Droid Crafting

Droids are a fixture of galactic civilization, and have been for millennia.

Building a sentient mechanical being is somewhat more involved a task than simply creating a blaster pistol. [...] Because each of these tasks is significant, the crafter must perform an extra step, Step 4: Program Directives, before the droid is fully operational.

When building a droid, the crafter first performs Steps 1-3 as normal, choosing a droid chassis template, acquiring the materials, and performing the listed check over the amount of time specified.

Once the crafter completes Step 3: Construction successfully (by spending the requisite hours and succeeding on the listed checks, as usual), the character finishes the droid's chassis, but it is just a lifeless shell until it is imbued with an animating spark of intelligence. At this point, the mechanic can go on to perform Step 4: Program Directives, by choosing one of the droid directive templates and making the listed check over the amount of time required.

If the character fails, the only thing lost is the crafter's time. The character can attempt Step 4: Program Directives at the next available opportunity. If the character succeeds, the droid is brought online after the number of working hours listed in the template under "Time." Every success result the character scores on the check beyond the first reduces this time by 2 hours (to a minimum of 1 hour). Other factors can also affect the time required at the GM's discretion.

Once online, the droid is an NPC that possesses the characteristics and other attributes determined in Step 3: Construction and the skills, talents, and other abilities determined in Step 4: Program Directives.

WHAT ABOUT BUILDING DROID PCS?

The rules in this section only cover the creation of NPC droids. From a narrative standpoint, though, one PC can build another as long as both players agree.

From a rules standpoint, such a PC should still be built using the normal Character Creation rules.

CHASSIS OPTIONS

In the manner described for all crafting in Step 1: Select Template, the crafter may choose from the chassis options listed in the table below when attempting to build a droid.

DROID CHASSIS TEMPLATES

Name	Material Price/Rarity	Check	Time
Monotask Chassis	600 credits/2	Average difficulty Mechanics check	1 day (24 hours)
Labor Chassis	3,500 credits/3	Average difficulty Mechanics check	2 days (48 hours)
Combat Chassis	(R) 3,250 credits/4	Hard difficulty Mechanics check	2 days (48 hours)
Specialist Chassis	4,500 credits/3	Daunting difficulty Mechanics check	3 days (56 hours)
Advanced Combat Chassis	(R) 32,500 credits/7	Formidable difficulty Mechanics check	10 day (240 hours)

MONOTASK CHASSIS [MINION]

Abilities: Droid (does not need to breathe, eat, or drink, and can survive in vacuum or underwater; immune to poisons or toxins), Silhouette 0.

LABOR CHASSIS [MINION]

Abilities: Droid (does not need to breathe, eat, or drink, and can survive in vacuum or underwater; immune to poisons or toxins), Silhouette 1.

COMBAT CHASSIS [MINION]

Abilities: Droid (does not need to breathe, eat, or drink, and can survive in vacuum or underwater; immune to poisons or toxins), Silhouette 1.

SPECIALIST CHASSIS [RIVAL]

Abilities: Droid (does not need to breathe, eat, or drink, and can survive in vacuum or underwater; immune to poisons or toxins), Silhouette 1.

ADVANCED COMBAT CHASSIS [NEMESIS]

Abilities: Droid (does not need to breathe, eat, or drink, and can survive in vacuum or underwater; immune to poisons or toxins), Silhouette 1.

