GearHead2 v0.410

[Varil]

HAZARDOUS REACTOR : Powered by rare and deadly materials. 10% chance of emitting dangerous radiation when taking torso damage(cumulative effect in the event of further damage). 33% chance of emitting a lot of dangerous radiation when destroyed. 33% chance of exploding violently when destroyed. The previous two effects are not mutually exclusive.

Can recharge built-in energy weapons for free. Can increase the power(and power drain) of built-in energy weapons at will.


Also : The cardboard trait would be equal parts hilarious and annoying.

[Epsilon]

Quoting: palefire

CARDBOARD: The robot is actually a man wearing a set of painted cardboards. Susceptible to fire. +5 Reflex +5 Speed -5 Body

Like Robert One-Oh-Seven? Poor guy.

[macksting]

Quoting: Varil

HAZARDOUS REACTOR : Powered by rare and deadly materials. 10% chance of emitting dangerous radiation when taking torso damage(cumulative effect in the event of further damage). 33% chance of emitting a lot of dangerous radiation when destroyed. 33% chance of exploding violently when destroyed. The previous two effects are not mutually exclusive.

I like this idea, but it makes me think that, whether this is included or not, Self-Destruct should be on the list of monster abilities accidentally accessed in robot creation.

I guess my only issue is that this talent is very, very complicated.

[Varil]

Nah. It's just got the percentages listed in there. A better description would probably just mention that the robot is prone to hazardous radiation when it's shielding is breached, but can provide energy to built-in energy weaponry.

The explosions are an added bonus.

For comparison : How many percentages are included in, say, Tech Vulture?

Annnd...I like the idea of Self-Destruct. But could we count on the AI to use it intelligently? It'd be annoying to spend a bunch building a sentient robot, only to have it blow itself to pieces the first time things get rough.

Maybe an 'emergency threshold' for smarter bots? It'd be neat to build stupider robots with that trait though. Build 'em weak, but rigged to explode. It'd be like having a bunch of floating grenades that follow your orders, though that'd be hard to do given the probable randomness of creation traits.

[Sabin Stargem]

I personally think that the player should be allowed to intentionally try to make robots in a certain way, but this would result in a more difficult creation check for the robot when it is first made, and each 'intended design' feature the player wants is individually rolled twice, the first to determine how good or bad the feature is, and the second roll to determine if the player notices the flaw after constructing the robot.

For example, I could try to give my robot an reinforced chassis, plus an modular design that allows for add-ons to the robot.  Each feature I wanted adds an +2 DC to the final check for constructing the robot, which is +4 and whatever difficulty that is associated with the basic design.  Each feature is then rolled, and I succeed in the modular design, but I unwittingly botched the reinforced construction, which actually degraded the robot's speed, agility, and durability because it was horribly done.

Basically, each 'Feature' an player wants in a robot can potentially make that robot much better, but if something goes wrong the robot is made weaker and can result in an expensive paperweight.  Concerning the actual construction of an robot, here is what I feel are the elements that should effect it.

First, the player has to select the Chassis, AI, and Features.  The first two choices affects the difficulty of creating the robot, and they may allow or disallow certain features because of compatibility.  This forms the foundation of the final DC check that will determine if the actual creation of the robot is an success, plus how effectively the chassis and AI is created and their sub-components are done.  Features are the special traits and abilities that are generally affiliated with the Chassis,  that the player can pick in an attempt to further improve their robots, at increased difficulty and risk.

Now, what does the Chassis do specifically?  Well, it is about the basic body type of the robot, like Humanoid, Spiderbot, Robobeast, and so on.  Each basic body type has advantages and disadvantages, and once a Chassis is picked the player moves on to selecting AI.  The AI covers the 'rules' and mental agility of an robot, but picking each adjustment makes the creation more difficult, and if the player forgoes certain adjustments, the robot could be mentally weak or unstable, despite being easier to create.

Furthermore, after being created the level of modification an player could do to an robot is limited, since the robot has already been built and thus much more difficult to work with.  The chassis of an robot can't be rebuilt, the AI and Features can be added onto, but with difficulty and limited options.

