When good drones go bad, Drone builds and mods that make GMs go pale Options

[Faraday]

Post wacky or deceptively deadly drone or vehicle concepts here!

I saw a fun little thing in the boards the other day and liked it plenty:

[ Spoiler ]

One of my newest favorite weapons:

The Murdercycle
Harley Davidson Scorpion [-, 12,000]
[1 Slot] Armor 16 [6R, 3,200]
[2 Slots] Personal Protection 6 [12, 12,000]
[1 Slot] Ram Plate [6R, 2,500]
[1 Slot] Rigger Adaptation [4, 2,500]
[1 Slot] Rigger Coccoon (Basic) [8, 1,500]
Av: 12R
Cost: 33,700
Notes: +29 dice to resist ramming damage. As long as you have at least a 4 Body or a 3 Body with 2 points of Impact armor on your own, you can buy all the successes required to soak the damage you will receive on a ram (at max speed). The target, on the other hand, needs to figure out how to deal with 24P, -1/2 Impact.

But I think it could've been done with lower cost and an extra "pop" when the going gets tough.
I give you:
The Headless Murdercycle
Harley Davidson Scorpion [-, 12,000]
[1 Slot] Armor 16 [6R, 3,200]
[1 Slot] Ram Plate [6R, 2,500]
[1 Slot] Rigger Adaptation [4, 2,500]
[1 Slot] Motorcycle Gyro Stabilization [8, 2,400]
[2 slots] Termination System: Self Destruct[12F, 1,000]
Av: 12F
Cost: 23,600
Notes: The drone motorcycle will resist 12DV with 24 dice and likely keep driving, the target, on the other hand, needs to figure out how to deal with 24P, -1/2 Impact. If, somehow, the target requires more damage, you can detonate the bike itself for 14 (f).

This post has been edited by Faraday: Feb 23 2010, 08:54 AM

[Neraph]

It's so nice to be appreciated. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

I like the concept of that bike, but if the target took 24P -1/2 Impact and survived, I don't think a 14(f)P explosion is going to matter much.

[Faraday]

It's so nice to be appreciated. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

I like the concept of that bike, but if the target took 24P -1/2 Impact and survived, I don't think a 14(f)P explosion is going to matter much.

Hmm. Good for hitting a big bruiser and then asploding minions though.

[Neraph]

If that's the intent, then why not just take off the Self Destruct, put on a weapon mount, and mount an Ares Alpha loaded with grenades? That way you still get your grenade shot, and you don't waste an otherwise perfectly functional 23+k ride.

[Umidori]

*shameless swipe for his collection*

~Umidori

[Faraday]

If that's the intent, then why not just take off the Self Destruct, put on a weapon mount, and mount an Ares Alpha loaded with grenades? That way you still get your grenade shot, and you don't waste an otherwise perfectly functional 23+k ride.

Not so sure it'd be "perfectly functional" after a ram attempt, but the point is taken. The termination system would be optimally used after ramming and steering into things like nobody's business.

But you could add a sidecar...

The Headless Murdercycle with "Musical" accompaniment by LMG
Harley Davidson Scorpion [-, 12,000]
[1 Slot] Armor 20 [6R, 4,000]
[1 Slot] Ram Plate [6R, 2,500]
[1 Slot] Rigger Adaptation [4, 2,500]
[1 Slot] Motorcycle Gyro Stabilization [8, 2,400]
[1 Slot] Sidecar [6, 1500]
[1-2 Slots] Weapon Mount [?, ???]
Cost: 28.9k. Assumes a visible, flexible weapon mount. Guns sold separately. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

The sidecar not only allows for the addition of a nice big, gun, but ALSO increases the vehicle's body by 3. The ramming damage comes to as much as 33DV.
Deadly enough yet?

This post has been edited by Faraday: Feb 23 2010, 08:55 AM

[The Jopp]

But you could add a sidecar...

The sidecar not only allows for the addition of a nice big, gun, but ALSO increases the vehicle's body by 3.

