Character Points CP Abilities cost table.

Here is a list of the abilities that you can spend your CP's on to improve your character.

These are broken into Abilities and Skills.

Abilities are permanent, and Can not be taken away from a character.   You are not limited to the number of abilities your mechwarrior may have.

(Edit, before battle #3) You may not Buy the "Fame" ability after the last battle of the campaign.  If you are going to "cash in your chips"...you must do it before the final battle.  Yes this will make CP earned in the last battle worthless.  But having someone "buy" the championship rather than earning it on the arena floor seems like a hollow win. (end edit)


Skills you can lose over the course of a battle with wounds.  When your mechwarrior takes a hit, you must select one Skill to lose until the wound is healed.  Your mechwarrior is also limited to a maximum of 4 Skills.

Mechwarrior Abilities & Skills Table
Abilities	CP	C-Bill Cost	Game Effect
Fame*	10	250,000	Add one Fame point to Pilot total
Edge*	10	0	Gain Edge Point, 2nd Edge Point cost 20 CP
Toughness*	6	0	Does not lose Skill on first pilot hit, add 1 to all Consciousness rolls
Loan*	5	0	See Loan rules
Improved Piloting (1) *	15	2,500,000	Improves Piloting to a 3
Improved Piloting (2) *	20	3,500,000	Improves Piloting to a 2,                              Pre-req: Improved Piloting (1)
Improved Piloting (3) *	30	7,500,000	Improves Piloting to a 1,                            Pre-req: Improved Piloting (2)
Improved Gunnery (1) *	25	5,000,000	Improves Gunnery to a 2
Improved Gunnery (2) *	50	15,000,000	Improves Gunnery to a 1                             Pre-req: Improved Gunnery (1)
Skills	CP	C-Bill Cost	Game Effect
Dodge	4	0	May take a +2 defense modifier against physical attacks instead of making a physical attack, Clear terrain only.
Weapon Specialist	15	500,000	For specific ranged weapon, -2 TH (Can only be bought once)
Maneuvering Ace	6	0	May perform lateral shift as if it were a Quad ‘Mech (2 MP)
Melee Specialist	8	0	During Physical Attack phase, may take either -1TH or +1 to damage
Speed Demon	5	0	Add 2 to Running MP, may not make ranged attacks that turn.
Acrobat	8	100,000	Roll 1d6 per use of Jump Jets; 1-4, add 1 Jump MP to maximum jump, 5-6, Jump Jets fail and may not be used that turn, ‘Mech may walk or run instead.
Cool Hand	6	0	Manages heat well, subtract 2 from Heat total per turn
Cluster Expert (Direct Fire)	8	250,000	Adds +1 to any rolls on the cluster chart when using a RAC, Ultra, HAG or LBXAC. (Natural 2 still jams an Ultra)
Cluster Expert (Missiles)	6	150,000	Adds +1 to any rolls on the cluster chart when using SRM, LRM, MRM, ATM, MML or Rocket Launcher.

Starter mechs.

This post is to list the mechs that are under 4 million C-Bills and that I have minis for.
The number listed after the mini is the number of that type of mini I have painted up.  No number after the name means I have just one mini available.

Listed them by tonnage alphabetically.

Remember not all Mechs or their Variants are available to all Factions, so if you see one you REALLY like...find the faction that has that mech.



Also a good rule of thumb is the higher the number in the variant list the newer the technology.  Meaning the Stinger STG-3R is a 3025 era mech where the Stinger STG-6L is a 3067 era mech with Stealth armor.

Couple things to think about as you select.
1) You earn less money, CP and Fame for killing a light mech if you are in a Medium.  Likewise you earn MORE C-Bills, CP and Fame for killing a medium mech if you are in a Light.  Just some motivation for potentially taking a light mech.

2) You can earn Fame, CP and C-Bills for

• Melee attacks that hit
• Melee Weapon attacks that hit 
• Death From Above attacks (even if you miss)
• Hitting 4 mechs in one fire phase (need 4 weapons for this one)
• Dealing 20 points of damage in a phase
• Dealing 40 points of damage in phase (at least one mech listed below could do it)
•  Blowing off an arm or leg with a critical hit (Look for crit seekers)

3) There are some weapons on some of these mechs you may not have seen before (Rocket launchers, Rotary Autocannons, etc.)  Feel free to ask with any questions you may have.  There are also some mechs that have C3 systems or TAG.  Both of those will be of no use in Solaris, so you are wasting tonnage by taking one of those mechs.

