Chop Shop Contact Build (Transformers Essence20 rpg)

 I've been focused on making the Unofficial Guides to my personal Transformers rpg campaign that I've pretty well been neglecting this thread. Sorry about that, folks. But I hope the guides have been fun to read as well. If you want to see them all, check them out in my Transformers RPG Unofficial Guide Google Drive.

But now, we return to our regularly scheduled bug hunt and bring you more Insecticon action with... CHOP SHOP!

This is a character I have little knowledge of, as the TF comics and cartoons of my era focused on the three normal Insecticons, not the four Deluxe versions. He did have an appearance in Transformer: Robots In Disguise has an escaped Decepticon criminal. But Chop Shop could make for an interesting foil for the PCs, as they are a  notorious thief. Security-based PCs can have Chop Shop as a regulars enemy -- or perhaps a confidential informant!

This is unofficial, fan-made content using the Transformers Essence20 rpg  by Renegade Games Studios.

CHOP SHOP

"I take no prisoners, just spare parts."

Are you missing a few energon chips? Wasn't there a photon rectifier on that table a minute ago? Hey, has anyone seen my Action Master partner recently? And where the heck did our new transwarp cruiser go?!

If it's not nailed, screwed, bolted, and nano-fused to the ground, chances are good Chop Shop stole it while you were reading this. The other Decepticons and his fellow Insecticons are well aware of Chop Shop's skill as a master thief, but they have no idea just how deep the compulsion goes. Chop Shop is a closet kleptomaniac, compelled to steal — not just from the Autobots, but also from his allies and even from himself! The more difficult it is to steal something, the more Chop Shop feels compelled to rise to the challenge. No piece of equipment or valuable item in Decepticon headquarters is safe when he's around. So far, he's been quick-witted enough to cover his own tracks, but how long his luck holds out, and what his comrades will do when they realize just who's been robbing them blind, is anyone's guess.

Influences

Disenfranchised, Scavenger: Insecticons must work their own way in life through the dregs of Cybertronian society.

Origin

Insecticon: Chop Shop assumes the alt-mode of a stag beetle.

Role and Focus

Raider (Acquisitions Expert): Sneakiest of the Insecticons... if it's not bolted to the floor, it's not safe from his greedy grasp. No challenge is too great; the more difficult something is to steal, the more he wants to steal it.

Essence Scores and Skills

Strength 7: Athletics +d4, Brawn +d6, Might +d4

Speed 4: Infiltration +d8

Smarts 8: Alertness (Appraisal) +d6*, Culture +d4, Survival +d4

Social 6: Animal Handling +d4, Streetwise +d8

Gaining Chop Shop As A Contact

Decepticons, Rise Up!: If this Contact is on scene, the PCs can summon them for 1 round.

Big Score: Chops Shop is always looking for his next big score.  If the PCs have a lead on a cache of treasure or other valuable objects for Chop Shop to steal, succeeding on three DIF 15 Culture, Infiltration, and Streetwise Skill Tests, they gain Chop  Shop as a temporary Contact. If the PCs spend a mission to assist Chop Shop in the successful acquisition of treasure, they gain Chop Shop as a permanent Contact.

Insecticon Hivemate: Fellow bugs need to stick together or be crushed under the heels of the largest Cons. If a PC is an Insecticon, they gain Barrage as a temporary Contact.

Allegiance Points: 3

Contact Perks

Armor-Piercing Pincers (2 Allegiance Points): Chop Shop’s pincers can slice through 2-inch steel with ease. A PC gains the Armor Piercing Trait on their Sharp Melee Weapon until the end of the scene.

Mine! (1 Allegiance Point): If it’s not nailed down, Chop Shop will steal it. When a PC defeats a Threat, they may immediately take one piece of Gear (Armor Upgrade, Weapon, Kit, or Support Equipment) from the Threat and add it to their own Gear.

Sneakiest of the Insecticons (3 Allegiance Points): Chop Shop lets others do the fighting, while he does all the stealing. All PCs gain an Edge and ↑1 on all Infiltration Skill Tests until the end of the scene. Threats have a Snag when making contested Alertness Skill Tests against the PCs.

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Till All Are One!