Technology: Vehicles
This page outlines the rules for vehicles for the greasemonkey class.
Contents
[hide]Vehicles
This section will outline, in general terms, how vehicles work. Notable sections will be vehicle construction, vehicle classes, and rules specific to vehicles regarding their function.
Vehicle Overview
Vehicles function similarly to characters: they have hit points, an AC, ability scores, classes, and so forth. However, vehicles are not creatures, but are objects, and so their interactions with other rules are a bit unusual.
All vehicles have a base AC of 5, rather than 10.
Ability Scores
Vehicles have Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Perception scores. In a vehicle's class, its Strength represents the raw force the vehicle can apply; its Dexterity represents its agility and maneuverability; its Constitution represents how well-constructed and sturdy it is; and its Perception represents the quality of its sensors and the ability of occupants to see outside the vehicle.
When created, the greasemonkey chooses what the vehicle's stats are, using the point buy system; the greasemonkey has 18 points to distribute to his vehicle's stats. Alternatively, the greasemonkey may opt to roll his vehicle's ability scores, in a manner similar to how a character is created.
A vehicle's ability scores are modified by its size.
Vehicle Level
Vehicles have levels independent of the greasemonkey that built them. Many stock vehicles, such as those that are available for purchase, have levels of their own, and come with modules already installed, with the intent that an end-user not have to tinker with the vehicle to make it function.
When a greasemonkey constructs a vehicle, he can make a vehicle with a vehicle level no higher than his student level. He can also modify previously-existing vehicles, adding levels to them provided that their total vehicle level is no higher than his student level. A greasemonkey can have any number of vehicles built at a time.
Vehicle Configuration
Once a vehicle's ability scores are determined, the greasemonkey must now design the configuration of the vehicle. In order, the greasemonkey will determine the following:
- Slot Layout and Progression
- Base Speed, Cargo, and Power
- Size
- Hardpoints
- Power Plant(s)
- Locomotion Type
Slot Layout
Slot Layouts
| |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Worst | Poor | Average | Good | Best |
| Cost | -1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 11 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 12 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 13 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| 14 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| 15 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| 16 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 |
| 17 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 |
| 18 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 |
| 19 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| 20 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
Vehicles use slots, into which the greasemonkey places devices. Unlike other students, the greasemonkey's devices are intended to be "plugged into" a vehicle - that is, a greasemonkey's devices are useless on their own. In essence, a vehicle becomes a device platform, capable of quite a bit of versatility in its own right. Mechanically, all greasemonkey vehicles have the [module] descriptor, which indicates that the device must be slotted into a vehicle in order to function.
Slots come in three grades: high, mid, and low. These slots are vaguely indicative of how much power from the vehicle's power plant the device must draw, though this is not represented directly mechanically. In general, high slots are used for weapons, shield generators, and similar "high-power" devices; mid slots are used for armor, shield modifications, significant weapon enhancements, engine and capacitor enhancements, or "electronic warfare" modules that have a variety of effects, such as making targets easier to hit; and low slots are for minor weapon and shield enhancements, small but persistent speed boosts, mild modifications of the power plant, or changing the configuration of the vehicle in a variety of ways.
When constructing a vehicle, the greasemonkey has a pool of 5 points to spend on their slot layout. Some greasemonkey abilities, or some feats, can modify this initial value. For each type of slot - high, mid, and low - the greasemonkey spends a number of points, which grants the vehicle some number of initial slots (at first level), and allows the greasemonkey to improve the vehicle over time to accommodate a higher number of slots over time (these additional slots are gained when the greasemonkey has at least eight hours of downtime to modify the vehicle, and does not require a workshop or facility to do so).
Slot layout has a significant impact on a vehicle's function. In addition, later decisions - specifically, the configuration for turret, shield, and reactor hardpoints - relate to this decision, as hardpoints effectively act as modifiers to previously-existing slots and do not exist by themselves (for instance, if you have a vehicle that has 1 turret hardpoint but no high slots, there are no available high slots to attach the turret hardpoint to, and thus the turret hardpoint is useless).
Regardless of slot layout, talents, or feats that grant additional slots, a vehicle cannot have any more slots of a given type than its vehicle level.
