A few people may have noticed on my  Twitter feed, a discussion on converting Automata, the fantastic webcomic miniseries by Penny Arcade into an RPG, specifically, that of Savage Worlds.

Well, as the Penny Arcade guys are now continuing the story, it will allow me to complete the dark work I began. I’ll be posting up small previews of the material I’ve made so far, and get some feedback. Expect a complete PDF within a month or less. Please note that because the world of Automata has not been fully fleshed out, I will be filling in information on my own based purely off my own opinion of how things should be. The additional material is in no way reflective of any intentions of Gabe or Tycho.

 

Introduction

This is not the future you expected. It is the year 2023. Machine Intellect has been outlawed as the American people began to believe that man was not meant to “create life”. Introducing the 34th Amendment, “The Prohibition of the Creation of Artificially Intelligent Life”, Congress ordered all production plants to cease the manufacture of automata. That was 3 years ago. 

But the question arises: What to do with the existing machines, fully sentient and aware? What rights should they hold in this grim world? Is their intellect real, a ghost in the machine, or simply a program? This is the question you and the other players at your table will explore as you delve into the world of Automata. 

In Automata, you will play someone living in this strange new world of humanity and the legal automata that still exist as second 

class citizens. 

 

New Race: Swangee Men

The creation of Albert Swangee, Swangees are a more advanced stock than the Asimovs. Built to fit more into human society, Swangees are built with a human-like physique, but with emotionless faces and glowing blue eyes. Their dead expressions often set people on edge, and their voices carry an air of detachment. Most take on human names with the surname of Swangee. 

Clickwise: All Automata are able to communicate with other automata through a language known as “Clickwise”. It sounds like an early 90’s modem, but transmits information between the automata at incredible speeds, allowing them to pass along information in a short amount of time.

Construct: +2 to recover from being Shaken, do not suffer wound penalties, and are immune to poison, diseas, suffocation. They gain a +4 to resist the effects of heat, cold and radiation. 

Artificial Lifeform: Automata can’t heal and must be repaired if damaged. 

Rare: Automata are becoming increasingly rare and getting parts could be difficult. 

Electrical Susceptibility: Automata take an additional d6 damage from electrical attacks. 

Outsider: Automata have a difficult time expressing their emotions and have difficulty relating to organic beings. They start with a -2 to their Charisma. 

Eidetic Memory: Swangee Men have minds like cameras. They gain +2 bonuses on Common Knowledge rolls and on Smarts rolls made to remember something.