Pilot Stats and Abilities
Pilot Parameters
A pilot has a Tier, which determines their base stat total. A PC's stat total increases by 25 for each Tier. Stats can be further modified by abilities, including the "Depth of Experience" ability that increases base stat total outright. Tiers are as follows:
| Tier Name | Base Stat Total |
|---|---|
| Capable | 500 |
| Elite | 525 |
| Ace | 550 |
| Great Ace | 575 |
| Extreme | 600 |
Each pilot has the following stats:
| Stat Name | Effects |
|---|---|
| Targeting | The Targeting stat represents a pilot's ability to track enemy movements and position accurately. This primarily affects ranged combat. |
| Piloting | The Piloting stat represents a pilot's ability to make tight, effective maneuvers with their unit. This primarily affects melee combat. |
| Intuition | The Intuition stat represents a pilot's overall judgment and ability to predict opponents. This affects a wide range of reactions at many distances. |
| Skill | The Skill stat represents a pilot's ability to precisely apply force in a variety of situations. This primarily affects damage calculations. |
Note that a pilot must have at least 100 in each stat.
Non-Stat Pilot Properties
Pilots also have other properties.
Proficiency - Proficiency indicates how effective a pilot is with a given type of unit, and is ranked as follows:
| Level | Description |
|---|---|
| - | This pilot cannot use units of this type. Note that for PCs, this can only occur on Mental or Cybernetic units; PCs start with Autobalanced, Manual, Kinesthetic, and Crewed proficiency at F. |
| F | This pilot can pull levers and push buttons as appropriate, but would likely not be cleared to use this type of unit in a real fight. |
| D | This pilot is an utterly average pilot for this unit type, comparable to random NPCs who pilot the class. |
| C | This pilot is solid with this unit type. This is the level at which no bonus or penalty is assessed to using the unit. |
| B | This pilot is noticeably strong with this unit type. This is the level at which your effectiveness in-class begins to become a topic of historical record. |
| A | The pilot is extremely talented with this unit type. A-proficiency pilots are often best-in-country. |
| S | The pilot is among the best in the world with this unit type. |
For completion's sake, information on control schemes has been mirrored here from the Units data.
| Control Scheme | Description | Example Unit Types |
|---|---|---|
| Autobalanced | Autobalanced units use a control scheme similar to a mobile suit; maneuvers perform a significant amount of automatic adjustment and modification of the unit's orientation and limbs to retain orientation. Autobalanced units tend to perform better in space than one might expect from their class, though this is by no means a hard and fast rule. | Mobile Suits; Knightmare Frames; EXAMACs |
| Manual | Manual units control similarly to modern tanks, planes, cars, and other vehicles. | Variable Fighters; Wanzers; tanks; planes |
| Crewed | Crewed units operate through the effort of multiple people taking on dedicated roles. Not all combiner robots or multi-seaters necessarily operate as Crewed units, though we're pretty flexible on that point. Note that monsters that you do not drive, but instead simply demand things of, are also treated as Crewed units, since the paradigm remains one of giving orders and direction. | Battleships; crewed tanks; kaiju |
| Kinesthetic | Kinesthetic units operate by having the user perform bodily movements themselves. Some such units perform mild correction, and others do not; we do not make much distinction here. Note that characters who personally become large and fight will generally have their "units" covered by Kinesthetic proficiency, though there are a couple of cases where this might instead be Cybernetic. | Arm Slaves; Mobile Fighters; Ultramen |
| Mental | Mental units operate through the use of psychic commands from a Newtype, Psychodriver, or other Awakened human. Note that this covers units controlled exclusively by this means; units that simply mount remote weapons are Autobalanced, but gain effectiveness from Mental proficiency through the Attuned attack flag. | A handful of Mobile Suits; a handful of kaiju |
| Cybernetic | Cybernetic units operate through some sort of interface with the pilot through a mechanical medium, such as nanomachines or a conventional cybernetic plug. Characters who are themselves AIs can also choose to use this to represent their facility with moving themselves, especially if the AI can be transferred to other housings without incident. | Aestivalis; Super AIs |
Modes - Sometimes a pilot has multiple modes. (more data when i remember how our data structures work)
Spirit Commands
lord no please i need to stop documenting for a bit my brain is melting
Pilot Abilities
Pilot abilities represent the ways in which a pilot excels in Kantaisen. All pilots have, at game launch, 8 pilot ability slots. Some abilities cost more than one slot.
The number of ability slots available to pilots does not change with tier in Kantaisen 1.0. This may be adjusted depending on feedback, but is unlikely to receive adjustment at this time. See Advancement for more information on how pilots gain new ability slots.
Base Parameter Abilities
These abilities increase a pilot's base parameters beyond those normally expected for their tier.
Depth of Experience - This increases the pilot's stat total by 20. This can be bought multiple times for one slot each, noted as "Depth of Experience LX".
Breadth of Experience - This increases the pilot's spendable proficiency ranks by 5. This can be bought multiple times for one slot each, noted as "Breadth of Experience LX".
Command Abilities
These abilities offer new "commands" to players. These special actions route through the attack system, and are treated as weapons with a Weapon Space cost of 0 internally.
Command - This pilot has access to the All-Out (multi-target Skill buff), Caution (multi-target Intuition buff), and Coordinate (multi-target Piloting buff) actions. This is a Level 2 ability.
Charisma - This pilot has access to the Shock (multi-target Morale reduction), Awe (multi-target Morale increase), and Prospect (single-target SP increase) actions. This is a Level 2 ability.
Pressure - This unit offers access to the Goad (single-target Intuition debuff), Demoralize (single-target Morale reduction), and Despirit (single-target SP reduction) actions. This is a Level 2 ability.
