Droid Questions: Orginal 2nd Ed versus 2nd R&E

[cimja revaz]

1. The rules in original 2nd Ed state that the droid characters use the same stats and skills as the droids listed. This is partially borne out by the template - Protocol Droid; however, the next page over states that the droid attributes all get +1D and the droid gets 10D for skills. Which is it?

2. Given the prevalence of droids in other source books what limits do you place on them as player characters?
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Han shot first!

End of discussion.

[Ankhanu]

The rules for droid characters were revised before R&E was released (and included in R&E) and works quite simply:
Total up the stock attribute and skill dice, and bonuses granted by attachments. If the total is <= 25D, you can use the droid as a character; if > 25D, the droid is too strong.
If the total is < 25D, the player can allocate the difference into skills and attachments, but not attributes, to bring the die total to 25.

[cimja revaz]

Ok, that makes more sense. Can the player re-allocate the existing skill dice if they want? Or are they stuck with the basic skills?

Can they ever change them in game? In d20 *ducks the incoming rotten fruit* you can use the computer skill to reassign the skill points.
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Han shot first!

End of discussion.

[Ankhanu]

Perhaps with GM approval. But, generally, it's the base, off-the-factory droid and add-ons rather than reallocations.

[Akari]

In our game sentient droid characters get exactly the same as any allowed player race: 18D on attributes, 7D on skills.

If he wants to learn a new skill he either has to have a heuristic processor or has to be programmed to use them. In that case he will pay money to get the first die of skill, the programmer needs to make his droid programming roll (adjusted by type of skill and type of droid). If he fails, the droid will have malfunctions, either in its memory core (reducing or eliminating other skills), its servos (reducing Dex, Str or Mech) or something other the GM dreams up. All these malfunctions can be reduced or removed with apropriately difficult droid repair or droid engineering rolls.

If the droid has at least 1D over the attribute in a skill, he can spend experience to upgrade its skill.

Also in our campaign sentient droids do get experience points, force points, as well as darkside points if they are really evil.
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They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.--Benjamin Franklin

[Ankhanu]

[Akari]

[Ankhanu]

18D + 7D = 25D; that's where the 25D total comes from.

But, part of what makes a droid a droid is the lack of basic attributes and an emphasis on skills/attachments. They're poor at everything but what they were programmed to do (hence low attributes); most stock playable droids probably have about 8-10D in attributes to reflect their programming and mechanical awkwardness. Droids are, in essence, the pinnacle of specialization.
To offbalance their weakness in attributes, they can have 4D allocated into a skill (model base skills exempted), unlike organics' max of 2D.

[Akari]

But its simply that: attribute dice are worth WAY more then skill dice, so I never really understood where that came from. From my point of view you have to make a compromise between the concept, playability and fairness towards the other characters.

4d in a skill does not balance a droid by any means, since there are a lot of races that get just the same (i.e. +2d on technical skills with verpines, double dice in mechanical skills for vecnoids, etc.) and especially not when you pay for the skill with attribute dice!
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They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.--Benjamin Franklin

[Esoomian]

The flip side is that if the GM allows the droid can start with 4D in all stats and 1D in skills. (Of course that would have to be one heck of a custom job to allow that.)

Droids have a number of advantages organics don't. Depending on the GM you might be able to buy attributes and it's much easier to get a built in arc welder as a droid than it is as an organic. :p

Also most droid players find it very handy to be able to 'backup' their personality every so often making it much harder for them to be killed forever unlike the organics.
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Don't waste money on expensive binoculars.

Simply stand closer to the object you wish to view.

[garhkal]

[Ankhanu]

[Esoomian]

[cheshire]

[garhkal]