Will add questions as they come to mind, but top of the head:

Template vs Examples;

A template has a specific statistic to it, but the examples vary.

As example, Energy Pistols have the statistics of a Heavy Blaster Pistol I believe, or just a Blaster Pistol, but what if I want to make a Hold-out blaster for a lady? - Would that be a new template, or do I use energy pistol template cost and time, but Hold-out blaster stats?

Gadget statistics for example have specific Encumbrance, such as Standard at 3, Precise at 4 and Specialized at 8(if I recall), but a Standard gadget shows Datapad in it's example, is the datapad I make Encumbrance 3 or the original default for a datapad?

Another gadget example is Thermal Cloak, but when crafted, it has a bonus on the template, will my crafted Thermal Cloak have this bonus while a bought one is without (this is not counting boons/triumphs).

Or do people follow the template, say craft a Datapad using the price/rarity and time, applying any bonuses, but changing the Encumbrance to match a normal Datapad?

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Drones; How do you wipe them?

Say I make a drone, or steal one, can you wipe it clean and then program a new one until you're satisfied with it?

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Cybernetics; General skill implants; What kind of fluff do you make for them to work. What kind of implant would be one that adds a rank to Mechanics, or Computer, or Skulduggery?

Cybernetics; Arm/leg with attributes; Do they need to come in pairs to function like the default ones in the core books, or can I have one each?

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Feel free to post/answer questions, always nice to see other ideas for inspiration. Still need to figure out how to get new schematics or invent new templates.

My understanding is the templates are for more a class of item, where what you get from a store is more specific manufactured models.

So when you craft something like a datapad you aren't making a Arakyd XPS 3500, you're making your own thing out of available materials and components that isn't identical, but can perform most of the same functions. If you happen to know what you're doing, you can make something equal or even better, if not.... You don't.

And that's the real trick to the crafting system. If you just build something once, its probably not going to be any better than an off the shelf item. So building an energy pistol is probably not going to be all that better than buying a blaster, especially if you need a certain kind of blaster. But hey, if you need an item and building one is the best way to get it at the time, it's a solution.

On the other hand building something over and over is more likely to kick out bonuses. So while your first grenade will probably be a crude pipe bomb that's as likely to kill the user as the target, your 50th will probably have a stack of carefully selected bonuses making perfect for the mission at hand.

For Gadgets/tools, I've been working on the assumption that the tools you make with the template have the abilities and encumbrance given and nothing else. I think the examples are just there to help with adding flavor and calibrating what the templates refer to. So when they list "Bacta Tank" as an example specialist tool, they don't mean that you're going to make an especially compact bacta tank that adds an auto-success to all the normal benefits of a bacta tank, but rather that a bacta tank is emblematic of the sort of bulky equipment designed for particular uses that the specialist tool template represents. Likewise, "datapad" is listed as an example simple tool because it gets across the idea that you are making something with broad, generalized applications.

I haven't found any detailed rules for wiping a droid's programming so that you can reprogram it. I would assume that it is akin to a very thorough memory wipe, and probably isn't difficult to accomplish if you have the right software.

Skill implants are an interesting place to exercise some creativity. A Mechanics implant might consist of a retinal implant connected to scanners embedded in the hands/fingers which allow the cyborg to easily measure things like energy flow or material strength and overlay it over their vision as they work. A Skulduggery implant might be similar to the Digital Lockpick from Fly Casual, perhaps a cybernetic finger that can flatten and reshape itself to form into a lock pick or easily slip into someone's pocket, with an integrated EM sensor that warns the cyborg of active security devices in the vicinity. Ditto for the Computers implant and the Implanted Cyberjack from Lords of Nal Hutta. I like trying to work some sort of minor sensory apparatus into various skill implants like these, since a lot of these skills cover not just mechanical skill but also knowledge of how to approach a situation, so it makes sense that a skill implant that is broadly useful for such a skill would in some way apprise the cyborg of relevant conditions in the environment.

As for the hold-out blaster question, any time you're trying to use a general template to emulate a specific piece of gear, there's probably going to be some fiddling about and working with the GM. Making a hold-out blaster might involve creating a new template, or it could just require coming up with a special feature that can make a 1 encumbrance weapon harder to find if you pay a suitable number of advantages from the roll. I mean, the military holdout blaster from Desperate Allies is basically the energy pistol template with an increased difficulty to spot and an increased likelihood to run out of ammo slapped on (and fewer hard points, but you get the picture).

The crafting mechanics are super great for your run of the mill typical items. Once you want to build something more specific it can get a bit iffy.
One good method is to simply halve the item cost or a specific item, and have the GM choose a difficulty and craft time. If that is just extra complication, use the energy pistol template or the solid projectile pistol template.

I believe the encumbrance for the simple tool is because (in the example of the datapad) you're not making a small portable tablet, you've pulled out an old holo monitor, hooked it up to a hard drive, and routed both of them through two power cells taped together. Is 3 encumbrance fair for every simple tool? probably not, ask your GM if you think its too high (or if you're the GM, adjust accordingly).

Will your Thermal cloak have the extra bonus? Yep. You made a really good thermal cloak, better than one you'd find at a typical store.

How do you wipe a droid: I'd go with a hard computers check, followed by the usual droid programming rules to reprogram it.

Alternatively, your GM might allow a daunting computers check to change its loyalty to you. That could be cool.

General skill implants.

• Mechanics: an internal multitool
• Computers: some sort of computer interfacing tool
• Skulduggery: a hidden lockpick? a secret spot for poison?

Cyber legs must be a pair to get the boost. It would be weird to have one leg that was faster than the other.

I do not believe this is the case for cyber arms though.

I do not believe this is the case for cyber arms though.

This is addressed in the rules, but I am AFB at the moment.

You don’t have to replace both arms to get the benefit of a boost to your Agility or your Brawn. You can replace just one. But if you do replace both arms, then they both have to be of the same type and the benefits don’t stack.

This is how cyber arms differ from cyber legs.

For the skill implant I like to go the Chuck route and treat it like an intersect. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_(TV_series)