Character Stat Discussion

[Alak]

I guess enough people are getting confused about character stats that we might as well try and settle it now. This is what I've put in the other topic:

Statistics

Name: The name of the Original Character.
Player: The owner and controller of the Original Character.
Alt. Mode: The animal form that the Original Character currently has.
Function: What the character's primary role is.
Height: How tall this character is in robot form.
Strength: The physical power of the character and how much damage its melee attacks/weapons will do to an opponent.
Intelligence: How much information the character knows and how quick it can learn new information.
Speed: The optimal running or flying speed of the character.
Endurance: How much punishment a character can take before falling into stasis lock.
Rank: Where the character stands in its respective faction's hierarchy.
Courage: How brave the character is in the face of danger.
Firepower: How much damage the character's projectile weapons can deal to its opponent.
Skill: This rates how well a character can translate its knowledge into action.
Weapons: What the character is armed with in robot mode.
Special Ability: The character's unique ability that may be used in robot mode.

Despite looking straight forward, our creations have become too complicated for these one-sentence descriptions. What stats affect electric, energon, energo, regular, thermo, or any other type of sword? How would we compare firepower ratings between a weapon that uses missiles versus a weapon that fires shotgun rounds? How would we compare the firepower of a standard heat combustion missile vs a frost missile? What happens when a firepower 10 character fights an endurance 10 character? The list of questions goes on and on and on. Should we look at canon character stats as a referral? Are cannon character stats even accurate? The number 5 seems to be "average" for our OCs, but that's a low number for canon characters.

Let's discuss, debate, and come to a unified conclusion

[NaitoKage]

Ah, well in the case of energy weapons like.. energy swords I believe they'd probably run off a different stat compared to solid swords.. though I have heard some complaints about wanting to use Skill instead of strength for swords.. kinda like in D&D with Dex and knives/light blades, though I'm not entirely sure how that works.. aiming for weak points like joints?.. However even with energy weapons, I do believe strength unless facilitated through alternate means should be used for blocking or parrying with energy based weapons, but they work by melting,burning, or frying a surface rather then the sharpness of a cut or blunt cleaving power. Though certain weapons are exceptions to that like Energo weapons.

Firepower and armor wise.. Very good question. Not sure if it's like the Juggernaut meets the Blob or if 10 firepower can pierce 10 armor effectively or is it halved damage? And then just what should be able to qualify as a level 10 damage weapon.. equivalent to a tank round, a Navy Railgun round, cluster bombs or bunker busters?

[Alak]

I'll readily admit that I'm no expert on G1 weaponry such as the ten gajillion variants of swords. However, whenever someone says energy sword, I think of lightsabers. Lightsabers can't even cut through every material cleanly since it varies on how dense the compound is or how resistant it is to heat. It applies to lasers in real life in which their penetration speed is based on the target's resistance (metals are surprisingly resilient lol). Anyway, in Star Wars, we see Jedi and Sith having to put in extra strength to break through thicker defense walls. With this beings said, I vote that we have swords overall having their maximum cutting ability based on the Strength stat. We'd have to take things into context, though (warning: this is where I being to rant). If a character has a strength of 3, it simply means that the blade won't stand up well against a character with a strength of 4. However, if the strength 4 character only has traditional metallic blades and the strength 3 has a thermal sword, then we'd have to somehow take that into account. This is the part that trips me up. Furthermore, we'd have to take into account the size and mass of the wielder. A 220 lbs. swordman will be able to strike consistently harder than a 140 lbs. swordsman even if they're on equal weight lifting levels. We may also have to consider speed, but based on the current definition it only pertains to top end sprinting speed. I'm friends with a lot of athletes, so I know that linemen can be just as quick as sprinters in close quarters scenarios. Unless if we're watching anime, no swordsman will ever fight while sprinting at full strides. Therefore, I vote we negate speed for now unless if quickness becomes part of its definition as well.

