Power Armor/Robot Vehicle weaknesses

[dragonfett]

Hi everyone. Has anyone here house ruled that certain power armors or robot vehicles have weaknesses that can be exploited. I am not necessarily talking about too few weapon systems, or how the original SAMAS suit's wings only had 30 MDC, but stuff that they don't talk about in the description such as slightly exposed hydraulic lines or the jet intake of flying power armors (toss some FOD in there and quickly destroy those engines).

[Severus Snape]

One that I've used against both players as robots and GM's who designed robots to use against players (applicable only in games where super abilities are to be had): Use the Minor super ability "Clock Manipulation". All robots and power armors have software dependent on timing systems and internal clocks. This ability allows you to alter, speed up, slow down, or completely stop any timing system or clock. Think about that for a moment. That's a huge weakness.

[dragonfett]

So basically, the power armor's or robot vehicle's internal computer shuts down and you have to do everything manually with out any bonuses?

[Severus Snape]

Well, maybe.

1. Power armor would shut down, and the pilot would have to fight or do other actions without any bonuses. Assuming, of course, that the armor isn't dependent on power in order to do basic things like move or lifting. Flying is out of the question as power is out. And if the pilot has a visor or closed helmet with screens enabling sight...forget it. They are screwed. Everything shuts down.

2. Robots are shut off completely. They don't function. Period.

[dragonfett]

I would have to say that manipulating the clock of the cpu in the power armors or robot vehicles would not shut down the power generator. That would be extremely dangerous in combat if that was real life. Think about it for a moment. You are running around the battle field when your combat computer begins to fail. If the power armor or robot vehicle acted in the way you suggested, you would be a sitting duck in the battle field, which the designers would not allow. They would at least allow the power armor and robot vehicles to move and do basic things without the combat computers. Having worked on military aircraft is how I know this.

[Severus Snape]

Just giving my opinion of how the power works, man. If the computer is shut down, all systems reliant on the computer are shut down. You could rule that the power system runs from a different computer altogether, but what is stopping that system from being shut down? All computer systems are reliant on timing devices.

Want to know the way around this? Asynchornous Circuits. They aren't reliant on timing devices or clock circuits, but rather need only wait for the signals that indicate completion of operations and instructions.

[dragonfett]

Anyways, is there anyone else who does similar stuff?

[dragonfett]

I am sure that they have nuts, bolts, and screws made out of MDC material.

[Captain Shiva]

Keep shooting their knees.

[dragonfett]

I think that would count as shooting the legs.