Operator
Remember, while pre-Rift machines and technology are
in use, there are few individuals who fully understand how they work.
Consequently, they can not successfully maintain and repair them. The Coalition
charges highly for their services. Often the price includes an oath of fealty
to a Coalition State, binding the community to it financially and obligating
the town to perform certain services, or provide goods, or allegiance to
support the CS. This is how the Coalition increases its power base and
territory, slowly absorbing the smaller communities around them. The next step
is official union with a Coalition State, usually in exchange for military
protection, economic support, and forgiving one’s previous debt. Of course,
once this happens, the Coalition sends in its advisors and makes the town conform to its standards, routing out magic users, seizing all books and
historical documents, and eliminating dangerous dissidents. Consequently, the
operator represents the only means for many small communities to maintain
their independence.
Although the operators have no formal organization
or guild, they are an unofficial class within the civilized human societies of
the Americas, similar to the Freemasons of old. They have no leader, no
gathering place, nor doctrine by which all operators adhere to. Instead they
are a loosely knit group of like-minded men and women who share a love and
knowledge of forgotten science. How operators came to be is not exactly known.
Most will tell you that some of those who survived the Time Before Rifts also
saved many of the old secrets. These secrets were handed down from father to
son, generation to generation, until today. Indeed, if there is any common
thread among operators, it is secrecy. Operators will not share their knowledge
with anybody except a fellow operator, relative, or an apprentice.
As a rule, an operator tends to disguise the extent
of his knowledge with false modesty and cryptic talk about the Time of Man (or Time
Before Rifts) and ancient secrets. In reality, the character is as knowledgeable
about modem, high-tech engineering as any Coalition engineer. Furthermore,
their love of mechanics keeps them looking and learning more. These individuals
love what they do and take an almost fanatical pride in their craft. They are
hard workers, inventive, and resourceful.
It has recently come to light that some operators
have developed a degree of psychic power that helps them in their work.
Approximately 40% of all operators are psychic. The focus of their psychic
abilities is mechanics. Roll percentile dice. 1-40% means that your Operator
character has limited psionic powers. Note that all psi-operators are
considered to be minor psionics.
O.C.C. Skills:
Basic Math 70%
Electrical Engineer 55%
Mechanical Engineer 50%
Weapons Engineer 45%
Computer Repair 40%
Radio: Basic 65%
Read Sensory Equipment 55%
Pilot (CHOICE OF THREE at + 15% each)
W.P. Blunt
Hand
to Hand: Martial Arts
O.C.C. Related
Skills: Select 2 other skills. Plus
select two additional skills at level three, two at level six, one at level nine,
and one at level twelve. All new skills start at level one proficiency.
Communications: Any (+ 15%)
Domestic: Any
Electrical: Any (+ 10%)
Espionage: None
Mechanical: Any (+ 10%)
Medical: First Aid or paramedic, but the latter counts
as two skill
selections.
Military: Any (+ 15%)
Physical: Any, except acrobatics, gymnastics, or
wrestling (+ 10%
for SCUBA).
Pilot: Any (+ 10%)
Pilot Related: Any (+ 10%)
Rogue: Lock picking only (+ 15%)
Science: Math, chemistry, and chemistry: analytical only
(+ 5%)
Technical: Computer operation, computer
programming, language,
literacy, and photography only (+ 10%).
W.P.: Any
Wilderness: None
OCC Related Skills:
Radio
Scrambler: 55%
Surveillance
systems: 50%
Robot
Electronics: 50%
Locksmith:
45%
Robot
Mechanics: 35%
Computer
Hacking: 35%
Computer
operation: 55%
Computer
programming: 45%
Mathematics
Advanced: 55%
Secondary Skills: The character also gets to
select six secondary skills from the previous list. These are additional areas
of knowledge that do not get the advantage of the bonus listed in parenthesis 0. All secondary skills start at
the base skill level. Also, skills are limited (any, only, none) as previously
indicated in the list.
Standard Equipment: Portable tool kit with an electric screwdriver and additional
interchangeable heads, wrenches, etc, large tool kit, soldering iron, laser
torch (for welding), a roll of duct tape, two rolls of electrical tape, pen
flashlight, large flashlight notebook, portable disc recorder, protective goggles, work gloves, one pair of
thin doctor’s gloves, and similar basic tools of the trade.
More expensive diagnostic
equipment, computers, optical enhancements, and sensory equipment may be
purchased later.