=I= The Inquisition has begun!

Robot Rules v1.0 - Any comments welcome.

[Concepts for rules from John Westlake, main body of rules posted by Prankster, edited into HTML by 4D]

*Basic Rules*Programming Robots*Robot Programmes*Example Robots*Related Skills/Abilities*

Robots come in three varieties, Crude, Basic and Advanced. They all share some common rules.

1) Robots cant climb stairs/walls or other linear obstacle. This means they are limited to a single level of terrain, unless they are fitted with some kind of flight pack, or teleported some how.
2) Robots automatically pass all fear and gas tests
3) They automatically fail all manipulation tests (pick locks etc) and all sneak tests.
4) They can't be affected by any psychic power that will only work on living targets (i.e. boil blood, or psi-track)
5) They can be affected by haywire grenades. They shut down automatically.
6) All have a basic sensory array, range finder, geography mapper(so they don't fall off things), and count as having a laser sight.
7) Damage tables etc.
Treat the robots the same way you would a normal human, unless your robot is clearly non-humanoid (in this case come up with your own hit locations).
The damage reperesents the internal workings of the robot beeing destroyed etc.
Critical damage to the arms (or where ever the guns are) will result in the weapons being rendred inoperative. All other damage efects are applicable to robots. This includes bleeding as it reperesents required fluids leaking.
Basic and Advanced robots include self repair mechanisms and so can recover hit points just like humans by passing a thoughness test. Crude robots do not. (What did you expect?)

Basic example stats

Crude

Armour 4 (all locations)

Counts as having crude bionic legs and arms.
Can carry any two weapons of the following types Pistol/Basic/H2H
Can mount any one additional gunsight and/or any one auspex type.

Basic

Armour 5 (head, chest, abdomen) 6 (legs and arms)

Counts as having average bionic legs and arms.
Can carry any three weapons of the following types Pistol/Basic/H2H/Heavy (only 1 heavy may be fitted)
Can mount any two additional gunsights and/or any two auspex types.

Advanced

Armour 6 (head, chest, abdomen) 7 (legs and arms)

Counts as having advanced bionic legs and arms.
Can carry any three weapons of the following types Pistol/Basic/H2H/Heavy (only 2 heavy can be fitted)
Can mount any three additional gunsights and/or any three auspex types.

Programming Robots

Before the game the robot can have any one program installed. (See here for more programmes).
During the game this can only be changed by direct contact with the robot. This will be treated as a hostile action by the robot if anyone other than it's controller attempts this. Reprogramming a robot is a complex procedure that has several steps.

1) Clear the existing program from memory.
Anyone in base to base contact can attempt this provide they are not under attack by the robot. It takes two actions, at the end of which they must make a SG test at -30%
Passed - you manage to erase the program
Failed - you fail to erase the program
Failed, rolling 96-100 (only if less then 96% was needed) - you accidentally erase the robots core OS. Congratulations, you've just made the galaxies most expensive paper weight.
2) Type in the new program.
Once the old program has been erased your ready to start writing the new one.
This takes one action for every two steps in the program (i.e. a 10 step program requires 5 actions. See example programmes here)
3) Reboot the robot (Takes one action)
Now the new program has been written it's time to find out whether you were successful.
Take a SG test with -2% for every step in the program (i.e. a 10 step program gives a -20% modifier)<>br Passed, scoring 10% of needed - You write such a sleek program that the robots speed is increased by 1 until this program is erased.
Passed - You did a good job, but it wasn't your best ever.
Failed - Some minor errors (missing semi-colons and what not) crept into the program.
Failed, rolling 96-100 (only if less then 96% was needed) - A few seconds after hitting the on button you see smoke start to emerge from the robots head, quickly you hit the off button. (This counts as your next successful action)
For every 10%, or part of, you failed by you can spend an action checking the code to try and spot the error (i.e. fail by 35% spend 4 actions checking code). If you do, at the end of the actions you can try and reboot the robot again, this time with +2% for every action spent checking the code and -2% for every step in the program.
If you rolled a 96+ you have start from the beginning.

New Skill, Robot Programmer.
This skill allows the user to better program the robots that he uses, meaning he gets +20% to all tests dealing with the programming of robots.

Sample Programmes
Here are the sample programs that I've written. I know there are only four of them but they should give you enough to go on to get you writing programs of your own. Have a go at creating your own, suitable for your Robot, and we're working on emergancy programmes for Robots, such as self destruct, and rules for using robots in hand to hand combat. I'll keep you posted.
They should be followed to the letter. At the start of the robot's turn roll it's action dice, the nuber of successful actions in the number of actions performed by the program. (ie a robot on hunt gets 3 successful actions, these could be spent in several ways but only 3 actions would be perfomed)

Hunt
1 Acquire Target (go to 2)
2 Is target in charge range?
Y (go to 3)
N (go to 6)
3 Charge target (go to 4)
4 Is target still alive?
Y (go to 5)
N (go to 1)
5 Attack target (go to 4)
6 Run towards the target (go to 7)
7 Shoot target (go to 8)
8 Is target still allive?
Y (go to 2)
N (go to 1)

