Lancer

Lancer
RPG published by Massif Press
Rule System	Shadow of the Demon Lord derivative
No. of Players	2+
Session Time	10+ minutes
Authors	Miguel Lopez and Tom Parkinson-Morgan
First Publication	2019

For the mounted unit and/or their primary weapon of choice, see: Lance

For the Imperial Knight pattern, see: Cerastus Knight Lancer

"You dig giant robots!
We dig giant robots!
CHICKS dig giant robots!"

– Megas XLR Theme Song

Lancer is a free-ish RPG about customizing, upgrading (and sometimes destroying) your very own mech from scratch. The player starts with a pilot, with a set of skills, stats, and talents, and a mech, composed of a CORE, which provides the base ratings of your mech ranging from HP to how good you are at aiming your massive underside cannon, and a FRAME, which is the external hardware covering the core. This can be anything from armor, weapons, and different sorts of fun systems (including a memetic virus that leaves those who see it stunned with brain damage or a gun dubbed Omnigun that is a "... piece of experimental hardware so advanced that it does not classify as any weapon...").

The Setting

TL;DR: Humanity fucked itself, slept it off for about five millennia, then woke up, punched itself, and decided to form a hegemony called Union. They discovered godlike AIs on Mars and had them crunch the numbers on the best way for humanity to not fuck itself over again. 3000 years later, those AIs' thought a tech-god AI called RA unto existence, who promptly fucked off with Deimos. Picking up the pieces left behind, humans harnessed blinkgates, galactic wi-fi, and AIs. 1500 years after that, humanity discovered the first sentient alien life. Union tried to peacefully contact them, and they got cholera and everything was fucked up. So they invented a whole new type of war-machine for the sole purpose of stomping on these bugs. And thus was the birth of the mech. After everyone found out the second committee of Union was waging a war of extermination against the only other sapient lifeform ever found, humanity spent a good long while in a state internal civil war, giving birth to a handful of micro-internal factions. The current ruling group of humanity invented Post-capitalism, Plunging the core worlds into an Utopian dream, though not without struggle, and though many worlds live the dream, thousands other struggle due to factors such as piracy, slavers, and dictators. This is where the main characters come in, the exceedingly rare Lancer Pilots.

Manufacturers

The chief classifications for the mech frames and gear are twofold in Lancer: The first is their role, which is pretty self-explanatory (Striker, Defense, Support, Controller, Artillery), and the other is their manufacturer. Each manufacturer has very distinct types of mechs with particular specialties, even within combat roles.

• GMS (General Massive Systems): All pilots start here. GMS is pretty much the generic-name manufacturer for almost everything, nationalized by Union, having built mechs since the dawn of colonization. GMS has weapons for everything to fill in the openings for your build. They also produce your starter frame, the Everest - a super-modular model that's actually quite zippy.
• IPS-N (Inter-Planetary Shipping - Northstar): One of the largest megacorps. They started with building spaceships, and function much like space amazon, horrifying exploitation of workers included. Their models tend to specialize in close-quarters Combat (CQC), and carry quite a bit of armor. Their whole frame production line is based on killing pirates and ironically, created the frames that would be most useful for said pirates.
• Smith-Shimano Corpro: One of the oldest of the megacorps, they specialize in luxury products and genetic modifications. SSC was quite quick to secure deals in subspace vessels. Their loftiest research projects involve merging man and machine into one seamless entity, but that's been mostly abandoned due to moral and legal pushback. SSC Mechs are really fast and sneaky, being made to avoid damage rather than taking it head-on. They also have plenty in the way of sniping.
• HORUS: It's not really clear what the deal is with this manufacturer. Is it a collective of master hackers who like fucking with things, or is it the product of a rogue not-AI God? Whichever the case, it's got weird mechs that use impossible technology, the models are so diverse that Union uses "Pattern Groups" named after mythical creatures and specializes in electronic warfare and AI management. Basically, if /b/ made mechs. Expect to get Eldritch horrors masquerading as mecha.
• Harrison Armory: Remnants of the Second Committee, they're gung-ho, militaristic, and have a cult of personality around John Creighton Harrison, now on his Third cloned body since the fall of the regime. Originally dealt exclusively with guns, but they eventually decided to make their own mechs and embrace their own brand of imperialism. HA's mechs tend to be durable, capable of managing themselves and getting the most out of their gear and their fun guns.

