Transformers: Decepticon Dominion
Character Files

Character Limit

We at TFDD believe very strongly in the importance of a one-character limit per player. We feel that it is difficult to live a complete life with a character and allow them a full range of expression, if you divide your attention between two or more characters, each of whom comes to express some aspect of your own personality or mood, thereby shortchanging both your own Mushing experience, and the other players who RP with you. We do not deny that there are people who are skilled at multi-Mushing and can keep track of multiple simultaneous characters; we merely believe that a single character on any given Mush will be written up and RPed in more depth, which results in a multi-faceted character who can grow and change and surprise you - a more intensive experience for you as a player, and a benefit to RP in general. Having said that ... due to the nature of our Mush, with many excellent PEC's to fill and action going on simultaneously on at least two worlds - we are temporarily allowing a two-character limit, with some important stipulations. The key word is "temporarily." Read on.

You are allowed one permanent character at a time. It makes no difference if this character is a PEC or a PCC - consider this one your "real character." Additionally, until further notice, you will be allowed to apply for one "temporary alternate" PEC. This is, as the label states, a temporary character, in that they remain open to applications by new players, should someone want this character as their "real", permanent character. It will always be understood that you can lose your "temp" at any time, if a new player applies for and wins them. You can then apply for another "temp", until such a time that all characters have one permanent player, or staff no longer deems it beneficial to allow "temporary alts." You will be given ample advance warning in the latter case.

Under any conditions, you should select your "real" character carefully, because this is the character whose life you will live long after your alt is gone. We further suggest you select a "temporary alt," if you should wish to do so, on a planet where your "real" character is not stationed. For the early stages of the Mush, this will be a choice between Earth and Cybertron, giving you the opportunity to experience both. For example, your "real" character may be stationed on Earth under Megatron, but your "temp alt" may be stationed on Cybertron under one of the other warlords. You can, of course, switch permanent characters just like anywhere else if you wish; we only ask that you remain in the guise of your permanent character for at least two months before switching. Unless there are specific rule-violations involved, your permanent character is never subject to being taken by another player; your temp alt is always subject to that possibility. If you are indeed making use of this provision, you must be sure to let us know which of your characters is which. Applications for temp alts do not need quite as much detail and are likely to be judged more leniently.

Discouraged Character Concepts

We hate to say flat-out that there are certain types of characters you will never, ever, under any circumstances whatsoever, be able to play here, because there's always that infinitesimal chance that you might amaze the staff with a novel idea and an unbelievably excellent application. However, we will say that this is extremely unlikely, and your efforts are better spent on other things. We suggest you do not write up (as PCCs) or pester for the addition of (as PECs) characters from the following list: humans, Autobots, neutrals, Junkions, Machine Wars characters, Beast Wars1/Beast Machines/BW Neo/Car Robots/RiD/Armada characters, human-looking Pretenders, or any binary- bonded characters (especially Headmasters) even if they're to appear in a non-bonded form. Non-bonded Targetmasters may in some cases be acceptable. Be aware that some PECs may for other reasons be deemed unsuitable to our environment, and no amount of pestering will bring them in; be aware additionally that some characters from the above disallowed list may show up temporarily for TPs, but these are not to be considered options for permanent characters.

Login Requirements

A Mush is a dynamic universe, and as such functions best when key individuals are present to help move the story forward. High-ranking characters, whether PEC or PCC, have command responsibilities upon whom others depend; also there are PECs here who will probably be in high demand regardless of rank, and so we ask that you put in a reasonable amount of time if you have one of these characters, or else allow them to go to a player who will play them frequently. Even "non-vital" PCCs will eventually clutter the database if they're created and then ignored, so they will eventually be nuked if we begin to suspect you're not coming back to them. We don't like draconian login requirements, and as of right now are not asking you to put in a fixed minimum number of hours (though this may come up later if it's needed), but we do ask that you keep approximately to the following schedule:

Log in at least once a week for any PEC or PCC of Rank 7 or above.
Log in at least every two weeks for PECs of Rank 6 and below.
Log in at least every two months for PCCs of Rank 6 and below.