[Anticheese]

Quoting: palefire

CARDBOARD: The robot is actually a man wearing a set of painted cardboards. Susceptible to fire. +5 Reflex +5 Speed -5 Body

AWSOME-O DOES NOT COMPUTE

...

I can't see that one working in anything but a joke release.

Quoting: Sabin Stargem

For example, I could try to give my robot an reinforced chassis, plus an modular design that allows for add-ons to the robot. Each feature I wanted adds an +2 DC to the final check for constructing the robot, which is +4 and whatever difficulty that is associated with the basic design. Each feature is then rolled, and I succeed in the modular design, but I unwittingly botched the reinforced construction, which actually degraded the robot's speed, agility, and durability because it was horribly done.

That idea I like..I'll work on a set of thingamedoodas for robots right away!

Now for some more feats...

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DATALINK - The robot has no need for external equipment when dealing with code breaking.

PREREQUISITES - The robot must have been built with at least one item usable for code breaking

BENEFITS - Does not need external equipment for Code Breaking, Code Breaking is treated as a class skill, +1 to Code Breaking

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MUNTED: When people ask you "Where did you get that robot from, the junkyard?" you can say "Yup".

SPECIAL - This feat can be acquired after a number of fatal encounters, for each "death" the robot has a cumulative 15% chance of gaining this feat regardless if it has room for it or not. This feat counts towards the maximum number of feats. This feat is involuntary.

PREREQUISITES - Robot must have been built with materials at 40% of their maximum integrity or less, failed a DC4 D20 roll after a failure (or the nearest GH equivalent) or satisfies the SPECIAL conditions.

BENEFITS - -4 to all stats, -2 to all skills and EVERYTHING to do with the robot has a maximum of 60% normal integrity regardless of how strong it was before.

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KILLER INSTINCT

SPECIAL - If the robot is built with this feat in mind, it has an 80% greater chance of failing the sentience check.

PREREQUISITES - The robot must have been built with a non humanoid form in mind, I.E as a Robobeast, Spiderbot and so on (Thanks Sabin).

BENEFITS - +3 to Armed Combat, Martial Arts (Or the robot equivalent for natural weapons) and +2 penetration to meat.

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TARGET ACQUIRED

PREREQUISITES - The robot must successfully include the following: One non-melee weapon, One computer with ranged weapon software on it, Sentience or a voicebox

BENEFITS - The robot will have sheer bloody mindedness when it comes to the target it is attacking, it will choose one target at a time and gains a +2 bonus for ranged combat, dodge, perception, find weakness and intimidate versus that target. However it takes a -2 (or -3..your pick) versus all other enemy fire. The robot will not cease fire against its chosen target until it is either dead or if the player makes a leadership or robotics check (assuming lancemate commands are in) depending on if it is sentient or not.

COMMENTS - The reasoning behind the voicebox is that it can say "TARGET..ACQUIRED" ala Deus Ex Millitary Robots.

I really like this one.

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ROBOTA

PREREQUISITES - Humanoid

BENEFITS - Gains +5 Body and +12 Weight Lifting but takes a -2 Reflexes penalty and a -4 charm and knowledge penalty.

COMMENTS - This is based off the root of the word "Robot". For those who don't know the word "Robot" was invented by a Czech playwright in the early 1900's and comes from the Czech word "Robota" meaning "Obligatory Work".

The idea here is that you have a robot whose purpose revolves around the classic image of robots - Manual Labor. This kind of robot picks up heavy things and puts them down elsewhere.

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MULTIPLE ROBOT

PREREQUISITES - Sentient

BENEFITS - Gains five smaller robots under this robots thrall. The robots will be of similar spec to the master but only at 40% of its ability. View them as extensions of the robot as opposed to individuals.

COMMENTS - Read "I, Robot" to get the idea behind this one.

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TO THE END OF THE EARTH

Prerequisites - None. but this is a difficult feat to include in the construction of a robot.

Benefit - The robot is 100% loyal to the master. No questions asked.

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DISDAIN

SPECIAL - if the "Is this robot sentient" check fails by two or less, roll again. If the second check fails then roll for a personality disorder. If the second check fails the robot is still sentient.

PREREQUISITES - Rolled from the personality disorder list.

