Drones
Small wheeled, rotored, or even aquajet-driven drones are common tools for modern operatives.
Most operators rely on man-portable drones that can be carried in packs or specially-designed harnesses. These portable drones require a Main Action to unpack and deploy before they can be commanded, in addition to any action necessary to get at a Stowed item.
Once a drone has been deployed, the user must bring it online and ready for command using a control board or a Remote Control Unit cybersystem. This takes both a Main and a Move action on the user’s part. Once it’s been brought up, the drone can be commanded until it’s packed again, which requires a Main Action.
A controlled drone automatically relays audiovisual sensor data back to the control board or Remote Control Unit cyber being used to control it. A pilot can see and hear what their drones see and hear. Default sensors are as acute as normal human senses.
Flying drones operate by means of rotors and directed thrust and can hover in place. Ground-based drones can navigate stairs and other obstacles that human legs could manage. The noise made during operation is no louder than speech.
Flying drones have an operational altitude maximum of 1,000 meters, and all drones have a safe default control range of 1,000 meters. Beyond this range, control signal latency leaves them critically vulnerable to modern signal hijacking tech; all wireless hack or jamming attempts against them are automatically successful. Their theoretical maximum control range is 8,000 meters.
Drones operate for one hour on a full battery charge. They do not have swappable batteries, and require one hour of charging per Encumbrance, or six hours at most.
Common Drones
Most drone statistics are self-explanatory; they have an Armor Class against both ranged and melee attacks, a Trauma Target against weapons capable of inflicting Traumatic Hits on it, a Move rate that is either ground-based, flying, or swimming, and a hit point total that can be depleted to destroy them.
Fittings indicates the maximum number of drone fittings that can be mounted on the drone.
Hardpoints are the number of ranged weapons that can be mounted on the drone. Drones with a base, unmodified Encumbrance of 3 or less can mount only pistol-sized weapons, while larger man-portable drones can mount rifle-sized ones. Non-portable drones can mount heavy weapons that the GM finds plausible. Melee weapons cannot be practically mounted on a drone, and swapping weapons takes a day in the shop.
Weapons mounted on a hardpoint include one magazine of ammo. If more is needed, the Ammo Supply fitting is required.
| Drone | Cost | AC | Trauma Target | HP | Fittings | Move | Hardpoints | Encumbrance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mouse | $500 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5m ground | 0 | 1 |
| Roach | $1,000 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 10m ground | 0 | 3 |
| Hummingbird | $2,000 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 10m fly | 0 | 3 |
| Sunfish | $1,000 | 15 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 10m swim | 0 | 3 |
| Pitbull | $5,000 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 5 | 20m ground | 1 | 5 |
| Javelin | $10,000 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 20m fly | 1 | 6 |
| Kerberos | $15,000 | 18 | 8 | 25 | 6 | 20m ground | 3 | - |
| Kraken | $10,000 | 16 | 8 | 20 | 5 | 15m swim | 2 | - |
| Shrike | $25,000 | 18 | 8 | 20 | 6 | 30m fly | 2 | - |
Drone Mods
These mods require that the tinkerer have both Fix and Drive skill, as the adjustments require a keen understanding of their practical consequences on handling and operation.
Mods require upkeep and count against the tech’s Maintenance total. Unless specified otherwise, a given mod can only be applied once. Drone mods don’t need special components.
Additional Fitting (Fix-1 & Drive-1):
Careful optimization of power lines and chassis reinforcement allows for adding an additional fitting to the drone. Man-portable drones add one point of Encumbrance, though this doesn’t affect their maximum hardpoint weapon size. The cost is 50% of the drone’s base cost.
Additional Hardpoint (Fix-1 & Drive-1):
By rearranging wiring, adding mass, and overriding safety protocols, an additional hardpoint can be added to a drone. This mod adds one point of Encumbrance to portable drones, though this doesn’t affect their maximum weapon size. The cost is 50% of the drone’s base cost plus the weapon.
