V6-Series Pilot Droid

Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Scavenger's Guide to Droids

Affiliations: General Units

When young children dream of being pilots, their minds are often filled with thoughts of daring pirate raids and exotic planets. In reality, being a star pilot is no different from any other career. Months of training are followed by years of menial work until the pilot is trusted with a large vessel, or perhaps until he or she breaks with the company and gets behind the controls of a small tramp freighter. Due to the Clone Wars, Imperial legislation was passed subjecting Pilot Droids to rigorous regulation. It's often easier to find someone willing to learn to fly than to find a Droid that can meet the Imperial requirements. As a result, there are very few Pilot Droids on the market. The V6-Series Pilot Droid is one of them.

On its own, the V6 is a skilled pilot. It has a very high safety rating and is generally used by large manufacturing corporations. However, due to the legal restriction that V6 Droids must have their memories wiped between flights to erase any tactical skill development as fighter pilots, they rarely do well in combat scenarios.

Droid Zero

Few Droids have drawn as much negative scrutiny as the V6 Pilot Droid known as "Droid Zero." This V6 Droid developed a superiority complex that rapidly began to affect its core programming, overriding many of its behavioral inhibitors. The Droid eventually came to believe that servitude to living beings is demeaning to all Droids. Droid Zero was assigned to a Senatorial transport ship and managed to infect that ship's complement of Astromech Droids with the same altered programming. The V6 Droid manufactured a transfer-without-memory-wipe request, and moved on to a new ship.

This process was repeated several times, and now there are dozens of Pilot Droids and Astromech Droids in the galaxy that have begun directing their ships into hazardous areas. Most owners have no idea their Droid has come into contact with Droid Zero until their ship goes careening into an asteroid field. Government Droid technicians have been scouring the galaxy to try to pinpoint which V6 Droid is actually Droid Zero, but in the meantime its infectious programming continues to spread dangerously.

-EV-6T6

Playing as A V-6 Series Pilot Droid

Few of these Droids rise above their stations to become pilots of more combat-oriented ships. V6-Series Droids are occasionally found working as copilots or crew members for smugglers, who know the Droids won't sell them out to the local crime lord. However, many smugglers don't trust the Droids with their precious ships, so their reception among members of the fringe is lukewarm, at best. V6 pilots are also well known as pilot trainers.

Players who would like to create a V6-Series Pilot Droid with heroic levels should start with the Scoundrel Heroic Class. A V6 character should take pilot-related Feats and Talents from several classes, rather than locking into the seemingly obvious path of an Ace Pilot. The Droid should also pick up an Astrogation Buffer to make itself more valuable to its owner, either as a primary source of Hyperspace jump data or as a backup for messier exits.

Modification: Gunner Droid

Some smugglers have modified their V6-Series Pilot Droids to serve as Gunners that can power up the ship and hop in a turret quickly. Being able to make a quick getaway from the authorities or creditors has saved many a smuggler's skin. To make this modification, start by reprogramming the Droid to replace the Weapon Proficiency (Simple Weapons) Feat with Vehicular Combat. Next, install mag clamps in the turret and on the Droid (Which requires a DC 30 Mechanics check and 2 hours of work) to allow the V6 access to the guns. Finally, reprogram the Droid to focus solely on gunnery, devoting most of its processing power to target acquisition or precision fire. This change requires a DC 25 Use Computer check and 1 hour of work. When modifications are complete, once per turn, the Droid can add a +2 bonus to either an attack roll or a damage roll that it makes while installed in a turret. (For players using characters derived from Starships of the Galaxy, the modification instead allows the Droid to take a number of Starship Maneuvers with the [Gunner] descriptor equal to the Droid's Intelligence modifier (Minimum 1).)

Modification: Speeder Pilot

V6-Series Pilot Droids are adept at flying Speeders and other vessels that are not spacegoing. The cost of outfitting a fleet of speeder taxis with V6 Droids is high, but some down-on-their-luck units end up behind the controls of a so-called "Hoverhack," especially on heavily urban worlds such as Coruscant. A few of these V6 pilots never get over what they perceive as a demotion. Others relish the chance to show what they can do with a small maneuverable craft instead of a bulky ore hauler.

