Ahoy Hoy,
so rather then turn the Iron Gods AP thread into a "This is the Android i'm dying to make for this AP" i thought there would be enough people dying to make an Android for it, that it should probably get its own forum, so have at it.
and remember there are no bad ideas so please keep criticism positive:)
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Well, I had a personal short story idea of a group of Androids who woke up in the same batch wondered the world but were drawn back to Numeria years later because something was threatening their birthing matrix. They team up with a local barbarian tribe who calls them the "Sky Tribe" or something like that and they form an aliance with the Barbarians.
The Androids are a mix of various classes and lifestyles they chose after waking up and exploring.
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I'm just going to repost this here.
Picture this......
On the wastelands of Numeria stand a lone figure wearing leather overcoat seemingly unbothered by the heat. He stares out into the plane with his eyes that glow blue and spark with energy, and watches as a caravan moves by on its way to Starfall with a new load of trade goods that will soon be traded for advanced tech from the silver mountain.
He notices movement behind him. "Bandits." He softly speaks to himself. And the thug prepares to bring his knife to the figures neck, there is a blur of movement and an arch if energy as the bandit falls down in two parts.
The black bastard blade speaks in a monotone as it begins to power up with eldritch energy, "I sense about five others, shall we dispose of them?"
The android man looks up, his eyes seems to spark with interest and the beginnings of a smile begin to curve on his lips, a trick he learned from the artificer arc lord woman Sara who was the only living creature he had respect for along with another nagging emotion that brought a fire in his chest he never experienced with anyone else.
"Sure, I have time before I need to rejoin Sara and the others and give my scouting report."
Calmly walking forward with an unnaturally even pace and swift movement, flame, lightning, and frost ripped from his hand as he went in to experience another bout of conflict that he knew he was made for.
The android is a blade bound kensai magus, who is partnered with a universalist wizard named Sara who has always had a fascination with constructs. She even gave him a name fitting to his attitude and personality, Nemo, meaning "no one". The two have been together since they met in an adventuring party, Sara was fascinated by his origin while he found her to be a useful asset in understanding and working with others. While they now bear a friendship with each other, soon time will determine wether it will last, disappear, or perhaps become something more.[/qoute]
In my Numeria game, I introduced an android ranger named Sova whose creator was Karamoss of Karamoss' Red Redoubt. Sova uses a power armor suit based off of the myrmidon robot. It basically serves her as Iron Man armor as she accompanies my mythic PCs into the Numerian wastes.
She has construct and human as her favored enemies; she knows exactly where to hit them for the most damage.
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why power suits? it seems silly and unnecessary in a mostly fantasy setting in my opinion, since when did Paizo buy up Robotech or battle tech? this isn't iron man and should never be!
sorry had to get that off my chest.
why power suits? it seems silly and unnecessary in a mostly fantasy setting in my opinion, since when did Paizo buy up Robotech or battle tech? this isn't iron man and should never be!
sorry had to get that off my chest.
in my opinion I agree with you in the sense that....
1.Power suits should just be Magic Armour under the dressing of technology.
2. the giant robot should just be like what we had in the inner sea beastiary and not what we have in the pacific rim movie.
so no iron man or giant mechs.
Dont get me wrong i'm a giant fan of the iron man movies and when i was a kid i woke up at 5:30am on saturdays to watch robotech i just havent seen a RPG successfully meld the them in with fantasy elements and still seem plausible or fun
an example is the robotech or rifts rpg when you're in your veritech you can totally mess things up, as soon as its shot down however you might as well start writing your obituary. and i'd hate to see that in pathfinder also it seems too techy for my tastes and what numeria is like
I stand by my post a cannon golem is not a giant robot and i dont like them anyway im okay with robots a bit and i trust the AP design team to do great job but as i said before PLEASE NO MECHA OR POWERSUITS ala iron man, battletech, robotech or pacific rim. i might still buy it but the chances would be less so
Now can we please get back to Androids:)
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And I will only buy into this AP if it has powered armor.
