Greaser
A Greaser is many things rolled into one: mechanic, engineer, fixer, operator, if it can break you can fix it. Whether you’re elbow-deep in the engine of a battered rover or fine-tuning the circuits of a cutting-edge drone, your mechanical genius is invaluable to any team lucky enough to have you. Gear means nothing if it doesn’t work, and you’ve dedicated your life to ensuring that every piece of equipment runs at peak performance. It’s not just about repairs either, you have a knack for pushing machines beyond their design limits, effortlessly adapting to even the most unfamiliar technology.
Yet your gift for all things technical has its downside. Hours spent poring over schematics and tinkering with broken parts can leave you blind to social nuances, and you often find people more puzzling than any machine you’ve ever cracked open. When it comes to hardware, you’re the go-to expert. But when a tricky negotiation arises, or tension flares between two teammates, you’re just as likely to shrug and return to your toolbox. After all, a broken circuit board is a lot easier to fix than a bruised ego.
Why should I play one?
- You can make bombs, weapons, armour and just about any kind of gadget.
- You are like MacGyver, and that is cool.
- Your team will love you and your ability to maintain their gear. You are the best at fixing anything. Period.
Bonus Trait: +1d Acumen
Starting skill package (choose one)
Junker The Greaser who can make something out of nothing.
- Computer (d6)
- Demolitions (d6)
- Engineering (d6)
- Armed (d4)
- Munitions (d4)
- Surveillance (d4)
*Sapper Greasers that were more combat-oriented.
- Demolitions (d6)
- Engineering (d6)
- Munitions (d6)
- Armed (d4)
- Computer (d4)
- Gunnery (d4)
Lab Rat Combining science with engineering.
- Computer (d6)
- Engineering (d6)
- Science (d6)
- Demolitions (d4)
- Chemistry (d4)
- NeoScience (d4)
Choose a Punter
Choose one from the list below, or see the extended Example Punters list and pick one of those with GM approval.
- Corp Quartermaster
- Grey Marketeer
- Smuggler
- Union Official
Tradecraft
| Tradecraft | Description |
|---|---|
| Jury Rig | Temporarily fixes anything on the fly and ignore vehicle Wounds |
| Gadgeteer | Make device from common materials (not Scrounge as per Finger Tradecraft) |
| Gear Head | Reroll Engineering skill |
| Tech Nerd | Work out any kind of tech, even alien |
| Quartermaster | Group members may reroll equipment and weapon crit failures, once per combat. |
| This depends on the Greaser maintaining the group's equipment each day. | |
| Armourer | Reduce the time it takes to repair body armour |
Tradecraft Descriptions
Jury Rig
Actions: 1 Turn per Wound of Device
The quintessential skill of emergency repair using unconventional and readily available components. This expertise is not about creating lasting solutions but about invoking sheer ingenuity to make devices operational in moments when they're critically needed, despite the odds. Practitioners of this craft are adept at cobbling together functional fixes from materials that, under normal circumstances, would not be considered suitable for repairs.
Components: You still need some basic materials, such as loose wire, rubber tubing, or scrap pieces of metal that can be fashioned into temporary clamps. If the player lacks these components, the GM may require an Engineering or Survival skill check to find enough materials to make the Jury Rig.
Procedure
- Roll your Engineering skill check against a Target Number of 4.
- On a Successful check, nullify penalties from one Wound of damage sustained by the device.
- For each Critical Success, ignore one additional wound for the duration of the conflict.
Timing
- It takes 1 Turn per Wound to jury-rig the device
Once the dust of conflict settles, the wounds resurface, demanding proper repair. Remember, this quick-fix approach has its limits. You can not jury-rig the same wounds again, and they must be repaired in full or the vehicle carries them into the next Conflict. Any fresh damage sustained in future conflicts is fair game for your expedient engineering skills.
Trade Secrets:
Lasting Fix: Your temporary repairs hold together longer than usual, providing a vital edge in extended engagements. With this ability, your team can rely on your fixes to withstand the pressures of protracted conflicts, ensuring that critical systems remain operational when they are needed most.
Modifier: Your Jury Rig repairs last for one additional conflict.
Found it: Not only are you skilled at temporarily repairing the unfixable, but you also always seem to have the right components at hand. What others would consider scrap, you carry in your pockets, ready to be used in your jury-rigged repairs.
