Drone Sweet Drone, Please Give Me Your Drone Builds Options

[Nifft]

I'm trying to digest the drone modification rules, and I'd appreciate any examples that have worked well in your games.

Examples of PC craftiness, or examples of corporate "best practices", or even interesting experiments gone awry.

Thanks, -- N

[BRodda]

I'm trying to digest the drone modification rules, and I'd appreciate any examples that have worked well in your games.

Examples of PC craftiness, or examples of corporate "best practices", or even interesting experiments gone awry.

Thanks, -- N

Uggg... Just the drones?

Pest Control Drone.

My take on a 2070 Tow truck/ Highway assistance vehicle.

Fizzy Pop Vending machine

Lone Star Patrol Car Mk.II (Coyote Hunter)

The Egress. A specialized drone for making high rise getaways.

Dodge Personal Escape Craft. A scooter/Blimp for when your craft is going down.(Its the 4th post down)

I think that is most of them. The last 2 are the best for seeing how to make drones. Long conversations.

[KarmaInferno]

Heh, what is with all the Drone threads lately?



-k

[Neraph]

Don't forget my guide.

[Karoline]

Heh, what is with all the Drone threads lately?



-k

Weird how subjects seem to come in waves huh? I think it is because someone sees another thread on a similar subject and it jogs their minds, but instead of posting in that thread, they make their own. Or they made a tangent from another thread on the same subject. We had TMs recently, which lead to a Programs 12+ thread, which lead to a rigger thread, which seems to have spawned some other rigger threads. I was expecting a 'magic is overpowered' thread in there somewhere. I'm currently expecting some street sam stuff to come up soon. (Why do I feel like a meteorologist?)

[Neraph]

I was expecting a 'magic is overpowered' thread in there somewhere.

I'm currently working on something that should spawn a thread like that. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/vegm.gif)

[SleepIncarnate]

I'm currently expecting some street sam stuff to come up soon. (Why do I feel like a meteorologist?)

You missed it, a street sam thread came back.

Here

[The Jopp]

This is the home of my Drone AI (HK Minidrone) who controls a hive of about 10 drones of varying sizes.

I’m using the “Similar Models” rules and depending on GM all vehicles are used (-20% initial cost) with a corresponding decrease in various attributes, mostly engine speed or acceleration due to model and/or being old.

Also depending on GM I’ve replaced some standard equipment to gain the modification slots used.

GTS Tower Hive [Armadillo Class]

GTS Tower [BOD 5 ARM 1]
Response Improvement [5]
Firewall Improvement [6]
Spoof Chip
Drone Squatter Lifestyle
Chameleon Coating
Drone Workshop [Drone maintenance area]
Mini Drone Rack [AI Drone Module]
Interior Cameras [For Drone hangars and maintenance area monitoring]
Standard Armor [15]
Special Machinery [Multiple (6) Holo projectors]

Since it is a (very) large drone it will be rather easy to lock on sensors but with the chameleon coating and the holo projectors the main problem would be regular radar lock.

It has space for sensors and a weapons mount.

Modified Ferret Fuel Tankers
The Ferrets have been extensively modified for the Tower to act as tankers similar to tanker planes on carriers.

Ferret X2
Spoof Chip
Multifuel Engine [Replaced Improved Sensor Array]
Chameleon Coating
Special machinery - Gridlink Upgrade [Not Usually Available to Minidrones]
Special machinery – High Capacity Batteries X5 [+30H fuel for drones – Count as Fuel Tanks]
Lighter Than Air

Modified Ferret Carryall
Like the tanker the carryall is a maintenance and cargo carrier for the tower.

Ferret X2
Spoof Chip
Aeronautics Toolkit [Replaced Improved Sensor Array]
Chameleon Coating
Lighter Than Air
Mechanical Arms (grapple) X4
Gecko Tips [Gecko Tipped Mechanical Arms]
Standard Winch

HK Saboteur Team
Like the AI the Saboteur team are made up of HK drones.

HK Killer Drone (Anti Vehicle) X4
Spoof Chip
Chameleon Coating
Mechanical Arms (Grapple X2)
Special Equipment - Hardware Toolkit

Additional Support
Heavily armoured Dalmatian with LTA capability and an LMG [Body 5]
Heavily armoured Kull with LTA capability [Body 4]

The latter is extremely useful for long missions where it can be used as a large cargo carrier for the hive.

[TheScrivener]

I don't know, but given I'm starting a game this week with a Dronomancer and a rigger, I'm very appreciative (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Karoline]

You missed it, a street sam thread came back.

Here

I noticed that just after I did my post (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

And there was a 'mages are overpowered' thread in there with the 'thought control' thread.

Apparently I'm part TM and can read the flow of the forum to predict future threads.

[Neraph]

Like the AI the Saboteur team are made up of HK drones.

