Mechanoid stats

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Spark
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Mechanoid stats

Unread post by Spark »

Ok call be dumb but I need some clarification here.

I'm looking over the stats that the Mechanoids have in Rifts Sourcebook 2, and there are stats like PE and PP missing. I know that as a cyborg they don't really need them but they do effect other things so help me out here.

Mechanoids have to have some sort of save vs. coma, and the other things that PE is dependent on. And, I'd like to know what kind of a PP standard they'd get. I'm keeping in mind that these would change with each type of mechanoid, like a Seeker Pod will have higher PP then a Brute or Exterminator.

Thanks for the help.
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Unread post by R Ditto »

Although they are called cyborgs, it would be more accurate IMHO to classify their 'bodies' as 'robot vehicles', as the 'entire mechanoid organism' is fully contained 'within' those bodies, and they are able to 'exit' those bodies.
As such, stats would be those of robots/robot vehicles, and not of a true cyborg. And last I checked, the average robot/robot vehicle lacks a PP attribute, and they also don't have a PE rating either.

Robot vehicles don't get tired, and have assorted bonuses instead of a basic PP score.

Save vs. Coma is a % iirc, only effect PE has is it gives a bonus at higher PE scores.
If some poor mechanoid organism needs to make a save vs. death/coma, then I guess their frail little butts (if they have butts anymore) won't get any bonuses.

Also, look at the AbM Exterminator, page 41.
Tell me how you apply a PE or PP rating to that mound of flesh, when everything it does is via thought, not physical action, letting its 'robot vehicle' carry out/execute the desired movements/actions the moment that action is 'thought'.
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Spark
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Unread post by Spark »

I understand that the mechanoids are little more then brains, and as they depend on their mechanical bodies so much they have no physical attributes... save for those you'd give an infant. But I know that Cyborgs get something like a PE value of 25, which goes to save vs coma/death. And most borgs get a PP value to their mechanical body. I would think that because the Mechanoid uses their bodies in much the same way and are cushioned from impact or damage like the brain of a borg they'd get similar bonuses, but I wanted to ask first, and see if anyone else agreed or not.
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Unread post by R Ditto »

I don't see how PE would be a factor for something that uses a robotic body.
Partial conversion borgs I can see having PE, but for full conversion borgs, it is a moot point. For the Mechanoids, it is not a factor since their robotic bodies never tire.
I can think of a few full conversion borg characters/NPCs (such as in Mindwerks) that have PE listed as 'not applicable'.

As for PP, again, they are not cyborgs, they are blobs of flesh that control robot bodies using telemechancics.
Heck, even the Mechanoid Robots don't have a PP attribute.
More or less every robot I can think of has no PP rating at all.
Since their bodies are robotic, and not cybernetic, it makes sense that there is no PP rating.

The only real effect of PP ingame is the possible dodge/parry/strike bonuses, but there are already such bonuses listed for each type.

Sure, it sounds stupid that they have no PP rating, and I would agree, but that just seems to be the way things are handled in the PB games/settings.

Another factor is that they are all clones of one type or another, there is no real uniqueness among them, so I would have loved to have seen a 'generic' set of physical attibutes for the mechanoid organisms beyond the mental attributes listed under each type of Mechanoid.

Could improvise, although...
Maybe something like 1D6+3 PE on average for the typical mechanoid organism (don't really 'do' anything, but do have to be durable enough to survive getting bounced around a little in heavy combat), maybe 2D6+6 for Wasps (have to endure all those G forces) and Brains (because a 'leader' type might be tougher anyways), perhaps 2D6+12 for the overlord (being the 'most important' of them, and thus made the most durable).

For PP, probably a meager 1D6, they rarely use their bodies, they always use psionics or robotics to get stuff done, maybe brains and overlord could get 1D6+3.
For a PP rating for their 'robot bodies', the closes thing I could think of is look at the dodge, parry and strike (melee, not ranged) bonuses of the body, and assign a PP rating that would give the bonus of the lowest of them.
The Brutes got +5 in all three, so perhaps they have an effective PP of 24-25 for the Brute body.
The Runner has +4 accross the board, so it might have an effective PP of 22-23.
The Exterminator has a strike of +5 for melee, but only a parry of +1 and a dodge of +2, so it probably has an effective PP of only 17, which makes sense since they seem more for ranged combat, while their little Seeker buddy has the lowest bonus of +4, so it would have an effective PP of 22-23.
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