Mechanic

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Mechanic Features

Mechanic Specializations

• Droid Smith
• Engineer
• Programmer

Creating a Mechanic

As you build your Mechanic, think about two related elements of your character’s background: What technological areas did you specialize in, and what set you apart from others dabbling in the realms of computers and engineering? Did you work on droids for most of your life? Did you get training to maintain complicated systems? Have you delved into the depths of coding languages and computers? Did you dabble in construction of mechanical components and creatures or did you look to augment yourself amplifying your own abilities?
Did you go to academies or recieve official training in your craft? Or are you self taught over many years of tinkering? You may find solace in the logical processors of the machines you work on and the concrete and scientific solutions make sense to you over the more mystical and magical pursuits.

Quick Build

You can make a Mechanic quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Intelligence your highest ability score followed by Dexterity or Strength, depending on whether you want to focus on ranged / finesse weapons or melee weapons. Second, choose the Grease Monkey background.

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Mechanic Features

As a mechanic, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per mechanic level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per mechanic level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: light armor
Weapons: Simple melee weapons, small arms, grenades
Tools: 1 gaming set of your choice; 1 toolkit of your choice
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Constitution
Skills: Choose two skills from Acrobatics, Athletics, Computers, Engineering, Perception, Slight of Hand, and Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

leather armor, Combat Pistol, 30 bullets, 2 Clip (10)

(a) a simple melee weapon of your choice

(a) 2 Thermal Detonator I or (b) Your choice of any 2 grenades from the following: Mk I Spark Popper, Pyra Grenade, and Mk I Flash Grenade

(a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Tricks Known
1st	+2	Artificial Intelligence, Custom Rig	-
2nd	+2	Mechanic Specialization	-
3rd	+2	Mechanic Trick, Overload	1
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	1
5th	+3	Remote Hack	1
6th	+3	Ability Score Improvement, Specialization Feature	2
7th	+3	Expert Rig	2
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement, Remote hack (30ft)	2
9th	+4	Override	3
10th	+4	Specialization Feature	3
11th	+4	Coordinated Assault, Remote hack (40ft)	3
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	4
13th	+5	Advanced Rig	4
14th	+5	Ability Score Improvement, Specialization Feature, Remote hack (50ft)	4
15th	+5	Shutdown	5
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	5
17th	+6	Crippling Assault, Remote hack (60ft)	5
18th	+6	Specialization Feature	6
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	6
20th	+6	Superior Rig	6

Artificial Intelligence

You construct an atificial intelligence (AI) , a sophisticated program of self-motivated code that you can access for help in a variety of endeavors. This AI is the product of your own genius, far more advanced and complicated than any available for sale to consumers (though it falls short of being truly self-aware), and only you know the secrets of its creation and operation. Your AI can take one of two forms: a drone or an exocortex. You must pick one of these forms upon taking your first level of mechanic, and once this choice is made, it cannot be changed.

Drone

You begin play with a powerful robotic drone to house your AI. You build and control this drone, which accompanies you on your adventures and is capable of combat, espionage, and other specialized tasks. As you gain levels, your drone advances in sophistication and gain additional abilities. While the value of your drone is immense, only you, with your extensive knowledge of its quirks and security measures, can ever hope to operate or repair it.

Exocortex

You begin play with an exocortex, an artificial processor that interacts with and augments your biological brain’s cognitive functions, which can aid you in a variety of tasks, from combat to digital infiltration. Your exocortex is implanted within your physical body or brain, similar to a piece of cybernetic hardware, allowing your AI to access your mind and feed you information. As you gain levels, your exocortex advances in sophistication and processing power. Only you can access or interact with your exocortex.
See the Mechanic AI page for full details.

Custom Rig

You have created a customized toolkit you can use to hack systems and items. Your custom rig can be installed as a cybernetic augmentation system in your brain, your eyes, or an arm. Alternatively, you can configure it to be a handheld device, meaning that you must retrieve it and hold it to use it effectively. While using this rig, you always count as having the appropriate tool or basic kit for any Computers or Engineering skill check you attempt. Some mechanic tricks and drone mods require the use of a custom rig. In addition, you can use your custom rig as a personal comm unit.
Finally, if you have a drone, you can use your custom rig to communicate over an encrypted channel with your drone to issue commands to its AI or directly control it at a range of 2,500 feet. If your custom rig is damaged, destroyed, lost, or stolen, you can kitbash a new one from any engineering kit, hacking kit, or other computer toolkit, reconfiguring the materials into a new custom rig with 1 hour of work. You can have only one custom rig at a time. If you create a new custom rig, your old one functions as a normal toolkit of whatever type you made it from and can no longer be used with your mechanic tricks.