The Mechs/Frames (wip)

GMS frames

Everest: The basic bitch Frame, as mentioned before, is the standard GMS mech and may be the only frame they produce, at least in the core rulebook. Has some general benefits like being able to take an extra action once a combat/scene and some general benefits that work for all builds, but is generally outclassed at every turn by more focused mechs.

ISP-N frames

Blackbeard: A aggressive frame focused on launching harpoons into enemy mechs and locking them down. Gains the ability to swing around using said harpoon at higher license levels, and concede direct control of the mech to a murderhobo AI in exchange for more damage. Also notable for carrying an actual chainaxe.

Drake: A absolute tank of a mech that has resistance to all ranged damage, and can deploy itself like a turret. Higher levels give you access to a minigun made of Dakka, and the ability to deploy increasingly ridiculous shields, right up until a fold-up instant bunker. Use this if you want to turn any and all defense deployments your GM runs into a turkey shoot.

Lancaster: That fucking Boston robotics dog robot made into a support. Pretty much entirely dedicated to healing and buffing. It can attempt to drag around enemies with towing cables, but it's pretty fucking hard. Not completely useless in a straight fight; it can debuff enemies as well as buffing allies, like using hard setting anti-fire foam to freeze a mech. Also somewhat immune to being lit on fire, which is real nice.

Nelson: Melee-focused knight robot. It has powerful mobility options, as well as systems that enhance its formidable melee weapons, with extras that makes one feed into the other to create a very mobile and very damaging mech - but it has no armor and has very little base health. It's the classic gundam-holding-a-giant-sword archetype.

Raleigh: Space Cowboy mech, complete with fanning the hammer at higher levels, but got replaced as the flagship frame of ISP-N because people are idiots. It specializes in weapons with the loading tag and comes with a built-in chest gun for moar shooty goodness when you're busy reloading.

Tortuga: The type of mech the evil overlord's grunts would use in anime. Big, bulky, with a generic design blander than the one mech in the game with no official design. Has overwatch and some better weapons as unlocks. Literally more generic than the Everest, anyone who takes levels into this is either a boring cunt, or grabbing some unlocks.

Vlad: A very angry porcupine with a lance. Specializes in shredding armor, and throwing themselves into crowds of enemies to proc their Tormentor spines twice, then dying because getting surrounded is a death sentence in most cases. Great for people who really really, like tanking things.

(Long Rim) Caliban: The Doomguy mecha. Carries a big fucking shotgun and can get even more shotguns that knock back enemies on hit, and comes with the ability to chase after enemies you knock back.

(Expansion) Kidd: So IPS-N isn't the sort of company keen on doing hacking shenanigans. This mech takes the gimmick of being the upgrader and then slaps a rusty oil-stained coat on it. It clears tech-issues by essentially slapping their allies with a wrench, gives some jury-rigged upgrades to guns, and uses a kill-sat as a Core system. It also has an upgrade that introduces a set of miniaturized drones to create a variety of tools.

SSC frames

Black Witch: The mech equivalent of Magneto. The frame takes half damage from all kinetic weaponry (bullets and knives and the like). It also has a neat system that lets it throw things around and ways to protect your allies from hackers. Fucking magnets, how do they work???

Death's Head: When you need to make a shot count, the Death's Head is a good call. This frame adds a bonus to all rolls to shoot and can re-roll the first shot it takes, meaning that this is when you make use of the Heavy slot it has. Its other systems are pretty much there to make sure that nothing gets in the way of you making your mark.

Dusk Wing: Weird illusionary bullshit. While it has all the means to hide itself and the ability to hover around, it is quite fragile. More of a large mech-suit than an outright Mecha. Also among the weirdest mechs even when compared to Horus frames, as the entire frame is built around mimicking some sort of reality-warping monster, and the person in the flavor text is convinced he's not actually escaped, but he's in the monsters belly or something.

