Chameleon Droid

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Chameleon Droid
Arakyd’s Chameleon droid is a class-four (combat/sabotage) conversion of the company’s Spelunker probe droid—originally a mining/exploration platform—reworked by Techno Union engineers for the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Its trademark is a holographic camouflage array that mimics the background and frustrates casual visual sweeps while it lays mines, sabotages targets, and ambushes patrols. It’s not a front-line brawler; it’s a stealthy saboteur.

Design lineage: Arakyd Spelunker (civil) → Chameleon (militarized refit carried out under Techno Union contracts using Commerce Guild stock).

Capabilities & Equipment
Locomotion: Four articulated pincer-legs plus a repulsorlift assist for smooth movement and “quiet” landings. Traction fields in the feet allow vertical and inverted crawling (ceilings, cliff faces).
Holo-camouflage (not true cloaking): Scans surroundings and viewer angles, then projects a directional background image. Rapid viewpoint changes, active sensors, and thermal/EM scans can expose a shimmer or parallax lag. Great against stationary cameras/guards, weaker against alert observers at close range.

Armament:
Baseline: 1 internal light blaster for self-defense/harassment.
Combat Refit: Triad of micro-lasers (3) replacing chest sensor cluster for aggressive ambushes (seen in several campaigns).
Mines: Internal bay carries 24 fragmentation/anti-personnel mines (converted from the Spelunker’s blasting-charge bay).
Insertion: Deployed in hyperspace drop pods (pre-Imperial Arakyd “Predator/Probe-Mate–era” pods), or moved by freighter to target worlds.
Endurance: Sealed, cold-weather capable; commonly seen on Ilum (ice) and Felucia (jungle).
Tactics: Approach cloaked → seed minefield invisibly → open fire to herd targets into the mines → withdraw or self-destruct if compromised.

Manufacture & Conversion
Arakyd Industries built the Spelunker for mining guilds (Commerce Guild purchased them in bulk).

As the Separatist Crisis escalated, the Techno Union (another CIS bloc) overhauled the Spelunker design into the Chameleon—adding weapons, mines, and the holo array—in breach of Arakyd’s original no-military-use contract with the Commerce Guild.

Field technicians swapped finishes: matte gray/black for most deployments; occasional red-tinted plating existed as factory primer or unit markings that were typically overlaid by the camouflage projection in combat. Sensor “blue” is the idle emitter hue; combat filters often show red.

Operational History
Ilum (Month 4 of the Clone Wars): Chameleons ambushed Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee inside the Jedi Temple caverns; Yoda intervened. Mines heavily damaged the crystal caves.
Ryloth: Used in the occupation’s aftermath to harry Republic forces and guard Separatist movements.
Felucia/Outer Rim Sieges: Deployed ahead of OG-9 homing spider droids for forward sabotage and ambush.
Commerce Guild/Techno Union Doctrine: Commonly fielded in 5-unit cells; for hardened targets, up to 20 (Commerce Guild) or 12 (Techno Union) in one operation.
War’s end: Deactivated with the Separatist shutdown order following the execution of the Separatist Council.
_________________
Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
@swd6podcast, Twitter

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Chameleon Droid
Model: Arakyd Spelunker/Techno Union "Chameleon" Spelunker Probe Droid
Type: Cloaked mine-layer/sabotage probe (CIS)
DEXTERITY 2D+1
Blaster 3D+1, dodge 3D, running 5D+1*
KNOWLEDGE 1D
MECHANICAL 1D
Communications 3D+1, repulsorlift operation 3D, sensors 3D+1
PERCEPTION 3D
Hide 8D*, search 6D*, sneak 6D*
STRENGTH 3D
Brawling 4D, climbing/jumping 9D*
TECHNICAL 2D+2
Computer programming/repair 3D+1, demolitions 4D, security 3D+1
* skills include modifiers from equipment
Equpped With:
Light Blaster (4D, 3-10/30/120) or 3 Light Blasters (6D, 3-10/30/120)
Minelayer bay (24 fragmentation anti-personnel mines, remote detonate; 0-2/4/6, 6D/5D/4D)
Sensor array (+2D search)
Holographic camouflage array (+4D to hide and +2D sneak)
Four articulated legs with traction-field feet (+3D climbing)
Repulsorlift assist (+3D running and climbing/jumping)
Encrypted burst comms
Self destruct system - detonite (6D on, 4 meter radius)
Move: 10 (crawl/hover)/5 climbing; 45 kmh
Height: 2 meters tall (legs extended)
Cost: 12,000 (surplus/de-mil), 18,000 (combat)
Availability: 4, X
_________________
Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
@swd6podcast, Twitter

