Hey guys, I should know this, but I can't seem to figure out what drones roll for defense.
Can someone please clarify what to roll when a drone is attacked given the following situations:

1. Rigger jumped in to drone
2. Rigger controlling drone in AR/VR
3. Rigger using RCC to control multiple drones at once
4. Drone operating on command

Can they use Interrupt actions at all?
Thanks

From my understanding:

#1 Rigger's Reaction + Intuition
#2 Rigger's Reaction + Intuition
#3 The drone he is jumped into, Rigger's Reaction + Intuition. Any other drones, Pilot + Handling
#4 Pilot + Handling

If the Rigger is controlling it (Jumped In, Remote Control, Manual) then definitely. If not, that is up to the GM, although it doesn't preclude them from taking them anywhere that I could find.

I'd argue that 2 and 3 are the same where fundamentally the only difference is that your RCC let's you command multiple drones at once. So for me 2 is Pilot + handling also.

It is my understanding that for #2&3, so long as you have taken the "Control Vehicle" complex action, then you would use the rigger's REA+INT. Otherwise, it would be Pilot+Maneuvering [Handling]. Think of it like this --> if you were driving the vehicle with AR/VR, you would use your REA+INT. The rules make little distinction between driving a vehicle and controlling a drone. Therefore, so long as you have taken a Control Vehicle action, you would use your stats.

If that's the case then what is actually the point of 'Jumping in'?

Wouldn't you always be better off just having wired reflexes and doing everything via remote control?

+1-3 dice (assuming Remote Control via VR), -1 to the Threshold for the tests, +1 to your Limits...

There are two *big* advantages to being jumped in.

1. You get to add your Control Rig (CR) rating to many tests and limits. This affects many tests including Gunnery, Sneaking, and Vehicle tests.

2. You can use Edge to affect the tests of a drone you are jumped into since you are taking the test. If you are remotely controlling a drone, IMO, the drone is taking the test and therefore you would not be able to use Edge.

~J

Yeah, but you can only be jumped into one. So if I had the option of controlling 3 cheap drones using my skills and wired reflexes to give them each multiple passes then I don't really care if I can get +1-3 on tests because I just get way more opportunities to roll those tests with multiple drones. In addition I can not suck at everything else because my wired reflexes work in almost every other scenario.

Of course, you have to be having all those drones do the same thing - they operate on your initiative, and you have to use actions to do anything. It's debatable whether you can have them all attack the same person at once, but you can lay down suppressing fire from all of the at least.

Of course, you could Jump In AND use Remote Control from VR, getting your VR bonus to your dice pools as well.

1. I think the remote-controlled drones would still act on their initiative. You give them the order on your initiative and they process them on theirs. There is even rules about if they receive multiple conflicting orders.

2. All drones slaved to an RCC can be given the same order (i.e. shoot the target I've highlighted). As a GM, I would not allow the same order to be broad in nature (i.e. engage the targets I've highlighted in this order).

3. I believe you get the VR bonus for both jumped-in and remote controlled orders. When you are remote controlling, you are issuing orders via the Control Device matrix action. This is an action you undertake. For example, you are performing the Gunnery action via the Control Device action for your remotely controlled drones, therefore, you would get the VR bonus.

4. As I've said, the real bonus to being jumped in is that you get your control rig bonuses (which are substantial) and you can use edge. Now that I think on it, I think the RAW allow you to use your edge for actions performed by a remote control via Control Device, but not for things more defensive in nature like dodging an attack or soaking damage.

I disagree here. The Control Device action is described as if you were flying an RC plane or controlling something like a video game using your commlink/RCC/cyberdeck, which would use your initiative. What you are describing (sending an order) is the Send Message matrix action to send a command to the drone to let its Pilot program and Autosoft figure out.