Mechanic Specialization

At 2nd level, you choose an archetype that you strive to emulate in your skills. Choose Engineer, Programmer, or Droid Smith, all detailed at the end of the class description. The archetype you choose grants you features at 2nd level and again at 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.

Mechanic Trick

Starting at 3rd level, you learn Mechanic Tricks that allow you to perform wonders of engineering, aid in electronic infiltrations, and optimize gear. While some of these are things you learn, others are small cybernetic enhancements you make to yourself. Some tricks require the use of a custom rig or other gear.
You learn an additional mechanic trick at 6th level and every 3 levels thereafter. If a mechanic trick allows an opponent a saving throw to resist its effects or a skill check, the DC is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier. Unless otherwise specified, you can’t learn mechanic tricks more than once.
Each time you learn a new trick you may also replace one you know for another on the list.

Overload

At 3rd level, as an action, you can cause a short in an electronic device, including most ranged energy weapons, melee weapons with the powered special property, or a single armor upgrade. This makes the device nonfunctional for 1 round.
Overload doesn’t cause a locked door, safe, or other device to open, but it prevents anyone from opening it for 1 round. You must be adjacent to the device to use this ability. If you have a drone, you can instead use this ability on an electronic device adjacent to your drone. If you have an exocortex with the wireless hack ability, you can instead use this ability on any electronic device within range of your exocortex’s wireless hack. If you use overload on an item or armor upgrade in someone’s possession, the owner can attempt a Dexterity saving throw to negate the effect (DC = 10 + half your mechanic level).
Overload doesn’t affect androids, cybernetics, drones, powered armor, robots, or creatures with the technological subtype (all of which have shielding against this sort of attack), or items larger than Medium. Once a device has been successfully overloaded, a residual static charge prevents that device from being overloaded again for 1 minute.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 6th, 8th, 12th, 14th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.

Remote Hack

Beginning at 5th level, You can use your custom rig to attempt Computers and Engineering skill checks at a range of 20 feet.
At 8th, 11th,14th, 17th level, this range increases by 10 feet. A target of this ability (or a creature attending or observing your target) can attempt a Perception or Insight check (DC = 10 + half your mechanic level rounded down) to determine that you are the origin of this activity.

Expert Rig

Beginning at 7th level, your custom rig has improved. Whenever you use your custom rig to successfully hack into a computer, you can also disable one countermeasure installed in the system (except firewalls).
In addition, your custom rig has the features of a computer with a tier equal to half your level with the artificial personality or security I upgrade module. It also has an audio/video recorder. You can add extra modules or countermeasures to your custom rig at the normal prices.
You can also use your custom rig to communicate over an encrypted channel with your ship, allowing you to access your ship’s downloaded data sets and transponder at a range of 5 miles. If you have a drone, you can issue commands to or directly control your drone at the same range.

Override

Beginning at 9th level, your overload class feature now affects androids, drones, robots, and creatures with the technological subtype, which must succeed at a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 10 + half your mechanic level rounded down) or be stunned for 1 round. If the target fails its saving throw by 10 or more, it is not stunned and you can dictate its actions for 1 round, though these actions can’t be obviously self-destructive. Once a creature has attempted a saving throw against this attack (regardless of the result), it is immune to this attack for 24 hours.

Coordinated Assault

Once you reach level 11 your ability to coordinate your efforts with your Custom Rig has improved. At level 17 the bonuses listed increase to +2. The -1 penalty for the drone effect remains -1.
Drone:
When both you and your drone are within weapon range of the same target, you both may attempt to work together to take it down. As a Free Action you decide your target and silently communicate that to your drone. On this round, you both have a +1 bonus to attack rolls against the target. When one of you attacks it that round, the other must also attempt to attack it. If it falls unconscious, dies, or otherwise is no longer a threat as a result of one of your attacks, the other may target a different creature this turn, though with a -1 penalty on it's next attack.
Exocortex:
When you and your exocortex collaborate on hacking a system together, you each gain a +1 bonus to your checks to hack the system. You may only use this bonus once per minute.

Advanced Rig

Starting at 13th level, you can use your custom rig to communicate over an encrypted channel with your ship, allowing you to access the ship’s sensors, control its security systems, and prepare its engines for takeoff (as well as use the encrypted communications functions of your expert rig) at a range of 50 miles. If you have a drone, you can issue commands to or directly control your drone over an encrypted channel at the same range.

Shutdown

At 15th level, your Override and Overload features affects androids, cybernetics, drones, powered armor, robots, large or smaller technological items, or creatures with the technological subtype. Powered armor targeted in this manner loses it's powered benefits (all upgrades using power are disabled as is anything stating it uses power except its internal air system).
If targetting a creature, instead of using the abilities of Override or Overload you can instead make the creature make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 10 + half your mechanic level rounded down) and it drops unconscious until the start of your next turn. Once a creature has attempted a saving throw against this attack (regardless of the result), it is immune to this attack for 24 hours.
Technological objects surge with power and crash. They remain out of order for 1d4 hours or until repaired sooner.

