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[Darrian Wolffe]

OK, so making a character isn’t terribly hard, there’s just some confusingly-worded concepts within MW3e and it takes a while.  So here’s a step-by-step guide for making a sample Lance Leader.  After that’s done, I’ll show how to generate the lance wingmen.

You'll probably want to have downloaded the PDFs I linked to (via Mediafire) inside the campaign rules document available for reference.

I’m going to start by simply selecting an Affiliation.  Since this is a viewpoint character, it’s going to be from the Federated Suns.  Next, I write all of the following on my character worksheet:
-All attribute minimums are set to 2 (except SOC, which is set at 1)
-All Thresholds are set to 6 (except EDG which is set at 8 )
-Language doesn’t matter.
-I gain the skills Protocol/FedSuns at +1 and Languages/Secondary at +3.
-I gain a free Trait.  I select Natural Aptitude/Strategy, which requires me to set my SOC minimum score to 4.  By the time character creation has ended, my SOC Trait *must* be a 4 or higher.


Now we move to Step 2: Stage 1 (Early Childhood).  Because this is a viewpoint character and because he’s from the FedSuns, of COURSE he’ll be a noble.  I apply the fixed modifiers listed under the “Nobility” stage:
-I adjust my Attribute Thresholds by the listed numbers: STR -1 (to a 5), BOD -1 (to a 5), RFL -1, INT +1 (to a 7), CHA +1, and SOC +1 (to a 2).
-I gain the following Traits: Wealth, Well-equipped, Enemy.
-I gain the following Skills: Language/Secondary +1; Protocol/FedSuns +2
-Next, I make my Lifepath roll, which results in a 3 (Traitor).  Fuck that.  So what I do here is I reduce my Edge Threshold from an 8 to a 7, which gets me a reroll.  I get the following result: 11.  I will choose to reduce my Edge Threshold from a 7 to a 6 in order to add a +/-1 to my event roll, making it a 12, allowing me to roll twice and keep both.
-My two rolls get my a result of 6 (Good Reputation Trait), and 10 (+1 BOD, +1 RFL, -1 CHA Thresholds; and I must take Military School or Mercenary Brat in the next stage.  Oh darn).
-Finally, I look at the path exits for the Nobility Stage.  I’m normally limited to those choices, unless I either spend a point of Edge to buy my way into something different, or I have my choice made for me.  In this case, my choice is made for me and I must take Merc Brat or Military Academy.  So I’ll be a Merc Brat.

Now we’re in Step 3: Stage 2 (early Adolescence).  
-Again, I adjust my Thresholds (INT -1; WIL +1; EDG +1 (!) )
-I pick up the skills: Interest/any +1; Administration +2; and Negotiation +2.
-And I have an event roll of 11.  I’ll spend the point of EDG gained by being a Merc Brat in the first place and I’ll bump that to a 12 again, allowing me to roll 3 times and keep 2 results.  I get a 6, a 3, and an 11.  Unsurprisingly, I’ll ditch the “3”, which means that overall I pick up the Vehicle 2 Trait, Owns Vehicle Trait, and a +2 Scrounge Skill.
-At the end of this stage, I’m automatically considered to be 16 years old.  Now we start tracking how long each additional stage will take – remember, 26 is your Lance Leader’s maximum age.

We move to Stage 3 (Late Adolescence), and I’m going to put my Davion PC through Fitvelt Military Academy.  I can go to a Faction-specific Academy as a path exit from being a Merc Brat, and since Fitvelt has it’s own Lifepath entry, I’ll use that instead of the generic “FedSuns Military Academy.”  I apply the following modifiers to my sheet:
-Add +1 year (17 y/o)
-Attribute minimums are adjusted to INT 3, WIL 4, SOC 3 (which is lower than the 4 already  there, so there’s no effect from that)
-Adjust Thresholds by WIL +1, SOC +1
-Gain Skills: Academic/FS History +2; Protocol/FS+2; Perception +1
-Gain Traits: Promotion 2; Well-equipped; Stigma/2nd-rate Academy (nobody likes Fitveldt grads)
-Gain a Field; Basic Training.  This adds +3 skill points to everything in the field (Career/Soldier, First Aid, Rifles, Navigation/Ground, Martial Arts/Military)
-Make Lifepath Event roll.  Roll an 18, reduce EDG by 1 to make it a 19, rolling twice.  Roll 18 and 10, giving me: Good Reputation, Contact 2, Wealth 2, Vehicle 3, Apprasial +2; Scrounge +2; Stigma/Go-to Man; -2 to Two Basic Training Skills (Nav/Ground and 1st Aid)

After the Event Roll modifiers are applied, I now move to a Sub-path have to choose a field of study.  Because of my event roll, I qualify for Officer Candidate School (OCS), so I’ll choose that.

