House Rules Collection:
Kevin Ogles
A Compendium of House Rules



Deployable Aid Package:
3.0 CP, 1.0 Spaces, 0 Kills.
This option can be launched up to four hexes in any one direction from the unit (at the cost of an action) coming down safely on it's one use parachute.

It is a break-down disposable container approximately 1 Cubic Meter with the following shoehorned in:

1 Flaregun with 10 Emergency Flares, 5 Radio Emergency Beacons, a Space Bubble "Raft" OR an Aquatic Liferaft, a Survival Backpack containing enough food and water for 1 person to survive 20 days, a set of 2 adjustable "one-size-fits-all" jumpsuits with hoods (for Arctic environs put both on), a set of light armor (appropriate to the campaign, for mine it's a 10 ASP vest and helmet), a standard issue infantry weapon (must be reassembled before use) of the appropriate faction with three magazines of standard ammunition, a first aid kit, medical kit, and field surgery kit, and finally a basic toolkit with microtools.

It's used as an advanced bailout bag for pilot's by linking it's egress to their egress system or as a humanitarian aid to refugees or downed pilots. For the "Red Cross" version ditch the weapon, armor, and ammunition and double the food and water rations (no change in cost).

Spare Tire, Jack, & Tire Tool:
Wheel CP + 0.1 CP, 1.0 Spaces, Wheel's Kills
A spare wheel and the means to change it in the field without scavenging. What a novel idea! Kills will add weight to the unit, but it's worth it in a campaign setting.

Spare Tread & Repair Tools:
Tread CP + 0.2 CP, 1.0 Spaces, Treads Kills
A spare tread and the tools to beat out and retread bogie and road wheels. Kills will add weight to unit.

Recoil Stabilizers:
8.0 CP, 2.0 Spaces, 2 Kills
When unit takes no movement in the turn and is in contact with a stabile surface reduce knockback effects to the unit by one level. Spaces must be mounted in a location that will be touching the ground (Such as Legs for a Mekton) and must be mounted in the servoes no Command Armor or Weapon Mounting. These were inspired by field artillery, construction equipment, and Five Star Stories of course, heel spurs anyone?

Earth Moving Equipment:
5.0 CP, 5.0 Spaces, 10 Kills
Bulldozer Blade, Backhoe, Router Shovel, whatever you call it moves earth and assists with the field engineers. This allows the unit to move one elevation or depression hex level per hour of work. Dig a trench and make a hill behind or in front of it ( if you don't have the earth carted off it has to be placed in an adjacent hex creating a +1 Level elevation). Great for in the field campaigns. Of course meks can use their hands and melee weapons but it is much less efficient.

Mechanical Anti-theft Lock:
0.1 CP, 0.0 Spaces, 0 Kills
A good old key and tumbler lock, often used in units of low tech level with manual controls or in civilian models. Base difficulty to pick is a 10+ with proper tools. Note: I figure the Anti-theft Code Lock is a diff of 15+.

Voice Lock Security System:
0.4 CP, 0.0 Spaces, 0 Kills
A modification to the unit's controls rather than the entry hatch. To activate the unit the user must speak a pre-programmed phrase. The unit scans for voice recognition of it's assigned pilot as well as correct phrasing. If it does not match the unit will not activate. Difficulty 20+ to bypass or Ventriloquism/Mimicry (EMP/H) skill roll of 10+ (if code phrase and person is known, +5 to difficulty if person and/or phrase unknown, +2 if pilot is different sex and/or nationality than thief, +1 per level of language less than 8 the thief has in the language the phrase is in) all penalties are cumulative.

Signature Security System:
0.5 CP, 0.0 Spaces, 0 Kills
A modification to the unit's controls and entry hatch requiring the pilot to submit to palm & fingerprint ID scans upon entry and power-up sequances. This security system is not used in space based forces, no one wants to take off their spacesuit to get in and pilot their unit. Difficulty 20+ to bypass or Disguise skill roll of 10+ (if prints unknown +20, if prints lifted from old source +15, if fingerprints lifted from recent source +10, if dead hand is being used +5) penalties are NOT cumulative.

