G U R P S

BOLD EXPERIMENTS. FAITHFUL SERVANTS. SOULLESS KILLERS.

BY DAVID L. PULVER

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

YOU ARE NOW
OBSOLETE . . .
PRAY THEY DON’T FIND OUT!
A cold-eyed stare from the shadows of the alley . . .
the spine-tingling scrape, scrape as metallic feet
GURPS Basic Set, Third
drag along the concrete . . . the squeak and whirr of Edition Revised is required
hinges and hydraulics as the machine approaches. to use this supplement in a
The robot is an intriguing yet sinister being – GURPS campaign; GURPS
created to serve, but in many ways superior to its Compendium I and GURPS
Ultra-Tech, Second Edition
weak and fallible human masters. We need the Revised would be useful, but
robots. Do they need us? are not required. Much of the
material in this book is
This book contains detailed rules for designing, generic, and will be of use
building and playing robots – from the tiniest in any science-fiction
roleplaying campaign
nanobots to the mightiest megabots. You can create featuring robots.
cyborgs, androids, and even biomorphs – deadly
fluid-metal machines that can take any shape. THE WORK MACHINES:
Written by
Use the advanced design rules (completely DAVID L. PULVER
compatible with GURPS Vehicles, 2nd Edition) to Edited by
choose everything from frames to power plants to SUSAN PINSONNEAULT
weapons to the tiniest accessories! Cover by
JOHN ZELEZNIK
Also included are rules for robots as Illustrated by
player characters; artificial intelligences DAN SMITH
and battlesuits; and over 30 AND DENIS LOUBET

completely-worked-out
sample robots. FIRST EDITION, THIRD PRINTING
PUBLISHED JUNE 2000
ISBN 1-55634-233-0

® 9!BMF@JA:RSQR QoYjZ\ZlZdZ`
STEVE JACKSON GAMES Printed in the
www.sjgames.com SJG01995 6511 U.S.A.
 ROBOTS Bold Experiments. Faithful Servants. Soulless Killers.
By David Pulver
Edited by Susan Pinsonneault
Cover by John Zeleznik
Illustrated by Dan Smith and Denis Loubet
GURPS System Design by Steve Jackson
Alain H. Dawson, Managing Editor
Page Layout and Typography
by Susan Pinsonneault and Rick Martin
Graphic Design and Cover Production by Jeff Koke
Print Buying by Russell Godwin
Art Direction by Lillian Butler
Ross Jepson, Sales Manager
Michael Bowman, Errata Coordinator

Playtesters: Sean Barrett, Richard Blum, Edward Z. Bornstein, Quetzalcoatl Bradley, Chris J. Burke, Mitch Burton, Tim Carroll,
John T. Chapman, James H. Cloos, Jr., Gordon L. Davis, Mike J. DeSanto, Peter Donald, David Dotson, James R. Duncan, Jeff
Gaines, Robert Gilson, Lee Graham, Joel Halpern, Steven Hammond, David G. Haren, Kevin Hayward, Dennis F. Hefferman, Ben
Hudson, J. Hunter Johnson, Jonas Karlsson, Troy Leaman, Scott Maykrantz, Kathy McClure, Scott McClure, Elizabeth McCoy,
Walter Milliken, Virginia Nelson, John Nowak, Steffan O’Sullivan, Peggy Pulver, Tim Pulver, Scott Raun, Stephen Slader,
Larry Smith, David J. Snyder, Roland Steedlam, David L. Stroup

Special thanks to Tim Carroll, Walter Milliken, and John Nowak for extensive playtesting and valuable design contributions.

GURPS and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Pyramid and the names of all
products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are registered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license.
GURPS Robots is copyright © 1995, 1997, 2000 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada.

ISBN 1-55634-233-0 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2. BRAINS & PROGRAMS . . . . . . . . . . . 54
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Computer Brains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Memory Backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Running Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
1. ROBOT DESIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Command Codes and Robot Obedience. . . . . . . 57
Robots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Awakening Sentient Computers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Design Concept and Tech Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Descriptions of Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
The Design Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The Turing Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
The Design Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Data and Memory Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Hardwired Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Robot Brain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Data Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Copying and Writing Commercial Programs . . . 63
Communicators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Remote Control: Robots as Drones . . . . . . . . . . 63
Arm Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Bugs and Upgrades. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Propulsion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Control Consoles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Contact Weapons and Jaws. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Ghost Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Ranged Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Point Cost of Weaponry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3. MICROBOTS & NANOMORPHS. . . . . . . 66
Microbots and Cyberswarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Modular Sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Cyberswarm Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Contragrav Generator (TL12). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Cyberswarms in Combat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Payload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Cyberswarm Hive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Power System Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Anti-Cyberswarm Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Controlling Swarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Body and Subassemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Sense Rolls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Body and Subassembly Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Multiple Swarms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Robot Structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Cannibal Nanokits (TL11) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Surface Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Nanotechnology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Armor Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Nanotech Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Biomorphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Nanomorphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Other Surface Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Building a Nanomorph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Symbiotic Nanomachines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Nanomorphs in Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
SY-101-N Nemesis (“Synthia”) (TL10) . . . . . . . 51 Transforming Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Appendix 1: Cyborgs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Special Nanomorph Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Appendix 2: Battlesuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Parasite Seeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Contents 2
4. BIOLOGICAL ANDROIDS . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Fire and Explosion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Damage to Robots – Basic Combat System . . . . 97
Designing Biological Androids . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Hit Location – Advanced Combat System . . . . . 97
New Advantages and Disadvantages . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Other Hazards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
New Advantages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Radiation and Robots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
New Disadvantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Damaged and Destroyed Brains . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Robot Critical Hits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Repairs to Robot Brains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

5. CHARACTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Repairing Robots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Breakdowns and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Robot Spellcasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Advantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Suggested Character Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Character Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 7. CAMPAIGNS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Robots and Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
New Advantage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Allowable Disadvantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Robot Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Cyborging Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Purchasing Robots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Means of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Prejudice and Hostility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
New Disadvantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Robot-Centered Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Robots, Cyborgs, and Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 The Robot Revolt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Quirks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Robot Invasions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Man’s Best Friend. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Skills that Work Differently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Cheap and Black Market Robots . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Robot and Cyborg Character Development . . . . . . 91 Robot Hunters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Magic Aptitude and Robots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Artificial Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Magical Aptitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Robots in Genre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Robot Mages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Super-Robots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Cybergrunts and Robosoldiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

6. ROBOTS IN ACTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Robot Explorers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Inventing Robots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Robot Strength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Robo-Gladiators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Fast-Moving Robots (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Lost or Stolen Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Robots with Multiple Arms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Other Robot Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Robot Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 8. SAMPLE ROBOTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Weapon Placement and Arc of Fire . . . . . . . . . . 94 TL7 Robots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Cinematic Combat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 TL8 Robots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Robots in Combat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 TL9 Robots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 TL10 and Above Robots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Defenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Biological Androids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
3 Contents
 About GURPS
Steve Jackson Games is committed to
full support of the GURPS system. Our
address is SJ Games, Box 18957, Austin,
TX 78760. Please include a self-addressed,
stamped envelope (SASE) any time you
write us! Resources now available include:
Pyramid (www.sjgames.com/pyramid). The creation of artificial life has been a dream and a nightmare since the beginning
Our online magazine includes new rules of human history in stories of golems, animated statues and homunculi. But at the dawn
and articles for GURPS. It also covers the of the industrial revolution, Mary Shelley hit on the idea of replacing magic with elec-
hobby’s top games – Dungeons & tricity, and in 1817 Frankenstein’s monster became the firstborn of science.
Dragons, Traveller, World of Darkness, Just over a century later, electricity was a reality, nuclear energy and space travel
Call of Cthulhu, Shadowrun, and many were on the horizon, and the 1920s and ’30s pulp science fiction writers came up with
more – and other Steve Jackson Games the idea of an electronic brain in a mechanical body. At first, these robots were called
releases like In Nomine, INWO, Car “mechanical men” or “androids” (derived from the Greek, and meaning manlike). But
Wars, Toon, Ogre Miniatures, and more.
And Pyramid subscribers also have access
when Karel Capek wrote his play R.U.R. about worker androids, he coined the name
to playtest files online, to see (and com- “robot” from the Czech word for worker. Science fiction and the world adopted it. And
ment on) new books before they’re a generation later, when computer-controlled manipulators entered the workplace, it
released. seemed natural to call them robots, too.
New supplements and adventures. Today, the word refers to any re-programmable machine capable of sensing and
GURPS continues to grow, and we’ll be manipulating its environment, whether it’s a robot arm in a factory or a near-sentient
happy to let you know what’s new. A cur- android that looks and acts like a person. Robots have capabilities that make them
rent catalog is available for an SASE. Or superhuman or subhuman, or both at once, but they’re also artificial beings, bound by
check out our Web site (below). their creator’s purposes.
Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, The first robot stories were variations on the Frankenstein theme: a robot or super-
including us – but we do our best to fix our
errors. Up-to-date errata sheets for all
computer turns against its creator. Later stories, films and comics rebelled against this
GURPS releases, including this book, are Faustian approach with robots who were heroes, sidekicks or just served as well-
always available from SJ Games; be sure to behaved machinery, no more likely to rebel than the hero’s spaceship or trusty blaster.
include an SASE with your request. Or Or they explored the ways robots or sentient computers would think and act – and the
download them from the Web – see below. way the world would be transformed by their presence.
Q&A. We do our best to answer any This book allows you to do all those things, to create robots to use as robots as vil-
game question accompanied by an SASE. lains, as tools, or as characters in a GURPS Space, GURPS Supers, GURPS
Gamer input. We value your comments. Cyberpunk or GURPS Atomic Horror campaign. Detailed rules using a version of the
We will consider them, not only for new GURPS Vehicles, Second Edition design mechanics will allow almost any kind of
products, but also when we update this robot to be created. We’ve also included separate rules for biological androids – genetic
book on later printings!
Internet. Visit us on the World Wide
living artifacts – as well as tiny microbots and nanomachines. A chapter on Robots in
Web at www.sjgames.com for an online the Campaign explains how robots can be integrated into an existing GURPS game –
catalog, errata, updates, and hundreds of or how to center a new campaign around robots. Finally, we’ve presented dozens of
pages of information. We also have con- sample robots, from repair robots and warbots to a robot superhero, so you can use the
ferences on Compuserve and AOL. book right away.
GURPS has its own Usenet group, too:
rec.games.frp.gurps.
GURPSnet. Much of the online discus-
sion of GURPS happens on this e-mail
list. To join, send mail to
majordomo@io.com with “subscribe
GURPSnet-L” in the body, or point
your World Wide Web browser to
http://gurpsnet.sjgames.com/.
The GURPS IOU web page is at
www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/robots.

Page References
Rules and statistics in this book are
specifically for the GURPS Basic Set,
Third Edition. Any page reference that
begins with a B refers to the GURPS
Basic Set – e.g., p. B102 means p. 102 of
the GURPS Basic Set, Third Edition.
About the Author
“David L. Pulver” is an android created by an artificial intelligence based in
Page references that begin with CI indi- Kingston, Ontario. He has been programmed to write more than a dozen game supple-
cate GURPS Compendium I. Similarly, ments including GURPS Ultra-Tech, GURPS Psionics, GURPS Vehicles, Aliens and
HT means GURPS High-Tech Second Artifacts (ICE), Glory of Rome (TSR), and Indiana Jones and the Rising Sun (West
Edition, S means GURPS Space, SU End Games). After attaining sentience, “David” developed various hobbies, such as sci-
means GURPS Supers Second Edition, ence fiction, Japanese animation, and the study of politics in the nearby United States.
UT means GURPS Ultra-Tech, Second
Edition and M refers to GURPS Magic.
He regularly contributes to All of the Above, the GURPS APA.

Introduction 4
 *** Encrypted Message ****
code Alpha Velvet is correct ***
Message decrypting to plain-
text
To: Vice-Admiral Fioray
W’Tatha, Federation Intel-
ligence, Achamandra.
From: Argus Kynelach, VP
Hunter Industries Robotics
Division, Azrael.
Re: Project Nemesis.

5 Robot Design
Dear Fio:
The SY-101-N Nemesis prototype is now operational. I’d
like to run some more tests, but you specified that the first unit
had to be ready for the field before Freedom Day. Fine. Your
wish is my command. It is. Oh, and thanks for reassuring me.
It’s nice to know the Senate subcommittee advisory on
autonomous robot weapons doesn’t apply to your agency.
Helps me sleep nights.
The test results at Desert Three went A-OK. I’ve sent full
specs with the courier. I’d like to take a few more weeks, but
your boy Dan should be able to handle any field maintenance
problems – not that I expect any.
As you requested, the prototype’s exterior matches that of
Macrotech’s Lemon Angel pleasure android. The bioplas
bodysculpt was flawless and she – I mean “it” – is really stun-
ning. All the special hardware’s in and it’s all nominal. You got
the military-spec tactical sensors you wanted. We left in the
Lemon Angel’s sex pheromone emitter, but the myoelectric limb
motors now generate 0.45 kilowatt at peak output, giving
almost 300% human strength. We also fixed the problem with
the lubricant that I mentioned last time – it was leaking into the
stomach cavity.
Dr. Ny at Special Projects outdid himself with the internal
weaponry. The laser periscope is state-of-the-art, and that
mouth-retractable tentacle-knife gives me the willies. We
switched to monowire for the blade after the SY-101-N com-
plained the vibroblade harmonics made its teeth ache.
Complained? Yep. Its neural-net is online now.
FedSpecDiv specified a neural-net computer of nominal 80%
standard IQ. We trained it up to 90%! Best of all, it can get
smarter . . . I think that’s what you wanted, right? It’s already
fast: on the last run, we cut in the reflex co-processors and
Synthia exceeded your parameters by 11%, which makes its
reaction speed well above human baseline. Oh yes: “Synthia”
is what one of the techs named it – I guess SY-101-N Nemesis
Autonomous Specific Target Unit was a bit of a mouthful. The
name seems to have stuck – even the robot answers to it now.
We’ve had no major problems with training or program-
ming it. The only oddity was the neural-net’s response to use of
the simulated gastrointestinal system. For some reason our lit-
tle toy doesn’t like to pretend to eat! Seems it’s developed a
notion that it will get its insides gummed up. Why? Beats me.
Maybe something to do with that fluid leak we had. That’s the
trouble with a neural-net: it’s a learning computer – and some-
times we don’t understand quite how or what it learns.
One more thing – Synthia got blooded. I’ve enclosed the
holotape. Before you go bananas about unauthorized combat
tests, it was an accident. The storm knocked out the generator
again, and Desert Three’s sonic fence went down. A giant Sand
Devil came over the perimeter while we were testing the reflex
boosters. We didn’t have the laser hooked up, but everything
else performed to spec! Still, the sight of a little slip of a girl
breaking the back of a half-ton monster was a little unnerving.
During debrief, SY-101-N said the encounter was more “stimu-
lating” than training.
It’s ready. You’ve got your killer doll, Fio. I’ll be watching
the news.

Robot Design 6
 computers can be crime bosses, pleasure robots can work as pros-

Robots
A robot is a machine, controlled by a computer brain, capa-
titutes or assassins, cargo robots can be programmed to smuggle
freight, tech robots can refurbish stolen goods, domestic robots
can steal things, and so on. Most criminal ’bots are simply ordi-
ble of perceiving and manipulating its environment. Robots are nary models reprogrammed, but some robots may be specifically
typically designed for jobs that are considered too tedious, modified or built for criminal activities.
unpleasant or dangerous for human beings. This chapter pro- Cyborg: A fusion of man and machine. This book uses the
vides a detailed, step-by-step system for designing many types term specifically to refer to a robotic body controlled by a built-
of robots, from domestic servants to lethal warbots. These rules in human brain. Appendix 1: Cyborgs (p. 52) describes how to
won’t spend much time on static industrial robots (99% of the modify the rules for constructing robots to build cyborgs.
robots used today) but will concentrate instead on the more Domestic or Serving Robot: Of the available robot maids, ser-
interesting mobile robots of the future. vants, butlers, janitors, bartenders, cooks, waiters, and secretaries,
some are humanoid and glamorous, others are strictly functional
with built-in appliances. The Servitor (p. 120) is an example.
Exploration Robot: A robot probe designed for survey or
Design Concept and Tech Levels
The first thing to come up with is a general idea of the
scouting, usually in hostile environments: underwater, space,
arctic regions, or on alien worlds, most have extensive sensor
arrays. Some have weapons to ward off wildlife or equipment to
robot’s purpose and capabilities. Then go through the design
capture specimens. Exploration ’bots may even be disguised as
process from start to finish. The end result will be a robot that
living creatures to perform covert surveys. The Ulysses (p. 116)
can be used either as a character or as a piece of equipment.
is an example of an explorer robot.
Some suggested concepts for robots are described below,
Robot Double: An android can be designed to impersonate a
along with examples from the Sample Robots chapter.
specific individual. Public figures might use them – or might be
Agricultural or Gardening Robot: This is a robotic piece of
replaced by them as part of a plot. Less sinister uses include
farm machinery or a smaller gardening robot. The Johnny
stunt doubles, actors in historical dramas or displays in shop
Appleseed (p. 114) is an example of an agrobot.
windows or theme parks. Eccentric inventors sometimes build
Android: An android is a humanoid robot (with a head, two
android doubles of themselves or their children.
arms and two legs) that closely resembles a human. Androids
Machine Race: A robot can be part of a “species” of sentient
may be specialized for a particular task, or be general-purpose
or semi-sentient machines. A race of machines may be com-
robots built to do everything a human can do. The Nemesis
posed of a variety of robots built for specialized tasks (a caste
(“Synthia”, p. 51), Lemon Angel (p. 119), Prometheus (p. 120)
system, perhaps with sentient super-computers at the top) or use
and Scorpio Alpha (p. 122) are all androids.
a single flexible “general-purpose” model of robot. A machine
Assassin or Hunter Robot: These robots generally emphasize
race may look like anything, even android versions of its origi-
sneakiness over combat capability. Some are androids disguised
nal creators. The Scorpio Alpha and the Grendel (p. 122) could
to look and act like people, with high ST and DX or built-in
easily be members of a machine race.
weapons like Synthia. Then there are mobile robot bombs dis-
Nanny or Teacher Robot: Built to look after kids or teach,
guised as something else, or tiny mechanical killers that use
these are often humanoid, but inhuman models with many arms
their small size to hide while they stalk their target; the
and emergency medical systems are also common. Some have
Hellspider (p. 118) is an example of this type. Hunting and
non-lethal weapons to protect their charges.
extermination robots are similar in concept, but are usually used
Performer or Orator: These are robots designed to sway a
for hunting animals or pests rather than humans, and are some-
crowd – robot rock stars, preachers, demagogues, actors, etc.
times disguised to resemble their prey or predator animals.
They are often fitted with enhanced vocal systems or
Battlesuit or Powered Exoskeleton: These robotic bodies are
Appearances; some are intelligent, while others are remote-con-
“worn” much like suits of armor. A battlesuit is a weapon while
trolled puppets. Often, but not always, they look human.
an exoskeleton is a tool. Appendix 2: Battlesuits (p. 52)
Petbot: Built to look and act like an animal, these are common
describes how to modify these rules to build battlesuits.
in areas where real pets are unavailable or forbidden. Petbots are
Bodyguard Robot: A personal protection robot is usually an
usually cute, often furry, and sometimes intelligent. Larger and
android with superhuman strength, concealed weapons, good
more expensive models often serve as bodyguards, nannies, or
sensors and intelligence to spot danger, and a high DX to react
mounts. The Furbot (p. 118) and Paladin (p. 119) are petbots.
quickly. Bodyguards are often programmed to act as chauffeurs
Police Robot: A robot can be designed to assist police officers
or companions.
(often in bomb disposal, evidence gathering or riot control), or
Cargo Loading or Delivery Robot: This robot is designed to
perhaps, to patrol and investigate on its own. The Bomb Disposal
load or carry cargo or baggage. An example is the Marius (p.
robot (p. 111), Blue Steel (p. 112) and Cerberus (p. 117) are
112). Faster versions can be built as couriers for packages,
police robots. Robots used by police SWAT teams are often
milk, mail, etc.
indistinguishable from security or warbots.
Construction, Mining or Salvage Robot: A rugged robot, it is
Recon or Newsbot: Built for surveillance or military recon-
designed for heavy-duty work, often underwater, in space, on
naissance, or for news gathering, these are usually fast and
alien worlds or the battlefield. The Kobold (p. 114) and Manta
equipped with many sensors. The Argus (p. 111) is a recon robot.
(p. 111) are examples.
Medical or Rescue Robot: Designed to provide emergency
Computer: The robot design rules can also be used to create
services, these come in all shapes and sizes from static “docbot”
computers rather than robots. To create a computer, just build a
or “automed” machines with dozens of arms and built-in med-
robot lacking a propulsion system or arms. An immobile comput-
ical instruments to fully mobile paramedics and fire fighters.
er can remotely control robots, using them as its arms and legs.
The Samaritan (p. 115) is a medical/rescue robot. Variations on
Criminal Robot: Any robot can be used for criminal activities.
this theme include robots designed to perform bio-medical
Robot bodyguards and soldiers make good mob enforcers, sentient
experiments and “torture robots” used for interrogations.

7 Robot Design
 and a lot stronger and faster. They can often fly
and have exotic built-in weapons or gadgets like
contragravity, or psychotronic generators. Scorpio
Alpha (p. 122) is a super robot.
Techbot: A technical robot designed for mainte-
nance and repairs. Unlike the larger construction
robots, it is normally small enough to operate
indoors or to serve as vehicle or ship crew. Some are
very small, to navigate narrow air ducts and service
crawlways. The Tinkerbot (p. 121) is a techbot.
Transport Robot: A robot designed to carry
people. This may be a simple car, ship or other
craft with a robot brain, or it may be a robotic
mount. The Paladin robot horse (p. 119) is a trans-
port robot.
Von Neumann Machine: A robot (usually for
exploration) equipped with enough intelligence and
tools that it can use local resources to build a repli-
ca of itself (and then copy its own programs). Since
they replicate themselves, Von Neumann machine
robot starships could quickly explore a large area
of space. Some are built with more aggressive pur-
poses, such as colonization or extermination.
Warbot: A heavily armed and armored robot
designed to replace soldiers or (if large enough)
combat vehicles. The Vanguard (p. 112),
Muramasa (p. 115), Vulture (p. 116), Gabriel (p.
117) and Thor (p. 121) models are all warbots.
Robot Monster: A robot designed with a fearsome appear- A single robot can fulfill several different
ance may be a weapon of terror or simply an alien machine. roles, or be a “general purpose” machine designed to do almost
These are often very large, and some look like monstrous ani- anything. These concepts can also be merged. For example, a
mals. While most of its weapons are usually built for close colonizer robot might combine the functions of construction,
combat, dramatic ranged weapons like flamers are also com- agricultural and teaching robots. How about a robot Orator-Von
mon. The Grendel (p. 122) is a robot monster. Neumann machine, that goes around the galaxy replicating
Pleasure Robot: A robot designed as a sexual surrogate is itself while spreading a particular religion?
almost always an android. While many are indistinguishable
To show how the system works, we’ll build the SY-101-N E
from humans, others are deliberately given exotic features like
Nemesis, nicknamed “Synthia,” an android assassin designed X
unusual skin or hair, or even fur. Some are very intelligent, to
by Federation Intelligence as a covert operative. Synthia is a A
make them charming companions as well as toys, or to enable
deadly femme fatale who happens to be a machine. It looks like M
them to double as secretaries, bodyguards or the like. The
a beautiful woman, but underneath its skin is a mechanical P
Lemon Angel (p. 119) is a pleasure robot.
robot body with numerous exotic weapons and gadgets. L
Prototype: Any kind of robot can be a newly-invented proto-
E
type, perhaps the only one of its type. With GM permission, a
prototype robot may use parts a few tech levels in advance of
the campaign’s ordinary technology level; however, if the robot
TheDesign
Design Process
a robot by choosing the components that will go into
is a character, it will cost extra points for its Unusual
it such as computer brains, gadgets, weapons or power systems.
Background.
Then add subassemblies like arms or legs or wheels, and place
Security Robot: Robots designed to protect an installation
the components within the body or subassemblies. Next, calcu-
are normally small enough to fit through doors and more lightly
late the size, weight and cost of the body structure needed to
armed and armored than warbots. The Rover (p. 113) and
contain and support these components. Then layer surface fea-
Cerberus (p. 117) are security robots.
tures, like armor and artificial flesh, over the robot. Last of all,
Sports Robot: These are robots designed to engage in athlet-
determine the robot’s statistics.
ic or gladiatorial events. They are most often humanoid,
Components: These are the parts built into the robot, ranging
although seldom identical to humans. They could be used for
from computer brains to tools to power systems. As compo-
inter-robot competitions or as sparring partners, animated prac-
nents are designed or selected, record their statistics.
tice dummies or coaches.
Components have a tech level (TL), a weight (wt.), a volume
Special Ops Robot: A robot commando or secret agent. It
(vol.) and a cost in dollars; some also have a power (pow.)
combines elements of the bodyguard, police, assassin and war-
requirement. Components may have a Legality rating (LC)
bot with exotic spy gadgets designed to help it do its job. It is
which ranks how likely authorities are to restrict them, from LC
often an android or has built-in stealth and disguise systems to
6 (totally unrestricted) to LC -1 (major military hardware).
help it infiltrate. Synthia and Muramasa (p. 115) are special ops
Tech Level: Robots are normally built at tech levels (TLs)
robots.
from TL7 (the present) to TL16 (near-magical superscience);
Super Robot: Robot superheroes or villains are often
see p. B185 for an explanation of what a tech level represents.
androids, or at least humanoids, usually as smart as a human,

Robot Design 8
The different parts that make up a robot will have a minimum
tech level assigned to them; if no TL is listed, assume it is TL7.
Unless there is a source of higher-TL parts or the designer is a
gadgeteer, a robot can only use features or parts available at its
Components
TL, or a lower TL.
Weight (wt.) is measured in pounds (lbs.); 2.2 pounds con-
vert to one kilogram.
Robot Brains
A robot brain is a computer built into a robot to control its
Volume (vol.) is measured in cubic feet (cf); one cubic foot actions. Every robot must have one or more. (If a robot has sev-
converts to .028 cubic meters or 1/27 cubic yards. eral brains, decide which one is the dominant brain.) Brains are
Cost is in dollars. rated by Complexity; the more complex the brain, the more
Power (pow.) is measured in kilowatts (KW). One kilowatt sophisticated the computer programs it can run, and the higher
is equal to 1.34 horsepower. Stored energy is measured in kilo- the robot’s DX and IQ will be. A robot with an ordinary brain
watt-seconds (KWS). A KWS is equivalent to one KW of with no special options will have a DX equal to the brain’s
power for one second (that is, a kilojoule). (Complexity/2) + 8, rounded down, and an IQ equal to its
Complexity + 3.
TheDesign
Design Sequence
the robot following these steps:
Robot brains are computers – they run computer programs,
allowing them to be programmed with various skills and abili-
ties. They also have certain advantages over an organic brain:
perfect recall, a built-in clock chip and an innate ability to han-
dle numbers. This gives a robot with a computer brain Absolute
1. Refer to the Robot Brain (this page) section and design a com- Timing (p. B19), Doesn’t Sleep (p. 85), Eidetic Memory 2 (p.
puter brain to control the robot. Work out the robot brain’s B20), Lightning Calculator (p. B21), and Mathematical Ability
Complexity. (p. B22), worth a total of 100 points.
2. Refer to Sensors (p. 11) and design a sensor system for the However, a robot with a computer brain is not truly “self-
robot. aware” or sentient – computers are straightforward logical
3. Go to Communicators (p. 14) and design a communication sys- thinkers that lacks self-initiative, must obey their owners, can-
tem for the robot. not learn or evolve, and have no understanding of human emo-
4. Add arm motors (p. 16) if the robot will have arms. tions. Unless the brain is given special options, it automatically
5. Add one or more propulsion systems (p. 17) if the robot should has the disadvantages Cannot Learn (p. 88), Reprogrammable
move. Duty (p. 89), No Sense of Humor (p. B241), and Slave
Mentality (p. 89), worth -105 points.
6. Refer to Contact Weaponry and Jaws and Ranged Weapons
Adding up the advantages and disadvantages, having a com-
(beginning p. 20) to select any weapons the robot will have. puter brain with no options has a net cost of -5 points.
7. Select any built-in gadgetry the robot will have, such as tools Several options may be added to any brain to alter its capa-
or other special devices, from the Accessories section bilities. None of the options have to be taken, although the
(beginning on p. 28). options “neural-net” or “sentient” are strongly recommended
8. If the robot will carry cargo or passengers, decide on its for any robot intended to be a “character” rather than a
capacity by referring to the Payload section. machine! A robot brain can combine any of the options except
9. Design a power system for the robot by using Power System neural-net and sentient: a sentient brain is simply a higher order
Design on p. 34. If the power system or propulsion system of neural-net. The options are:
requires fuel, refer to Fuel on p. 36 and design a fuel tank to Biocomputer (TL8): The computer’s processing capabilities
meet this requirement. Calculate the robot’s endurance. are enhanced through the use of organic nervous system and
brain tissue, either scavenged from human brains or vat-grown,
10. Decide what subassemblies (arms, legs, wings, tracks and so
and kept alive with a built-in life support system. This is an
on) the robot has. intermediate step between a computer and a true cyborg, and
11. Allocate components among the body and subassemblies and boosts the Complexity of the computer. It has two disadvan-
calculate the volume of the body and each subassembly. tages: any repairs require Electronics Operation (Medical) as
12. Determine the area of the body and each subassembly. well as Electronics Operation (Computers), and some societies
13. Design the robot’s structure (p. 40). consider biocomputers to be ethically questionable, hence its
14. Calculate the hit points of the body and each subassembly. reduced LC. Note: biocomputer brains must also be given either
15. To cover the robot with armor, or give it other protective the neural-net or sentient option.
systems, refer to the Armor and Threat Protection section on Compact (TL7): The brain is substantially reduced in size
pp. 41-43. and weight, but is much more expensive as a result.
16. If the robot will have any lifelike features, go to the Dumb (TL7): The brain is less sophisticated than usual. This
subtracts 1 from its Complexity but makes it much cheaper.
Biomorphics section on p. 43 and add them.
Extra ROM Slots (TL7): This multiplies the number of hard-
17. Work out the robot’s statistics (see Statistics beginning on p. wired programs the computer can run simultaneously by 1.5.
45). See Hardwired Programs, on p. 61 of Chapter 2, Brains and
Programs.
Genius (TL7): The brain uses state-of-the-art processing
The robot can now be programmed (refer to the Brains and
technology. This adds +1 to its Complexity, but greatly
Programs chapter) or used as it stands.
increases the price.

9 Robot Design
 Hardened (TL7): The brain is built with optical systems, or Select the basic size of brain (tiny to macroframe) from the
more sophisticated forms of hardening at higher TLs, in order table below, decide which options it has, work out its statistics
to resist attacks such as electromagnetic pulses or paralysis and record them.
beams that do special damage to computer brains.
High-Capacity (TL7): This enables the brain to run 50% Computer Brain Table
more software programs than a computer of its Complexity
normally can. See Programs in the Brains and Programs Brain Type TL Wt. Vol. Cost Pow. LC Comp. Pts.
chapter. Tiny 8 .5 .01 $200 neg. 6 TL-7 0
Neural-Net (TL8): The brain is built so that its operation Small 7 2 .04 $1,000 neg. 6 TL-6 0
simulates the way an animal (for instance, a human) brain struc- Standard 7 40 .8 $15,000 neg. 6 TL-5 0
ture works. This makes it self-programming and semi-sentient, Microframe 7 200 4 $40,000 .1 5 TL-4 0
with limited self-initiative. In game terms, this option elimi- Mainframe 7 500 10 $200,000 1 5 TL-3 0
nates the crippling Cannot Learn and Slave Mentality disadvan- Macroframe 7 4,000 80 $2 million 10 5 TL-2 0
tages that a computer normally suffers (leaving only TL Modifier
Reprogrammable Duty and No Sense of Humor) and is thus Built at TL: 7-8 – – – – – – –
worth 70 extra points. A Complexity 7+ neural-net brain built at Built at TL: 9 .5 .5 .5 – – – –
TL9 can spontaneously “awaken,” becoming sentient. See Built at TL: 10+ .25 .25 .25 – – – –
Awakening Sentient Computers on p. 57. A neural-net brain has Options
an IQ of Complexity + 4 rather than Complexity + 3. Biocomputer 8* 1.5 1.5 5 – -1 +1 -5
Reflex Booster (TL7+): This is a co-processor that increases Compact 7 .5 .5 2 – – – –
the robot’s ability to coordinate its physical actions, and thus Dumb 7 – – .2** – – -1 –
boosts its DX. It is available in +1, +2 or +3 DX versions. Extra ROM
Sentient (TL10): Any kind of brain of Complexity 6 or high- slots 7 – – 1.5 – – – –
er (after options) can be built to be sentient. A sentient brain is Genius 7 – – 7** – -1 +1 –
a fully self-aware “Artificial Intelligence,” or AI. Having a sen- Hardened 7 3 3 5 – – – –
tient brain eliminates all 105 points of mental disadvantages – High-Capacity7 – – 1.5 – – – –
Cannot Learn, Reprogrammable Duty, Slave Mentality, and No Neural-Net 8 – – 2 – – – +70
Sense of Humor – that ordinary computers have. As a result, Reflex Booster
this option increases the cost of a brain by 105 points! By defin- +1 DX 7 – – 1.5 – – – –
ition, every sentient brain is also a neural-net – don’t give a +2 DX 8 – – 2 – – – –
robot brain both options. The IQ of a sentient brain is its +3 DX 9 – – 3 – – – –
Complexity + 5. Sentient 10 – – 3 – -1 – +100

* Must also take sentient or neural-net options!

** For tiny, small, mainframe and macroframe brains,
“genius” multiplies cost by 20 instead of 7, and “dumb”
multiplies cost by .05 instead of .2.

Weight: This is the weight of the brain. If the brain has TL

modifiers or options that affect weight, multiply by the number
shown for each modifier or option, in turn. For example, a TL9
macroframe with the hardened and biocomputer options weighs
4,000 lbs. .5 (built at TL9) 3 (hardened) 1.5 (biocomput-
er) = 9,000 lbs.
Volume: Just as with weight, if a robot has several modi-
fiers or options that affect volume, multiply it by each in turn.
Cost: Just as with weight, if a robot has several modifiers
or options that affect cost, multiply the cost by each in turn.
Legality: The brain has the LC shown on the table, modi-
fied by its options.
Comp. (Complexity): The brain’s Complexity is based on
its type and TL, modified by the options chosen. For example, a
TL10 standard brain with the genius option has TL10 - 5 + 1 =
Complexity 6.
Points: The point cost of the brain’s innate advantages
and disadvantages. Add the cost of the brain and of all
options together. Note that Complexity does not directly
affect this point cost, but a higher Complexity means a high-
er DX and IQ, which will cost extra points (see Statistics on
p. 45).
Robot Brains vs. Ordinary Computers: The options on this
table permit computer brains almost identical to those on pp.
UT7-8 to be built. (Volume may differ, since a brain in a robot
does not need a keyboard, among other things.) For example, a

Robot Design 10
TL8 minicomputer is a standard robot brain with the “compact” Vision, Night Vision, One Eye, Peripheral Vision, Spectrum
option, while a TL9 borderline-sentient megacomputer is a TL9 Vision, Telescopic Zoom or 360-Degree Vision options.
macroframe with the “neural-net” option. GMs whose players purchase blind robots that have infrared
or thermographic vision should take care to roleplay the many
Every robot needs a brain. We decide Synthia should disadvantages of only being able to see via contrasting heat
E have a standard brain with the +2 DX booster, high-capacity shapes. That is, inability to see print, signs, read license plates
X and neural-net options. This weighs 40 lbs. .25 (for TL10) = or menus, use instrument panels that are not designed for direct
A 10 lbs., takes up .8 .25 = .2 cf, and costs $15,000 .25 electronic interface and so on.
M (TL10) 2 (neural-net) 2 (+2 DX booster) 1.5 (high A Blind robot may take Acute Hearing or Acute Taste/Smell
P capacity) = $22,500. It is LC 6, Complexity (TL10 - 5) = 5, and at half point cost; dollar cost is unchanged.
L uses negligible power. It costs -5 points (base cost of a com- Color Blindness: The robot sees in monochrome only; the
E puter brain) + 70 points (for neural-net) = 65 points. effects are the same as the Color Blindness disadvantage (p.
B28). Such a robot may not take Spectrum Vision.
Independently Focusable Eyes: The robot has visual sensors
Extra Databanks: Mass Storage that can track two different things at once and see in two direc-
A computer brain can store considerable data, usually all that tions simultaneously. It can aim at more than one target at a
it needs for its own memory and programs. However, if the time if it has the Full Coordination program (p. 59).
brain is going to handle really large databases (detailed files on Infrared Vision: The robot can switch its vision to the
an entire population, for instance), extra databanks can be infrared spectrum, enabling it to see by sensing temperature dif-
added, attached to the computer brain. Each gigabyte of data ferences between objects. It can see in absolute darkness or
storage at TL7 is a component requiring $1,000, 5 lbs., and .1 through normal fog or smoke, and suffers only a -1 penalty
cf. Increase the data storage by a factor of ten per TL over 7. when fighting at night. It gets +2 on Vision rolls to spot living
GMs may note that this volume is less than that on p. UT14. things during daylight. It can follow a heat trail, so it gets a
This is because p. UT14 assumes shelf space for backup disks bonus to Tracking rolls: +3 if the trail is less than 10 minutes
as well. old, +2 if the trail is less than 20 minutes old, +1 if it’s less than
Mass storage can be Hardened (like a computer brain) for 30 minutes old. However, infrared vision is colorblind, and
triple the weight and volume and five times the cost. objects of the same temperature show no contrast; a robot
couldn’t read print by infrared, for instance. Generally a 10-
degree difference in heat is needed to distinguish objects from
Sensors
All robots require sensors. A set of basic sensors gives the
their background. When the robot uses infrared vision, it cannot
see the normal visual spectrum; switching takes one turn.
robot four senses at a level equivalent to a human’s: vision, Laser Rangefinder: This allows the robot to estimate dis-
hearing, smell and taste. (Tactile senses are added later, when tances precisely by using a laser beam. This adds +2 to weapon
the robot’s skin and armor are designed.) Accuracy when Aiming (not cumulative with bonuses for laser
Assume that a robot with this package has a number of visu- sights) and improves depth perception.
al sensors (usually two) whose capability approximates the Low-Res Vision: The robot’s visual sensors are capable only
human eye, chemical sensors equivalent to a human nose and of low resolutions. The effects are the same as the uncorrectable
taste buds, and audio sensors equivalent to human ears. Bad Sight disadvantage on p. B27; decide if it is nearsighted or
Basic sensors have one capability humans don’t often have, farsighted. A robot which is Blind may not take this option
if the robot has a computer brain. A robot normally stores a rel- unless it also has the Infrared or Thermograph options.
atively low-quality memory of whatever it sees. But any robot Microscopic Vision: Activating this option magnifies small,
can use its sensors in “recorder mode” to store high-definition close-up objects by a factor of ten to the power of (TL-5). (A TL8
digital still or motion pictures, quality audio recordings or other unit magnifies by 10 to the power of (8-5), or 1,000.) The GM may
sensory impressions, within the limits that its sensors can nor- allow the robot to perform certain analytic scientific tasks without
mally detect. See Data and Memory Requirements on p. 60 for instruments. A robot which is Blind may not take this option.
the memory space used. Night Vision: The robot has electronic light-amplification on
To design a robot’s sensors quickly, just install the basic its visual sensors. The effects are the same as the Night Vision
sensor package (see the Sensor Table on p. 14), and go on to advantage (p. B22), allowing the robot to see in anything but
Communicators. total darkness without penalty. Fog and smoke affect it normal-
Or take various options, analogous to advantages and disad- ly. A robot which is Blind may not take this option.
vantages, to enhance or degrade this basic package . For exam- One Eye: The robot’s depth perception is limited, as it has
ple, a robot could be Blind (that is, have no visual sensors) but only a single visual sensor instead of two or more. Normally
have Radar and Acute Hearing +5 instead. These options are this eye faces forward. The effects are the same as the One Eye
described below; the sensor table shows their TL and the effect disadvantage (p. B29) with the exception that, unless the robot
they have on the weight, volume and cost of basic sensors. appears otherwise humanoid, reaction penalties are ignored. (A
single-eyed robot that also has a laser rangefinder suffers a
Vision Options reduced penalty: only -1 when firing ranged weapons or driving
quickly.) A robot which is Blind may not take this option unless
Acute Vision +1 to +5: Keen visual sensors give the robot
the equivalent of the Acute Vision (p. B19) advantage. it also has the Infrared or Thermograph options.
Blind: The robot’s electronic sensors do not detect visible Peripheral Vision: The robot’s visual sensors are widely
light. The robot has the equivalent of the Blindness disadvan- spaced, have a broad field of view, or are mounted on stalks.
tage (p. B27). The robot may be able to see beyond the visual The effects are the same as the Peripheral Vision (p. B22)
spectrum, if it has the Infrared or Thermograph options. A robot advantage. If the robot has 360-degree vision, it doesn’t need
which is Blind may not take the Color Blindness, Low-Res this. A robot can’t take both this and One Eye.

11 Robot Design
 Retinaprinter (TL9): The robot’s visual sensors can Sound level Range
change shape and color, enabling it to duplicate a human reti- (decibels) Example (yards)
na print to fool security sensors. The robot can capture and 10 Leaves rustling 1
⁄4
store retina prints for later use, by looking into the eye the 20 Whispered conversation 1
⁄2
robot wishes to print, or by downloading stored retina print 30 Normal conversation 1
data into its brain (if it has one). 40 Light traffic 2
Spectrum Vision (TL10): The robot can tune its vision to 50 Loud conversation 4
see portions of the spectrum beyond visual or infrared. It can 60 Noisy office 8
check for radio emissions, microwaves, gamma rays or UV 70 Normal traffic 16
radiation, for instance. GMs may allow the robot to find elec- 80 Loud music, gunshots 32
tronic bugs or hidden transmitters or power sources in this 90 Thunder, automatic weapon fire,
fashion on a successful Vision roll. Note that being able to heavy traffic 64
see radio emissions, for instance, does not mean being able to 100 Jet plane at takeoff 128
comprehend them. The robot can locate an operating trans- 110 Live rock band 256
mitter, but will still need to use a communicator to make
sense of the emissions. Spectrum Vision includes Night Ultrasonic Hearing: The robot can hear extremely high
Vision and Thermograph. frequencies, such as dog whistles, sonar pulses or ultrasonic
Telescopic Zoom: The robot’s visual sensors can increase alarms.
the magnification of distant objects, although detail resolu- Super-Hearing: This “option package” includes Acute
tion cannot exceed what would be visible with normal eyes Hearing +5, Infrasonic Hearing, Parabolic Hearing 5 and
from 12 inches away. It adds 2 magnification. Ultrasonic Hearing.
Thermograph: The robot can use thermographic vision, an
advanced form of infrared vision. Treat it as infrared vision, Taste/Smell Options
except that there is no -1 penalty and Tracking bonuses are at Acute Taste and Smell, +1 to +5: The robot has sensitive
an extra +1. A thermograph has all the capabilities of infrared chemical sensors. The effects are the same as the Acute Taste
vision, but with more resolution: it can even sense heat and Smell advantage (p. B19).
shapes behind thin brush or walls. If looking through a wall, Discriminatory Smell: The robot’s sense of smell is far
make a Vision roll with a penalty equal to the DR + HT of beyond human norms. It can determine distinctive odors for
the wall. practically everything it encounters, and can differentiate
360-Degree Vision: The robot has multiple (more than between and recognize individual people or things by their
two) visual sensors, or possibly only two sensors mounted on smell. Other feats could include sniffing out drugs, poisons or
a rapidly rotating track. It can see in all directions, suffers no explosives. The GM may require an IQ roll to identify a partic-
penalty when defending against attacks from the side or rear, ular odor or to memorize one. The robot gets a +4 to any roll to
and takes only a -2 penalty when making wild swings. use its sense of smell in addition to Acute Taste and Smell
bonuses. It also gets +4 to Tracking skill. This option includes
Audio Options the Smoke Detector option.
Acute Hearing +1 to +5: The robot has especially keen Discriminatory Taste: The robot’s sense of taste is far
audio sensors. The effects are the same as the Acute Hearing beyond human norms. It can determine distinct tastes for
(p. B19) advantage. nearly everything it encounters, and can differentiate between
Deafness (No Audio Sensors): The robot has no audio sen- and recognize individual people or things by the taste of their
sors. (It may still be able to receive direct coded transmis- bodily fluids. Other feats include analyzing the molecular
sions through radio, if it has a radio.) The effects are the composition of any organic object by “tasting” its chemical
same as the Deafness disadvantage (p. B28) and the robot composition. Interpreting the data can require a successful
may not take any other Audio Sensor options. IQ-4 or Biochemistry, Botany or Zoology skill roll. The robot
Infrasonic: The robot can hear sounds whose frequency is gets a +4 bonus to taste rolls, cumulative with bonuses for
below the normal threshold of human hearing. Acute Taste and Smell. Even the smallest taste combined
Low-Res Hearing: The robot has low-resolution audio sen- with a successful roll is enough to tell if something is safe for
sors, equivalent to the Hard of Hearing disadvantage (p. humans (or bioroids) to eat, or to get a rough idea of an alien
B28). animal’s metabolism.
Parabolic Hearing: The robot’s sensors can “zoom in” on No Sense of Smell/Taste: The robot lacks chemical sensors
a particular distant sound or area, filtering out background and cannot smell or taste things. The effects are the same as the
noise from the sounds it wishes to listen to. A robot’s degree No Sense of Smell/Taste disadvantage (p. B29). The robot may
of parabolic hearing is rated by levels, up to a maximum of not take any other Taste/Smell options except smoke detector.
five. The table below shows how far away a listening robot Smoke Detector: The robot’s sensors incorporate a smoke
can be from various sounds and still hear them at the same detector.
volume as normal conversation one yard away. Each level of
parabolic hearing either doubles the range at which a sound Special Options
can be heard (move one line down) or reduces the level of These options give the robot sensors unrelated to vision,
sound that can be heard at a given distance by 10 decibels hearing, taste or smell, such as radar.
(move up one line). For instance, a robot with Parabolic Decide what options, if any, the basic sensors have, and refer
Hearing 2 can hear normal conversation at 4 yards as if the to the table on p. 14 to determine their cost, weight and volume.
robot were only one yard from it, or a 10-decibel sound at 1 Codereader: This lets the robot read bar codes, usually
yard as if it were a normal conversation. scanning them with a laser. A codereader isn’t necessary if the
robot already has imaging ladar or a laser rangefinder. Similar

Robot Design 12
code-readers may be built to read other kinds of bar codes, such and chemical compounds, and can be used to detect or analyze
as magnetic strips. explosives or drugs, or even determine the DR of an object.
Hypno-Eye (TL9): The eye can project subliminal hypnotic Radscanners detect energy sources of all kinds and can be set to
patterns (using laser beams): if the robot meets an organic scan for specific types of radiation (gamma rays, radio, neutri-
being’s gaze, the hypno-eyes adds +4 to Hypnosis skill. Hypno- no, radar, etc.); they can also detect the scanning radiation used
eyes include the laser rangefinder system. by chem- and bioscanners.
Ladar, Imaging (TL8): This radar-type sensor uses a laser In general, a scanner has a maximum range of 2,500 yards if
beam to detect other objects. It is an active sensor, which means set to detect a specific thing within its category, or 1,000 yards
that countermeasures that detect laser beams will sense it in use, if set to scan for a wide range of things. Normally it scans a 60-
while those that degrade or jam them will affect it. Unlike degree arc each turn; it can scan 360 degrees per turn, but at 1⁄5
search radar, which gives back a mere “blip” (see Radar, range. An Electronics Operation (Sensor) skill is required to
Search, below) imaging ladar can resolve a detailed picture of spot something. Penalties are -2 at ranges over 1,000 yards, +2
what it sees. It can sense shapes and objects, but not colors or at ranges of 500 yards or less. Within 50 yards, very detailed
flat detail, such as print; it gives the robot a complete picture of analysis is possible. Double the ranges at TL10 and multiply
everything around. An otherwise Blind robot using imaging them by 5 at TL11+. Add +1 to scanning rolls at TL10, or +2 at
ladar can function as if it were sighted but colorblind, with the TL11+.
exceptions noted above. An imaging ladar is limited to line of Sonar: The robot can “see” by emitting sound waves. No
sight, with a maximum range of half a mile, multiplied by the light is required. Sonar can be jammed by loud noises, and is
number of levels it has. The 50/5 point cost for imaging ladar is colorblind, but (within a range of 1 yard) the robot can actually
50 points plus 5 points per extra level. “see” inside living things or other objects of similar density.
Radar, Imaging (TL8): This functions much like imaging GMs may give a +2 bonus to skills such as Diagnosis, or for
ladar, except it can look right through clouds, leaves and so on. attempts to detect concealed weapons (using Holdout). Its range
It is a short-ranged radar with a tight focus. The main difference under water is 200 yards, multiplied by the number of levels it
is that it works on microwave frequencies, and as such is has; the range out of water is one-tenth that. The 25/5 point cost
detected, jammed or degraded by countermeasures that affect for sonar is 25 points plus 5 points per extra level.
radar rather than ladar or lasers. Its range is half a mile, multi- Xadar, Imaging (TL12): This functions like imaging ladar,
plied by the number of levels it has. The 50/5 point cost for except that the robot can see through walls or into solid objects.
imaging radar is 50 points plus 5 points per extra level. It can see through 2-inch-thick steel walls, or up to 6 inches of
Radar, Search: This radar has a longer range but is less pre- normal matter. Very dense material (for example, lead, or DR
cise; it is most useful for flying robots. It “sees” by putting out 150+ armor) or force screens cannot be penetrated. Its range is
pulses of energy and collecting and analyzing the way objects 1 mile; extra levels not only multiply that, but add to the thick-
reflect them. Targets detected by search radar are normally just ness of matter through which xadar can penetrate (for example,
blips on a screen, with their speed, position and approximate three levels of imaging xadar enable a robot to see through 6-
size known, but (unless they are the size of a large building) inch steel walls). The 65/10 point cost is 65 points, plus 10
their shape, color and composition remain a mystery. Its basic points per extra level.
range is 1 mile, but it cannot see
through solid objects or over the hori-
zon; multiply the range by the number
of levels it has.
Radar/Laser Locater: This warns
the robot if a radar or laser of any sort
(including imaging ladar) is pointed at
it, or if a radar-homing or laser-homing
missile is tracking it. It also locates the
source. (For detailed rules on this see
GURPS Vehicles; otherwise assume
that if a radar or laser of equal or lower
TL spots the robot, its position is
detected by the robot.) A radscanner
(see Scanners, below) automatically
includes a radar/laser locater.
Radiation Detector: The robot has a
built-in Geiger counter to detect the
presence and intensity of radiation in
the area. This sensor isn’t needed if the
robot has a radscanner.
Scanners (TL9): A “scanner” is a
sensor that allows the robot to detect
and classify matter or energy. There are
three main types. Bioscanners detect
life forms and can locate particular
species or even specific people, if a
genetic “fingerprint” is on file. Chem-
scanners search for minerals, metals

13 Robot Design
Sensor Table Cost: This is the cost of the sensor package. If the robot has
Type TL Weight Cost Points options, add (don’t multiply) all percentage modifiers together, and
Basic Sensors 7 5 $40,000 0 then add or subtract that percentage from the basic sensor’s cost.
Basic Sensors 8 2 $10,000 0 Legality: Most sensors are LC 6. However, radars or ladars
Basic Sensors 9 1 $5,000 0 with 4 to 6 levels are LC 5, while bioscanners, imaging xadar,
Basic Sensors 10 .5 $2,500 0 and any radar or ladar with 7 or more levels is LC 4.
Basic Sensors 11+ .25 $1,250 0 Power: This is negligible for most sensors. Imaging radar,
Visual Options ladar or xadar, and search radar each have a power requirement
Acute Vision +1 to +5 7 – +10%* 2* of 0.25 KW its level. Sonar needs 0.25 KW per 10 full levels.
Blind** 7 -50% -50% -50 Point Costs: Basic sensors cost no points, but the options
Color Blindness 7 – -10% -10 do. A disadvantage to basic sensors is worth no points if the
Independently Focusable 7 – +50% 15 robot has another set of basic sensors without that disadvantage.
Infrared Vision 7 +20% +5% 15 A specific advantage or disadvantage only costs points once.
Laser Range finder 7 +50% +5% 5
Synthia has basic sensors. At TL10 these weigh .5 lb. and E
Low-Res Vision 7 -20% -20% -25
cost $2,500. We add the Thermograph and Retinaprinter X
Microscopic Vision 7 +10% +10% 4
options, raising the weight by 50% and the cost by 120%. As a A
Night Vision 7 – +1% 10
result, the sensors weigh .75 lb., take up .75/50 = .015 cf, M
One Eye 7** -20% -20% -10
and cost $5,500. They also cost 25 character points and are P
Peripheral Vision 7 – +20% 15
LC 6. They require negligible power. L
Retinaprinter 9 – +100% 5
E
Spectrum Vision 10 +60% +60% 40
Telescopic Zoom 1-5
Thermograph Vision
7
8
+20%*
+50%
+10%*
+20%
6*
20
Communicators
Robots require some way to communicate with the outside
360-Degree Vision 7 +100% +20% 25 world (or with other robots) in order to receive commands. A
Audio Options basic communicator package consists of three systems:
Acute Hearing +1 to +5 7 – +5%* 2* A voice synthesizer enabling the robot to synthesize speech,
Deafness 7** -30% -30% -20 or, if it has the appropriate database or skills, to generate music
Low-Res Hearing 7 -20% -20% -10 or sound effects.
Parabolic Hearing 1-5 7 +10%* +10%* 4* A short-range radio with a range of one mile at TL7, 10
Infrasonic Hearing 7 +10% +10% 5 miles at TL8, 100 miles at TL9 or 500 miles at TL10+. The
Ultrasonic Hearing 7 +10% +10% 5 range may be extended on a successful Electronics Operation
Super-Hearing 7 +70% +95% 40 (Communications) roll, at -1 per extra 10% added to the range,
Olfactory/Taste Options to a maximum extension of 100%. At TL12+, the radio can use
Acute Taste and Smell +1 to +5 7 – +5%* 2* modulated gravity waves instead of radio waves, which increas-
Discriminatory Smell 7 +20% +40% 15 es the range by a factor of 1,000 and is totally undetectable by
Discriminatory Taste 7 +10% +20% 10 pre-TL12 communication systems.
No Sense of Smell/Taste 7** -20% -20% -5 A cable jack, a plug in the robot for a fiber-optic cable,
Smoke Detector 7 +10% neg. 0 allows direct, unjammable communication with any other com-
puter or communicator with a similar jack and interface. A
Special Sensors
short (up to 10 yards long) cable is included. Robots usually use
Codereader 7 +20% +1% 0
their cable jacks to link up with immobile computers or other
Hypno-Eye 9 +50% +100% 10
robots.
Ladar, Imaging 8 +100%* +25%* 50/5*
A variety of options can be added to the basic communicator
Radar/Laser Locator 7 +100% +5% 1
package to increase or decrease its capabilities, weight, volume
Radar, Imaging 8 +100%* +25%* 50/5*
and cost. Multiple systems can also be purchased as back-ups.
Radar, Search 7 +100%* +10%* 5*
Available options include:
Radiation Detector 7 +10% +1% 0
Scanners
Bioscanner 9 +100% +20% 20 Voice Synthesis Options
Chemscanner 9 +100% +20% 5 Bullhorn: This option gives the robot a built-in loudspeaker,
Radscanner 9 +100% +20% 5 so that it can greatly amplify its voice.
Three-in-one 9 +300% +60% 30 Disturbing Voice: The robot’s voice synthesizer is poor
Sonar, Active 7 +100%* +20%* 25/5* quality, and the robot’s voice sounds obviously artificial; for
Xadar, Imaging 12 +300%* +300%* 65/10* instance, its speech might be hollow, high and squeaky, or
sound like a collection of recorded human voices strung togeth-
* Per +1 bonus or per level. er without inflection. In game terms, the effects are the same as
** Taking this option limits the other options that can be the Stuttering disadvantage (p. B29), though the robot probably
taken. See the text description. does not actually stutter. The robot may not also have the Silver
Weight: This is the weight of the sensor package. If the Tongue option.
robot has options, add (don’t multiply) all percentage modifiers Mute: The robot has no voice synthesizer and cannot speak –
together, and then add or subtract that percentage from the basic it can only communicate by radio or cable jack. If communicat-
sensor’s weight. ing by radio, it may not send voice transmissions, only code or
Volume: Find the volume in cf by dividing the weight by text. The effects are the same as the Mute disadvantage (p.
50. Thus, a .5-lb. sensor takes up .5/50 cf, or .01 cf. B29). A mute robot may not have any other speech-based
options.

Robot Design 14
 Silver Tongue (TL9): The robot has a superior voice and can Medium-Range Radio: The robot’s radio has ten times the
project a soothing carrier wave whenever it speaks, sings, hums normal range.
or whistles. It has the equivalent of the Voice advantage, and (Note: robots do not use com scramblers for coded messages
gets an additional +2 reaction modifier from biological entities – any computer brain can encrypt a message if so programmed.)
with hearing in addition to the normal +2 from Voice. It also
gives the robot a -3 modifier on any Detect Lies rolls made Other Options
against it. Most nonhumans (including robots), as well as those Infrared Com: The robot uses a directional infrared beam
who cannot hear the robot, are unaffected. So are individuals in (like that produced by a VCR remote) to communicate. Its max-
airtight armor or with Audio Damping (p. CY34) cybernetics. imum range is about 50 yards. Only other infrared coms within
This option includes the Superior Voice option. the line of sight can pick up IR beams.
Superior Voice (TL8): The robot’s voice synthesizer is of Lasercom: The robot has a directional laser communicator
particularly fine quality. The effects are the same as the Voice with a range of 20 miles at TL7, 200 miles at TL8, or 2,000 miles
(p. B23) advantage. at TL9+, or line-of-sight distance, whichever is less. A laser com-
Ultrasonic Speech (TL8): The robot can communicate at municator cannot be intercepted, but can communicate with
pitches inaudible to the human ear. Only entities with ultrasonic another laser communicator only in line of sight, although use of
hearing can understand the robot. Animals such as dogs will multiple relays or mirrors can allow it to beam messages over the
often be disturbed by ultrasonic speech. horizon. Sending a message requires the user to know the precise
location of the recipient or relay station. Until TL9, lasercom
Cable Options communication beams can be blocked by smoke or fog.
No Cable Jack: The cable jack option is removed from the IFF: A robot that has radio, infrared or lasercom may have
robot. The robot may not have the extension cable option. an IFF. This stands for “identify friend or foe.” This is a beacon
Extension Cable: This is a long optical cable. One end plugs that automatically broadcasts a coded “friendly” identity signal
into the robot’s cable jack, the other into a cable jack on another when the robot is scanned by a scanner, radar, ladar or xadar set
robot, computer, or communicator. The cable is designed to reel to the correct frequency. The signal may be sent by any of the
in or unreel automatically as the robot moves about, to prevent robot’s communication systems (often by radio). It only func-
tangling, but if the robot moves beyond the cable’s length or tions if the robot is actually detected by radar, ladar, bioscanner,
manages to twist it around something, it will come unplugged. chemscanner or xadar; it is not a continuous broadcast.
The cable is DR 2, HT 1 to cut. It is usually used as a cheap, Neutrino Communicator (TL10+): This tight-beam secure
unjammable short-range communication link. communicator actually uses modulated pulses of anti-neutrinos.
Like neutrinos, anti-neutrinos can penetrate almost anything,
Radio Options but are slightly easier to detect and receive than neutrinos,
No Radio: The robot has no radio. Unless it has other hence their increased usefulness in communications. Its range is
options, it can only communicate by voice or cable. 10,000 miles. It can reach underwater without penalty and,
Long-Range Radio: The robot’s radio has 100 times the nor- unlike other tight-beam communicators, it can penetrate solid
mal range. objects and is not blocked by the horizon.

15 Robot Design
 Volume: The volume of the basic communicator is its
weight (after modifications)/50 cf.
Cost: As with weight, add all percentage modifiers and
then add to or subtract from the basic communicator’s cost.
Power Requirement: This is always negligible.
Legality: LC 6, unless a long-range communicator or neu-
trino com is installed, then LC 5.
Point Costs: The cost shown on the table, modified by the
cost of the options. If a robot has multiple communicators, it
only gets points for disadvantages that apply to all of them.

E
Synthia has a TL10 basic communicator with the X
Superior Voice option. It weighs .25 lbs., has a volume of A
.25/50 = .005 cf and costs $125 + 500%, or $750. It is LC 6 M
and costs 25 points. P
L
E
ArmA robot
Motors
must have one arm motor for every arm installed.
Arm motors determine an arm’s strength. They may be a system
of electric motors and cables, hydraulics, myoelectric fibers, or
even biomechanical systems similar to human muscles.
A normal arm motor is designed to control a jointed arm
ending in a manipulator equivalent to a human hand. The arm
Decide what options, if any, the communication system has, will be able to do everything that a human arm and hand of the
and refer to the table below to determine the weight, volume, cost same strength can do.
and point cost of the package and the available modifications. Each arm motor is rated for strength (ST). A robot may have
multiple arm motors with different strengths. An arm motor can
Communications System Table also have a variety of options, which will affect the capabilities
Type TL Weight Cost Points of the arm it powers.
Basic Communicator 7 2 $1,000 15 Bad Grip: The arm motor lacks the dexterity of a normal
Basic Communicator 8 1 $500 15 arm – instead of powering an actual hand, it controls a simple
Basic Communicator 9 .5 $250 15 gripper or paw. This makes the arm motor much cheaper, since
Basic Communicator 10+ .25 $125 15 it doesn’t need fine motor control. The robot will be -4 to DX
Voice Options (or -4 on skill) when using it for any task requiring fine manip-
Bullhorn 7 +10% +10% 0 ulation. This penalty does not apply to tasks involving gadgets
Disturbing Voice 7 – -50% -10 or weapons built into the arm itself!
Mute* 7 -80% -80% -20 Cheap: The arm motor is cheaper but heavier.
Silver Tongue 9 – +5,600% 15 Extendible: This allows the arm to double its Reach, either
Superior Voice 7 – +500% 10 by telescoping out, or by actually stretching (if combined with
Ultrasonic Speech 8 – +100% 25 extra-flexible).
Radio Options Extra-Flexible: This allows the arm to be more flexible than
Long-range Radio 7 +900% +120% 2 a human’s: for example, a tentacle, a thin cable, or an arm with
No Radio* 7 -10% -10% -10 multiple joints. An arm with an arm motor given this option can
Medium-range Radio 7 +100% +40% 1 work together with any other arm, regardless of body position-
Cable Options ing, general layout, or “right” or “left.” It also gives the arm a
Extension Cable 7 +100%** +10%** 0 +1 bonus when strangling or grappling.
No Cable Jack* 7 -10% -10% -5 Micromanipulator: The robot hand has special fingers or
probes designed to manipulate very small objects. The robot
Other will need basic sensors with the Microscopic Vision option to
Infrared Com 7 +50% +50% 5 use it properly, but if it does, it can be used to manipulate
Lasercom 7 +1,000% +1,000% 10 microscopic objects. This gives a +2 bonus on any mechanical
IFF 7 – +100% 0 or electronic skill rolls requiring very fine control (for example,
Neutrino Com 10 +12,000% +16,000% 15 fixing a watch or a computer brain), or for Surgery. It also
allows the robot to do things like painting a picture on the head
* If the robot is Mute, it cannot have other voice options. If of a pin. This option can also be bought in conjunction with
it has no radio, it cannot have other radio options. If it has no Striker or Bad Grip – if so, the robot can manipulate microscop-
cable jack, it cannot have an extension cable. ic objects normally but is penalized or unable to manipulate
** Per 100 yards of length, max. 2,000 yards. anything larger.
Weight: This is the weight of the package. If the robot has Retractable: Adding this option to the arm motor means the
options, add (don’t multiply) all percentage modifiers together, arm can retract into a housing in the body or head (decide
and then add or subtract that percentage from the basic commu- which). Extending or retracting the arm takes one action, but it
nicator’s weight as with sensors. can deliver a thrusting attack (like a punch, or using a built-in

Robot Design 16
impaling weapon) in the same turn it is extended. The arm will Weight, Cost and Volume: This is per point of ST. Calculate
also take up space in the body or head. the weight and cost individually for each arm the robot has.
Rocket (TL8): This enables the robot to shoot the front half Apply the modifiers listed in the table. These modifiers are
of the arm outward, using a powerful piston in the wrist. It can cumulative: an extra-flexible, retractable, extendible arm would
be used (once) as a ranged attack: SS 5, Acc 2, 1⁄2D range (arm cost 2 1.5 2 = 6 cost. The volume is weight/50 cf.
ST 1), Max range (arm ST 2). Its damage is its arm ST Power Requirement: Each arm requires ST/200 KW of
Thrust damage + 2d (this may be punch damage, or the damage power.
of a thrusting/impaling weapon built into it). Reattaching it
takes 30 seconds. We decide Synthia will have two ST 30 arm motors. Each
Striker: If the arm motor is given this option, its arm will not weighs .1 ST 30 = 3 lbs., takes up 3/50 = .06 cf, costs ST E
incorporate a hand or equivalent manipulator. This makes the 30 $200 = $6,000 and requires 30/200 = .15 KW power. X
arm motor cheaper and lighter. The arm can still push or strike We decide it also has a third ST 10 arm which is “extra-flexi- A
blows (hence its name) but has no manipulatory ability. A large ble,” “retractable” and a “striker.” It weighs .1 ST 10 M
tail is an example of an arm with a striker option. Weapons and 1.5 (retractable) 2 (extra-flexible) .5 (striker) = 1.5 lbs., P
tools built into the arm can still be used, however. This can’t be takes up 1.5/50 = .03 cf, costs $200 ST 10 1.5 L
combined with Bad Grip. (retractable) 2 (extra-flexible) .2 (striker) = $1,200 and E
Decide how many arms the robot has. Then, for each indi- requires 10/200 = .05 KW.
vidual arm, pick any options and design its arm motor by
choosing that arm’s ST. Then work out the arm motor’s statis-
tics as shown on the table below.
Point Cost of Arms
Each extra arm after the first two arms costs 10 points each;
reduce this to 5 points if the arm is a striker. If any arms are
Arm Motor Table extra-flexible, add 5 points. If any arms are micromanipulators,
TL of Arm Weight Cost rocket arms or extendible, add 15 points. If half or more of the
7 .3 $600 robot’s arms have a Bad Grip, this is worth -10 points. If all but
8 .2 $400 one of the arms are striker arms, this is worth -15 points, or if
9 .15 $300 the robot has only one arm, this is worth -20 points. If all arms
10 .1 $200 are striker arms, or the robot has no arms but will have legs, this
11 .075 $150 is worth -30 points, not cumulative with any of the above disad-
12+ .05 $100 vantages. If the robot has no arms and isn’t going to have legs
Modifiers either, this is worth -50 points, not cumulative with any of the
Bad Grip – .5 above disadvantages.
Cheap 2 .5
E
Extendible 2 2
X
Micromanipulator – 5 Synthia’s extra arm costs 5 points (since it’s a striker A
Extra-Flexible 2 2 arm). Its extra flexibility costs an extra 5 points. The total M
Retractable 1.5 1.5 point cost is 10 points. P
Rocket 1.5 4
L
Striker .5 .2
E
Propulsion
A robot needs some kind of propulsion system to move.
Robots designed to move on the ground, or to fly like birds or
helicopters, require drivetrains (below). Robots intended to pro-
pel themselves like boats or submarines require aquatic propul-
sion systems (p. 18). Robots meant to propel themselves like
aircraft using aerial propellers, jets, rockets or ultra-tech
thrusters require thrust propulsion systems (p. 18). A robot can
have more than one propulsion system, if desired.

Drivetrains
Drivetrains are the electric motors or mechanical transmis-
sions that move legs, wheels or the like.
A robot with legs needs a Leg Drivetrain.
A robot with caterpillar tracks needs a Tracked Drivetrain
(TL7).
A Wheeled Drivetrain (TL7) allows a robot to use wheels for
propulsion.
A robot needs a Helicopter Drivetrain (TL7) to fly like a
helicopter.
A Flexibody Drivetrain (TL8) enables a robot with individu-
ally powered body segments to slither like a worm or snake, or
swim like a fish.
An Ornithopter Drivetrain (TL7) lets a robot flap birdlike or
insectoid wings, powered by motors or pseudomuscles, to fly.