To make this modification, add a control interface to allow the Droid to interact directly with a repulsorcraft; this process requires a DC 25 Mechanics check and 1 hour of work. With a DC 20 Use Computer check and 30 minutes of work, the V6 gains the equivalent of the Vehicular Combat Feat, but only when piloting Speeders and Airspeeders.

Modification: Hijacker Droid

V6-Series Pilot Droids are often at the helm of large bulk freighters, and pirates target them as the weak link in a shipping chain. Sometimes, a Droid works with the pirates in exchange for its freedom or a cut of the stolen goods. Other times, the pirates borrow the Droid for a few hours and modify it to jump to a different set of Hyperspace coordinates, where they can unload the stolen cargo at their leisure. Clever pirates leave the ship intact so the Droid can make future jumps and continue to bring them cargo ripe for the taking.

Implanting a sleeper set of coordinates requires a Use Computer check opposed by the Droid's Will Defense and 30 minutes of work. The modified Droid is unaware of the new coordinates until shortly before the jump. (On a failed check, the new coordinates are not installed, and the Droid has no knowledge of them.) After the jump, the V6 shuts down while the pirates board the ship and steal the cargo. When they've departed, make another Use Computer check opposed by the Droid's Will Defense. If the check is successful, the V6 jumps to the original destination and has no memory of the raid. The Droid is not compelled to indicate whether the checks succeed or fail, and it might withhold that information until it can report to the proper authorities- or use it to try to blackmail the pirates.

V6-Series Pilot Droids can be played as Droid Heroes.

 V6-Series Pilot Droid Statistics (CL 0)

Small 2nd-Degree Droid Nonheroic 2

Initiative: +2; Senses: Perception +6

Languages: Basic, Binary, 3 Unassigned

Defense

Reflex Defense: 13 (Flat-Footed: 11); Fortitude Defense: 10; Will Defense: 11

Hit Points: 8; Damage Threshold: 10

Immune: Droid Traits

Offense

Speed: 6 Squares (Wheeled)

Melee: Unarmed +1 (1d2)

Ranged: By Weapon +3

Base Attack Bonus: +1; Grab: -2

Abilities

Strength 10, Dexterity 15, Constitution -, Intelligence 16, Wisdom 13, Charisma 9

Feats: Skill Focus (Pilot), Weapon Proficiency (Heavy Weapons), Weapon Proficiency (Simple Weapons)

Skills: Mechanics +8, Perception +6, Pilot +12, Stealth +7, Use Computer +8

Droid Systems: Wheeled Locomotion, Heuristic Processor, 2 Tool Appendages, Vocabulator

Availability: Licensed; Cost: 7,950 credits

V-6 Series Pilot Droid Protocol Format

See also: Protocol Format

Small 2nd-Degree Droid

Hit Points: 8

Damage Threshold: 10

System Actions

Move (1 Swift Action, 2/Turn)

The V6-Series Pilot Droid moves 6 squares (Wheeled).

Copilot (1 Swift Action, 1/Turn)

The V6-Series Pilot Droid assists a character's Pilot check, providing a +2 bonus to the check.

Issue Routine Command (1 Swift Action, 1/Turn)

The V6-Series Pilot Droid issues a routine command to a computer with a Friendly Attitude toward it.

Recharge Shields (2 Swift Actions, 1/Turn)

The V6-Series Pilot Droid makes a DC 20 Mechanics check. If the check is successful, the Vehicle regains 5 SR, up to its normal maximum.

Regulate Power (2 Swift Actions, 1/Turn)

The V6-Series Pilot Droid makes a DC 20 Mechanics check. If the check is successful, the Vehicle moves +1 step on on Condition Track.

Stay on Target (1 Swift Action, 1/Turn)

The V6-Series Pilot Droid makes a Pilot check with a -5 penalty, opposed by the Pilot check of an enemy the Droid intends to engage. If the Droid's check is successful, it engages in a Dogfight with the target.

Abilities

Skills: Mechanics +8, Perception +6, Pilot +12, Stealth +7, Use Computer +8

Vital Systems: 2 Tool Appendages