recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Encumbrance

Encumbrance is what happens when your weight (including all equipped and carried items) exceeds your ability to easily carry that weight. You slow down and react less quickly. "Encumbrance" is also used to refer to the stats penalty due to encumbrance.

## Formulae

The following formulae are used to determine the amount of weight you can carry.

MaxWeight is the weight one can carry without being encumbered. At Size Factor 0, each point of mass is equivalent to 0.5kg. At Size Factor 2, each point of mass is equivalent to 0.5t.

```
   For mecha: MaxWeight = 15 + MechSize
   For characters: MaxWeight = BodyStat + 2 + WeightLiftingSkill

```

Your Encumberance level is then calculated as follows:

```
   If MaxWeight < 1 → MaxWeight = 1
   EquipmentWeight = the weight of all your equipment, whether carried, installed or equipped
   ExtraMass = EquipmentWeight - MaxWeight
   For characters: ExtraMass = ExtraMass - WeightLiftingSkill [Ed. This is the second time your Weight Lifting skill is taken into account.]
   If ExtraMass > 0 → Encumbrance = ExtraMass div MaxWeight
   Else → Encumbrance = 0

```

Your Speed stat is penalized by your encumberance level:

```
   Speed = Speed - Encumbrance

```

Your Reflexes stat is penalized by half your encumberance level:

```
   Reflexes = Reflexes - (Encumbrance div 2)

```

### Mech Encumbrance Penalties to MV and TR

Generally, the more stuff you pile onto your mech, the slower it will move. "Intrinsic" mass is the mass of the mecha, including installed items. Equipment mass is the mass of equipment in mounts, hands, or carried in inventory. "Mecha Size" below refers to the class of your Engine.

```
   Intrinsic Mass Penalty: -1 MV/TR per 7.5 tons

```

```
   Equipment Mass Penalty: -1 MV/TR per (7.5 + .5 * mecha size) tons

```
Burst Value (BV)

There's also the Burst Value (BV) of a weapon to take into consideration. Not all weapons have a BV, but those that do will fire a number of shots equal to their BV every time they're used. So a rifle with a BV of 5 will take 5 shots every time it is fired, and will use up 5 rounds of ammunition. The more you hit your target by, the more bullets will hit your target. Burst weapons don't increase your chance to hit, but if you do hit, they can do much more damage.
Development:Gearhead Branches

# Branches and Variants

At this time the only known branch of the Gearhead world is the Japanese branch of Gearhead 1 which branched slightly at version 1.002 and has introduced some additional features. With the creation of the Sourceforge SVN for Gearhead 1 it may be re-integrated into the main trunk.

There are no listed variants of Gearhead at this time, although several fan-made mods and patches are available that can alter the gameplay to a large extent.
Creatures

* Albino Alligator
* Androbot
* Arachnoid Drone
* Archaeopteryx
* Assassin
* Assassin Lord
* Bandit
* BioSentry
* Black Scarab
* Chameleon
* Core Worm
* Corpse Eater
* Crab
* Cyclops
* Cyclops Guard
* Cyclops Progenitor
* Dark Dragon
* Death Rat
* Deep Lobster
* Dog
* Dragon Bear
* Dragon Rat
* Dragon Serpent
* Dragon Viper
* Dune Dragon
* Eagle
* Electric Rat
* Emperor Fire Penguin
* Fire Penguin
* Fire Toad
* Fire Worm
* Flying Polyp
* Giant Frog
* Giant Leech
* Green Jelly
* Gremlin
* Guard Dog
* Guardbot
* Harrow Bear
* Hunter-Berserker
* Hunter-Destroyer
* Hunter-Drone
* Hunter-Killer
* Hunter-Larva
* Hunter-Scout
* Hunter-Slayer
* Icky Slime
* Iron Crab
* Iron Monkey
* Lobster
* Marsh Lobster
* Moon Bear
* Morlock
* Murder Machine
* Oviraptor
* Plague Rat
* Radioactive Rat
* Rat
* Ravager
* Red Bear
* Rock Lizard
* Rock Lobster
* Sea Dragon
* Security Guard
* Sentinel
* Smog Monster
* Spike Toad
* Stinger
* Stone Dragon
* StormFeather
* Street Punk
* Sun Scarab
* Swamp Viper
* Thunder Rat
* Toxic Chameleon
* Toxic Urchin
* Two Headed Rat
* Velociraptor
* Watchman
* Workbot
* World Maggot
Arachnoid

An arachnoid is a walking tank, modeled after spiders. They typically have between two and eight legs, making for a stable and maneuverable weapons platform. However, their lack of 'arms' means they cannot use shields for additional defense. Like groundhuggers, arachnoid mechas can make use of turret modules.

+0 MV, +1 TR, +1 Armor. They can mount turrets, but it's better to spend a little time turning to face your opponent than to take a permanent MV penalty. The armor bonus is at the mecha's scale, so it will be +5 armor points per +1 to Armor at SF 1, and +25 armor points per +1 to Armor at SF 2.
Equipment:Beam Shield

**Beam shields** are energy-based mecha shields. A beam shield projects a powerful energy field that disrupts and absorbs the damage from an incoming attack, working similarly to a physical shield.

At present, beam shields are only available for SF2 mecha. The shield generator itself weighs only half a ton, making them lighter than physical shields for the same damage blocked.

Whereas physical melee mecha weapons can damage physical shields, beam shields damage the weapons instead. Beam shields also regenerate after every battle, whereas physical shields have to be repaired every time they are hit.

