per team

Weapon Specialist: A pilot who specializes in a particular weapon receives a -2 to hit modifier on all attacks with that weapon. A specific weapon must be selected. (i.e. PPC, LRM-10, Medium Laser, AC/5, etc.)

Edge: Head Hits, TACs, Pilot KO and Explosions will be rerolled if failed. Each reroll costs 1 Edge for that battle. (Can be taken multiple times)

Well-Equipped: Gives a bonus of +2 to any rolls made to obtain equipment, including when ‘Dispossessed’

Conversion Kit: You have obtained the necessary parts that will allow you to refit your Battlemech into any of the approved variants of that chassis

Trip Attack: You can make a trip attack against opposing Battlemechs.

Grapple Attack: You can make a grapple attack against opposing Battlemechs.

Armed Mechwarrior: You carry a big-ass gun and can attack enemy units on the MegaMek map after ejecting.

Rapid-Fire Autocannon: You can fire a light or medium autocannon as if it was an Ultra autocannon but with an improved chance to misfire or explode.

LRM Hot-Loading: You can Hot-Load LRMs.

PPC Field Inhibitor Control: You can turn off the Field Inhibitor on a PPC but there is a chance that it will explode if fired inside minimum range.

If you have any suggestions for other 'Perks', please let me know. I feel the list is a little sparse, but can't for the life of me think of any other balanced things to include.