Note that "logging in" does not mean popping in for a moment to read @mail and popping back out. Use your good judgement as to what makes for "a reasonable amount of time." Naturally people will be busier IRL some weeks than others, and this is not a problem; also if you know in advance you're going to be gone for a bit, let us know and we'll set your character on vacation. There's plenty of room for flexibility as long as you don't abuse the leniency.

Application

You may apply for either a PEC (Pre-Existing Character, from the cartoons, comics, or toys - but note that not all toy and cartoon characters exist in this universe! See +PEClist and +availchars) or a PCC (Player-Created Character - someone of your own design - but see News Discouraged Char Concepts before you start). Be aware that whether your application is approved, depends heavily on how much care you take in writing it. Be sure you have read all the news files and have answered all the questions. More detail is better than less. A spellcheck never hurts. Show us you have a grasp on who the character is, and that you have the ability to express yourself well in writing, which will be important during RP.

To see the application form for PECs (Pre-Existing Characters), go to: PEC App

To see the application form for PCCs (Player-Created Characters), go to: PCC App

PEC Application

IMPORTANT NOTE before you begin: Be certain you have read the +profile for the character you are applying for, and are in reasonable harmony with this portrayal. Characters on TFDD are plucked directly out of a pre-Movie G1 cartoon-style universe; thus their profiles (and the portrayals that will be given preference) will often differ from the text found on toy boxes and in the TF Universe comics.

I. Your Info (this information will be kept confidential)

          1. Your name and e-mail address:

          2. What characters (if any) do you currently play on other Mushes, Transformers and otherwise?

          3. What other characters (if any) have you played in the past on other TF Mushes? Approximately how long, for each? In brief, what were the circumstances of your leaving those characters (i.e. got tired of the character, got too busy IRL, IC events such as unavoidable death of the character, irreconcilable differences with another player/Mush staff, etc.)?

          4. Have you ever had, or do you currently have, a staff position on another Mush, Transformers or otherwise? If so, which Mush and which position?

II. Your Character's Info

          5. Name of the character you're applying for:

          6. What is it about this particular character that appeals to you?

          7. How do you perceive this character's role within the faction? What's unique about this character - that is, what do they contribute that nobody else can do quite the same way? How does this character interact with those above, below, and of the same rank as themselves?

          8. What do you perceive as this character's goals in life, both on a personal level and as regards the cause they're fighting for? Why does this individual risk themselves for this particular cause?

          9. Give an example of an IC situation that you can see this character taking part in and contributing to.

          10. What types of actions would you consider unacceptably twinkish for your character? What would you do if another character acted toward you in a manner that you consider twinkish? (see News Twink if you are unfamiliar with the term)

Mail your completed application to: TFDDCharstaff@yahoogroups.com with the following subject line:
TFDD PEC Application: (character's name)

Check out an example of an excellent PEC application.

PCC Application

IMPORTANT NOTE before you begin: PCCs in our universe will be stationed under one of several commanders (either Megatron on Earth, or any of several Regional Warlords on Cybertron). Type +commanders on the Mush to see which leaders exist, and then read their +profiles to determine which one you want to be assigned to. It's not a bad idea to read the profiles of their already-existing troops, too; use +subordinates <commander> to find the list. Try to situate your character in surroundings where they will fit, personality- and ability-wise. Assignments have some potential to change with RP, but let us know in the application where you want to start off.

I. Your Info (this information will be kept confidential)

          1. Your name and e-mail address:

          2. What characters (if any) do you currently play on other Mushes, Transformers and otherwise?

          3. What other characters (if any) have you played in the past on other TF Mushes? Approximately how long, for each? In brief, what were the circumstances of your leaving those characters (i.e. got tired of the character, got too busy IRL, IC events such as unavoidable death of the character, irreconcilable differences with another player/Mush staff, etc.)?

          4. Have you ever had, or do you currently have, a staff position on another Mush, Transformers or otherwise? If so, which Mush and which position?