Modifier: Spend 1 Luck point to instantly find the component you need to make the jury rig. This could be a piece of wire, rubber tubing, or an old cable tie you absent-mindedly put in your pocket and forgot about until now.`
Gadgeteer
Actions: N/A
In a world of scrap and circuits, your knack for invention shines. You're the master of cobbling together improvised gadgets from the odds and ends you encounter. While scavenging might not be your forte, once you've got your hands on mechanical and electrical scraps, your imagination takes over. From whimsical contraptions to practical tools, your creations while short lived are limited only by the resources at hand and your ingenuity.
Remember:
-
Every invention requires time and effort. Discuss the crafting time and materials needed for each gadget with your GM to ensure it fits within the game's flow.
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Don't aim for the moon! While your inventions can be powerful, they are still cobbled together from scraps. Focus on utility and creativity, not game-breaking abilities.
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Think outside the toolbox! Don't be afraid to get weird and whimsical with your creations. A singing bird that carries messages, a grappling hook made from spoons, or even a small potato-powered EMP grenade.
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Crafting time is 4 Turns or the target number of the skill check, whichever is higher.
The Gadgeteer Tradecraft is about creativity within constraints. While your devices shouldn't overshadow the game's balance, they should add an element of fun and utility, reflecting your character's inventive spirit.
Improvised Weaponry: Yes you can transform your salvaged parts and debris into makeshift weapons or traps. Imagine crafting a flamethrower from a fuel canister or an EMP blast from a communications array.
Roll your Engineering skill check against a target number of 4
- Success: The improvised device made in this fashion lasts for 1 Turn
- Critical Success: Extend life by 1 Turn or Reduce crafting time by 1 Turn
Engineering Skill Check Target Numbers
| Difficulty | Target Number | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate | 4 | Communication device, Simple weapon |
| Demanding | 6 | Weapons with critical effect single target e.g. EMP, Shock |
| Formidable | 8 | Weapons with area of effect |
| Monumental | 10 | Stealth capabilities |
| Esoteric | 12 | Large explosive device |
Trade Secrets:
MacGyver's Touch: With exceptional skill and resourcefulness and just a little bit of luck enable you to create devices that endure throughout the entirety of a conflict. Your creations are not just quick fixes; they become reliable tools that can be depended upon until the very end of any engagement.
Modifier: Spend 1 Luck point, improvised devices last for the duration of a conflict.
Mad Inventor: Your creations not only serve their intended purpose but carry an extra punch, showcasing the lethal edge of your creativity. Whether it’s an additional Wound dealt by a weapon or a stunning effect that incapacitates an enemy, your ingenuity turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Players choice of either:
- Effect bonus +1 Wound, Strain, +1 dice.
- Reduce crafting time by half, no less than 4 Turns.
Gear Head
Actions: Passive
For you, grease isn't just grime; it's a badge of honour, a testament to countless tinkerings and triumphs over malfunctioning machinery. Your mind hums with the rhythm of circuits and the poetry of cogs & sprockets, making you a veritable maestro of all things mechanical. You have an edge when it comes to Engineering challenges.
You can re-roll one of your Engineering skill dice if your initial skill attempt fails. However, you're committed to the outcome of this second roll. This advantage applies solely to the Skill die, not the associated Trait die roll. Even if your Trait roll is successful, but the Skill attempt fails, this Tradecraft remains at your disposal to try and get a better result.
Trade Secrets:
Technophile: Your deep affinity for technology enhances your proficiency with electrical and mechanical systems. This heightened understanding translates into a consistent bonus on your Engineering skill rolls, ensuring that your expertise shines through even in the most challenging situations.
Modifier: +1 to Engineering skill rolls.
Boosted System: Your ability to temporarily overclock a device pushes its capabilities beyond their normal limits. This trade secret lets you enhance a vehicle's performance, increase the output from a power source, or even add a new, temporary feature. This gives your team a crucial advantage in critical moments.
Roll your Engineering skill against a target number of 4.
- Success: Choose one device attribute to enhance (e.g., speed for vehicles, sensor power) for the duration of the conflict.
