Engineer
The Engineer can put science and technology to work. They have a desire to know how things actually work, to either make things themselves, or to break into things that don’t belong to them. They can either keep tech going for far longer than it was supposed to, or they can uncover the schema and repair it from the design, or with even greater skill, they can modify a piece of kit. Because nearly everything is made from schemas and nanotech these days, an engineer can get their hands into just about anything.
Role in Striker
The engineer is focused on the acquisition of technical proficiencies, centred on one or more engineering skills (typically one of Machinery, Materials, Munitions, Neuronetics and Robotics). They combine this with field expertise in the sciences, but some call upon Finance, Bureaucracy or Law. Through these skills they can make tools and machines do more than most people expect. The engineer can suddenly be the most important combatant in any conflict, or crucial for getting into a complex, or bypassing some security cordon.
Engineer Conjugates
All engineers practice at least one Conjugate technique (there is a Conjugate technique corresponding to each of the engineering skills), most practice two and a few practice three. Conjugation, schamateering or tooling can make a crucial difference in combat.
Making an Engineer
As an engineer, like a chopper, you are used to a heavy cognitive load, you have to be enthusiastic, even obsessive, about the craft. It’s all about protracted periods of intense concentration, and you have learned how to focus.
Quick Build
You can make a chopper quickly by following these suggestions.
Choose Talents
Select the following 10 skills as talents:
Health, Focus, Perception, Resolve, Agility, Insight, Investigate, Persuade, Science, Society.
Choose Background
Choose the navy engineering officer or spacer background to optimise your initial skill range.
Apply Ranks Per Level
At each level (including the first), you distribute:
- 4 ranks to the range of skills, and
- 4 ranks to the range of techniques
presented under your chosen archetype.
Archetypes
The engineer has their area of expertise, represented by the titles: Hacker, Machinist, Neuromancer, Rigger, Roboticist and Weaponsmith.
While the skill spreads are presented under each archetype, there are many skills that they all have in common. Engineers can use the engineering skills that they have ranks in as technical skill aspects in Deceive, Insight, Investigate and Persuade. They use the Neuronetics skill with their Tech provenance aspect (not with their Bio aspect).
Hacker
The hacker is a special kind of engineer that is usually attracted to the lure of money brought by crime, particularly financial crime. On the whole, a hacker generally feels that whatever they can get away with is the right thing to do. There is also a relatively broad stripe that see hacking as a form of activism, advancing their favourite social cause or conspiracy theory. A final (much smaller) group includes the so-called white hat hackers, working with various levels of authority.
The hacker’s primary focus is Neuronetics. You should try to have at least half your level as ranks on this skill.
4 ranks spread to these skills
Scan-Tools, Surveillance-Tools, you gain qualification in your engineering tools automatically.
Perception, Insight, Deceive, Investigate, Perform, Science, Society
Cybernetics, Materials, Neuronetics, Robotics
4 ranks spread to these techniques
Surveillance (Investigate), Track (Investigate), Bureaucracy (Society), Finance (Society), Law (Society)
Bypass (Cybernetics|Materials|Neuronetics|Robotics), Conjugate (Cybernetics|Materials|Neuronetics|Robotics)
Machinist
The machinist would be your classic ship-board engineer (probably complete with a nickname like “Spanners” or something). They have their wheelhouse in engines, drives and vehicles, for which they have a fascination. And yes, this is the skill where you become a rocket scientist.
The machinist’s primary focus is the Machinery skill. You should try to have at least half your level as ranks on this skill.
4 ranks spread to these skills
Aegis, Scan-Tools, Vcl-Air, Vcl-Ground, Vcl-Space, you gain qualification in your engineering tools automatically.
Perception, Insight, Deceive, Investigate, Science
Machinery, Materials, Neuronetics, Robotics
4 ranks spread to these techniques
Bypass (Machinery|Materials|Neuronetics|Robotics), Conjugate (Machinery|Materials|Neuronetics|Robotics)
Neuromancer
To you, there is nothing more beautiful than a block of terse, self-documenting code. When all of those beautiful jigsaw pieces start to lock together, and it actually works. Oh.
As a neuromancer engineer, you are not so concerned with the messy world of biological neuronetics, with the endlessly tedious, bug-collected engram templates. No, you craft it all anew. Your software is clean and your AI superb. Your work can take you into any of the other engineering pursuits, because there are always control-AIs to build or conjugates and schemas to make.
The neuromancer’s primary focus is Neuronetics. You should try to have at least half your level as ranks on this skill.
4 ranks spread to these skills
QTM-Tools, Scan-Tools, Surveillance-Tools
Deceive, Insight, Investigate, Science, Society
Cybernetics, Neuronetics, Robotics
4 ranks spread to these techniques
Surveillance (Investigate), Track (Investigate)
Bypass (Cybernetics|Neuronetics|Robotics), Conjugate (Cybernetics|Neuronetics|Robotics)
Rigger
You love to be on lonely outposts doing a job that no one else can do, building habitats, mining installations and power stations. Exploring the outer reaches is so much better when you have a purpose for being there, and its great to be needed.
The rigger’s primary focus is Materials. You should try to have at least half your level as ranks on this skill.
4 ranks spread to these skills
Aegis, QTM-Tools, Scan-Tools, Surveillance-Tools, Vcl-Mech you gain qualification in your engineering tools automatically.
Resolve, Insight, Investigate, Science, Survival
Machinery, Materials, Munitions, Neuronetics
4 ranks spread to these techniques
Track (Investigate), Clarity-Save (Insight)
Bypass (Machinery|Materials|Munitions|Neuronetics), Conjugate (Machinery|Materials|Munitions|Neuronetics)
Roboticist
A roboticist is quite similar to a machinist, but you place more emphasis on articulation systems and sensory feedback processing. This enables you to focus more on robots and mech vehicles (rather than other vehicles and propulsion systems)
The roboticist's primary focus is Robotics. You should try to have at least half your level as ranks on this skill.
4 ranks spread to these skills
Scan-Tools, Surveillance-Tools, Vcl-Mech you gain qualification in your engineering tools automatically.
Perception, Resolve, Insight, Investigate, Science
Cybernetics, Machinery, Neuronetics, Robotics
4 ranks spread to these techniques
Surveillance (Investigate), Track (Investigate)
Bypass (Cybernetics|Machinery|Neuronetics|Robotics), Conjugate (Cybernetics|Machinery|Neuronetics|Robotics)
Weaponsmith
A weaponsmith is also a kind of machinist but you focus on firing systems, mechanisms, explosives, energy transfer, and all the hardware that does these things. Often weaponsmiths focus on either small arms of a particular kind, or tactical systems, rather than both. But since you are an adventurer, who cares what everyone else does?
The weaponsmith’s primary focus is Munitions. You should try to have at least half your level as ranks on this skill.
4 ranks spread to these skills
Scan-Tools, Vcl-Ground, Vcl-Mech, Vcl-Space, you gain qualification in your engineering tools automatically.
Deceive, Insight, Investigate, Science
Machinery, Materials, Munitions, Neuronetics
4 ranks spread to these techniques
Bypass (Machinery|Munitions|Neuronetics), Conjugate (Machinery|Munitions|Neuronetics)