Abilities: Agrotech

Agrotech involves the creation (and day-by-day maintenance) of life support systems for deep space colonies and interplanetary space ships. Such endeavors require a certain amount of seed, water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and bacteria-rich soils from Earth in order to get off the ground, but once they are going they are self-sustaining and do not need resupply missions from the "mud ball." Agrotechnicians specialize in getting the most out of a moon or asteroid's natural resources, maintaining machines to extract and recycle every gram of organic matter they can find. The end result of a successful Agrotech program on a colony or space ship is the creation of an oxygen park--a self-sustaining ecosystem that provides all of the necessary water, food, and oxygen to support the needs of the human and animal population. Agrotechs are in high demand, especially aboard long-range space craft and deep-space colonies that only receive supplies from Earth once every decade or so.

Ability Levels:

0	Abysmal: Even the basics of growing food, reclaiming water, and producing a stable atmosphere are a mystery to you. If life support breaks on your ship or colony, you will die.
1	Novice: You know the basics of how to introduce bacteria and nutrients into soil, process waste water, and manage the CO2 and O2 levels of your domicile or shelter. You could survive for weeks without outside supplies or resources.
2	Practiced: You probably have a job at your colony's local Oxygen park. If some part of the life support system breaks down you have some basic strategies for repair and replacement of malfunctioning equipment.
3	Competent: You know how to design a functioning deep-space ecosystem. You can optimize current life support systems and even design and build new systems given adequate resources.
4	Expert: You design life support systems and oxygen parks for a living. If you were stranded on a deserted planet with basic supplies and equipment you could live for years without needing a resupply.
5	Master: Your plans for producing food, water, oxygen, and other necessities of life are brilliant in their design and prodigious in their output. Every deep-space venture wants you to design their next life support system.

Agrotech vs. Hyper-Technology.

In terms of game mechanics, the skill of Agrotech and its close cousin Hyper-Technology are differentiated via four key characteristics:

• (1) The scope of Agrotech is biological while Hypertech is more concerned with the physical sciences like Chemistry and Physics. An agrotechnician is primarily concerned with the production of food, water, oxygen, and other biological necessities for human life. Hypertechnicians tend to focus on the production of energy, infrastructure, vehicles, and tools. Roll Intelligence + Agrotech when the machine being repaired is connected with a life support system.


• (2) Secondly, Agrotech is considered essential for life, while Hypertech is considered a luxury. When Hypertech breaks down, the public experiences an inconvenient drop in their quality of life until their “toys” come back online. When Agrotech breaks down, people die. Because of this, Agrotech is a much more common skill among the masses than Hypertech. If something goes wrong with an oxygenator or a water reclaimer, everyone is expected to respond with whatever expertise they have to offer in the face of such an all-hands-on-deck emergency. Roll Wits + Agrotech when the repair of a life-support system is a race against the clock.


• (3) Hypertech focuses on creating new technological wonders, while Agrotech attempts to optimize and repair existing life-sustaining technologies. Agrotechnicians spend relatively little time doing research and development and instead focus on making sure systems are working properly and tried-and-true farming methods are observed and passed down to others. A lot of the rudiments of Agrotech are treated more like hearth knowledge that is available to most, rather than scientific secrets of the universe available only to an enlightened few. Roll Intelligence + Agrotech to identify and use a new piece of Agrotech that is unfamiliar to your character.


• (4) In terms of class structures, Agrotech is a decidedly blue-collar skill, while Hypertech is considered a white-collar skill. Apprenticeships in the field of Agrotech begin as soon as a child is capable of following instructions, whereas Hypertech apprenticeships only begin once a student has a strong grasp of science and mathematical theory. Many agrotechnicians can operate and fix their tech via route memorization but would be hard pressed to explain the science behind why their tech works. For many agrotechnicians, it is enough to know that life-sustaining technologies do work as intended and that their repair and maintenance are trainable skills that do not require an in-depth understanding of scientific principles and jargon. Roll Stamina + Agrotech when putting in a long-day's work farming crops, reclaiming water, or keeping oxygen and carbon-dioxide levels in balance.

Possessed by:

Arcanes, Astro-Farmers, Deep-Space Pioneers, Oxygen Park Workers, Salubri Vampires, Survivalists, Spacers, Technologists.

Sample Specialties:

Oxygen Production, Food Production, Water Reclamation, Carbon Dioxide Scrubbing, Soil Cultivation, Terraforming.

Players may choose a specialty at level 4 and gain a second specialty at level 5.