d20 Ronin Arts Future 13 Robotic Devices.pdf

13 ROBOTIC

DEVICES

BY PHILIP REED

O PEN G AME C ONTENT

All of the material in this PDF is presented as

open game content. All logos, product names, and

Ronin Arts are designated as product identity and

are closed content.

I’ve written a few robotic devices in the past

(see the Future: Datastream – 2005 Collection )

but this release marks the first time that I’ve writ-

ten a short PDF devoted exclusively to robots. The

devices in this PDF expand on existing ideas found

in various OGC supplements, transfer some of my

notes to a final form, and build on the material

found in the future SRD. While by no means an

exhaustive list of potential robotic devices, the

material described herein should give you a few

ideas for new robot designs.

A BOUT THE A UTHOR

Philip Reed has been working professionally in

the roleplaying game industry since 1995. In that

time he has worked for such companies as West

End Games, Privateer Press, and Steve Jackson

Games. Today Philip spends his days at home run-

ning Ronin Arts, writing and designing new games,

and reading whatever books interest him at the

time. To learn more about Philip Reed – and Ronin

Arts – please visit www.philipjreed.com and

www.roninarts.com . The official Ronin Arts fan

forum can be found at www.raforums.com .

W HAT ’ S R EQUIRED TO

U SE THIS PDF?

In order to use Future: 13 Robotic Devices you

will need the modern and future SRDs, available

free online. No other Ronin Arts products are

required to use this PDF.

LOCOMOTION

The following devices expand upon the locomotion options available to robots. Each was designed pri-

marily for the affect it has on a robot’s appearance – while mechanically useful the following devices are

perfectly suited to creating interesting looking robot designs.

W INGS (B AT -L IKE ) (PL 6)

The robot is equipped with a pair of large metal,

bat-like wings that grant it the ability to fly. These

wings are large and skeletal in nature and while

they grant the robot limited flight they are not well

suited to gliding (for more advanced wings see

box). When not in use these wings fold compactly

down and lay flat against the robot’s back.

Base Speed: Fly 15 feet (poor).

Purchase DC: One-quarter the base purchase

DC of the robot’s frame.

L EGS (R ETRACTABLE S PIDER )

(PL 7)

This locomotion device should be installed in

addition to a standard locomotion device.

Retractable spider legs are concealed within the

robot’s torso and may be extended or retracted as a

free action. When retracted the robot uses the spi-

der legs for movement, enabling it to run, walk,

jump and perform any other sort of movement

typically associated with legs.

A robot using retractable spider legs gains a +6

bonus to Balance and Climb checks (when the legs

are extended).

Base Speed: 30 feet.

Purchase DC: 5 + one-half the base purchase

DC of the robot’s frame.

W INGS (PL 7)

The robot includes both a lightweight

design and realistic wings to emulate birds.

Without another mode of locomotion it can-

not travel on land. If the robot’s speed ever

drops below its base speed for any reason dur-

ing a given round, it starts to descend, gliding

15 additional feet for every 10 feet of reduced

elevation.

Base Speed: 30 feet (average).

Purchase DC: One-half the base purchase

DC of the robot’s frame.

H YPER -A CCELERATED P OWER

R EGULATOR (PL 8)

This microcomputer device must be pro-

grammed to interact with one of the robot’s forms

of locomotion – the device affects one and only

one locomotion accessory. Multiples of this device

can be installed if the robot has more than one

form of locomotion but a single locomotion device

may be modified only once by a hyper-accelerated

power regulator.

The base speed of a locomotion device

enhanced by a hyper-accelerated power regulator

is increased by +5 ft.

Base Speed: See text.

Purchase DC: 15.

ACCESSORIES

The following devices cover a range of effects, all of which greatly expand the robot designer’s options.

S TROBE B LINDER (PL 5)

This externally mounted device flashes on and

off quickly and randomly, projecting a brilliant

strobe light effect that is designed to blind oppo-

nents. Each round that a robot equipped with an

active strobe blinder is in a character or creature’s

field of vision that character or creature must make

a Reflex save (DC 25) or be blinded for 1d4+1

rounds. If the victim’s eyes are shielded from bright

lights, by flash goggles or other protective gear, the

victim is immune to the effects of a strobe blinder.

A strobe blinder can be switched on or off as a

move action. Once activated it continues to broad-

cast random light pulses for one-minute after

which point it must be shutdown and recharge

(requiring four hours; the system recharges by

drawing power from the robot).

Purchase DC: 26.

Restriction: Restricted (+2).

rotates in order to fire a flare in the direction oppo-

site of the strongest gravity field (typically, straight

up) but when in a zero-g environment (or con-

fronted with equally powerful gravity fields) the

flare fires directly above the robot’s torso.

A fired flare rises to a height of 200 ft. and then

combusts, illuminating the area in light (every-

thing within 300 ft. of the flare is treated as if it

were illuminated by a flashlight). The flare is

equipped with a micro-gravitic projector that slows

its descent, allowing the device to keep the affect-

ed area lit for 10 minutes.

If the flare’s path is blocked the system auto-

matically disarms and goes inert – the launched

flare is worthless.

Replacement flares have a purchase DC of 12 for

the package of 6.

Purchase DC: 15.

Restriction: Licensed (+1).

