VIs & Mechs

VI's & Mechs
LOKI Mech


VI stands for virtual intelligence. Mechs are robots. All Mechs are VI's, but not all VI's are mechs, some are disembodied, existing as cell phones or living in server rooms, and are known as Resident VI's. Resident VI's differ from mechs in that they have the capacity to link with and augment other systems, and have a powerful presence on the Matrix, possessing the ability to perform digital tracing and hack targets. VI's can be highly competent within their programmed parameters, but lack the intuition and improvisational abilities possessed by sentients. They are self-checking and self correcting on a software level and resistant to permanent damage via hacking attempts. Mechs and VI's are defined below.

Rating
A Mech or VI's capabilities are largely determined by its rating. They receive the following:

Primary Attributes (3) = 1x Rating
Secondary Attributes (2)* = ½ Rating
Number of Skills equal to Rating at a level equal to Rating**
2*Rating added to reaction
Armor = 2+Rating
Hardened armor = Rating (overlaps)
*All VI's have a charisma of (rating) or 2, whichever is lower
** Social skills count as 2 skill selections for VI's
Resident VI's have no physical attributes, but still have armor because sure, why the hell not...

Resident VI's Have several features that set them apart from mechs:
-They can link to and monitor a number of systems or persons equal to 2x their rating
-Add half their rating to 1 attribute of each linked system
-Knowledge skills equal to their rating at a level equal to their intelligence in addition to their base skills. All -VI's linked to them have access to these
-Can give linked VI's access to a number of their active skills equal to ½ their rating
-A Tech Pool Equal to their rating, which they can spend freely on linked systems
-Can learn Hacking Powers
-Add half of their rating to the TN of hacking linked Mechs or VI's
-Can perform Digital Tracing
-Can be installed in any machine capable of housing it.
-Are half the price of mechs

Prices of Mechs (and VIs)

Rating              Price
1-3                  R*1,000
4-6                  R*5,000
7-9                  R*10,000
10-12              R*20,000

Prices listed are for Mechs, Resident VI's cost half these prices.


Size
Form follows function, small intricate machines tend to be more delicate than large bulky ones. A Mech's size (in feet), usually height or length, but sometimes diameter, is usually the average of its Strength+Body. This is highly approximate. Mechs Can be miniaturized by paying 10% of the mech's price for each unit by which the size is to be decreased. After no more whole units can be deducted, each step becomes an increasing divisor, as such:

12 – 11 – 10 – 9 – 8 – 7 – 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2- 1 - ½ - 1/3 – ¼

A mech may be miniaturized to as little as ¼ of its normal size in this way; Thus, a mech with average body and strength of 12 could be reduced to 3 feet in height by paying 90% of its price, or a mech with average body and strength of 2 could be made 8 inches tall by paying 30% of its price. This is best done during initial purchase/construction, but can be done after the fact for an additional 5% per increment. An Engineer or properly equipped Mech can do this in a number of hours equal to 8*Rating*number of increments by rolling 1 success against a target number of the mech's rating for each increment that the mech will be miniaturized; extra successes can be used to speed up the process, with each additional success subtracting 10%, up to a maximum of 50%. A droid mechanic can obviously work all day, while an engineer will need sleep.

Resident VI sizes are approximately as follows

Rating       Size                                                               Portability
1-3           cellphone to small laptop                           (easily portable)
4-6           laptop to small desktop                             (portable, if sometimes bulky)
7-9           Large desktop to medium refrigerator       (hassle even to move around a room)
10-12       One or more large refrigerators                 (umm...)

Resident VI's can only be miniaturized by 2 steps, each costing fully 100% of the VI's base price. This must be done during construction in most cases.

Improving Mechs
- Improve Skill or attribute: ¥250x the Karma cost a character would pay. Cannot be raised above rating
- Cyberware equivalents can be installed at half the price of actual cyberware. The system can accept an essence cost of up to ½ its rating
- Integrated equipment (ex: tools, weapons): Equipment cost *1.5. What it could reasonably carry is a good guideline. Miniaturization costs may apply, especially with weapons
- External mounts or holsters ¥50 each, or ¥100 if they are lockable by the VI
- Flight system: ¥1000x (Strength+Body). Gives hovering ability and a run modifier of 5; for ¥2000 1 point is added to the mech's quickness for determining speed, and the run multiplier is increased by 1; a number of upgrades sufficient to double the mech's effective quickness may be bought.
- Cloaking system: Rating x 10,000 (can be purchased at a lower rating than the mech) This system hides the mech from visual and other means of detection. This both allows the mech to hide while in the open, and adds the rating of the stealth system to the mech's stealth rolls. The system's rating cannot exceed the mech's stealth skill.
- Advantage: ¥1000x point value
- Perk: ¥5500

Special:
- You may reduce a mech's attributes voluntarily if you like, with each point removed returning ¥500 so long as it does not reduce the mech's price by more than half. There's very little reason to do this however, save perhaps to cheapen miniaturization or flight systems.
 - Mechs are not immune to stun damage, but their hardened armor value is increased by 2 vs non-electrical stun damage.
- VI's can default to skills, but must make an intelligence test TN (10-Attribute) to default to an attribute.