Converting Cthulhutech

[Tzeentch]

There are no Rifts conversions online that I'm aware of, nor do I think they would really help much as that would be even more eyeballed because of how Rifts does Robotic/Normal/Supernatural strength.

You can use Spaceships for the larger designs but they might look a bit wimpy unless you take care to use the armor volume optional rules and so on.

For most CthulhuTech mecha you are going to want to skim David's article on Biomecha (Pyramid 3-24) and probably 'One with the Ship' by Frick (Pyramid 3-30).

When converting mecha the only hard stats is determining DR and HP. The mecha do not have any listed weights but do have 'Integrity' and a height.

Easy HP Conversion: A simple conversion that often works is take the vehicle's longest dimension in feet * 3. So a Broadsword (26' tall) would have an estimated 78 HP. This neatly sidesteps the issue of Integrity-scale conversions.

Using Lifting Capacity: A somewhat more 'direct' way is to use the values given for mecha Lifting (CthulhuTech, p. 133). A Broadsword has a Strength of 5. This means it can deadlift 4000 lbs * 5 = 20,000 lbs. Note that this is two-handed and in GURPS terms is probably using quadruple time. So let's divide that value by 8 then determine the Basic Lift required. 20,000 / 8 = 2,500 lbs. Assuming straight ST and not Lifting ST that means a ST of about 110. You're probably going to get much higher ST than you expect going this route!

Other Stats: Note that most mecha MODIFY the pilot's stats for Agility, Actions, Reflexes, Perception. This will translate in GURPS to additional levels of DX (or similar), Perception, and so on. This is why I recommend reading those Pyramid articles, as they deal with this.

For weapons .... I honestly don't think there is a direct conversion because of the dice rolling mechanics.

[KjetilKverndokken]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

No, not at all. The simplest approach is to start at the bottom with the personal battlesuits. The GURPS equivalent of the tiny mechs at TL 10 are the heavy and commando battlesuits. That gives you a baseline for armor 1 being 100 DR. (Note that in Cthulutech all of the mecha are self-repairing thanks to nanomagic). Armor 2 would be about 150. Armor 3 would be maybe 250, and Armor 4 would be something like 400. From there you have a baseline for how much damage weapons should deal (each weapon should be slightly damaging with a average roll).

Hm 400 feels a bit low when a MBT in hightech has about 1200-1500 DR, they are walking MBT's kind of. Wouldnt Anti Armor weapons like Missiles/Rockets just shred even the heaviest Mech?

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by KjetilKverndokken

Hm 400 feels a bit low when a MBT in hightech has about 1200-1500 DR, they are walking MBT's kind of. Wouldnt Anti Armor weapons like Missiles/Rockets just shred even the heaviest Mech?

The High-Tech tank has ridiculous DR for its TL compared to both the Ultra-Tech tank and to G:Spaceships craft.

[Tzeentch]

As in most anime-derived settings, the mobility of the mecha (and exploitation of the inexplicable man-machine synergy from bipedal forms) is what makes them so useful. In CthulhuTech this is a byproduct of the D-Engine, and allows mecha to be agile enough to dodge most conventional weapons by less-gifted platforms.

In-setting the capabilities of conventional vehicles are not particularly amazing. The M-4A1 hovertank has a plasma cannon as the main gun (can lob indirect shots like an artillery piece too) and two large laser cannons, with an Integrity of 10 and Armor 2/2. That's the same values as the Ranger AFV and Jaeger mobile artillery piece. The armor is the same as the MK-5 battlesuit lol. So compared to modern vehicles all CthulhuTech stuff might look under-armored but are VASTLY more mobile and self-sufficient. An M1 tank probably has more armor than the M-4 but the M-4 can fly.

Comparing damage is rough because of the Framewerk system being a bit wierd, but if we look at it as a pure canceller (which it sort of is in Framewerk) note that the RM-10M does +2 damage and is a 20mm antimaterial railgun. The Ultra-Tech version is a bit big at 40mm (and it weighs 2 tons, not very portable!). Some quick crunching using the old UT system as a basis and black magic so it weighs about the same as a modern antimaterial rifle (RT-20 and so on) I get something like:

Name Damage Acc Range RoF Shots Weight Rcl ST Bulk Cost
Gauss Payload Rifle, 40mm 6dx2 pi++ 3 950 / 2800 1 1 56 / 1 -7 19 -10 $5,700.00
* 90 kW per shot.

