Gear Head

Gear head is a term for a freelance technical specialist. Generally referring to starship mechanics, it truly encompasses anyone with a high level of engineering skill related to advanced technology systems.

Most gear heads love machines of all sorts, but especially starships and advanced technology. They are common among all species except the Nix, who do not rely heavily on technology of any sort. Gear heads are absolutely essential on starships of any decent size and are never wanting for work. However, it is often an inglorious profession, regardless of how many times they have saved an entire crew by keeping life support running while the ship is on fire or no matter how good they are at jury-rigging the sublight drive with parts from the negative mass generator. While anybody can learn to be a mechanic, gear heads are something special and have an aptitude with machinery that is hard to match.

Special Skills

1. Temporary Boost: On a successful jury-rig roll, a Gear head can temporarily boost a ship's system to increased performance. The jury rig takes a melee round and is always temporary. A failed jury rig roll means that system is out of commission until the gear head or another mechanic can make repairs requiring 1D6 hours of work. Note: It IS possible as a gear head to jury rig a system you can't repair yourself. The following adjustments can be made:

Giving Her All She's Got: Increases speed by 2Gs of acceleration for 1D4 minutes per level of experience, or increase FTL speed by 10% per level for 1 week per level of experience.

Overcharge: One energy weapon system of choice has its damage doubled for one melee round per level of experience..

Doubleshot: One projectile weapon fires double its usual number of rounds for one melee round per level of experience, doing double damage.

Holding That Baby Together: Vehicle continues to operate once main body MDC is depleted for 1D4 minutes per level of experience. It may be possible to repair the ship enough to keep it barely functional for 1D4 days on a successful starship mechanic roll at -25%.

Scan Boost: Doubles the range of a particular sensor or scanner for 1D6 hours per level of experience.

Performance Enhancer: Increases sensitivity of the controls. The pilot has one extra attack per melee round and +2 to dodge for 1D4 melee rounds per level of experience.

2. Walking Technical Manual: On a successful roll, the gear head knows everything about a particular ship, vehicle, mecha or weapon on sight. They can tell you where they were made, how much they cost, common problems, availability, the design team's chief engineer, and famous spacers who used them. Base Skill: 30%+5% per level.

3. Other Bonuses: +1D4 to I.Q., +2 to P.E.

Gear Head O.C.C.

Alignment: Any.

Attribute Requirements: An I.Q. of 12 or better.

Starting S.D.C.: 10

Racial Restrictions: Any except Nix.

O.C.C. Skills

Speak and Read Native Language: 98%

Computer Operation: (+15%)

Computer Repair (+10%)

Basic Math (+15%)

Advanced Math (+15%)

Electrical Engineer (+15%)

General Repair and Maintenance (+20%)

Mechanical Engineer (+15%)

Pilot Hovercraft (+5%)

Jury-Rig (+15%)

E.V.A. (+5%)

Radio: Basic (+10%)

Read Sensory Equipment (+10%)

W.P. Blunt

Zero-G Maneuvering and Combat

Hand-to-hand: Basic can be upgraded to expert at the cost of one "other" skill, or to martial arts (or assassin, if evil) at the cost of two "other" skills.

O.C.C. Related Skills: Select eight (8) other skills, but two must be from either the Electrical or Mechanical categories, plus one additional skill at levels 3, 5, 7, 10 and 13.

Communications: Any (+5%)

Cowboy: None.

Domestic: Any

Electrical: Any (+10%)

Espionage: None except Forgery.

Horsemanship: General only.

Mechanical: Any (+10%)

Medical: First Aid or Paramedic only.

Military: Any

Physical: Any

Pilot: Any non-military (+5%)

Pilot Related: Any (+5%)

Rogue: Any.

Science: Any (+5%)

Technical: Any (+5%)

W.P. Ancient: Any.

W.P. Modern: Any.

Wilderness: None.

Secondary Skills: Select four Secondary Skills at first level from the Secondary Skill List in the Skill Section of Rifts Ultimate Edition. These are additional areas of knowledge that do not get any bonuses, other than any possible bonus for having a high I.Q. All Secondary Skills start at the base skill level.

