The Drone Handler is the person who sends the machine into the room first. In the Nine's corporatocracy, drones are cheaper than people: a combat drone costs 100 rek to rebuild; a Legionnaire costs 50,000 rek to train, equip, and insure. The Drone Handler is the investment that protects the investment -- the technician who builds, controls, and upgrades a fleet of remote systems that do the dangerous work so the expensive humans do not have to. Asset Realisation books them as "remote engagement assets" -- personnel whose value is measured in the lives they did not cost the corp. The Kadiss grid tracks drone registrations, flight paths, and signal frequencies; a Drone Handler operating unregistered drones in a corporate zone gets flagged faster than a person with a gun. They operate on the Fold chassis (d6 HD, half BAB, Fort/Ref poor, Will good) because the corp values their mind, not their body. No armour. Their protection is the drone that goes around the corner first. Prime requisites: INT and DEX.
Rules Reference
Field
Value
Armor Allowance
None
Bab Tier
half
Base Skill Points
4
Hd
d6
Hd Sides
6
Max Level
20
Multiclass Notes
Drone Handlers can multiclass with Engineer and Deck Hacker archetypes. Non-humans use simultaneous multiclassing rules.
Primary Abilities
INT, DEX
Prime Requisites
INT, DEX
Save Tiers / Fortitude
poor
Save Tiers / Reflex
poor
Save Tiers / Will
good
Weapon Allowance
Pistol, Knife
Notes
Archetype Niche: The Drone Handler is the party's remote presence. Drone Fleet provides scalable minions that scout, fight, and support without risking the Handler. Drone Upgrade provides deep customization -- each drone becomes a specialized tool. Swarm Protocol is the signature alpha-strike: a coordinated attack that delivers massive single-target damage and sensor disruption. The Drone Handler's niche is the action economy through machines -- they fight through remotes, scout through machines, and solve problems from a safe distance.
Level Table
Drone Operator
Field
Value
bab
0
fortitude
0
level
1
reflex
0
skillPoints
16
title
Drone Operator
will
2
xp
0
Swarm Tender
Field
Value
bab
1
fortitude
0
level
2
reflex
0
skillPoints
4
title
Swarm Tender
will
3
xp
3000
Drone Handler
Field
Value
bab
1
fortitude
1
level
3
reflex
1
skillPoints
4
title
Drone Handler
will
3
xp
6000
Fleet Commander
Field
Value
bab
2
fortitude
1
level
4
reflex
1
skillPoints
4
title
Fleet Commander
will
4
xp
12000
Master Handler
Field
Value
bab
2
fortitude
1
level
5
reflex
1
skillPoints
4
title
Master Handler
will
4
xp
24000
Grand Handler
Field
Value
bab
3
fortitude
2
level
6
reflex
2
skillPoints
4
title
Grand Handler
will
5
xp
48000
Swarm Leader
Field
Value
bab
3
fortitude
2
level
7
reflex
2
skillPoints
4
title
Swarm Leader
will
5
xp
85000
Drone Lord
Field
Value
bab
4
fortitude
2
level
8
reflex
2
skillPoints
4
title
Drone Lord
will
6
xp
130000
High Drone Lord
Field
Value
bab
4
fortitude
3
level
9
reflex
3
skillPoints
4
title
High Drone Lord
will
6
xp
190000
Fleet Master
Field
Value
bab
5
fortitude
3
level
10
reflex
3
skillPoints
4
title
Fleet Master
will
7
xp
260000
High Fleet Master
Field
Value
bab
5
fortitude
3
level
11
reflex
3
skillPoints
4
title
High Fleet Master
will
7
xp
340000
Swarm Master
Field
Value
bab
6
fortitude
4
level
12
reflex
4
skillPoints
4
title
Swarm Master
will
8
xp
420000
High Swarm Master
Field
Value
bab
6
fortitude
4
level
13
reflex
4
skillPoints
4
title
High Swarm Master
will
8
xp
500000
Machine Hive
Field
Value
bab
7
fortitude
4
level
14
reflex
4
skillPoints
4
title
Machine Hive