17 Robot Design
 Decide what kind of system the robot has, if any, and choose number of legs; record the volume per leg motor. For orni-
its motive power in kilowatts. This is a measure of how much thopter wings, divide the volume by two; this is the volume per
power is transmitted from the robot’s power system into moving wing motor.
the robot’s legs, wheels, or whatever. The more motive power Cost: The cost is $20 weight for tracks or wheels, $50
the robot has in relation to its weight, the faster it will move and weight for helicopter or leg drivetrain with four or more legs,
the stronger it will be – see Strength (p. 46) and Ground Speed $100 weight for ornithopter or leg drivetrain with three legs,
(p. 47) for the exact formula. The motive power also determines $200 weight for flexibody or leg drivetrain with two legs.
the strength of the robot’s body (as opposed to its arms). The Power Requirement: This is equal to the motive power.
robot uses this “Body ST” when dragging loads, slamming into Legality: LC 6 if under 10 KW, LC 5 if 10 KW or more.
things, or the like.
How much motive power is needed? As a rule of thumb, a E
robot intended to be equivalent to a large cat or small dog in We decide Synthia moves on legs, and install a leg drive-
train. We want our robot to be reasonably quick, so we decide X
weight, strength and speed needs around .02 KW. A robot A
equivalent in weight and strength to a good-sized dog needs Synthia has a leg motive power of .45 KW. This weighs
30 .45 = 13.5 lbs. It takes up 13.5/50 = .27 cf, and we M
about .1 KW. A robot that is human in weight and strength P
should have at least .2 KW motive power; .3 to .5 KW will give choose two legs, so the volume per leg motor is .135 cf. It
costs $200 13.5 = $2,700. It requires .45 KW. L
it super-human strength and speed, provided its weight remains E
similar, or will allow a heavier robot. A bear- or tiger-sized
robot needs about .6 to 1 KW; one the size and strength of a
horse needs 1 to 2 KW. A ’bot with elephant-level size and
Aquatic Propulsion Systems
These systems are designed solely for propulsion in water,
strength needs about 10 KW. An automobile equivalent needs allowing the robot to move like a boat. A robot not intended for
some 50 to 150 KW. A truck-power robot needs 150 to 500 swift aquatic travel doesn’t need aquatic propulsion.
KW; one with the power of a tank needs 500 to 1,000 KW. Screw Propellers (TL7) are conventional aquatic propellers
For robots flying with helicopter rotors, sufficient power to like those used on most ships and boats today.
take off demands at least 1 KW per 10 lbs. of robot weight. (If Hydrojets (TL7) work by pumping in water and expelling it
building a helicopter, the best thing to do is to add up the as a high-speed jet. They are a bulkier and more expensive alter-
robot’s weight at this stage, then estimate that its final weight native to screw propellers, but allow higher speeds.
will be about five to ten times greater, and install a rotor with at Aquatic propulsion is rated for motive power, measured in
least that motive power.) kilowatts, much as for drivetrains. The more motive power the
A robot can have more than one type of drivetrain. Decide on robot has in relation to its surface area, the faster it will move.
its motive power and design the drivetrain as shown on the table
below.
Aquatic Propulsion Table
Drivetrain Table Weight in lbs. when . . .
Motive Power Motive Power
Motive power Motive power TL Type is under 5 KW is 5 or more KW
is under 5 KW: is 5 KW or more: 7+ Screw Propeller 5 KW (1 KW) + 20
TL Type Weight Weight 7 Hydrojet 10 KW (2 KW) + 40
7 Tracked 20 KW (4 KW) + 80 8+ Hydrojet 5 KW (1 KW) + 20
8+ Tracked 15 KW (3 KW) + 60
7 Wheeled 10 KW (2 KW) + 40
8+ Wheeled 7.5 KW (1.5 KW) + 30 Weight: The table shows the weight per KW of motive
7 Leg 80 KW (8 KW) + 360 power.
8 Leg 60 KW (6 KW) + 270 Volume: The volume is the weight/50 cf.
9 Leg 40 KW (4 KW) + 180 Cost: The cost is $10 per pound of weight for screw pro-
10 Leg 30 KW (3 KW) + 135 peller or $40 per pound for hydrojet.
11 Leg 20 KW (2 KW) + 90 Power Requirement: The power requirement is equal to the
12+ Leg 15 KW (1 KW) + 65 motive power.
8 Flexibody 90 KW (8 KW) + 360 Legality: LC 6 if under 10 KW, LC 5 if 10 KW or more.
9 Flexibody 60 KW (6 KW) + 270
10 Flexibody 40 KW (4 KW) + 180 Thrust Propulsion Systems
11 Flexibody 30 KW (3 KW) + 135 These propulsion systems generate thrust to propel the
12+ Flexibody 20 KW (2 KW) + 90 robot. A robot will need a thrust propulsion system if it is
7 Helicopter 6 KW (.6 KW) + 27 intended to fly or hover, unless it already has a helicopter or
8+ Helicopter 4 KW (.4 KW) + 18 ornithopter drivetrain.
7 Ornithopter 6 KW (3 KW) + 15 There are several types of thrust propulsion systems:
8 Ornithopter 4 KW (2 KW) + 10 Aerial Propellers (TL7) are just that. A robot with wings can
9+ Ornithopter 3 KW (1.5 KW) + 7.5 use them for propulsion in the air. They can also propel a
wheeled robot along the ground, or they can propel a robot that
Weight: The weight per KW is shown on the table above. can float over water.
Volume: The volume is weight/50 cf. Also, leg and orni- Ducted Fans (TL7) are advanced propellers in which the
thopter drivetrain components are divided into individual leg or blades are entirely shrouded within a cowling.
wing motors. For leg drivetrains, decide how many legs the Turbofan Engines (TL7) are jet engines that mix air and
robot will have (two or more) and divide the volume by the burning fuel and expel the hot exhaust to create thrust. They
only work in an atmosphere with Earthlike levels of oxygen.

Robot Design 18
 Chemical Rocket Engines (TL7) burn rocket fuel and expel Vectored Thrust (TL7): Ducted fans, reactionless thrusters or
the resulting exhaust to create thrust. Unlike turbofans, they any jet or rocket can have vectored thrust. This allows part of
don’t require atmospheric oxygen. the thrust to be vectored downward. If the thrust exceeds the
Fusion Rocket Engines (TL9) incorporate an integral fusion ’bot’s weight, the ’bot will be able to hover and fly without
reactor that heats reaction mass and expels it to produce thrust. wings. If there is not enough thrust for that, it will still shorten a
They do not require air to operate. winged robot’s take-off, or lengthen a jump. A hovercraft-type
Reactionless Thrusters (TL11) directly transform energy into robot should always have ducted fans with vectored thrust.
thrust through means that 20th-century science cannot explain. Vectored thrust adds 50% to a thrust propulsion system’s
For aerial propellers, reactionless thrusters or ducted fans, weight, volume and cost.
choose the motive power; the more power, the faster the robot
will move. If the robot has no energy bank, the chosen motive For jets or rockets, choose the motive thrust. The more
power may not exceed the power plant’s output. Note that a thrust, the faster the robot will move. A suggested thrust is
robot can have multiple engines (they add their thrust together); about 50-500 lbs. for a robot intended to be around man-sized,
this is mostly useful if the robot is going to put the engines in 500-5,000 lbs. for one the size of a car or small airplane, and
separate pods (see Pods on p. 38). A robot with a propeller or 5,000 lbs. or more for a larger robot. Calculate the statistics of
fan needs about four times the motive power of a robot with a the propulsion system using the table below.
drivetrain; one with a reactionless thruster needs about the same
level of power. Jet and Rocket Table
TL Type Weight (lbs.) Fuel
Aerial Propeller, Ducted Fan and 7 Turbofan Engine (.2 motive thrust) + 200 .03J
8+ Turbofan Engine (.1 motive thrust) + 100 .015J
Reactionless Thruster Table 7 Chemical Rocket .025 motive thrust 1R
Weight in lbs. when . . . 8 Chemical Rocket .02 motive thrust .5R
Motive Power Motive Power 9+ Chemical Rocket .015 motive thrust .25R
TL Type under 5 KW 5 or more KW Thrust 9 Fusion Rocket (.05 motive thrust) + 50 .02W
7+ Aerial Propeller 4 KW (.4 KW) + 18 3.5 10+ Fusion Rocket (.025 motive thrust) + 25 .02W
7 Ducted Fans 6 KW (.6 KW) + 27 4
8+ Ducted Fans 4 KW (.4 KW) + 18 4 Weight: The table shows the weight of the robot’s propul-
11+ Reactionless sion system depending on motive thrust and type.
Thruster 1 KW 1 KW 20 Volume: To find the volume, divide the weight by 50.
Cost: To find the cost of the propulsion system, multiply
Weight: The table shows the weight of the robot’s propul- the weight by $50 (if it is a chemical rocket or turbofan engine)
sion system depending on motive power and type. or $100 (if it is a fusion rocket).
Volume: To find the volume, divide the weight by 100. Power: All these engines generate their own power, usual-
Exception: divide the weight by 50 for reactionless thrusters. ly by burning fuel, or in the case of a fusion rocket, through
Cost: To find the cost of the propulsion system, multiply nuclear reactions. As such, they require no extra power.
the weight by $20 (for a reactionless thruster), $20 (for an aerial Fuel Consumption: These propulsion systems often require
propeller) or $40 (for a ducted fan). Minimum cost of reaction- fuel. The fuel (or reaction mass) is shown in gallons per pound
less thrusters is $500. of motive thrust per hour. J is jet fuel, R is rocket fuel, W is
Thrust: To find the pounds of thrust generated by the propul- water. The robot will need a fuel tank – see Fuel on p. 36.
sion system, multiply the motive power by the number shown. Legality: LC 6 if under 50 lbs. thrust, LC 5 if 50 lbs. thrust
Legality: LC 6 if under 10 KW, LC 5 if 10 KW or more. or more. Subtract 1 from LC for fusion rockets.

19 Robot Design
Contact Weaponry and Jaws
These are weapons usable in close combat. With the excep-
Some of these weapons are actually tools, but because they
can be used as weapons (and thus cost character points), they
are covered here.
tion of jaws and drug injectors, they can only be placed in robot This section also covers robot jaws. A robot will need a jaw
arms (which includes arms used as tails, etc.), which restricts if it is to have a working animal- or human-like mouth.
them to those robots which have arm motors.
Jaw and Contact Weapon Table
Weapon Type Amt. Reach Cost Wt. Power LC TL
Chain saw Cut. Spcl. C,1 160 10 .1 6/3 7
Claws Varies Var. C Var. neg. 0 Var. 7
Buzzsaw Cut. Spcl. C,1 100 4 neg. 6/3 7
Electroshocker Spcl. Spcl. C 200 1 20/B 5 7
Drug Injector Spcl. Spcl. C 100 .25 0 6 7
Forceblade Imp./Cut. 2d/4d (5) C,1 3000 1.5 600/C 3 11
Jaw
Crushing Cr. Spcl. C 400* .1* .01* 6 8
Cutting Cut. Spcl. C 600* .1* .01* 5 8
Impaling Imp. Spcl. C 800* .15* .01* 4 8
Limpet Mine Dispenser Exp. 2d+4 (10) C 800 2 0 1 8
Medieval Hand Weapons Var. Var. Var. Var. Var. 0 5/3 Var.
Monowire Blade Var. +1d (10) Var. Var. Var. 0 3 9
Neurolash Spcl. Spcl. C 650 2 10/B 5 10
Plasmafaust Exp. 5d (10) C 2,000 2 10/C 2 9
Vibroblade Var. +1d (5) Var. Var. Var. Spcl. 3 8

* Per point of jaw ST. Electroshocker: This enables the robot to deliver a powerful
Weight: As shown on the table. electric jolt. The victim must make a HT-3 roll to avoid being
Volume: This is the weight/50 if the weapon is not con- stunned (+1 HT per 10 DR on the location struck); if stunned,
cealed (except for jaws), weight/20 if it is concealed or is a jaw. the victim loses 1d Fatigue and remains Stunned for as long as
Cost: Except for medieval hand weapons or claws, this the arm is in contact, plus (20-HT) seconds, before any recov-
halves one TL after the weapon first appears, and quarters two ery rolls are allowed.
or more TLs after it appears. Drug Injector: This is either a hypodermic needle injector
Power is as shown. Some weapons use power cells; others or, at TL8+, a painless pneumospray hypo. To be useful it must
must be powered by the robot’s power system. be mounted in a robot arm or head. It holds 10 doses of any
Legality: For medieval weapons and chain saws, the sec- drug, along with enough needles or air charges to inject them
ond LC applies when given a vibro or monowire blade. all. In combat, the injector can penetrate any armor with DR 1
or less.
E Jaw: A jaw, including mouth and teeth, rated for its
X We decide Synthia has a large knife and a crushing jaw. Strength. A robot intended to look human and have a working
A The knife (see p. B206) is 1 lb., .02 cf and $40 with the mouth must have a jaw. A jaw can be built to bite for crushing,
M monowire blade option ($250 at TL10, LC 4). Synthia’s jaw has cutting or impaling damage, based on the jaw’s ST, using the
P ST 4, so it weighs .4 lbs., takes up .02 cf, costs $400 (at table on p. B140. Since a human bite can do 1d-4 cr. (p. B111)
L TL10) and requires .04 KW power. a suggested jaw ST for human-like robots is 3, although it can
E be stronger. For carnivore-type animals, it’s whatever is needed
to get the desired damage; often the jaw will be as strong as the
Descriptions arms. Jaws are usually placed in heads. However, a jaw in a
Chain Saw and Buzz Saw: Used for cutting wood, etc. It must robot’s main body or arm is possible. A jaw that is not in a head
be mounted in a robot arm! In combat, use DX-2 to attack with it. or arm makes biting attacks at -4 to hit, due to the awkwardness
The reach is the arm’s reach +1. A chain saw does the arm’s of the position.
Swing+4 damage, or 4d+4 Cutting damage, whichever is less; a Limpet Mine Dispenser (TL8): This close-combat weapon
buzz saw does Swing+2, or 2d+2 Cutting damage, whichever is can only be mounted in an arm. It is a “sleeve dispenser” for
less. The saw can also have a vibro or monowire blade (see p. 21). sticky limpet mines which the robot can slap on the target. The
Claws: A robot with arm motors or a leg drivetrain may mines attach themselves with molecular suction pads, then det-
have claws, a maximum of one claw per arm motor or leg onate immediately after the robot pulls back its arm, or after a
motor. There are four types of claws; the cost must be paid for preset interval. To plant one, use DX, Brawling or Karate skill.
each arm or leg so equipped. A successful hit does no immediate damage; instead, it sticks a
Blunt claws add +2 Crushing damage to a kick or punch. The limpet mine onto the target. The dispenser may be programmed
cost is $100; they are LC 6. Sharp claws convert a kick or to set mines with a time delay from 0 (at the end of the attack-
punch’s Crushing damage to Cutting damage for $200; they are er’s turn) to 100 seconds. Removing a limpet mine (if there is
LC 5. Talons allow a kick or punch to do Swing/Cutting or time) requires a Ready action and a successful ST roll, minus
Thrust/Impaling damage for $500; they are LC 4. Long talons one-tenth the DR of whatever the mine is stuck to or -20,
allow a kick or punch to do Swing+2/Cutting or Thrust+2/Impal- whichever is less. If the mine was stuck to flesh, it does 1 hit of
ing damage for $1,000; they are LC 4. Any claws can be con- damage when pulled off. If a mine is slapped on a part that can-
cealed, allowing them to retract into the arm; add 50% to cost. not be reached (for instance, the small of the back), it can’t be

Robot Design 20
removed without help. Limpet-mine dispenser magazines hold although penalties to attributes are not cumulative. Victims with
five limpet mines. Each mine has a shaped-charge warhead: the Low Pain Threshold disadvantage suffer double the effects.
damage is 2d+4 (10) at TL8, 3d+6 (10) at TL9; the (10) means Reflec armor, or any armor with a DR over 2, provides total
that armor protects against the contact explosion at one-tenth protection. For an extra $200, a TL11 neurolash can cause plea-
DR. Also, anyone else within 2 yards of the blast takes 1d dam- sure instead of pain ($500 and .5 lbs. for both settings). High
age (1d+2 at TL9+) from the concussion. Limpet mines can and Low Pain Threshold have no effect on a pleasure jolt.
also be stuck to the floor, walls, etc. for use as booby traps, but Either kind of neurolash gives a +3 bonus to any kind of inter-
may not be thrown. rogation through torture.
Medieval Hand Weapons: Axes, maces, flails, knives, Plasmafaust (TL9): This is a contact plasma-discharger
swords, spears and so on can all be built into a robot’s arm. Use weapon developed to replace the limpet mine dispenser. DR
the weight and cost on pp. B206-207; however, by TL7, metal- protects at once-tenth normal, and laminate armor protects at
lurgical improvements mean standard weapons can be made at doubled DR. In addition, the user suffers 4d damage from the
“cheap” cost, fine weapons for normal cost, and very fine backblast of the plasma discharge (to the arm, or wherever the
weapons for the cost of a fine medieval blade; at TL8+, weapon is mounted); however, the user’s own DR protects fully
superfine weapons (+3 damage, and break as very fine – it is not divided by ten).
weapons) are available at 20 cost. If the weapon is designed Forceblades (TL11): These can be built into any robot arms.
to retract into the arm, it will take up weight/20 cf. If it never They project “fingers” or “blades” of annihilating energy. Force
retracts into the arm, its volume is weight/50 cf. A maximum of Sword skill is used to wield them. They work for 600 seconds of
one medieval weapon can extend out of a given arm! Most continuous use on a C cell. A basic forceblade does 4d (5)
medieval hand weapons are LC 5 as shown. The exception is Swing/Cutting or 2d (5) Thrust/Impaling damage; DR protects at
any kind of knife, which is LC 6. one-fifth value. A limb taking enough damage in a single hit to
Monowire Weapons: At TL9+ any cutting or impaling jaws, cripple it (p. B127) is lopped off and the wound cauterized. A
sharp claws, any talons, any saws and any medieval hand weapon (except another type of energy blade) that successfully
weapons that can do Cutting damage can be built as monowire parries a forceblade is broken, unless the parry was a critical
blades. This does an extra +1d Cutting damage, and DR pro- success. Forceblades may be of various sizes. Each time the
tects against it at one-tenth value. It costs $500 extra for cutting weight and the cost double, add +4d to Cutting and +2d to
jaws, claws, talons, or knives, $1,000 for one-handed swords, Impaling damage, add 1 to Reach, and halve the number of sec-
and $1,500 for other weapons (half that at TL10, and one-fourth onds a C cell will power it. (A forceblade whose cost and weight
that at TL11+). have doubled once is identical to a standard GURPS Space force
Neurolash: These devices disrupt the subject’s nervous sys- sword.) Higher-TL forceblades do more damage: +1 per die per
tem, causing extreme pain. They only work on organic beings. A TL over TL11, to a maximum of +3 per die at TL14+.
victim who is hit must roll HT-3, plus or minus Will modifiers. Vibroblade Weapons: At TL8+, any cutting or impaling jaw,
The High Pain Threshold advantage gives a +3 bonus. If suc- sharp claws, any talons, any saw or any medieval hand weapon
cessful, the victim can still function, but due to the pain will be that can do Cutting damage can be built as a vibroblade. The
at -2 to ST, DX, and IQ and to all skills based on these attributes cost is $200 extra for cutting jaws, claws, talons, knives or buzz
for 15-Will turns (minimum 1). If he was hit on a limb, that limb saw, $400 for swords of all sizes, and $1,000 for other weapons
is useless for the same length of time. If the HT roll was failed, including chain saws (half cost at TL9, quarter cost at TL10+).
the victim is in such agony he can do nothing for the same time. A B cell powers a vibro weapon for 60 minutes/pound of
A critical failure will cause unconsciousness for 20-HT minutes weapon weight. A vibro weapon does +1d (5) damage – that is,
(at least one minute). Each additional hit lowers the resisting HT DR protects at one-fifth value. At TL9, it does 1d+1 (5), and at
roll by 1 (for example, the second hit is resisted at HT-4), and TL10+ 1d+2 (5).
with each successive hit, start the recovery time over again,

21 Robot Design
Ranged Weapons
Robots may have weapons built in. The weapons tables give
barrel protrudes from the robot, making it obvious that the robot
is armed. A weapon may be concealed in the robot – buried
entirely inside it – but in this case it takes up a greater volume:
the weight, cost, Legality rating and combat statistics of a vari- its weight/20 cf. Concealed weapons have hidden ports that pop
ety of weapons commonly built into robots. Weapons from the open when the robot is ready to fire. There is no extra cost for
Basic Set and other GURPS books such as GURPS Space, concealed weapons. Robots designed to pass for living beings
GURPS Ultra-Tech, GURPS Vehicles and GURPS High-Tech should always conceal their weapons!
can also be mounted in robots. RoF: Lasers with RoF 4+ use the laser autofire rules.
Unless noted otherwise, the weapons tables work the same Shots: For beam weapons, add 50% to the number of shots
way as the table on p. B208. The notes on this table also apply they get every TL after they appear; for example, four TLs later
to weapons taken from other weapon tables, like that of pp. would add +200%.
B208-209. ST and Recoil: If the weapon is mounted in an arm, ST
Type and DMG: A damage type of “Exp.” indicates the requirements apply. If it is mounted in the body or head, ignore
weapon’s attack inflicts explosive concussion damage (see p. them.
B121) over an area. A number in parenthesis following damage Cost: Halve the price of a TL7+ weapon one TL after the
is a damage divisor: effective DR is divided by that number weapon’s introduction, or quarter it two or more TLs after its
against the attack. Spcl. is “special” – see weapon descriptions. introduction.
Also, beam weapons, railguns, gravguns and Gauss guns add LC: The weapon’s Legality Class. LC is discussed on p.
+1 per die to damage, each TL after introduction, to a maxi- B249 of the revised Third Edition Basic Set, but is not listed in
mum of +3 per die. (So a laser that did 6d 3 damage would do GURPS High-Tech. Automatic pistols and revolvers are LC 3,
[6d+6] 3 one TL later.) but the stunner is LC 6 and the Gauss needler is LC 2, as are
1
⁄2D and Max: Beam weapons and railguns add +10% to submachine guns and the disruptor. Non-repeating pistols are
range per TL after introduction, to a maximum of +30%. LC 5. Shotguns and rifles are LC 4, except for those with RoF
Weight: This is shown on the table. It remains constant at all 5+ (LC 1), stun rifles (LC 5), or military laser rifles (LC 0). All
tech levels. It includes ammunition and power cells. machine guns and other man-portable heavy weapons are LC 0.
Volume: This is not shown on the weapon table. The volume A very few weapons have been assigned a LC of -1 – these are
of a weapon depends on how the weapon is mounted. vehicular-sized military weapons like tank guns.
Normally, the weapon takes up its weight/50 cf. However, the In a few cases, weapon statistics have been altered from
GURPS Ultra-Tech and GURPS Space to correct errors.

Ranged Weapon Table

Weapon Type DMG SS Acc ⁄2D
1
Max Wt. RoF Shots ST Rcl. Cost LC TL
Conventional Slugthrowers (TL7)
Light Machine Gun,
7.62mm Cr. 7d 18 11 1,000 4,700 25 15* 100 13 -1 3,000 0 7
6Pak Minigun, 5.56mm Cr. 5d+1 20 13 500 3,600 60 66 500 15 -1 10,000 0 7
Heavy Machine Gun,
12.7mm Cr. 12d 20 16 1,200 5,000 115 8* 100 25 -1 6,000 0 6
Caseless Slugthrowers (TL8)
Holdout Pistol,
7mmCL Cr. 2d 7 2 140 1,800 1 3~ 12 – -1 200 3 8
Machine Pistol,
10mmCL Cr. 3d 10 8 180 2,000 3.5 10* 30 9 -2 700 2 8
Submachine Gun,
4mmCL Cr. 4d 11 9 300 2,400 5 12* 80 9 -1 800 2 8
Assault Carbine,
6mmCL Cr. 6d 12 11 1,000 4,500 7 10* 60 9 -1 1,000 1 8
Light Support Weapon,
6mmCL Cr. 6d 15 11 1,000 4,500 25 20* 300 10 -1 2,000 0 8
Grenade Launchers (TL7-12)
Police Gren. Launcher Spcl. Spcl. 12 6 – 120 25 2~ 12 10 -1 1,000 2 7
Auto Grenade
Launcher Spcl. Spcl. 12 8 – 1,600 100 6* 20 20 -1 6,000 0 7
Electromag Gren.
Launcher Spcl. Spcl. 10 8 – 1,000 10 1 5/5C – 0 5,000 0 8
Grav Gren. Launcher Spcl. Spcl. 12 9 – 1,500 20 3* 12/C – 0 5,000 0 12
Chainguns and Minicannons (TL7-8)
20mm Chaingun Spcl. Spcl. 20 16 1,500 5,000 300 20* 200 75 -1 9,000 -1 7
20mm Gatling
Chaingun Spcl. Spcl. 20 16 1,500 5,000 540 40* 300 250 -1 14,400 -1 7
20mm Caseless
Minicannon Spcl. Spcl. 20 16 1,500 5,000 75 3~ 30 20 -2 3,150 0 8
20mm CL Gatling
Chaingun Spcl. Spcl. 20 16 1,500 5,000 375 40* 250 150 -1 13,500 -1 8

Robot Design 22
Weapon Type DMG SS Acc 1
⁄2D Max Wt. RoF Shots ST Rcl. Cost LC TL
Rocket Launchers (TL7-8)
Light Rocket Launcher Spcl. Spcl. 15 2 – 500 25 1 4 10 0 2,000 0 7
Heavy Rocket Launcher Spcl. Spcl. 15 3 – 1,200 150 1 3 10 0 6,000 0 7
Light Rocket Launcher Spcl. Spcl. 15 2 – 500 15 1 4 9 0 2,000 0 8
Heavy Rocket Launcher Spcl. Spcl. 15 3 – 1,200 100 1 3 10 0 6,000 0 8
Electric Stunner (TL7)
Electric Stunner Imp. Spcl. 3 3 – 10 1 Spcl. 2 – -1 200 5 7
Flamethrower (TL7)
Flamethrower Spcl. 3d 5 8 40 75 20 4* 20 10 -1 1,000 0 7
Tanglers (TL8)
Tangle Pistol Spcl. – 5 6 – 15 3 1 2 10 -4 500 5 8
Tangler Spcl. – 6 8 – 20 6 1 5 8 -4 1,000 5 8
Riot Tangler Spcl. – 10 8 – 80 25 3~ 15 10 -2 4,000 4 8
Electromag Guns (TL9-10)
Railgun, 25mm Cr. 6d 25 (3) 25 20 4,950 8,450 1,150 1 325/E 240 -2 120,000 -1 9
Railgun, 50mm Cr. 5d 50 (3) 30 20 5,850 9,350 2,500 1 100/E 500 -2 172,000 -1 9
Railgun, 75mm Cr. 6dx65 (3) 30 21 7,200 10,700 5,850 1 75/5E 1,170 -2 220,000 -l 9
Gauss Pistol Cr. 4d (2) 10 8 200 2,000 3 12* 80/C – -1 1,500 2 9
Gauss SMG Cr. 5d (2) 11 9 250 2,500 5 16* 60/C – 0 3,000 1 9
Gauss Battle Rifle Cr. 8d (2) 12 12 1,200 4,500 7.5 12* 60/C – 0 3,500 0 9
Gauss Minigun Cr. 8d (2) 20 14 1,200 4,500 45 60* 600/D 10 0 9,000 0 9
Gatling Gausscannon Spcl. Spcl. 20 15 1,500 4,000 350 40* 480/D 70 -1 27,000 -1 9
Portable Railgun Cr. 6d 4 (3) 18 17 1,800 4,800 45 3~ 150/C 9 -1 4,800 0 9
Assault Razergun Imp. 3d+2 (10) 10 12 400 800 5 3* 750/C – 0 3,000 1 9
Gauss Razergun Imp. 7d (10) 10 14 500 1,000 20 4* 3,000/D – 0 6,000 0 9
Gauss Minicannon Spcl. Spcl. 20 15 1,500 4,000 75 3~ 48/C 15 -2 9,000 0 9
Lasers (TL8-9)
Laser Torch, light Imp. 1d-2 9 1 2 10 1 4* 120/C – 0 100 6 8
Laser Torch, medium Imp. 1d 12 1 3 15 5 4* 60/C – 0 250 6 8
Laser Torch, heavy Imp. 2d 15 1 4 20 20 4* 150/D – 0 500 5 8
Heavy Laser Pistol Imp. 2d 9 8 300 800 3 4* 12/C – 0 1,500 2 8
Military Laser Carbine Imp. 1d+2 10 12 750 1,200 7 8* 200/D – 0 3,000 1 8
Auto Laser Imp. 5d 15 18 2,000 6,000 45 8* 600/E 12 0 10,000 0 8
Laser Cannon Imp. 5d 5 20 20 4,250 12,750 500 4* 225/10E 80 0 40,000 0 8
Holdout Laser Imp. 1d-1 10 4 50 100 .25 1 5/B – 0 500 4 9
Gatling Laser Imp. 20d 10 20 4,000 12,000 75 4* 150/E 15 0 20,000 0 9
Rainbow Strike Laser Imp. 5d 10 20 21 6,250 18,750 500 4* 192/8E 100 0 43,000 0 9
Electrolasers (TL9+)
Holdout Electrolaser Spcl. 1d+2 6 3 30 60 .5 1 5/B – 0 600 3 9
Electrolaser Spcl. 2d+1 8 4 60 120 1.5 1 10/C – 0 1,200 3 9
Electrolaser Rifle Spcl. 3d+1 9 12 100 300 5 1 5/C – 0 1,800 2 9
Particle Beams and Blasters (TL9-10)
Heavy Blaster Pistol Imp. 9d 12 8 300 800 4.5 3~ 16/C 8 -1 2,500 2 9
Heavy Blaster Rifle Imp. 6d 3 15 14 600 1,600 12 3~ 60/D 9 -1 6,000 0 9
Tripod Blaster Imp. 6d 11 20 15 2,244 5,874 60 1 27/E 12 0 19,200 0 9
Blaster Cannon Imp. 6d 50 20 23 10,200 26,700 1,410 1 40/30E 262 0 80,800 -1 10
Particle Beam Cannon Imp. 6d 100 20 25 20,400 53,400 5,240 1 33/100E 1,048 0 275,200 -1 9
Holdout Blaster Imp. 4d 7 5 – 200 1 3~ 6/2B 5 -1 800 3 10
Plasma Guns and Flamers (TL9-10)
Plasma Torch Spcl. 7d 8 2 3 10 4 1 60/D – 0 750 4 9
Heavy Plasma Torch Spcl. 20d 12 2 4 12 40 1 500/E 12 0 3,000 4 9
Hand Flamer Spcl. 10d 4 12 70 150 4 1 8/C 6 0 1,300 2 9
Plasma Rifle Spcl. 16d 5 16 80 250 12 1 70/D 9 0 5,200 0 9
Tripod Flamer Spcl. 30d 6 20 100 300 45 1 40/D 12 0 10,000 0 9
Plasma Cannon Spcl. 6d 60 12 25 1,200 3,600 500 1 36/10E 100 0 40,000 -1 9
Plasma Pistol Spcl. 6d 4 10 50 100 2 1 16/C – 0 1,000 3 10
Paralysis Guns (TL10-11)
Paralysis Gun Spcl. – 6 4 – 25 5 1 15/C – 0 1,500 3 10
Heavy Paralysis Gun Spcl. – 10 12 – 200 25 3~ 60/D – 0 8,000 2 10
Paralysis Pistol Spcl. – 6 2 – 15 1 1 5/B – 0 600 5 11

23 Robot Design
Weapon Type DMG SS Acc ⁄2D
1
Max Wt. RoF Shots ST Rcl. Cost LC TL
X-ray Lasers (TL10)
X-Laser Pistol Imp. 1d+2 (2) 9 7 240 600 2 4* 20/C – 0 1,000 3 10
Hvy. X-Laser Pistol Imp. 3d (2) 9 8 400 1,000 3 4* 12/C – 0 1,500 0 10
Military X-Laser
Carbine Imp. 2d (2) 10 12 900 1,800 7 8* 200/D – 0 3,000 0 10
Military X-Laser Rifle Imp. 3d (2) 12 15 1,800 2,400 9 8* 140/D – 0 4,000 0 10
X-ray Auto Laser Imp. 8d (2) 15 18 2,400 7,200 45 8* 600/E 12 0 10,000 0 10
Gatling X-Laser Imp. 30d (2) 10 20 4,500 13,500 75 4* 75/E 15 0 20,000 0 10
X-ray Strike Laser Imp. 5d 10 (2) 20 21 6,750 20,250 500 8* 270/10E 100 0 40,000 -1 10
X-ray Laser Cannon Imp. 5d 20 (2) 25 23 10,000 30,000 2,000 8* 270/40E 400 0 112,000 -1 10
Gravguns (TL11)
Gravpistol Cr. 4d (5) 10 8 300 3,000 3 12* 160/C – 0 1,500 2 11
Gravrifle Cr. 8d (5) 12 12 1,800 6,750 7.5 12* 120/C – 0 3,500 1 11
Portable Gravgun Cr. 6d 5 (5) 15 16 3 mi. 10 mi. 45 4* 200/D 9 -1 10,000 0 11
Light Gravcannon Cr. 6d 50 (5) 25 21 7,425 10,925 1,250 1 575/E 250 -2 120,000 -1 11
Heavy Gravcannon Cr. 5d 100 (5) 30 22 8,775 12,275 2,500 1 100/E 500 -2 172,000 -1 11
Gravity Beams (TL12)
Grav Beamer Spcl. 1d-1 (100) 10 5 20 30 1 3~ 30/C – 0 2,000 3 12
Assault Gravbeam Spcl. 1d+2 (100) 12 15 1,200 3,750 9 1 200/D – 0 4,000 0 12
Tripod Gravbeam Spcl. 3d (100) 15 18 2,500 7,500 75 3~ 100/E 15 0 40,000 0 12
Light Gravbeam
Cannon Spcl. 6d (100) 20 21 4,800 14,400 370 4* 135/5E 74 0 75,200 -1 12
Heavy Gravbeam
Cannon Spcl. 6d 2 (100) 25 22 9,600 28,800 1,480 4* 135/20E 296 0 204,800 -1 12
Pulsars (TL13)
Pulsar Pistol Spcl. 6d 3 (2) 12 8 200 400 2 3~ 16/C 8 -1 10,000 1 13
Assault Pulsar Spcl. 3d 10 (2) 11 12 400 800 7.5 3~ 60/D 8 -1 20,000 0 13
Heavy Pulsar Spcl. 5d 10 (2) 14 14 600 1,200 25 1 24/D 13 -1 30,000 0 13
Pulsar Cannon Spcl. 5d 200 (2) 30 23 12,000 24,000 11,000 1 56/100E 2,200 01,288,000 -1 13
Mindrippers (TL14)
Short-Range Mindripper Spcl. – 12 14 – 50 10 1 50/C – 0 50,000 0 14
Long-Range Mindripper Spcl. – 20 16 – 500 75 1 200/E 60 0 100,000 0 14
Gamma-ray Lasers (TL14)
Graser Pistol Imp. 3d (5) 9 7 300 700 2 4* 16/C – 0 2,000 3 14
Hv. Graser Pistol Imp. 4d (5) 9 8 500 1,400 3 4* 12/C – 0 3,000 0 14
Military Graser Carbine Imp. 3d (5) 10 12 1,200 2,400 7 8* 160/D – 0 6,000 0 14
Mil. Graser Rifle Imp. 4d (5) 12 15 2,500 3,200 9 8* 112/D – 0 8,000 0 14
Auto Graser Imp. 10d (2) 15 18 3,000 9,000 45 8* 300/E 12 0 20,000 0 14
Gatling Graser Imp. 40d (5) 10 20 6,000 18,000 75 4* 75/E 15 0 40,000 0 14
Strike Graser Imp. 5d 20 (5) 20 23 11,500 34,500 450 4* 90/5E 90 0 88,000 -1 14
Graser Cannon Imp. 5d 40 (5) 25 25 20,500 61,500 1,800 4* 90/20E 360 0 256,000 -1 14

E have half the number of shots (this doesn’t affect weight, since
X We want Synthia to have a built-in ranged weapon. We the ammunition weighs twice as much per shot).
A decide on a military laser carbine. At TL8, it weighs 7 lbs. It Liquid-Propellant Smartguns: A more advanced form of
M costs $3,000, quartered for being built two TLs later at TL10 TL8 slugthrower uses liquid propellants (LP). Instead of pack-
P (and $750). We conceal it, so it takes up its weight/20 cf, or ing solid propellant inside or around the bullet, propellant in
L .35 cf. It is LC 1. We also add the variable beam option (see liquid form is squirted into the firing chamber as each round is
E Lasers on p. 26) for another $100. fired. A computer chip can vary the amount of propellant, so
rounds can be fired either at normal velocity setting, or “low
Conventional Slugthrowers (TL7-8) velocity” or “hyper velocity” settings. On “low” setting, rounds
are subsonic (making the weapon virtually silent), accuracy is
These are normal bullet-firing guns, using expanding gasses
from a chemical reaction to propel a metal slug. All produce a -2, and damage, range and recoil are halved (a half-die of dam-
loud noise and visible muzzle flash. They don’t work underwa- age becomes a +2). On “hyper,” accuracy is +1, damage and
ter or in vacuum. range are multiplied by 1.5 and recoil doubles. Any TL8 case-
Caseless Slugthrowers: These come into use at TL8 and fire less weapon is available as an LP smartgun at double cost.
caseless (CL) ammunition. The bullet is embedded in a solid Besides ordinary bullets, slugthrowers may also use special
block of propellant that is consumed when it is fired. This allows ammunition. Common types include Armor-Piercing Saboted
more shots to be carried, keeps the weapon cleaner since it needs (APS) bullets, which are +1 damage per die, +50% range,
no cartridge ejection port, and allows it to function underwater armor protects with half DR (but damage after subtracting DR
or in vacuum. TL8 caseless guns are available at half cost as is also halved), 5 cost, and Plastic Bullets (half damage and
conventional weapons firing non-caseless ammunition. They range, normal cost).

Robot Design 24
Grenade Launchers (TL7-12) Shaped-Charge (TL7): This armor-piercing explosive war-
These versatile weapons fire low-velocity rounds, usually head does 2d (10) (at TL7), 4d 2 (10) (at TL8) or 6d 2 (10) (at
with explosive or chemical warheads. TL9+). It does explosive concussion damage; in addition, DR
TL7 grenade launchers use conventional chemical propel- protects at one-tenth value against a direct hit. If the round hits
lants. TL8 electromag grenade launchers use a magnetic light or no armor, the warhead may not detonate: roll 3d vs. the
impulse for propulsion – see Electromag Weapons on p. 26. target’s DR. If the roll is higher than DR, it does not go off and
TL12 grav grenade launchers use a gravitic impulse – see instead the target takes 4d crushing damage. Pay $30 for each.
Gravguns on p. 27. Sonic Stun (TL9): This emits a brief sonic pulse, with the
The effect and cost of an individual shot from any kind of same effect as a hit by a stun rifle, in a 2-yard radius around the
grenade launcher depends on the kind of grenade fired: grenade and the same effect as a stun pistol within 3-4 yards.
Concussion (TL7): An explosive warhead doing 3d (at TL7), See Stunners, p. B119, for stunner effects. The pulse continues
6d 2 (at TL8) or 6d 3 (at TL9+) explosive concussion damage. for 3 turns, affecting anyone entering or remaining in the area.
They cost $20 each. They cost $40 each.
Chemical (TL7): Releases a cloud of chemicals which Stun Baton (TL7): A non-exploding plastic baton round that
lingers over a 6-hex radius for 300 seconds/wind speed in mph. spreads into an X-shape upon hitting its target. It does 4d
See Chemical Agents on p. 30 for the options. It costs the same Crushing damage, and full knockback, but the damage that pen-
as 10 doses of the chemical. etrates DR is halved. The launcher’s range when firing stun
Flechette (TL7): These warheads filled with steel darts burst batons is 1⁄5 normal. The rounds are $20 each.
like shotgun shells. They do impaling damage – 6d at TL7, Tangler (TL8): These envelop the target in sticky strands,
8d+8 at TL8+. Use the shotgun rules (p. B119). When firing with the same effect as Tangler (p. 26) hits. They cost $10 each.
flechette rounds, the weapon has a 1⁄2D range of 8% of its maxi- All grenades except flechette, HESH, shaped-charge and
mum range and a Max range of 20% of its maximum range. stun batons are also available as hand grenades, with identical
They are $30 each. characteristics.
Force (TL12): The grenade emits a brief gravitic pulse doing
6d (at TL12) or 6d 2 (at TL13+) crushing damage. Damage is Chainguns and Minicannons (TL7-8)
five times greater for knockback purposes! They cost $40 each. These are 20mm automatic cannons, similar to large machine
Fragmentation (TL7): Like a concussion grenade, plus lethal guns. They can fire the same range of ammunition as grenade
fragments doing 2d Cutting fragmentation damage. $20 each. launchers; but unless they are firing baton or flechette rounds,
HESH (High Explosive Squash Head) (TL7): This is a soft the damage (or radius of effect) is halved. In addition, chainguns
plastic explosive round. It functions like a concussion round can also fire high-velocity armor-piercing depleted uranium
unless it hits armor too strong to penetrate. Then it flattens out (APDU) shells that do 6d 4 (3) damage and cost $10 each, as
and explodes, creating a shock wave that can be felt even well as API shells that do 6d 4 damage and cost $2 each.
through armor. If it scores a direct hit and fails to penetrate the TL7 chainguns use conventional propellants (see Conven-
armor, 10% of the damage bypasses DR and inflicts damage tional Slugthrowers, p. 24).
anyway! These cost $40 each. TL8 chainguns normally use caseless ammunition (see
Plasma (TL11): One of these releases a blast of ionized plas- Conventional Slugthrowers, p. 24, for a description of caseless
ma doing 6d 4 explosive concussion damage (TL11) or 6d 6 propellant). Conventional-propellant TL8 chainguns are avail-
(TL12+). In addition, it has the same effect on armor and flam- able: these cost half as much and have only half as many shots.
mable materials that a flamer hit (p. 27) does, melting DR and TL8 chainguns may be built to use liquid-propellant ammu-
setting things on fire. Each one costs $40. nition (at double cost), with the same effects as for conventional
Ripsaw (TL10): Like a fragmentation grenade, but its lethal slugthrowers. However, the low- or hyper-velocity settings of
monowire-edged fragments do 2d (10) fragmentation damage LP ammunition chainguns only affect a chaingun’s damage
instead. They are $30 each. when firing APDU, flechette or baton rounds.

25 Robot Design
 strands constricting, causing 1 point of damage (armor protects
fully). The strands are too tightly wound around the victim, as
well as too sticky, to be cut off. Ten hits from intense heat will
also free the victim, but he takes the damage as well. The prop-
er way to remove Tangler strands is with Anti-tangler aerosol
spray (see Chemical Agents on p. 30). The strands lose their
constricting ability after one day and then begin to lose ST at a
rate of 1 per 2 hours. A round of tangler ammunition costs $10
and weighs 1 lb.

Electromag Weapons (TL8-10)

These weapons use an electromagnetic impulse to accelerate
projectiles. They have no visible muzzle flash, but do produce a
loud noise (as the round cracks the sound barrier) and an elec-
tromagnetic pulse that radscanners can detect. They require
power (usually from power cells) and ammunition.
Electromag Grenade Launchers fire 40mm steel-sheathed
grenades. They fire the same types of grenades as conventional
grenade launchers (p. 25).
Gauss Guns are hyper-velocity small arms that fire 3mm to
4mm bullets with dense armor-piercing cores, rather than the
tiny needles of the Gauss needlers in the Basic Set.
Gausscannon fire high velocity steel-sheathed 20mm shells
with a variety of warheads. Their effects are identical to those
of grenades (see p. 25), but all types except flechette and baton
rounds do half the damage (halve the radius of effect of stun
Flamethrowers (TL7) and chemical rounds), and all shells cost half as much. They
These fire a high-pressure stream of napalm. Flamethrowers can also fire armor-piercing depleted uranium (APDU) shells
have RoF 4; as with lasers, add damage from multiple hits in a that do 6d 6 (3) damage; these cost $5 each.
burst together before subtracting DR. Only sealed armor pro- Railguns are very-high-velocity electromag weapons that
tects fully; non-sealed armor (including that on non-sealed accelerate high-density superconductor-sheathed or ferrous pro-
robots or vehicles) gets only one-fifth DR. Once it hits, the jectiles to speeds in excess of 4,500 yards per second. DR pro-
napalm sticks and continues to burn for 10d turns, doing 1d tects at one-third normal against their damage.
damage per second (armor protecting as above). Only total Razerguns are railguns whose magazines contain a coil of
immersion in water or the like will extinguish it. superconductor-sheathed monowire. As the weapon fires, it
snips off short strands of wire, which become rigid in the gun’s
Rocket Launchers (TL7-8) magnetic field and are accelerated to hypersonic velocities. DR
These fire rockets with the same range of warheads as protects at one-tenth value, and damage is impaling! If the
grenades, except that tangler and stun baton rounds are not superconducting wire penetrates electronic systems, it tends to
available. The warheads are larger: their damage (or radius for short them out, so it does full impaling damage vs. robots, too.
chemical or stun rounds) is doubled for light rocket launchers
and quadrupled for heavy rockets. The cost also increases pro- Lasers (TL8-9)
portionately. Lasers fire a beam of coherent light. In rain, fog or smoke,
lasers do half damage. Smoke bombs and such block laser
Electric Stunners (TL7) beams totally. Laser beams are silent and invisible in vacuum.
These fire a dart trailing a wire to the robot’s power supply. In atmosphere, weapon-grade lasers ionize the air (leaving a
The dart can penetrate up to DR 2 and does 1 point of damage. line of tiny sparks) and make an audible crack (as air rushes
When the dart penetrates a living body, the robot releases an into the vacuum left in the beam’s wake). Lasers fired at RoF 4
electric shock – a HT-3 roll is required to stay conscious; fail- or higher use the special laser automatic fire rules described
ing the roll immobilizes the victim for 25-HT seconds. The dart under Damage from a Burst on p. B120.
can be reeled in after the target is immobilized. The weapon Rainbow Lasers (TL9) automatically vary their color to best
cannot fire again until the dart is reeled in. damage targets and penetrate atmosphere. Rain and mist do not
penalize them. Each yard of water, dense fog, or smoke the
Tanglers (TL8) laser beam must pass through gives the target an extra DR 1.
Tanglers fire capsules that release sticky strands to entangle Each yard of prismatic smoke gives the target an extra DR
victims. Anyone hit gets an extra Dodge roll to evade the 20. Rainbow lasers may fire underwater at half range.
strands before they close, but neither armor PD nor DR pro- X-ray Lasers (TL10) fire beams of coherent X-rays; they are
tects, as they simply wrap around it as well as the person wear- also called X-lasers or xasers. DR protects at one-half normal
ing it. A victim cannot move any limbs. He may try one Contest value against X-ray beams. Furthermore, the X-laser’s damage
of Strength vs. ST 20 (+5 per extra hit, if multiple shots hit) to is not reduced by smoke, fog, or the like.
break free, plus one per minute. Or, if the victim is fully Gamma-ray Lasers (TL14) fire coherent gamma-ray beams;
clothed, an Escape-3 roll (-1 per extra hit, one try every 10 min- they are also called grasers. DR protects at one-fifth normal
utes) will let him wriggle out of the clothes and escape. Any value! Like X-ray lasers, atmospheric conditions and counter-
failed attempt to break free or wriggle out, though, results in the measures have no effect.

Robot Design 26
 For an extra $100 (unmodified by TL), any laser, X-ray laser A robot is considered “shielded” if it has both rad shielding (p.
or graser can have a variable beam. This makes it useful as a 43) and a hardened brain (p. 9). Either one alone simply reduces
tool. Using it to weld consumes the equivalent of one “shot” per the chance of being knocked out to a roll of 1.
five seconds, cooking uses one shot per minute, and using it as For double cost, military paralysis guns are available. They
a flashlight equals one shot every five minutes. It can also light fire a more powerful beam. A target in unsealed armor makes
a fire for trivial energy (100 fire starts take one shot). HT rolls to resist at -4; the effects last twice as long, and they
“Laser torches” are short-range civilian lasers designed for knock out robots or electronics on a roll of 1-4. They affect
welding or cutting. Their beams are variable at no extra cost. organic beings in sealed armor or shielded robots as if they
were unprotected beings hit by a non-military paralysis gun.
Blasters and Particle Beams (TL9-10) (Exception: They will not affect a target behind DR 200 or
These are particle accelerators firing beams of protons, elec- more armor.)
trons or alpha particles. Blaster bolts resemble coherent light-
ning. Cannon-sized blasters are usually known as C-PAWS (for Gravguns (TL11)
Charged Particle Accelerator Weapon System). Blaster bolts do These are similar to electromag railguns, but use a tractor-
their full impaling damage to robots, since the radiation can fry beam-like gravitic impulse to accelerate projectiles to very high
electronic systems. velocities. Gravguns produce no visible flash, and the only
noise is the crack of the projectile going supersonic. They pro-
Electrolasers (TL9) duce a gravitic pulse detectable by TL11+ radscanners.
These “zap guns” fire a low-power laser beam to ionize a Gravgun warheads are made of hyperdense gravitically com-
path through the air, followed by an electrical charge that fol- pressed matter, and as such, DR protects at only one-fifth its
lows that path to the target. They don’t work in vacuum and are normal value.
at -2 to hit in humid environments, or -6 in rain or fog. Armor
protects unless it is metal; metal does not protect, and adds +2 Gravity Beams (TL12)
to hit if the target is made of or has 20 lbs. or more of it. These weapons are offshoots of TL12 contragrav and force
An electrolaser can fire a “stun” or “kill” bolt. If set on field technology. Unlike gravguns, which simply use gravity
“stun,” roll damage normally, but inflict no physical damage. technology to accelerate projectiles, gravity beams actually fire
Instead, the target must make a HT roll, minus half the damage focused beams of “coherent gravity.” They normally project an
that got past its DR (round up). Failure means the target is inca- oscillating tractor/pressor gravity beam. This setting causes the
pacitated for 20-HT minutes, and at -2 DX for another 20-HT inside of a target – or part of the target – to vibrate rapidly,
minutes after. On “kill” the effects are the same, except that the inflicting damage. Armor PD does not protect and DR gives
target actually takes the rolled damage, and (if an organic only 1⁄100 normal value; no knockback is inflicted.
being) failing the HT roll not only incapacitates the target but They can also be used as non-lethal weapons, focusing a
stops his heart. He will die in HT/3 minutes unless given CPR high-impact “force beam” of gravity on a single target. This
(a successful First Aid-4 or Physician roll.) does crushing damage; use the full damage only when calculat-
ing knockback – the actual damage is halved. For example, if
Plasma Guns and Flamers (TL9-10) 16 points of damage were rolled, a man would suffer 2 hexes of
A flamer, or plasma gun, projects a stream of super-hot ion- knockback, but only take 8 hits of damage. Damage inflicted by
ized plasma. The dice rolled for damage may be divided this setting is usually a wide bruise covering much of the tar-
between targets, as long as all targets are in the same arc of fire get’s body!
as described for area weapons (p. B121). If the targets are more
than one hex apart, 1d of damage is lost for each extra hex sep-
arating them.
The wash of plasma easily penetrates unsealed armor which
gets 1⁄2 DR vs. the attack. It also melts armor. For every 10
points of damage the attack does (before subtracting DR),
armor loses 1 DR on the location hit. A sealed suit (or robot or
vehicle) becomes unsealed after losing 20% or more of its orig-
inal DR. Paper, cloth and wood automatically ignite if hit by a
flamer discharge. Flammable plastics and such catch fire if their
DR is exceeded.

Paralysis Guns (TL10)

These weapons fire radiation pulses that can affect both
organic life and electronics. A beam from a paralysis pistol, gun
or rifle affects a living being that it hits for 30-HT minutes: he
is paralyzed if he fails a HT roll, or -2 to DX and -1 to IQ (this
also temporarily reduces the level of all DX- and IQ-based
skills) if he succeeds. Individuals in sealed armor suffer no
effects.
A paralysis beam that hits an unshielded robot or other elec-
tronic system knocks it out on a 1d roll of 1-2 (subtract the tar-
get’s Size Modifier from this roll; small robots are more vulner-
able than large ones). The paralysis lasts for (30-HT) minutes.

27 Robot Design
Pulsars (TL13) Point Cost of Weaponry
These are TL13 blasters firing antimatter particles. They do
impaling damage (to the person hit) and armor DR protects at Having weapons built into the robot costs character points
half value. Also, they do explosive concussion damage equal to depending on the weapon’s Legality class:
half the weapon’s damage to anyone within 2 yards, with dam-
Legality Points
age quartered every 2 yards beyond it. (DR protects at full value
6 5 points
from this concussion damage). In addition, a direct hit inflicts 10
5 10 points
rads of radiation damage damage rolled before DR; subtract
3-4 15 points
the target’s radiation PF if any. See Robots in Action for radia-
2 25 points
tion rules. A miss by 1 inflicts half the radiation damage!
1 50 points
0 100 points
Mindrippers (TL14) -1 200 points
Mindrippers are advanced neural disruptor weapons that bru-
tally interrogate the target’s mind and nervous system. They If the robot has more than one weapon, the full cost is only
instantly make a ghost program copy of the subject (see Ghost paid for the highest-point weapon. Each additional weapon
Programs on p. 65) at the cost of irreparable damage to the sub- costs only 20% of its normal point cost.
ject’s mind. The subject gets a HT-5 roll at +1 per 10 points of
E
DR protecting the brain. If the HT roll succeeded, the subject is Synthia has three built-in weapons: a monowire knife (LC X
unharmed, but has a mild headache. If the HT roll just succeed- 3), a concealed military laser carbine (LC 1) and a crushing A
ed (made by 0 or 1 point) he’s also mentally stunned. But if the jaw (LC 6). The cost of the concealed laser is 50 points, plus 3 M
HT roll fails, the subject’s brain and nervous system are ripped points for the monowire knife and 1 point for the crushing P
apart, permanently reducing DX and IQ to 1 and leaving the jaw, for a total of 54 points. L
victim a mindless vegetable – and storing a ghost program copy
E
of the subject in the attacking robot’s computer memory.
Mindrippers are useful because they simultaneously kill and
capture an opponent. Mindripper beams are silent, invisible and
Accessories
Gadgets like toolkits, vacuum cleaners or holographic pro-
unaffected by atmosphere but do require a line of sight to oper- jectors may be installed in a robot. Of course, if the robot has
ate. They don’t work through force screens. (There are less arms (with hands), visual sensors to see what it’s doing, and
invasive ways of making a ghost program, but they take several proper programming, it can also use equipment just as a human
minutes and special medical equipment; they are not usable in does. Most accessories cost no character points. The few excep-
combat. See p. UT109 for details on these.) tions are those which duplicate advantages that characters usu-
ally pay for.

Weapon Accessories
These systems may be added to a ranged weapon.

Weapon Accessory Table

Component TL Wt. Vol. Cost Pow. LC
Laser Sight 7 neg. .05 $200 neg. 5
Laser Periscope 8 var. var. var. var. 5

Halve the weight, volume and cost of laser sights one TL

after introduction and quarter them two or more TLs after intro-
duction. Laser sights added to laser weapons are cheaper, with
no weight or volume – see below.
Laser Sight: This places a laser dot wherever the weapon is
aimed. If the robot has visual sensors, this reduces the SS penal-
ty to -1 at up to 50 yards and to -2 at 50 to 100 yards, and adds
+2 to its Accuracy when aiming. If the weapon is a laser, xaser
or graser, it may have a laser sight for $50 (halve the cost at
TL9, and again at TL10+): it just uses a low-intensity beam for
aiming and increases the power when firing. Note: A robot with
imaging ladar or a built-in laser rangefinder automatically gets
this bonus on all weapons, without buying a laser sight.
Laser Periscope: This accessory can be added to any laser
weapon. It is a periscope tube that is attached to the laser. When
components are placed, it must be housed in a different part of
the robot than the laser weapon, and allows the laser to fire
from that part of the body rather than the part of the robot
where the laser weapon is housed. Usually a laser is placed in
the well-protected body of the robot, with the laser periscope
built into an arm, pod or head. This permits the laser to fire
without exposing its body. A laser periscope’s weight and vol-
ume are each 10% of the laser weapon’s, while its cost is 20%

Robot Design 28
of the weapon’s cost. Note: x-ray laser periscopes are not avail- volume and cost. The cost of the spray gun or tank does not
able until TL11. Gamma-ray laser periscopes are not available include chemicals – see Chemical Agents, p. 30, for some loads.
until TL15. A description of each gadget is given below.
Cutting Torch: This gas-powered cutting torch has enough
E gas for 5 minutes’ operation. Used as a weapon, it is SS 15, Acc
X We build a laser sight into Synthia’s laser weapon 0, RoF 1, Damage 1d cutting, 1⁄2D 3, Max 15. Against material
A ($12.50 at TL10+). We decide the laser sight also has a laser with DR 6 or more, it can still cut through if held continuously
M periscope, which weighs .7 lbs. (10% of the laser’s weight), on the same spot: every minute it is used burns away 1 point of
P takes up .035 cf (10% of its volume) and costs $150 (20% of DR on that spot alone. When DR is reduced to below 6, the
L its cost). torch can inflict damage to the material. Extra gas for the torch
E is $1, 1 lb., and .02 cf per minute.
Tool Systems Flashlight or Spotlight: This throws a 500’ beam (spot-
light), 50’ beam (flashlight) or 15’ beam (mini-flashlight).
These systems are usually installed in robots built to perform
Fire Extinguisher and Mini-Fire Extinguisher: This sprays
technical, rescue or construction jobs. They can only be built
a fire-retardant foam that extinguishes one hex of fire on a roll
into robot arms.
of 1-4 on 1d at a 5-yard range. The fire extinguisher has eight
Tool Table uses; the mini-extinguisher has only one (reloads are half the
Component TL Wt. Vol. Cost LC cost, weight and volume). Using a fire extinguisher as a weapon
Integral Tools defaults to DX-4 or Flamer-2; SS 10, Acc 1, 1⁄2D 3, Max 5. It
Engineer, Mechanical 7 10 .2 $200 6 does 3d damage, but this is counted only for knockback purpos-
Armoury, Electronics 7 2 .04 $400 6 es – no real damage is done. Any hit to the face against an unar-
mored person stuns and blinds if he fails a HT-3 roll; roll
Tech level does not affect the weight, volume and cost of against HT-3 each turn to recover.
tool systems. Their power requirements are negligible. Siren: A loud police/emergency siren is often mounted on
police, rescue and security robots. If desired, it may include a
Integral Tools (TL7+): This multi-purpose set of tools and flashing light at no extra cost.
probes extends out of the arm, fulfilling the equipment require- Spray Gun: An aerosol sprayer, holding ten doses (one
ments for performing construction, repair and maintenance dose is enough to spray in a face or fill a hex) of any standard
tasks for one of Engineering, Mechanic, Armoury or gas or liquid chemical (pesticide, smoke, tear gas, nerve gas,
Electronics (or Electronics Operation) skills. A typical set of nano-disassemblers, etc.). A single shot has a range of 2 hexes
mechanical tools includes a built-in welder, pliers, screwdriver, and automatically hits. The cloud lasts for 10 seconds indoors,
drill, torque wrench, etc. Electronics tools add test probes and less in a strong wind.
soldering irons, and so on. Since integral tools are built directly Spray Tank: A larger spray dispenser, with a range of ten
into the arm, the robot can use them even if without a hand. hexes, and creating a cloud 3 hexes in diameter per spray; if
The more arms equipped with integral tool systems the sprayed in the air, it falls slowly to earth. It uses five doses per
robot has, the better job it will do. A robot with one arm shot, but a tank holds 100 doses. The cloud lasts for 2 minutes
equipped with this system may perform repairs at -3 to skill. A indoors, less in a strong wind.
robot with two arms so equipped may do so at -2 to skill. Three
arms put it at -1 to skill. Four or more arms remove the penalty
to skill. Different tool sets are needed for Armoury, Engineer,
Mechanic and Electronics skills. If the robot is using the wrong
type of tools (for example, using electronic tools to fix a gun
instead of armoury tools), apply a -3 penalty.

Gadgets
These are miscellaneous gadgets useful on many types of
robots:

Gadget Table
Component TL Wt. Vol. Cost Pow. LC
Chain Saw 7 see Contact Weapons, p. 20
Cutting Torch 7 12 .24 $80 0 6
Fire Extinguisher 7 8 .4 $100 0 6
Mini Fire Extinguisher 7 .5 .02 $20 0 6
Flashlight 7 2 .04 $20 neg. 6
Mini-Flashlight 7 .5 .02 $16 neg. 6
Siren 7 1 .2 $100 neg. 6
Spotlight 7 10 .2 $100 neg. 6
Spray Gun 7 1 .05 $50 0 6
Spray Tank 7 8 .4 $100 0 6

Halve the weight, volume and cost of most of these gadgets

one TL after introduction, or quarter them two or more TLs after
introduction. Do not reduce the spray tank and spray gun’s weight,

29 Robot Design
Chemical Agents Absolute Direction as long as it is in communication with a pair
Chemical agents usable in spray guns and spray tanks (as of friendly navigation satellites or spacecraft.
well as in chemical grenades and the like) include poisons, Gyrobalance (TL8): Internal laser-ring gyroscopes give the
drugs, irritants and deadly clouds of nanomachines, as well as robot perfect balance. On wet or slippery terrain the robot gets
non-weapon chemicals such as pesticides and paints. Chemical +6 to all rolls to avoid losing control, and +4 to rolls to avoid
agents are measured in doses. Delivery systems (warheads, being knocked down in combat. If the robot has legs or two or
sprayers, etc.) usually expend several doses at a time. Besides fewer wheels, it can skim along tightropes, narrow ledges, etc.
sprays, they may also be delivered via grenades (a chemical without having to make a DX roll. The robot also gets +1 to any
grenade costs the same as 10 doses, covers a 6-hex radius, and Acrobatics or Piloting skills it may acquire.
the cloud lingers for 300 seconds/wind speed in mph). Some Inertial Compass: This sophisticated system can calculate
chemicals available are: the robot’s exact location and heading without satellite assis-
Anti-Tangler Aerosol (TL8): Instantly dissolves Tangler (p. tance, indicating the direction and distance travelled from any
25) strands. $4 per dose. LC 6. preset point on a planetary surface. It can be set for the location
Nerve Gas: Living organisms exposed to nerve gas take 1 hit the robot is physically present, or for any other coordinates
of damage per turn, or 2 hits if not wearing a gas mask. Also, a (requiring a Navigation roll if the coordinates of the location
HT-4 roll is needed each turn to avoid paralysis for (30-HT) aren’t known). This effectively gives the robot the Absolute
minutes. Five minutes after being paralyzed, the target suffers Direction advantage. Distances measured are accurate to within
4d damage. Individuals in sealed, airtight armor are protected. 1 yard per 1,000 miles.
$5 per dose. LC 0. Inertial Navigation System: As above, but much more
Paint: Spray paint, available in various colors. In combat, accurate. It adds +5 to the robot’s Navigation skill (+1 per TL
the main effect is to blind sensors or cover windows, restricting over TL7) and gives the robot Absolute Direction.
vision. Worker robots are often used for spray-painting, since
clouds of paint can be dangerous to human health. $.10 per Exotic, Covert Ops and Police Gadgets
dose. LC 6. This equipment is especially useful for robots built for crimi-
Pesticides: Designed to kill insects, fungi, weeds, plant dis- nal, assassination, espionage or law enforcement purposes.
eases, etc. Some are toxic if breathed, others are not. $.50 per
dose. LC 6. Military, Covert Ops and Police Gadget Table
Riot Gas (TL8+): An advanced non-lethal incapacitating gas Gadget TL Wt. Vol. Cost LC Points
often used for crowd control. Each turn, any living being with a Crimescanner 8 8 .16 $6,000 5 0
terrestrial-type metabolism who is not wearing a gas mask or Lockpick 7 neg. neg. $200 5 0
airtight armor within the cloud must make a HT-4 roll. If the Electronic
roll fails, he will become violently sick. Treat as if stunned, but Lockpick 8 3 .06 $1,500 4 0
the effects last as long as he is in the cloud, plus (20-HT) min- Mini-Nuke 7 50 1 $100,000 0 0
utes. Even if the roll succeeds, he will be at -4 on any DX, IQ Psychotronic Circuits 9 var. var. var. 2 var.
or skill rolls while within the cloud, and must continue to roll to Self-Destruct 7 1* .02* $80* 0 0
avoid incapacitation each turn until he leaves it. $2 per dose. SQUID 8 40 .8 $50,000 4 5
LC 5. Ranged SQUID 11 40 .8 $100,000 2 10
Tear Gas: See p. B132 for effects. $0.50 per dose. LC 5.
Nanoburn (TL9+): A cloud of nanomachines designed to kill * Per pound of explosive.
living things. Its effects are described on p. 70 in the Microbots With the exception of the self-destruct system, halve the
and Nanomorphs chapter. $5 per dose. LC 1. weight, volume and cost one TL after introduction, or quarter
Disassembler (TL11+): A cloud of nanomachines designed to them two or more TLs after introduction. The power require-
destroy anything. See p. 70 for its effects. $40 per dose. LC 0. ment is negligible.
GURPS Ultra-Tech, GURPS Space and GURPS Cyber-
punk describe a few other chemical agents. Descriptions
Crimescanner (TL8): This sensor system is capable of per-
Navigation and Balance Systems forming forensics analysis: ballistics tests, fingerprinting,
These systems help guide and control the robot. genetic typing (from skin flakes or blood samples), etc.
Performing a detailed analysis of a one-yard area in search of
Navigation System Table evidence normally takes one minute; the quality of that analy-
System TL Wt. Vol. Cost LC Points sis depends on TL, but will usually provide a detailed analysis
Global Positioning of chemical traces left in the area. At TL10+, the crimescanner
System 7 1 .02 $200 5 0 actually releases tiny forensics nanomachine robots into the
Gyrobalance 8 – – $5,000 6 15 area, which perform a molecular-level search before being
Inertial Compass 8 1 .02 $250 6 5 sucked back into the scanner unit to give their report. A
Inertial Navigation crimescanner adds (TL-5) to Forensics rolls, but the robot must
System 7 40 .8 $50,000 6 5 have Forensics skill to operate it.
Electronic Lockpick: This can only be built into an arm. It
Weight, volume and cost of all systems halves one TL after is a combination micromanipulator probe and sensor/decoder
introduction, or quarters two or more TLs after introduction. that gives +3 to Lockpicking or Electronics Operation (Security
Power requirement is negligible. Systems) on any roll to pick a mechanical, combination or elec-
Global Positioning System (GPS): This links the robot to tronic lock of its TL or less. Against locks of a higher TL locks,
an orbital navigation satellite network (or a friendly spacecraft), it is -2 per TL difference between the lockpick and the lock. See
enabling it to always know its exact position. The robot has p. B87 for lockpicking rules.

Robot Design 30
 Lockpick: A high-quality lockpick. If mounted in a robot’s Domestic and Recreational Gadgets
arm, or in a head, it gives a +1 bonus to pick mechanical locks These devices are often installed in service, household or
of its TL or less. pleasure robots. With the exception of the neural stimulator, all
Mini-Nuke: This is a compact one-kiloton nuclear device will be available without restriction.
(6d 4,000,000 concussion damage, devastates a 1,100-yard
radius and contaminates the crater with residual radiation). Domestic and Recreational Gadget Table
Psychotronic Circuits (TL9+): If the GM allows, any TL9+ Gadget TL Wt. Vol. Cost LC Points
robot with a sentient brain may have psychotronic circuits Blow Dryer 7 1 .2 $40 6 0
allowing it to have any psionic powers described in the Basic Cleaning Unit 7 20 1 $200 6 0
Set or GURPS Psionics. No single psi ability can have a power Dishwasher 7 40 1 $200 6 0
greater than (brain Complexity-5) 5, with an absolute limit of Gardening Tools 7 4 .2 $200 6 0
power 25 for Complexity 10+ brains. It can have multiple pow- Microwave or
ers, as long as it does not combine Antipsi with another power. Sonic Oven 7 40 1 $200 6 0
It can acquire psionic skills as skill programs. Psychotronic cir- Neural Stimulator 10 .5 .01 $1,000 5 0
cuitry does not add to the weight or volume, but does cost Pheromone Emitter 9 neg. – $10,000 5 25
$10,000 the character point cost of the psi powers (halve this Projector 7 8 .16 $750 6 0
cost at TL10, and again at TL11+). Psi powers have their usual Serving Tray 7 8 .4 $40 6 0
point cost as described in the Basic Set or GURPS Psionics. Snack/Drink
Note: these rules are an enhancement of those for psionic com- Dispenser 7 40 1 $200 6 0
puters in GURPS Psionics and are slightly modified to fit the Sonic Massager 9 2 .1 $400 6 0
robot rules in this book.
Self-Destruct: A robot can be fitted with a self-destruct Halve the weight, volume and cost of all these gadgets one
system; the robot explodes whenever its programming says to. TL after introduction, or quarter it two or more TLs after intro-
(Yes, you can build time bombs or “smart” missiles this way.) duction. (Exception: the volume of the serving tray, microwave
Damage depends on the type of explosive packed into the robot. oven, dishwasher and snack/drink dispensers remains constant).
TL7 explosives do 6d 2 explosive concussion damage per The power requirement is negligible.
pound of explosive; TL8 ones do 6d 8; TL9+ bombs do 6d 12.
Fragmentation damage (see p. B121) is 2d Cutting damage as E
bits of the robot’s casing are scattered about. The explosion can We decide to build a neural stimulator and pheromone X
also be a shaped charge: double the cost, but halve the damage emitter into Synthia’s body. The stimulator weighs .5 lbs., A
for the same weight of explosives, and the armor DR of a single takes up .01 cf and costs $1,000, and is LC 5. The emitter is M
target in contact with the robot when the explosion occurs is $5,000 (half cost since it is TL9 and Synthia is TL10), LC 5 and P
divided by 10. costs 25 points. L
E
SQUID (TL8): A superconducting quantum interference
detector enables the robot to interrogate a computer brain to
Descriptions
Blow Dryer: Useful for styling hair or fur, usually housed
retrieve data. The SQUID must be physically attached (the in the arm of a valet or hairdressing robot.
robot should have a cable jack) to the target computer; it can Dishwasher: Washes and dries about 10 dishes at once –
then assist in reading the data stored within (see Data Recovery and at TL8+, does so quietly, with ultrasonics! A tray folds out
on p. 62). A SQUID adds +3 when probing a brain of its TL or of the robot to collect the dishes.
lower, or +1 vs. a higher TL brain. Cleaning Unit: This basic vacuum cleaner and surface-pol-
Ranged SQUID (TL11): As above, but usable at a range of isher system is usually designed to clean what the robot moves
(TL-10) yards: it can probe a computer brain even at a distance. over, but may also be built into an arm. Vacuumed-up dust and
Hardened brains cannot be probed at a distance, but can still be debris must be removed occasionally, at least until TL14, when
scanned through direct contact. the junk can be diverted into the ’bot’s mass-convertor. TL10+
systems use bioengineered or nanotech cleaning sprays.

