JAEVA Project

JAEVA Project

Imagine, if you will a combination of two of the greatest giant robot tales ever told, Pacific Rim and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Now imagine being able to play as pilots in this setting fighting against the Kaiju menace that is at your door. Will you cancel the Apocalypse, or reign it in?

Originally a simple request by an Anon for what system would best run Pacific Rim, it quickly evolved into a crossover of two great end-of-the-world Mech universes. As /tg/ is wont to do, it's expanding into a full system and setting able to represent the original idea, the new combination, or just about any giant robot game you want to play.

The current timeline runs all the way to the beginning of Pacific Rim's plot, with both NERV and the PPDC losing funding and being moved to one base each, located now at the Panama Canal. However, prospective GMs are encouraged to pick anywhere along the timeline, from the dawn of Jaegars and Evas, to the glory days of the war, and possibly in a post-apocalypse future of some sort. Many such ideas are being generated, and will be added to this page as things develop.

The Fluff

[under construction]

Organizations

Assuming you know nothing about either Evangelion or Pacific Rim, you're probably going to be confused by some of the names thrown around in the rest of this page. Let's fix that shall we?

• SEELE (from the German word for "soul"): A shadowy organization that has their hands in just about every pie worldwide. They're obsessed with the idea of 'Human Instrumentality,' which boils down to turning humanity into one giant hive-mind. Of course, if they end up in charge of said think tank, that's a nice bonus. They secretly run NERV under the name of the Instrumentality Committee, which NERV is technically answerable to, although because NERV has a bunch of giant robots, SEELE's 'control' is a delicate state.
• Gehirn (from the German word for "brain"): A secretive biotechnology research laboratory which operated publicly as the UN Artificial Evolution Laboratory. Their funding and true purpose comes from SEELE. They developed the technologies that would be used in the MAGI and EVA units as part of SEELE's Human Instrumentality Project. They went public (more public, anyway) and became NERV when the Kaiju started attacking.
• NERV (from the German word for "nerve"): One of the organizations created in the aftermath of K-day to combat the Kaiju. They build/grow, maintain, and have command of the giant cyborgs classified as Evangelions. Incredibly secretive, NERV does its best to keep all information as hidden as possible, even from its own staff at times. They are based out of massive artificial underground domes call Geofronts that act as the Eva maintenance bays, research labs, command rooms, and as shelters for the civilians the cities they're based in.
• PPDC (Pan Planetary Defense Corps): Originally the Pan Pacific Defense Corps. The name was changed once the UN realized that a second rift had opened in the Atlantic Ocean. They maintain and command the giant robots classified as Jaegers. Far more open than their counterpart NERV, the PPDC is based out of large bases known as 'Shatterdomes' which house the Jaegers themselves along with all staff and personal. Due to being run as an actual armed force, the PPDC is generally respected for its professional handling of the Kaiju War.

Current Timeline (WIP)

1960s

• Following the prophecy of the true Dead Sea Scrolls, the ancient shadow organization SEELE organized an expedition to the Antarctic.

1980s

• After 20 years of searching the remains of a monstrous being were discovered buried under the ice, a base is established at the site. Seele establishes a front, the Biotech Firm Gehirn, and sends samples of the Antarctic creature now dubbed “Adam” to Gehirn labs across the world.

1990s

• Gehirn develops the MAGI organic computer system based on the brain tissue of the Adam creature.

2000s

• At the SEELE Antarctic site something is found buried several miles under the ice, the ancient breach now frozen and abandoned. It is quickly reburied and placed under heavy guard, SEELE moves to stage two of their plan.
• Evangelion Project is started, with Gehirn attempting to clone a lobotomized version of the Adam creature. Utilizing technology originally developed for the MAGI system, a human could be "synced" with the clone's dormant mind, allowing the human to take control of the body as if it were their own.

20XX

• After dozens of failed attempts, Gehirn finally succeeds in growing the EVA series prototype, Unit-00.

2012

• Unit-00 sent on secret mission through the Antarctic Breach by SEELE, it returns with a captive Precursor/Engineer codenamed “Lilith”. It is stored in stasis at one of the new Geofront facilities, at the lowest level. Not even high ranking NERV personnel know of Lilith’s existence.

