more rule questions...

[sinmaan]

When a career has a END survival roll, can you add you Athletics skill level as a bonus?

What skill is used to fire "drive" or "flyer" categories of vehicles?

What is the difference between Vacc-Suit and Zero-G skills? One is to wear and maneuver in the space suit and the other to do activities in zero-g environments, even none open-space ones (ex: a ship with broken maneuver drive that does not generate gravity). Therefore, to work in space you require both vacc-suit and zero-g? How does it work?

 

[hdan]

When a career has a END survival roll, can you add you Athletics skill level as a bonus?

I hadn't though of that. I'd say "yes", since if you get a stat increase, it can be used during generation. But I'd clear it with your Ref (or if you're the Ref, decide how you want it to go down).

What skill is used to fire "drive" or "flyer" categories of vehicles?

No idea. I'd still use Gunnery.

What is the difference between Vacc-Suit and Zero-G skills? One is to wear and maneuver in the space suit and the other to do activities in zero-g environments, even none open-space ones (ex: a ship with broken maneuver drive that does not generate gravity). Therefore, to work in space you require both vacc-suit and zero-g? How does it work?

When working in space, I'd tie the required throws/skills to the task. If it involves operating the suit and maybe "finger work", I'd use Vacc Suit skill. If it involves moving yourself into new positions or keeping tabs on tools floating near by, I'd go for zero-g.

I imagine one could easily have VaccSuit and not Zero-g if you grew up on an airless world. Zero-G without Vacc Suit is a bit harder to rationalize if you live in a setting with artificial gravity.

 

[rust]

What skill is used to fire "drive" or "flyer" categories of vehicles?

Looking at the relevant careers' skills, Army/Cavalry in the core rules
uses Gunnery and Air Force/Flight in the Mercenary Book uses Heavy
Weapons. Looking at the skill descriptions in the core rules, Gunnery
is for ship mounted weapons in space combat and Heavy Weapons is
for rocket launchers, artillery and thelike. In my campaigns I would
use Heavy Weapons for both types of vehicles.

 

[Captain Jonah]

What is the difference between Vacc-Suit and Zero-G skills? One is to wear and manoeuvre in the space suit and the other to do activities in zero-g environments, even none open-space ones (ex: a ship with broken manoeuvre drive that does not generate gravity). Therefore, to work in space you require both vacc-suit and zero-g? How does it work?

Vacc Suit
The Vacc Suit skill allows a character to wear and operate spacesuits
and environmental suits. A character will rarely need to make Vacc
Suit skill checks – merely possessing the skill is enough. If the
character does not have the requisite Vacc Suit skill for the suit he is
wearing, he suffers a –2 DM to all skill checks made while wearing a
suit for each missing level

For example the higher tech Vacc Suits require Vacc Suit 0 to use, the lower tech HEV suits require Vacc Suit 2 and combat armour requires Vacc Suit 0. Once you have the skill that’s basically it. The only time I use the skill past that point is for very unusual situations such as repairs when you spring a leak in space.

Zero-G skill on the other hand is the working skill for micro gravities and it is this skill that will be linked to many tasks in space.

For example: A ship has taken damage a hit in combat and now needs external repairs. The ships engineer suits up. He has Vacc Suit 0 which is enough to wear his Tech 12 suit and so no rolls are needed. He then goes outside and works his way round the hull to the breach (Zero-G/Dex), once at the breach he then tries to weld a patch to the hull (Task chain, Zero-G/Dex first then Engineer [any]/Int or Mechanic/Int).

There is no normal need to make a Vacc Suit check, if you have enough skill to use the suit in question then that is it. As such high levels of Vacc suit skill would be very rare at higher tech levels, there is simply no need for them. Being a nice chap I tend to let players swap any level of Vacc suit above 1 for Zero-G or perhaps survival skill.

 

[Lemnoc]

Being a nice chap I tend to let players swap any level of Vacc suit above 1 for Zero-G or perhaps survival skill.

Same here. Always struck me as a little wacky to run Vacc Suit and Zero-G as separate, noninterrelated skills.

