Create a Pilot

Engineers form an integral component of the Union, the grease that keeps our Mechs and Crawlers trundling across the great wastelands. They can take apart and put back together a Mech Chassis in the blink of an eye, and keep their salvage crew operational out in the wastes. Choose an Engineer if you want a character with a breadth of engineering and mechanical knowledge; who can repair and support you and your allies' Mechs, mount Mech parts significantly faster, and allow you to craft Mech parts in the field.

If you need a job done in the Union, no matter how dirty, you call a Hauler. There is never a job too big, or a deal too messy, that they won't shake your hand with a smile to do. Whether it is hauling a leaky reactor through a hot zone or salvaging from a buried arco in a toxic waste dump. This can-do attitude makes them a shoo-in for leadership roles, as other salvagers look up to them for their sheer tenacity. Play a Hauler if you want to play a hardy character who can haul large amounts of cargo, make tough deals, and protect and inspire their allies.

The wasteland is a vast, hostile, and unforgiving expanse; and the Scout knows that land from end to end. Without their guidance, our Mechs and Crawlers would be lost in the wastes, prey to raider ambushes, rad storms, and mutated beast attacks. A Scout's knowledge of the wastes extends beyond the natural, allowing them to infiltrate wasteland sites and corpo settlements and bases. Play a Scout if you want Abilities that allow you to snipe at your enemies, perform tracking and reconnaissance in the wastes, and infiltrate protected areas.

Electronic warfare is a reality of the world we live in, and Hackers are at the forefront, delving into the cybersphere to discover new and ingenious ways to hack into Mech infrastructure, tap into corpo networks, and use corpo tech against their owners. Hackers are constantly experimenting with new ways to craft Mech components, and many augment their bodies with a range of modifications, finding their flesh as dull as a long system update. Choose a Hacker if you want access to specialised hacking Abilities, to play a character with a wide range of knowledge about technology, or are interested in augmenting your character beyond the flesh.

The Union runs on the backbone of Salvagers who come from all walks of life. This gives them a wide breadth of knowledge which they use to support the Salvage Union. An average day for a Salvager may see them out in the wastes, salvaging scrap in the morning, welding together broken Mechs in the afternoon, and hacking into the corpo-net in the evening. Play a Salvager if you want to be a jack of all trades who can draw from multiple different Abilities as suits your play style. Salvagers can take a maximum of 12 Pilot Abilities, and can choose Abilities from any of the Core Ability trees from any Class. However they cannot advance into any of the Hybrid Classes, nor do they have any Advanced or Legendary Abilities.

War and conflict is an ever present factor in the wastelands and whether fighting with sharpened sticks or plasma cannons, soldiers have always been at the forefront of a conflict throughout human history. Union Soldiers join from many avenues of life. Some are veterans of past wars, some are wastelanders who have earned their stripes by simply surviving out there, others defect from corpo merc life to the better one the Unions can provide. What they all have in common is a desire to fight for the Salvage Union which has provided them and their community with so much. Play a Soldier if you want to play a combat focused character who can blow things up, engage in brutal melee combat, and survive out in the hostile wastes.

You can casually answer questions about Systems, Modules, Mechs, or technology even if you do not actually know the answer.

You sing a song that kindles strong feelings in NPCs nearby. Read or sing the chorus of a song at the table, and describe your performance. You may write your own or use one from another songwriter.

You are able to hastily craft improvised equipment from everyday objects taken from your surroundings.

When you are in an area with everyday objects at your disposal, you may craft any Pilot Equipment of your choice of a Tech Level equal to or lower than your Union Crawler.

This Pilot Equipment gains the Unwieldy Trait, and is destroyed on any roll of 1-5 when used, in addition to any other setbacks.

You have an affinity with the people of the wastes. When you activate this Ability you become friendly with a wastelander who you can communicate with. Describe how you do this.

You may ask this wastelander up to two questions about the local area and they will answer to the full extent of their knowledge. In addition, they will provide you with what help they can as long as it does not put them in danger. For example, by providing you with food or shelter.

If you meet this wastelander again you may ask them one question and they will answer it.

You have a knack for being the first to act in an altercation. When you activate this Ability you act first in the current situation.

If using Group Initiative, assume you rolled a 20 on the Group Initiative Table, but you must be the first to act in the round and cannot choose to act later in the round.

You always find a way to squeeze that last bit of cargo into a Mech. When activated, you may temporarily increase the Cargo Capacity of a Mech in Range by 4. This effect lasts for 12 hours. You may activate this Ability multiple times on the same Mech.

