Those Silly Tachikomas, Tachikoma stats! Options Track this topic Email this topic Print this topic Download this topic Subscribe to this forum Display Modes Switch to: Outline Standard Switch to: Linear+

[Samantha]

Does anyone have the SR4 stats for Tachikomas? If not, what do you think they should be? I'd love to use one for my rigger. If anyone can help me out, that'd be superb.

[bibliophile20]

I do not have any stats for those lovable little tanks, but I have something to say, first.

Mike, Peter, if either of the two of you should happen to come across this topic and begin to get any ideas...

NO.

There, now that I've hopefully headed my players off at the pass, I would have to say, that, for a Tachikoma to work properly, personality-wise, you would need a Machine Sprite or an A.I. to be the personality in residence; my opinion of Agents is that they don't have enough personality to do the sort of things that the Tachikomas did.

[Samantha]

I don't need the stats for the A.I. or anything like that. Just the Tachikoma itself. Does anyone have anything for this?

[Karaden]

Well, given that there are currently no rules whatsoever for out for making custom drones, it would be hard to do anything with proper SR4 rules. (Unless I missed Arsenal coming out)

Though I suppose you could take the steel lynx, give it two white knights hidden in the arms and a one shot Assault Cannon, make it so it can opperate as either anthro or wheeled vehicle, and that would likely give you something like the tachikoma.

[Samantha]

Gotta give it a pod for a person to get into as well, don't you?

[Karaden]

True, but that is less of a mechanic supported thing. Kind of like the fact that it has 6 legs instead of 4 and two arms instead of none. Not to mention it has data jacks.

[Samantha]

Eh, the 'matrix' in Ghost in the Shell isn't wireless, so they still use datajacks.

[Karaden]

Actually it is wireless, but there are still reasons to have datajacks, just like in SR4 there are still people with datajacks.

[Crusher Bob]

Something like:

Basic version:
Handling 0 (or +1)?

legs
Accel 15/20
Speed 60

wheels
Accel 15/40
Speed 120

Pilot 3
Sensor 3
Body 8
Armor 6
two Str 5 manipulator arms (should these be stronger?)
~25,000Y

Security Version:
1 Assault rifle in each arm (300 round capacity?)
1 Grenade Launcher (12 round capacity?)
Up armor to 10
Pair of Grapnel launchers w/ winches
Chameleon effect (as suit)
~65,000 (The Chameleon effect costs around 25K of this price increase)

[Magus]

What about a BOLO?

[Cardul]

[djinni]

[Stahlseele]

Style over Substance for example *g*
Security Reasons obviously.
being used to the act of going KLICK . . there's many a Reason for that ^^

[Adarael]

[djinni]

[Adarael]

"Jamming is not a regular defense?" What kind of Shadowrun are you playing, because where I come from jamming is one of the first lines of defense when people are being security conscious. Only area jammers inhibit everyone - directional jammers can easily be pointed at you, and only affect you. Likewise, using the EW skill to mess with one particular type of communication is also possible.

No, it's like not flying an airplane over a country if that country has been known to occasionally lob SAMs at you - it doesn't always happen, but all it takes is that once to ruin your day. And if you're a runner, people will actively be TRYING to ruin your day on a regular basis. One might even say that this is the nature of the conflict in the game.

Also, no one said that you had to be wired OR wireless. You can go wireless for 95% of everything and still have a datajack for things that absolutely have to be secure. "A lot" of devices may not have a hardline connection, but ones that have to remain secure will. Such as military vehicles.

[Lyonheart]

[Ravor]

Besides, generally speaking it is better for corp-sec who already have the advantage of being on 'their turf" to take out the enemy's communications even if by doing so you are running blind yourself.


Of course, datajacks are worth their weight in gold if for no other reason then the ability to run 'softs, being able to speak every language known to man as well as being able to call up employee lists, passcodes, ect, all in a DNI connection that is so common that it is unlikely to even be given a second glance, and if they do search it then it's almost impossible for them to prevent you from simply deleting the incrimating data.

[Karaden]

Can we get off the datajack subject? It is compleatly off from the OP. Gezz, all this started because I mentioned that tachikoma have datajacks.

[Moon-Hawk]

I'm no GitS expert, but from what I remember the tachikoma's don't really exhibit problem solving or strategic ability beyond what you'd expect from a high-rated pilot. While I know that they're supposed to be artificially intelligent, I don't remember them accomplishing any intellectual feats beyond what I consider the capabilities of a rating 6 Pilot program. From there, you can just slap a personality program like a virtual person or virtual pet on the front-end to give them that quirky, cutesy interface, and I think you're close enough for SR.
I know they had a tenancy to wax philosophically, but if that was just a pre-programmed part of their personality instead of "true AI", would it ruin them for your SR purposes?

[Nikoli]

It wasn't part of their original programming. It was, IIRC, a direct side-effect of Boma's tendency to single out 1 Tachikoma and use it exclusively. He gave it natural oil that was tainted and that started a chain reaction within it's logic processors. Think of this as the "X" factor described in earlier SR editions for creating a true Artificial intelligence instead of a Artificially Intelligent Semi-Autonomous Knowbot (or Pilot/Agent). These quirks soon spread to the other Tachikomas via their data sharing sessions at the end of the missions. Soon they began to question their environment, their existence, the nature of the soul. note they never disobeyed an order that would mean their destruction, they only disobeyed orders when it was necessary to save members of Section 9, in effect acting like true members of Section 9 instead of tools.
The Major was very concerned about the questioning nature that was developing in the Tachikomas, she saw the possibility that they would eventually choose to no longer obey at all, which is unacceptable for a tool, however the world was not yet ready for a fully actualized and self-aware AI. She sympathized to a degree with their plight as they did not ask to become self-aware, did not ask to be put in harms way and I very seriously think she respected them for being willing to sacrifice themselves for the member of Secion 9 even given their status was less than that of a slave. I think this is why she had them reassigned to non-combat duties (such as care facility nanny) rather than have them destroyed as was ordered.

Also, IIRC they were prototypes from the same company that made the vehicles that were used to spark the refugee war and it was the same instability in those vehicles that ultimately allowed the taint introduced by Boma to spread.

[Samantha]

Thanks for the replies folks. Those stats look useful. Does anyone disagree with them? I'm thinking of showing them to a few GMs and seeing what they think.

[mfb]

[Nikoli]

I wouldn't start as Drones. They were vehicles with high pilot rating.

[mfb]