So, from my understanding, drones and vehicles can be controlled one of 4 ways: (page 265)

1) Manual
2) Remote
3) Rigger
4) Auto

1) Manual Control - simple - you use your skills and stats, and it acts on your initiative pass

2) Remote - is the result of the Control Device action. If you look at the way that works (page 238), you are not telling the drone/vehicle to do something, you are actually doing it - hence you use your skills and stats, and it acts on your initiative pass. You can control multiple drones/vehicles to do the same exact thing i.e. fire at a target, and this action costs nothing extra. If it isn't exactly the same thing, then you have to split your dice pools among the different drones/vehicles. The way the rules are written, you would get the +2 dice bonus for Hot Sim VR, in that you gain +2 for all Matrix Actions, and Control Device is a Matrix Action.

3) Rigger - this is when you are "jumped into" the vehicle. You gain a bonus to the Sensor, Speed, Handling and Accuracy equal to the rating of the Control Rig. You gain a bonus to Vehicle tests equal to the rating of the Control Rig. Your threshold for Vehicle tests is reduced by the rating of the Control Rig (minimum 1). Here is where there is a slight hiccup:

"The control rig allows you to treat Vehicle actions the same way you treat Matrix actions, so any bonus you get to Matrix actions also apply to Vehicle actions when you are jumped in, this includes Vehicle Control tests, Gunnery tests, and Sensor tests."

To me, that means if you are in hot sim, you gain a +2 bonus. However, it goes on to say:

"Just like in the Matrix, you have the option of using cold sim or hot sim while rigging. If you are using cold sim, you get +2d6 initiative and any biofeedback damage you take is Stun. If you are using hot sim, you get +3d6 initiative and a +1 dice pool bonus that applies to all Matrix tests (including vehicle actions) but all biofeedback damage is Physical."

So that means either:

1) If you are jumped in you get a total of +3 dice pool bonus.
2) If you are jumped in you get a +1 bonus - i.e. the 2nd paragraph supersedes the first one.
3) It is a typo, and it should have said +2 in the 2nd paragraph.

In any event, the drone that you are jumped into acts when you act.

4) Auto - this is when the drone has been given a command - via a Send Message simple action. In this case, it acts on its own initiative, and uses its own Pilot + programs. Having an RCC allows you to command all the drones connected to it using a single simple action - and they do not have to be given the same command.

re: drones acting on your initiative - You may be right here. I'll have to read the rules closer on that point.

It's been mentioned that in the German edition of the 5th Ed BBB that the +1 in your quote has been corrected to +2, just as it is in the Matrix chapter. So option 3) is most likely correct.

No, that doesn't seem at all right - with Remote Control, in contrast to Autonomous Operation, you're directly controlling the drone. You're not sending it an order, you're directly aiming the weapon and hitting "fire".



Giving them an order applies to Autopilot, not to the Control Device action. Control Device lets you control multiple devices at once, but only if you're making them do exactly the same thing - which can be read, for example, as aiming on the same vector; firing on the same target from different positions would then not be exactly the same thing, and thus you could order them all to do so on Autopilot, but not control them all to do so with Remote Operation.



You need to separate giving orders from remote control. These are different things. You would get the VR bonus to Remote Control, yes, but the flip side to the large pool is more limitations because you need to directly control it.

I've been reading up on this stuff again and I just can't get on board with remote control granting the players reaction+intuition on defense tests. The perception that it does seems to come from fluff text on p238:



So yes, if you're firing a gun via remote control it uses your gunnery+agility. However, this seems pretty specific to that individual action; I take the control device action and then for that action I can make the drone do anything it could normally do. However, on p205 we get this:



This seems to imply that manual control allows reaction+intuition, where as everything else is pilot+handling, unless jumped in. Given that the drone is not being directly driven or controlled during someone else's turn it seems that pilot+handling is appropriate.

Given how useful it potentially is to be able to get 3 drones to attack a target with your skills at the same time, it just feels plain ridiculous that they could defend as well as the rigger too. Admittedly this all needs a lot of clarification.

If you are operating a drone/vehicle manually or via rigger control (i.e. jumped in) you would get your own stats/skills to defend. If you are controlling drones via remote or autonomous control, they get their piloting +handling.

That means that you can only give your stat/skill benefit to one drone/vehicle's defense at one time.

Controlling a drone/vehicle via remote control can give your stats/skills to all the drones/vehicles when they are performing an action, but not on defense, it isn't actually an action.