These properties make beam shields often a superior choice to physical ones. Note that, on the other hand, you cannot install any equipment in beam shields; for example one cannot install a weapon in a beam shield itself to avoid the to-hit penalty of mounting it on the shield arm, whereas physical shields provide one CMX of space.
Equipment:Combat Laser

**Combat lasers** are a common secondary weapon in the GearHead Universe. The weapon offers pilots the opportunity to continue to attack while more powerful weapons recycle. Most versions of the combat laser have a fairly fast recharge rate, or come in sets. Some versions have been modified to serve as intercept weapons.
Diplomatic

In conversation, you can avoid controversial topics. (may avoid reaction loss due to personality clash)

Prerequisite: Ego 15

Useful if you spend a lot of time talking to NPCs who may not particularly like your character, for example if you are a criminal type who is talking to Guardians. Getting *either* Beautiful One (with some Flirtation skill) or Diplomatic should be enough so most people like you. Getting both would be overkill.
Equipment:Predator Reflexes

**Predator Reflexes** is the single most traumatizing piece of cyberware, with a Trauma of 60. It makes up for this by adding a serious number of stats, especially +5 Reflexes, for a minor reduction in Charm and a good reduction of Knowledge:

* +5 Reflexes,+2 Body,+4 Speed,+3 Perception,+2 Ego,-3 Knowledge,-1 Charm

## Strategy

Possibly due to a bug, in GearHead 1 the Knowledge loss does not reduce the number of skill slots you have and does not reduce XP growth if you are at the limit of the number of skill slots. The Charm loss is fairly minimal and can be compensated for with good Flirtation and Conversation scores.

An Extropian should get at least Cybertech+4 and install this as soon as feasible. The large Trauma is effectively ignored as long as you have fewer pieces of cyberware than the Extropian limit. The sheer number of bonuses can only be beaten by a dedicated Mysticism character who has completed the Shrine Tour, whereas Predator Reflexes just requires collecting the funds, Extropian, and Cybertech+4.
Equipment:Heavy Phase Cannon

Two different beam guns bear this name. The more common variety is, contrary to the name, lighter than the normal Phase Cannon and uses Mecha Gunnery. It also has a high BV and poor accuracy, and lacks ARMORPIERCING.

The heavier variety uses Mecha Artillery as the name suggests. Neither gun has the long range of the normal Phase Cannon.
Chaotic / Lawful

The Chaotic/Lawful index reflects your character's attitude toward lawful authority. Helping out the Guardians,
 defeating bandits etc will shift the index toward Lawful. Siding with
bandits, spraying graffiti on Guardian offices and generally sticking it
 to 'the man' will shift you toward being Chaotic. You need to be
Lawful in order to join the Guardians faction.
Equipment:BioCorp Labs Passcard

Given in Last Hope at the start of a quest to go through the Sandstone Cave into the underground BioCorp labs. Carrying it allows you to get into the labs without being attacked by a Sentinel and other security robots.

If you are next to the Sentinel and then transfer the passcard to a lancemate, the Sentinel will suddenly become hostile. This is one way to get within melee range to attack.

Before entering the lab, there is a choice whether to give the passcard to a reporter by the stairs. If you are not strong enough to fight the robots then keep it.
Equipment:Assault Cannon

A very powerful, very heavy personal-scale ranged weapon.  The SWARM  effect is good for weakening armor, although it may not be as quick to kill some targets as the Dual Laser Rifle for example.  Use the Weight Lifting skill to help carry it around.

Assault Cannons can be purchased in shops for a high price.
Equipment:IRIA Ruby

A mysterious treasure with a PreZero AI core. Use Science on it to increase the PC's Knowledge by +1 and add 150 XP in a few skills.

Elisha Kettel gives a quest to find it. The location is underneath the ruins of Nara.

There are several choices when dealing with the ruby, detailed in Guides:Iria\_Ruby\_Plot\_(GH1).
Easygoing / Passionate

If your character is relaxed to the point where setting fire to their shoes wouldn't bother them, they're Easygoing. Passionate characters are those who care deeply about... well, just about anything.

PASSIONATE is required for the Gate Crasher talent.

PASSIONATE characters long for battle, while EASYGOING characters long for comfort. This affects how likely an NPC is to be intimidated.
Equipment:Wallet

There are two types of **Wallets** one can encounter.

## Lost Wallet

One type of wallet is protected by Secure-Lock technology which has to be broken to retrieve the money inside; the amount of money can be substantial. However, this is a poor thing to do for a law-abiding person, who should seek out the person in town who lost it and return it to them. Honest shopkeepers will also refuse to buy it. Every attempt to break the wallet increases your chaotic reputation, whether or not you actually break it, and attempting to sell it to a non-chaotic shopkeeper will also increase your chaotic reputation.

Even after you open the wallet, you can still sell it for a slight amount more cash, provided you can find a chaotic shopkeeper.

## Murder Club Wallet

Members of the Murder Club may also carry around wallets with them, full of "personal things", and some money. If you meet and kill one, you can obtain this wallet. Apply Investigation to find a bus ticket showing the location of the next Murder Club member. This sort of wallet can then be safely sold.
Equipment:Hammer of Justice

Possibly the best personal-scale melee weapon due to its high damage, accuracy and ranged ability. Far better than other similar weapons such as the Trident and Solar Spear. On the downside, it is somewhat heavy and does not have ARMORPIERCING.

The bonus for making Superintendent with the Guardians.

## See Also

* Mecha-scale Golden Axe
* Bonesword
Equipment:Targeting Computer

A targeting computer provides a +1 TR bonus per level; so a Class 3 Targeting Computer will modify a base -5 TR penalty by +3 for a final TR of -2. Targeting Computers can only compensate for TR penalties incurred by type and mass, never raising TR above +0.