Battery Swapping (Fix-1 & Drive-1):
Replacing proprietary battery systems with off-the-shelf models allows man-portable drones to have their battery swapped with a minute of work. Backup batteries cost 10% of the drone’s base cost and count as Enc 1 items, and this mod itself costs 10% of the drone’s base cost.
Boosted Engine (Fix-1 & Drive-2):
The drone’s engines are tuned to optimize speed, increasing its Move rate by 10m. It costs 25% of the drone’s base cost.
Heavy Plating (Fix-1 & Drive-2):
Strategic armor reinforcement improves its base AC by 2, but decreases its Move rate by 5m. It also increases its effective Encumbrance by 1 if it’s man-portable. The cost is 25% of the drone’s base cost.
Quick Launch (Fix-1 & Drive-2):
A packed man-portable drone is modified to deploy itself as an On Turn action by its controller instead of a Main Action, even if it’s currently Stowed. The cost is 10% of the drone’s base cost.
Redundant Systems (Fix-2 & Drive-2):
Careful duplication of critical systems increases the drone’s hit points by 25% of its unmodified base score, rounded up. The extra mass increases the Encumbrance of man-portable drones by 1. The cost is 50% of the drone’s base cost.
Stripped Fittings (Fix-2 & Drive-1):
Mass and power allocated to a man-portable drone’s fittings are removed. The drone’s maximum fitting total is decreased by 1 and its Encumbrance rating is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1. The cost is 10% of the drone’s base cost.
Drone Fittings
Each of the fittings below counts as one choice against a given drone model’s maximum fittings. Prices for adding a fitting are given as a percentage of the drone’s base cost. Most of these fittings can be installed only once on any given drone, though a few specifically allow multiple installations.
| Drone Fitting | Cost |
|---|---|
| Ablative Code Buffer | 10% |
| Altitude Boost Unit | 10% |
| Ammo Caddy | 10% |
| Ammo Supply | 10% |
| Assisted Boost Burner | 10% |
| Cargo Space | 20% |
| Command Deck/Follow | 10% |
| Command Deck/Kill | 25% |
| Command Deck/Patrol | 10% |
| Command Deck/Watch | 10% |
| Emergency Evac Litter | 25% |
| Emissions Shielding | 20% |
| Enhanced Structure | 25% |
| Extended Range | 25% |
| Glider Grips | 20% |
| Improved Armor | 25% |
| Improved Targeting Logic | 20% |
| Laser Comms | 10% |
| Manipulator Tendrils | 20% |
| Memory Banks | 10% |
| No Touch Web | 10% |
| Sleep Mode | 10% |
| Stealth Package | 25% |
| Suicide Charge | 25% |
| Telescopic Optics | 20% |
| Thermal Optics | 20% |
| Trauma Response Suite | 25% |
| Voice Broadcast | 10% |
| Wallcrawler | 20% |
| Weapon Hardpoint | 25% |
Ablative Code Buffer:
Numerous self-correcting backup circuits are wired in to delay any hostile hacking intrusions. The drone automatically succeeds on the first opposed skill check made against a hostile hacker in a given scene.
Altitude Boost Unit:
Most flying drones have an effective ceiling of 1,000 meters if there are no scramblers to lessen the effective control range. This unit increases a flying drone’s maximum altitude to 5,000 meters, making most effectively invisible to ordinary sight. Such height does, however, make it extremely conspicuous to aerial scanners used by city law enforcement and high-security corp buildings. The speed of their response will depend on the drone’s apparent threat.
Ammo Caddy:
A specialized form of cargo space, this drone is able to carry and dispense substantial amounts of ammunition to adjacent allies. It can hold up to 6 fully-loaded magazines in quick-release clips that can be grabbed as On Turn actions by an ally. The clips remain locked for strangers. This fitting can be taken up to once per two points of the drone’s Encumbrance, rounded up.