Anyway here are the mechs I have mini's for that you can afford with your starting 4 Million C-Bills.
(** before the variant means it is available to all factions)
Medium Mechs 40 - 55 Tons


50 Tons:

Centurion  
CN9-A, CN9-AH, CN9-AL 

Crab (3)   
CRB-20 

Enforcer (2)
ENF-4R 

Hunchback (3)
**HBK-4G, HBK-4H, HBK-4J, HBK-4N, HBK-4P, HBK-4SP, HBK-5H, HBK-5M, HBK-5N


45 Tons: 
Blackjack (2) 
BJ-1, BJ-1DB,  BJ-1DC, BJ-2, BJ-3 (description only) 

Hatchetman (2)
HCT-3F 

Phoenix Hawk (3)
PXH-1K 

Vindicator (3)
VND-1AA, VND-1R, VND-3L 

Wyvern (2)
WVE-5N, WVE-6N, WVE-9N

40 Tons: 
Assassin (2)
ASN-21, **ASN-23, ASN-101, ASN-22 

Cicada (4) 
CDA-2A, CDA-2B, CDA-3C 

Clint (4)  
**CLNT-2-3T, CLNT-1-2R, CLNT-2-4T 

Daimyo  
DMO-1K, DMO-2K, DMO-4K 

Hermes II
HER-2M , HER-2S, HER-5S, HER-4K 

Sentinel (3)
STL-3K, STL-3L, STL-3M, STL-4D, STL-C 

Vulcan (2)
**VL-2T, VL-5M, VL-5T 

Watchman
WTC-4M, WTC-4DM (description only) 

Whitworth (2)
**WHT-1, WHT-1H, **WHT-1S, WHT-2, WHT-2A

Light Mechs 20 - 35 Tons


35 Tons:

Firestarter   
FS9-C, **FS9-H, FS9-M, FS9-S, FS9-S1 

Hollander
BZK-F3, BZK-G1, Hollander II BZK-F5 (45 tons) 

Jenner (3)
JR7-C, JR7-D, JR7-F, JR7-K 

Ostscout (2)
**OTT-7J 

Panther (3)
PNT-10K, PNT-12A, PNT-9R, PNT-C 

Wolfhound (2)

WLF-1, WLF-2

30 Tons:

Firefly 
FFL-4A, FFL-4B 

Hermes (2)
HER-1A , HER-1S, HER-3S, HER-3S1, HER-3S2 

Hussar (2)
HSR-200-D, HSR-300-D 

Javelin (2)
JVN-10F , JVN-10N, JVN-10P 

Spider (2)
SDR-5D, SDR-5K, SDR-5V, SDR-7M, SDR-8M 

UrbanMech (2)
**UM-R60, UM-60L, UM-R63, UM-R70 

Valkyrie
VLK-QA, VLK-QD, VLK-QD1, VLK-QD3, VLK-QF

25 Tons:


Brigand  
LDT-1, LDT-X1, LDT-X2 

Commando (6) 
COM-2D, COM-3A, COM-4H, COM-5S, COM-7S 

Mongoose (4)
MON-66, MON-67, MON-76 

20 Tons: 

Flea 
FLE-15, FLE-17, FLE-4 

Hornet
HNT-151, HNT-171 

Locust (3)
If you want one look them up yourself, 1E, 1L, 1M, 1S, **1V, 1V2, 3D, 3M, 3S, 3V, 5M, 5V 

Mercury
MCY-102, MCY-97, MCY-98, MCY-99 

Stinger (3)
STG-3G, **STG-3R, STG-5M, STG-5R, STG-6L 

Thorn (2)
THE-N, THE-N1, THE-S 

Wasp (7)
10 Variants available, **1A, 1D, 1K, 1L, 1S, 1W, 3L, 3M, 3S, 3W 



As I said before others can bring their painted mechs the night of the first event, but if you pick something that is not painted or we don't have the mini for, it is an extra 25% C-Bill cost.  I did land a starter box and I might get some of those painted before we start the campaign...meaning I might add a Hunchback, Enforcer, and Jenner to the list.

How the first night will work and how to prepare (WIP).

Here is the step by step process of how we will create our Solaris Mechwarriors the first night of the campaign.

We start with 4 Million C-Bills to buy our first mech.  We will also be playing in the Open Class...meaning we will not be limited to a specific weight class.  Bring whatever you can afford.  If a couple of players get further ahead cash wise than the others I'm fairly certain they will become the prime targets of the other players.  We will be doing a randomized drafting order for faction and then a second one for  mech selection.

Some basic rules to think about before you buy your mech.