2013

• K-Day, the Kaiju Trespasser comes ashore on the California coast. After six days of battling the beast with conventional weapons, the US military finally attacks and kills Trespasser with a nuclear strike. The California Bay Area is totally destroyed, and contaminated with the toxic substance Kaiju Blue. Tens of thousands of people are dead, hundreds of thousands wounded, millions are now homeless.

2014

• Three additional Kaiju attacks are unleashed on coastal cities of the Pacific and Atlantic, all three must also be put down by nuclear weapons. Jasper Schoenfeld proposes the Jaeger Program during a special UN general assembly session on the Kaiju threat.
• Pressured by the sudden appearance of the Jaeger Project, Seele dissolves Gehirn and transfers all personnel and assets to the new agency NERV. Which goes public with the EVA program as its own solution to the Kaiju threat.

2015

• American Jaeger prototype Brawler Yukon engages Kaiju Karloff and is victorious.
• Japanese Jaeger prototype Jet Alone is deployed in Tokyo Bay to intercept Kaiju Onibaba. Disaster strikes as a glitch in the Drift software results in the death of both pilots, disabling Jet Alone and leaving Tokyo defenseless. NERV springs into action by deploying prototype EVA Unit-00, managing to bring down Onibaba. The incident is shrouded in controversy, with accusations of sabotage and incompetence thrown to both sides. In the end Japan terminates its Jaeger program, and orders Jet Alone scrapped. Mysteriously, the ship transporting the Jaeger never arrived at its destination.
• The UN Security Council is impressed with both systems, and approves both. The PPDC received funding for 30 Jaegers across 5 production lines, and NERV approval for one additional prototype and 18 full production Evangelions.

2016

• 6 Mark I Jaegers enter service.
• EVA Unit-01 Finished

2017

• 6 Mark II Jaegers enter service.
• EVA Units 02, 03, and 04 finished
• While originally intending to operate both Evangelions and Jaegers, the United States abandons its EVA program after a disaster involving the NERV facility at Area 51. In the wake of an unsanctioned experiment involving Unit-04 and a prototype power source, the entire facility and everything within 100 miles is atomized. NERV was kicked from the country, and America’s remaining EVA Unit was donated to Egypt.

2018

• 6 Mark III Jaegers enter service.
• EVA Units 05, 06, 07, 08, and 09 finished.

2019

• 6 Mark IV Jaegers enter service.
• EVA Units 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 finished

2020

• Heavily over budget, only one Mark V Jaeger is produced, the rest of the line canceled. An additional 6 Mark IV Jaegers are built instead, ending the first Jaeger production order.
• EVA Units 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 finished. The first EVA series production order is complete.

2021

• Just as it seemed Humanity might have the upper hand, the frequency and severity of Kaiju attacks begin to escalate. Casualties begin to mount for both Jaegers and EVA Units.
• The PPDC opens the Oblivion Bay facility in the ruins of Oakland to house Jaegers wrecks damaged beyond repair, while NERV stores the shattered remains of defeated EVAs in Graveyard facilities in the deepest depths of the Geofronts.

2024

• An unprecedented 24 Kaiju emerge from the Rifts in one year, all stronger than the ones that came before. By the time the year ends, 12 Jaegers and 5 EVAs are destroyed. In addition to the losses mounted over the previous few years, only 2 Jaegers and 2 EVA Units are still intact.
• The UN Security Council decides both programs have become unsustainable.

2025

• The present day, only the Shatterdome and Geofront facilities located at the Panama Canal remain active. The UN has diverted funding from both NERV and the PPDC to the Wall of Life project. In 2026, both organizations are scheduled to be disbanded.

Jaegers and EVA Units

A list and explanation of the various giant robots in the setting.

Jaegers

The Jaegers (from the German word for "hunter") are giant, humanoid robots roughly 70-80m tall. Built with the intention of intercepting and defeating Kaiju before the can make landfall, the Jaegers are built to be massive walls able to beat down the Kaiju with just their fists. This keeps the spread of Kaiju Blue, which is spread via a Kaiju's blood, to a minimum. Any weapons that aren't blunt force are usually designed to cauterize the wounds, or are last resort weapons to be used in emergencies.