-+1 year (now 18 y/o)
-+1 WIL
-Trait: Commission 1 (replaces any Promotion Trait earned up until now)
-Skills: Academic/MilHistory +2; Burreacracy/FedSuns +1; Strategy +1; Gain OCS Field (all skill inside get +3).  

After that sub-path, OCS kicks me back out so I can choose an *actual* field of study.  Which, hey presto!  It’s “BattleMech Pilot”!

-+2 years (now 20 y/o)
-Attribute minimums set to DEX 3; RFL 4
-Traits: Promotion 1 (applies to Commission, now an “Officer Rank 2”)
-+2 to Administration, +2 to Gunnery/Mech; +1 to Tactics/Mech; Gain `Mech Pilot Field (all skills inside field gain +3).

Now I have the option to go to Stage 4, or revert to Stage 3 for special training as a result of my event rolls.  Because I’m a Feddie and therefore a Mary Sue, let’s make him as crazy as possible:

Stage 3: Military Scientist Special Training
-+2 years (now 22 y/o)
-Set minimum WIL to 5
-Threshold adjustment RFL +1
-+1 to Career/Soldier, Nav/Ground, 1st Aid
-+2 to Gunnery/Mech, Pilot/Mech
-Gain Military Scientist Field
-Gain Traits: Promotion (now “Officer Rank 3”), Well-equipped (this is the 3rd time I’ve gotten this trait; it does stack up)

Now at the age of 22, it’s time to move on to Real Life.

Stage 4: Tour of Duty (Federated Suns)
-+2 years
-TRAIT: Vehicle 2
-SKILLS: +2 to Tactics/Mech, Gun/Mech, Pilot/Mech; +1 to Admin; Scrounge; Negotiation
-EVENT ROLL: 16
-+3 to Admin, Gun/Mech, Leadership;
-TRAITS: Addiction, Combat Sense, Promotion 1 (to Commission)

Finally, one more Tour of Duty Option.  For reference, my Edge Threshold right now is 4.  I’m comfortable playing low-edge characters, so I’ll reduce it to a 3 to access a path of my choice.  We’ll say he was sent to assist St.Ives against the Cappies (similar to the Flying Tigers or the Lafayette Escadrille).  Therefore:

Stage 4: Xin Sheng
-+2 years (he’s up to 26 y/o)
-TRAITS: Vehicle 2; Quirk/St. Ives Loyalist
-SKILLS: +2 to Gun/Mech, Plt/Mech, Scrounge; +1 to:Language/Mandarin, Lang/French, Lang/English
-EVENT ROLL: 3 -1 EDG TO REROLL (down to 2)
-EVENT ROLL: 20 – roll twice
-EVENTS: 14, 15
-+1 EDG (up to 3)
-TRAITS: Brave, Promotion (to Commission) 1; Well-equipped 2
-SKILLS: +4 to Gun/Mech; +2 to Tactics/Mech, Strategy, Strategy, Leadership, Admin; +1 to Negotiation; Strategy

And that concludes the lifepath system.  Now I have to go through and make sure that I buy my attributes up to their minimum values.

Characters get 50 points to buy attributes.  You can “sell back” unwanted positive traits (or take on negative ones), but under circumstances that sometimes count only for half benefit.  Here, I’ll sell back 3 points of Vehicle, 4 points of Well-equipped, 2 points of Promotion, 1 point of Good Reputation.  Vehicle and Good Rep only count for half benefit.  This gives me a final modified total of 58 points. Keeping I mind my minimum scores, I’ll set my STR to 4 (4 points). Set BODY to 5 (5 points total). Set CHA to 7 (9 points). Set SOC to 4 (4 points). Set WIL to 5 (5 points). Set EDG to 3 (3 points). Set DEX to 7 (9 points). Set RFL to 7 (7 points). Set INT to 7 (7 points). 5 points remaining.

Note that the attributes with values above their Threshold (like DEX) cost more Attribute points to buy.

I have 5 Attribute points remaining.  I can use these to buy Traits.  I spend 3 points to buy “Fast Learner”, and 1 point to buy “Attractive”, because hey, the Suns are the leading men of the setting.  I’ll take the 1-point negative Quirk (don’t leave men behind), anticipating that that’s going to get me in trouble some day.  This leaves me with 2 Trait points, both of which I’ll cash in to get 20 XP which which to buy SPAs later on.