EFFECT - The Robot views meat as weak and only grudgingly follows the master. This kind of robot feels the best way to deal with humanity is through violence. The robot will have a much higher chance of defecting and going berserk, but will become more loyal to the master as he installs cyberware.

I.E "Master, it is good to see that you are seeing the errors of your meat and are changing to suit the true reality of the universe."

COMMENTS - Notice I did not use "Benefit" here. I wonder why.

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RUST FOR BRAINS

SPECIAL - if the "Is this robot sentient" check fails by two or less, roll again. If the second check fails then roll for a personality disorder. If the second check fails the robot is still sentient.

PREREQUISITES - Rolled from the personality disorder list.

EFFECT - This robot lacks many qualities that should be seen in a robot. Self control, Mental Stability, Social Skills and in general the ability to think straight. I can't think of a penalty suitible..but just look at GIR from Invader Zim for an idea.

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[Sabin Stargem]

In this post, I will attempt to describe my vision of the menus associated with creating robots.   When the player attempts to build a robot, an menu appears with the following requests and information:

-Name
-Chassis type
-Colors+Portrait
-Model Name/#*
-Player Description of robot**
-Statistics information box, with automated DC calculation***

*The model name is to allow a player to 'save' an robot design for future   use in the current game and perhaps future ones.

**Optional, and can be changed after robot construction.  It allows a player to tack additional information about the robot onto the design, for roleplaying or notetaking purposes.

***This is so that the player has an exact idea of what is going on during the creation process and for easier adjustment of the design.

Once this screen is completed, it moves on to the AI portion, which continues the use of the statistics box, but only what applies to the AI portion.  From here, the personality of the robot is adjusted, along with the other AI design considerations.

The process is basically repeated for the Features section, and then after that is an menu that shows four statistics information boxes, three of which are the CHASSIS, AI, and FEATURES statistics information by themselves, and the fourth box is all of these as a total.  The purpose of all this is to allow the player to compare all of the information and to be ready before finalizing the construction of the robot.

[Varil]

Instead of allowing characters to build their machines around a feat, maybe just allow them to emphasize and de-emphasize various traits? For example, emphasizing strength and reflexes and de-emphasizing ego and knowledge stands a good chance of getting traits like 'Killer Instinct' from the prior list.

I like the idea of robots with personality disorders. Maybe give a chance for them to develop one if they separate from the creator for some unhappy reason? Lawful bot/chaotic creator, creator sells them, etc.

So you sell the mega-bot 3000, but when you find it again later it has developed an inferiority complex and is generally not performing up to spec anymore, though it does follow orders pretty unquestioningly.

Trait ideas!(Mmm. Brainstorming for fun and profit!) :

Loves The Smell of Napalm : Over-emphasized combat programming, coupled with unrealistic war films has stunted this robot's understanding of property damage, to explosive effect.

Prerequisites : Must have a built-in explosive launcher.

Effects : Bonus damage with explosives, bonus accuracy with explosives. Uses explosive weaponry at every possible opportunity, and grows unhappy if it runs out of ammo for extended periods of time.

Frankenstein : Lacks a concept of physical self, and has no qualms with constantly modifying its original design and programming, but is prone to using spare parts spontaneously rather than planning out changes.

Prerequisites : Must be humanoid. High knowledge, low ego.

Effects : May install or uninstall built-in weaponry. Randomly upgrades and degrades own stats when given the appropriate tools and materials(repair kits, etc). Occasionally suffers random failures, ranging from an unworking eye to complete system failure(My world is a BSOD). Can self-repair as long as parts are in working order, but may require assistance for major problems. Tendency to acquire MUNTED trait.

Delusions of Grandeur : Tends to plan big. Very big. Unsatisfied with its original form, this robot wants to transfer its AI core into a mecha, and lives every moment working towards that goal.

Prerequisites : Sentience. Emphasis on combat traits. Body-type similar to a mecha type(Humanoid->Battroid)

Effects : +1 to mecha-related skills. Morale bonus during mecha combat, morale penalty in personal-scale combat. Tendency to improve robotics over other skills(second to mecha-related skills).

Once adequate skill and material is acquired, will try to build a non-sentient drone to try and move its AI into any available mecha, with emphasis on quality. Failure to create the drone results in a morale penalty, successful creation of the drone but *not* the technical requirements may destroy the robot's AI core, and may destroy the robot's body in any case. If neither is true, the player may attempt to move the AI core back into the body, assuming the transfer fails.