They are piloted via a neural uplink that allows a human to control the Jaeger with their own body. However, do to the strain of trying to control something so large, two pilots, designated 'Rangers,' sync together in a process known as Drifting. Once a connection is established each Ranger is inside the other's head, allowing them to think more or less as one, with each controlling one half of the Jaeger.

• Harlequin Rodeo- Mark 4 ScrapBuild with Mark 5 Parts. Boasts that its the fastest Jaegar to walk Terra Firma. Has yet to be proven.
• Two-Timer- EVA/Jaegar Hybrid, Combines the power-plant of a Mark 3 with the EVA Frame. Heavy Modification to keep the thing together, so slower then your Average EVA, and not as well armored as your standard Jaegar.
• Ring Leader-another EVA/Jaegar Hybrid apparently stolen from the Chinese, it was there best attempt to copy EVA-O1. Also has a On board Power plant, ripped of a Dead Mark 4.
• Lion Tamer- Mark 2 Redux. Someone with a real love for that Clunker Cherno decided to make his best imitation. They say Mockery is the most sincerest form of Flattery. That remains to be seen.
• Shrike Victor - An Australasian Jaeger with a New Zealand crew, Shrike Victor was one of the last of the Mark 3 Jaegers to be built.
• Emerald Spark -
• Whiskey Churchill - A British Mark 4 Jaeger built as renewed waves of Kaiju came from the Atlantic portal.
• Santo Machismo -
• Buster Astro -

EVA Units

The Evangelions, known simply as Evas, are cyborgs based off of ancient Kaiju remains recovered from Antarctica (Codename 'Adam') that are grown and lobotomized. They are then wrapped in protective armor that conveniently acts as a restraint on the Eva and hides its organic nature. Its Kaiju heritage (possibly mixed with a slight bit of human DNA), allows it to generate an AT Field. This 'Absolute Territory' is present in all living creatures, preserving one's sense of self. Disconnected from the Kaiju hive-mind, an Eva stands alone enough to manifest its AT Field as a barrier, compensating for its lessened armor compared to both the Jaegers and its Kaiju cousins.

Evas are piloted through a device known as an Entry Plug, which is inserted into the spine, connecting it to the Eva's nervous system. This allows a system similar to the Jaeger Drift, although with a couple VERY important differences. The most pressing is that instead of two human pilots, there is only one pilot who syncs with the Eva itself. On top of this, for some reason only select teenagers possess the capability to even begin a Drift with the Eva unit. This particular fact means that all Eva pilots are usually in there teens, as any who might survive to adulthood are usually burnt out by the close connection they share with the giant alien consciousness.

• Unit 012 -
• Unit 013 -
• Unit 014 -

Pilots and Rangers

• Santiago Pucci - A Brazilian who pilot Unit 15. Orphaned after a Kaiju attack on Rio he was adopted, unbeknownst to him, by two NERV agents who forced a rivalry between him and his foster sister, the one the deemed the winner would become an EVA pilot. After becoming a pilot he used his influence to move his "family" to America
• Michelle Pucci - A Ranger and co-pilot of the Mk. 4 Jaeger Emerald Spark. Originally from Brazil, she was orphaned by a Kaiju attack on Rio and adopted by two NERV agents and raised to be a rival to her brother. After unknowingly denied the "right" to pilot and sent to America she enlisted in the PPDC and tested to be a Ranger, half in an attempt to get revenge and half to spite her brother. She was certified and partnered up with her now best friend Trey Richard.

The Kaiju

A Japanese word usually referring to some kind of giant monster, such as Godzilla, the term Kaiju was accepted as the best name for the giant monsters that began rising from the sea in 2013. They posses a completely alien biology, bearing only a passing resemblance to any form of life on Earth. This is because, unknown to all but a handful of the human race, the Kaiju aren't simply wild animals crossing through a convenient dimensional hole in the sea, but genetically engineered soldiers designed to take out large population centers for their masters/creators known as the Precursors.

While the Kaiju are divided into Categories based on their size and threat level, all Kaiju share certain traits that tie them together. The oddest of these traits is the Absolute Territory, or AT, Field that they're able to manifest. While it is theorized that all living creatures have an AT field that protects an individual's sense of self, only the Kaiju, and their cousins the Evas, are able to manifest it in real-space, allowing for minor abuses on the laws of physics.

