Eight Arms to Hold You

One of Neon Drift’s drones — a bear-sized, octopus-like unit with medical sensors built into its arms. Its full name is Eight Arms to Hold You, commonly shortened to Eight Arms. It is deployed to check on party members (“this giant bear-sized octopus comes to life next to you and reaches out with its medical sensors — Eight Arms has got you, boy”) and doubles as cargo muscle, hauling cases of synth bacon out of the Early Bird Diner during Session 1’s provisioning stop.

Distinct from Van Buren (Neon Drift’s van) and All Correct (his smaller quadcopter drone).

Session 3 showed what else it is: a combat drone. It’s about the size of a small bear, octopus-like, with slick, jointed, long limbs. One limb ends in a sensor apparatus. An old chain-gun autocannon flips out of its back and spins up, loudly. (Neon’s player flavors it as an autocannon to match the one on Van Buren, though it hits harder.) The table compared it to the Matrix sentinels and Doc Ock. It is not quiet: “It is not inconspicuous.”

Known Facts

• 5-harm autocannon. In Session 3 it tore one of Iona Glass’s guards in half, shredded two men in the front seat of a Cadillac (and the Cadillac’s engine), and killed a guard in the kitchen. Neon rolls Synth +2 (Second Skin) for its Mix It Up. Its noise advanced the mission clock once, and one of its ricochets hit Neon in the back.
• Operates autonomously. It runs on standing orders to “protect our group at all costs,” and Neon can point and say “take that guy.”
• Too noisy to get close to anything quietly. In the alley the GM ruled neither Neon nor Eight Arms could get within about 150 feet of the guards unseen.
• Carries medical-response equipment/sensors, but no medical supplies. It can do basic combat-medic work, though not mid-firefight, and couldn’t treat Muktar’s Session 3 wounds on its own.
• Used for hauling cargo (six cases of synth bacon) ahead of the crew’s trip into the Switchback.
• Rendered medical aid to Mara Sato in Session 2, working on her neck wound (where her tracking implant was removed) while the van circled the Switchback — the medical care was part of the deal that got her talking.
• Waves at people with a tentacle. Slithers out behind Neon Drift when he exits the van, to general attention.

Appearances

• Session 1 — Deploys medical sensors on Bullfrog; hauls provisions before the crew heads underground.
• Session 2 — Treats Mara Sato’s injuries in the back of the van as part of the crew’s bargain with her.
• Session 3 — Its first combat on-screen. It does most of the killing in the ramen-shop breakout, covers Neon’s retreat, and does triage on the crew during the escape.