II. Your Character's Info:

          5. Character's name (Keep in mind that most TFs have names that indicate something about them, whether their function or their personality or their alt mode, in addition to just being cool-sounding words. Try to keep to these general guidelines when selecting a name for your character.)

          6. Your character's alt mode(s)

          7. Your character's function (their "job title", in other words)

          8. Your character's motto/quote (The best mottoes are not only a cool-sounding phrase, but also make a statement about a character's outlook on life. "Conquest is made of the ashes of one's enemies" is a cool- sounding phrase, for instance, but what does it really say about Starscream's worldview? By contrast, "Nothing surpasses flight - and nothing that flies can surpass me" tells you a little something about Starscream - first of all, that he loves to fly, and we can assume he's highly skilled at it, and second, that he's got, shall we say, a bit of an arrogant streak. :) Try to keep your character's motto true to this guideline. It can be tough to come up with something just right sometimes, but give it a shot.)

          9. Your character's profile (In broad strokes, an outline of who the character is. What are the main personality traits that make the character instantly recognizable and unique? What are their strengths and skills, and what are their hidden - and not-so-hidden - weaknesses? This should describe mental/emotional/personality traits as much as it should describe physical traits. What are their preferred weapons and/or particular contributions to their faction? When considering your character, try to avoid over-used cliche's, such as "a big powerful guy isn't going to be too bright" -- look at Megatron, for instance, he's big and powerful, and extremely bright. Try to make it a realistic individual, rather than someone who has a single one-dimensional defining character trait and no other facets. After all, you're going to be living this character's life in all its aspects, and someone who is only good at killing the enemy, isn't going to be much fun in other situations. And there will be plenty of other situations. When in doubt, refer to some of the already existing character profiles on TFDD as guidelines. Try not to exceed 15-20 lines, so that the profile does not exceed one screen in size.)

          10. Your character's commander (Under whose leadership do you want this character stationed? Use +commanders for a list.)

          11. What is your character's background and history? Give as much detail as possible to explain how they came to this particular point in their lives at which you want them to be introduced on TFDD. This is information that the character profile for the most part may not cover - information that other characters may perhaps learn about in the course of RP as they interact with your character. If this is a newly-created character who would have no history yet, give an overview of the TP in which you'd like to see them introduced.

          12. What is it about this particular character that appeals to you?

          13. How do you perceive this character's role within the faction? What's unique about this character - that is, what do they contribute that nobody else can do quite the same way? How does this character interact with those above, below, and of the same rank as themselves? Ideally you've given a very general outline of this in the character profile already, but here we're looking for more detail.

          14. What do you perceive as this character's goals in life, both on a personal level and as regards the cause they're fighting for? Why does this individual risk themselves for this particular cause? Again, mention of this could have been touched upon in the profile, but expand upon it in more detail here.

          15. Give an example of an IC situation that you can see this character taking part in and contributing to.

          16. What are your character's stats? (Most stats range from 1-10, with some varying a little. There are no arbitrary stat- limits on TFDD, but please make sure the character's stats make sense and are nicely balanced for that particular character and their function. Does it really make sense for a medic to be toting a small armory of firepower, for instance? Well, maybe or maybe not - it depends on the rest of the profile. :) Remember, we're not looking for cliche's, we're looking for realistic characters, and there's a whole variety of possibilities for them. But keep certain logical trade-offs in mind. Is it possible for a character to both be immensely strong and immensely agile? Unlikely. Above all, make sure that there are good and realistic reasons for the character to have these particular stats. Remember that everybody has certain strengths, and certain weaknesses.)

Strength (How physically powerful your character is; how much damage they could do with a punch, how much of a heavy load they could pick up and carry, etc.; range from 1-10)

Endurance (Covers several factors from how outright tough the character is, how many hits they can take in battle before going down which depends on armor, to how long they can keep going under adverse conditions. Note that this is a physical stat, however, and not a mental/emotional one. Range from 1-10.)

Agility (Flexibility, close-range reaction time, ability to dodge incoming attacks in any mode. Note that large, bulky, powerful characters are not likely to have very high agility; again, there's that trade-off. Range from 1-10.)