• You are awarded cash for making kills, assisting with kills, crippling mechs, doing 20+ points of damage, Close combat attacks and some "Flashy" moves (DFA, hitting 4 mechs in one turn...etc.).  These can be found at this link...Prize money and Character Development 
• The kill award earned is determined by the size of your mech and the size of your kills.  Clan mechs are considered 1 size bigger than they actually are.  Meaning a Clan light = an Inner Sphere medium.  So it is not a last mech standing gets all the money situation.  Same size solo kill is 2+ Million C-Bills. 
• There is only one way to salvage an enemy mech, through a mechwarrior's death.  If you are the one that does the killing blow to the mechwarrior, you can claim his mech for salvage.  This only counts when he is in the cockpit.  Killing an ejected mechwarrior will get you banned from Solaris.  You will have to repair your new mech before you can sell it.  You can then run either of your current mech, your newly salavaged mech, or sell one, or both and get a better one. 
• If your bankrupt and can't afford to repair your mech, you can "Restart" with a new mechwarrior, but you subtract 500,000 from your starting funds each time you restart due to bankruptcy, to a minimum of 2 Million.  If your mechwarrior dies, you restart with 4 million.
• Repairs are really cheap.  45% of a mechs purchase cost to rebuild a destroyed mech (even from Ammo explosion or CT destruction).  35% to repair a crippled mech, 25% to repair all non crippled damage.  We will also have rules for minimal repairs...that might cost you even less than 25%.  Armor repair is free, Ammo reloads are free...it's the internals that you have to repair 10% per section.  Something to think about before you spend all 4 million on that Hunchback.    If it is destroyed you probably won't be able to repair it, unless you manage a kill in the first game.

1) Download and print The Pilot sheet from the following site. (or get one from me the night of the draft)  Fill in the sheet as you go.
http://www.classicbattletech.com/downloads/Solaris_Melee_Challenge_Pilot_RS.pdf
Example:   Rob fills in his mechwarriors name, handle, his gunnery of 3 and piloting of 4.

2)  Review the link to the right that says Starter Mechs.  There is a Starter mech link to the right which lists all the mechs under 4 million that can be bought is you have 0 fame.  However some of these mechs are faction specific.  So not all the mechs on this list are available to all factions.  you will have to check the faction lists to see which faction has the mech you like.
Your starting mech might be one of the most important choices you make.  You have 4 Million C-Bills, all of the mechs on this list cost less than 4 Million.    To make it easier I've placed a ** next to those mech Variants that are available to any faction.  If there is no **, you will need to find what faction that chassis / variant is linked to.
Example:  Rob looks over the Starter Mechs.  Plans on grabbing a Hunchback if there is one available.

3) Now look at the Mech Faction C-Bills cost google doc.  Look through the Faction tab to see what faction the mech you like is available to.  Also look at the other mechs of this Faction to see if you would like to use them further into the campaign.  Look also at the CBill Cost tab.  All the available mechs are listed here by CBill cost.  Clan mechs are Bold and highlighted in gray (even Clan players can't start with those so ignore them for now...Details later that).  Also look at the Sarna.net link and look at the various factions, maybe you will like the style of one over another.  I'll also have all the Faction Field manuals availble to flip through at the next couple Bulldog events.  There are limits on how many players can be linked to any faction, other than Unaffilated can have unlimited members.  Three player limit for any of the major houses, Two can declare themselves Mercenaries, and one for all the other factions.  

Example:  Rob looks over the mechs and likes the looks many of the clan mechs so he figures he will make a Clan mechwarrior...even though he has to start in an inner sphere mech.  He has liked the background of the Jade Falcons so plans to pick them if no one else does.  He figures ComStar or another clan would make a good choice as well, worst case he can stay unaffiliated.  Rob is ready for draft night.  Rob Sees that the Hunchback has one version available to the Falcons.  So his starter mech is still good.

4)  Declare your faction.  Now look at the Faction tab from the same spreadsheet.  Make sure the faction you select has the mech you want listed.  You may also want to look further down the list at mechs you might want to get in the future.  It cost both CP and Fame to change / drop your factions, so plan on staying with it once you choose your faction.  One safe bet is to start as Unaffiliated, Periphery (Other) or Mercenary, you can swap from these to any faction without the penalty.   You will also want to look at what stables and sponsors are available to each faction.  You must Declare your faction before buying your mech.
Example: The Faction draft order is determined and Rob picks next to last.  Only one player other player has selected a Clan, and they took Clan Ghost Bear so Rob selects Clan Jade Falcon as his faction.  Where the only stable that is available to clanners is Zellbrigen, Rob probably wouldn't have taken a Clan if two players had taken Clan factions before him. 