If this AP is influenced at all by S3 - Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, and Blackmoor/Temple of the Frog or even has a little bit of Gamma World influence in it, there should be some powered armor - since all of that source material contained powered armor. Not an army of suits, but at least a few in the AP series.
If you are going to have blasters, tech gear, robots and androids you should probably have some kind of powered armor so you can fight those things.
I agree on the giant mecha/battlesuits/piloted vehicles angle as going a bit too far with the theme (though a grav tank would be interesting), I think a suit or two of powered battle or assault peppered through the AP would be tech equivalent of a paladins Holy Avenger or a Vorpal Blade as pinnacle gear for the martial types in this AP. In a tech based module/series you are going to need more than just robots to make it feel like it's tech vs. magic. JJ already mentioned that there will be tech gear, so if you are going to have lasers and AI units, you should also have PA.
IMO of course.
Considering androids have nanites in their blood, they should be able to exercise some degree of control over the Gearsmen.
Creative Director
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Looking at Expedition to the Barrier Peaks is the best way to get a sneak preview of the types of things you'll be seeing in Iron Gods, since that is my number 1 point of inspiration for this AP.
Others would include the Hyperion books, sci-fi movies from the 50s, the Mad Max movies, and more.
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Looking at Expedition to the Barrier Peaks is the best way to get a sneak preview of the types of things you'll be seeing in Iron Gods, since that is my number 1 point of inspiration for this AP.
Others would include the Hyperion books, sci-fi movies from the 50s, the Mad Max movies, and more.
I wonder what the stats would be for the Lord Humongous - maybe a Barbarian/Cavalier (w/Road Warrior archetype)?
I’m glad S3 is your main inspiration. That does mean: Androids (a few types), robots, Powered armor, grenades, blaster rifles and pistols, laser rifles and pistols, …and plenty of weird creatures. I hope?
We got a few memorable creatures from that mod: veggie pygmies, froghemoth, aurumvorax, wolf-in-sheeps clothing, and a few that didn’t make it into 2nd edition (snapper saw, retch plant, webbirds).
I collect vinage sci-fi/horror movies from the 50's up through the 80's, would it be ok to ask what specific movies from that era had an impact on you and influenced the genesis of this AP? Big bug/Atomic horror, alien invasion or???
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Looking at Expedition to the Barrier Peaks is the best way to get a sneak preview of the types of things you'll be seeing in Iron Gods, since that is my number 1 point of inspiration for this AP.
Others would include the Hyperion books, sci-fi movies from the 50s, the Mad Max movies, and more.
Hmmm. Early Hyperion or later? 50's era b-movie schlock sounds fun though! THEM!
auxmoulas and james both have great points, i understand the inclusion of occasional power armor, and as i said before i trust the AP design team enough to buy the AP when it comes out, i'm fine with battling giant robots like the annihilator from Inner Sea Bestiary, i was just concerned with piloting them and every BBEG from every module being fully decked out in a suit of full environmental power armor ala iron man.
what about Inquisitor!
Really happy to hear that S3 is the major inspiration for this AP. I love, love, love Egypt and I'm honestly overlooking Mummy's Mask in giddy anticipation of this AP.
In terms of classes for android here's my take....
Good
-Magus
-Wizard
-Fighter
-Monk
-Ranger
-Rogue
-Alchemist
-Cavalier
-Gunslinger
-Inquisitor
-Witch
Bad(due to emphasis on charisma)
-Sorcerer
-Cleric(for spells)
-Druid(for spells)
-Oracle
-Summoner
Bad(due to Morale benefits)
-Barbarian
-Bard
-Paladin
Even with the difficulties of Androids in class choice you still have many options available and this doesn't include whats coming up in the upcoming class core rulebook.
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what about Inquisitor!
For my terminator idea an Inquisitor would be good, as would a Human/Demi-human hunting ranger.
