Metal Slug Setting
Metal Slug Setting is based on the Metal Slug system by Squash Monster. New rules presented here are by Stranger59. The goal is to present the Metal Slug universe, as a run and gun game where the players fight wave after wave of foe in dynamic battles.
The Basic Universe
Written by Amazing in case you're horribly deprived and have no idea what Metal Slug is.
The game series Metal Slug has a surprisingly complex backstory that not only doesn't matter to the game, but is actually never even mentioned in any of its incarnations. Instead of story scrolls, Metal Slug cabinets just run demos of the game blowing shit up.
This is not a bad thing.
The story is, General Donald Morden was a big guy in the Regular Army, but because it was corrupt as fuck the Army didn't bother stopping a bomb attack on Central Park that killed Morden's son. Understandably pissed, he leaves (and roughly half the army defects with him), and starts the Rebel Army. You are a l33t soldier in the Regular Army who now has to use fuckawesome tanks and planes and submarines and shit to fuck up Morden's army and stop this shit.
Long story short: KILL THINGS, BLOW THINGS UP. Also Martians.
It's everything you could ever want in a setting- lots of guns, crazy weapons, crazier vehicles, loads of grunts to kill, big explosions, and bigger bosses. So it was decided to make it into a game system.
And now, on to the system.
Character creation
Characters have the following traits:
- Gunner die (Gd): This die is added to the initial delivery die when using a gun of any sort. For simplicity sake, any nonmelee weapon. This includes grenades. The Gd is also used when providing cover fire.
- Beater die (Bd): This die is added to the initial delivery die when using any melee weapon.
- Dodge: This number is subtracted from the initial delivery roll of any enemy trying to attack you, for ranged or melee. Also used when taking a hit for an ally.
- Drive: This number is subtracted from the initial delivery roll of any enemy trying to attack you while you are controlling a moving vehicle, ranged or melee. Also used when taking a hit for an ally.
- Hit Points (HP): Represents your ability to take damage, handle fatigue and even luck. Decreases as you are successfully attacked, and you are dying upon reaching 0.
- Battle Points (BP): You are a step above the average person, the gods of the battlefield favor you. Using a BP can allow you to reroll one stage of delivery or payload on an attack, or let you roll on a Fate table.
- Friend Points (FP): You value your comrades in arms, and aid them with your actions, words and attitude. You can add FP to any roll you make to take a hit or provide cover fire for an ally (but only allies, not protected targets). You may spend a FP to give an ally a +1 to any roll. You may also use it to inspire a friend on in the face of death, represented by healing 1d10x10 of your ally’s hit points. You may only aid an ally with an FP once per turn, but you may aid as many allies each turn as you have FP.
- Talents: These add various bonuses and represent training and experience. Talents are gained after a completed mission, and your number of talents represents your rank.
Rank: Represented by having a certain number of talents. Higher ranks allow new or advanced talents to be taken.
Characters start with the following stats:
- Gd: d4
- Bd: d4
- Dodge: 0
- Drive: 0
- HP: 600
- BP: 1 (rookie), 2 (soldier), 4 (veteran), 7 (super soldier)
- FP: 1 (rookie), 2 (soldier), 4 (veteran), 7 (super soldier)
- Talents: 10 (rookie), 15 (soldier), 20 (veteran), 30 (super soldier)
- Rank: Equal to talents chosen.
Talents
Talents are what set you apart from your comrades. Certain talents can only be taken at certain ranks, shown on the Talents by Rank table. Talents are as follows:
- Gunner Die upgrade: Each time taken moves Gd up on type: d6, d8, d10, d12 and d20
- Beater Die upgrade: Each time taken moves Bd up on type: d6, d8, d10, d12 and d20
- Dodge upgrade: Add +1 to your dodge score. Max +5
- Great Dodger: Add a dodge die to you Dodge score. Each rank moves the die type up: d4, d6, d8, d10, and d12.
- Drive uprgrade: Add +1 to your drive score. Max +5
- Great Driver: Add a dodge die to you drive score. Each rank moves the die type up: d4, d6, d8, d10, and d12. Only usable in vehicles that have the Super Mobile or Ultra Mobile traits.