The player may attempt to move the AI into a mecha of their choice at any time, which will remove the AI from all personal scenes, but they will be present in all mecha combats.

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The last one may fall under the 'too much' clause, but I still think it'd be fun.

[empath]

Quoting: Epsilon

I wish I could remember what song that is.

Ohhhhh, that sounds SO familiar; xqqqq me while I do a little hunting...

...okay; found this:

"Red Robot Theme Song" by Kompressor

(Crush all humans. Leave your city in ruins.)
Red is the color of death and blood.
(Death and blood)
If you kill humans you can join our club.
(killing humans means join the club)
Crush all humans. (Crush all humans)
Leave your city in ruins. (Leave your city in ruins)
We can shoot green laser ray.
(green laser for (4??) different robot)
If you see robot coming get out of the way.
(Get out of robot way)
Crush all humans (repeat) Leave your city in ruins. (repeat)
Humans have soft and fleshy brains.
(Soft brain is perfect for crushing)
Humans can stay out in the rain.
(No short circuit for humans)
Crush all humans. (repeat) Leave your city in ruins. (repeat)
Starting revolution and riot is fun.
(Start riot, riot started by robot)
If you resist then you get gun.
(Resistance means robot gun)
Crush all humans. (repeat) Leave your city in ruins. (repeat)
Crush all humans.
(crushing all humans)

Yeah, tracked down an .mp3 of the electronica song - seen references to it a couple of times previously, but never heard it before now.  Interesting.

Hope that helps

And as for all these ideas for 'fleshing out' the field of robotics, you lot are FASCINATING!

I think "Delusions of Grandeur" would be a GREAT idea for a unique subplot or something.

Others sound good, ("Good morning meatbag-I mean 'Master'") and are starting to make inspiration percolate in my own mind.  Time will only tell if anything cogent comes of it tho...so don't hold yer breath.

[Epsilon]

Quoting: empath

"Red Robot Theme Song" by Kompressor

(Crush all humans. Leave your city in ruins.)
Red is the color of death and blood.
(Death and blood)
If you kill humans you can join our club.
(killing humans means join the club)
Crush all humans. (Crush all humans)
Leave your city in ruins. (Leave your city in ruins)
We can shoot green laser ray.
(green laser for (4??) different robot)
If you see robot coming get out of the way.
(Get out of robot way)
Crush all humans (repeat) Leave your city in ruins. (repeat)
Humans have soft and fleshy brains.
(Soft brain is perfect for crushing)
Humans can stay out in the rain.
(No short circuit for humans)
Crush all humans. (repeat) Leave your city in ruins. (repeat)
Starting revolution and riot is fun.
(Start riot, riot started by robot)
If you resist then you get gun.
(Resistance means robot gun)
Crush all humans. (repeat) Leave your city in ruins. (repeat)
Crush all humans.
(crushing all humans)

RRR. I thought it was KOMPRESSOR but I wasn't sure.

[macksting]

And I thought They Might Be Giants and Arrogant Worms made odd music. Sounds fun.

Another recommendation for the robot overlord fetishists: Chiron Beta Prime by Johnathon Coulton

[Joseph Hewitt]

I'll start a new thread with my basic plans for the robotics overhaul sometime. Speaking of robots and weirdness... has anyone else been reading the comic NextWave? Best usage of Aaron Stack (aka Mister Machine) in years... I may have to make my sentient robots refer to other characters as "fleshy ones".

[palefire]

Any chance of having a Ropponmatsu type robot?

What's a Ropponmatsu type robot?

um... beats me....

[Anticheese]

In Schlock Mercenary the main cast of characters encountered a robotic star-sail ship that kept going on to the ships AI about "Our masters were meat, now they are no more. Have you completed your meat purging cycle?"

I made a post with a number of robotic feats in it, What did you think of the personality disorders?

EDIT: There was this very good short story about the universe being populated by sentient machines with Earth being the sole exception. I'll try and find it.

[Joseph Hewitt]

I like the personality disorders. I haven't had much chance to really think everything through yet, but I do like them.