Mechanics of the drone mechanics action economy

[BigNorseWolf]

Okay, i think this has taken up about half the rules discussions I've seen at the table

What exactly are the full list of options a mechanic and their drone can take?

Master Control (Ex) 1st Level

As a move action, you can directly control your drone. This allows the drone to take both a move action and any standard action this turn (one from your control, and one from its limited AI). If you also take a swift action, your drone can take a swift action as well, or it can combine its actions into a full action. (BNW interpretation, if its actions with a swift action add up to a full round?)

Your drone must be able to see or hear you, or be within range of your custom rig, for you to directly control your drone.

Limited AI : Limited AI (Ex) 1st Level

Each round on your turn, after you have acted, your drone can take either a move action or a standard action to attack

This line is getting to me "if you also take a swift action your drone can take a swift action as well" Read literally it means if say, a ysoki mechanic takes a swift action to pull a grenade out of their cheeks, then the drone can take a swift action. Here i'm going to go with what i think it means, is that if you also spend a swift action controlling the drone you may....

Lets see if I've got this right. I'm not including every down sell (standard--->move---> swift) for sanity's sake.

Mechanic: Swift move standard (combine to full round) Drone: Move or Standard Action to attack

Mechanic: Move Standard Drone: Swift move standard (combine to full round) (BNW note, if i've got this right this seems to be the sweet spot)

Mechanic Standard, Swift Drone Move or standard action to attack, move

MechanicStandard Drone Swift,move, standard (combine to full round)

Mechanic Move Drone Swift, move, standard (combine to full round)

[Runestalker]

I don't think that is quite right. I think the wording means that if you take a move and a swift action to control the drone then the drone can get a full action.

You are taking the sentence out of context with the rest of the paragraph. It starts off with "If you also take a swift action,..." Which is adjusting the original condition of taking a move action to control the drone. The second half of the sentence "...,your drone can take a swift action as well..." adds on to the result of the original condition giving your drone a swift action, or a full action. It also means you can't do the second part (swift action) with out also doing the first part (move action).

Mechanic Actions in () go to the drone.

Mechanic: Full Drone: Standard action to attack, or Move
Mechanic: Standard, Move, Swift Drone: Standard action to attack, or Move
Mechanic: Standard, (Move), Swift Drone: Any Standard action and Move
Mechanic: Standard, (Move, Swift) Drone: Any Standard action and Move and Swift, OR Full

[Wingblaze]

What Runestalker said.

[BigNorseWolf]

I don't see where we're actually differing

[Yako Zenko]

BigNorseWolf wrote:

I don't see where we're actually differing

The difference is that you can't take ANY swift action for the Drone to get a swift action. It's your mechanic spends a swift action "slot" of his own. To gain no benefit, or action, or ability, of any kind. EXCEPT, that now the drone gets a Swift action itself. Which it can combine into a full round action.

TL;DR The ysoki can't pull a grenade from mouth AND teh drone get a swift action... it is one or the other.

[MrTsFloatinghead]

BigNorseWolf wrote:

I don't see where we're actually differing

This line:

BigNorseWolf wrote:

Mechanic: Move Standard Drone: Swift move standard (combine to full round) (BNW note, if i've got this right this seems to be the sweet spot)

Is not correct, for two reasons. First, you cannot transfer ONLY the swift action from the Mechanic to the Drone - the assumption in the rule is you have to use a move action to trigger Master Control first, then if you spend your swift action AS WELL, your drone can take a swift action (or combine all the actions into a full action). Second, you have too many actions here in any case. You cannot have two standard actions and two moves split across the drone and mechanic - it is either two standard actions and one move and one swift split up between them, or else it is one standard action, two moves, and one swift. Alternately, you can have one full action and one standard action, but in that case note that nobody actually gets a swift action at all (significant for hover drones)

[Runestalker]

BigNorseWolf wrote:

Mechanic: Move Standard Drone: Swift move standard (combine to full round) (BNW note, if i've got this right this seems to be the sweet spot)

You have the mechanic taking a Move and a Standard action and the drone taking a full action...this is incorrect. The mechanic has to give up the move action and the swift action to give the drone a full action.

BigNorseWolf wrote:

Mechanic Standard, Swift Drone Move or standard action to attack, move

You have the mechanic taking a Standard and a swift action. The drone can take a normal standard action (not just a standard attack action) and a move action. Since it's a normal standard action, the drone can swap it for a move or swift action.

Yako Zenko wrote:

The ysoki can't pull a grenade from mouth AND teh drone get a swift action... it is one or the other.

The ysoki could swap his standard action for a move or a swift action, which would give him the ability to pull the grenade and still give the drone a standard, move, and swift action. The drone could also swap its move action for a swift action.

Ow my head hurts now.

[BigNorseWolf]

Yako Zenko wrote:

TL;DR The ysoki can't pull a grenade from mouth AND teh drone get a swift action... it is one or the other.

AHEM

Here i'm going to go with what i think it means (rather than what it says) , is that if you also spend a swift action controlling the drone you may....

[Yako Zenko]

Runestalker wrote:

Yako Zenko wrote:

The ysoki can't pull a grenade from mouth AND teh drone get a swift action... it is one or the other.

The ysoki could swap his standard action for a move or a swift action, which would give him the ability to pull the grenade and still give the drone a standard, move, and swift action. The drone could also swap its move action for a swift action.

Ow my head hurts now.

True, I was referring to the fact that simply taking a swift action to pull a grenade from mouth does not mean the drone gets a swift. The ysoki would still need to spend another swift action specifically to give the drone a swift action is what I was trying to get at.

[BigNorseWolf]

Runestalker wrote:

BigNorseWolf wrote:

Mechanic: Move Standard Drone: Swift move standard (combine to full round) (BNW note, if i've got this right this seems to be the sweet spot)

You have the mechanic taking a Move and a Standard action and the drone taking a full action...this is incorrect. The mechanic has to give up the move action and the swift action to give the drone a full action.

Ahh okay, got you. So the transfer bottoms out at a move action or it doesn't happen at all. Thanks.