$imon$ez:
Arsenal p121
"Ares Auxilia Mk3 (Tracked Military Backup Drone)
Military backup drones like the Auxilia have become a common sight in modern combat units. They are large, heavily armored, and intended to perform backup duties for combat platoons. Not armed themselves, they leave the battle to be fought by the soldiers, while being capable of transporting heavy weapons, ammunition, and equipment in armored bins, to reduce the weight carried by each individual soldier, thus enhancing the mobility of the whole platoon.
Similar Models: GM-Nissan Morlock, Shiawase Kei Std.
Upgrades: Special Storage (armored bins), Tracked Vehicle"
$imoff:

--$imon$ez is an opensource [Knowsoft]::code provided by TrnZhX--

Where would you take/use such a beast? I'm gonna go out on a limb and say military drones are a fairly remarkable site in even the worst parts of the Redmond Barrens.

$imon$ez:
Arsenal p145-145
"Special Machinery/Storage (All):
There are dozens of different types of special equipment that vehicles can mount, such as dozer blades, cranes, or cold storage to transport goods. This modification requires some gamemaster interpretation, but as a guideline the slot cost for a modification is approximately a quarter of the size of the modification itself (a large dozer blade may have a Body size of 8, for instance). External special machinery can also be modular, so it can be swapped with a Logic + Automotive Mechanic (10, 5 minutes) Extended Test.
A special cargo hold with specific requirements would have a slot cost of about a quarter the Body size of the goods that would fit inside it. Instead giving strict numbers, the gamemaster should adjust them as he needs them for his campaign."
$imoff:

--$imon$ez is an opensource [Knowsoft]::code provided by TrnZhX--

$imon$ez:
Arsenal p117
"Toyota MK-Centipede (Search and Rescue Walker Drone)
Centipedes are the current standard for search and rescue drones. Each drone less than a foot long, working in large networks of tens or hundreds to scurry through wreckage looking for survivors or evidence of the cause of a disaster. To protect them from fire or caustic liquids they are heavily armored, though they are virtually useless in combat situations because of their slow movement. Once a drone has found something, it will call the rest of the drones of its network. Once there, adaptors at both ends of each Centipede allow them to dock and lock into each other, greatly enhancing their strength in lifting wreckage, bracing walls, and freeing those buried.
The basic STR of a single Centipede is 0. When physically joined, the network’s overall STR is equal to the number of Centipedes locked together (max. STR 10) for lifting, bracing and rescue purposes only.
Similar Models: NeoNet MRS-1000
Std. Upgrades: Special Armor Modification (Chemical Protection 4, Fire Resistance 4, Insulation 4), Walker Mode"
$imoff:

--$imon$ez is an opensource [Knowsoft]::code provided by TrnZhX--

The more workshops, the more sense it'd make to have them in one kit (honestly... a power drill from a Carpentry shop is the same tool you'd use in an Electrician shop).

I've worked in an auto shop. The amount of space a properly tricked-out auto shop takes up (keep in mind... that includes hydraulic lifts that can elevate cars and chain rigs that can lift engines out of same) is huge. In the SR sense (the same way they can't get the definition of an HMG straight) a Workshop and a Facility may involve not thinking about what actual people think of when those words come to mind... but if you're going to fit the amount of stuff you need into a Shop (in my mind, a place with the right tools, but not necessarily a huge selection of spare parts like you'd find in a Facility) you ain't transporting that shit on the back of an overgrown Red Wagon with treads and a tactical network presence.

I don't disagree at all. Unless you were willing to go to a great deal of trouble and expense to disguise it, you wouldn't be using it in a town. It would be military gear.

It's Mod-Capacity 1. You still have the ability to tweak the engine, add armor, buff the sensors, etc.

SR4 doesn't have Cargo Factors, and mod slots don't really match up to space. :/ I guess the GM/players must control themselves.

They could have added a "must have a minimum Body of X to install this modification" on the really bulky ones.

As it is by the written rules I can install a Shop into a Dragonfly micro-drone. Which of course is ridiculous.

-karma

You're right, there probably should be a rule for minimum body requirements. If a GM allows things like a shop in a spyfly, god help his players.

Workshops are generally not meant to be used while the vehicle is in motion, though the gamemaster may permit some limited amount of work (perhaps treating the tools as a kit rather than a shop, and adding further limitations if the project being worked on is too large to fit within the vehicle).

Really, a shop shouldn't BE a vehicle modification.

It's cargo.



-karma

I could see an argument that it becomes a vehicle modification if it relies on having the vehicle to do heavier work. If it powers electrical tools off the vehicle battery (or GridLink for legal, urban shops), or uses the chassis as a electrical ground, or the engine to spin lathes. Otherwise I guess it would be cargo.

Yeah, it's kind of hard to use a crude lathe while the van is swaying on the highway, dodging fire and melee weapons from a Troll Go-Gang.

Actually, I can see shops in a vehicle. You should see the gear that plumbers and locksmiths and such have in their vans.

A large part of this is, well, you can't easily drive your van to the 36th floor of a half built skyscraper.

Ah, all it requires is enough room to get up to speed, and the right ramp angle.