Selecting your ancestry
The character creation process creates your mech commander, customizing their background and skills. It's a three stage process.
Background[ | ]
Ancestry[ | ]
The first step defines where your family originated from when it arrived in the Reach.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
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MechWarriors who hail from the Combine tend to be fierce, disciplined, and relentless fighters, no matter the odds they might face on the battlefield. Although the Draconis Combine is as ethnically diverse as any of the vast interstellar empires, it is also one of the most culturally homogenous. Over centuries of rule, the founding House Kurita has succeeded in uniting the people of the Combine into a single culture, one heavily molded around medieval Japanese society. While some, most notably the descendants of the conquered Principality of Rasalhague, continue to chafe at the uniformity of Draconis society, overall this has created a more cohesive populace and military than seen in the other Great Houses of the Inner Sphere . |
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MechWarriors who hail from the Free Worlds League tend to be passionate, enduring fighters who value justice and equality above all else. The oldest, and theoretically most democratic, of the great Successor States of the Inner Sphere , the Free Worlds League is actually a broad coalition of many minor noble houses. For most of the League's history, it has been ruled under martial law by a Captain-General, who by tradition is from House Marik . The cultural diversity and relative independence of its component regions are at once the greatest strength of the Free Worlds League, and its greatest weaknesses. |
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MechWarriors who hail from the Federated Suns tend to possess more finely honed skills and better equipment than their counterparts from other regions of space. They often see themselves as righteous warriors and champions of liberty - sometimes to a fault. Though nearly extinguished by the Draconis Combine in the First Succession War, the Federated Suns - a constitutional monarchy ruled by the renowned House Davion - has become arguably the most powerful of the five great Successor States. Through skillful military campaigns and subtle diplomacy, House Davion has significantly increased the number of star systems under its control in the last two centuries. |
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MechWarriors who hail from the Lyran Commonwealth tend to be hardy, well equipped, and well trained, though they have also earned a reputation for not being particularly strategic thinkers on the battlefield. Wealth is the greatest strength of the merchant princes of the Lyran Commonwealth, ruled by House Steiner . Despite a number of humiliating defeats in the first two Succession Wars , the Lyran Commonwealth has bounced back thanks to the combined strength of its economy (the biggest of the five great Successor States) and its control of the Inner Sphere's largest functioning BattleMech factories. What the Lyran Commonwealth may lack in military prowess, it makes up for with raw numbers and industrial scale. |
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MechWarriors who hail from the Capellan Confederation are dedicated and steadfast combatants, capable of holding the line and often surprising those opponents who would make the mistake of underestimating them. The Capellan Confederation has suffered the most at the hands of the other Successor States over the last two centuries of war, having lost nearly half of the territory it once controlled at the height of the Star League's rule. Over time, the leadership of House Liao has transformed the Capellan Confederation into a socialist police state with a highly regulated economy. Most Capellans take great pride in their citizenship, which must be earned through service to the state. |
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MechWarriors who hail from the Magistracy of Canopus can run the gamut of skill and fighting styles, but they often favor clever and unorthodox tactics on the field. While smaller than the great Successor States of the Inner Sphere , the Magistracy of Canopus is one of the major powers of the Rimward Periphery. The Magistracy is a matriarchal society led by a Magestrix. This is an elected position open to any woman but largely controlled by House Centrella due to the family's popularity. The Magistracy supports an open society that ensures the personal liberty of all citizens and their right to live their lives as they see fit. |
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MechWarriors who hail from the Taurian Concordat tend to be stubborn and aggressive. They can be quick to anger, but they are nonetheless skilled and perceptive combatants. Founded as a constitutional monarchy under the leadership of House Calderon, the Taurian Concordat is the strongest military power of the Rimward Periphery. It is also one of the oldest surviving realms of human civilization, having been formed long before the creation of the Star League. Taurian citizens enjoy extensive freedoms guaranteed by the Concordat Charter, and take pride in defending those freedoms through compulsory service. The Taurian Concordat has long had an antagonistic relationship with the Inner Sphere, particularly with the Federated Suns. |
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There is no easy way to characterize MechWarriors hailing from the Rimward Periphery - they can be anything from petty thugs to ruthless tacticians to skilled and honorable warriors. The nations and minor noble houses of the Rimward Periphery have long played a role in shaping humanity - the Star League's downfall began in the Periphery, eventually leading to the current tattered state of these disparate star systems on the edge of known space. The Periphery is still the galaxy's frontier, where the Great Houses of the Inner Sphere play deadly politics, petty bandit kingdoms thrive, and pirate bands prey on the minor noble houses trying to survive in this hostile environment. |
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MechWarriors that hail from the Deep Periphery are rare, but even rarer is the MechWarrior who will admit to such an origin. Beyond the outermost edges of the Periphery lie depths of space that remain uncharted and unknown to most of human civilization. Little is known about these regions, but they are far from uninhabited. The Deep Periphery is littered with abandoned colonies and small outposts, isolated from the rest of humanity. After the fall of the Star League General Aleksandr Kerensky led the remnants of the Star League Defense Force into the Deep Periphery, disappearing from the Inner Sphere and from recorded history. |
Youth[ | ]
| “ | Though immigrants to the Aurigan Reach, your family soon established a comfortable presence in a small, backwater system on the edge of Aurigan space. By the time you were born, your family had become the de-facto ruling nobility of the system's only inhabited planet. You were the oldest child, heir to the family's titles and ancestral BattleMech, an old Blackjack BJ-1.