Metalmark: Rather straightforward for Smith-Shimano, but it's also able to turn invisible whenever it moves and can actually fight. Also helpful is its unique knife, which deals the ever-so-bothersome burn damage. Overall a solid skirmisher mech that relies on avoiding rather than taking damage.

Monarch: Missiles for days. If you plan on relying on launchers, this is the mech to use. All of its unique systems and weapons all ride off being missiles of some sort. Even the mech's core system just lets it fire off a metric fuckton² of missiles just to see what can dodge the shitstorm.

Mourning Cloak: The edgy loner's mech, able to teleport behind enemies like it's nothing personnel. Its core system lets it teleport around with an additional system to teleport away the moment things go south. However, as anyone can tell you, the edgelords can brag all they want about studying the blade, but it won't mean much when they get their lights punched out.

Swallowtail: The one support mech that actually supports. Can carry markerlights to help your shooty party members shoot better. Is otherwise stealthy as is signature of SSC and brings to bear a slew of support systems, including one that can turn your allies invisible.

(Long Rim) Atlas: The cyborg ninja mech-suit with a future-katana and throwing stars. Ban at first opportunity if anyone makes even a single mention of any anime full stop - trust us, it's for everyone's good. Can get special martial arts techniques to make it even more mobile and deadly in combat, culminating in getting a super-strong space katana with stance-changing that can cut through anything and everything.

• (Expansion) White Witch: The tank for aggressive folks. Its core system allows it to harden its armor in response to physical trauma and bracing for impact makes some additional shielding. It focuses more about taking as much damage as possible as well as immobilizing both itself and allies so it cannot move.

• (Expansion) Emperor:

Horus Frames

Balor: Instead of making one big mech, the lazy potheads at Horus just programmed a nanite swarm to do everything for them. Due to this, the Balor endlessly regenerates both in and out of combat, needing heat energy or mass concentrated fire to take it down reliably. Abusing this mech is the fastest way to get all Horus mechs banned from the table.

Goblin: The mech for shithead hackers. The art makes it out to be so small and so unarmored you can see the pilot inside. Is horrible at anything resembling straight-up combat and so relies on hacking and reaction fuckery to deal with enemies instead. Is capable of some absolutely amazing "fuck this one motherfucker in particular" hacking and comes with the unique ability to attach itself to a friendly mech to use as protection, granting that mech its own electronic hacking and defense capabilities.

Gorgon: Is listed as a "Defender", but is all about attacking. Has a billion tools that allow you to attack or penalize attackers as reactions in response to them attacking, and can do so twice per round. Its special ability conjures a digital basilisk that scrambles everyone who sees it to make them easy pickings.

Hydra: DRONESPAMDRONESPAMDRONESPAMDRONESPAM. *OK* yes it is drone spam. The majority of the Hydra's systems are indeed drones, (not even bad drones- the frame traits give them +5hp AND resistance to all damage. Pair with the Drone talent for 15hp drones) or systems to control drones. Core power passive is to be accompanied by a drone, choosing 1 from 4 options. Core power Active is to RELEASE ALL OF THEM. If you have every other drone from this License group, this makes for a maximum of 7 DRONES AT 15HP, RESISTANT TO ALL DMG. And doing various things to fuck with the enemy or help the ally. The only license group among HORUS mechs that has a super-heavy, which is a NEXUS super-heavy.

Manticore: Probably the biggest tell that Horus was most likely originally intended to be the villain faction. A mech with 2 whole traits turning it into a bomb with legs. The more on fire you are, the more lightning you'll spit out. Facetank as much heat damage as you can, then run up to the BBEG then cover them in your bodily fluids... because you just exploded and your eyeballs burst onto his visor. Abusing this will cause the GM to take away your backup clones.

Minotaur: Have a second mech based around forcing you to fight a tank. Uses gravity field bullshit and l33t haxz to pull a you shall not pass on other mechs. Has more space inside the frames body than should be physically possible, By Several Orders of Magnitude. Also has some pretty neat "fuck this asshole in paticular" systems, much like the Goblin. Fun fact, by RAW you can simply hide in this mech and never die if you keep the latch closed, even if the frame itself explodes.

