Alpha Dawn - Star Frontiersman

ROBOT MALFUNCTION TABLE
Roll Robot Malfunctions
01-25 No Malfunction
26-50 Program Destroyed
51-75 Short Circuit
76-90 Haywire
91-00 Explosion
No Malfunction -- The robot continues to function
normally.
Program Destroyed -- One of the robot's
programs (picked randomly by the referee) has
been destroyed. The robot can not perform any
functions requiring that program. If all The
programs in a robot are destroyed, the robot shuts
itself off.
Short Circuit -- The robot is still operating, but has
been damaged. For example, a robot with a short
circuit might stop suddenly every other turn, or
rattle and spark while it works.
Haywire -- The robot is completely out of control. It
might attack at random, spin in circles, recite the
Gettysburg Address, or do anything else the referee
thinks fits the situation.
Explosion -- The robot's parabattery explodes,
causing 2d10 points of damage multiplied by the
parabattery's type to the robotics expert.
Technician Skill
There are five Technician subskills: Operate
Machinery, Repair, Detect Alarm/Defense,
Deactivate Alarm/Defense and Open Locks. A techkit
is needed for all these subskills except Operate
Machinery.
OPERATING MACHINERY
Success Rate:
50% + skill level
Operating a vehicle includes starting it, driving it
and using it to do anything it was designed to do.
The chance to succeed includes the possibility that
the technician may need to bypass a locked ignition
to start the vehicle. Obviously, if the vehicle is
damaged or out of fuel, it will not start until it is
repaired or refueled.
A technician gets one chance to operate an
unfamiliar vehicle. If the technician has driven this
type of machine before, he can start it and drive it
automatically. A technician can try to operate any
ground or water vehicle, regardless of his level. At
2nd level he can fly a jetcopter. At 4th level he can
fly an aircar, and at 6th level he can operate rocketpowered
machines.
REPAIRING MACHINERY
Success Rate:
40% + skill level
Technicians can repair vehicles, large and small
machines, and electrical equipment (including video
and communication devices). They can not repair
computers or robots. Technicians use the standard
repair rule.
Besides repairing vehicles that have been damaged
in combat, the referee can include mechanical
breakdowns on random encounter tables. This is
recommended if the characters are on a long crosscountry
journey, where a breakdown is likely and
the nearest repair shop is several hundred
kilometers (or light-years) away. When a vehicle
breaks down, roll 2d10 on the following table to
determine what has happened:
VEHICLE BREAKDOWN TABLE
Roll Vehicle Breakdown
2 broken axle or hoverfan*
3-5 broken driveshaft or transmission*
6-10 minor engine failure
11-15 minor drive train failure
16-17 broken suspension
18-19 major engine failure, repairable*
20 blown engine, unrepairable**
* This breakdown takes twice as long to repair as a
normal breakdown.
** A blown engine can not be repaired in the field.
In a shop, it takes four times longer to repair than a
normal breakdown.
DETECTING ALARMS/DEFENSES
Success Rate:
60% + skill level - alarm level
Technicians have a chance to detect security alarms
and defenses. The following table lists the types of
alarms and traps and their levels. This same table is
used with the Open Lock and Deactivate Alarm/
Defense subskills.
ALARM LEVEL TABLE
Device Level
Simple Mechanical and Electrical 1
Motion and Pressure Sensitive 2
Infra-red Beams and Sound Sensitive 3
Video 4
Heat Sensitive 5
Personalized Recognition Devices
(fingerprints, voice patterns, etc.)
6
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