<Cybercore>

Vehicles - Piloting (Land / Sea)

As a master of Vehicles - Piloting (Land / Sea), you have the skill to navigate through the toughest terrain in any vehicle, from high-powered land speeders to aquatic submersibles. With quick reflexes and an acute awareness of your surroundings, you can maneuver through rugged terrain, over steep inclines, and across treacherous waters with ease.

You can handle everything from high-speed chases through crowded city streets to navigating complex off-road trails in hostile environments. Your experience and skill behind the wheel of any vehicle make you a force to be reckoned with, both in racing competitions and in combat situations.

You know how to assess the terrain, anticipate the movements of other vehicles, and make split-second decisions to avoid obstacles and stay on course. Your mastery of Vehicles - Piloting (Land / Sea) makes you an invaluable asset to any team or crew, and your reputation as a skilled driver precedes you wherever you go.

Using Piloting (Land/Sea)

Each driving or sailing maneuver will have a difficulty rating based on terrain complexity, vehicle capabilities, environmental conditions, and speed required. The more treacherous the terrain and demanding the conditions, the higher the difficulty.

When you attempt to drive ground vehicles, pilot watercraft, navigate difficult terrain, perform high-speed maneuvers, chase or evade pursuit, or control damaged vehicles, you will make a Vehicles - Piloting (Land/Sea) skill check against the task's difficulty rating. The GM may apply Boons or Banes based on factors such as vehicle condition, terrain/weather conditions, speed, or damage sustained.

  • A Critical Success means you achieve driving/sailing excellence. Your vehicle control is perfect - you execute flawless maneuvers that leave pursuers behind, navigate impossible terrain without slowing down, perform turns and drifts that seem to break physics, find shortcuts through terrain others miss, or maintain control in conditions that would crash other drivers. Your driving skill is awe-inspiring.
  • A Regular Success allows you to drive/sail successfully. You control your vehicle properly, navigate terrain safely, execute maneuvers effectively, maintain speed appropriately, or reach your destination. You accomplish your driving objectives.
  • A Failure means your driving is imperfect but not catastrophic. You struggle with difficult terrain, lose speed on challenging sections, execute sloppy maneuvers, take inefficient routes, or lose ground to pursuers. Your vehicle may take minor damage (1d4) from rough handling, but you maintain control.
  • A Critical Failure results in driving disaster: you crash your vehicle (2d6 damage to vehicle and all aboard), roll/flip on difficult terrain, lose control and skid into obstacles, get caught by pursuers, drive into hazards you didn't see, or your poor handling causes critical vehicle damage (engine failure, broken axle, hull breach). Serious consequences follow.

Piloting (Land/Sea) Tricks

Rather than spending skill points to move up skill levels, you may instead spend skill points to purchase any of the following tricks.

Drift Master:

Cost: 2 Skill points
Requires: Tactical Training
Frequency: Once per Lockdown
Effect: You can execute perfect controlled drifts. Once per operation, when taking corners at high speed, you gain a +1d6 Boon. Your powerslide technique allows you to take turns without losing speed, maintain control on loose surfaces, or execute spectacular 180-degree reverse turns (bootlegger turn) to escape pursuit.

Off-Road Expert:

Cost: 2 Skill points
Requires: Tactical Training
Frequency: Once per Lockdown
Effect: You excel at driving on difficult terrain. Once per operation, when navigating rough terrain (rocks, mud, sand, snow, jungle), you gain a +1d6 Boon. You know how to read the ground, manage momentum, and keep moving when others would get stuck. Difficult terrain doesn't slow you down.

Chase Driver:

Cost: 2 Skill points
Requires: Tactical Training
Frequency: Once per Lockdown
Effect: You're expert at pursuit and evasion. Once per operation, during a vehicle chase (whether you're pursuing or being pursued), you gain a +1d6 Boon to all driving checks. You anticipate traffic patterns, find shortcuts, execute evasive maneuvers, and maintain control at high speeds through urban environments or terrain.

Amphibious Driver:

Cost: 6 Skill points
Requires: Expert Training
Frequency: Once per Op
Effect: You can pilot watercraft and amphibious vehicles with exceptional skill. Once per rest, when driving on or through water (rivers, lakes, oceans, or amphibious crossings), you gain a +1d8 Boon. You can navigate rough seas, execute beach landings, handle watercraft in storms, or cross water obstacles that would stop other drivers.

Stunt Driver:

Cost: 6 Skill points
Requires: Expert Training
Frequency: Once per Op
Effect: You can perform spectacular vehicle stunts. Once per rest, you can execute one incredible stunt - a ramp jump over obstacles, driving on two wheels through narrow gaps, a barrel roll, threading between traffic at high speed, or similar action-movie maneuvers. You gain a +1d8 Boon and the stunt looks amazing. Perfect for chases and escapes.

Emergency Driver:

Cost: 6 Skill points
Requires: Expert Training
Frequency: Once per Op
Effect: You can control damaged or failing vehicles. Once per rest, when driving a critically damaged vehicle (blown tire, damaged steering, engine problems, broken suspension), you gain a +1d8 Boon to maintain control. You can nurse dying vehicles to safe locations, compensate for mechanical failures, or keep control when the vehicle should be undrivable.

Terrain Master:

Cost: 10 Skill points
Requires: Master Training
Frequency: Once per Mission
Effect: You can drive through terrain that should be impossible. Once per mission, you successfully navigate terrain that would stop other vehicles - vertical cliffs, boulder fields, deep mud, storm-tossed seas, or urban environments at impossible speeds. You automatically succeed. Your driving defies what the vehicle should be capable of.

