NWoD + Mecha = ???

[Agent_0042]

I have a Power Rangers game debuting in the near future, using a heavily-modified Princess (princesswod.wikia.com), and I'm hitting a stumbling point on Zords/large monsters. NWoD already doesn't handle combat well, but when you try to do anything at larger-than-person scale it breaks outright, and at the moment I'm at a loss on how to overcome that.

I'm sure some of you have tackled the same problem, so what options do I have? I'm not opposed to a system overhaul, as I've already had to do with basic combat, but the more work already done the happier I'll be.

[The Rose Dragon]

My primary suggestion: don't use World of Darkness for it. There are several systems I can suggest in its stead, including Mutants & Masterminds and Exalted (the latter of which is superficially similar to Storytelling as a system, and the former of which has its core rules freely available online).

My secondary suggestion: have the mecha use the same system, but a different sets of stats, and never ever mix the human scale and the mecha scale. If human sized targets can hurt the mecha, it should be dealt with as environmental damage, rather than trying to stat the guy with the RPG and the guy with the mecha on the same scale.

[Tengu_temp]

Doesn't Genius have rules for mecha? I'm not 100% sure, but it's a free nWoD splat so it won't hurt to check.

[erikun]

I would think that the most reasonable idea would be to just have separate stats for the mecha, with possibly the piloting skill being used. Your average 50-foot-tall giant robot is not going to be on a scale where average people can really do anything with it meaningfully.

If you do want to have some sort of interaction, such as the characters capable of causing some damage with blasters and such, maybe another system would be better. The Rose Dragon mentions Mutants & Masterminds, a very good system for superpowers in general, and Exalted, which seems to handle over-the-top and ridiculous power levels.

[One Tin Soldier]

Doesn't Genius have rules for mecha? I'm not 100% sure, but it's a free nWoD splat so it won't hurt to check.

It's possible to make them in Genius, yes, but it doesn't model them any better. In fact, in some ways it's even worse. You can make a 50-foot tall robot, but its stat maximums are the same as yours, so it would struggle to so much as kick over a car. And it's a big oversight in my opinion. If you go through the trouble to make a giant robot/mech, you should get your money's worth out of it.

I'm going to agree with The Rose Dragon. Either use Exalted or something like it, or use a completely different scale of stats for the mechs. Possibly both.

[Grod_The_Giant]

...Exalted, which seems to handle over-the-top and ridiculous power levels.
In my experience, Exalted doesn't handle anything very well, especially combat. Amazing setting, amazingly clunky mechanics.

Mutants and Masterminds (www.d20herosrd.com)is fantastic, though, and handles giant mechas with ease. If you're using 2e, there's a book specifically for that (Mechas and Manga, I think). If you're using 3e (the one linked), pick up the Size and Mass power profile for discussions of giant-sized characters.

EDIT/UPDATE: There's also a Mecha Gadget Guide out now-- $1.25 or so for half a dozen pages on how to build and run giant warsuits. Go crazy.

[Amechra]

If you're dead-set on NWoD, may I suggest reading the Leviathan threads? (http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/LeviathanTempest:Main_Page)

I can't remember where in that thread, but they started discussing how to have larger characters (due to being a game where you can get to Godzilla size.)

It's pre-God Machine, though (which, admittedly, ain't saying much) so it won't be matching up balance-wise to the newer Princess stuff. Though I do have to ask... how heavily are you modifying stuff? Just fluff? Core rules?

[CarpeGuitarrem]

For mecha-vs-human scale, you could steal a page from Strange Fate and start replacing d10s with d12s, but use the same scale. And step up damage types so that bashing becomes lethal and lethal becomes agg. And add damage.

[horus42]

I'll agree with the sentiment that nWoD isn't the best system to use for this idea.

If you're looking for something similar, Exalted is definitely a better fit, but as said before, it has some pretty clunky mechanics. Though with the addition of the 2.5 Errata, it's much better than it used to be. (Plus, the setting is absolutely fantastic.)