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Experience Levels And Points
      Experience, expressed as Experience Points (EP), is used to determine when a mech warrior or vehicle crew advance in experience level and skill levels.

Gaining Experience Points - Mech Warriors And Vehicle Crews
      Experience may normally be gained only in combat or in combat training. Experience Points are awarded for the following conditions. Experience Points are awarded after a battle. If more than one mech or vehicle damages a unit in the turn that target is destroyed, all units which hit divide the Experience Points evenly between themselves (odd points going to the unit which actually caused the destruction).

Gaining Experience Points - Infantry
      Experience may normally be gained only in combat or in combat training. Experience Points are awarded for the following conditions. Experience Points are awarded after a battle. If more than one infantry unit damages a unit in the turn that target is destroyed, all units which hit divide the Experience Points evenly between themselves (odd points going to the unit which actually caused the destruction).

Gaining Experience Points - Technicians, Aerospace Technicians, And Mechanics
      Technicians gain experience by maintaining, modifying, and repairing mechs and combat vehicles. Experience Points are awarded for the following conditions. Experience Points are awarded when the work is performed. Any changes in level occur at that time.

Advancing In Level
      Personnel advance in level whenever they achieve sufficient Experience Points to equal or exceed the requirement for the next level. Experience Points and Levels are listed in the following table. Advances within the level of Legendary occur every 1,000 Experience Points.

Starting Experience Levels - Mech Warriors And Vehicle Crews
      Mech warriors and vehicle crews always begin with the lowest value for each quality level (except the four persons with which each unit starts). Thus, a mech warrior who starts as a Veteran would begin as a Veteran 7. The following table lists the Gunnery / Piloting or Gunnery / Drive skill values associated with each starting experience level.

Starting Experience Points
      Personnel begin with a number of Experience Points equal to the EP necessary for their starting level. For example, Green 1 personnel begin with zero points, while a Veteran 7 person begins with 500 EP.

Effects Of Gaining Levels
      Each time a mech warrior or vehicle crew raise a level, one point may be subtracted from either the Gunnery or Piloting or Drive skills (as appropriate). Regardless of the level, at no time may the difference between the Gunnery and Piloting or Drive skills have a value greater than ±2. For example, if a mech warrior has a Piloting skill of 4, then that person's Gunnery skill may be no less than 2 and no more than 6. The minimum value to which any skill level may be reduced is zero (0). Once a mech warrior or vehicle crew has achieved the level of Elite, an Advanced Ability (see Maximum Tech, pages 46-47) may be taken in place of a reduction in skill. This option may be exercised beginning with the advance to Elite 4.
      For Technicians, Aerospace Technicians, and Mechanics gaining levels, there is an effect only if the person changes from Green to Regular, Regular to Veteran, or Veteran to Elite, and this is the improved ability to perform work on equipment. Technicians, Aerospace Technicians, and Mechanics cannot advance higher than Elite status.

Effects Of Infantry Replacements
      Unlike any other type of unit in the campaign, infantry units may loose personnel and continue to exist (mech warriors and vehicle crews either live or die). Also, Infantry units may join together. All infantry replacements are Green 11 (zero Experience Points).
      Whenever an infantry unit takes in replacements or joins with another unit, a new Experience Point total must be determined for the unit. The following formula is used to make this determination when the unit receives replacements. When two existing units join, compute the New EP Total for each unit, and add the results to get the Experience Points for the new unit.

Monetary Units
      All amounts listed in this write-up, and all monetary computations assume standard C-Bills. If currency conversion is required, the Currency Conversion Table in the Battletech Hot Spots book will be used.

Pay
      Pay rates are preset. Each type of personnel has a base pay rate and a multiplier based on experience.

Base Pay Rates
      The pay rates are listed in the following table. These base pay rates are taken from the Battletech Administrator's TO&E program. The positions of "Nurse", "Surgeon", and "Staff Officer" have been added to support MASH units and Mobile Headquarters.

Experience Multipliers
      Experience levels include Green, Regular, Veteran, Elite, and Legendary. When determining a unit's quality for the Quality Value of the Dragoons Rating, the Experience Multipliers will be averaged and rounded down to the nearest lower Level. The following multipliers modify the Base Pay Rate.

