Droid Upgrades

By Enjolras40, in Star Wars: Edge of the Empire RPG

Ok, sorry if this has been covered on the forums before. I did a cursory search and didn't see it, but didn't spend a lot of time looking.

I have someone playing a droid character and I wanted to know how to handle implants/attachments/etc. Reasonably speaking, a droid could be constructed for any purpose with any number of customizations. Or, he could be upgraded any number of ways after being built. I know that the CRB says that droids can have up to 6 total cybernetic implants, but I am wondering how others have handled this. It seems that droids should have more options or upgrade capabilities than carbon-based life-forms who can use cybernetics.

I am just looking for advice so I can help my player have as cool of a droid as he wants (and can afford), and I don't see much in the sourcebooks to explain it.

Thanks.

It has been argued back and forth on this forum at least once or twice. That said, it has been awhile.

Kept simplest: Droids can add normal equipment into their frames. This does require the droid to "purchase" the item and it does count against their encumbrance.

I hope that helps.

If the droid has arms and legs it can have four arms and four legs for, but pretty much what FangGrip said, then it comes down to GM's digression whether it works out or not.

Thanks guys. Sounds like I didn't miss anything then in my reading. They just don't give a lot of details on it. I wonder if they are planning a droid sourcebook at some point.

No, they don’t give you a lot of details.

To be honest, I’ve played a droid PC, and I still don’t know where people are finding this rule that you can only have six cybernetic attachments, or whatever.

No, they don’t give you a lot of details.

To be honest, I’ve played a droid PC, and I still don’t know where people are finding this rule that you can only have six cybernetic attachments, or whatever.

EotE pg 173 3rd paragraph:

"Each character may only purchase and install a number of cybernetic enhancements and replacements equal to his Brawn rating."

That's the "over all limit" on Cyberware.

EotE pg 47, Droids:

" Special Abilities: Droids do not need to eat, sleep, or breathe, and are unaffected by toxins or poisons. Droids have a cybernetic implant cap of 6 instead of their Brawn rating."

Cyberware and Droids.

Cybernetics is what my crew uses for upgrades to droids. They can have a total of 6. When you look at them, you'll see a character that can get two ability adjustments (Brawn, and Agility), also get all kinds of visions, etc... for less then the price of a decent hotel stay. It looks like a character's wet dream. Then adding the dedication talents, it gives droids a total of 5 bonuses to ability scores. At first glance it appears rather unbalanced against the biologic portions of the party, but everything comes at a price.....

Cybernetics are affected by EMP/Ion and it is a rather heavy draw. If you hit, and beat the soak, cybernetics completely shut down for the scene (no damage further required (beyond the 1 point over soak, not that those types of weapons do damage really). For my character that pretty much means one shot of ion, and beating his 7 soak (ridiculous right?), and he becomes a blind statue (arms, legs, and eyes shut down) for the remainder of the combat. This applies to droids (for whom cybernetics are the "upgrades") as well, according to the DEV FAQ found on these boards.

Edited by Shamrock

Thanks guys. Sounds like I didn't miss anything then in my reading. They just don't give a lot of details on it. I wonder if they are planning a droid sourcebook at some point.

There really isn't much reason for them to have a Droid Sourcebook. They kept it simple to provide the greatest number of options and possibilities. What would they likely put into such a book?

  • Attributes are selected by the player normally. You can tailor them to your design/character concept.
  • Additional built-in equipment for the model is simply purchased and assumed to be part of the droid. Armor, weapons, and gear can all be purchased in this manner.
  • Shape & design are simply decided by the player unless there is a in-game benefit.
  • Base Droid Kits - They have examples of droids in nearly every source-book. Just like races, I doubt they will have a compilation book.

If you are looking for ideas, I would suggest wookiepedia or possibly a visual guide to droids. I think one exists. It isn't a game book, just a movie/series companion trade paperback.

Thanks guys. Sounds like I didn't miss anything then in my reading. They just don't give a lot of details on it. I wonder if they are planning a droid sourcebook at some point.

There really isn't much reason for them to have a Droid Sourcebook. They kept it simple to provide the greatest number of options and possibilities. What would they likely put into such a book?

  • Attributes are selected by the player normally. You can tailor them to your design/character concept.
  • Additional built-in equipment for the model is simply purchased and assumed to be part of the droid. Armor, weapons, and gear can all be purchased in this manner.
  • Shape & design are simply decided by the player unless there is a in-game benefit.
  • Base Droid Kits - They have examples of droids in nearly every source-book. Just like races, I doubt they will have a compilation book.

If you are looking for ideas, I would suggest wookiepedia or possibly a visual guide to droids. I think one exists. It isn't a game book, just a movie/series companion trade paperback.

Still, it might be worth a subsection of the Technition book

Still, it might be worth a subsection of the Technition book

It would be fine there. Heck, a cost/upgrades to mod NPC droids would be fantastic.