Intelligence (covers a range of mental traits from how creatively the character can use new information to how high their problem-solving capacity is, to how much pure memorized knowledge they have at their disposal. Note that someone with an excellent memory capacity for vital facts and figures, with a highly- organized and efficient thought process, need not always be fantastically creative; someone with extremely high creativity need not necessarily be able to solve calculus problems in their head at a moment's notice; both could be considered to have high intelligence. In general, an intelligence stat of 9 or 10 should be reserved only for true geniuses, with the average for your typical Decepticon warrior lying approximately around 6 or so. Range from 1-10.)

Courage (How brave the character is; how they react to the threat of physical harm or death, overwhelming odds, unknown situations. Note that while courage is usually considered "the absence of fear," it can also be thought of as the determination to proceed in spite of fear. Range from 1-10.)

Charisma (Natural leadership ability; ability to inspire others to follow them, trust them, and willingly do their bidding. This is not necessarily synonymous with Rank. Range from 1-10)

Sharpshooting (How accurate the character is at hitting something fired upon. This can apply to any ranged weapon, from firing a laser blast to dropping bombs onto targets from great height. Range from 1-10.)

Hand-to-Hand (How well the character fights with melee weapons. This can include bladed weapons of all sorts, clubs, fists, teeth & claws for appropriate characters, etc. Range from 1-10.)

Tech Skill (Skill in technological, computing, and/or scientific matters. This must include knowledge of the subject as well as actual applied ability. A specialized medic or a research scientist should both have quite high tech skill, while a warrior would be less likely to have such talents. Range from 1-10.)

Rank (The character's standing in the hierarchy. Determines in part who they have to obey, and who has to obey them; who they're responsible to vs. who they're responsible for, respectively. This stat will most likely be set by the staff after the character is approved, but you're welcome to make a suggestion. Keep in mind that most characters will enter the scene at low rank, and have to work their way up; this can make for good RP. Range from 0-8; the 9 and 10 slots are reserved for Megatron and his two most-immediate subcommanders, Starscream and Shockwave; the 0 rank should apply only to someone who is totally outside the command-structure hierarchy, and thus would be very rare. Rank 8 is reserved mostly for Regional Warlords and would likewise be very rare.)

Velocity (How fast the character covers distance. This is the top speed in the character's fastest mode, and they can and will of course move more slowly at times. This stat is not on a symbolic 1-10 scale; give this in miles per hour or kilometers per hour (please convert Mach to mph). For example, usual robot-mode flight speed might be around 100 mph, and some vehicles won't be any faster - while those with high-speed jet modes will reach Mach speeds. See News Velocity for a chart of further examples.)

Size 1 (Character's size in mode 1, robot or equivalent. Give this in feet or meters, and describe the character's longest dimension. For a robot it would probably be height, for instance, while for an animal form it might be length. See News Size for a chart of examples.)

Size 2 (Character's size in mode 2, transformed mode. Give this in feet or meters, and describe the character's longest dimension. For a jet or tank it would probably be length, for instance. See News Size for a chart of examples.)

Size 3 (Character's size in mode 3, if applicable, given in feet or meters)

          17. What are your character's weapons in each mode? (Each character will automatically be given a number of free low-level attacks: punch and kick or bite and claw, grasp, ram; laser and/or blade where appropriate. Additional weapons are up to you to name and select a damage level. See News WeaponsGuide for examples. List your weapons by mode, and try not to exceed a total of about 5 non-free attacks.)

          18. What are your character's special abilities? (All characters will have flight in robot mode unless there's a specific reason for them not to, and in alt mode if it's clearly an aerial form. Other abilities, if needed, can be selected from the News Abilities list. Try not to exceed 3 abilities total, in addition to flight.)

          19. Explain why you chose this particular mix of stats, weapons, and abilities. Explain how it merges into the character as a whole and how everything balances against each other. In particular, if you have very high or very low stats in a particular area, are they compensated somehow in another area? (Or to put it another way, if a character is noticeably excellent in a particular thing, what are they noticeably not excellent at as a consequence? And how do the chosen stats/weapons/abilities reflect this?) If you chose a particular type of ability to go with your character's function, do the character's other abilities and weapons make sense in light of that?

