[UppityPrimate]

   So... one of my players in a new game wants to play a Magician from a Possession tradition who is also a competent drone rigger.  Since the rules in Street Magic mention that spirits can possess objects like cars and guns, it seems like it should be possible (though maybe difficult) for his summoned spirits to possess his drones.  I assume they wouldn't get the benefit of any software or sensors, and the possession test would have to overcome a significant object resistance threshold.

   I'm trying to figure out what the physical stats of these possessed drones should be.  I'm looking at the Plasteel Homunculus as a reference, but does anyone have any other points of reference or advice on statting these things out? 

   As an aside, I'm trying to decide whether I should allow him to take the Gunnery skill as an optional power for his Guardian spirits.  Guardian spirits may take combat skills as optional powers.  I know that Gunnery is technically a vehicle skill.  However, I don't want to force the player to mod his drones with mechanical arms, just so he can hold the gun in a hand and use the Heavy Weapons skill instead.  Of course, as a GM I'm already having nightmarish visions of force 6+ spirits possessing up-armored Steel Lynxes or Dobermans wielding heavy weapons...  oy.

[FastJack]

Oy vay.

On statting the possessed drone:

Dead or Inanimate Vessels
     If the vessel is inanimate or dead, the spirit’s Force is added to any appropriate Physical ratings (at the gamemaster’s discretion). For instance, a corpse’s attributes would be appropriate, as would a jar’s Barrier rating, or a vehicle’s Body, Armor, and Speed—though not it’s Handling. The spirit does not enhance any tech- or software-based statistics such as an object’s Device rating or a vehicle’s Pilot software. While the spirit may use all of its powers on the physical plane through such a vessel, it may only animate it to perform actions the vessel could otherwise mechanically perform. For instance, a possessed gun would be able to fire or eject a clip, but would be unable to move by itself or access its smartgun functions. Likewise, a possessed bright-red SAAB Fury would be able to drive itself, but not access GridLink, use a Pilot program, or target weapons with sensors. As a rule of thumb, spirits can control mechanical functions, and not those which require complex electronic, DNI, or wireless controls. Ultimately, it’s up to the gamemaster to rule what the spirit can control and what it can’t.
     The combined entity uses its enhanced attributes (or simply the spirit’s if it lacks attributes) to calculate Initiative, and uses the spirit’s normal Initiative Passes.

As for the Gunnery skill, that's totally your call. I can see the reasoning behind allowing it, but I can also see why you shouldn't.

[Dead Monky]

It would be far easier just to find a technomancer to stick a sprite in the drone.  The spirit would be a bit....less than efficient.

[The_Gun_Nut]

If that's all you got in the heat of the moment, then a spirit is better than nothing.

Of course, a dog brain piloting the thing is better than the spirit (it can be trained to use the drone much more easily, and it can be paid in belly rubs).

[Nomad Zophiel]

OK, so this made me wonder. What's the order of precedence when posession by spirits combine with active users. Does possession of a vehicle automatically equal control against a rigger or physically present pilot?

[FastJack]

I'd pretty much say that a rigger/pilot would have to do a skill test to regain control, "booting" the spirit out with a success.

[Chaemera]

If the vesssel is inanimate or dead, the spirit's Force is added to any appropriate Physical ratings (at the gamemaster's discretion). For instance, a corpse's attributes would be appropriate, as would a jar's Barrier rating, or a vehicle's Body, Armor, and Speed - though not it's Handling. The spirit does not enhance any tech- or software-based statistics such as an object's Device rating or a vehicle's Pilot software.
...
A possessed bright red SAAB Fury would be able to drive itself, but not access GridLink, use a Pilot program, or target weapons with sensors. As a rule of thumb, spirits can control mechanical functions, and not those which require complex electronic, DNI, or wireless controls.

From that, I would consider the rigger / dogbrain to have clear control of the real "controls", so if it's something like shooting the drone's weapons using the sensors, I wouldn't even make the rigger / dogbrain roll for control.
Only time I'd even worry about it is if  rigger / dogbrain is trying to perform an action which the spirit can perform (or counter), such as steering the drone.

From a user perspective, I'd tell the spirit to enhance the thing, but let the dogbrain retain all control.

Of course, the side-bar even makes it clear that, at the end of the day, it's GM Fiat.

[raggedhalo]

I'd pretty much say that a rigger/pilot would have to do a skill test to regain control, "booting" the spirit out with a success.

You just invented tech-based Banishing, so I'm against this.  I'd say that the Possessing spirit could easily just switch off the drone's remote control section and just be in charge.

[Chaemera]

I'd pretty much say that a rigger/pilot would have to do a skill test to regain control, "booting" the spirit out with a success.

You just invented tech-based Banishing, so I'm against this.  I'd say that the Possessing spirit could easily just switch off the drone's remote control section and just be in charge.

In a rigged-car that has physical controls and switches, I can see that. In a drone with no physical controls, you just invented VR-accessing spirits, so I'm against this.

Keep in mind, the spirit has zero interaction with the high-tech goodies of a drone / vehicle, only the physically articulated and movable components. It can make wheels spin and pistons pump, but it can't send a command to engage computer-assisted 4-wheel drive. Unless there is a physical button to push or switch to throw, the spirit can't affect the computer settings of the vehicle / drone.

Whether this means the pilot attempting to drive via sending control signals can beat out the spirit directly spinning the wheels of the car, that's GM Fiat land. Though I would venture to say the dog-brain can't "boot" the spirit out of it, it could just, perhaps, wrestle control away from the spirit.

[FastJack]

I'd pretty much say that a rigger/pilot would have to do a skill test to regain control, "booting" the spirit out with a success.

You just invented tech-based Banishing, so I'm against this.  I'd say that the Possessing spirit could easily just switch off the drone's remote control section and just be in charge.

Never said the spirit was banished, just dumped from the drone/vehicle. Then he has to find somewhere new to go.

[Dead Monky]

Like the Star's patrol car? 

[KarmaInferno]

Stats are the drone's physical stats plus spirit Force. Acceleration, Speed, Body, Armor. By RAW no spirit can get Vehicle skills, although some GMs might allow the skills to count as Technical or Physical skills, and as such be accessed by Task spirits.

For maximum efficiency you have to add physical controls, the Manual Control Override upgrade from Arsenal can accomplish this. You probably want to put the controls inside the drone where only the spirit can access them. Even then, the spirit will only be able to use the physical abilities of the drone - no software based dice pools, no AR or VR, etc.

One neat trick is upgrading the drone's weapons with a Pilot Upgrade. They can then fire with full software bonuses, essentially becoming secondary gun drones riding in the spirit-possessed drone. You can also possibly save on spirit services, as the spirit doesn't have to be actually commanded to fight, just move to follow you and "look" at stuff while the guns do the shooting.

As to whether or not the drone's Pilot can operate the drone while the spirit merely acts as a dice pool booster, that's up to the GM. The books strongly imply that they CANNOT normally let the possessed creature or object any sort of control - otherwise what would be the point of the Channelling metamagic?



-k