D&D 3E/3.5 Converting monsters from Mayfair Games Role Aids product line

[freyar]

I'd probably split it up as follows.

Background:
Servitor droids have built-in safety codes that prevent them from attacking any member of the race or species that created them, as well as any being the droids' creators intended them to recognize as an "owner race". For example, a servitor built by spacefaring elves might refuse to attack an elf or any living creature that is even vaguely elf-shaped, including most humanoids and fey.

These safety codes mean servitor droids are normally incapable of combat, even in self defense, unless they recognizes their opponent as not being a "creator" or "owner". Unscrupulous masters occasionally reprogam servitor droids to fight, but their safety codes usually still prevent them from injuring members of the "creator race".

However, servitor droids that were built by alien beings may not recognize standard humanoids as being sapients, let alone "owners", in which case they would have no safety codes against attacking them. Such alien servitor droids would treat a dwarf or human no differently to how it would treat a wild animal.


Tactics:
A servitor droid will only fight to defend its master or a "creator". If something attacks the droid itself, the machine tries to avoid the threat unless its orders specify otherwise (e.g. if it was forbidden from leaving its post, or instructed to kill or capture any "wild animals" that intrude upon the premises).

Servitor droids are not well suited for combat. Their blows are inaccurate and weak, and most are armed only with their fists and whatever household tools they use for their servant duties. They fight using whatever tactics their master instructed them to. Despite these failings, they are fearless and implacable, continuing to fight until they are destroyed, immobilized, or their instructions change.

 

[Cleon]

I'd probably split it up as follows.

That's pretty much the division I was thinking of, too.

If we slap it together with what we've already got in the Working Draft we have:

This entity is obviously not a living creature, but a metallic construct of some sort. Its body is a tall cylinder topped with two hinge-jointed arms and a spherical head set with clear crystal lenses or eyes. Instead of legs, it stands upon a tripod of supports that each end in a small, fat wheel made of a material resembling unnaturally smooth leather.

A droid is an artificial creature manufactured by nonmagical technologies far more sophisticated than exist in most known worlds. The servitor droid is a common design built for domestic and industrial labour. It is normally found working in high technology installations, such as outposts built by an extraterrestrial centauroid species who call themselves the masters.

Servitor droids have built-in safety codes that prevent them from attacking any member of the race or species that created them, as well as any being the droids' creators intended them to recognize as an "owner race". For example, a servitor built by spacefaring elves might refuse to attack an elf or any living creature that is even vaguely elf-shaped, including most humanoids and fey.

These safety codes mean servitor droids are normally incapable of combat, even in self defense, unless they recognizes their opponent as not being a "creator" or "owner". Unscrupulous masters occasionally reprogam servitor droids to fight, but their safety codes usually still prevent them from injuring members of the "creator race".

However, servitor droids built by alien beings may not recognize standard humanoids as being sapients, let alone "owners", in which case they would have no safety codes against attacking them. Such alien servitor droids might treat a dwarf or human no differently to how they would treat a wild animal.

Droids can speak a special language of buzzes and beeps called Code. There are many dialects of Code, most of which are mutually unintelligible. A servitor droid speaks Code Standard (the droid equivalent of Common).

In addition, most droids are capable of normal humanoid speech. A standard servitor droid speaks Common.

A servitor droid's cylindrical body stands 5 feet tall and it weighs 200 pounds. It can elevate its head and arms to reach as high as a normal Medium sized creature.

Combat
A servitor droid will only fight to defend its master or a "creator". If something attacks the droid itself, the machine tries to avoid the threat unless its orders specify otherwise (e.g. if it was forbidden from leaving its post, or instructed to kill or capture any "wild animals" that intrude upon the premises).

Servitor droids are not well suited for combat. Their blows are inaccurate and weak, and most are armed only with their fists and whatever household tools they use for their servant duties. They fight using whatever tactics their master instructed them to. Despite these failings, they are fearless and implacable, continuing to fight until they are destroyed, immobilized, or their instructions change.

A servitor droid's slam attack is treated as a secondary attack and adds only half the droid's Strength bonus to damage.

 

[Cleon]

That's pretty much the division I was thinking of, too.

If we slap it together with what we've already got in the Working Draft we have:

I'd also be inclined to tweak the Defective Servitor Droid entry to mention that their "safety circuits" sometimes break down so they might harm humanoids or other "owners".

 

[freyar]

I'll agree to all of that. It looks pretty good!

 

[Cleon]

I'll agree to all of that. It looks pretty good!

Seems we're getting somewhere. I'll probably update it tonight.

Anything else you fancy?

 

[Cleon]

Seems we're getting somewhere. I'll probably update it tonight.

I've updated the Servitor Droid Working Draft.

I changed a couple of uses of "master" to "owner" since the background mentioned the centaroid race of "masters" and I didn't want to confuse the two.

I also added the following to the defective droid:

Defective servitor droids sometimes have their built-in safety codes fail, so are much more likely to injure their owners or intruding creatures than a properly functioning servitor. See the Paradox Break defective droid trait for details.

Paradox Break:
If a servitor droid suffers a paradox break its safety circuits break down, so it may harm members of a creator or owner race.

 

[freyar]

Looks good! All set for the next one?

 

[Cleon]

Looks good! All set for the next one?

Sure.

Looks like the "Valet" model is next on our list.

 

[freyar]

Hmmm, should we mention that servitors are also used for cooking, since we combined the two models?

I think the valet could be handled with an underbar in the servitor droid. I mean, the Data Slots entry even mentions more sophisticated data slots for "protocol droids."

 

[Cleon]

Hmmm, should we mention that servitors are also used for cooking, since we combined the two models?

Sure. How about amending the first paragraph to "The servitor droid is a common design built for domestic and industrial labour, filling roles from stacking shelves to gourmet cooking."

We could also change the example skills in the Data Slot description from Appraise to Forgery to Knowledge (cuisine) and Profession (cook), although I quite like the current examples.

I think the valet could be handled with an underbar in the servitor droid. I mean, the Data Slots entry even mentions more sophisticated data slots for "protocol droids."

The Valet appears to be a different model to me It has a slower move and half the Hit Dice of the "Servitor" model.

In FEZ1, The Servant/Cook have HD 2, hp 10, MV 12" while the Valet is HD 1, hp 4, MV 10".

Furthermore, the Valet seems to be capable of more sophisticated actions, being able to perform "personal services" as requested, said services apparently including giving people showers. The Cooking Droid and Servant Droid, by contrast, both only followed a single fixed function - cooking meals and hanging clothes, respectively.