Can be obtained from other mechas or from shops. Keep an eye out for high leveled TCs and Sensors, save them and transfer them between your mechs as necessary.

Targeting computers are light enough to carry on a personal scale (12.5kg), so they can be considered zero extra weight when added to a mecha.

 Class 3
Dol Glador

**Dol Galador** - Cień swego złotego brata. Tak można określić tą krainę. Oddzieliła się ona od rozpadającego się Królestwa i z miejsca została słusznie uznana za twór sztuczny. Mimo tego ma ona swoje dobre strony. Liczne armie Krasnoludzkie są w stanie przetrwać każdą zawieruchę a wydobycie, mimo iż o wiele mniejsze niż w Ereborze, wciąż dzięki licznym szlakom przynosi potężne zyski. Naukowcy tutejsi są najlepsi na świecie i wynajdują takie rzeczy jak Latacze, czarny proch czy Siekacze.

Są jednym z organów założycielskich Unii Krasnoludów, a po śmierci Thorina I przejęli w niej władzę do czasu kolejnych wyborów.
Anatomist

Because of your anatomical knowledge, you are able to target an opponent's vital points. (+1 Penetration versus living targets)

**Prerequisite**: Medicine +5

This talent allows your character to score extra damage in personal-scale combat when attacking live foes.

*Dataslycer: Does anyone know if this counts multiple times with burst weapons?*
Combat Medic

You are capable of performing emergency medicine in dangerous places. (First Aid and Medicine take 1/3 their usual time)

Prerequisite: First Aid +5

If you're out of Quick Fix pills
 in combat or rescuing the injured in a battle situation this can be a
lifesaver as you'll take considerably less time than normal to use
healing skills.
Equipment:Deathwing

A thrownreturning  weapon that can be kept in personal inventory for an extra ranged attack.  It causes POISON, and a melee add-on can be used for an additional effect, for a total of 1.0kg which should not be too heavy to carry around.

It can be considered an upgraded Boomerang, causing three times the damage.

Available in shops and also used by Assassins.
Equipment:Nova Carbine

Easily the best small arm in the game. Enemies that get hit with this weapon don't normally live to tell the tale.

It is the reward for making Colonel in the Defense Force or Solar Navy.

As with many other small arms, the range is somewhat short, so depending on playing style, it may not be as good as the personal-scale Laser Cannon or Plasma Cannon. A Barrel Extension may be used.

On receiving the weapon, the PC is told, "*[The Nova Carbine] is smaller than a regular Laser Rifle but considerably more powerful.*" It also has the same range and weight as the Laser Carbine.
Body Builder

You are totally pumped up. (+2 Body)

Prerequisite: Weight Lifting +5

Extra Body makes for higher Health and Stamina and makes Body-based skills more effective.

*"Martial Arts, Athletics, Vitality, and Weight Lifting uses body.*
*The first three skills are pretty good for a hand-to-hand fighter*
*while Weight Lifting allows you to carry more stuff, possible wielding two guns." Dataslycer*
Equipment:Storm Pistol

Generally considered a useful early-to-mid game weapon.  Each Nova Storm Buru Buru comes with two.

DC 50, but has a range of 72 and BV 5; decent for short range damage.

Because of the high BV, it's best not to use called shots with this weapon.

A decent upgrade from early weapons if you dislike or can't effectively use pinpoint attacks.
Careers

As well as adding another layer of 'flavor' to your PC, their starting job will give them a few skill points in their respective areas.

* Actor
* Architect
* Arena Pilot
* Athlete
* Bandit
* Banker
* Bounty Hunter
* Celebrity
* Combat Pilot
* Commercial Pilot
* Computer Programmer
* Construction Worker
* Corporate Executive
* Corporate Pilot
* Cyberdoc
* Doctor
* Engineer
* Explorer
* Firefighter
* Guardian
* Hacker
* Journalist
* Lawyer
* Martial Artist
* Mecha Designer
* Mechanic
* Mercenary
* Monk
* Ninja
* Nurse
* Paramedic
* Pirate
* Politician
* Professor
* Ravager
* Recon Pilot
* Scientist
* Shopkeeper
* Soldier
* Teacher
* Test Pilot
* Thief
* Trucker
Equipment:Mecha Welding Set

**Mecha Welding Sets** contain tools and supplies for repairing your mecha. They each pack in 3000 DP of repair supplies into 2.5kg of weight, making it the most compact form of repair supplies one can find in a store. Mecha repair stores generally stock this item, but it may be prudent to place a few spares in your mecha, for those long unexpected adventures.
Cyberware

Cyberware can boost skills and attributes well above their normal levels. A good selection of cyberware can turn even the weediest tech nerd into a walking tank, or help a hulking, brutish moron become an expert in the sciences. Cyberware is also the only way to remove permanent injuries, doing so by replacing the damaged body part(s). A spinal or heart injury, for example, can be treated by installing a cybernetic spine or heart, respectively.

Each cyberware implant has to be installed in a specific cyberware body location. Two implants cannot occupy the same space and trying to install a piece of cyberware to an occupied location will result in the new cyberware replacing the old cyberware.

Excessive cyberware can lead to debilitating injuries known as cyberdisfunctions developing in heavy users. In GearHead 1, the risks of cyberdisfunction can be mitigated with the Cybertech skill, as well as the Extropian and Cyberpsycho talents. In GearHead 2, Extropian is the only talent available that deals with cyberdisfunction.

## GearHead 2 Cyberware

In Gearhead 2, trauma (per cyberware component) is calculated a follows:

Stat bonuses (ignore penalties) + net skill bonus + 1 per basic combat skill modified.