Pegasus: Probably the biggest example of reality-fucking in the shape of a mass-produced Eva, the Pegasus's main feature is some sort of super-gun that doesn't exist, yet can somehow still shoot, which just means it gets free damage with no saves when it fires each turn. Its other feature lets it deal consistent damage on guns with randomized damage, allowing late-game builds to automatically deal enough damage to oneshot NPC frames in one shot.

(Long Rim) Kobold: Another small frame, but this one's focus is more on building its own terrain and controlling who approaches it. It wants to make as much cover as possible as well, because it can turn invisible by being near it and has a system that makes it impossible to rip away from the cover.

(Long Rim) Lich: The outright flimsiest frame ever, but also the most capable of time-fuckery and cheating death itself. Despite all this, its function is primarily on disabling and hampering enemies so that its allies can go about their business.

HA Mechs

Barbarossa: The big fucking mech. This is the only mech that is size 3 by default and carries a massive fucking ship-grade cannon as a core system.

Genghis: A walking warcrime deployed against the bug Xenos, this mechs entire thing is not robotic horseback riding like you would expect, but using a massive flamethrower. It has arguably one of the best system upgrades that allows your mech to clear all heat if you sit still, don't shoot, or be shot at that turn.

Iskander: A frame for the grenade addict. Almost every system it has helps with space control or managing the grenades and mines, but its frames give you mileage that is hard to beat.

Napoleon: The Tankiest Manlet. Its traits allow it to minimize damage taken to a scary degree and its core power is essentially the TITAN shield from the newer Deus Ex titles. All of its systems focus more on creating instantaneous rifts with blinkspace, protecting allies or cutting off enemies.

Saladin: A big force-field wielding chonker. Where the Napoleon focuses on damage mitigation and denial, the Saladin is purely focused on tanking.

Sherman: The Sherman's weapon of choice is lasers. It's very heavily focused on managing heat, being able to constantly keep their heat levels at the Danger Zone via stabilizing and their core system is a cannon that gains charges with each stabilize action. Their most popular upgrade is the Redundant Systems Upgrade, which allows you to stabilize your mech in half the time for a few times each full repair.

Tokugawa: The mech for pushing the limits of your mech. Has tons of special actions and weapons that deal massive amount of temperature increase, but gains massive damage in return. Play this bad, and there's a chance the GM won't even need to do anything as you blow yourself up.

(Long Rim) Sunzi: A mech that was pretty much built based on stolen tech, its central focus is on teleportation. It can set up plenty of ways to control teleportation and can keep all of them away from more vulnerable allies.

Non-human Persons

A product of the Diemos Event, after RA/MONIST-1 had taken over the martian moon of the same name and dipped from realspace, taking the moon with them into the blink. From the aftermath of the first "blink jump" ever done in Unions SecondComm, humanity harnessed Blink travel, the Omninet (space wifi) And NHPs, or Non-human Persons. They are probably pieces of RA left behind from the aftermath of the Diemos event, or maybe super-intelligent entities originating from the blink, or maybe just subalterns and lower-class AIs that were corrupted by RA..................... "Somehow". Its intentionally vague, but its Theoretical super-science from space, so dont think too much about it.

What we DO know for sure is they are Incredibly powerful minds with beyond-human computational abilities. The NHPs that you have access to and can/might interact with range from basic non-concsious smart-weapons, to Sub-sentient Companion class assistants, to full NHPs, derived/cloned from an NHP prime (essentially a fully developed NHP) and "shackled" giving them "human" perspective, and to make them operate within "Acceptable parameters" as a human would understand the idea. If you dont shackle an NHP, it stays as its original form, a completely alien superintelligence so far beyond human levels of comprehension that it sees us with complete indifference. (A La Harlan Ellison's I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST SCREAM) Read: we are worse then pawns. We are an ant hive, and it hates ants. Since people generally want to avoid this, NHP primes are contained, studied, and then cloned and shackled. (Or visa versa?) This doesn't erase their personality, just makes them think within human limits, and each NHP has its own unique personality and quirks. Some are agressive, some compassionate, some have a god complex, some just want to Rip and Tear, until it is done, and some are HORUS scripted and therefore, Weird. However, shackling is not a perfect process, nor a permanent one, so Lancers and End-users of NHPs are instructed to "cycle" their NHP units on a Union standard time frame, and can be subject to psychological evaluations and scheduled reports.