Design Layout
Design Layouts
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Speed | Cargo | Power |
| -1 | 20 ft. | 10 lb. | 4 |
| 0 | 30 ft. | 20 lb. | 8 |
| 1 | 40 ft. | 30 lb. | 10 |
| 2 | 50 ft. | 50 lb. | 12 |
| 3 | 60 ft. | 80 lb. | 16 |
| 4 | 80 ft. | 120 lb. | 20 |
| 5 | 100 ft. | 150 lb. | 26 |
| 7 | 120 ft. | 200 lb. | 32 |
| 10 | 150 ft. | 300 lb. | 40 |
Independent of slot layout is the design layout. At this step, the greasemonkey makes structural decisions about the vehicle, determining the vehicle's base values for its speed, cargo capacity, and available power, or capacitor.
Similar to slot layout, the greasemonkey has 5 points to spend on each category, which results in a base value; this base value will then be modified, later, based upon the vehicle's size.
A vehicle with a speed of 0 feet cannot move, and is essentially an immobile platform. A vehicle with a capacitor of 0 cannot use devices of any kind, even those that do not require capacitor to use. A vehicle with a cargo capacity of 0 lbs. can fit nothing other than its pilot carrying at most a light load, but vehicles always have room for a pilot of at least the vehicle's size.
Carrying capacity within a vehicle can also be used to fit passengers: in essence, the notion that a vehicle has to have specified additional slots for passengers - or even crew - is pretty much dead.
A passenger takes up 100 lbs' worth of cargo, for a Medium-size passenger. Every size category smaller halves the amount (so Small take up 50 lbs, Tiny take up 25, and so forth), while every category larger doubles it (so Large is 200 lbs, Huge is 400 lbs, and so forth).
Size
Vehicle Sizes
| ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design Layout Modifiers | Combat Modifiers | |||||||||
| Size | Abrev | Space | Speed | Cargo | Power | Size | Grapple | Hide | PCP | Available at... |
| Medium | M | 5 ft. | x1.5 | x1 | x0.75 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | 1st |
| Large | L | 10 ft. | x1 | x2 | x1 | -1 | +4 | -4 | +0 | 1st |
| Huge | H | 15 ft. | x1 | x4 | x1.25 | -2 | +8 | -8 | -2 | 3rd |
| Gargantuan | G | 20 ft. | x0.75 | x6 | x1.5 | -4 | +12 | -12 | -4 | 6th |
| Colossal | C | 30 ft. | x0.75 | x8 | x2 | -8 | +16 | -16 | -6 | 9th |
| Vast | V | 40 ft. | x0.75 | x10 | x2.5 | -12 | +20 | -20 | -8 | 12th |
| Enormous | E | 50 ft. | x0.5 | x15 | x3 | -16 | +24 | -24 | -10 | 15th |
| Immense | I | 60 ft. | x0.5 | x20 | x3.5 | -20 | +28 | -28 | -12 | 18th |
| Titanic | T | 80 ft. | x0.5 | x25 | x4 | -20 | +32 | -32 | -16 | 21st |
| Awesome | A | 100 ft. | x0.25 | x40 | x5 | -20 | +36 | -36 | -20 | 24th |
At this point, the greasemonkey can decide on the size of the vehicle being constructed.
A vehicle's size impacts the vehicle in a number of significant ways. Larger vehicles are slower, but have more cargo capacity and can hold significantly larger capacitor reserves. In addition, larger vehicles suffer all the standard penalties that characters do for being larger: a lower AC, penalties to attack rolls, and penalties to Hide checks. On the other hand, larger vehicles gain bonuses to grapple checks (if they are capable of doing so), overrun attacks, and can mount larger, more powerful weapons on their hardpoints.
In addition, larger vehicles are also considerably harder to control. Characters attempting to make Pilot checks to control a vehicle suffer a penalty to that check equal to the PCP (Pilot Check Penalty) of the vehicle, as per the table.
Larger vehicles, however, tend to be more complex, and require more skill to build and maintain. The minimum greasemonkey level necessary to construct a vehicle of a given size is listed on the table. That said, greasemonkeys can maintain previously-existing vehicles of sizes larger than they can handle, but usually require larger crews (see below).
Note that vehicles of unusually large size are more common than the requisite greasemonkey level would indicate. The level indicated is the level at which the greasemonkey can reasonably construct a vehicle of such size on her own, and also operate on her own, without a copilot or crew.
In terms of larger vehicles, the number of greasemonkeys required to maintain its operation is dependent upon its size; in essence, each greasemonkey on a larger vehicle can take a "chunk" of the vehicle equal to the size of the largest vehicle she herself could pilot. So a vehicle that is 400 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 100 feet tall would consist of 2,000,000 cubic feet; a 24th-level greasemonkey can singly control and maintain a vehicle of 1,000,000 cubic feet, and a 400x50x100 vehicle would require two 24th-level greasemonkeys.