Thanks guys. Sounds like I didn't miss anything then in my reading. They just don't give a lot of details on it. I wonder if they are planning a droid sourcebook at some point.

There really isn't much reason for them to have a Droid Sourcebook. They kept it simple to provide the greatest number of options and possibilities. What would they likely put into such a book?

  • Attributes are selected by the player normally. You can tailor them to your design/character concept.
  • Additional built-in equipment for the model is simply purchased and assumed to be part of the droid. Armor, weapons, and gear can all be purchased in this manner.
  • Shape & design are simply decided by the player unless there is a in-game benefit.
  • Base Droid Kits - They have examples of droids in nearly every source-book. Just like races, I doubt they will have a compilation book.

If you are looking for ideas, I would suggest wookiepedia or possibly a visual guide to droids. I think one exists. It isn't a game book, just a movie/series companion trade paperback.

I respectfully disagree...As said there are a lot of questions still pertaining to droids. And there is the NPC droid questions that have been asked and only some have been answered. So a Droid book would be nice. Plus there are all kinds of droids that we haven't even thought of. So I would like to see those.

What questions pertaining to PC droids are you wondering about?

Not PC droids so much as NPC droids

Yeah, I think most of them would fit into a subsection of the Tech book like Rakaydos suggests though.

I would love to see some stuff on NPC droids and upgrades. My guys just got a couple of old and beat up OOM Battle Droids, and I don't have too many ideas on how to upgrade them really. I would to see the cost/difficulty of integrating the Adversary talent.

Our groups general rule of thumb is that as long as something can be reasonably justified with droids its allowed, even if the rules don't explicitly allow it.

Small things like an inbuilt data pad(hardwired interface access) or thermal imaging don't give encumbrance. They only cost money.

The approach the books seem to suggest is this: Reskin the equipment for characters and use the resulting item for droids only. Droids don't use cyberware, they use upgraded/experimental limbs/co-processors. They don't use laminate armor, they have a hardened plasteel shell - and so on. Stats and costs remain the same.

What I would like to see is some sort of table that gives me some names for that reskinning process. Just to establish some naming conventions.

Modable droids would be next on my list. Droids could have hard points (in fact I like to think of the 6 cyberware slots as HP 6) and the equipment that you just reskinned could turn into modifyable attachments. That would take a little more work, of course.

My biggest "Whut da fug?" when it comes to Droids, implants, and Ion guns:

Implanted Armor. Droid has it, gets Ioned... does the Armor turn off? By the RAW it does.

:lol:

I don't think they'll have a droid source book simply because they haven't come out with any so far for any other "species", just careers and locales, like Corellia (and the upcoming one for Hutt Space). Sure, droids aren't your typical species, but I'm just going by their previous releases.

I think Droids are enough of a special case to have their own source book, even if no other species technically has one. Although given that we have what is basically going to be a Hutt book coming out...

I think Droids are enough of a special case to have their own source book, even if no other species technically has one. Although given that we have what is basically going to be a Hutt book coming out...

Also, Droid NPCs are such an integral part of the Star Wars universe, that you need to have universal rules for the NPCs so they can be (w/ enough credits) a very valuable and powerful tool for your PCs.

R2-D2 in Ep. 1 compared to the Orig. Trilogy are light yrs apart from ea. other. How much INT did 3PO start w/ and has now to have 10000 languages at the touch of a hand. Memory Wipes/Upgrades/Downgrades/Weapons/Armor/Tools/Talents...I know this stuff for PCs but what about NPCs??? Those are the main Qs I have about Droids.

My biggest "Whut da fug?" when it comes to Droids, implants, and Ion guns:

Implanted Armor. Droid has it, gets Ioned... does the Armor turn off? By the RAW it does.

:lol:

Well, that only works if you use a limited cybernetic slot. If you simply build armor into the chassis, it works like the armor would normally. Simply re-skinned.

Well, that only works if you use a limited cybernetic slot. If you simply build armor into the chassis, it works like the armor would normally. Simply re-skinned.

Human character gets Implanted Armor, catches an Ion shot, Armor turns off...

WHY?

Well, that only works if you use a limited cybernetic slot. If you simply build armor into the chassis, it works like the armor would normally. Simply re-skinned.

Perhaps worded this way you'll see my "WTF?":

Human character gets Implanted Armor, catches an Ion shot, Armor turns off...

WHY?

Just spitballing here, but how about if it was reactive armor? The cybernetic armor needs to sense the damage and react in some way. Perhaps changing shape to better absorb/deflect the damage. Hitting it with an ion would short out the sensing of the damage and make it so the armor can't react. Which turns the armor off.

I agree though, as written the armor getting hit by ion and turning off feels counter-intuitive.

Well, that only works if you use a limited cybernetic slot. If you simply build armor into the chassis, it works like the armor would normally. Simply re-skinned.

Perhaps worded this way you'll see my "WTF?":

Human character gets Implanted Armor, catches an Ion shot, Armor turns off...

WHY?

Ah, yeah... that is a bit off.