Skill is the complicated wrench that is tossed into every situation. I think that it will play a major factor in a fair fight (in a neutral environment) and that's the stat that will determine the winner assuming that strength stats, weapons, size, etc. is on similar playing fields. It will not, however, let a mouse defeat a tiger. There's a reason why boxing and MMA organizations have weight divisions. Skill will have to utilize opportunity, environment, circumstance, and tactics provided by the Intelligence stat in order to become useful in the RPG.

OVERALL: Sword properties are part of the Strength stat in the biography. If they emit energy, the damaging effects of that energy radiation will be determined by Firepower. That's as simple as it's going to get. Specific properties of the sword (electric, thermal, energo, etc.) will be considered as circumstantial and that will have to play out in the RPG through the players' posts.


What do you guys think? We might as well settle this first before moving onto the other stat complications.

[Phoenix]

I don't think the strength stat would accurately depict the outcome of a sword fight. Depending on the type of sword, of course, I think the skill stat would be a better way to determine how fatal a character is when wielding a sword. Some melee weapons are heavier than others. A character hitting someone with a mace would likely require a higher strength stat than someone who is using a light weight sword and specifically targets another character's weak spots such as joints. If you compare the hand-to-hand combat skills of a boxer, who will rely more on strength, to that of certain martial artists (who have been training to better their skills and use their skill and intelligence to bring down a foe more so than merely strength), the situation is definitely more grey shaded than black and white.

Also are certain statistics definite? Say you have two characters with strength 10, but one is G1 sized and the other is RatTrap sized. Are their strength levels relevant to their size? Or are two 10s always the same?

[Alak]

Well let me reiterate a segment of what I posted:

Skill is the complicated wrench that is tossed into every situation. I think that it will play a major factor in a fair fight (in a neutral environment) and that's the stat that will determine the winner assuming that strength stats, weapons, size, etc. is on similar playing fields. It will not, however, let a mouse defeat a tiger. There's a reason why boxing and MMA organizations have weight divisions. Skill will have to utilize opportunity, environment, circumstance, and tactics provided by the Intelligence stat in order to become useful in the RPG.

I think most of the confusion comes from "sword fights" instead of "sword". I personally think (and feel free to disagree with me) that the power of the melee weapon itself lies in strength, but circumstances could change things if the stats are really close.

Example

Two warriors have electro swords with one having a strength of 6 and the other a strength of 7. I'd say the strength of 7 has the stronger electro sword.

One warrior has an energo sword (strength 5) and the other has a thermo sword (strength . While energo swords tend to be the best cutting-wise, I'd say the thermo sword is more powerful in this case.


In regards to battle, I can't say anything definitive. Too many variables as mentioned above.

[Phoenix]

Personally I rather like having the firepower stat determine how powerful your weapons are (not just the long ranged weapons). Perhaps change the name to 'weapon power' or whatever instead to avoid confusion on what is covered under that particular stat. Have the strength stat be how physically strong the character is, as in how much he can lift, carry, or how hard his punches will be. The skill stat can describe how good the character is at applying knowledge to action, whether it be a medic performing surgery or a combatant using martial arts during a fight, or how good a computer programmer is at his job. Strength may determine how severe the impact of a first to the face or a weapon will be, but it doesn't seem right that the character's strength stat should determine how lethal a weapon is by itself.

Certain stats seem to be connected, such as a good medic needing high intelligence (so they know what they're doing), as well as the skill to be able to perform.

