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willg
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 29 Apr 2014
Posts: 202
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 Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 9:25 am Post subject: Secondry Droid brains. |
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The first thing I got into with SW Rpg was the idea of building a droid. Now everybody who does this likes to think their droid is special. Im no exception.
My droid RX-7Z is to all apperances, a scrapbuilt protocol. His mismatched coverings from 3P0 and LOM series droids is topped off with a RA-7 style head.
However, underneath, Rex , as he is known is a different story. Sure he is made of recycled droid parts, but with some clever modifications.
His thighs contain hollows, ala Robocop, which contain a holdout blaster and power packs and a toolkit in right and left respectivly, which is befitting his status as a Bounty Hunters droid.
The modification I want to discuss is inside Rex'sreinforced torso is a Backup memory, which stores, as it states a backup of his memory, to overcome memory wipes. Obviusly if Rexs head got blown off and was damaged, he can be effectivly restored from v the backup. Logically.
But lets suppose we go further.
Install a Secondry droid brain, like an R2 unit into the torso. If Rex is damaged and goes offline, the R2 brain activates, acts as a diagnostic sysyem and where possible, makrs repairs to get REX back online. Or if the situation is too dangerous, wait to get away from the area and then make repairs.
The R2 secondry brain could also be used if the Rex has to multitask, or could be tactically useful to Rex. He can activate the R2 brain and network with it, if he has to repair something and the R2 has more knowledge than he does, the R2 can advise.
Rex is a jack of many trades droid , to be whatever his master needs at the time,help maintain the ship and Yargin Makols arsenal and gear, but he is also capable of pilotingthe ship and ,necessary, firing the weapons
A lot of different skillware was utilised in Rex's construction. He is a tad displeased at his hodge podge construction and hopes to upgrade himself to at least oneetyle and colour of casing.
. ny thoughts? |
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DougRed4
Rear Admiral
Joined: 18 Jan 2013
Posts: 2272
Location: Seattle, WA
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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He's actually a really cool and creative droid, willg! Well done! 
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Currently Running: Villains & Vigilantes (a 32-year-old campaign with multiple groups) and D6 Star Wars; mostly on hiatus are Adventures in Middle-earth and Delta Green |
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garhkal
Sovereign Protector
Joined: 17 Jul 2005
Posts: 14168
Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 4:47 pm Post subject: |
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Is this going to be a starting droid PC, or one which the party comes into contact with later on, cause all of those mods imo are ones a droid would not necessarily start with.
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Esoomian
High Admiral
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
Posts: 6207
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 5:50 pm Post subject: |
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I think the IG-100 MagnaGuards have something similare as they retain the ability to fight even after decapitation.
Best make sure you include a photoreceptor in the chest so the droid isn't blinded by decapitation.
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Simply stand closer to the object you wish to view. |
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Leon The Lion
Commander
Joined: 29 Oct 2009
Posts: 309
Location: Somewhere in Poland
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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So, it's one body with two brains in it. Interesting.
(Coincidentally, that's the exact opposite of what I have in my game, which is one brain with two bodies.)
I take it the secondary isn't supposed to be active all the time? Or at least the primary always has priority in controlling the body? Otherwise you could get some funny results if the two brains don't agree on a course of action. 
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But plagiarize, plagiarize, plagiarize... Only be sure to call it, please, "research".
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Zarn
Force Spirit
Joined: 17 Jun 2014
Posts: 698
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 8:23 pm Post subject: |
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Something that was used in the SWEU, was two droids where one was residing inside the other.
Bollux and Blue Max
I would actually build the composite droid just like that - with a primary chassis with skills to hide or misdirect its payload, and then a secondary droid that was tied to the first droid with very little or no movement, and just fine manipulators.
I experimented with building a droid that I called 'Synod', which had three distinct modes - one combat mode, one 'regular' / pilot mode, and one assassin mode. The assassin mode was secret, while the switch between combat mode and regular mode took a few rounds. It worked okay, but I should probably revisit that idea and make a cleaner writeup on it. |
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Esoomian
High Admiral
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
Posts: 6207
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 8:42 pm Post subject: |
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A secondary brain could in fact be an advanced form of one of these:
Specialized Subprocessor
Type: Multitasking secondary processor
Scale: Character
Skill: Varies
Cost: 1,000
Availability: 2
Game Notes: A specialized subprocessor enables a droid to carry out a specific calculation or analysis more quickly or simultaneously with other tasks. It grants the droid a single extra action each round that can only be used to perform an action related to a single skill, chosen at the time the subprocessor is created. This extra action does not count when calculation Multiple Action Penalties. A droid can only have one specialized subprocessor.
