D&D 3E/3.5 Converting monsters from Mayfair Games Role Aids product line

[Cleon]

Yes, similar shape but wheels. So get rid of the Tracked Chassis SQ? But does it have some other kind of movement limitation? Major penalty on climbing or something?

I'd modify the Tracked Chassis SQ. How about:


Wheeled Chassis (Ex): This droid does not possess the flexible torso and jointed legs of many living creatures, but has a squat, rigid body that moves upon wheels. This gives the droid the following traits:

• Unagile: A wheeled droid has a -6 racial penalty to Climb, Jump, and Tumble checks.
• Stability: A wheeled droid is hard to push aside or knock prone, but also has difficulty righting itself if it falls over. A wheeled droid gains a +4 racial bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground). If a wheeled droid is in a prone position it can not stand up with a move action like a normal creature, it must take a standard action to right itself.
• Heavy Lifting: A wheeled droid has twice the carrying capacity of a normal creature of its size and strength.

 

[freyar]

That'll work.

Should we give it special abilities related to cooking, etc, or just an SQ to have buckets of skill ranks?

 

[Cleon]

That'll work.

Updating Servitor Droid Working Draft.

Should we give it special abilities related to cooking, etc, or just an SQ to have buckets of skill ranks?

Buckets of skill ranks wouldn't help much for their "servant duty" as their Craft (any one) and Profession (any one) are already maxed out.

I was thinking Skill Focus and possibly a racial bonus would be enough, but we could add a SQ to make it a bit more interesting. Something like:

Toolmaster (Ex): A servitor droid has specialized tools built into its arms to help it perform its function. These are equivalent to a set of masterwork artisan's tools for whatever Craft skill the droid was designed to perform, giving it a +2 circumstance bonus on Craft checks made with them.

Hmm, I like the above. It means the Servitor will always be "armed" with the items it needs to pursue its craft.

I'm having second thoughts about Skill Focus. Maybe give them Open Minded instead so they have another 5-rank skill?

You know, that "Toolmaster" SQ made me toy with the idea of making the Servitor reconfigurable - so you can turn a Cook Droid into a Welder Droid by swapping its arms and sticking a different memory card into it.

Don't think I'll bother, since there's no mention of such in the original.

 

[freyar]

You can give them more Craft or Profession skills, though. I guess we could do Open Minded if you prefer to burn a feat on it instead of writing an SQ.

Yes, I like Toolmaster.

 

[Cleon]

You can give them more Craft or Profession skills, though. I guess we could do Open Minded if you prefer to burn a feat on it instead of writing an SQ.

Well I don't mind giving it an SQ to give it additional skills if you like. It'll make a change from a racial bonus and if we word it right it can emphasize the difference from a normal living & learning creature.

If we don't five it Skill Focus for its feat, what skill shall we give it? These Servitors are not designed to fight, so they shouldn't have and combat feats, and I don't think any of the other skill feats are quite right (e.g. Deft Hands, Diligent, Nimble Fingers). Endurance seems pretty pointless.

Maybe Run?

Anyhow if we go the SQ route, how about:

Data Slots (Ex): This droid can be fitted with up to two "data plaques" - thin slabs of crystal whose interior is filled with intricate silver and gold filigree. Each data plaque gives the droid 5 extra skill points. A servitor droid's data slots can process points in any Int- or Wis-based skill. Skill ranks from multiple data plaques do not stack, so two plaques that both contain Appraise 2 SPs, Forgery 3 SPs would give the droid an extra 2 ranks in Appraise and 3 ranks in Forgery, not 4 ranks and 6 ranks. Data plaques cannot give a droid more skill ranks than the normal maximum ranks for the droid's hit dice.

A droid can freely exchange its data plaques, allowing it access to different additional skill points. It takes 1 minute to open a panel in the droid to expose its data slots, swap the plaques, and reseal the droid. This panel is internally barred and can only be opened with the cooperation of the droid.

Some more sophisticated models of droid have improved data plaques that can contain more skill points and/or grant additional types of skills, such as Cha-based data plaques for a "protocol droid".

Yes, I like Toolmaster.

Good! I'll add it to the Working Draft.

I think I'll add an "exchangeable" trait to them:

A servitor droid's arms can be removed and re-attached, allowing it to swap its tool limbs for a set configured for another Craft skill. It takes 10 minutes of work to replace a set of tool arms - 1 minute to remove a pair of limbs, 1 minute to add new ones, and 8 minutes for the droid to "configure" them and gain the masterwork tool bonus. Obviously, this also allows the droid to replace damaged limbs, which only takes 1 minute per limb.

Updating Servitor Droid Working Draft.

 

[freyar]

I like the data slots, though I think maybe "data chips" or "data cards" works better than "data plaques." And adaptable Toolmaster is good. I have to think about that feat, though.

 

[Cleon]

I like the data slots, though I think maybe "data chips" or "data cards" works better than "data plaques." And adaptable Toolmaster is good. I have to think about that feat, though.

I was fancying something that wasn't too directly based on modern microprocessing terminology. I thought about "slabs" or "tablets" but those sounded too big.

Cards would be better than chips, but it still sounds more like something I'd stick in my PC.

How about "data crystals" or "data rods"?

Better still, "crystal cards", since that matches the description in the power, and is how an unscientific adventurer is likely to describe them.

 

[freyar]

I'll go for crystal cards. Sounds good!

 

[Cleon]

I'll go for crystal cards. Sounds good!

Done!

Updating Servitor Droid Working Draft.

What next?

I don't think they need any additional Special Abilities, so we just need to decide on their attack lines and feats to finish their stats.

 

[freyar]

I'll agree to no more special abilities. I guess I'll go for the slam on attack, but we can make it secondary. I take it you feel Skill Focus is redundant now?