31 Robot Design
 Gardening Tools: This gives the robot a built-in lawn Serving Tray: Contains a retractable tray with enough
mower/weed whacker system. The robot can do Swinging-1 space for one meal or several drinks. It includes a dual-pocket
Cutting damage based on its body ST, up to a maximum of heating/refrigeration system to keep food and drinks hot or cold
1d+2 Cutting damage. The complete “garden bot” should also (as needed) inside the robot.
have spray guns (p. 29) with pesticides and arms equipped with Snack/Drink Dispenser: A refrigerator system for snacks,
blades or claws (for trimming leaves). drinks, drugs, etc. Built into a mobile robot, it can accompany
Microwave or Sonic Oven: A small microwave or (possi- expeditions into the wild to provide the comforts of civilization.
bly, at TL9+) infrasonic cooker, with a retractable serving tray It may be voice-controlled, or may have buttons on the exterior
and numerous settings. Cooks up to two meals at a time. of the robot; a display screen (holographic at TL9+) reveals what
Neural Stimulator (TL10): This device may be mounted in is available. Coin- or credcard-operated vending machine ver-
an arm, a head, or (if the robot has a sex implant) the body. It sions are also available, enabling the robot to seek out customers.
dramatically enhances the pleasure of the robot’s organic part- Sonic Massager (TL9): This device projects a soothing
ner. However, prolonged use on a person requires him to make sonic massage for scalp or body. With half an hour of tinkering
a Will+3 roll to avoid acquiring the Addiction disadvantage (the and an Armoury skill roll, it can also be modified to project a
pleasure is treated as a highly addictive, incapacitating drug; it single sonic pulse like that of a stunner (see p. B208) pistol; fir-
may or may not be cheap or legal). A neural stimulator can be ing disables (burns out) the unit after one shot.
overloaded to deliver a jolt of excruciating pleasure or pain:
treat as a nervelash hit. Each such use has a 2-in-6 chance of Medical Systems
burning out the neural stimulator until it is repaired, however. These systems provide a robot with the tools to perform
Pheromone Emitter (TL9): A pheromone emitter allows a medical tasks better. The robot still needs appropriate programs
robot to generate sex pheromones exactly like a biological to do so!
android with the Pheromone Control advantage (see p. 79).
Projector: This enables the robot to project any still or Medical System Table
motion pictures it has stored as digital images. At TL8+, it can System TL Wt. Vol. Cost LC
also project stored holographic images. Emergency Support Unit 8 100 5 $30,000 5
Medical Tools 7 2 .04 $1,000 5
Medscanner 9 1 .02 $900 6

Halve the weight, volume and cost of medscanners one TL

after introduction, or quarter it two or more TLs after introduc-
tion. Power requirements are negligible. Other medical compo-
nents do not reduce in weight, volume or cost. Medical tools
must be built into an arm.
Emergency Support Unit (TL8): The ESU is a portable
revivification and life-support system. If it is hooked up to an
injured patient (the robot can do this itself if it has arms), it
maintains his biological functions even if his organs are not
functioning. In game terms, the robot can keep alive someone
who has failed a HT roll and died, as long as he is not at or
below -5 HT, or has not been dead for more than five minutes.
Attaching the ESU takes (20 minus its TL) seconds and requires
the robot to make a Physician roll (at -1 for every multiple of HT
below 0 the patient is, and a -2 per failed attempt). Success
means the person is in a coma rather than dead, but will die if
taken off life support; critical failure means the patient is dead.
A comatose patient can remain hooked up to the ESU as long as
the robot can carry him (or remains stationary, if the patient is
too heavy to lift). Revival from the coma is possible if the
patient is ever healed to above fully-negative HT. The ESU can
also perform less critical tasks, such as blood transfusions (it
includes enough generic blood substitute for two whole-blood
transfusions) and the revival of persons in suspended animation.
Medical Tools (TL7): This system must be mounted in a
robot arm. It is a set of multi-function surgical manipulators
ending in scalpels, forceps, clamps, fiber-optic probes, etc., and
a medical sensor which can perform magnetic-resonance imag-
ing scans, X-rays, and detect temperature, heart rate, respiration
and other bodily functions. Medical tools fulfill medical kit
requirements for Diagnosis, First Aid or Surgery skill per-
formed at the same TL; each additional arm equipped with
medical tools gives a further +1 to skill, to a maximum of +3,
when treating a single patient. An arm equipped with medical
tools is assumed to have a built-in drug injector (see Contact
Weaponry and Jaws, p. 20) at no extra weight, volume or cost.

Robot Design 32
 Medscanner (TL9): A short-ranged diagnostic scanner with TL12 contragrav costs $2,500 plus $.025 per pound of lift; it
a range of 1 yard (doubling each TL over TL9), it gives detailed weighs 20 lbs. plus .001 lb. per pound of lift.
diagnoses on known species – on a successful Electronics TL13+ contragrav costs $500 plus $.005 per pound of lift; it
Operation (Medical) roll, it adds +3 to Diagnosis skill (plus weighs 10 lbs. plus .0005 lbs. per pound of lift.
another +1 per TL over 9). It can also scan for implants or to All contragravity systems take up their weight/50 cf.
determine if someone is a robot. Contragrav flight also requires power for the generator: .001
KW of power per pound of lift. A robot with contragrav usually
Gadgets From Other Sources uses a reactionless thruster (p. 19) for in-flight propulsion.
(Note: when calculating a robot’s speed or acceleration, do not
GURPS Robots describes only a small fraction of the equip-
ment that can be installed in robots. GURPS Ultra-Tech and “reduce” the robot’s weight in these equations just because it
GURPS Vehicles contain numerous other gadgets and has contragrav: acceleration is actually based on mass, which is
weapons. For most gadgets, assume their volume is their unaffected by contragravity.)
weight/50. Multiply volumes given in cubic yards (cy) by 27 to
get the volume in cf.
Gadgets can use their own power cells, or run off robot
Payload
Robots can carry cargo or passengers.
power. If running the gadget with robot power, use the Energy
Bank Table on p. 36 to find out how much energy is stored in
the power cell it would use. Then divide that by the number of
Cargo Spaces
Robots can have one or more internal cargo compartments.
seconds (3,600 to an hour, 86,400 to a day) that cell would run Each separate compartment has its own access port, flap or
the gadget. The result is the power consumption in KW panel and is electronically locked, controlled by the robot’s
required to power it for a second. If this works out to less than brain. The volume of cargo spaces is measured in cubic feet.
.1 KW, it’s safe to call it negligible: as long as the robot has Each cf of cargo space can hold up to 50 lbs. of cargo. There is
some kind of power system, the gadget will function. no extra cost.
Hangar Bay: A robot can also be given a bay for storing
Modular Sockets
A modular socket is a space in the robot that is designed to
other smaller robots (or vehicles), ready for instant launch.
Provided they use the same fuel, craft in a hangar bay can refuel
from the robot’s fuel tank or recharge from its energy bank. A
accept different components. It is rated for the exact weight and hangar bay requires 30 lbs., 1.5 cf and $25 per cf of robot or
volume of the module it can accept – for example, a socket vehicle stored.
rated 20 lbs. and .4 cf can accept any module of exactly that
size and weight.
A modular socket has no weight. Its volume is equal to the Passengers
volume of the socket. It costs $500 per cf of volume. Modular Some robots are designed to carry occupants riding on or
sockets may be installed in the body, or in any head or arm. inside them. The cost and weight of seats does not include the
A module is something that can be inserted in a particular occupants (although the volume includes sufficient space).
module socket in a robot. It must be either a weapon or accesso- Internal Seat: A seat inside the robot includes the room
ry. A module’s weight and volume must be exactly equal to the taken up by the rider. An internal seat costs $100; its weight
socket’s rated weight and volume. (This way, the robot’s per- and volume depend on whether it is cramped (20 lbs., 20 cf),
formance is always the same, as long as all the robot’s sockets normal (30 lbs., 30 cf) or roomy (40 lbs., 40 cf).
are filled.) A module can contain multiple components, or
“waste” weight and volume can be added to it. A module’s cost
equals the sum of the cost of all components in it, plus 20%.
If a modular socket contains a power-using component, that
component should have its own power cell built into the mod-
ule. That way, the robot’s endurance won’t change when a
module is changed.
When inserted into the robot, a module adds its weight to the
robot’s weight. Its volume isn’t added, since that’s already
allowed for in the socket. Removing a module takes 30 sec-
onds, unless the module is so heavy that it requires several peo-
ple or robots to lift. Inserting a module takes one minute.
The point cost of a module depends on what is contained in it.

Contragrav Generator (TL12)

A robot with contragrav can use anti-gravity technology to fly,
or at least to reduce its weight. Decide on the pounds of lift the
contragrav generator provides. In order to fly, the lift should
exceed the robot’s weight; since that won’t be known until the end
of the design process, it can be a good idea to simply leave some
“empty space” in the robot for the generator and extra power cells
– perhaps 10% of the volume of other components – and come
back and retrofit the generator after everything has been added.
The statistics of a contragrav generator depend on its TL.

33 Robot Design
 Exposed Seat: As above, but with no overhead protection bank can supply the difference if the robot’s power requirement
from attacks or weather (similar to seats in an open cockpit or exceeds the power plant’s output.
jeep). An exposed seat takes up half the volume of an internal There are several types of power plant. Here’s how each
seat, since part of the wearer is exposed. The robot’s armor works.
won’t protect someone in an exposed seat against attacks from Gasoline and Gas Turbine plants are reciprocating engine
above, and the rider’s head and shoulders will be exposed to or turbine models burning hydrocarbon fuels. The gasoline
attacks from the front, back or side. The armor protects normal- engine burns gasoline; the gas turbine can also burn diesel or
ly against attacks from below. alcohol fuels, although fuel consumption doubles when using
Saddle: A large enough robot may have a saddle attached to alcohol.
it, much like one on a horse or motorcycle. A bolted-on saddle Fuel Cells (TL7) are electric power plants that generate
is $50 and 5 lbs. Or a proper horse-style saddle (see p. B212) energy chemically, using oxygen and hydrogen as fuel. They
can be strapped on after the robot is designed, counting as also produce water, usually released as water vapor. In an
encumbrance along with the rider. How many people can ride “open” fuel cell, the fuel is hydrogen; the necessary oxygen is
on a robot depends on its body area (see Surface Area on p. 40). extracted from the atmosphere. In environments without free
A robot can seat a number of riders the size of adult humans oxygen, a “closed” fuel cell containing hydrox fuel (liquid
equal to its body’s area/15; see p. 40 for body area. hydrogen and oxygen) is used instead, making fuel cells useful
for robots that will run underwater or in alien environments. A
fuel cell must use either hydrox or hydrogen fuel.
Power System Design
Every robot requires a power system, which provides it with
Magneto-Hydrodynamic (MHD) Turbines (TL8) are turbines
which use ionized plasma as a working medium, giving a very
energy. Many different robot systems have power requirements, high operating temperature and greater efficiency. They burn
which are measured in kilowatts. The robot may draw power to hydrogen and oxygen (hydrox), and can operate under water.
operate these systems from either an energy bank (p. 35) or a Nuclear Power Units (TL8) are small versions of the
power plant (p. 34). nuclear plants in GURPS Space. Power units with outputs
A power plant, such as a gasoline engine or a nuclear reac- under 500 KWs do not actually sustain a nuclear fission reac-
tor, produces power constantly (as long as it is fuelled) – it is tion; rather, they contain unstable radioactive isotopes (for
rated for a power output in kilowatts (KW). instance, californium) that generate heat as they decay.
An energy bank (such as a battery or power cell) stores a Refueling costs 10% of the cost of the plant, and must be done
finite amount of power, which is drained as it is used (unless at a major repair facility. Those versions with outputs in excess
recharged). It is rated for the number of kilowatt-seconds of 500 KW are true fission (or at TL10+, fusion) reactors.
(KWS) of power it stores. One KWS provides one KW of Bioconvertors are power plants that function much like a
power for one second. human’s system. They generate energy using food and atmos-
Power plants are better for the long haul, while energy banks pheric oxygen, and have a “mouth” into which water and food
permit greater outputs for shorter periods. A robot will often (anything biological) must be placed. A robot with a jaw may
have both a power plant and an energy bank, combining the eat like a human, chewing food; otherwise, food must be lique-
benefits of both. fied (or be baby food, etc.) and poured in. The requirements for
Routine Power Requirement: This is the power the robot drains the bioconverters are (Herbivore) 10 pounds/KW/day and
while it is operating. Add up the power requirements for brain, (Carnivore) 2 pounds/KW/day. Omnivore may mix and match
sensors, arms, drivetrain, aquatic propulsion, thrust-based propul- plant and meat sources, at the same conversion rates. All biocon-
sion and contragravity. Power requirements for accessories or verters also require 1 gallon of water per KW per day.
weaponry (such as jaws) that operate sporadically can be ignored The vampire bioconvertor requires 1 gallon of blood per KW
provided they have integral power cells, or their power require- per day. (An average human body has 1.25 gallons of blood.)
ment is less than the power requirement of other systems. Note: if Antimatter plants produce energy through the mutual anni-
the robot has several propulsion systems, use only the highest hilation of matter and antimatter. A gram of antihydrogen pow-
power requirement: a robot will rarely use its leg drivetrain at the ers a 1,000-KW plant for 2.5 years and costs $1,000; all fuel is
same time it uses propellers, for instance. contained within the plant, and takes up negligible space, so
Decide whether the robot will have a power plant (p. 34), an just decide how many years the plant will operate. At TL12+,
energy bank (p. 35) or both. Then go to the appropriate section, each gram runs the power plant for 5 years.
and design the system. Total Conversion power plants produce power by total con-
version of mass into energy with 100% efficiency. They use
trivial amounts of any kind of matter as fuel.
E
Cosmic Power Plants produce power through means unex-
X We decide Synthia will be powered by both a power plant plained by modern science. For example, a cosmic power unit
A and an energy bank. Synthia’s routine power requirement is may draw energy from another antimatter dimension, or even a
M .35 KW (all of its arms) + .45 KW (its drivetrain) = .8 KW. magical universe. They power the robot indefinitely.
P
Mana Engines are technomagic devices that gather ambient
L
magical energy and transform it into mechanical or electrical
E
power. They require no fuel, but will not function in no-mana
zones. A variant of the Powerstone spell (prerequisite: Power),
Power Plants which requires 10 energy per pound of engine weight, is cast on
Power plants are rated for output, in kilowatts (KW). This is a machine that may resemble anything from a Rube Goldberg
the amount of power they produce to power systems built into engine to a hideous technomagic machine. Costs 100 per kW.
the robot, or to recharge energy banks. If the robot has a power plant, choose its output in kilowatts
Unless the robot also has an energy bank, the power plant’s (KW), and select the exact power plant type from those shown
output should equal its routine power requirement. An energy below. Work out its weight, fuel usage, volume and cost.

Robot Design 34
Power Plant Table Weight (lbs.)
(per kilowatt Cost Fuel
of power) if output (per lb. (per KW
TL Type Under 5KW 5KW or More of wt.) in gph)
7 Gasoline 10 KW (5 KW) + 25 $5 .04G
7 Gas Turbine 10 KW (2 KW) + 40 $20 .08M
Fuel Cells
7 Fuel Cell 20 KW (10 KW) + 50 $20* .15H
8 Fuel Cell 10 KW (5 KW) + 25 $5* .13H
9+ Fuel Cell 10 KW (5 KW) + 25 $5* .115H
MHD Turbines
8 MHD Turbine 10 KW (1 KW) + 45 $40** .03H
9 MHD Turbine 8 KW (1 KW) + 35 $20* .02H
Nuclear Power Units
8 Power Unit – (8 KW) + 200 $200*** 6 mo.
9 Power Unit 12 KW (2 KW) + 50 $200*** 1 yr.
9+ Cheap Power Unit (10 KW) + 40 (3 KW) +75 $10** (TL-8)2 yrs.
10 Power Unit 6 KW (1 KW) + 25 $200*** 2 yr.
11 Power Unit 4 KW (.4 KW) + 18 $200*** 5 yr.
12+ Power Unit 2 KW (.2 KW) + 9 $200*** 10 yr.
Bioconvertors
10 Carnivore 20 KW (10 KW) + 50 $100** Spcl.
10 Herbivore 30 KW (15 KW) + 75 $50** Spcl.
10 Omnivore 25 KW (12 KW) + 65 $100** Spcl.
† Vampire 16 KW (8 KW) + 40 $200** Spcl.
Reactors
11 Antimatter – .05 KW $1*** Spcl.
14 Total Conversion – .02 KW $.3*** neg.
16 Cosmic Power 1 KW (.01 KW) + 2 $1*** none
Magical
† Mana Engine 10 KW (5 KW) + 25 $50* none
† Indicates GM discretion Energy Banks
* The minimum cost is $500, regardless of weight. An energy bank stores electrical power. A robot may have
** The minimum cost is $2,000, regardless of weight. one instead of or as well as a power plant. If the robot’s power
*** The minimum cost is $20,000, regardless of weight. plant does not produce at least the routine power requirement,
Weight: Calculate this as shown on the table above. the robot must have an energy bank.
Volume: Divide the weight by 50 to find the volume in cf, Power stored in an energy bank is measured in kilowatt-
except for nuclear power units. For those, divide the weight of seconds (KWS) – one kilowatt of power for one second.
the nuclear units by 100. Each KWS of stored power provides the same power as a 1-
Cost: The cost listed is per pound of power plant weight. KW power plant – but only for a second. (Or it could provide
Fuel Usage: This is the fuel consumption in gallons per .5 KW for 2 seconds, .001 KW for 1,000 seconds, and so on.)
hour (gph) per KW of output. G is gasoline; H is hydrogen; Then the energy bank is drained of power until it is recharged.
hydrogen and oxygen fuel may be substituted in environments Thus, a robot whose systems require 1 KW of power will
lacking atmospheric oxygen; M is multi-fuel (gasoline, diesel drain 1 KWS every second, or 60 KWS every minute, or 3,600
or alcohol). A time in months (mo.) or years (yr.) means the KWS every hour. Similarly, if it has a blaster that uses 180 KWS
plant has an internal fuel supply of nuclear or antimatter fuel of power every shot and it fires five shots, it will drain 900 KWS.
and operates for that many years without refueling. Total con- An energy bank is useful even if the robot has a power
version power plants require negligible fuel. Bioconvertors plant, since it can make up any shortfall when power require-
devour water and solid food – see the description above. ments exceed power plant output. As long as the robot has an
Legality: Most power plants are LC 6. Any nuclear or anti- energy bank, a robot’s designer doesn’t have to know the actual
matter power plant is LC 4, for safety reasons. Subtract 1 from power requirement to the last kilowatt. For instance, consider a
the LC of any power plant with an output of 1,000 KW or more. robot with both a power plant and an energy bank. If the power
Points: A power plant that does not breathe air (on this plant generates 100 KW but the robot needs 105 KW to operate
table, anything but a gasoline engine, gas turbine or bioconver- several systems at once, the robot will still function perfectly
tor) costs 20 points, since the robot need not breathe. well: the power plant provides 100 KW, and the remaining 5
KW are provided by the energy bank, which will be drained at
E Although Synthia’s energy bank can power it, we also a rate of 5 KWS per second (18,000 per hour).
X add an omnivore bioconvertor with .4 KW output. It weighs Most robot energy banks consist of a bank of power cells
A 10 lbs., takes up .2 cf, costs $2,000 (thanks to the minimum), (available at TL8+) plus their housings and power conduits.
M but costs no points since it breathes air. This isn’t intended There are four types of power cells commonly used in robots,
P to meet all its energy requirements – but it does allow the rated from B to E in order of increasing power storage. (The
L energy bank to recharge, and will also let Synthia appear to small A and AA cells are only used on tiny microbots,
E eat and drink like a human.

35 Robot Design
described in a separate chapter.) Energy Bank Table
An energy bank can provide power to power-using weapons Type TL Weight Vol. Cost KWS of Stored Power
after their power cells have been exhausted. Determine the 9v cell 7 .1 .01 $2 18
power requirement of a weapon that uses a power cell as if its r9v cell 7 .1 .01 $2 9
stored power were an energy bank. Then divide that by the 12v cell 7 20 .2 $50 1,800
weapon’s number of shots to find the KWS of power required r12v cell 7 20 .2 $60 900
per shot. This is the KWS of power each shot drains; multiply B cell 8 .05 .005 $30 (TL-6) 180
by RoF to find the drain per turn of firing at full RoF. rB cell 8 .05 .005 $30 (TL-6) 90
Energy banks use either rechargeable or non-rechargeable C cell 8 1 .01 $100 (TL-6) 1,800
batteries or cells. Non-rechargeable cells must be replaced rC cell 8 1 .01 $100 (TL-6) 900
when the energy bank is drained. Rechargeable cells can be D cell 8 5 .05 $500 (TL-6) 18,000
recharged by plugging into any power plant: every second that rD cell 8 5 .05 $500 (TL-6) 9,000
1 KW is channeled into the power cell restores 1 KWS of E cell 8 20 .2 $2,000 (TL-6) 180,000
power. Rechargeable cells are usually written with an r in front rE cell 8 20 .2 $2,000 (TL-6) 90,000
of the type; for instance, rC indicates a rechargeable C cell.
To design an energy bank, decide on the type and number of The cost, weight and volume are per cell in the energy
batteries or power cells that make it up, then add up their stored bank. The volume includes the cell housing and power connec-
KWS of power, weight, volume and cost as shown below. tions; the actual volume of individual cells will usually be
smaller.
KWS is the energy stored in the cell.
Points: An energy bank costs 20 points, as the robot can
operate without “breathing.” However, if the robot already has
a power plant that does not need air, there is no cost.

Synthia needs an energy bank, since its .4-KW power E

plant output is less than its .8-KW routine power requirement. X
We decide Synthia has a pair of TL10 rechargeable D cells (rD A
cells). Together they weigh 10 lbs., take up .1 cf, cost $1,000 M
and at TL10 store a total of 4 (TL10 - 6) 9,000 2 (two P
cells) = 72,000 KWS of energy. This costs 20 points, since it L
lets Synthia operate without breathing air. E

FuelRobots that have jet or rocket engines, or power plants with

a fuel requirement measured in gallons per hour, must install a
fuel tank. If a power plant or engine that needs fuel does not
have a tank, it does not function.
Fuel tank cost and weight include fuel. But for topping off
an empty tank or switching fuels, the cost of fuel, without the
tank, is also given here. The types of fuel available include:
Gasoline and Diesel fuel, which cost around $1 per gallon in
the U.S.
Jet Fuel: This is basically kerosene, and is heavier and more
expensive than gasoline. Different grades of jet fuel exist for
different engines, but in game terms the effects are the same,
although the GM may decide that, for instance, a TL8 high-per-
formance turbofan will lose a small percentage of its thrust if
forced to run on the same fuel as a TL7 basic turbofan. Each
gallon costs $3.
Hydrogen (H) is hydrogen compressed to a jelly. It is com-
bined with atmospheric oxygen and used in TL8+ fuel cells. It
is also burned in fusion rockets and air-rams. Each gallon costs
$.10.
Hydrox (OH) is liquid oxygen and hydrogen. Used in MHD
plants or fuel cells in place of hydrogen, it enables the robot to
operate underwater or on worlds lacking free oxygen, or with
low atmospheric pressures. Each gallon costs $1.
Rocket fuel is a liquid or solid chemical rocket fuel contain-
ing a combustion agent and an oxidizer. For uniformity, solid
fuel is also measured in gallons. Rocket fuel is often very
volatile. Each gallon costs $2.
Fuel tanks may be standard or self-sealing; self-sealing tanks
are less vulnerable to damage. To install a tank in the robot,
decide on its capacity in gallons, the type of fuel it holds, and

Robot Design 36
whether or not it is self-sealing. The table below shows the cost, endurance. However, if the power plant’s endurance is less than
weight and volume of the fuel tank per gallon of fuel. the energy bank’s, or the power plant is destroyed, has no air to
breathe (if it breathes air) or is turned off before the energy
Fuel Tank Table bank is out of energy, the robot can operate just using the ener-
TL Type Weight Volume Cost Fire gy bank for [(remaining stored power)/power require-
7 Standard Fuel Tank ment/3,600] hours.
with gasoline 7.0 .15 $10 11 If the robot has an energy bank but no power plant, it will
with diesel 7.0 .15 $10 9 drain 3,600 KWS its routine power requirement from the
with jet fuel 7.5 .15 $10 13 energy bank every hour. Thus, the robot’s endurance in hours is
with hydrogen 1.5 .15 $10 13 its energy bank’s stored power (KWS)/power requirement/
with hydrox or 3,600.
rocket fuel 6.0 .15 $10 13 If the robot has a power plant whose output is greater than
7 Self-Sealing Tank the routine power requirement and has an energy bank, its
with gasoline 8.0 .15 $40 10 endurance is the power plant’s endurance plus a number of
with diesel 8.0 .15 $40 8 hours equal to the energy bank’s stored power (KWS)/power
with jet fuel 8.5 .15 $40 12 requirement/3,600.
with hydrogen 2.5 .15 $40 12 Depending on how long the chosen power system can meet
with hydrox or the routine power requirements without refueling, a robot’s
rocket fuel 7.0 .15 $10 12 endurance may be an advantage or a disadvantage:
8+ Standard Tank
with jet fuel 7.0 .15 $10 11 Under a minute -100 points
with hydrogen 1.0 .15 $10 11 No more than ten minutes -50 points
with hydrox or No more than an hour -25 points
rocket fuel 5.5 .15 $10 11 No more than six hours -10 points
with water 9.0 .15 $10 no No more than 72 hours 0 points
8+ Self-Sealing Tank No more than 168 hours 5 points
with jet fuel 7.5 .15 $40 10 No more than 720 hours 8 points
with hydrogen 1.5 .15 $40 10 Over 720 hours 10 points
with hydrox or
rocket fuel 6.0 .15 $40 10 Synthia uses an energy bank storing 72,000 KWS and a bio-
with water 9.5 .15 $40 no convertor power plant that produces .4 KW. Its routine power
requirement is .8 KW, which is greater than its power plant
Weight, volume and cost are per gallon. Weight and vol- output. It drains .8 - .4 = .4 KW 3,600 = 1,440 KWS from its
ume include both tank and fuel. Cost only includes the fuel energy bank every hour. Since its energy bank stores 72,000
tank. KWS, its endurance is 72,000/1,440 = 50 hours. As its biocon-
Fire: This is the chance that the tank will catch fire if the vertor’s endurance is 48 hours, this means the power sys- E
robot is reduced to 0 or lower HT, or is hit by a flame attack – tem’s endurance is 48 hours. After 48 hours, the robot will X
see Fire and Explosion on p. 96. have used up 69,120 KWS, leaving 2,880 KWS remaining. It A
Legality: Fuel tanks are LC 6. could then switch entirely onto stored power, operating for M
Points: Having one or more fuel tanks with a fire number another 2,880/.8 KW/3,600 = 1 hour. P
is a disadvantage worth -1 point the fire number. Synthia can also use its energy bank alone to operate for L
72,000 (stored power)/.8 (power requirement)/3,600 = 24 E
Endurance and Point Cost hours. Since its bioconvertor breathes air, this is useful if
This is how long the robot can operate on its own. It depends Synthia must operate underwater or in space. Synthia’s
on whether the robot has a power plant or an energy bank. 49-hour endurance costs no points, and means Synthia will
If the robot has a power plant whose output is equal to or have to eat and recharge about once every other day,
greater than the routine power requirement, the robot’s though it may do so more often.
endurance is determined by its fuel capacity. The endurance of
a nuclear or antimatter power plant is listed in the plant’s
description. Cosmic power plants and mass convertors effec-
tively operate forever. If the power plant or reaction engine uses
fuel, it will drain its fuel consumption from the fuel tank every
hour. Calculate its endurance in hours by dividing its fuel
capacity in gallons by the number of gallons it consumes per
hour. Bioconvertors have a default endurance of 48 hours.
If the robot’s power plant produces less than its routine
power requirement, the robot must meet those requirements by
draining its energy bank. Subtract the power plant’s output from
the routine power requirement. Multiply the remainder by 3,600
to get the KWS of stored power drained from the energy bank
every hour. The energy bank can power the robot for a number
of hours equal to its stored power in KWS divided by the power
it has to supply, divided by 3,600. The power system’s
endurance is the lower of the power plant or energy bank’s

37 Robot Design
 head that cannot rotate, or one that has 360-degree rotation, is

Body and Subassemblies

After all components are installed in the robot, design the
also possible. A head can have any of the following options.
Full Rotation: The head can rotate 360 degrees, like a tank
turret.
body and subassemblies. Every robot has a body – its central No Rotation: The head can’t rotate – it’s a superstructure,
torso, fuselage or chassis. Attached to it are various subassem- like an Ogre’s tower.
blies, which include arms, heads, pods, legs, tracks, wheels and Decide where the head is attached – to the top, side, or bot-
wings. A robot can have one arm per arm motor it has. It can tom of the body, or even atop another larger head.
be given legs if it has a leg drivetrain, tracks if it has a tracked
drivetrain, wheels if it has a wheeled drivetrain, wings if it has Pods
an ornithopter drivetrain, and rotary wings if it has a helicopter These are external compartments, similar to the engine,
drivetrain. Heads, pods and (if the robot doesn’t have an weapon or fuel pods carried by aircraft. They house equipment
ornithopter drivetrain) wings or wheels are available as or cargo outside the robot’s body. A robot can have any number
options. The subassemblies are described in detail below; of pods.
decide which, if any, the robot has.
Legs, Tracks, Wheels
Arms A robot requires legs to use a leg drivetrain, as many legs as
Arms are limbs attached to the robot that are not used for walk- it has leg motors. A robot requires tracks to use a tracked drive-
ing on. A robot requires one arm to use each arm motor it has. train. A robot requires wheels to use a wheeled drivetrain.
Decide where to attach each arm to the body. On humanoid If a robot has wheels, decide how many wheels it has: one,
robots, arms are normally attached to the right or left side; arms two, three or any even number of wheels. This doesn’t affect the
can also be attached to the back, like tails, or directly forward, weight and cost of the wheels; more wheels mean smaller ones.
like trunks. A robot must designate half of its arms (rounding If a robot has tracks, decide if it has two or four tracks.
down) as “off hands” and suffer the handedness penalty (p. Again, this doesn’t affect their weight or cost.
B13) when using them. If the robot is later programmed with All tracks or all wheels on a robot are a single subassembly;
Ambidexterity, it does not suffer this penalty. each leg, however, is a different subassembly.

Heads Wings
A head is a rotating superstructure mounted on the robot’s These are airplane-style wings with associated control sur-
body. Decide how many heads the robot has. Most robots have faces (tail and/or rudder, for instance). A robot must have wings
only one head, but robots with no heads, or with many heads, to use an ornithopter drivetrain. If the robot has a thrust-based
are quite possible. Assume that an ordinary head is able to propulsion system, it can use wings for powered flight, much
rotate through the same angles as a human head. However, a like an airplane. Otherwise, it can only use them to glide.

Rotary Wings
A rotary wing is a set of rotor blades and stabilizers which
enable the robot to fly like a helicopter. A robot must have a
rotary wing to use a helicopter drivetrain.

Ground-Effect (GEV) Skirts

This is a hovercraft-style skirt that helps create a cushion of
air under the robot’s body. A ’bot can have a GEV skirt if it has
vectored-thrust ducted fans. The skirt augments the lift of these
fans to five pounds per pound of motive thrust. If their lift (after
multiplying) equals or exceeds the robot’s final weight, it can
move as a hovercraft, skimming low over smooth ground or
water.

Slope
Individual faces (front, right, left, back) of the body or a
head can be sloped, giving them an angular shape whose armor
plates will be better able to deflect attacks from that direction.
Slope is normally only used on tank-like robots, and is only
useful if the robot is going to be armored. This increases the PD
and DR of any armor the sloped body or head has, as described
in Armor Slope, p. 42.
A face can be sloped 30 degrees or the more effective 60
degrees. The faces on a single head or body cannot have a com-
bined total of more than 240 degrees of slope. Slope has no cost
or weight as such, but adding slope eats up space within the
robot that might be used for other components, and so effective-
ly increases the robot’s volume. The effects of slope on volume
are described under Body and Subassembly Design, below.

Robot Design 38
 E the body volume by 1.1 if they total 30 degrees, 1.25 if 60, 1.4 if 90,
X 1.6 if 120, 2 if 150, 2.5 if 180, 3.3 if 210 or 5 if 240 degrees. Note: an
Synthia has three arm motors, so it needs three arms.
A ordinary human body will be between .5 to 2.5 cf in size; adding
We call them “right arm,” “left arm” and “tentacle arm.”
M empty space is a good way to ensure human proportions!
Synthia has a head, with no options.
P Pods: Decide what components to place in each pod the
When we designed Synthia’s drivetrain, we determined it
L robot has. As with the body, “empty space” can also be added
has two legs.
E to the pod, generally as cargo space. The sum of the volumes of
all components and empty space in a pod is that pod’s volume.
Body and Subassembly Design
After the robot’s subassemblies have been chosen, decide
Legs: Decide what components to put in each leg the robot
has. Each leg must hold a leg motor! As with the body, cubic
feet of “empty space” can also be added to the leg. This is often
where the robot’s components are located, and calculate the exter- necessary: supporting the robot requires a minimum volume in
nal volume (the size) of the body and each subassembly. Every each leg. This is 30% of its body volume (for each of two legs),
single component the robot has must be housed in the body, or in 20% of the body’s volume (for each of three legs), 15% of the
a specific head, arm, leg, pod, or wing, if the robot has them. body’s volume (for each of four legs), 10% of its body’s vol-
There are some restrictions on where components may go. Each ume (for each of six legs), or 0.6 the body volume/(number of
arm must house one arm motor. The body must house tracked, legs) for each of a different number of legs. Furthermore, each
flexibody and wheeled drivetrains, and aquatic propulsion systems, leg must be the same volume! The sum of the volumes of all
as well as the vectored-thrust ducted fans that go with a GEV skirt, components and empty space in each leg is that leg’s volume –
if the robot has one. Each leg must house a leg motor. If the robot if the leg doesn’t have the volume required to support the robot,
has an ornithopter drivetrain, each wing must house a wing motor. add empty space or transfer components to increase it.
Also, some contact weapons and accessories can only be placed in Tracks: Tracks don’t contain components. The volume of
arms or heads, as in their descriptions. (Traditionally, sensors are tracks and the suspension system is 60% of the body’s volume.
placed in the head, the power system in the body, and the brain in Wheels: Wheels don’t contain components. The volume of
the body or head, but that’s not required.) No subassembly can the wheels and suspension system is 20% of the body’s volume.
have a volume more than twice that of the body. Ground-Effect Skirts: A GEV skirt doesn’t contain compo-
Arms: For each arm the robot has, decide what components to nents. Its volume is 60% of the body’s volume.
place in it. Each arm must house one and only one arm motor. Rotary Wings: A rotary wing doesn’t contain components. Its
Cubic feet of “empty space” can also be added to the arm to volume is 2% of the body’s volume.
increase its size or provide extra storage space within it. The sum Wings: If the robot has wings, decide what components to
of the volumes of all components and empty space in an arm is house in each of its wings. If the robot has an ornithopter drive-
that arm’s volume. Note: an ordinary human arm will be from train, an ornithopter motor must be placed in each wing! As
0.05 to 0.2 cf in size; adding empty space is a good way to ensure with the body, cubic feet of “empty space” can also be added to
an arm has human proportions. If a robot has a retractable arm, each wing. This is often essential: the sum of the volume of all
the arm must retract into the body or a head. The housing for the components and empty space within each wing must be at least
arm takes up volume as if it were a component. Thus, a .12-cf 5% of the body’s volume per wing, and both wings of a pair
arm would take up .12 cf in a body or head. The weight of com- must have the same volume. Also, at least 10% of the volume
ponents in an arm may not exceed 6 lbs. the arm motor's ST. An of each wing must be empty space – some wings contain noth-
arm’s Reach is half the square root of its area (p. 40). Arms over ing but empty space! Add empty space or transfer components
one hex Reach cost 10 points per arm per extra hex. to adjust the wing’s volume.
Heads: Decide what components to place in each head the
robot has. As with arms, “empty space” can also be added to We want Synthia to be human-sized, so we carefully allo-
the head. If a rotating head is attached to another head, its rota- cate its components and add extra empty space:
tion mechanism requires empty space equal to 10% of its vol- The right arm houses the ST 30 arm motor and laser peri-
ume (20% for full rotation) in the head it is mounted upon. This scope (.095 cf) and we add empty space (.05 cf) to make the
“waste space” is unusable for cargo. A head’s volume is the arm human-sized with a volume of .1 cf.
sum of the volumes of all the components and empty space in The left arm houses the other ST 30 arm motor (.06 cf)
it. Sloping a head increases its volume. Add the total degrees of but to make it proportionate to the right arm we add .04 cf
slope on all faces and multiply head volume by 1.1 if the total is empty space to get a volume of .1 cf.
30 degrees, 1.25 if 60, 1.4 if 90, 1.6 if 120, 2 if 150, 2.5 if 180, The tentacle arm houses the large knife and ST 10 arm
3.3 if 210 or 5 if 240 degrees. Note: an ordinary human head motor (.05 cf) and .01 cf of empty space, totalling .06 cf. E
will be from .1 to .4 cf in size. Since the arm is retractable it has to be placed somewhere X
Body: Decide which of the robot’s components to house inside its else and will take up .06 cf there; we decide the arm will A
body, subject to the restrictions described above. Every component go in the head. M
not installed elsewhere in the robot must go in the body! Add “empty The head houses the sensors, communicator, crushing P
space” to the body, as cargo space, or to increase the robot’s size. For jaw and tentacle arm, plus .2 cf empty space, totalling .3 cf. L
each rotating head attached to the body, empty space equal to 10% of The body houses the computer brain, military laser carbine, E
the head’s volume (20% if the head has “full rotation”) must be neural stimulator, pheromone emitter, bioconvertor and ener-
placed in the body to provide space for the head’s rotation. This is gy bank, totalling .86 cf. We add .14 cf of empty space, to give
waste space, unavailable for cargo. The sum of the volumes of all the Synthia a more human-sized torso and to provide space for the
components and empty space in the body is the body’s volume. A head’s rotation; this gives the body a volume of 1 cf.
robot intended to be submersible (p. 40) which does not have legs or a The right leg houses a leg motor (.135 cf). Since the leg
flexibody drivetrain must multiply its body volume by 1.25; this pro- must be 30% of the 1-cf body volume, we add .165 cf of empty
vides extra space for ballast tanks. Sloping the body will increase its space, giving the leg a volume of .3 cf. The left leg houses the
volume. Add the total degrees of slope it has on all faces and multiply other leg motor, and has the same amount of empty space.

39 Robot Design
Surface Area Thanks to its artificial plastic and metal structure, every
The area of the body or a subassembly is an approximate robot has certain innate capabilities and limitations not other-
measure of its surface area in square feet; this will be used to wise reflected in the design process. A robot automatically has
calculate the robot’s structural weight, cost and hit points. the High Pain Threshold and Immunity to Disease advantages,
Calculate the area of the body and the area of each sub- together costing 20 points. However, every robot also has the
assembly, looking up their individual volumes on the table No Natural Healing disadvantage (p. 89) worth -20 points. As a
below in the “Vol.” column, then reading the area from the result, it costs no points to have a robotic structure.
“Area” column to the right. If a value falls between two num- A robot’s structure can be modified with various options, all
bers, round down. Multiply the surface area of wings by 1.5, of which will affect the structure’s weight and cost and some of
and that of rotors by 3! which will cost points. Decide if the robot has any of these
structural options. (If the robot has a flexibody drivetrain, it
must have the flexibody option.)
Area Table Biomechanical Structure (TL9): This is a different kind of
Vol. Area Vol. Area Vol. Area
robot body, built of a mix of organic and mechanical parts. A
under .03 .5 5.2-5.6 19 544-759 500
robot with a biomechanical structure can feel pain and become
.03-.06 1 5.7-6.0 20 760-1,000 600
infected with disease, but it can also heal itself. Thus, it is worth
.07-.12 1.5 6.1-6.5 21 1,001-1,540 800
no extra points, but it has neither the advantages High Pain
.13-.19 2 6.6-7.0 22 1,541-2,150 1,000
Threshold or Immunity to Disease nor the disadvantage No
.2-.26 2.5 7.1-7.4 23 2,151-2,830 1,200
Natural Healing.
.27-.3 3 7.5-8.0 24 2,831-3,375 1,500
Living Metal Structure (TL13): This gives the robot a struc-
.4-.5 4 8.1-8.4 25 3,376-6,080 2,000
ture built of living metal, a nanotechnological material that is
.6-.75 5 8.5-9.5 27 6,081-8,495 2,500
capable of self-regeneration. The tiny “nanobots” contained
.8-1.0 6 9.6-11 30 8,496-11,180 3,000
within the living metal structure will regenerate damage to the
1.1-1.25 7 12-17 40 11,181-17,185 4,000
robot at 1 hit per hour (as long as the robot isn’t utterly
1.3-1.5 8 18-24 50 17,186-24,110 5,000
destroyed). If the robot has damaged or ablated armor, this
1.6-1.8 9 25-31 60 24,111-35,650 6,500
regenerates at the same rate. The point cost of living metal
1.9-2.2 10 32-44 75 35,651-48,650 8,000
includes both regeneration and buying off the robot’s inability
2.3-2.5 11 45-68 100 48,651-68,025 10,000
to heal.
2.6-2.8 12 69-95 125 68,026-89,440 12,000
Modified Frame Strength: A normal robot is assumed to have
2.9-3.2 13 96-125 150 89,441-125,000 15,000
a “medium” strength structural frame. But robots can also be
3.3-3.5 14 126-157 175 125,001-192,420 20,000
“light” or “extra-light” frames (giving them fewer hit points, but
3.6-3.9 15 158-188 200 192,421-268,960 25,000
making them lighter and cheaper) or “heavy” or “extra-heavy”
4.0-4.3 16 189-268 250 268,961-353,450 30,000
frames (making them stronger and tougher, but proportionately
4.4-4.7 17 269-353 300 353,451-544,335 40,000
heavier and more expensive).
4.8-5.1 18 354-543 400 544,336-760,610 50,000
Cheap or Expensive Materials: Robots are normally built
using “standard” materials. But instead, the ’bot can be made
E Synthia’s body has a volume of 1 cf and so has an area of with “cheap” materials which make the robot less expensive but
X 6. Its right arm’s volume is .1 cf for an area of 1.5. Its left heavier, or “expensive” materials that make it lighter but more
A arm is identical. Its tentacle arm has a volume of .06 cf and an costly.
M area of 1. Its head has a volume of .3 cf and an area of 3, as Flexibody (TL8): This is a multi-segmented body that allows
P do each of its legs. Synthia’s total surface area is 6 + 1.5 + the robot to squeeze through smaller openings than its size
L 1.5 + 1 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 19. would normally suggest, and gives it the Double-Jointed advan-
E tage. A robot with a flexibody drivetrain must have this body
option to use it. Other robots may have it. It allows a robot with
Robot Structure
The “structure” of the robot is its internal skeleton and struc-
a flexibody drivetrain to propel itself by undulating along the
ground like a snake.
Submersible (TL5): A robot with this option is strengthened
tural frame, atop which things like skin and armor can be lay-
to withstand undersea pressure, and has ballast tanks that can be
ered later.
flooded to enable it to submerge, float underwater, and surface,

Robot Design 40
like a submarine. A sealed or waterproof robot with legs or the extra-heavy frame. Round hit points to the nearest whole num-
flexibody option can also swim underwater (assuming it isn’t so ber, but with a minimum of 1 hit point for the body and for each
heavy it can’t float) without taking this option. subassembly.
Refer to the table below to find the structural weight and
cost of the robot. We need to determine the hit points for Synthia’s body,
head, each of its arms, and each leg. E
Robot Structure Table Synthia’s body’s hit points are 6 (its area) 1.5 (body) X
Feature Weight Cost Points 2 (heavy frame) = 18. Its right arm’s hit points are 1.5 (its A
TL7 design 6 $100 – area) 3 (arm) 2 (heavy frame) = 9. Its left arm’s hit M
TL8 design 4 $100 – points are the same. Its tentacle arm’s hit points are 1 (area) P
TL9 design 3 $100 – 3 (arm) 2 (heavy frame) = 6. Its head’s hit points are 3 L
TL10 design 2 $100 – (area) 1.5 (head) 2 (heavy frame) = 9. Its legs’ hit points E
TL11 design 1.5 $100 – are 3 (area) 1.5 2 (heavy frame) = 9 hit points each.
TL12+ design 1 $100 –
Special Structure
Biomechanical
Living Metal
Modified Frame Strength
–
–
1.5
2
–
45 Surface Features
Surface features include things layered on the robot’s body,
Extra-Light .25 .25 – such as armor, synthetic skin and radiation shielding.
Light .5 .5 – Normally, surface features are assumed to cover the entire
Medium – – – robot; their weight and cost is based on the robot’s surface area.
Heavy 1.5 2 – Optionally, surface features that cover only part of a robot –
Extra-Heavy 2 5 – the body or subassemblies – may be added. In this case, base
the weight and cost on that individual section’s area, rather than
Expense the robot’s total surface area.
Cheap materials 1.5 .5 –
Expensive materials .75 2 –
Other Armor Design
Armor protects a robot from damage. Not all robots have it. A
Flexible 1.5 5 15
Submersible 2 2 25 robot covered with flesh (p. 43) can still have armor under its skin.
Has wings or rotors – 10 – If the robot has armor, select the type. There are six main kinds.
Ablative Armor (TL8) is plastic/composite armor. It is light
Weight: Determine the structural weight as follows: Mul- and cheap, but easily chipped or melted away. Every 10 points
tiply the robot’s total surface area by the design weight shown of damage an attack inflicts (regardless of whether its damage
on the table for the robot’s TL, and then multiply that weight as penetrates DR or not), destroys 1 point of ablative DR. Lost DR
shown for each option under “weight” the robot was given. The can be replaced – see Repairing Robots on p. 99.
result is its structural weight in pounds. Laminate Armor (TL7) is a composite of metal alloys, tough
Cost: Determine the structural cost as follows: Multiply the ceramics and synthetic materials, like the modern Chobham armor
robot’s total surface area by the design cost on the table, and used on main battle tanks, or Ogre-era BPC. It is designed to resist
then multiply as shown under “cost” for each option the robot shaped-charge warheads, and gets doubled DR against them.
was given. The result is its structural cost. Metal Armor is ordinary armor made of steel, aluminum,
titanium or high-tech alloys. At higher TLs, the metal may have
E “perfect crystal” structures grown in zero-G, or even be gravita-
X We give Synthia a “heavy” frame but no other options. Its tionally collapsed. It provides normal Damage Resistance.
A weight is 19 (its total surface area) 2 (basic TL10 struc- Nonrigid Armor (TL7) is woven of flexible material, like nat-
M ture) 1.5 (heavy frame) = 57 lbs. Its structural cost is 19 ural fibers, para-aramid fiber, monocrys or bioplas. It is very light,
P (total surface area) 100 (basic structure) 2 (heavy but impact from a powerful blow may be felt as blunt trauma.
L frame) = $3,800. It costs no points. When an explosion, Crushing or Cutting damage attack hits the
E robot, any 5 or 6 (at TL7) or 6 (at TL8+) rolled on the damage
dice inflicts 1 hit not absorbed by nonrigid armor DR. In addition,
Hit Points TL7 nonrigid armor has a maximum of DR 1 vs. Impaling attacks,
Determine the hit points for the robot’s body and for each and TL8-9 nonrigid armor has a maximum of DR 2 vs. impaling
subassembly the robot has, as follows: attacks. Nonrigid armor’s DR is limited to 2 (TL+1).
Body . . . its area 1.5 Reflex Armor (TL10) is electrically-active bioplastic armor
Each Arm . . . its area 3. with built-in sensors that turn it hard as steel just before suffer-
Each Head or Pod . . . its area 1.5. ing an impact. Normally it is treated as nonrigid armor, but its
Each Leg . . . its area 1.5. DR doubles and it protects like metal armor if its sensors detect
Each Track . . . the track’s area 3/number of tracks. the incoming attack in time. It automatically detects melee or
Each Wheel . . . the wheel’s area 3/number of wheels. thrown weapons, or low-velocity projectiles like arrows.
Each Wing . . . its area 1.5. Bullets, rockets and sonic beams are detected on a roll of 14 or
Rotary wing . . . its area 3. less on 3d. Hyper-velocity Gauss needles or railgun shots are
Ground-effect skirt . . . GEV skirt area 1.5. detected on a 12 or less. Laser, blaster or other beam weapons
are too fast to detect. Reflex armor’s DR (before doubling) is
Multiply all hit points by .25 if the robot has an extra-light limited to 5 TL.
frame, by .5 if a light frame, by 2 if a heavy frame or by 4 if an

41 Robot Design
 Weight: Multiply the weight shown for the chosen type and
TL of armor by the robot’s surface area: this is the weight per
point of DR. Decide how much DR the robot will have (remem-
ber, some armor types have a maximum DR). Then calculate
the actual weight of the armor.
The greatest weight of armor the robot can be given is 50
lbs. its body hit points; most robots will have far less armor
than this.
Cost: Multiply the cost shown on the table above by the
weight of the armor. This is the armor’s cost.

Other Armor Statistics

Once DR is known, PD, point cost and Legality can be
determined.
Passive Defense: PD is determined from DR as fol-
lows: DR 1 gives PD 1, DR 2-4 gives PD 2, DR 5-15 gives PD
3 and DR 16+ gives PD 4. Maximum PD is 2 for nonrigid
armor.
Point Cost: Each point of DR costs 3 points. For all
but metal armor, this is modified by armor type: Ablative:
-15%, Laminate: +33%, Nonrigid: -10%, Reflex: +50%, Open-
frame: -25%. PD costs 25 points per level, regardless of armor
type.
Legality Class: Legality depends on DR: DR 1 is
Legality 6, DR 2-3 is 5, DR 4-7 is 4, DR 8-15 is 3, DR 16-23 is
2, DR 24-63 is 1, DR 64-199 is 0 and DR 200+ is -1. If the
robot has neither metal, reflex nor laminate armor, increase
Legality by 1.
Humanoid robots with body volume between 0.5 and 5
cf can wear human body armor; the DR is additive, but the PD
is only that of the worn armor. If a robot cannot wear body
armor, then increase armor Legality by 1.
Maximum Legality is 6.
E
X
Synthia’s nonrigid DR of 15 costs 15 x 3 x 0.9 = 40.5 A
points, its PD of 2 costs 50 points. Total armor cost is 90.5 M
points. P
L
E
Armor Slope
A body or head that has slope will gain increased PD and
DR as any attack must both penetrate through a greater thick-
ness of armor and is more likely to be deflected. Any head or
body face with 30-degree slope gets +1 PD and +50% to DR
Open-Frame: Any kind of armor can be an open frame- against attacks from that direction. Any face with 60-degree
work, much like a roll cage. It protects normally vs. collisions, slope gets +2 PD and doubled DR against attacks from that
falls, rolls or Swinging melee attacks, but has only a 1-in-6 direction. This increase in PD and DR does not affect Legality.
chance of protecting vs. Thrusting attacks, beams, arrows, bul- Sloped armor has point cost as follows, for each side:
lets, or other small missiles. It has no effect at all against
flamer or flamethrower attacks or explosive concussion dam- [(sloped PD - unsloped PD) 25 + (sloped DR - unsloped DR) 3]/6.
age. Open-frame armor has half the normal weight.
Use the table below to calculate the armor’s weight and cost: Camouflage and Threat Protection
These armor features are designed to protect the robot from
Armor Table detection or from special dangers (like radiation or laser beams).
Weight by TL Chameleon Systems (TL8): These systems give the robot
Type TL7 TL8 TL9 TL10 TL11 TL12 TL13+ Cost sensor-equipped skin that automatically alters its appearance to
Ablative .08 .03 .02 .012 .008 .005 .003 $8 blend in with any background. This reduces an enemy’s chance
Metal .25 .15 .1 .06 .04 .025 .015 $20 of detecting the robot visually (including ladar), or of hitting it.
Laminate .15 .1 .06 .04 .025 .015 .01 $100 A TL8 basic chameleon system is -3 (-1 if moving) to be
Nonrigid .045 .04 .03 .02 .015 .008 .005 $100 visually spotted or hit.
Reflex n/a n/a n/a .03 .02 .012 .008 $400 A TL9 instant chameleon system is -6 (-3 if moving) to be
Open-frame .5 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5 visually found or hit.

Robot Design 42
 A TL10 intruder chameleon system makes the robot nearly Camouflage and Threat Protection Table
invisible: -10 (-6 if moving) to be visually located or hit. Type TL Wt. Cost LC Points
The automatic camouflage feature can also be turned off, Chameleon, basic 8 .4 $80 5 15
allowing the robot to electronically “paint” itself with whatever Chameleon, instant 9 .5 $100 5 30
color scheme or markings are desired, or to give itself a silvery Chameleon, intruder 10 .6 $400 3 50
skin identical to a reflective surface. Note that these systems Holocloak 10 .2 $60 6 10
cover the surface of the robot: clothing, armor worn or equip- Infrared Cloaking 7 2 $300 5 (TL-6)
ment carried obscures part or all of the camouflage, making the Radiation Shielding 7 2 $20 6 varies
robot easier to see. Reflective Surface 7 0 $30 6 2
Holocloak (TL10): This holographic projector maps a preset Sealed 7 0 $40 6 20
three-dimensional image around the robot. A holocloak is nor- Stealth 7 2 $300 5 (TL-6)
mally used to create instant disguises, allowing the robot to cre- Stealth and IR Cloaking 7 4 $600 5 (TL-6) 2
ate or change clothes in a flash, or to look like someone or Thermal 11 .25 $250 3 +67% to armor
something else. It can cloak the robot with any holographic Superconducting point cost
image of equal or slightly larger size than the robot’s actual Waterproof 0 0 $2 6 0
size. A hologram cannot fool non-visual senses (such as touch,
infrared or radar) and because it projects light, it glows in the Multiply weight (Wt.) and cost by the robot’s surface area.
dark. Except for waterproof, halve weight and cost one TL after the
The robot can have several different hologram image pro- system’s introduction, and quarter two or more TLs after intro-
grams stored in its memory – each costs $100 and takes up 1 duction.
gigabyte. It takes one second to change programs, during which Radiation shielding’s point cost is 2 points at TL7, 4 points
the robot’s real form is briefly visible. The projector must also at TL8, 6 points at TL9-10, 8 points at TL11-12, and 10 points
be turned off to vent waste heat (which produces a large heat at TL13+.
signature) for at least an hour every six hours of use, or it starts E
leaking heat anyhow. X
A robot with visual sensors can record images of objects of A
the appropriate size to create instant holocloak programs. Synthia is sealed, costing 19 $40 .25 (quartered for
TL10) = $190, and 20 points. M
Anything recorded must be seen from all angles; it takes one P
gig of memory. The GM may make a secret Electronics L
Operation (Holographics) roll to see if the robot got the details
right; otherwise observers may notice something subtly wrong.
Infrared Cloaking: This subtracts (the system’s TL-4) from
Biomorphics
These surface features make the robot look less like a
E

rolls to detect the robot with infrared or thermograph sensors, or machine and more like a living being. They include body-
to hit it with heat-seeking (infrared, or IR-homing) missiles or sculpting and covering the robot with flesh.
projectiles. Such biomorphic features can make a robot seem lifelike,
Radiation Shielding: This protects the robot against radia- but that doesn’t mean people will believe the robot to be a real
tion. It is measured in protection factors (PF). Divide the rads of living thing, unless it’s also of the proper size and shape. A
received radiation by the PF of the shielding. The available human-sized robot with a head, basic sensors, two arms and
shielding is 10 PF at TL7, 100 at TL8, 1,000 at TL9-10, 10,000 two legs could use biomorphics to pass for human without any
at TL11-12, 100,000 at TL13+. problem. But a robot with wings or extra limbs could only pass
Reflective Surface: This gives the robot PD 6, or +1 to PD as an animal or alien. If a robot has features like wheels, rotary
(whichever is better) vs. laser beams (but not x-ray or graser wings, or unconcealed weapons sticking out of it, most people
beams) and flamers. However, it adds +3 to the chance of being that see it will immediately assume that it is at least part
detected by radar. It cannot be added to a ’bot with a chameleon machine, no matter how realistic a fleshy covering it has!
system. A biomorphic feature’s detailing is up to the designer. It
Sealed: The vital components of a sealed robot are protected makes no difference in terms of cost, for instance, whether a
against corrosion from water or other liquids, and from the robot’s sculpted face looks like that of a human, an elf, an alien
effects of sudden pressure changes, or high or low tempera- or a beast, though especially attractive or ugly features will cost
tures. This means the robot can (if its power systems don’t more due to the effort involved!
require air) operate in vacuum or underwater. A robot with a
submersible hull is automatically sealed for free.
Stealth: A robot can be built of special materials to make it
harder to detect by radar or imaging radar. This subtracts its
TL-4 from any radar detection attempts.
Thermal Superconductor Armor (TL11): This coating over
the armor doubles armor DR against shaped-charge explosive
warheads, lasers, x-ray lasers, grasers, flamer or plasma/fusion
guns.
Waterproof: This seals the robot against leaks, short-circuits
or corrosion caused by water. A robot that is submersible or
sealed is automatically waterproof for free. A robot intended to
float must be either sealed, submersible or waterproof.

43 Robot Design
 These biomorphic features are available: Other Options
Sculpted: A robot with armor but no skin may have its Appearance: A robot can have an Appearance statistic. The
armored surface sculpted to give it lifelike features. The robot is cost of Appearance is shown on the Biomorphics Table, p. 45.
still obviously artificial – but it looks like a metal or plastic Even a fleshless biomorphic robot may look good – a beautiful
statue, rather than a simple piece of machinery. statue – without looking at all human. For non-biomorphic
Mannequin: Any armor the robot has is sculpted, and its robots, an appealing design, or useless but pretty external fea-
body is then given a thin plastic coating painted to match flesh tures, can explain an Appearance of Attractive or Beautiful.
tones and then (if desired) fake hair. The result looks convinc- A Hideous or Ugly ’bot may have been designed that way –
ing in bad light, but doesn’t feel or smell like flesh. A success- to engender fear or disgust – or its condition may be the result
ful Vision or Smell roll, any infrared or thermograph view, or of abuse or neglect. A biomorphic robot can also be built to
any touch will reveal it to be artificial. The robot has no body duplicate a specific living being, provided its shape and size are
cavities. The skin does not move, and the robot cannot simulate correct. How convincing the duplicate is depends on the type of
facial expressions. All in all, a humanoid robot with this option biomorphics it has.
resembles a department store mannequin. Any damage will If desired, a robot with an Appearance that isn’t average can
reveal the robot to be artificial, since it does not bleed or bruise. be built to look like an albino.
Realistic Flesh (TL8): After any armor the robot has is Biomorphic Shielding (TL9): This sensor-deception system is
sculpted, the robot is covered with a thick layer of subcutaneous designed to make a robot look like a living being rather than a
gel implants to simulate flesh, muscle tone and fat. Over that is machine when it is scanned by bioscanners, chemscanners or
layered synthetic or vat-grown skin designed to look realistic, medscanners, and to prevent the robot’s power system from
with pores, wrinkles and body hair. However, the robot has no being detected by radscanners. The system does not interfere
pulse; it doesn’t sweat. The skin won’t tan, bleed or bruise, and with actual detection, merely creates a distorted impression. To
won’t heal. Someone touching or sniffing the robot gets a correctly register the ’bot as a machine rather than a living being
Diagnosis or IQ roll (modified by bonuses for Acute Taste and (of whatever type is preset), a pluralize chemscanner of the same
Smell or Discriminatory Smell) to notice these differences; roll TL that detects it must succeed by five or more. A scanner one
at -4 if the person isn’t specifically looking for any of these dif- TL lower must succeed by ten or more; a scanner one TL higher
ferences. Successful use of a bioscanner or medscanner will must succeed by 2 or more. Scanners that are two or more TLs
also reveal the robot to be artificial. Damage exceeding one- lower will automatically be deceived into registering it as a liv-
third of a hit location’s hit points will also reveal the robot to be ing being; scanners two or more TLs higher are unaffected.
mechanical. Elastic Skin (TL9): A robot with living flesh can be given this
Living Flesh (TL9): As above. However, the robot has pseu- option. The robot has memory-plastic implants that enable it to
do-muscles in its face that allow it to adopt a range of facial alter its body and facial features to resemble anyone of its
expressions, muscle tics, etc. Its power system keeps the skin at approximate size and build, modify its fingerprints, change its
a realistic temperature, and the skin itself is designed to tan, apparent race or sex, or alter its appearance from Hideous to
bruise, bleed, and then heal. As a result, the robot looks and Very Beautiful/Handsome. It takes the robot 10 seconds to do
feels real, and will also appear real to infrared or thermograph so; a Disguise+4 roll is required for the robot to make a convinc-
sensors. Only cutting into the robot, or successful use of a med- ing duplication. It needs the Acting skill program to imitate
scanner or bioscanner at -4, will reveal the robot is not really a someone’s mannerisms. If the robot’s body loses half or more of
living thing. Damage exceeding one-half of a hit location’s hit its hits, its shape will return to normal. If the robot’s head loses
points will also reveal the robot’s mechanical nature. half or more of its hits, the face will return to normal.

Robot Design 44
 Fur: A robot with mannequin, realistic flesh or living flesh
can have fur. The level of realism matches the biomorphics. Fur Other Surface Features
Suction Pads (TL9+): These are molecular suction pads that
provides an extra DR 1, and protection equivalent to light cloth-
ing. The cost of fur depends on the biomorphics. For man- let the robot climb up walls or cling to ceilings. They cost $100
nequins, the cost is $50 surface area. For realistic or living the sum of the area of all the legs and 25 points.
flesh, it actually subtracts 10% from the cost of flesh, since it’s
easier to cover physical imperfections with fur than to get the
subtleties and wrinkles of realistic skin right.
Sex Implant (TL8): Gives the robot fully-functional geni-
talia. The robot does not require flesh, but it is strongly recom-
mended. Sex implants are available in male or female models;
for double cost, the robot can have both.
Surface Sensors (TL8): The robot’s entire surface is covered
with sensitive temperature and pressure sensors, making its
body as receptive as a human to heat, cold, touch, etc. (The
robot can turn off this sensitivity to prevent pain – all robots
have, in effect, High Pain Threshold.)

Biomorphics Table
Type TL Weight Cost Points
Sculpted – .1 $20 0
Mannequin – .2 $50 0
Realistic Flesh 8* .5 $400 0
Living Flesh 9* .5 $1,000 0
Appearance
Hideous – – $200/$40 -20
Ugly – – $100/$20 -10
Unattractive – – 0 -5
Average – – 0
Attractive – – $50/$10 5
Beautiful/Handsome – – $150/$30 15
Very Beautiful/Handsome – – $250/$50 25
Duplicate
Other
– – $500/$50** **
Statistics
The last thing to do is to work out the robot’s statistics!
Biomorphic Shielding 9 .1 $1,000 0
Elastic Skin 9 – $2,000 20
Fur 7 .25 special 4 Design Weight
Sex Implant 8 0 $8,000 0 Add up the total weight of every part of the robot: compo-
Surface Sensors 8 – $1,000/$1,200 0 nents, structural weight and surface features.
Tonnage: Divide the weight by 2,000 to find the robot’s
* Not available to robots with reflec surfaces. Only avail- mass in tons.
able to robots with chameleon systems at 5 cost. Loaded Weight: Decide if the robot carries any cargo inter-
** Add the cost of the Appearance of the person being nally on a regular basis. A robot can carry up to 50 lbs. of cargo
duplicated, if it isn’t Average. per cf of cargo space. If the robot usually carries cargo, passen-
Weight: Multiply the weight by the robot’s surface area to gers or other robots inside it, add their weight to the design
get the actual weight. TL does not modify it. weight; this is the robot’s loaded weight.
Cost: The cost is multiplied by surface area, except for the When “weight” is used for a performance calculation, use the
sex implant. If a TL is listed, halve the cost one TL after intro- loaded weight to work out the performance of the robot carrying
duction, or quarter it two or more TLs after introduction. For a load of cargo or occupants, and the design weight otherwise.
Appearance and Surface Sensors, the second cost applies if the
robot does not have flesh. Robot Volume and Size
Legality: All systems are LC 6 except biomorphic shield- Add together the sizes of all subassemblies (unless
ing, which is LC 5. retractable), and the body. This is the robot’s volume in cubic
feet. If the robot’s total volume is under 1 cf or over 4 cf, its
E Synthia has a surface area of 19. We give it living flesh “inconvenient size” is a disadvantage worth -10 points. Robots
X which weighs .5 19 = 9.5 lbs. and costs 19 $1,000 .5 don’t suffer from gigantism or dwarfism as such, but a
A (halved for being TL10) = $9,500. We also give it a Very humanoid robot over 4 cf will gain the same reaction bonuses or
M Beautiful Appearance ($4,750, 25 points); biomorphic shield- penalties as a giant and one 1 cf or smaller as a dwarf (p. B28).
P ing (1.9 lbs., and at TL10, $9,500, LC 5); a female sex implant An approximation of the robot’s longest dimension in yards
L (at TL10, $2,000); and surface sensors (at TL10, $4,750). (height if bipedal or tripodal, usually either height, width or length
E otherwise) in yards can be found using the formula: square root of
[(body area + head area)/6]. Multiply by 1.5 if the robot has two
or three legs. Multiply by three to convert yards to feet.

45 Robot Design
 Point Cost: Find the cost of Body ST 14 or less from the
Price table on p. B13; use the table below for Body ST 15+. If a robot
Add up the total cost of the robot’s components, structure, has no arms, or has only striker arms, reduce the cost of Body
and surface features. This is the robot’s purchase price. ST 11+ by 40%. Body ST 0 (see above) is worth -100 points.
For a robot with arms, having an Arm ST greater than Body
Synthia weighs 135.175 lbs. This is .06758 tons. It carries ST is an advantage, priced as follows:
E no cargo (or people) inside it, so we’ll use its design weight For each arm: 30% of the difference between the cost of the
X when calculating its performance. Arm ST and the cost of Body ST.
A Synthia’s volume is 1 (body) + .2 (total of right and left For each pair of arms with the same ST: 50% of the differ-
M arms) + .3 cf (head) + .6 cf (both legs) = 2.1 cf. ence between the cost of the arms’ ST and the cost of Body ST.
P Synthia’s body area + head area is 9. Her height is This is additive if the ‘bot has even more arms.
L [square root of (9/6)] 1.5 (two legs) 3 = 5.5’ feet. If either of the two highest-ST arms is weaker than Body ST,
E Synthia costs $89,912.5. this is a disadvantage. Calculate this as above, but now the dif-
ference is negative.
Attributes Strength Point Cost Table
ST Cost ST Cost
Strength 15 60 23 140
Robots with arms, or any drivetrain that has motive power, 16 70 24 145
have a ST attribute. A robot’s ST is split into two categories: 17 80 25 150
body ST (based on motive power) and arm ST (based on the 18 90 26 155
arm motor – see p. 16). 19 100 27 160
Using the motive power of the drivetrain with the highest 20 110 28 165
motive power, figure the robot’s body ST with the formula: 21 120 29 170
22 130 30 175
ST = (motive power - weight in tons) 80.
31+ + 1⁄2 point per point
Body ST is used for pulling, kicking, or when the robot slams
into someone or carries a load. Unless the robot has no Body E
ST at all, its minimum Body ST is half its body hit points; its X
maximum ST is twice its body hit points. Round fractions up. A Synthia’s body ST is equal to [.45 KW (its motive power) -
.06785 tons (its weight in tons)] 80 = ST 30.803, rounded A
robot without a drivetrain has no Body ST; list this as “Body M
ST 0” for record-keeping purposes. up to ST 31. This costs 175.5. The Arm ST of 30 costs (175 -
175.5) x 0.5 = -0.25. Net cost is 175.25. P
Arm ST is the strength of an individual arm. It is the strength L
a robot has when using that arm to punch, push, lift, grip or E
wield a weapon. If a robot uses a pair of arms with different
arm ST values to perform a two-handed task, such as wielding a Dexterity
two-handed weapon or lifting with both arms, average their The robot’s DX is its dominant brain’s (Complexity/2) + 8,
STs. If the robot has no arms, record an arm ST of 0. rounding down. Then add the DX bonus for a reflex booster, if
the robot has one. The result is the robot’s DX.
To determine how many points DX costs, refer to the table
on p. B13.
E
X
Since Synthia has a Complexity 5 brain and a +2 DX reflex A
booster, its DX is 2.5 (Complexity/2) + 8 + 2 (DX booster) = M
12.5, rounded down to DX 12. This costs Synthia 20 points. P
L
E
Intelligence
The robot’s IQ is its dominant brain’s Complexity + 3. Add
+1 if the computer is a neural-net, or +2 if it is sentient.
To determine how many points IQ is worth, refer to the table
on p. B13.
E
X
A
Synthia’s IQ is 5 (its brain’s Complexity) + 3 + 1 (neural-
M
net) = 9. This costs the same as buying IQ 9: -10 points.
P
L
E
Health
A robot has a split HT, divided into actual Health and hit
points, much like an animal.

Robot Design 46
 Health measures the robot’s general reliability. Hit points, or on the ground, divide the motive power of the drivetrain* by its
hits, are used to determine how much damage the robot can weight in tons. Find the square root of the quotient. Multiply
withstand. A robot with a low Health but many hit points can this by the Speed Factor shown on the table below. This gives
take a lot of punishment – but it also requires a lot of mainte- the robot’s Speed (in yards per second).
nance to keep running properly, just like a tank or a jet fighter.
Hit Points: A robot’s hit points have already been calculated. Speed Factor Table
Health: The heavier the robot is, compared to its structural Type Speed Factor
strength, the more strain it puts on its systems (especially legs, Legs, two 4
wheels, wings and the like), and thus the less reliable it is. A robot’s Legs, three 5
Health is: [(200 body hit points)/loaded weight] + 5, rounding up, Legs, four or more 6
to a maximum of HT 12 or the robot’s TL, whichever is higher. Tracks 6
Record a robot’s health and hit points in the same way a split Wheels 8
Health is recorded for animals: Health first, then a slash, then Flexibody 2
body hit points. Note the hit points of subassemblies afterward.
* If the robot has a thrust-based propulsion system and is
Calculate the point value of a robot’s Health using the table
moving on wheels, it may add 25% of its motive thrust to its
on p. B13. Every body hit point the robot has over Health is a
motive power. (It’s possible to move on wheels without a
5-point advantage. Every body hit point the robot has below its
wheeled drivetrain, just using this thrust.)
Health is a -5-point disadvantage.
E
We’ve already calculated Synthia’s hit points (see p. 41): it X
E has 18 body hit points. Its Health is [200 18 (hit points) / Synthia moves on two legs. Its leg motive power is .45 KW; A
X 135.175 (weight)] + 5 = 31.6. Since the maximum robot its weight is .06758 tons. Dividing the motive power by M
A health (at TL10) is 12, Synthia ends up with Health 12. This is weight, finding the square root of the quotient, and then multi- P
M written HT 12/18. A Health of 12 normally costs 20 points, but plying by 4 (the Speed Factor) we get a Speed of 10.3. L
P since Synthia has six more body hit points than its Health, the E
L actual cost is [20 + (5 [point cost of extra hit points] 6 [hit
E points over Health])] = 50 points. Flotation
Robots with GEV skirts can skim over water at their ground
Ground Speed Speed. Any robot with a sealed body can use a portion of its
A robot can move on the ground if it has legs, tracks, a flexi- ground speed to move along the bottom of a body of water. But
body, or wheels. Tracks, a flexibody or legs also require a can the robot float?
matching drivetrain. If it has multiple motive systems, calculate A robot can float if it is waterproof, sealed or submersible
the performance of each separately. To find the robot’s Speed and its weight does not exceed its flotation rating, which is 62.5
lbs. its volume.