Note: The six basic combat skills are Mecha Gunnery, Mecha Fighting, Mecha Piloting, Ranged Combat, Close Combat, and Dodge.

The character can safely endure Ego/4 (+5 with Extropian) points of trauma. If this limit is exceeded, addition trauma will begin to accrue over time, eventually resulting in the development of cyberdisfunctions.
Badass

The angrier you get the harder you fight. Players with the Badass talent get a bonus to combat skills when they have bad morale (which can range from "bad mood" to "miserable and depressed").

As a prerequisite, the PC has to have the melancholy trait.

**Effect:** According to ghchars.pp, this appears to be a +1 bonus to each combat skill per 20 points of negative morale, and a -2 **penalty** at 20+ positive morale.
Guides:Dithering

[hide]
* 1 Converting 32-bit images with alpha channels to 24-bit dithered images
	+ 1.1 Step one: Generate an image with an alpha channel
	+ 1.2 Step two: Decrease the color-depth of the alpha channel
	+ 1.3 Step three: Remove all information masked by the alpha channel
	+ 1.4 Step four: Remove the alpha channel and save your image
	+ 1.5 Example ImageMagick command-line

[edit]

Sometimes you need the benifits of having varied opacity (such as
when creating effects that are overlayed on top of sprites, like fire or
 smoke), but for technical reasons can't utilize 8-bit transparency. In
these cases you can use the information in the alpha channel to dither
the image in order to approximate the effect.

[edit]

[edit]

[edit]

[edit]

#### Step four: Remove the alpha channel and save your image

Delete the alpha channel (the mask), as it's no longer needed. Then save your image.

[edit]

#### Example ImageMagick command-line

Here's an example command-line for ImageMagick that can be used in a batch file to automate the process:

```
set InName="Walls_Arena11.png"
set OutName="Walls_Arena11_output.png"
convert %InName% ( -channel A -ordered-dither 2x1 ) ( -compose CopyOpacity -composite ) %OutName%
convert %OutName% ( -background blue -flatten ) %OutName%
convert %OutName% ( -transparent blue ) %OutName%

```
Equipment:Autocannon

A common ballistic ranged weapon. It can be found on the Alba, Badger, Buru Buru, Century, Claymore, and Rover.

The best use of autocannons is to sell them for cash.

From BattleTechWiki:

> An **Autocannon** is a type of rapid-firing, auto-loading direct-fire ballistic weapon, firing HEAP (High-Explosive Armor-Piercing) or kinetic rounds at targets in bursts. It is, basically, a giant "machine gun" that fires predominantly cased explosive shells though models firing saboted high velocity kinetic energy penetrators or caseless ordnance do exist
>
>
Equipment:Plasma Rifle

From BattleTechWiki:

> Plasma weapons use the power of the fusion engine or power amplifiers to power an electromagnetic accelerator that fires a stream, pulse or toroid of plasma (i.e. very hot, energetic, and excited matter). The plasma is created by using a lasing process to flash cartridges of plastic foam into white-hot projectiles that cause thermal as well as physical damage.
>
>

> The primary damage mechanism of these is thermal transfer. The plasma weapons may also have a significant kinetic energy component, that is to say the ionized material is projected with sufficient momentum to cause some secondary impact damage in addition to causing high thermal damage.
>
>
Action Points (AP)

Applies to Tactics Mode in GH2 only.

Action points determine the number of actions you can take per round (60 seconds). Each action you take consumes a portion of the action point pool. When you run out of action points, you will no longer be able to perform any actions. Action points are automatically replenished each turn.

> "This is from memory, so I could be getting some details wrong. Your Initiative score (rank + skill bonus) gives the number of actions you can take in three rounds (180 game seconds). The initiative score can never drop below 6.
>
>

> Initiative Score = ( Speed + 2 ) div 3 + Initiative Skill
>
>

> Actions Per Round = Initiative Score / 3
>
>

> Time Per Action = 180 / Initiative Score
>
>

> Action points are never really calculated by the game; everything works according to time. However, I guess we could say that every character gets 60 action points per round, and Initiative skill decreases the AP cost of actions."
>
>

> - JH
>
>
Battroid

These are the traditional giant fighting robots. They tend to be humanoid in shape. They are all capable of moving in 'walk' mode, and some have hoverjets or wheels installed to allow them to 'skim' or 'roll' as well. Battroids are the 'base' to which other types of mecha are compared. Most mecha in the game are Battroids.

+1 MV, +1 TR. (The game's been written in favor of Battroids...) Your basic walking mecha. Can wield shields.
Rabbit

The rabbit is a small animal that lives in most biomes and who's diet consist completely on plants. They are a timid creature, and will sprint at any sign of movement. They are a good early food source, and can be caught and bred for later use. They are the main prey of most small to medium predators, but make up for this with their fast speed and reproductive rate. They can have 4-6 kits in a litter, and a litter every month. They have a good sense of hearing, and sight, though their sense of smell is not the best. Their skin can be made into weak armor, allowing almost free movement. They are often found around dryads, and if you see many rabbits around it is a sure sign there are dryads nearby. One clever use for them is to strap on a message pack, which can hold small objects or notes.
Equipment:Rusty Scepter

Found 20 meters below the Tomb in Ironwind Fortress.

Investigating it yields, "Maybe this scepter could be valuable to someone who cares about history." This refers to the Keeper of the Law. Speak to him or her to follow a prophecy and join Clan Ironwind.

