An Android's inventor/owner

[Sheyra]

I'm in the process of statting up an android for a TL10 game that my group is planning on starting this weekend. We're all pretty new to this, so I'm trying to figure out what the best way is to pay for the inventor/owner of the android. Basically, I'm looking for an NPC that owns the android (Social Stigma: Valuable Property for this, I believe) but provides a place to live, maintenance, and occasionally useful information, upgrades, or equipment. He would occasionally need some help from the android for various tasks too. I'm guessing this is some kind of Patron, but I don't really know how it works that well.

The android itself is an AI with free will that is allowed to pursue its own goals and such freely, no slave mentality here or anything like that. Basically the idea is to have the inventor/owner allow the android to mostly go about its own business except when needed, aside for minor chores around the house or whatever.

Also, I was wondering how equipment is purchased at creation for something like android if it can start as 'Dirt Broke'? The computer alone for the AI requires a lot of money potentially, and if you don't have any cash, I don't see how you can pay for that plus the body itself? Can Patrons provide things like that before the game even starts?

[David Johnston2]

People don't have to pay for brains, and androids don't have to pay for their processing units, provided their IQ isn't higher than 10. And this android doesn't even own his brain anyway.

[jeff_wilson]

The android can have possessions up to it's starting wealth, even if they are "found" rather than bought. If the master allows the android use of his house, clothes, other possessions, etc just don't make the android Dead Broke. If the master supplies mountable machine guns and all the ammo it can shoot, then worry about Patrons.

[Ulzgoroth]

Patron is the obvious way to model what the owner does for the android. Without a specific question, I don't really see anything to add to that that isn't printed in Characters.

The android's obligation to help out the owner occasionally should probably be covered as a Duty. In some cases, an owner might qualify as a Dependent. Or the android might have a Sense of Duty toward them.

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

People don't have to pay for brains, and androids don't have to pay for their processing units, provided their IQ isn't higher than 10. And this android doesn't even own his brain anyway.

Uh, androids don't have to pay money for their processing unit no matter how high their IQ is.

[Sheyra]

I suppose what I'm unclear on is: Exactly how do you model a patron that provides a consistent service? For example, the inventor/owner here provides maintenance for the android under normal circumstances, but Patron requires a frequency of appearance roll. Putting this roll high would seem to emulate this to some extent, though there still ends up being that odd occasion where you're supposedly reliable mechanic isn't around and has left you high and dry, but this conflicts with having a Patron that can provide you with equipment, since at such a high level he'll provide you with stuff that you can keep a lot, which isn't what I'm looking for at all. It also ends up costing a lot more points than I was anticipating.

I guess what I'm getting at is that I don't really understand how Patrons work. How would you go about modeling an NPC that provides a consistent, minor service for you, yet also occasionally gives you a major boon?

Ultra-Tech goes into a bit more detail regarding androids, and as an AI, I have to take Digital Mind. However, since I'm a Volitional AI, my Complexity is (IQ/2)+3, and at TL10, a computer that can fit into my body can have up to Complexity 9 if it's 'Genius', but ends up costing $500k. It's a powerful item in its own right, since I can effectively run many programs at the same time for various skill boosts or what have you, but having to pay for the computer myself effectively requires me to spend 30 points on wealth, and I'd end up with $500k left over. I'm not looking to model a rich android, quite the opposite in fact, so I was hoping to get this from the patron. This makes sense to me conceptually (the Patron built the android, and thus footed all the costs, but in return, the android is property), but I have no idea how to model this, or if Patron can even do the whole 'provide you with stuff during chargen' thing.

What confuses the issue further on the matter of wealth, at least for me, is that the book specifically mentions that in societies that treat androids like objects, the android should take Dirt Broke and Social Stigma to simulate that. This implies the intent to allow you to play an android without paying for your body, but I have no idea if this is actually doable. Social Stigma (Valuable Property) plus a Patron that is an owner seems to imply it, but I'm just trying to get some clarification regarding this.

My GM and I are at a bit of an impasse on this, since he feels that Patrons should not provide any sort of assistance or what have you during chargen, only after gameplay starts. I completely understand his reasoning here, since it can quickly get a bit excessive if a player runs around with absurd levels of free stuff just because they took a Duty and a Patron or something, but by the same margin I'm feeling seriously restricted by it, so I'm trying to figure out if there's an alternate way or some rule that we've both missed. We're both also pretty new to GURPS, so it's entirely possible neither of us really understands how Patrons work, which is why I'm here. I want to make this character mechanically fit my concept, and an important part of the concept is having the owner be a reliable provider of basic needs while only occasionally providing upgrades or equipment.

[DangerousThing]

You build your character with CP, not with money. You set your characteristics, and then decide on how powerful your computer is.

Unless your GM is especially cruel, you should not also have to pay cash for what you've just paid CP for.

After the game starts, that's a different story.

I would take the owner as a dependent that doesn't show up much rather than as a patron. My reasoning is that the PC android takes care of the inventor rather than the other way around. On the other hand, I can see arguments for the patron too. Were I the GM, I'd be of two minds about this.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Sheyra

I suppose what I'm unclear on is: Exactly how do you model a patron that provides a consistent service? For example, the inventor/owner here provides maintenance for the android under normal circumstances, but Patron requires a frequency of appearance roll. Putting this roll high would seem to emulate this to some extent, though there still ends up being that odd occasion where you're supposedly reliable mechanic isn't around and has left you high and dry, but this conflicts with having a Patron that can provide you with equipment, since at such a high level he'll provide you with stuff that you can keep a lot, which isn't what I'm looking for at all. It also ends up costing a lot more points than I was anticipating.

