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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Psion" data-source="post: 2010215" data-attributes="member: 172">FactoryPerpetrated Press' first product was Arsenal, a book detailing "technomagic" arms and armor. Factory works on the same principle, applying the idea of a "magic based technology" to other pieces of equipment normally found in SF settings, such as robots and powered armor. The rules provide accommodate both the standard d20 System fantasy rules and d20 Modern.Factory is written by Eric Kjerland.A First LookFactory is a 192-page perfect bound softcover book priced at $24.95. This is a good price for a d20 System book of this size.The front cover of the book is by Karl Altstaetter, depicting a blond sorceress in front of a robot with a rune covered sword. The back of the book depicts an elvish looking woman with a pistol and a robotic arm in front of another robot.The interior art is black-and-white and features artists Karl Altstaetter, Bradley Bleeker, Ruben de Vela, Andrew Dobell, Scott Drouin, Juha Harju, Craig Henderson, Jeff Hoy, Drew Johnson, Danilo Moretti, Chris Noeth, and Austin Stewart. The quality of the art varies from mediocre to excellent. Danilo Moretti (whose handiwork you may recognize from some Mongoose books) is one of the distinguished standout talents of the book, though Andrew Dobell and Craig Henderson also have some very good illustrations.The body text uses a modest sized font, though the paragraphs are double spaced. The beginnings of each section only have the section title in the same header bar used on every other page, so sometimes you miss where a section transition occurs, which might make it hard to find things.A Deeper LookThe basic concept behind Factory is that in a world in which magic is prevalent, magic may develop in some ways like technology. Industrialization leads to cheap production of a variety of "technomagic" marvels.Factory describes four major types of technomagic items: computers, robots, exosuits, and dweoware. Exosuits are basically powered armor, much akin to robots with a pilot instead of a computerized brain. Dweoware is the technomagic equivalent of cyberware: implants that give the user enhanced capabilities.To support these items, Factory provides some notes on which sorts of settings might use these items as well as feats, skills, and spells that allow characters to make, manipulate, repair, or hinder technomagic items.All items in Factory have charts describing their characteristics. In most cases, these items are priced according to the d20 System core rues (with "credits"/gp, XP, caster level, and crafting requirements), as well as a discounted "mass market" price. For d20 Modern, there are columns with the purchase DC and restriction level.The most basic technomagic item described in the book is the computer. The technomagic computer operates very much like a real life computer, with software and hardware that provide it with certain capabilities. Mechanically, computers have intelligence, wisdom, and charisma score which affects how the computer can be used. For instance, the higher the computer's charisma, the more "user friendly" it is, and the charisma modifier is applied to rolls to use the computer. Te computer is not considered sentient unless it has a heuristic processor.Software and hardware programs can provide skill bonuses to a user, provide class levels, store spells, and so forth. Computers with heuristic processors can learn a number of classes, but those without it may only use preprogrammed warrior and expert class programs.An optional rules section for computers provides a system for writing up "schematics" defining all of the characteristics and connections for computers. These schematics can be used to resolve attempts to break the computer's security. In this way, they are superficially similar to network diagrams used in some cyberpunk games, if a bit simpler.The next step from computers is the robots. Robots are fundamentally similar to computers, but have strength and dexterity statistics. Basic stock robots are described for each d20 System size category, with creature statistics. Robots are basically constructs except they have skills and feats by default, but cannot attack unless they has a specific combat program.The basic robot chasis can be modified to fit a specific role that the GM wants by adding a number of possible enhancements that can alter their game attributes and give them different capabilities. The enhancements can be hardware or programs, but the hardware uses up a finite amount of volume in the robot. As with computers, some robots can have a heuristic processor, which allows it to have class levels other than expert and warrior.A few sample robots are included, most of them military, police, or security models that PCs are likely to run afoul. Though it is nice that these are provided, some had additional HD beyond what the stock robot types have, and a quick look at the combat statistics reveal these are not warrior levels. As there are no rules for simply advancing a robot's HD in these