**However, in the current version the IronWind story is not yet finished. Because of this, the story is commented out, making it impossible to join Clan Ironwind, and the Scepter is of no use except to be sold.**
Guides:Pets Strategy

In order to adopt pets as part of your lance your character will need the Dominate Animal skill. Just walk up next to the creature you want to adopt and apply the skill to them. If you're successful then the creature will automatically become friendly and join your lance. A failure will result in the creature remaining hostile, and no additional attempts at dominating that particular creature can be made.

Pets count toward your lance's Leadership limit as per usual, so adopting more than one or two of them will require your character to cultivate their Leadership skill. If an animal is successfully dominated while the lance is full, it will not be part of the lance but will be friendly and offer the option to [Join].

Pets take care of their own training, just select 'do training' when they have got some XP saved up and they'll spend the points according to their own needs.

Almost every creature in the Federated Territories can be dominated, although some are much harder than others. Bonecracker the Albino Alligator is almost impossible to dominate, but makes an excellent pet if you can manage it.

One final point: pets only count as 'half a person' when tracking the limit for your lance size, so your character can recruit two pets for each person or robot they're short of their limit.
Creature:Dragon Bear

A bear with the Draconic Sequence and all the bonuses it entails. Also has a Fireball Breath attack. Like all bears, it has the Hard as Nails talent.

If you use the Survival skill on its body you may receive a Red Bear Liver. In addition, since it is draconic, it may leave a Dragon Heart instead.

## Related creatures

* Harrow Bear
* Moon Bear
* Red Bear
Mecha:Mebsy

Price | GCF-2: $153900GCF-2d Strike: $212500

A light battroid from the early days of space colonization.

*Mebsy- the name alone is enough to strike terror in the heart of a pilot. Just tell any employee that this is the mecha he’s been assigned and see what kind of reaction you get.*
- Bracett, Comet Metalworks
The Mebsy is a light general purpose battroid used in the L5 region. It’s an old design, dating back to the early days of space colonization. It was originally developed as a lighter and cheaper alternative to the Buru Buru. Today the Mebsy is still used as a utility mecha, and occasionally sees use as a combat unit by cavaliers who can’t afford any better or corporate pilots who have ticked off the human resources department.

At 32 tons the Mebsy is a true lightweight. Its design has been stripped down to the bare essentials needed for operation. It has no internal weapons, but comes equipped with a light magnetic rifle and two rocket pods. Ion thrusters mounted in the feet allow space flight but aren’t powerful enough to function in an Earthlike environment. The cockpit is spacious but spartan.

One of the Mebsy’s most unusual features is its articulation. The arms and legs don’t have rigid joints, but are connected to the body by flexible segments. This sort of design used to be very common but has since gone out of fashion.

Nearly all of the factions in the L5 region use this mecha. Being cheaper than a Buru Buru and nearly as strong, it is used as an industrial unit when a Dora would not be sufficient. In the asteroid colonies of the dusty ring the Mebsy finds use as a defense mecha. One common modification is to replace the magnetic rifle with a simple tube bazooka; this weapon is easy to manufacture and packs enough punch to make even this mecha seem threatening.

## GCF-2 Mebsy

 Weapons
 Systems

## GCF-2d Strike Mebsy

 Weapons
 Systems
Aegis Overlord

The **Aegis Overlord** is the totalitarian government of Luna. It was once a colony of Pax Europa. The Aegis Doctrine is "Strength through Unity"; this translates into a strong central government, a nationalistic population, and no toleration for deviance.

# History

Originally the colonies which would become Aegis Overlord continued to refer to themselves as Pax Europa. When it became clear that Pax Europa was destroyed and was never coming back, a new mythology of trans-Lunar nationalism was created. According to this mythology the Lunar colonies represent the only unbroken line of civilization from Earth's past onwards into the future. It is therefore vital that Luna be kept safe, and also vital that it become powerful enough to help restore the rest of humanity to a civilized state.

As Aegis expanded, this myth of trans-Lunar nationalism was used to help integrate the conquered domes. A common tactic for expansion would be to instigate conflict with a small colony (or between two unaligned colonies), then use the conflict as justification for invading somewhere else. Eventually the non-Aegis domes formed an alliance and began to fight back effectively. The stalemate lasted for several years until the beginning of the unification war.

Tycho Madang was destroyed as a demonstration of Aegis's new weapon systems, particularly the Chimentero. Within the Aegis-aligned colonies, it was reported that a lunar quake had ruptured the dome. This was obviously due to sub-standard non-Aegis construction. The Aegis Defense Force offered assistance to Tycho Madang but was turned back by the dome's militia. When the seriousness of the situation became apparent, the ADF commander ordered his troops to disperse the militia and take the dome so they could offer aid to the survivors. Consequently, all surviving members of the Tycho Madang militia are now outlaws on Luna. Aegis propagandists used this story to show the danger of resisting the Aegis Doctrine. Clearly, if Tycho Madang had accepted Aegis's help, tragedy could have been avoided.

Most residents of the already-integrated domes took this story at face value. It helped Aegis to convince them that war was needed to unify the planet. Residents of the non-aligned domes typically didn't believe the story... in their case, it led many domes to surrender rather than risk depressurization.

Rumors that Tycho Madang had been destroyed by Aegis forces were squelched when several high-profile citizens of the dome stepped forward to confirm the Aegis version of events. The leader of the militia actually came forward, confessed to blocking aid from the Aegis Defense Force, and allowed himself to be arrested and executed(though he may have been brainwashed, blackmailed, or been a copyclone or robot duplicate). On Luna itself, this pretty much ended the debate.

# Propoganda

Like most totalitarian governments, Aegis Overlord is deeply into propaganda and image management.