[Alak]

Following Segment is a Response to Phoenix's Suggestion

Well, here's the thing: RPGs in general tend to divide physical attacks with projectile attacks due to the inability of comparison and difficulty of stat distribution as a result. If we only kept one category for both firearms and melee weapons, then the following characters would be unfairly nerfed:

Orcariner
The Beast
Whitegrazer*
Manterror
Dinobot

These are characters with high strengths who specialize in close quarters combat. They rely on melee weaponry and shortened range in order to perform well (Whitegrazer may be considered an exception). Here's a list of other characters who would also get nerfed in melee weapons combat:

Feralnight
Saber
Cecaelia
Sonar
Optimus Primal
Clear Convoy

I made a separate list for these 5 characters because while they have melee weapons, they use projectile weaponry as their primaries instead. Therefore, they won't be as severely hindered as the first list. Here's those who would improve in CQB due the category switch:

Wintersong
Glowstick
Nemesis
Starshadow

The only characters on that list who actually use melee weaponry as a main would be Nemesis and Starshadow. Regarding the weapon only, this would be the new tier-list:

S-Tier (weapon power 10+)

None

A-Tier (weapon power 9-10)

None

B-Tier (weapon power 7-8)

Icebreaker (combat knife) :: (no change in tier) :: (not a melee fighter)
Wintersong (claws x2) :: (raised from C-tier) :: (not a melee fighter)
Glowstick (energo-sword) :: (raised from C-tier) :: (not a melee fighter)
Starshadow (wrist blade x2) :: (raised from C-tier) :: (mixed fighter)
Optimus Primal (standard sword x2) :: (dropped from A-tier) :: (mixed fighter)
Clear Convoy (standard sword x2) :: (dropped from A-tier) :: (mixed fighter)

C-Tier (weapon power 5-6)

Saber (claws x2) :: (dropped from B-tier) :: (is a melee fighter)
Manterror (sickle blade x2) :: (dropped from A-tier) :: (is a melee fighter)
Nemesis (sai x2) :: (no change in tier) :: (is a melee fighter)
Dinobot (drill sword) :: (dropped from B-Tier) :: (is a melee fighter)

D-Tier (weapon power 3-4)

Orcariner (energo-sword x2) :: (dropped from A-tier) :: (is a melee fighter)
Whitegrazer (diffusion hand-to-hand) :: (dropped from B-tier) :: (is a melee fighter)

E-Tier (weapon power 1-2)

None

Complete Garbage (weapon power 0)

The Beast (claws x2; fangs) :: (dropped from A-tier) :: (is a melee fighter)

Remember, this is just a list of the weapons' strength, durability, cutting ability, etc. This would ruin Saber's story arc with her becoming a more powerful Beast, because she'd just be limited to tackling and take downs rather than slashes and bites. This would make Orcariner role as a CQB tank exponentially less significant with enemies no longer fearing his infamous energo swords, bringing more favor to the smaller Rhinox as a defensive buff. Whitegrazer (if we're counting diffusion as a melee weapon) would become useless altogether, but we can just say hand-to-hand is strength+skill+speed and she's good to go. Dinobot will be thrown into the shadows since the drill sword isn't competitive anymore. Manterror is an offensive oriented character, so his nerf in reality much worse than Orcariner's despite being one tier higher. I'm sure those who improve will appreciate the power boost, but those who were dropped will not be happy at all.

Let me throw out a hypothetical scenario: Optimus Primal vs. Steelclaw. Characters have been known to invent new weapons in our RPG. Let's say Steelclaw creates a combat knife similar to Icebreaker's. If the two characters were to clash blades (swords vs knife), the change in stats would suggest that Steelclaw's knife would overpower Primal's swords if they made physical contact. Whether this leads to one blade breaking the other or just a favor in momentum, I don't know but I don't want to get into that because we'll be going too far.

Another issue with consolidating melee weaponry and firearms is that we'll have to compare two completely incomparable items. What's a more powerful weapon: sword or missile? Raver sword or fusion cannon? It's difficult enough to compare guns as it is (which NK was dreading), but to throw swords and such into the mix will destroy our minds in the process.


