Theorizing what a leviathan mech update would play like

[resistor]

DISLAIMER: The Trese Brothers have no current plans to add leviathans or other mechs in the game. This thread is mostly for the fun of discussing possible rules. It may be plausible that someone will make a leviathan mod or the TBs will make a leviathan update or DLC years in the future, but don't take this thread as an omen.

---

Here are my thoughts on what a mech DLC or mod would look like.

First, there is some lore that provides constraints. That is, the leviathans that the Templars use in Templar Battleforce and Templar Assault would not be used by Star Traders, because they are too clumsy and prone to burning the pilot alive/exploding to be used effectively by anyone that doesn't have generations of muscle memory in piloting them. Star Trader leviathans like the type you can use in Star Traders RPG are significantly simpler, smaller, and less well-armored than the Templar leviathan variants, but they can still be devastating in the right hands.

The mechanics:

    A leviathan bay medium component would be required to use them. Perhaps enough damage to this component would cause leviathans to be unusable until it is repaired.

    A new 'Leviathan Marine' Job would be added, which has Gunnery has the primary skill and Electronics as the Secondary, with Evade as a tertiary skill. A 'Leviathan Warrior' Job would have similar skills as the Leviathan Marine, but have Blades instead of Gunnery. Many of the talents available to leviathan Jobs would use Electronics to for stronger effects.

    Leviathans would be equipped in the armor slot. This would auto-equip a leviathan gun that uses Gunnery skill to hit or a leviathan sword. Leviathan armor would have low Evasion bonus, but have very high soak and deflection.

    Leviathans in crew combat would take up two slots, so you can have two leviathans or one leviathans with two regular guys deployed.

Let me know what you guys think about these rules, and what you think leviathans should be like in STF.

[xdesperado]

Sounds interesting, though don't feel they should take up 2 slots in CC.
Simply keep them very expensive and rare + requiring a suitable job type to equip should prove sufficiently restrictive. Considering some of the enemies we can face that are already in game and that we can face multiple stacks of enemies in a combat, having a true "heavy assault" type could be fun and different especially if the associated mech could suffer damage requiring repair separate from the health of crew and ship damage. i.e. it provides significant protection to the crew that pilots it but some of that damage it prevents is applied to the mech degrading it's protection and requiring repair talents or credits to repair at a suitable facility.

[fallen]

Thanks for the cool theories!

[Brutus Aurelius]

Dec 24, 2018 6:34:59 GMT -5 xdesperado said:

Sounds interesting, though don't feel they should take up 2 slots in CC.
Simply keep them very expensive and rare + requiring a suitable job type to equip should prove sufficiently restrictive. Considering some of the enemies we can face that are already in game and that we can face multiple stacks of enemies in a combat, having a true "heavy assault" type could be fun and different especially if the associated mech could suffer damage requiring repair separate from the health of crew and ship damage. i.e. it provides significant protection to the crew that pilots it but some of that damage it prevents is applied to the mech degrading it's protection and requiring repair talents or credits to repair at a suitable facility.

2 slots would make sense, as Andrew has said that the Goliaths, which are roughly the same size as a Leviathan mech (as per dialog in TBF), would actually take up two slots and only really be seen as a large pair of legs in STF crew combat. Given that both Leviathans and Goliaths are roughly 15 feet tall, that would make sense

[resistor]

Dec 24, 2018 6:34:59 GMT -5 xdesperado said:

Sounds interesting, though don't feel they should take up 2 slots in CC.
Simply keep them very expensive and rare + requiring a suitable job type to equip should prove sufficiently restrictive. Considering some of the enemies we can face that are already in game and that we can face multiple stacks of enemies in a combat, having a true "heavy assault" type could be fun and different especially if the associated mech could suffer damage requiring repair separate from the health of crew and ship damage. i.e. it provides significant protection to the crew that pilots it but some of that damage it prevents is applied to the mech degrading it's protection and requiring repair talents or credits to repair at a suitable facility.

I think leviathan bay components would be restricted by military rank with the faction you're buying from (after all, that's how it was in STRPG), and have a high requirement for zone military rating.

Having leviathans take damage that is separate from ship damage or crew HP sounds like it would add more complexity without really adding more depth; it's not an idea I'm a fan of.

[sparda4]

To add my two cents to this. I feel like the leviathans SHOULD take up two spaces because

SPOILER: Click to show

the Vat monster is like a leviathan damage and health wise

they are just that massive and they give such a great advantage if used properly.

[resistor]

Could be a possibility of Templar Leviathans that are only pilotable by crew with a special 'Knight Lineage" trait. Knight Lineage would allow the use of Templar Leviathans, never morale breaks in combat, and give combat bonuses when piloting any Leviathan, but be balanced by blocking the use of spice, leading to morale being difficult to keep up, therefore desertion being a concerning possibility.

Edit: Knight Lineage would be a trait that is always, and perhaps exclusively, present in recruits from Templar contacts or from a story mission involving a Templar officer. Maybe it could also be an ultra-rare 1 in 10,000 trait obtainable from faction world recruits.

[resistor]

Combat Meta

If Leviathans take up two slots, they will be more vulnerable to debuffs, as an enemy team of can put twice as many debuffs on two targets than four. Using a combination of debuffs would likely be one of the best strategies for fighting leviathans, especially debuffs that sap initiative, such as Tricky Gunplay. Leviathan pilots would benefit from having debuff resist/purge talents. The Zealot would be a great option for a secondary job for a Leviathan Warrior, because Zealot has talents that can give debuff resist, increase the effectiveness of a Leviathan's already fearsome armor, and purge debuffs on both Leviathan slots simultaneously.

What about healing? I don't think leviathan pilots should have access to medic talents or be able to receive healing from other characters. The gauntlet controls probably aren't dexterous enough for anyone outside of certain Templar bloodlines to effectively treat wounds in a Leviathan, and other characters can't perform field surgery on a Leviathan pilot because the mech armor is in the way.