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Fragmentation Mine
Model: FR-24 fragmentation mine (CIS pattern)
Type: Anti-personnel pressure/beam mine
Skill: Demolitions
Cost: 150 each; 1,200 (crate of 10)
Availability: 4, X
Blast Radius: 0-2/4/6
Damage: 6D/5D/4D
Game Notes: Trigger radius 2 meters; arm 1 action on quick-arm rack.
_________________
Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
@swd6podcast, Twitter

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Shaped Charge Mine
Model: SC-8 shaped-charge mine
Type: Anti-vehicle belly mine (directed cone)
Skill: Demolitions
Cost: 450
Availability: 4, X
Blast Radius: (60° cone) 0-2/4/6
Damage: 8D/7D/6D
Game Notes: Counts as 2 slots in Chameleon bay.
_________________
Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
@swd6podcast, Twitter

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Ion Mine
Model: EM-5 ion mine
Type: Anti-droid/electronics suppression mine
Skill: Demolitions
Cost: 300
Availability: 4, X
Blast Radius: 0-2/4/6
Damage: 6D/5D/4D ionization
Game Notes: On Wound+ vs droids shut down 1D rounds; vs vehicles –1D to all equipment rolls and control.
_________________
Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
@swd6podcast, Twitter

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Seismic Mine
Model: S-2 Seismic/Beam Trip Mine
Type: Directional trip-beam mine
Skill: Demolitions
Cost: 200
Availability: 4, X
Blast Radius: (60° forward facing cone) 0-2/4/6
Damage: 5D/4D/3D
Game Notes: Adjustable IR/sonic beam up to 3 meters; breaking the beam detonates.
_________________
Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
@swd6podcast, Twitter

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Chameleon Loadout Guidance
Standard load: 24× FR-24.
Mixed load (common): 14× FR-24, 6× EM-5, 2× SC-8 (counts as 4 slots), 2× S-2.
All-AV: 12× SC-8 (fills bay).

Swapping types is a resupply action; arming on the quick-arm rack is 1 action per mine.
_________________
Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
@swd6podcast, Twitter

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Mine-Laying & "Herd" Tactics
Templates & damage (frag mine, CIS pattern)
Trigger Radius: 2 meters (pressure or beam).
Area of Effect: 0-2/4/6
Damage: 5D/4D/3D
Arming: 1 action per mine. Timers/remote dets allowed (set when arming).
Placement: The droid may place 1 mine at any point along its movement in a round. Placing an extra mine in the same round costs 1 additional action (MAPs apply).

Concealment & Detection
Visual/Search: (Terain difficulty + droid's Security 3D+1) vs Search; typical static difficulty (15) in neutral terrain.
Sensors: Handheld or suit sensors detect mines at (15); heavy clutter (Felucia jungle, Ilum ice glare) may impose +/-1D modifiers.
Disarm: Demolitions (15); failure by 5+ triggers the mine (apply damage). Remote timed/booby-trapped variants increase to (20).

Minefield Density (optional)
Light: 1 per 6 m—crossing requires Search (5) to spot a path; failure risks entering a trigger radius on any movement over 6 m.
Standard: 1 per 4 m requires Search (10) to spot a safe path; failure triggers a check at GM discretion.
Heavy: 1 per 2 m requires Search (15) to pick a safe path; on failure, entering a new 2 m square triggers a mine.

“Herd" Tactic
When the chameleon opens fire from concealment, targets that choose to Dodge may also choose to move as part of their reaction. Any movement into or through a mined 2 m radius immediately resolves a mine detonation before the attack result is applied (encourages retreat routes to be chosen carefully).

If the chameleon beats the target’s reaction by 5+, it may force the target to choose one of two bad options: accept the hit or move up to 2 m in a direction the droid threatens (GM picks based on fiction)—potentially into a mined area. (GM safety valve: heroic declaration or spending a Character Point can negate the forced move once per scene.)

Counters & Notes
Throwing debris or using a remote to trigger: treat as a ranged attack vs Easy (10) at up to 10 m; on success, the mine detonates safely.
Ion/EMP: Mines are hardened but not immune—ion damage 4D+ can disable a mine with a demolitions or security (15) check.
Camouflage Interaction: The holo array does not hide the mines—only the droid. Careful opponents can still sweep and clear if they survive the ambush.
_________________
Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
@swd6podcast, Twitter