The Following is My Own Suggestion


Ok, if we want to just make things simple, why don't we just say that sword properties as circumstantial? I'm saying that the properties of a melee weapon will not be found in the character's stats, but instead will be based on precedence found in canon material. Let's use Glowstick as an example. His Raver Blade is an energo-sword if I recall correctly. Energo weapons are currently accepted in the TF community as the most powerful blades in canon history due to energon acting as damage multipliers in combat. Despite having only a strength of 6.0, we'll just say that the Raver Blade can cut through most (if not all) materials. If the weapon isn't going to have special properties, then it's cutting power will be dependent on the strength stat. This does not mean the weapon will be useless if the character is weak!!! It only means that the player of a low strength character will have to remember to deliver more blows to a higher endurance character if he/she wishes to win the fight. Remember that we're only talking about the weapon's power here. In a strict melee battle between two character, we'll have to consider the weapon's properties*, strength, intelligence, speed, courage, endurance, skill, environment*, pre-existing conditions*, weather*, assists*, secondary weapons*, size*, mass*, and luck*. Anything with an asterisk is considered to be circumstantial in this event.

Circumstantial = elements found in the RPG that cannot be referred to the character's statistics.

- Dinobot may use his optic lasers in a sword fight which would turn the tide in his favor. This is considered circumstantial.

- Optimus Primal could easily pop out his wrist blasters and sneak in a shot to knock out the enemy. This is considered circumstantial.

- Nemesis and Silverbolt have melee weaponry that double as explosives. The element of surprise is considered circumstantial.

...aaaaand segue into firepowaaa!!!

- Orcariner has a firepower rating of 3. His gun is bigger than half the RPG's cast, so his gun has a very high stopping power + rate of fire = suppression. His effectiveness with projectile weaponry is circumstantial.

- Tarantulas has a firepower rating of 6. He has 8 fully automatic guns which can be used in combination with his web launcher. His effectiveness with projectile weaponry is circumstantial.

- Rhinox has a firepower rating of 6. He has two chainguns of doom which are probably the best in the game due to very high stopping power + rate of fire = suppression. His effectiveness with projectile weaponry is circumstantial.

- Blackarachnia's gun shoots darts that contain cyber-venom which paralyzes and poisons her target. Her effectiveness with projectile weaponry is circumstantial.

- Rattrap has a firepower of 6. He has demolition charges that can blow up energon mountains and take down force field generators. These are considered to be equipment rather than weapons, therefore, should be deemed as circumstantial.

Love that transition? I know I do, because we have to talk about guns sooner or later. Here's what I have to say about guns:

1) Firepower rating determines lethality.

Ex: If one person (firepower 8 ) has a sniper rifle and another (firepower 8 ) has a shotgun, I'll go ahead and say the damage is equally severe.
Ex: If one person (firepower 8 ) has a sniper rifle and another (firepower 6) has a sniper rifle, it will be accepted that the person with the higher firepower rating will have the more powerful sniper rifle.

2) Stopping power and suppression are circumstantial.

Ex: As noted above, Orcariner and Rhinox have lower firepower ratings but excel at stopping power and suppression.
Ex: Steelclaw as a laser mini-gun which not only compliments his firepower rating (8.5 :: A-tier) but has a high rate of fire and a longer range than assault rifles. This grants him the ability to engage targets whose endurance ratings outclass his firepower rating.

3) Range is circumstantial.

Ex: Back to the shotgun vs sniper rifle example. Despite not being in the stats, we know the former is limited to 90-150 meter while the latter can reach up to 2000+ meters.
Ex: Assault rifles will have more range than pistols.

4) Accuracy and recoil are circumstantial.

Ex: Sniper rifles > assault rifles > sub-machine guns > light machine guns > pistols when it comes to default accuracy.
Ex: Lasers and Gauss weapons are more accurate than traditional ballistics and quasar guns.

If anyone has anything to add/change, I'll be more than happy to here it because I think firearms are #2 on the list of confusing things about the RPG.


**********


Alright, I know that last part may have thrown some people off who just wanted to settle melee weapons first, so I'll conclude this monster post with a summary.

1) Strength stat determine cutting power of non-special weapons.

Ex: Optimus Primal (strength 10) will be able to cut through a steel block with his swords more easily than Manterror (strength 9) will be able to cut through that same steel block with his sickles.
Ex: Saber (strength 8 ) will be able to slash through a steel wall with her claws more easily than Wintersong (strength 6) will be able to slash through that same steel wall.