I guess what I'm getting at is that I don't really understand how Patrons work. How would you go about modeling an NPC that provides a consistent, minor service for you, yet also occasionally gives you a major boon?

The first thing your GM needs to understand is that a Patron is his to control, not yours. And that the frequency of appearance roll is a guideline, not a mechanic that he's required to obey precisely. For Patrons in general, if the plot calls for a Patron to definitely not appear, or requires them to appear, then the GM has that just happen, and the dice gather dust.

If the way the campaign turns out involves the Patron consistently appearing much more or much less than the player has bought, then the GM could ask you to play more points (gradually is preferable), give you a refund, or something else.

As regards maintenance, it's entirely reasonable to buy the patron appearing on 12-, and say that that actually involves the mechanic being available on 15- and the Patron being able to do something extra on 9-. It's impossible for a point-based construction system to model every possible situation, so using informal trade-offs to solve problems is reasonable.

[Stripe]

The android is a PC, correct? The owner of the android is an NPC, correct?

You want to know how to model the android, correct?

Do you know what Technology Level (p. B22) in which the game is set?

First of all, I'll address that the NPC owner "would occasionally need some help from the android for various tasks too."

Honestly, that's just regular, everyday life described as normal friendship. I wouldn't recommend turning that into a GURPS Trait such as Duty (p. B133) for the android, especially if the android already has Status -2 and Social Stigma (Valuable Property, or Subjugated if the android has no rights). Taking Traits that "significantly overlap" should be avoided. Also, remember that not every aspect of character generation needs be modeled as an actual trait. Attempting to do so results in "trait bloat."

However, if this relationship results in the android being absolutely required to perform tasks for his owner (e.g., he's programmed to obey), then Duty could be considered.

A Duty is a "significant personal obligation toward others, [that] occasionally requires you to obey hazardous orders." If that's the case, then consider taking Duty. If not, it's just a mutual relationship where the android and owner help each other out.

Since you're new to GURPS, I'll note that the Status bestows a negative Reaction Roll penalty, as does the Social Stigma. See Reaction Rolls, pp. 494-495.

From the NPC owner, the android gains "a place to live, maintenance, and occasionally useful information, upgrades, or equipment."

At this point, if it weren't for the upgrades and equipment, I'd just say that whole thing could just be described as friendship and not require a Trait. However, considering the android gains equipment, I'd say that's all completely covered by the Patron advantage (p. B72) with the Equipment enhancement.

Since you state that the Android has Status -2 (p. B28) and Dead Broke (p. B25), Cost of Living (p. B265) does not provide place to live (i.e., he's homeless). See What Cost of Living Gets You: A Modern Example, p. B 266. That further means that the android's relationship needs to be a Trait; Patron, in this case. Otherwise, living with his creator is just window dressing and not really a Trait that needs modeled.

For beginning equipment, see Trading Points for Money, p. B26 or Signature Gear, p. 85. The character's brain wouldn't require purchase. Maybe the NPC creator had to purchase it, but the PC character wouldn't. Rules for buying android parts can be found in Ultra-Tech and Bio-Tech.

For a whole range of example robotic abilities, see Ultra-Tech's Core Technologies (for an example android, p. 41) and Cybernetics and Uploading for cybernetic parts. See also Combat Robots.

Also see the Accessory perk, p. 10, Power-Ups 2: Perks for the ubiquitous Accessory (Computer) [1] perk.

All that said, here's a serviceable racial template (Chapter 15) for you to use modeling a PC android using the AI and Machine Meta-Traits (p. B262):

Servitor Android
32 points
You are a sentient android, a free-willed, humanoid robot. Society considers you a mechanical life form without most of the rights and benefits of citizenship, little different than any other animal, beast of burden or pet. In societies that do not recognize you as a life form, you have no rights; substitute Social Stigma (Valuable Property) [-10] with Social Stigma (Subjugated) [-20] for a template cost of 22 points.
Attribute Modifiers: None.
Secondary Characteristics Modifiers: None.
Advantages: AI (not Reprogrammable) [42]; Doesn't Breathe [20]; Doesn't Eat or Drink [10]; Machine [25].
Disadvantages: Electrical [-20]; Status -2 [-10]; Social Stigma (Valuable Property) [-10]; Wealth (Dead Broke) [-25].
Features: Sculpted Body (Ultra-Tech, p. 28)—a sculpted humanoid body that may be quite attractive, but is clearly that of a machine.

Consider ST+2 [20] or ST+3 [30] and HP +7 [14]; HT+2 [20]; Absolute Direction [5-10]; Absolute Timing [2]; Appearance (Various) (p. B21); Damage Resistance 2 [5] or 5 [25] (p. B46); High Pain Threshold [10] (p. B59); Lightning Calculator [2-5] (p. B66); Pressure Support 1 [5] (p. B77); Radiation Tolerance 1 [5] (p. B79); Sealed [15] (p. B82); Numb [-20] (p. B146); Temperature Tolerance 10 [10] or 20 [20] (p. 93), and Vacuum Support [5] (p. B96).

For a big, heavy labor robot about nine feet tall, I'd consider ST +20 (Size, -10%) [180] and a Size Modifier (p. B19) of +1 and DR 30 [150] and DR 20 (Torso Only, -10%) [90] for a total DR of 50 on the torso.

[jacobmuller]

Call it the android's job.
Upgrades are then justified by earned cp and cash just like the human PCs.
For starting gear - pay by cp if part of android; exchange cp for cash to buy start-up equipment, e.g. Clothes, expedition gear; things that can't be statted/ are not part of your "body".
Only use money plus cp in game.

Patron IMHO would mean your plans being forced to include his demands.

[Sheyra]

Thanks for the help, everyone. The game is starting this afternoon, so I think I'm all set at this point!