Since the barbarian idea didn't pan out, I was also thinking about writing up a Armor Master Fighter Android NPC. If I could get him some kind of Adamantine armor I could it at DR of 4/- or even 6/- (depending on level and gear, thinking around 12 or 13), Adamantine is just such a drain on the equipment budget. Just want something that is hard to kill and keeps on coming without resorting to using an actual golem. Invulnerable rager would have been perfect.
Androids need a "rage chip" alternate racial trait.
Androids need a "rage chip" alternate racial trait.
No they don't
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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I have been rewatching Stargate Atlantis, and think some of the Lantean Replicators have interesting personality concepts.
An android who follows Irori, for example, trying to perfect himself to ascend/become a demigod.
An android that is an uploaded consciousness (think Dr. Weir)
An android who is wanting to just be human, (not just Data, but Ava Dixon, or to a lesser extent, Fifth.)
An android that is a copy of an actual person. (Replicarter)
(Aside, shame that I'm not a CW watcher, that show Hellcats had a lot of actors and actresses I like, just not a 'watch the cheerleader' type person. Especially Magda Apanowicz, Aaron Douglas and Emma Lahanna)
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Androids need a "rage chip" alternate racial trait.No they don't
Well, if I make it into an NPC/Creature with Barbarian levels I could just run the rage powers as a nanite function and not actually "rage" hate/anger source - just biomechanical.
TBH, I was only considering using the Barbarian class as a mechanical frame - I don't actually picture the barbarian android as a barbarian from a clan, running through the plains, living off the land, etc - just a synthetic human with nanites that spike to give it enhanced function in combat situations or as they are needed to fulfill its mission. Using the barbarian abilities as class frame is more of a mechanical need, it's just a living machine and the rage powers worked best as a combat/cooldown system.
Doesn't legally work as a pc option though- as a foe it could work.
Or to make it all I can create a Warrior Android (from Gamma World, the best game ever made) variant:
Constructed (Ex) For the purposes of effects targeting creatures by type (such as a ranger's favored enemy and bane weapons), Combat androids count as both humanoids and constructs. Combat androids gain a +4 racial bonus on all saving throws against mind-affecting effects, paralysis, poison, and stun effects, are not subject to fatigue or exhaustion, and are immune to disease and sleep effects. Combat Androids can never gain morale bonuses from external sources, and are immune to fear effects and all emotion-based effects.
Emotionless (Ex) Combat androids have problems processing emotions properly, and thus take a -4 penalty on Sense Motive checks.
Inhuman (Ex) Combat androids have no empathy or even a range of living responses to stimuli. They have an air of "something is wrong" about them making normal interactions with intelligent both uncomfortable and intimidating so they get a -2 on all Bluff and Diplomacy checks. They can substitute their Str bonus for their Cha bonus when using Intimidate.
Nanite Surge (Ex) A combat android's body is infused with nanites. Once per day as an immediate action, a combat android can cause its nanites to surge, granting a bonus equal to 3 + the combat android's character level on any one d20 roll; this ability must be activated before the roll is made . When a combat android uses this power, its circuitry-tattoos glow with light equivalent to that of a torch in illumination for 1 round.
Exceptional Senses (Ex) Combat androids have darkvision to a range of 6o feet and low-light vision. They also gain a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.
+2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma: Combat androids are physically stronger and sturdier in construction but due to their synthetic nature and combat programming they have a hard time both empathizing or communicating with other beings.
Still makes a terrible Bard, cleric, paladin of any other Charisma based class, but it works for any morale self boosting class (barbarian).
i just find it amusing that as soon as a new race comes along everyone wants to have the one class race combo that doesnt work. Must be human nature to be contrary. An example i have never seen Avatar, im sure its a decent movie but when everyone tells me dude, you gotta see this movie! It has the opposite effect.
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i just find it amusing that as soon as a new race comes along everyone wants to have the one class race combo that doesnt work. Must be human nature to be contrary. An example i have never seen Avatar, im sure its a decent movie but when everyone tells me dude, you gotta see this movie! It has the opposite effect.