5) Buy your Mech.  I'm going to be a stickler for using the correct minis and painted minis on the table.  Look at the "Rob's painted mechs" google doc.  The mechs that I have painted are listed by weight.  There will be a 25% extra CBill cost if I don't have the correct mini that is painted.  The minis I do have will be on a 1st come 1st serve basis.  After draft night all upgrades will be on a 1st email or request to me (I'll go last after the initial draft night, letting all others take their choice before me).  Safe bet is there will be a run on Hunchbacks the 1st night (one of the tougher mechs you can get for under 4 Million C-Bills), so have an alternate choice ready.  I'll have all the painted mech minis that are under 4 million on a table for all to see for the draft.  Feel free to bring your painted mini's if you have any to add to the pool.
Example:  Mech selection draft order is determined and Rob picks 7th.  Before Rob the mechs selected are, Hunchback, Hunchback, Phoenix Hawk, Centurion, Crab, Enforcer.  Rob looks and sees there are no more painted Hunchbacks available.  Rob can not buy a Clan mech as he does not have the 10 Fame required, so that Locust IIC is not available for him to select...yet.  Rob looks further down his list and selects the Firefly FFL-4A.  Rob thinking that will make it easier for him to get the Firefly IIC once he has the 10 fame, by having the lone painted Firefly mini, Rob blocks those that might also want to grab the low cost Firefly IIC down the road.   Rob spends the 2,203,500 and buys the Firefly.  He figures worse case he can fully repair the destroyed Firefly if he needs to with his remaining funds.

6) Spend your CP's.  Look at the Character Point Table link to the right.  I'll pass out these sheets the night of the draft or have them up on the wall.  Spend your 10 CP's if you wish.
Example: As much as he would like to save the CP's Rob spends his 10 on an Edge point, that will help him survive that floating crit or head hit.   

In summary.

• Look at the mechs, find a couple that you like for under 4 million, that I have minis for.
• Look at the factions, what mechs that are available to them, and what stables & sponsors are available to them.  Find a couple that you would be happy with.
• Look at how you may want to spend your CP's.

Keeping track of your mechwarrior...

Here are the key stats of your mechwarrior you will need to keep track of for the campaign.

C-Bills - Cash.  Current amount of C-Bills your mechwarrior has available to spend.  We will start with 4 Million. 

Fame - Fame represents how well known your mechwarrior is.  You earn / lose Fame by actions in the arena.  The higher your Fame the more stables and sponsors become available to you.  All mechwarriors start with 0 Fame.

Character Points (CP) - Points that are spent to improve your character.  Everyone starts with 10 CP's.  You spend CP's like C-Bill's to add abilities to your mechwarrior or join a stable or some other things like loans or edge points.

Gunnery - Your Gunnery starts at a 3.  You can improve this with CP's and C-Bills.

Piloting - Your Piloting Starts at a 4.  You can improve this with CP's and C-Bills.

Edge Points - Players may use the Edge Point to force a re-roll of any dice roll that affects the player.  The re-rolled result stands and may not be re-rolled again by the same player (in the case of multiple Edge Points). Once the Edge Point is used, may not be used again for this battle. Players may only have a maximum of two Edge Points at any time.  The first Edge point cost 10 CP, the second cost 20 CP.

Current Mech -  Which mech your mechwarrior currently has.  You can own as many mechs as you wish.

Faction - Which House / Clan / Periphery / Group that you support.  Withdrawing or changing your faction cost you 15 CP and reduces your Fame by 15.  Unless you are going from Unaffiliated to join a Faction, that is free.  

Stable - Which stable do you belong to (if any).  No more than 2 players can be part of a single stable.  Stables offer various things.. Some combat bonuses, some repair or buying discounts, Some limit what weight class / type mech you can have.  being part of a stable is a good thing.  Joining a stable costs CP, Cbills and has a minimum Fame amount.  There is a CP and Fame penalty for leaving or changing your stable.   

Sponsors - You can have up to two sponsors.  They are much like Stables, but with smaller bonuses.  there is no limit to the number of players that can have a single sponsor.  There is a CP and fame penalty for leaving or changing one of your sponsors.

Abilities - The abilities that you purchased with your mechwarrior.  You lose one of these for each hit your mechwarrior takes in battle.  But you get it back when you heal up after the battle.

Wounds - How many wounds your mechwarrior has.  Most of the time this will be 0, but it cost 50,000 C-Bills to heal a wound after a battle.  If you are unable to afford the healing and will have to carry your wounds into the next battle.

Loans - The maximum amount a character can borrow is determined by his fame.  It cost 5 CP each time you take out a loan.  A character can carry his loan indefinitely.  A player can only have one loan at a time so the first loan must be re-payed in order to take out another loan.

CIP - Campaign insurance policy.  If your mechwarrior dies in the arena and you have done a background story up for him, your new character will have all the Fame, CP and $ of the now dead mechwarrior.  If you don't have a CIP, your new mechwarrior will start from scratch.

You can keep track of these on the Mechwarrior Character sheet available here...
http://www.classicbattletech.com/downloads/Solaris_Melee_Challenge_Pilot_RS.pdf

I'll have printed some of these out for our first night of the campaign.