Source: Scavenger’s Guide to Droids (pages 53-54)
Perhaps combined with this:
Hidden Core
Type: Core function backup system
Cost: 200
Availability: 2, R
Game Notes: A hidden core allows a droid to retain all of its programming, skill improvements, and personality after a memory wipe. 1D days after the memory wipe, the droid can try to make a
Difficult droid programming/repair roll in order to restore its backup. If the roll fails, the droid may attempt it again every 1D days. In order to discover a hidden core, a character must be actively searching for something suspicious in the droid and succeed in a droid programming repair roll against the droid’s willpower, or against a Heroic difficulty if the droid has spent an extra 200 credits for the deluxe installation. Source: Scavenger’s Guide to Droids (page 53)
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Don't waste money on expensive binoculars.
Simply stand closer to the object you wish to view. |
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16281
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 9:27 pm Post subject: |
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Isn't that how espionage droids work? IIRC, they had a public personality that concealed secondary programming and hidden espionage equipment.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
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willg
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 29 Apr 2014
Posts: 202
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 9:41 pm Post subject: |
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| garhkal wrote: | | Is this going to be a starting droid PC, or one which the party comes into contact with later on, cause all of those mods imo are ones a droid would not necessarily start with. |
Yargin Makol has been active for around twenty years, so its safe to assume his droids been around for maybe ten or dozen. He was built by one of Yargins tech guys to be a versatile droid. Yargin already had the upgraded R5, what he needed was a copilot, gunner, engineer,armourer, plus someone who might make him a plate of soup, when Yargin was brooding and neglecting himself. And Yargin can brood ... |
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willg
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 29 Apr 2014
Posts: 202
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 9:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Esoomian wrote: | A secondary brain could in fact be an advanced form of one of these:
Specialized Subprocessor
Type: Multitasking secondary processor
Scale: Character
Skill: Varies
Cost: 1,000
Availability: 2
Game Notes: A specialized subprocessor enables a droid to carry out a specific calculation or analysis more quickly or simultaneously with other tasks. It grants the droid a single extra action each round that can only be used to perform an action related to a single skill, chosen at the time the subprocessor is created. This extra action does not count when calculation Multiple Action Penalties. A droid can only have one specialized subprocessor.
Source: Scavenger’s Guide to Droids (pages 53-54)
Perhaps combined with this:
Hidden Core
Type: Core function backup system
Cost: 200
Availability: 2, R
Game Notes: A hidden core allows a droid to retain all of its programming, skill improvements, and personality after a memory wipe. 1D days after the memory wipe, the droid can try to make a
Difficult droid programming/repair roll in order to restore its backup. If the roll fails, the droid may attempt it again every 1D days. In order to discover a hidden core, a character must be actively searching for something suspicious in the droid and succeed in a droid programming repair roll against the droid’s willpower, or against a Heroic difficulty if the droid has spent an extra 200 credits for the deluxe installation. Source: Scavenger’s Guide to Droids (page 53) |
Exactly what I had in mind...
Worst case scenario. Rexs head is blown off and is unsalvageable. The R2 comes online and it takes control of the body. Once it has fixed the damage, and its up and running, unless evacuation is a viable option, the R2 COULD find a compatible droid head, even if it mrans pinching it off a droid.
Now Personality downloaders are illegal but a Hidden core could be utilised to overwrite the droids mind with Rex's. Or to supress it. But the R2 could help there. |
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willg
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 29 Apr 2014
Posts: 202
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 9:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Esoomian wrote: | I think the IG-100 MagnaGuards have something similare as they retain the ability to fight even after decapitation.
Best make sure you include a photoreceptor in the chest so the droid isn't blinded by decapitation. |
Theres a little astromech telescopic eye comes out the neck cavity.
