Mecha Mook

*"If I shoot that super prototype down, I'll get a promotion!"*

- faceless Mecha Mook

Original Thread

The many who apply to mecha schools dreaming of glory. The many that prove spiritless in said schools. The mecha mooks. Given equipment produced by the lowest bidder, without any real talent, those unsung soldiers are still the core of most armies, easy to train and cheap to maintain. Whether used as cannon fodder or seeking to overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers, they prove that quantity does have a quality of its own.

**Hit Dice**: d4

### Skills and Proficiencies

* D&D 3.5
* Pathfinder
 2 skill points + Int per level, quadruple at first level.
**Class Skills:** Bluff, Concentration, Climb, Diplomacy, Jump, Hide, Move Silently, Spot, Listen, Appraise, Intimidate, Knowledge(any), Sense Motive

 2 skill points + Int per level.
**Class Skills:** Acrobatics, Appraise, Bluff, Climb, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge(any), Perception, Sense Motive, Stealth

**Proficiencies**: A Mecha Mook is proficient with simple and martial weapons,
firearms and mechas.

### Features

#### Squad

As the rank-and-file of an army, Mecha Mooks are trained and deployed in groups of five. So 5 Mecha Mooks of level X have a CR of X. Mecha Mooks cannot multiclass. All squad members must take the same race and class choices.

#### Mass Produced Model

The Mecha Mook was trained by a powerful organization (the details of which should be discussed with the DM), which at 1st level grants him access to a watered down mecha. It has just 1/5 the HP and 1/5 the storage space of a regular Real Robot of the same kind. Its weapons always deal average damage (rounded up) when they hit (but can still crit), and maximize damage rolls against the Mass Produced Model from non-Mecha Mooks.

The organization also pledges to repair non-disabling damage and refuel the mecha on any of it's branches for no cost. The organization can be assumed to have such branches in any stable city where the Mecha Mook could conduct normal business. If the mecha is reduced to 0 HP the Mecha Mook will have to undergo some redeeming quest for a replacement (assuming he makes it back).

As the Mecha Mook grows in levels he gains access to stronger mechas as shown on the table, but he cannot change his choices on mechas.

#### Promotion

A Mecha Mook that manages to land the final hit on a Mecha that isn't a mass produced model in combat can instantly swap its Mecha Mook levels for Real Pilot levels. The next time he meets an Organizational branch he'll be awarded a regular Real Robot in return for his mass produced model. No more than one member of a squad may be promoted in a battle (any remaining surviving members will be re-assigned to another groups).

#### Arsenal

Starting at 2nd level, on top of the mecha the organization also freely supplies an array of basic swappable weapons and accessories to further customize his mecha. Refer to the Arsenal list for details. Items from the arsenal list can be swapped at any organization branch while the mecha undergoes maintenance, and  access to new ones is granted as shown on the table.

#### Glory in Death

Mecha Mooks are expendable and have been taught to accept their ungrateful fates. They gain Glory in Death as a bonus feat at 3rd level. If they already had it, they gain another feat for which they meet the prerequisites.

#### Death before Dishonor

Mecha mooks never really consider surrender or fleeing as a valid option. At 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th and 18th level the Mecha Mook gains Death before Dishonor as a bonus feat.

#### Mecha Mooks as PCs

This class is intended for NPC enemies, but it should be fine for a player to use it, as long as they're fine playing with 5 characters that can just perform basic attacks, without spirits/maneuvers or anything else but basic attacks, plus a lot of dead levels.

### Combining Team (PIlot Feat)

*The towering wall right in front of you*

*The heightening heartbeat pounding your chest

Overcome each one

Even if it is darkness before you

Don't give up because it's a far-off dream

Now, don't turn around and head for tomorrow

Everywhere You Go Someone is certainly waiting for you there

Anywhere You Go Don't hesitate, towards the bright dream

Everywhere You Go Even if hard times await you**Anywhere You Go Don't forget your convictions and move forward!*
**Prerequisites**: Mecha Mook, no Relationship feats between the members.

**Benefit**: If all squad members took this feat you can now multiclass into Super Pilot. Use normal real robot/super robot multiclassing to determine the Mass Produced Model benefits, except four of the mechas get +2 HP per super robot level and the fifth one gets +1 HP per super robot level. The pilots themselves only gain d4 HD and 2+Int skill points each, and lose the ability to be promoted (they already rose up in the ranks in their own way).

You must spread out the Upgrade points from Super Robot evenly over the 5 Mass Produced Models as well. Mass Produced penalties do not apply to those upgrades, but they count as a single entity for HD limits (so for example if one picks Hyperdimensional storage, nobody else can pick it until they reach 8 HD).

Spirits known, bonus feats and favored maneuvers are granted to the pilot of the Mass Produced Model whose mecha didn't get an upgrade point. All squad members gain the same spirit points, Maneuver and Stance. Plus the Combining Team can now learn maneuvers and stances from the Everywhere You Go school (coming sometime in the future).

In addition, if all the squad members are adjacent, as a swift action they can combine their machines into a single one! The Combined Robot is one size category larger than the biggest mecha used in its combination and gains all of the Super Robot upgrades of its members, plus 5 "temporary" Upgrade Points of its choice that only apply while combined (chosen when they take their first Super Pilot level). Max and current HP are also combined, but use only the best current and max energy, DR, Natural Armor, Dodge and movement speed/modes from the combining members. The Combined Robot also gains all the in-built weapons of the combining members (adapting damage to the new size), but multiples of the same one don't stack, and cannot use more than 1 weapon for every Mecha Mook level it has in any single round. Arsenal space and Hardpoints are combined as well, and the Combined Robot may select any weapons and Accessories it qualifies for and has enough space, chosen when the transformation is done. The Combined Robot no longer deals automatic minimum damage, neither does it take maximum damage. But if it suffers a critical, the full crit damage applies to the Head Pilot (see below). The other pilots are unaffected by crits.

At the time of combination, one of the members must be chosen as the Head Pilot. Use only his statistics for combat. The other pilots can only use Spirits (if they know them). The Head Pilot may be changed as another combined Swift action. If the Head Pilot would be killed, he may use his Glory In Death ability, but then the Combined Robot is left inoperative until another Combined Pilot takes over. Replacements may still be found at return to base.

A Combined Robot consumes ridiculous amounts of energy to hold itself together. The Combined Robot automatically loses 10 energy at the start and end of every turn, and it only recovers half normal energy, including from energy-recovery upgrades, rounded up. If it is reduced to zero energy, it automatically separates into its components. The combination may also be ended earlier as another swift action. Damage dealt so far is spread evenly over the component members, and they're all left at zero energy.