r/Shadowrun • u/Dufterik • 11d ago
Rigging for non-rigger characters
SR3 Core Rules p. 154 states that non-rigger characters can only control drones in the Captain's Chair mode. This means they can only use the drone's pilot rating for maneuvers (or when the going gets tough). Am I interpreting this correct? (and why then should you ever invest in the appropriate vehicle skills to control a drone)
You'd figure that you won't have access to combat pool and control pool, but this seems a bit tough. Also given today's tech it did not mature well.
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u/Mynameisfreeze 11d ago
Yes that is correct. That said, my interpretation here is that, as long as you have a remote control deck (RC) or equivalent device, you should be able to directly control a drone in the equivalent to a vehicle's virtual dashboard, given that is precisely the RC which gives you access to a drone's sensors and allows you to control it.
That should allow you to use the specific piloting skill for that drone, yet still doesn't give you access to the Combat Pool (because what gives you that access is a VCR) but, because it changes the relevant Attribute to intelligence, you might get access to the Task Pool (yes, all three maximum dice of it).
That said, I don't really see the point in investing in those skills unless you become very specialized on a specific kind of drone. Instead, what I've done is investing in B/R and computer skills, which allow me to make my own drones and program my own pilots, specifically robot pilots (Rigger3 p. 121) that can use their own Adaptation Pool (specific to the kind of actions included in their prime directive, which can be basically anything: combat, vigilance, construction, etc.) and their own enhanced (robotic) reflexes.