You charge a target in Range, moving to Close Range of them. If you make an attack with the Melee Trait on the turn you use this Ability you deal an additional amount of damage equal to the Tech Level of the Weapon or Weapons System you are attacking with. You may only use this Ability once per turn.

When you are in conversation with someone, you may appeal to something that motivates them in order to convince them to do something you want. The Mediator will decide what motivates them from one of the following options and secretly note it down.

You must choose what you want from them, decide what you are appealing to and describe what you say in the conversation. If you choose the correct approach they will do what you've asked. Though you must do anything you've promised in the exchange.

If you choose incorrectly, they won't do what you want. This may have additional consequences as decided by the Mediator depending on the context of the situation.

For 1 AP, the Mediator must offer you a narrative clue during the conversation that eliminates one of the incorrect choices. This can be something like, "You overheard this person saying she wasn't afraid of the local raiders, even if they were dangerous."

You have a knack for being able to read people during a conversation. Choose an NPC that you are in conversation with. During the conversation, you can spend 1 AP to learn one of the following options. You can do this as many times as you wish during the conversation.

You acquire and train in the use of a Hacking Kit that only you can use. Add this to your Pilot Inventory. This has a basic suite of hacking transmitters and tools that can be utilised by programming hacks into it.

When you acquire the Hacking Kit you may program a single Ability with the Hacking Trait from any System, Module, or Mech Chassis Ability you have access to into your Hacking Kit. The Hacking Kit can store a number of Abilities equal to the Tech Level of your Union Crawler, additional Abilities can be added during Downtime.

Once programmed, you can use the Abilities stored on your Hacking Kit as your Pilot, and can spend AP instead of EP when using them.

In addition, any Pilot Ability you have with the Hacking Trait may be performed from your Mech. You can spend EP for this Ability instead of AP.

If your Hacking Kit is misplaced or destroyed you can acquire a new one during Downtime, it still has all your stored abilities backed up.

For each Ability Point you spend when you activate this Ability you restore up to 4 SP amongst any number of target Mechs or Vehicles within Range, as long as they have at least 1 SP.

For example, if you spend 3 AP you may restore up to 12 SP between all target Mechs or Vehicles. You may distribute this SP however you wish amongst the targets.

You are able to answer questions pertaining to mechanical and engineering topics. You may ask the Mediator two questions that cover these areas, and they must answer truthfully. You can use this Ability to ask for the full stats of any Mech Chassis, System, Module, or Pilot Equipment that you can see and interact with, as one of these questions.

You gain your choice of integrated Thermal Optics, Zoom Optics, or IR Night Vision Optics. This is installed in your cranium via surgical procedure, and grants your Pilot all of the Abilities of the chosen Module. You must spend AP instead of EP to use any of these Abilities. During Downtime you may undergo a further surgical procedure in a Med Bay to remove your current integrated optics and install another one of your choice from the list above.

You safely investigate an area to gather information about it. This can be a specific point on the Area Map or a location such as a ruin, encampment, settlement, or base. Describe how you go about doing this, then ask the Mediator two questions about the area which will be answered truthfully.

You provoke any target within Range to focus their attention on you. The target must be able to understand your intent. For the next 10 minutes, the target focuses its attacks, Abilities, and hostilities on you, ignoring all others. This effect ends if you attack another target or if hostilities end.

You acquire and train in the use of a Custom Missile Launcher that only you can use. It can be customised how you desire. At each Tech Level you may choose an additional modification for your Custom Missile Launcher.

You construct an immobile Auto-Turret and train yourself in using it. Only you may use the Auto-Turret. It is powered by a simple reactor and controlled by a rudimentary A.I. It can be used to defend an area and obey simple commands. It acts independently of you, and has its own turn in the round.

An Auto-Turret uses the same rules as Mechs for attaching Systems and Modules; taking damage and being repaired; as well as Heat and Heat Checks. Your Auto-Turret cannot Push.

You may deploy your Auto-Turret in a location you are in as a Turn Action.

Your Auto-Turret has a unique personality. Choose this or roll on the A.I. Personality Table p. 91. Name your Auto-Turret if you want to get especially attached.

Your Auto-Turret has a Tech Level equal to your Union Crawler. Your Auto-Turret is upgraded along with your Union Crawler, it gains additional stats as shown for each Tech level above the first.

You acquire and train in the use of a Survey Drone and Drone Controller that only you can use. Add the Drone Controller to your Pilot Equipment when using the Survey Drone. You may control the Survey Drone up to Far Range.