          20. What types of actions would you consider unacceptably twinkish for your character? What would you do if another character acted toward you in a manner that you consider twinkish? (see News Twink if you are unfamiliar with the term)

Mail your completed application to: TFDDCharstaff@yahoogroups.com with the following subject line:
TFDD PCC Application: (character's name)

Check out an example of an excellent PCC application.

Abilities

These are the special abilities that you can apply for. Some of these are coded, and some are RP-only. Note that some abilities have the potential to be very twinky, and good justification will be required in order for them to be approved.

enhanced_hearing - ability to overhear mutters/whispers and hear stealthed/invisible individuals moving nearby; note this is an auditory ability only, and differs from enhanced_senses which is largely visual or intuitive

enhanced_senses - ability to detect invisible individuals nearby, or hidden energy emissions, either through infrared/enhanced vision, or by having an intuitive sense that someone's there; this differs from enhanced_hearing in that mutters are not overheard

flight - given automatically to all 'Cons in robot mode unless there's a reason to the contrary

forcefield - ability to ward off an energy-based attack for one round, or use it to protect someone else

FTL - the ability to travel at faster-than-light speeds in space

holograms - ability to project visual illusions

infiltration - ability to slip past locks/forcefields/other security devices without triggering alarms

invisibility - not visible, but not necessarily silent

radar - ability to pick up incoming objects or individuals from a distance

radar_stealth - ability to avoid showing up on radar

radio_intercept - ability to overhear radio transmissions in the same room, ability to listen in on other "subfaction channels"

radio_jam - ability to block outgoing transmissions from the same room

repair - ability to repair damaged Transformers

research - ability to see hidden information encoded on an object

space_flight - ability to reach escape velocity and fly in space (requires a velocity of 27,400 mph or greater)

spaceship_pilot - ability to fly shuttles, spaceships, starships

stealth - silent movement, but still visible

teleportation - ability to move instantly from one place to another within a limited range

telescopic_vision - ability to see what's going on one room over in areas where it's ICly possible

Size

You will notice that size, rather than being on a symbolic scale, is given in exact measurements, representing a character's longest dimension in a particular mode. In robot mode, for instance, the longest dimension will probably be height, while in aircraft mode it may be either length or wingspan. To give some examples:

Rumble and Frenzy are ~7' or 2.13 m tall
Individual Constructicons are ~25' or 7.62 m tall
Starscream is ~35' or 10.67 m tall
Megatron is ~40' or 12.19 m tall
An F-16 jet fighter is 49' 4" or 15.03 m long
An F-16 jet fighter has a wingspan of 32' 10" or 15.03 m
A MiG-29 jet fighter is 56' 10" or 10.32 m long
A MiG-29 jet fighter has a 36' 5" or 11.36 m wingspan
Shockwave's cannon mode is ~40' or 12.19 m long
Devastator, Menasor, etc., are ~150' or 45.72 m tall
Trypticon is ~500' or 152.40 m tall
An average non-living Cybertronian spaceship is ~1000' or 304.80 m long

Velocity

You will notice that velocity, rather than being on a symbolic scale, is given in exact measurements, and represents a character's top speed in any mode. Obviously they can move more slowly than this as well. To give some examples:

0 mph - motionless, obviously :)
~35 mph - usual robot running speed
~100 mph - usual robot flying speed
~250 mph - minimum vehicle flying speed
760 mph/Mach 1
2280 mph/Mach 3 - top atmospheric speed for 'Con jets
3800 mph/Mach 5
27,400 mph - minimum space flight speed
>186,200 miles/sec or 300,000 km/sec - FTL

Weapons

Guide to Selecting Weapons

A great number of Decepticons belong or once belonged to a group of almost identical robots. The jets are a good example of this, as are Shockwave's sentry troops and the Constructicons. It's considered good military strategy to go with a successful design. Most of the other Decepticons are the result of experiments, special projects, or even come from other worlds. This being the case, there really is no one set of standard weapons. Although the technological principles are the same, the construction and capabilities of the various weapons is highly variable.

