Scavengers Guide to Droids

I have yet to see any thread here on the forums about this forthcoming RPG supplement, so I thought I start one up. This is coming out next Tuesday. But what's really surprising is that there has been no previews or first looks from the book. Usually by now, we'd have an idea of at least the table of contents. Have they decided to put a beskar lock on spoilers from forthcoming books before their release date?

 

Well, it looks like someone over at the WOTC boards finally came through and spilled some details. The book has only four chapters, but from I saw, the chapters are packed with goodies. Rather than post the info on the boards, here's the link so you can go directly to the thread: Scavengers Guide to Droids

 

I'm still waiting on my replacement copy of Galaxy of War. Still, this looks pretty awesome.

 

What happened to your previous copy of GaW. I remember the one I got from Borders had a ripped page or something, so I managed to go back to the store and replace it. Maybe you should cancel your order and go to the nearest Borders.

 

Four pages had serious inkstains over them, and not in the "I can ignore them if I try hard enough" way.

I would, except there's two problems. One, there are no Borders stores up here (there are Chapters, though, and there are copies of it there). Two, the guys I got the original book from say that my replacement copy should show up this week. (They said Sunday and...well, I wouldn't still be whining about it if I had gotten it then, now would I? They say tomorrow, but let's see how true that ends up being.)

 

Well, I got the book earlier tonight, and I'm going through it now. I was thinking of posting details after I go through it, but I saw something that I just have to post.

There are forty droid quirks listed to add personality to your droid. One of them is called "Blaster Happy". If that doesn't describe HK-47, I don't know what will.

Also - two planets mentioned: Mechis III and Telti.

 

Here's another little tidbit.

Jacen's droid from the LOTF SD-XX is featured. Or rather, its model is. I'm looking at a picture of this droid, and I'm thinking, "I can see this droid working alongside those zombie stormtroopers in Death Troopers. It would be like having an army of zombies and skeletons in the EU." Seriously, the image of this droid gives me the creeps.

 

TOS has an article on this book with some nice pictures:

http://www.starwars.com/games/othergames/news20091201/index.html

 

Got the book today.

No idea how much of this is new, I'm just going by what's not on wookieepedia.

8D Smelter Droid: Can be modified into a damage control droid for starships, a suvivalist (to take advantage of the droid's heat resistance maybe) or a budget replica droid substitute for decoy purposes. There's an adventure hook of some leading a droid rebellion at a smelting works.

A9G-Series Archive Droid: Alternate name for A9G-series Data Storage Unit. Can be modified as a spy/recon droid, a field medic or a slicer's aid/portable computer on legs.

AD-Series Weapons Maintanance Droid: Not on wookieepedia. Made by Arakyd Industries under the idea that every Stormtrooper squad would want one, the Empire decided they didn't need it and Arakyd almost went bankrupt. Surplus units fell into the hands of police organisations, bounty hunters and crime lords.

Annihilator Droid: A super droideka used only for defence of the Colicoid homeworld, these droids are not in constant production and only produced to replace damaged ones. Can be converted into a cargo hauler, a space bound turret with a missile launcher or a capital ship scrapping droid.

BLX Labor Droid: Very rare and old. Can be modified as an "attache" for politicians, a sensor droid or a power droid.

Colicoid Infiltrator-series Droid: Can be modified as a communications beacon, heavy weapons turret or "walking throne" bodyguard.

Eradicator Droid: Mentioned alongside the droideka in the Infiltrator-series text. May just be a mistake for the annihilator.

C-Z-seres Secretary Droid: Can be modified as an identity thief, pirate holonet transceiver (for 53,000 credits) or a slicer's proxy.

DP-2 Probe Droid: Can't find on Wookieepedia. Made by Duwani Mechanical Products before the Mandalorian Wars. Can deploy beacons. Has the statblock of a droid starfighter rather than a normal droid but doesn't have a hyperdrive. Can be modified as a blockade breaker (a decoy basically) or a courier (with a x8 hyperdrive).

Droideka Mark II: Unlike in the computer game, they can walk, just slower than the original droideka. Can be modified as a magnetic turret for the outside of starships (by the The subject of this article appeared in the Rebellion era.
Riders of the Maelstrom) or as a jedi hunter with high frequency emitters that mess with lightsabers (and the droid's own shields) instead of the ion cannons. Apparently sold by the Zann Consortium to mercenaries and private armies.