- Critical Success: Choose one additional attribute.
| Attribute | Engineer Skill |
|---|---|
| Toughness | + 1dice |
| Handling | + 1dice |
| Speed | + 1dice |
| Armour | +4AP |
| Sensor | +1 dice |
| Trait | +1 dice |
Techno Savant
Actions: Full
The pulse of circuits, the hum of machinery, are not just background noise to you – they're a symphony, and you know every note. Your tireless tinkering with familiar and fantastical technology has woven its magic into your very being, granting you an uncanny knack.
When using your Munitions, Heavy Munitions, Computer and Engineering skills on technology from beyond your world, you suffer no penalties from unfamiliarity. The challenges remain, but the language of tech is universal to you.
Trade Secrets:
Techno Polyglot: Your mind is a library of blueprints, able to deconstruct the unfamiliar. Reverse engineer experimental, unique, or mysterious technology with remarkable speed and precision, and potentially uncover hidden capabilities or modifications.
Modifier: Reduce the target number difficulty of engineering skill checks by one level.
Tech Harmonisation: Your understanding of different technologies allows you to harmonise disparate systems, ensuring they work together flawlessly. This skill is invaluable when dealing with hybrid or multi-tech environments. Such as combining a laser pistol with a freeze secondary effect.
Modifier: +1 to Engineering rolls when synchronising or integrating multiple technological systems, reducing the chance of incompatibility.
Armourer
Actions: Passive
As an Armourer, you're a master of metals and composite alloys, breathing new life into battered gear. Your deft hands and keen eye for damage make you a walking armoury, ready to patch up any breach in the line of defence. Your expertise in the art of armour maintenance allows you to get the most out of every armour repair spray. Whether tending to your gear or assisting a comrade, your skilled application ensures that the spray's effectiveness is doubled.
Armour Modification: You can modify existing armour, adding slots for special enhancements such as energy resistance, stealth modules, or utility compartments.
| Engineering Skill | Add. Slots |
|---|---|
| d4 | 1 |
| d6 | 1 |
| d8 | 2 |
| d10 | 2 |
| d12 | 3 |
Trade Secrets:
Bulwark: Improve armour’s survivability by adding a layer of ablative armour. A Engineering skill check success grants a bonus layer of 4 armour points to an existing piece of armour. Each additional critical success adds another 4 armour points. The maximum amount of additional armour points that can be layered is based on your Engineering skill level.
The ablative layer can not be repaired and can only be removed and replaced.
Thrifty: On a successful Engineering skill check, you can repair an additional 4 armour points above the normal skill reward at no extra material cost. Each critical success you achieve grants an additional 4 armour points.
Quartermaster
Actions: 4 hours
As a Quartermaster, your affinity for maintaining your group's gear shines during periods of downtime' Fueled by your love of tinkering, you possess the unique ability to enhance items, a craft that proves invaluable before embarking on an adventure or while the group rests overnight. This process, however, is time-constrained, demanding several hours of focused work.
During a dedicated four-hour session, you, the Quartermaster, employ your Engineering skill, following the Rule of Four as per usual. Success in this endeavour results in the augmentation of one item. In the case of critical successes, you can choose to either enhance an additional item or grant the same item more 'charges.' The boosted item retains its augmented capabilities for a specific number of charges, which are expended upon usage.
Modifications only last until the end of the next conflict.
| BOOST | MAX | Mats |
|---|---|---|
| +1 Skill roll | 2 | 2 |
| +1 Wound | 1 | 5 |
| +4 Armour Points | 4 | 5 |
| +1d to a Skill* | 1 | 2 |
| +5 Ammo Capacity | 2 | 3 |
| +1 Injectable Charge | 2 | 3 |
| +1 Armour Spray Charge | 2 | 4 |
This only applies to equipment that affects a skill which the Greaser can boost i.e. Electronic lockpicks for Intrusion.
Trade Secrets:
Lock & Loaded: Efficiency is your middle name. For every success with your engineering skill, you shave minutes from the required time, making you a paragon of productivity under pressure.
Modifier: Each Critical success reduces the time required 15 minutes
Tinkerer: Your ability to see potential where others see completion allows you to double the fruits of your labour.
`Modifier: On a successful skill check, you're able to bestow 2 enhancements, either upon a single device, or 1 enhancement to two devices.