Crippling Assault

Starting at 17th level, your Coordinated Assault bonus is improved to +2.
if you have a drone and it's attack as part of Coordinated Assault hits, you can send a jolt of electricity that deals 2d6 Lightning damage. It also must make a Constitution saving throw and be paralyzed until the end of you turn on a failure. A creature immune to lightning damage does not suffer any ill effects. After a failure, a creature has advantage on saves for the next 10 minutes.
Alternatively, if you have an exocortex, whenever you coordinate with your exocortext to hack a system and are successful, you gain access to 1 random additional module with its protections disabled. You also gain the ability to place a worm in the code of the computer to affect any number of modules up to your intelligence modifier. You can wipe a module's data, replace it with data of your choice, or notify you when it is accessed or modified (along with its new content) within the next 24 hours, as long as you are within a reasonable range of the data net. This effect occurs based on a certain condition (the next time someone accesses the module, after a certain time period, etc) decided when you place the worm.

Superior Rig

At 20th level, your custom rig’s computer functions now gain bonus lockout and wipe countermeasures. You can use your custom rig normally even when its lockout is active (you have special authorization no one else can access under any circumstances), and while any wiped data cannot be recovered by anyone else (as if the data module were destroyed), you can automatically recover it with 8 hours of work. These countermeasures have no additional cost and do not count against the maximum number of countermeasures your custom rig can have.
Additionally, you can use your custom rig to communicate over an encrypted channel with your ship at a range encompassing a planet and its close orbit, allowing you to remotely pilot your starship from point to point on the same planet or to and from orbit (as well as use the encrypted communications functions of your expert and advanced rig at the same range). If you have a drone, you can issue commands to or directly control your drone over an encrypted channel at the same range.

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Mechanic Specializations

Droid Smith

Droid Smiths are mechanics with great skill in robotics and building, repairing, and commanding constructs. Few mechanics gain the skill Droid Smiths have nor their swiftness at reparing devices.

Tinkerer

Beginning when you select this specialization at 2nd level, you begin to gather spare parts and oddities on your travels. The time and gold it takes to repair mechanical and technological items is halved.

Friend of the Machine

At 2nd level, your time around constructs has made you fluent in Binary, also called DroidSpeak. Many technological creatures and contstructs speak this language. While you cannot speak it yourself, you understand it perfectly.

Schematic Knowledge

Starting at 6th level, your knowledge of technological creatures gives you an edge in a fight or in repairing them. You can only use this ability a number of times up to your intelligence modifier and you regain charges on a long rest.
You can use a bonus action to attempt to identify weak point in a hostile creature of the technological or construct type (Engineering Check). On a success, you can communicate this information out to give allies a +1 bonus to attack rolls for 1 minute.
Alternatively, you can use an action without making a check to identify the critical systems and patch a wounded creature of the same sub-types for 1d4 + your intelligence modifier. You can do this a number of times equal to your Intelligence Modifier and regain spent uses after completing a short or long rest.

Cyberneticist

Beginning at 10th level, you have advantage on Computer checks made to reprogram droids. Additionally, if you have a Drone AI your drone base frame can instead be one of the following droid types:

Astromech

A-Series Battle Droid

B-Series Battle Droid

These drone chasis retain their droid AC, HP and stats, but otherwise follow the standard rules for Drones as you work on perfecting your own AI from scratch.

Defensive Programming

Starting at 14th level, you can upgrade droids, robots, and your drone with defensive coding. You can construct your own 2 computer upgrades or countermeasures of your choice at half price for 1 hour / 50EC (minimum 1 hr) that you then place into such creatures. These creatures also have advantage on Saving Throws against effects that would alter their programming or have them be controlled by another.

Ghost in the Machine

Starting at 18th level, you can use your custom rig to remotely override a construct you can see within 120ft. Using an action, you remotely hack into the construct which must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC 10 + your proficiency bonus) or be completely controlled by you for 1 minute. You can only control 1 creature at a time. Attempting to control another one, releases control of the existing one.
The controlled creature acts on its own initiative but you may use your bonus action to command the creature. It continues acting as instructed until the effect ends or its task is complete. If the creature succeeds or fails, it cannot be affected by this ability again for 24 hours.

Engineer

Engineers are the masters of computer and ship operations. Whether you served aboard a starship, maintained a planetary power system, or just a simple computer network, engineers see the conections others don't and can draw out power of the systems under their care few could imagine possible.

