So Herr, what is your houserule gong to be and why?
Seconded. I'm very interested to see what you're doing. I can see a fair combination of Hardened Armor, different CM sizes, etc being all applicable.
Let me quickly summarize why I feel the need to house rule these things at all, and warn you that this is not going to be a short post. You asked
OK, so this is really quite simple. I like drones. I like drones a lot! But under current RAW I don't think they are cost-effective
at all. Instead of spending hours and hours reworking the cost of drones, I'm instead choosing to make (relatively) small rules changes so that drones become worth the sizable investment they represent. In many ways i also wanted to streamline the use of drones so that riggers were a little less complicated to play, following the trend of simplifying rules that 5th Edition has set. With that in mind, here's what I'm doing.
House rule summary (full reasoning below):
House Rule 1: Vehicle Armor counts as Hardened Armor
House Rule 1.1: Hardened Armor does not ignore modified DV that is less than or equal to modified AV
House Rule 2: Drones and Vehicles get a Physical Condition Monitor of 8+Body, and they also get an Overflow track of Body
House Rule 3: Upgrades for drone arms and legs cost 50% of list, and arms and legs both add to Condition Monitor
House Rule 4: Any active skill that doesn't require a Magic or Resonance attribute is available as an autosoft
House Rule 5: Swarm is replaced by a Tactical Drone Network autosoft
House Rule 6.1: Repairing drones and vehicles costs 2% per box of physical condition monitor and 5% per box of overflow; the extended test for repairs is 4 hours for physical condition and 8 hours for overflow, and repairs cannot be attempted at all without the necessary parts
House Rule 6.2: Scavenging drones and vehicles for parts is done with an appropriate Mechanic skill + Logic ([number of parts], 4 hours) extended test; the maximum number of parts that can be scavenged is equal to the number of undamaged condition monitor or overflow boxes the drone or vehicle has left. Each box scavenged in this fashion reduces the appropriate track, but can also be restored with an appropriate repair test and the requisite number of parts
Full details:House Rule 1: Vehicle Armor counts as Hardened Armor.
Reasoning: Under the current rules, APDS and Explosive rounds have an almost identical effect on high-AV targets; by making vehicle armor Hardened, APDS is actually worth the price of admission against vehicles and drones similar to how it is extremely useful against higher-Force spirits. This also has the effect of simplifying the rules
as the special rule just for vehicles where they just ignore any DV that does not exceed their modified AV is replaced by an existing one; this more properly (in my opinion) represents reality where smaller caliber bullets doesn't just magically bounce off of vehicles in nearly all cases without doing any damage. Under this rule, even seemingly minor hits will accumulate as real, significant damage with enough rounds on target.
House Rule 1.1: Hardened Armor does not ignore modified DV that is less than or equal to modified AV
Reasoning: Hardened Armor as per RAW is just too strong for my taste; a Force 9 Spirit or an Ares Roadmaster with Hardened Armor become practically invincible to everything except AMRs and AV rockets. To my mind, this is a little overkill; with this houserule high-body, high-AV targets are still extremely resilient (more so when combined with house rule 2 that simplifies condition monitors), but with enough firepower they can now be harmed by non-APDS sniper rifles, assault cannons, HMGs, and lasers. It'll take volume of fire with these kinds of weapons to harm them, but given enough rounds (or beams) on target they can at least take such a target down eventually.
House Rule 2: Drones and Vehicles get a Physical Condition Monitor of 8+Body, and they also get an Overflow track of Body.
Reasoning: This house rule also applies to metahumans (and Matrix devices, for that matter), and the reason for this is two-fold.
First, I use the optional Care Under Fire rules, and I want combat to be a little more gritty without being instantly lethal. PCs should expect to get shot and take damage if they go loud (intentionally or not), and they will need to take care of both themselves and their equipment to remain an effective team.
Second, this rule affects drones more than vehicles (except in the case of extremely high-body security/military vehicles), as the former become significantly more durable while keeping the latter similar to what they currently are under RAW. For example, a Roto-Drone goes from a Condition Monitor of 8 to 10, a Dalmatian and a Steel Lynx goes from 9 to 11, while a Honda Spirit remains at 16, a Toyota Gopher goes from 19 to 20, and a Roadmaster goes from 21 to 26. These may seem like minor changes, but they can mean the difference between a Roto-Drone being one-shotted by every weapon in the game to actually being able to take a hit or two, and it also means that vehicles that were built for combat can take an anti-tank round and keep going, but if it gets hit twice it's in serious trouble. Rules for targeted shots against vehicles also become more useful this way.