 

[F33D]

Being a nice chap I tend to let players swap any level of Vacc suit above 1 for Zero-G or perhaps survival skill.

Same here. Always struck me as a little wacky to run Vacc Suit and Zero-G as separate, noninterrelated skills.

I'd say that Vacc Suit 1 (experienced usage) gives Zero-G 0. Unless somehow you got the Vacc suit skill from living on an airless world that has sizable gravity...

 

[Captain Jonah]

Being a nice chap I tend to let players swap any level of Vacc suit above 1 for Zero-G or perhaps survival skill.

Same here. Always struck me as a little wacky to run Vacc Suit and Zero-G as separate, noninterrelated skills.

I'd say that Vacc Suit 1 (experienced usage) gives Zero-G 0. Unless somehow you got the Vacc suit skill from living on an airless world that has sizable gravity...

Outside work on a world with a poisonous/corrosive/nasty atmosphere. The sort of environment where just walking around outside the domes requires a Hostile Environment suit, hazard suit etc. Also you could make the case that Vacc Suit is the base skill for underwater suits as well.
Probably a lot of planets that could give you Vacc Suit without Zero-G.

 

[locarno24]

Looking at the relevant careers' skills, Army/Cavalry in the core rules uses Gunnery and Air Force/Flight in the Mercenary Book uses Heavy Weapons. Looking at the skill descriptions in the core rules, Gunnery is for ship mounted weapons in space combat and Heavy Weapons is for rocket launchers, artillery and thelike. In my campaigns I would use Heavy Weapons for both types of vehicles.

Agreed. Whatever (Gun Combat, Heavy Weapons, Gunner) is appropriate for the weapon.
Note that you'll be suffering the 'combined action' penalty quite a lot for fixed weapons (i.e. where the pilot and gunner are the same guy he is by definition flying and aiming at the same time).

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

When a career has a END survival roll, can you add you Athletics skill level as a bonus?

What skill is used to fire "drive" or "flyer" categories of vehicles?

What is the difference between Vacc-Suit and Zero-G skills? One is to wear and maneuver in the space suit and the other to do activities in zero-g environments, even none open-space ones (ex: a ship with broken maneuver drive that does not generate gravity). Therefore, to work in space you require both vacc-suit and zero-g? How does it work?

Performing an END check is 2D6 + END modifier and getting an 8+. Some checks or lower or higher (7+, 9+).

Not sure what you meant by fire? Fire a vehicle weapon?

Vacc-Suit is the skill in using a Vacc-Suit. Zero-G is the skill in zero-g environments. Don't confuse zero-g with vacuum.

 

[Galadrion]

I would say that the higher levels of Vacc Suit skill are more related to repairs and maintenance than actual usage of the suit. As such, they'd be fairly rare and more commonly limited to technicians, although belters and other such careers which rely on them and may be several weeks away from such a technician may have the higher levels as well. Think of it in terms of automotive skills these days - a driver who lives in an urban area probably doesn't have much in the way of repair skills, since it's easier (and much of the time cheaper) to take the car to a mechanic. A good ol' country boy who lives sixty or a hundred miles from the nearest major mechanic shop is probably a pretty fair mechanic himself. But for just driving it under normal conditions, skill-0 is probably ample.

Although a creative Game Master can probably come up with some unusual situations where a higher level of skill could be useful. Manuevering in restricted conditions and avoiding any damage to the suit comes to mind...

 

[locarno24]

Vacc-Suit is the skill in using a Vacc-Suit. Zero-G is the skill in zero-g environments. Don't confuse zero-g with vacuum.

Indeed. The most skill-intensive suit is the Hostile Environment Vacc Suit - which is more a Hotzone/HAZMAT suit than a space suit (although it can do double duty as either).

I would say that the higher levels of Vacc Suit skill are more related to repairs and maintenance than actual usage of the suit.

One of the most skill-intensive actions (at least for lower tech suits) is putting the damn thing on. Putting a vacc suit on, at least without anyone's direct assistance knight-and-squire fashion, is the sort of thing that above-basic vacc suit skill is required for.