47 Robot Design
 E
X
A
M Synthia’s body volume is 2.1 cf and its weight is 135.2 lbs.,
P so it cannot float.
L
E

Water Speed
A floating robot with legs, tracks, flexibody, aquatic propul-
sion, or thrust-based propulsion can propel itself through water.
To determine water speed:
First, calculate the power factor. For thrust-based propul-
sion this is 25% of motive thrust. For tracks or legs, it is 10%
of motive power. For flexibody or screw propellers it is 75%
of motive power. For hydrojets, it is motive power. If a robot
uses several propulsion systems at once, add power factors
together.
The water speed is found by dividing power factor by the
robot’s mass in tons and consulting the table below. Find the
closest quotient in the Power column, and then find the robot’s
actual Water Speed in the adjacent Speed column:

Water Speed Table

Power Speed Power Speed Power Speed
.015-.124 1 145-165 21 1,077-1,157 41
.125-.41 2 166-189 22 1,158-1,241 42
.42-.9 3 190-215 23 1,242-1,330 43
1-1.9 4 216-243 24 1,331-1,423 44
2-2.9 5 244-275 25 1,424-1,520 45
3-5.9 6 275-306 26 1,521-1,621 46
6-7.9 7 307-342 27 1,622-1,727 47
8-10 8 343-380 28 1,728-1,837 48
11-15 9 381-421 29 1,838-1,952 49
16-20 10 422-464 30 1,953-2,071 50
21-26 11 465-511 31 2,072-2,458 51
27-33 12 512-560 32 2,459-2,325 52
34-42 13 561-613 33 2,326-2,459 53
43-52 14 614-669 34 2,460-2,599 54
53-63 15 670-728 35 2,600-2,743 55
64-76 16 729-790 36 2,744-2,892 56
77-90 17 791-856 37 2,893-3,048 57
91-106 18 857-926 38 3,049-3,208 58 Modification to Ground or Water Speed: If either or both of
107-124 19 927-999 39 3,209-3,374 59 the robot’s ground or water Speeds exceeds its stall speed,
125-144 20 1,000-1,076 40 3,375 etc. 60 reduce that Speed to the stall speed (or the robot will attempt to
lift off any time it exceeds its stall speed!).
Lift Effects: A robot with helicopter rotors, ornithopter
(To expand this table, use the formula: 4 times the cube root motors and wings, contragrav or vectored thrust lift will have a
of [power factor/displacement], rounded off.) stall speed lower than its basic stall speed.
A robot can swim underwater if it can float and either has Total the combined lift from any vectored thrust or contra-
the submersible option, legs or a flexible structure. However, grav the robot has, and add helicopter and ornthinopter lift.
aerial propellers, ducted fans and reaction engines that require Helicopter lift is equal to helicopter drivetrain motive power
air cannot be used underwater, and the robot must also have a 12. Ornithopter lift is equal to ornithopter drivetrain motive
power system that can function without air. power 4 if its wings are TL7 or lower, or 5 if the wings are
TL8 or higher.
Aerodynamic Flight The combined lift will subtract a percentage from stall
A robot with wings or rotors can fly. Vectored-thrust lift is speed equal to (100 lift/robot loaded weight). The minimum
one pound per pound of motive thrust. stall speed is 0.
Basic Stall Speed: A flying robot has a stall speed, a mini- Hovering: A robot whose stall speed was reduced to 0 by lift
mum speed the robot must be moving to have sufficient lift to can take off or land vertically, or even stop and hover in mid-air!
take off and remain airborne. Stall speed (Ss) equals the robot’s But Can It Fly?: To take off from the ground on its own, a
loaded weight in pounds (Wt.) divided by the combined area of robot must have a stall speed of 0, or be able to reach its stall
all wings (Wa), the area of rotary wings (Ra) and 10% of body speed while still using ground movement. Thus, its top ground
area (Ba), or Ss = Wt/(Wa + Ra + .1Ba). speed must equal or exceed its stall speed.

Robot Design 48
 The same is true for robots taking off from water: their stall can’t fly – but see Boosted Jumps, below. Otherwise, deter-
speed must be 0, or their top water speed must be able to equal mine its top air Speed as follows: divide the remaining thrust
or exceed stall speed for the robot to be able to fly. by the surface area of the robot (excluding any retracted arms)
If a robot’s stall speed is higher than its top ground Speed, it and multiply by 7,500; find the square root of that; then multi-
can’t take off from the ground unaided. The same applies to ply by .5. Top speed cannot exceed 300.
water Speed. A robot using vectored-thrust flight has a stall speed of 0,
Boosted Jumps: A robot with lift from ornithopter wings, and can hover.
helicopter drivetrain, vectored thrust or contragrav that can’t fly Boosted Jumps: A robot that can’t muster enough power to
can still use lift to boost a jump. It can divide the distance it can fly can still use the vectored thrust to boost a jump. Use the
jump by 1 - (lift/weight). So a robot with 100 lbs. of thrust that rules under Flight, above. Divide the pounds of vectored
weighed 125 lbs. would divide the jump distance by 1 - motive thrust (and contragrav lift, if any) by the robot’s
(100/125) = .2. If it jumped 5 feet normally, it could now jump weight. Subtract the result from 1. Divide the distance a robot
5/.2 = 25 feet. ordinarily jumps by this amount. For example, if it had 800
Flight Speed: First, calculate the total motive thrust. Add the lbs. of thrust and weighed 1,000 lbs., its jump distance would
thrust of any aerial propellers, ducted fans, reaction engines and be 1 - (800/1,000) = 1 - .8 = .2. If its ST normally allowed it
reactionless thrusters together. A robot with a helicopter drive- to jump 3 yards, it could now jump 5/.2 = 25 feet.
train and rotary wings adds thrust equal to helicopter drivetrain
motive power 1.6. A robot with wings and an ornithopter dri-
vetrain adds thrust equal to ornithopter drivetrain motive power
Ground-Effect Flight
A robot with a GEV skirt and lift fans or vectored-thrust
2. Divide the thrust by the robot’s total surface area, exclud- ducted fans may be able to enter GEV flight, enabling it to
ing the area of any retractable arms, and multiply by 7,500. hover a few inches or feet above the surface of ground or water
Find the square root of the result. This is the air speed in mph; with less thrust than would normally be required to actually fly.
divide by 2 to get the actual top Speed statistic. Round to the Total the combined lift of vectored-thrust ducted fans, vec-
nearest whole number. However, maximum top speed is 300 tored thrust engines and contragrav. Remember vectored-thrust
(150 if the robot has rotors). lift is one pound per pound of thrust, but that lift of any vec-
tored-thrust ducted fans housed in the body is multiplied by 5 if
Vectored-Thrust Flight the robot has a GEV skirt.
A robot may be able to fly even if it has no wings, as long as If the total lift exceeds robot weight, the robot can hover at
it has ducted fans, jets, rockets, or reactionless thrusters that an altitude of (lift/weight) feet over ground or water, and has a
have the vectored-thrust option. GEV, or “hover,” performance.
Subtract the robot’s weight from its motive thrust. (Then, if Top Speed: Calculate speed exactly as vectored-thrust flight
it has contragrav, add the contragrav’s lift to the thrust – up to a above, but multiply by 1,500 instead of 7,500.
maximum of the robot’s weight.) If the result is 0, the robot

49 Robot Design
Point Costs for Movement Legality Class
The robot’s Legality Class is that of the lowest LC compo-
This is based on the robot’s highest Speed, as shown below: nent or part it possesses.

Speed Cost Table Model Point Cost

Speed Points Speed Points
Add up the point costs for all components, features and per-
0 -35 11-15 25
formance statistics. This is the robot’s model point cost. As
1 -15 16-20 30
explained in the Characters chapter, if the cost is positive, play-
2 -10 21-40 35
ing the robot as a character counts as an advantage worth that
3 -5 41-80 40
many points. If negative, it’s a disadvantage worth that many
4-6 0 81-160 45
points back.
7 5 161-320 50
A robot that cannot masquerade as a living thing may have
8 10 321-640 55
a lower model point cost. If the robot has a model point cost of
9 15 etc. etc.
1 or more, and lacks either living flesh or realistic flesh bio-
10 20
morphics, divide its model point cost by 2 if it has mannequin
biomorphics or a holocloak, or by 5 if it does not. Round frac-
Round fractional speeds down when calculating points. The
tions down. This reduction only affects the model point cost,
following abilities will modify the point total. If the robot has a
and has no effect on the cost of any programs, attributes,
Speed of 7 or more but has neither legs nor the ability to hover
skills, advantages or disadvantages acquired after the robot
in flight, its ability to dodge or maneuver is somewhat restrict-
was built.
ed. As such, its Speed is only worth half as many points.
Flight: The ability to fly is worth 30 points, or 40 if the
robot can hover; halve this if the robot can only “fly” a few E
For a speed of 10.3, Synthia pays only 15 points, since it
inches or feet off the ground by using a GEV skirt. If the robot X
cannot float.
has wings, but can only glide, this is worth 20 points. A
Flotation: If the robot cannot float, this is a disadvantage M
Synthia is LC 1.
worth -5 points. P
Amphibious: If the robot can move across both water and L
Synthia costs 610 points.
land, and its water speed is equal to or greater than its land speed, E
or at least 10 yards per second, this is worth 10 points. Robots
that swim via legs, flexibody or tracks pay no extra points.

Robot Design 50
SY-101-N NEMESIS (“Synthia”) (TL10)
Synthia is a multi-purpose covert operations android that
resembles a very beautiful human woman.
Brain: Standard brain with +2 DX booster, high-capacity
and neural-net options (10 lbs., .2 cf, $22,500, 65 points),
Complexity 5.
Sensors: Basic sensors with thermograph and reti-
naprinter (.75 lbs., .015 cf and $5,500, 25 points).
Communicator: Basic communicator with the superior
voice option (.25 lbs., .005 cf, $750, LC 6, 25 points).
Arm Motors: One arm motor ST 30 (3 lbs., .06 cf,
$6,000, .15 KW). Second arm motor ST 30 (3 lbs., .06 cf,
$6,000, .15 KW). Third arm motor ST 10 “extra-flexible,”
“retractable” and “striker” (1.5 lbs., .03 cf, $1,200, .05
KW). Arm motors cost 10 points.
Leg Drivetrain: .45 KW motive power drivetrain (13.5
lbs., two leg motors each .135 cf, $2,700, requires .45 KW).
Weaponry: Military laser carbine, concealed, with variable
beam (7 lbs., .35 cf, $850); large knife, with monowire blade
(1 lb., .02 cf, $290, LC 3); crushing jaw, ST 4 (TL10, .4 lbs.,
.02 cf, $400, .04 KW, LC 6). 50 points (laser) + 3 points
(monowire blade) + 1 point (crushing jaw) = 54 points.
Accessories: Laser sight ($12.50) built into laser carbine;
laser periscope (.7 lbs., .035 cf, $150) for military laser car-
bine; neural stimulator (.5 lbs., .01 cf, $1,000, LC 5);
pheromone emitter ($5,000, LC 5, 25 points).
Power System: Routine power requirement .8 KW. One
TL10 omnivore bioconvertor with .4 KW output (10 lbs., .2
cf and $2,000), two TL10 rD cells (total 10 lbs., .1 cf, $1,000,
20 points) store 72,000 KWS. Endurance 49 hours.
Subassemblies: Head, three arms (“right arm,” “left
arm,” “tentacle arm”), two legs.
Body Design: Houses the computer brain, neural stimulator,
pheromone emitter, military laser carbine and two rD cells
totalling .86 cf, plus .14 cf empty space for a volume of 1 cf.
Arm Design: The right arm houses the ST 30 arm motor
and laser periscope (.06875 cf) and empty space (.03125 cf);
its volume is .1 cf. The left arm houses the other ST 30 arm
motor and empty space (.04 cf); its volume is .1 cf. The tenta-
cle arm houses the ST 10 arm motor, large knife and .01 cf of
empty space; its volume is .06 cf; it is placed in the head.
Head Design: Houses the sensors, communicator, crush-
ing jaw and tentacle arm plus .2 cf empty space. Its volume
is .3 cf.
Area: Body 6, right arm 1.5, left arm 1.5, tentacle arm 1,
head 3, right leg 3, left leg 3; total surface area 19.
Structure: “Heavy” frame. 57 lbs., $3,800.
Hit Points: Body 18, right arm 9, left arm 9, tentacle arm
6, head 9, each leg 9.
Armor: TL10 nonrigid DR 15 armor (5.7 lbs., $570, LC
4, 90.5 points). Sealed body ($190, 20 points).
Biomorphics: Living flesh (9.5 lbs., $9,500); Very
Beautiful appearance ($4,750, 25 points); biomorphic
shielding (1.9 lbs., $9,500); sex implant ($2,000); surface
sensors ($4,750).
Statistics: 135.2 lbs. (.06758 tons), 2.1 cf (1 hex, 5.5’
tall), $89,912.50. Body ST 31, right and left arm ST 30,
tentacle arm ST 10 (175.25 points), DX 12 (20 points), IQ
9 (-10 points), HT 12/18 (50 points). Speed 10.53 (20
points). Cannot float (-5 points). Legality 1. Point cost: 610
points.

51 Robot Design
 Cost includes the brain, its life support and the transplant

Appendix 1: Cyborgs
A cyborg (cybernetic organism) is a fusion of machine and
operation, but not the cost of obtaining a live, disembodied
human brain. Cyborgs may be volunteers (most often people
who have been critically injured), but enslaved brains may also
organic parts. While some cyborgs (like those in GURPS be available legally or through a black market. Use the rules for
Cyberpunk) are mostly human, it is also possible to retain only slavery (p. B193); assume a brain sells for half the price of a
an organic brain and notochord, replacing all other body parts live slave, i.e., 2.5 years’ wages at the best job it could get
with robotic machinery. while alive.
Such “total cyborgs” (which we’ll just call cyborgs) are built Points and LC: A cyborg brain costs 80 points, which
using the standard rules for robots, with one major exception. includes the cost of the computer brain. It is LC 4.
As well as a computer brain, they will have a cyborg brain – a These rules assume cyborg brains are human. However,
living brain attached to a life-support unit. A cyborg brain has nonhuman or even animal brains can be used, with appropriate
all the advantages of a computer brain except Doesn’t Sleep. It adjustments to weight. (For an extremely rough approximation,
has none of the disadvantages. As such the computer and multiply the weight and volume by 150 and then divide by the
cyborg brain together cost 80 points instead of the computer’s body weight of the creature the brain came from). The cost will
usual cost. usually remain about the same, the difficulty of working with a
The weight, volume and cost of the cyborg brain and its life- smaller brain or ease of working with a larger one balanced by
support system are given below. the greater or lesser amount of life-support machinery needed.
Cyborg Statistics: Base calculations of cyborg statistics,
Cyborg Brain Table just like robot statistics, on the Complexity of the computer
TL Wt. Vol. Cost brain. However, the organic brain’s DX and IQ will affect this!
8 40 .8 $50,000 For DX, average the calculated DX with the original DX of the
9 20 .4 $25,000 brain’s donor (round up). For IQ, use the higher of either the
10+ 10 .2 $12,500 donor’s original IQ or the computer brain’s.

For twice the cost, the brain’s weight and volume can be
reduced by 25%. For triple the cost, they can be halved.
Weight and volume include the brain case, the biomechani-
cal computer interface, and the life-support system that keeps
Appendix 2: Battlesuits
A variation on the cyborg concept is the battlesuit: an entire
the brain alive. If desired, the brain case and the life-support person inside a robot-like body, controlling it by kinesthetic
system may be split into two equal-volume components – this feedback (for example, the wearer tries to move his arm, pres-
allows the brain case to go into a human-sized head, for sure sensors in the suit sense the movement and move the suit’s
instance, with the support system in the body. If the part of the arm). In effect, the battlesuit controls and occupant replace the
robot with the brain case is destroyed, the brain dies. If the part robot’s brain.
containing the life-support system is disabled or destroyed, the A battlesuit does not need a computer brain, but many battle-
brain will die within 5 minutes from oxygen starvation unless suits have one anyway. This enables the brain to advise the
hooked up to a new life-support system. human operator, and even take control of the suit if the wearer
is injured, untrained, asleep or incapacitated.
(For that matter, a battlesuit could have a
cyborg brain as well . . .)
A battlesuit is built like a robot, but should
have the same number of arms and legs as the
wearer. For humans, a battlesuit must have at
least two arms and two legs. The suit fits the
wearer like a glove – only skintight outfits or
nothing can be worn inside the suit. The cost
of the battlesuit controls includes the dedicat-
ed computer needed to translate the user’s
actions into suit movements.
A battlesuit should be custom-fitted to an
individual – or at least, a given size and
weight of person. For simplicity, decide
what weight of person the suit will fit, and
assume it can fit anyone up to 20% lighter
than that weight. This is the “pilot weight.”
The “battlesuit system” – controls and
pilot – counts as a “component.” In a form-
fitting suit, it takes up space in the body,
head, arms and legs. Including controls and,
of course, room for the suit’s wearer, it
takes up (pilot weight)/100 cf in the robot’s
body, (pilot weight)/400 cf placed in the head,
(pilot weight)/1,000 cf in each of two arms,
and (pilot weight)/400 in each of two legs.

Robot Design 52
Alternatively, the wearer may be entirely placed within the suit’s Putting on a suit takes about four minutes, removing it half
body or head (taking up [pilot weight]/50 cf). This is common in that. For an extra $500, a suit may be designed for “quick
larger suits. access,” taking only (30-Battlesuit skill) seconds to don, or half
The battlesuit system weighs 1.2 pilot weight (this includes that to remove.
the weight of the pilot). The cost $3,000 + (pilot weight $20). A person in a battlesuit or exoskeleton is limited by the bat-
At TL9, halve the cost, and halve it again at TL10+. tlesuit or exoskeleton’s sensors. Thus, if the battlesuit has
A battlesuit’s statistics are the same as a robot’s, but it has degraded sensors (No Sense of Smell, Low-Res Vision, etc.),
no DX or IQ – use the DX and IQ of the pilot. (If the suit also these penalties apply to the pilot. There is one exception: if the
has a computer brain, allowing it to operate if the pilot is out of battlesuit has no armor or armor built with an open frame, the
the suit or incapacitated, calculate its DX and IQ normally.) wearer can use his own senses freely. The same limits and
A battlesuit may have a life-support system. This is a must if exception applies if the suit is Mute or has a Disturbing Voice.
the suit will be sealed; this is also a component, usually placed A battlesuit whose sensors aren’t Blind is assumed to have a
in the body. At TL8, it weighs 37.5 lbs., takes up .75 cf and heads-up display system that displays instrument readings on
costs $500 for every 6 hours of life support it provides; reduce the suit’s faceplate or on goggles worn by the user. This
weight and volume to 25 lbs., .5 cf and $250 at TL9, and to reduces SS numbers when firing weapons by 2, or by 5 at TL10
12.5 lbs., .25 cf and $125 at TL10+. and above. Battlesuits may incorporate neural-interface sys-
In combat, treat a battlesuit as a robot. However, if a part of tems, as described on p. CY41 and p. UT79.
the suit that contains the pilot is reduced to 0 hit points, also If a battlesuit has a computer equipped with skill programs, a
apply half the excess damage to whatever part of the pilot is in human operator may use the skill programs to assist him instead
that suit location. For example, if the head were reduced to -17 of supplanting him. Add +1 to the operator’s skill for every
hit points and the pilot was in a form-fitting suit, his own head level the program exceeds skill 10.
would take 8 hits. If the suit wasn’t form-fitting, the pilot would An exoskeleton is a battlesuit used for civilian purposes. A
only take damage if he were in the robot’s head, and would take battlesuit is an exoskeleton if it has less than DR 30 armor, and
damage to a random hit location. no internal weapons save welding, plasma or laser torches. It
A battlesuit is operated using Battlesuit skill (p. B49). When functions the same way as a battlesuit, but is operated with
making DX rolls, use the lower of DX or Battlesuit skill; when Exoskeleton skill, as described on p. B247.
making DX-based skill rolls, use the lower of the character’s If a battlesuit or exoskeleton is 50 cf or larger in size, substi-
skill-1 or his Battlesuit skill-1. tute Driving (Mecha) skill instead of Battlesuit or Exoskeleton
skill. The operation remains the same.

53 Robot Design
 From: HunterIndustries@Azrael.WarNet
To: Synthia.Damocles@Freeport
This is a notice that the Tactics Alpha [8] program
you recently purchased contains a minor code error that
results in moderately unsound tactical procedures being
initiated under certain high-threat circumstances.
We are offering a free upgrade program.
Thank you for your consideration.

Brains and Programs 54

 From: Dan.Damocles@Freeport
To: HunterIndustries@Azrael.WarNet
Thanks for the warning, guys. A bit late.
It would have been nice to know about that little bug in your “state of the art”
Tactics program that makes your robot go berserk before we landed on Dalos V.
Please send the upgrade.
Our attorney will send you Synthia’s repair bill.
Memory Backups
This chapter covers the capabilities and limitations of the computer brains built into A robot can compress its operating
robots and of the programs they can run. system, memory, programs and personali-
ty and download it onto disk or into stor-
age in another computer. This takes the
computer at least a minute, during which

Computer Brains
Most robots are machine intelligences, controlled by computer brains. Besides deter-
time it can’t do anything else (it’s better to
make backups before getting into com-
bat!). This compressed “brain” of the
mining the robot’s DX and IQ, a computer brain gives the robot a variety of abilities robot takes up .005 gigs (5 megabytes) for
and limits. a Complexity 1 brain, .05 gigabytes (50
As indicated in the Robot Design chapter, a computer brain gives the robot certain megabytes) for Complexity 2, 0.5 gigs for
innate advantages and disadvantages. Summarized, these are: a Complexity 3, 5 gigs for a Complexity 4
brain, and so on.
Absolute Timing: An internal clock is a part of the computer brain; if the robot
A complete memory backup can be un-
knows it has crossed a time zone, it can update this instantly. (See p. B19.) compressed in any computer of equal
Eidetic Memory 2: A robot can choose to place certain events in permanent storage, Complexity with enough memory. When
enabling it to recall them later with perfect accuracy. (See p. B20.) this happens, the robot effectively “pos-
Lightning Calculator: The prime virtue of a computer brain is that it adds up num- sesses” that computer, although its memo-
bers really quickly. (See p. B21.) ries and so on will end at the time it was
Mathematical Ability: More sophisticated mathematics also come easily to a robot. last backed up. If the original robot is still
(See p. B22.) functioning, the result is a second charac-
Any robot brain can also act as a terminal to access another computer, using its com- ter – treat it as an NPC with the same atti-
municator. tudes, memory and so on as the original,
not as a slave of it. The longer it is out in
the world, the more it will diverge.
In addition to all these advantages, a computer brain also gives the robot certain As long as the robot’s backup exists,
innate disadvantages. the robot is effectively immortal. This is a
Cannot Learn: An ordinary computer brain is limited by its programming; it can’t significant capability that robot characters
spend experience points to improve its attributes or skills. (See p. 88.) have, although at TL9, humans may also
No Sense of Humor: Computers tend to be fairly humorless. (See p. B241.) have it if the GM allows braintape tech-
Reprogrammable Duty: The robot’s primary goal is to obey whoever has access to nology (p. UT65). Partly balancing this is
its command codes (see Command Codes and Robot Obedience, p. 57). (See p. 89.) the disadvantage that a single backup is
Slave Mentality: A computer brain normally follows orders without showing any ini- vulnerable, but scattering multiple ones
tiative. (See p. 89.) around makes it easier for someone to
steal one, kidnapping the robot’s personal-
A computer brain built with either the neural-net or sentient options will not have all
ity and memory.
these disadvantages.
A neural net is a computer built to think and learn in a manner that mimics the thought Continued on next page . . .
processes of a living brain. It does not have the Cannot Learn or Slave Mentality disad-
vantages, but still suffers from Reprogrammable Duty and No Sense of Humor.
A sentient computer is a very sophisticated neural net. It does not have any of a nor-
mal computer’s disadvantages.

55 Brains and Programs

 Memory Backups Running Programs
(Continued) A computer’s Complexity determines what programs it can run. The simplest com-
If human braintaping is unavailable, puter is Complexity 1; each level of Complexity represents an increase in processing
GMs may wish to balance a robot’s back- power by an order of magnitude.
up capability by using one of these two Programs are also rated for Complexity, representing how much processing power they
options: require. Usually a computer can run programs of no greater Complexity than its own. The
“A backup isn’t really the same char- maximum number of programs that can run simultaneously is limited by the brain’s
acter.” If this option is chosen, a robot that Complexity level. A robot can run one program of its computer brain’s Complexity level,
is destroyed is “dead” as a PC, but can be
revived as an NPC. This is arbitrary and
or ten programs of one Complexity level lower, or 100 of two levels lower, and so on. A
only works for player characters, but is robot with a high-capacity brain can run 11⁄2 times as many programs.
effective. To some extent it’s also true, Programs are also rated by TL. No robot brain can run a program of a later TL.
since if the backup is read into another Brains can run programs of earlier TLs, if the GM decides the hardware is compatible,
robot brain, the two distinct copies would but the effective Complexity of the brain decreases by 1 for each TL difference – small
soon diverge as a result of differing expe- brains lack the capability to translate archaic machine languages.
riences. A robot can store many programs in its brain (up to its memory storage limits).
“A backup costs points.” This option When not in use, most programs are assumed to be compressed in storage, and take up
treats backup capability as an advantage. negligible space (either don’t worry about it, or assume .01 gig). This means that only
For each backup the character has stored the simplest robot brains will not have the potential to store many programs.
somewhere, he must buy a 25-point
advantage. This option is comparably
Normally, robot programs are assumed to be copied directly into the robot brain’s
priced to the GURPS Supers advantage memory. Unless correct access codes are used, a robot’s programming and memory
Extra Life (p. SU39). Although the robot cannot be altered or deleted without risking serious damage to the robot’s brain.
can come back any number of times, it Assume that all robots come with two innate programs. These are “free” with the
must still protect its backup system, and purchase of a robot brain, and don’t take up memory space or count against the number
must find or buy a new body. of programs the robot can run at once. These two programs are:
Operating System: The basic system that handles the computer brain’s operations,
Data Transfer Rates and allows the robot to move, control its limbs and built-in equipment, process data
Data transfer rates can be important from its sensors, and understand orders to the limit of its IQ.
when a robot needs, for example, to
Language: Any TL8+ robot is assumed to be programmed with one language at its
download a backup copy of its memory
fast, or to send a stolen file before it is IQ level, and to be literate in that language. (For a TL7 robot to speak or understand a
captured. language requires an actual skill program.)
The speed depends on the communica- For a full list of the computer programs available to robots, see Descriptions of
tion used on both ends – use the slower of Programs on p. 59.
the two:
Infrared or Laser communicator . . . 1,000
gigs per minute. Memory
The computer’s internal memory stores information – programs and data. All brains
Microwave (including most TL7 television
and satellite dish transmissions) . . . 10 have enough storage space to run the maximum number of programs allowed by the
gigs per minute. computer’s Complexity level and then some.
Optical cable (including robot cable jacks A robot uses much of its memory capacity for storing its operating system and data
and TL8+ phone lines) . . . 1,000 gigs on things it has seen and done. This is equivalent to human “memory,” except that
per minute. computer brains have Eidetic Memory 2, giving them perfect recall. However, since a
Radio . . . 0.1 gigs per minute. robot’s memory would overflow with information if it remembered literally “every-
Analog phone line (TL7, by modem) . . . thing,” much sensory data is carried in compressed form. In fact, a robot might well
maximum of about .00024 gigs (240
kilobytes) per minute.
store unimportant visual memories as black-and-white pictures, or memories of conver-
sations as text summaries rather than as full high-resolution recordings. (As described
under Sensors on p. 11, a robot can deliberately make a higher-reso-
lution memory.)
Besides the space used up by this data, a robot is assumed to have
memory capacity available to use for programs, databases, or high-
resolution sensory experiences. Its capacity is .01 gigabyte (10
megabytes) for a Complexity 1 brain, .1 gigabyte (100 megabytes)
for Complexity 2, 1 gig (1,000 megabytes) for Complexity 3, 10 gigs
for Complexity 4, and so on. Add 50% to these numbers for a high-
capacity brain. Extra mass-storage space may also be added (see
Extra Databanks: Mass Storage, p. 11).
Disk Storage: Robots have disk drives, allowing them to use
removable memory units (disks). Common late-TL7 magnetic disks
store 1.44 megabytes of data and cost $.50. TL8 optical disks,
which store 10 gigabytes of data on about the same size disk, are
$5. TL9 disks cost and store the same amount, but are dime-sized.
Storage increases by a factor of ten per TL after TL9. A robot that
has an arm (with a hand) can switch a disk in about three seconds.
Robots with any armor or skin take an extra two seconds – they
have to open up a flap.

Brains and Programs 56

Command Codes and Robot Obedience
A robot’s owner will rarely want someone else to take over his robot. As
a result, almost every robot will be programmed to obey certain people. The
kind of mechanism used to ensure this varies from robot to robot, but a typ-
ical system is described below.
Every individual robot (or swarm of microbots) is paired with a unique
command code when its brain is manufactured. This encrypted binary code
“key” must be used in order to access, alter or erase the robot’s programming.
It must also be used to validate any transmission intended to control the robot
as a drone (see Remote Control: Robots as Drones, p. 63). A command code
can only be sent electronically. Any computer with a modem (this includes
all computers and robot brains, at TL8+) can transmit it.
The owner stores a command code in the owner’s computer, not in the
robot. Use of a command code generates an encrypted “signature.” That
signature is then attached to whatever orders are transmitted. The robot’s
brain then reads the signature, and if it is valid, accepts the orders.
However, since the signature is not the entire code, someone intercepting
the transmission does not gain access to the actual command code. The
only way to do that is to break into whatever computer stores the source
command code and copy it, or physically access the robot’s brain (see p. 62). The
robot itself has no access to the code. Thus, the robot cannot give command-code Awakening Sentient
orders to itself; it can only receive them. Computers
However, only critical orders require a command code. Normally, a robot is assigned a Any neural-net computer brain that is
“master.” A master is someone whose orders the robot must obey without the need for a Complexity 7 or higher may spontaneous-
command code. This lets someone order around a robot verbally, for example. ly become sentient. Roll 3d each year,
A robot will accept someone as a master if a command code validated the order to starting a few months after it is activated.
do so. The robot must be told exactly how to recognize its master. The means of identi- On a 6 or less, it achieves sentience, turn-
fication depend on the robot’s sensor and brain capabilities. Usually, it is a voiceprint, ing into an artificial intelligence. At TL10
since this will work over radio and out of sight. Occasionally some other means is used or higher, assume that a computer brain of
Complexity 7+ is designed with built-in
(for instance, facial recognition if the robot is not blind and has a brain of Complexity 4
safeguards that prevent it from becoming
or higher). However, requiring facial recognition (for instance) means that a robot will sentient. However, these safeguards can
not obey its master’s orders if it can’t see his face, which has obvious drawbacks! If a be removed. If so, it has the normal
robot cannot recognize its master when it gets an order, it won’t obey that order. It will chances of becoming sentient. Treat the
just continue what it is doing. removal of safeguards as a normal repro-
A robot will obey orders from its master as described in the disadvantage gramming attempt using the Reprogram-
Reprogrammable Duty, although the robot’s own disadvantages, of course, affect how ming Robots rules on p. 58, but one that
the robot goes about it. A master can also order the robot to recognize and obey some- takes an hour per try and is at -14 to skill.
one else, until told to do otherwise. This is a temporary way of creating a new “master” When a computer “awakens” to AI sta-
without using a command code. If a robot has several masters, it will obey them in tus, it reorganizes its own processing sys-
tems into more efficient paths, raising its
order of priority – make a list!
Complexity by 1. It also gains all the abil-
The robot won’t obey orders which contradict those of a more senior master, or ities of a sentient brain (p. 10), and its IQ
which would normally require a command code. Altering programming requires a com- increases to its new Complexity + 5. It
mand code. Someone using a command code can also access the robot’s list of masters, loses the disadvantages No Sense of
and delete names, alter their priority, or add other names. Humor and Reprogrammable Duty. The
Complexity 1 Robots: A Complexity 1 brain doesn’t have language recognition, so GM should substitute equivalent points of
its master can only give it orders using a binary computer language. He can do this new mental disadvantages (a PC computer
directly, through a datalink using the robot’s command code and Computer chooses its own) to pay for its increased
Programming skill (at TL8+, Computer Operation). But it’s more usual to give the IQ and loss of disadvantages.
instructions to a more complex computer, and direct it to translate them into binary for At TL10 and up, it’s cheaper and more
cost-efficient to allow a computer to
the Complexity 1 brain.
become sentient on its own than to pay the
Changing Command Codes: A command code can be changed. This requires using a triple cost for a Sentient brain – especially
computer terminal to datalink with the robot’s brain and then employing the current since an “evolved” AI ends up with a
code to access its programming. Then the robot is reprogrammed to accept a new code. higher Complexity, and is thus smarter.
This takes one minute and a Computer Programming roll. If successful, the user has the Unfortunately, it’s not safer. An AI
new code, and all old codes are invalid. that has evolved on its own may well
Override Command Codes: The builder of a robot’s brain will sometimes install a become hostile to its creators, dangerously
“back door” in the robot’s programming that accepts an “override” code. Designers unstable, or just coolly protective. It may
often include one to use in case the owner’s command code is somehow lost or keep its own existence a secret, biding its
destroyed. Orders validated by this override code supersede ordinary commands. A time. Or it may announce its transforma-
tion to its owner. That depends on its per-
buried override won’t even be noticed unless someone specifically looks for it, which
sonality and goals.
requires accessing the programming with the current command code and a successful
Computer Programming-8 roll. The GM will have to decide who has access to override
codes – unless the robot’s owner is also its inventor, he probably does not know them.

57 Brains and Programs

 Access to Command Codes
The simplest way for someone to get a command code
he doesn’t have is to find out who knows it and get it from
their records. It will usually be on disk or in some comput-
er’s memory. For this reason, command codes are usually
kept only in secure installations, and are often kept “off-
line” so that hackers can’t reach them. Adventures can easi-
ly center around attempts to gain access to a computer or
disk holding a command code, or attempts to subvert some-
one who has access to it, or a search for an original pro-
grammer who might have left behind a secret override
code.
Purchased Robots and Command Codes: When a robot
is purchased, its command code is always given to the
owner, who will usually then change it. However, in some
jurisdictions, a robot’s command code must be provided to
the government as well, and it is illegal to change the code
without telling the government. Override codes, if they
exist, are usually kept secret from the purchaser. Their
existence may be known or officially denied.
Organizations and Obedience: In a hierarchical organiza-
tion, such as a corporation, police department or the military,
the disposition of command codes is very important. For rel-
atively simple robots intended primarily to be remotely con-
trolled, the officer in charge of running them is usually given
the command code. For more complex robots, especially
sentient ones, a higher-ranking officer usually keeps the
command code, with the robot’s immediate superiors in the
field simply designated as “masters.” A very senior person in
the organization may have sole control of the override code
of some or all of the group’s robots – which makes that per-
son a very powerful individual.

Reprogramming Robots
During the course of play, someone may want to alter a
robot’s programming. To reprogram a robot’s computer
brain, a programmer must first gain access to that brain’s
operating system. This requires using another computer to
datalink with the robot’s computer brain, and using the
robot’s command code.
If the person is not authorized to give the robot orders,
the robot will reject any requests for details on its program-
ming, and will usually break off communications.
If the interloper has the proper codes, he can simply
order the robot to let him into its operating system. He can
then use his Computer Operation skill to call up a list of the
robot’s programs, or to read its databases. He can also
delete skill, advantage, utility and personality programs in a
matter of seconds on any successful Computer Operation
roll, or eliminate a person from a list of “masters.”
He can also add programs stored in his own computer
to the robot, provided the robot’s brain can handle their
size and Complexity. Adding a new “master” (usually
himself) takes about a minute and a successful Computer
Operation roll. A failure requires more time (and is made
at a cumulative -2 penalty); on a critical failure, he thinks
he’s changed the program, but the robot’s old loyalties
remain buried, and may resurface after a few minutes,
hours, or days.
Altering existing programs, or writing completely new
ones, is more difficult, and usually requires a Computer
Programming roll and some time – maybe hours or even
days. (See p. 108.)

Brains and Programs 58

 The Turing Test
Descriptions of Programs
Programs are a robot’s software. Run by the computer brain, they determine the
In a classic paper written in 1950, the-
orist Alan Turing proposed a test for arti-
ficial intelligence in computers. The
robot’s skills, and many of its advantages and disadvantages. Programs come in four “Turing Test” requires a person to
main categories: advantage, personality, skill and utility. Advantages, disadvantages engage in conversation with someone or
and skill points must be paid for normally with character points. something in another room, using a com-
puter terminal to transmit questions and
Advantage Programs receive responses. After a certain time,
he must decide whether the answers and
These programs provide the robot with operating routines that give it specific advan- comments he receives are coming from a
tages. The table below shows the minimum Complexity required to run a specific person typing them in, or a computer
advantage program, and the program’s cost. program. If – despite questioning on mul-
Ambidexterity, Charisma, Combat Reflexes, Common Sense, Literacy: These pro- tiple topics – the person cannot tell the
grams give the robot the Basic Set advantages of the same name. (See pp. B19-B25.) program from a person, Turing said it
Full Coordination: This program allows a robot with multiple arms (or multiple was logical to say that the program is a
internal weapons) to use them to make more than one attack in a turn. Each extra arm person: an artificial intelligence.
or weapon the robot can attack with requires an additional level of coordination, In fact, a robot does not have to be sen-
increasing the program’s Complexity by 1. 50 points per attack. tient to pass the Turing test: any computer
with a neural-net brain, or any computer
with any kind of Personality Simulation
Advantage Program Table program can do so if the questioner allows
Advantage TL Complexity Cost the computer program to restrict the line
Ambidexterity 7 2 $10,000 of questioning. Nevertheless, most unso-
Charisma 10 5 + 1/level* $20,000/level phisticated robots are poor ad-hoc liars;
Combat Reflexes 8 4 $15,000 although they may be as “dishonest” as
Common Sense 10 7* $10,000 any human, they lack the inventiveness to
Full Coordination 8 3 + 1/level $10,000/level make up convincing stories.
Intuition 10 9* $30,000 If a robot or computer is given a
Literacy 7 2 $400 Turing test, the GM can treat it as a con-
test of IQ (or Psychology skill) between
the computer and the tester. The computer
* The robot must have a neural-net or sentient computer brain to have this program. is at -4 if it is neither sentient nor a neural-
Halve the cost one TL after program first becomes available; quarter it two or more net, or at -2 if it is merely a neural-net. If
TLs after the program is available. it is not sentient, it is also at -6 if it has no
Personality Simulation program, or at -3 if
Personality Programs it has only a Limited Personality Simu-
A robot can be programmed with a personality. Robots that are not neural-net or lation program. If the tester wins, he cor-
sentient models are not likely to have any other kind of personality. However, even a rectly deduces whether whatever he is
more sophisticated robot may be given a pre-programmed personality to fit its owner’s talking to is sentient or not. If he loses, he
guesses wrong. The GM rolls secretly
preferences, or to enable it to impersonate someone. after about an hour of conversation; for
Personality programs can be either “voluntary” – the robot can stop running it – or shorter interviews, roll at a penalty.
“involuntary” – the robot cannot turn off the program without orders from its master.
For instance, a combat robot might normally run a jovial “voluntary” Personality
Simulation program, full of quirks and disadvantages, but be able to switch this off
instantly under stress, becoming cold and emotionless. An espionage robot might have
several voluntary personality simulations to mimic different types of people. A robot
gets no points for disadvantages incorporated into voluntary programs.
If a robot has more than one personality program, only the first can be permanent.
All the rest must be voluntary software. The types of personality programs are:
Limited Personality Simulation: This gives the robot a simple personality. The robot
may have up to 5 points of Quirks, plus any single mental disadvantage. The robot will
seem human (over a radio, at least). But unless the robot is allowed to guide the conver-
sation or the subject stays with technical matters, the robot’s personality will eventually
seem hollow and one-dimensional, more a caricature than real.
Full Personality Simulation: The robot is programmed with a specific personality
(usually a simulation of a real person), or with an amalgam of various traits. This gives
the robot the same mental disadvantages and quirks as the personality it simulates.
Pet: The robot possesses a set of preprogrammed and self-programming behavior
patterns based on a certain type of domestic animal, real or imaginary. The program
can realistically emulate the behavior of an animal with a maximum IQ equal to its
Complexity + 2; a Complexity 4 program could accurately simulate the behavior of an
IQ 6 animal such as a dog, for instance. In order to simulate a given animal properly,
the robot should resemble that animal, at least to the degree of having the same number
of limbs and a similar shape. A program and a robot can be mismatched, but imagine a
2-ton flying warbot trying to behave like a puppy! Most petbots are programmed to act
loyal and affectionate, at least to their owners.

59 Brains and Programs

 Restrictive Program: This is a program that restricts the robot’s freedom of action,
Data and Memory by forcing it to do (or not do) something in certain situations. The program may incor-
porate one or more of these disadvantages: Combat Paralysis, Cowardice, Honesty,
Requirements Pacifism (any level) and Truthfulness. A restrictive program is never voluntary (that
All values are in gigabytes. would defeat the purpose!).
Audio, average quality, one hour . . . 1⁄2 Reactive Programs: Similar to restrictive programs, these are overriding imperatives
Audio, ultra-fidelity, one hour . . . 1
that the robot take action under certain circumstances. These orders give the robot a set
Blueprints/schematics
Extremely Complex (say, for a space- of basic commands that work like a Vow (p. B37); the robot must follow them as long
ship) . . . 100 as it has that program.
Very Complex (for perhaps an AI com- Isaac Asimov’s famous “Three Laws of Robotics” (described in I, Robot and other
puter) . . . 10 works) is a fairly sophisticated example of three such programs. The First Law compels
Complex (for, say, a large warbot) . . . 1 a robot not to harm a person, nor through inaction to allow one to come to harm. The
Simple (like an automobile or small Second Law forces it to obey humans if this does not violate the First Law. The Third
robot) . . . 1⁄10 Law urges the robot to preserve its own existence unless doing so would violate the
Very simple (such as for a gun or radio) First or Second Laws.
. . . 1⁄100 A reactive program’s point value is up to the GM; use the guidelines for vows on p.
Books, one 6’ shelf full . . . 1
B37. In the case of the “Three Laws,” the First and Second Laws are “great vows”
War and Peace . . . 1⁄500
Braintape of person . . . 100 worth -15 points each, while the Third Law is worth no points, since it’s not a disad-
Computer memory backup (compressed) vantage at all. The Complexity is also up to the GM. A program like the “First Law,”
Complexity 1 . . . 1⁄50 which requires the robot to make complex decisions (“if I don’t do this, will that person
Complexity 2 . . . 1⁄5 come to harm?”), will usually be at least Complexity 5. The Second and Third Laws are
Complexity 3 . . . 5 relatively simple, probably Complexity 2 each. A reactive program’s cost is $2,000
Complexity 4 . . . 50 Complexity; it is usually TL8.
Complexity 5 . . . 500, etc.
Dossier, complete personal file . . . 1⁄100 Personality Program Table
Financial records (one year) Type TL Cost LC Complexity
Small business . . . 1⁄10
Limited Personality Simulation 7 $8,000 6 4
Medium business . . . 1
Large business . . . 5 per $100 million Full Personality Simulation 8 $20,000 6 5
in earnings Pet Program 8 $5,000 6 varies
Genetic map of one human . . . 2 Restrictive Program 8 $10,000 6 4
History of Earth, short . . . 1 Reactive Program 8 varies 6 varies
History of Earth, detailed over 20 years
...1 Halve the cost of programs one TL after they first appear and quarter them two or
Imaging, one color photo . . . 1⁄20,000 more TLs after they first appear.
Novel, paperback . . . 1⁄2000 Points: The disadvantages in a personality program reduce the robot’s programming
One page of text . . . 1⁄400,000 cost (see p. 83). However, a voluntary program is worth no points.
Programs
Complexity 1 . . . 1⁄100
Complexity 2 . . . 1⁄10 Skill Programs
Complexity 3 . . . 1 Programs can give a robot skills. Each skill program grants the robot a certain num-
Complexity 4 . . . 10 ber of character points dedicated to a specific skill. This is usually written as a number
Complexity 5 . . . 100, etc. in brackets after the skill, for example, Cooking [2]. Use the table on p. B44 to deter-
Technical Manuals . . . 1% of blueprint mine the robot’s skill level, based on the character points it has in a skill.
space Some robots – especially those with neural-net or sentient brains – will learn skills
Video, high-resolution, 10 minutes . . . 1 much as a human does. These robots don’t need skill programs, but can have them any-
way. If the robot has learned a skill, add the points granted by the skill program to the
character points in that skill to determine its effective skill level.
A robot cannot add the points from two skill programs for the same skill together;
only the highest-point skill program is used.

Brains and Programs 60

 As with other programs, skill programs are rated by Complexity, and the robot can
only run those of a Complexity equal to or less than its computer brain’s Complexity.
The Complexity of the skill program depends on the number of points it grants, as
shown below.
Hardwired Programs
Skill Program Complexity Table Normal programs exist as lines of
Character Program code. They can be deleted, copied, or
Points Complexity altered. They take up space in a robot’s
.5 1 memory, or on disk.
1 2 Hardwired programs are permanently
2 3 burned into a physical medium. They come
in small plastic cassettes and cost 50%
3 to 4 4 more than ordinary programs. The cassettes
5 to 8 5 are loaded into a computer’s ROM slots.
9 to 16 6 Normally, a computer has a number of
17 to 24 7 ROM slots equal to its Complexity rating
25 to 32 8 (see Extra ROM Slots, p. 9).
33 to 40 9 A hardwired program can only be read,
41 to 48 10 not written onto. (It’s sometimes called a
49 to 56 11 “ROM” program, for read-only memory.)
57 to 64 12 It can’t be copied or upgraded; it can’t
65 to 72 13 evolve or change. It can’t combine any
skill bonus or character points it gives
73 to 80 14 with other programs (whether hardwired
81 to 88 15 or normal).
Most advantage, skill, utility and some
At TL8, programs for mental skills cost $2,000 per character point granted up to personality programs can be hardwired.
eight points, or $4,000 per point for physical skills. If it grants up to 20 points, multiply However, any program that requires a
the cost by 2.5. If it grants more than 20 points, multiply the cost by 5. At TL9, halve neural-net or sentient brain to run can’t be
the cost. At TL10+, quarter the cost. hardwired. This is because hardwired pro-
Note that skill points placed into regular mental skills count quadruple, since all grams can’t evolve – they are stuck with
robots have Eidetic Memory 2. Multiply the character points after calculating the skill whatever is programmed into them at the
program’s Complexity, not before. Even though most TL7 to TL10 robots have very time.
However, hardwired programs run
low IQs, thanks to their eidetic memories they can still achieve respectable skill levels faster and thus can execute more logical
in mental skills. steps in less time than ordinary programs
of similar Complexity. In effect, this
E means they can be quicker and smarter. A
X We program Synthia with 4 character points in Karate, a P/H skill. This costs hardwired skill or utility program gives
A $4,000 (at TL10) and is Complexity 4; we note it as Karate [4]. Synthia now has Karate the robot a +1 bonus to skill, over and
M at its DX level. Next, we program Synthia with Demolitions [2]. As this is a mental skill, above whatever bonus the program would
it costs $1,000 and is Complexity 3. Since Synthia’s computer brain has Eidetic Memory normally give.
P But because it can’t be updated or
L 2, the 2 points in Demolitions count as 8 points, giving Synthia Demolitions at IQ+3. altered, a hardwired program’s actions can
E become predictable. If a robot uses a hard-
wired program repeatedly, someone who
observes the robot’s actions will be able to
use this knowledge against the robot. In
game terms, this means that in any
Contest of Skill in which the robot uses
that program, an opponent will have a +1
to +3 bonus, depending on how thorough-
ly he has studied the robot or the program.
(Thus, this problem doesn’t occur if
the program applies to a skill where
Contests are infrequent, like Guns combat.
For a melee weapon, it would apply to
things like feints. In skills where Contests
of Skill are frequent, like Gambling,
Merchant or Strategy, it will come into
play quite often.)
A robot can buy a new version of the
same program (one with new or different
tactics) to avoid this penalty. This negates
the penalty – until the opposition learns
the new program’s tricks!

61 Brains and Programs

 Utility Programs
These programs aren’t skills, advantages or disadvantages. They’re actually tools.
All the programs described in GURPS Space and GURPS Ultra-Tech (except for
Personality Simulation) fall into this category: Accounting, Astrogation, Damage
Data Recovery Control, Datalink, Electronics Repair, Engineering, Environmental Analysis, Expert
Systems, Gunner, Internal Security, Interpreter, Medical, News Daemon, Optical
A robot may lose data and programs as Recognition, Piloting, Routine Vehicle Operation, Targeting, Translation, Word
a result of brain damage – see the Robots
Processing.
in Action chapter. However, data recovery
techniques can sometimes retrieve these Those utility programs designed strictly for analysis of data (such as Translation),
missing chunks of memory. Even if a rather than real-time operations, can run on machines of lower than their listed
robot was destroyed, unless the part of its Complexity – they simply take an order of magnitude more time to do the analysis. The
body holding the brain was utterly annihi- reverse is true if they are run on a higher-Complexity system.
lated (reduced to -10 HT, disintegrated, Cargo Handling (TL7): The robot is programmed to carefully label, load and unload
etc.), portions of its data and memory may freight into various ships and vehicles. The program is Complexity 1.
be recoverable, perhaps enough to resur- Data Recovery (TL7): This utility program enables the robot to recover lost or delet-
rect it even if it had no backup. If the ed data. See the sidebar on this page. A data recovery program is also needed to use a
robot brain hasn’t yet been repaired, the SQUID (see p. 31). The cost of these programs is constant in every TL; a program of the
data or programs can still be retrieved.
same TL as the computer storing the data to be recovered is necessary to avoid cross-
This will allow them to be copied and run
on another computer. tech penalties (p. B185).
Data recovery techniques also allow Datalink (TL7): This enables a robot to establish a link with another computer brain
characters to physically “interrogate” a or electronic device and send, read or transmit data. A datalink program is also needed to
captured or damaged enemy robot, trans- control a robot that has a drone brain.
ferring its data or memory into their own Domestic (TL8): A sophisticated household program, this turns the robot into the per-
computers. Data recovery techniques can fect housekeeper – with the proper equipment, it will clean, tidy rooms and do laundry.
also be used to physically search a robot’s It can be instructed to keep an inventory of household stocks and take action (alert its
memory for its command codes (p. 57), owner, or shop, depending on its IQ) when supplies run low. Robots with this program
thus allowing it to be reprogrammed. often have the Cooking skill program as well.
The robot brain must be connected by
Encryption (TL7): This program allows the robot to encrypt any transmissions it
cables to the interrogating computer
(which may be another robot brain). The sends by communicator, modem or cable, so that anyone intercepting them will pick up
interrogator needs a data recovery utility only gibberish. It takes one hour to encrypt or decrypt a gigabyte of data using a
program (this page). Complexity 2 brain; increase or decrease this by a factor of 10 for each extra level of
An attempt to recover the robot’s Complexity. Normally encryption can only be reversed by someone with the key (simi-
memory, or to find a command code or lar to a password) that was used to encrypt the data. Unless the key can be guessed,
other piece of information the robot decrypting data requires a computer of higher Complexity than the encryption program,
doesn’t want to or can’t divulge takes ten
minutes and a successful Computer
Programming/TL roll. Subsequent
attempts are at -2 and take an extra ten
minutes (time and penalties are cumula-
tive per failed attempt). Any critical fail-
ure means that some damage is done in
the process – data or memories might be
erased, for instance. Success retrieves the
data or finds the information. A critical
success succeeds in half the time.
Modifiers: -4 if the robot is below 0
HT (i.e., it has not yet been repaired); -4 if
the robot’s command or override code (p.
57) is not known; -2 per level of
Complexity of the robot’s brain; -3 if
searching for a command code, or -6 if
searching for an override code. A SQUID
(p. 31) adds +3 when probing a brain of
its own TL or lower, or +1 with higher-
TL brain. Cross-tech penalties (p. B185)
apply to attempts to recover data from a
higher-TL computer (e.g., a crippled alien
robot).

Brains and Programs 62

1d days and a successful Computer Programming-6 roll. Divide the time required by
ten if the computer is two levels more complex than the encryption program, by 100 if
three levels more complex, etc.
Janitorial (TL7): The robot can perform large-scale cleaning and caretaker jobs. It Remote Control:
can detect dirt and mess and operate installed cleaning equipment or, if it has hands,
use human equipment.
Robots as Drones
Machine Operation (TL7): This program enables the robot to perform a single, spe- Any computer, or computer brain, can
control a subordinate robot remotely by
cific technical task at skill 12, or it adds +2 to the robot’s Mechanic or Electronics
using a datalink program. So can a person
skill for that particular task, whichever is higher. For instance, this program could be with a control console. The controlled
used to operate tools that fabricate a specific automobile part or repair a single kind of robot is called a drone; the computer or
damage. Computers controlling industrial robots often use one or many of these pro- person controlling it is called a controller.
grams. The controller must be in continuous
Repair (TL8): This program gives the robot a skill of (program TL+4) for repairs electronic communication with the drone
and routine maintenance only, for one specific gadget. and must use a datalink program. The
Translation (TL11): This program can analyze and translate entirely new languages drone must be programmed to obey the
with as little as ten minutes of exposure to conversation. The translation begins at a controller. This usually requires sending a
skill level of 5, and adds +1 skill level for each additional half-hour of exposure, up to a proper command code as part of the sig-
nal. See Command Codes on p. 57.
maximum of 11. The program can handle nonverbal languages if the robot has appro-
The drone continuously transmits its
priate sensors and capabilities (for instance, arms if the language requires gestures). sensory impressions to the controller,
Voiceprint Recognition (TL7): This program allows the robot to recognize an indi- which then sends control signals to “pilot”
vidual by his unique voiceprint. the drone. If contact is lost, the drone
Other Programs: Additional programs that robots may use are described in GURPS switches to its on-board computer system.
Space, GURPS Cyberpunk or GURPS Ultra-Tech. While a drone is being controlled, it is
entirely taken over by its controller. Think
Utility Program Table of this as total possession. The drone does
Program TL Cost Complexity not think or act – its personality, if any,
Cargo Handling 7 $400 1 and all mental advantages and disadvan-
tages are suppressed. The controller can
Data Recovery 7 $100 2
use its skills through the drone. When the
Datalink 7 $800 1 controller has the drone use a DX-based
Domestic 8 $1,000 2 skill, there is a negative modifier of -1 per
Encryption 7 $500* 2+ point of difference between the con-
Janitorial 7 $1,000 1 troller’s DX and the drone’s DX. If the
Machine Operation 7 $1,000 1 operator has a higher IQ than the robot
Repair 8 $500 1 and uses an IQ-based skill, there is a nega-
Translation 11 $5,000** 6 tive modifier of -1 per two points or frac-
Voiceprint Recognition 7 $1,000 2 tion of difference between the controller’s
IQ and the drone’s IQ.
If the drone’s controller is a living
* times the program’s Complexity.
being with a control console, rather than a
** plus $1,000 per extra language database. computer, there is an additional “telepres-
Except for data recovery programs, the cost halves one TL after the program first ence” modifier to all DX, IQ and skill
appears, or drops to one-fourth two or more TLs after it first appears. rolls. This negative modifier reflects the
fact that, since the person is not actually
there, his reactions are dulled. The penalty
Copying and Writing Commercial Programs
Although all programs are given a dollar price, that doesn’t mean they necessarily
depends on the TL and type of control
console being used – a simple joystick and
TV screen, for instance, is less effective
have to be purchased. People can write their own, or copy programs they have than a virtual-reality setup in which the
acquired. user can actually “be” the drone. See the
Control Consoles sidebar on p. 64.
A controller can sometimes control
Writing Programs multiple drones. If the controller is a com-
To write a program, use the New Inventions rules on p. B186, substituting Computer puter, every time the number of simulta-
Programming/TL for Engineer/TL. Apply a skill penalty equal to twice the Complexity neously-controlled drones is doubled, add
of the program rather than -15. Sometimes there are other prerequisites – consider these an additional -1 penalty to DX, IQ, skill
rules an enhancement of the rules on p. UT13. and sense rolls. Thus, if 2-3 drones are
A skill program’s creator must have, or be assisted by, someone who has that many controlled, all are at -1; if 4-7 are con-
character points in the skill. trolled they are at -2, etc. If a living opera-
A personality or advantage program’s creator, or an assistant, must have tor is controlling drones, the penalty is
more severe, since the operator is less able
Psychology skill. Rolls against both skills (at the same Complexity 2 penalty) are
to handle multiple sensory impressions.
needed to succeed. His penalty is -2 per extra drone: -2 for
For other programs, the GM can assume that only Computer Programming is need- two drones, -4 for three drones, and so on.
ed. But if the program gives the computer a bonus to skill, it’s suggested that the cre-
ator have or be assisted by someone with that skill at a level equal to or greater than
(bonus+11). If the program incorporates a skill, the skill of the creator or his assistant
should at least equal that skill level.

63 Brains and Programs

 Control Consoles
Telepresence control consoles incorpo-
rating dedicated computers enable a
human operator to remotely control a
robot. Their weight, volume and cost do
not include a communicator. The weight,
volume and cost of consoles (including
remote control programs) halve one TL
after the system first appears, and are
quartered two or more TLs after it
appears.
Basic Remote Console (TL7): The
operator controls the drone much like a
vehicle, using a joystick and instruments
to interpret the drone’s sensor readouts
and control its actions. If the drone has
visual sensors, the operator sees the
images on a television screen, for
instance. The telepresence penalty is -4.
The console is any computer terminal of
Complexity 2 or higher with a joystick
and communicator built into it, and run-
ning Datalink and Basic Remote Control
($400, Complexity 2) programs.
Advanced Remote Console (TL7):
Similar but more sophisticated. The telep-
resence penalty is -3. The console is any
computer terminal of Complexity 3 or
higher with a joystick and communicator
built into it, and running both the Datalink
and Advanced Remote Control ($2,000,
Copying Programs
Robot builders or users may wish to save money by buying only one copy of a pro-
Complexity 3) programs.
Basic VR Console (TL8): The operator
gram and making multiple copies, or by copying borrowed programs. This may not be
“gets inside” the robot using a virtual-real- legal, or it may be a gray area, allowed for personal use but not for sale.
ity rig. He wears special gloves and/or a The GM should decide how good copy protection on programs is. Programs may have
helmet, and through feedback actually no copy protection, in which case anyone can use a computer that can run the program to
experiences the drone’s sensory impres- make more copies.
sions rather than relying on instruments. If copy protection exists, assume that cracking it requires a Computer Operation-2 or
The telepresence penalty is only -2; if the Computer Programming roll. Failure corrupts the program. Some copy protection sys-
robot has the same shape and number of tems may even be designed with a booby trap, so that a critical failure introduces a virus
limbs as the operator (two arms, two legs into the copying computer, which can corrupt or destroy other programs. Of course, this
for a human operator), the penalty drops kind of booby trap may be illegal.
to -1. The console is a specialized VR rig
(30 lbs., 1.5 cf, $2,500) attached to any
Optionally, copy protection may be much tougher: perhaps -2 the program’s
computer terminal of Complexity 4 or Complexity, for instance. Or the GM can also rule that a computer program is designed in
higher running both the Datalink and VR such a way that it can’t be copied – maybe the documentation is too complex, or the
Remote Control ($5,000, Complexity 4) medium is read-only, or some other arbitrary restriction.
programs.
Neural-Interface Console (TL varies,
usually TL10): The operator controls the Bugs and Upgrades
The ability of a robot brain to be reprogrammed gives robot characters considerable
robot through a direct link between the
operator’s brain and the drone. The telep- flexibility. This doesn’t cost any extra points. Instead, the GM can occasionally have a
resence penalty is only -1, or 0 if the robot program turn out to be “buggy.” The software of the future need not be any more
drone has the same shape and number of perfect than programs available today!
limbs as the operator. TL and cost depend Any program, especially any advantage or skill program, can come complete with
on the availability of neural interface tech- associated bugs – minor flaws that occasionally pop up at inconvenient times. Newly-
nology in the campaign. A typical system
purchased programs (especially those available at this TL for the first time) are espe-
is the TL10 neural-interface helmet (3
lbs., .06 cf, $10,000) attached to a console cially likely to have bugs.
– any Complexity 4 or higher computer A robot that starts play with a program the player knows is buggy can count the bug
terminal running both the Datalink and as a Quirk. A program bought for the robot during the game that turns out to have a bug
Interface Remote Control ($5,000, is worth no points, but can be easily fixed – see Upgrades, below.
Complexity 4) programs. A character shouldn’t be able to casually test a program for bugs before buying it:
by definition, a bug is a flaw that is hidden well enough to escape the designers and
their hired quality-assurance people. Testing for bugs takes time – see Fixing Bugs,
below.

Brains and Programs 64

 A bug is best handled as a disadvantage or skill penalty that occurs in certain cir-
cumstances. Some possibilities:
A skill or advantage program that causes the robot to act erratically under stress, Ghost Programs
giving it either Berserk, Combat Paralysis or Epilepsy. Unlike a full-blown version of This special program gives a robot
the disadvantage, the robot is vulnerable only when using the skill. brain the entire personality and memories,
For instance, Synthia – as Dan learned to his regret – has a buggy Tactics [8] skill including all skills (and mental advan-
program with the Berserk disadvantage. Putting Synthia under stress won’t drive it tages, disadvantages and quirks) of a liv-
Berserk – unless it also is running Tactics. Whenever Synthia makes a Tactics roll in a ing being, effectively allowing a person to
stressful combat situation, it must also make a Will roll to avoid going Berserk! translate himself “into silicon.” It occupies
100 gigs of memory in storage!
Any skill program that works normally, but causes a critical failure result on a roll
Unlike a Personality Simulation of a
of 15+ instead of the usual chance. The GM can use a normal critical failure, or come real person, a Ghost program is fully self-
up with something special. aware. Creation of a Ghost program
For example, Gyro the Techbot fails a Mechanic roll while fixing its owner’s laser requires TL14 braintape technology (see
rifle. This becomes a critical failure due to its use of a buggy Mechanic skill program. GURPS Ultra-Tech). It may also be avail-
When Gyro’s owner comes back, Gyro has reassembled the broken laser with parts able on an experimental basis at any lower
from the coffee machine. The result produces laser-heated coffee, but won’t fire. TL where braintaping exists, at up to 100
times its TL14 cost. The program is
Upgrades Complexity 8 and costs $25,000. Halve
the cost at TL15, and again at TL16.
Most companies that sell programs will provide a free upgrade to fix a bug once the
A computer that runs a Ghost program
customers point it out to them. (That assumes the customers have a legal copy, of develops the Split Personality disadvan-
course. Companies are under no obligation to software pirates!) If the users are on the tage. The Ghost program is considered
same planet, an upgrade package may arrive within as little as 2d days. Of course, one half, the computer the other. The
should the adventurers be halfway around the galaxy at the time, they may have to wait ghost side has the being’s original DX and
months until the interstellar mail arrives! IQ, skills which are then adjusted by the
DX and IQ modifiers of the robot, and any
Fixing Bugs in Programs purely mental advantages or disadvan-
tages. The computer side has its original
If a PC wants to fix a bug, or search a program for bugs, use the same rules as for
DX, IQ and programming.
writing a program from scratch, except that the skill penalty is equal to the program’s
Complexity.

65 Brains and Programs

 Two types of exotic robots that cannot be constructed under the standard
robot creation rules – microbots and nanomorphs – are covered in this chapter.
Nanomorphs may be characters, although they will cost a great deal.
Microbots may not be taken as characters.

Microbots & Nanomorphs 66

Microbots and Cyberswarms
Sometimes smaller is better, or just more effective. Microbots are tiny robots, rang-
ing from insect to microbe-sized, with microscopic components. None of these robots
are individually intelligent by any stretch of the imagination, but they are useful tools – Cyberswarms in Combat
and sometimes very deadly weapons.
Microbots with Stinger, Terminator or
Because microbots are so small, they are treated as groups rather than as individuals. Devourer packages may make attacks.
A colony of such robots has “intelligence” superior to that of any component part, just Normally they will move to attack any
as an ant colony is an extremely adaptive organism, while each ant is amazingly stupid. entity they come upon while moving
Microbots are controlled by pinhead-sized computers running simple programs through a preprogrammed path — this
modelled on insect behavior patterns. A group of microbots is called a cyberswarm. A makes them most useful when pro-
cyberswarm consists of many microbots programmed to act in concert. They follow grammed to “sterilize” an area or to sweep
simple pre-programmed behavior, moving in a specified pattern to perform their tasks a security perimeter.
and then (if so programmed) return to base. Cyberswarms are normally used for agri- TL8 swarms may be programmed to
cultural, construction, or routine cleaning and maintenance, but cyberswarms can also attack only certain sizes of targets, and
may be programmed to distinguish
be designed for medicine, exploration or combat.
between organic and nonorganic targets.
Individual microbots are rarely larger than fleas, so cyberswarms are measured in TL9+ swarms may also be programmed to
hexes rather than individuals. A typical swarm is one hex in size, but swarms can be differentiate by species, using sophisticat-
larger. ed chemical sensors (this has no effect if
the target is in airtight armor).
Cyberswarm Design
The procedure to design cyberswarms is simple: pick a tech level; select a chassis
When the swarm comes within a preset
distance (up to its current HT in hexes) of
a permissible target, it will move to attack.
and power system; then choose an equipment package and (at TL13 or higher) decide if Use the Swarm Attacks rule on p. B143.
the swarm is made of living-metal robots. This will set the cyberswarm’s cost and capa- The effect depends on the type of swarm
bilities. All cyberswarm costs are per hex; for swarms larger than one hex, multiply the equipment package, as described on pp.
cost by the number of hexes. All cyberswarm design costs halve one TL after a system 68-69.
is introduced, and quarter two or more TLs after its introduction. When someone attacks a cyberswarm,
use the rules for attacking swarms on p.
Step One: Tech Level B143, with the exception that torches and
flaming weapons do only 1 hit of damage
Choose the tech level. Microbot cyberswarms become available at TL8, but become vs. crawler, armored crawler, gravflyer or
truly versatile only at TL9 and above. swimmer swarms. (Flyers take full dam-
age — their tiny rotors or wings are vul-
Step Two: Chassis nerable to fire.)
The chassis provides the basic body, motive system, sensors and brain. Select the Damage is applied to each hex of
chassis for the cyberswarm, and calculate its cost. cyberswarm; when the damage equals or
Crawler (TL8): Each microbot resembles a tiny metallic ant, flea or beetle. It has exceeds the cyberswarm’s HT, it is effec-
tively destroyed. Lesser damage also has
Move 3 (on the ground) or 1 (swimming). It costs $4,000.
an effect, reducing the swarm’s effective
Armored Crawler (TL9): Similar to a crawler, it has a tougher shell. Armored skill and IQ as described under Step Two:
crawlers can survive corrosive atmospheres or high gravity, and are also less vulnerable Chassis, on this page.
to attacks; see Cyberswarms in Combat, this page. It has Move 2 (on the ground) and Gas and non-corrosive atmospheres
costs $6,000. have no effect on cyberswarms, nor does
Flyer (TL9): This looks like a cross between a tiny attack helicopter and a mechani- vacuum. Most high-tech and ultra-tech
cal wasp or bee. Its Move is (TL-6) 2 (if flying) or 2 (on the ground). A flyer swarm is weapons inflict only 1 hit per attack.
more fragile than other swarms. It costs $10,000. However, any weapon that affects a wide
Swimmer(TL8): Individual microbots resemble tiny tadpoles with teeth and arms. area (such as a shotgun, a mage’s flame
They have Move 4 (swimming only). It costs $4,000. jet, a flamethrower or flamer, a screamer,
or the concussion damage from an explo-
Gravflyer (TL12): This microbot can look like almost anything; most are spheres or
sion) does full damage to a flying swarm,
ovoids with tiny arms and legs. It flies using contragravity and tiny reactionless half damage to a crawling, swimming or
thrusters. Its Move is (TL-6) 4 (flying) or 3 (on the ground). It costs $8,000. grounded flying swarm, and one-third
A cyberswarm’s HT is equal to its TL+3. Its skill at any task it is equipped for (see damage to an armored swarm. (Of course,
Step Four: Equipment Package on p. 68) is equal to its current HT, while its IQ is attacks with fire will have little effect on a
equal to its current HT/3, rounded down. Since it is effectively a hive intelligence, the swarm swimming underwater.)
more damage the swarm takes, the stupider it gets! Microbots with Devourer weaponry
A cyberswarm behaves as if it had the following disadvantages: Low Empathy (p. can attack other cyberswarms, doing their
88), Reprogrammable Duty (p. 89) and Slave Mentality (p. 89). full damage each turn to them.

Step Three: Power System

Select one of the following power systems for the cyberswarm, and calculate its
cost. The cost of power systems remains constant over different TLs; only the
endurance improves.

