Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

[Reality Czech]

I know this is far from original, but what powers and SFX would you guys use to simulate a human brain inside a robotic body? I'm sure there's a character writeup or fifty that already answers this, I'd just like a starting point to get a concept off the ground.

 

The big thing I'm looking at is the automaton power "Takes no STUN" with a limitation like "There's a brain in there somewhere, so sometimes he will take STUN if the appropriate power or effect were applied" (-1/2)

[Sean Waters]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

You can just waive the automaton not for PCs rule, and add in a physical disadvantage that, occasionally, the player gets stunned when hit because the shock is tarnsmitted to the brain.

 

Or just build a brick: they rarely get stunned, and although they take stun damage, they can resist and absorb a lot.

 

Or brain character that pilots a robot body vehicle, which can be tricky, but can also be fun.

 

Or build your personal defences as force walls so that you only take stun damage if you are hit hard enough to breach them. Mind you this makes most attacks pretty expensive, as you need indirect, or 0 range TK equal to your strength.

 

I've tried all four, and they all work reaonably well.

[Reality Czech]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

I think I'm gravitating toward the "brain piloting a robot body vehicle" idea, but that's because the image I'm basing the whole question on is a big, heavily armored combat chassis with guns, etc.

It'd be nice to have that chassis be a vehicle that the brain could "exit" under the right circumstances (i.e. at home base) and "slip into something a little more comfortable".

Less wear and tear on the carpets if you don't ALWAYS weigh 17 tons.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

I think I'm gravitating toward the "brain piloting a robot body vehicle" idea, but that's because the image I'm basing the whole question on is a big, heavily armored combat chassis with guns, etc.

It'd be nice to have that chassis be a vehicle that the brain could "exit" under the right circumstances (i.e. at home base) and "slip into something a little more comfortable".

Less wear and tear on the carpets if you don't ALWAYS weigh 17 tons.

 

The one we had using this concept was called Cyberus, a robot wolf chassis piloted by a human brain in a spider exo suit (so it could pop out and wander around, albeit in a pretty pathetic manner). the idea was that you could plug it into other robot bodies, but we never got round to building them.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

I know this is far from original, but what powers and SFX would you guys use to simulate a human brain inside a robotic body? I'm sure there's a character writeup or fifty that already answers this, I'd just like a starting point to get a concept off the ground.

 

The big thing I'm looking at is the automaton power "Takes no STUN" with a limitation like "There's a brain in there somewhere, so sometimes he will take STUN if the appropriate power or effect were applied" (-1/2)

 

Built an Automaton normally, then give him a Physical Limitation, "Subject to Mental Attacks." That should fix the problem straight up. If you want him to take STUN from a heavy enough physical attack, that's another Physical Limitation (-5, at best, I would think).

[gojira]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

I think I'd go the other way. Start with a regular character and buy lots of Armor and CON, with OHID or OIF.

 

It all depends what you do with it in the end. Anything can be cheesey and anything can be fair, depending where you put the point.

[Reality Czech]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I'm looking forward to getting my hero designer software so I can stopp doing this with the "stubby pencil and paper with coffee rings on it" method.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

You don't have HD yet?! What's wrong with you?! Go. Go right now and buy it. Then go to http://www.herodesigner.com and DL it. POOF, done. Go. Now.

 

Why aren't you done yet? And you can also get the latest update while you're there as well.

[Reality Czech]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

You don't have HD yet?! What's wrong with you?! Go. Go right now and buy it. Then go to www.herodesigner.com and DL it. POOF, done. Go. Now.

 

Why aren't you done yet? And you can also get the latest update while you're there as well.

 

I have two main reasons for not having it right this moment:

 

1) I'm on a government computer in a semi-secure building and am therefore behind a couple of firewalls and under restriction as to which sofware I can install on my terminal anyway (read: no installation of anything, ever.)

 

2) See: 1)

[Kenn]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

Option 1 (best if the brain can be removed from the robot body)

Make the brain in a jar an AI, with physical limitations.

Make the robot body a vehicle.

 

Option 2 (if the brain is in the robot for good)

Make it a character. Give it lots of Defenses, particularly versus STUN. Buy some (most) of the BODY with the limitation -"must be repaired, cannot be healed."

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

As Sean and others have pointed out there are a multitude of ways to model this sfx.

 

If semi-realism is the goal I might go with high defenses and Knockback Resistance and lots of Damage Reduction vs. Stun with a Limitation that it doesn't work against any attack that does Knockback, Falling damage or the self damaging effects of a Move Through that doesn't do any KB to the target. This models the idea that the character still has a 'normal' human brain that is just inside a humanoid tank chassis. His brain can be rattled (or seriously injured if you want ultra-realistic) but that's about all.

[Reality Czech]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

As Sean and others have pointed out there are a multitude of ways to model this sfx.

 

If semi-realism is the goal I might go with high defenses and Knockback Resistance and lots of Damage Reduction vs. Stun with a Limitation that it doesn't work against any attack that does Knockback, Falling damage or the self damaging effects of a Move Through that doesn't do any KB to the target. This models the idea that the character still has a 'normal' human brain that is just inside a humanoid tank chassis. His brain can be rattled (or seriously injured if you want ultra-realistic) but that's about all.

The physiological limitations reflected here are all great points. That was percolating through my head on the drive home. To wit, a robot with a human brain could be knocked unconscious with sufficient blunt trauma under the same real-world physiological mechanisim that causes a regular person to be knocked unconscious with a strong blow to the brain pan.

[Reality Czech]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

Ok, now I have to make this complicated (cause it's me). I'm envisioning a little spider body as the actual "Character", with the big combat chassis being a vehicle.

