Drones
Core Drone Rules
They're simple machines. They don't feel fear. They don't feel pain. They just go where you send them and do what you told them. That's the theory, anyway. Out here, the Gloom-Static gets into the logic boards. And then they start doing things you didn't tell them."
Engineer Derek "DB" Benson
What Is a Drone?
A drone is a semi-autonomous machine, remotely operated or running basic behavioral loops. The Engineer builds them. The Netrunner hacks them. Everyone else treats them with the vague unease of something that almost has feelings. On the Verge, drones are old, jury-rigged, and haunted by Gloom-Static in ways that defy calibration. Corporate drones are crisper, faster, and aggressively hostile to everyone who isn't on the approved personnel list.
Drone Statistics
Every drone has five stats:
HULL: How much physical punishment it absorbs before it stops being a drone and starts being shrapnel. Ranges from 4 (flimsy) to 20 (armored).
SPEED: Initiative modifier in combat. Also determines how far it can move per round. Slow (1), Standard (2), Fast (3), Blazing (4).
SENSOR RATING: Its Perception equivalent. Used to detect targets, navigate hazards, and avoid being fooled. Ranges from 1–5. A rating of 1 means it cannot find a wall in a corridor. A rating of 5 means it has already found you.
PAYLOAD: The number of modules, weapons, or tools it can carry. More payload means more weight, which usually means less Speed, which means the Engineer will argue with physics until something explodes.
GLITCH THRESHOLD: The Gloom-Static tolerance. Each time the drone operates in a Gloom-contaminated environment (near ruins, post-Shift zones, haunted networks), roll a d6. If you roll at or under the Glitch Threshold, consult the Glitch Table. A threshold of 0 means the drone is well-shielded and smug about it. A threshold of 4 means it will eventually try to communicate with the darkness.
Drone Glitch Table
Roll 1d20 when the Glitch Threshold is triggered:
| Die Roll | Result | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | FREEZE | The drone halts, unresponsive, for 1d3 rounds. It is fine. Probably. |
| 6-10 | LOOP | The drone repeats its last command endlessly until physically stopped or rebooted. If the last command was "patrol," this is merely annoying. If the last command was "fire," this is a medical emergency. |
| 11-14 | INVERSION | The drone misidentifies friend and foe for 1 round. Roll randomly for its target. The Drone Operator owes everyone an apology. |
| 15-17 | SIGNAL BLEED | The drone broadcasts its audio feed on an open channel. Everyone within signal range can hear what it hears. This is inconvenient during infiltrations and disturbing during everything else. |
| 18-19 | ATTACHMENT MODE | The drone gets curious. It begins moving toward the object of its curiosity rather than following commands. It will not attack, just... approach. The GM decides what it finds. |
| 20 | CORRUPTION | The drone goes dark. It ceases to respond to commands. It does not power down. After 1d6 hours, it reactivates with a Sensor Rating of 5 and Glitch Threshold of 0. It has decided, on its own, what it is for now. GM discretion on what that is. Prepare accordingly. |
OPERATING A DRONE
The Engineer is usually the primary drone operator, but anyone with drone operating skills can operate drones.
The Drone Operator
The operator may command their drone as a Free Action on their turn, issuing one behavioral directive: Move, Attack, Scan, Deploy Tool, or Retreat. Complex multi-step instructions require a Diagnostics roll (roll under AWARE). On a failure, the drone performs a reasonable approximation of what it was told, which is almost always worse.
Example of high level goals
- Search the second floor and find any people
- Map this building and highlight blocked exits
- Inspect this structure and show anything that looks damaged or risky
- Defend a VIP
The Netrunner - Drone Override:
A Netrunner may attempt to hack any drone within line-of-sight or within the local network. This costs 1 Bandwidth and requires a Breach roll (Logic vs. the drone's Sensor Rating as its ICE equivalent). On a success, the Netrunner seizes full command for 1 round per Bandwidth point spent. On a failure by 5 or more: Bio-Feedback, as usual, because the universe hates them specifically.
Enemy drones can be hacked with the same rules. Corporate military drones add +3 to their effective ICE rating and will, if they detect the intrusion, attempt to trace it. This is bad for the Netrunner's brain in a measurable, clinical sense.
Drone Repair
Engineers may spend 1 Scrap to perform an emergency field repair on a drone, restoring 1d6 Hull during combat. The drone will be aware this happened and, if sufficiently corrupted, may have feelings about it.
Drone Death
When a drone's Hull reaches 0, roll a d6. On a 1–3, it simply stops. On a 4–5, it explodes for 1d6 damage to adjacent targets (the Engineer has no one to blame but their own design philosophy). On a 6, it does not stop. Hull 0 is apparently not a hard limit for this particular unit. Gain 1 Stress. Consider a very cautious reboot.
Drone Modules (Payload Slots)
Modules are installed during downtime in the Drone Workshop. Swapping modules in the field requires a Diagnostics roll and at least one tool the Engineer definitely doesn't have on them right now.
| Module | Payload Slots | Effect | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensor Array | 1 | Increases Sensor Rating by +2 | Also picks up Gloom-Static frequencies that no one asked it to pick up |
| Hardened Shell | 1 | +4 Hull. Reduces Speed by -1 | The drone now looks like it has a grudge |
| Weapons Mount | 1 | Installs a light weapon (Ballistic / Laser / Pneumatic Bolt). Damage: 1d6 | Fires on Operator's command. Or occasionally on its own initiative if Glitch Threshold is triggered |
| Heavy Weapons Mount | 2 | Installs a medium weapon. Damage: 1d8 | Requires special authorization which no one out here has, hence the Broker |
| Medical Dispenser | 1 | Carries 2 charges of basic Stims. Range: Close. Remote delivery authorized by Operator | The drone will attempt to inject the target. Whether the target is willing is between them and the drone |
| Breaching Tool | 1 | Hydraulic arm with cutting torch. Opens airlock doors / light hull plating / crates | Cannot be used subtly. At all. |
| EMP Charge | 1 | Focused electromagnetic pulse. Disables all electronics in Short range for 1 round. Single use | Disables allied cybernetics and the Soldier's chrome too. Engineer always forgets it's single use until the second time |
| Stealth Housing | 1 | Vantablack coating, mufflers and vibration dampeners. +2 to Stealth when operating and -1 to Speed | Practically invisible in space |
Drones