For me it is just trying to get an effect lined up with a theme.
I would use the Android race to fill a trope that I am used to for Gamma World - strong, inhuman and hard to kill foes. The Android from the ISB doesn't really do that since it's Dex based, not STR or CON.
And again - for me its filling an NPC role, I could just as easily make the Combat Android a full construct that looks human but functions very much like a Golem (DR, immune to magic). I was just playing around with what was offered to see if I could get the desired effect - a golem in an assassin/exterminator roll makes more sense than tweaking the Android in the ISB.
And yeah - the more people talked about Avatar the more I began to hate it - just seemed like an over-hyped, simplistic morality play/Pocahontas in space. Still haven't seen it nor do I plan to.
Ooh. Hyperion.
I want an android with built-in spiked armor and some kind of bloodline that grants a haste spell-like ability.
Shrike bloodline, maybe? :)
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Creative Director
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Honestly, a feat that allows androids to be more emotional and lose their immunity and resistance to emotion-based things so that they can do things like rage is a cool idea, and it's one I've always intended to be eventually available for them. It would require spending a feat, though, so it won't be free (or something you can just buy). You have to spend one of your limited resources to do something like this.
Why a feat, why not as an alternate racial trait?
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Creative Director
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Why a feat, why not as an alternate racial trait?
Because feats are more versatile, and you can pick up a feat at multiple levels, and because I want it to be a more significant cost than a mere alternate racial trait. Not every android should have this, and by making it a feat, it becomes a real choice to make at creation, thus preventing it from happening that often. Also because listing a feat in a stat block is much easier than listing an alternate racial trait.
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Why a feat, why not as an alternate racial trait?Because feats are more versatile, and you can pick up a feat at multiple levels, and because I want it to be a more significant cost than a mere alternate racial trait. Not every android should have this, and by making it a feat, it becomes a real choice to make at creation, thus preventing it from happening that often. Also because listing a feat in a stat block is much easier than listing an alternate racial trait.
May I suggest a Story feat for something like this? It seems like more of a character arc moment, so a story feat would be perfect.
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Good
-CavalierBad(due to Morale benefits)
Even with the difficulties of Androids in class choice you still have many options available and this doesn't include whats coming up in the upcoming class core rulebook.
Since pretty much every Order's challenge bonus is a morale bonus, I would say you've probably got cavalier in the wrong place here.
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I still say some sort of overclocking mechanic(either as an alternate racial trait or feat) that enabled something similar-but-different from rage would be neat. As long as it carried some highly likely risks or guaranteed badness due to overclocking your android's mind, body, and/or soul. :)
Something that played up their body as "hardware" that the android could push past its limits at a great cost... It might even make them contrast more with regular humans, having such a different outlook on how they use their bodies.
Throngir: Gods, I had no idea you could move that fast!
Cypha-11: NANG. 10111010 NANG. NANG. 1101011000
Ferosi: I don't think she's supposed to be smoking like that.
Cypha-11: NANG. NANG. NANG.
Vethra: I'm pretty sure her weird glowy irises aren't supposed to be solid blue either.
Ferosi: Wait, she told me about this. We're supposed to-
Cypha-11: NANG.
Ferosi: -hold her nose and poke her belly button until she goes back to normal.
Cypha-11: NANG.
Throngir: She's still got that light sword in her hand though...
Vethra: Yeah. You first.
Cypha-11:
Ferosi: ...maybe we should just throw water on her?
Cypha-11:
I still say some sort of overclocking mechanic(either as an alternate racial trait or feat) that enabled something similar-but-different from rage would be neat. As long as it carried some highly likely risks or guaranteed badness due to overclocking your android's mind, body, and/or soul. :)
Something that played up their body as "hardware" that the android could push past its limits at a great cost... It might even make them contrast more with regular humans, having such a different outlook on how they use their bodies.
Throngir: Gods, I had no idea you could move that fast!
