To sum up in a sentence, I can't find any rules mentioning how a 'jumped in' rigger controls their vehicle, or more specifically a drone. The very brief rigging section mentions using matrix initiative when jumped in, and controlling the vehicle like their own body, then completely fails to mention what dice pools are involved when controlling a vehicle like your own body. The control rig gives +2 dice, being in hot VR may or may not give another +2 dice, but I have no clue just what those bonus dice are being added to.
Say you have a player with one of the little buggy microdrones. He wants to:
Sneak the drone through some ventilation shafts.
Peek in on the target for some surveillance.
Sneak into the target's apartment and steal a passkey with the drone if the opportunity presents itself.
Seems like a pretty normal shadowrunner-ish set of things to do with a little drone, right? And naturally, our demonstration rigger wants to be jumped into the drone for this job rather than leaving it up to its not-so-bright brain.
I have no idea whatsoever how any one of those tasks would be accomplished. I don't know which dice are involved in piloting a drone while jumped in, much less which dice are involved in being stealthy with a drone. I don't know game mechanics for a rigger trying to make perception tests through a vehicle's sensors when they're his 'eyes'. And I definitely don't know the game mechanics for scuttling through an apartment in a drone while avoiding the owner's cat, who wants to eat the drone, and trying to drag a key back to the nearest air vent so the rigger can use it to easily break in later.
Has anyone found anything in the SR4 BBB to give some hints about what a GM's to do in that kind of situation? I'd rather perform a bare minimum of pulling rules straight from my pants, if I can help it.
Full Version: Need help locating drone piloting rules.
well, as i recall, you use your own attributes and skills when piloting drones by jumping in. not sure about how to handle the different skills though (the book may or may not say it, i just don't remember)
While jumped in? As Valatar say, top left of page 239 says that while jumped in the rigger uses their own Attribute+Skill. There is one exception to that given lower in the page, Perception + Sensor(instead of Intuition). However there are no examples showing the madness that results such as a jumped in Rigger rolling Pilot Ground Vehicle + Reaction. 
Personally i think it makes enormous sense to use the Astral Attribute conversion of Phys to Mental (table on page 184). It is quite possible that it was cut out of the VR description during the SR3 to SR4 move, or later editted out, and it wasn't realized that it was needed for jumped-in and/or it wasn't noticed it was gone. 
Perhaps it will get errataed directly (it only needs about 10 words at the end of that sentence). Perhaps in FAQ. I really hope they don't wait till Unwired to clarify it.
Personally i think it makes enormous sense to use the Astral Attribute conversion of Phys to Mental (table on page 184). It is quite possible that it was cut out of the VR description during the SR3 to SR4 move, or later editted out, and it wasn't realized that it was needed for jumped-in and/or it wasn't noticed it was gone. Perhaps it will get errataed directly (it only needs about 10 words at the end of that sentence). Perhaps in FAQ. I really hope they don't wait till Unwired to clarify it.
| QUOTE |
| Sneak the drone through some ventilation shafts. |
There isn't really an example of an Infiltration test given with a vehicle, though that's probably what i'd call it. Let them add the vehicle's Handling though. Is this going to be against sensors or something?
| QUOTE |
| Peek in on the target for some surveillance. |
Perception + Senor
In combat with cat you can use Evasive Driving to avoid getting smacked by the cat (i wouldn't call the cat's attack a ramming attack). Cats tend to grapple small prey first, then bite. I'd likely call it a melee grapple or something. Not sure when i'd call for a crash test.
I would think you'd use the drone's physical stats. I mean, your meat-agility shouldn't matter, it should be the agility of the drone.
not sure what that would be. The responce, maybe, which is 3 for all drones and vehicles (that's their device rating, AFAIK)
not sure what that would be. The responce, maybe, which is 3 for all drones and vehicles (that's their device rating, AFAIK)
Yes. None of the drones/vehicles in the core book have mechanical arms yet (which I think is a shame - since that was one of my must-haves in SR3).. but it will be funny when they're introduced in a splat-book and strong riggers can have their drones lift more than weak ones because the rules say you use your meat-body stats.
Likewise, would long-distance driving require athletics checks using your body attribute? I hope not. Agility makes a little more sense in the hand-eye-coordination context used with gunnery, but since you have neither hand nor eye, the drone's hardware should be the limiting factor here, not the rigger's skill.
A cross-eyed rigger, jumped into a drone, can see just fine.
Likewise, would long-distance driving require athletics checks using your body attribute? I hope not. Agility makes a little more sense in the hand-eye-coordination context used with gunnery, but since you have neither hand nor eye, the drone's hardware should be the limiting factor here, not the rigger's skill.
A cross-eyed rigger, jumped into a drone, can see just fine.
Or, for that matter, why a stealthy character's drone can make it's engine less noisy. 
| QUOTE (p162) |
| To detect a person, critter, or vehicle with sensors, the character/vehicle must make a successful Sensor + Perception Test (Sensor + Pilot in the case of drones). If the target is trying to evade detection, make this an opposed Test versus the target's Infiltration + Agility (metahumans, critters) or Infiltration (Vehicle) + Reaction +/- Handling in the case of vehicles. Since vehicle stealth is limited by the driver's ability, the dice applied for Infiltration skill should not exceed the driver's appropriate Vehicle skill. |
Some elements of stealth are making sure that you don't cast shadows (or silhouettes) in revealing places, making sure you don't disturb the noisiest parts of terrain you traverse, and timing your motions just right so whatever visual and audio clues you give out are masked in some way.
Like, if your bug drone skitters its little metal feet across the floor only when someone stands up from a rattling office chair. The noise level is the same, it's just covered by something else. It takes a path that gives it the most visual cover while trying not to cast an inconvenient shadow on an easily-visible wall.
That said, good luck turning your rotodrone into a ninja. My guess is that there's (yet another instance of) GMD penalties that would need to be enforced.
another thing that's bugged me, is what skill to use with a LMG mounted in a drone.
under vehicle skills there is
Gunnery (Agility)
Th e Gunnery skill governs the use of all vehicle-mounted weapons, whether in mounts, pintles or turrets. This skill includes manual and sensor-enhanced gunnery.
to me, that sounds like you are physically in a vehicle, firing a wpn mounted on the vehicle.
Heavy Weapons (Agility)
Th e Heavy Weapon skill allows the user to handle ranged projectile and launch weapons larger than an assault rifle, including large weapons when they are mounted on tripods, pintles, gyromounts or in fixed emplacements (but not in or on vehicles).
but if you are jumped into a drone of vehicle, then you are shooting wpns that are more like part of your body. seems to me the heavy wpns would be more appropriate.
under vehicle skills there is
Gunnery (Agility)
Th e Gunnery skill governs the use of all vehicle-mounted weapons, whether in mounts, pintles or turrets. This skill includes manual and sensor-enhanced gunnery.
to me, that sounds like you are physically in a vehicle, firing a wpn mounted on the vehicle.
Heavy Weapons (Agility)
Th e Heavy Weapon skill allows the user to handle ranged projectile and launch weapons larger than an assault rifle, including large weapons when they are mounted on tripods, pintles, gyromounts or in fixed emplacements (but not in or on vehicles).
but if you are jumped into a drone of vehicle, then you are shooting wpns that are more like part of your body. seems to me the heavy wpns would be more appropriate.
well, if you're rigged into a dron,e wouldny you thus be using sensors to fire? thus being sensory enhanced? thus using gunnery?
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