Shadowrun

Shadowrun Play => Character creation and critique => Topic started by: Ennui on <03-20-17/2241:21>

Title: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Ennui on <03-20-17/2241:21>
So according to the Rigger 5 rules arm (and leg) mounts can receive the same upgrades as cyberarms so an anthro drone like a Kenchiku-Kikai could have up to 20 points of armor with 4 limb+3 armor upgrades and up to body of 5 armor and its natural armor of 3.  Is this correct?

Also Anthro drones can wear regular armor so If I put them in a big game hunter does that add another 14 armor to it?  Seems a little OP to have 34 armor and not take any damage if the DV doesn't exceed the modified AP
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: FancyDerek on <03-20-17/2258:41>
p126 under drone leg: cyberlimb armor does not add to the armor of the drone.
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Ennui on <03-20-17/2310:54>
Thanks, must have missed that.  Okay so armor 8 + 14 from the big game hunter is that still 20 points of armor?
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: ZeldaBravo on <03-22-17/0149:21>
Looks about right.
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Rooks on <03-23-17/0734:11>
Do they become affected by stacking armor encumberance penalties?
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Jack_Spade on <03-23-17/0818:08>
Worn armor and inherent armor doesn't stack. For an Anthro Drone your best bet is a full body armor + gel packs + helmet and a electrical insulation.
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Hobbes on <03-23-17/1011:20>
Worn armor and inherent armor doesn't stack. For an Anthro Drone your best bet is a full body armor + gel packs + helmet and a electrical insulation.

Drones typically aren't my thing, where does it spell out Armor stacking?  I thought inherent drone Armor (on a Ares Duelist for Example) stacked fine with Armored Jackets and whatnot.  I knew the cyberlimb armor didn't count, but I thought the Drone's Armor and Body stats worked fine.
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: adzling on <03-23-17/1033:54>
wak's comments were that worn armor replaces built in armor.

this is the direction the errata team is currently considering
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Jack_Spade on <03-23-17/1037:01>
I asked about it in the Rigger Errata thread.

It's just applying the basic rule about only the highest armor value being counted (unless it's an +armor item like a helmet).
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Hobbes on <03-23-17/1149:41>
Makes sense.  Drone Soak is Body plus (greater of Armor stat or Worn Armor) plus the "+ Armor" values from gear.  Essentially turns a standard Armored Jacket into Hardened armor because Drones don't take stun.  I for one welcome our Robot Overlords, YMMV.

Just waiting for some Missions writer to really abuse the Rigger 5 Drone rules some day in the distant Neo-Tokeyian future.   
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Rooks on <03-23-17/1305:47>
more like vehicle armor since hardened armor also does the following Additionally, half of the Hardened Armor rating
(modified by AP, rounded up) counts as automatic extra
hits on this test.
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Pap Renvela on <03-23-17/1839:53>
more like vehicle armor since hardened armor also does the following Additionally, half of the Hardened Armor rating
(modified by AP, rounded up) counts as automatic extra
hits on this test.

Where does it state vehicle armor is Hardened Armor?
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Rooks on <03-24-17/0137:43>
more like vehicle armor since hardened armor also does the following Additionally, half of the Hardened Armor rating
(modified by AP, rounded up) counts as automatic extra
hits on this test.

Where does it state vehicle armor is Hardened Armor?
It doesnt Im saying drones dont take stun damage vehicles dont take stun damage
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Pap Renvela on <03-25-17/0049:47>
Additionally, half of the Hardened Armor rating (modified by AP, rounded up) counts as automatic extra hits on the test.

Where does it state vehicle armor is Hardened Armor?
It doesnt Im saying drones dont take stun damage vehicles dont take stun damage

Stating Additionally, half of the Hardened Armor rating (modified by AP, rounded up) counts as automatic extra is in no way the equivelant of stating  drones don't take stun damage vehicles dont take stun damage
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Kiirnodel on <03-25-17/0608:30>
Yeah Pap, Rooks was pointing out that vehicle armor isn't Hardened Armor, because it has that extra effect.