Financial Institutions
      Mercenary units are always in need of financial help. A number of reputable and less than reputable financial institutions will help in supplying the needed funds. Of course, none of these institutions are forgiving of defaulters.
      Each financial institution which makes loans has four items of information associated with a loan; the Points, the Interest Rate, the Loan Type, and the Collateral. The Points are a percentage of the total loan which must be paid as a cost for obtaining the loan (this is a legal form of extortion practiced since at least the twentieth century). The Interest Rate is the simple annual rate. The Loan Type describes how the loan will be repaid and how interest will be paid. The Collateral indicates what form of backing is required for the loan.
      The following banks and other "financial institutions" will do business with mercenary units

Universal Bank of Detroit
      This is the bank mercenary units use for their financial transactions. Each unit has a combined savings and electronic checking account from which all expenses are paid and into which all payments received are placed. There is no "cash" in this campaign.
      The Universal Bank of Detroit, being a super-mega-corporation, is neither understanding of nor sympathetic to the problems of mercenary units (although it has the self styled description of the "Caring Company"). Overdrafts on a unit's account are not permitted.
      The bank does not pay interest on its accounts and does not make loans to mercenary units.

Big Jay's Bail Bonds
      One of the sleaziest of the lowlife inhabitants of the underworld on Outreach, Big Jay will make a loan to anyone from whom he thinks he can get money. Big Jay is also known for a somewhat "severe" collection enforcement system, and he does not loose the principal of a loan without exacting a grave retribution.
      All mercenary units (in the campaign) are assumed to have arranged a line of credit with Big Jay's representatives. Credit for up to two million C-Bills will be extended to cover any nagative balances incurred by a unit with the Universal Bank of Detroit. Additional loans may be arranged via ComStar messages.
      Big Jay will make any loan he thinks has a chance to be repaid. He will require no collateral or interest payments. However, the loan had better be repaid in full, and on time. Immediately upon failure to repay the loan, the unit incurs Big Jay's "wrath". Big Jay will inform the unit that the interest rate is now an additional 20% above its original value. For each month the loan goes unpaid, Big Jay may send out a saboteur or assassin (either Vito, Quito, or Mary Anne). Big Jay will sometimes accept partial payments to temporarily reduce his "wrath".

Weapons And Equipment Dealers
      The number of dealers allowed to sell weapons, military armaments, and military equipment to non-governmental persons or organizations is limited. These dealers are normally only found on the few worlds used as administrative centers by the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission. Outreach is the only world available in the campaign on which major armaments may be sold legally to mercenary units.

Purchasing Mechs And Vehicles
      To purchase a battlemech or combat vehicle, a mercenary unit makes an inquiry at the local sales representative to determine availability. An inquiry must be for a specific type of battlemech or combat vehicle, and costs 5,000 C-Bills (to cover the representative's messages to the appropriate dealer. Only one inquiry per individual type of mech or vehicle may be made per month.
      Each inquiry allows the mercenary unit to roll on the Dealer Availability Charts (listed separately from these rules). If the percentile roll is less than or equal to the availability value for the requested battlemech or combat vehicle, then one such unit is available. The unit may, at no additional cost, continue to roll for that battlemech or combat vehicle until the roll fails. The total of successful rolls is the number of that specific battlemech or combat vehicle available to that unit at that moment.

Mechs-R-Us
      This is the only source of battlemechs for mercenary units. Mech-R-Us is located on Outreach. All equipment is sold as new or reconditioned to like new status. Sales outlets and representatives are available on all worlds with communications equipment.

General Mechanoids Corporation (GMC), Combat Vehicles Division, Factory Outlet
      GMC is one of the major manufacturers of armored combat vehicles. These vehicles are distributed through a network local of GMC dealerships, with a dealership located on almost all inhabited planets with any serious population. GMC dealerships carry all forms of combat vehicles, including those made by other manufacturers. This is the only source of combat vehicles, non-combat vehicles, and VTOLs available to mercenary units. All equipment is sold as new or reconditioned to like new status.

Ertel's Easy Mechs
      Jason "J" Ertel carries used mechs, vehicles, and other equipment on his large, open air lot. Ertel's is also known to buy used and even damaged equipment from mercenary units.

Krazy Ken's Kustom Tanks And RVs
      Krazy Ken's is known as "the mercenaries chop shop". Ken's is able to modify any vehicle that walks, crawls, rolls, hovers, or flies. His shops are known for quality (and costly) work (he knows he has a virtual monopoly on the modifications business thanks to his "friendly" relations with the local politicians). Although he buys removed parts low and sells installed parts high, he does give an absolute warrantee of quality for all equipment and work, if he controls the entire operation.

Andy's Army Surplus
      Andy's Army Surplus is a massive chain of pawn brokers and surplus military equipment dealers. A store is located o almost every civilized planet in the Inner Sphere. The following items are available at almost any store.

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Contents Previous Next Updated 5 July 1999.