In-game examples:

* the Aegis ambassador in GH1 who thinks that Pirate Point is representative of the entire planet
* the ambassador in GH2 who will "correct" any misinformation the player may have heard.
E6-vora

The toxic agent **E6-Vora** is commonly used in chemical
weapons. It works by breaking down organic tissue on contact, converting
 most of the affected matter into additional E6-Vora gas. Fortunately,
the toxin is highly unstable and breaks down quickly in the presence of
oxygen.

E6-Vora isn’t just used by assassins. It is also the pesticide of choice for the Snake Lake City sanitation department.

## External links

http://ataraxiatheatre.com/2008/10/07/first-impressions/
Equipment:Bonesword

A mysterious artifact found in the Ziggurat inside a locked container. Code Breaking should be used to open it, because smashing the container destroys the Bonesword as well.

The Bonesword is heavier than a MonoScythe but faster and more accurate. It does lack EXTEND, which the MonoScythe and Monomolecular Whip have. Some enemies are capable of melee attacks from one tile away with weapons such as extendable jaws, so this may put the player at a disadvantage.

It is similar to but not quite as good as the Golden Chainsword. However it can be obtained earlier in the game.
Elric

Elric is a recurring male shopkeeper in GearHead 1. He always appears in the shopping mall of Downtown Snake Lake, selling a variety of personal-sized weapons from his shop, named Evil Elric's House of Hurt. In the mall are two other random shopkeepers, one selling armor and the other selling generic adventuring equipment.

Elric occasionally wanders outside the city to refill a whisky still for a local bartender. He does not seem to be familiar with his own products as he constantly gets trapped in the still by monsters. The PC should then talk to the bartender to rescue him, because he is a good source of quality weapons. You also earn some XP and hero status doing so.

Later in the game, he can provide training for the PC in Armed Combat, Dodge, Heavy Weapons, Mecha Piloting, and Small Arms.

He is a chaotic shopkeeper who will more than willingly buy stolen goods.
Equipment:Maximus Armor

Gives the most protection of any personal-scale armor in the early game. However it is too heavy, typically making the PC encumbered until Weight Lifting and Bo stat are increased. The weight for a full set is 17.0kg. It is also expensive.

The communication features of the helmet are useful, although they can also be found in the lightweight Recce Helmet, or a separate device such as an Internet Phone.

 Suit
Arleus

Arleus is a personal combat specialist. Before joining the Silver Knights she was a member of L5Law, and has continued to work with them occasionally since then. As a member of the Knights she rose quickly through the ranks. These days she serves as the weaponmaster and chief trainer, but is ready to go back to combat should that ever be required.

Unlike most other knights, Arleus forgoes the use of heavy armor and instead relies on mobility and stealth. Usually she seems very serious and reserved, but actually has a dry sense of humor comparable to that of Gordon Valeus.
Creature:Lobster

**Lobsters** are GearHead 1 creatures similar to crabs. They are essentially deadly crabs; they are thickly armoured and possess strong biting claws.

Lobsters, like crabs, are a source of sashimi. All lobsters in the ASCII version of GearHead 1 show up as **L**.

## Marsh lobster

Least harmful, as its armour is thinnest and it only has a melee attack.

## Deep lobster

Deep lobsters possess a dangerous mid-range Electric Jolt that can deal some damage and stun their targets, hampering one from getting away.

Using survival on deep lobsters may yield a Lobster Shield.
Mental Points (Me)

This is your character's ability to concentrate on mentally involved tasks for periods of time. It is used up when employing skills such as Mecha Engineering, First Aid or Robotics. Your max Mental Points is (Ego + Knowledge + 5)/2 + 3\*Concentration.

You regain about 1/30th of your Mental Points every ten in game minutes. Mental Points can go negative. They will display as 0 while negative but they will still take the full amount of time to regain.
Creature:Cyclops

The **cyclops** is an intelligent synthetic lifeform originally designed as a bioweapon during the Age of Superpowers. Imperator Zeta made extensive use of them as infantry.

Cyclopses remain the only synthetic lifeforms known to naturally reproduce. Today, they hide in Cyclops City under the abandoned ruins of Nara, while guarding the mysterious IRIA Ruby.

The original cyclops, known as the Progenitors, are much larger and more powerful than their modern offspring (in other words, SF1).

In the ASCII port of GearHead 1, cyclopses are displayed as **Y**.

## Named Cyclopses

* Praetor, head cyclops of Cyclops City.
* Forager, a cyclops explorer in the ruins of Cesar.
* Guyjes, the more important of the two named guards.
* Nolbu, the other guard.
Beautiful One

You are so good looking that it's impossible for anyone to hate you. (reaction score never drops below 0, may use Flirtation skill with all NPCs)

**Prerequisite**: Charm 15

In addition to the above, with Beautiful One you also gain a +10 reaction bonus to NPCs you meet for the first time. {*Unconfirmed*}

Note: Prior to v.1.300, this trait was known as Bishouen.
Creature:Rat

This is a relatively weak and quite common vermin animal. It possesses 4 legs, a mouth with fangs and a tail. When it is killed, it usually drops a few dollars and you can use Survival to get some meat from its corpse.

## Variants

* Death Rat
* Dragon Rat
* Electric Rat
* Plague Rat
* Radioactive Rat
* Thunder Rat
* Two Headed Rat
Equipment:Breaker Cannon

A medium-range ballistic gun. HYPER means you're sniping off the head even as you're breaking down the torso, and the ARMORPIERCING is very, very nice. Its only real drawback is that it tends to leave mecha unsalvageable, and forget about sniping off the head for a nearly-intact mecha.

