Pilot

A ship-handling wizard and danger addict

You are the crew’s speed demon and “get out of trouble” card. When the chips are down and the Legion is on your tail, there’s nobody else they’d rather turn to. There’s no vehicle you can’t overdrive, no canyon on an alien planet you can’t navigate through. You might be a hot-rodding show-off or calm and cool behind the helm. You might take desperate risks or thrive when the chips are down. But you’re always ahead of the pack.
When you play a Pilot, you thrive when you address challenges with speed or flair. If it drives, punch the gas. If it flies, see if you can do a barrel roll. It’s your show.

PLAYING A PILOT

Those who spend their lives driving ships across the vast expanses of space, running from pirates and Hegemony forces alike, have a need for speed. You have a unique ability to push into and past danger, relying on your skill and your ship to come through in the end. Whereas the Mechanic may be what keeps the ship in shape, you’re what gives the ship purpose. More than a few Hegemony holo-vids have been about a hotshot pilot and their ship.
As the Pilot, you’ll be of central focus when the ship needs to be maneuvered on the job. But helm is not confined to ships alone. A dirt bike, hovercar, even an alien beast being ridden can be helmed just as well. Whatever your getaway vehicle, helm has you covered.
Where did you pick up your piloting skills? Did you fight for the Legion but ran into trouble with the law? Have you grown up amongst racers and always loved the spotlight? Perhaps you quit a respectable job hauling ice for a bit more excitement. Remember to bring those influences into your descriptions of piloting. Talk about the crisp military maneuvers you use to shake a pirate or the way you vent storage in order to correct a hard burn.
While helm handles most piloting actions, consider how you might move fast in other ways. Perhaps scramble when you’re on foot, and sway for fast-talking.

STARTING ABILITY

ACE PILOT
You have potency on all speed-related rolls. When you roll to resist the consequences of piloting, gain +1d.
Your potency might be balanced out by their better quality (if their ship engines are better than yours, for instance). Remember that the consequences of piloting are not always ship damage but can often be resisted just the same.

SPECIAL ABILITIES (PICK ONE)

KEEN EYE
You have sharp eyes and notice small details many might overlook. Gain +1d when firing ship guns or making trick shots.
This can be used as a basis for resistance rolls to act first. “No, I want to act before him—I would’ve seen him reaching for the gun.” Also, trick shots can be performed with almost any kind of ranged weapon, not just ship weapons.
SIDE JOB
You may spend a downtime activity in port doing odd jobs. Gain 1 cred. If there are rumors floating about, the GM will tell you of them.
There may not be any rumors floating about, but the GM should treat this as a gather information roll, where you roll a 6 to learn about whatever is in the news and gossip at that port.
EXCEED SPECS
While onboard a ship, you may damage a ship system you have access to in order to gain +1d or +1 effect to a roll.
Overload a system for a short-term boost. The system’s quality is still the same for the one roll you’re boosting. After the roll, the system fries out and the quality is reduced.
LEAF ON THE WIND
When you push yourself, you may spend +1 stress (3 stress total) to gain both +1 effect and +1d instead of one or the other.
Normally it takes two separate pushes (4 stress total) to achieve the same effect. This can be used on any roll.
HEDONIST
When you indulge your vice, you may adjust the dice outcome by +/-2. An ally who joins you may do the same.
Any ally must join you in whatever vice you’re indulging (or you can indulge via a crew ability, such as the Stardancer’s Home Cooking). You can adjust the outcome by less than 2, or not adjust it at all. You can also recover more than 6 stress on a vice roll this way.
COMMANDER
Whenever you lead a group action, gain +1 scale (for example, a small group counts as a medium group). If you lead a group action in combat, you may count multiple 6s from different rolls as a critical.
A group action is one where multiple PCs perform the same action and roll their respective pools for those actions. If you already have scale on your opponent, you gain an additional scale (and therefore level of effect). If two or more players roll a 6, then the result of the roll for everyone is a crit. You must still suffer stress costs from any participant whose result is a 1-3.
TRAVELER
You’re comfortable around unusual cultures and xenos. You gain potency when attempting to consort with or sway them.
While any character can have had some experience with specific xeno cultures, this ability represents a wide swath of experience and understanding. Whether you come across as deeply respectful or you just know what buttons to push, you are more effective than would be expected.
PUNCH IT!
When you spend a gambit on a desperate roll, it counts as risky instead.
Because you spent a gambit on the roll, even though it counts as risky, the roll may not itself generate a gambit (unless you have another ability that says it can). You still gain the +1d to the roll for the gambit, but the position of the roll should be adjusted, as should the consequences. Bear in mind that this can be used on any roll (not just piloting ones).

STARTING ACTIONS

2 Helm
1 Rig

FAST FRIENDS

• Yattu, a gang boss. Did you use to fly for them? Did you leave them in the lurch on a job?
• Triv, a ship mechanic. Have they always helped you with your ship? Did you “forget” to pay them for a big upgrade?
• Choss, a professional racer. Do you have hot tips for each other? Or are you always striving to outdo each other?
• Meris, a scoundrel. Have you been on jobs together? Have they double-crossed you before?
• Mav, a former mentor. What tricks did they teach you? Are they now jealous of your skill?

PILOT ITEMS

Things every pilot needs when flying, having adventures when not flying, and when celebrating success for all of the above.

• Fine customized spacesuit. Sweet decals, emergency beacon, some thrust. Will keep you alive in space or when your cockpit gets shot. Lets you move about a bit and maybe even extends jumps in atmosphere. What patches or custom artwork do you have on yours, and what does it mean? [2 load]
• Fine small Urbot. A small Urbot that supports piloting and can carry a few items. Seems eerily sentient. Urbots are supposed to be wiped about once a year. How long has it been since you’ve taken yours in to the Guild of Engineers for such a procedure? What is its designation and what personality quirks does it have? What does its chassis look like, and how does it help you pilot? [2 load]
• Fine mechanics kit. Hand-held scanners, hull patch kit, assortment of hand tools. Everything you need to patch a vehicle and get it flying again. What tool did you just pick up? Which one did you customize? [1 load]
• Grappling hook. Small, but mechanized. Can pull you up. Fits in your belt. Makes you look dashing when you swing to the rescue. When did it last break? [1 load]
• Guild license. Legit pilot certification (though it may not be yours). Will allow you passage through a jumpgate. How did you get yours? [1 load]
• Victory cigars. Enough to share with a few choice people. What’s the point of pulling off amazing stunts if you can’t celebrate? No guarantee the rest of your crew will appreciate the smell, or won’t turn up the air filters. Where do you get these, and how many do you have left? How rare are they? [0 load]