HK Killer Drone (Anti Vehicle) X4

What is this drone?

[Yerameyahu]

The Dragonfly. Although I don't understand how they fulfill their fluff (hurt vehicles, attack in swarms). Are there rules for that?

[Neraph]

That's what I thought it was, but when I looked over it just now I guess I missed the paragraph that names it a "hunter-killer." My Hunter-Killer would be a much more dangerous thing. As it is, a 2.5k grenade is much more expensive than it's worth, in my opinion.

[Yerameyahu]

Not the explosive one, the AV one. Although, I really know see how any of the variants except the grenade work (on things 'larger than themselves').

I tend to agree. Yes, they're self-guiding, and you might argue that an 'attached' HK-grenade-drone gets the 'halved Armor' bonus of attached demolitions, but it's still expensive.

[Karoline]

Well, it is intended to be used to hunt smaller drones, not larger people/vehicles.

[Neraph]

Ahh, for some reason I was thinking that it was an AV grenade or something on the drone. Man I've been tired today.

[Yerameyahu]

No, Karoline. I'm specifically talking about the second part of the description.

[Karoline]

No, Karoline. I'm specifically talking about the second part of the description.

The part where it isn't effective against humans, or the part where it can, in swarms, damage vehicles or the part where some people stuff it with explosives instead of using it as intended?

[Yerameyahu]

Heh. Per my post, the part where it says they can hurt larger vehicles in swarms. I guess it's technically the third paragraph, but it's the second one about how it actually functions. Also, the bit about 'slowly eating their way through' doesn't match any crunch I'm aware of, either, unless they're using the barrier rules?

[Karoline]

I don't see a problem.

By 'slowly eat through' it might mean that once every 3 rounds it does damage. If you have the drone attached to the vehicle (DV 3 AP -1) and you're going up against a GAZ P-179 (Bod 14, Armor 6). Now, the drone is rolling 8 dice (4 pilot, 4 autosoft) for attack, and the vehicle isn't rolling any for defense. Now, on average that is about 3 hits, which is DV 6, AP -1. That means the vehicle has 19 dice, which means that on average it won't take damage. But, if the drone does a bit above average, or the vehicle does a bit below average, it takes damage. So maybe that happens once in every 4 attacks. The drone gets 2 attacks a combat turn, which means it deals about 1 damage to the vehicle every 6 seconds. That certainly sounds like 'slowly eating their way through' the vehicle.

And of course if you have 10 of them on the vehicle at once...

[Yerameyahu]

Pilot 3, actually.

If they're allowed to latch on, then they can sometimes do a tiny bit of damage, yes. It doesn't seem very effective. If the vehicle is much smaller, it does look better, of course. I guess it depends a little on how big a 'swarm' is.

So what are the latch-on rules? Simple Attack test? Works on metal, plas, flesh? No chance to be shaken loose? If you want to slap them, I assume they're unable to dodge, and auto-die. Hmm. If Smart Armor is deployed, they should auto-die, too. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Karoline]

Well, still works with pilot 3.

And I purposefully picked a fairly robust vehicle. It said that it could take down drones and vehicles larger than itself, not that they were anti-tank drones.

And actually, if you want to throw in called shots for +4 damage, they could work over even bigger vehicles.

As for latch-on rules, there aren't any, just like there aren't any for a drone landing on something. You wouldn't be able to destroy them with your bare hands (adepts and bone laced people not withstanding), but yeah, you'd like be able to slap them without much trouble.

They really aren't designed for attacking people though, so I wouldn't count on them being able to latch onto humans as easily.

[Yerameyahu]

Honestly, I think you'd be required to use a Called Shot (no bonus) just to latch on to a suitably vulnerable spot in the first place, and that a roll you dodge (or parry, or both, etc.). (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) So, that's what I meant: they only work if you invent extra rules, and the fluff writes checks the crunch can't cash. It says they're 'suitable' for attacking metahumans, just inefficient.

I like their other uses (still requiring extra rules, though), like poison-bearing assassins of sleeping people, etc.

[Karoline]

I don't see poison-bearing assassins requiring extra rules, and I also don't see them landing on a vehicle requiring any rules.

And yeah, they can attack unarmored metahumans quite well. You have to remember, some stuff isn't designed with trolls in heavy milspec armor in mind.

[Yerameyahu]

Oh? What's the rule for the poison-delivery system on the HK? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) You have to make it up. Yes, it's 'Special Machinery', but that doesn't mean you don't have to invent it.

What's the rule for them landing on a vehicle and latching on to a weak spot? Does their little Pilot 3 brain know what a weak spot is on hundreds of different vehicles?

What is 'quite well'? Against a metahuman, they do DV 1, AP +1. By the crunch, they can't even really pull off the 'slit a sleeping man's throat' fluff.

I think they're a cool, classic little concept that should work. It's just that you have to make them work, probably by handwaving.