Mechanic unconsciousness and their Drones.

[vashtheblackseed]

Does it seem absurd that a Mechanic's Drone stops functions the moment said Mechanic passes out? I could understand if it happened while under direct control, but if I gave a drone the command to travel 1000 ft east and I fall unconscious before it completes the command; shouldn't the drone keep going until the last command was completed? Why would anyone who can code a "dumb" A.I. design it that way. I'd be more inclined to believe anyone who ended up in combat regularly would not only patch that shit out asap. In fact, since it has to see and/or hear you, I would code in a conditional subroutine move adjacent to me and defend my ass should it observe me pass out.

Same thing with sleeping in a "dungeon" or out in the wilderness. I sure as hell would want my drone to help keep watch. Since a Mechanic doesn't need to worry about a drone's power supply, having deactivated while in unsecured locations and he is sleep is just plain stupid for an Int base class to do.

[Wikrin]

Yup. Pretty ridiculous, I think. It says "Limited AI," not "glorified RC car."

Seriously, it's not until 20th level that the thing can even spend the night knitting a sweater. Calling it any kind of AI is inaccurate to the point of lunacy.

[evilnerf]

Might help to think of it not as something they can't do, but something they are specifically programmed not to do. If I was building a scratch built AI, I think it's reasonable to program a kind of 'Dead man's switch' into it to keep it from running amok, and preventing it from exercising it's own agency without any input from the maker.

[Ouachitonian]

Perhaps we shouldn't think of it as AI, but as something akin to the exocortex: a technological extension of the Mechanic's self. It's somehow programmed to interface with his brain and operate on his telepathic(-ish) direction. So when he goes down it no longer has any instruction.

[David knott 242]

Also, I could see giving the Drone a limited ability to continue functioning while the Mechanic is unconscious as a useful Mechanic Trick or feat to provide in a future supplement -- sort of like the Resilient Eidolon feat in Pathfinder.

[Zwordsman]

Though that would pretty much end up along the lines of the "heal 25%" trick. and become something that folks get angry at you for not taking.
LIke infusions on an alchemist/investigator.