Rooks was responding to Hobbes, who commented that it "Essentially turns a standard Armored Jacket into Hardened armor"

and Rooks was making the same correction you're complaining about.


Honestly, it's a common misspeak for people to call Vehicle armor (or barriers for that matter) "Hardened" because of the fact that if the modified damage doesn't exceed the modified Armor, none of it goes through and the attack is effectively ignored. A lot of people overlook that Hardened Armor does that plus the bonus hits. Barriers and Vehicles don't get those free hits.
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Hobbes on <03-25-17/0831:19>

Honestly, it's a common misspeak for people to call Vehicle armor (or barriers for that matter) "Hardened" because of the fact that if the modified damage doesn't exceed the modified Armor, none of it goes through and the attack is effectively ignored. A lot of people overlook that Hardened Armor does that plus the bonus hits. Barriers and Vehicles don't get those free hits.

Eh.  No Damage is No Damage, however you get their, but you are correct.  This particular mechanic is likely why most Vehicles have lower armor than what a person can easily wear.  Except for a couple of specifically "Armored" vehicles, most vehicles and drones are single digit armor values.  A few get to 12.  Stock vehicles of course, Rigger Modifications can raise these to silly levels.  Anyway, being able to toss 19 points of Armor on an Ares Duelist is a huge upgrade and essentially turns an Ares Duelist into a light tank.   (Ares Big Game Hunter and favorite combo to get +5 presuming Drone Body = Str for Encumbrance).  An Assault Rifle with APDS will still need multiple net hits to force a Soak roll.  Autosoft and Swarm and your Drones likely have a decent defense tests too.   
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Jack_Spade on <03-25-17/0938:50>
Vehicle Armor is just normal armor, because the specialty lies within the fact that a vehicle doesn't have to worry about stun at all.

That said, cloth armored anthro drones are still very vulnerable to tasers and SnS, since those electrical attacks are always P damage for them. (That's when it pays off to use non-lethal options)
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Rooks on <03-25-17/1209:05>
Isnt swam kinda a waste I mean you only get +1 dice pool bonus per drone firing Also if you put non conductive 6 you pretty much gain a point of armor against electrical attacks
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Hobbes on <03-25-17/1532:12>
Swarm is broken.  It's a generic +1 Dice Pool, +1 Limit that has a max of RCC Device Rating * 5 *3.  So on a Rating 5 RCC, that's a +14 Dice Pool and Limit to any test.  Any Test.  Perception, Electronic Warfare, Sneaking, Mechanics, ect, ect, ect.  Also Swarm lets you use the RCCs Device Rating as the Pilot rating for the Swarm, and share Autosofts across your drones so you can use your RCC to run even more Programs.
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Kiirnodel on <03-25-17/2040:44>
It's Device Rating *3, although that just looks like a mistype based on your example.

A balance to the brokenness of swarm is that they still can't do things that the drones can't do, and they always have to act autonomously. So, for example, what actions are the drones performing on their own with Electronic Warfare?

It also uses the lowest stats (Handling, Speed, Acceleration) other than Pilot.

My personal balance would be to keep swarms limited to only performing actions that all the drones can perform. Attacking? They all have to have weapons. Perceiving, they all have to be able to have sensors capable of noticing the target. Sneaking? They all have to be moving in the area, sneaking. And a swarm is going to be easier to spot than a single drone (lower concealability). If less drones are participating, the bonus is lessened.
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Hobbes on <03-27-17/2214:11>
Just because they're acting on their own dice pools doesn't mean they're autonomous.  It's a simple action to command a swarm to go do whatever it is you want them to do.  As for EW, Snoop comes to mind.  Hide would be sorta funny.
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Kiirnodel on <03-27-17/2312:42>
How does a swarm of Drones perform the snoop action? The auto-pilot isn't an agent, and the drones aren't devices designed to be used to browse the Matrix, not to mention that they don't have Sleaze attributes.

I think my point is still valid, the drones still can't do actions that they aren't physically capable of doing. How do drones perform acts of Negotiation? Most of them don't have readily functioning speech abilities.