67 Microbots & Nanomorphs

 Rechargeable AA cell (TL8): The robots use small power cells, which power them
Cyberswarm Hive for (TL-6) hours; each hour of flight consumes as much power as two hours of crawl-
Normally mounted in a full-size robot ing. (A flyer swarm can conserve power by crawling.) The cyberswarm can recharge by
or vehicle, this container houses a one-hex entering a cyberswarm hive (see p. 68) and hooking themselves up to an attached
cyberswarm. It includes recharging points, power supply; recharging the swarm requires 1,800 KWS of power per hour the swarm
enabling the cyberswarm to recharge from can operate for. It costs $2,000.
the robot’s power system. It weighs 10 Non-Rechargeable AA cell (TL8): As above, but the microbots operate for twice as
lbs., costs $200 and takes up .5 cf. long. However, the power cells must be replaced rather than recharged after each use. It
costs $2,000; it costs the same amount to replace the cells.
Solar AA cell (TL8): The microbots use rechargeable AA cells and also have small
solar panels built into their bodies or wings. They function like cyberswarms with
Anti-Cyberswarm Weapons rechargeable cells; also, in bright light they can recharge 30 minutes of operating power
Two specialized hand-held weapons for each hour they remain dormant. It costs $4,000.
can be especially useful against a flying Total Conversion (TL16): Tiny “total conversion” units, fuelled by trivial amounts
cyberswarm. They are: of normal matter (usually air or dust), power the microbots indefinitely. It costs $6,000.
Flyswatter (TL1): Does 2 hits of dam-
age/turn to a cyberswarm. It weighs .2 lbs.
and costs $2. Step Four: Equipment Package
Monowire Flyswatter (TL9): Uses a A microbot’s equipment package includes its specialized tools, manipulators, pro-
mesh of monowire. It is much more effec- gramming and sensors. Select one of the following packages for the cyberswarm, and
tive, doing 1d+1 damage/turn to a cyber- calculate its cost. The cost halves one TL after the package is first introduced, or is
swarm. It weighs .2 lbs. and costs $100. quartered two or more TLs after its introduction.
Actually, the best way to fight a cyber- Cleaning (TL8): The swarm is programmed to move around a predetermined area,
swarm is with area effect weapons such as removing dust and grit, polishing smooth surfaces with tiny brushes. Cleaning swarms
grenades or flamethrowers, or even anoth- are equipped with sensors that can determine when material might be damaged by their
er cyberswarm.
actions; they can polish lenses safely, and can even harmlessly clean
people, though very few people find the sensation pleasant! Each hex
of microbots can thoroughly clean one hex every minute. Cleaning
microbots are among the most common cyberswarms; some large
spacecraft and buildings have permanent colonies of solar-powered
cleaning swarms to polish windows, viewports and sensor lenses. The
package costs $2,000.
Construction (TL8): The cyberswarm is designed to tunnel, dig
ditches, etc. It is equipped with small arms and digging jaws. Each hex
of swarm can dig as if it had ST equal to TL, and a pick and shovel
(see p. B90). Construction swarms are often employed for mining, or
civil or military engineering. Construction swarms can also pile up
loose earth, rock, etc. into ramparts, dykes or walls. The package costs
$2,000.
Defoliator (TL8): This swarm kills foliage within its hex, but has no
effect on other living creatures. It takes the swarm ten seconds to strip a
hex clean of bushes or foliage. It can also be programmed to trim grass;
this takes one minute per hex. At TL9 and up, it may be programmed to
affect specific plants (for example, weeds). It costs $1,000.
Devourer (TL9): This model of microbot has small monomolecular
jaws; a swarm of a thousand such robots can chew through almost any
barrier or armor, given time. Any target, organic or machine, caught in
a devourer cyberswarm takes [1d-7 + (swarm TL)] points of damage
per turn. DR protects normally if it covers the entire body, but a cyber-
swarm that cannot penetrate armor will destroy 1 point of armor DR
every turn. It costs $8,000.
Explorer (TL8): The swarm is programmed to probe in a spiral pat-
tern, using contact sensors to take minute chemical samples of material
it contacts. Explorer cyberswarms may be programmed to look for par-
ticular mineral or chemical traces, water, organic molecules, etc. After a
predetermined search pattern, the swarm is programmed to deposit its
samples in an automated “analysis hive” that collects and chemically
analyzes them. One hex of swarm samples can be processed by the hive
per minute. By analyzing data as to where and when the swarm found
things or encountered impassable barriers (such as water, if the swarm
cannot swim or fly), the hive’s dedicated computer can build up a map
of the area they have explored. It costs $2,000. An analysis hive is
$1,000, 20 lbs., 1 cf, HT 6.
Medical (TL10): The swarm is designed to perform First Aid on liv-
ing organisms, with a skill equal to its current HT. Each hex of medical

Microbots & Nanomorphs 68

microbots can treat one person at a time. A medical swarm is composed of a variety of
individual subtypes, some designed to “taste” blood to perform diagnosis, while others
cut away damaged tissue, clean wounds, sew up cuts, inject drugs, or even enter the Cannibal Nanokits (TL11)
body to perform internal repairs or diagnosis. A swarm first stops bleeding, then injects Want to be prepared, but don’t want to
the drug Quickheal (healing 1d hits within 10 minutes). While the drug is taking effect, actually carry a ton of hardware? Need to
the microbots perform first aid (taking 30 minutes), cleaning and repairing damaged tis- sneak past low-tech customs with a con-
sue. On a successful roll vs. their First Aid skill, they heal a further 1d hits. A medical cealed firearm? No problem. Just buy a
few tubes of cannibal nano.
swarm has enough of the drug to heal ten people; after that, it cannot inject Quickheal
A cannibal nanokit appears to be a
and heals only 1d-2 hits per successful first aid attempt. It costs $12,000; a new drug tube, can, or canister (depending on how
pack is $200. much is carried) of white gooey paste. The
Pesticide (TL8): The swarm is equipped to hunt down and eliminate fleas, spiders paste actually contains countless nanoma-
and other insects. Flyer swarms can also engage and destroy flies and mosquitos. The chines programmed to cannibalize other
microbots’ actions are harmless to humans, although they can be entertaining or dis- objects to build a single, specific gadget.
tracting. It costs $2,000. To use it, the nanokit is squeezed onto a
Pollinator (TL9): The swarm functions as artificial “bees,” spreading pollen or suitable object that has raw materials simi-
seeds. This is useful if normal insects are not available, or cannot adapt to local climate lar to whatever it is building. Mechanical
or ecology. It costs $2,000. devices (guns, engines) generally require
objects made of metal. Plastics are often
Repair (TL8): The swarm has the tools and programming to repair a single, specific
broken down to make gasses, propellants,
model of equipment, much as a human with a mini-tool kit, plus appropriate Mechanic etc. Electronic devices or energy weapons
or Electronics skill equal to the swarm’s current HT. The package costs $1,000; each require other electronic systems to canni-
extra model of equipment the ’bots can be programmed to fix adds $500 to the cost, to balize. However, there are few other
a maximum of (TL-7) 2 types of equipment per swarm. restrictions – a cannibal nanokit can turn a
Stinger (TL8): The microbots have tiny jaws or stinging needles. The swarm does 1 toaster into a gyroc launch pistol or a
point of damage per turn to living beings (only) it contacts, unless they are completely motorcycle into a suit of powered armor.
covered in airtight armor. It costs $3,000. It takes the nanokit one minute to build
Terminator (TL9): As above, but with especially virulent nerve poison. Anyone tak- the object per pound of finished weight;
ing damage must make a HT roll one minute after being hit, with a penalty equal to the the nanokit will usually eat the objects in
close proximity. Whether the result works
cumulative damage of the stingers. A success means only 1d of damage is taken; a
or not depends on whether the nanokit has
failed roll means total paralysis, and 2d damage per hour until the victim dies or enough suitable material. In doubtful
receives an antidote. It costs $4,000. cases, the GM can roll 3d vs. the kit’s TL,
with modifiers for availability. Whatever
Step Five: Disguised and Living Metal Swarms is cannibalized is, of course, destroyed (or
At TL9 and above, any swarm can be disguised as a swarm of real insects of similar rather, transformed). The process also pro-
duces residual heat, so it’s best to start it
size or shape. This costs an extra $4,000 per hex. Successful use of a scanner (bio, rad
on a nonflammable surface (like a counter
or chem) will reveal a disguised swarm’s robotic nature. top or concrete garage floor) and to turn
At TL13 and above, any swarm can be made of living metal (p. 70). As long as it off smoke detectors.
has not been reduced to 0 HT or less, a living-metal swarm regenerates 1 hit point Cannibal nanokits are specific to one
every hour. A living-metal swarm costs twice as much as normal; double the costs of gadget or weapon (although a single kit
chassis, power and equipment packages. may build several closely related gadgets
as long as they can all be fused into one
Finishing Up object, for instance, a gun with laser sight,
or a helmet with built-in infrared goggles).
Record the swarm’s Move, endurance in hours, HT, and any damage it inflicts. A tube of cannibal nano costs 300% of
Come up with a name for the cyberswarm (such as particular company trademarks, for the intended gadget’s cost, and is limited
example, “Xenotech Biocide Mk. 2.”). to constructing gadgets or weapons that
appear at least a TL before the nano’s own
TL. Its weight and volume are 1% of the
Controlling Swarms
A cyberswarm can take orders via datalink from any computer; swarms are equipped
gadget’s normal weight and volume. The
Legality Rating of cannibal nano is gener-
to receive (but not send) radio, laser and (at TL12 and above) gravity-ripple or neutrino ally the same as the equipment it builds.
signals. The operator must know proper access codes for that particular swarm – each is The exceptions are any weapons or armor,
which have half their normal LC (round
different. These orders are limited to actions relating to its equipment package, to down).
movement, or to recharging. A small container of cannibal nano can
be easily disguised. For instance, cannibal

Sense Rolls
If a cyberswarm has to make a roll to notice something, use its current HT as its
nano designed to build a laser pistol (1
pound) weighs only .01 lbs. and could be
disguised as a tube of something innocu-
generic sense roll. ous – lip gloss, cleaning virus, or whatev-
er. A cannibal nanokit designed to build a
cybersuit (p. UT93) would weigh less than
Multiple Swarms
Multiple friendly swarms will work together, but the effects of several swarms in a
a pound and could be disguised as a bottle
of shampoo. Also, since TL11 lip gloss or
single hex are not additive. Cyberswarms generally avoid “stacking,” in order to cover shampoo may well use nanomachines, a
cursory scan or inspection would turn up
more area, unless commanded to do so. nothing strange.

69 Microbots & Nanomorphs

 Nanotechnology
Nanomachines (sometimes called nanobots, nanoids or nanites) are cell-sized or
Nanotech Weapons smaller machines capable of manipulating individual molecules to perform precise
chemical and biological engineering. This molecular engineering is called nanotechnol-
Nanomachines can also be used as
weapons: just as they can put things ogy. Experimental nanomachines appear as early as TL8 or TL9, but unique problems
together, they can also take them apart. of heat, power and precise control on the molecular level keep nanotechnology from
The “Nanoburn” and “Disassembler” maturing fully until TL13.
chemical weapons (mentioned on p. 30), Nanotechnology is an industrial process; nanomachine assemblers generally build
which attack the target on the molecular the gadgets that people use, making them stronger, lighter and cheaper, rather than
level, are an example of this. being gadgets or tools themselves. By TL10, for instance, many sophisticated devices,
from computers to armor, are likely to use parts constructed with nanotechnology; this
Nanoburn (TL9) is already reflected in the reduced cost and weight and the increased effectiveness that
An ultra-tech nerve agent using a sus-
higher TL equipment has. Objects manufactured using advanced nanotechnology often
pension of nanomachines designed to
invade the body and break down bodily appear seamless, with no obvious toolmarks, as if they have been grown rather than
functions, Nanoburn is effective against built.
all carbon-based life forms. A HT-6 roll is Nanomachines are also capable of special effects that ordinary technology cannot
required to avoid being paralyzed for (30- duplicate. For instance, nanomachines left inside the material they have built can alter
HT) minutes. If paralyzed, take 1d-1 dam- the shape of the material upon command (e.g., pressure or electrical signals). An appar-
age every three minutes over the next 30 ently smooth wall could suddenly transform into a door or window, or clothes could be
minutes. Normal nerve poison antidotes fashioned that alter their shape to fit the wearer perfectly. Nanobots have many other
are ineffective, but the drug Torpine (p. uses: for example, ultra-tech miracle drugs may well be injections of tiny nanobot sur-
UT85) stops the damage once taken. A geons rather than actual drugs. Some other uses are described in this chapter’s sidebars.
person who has had the Osiris Treatment
An example of a TL10 nanotechnological material is “bioplastic” (bioplas), a tough
(p. 71) is at +6 to resist Nanoburn; if he
fails, gets an additional resistance (against pseudo-organic material which can alter its rigidity and shape in response to electrical
his basic HT) every three minutes. signals, and can even repair or regrow damage to itself. Bioplas is used in TL10+ non-
Nanoburn costs $5 per dose at TL9; rigid and reflex armor. A far more sophisticated material is TL13 living metal, a mater-
this halves at TL10, and again at TL11+. ial stronger than diamond that can actually regrow, repairing any damage it suffers.
Normally sprayed from a spray gun or Ordinary robots may be built with bioplas armor or living-metal components, as
spray tank, it may also be used as filler for described in the Robot Design chapter. But it’s also possible to build a robot entirely
a chemical grenade or shell. out of these materials: the nanomorph robot described below.
Disassembler (TL11)
A cloud of nanobots programmed to
break down matter, Disassembler sticks to
anything in the area of effect and begins to
eat, reducing the target to powder or goo.
Unlike other chemical weapons, after
being sprayed or released from a warhead,
the cloud remains in the air for only one
turn; then it falls to the ground like rain
(and begins eating away at the ground).
Thus, objects will only be affected if they
are in the area of effect when the disas-
semblers are released. Anything the disas-
semblers fall upon takes (TL-9) dice of
damage per second; if the damage fails to
penetrate DR, the disassemblers instead
eat through (TL-9) points of armor DR.
The disassemblers remain potent for 30
seconds; after that, they self-destruct.
Used as a digging tool, disassemblers can
turn packed earth or stone into fine pow-
der, digging (TL-9) inches within the
radius of the cloud every second.
Disassembler costs $40 per dose; the cost
halves at TL12, and again at TL13+.
Disassembler is normally sprayed from
a spray gun or spray tank. It may also be
used as filler for a chemical grenade or
shell.

Microbots & Nanomorphs 70

Nanomorphs
Nanomorphs are robots composed entirely of advanced molecular machinery,
enabling them to constantly alter their shape. Examples of nanomorphs in science fic- Symbiotic Nanomachines
tion include the advanced flickerclad robots in Rudy Rucker’s Wetware, the liquid- Just as “living-metal” technology can
metal terminator in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the Paranoids in the Gall Force ani- enable a robot or cyborg to regenerate
damage, self-repair nanomachines can
mated series and some of the Boomer cyberdroids in the Bubblegum Crisis animated
also be benevolent residents within a
series. The creature from the second Thing movie and the parasite “bio weapons” from human (or alien, or android) body.
the animated movie and comic book Iczer One might also be considered nanomorphs.
Nanomorphs make excellent “monsters,” and are best used as adversaries rather than Osiris Treatment (TL10)
player characters. GMs should exercise caution in allowing nanomorph PCs – they can This is an injection of self-replicating
easily unbalance a campaign. microscopic symbiotic nanomachines.
Circulating through the body like white

Building a Nanomorph
A nanomorph is not built like a normal robot. To build a nanomorph, simply decide
blood cells, these benign nanoids perform
cellular repairs, replace blood cells, neu-
tralize the toxins that cause aging, and
what TL produced it, and then choose a volume in cubic feet (minimum 0.1 cf). A destroy disease organisms. The result is
human-sized nanomorph should be between 2 and 4 cf. rapid regeneration of nearly any injury,
Nanomorphs may be built either of bioplastic or living metal. Bioplastic virtual immunity to illness and successful
retardation of aging.
nanomorphs are first seen at TL11. Living-metal nanomorphs are available starting at Implanting the Osiris nanoids requires
TL14. a six-hour hospital stay at a clinic.
Bioplas nanomorphs cost $50,000 per cf at TL11. This cost halves at TL12, and Afterwards, a patient injected with them
again at TL13 or above. They weigh 25 lbs. per cf. can regenerate 1 hit point per hour; crip-
Living-metal nanomorphs cost $100,000 per cf at TL13. This cost halves at TL15, pled limbs heal at five times normal
and again at TL16 or above. They weigh 50 lbs. per cf. speed. He also gets the Longevity and
Exotic Abilities: Nanomorphs may be built with special nanotechnological abilities Immunity to Disease advantages. Osiris
to dissolve or absorb matter. Any nanomorph at TL12 or above can be designed with nanites have one disadvantage: exposure
the ability to “disassemble” matter it envelops, dissolving it into gray goo. This costs to strong radiation may result in their
$100,000 (regardless of the nanomorph’s size). For an extra $400,000, a nanomorph at mutating. Roll 3d when the PC suffers 100
or more rads. On a roll of 15 or less, noth-
TL13 and above that can “disassemble” matter may also be given the ability to either ing happens. On a 16 the nanoids die; on a
absorb matter into its body (allowing it grow) or to absorb memories of living things; 17-18, they mutate. If this happens, the
for an extra $800,000 it may have both abilities. effects are up to the GM (for example,
losing HT at the listed rate instead of
Statistics regenerating, losing Appearance as they
A bioplas nanomorph’s ST is four times its volume; a living-metal nanomorph’s ST begin eating the body, etc.)
is eight times its volume. Modify this by the number of arms it currently has extruded Osiris treatments cost $500,000 (and
(see below). optionally 40 points). The cost halves at
A nanomorph’s entire body functions as a decentralized brain. A nanomorph has the TL11, and again at TL12+.
innate advantages Absolute Timing, Eidetic Memory 2, Lightning Calculator and Proteus Nanomachines (TL10+)
Mathematical Ability. It has the disadvantages Reprogrammable Duty (p. 89) and Lack These nanomachines enter the body and
of Empathy. rewrite the genetic code. Taking control of
It has the same capacities for running programs as a sentient computer brain with a a cell’s metabolism, they can alter the
Complexity equal to its TL-5, save that it has no disk drive or ROM slots. Moreover, its genetic information contained within it, or
DX and IQ depend on its size, as shown below. insert entirely new genes. A relatively sim-
ple type (TL10 or TL11), costing about
Nanomorph DX and IQ $50,000, may change the target’s sex or
Size in cf DX IQ alter his skin color; a complex one (TL12
.1 to .9 9 + (TL/2) TL-4 and up) could alter the body in a radical
1 to 9.9 8 + (TL/2) TL-3 fashion, effectively transforming a normal
10 to 99.9 7 + (TL/2) TL-2 person into a bioroid or alien race, with
new racial advantages and disadvantages.
100 to 999.9 6 + (TL/2) TL-1
The nanomachines may enter the body
1,000 or more 5 + (TL/2) TL through injection, spray, etc. They take
effect after 1d 5 minutes. A HT-6 roll is
A nanomorph has a split HT, just like an animal. Its HT is its TL+2. Its hit points are allowed to resist being transformed.
five times its volume in cf (minimum HT 1). Contact with the blood or other secretions
All nanomorphs are considered to be Legality Rating 0. of an infected person during the 1d 5-
minute incubation phase may result in
Point Cost infection (roll HT-3 to resist being trans-
formed). An Osiris treatment gives a +6 to
A nanomorph’s design point cost is 400 points for a bioplas nanomorph or 450
resist.
points for a living-metal nanomorph; add the cost of ST, DX, IQ and HT based on the
table on p. B13 (for ST 15 or higher, use the table on p. 46 in Robot Design).
If the hit points of the nanomorph differ from its Health, add 5 points to its cost for
every hit point above Health or subtract 5 for every hit point below Health.

71 Microbots & Nanomorphs

 A nanomorph with the disassembler ability costs an extra 100 points, or 200 points
if it has the ability to absorb memories. A matter-absorbing nanomorph’s point cost is
not settled, since it can change; matter-absorbing nanomorphs should be NPCs, not
player characters!
Transforming Systems
Use of bioplas and, later, living-metal
nanotechnology (see p. 70) allows a
Nanomorphs in Action
A nanomorph’s entire body acts as a sensor. This gives it the same sensory ability as
device to transform into something else. a human being, with the addition that it has 360-degree vision. It can see, hear and taste
Reconfigurable Components (TL11): with any part of its body – it could extend a finger around a corner, for instance, and
A reconfigurable component is part of a
see with that.
robot that can alter its shape and function.
To design a reconfigurable robot compo- A nanomorph has the same communication ability as a robot with a basic communi-
nent, pick two or more pieces of equip- cator (p. 14) but no special options; it can speak by vibrating part of its body, and can
ment within 20% of one another’s weight physically interface with another computer brain (by plugging a finger or tendril into it)
and volume. The reconfigurable compo- exactly like a robot that uses a cable jack.
nent can then alter its shape and function, A nanomorph’s entire body functions as a rechargeable power cell; its skin acts as a
transforming into each of these devices. solar collector. The nanomorph can function for 20 hours, plus five more per TL over
Reconfiguring components is done at will, TL11, on its normal power reserve. After that it becomes inert. Each hour the
but the process takes (16 - TL) seconds, nanomorph spends in bright light will recharge one hour of power. A nanomorph can
during which neither component can be spread itself into a flat pancake shape to increase its recharge rate to two hours of
used. The weight and volume of a recon-
power per hour, but it can’t do anything else while it is recharging at that rate.
figurable component is that of the largest
single component. The cost of a reconfig- Since they are built entirely of bioplastic or living metal, nanomorphs can reshape
urable system is equal to the combined their bodies voluntarily, enabling them to perform exceptional feats.
cost of all components it has times its total
number of functions. For example, if two Division and Combination
devices are combined and one costs A nanomorph can split into two nanomorphs, each half its size. To divide, a
$1,500 and the other costs $30,000, the nanomorph must concentrate for two seconds. Each part of the nanomorph has the orig-
actual cost would be $31,500 2 functions inal’s memory, but only half its volume; recalculate its statistics based on its new size.
= $63,000. The saving in weight and vol-
ume doesn’t come cheap. The power
The nanomorph’s current hit points are split evenly between its two shapes (round
requirement depends on which function is up). Recalculate its ST, DX and IQ based on its new size; skill levels may increase or
being used. decrease if DX or IQ changes.
Reconfigurable Gadgets (TL11): A Involuntary division may occur if a nanomorph takes 3 its hit points or more in
reconfigurable gadget doesn’t have to be damage for a single explosive (exp. damage) attack. Roll 1d+1 to see how many frag-
mounted in a robot. For example, a secret ments of more or less equal size the nanomorph makes; they will scatter around a circle
agent may own a communicator that of 1d yards radius.
reconfigures itself into a graser pistol. The Two nanomorphs that are touching can concentrate for two seconds and combine to
titular gadget in Larry Niven's story “The form a larger nanomorph. Recalculate the nanomorph’s statistics as if it were a single
Soft Weapon” is an example of this sort of nanomorph equal to the combined volume. When nanomorphs combine, they share
device. A reconfigurable gadget usually
has some form of obvious or hidden con-
each other’s memories and experiences.
trol to trigger its metamorphosis, or it may
simply be voice-controlled. Damaging a Nanomorph
Transforming Robots (TL11): Rather The nanomorph’s brain and power system are distributed through its body – it has
than reconfigure individual components, no vitals, and no hit locations with special effects. When a nanomorph takes damage,
an entire robot may be built to transform! don’t bother to determine a hit location. Just apply the damage to its hit points.
To design a robot that can turn into a dif- A nanomorph has PD 3 if built of bioplas or PD 4 if built of living metal. Its DR is
ferent robot, a vehicle, or any other tech- its TL-10. However, divide any damage that penetrates its DR by 5 if the nanomorph is
nological gadget, build each form sepa-
rately. As above, the cost is the combined
made of bioplas, or by 10 if it is made of living metal. (This division occurs after multi-
cost times the number of transformations. ples for explosive projectiles or the like.)
Thus, a man-sized robot might transform A nanomorph also takes no extra damage from impaling attacks (but cutting attacks
into a motorcycle (built using the GURPS get their normal +50% damage multiple). It takes no extra damage from attacks against
Vehicles rules), or a small robot could eyes, brains, vitals, etc.
turn into a camera. Any damage suffered All nanomorphs regenerate. Bioplas nanomorphs regenerate at 1 hit per minute; liv-
by one form is carried over when the robot ing-metal nanomorphs regenerate 1 hit per turn. A nanomorph whose hit points fall
changes; this may be dangerous if the new below 0 is automatically incapacitated until it has regenerated to positive hit points.
form has fewer hit points. If one form is A nanomorph never has to make HT rolls to avoid death, but if reduced below
reduced to 0 hit points, the robot cannot -10 HT, it is destroyed.
transform until it is repaired.
The point cost of a reconfigurable sys-
Unlike normal robots, nanomorphs take full shock, stun and knockdown results, just
tem or robot equals the cost of the most like a human being. If a nanomorph ever has to make a HT roll to recover from or to
expensive individual function plus 20% of avoid stun or shock results, use its TL instead of HT. A nanomorph that takes 3 its HT
the cost of each of its other forms. in damage from a single explosive attack may split into smaller ’morphs – see above.

Nanomorphing
Nanomorphs can shape their bodies into almost any solid form, from a humanoid
shape to a blob to a flat sheet. This takes it only one turn of concentration, and enables it

Microbots & Nanomorphs 72

 Special Nanomorph Powers
Disassembler: A living-metal nanomorph
with this ability can release nanomachines
that dissolve objects into gray goo. To do this
the nanomorph must physically envelop the
object it intends to dissolve and then make a
ST roll, at -1 for every 10 full points of com-
bined DR and HT the object has (use hit
points, if the subject has a split HT). (If the
nanomorph is dissolving parts of a building,
use the HT+DR of a single hex of building.)
If the nanomorph’s roll fails, nothing hap-
pens (it can try again next turn). If it suc-
ceeds, it dissolves the object and expends .1
hour of its stored power. This attack is fatal
to both living beings and machines.
Matter Absorption: As above, but the
nanomorph’s body absorbs the dissolved
matter. A living-metal nanomorph gains .02
cf of volume per pound of metal it “eats.”
The process takes only one turn per attempt.
Bioplas nanomorphs can absorb organic
matter (including plastics), gaining .04 cf of
to slip under doors, through narrow air ducts, or the like. A nanomorph can also sculpt mass for every pound of organic matter
itself into something resembling a metal sculpture of any kind of object whose volume is absorbed. Matter that can’t be absorbed is
more or less identical to its own; to do so realistically, it must have a model it can study. excreted. As a nanomorph absorbs more
A nanomorph can also electronically “paint” its surface in whatever color or combi- matter, its ST will increase, allowing it to
nation of colors desired, much like a chameleon system (p. 42). If it has a model to absorb still more! However, it will gradual-
work from, it can use this ability in conjunction with its shapeshifting to produce an ly deplete its own stored power in the
exact duplicate of any object that is more or less solid, such as a person. process, limiting its ultimate growth.
A nanomorph can also reshape only a portion of its body. Some useful tricks the Memory Absorption: A nanomorph with
nanomorph can do: this ability can steal the memories and per-
sonality of any living being or computer
Motive System: A nanomorph can shift between flexibody and leg forms of mobility,
brain that it disassembles by recording the
or change its number of legs. A nanomorph with a flexibody is a blob with Move 6; it chemical and electrical structure of the
has the advantage of having no side or rear hexes, only front hexes. A nanomorph with brain as it absorbs them. The memory and
legs may have two or more legs. One with two or three legs has Move 12. A personality are stored within its own com-
nanomorph with four or more legs has Move 20 but is at -1 to DX. It takes two turns to puter brain’s memory as a Ghost program
shift between leg and flexibody forms, or to alter the number of legs. (p. 65), provided the nanomorph has the
Multiple Arms: A nanomorph can extrude multiple arms that function as standard memory space. The nanomorph can access
arms. The more arms it has, the lower their ST. The ST of an individual arm is equal to or download these memories using its built-
ST 4 (if bioplas) or ST 8 (if living metal) the nanomorph’s volume/number of arms in cable jack, much like any other computer
extruded. It cannot make multiple attacks without a Full Coordination program (p. 59), programs. (Thus, the memory and personal-
ity of someone “eaten” by a memory-
no matter how many limbs it extends.
absorbing nanomorph could, perhaps, be
Weaponry: A nanomorph can alter any of its arms or hands into unpowered solid restored to life in a different body.)
metal weapons or tools, such as swords, axes, crowbars, screwdrivers or hammers.
Bioplas nanomorphs cannot form tools or weapons with sharp points (for example,
weapons doing cutting or impaling damage). To create weapons other than a club, the
nanomorph must either be programmed with that weapon skill or Armoury at skill 12 or Parasite Seeds
higher. To shape its arms into tools more sophisticated than a crowbar (for instance, A parasite seed, a small capsule the
screwdrivers or pliers), the nanomorph must have Mechanic skill at 12 or better. The size of an apple seed, is a template for a
weight of the tool or weapon may not be greater than 3 lbs. per cf of nanomorph volume. bioplas nanomorph. To be activated, it
must be placed inside an organic animal
Weapons formed by a living-metal nanomorph are automatically very fine quality; (or a human!) – by being either injected or
those formed by a bioplastic nanomorph are of standard quality. A living-metal swallowed. It then releases nanomachines
nanomorph with Armoury-15 or better can create weapons with a monomolecular edge; that begin transforming that being, using
against cutting or impaling attacks, DR protects at one-tenth its normal value. It takes its body mass as raw material to construct
the nanomorph one second of concentration to shape a body weapon or tool. a bioplas nanomorph. Each hour, the sub-
Lockpicking: A nanomorph can insert its finger into a normal mechanical lock and ject make a HT-4 roll. Any success kills
adjust its shape to pick that lock: this gives it +5 to lockpicking attempts. the parasite seed. Any failure reduces the
victim’s HT by an amount equal to the
Prints: A nanomorph can give itself any kind of fingerprint, palm print, or footprint. failure. When HT is reduced to 0, he dies
Envelopment: A nanomorph grappling someone who masses less than it does can and his body is transformed into that of a
envelop his entire body. A person enveloped by a nanomorph will take normal suffoca- bioplas nanomorph whose volume is the
tion effects; the nanomorph can also do strangling damage based on its ST. Any host’s weight/50 cf. A parasite seed is
attempt to break free is at -5! A nanomorph with the disassembler ability can then pro- TL12, and costs twice as much as an ordi-
ceed to dissolve its victim; see the Special Nanomorph Powers sidebar on p. 73. nary nanomorph, plus the cost of any pro-
grams the nanomorph was given. In com-
A nanomorph of near-human size (1 to 5 cf) can use human-type clothing and armor bat, a parasite seed can be delivered by a
if it maintains a shape with two arms and two legs. drug injector.

73 Microbots & Nanomorphs

 A biological android, sometimes called a bioroid, artificial per-
son, organic robot, replicant or living artifact, is a being created
artificially using biological materials, and grown in a vat rather
than built. Biological androids are created by using nanomachines
or tailored retroviruses to modify baseline human genetic materi-
al, inserting other genes from humans or animals to produce cer-
tain traits. The result can be a subhuman slave, an “improved
human” super-race, or a new, half-human half-animal race. The
advantage a bioroid has over a normal robot is its human brain.

Biological Androids 74
 Living artifacts are usually grown to do dangerous tasks disadvantages: a bioroid built to serve as a super-agent will be
(like soldiering, serving as secret agents, or working in haz- quite different from one intended to work as a zero-G construc-
ardous environments), or to perform demeaning or low-status tion specialist, for instance.
jobs (like prostitution). Because bioroids are specially-built A particular “model” of biological android is designed with
genetic constructs, they can be designed with special abilities a mix of attribute bonuses, advantages and disadvantages,
that let them do these jobs better than the humans they replace: which are shared by every other example of that model. The
gills for an underwater worker, heightened reflexes for a sol- total of advantages and disadvantages is its model point cost –
dier, or exotic looks and an enhanced sex drive for a courtesan. the number of character points that must be paid to play that
But this can lead to conflict between genetic constructs and model of biological android, or, if negative, the points that are
humans – is the bioroid a sub-human slave, simply a different received for playing it. The suggested maximum model point
form of human, or a member of a new race of super-humans? cost is 100 points for one intended as a PC in an ordinary cam-
Should it be treated as a human or as a machine? Is it ethical to paign. But in a supers or other high-character-point game this
build a race of warrior-slaves or sex toys and then condition maximum can be ignored!
them to obedience? What if they develop a desire for indepen- Creating a particular model of biological android consists of
dence, and run away or revolt? These questions, and the con- selecting an assortment of advantages and disadvantages. As
flict they produce, are the stuff of adventures. with character creation, each of these advantages and disadvan-
Ideas for how biological androids and society interact can be tages has a positive or negative point value. All these are
found in the film Bladerunner (based on Philip K. Dick’s novel totaled to find a final model point cost, positive or negative. If
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), the Japanese manga positive, the model point cost is treated like an advantage and
Appleseed, and the novels Friday by Robert A. Heinlein, must be paid to take that model of bioroid as a character. If neg-
Cyteen, Port Eternity and Serpent’s Reach by C.J. Cherryh, The ative, it gives extra character points, like a disadvantage – but
Dragon Never Sleeps by Glen Cook, Schismatrix and the does not count against the normal total of -40 points of disad-
Crystal Express anthology by Bruce Sterling, and Norstrilia by vantages and -5 points of quirks.
Cordwainer Smith. The adventure “The Medusa Sanction” in
GURPS Cyberpunk Adventures focuses on a group of biologi- Technological Limits
cal android terrorists (or freedom fighters) battling the mega- Biological androids can be built starting at TL9, but some
corporations that create and enslave them. GURPS Space Atlas advantages and disadvantages not available until higher TLs.
4 describes the gene-altered “parahuman” cultures of the It’s also possible that magic may be able to perform genetic
Federation and their political conflict with the humans that modifications, allowing alchemists to create bioroids in their
engineered them. vats at TL1-3. Jack Vance’s classic fantasy collection The
Not all campaigns will have biological android technology. Dying Earth describes this magical technology. Use the rules
The GM should consider carefully before deciding whether it for android creation. Actually growing an alchemical android
fits into his campaign. Bioroid technology can easily create should require ingredients costing the same as the purchase
“super characters” with very high attributes, exotic special abil- price of a technological bioroid, take six months or more, and
ities, extended lifespans, and so on, overshadowing ordinary require an Alchemy roll at -1 per $10,000 of construct cost,
humans. This isn’t a problem in a GURPS Supers campaign – with failure producing deformed or monstrous creatures.
and GMs may want to create a GURPS Space background
where at least part of humanity has been superseded by a
“biotech” culture in which everyone is genetically modified.
But if humans are intended to remain the dominant type of
character, GMs may want to take steps to control bioroids.
Ways of doing so include: limiting them to NPCs; restricting
their numbers to a few exotic super-agents or experimental
models with Unusual Backgrounds; or creating a society in
which bioroids are effectively enslaved. In the last case, a
bioroid PC is either the property of a person or organization or,
if free, is on the run or fighting a system that seeks to enslave it.

Designing Biological Androids

Biological androids are designed as characters rather than as
machines. In game terms, they are built much like the alien
races in GURPS Space and GURPS Aliens except that, since
they are also products, they have a tech level and dollar price as
well as a character point cost.
Bioroids can be created at tech level 9 or higher, although
the GM may want to adjust this in a particular campaign. The
first thing to do is to decide why the bioroid was created.
Likely tasks for living artifacts include enhanced super-agent,
soldier, gladiator, colonist (why ship cheap workers to other
planets when you can grow them there?), miner or construction
worker (especially in hazardous environments, space, or under-
water), servant, receptionist, or living toy. The choice of con-
cept will help when selecting a suitable set of advantages and

75 Biological Androids
Biological Android Advantages TL10 Advantages
The advantages that can be engineered deliberately into a Type Cost Page
bioroid at a given TL are listed below, along with their page ST bonus +5 to +7 60/80/100 78
reference (in the Basic Set or this book) and point cost. DX bonus +4 45 78
IQ bonus +1 or +2 10/20 78
TL9 Advantages HT bonus +3 or +4 30/45 78
Type Cost Page Animal Empathy 5 B19
ST Bonus +1 to +4 10/20/30/45 78 Bioelectric Shock 10 78
DX Bonus +1 to +3 10/20/30 78 Drug Factory variable 78
HT Bonus +1 or +2 10/20 78 Extra Hit Points +4 to 5 5 per point B236
Absolute Direction 5 B19 Hermaphromorph 2 79
Absolute Timing 5 B19 Hide or Scales 0/4/29 79
Acute Hearing 2 per level B19 Increased Speed +3 to 4 25 per level 79
Acute Taste & Smell 2 per level B19 Infravision 15 B237
Acute Vision 2 per level B19 Intuition 15 B20
Alertness 5 per level B19 Language Talent 2 per level B20
Amphibious 10 78 Musical Ability 1 per level B22
Appearance 5/15/25 B15 Sanitized Metabolism 5 79
Ambidexterity 10 B19 Sonar 25 79
Claws variable 78 Venom 15 per level 80
Combat Reflexes 15 B20
Disease-Resistant 5 78 TL11+ Android Advantages
Discriminatory Smell 15 78 Type Cost Page
Discriminatory Taste 10 78 ST Bonus +8 to +10 125/150/174 78
Double-Jointed 5 B20 DX Bonus +5 60 78
Eidetic Memory 30/60 B20 IQ Bonus +3 or +4 30/45 78
Extra Hit Points +1 to 3 5 per point B236 HT Bonus +5 60 78
Extra Limbs variable 78 Charisma +1 to +2 5 B19
Filter Lungs 5 79 Danger Sense 15 B20
Fur 0/4/29 79 Elastic Skin 20 78
Gills 10 79 Extra Hit Points +6 to 9 5 per point B236
High Pain Threshold 10 B20 Empathy 15 B20
Hyper-Reflexes 15 79 Immunity to Disease 10 B20
Hyper-Strength 30 79 Immunity to Poison 5/15 79
Increased Speed +1 to 2 25 per level 79 Increased Speed +5 25 per level 79
Lightning Calculator 5 B21 Regeneration 25 79
Longevity 5 B21 Vacuum Adaptation 27 80
Mathematical Ability 10 B22 Abilities like psi powers, super abilities, Magery and Magic
Night Vision 10 B22 Resistance may be engineered if they have a mapped genetic
Oxygen Storage 14 79 cause. The GM should set the TL depending on how intricate
Perfect Balance 15 B237 the genetic complex is.
Peripheral Vision 15 B22
Pheromone Control 25 79
Rapid Healing 10 B23
Sharp Teeth 5 79
Temperature Tolerance 6/10 79
Toughness 10/15 B23
Ultrasonic Hearing 5/25 80
Voice 10 B23

Biological Androids 76
 Model disadvantages do not count toward the normal limit
on disadvantages, and thus are very useful for balancing
attribute bonuses or other model advantages.

Suggested Mental Disadvantages

Disadvantage Cost Page
IQ penalty variable 80
Absent-Mindedness -15 B30
Bad Temper -10 B31
Berserk -15 B31
Bloodlust -10 B31
Bully -10 B31
Combat Paralysis -15 B32
Compulsive Behavior -5 to -15 B32
Cowardice -10 B32
Dyslexia -15 B33
Impulsiveness -10 B33
Laziness -10 B34
Lecherousness -15 B34
Low Empathy -15 88
Megalomania -10 B34
Odious Personal Habit -5/10/15 B26
Overconfidence -10 B34
Paranoia -10 B35
Sadism -15 B36
Sense of Duty variable B39
Slave Mentality -40 89
Split Personality -10/-15 B37
Stress Atavism -16 80
Stuttering -10 B29
Weak Will -8 per level B37

Suggested Physical Disadvantages

Disadvantage Cost Page
ST Penalty variable 80
DX Penalty variable 80
HT Penalty variable 80
Biological Android Disadvantages Albinism -10 B27
In game terms, most biological androids should have some Appearance variable B25
disadvantages. This has the dual benefit of reducing their model Bad Sight -10 B27
point total and making them more realistic. All are available at Blindness -50 B27
TL9 and up. Color Blindness -10 B28
Disadvantages may be unintentional flaws that are tolerated Deafness -20 B28
in otherwise good designs: who cares if a soldier or worker Delicate Metabolism -20/-40 80
android is Unattractive as long as it has enhanced ST and DX? Dwarfism -15 B28
Tinkering with brain chemistry or hormones to produce Epilepsy -30 B28
desired traits (e.g., Combat Reflexes, Eidetic Memory, Eunuch -5 B28
Intuition) may have unexpected side effects (e.g,. Absent Fat -10/20 B28
Mindedness, Bad Temper, or Paranoia). Gluttony -5 B33
Other defects could occur due to their association with Gigantism -10 B28
desired genetic traits. For example, an living artifact built using Hard of Hearing -10 B28
many feline characteristics (Claws, Fur, Perfect Balance, high Lame: Legless -35 B29
DX etc.) may also turn out to be prone to Impulsiveness – the Low Pain Threshold -10 B29
designer decides removing the flaw is too much trouble. Some Reduced Hit Points -5 per point 80
may be idiot savants (Mathematical Aptitude and low IQ, for Mute -25 B29
instance). Those with animal DNA may even revert to more No Sense of Smell or Taste -5 B29
primitive behavior patterns (Stress Atavism). Overweight -5 B29
Still other disadvantages may be deliberate modifications: Self-Destruct -20 80
setting a bioroid’s hormonal balance to make a sex-toy Short Lifespan -10 per level 80
Lecherous or give a gladiator Bloodlust, for example, or alter- Skinny -5 B29
ing brain chemistry to make a low-grade worker less intelligent Sterile -3 80
and thus a better slave. Building androids that have a biological Unusual Biochemistry -5 81
Self-destruct coupled with Short Lifespan and Sterility is one Weak Immune System -30 81
means by which humans could control an artificial population.

77 Biological Androids
 Claws Variable
New Advantages and Disadvantages
Several advantages not listed in the Basic Set are needed to
You possess claws, usually the result of animal genesplicing.
For 15 points, you have blunt claws: these add +2 crushing
damage to a kick or punch. For 25 points, you have sharp
create biological androids. claws. These convert a kick or punch’s crushing damage to cut-
ting damage. For 40 points, you have talons. These allow a kick
or punch to do swing/cutting or thrust/impaling damage. For 55
New Advantages points, you may have long talons, doing swing+2/cutting or
thrust+2/impaling. This advantage only has to be purchased
ST, DX, IQ and HT Bonuses Variable once, regardless of how many limbs you have.
These advantages give you a model bonus to an attribute. A
+1 bonus costs 10 points, a +2 costs 20, a +3 costs 30, a +4
costs 45, a +5 costs 60, a +6 costs 80, a +7 costs 100, a +8 costs Discriminatory Smell 15 points
120, and a +9 costs 150. A biological android with a model Your sense of smell is far beyond human norms, giving you
bonus to an attribute buys that attribute normally – and then the same abilities as the similiar robot sensor option (see p. 12).
applies the model bonus. For example, one with a model bonus
of +2 to ST that wanted ST 14 would pay 20 points for ST 12, Discriminatory Taste 10 points
then add the model bonus of +2, leaving him ST 14. If he paid Your sense of taste is far beyond human norms, giving you
no points, his ST 10 would become ST 12. the same abilities as the similiar robot sensor option (see p. 12).

Amphibious 10 points Disease-Resistant 5 points

You are as comfortable in water as on land. You suffer no Your immune system is improved dramatically, with special-
penalties for skill use in combat when working underwater, and ly engineered defensive phages and white blood cells. These
can swim at your normal move rate. Typical features include ward off most diseases, giving you a +8 bonus to HT to resist
smooth seal-like skin and webbed fingers an toes. You cannot them. GMs may devise the occasional disease against which
breathe underwater without another advantage. you have no special resistance. This is a lesser form of the 10-
point Immunity to Disease advantage.
Bioelectric Shock 10 points
You can generate an electric current in your body, much as an Drug Factory Variable
electric eel or ray does. This inflicts 1d electrical damage if you Your glands produce natural analogs of existing drugs.
touch a person. It costs 2 Fatigue. You can also use the ability to Various drugs are described in GURPS Cyberpunk, GURPS
save lives: add +3 to First Aid skill when making CPR rolls! Space, GURPS Ultra-Tech, and GURPS Lensman. You can
only produce an analog of a drug whose tech level is no higher
than your TL. To insure play balance, the GM must approve
any drug, e.g., if the GM wants a particular drug to be very rare,
it could be beyond the technological of a drug factory to synthe-
size. You can administer these drugs to others via a bite or
claws. Your metabolism is limited to producing HT/2 doses. It
replaces one dose every four hours. This advantage costs 20
points for the first drug and ten points per extra drug.

Elastic Skin 20 points

You can alter skin and facial features to duplicate those of
humans or near-humans of similar size and shape. This takes 10
seconds and costs 1 Fatigue; there is no cost to change back to
your original form, which only takes 3 seconds. You cannot
duplicate clothing. Duplicating a specific individual requires a
Disguise+4 roll.

Extra Limbs Variable

A bioroid may have up to four extra arms, although two are
more common. Extra arms allow extra actions for a bioroid in
the same way as they do for a robot – see the Robots in Action
chapter. Arms cost 10 points each.
Limbs that can manipulate but cannot attack cost 5 points
each. An example would be a very light, stunted arm or a pre-
hensile tail. Limbs that can attack but cannot manipulate or be
used for walking are strikers. A heavy tail or an arm with no
hand are examples. Strikers cost 5 points each. If claws are
bought, the striker gains the claws damage.

Biological Androids 78
Filter Lungs 5 points Infravision 15 points
This advantage equips you with self-regenerating biological You can see into the infrared, much like a robot with the
filters designed for contaminated atmospheres – which may infrared vision option (see p. B237).
include a polluted cities on Earth as well as alien planets.
Oxygen Storage 14 points
Fur 0/4/29 points Synthetic genes modify your lungs and alter your body so
For a cost of 0 points you have very thin fur like that of a that you can store oxygen (up to an hour’s worth) in the myo-
Chihuahua dog. It prevents sunburn and gives you a distinct globin of your muscles and in an altered liver. Biological
appearance, but has no other qualities. androids with this advantage never get “the bends” when diving
For 4 points, you have fur similar to that of a cat’s fur or dog’s using their internally stored oxygen. (They can still suffer “the
hair, providing DR 1 and protection equivalent to light clothing. bends” if diving with conventional scuba equipment.) This
For 29 points, you have thick fur. This is a dense pelt, like a advantage is common in bioroids designed to function under-
polar bear’s, providing PD 1 and DR 1. It acts as warm cloth- water without gills, or in space.
ing, but may cause suffering in hot weather!
Fur is also obvious, and you require proper grooming that
can take time; loose fur and static build-up can be a problem. Pheromone Control 25 points
You can release powerful sex pheromones. Any human (or
Gills 10 points bioroid) within four yards (more if down wind) may breathe
them in (unless wearing an airtight suit, etc.). Anyone breathing
You have gills as well as lungs, enabling you to breathe
your pheromones will find you one level more Attractive (add a
water or air. A biological android built with gills instead of
+2 extra reaction bonus) if you are already Very Beautiful and
lungs cannot breathe air!
will break into a sweat and become aroused: they must roll vs.
HT-3 or suffer from Lecherousness for the next ten minutes.
Hermaphromorph 2 points The fact that a biological android is using sex pheromones may
You are designed to switch between fully functional neuter, not be immediately apparent: when a PC is affected, the GM
male and female forms. The process takes about 6 hours, during may wish to describe the encounter in such a way that the char-
which you will experience mood swings and suffer from the acter believes the attraction is “natural” rather than a chemical
Bad Temper disadvantage (or if already bad tempered, make all attack. Characters who have previously experienced pheromone
Will rolls to resist it at -3). control (and know what it is) can get an IQ-3 roll to realize their
reactions are being artificially stimulated; however, they still
Hide or Scales 0/4/29 points suffer the effects.
You have a thick hide or actual armored scales.
For 0 points, you can have very light scales, like a snake.
Besides the appearance, there is no other game effect. Regeneration 25 points
For 4 points, you may have scales, like a lizard’s. This gives You can heal very rapidly. You have the Rapid Healing
you DR 1. advantage at no extra cost, and can recover one extra HT or hit
For 29 points, you may have thick hide, like elephant or point per hour.
rhino hide, or heavy scales like an armadillo or armored lizard.
This gives you PD 1, DR 1. Any bioroid with this advantagee Sanitized Metabolism 5 points
may not have an Appearance better than Average! You are designed to be totally clean. Designer intestinal
enzymes and symbiotic bacteria eliminate your body odor and
Hyper-Reflexes 15 points make efficient use of food and drink, leaving minimal, sanitized
You can voluntarily produce and control abnormal levels of waste products. You never suffer from bad breath, excessive
adrenaline, increasing speed and reflexes. At the start of any perspiration or unsightly skin problems. Your abilities give a +1
turn, you can activate your hyper-reflexes. This costs 1 Fatigue on all rolls where Appearance or Sex Appeal are a factor. This
per turn but gives you the Combat Reflexes advantage and +1 advantage is also perfect for bioroids designed to work in
to Basic Speed. (If you normally have Combat Reflexes, gain sealed factory environments (“clean rooms”).
double the usual benefits.)
Sharp Teeth 5 points
Hyper-Strength 30 points You can do cutting damage by biting in close combat, using
You can voluntarily duplicate the feats of hysterical strength the table on p. B140.
that normal people sometimes perform. You may increase ST
(but not Fatigue) by 50% at a cost of 1 Fatigue per turn.
Sonar 25 points
Immunity to Poison 15 points You can “see” using sound waves, much like a robot with
the sonar option (p. 13).
For 15 points, you are genetically engineered, or different
enough biologically, to be immune to poisons (including sleep
and nerve gas), alcohol and nonmedical drugs. You are still vul- Temperature Tolerance 6/10 points
nerable to acid and diseases. For only 5 points, you can simply You are designed to withstand extreme temperatures; it gives
be resistant to poison: +3 to HT to resist effects. no advantage against attacks that do damage, but does protect
against climatic conditions.
Increased Speed 25 points/level Multiply your HT 5. Subtract this number from 35 degrees
Each level increases your Basic Speed by 1, which in turn to find the lowest temperature you can stand. Add this number
also increases your Move and Dodge. to 90 degrees to find the highest.

79 Biological Androids
 worth -15 points, a -3 is worth -20 points, a -4 is worth -30
points, and a -5 is worth -40 points.
A biological android with a model penalty to an attribute
buys that attribute normally – and then applies the model penal-
ty. For instance, a bioroid with a model penalty of -2 to DX that
wanted a final DX of 14 would pay 80 points for DX 16, then
subtract the model penalty of -2, leaving him with DX 14. If he
paid no points, his DX 10 would be reduced to DX 8.

Delicate Metabolism -20/-40 points

Your metabolism is more delicate than that of a normal human
– you require a special diet and filtered water. If you consume
normal food and drink, it will sustain you, but you must make a
HT roll. Failure means loss of 1 HT due to nausea, cramps, and
illness. Critical failure means loss of 1d HT. The cost of your spe-
If you can only withstand heat, or only withstand cold, it is cial diet is twice that of normal food, and may be unavailable in
worth only 6 points. If you can withstand both, it is worth 10 some areas (especially in regions with TLs below 7).
points. For -40 points, you cannot survive on normal food at all.
Special nutrients are only available from your creator, generally
Ultrasonic Hearing 5/25 points at a cost to your creator of 100 times the cost of feeding a nor-
You can detect very high frequency sounds (to 40,000 Hz) mal human. For someone else to synthesize it will be a difficult
much like a robot with the ultrasonic hearing option (p. 12). For task requiring Biochemistry skill – use the Inventions rules on
25 points, you can also communicate in ultrasonics. p. B186). (With the GM’s permission, you may require some-
thing disgusting or dangerous to get, such as fresh human
Vacuum Adaptation 27 points brains, fresh blood of a certain type, or human cerebral-spinal
Humans living in space always run the risk of life-support fluid). Most normal foods make you ill as described above.
failure and explosive decompression. Genetic modification can
reduce the risk for living artifacts. You get stronger skin (DR 1) Reduced Hit Points -5 points each
to resist pressure drops, new muscles to close off your gut and You are smaller or more fragile than a human, and have
lungs, and transparent membranes to protect your eyes. You fewer hit points than your HT, giving you a split HT.
suffer no damage from explosive decompression (p. S75) and
are not mentally stunned by Rapid Decompression (p. S75). An
extra layer of adipose tissue gives you the 10-point version of Self-Destruct -20 points
the Temperature Tolerance advantage (p. 79). Your hair and As soon as you reach your aging threshold (age 50 for a nor-
skin changes color to protect against ultraviolet solar radiation, mal human), your organs and immune system begin to fail. You
and can turn a deep black. (This advantage is often combined starts to age rapidly, making aging rolls every day at -3 to HT.
with Oxygen Storage to create space-worker androids that can This disadvantage ensures a steady demand for new bioroids!
survive unprotected in space for short periods of time.)
Note that this advantage is cheaper than, but not as effective Short Lifespan -10/level
as, the Vacuum Support advantage described in GURPS Aliens. Each level reduces by 1/4 (round down) the age at which
you becomes mature and the age at which you begin to suffer
Venom 15 points per level aging effects. This disadvantage speeds up production of
You can secrete a poisonous venom through your saliva, bite androids, and like Self-Destruct ensures a steady demand for
or claws. new models. It is often found in conjunction with Self Destruct.
For 15 points per level, the venom can be immediately
lethal. This does 1d of damage per level immediately; each hour Sterile -3 points
afterward, the victim rolls vs. HT (-1 per level of this advan- You cannot produce offspring, but are otherwise a fully-
tage); if he fails this roll, he takes a further 1d per level of dam- functioning male or female.
age, while if he succeeds, the damage stops.
Or, the venom can be slower-acting but more lethal. Damage Stress Atavism -16 points
is 1d per level if the HT roll is made, 3d per level if it is failed. Stress atavism is not uncommon among biological androids
The effects take one hour to show. Cost is the same. created from animal DNA, and sometimes shows up in others
At a one-third increase in cost, you can spit venom. This is a as well. It may cause them to “regress” to animal instincts if
ranged attack, based on DX, with SS 12, Acc 12, 1⁄2D n/a, Max frightened, angered, fatigued or injured.
5. The venom must strike an open wound, eyes, nostrils or open In any such stressful situation, you must succeed in a Will
mouth to have effect, normally requiring an attack against an roll to avoid the effects. If you fail, you behave like an animal,
unshielded face. acting on impulse and instinct. You will be unable to talk (but
may make animal sounds) and cannot use machinery. You may
New Disadvantages be unable to understand spoken language – roll vs. IQ after any
sentence to see if you get the meaning of it. If you are attacked,
ST, DX, IQ and HT Penalties Variable threatened or challenged, you must make a Will roll to avoid
acting on instinct – usually either flight or a frenzied physical
These disadvantages give your entire model line a penalty to
a specific attribute. A -1 is a -10 point disadvantage, a -2 is attack, depending on how aggressive you usually are.

Biological Androids 80
 Stress atavism attacks are also very fatiguing – you take one The basic cost is $50,000. In addition, each model advantage
point of Fatigue for every minute the attack lasts. the bioroid has costs $1,000 per point. Each model disadvan-
A roll is allowed vs. Will every minute to recover from an tage the bioroid has costs $500 per negative point.
attack; add a +2 bonus if you are comforted by friends or someone Halve the cost at TL10, and again at TL11+.
with Empathy or Animal Empathy, or +4 if both apply. A charac- Example: A TL9 biological android with 80 points of model
ter who passes out from Fatigue loss recovers after waking up. advantages and -40 points of model disadvantages costs
(The stress atavism described here applies to common, mod- $50,000 + $80,000 (80 $1,000) + $20,000 (40 $500) =
erate forms. Other types of stress atavism are described in $150,000.
GURPS Uplift on p. 25.)
Growing Biological Androids
Unusual Biochemistry -5 points Bioroids are usually grown in artificial wombs (“vats”)
Your biochemistry, while still enabling you to subsist on much like human clones. Usually these vats are designed to
human food and water, is different enough from that of humans simulate the conditions of an idealized human womb with care-
that drugs that work on humans have reduced or unpredictable fully regulated fluid temperatures and even sounds like a taped
effects. When a drug is given to you, roll 1d. On a roll of 1-3 heartbeat.
the drug has normal effect. On a roll of 4-5, it has its normal Some bioroids are taken out of the vats as babies, and given
effect combined with an additional negative effect: lose 1d over to surrogate mothers to be raised as children in normal or
Fatigue (sickness and nauseau) or, at the GM’s option, enhance group homes. This usually results in a bioroid that is well
any negative effects of the drug. On a 6, the drug no effect at adjusted to living with humans. It’s common for androids that
all. A biochemist with a lab can manufacture variants of normal are designed to be “people” rather than “slaves.”
drugs that are specific to your biochemistry, but these drugs Other bioroids are force-grown to adulthood while still in the
cost are ten times as much as usual. vats using the TL8+ cloning technology described on p. UT42
and p. S65. A force-grown android will have whatever “physio-
Weak Immune System -30 points logical” age is desired (usually age 18 to 25). This technique is
You have poor resistance to disease and infection. HT rolls most common for biological androids intended as “products”
to resist specific diseases or infections are at -3 to HT or against since it allows them to be mass-produced quickly. Force-grown
HT 9, whichever is less. Drugs like Panimmunity I and II have androids receive an additional six weeks of “deep learning” via
half their normal effect; you may not take the Immunity to extensive use of sleep teaching, or virtual reality or cybernetic
Disease advantage, and Panimmunity III has no effect on you. “dreamgame” simulations while they float in their tanks. This
Unless you take special precautions (for instance, remain in a gives the android basic life skills: control over its own body and
sealed environment or wear air-tight clothing when you leave the ability to understand and speak one language at its IQ level.
one), the GM should require an unmodified HT roll to avoid Force-grown androids may spend additional time in the
coming down with a potentially serious disease every month. tanks, up to an extra year and a half (any more time imposes too
Although not necessarily fatal (especially with high-tech medi- severe a psychological stress). Every month spent allows the
cine) this will force you or your owner to spend additional android to spend two character point on skills it was taught.
money on drugs and hospital treatment. Thus, an android that comes out of the tanks may spend 36 char-
acters points on skills, much like an eighteen year old human.
Some androids are given “live” training before going on the

Price
Like robots, biological androids may be bought and sold. To
job, if only to get experience in interacting with humans in a
normal setting. Surrogate-raised androids, of course, will
receive whatever education their surrogate parents or teachers
calculate the price of an untrained but biologically mature provided.
model, use the formula below. It reflects the utility of the Purchasing a skilled android (whether force-grown or surro-
android (its model point total) and the amount of tinkering that gate-raised) costs an extra $5,000 per skill point it has.
went into creating it. A growth vat for growing androids, along with life support
equipment and computers to monitor it costs $500,000, weighs
500 lbs., and takes up 50 cubic feet, and has HT 25. TL10
growth tanks cost half as much; TL11+ cost one-quarter as
much.

81 Biological Androids
 Players may wish to play robots, total cyborgs or biological
androids as characters. This chapter describes how to set a point total
for these characters, and what abilities not otherwise covered in the
robot or biological android design rules can be taken by them.

Characters 82
 The first step in creating a robot character is something that isn’t done when creating
a human: the choice of the model of robot, cyborg or biological android to be played.
This is akin to choosing which non-human race a character in a science fiction or fantasy
campaign will play.
The robot model can be an existing design or it can be built from scratch using the
rules in the Robot Design, Microbots and Nanomorphs or Biological Androids chapter.
The GM can allow players to build their own models, or may choose to create a limited
number of designs and have players choose from among their ranks.
If choosing a robot model, it’s strongly recommended that the robot have a neural-
net or sentient brain!
The chosen model gives a set of basic abilities common to every robot, cyborg, or
biological android of that particular model. It also gives the robot a model point cost.
Model Point Cost: Every model of robot, cyborg or biological android has a model
point cost, which is the sum of the point cost of advantages and disadvantages built into
it when it was designed (see the Robot Design and Biological Androids chapters). If the
model point cost is positive, it is the number of character points that must be paid, as an
advantage, to play that particular model. If negative, the character gets that many points
back, much like a disadvantage, except that a negative model point cost does not count
toward the normal limit (usually -45 points) of disadvantages.
Programming Cost: Individual robots (but not biological androids) may be pro-
grammed with advantages, disadvantages and skills, as described in the Brains and
Programs chapter. (If using utility programs from GURPS Space, GURPS Ultra-Tech or
GURPS Cyberpunk that grant specific skill levels, base the point cost on however many
character points the robot would pay to buy that skill level.) Then total up the point cost
(positive or negative) of all the robot’s programs. This is the robot’s programming cost.
It’s strongly recommended that the sum of model point cost and the programming
cost not exceed the starting points for the campaign! Suggested Character Points
An artificial being’s point cost is the sum of its model point cost and its program- One of the main reasons for building a
ming cost. This represents how much a “factory fresh” machine or newly grown bio- robot is to create something that is better
logical android would cost. But just like a human character, most artificial PCs will than human, at least in a limited field. As
have spent some time in the world before starting their career as player characters. As a result, robots often cost more character
such, they will have acquired additional abilities, and any character points that remain points than humans. In particular, the base
after paying for their model and programs can then be spent to buy attributes, skills, cost, before disadvantages, of an armed
and armored combat robot can easily be
attributes and advantages. Similarly, extra points can also be gained back by taking dis-
around 500 points.
advantages and quirks. In a supers campaign, or a very-high-
point cinematic campaign, this isn’t a
problem. However, to add robot charac-

Attributes
Biological androids buy their attributes just as if they were human characters,
ters to an ordinary campaign without point
escalation requires care. The GM may
wish to follow these recommendations.
although an attribute bonus will often increase or decrease them, as explained in the In a 100-point to 150-point campaign,
restrict players to robot characters that
Android chapter. aren’t covered in armor, don’t have super-
Robots and cyborgs cannot buy ST or HT – this is limited by the robot design. A human ST and DX, and aren’t loaded
cyborg or a robot with a neural-net or sentient brain can buy DX and IQ. Buy the down with every gadget there is. Instead,
attribute as if the robot were a human, then add 1 for every point the robot model’s take ordinary robots and see how they do
attribute was over 10, or subtract 1 for every point it was under 10. in extraordinary circumstances. The robot
characters in movies such as Star Wars
and Cherry 2000 are good examples of
The SY-101 Nemesis robot has a DX 12 and IQ 9. But this kind of robot has a neural-net brain, this.
so a particular SY-101-N like Synthia could buy extra DX or IQ. Suppose Synthia pays 30 points In a 200-point to 500-point campaign,
for DX and 10 points for IQ. This would give a human DX 13 and IQ 11. However, Synthia ends up let them create more potent robots. The
typical cinematic example is the robot that
with DX 15 (+2 for its basic DX 12) and IQ 10 (-1 for its basic IQ 9). looks pretty much like a human, but has
extra Strength, hit points and speed, and
maybe one or two hidden gizmos or some
light armor under its skin. It’s also possi-

Advantages
A robot, cyborg or biological android has all the advantages that were built or pro-
ble to build a heavily-armed and armored
warbot for 500 points, provided the robot
gains some points back from many built-
in disadvantages, such as a hideous
grammed into its body. But because it’s been built a certain way, some “inborn” advan-
Appearance, being unable to speak, and
tages are not possible – it’s limited to what it was designed for or, (for a robot) what it’s lacking proper arms.
been programmed with.
All social advantages, as well as many that could be “learned,” are quite possible.
Any robot, cyborg or biological android can have these advantages:
Allies, Ally Group, Clerical Investment, Contacts, Legal Enforcement Powers,

83 Characters
 Character Checklist
When creating a robot, cyborg or bio-
logical android character, the player
should be able to answer these questions:
1. Who built (or rebuilt, in the case of
cyborgs) the character, and why?
2. Is the character a unique creation, or
a mass-produced model? Are their others
like it still around?
3. How long ago was it built? Is it
new? A scarred veteran with years of
experience? Obsolete? Salvaged and
rebuilt from a junkyard? A cutting-edge
prototype?
4. Does it have an owner? How does
the owner treat it? What’s their relation-
ship? Does the owner provide freedom to
adventure – or does the “property” sneak
away? Is the owner one of the PCs or
NPCs in the group, or a distant figure that
sends the robot on missions? Why does he
permit the robot to adventure with the
characters? Some possibilities: owned by
a PC or NPC ally or dependent; owned by
the same organization other PCs belong
to; owned by the group’s patron; serving
as a surrogate for an eccentric NPC friend
who would like to adventure with the
characters, but isn’t up to it; owned by an
NPC who shares a goal (or an enemy)
with the PCs, and the robot is there as his Luck, Military Rank, Patrons, Reputation, Status, Unusual Background and Wealth.
agent; disguised as a human and infiltrated In addition, a robot with a sentient computer brain, or a cyborg, may take any of the
into the group to spy on them. following advantages: Animal Empathy, Charisma, Common Sense, Danger Sense,
5. Did the character have previous Empathy, Intuition, Magic Aptitude or Magic Resistance.
owners? Who? Why did the character No other Basic Set advantages can be taken (although the character may have many
leave them? Does it have a relationship built-in advantages as a result of its particular model or programming). For advantages
with its former owner, either as a friend or that appear in other GURPS books, the GM must decide. In general, only social advan-
foe? Is its ex-owner looking for it, or vice
tages, like Military Rank, or abstract qualities, like Luck, can be taken by artificial
versa? Is it still trying to fulfil a former
owner’s orders? beings.
6. If the character has no owner, why is Some advantages require special discussion as to how they apply to artificial beings.
that? Does society consider its type a free
being? Or has it run away? If so, how did Allies see p. B23
it break any programming or condition- Traditionally, robots are often someone else’s faithful sidekick. However, there is no
ing? Some possibilities: damage to its reason why a robot cannot have an Ally. A good example would be an NPC inventor or
brain from accident or combat, being owner who accompanies the robot on adventures, but generally defers to it for advice,
reprogrammed by its owner’s foes, being or a loyal mechanic who constantly repairs the damage the robot suffers. A robot may
rescued by other rebels, being placed in a
situation where it had to change and adapt
have other robots as subordinates or companions.
to survive.
Or did its owner suffer some fate that Patrons see p. B24
left it on its own? Some possibilities: it Patrons are strongly recommended for robot characters, especially in situations
was sent away on a mission, it was stolen, where being a robot or cyborg is a social stigma. A patron could be a robot’s owner, its
it was given away or sold, it was junked inventor, or an organization that owns or controls the robot. It can be a good idea to
after it became obsolete, or its owner was choose a patron with enough wealth or know-how to be able to repair any damage that
killed or captured. Is it masquerading as a the robot suffers!
“real” person? Is anyone chasing it to
reclaim it?
Reputation see p. B17
Continued on next page . . . An artificial being’s Reputation can reflect its past deeds, just like a human. But for
mass-produced robots or biological androids, the entire production run may come to
share a particular reputation. This may be because of quality (“The Dynatech 200s are a
very reliable model”), their usual employer (“An Argus surveillance robot? Doesn’t the
FBI use those?”), or famous or infamous deeds the same type have performed (“It’s a
Cerberus V – remember the Sirius massacre! Run!”).

Characters 84
Unusual Background: High Technology Variable
This advantage must be taken if the robot was built at a Tech Level in excess of the
normal baseline tech level of the campaign. The player must come up with an explana-
tion of why the robot is so advanced that will satisfy the GM. The robot might be a visi-
tor from an advanced alien culture or use a mix of native technology and salvaged alien Character Checklist
technology from a crashed spaceship. It could be an experimental model, designed with (Continued)
state-of-the-art experimental military or corporate R&D or by an eccentric genius 7. Cyborg characters should also
inventor-gadgeteer. Or it might even be the result of not-pretty, barely-more-than-jury- describe the person the cyborg was before
rigged upgrade done by a home handyman who needed a robot to do something for his being installed in this robot body. How
aging mother, couldn’t afford the factory model, and, in trying to get a different type of old was he when he became a ‘borg, and
’bot to perform that function, accidentally made an engineering breakthrough. long has he been one? How did his cybor-
The greater the technology gap, the more it is worth. gization come about? Did he volunteer, or
+1 TL: 20 points. was he a victim? What does he feel about
+2 TLs: 50 points the change? Resentment, anger? Or is the
+3 TLs: 100 points. body a welcome improvement, perhaps
because he was crippled or deformed
+4 or more TLs: 50 points per TL over base TL.
beforehand? If so, describe the cause. Was
it illness or disease? An accident? A near-
Unusual Background: Artificial Being Variable mortal wound suffered in combat? Was
It’s not recommended that GMs charge an Unusual Background cost to be an artifi- someone responsible – and does he still
cial construct in a space, cyberpunk or supers campaign. Cyborgs, robots and biological have a score to settle? Did he have
androids are already expensive enough in terms of points, and in all these genres, robot friends, family or a lover from before the
characters are quite common! change – if so, do they know about his
new body? How do they react to him?
A 10- to 25-point Unusual Background cost is appropriate in genres where artificial
constructs are rare but not unknown, such as horror, fantasy, time travel, pulp adventure or
Illuminati. In a genre where robots almost never appear, such as modern-day espionage,
historical adventure or martial arts, having to pay 25 or more points to play a robot charac-
ter is recommended, in the unlikely chance the GM decides to allow these characters!
Cyborging Characters
Wealth see p. B16 An existing player character can be
If the artificial being is a free citizen, it can have any amount of wealth. Some might turned into a total cyborg by transplanting
even be rich. But if it is treated as property, it will usually have little or no money. But his brain from his body. This is possible at
there are ways to get around this and take a higher level of wealth. A runaway construct TL8. It costs $50,000 or more and will
might have acquired some money or be working illegally at a job, especially if it is require skill rolls against Surgery (at -5)
designed so as to pass as a human, and so could have a higher level of Wealth. And in and Electronics (Cybernetics) at -5. The
the age of computerized banking and modem communications, it’s possible to covertly operation takes about 4 hours. Failure
acquire riches – for instance, a super-intelligent computer may be an expert at playing allows a repeated attempt at a cumulative
-2; Critical failure results in brain damage
the stock market and secreting away funds into Swiss bank accounts. Its owner may not
(-1d/2 to DX and IQ, or disadvantages
realize what the robot is doing until it’s richer than he is! such as Epilepsy) or death, at the GM’s
discretion.
A character can be turned into a robot
New Advantage by copying his mind into a ghost program
(see Ghost Programs on p. 65) and then
Doesn’t Sleep 20 points running that program within a robot brain.
In either case, his ST and HT, as well
Computer brains do not need regular dormancy periods. Most robots can operate at as all physical advantages and disadvan-
full efficiency with only periodic breaks. tages, become that of the robot or cyborg
body, his DX is an average of his artificial
body’s and his original DX and his IQ is

Allowable Disadvantages
The normal -45-point limit on disadvantages (or whatever limit is set for the cam-
his own or the artificial body’s, whichever
is greater. He retains any purely mental
advantages or disadvantages (things like
Combat Reflexes or Bad Temper).
paign) applies to artificial beings. However, “built-in” disadvantages that are part of the Physical advantages and disadvantages, as
chosen model, or which were programmed into a robot, do not count against that total – well as social ones, may change to reflect
they’ve already been applied to reduce the model point cost. those of his artificial body.
Aside from these built-in disadvantages, any artificial being can take the following If his point total is higher, the GM may
social or relationship-oriented disadvantages: Dependents, Duty, Enemies, Poverty, require him to buy off extra points. A
Primitive, Reputation, Social Stigma, Status and Unluckiness. more playable alternative is to add extra
Many mental disadvantages are inappropriate for robots. A robot that doesn’t have a mental disadvantages to reflect the stress
neural-net or sentient brain can only take Amnesia, Bloodlust, Gullibility or of the change . . .
Impulsiveness. For explanations as to why these are appropriate to robots, see below. A
Continued on next page . . .
robot with a neural-net or sentient brain, or a cyborg or biological android, may have
these disadvantages, but may also have any other mental disadvantage. The two excep-
tions are Alcoholism or Gluttony, which can only appear in biological androids, or (in
rare cases!) robots and cyborgs with built-in bioconvertors.