This is where you met Raju "Mastiff" Montgomery, a veteran of the Succession Wars, whom your parents hired on for a season to train you as a MechWarrior. Raju was a strict but capable teacher, and you quickly became a skilled pilot under his tutelage. It was an uneventful life until your 16th birthday... |
„ |
In this section you decide on what happened in your youth. You have six options, each giving a +1 bonus to the two skills.
| Choice | Description | Skill Bonuses | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gunnery | Piloting | Guts | Tactics | ||
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Once the promising young scion of your family, you committed an unforgivable transgression and were sentenced to life in exile. You stole away with the family's ancestral Blackjack and set off to find a new life to call your own. | +1 | +1 | ||
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As the heir to a noble family, you grew up wanting for nothing. And as it turns out… you couldn't stand a life of pampered nobility. Finally, one night you stole away with the family's ancestral Blackjack and set off to find a new life to call your own. | +1 | +1 | ||
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As you grew older, you watched your family's fortune, income, and influence slowly dwindle away - until there was nothing left. Your parents, driven to despair, took their own lives. With nothing but your family's ancestral Blackjack left to call your own, you set off to make a new life for yourself. | +1 | +1 | ||
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The rest of your family died in a freak JumpShip accident, after which you discovered they had left nothing behind but piles of debt. After selling everything to settle the debt, you set off on your own, with only your family's ancestral Blackjack left to your name. | +1 | +1 | ||
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Your family was betrayed and its seat of power destroyed. You defeated the betrayers, but you were the sole surviving member of your house. With nothing but your family's ancestral Blackjack left to call your own, you set off to make a new life for yourself. | +1 | +1 | ||
Career[ | ]
The final stage is selecting the kind of career you pursued for a +1 to the selected skill and defining how you wound up taking the contract for the Aurigan Coalition.
So it is that you find yourself reunited with your old mentor, preparing your ancestral Blackjack for guard duty on the coronation day of the Lady Kamea Arano…
| Choice | Description | Skill Bonuses | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gunnery | Piloting | Guts | Tactics | ||
| Aurigan Coalition Soldier | Unsure of your prospects, you traveled to Coromodir, the capital of the Aurigan Coalition, and enlisted in the Coalition military. You quickly rose through the ranks, distinguishing yourself as a reliable MechWarrior. Life as a soldier wasn't glamorous, but it suited you just fine.
On an ill-fated mission, you were caught behind enemy lines and separated from your lance. Raju happened to be on patrol nearby, and he launched a daring rescue. Upon finding out it was you he had rescued, he brought you into the House Arano Royal Guard. |
+1 | |||
| Frontier Pirate | Tired of living under the authority of others, you fell in with a local pirate gang in the Rimward Periphery. It was an unruly crew, but an effective one - roaming the Periphery afforded your outfit with a steady supply of poorly defended merchant caravans and supply depots to prey upon. While raids did occasionally devolve into combat, you quickly learned that successful piracy is mostly about being in the right place, at the right time, with the right threats and a good show of force.
After years of roaming the Frontier, your outfit's luck eventually ran out, landing you in an Aurigan Coalition prison. Hearing of your bad turn of fortune, Raju dragged you out of jail, giving you a second chance under his mentorship. After heavy rehabilitation, you proved your worth and were inducted into the House Arano Royal Guard. |
+1 | |||
| Solaris Gladiator | You took your skills as a MechWarrior to the famed arena planet of Solaris VII. There, you eked out a living as a gladiator, fighting for the crowd in minor arenas, getting by from paycheck to paycheck.
You were a low-level champion, down on your luck and one bad fight away from the gutter, until Raju heard about you. He trekked all the way to Solaris to offer you passage back to the Aurigan Reach, and a job in the House Arano Royal Guard. |
+1 | |||
| Inner Sphere Mercenary | Eager to get away from it all, you joined up with a minor Inner Sphere mercenary unit. Integrating into the tight-knit crew took time, but you eventually proved your worth and became part of the family.
Pure chance brought you back to the Aurigan Reach, as your mercenary crew took an ill-fated contract against an enclave of pirates on the outskirts of Aurigan space. The job went south, and you were the only survivor of your unit. Raju's lance happened to be on patrol nearby. After rescuing you and helping to honor your fallen comrades, he offered you a job in the House Arano Royal Guard. |
+1 | |||
| Frontier Freelancer | You roamed the Rimward Periphery as a freelancer, signing on for whatever odd contracts you could find as a MechWarrior for hire. It was a solitary life - but as you became more comfortable with the itinerant lifestyle, you found you were able to make a decent living helping the people of the frontier.
While running a routine patrol for a local government on the outskirts of the Aurigan Reach, you were set upon by pirates and left for dead. Raju happened to be visiting the capital city and picked up your distress call. Upon rescuing you, he offered you a job in the House Arano Royal Guard. |
+1 | |||
| Merchant Guard | You signed on as a guard for a small trading guild, providing security as the guild's caravan made trading runs between the Inner Sphere and the Periphery. It was a largely uneventful life, but you were able to put your MechWarrior skills to good use in the occasional scuffle with pirates and uncooperative local governments.
While escorting a supply caravan to a small outpost on the outskirts of the Aurigan Reach, you were set upon by pirates and left for dead. Raju happened to be visiting the capital city and picked up your distress call. Upon rescuing you, he offered you a job in the House Arano Royal Guard. |
+1 | |||
Summary[ | ]
Your mech commander starts with two points in each skill and up to +2 points in skills selected at the second and third stage of character creation. With your character made, the campaign begins with a tutorial on the eve of the Coronation Day. [[1]]