DT-16 "Destructor" Battle Droid: Can't find on wookieepedia. Created during the Mandalorian Wars for the Republic Army but more popular with mercenaries and militia. Has a grenade launcher in the chest, concealable arm mounted blaster rifles and an advanced sensor array. Can be modified as sentry, a light construction droid and an anti-vehicle battle droid.

Duelist Elite Training Droid: Can be modified with a lightsaber for jedi training, an accident prone droid or a sith weapon master (eg assassins).

E522 Assassin Droid: Created by Sienar Intelligence Systems at the order of Emperor Palpatine, New Republic Slicers have uncovered that Techno Union designers were involved in the droid's production. Can be modified as a heavy weapons support droid.

EL-9 Network Security Droid: Produced by Arakyd. Protects computer cores for organisations including the ISB by both patroling the facility and countering slicers. Can be modified with an EMP weapon or as a slicer tracker.

FLTCH-Series Battle Droid. Another Colicoid Droid. Popular with mercenaries can ofted just called "merc droids". Can grab apponents in its claws and then fire its wrist mounted blaster at point blank range. Can be modified to have more ammo or as a self-administating "renta-droid".

G2 Repair Droid: Can be modified as a copilot, explosives detector or scavenger.

GD16-serise Pilot Droid: Not on wookieepedia. Made by MerenData for covert operations and known as the best pilot droids in the galaxy. Can adapt to any cockpit with telescopic limbs. Can be upgraded to be better at espionage or precision flying.

GX1

 

Sounds interesting...how many of these droids have images?

 

Every droid listed in the book has a picture of it. I just wish they'd done the same with some of the droid types listed in their setting books, like the BD-3000 droid from The Force Unleashed.

 

Everything has a picture. Only the Gatekeeper Droid, Supervisor Droid, Secretary Droid and Smelter Droid have movie stills in the Droid Codex section, everything else has a colour illustration. The other chapters of the book are pretty much 50/50 art and movie stills/clone wars cartoon stills (which aren't so bad since when there are only droids in frame they just look like CG art).

It is a WotC sourcebook though, so there aren't exactly pages of rules free pure fluff.

 

Very sweet. I just really want to see the V2-series Commando Droid, DT-16 "Destructor" Battle Droid (is that the "tank droid from Kotor 2?), and HKB-3 hunter-killer droid.

PS-An Astromech that lives outside the ship and can function in hyperspace. Can be adapted to fit into concussion missiles tubes and be fired at ships to repair them (apparently rolling_eyes ).
For some reason I don't think that would work as well as the designers hoped...but it has some hilarious mental images.

 

Sadly no. It's either an original design or the bipedal droid you fight on Peragus.

The mentioned light construction version might be the http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Construction_droid_Mark_II but the shell details are all differant despite the body shape being the same.

They actually look pretty cool, like a metal ball with 6 spider legs/arms. A bit like the terror drones from Command & Conquor: Red Alert.

 

If Buzz Droids can be fired as a missile to disable a ship, I can see a similar droid designed to do minor repairs to ships.

 

In fact, there was a similar droid in the latest issue of the TCW comic.

 

I don't have a handy scanner, so here are a few pics until proper scans eventually turn up on wookieepedia. Hopefully someone can identify if any have already appeared.

8t88's model:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb193/Closet_Skeleton/88droid.jpg

S19 astromech droid:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb193/Closet_Skeleton/astromechdroid.jpg

Battle mechanic torpedo droid:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb193/Closet_Skeleton/battlemechanicdroid.jpg

A Team Commando droid:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb193/Closet_Skeleton/commandodroid.jpg

KotOR droid that may not have appeared in KotOR:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb193/Closet_Skeleton/destructordroid.jpg

Evac Droid:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb193/Closet_Skeleton/evacdroid.jpg

Mass production Proxy-wannabe:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb193/Closet_Skeleton/holodroid.jpg

Pre-clone Wars Hunter Killer Droid:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb193/Closet_Skeleton/hunterkiller.jpg

Weapons Maintenance droid:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb193/Closet_Skeleton/maintenancedroid.jpg

Peragus mining droid:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb193/Closet_Skeleton/miningdroid.jpg

GD16-serise Pilot Droid
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb193/Closet_Skeleton/pilotdroid.jpg

DP-2 Probe Droid:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb193/Closet_Skeleton/probedroid.jpg

RWW-series protocol droid:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb193/Closet_Skeleton/protocoldroid.jpg

Telendro Arms Stealth Droid:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb193/Closet_Skeleton/protocoldroid.jpg

T4 turret droid:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb193/Closet_Skeleton/turretdroid.jpg

 

Your stealth droid image is the same as the RWW protocol droid image.