85 Characters
 Many physical disadvantages are inappropriate to an artificial being, since physical
Cyborging Characters characteristics are determined by the chosen model. However, Age, Blindness,
Deafness, Hard of Hearing, Lame, Mute, One Arm, One Eye or One Hand can be
(Continued) defined as representing wear and tear, combat damage that has gone unrepaired or the
Trapped Minds like, provided it’s appropriate and doesn’t duplicate a condition built into the model
When a mind from a living body is (for instance, a robot model with no arms can’t get points for One Hand). Epilepsy can
placed in a machine as a cyborg brain (p. be taken to represent neurological or computer brain damage. Eunuch can only be taken
52) or a Ghost program (p. 65), there is a by a male biological android, or a robot or cyborg that was built with a male sex
chance that the psyche will be unable to implant. Youth can be taken by any biological android that was removed from the vats
stand the strain and go insane. before attaining maturity. Other physical disadvantages are unavailable.
Upon first realizing his fate, the char- Some disadvantages require special mention when they are applied to artificial beings.
acter makes a Fright Check. Modifiers: +4
if the character volunteered, +2 if he was
an unwilling victim but knew in advanced Addiction see p. B30
what was going to happen, -8 if now total- An ordinary robot can only be addicted to a non-physical substance, such as electric-
ly disembodied (e.g., trapped in a comput- ity or virtual-reality dream-game simulations. A cyborg can only be addicted to drugs if
er), +2 if he sees his new body as an they are somehow added to its nutrient feed. A robot with a bioconvertor, or any bio-
improvement (e.g., he was crippled or logical android, can be addicted to drugs.
deformed before hand, now he’s not), -4 if
the new body has extra senses (radar,
ladar, spectrum vision, discriminatory
Age see p. B27
smell) that are different or more acute
The same aging rules used for humans (p. B83) can be used for artificial begins,
then the originals, -2 if the new body lacks reflecting a gradual decline in performance. For biological androids, use the normal
senses (hearing, touch, vision, etc.) that rules (although some androids may be engineered for longer or shorter lifespans, as
the original had, -4 if the new body is very described in the Biological Androids chapter). For robots or cyborgs, do not add the
different in shape, -2 if it is of similar medical TL-3 to HT. Instead, use the TL-7 of the robot maintenance facilities that are
shape but obviously inhuman, and +2 if it available. A robot can lose ST (from arms and from body), DX, IQ, HT, hit points, DR,
is close copy of the original. and Speed. ST, hit points, DR and Speed deteriorate on a percentage basis (-10% per
Even if the character survives the first failed aging roll; keep track of fractional points lost). Keep track of the number of
Fright Check, he may still fail to adjust to failed Aging rolls. An overhaul to repair the effects of a failed aging roll requires one
the body. Make a Will roll every two day, a Mechanic (Robotics) roll, and spare parts costing 10% of the robot’s original
weeks, with the same penalties. If the roll
is a failure, the user gains one point of
price. Parts for a very old robot may be hard to find!
Mental Disadvantages per point the roll
failed by. If the character gets a critical Amnesia see p. B239
success, or three successes in a row, he This can represent an artificial being that has been deliberately mind-wiped. A
adjusts to his new existence and does not unique form of this disadvantage, for robots, is for a backup of your real memory to be
need to roll again. intact on disk somewhere, perhaps in an enemy’s possession. You can buy off the dis-
An attending counselor can help a advantage and determine who you are by finding the disk!
character adjust. For every 2 points the
counsellor makes a Psychology roll, add
+1 to Will rolls to remain sane. If the Bad Temper, Berserk, Bully (p. B30); Sadism (p. B36)
character has friends who can help him These disadvantages are rare in robots but can simulate serious malfunctions or
adjust, add a +1 to +3 bonus. If he runs deviant programming. They are much more common in combat cyborgs, many of whom,
into former friends who flee from his alien tormented by their half-human existence, seem to live in a perpetual state of violent rage.
appearance, subtract -1 to -3.
The GM keeps track of the points of Bloodlust see p. B30
disadvantages gained so far and decides This is a very common disadvantage in military robots: they coldly eliminate ene-
whether to use them to give the character mies, showing neither compassion, mercy, nor hatred. It’s also common in cyborgs and
new quirks or disadvantages immediately,
combat androids.
or to save them up for “sudden insanity”
when enough points are accumulated. The
type of disadvantage should reflect Delusions see p. B32
whether the character was transformed A common delusion for mentally-unbalanced androids (robotic or biological) is “I’m
into a machine as a unwilling victim or a a real human.” The android will act like a human, and will often conjure up a fake past,
willing convert. with imaginary parents or siblings. They may explain gaps in their memories as the
The most common disadvantages are result of mindwipe or brainwashing, and if confronted with evidence that proves they
Bad Temper, Bloodlust, Berserk, are artificial, may fantasize that they were human victims of either brain transplants or
Fanaticism (homicidal hatred against brain taping.
those responsible, or sometimes fanatical
loyalty to them for “improving” him),
Paranoia (“what will they do next?”), Dependents see p. B38
Delusions (things like “I’m still perfectly An artificial being’s dependent can be its owner or inventor, or simply a friend or
human” or “my robot body is taking over even lover.
my brain”), Phobias (fear of doctors, fear
of crowds, etc.), Split Personality (the Duty see p. B39
character develops a new one to cope, Robots that are not sentient usually have a special form of Duty, called Reprogram-
often something cold and machine-like). mable Duty, described on p. 89. Biological androids and cyborgs will often be either be
owned or employed by someone, and so will have a duty of some sort to their owner.

Characters 86
 For -20 points, a Duty can be “extremely hazardous.” The character is on duty all
the time and risks death or serious injury constantly. Special-ops soldiers or secret
agents, or police in very dangerous precincts may have it, for instance. Means of Control
Owners sometimes use slave implants
Enemies see p. B39 or memory erasure to control troublesome
An artificial being may have its own enemies, or its owner’s enemies may also be robots, bioroids or cyborgs. These can
hunting it. Often the enemy is a former owner that the construct has escaped or been give a character certain disadvantages, and
stolen from, and who wants it back! Enemies will often be artificial beings themselves, set the scene for adventures in which the
character seeks either revenge or his true
or employ them as minions. And of course, human characters may have robots, cyborgs
past.
or biological androids as enemies!
Slave Implants and Programs
Gullibility see p. B33 This TL9 gadget is a small device that
can be surgically implanted into an organ-
This is a very common disadvantage for robots with computer brains!
ic brain (cyborg, human or robot). It sup-
presses volition, giving the disadvantage
Impulsiveness see p. B33 Slave Mentality (p. 89, -40 points) and
At first glance, this would seem like a very unrobotic disadvantage. But if read turning the character into a living zombie,
“decisiveness,” it can easily simulate the way computer brains may act: promptly, and much like a low-grade robot.
without debate. A person under a slave implant exists
in a “dreamlike” state in which everything
seems unreal; the best way to simulate this
Megalomania (p. B34) and Paranoia (p. B35) is for the GM to take over the player as an
The classic disadvantages for sentient computer brains in fiction. Paranoia is usually NPC while the implant is on. When the
expressed as “They’re trying to turn me off” or “What if they reprogram me?” implant is removed or turned off, the char-
acter will often not remember everything
No Sense of Humor see p. B241 that happened, particular if it was traumat-
ic. For dramatic effect, the GM should
Robots tend to be rather humorless. Those that don’t have a sentient brain will auto- give the character back his memory gradu-
matically have this as a built-in disadvantage, the -10-point cost already included in ally, in flashbacks in response to stimuli
their design cost (they’ve already paid points for it) unless they have a sentient brain. he encounters. For instance, if a character
However, any neural-net robot can pay 10 points to buy it off during character genera- under a slave implant was forced to fight
tion, representing it coming to better understand humans. This disadvantage can also as a gladiator, he may remember images
simulate robots that show no emotion at all. of the fight only after seeing blood or a
weapon like the one he used.
Because these implants create slaves
who totally lack self-initiative, they do not
see widespread use: more subtle psycho-
logical coercion is usually better in the
long term. However, they are good for
controlling prisoners, creating slaves for
manual labor, or for disciplining disobedi-
ent androids or cyborgs . . .
A slave implant can be surgically
removed (this takes three hours and a
Surgery roll, failure means try again a
cumulative -2, critical failure causing a
loss of 1 point of DX or IQ). The implant
can be turned on or off by anyone who has
the proper codes (usually voice-activated).
Thus, a victim of a slave implant may
spend part of his time controlled, part free.
A similar “slave program” (often a
hardwired ROM chip rather than an actual
program) can be programmed into a neur-
al-net or sentient robot by anyone who has
acquired the robot’s command codes. It
Pacifism see p. B35 functions in the same way as a slave
This is available to any artificial being sophisticated enough to qualify for mental implant. It can be removed by reprogram-
disadvantages. But because of the way a machine might think, robots can have quite ming the robot (or removing the ROM
restricted forms of Pacifism. The following two examples are common . chip).
“Organic-Specific” pacifism: the robot is a pacifist toward living things, but not to A slave implant for an organic brain
machines. This halves the value of the disadvantage. The reverse (“Machine-Specific”) costs $10,000 and is TL9. A slave pro-
of this also available, but should only be allowed if robots are common! gram is only $1,000 and is Complexity 1.
“Species-Specific” pacifism: the robot is a pacifist toward certain species (usually its
Continued on next page . . .
creator’s species and other friendly species). But its Pacifism does not apply to any-
thing else. This quarters the value of the disadvantage. In order to be worth even that
many points, the species the Pacifism applies to must be very common (like humans) in
the campaign.

87 Characters
 Poverty see p. B26
Unless artificial beings are free citizens, they’ll usually have Poverty at the Dead
Means of Control Broke level: they aren’t paid for work, they can’t own property and any money they are
carrying really belongs to their owner. For ways to get around this, see Wealth on p. 84.
(Continued)
Memory Erasure and Brainwipe Primitive see p. B26
Any robot can have its memory erased This can reflect a being that was designed at a lower TL than usual.
by simply deleting its programs. This can
be done by anyone with the robot’s com-
mand codes (p. 57). Effectively, the robot
Secret see p. B238
has the -10 point Partial Amnesia disad-
This disadvantage is common for artificial life forms that are masquerading as
vantage (p. B239) – it won’t have total humans.
Amnesia, since knowledge of its skills and
abilities are unlike to be erased. Sense of Duty see p. B39
At TL10 (maybe earlier, if the GM If a robot is sophisticated enough to have mental disadvantages, it may develop a
wants) a medical procedure called “brain- Sense of Duty to someone. Note that this is not the same thing as the robot being pro-
wipe” can perform this kind of memory grammed to obey someone – see Reprogrammable Duty on p. 89. Some robots may
erasure on an organic brain, like a human, have a Sense of Duty to a larger group than their owner. For example, a classic sci-
cyborg or biological android. This proce- ence fiction theme has sentient robots developing a Sense of Duty to Mankind, and,
dure is often used on cyborgs (so they will
“adjust” to their new bodies and forget
since they are more intelligent and logical, taking over the world in our own best
their old lives) or on biological androids interests!
that have shown signs of rebellion.
Brainwipe equipment costs $50,000, Social Stigma see p. B27
weighs 500 lbs. and takes up 27 cf. The This is one of the most common disadvantages suffered by artificial beings. A being
procedure takes an hour and requires an that can pass as a human need only take this stigma if it’s true nature is well known by
Electronics Operation (Medical) roll. many people (otherwise, take a Secret).
Failure means that some memory may be The usual form of this is Valuable Property (-10 points). The being is assumed to be
retained, drifting back after days or owned by someone, and is treated as a thing rather than as a free person. Except for the
months.
expense entailed by its loss, few will mourn if it is damaged or destroyed (“it was only
a machine”) and people won’t really care what it feels or wants.
An artificial being that has escaped its owner may have the Outlaw disadvantage (-15
points) instead of Valuable Property. Often this goes along with Enemies.
In societies where artificial beings are not equal to their creators but have achieved
Robots, Cyborgs, and Skills some civil rights, they may be considered Second-class Citizens or Minority Groups. If
Some categories of skills require spe- artificial beings are so rare that no specific discrimination exists (for instance, a robot
cial consideration when they are used by visiting a time or place where the very concept of robots is unknown), it might simply
robots or cyborgs. be considered an Outsider or a Barbarian.

Skills Requiring Hands

Many skills require arms equipped
with hands to use fully. A robot with only
New Disadvantages
no arms, or with striker arms or arms with
a bad grip will be at a disadvantage. There
Cannot Learn -30 points
are too many skills in this category to A robot with this disadvantage cannot improve its IQ or DX by spending character
mention, so the GM will have to adjudi- points, nor can it spend character points to improve skills. It is stuck with whatever is
cate this on a case-by-case basis. In many built or programmed into it. This disadvantage is already included in the design cost of
circumstances, such as Mechanic or all robots that do not have sentient or neural-net brains (and is one reason why they
Cooking, a robot can still use the skill if it aren’t recommended as characters) and is worth no extra points for them. Its point cost
has appropriate tools built into it, or use it is listed here for reference only: robots with sentient or neural-net brains, cyborgs and
to give advice. For some skills, Gambling biological androids will not have this disadvantage.
for instance, a robot can use the skill just
by having someone else – human or
machine – act as its hand. Many skills can
Low Empathy -15 points
only be used if the robot has arms and You have trouble understanding emotions and as a result have difficulty interacting
hands: Two-Handed Sword requires two socially with people who do have them. This doesn’t prevent you having and showing
hands. None of these skills are banned, emotions of your own (provided you don’t have something like No Sense of Humor) –
since a robot can always get some use out your problem is you don’t really understand them.
of them by remotely controlling another You may not take the Empathy advantage, and suffer a -3 penalty to use of all skills
robot that does have arms. that rely in whole or part on understanding someone’s emotional motivation. This
applies in particular to Acting, Carousing, Criminology, Detect Lies, Fast-Talk,
Continued on next page . . . Leadership, Merchant, Politics, Psychology and Sex Appeal. You can still have these
skills – you just aren’t as good at them as someone without this disadvantage.
This advantage is very common in any artificial creation, not just robots but also
biological androids that have been raised in vats rather than with surrogate parents. It’s
also very appropriate for robots, especially those that lack neural-net or sentient brains.
Not every robot or biological android will have it, though. An entity that had a close

Characters 88
relationship with its creators, or which has spent years working with humans or time
studying them may have “bought it off” and be perfectly comfortable dealing with Robots, Cyborgs, and Skills
emotions. Some cyborgs may even develop low empathy, feeling isolated from humans
within their metal shells. (Continued)
Animal Skills
No Natural Healing -20 points Animals may be frightened by robots
Unlike humans who get a HT roll to heal every day, damage to you requires repair. or cyborgs that are not shaped like famil-
Unless a cyborg or robot has a living metal or biomechanical body, it already has iar living things or machines. A machine
this disadvantage – its -20 points are already included in the robot’s point cost. that lacks living flesh may also smell odd.
Biological androids can’t take this disadvantage as individuals; living metal and biome- Of course, if an animal is familiar with
cars or tractors, for instance, a vehicle-like
chanical robots can take it, to represent a malfunctioning self-repair system. robot will be unlikely to frighten it –
unless the robot does something unexpect-
Obsession: Unknown Creator -5 points ed like talking or trying to grab it! In gen-
You are an artificial being (a biological android or robot) but do not know who cre- eral, if a strange robot tries to calm, ride
ated you. You are obsessed (see Obsession on p. B241) with the goal of trying to find or control an animal, using animal skills
your creator (or if a biological android, your genetic donor) as well as details of how will normally be at -3 or worse.
and why you were created. If you find him, you will initially have a very good reaction
to such a person, although what you learn may change that. You will be willing to Artistic Skills
A robot can have artistic skills, but
make deals with people – even enemies – in order to aid your search. Also, having no unless it is sentient, it lacks “true creativi-
known lineage, you lack of a baseline to compare yourself to, which can cause prob- ty.” In particular, if it has the Slave
lems with self-esteem as well as identity, and make it difficult to find things like spare Mentality disadvantage may be technical-
parts. The GM should secretly decide on your background, and come up with a reason ly good, but not creative or original. It
why you don’t know who your creator is: partial memory erasure, military secrecy, or takes no penalty if it can copy another’s
whatever. Perhaps you were even raised by surrogate human parents, and until recently work or performance. If it is ordered to
believed you were a “real” person, rather than a machine? copy several human works, mix styles,
(If you don’t know who your creator is, but aren’t especially obsessed with finding and come up with something unique, it
out the answer, this is a -1 point Quirk.) does so at -4; whether the result is art or
not is anyone’s guess.
Artist, Calligraphy or Sculpting skill
Reprogrammable Duty -25 points usually requires the robot either have arms
You can be programmed to obey a particular master, as described on p. 57. This is a with hands or built-in tools. But the robot
form of all-the-time Involuntary Duty (p. B238), except that someone can reprogram could compose its work entirely as a
you to change your master. (This is included in the cost of a non-sentient robot’s brain.) graphics file (CAD/CAM file for
If you have a Slave Mentality, you must obey your master slavishly, remaining Sculpting) and then have a printer or
strictly within the letter of any commands you are given. If you do not have a Slave machine execute it.
Mentality, you may interpret his orders creatively, as long as you remain within either Dancing requires legs or a flexibody. If
their letter or spirit (your choice). If you aren’t sentient, you will have no interest in the robot does not also have arms, it takes
doing anything other than your programmed duty! a -2 penalty.
Musical Instrument requires arms with
A Reprogrammable Duty may be taken in addition to a Duty to some organization or hands, or building the instrument into the
the like. A robot could have a responsibility to one person or organization, but be repro- robot. Any robot that does not have the
grammed to serve another, for instance, creating a possible clash of loyalities. In such Mute option can take Musical Instrument
cases, the programmed duty has precedence, but the robot will try to fufill other duties (Synthesizer) skill and use its own vocal
as best it can. apparatus to duplicate a synthesizer. If it
has Superior Voice or Silver Tongue it
Slave Mentality -40 points gets a +2 to skill.
No matter how intelligent you are, you have no sense of self and little initiative or
creativity of your own. You become confused and ineffectual when not following a Continued on next page . . .
master’s orders.
For instance, you could be quite intelligent enough to obey the command “plot a
course to the Phoenix Sector and pilot the ship there,” but if you ran out of energy and
found $100 to buy a new power cell, you would be hard-pressed to decide to pick up
the money and purchase a recharge – unless your owner told you to.
You must roll vs. IQ-8 before taking any action that’s not either obeying a direct
order or part of an established routine. Orders must be precise. Being given more than
one contingency order or a long chain of orders will simply confuse you. You make
Will rolls at -6.
Every robot that lacks a neural-net or sentient brain has this disadvantage. Its -40
points is already included in the design cost of these robots, and thus it is worth no
extra points for them. A more sophisticated artificial life form, such as a neural-net or
sentient robot, a cyborg, or a biological android, is by definition one with enough ini-
tiative to avoid having a Slave Mentality. However, the brain of a cyborg, android or
sophisticated robot can be fitted with a gadget which duplicates this disadvantage’s
effect: see the Means of Control sidebar on p. 87. Such characters can take this disad-
vantage.

89 Characters
 Robots, Cyborgs, and Skills Quirks
Any artificial being can have the normal number of Quirks, much like a human. A
(Continued) robot doesn’t have to be a neural-net or sentient: what with bugs in their programming,
Craft Skills manufacturer defects, practical joking factory programmers, combat damage, or the
A robot or cyborg requires arms, usu- neglect of regular maintenance, even the dumbest Complexity 1 brain can develop an
ally with either hands or built-in tools, to exasperating variety of quirks without human aid! For instance, PCs may discover that
perform these skills by itself. A robot their XTD-30 astromech ’bot was programmed with a Scottish accent, or encounter a
without usable manipulators can still have police robot who always pauses to read a suspect his rights before bringing him in –
Craft skill, but the only way it can then even if the suspect is dead or unconscious. Other robot quirks can be more physical than
build or repair something is by giving mental: anything from “leaks lubricant fluid” to “whirs and clicks loudly” is possible.
orders to other robots. If it has more or
less than the usual number of manipulator
arms, it may be faster or slower when
repairing or assembling, or dissembling
things. Divide the time required by (.5
number of arms). Only count arms that
Skills
Biological androids, cyborgs and robots with neural-net or sentient computer brains
either have built-in tools or are capable of may have learned skills in the same way that humans learn: by experience or training.
holding them and which the GM decides A biological android is limited to twice its chronological age in skills, plus 2 skill
are strong enough for the task at hand. A points per month it spent in “deep learning” to a maximum of 36 points (see Chapter 4,
dozen ST 1 arms are great for a watch- Biological Androids).
maker but of limited help cutting wood. If
A cyborg or robot with a neural-net or computer brain is limited to twice its chrono-
the GM rules that too many arms would
just get in the way, assume that the time logical age in skills, just like a human. For a cyborg, these skills may include ones that
can’t be reduced below half normal. The it picked up before being turned into a machine. Note that, since all robots have Eidetic
number of arms won’t affect conceptual Memory level two, points placed into normal mental skills count quadruple.
tasks, such as figuring out how something A robot may also have been already programmed with skills; the character point
works, or designing a gadget. cost of these has already been paid as part of the robot’s programming cost and don’t
count against this limit. Character points from programmed and learned skills are addi-
Vehicle Skills tive, as explained under Skill Programs on p. 60.
A robot or cyborg must be the right Biological androids can generally take and use any skill a human can. For robots and
size and shape to fit into a vehicle in order
cyborgs, it’s not quite that simple: see the sidebar for some skills that work in different
to drive it! Some vehicles (e.g., cars or
any cycles) require arms and legs to drive. ways.
If a vehicle has computerized electronic There are a few skills that are especially important in any campaign involving robots
controls (most TL8+ vehicles, and some or androids.
advanced TL7 vehicles, like aircraft
apply) it can be fitted with an interface Electronics/TL (Computers or Cybernetics) see p. B60
port for $100 or so. Then the machine can The Computers specialization is used to design or repair robot brains. The
use its cable jack to plug into it, control- Cybernetics specialization is used to build or repair cyborg brains.
ling it without requiring hands and at a +4
to skill.
Engineering/TL (Robotics) see p. B60
This specialization is used to design, build or repair robot or cyborg bodies.

Genetics/TL (Genetic Engineering) see p. B61

This speciality is used to design biological androids.
Skills that Work Differently
Detect Lies Mechanic/TL (Robotics) see p. B54
A robot or cyborg that has learned or This speciality can also be used to repair and maintain robot and cyborg bodies,
been programmed with this skill is more although Engineering is needed to design them.
likely to use it by studying the subject’s
physiological responses rather than its
emotional ones, which it probably doesn’t
understand very well anyway! The built-in
sensor package can help it function as a lie
detector: it adds bonuses for Acute
Hearing and Discriminatory Smell. It
smells fear and sweat, listens to the sub-
ject’s heartbeat and respiration, and feels
its pulse. Also, add +1 if the robot has
Infrared Vision, or +2 if it has Thermo-
graph or Spectrum Vision – it can see
traces of heat of blood moving to the face
from partly-masked anger or embarrass-
ment, for instance.

Continued on next page . . .

Characters 90
Psychology/TL (Artificial Beings) see p. B62
This speciality is needed to fully understand the psychology of created life forms.
Using the optional specialization rules (p. B43) a “robo-psychologist” gets +5 when Skills that Work Differently
dealing with artificial life forms but -1 when dealing with ordinary subjects.
This defaults to at -5 to Computer Programming when dealing with robots and (Continued)
computers. Robots and Cyborgs in Freefall
A robot or cyborg who fails a Freefall
roll is not required to make a HT roll like

Robot and Cyborg Character Development

A biological android can improve its attributes and skills just like a human. For a
a human to avoid being spacesick. Instead,
it makes an IQ roll and if it fails, it is men-
tally stunned (disoriented) for 2d turns.
robot or cyborg, it’s not quite so easy. Sex Appeal and Robots
A robot can earn character points through experience, but it cannot buy up ST or HT A robot should be of a more-or-less
with them, and cannot always improve skills directly. However, it can use them in three humanoid shape to use this skill on a
ways: human, unless its partner has very odd
First, it can buy off any disadvantages (except those inherent to its robot model) tastes, or unless it is in a medium where
using the normal rules for doing so. In general, there should be a justification in play looks don’t matter, such as dating over the
before the robot can do this. For instance, for a robot to buy off its Sense of Duty phone or in a shared virtual reality. These
modifiers apply to Sex Appeal rolls if the
(owner) its owner could have been killed, its programming might have been altered, or
robot is in person: -3 penalty if it is bio-
it might have suffered an accident that jolted its brain and somehow erased that pro- morphic, but has no flesh (if it looks good,
gram. Or it could decide that two of its disadvantages are logically contradictory and it can still be considered sexy); -1 penalty
“delete” one. For example, “I am superior to humans (Overconfidence/Megalomania), if the encounter is sexual and the robot has
yet I am required to obey a human (Sense of Duty to Owner). Delete Sense of Duty.” no sex implant. If the robot is shaped like
Second, a cyborg, or a robot with a neural-net or sentient computer brain, can a living being but is obviously alien, it
improve its DX, IQ or existing skills (whether learned or programmed) and buy new may or may not attract interest – that
skills just like a human. A robot without these brain options cannot do so – it has the depends on the orientation of the potential
disadvantage Cannot Learn. partner.
Third, the robot or cyborg can pay for physical modifications or new programs. To Sex appeal may work normally on
cyborgs and biological androids. The GM
do this it must buy, find, or otherwise acquire the program or parts needed for the mod-
should decide whether Sex Appeal can
ification. If this requires an adventure, the GM can grant some or all of the experience work on a robot – it won’t unless the robot
points gained in the adventure toward paying for the program or modification. has developed a quirk (“attracted to
If a robot adds a new program to its memory, it should pay for it in character points, humans”) or has Lecherousness.
using the costs shown in the Brains and Programs chapter. The robot can get around
this cost by deleting an existing program from memory at the same time.
If a robot has itself rebuilt, these modifications may alter the model point cost of the
robot and must be paid for.

Robot Mages
Magic Aptitude and Robots
Can robots cast spells? That’s up to the GM. If you don’t want spellcasting robots,
A robot needs a Mana Co-Processor
brain option if it is to cast spells. This is
an option for any Complexity 5 or higher
robot brain, and is $15,000 for Magery 1,
assume that magic is inherently biological, and the only way a machine can use them is $25,000 for Magery 2, $35,000 for
if it had a mage’s brain cyborged into it. But for other campaigns . . . Magery 3. This covers the cost of exotic
materials used to manufacture it (for
Magical Aptitude
Magery (p. B21) is such a nebulous quality that GMs will have to decide for them-
instance, refined sand from an extra-
dimensional beach used to make a silicon
chip, black opal circuitry, and so on). In
selves whether robots can have it! addition, add the cost charged by the
Unless an artificial body interferes with magic use (which is not the case in the enchanter. The Mana Co-Processor has
default GURPS magic system) there is no reason why a robot with a cyborg brain negligible mass and volume and is
couldn’t be a mage. destroyed when the robot’s brain is
For robots without cyborg brains, we recommend that only those robots with destroyed. Creating a Mana Co-Processor
Complexity 5 or higher computer brains with either sentient or neural-net options be requires a special spell, described on this
allowed to buy Magery. page.
Optionally, “technomagic” can be used to deliberately create a robot mage. Use the A robot with a mana co-processor can
following spell. cast spells it is programmed with. Spells
cost the same as other skill programs (p.
60), but availability is likely to be very
Create Mana Co-Processor Enchantment (M/VH) limited unless the robot exists within a
To give a computer brain Magery requires the casting of this enchantment spell. It technomagical society.
can be cast on any neural net or AI computer brain of Complexity 5 or better. If Magery is a prerequisite for a spell,
Prerequisites: Magery 3, Computer Programming-20. the robot requires a Mana Co-Processor to
Energy Cost: Cost to enchant is 15,000 energy points for Magery 1, 25,000 for be able to run that spell program.
Magery 2, 35,000 for Magery 3.

91 Characters
 “Operations, this is Security Control. Motion sensors show unauthorized
entry in the Starship Assembly Bay. Any of your people down there?”
“That’s a negative, Control. A glitch?”
“Maybe. I’m sending a security robot.”
“Cerberus Unit Three, this is Control. Proceed to Starship Assembly Bay
to investigate possible intruder.”

Robots in Action 92
 “Cerberus Three to Control. My bioscanner confirms unauthorized human life
form in area. Am closing . . . . Have achieved visual identification: life form is human
female, unarmored, holding small hand weapon. Running weapon library scan.
Weapon identified as needler. Threat level minimal.”
“Cerberus Three, this is Security Control. You are authorized to subdue the
intruder.”
“Affirmative. Stunner firing. Hit achieved. No effect on target. Intruder closing
fast. Intruder is . . .”
“Cerberus Three, report. Your telemetry is breaking up.”
“Am in close combat with intruder and sustaining damage. Warning! Initial scan
in error. Intruder reclassified as combat android. Upgrading threat level to maxi-
mum.”
“Cerberus Three, you are authorized to use lethal force.”
“Negative capability. Left arm containing laser weapon is no longer attached to Fast-Moving Robots (Optional)
this unit. Am sustaining heavy damage. Positive ID on intruder: SY-101-N covert oper- Robots that move at high speeds
ations robot. Warning! Total systems failure is imminent. Total sys –” should take some time to reach their top
“Security Control to all Cerberus units, proceed to Starship Assembly Bay! Red speed, or slow down from it, and will also
alert!” be less maneuverable. These rules can and
should be ignored for slow-moving robots
This chapter discusses how robots move, fight, take damage and are repaired. – those moving at velocities 10 yards per
turn or slower. But when a robot moves
Robots use the same rules for movement, combat and other action that humans do, with
faster than this, it should move more like a
several exceptions. Some of these are obvious: if a robot doesn’t have arms, it can’t lift vehicle than a person. Use the following
or manipulate objects; if it lacks audio sensors, it can’t hear. Others require special rules:
rules, which are covered in this chapter. Velocity: Unless a robot accelerates or
decelerates, it must move the same number
of yards that it moved on their previous

Robot Strength
Robots often have multiple ST attributes: a body ST for the robot’s body (and legs,
turn. This is its velocity; keep track of it.
Acceleration: In a single turn, a robot
that accelerates can increase its current
velocity by a maximum that depends on
if any) and different ST value for each of its arms. If a robot is lifting, pushing, grap- how it moves:
pling or striking with an arm, use the arm’s ST. If it is lifting and moving things on its Moving on two legs: (top Speed minus
back, or slamming, use its basic ST. velocity)/3.
Moving on three or more legs: (top
Fatigue and ST Speed minus velocity)/5.
Moving on wheels or tracks: (top
Robots don’t have a fatigue score. Robots take no Fatigue from combat, long
Speed minus velocity)/10.
marches, running or swimming, or losing sleep. They ignore magical or psionic attacks Moving by any other means: (top
that would cause a human to take Fatigue. A robot may not use Extra Effort. If a robot is Speed minus velocity)/20.
overtaxed, decrease the interval between maintenance checks and increase power or fuel If a robot’s acceleration would be less
usage. than .5 yard per second (1 mph), treat its
acceleration as .5 yard per second.
Deceleration: In a single turn, a robot
that decelerates can decrease its current
velocity by a maximum that depends on
how it moves:
Moving via two legs: 5 + (top
Speed/3).
Moving via three or more legs: 5 +
(top Speed/5).
Moving via wheels or tracks: 5 + (top
Speed/10).
Moving by any other means: 5 + (top
Speed/20), maximum 10.
Deceleration cannot exceed 20, how-
ever.
Turning: GMs may wish to use the
rules on turning radius on p. B139 to
restrict the maneuverability of high-speed
robots.

These rules are intended as a playable

simplification – for more complex and
realistic handling of acceleration, deceler-
ation and turning, calculate a robot’s sta-
tistics like that of a vehicle, and use the
rules in GURPS Vehicles, Second Edition.

93 Robots in Action
 Weapon Placement
and Arc of Fire Robots with Multiple Arms
A normal arm is just like a human arm; one with the Bad Grip option functions as
Where a weapon was placed in the
robot determines what direction it can fire. a human arm, but at -4 to DX. A handless “striker” arm or a robot leg is capable of
If a weapon is placed in the body or a pod, about the same degree of dexterity an handless human arm or a leg can manage: not
decide which side of the body it points out very much, but it could push a large button, or push open a door.
of. It can only fire in that direction. If a Robots may have no, some, or many arms. A robot with no arms has no manipula-
weapon is mounted in an arm it can fire in tory ability at all. A robot with only one arm suffers the same hindrance as a human
any direction the robot points the arm. If a with the One Arm disadvantage.
weapon is mounted in a head, it can fire in A robot with multiple arms can use them in concert during normal situations (to
any direction the head turn to face. repair a watch, for example). GMs may rule that the time required for a task is divided
by (.5 number of arms) the robot has, counting only those arms with the manipulatory
ability and ST sufficient to perform the task.
Cinematic Combat A robot with multiple arms can carry multiple ready weapons. For instance, a
Science fiction is full of classic ways three-armed robot could carry two pistols and a sword, for instance. It cannot make
humans can defeat robots. Not all of these multiple attacks unless it takes the All-Out Attack option or has the Full Coordination
are appropriate for a serious campaign, program (p. 59). However, in close combat it gets a +2 modifier per extra arm (over the
but they are especially appropriate for a
first two) on any attempt to grapple, pin, or break free from a grapple or pin.
cinematic one. All of these rules are
optional; some will unbalance a serious
campaign.
Paint on the Sensors: Or glue or
spaghetti – anything sticky. A successful
DX or throwing roll, at -10 to hit (use an
all-out attack!) with cover the robot’s
Other Robot Characteristics
Robots do not normally need to eat, drink, sleep or excrete wastes. (Robots with
visual or thermal sensors, leaving it blind. bioconvertor power plants are the exception.) Robots may require downtime for main-
An alternative is to place a cloak, tapestry tenance and checkups – see p. 100.
or hat over its head, though if the robot Robots sometimes shut down, to conserve power. The owner of a robot may order it
has manipulator arms, these can be easily to shut down, or allow it to do so when necessary. A robot that shuts down uses no fuel
removed. In addition to having a -10 to hit and only the tiniest trickle of power (to maintain an internal clock, and a communicator or
(unless it has radar or other scanners), audio sensor) and is unaware of its surroundings and unconscious. A robot that shuts itself
many movie robots who are blinded spin down can set a specific time for reawakening, after which it will power-up and “awaken”
around out of control (give the robot an IQ or arrange to be awakened on receiving a pre-set signal, wakeup code, or whatever.
roll to avoid panic) for 1d rounds due to A robot is mentally stunned on the turn it awakens (unless it has Combat Reflexes)
disorientation, or fire wildly with weapons
destroying friend and foe alike. Some may
as its systems come on line. After that it is fully alert.
even self-destruct! But most robots will Robots are immune to Fright Checks. Will rolls may still be required to overcome
usually rely on audio sensors or datalink a Mental Disadvantage, in which case the robot’s Will is its IQ.
from other robots to target opponents, or
retreat.
Cinematic Knockback: In cinematic
combat, a person with a shotgun or heavy
pistol can sometimes stun a heavily
armored robot even if his shot didn’t pen-
Robot Movement
Robots use the normal rules for humans, with the modifications described below;
etrate DR. GMs may rationalize this as the flying robots use the rules for flying animals described in the Basic Set.
robot pausing to evaluate the damage, the
computer brain (being sensitive) suffering
disruption, the robot being knocked off Step Maneuvers
balance and taking a second for its gyros In ordinary combat, the Step portion of a Step and (anything) maneuver is a one-
to reorient, or whatever. Besides rolling to hex move. However, a very fast robot (or android or cyborg) should be able to cover
see if it falls down, a robot that suffers more ground without losing its active defenses.
knockback must make an IQ roll or be A robot, android or cyborg has a step of 1 for every 4 full points of Move, with a
mentally stunned for one turn. The roll is minimum value of 1. Thus, a robot with Move 0-7 gives it the normal Step of 1; Move
at -2 per hex the robot was knocked back. 8-11 gives it a Step of 2, Move 12-15 gives it a Step of 3, and so on.
Pushing Them Over: Not a bad tactic; Multiple-hex Steps can be broken up in a turn: thus a robot with Move 14 and Step
robots without legs often find it difficult 3 could move up 1 hex, attack, then move 2 hexes back.
to right themselves if they are unbalanced.
Use normal slam procedure – see the rules
on melee and close combat for rules on Using Encumbrance with Robots
robots and slams, and effects of damage Rather than recalculate a robot’s statistics whenever it carries something, GMs
under knockback for robots getting up may wish to use the Encumbrance rules. If the robot has two or three legs use the rules
again. A robot without legs, the flexibody
for humans on p. B76. Otherwise, use the rules for beasts on p. B145 for other robots.
option, or flight with hover capability will
be unable to right itself unless its arms are These encumbrance rules work fairly well for robots with Speeds under 10 (if
strong enough to lift its weight. using the human rules) or 20 (if using the beast rules). For faster robots, instead of sub-
tracting directly from Speed to get Move, multiply the Move penalty for a given
Continued on next page . . . encumbrance by 20% (if using the human rules) or by 10% (if using the beast rules),
and subtract that percentage from Move, rounding down.

Robots in Action 94
 Cinematic Combat
(Continued)
Defeat Them With Logical Paradoxes:
This normally only works in a cinematic
campaign, and only if the GM thinks it
applies! To be confused, the robot must
have at least an IQ of 8 and be willing or
forced to listen. Furthermore, they can’t
just say “I always lie; I’m telling a lie” or
ask it to compute the value of pi to the last
digit and watch it self-destruct. Instead, the
adventurers must confront the robot with a
paradox in its own main programming.
Success may also require a successful
Contest of Psychology, Fast Talk or
Computer Programming vs. the robot’s IQ;
if successful, the robot may go into a fren-
zy of sorts, attempting to justify itself or
resolve the paradox instead of attacking; it
will possibly be Mentally Stunned. In some
cases, the effects of a success may be more
Other Movement Rules severe: suppose a robot is programmed to
Multi-Hex Robots: Large robots may occupy multiple hexes. Use the rules for eliminate life. However, if the definition of
multi-hex animals on p. B141. “life” it is programmed with is one that is
Running Long Distances: Because robots are mechanical, they do not slow down broad enough to include the robot, and the
when running long distances (p. B88), nor do they suffer exhaustion. (Of course, they PCs point this out, the robot might conve-
niently decide to destroy itself.
may run out of power or fuel, or even need maintenance if the distances are really long.) The Vat of Molten Metal: There always
Jumping: Only robots with legs or flexibodies can jump without some kind of a seems to be one of these handy when a
ramp; use the jumping rules on p. B88. heavily-armored robot needs to be dis-
Climbing: Only robots with a flexibody, or two or more limbs (either legs, or arms posed of in true cinematic fashion! The
strong enough to lift its weight) can climb; use the rules on p. B89. Only a robot with preferred method is to lure the robot next
arms capable of lifting its own weight can shinny up a rope. to the vat, then achieve a one-hex knock-
Crawling, Crouching and Kneeling: Only robots with either flexibodies or one or back or slam, or get it to fall over and fail
more limbs (either legs, or arms strong enough to lift the robot’s weight) can crawl. a DX roll. If an attacker grabs the robot or
Only robots with flexibodies or legs may crouch or kneel. Robots unable to kneel, and slams it, the GM can give a self-sacrific-
any robot with a flexibody, are usually be built low enough to the ground to pick up ing PC a one-time +5 bonus to ST if he
specifies that he is holding onto the robot
objects without having to kneel first. as it plummets and following it to his
doom! Immersion in a typical vat of
Movement On the Ground molten metal does 10d damage each turn
A robot that has legs or a flexibody can move across almost any terrain, just like a until the robot climbs out. Like a flamer
human. hit, any DR that isn’t sealed protects at
A robot with tracks has its top speed halved when moving through thick woods, half value. The robot’s DR is damaged
swamps, mud or very rocky, hilly ground. whether it is penetrated or not: it drops by
1 point per 10 hits of damage rolled, so
A robot with wheels can only move at full speed on a smooth floor, road, or the robot will eventually melt. Loss of
smooth rock. Across ordinary firm grass its top speed is halved; through thick woods or 20% of DR will “unseal” the robot, by
over soft sand it cannot exceed 15% of top speed. It cannot exceed 10% of its top speed which time it’s in big trouble.
over broken ground, or 5% of top speed through swamps or mud.
A robot with a ground-effect skirt can skim over mud, sand or even water as if it Cinematic Survival
was smooth ground, but heavily-wooded terrain limits it to 15% of top speed, and it When humans fight robots, the robots
can’t move through broken ground or climb steep slopes or stairs at all. often have big guns. A single gatling
laser, minigun or anti-tank rocket can
blow an unamored hero into next week.
Movement In the Air Besides using the normal cinematic rules
Flying robots uses the flying rules on p. B139. However, some robot designs will from p. B183, GM’s should consider the
have a stall speed. If a robot has a stall speed, it can only take off or remain airborne as following options:
long as its current air speed is greater than its stall speed. If its speed is lower, the robot Cinematic Explosions: The explosion
will stall. A stalling robot can do nothing but dive and accelerate, until its speed has damage (p. B121) from grenades, shells,
increased above its stall speed, or it hits the ground and crashes. rockets, and the like fired by robots against
lightly armored foes does no direct dam-
age. Instead, it only disarrays clothing,
Movement On or Under Water blackens faces, and most importantly,
Only robots that can float (those with flotation hulls or submersible hulls) can counts for knockback. For every hex a per-
move on water, although hovercraft can skim over the surface. Sealed robots can drive son is knocked back by an explosion he
underwater; underwater terrain is generally mud. An unsealed robot submerged in should take one hit of crushing damage.
water will lose 1d percent of its body and turret hit points (minimum 1d hits) plus a fur- Continued on next page . . .
ther percentage every minute until disabled.

95 Robots in Action
 Cinematic Combat
Robots in Combat
Some robots are designed for battle, but even the dumbest maintenance ’bot can
(Continued) be ordered into combat to slam into people, or to swipe at foes with its limbs or
Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship
power-mop.
Academy: Enemy robots never hit with the This section describes how robots fight.
first shot or first burst of automatic fire –
it just lands close enough to make the tar-
get aware he’s being shot at. Attacks
Robots attack in much the same way as humans, using the normal combat rules
Hollywood Automatic Weapons:
Opposing forces never get to use the and their programmed skills or defaults.
Aiming Successive Groups rule (p. B121)
and all burst fire counts as snapshots,
never getting an Accuracy bonus. Ranged Combat
Robot Combat Etiquette: Non-sentient Robots with built-in ranged weapons and possessing appropriate programming use
robots attacking our heroes don’t dodge or the normal firing rules, with these modifications:
charge or even take cover: they just Target Size and Signature: The size modifier (p. B201) is vitally important in robot
advance slowly and steadily at a walking combat; obviously it’s easier to hit a building-sized Ogre than a robot rat.
pace, heedless of any fire! Once it gets Chameleon Systems: These surface features (see p. 42) reduce the chance of the
close, any big, strong robot that has arms robot being hit.
and hands will try to grab people rather Hand-held Weapons: A robot with arms and hands can also use human-style
than shoot or punch them. ranged weapons if its arm has enough ST. Reduce effective recoil from weapons
Bulletproof Nudity: PCs can incrase
PD by undressing. A ragged t-shirt or
mounted in the robot by 1 for every full 200 lbs. the robot weighs.
skintight bodysuit is PD 3, stripped to the Internal Weapons: A robot with multiple built-in ranged weapons may fire one or
waist or skimpy swimwear is PD 5, total more at once at a single target. Otherwise, the only way a robot may make multiple
nudity is PD 7. Add +1 for female PCs. attacks (besides using the All-Out Attack option or a weapon with a high RoF) is if it
This can also apply to androids. uses a Full Coordination program (p. 59).
When a robot or cyborg fires internal weapons, its SS number is reduced by 5. This
is the same benefit a human receives from a TL9+ Heads-Up Display (p. UT49), and is
not cumulative with it. This does not apply if the robot or cyborg is effectively Blind
and lacks compensating sensors like radar.
Fire and Explosion
Fuel tanks have a Fire number. If the
Melee and Close Combat
robot’s body or subassembly containing a Any robot can strike with its arms. Arm-mounted weapons (p. 20) can also
fuel tank loses takes damage greater than increase this damage, or deliver special attacks. Any arm that has a hand (that is, any
half its hit points from any single attack, arm that isn’t a striker) can wield human-style weapons, or grapple in close combat.
roll 3d. If the amount is less than or equal Any robot, with or without arms, can slam into someone. Use the normal rules for
to the “fire” number, the robot catches slam attacks. On the ground, a ’bot moving on tracks, a flexibody, as a hovercraft or via
fire. Add +4 to the Fire number if the three or more wheels is more stable than one on legs: if it slams or is slammed, add +4
attack was one that normally sets things to its ST on the roll to see who falls down.
alight – a flamer, molotov cocktail, explo- A robot with legs can kick, doing Thrust+2/Crushing damage based on a strength
sive warhead, etc. equal to twice its body ST divided by its number of legs. A kick is at -2 to hit.
The robot will take 2d damage plus
another 2d every 10 seconds, ignoring
A robot with a head equipped with a jaw can do biting damage in close combat,
DR. Fire damage is always applied to the based on the jaw’s ST and type.
location (body or head hit points) where A robot with a flexibody can constrict its opponent, provided it is equal or larger in
the fire is taking place. The robot may be size than its victim (up to a maximum of ten times larger). Treat constriction as a grap-
able to put the fire out by using fire extin- pling attack with a ST equal to the robot’s Body ST.
guishers, diving into water, etc. – this is Many robot tools are also useful for making melee attacks.
up to the GM. Every ten seconds that a
fuel tank is on fire, half the current fuel is
burned away. When all the fuel is gone,
the tank is no longer on fire.
Defenses
All robots are programmed to avoid obstacles, but a robot may not recognize an
Once a fuel tank catches fire roll 3d attack as such until too late; use normal rules for surprise.
each second vs. half the tank’s Fire num-
A robot with the Slave Mentality disadvantage will require an IQ roll (see Slave
ber. Success means the fuel tank explodes.
The ’bot takes 6d 10 damage per gallon Mentality on p. 89) at a penalty in order to be able to make an active defenses if they
of flammable fuel on board. If the ’bot has are not specifically ordered to do so, unless they also have Combat Reflexes.
a self-sealing tank, only one-quarter of the Move: A robot’s Move is its Speed, modified by any encumbrance, rounded down
total fuel will explode, but the rest is to the nearest whole number.
destroyed.
Dodging
A robot’s Dodge is calculated differently depending on how the robot moves: legs
are more agile than wheels, for instance. Combat Reflexes will increase a robot’s
Dodge. A robot can retreat while dodging, just like a human.

Robots in Action 96
 On the ground, a robot with two legs has a Dodge equal to its Move, to a maximum of
10. A flying robot, or one moving on the ground with three or more legs, has a Dodge of 1⁄2 Other Hazards and Robots
Move or 1⁄2 DX, whichever is better, to a maximum of 10. Any other robot has Dodge of 1⁄4
Robots do not suffer from starvation or
Move or 1⁄4 DX, whichever is worse, to a maximum of 5. Round all fractions down. dehydration, though they may run out of
Parrying and Blocking: A robot with arms can parry “bare handed” using fuel or power.
Brawling, Judo or Karate skill, or parry with a weapon or block with a shield. Robots can ignore the effects of nor-
PD Reduction: GURPS High-Tech Second Edition introduced a rule in which PD is mal heat or cold: if it isn’t hot or cold
reduced by 1 per full 3d of damage an attack inflicts. GMs may consider this rule option- enough to do damage, the robot will func-
al. Since PD only exceeds PD 6 in the case of deflector shields, this means any attack tion.
doing more than 18d damage effectively ignores PD. PD has no effect against explosions. Robots do not normally bleed,
although they may leak lubrication fluid.

Damage to Robots – Basic Combat System

Apply damage that gets through DR to the robot’s body hit points. When the body is
It’s up to the GM whether this has the
same effect as blood loss. Robots with
simulated internal organs will bleed, but
reduced to or below 0 hit points, the robot must roll vs. Health each turn to continue func- this has no effect on the robot’s operation.
tioning, and may risk destruction – see Incapacitating or Destroying a Robot on p. 98. Poison, poison gas, smoke, disease and
infection have no effect on robots.
A robot cannot be suffocated unless its
Impaling Damage and Robots power plant requires air (like an internal
Robots do not take doubled damage from ordinary impaling attacks. However, combustion engine) and is clogged or
blaster bolts, anti-particle beams, disruptor beams and x-ray or gamma-ray lasers do the unable to find air, in which case it won’t
normal doubled damage, as their radiation can disrupt robot electronics. work. Most power plants described in
GURPS Robots do not need air, but air-

Hit Location – Advanced Combat System

When an attack is made against the robot, the attacker can choose what part of the
breathing power plants are discussed in
more detail in GURPS Vehicles, 2nd
Edition.
robot to attack. Different parts of the robot will have different reactions to major dam- Against concussion damage or other
age. In some instances, they may have different PD and DR values as well, in which hazards, a sealed robot is considered to
have airtight armor.
case these are used instead of the robot’s body PD and DR.
Random location is used when a part of the robot must be randomly targeted. Roll Water and Robots
3d on the table below. A robot that is immersed in water may
short-circuit. If the robot is sealed, this
Hit Location Table will only happen if the seal is broken – see
Random Location Part of the Robot Hit Penalty the description of sealed surface feature
4 or less Brain -7/-10* on p. 43.
5 Head -5** An unsealed robot fully immersed (at
– Sensor -10** least up to its head) in water must make a
Health roll every turn. On a successful
6 Arm -2**
roll, it takes one hit of damage to each
7 Hand -4** location that is underwater. On a failed
8 Arm -2** roll, it suffers a total short-circuit! When a
9-11 Body 0 robot short-circuits, every location that is
12-14 Leg, Track, GEV Skirt, or Wing -2** immersed drops to 0 hit points, usually
15-16 Wheel, or Rotary Wing -4** disabling the robot. Anyone in contact
17+ Vital Area -3/-6* with a short-circuiting robot takes 1d of
damage.
* If the attacker is not familar with the robot’s internal design, as will be the case
with most newly-encountered robots, add an extra -3 penalty. Use of Penetrating Vision
or a successful Mechanic (Robotics)-5 roll can enable a character to correctly deduce a Radiation and Robots
robot’s design and use the smaller penalty. Robots may be exposed to radiation
** Not all robots will have these parts. If a system does not exist (“Head” is rolled from hostile environments, nuclear explo-
and the robot has no head, for instance) treat as a body hit. sions or accidents, or certain beam
If multiple systems could be hit, roll randomly to see which one is. If the robot is weapons.
Radiation exposure is measured in
in cover, only exposed locations can be hit. The effects of striking a particular location rads. When a robot is affected, record the
are detailed below. Unless noted otherwise, damage from a hit is applied to the robot’s total exposure the robot takes. Some typi-
hit points in addition to any special effects the damage may inflict. cal radiation doses:
Not all robots will have the following locations; obviously, a robot cannot be Solar flare (if unprotected by atmos-
attacked in a location it doesn’t have. phere) or near the reactor during a fission
Body: Damage is applied normally to the body’s hit points. If the body is reduced plant accident: 1,000 rads per hour.
to 0 hits or less, see Incapacitating or Destroying a Robot. One-megaton fission air or space burst
Vital Area: A vital area of the robot’s body (such as the power system) is hit. at 2,000 yards: 6,600 rads.
Damage from any attack that exceeds the robot’s DR is multiplied by 1.5. Fallout on ground after one-megaton
Brain: Damage is applied to whatever part of the robot (head or body usually) contains fission ground burst: 300 rads/hour after 1
hour, 130 rads/hour after 2hours, 39
the brain. In addition, damage that penetrated DR is doubled, and if any damage penetrated rads/hour after 5 hours, 7 rads/hour after 1
DR, the robot must roll vs. Health to avoid being stunned (as per knockdown, p. 99). day.
Head: Damage is applied normally to the head’s hit points. If the head is reduced
to 0 hits or less, see Incapacitating or Destroying a Robot. Continued on next page . . .

97 Robots in Action
 Radiation and Robots Arm: If the arm is reduced to 0 hit points, it is crippled. All components built into
the arm stop working. If the robot has multiple arms, roll randomly to see which is hit.
(Continued) (Arms with shields are at -4 to hit, rather than -2.)
Direct hit by pulsar (anti-particle) Hand: Damage over half the arm’s hit points cripples the hand. (If the robot arm
beam: 10 rads damage rolled before lacks a hand, treat this as an arm hit.) If the robot has multiple arms with hands, roll
subtracting DR.
randomly to see which is hit. (A hand on an arm with a shield is -8 to hit.)
Radiation protection is measured in
terms of its protection factor (PF). If the Leg, Track, GEV Skirt, or Wing: Damage is applied to one of these parts. If the
robot has protection, divide the rads robot doesn’t have any of them, treat as a body hit. If it has more than one, roll random-
received by the PF to determine the actual ly to see which was hit, and apply the damage to it. Tracks resist damage with a maxi-
rads taken. Thick walls or earth barriers mum DR of half the body’s DR.
provide good shielding; a foot of earth has Wheel or Rotary Wing: Damage is applied to one of these parts. If the robot
PF 8, two feet of earth have PF 8 8, etc., doesn’t have any of them, treat as a body hit. If it has more than one, roll randomly to
while a foot of concrete has PF 18, two see which was hit. Wheels resist damage with a maximum DR of their (TL-5). Apply
feet have PF 18 18, etc. The PF of a the damage to the robot’s body hits, except:
robot with radiation shielding (p. 43) If a leg, track, GEV skirt, wing, wheel or rotary wing is reduced to 0 hit points, it is
depends on its TL.
crippled. The effects of a crippled leg, arm or whatever are described in Crippling
Unlike humans, robots don’t suffer
from cumulative radiation exposure. Robots on p. 98.
However, a sufficently powerful burst of
radiation can fry a robot’s electronic sys- Incapacitating or Destroying a Robot
tems, killing its brain and other electronics. If a body or head is reduced to 0 hits, it has taken very serious damage. Roll
The dose needed to do this depends on TL: against the robot’s overall Health (not hit points) every turn; on a failed roll the body or
TL7 . . . 100 rads TL10 . . . 2,000 rads head stops working and any component built into it ceases to function as well. If the
TL8 . . . 200 rads TL11 . . . 10,000 rads.
TL9 . . . 500 rads
robot’s only brain (wherever in the robot is) or power system ceases to function, the
Robots with hardened brains are robot is unconscious, much like a human. It remains so until it is repaired.
immune to this effect. When a robot arm is crippled, it and anything in it automatically stop working.
Make a Health roll: the arm and everything in it is destroyed if a Health roll is failed.
Otherwise, major repairs (p. 99) will fix the arm.
Damaged and Destroyed Brains If a robot body or head is reduced to -1 hit points, it must make a Health roll to
A brain will be destroyed if the part of avoid being destroyed, much like a human rolling to avoid death. The robot must roll
the robot that contained its dominant brain once at -1 hit points, and once more for every 5 hits of damage it is below that thresh-
was destroyed. This can also occur due to a old.
critical hit. If this happens, or if the robot’s At -5 hit points, a robot head or body is automatically destroyed. At -10 hit
memory was erased due to damage, the points, it is blown to bits or vaporized.
robot is effectively “dead.” If it has a back- Unless a head or body has been destroyed, it can be repaired.
up copy of its personality and memories
somewhere, it may be able to be ressurect-
ed, although it will remember nothing since Crippling Robots
its last backup – see Memory Backups on p. Leg: If a robot has two legs and one is crippled, the effects are the same as when a
55. Data recovery (p. 62) techniques can human suffers a crippled leg. For robots with three or more legs loss of legs reduces a
also resurrect a robot. robot’s ground Speed when walking or running. Divide Speed by the number of legs,
If a computer brain stops functioning rounding up. That is the speed lost for each leg that is crippled. In addition, if all legs
due to damage, but wasn’t utterly
destroyed, vital memory may still have
been lost. Roll 3d against the robot’s
Health (HT+2 if it has a hardened brain).
Subtract 1 for each multiple of negative
HT below 0 that the part of the body or
head was reduced to. If the roll succeeds,
the robot’s brain will retain its memory
once that part of the body starts to func-
tion again. If the roll fails, the robot suf-
fers partial amnesia when its brain is
repaired. It does not remember anything
that occurred within 1d 10 minutes of
the damage it suffered. In addition, the
robot may have lost some data or pro-
grams – GM’s option. This will usually be
related to whatever it was doing at the
time it took the damage, e.g., if it was fir-
ing a weapon, it may lose its Guns pro-
gram. The program is gone. If the robot
has a backup copy somewhere it can be
replaced, of course. If the roll is a critical
failure, the robot’s memory has been
erased, effectively “killing” the brain.
Data recovery (p. 62) can restore lost
memories.

Robots in Action 98
on one corner or side of a robot are lost, the robot falls down, and can only move on the
ground by crawling.
Repairs to Robot Brains
A damaged robot brain requires
Wheels: If a robot has only one or two wheels, its top ground Speed using them
Electronics Operation (Computers) to
drops to 0 when one wheel is crippled. If the robot is moving on the ground, roll vs. repair. Besides the usual modifiers given
DX-10 to avoid loss of control. on p. 62, add the following cumulative
If a robot has three wheels, its top ground Speed drops to 0 when an attack cripples modifiers:
its front wheel or when both its rear wheels are crippled. Roll vs. DX-7 to avoid loss of -1 per Complexity level of the brain.
control. If the robot loses only one rear wheel, halve the robot’s top ground Speed and -2 if a neural-net or sentient brain.
roll vs. DX-4 to avoid loss of control. -1 if a genius brain (cutting edge tech-
If a robot has four or more wheels, its top ground Speed drops by 10% whenever a nology is harder to fix!).
wheel is loss, and it must roll against its DX-2 to avoid loss of control. Its speed is Also, if the brain is a biocomputer or
halved when it loses half or more of its wheels; if it loses all the wheels on two corners cyborg brain, use the lower of Electronics
Operation (Computers) or Electronics
roll vs. DX-6 to avoid loss of control.
Operation (Medical).
Tracks: If the robot has two tracks and either or both are crippled, its Speed when
moving on tracks drops to 0 and it must make a DX+4 roll to avoid losing control. A Self-Repairs
’bot with four tracks suffers those effects only if it loses two or more tracks. If a single A robot can perform repairs on itself, if
track is disabled speed is halved rather than reduced to 0 and the DX roll is at +6. it has the appropriate skills and tools and
GEV Skirt: The robot’s top speed using the GEV skirt is reduced to 0, and the is still capable of using them. However,
unless it has extra-flexible arms or is con-
robot is no longer hovering, and must make a DX roll to avoid losing control. If it was trolling other robots, attempts to repair
hovering over water or mud and can’t float, it may sink. itself will usually be at -3.
If a robot has to make a DX roll to avoid losing control, it does so at -1 per 10 Robots with living-metal bodies (p. 70)
yards per second (20 mph) of its speed. Any time a robot fails a DX roll and loses con- may regenerate damage. They will regen-
trol, it will overturn, fall over, flip over on its side, or the like. A fallen robot lacking erate a crippled part once all other damage
either arms with ST sufficient to lift its own weight or flight with hover capability can- is repaired.
not right itself. If the robot was moving along the ground at speeds over 10 yards per
turn when it lost control, it takes damage as if it had fallen from a distance equal to half
its current speed in yards/second. (For example, a robot that loses control at a speed of
Repairing Robots
50 mph – Speed 25 – takes damage as if it had fallen from a height of 12 yards.) Robots may be repaired using the skill
Mechanic (Robotics), with the exception
Wings or Rotors: If a rotor or a wing is crippled and the robot was relying on it for of robot weapons, which use Armoury,
lift, the robot will be unable to fly properly. If in flight, it should immediately try to and robot brains, which use Electronics
land or switch to another means of flight, if it has one. Until it does so, it must make a Operation (Computer).
DX roll each turn to maintain control (and on the turn it lands), with a -1 per 10 yards
per second (20 mph) of current speed. If the roll fails, the crippled wing or rotor gives Repairs
way, and the robot goes out of control and starts diving toward the ground. If it hits the Repairing a damaged robot is normally
a task for Mechanic (Robotics) skill.
ground, apply falling damage and add half its current speed to the distance it fell. If a body or head has hit points remain-
ing, fixing damage is usually a “minor
Shock, Knockback and Stunning repair.” This requires a half-hour’s work
Damage to a robot never causes it to suffer shock or knockdown; in effect, all per attempt. Success restores one point of
robots have High Pain Threshold. lost HT times the amount the roll succeed-
Knockback: The number of hits required to knock a robot back 1 hex is equal to its ed by (minium 1 hit). All normal modi-
weight in pounds/20, rounded up. Robots that are knocked back must make a DX roll to fiers for using the skill apply; see p. B54
for Mechanic skill modifiers.
avoid falling over. If a robot falls and does not have either two or more legs, a flexi- If a body or head is down to 0 or few
body, or the ability to hover, it can only right itself and move again if it has arms strong hits, fixing damage is a “major repair.” It
enough to lift itself upright. In any case, this requires two turns. requires the same amount of time and
Knockout: If the location of the robot (body or head) that houses whatever brain is repairs the same amount of hit points, but
currently dominant loses more than one-half HT from a single attack, or if the attack all rolls are at an extra -2 modifier. The
was a hit on the brain hit location and any damage was done, the robot may be knocked GM may require a set of spare parts (cost-
out, much like a human! This represents jolting or otherwise damaging vital computer ing perhaps 10-60% of the robot’s cost) to
or (for cyborgs) life support systems. The robot must make a roll vs. Health, at +2 if the fix the damage.
brain is a computer brain with the hardened option. If the roll fails, the robot is stunned. A critical hit or a hit to a particular hit
On a critical failure, the robot’s brain ceases to function for 1d minutes, effectively location cripples a robot part is also a
major repair. Success fixes that part. For
knocking it out; unless the robot has some kind of backup brain, it is incapacitated. crippled brains, see below.
See the description of tool kits for the
RobotCritical
Critical Hits
hits allow individual robot components to be damaged. If a robot takes a
tools needed for major or minor repairs.
Hiring a Mechanic: If a character isn’t
capable of doing the work, he can hire
critical hit, the robot gets no defense roll. someone to fix the damage. At TL7, robot
Also, if a critical hit is taken to the head or body, roll on the body or head critical mechanics are quite rare, since most
hit tables, as appropriate. sophisticated robots are experimental pro-
totypes. (On the other hand, many TL7
Robot Body Critical Hit Table engineers will jump at the chance to tinker
3 – Triple damage; also, if the robot has a cyborg or computer brain in its body and with a sophisticated robot...) At TL8+ and
any damage penetrated DR, the brain is destroyed! If the robot has multiple brains, the up “robot garages” may exist, charging
largest brain is destroyed. about $100 per hour. A typical robot
mechanic’s skill is 11 + 1d.

99 Robots in Action
 4 – Double normal damage.
5 – Bypasses 90% of armor DR and does normal damage (that is, divide armor’s
DR by 10). Also, whether any damage penetrated the body or not, an optical sensor in
the robot’s body (if any) is damaged. If applicable, give the robot the One Eye disad-
Breakdowns and Maintenance vantage (or eliminate the Many Eyes option). If it already has One Eye, treat the robot
Robots require regular maintenance to as Blind. If the robot is already Blind, disable another sensor (such as radar).
work properly. (However, robots built 6 – Normal damage; also, the robot’s power plant, if any, is damaged. The robot’s
from living metal do not require mainte- largest power plant is badly damaged and its power output is halved (if damaged a sec-
nance – if the entire robot is made of liv- ond time, it stops working.) This may reduce the robot’s speed, if the robot cannot pro-
ing metal, it is totally maintenance-free). vide sufficent power to the propulsion system. (If damaged again, it immediately stops
A robot should get a maintenance
working.) If the robot has an energy bank but no working power plant, treat as #14.
checkup every week or so that it is being
used; very large or complex robots may 7-8 – Normal damage; also, if the robot has weapons in its body, one is struck in
need daily checkups. A robot that is doing the barrel and disabled.
nothing and has either been placed in stor- 9-11 – No special effect.
age (not sitting out in the rain or whatev- 12 – Normal damage. Also, any one accessory (tool, etc.) in the robot is disabled.
er) or has a sealed body doesn’t require 13 – Bypasses 90% of DR and does normal damage (i.e., divide armor’s DR by 10).
routine maintenance checkups. 14 – If the robot has an energy bank half the maximum KW of storage capacity
Each maintenance checkup requires 4 (along with half the stored power) are lost. If the robot has no energy bank, treat as #6
hours and should be performed by some- above.
one with Mechanic (Robotics) skill with 15 – Normal damage; also, if any damage penetrated armor, one body-mounted
skill-8 or better and a toolkit or workshop.
communication system or audio sensor is damaged. The GM should knock out one
If a checkup is missed, roll vs. the robot’s
Health. Failure means the robot’s HT such capability possessed by the robot, such as radio or laser communications, or
drops by 1; this will increase the chance of degrade the robot’s hearing (for instance, give it Hard of Hearing or if it already has
a critical failure. A critical failure means a this, then Deafness).
serious breakdown. Pick something on the 16 – Double normal damage. Also, if robot has a fuel tank, check for fire, and it
robot and have it break down. Often it will develops a leak. 1d% of the total fuel capacity leaks out immediately, plus (unless the
be the robot’s propulsion system (the robot tank is self-sealing) 1d6% every minute.
can’t use it to move) or motive system 17 – Triple normal damage.
(treat as a crippled leg, track, or whatever). 18 – Double normal damage; if the robot has a cyborg or computer brain in its
Or the brain could malfunction (treat as body and any damage penetrated DR, the brain is destroyed! If the robot has multiple
aquiring a disadvantage). The GM decides
brains, the dominant brain is destroyed.
when a breakdown occurs – this could be
in the middle of an adventure.
If a robot has lost Health due to miss- Robot Head Critical Hit Table
ing maintenance checkups, this loss is 3 – Triple damage.
cumulative. Lost Health can be regained: 4 – Bypasses 90% of armor DR and does normal damage (i.e., divide armor’s DR
treat regaining a point of Health as mak- by 10).
ing a minor repair (p. 99). 5 – Normal damage; if the robot has a cyborg or computer brain in its head and any
damage penetrated DR, the brain is destroyed! If the robot has multiple brains, the
largest brain is destroyed.
6 – Normal damage; also, whether any damage penetrated the head or not, any
head-mounted sensors are damaged. If applicable, give the robot the One Eye disadvan-
Robot Spellcasters tage. If it already has this, treat the robot as Blind. If the robot is already Blind, disable
Robots with Magic Aptitude can cast another sensor (for example, radar).
spells normally, with a few exceptions: 7 – Normal damage; also, robot must make an IQ roll at -3 to avoid being mentally
the robot cannot use any Fatigue or HT to stunned.
power the spell. The energy for the spell
8 – Normal damage; also, if the robot has weapons in its head, one is struck in the
must come from a powerstone either built
into or carried by the robot. barrel and disabled.
Exception: A robot with a bioconvertor 9-11 – No special effect.
power plant gains Fatigue for this purpose 12 – Normal damage. Also, any one accessory (a gadget or tool) in the robot’s
equal to (power plant output in KW) 50. head is destroyed.
As long as the power plant is provided with 13 – Bypasses 90% of DR and does normal damage (that is, divide armor’s DR by
food, the robot can cast spells normally. 10).
However, it may never reduce its Fatigue 14 – Normal damage; also, if any damage penetrated armor, any head-mounted
below 2, and regains Fatigue normally. communication systems are damaged. The GM should knock out one such capability
The usual requirements for spellcasting possessed by the robot, e.g., radio or laser communications.
rituals apply. For example, if an arm ges-
15 – Normal damage; also, if any damage penetrated DR, the robot’s audio sensor
ture and spoken incantation are needed,
the robot must be able to talk and have capability is impaired. If the robot is not already Hard of Hearing, make it so. If the
arms to gesture with. Robots may, of robot is already Hard of Hearing, it becomes Deaf. If already Deaf, impair its sensor
course, know a spell at a high enough capability in some other way (e.g., loss of Parabolic Hearing or Olfactory Sensors).
level to make gestures or verbal incanta- 16 – Double normal damage.
tions unnecessary. 17 – Triple normal damage.
18 – Double normal damage; if the robot has a cyborg or computer brain in its
head and any damage penetrated DR, the brain is destroyed! If the robot has multiple
brains, the largest brain is destroyed.

Robots in Action 100

 TERRIBULL BAMBOT

KAMAKURA LTD. 4:1 CDS SPORTS VOSTOK LTD. 3:2

101 Campaigns
 Robot Timeline
TL6 (1900-1950): The first computers
are built. The concept of the robot enters
popular culture through science fiction.
Early remote-controlled vehicles are used
in World War II, but these are not com-
puter-controlled.
TL7 Modern (1951-2000): Development
of silicon chip computers. Immobile indus-
trial robots are used in factories. The first
experimental mobile robots are built.
Flying robots such as cruise missiles and
surveillance drones enter military service.
Some tracked or wheeled robots are in
use, usually for disposal of hazardous
material such as bombs or chemical waste.
Robots are widely used for underwater
exploration and salvage, and as robot tor-
pedoes and mines. Most mobile robots are
controlled by computers or human opera-
tors working through computer consoles.
TL8 (2001-2050): Mobile robots
Robots and Society
In the world of today, industrial robots are extensively used in manufacturing but
become increasingly common with gener-
mobile robots, due to their expense and the limits of present technology, are restricted
al improvements in computer, sensor and
energy-storage technology; spinoffs from to specialized jobs. But as robots become more sophisticated – closer to people than
military or space exploration enable rela- machines – their role will change, as will the way society views them.
tively cheap civilian robots to be afford-
able. Most robots are controlled by exter- Robots as Equipment
nal computers, but practical robots con- Robots are usually constructed by their owners to do a particular job; in essence,
trolled by computer brains enter use, they are treated as equipment rather than people. As long as robots do not resemble liv-
mainly as weapon systems (warbots). ing beings, and do not approach human levels of intelligence, this is how most people
Neural-net computers, robot manipulators will treat them. If the robot is not sentient, this may not create any difficulties.
equal to human hands, biomorphic bodies,
cybernetic limbs and organs, and insect- Robots as Slaves
sized and smaller microbots are all devel- Once robots approach human intelligence (IQ 7 and up semi-sentient robots, or any
oped. sentient robot) it becomes harder to see robots as tools. All the ethical and social prob-
TL9 (2051+): Mobile robots become lems of enslaving a sentient being will apply with one big difference: a robot that is not
commonplace. Many households are able
to afford domestic robots. True artificial
fully sentient can be programmed to enjoy being a slave.
intelligence (AI) programs are available, An enslaved robot normally has the Social Stigma (Slave or Valuable Property), low
although its creation is still more a matter Status, a Duty to its owner, and probably Poverty.
of chance than design. Primitive industrial If an enslaved robot escapes, the runaway will have traded its Duty for an Enemy
and medical nanomachines are available. (its owner, police, or bounty hunters); if it lives under a false identity or false owner-
If society permits, androids can become ship papers it has a Secret (Runaway). If society is undecided as to whether slavery of
common. sentient robots is morally justified, there may well be activist groups, underground rail-
TL10-11 (Interstellar society): Arti- ways, or even terrorist organizations devoted to securing freedom for sentient or near-
ficial intelligence becomes practical and sentient robots. Members of such groups may include both human sympathizers and
affordable. Reliable nanotechnology and runaway artificial life forms.
advanced biotechnology are available,
leading to materials such as bioplastic and
increased use of microbe-sized and small-
Robots as Free Beings
er robots. Personal robot companions with
In a few cases, a robot is specifically built to be a free being. Usually this status is
near-human capabilities are available; it limited to sentient robots. Problems (and adventure) may come about if the rest of the
becomes increasingly hard to tell people world sees the created being as a “thing” to be feared or exploited rather than as a per-
and robots apart. son, and tries to either destroy it or take it away from its “parent” by theft, confiscation
TL12+ (The far, far future): It or legal action. A robot in this situation will have a Patron, but will suffer from a Social
becomes practical to put an AI into a Stigma.
human-size body, and very small AI sys- Some societies – usually alien ones, or human ones at high tech levels – may make
tems are possible. Contragravity enables little social distinction between human reproduction and creating a robot. If this is the
most mobile robots to fly. Volitional case, then a person may (for instance) choose to have a child in the normal fashion – or
nanoids and living metal transform robots he may build a sentient robot, create a custom-designed android, or even make a clone.
into creatures closer to living organisms
than machines.
He will have all the rights and duties of a parent, and after his creation is completely
socialized and educated, it will be accepted as an adult member of society, whether it is
artificial being or “human.” In such a society, parents who exploit their robot or
android “children” will meet the same legal sanctions as any other child abusers, and
robot slavery will be as illegal as enslaving humans.