Hardpoints
Hardpoints come in three varieties: turret, shield, and reactor. Turret hardpoints are used to mount weapons on the vehicle; shield hardpoints allow for a shield generator, and accompanying shield-modifying modules; reactor hardpoints allow for additional power generation or otherwise manipulating the vehicle's power plant.
There are two default configurations available for vehicles: one hardpoint of each type (turret, shield, reactor); or two hardpoints of one type of your choice.
Hardpoints do not have designated slot types, and are not associated with a specific slot. Instead, a vehicle's build is valid if it has a number of modules with a given descriptor (turret, shield, or reactor) equal to or less than the number of hardpoints it has of the same type.
Vehicle classes - weapons, armor, and engines - grant additional hardpoints of a particular type (weapons grants turret hardpoints; armor grants shield hardpoints; and engines grants reactor hardpoints). The fourth basic vehicle class, systems, does not grant hardpoints.
Power Plant
Every vehicle has a power plant. A vehicle cannot have more than one power plant; redundant power plants can be added to a vehicle by using reactor modules that replicate power plant function.
Power plants impact two factors on a vehicle: its maximum capacitor and its recharge rate.
A vehicle regains an amount of capacitor at the beginning of its pilot's turn equal to its recharge rate; if the vehicle has no pilot, the vehicle instead recharges its capacitor on its own turn or at the end of a round.
...we're not going to deal with different varieties of power plants just this second.
The base recharge rate for vehicles is equal to 5% (rounded down, minimum 1) of its max capacitor.
Locomotion Type
Placeholder for now, but we need to talk about this when the time comes.
Vehicle Classes
There are four basic vehicle classes, and a number of vehicle prestige classes. Basic classes are generic, and do not trend towards any specific type of usage beyond what the class suggests. Prestige classes represent a degree of specialization of the vehicle in many ways, represented in the vehicle's chassis, wiring, and general capabilities.
Vehicle classes grant two hit dice per level, to represent that vehicles are objects and thus typically significantly sturdier than those that pilot them.
Weapons Class
Weapons Vehicle Class
| |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | BAB | BDB | Fort | Ref | Special | ||
| 1 | +1 | +0 | +0 | +0 | Turret Hardpoint (+1) | ||
| 2 | +2 | +1 | +0 | +0 | Weapons Design | ||
| 3 | +3 | +1 | +1 | +1 | Weapons Design | ||
| 4 | +4 | +2 | +1 | +1 | Turret Hardpoint (+1) | ||
| 5 | +5 | +2 | +1 | +1 | Weapons Design | ||
| 6 | +6 | +3 | +2 | +2 | Weapons Design | ||
| 7 | +7 | +3 | +2 | +2 | Turret Hardpoints (+2) | ||
| 8 | +8 | +4 | +2 | +2 | Weapons Design | ||
| 9 | +9 | +4 | +3 | +3 | Weapons Design | ||
| 10 | +10 | +5 | +3 | +3 | Turret Hardpoints (+2) | ||
Vehicles with levels in this class are usually bristling with weaponry, often forsaking armor and speed for being gunnery platforms. Vehicles that specialize in weaponry are able to fit larger weaponry, fire them with less capacitor usage, and often pack a significantly harder punch than they otherwise would; however, they tend to be frail, and it is not uncommon for overspecialized weapons vehicles to be referred to as "glass cannons."
HD: 2d6.
Turret Hardpoint: At 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th levels, the vehicle gains the listed number of turret hardpoints.
A turret hardpoint allows a greasemonkey device with the [Turret] descriptor to be fitted to a slot of the appropriate type. A vehicle can only have a number of [Turret] devices fitted equal to the number of turret hardpoints it has.
Weapons Design: At 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 9th levels, the vehicle is modified in such a way that specifically enables weaponry. Choose one of the following abilities.
- Compact Weapon Racks: The vehicle can fit [Turret] devices built for vehicles up to two size categories larger. A vehicle can take this design multiple times; its effect stacks.
- Efficient Tracking: The vehicle gains a +2 inherent bonus to attack rolls, with an additional +1 for each time this design has been taken. A vehicle can take this design multiple times; its effect stacks.
- Falloff Optimization: The range increment of all [Turret] devices fitted to the vehicle is increased by 50%. A vehicle can take this design multiple times; each time, the percentage increase is increased by 50% (so the second time, ranges are doubled; third, 150%; fourth, tripled; and so on).
- Hardpoint: The vehicle gains a turret hardpoint. A vehicle can take this design multiple times.
- Improved Targeting: The vehicle gains a +4 inherent bonus to weapon damage, with an additional +2 for each time this design has been taken. A vehicle can take this design multiple times; its effect stacks.