Untouchable:

Cost: 10 Skill points
Requires: Master Training
Frequency: Once per Mission
Effect: You cannot be caught or stopped. For one vehicle chase or pursuit, no enemy can catch you if you're fleeing, and no target can escape if you're pursuing. Your driving is so skilled that you always maintain the exact position you want - ahead of pursuers or on the tail of your target. You own the road/water.

Crash Survivor:

Cost: 10 Skill points
Requires: Master Training
Frequency: Once per Mission
Effect: You can walk away from any crash. Once per mission, no matter how catastrophic the vehicle accident - high-speed collision, roll-over, driving off a cliff, being hit by another vehicle - you and all passengers survive with only minor injuries (1d4 damage maximum). Your instinctive control in the final moments turns certain death into a survivable crash. The vehicle is totaled, but everyone lives.

Crafting

Two-Stage Creation Process

Stage 1: Design the Technique (Blueprint)

  • Requires: Piloting (Land/Sea) check (DC varies by complexity)
    • Basic Technique (DC Easy): Simple drift or evasion
    • Advanced Technique (DC Medium): Complex multi-stage maneuver
    • Elite Technique (DC Hard): Signature move requiring precise timing and terrain knowledge
  • Time: 1-3 hours of planning and initial testing
  • Resources: Vehicle access, training course, or terrain maps

Stage 2: Master Through Practice (Crafting)

  • Requires: Repeated practice until muscle memory develops
  • Time: 4-12 hours of practice depending on complexity
  • Materials:
    • Vehicle Time: Practice vehicle and fuel
    • Course Access: Cheap to Moderate for track time or fuel costs
  • Workshop: Racing circuit, training course, off-road terrain, or urban environment

Benefits: Stacking Boons

Each mastered driving technique grants a stacking Boon when you execute that specific maneuver:

  • 1 Technique: +1d4 Boon
  • 2 Techniques: +1d6 Boon
  • 3 Techniques: +1d8 Boon
  • 4 Techniques: +1d10 Boon
  • 5+ Techniques: +1d12 Boon (then +1d4 for each additional)

Boons apply when:

  • Executing the specific driving technique you've mastered
  • Performing pursuit or evasion maneuvers you've drilled
  • Navigating terrain using your practiced techniques
  • Racing on courses where your techniques apply

Types of Driving Techniques

Offensive/Racing Techniques:

  • Perfect Line: Optimized racing line through specific corner types
  • Late Apex: Aggressive cornering for overtaking opportunities
  • Trail Braking: Advanced braking technique for tight corners
  • Slingshot Pass: Using slipstream to overtake on straights

Defensive/Evasion Techniques:

  • Bootlegger Turn: 180-degree reverse turn for quick escape
  • Controlled Skid: Planned slide to change direction rapidly
  • Brake-and-Evade: Emergency braking with directional change
  • Pursuit Break: Pattern designed to lose followers

Terrain Techniques:

  • Rock Line: Optimized path through boulder fields
  • Water Entry: Safe technique for amphibious crossings
  • Hill Assault: Momentum management for steep climbs
  • Urban Weave: Navigation pattern through city traffic

Sea/Amphibious Techniques:

  • Wave Riding: Using swells for speed advantage
  • Wake Jump: Using another vessel's wake for momentum
  • Storm Navigation: Pattern for heavy weather sailing
  • Beach Landing: Controlled approach for amphibious vehicles

Maintenance Requirements

Unlike contacts or operatives, mastered driving techniques are permanent skill memory:

  • No Ongoing Cost: Once mastered, the technique is yours
  • Practice Recommended: Occasional refresher to maintain peak performance
  • Transferable: Techniques can be adapted to similar vehicle types
  • Teachable: You can train teammates in your techniques (requires their own practice time)

Example: Street Racer's Signature Drift

Nova "Slidewinder" Reyes develops her signature drift technique:

  1. Design Technique (DC Medium): Nova spends 2 hours analyzing corner geometry and testing "The Slidewinder Drift" - a high-speed powerslide with throttle control for corner exit acceleration
  2. Practice: Over 6 hours on various corners, she practices until it's muscle memory (Piloting check, success)
  3. Cost: Cheap for track rental and fuel
  4. Benefit: When executing "The Slidewinder Drift", Nova gains +1d4 Boon to cornering Piloting rolls
  5. Duration: Permanent - this is now part of her driving repertoire

Later, Nova masters 2 more techniques (pursuit evasion and urban weave), increasing her Boon pool to +1d6 when using any of her three signature moves.

Example: Off-Road Champion's Terrain Mastery

Marcus "Mudslide" Chen specializes in off-road racing:

  1. Multiple Techniques: Marcus has mastered 4 terrain-specific techniques: rock crawling line, hill assault, water crossing, and sand dune navigation
  2. Benefit: When executing any of his four techniques, Marcus gains +1d10 Boon to terrain navigation
  3. Cost: Each technique required 8-12 hours of practice in actual terrain
  4. Reputation: His mastery of these techniques has made him the go-to driver for planetary exploration missions

GM Notes

  • Limit to 5 techniques to prevent excessive stacking
  • Specific Use: Techniques only grant Boons when consciously executed
  • Situational: Technique must be appropriate to situation and terrain
  • Story Integration: Signature moves create driver identity and reputation
  • Teaching: Allowing drivers to share techniques creates team synergy
  • Vehicle Type: Some techniques may require specific vehicle capabilities