Alright, I've been thinking about this for over two months now...

Alright, I've been thinking about this for over two months now, and I've decided I finally want to do something about it.

I have been inspired Veeky Forums, so inspired that I came up with a Transformers-inspired setting for my first-time GM campaign. I need suggestions for the setting itself, and I need suggestions for a suitable system, so I don't have to homebrew everything.

Why do I say Transformers-inspired and not straight up Transformers? Because the setting takes many elements of various Transformers continuities, but introduces its own elements as well. For starters, there are no Autobots or Decepticons exactly, although there are some similar factions. Secondly, the power level of Transformers is quite huge compared to the power level of Transformers in most continuities, I would compare the power level of Transformers in this setting to be somewhat similar to Dragon Ball levels of power: from Transformers who at their lowest can merely destroy a skyscraper, to Transformers who can wipe out time and space itself. It's not only that Transformers in this setting will be on the level of Dragon Ball characters, but they will also use similar attacks as well, such as forming energy balls at their fingertips and then throwing them at their opponent, alongside typical Transformers weaponry. Instead of the usual preference for ranged warfare in most Transformers continuities, in this setting Transformers would fight in close combat as well as use ranged attacks rather equally. Thirdly, other species play a significant role in the setting, including humans, who actually have their own mechas and are spread out across the universe (I should mention that the setting takes place far out in the future.)

With that said, I will begin by describing the Transformers, although I'm not going to go too deep into lore, just how they function and such, some class ideas, the basics of the world and the factions.

Just to make it clear, the PCs will only be Transformers.

Other urls found in this thread:

youtube.com/watch?v=J2LiUsEOqcU
youtube.com/watch?v=MYGJ9jrbpvg
youtube.com/watch?v=udKNPnfHP1c
youtube.com/watch?v=cDMYiWIqzek
twitter.com/NSFWRedditImage

So basically youtube.com/watch?v=J2LiUsEOqcU

That looks pretty close, I'd say.

Transformers are a scattered race of extremely technologically advanced giant alien sentient robots who refer to each other as Cybertronians, but it is regarded by non-Transformers sources that they are merely the "junk" of the "true" Cybertronians who have fallen eons ago. They are made of three things:
-transformium (taken from the Bayformer movies), an extremely durable metal-like material that allows Transformers to shapeshift at will. Transformium is capable of imitating practically any material that is solid
-the spark, the very "soul" of the Transformer, contained in a small cube made of transformium in the chest of every Transformer
-the core, which houses a power source that keeps the Transformer running, the energon generator. The energon generator is capable of being infused with various elements, such as fire energon, water energon, electro energon, void or dark energon, photon or light energon

As I've already mentioned energon generators and energon elements, what exactly is energon? Simply put energon is an extremely powerful and mysterious source of energy which the Transformers use to function and to fight. It can be found in many states and semi-states, be it gas, liquid, plasma, solid, or something in between. Energon has in fact become the de facto currency of the universe, and it is perhaps the most sought after resource from everyone, not just Transformers. Energon is very unstable and must be handled with caution. The reason why Transformers can't rely on just their energon generators is because the energon production from their energon generators is limited to a small amount that takes time to build up by their cores as a defensive mechanism so the Transformer is not overloaded with too much energon which would simply put make them go boom. Overtime, as a Transformer is able to handle more energon levels, their core naturally increases the output of their energon generators (gaining experience and levelling up, in other words.)

Transformers are all practically forced to seek outside energon sources due to constant warfare draining their energon. Energon outside of Transformers is found on meteorites and in the cores of some planets.

I have mentioned transformium which allows Transformers to shapeshift and imitate anything as much as they like, but the catch is that this is extremely taxing and costs a lot of energon, so the Transformers have an ingenious way of saving energon: altmodes. All Transformers have at least 1 altmode. An altmode allows a Transformer to scan something, a vehicle, a weapon, etc. the information is then stored within themselves, and they automatically reformat their base frame to suit the altmode. When the Transformer wishes to imitate the thing they scanned, they merely switch into their altmode, causing their body parts to move around into the desired form, at the expense of zero energon. Of course, scanning a new object and changing a Transformer's set altmode into a different one can cost quite a lot of energon, depending how complex the object is and how different the new altmode is from the old one, which is why Transformers typically stick to familiar forms.
Transformium can also rebuild itself, effectively meaning Transformers can rebuild themselves under damage, but again at the expense of energon.
A subset of altmodes is equipment, a Transformer can scan weapons such as swords, cannons, missile launchers, etc. that can simply be added as additions to their base frame and altmodes at a much lower cost of energon. Like altmodes, equipment can be activated and deactivated at the cost of zero energon.

o matter how much a Transformer receives damage, they only cease to function when either their energon generator(s) are destroyed or tampered with, or their spark is taken out of their bodies. A Transformer never truly dies, even when the cube of a spark is destroyed, the spark simply moves on to the afterlife, awaiting potential revival.

