'Alien' Robot

Daniel Stoker · Wed Aug 04, 2004 11:46 am

In my continued stretching of the rules... After playing City of Hero's I've had the itching to make my one scrapper here. The basic concpet of the character is a 'super' advanced robot created as a bodyguard/assassin bot.

Now I really didn't want to just make one using the standard Robotics section since it just doesn't have the right kind of comic book robot feel to me. So I saw the robot life form under the Aliens section and I got to thinking, I could take that, then use the various super powwers to upgrade it's combat ability to mimic the ones found in CoH. So right now I've decided that Power Chanelling seemed to fit for the combat aspect. I was thinking of maybe taking Multi-tasking and possibly impervious to Psionics to represent it's 'robotic' nature, but I still have some leaway here. I can go for 5 minors or 1 major and 3 minors... so just looking for some advice or any other concept help here.

Daniel Stoker

acreRake · Unread post by **acreRake** » Wed Aug 04, 2004 5:25 pm

I don't have PU, so maybe i'm missing the point of the impervious to psionics power, but aren't Artificial Aliens already impervious to psionics? Does the power protect against pyrokinesis and stuff too?

Daniel Stoker · Wed Aug 04, 2004 9:42 pm

gunman_4life wrote:I always assumed the artificial lifeform alien was so advanced that they were like a natural species only not so they have parts that are organ like and nanites, little batteries and particles of raw material flowing through them like blood. This allows them to heal at a normal rate as for being advanced enough to have psionics work on them that's a case by case thing I think.

That's pretty much what I was thinking of for the robot. Unless I took Healing Factor it wouldn't be able to 'heal' itself any better then a normal human healing rate.

Daniel Stoker

Tinker Dragoon · Thu Aug 05, 2004 2:04 pm

acreRake wrote:I don't have PU, so maybe i'm missing the point of the impervious to psionics power, but aren't Artificial Aliens already impervious to psionics? Does the power protect against pyrokinesis and stuff too?

They are only immune to powers that are "not physical in nature."

The Immune to Psionics power, despite it's name, only makes you immune to psionic powers that have a saving throw.

The artificial lifeform alien is already immune to most powers that have a saving throw (with the possible exception of Bio-Manipulation), so yes, it would be somewhat redundant.

Daniel Stoker · Thu Aug 05, 2004 4:05 pm

Tinker Dragoon wrote:
acreRake wrote:I don't have PU, so maybe i'm missing the point of the impervious to psionics power, but aren't Artificial Aliens already impervious to psionics? Does the power protect against pyrokinesis and stuff too?

They are only immune to powers that are "not physical in nature."

The Immune to Psionics power, despite it's name, only makes you immune to psionic powers that have a saving throw.

The artificial lifeform alien is already immune to most powers that have a saving throw (with the possible exception of Bio-Manipulation), so yes, it would be somewhat redundant.

They are? Well nevermind THAT power then

This would be easier if I could get my HU2 book back too.

Daniel Stoker

acreRake · Unread post by **acreRake** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 3:24 pm

Ah, vindication.

Wayne_Breaux · Unread post by **Wayne_Breaux** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 8:45 am

The artificial life form alien would indeed heal normally. Other alien appearances get stat bonuses and/or special features and these guys are immune to some psionic powers, but otherwise they are advanced enough to be considered 'normal' in all aspects outside the ones specifically noted. It does mean, however, that even though the robot can heal normally, when critically wounded it would be very difficult to 'save its life' by repairing it (at least -50 for technology the character has never seen before, and even other alien characters will be -30 or more for the 'advanced' tech).

ZEN · Unread post by **ZEN** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 7:32 pm

Get a teammate with a Hardware: Analytical Genius character.

BTW, if this robot was created as a super bodyguard, how did it end up on Earth?

Daniel Stoker · Sun Aug 08, 2004 1:31 am

ZEN wrote:Get a teammate with a Hardware: Analytical Genius character.

BTW, if this robot was created as a super bodyguard, how did it end up on Earth?

No I'm treating it as an earth built robot, just an experimental one that is so advanced that it might as WELL be alien and uses the Alien tables for ease of construtction of the character. Kinda like the Ghost Rider 2099 series .

Daniel Stoker

Zenvis · Unread post by **Zenvis** » Sun Aug 08, 2004 10:33 am

Therumancer wrote:I don't think so. Indeed I believe anything that 'thinks' can be affected by psionics. That would include a robotic alien. I could be wrong, but that is how it's always been handled when I've played. It's possible that one of the books says otherwise though.
>>>----Therumancer--->

Oh your wrong alright, Alien robots are immune to most psionics. I once built a Alien Robot and tore up the town with it. First it was a Mega-villian next it was from a harsh enviroment. It then was a continuely mutating robot (evolving to suit its enviroment) and the capper was that it had 3 majors and 5 minors and stood 15 feet tall. I called it Dooms Day. These days that creature is in Gramercy Island (in my campaign).

ZEN · Unread post by **ZEN** » Sun Aug 08, 2004 2:47 pm

Ghost Rider huh? okee dokee..

Well even if the thing is a hyper advanced Earth robot, if you are using the alien robot option then the technology is counted as alien tech and you could still use a Hardware Genius or two to help out with the repairs and upgrades..
Just had a funny thought..
Imagine a robot with an organic fuel system, working on any sort of biodegradable material mixed with water and acids, like a simulated digestive system except the robot can eat pretty much anything and needs to eat a lot of material.
There was this Sewer robot called Rowjaws (or something) in the ABC warriors comic by 2000AD.. guess what that ate? (shudder)

Anyway, it would be perfect for a organic impersonating android, though people would marvel at how the droid manages to eat ten pizzas, a six pack of beer, two bags of corn chips, a roast chicken, a loaf of bread and a pound and a half of roasted peanuts in a single day without the slightest ill effect or longterm weight gain.
If the droid was fairly light and puny the organic fuel option would be pretty good, but the energy required for a big robot would be far too large.. the robot would never stop eating!
8-)

Daniel Stoker · Mon Aug 09, 2004 4:59 pm

ZEN wrote:Ghost Rider huh? okee dokee..

Well even if the thing is a hyper advanced Earth robot, if you are using the alien robot option then the technology is counted as alien tech and you could still use a Hardware Genius or two to help out with the repairs and upgrades..

Oh no, I assumed it would HAVE to be like that, or the robot is forced to rely on it's own 'slower' regeneration rates. Though Healing Factor or Regeneration would also work if I REALLY wanted it to be able to repair itself quickly/automatically.

Daniel Stoker