Hello,

One of my players plays a droid - a bit like the R2, its main skill is slicing/computers. Naturally, he wants to be useful in scenes like combat, space combat, chases etc.

Now, I understand that Star Wars is not Shadowrun with wireless access everywhere, but how can such a character contribute? There are some examples in the book, like spoofing missiles etc but:

1) Is it possible to hijack droids, perhaps the simple ones like loaders etc?

2) I think that judging form the films, he should be able to find a physical socket (at least r2d2 had to)

3) What about space combat? Is possible to slice into another ship's systems and if yes, how much control can you gain?

4) Can non-humanoid droids use humanoid weapons?

Any other ideas are welcome!

I understand wanting to make the player feel useful but if doing this was easy then everyone would be doing it. You could decide on the opposite slicer's skill and make it an opposed check at the least. I also would make it a multistage thing - one computer check to achieve A, then another to achieve B, and then finally another to reach their end goal (now with advantages and threats from previous attempts impacting the next). And, of course, if they constantly are doing this to enemy ships, then there will be enemies doing that to them.

On a case by case basis I have been deciding that some information/systems can be reached from their computer system and others that need direct access.

If I had a PC playing an astromech I would probably allow a weapon to be customized for him. Maybe a holdout blaster could be in a compartment but anything bigger would have to be externally mounted

Personally I'd limit wireless slicing activities precisely because of the underdeveloped nature of wireless access in the Star Wars universe (movies, anyway). Slicing into the enemy ship wouldn't work, but you'd still have other options:

1) Interfere with the enemy ship's comm equipment by misusing your own comm equipment via slicing; make it harder for the enemy ship to coordinate amongst the crew itself or between it and other ships or sites

2) Slice into your own ship to cause energy fluctuations or heat buildups that the other ship's sensors would pick as signs of failure (where there was none) and mislead the enemy

3) Slice into your own ship to provide temporary boosts to its performance

Hijacking droids I could see done via direct physical access to the droids themselves or in the case of centrally controlled droids, physical access to the control unit or a wired network its on. Even if the droids aren't centrally controlled, slicing into the communication system that is used to command them and faking instructions might work.

By and large I'd say non-humanoid droids can't use humanoid equipment or weapons (that is, if they don't have opposable digits they can't squeeze triggers, if they don't have grappling arms they can't pull priming pins, etc). They can of course have the non-humanoid droid equivalent of an equipment or weapon installed into them, just not pick it up in the battlefield from a fallen humanoin.

I believe slicing into an enemy's ship is indeed listed as a possibility under the sidebar about other things people can do to be useful in space combat.

You can't outright take control of the enemy vessel, but could cause a few negatives for the opposing pilot. I don't have a book in front of me, so can't give a page number, but I'm pretty sure it's there.

Our slicer droid is a Pit Droid, and he's carrying a hold out blaster. Actually he's a thief who's smart and good with computers. Unless you need to have intense slicing activity, it may be more fun for the player to have a different class.

Astomech's don't strike me as being particularly all around contributors. But the rules are pretty clear that you can build gear into the droid. Like a blaster...

I know the astromech droid NPC on pg. 410 has an arc welder weapon statted out; how would you cost adding that to a droid? Seems to fit somewhat better than an R2 unit packing heat.