SPENDING ADVANTAGE, TRIUMPH, THREAT, AND DESPAIR RESULTS ON DROID CHASSIS CRAFTING

Symbols	Effect
Advantage or Triumph	Practice Makes Perfect: The character learns something valuable, and gains a boost die on the next check [they] make with the same skill before the end of the session. Reinforced Chassis: Increase the droid's wound threshold by 1. Unobtrusive: The droid gains 1 rank of the Indistinguishable talent (this option can only be selected once).
Two advantages or one triumph	Lessons Learned: Reduce the difficulty of the character's next crafting check by 1. Deflective Carapace: Increase droid's melee defense by 1 (to a maximum of 2). Narrow Profile: Increase droid's ranged defense by 1 (to a maximum of 2).
Three advantages or one triumph	Armor Plating: Increase the droid's soak by 1 (this option can only be selected once). Unusual Size: Increase or decrease the droid's silhouette by 1, to a minimum of 0 (this option can only be selected once). Modular Hardware: Choose one cybernetic implant. The droid is installed with this cybernetic implant at no additional cost (this can only be selected once).
Four advantages or one triumph	Chassis Schematic: Create a schematic that permanently reduces the difficulty of creating droid chassis of this template by 1 (to a minimum of Simple [–]). Superior Hardware: Increase any 1 of the droid's characteristics by 1 (to a maximum of 6).
Two triumphs	Doppelganger: Build 1 additional identical droid as part of the construction process.
Threat or Despair	Exhausting Effort: Upon completing Step 3: Construction, the character suffers 3 strain. Specialized Hardware: The droid suffers a setback die on skill checks for which it has no ranks in the applicable skill.
Two threats or one despair	Difficult to Customize: Increase the difficulty of checks to install cybernetics in this droid by 1.
Three threats or one despair	Wear and Tear: The tools the character was using to craft the droid are worn down or destroyed, and are damaged one step (minor damage if undamaged, from minor to moderate, or moderate to major).
Four threats or one despair	Delicate Mechanisms: Increase the difficulty of checks to repair this droid by 1. Erratic Power Core: Once per session, the GM may spend a despair result from any check the droid makes to have it shut down until the end of the encounter (this can only be selected once).
Two despairs	Volatile Power Core: Whenever this droid suffers a Critical Injury, add +50 to the result. If the Critical Injury Effect kills the droid, it explodes, and each engaged character suffers 10 damage (this can only be selected once).

DIRECTIVE OPTIONS

In the manner described for all crafting in Step 1: Select Template, once the crafter has a finished droid chassis, a character can attempt to program one of the following directive sets to dictate the droid's expertise.

DROID DIRECTIVE TEMPLATES

Name	Check	Time
Labor Directives	Easy difficulty Computers check	8 hours
Combat Directives	Average difficulty Computers check	16 hours
Translation Directives	Hard difficulty Computers check	1 days (24 hours)
Repair Directives	Hard difficulty Computers check	1 days (24 hours)
Navigation Directives	Hard difficulty Computers check	3 days (72 hours)
Healing Directives	Daunting difficulty Computers check	3 days (72 hours)
Elimination Directives	Formidable difficulty Computers check	7 days (168 hours)

LABOR DIRECTIVES

Many droids are programmed to perform a single task, with just enough interaction protocols to get by in other circumstances.

Skills: 2 ranks in any one General skill. If the droid is a minion, add this skill to its group skills instead.

COMBAT DIRECTIVES

True battledroids are outlawed under the rule of the Empire, but many Technicians still construct droids for security purposes, to fend off pirates or other marauders.

Skills: 1 rank in each of three different Combat skill. If the droid is a minion, add these skills to its group skills instead.
Talents: Body Guard 1 (once per round, may perform the Body Guard maneuver: suffer 1 strain to upgrade the difficulty of all combat checks against one engaged ally once until the start of the droid's next turn).

TRANSLATION DIRECTIVES

Droid translators, especially those specializing in etiquette and protocol, are very valuable on the fringes of the galaxy.

Skills: 1 rank in three different Knowledge skills, Charm 1. If the droid is a minion, add these skills to its group skills instead.
Talents: Convincing Demeanor 1 (remove a setback die from Deception and Skulduggery checks), Kill with Kindness 1 (remove a setback die from Charm and Leadership checks).

REPAIR DIRECTIVES

Having a droid that can repair machines is a luxury that many Outer Rim machinists cannot afford.

Skills: Computers 1, Mechanics 2. If the droid is a minion, add these skills to its group skills instead.
Talents: Gearhead 1 (remove a setback die from Mechanics checks), Solid Repairs 1 (when repairing hull trauma with a Mechanics check, repair 1 additional hull trauma).

NAVIGATION DIRECTIVES

Astronavigation is difficult and tedious to most, and the risks of failure are staggering.

Skills: Astrogation 2, Computers 1, Piloting (Space) 1. If the droid is a minion, add these skills to its group skills instead.
Talents: Galaxy Mapper 1 (remove a setback die from Astrogation checks; Astrogation checks take 50% less time), Technical Aptitude 1 (computer-related tasks take 25% less time).

HEALING DIRECTIVES

State-of-the-art medical droids are ubiquitous in the Core Worlds, performing surgeries with preternatural skill.

Skills: Knowledge (Xenology) 1, Medicine 2. If the droid is a minion, add these skills to its group skills instead.
Talents: Bacta Specialist 1 (patients under the droid's supervision heal one additional wound each time they heal a wound), Surgeon 1 (when healing wounds with a Medicine check, heal 1 additional wound).

ELIMINATION DIRECTIVES

Unlike most battledroids, which rely on weight of numbers, assassin droids are precision instruments, as capable at their brutal art as any organic creature.

