Meet The Scientist

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The next few posts are going to come rather quickly, just so you know. The Scientist class was one of the classes with a puzzling skill spread to me. Why would a Scientist be likely to have hacker-like Computer skills? I work with a number of scientists and engineers at my job and aside from one or two Linux enthusiasts most of the scientists have minimal computer literacy, some performing tasks by rote even. The engineers are much savvier about computers. I attribute this to the scientists' incredible focus on their chosen areas of expertise myself. So I have tried to re-make the Scientist into a well-rounded scholar and investigator.

SCIENTIST

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Scientists are the brains of any X-PLORERS mission team.  They are the ones to analyze the samples, piece together the disparate bits and deduce the dangers from the variform clues.  If you need to know what something is made from or what dangers a new lifeform presents, or how that anomaly is impacting the local space-time, the Scientist is the one to ask.

The skills for a Scientist character are:

• Chemistry (BRN) is the science of material things and can determine the makeup of alloys, the class of an animal venom, the properties of a new metal or plant extract, detect new elements, etc.  Successful use of use of this skill can determine the particular effects of any aggregate compound on other materials, identify the components and elements of any such compound's make up (within the limits of current scientific knowledge) and classify new elements and their likely effects.

• Mathematics (BRN) is the universal language, it is true that while the base numbering system might be different, it is also true that the same mathematical problems have to be solved for any intelligent species to reach space and then the stars.  Additionally, a solid understanding of mathematics is necessary to understand and use the other physical sciences.  The Mathematics skill covers every aspect of using numbers to figure out and decipher the universe: algebra, arithmetic, calculus, differential equations, geometry, probability, trigonometry, and so on.

• Physics (BRN) is the study of physical reality and the rules that govern it. An understanding of physics can determine the strength of gravity on a new planet; determine what local materials would best be suited to the construction of a new building, the power of a laser or the feasibility of an aerospace design.  Successful rolls against this skill can design a spacecraft, determine the chances of an avalanche occurring on a particular mountain or what optics are best for a new laser. If you need to know how much stress it can take before collapse, how matter is put together, or how to blow it up, Physics is the science for you!

• An elective skill selected from any of the other classes available in the game.

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Up next, the Spacer (revised Scout) class.

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Meet The Engineer

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Had hoped to have this up yesterday, c'est la vie. A lot of my thinking about the Technician class has already been touched on in the last post, but with the change in skills I decided that a new name was required...  Also, if you still want the Engineer to be able to operate specialized vehicles just have them take the Heavy Equipment skill as their elective. Dedicated hackers, on the other hand, should take the Intrusion skill.

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ENGINEER

Engineers are responsible for the continued operation of modern society; whether they work on cell relay towers, in server rooms, the repair department of your local Rudy’s Robotics store or in the control room of a fission reactor. They keep complex technology operating properly or can circumvent its proper operation. If it uses power and is more complex than a light switch a engineer can keep it running, hack it or sabotage it. Clearly no mission team is complete without at least one Engineer.


The skills for a Engineer character are:

• Engineering (BRN) is the Engineer’s ability to design, create, repair, understand, and operate any type of device or technology (including alien devices and technologies).

• Power Systems (BRN) represents the Engineer's understanding of the various power generation techniques and delivery methods.

• Programming (BRN) is the Engineer’s ability to craft computer code; from simple spreadsheet macros to sophisticated heuristic AI routines, as well as decipher existing code for bugs or deliberate malicious intent.

• An elective skill selected from any of the other classes available in the game.

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Up next, the revised Scientist class.

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