Can NPC Astromech Droid open fire with ship auto turret

[MattMartin23]

Hey All,

I have a PC Bounty Hunter who acquired an astromech that served Jedi in the Clone Wars and never got a memory wipe. The astromech downloads its memory onto an external memory disc once every few months just to ensure that it saves its memory in the event it is captured and has its memory wiped. This is unrelated to my topic of conversation/questions but a cool added back story for the droid.

So if an astromech stays aboard a ship to watch over it is the astromech able to activate the auto turret knowing full well the auto turret will destroy the lifeforms it fires upon. I was under the impression that droids had some internal protocol that they were not allowed to harm humans. Does this count? Are astromechs different? Perhaps being that this droid served in the Clone Wars it had more aggressive programing. At least that's my thought for now.

Thoughts?

[Bren]

Taking a quick look through the Droids Stats pdf, none of the regular astromechs has a specific gunnery skill listed except for the PG-5 Gunnery Droid, which has starship gunnery 3D. IIR R2-D2 fired the guns on Luke's X-wing in one of the Zahn books - maybe while on Jorus (however you spell the crazy a$$ clone's name) C'baoth's planet.

So, maybe yes.

[Ankhanu]

I'd say no. While the R2 is not aiming, life form deaths would be an immediate result of its actions. Unless its LPP is disabled, I doubt it could take the action.
_________________
Hotaru no Hishou; a messageboard about games, friends and nothing at all.

Donate to Ankhanu Press

[vong]

I have always ruled that combat droids dont have LLP enabled.

You could argue that by switching targeting controls over to torps for the pilot (or any other numerous things) would conflict with its programming if it was enabled.

They would have a modified version - asses all non lethal options before moving to lethal ones. so turning on auto turrets instead of just dodging might not be their first move.
_________________
The Vong have Arrived

PM me if you want user created content uploaded to my site: http://databank.yvong.com/index.php

[Esoomian]

I'd assume any basic droid could aim the guns but it would require either a droid without LPP enabled or an organic to actually pull the trigger.
_________________
Don't waste money on expensive binoculars.

Simply stand closer to the object you wish to view.

[garhkal]

Agreed. Even being in the clone wars (on the clone side i assume), their life protection programming i don't see being removed since htey were fighting against droids mostly..

And for that external back up of his memory. How would he (if wiped) remember he had the info stored on an external disk to replace his memory??
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[ZzaphodD]

[Esoomian]

If I recall correctly Whistler (Coraan Horn's astromech) did something similar.

That said the how isn't important, the GM likes the idea of an 'old' astromech and there are vast number of plausible explanations for how it happens so it happens.
_________________
Don't waste money on expensive binoculars.

Simply stand closer to the object you wish to view.

[vanir]

The Aasimov "3 laws of droid programming" are technically a different source setting than the SWU although it is fairly popular with a lot of sci-fi writers to use them or a version of them. In "Aliens" for example (my behavioural inhibitors prevent me from harming or by mission of action allowing to be harmed, a human being), but they weren't written into the first Alien movie (retroacted by stating it was an earlier model in the second film).

In our gameworld behavioural inhibitors are a conceivable programming but user ordered. As astromechs are used typically as starfighter plugs and may coordinate with the pilot, and it is a combat spacecraft they don't have them unless a buyer orders or installs them. In SWU I find it generally replaced by the restraining bolt concept. In addition a simple common law that owners are held responsible for laws broken by a droid should do the trick.

But under droid rules all skills are considered as requiring training to use, eg. unless a droid has at least one pip in Starship Gunnery, it can't use that skill. Its programming simply doesn't encompass the behaviour required to use that skill. Droids can only use skills they have been programmed for, or else use their base attributes for unlisted skill use when it is specified the base attribute could be used, eg. Perception/Search roll with no skill in Search is fine, but a culinary droid rolling an Intimidation on its base Knowledge attribute wouldn't be unless it has the programming for Intimidation behaviour entered into its matrix by having a pip placed into the skill by a programmer.

[Bren]

[Esoomian]

[vanir]

[Fallon Kell]

When was the droid's last memory wipe? Droids can become... Unpredictable, over time.
_________________
Or that excessively long "Noooooooooo" was the Whining Side of the Force leaving him. - Dustflier

Complete Starship Construction System

[Bren]

[garhkal]