Take and Hold
1 Is distance to target 0?
Y (go to 3)
N (go to 2)
2 Sprint towards target (go to 1)
3 Scan area (go to 4)
4 Acquire hostile target (go to 5)
5 Is target within 6 Yards
Y (go to 6)
N (go to 10)
6 Is target visible
Y (go to 7)
N (go to 3)
7 Run towards target (go to 8)
8 Is target still hostile
Y (go to 9)
N (go to 1)
9 Attack target (go to 8)
10 Shoot target (go to 11)
11 Is target still hostile
Y (go to 10)
N (go to 3)

Roaming sentry program. At the time of programming the robot is given several waypoints to navigate around (2 min, 10 max), they also make the perimiter of it's defence.
1 Acquire first waypoint (go to 2)
2 Scan area (go to 3)
3 Hostile within perimiter?
Y (go to 4)
N (go to 13)
4 Hostile Visible?
Y (go to 5)
N (go to 12)
5 Hostile within 6 yards?
Y (go to 6)
N (go to 9)
6 Assault hostile (go to 7)
7 Hostile still active?
Y (go to 8)
N (go to 2)
8 Attack Hostile (go to 7)
9 Run towards hostile (go to 10)
10 Shoot hostile (go to 11)
11 Hostile still active
Y (go to 5)
N (go to 2)
12 Walk Towards hostile (go to 4)
13 Is distance to waypoint 0?
Y (go to 15)
N (go to 14)
14 Walk towards waypoint (go to 13)
15 Acquire next waypoint (go to 2)

Bodyguard Protocol:
("Host" refers to the person it's guarding)
0) T=0
1) Is Host visible?
Y - goto 2
N - Activate Bio-Scanner, then goto 3
2) Is Host within 10 (yards)?
Y - goto 4
N - maneuver to within 10 (yards), then goto 4
3) Is Host visible on Bio-Scanner?
Y - goto 3
N - maneuver around obstacle, then goto 1
4) Activate All Scanners.
Any hostiles within charge range?
Y - Open fire on hostiles
N - goto 5
5) Any hostiles within weapons range?
Y - goto 6
N - goto 1
6) Engage Closest Hostile
Has hostile been eliminated?
Y - T=0, goto 7
N - Engage target again, T=T+1
When T=5, disengage target and goto 7
7) goto 1

++T = Total shots fired at hostile. The programme is designed so that the robot fires a maximum of 5 shots at the hostile, before checking if the host has moved, re-adjusting its position before firing again at hostiles. (Complex i know)++

Sample robot types

Stalker bot
The Stalker is used mainly on search and destroy or recon missions as such they are the smallest bots but the most agile they are very reliable and are probably the most common type in use today.

WS BS S T I Wp Sg Nv Ld Speed

Starting: 50 50 50 50 60 - - - - 4

Current:

Skills / Programs / Equipment
These can be equipped how you like but they are hunter drones used for search and destroy type missions so they will not be to heavily equipped.
They may have any form of sensor or gun sights attached
They are always armoured on all locations with the type depending on the location of manufacture generally it is not bellow carapace and may include ablative armour
Notes
Test requiring any of the mental stats are automatically failed or passed according to the GM�s discretion (e.g. automatically pass tests for fear and fail tests for picking locks). The Bots are immune to all toxins and the GM's should decide whether specific Psychic powers work on them for example Choke would not whilst Machine Empathy could be very interesting��..

Guardian
Guardians are used to protect important facilities and equipment as such they are not as quick, but are normally far better armed and armoured than a Stalker.

WS BS S T I Wp Sg Nv Ld Speed

Starting: 50 40 60 60 50 - - - - 4

Current:

Skills / Programs / Equipment
These can be equipped how you like but they are Guardians used for guard missions so they will not be to heavily equipped.
They may have any form of sensor or gun sights attached
They are always armoured on all locations with the type depending on the location of manufacture generally it is not bellow carapace and may include ablative armour
Notes
Test requiring any of the mental stats are automatically failed or passed according to the GM�s discretion (e.g. automatically pass tests for fear and fail tests for picking locks). The Bots are immune to all toxins and the GM's should decide whether specific Psychic powers work on them for example Choke would not whilst Machine Empathy could be very interesting��..

*Basic Rules*Programming Robots*Robot Programmes*Example Robots*Related Skills/Abilities*

	WS	BS	S	T	I	Wp	Sg	Nv	Ld	Speed
Starting:	50	50	50	50	60	-	-	-	-	4
Current:

	WS	BS	S	T	I	Wp	Sg	Nv	Ld	Speed
Starting:	50	40	60	60	50	-	-	-	-	4
Current:

Robot Rules v1.0 - Any comments welcome.

[Concepts for rules from John Westlake, main body of rules posted by Prankster, edited into HTML by 4D]

Robots come in three varieties, Crude, Basic and Advanced. They all share some common rules.

Basic example stats

Crude

Basic

Advanced

Programming Robots

New Skill, Robot Programmer.

Sample Programmes

Hunt

Take and Hold

Bodyguard Protocol:

Sample robot types

Stalker bot

Skills / Programs / Equipment

Guardian

Skills / Programs / Equipment