Hmm...normally we are limited to ONE sidecar since a modification can only be taken ONCE right?

Too bad...but a sidecar och each side of the bike should be possible.

Since adding a sidecar adds +3 body should not also the modification slots increase by +3 as well?

[Umidori]

Yo dawg, I heard you liked modding, so I put a side-car on your side-car so you can mount weapons while you mount weapons?

~Umidori

[Faraday]

Hmm...normally we are limited to ONE sidecar since a modification can only be taken ONCE right?

Too bad...but a sidecar och each side of the bike should be possible.

Since adding a sidecar adds +3 body should not also the modification slots increase by +3 as well?

Yup. Or at least it should, consider sidecar entry itself suggests sticking a weapon on it.

If we went for straight up ramming mayhem in the form of super-high body, I'd say we might as well take it to the extreme and use a Hermes Van for it or something. 51 DV will get just about anyone's attention. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[The Jopp]

Interesting, I cannot see anything about being limited to ONE sidecar, so more than one can be added to a bike.

The only section where a limit on the amount of modifications of the same typ that can be added is for weapon modifications only.

Well, within reason I think, a bike with X6 Sidecars will be just silly...and rather hard to handle with -1 handling per sidecar.

[crizh]

The Headless Murdercycle with "Musical" accompaniment by LMG
Harley Davidson Scorpion [-, 12,000]
[1 Slot] Armor 20 [6R, 4,000]
[1 Slot] Ram Plate [6R, 2,500]
[1 Slot] Rigger Adaptation [4, 2,500]
[1 Slot] Motorcycle Gyro Stabilization [8, 2,400]
[1 Slot] Sidecar [6, 1500]
[1-2 Slots] Weapon Mount [?, ???]
Cost: 28.9k. Assumes a visible, flexible weapon mount. Guns sold separately. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Not sure you really need Gyro Stabilization if you have a sidecar...

It's very slow now, top speed is only 72 and accel is only 9/18.

How about

The Headless Murdercycle with "Musical" accompaniment by VBFG

Thundercloud Contrail [-, 5,000]
[1 Slot] Armor 18 [6R, 3,600]
[1 Slot] Ram Plate [6R, 2,500]
[1 Slot] Rigger Adaptation [4, 2,500]
[1 Slot] Sidecar [6, 1,500]
[2 Slot] Turbocharger x 2 [4, 8,640]
[5 Slots] Weapon Mount, Concealed, Fixed, Reinforced [16F, 8500]
[2 Slots] Ammo Bins x 2 [4, 400]
GE Vigilant Light Autocannon [15F, 5000]
Cost: 37640

Costs a bit more and it'll need Restricted Gear to buy at char-gen. If you ain't worried about cost or availability you could swap the Vigilant our for a Vanquisher....

Acceleration is 22/44 but speed is only 108. I didn't include the cost of 700 rounds of ammo either which is another 8400 if you go for AV.

I thought you could mount the gun facing backwards and only use it to mop up survivors and deter pursuit....

[Neraph]

I'm not sure if you've done this for this incarnation of the bike, but when I developed mine, it was designed to be able to ignore the maximum damage it could deal from ramming. If you increase the damage from ramming, you need to start thinking about more armor for the bike. If you can't add any more armor for the bike, you need to start making Damage Resistance Tests, and that means your bike is vulnerable.

[kjones]

Not related to the murdercycle, but any flying drone with a sniper rifle makes me sad as a GM.

[D2F]

Your players will hate a Dalmatian with a Mitsuhama Yakusoku MRL and Inferno Missiles...

[BlackHat]

The problem with the murdercycle is that at char-gen, you can only start with armor rating 6 (yawn) and after chargen, the extended test for INSTALLING the armor onto the bike is threshold 20, with intervals of 6 hours per test. Assuming you're losing a die on each roll (that's default, right?) I think you'd have to do a lot of work to be able to install that armor at all, let alone in any reasonable time between runs.

