Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Rules and such => Previous Editions => Topic started by: RickDeckard on <04-28-20/0748:53>
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I do not understand how drones work. Can someone explain to me how you operate a drone like I’m a child?
If I’m jumped in I use all my own stats, attributes and skills?
If I’m operating it remote via RCC I use drone stats and software. But I do not understand how and why I use autosofts and which commands I use. Can someone provide some examples of drone combat using sensors, autosofts and specifically which commands to use?
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If you jump in, you are in VR. Rules on exactly when you use physical vs mental attribute are a bit fuzzy in SR5, can't remember from top of my head.
If you remote-command, you either use Control Device with your own actual roll (which rules say uses Agility for attacking, even though that's rubbish if you're in VR...), or give a command and let the drone handle it. If the Drone Autopilot is doing the work, THEN Autosofts are used.
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If you jump in, you are in VR. Rules on exactly when you use physical vs mental attribute are a bit fuzzy in SR5, can't remember from top of my head.
If you remote-command, you either use Control Device with your own actual roll (which rules say uses Agility for attacking, even though that's rubbish if you're in VR...), or give a command and let the drone handle it. If the Drone Autopilot is doing the work, THEN Autosofts are used.
I do remember my Rigger player being really annoyed back when we started with 5E about this, because IIRC you always use your physical Agility RAW.
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Yeah, SR5 Rigging started bad and it ruined Shadowrun for my wife. =/ The worst part is that the explanation they give, is the gestures you use. Uhm, what gestures, if you're in VR? So I'm glad SR6 went 'if you're in VR, replace each physical attribute with corresponding mental attribute'.
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Ok so drones have three "modes" that they operate in. It's called the Control Hierarchy:
Local/Pilot control*: You command the drone by verbally telling it what to do, like it was a well trained dog or something. "Shoot anyone who comes through that door" or "go to this address and loiter there. Alert me if this guy we're looking for shows up there." You don't roll any dice... if the drone has to make a test it rolls Pilot + relevant Autosoft. it has its own initiative score and uses its actions to execute your verbal commands outside of your own actions during combat. There's no limit on the number of drones you can have running under Pilot control. Well, I guess the limit is how many drones you can afford to buy...
Remote control: The drone is a tool under your direct control, but you're not IN it (in the case of a vehicle). If you want to maneuver a drone through a tricky passageway, or shoot someone, you roll YOUR attribute + skill. During combat, the drone technically has its own initiative score but it's a formality. While under remote control the pilot/autopilot is suppressed and does nothing on its own initiative scores. The initiative score only matters because one of the actions YOU can take is to release it back to Pilot control, at which case the aforementioned tier comes back in play. You can only have one drone under Remote Control at a time.
Jumped in: Everyone can do the prior two ways of controlling a drone. Only riggers (and TMs who buy the right power) can Jump In. While jumped in, you use your own stats/skills and the drone still doesn't do anything on its own. This tier is like remote control, but you HAVE to be in VR and this tier trumps remote control (just as remote control trumps pilot/manual control). This means that while jumped in, it's impossible for an enemy hacker to hijack your drone. It (well, technically your Persona) can be bricked of course, but the drone can't be HIJACKED as there is no control hierarchy tier higher than Jumped In. And naturally you can only be Jumped Into one drone at a time.
*EDIT: yeah, yeah. Vehicles' Manual Control hierarchy tier is technically below the pilot tier. But drones don't even have a manual control option in the manner of vehicles, so let's not get TOO far into the weeds.
If you jump in, you are in VR. Rules on exactly when you use physical vs mental attribute are a bit fuzzy in SR5, can't remember from top of my head.
If you remote-command, you either use Control Device with your own actual roll (which rules say uses Agility for attacking, even though that's rubbish if you're in VR...), or give a command and let the drone handle it. If the Drone Autopilot is doing the work, THEN Autosofts are used.
I do remember my Rigger player being really annoyed back when we started with 5E about this, because IIRC you always use your physical Agility RAW.
That's one of the things that actually never got fixed in 5e. By RAW you use Agility. But in another part of the book, by RAW you use Logic. The conflict never got errata published. Even in SRM the fundamental question of "Well do Riggers need AGI or LOG to use their drones?" went unanswered. The policy was "just let them use whichever attribute is better".
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Yeah, SR5 Rigging started bad and it ruined Shadowrun for my wife. =/ The worst part is that the explanation they give, is the gestures you use. Uhm, what gestures, if you're in VR? So I'm glad SR6 went 'if you're in VR, replace each physical attribute with corresponding mental attribute'.
I am young, so I don't actually know much about older editions. But I remember reading that VR used to work like, yes, your sensory input is completely overridden, but for some things you are still typing on your cyberdeck or what have you. Maybe this idea with gestures was brought up by somebody who envisioned VR from that old time? Just a thought.
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Similarly (this is a question I asked here previously), if you're Jumped In or doing Remote Control, your wound modifiers count in whatever it is you're doing.
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Thanks, chaps, that helps. I’m still a little fuzzy on the commands bit. There must be more than Control Device?
Also, what exactly does the Autosofts do? Is the Rating = Dice Pool? Say Targeting Rating 6 gives the drone 6 in weapon skill?
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It's not listed as explicit action in SR5 (in contrast to SR6), but it is mentioned here:
Your RCC manages several parallel connections at
once, so you can give a command to one, all, or some
of your slaved drones with the same Simple Action.
[...]
Commands issued from your RCC are
acted on during the drone’s Action Phase, not yours.
You normally roll Pilot + Autosoft Rating on tests performed by the Drone (so Pilot 3 + Autosoft 6 = 9 dice). Except for when you use the Swarm program:
Each swarm acts as a single drone with multiple, separate
“bodies.” Its Pilot rating is equal to the highest Pilot
rating of its member drones, or the Device Rating of
the RCC, whichever is higher. The swarm uses the highest-
rated of each autosoft running on any drone or the
RCC, and the highest Sensor rating. It uses the lowest of
the drones’ Handling, Speed, and Acceleration ratings.
When performing actions, the swarm gets a dice pool
and limit bonus equal to one less than the number of
drones in the swarm.
Important note: Rigger 5.0 introduced restrictions to Autosofts:
A Pilot program may not run an autosoft of a higher
Rating than itself (meaning a Rating 3 Pilot may run an
Autosoft with a Rating of 1, 2, or 3, but not 4 or higher).
When using a rigger command console, the console
may run a higher-Rating autosoft and share that with the
drone, allowing it to exceed its normal capabilities.
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Gunnery in SR5 is linked to Agility.
There are two exceptions to this.
1. Drone Gunnery is linked to Logic if you use [Sensor] (rather than [Accuracy]) as limit.
This have been clarified by both Aaron (author of SR5 rigging and matrix chapters) as well as Jade (SR5 SRM Q&A)
There is also clarifying example of Drone Gunnery normally using Agility.
2. Vehicle (but not Drone) gunnery always use Logic as a limit.
Yes, for some reason the book [almost] always make a distinction between Vehicles and Drones.
This is even more apparent in the rigger book where you even have separate upgrading rules for Vehicles and Drones.
In the 5th edition attributes normally don't change between Manual operation, Remote control via Augmented Reality, Remote control via VR or Jumped in. In this edition you normally don't switch to a mental attribute just because you are in VR or jumped in.
Owner legally Instructing the autopilot of their drone in SR5 is likely meant to be represented by the Send Message Action.
Hacker illegally instructing the autopilot of someone else's drone in SR5 is represented by the Spoof Command Action.