For the Kaiju, this usually boils down to a light shield that protects them from weaponry up to a certain grade. While this field is usually only as strong as a Kaiju's natural armor, with some bulkier Kaiju actually having stronger hides than AT fields, the field can protect even the more exposed parts of a Kaiju, such as the eyes and open wounds. This means that, in most cases, it is impossible to use a heavy weapon of some kind, such as a plasma cannon, to open up the Kaiju and allow conventional weaponry to finish the job.

However, there are some Kaiju that use their AT Fields in a different manner. The Kaiju Leatherback and Otachi both show unconventional abilities that are believed to be different manifestations of the AT field. Leatherback possesses some form of EMP generator located on its upper back, that allows it to shut down digital Jaegers, usually Marks 4 and 5 with some upgraded Mark 3s. Otachi instead has the ability to spit a powerful acid from its mouth, not unlike the dragons of Europeon legend. While it's unknown whether the acid utilizes the AT field in some way, Otachi has one other skill that almost certainly relies on its AT field to work: Flight. Although Otachi does possess wings, that seem to retract into it when not in use, most of its stunts while flying make so little sense, that an AT field is the only plausible explanation. Known feats include maintaining flight in the upper atmosphere and being able to carry a Jaeger to said height using only its hind talons to hold on.

The Crunch

[under construction]

JAEVA is meant to be a deceptively simple game that runs off the idea of d10 pools established by games like World of Darkness. Characters have a list of attributes and skills with dots that, when added together, give a number of dice a character uses for an average roll. Unlike other games, however, when you are in a robot/Jaeger/EVA, you use their physical attributes instead of your own.

The Basics

As just mentioned, a standard test requires you to roll a number of D10s equal to the sum of an attribute and a relevant skill to get a result of successes and failures.

• The way to determine the target number to meet or exceed is to compare 5 as the average. Finding the difficulty of an enemy means subtracting the player's level from the enemy and adding the difference to 5. (a level 5 enemy against a level 3 player has a difference of 2, thus has a target number of 7 for the player to hit. in contrast, a level 3 enemy against a level 5 player has a target number of 3 for the player.

• Rolling a 10 “explodes” and gives an extra die to the roll, allowing a chance for an extra success or more exploding successes.

• Rolling a 1 removes the highest success from the roll, always taking 10s first

• the average test's difficulty is a 5, 4, 3, and 2 are progressively easier, and 6, 7, 8, and 9 are progressively harder. give a test that fits the difficulty. no test should be as easy as a 1, and no test should be as hard as a 10.

Subtract any further modifiers from the successes. If they are over 0 you have succeeded and (if in combat) may now go to the Damage roll, otherwise you have simply passed: Add these successes and the dice bonus on your weapon's stat (these are considered automatic successes) and subtract them from your opponent's armor of the hit location you targeted, or rolled for on the hit location table. The result is what damage you do to that area, which may result in that appendage/part being destroyed, crippled, or simply damaged.

Personality

The Personality Table

Personality of a character (or even robot!) can effect a lot both in roleplay and gameplay. The most basic way to describe a personality is using the color wheel below which uses an easy way to describe a character's personality in a single word by seeing which word they connect or would describe the majority of their feelings as.

When dealing with, piloting alongside, or trying to convince other characters, characters will take a penalty of -1 to their relevant combined stats (only -1 for the sum, not each) for every space over that character's personality is on the wheel. For example: if a pessimistic character is trying to pilot a robot alongside an optimistic character, they would be at a -3 on all their rolls to work with that character due to how little they understand them. On the flipside, if the optimistic character was working with another optimistic character, they would be at a -0, and would be fighting as if they were one.

This is the concept of synchronicity, and the idea of it is to bring a more psychological element to the game, where a two pilots can have a hard time getting along with each other and have it reflect in their performance.

• [NOTE: At the moment Personality is a very simple mechanic. there is intent to change this into a "mood shift" mechanic where a character has a dominant mood, and will change depending on the situation they find themselves in. It is currently a very confusing idea that keeps us from simplifying it, so until we are able to find a simpler solution, personality it is.]