Finally, under RAW a drone or vehicle is completely destroyed when it's condition monitor is filled. I want riggers to be able to at least recuperate some of their losses, so unless the overflow track is also filled the drone can still be repaired. Only when the overflow track is filled is the vehicle or drone a complete wreck, and even then you might be able to salvage some electronics or parts following the normal rules for such actions.
House Rule 3: Upgrades for drone arms and legs cost 50% of list, and arms and legs both add to Condition Monitor
Reasoning: At the current RAW prices, an already expensive drone becomes astronomically so if you start putting upgrades in them. This just balances the cost of upgrading anthros as a little, making them a more attractive option overall.
House Rule 4: Any active skill that doesn't require a Magic or Resonance attribute is available as an autosoft
Reasoning: Wakshaani's comments about Armorer (specifically) not being available because he didn't want drones making ammo or fixing weapons just resonated (no pun intended) with me the wrong way. If a drone can fix my car (automotive mechanic), build a house (industrial mechanic), serve me tea at a fancy dinner party (etiquette), and beat me to death with a 2x4 (melee) or head-shot me from 300 yards with a Desert Strike (targeting), I think it should also be able to make ammunition or repair my armor. If you can get any skill as a skillsoft, it can be translated into an autosoft for drones as far as I'm concerned.
House Rule 5: Swarm is replaced by a Tactical Drone Network autosoft
Reasoning: Swarm has two major issues as far as I'm concerned; there is no limit to the dice pool bonus drones can receive, and drones of completely different types can be part of the same swarm, leading to one combat drone being "assisted" by a swarm of ultra-cheap, disposable drones. I'd prefer to see drones of the same type working together to achieve a task instead with some of the same benefits of Swarm but with more restrictions and a few twists.
Just like Swarm, the linked drones can receive the benefit of the higher of highest Rating Pilot running on a drone in the network or the Device Rating of the RCC the drones are slaved to. Also like Swarm, the drones in a network count as one drone but only for the purposes of issuing commands. As a result, all drones in the network must be able to carry out the command being issued, or the whole network effectively stops (i.e. issuing an attack command to a network of drones where some members have no ability to attack). This encourages a rigger to utilize several drones of the same type with the same capabilities, instead of focusing on boosting a single drone to insane levels. Higher risk overall (more expensive drones exposed to fire), but higher reward as well (each drone gets to take separate actions with bonuses to dice pools).
Unlike Swarm, the Tactical Drone Network autosoft functions more like a centralized tac-net from 4th Edition, and would be priced at [Rating] x 5,000¥, with availability [Rating] x 4 and Rating 1-2 being legal, 3-4 Restricted, and 5-6 Forbidden. Furthermore, the following applies:
1. Each member of the network must contribute [Autosoft Rating] sensor channels for the network to function; the Rating of the drones sensor array counts as one sensor channel. In other words, to contribute to a Rating 6 network, a drone would need a sensor rating of 6
2. The following is blatantly stolen and modified from Unwired:
When in operation, Tactical Drone Networks provide dice pool bonuses for certain actions. The dice pool bonus is based on the number of members (that is, each member that is supplying the minimum amount of sensor channels). The bonus equals the total number of team members minus 1 (you need at least 2 members to have an effective network), up to a maximum equal to the software’s rating. So a team running a Rating 6 Tactical Drone Network with 7 members gets a dice pool bonus of +6 (the maximum). A network running a Rating 4 autosoft with 4 members gets a +3 dice pool bonus (4-1).
3. Bonuses; again I'll just steal directly from tacnets:
Tactical Drone Network bonuses apply to any test a member makes that might conceivably benefit from the tactical soft’s analysis, data-sharing, and suggestions. This is subject to gamemaster interpretation, but several guidelines can be applied. First, the tests environment must fall not only within range of that character’s sensor channels, but also within range of the sensor channels of other team members (at least one). For example, if a team is involved in a firefight inside a building, and one team member runs outside, where none of the others can see/sense, that outside character may not get a bonus on any tests made outside. Second, the test must be something that tactical data and suggestions from the network could conceivably aid. For example, a test to summon a spirit, kick down a door, or hack a node are unlikely to benefit in any way from the information and resources the tactical network is applying to the situation.
Here are some example tests in which Tactical Drone Network bonuses might apply:
Close Combat Tests: The tacsoft can evaluate fighting styles, stances, opponent’s health, and physical layout to instantaneously suggest movement, countermoves, and targeting advice to a character engaged in melee.
Dodge Tests: Enemy movement, fields of fire, line of sight, cover location, targeting probabilities, and spent ammunition estimates can benefit a character trying to avoid being hit.
