Body Parts - the core of it
This is an Odd Clone, so the premises land true.
This is a Roll Under System, with three Attributes: BODY, MIND, and SPARK1. Roll 2d6 for each. This is a decaying world, no new pristine machines around.
The concept that starts and ends this TTRPG idea is Body Parts.
BODY PART. Four elements, and rarely a fifth.
[Name] [Slot] [Mod] [Condition Dice]
MAGNET (Arm, B1) [D8]
GLOWING MINDCHIP (Head, M1) [D12]
TRANSPARENT CRANIUM (Head, A1) [D6, only deteriorates in even results]
NAME. mechanically abstract. What will "magnet" allow the Droid to do is narrative dependent, what will "glowing mindchip" mean is open to discussion. At best, no roll will be even needed; at worst, it can make the situation worse for everyone.
SLOT. Either Arm, Leg, Torso, Head or Other. One Slot each for each Droid.
MOD. Makes each Body Part good (or not) for the Attributes or the defenses of the Droids. Roll 2D6 for a Mod.
| D6 | Mod | # |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Body | +2 |
| 2 | Mind | +1 |
| 3 | Spark | +1 |
| 4 | Armor | 0 |
| 5 | Firewall | 0 |
| 6 | HP | 0 |
CONDITION DICE. What dice you can roll if you fail a Save and wants a second attempt.2
The better the Condition, the smaller the dice. A mint condition Part would be a D4, making it highly improbable to not pass the Save.
If you pass with a Condition Dice, the Part deteriorates to the next tier; even the best Parts are old and remade many times.
D4 -> D6 -> D8 -> D10 -> D12 -> D20
At a D20, your Body Part is barely useful, but you can still try your luck. If you pass, the Body Part is broken beyond repair and become Scrap.3
THE FIFTH ELEMENT. Special stuff. Rare and usually useful.4
You have a pneumatic door to force open and out of the way. You try to pass a Body Save of 9. You roll a 13, failing this task. You may retry this roll with an applicable Body Part, like your Magnet Arm, improving your odds to pass. Considering your current Body of 9 and the D8 Condition Dice on the Part, you can't fail! That arm is just that good. Sadly, your Magnet Arm is now a D10.
Thoughts
Gotta say I feel very proud of this one. I am in love with the Body-Mind-Heart trifecta for some time now, shoutout Primal Quest. Spark felt like the perfect one to represent essence; not hardware nor software, but the individuality and ego of a Droid. Does this unit have a soul?↩
Baiting the Player by attempting the save with a d20 first feels slower than just replacing the D20 with the Condition Dice, but if the player has to choose the Part to use at the getgo, my instinct is they will hoard it. For the moment, retry feels better at clawing away Parts.↩
Having a body part at D20 feels like a good way to never use it again until you fix it up. This is a reminder for me to find a Blow Out mechanic so D20 Parts can be burnt for a Pass or a amazing result.↩
D20 table of effect to go here.↩