Vehicles - Exoskeleton is the skill that enables you to drive and control human exo-skeletons and power armor in order to augment your own physical abilities. With the help of your exo-suit, you can lift heavy objects, move at incredible speeds, and traverse difficult terrain with ease.
With the exo-skeleton, you are a one-man army, equipped to handle any situation and take on any opponent. Your movements are precise and powerful, and you can maneuver through tight spaces and cover long distances in seconds.
In addition to combat applications, exo-suits and power armor are also used in various industrial settings, such as cargo handling and construction. With your knowledge and proficiency in driving these machines, you are a valuable asset in any industry.
The vehicles - exoskeleton skill allows you to interface with and control these machines, as well as maintain them when necessary. You know how to customize and upgrade your exo-skeleton to best suit your needs, making you an even more formidable opponent on the battlefield.
Each exoskeleton operation will have a difficulty rating based on maneuver complexity, environmental conditions, suit power levels, and physical demands. The more demanding the task and harsher the conditions, the higher the difficulty.
When you attempt to operate powered armor, perform enhanced feats of strength, execute combat maneuvers in an exosuit, navigate difficult terrain, or push your exoskeleton's capabilities, you will make a Vehicles - Exoskeleton skill check against the task's difficulty rating. The GM may apply Boons or Banes based on factors such as suit condition, power reserves, hydraulics functionality, or environmental hazards.
Rather than spending skill points to move up skill levels, you may instead spend skill points to purchase any of the following tricks.
Special: Due to your intimate knowledge of your own gear, if you have Engineering - Repair (Mech), you can roll that skill as well and take the higher result when attempting to repair your own Exoskeleton.
Cost: 2 Skill points
Requires: Tactical Training
Frequency: Once per Lockdown
Effect: You can overclock your exosuit's servos for enhanced performance. Once per operation, for 3 rounds, you gain +50% to strength-based actions (lifting, melee damage, breaking objects). Your hydraulics operate beyond safe limits, allowing superhuman feats. After the surge, servos need to cool (no penalty, just normal operation resumes).
Cost: 2 Skill points
Requires: Tactical Training
Frequency: Once per Lockdown
Effect: You can use your exosuit's thrusters for powerful jumps. Once per operation, you can jump 3x normal height/distance, allowing you to reach elevated positions, leap over obstacles, or close distance rapidly. The jump is controlled - you land safely and ready for action. Perfect for urban combat or vertical terrain.
Cost: 2 Skill points
Requires: Tactical Training
Frequency: Once per Lockdown
Effect: You can use your exosuit as a battering ram. Once per operation, you gain a +1d6 Boon to charge through obstacles (doors, walls, barricades) or enemies. Your suit's mass and power lets you smash through barriers that would stop unarmored troops. Enemies hit by your charge take 2d6 damage and are knocked prone.
Cost: 6 Skill points
Requires: Expert Training
Frequency: Once per Op
Effect: You can lock your exosuit into a stable firing platform. Once per rest, for 5 rounds, you plant your suit and gain perfect stability. You gain a +1d8 Boon to ranged attacks, can fire heavy weapons without penalty, and your suit absorbs all recoil. You're immobile but become a stationary gun emplacement.
Cost: 6 Skill points
Requires: Expert Training
Frequency: Once per Op
Effect: You can deliver devastating powered melee strikes. Once per rest, your melee attacks with the exosuit gain a +1d8 Boon and deal an additional 2d6 damage. Your hydraulically-enhanced punches can dent armor, shatter walls, and send enemies flying. You're a one-person wrecking crew.
Cost: 6 Skill points
Requires: Expert Training
Frequency: Once per Op
Effect: You can activate emergency protocols when your suit is damaged. Once per rest, when your exosuit takes critical damage or systems fail, you gain a +1d8 Boon to keep it functional. Emergency power routing, backup servos, and damage bypass keep the suit operational when it should be dead. You limp along but you keep fighting.
Cost: 10 Skill points
Requires: Master Training
Frequency: Once per Mission
Effect: You achieve perfect synchronization with your exosuit. For one combat encounter, the suit responds to your thoughts instantly - no lag, no clumsiness. You move with full human agility plus mechanical strength. You gain +1d12 Boon to all exosuit actions. The suit is an extension of your body, not a machine you wear.
Cost: 10 Skill points
Requires: Master Training
Frequency: Once per Mission
Effect: You can deploy from orbit in your exosuit. Once per mission, you orbital drop directly into combat, arriving exactly where needed. The drop pod impact deals 4d6 damage to all enemies in Close range and creates a crater. You emerge from the pod ready for immediate action. This spectacular entrance demoralizes enemies and rallies allies.
Cost: 10 Skill points
Requires: Master Training
Frequency: Once per Mission
Effect: You become an unstoppable force in your exosuit. For one operation, you cannot be knocked down, cannot be stopped by obstacles, shrug off damage that should destroy the suit, and keep fighting through injuries that would kill others. Your exosuit and your will make you invincible. Nothing stops you. Nothing. You are an army of one.
Each exosuit configuration grants a stacking Boon when used for its designed purpose:
Boons apply when: