Crafting Robots and other Constructs

[Tyler Waters]

I've been doing some thinking and searching around and was wondering if we will get any official rules on making Robots and the like. We got the Drone through the Mechanic but that isn't what I'm talking about. Robots other Constructs were built, and if someone can build them it stands to reason a player can as well. What I'm asking is; Do we have any official word on player made Constructs? Drones notwithstanding. If not, then what resources do we have available that may allow one to go about kitbashing the rules for now. Yes I know about companion creatures, I'm disregarding that for the same reasons as Drones, I'm talking things like Neutronium Golems, Animated Armor, and the like.

[Metaphysician]

I am 99% sure the answer will be a simple "no", for the reason that should be obvious: it is not at all balanced for the PCs to go building unlimited amounts of minions.

[Lethallin]

That would be 100% GM discretion.

If you want to set a price, a credit cost on a CR creature, try to make it cost somewhat similar to Animate Dead (CRB page 340), 1000 credits x the total CR of the constructs, and can only control a total of CR = to half your level. Possibly costing more since it's not magical.

This is definitely a homebrew topic though, as the rules currently don't allow you to make robots that you can command in that way as 'companions'.

[Metaphysician]

I mean, would I ever allow my PCs to build a robot army? Under the right circumstances, sure. However, this would be true in the same way as, "Would I ever allow my PCs to recruit an army of living minions/allies?" It is not a character power, it is a story choice, subject to story limits and circumstances. And since armies of robots are, implicitly, more thoroughly under the control of their creator? It would be a lot harder for the players to justify it.

The Animate Dead comparison is a good one. Building a robot minion should cost at least as much as creating an undead minion of the same CR, with the added expense of effectively building the "spell" too. If this is sounding prohibitive, then congratulations, you've discovered why armies of disposable minions are supposed to be the province of people with vast resource bases and fixed infrastructure- that is, not adventuring PCs.

[Gy Aldrin]

Here's the formula I came up with:
1000 credits per CR + Whatever integrated weapons it has cost + Half CR cost per special ability.

So a typical CR4 Security Robot (AA pg. 94) would cost 4000 credits + 750 for the gun (arc admitter) + an additional 2000 credits for the Jolting Arc special ability + 2000 credits for this ability to be reusable + 2000cr for the 1/day heal "Nanite Repair".
For a whopping 10,750 credits!

To be honest, letting the PCs have robots is unbalancing to the game. So making robots ridiculously expensive is a game balance thing.

[John Mangrum]

If you're interested, there's a third-party publisher sourcebook on the topic from early in Starfinder's run: Cosmic Odyssey: Service Bots and Synthetic Companions. That said, I do agree that the game is simply not built to handle PCs controlling combat-ready robotic minions beyond mechanic's or various other drones.