Streamlined Robot Design (CP2020)

Autonomous Skills - Skills for use in autonomous drones can be assumed to cost about 1/2 what is listed for skill chips in CP2020, p.73 but with no specific level cap. Programming skills for a drone or robot is a much simpler task than for an organic being. A drone may not run skill software at a level higher than its own INT score. 

Remote Control Electronics – This is the control and communications equipment needed for operating a drone remotely, whether through a deck or a simple control console. Quality Factor refers to the accuracy of control if operated remotely, whether a penalty or a bonus. If a drone is being teleoperated, they use the operator's INT, REF, and skills, with the penalty described below. 

Control Range: Miles of Range x Quality Factor x $25

Example:  A drone with a -2 penalty to control, and a 20 mile radio range, would need an uplink costing about $800 (20 miles x QF 2 x $20)

Optional Equipment – This broad category includes everything else under the sun. Rather than trying to come up with a coherent system for this, feel free to abuse the existing Cybernetics rules for nearly everything – optics, audio, tool options, sensors, weapons, et-cetera. Assuming the following broad rules based on the size of the bot.

For weapons, assume that each rough size of weapon uses the following number out "mounting points". P=1, J=2, L=3, N=4, HVY =5

• BOD 1          2pts mounting

• BOD 2-3       4pts mounting

• BOD 4-5       6pts mounting

• BOD 6-8       8pts mounting

• BOD 9-10     10pts mounting.

Drone and operation in the 2300x2020 setting takes three main forms - remote operation, telepresence, and autonomous operation.

Remote Operation uses normal control equipment, video cameras, and good transmission equipment. It is the simplest and least expensive method, being the default in most common usage. Drones piloted this way, sometimes called RPV's, are not as fast to react as a human being would be, but are still useful in combat. They are more commonly found in roles where combat is not expected. A remote drone operator uses the skill "Remote Operation", and operates at a flat penalty of -3 due to the limitations of the controls. Special abilities which give a bonus to vehicle operation add one half that value to skill rolls concerned with movement and positioning. Remote Operation is normally used with the user's INT for Awareness/Notice, and the lower of the user -or- the drone's REF for attack and defense rolls instead of weapon skills. In some circumstances involving modifying settings, it might apply to TECH. In combat, the drone suffers the same -3 (or less) penalty to initiative as the operator does to the skill.

Example: Average Joe has INT +8, REF +7, Remote Ops +5, and a standard control rig for -3. The drone is a decent model with a REF of +7, the same as Joe. His INT-based rolls will thus start at +10, REF based rolls at +9. His drone has a base initiative of +4. This is plenty adequate for his job operating a survey drone for a science mission, but not for a combat drone.

Telepresence ("Rigging") uses an interface deck of the sort used with netrunning, and directly connects the user's nervous system to the drone directly. This method allows for superior performance at increased cost. A telepresence drone is quite fast, sometimes more so than an unaugmented human, depending on the sometimes uncanny speed of a skilled operator. Most modern combat drones are of this sort. The rigger uses the "Interface" special ability for skill rolls, applying it to REF for rolls involving motion or combat, and INT for Awareness/Notice rolls. Operation is normally used with the user's INT for Awareness/Notice, and the lower of the user -or- the drone's REF for attack and defense rolls instead of weapon skills. A rigger normally operates at a penalty of -3 , but adds the quality bonus from their interface deck, plus various range and environmental penalties. This final modifier, which may be positive if the equipment is good or the user is skilled, applies to all skill and initiative rolls. Because the user is directly jacked in, Interface is added to the initiative roll. Also, bonuses to initiative or Awareness/Notice (such as Combat Sense) also apply.

Example: Rigger Jane has INT +8 and REF +7, Interface +5, and a good +2 interface deck that reduces the penalty to a -1. The drone is similar to the one in the previous example, with REF +7, same as Jane. Jacked in, the JaneDrone starts with INT rolls at +12, REF rolls at +11, and a much better initiative of +11. The skill rolls are slightly better than Average Joe's drone, but the reaction speeds that are so critical in a fight are much, much better.

Autonomous Operations refers to a drone which no longer requires a human to operate it, but instead operates as a full robot. Such a machine has its own statistics (INT, REF, etc), its own skills, and makes its own rolls in combat. There are no control systems required for such a machine. In combat, such machines are often referred to as killbots, combots, or warbots, and as such are heavily restricted by law, treaty, and custom.

Example: HK-612 is an autonomous kill-bot with INT +5, REF +8, and various combat skills at +5. It hates all humans, and is parked in your front yard waiting for you to answer the door.