Sending a command to your Survey Drone via the Drone Controller is a Free Action. The Survey Drone acts independently of you, on its own turn. It can be set to do automated tasks such as defending an area, attacking a target, or alerting you when it spots a threat. Your Survey Drone uses the same rules as Mechs for attaching Systems and Modules; taking damage and being repaired; as well as Heat and Heat Checks. Your Survey Drone cannot Push.

Your Survey Drone has a Tech Level equal to your Union Crawler. If your Union Crawler is upgraded, so is your Survey Drone. It gains additional stats as shown for each Tech Level above the first. If your Survey Drone becomes destroyed or is misplaced you can acquire a new one during Downtime. You may only ever have one Survey Drone at a time.

You acquire and train in the use of a Teleport Beacon that only you can use. Add this to your Pilot Inventory. It comes in two halves, a beacon and a controller. The beacon must be physically placed in a location when deployed.

When you activate this Ability via the controller, it allows you to teleport yourself and up to five other creatures of your choice to the location you placed the beacon in.

If the Teleport Beacon is misplaced, damaged, or destroyed, you can acquire a new one during Downtime.

A handheld worker’s torch that runs on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

This lights up an area in Close Range of the Pilot, allowing them to see more clearly in dark or foggy conditions.

This covers any number of homemade explosives. Exploding powder and bits of shrapnel are easy to find amongst the wastes.

An IED can be thrown at a target as an attack. It can also be planted as a proximity mine which triggers when a target comes within Close Range of the IED. In either case, roll an attack as normal to find out what happens.

This covers a wide array of tools, from jacks to hammers to angle grinders, that are used in salvaging.

This allows your Pilot to salvage in the field, because sometimes you need to get your hands dirty.

This covers any number of melee weapons from wrenches and hammers to shards of metal and sharpened metal posts. There are a lot of things you can use to bludgeon, stab, or otherwise injure someone, to be found in the wastes.

This pocket-sized riveting gun can make basic repairs in the field.

You acquire and train in the use of a Hacking Kit that only you can use. Add this to your Pilot Inventory. This has a basic suite of hacking transmitters and tools that can be utilised by programming hacks into it.

When you acquire the Hacking Kit you may program a single Ability with the Hacking Trait from any System, Module, or Mech Chassis Ability you have access to into your Hacking Kit. The Hacking Kit can store a number of Abilities equal to the Tech Level of your Union Crawler, additional Abilities can be added during Downtime.

Once programmed, you can use the Abilities stored on your Hacking Kit as your Pilot, and can spend AP instead of EP when using them.

In addition, any Pilot Ability you have with the Hacking Trait may be performed from your Mech. You can spend EP for this Ability instead of AP.

If your Hacking Kit is misplaced or destroyed you can acquire a new one during Downtime, it still has all your stored abilities backed up.

This set of bandages, plasters, gauze, painkillers, and antiseptics allows you to patch up wounds in the field.

A target creature of your choice in Range regains 3 Hit Points. If they were on 0 Hit Points this restores them to consciousness with 3 HP.

You acquire and train in the use of a Stealth Field Generator that only you can use. This creates a sphere of invisibility around you and up to five Mechs, Creatures, or Vehicles of your choice within Close Range. This makes you and everything you choose under the sphere effectively invisible to both radar and scanning systems, as well as optics and the naked eye. None of the Mechs, Creatures, or Vehicles within the effect of the Stealth Field Generator can be seen with the Scanner Trait, or targeted by anything with the Targeter Trait.

The Stealth Field Generator effect lasts until you choose to deactivate it as a Free Action for no cost.

If your Stealth Field Generator is misplaced, damaged, or destroyed, you can acquire a new one during Downtime. You can only ever have one Stealth Field Generator at a time.

Strong and durable wire, with multiple potential creative applications.

This can be attached to anything within Range, allowing you to climb the wire. It can also be used to aid in the dragging of heavy objects.

A handheld communications device that uses a radio frequency.

This allows you to communicate with anything that has the Communicator Trait within Range.

You acquire and train in the use of a specialised Camo Suit that only you can use. It has miniature optical refractors which bend light away from you, allowing you to be effectively invisible for short periods of time as long as you do not move too quickly, make too much noise, or take any sudden actions.

When activated, you are hidden from sight and sensors for the next hour. You are effectively invisible. You cannot be noticed unless you make a lot of noise or perform a significant action like attacking.

This covers any number of improvised firearms such as pipe guns, zip guns, and slam guns. The humble boomstick has got many a salvager out of a sticky situation.