In MUSH terms, this is represented by having basic categories of weapons, such as plasma, projectiles, sonics, etc. Then a numerical value of 1-10 is assigned to indicate approximately how powerful an individual attack is. Weapons are further divided into melee and ranged, with the hand to hand or sharpshooting attribute governing how skilled your character is at using it. Lastly, some weapons have special modifiers such as stunning an opponent, or effecting more than one target at a time. Examples of various weapons and a detailed list of weapons types and modifiers follow.

The first thing to decide when creating a weapon for a character is what the weapon does. Is it a laser, machine gun, flamethrower? The list of attack types below can give you some ideas. Once you know what the weapon does, the next step is to name it. That's right, on Dominion you can name your own weapons - within certain constraints. Make sure you choose names straightforward enough that your weapons can be visualized by someone who's never seen them. Also they should fit into the theme; names like Energy Mace or Truncheon are preferable to El Smacko or something. Once you've got the name, look at the list of types below and pick the one that best applies. Then select a power level of the attack from 1-10. Then see if any of the modifiers should apply. And that's all there is to it. More details on each step are provided below, and if you have any questions, contact a staffer.

Introduction to Weapon Types

Weapon type refers to the basic physics behind how a weapon causes damage. A fire type weapon heats or burns a target, while air weapons hammer a target with blasts of air. The actual weapon that uses these attack types can be of almost any shape, internal or external, and any level of power from 1-10. Here is a detailed list of types:

ACID - Delivers a quantity of corrosive material that begins eating away at armor or any other kind of outer layer. This can be an actual stream of liquid, or else a projectile that bursts open on contact.

AIR - Batters a foe with compressed blasts of air. Ineffective at long range or underwater, but can effect more than one opponent at close range.

BLADE - A melee weapon type, does damage by cutting materials like armor.

BLUNT - A melee weapon type, where the impact of the weapon causes damage.

ELECTRIC - Uses high-voltage electrical current to shock a foe. Effective at long ranges and close-up. Stopped by non-conductive materials.

ELECTROMAGNETIC - A rare type of attack that uses magnetism to physically push or pull a foe, usually into a solid object. Useless against non-metallic opponents and at long range.

ENERGY - A catchall for any type of beamed energy such as light or particle streams. Virtually unlimited range in any medium but solids. Lasers are the most common example of this type of weapon.

EXPLOSIVE - Creates a shockwave and hurls shrapnel from point of impact. This type often has the form of a projectile to gain the advantages of both. Missiles, rockets, and grenades are examples of this type.

FIRE - Creates intense heat to melt or burn armor or outer covering.

GRAVITY - Similar to electromagnetic, but uses gravity manipulation. Effective at any range, though power drain vastly increases with distance.

ICE - Any type of freezing weapon that lowers the temperature of objects. Note that a weapon which hurled ice shards would be a projectile type.

PLASMA - A powerful type of attack that uses a stream of superheated gas to inflict damage. A magnetic field keeps the plasma contained in a narrow beam. Plasma is a comparatively slow weapon, moving at subsonic speeds.

PROJECTILE - Inflicts damage from the mass of the projectile impacting at high speeds. Bullets and artillery are common examples of this type.

QUAKE - A special type of attack that causes an entire area to move and shake as though being hit with a groundquake. The effects are area-wide. Rumble's pile drivers are a well-known example of this type.

SONIC - Creates disruptive and destructive harmonics in the air which can scramble circuits and stress armor. Useless in space, but surprisingly effective underwater. Range is limited to a few hundred feet. Can effect multiple targets, either in a whole area or selectively.

WATER - A rare type of attack that uses an ultra high-pressure stream of water to slice through most materials. Essentially the water stream acts as a sharp blade. Range is limited to a hundred feet or less.

These are the basic types of weapons that exist on Dominion. Almost any sort of weapon will fall into one of these categories. If you feel that a weapon your character has doesn't fit into the above, contact a staffer and they'll discuss it with you. Once you determine if your weapon is melee or ranged, select the appropriate type above, then figure out a power level from 1-10. That just leaves modifiers....

