Slicer

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)

Slicer Specialization Skills: Computers, Knowledge (Education), Knowledge (Underworld) and Stealth

For the Slicer, a computer or datapad is just a puzzle to solve with prizes for doing so. "Slicing" is the term used for the invasive efforts to steal or alter data in a system. With practically the entire galaxy wired to computerized systems, Slicers are extremely valuable people to know, and dangerous to cross. Their talents mainly focus on making computerized and electronic systems dance to their tune.

Slicers are among the most valued professionals in the Outer Rim, especially to the criminal world. A Slicer's worth, however, is only as good as his reputation; success and loyalty will earn him top credits, while blowing key operations or double-crossing an employer will tend to make his prospects far less attractive.

A Player Character group without a Slicer will have something of a handicap, especially where acquiring data or handling computerized problems is concerned. A Slicer might join a group for a chance to get away from a bad deal, or simply because he's ready to see the next planet. Slicers tend to be a quirky bunch, so there might be any number of motivations at work.

Potential Backgrounds

  • Antiquarian: Most species have possessed computers for even longer than they have had starships or droids. While many Slicers look down on ancient computer interfaces, the wise know that the past is the foundation of the future. A Slicer who understands computer code from a historical perspective can often find vulnerabilities and back doors buried deep in layers of digital sediment and use these to gain an advantage over the competition. From ancient starship computers still in use after centuries to HoloNet relays established in ancient days, an Antiquarian Slicer has no shortage of opportunities to put the secrets of the past to work.
  • Born Engineer: A character who grew up aboard a space station or other mechanized living facility likely knows a great deal about computers. A Born Engineer can thrive in such an environment, and might have quickly taken to creating and modifying code, becoming a Slicer. Because everything on a space station is generally wired in to a central computer network, a Slicer can be an incredible asset to the people in charge—or an even more infuriating thorn in their side. Such a Slicer might have been a sort of law enforcer, helping maintain order on the station, or might have become a local renegade, using a mastery of computers to steal credits, evade the authorities, or pursue some other goal frowned upon by those in power.
  • Tech Designer: Computer systems are always improving, changing, and evolving, and so too must Slicers. Slicers who want to stay current are always learning new tricks, developing new workarounds to common security, and finding ways to subvert security. However, some of the most dangerous Slicers are those who design their own rigs and programs, and they can be very difficult for even the most skilled administrators to predict or defend against.
  • Underworld Tech Expert: Outlaw Slicers are common enough, serving in criminal syndicates to thwart law enforcement and competitors alike through clever use of computers. However, some of the best Slicers who act as Underworld Tech Experts are strictly freelance. These individuals can crack any computer, foil any droid’s programming, and stalk through the HoloNet like a ghost, acquiring information without anyone else ever knowing. These masterful Slicers are more than mere infochants, for not only can they intercept information, but they can also change it, distribute it, and fabricate it wholesale. The best of the best sometimes consider themselves artists as much as Technicians and demand exorbitant fees for their efforts, taking on only the jobs that catch their interest. Such Slicers are vanishingly rare, but their impact can be felt across the galaxy—if they want anyone to know that they exist at all, that is.