Predation
Cyberdrones—essentially automated flying robots with organic elements—were more common before the Last Commute, but a surprising number of them remain in use, thanks to good care and self-healing and -learning capabilities. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and skill sets, but each type of drone typically has a sole purpose that it carries out with single-minded determination.
The organic compound of most drones provides their self-healing or self-learning capabilities.
These compounds require less upgrading and maintenance than their robotic parts, as the environment tends to be harsh on non-organic technologies in the wild. Most cyberdrones have a range of up to 5 miles (8 km).
Cyberdrones are sometimes called "Waa- Waas" for the sound that many of them make when they're zooming through the air.
Motive: Varies (see chart)
Environment: Anywhere that people go, their cyberdrones go too. They are most common in populated areas, or areas where there is something to protect or care for.
Health: 9 points
Damage Inflicted: Varies (see chart)
Armor: Varies (see chart)
Movement: Long
Modifications: Varies (see chart)
Combat: Varies (see chart)
Interaction: Cyberdrones are typically controlled remotely by hand-held devices, neural integration, or machinery.
Use: It's possible to encounter cyberdrones anywhere and everywhere, but it's not always easy to tell what their purpose is prior to interacting with them.
Loot: Anyone who can hack or disable a cyberdrone without destroying it can attempt to modify the cyberdrone to work for their own purposes.
Each type of cyberdrone is built with a single purpose in mind, and has special capabilities designed to serve that purpose. Choose the type of cyberdrone the characters encounter or roll 1d6 on the table.
| Roll | Type |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fury Offensive, aggressive. Work in teams of two or three as attack robots. Does 4 points of damage with lasers or other ranged weapons. Initiative as level 4. Armor 1. |
| 2 | Bastion Defensive, designed to guard a person, place, creature, or thing. Does 3 points of melee damage with blades. Shields another creature or object (provides +2 to Armor). Armor 3. |
| 3 | Scout Search and explore. Equipped with a recording device that records up to 24 hours of video at a time. Does 1 point of damage if someone touches it. Speed defense as level 4 due to speed and size. Armor 3. |
| 4 | Medic Heal and help. Equipped with scanners and neural boosters that restore 1d6 points to a Pool or to health. Does 0 points of damage. Armor 4. Often carries medical supplies inside a locked compartment as well. |
| 5 | Stinger Subversive, offensive, and designed to kill. Typically cloaked, camouflaged, or too small to detect with the naked eye. Does 10 points of damage via single injection (ignores most Armor) and then self-destructs. Often works in pairs. |
| 6 | Shepherd Designed to herd and manage domesticated (or mostly domesticated) creatures via small electric shocks, voice commands, and "nipping" (zooming in toward an errant creature while making a small warning noise). Does 1 point of damage via shock (within immediate range). Armor 1. |
GM Intrusion: The cyberdrone has been upgraded to attack any unauthorized person who tries to use it.