I just rolled up an Explorer spec Archeologist Droid character. Spent almost all EXP on stat increases, a couple of Talents, built in Fine Excavation Tool Kit.

The tool kit is a nice bonus, it includes a data pad and all sorts of useful little gadgets and tools, clippers, multi-tool, monofilament line.

Lots of Knowledge skills. Starting at 1 in most skills. But that's what future experience is for. Well Rounded Talent is great for those two bonus Career Skills.

Yes, on the surface a specialist, but actually offering great possibilities as a non-combat generalist. Especially since general purpose non-description droids are fairly ubiquitous in Star Wars.

Picture a hexagonal trash can on legs.

Who else enjoys droids and have you done with them?

I find it hard to relate if the droid is too alien. I'm wondering about the Archeologist Droid's handler. I would think that a science like that would require an organic to provide the need to dig but would use the droid for assistance. That would explain why the droids skills aren't that great because they wouldn't be the primary Archeologist. A museum could assign a droid to someone as sort of a conscious. "Sir, that Jewel of Revan belongs in a museum"

I guess what I am saying is have you thought of a reason why you would be in your group's party? Perhaps you were recognized as being a good source for info and stolen. A droid usually is not totally independent even if they have a learning processor. They usually belong to another PC, been assigned to a PC, or have gone rogue and the PCs allow them to stay. Most droids will have a basic need to do what they were designed for though. So even if you were stolen to be a walking database, you would probably still want to dig up dead people's stuff. This may change if they don't get mind wiped regularly. R2-D2 is a case where a droid started out as a Mechanic but after a time of not being mind wiped started moving into other specs like Slicer and Covert Dark Overlord of the Universe.

I made a Footman droid that is considered a Fringer I believe. He works to make his owner money and has no problems coming up with scams to do so. Probably not what he was originally designed for, and even if he was, he probably wasn't made to keep some of that money for his own use. =)

I've been meaning to create a happy go lucky R2-Killbot. R2-KB?

Just haven't had the time.

I've been meaning to create a happy go lucky R2-Killbot. R2-KB?

Just haven't had the time.

This would be amazing. Do this and post the character on the forums.

I had made a prototype R6 unit destination R6-VX8 (or Vexate). The little astromech was stolen and reprogrammed by a smuggler to become his personal slicer. Along the way Vexate began to enjoy what he was doing, the idea of stealing from people and altering their data for no other reason than to infuriate them.

The concept behind BK-3T "Bucket" is that he started out as a dig assistant and field research library. I am thinking he got left out on his own in the field a bit too often and a bit too long and developed some quirks and independence.

No party for him to join currently, just wanted to try out the Droid PC rules. Buying up Attributes to something livable eats a lot of EXP, so lots of skills at level 1.

I also wanted to make a character that would rely more on player cleverness than rules mechanics for fun in play. Much though I enjoy clever exploits of EotE mechanics.

Both groups I am in are big fans of the show Archer. Both groups have droids.

The first is called 4RC-H3R, "Archer". He is an HK-51 assassin droid that was found by a young rodian on Dantooine and was rebuilt by the rodian. Not very intelligent, owing to the damage of time, the droid relishes in the kill and seldom seeks any other course of action.

The other group has a droid called KR1-3G3R, "Krieger". He is a reactivated IG-100 Magnaguard that has been reprogrammed for medical purposes. Oddly enough, still combat capable. Bedsidemanner.exe is actually combat mode and my wookie has been unable to change that...

My players just bought an astromech droid. Since it is only three of them they really needed the skill set of the droid to help out.

Based it off of a P2 model (but not as big) with a heavy grasper arm coming out of the dome.

My group has a droid, EG-1, a customized cybernetics droid, trained in both mechanics and medicine. He's a funny, floating little droid--he believes that cybernetics are the path to "improving" organics. He also is the quintessential scientist. He will perform experiments in the field for fun...such as spiking a party member's drink to see what happens. He also has some kind of glitch in his programming where he's perfectly willing to allow sentients to be harmed in order that he can operate on them.

Thats not a glitch, that is MadDr.exe perfectly normal and acceptable.

I want to like the concept of playing a droid, but I just can't get into it. I need to be able to relate to my character, and have them relate to other organic beings in a way I can slip into. I have to hard a time doing that as a droid. It would be fun as a one or two shot maybe, but not a long term campaign.

I've been meaning to create a happy go lucky R2-Killbot. R2-KB?

Just haven't had the time.

This would be amazing. Do this and post the character on the forums.

I'm working on it. Question - I'm assuming that Items that are integrated into droid PC's, like toolkits, count against encumbrance. PC droids don't have hard points do they?

Fine. The book is out. I'll be right back.

All that tech and people can't come up with a better OS than Windows? The world is doomed.

Bedsidemanner.exe is actually combat mode and my wookie has been unable to change that...

All that tech and people can't come up with a better OS than Windows? The world is doomed.

Bedsidemanner.exe is actually combat mode and my wookie has been unable to change that...

