Drone Technomancy (Tech Revolution)


Rules Questions


So question for anyone with the tech rev book because maybe I'm just missing something...

This is about Drone Technomancy of course...

A drone's limited AI says wrote:
To receive these commands, your drone must be able to see or hear you or be within range of your custom rig.

Now... I'm not seeing anything that allows a technomancer with drone technomancy to get or use a custom rig in tech rev. Am I missing something?

Would you guys assume this is an oversight and you also get the custom rig, if so should a technomancer just gain a custom rig with this ability and it work as normal?


C4M3R0N wrote:

So question for anyone with the tech rev book because maybe I'm just missing something...

This is about Drone Technomancy of course...

A drone's limited AI says wrote:
To receive these commands, your drone must be able to see or hear you or be within range of your custom rig.

Now... I'm not seeing anything that allows a technomancer with drone technomancy to get or use a custom rig in tech rev. Am I missing something?

Would you guys assume this is an oversight and you also get the custom rig, if so should a technomancer just gain a custom rig with this ability and it work as normal?

I think that's if they are multiclassed? I assume the technomancer needs to have the drone see or hear them to receive commands.


Pathfinder Starfinder Society Subscriber

Since a single-classed technomancer does not have a custom rig (and thus is automatically not within range of it), the sentence you quoted would reduce to "To receive these commands, your drone must be able to see or hear you." As a result, all you lose is the extended range of the custom rig that a mechanic gets. So it looks like they have that bit covered.


Yeah, it could still be controlled if sight and hearing are maintained, but a vacuum, like outer space, or a fog cloud spell and this is gone as well...

Also worth mentioning as it was just pointed out to me... You lose a lot more than just control orion's and control range.

Melee Weapon Arm wrote:
Swapping out a weapon in a melee weapon arm requires use of your custom rig and 1 hour of work.

And...

Weapon Mount wrote:
Swapping out a weapon in a weapon mount requires use of your custom rig and 1 hour of work.

I mean... Maybe a technomancer is supposed to not have a combat capable drone then? This screams oversight to me at this point though...

I guess you could always just dip envoy and take signature tool to get the custom rig too lol.


Pathfinder Starfinder Society Subscriber

Those do look like more serious oversights, yes.


I'm totally fine if it's intended to not function beyond line of sight and sound. Never go on space walks. Watch out for fog. Etc. There's a decent chance I'd still take this anyway, just need a technopathy node and vacuum is fixed...

But not being able to use weapons is a bit much for a drone.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

They mentioned this issue in the AMA Twitch seminar tonight and said that the oversight wasn't intended. For the moment, very unofficially, I'd roll with treating a drone technomancer has having a magical equivalent to a custom rig for the purposes of interacting with their drone. To determine the effective level of the custom rig, use the technomancer's class level, plus any levels from other classes that provide a custom rig.


John Mangrum wrote:
They mentioned this issue in the AMA Twitch seminar tonight and said that the oversight wasn't intended. For the moment, very unofficially, I'd roll with treating a drone technomancer has having a magical equivalent to a custom rig for the purposes of interacting with their drone. To determine the effective level of the custom rig, use the technomancer's class level, plus any levels from other classes that provide a custom rig.

Someone mentioned that it was addressed as an oversight actually.

I don't think the intent would be for the custom rig to ever level up though, but maybe it will, who knows.


I don't think the custom rig levels up in the first place? It's probably more likely that it's intended for the drone technomancer to get a magic rig to replace their spell cache that functions as a mechanic's custom rig for drone and mechanic trick/magic hack purposes.


Yeah, that's what makes the most sense I think.


Starfinder Superscriber
C4M3R0N wrote:
John Mangrum wrote:
They mentioned this issue in the AMA Twitch seminar tonight and said that the oversight wasn't intended. For the moment, very unofficially, I'd roll with treating a drone technomancer has having a magical equivalent to a custom rig for the purposes of interacting with their drone. To determine the effective level of the custom rig, use the technomancer's class level, plus any levels from other classes that provide a custom rig.

Someone mentioned that it was addressed as an oversight actually.

I don't think the intent would be for the custom rig to ever level up though, but maybe it will, who knows.

On Twitch, "Ask Paizo Anything" forum at GenCon, John Compton specifically said there may be an oversight and needs to be revisited for review. I believe I heard John mention "the Custom Rig is specific to Mechanics only," something along those lines.


Well... It's specific to mechanics and now envoy haha...


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

A technomancer could use the Telepathic Message spell to communicate with a drone in a vacuum.

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