Morale Abilities
These abilities primarily orient in some way around the pilot's Morale.
Break Morale Limit - The upper bound of your Morale increases by 15 per level. This ability can be bought incrementally, up to two levels.
Morale+ - The core Morale gains you accrue from trading blows are increased by two. This is a Level 1 ability.
Spirit Endurance - Whenever affected by an effect that would reduce your SP or Morale, you have a chance to halve the effect that increases with Morale. In addition, the core Morale gains you accrue from trading blows are increased by 1. This is a Level 1 ability.
Range-Focused Abilities
These abilities offer benefits primarily to ranged or melee combat.
Charger - The Charge reaction's success rate is improved significantly. This is a Level 1 ability.
Gunfight - The pilot's hitrates during Ranged attacks increases by 20 effective stat points per level of this ability (both yours and your opponent's; you are also more effective at dodging your preferred type). In addition, having this ability at any level makes any attempt you make to Disengage easier. This ability can be bought incrementally, up to three Levels.
In-Fight - The pilot's hitrates during Melee attacks increases by 20 effective stat points per level of this ability (both yours and your opponent's; you are also more effective at dodging your preferred type). In addition, having this ability at any level makes it more difficult to Disengage from the pilot's unit. This ability can be bought incrementally, up to three Levels.
Slippery - The Retreat reaction's success rate is improved significantly. This is a Level 1 ability.
Scaling Abilities
Scaling abilities increase in power over the course of a fight, often tied to Morale or some other value.
Clarity - The pilot's stats increase by 30 each at a set Morale threshold. At Level 1, this increase occurs at 140 Morale; at Level 2, this increase occurs at 120 Morale.
Predict - The pilot's Intuition increases as Morale increases. This ability can be bought incrementally, up to three Levels.
Prevail - As the pilot's unit takes damage, the pilot's Skill increases. This begins to work only after taking at least 50% damage. This ability can be bought incrementally, up to three Levels.
Other Abilities
The following abilities do nto fit neatly into any of the above categories.
Apply Terrain - All terrains your unit has at least an F rating in have their final rating increased by 1. This is a Level 1 ability.
Blocking - A successful Parry generates even more Morale; you can use Intercept to defend against Missile attacks even in melee; Blocking reduces incoming damage by one effective step. This is a Level 2 ability.
Instant Hero - At Level 1, your Intuition and Skill increase by 30 if your unit is Obsolete, Surplus, or Unremarkable. At Level 2, benefit increases to 45 to each stat, and applies up to Standard.
Lucky - You have a 15% chance to automatically hit or take 0 damage from what would be a successful hit, regardless of anything else. This is a Level 2 ability.
Precision Attacker - If your attack's damage roll would cause it to deal critical damage, it deals an additional 15% damage. This is a Level 3 ability, as it readily synergizes with a variety of other effects and abilities to produce very high damage output.
SP Regen - You gain 10 more SP per turn, making the use of Spirit Commands a more central element of your playstyle. This ability can be bought incrementally, up to three Levels.
Transformation Specialist - Transforming your unit costs 0 EN.
Special Technique
This ability has been given its own category, and its own detailed notes for each level of that ability, due to its complexity.
Special Technique L1
Special Technique L1 allows you to buy up to three attacks with one flag each and up to 4500 Attack Power.
A good example of a Special Technique L1 is Char Aznable's Char Kick (4500 Melee Physical Finisher) - Char can do this in most everything he bothers to drive, but it's not a huge footprint on his piloting style or his arsenal.
Special Technique L2
Special Technique L2 allows you to buy up to five attacks with up to two flags each and up to 5400 Attack Power. You can spend two attack slots each to buy the Parry, Shield Block, or Intercept capabilities, provided they make sense for you to be carrying from unit to unit.
Alternatively, you can use Special Technique L2 to buy three of the effects from Jammer, EWAC, Sabotage, or Sound Force, in any configuration you like (such as "Sound Spirit, Insight, and Warn" or "Jam, Designate, and Nullify").
An example of the former type would be Cucuruz Doan's Mobile Suit Martial Arts, featuring Improvised Weapon (3700 Melee Physical Initiation), Mobile Suit Martial Arts (5100 Melee Physical Penetrating), Thrown Debris (4100 Ranged Physical), and the Parry capability (representing unusually high effectiveness at interrupting melee techniques with ambient objects, sword grasps, etc). It's starting to be a legitimately impressive and reliable part of Doan's arsenal, but not something to use to the exclusion of all other weapons.
An example of the latter type, meanwhile, would be Tiffa Adill's Newtype talents, featuring the Insight capability from EWAC L2, the Designate capability from Jam L2, and the Warn capability from EWAC L2. It's a significant part of her arsenal, and gives her distinctive capability as a support character that isn't quite offered by any other support ability.
Special Technique L3
Special Technique L3 allows you to buy up to six attacks with any number of flags and up to 7500 Attack Power. You can spend two attack slots each to buy the Parry, Shield Block, or Intercept capabilities, provided they make sense for you to be carrying from unit to unit.
A good example of a Special Technique L3 is Domon Kasshu's School of Master Asia, featuring Bakunetsu Sekiha Tenkyoken (7200 Ranged Magic Barrier Breaker Finisher), Chokyuu Haoh Den'ei-dan (5500 Melee Magic Ram), Bakunetsu Shuffle Doumei Ken (6000 Melee Magic Penetrating), and Sekiha Tenkyoken (6100 Ranged Magic Finisher). This represents some of the marquee tricks of Domon's arsenal and he can carry them from unit to unit however he likes.