Friday, May 7, 2010

Steelies - Robot Race/Class

Again I must credit the Long Sun series by Gene Wolfe as well as The Living Statue race/class presented on The Mule Abides.

STEELIE (Steel Soldier)
Armor: unable to wear any, but Steelies have a natural armor class of 2 before adjustments, if any, due to dexterity
Shield: any
Weapons: any and Steelies automatically know how to operate and maintain firearms, ranged energy weapons, artillery and explosive devices made by Humans or Human-like beings.
Starting Gold: 3d6x10 gold pieces
Weapon Proficiencies: 4, gains a new weapon proficiency every level, and are automatically proficient with firearms, ranged energy weapons, artillery and explosive devices made by Humans or Human-like beings.
Attack Matrix: Fighting-man
Ability Score Requirements: strength 15, constitution 13
Prime Requisite: none
Hit Dice: d8, 1st-level Steelies always have 8 hit points plus any bonus due to constitution
Movement Rate: 9"/90'(30')
Languages: Common and Computer as well as any bonus languages due to intelligence
Restrictions: Must be of Lawful alignment; can only advance to 8th level; unable to use potions; unable to swim and will rapidly sink in water.


Special abilities: Steelies are robots powered by internal fusion cores that provide 100 years of activity (Steelies can go into a shutdown state to conserve energy), as such they do not need to eat, drink, breath, rest or sleep. They are immune to sleep, paralyzation, poison, disease, blood drain and nausea. Steelies has infravision with a range of 3"/30'.


Level
Experience
Points
Hit
Dice
Rank
Title
Saving Throws:
Death

Petrify

Wand

Breath

Spell
108 hpTrooper81091312
24,0001d8+8Corporal81091312
38,0002d8+8Sergeant81091312
416,0003d8+8Lieutenant6871010
532,0004d8+8Captain6871010
664,0005d8+8Major6871010
7120,0006d8+8Colonel46578
8250,0007d8+8Brigadier46578

Steelies are a variety of ancient Soldier Android presumably manufactured by the Militarists, occasionally both individual and units of them are unearthed from ruins and reactivated. Their bodies look like suits of advanced hardened and articulated bluish-steely plate armor, with the individual's rank glyph in green on both shoulders, and heads that resemble an articulated steel sculpture of a hairless, square jawed, strong-featured, and usually handsome, male Human. They stand 6'6" to 7' tall. Steelies are free-willed, but as their positronics have military programming, they always talk and act like Soldiers, engaging in behavior such as: saluting; adhering to a chain of command; using rank titles; marching; and the like. They are imbued with repair nanites that allow them to heal at the same rate as Humans, although they often need to snack on metals and replenish hydraulics when repairing.

5 comments:

  1. Makes a pretty good robocop too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You finally got together that robot PC you were threatening to do!

    I was wondering how you would handle healing, and I'm not so keen on the nanites tho. I really hated how the concept was used as a universal crutch for Gamma World 6th edition where the authors substituted nanites for "magic". The whole concept seems better suited for cyberpunk than science-fantasy IMHO.

    Perhaps they could be metal constructs dumped in vats where they grew muscle tissue and organs. That sounds more "Algol" to me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'd like to think the robotic language sounds like an old modem.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Matt - Yes! Blair has been messing around with "machine" languages.

    ReplyDelete
  5. @ Anonymous: I fully endorse emulating Robocop for a Steelie, Robodroid or Android character!

    @ B. Portly: You don't want to know how much I think about hybridizing cyberpunk and sword & sorcery... If someone doesn't want to use nanites for their campaign replace them with an internally stored set of tools and the knowledge to effect self-repair at the same rate as Humans heal.

    @ Matt: It does now!

    ReplyDelete