Nemesis: If its chassis does not already make it a nemesis NPC, a droid programmed with elimination Directives becomes a nemesis; it gains a strain threshold equal to its wound threshold.
Skills: 4 ranks in each of three different Combat skills, Cool 2, Knowledge (Xenology) 1, Mechanics 2, Stealth 2.
Talents: Adversary 2 (upgrade difficulty of all combat checks against this target twice), Lethal Blows 3 (+30 to any Critical Injury rolls made against opponents).

SPENDING ADVANTAGE, TRIUMPH, THREAT, AND DESPAIR RESULTS ON DROID PROGRAMMING

Symbols	Effect
Advantage or Triumph	Random Positive Quirk: Add one positive personality trait randomly selected from the table below to the droid (this can only be selected once). Archival Functions: Add one new Knowledge skill to the droid's list of skills at rank 1; if the droid is a minion, add this skill to its group skills instead (this option can only be selected once).
Two advantages or one triumph	Adaptive Programming: Add 1 rank to any skill the droid possesses. This cannot be applied to minion droids. Broad Utility: Add one new General skill to the droid's list of skills at rank 1; if the droid is a minion, add this skill to its group skills instead (this option can only be selected once). Positive Quirk: Add one positive personality trait of the crafter's invention or choice from the table below to the droid (this can only be selected once).
Three advantages or one triumph	Defensive Programming: Add one new Combat skill to the droid's list of skills at rank 1; if the droid is a minion, add this skill to its group skills instead (this can only be selected once). Behavioral Optimization: Add 1 rank to any ranked talent the droid possesses (this can only be selected once).
Two triumphs	Program Pattern: Create a program that permanently reduces the difficulty of programming droids with this directive by 1 (to a minimum of Simple [–]).
Threat or Despair	"Eccentric:" Add one negative trait randomly selected from the table below to the droid (this can only be selected once).
Two threats or one despair	Poor Listening Skills: Add two setback dice to checks to give this droid orders (this can only be selected once).
Three threats or one despair	Negative Quirks: Add one negative personality trait of the GM's invention or choice from the table below for the droid (this can only be selected once). Limited Programming: The droid upgrades the difficulty of skill checks for which it has no ranks in the skill once.
Two despairs	Unknown Flaw: Add one secret negative personality trait of the GM's invention or choice from the table below to the droid. The GM is responsible for how—if ever—this personality trait comes into play.

DROID PERSONALITY TRAITS

d100	Positive Trait	Negative Trait
01–10	Loyal: The droid puts its creator's needs above its own, and always looks for ways to help—whether asked or not.	Cowardly: This droid sets survival as a top priority, and shies away from any potential danger.
11–20	Resourceful: Some droids can adapt to problems quickly, and do not get trapped in their own overly narrow programming.	Overly Literal: Many droids (and some organic sentients) fail to grasp the nuances of language beyond its direct meaning. This is one of those droids.
21–30	Patient: Unlike organic beings, droids are theoretically immortal as long as they receive proper maintenance. Thus, a droid can have a capacity for patience that even the most long-lived organic beings lack.	Arrogant: Whether it believes itself to have been built better than other droids or it believes that droids are intrinsically superior to more temporary life forms, this droid has a high opinion of its own abilities.
31–40	Enthusiastic: This droid has a boundless capacity to see opportunities, and it frequently points them out.	Impulsive: This droid has a boundless capacity to see opportunities, and it usually acts on them without warning.
41–50	Compassionate: Some droids are very caring, and seek to nurture the best in those around them.	Ruthless: It might be spiteful, or it might just see emotion as inefficient, but this droid destroys anything that gets in its way.
51–60	Efficient: This droid abhors waste, and does everything in the most timely and precise manner it can muster.	Lazy: Droids are built to fulfill certain purposes, but this droid isn't particularly interested in doing so if it can avoid it.
61–70	Well-Mannered: This droid always maintains perfect etiquette, even when dealing with individuals it does not particularly like.	Abrasive: Dealing with this droid is extraordinarily frustrating. Whether it answers with sarcasm or not all, its words and actions are always barbed.
71–80	Cheerful: A good attitude is the first step to success (or so says this droid, anyway).	Pessimistic: Apparent doom lurks around every corner for this droid, and it expresses this belief at every opportunity.
81–90	Reliable: This droid always comes through for its creator or friends.	Unhinged: The only certainty with this droid is that its decisions can't be predicted.
91–95	The GM invents or chooses one positive personality trait.	The player invents or chooses one negative personality trait.
96–100	The player invents or chooses one positive personality trait and then rolls again on this table.	The GM invents or chooses one negative personality trait and then rolls again on this table.