ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (EX):
1st Level
You construct an artificial intelligence (or AI), a sophisticated program of self-motivated code that you can access for help in a variety of endeavors. This AI is the product of your own genius, far more advanced and complicated than any available for sale to consumers (though it falls short of being truly self-aware), and only you know the secrets of its creation and operation.
Your AI can take one of two forms: a drone or an exocortex. You must pick one of these forms upon taking your first level of mechanic, and once this choice is made, it cannot be changed.
Exocortex:
You begin play with an exocortex, an artificial processor that interacts with and augments your biological brain’s cognitive functions, which can aid you in a variety of tasks, from combat to digital infiltration. Your exocortex is implanted within your physical body or brain, similar to a piece of cybernetic hardware, allowing your AI to access your mind and feed you information.
As you gain levels, your exocortex advances in sophistication and processing power—see Exocortex on page 79. Only you can access or interact with your exocortex.
BYPASS (EX):
You are skilled at getting inside computer systems and electronic devices. At 1st level, you gain a +1 insight bonus to Computers and Engineering skill checks. At 5th level, every 4 levels thereafter, and at 20th level, this bonus increases by 1 (+4).
CUSTOM RIG (EX):
You have created a customized toolkit you can use to hack systems and items. Your custom rig can be configured to take up an upgrade slot on your armor or can be installed as a cybernetic augmentation system in your brain (though it can be combined with a datajack for the same price as installing a datajack normally), your eyes, or an arm. For more information on augmentations, see Chapter 7: Equipment. Alternatively, you can configure it to be a handheld device, meaning that you must retrieve it and hold it to use it effectively. While using this rig, you always count as having the appropriate tool or basic kit for any Computers or Engineering skill check you attempt. Some mechanic tricks (see page 71) and drone mods (see page 77) require the use of a custom rig. In addition, you can use your custom rig as a Mk I comm unit (see Chapter 7: Equipment).
If your custom rig is damaged, destroyed, lost, or stolen, you can kitbash a new one from any engineering kit, hacking kit, or other technological toolkit, reconfiguring the materials into a new custom rig with 1 hour of work. You can have only one custom rig at a time. If you create a new custom rig, your old one functions as a normal toolkit of whatever type you made it from and can no longer be used with your mechanic tricks.
OVERLOAD (EX):
As a standard action, you can cause a short in an electronic device, including most ranged energy weapons, melee weapons with the powered special property, or a single armor upgrade. This makes the device nonfunctional for 1 round. Overload doesn’t cause a locked door, safe, or other device to open, but it prevents anyone from opening it for 1 round. You must be adjacent to the device to use this ability. If you have a drone, you can instead use this ability on an electronic device adjacent to your drone. If you have an exocortex with the wireless hack ability, you can instead use this ability on any electronic device within range of your exocortex’s wireless hack. If you use overload on an item or armor upgrade in someone’s possession, the owner can attempt a Reflex saving throw to negate the effect (DC = 10 + half your mechanic level + your Intelligence modifier). Overload doesn’t affect androids, cybernetics, drones, powered armor, robots, or creatures with the technological subtype (all of which have shielding against this sort of attack), or items larger than Medium. Once a device has been successfully overloaded, a residual static charge prevents that device from being overloaded again for 1 minute.
WEAPON SPECIALIZATION (EX):
You gain the Weapon Specialization feat as a bonus feat for each weapon type this class grants you proficiency with.
Mechanic Trick - Overclocking (Ex):
You have augmented the performance of your AI for maximum response timing. You gain a +2 insight bonus to initiative checks, and either you (if you have an exocortex) or your drone (if you have a drone) gains a +2 insight bonus to Reflex saves.
Mechanic Trick - Visual Data Processor (Ex):
You notice even the smallest shifts in movement, temperature, and vibration, gaining the insight bonus from your bypass class feature to Perception skill checks.
Mechanic Trick - Neural Shunt (Ex):
Once per day, as a reaction when you fail a saving throw against a mind-affecting effect, you can shunt that effect into your exocortex instead. When you do so, you are not affected by the mind-affecting effect, but for the normal duration of that effect, you lose the Skill Focus feat granted by your exocortex’s memory module and cannot use any of the exocortex’s abilities in any way (including any proficiencies and mods it grants you). When a mind-affecting effect is shunted into the exocortex, spells such as dispel magic or break enchantment can be cast on you to end the effect as if you were affected by it. Once the duration of the mind-affecting effect has ended, your exocortex resumes its normal functions. You must have an exocortex to learn this trick.
Mechanic Trick - Invisibility Bypass Processor (Ex):
Your visual data processor now allows you to see invisible creatures as per see invisibility. You must have the visual data processor mechanic trick to learn this trick.
REMOTE HACK (EX):
You can use your custom rig to attempt Computers and Engineering skill checks at a range of 20 feet. At 7th level and every 2 levels thereafter, this range increases by 10 feet. A target of this ability (or a creature attending or observing your target) can attempt a Perception or Sense Motive check (DC = 10 + 1-1/2 × your mechanic level + your Intelligence modifier) to determine that you are the origin of this activity.
Wireless Hack (Ex):
Instead of combat tracking, your exocortex can access another computer system within 20 feet, allowing it to attempt a Computers check against that computer each round, using your skill bonus. This counts as a standard action for the purpose of the Computers skill. You must remain within 20 feet of the computer system for the entire time your exocortex is interacting with the computer. If the task requires multiple actions (or even rounds) to accomplish, you can spend your actions to work in concert with your exocortex, counting both your action and the exocortex’s effective standard action toward the total time required. If you don’t have the remote hack class feature, you must be adjacent to the computer to attempt your checks.