- Point Defense: The vehicle gains the ability to make a single Attack of Opportunity each round. This design can be taken multiple times; each time, the vehicle can make another AoO each round, to a maximum of its Dexterity modifier or the pilot's Dexterity modifier, whichever is lower.
- Reduced Power Usage: [Turret] devices fitted to the vehicle consume an amount of power as though they were one size smaller. A vehicle can take this design multiple times; its effect stacks.
- Weapon Linkage: The vehicle can link together fitted [Turret] devices. Linked weapons make a single attack roll (using the lowest attack roll among linked weapons), but a successful hit deals all of the linked weapons' damage to the target.
Armor Class
Armor Vehicle Class
| |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | BAB | BDB | Fort | Ref | Special | ||
| 1 | +0 | +1 | +2 | +0 | Shield Hardpoint (+1) | ||
| 2 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +0 | Armor Design | ||
| 3 | +1 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Armor Design | ||
| 4 | +2 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Shield Hardpoint (+1) | ||
| 5 | +2 | +5 | +4 | +1 | Armor Design | ||
| 6 | +3 | +6 | +5 | +2 | Armor Design | ||
| 7 | +3 | +7 | +5 | +2 | Shield Hardpoints (+2) | ||
| 8 | +4 | +8 | +6 | +2 | Armor Design | ||
| 9 | +4 | +9 | +6 | +3 | Armor Design | ||
| 10 | +5 | +10 | +7 | +3 | Shield Hardpoints (+2) | ||
Vehicles with levels in this class often have increased plating and reinforced shield emitters. They also are very often literal tanks. Vehicles that focus on armor are astoundingly resilient, able to take punishment long after most other ships would have been pounded into dust. However, overspecializing on armor can lead to deficits in weaponry and capacitor: if they lack in weapons, they wind up being ignored in favor of "squishier" targets, while ignoring capacitor upgrades means even if they can take the heat for a moment, their shields lack the staying power they need.
HD: 2d12.
Shield Hardpoint: At 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th levels, the vehicle gains the listed number of shield hardpoints.
A shield hardpoint allows a greasemonkey device with the [Shield] descriptor to be fitted to a slot of the appropriate type. A vehicle can only have a number of [Shield] devices fitted equal to the number of shield hardpoints it has.
Armor Design: At 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 9th levels, the vehicle is modified in such a way that specifically improves its defenses. Choose one of the following abilities.
- Efficient Shielding: The vehicle's SH, if any, is improved by an amount equal to its level in the armor vehicle class.
- Evasion: The vehicle gains the evasion ability. This ability only functions if the vehicle is piloted.
- Improved Evasion: The vehicle gains the improved evasion ability. (Prerequisites: Evasion)
- Fortified Structure: The vehicle gains +2 hit points per vehicle level. A vehicle can take this design multiple times; its effect stacks.
- Hardpoint: The vehicle gains a shield hardpoint. A vehicle can take this design multiple times.
- Mettle: The vehicle gains the mettle ability, but only in regards to Fortitude saves.
- Reduced Power Usage: [Shield] devices fitted to the vehicle consume an amount of power as though they were one size smaller. A vehicle can take this design multiple times; its effect stacks.
- Robust Emitters: The vehicle's shield recharge rate, if it has one, increases by 1.
Engines Class
Engines Vehicle Class
| |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | BAB | BDB | Fort | Ref | Special | ||
| 1 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Reactor Hardpoint (+1) | ||
| 2 | +1 | +1 | +0 | +3 | Engine Design | ||
| 3 | +2 | +2 | +1 | +3 | Engine Design | ||
| 4 | +3 | +3 | +1 | +4 | Reactor Hardpoint (+1) | ||
| 5 | +3 | +3 | +1 | +4 | Engine Design | ||
| 6 | +4 | +4 | +2 | +5 | Engine Design | ||
| 7 | +5 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Reactor Hardpoint (+2) | ||
| 8 | +6 | +6 | +2 | +6 | Engine Design | ||
| 9 | +6 | +6 | +3 | +6 | Engine Design | ||
| 10 | +7 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Reactor Hardpoint (+2) | ||
While not as flashy as weaponry or armor, improving a vehicle's reactor vastly improves its utility. Many modules require the expenditure of capacitor, and most stock reactors are unable to keep up with the power loads that running multiple devices puts on a vehicle: if you want to have a bunch of toys, you need to pay for that by improving the reactor. Vehicles with this class tend to be more support vehicles, trending towards logistics and utility than combat roles, but even combat-centric vehicles find that having an upgraded reactor immensely helps their staying power.