[crizh]

The problem with the murdercycle is that at char-gen, you can only start with armor rating 6 (yawn) and after chargen, the extended test for INSTALLING the armor onto the bike is threshold 20, with intervals of 6 hours per test. Assuming you're losing a die on each roll (that's default, right?) I think you'd have to do a lot of work to be able to install that armor at all, let alone in any reasonable time between runs.

Qua?

Armour has an avail' of 6R, easily within char-gen limits.

The Vigilant and the mount to put it on are a different, Restricted Gear, matter. I did mention that.

A Bod 9 Contrail with the Sidecar and Ram Plate does 18P to itself in a ram so the maximum 18 points of Armour it can carry is sufficient. It's victim has to cope with a 27P which should be enough to maim most anything....

[Draco18s]

(that's default, right?)

No, actually, it isn't. Its an optional rule that is stupid.

[BlackHat]

Ah, my bad. Even without losing dice, you're looking at a weeks worth of work - but that makes it way more likely to be doable between runs.

[Draco18s]

Normally you're limited to a number of rolls equal to your dice pool.

So for a pool of 8 you get:
8 * 8 dice, or 64 dice.
With the optional rule you get
8+7+6+5+4+3+2+1 dice, or 36 dice.

Or about 60% of the same pool, with the same thresholds (and greater chance of glitches).

So yeah, that rule is stupid.

[djinni]

No, actually, it isn't. Its an optional rule that is stupid.

technically its a suggested rule, is a bit different than optional, but close enough. however as its the suggested way of limiting the number of extended tests you can make preventing someone from making the impossible simply because they can keep rolling dice.
limiting the rolls is not stupid, making the impossible is.

[Draco18s]

As opposed to just limiting the number of rolls? How is it better?

[Saint Sithney]

I'm not sure if you've done this for this incarnation of the bike, but when I developed mine, it was designed to be able to ignore the maximum damage it could deal from ramming. If you increase the damage from ramming, you need to start thinking about more armor for the bike. If you can't add any more armor for the bike, you need to start making Damage Resistance Tests, and that means your bike is vulnerable.

I'm not sure where you got all your dice to soak. What helps with that beyond the Body and installed Armor?

As for other things to tack on..
Add self repair to reduce damage by 1. Should effectively double the bike's life expectancy.

Add on an Anti-theft system to stack another 10(e)S damage to anyone within a meter of where it passes. Now your murdercycle does splash damage!

EDT: Oh man! I totally forgot about vehicles having hardened armor, so it doesn't have to soak a thing as long as armor = body and it isn't going over 200m/ct.

[Oehler the Black]

Interesting, I cannot see anything about being limited to ONE sidecar, so more than one can be added to a bike.

The only section where a limit on the amount of modifications of the same typ that can be added is for weapon modifications only.

Well, within reason I think, a bike with X6 Sidecars will be just silly...and rather hard to handle with -1 handling per sidecar.

Woah clearly you have never seen the show "Metalocalypse" they have a tricked out motorcycle with 4 sidecars, and it actually is CALLED the "Murdercycle." How anyone could possibly steer that I have no idea. But I got to say I do love where this thread is going. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
Could we perhaps do something completly rediculous and maybe give it the lighter-than-air mod as well? (Sooner or later not owning Arsenal is going to hurt.)

[Saint Sithney]

Now that I think on it, the ramming rules could really use some sort of expansion into things like sideswiping or pulling off a PIT manuver. I remember someone mentioned a system for pure vehicle combat simulation.. anyone remember the name?

[Neraph]

A Bod 9 Contrail with the Sidecar and Ram Plate does 18P to itself in a ram so the maximum 18 points of Armour it can carry is sufficient. It's victim has to cope with a 27P which should be enough to maim most anything....

No, it would deal 18P to its modified armor of 9, causing it to make a roll, causing it to more than likely damage itself. Mine does not have this issue.