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sends in its advisors and makes the town conform to its standards, routing out magic users, seizing all books and historical documents, and eliminating dangerous dissidents.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.