2) Special weapons are circumstantial.

Ex: Glowstick (strength 6) will be able to cut through a steel block with his energo-sword more easily than Optimus Primal (strength 10) will be able to cut through that same steel block with his normal sword.
Ex: Dinobot (strength 8 ) will be able to puncture a steel wall with his drill sword more easily than Optimus Primal (strength 10) will be able to puncture through that same steel wall with his normal sword.

3) Strength is the tie-breaker for special weapons.

Ex: Orcariner (strength 10) will be able to cut through a steel block with his energo-sword more easily than Glowstick (strength 10) will be able to cut through that same steel block with his energo-sword.

4) Mass is circumstantial.

Ex: Icebreaker (strength 7) is taller and heavier than Manterror (strength 9), so the penetration power of his combat knife may be able to compete with the latter's sickles depending on the situation.

[Phoenix]

I still disagree. I don't think how strong you are necessarily reflects how well you handle a sword and thus should not be the (only) stat reflecting what kind of damage you can inflict on someone with said sword. Some characters would get seriously nerfed if the strength stat is the only thing deciding their ability to inflict damage, such as close quarter fighters that use speed and skills when fighting (couple of examples being Venatrix and Nemesis).

At the moment it's almost 3 am here, I'm dead tired, and only still up since I did laundry and dishes while the baby took a nap and right now I'm feeding him so I can get a chance to sleep for a couple of hours.. Thus I don't feel like looking up the profiles, but I'm sure there are others who are in the same situation.

Nemesis is primarily a melee character, relying on a combination of martial arts and swordsmanship to fight. Her strength lies not in her 'strength' statistic, which is not very high at all, but rather in her 'skill' statistic. She doesn't use her sword for stabbing someone (it's a sword, not a knife.. stabbing with a sword is not very practical), but rather slicing at their weak spots (such as joints). So in a close fight she would rely on her skills rather than the brute force of strength. She uses light weapons and prioritizes speed and skill to fight.

Her rifle is not a primary weapon, and will be replaced for another weapon soon. The exploding sais will get an update too. If the strength stat was to be the only means to reflect the damage output she makes, that would effectively leave the character's skill stat and firepower useless.

What I was talking about was the actual damage potential of the weapons compared to similar weapons, just like a character's strength would be compared to a character of similar size rather than comparing the strength of Orcariner and a much smaller character. A sword with a firepower of 8 would still be comparable with another sword, not with a rocket launcher of equal fp. If this is confusing, we could split the FP stat up in two categories (close quarters and long range) and merely have the FP stat be a combination of the two (If your boomstick does 8 dmg and your sword 6, your average FP stat would be a 7. Or if you only have one form of weapons, that would be your firepower stat.)

To use swords as an example since we're already on the topic: There are different types of swords that would be influenced by different stats. A heavy, thick broadsword, for instance, is not exactly the weapon of choice for a fighter who values speed and agility, but it might be for a strong character who uses raw power to lash out at someone. So the damage inflicted by a broadsword would likely be influenced by the character's strength stat, whereas a lighter katana will be influenced more by the character's ability to wield it.. aka skill. The suggestion of leaving the melee weapons in the firepower stat was due to wanting something to reflect the actual damage potential of the melee weapon, regardless of who is wielding it. So a character who is trained in close quarter combat might be able to inflict more damage with a sword with a power rating of 6 than someone untrained who happens to pick up the same sword. Just like a sniper being able to do more damage with a sniper rifle than someone else who doesn't know how to aim. In that sense other stats will affect the damage done by the weapons. I merely figured firepower would explain what the basic power of a certain weapon would be, but your other stats (strength, skill, speed..) determine what the final damage output is.


bed time... zzzzzz...

[Alak]

You've misunderstood my post and maybe it's because you're tired, but I'll go ahead and try and clarify here:

Remember, this is just a list of the weapons' strength, durability, cutting ability, etc.