 Now, skills take a minute.  You find the column of the Skill Point Conversion chart that applies best to the individual skill you’re looking at.  In this case, for every skill BUT “Strategy”, I look at the “Fast Learner” column, since I have that trait.    Assume for a moment I have 11 points in Skill X.  I look at the column, and that puts me between 6 (+2) and 12 (+3).  I get a +2 rating in that skill…and then I take the 5 extra points that didn’t get used buying the +2 rating and put those points into a Free SP Pool.  Once I’ve converted ALL of my named skills using the column, I put any extra skill points into the “free point pool”

I end up with the following Skill Bonuses:

Piloting/Mech +4
Gunnery/Mech +4
Administration +3
Leadership +2
Scrounge +2
Strategy +2
Tactics/Mech +3
Career/Soldier +1
Bureracracy/FedSuns +1

The “remainder” from getting these skill Bonuses is +11 points into my Free Point Pool.  I then total up the number of Skill Points from *every* other skill I’ve gotten during character creation (languages, interests, Navigation, etc) and get 32.  Every 3rd point goes into my Free Point Pool, giving me 10 extra points.  My Free Point Pool total is 21 points (11+10).

Looking back on the skill cost chart, the Fast Learner’s difference between a +4 and a +5 skill bonus is 9 points (28-19).  I’ll spend 9 of my 19 points raising my Gunnery/Mech from a +4 to a +5.  I’ll also spend 6 points raising Strategy from a +2 to a +3, and spend my last 6 points raising Leadership from a +2 to a +3.  My final Skill Bonuses look like this:

Piloting/Mech +4
Gunnery/Mech +5
Administration +3
Leadership +3
Scrounge +2
Strategy +3
Tactics/Mech +3
Career/Soldier +1
Bureracracy/FedSuns +1

Next I have to get a Mech.  I ended up with a Heavy Mech (Vehicle 6), so since my PC is from the Federated Suns, I roll on the Heavy Column on the Federated Suns Random Mech Assignment Table, getting a 801.  That gives me a GHR-5H Grasshopper.  Looking at the BattleMech Quirk Tables, the Grasshopper has the "Accurate Weapon (LL)", and the "Rugged(1)" quirks.

Finally, I have 20 XP to spend on SPAs.  Since I'm a 3/4 pilot, I have a fair number of choices.  In this case, I think I'll take Melee Specialist, since I qualify for the "Plt 4" pre-requisite.

The character and his Mech are ready to go!

[Darrian Wolffe]

Now it's time to generate the rest of the lance.  For the sake of example, I'll create a 4-unit lance.  The Lance Leader has already been generated, so it's time to build the wingmen.

For purposes of illustration, I'll choose a Heavy and a couple of lighter Mechs which can exploit gaps created by the Grasshopper and his buddy.  However, since I have a 5,000 BV2 limit and the Grasshopper is already taking up 1427 of it, this could be tricky.  Since my character is from the Federated Suns, all Wingmen must be rolled using the Federated Suns table.

The first Mech will be a Heavy Mech.  I roll a 531, which is a CTF-1X Cataphract.  It has the Protected Actuators Quirk.  This costs 1316 BV.

The second mech will be a Light Mech.  I roll a 640, getting a JVN-10N Javelin, for 594 BV.  It has the Unbalanced Quirk.  I've used 3337 BV so far. 

Since I have plenty of BV room, I'll see about a Medium Mech to back with my light.  I get a 019, which is Kurita Salvage (don't worry about the "3028" thing).  I move over to the Kurita Random Table and roll again, getting a 059.  Which will bump me to the Steiner table.  I end up with a WTH-1 Whitworth for 982 BV.  it gains the Ruggesd(1) quirk, and the Weak Legs quirk.

My total BV score is 4,319.  Since I am below my BV limit, I cannot make any rerolls.  If I had somehow gone above 5,000 BV2 (the limit for a 4-Mech unit), I would have to reroll the highest-value Wingman unit until I got a result which came in under the BV limit.

The Cataphract is a Heavy Mech, so the Wingman is classified as a "Heavy Mech Pilot".  It will take 40 XP to reclassify him to a different Mech weight class.  His starting G/P score is 4/5.
The Whitworth is a Medium Mech, so the Wingman is a "Medium Mech Pilot", and the cost to reclassify him is the same as above.  His starting G/P score is 3/4.
The Javelin is a Light Mech, with the same reclassification limits as above.  His starting G/P score is 3/3. 
All Wingmen can upgrade their skills and buy SPAs just as their Lance Leader can.  It'll just cost XP.

The last thing to do is print the sheets, fill them out, and send my lance to the GM to have him roll for any pre-existing SPAs.  One comes back: the Cataphract driver has "Weapon Specialist: PPC".  However, since his Gunnery Score is a 4 and the pre-requisite for the SPA is a Gunnery 3, the SPA remains "dormant" until XP is spend to better his Gunnery Score.  As soon as that happens, the SPA will "awaken" and be usable in game play.