rules, you are left with robots that you cannot make (but probably should be able to.)Powered exosuits are, essentially, robots minus the computer brain, with accommodation for a pilot. Exosuits have many of the capabilities of robots, and provide cover for the pilot. As with the robot section, several examples are provided.There is a dedicated section specifically for PC robots. The introduction to this section specifically state that these robot rules are explicitly for PCs and not for cohorts or equipment, and that they represent rare instances of spontaneous sentience. Yet some of the robot base models are defined as being mass produced later. I found the distinction along PC lines a little arbitrary and could see using the PC robots for many NPC robots in a setting where self-aware robots are common.There are seven basic models for PC robots to choose from: companion, domestic, industrial, military, sports, security, and service. Each of these models come in three sizes, each with different basic characteristics. Small models have only 1 HD, medium have 2 HD, and large 4 HD, though for no sensible reason, they use an eight-sided HD. Other characteristics and available upgrades vary by model, and all models have an ECL modifier.Robot PCs do not roll for statistics, but have a standard array defined by model and size, and each has an "allowance" with which to buy ability upgrades. Though this approach has some compelling attributes, it is a little bit inflexible if you happen to use different ability score purchase methods as described in the DMG. Depending on the number of points provided by the DM, the robot might seem strong or weak compared to other PCs.Robots have a number of standard upgrades according to model, as well as being able to select a number of free upgrades from a list also defined by model. The character may purchase additional enhancements with starting funds. This provides a lot of design room for players.Most enhancement cost XP, and the discussion about making characters assumes that the DM gives out some extra XP to afford this. A possible alternative would be to convert the XP cost to GP at a 1:5 ratio as the NPC rules in the DMG does.As discussed earlier, dweoware are essentially magic items that are implanted in the character. These items, while they don't count against the character's item limits, also do not suffer the standard surcharge for this. The author claims that the drawbacks of the items make up for this.What drawbacks you may ask? Well, first off, they require expensive and risky surgery, and the more such items you implant, the more the chances of complications. These complications can be temporary or very permanent.Much like spellware in Dragonstar, dweoware has an important difference from magic items: the recipient of the surgery pays the XP cost of the item. Likewise, many of the dweoware items overlap with those introduced in Dragonstar.As an irksome note, the section on surgery refers to critical successes and critical failures. These terms are not defined in this book or the d20 System rules.A few short sections are tucked away in the back. The first of these is the templates. Three templates are introduced here: dweoborg, ethereotic, and robotic. Dweoborgs are characters with dweonetics whose implants have become self-aware and taken over the host. Etheriotic is a similar concept, but one that occurs much more quickly and drastically, converting the character to an insane ethereal creature on the operating table. Robotic is simply a template to make robotic version of normal creatures.After the template section is an equipment section with a few items for working with the computers, robots or dweoware, as well as an excerpt with weapons from Arsenal and a section for adapting the material herein to d20 Modern. Finally, there is an index, list of tables, and robot character record and design sheets.ConclusionFactory is a more substantial book that Perpetrated Press' first book, Arsenal. The consequences of the technology springing from magic are less ever-present here than they were in arsenal. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. It is good in that if you don't want the magic aspect of the material, for the most part you can ignore it. However, if the game you want to use this book with already has some sort of technology rules, the less reason you have to use this book.I was left with the odd feeling of wanting to use this book but not being too sure where to use it. The most natural fit would seem to be the Dragonstar setting, or alongside the Second World Sourcebook, which provides technology trees that provide the groundwork for creating a world that has "technomagic" of its own. Other uses might include a fantasy oriented d20 Modern setting such as Urban Arcana, or some other techno-fantasy twist like the setting of the Final Fantasy games.Overall the book was fairly good. I appreciated the Robot PCs section the most, with its many possibilties. There are a few holes in the rules, as noted above.Overall Grade: B--Alan D. Kohler</blockquote>

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