Ammo Supply:
An automated ammo feeder is added to the drone. Two full magazines are added to one mounted weapon’s allotment, or one magazine to two weapons. This fitting can be added more than once.
Assisted Boost Burner:
The drone is equipped with reactive chemical booster that can be ignited to give it a very brief burst of tremendous speed. When activated as a Move action, the burner launches the drone up to 500 meters in a straight line. The boost is not precise enough to use as an aimed weapon, but solid obstacles in front of the drone will suffer half the drone’s HP in damage and inflict all of theirs on the drone. The burner functions only once before it require a scene to regenerate its charge.
Cargo Space:
Most drones are designed to carry only their own weight. This fitting upgrades engines and adds cargo mounts to the drone’s exterior; it can carry up to 3 points of Encumbrance now, but the drone’s own Encumbrance value is increased by one. Any additional cargo it carries is added to this burden, of course. Carried cargo is sealed within the drone and requires a Main Action to dig out.
Command Deck/Follow:
The drone is equipped with minimal autonomous pursuit capabilities. As a Main Action, the drone can be ordered to follow a particular visible target at a given distance at either half or full speed. If half speed, it will use its Move action to follow, and full speed will use both Move and Main Actions. Following can be ended as an On Turn command.
Command Deck/Kill:
The drone has autonomous attack routines wired into it. As a Main Action, it can be ordered to kill one specific visible target. If the target is in range of its weapons, it will use its Main Action to attack; if no additional fittings are added, its autonomous attacks have a total hit bonus of +2. The drone will not automatically move to follow or engage its target or otherwise position itself tactically unless directly piloted to do so or operating under the Follow command.
Command Deck/Patrol:
As a Main Action, the drone can be ordered to autonomously move to one or more waypoints on whatever schedule the pilot wishes. The drone can also be ordered to loiter at a particular location until it gets an On Turn command to proceed to the next location.
Command Deck/Watch:
The drone is equipped to monitor its surroundings autonomously and alert its pilot when something of interest is noticed. Its onboard intelligence is limited, however, and it can only handle about a sentence’s worth of specific orders or subjects to be watchful for. Putting a drone in Watch mode is a command that takes a Main Action.
Emergency Evac Litter:
Functioning only for ground-based drones of Enc 3 or greater, the drone is equipped with a retractable litter that can fit one human patient, along with manipulators sufficient to get a prone victim onto the litter with a Main Action. Onboard meds allow for remote Heal skill checks to stabilize a Mortally Wounded target, with one attempt allowed as part of the loading action. A loaded patient can’t be harmed until the drone is destroyed or opens the litter, but if the drone dies, the patient does too. As a Main Action, the drone can be ordered to autonomously take the patient to a particular location. As an On Turn action, an onboard transmitter can also place a call for medical assistance to a pre-arranged number.
Emissions Shielding:
The drone is designed to minimize its electromagnetic emissions and thermal signature. Skill checks to spot it with such sensors suffer a -2 penalty.
Enhanced Structure:
The drone’s maximum hit points increase by 25% of its unmodified base, rounded up. As with Improved Armor, this fitting is ineffective on drones that aren’t man-portable.
Extended Range:
The drone can now operate for two hours on a full battery charge.
Glider Grips:
Usable only by flying drones of Enc 3 size or greater, this fitting allows a human-sized mass to use the drone as a form of parachute-glider. As a Main Action, a user can leap off a high place after grabbing the drone and descend safely to the ground at a distance as far from the initial point as that point was above the ground. Similar weights can be sent safely to the ground in the same way.
Improved Armor:
The drone’s AC improves by 2, to a maximum of 18, but its Encumbrance rating increases by one. This fitting is ineffective on drones too big to have an Encumbrance rating; they need vehicle-grade armor upgrades.
Improved Targeting Logic:
This unit allows a skilled drone pilot to tweak the combat logic of its onboard weaponry. The drone’s attack gains a hit bonus equal to the pilot’s Drive or Program skill level when firing autonomously; no bonus is given if the pilot is in direct control.