Cypha-11: NANG. 10111010 NANG. NANG. 1101011000
Ferosi: I don't think she's supposed to be smoking like that.
Cypha-11: NANG. NANG. NANG.
Vethra: I'm pretty sure her weird glowy irises aren't supposed to be solid blue either.
Ferosi: Wait, she told me about this. We're supposed to-
Cypha-11: NANG.
Ferosi: -hold her nose and poke her belly button until she goes back to normal.
Cypha-11: NANG.
Throngir: She's still got that light sword in her hand though...
Vethra: Yeah. You first.
Cypha-11:
Ferosi: ...maybe we should just throw water on her?
Cypha-11:
Well, using race building rules, you could add Haste as a Spell like ability; but you could balance it by having the character be staggered for twice as many rounds after.
For example, your Cypha-11 could move at blinding speed for five rounds, but for a minute afterward her servos overheat or her Nanites need to recharge. This is a great idea... I think I'll use it on my android NPC.
I'm admittedly torn....
I like the Android as written, but really have a hard time mixing technology into my fantasy....I guess I'm old school in that regard.
I'm hoping we see some more "fluff" that I can get my head around (as well as mechanical support....no pun intended) to help me with my knee jerk reaction.
I guess I'll just reserve judgment for the moment ;)
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Personally, I am all for steam-punk style mechs, whether they are clockwork, steam-powered, magical, etc. However, if I had my way, I would want Final Fantasy VI-style Magitek armor, rather than man-sized power armor suits or Macross/Robotech-style machines.
Edit: Just read James Jacobs' latest post on Iron Gods.
I'm sure that I'll be quite happy with what I get. :)
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Personally, I am all for steam-punk style mechs, whether they are clockwork, steam-powered, magical, etc. However, if I had my way, I would want Final Fantasy VI-style Magitek armor, rather than man-sized power armor suits or Macross/Robotech-style machines.
Edit: Just read James Jacobs' latest post on Iron Gods.
I'm sure that I'll be quite happy with what I get. :)
You know, I haven't seen any airships in any Adventure Paths or modules since they released the rules in Ultimate Combat. How about an android airship pilot?
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I'm admittedly torn....
I like the Android as written, but really have a hard time mixing technology into my fantasy....I guess I'm old school in that regard.
I'm hoping we see some more "fluff" that I can get my head around (as well as mechanical support....no pun intended) to help me with my knee jerk reaction.
I guess I'll just reserve judgment for the moment ;)
A lot of what Androids are can be handwaved as Wizard crafted pod people. Like living golems.
Honestly, a feat that allows androids to be more emotional and lose their immunity and resistance to emotion-based things so that they can do things like rage is a cool idea, and it's one I've always intended to be eventually available for them. It would require spending a feat, though, so it won't be free (or something you can just buy). You have to spend one of your limited resources to do something like this.
To live LIKE the hu-man?
Honestly, a feat that allows androids to be more emotional and lose their immunity and resistance to emotion-based things so that they can do things like rage is a cool idea, and it's one I've always intended to be eventually available for them. It would require spending a feat, though, so it won't be free (or something you can just buy). You have to spend one of your limited resources to do something like this.To live LIKE the hu-man?
A small sized android, who just wants to be "a real boy". AI, anyone?
A small sized android, who just wants to be "a real boy". AI, anyone?Honestly, a feat that allows androids to be more emotional and lose their immunity and resistance to emotion-based things so that they can do things like rage is a cool idea, and it's one I've always intended to be eventually available for them. It would require spending a feat, though, so it won't be free (or something you can just buy). You have to spend one of your limited resources to do something like this.To live LIKE the hu-man?
never seen it, Pinnochio on the other hand....:)
i myself might go for a cigar chomping foul mouthed alcoholic Rogue myself:)
Androids are awesome, anyone else got an idea?
How about a supercharged android wizard evoker who harnesses electrical energy?
Also, an android who wants to know what love is.