And look, a YVH droid!

[image=http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/d/d8/YVH-series_battle_droid.jpg]

MK-09's series is also given a page. Apparently they're all as reckless and aggressive as Emkay.

 

Sweet pictures. Thankee very much!

Yeah..I guess it could work...I still like to picture a screaming R2 colliding with a damaged ship with the hope of fixing it.

 

Thanks, Vrook!

That S19 astromech looks slightly peculiar. Probably easily susceptible to tipping over, as well.

It always amused me that those guys were programmed with Lando's voice.

 

I wonder whats the difference between a V-5 and a B-X series droid... beyond looking more armoured. And SD-X series... sounds awesome

 

overall, the book ROCKS!

The only fault I've found so far, besides the waste of space "protocol" stats (only useful for the SUPER lazy--room could have been used for more drodis!), is the 88 model picture

The book even has a mission seed about how 8t88 has the WRONG KIND of head. The pic shows...8t88 with the wrong head! THIS is THE place to finally show what a normal 88 head looks like, and FAIL! All other 88s should have the right head, so this pic should have shown the correct head. I think this may be a case of failed communication between artist and author (as I suspect was the case with the Q7 earlier).

Other than those nitpicks, awesome book. Tons of neat mission seeds, interesting droid lore and myth, and a neat selection of droids. Some of these droids existed already in EU, we just didn't know what they were called. Some Wookieepedia has articles for, the article title just in a different form. The AD-series, for example, is a classic WEG design (Cynabar's Fantastic Technology: Droids); A9G, PG-5, V6, and GY-I also WEG classics. The HKB-3 hunter-killer is from the STARK HYPERSPACE WARS comics, the KM1 mining droid from KOTOR2 (KM1 may be a typo, as I believe the game calls them MK1), etc, the GX1 from REPUBLIC 27; 88-series was named in WOTC's online Katarn tie-ins.

The DT-16 may be new. It resembles many droids in KOTOR2 but is not an exact match, but we might want to take into account artistic license? It does say in the book there is a construction droid variant, and the art looks a bit like the KOTOR2's construction droid Mark II

the EI-9 I don't recognize, nor DP-2, nor GD16, nor H-1ME, nor RWW, nor V2, nor TC-SC, XLT-014, nor MEV. These really seem (to me) to be new, but mabe I just don't recognize them from comics or games?

SD-X-series appeared fist in Tempest--Jacen's droid henchman is one.

The T4 turret droid first appeared in Jedi Power Battles and is a favorite of mine. WOTC first featured them as art in the original Core Rulebook, but has never statted them before--hurray!

I can't find evidence the S19 is NOT new, but for some reason it rings a bell in my head? Ah well, the more the merrier!

There is a droid included in SGtD NOT in the codex...the PD ("Petey"), which is a very cool inclusion. These neat little fellows are actually from the Last of the Jedi books, and were important to the plot. Read that series for some COOL ideas on how to use these seemingly harmless little buggers.

 

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb193/Closet_Skeleton/stealthdroid.jpg

That's admitted in the text.

I'm pretty sure that's refering to after Jedi Knight where he has yet another differant heads. Doesn't fix the art thing though.

It calls them mark 1, with mark 2 being bipedal.

It's V2, and oddly enough if you compare the V2's stats to the B-X's then the V2 is 60% of the cost and a lot weaker, despite being more robust. The v2 doesn't even have armour on its stock stats.

 

Oh my, that looks awesome if its not a bother, by any chance could you say what is the droids capabilities? Trying to picture how they differ from the vanilla YVH droids.

Oops my bad, and thanks for the answer

 

It isn't any "tougher" than the standard YVH but it has concealed vibro-daggers in its hands, a threat-scanning system along with improved bodyguard abilities and has a special coating to let it hide better.