Laser Comms:
This fitting provides both a set of universal transceiver plug-ins and a laser comm hub for the drone. Provided the PCs are in line of sight of the drone, normal radio-wave based comms can be switched to lasers, providing uncrackable, electromagnetically-inaudible communications within the group. Radio comms can still be used as needed.
Manipulator Tendrils:
One set of manipulators is added to the drone, whether a mechanical claw, an articulated metal tendril, or some other device. With a Main Action command from the pilot, it can function as a single human hand with an effective Strength of 12, but it cannot effectively be used for an attack or to lift anything heavier than the drone itself. The fitting can carry things for short distances, but to haul weight any real distance the Cargo Space fitting is required. This fitting can be added more than once if a pair of “hands” are needed.
Memory Banks:
The drone has two units of cyberdeck Memory added to it. While this Memory can be used to store hacker programs or datafiles, it also has room to record up to a week of audiovisual data per unit used. This fitting can be added more than once.
No Touch Web:
Most commonly installed on small ground drones, this web can be armed as a Main Action by the pilot. Until disarmed, any attempt to grab or pick up the drone automatically inflicts 2d6 non-lethal electrical damage on the grabber. This shock continues each round as long as the drone is held, with up to 5 discharges total before the battery must be recharged. The firm contact required makes it impractical to use the web as an offensive weapon.
Sleep Mode:
Sleep mode can be enabled with a Main Action command or ended with an On Turn command. While in sleep mode, a drone cannot fly, move, or perform actions, but it will continue to communicate with the pilot and observe its surroundings. A day of sleep mode counts as ten minutes of ordinary operation for battery drain purposes.
Stealth Package:
Usable only on drones of Enc 3 or smaller, this fitting adds color-changing drone sheathing, noise damping, and thermal sealing to the unit. It gains an effective Sneak-1 skill when operating autonomously, or a +2 bonus to Sneak checks when being directly piloted.
Suicide Charge:
With a Main Action command to detonate, the drone will explode, doing 3d6 damage to anyone within ten meters, with an Evasion save for half. Subjects behind solid cover further halve the damage. Drones reduced to zero hit points are too badly damaged to respond to detonation commands.
Telescopic Optics:
The drone can focus on objects up to one kilometer away with a visual acuity sufficient to read a newspaper. Integral low-light sensors allow it to see in all but total darkness.
Thermal Optics:
The drone is equipped with IR optics that can see heat patterns. The drone can function adequately even in complete darkness and grants the pilot a +1 bonus to Notice skill checks where thermal imaging might be useful.
Trauma Response Suite:
An array of injectors, scalpels, sutures, and trauma chems are built into the drone, allowing it to function as a medkit and make Heal skill checks for a medically-competent pilot or an on-site doc in need of a kit. Such medical efforts require a Main Action from the pilot as usual, and flying drones apply a -2 penalty to the skill check due to their innate instability. Up to six pharmaceutical doses of the pilot’s choice can be loaded into the drone.
Voice Broadcast:
The pilot can speak through the drone or cause it to emit other noises at a volume loud enough to be heard clearly a hundred meters away.
Wallcrawler:
Usable only on ground-based drones of Enc 3 or less, this fitting allows the drone to climb sheer surfaces at its normal movement rate, assuming the surface is sturdy enough to bear its weight. Most high-security buildings are constructed with veneers that defeat this fitting, but ordinary structures seldom have such measures.
Weapon Hardpoint:
Drones that are not factory-equipped with weapon hardpoints can have one worked in as an aftermarket addition. The usual hardpoint limits on maximum allowed weapon size still apply, however, and this fitting counts as two for purposes of the drone’s maximum fittings.
Drone Operation
Operating a drone can be done either with the control board that comes with the drone or with a specialized Remote Control Unit cyber system. In both cases, at least Drive-0 skill is needed to operate drones effectively.
