Mechanic Specialization

Of the 8 Career Skills, choose 4 to get a free rank. Of the 4 Specialization Skills, choose 2 to get a free rank.

Technician Career Skills: Astrogation, Computers, Coordination, Discipline, Knowledge (Outer Rim), Mechanics, Perception and Piloting (Planetary)

Mechanic Specialization Skills: Brawl, Mechanics, Piloting (Space) and Skulduggery

Depending on who is asked, Mechanics are either the glue that holds everything together or the grease that makes it all go. Most Mechanics would tell you they do both, and then get back to work.

Pragmatic and tough are two key traits that come out of a Mechanic's talent tree, as are the many ways he is capable of fixing what's broken and being prepared for any mechanical contingencies that arise.

While it is relatively easy to find a Mechanic almost anywhere in the galaxy, it's considerably more difficult to find a good one, and even harder to find one that can be trusted. Ship captains will literally travel across systems to get to a Mechanic they can trust to do a good job for them, which is why Mechanics tend to be in high demand.

A Mechanic that's hooked up with the typical Player Character group has likely decided he doesn't want to spend all of his time in a work pit or engineering hangar. He probably wants to see a bit of the galaxy and get some flight time in. Fortunately, Mechanics tend to pick up a few things about how to take care of themselves in tough situations, and given a few minutes and some random devices, they may well cobble together a rather explosive means of dealing with real problems.

Potential Backgrounds

Antiquarian: Not everyone can hail from a technological hot spot like Coreilia, or even from a fringe world such as Tatooine. However, individuals who grow up in truly low-tech communities are just as innovative as their more technologically experienced counterparts. A Mechanic from a world without advanced technology might have experience with metallurgy, chemistry, and machines that do not rely on electricity. Such an individual might be a specialist at producing a particular thing, like a blacksmith, architect, or weaver, but might also be a generalist who serves a community’s wider needs. Unleashed upon the galaxy, such an Antiquarian would likely acclimate rapidly, using the same logical modes of thinking and practical knowhow to master new technologies.

Born Engineer: A Mechanic might be the heir to a line of machinists, innovating upon designs drawn up by parents or more distant ancestors. Such a character could hail from a family corporation that manufactures starships, and might use innate aptitude and education to pursue the company’s interests by creating increasingly refined designs. Growing up around starships would have given the character an unmatched fluency in this craft. With this innate understanding of machines, a Born Engineer with strong corporate ties would be well-positioned to create that company’s greatest technological achievements yet.

Tech Designer: On the fringes of galactic society, Mechanics frequently can’t purchase every device their crews need. It often falls to ships’ Mechanics to build something from scratch to solve problems that nobody foresaw. However, while some Mechanics are content to simply cobble together an inefficient solution, Tech Designers believe that if they’re going to do something, they should do it right. While breaking out a drafting board might be impractical in the midst of a crisis, doing so when the Mechanic has time to carefully design and construct a device that not only solves the problem in the short term, but also minimizes waste and unforeseen consequences in the future.

Underworld Tech Expert: Mechanics serve in a multitude of roles in the criminal underworld, and one of the most notorious jobs is as a laborer in a starship chop shop. These illegal operations, often disguised as legitimate garages, dismantle stolen starships so that their parts can be sold without an obvious trail. A Mechanic who got started in such an environment would likely be very skilled at assessing and dismantling vehicles, but might well dream of putting them together instead. The chance to do so might be enough to lure such a character away from steady (if ethically dubious) work, though the criminal syndicates that own such operations often take a dim view of anyone who wishes to leave.