Sanity/Insanity

What's that? Evangelion's involved?
That's right, you saw this coming if you know anything about NGE. There's no absolute cause of insanity. Perhaps something traumatic happened in the character's past they go insane remembering, or see something right in front of them that they can't believe. Whenever your character sees something like a tank of naked clones of their mother that look like their crush, chases the RABIT (Random Access Brain Impulse Triggers, watch Pacific Rim again guys.), or has some other pants-shittingly weird thing happen that gives them a total mindfuck, they get a point of insanity and roll an insanity test at +1 difficulty for every point of insanity they have, against their sanity rating. Failing the roll results in rolling on the insanity table (under construction), which gives conditions or actions for them to follow through on, such as going bezerk, or having a breakdown and doing nothing. However, succeeding in the roll removes that point of insanity.

Insanity can spring up any time, but it's not suggested that GMs overuse it when running games, as it can render characters uncontrollable. Insanity points can be gotten rid of through therapy, which can be whatever makes sense for the character and whatever the GM sees fit.

Willpower

Willpower: characters can spend points willpower to add successes to any roll. For every point of willpower spent, they gain one success. If willpower is depleted, the character must wait a full turn resting, then roll a die to see how many points they regain. Between combats and events willpower is regained. you can never regain more than the number of willpower points you have purchased.

[UNDER CONSTRUCTION]

Character Advancement

Unlike a certain other RPG franchise, where EXP needs to be in the thousands to get anywhere, JAEVA sits more in the area of Numenera, where you only need a few EXP to advance. How does it work? Well, you start at 0 EXP at level 1, then 5 EXP later you're at level 2 with a couple more dots in your character sheet and some requisition points in your pocket, and now you are 5 EXP away from level 3. Here's how to earn EXP:

• Show up to a session and participate: 1 EXP
• Win a combat outside of the giant robot: 1-3 EXP
• Win a combat with a kaiju (or other bot): 1-5 EXP
• Uncover a conspiracy, or discover something about the Kaiju or their origins: 1-3 EXP
• Complete one of your character's goals: 1-5 EXP
• Complete a GM intrusion: 1-3 EXP

Levels advance at double the EXP whatever the last one was. starting at 5 EXP for level 2, third level is 10, fourth level is 20, fifth level is 40, and so on. With each level your character gets an extra dot to put in an attribute or skill of their character, and a few requisition points to invest in your current bot (whatever the GM feels is good, not too many though).

Jaeger/Eva advancement

Robots don't advance like people do: they require immense funding to repair their massive and rare parts, and upgrades to increase their effectiveness. A battleworn machine in JAEVA will have many unique weapons and pieces of gear that turn it from something fairly normal into something wildly different by the end of a campaign. This is done through Requisition points, which are an easy way to account for, and pay for, the massive funding these programs need to sustain themselves, usually paid for through taxes, imaginary created money sending future generations into a swirling vortex of debt (but hey, it's all for them, right?), and the United Nations. Each requisition point is equal to about $500k if there was any real value on them.

so how do you get them? Here's how:

• Kill Kaiju: you saw this coming. What use are giant robots if they don't defend the cities from massive beasts? Every Kaiju you fight will have a price on his head of around 10 Requisition points per level. kill it, and you get some points, however....

• Don't cause collateral damage: that's what the kaiju are here to do. causing collateral damage gets points docked from your pay. Don't sweat the small stuff though; crushed cars, massive footprints in the streets, and broken windows/lamp posts are covered by the UN, no questions asked. but the golden gate bridge? tokyo tower? empire state building? the forbidden city? that comes out of your pay. flattening an entire city block isn't what they hired you for, so don't fuck up. GMs will subtract fitting amounts of requisition from your bounty if you cause wanton destruction.

• Keep it intact: Guess what? Hannibal Chau and his compatriots want those kaiju corpses for sellin' purposes, and he has more actual money than most countries at this point. The more intact a dead kaiju is, the more they are likely to pay. keep that in mind as you weigh the risks of blowing the head off one. They also come in handy for research purposes too, i guess, but scientists are cheap-asses.

[under construction]

Gallery

A current map of all countries that produce either Jaegers(Blue), Evas(Red), or both(Purple)