A control board can command one drone at a time. The user suffers a -2 penalty on all hit rolls and skill checks made by the drone. If the user has a cranial jack and plugs into the board, this penalty is eliminated. A control board takes up 1 Encumbrance and must be Readied to use.
A Remote Control Unit can command a number of drones at once equal to one plus the user’s Drive skill. It grants the user a bonus Move action each round that can only be used to command drones. If the user pushes the system and accepts a System Strain point, this bonus Move action is upgraded to a Main Action.
Drones can be operated relatively securely at a distance of up to 1,000 meters, with flying drones having a maximum altitude of 1,000 meters as well. Beyond one kilometer, signal latency makes it trivially easy to hijack the control signal with modern wifi sniffers. Any hack or jamming attempt on a drone beyond this range is automatically successful. If the operator is willing to risk this, drones can function at a maximum range of 8,000 meters.
Controlling Drones
Pilots use their own actions to drive their drones. If the pilot wants the drone to take a Move action, they need to spend a Move action piloting it in the desired direction. If they want it to fire its guns, they need to spend their own Main Action performing the attack.
A drone under autonomous command, such as with the Command Deck/Kill fitting, can perform a maximum of one Main and one Move action per round, and will use those actions to carry out its last command. In case of conflicting autonomous imperatives, the latest one overrides earlier ones.
Any attacks the drone makes are performed with the operator’s hit bonus plus the better of their Drive or Program skills, modified by Int or Dex. If the drone is autonomous, it usually has a native +2 bonus.
Any skill checks the drone makes are performed with the operator’s skill level, up to a maximum of the pilot’s Drive skill. They may be a master infiltrator with Sneak-4, but if they’ve only got Drive-0 skill they can exert only Sneak-0 through the drone.
Drones cut off from control by jamming or operator abandonment or incapacitation do nothing, not even performing autonomous commands. Flying drones automatically land where they are.
Common Drone Actions
When in doubt, a GM can simply assign a drone action the same cost as they would the same action performed by a PC. However, some common actions have special cases for drones and are listed as such below.
Attack (Main Action): The drone fires all of its onboard weapons, selecting targets for each individually. The pilot may direct one attack, adding their base attack bonus modified by Int or Dex and the better of their Drive or Program skills; all others fire at the drone’s usual attack bonus of +2.
Move (Move Action): The drone moves its normal movement rate. Flying drones can hover, and ground drones can navigate rough terrain just as a human would, moving at half their usual rate. Prudent placement may grant a drone the benefits of cover or concealment, but they can’t go Prone.
Assume Command (Main and Move Actions): A pilot who needs to assume command of one of their newly-deployed drones can do so by taking both a Main and Move action to shift the signal. Uncommanded drones remain inert and will not act autonomously. Dropping control to free up the pilot’s attention is an On Turn action.
Halt Autonomous Mode (On Turn): An active autonomous command such as Kill or Follow can be stopped with this action, the drone doing nothing until a new command is issued.
Grab a Drone (Main Action): Man-portable drones can be grabbed by assailants in melee range. This counts as a grappling attempt with a hit roll required, but the drone automatically fails any Exert skill checks to resist. A grappled drone is helpless while the grip is maintained.
Drone Damage and Repair
A drone reduced to zero hit points has been destroyed, and cannot be repaired. Any cargo it might have been carrying has almost certainly been smashed as well.
Repairing a portable drone requires a suitable toolkit, Fix-0 skill, and a supply of spare parts. Non-portable drones require a full workshop. Repairs take one hour of work.
Spare parts for a drone cost 25% of the drone’s base cost. As manufacturers make a point of not building cross-compatible components, each model of drone requires its own supply of parts. These parts are sufficient to repair any reasonable amount of damage, though more than one or two full rebuilds may cause the GM to rule that they’ve run out.
Spare parts for a portable drone take up 3 Encumbrance. Parts for a non-portable drone are too bulky to be reasonably man-portable.