The Chrome Market ยท Chapter 9
Drones
A drone is a machine that goes where its owner would rather not.
Reading a Drone
Drones of Size 0 and 1 are small enough to be shot with a pistol. They are personal-scale: they have Wounds and Resistance, like a person. Armed drones the size of a car and larger are vehicles, and are in The Heavy Armory and The Starship Armory.
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Size | Scale. 0 is smaller than a person: add 1 Bane Die to attacks against it. 1 is person-sized |
| Speed | Range bands per maneuver. "Fly" means it flies |
| Wounds, Res, Def | As for a creature. A drone at its Wound Points is wrecked. It takes no Strain and ignores Stun Damage |
| Autonomy | The number of Ability Dice it rolls when acting by itself |
Running a Drone
| Mode | How | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| By hand | The operator uses a controller. The drone acts with the operator's Operate, or the operator's own combat skill for its weapon | The operator's action each round. Range Long |
| Linked | The operator has a Neural Link or a Datajack and cable | A maneuver each round. The operator sees through it. Range Long |
| By itself | The drone follows one simple order: follow, guard this, patrol there, attack that | Nothing. It rolls its Autonomy, and does only what it was told |
An operator may run one drone by hand, or a number equal to Intellect when linked. Any number may run by themselves.
A drone left to itself is literal. It guards the door it was told to guard while the building burns.
Stopping a Drone
- Shoot it. It has Wounds.
- Jam it. A drone that loses its link falls back on its last order, or lands.
- Pulse it. Ion X deals X Wounds to a drone and shuts it down for a round.
- Take it. Security 2 for a consumer drone and 3 for a security or military one, one layer. See Chapter 8.
| Drone | Tier | Size | Speed | Wounds | Res | Def | Autonomy | Price | Avail | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fly | Near | 0 | 2 fly | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1500 | Restricted | An insect-sized camera. Add 2 Bane Dice to notice it. Twenty minutes of flight |
| Scout Quad | Near | 0 | 3 fly | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 800 | Common | Camera, low-light, and a spotlight. Add 2 Boon Dice to its operator's Perception checks from above |
| Crawler | Near | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1200 | Common | A hand-sized walker that climbs walls and fits in a duct. Carries Encumbrance 1 |
| Mule | Near | 1 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6000 | Common | A four-legged carrier. Follows its owner with Encumbrance 20 |
| Hound | Near | 1 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 15000 | Restricted | A security quadruped. Bite or shock (Unarmed; Damage 6; Crit 4; Knockdown, or Stun Damage). Tracks by scent and heat |
| Gun Quad | Near | 1 | 3 fly | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 12000 | Military | A rotor drone with a Machine Pistol or a Shock Pistol and a Smart 1 link |
| Sentry | Near | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9000 | Military | A tripod or ceiling mount with a Smart Rifle. It does not move. It never sleeps |
| Medic | Near | 1 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 20000 | Restricted | Stabilises with Medicine at its Autonomy, and carries six doses of anything from The Apothecary |
| Striker | Near | 0 | 3 fly | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3000 | Military | A flying grenade. It attacks once and is spent: Damage 10; Crit 3; Blast 6; Breach 2 |
| Swarm | Chrome | 1 | 2 fly | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 25000 | Military | Two hundred thumbnail drones run as one. Attacks cannot target a single one: only Blast and Ion damage it. It blinds (Dazzler), tags, or cuts (Damage 5; Crit 4; Vicious 1) |
| Walker | Chrome | 1 | 2 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 60000 | Military | A person-sized combat frame with two arms. It carries any weapon a person can, and wears no armour but its own |
Drones as Eyes
A drone overhead adds 2 Boon Dice to its operator's Perception checks about the ground below it, and counts as Coverage 2 for whoever is under it (Chapter 10).