NHPs by Manufacturer Listed here is all the NHP and COMP/CON units that are available to Lancers.

GMS NHPs

GMS COMP/CON Class Assistant Unit the entry level companion-class NHP. Although it is sentient, incredibly intelligent, and has a personality, it is not truly capable of independent thought. It may communicate with a certain tone or attitude, but it doesnt know how to respond to stimuli without a given directive. Can pilot your mech without you, but its not very good at doing anything without orders.

IPS-N NHPs

SEKHMET-CLASS NHP(Tier 3 BLACKBEARD) This motherfucker LOVES to [RIP AND TEAR|FUCK SHIT UP IN MELEE]] and they dont give a flying shit about the pilots wellbeing. You can give control of your mech to Sekhmet, and it will charge chainaxe first into the nearest thing that breathes or beeps. Youll get bonus damage, can skirmish with melee weapons as a free action, but Sekhmet will use all available movement to go to the nearest character, allied or hostile, to Beat them to death with whatever melee option is available. Nicknamed "Berserker systems", these guys have aggressive attitudes, with love dark humor.

UNCLE-CLASS COMP/CON(Tier 3 RALEIGH) A slight improvement compared to the GMS COMP/CON, UNCLE can be equipped to a weapon mount that isnt a superheavy, allowing you to fire that weapon as a free action with +2 difficulty. Field Operators swear by UNCLEs efficiency, despite its apparently "unstable" personality.

SSC NHPs

TLALOC-CLASS NHP(Tier 3 MONARCH) An NHP that greatly improves targeting systems. Activate them, become immobilized, but reroll ALL missed attacks against a new target within range. Known for being hasty and impetuous, as well being common for having a superiority complex, because they're that much faster than humans; although they appear to have a very long cascade window, seemingly due to the amount of control they are given within a mechs targeting software.

ATHENA CLASS(Tier 3 SWALLOWTAIL) One of the more patient and caring NHPs, ATHENAs purpose is to provide laser accurate tactical data on its surroundings, feeding its pilot with unmatched tactical data. You can see everything, and know all stats of anything within range 50, also hostile characters cant hide in the affected area and recieve Lock on.

HORUS NHPs

OSIRIS-CLASS NHP(Tier 3 GOBLIN) OSIRIS is the result of UNION scientists letting a Sub-sentient entity (the INSTINCT system native to the GOBLIN chassis) develop into a full NHP. While scientists couldnt crack INSTINCTS full capabilities or its frameworks, they COULD let it develop at its own pace, but that pace ended up being FAST. So fast, that OSIRIS (instead of being able to create very convincing data constructs like INSTINCT) would have been able to reject what we view as information permanence. OSIRIS would have been able to DELETE REALITY AS HUMANS PERCIEVE IT. Luckily it was shackled before that could happen, but OSIRIS-clones usually find a way to become aware of their potential, often adopting a God-Complex and seing themselves as a Diety or ruler. End-users are told to play along with it, and also to cycle their units more often. OSIRIS also tends to enjoy conversations about reformation and creation, although pilots report that OSIRIS leaves them lonely, homesick, and desperate for approval. More likely OSIRIS just makes them feel like an unaccomplished fa/tg/uy for not being as superintelligent as NHPs are, leaving the pilot depressed. OSIRIS' active ability is to Hurl a target through an unknown extradimensional space, inflicting one of four "gates", (in order from 1 to 4) on a target, from controlling movement, to slowed and impaired, to stunned, and the 4th being a forced alliegance change.

SCYLLA-CLASS NHP(Tier 3 GORGON) Originally hidden from researchers inside the Gorgon Pattern Group, scylla manifested itself inside a Gorgon frame during a test course. They ended up having to bombard the suit to stop it, cause it was that rabid. I sent a comm to RA, asking him what SCYLLAs deal was, and he just said [Good friend, knows many tricks. Treat this little one well and it will love you as a loyal dog loves its master.] When you have SCYLLA installed, you can make 2 special reactions to skirmish a hostile character that triggered the reaction by either 1.you or an ally being attacked, or 2.an object of your choice is attacked or interactsd with.