will
9
xp
580000
High Machine Hive
Field
Value
bab
7
fortitude
5
level
15
reflex
5
skillPoints
4
title
High Machine Hive
will
9
xp
660000
Void Swarm
Field
Value
bab
8
fortitude
5
level
16
reflex
5
skillPoints
4
title
Void Swarm
will
10
xp
740000
High Void Swarm
Field
Value
bab
8
fortitude
5
level
17
reflex
5
skillPoints
4
title
High Void Swarm
will
10
xp
820000
The Hive Mind
Field
Value
bab
9
fortitude
6
level
18
reflex
6
skillPoints
4
title
The Hive Mind
will
11
xp
900000
High Hive Mind
Field
Value
bab
9
fortitude
6
level
19
reflex
6
skillPoints
4
title
High Hive Mind
will
11
xp
980000
Supreme Drone Handler
Field
Value
bab
10
fortitude
6
level
20
reflex
6
skillPoints
4
title
Supreme Drone Handler
will
12
xp
1060000
Special Abilities
Drone Fleet
Field
Value
level
1
name
Drone Fleet
description: The Drone Handler builds and maintains a fleet of personal drones. The Handler begins with 1 drone frame (type chosen from below) and gains +1 drone at levels 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20. Drone types: Scout (AC 14, HP 5, speed 30 ft fly, Perception + Handler's ranks, Stealth + Handler's ranks -- the eyes that go first), Combat (AC 16, HP 10, speed 20 ft ground, attack: 1d6+Handler's INT mod energy, BAB = Handler's level/2 -- the gun that does not risk a person), or Support (AC 12, HP 8, speed 20 ft, carries 20 lbs, can administer medicine, deploy smoke, or provide illumination -- the hands that reach where people cannot). Drones act on the Handler's initiative. A destroyed drone can be rebuilt with 4 hours of work and 100 rek. The Handler controls drones as a move action (one drone) or standard action (all drones). At level 10, drones are controlled as a free action. At level 15, the Handler can swap a drone's type with 1 hour of reconfiguration. The 100-rek rebuild cost is the Drone Handler's core economics: every drone that dies instead of a person is a net saving.
Drone Upgrade
Field
Value
level
3
name
Drone Upgrade
description: The Drone Handler can install upgrades into drone frames. Each drone can hold 1 upgrade at level 3, 2 at level 8, 3 at level 13, and 4 at level 18. Upgrades require 2 hours of work and 200 rek in parts. Options: Shield Generator (+2 AC), Enhanced Sensors (+4 Perception, Darkvision 60 ft), Weapon Mount (adds second attack type: kinetic slug 1d8, plasma burst 2d4 area, or arc stunner 1d4 + stun), Armour Plating (+5 HP, DR 2/-), Cloaking Field (invisible to thermal and electronic sensors, +5 Stealth), Repair Module (heal adjacent ally or drone 1d6 HP/round), or Suicide Charge (drone explodes on command, 3d6 damage, 15-ft radius, Reflex DC 15+Handler level for half). The upgrade slots are the Handler's craft: each drone becomes a specialised tool, not a generic remote.
Swarm Protocol
Field
Value
level
5
name
Swarm Protocol
description: The Drone Handler can command all drones to attack the same target in a coordinated swarm. All Combat drones make a single attack roll (best BAB among drones + 1 per additional drone). On a hit, roll damage for all drones and sum. On a miss, half the drones still deal half damage (fragments and glancing hits). Additionally, the target must succeed on a Reflex save (DC = 10 + Handler level + INT modifier) or be blinded and deafened for 1 round from the sensor overload. Usable once per encounter. At level 12, Swarm Protocol can target a 15-foot radius area. The swarm is the Drone Handler's alpha strike: every drone converges on the same point, and the target drowns in incoming fire from every direction at once.