Slabed Command Armor:
I allow spaces to be sacrificed from CA locations for Kills of Structure or for 1cp per added kill multiplied by armor type it may be additional Command armor ASP. The weight shoots thru the roof but it's great for simulating CA units that have no systems in their CA, like tanks.

Inferior Armor:
(x0.75 armor cost multiplier) does not effect armor weight. Inferior Armor (I-1/2), like ablative armor, has a damage coefficient of zero. Inferior Armor differs from ablative armor in that it is only reduced in kill value by half the damage of the attack (rounded down) rather than the full amount. Therefor it ablates a little more slowly but is still not a staged penetration armor.

Ceti/6 ArmorL
(x1.75 armor cost multiplier) does not effect armor weight. Ceti/6 Armor is a staged penetration type advanced damage coefficient Six armor set snuggly between Beta/4 and Gamma/8.

Dissapating Damage:
(x0.88 weapon cost multiplier) Some weapons lose energy travelling to the target, the further the target the less energy delivered to the target. This effect may only be used by ranged weapons. Weapons with this effect will do their damage plus 1 kill to a target in melee range, normal damage if the target is in combat range, and half damage (rounded down) to targets beyond combat range, up to Maximum range. This does not imply the ability to hit multiple targets, you must purchase blast radius or autofire for that.

Flechette Ammunition:
(x10.0 ammo cost multiplier) Flechette acts exactly like scattershot ammunition with an important differance, instead of being divided into 1 kill groups, flechette is divided into 2 kill Armor piercing groups. Flechette ammo's damage is divided by 2 (rounded down) to determine the maximum amount of groups that may hit from a single shot. Flechette gains +2 to weapon accuracy when used in an anti-missle or personnel role.

Armor Defeating Ammo:
(x8.0 ammo cost multiplier) Armor Defeating Ammo treats the target as if it's armor damage coefficient was one level lower (alpha/2 would be treated as standard) for the purposes of damage and ablation.

Slower-than-Light:
(x0.90 weapon cost multiplier) With this optional effect (only available for ranged beam weapons) the weapon will have a shot MA of 50; that's 2.5 Km per turn, or 8,100 KmpH (which is Mach 6.8) and is subject to the optional projectile/missle time in travel rules, Mekton Zeta page 93 sidebar. This is a good effect for plasma weapons or any other non-laser, non-tachyon based energy weaponry.

Minimum Range:
(x0.75 weapon cost multiplier) This effect may only be taken by ranged weapons. With this effect the designed weapon has a poor performance range starting at the weapon's muzzle/port and extending to one-half of the weapon's combat range (rounded up). The weapon is at a -2 to it's WA within the poor performance zone and any target's that are hit within the poor performance zone will only recieve half-damage (rounded down).

Transmission/Reception Booster:
10.0c.p., 0 Kills, 2.0 Spaces, is destroyed with main sensor array.
Gives a x10 bonus to communications range, does nothing for sensor or spotting ranges. A command or commo unit option.

Satellite/Relay Station Uplink:
15.0c.p., 1 Kill, 1.0 Space, is destroyed when kills are depleted or main sensor array is destroyed.
Allows the unit to link up to ground based allied repeater towers and allied sattelite communications networks benefiting from the enhanced range of the network. Unit must be stationary to use sattelite commo, but may benefit from GPS (Global Positioning System) on the move. Has no effect on sensor or spotting ranges. Another command or commo unit option.

Advanced Communications Suite:
5.0c.p., 0 Kills, 1.0 Spaces, is destroyed with main sensor array.
Allows the unit to encrypt and decrypt (if it has the pre-programmed codes and frequancies), as well as Direct Laser Communique: a Line of Sight only communications system, only jammable by Scatter effect weapons blocking LOS, may only be used once, to commo to one unit, per turn). The last command or commo unit option.