Outlaw Tech 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)

Outlaw Tech Specialization Skills: Knowledge (Education), Knowledge (Underworld), Mechanics and Streetwise

Outlaw Techs are the specialists others call on when they want something out of the ordinary. A blaster that works beyond factory tolerances? No problem. A transponder that identifies a smuggler's freighter as a religious pilgrimage craft? It'll cost a few credits, but sure. A protocol droid altered to carry out an assassination? Just how big is that credit line, anyway?

With his talents, the Outlaw Tech is adept at doing fantastic things with technology that he probably shouldn't. He's also tough, clever, and adaptable.

Outlaw Techs find the Outer Rim very comfortable. They're able to practice their unique style of work with far less chance of running afoul of Imperial agents or other repressive government restrictions. They also find it far easier to make the contacts and get the kinds of customers that really appreciate their services. Of course, it's a lot harder to get true stateof- the-art equipment, but making do with what's on hand is a specialty of the Outlaw Tech.

Outlaw Techs in a Player Character group will be highly prized, especially for their ability to make all kinds of improvements on other characters' gear. They are also adept at keeping ships and vehicles operational, and in some situations, they're as handy at acquiring certain goods as some Explorers. Without a Smuggler in the group, an Outlaw Tech may be the best bet for dealing with the local black markets.

Potential Backgrounds

Antiquarian: Sentient species have been fighting each other for thousands upon thousands of years—and most have been fighting among themselves since they arose from the primordial muck of their various homeworlds— and Outlaw Techs know it. The winners have usually been those who have wielded the best weapons. Over countless eons of war, the sentient beings of the galaxy have created an incredible variety of weapons, and some Outlaw Techs pride themselves on collecting rare pieces from ancient civilizations and far-flung worlds. Such characters might not only appreciate the efficacy of such weaponry, but also get a substantial thrill out of adding rare works to their arsenals.

Born Engineer: Someone raised on the fringes of the galaxy could have a natural disdain for regulations and instruction manuals, sliding into the role of Outlaw Tech. After all, far from the Core Worlds, warranties are meaningless, and user safety instructions seem like suggestions at best. Someone with a genius for constructing devices could easily turn it to the production of arms, perhaps first from retrofitted machine tools and later from custom-crafted parts made to the finest specifications. A weaponsmith from the Outer Rim might not see arms dealership as a dirty trade—people need weapons to defend themselves from creatures and marauders alike in the lawless wastes, and to suggest otherwise is naive, as the weaponsmith sees it. However, if such a character was confronted with the harm those weapons dealt after a lifetime of crafting them, it might force even the most innately skilled Outlaw Tech to regret pursuing the perfection in arms that felt so natural at the time.

Tech Designer: Outlaw Techs at the cutting edge of their field are usually on the front lines, testing their technology firsthand. There is no crucible for development like actual combat, and most Outlaw Techs who work to advance combat technology to the brink want to be there to observe the results. The character might work as a mercenary or even a bounty hunter to find opportunities to push new gear to its breaking point. Such a character might see combat as part experiment, part technology demo. An Outlaw Tech of this persuasion is always on the lookout for clients to impress with new armaments.

Underworld Tech Expert: The obvious specialization for characters deep in the underworld is the Outlaw Tech. Many Outlaw Techs openly embrace the criminal lifestyle and the inherent difficulties and danger, usually for the credits. An Outlaw Tech might once have been muscle for a criminal organization, using a deadly array of custom-built weapons and wargear to eliminate threats, assassinate witnesses, and terrorize anyone who stood in the syndicate’s way. Whether an Outlaw Tech wields a disruptor, a personal stealth field, a deflector shield, or a highly customized rifle, nobody else is as well-suited to maintaining and optimizing such a deadly arsenal. The Outlaw Tech might custom-build weapons to take out specific targets, honing blades to pierce the skin of particularly tough creatures, brewing toxins that affect only certain species, or tailoring environment-specific camouflage. Usually, leaving a criminal organization is a risky proposition, but in the case of a brilliant, tech-enhanced killer with a resume of executions to match, even the most jaded crime boss might have seen the wisdom in letting the Outlaw Tech walk away unscathed.