Transformers are beings designed to adapt to the environment, and so there are several Transformer types or "classes":

-Battleformers: Battle-hardened Transformers who know nothing better than war. Start out equpped with lots of weaponry, 2 altmodes, all stats are above-average.
-Terraformers: Transformers who adapted to nature and organic life. Are able to scan organic beings and imitate them as part of their altmode. Have psychic-like abilities that affect organic life, can communicate with organic life using telepathy, can mind control organic life, etc. Have high social stats.
-Cyberformers: Transformers who do hacker things. Possess psychic powers similarly to Terraformers but only affect technology (including Transformers). Have high dexterity and intelligence stats.
-Guardformers: Sworn protectors of Cybertronian ruins. Start with a sword and a shield as their equipment. Essentially serve as tanks.
-Clericformers: Very wise Transformers who are able to call upon the afterlife and harness the power of sparks. Can cast miracles and revive Transformers. Have high wisdom stats.
-Superformers: Start with a powerful energon generator and better energon power tolerance.
-Buildformers: Transformers who are good at building things. Can build new Transformer bodies, new spaceships, develop new technologies. Have high intelligence stats.
-Darkformers: Transformers whose energon generator is infused with dark energon. Can manipulate light. Their dark attacks are super effective against the light.
-Lightformers: Transformers whose energon generator is infused with light energon. Can manipulate the dark. Their light attacks are super effective against the dark.
-Hydroformers: Transformers whose energon generator is infused with water energon. Can manipulate water and its properties, ice.
-Raiformers: Transformers whose energon generator is infused with electro energon. Can manipulate electricity and its properties, air, the weather.
-Pyroformers: Transformers whose energon generator is infused with fire energon. Can manipulate fire and its properties, lava, magma, hot gas.

The classes are not hard-defined: think of them as more starting setups. Any Transformer can for example gain the potential for Terraformer powers by scanning the alien technology Terraformers scanned (this is treated as an equipment add-on). Any Transformer can infuse their energon generator with some element. Any Transformer can gain multiple altmodes, multiple energon generators for even more power. Any Transformer can attain enough wisdom to be able to do the things Clericformers are able to do. These things are just costly, but achievable.
Some Transformer abilities are not locked down by requirements and are generic: things such as draining another Transformer of their energon (which is considered immoral), faster transformation speed, multiple altmodes, Transformer fusion, etc.

PCs at Level 1 would be about as strong as the average Transformer, which means at their lowest they can decimate a whole city, and at their highest output can obliterate something the size of the moon.

I am still not sure about properly handling power level differences so you can definitely feel a difference in power between Transformers while also not making it impossible for say Level 1 PCs to beat a Level 2 Transformer.

Finally for the factions. These factions are the primary factions at war with each other:

Predacons (not to be confused with actual Transformers Predacons) - An army of Transformers who mercilessly hunt down other Transformers for their energon, as well as any energon sources.

Human Faction (name undecided) - Owning vast amounts of the universe, they are a force to be reckoned with. While their technology pales in comparison to Transformers, they have the advantage in numbers: while the average Transformer can very easily trash 4 or 5 human manned mechas, when about 20 appear the average Transformer will be in a bit of trouble. The mechas are about half the size of a Transformer.

"Others" (picture related is somewhat what they'd look like) - An unknown extremely hostile humanoid race who mysteriously appeared very recently, they do not use any technology, rather they travel by teleporting in mysterious ways, their motivations are unknown and they have the ability to summon kaijuu - giant monsters powered by what appears to be the void/dark energon.

Pure Cybertronians - A faction that only appears sometimes after the PCs begin their journey, they claim to be the original "true" Cybertronians and they wish to eradicate all "corrupted" Transformers and all non-Transformers lifeforms. They are extremely powerful, appearing as enormous Transformer-like beings the size of giant planets. Their main mode is similar to a Transformer's, humanoid but completely see through (or maybe white?) while their altmodes are giant cubes. Powered seemingly by light energon.

Then for some minor factions my ideas were a mercenary Transformers group, some other alien race rebellion, and a pirate group.