Remember that we're only talking about the weapon's power here.

In a strict melee battle between two characters, we'll have to consider the weapon's properties*, strength, intelligence, speed, courage, endurance, skill, environment*, pre-existing conditions*, weather*, assists*, secondary weapons*, size*, mass*, and luck*. Anything with an asterisk is considered to be circumstantial in this event.

Circumstantial = elements found in the RPG that cannot be referred to the character's statistics.

1) Strength stat determine cutting power of non-special weapons.

Ex: Optimus Primal (strength 10) will be able to cut through a steel block with his swords more easily than Manterror (strength 9) will be able to cut through that same steel block with his sickles.
Ex: Saber (strength 8 ) will be able to slash through a steel wall with her claws more easily than Wintersong (strength 6) will be able to slash through that same steel wall.

2) Special weapons are circumstantial.

Ex: Glowstick (strength 6) will be able to cut through a steel block with his energo-sword more easily than Optimus Primal (strength 10) will be able to cut through that same steel block with his normal sword.
Ex: Dinobot (strength 8 ) will be able to puncture a steel wall with his drill sword more easily than Optimus Primal (strength 10) will be able to puncture through that same steel wall with his normal sword.

3) Strength is the tie-breaker for special weapons.

Ex: Orcariner (strength 10) will be able to cut through a steel block with his energo-sword more easily than Glowstick (strength 10) will be able to cut through that same steel block with his energo-sword.

4) Mass is circumstantial.

Ex: Icebreaker (strength 7) is taller and heavier than Manterror (strength 9), so the penetration power of his combat knife may be able to compete with the latter's sickles depending on the situation.

That's as much fat as I can cut out of my post to make my point about melee weaponry. I'm only talking about the sword/dagger/etc. in this topic. What I'm not talking about are fights nor are we talking about the ability to wield said weapons. I chose to post the quote in red only because you brought it up. All the strength to size comparisons don't matter because the current roster is already proportionate. Sword comparisons are also unnecessary because the proportion to strength is already done. A katana is structurally weaker than a broad sword, but in our RPG only lighter & weaker characters use katanas and heavier & stronger characters use broad swords (or the size equivalent to them). Furthermore, no one is currently nerfed by Strength = Normal Sword Power because that's already the current default status that we're debating over changing right now. You aren't nerfed if you aren't changed.

I'm going to go ahead and reiterate why I believe that strength is the most suitable stat to determine the physical attack power of a normal sword (my opinion on specials still stands). However, I'm going to use physics to help me explain this (conceptually, I'm not going to spend time doing the math... yet). Say we're given two people each standing at 5'10" and weighing in at 175 lbs. One of them is stronger than the other due to more weight lifting. If I ask both people to cut down a dummy, who would logically have the more forceful swing? Force = Mass x Acceleration. Both individuals have equal mass, but the stronger individual would have the faster acceleration, ergo, the more forceful swing. Assuming the distance vector (d) from sword -> dummy is the same for both individuals, we may then say that the more forceful swing required more work (formula: W = F x d). Due to quicker acceleration by the stronger person, we know that it took less time (T) for him to bring the sword to the dummy than it did for the weaker person. Using the power formula (P = W/T), we're able to deduce that the stronger of the two similarly sized individuals is able to exert a more powerful swing with the same type of sword. Everything in the paragraph is based on the strength stat alone.

Remember, I'm only talking about the weapon's power in the user's hands. I'm not talking about battling!

This example is considering one single strike in order to determine the melee weapon's power. Name any weapon you want that exists today on Earth, and I will guarantee that I can use physics and calculus to prove that the stronger of two similarly built people will be able to inflict more damage per strike. No one is saying that skill isn't a factor. No one is saying that speed isn't a factor. No one is saying that strength alone will determine the victor in a sword fight (or any battle for that matter). Please don't assume that's my point of view here. In case you're still missing my point:

In a strict melee battle between two characters, we'll have to consider the weapon's properties*, strength, intelligence, speed, courage, endurance, skill, environment*, pre-existing conditions*, weather*, assists*, secondary weapons*, size*, mass*, and luck*. Anything with an asterisk is considered to be circumstantial in this event.

