Alternate Droid Design Rules
for the Star Wars RPG
Starting Template
All player-character droids use the following template: 1D Min/4D Max (3D
Max for Dexterity and Perception), Move 10/12, 18D to assign
to stats, and 7D to assign to skills. Note that a droid will generally
exceed 3D only in one stat, maybe two. Excess stat dice are used to buy
skills or attachments (see below).
Stats and Skills
Players may alter the droid template to an extent. Move can be raised by
1 per 1 pip sacrificed from stats, or lowered by 1 to give an additional
pip for skills. The player may also choose to sacrifice 1D of stats for 2D
of skills, that do not count towards the die maximum for skills.
However, no combat skill can start higher than 6D, and no other skill can
start higher than 10D. This special rule does not apply to
Perception skills, which cannot start above 5D (or, 2D above the
starting stat).
Example: A R2 unit with 4D in Technical, who recieves an extra 2D in
skills by this method, can use the dice to have up 8D in a specific
Technical skill (such as Starfighter Repair).
Attachments
Droids do not have standard Equipment. Instead, they have Attachments,
which are divided into two types - Tools, and Enhancements. Tools are
generally defined as anything that a human could garner with money alone,
though their are exceptions (such as weapons). Enhancements modify a
droid's abilities, similar to cyberware for a human. They are paid for
out of the 18D for stats. If in doubt, the item in question should be
considered an Enhancement. Some items may be considered an Enhancement
simply because they include the permission for the droid to have them
(such as a blaster attachment on a Law Enforcement droid). Weapons and
armor are always Enhancements.
Tools should be treated in the same fashion as a normal character's
equipment. Enhancements are rated as either Trivial, Minor, or Major.
Trivial enhancements have little game effect, and cost 1 pip of the
character's stat dice. Minor attachments generally have more of an effect
on game play (an example would be 3PO's ability to make any sound it
wishes via its voice box), and cost 2 pips. Major attachments (such as a
blaster mount) cost 1D of the character's stat dice, sometimes more.
Programming
Any player wishing to play a droid must submit at least three basic tenets
of their programming, and abide by them at all times - no exceptions.
Almost all droids have the tenet "will never, directly or indirectly, harm
a sentient being" in their core programming. A droid who violates its
programming by accident will be unable to function properly until they are
either given a memory wipe, or recieve 'forgiveness' from their
owner (the latter is much more involved and time-consuming than the
former).
Social Stigma
One of the main restrictions on droids is their status. With a few
exceeptions, droids are not citizens of the Empire - they are property,
with a social class below that of a slave. They can be subject to memory
wipes at the discretion of their owner - a process that will effectively
'kill' a player character (but see below). Droids are only armed on rare
occasions, mostly with non-lethal weapons.
Droids and the Force
Droids do not get Force points at the start of the game, and cannot
become Force-sensitive. It is possible for a droid to gain a Force point
during play, using the guidelines listed in the book for those without
Force points. Once a Force point is gained, they use the standard rules
to gain further points, and have a maximum of 5. By the same token,
droids can only gain Dark Side points in the same way as any other
character who is not Force-Sensitive.
Personality Update
Some droid owners prefer to have their droids develop unique
personalities, and do not want to have their droid's memories wiped. To
protect their droid should it fall into the wrong hands, or take serious
damage, it is possible to update the hardware that contains their core
programming. This is a Very Easy task, but takes a +30 modifier because
the permanent memory is being changed. If the droid has somehow
bypassed portions of its core programming, the task becomes Heroic.
It is recommened that a new copy of the player's sheet be created and
stored whever this is done. Should a memory wife or other problem occur
(such as severe battle damage), the permanent memory can be used to
restore the character to its hardwired state.