A UTO -S HIELD A RMS (PL 7)

Six robotic arms – each ending in a small, round

shield – are concealed within the robot’s body

when not in use. As a move action the robot can

extend these arms. Once extended the arms move

almost-randomly about the robot’s body, spinning

and twisting, creating a blurred mass of shields

that grant the robot a +6 bonus to Defense. The

auto-shield arms are tied directly to the robot’s

core processor and work to augment the robot’s

combat abilities, not restrict them – even though

others are affected when targeting the robot the

robot itself suffers no attack penalties when the

auto-shield arms are extended.

S LICK S KIN (PL 6)

The robot’s frame is coated in polytetrafluo-

roethylene, a special polymer known for its non-

stick properties, which grants the robot a +6

equipment bonus to Escape Artist checks and to

resist grapple attempts.

Purchase DC: 4 + one-quarter the base pur-

chase DC of the robot’s frame.

Restriction: Restricted (+2).

A DVANCED F LARE D ISPENSER

(PL 7)

This shoulder or back-mounted device carries

six flares in a single tube, each one of which may be

fired as a move action. The flare dispenser auto-

Retracting the

arms is a move action.

Purchase DC: 10 + one-quarter the base pur-

chase DC of the robot’s frame.

Restriction: Military (+3).

ACCESSORIES

C YBERPORT (PL 7)

This finely-tuned, computer-controlled equip-

ment port can be mounted anywhere on a robot’s

frame. A Cyberport may hold a single cybernetic

component (as long as the cyberport is in the

appropriate position for the component) that may

be used without penalty. A robot may have a total

number of cyberports up to its Strength modifier.

Inserting or removing a cybernetic component

from a cyberport is a full-round action.

The GM has final say on which cybernetic com-

ponents are inappropriate for a robot’s cyberport,

though most components should be allowed (see

the box for a listing of suggested components that

should not be allowed). Please note that each

cybernetic component a robot wishes to have

access to must be purchased separately from the

cyberport.

Purchase DC: 18.

Restriction: Military (+3).

L OW -F REQUENCY

P ROJECTOR (PL 7)

Also known as a “boomer,” the Low-Frequency

Projector is a sonic projector that unleashes a deep,

rumbling, thunderous sound that is capable of

shattering bone, twisting steel, and deafening

unprotected ears. The boomer projects sound in a

100’ cone area – all organic targets within that area

suffer 2d8 points of damage and become deafened

for a number of rounds equal to the amount of

damage suffered (+5). Inorganic targets immedi-

ately suffer 1d10+1 points of damage. A successful

Fortitude save (DC 30) reduces the damage to one-

half (but the deafening effects duration is unaf-

fected).

A boomer can be used only once before it must

be recharged (the system requires four rounds to

recharge). An advanced version that recharges in

two rounds is available (second purchase DC listed

below).

Purchase DC: 28 (35).

Restriction: Military (+3).

D ISALLOWED C YBERNETICS

The following components should not be

usable with a cyberport.

Any cybernetic replacement component.

Injector Unit.

Skill and Feat Implants (and similar

devices).

Stabilizer.

Subcutaneous Body Armor.

Body Repair Weave.

Fortified Skeleton.

Luminous Skin.

Mindscreen Implant.

Prosthetic Enhancer.

Rage Implant.

Psi Implant.

O MNIJOINTS (PL 7)

The robot’s joint system is completely replaced

with a more-flexible system that enables the robot

to bend and contort its various limbs into extreme

positions. A robot equipped with Omnijoints gains

a +5 equipment bonus to Escape Artist and Tumble

checks.

Purchase DC: 21.

Restriction: Licensed (+1).

Q UICK R EJUVE -C ELL (PL 7)

Specifically designed for biodroids and biorepli-

cas, a quick rejuve-cell is an advanced energy cell

array that requires less time to recharge than the

energy cells installed in most biodroids and

bioreplicas (4 hour recharge time instead of 8).

These advanced energy cells are otherwise identi-

cal to the stock energy cells found in most bio-

droids and bioreplicas (see the future SRD).

Purchase DC: 25.

Restriction: Restricted (+2).

ACCESSORIES

R AMMING P LATES (PL 7)

Steel and polycarbonate plates are built into the

robot’s frame, making Bull Rush and Charge

attempts more effective. In any Bull Rush or Charge

attempt, before the results of the attempt are

determined, the robot inflicts 1d6 + its Strength

modifier damage to the target. The Bull Rush or

Charge attempt is then resolved normally.

Purchase DC: 28.

Restriction: Restricted (+2).

pling the basic system with a series of nanite

colonies and specialized micro-repair arms that are

housed within the robot’s legs. A robot with an

advanced self-repair unit can spend 1 hour repair-

ing itself; this automatically restores 3d6 points of

damage (no Repair check necessary).

By making a successful Repair check (DC 35),

the robot can increase the amount of damage

restored by 1d6 to a total of 4d6 in one hour.

Like the Gravity Age version of this device, the

robot cannot use an advanced self-repair unit to

repair other robots.

Purchase DC: 30.

Restriction: Licensed (+1).

A DVANCED S ELF -R EPAIR

U NIT (PL 8)

This Energy Age device improves upon the ear-

lier self-repair unit (see the future SRD), by cou-

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