EXPERT RIG (EX:
Your custom rig has improved. Whenever you use your custom rig to successfully hack into a computer, you can also disable one countermeasure installed in the system (except firewalls). In addition, your custom rig can now be used as any engineering or hacking specialty kit of item level 6th or lower, and it has the features of a computer with a tier equal to half your level with the artificial personality, hardened, or security I upgrade module. It also has an audio/video recorder. You can add extra modules or countermeasures to your custom rig at the normal prices. See page 213 for more information on computers.
You can also use your custom rig to communicate over an encrypted channel with your ship, allowing you to access your ship’s downloaded data sets and transponder (see page 430) at a range of 5 miles. If you have a drone, you can issue commands to or directly control your drone at the same range.
MIRACLE WORKER (EX):
As a move action, you can repair damage to a starship’s systems or modify a suit of armor or weapon to function more efficiently. To use this ability, you must be able to handle the item affected without impediment. You can use this ability once per day at 7th level, plus one additional time per day for every 4 mechanic levels you have beyond 7th. The exact effect of this ability depends on the object or system you are modifying.
Armor: You grant a +2 enhancement bonus to a suit of armor’s EAC and KAC for 1 minute.
Weapon: You grant a +2 enhancement bonus to a weapon’s attack and damage rolls for 1 minute.
Damaged Ship: You restore a number of Hull Points equal to the starship's base frame HP increment. If this raises the ship’s HP over a multiple of its Critical Threshold, you can repair critical damage to one system per multiple, reducing its severity by one step. For example, if your starship’s Critical Threshold is 8 and you restore 10 HP, reducing the damage to the hull from 17 HP to 7 HP, you could restore one system from wrecked to glitching. Using this ability during starship combat is your action for the turn, and you can do it only during the engineering phase. See page 292 for more on ship construction and page 320 for more on damage to ships.
Exocortex Mods (Ex):
Your exocortex allows you to apply any one of the following drone mods to yourself as if you were a drone with that mod installed: armor slot, cargo rack, climbing claws, enhanced senses, hydrojets, jump jets, resistance, smuggler’s compartment, speed, or weapon proficiency (gaining proficiency in advanced melee or heavy weapons). At 11th level, you can apply an additional mod, and your options expand to include echolocators, excavator, flight system, greater resistance, invisibility field, and reactive camouflage. At 14th and 17th levels, you can apply an additional mod. Each time you gain a level, you can switch any of your mods for different mods, but you must always choose at least one mod from the 7th-level list.
Override (Ex) - 9th Level:
Your overload class feature now affects androids, drones, robots, and creatures with the technological subtype, which must succeed at a Will saving throw (DC = 10 + half your mechanic level + your Intelligence modifier) or be dazed for 1 round. If the target fails its saving throw by 10 or more, it is not dazed and you can dictate its actions for 1 round, though these actions can’t be obviously self-destructive. Once a creature has attempted a saving throw against this attack (regardless of the result), it is immune to this attack for 24 hours.
Coordinated Assault (Ex) - 11th Level:
If you have a drone, whenever both you and your drone make attacks against the same target, you each receive a +1 circumstance bonus to your attack rolls. If you have an exocortex instead, whenever you and your exocortex are both attempting to hack a system, you each receive a +1 circumstance bonus to the checks to gain access. In either case, these bonuses increase to +2 at 17th level.
Advanced Rig (Ex) - 13th Level:
Your custom rig’s computer functions gain a bonus firewall countermeasure (see page 217). This firewall has no additional cost, does not count against the maximum number of countermeasures your custom rig can have, and can block off a module or group of modules already protected by a firewall.
In addition, you can use your custom rig to communicate over an encrypted channel with your ship, allowing you to access the ship’s sensors, control its security systems, and prepare its engines for takeoff (as well as use the encrypted communications functions of your expert rig) at a range of 50 miles. If you have a drone, you can issue commands to or directly control your drone over an encrypted channel at the same range.
Combat Tracking (Ex):
Your exocortex provides you with enhanced combat ability, granting you proficiency with heavy armor and longarms. At 3rd level, you gain weapon specialization in longarms just as if your class granted proficiency. As a move action during combat, you can designate a foe for your exocortex to track. As long as that target is in sight, the exocortex feeds you telemetry, vulnerabilities, and combat tactics, allowing you to make attacks against that target as if your base attack bonus from your mechanic levels were equal to your mechanic level. Designating another target causes you to immediately lose this bonus against the previous target.
Memory Module (Ex):
You can use your exocortex’s memory module to enhance your own knowledge. Once per day, as a reaction while not in combat, you can reroll a failed skill check (see page 243) to recall knowledge (see page 143). In addition, your exocortex grants you the Skill Focus feat as a bonus feat. You can’t use your exocortex’s memory module while combat tracking is activated. Every time you gain a mechanic level, you can rebuild your exocortex’s memory module, replacing the exocortex’s bonus Skill Focus feat with Skill Focus in a different skill.
Twin Tracking (Ex) - 10th Level:
You can designate two targets for your exocortex to track, increasing your base attack bonus against each. You can designate both targets with a single move action, but you must be able to see them both at that time.
Ghost Intrusion (Ex):
Whenever you use the Computers skill to access a system and you fail to overcome its defenses by 4 or less, you do not trigger any countermeasures and there is no log of your attempt. If you fail by 5 or more, any countermeasures take effect against you as normal.
Holographic Projector (Ex):
Your custom rig can project holographic images as a standard action as often as you like, as per 2nd-level holographic image except it can create speech and has a range of only 120 feet.