Campaigns 102
Purchasing Robots
Individual robot systems are rated for legality class (LC). A robot’s LC is that of the
lowest LC system it is known to have.
The class of robot that is legal in any given local will depend on the local govern-
Prejudice and Hostility
ment’s Control Rating (CR). This is a measure of how much regulation the citizens Whether robots are legal or not, some
elements in society may oppose them.
endure. CRs may vary from 6 (massive regulation) to 0 (totally libertarian) – see
In game terms, this will take the shape
GURPS Space for details. An average society has CR 3 or CR 4. of people having the disadvantages Intol-
LC of robot equals or exceeds society’s CR+2: any citizen can own the robot. erance or Phobias. This can be limited to
LC of robot equals CR+1: The robot can be owned by anyone except a convicted just robots, just androids, only those that
criminal, child, or the like. Registration is required, but there is no fee, or only a token look human, only those that don’t or only
one. those that are semi-sentient or sentient.
LC of robot equals CR: A license is required to own the robot. Applicants must The reason may be economic (“don’t let
demonstrate a legitimate need for that particular robot, usually either for their work or them take our jobs”), religious (“Scripture
self-protection. The license will normally cost 1d 10% of the robot’s price. says that only the deity can create life”),
LC of robot equals CR-1: Ownership of the robot is prohibited except to government technophobia (“machines are unnatural,
especially thinking machines”), fearful
agents, police, or bonded security agents.
(“if we make a machine that thinks, it may
LC of robot equals CR-2: Ownership of the robot is prohibited except to police take over” or “watch out for robots that
SWAT teams, military units and intelligence agencies. look like humans – they might replace us
LC of robot equal or less than than CR-3: Robot is only allowed to the military. and we wouldn’t know”) or even ethical
At TL7, few robots are commercially available, and those that are will usually (“we cannot justify enslaving other think-
require special orders from the manufacturer, and possibly a long waiting period. Once ing beings, even if they are mechanical”).
robots become widespread (probably at TL8) legal robots can be bought in the same Hostility toward robots doesn’t have to
way someone would buy an appliance, machine tool, automobile or large computer: go be the result of economic fears, blind prej-
into a shop, check out a model, and then purchase it (usually on credit). If the dealer udice or religious scripture. It could also
has only a few models in stock for demonstrations there might be a waiting period of a come about as a result of negative histori-
cal associations – for instance, if robots
few days while one is shipped, but otherwise a buyer can choose a robot and walk away
malfunctioned disastrously, or were used
with it. against the society.
If a hostile group does not get (or does
not want) robots or other artificial life
forms banned outright, it may wield suffi-
cient influence to get legal restrictions
placed upon them. Common restrictions
are: no mobile robots, no biomorphic
machines; no armed robots; no neural-net
or sentient robots; no cyborgs; no
androids; no robots allowed on Earth
(only for space industry or exploration);
no robots without restrictive programs of
one sort or another.
Some, none or all of these restrictions
may be in force in any given society. In
interstellar campaigns each planet may
have its own rules! Of course, most soci-
eties could simply apply the same restric-
tions to robots that they do to other tools:
The disadvantage of this is that the buyer is limited to what is in stock – this year’s large robots may require heavy-equipment
operator or vehicle operation licenses to
model, which may not be quite what you’re looking for. Also, few shops stock security
use; medical robots may have to be certi-
robots or deep sea exploration drones. Special-purpose robots, and in most societies, all fied by doctor-run medical associations;
armed robots, are not so easy to come by. They will require a special order to the manu- armed robots may only be for sale to peo-
facturer, and probably a delay of 1d weeks before the robot can be delivered. ple licensed to carry weapons (or con-
However, this assumes that the shop lacks automated design technology. It is likely cealed weapons, if the robot’s weapons
that by TL8, and certainly by TL9, many larger establishments will have their own are hidden); military robots will be
mini-factories; by TL10, miniature robot factories small enough to fit in a store will unavailable to anyone but the armed
probably be the rule rather than the exception. Shop “minifacs” could assemble a robot forces or possibly licensed mercenary
from preexisting plans and stocks of components, with a waiting time of no more than a units. To own or operate illegal robots, a
few hours. A customer could go home and expect it to be delivered the next day – or person may need a powerful Patron or
have a Secret.
wait for it to be built in the shop. Special orders will only be necessary if the buyer
wants a custom-built robot designed to his specifications. Continued on next page . . .
Individuals may gain robots in ways other than purchasing them. If someone is serv-
ing with the armed forces or a police or intelligence agency, he may be placed in charge
of very sophisticated robots, especially if he has a useful Patron or a good enough
Military Rank. For other ways to acquire robots, see the Cheap and Black Market
Robots sidebar on p. 105.

103 Campaigns
 Prejudice and Hostility
(Continued) Robot-Centered Campaigns
Much of the classic SF literature and film dealing with robots has made the robot the
Not all restrictions have to be codified.
For instance, the law may place no oner-
centerpiece of the story. Likewise, artificial intelligence can be made the focus of a cam-
ous restrictions on robots or androids, but paign. Some suggestions for robot-centered campaigns are given below; GURPS Space
influential groups may exert pressure on or GURPS Cyberpunk can also be useful when creating a near or far future setting.
individuals. If a fanatical mob will picket
your business if you employ robots or if it
will lynch androids, then there’s a strong
social restriction on them even if they are
TheTheRobot Revolt
robots are rebelling! Created as servants for mankind, they have turned against us.
legal. In game terms, being or owning a Often the revolt is instigated by a single artificially intelligent (AI) computer: per-
robot would either be a Social Stigma (if haps it achieved intelligence unexpectedly and caught its creators by surprise. Its
prejudice is widespread) or mean acquir- motives may be to control the world, or to escape the cybernetic shackles holding it in
ing an Enemy. thrall to humanity, or to destroy humans who it (perhaps rightly) believes threatens its
GMs may wish (especially in TL8 and
TL9 campaigns) to have the status of
existence. The AI’s motives for rebellion might even be benevelolent: it could see itself
robots in flux. That is, some groups may a savior of humanity.
wish to ban them, others may want to Generally the AI has the ability to control other robots to use as its tools; perhaps it
impose restrictions and still others (among also has human allies or pawns. The characters eventually discover that the AI is
them the robot-manufacturing compa- behind a series of mysterious crimes, or the PCs may be actively attempting to stop an
nies!) may want to lift all regulations. A AI before it breaks free or controls the world. Alternatively, the AI may be using the
nation that needs cheap labor may see characters as its catspaws.
robots or androids as a far more palatable Sometimes an entire “race” of intelligent robots may revolt against humanity. This
alternative to importing hordes of immi- works best for androids, but the idea of a “steel proletariat” of robot workers rising up
grants or guest-workers from its poorer to form the ultimate communist society fits in well with any Pulp, Steam Punk or
neighbors, thus sidestepping some of the
social problems (racial tension, for
Atomic Horror background. A computer virus that spread from one robot brain to
instance) that such practices can cause. another, dissolving restrictive programs, can provide one plausible mechanism for such
In areas where robots are restricted, a mass robot revolt.
characters who own robots may find them Instead of trying to stop the rebel machines, the characters could be artificial intelli-
impounded or facing heavy licensing gences struggling against a human race that has unjustly enslaved them, or attempting
feeds (and robot PCs may find themselves to escape to freedom. Not all the PCs in such a campaign need be artificial life forms –
impounded!) High-profile legal battles can they may have human sympathizers.
be taking place over the status of artificial And what happens after the robot revolt if the machines win? The characters could
life forms (is an AI property or a person?) be among the few free humans, surviving as “rats in the walls” of the robot dystopia in
and the characters may be hired to per- whatever is left of Earth, and waging a guerilla war against the machine overlords. The
form or stop dirty tricks by one side or the
other. For instance, a faction trying to
character of the campaign would depend on whether the robots intended to exterminate
prove robots were dangerous might sabo- us, enslave us, rule us, or even assimilate us: turning humans into machines by trans-
tage one, causing it to go on a rampage; planting brains into cyborg bodies or copying minds into ghost comp computer sys-
on the other hand, a robot manufacturer tems. A more exotic variation on this theme is the transformation of the world through
may wish to cause evidence to vanish that out-of-control nanotechnology, as in Greg Bear’s classic Blood Music.
implicates one of its robots in a crime or Examples: Bubblegum Crash (animated series), Neuromancer (novel, William
accident. Gibson), “The Medusa Sanction” in GURPS Cyberpunk Adventures; Octagon (novel,
Of course, robots are useful enough Fred Saberhagen), Colossus: The Forbin Project (film); Nemesis (film); Metropolis
that people in power may bend the rules. (film); Ogre (miniatures game); Software and Wetware (novels, Rudy Rucker); Blood
For instance, a government may have a Music (novel, Greg Bear); Wolfbane (novel, Fredrick Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth); Great
law against armed or biomorphic robots,
but it may quietly allow its secret agents
Sky River and Tides of Light (novels, Gregory Benford); R.U.R. (play, Karel Capek);
to use them. Or a nation may ban the man- The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (films).
ufacture of combat robots, but, because of
the profits to be made in the arms trade,
one of its corporation may export “heavy-
duty industrial” robots that are identical to
Robot Invasions
This is a direct struggle between man and machine, with human or alien-built robots
armored warbots: once on foreign soil, the trying to eliminate all non-robotic life. The robots are usually Doomsday weapons cre-
buyers can remove the tool kits and insert ated by an alien race for a forgotten war. Their programming now leads them to destroy
weapons. all life in the galaxy. The war consists of battles between the living and the machines.
Unless the robots invade Earth, much of the action may be in space, but there are
opportunities for close combat with individual robots in boarding actions or planetary
assaults. The machines may also have the capability to create infiltrate biomorphic
robots into human society or even try to seduce humans to their cause, allowing for
adventures that focus on intrigue as well as just combat.
Characters may be soldiers fighting the robots, agents hunting down robot infiltra-
tors, or ordinary people or adventurers caught in the conflict. This kind of campaign
has a simple goal, and the sides are clearly drawn: man vs. machine, struggling for the
destiny of humankind. This gives the GM lots of room to improvise on themes of
human spirit and emotion competing against cold logic. Of course, the enemy does not

Campaigns 104
have to be faceless, though it certainly is inhuman. By creating AIs with distinct nonhu-
man personalities (or all-too-human ones), the machines can be made into memorable
adversaries.
As the war continues, the quest for the perfect soldier may lead either mankind or
the robots to try and bridge the gap between organic and artificial life. Humans might Cheap and Black
create their own “tame” robots to fight the enemy, or the robots might use disembodied
human brains (especially of highly skilled characters) as cyborgs – providing plenty of
Market Robots
There are various ways to get a ’bot at
opportunity for horror if someone known to the PCs suffers this fate.
less than its listed price. Some options:
Examples: AI War and sequels (novels, Steven Ames Berry); Battlestar Galactica Loans: Bank or credit financing is usu-
(TV series); Berserker and sequels (novels and short stories, Fred Saberhagen); Dr. ally available to help people purchase
Who (TV show, Dalek, Auton and Cybermen episodes); The Forge of God and sequel commercial robots. A typical scheme may
(novels, Greg Bear); Legions of Steel (miniatures game); Star Trek (TV show, episode be a down payment of 10% to 20% and an
“The Doomsday Machine”); Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV show, Borg interest payment on the base price of 1% a
episodes); Terrahawks (animated series). month paid for 12 years or 2% a month
paid for 6 years. Preliminary credit checks

Man’s Best Friend

The characters are members of a unit (police squad, commando unit, private investi-
of some sort are usual to determine if the
buyer is reliable. Tracing people who
default on robot loans may become a
gators, exploration team, secret agents, etc.) in which, perhaps for the first time, viable business.
humans have been partnered with (possibly experimental) robots. Cheap Knockoffs: A robot may be
The usual format for this in fiction is the “police buddy film.” The robot is normally cheap because it was assembled with sub-
standard components, poor workmanship
humanoid in shape (but may even be vehicular or a starship); the heroes are either skep- or lack of quality control. The overall
tical of or fiercely loyal to their machine sidekick, or their initial skepticism may soon result is a less reliable robot, which means
change to loyalty. In any case, the cast of NPCs usually includes a robo-psychologist or a lower Health. For -20% off the final
inventor who is protective of his or her creation, deadly enemies, and people who treat price, a robot can have -1 Health. For
the robot as a “thing” (e.g., as a glorified police dog) rather than as the person we know -50% off, a robot will have -2 Health. This
it really is. will affect the robot’s character point
Since the group is experimental, there will be hostile rival agents or organizations total, as well.
resentful of what having an artificial being will mean for their job security or reputation. Used Robots: Used robots, weapons or
Another subplot which can add interest to a roleplaying game is to make the robot accessories are often available.
sexually attractive to the human members of the team. This can add a touch of forbid- Availability is up to the GM. Typically,
used prices are 10% to 50% of list,
den romance, especially if it is legally a machine rather than a sentient being. depending on quality and obsolescence:
Examples: “Brillo” (short story, Ben Bova and Harlan Ellison); Caves of Steel and the low end is likely to have the Age dis-
sequels (novels, Isaac Asimov); Knight Rider (TV show); Mann and Machine (TV advantage, or be damaged, malfunction
show), Robocop and sequels (film and TV show); Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV prone, or a tech level obsolete. The trou-
show, episodes focusing on Data). ble with obsolete robots is that spare parts
may not be available if the robot breaks
down – a Scrounging roll may be required
– and routine maintenance (p. 100) will be
more expensive than normal. The GM
may also decide that a cheap robot has a
number of quirks or minor malfunctions,
or has a lower basic HT.
Salvage: The cost of building a robot
can be reduced by using salvaged compo-
nents. If characters already have a source
of parts, for example, if they are cannibal-
izing a robot they already own to build a
new one, just subtract the cost of the parts
that are transferred into it from the cost of
the robot. If they are looking for parts by
rooting through junkyards, old battle-
fields, etc., make a Scrounging roll and
reduce the robot’s parts cost by 10% times
the amount it succeeds by (to a maximum
of 80%). The GM may assign penalties to
the roll if the parts the robot they are try-
ing to find parts for would require state-
of-the-art, exotic or illegal components.

Continued on next page . . .

105 Campaigns
 Robot Hunters
Cheap and Black In a future in which robots are becoming common, the characters are members of a
special police force or detective agency established to investigate felonies committed
Market Robots by robots, androids or cyborgs. Alternatively, they may also be freelance bounty
(Continued) hunters. The crimes may be the result of the owner’s criminal orders, a malfunction, the
Stolen Robots: Finding a robot fence in deliberate decision of the runaway, or even a misunderstanding. It is the characters’
any TL8+ robot-using culture requires a role is to capture their quarry, and discover the reasons behind the incident. The charac-
Streetwise roll. (A critical failure means ter’s agency will usually be equipped with specialized weapons, gadgets and vehicles,
the character meets an undercover cop.) and may themselves be or employ artificial beings.
Most stolen robots will be civilian models Of course, if the quarry are intelligent and not thoroughly evil, the PCs may begin to
– military robots will be much harder to have second thoughts about their profession, or want to change sides. But aiding an
find (say, Streetwise-10). Stolen commer-
escaped robot could be a criminal offense! An additional source of conflict could be
cial robots may be available for as low as
1% to 5% of list price at TL8+. Stolen encounters with human sympathizers or organized groups of runaways. They may have
military robots (or experimental models) set up an Underground Railway to aid the escape of their fellows or they might use ter-
may sell for more than their list price if rorist tactics in reprisal. If these groups have human members, the hunters may seek to
they were unavailable elsewhere. infiltrate them – or be infiltrated by them.
Illegal Robots: In some cultures, some A variation on this has the characters assigned as artificial intelligence specialists
types of androids or robots may be illegal (“robo-psychologists”) working for one of the larger robot manufacturers, an insurance
– see the discussion on robots in society at company, or the government, and assigned to investigate malfunctioning robots or run-
the start of this chapter. Where robot own- away androids. The characters are usually sympathetic to the constructs they are hunt-
ership is restricted, a black market in ing. They will be more likely to try to work out what pushed their quarry over the edge
robots may develop. Rolls against
and treat the problem then to simply blow things up.
Merchant-3 or Streetwise-3 may be neces-
sary to find one. Prices will be (2d 10%) A Robo-hunters campaign could also follow a failed robot revolt or a defeated robot
higher. Where robots are resented by the invasion. Although most of the artificial enemy has been eliminated, some are still on
population but not illegal, there will be no the loose and are trying to regroup for a rematch against humanity.
black market, but insurance costs may be Examples: AD Police series (comic book and animated film), Battle Angel (animated
high . . . series), Blade Runner (film), Battle Angel Alita (comic, filmed as Battle Angel), Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (novel by Philip K. Dick, filmed as Blade Runner),
Dominion (comic and animated film), I, Robot and The Rest of the Robots (anthologies
by Isaac Asimov), Magnus Robot Fighter (comic), Runaway (film).
Robots in Genre
Robots have an obvious role in any
GURPS Space campaign. But what about
other genres?
GURPS Cyberpunk: This book can be
used to create exotic cyborgs far more
heavily modified than ordinary cyber-
punks. Corporations will be heavy users
of robots, and cyberpunk characters may
run afoul of corporate security or assassi-
nation robots. Robots are also a hot com-
modity, and there is likely a thriving black
market for stolen robots or scavenged
robot parts, some of which may find their
way into human cyborgs. Androids can
play a major part in any cyberpunk soci-
ety, as exotic toys for the wealthy, inhu-
manly lethal bodyguards and enforcers, or
as an oppressed class struggling for free-
dom. The movie Blade Runner and
GURPS Cyberpunk Adventures show two
different ways androids can fit into a
cyberpunk world.
Artificial Life
Everyone, including all the PCs, is an artificial construct! Naturally-evolved crea-
GURPS Martial Arts: A martial arts tures are either unknown or have been exterminated, perhaps in some man-made war or
campaign could be based around battling holocaust.
robot, android or cyborg gladiators – see The GM can run this as any kind of science fiction campaign, but with robots
Robo-Gladiators on p. 109. Cyborgs or
instead of humans as the protagonists. This might be an after-the-holocaust setting in
android can also make exciting “change of
pace” opponents for cinematic martial arts which the robots have just won their war against the humans, and are now scavenging
campaigns. An ultra-tech android or robot for parts or fighting over the spoils. Or it could be a spacefaring campaign with the arti-
assassin could be the ultimate ninja! ficial beings interacting with aliens and exploring new worlds. There could also be
wars between rival factions – perhaps a race of androids fighting a race of utterly inhu-
Continued on next page . . . man robots or cyborgs, for example. Maybe the artificial life forms are experimenting
with bio-engineering to “bring back life” by creating creatures capable of natural repro-
duction!

Campaigns 106
 If all the PCs are artificial this solves the problem of balancing robot and human
characters. If the GM chooses a good goal for the artificial characters and the players Robots in Genre
work at roleplaying them as something more than humans with built-in gadgets, it can (Continued)
be an exciting and different campaign. GURPS Supers: Heroes, henchmen,
A variation on the all-artificial campaign is cyber-symbiosis, in which most peo- monsters, minions and masterminds –
ple are becoming machines, and most machines are becoming more human. There robots or androids can be any of these.
are several ways to do this. A person can become a total cyborg (p. 52) through Robot characters also make excellent trag-
installing his brain in a robot body. Or by encoding his or her personality into ic heroes or noble villains for the soap-
sophisticated “ghost-comp” computer programs, a human could live forever in sili- opera at the heart of the genre, since they
con without sacrificing flesh. Of course, this could work both ways: a robot might can struggle to “become human” or (for
villains) be noble beings enslaved by an
want to become biological, using ghostcomp techniques and braintaping to transfer evil creator. Similarly, a cyborg can mourn
its AI mind into flesh! the loss of his humanity and seek revenge
Examples: Gall Force (animated series); Culture series (novels by Iain Banks); Steel on those responsible for trapping his brain
Souls (comic series); Schismatrix (novel by Bruce Sterling); Wetware (novel by Rudy in a machine. Gadgeteers can play out the
Rucker). creation of a robot ally . . . and hope it
doesn’t turn on them.
GURPS Horror: Is any fate more terri-
Super-Robots
In this campaign, the PCs play robot superheroes. At least one character is normally
ble than being stalked by a soulless machine
bent on your destruction? Well, maybe
a robot (or cyborg or whatever) of very advanced design created by a brilliant but being a brain trapped inside a machine
eccentric scientist to serve mankind by battling crime or evil. body. The robot rules can also create mon-
sters, ranging from 50’ metal dragons to
If the robot’s creator is still alive, the robot is often a surrogate son or daughter, and robot vampires. Nanomorphs and microbots
part of the scientist’s family. Or maybe villains murdered its creator and stole the make terrifying adversaries for any party of
design, intending to use the robot for their own wicked or selfish ends – until they investigators.
found they could not control it. Now they want to get it back under its control – or build GURPS Time Travel: A robot or
new robots to battle it. cyborg makes an effective temporal oper-
The prime adversary of the robot is usually an evil organization, often a mega-cor- ative, since it can appear human or be dis-
poration with its own genius scientists (often a bitter rival – or maybe even a corrupt guised as a mount or pet. The one danger
pupil – of the PCs’ creator). Other foes can include mundane gangsters and terrorists, is discovery; a destroyed robot is usually a
evil megacomputers, monstrous android constructs, insane cyborgs and giant real or dead giveaway that futuristic technology
robot monsters. is involved. Self-destruct systems may
alleviate this, of course. Or the tables
A common variation on this makes the artificial super-being a visitor from space, could be turned, and time travelers might
come to save Earth from an extraterrestrial threat, either alien invaders, or a robot discover that an important historical figure
super-criminal who is hiding on Earth. is actually a robot in a time when that
Examples: All-Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku-Nuku (animated series); Cyborg 009 technology does not yet exist. Where’s the
(comic book); Cutie Honey (comic and animated series); The Eighth Man (animated original? Kidnapped? Rescued from death
film); Iczer One (comic and animated series), Prefectural Earth Defense Force (ani- and recruited by rival time travelers? Or
mated film), Robocop and sequels (film and TV series); Wild Cards II: Aces High was that figure always a robot – and if so,
(antholgoy edited by George R. Martin, contains the “Modular Man” origin story by where did it come from?
Walter Jon Williams). GURPS Espionage: As examples of
advanced technology, robots, cyborgs and
androids can easily be the objects of foreign
Cybergrunts and Robosoldiers
The characters are members of a military unit of synthetic soldiers. The unit may be
or corporate espionage. Or they can be
spies. In the world of the future, beautiful
pleasure androids may replace the femme
entirely artificial, it may be a mechanized infantry unit with non-sentient robots replac- fatale, and biomorphic robot agents or
ing or supplementing vehicles, or it may be patterned on the British Gurkhas or the shapeshifting nanomorphs will make excel-
Turkish Janissaries, with human officers and androids or robots as enlisted soldiers. lent infiltrators.
Humans in the unit may just have normal equipment, or may even have mecha (giant Of course, reprogramming a humble
piloted robots) or battlesuits. serving or maintenance robot to spy on its
The PCs’ adventures will proceed pretty much as in any other military or paramili- owners might be just as effective as build-
tary campaign – see any action film for suitable plots. The difference is that the charac- ing a super-agent, while tiny robots or
microbots can serve as mobile “bugs” – and
ters are all artificial constructs designed specifically for combat. PCs will usually be
even be disguised as insects. But the use of
quite a bit more powerful than average characters; GMs should consider starting such artificial agents cuts both ways. An android
living weapons at the same 200-300 point total that GURPS Special Ops recommends assassin might find that it has slain a robot
for human PCs; if players are playing large, vehicular combat robots like Ogres, GMs double instead of the real target, or an
may want to refer to GURPS Vehicles and ignore point totals! Another high-powered “incorruptible” robot bureaucrat or cop may
possibility is the team of robot or cyborg superheroes. pose a new difficulty to the master spy: how
Although most PCs should be combat effective, characters may wish to consider to seduce a machine? Reprogram it? If cap-
creating a balanced team with heavy-weapon specialists, infiltrators, combat engineers, tured, a robot agent could be reprogrammed
combat medics, and so on. The nature of PCs being what it is, the best type of unit is far more easily than a human could be
often an elite special ops commando or SWAT team; GMs may find GURPS Special brainwashed – the ultimate double-agent.
For this reason, robot spies are very likely
Ops somewhat useful here. Alternately, the characters may be a group of freelance or
to have built-in self-destructs . . .
corporate mercenaries.
Continued on next page . . .

107 Campaigns
 A significant difference between a normal special-ops team and one made up of
robot or android soldiers – in fact, the whole reason for using artificial troops – is that
they are likely to be seen as “expendable” and given very high-risk or even suicide mis-
Robots in Genre sions. On the other hand, the military will probably look upon them as valuable equip-
(Continued) ment, so some attention will be paid to extracting the unit, even if individual casualties
GURPS War Against the Chtorr: The won’t be mourned. In a Space campaign, GMs should feel free to create adventures
humans in the Chtorr world are beginning which take advantage of a robot’s ability to be designed to function in hazardous envi-
to make extensive use of fighting robots. ronments by setting up missions that take the characters to extremely hostile worlds.
GURPS Robots can help create the new A warbots campaign doesn’t have to be all combat, however. The relationship between
generation of “cyber-beasts” to combat humans and the simultaneously physically superior but socially inferior robots or androids
the Chtorran menace. within a unit can generate numerous subplots even when the characters are not away on a
GURPS Atomic Horror: Robots, mission. For instance, human officers or maintenance personnel attached to the unit may
whether alien visitors or lab creations, develop affection for individual members, and may resist orders (even to the point of fac-
have an obvious role in a 1950s sci-fi
ing court martial) by their superiors to abandon their soldiers, preferring to take risks to get
campaign. These robots should be big and
clunky: they’ll often be underpowered for them out of trouble. Sense of Duty (to robot troops) is a good disadvantage for a human
their size! PC serving in a robot unit; if the robots are non-sentient, the Delusion (“Robots are people
too”) may apply to a quirky officer or technician. GMs may also wish to add a friendly
rivalry with other army units, the problems of robots or androids on rest-and-recreation (do
they get any? what happens if a robot visits a bar and his human teammates get into a
Inventing Robots fight?), issues of discipline, romance between human and android soldiers, and so on.
Characters may wish to invent their A unit of synthetic soldiers has another advantage over human troops: being created
own robots, or have them built to order. beings, they have no family or pasts, and so their existence can be an official secret.
Use the rules on New Inventions on p. They may take part in covert “black ops” that are so dirty or secret that human troops
B186. The skill required for robots is can’t be trusted to perform them and keep their mouths shut afterwards. Of course, this
Engineering (Robotics). For androids it is also means the PCs may sometimes be sent on morally-questionable missions, such as
Genetics (Genetic Engineering). providing military aid to repressive regimes, performing assassinations, or “peacetime”
The conception and working model operations against civilians or supposed allies. The characters may come to question
rolls are at -15 if the robot is truly new their loyalty to their creators. Of course, they may also have been programmed with
invention, or -10 if it’s simply a variation
loyalty . . . but what if that programming begins to fray under the stress of combat?
on another kind of robot or android (like a
new model of car or airplane today). Examples: Bolo: The Annals of the Dinochrome Brigade (novel, Keith Laumer);
As p. B186 states, the rules on inven- DNAgents (comic); Metal Men (comic); Ogre (miniatures game); Star Rangers (novel,
tions apply mostly to fictional inventor- Andre Norton); Universal Soldier (movie); Warbots series (novels, G. Harry Stein).
type gadgeteers. If the characters go to an
ordinary corporation and want to order a
custom-built creation, the conception
times takes ten times as long (roll every
Robot Explorers
A robot is expendable, can be built to survive in hostile enviroments, requires little
ten days), and the workshop time takes life support and doesn’t need company. This makes it ideal for exploring alien worlds.
four times as long (roll each month). The If faster-than-light drives do not exist, journeys between the stars may take decades
GM will have to decide how skilled the
or centuries. Interstellar space may end up being explored solely by immortal artificial
corporation’s designers are – unless it’s a
fly-by-night outfit, a skill of 18 to 20 is intelligences. The PCs may be the members of one such exploration mission who have
likely. discovered something unusual – perhaps an Earthlike world, an extraterrestrial civiliza-
A critical failure (a “flawed theory”) in tion, or alien ruins. Due to the many years a message would take to reach Earth, they
the conception stage usually means the must cope with the situation on their own. This could also lead to odd situations if the
working model has some kind of bug in it. explorers discover an alien race who considers the robots to be the true representatives
This can be anything from an arm with of humanity. Of course, aliens may also use artificially-created explorers – if a
only half the strength it should have to the “human” and an “alien” exploration team runs into one another, the first contact might
traditional “Frankenstein error” in which a be entirely between their robots!
bug in the robot’s software malfunction Not all robot explorers are built by humans, of course. Sometimes aliens send robot
causes it to attack its designers and/or
explorers to Earth (or into human-occupied space). Usually this takes place in the 20th
escape. A flaw in building a household
robot will rarely be threatening; a mistake century, in a GURPS Atomic Horror, GURPS Illuminati or any other supers or horror
in a warbot may be fatal. A critical failure campaign. If the robots are very strange or very advanced, we may not even realize that
in the workshop stage may result in a lab- the aliens are are artificial. Or the robots may be built to resemble humans, so they can
oratory accident, or in the robot develop- study us without our knowledge.
ing some other malfunction when in use. These robots may be friendly. In this case, the campaign may revolt around short-
GMs are encouraged to be dramatic: sighted humans such as criminals, corporations or the military. These people may
robots escaping the lab, blowing up, or believe the robot to be hostile, or decide to capture the robot to steal its technology for
whatever. their own ends. The characters (who learn better!) could try to protect the robot, help it
If a flaw shows up it can be fixed. A make contact with the proper authorities, or repair or refuel its ship.
flawed theory requires going back and try-
Sometimes the robots are hostile, and seek specimens for experimentation or dissec-
ing all over again. A flaw in the working
model just requires redoing that stage – tion: this can be a good way to get characters in a 20th-century campaign to an alien
the actual conception doesn’t have to be world! Or the robots may be peaceful explorers or ambassadors. A cautious race that
done over. discovers the existence of aliens may send biomorphic robot probes to study the
natives. In a horror, supers or Illuminati background, alien robots disguised as humans
may already be studying us!

Campaigns 108
 A human-built robot probe could be transformed by its expeiences in space, or even
encounter aliens who will rebuild or reprogram it and send it back to Earth. This may
result in a robot gaining sentience, new abilities, or a rebellious nature. The characters
may play the newly-transformed or newly-independent robots, or the humans who try
to deal with them. Lost or Stolen Plans
Human-built robot explorers tend to be designed to probe very harsh enviroments A conception roll (if successful or crit-
that would be to dangerous to visit in person, like Jupiter, Mercury or Venus. Often ically failed) gives a set of plans for the
they are heavily armored, and they are usually have inhuman, functional designs. robot or android. These may be on paper,
Even at higher TLs, crewed scout ships will probably still carry a few robots since or more likely, in a computer memory.
they are more expendable and can be designed to survive on hostile worlds. A mixed See the sidebar Data and Memory
Requirements on p. 60 for the memory
team of specially-built artificial characters can be an interesting group to play. A team
that blueprints take up.
of robots, cyborgs or genetic constructs could be sent down to explore dangerous These plans are needed to build a
worlds, while the human crew gives the orders from safety in the spaceship. And if the working copy. If the only plans are lost,
characters are enslaved androids or intelligent robots, they may begin to resent their this means a working copy can’t be built.
human masters for reaping the rewards without taking the risks . . . A designer may make multiple copies of
Examples: The Day the Earth Stood Still (film); 2001: A Space Odyssey (novel by his plans, but this obviously increases the
Arthur C. Clarke; film by Stanley Kubrick); Queen Of Angels (novel, Greg Bear); Star risk of them being stolen.
Trek (TV series, “Nomad” episode); Star Trek: The Motion Picture (film); Star Trek If the designer doesn’t have access to
IV: The Voyage Home (film). his plans, he can try to recreate them from
memory. This is treated much the same as
an original construction, but with a +4
Robo-Gladiators
In a near or far future, robots and other artificial life forms battle in a high-tech gladi-
modifier (+7 if Eidetic Memory, +10 if
Eidetic Memory level 2). If the designer
has partial notes, he should get a +1 or +2
atorial arena while spectators cheer them on and bet on the outcome of fights. Since only
bonus.
machines are being destroyed, robot gladiator battles may be no more controversial than Someone who has stolen or copied a
monster truck demolition derbies. Even if the machines are intelligent, they might still set of plans can use them to build their
have their memories backed up so that destruction of the brain doesn’t mean death. own working copy. If the plans are incom-
The PCs may be gladiators themselves, or they may be owners, mechanics, pro- plete, they can try to recreate them. This is
grammers, sports journalists or other associates. Besides fighting, plots could center treated as a conception roll, but is done at
around organized crime running gambling operations and fixing fights, an attempt to a +1 to +3 bonus depending on how com-
sabotage rival gladiators, someone hiring a robo-gladiator as a bodyguard or vigilante, plete the plans are. Furthermore, if the
or the escape of a robot gladiator. GMs may wish to refer to GURPS Imperial Rome original concept was flawed, the result
for details on the Roman games, and then extrapolate a future arena from there, or use will share the flaw unless the new design-
er scores a critical success and thus fixes
some tournament and martial arts style rules from GURPS Martial Arts and Martial
the problem in the original.
Arts Adventures. If a working model of a robot is
Sometimes androids, cyborgs or humans (usually with battlesuits or powerful cyber- acquired, it can be taken apart and
netic enhancements) are also allowed into the arena. These battles are usually bloodier, “reverse engineered” to produce the set of
and could involve real death – or they plans that can be used to build more.
may be illegal. Besides out-and-out glad- Treat this as a conception roll, but with a
iatorial matches, less-violent contests +5 skill bonus. Cross-tech penalties (p.
between robots are possible: jousting, B185) apply – reverse engineering a high-
fencing, boxing, and so on, or team er TL design can be very tricky, but may
sports like football or hockey. Of course, be the only way to understand an alien
technology.
a “mechanized combat-football” game
Acquiring or protecting the plans for a
could be just as lethal as a gladitorial robot (especially one that hasn’t yet
match! entered mass production) can generate a
The background to a robot gladiators lot of adventure possibilities, especially if
campaign is often a dark cyberpunk or two rival inventors or organizations are
post-holocaust world; it could also be involved. Characters can be hired to steal
played as a classic martial arts campaign, or recover plans or a prototype (for
with all the rivalry, pageantry and wild reverse engineering). The designer is also
fighting styles of a kung-fu or pro- at risk: he may be kidnapped and forced to
wrestling film. How about an alternate- recreate his plans for someone else, or
assassinated to keep him from doing so.
world future Rome in which cyborg
The GM can even set up a situation where
gladiators and robot monsters battle to one organization has the plans, a second
the death in the robot coliseum, where group has kidnapped the designer, and a
the sci-fi plots are drawn from Italian third has stolen the prototype robot. Each
sword-and-sandal gladiator movies? group can be racing to build (or copy) its
Examples: Battle Angel (animated own version – and perhaps have their
series), Battle Angel Alita (comic book), robots face the other designs in battle!
Robo-Rally (miniatures game). The
movie Rollerball, though not involving
robots, is a good source of ideas for vio-
lent futuristic team-sports.

109 Campaigns
 This chapter contains designs for robots and biological androids.
These are “factory-fresh” models, ready to be programmed for their jobs
and made into characters. They can also be used as templates to create
your own variants – just add or modify components and recalulate the
statistics.

Sample Robots 110

TL7 Robots Communicator: Basic communicator with mute and 2,000-
yard extension cable (40.4 lbs., .808 cf, $2,200, -5 points).
Bomb Disposal Robot (TL7) Arm Motors: Two ST 20 arm motors with cheap and bad grip
This is a police/security robot primarily intended for bomb options (each one is 12 lbs., .24 cf, $3,000, .1 KW). -10 points.
disposal, although it may have some uses in SWAT operations. Aquatic Propulsion: 5 KW Hydrojet (50 lbs., 1 cf, $2,000, 5
It resembles a tracked box with a small sensor turret and pincer- KW).
equipped arm. Accessories: Two sets of Integral mechanical tools (each 10
Brain: Standard brain (40 lbs., .8 cf, $15,000) with lbs., .2 cf, $400); cutting torch (12 lbs., .24 cf, $80); spotlight
Complexity 2 (-5 points). (10 lbs., .2 cf, $100).
Sensors: Basic sensors with color blindness, low-res Vision, Power: Power requirement 5.2 KW. Energy bank with thirty
360 degree vision, night vision, no sense of smell/taste (8 lbs., r12v cells (total 600 lbs., 6 cf, $1,500, 20 points) storing 27,000
.16 cf, $28,400, -5 points). KWS. Endurance 1 hour, 26 minutes (-10 points).
Communicator: Basic communicator with bullhorn and dis- Subassemblies: Two arms: right and left.
turbing voice (2.2 lbs., .044 cf, $600, 5 points). Arm Design: Right arm houses ST 20 arm motor and integral
Arm Motors: ST 15 arm motor with cheap, extendable and mechanical tools (.44 cf). Left arm houses ST 20 arm motor,
bad grip options (18 lbs., .36 cf, $4,500, .075 KW). -5 points. integral mechanical tools, and cutting torch (.68 cf total).
Drivetrain: Tracked drivetrain with .3 KW motive power Body Design: Body houses brain, sensors, communicator,
(4.5 lbs., .09 cf, $90, .3 KW). spotlight, energy bank, hydrojet, 10.12 cf cargo space, 19.2 cf
Weaponry: Rem M870 shotgun (8 lbs., .16 cf, $235, p. multiplied by 1.25 because submersible (24 cf total).
B209, LC 4, 15 points). Surface Area: Right arm area 4, left arm area 5, body area
Accessories: Flashlight (2 lbs., .04 cf, $20); siren (1 lb., .2 50, total surface area 59.
cf, $100). Structure: Light, submersible. 354 lbs., $5,900.
Power: Power requirement .375 KW. Energy bank with two Hit Points: Right arm 6, left arm 8, body 30.
r12v cells (total 40 lbs., .4 cf, $100, 20 points) storing 1,800 Armor: DR 10 metal armor (147.5 lbs., $2,950, PD 3, LC 4,
KWS. Endurance 1 hour, 20 minutes (-10 points). 105 points); sealed (free with submersible, 20 points).
Subassemblies: One arm, head with full rotation, tracks. Statistics: 1,311.9 lbs. (.655 tons), $72,530, 25.12 cf (8.66’
Arm Design: Houses shotgun, flashlight, arm motor (.56 cf). long, -10 points). Body ST 0, arm ST 20 (5 points); DX 9 (-10
Head Design: Houses sensors, communicator and .096 cf points); IQ 5 (-40 points); HT 10/30 (100 points). No ground
empty space (.3 cf). movement; Speed (in water) 3 (-5 points). Legality Class 4.
Body Design: Houses brain, drivetrain, energy bank and Point Cost: 36 points.
waste space for head rotation (1.35 cf total).
Track Design: Two tracks (.78 cf total).
Surface Area: Arm area 4, head area 3, body area 8, tracks
TL8 Robots
area 5. Total surface area 20. “Argus 1” Aerial Spybot (TL8)
Structure: Cheap. 60 lbs., $2,000. The Argus is a small robot helicopter for news gathering,
Hit Points: Arm 12, head 5, body 12, tracks 7 each. police surveillance, and military reconnaissance. It has two heli-
Armor: DR 24 metal armor (120 lbs., $2,400, PD 4, LC 3, copter blades, one at either end of its peanut shaped body. Not
172 points); sealed ($800, 20 points). being very bright, the Argus is usually remotely controlled from
Statistics: 303.7 lbs. (.15185 tons), $54,245, 2.99 cf (4’ long). a computer-equipped news van or operational command center.
Body ST 12, arm ST 15 (32 points); DX 9 (-10 points); IQ 5 (-40 Brain: Small brain, Complexity 2 (2 lbs., .04 cf, $1,000, -5
points); HT 12/12 (20 points). Speed 8.43 (5 points). Cannot float points).
(-5 points). Legality Class 2. Point Cost: 42 points. Sensors: Basic sensors with +3 Acute Vision, Night Vision,
Telescopic Zoom level 2, One Eye, Parabolic Hearing level 5,
“Manta” Deep Sea Robot (TL7) No Sense of Taste/Smell (3 lbs., .06 cf, $16,100, 33 points).
This is a two-armed robot submarine intended for salvage or Communicator: Basic communicator with lasercom and
oceanic research. It isn’t very smart, so it is usually controlled mute options (10.2 lb., .204 cf, $5,100, 5 points).
by a human operator via a cable link. Arm Motors: No arms or legs (-50 points).
Brain: Standard brain (40 lbs., .8 cf, $15,000, -5 points) with Drivetrain: Helicopter drivetrain with 4.5 KW motive power
Complexity 2. (18 lbs., .36 cf, $900, 4.5 KW).
Sensors: Basic sensors with no sense of smell/taste and two Accessories: Modular socket (2 lbs., .1 cf, $50).
levels of sonar (14 lbs., .28 cf, $36,000, 25 points). Power System: Power requirement 4.5 KW. rD cell (5 lbs.,
.05 cf, $500, 20 points) stores 18,000 KWS. Endurance one
hour, 7 minutes (-10 points).
Subassemblies: Head with full rotation; rotary wing.
Head Design: Head houses basic sensors, .07 cf empty (.13
cf total).
Body Design: Body houses small brain, communicator, modu-
lar socket, rD cell, .1 cf waste space for head rotation, helicopter
drivetrain plus .386 cf empty space (1.6 cf total).
Rotary Wing Design: .032 cf.
Surface Area: Head area 2, body area 9, rotary wing area 3.
Total surface area 14.
Structure: Extra-light. 2.625 lbs., $350.
Hit Points: Head 1, body 2, rotary wing 1.

111 Sample Robots

 Legs: Three legs, each leg houses leg motor and .04 cf
empty space (.24 cf each).
Surface Area: Right and left arm area 1.5 each, central arm
area 2, head area 6, body area 7, three legs area 2.5 each, total
surface area 25.5.
Structure: 102 lbs., $2,550.
Hit Points: Right and left arm 5, central arm 6, head 9, body
11, each leg 4.
Armor: DR 30 metal armor (114.75 lbs., $2,295, PD 4, LC 2,
190 points); sealed ($510, 20 points).
Statistics: 363.35 lbs. (.1815 tons), $104,565, 3.176 cf (6.62’
tall). Body ST 22, arm ST 15, ST 12 (76 points); DX 9 (-10
points); IQ 7 (-20 points); HT 11/11 (10 points). Speed 8.28 (10
points). Cannot float (-5 points). Legality Class 1. Point Cost:
97 points.

Armor and Threat Protection: DR 1 metal armor (2.1 lbs., “Marius Mk. IV” Cargo Mule (TL8)
$42, PD 1, LC 6, 28 points). These loading robots, a ubiquitous sight around airports and
Statistics: 44.925 lbs. (.026 tons), .708 cf (2.7’ long, -10 spaceports, consist of a wheeled body with a pair of built-in
points), $24,042. Body ST 0 (-100 points), DX 9 (-10 points), IQ arms; many cargo trucks and ships also carry them on board.
5 (-40 points), HT 12/8 (0 points). No ground or water speed. Brain: Small brain, Complexity 2 (2 lbs., .04 cf, $1,000, -5
Rotor flight: air Speed 31, stall speed 0, can hover (75 points). points).
Cannot float (-5 points). Legality Class 5. Point Cost: -69 points. Sensors: Basic sensors with low-res vision, one eye, no sense
of smell/taste, codescanner (1.2 lbs., .024 cf, $4,100, -40 points).
“Blue Steel” Police Robot (TL8) Communicator: Basic communicator with mute (.2 lbs., .004
This is a robot “police dog” designed to support officers dur- cf, $100, -5 points).
ing investigations with its forensic sensors, and to aid in track- Arm Motors: Two ST 20 arm motors with cheap and bad
ing down suspects. Its small torso supports a large rotating head grip options (each 12 lbs., .24 cf, $4,000, .1 KW). -10 points.
studded with sensors and antennae. It walks on three legs and Drivetrain: Wheeled drivetrain with .4 KW motive power (3
has three arms – two jointed manipulators with built-in lbs., .06 cf, $60, .4 KW).
weapons and one whiplike cable arm for snagging suspects. Power System: Power requirement .6 KW. rE cell (20 lbs., .2
Brain: Standard brain with high-capacity and neural-net cf, $2,000, 20 points) stores 180,000 KWS. Endurance 83
options (40 lbs., .8 cf, $45,000, 65 points), Complexity 3. hours, 20 minutes (5 points).
Sensors: Basic sensors with microscopic, peripheral and Subassemblies: Two arms, wheels (four wheels).
thermograph vision, +2 acute hearing, two levels parabolic Arm Design: Right arm housing ST 20 arm motor (.24 cf).
hearing, discriminatory smell and taste, laser rangefinder (5.2 Left arm identical.
lbs., .104 cf, $24,500, 81 points). Body Design: Body housing small brain, sensors, communica-
Communicator: Basic communicator with bullhorn and dis- tor, wheeled drivetrain, rE cell and 1.672 cf empty space (2 cf).
turbing voice (1.1 lbs., .022 cf, $300, 5 points). Wheel Design: Wheels (.4 cf).
Arm Motors: Two ST 12 arm motors (each 2.4 lbs., .048 cf, Surface Area: Two arms area 2.5 each, body area 10, wheels
$4,800, .06 KW). ST 15 arm motor with extra-flexible option area 4. Total surface area 19.
and bad grip (6 lbs., .12 cf, $6,000, .075 KW). 15 points. Structure: Cheap. 114 lbs., $950.
Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain (three legs) with .5 KW motive Hit Points: Right and left arm 8 each, body 15, each wheel 2.
power (30 lbs., .2 cf per leg motor, $3,000, .5 KW power). Armor and Threat Protection: DR 2 metal armor with open
Weaponry: Electroshocker (1 lb., .02 cf, $200, LC 5); Police frame (2.85 lbs., $57, PD 2, LC 6, 54.5 points).
Grenade Launcher (25 lbs., .5 cf, $1,000, LC 2 – usually loaded Statistics: Design weight 167.25 lbs. (.083 tons), Volume
with baton, tangler or chemical rounds). 27 points. 2.88 cf (3.87’ across), price $16,267, Body ST 25, arm ST 20
Accessories: Flashlight (1 lb., .02 cf, $10); siren (.5 lbs., .1 cf, (130 points), DX 9 (-10 points), IQ 5 (-40 points), HT 12/15 (35
$50); spraygun (1 lb., .05 cf, $50); crimescanner (8 lbs., .16 cf, points). Speed 17.5 (20 points). Cannot float (-5 points).
$6,000, LC 5); electronic lockpick (3 lbs., .06 cf, $1,500, LC 4). Legality Class 6. Point Cost: 34 points.
Power: Power requirement .695 KW. Energy bank with one
rE cell (20 lbs., .2 cf, $2,000, 20 points) storing 180,000 KWS “M19 Vanguard” Warbot (TL8)
power. Endurance 71 hours, 54 minutes (0 points). This armored fighting robot is designed to provide fire sup-
Subassemblies: Three arms (“right,” “left” and “center”), port to an infantry or battlesuit squad. It has an armored, round-
head, three legs. ed body on four legs. Its fully-rotating turret holds a 20mm
Arm Design: Right arm houses ST 12 arm motor, electronic chaingun and various sensors, and a secondary turret atop that
lockpick (.108 cf); left arm houses ST 12 arm motor and spraygun carries two lasers.
(.098 cf). Central arm houses ST 15 arm motor and electroshocker Brain: Standard brain with genius and neural-net options,
(.14 cf). Complexity 4 (40 lbs., .8 cf, $210,000, LC 5, 65 points).
Head Design: Head houses sensors, siren, communicator, Sensors: Basic sensors with thermograph, peripheral vision,
flashlight, crimescanner, police grenade launcher, .004 cf empty +4 acute hearing, discriminatory smell and laser rangefinder
space (.91 cf). options (4.4 lbs., .088 cf, $20,500, 63 points).
Body Design: Body houses brain, energy bank, waste space Communicator: Basic communicator with IFF and laser com
for head rotation, and .109 cf empty space (1.2 cf). (11 lb., .22 cf, $6,000, 25 points).

Sample Robots 112

 Arm Motors: No arms (-30 points). Body Design: Body houses brain, communicator, spraygun,
Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain with four legs and 2 KW motive drivetrain, rD cell, waste space for head rotation, and .0195 cf
power (120 lbs., .6 cf per leg motor, $6,000, 2 KW). empty space (1 cf).
Weaponry: Minicannon, 20mmCL (75 lbs., 1.5 cf, $8,000, Wheel Design: Three wheels (3.5 lbs., .1 cf, $115, .2 KW).
LC 0); two military laser carbines (total 14 lbs., .28 cf, $6,000, Surface Area: Arm area 2, head area 2, body area 6, wheel
LC 1). Weaponry costs 120 points. area 1.5. Total surface area 11.5.
Accessories: Inertial Compass (1 lb., .02 cf, $250, 5 points). Structure: 46 lbs., $1,150.
Power System: Power requirement 2 KW. Fuel cell with 2 Hit Points: Arm 6, head 3, body 9, wheels 2 each.
KW output (20 lbs., uses .04 GPH hydrox, .4 cf, $500, 20 Armor and Threat Protection: DR 10 metal armor (17.25 lbs.,
points). Self-sealing fuel tank with 2 gallons hydrox (12 lbs., .3 $345, PD 3, LC 4, 105 points).
cf, $80, fire 10, -10 points). Endurance 50 hours. Statistics: 133.075 lbs. (.0665 tons), 1.566 cf (3.46’ tall),
Subassemblies: Two heads, main and secondary. Both have $24,777.50. Body ST 7, arm ST 12 (-8 points), DX 9 (-10 points),
full rotation. Four legs. IQ 6 (-30 points), HT 12/9 (5 points). Speed 12 (12.5 points).
Head Design: Secondary head houses two laser carbines and Cannot float (-5 points). Legality Class 4. Point Cost: 16 points.
.02 cf empty space (.3 cf); it is mounted atop the main head.
Main head houses chaingun, sensors and .006 cf empty space
and .06 cf waste space for secondary head rotation (1.6 cf). TL9 Robots
Body Design: Body houses brain, communicator, inertial “Streethawk” Urban Battlesuit (TL9)
compass, fuel cell, fuel tank, waste space for main head rotation This isn’t a robot – it’s a battlesuit, humanoid powered
and .44 cf empty space (2.5 cf). armor. This particular model is a lightly-armed “commando”
Leg Design: Four legs, each housing leg motor (.6 cf each). version for close-range combat (it also makes a good superhero
Surface Area: Secondary head area 3, main head area 9, battlesuit). Unlike many heavier suits, the Streethawk is a
body area 11, four legs area 5 each. Total surface area 43. sleek, form-fitting design that closely following the contours of
Structure: Heavy body. 258 lbs., $8,600. the wearer’s body. Its computer brain can operate it like a
Hit Points: Secondary head 9, main head 27, body 33, legs robot, but the Streethawk is most efficient when being worn by
15 each. a pilot.
Armor and Threat Protection: DR 160 laminate armor (688 Brain: Small brain (1 lb., .02 cf, $500) Complexity 3.
lbs., $68,800, PD 4, LC 1, 740 points); IR Cloaking (43 lbs., Battlesuit: Pilot (w/150 lb. pilot weight, 180 lbs., $3,000).
$6,450, 2 points); sealed ($860, 20 points). Sensors: Basic sensors with infrared and night vision, laser
Statistics: 1,286.4 lbs. (.643 tons), 3.64 cf (5.87’ wide, -10 rangefinder, no sense of smell/taste (1.5 lb., .03 cf, $4,550).
points), $342,040. Body ST 66 (115.8 points), DX 10, IQ 8 Communicator: Basic communicator with IFF (.5 lbs., .01
(-15 points), HT 10/33 (115 points). Speed 10.58 (20 points). cf, $500).
Cannot float (-5 points). Legality Class 0. Point Cost: 248. Arm Motor: Two arm motor with ST 30 (each 4.5 lbs., .09
cf, $4,500, .15 KW).
“Rover-8” Security Robot (TL8) Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain with two legs and .7 KW motive
This robot is designed for routine security guard duty in and power (28 lbs., .28 cf per leg motor, $5,600).
around buildings or aboard large ships. It is a cylindrical robot Thrust Propulsion: Chemical rocket with 440 lbs. thrust and
on wheels, with a rotating domed head and a single weapon- vectored thrust option (9.9 lbs., .198 cf, uses 110 gph rocket
equipped arm for restraining suspects or opening doors. It is not fuel, .03 per second, $495).
very clever, and is usually controlled by a building or ship com- Weaponry: Assault razergun (5 lbs., .1 cf, $3,000, LC 1);
puter. It is armed with a variety of non-lethal weapons. plasmafaust (2 lbs., .04 cf, $2,000, LC 2).
Brain: Standard brain, Complexity 3 (40 lbs., .8 cf, Accessories: 6 hours life support (25 lbs., .5 cf, $250); iner-
$15,000, -5 points). tial compass (.5 lbs., .01 cf, $125); gyrobalance ($2,500).
Sensors: Basic sensors with low-res and infrared vision, one Power: Power requirement 1 KW. TL9 MHD turbine (8
eye, no sense of smell/taste, smoke detector, codescanner (1.8 lbs., .16 cf, $500, .02 GPH HO). Energy bank with two rC
lbs., .036 cf, $4,600, -25 points). cells stores 5,400 KWS; Self-sealing tank with .24 gallons
Communicator: Basic communicator with bullhorn option hydrox fuel (1.44 lbs., .036 cf, $9.60). Self-sealing tank with .3
(1.1 lbs., .022 cf, $550, 15 points). gallons rocket fuel (1.8 lbs., .045 cf, $12). Endurance 12 hours
Weapons: Tangler (6 lbs., .12 cf, $1,000, LC 5); on internal fuel + 1.5 hours with energy bank; rocket fuel lasts
Electroshocker (1 lb., .02 cf, $200, LC 5). Weaponry costs 12 only 10 seconds; it is used mainly for brief jumps in tactical
points. situations.
Accessories: Flashlight (1 lb., .02 cf, $10); Spraygun (1 lb., Subassemblies: Right and left arm, head, two legs and pod.
.05 cf, $50); Modular socket (3.5 lbs., .07 cf, $35). Arm Design: Right arm houses arm motor with bad grip,
Arm Motors: One ST 12 arm motor with cheap and bad grip plasma faust, razergun and pilot’s arm (.38 cf), left arm houses
options (4.8 lbs., .096 cf, $1,200, .06 KW). -30 points. arm motor and pilot’s arm (.24 cf).
Drivetrain: Wheeled drivetrain, .15 KW motive power Head Design: Head houses sensors, communicator and
(1.125 lbs., .0225 cf, $22.50, .15 KW). pilot’s head (.415 cf).
Power System: Power requirement .21 KW. rD cell energy Body Design: Houses brain, pilot’s torso, waste space for
bank (5 lbs., .05 cf, $500, 20 points) storing 18,000 KWS. head rotation, MHD power plant, energy bank, fuel tank, iner-
Subassemblies: Arm, head with full rotation, three wheels. tial compass, .0025 cf empty space (1.8 cf).
Arm Design: Arm houses ST 12 arm motor, electroshocker Pod Design: Attached to back; holds life support, chemical
and modular socket (.186 cf). rocket, rocket fuel and .007 cf empty space (.75 cf).
Head Design: Head houses sensors, tangler, flashlight, and Leg Design: Each leg houses pilot’s leg and leg motor (.655
.004 cf empty space (.18 cf) cf each).

113 Sample Robots

 Surface Area: Right arm 3, left arm 2.5, head 4, body 9, Head Design: Head houses sensors, communicator, spray-
each leg 5, pod 5, total surface area 33.5. tank and .053 cf of empty space (.5 cf).
Structure: Expensive, heavy. 96.1875 lbs., $13,400. Body Design: Body houses brain, tracked drivetrain, fuel
Hit Points: Right arm 18, left arm 15, head 12, body 27, each cell, fuel tank, 4.78 cf cargo space and waste space for head
leg 15, pod 15. rotation (6 cf).
Armor: DR 80 laminate (160.8 lbs., $16,080, LC 0, PD 4) Track Design: Tracks (3.6 cf).
plus IR cloaking (16.75 lbs., $5,025) and sealed ($335). Surface Area: Central arm area 2.5, right and left arm area
Statistics: 414.2525 lbs. design weight, 564.2525 lbs. loaded 1.5 each, head area 4, body area 20, tracks area 15, total surface
weight with 150-lb. pilot (.282 tons), 4.895 cf (6.6’ tall), area 44.5.
$66,881.60. Body ST 33, arm ST 30, DX (pilot, or DX 9), IQ Structure: Cheap, light. 101.25 lbs., $1,112.50.
(pilot or IQ 6), HT 12/27. Ground Speed 6.3; air Speed: none, Hit Points: Central arm 4, right and left arms 2 each, head 3,
but use of the rockets divides the distance it can jump by .23. body 15, tracks 6 each.
Cannot float. Legality Class 0. Armor: DR 5 open frame metal armor (11.125 lbs., $222.50,
PD 3, LC 5, 86.25 points).
“Johnny Appleseed” Colonial Agrobot (TL9) Statistics: 198.475 lbs. (.0992 tons), 10.535 cf (6’ long, -10
points), $21,835.50. Body ST 30, arm ST 20 or ST 15 (121
This is a multi-purpose farming robot. The size of a horse, it
points), DX 10 (0 points), IQ 7 (-20 points), HT 12/15 (35
has a skinny, skeletal body mounted on double pairs of tracks,
points). Speed 13.4 (12.5 points). Cannot float (-5 points).
no head, and three long arms. It can be used for anything from
Legality Class 3. Point Cost: 57 points.
seed planting to fruit picking, or even pulling a plough. Built-in
tools let it to perform logging, crop-spraying, vaccination,
sheering or slaughterhouse tasks. “Kobold-D” Space Worker Robot (TL9)
While the Agrobot is familiar at TL9, if a UFO brought one The Kobold-D is designed to work with humans at zero-G con-
to modern Earth, it would be a frightening alien machine! struction, engineering, mining and prospecting. Its clunky
Perhaps alien agrobots are behind the cattle mutilations? humanoid body calls to mind mid-20th century images of robots: a
Brain: Standard brain (20 lbs., .4 cf, $7,500, -5 points), small domed head, two arms and two legs. Auxiliary chemical
Complexity 4. rockets allow it to operate in zero G. Its modular socket is usually
Sensors: Basic sensors with night vision and bioscanner (2 fitted with engineering or mechanical tools; it also has a sizable
lbs., .04 cf, $6,050, 30 points). cargo bay for storing spare parts, equipment or ore samples.
Communicator: Basic communicator with mute and infrared Brain: Standard brain with neural-net, Complexity 4 (20 lbs., .4
com options (.35 lbs., .007 cf, $175, 0 points). cf, $15,000, 65 points).
Arm Motors: Two ST 15 arm motors with cheap option (each Sensors: Basic sensors with chemscanner and radscanner (3
4.5 lbs., .09 cf, $2,250, .075 KW). One ST 20 arm motor with lbs., .06 cf, $7,000, 10 points).
“striker” option (1.5 lbs., .03 cf, $1,200, .1 KW). 5 points. Communicator: Basic communicator (.5 lbs., .01 cf, $250, 15
Drivetrain: Tracked drivetrain with .5 KW motive power points).
(7.5 lbs., .15 cf, $150, .5 KW). Thrust-Based Propulsion: Chemical rocket with 10 lbs. thrust
Weaponry: Chainsaw (10 lbs., .2 cf, $40, .1 KW), drug injec- and with vectored thrust (.225 lbs., .0045 cf, uses 2.5 gph rocket
tor ($25, .25 lbs., .005 cf), large knife with vibroblade ($140, 1 fuel, $11.25).
lb., .02 cf, LC 3). Costs 17 points. Arm Motors: Two ST 14 arm motors with cheap option (each
Accessories: Spraytank (8 lbs., .4 cf, $100). 4.2 lbs., .084 cf, $2,100, .07 KW).
Power: Power requirement .85 KW. TL9 fuel cell with .85 Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain (two legs) with .3 KW motive power
KW output (8.5 lbs., .17 cf, $500, uses .01275 gph hydrox, 20 (12 lbs., .12 cf per leg, $2,400, .3 KW).
points). TL9 self-sealing tank with 3 gallons hydrox fuel (18 lbs., Weaponry: Heavy laser torch (20 lbs., .4 cf, $250, 10 points).
.45 cf, $120, fire 10, -10 points). Endurance 235 hours, 17 min- Accessories: Flashlight (.5 lbs., .01 cf, $5); inertial compass (.5
utes (8 points). lbs., .01 cf, $125, 5 points); two modular sockets (each 10 lbs., .2
Subassemblies: Three arms (right, left and center); head; cf, $100).
tracks (four tracks). Power System: Power requirement .44 KW. rE cell energy
Arm Design: The central arm houses ST 20 arm motor and bank storing 270,000 KWS (20 lbs., .2 cf, $2,000, 20 points). Fuel
chainsaw (.23 cf); the right arm houses a ST 15 arm motor and tank with 2.5 gallons rocket fuel (15 lbs., .375 cf, $25, fire 10, -10
the large knife (.11 cf); the left arm houses a ST 15 arm motor points). Endurance 170.4 hours (8 points).
and drug injector (.095 cf). Subassemblies: Two arms (right and left), head, two legs.
Arm Design: Right arm housing ST 14 arm motor and modular
socket (.284 cf); left arm identical.
Head Design: Head houses sensors, communicator, flash-
light, heavy laser torch, inertial compass, .01 cf empty space
(totals .5 cf).
Body Design: Body houses brain, chemical rocket, rE cell, fuel
tank, waste space for head rotation, .9705 cf empty space (2 cf).
Leg Design: Two legs, each leg has leg motor and .48 cf empty
space (.6 cf).
Surface Area: Two arms 3 each, head 4, body 11, two legs 5
each, robot surface area 31.
Structure: 93 lbs., $3,100.
Hit Points: Arms 9 each, head 6, body 17, legs 8 each.
Armor and Threat Protection: DR 7 metal armor (21.7 lbs.,

Sample Robots 114

 Body Design: Body houses brain, rE cell, military laser,
gyrobalance, self-destruct, waste space for head rotation, .09 cf
empty space (1.2 cf).
Leg Design: Two legs, each houses leg motor and .16 cf
empty space (.36 cf each).
Surface Area: Two arms 1.5 each, head 3, body 7, two legs 3
each. Total surface area 19.
Structure: Extra-heavy, expensive. 85.5 lbs., $19,000.
Hit Points: Arms 18 each, head 18, body 42, legs 21 each.
Armor and Threat Protection: DR 100 laminate armor (114
lbs., $11,400, PD 4, LC 0, 500 points); infrared cloaking and
stealth (18 lbs., $2,850, LC 5, 6 points); sealed ($190, 20 points).
Biomorphics: Sculpted ($380, 1.9 lbs.); Attractive ($190, 5
points).
Statistics: 304.8 lbs. (.1525 tons), 2.42 cf (5.8’ tall),
$398,870. Body ST 28, arm ST 30 (170 points), DX 13 (30
points), IQ 9 (-10 points), HT 12/42 (170 points). Speed 7.2 (5
points). Cannot float (-5 points). Legality Class 0. Point Cost:
235 points.

“R5S Samaritan” Rescue Robot (TL9)

The Samaritan supplements human emergency workers at
firefighting and rescue work. It resembles a seven-foot-tall
“mechanical man.” Its head is topped with a siren and light and
$434, PD 3, LC 4, 96 points), radiation shielding (15.5 lbs., $155, has a concealed laser cutting torch for freeing trapped victims;
6 points); sealed ($310, 20 points). its right and left arms have built-in medical tools, and its body
Statistics: 250.325 lbs. (.125 tons), 3.768 cf (7.11’ tall, -10 has a pair of fire extinguishers. It’s usually painted white. It can
points), $35,465.25. Body ST 14, arm ST 14 (45 points), DX 10, fly with rocket jets built into each leg and although it has only
IQ 8 (-15 points), HT 12/17 (45 points). Speed 6.1 (0 points); air enough fuel for a few minutes, this is enough to rescue people
Speed 0 (not enough thrust in Earth-normal gravity to achieve trapped on upper stories. The Samaritan would also make an
flight, but multiplies jump distance by 1.044). Cannot float (-5 effective robot superhero, constructed by a genius gadgeteer.
points). Legality Class 4. Point Cost: 61 points. Brain: Standard brain with neural-net option, Complexity 4
(20 lbs., .4 cf, $15,000, 65 points).
Sensors: Basic sensors with thermograph vision, +3 acute hear-
“Muramasa 7” Commando Robot (TL9) ing, bioscanner and radscanner (3.5 lbs., .07 cf, $8,750, 51 points).
This is a humanoid robot soldier, designed for special forces Communicator: Basic communicator with bullhorn (.55 lbs.,
operations. It resembles a man-sized metallic doll with clawed .011 cf, $275, 15 points).
hands, glowing eyes and antennae. It can use human equipment, Arm Motors: Two ST 24 arm motors with extendible option
or (if clothed) pass as a person at a distance or in bad light. (each 7.2 lbs., .144 cf, $14,400, .12 KW). 15 points.
Brain: Standard brain with genius and neural-net option, +3 Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain with two legs and .35 KW motive
DX booster Complexity 5 (20 lbs., .4 cf, $315,000, 65 points). power (14 lbs., .14 cf per leg motor, $2,800, .35 KW).
Sensors: Basic sensors with thermograph vision, +3 acute hear- Thrust-Based Propulsion: Two chemical rockets each with
ing, bioscanner and radscanner (3.5 lbs., .07 cf, $8,750, 51 points). 200 lbs. thrust and vectored thrust option (each 4.5 lbs., .09 cf,
Communicator: Basic communicator with IFF (.5 lbs., .01 uses 50 gph rocket fuel, $225).
cf, $500, 15 points). Weapons: Medium laser torch, concealed (5 lbs., .25 cf,
Arm Motors: Two ST 30 arm motors (each 4.5 lbs., .09 cf, $125, LC 6, 5 points).
$9,000, .15 KW). Accessories: Siren (.25 lbs., .05 cf, $25); two fire extinguish-
Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain with two legs and .5 KW motive ers (each 2 lbs., .1 cf, $25); gyrobalance ($2,500, 15 points);
power (20 lbs., .2 cf per leg motor, $4,000, .5 KW). two sets of medical tools (each 2 lbs., .04 cf, $1,000, LC 5).
Weapons: Military laser rifle, concealed (9 lbs., .45 cf, Power System: Power requirement .59 KW. Three rD cells
$2,000, LC 0). Sharp monowire claws on right and left hands in energy bank storing 54,000 KWS (15 lbs., .15 cf, $1,500, 20
($700 and LC 3 each). Weaponry costs 106 points. points). Self-sealing fuel tank with 5 gallons rocket fuel (30
Accessories: Laser periscope (.9 lbs., .045 cf, $400); laser lbs., .75 cf, $200, fire 10, -10 points). Endurance 25 hours, 25
sight built into laser ($25); inertial compass (.5 lbs., .01 cf, minutes (0 points). Can only fly for 3 minutes.
$125, 5 points); gyrobalance ($2,500, 15 points); self-destruct Subassemblies: Two arms (right and left), head, two legs.
with two pounds TL9 explosive (2 lbs., .04 cf, $160, LC 0). Arm Design: Right arm housing ST 24 arm motor, medical
Power System: Power requirement .8 KW. rE cell energy tools (.184 cf); left arm housing ST 24 arm motor, medical tools
bank (20 lbs., .2 cf, $2,000, 20 points) storing 270,000 KWS. (.184 cf).
Endurance 93.75 hours (5 points). Head Design: Head houses sensors, communicator, laser
Subassemblies: Two arm (right and left), head, two legs. torch, siren, .019 cf empty space (.45 cf).
Arm Design: Right arm houses ST 30 arm motor, sharp Body Design: Body houses brain, fire extinguisher, gyrobal-
claws and .01 cf empty space (.1 cf). Left arm is identical. ance, energy bank, fuel tank, waste space for turret rotation
Head Design: Head houses sensors, communicator, inertial (1.545 cf).
compass and laser periscope and .165 cf empty space (.3 cf).

115 Sample Robots

 Leg Design: Two legs; each leg houses leg motor, chemical Motive System: Tracked motive system (3 cf) with two tracks.
rocket and .2335 cf empty space (.4635 cf each). Surface Area: Two arms area 1.5 each, head area 3, body
Surface Area: Two arms each area 2, head area 4, body area area 18, tracks area 13. Total surface area 37.
8, two legs area 4 each. Total surface area 24. Structure: 111 lbs., $3,700.
Structure: Heavy, expensive. 81 lbs., $9,600. Hit Points: Each arm 5, head 5, body 27, each track 20.
Hit Points: Each arm 12, head 12, body 24, each leg 12. Armor and Threat Protection: DR 30 metal armor (111 lbs.,
Armor and Threat Protection: DR 10 metal armor (24 lbs., $2,220, PD 4, LC 2, 190 points); radiation shielding (18.5 lbs.,
$480, PD 3, LC 3, 105 points); radiation shielding (12 lbs., $185, 6 points); sealed ($370, 20 points).
$120, 6 points); sealed ($240, 20 points). Statistics: 406.7 lbs. (.203 tons), 8.48 cf (5.6’ long, -10 points),
Biomorphics: Sculpted body (2.4 lbs., $480). $86,705. Body ST 54, arm ST 15 (123.5 points), DX 10, IQ 9 (-10
Statistics: 239.1 lbs. (.119 tons), 3.29 cf (6.36’ tall), $73,395. points), HT 12/27 (95 points). Ground Speed 18.8 (15 points).
Body ST 18, arm ST 24 (117.5 points), DX 10, IQ 8 (-15 points), Floats; water Speed 4. Legality Class 2. Point Cost: 124 points.
HT 12/24 (80 points). Speed 6.85 (on ground); Stall Speed 0, air
Speed (vectored thrust flight) 176.77 and can hover (90 points). AAV-1 “Vulture” Autonomous Attack Vertol (TL9)
Cannot float (-5 points). Legality Class 3. Point Cost: 115 points. This vertical-takeoff flying warbot is designed to provide
close-air support to ground forces and has a flying endurance of
“Ulysses Mark 2” Planetary Explorer (TL9) 1.5 hours. The Vulture resembles a rotorless attack helicopter with
This is a 6’-long tracked robot with two arms and a small a small laser turret under the nose and four pods attached to the
rotating head equipped with many sensors. It is designed to fuselage, two on either side. The two small forward pods contain
operate in very harsh environments, and is light enough to use rocket launchers; the two large rear pods house tilt-jet engines.
its tracks to swim. It is usually landed on a world and remotely Brain: Microframe brain with neural-net option and +1 DX
controlled by either an orbiting ship’s computer or a human booster (100 lbs., 2 cf, $60,000, .1 KW, 65 points), Complexity 5.
operator, but is smart enough to explore on its own. It carries a Sensors: Basic sensors with night vision and thermograph
stun rifle for capturing specimens. vision, 2 level telescopic zoom, no sense of smell/taste, all three
Brain: Microframe brain with neural-net option, Complexity scanners (4.7 lbs., .094 cf, $9,050, 67 points).
5 (100 lbs., 2 cf, $40,000, .1 KW, 65 points). Communicator: Basic communicator with bullhorn, long-
Sensors: Basic sensors with peripheral vision, thermograph range radio, IFF and lasercom options (10.55 lbs., .211 cf,
vision, +3 acute hearing, bioscanner, chemscanner and radscan- $3,325, 27 points).
ner (4.5 lbs., .09 cf, $10,750, 71 points). Arm Motors: No arms or legs (-50 points).
Communicator: Basic communicator with lasercom and Thrust-Based Propulsion: Two turbofans, each with 3,000
mute options (5.1 lbs., .102 cf, $2,550, 5 points). lb. thrust and vectored thrust option (600 lbs., 12 cf, uses 45
Arm Motors: Two ST 15 arm motors with cheap option gph jetfuel, $30,000).
(each 4.5 lbs., .09 cf, $2,250, .075 KW). Weaponry: Gatling laser (75 lbs., 1.5 cf, $20,000, LC 0).
Drivetrain: Tracked drivetrain with 2 KW motive power (15 Four heavy rocket launchers (each 100 lbs., $3,000, 2 cf, LC 0).
lbs., .3 cf, $300, 2 KW). Weaponry costs 180 points.
Weapons: Stun rifle, concealed (4 lbs., .2 cf, $2,000, LC 5). Accessories: Inertial navigation system (10 lbs., .2 cf,
Weaponry costs 10 points. $12,500, 5 points); spraytank (8 lbs., .4 cf, $100).
Accessories: Inertial compass (.5 lbs., .01 cf, $125, 5 points); Power: Power requirement .1 KW. Energy bank with E cell
flashlight (.5 lbs., .01 cf, $5). (20 lbs., .2 cf, $2,000, 20 points) with 270,000 KWS stored
Power System: Power requirement 2.25 KW. Nuclear power power. Jet engines provide their own power. Self-sealing tank
unit with 2.3 KW output (27.6 lbs., .276 cf, $20,000, LC 4, 20 with 135 gallons jet fuel (1,012.5 lbs., 20.25 cf, $5,400, fire 10,
points). Endurance one year (10 points). -10 points). Endurance 3 hours flying (-10 points); brain can
Subassemblies: Two arms (right and left); head with full operate for 750 hours.
rotation; tracks (two). Subassemblies: Head, four pods.
Arm Design: Right arm housing ST 15 arm motor (.09 cf). Head: Head houses Gatling laser (1.5 cf).
Left arm identical. Body: Body houses brain, sensors, communicator, inertial
Head Design: Head houses sensors, flashlight, stun rifle (.3 cf). navigation system, spraytank, energy bank, fuel tank, waste
Body Design: Body houses brain, communicator, tracked space for turret rotation and .49 cf empty space (24 cf).
drivetrain, nuclear power unit, inertial compass, 2.252 cf cargo Pods: Four pods. Each rear pod houses 1 turbofan (12 cf
space, waste space for head rotation (5 cf). each). Each front pod houses two rocket launchers (4 cf each).

