[Hephaestus]

Total newb question here. The rules presented in Rigger 5.0 for vehicle and drone upgrades provide a number of mod points for each category of upgrades, but are these intended to include external space around the vehicle/drone?

An example would be purchasing a weapon mount, then instead of adding an ammo bin, you have a belt feed of ammo hanging off the side of the gun. Or if I want a secondary form of locomotion for a truck (lets say rotors), do I have to spend the mod points on adding that internally, or can I build an external framework with rotors that can clamp to the outside of the truck?

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

I'd say at least in the case of drone modding system, yes it includes bolting guns with self contained ammo to the exterior.  Tacking that much mass onto something as small as a drone surely begins to impede its other functions...

That being said, certain "modifications" might get a GM's blessing to work outside the modding rules.  For example, if you have no protection slots left for your car but you surround the driver's seat with sandbags maybe the GM will let that work like "free" passenger armor anyway.

[Reaver]

This is really a question for your GM, as some GMs will let you do some pretty crazy things if you ask nicely

But in general, you have to work within the limits of the drone you want.

This is for several reasons, the first being balance.
Drones are designed to usually only do one or two things well per drone. Which in turn requires you to weigh what you want VS what you need per drone. As well as to encourage you to build out a stable of drones. Just like there is  no perfect gun, or spell, there is no perfect drone

The other is to stop the "stupid" from happening. And you know what I am talking about The micro done, with the mini gun. - "it works cause it just bolted to the frame! it's not actually inside the drone! Just ignore the fact the mass of the mini-gun is several thousand times that of the drone!"

The logic behind why you can't just "do it" is also a mechanical one. Drones are just as complex as a Car, or helicopter when you get right down to it (its just the mass that different). There is just so much you can do before your changes start to cripple the drone (Car/Heli) before it can't fly (too much mass for the engine/mass throws the balance off causing it to crash, structural failure due to weight), or drive (breaking an axle, mass to power ratio FUBAR, suspension crumples).

And if you start having to replace axles, engines, transmissions.... well that's a different drone And to be honest, as complex as the runs are, they try not to be too complex for no reason - hence the current system (and Rigger 5 is THE expansion to the build rules!).


But as I said starting off, Some GMs just don't care and will let you get away with anything if you ask nicely.