You will have to wait till you encounter a Zero Savin to get one.
Cyberware Location

All cyberware
 except the Self-Diagnostic fit into one of various bodily locations.
Generally, the location in which a piece of cyberware can be fitted
determines the type of attributes or skills it enhances.

The cyberware locations include:

* Brain
* Brainstem
* Ears
* Eyes
* Heart
* Musculature
* Skeleton
* Spine
Attack Sequence

Combat in GearHead is a long process, starting at firing the weapon and continuing through to damage.

Here is the sequence:

1. Attacker fires/swings/thrusts a weapon.
2. Defender attempts (possibly several) defense(s).
3. If the defender's roll is equal or better, then the attacker missed.
4. The Penetration is the degree you beat the defender's roll by, divided by 5.
5. For weapons that can hit multiple times, the number of hits is determined; for melee attacks, Penetration is traded for multiple hits.
6. Penetration is modified by talents and weapons.
7. Critical hits are checked against Spot Weakness; if the hit is critical, it adds more Penetration.
8. The Spot Weakness skill increases the DC of the attack by skill/2, at the scale of the attack, assuming an eligible weapon is used. (DC 5x10 would become DC 7x10, not DC 52.)
Modifier: the Sniper talent doubles the effectiveness of Spot Weakness here
9. Damage is, finally, applied to the mecha.

## Implications

The number of hits you get with a weapon is independent of both critical hits and any talents that raise penetration.

## Return to

* Combat System -- hitting and missing, armor, weapon attributes, etc.
* Guides -- strategy tips and tricks, game mechanics, plot spoilers
Mecha:Musketeer

Price | $289461

The Musketeer's two powerful Laser Cannons make this medium-sized mecha a respectable foe. Unfortunately, its lack hands and weapon mounts leaves it with fewer upgrade options than most mecha.

The Musketeer is one of a *small* number of sources for Smoke Launchers, which are worth their weight in gold for Vadels, Fenrises, and other fast, close-combat mecha that often need instant cover.

## Stats

 Weapons
 Systems
Equipment:Machine Gun

Weapons like **machine guns** and swarm missiles are good for weakening armor, since they can hit the target several times with each attack.

From BattleTechWiki:

> The **Machine Gun** is the quintessential anti-infantry weapon, issuing a stream of bullets at a high rate of fire to cut down opposing soldiers, while still being effective at damaging Mechas.
>
>
Buildings:Personal Scale Shops

Shopkeepers and Elric also offer general repair. Shops can refill ammo as well.

Some of these shops also offer mecha goods and services, listed under Mecha Shops. Many shops carry other types of personal-scale equipment not specified below for the sake of brevity, namely Ammo, Shields, Swag, and Usable items.

As with mecha shops, there is a shop in Namok Spaceport (Campaign Outfitter) that carries everything for personal-scale equipment.
Cetus

**CETUS** was the codename for a bioweapon developed by Imperator Zeta as part of the Triumvirate Program during the Age of Superpowers. Cetus was still unfinished when the Night of Fire occurred, however the facility housing the project has recently been discovered and reopened by BioCorp in Last Hope.
Morale

**Morale** is a stat tracked internally to decide how happy or depressed your character is.

Your exact morale value cannot be seen anywhere in the game. However, a minus sign below your other stats, like so:

```
Re:14 Bo:11 Sp:11 Pe:13
Cr:13 Eg:12 Kn:12 Ch:10

```

indicates that it isn't doing so well. Also, going to CharInfo ("C"), followed by selecting View Injuries will show messages such as "You are in a terrible mood." if your morale is low. If your character is feeling good, a **+** shows instead of **-**.

What you eat effects your character's morale. A character with low morale will become miserable, causing their stats to suffer as a result. A character with high morale will get bonuses to their stats, so treat them to an expensive Lobster or Steak dinner every once in a while, and think carefully about what you want them to eat next time you go out into the field. If you need to raise morale in a hurry, buy a pile of chocolate bars. They'll hardly fill you up at all, and each bar is a nice morale boost. Sashimi is an alternative if you have the survival skill.

Other events that affect morale:

* Increasing a favored reputation improves morale, while decreasing a reputation abuses it.
* Gaining renown improves mood, while losing it abuses mood.
* Draining St below 0 abuses mood and no longer trains Athletics.
* Draining Me below 0 abuses mood and no longer trains Concentration.
* Regenerating St or Me may abuse mood somewhat.
* Taking damage causes the afflicted to feel worse, although it trains Vitality.
* Unsuccessful Flirtation lowers morale by 15.
* Poor Performance can lower morale.
* A depressed character always loses morale, and trauma may abuse mood as well.
* Having to be resurrected lowers morale by 100.

## Formulae

Morale affects your stats as follows {*Unconfirmed*}:

```
Morale = your morale score (not shown anywhere in the game)
StatRank = the score for the stat being modified (see table, below)
if (Morale + StatRank) > 100 then
	Reduce stat by 1
else if (Morale - StatRank) < -100 then
	Increase stat by 1

```

 Charm | 80
Buildings:Bus Terminals

The bus transit system connects all Federated Territories cities. This is a safe, reasonably inexpensive way to avoid that pesky Aegis Overlord member who is waiting to ambush you outside the city. However once you have a powerful mecha and perhaps a few lancemates, there is little reason to travel by bus, as a hovering mecha can move much more quickly on the world map and perhaps gain loot from random bandit encounters along the way.

Routes and prices are calculated based on map distance. Prices are fixed, not influenced by Shopping skill or relationship level with the bus dispatcher. Wujung has routes to nearly all other terminals. At the other extreme, Namok and Last Hope only have a single route each, even though Namok is a major city.