Conduit Crawler

Beginning when you select this specialization at 2nd level, you know starship designs and the best and fastest way of repairing ships. The time to repair ship hull outside of combat is reduced to half the normal time for you, and you gain a permanent +1 bonus to Engineering Ship Actions.
You also are used to shocks and random discharges. When you would take lightning damage, you may use your reaction to halve the damage. You may use this ability 3 times and regain all spent charges after completing a long rest. At 10th level you may use this ability a number equal to your DEX mod (or 3, whichever is higher) and regain all uses after a long rest.

Miracle Worker

Beginning at 6th level, you gain a new Engineering Ship Action: Miracle Worker. You can use this action a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier per long rest.
When you perform this action, you restore a number of Hull Points equal to the starship's base frame HP increment. If this raises the ship’s HP over a multiple of its Critical Threshold, you can repair critical damage to one system per multiple, reducing its severity by one step.
For example, if your starship’s Critical Threshold is 8 and you restore 10 HP, reducing the damage to the hull from 17 HP to 7 HP, you may restore one system from wrecked to glitching.

Advanced Engineering Training

Starting at 10th level, you have expertise in the Engineering skill (double proficiency bonus).

Explosive Expertise

Starting at 14th level, you can add your proficiency bonus to damage dealt by grenades, missiles, and other similar explosives deployed by you.
You can also craft your own grenades and similar weapons. You can make a batch of 5 by crafting for 1 hour per 50EC cost of the explosive. You'll also need the full purchase price in materials, but you craft 5 instead of just 1. At the end of the crafting period roll 5 Engineering Checks. The DC for a successful weapon is 10 + 1 per hour required to craft. A failure results in a dud and non-functional explosive (though it looks genuine). If you roll a nat 1 it explodes and applies whatever effect it was intended to do.

Engineering Surge

Starting at 18th level, once per day you can use your action during the engineering phase of starship combat to add a +3 to each Computer Node Bonus on your starship's computer during the next round.

Programmer

Programmers are masters of code and computer systems. Out of their hands flows the lifeblood of all technological items, networks, and creatures. Programmers dedicate their focus to diving into the nuances of computers and their programs. They have improved abilities in fields of AI and hacking.

Knowledge of Tech

At 2nd level when you select this specialization, your knowledge of technology allows you to freely make an Intelligence check to identify whether a creature is of the technological sub-type and 1 aspect about it (determined by the DM) if it is.

Computer Components

Beginning at 6th level, your study of AI and algorithms allows you to craft and refine technological upgrades from scratch in half the time and at half the cost.
You gain the following templates:
Droids:

Skill Buff Mk I

Skill Buff Mk II

Skill Buff Mk III

Stat Buff Mk I

Stat Buff Mk II

Stat Buff Mk III

Personality Module

Computers:

Security I (Upgrade)

Security II (Upgrade)

Firewall (Countermeasure)

Shock Grid (Countermeasure)

Sensor Savant

Starting at 10th level, your knowledge of computers means what would take others pushing a system to its max, you know workarounds and optimizations to handle it normally.
In Space Combat, The Target System and Lock On Science Actions are not Push actions for you. You also gain access to a new Science Action: Shadow Ally.
Shadow Ally creates a sensor echo of a ship friendly to you to fool your enemies. This echo fools all forms of sensors, including the cameras for view screens. An enemy can detect the falsehood by using a Science Action to Scan the echo at a DC of 11 + your Computers bonus. A failure indicates it is a real ship and potentially visually cloaked. There is a 40% chance enemies will fire on it instead of your ship.
You can move your Shadow Ship as a Science Action (only you can do this action) and can even attempt to fool them it is firing by succeeding on a computers check of DC 10 + the Complexity Modifier of the starship being scanned + its bonus from defensive countermeasures.

Enhanced Hacker

Starting at 14th level, your remote hack range is doubled. Your custom rig has specialized data spikes to probe systems for backdoors and other entrances for root access. When you hack a computer but dont gain root access, roll a d10. On an 10, your spike finds a vulnerability or back door and you immediately gain root access.
Additionally, if you successfully hack into a module, you also hack a neighboring module for free and learn of any countermeasures that were protecting it.

Phantom User

Starting at 18th level, you gain the Ghost Intrusion trick or another trick if you already have it. This trick does not count against the maximum tricks known. On the first hack attempt, you only trigger countermeasures if you roll a 1-3 only. Otherwise you safely exit without triggering any countermeasures. Your Enhanced Hacker abilities to find backdoor and vulnerabilities increases to 30% (8-0 on d10).
Once you have root access, you can also create a phantom user for yourself allowing you to access this system or network bypassing all protective protocols in the future. This phantom account is encrypted and inviisble even to other Root Access users. A Computers check of DC equal to 5 + your Mechanic Level will reveal your phantom user credentials, risking exposure and erasure.