Design & Play Notes: It’s high time you met the droid in the featured image for my occasional “The 2-1b Is In” feature. I have included PC and Adversary stats for Dr. Tobias (aka, 2-1bA5).
The PC skills and talents are broader than I used in the Adversary version in order to make a more useful and playable character. As a PC, Tobias can double in the Slicer or Face party roles, or other roles a protocol droid PC might take. Another difference from the Adversary is Willpower 2, since most droids independent enough to be PCs should be more willful than the typical model. I chose EotE’s Colonist/Doctor over the AoR Soldier/Medic mainly because few of the Soldier career skills are useful for a medic not intended for combat. In fact, I decided to keep Tobias’ meddroid programming intact by not giving him ranks in combat skills. As written, Dr. Tobias is relatively fragile, so should avoid getting in the middle of laser fights and cantina brawls. If you really want a combat-capable meddroid, you’ll be doing a lot of rewriting.
The Adversary version is intended to provide a party lacking a medic with an ally who can provide treatment between encounters/sessions. In other words, Dr. Tobias can be one of the cast of minor NPCs they meet and get to know, who can provide assistance when necessary. Given that Tobias has met Jedi over the years since he was built, there is another part he can potentially play for the GM in a campaign if there are Force-Sensitive PCs–hooks.
Tobias may recall the location of a Jedi cache or even a minor temple. Since he is familiar with Healers, you might consider allowing the Mentor discount on the base Heal/Harm power. I don’t recommend increasing his Lore even if you are using him in this way. In my opinion, it would both overshadow PCs (never a good plan) and make it too easy for them to “visit the doctor” rather than do their own deeper digging into the mysteries they come across.
Backstory: The meddroid nicknamed Dr. Tobias was manufactured a few years before the Clone Wars, sold to the Republic, and, after the outbreak of the war, staffed one of the “Rimsoos” (Republic Mobile Surgical Units). During the conflict, he (Tobias was programmed with a masculine presentation) worked not only with traditional organic medical professionals but also Jedi MedCorps members and even one or two Jedi Healers who had refused to take any other role in Republic Grand Army.
Tobias was always eager to expand his knowledge of nearly anything he came across in case it was of use to him or the organics he served (an undetected quirk in his programming, no doubt). He observed Force-Healing firsthand, and even queried those practitioners, at least one who explained as best he could, to a sentient who was more Force-blind than any organic. Of course, the 2-1B couldn’t make use of the information, but it was still recorded in Tobias’ extensive memory.
After the Clone Wars ended, Tobias was sold, and eventually became the property of Cor-Neel Haay, a self-made industrialist, who now suffered from chronic conditions due to his early work in unhealthy factories. How “Master Cor” obtained the droid, is a question. Either the information was selectively wiped, or Tobias (as independent-minded as any R2 unit built) pretends it was, for his own reasons. It is known that after Master Cor’s death, he willed a great percentage of his estate, including his personal meddroid, to charity. One that Cor, secretly anti-Imperial, knew had hidden ties to the Alliance. So now Tobias works to aid both Rebels and innocent civilian victims of Palpatine and his forces.
DR. TOBIAS (2-1BA5)
Droid Colonist/Doctor
Duty: Personnel &/or Support
Motivation: Connection – “Family” (Tobias’ previous owner willed him to an individual/organization with Alliance connections)
Characteristics
Brawn 1
Agility 2
Intellect 4
Cunning 2
Willpower 2
Presence 2
Skills: Charm 1, Cool 1, Knowledge (Core Worlds) 1, Knowledge (Education) 1, Knowledge (Lore) 1Leadership 1, Medicine 1, Negotiation 1, Resilience 1
Talents
Bacta Specialist (Patients recover +1 wound when they recover wounds from a bacta tank or long term care)
Grit (+1 Strain Threshold, included)
Surgeon 2 (When making a Medicine check to help a character heal wounds, the target heals +2 wounds)
Special Abilities: Droid, Inorganic, Mechanical Being (See Droid species in any SWRPG CRB for details)
Soak: 3 Defense (m/r): 0/0 Strain Threshold: 13 Wound Threshold: 11
Force Rating: N/A
Equipment: Protective veneer chassis (bought as Padded Armor), Physician’s Kit (Add 1 Boost & 1 Advantage to Medicine checks), Commlink, Stimpack x4, Emergency Repair Patch x 4, Scanner Goggles, Synthetic Standard Anesthetic x1. (Most equipment, other than drugs and repair patches should be considered intrinsic, per Droid Equipment sidebar [AoR, p. 54].) 240 Credits
DR. TOBIAS (2-1BA5) [Rival]
2-1B Droid Adversary
Characteristics
Brawn 1
Agility 2
Intellect 4
Cunning 2
Willpower 1
Presence 2
Skills: Medicine 3, Knowledge (Core Worlds, Education, Lore) 1, Knowledge (Xenobiology) 2
Talents
Bacta Specialist 2, Surgeon
Soak: 1 Defense (m/r): 0/0 Wound Threshold: 11
Force Rating: N/A
Equipment: As normal, GM’s choice of medical and other gear, including access to Synthetic Standard Anesthetic and Neuroparalytic.
Linda Whitson
Latest posts by Linda Whitson (see all)
- Astral Projections – The Ripperdoc Is In - May 8, 2023
This is so timely as I need some droid fodder … err I mean to say valued droids for a very specific mission…
Guuuuud
Have fun–and profit!