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.
Drone
You begin play with a powerful robotic drone to house your
AI. You build and control this drone, which accompanies you
on your adventures and is capable of combat, espionage, and
other specialized tasks. As you gain levels, your drone advances
in sophistication and gain additional abilities. While the value
of your drone is immense, only you, with your extensive
knowledge of its quirks and security measures, can ever hope
to operate or repair it. Drones are detailed in Drones beginning
on page 74.
BYPASS (EX) 1st Level
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.
CUSTOM RIG (EX) 1st Level
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).
Finally, if you have a drone, you can use your custom rig to
communicate over an encrypted channel with your drone to issue
commands to its AI or directly control it at a range of 2,500 feet.
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.