Would it be best to:

A)

1. Call the brain in the jar an AI and then

2. put the AI in a "Little spider that looks a little like a brain in a jar" and call that a vehicle, and then

3. Allow the "Little spider that looks a little like a brain in a jar" vehicle to physically enter the "Big scary combat chassis" vehicle?

 

I would never expect the brain to be outside the "Little spider that looks a little like a brain in a jar", it's just an SFX concept for convienence.

 

<>

 

Should I

 

Make the character a "Little spider that looks a little like a brain in a jar" and just make the "Big scary combat chassis" vehicle for him to "ride" in?

 

The reason I ask is I'm unsure whether an AI can actually have a body, which if the answer is "No" would preclude the option of making the brain an AI if I go with option "B".

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

Mr. Roboto

[Reality Czech]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

Mr. Roboto

Thanks Shrike, I figured you'd be by to post something like this eventually

[Roy_The_Ruthles]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

what ever you do, don't use takes no stun, with the 1/3 defenses, when you do take stun, you'll take alot of it, and that's bad. If i were going to do it i'd just build it as a powered armor brick/energy projector i think.

[Reality Czech]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

Ok folks, revisiting this because I'm back from vacation, have HD v3 now, and am attempting to actually build this thing.

 

The base form I'm going with (Named Anima) is a little spider robot with appropriate powers, limitations, and whatnot to reflect a (admittedly limited ability) R2-D2 unit that can run around and sneak and peep.

The way I had a few folks suggest I try to build this is as a Multiform, with the additional forms (Other bodies) given OIF limitations to reflect the "Power Suit" SFX concept.

The question I had on this process is if the little spider guy (The actual brain) is the only form with anything resembling a soul (or Anima) is there a clever way to make the combat chassis the base character, or am I stuck making the spider the character and buying additional bodies as multiforms?

I'm looking at making a body that's an Armored Personnel Carrier (Yes, you heard me), Some kind of flying machine, etc.

The problem I'm seeing is I'm going to pay too few points if I make all thease additional forms vehicles.

Thoughts?

[CraterMaker]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

Don't get too hung up on point cost - If you make a cool, interesting and balanced character, who doesn't overshadow the other players constantly and doesn't mop the floor with the villains, then you're good to go. I'd go with the spider thingy as the character, and the the larger form as a vehicle..

 

Nifty Idea, I might make a variation of this myself - Maby a later version of that villain with cyberpathy, whatsisname.. Be a good power up for him. Brainstorm? No, the hacker guy.. (heads to the shelf)

 

-CraterMaker

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

I dont have time to speak to your particulars, but I will say that in general designing a "robotic" character takes a lot of points sunk into things that are not directly useful in a majority of situations to model correctly.

 

I actually made a "robot" template at one point with all the basic "not a living organism" abilities without actually using the Automaton rules. Its quite expensive.

 

 

Anyway, since you bought HDv3, here's Mr. Roboto's hdc, and a non-automaton Robot Template (use File->New Character->Custom Template->Choose File to create a character using this as a starting point).

[Reality Czech]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

Thanks guys, I think what I'm going to wind up doing is writing the "Combat Chassis" as a character and look at the cost as a OIF, then write it as a vehicle and see where I wind up. Hopefully it'll work out roughly the same in cost and I can argue for the vehicle builds as they are much simpler and more easily expanded than multiform. (IMO)

[Reality Czech]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

Ok, new problem on the same concept-

 

<>

 

Quick recap:

1) I want a character that is a little "robot" spider that is basically a human brain in a jar on legs. (He's an andriod body in other words)

2) I want this spider to be able to enter pre-developed bodies he has constructed (Big powered armor combat form, Armored Personnel Carrier to transport teammates while acting as the driver, Vectored Thrust reconnaissance aircraft, etc.)

If I buy the additional "bodies" as Multiforms, I can buy whichever body is the most expensive at 1/5th price per the rules on both vehicles and multiform, then pay 5 points for 2 bodies with that AP value or lower, 10 points for 4, 15 points for 8, etc.

To me, it seems that if I want to have all these separate forms I ought to be paying more. Particularly when I could theoretically make the spider character on relatively few points and just spend 1/5th value to get the power I want out of the Multiform/Vehicle I design, since neither Multiforms nor Vehicles require my base character to be built on more points than the Multiform/Vehicle I create.

I see a way to demonstrate to one or two more orders of magnitude how unbalanced this could be if not curbed, but mainly what I want is reccomendations on a fair pricing for the power set I'm trying to model with the RAW.

Any thoughts would be appriciated.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

One thing to consider when going the multiform route is that (edit) every 5 experience the character spends on anything besides the base form requires 1 point to be spent on the base form to increase the multiform cost.

[Silbeg]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

I have two main reasons for not having it right this moment:

 

1) I'm on a government computer in a semi-secure building and am therefore behind a couple of firewalls and under restriction as to which sofware I can install on my terminal anyway (read: no installation of anything, ever.)

 

2) See: 1)

 

The cool thing about HD is that as long as you have Java 5 installed on the machine (which may not be the case) you don't need to install anything. Just execute a batch file (or a jar file) and there you go.

 

The entire distribution is only about 10MB, which can easily be put on a key-fob USB drive.

 

But, I guess you still need Java.

[Reality Czech]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

I have it now, it turns out i can use the internet for recreational purposes at home too! (Who knew?)

[CourtFool]

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

 

If the Spider-Brain is truly limited in abilities, it may be simply SFX. Clairsentience, Extra-Limbs, Stretching and low level Telekinesis all with Concentration and Focus.