C-3px , the assassin protocol droid has 360 degree vision, I guess that would count as hidden photoreceptors or sensor array. |
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willg
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 29 Apr 2014
Posts: 202
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Zarn wrote: | Something that was used in the SWEU, was two droids where one was residing inside the other.
Bollux and Blue Max
I would actually build the composite droid just like that - with a primary chassis with skills to hide or misdirect its payload, and then a secondary droid that was tied to the first droid with very little or no movement, and just fine manipulators.
I experimented with building a droid that I called 'Synod', which had three distinct modes - one combat mode, one 'regular' / pilot mode, and one assassin mode. The assassin mode was secret, while the switch between combat mode and regular mode took a few rounds. It worked okay, but I should probably revisit that idea and make a cleaner writeup on it. |
Bollux and Blue max were the inspiration for this mod, and the C-3PX, 4-Lom and the Outriders Leebo. inspired Rex in general. I like to think of him as a droid who is capable in most situations, be it combat, fixing a power coupling, or translating. He doesnt have as many languages as say, C-3P0, but the trade off is you get a droid who thinks ' we're under attack, where do i need to be & what do i do?' Instead of 3P0's comic panicling and blaming R2. Less funny, but much more useful.
I found having a hueristic processor that allows the droid to learn is a good move.
Rex has a combat mode, which involves a kill mode. This is enabled/disabled by a codeword from Yargin but if Yargins life is endangered, the safeword system is politley overrided. But only in those two circumstances. It is hardwired.
In theory, Yargin and Rex could work as a two man team on Bounty hunting missions. But this rarley happens.
Last edited by willg on Fri Jul 25, 2014 10:10 am; edited 1 time in total |
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willg
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 29 Apr 2014
Posts: 202
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 10:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Leon The Lion wrote: | So, it's one body with two brains in it. Interesting.
(Coincidentally, that's the exact opposite of what I have in my game, which is one brain with two bodies.)
I take it the secondary isn't supposed to be active all the time? Or at least the primary always has priority in controlling the body? Otherwise you could get some funny results if the two brains don't agree on a course of action. |
Unlike the three quibbling droid brains linked to the Millenium Falcon, RX-7Z aka Rex and the R2 brain, designated R2-7Z ,were made to dovetail. Rex is the persona in primary control, and he can usually handle a problem, but he will employ R2 to assist on matters of a technical matter. Rex has in his left wrist a computer jack that allows him to link to a computer network. He can designate the task to R2 , which frees Rex to do something else. This is especially handy if the something else involves shooting back and the computer jack is trying to override and open a sealed door. Hence why the holdout blaster is in the right thigh.
Rex and his onboard R2 do get on. Whenever Rex has time to upgrade, he ensures some of that new skillware or hardware is used to maintain R2. He has also allowed R2 control of their shared form to perform repairs or upgrades on Rex's head. |
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willg
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 29 Apr 2014
Posts: 202
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 10:26 pm Post subject: |
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| crmcneill wrote: | | Isn't that how espionage droids work? IIRC, they had a public personality that concealed secondary programming and hidden espionage equipment. |
In a matter of speaking, but thats usually a droid thats undercover and fitted with espionage gear.
My droid has a second droid brain to act as a Tailgunner, in a matter of speaking. |
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willg
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 29 Apr 2014
Posts: 202
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 10:32 pm Post subject: |
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| DougRed4 wrote: | | He's actually a really cool and creative droid, willg! Well done! |
Thanks. I have actually modeled him using pics from various pictures of action figures.
If you get a Black RA-7 head, 4-Loms chest , legs and groin , except for left Silver 3P0 shin and foot, a silver 3po.right arm and an RA-7 left arm, thats his initial apperance.
I always liked RA-7 s, despite their dubious design flaws and the shady espionage. Rex however has no memory being a full RA-7.
A bit of backstory, the former owner, an imperial officer arranged an accident for the droid as it had witnessed something but had not yet relayed the incident yet. The drood was obliterared, apart from its head, a top bit of torso and an arm. It had been found and , originaly I was going to have the rebellion rebuild the RA-7 to find out what it was.
But I realised i) they wouldnt have to, they could just access his memory and ii) i think thevrebellion would be uncomfortable with an imperial spy droid. So i scrapped that idea. Rex uses the RA-7 head structure, but the interior parts are improved quality, and he has a new verbobrain liked to a hueristic processor. |
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