Well its beats the VIC20-C64 Protocol Droid, notoriously long load time to translate from BASIC to machine code. Good old LOAD ":*",8,1 command

I want to make an explorer droid who is the only survivor found on an expedition ship sent to the rim of known space. That's all I have for now, the low starting stats are really kind of a turn off for me. But I would like him to look like the Ralph McQuarrie concept art for IG-88.

With some Obligation you can set four attributes at '2' and the remaining two stats at '3' each, or focus a bit more and sacrifice on some. That is good when you couple that with the extra free ranks of career/bonus career skills and a rank of Enduring. Really think about the skills you actually want to be able to do, and read the careers and specs. You can play a Doctor that goes after bounties or an Assassin that doesn't actually use any lethal weapons. Same goes for Explorer, you might be an explorer that was very academic like a Scientist, or one that was focused solely on ancient lore like an Archaeologist. You might have been part of an exploration team that blazed trails like a Survivalist.

In our last game (Mainly Edge of the Empire with Rebellion stuff added in at its release) I was an "ancient" droid of unknown origin. His original function being lost, he was re-programed as a medical droid for the front line of battle, able to heal organics as well as fix machinery. With there not being many wars at the time, F1-XR was auctioned off to an outer rim colony which was in need of a medical droid. He acted as a doctor for them until he was caught "stealing" from his patients (it was around this point that he had gained independent sentience, seeing other professionals in the colony getting compensation for their work, yet he was getting nothing. So he took his payment while his patients were under the knife). When he was found out, the colonist scheduled his memory to be wiped and a full re-programing. He then fled his colony and joined the Rebellion in an attempt to gain asylum. At which point he joined the group (being that my other character had just died).

He was a doctor but also built for battle, he had a shield that was a part of his arm, and made good use of his Anatomy Lessons talent and Bad Motivator Talent. He was also a buff guy before battles (think D&D cleric with Artifact has his Domain). As it turned out, there were two more of him, and all three of them were keys to a weapon in Centerpoint Station. And because there was some pretty crazy stuff going on he ended up turning the weapon on to himself thus ending the campaign and saving the galaxy (oh and killing most of the party).

In response to all the folks having trouble relating with droids in order to play them, you gotta think about it like this: Unlike many other droids in the galaxy, your character has gained full sentience and possibly independence. For you Trekkies out there, look at Data from Next Gen as inspiration, or even the freakin' Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. Sometimes the droid is more 'Human" than the human, and may live life to its fullest. They aren't cold hearted or unfeeling. C-3PO was constantly worrying and being scared. R2-D2 is kind of a jerk that laughs at his friends constantly. And now we have C1-10P or Chopper from Rebels who is a caring yet evil little jerk who somehow comes across as endearing. Droids are people too. Just remember that.

I play a protocol droid in an AoR campaign. His name is 3-BRT or Ebert for his friends. He was once a reviewer of holonet shows and has applied his trade to the rebel-cause as an analyst ever since the Empire restricted access to the holonet.

My GM slaved my droid character to another PC, whose play flaked out, making my character basically useless because his motivations and such were built around this one character who was immediately killed off. I feel like if I had taken more of a stand and insisted that my droid was free, I would have had a lot more fun with him.

I want to like the concept of playing a droid, but I just can't get into it. I need to be able to relate to my character, and have them relate to other organic beings in a way I can slip into. I have to hard a time doing that as a droid. It would be fun as a one or two shot maybe, but not a long term campaign.

For me, the key thing is to think of them as a character first. Kryten from the British TV show “Red Dwarf” is a model that I frequently use as a baseline, and then I throw in some other things on top of that.

The more personality you can give them, the more fun they will be to play.

I haven't had the opportunity to play any droids, but I've made one concept I'm partial too.

Oddly, I actually like the idea of playing up the uncanny valley elements of an AI or droid character.

I haven't had the opportunity to play any droids, but I've made one concept I'm partial too.

Oddly, I actually like the idea of playing up the uncanny valley elements of an AI or droid character.

Oh, yeah — you certainly do that.

But it’s still important to think of it first as a character or personality, before you can start working on what makes this character or personality different from others.

We have a MurderBot Gadgeteer, who takes really does not want to take "no disintegration jobs" and is quite overprotective of his master.

And an Ace Rigger Astromech with a VCX-100 has signature ship, a free droid who join the rebels on his own and is about as wilful as R2-D2, but with the art sense of Sabine.

I'm not sure I like how droids are laid out mechanically. I would like to see the various droid types dealt with as "species", where protocol droids start with high presence, racial ability to translate etc. Astromechs have high int, built in tools, etc.

The free build approach is somewhat odd, since you can create a massively strong Protocol droid that everyone hates. But then you can't do hardware upgrades to rearrange stats, or software changes to add/delete skills.

It can work, but has to be watched carefully or you end up with very odd builds.

If you want to play a protocol droid then you'd probably stick most of your points in Presence and Intellect anyway, not Brawn. But that's why I actually like this way of doing droids - you can put together some unusual builds if that's what you're into. The only reason I'd want to see different droid models at character creation would be for different built-in chassis options, but even that can be easily narrated with some "implanted" equipment.