Firearms Tests: The tacsoft judges the momentum, speed, and direction of opponents, estimating likely course of movement and probable firefight tactics, giving the user an edge on targeting.
Infiltration Tests: Tactical networks can predict likely locations of guards, patrols, and sensors, and evaluate the best course of action contingent to layout and security protocols, in order to assist a sneaking character.
Maneuvering Tests: The tacsoft considers maps, environmental factors, speeds, and probable vectors of other vehicles, suggesting maneuvering solutions and other options for vehicles engaged in combat.
Perception Tests: Sensor data from other team members can enhance a character’s situational awareness.
Shadowing Tests: Using motion analysis on a target and analyzing avenues of movement, as well as coordinating multiple scouts, the tactical soft can aid efforts to tail a target unnoticed.
Surprise Tests: The tacnet can monitor for signs of ambush or enemies maneuvering to engage a team member unaware.
House Rule 6.1: Repairing drones and vehicles costs 2% per box of physical condition monitor and 5% per box of overflow; the extended test for repairs is 4 hours for physical condition and 8 hours for overflow, and repairs cannot be attempted at all without the necessary parts
House Rule 6.2: Scavenging drones and vehicles for parts is done with an appropriate Mechanic skill + Logic ([number of parts], 4 hours) extended test; the maximum number of parts that can be scavenged is equal to the number of undamaged condition monitor or overflow boxes the drone or vehicle has. Each box scavenged in this fashion reduces the appropriate track, but can also be restored with an appropriate repair test and the requisite number of parts
Reasoning: Repairs are already expensive enough, and each box costing 5% of the drone price seems excessive. I also like the idea of scavenging equipment for parts, so as long as the drone has at least one overflow box not filled you can scavenge for parts. The above rules also close the loophole where one can generate an unlimited number of parts given enough time and with high enough dice pools, and puts a finite limit on the number of parts a given vehicle or drone has. Additionally, I think repairing overflow damage should take longer as this represents serious structural damage. By not allowing repairs to be done without the necessary number of parts we also encourage characters with the Jury Rigger positive quality, as they would be able to MacGyver something together that would last for a short while.
Final thoughts:If one were to combine all of the above house rules and run a squad of 7 or more mil-spec drones on a rating 6 Tactical Drone Network with maximum armor, you'd have a force just shy of PR6 operatives in terms of capabilities. Pilot 6 + Autosoft 6 + Network 6 for a total dice pool of 18 for any test (not action!) where the network is applicable vs a special forces team with Attribute 10 + Skill 12 for a dice pool of 22 and with more armor in heavy mil-spec armor, but at significant expense. This puts drones in the power range I want them; durable, but not as skilled as PCs at a like for like cost, but with the distinct bonus of not bleeding out when shot. Metahumans should still be king of combat, but with a few drones a rigger can even the odds by providing volume of fire and putting technology on par with magic (summoning Force 8+ Spirits, anyone?).
All of the above changes (with the exception of the Tactical Drone Network) simplifies the rules for vehicles and drones by aligning them to existing rules, effectively reducing variance. They also give riggers a distinct way to support a street samurai in combat without stealing the limelight completely, as a team of two K-K drones with some upgrades slaved to a decent RCC running a tactical drone network could provide two durable combatants that are less accurate and/or precise, providing a perfect distraction for the opponents while the samurai does his dance of death. It also gives riggers an EXCELLENT ability to provide physical overwatch, unmatched by any other archetype, as a network of a few optic-x or roto-drones with high sensors could canvas a large area with real-time mapping and tracking capabilities. Essentially, these capabilities allow the rigger to be a true jack-of-all trades for when the team is short an infiltrator, or a front-line combatant, or a medic or other support character, at a heavy nuyen cost of course.
Generally I like the idea of drones being fragile for spy drones and drones uses in private or commercial environments. Why should someone bother to build them sturdy to resist gun fire.
I just think drones should be more durable to represent the lack of vulnerabilities similar to a metahuman. While a drone may not be built specifically for combat, just firing a round into it isn't going to disable it unless you hit something critical. So to my mind, higher durability directly reflects on the ability of even ordinary non-combat drones to take a hit without becoming non-functional. But that's just my view, and I know many don't share it.
What I don't like is security drones or military drones being so weak. They are build for a special purpose - so while constructing the Steel Lynx for example the engineers should have designed it to resist gun fire a little bit more than the average drone for private purposes.
I agree completely, which is why I would implement the above to greatly represent just how tough some of these drones can be.
And with that, I think I've said more than enough for now. If you made it this far, cheers