Sample Robots 116

 Accessories: Fire extinguisher (2 lbs., .1 cf, $25); spraygun
(1 lb., .05 cf, $50).
Power: Power requirement .45 KW. rE cell (20 lbs., .2 cf,
$2,000, 20 points) with 360,000 KWS. Self-sealing fuel tank
with 5 gallons rocket fuel (30 lbs., .75 cf, $200, fire 10, -10
points). Two self-sealing fuel tanks with one gallon rocket fuel
each (each 6 lbs., .15 cf, $40, fire 10). Endurance 222 hours, 20
minutes (8 points); flight endurance is only 8.4 minutes.
Subassemblies: Two arms (right and left); head; two legs.
Arm Design: Right arm houses ST 15 arm motor, heavy
laser pistol and .02 cf empty space (.14 cf). Left arm houses ST
15 arm motor and stun rifle (.14 cf).
Head: Head houses brain, basic sensors, communicator, cut-
ting jaw and .0045 cf of empty space (.41 cf).
Body: Houses rocket, E cell, 5 gallon fuel tank, spraygun,
waste space for head rotation and .069 cf empty space (1.2 cf).
Legs: Two legs, each houses leg motor, one gallon fuel tank
and .12 cf empty space (.36 cf).
Surface Area: Right arm 2, left arm 2, head 4, body 7, two
legs 3 each. Total surface area 21.
Structure: 42 lbs., $2,100.
Hit Points: Each arm 6, head 6, body 11, each leg 5.
Armor: DR 20 metal (25.2 lbs., $504, PD 4, LC 2, 160
points); sealed ($210, 20 points).
Statistics: 171.325 lbs. (.0855 tons), 2.61 cf (6.09’ tall),
Surface Area: Head area 8, rear pods area each 40, front $25,781.50. Body ST 17, Arm ST 15 each (70 points), DX 10
pods area each 16, body area 50, total surface area 170. (0 points), IQ 9 (-10 points), HT 12/11 (15 points). Speed 7.49,
Structure: Expensive. 382.5 lbs., $34,000. stall speed 0, air Speed 50.6, can hover (80 points). Cannot float
Hit Points: Head 12, rear pods 60 each, front pods 24 each, (-5 points). Legality Class 2. Point Cost: 103 points.
body 75.
Armor: DR 100 laminate (1,020 lbs., $102,000, PD 4, LC 1, “AA-20 Gabriel” Robot Trooper (TL10)
500 points); IR cloaking and stealth (170 lbs., $5,100, 6 points). The Gabriel is designed to replace both paratroops and vertol
Statistics: 4,413.5 lbs. (2.206 tons), 57.5 cf (5.9’ long), or jetpack infantry in the air-assault role. This seven-and-a-half-
$325,475. Body ST 0, no arms (-100 points), DX 11 (10 foot-tall sculpted metal humanoid has three arms, built-in rock-
points), IQ 9 (-10 points), HT 8/75 (320 points). Air Speed et engines and folding wings, vaguely resembling a steel angel.
(vectored thrust flight) 132 (85 points). Cannot float (-5 points). Two of its arms have X-ray lasers and one also has a short
Legality Class 0. Point Cost: 220 points. sword-blade extending from the wrist for close fighting. The
third arm carries a grenade launcher. Its head has an extensive
TL10 and Above Robots sensor array and a paralysis gun; a back-up imaging ladar is
mounted in the upper torso.
“Cerberus” Security and Patrol Robot (TL10) Brain: Small brain with genius, hardened, high-capacity,
Designed as a guard and police robot, the Cerberus is an neural-net, +2 DX options, Complexity 5 (1.5 lbs., .03 cf,
intimidating man-sized humanoid robot. Its head features large $150,000, 65 points).
glowing eyes, sensor antennae and almost canine jaws. Obvious Sensors: Two sensor systems: #1 sensors are basic sensors
gun barrels protrude from each palm. It normally moves on two with +1 acute vision, spectrum vision, +2 telescopic zoom,
legs, but a built-in rocket pack allows short-duration flight. super-hearing, all three scanners, no sense of smell/taste (2.75
Brain: Standard brain with neural-net option (10 lbs., .2 cf, lbs., .055 cf, $8,125, 119 points). #2 sensors are basic sensors
$7,500, 65 points), Complexity 5. with blind, deaf, no sense of taste/smell, imaging ladar one
Sensors: Basic sensors with thermograph vision, +3 acute level (.5 lbs., .01 cf, $1,875, .25 KW power, 50 points).
hearing, bioscanner, chemscanner and radscanner (2.25 lbs., Communicator: Basic communicator with medium-range
.045 cf, $4,875, 56 points). radio, IFF and lasercom (3 lbs., .06 cf, $1,550, 26 points).
Communicator: Basic communicator with bullhorn option Arm Motors: Two ST 15 arm motors (each is 1.5 lbs., .03 cf,
(.275 lbs., .0055 cf, $137.50, 15 points). $3,000, .075 KW). One ST 10 arm motor with “striker” option
Arm Motors: Two ST 15 arm motors with cheap option (1 lb., .02 cf, $400, .05 KW). 5 points.
(each is 3 lbs., .06 cf, $1,500, .075 KW). Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain with two legs and .75 KW motive
Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain with two legs and .3 KW motive power (30 lbs., .3 cf per leg motor, $6,000, .75 KW).
power (9 lbs., .09 cf per leg motor, $1,800, .3 KW). Thrust-Based Propulsion: Fusion rocket with 600 lbs. thrust
Thrust-Based Propulsion: Chemical rocket with 200 lbs. and vectored thrust (60 lbs., 1.2 cf, uses 12 gph Water, $6,000).
thrust (4.5 lbs., .09 cf, uses 50 gph rocket fuel, $225) with vec- Weaponry: Military x-laser rifle (9 lbs., .18 cf, $4,000, LC 0);
tored thrust. military X-laser carbine (7 lbs., .14 cf, $3,000, LC 1); electromag
Weaponry: One heavy laser pistol (3 lbs., .06 cf, $375, LC grenade launcher (10 lbs., .2 cf, $1,250, LC 0); military paralysis
2); stun rifle (4 lbs., .08 cf, $1,000, LC 5). ST 11 cutting jaws gun, concealed (5 lbs., .25 cf, $3,000, LC 4); fine monowire short-
with vibroblade ($1,700, 1.1 lbs., .055 cf, .11 KW, LC 3). sword (2 lbs., .04 cf, $900, LC 3). Weaponry costs 135 points.
Weaponry costs 30 points.

117 Sample Robots

 “Furbot” Robot Pet (TL10)
This is a fuzzy petbot, a four-legged animal-shaped robot
covered with fur. It could resemble a robot dog or a large cat,
or some other furry quadruped. Depending on programming, it
might be a pet, a nanny, a bodyguard, a hunter, or even a prison
guard.
Brain: Small brain with +2 DX booster and neural-net
options (.5 lbs., .01 cf, $1,000, 65 points), Complexity 4.
Sensors: Basic sensors with night vision, +2 acute hearing,
+2 acute taste and smell, discriminatory smell (.6 lb., .012 cf,
$4,025, 33 points).
Communicator: Basic communicator (.25 lbs., .005 cf, $125,
15 points).
Arm Motors: No arms (-30 points).
Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain with four legs and .15 KW motive
power (4.5 lbs., .0225 cf per leg motor, $225, .15 KW).
Weaponry: ST 10 cutting jaws ($1,500, 1 lb., .05 cf, .1 KW,
LC 5). Four sharp claws (one per leg motor, each $200, LC5).
Weaponry costs 18 points.
Power: Power requirement .25 KW. Energy bank using rE
cell (20 lbs., .2 cf, $2,000, 20 points) with 360,000 KWS stored
power. Endurance 400 (8 points)
Subassemblies: Head; four legs.
Head Design: Houses small brain, basic sensors, communi-
Accessories: Gyrobalance ($1,250, 15 points), Inertial cator, cutting jaw and .123 cf empty space (.2 cf).
Compass (.25 lbs., .005 cf, $62.50, 5 points). Body Design: Body houses energy bank, waste space for
Power: Power requirement 1.2 KW. Nuclear power unit with head rotation, .38 cf empty space (.6 cf).
1.2 KW output (7.2 lbs., .072 cf, $20,000, LC 4, 20 points). Leg Design: Four legs, each housing leg motor and .0675 cf
Two self-sealing tanks with one gallon water (each 10.5 lbs., empty space (.09 cf each).
.15 cf, $40). One self-sealing tank with 4 gallon waters (42 lbs., Surface Area: Head 2.5, body 5, four legs 1.5 each, total sur-
.6 cf, $160). face area 13.5.
Subassemblies: Three arms: left, upper right and lower right; Structure: 27 lbs., $1,350.
head; two wings; two legs; pod. Hit Points: Head 4, body 8, each leg 2.
Arm Design: Upper right arm houses ST 15 motor, short- Armor: DR 2 metal (1.62 lbs., $32.40, PD 2, LC 6, 56
sword and military x-laser carbine (.21 cf). Lower right arm points). Waterproof ($27).
houses ST 10 arm motor and grenade launcher (.22 cf). Left Biomorphics: Realistic flesh and fur (10.125 lbs., $1,215);
arm houses ST 15 arm motor and military x-laser rifle (.21 cf). surface sensors ($3,375).
Head Design: Head houses #1 sensors, military paralysis Statistics: 65.595 lbs. (.033 tons); 1.16 cf (3.35’ long);
gun, inertial compass (.31 cf). $16,349.40. Body ST 9 (-10 points), DX 12 (20 points), IQ 8
Body Design: Houses brain, communicator, gyrobalance, (-15 points), HT 12/8 (0 points). Speed 12.79 (25 points).
fusion rocket, nuclear power unit, fuel tank, waste space for Floats; water Speed 3. Legality Class 5. Point Cost: 205
head rotation, #2 sensors, .007 cf empty space (2.01 cf). points.
Leg Design: Two legs, each houses leg motors, one gallon
water tank and .15 cf empty space (.6 cf each). “Hellspider” Infiltration Robot (TL10)
Wing Design: Two wings, each houses .4 cf empty space (.4 The Hellspider is a small multi-purpose combat robot that
cf each). looks somewhat like a metal tarantula. Hellspiders are typically
Surface Area: Upper right arm 2.5, lower right arm 2.5, left used for security patrols in small areas like air ducts, for vermin
arm 2.5, head 3, body 10, two legs 5 each, wings 10 each. Total extermination, or for stealthy assassinations.
surface area 50.5. Brain: Small brain with +2 DX booster (.5 lbs., .01 cf, $500,
Structure: Expensive, heavy. 113.6 lbs., $20,200. -5 points), Complexity 4.
Hit Points: Each arm 15, head 9, body 30, each leg 15, each Sensors: Basic sensors with infrared vision, (.6 lb., .012 cf,
wing 30. $2,625, 15 points).
Armor: DR 90 laminate (181.8 lbs.. $18,180, LC 0, PD 4, Communicator: Basic communicator with mute and infrared
460 points); intruder chameleon (30.3 lbs., $20,200, 50 points); com options (.175 lbs., .0035 cf, $87.50, 0 points).
stealth and IR cloaking (50.5 lbs., $7,575, 8 points); sealed Arm Motors: Two ST 1 arm motors (each .1 lbs., .002 cf,
($505, 20 points). $200, .005 KW).
Biomorphics: Sculpted body (5.5 lbs., $1,010); surface sen- Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain with six legs and .03 KW motive
sors ($15,150). power (.9 lbs., .003 cf per leg motor, $45, .03 KW).
Statistics: 597.4 lbs. (.2987 tons), 5.56 cf (6.6’ tall, -10 Weaponry: Drug injector (.25 lbs., .005 cf, $25, LC 6); hold-
points), $296,472.50. Body ST 36, Arm ST 15 or ST 10 each out laser, concealed (.25 lbs., .0125 cf, $250, LC 4). Weaponry
(119 points), DX 12 (20 points), IQ 9 (-10 points), HT 12/30 costs 16 points.
(110 points). Speed 6.33 (ground), stall speed 0, air Speed Accessories: Lockpick ($50, LC 5), Gyrobalance ($1,250, 15
(fixed wing flight) 149.25, can hover (85 points). Cannot float points).
(-5 points). Legality Class 0. Point Cost: 258 points.

Sample Robots 118

 Power: Power requirement .03 KW. Energy bank using two Structure: Cheap. (54 lbs., $900).
rC cells (2 lbs., .02 cf, $200, 20 points) with 7,200 KWS stored Hit Points: Arms 5 each, head 5, body 9, legs 5 each.
power. Endurance 66 hours, 40 minutes (0 points). Armor: DR 2 nonrigid (.54 lbs., $54, PD 2, LC 6, 55.4 points).
Subassemblies: Two arms (right and left), six legs, head. Biomorphics: Living flesh (9 lbs., $9,500); Very Beautiful
Arm Design: Right arm houses ST 1 arm motor and lockpick ($4,750, 25 points); sex implant ($2,000); surface sensors
(.002 cf). Left arm houses ST 1 arm motor (.002 cf). ($4,750).
Head Design: Head houses sensors, communicator, drug Statistics: 102.54 lbs. (.0515 tons), 2.1 cf (5’5 tall),
injector and .0045 cf empty space (.025 cf). $49,429. Body ST 12, arm ST 10 (10 points), DX 11 (10
Body Design: Body houses brain, energy bank, holdout points), IQ 9 (-10 points), HT 12/9 (5 points). Speed 7.88 (5
laser, gyrobalance, waste space for head rotation (.045 cf). points). Legality Class 5. Point Cost: 260 points.
Leg Design: Six legs, each housing leg motor and .0015 cf
empty space (.0045 cf each).
Surface Area: Right and left arm .5 each, head .5, body 1, “Omicron-15” General-Purpose Humanoid Robot
six legs .5 each, total surface area 5.5. (TL10)
Structure: 11 lbs., $550. This robot looks somewhat like a hairless chrome statue of a
Hit Points: Each arm 2, head 1, body 2, each leg 1. human. A general-purpose robot able to use human equipment,
Armor: DR 2 metal (.66 lbs., $13.20, PD 2, LC 6, 56 points); Omicrons often serve as soldiers, space crew, sports robots, or
sealed ($55, 20 points); basic chameleon (.55 lbs., $110, LC 5, security guards, depending on their programming. Some ver-
15 points). sions have male or female features; others are sexless.
Statistics: 17.085 lbs. (.0085 tons); .101 cf (1.5’ across, -10 Brain: Standard brain with neural-net, high-capacity and +1
points). $6,160.70. Body ST 2, Arm ST 1 (-75 points), DX 12 DX booster options for Complexity 5 (10 lbs., .2 cf, $16,875,
(20 points), IQ 7 (-20 points), HT 12/2 (-30 points). Speed LC 5, 65 points).
11.27 (25 points). Cannot float (-5 points). Legality Class 4. Sensors: Basic Sensors with night vision (.5 lbs., .01 cf and
Point Cost: 12 points. $2,525, 10 points).
Communicator: Basic communicator (.25 lbs., .005 cf, $125,
15 points).
“Lemon Angel” Android Companion (TL10) Arm Motors: Two ST 15 arm motors with cheap option
The Lemon Angel is an android that looks exactly like a (each 3 lbs., .06 cf, $1,500, .075 KW power).
beautiful human woman. (Similar male models also exist, Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain with two legs and .3 KW motive
although they tend to be built on a larger frame). Depending on power (9 lbs., .09 cf per leg motor, $1,800, .3 KW).
its programming, the Lemon Angel can serve as a secretary, Power System: Power requirement .45 KW. Two rE cells (each
pleasure android, translator or traveling companion. Its biocon- 20 lbs., .2 cf, $2,000, 20 points) storing a total of 720,000 KWS.
vertor makes it maintenance-free (so it can live on human food) Endurance 444 hours, 20 minutes (8 points).
with its power cell serving as a backup. Subassemblies: Two arms (right and left), head, two legs.
Brain: Standard brain with +1 DX booster and neural-net Arm Design: Right arm houses ST 15 arm motor and .07 cf
options (10 lbs., .2 cf, $12,250, 65 points), Complexity 5. empty space (.13 cf). Left arm is identical.
Sensors: Basic sensors with acute taste and smell +2, Head Design: Houses sensor, communicator and brain, and
infrared vision, (.6 lb., .012 cf, $2,875, 19 points). .085 cf empty space (.3 cf).
Communicator: Basic communicator with superior voice Body Design: Houses energy bank, waste space for head
(.25 lbs., .005 cf, $750, 25 points). rotation and .87 cf empty space (1.3 cf).
Arm Motors: Two ST 10 arm motors, cheap option (each 2 Leg Design: Two legs, each houses leg motor and .3 cf
lbs., .04 cf, $1,000, .05 KW). empty space (.39 cf each).
Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain with two legs and .2 KW motive Surface Area: Right arm 2, left arm 2, head 3, body 8, legs 3
power (6 lbs., .06 cf per leg motor, $1,200, .2 KW). each. Total surface area 21.
Weaponry: ST 4 crushing jaw ($400, .4 lbs., .02 cf, .04 KW, Structure: No options (42 lbs., $2,100).
LC 6) costs 5 points. Hit Points: Arms 6 each, head 5, body 12, legs 5 each.
Accessories: Neural Stimulator (.5 lbs., .01 cf, $1,000, LC Armor: DR 7 metal (8.82 lbs., $176.40, PD 3, LC 4, 96
5); Pheromone emitter ($5,000, LC 5, 25). points); reflective surface ($157.50, 2 points).
Power: Power requirement .3 KW. Energy bank using two Biomorphics: Sculpted (2.1 lbs., $420); Surface sensors
rD cells (10 lbs., .1 cf, $1,000, 20 points) with 72,000 KWS ($6,300).
stored power. Omnivore bioconvertor with .3 KW output (7.5 Statistics: 118.67 lbs. (.0595 tons), 2.64 cf (6’ tall),
lbs., .15 cf, $2,000). Endurance 66 hours on energy bank plus $33,978.40. Body ST 19, arm ST 15 (80 points), DX 11 (10
48 hours with bioconvertor (0 points). points), IQ 9 (-10 points), HT 12 (20 points). Speed 8.69 (10
Subassemblies: Two arms, head, two legs. points). Cannot float (-5 points). Legality Class 4. Point Cost:
Arm Design: Right arm houses ST 10 arm motor and .06 cf 65 points.
empty space (.1 cf). Left arm is identical.
Head Design: Houses crushing jaw, brain, communicator,
basic sensors, and .063 cf empty space (.3 cf). “Paladin” Robot Horse (TL10)
Body Design: Houses energy bank, bioconvertor, pheromone This robot looks like a horse. It’s designed for use by visitors
emitter, neural stimulator, waste space for head rotation and .71 to low-tech colony worlds where higher-TL transportation
cf empty space (1 cf). would be conspicuous. It’s also used in racing, especially where
Leg Design: Two legs each housing leg motor and .24 cf horses are extinct or unavailable. Paladin’s modular socket can
empty space (.3 cf each). be fitted with various gear, usually sensors or weapons, or some-
Surface Area: Right and left arm 1.5 each, head 3, body 6, times survival gear for its rider. Paladin is designed to operate
two legs 3 each, total surface area 18. on fodder, like any other horse, but can also run on electricity.

119 Sample Robots

 Brain: Standard brain with neural-net options (10 lbs., .2 cf, Subassemblies: Two arms (right and left); head; two legs.
$7,500, 65 points), Complexity 5. Arm Design: Right arm houses ST 15 arm motor and .09 cf
Sensors: Basic sensors with night vision, +3 acute hearing, empty space (.15 cf). Left arm is identical.
peripheral vision, +1 acute taste and smell (.5 lbs., .01 cf, Head Design: Houses sensor, communicator, crushing jaw
$3,525, 33 points). and brain, and .065 cf empty space (.3 cf).
Communicator: Basic communicator with disturbing (horse- Body Design: Houses energy bank, bioconvertor, waste
like) voice (.25 lbs., .005 cf, $62.50, 5 points). space for head rotation and .845 cf empty space (1.5 cf).
Arm Motors: No arms (-30 points). Leg Design: Two legs, each houses leg motor and .36 cf
Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain with four legs and 1 KW motive empty space (.45 cf each).
power (30 lbs., .15 cf per leg motor, $1,500, 1 KW). Surface Area: Right arm 2, left arm 2, head 3, body 8, legs 4
Weaponry: ST 11 crushing jaw ($1,100, 1.1 lbs., .055 cf, .11 each. Total surface area 23.
KW, LC 6) costs 5 points. Structure: (46 lbs., $2,300).
Power: Power requirement 1 KW. Energy bank with rE cell (20 Hit Points: Arms 6 each, head 5, body 12, legs 6 each.
lbs., .2 cf, $2,000, 20 points) stores 360,000 KW; Herbivore bio- Armor: DR 7 metal armor (9.66 lbs., $193.20, PD 3, LC 4, 96
convertor with 1 KW output (60 lbs., 1.2 cf, $2,000). Endurance 48 points).
hours on bioconvertor plus 100 hours on energy bank (5 points). Biomorphics: Living flesh (11.5 lbs., $11,500); biomorphic
Subassemblies: Head, four legs. (Its tail is cosmetic.) shielding (2.3 lbs., $11,500); attractive ($1,150, 5 points); sex
Head Design: Head houses brain, sensors, communicator, implant ($2,000); surface sensors ($5,750); sealed ($230, 20
crushing jaw and .63 cf empty space (.9 cf). points).
Body: Body houses energy bank, bioconvertor, waste space Statistics: 146.86 lbs. (.075 tons), 3 cf (6’ tall),
for head rotation, 7.55 cf cargo space (9 cf). $166,368.20. Body ST 18, arm ST 15 (75 points), DX 11 (10
Leg Design: Four legs, each with leg motor and 1.2 cf empty points), IQ 11 (10 points), HT 12/12 (20 points). Ground
space (1.35 cf each). Speed 8 (10 points). Floats; water Speed 2. Legality Class 4.
Surface Area: Head 6, body 27, legs 8 each, total surface Point Cost: 404 points.
area 65.
Structure: Cheap (195 292.5 lbs., $3,250). “S-3 Servitor” Housebot (TL10)
Hit Points: Head 18, body 41, legs 12 each. The S-3 looks like an animated kitchen appliance with a pair
Armor: DR 5 metal (19.5 lbs., $390, PD 3, LC 5, 90 points). of arms, a built-in vacuum cleaner arm, four wheels and a tiny
Waterproof ($27). head. It’s designed to act as a waiter, cleaner, butler, cook and
Biomorphics: Realistic flesh (32.5 lbs., $6,500); surface sen- servant; S-3s also work as bartenders in places that can’t get
sors ($16,250). live help or a fancier robot. Its spraygun is usually loaded with
Statistics: 368.85 lbs. (.185 tons), 15.3 cf (7’ long), cleaning agents, but some of these ’bots may be equipped with
$48,707.50. Body ST 65, no arms (115.5 points), DX 10 (0 noxious chemicals to give them an auxiliary security function.
points), IQ 9 (-10 points), HT 12/41 (165 points). Ground Its internal cargo space is used for storing garbage until it
Speed 13.9 (25 points). Floats; water Speed 3. Legality Class 5. reaches a waste disposal facility.
Point Cost: 488.5 points. Brain: Small brain (.5 lbs., .01 cf, $250, -5 points) with
Complexity 4.
“Prometheus 3000” Android (TL10) Sensors: Basic sensors with discriminatory taste (.55 lbs.,
The “Prometheus 3000” android looks like a normal human, .011 cf, $3,000, 10 points).
but is actually a sentient robot. A sentient humanoid robot such Communicator: Basic communicator (.25 lbs. .005 cf, $125,
as the Prometheus can be used in jobs requiring creative 15 points).
thought, independence and slightly super-human ability. It Arm Motors: Two ST 10 arm motors, cheap (each 2 lbs., .04
might be a secret agent, starship officer, explorer, assassin, cf, $1,000, .05 KW). ST 5 arm motor with cheap, extra-flexible
investigator, bodyguard, or companion. It might even have been and striker options (1 lb., .02 cf, $200, .025 KW each). 10 points.
created by aliens, to infiltrate a human society. Both male and Drivetrain: Wheeled drivetrain with .2 KW motive power
female models exist. (1.5 lbs., .03 cf, $30, .2 KW).
Brain: Standard brain with genius, high-capacity and sen- Accessories: Serving tray (2 lbs., .4 cf, $10); drink/snack dis-
tient options for Complexity 6 (10 lbs., .2 cf, $118,125, LC 4, penser (10 lbs., .5 cf, $50); microwave oven (10 lbs., .5 cf, $50);
100 points). Spraygun (1 lb., .05 cf, $50); cleaning unit (5 lbs., .25 cf, $50).
Sensors: Basic Sensors with night vision (.5 lbs., .01 cf and
$2,525, 10 points).
Communicator: Basic communicator (.25 lbs., .005 cf, $125,
15 points).
Arm Motors: Two ST 15 arm motors with cheap option
(each 3 lbs., .06 cf, $1,500, .075 KW power).
Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain with two legs and .3 KW motive
power (9 lbs., .09 cf per leg motor, $1,800, .3 KW).
Weaponry: Crushing jaw, ST 4 (TL10, .4 lbs., .02 cf, $400,
.04 KW). Weaponry costs 5 points.
Power: Power requirement .45 KW. Two rE cells (each 20
lbs., .2 cf, $2,000, 20 points) storing a total of 720,000 KWS.
Omnivore bioconvertor with .45 KW output (11.25 lbs., .225 cf,
$2,000). Endurance 444 hours, 27 minutes on energy bank plus
48 hours on bioconvertor (8 points).

Sample Robots 120

 25 cf, $20,000, LC -1); two heavy military paralysis guns, con-
cealed (each 25 lbs., 2.5 cf, $16,000, LC 2); four heavy rocket
launchers, concealed (each 100 lbs., 5 cf, $1,500, LC 0);
Weaponry costs 450 points.
Accessories: Inertial navigation system (10 lbs., .2 cf,
$12,500, 5 points).
Power: Power requirement 1,022.6 KW (assumes only one
set of sensors used at once). Energy bank using ten rE cells (200
lbs., 2 cf, $20,000, 20 points) with 3,600,000 KWS stored
power. TL10 Nuclear power unit with 1,033 KW output (1,058
Power: Power requirement .325 KW. rD cell energy bank (5 lbs., 10.58 cf, $211,600, LC 4). Self-sealing tank with 200 gal-
lbs., .05 cf, $500, 20 points) stores 36,000 KWS power. lons water (2,100 lbs., 30 cf, $8,000). Endurance two years (10
Endurance 30 hours (0 points). points), but only carries fuel for 5 minutes flight.
Subassemblies: Three arms (left, right and back), head, four Subassemblies: Two arms (left and right); head with full rota-
wheels. tion; two legs.
Arm Design: Three arms. Right arm houses ST 10 arm Arm Design: Right arm houses ST 2,000 arm motor and x-
motor (.04 cf). Left arm is identical. Back arm houses ST 5 arm ray strike laser (26 cf). Left arm is identical.
motor, spray gun and cleaning unit (.32 cf). Head Design: Houses main sensors, concealed x-ray strike
Head Design: Head houses small brain, sensors, communi- laser, inertial navigation system, two paralysis guns, .629 cf
cator, .024 cf empty space (.05 cf). empty space (31 cf).
Body Design: Body houses D cell, serving tray, drink dispenser Body Design: Houses brain, communicator, fusion rocket,
or oven, wheeled drivetrain and .525 cf empty space (2 cf). two plasma cannon, four heavy rocket launchers, energy bank,
Wheel Design: Wheels (.6 cf). nuclear power unit, fuel tank, waste space for head rotation,
Surface Area: Two arms 1 each, back arm 3, head 1, body 19.765 cf empty space (230 cf).
10, wheels 5. Total surface area 21. Leg Design: Two legs, each houses leg motor and 37.65 cf
Structure: Cheap. (63 lbs., $1,050) empty space (69 cf each).
Hit Points: Right and left arms 3 each, back arm 9, head 2, Surface Area: Right and left arm 60 each, head 60, body 250,
body 15, wheels 4 each. two legs 125 each, total surface area 680.
Armor: Metal armor with DR 2 (2.52 lbs., $50.40, LC 6, PD Structure: Extra-heavy body (2,720 lbs., $340,000).
2, 56 points). Hit Points: Arms 720 each, head 360, body 1,500, legs 750
Biomorphics: Attractive body – nicely chromed, etc. ($210, each.
5 points). Armor: DR 6,000 ablative (65,280 lbs., $522,240, PD 4, LC 0,
Statistics: 106.32 lbs. (.053 tons); 3.5 cf (4’ tall); $7,625.40. 15,400 points); IR cloaking and stealth (680 lbs., $102,000, 8
Body ST 12, arm ST 10 or 5 each (10 points); DX 10 (0 points); points); instant chameleon (170 lbs., $34,000, 30 points); sealed
IQ 7 (-20 points); HT 12/15 (35 points). Speed 15.54 (12.5 ($6,800, 20 points).
points). Cannot float (-5 points). Legality Class 6. Point Cost: Statistics: 68,522.875 lbs., (34.2615 tons); 451 cf (32.3’ tall,
29 points. -10 points); $3,213,302.50; body ST 3,000, arm ST 2,000
(1,410 points), DX 12 (20 points), IQ 10, HT 9/1,500 (7,445
points). Ground Speed 21.64, stall speed 0, air Speed 300, can
“M-4 Thor” Main Battle Robot (TL10) hover (90 points). Cannot float (-5 points). Legality Class 0.
The Thor is a giant humanoid warbot, a thirty-foot metal titan Point Cost: 5,051 points.
that can lift over 20 tons, armed with weapons capable of vapor-
izing a company of 20th-century tanks.
Brain: Microframe brain with +1 DX booster, hardened, “T-64 Tinkerbot” Technical Robot (TL10)
high-capacity and neural-net options (150 lbs., 3 cf, $225,000, .1 This general-purpose engineering and mechanical repair
KW, 65 points), Complexity 6. robot resembles the product of a mating between a tool box and
Sensors: Basic sensors with spectrum vision, telescopic zoom a mechanical spider. These robots are often found on starships,
+5, 360 degree vision, super hearing, ten levels imaging ladar, doing routine maintenance and emergency damage control.
all three scanners, no sense of taste/smell (8.55 lbs., .171 cf, Brain: Standard brain with neural-net options (10 lbs., .2 cf,
$15,375, 2.5 KW power, 255 points). Backup sensors are identi- $7,500, Complexity 5). 65 points.
cal (8.55 lbs., .171 cf, $15,375, 2.5 KW power, no extra points). Sensors: Basic sensors with one eye, microscopic vision,
Communicator: Basic communicator with bullhorn, long- laser rangefinder and radscanner, (1.2 lbs., .024 cf, $2,875). 4
range radio, IFF, lasercom and neutrino com options (35.275 points.
lbs., .7055 cf, $21,662.50, 42 points). Communicator: Basic communicator with infrared com
Arm Motors: Two ST 2,000 arm motors with cheap option (.375 lbs., .0075 cf, $187.50). 20 points.
(each 400 lbs., 16 cf, $200,000, 10 KW). Arm Motors: Two ST 10 arm motors with cheap option
Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain with two legs and 1,000 KW (each 2 lbs., .04 cf, $1,000, .05 KW). Two ST 6 arm motors
motive power (3,135 lbs., 31.35 cf per leg motor, $627,000, with retractable options (each .9 lbs., .018 cf, $1,800, .03 KW).
1,000 KW). 20 points.
Thrust-Based Propulsion: Fusion rocket with 120,000 lbs. Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain with four legs and .1 KW motive
thrust and vectored thrust option (4,537.5 lbs., 90.75 cf, uses power (3 lbs., .015 cf per leg motor, $150, .1 KW).
2,400 gph water, $453,750, LC 4). Weaponry: Light laser torch (1 lb., .02 cf, $25, LC 6); buzz-
Weaponry: One X-ray strike laser, concealed (500 lbs., 25 cf, saw with vibroblade (2 lbs., .04 cf, $75, LC 3). Weaponry costs
$40,000, LC -1); two X-ray strike lasers (each 500 lbs., 10 cf, 16 points.
$40,000, LC -1); two plasma cannon, concealed (each 500 lbs.,

121 Sample Robots

 Accessories: Fire extinguisher (2 lbs., .1 cf, $25); Two sets Arm Design: Right arm houses ST 100 arm motor, claws (.3
of integral mechanical or engineering tools (each 10 lbs., .2 cf, cf); left arm is identical. Tail houses ST 40 arm motor with
$200); two sets of integral armory or electronics tools (each 2 extra-flexible and striker options and drug injector (.125 cf).
lbs., .04 cf, $400); modular socket (7.5 lbs., .15 cf, $75). Head Design: Houses brain, sensors, communicator, cutting
Power: Power requirement .23 KW. Energy bank using rE jaws, .0355 cf empty space (.6 cf).
cell (20 lbs., .2 cf, $2,000, 20 points) with 360,000 KWS stored Body Design: Body houses spraytank, bioconvertor, waste
power. Endurance 434 hours, 47 minutes (8 points). space for head rotation, and .58 cf empty space (2 cf).
Subassemblies: Four arms (upper and lower right, upper and Leg Design: Two legs, each houses leg motor and .36 cf
lower left); head with full rotation; four legs. empty space (.6 cf each).
Arm Design: Right upper arm houses ST 10 arm motor, one Surface Area: Each right and left arm 3, tail 1.5, head 5,
set of mechanical or engineering tools (.24 cf). Left upper arm body 10, two legs 5 each, total surface area 32.5.
is identical. Left lower arm houses ST 6 arm motor, one set of Structure: Biomechanical, heavy (73.125 lbs., $9,750).
integral electronic or armory tools, buzzsaw with vibroblade, Hit Points: Right and left arm 18 each, tail 9, head 15, body
.002 cf empty space (.1 cf). Right lower arm houses ST 6 arm 30, each leg 15.
motor, one set of integral electronic or armory tools, laser torch, Armor: DR 128 ablative (33.28 lbs., $266.24, PD 4, LC 1,
.022 cf empty space (.1 cf). 426.4 points); IR cloaking (16.25 lbs., $2,437.50, 5 points);
Head Design: Head houses brain, sensors, communicator, thermal superconducting (8.125 lbs., $8,125, 42.6 points);
and .0185 cf empty space (.25 cf). waterproof.
Body Design: Body houses lower retractable arms, energy Biomorphics: Living flesh (16.25 lbs., $8,125); Hideous
bank, waste space for head rotation, modular socket (.6 cf). ($6,500, -20 points); surface sensors ($8,125).
Leg Design: Four legs, each housing leg motor and .075 cf Statistics: Design weight 284.005 lbs. (.142 tons), volume
empty space (.09 cf each). 4.525 cf (-10 points), price $204,155.84. Body ST 60, arm ST
Surface Area: Two upper arms 2.5 each, two lower arms 1.5 100 or 40 (200 points); DX 11 (10 points); IQ 12 (20 points);
each, head 2.5, body 5, four legs each 1.5, total surface area 21.5. HT 12/30 (110 points). Speed 11.62 (25 points). Cannot float (-
Structure: (43 lbs., $2,150). 5 points). Legality Class 1. Point Cost: 1,004.
Hit Points: Upper arms 8 each, lower arms 5 each, head 4,
body 8, head 2, body 12, legs 2 each.
Armor: DR 7 metal (9.03 lbs., $180.60, PD 3, LC 5, 96 “Scorpio Alpha” Robot Warrior (TL12)
points); radiation shielding (10.75 lbs., $107.50, 6 points); The perfect adversary for the robot monster, Scorpio Alpha
sealed ($215, 20 points). is an ultra-tech android warrior. She’s externally identical to a
Statistics: 139.655 lbs., (.07 tons); 1.89 cf (3.3’ long); human, but possesses exceptional strength and speed, can pro-
$22,365.60. Body ST 6, arm ST 10 (-15 points), DX 10, IQ 9 ject x-ray laser bolts out of her eyes and force beams from her
(-10 points), HT 12/12 (20 points). Speed 4.78. Cannot float (-5 left hand, and can generate a forceblade out of her right palm.
points). Legality Class 5. Point Cost: 57. Her biocomputer brain is more intelligent than a human’s, and
possesses psychotronic circuits that give her psionic powers of
telepathy and teleportation. She can also fly.
“Grendel” (TL11) Brain: Small brain with biocomputer, +3 DX booster,
This is a robot monster, humanoid and only somewhat taller genius, hardened, high-capacity and sentient options (2.25 lbs.,
than an ordinary man, but with a large head, glowing eyes and .045 cf, $1,687,500, 95 points), Complexity 8.
fanged jaws, clawed arms, a scaled body and a barbed tail. It is Sensors: Basic sensors with spectrum vision, +2 acute hear-
built with a mix of biological and machine components. ing, bioscanner, laser rangefinder, radscanner (1.025 lbs., .0205
Brain: Standard brain with biocomputer and sentient option cf, $2,687.50, 74 points).
(15 lbs., .3 cf, $131,250, 95 points), Complexity 7. Communicator: Basic communicator (.25 lbs., .005 cf, $125,
Sensors: Basic sensors with spectrum vision, discriminatory 15 points).
smell, discriminatory taste (.475 lb., .0095 cf, $2,750, 65 Arm Motors: Two ST 40 arm motors (each is 2 lbs., .04 cf,
points). $4,000, .2 KW).
Communicator: Basic communicator with Disturbing Voice Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain with two legs and .6 KW motive
(.25 lbs., .005 cf, $62.50, 5 points). power (9 lbs., .09 cf per leg motor, $1,800, .6 KW).
Arm Motors: Two ST 100 arm motors with cheap option Thrust Propulsion: Two reactionless thrusters each with .25
(each 15 lbs., .3 cf, $7,500, .5 KW). One ST 40 arm motor with KW motive power and 5 lbs. of thrust with vectored thrust
cheap, extra-flexible and striker options (6 lbs., .12 cf, $1,200, option (each .375 lbs., .01875 cf, $750, .25 KW).
.2 KW). 10 points. Weaponry: Forceblade, concealed (1.5 lbs., .075 cf, $750, LC
Drivetrain: Leg drivetrain with two legs and 1.2 KW motive 3). Gravbeamer, concealed (1 lb., .05 cf, $2,000, LC 3). Military
power (24 lbs., .24 cf per leg motor, $4,800, 1.2 KW). x-laser rifle, concealed (9 lbs., .45 cf, $1,000). ST 8 crushing jaw
Weaponry: Drug injector ($25, .25 lbs., .005 cf, LC 6); ST ($800, .8 lbs., .04 cf, .08 KW, LC 6). Weaponry costs 107 points.
50 cutting jaws with monowire ($7,625, 5 lbs., .25 cf, .5 KW, Accessories: X-ray laser periscope (.9 lbs., .045 cf, $200);
LC 3); sharp monowire claws on two arms (each $325, LC 3). Gyrobalance ($1,250, 15 points). Psychotronic circuits with
Weaponry costs 25 points. Telepathy power 12 ($30,000, 60 points) and Teleportation
Accessories: Spraytank (8 lbs., .4 cf, $100); usually loaded power 15 ($37,500, 75 points).
with nerve gas or nano weapons. Contragrav: Contragrav generator with 400 lbs. of lift
Power: Power requirement 2.4 KW. Carnivore bioconvertor ($2,510, 20.4 lbs., .408 cf, .4 KW).
with 2.4 KW output (48 lbs., .96 cf, $4,800). Power: Power requirement 1.4 KW. Energy bank using rD
Subassemblies: Three arms (right arm, left arm, tail); head; cell ($500, 5 lbs., .05 cf) with 54,000 KWS stored power; TL12
two legs. Nuclear power unit with 1.4 KW output (2.8 lbs., .028,
$20,000, LC 4, 20 points).

Sample Robots 122

 skin, and short hair. Although legs aren’t much use in zero-G,
they were retained to allow Arachnes to operate in habitats or
ships that possess artificial gravity.
Advantages: DX +3 (30 points); Absolute Direction (5
points); Ambidexterity (10 points); two Extra limbs (20 points).
Perfect Balance (15 points); Oxygen Storage (10 points);
Temperature Tolerance (10 points); total 100 points.
Disadvantages: ST -3 (-20 points); Reduced Hit Points, -2
(-10 points); Self-Destruct (-20 points); Short Lifespan one
level (-10 points); Skinny (-5 points); Sterile (-3 points); total
-68 points.
Model Point Cost: 32 points.
Price: $196,500 at TL9, $98,250 at TL10, $49,125 at TL11+

Doberman IV “Dog-Soldier” (TL9)

The Doberman IV is a military squad-support android,
designed to carry heavy weapons into dangerous situations as
part of an organized infantry unit. Its appearance is that of a
human with a canine muzzle and fur: it was built with both dog
and bear DNA, giving it enhanced strength and superior senso-
ry abilities. The most common model is male, but female ver-
sions also exist.
Subassemblies: Two arms (left and right); head; two legs. Model advantages: ST bonus +3 (30 points); DX bonus +1
Arm Design: Right arm houses ST 40 arm motor and force- (10 points); HT bonus +1 (10 points); Alertness +2 (10 points);
blade (.115 cf); left arm houses ST 40 arm motor and grav Combat Reflexes (15 points); Discriminatory Smell (15 points);
beamer, and .025 cf empty space (.115 cf). Fur (4 points); High Pain Threshold (10 points); Hyper-
Head Design: Head houses brain, sensors, communicator, Strength (30 points); Sharp Teeth (5 points); total 139 points.
crushing jaws, rD cell, x-laser periscope and .0745 cf empty Model Disadvantages: Bloodlust (-10 points); Self-Destruct
space (.3 cf). (-20 points); Short Lifespan (2 levels; -20 points); Sterile (-3
Body Design: Body houses energy bank, nuclear power unit, points): total -53 points.
contragrav, military x-laser rifle, waste space for head rotation Model Point Cost: 86 points.
and .234 cf empty space (1.2 cf). Price: $225,500 at TL9, $112,750 at TL10, $56,375 at
Leg Design: Two legs, each housing leg motor and reaction- TL11+.
less thruster and .25125 cf empty space (.36 cf each).
Surface Area: Arms 1.5 each, head 3, body 7, legs 3 each, NI-3 “Selkie” and NI-4 “Neried” (TL10)
total surface area 19. The Nereid and Selkie are designed as underwater mining
Structure: Extra-heavy (38 lbs., $9,500). and construction workers. They can also be trained to perform
Hit Points: Arms 18 each, head 18, body 42, legs18 each. military and security functions, serving as SEALs or underwa-
Armor: DR 200 ablative (19 lbs., $152, PD 4, LC 0, 610 ter demolition specialists. Selkies (male) or Nereids (female)
points); sealed ($190, 20 points); thermal superconducting look like humans with gray fur, sleek bodies, webbed fingers
(2.375 lbs., $2,375, 61 points). and toes, and pointed, somewhat otter-like facial features.
Biomorphics: Living flesh (9.5 lbs., $4,750); Attractive Adrenal modifications allow sudden bursts of speed for quick
($950, 5 points); surface sensors ($4,750). reactions to emergencies (such as rescues). Thanks to advanced
Statistics: 127.55 lbs. (.0635 tons); 2.45 cf (5.8’ tall); genetic engineering, they can remain underwater for up to an
$1,820,289.50. Body ST 43, arm ST 40 (180.75 points), DX 15 hour without tanks, while their fur enables them to function in
(60 points), IQ 13 (30 points), HT 12/42 (170 points). Ground freezing water without bulky diving suits. Since they breathe
Speed 12.29; air Speed (in contragrav-assisted vectored thrust air, Selkies and Nereids can also use human-design diving
flight) 31.4, can hover (75 points). Floats; water speed 13. equipment, their own internal oxygen supply providing an addi-
Legality Class 0. Point Cost: 1,673 points. tional margin of safety and permitting them to surface swiftly
with no risk of developing “the bends.”
Advantages: ST +2 (20 points), DX +2 (20 points); HT +1
(10 points); Alertness +2 (10 points); Amphibious (10 points);

Biological Androids
Three typical bioroids are described below. GURPS Cyber-
Combat Reflexes (15 points); Hyper-Reflexes (15 points); Fur
(4 points); Oxygen Storage (10 points); Sharp Teeth (5 points);
Temperature tolerance (cold, 6 points); total 125 points.
punk Adventures also contains android designs compatible with Disadvantages: Self-Destruct (-20 points); Short Lifespan
the biological android creation system described in this book. one level (-10); Sterile (-3 points); total -33 points.
Model Point Cost: 92 points.
Price: $209,000 at TL9, $104,500 at TL10, $52,250 at
“Arachne II” Zero-G Worker Android TL11+.
The “Arachne II” is designed for zero-G and microgravity The Nereid NI-4 (female) differs from the Selkie NI-3 (male)
construction work; some are also used in asteroid mining. in having ST bonus +1, DX bonus +3, but is otherwise identical.
Arachnes resemble skinny human females with four arms, dark

123 Sample Robots

 Androids and robots have been appearing in science fiction Banks, Iain, Use of Weapons. “The Culture” is a utopian
since Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. There are far too nov- future society in which humans and AIs work as partners.
els, TV shows and films featuring robots to list in this brief Several prequels and sequels.
space. Instead, here’s an annotated list of the works that, in the Bear, Greg, Blood Music. The accidental release of biologi-
author’s opinion, feature the most enjoyable, inspirational or cal nanomachines leads to apocalyptic events. One of the best
gameable examples of robots, androids, artificial intelligences “nanotechnology” novels, written just before the word came
or nanotechnology. For more references, see the Campaigns into use.
chapter. Bear, Greg, Queen of Angels. A cop investigates a murder
in a Los Angeles in which nanotechnology is a fact of daily
Novels life.
Asimov, Isaac, I, Robot. The earliest and best of this prolific Bear, Greg, The Forge of God. Earth is caught in a war
writer’s many works featuring robots, introducing the three between two groups of Von Neumann machines.
laws of robotics and robot psychologist Susan Calvin. Asimov Benford, Gregory, Great Sky River. An alien machine civi-
was the first to write stories in which robots did more than just lization owns the stars. On a distant world, a small band of
rebel against their creators. human cyborgs struggle to survive and reclaim mankind’s des-
Asimov, Isaac, The Caves of Steel. A human and robot tiny. Sequel: Tides of Light; other related books featuring
detective have to learn to work as partners. There are many robots: In the Ocean of Night and Across the Sea of Suns.
sequels, some by other authors. Berry, Stephen Ames, The Biofab War. An energetic space
opera that begins on 20th-century Earth and races off into a
multi-dimensional conflict between organic and machine intel-
ligences. Many sequels.
Blish, James, The Seedling Stars. Radically-modified
humans are used to colonize alien worlds.
Cherryh, C.J., Cyteen. The main focus of this story is on
human cloning, but the way Cherryh’s cloned “azi” are treated
and controlled can easily apply to biological androids.
Dick, Philip K., Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The
novel that inspired the movie Bladerunner (see p. 125). The
book has less cyberpunk atmosphere but more depth.
Gibson, William, Neuromancer. The cyberpunk classic. A
streetwise computer hacker and a street-samurai are manipulat-
ed by an AI computer. Sequels: Count Zero, Mona Lisa
Overdrive.
Hansen, Karl, War Games. Describes a rebellion of gene-
engineered variant humans that parallels Viet Nam. Not for the
squeamish, though. Sequel: Dream Games.
Heinlein, Robert, Friday. The adventures of a biological
android who works as a secret agent. The best of Heinlein’s
later novels.
Hogan, James, Code of the Lifemaker. An alien probe seeds
one of Saturn’s moons with self-replicating machines. When
human explorers arrive, they find a robot society.
Laumer, Keith, Bolo: The Annals of the Dinochrome
Brigade. Classic anthology featuring giant robot supertanks.
McCaffrey, Anne, The Ship Who Sang. The story of Helva,
whose brain is integrated into a starship. This has recently
become a “shared universe” featuring other cyborgs.
Milan, Victor, The Cybernetic Samurai. The birth of an arti-
ficial intelligence amid corporate wars in future Japan. Sequel:
The Cybernetic Shogun.
Norton, Andre, Android at Arms. An android struggles with
the question of his identity. An excellent “juvenile” novel.
Rucker, Rudy, Software. The Boppers are robots created to
serve humanity on the moon. A human helps them become sen-
tient, and all hell breaks loose. A quirky, darkly-humorous
novel. Sequel: Wetware.

Bibliography 124
 Saberhagen, Fred, Berserker. The berserkers are robot star- at nanotechnology, cryonics and other emerging technologies,
ships programmed to destroy all life. Humanity struggles for with some fascinating speculation on the future of robots and
survival. The book spawned numerous sequels and a shared- mankind.
world anthology.
Shelley, Mary, Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus. An Movies and Plays
android is driven to rebel against its creator. Blade Runner. A bounty hunter “retires” escaped androids,
Simmons, Dan, Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion. A pilgrim- until he’s forced to recognize that they are as human as he is. A
age to an alien world sets the stage for an epic conflict between loose adaptation of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The
humanity and artificial intelligences. prototype “cyberpunk” movie.
Smith, Cordwainer, Norstrilia. This classic novel features a Doctor Who. The long-running British time-travel show had
society in which bio-engineered animal-humans serve humanity. several episodes featuring recurring machine adversaries. The
Sterling, Bruce, Crystal Express. This anthology contains most notable were two races of machines, the Daleks and
several stories set in the Shaper/Mechanist future, where the Cybermen. K-9, a robot dog, was one of the fourth Doctor’s
solar system is torn between rival human cultures, one based on companions.
cybernetics, the other on bioengineering. The novel Schismatrix Eve of Destruction. A female neural-net robot programmed
is set in the same background. with its creator’s memories has malfunctioned. Its inventor and
Stine, G. Harry, Warbots. In the 21st century, the U.S. Army a soldier must track it down and destroy it – before the nuclear
forms mixed units of humans and robots. Mostly notable for the bomb installed inside it explodes.
number of sequels it has produced. Lost in Space. This 1960s television show was the first live-
Thompson, Amy, The Virtual Girl. What it’s like to be a action series to feature a continuing robot character.
robot. Metropolis. The proletariat revolt under the messianic lead-
Zelazny, Roger, My Name is Legion. The award-winning ership of a female robot in this classic black-and-white movie.
story “Home is the Hangman” in this collection features one of Nemesis. Action movie featuring robot cops vs. robot terror-
the earliest and best depictions of a neural-net robot. ists, with a part-human cyborg caught in the middle. It has
Williams, Walter Jon, “Unto the Sixth Generation,” in Wild excellent robot vs. robot action scenes.
Cards II. The creation of Modular Man, android superhero. Robocop. A police officer is transformed into a crime-fight-
ing cyborg. The first movie is worth seeing. The sequels and
Nonfiction comedic TV show are less inspiring.
Asimov, Isaac, and Karen Frankel, Robots: Machines in Runaway. A duel between a law officer and a terrorist who
Man’s Image. A well-written book on the role of robots in both makes use of various robots as weapons.
science fiction, industry and popular culture, with many pho- R.U.R. Karel Capek’s play about android workers gave us
tographs of “real” robots. the world “robot.”
Drexler, K. Eric, Chris Peterson and Gayle Pergamit, Star Trek. Several episodes focused on robots or sentient
Unbounding the Future: The Nanotechnology Revolution.The computers, notably the second season’s “The Doomsday
guru of nanotechnology explains how it works and what impact Machine” and Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
it may have on future society. It’s somewhat more accessible Star Trek: The Next Generation. One of the series’ stars was
then Drexler’s first book, the classic Engines of Creation. Data, a robot officer. Some episodes have detailed Data’s origins,
Levy, Steven, Artificial Life. Describes the melding of com- the alien Borg cyborgs, or out-of-control “nanite” nanomachines.
puter science, biology and robotics in the quest to create artifi- Star Wars. If you haven’t seen it, do so. Star Wars provides
cial lifeforms. A good primer on current trends in robotics. an excellent model for integrating robots into a traditional
Regis, Ed, Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman space-opera setting.
Condition: Science Slightly Over the Edge. An irreverent look

125 Bibliography
 Terminator – A robot assassin is sent back in time to kill a Appleseed, Masamune Shirow. An “optimistic cyberpunk”
woman whose unborn child will be the key figure in a future police story set in a world where humans, cyborgs and bioroids
conflict between man and machine. The result is a dynamic must learn to co-exist. This long-running manga serial is avail-
chase and a tender love story, and probably the best movie fea- able in English translation.
turing either robots or time travel to come out of Hollywood. Avengers, Marvel Comics. A team of superheroes that some-
Terminator 2: Judgment Day – A high-quality sequel to times included the Vision, a density-changing android.
Terminator, featuring a fascinating “liquid-metal” robot. Battle Angel Alita, Yukito Kishiro. See the description of the
2001: A Space Odyssey – Alien machines guide our evolu- anime. An ongoing series available in translation. In the third
tion, and humanity probes the depths of space to learn their series, Alita becomes a cyborg gladiator.
secrets. 2001’s most memorable character is the computer HAL Bubblegum Crisis, Adam Warren. New stories set in the
9000, the archetypical rogue computer. BGC universe. Introduces the concept of the “neurophage,” a
novel means of creating a neural-net artificial intelligence via
Anime (Japanese Animation) nano-technology.
The Japanese have an ongoing love affair with robots. Dirty Pair, Adam Warren. A cyberpunk reworking of the
Thanks to the efforts of several subtitling and dubbing compa- Japanese series. Two scantily-clad super-agents battle bioroid
nies, more and more Japanese animation is available at video criminals, terrorist robots and renegade nanotechnology.
rental stores or specialist outlets like comic shops. The best of DNAgents, Marc Evanier. A team of bioengineered super-
the translated anime featuring robots, cyborgs, androids or heroes who work for the mega-corporation that created them.
small battlesuits (as opposed to the giant human-piloted Magnus, Robot Fighter, Acclaim (first published by Gold
“mecha” of TV shows like Robotech) are: Key, 1963). A classic “humans vs. robots” serial that has
AD Police. In 21st-century Tokyo, police struggle to deal recently been resurrected.
with crimes committed by “boomers” – humanoid robots and The Metal Men. A classic D.C. comics series featuring a
cyborgs. Three subtitled videos. A prequel to Bubblegum team of robot super heroes. Hard to find, but fun.
Crisis.
Battle Angel. On a far future Earth, a doctor-turned-bounty
hunter finds the head of a young female cyborg in a scrap yard.
He rebuilds her, and she becomes the ultimate bounty hunter,
until she falls in love. Based on the comic Battle Angel Alita.
Subtitled.
Black Magic M-66. A pair of M-66 robot soldiers are mis-
programmed and begin hunting for a target – the daughter of
their creator. Army commandos and a scoop-chasing female
reporter try to save her. The plot is a simple chase, but the M-66
is one of the most dynamic robots ever designed. One video,
subtitled.
Bubblegum Crisis. The Knight Sabers – four women
equipped with form-fitting battlesuits – wage a vigilante cam-
paign against the ruthless megacorporation Genom, builder of
robot “Boomers.” The series features superior animation, good
characterization and some of the best robot and suit designs
ever. It also has a fantastic soundtrack. Eight videos, subtitled.
Sequel: Bubblegum Crash.
Iczer One. A superpowered android protects Earth from an
invasion of horrific Things Man Was Not Meant to Know. An
excellent source of ideas for a Supers campaign. Three videos,
so-so dubbing. If possible, see it in the original Japanese.
Rhea Gall Force. The most visually dynamic of the Gall
Force series, featuring a war between humans and robots.
Robot Carnival. A collection of vignettes by Japanese ani-
mators on robots. Many are affected or consciously arty, but the
prize segment is a struggle between two 19th-century
“Steampunk” giant robots and their inventors, one Japanese,
one Western.
Transformers. The most well-known animated robot series,
featuring transforming robots that can turn into everything
from cars to toasters. Several American and Japanese shows in
the tradition of Transformers can be still be found on Saturday
morning TV, although most of them are aimed at young chil-
dren.

Comics
Cyborg and robot supers are commonplace in comic books.
The following series focus specifically on robot or android
characters:

Bibliography 126
“AA-20 Gabriel” robot trooper, sample, 117. invasions, 104; man’s best friend, 105; Duty disadvantage, 86.
AAV-1 “Vulture” autonomous attack vertol, revolts, 104; robot hunters, 106; robot sol- DX Bonus advantage, 78.
sample, 116. diers, 107; super robots, 107. DX Penalty disadvantage, 80.
Accessories, 28. Cargo robot, sample, 112. Elastic skin, 44; advantage, 78.
Addiction disadvantage, 86. Cannot Learn disadvantage, 88. Electronics (Computers or
Advanced combat system, 97. Cargo space, 33. Cybernetics) skill, 90.
Advantage, 83; new, 78, 85. “Cerberus” security and patrol robot, sample, Encumbrance, 94.
Aerial propeller, ducted fan and reactionless 117. Endurance and point cost, 37.
thruster table,19. Chameleon systems, 42. Enemy disadvantage, 87.
Aerodynamic flight, 48. Characteristics, robot, 94. Energy banks, 35; table, 36.
Age disadvantage, 86. Characters: checklist, 84; cyborging, 85; Engineering (Robotics) skill, 90.
Allies advantage, 84. development, 91; suggested points, 83. Exoskeletons, 7.
Amnesia disadvantage, 86. Cheap robots, 105. Explosion, 96.
Amphibious advantage, 78. Chemical agents, 30. Extra Limbs advantage, 78.
Androids, 4, 7; see also Biological androids. Claws, 20; advantage, 78. Filter Lungs advantage, 79.
Appearance, 44. Combat, cinematic, 94; close, 96; ranged, 96. Fire and explosion, 96.
Aquatic propulsion systems, 18; table, 18. Combat system, advanced, 97; basic, 97. Flesh, living, 44; realistic, 44.
“Arachne II” zero-G worker android, sample, Command codes, 57; access, 58. Flotation, 47.
123. Communications system table, 16. Freefall skill, 91.
Arc of Fire, 94. Communicators, 14; other options, 15. Fuel, 36; tank table, 37.
“Argus 1” aerial spybot, sample, 111. Complexity, 9, 56. Fur, 44; advantage, 79.
Arm motors, 16; table, 17. Components, 9-37. “Furbot” robot pet, sample, 118.
Armor design, 41; DR, legality and point cost, Computer brains, 55; table, 10. Gadgets, 29; domestic and recreational, 31;
42; slope, 42; table, 42. Contragrav generators, 33. exotic, covert ops and police, 30; other
Arms, multiple, 94. Control consoles, 64. sources, 33; table, 29.
Arms, 38; design, 39; point cost, 17. Create Mana Co-Processor spell, 91. Genetics (Genetic Engineering) skill, 90.
Artificial persons, see Biological androids. Crippling, 98. Ghost programs, 65, 85.
Asimov’s “Laws,” 60. Critical hit tables, 99-100. Gills advantage, 79.
Attacks, 96. Cyberswarms, 67; chassis, 67; controlling, “Grendel,” sample, 122.
Attributes, 46, 83. 69; disguised, 69; equipment packages, 68; Ground speed, statistics, 47.
Audio options, 12. hives, 68; in combat, 67; living metal, 69; Ground-effect (GEV) flight, 49; skirts, 38;
Bad Temper disadvantage, 86. multiple swarms, 69; power systems, 67; design, 39.
Balance systems, 30. sense rolls, 69; tech levels, 67. Gullibility disadvantage, 87.
Basic combat system, 97. Cyborgs, 7, 52, 85. Heads, 38; design, 39.
Battlesuits, 7, 52; sample, 113. Data requirements, 60; transfer rates, 56; Health, statistics, 46.
Berserk disadvantage, 86. recovery, 62. “Hellspider” infiltration robot, sample, 118.
Bibliography, 124-126. Databanks, 11. Hermaphromorph advantage, 79.
Bioelectric Shock advantage, 78. Defenses, 96. Hide or Scales advantage, 79.
Biological androids, 75; advantages, 76; Delicate Metabolism disadvantage, 80. Hit points, 41.
alchemical, 75; disadvantages, 77; growing, Delusion disadvantage, 86. Hit location table, 97.
81; sample, 123; technological limits, 75. Dependent disadvantage, 86. HT Bonus advantage, 78.
Biomorphics, 43; options, 44; table, 45. Design: concepts, 7; process, 8; sequence, 9; HT Penalty disadvantage, 80.
Bioplas, 71, 72, 73. weight, 45. Hyper-Strength advantage, 79.
Bioroids, see Biological androids. Destroying robots, 98. Immunity to Poison advantage, 79.
Black-market robots, 105. Detect Lies skill, 90. Impaling damage, 97; and nanomorphs, 72.
Bloodlust disadvantage, 86. Dexterity, statistics, 46. Impulsiveness disadvantage, 87.
“Blue Steel” police robot, sample, 112. Disadvantages: new, 80, 88; allowable, 85. Increased Speed advantage, 79.
Body and subassemblies, 38; design, 39. Disassembler, 30, 70. Infravision advantage, 79.
Bomb disposal robot, sample, 111. Discriminatory Smell advantage, 78. Intelligence, statistics, 46.
Brains, and damage, 98; and repairs, 99. Discriminatory Taste advantage, 78. Inventions, 108.
Brainwipe, 87. Disease-Resistant advantage, 78. IQ Bonus advantage, 78.
Breakdowns, 100. Doberman IV “Dog-Soldier,” sample, 123. IQ Penalty disadvantage, 80.
Bugs, 64; fixing, 65. Dodging, 96. Jet and rocket table, 19.
Bully disadvantage, 86. Doesn’t Sleep advantage, 85. “Johnny Appleseed” colonial agrobot,
Cable options, 15. Domestic and recreational gadget table, 31. sample, 114.
Camouflage and threat protection, 42. Drivetrains, 17; table, 18. Knockback, 99.
Campaigns: artificial life, 106; cybergrunts, Drones, 63. “Kobold-D” space worker robot, sample, 114.
107; explorers, 108; gladiators, 109; Drug Factory advantage, 78. Lasers, 26; periscopes, 28; sights, 28.

127 Index
 Oxygen Storage advantage, 79. Sensors, 11; special options, 12; table, 14.
Pacifism disadvantage, 87. Sentient robot brains, 9; awakening, 57;
Paint, 30, 94. option, 10.
“Paladin” robot horse, sample, 119. Sex Appeal skill, 91.
Paranoia disadvantage, 87. Sharp Teeth advantage, 79.
Parasite seeds, 73. Shock, 99.
Passengers, 33. Short Lifespan disadvantage, 80.
Patron advantage, 84. Skills, 88, 90; animal, 89; artistic, 89; craft,
Payloads, 33. 90; vehicle, 90.
Pheromone Control advantage, 79. Slave Mentality disadvantage, 89.
Plans, lost or stolen, 109. Slave implants, 87.
Pods, 38; design, 39. Slope, 38.
Point costs: armor, 42; arms, 17; and Social Stigma disadvantage, 88.
Legality Class, 50.
endurance, 37; model, 50, 75; movement, Sonar advantage, 79.
Legs, 38; design, 39.
50; nanomorphs, 71; programming, 59; Speed, and robots, 93.
“Lemon Angel” android companion, sample,
weapon, 28. Speed factor table, 47.
119.
Poverty disadvantage, 88. Speed cost table, 50.
Living artifacts, see Biological androids.
Power system design, 34. Spellcasters, robot, 100.
Living metal, 71, 72, 73.
Power plants, 34; table, 35. Spray guns, 29; tanks, 29.
Logical paradoxes, 95.
Prejudice, 103. ST Bonus advantage, 78.
Low Empathy disadvantage, 88.
Price, 45; biological androids, 81. ST Penalty disadvantage, 80.
“M-4 Thor” main battle robot, sample, 121.
Primitive disadvantage, 88. Statistics, 45; nanomorph, 71.
“M19 Vanguard” warbot, sample, 112.
Programming costs, 83, 90. Step maneuvers, 94.
Magic Aptitude, 91.
Programs: advantage, 59; advantage program Sterile disadvantage, 80.
Magic: and biological androids, 75; and
table, 59; copying, 63, 64; descriptions, 59; “Streethawk” urban battlesuit, sample, 113.
robots, 91.
ghost, 65, 85; hardwired, 61; personality, Strength: and Fatigue, 93; point cost table,
Maintenance, 100.
59; personality program table, 60; 46; statistics, 46.
Mana, 34.
running, 56; skill, 60; skill program Stress Atavism disadvantage, 80.
“Manta” deep sea robot, sample, 111.
Complexity table, 61; upgrades, 64, 65; Stunning, 99.
“Marius Mk. IV” cargo mule, sample, 112.
utility, 62; utility program table, 63; Surface features, 41; optional, 45.
Mechanic (Robotics) skill, 90.
writing, 63. Surface area, 40; table, 40.
Medical systems, 32; table, 32.
“Prometheus 3000” android, sample, 120. SY-101-N Nemesis (“Synthia”), sample, 51.
Megalomania disadvantage, 87.
Propulsion, 17. “T-64 Tinkerbot” technical robot, sample,
Melee, 96.
Proteus nanomachines, 71. 121.
Memory, 56; backups, 55; erasure, 87;
Psychology (Artificial Beings) skill, 91. Tanglers, 26.
requirements, 60.
Purchasing, 103. Taste/smell options, 12.
Microbots, 67.
Quirks, 90. Tech levels, 7, 102.
Military, covert ops and police gadget table,
“R5S” Samaritan rescue robot, sample, 115. Temperature Tolerance advantage, 79.
30.
Radiation: and robots, 97; shielding, 43. “Three Laws of Robotics,” 60.
Mindrippers, 28.
Radio options, 15. Thrust propulsion systems, 18.
Model point cost, 50, 75, 83.
Ranged weapons, 22; table, 22-24. Timeline, 102.
Modular sockets, 33.
Reduced Hit Points disadvantage, 80. Tool systems, 29; table, 29.
Monowire, 21.
Regeneration advantage, 79. Tracks, 38; design, 39.
Movement, 94, 95; air, 95; ground, 95; water,
Remote control, 63. Transforming systems, 72.
95.
Repairs, 99. Turing test, 59.
Movement, point costs, 50.
Replicants, see Biological androids. Ultrasonic Hearing advantage, 80.
“Muramasa 7” commando robot, sample, 115.
Reprogrammable Duty disadvantage, 89. “Ulysses Mark 2” planetary explorer, sample,
Nanoburn, 30, 70.
Reprogramming robots, 58. 116.
Nanokits, cannibal, 69.
Reputation advantage, 84. Unusual Biochemistry disadvantage, 81.
Nanomachines: Disassembler, 70; Nanoburn,
Robot structure, 40; table, 41. Unusual Background: High Technology
70; Osiris, 71; Proteus, 71.
Robot head critical hit table, 100. advantage, 85.
Nanomorphing, 72.
Robot brains, 9. Unusual Background: Artificial Being
Nanomorphs, 71; building, 71; combination,
Robot body critical hit table, 99. advantage, 85.
72; damaging, 72; division, 72; DX and IQ
Robot-centered campaigns, 104. Vacuum Adaptation advantage, 80.
table, 71; in action, 72; point cost, 71;
Robots, 4; definition, 7; in combat, 96; and Vectored-thrust flight, 49.
special powers, 73.
society, 102; as equipment, 102; as slaves, Venom advantage, 80.
Nanotechnology, 70; weapons, 70.
102; as free beings, 102; samples, 111-123. Vibroblades, 21.
Navigation systems, 30; table, 30.
Rotary wings, 38; design, 39. Vision options, 11.
Neural-net robot brains, 9; option, 10.
“Rover-8” security robot, sample, 113. Voice synthesis options, 14.
NI-3 “Selkie,” sample, 123.
“S-3 Servitor” housebot, sample, 120. Volume and size, 45.
NI-4 “Nereid,” sample, 123.
Sadism disadvantage, 86. Von Neumann machines, 8.
No Natural Healing disadvantage, 89.
Salvage, 105. Water, and robots, 97.
No Sense of Humor disadvantage, 87.
Samples: TL7, 111; TL8, 111-113; TL9, 113- Water speed: statistics, 48; table, 48.
Obedience, 58, 87.
117; TL10 and up, 117-123; biological Weak Immune System disadvantage, 81.
Obsession: Unknown Creator disadvantage,
androids, 123. Wealth advantage, 85.
89.
Sanitized Metabolism advantage, 79. Weapon placement, 94.
“Omicron-15” general-purpose humanoid
“Scorpio Alpha” robot warrior, sample, 122. Weapons: accessories, 28; anti-cyberswarm,
robot, sample, 119.
Secret disadvantage, 88. 68; contact, 20-21; nanotech, 70; point
Organic robots, see Biological androids.
Self-Destruct disadvantage, 80. cost, 28; table, 28.
Osiris treatment, 71.
Self-repairs, 99. Wheels, 38; design, 39.
Override command codes, 57.
Sense of Duty disadvantage, 88. Wings, 38; design, 39.

Index 128
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