Standard Equipment: Traveling clothes, coveralls with lots of pockets, one set of light body armor, one weapon of choice, four spare energy clips or magazines (if applicable), goggles, high quality tool kit, tool belt, hand-held general purpose scanner, backpack, 2D4 flares, 2 cans of emergency sealant spray (each can repair small holes of up to 1D4x10 M.D. even damage done to space suits).

Optional Equipment: If no one else in a group has a space ship, Gear Heads who take the Junker focus can start with a light transport or small scout ship that they salvaged themselves. It is old, used and not very pretty, but they don't owe any money on it.

Money: Starting money is 3D6x1,000 credits.

Cybernetics: None to start unless it comes with their special focus. Not averse to getting a couple cybernetic implants, particularly eye, ear and other headware, but tend to avoid anything as severe as a bionic limb.

Experience: Use the Operator experience table in Rifts Ultimate Edition.

Skill Focuses

The Gear Head also selects one of the following skill focuses:

Computer Specialist

CommTech

Junker

Sapper

Starship Engineer

Computer Specialist: In the old days, they used to call these guys "hackers." They know the ins and outs of a computer system like the back of their hand and can not only engage in cyberwarfare against an enemy's computer network, but can effectively guard his allies' network as well.

Artificial Intelligence (+10%)

Computer Neural Networks (+10%)

Computer Programming (+15%)

Computer Repair (+20%)

Computer Hacking (+15%)

Cryptography (+10%)

Research (+10%)

Special Equipment: Concealed universal headjack for direct computer interface, wrist computer as powerful as most standard computers, computer repair kit, portable terminal.

Commtech: Short for communications technician, this gear head works with all sorts of communication gear, particularly those dealing with spying on the enemy and securing allied communications.

Cryptography (+15%)

Electro-countermeasures (+15%)

Laser Communications (+20%)

Optic Systems (+10%)

Surveillance (+10%)

T.V./Video (+20%)

Speaks two additional languages of choice (+15%)

Special Equipment: multi-optics helmet, audio/visual datalink headset, cybernetic ear with amplified hearing.

Bonus: +2 to perception.

Junker: These gear heads leave nothing to waste. They are masters of recycling and repurposing, making any ship more efficient. They are also excellent on rescue ops and are the only gear head specialty that starts with piloting skills.

Barter (+10%)

Pick Locks (+15%)

Pilot Small Starship (+10%)

Recognize Weapon Quality (+15%)

Recycling (+20%)

Salvage (+20%)

Wilderness Survival: Space (+10%)

Field Armorer (+15%)

Special Equipment: Portable Surveyor, double starting money, 1D6x100 M.D. worth of starship hull patch plates and 2D6x10 M.D. worth of hard armor patch plates.

Sapper: This is a demolitions expert who has mastered the science and technical aspects of making all sorts of things explode. They also have a knowledge of how to harden structures against explosives and natural disasters.

Chemistry (+10%)

Demolitions (+15%)

Demolitions Disposal (+15%)

Demolitions (Space) (+15%)

Excavation (+15%)

Military Fortifications (+10%)

Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare (+10%)

W.P. Targeting

One modern W.P. of choice

Special Equipment: One suit of heavy armor, 2D4 light fusion blocks, 1D6 Medium fusion blocks, 1D4 heavy fusion blocks, 3D6 grenades of choice, one weapon matching the W.P. selected as part of this package.

Starship Engineer: This is probably what most people think of when they think of a gear head. The starship engineer keeps the entire starship running, sometimes alone and sometimes with assistants. They know the engines like the back of their hand and there's probably as much love holding the ship together as there are screws and welds.

Gravitic Engineering (+10%)

Radio: Quantum (+15%)

Salvage (+10%)

Starship Mechanics (+15%)

Vehicle Armorer (+10%)

Weapons Engineer (+15%)

Special Equipment: Two fixerbots, wrist computer, multi-optics band or cybernetic eye with microscopic vision.