All Rules | Downtime Rules

Understanding Mechs

• Tier: A mech’s tier represents its overall power level, impacts its statistics, and determines many options when building mechs.
• Size and Frame: A mech’s frame determines its size category and informs its statistics. It might have an attribute in parentheses (such as flight) that informs other options.
• Operators: Each mech can accommodate a certain number of operators. A mech can’t function unless it has at least the minimum number of operators required and can’t accommodate more operators than this range’s maximum value.
• Power Points (PP): A mech’s power core (see below) provides it with a certain number of Power Points, which can be used to power auxiliary systems, perform special abilities (page 113), and more. The mech’s initial PP is noted, with the rate at which PP regenerates each turn and a maximum PP listed in parentheses.
• Speed: This is the mech’s land speed (based on its frame), followed by any additional speeds and types of movement the mech has.
• Slots: Each mech frame has frame slots and auxiliary (aux) slots. Frame slots allow mounting weapons, and aux slots can each accommodate one auxiliary system. Some limbs also grant slots for weapons; lower limbs and upper limbs grant lower limb slots and upper limb slots, respectively. A mech can’t equip more weapons or auxiliary systems than it has corresponding slots.
• Senses: This lists the mech’s special senses. Most mechs have at least low-light vision, darkvision with a range of 120 feet, and blindsense (vibration) with a range of 30 feet.
• Hit Points (HP): This is the total amount of damage a mech can take before it becomes inoperable. If a mech takes twice this amount of damage, it is destroyed.
• Shield Points (SP): Mechs project personal force shields that dampen incoming damage, represented by Shield Points (SP), which function in many ways like temporary Hit Points (see Taking Damage on page 114 for more information).
• Hardness: Most mechs have a hardness value (Starfinder Core Rulebook 409), determined by their frame and tier, that reduces incoming damage they take.
• EAC and KAC: A mech’s Energy Armor Class and Kinetic Armor Class is determined by its tier, frame, and limbs.
• Saving Throw Bonuses: Some mech frames provide the mech a bonus to Fortitude and/or Reflex saving throws.
• Immunities: Mechs have the construct immunities universal creature rule (Alien Archive 153).
• Attack Bonus: Each mech has a bonus added to its attack rolls, based on its tier.
• Weapons: A mech’s stat block lists the melee and ranged weapons installed in its frame slots. Each weapon lists its weapon slot, damage, and any special properties.
• Space and Reach: This lists the mech’s space and reach, which are based on its size category. A Huge mech’s reach is 15 feet, a Gargantuan mech’s reach is 20 feet, and a Colossal mech’s reach is 30 feet.
• Strength: A mech doesn’t have ability scores, but it does have an effective Strength modifier, based on its frame and tier, for calculating its melee damage modifiers, resolving Strength checks to break objects, and determining its carrying capacity (see Other Mech Features below).
• Power Core: This is the source of a mech’s energy and Power Points (see above). If a power core has a power core template (page 102) applied, that is listed in parentheses.
• Lower Limbs and Upper Limbs: A mech’s limbs modify a variety of the mech’s statistics and might grant additional movement options. Upper limbs are listed with their attack bonuses in parentheses.
• Auxiliary Systems: These systems augment a mech’s capabilities and might grant it additional abilities.
• Upgrades: These are a mech’s miscellaneous upgrades, representing further specialization of a mech’s technology. Any adjustments to a mech’s statistics are already included in its stat block.
• Cost: The Mech Point cost for the frame, which is determined by the mech’s tier.

Other Mech Features