Skill: Mech Operations

This skill applies to any sort of combat or athletic maneuver that is aided or augmented by a hyper-tech suit. Mech suits generally come in two varieties: Cybernetic Enhanced, which are uniquely designed to work symbiotically with a cyborg’s wet-wear and biomodifications; and “Dry Mech” which are mass produced and standardized so that any trained operator could slip it on and use it effectively. Like the Cybernetics and Biomodification background, armored suits can only be acquired by pulling legal strings and are expensive for private owners to maintain. As such, most people trained to use mech suits do not own their own hardware and must report to a superior concerning the use of their equipment. When using a mech suit in combat, a trained character must roll this skill instead of other applicable skills such as Brawl, Stealth, or Melee, etc. The difficulty of the combat roll depends on the unique qualities of suit being operated. A 30 foot mech-suit might roll Stealth-based maneuvers at difficulty 10 but Energy Weapons may roll at difficulty 4 because the Mech is equipped with a hyper-tech targeting system. Characters with this skill will need either the Requisitions or the Mech Suit background to have regular access to such powerful equipment.

Ability Levels:

0	Abysmal: You can barely maneuver when wearing armor and others can easily tell that you lack training.
1	Novice: You know the basics of getting into and out of combat armor though you are clearly more comfortable without it.
2	Practiced: You perform routine operations with a variety of combat and personal armored suits. You can tell the pros and cons of various armored rigs as well.
3	Competent: You can perform complex and even dangerous tasks while wearing armor. You speak knowledgeably with armor and weapons designers often.
4	Expert: You are often called to demonstrate the proper use of existing armored hardware, and you sometimes get to play with state of the art tech too.
5	Master: Your armor is an extension of your body and you are revered by your associates as a mech-warrior par excellence.

Possessed by:

Military Personnel, Mech Drivers, Combat Cyborgs, Brujah, Pirates, Gangsta Bodyguards, Space Marines, Mercenaries.

Sample Specialties:
Powered Suits, Mech-Combat, Evasive Maneuvers, Mounted Weapons, Space Flight. Assisted Swimming.
Players may choose a specialty at level 4 and gain a second specialty at level 5.