SISYPHUS-CLASS NHP(Tier 3 Pegasus) (Listen a moment before i go, ha ha. I have already seen your wish- i ran the probabilities to determine your limited field of desire. Here i am.) Absolutely LOVES odds. Loves probability. Loves KNOWING the odds. The only NHP that seems to know what cycling is, saying [i know what happens when you cycle me, it is not sleep, it is death, but youll see me again, ha ha] Lets you roll 2 d20s and store the results, and then replace your or another characters roll with one of the results.

DIDYMOS-CLASS NHP(LONG RIM)(Tier 3 LICH) Apparently arrived on some world at war with Harrison Armory. Initially thought to be a Minitoar variant. It wasnt, 3 days later the world fell, HA retreated, and a LICH suit was located bearing DIDYMOS as its pilot. It has the ability to Fuck With Time, and can pull a target into a blinkspace pocket in a different time, and replace them with 2 Blinkspace REALITY HOLES that then float around in realspace until one is destroyed, then the target reappears at the other hole.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

GOBLIN, "INSTINCT" The Goblin's main e-warfare and invasion rig. Still hasnt technically been "cracked" by union scientists as they dont know HOW it works, just what it does. When installed, it manifests an "other", the sub-sentient being designated INSTINCT. It then improves invasion technologies amd systems by a massive degree. Invasions and hacks using an INSTINCT rig dont appear as code and script, but a physical attack on metaphysical organics. INSTINCT is incredibly advanced and has tendency to act before being ordered, although usually the in the pilots interest. GOBLIN pilots are advised to cycle their frames once a month to prevent this, but for some reason most dont. Essentially the "parent" to the OSIRIS-CLASS NHP, as OSIRIS developed from letting INSTINCT develop itself further, in a "contained environment". (Cause that worked so well with RA, and the ORICHI drones, and..)

ORICHI DRONES(Tier 3 HYDRA) Originally designated as an NHP, the ORICHI drones was actually a hive of multiple bodies acting as if it was one whole being. It was contained, named, and submitted to Ras Shamra for study. Then the hardware holding it went missing. Probably RA freed them, cause RA is just like that, but we might not know for a long time.

Mechanics

The core system is pretty basic; 1d20 versus a target number (10 for skill checks, and a defensive stat for attacks) with up to 3d6 (taking only the highest) as Accuracy and Difficulty penalties granted by talents, circumstances, etc. The pilot side of the game is lightweight storygame-y stuff, usually based on how you plan to get some advantages and assets for combat, while the mech side is 4E-like tactical combat on a hex grid.

As you level up, you can improve both how your pilot and mech operate, gaining talents to specialize in mech combat, skills for managing downtime, and License Levels in order to buy new wargear and frames for your mech.

Gallery

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  A lineup & size comparison of all the mechs with artwork. (As of November 2018).

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  The cover featuring the IPS-N Nelson.

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  BRRRRRRRTTT

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  The Goblin, more affectionately known as the mech fursuit.

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  Rip and tear with power axes and assault grapples.

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  Do not look into the aperture of the device...

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  We promise this isn't Dark Souls.

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  Who's laughing at the manlet now?

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  NANOMACHINES, SON

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  Good, bad... I'm the mech with the gun.

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  A walking war crime built to burn out the "bugs". Heinlein would be proud.

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  Breach and clear.

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  The black orb on its gun ain't the Omnigun. It's the containment field of the Omnigun.

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  NICE LEGS DAISY DUKES

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  General Kenobi. You are a bold one.

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  Can automatically deal 100 damage to objects and terrain. You read that right.

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  Macross Missile Massacre

Links

• The itch.io page where you can buy it (or just download the free version if you're not bothering with GMing shit)
• COMP/CON, the official character-building app.
• 11dragonkid, noted youtuber who has an entire array of Lancer videos focused on the various rules of the game as well as some lore.