Remember, the base Pilot program isn't a replacement for any and all actions.

Quote from: Core Rulebook p. 269, "Pilot Programs" par. 3
Pilots have a Rating indicated by the Device Rating of the vehicle, drone, or other piece of gear they’re in. This rating is used in place of any Mental attribute needed for a test, but it hardly makes up for a metahuman brain. When faced with something novel or unexpected, or a complicated command, a Pilot program must make a Device Rating x 2 Test against a threshold set by the gamemaster based on how confusing the situation is. If it fails this test, it blithely continues doing what it was doing before, or simply stops entirely and asks for instructions.
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Coyote on <03-28-17/0905:41>
How do drones perform acts of Negotiation? Most of them don't have readily functioning speech abilities.

If they're flying, maybe they use a mime dance? Something like a honeybee "where is the honey" dance?
I mean, I'd drop my price a bit in order to see that...
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Hobbes on <03-29-17/0753:55>
Swarm bonus is fluffed as being some gestalt bonus of the combined processing and sensor power.  So lots of different perspectives for a Perception test.  Lots of different sensor feeds for your social tests to watch body language, lots of processing power to come up with a response.  You just need one drone with a Speaker for a verbal communication, not exactly difficult.  Not that any sane GM would allow a default negotiation roll from a Swarm of Fly-Spys. 

And "Add a Matrix Attribute" Sleaze Rating to one Drone, Attack Rating to another for your Matrix Tests, get a +14 Limit from Swarm.  I'd argue that Drones would be able to do a "Snoop" action.  That's what at least one of the Drones in Rigger 5 is built for, the Hedge Hog from Page 129.
"..., it can listen in
passively while running decrypting software. Parked in
a hidden location, it can eavesdrop for up to forty-eight
hours on a single charge, gathering data by the gigapulse."

That's the Snoop Action I would think.  Although, the Hedge Hog doesn't have a Sleaze attribute by default so, to your point, I don't know how it actually does what it says it does.
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: The Bald Man on <03-31-17/1453:32>
drone limb (cyberlimb) armor mods don't add to drone armor (rigger5.0 p.122)
Drone armor doesn't stack with regular armor because neither is a +armor.

wouldn't limb armor mod stack with worn armor, just like a metahuman with cyberlimb armor mods and armor?
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Rooks on <04-01-17/0243:04>
Swarm bonus is fluffed as being some gestalt bonus of the combined processing and sensor power.  So lots of different perspectives for a Perception test.  Lots of different sensor feeds for your social tests to watch body language, lots of processing power to come up with a response.  You just need one drone with a Speaker for a verbal communication, not exactly difficult.  Not that any sane GM would allow a default negotiation roll from a Swarm of Fly-Spys. 

And "Add a Matrix Attribute" Sleaze Rating to one Drone, Attack Rating to another for your Matrix Tests, get a +14 Limit from Swarm.  I'd argue that Drones would be able to do a "Snoop" action.  That's what at least one of the Drones in Rigger 5 is built for, the Hedge Hog from Page 129.
"..., it can listen in
passively while running decrypting software. Parked in
a hidden location, it can eavesdrop for up to forty-eight
hours on a single charge, gathering data by the gigapulse."

That's the Snoop Action I would think.  Although, the Hedge Hog doesn't have a Sleaze attribute by default so, to your point, I don't know how it actually does what it says it does.
you'd want add sleaze attribute to your RCC and run smoke and mirrors for 20 sleaze attribute
Title: Re: Anthro drone armor mechanics
Post by: Jack_Spade on <04-01-17/0544:22>
drone limb (cyberlimb) armor mods don't add to drone armor (rigger5.0 p.122)
Drone armor doesn't stack with regular armor because neither is a +armor.

wouldn't limb armor mod stack with worn armor, just like a metahuman with cyberlimb armor mods and armor?
Nope. It's an explicit rule in Rigger 5

p.125
"Drone limb armor does not affect the drone in any way, but having a limb provides +1 to the physical condition monitor as normal. Adding a drone arm requires a Shop and uses 1 MP."