So basically whatever warhead you can fit in that is what will exceed the armor on most CthulhuTech tanks and battlesuits. Something a bit more fitting to GURPS (I doubt the CT bore sizes have any real rationalization) is a 10mm railgun firing fairly solid slugs at a good muzzle velocity:

Name Damage Acc Range RoF Shots Weight Rcl ST Bulk Cost
Gauss Sniper Rifle 6dx13 pi+ 5 13000 / 44000 1 1 50 / 0.044 -6 17 -10 $50,000.00

* 2200 kW per shot (!). But 7,400 m/s muzzle velocity.

Both are TL10.

[KjetilKverndokken]

Hm, I shall look more in UT at weapons and armor there and see if it fits :).

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

The High-Tech tank has ridiculous DR for its TL compared to both the Ultra-Tech tank and to G:Spaceships craft.

My interpretation is that the UT tanks are not built as MBTs (ie, able to withstand a direct hit by their main gun on their front armor) but as more agile skirmishers / mobile artillery. As for the SS armor... as has been discussed before, those seem to be using the equivalent of "cheap" materials, for a dramatic reduction in protection value and cost. x1.5 to x2 DR for the same mass would not be unreasonable. Not sure what the cost would be, though - perhaps x4 to x10?

[jacobmuller]

Pyramid #3/20, page 26 [Turning Spaceships into Mecha] has a quick and simple system for upscaling power armour.

But if you want more variations you can downscale Spaceships armor stats, allow improved* and cutting edge armor, find a way to rate Move based on SM and % of mech as Legs.

*eg improved armor cost and DR is as +1SM, cutting edge +2SM.


Ground Move
Move is dependent on the number of sections of “leg” and SM. For Build Quality, Cutting Edge, +2CF, is +1 SM for move; Experimental, +9CF, is +2 SM for Move.

Sections	1	2	3	4	5	6	Sections	1	2	3	4	5	6
Acceleration	7	9	11	13	15	16	Acceleration	7	9	11	13	15	16
SM+2 light	5	7	9	11	12	14	SM+5 light	10	15	18	22	26	28
SM+2 RAW	5	7	10	11	13	15	SM+5 RAW	10	16	20	24	28	31
SM+2 heavy	5	8	10	12	14	16	SM+5 heavy	12	18	22	26	30	34
SM+3 light	6	9	11	13	15	17	SM+6 light	12	19	25	29	33	37
SM+3 RAW	6	10	12	15	17	19	SM+6 RAW	14	20	26	31	36	40
SM+3 heavy	7	10	13	16	18	20	SM+6 heavy	15	22	29	34	40	44
SM+4 light	8	11	15	18	20	22	SM+7 Light	16	24	30	32	42	47
SM+4 RAW	8	12	16	19	22	24	SM+7 RAW	17	26	34	40	46	51
SM+4 heavy	9	14	17	21	24	27	SM+7 heavy	19	29	36	44	50	56

I've subdivided the SMs for every section in Spaceships but if they ever do that officially I'd not be surprised to see different numbers:)

[KjetilKverndokken]

Hm, the more I look at it, it feels like gurps does everything Ctech quite well, but the Mecha part dont feel quite right.

Seems like the only stats it will need is. Hit Points - DR - Strength - Speed
Then just add on tech equipment and weapons (or advantages7disadvantages when talking about ENGELS).

[Tzeentch]

-- My conversion never settled on a system. If I get around to updating it, I would do all the mecha (even the Engels) in standard vehicle statblock and each one having the Ctech modifiers in their main writeup. The only question is whether to give the mecha a Handling stat, as in CTech the suits (in GURPS terms) directly modify the users DX (and skills based on it) and presumably you use normal, not vehicular, Dodge.

[KjetilKverndokken]

Originally Posted by Tzeentch

-- My conversion never settled on a system. If I get around to updating it, I would do all the mecha (even the Engels) in standard vehicle statblock and each one having the Ctech modifiers in their main writeup. The only question is whether to give the mecha a Handling stat, as in CTech the suits (in GURPS terms) directly modify the users DX (and skills based on it) and presumably you use normal, not vehicular, Dodge.

A handling stat should be used I think, because there is a huge difference between piloting an Eclipse to a Broadsword.