When your gm doesn't consider your drone part of your character


Advice


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So yesterday I got in a huge verbal fight after my gm told me my drone wasn't my character, I created a android mechanic drone, chose my combat drone and gave it the azimuth artillery laser, now after that and equipment I only had enough money for a few grenades, but had planned on picking up a laser or something suitable but during game play my combat drone currently shoots better the I do at +3 vs my +2 and with my grenades range was a issue and they chose to close on round one so I chose to take cover using my 1d10 laser, now first level and I'm getting criticized because the can't see the drone as my primary weapon, just like a mages spells or a snipers rifle, it's got to be my android body on the line, even going so far as to closing the door on my drones line of sight 150' laser, preventing it from attacking, while I was hacking a apparently nonexistent data line to find if the was any security measures, CCTV, or alarms, this while my drone was trying to do its job. And I got criticized for multitasking, am I in the wrong for not putting my android in harms way, I should have been in the room guns blazing taking fire like the rest of them, which tactically my drone had a clear shot till one of the characters shut the door closing my line of sight. Thoughts? Personally I told my gm to shove it, not everyone thinks playing min max weapons is how RPGs should be played or rushing into combat, personally drones imo are a primary weapon and tool, but I shouldn't be forced to sacrifice it because they seem to want to be point blank combat


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He compared the drone to a druid or summoner pet, which still why dismiss it? Isn't thAt the point of the drone?


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I'm sorry, that's some bullshit right there.

It's kind of the whole point of having a combat drone. :-)


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On one hand, from what you described, your DM doesn't understand the class, as multitasking is what it's designed to do.
On the other hand, closing the door to isolate you is a perfectly fair thing to do and something the DM was fully in their rights to do - it's simply reasonable for the bad guys to do so.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Society Subscriber

This sounds like an issue between you and your GM.

Per the rules of mechanic/drone as long as the drone can see or hear you it can take a move action or a standard action to attack.
As a move action you can take direct control and give it a move action and any standard action. Taking a swift action along with the move action allows the drone to also take a swift action or a full action.

That said, it sounds like you were using full actions from cover to hack something, while the drone was taking standard actions to shoot. This is perfectly according to the rules.


Noodlemancer wrote:

On one hand, from what you described, your DM doesn't understand the class, as multitasking is what it's designed to do.

On the other hand, closing the door to isolate you is a perfectly fair thing to do and something the DM was fully in their rights to do - it's simply reasonable for the bad guys to do so.

the gm didn't close it, a player did listening to the gm, even if it was the point was to override it via the datalink, which he added apparently because I asked, if there wasn't a datalink in the closet, I'd have not attempted the hack( the incident part where you go to the dance club back room)

Scarab Sages

racs333 wrote:
the gm didn't close it, a player did listening to the gm,...

It sounds like your issue should be with the other player.

It's as if you were playing PF, and someone locked the druid's leopard in another room, so it couldn't hear or see its owner.

The other player isn't necessarily messing with you, either.
They could have been unaware that it potentially messed up your communication.

A simple 'Hey, dude. Don't lock my drone in a cupboard.' should put things right. No need for drama.
Unless he's still shutting your drone's line of sight, week after week, then you have a problem.
But it sounds like a player/player problem, not a player/GM problem.


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racs333 wrote:

So yesterday I got in a huge verbal fight after my gm told me my drone wasn't my character, I created a android mechanic drone, chose my combat drone and gave it the azimuth artillery laser, now after that and equipment I only had enough money for a few grenades, but had planned on picking up a laser or something suitable but during game play my combat drone currently shoots better the I do at +3 vs my +2 and with my grenades range was a issue and they chose to close on round one so I chose to take cover using my 1d10 laser, now first level and I'm getting criticized because the can't see the drone as my primary weapon, just like a mages spells or a snipers rifle, it's got to be my android body on the line, even going so far as to closing the door on my drones line of sight 150' laser, preventing it from attacking, while I was hacking a apparently nonexistent data line to find if the was any security measures, CCTV, or alarms, this while my drone was trying to do its job.

