With my random encounter tables I’m building for the world ship I need more bots! (As you may have guessed by now I like big bots and I can not lie) I need there to be a chance of a visitor wandering monster encounters at most levels. As such I made the following two to fill the gap in high tech robots on dungeons level 3 and 4. The rogues, while technological, represent less a visitor encounter and more an automaton (or undead) equivalent.
Battle Robots
The infamous visitor warbot is the most commonly known and feared combat robot, but many other designs are seen across the worldship. The security bot and battle drones remain in equally common use by the visitors but serve very different roles.
The security bot is a humanoid robot designed to be tall and imposing to the visitors, though somewhat short to humans it remains imposing due to the threat it poses with its inbuilt weapons. Disconnected from their control systems many of these bots patrol the ship to this day patrolling old ritualistic paths and attacking all who cross them.
Battle drones on the other hand are bulky medium sized floating drones, similar to scout drones, that were created for rapid response combat and urban military dominance. While as intelligent as other military robots deployed by the visitors they are known to be more on the side of trigger happy than not. Aside from a plasma launcher they also possess a tractor beam for detaining captives and allowing them to manipulate doors and obstacles in a crowded urban environment.
Battle robots (Medium Machines)
These visitor robots are made of the same materials and possess the same virtual intelligences as other robots, following all the standard robot rules presented on page 81 in Barbarian Conquerors of Kanahu. As military robots both have hardened electronics, similar to warbots, and enjoy a +2 bonus to this saving throw when resisting electrical paralysis.
Security bot: These 5' tall humanoid robots were originally designed to serve as light security or personal bodyguards and lack the massive armor and heavy combat weaponry found in the military warbot. In their right arm they possess an inbuilt plasma launcher that may fire to a range of 210'. They also possess a melee stun prod that retracts from a housing on their left forearm. The stun prod deals 1d3 electrical damage per hit; any living creature or robot hit must also make a successful saving throw vs. Paralysis or be paralyzed for 1d6 rounds. Security bots also possess fully functional hands and are programmed to use all modern and archaic weaponry, though they cannot use their inbuilt weapons when using handheld weapons.
Battle drone: These reinforced saucer-shaped hover drones are 3' across and 2' high. They possess an inbuilt plasma stub-cannon as their primary weapon that may fire out to 120'. Their secondary weapon consists of a tractor beam similar to those on the larger saucers commonly used by the visitors. The tractor beam is usable once per combat round in addition to its plasma stub-cannon against creatures within 60' that are of large size or smaller. A creature hit by the tractor beam must make a successful saving throw vs. Petrification or be captured by the beam rendering them grabbed. The beam does no damage to the creature but in subsequent rounds the drone may take an action in lieu of an attack to move the victim at a rate of 10’ per round in any direction, even into the air, so long as they stay within 60' of the drone. While holding a victim the drone may still move but must stay within 60' of the victim. On its subsequent initiatives, the tractor beam’s victim may attempt another save vs. Petrification to wrest itself free from the beam. If the save succeeds and the victim has been lifted into the air they escape the beam and fall to earth (incurring regular falling damage) if not able to fly. The drone can only hold one victim at a time with its tractor beam, but may drop the hold on its victim at any time if a more interesting target becomes available or it wishes to move.
New item: battle droids
When found shut down these robots can be reprogrammed to aid the players using the rules found on page 103 of Barbarian Conquerors of Kanahu.
Security bot: These multirole humanoid robots stand 5" tall, they are equipped for a wide range of combat duties but are most commonly used as on site security or bodyguards. Their combat statistics and inbuilt weaponry is detailed in their monster details above. The robot weighs 400lbs and is capable of reasonable walking speed. The security bot is of modest intelligence, being able to fight autonomously using simplistic tactics. A security bot requires 3 energy crystals per day of operation and has space for 15 total crystals.
Battle drone: these durable rapid response saucer-shaped hover drones are 3' across and 2' high, weighing around 400 lbs. Their combat statistics and inbuilt weaponry is detailed in their monster details above. Their hover function makes them the most maneuverable if the Visitor battle robots. The battle drone is of modest intelligence and has advanced reconnaissance capabilities hardcoded in making it excellent for patrol and monitoring duties. Similar to a scout drone they possess onboard holographic and audit storage systems allowing the drone’s operator to review its observations upon its return. A battle drone requires 4 energy crystals per day of operation and has space for 20 total crystals.
Notes
While the same hit dice these fall on separate random encounter table levels. As such the bot is at the upper end of its xp boundary so I gave it less numbers, which fits its function nicely. For the drone it has higher numbers, making it a deadly swarm at a higher level (those tractor beams!).
The built in weapons on the bot are separate attack modes so I didn’t add a special.
The tractor beam takes the abductor special and retools it to a smaller battleground. It’s an additional attack so very much a special.
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