PILOT SKILL: ROBOTS AND POWER ARMOUR
The piloting and basic operations without any combat training or
bonuses. Characters with this skill are taught the fundamentals of
manoeuvering light and medium giant robots (like the Titan
Reconnaissance Scout or NG-M56 Multi-Bot) and power armour suits (such
as the Triax Terrain Hopper, Flying Titan, and Samson). These robot
exoskeletons and vehicle type robots that require a pilot and/or crew
to be inside to pilot them.
Power armour is typically man-sized and often worn like body armour,
although sometimes the pilot sits inside. In all cases, the power
armour responds to the pilot's physical movements.
Robot vehicles are typically giant constructs with vaguely human or
animal features such as legs, claws, etc., but may also by vehicular in
appearance or combine the two.
Flyers consisting of many types of robots and power armour, including
airborne types like the famous Coalition SAMAS, are suitable for use
underwater, although flight/propulsion speed is reduced by 70-80%.
Power armour without jet propulsion can travel underwater by swimming
or walking along the bottom, but at only 20% their normal land speed.
Each specific description will indicate aquatic capabilities, if any.
The training focuses on piloting, not combat, thus Robot Combat: Basic
and Robot Combat: Elite are separate and distinct skills. This skill
enables the character to pilot combat model armour and robots but not
how to fight or operate weapon systems. Consequently, the character
does not get ANY special bonuses or extra attacks when piloting the
'bot or power armour; they only have their own physical number of
attacks per melee round and bonuses to reply upon. They can also use a
weapon system if it is built in, but with no special aptitude with it.
In fact, the use of weapons and special combat features (targeting,
radar, etc.) are so unfamiliar that they confuse the ordinary
non-combat pilot, causing the penalties (listed below) whenever they
try to use weapons or fight with the robot (unless they have the Weapon Systems skill in which case the penalties do not apply).
Prerequisites: None.
Base Skill: 56%.
Per Experience Level: +3%.
Penalties:-
- -1 attack per melee round
- -2 to strike (with punches, blades, guns or missiles).
- -1 Parry.
- -1 Dodge.