Weapon Modifiers

This refers to any special properties of a weapon. A good example is Starscream's null ray. The weapon type of thhe null ray is energy, but it actually doesn't do much damage. The real advantage of the null ray is that it stuns a target, making it possible to attack them again. The list of modifiers and their descriptions is below:

AREA - Indicates a weapon can effect more than one target with a single attack. This is true of attacks like missiles, which can impact between two targets, or a sonic weapon which might effect everyone in a given area. Area attacks are not specifically coded (see news combat), but it still should be noted if your attack can hit more than one target at once.

REBOUND - Indicates that the attacker will take some damage as well as the target. The best example is the ram attack, where one character strikes another with his or her own body. Another is Megatron's antimatter-powered cannon attack, which causes tremendous strain on him. A rebound attack will always damage the attacker less than the target however.

STUN - Immobilizes a character for a brief time, usually until they are attacked again, which has the effect of shaking off the stun. Examples would be Starscream's null ray and Reflector's blind attack. Stuns only last a few seconds ICly, so it's generally not possible to tie an opponent up or disarm them in the time they are stunned. Please also note that stuns are powerful attacks and are fairly rare.

Putting it All Together

Hopefully by now you should be able to translate your character's weapons into MUSH terms. Perhaps you've also gotten some ideas for new weapons. If you still aren't totally clear on some point, you can check how other characters have their weapons set up with the +stats command. Typing '+stats Skywarp' for example will show you Skywarp's attacks. The format in +stats is the name of the weapon, the power level, ranged or melee, the type of weapon it is, and finally any modifiers. It's preferable that you list your character's attacks this way in apps as well.

For an even more in-depth discussion of the nature of Transformers weaponry, please see the RP Guide to Weapons

Setup

To be ready to go out into the IC world, there are a few things you need to set for yourself, most importantly a description of what you look like in all modes. Suggestions for descriptions include size and shape, armor color, optic color, faction symbol placements, prominent weaponry, and perhaps a hint of the character's nature, plus anything else that's unusual about the visual appearance such as shape of wings, treads, etc.

      To set your mode 1 description, type: &desc_1 me=%t<mode 1 desc>%r
      To set your mode 2 description, type: &desc_2 me=%t<mode 2 desc>%r
      To set your mode 3 description, type: &desc_3 me=%t<mode 3 desc>%r

%t and %r do not actually show up in your desc, but generate a tab and a carriage return when someone looks at you.

To transform, type: tf <mode number, for instance 1 or 2>

Transformation messages are emitted whenever you change from one mode to another. In their simplest form they're pre-set to say "<Mode 1 name> transforms into <Mode 2 name>", and often no more than this is necessary. If you prefer something more detailed and elaborate, however, you can set your transformation messages in the following way:

      &tform_msg_1 me=<transformation message going from Mode 2 to Mode 1>
      &tform_msg_2 me=<transformation message going from Mode 1 to Mode 2>
      &tform_msg_3 me=<transformation message going from Mode 1 or Mode 2 to Mode 3>

Your name is not prepended to these messages.

If you don't want to see any customized transform message spam, type &tf_silent me=1 and you will see only a short generic version.

You can set a message that's emitted whenever you walk into a room - but remember that this gives the same message always regardless of the circumstances, and it may not always be appropriate; for example, you'll look rather silly "creeping stealthily" into a sky room, or "marching briskly" into the repair bay when you're being ICly dragged in by a companion. The game is already set to announce that you've arrived or left, and if you want to personalize that further, then do so via pose when you come in. This has the benefit of being able to change with the circumstances and be fully under your control. None the less, if you really must set a room entrance message:

      &omove_1 me=<entrance in Mode 1, for example: walks into the room>
      &omove_2 me=<entrance in Mode 2, for example: flies into sight>
      &omove_3 me=<entrance in Mode 3, for example: hovers into view>

Your name is automatically added to the start of these messages; you don't need to type it.