If you want people to sympathize, please try to avoid this kind of run-on sentence. I have no idea what you're even saying. It sounds like you had your drone in the other room and when a goon closed the door (why wouldn't they?), you yelled at your GM. That's ridiculous. A drone can sort of be your weapon. I'm trying, but it isn't super viable. There are no multi-tasking rules, though. I have no idea what you're talking about there, either.


the goon didnt shut the door, another player did because the gm was mad i was trying to hack in a effort to find any security items, my drone was attacking. it was my primary weapon after 625 for the laser and 250 for armor there isnt alot left to buy, in addition the drone shoots better at +3 vs my +2. they were expecting my andriod to run in to take shots armed with a pair of grenades, while a vesk and solarian were all in melee. and when the gm said my drone wasnt my player i scoffed, would it have been any different if i was a cortex mechanic, with 1 attack? he considered my actions cowardly, and then gave this speel later about how he plays by hard rules, all the same adding and changing stuff. that makes a huge difference. question if your a character with a high computer skill and your drone shots better then you. and you see a chance to both scout out ahead and possibly take over any security measures? would you take the chance to override the security measure if you could while your drone made the shots, or would you ignore the security possibilty and run into a room with 4 armed gaurds, at level 1. the gm didnt shut the door a player did at the urging of the gm.


Sounds like your GM would hate riggers from Shadowrun. If my drone was a better combatant than I was, I would absolutely send it into a fight while I stayed behind cover. Complaining about cowardice is stupid. It is called being smart. Keep yourself alive and send the drone. If the GM hates drones being used intelligently, then this is a bad GM.


I'm still not clear on why someone shut the door on your drone. What was the purpose in doing so? Do they dislike having the fire support? Would they really prefer the help of your (presumably lower) numbers in the firefight over the help of the drone's (presumably better) numbers?

The only conclusion I can come to that's remotely reasonable is that they really don't understand the mechanics of... well, of the mechanic. You have mentioned that your responses have been a bit angry. Have you sat down and (calmly) asked "Guys, my drone is helping our team? Do you not want its help?"

Maybe show them some of your numbers to illustrate that your drone is a better combat machine than you are, and should be the one in front of you and doing the shooting in the average combat situation.


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Wow, those blocks were hard to read, but yeah, I agree with the a lot of the others here. It sounds like the GM doesn't understand what drones are for and how they can be used.

It also sounds like you shouldn't approach problems in this way or you'll end up making the situation worse for yourself.

As LittleMissNaga says above, present some hard rules evidence of what your character is capable of doing with your drone. There are plenty of rules relating to what actions you can take with your drone and how long they take/which ones it can do without direct control. Make sure you cover several scenarios with direct rules references to back you up.

If this GM truly plays hard by the rules, then he'll appreciate solid rules references.

Lastly, I'd put this particular incident behind you, frustrating as it may be right now. Don't let one stick up ruin the enjoyment for you and your group!

The Exchange

Is this a friend group or a pick up group in a store?
If it's a pick up group, there's always the option of just walking, or recruiting another group.

From what I understand, the DM is being antagonistic to the class and character concept specifically. If you've built your drone to be the main attacker, then he needs to understand that can actually work by the rules as stated. Him also forcing other players to take actions against your characters plan is the worst form of DMing. A players character is just that, theirs. The DM can advise on actions to take, but has no right to force an action outside of game mechanics. A DM can disallow an action, particularly if it's PvP in nature. The provision is also in place that there needs to be a plot/setting/mechanics reason for doing so. None of that seems to be in place here.

As for other stuff, hacking etc, as DM he has the right to say there's no way to hack the defences or find a terminal etc. Again though, telling you how to play your character (go in guns blazing ) is not in his purview as DM.

In short, don't stand for that sort of antagonistic DMing. You have a few options. If showing rules and explaining your concept doesn't work, leave the group or recruit a new DM.


Thank you guys, all great advice, and for the record, I quit the group, for the reasons exactly stated by wrath. I needed a clearer set of minds to confirm if I was in the wrong or not.


I would confront and say something like "If you are going to block any creative use of my abilities and not allow hacking constantly, just say so so I can make a different character."

If a DM is going to, essentially, ban something then they should tell the group to let them change their character.

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