On arriving in a city, the PC will not necessarily start near the bus terminal building of that town. This means that taking a bus route with intermediate stops (for example Namok -> Gyori -> Snake Lake -> Ipshil) requires a bit of walking to go to the next building. Find it by looking at the doors. If you already know the name of the bus dispatcher, then call with Shift+T instead.

Dead Zone cities such as Hwang-Sa and Markheim Fortress are outside of the Federated Territories and not connected by bus.
Equipment:Crystal Fragment

This item will reveal the next location of a treasure hunt. To find out the next location, use Science. If that doesn't work, wait until the Science skill has improved to the next level and then try again.

After learning the next location, sell it for a good price.

## See Also

* Treasure Map
* Aerial Photograph
* Bracelet
Kung-Fu

Your hands are lethal weapons. (+3 Penetration for Martial Arts attacks)

Prerequisite: Martial Arts +5

This talent will allow your character to cause more damage in unarmed personal-scale combat. It also increases the amount of concussion damage done when attacking using the Mecha Fighting skill (attacks using your mecha's limbs). Concussion damage causes the most injury to the enemy mecha pilot, increasing the likelihood that they could be killed and allow the player character to capture their mecha more or less intact.
Mecha:Galah

Price | KOR-15: $282864KOR-15b Sheriff: $303309

The Galah is Comet Metalworks’ entry into the low end battroid market. Like most Comet mecha, it was designed with versatility in mind. The Galah performs well in a wide variety of combat situation but is sometimes criticized for being a jack of all trades and a master of none.

The standard weapon load of this mecha includes a laser rifle, a beam sword, and a twin pack of haywire missiles. Compared with its two main rivals, the War Cry and the Haiho, the Galah’s armaments seem woefully inadequate. Proponents of the design will point out, though, that the Galah is superior to the War Cry in close combat and superior to the Haiho at range.

Comet Metalworks has aggressively promoted this mecha among cavaliers, marketing it as a good starting model. The fact that its main gun is a laser means that beginners can save a lot of money on ammunition, unless of course they choose to fire the haywire missiles. The Galah’s body frame is well-designed and makes a good starting point for customization.

In addition to the cavalier market, Comet has obtained a contract to provide Galahs for the patrol forces of L5Law. Within the confines of a colony spinner this mecha’s light armaments are unlikely to result in catastrophic damage.

## Variants

### KOR-15

A general purpose battroid from Comet Metalworks.

 Weapons

### KOR-15b Sheriff

A special “Sheriff Galah” variant has been produced which features a riot shield, a particle cannon, and the L5Law emblem on the chest plate.

 Weapons
Mecha:Wolfram

Price | HMC-6: $123420 GH1$196636 GH2Zeta: $1269379

*A mining robot developed from the Claymore design. The Wolfram is not designed for combat, but is often used by arena fighters who can't afford anything better yet.*

The **HMC-6 Wolfram** is a battroid developed for mining. An old unused Wolfram can be found deep inside the Hogye Mines. Its Mining Laser is too inaccurate and slow for a beginner to use well, but it is sturdy enough to walk up to an SF2 opponent and attack with its formidable pick-axe; in any case the player should mount or install more weapons to make it more suitable for combat.

## Variants

### Zeta Wolfram

*A heavily modified version of a Wolfram mining mecha.*

 Weapons

### HMC-07A Wolfram

The 07A was an aquatic variant of the Wolfram introduced in the Gearhead storyline of Joseph Hewitt's webcomic Ataraxia.

## Modding Tips

Much of the Wolfram's low MV and TR are due to the heavy Pick-Axe; remove it and your MV and TR will improve. Don't do that immediately, however, until you get a replacement for the Mining Laser, which is inaccurate; as you are likely to get this mecha in the early game you really need accurate weapons. In short: this is a pretty good mecha if you replace its weapons completely. The helmet is a bit useless since the cockpit is in the body, but it is a good idea to transfer it to another mecha that *does* have the cockpit in the head since headgear for mecha is relatively rare; add sensors in the body as a backup in case the Wolfram's head is shot out without its helmet. With 2 builtin mountpoints and 2 hands your Wolfram can wield a good number of weapons; mountpoints are very valuable and you should make an effort to remove them before you replace your Wolfram and use the mountpoints in later mecha. The extra mountpoints mean you can viably remove an arm from this mecha to get a -1 MV and -1 TR mecha while still fitting 3 fast weapons.
Lancemate

Lancemates are ally NPCs who fight alongside you both in mecha combat and personal scale fights. However they will not be deployed in arenas, as that is an individual competition.

## Recruiting

When talking with certain NPCs, they may offer an option to [Join] your party. This happens when bonding over something, if they have a good relationship with the PC or after a particular mission.

Some NPCs who may join:

* Vikki
* Guardian or Bandit who gives data cartridge quest
* Paramedic lost on Hiking Trail
* Student who admires your mecha. Students come with few initial skills but lots of XP for training.
* Martian Princess
* Mercenary. He will ask for a one-time payment; dismissing and rejoining will not cost more.
* Soldiers who randomly meet at the beginning of a mecha battle. You can meet more than one lancemate this way. For example, Britaine may offer help in a battle.
* Bear Bastard
* Omega 1004

There is a limit on the number of lancemates. After that, NPCs can still show the option to [Join] but will reject the offer when asked.

After recruiting, view the lancemate using the Field HQ browser. Check out their skills and stats to see what they're good at, and do training. Then give them armor, weapons and a mecha. Consider medical and repair supplies as well, for lancemates that have those skills. Food is not required.

To talk, call using T or Shift+T.

## See also

* Leadership
* Guides:Lancemates
* Guides:Lancemate\_Strategy
* Dominate Animal
* Robotics