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Is it me, or is the biohacker like the soldier in that it doesn't gain any insight bonuses to skill checks? I feel like they should get an insight bonus to Life Science and Physical Science at the very least. As of this current iteration, a biohacker could never be as good as an operative or an envoy at the science officer ship role, which feels weird considering this is the high-science class.
If it had boosts to your recommended skills it would potentially be too good at creature identification, since it should have those maxed and its scanner uses those for all creatures.
And neither of those would help with science officer, which relies on computers.
I think the ability to grab skill focus/synergy and apply a restorative skill boost makes it the most versatile skill user after the operative, but with eight mental/detection skills that rely on its best attribute.
I definitely noticed the same. For such an skillful class fluff wise this missing bonus is noticeable.
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If it had boosts to your recommended skills it would potentially be too good at creature identification, since it should have those maxed and its scanner uses those for all creatures.
As it stands the biohacker’s creature identification is not particularly effective as it takes a move action whereas normally it doesn’t take an action at all.
It takes a move action because you can use fewer skills to do the same thing. Normally you'd have to use engineering for constructs and mysticism for undead, et cetera. With their scan class feature, they get to do all living with Life Science and all non-living with Physical science. The tradeoff is the action economy.
Considering how short a time period and the limited per/day of the restorative +2 to skills, I really don't think that's a valid reason for them not getting an Insight bonus. Right now, that lack of bonus is making them look like they're going to be stuck like Solarians and Mystics are in Starship Combat. The DC's scale based on the assumption that the insight bonus will be there, and it's debatable whether or not they could even use the restoratives in starship combat at all (since rounds aren't timed in starship combat). If it were me, I'd suggest Computers and either Life or Physical science (their choice), but that's me.
There’s no real justification for an insight bonus to any starship relevant skill. And I didn’t mean to suggest the restoratives help in starship combat, they definitely don’t.
Not everyone needs to be great at high level starship combat! Skill focus or synergy in computers or engineering can work through mid levels if you want to build for it.
Given how superior a PC designed ship is to NPC designs, anything beyond a competent pilot and gunner(s) isn’t important to survival.
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Maybe the biohacker should have an insight bonus to Life Science and Physical Science, plus the ability to use those skills instead of Computers when occupying the science officer role. A high science class should be able to use science skills to be the science officer.
Given how superior a PC designed ship is to NPC designs, anything beyond a competent pilot and gunner(s) isn’t important to survival.
A studious biohacker likely has a high INT next to his high DEX, so a lot of skill points - put at least one in piloting every level and he'll be a good gunner.
The intuitive biohacker, though, is in trouble - yet again!
An insight bonus to Life Sciences at least seems pretty natural. Life Sciences are their main shtick — it seems like they should be able to do life sciences stuff better than (or at least as well as) any other class.