Shadowrun
Shadowrun General => Gear => Topic started by: Rift_0f_Bladz on <12-21-15/2224:45>
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Using all the 5th ed books give your opinion of the best of all the drones and vehicles per category. So for drones by size/usage and vehicles by movement type. I sadly, don't have Rigger 5, but wanted to hear what others think.
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stealth mc fly spy
combat
air bumble bee
ground steel lynx
electronic warfare/hacker defense
Prairie Dog w/ radio scanner
combat defense
Paladin
defense drone
smoke generator
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now that rigger 5 has been errata'd for drones getting 1 mp free I change my ground answer to paladin with -3 armor +2 to small weapon mount for ares crusader machine pistol. now if only I knew the cost...
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The Kanmushi from the core book is still one of the finest spy drones out there, considering how much good stuff you get in a dirt-cheap package, especially now that the Gecko Tips have been codified. The McFlySpy is in a similar boat, being given "Realistic features" and a little wiggle room for improvement.
None of the combat drones (Except the Matilda) really stood out to me as being better than what we already had in core, even now the Bumblebee got kneecapped. To me, the Crawler/Rotodrone with ample modding still wins as far as cheap fire support goes. I mean, sure, there's some seriously heavy drones in there, but all of them seemed extremely inhibitive in either cost or availability.
The Mini-Zep can house a Sniper Rifle turret, a huge asset on an aerial drone. Even without modding it for combat, the Mini-Zep is a huge winner. It comes with extra mod slots, and is the perfect tool for longterm reconnaissance if you slap on some long-range sensors (Cameras/Laser mics). It's cheap as dirt, and according to the fluff, it's incredibly ubiquitous, to the point where people might actively ignore these little spambots.
The Noizquito is a 6k pricetag harassment tool. While team unfriendly, the ability to slap a -12 penalty to your opposition is something you shouldn't overlook. Niche, but for only 6k (2k each), they're nice to have for you "toolbox" drone riggers out there.
The goldfish deserves mention for being a measly 500 nuyen, very small, and completely aquatic. I mean, it's -super- niche, but the fluff makes a good point that rich people have a penchant for big aquariums. Seriously, it's only 500 nuyen, just buy one just to have one.
The Proletarian comes with a free drone arm (a proper one), at only a 4k pricetag, which is amazing value. By default it's kitted for repairs, but autosofts allow it to branch out. Not a drone you'll take on runs, but rather one to keep around for downtime/preptime. Easily one of the best pure utility drones out there.
The Paladin is one of the toughest non-Forbidden drones I've seen at a whopping 18 armor. It sadly has no space of modification without a downgrade, though, and its true potential is only unlocked with a network (By which I assume they mean those overpriced tacnets), but even without it can function as a mobile shield for your team. It's pretty dang speedy too.
The Matilda has insane space for modification at 8 Body with all of it available, and a pre-installed standard weapon mount with underbarrel grenade launcher, and the ability to fold out it's shields to provide cover for your allies (albeit at the cost of making itself more vulnerable at the flanks). It's a bit on the frail and slow side for a big combat drone, but if you have some nuyen to spare to mod this thing (and boy does it have the space for mods), it can become a veritable combat monster. Pricy, but powerful.
All of the anthroform drones have insane potential, just for how powerful drone arms are. Sadly they're all on the expensive side of things, apart from the Little Buddy, which is utterly useless for serious combat. Even the drone described as a knock-off piece of junk, the Juan, has an 8k pricetag on it.
I'm still wondering on if (and if not, WHY not) the Duelist from Core is now counted as an anthroform. I mean, it would make sense from a fluff point of view. If/ the Duelist become an anthroform (giving it two free drone arms), its usefulness is skyrocketed. If not, hey, at least it got two free mounts, right?
Honestly, I get the feeling that (unlike the vehicles) very little of the new drones compete with core drones. Most of them have their own niche, and there's a ton of drones out there which are clearly meant for your GM (The turrets, the 1 mill GOD-hates-you jet), or are statted out because they're ubiquitous in the world but are of niche use to Shadowrunners (The Pelican delivery drone, the vending machine drone, the Kodiak). In short, Rigger 5, for all its incredibly shortcomings, at least strove to give us riggers more options, rather than just same-but-better/shit/different drones.