- More hitpoints!: Each rank gives +200 HP to your total.
- Weapon Lover (specific weapon type): Add a +1 to initial delivery roll with any weapon in the type you chose.
- Ammo fiend: One rank gains you +25% ammo to any gun or ammo you find. A second rank gives you +50%
- Accurate strike (specific weapon type): Adds +1 die to your final payload dice with any weapon in the type you chose.
- True friend: Adds +1 to your FP total, max +5. This is in addition to the FP you gain at the named ranks.
- Hardy: Natural toughness and unyielding nature that acts as armor. Each rank gives you +1 armor.
- Combo Killer: Each target you kill this round gives you a bonus +1 payload die next round, max +5 with first rank, max +10 for second rank
- Spray Master: Each rank allows you to hit one more target with your attack when using a weapon that has the Rapid (R) quality.
- Special attack: You have a special melee attack. Construct it using Metal Slug System rules. Each rank allows you 200 pts.
- Close fighter: You keep your full Dodge score when avoiding a melee attack.
New rules
- Take the hit: Used to take some of the fire directed at an ally other target you intend to protect. Roll your dodge normally, and take that many payload dice meant for your intended target.
- Cover fire: Forego your attack, add your Gd to an ally’s dodge against all foes til start of your next turn.
- Concentrated fire: Allies can concentrate their fire on one target. All delivery dice are rolled normally, as well as all payload dice save the final. Both final payload rolls are made at the same time, and all damage added together to act as a single attack.
New weapon qualities
Type: All weapons fall under Melee, Handgun, Long arm, Heavy, Grenade or Crazy (very specific weapons). Certain talents must have a weapon type specified, and bonuses from that talent only apply to weapons in that category.
Range: Represents how deep in the action you have to be to use the weapon. Ranges are Intimate (melee), Close (1-2 meters, just outside of Intimate), Medium (less than 100 meters), and Long (Sniper distance). For gaming purposes this is all left very abstract.
Mobility: For vehicles, shows how well you can get a vehicle through fire without it just plain taking hits.
- None: It’s stationary. Someone shots at it, they just get the maximum result on their initial delivery die each time.
- Crappy: It’s like your first car. It goes from A to B, on a good day. It is also for large or unwieldy vehicles that kinda move, but also are built to take a lot of hits. The driver can only add half their drive skill, except when using the vehicle to take a hit.
- Mobile: Normal combat ready vehicle. Driver uses full drive skill.
- Super Mobile: Slug class vehicles, able to react with amazing speed to threats. Driver gains +1 to drive.
- Ultra Mobile: Next to human level of movement. While beyond the tech level of Earth, anything is possible in the future or from advanced alien races. Driver gains +2 to drive.
Delivery:
- Melee (M): Must be in Intimate range to use. Opponent’s Dodge is halved (rounded down) when you attack. (+4 cost)
- Surprise(!): Enemy does not get their dodge die, if any, against this attack when first used in a fight. After that use, they still suffer a -1 to the result of their dodge die against this weapon (no further penalty to those without a dodge die). (+2 cost)
- Indirect (I): Cover only adds half (rounded down) it’s normal bonus to the target’s dodge. (+1 cost)
- Rapid (R): You can split your initial delivery roll in half (rounded down), and attack 2 targets. (+3 cost)
Payload:
- Delay: In round the attack is made, do not roll final payload. Instead set aside those dice. Anytime during the next round, you can roll those dice to deal the damage. This can be used in concentrated fire. (+4 cost)
Weapons of the Metal Slug world
Not finished
Friends and Foes
Basic soldier, rank 5
- Gd: d6 (1)
- Bd: d4
- Dodge: 4 (4)
- Drive: 1 (1)
- HP: 200 (-2)
- Talents: Weapon Lover (Long arm) +1 (1)
Examples
Sample Super Soldier
- Gd: d12 (4)
- Bd: d6 (1)
- Dodge: 5 (5)
- Drive: 5 (5)
- HP: 1,800 (6)
- BP: 7 (0)
- FP: 9 (2)
- Talents: Great dodger +d6 (2), Great driver +d4 (1), Weapon Lover (Heavy) +3 (3), Combo Killer 1(+1)
- Rank: 30