Droids Book

[DougRed4]

I've got a new player to my game, and he decided to play a droid. He chose to be an old, refurbished battle droid (the property of another PC in the game, played by my son).

For the first session, we just sort of winged things with a battle droid we found online, but then a few days ago I worked with the player to tighten down the specifics and details of the character (before our next game tomorrow).

I was honestly pretty surprised at the guidelines given in the Droids book produced by WEG. In it, you can either purchase everything (including 'attachments', which are what they call all the weapons, gadgets, and extra features like hidden compartments), or they give some alternative methods. One of those alternatives is to allocate 25D between all attributes, skills, and attachments. But the crazy thing is that - unlike species - there are hardly any minimums or maximums.

Anybody who has been around this game for a minute understands that the most bang for your buck is to put your points into Attributes (as then all Skills under that Attribute also benefit). According to this book, the dice spent on Attributes can be as low as 0D and as high as 13D!!! I personally think that's a bit ridiculous, and this player was already leaning towards being a combat monster (he can tend to be more of a "munchkin"). Me and my son discussed this, and my son pointed out that one could have a 13D DEX, take 6 actions a turn, and still be an 8D (for Skills like Blaster and Dodge).

The player was initially asking for a 7D DEX. I decided to cap him at 5D for Attributes, and charged 1D for each Attachment (the book isn't clear on what Attachments cost, if you're not using the spend credits method). From the example given, it seems like 1D for each Attachment seemed appropriate , though even from the example given it didn't correspond perfectly.

Overall the Droids book is fun, but a few issues like the above make me think it was edited a bit sloppily. It gives lot of example droids and is a good starting point, but requires some modification by GMs, IMHO.
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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

[garhkal]

While that's technically true, looking through all the books with droids, ARE There any that HAVE higher than a 5d in any attribute, that is in the RAW?

I see an interrogation droid with 4d per, a few worker droids with 4d know.
A pair of astromechs with 4d tech. The highest i see, is a few sith battle droids with 5d str.....
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Whill]

[Ziz]

[shootingwomprats]

YMMV for sure when making droids. RAW are trash for making PC droids and I believe that WEG's intent was to shy away from players playing them, but for whatever reason, tossed in some haphazard rules.

In my games I tell players if they want to play a droid that 1. droids are property and have no rights, 2. droids do not learn or improve skills without programming upgrades or a rare heuristic processor, and 3. droids are tools designed to perform a small range of related functions.

When creating a droid character they start off with 25D and attributes are 1D/4D. Attributes must be related to the droids purpose. Having a protocol droid with with Dexterity and Strength 4D though possible does not make sense. Some of theses ideas can be emulated by skill choices.

Equipment that gives a modifier or negates a situational modifier costs between +1 and +1D depending on the adjudication of the GM. In the case of the protocol droid with high Strength, perhaps it is a version that has a heavy duty chassis giving a +1D to brawling damage and lifting skill checks. Perhaps it is armored, giving a +1D vs damage.

Its a lot of on-the-fly and common sense stuff. There are no hard rules that I feel fit for making PC droids.
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Don Diestler
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[garhkal]

[pakman]

A lot of various and valid perspectives in this thread.

Wants to start at 7d? Um. no.

Here was my take on a droid pc;

Stats
He gets 18d just like everyone else. He buys skills, just like everyone else.
The starting stats for a droid - I adjust to make it like any other character template. Justify as necessary - but in the end, it is 18D like everyone else.

someone might say "but this droid" - that is an npc droid.
you are a pc. you follow pc rules. thank you for playing.

Does he have a stat higher than the "standard" for that model. Ok, thats fine. Can easily come up with a fluffy justification. What matters is the 18d stats etc.


Differences
Has a racial trait of not needing food, air etc.
Has a racial trait of a social stigma where many will not respect them etc.
In combat, can't be healed - needs repair rolls - and spare parts packs(costs exact amount as a med kit). Keep it simple.

Improving characters;
When spending CP - the training time is considered to be getting new programs etc. If a player says "I want to just write a new program" I say "sure, it takes the amount of time that training takes " etc.

Equipment:
They get the physical appearance, and any locomotion benefits.
Any starting special gear comes from their starting money.
(scomp link, tools etc.). If they can't afford it - it is broken.

I treat their gear it just as equipment as any other player would have (med kit, tool kit, blaster etc.). Except they can't drop it. But when they take damage, it can get damaged.

In summary
If someone wants to play a droid because it is different, or cool or a fun idea - I will do everything I can to facilitate it. If someone wants to min max - they can go play a single player video game for that.

For me the key to this game is not getting super detailed - it is keeping things as consistent as possible - and then, only where it would break immersion or balance, then do something different - to do something different.
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SW Fan, Gamer, Comic, Corporate nerd.
Working on massive House Rules document - pretty much a new book. Will post soon....

[garhkal]

[pakman]