HD: 2d8.
Reactor Hardpoint: At 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th levels, the vehicle gains the listed number of reactor hardpoints.
A reactor hardpoint allows a greasemonkey device with the [Reactor] descriptor to be fitted to a slot of the appropriate type. A vehicle can only have a number of [Reactor] devices fitted equal to the number of reactor hardpoints it has.
Engine Design: At 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 9th levels, the vehicle is modified in such a way that specifically improves its engines and reactors. Choose one of the following abilities.
- Efficient Fuel Consumption: The vehicle consumes half as much capacitor when it takes a move action. A vehicle can take this design multiple times; each time, halve the capacitor consumption of movement.
- Hardpoint: The vehicle gains a reactor hardpoint. A vehicle can take this design multiple times.
- Improved Fuel Injectors: The base recharge rate for the vehicle's capacitor improves by 1%. A vehicle can take this design multiple times.
- Made For Speed: The vehicle is treated as two sizes smaller for purposes of its speed multiplier (see Design Layouts, above). A vehicle can take this design multiple times; its effect stacks.
- Powerful Engine: The vehicle is treated as one size larger for purposes of its power multiplier (see Design Layouts, above). A vehicle can take this design multiple times; its effect stacks.
- Reduced Power Usage: Devices fitted to the vehicle that increase the vehicle's move speed consume an amount of power as though they were one size smaller. A vehicle can take this design multiple times; its effect stacks.
Systems Class
Systems Vehicle Class
| |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | BAB | BDB | Fort | Ref | Special | ||
| 1 | +0 | +0 | +1 | +0 | Slot (+1) | ||
| 2 | +1 | +1 | +2 | +0 | Systems Design | ||
| 3 | +1 | +2 | +2 | +1 | Systems Design | ||
| 4 | +2 | +3 | +2 | +1 | Slot (+1) | ||
| 5 | +2 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Systems Design | ||
| 6 | +3 | +4 | +3 | +2 | Systems Design | ||
| 7 | +3 | +5 | +4 | +2 | Slots (+2) | ||
| 8 | +4 | +6 | +4 | +2 | Systems Design | ||
| 9 | +4 | +6 | +4 | +3 | Systems Design | ||
| 10 | +5 | +7 | +5 | +3 | Slots (+2) | ||
Some machines simply need more racks and space to fit devices, being otherwise well-rounded vehicles. The systems class allows a vehicle to gain generic slots of the primary types - high, mid, and low - though it does not offer hardpoints. Vehicles of this class tend to be versatile, able to field a variety of devices, though often lack the power of the more specific vehicle classes. That said, Systems vehicles should still not be underestimated, as it can be difficult to discern just what it is they're packing in their racks.
HD: 2d10.
Slots: At 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th levels, the vehicle gains the listed number of slots. These can be of any type of the vehicle's builder's choice - high, mid, or low - in any combination.
Systems Design: At 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 9th levels, the vehicle is modified in such a way that specifically improves its versatility. Choose one of the following abilities.
- Reroute Power (Engines): The vehicle's systems are designed to be turned off to allow increased power to the engines. A slot with a fitted module can be deactivated as a standard action; this completely disables that module, but while disabled, the vehicle gains a single engine design, chosen at the time the module is deactivated. The vehicle cannot gain a hardpoint with this ability. Reactivating a module is a standard action. A vehicle can take this design multiple times; each time, up to one additional device can be deactivated at a time.
- Reroute Power (Shields): The vehicle's systems are designed to be turned off to allow increased power to shields. A slot with a fitted module can be deactivated as a standard action; this completely disables that module, but while disabled, the vehicle gains a single armor design, chosen at the time the module is deactivated. The vehicle cannot gain a hardpoint with this ability. Reactivating a module is a standard action. A vehicle can take this design multiple times; each time, up to one additional device can be deactivated at a time.
- Reroute Power (Weapons): The vehicle's systems are designed to be turned off to allow increased power to weapons. A slot with a fitted module can be deactivated as a standard action; this completely disables that module, but while disabled, the vehicle gains a single weapons design, chosen at the time the module is deactivated. The vehicle cannot gain a hardpoint with this ability. Reactivating a module is a standard action. A vehicle can take this design multiple times; each time, up to one additional device can be deactivated at a time.
- Recalibration: The vehicle gains +2 calibration. A vehicle can take this design multiple times.
- Slot: The vehicle gains another slot. This can be a high, mid, or low slot. A vehicle can take this design multiple times.