Circumstantial = elements found in the RPG that cannot be referred to the character's statistics.

^ that right there is how to determine the victor. You've even said it yourself, so no one's disagreeing with you on that one. If you still want to talk about battles, then I'm down for bring up picks and counterpicks within the current roster, although, damage calculation with Transformers battles is ridiculously difficult. However, let's at least come to an agreement first on what stat determines the strength of a character's melee weapon (single blow, not the total damage after you slash around 10000+ times).

[Wintersong]

BIo move to correct board,again sorry about that.

[NaitoKage]

Okay. That looks fine, though you didn't mention what the transmetal feature on your character is.. and this isn't the profile section..

Also, just to point out, we use endurance more as an armor rating. Your character would effectively be considered tank level with that endurance rating even with the size of 4 ft 5 inches.. one inch taller then frilla.*L*

[Wintersong]

*facepalms*My bad my computer was acting up before and I must have gone to the wrong board. And for the transmetal feature I'll have to work on that or may do a different drawing of her transmetal form.

[Alak]

Munchkin-sized tanks... one step closer in rendering Orcariner obsolete.

[NaitoKage]

Heh, well I have been toying around with a few ideas for a Predacon tank character.. though I keep getting told I shouldn't have Glowstick die off, but considering we're getting two more tiny technical characters, I'm sure either or both could take up the role of Medic. Pretty sure if the players thought a squid was creepy, a Mantis Shrimp would be down right vile.. or delicious with a pat of butter or on rice.

[Alak]

So since we're on the topic and I don't feel like making a new thread, let's discuss character roles. Just because someone has a function doesn't mean they can't do something else, and if the skill rating is high enough then it should be easy for the character to multi-function. So my question is:

Medic vs. Engineer

Are these the same thing in our RPG or should they be considered two different roles? Maybe it's because I've been playing the more class-based Battlefield: Bad Company 2 lately, but I'm a bit confused on where I characters fall into line with these two labels. Here's different scenarios of what I've observed so far:

Amalgamation

Glowstick is the perfect example. He plays both field medic as well as engineer on the battlefield. More recent examples show him patching up himself, Scorponok, and Terrorsaur. Past examples show him fixing up Starshadow. He's also been shown to repair heavy machinery such as the Leviathan or even remodeling the broken sea craft into what we know as the Leviathan today. Glowstick fulfills both roles on and off the field.

On-Field Medic

Icebreaker and Nightmist (r.i.p.). They both repair wounds of Maximals who have been injured during battle so that they can keep fighting the good fight. However, neither of them have actually repaired heavy machinery.

Off-Field Medic

Rhinox is the only one who comes to mind. He repaired Cheetor after he was blasted by Scorponok's mega missile. This was the only time we've seen someone get fixed by hand due to the damage being too much for the CR Chamber. However, Rhinox hasn't repaired anyone during battle.

On-Field Engineer

Rhinox comes to mind because his thick armor conceals a lot of tools. We've seen him bring non-battling equipment to battle before so I'd say he's the closest the Maximals have to a field engineer. I want to include Rattrap, but he's shown to destroy heavy equipment and such rather than repair it.

Off-Field Engineer

Pretty much everyone. Every character in our RPG and in the show have shown signs of technical competence at some point or another. The Axalon and the Darksyde have both sustained damage and yet they're patched up the next episode.


I guess the real question I have is in regards to my OC. If Orcariner gets injured, who would repair him on the field? The armor itself is thick enough that I feel that it might require an engineer to repair it. Yet, what if his pinky finger or optic gets blown off? Would that require the use of a medic? Should we just say that all field medics are capable of fulfilling engineer roles and vice versa? Should we make them more distinguished in our cast so that the game has more variety?