Does the tinkerer talent apply to starship hardpoints?

I do not believe so. We play it as only working on personal weapons and armor.

RAW, it can easilly be interpreted either way, so I can sympathize with any confusion, but I'm with HappyDaze on this one.

If you define a starship as a piece of equipment, sure. I wouldn't.

I could see where it could get out of hand with multiple ranks of Tinkerer if it were applied to starships. I had a player ask so I thought I'd make sure.

It's not like giving a starship one hardpoint is going to break the game, or am I missing something?

I've been asked the same thing recently, I am considering making this a task that requires scaled up time,effort&expenditure. Also I may require some sort of synergistic assistance from the party as a sort of group goal.

i wouldnt have said yes, but now im thinking about it.

i would say it would take at least 50% of the vehicle's cost in material, a number of months equal to 1.75^Silhoute, and a secure hangar for that period as they are essentialy stripping the vehicle down to the frame and rebuilding it themselves.

to plan the modifcation, a character must have known schematic and make a fully upgraded formidible check to create the working schematics. each dispair means one altered system is flawed and goes un-noticed by the PC.

to make the modifications formidible mechanics and formidible computers checks are both required for each system to disassemble the vehicle. to reassemble requires the schematic, jury rigged 2, inventor 2, at least a rank in education and formidible comp and mech checks again for each system, both upgraded twice, both only able to be reduced to 2 difficulty).

for each flaw, reduce HT, Speed, Handling, or Def by 1 and HT or ST by 2 as the system malfunctions and is irrevocably damaged, but still operable. increase or reduce HT or ST penalty total by 1 for each threat or advantage, respectively, on the assembly checks, triumphs on assembly indicate that the problem was caught before power-up and rectified (reduce flaws by one)

what do you guys think? they can do it, but only at great expense in resources and time and with the possibility of ruining the ship.

Well, the thing with Tinkerer is that it only adds one hard point per rank to a single item. So if you've got a PC with two ranks of Tinkerer, they could add a hard point to two separate pieces of equipment, not two hard points to a single piece of equipment. It explains this in the full text of the talent on page 144 of the EotE core rulebook.

Much like Jegergryte, I wouldn't consider a starship to qualify as "a piece of equipment." Equipment is generally something that a PC can reasonably carry on their person. Bulky as it may be, a heavy repeating blaster could be carried by a single person (operated by a single person is another matter entirely). You're not going to see PCs in this system carrying starfighters in their back pocket, much less a freighter. So by that reasoning, I'd say Tinkerer doesn't apply to starships under the general RAW.

Then again, if the GM doesn't see adding a single extra hard point as being an issue, let the PC do it.

I see where my mistake was now. Thanks for the help everyone

Vehicles don't have Hard Points, they have Customization Hard Points.

Just like Lethal Blows adds to Critical Injury rolls, not Critical rolls (and thus not Critical Hit rolls on ships).

Tinkers adds a hard Point to equipment, so RAW and RAI seems to suggest both ways it wouldn't work on a vehicle.

That said, space combat is rough and for the game I GM I would have no problem with a character slapping it on a ship, especially a Star fighter. it's resources in both credits and XP, none of the Specs that give Tinker are really vehicle classes, or even have specs that are (with Technician having Mechanic being a potential exception for making a 'tanky' starfighter pilot or something...but that is still Outlaw Tech and Mechanic to get there). Sil 2-4 vehicles are still fragile enough in the vehicle on vehicle area that an extra CHP would hardly break the game.

It seems like a bit much but if the GM thinks it's fair by all means. Of course you can never get that hard point back unless you "lose" your ship and I imagine the party can't likely afford a replacement.

I wouldn't allow it to do so.

Adding ship hard points seems like it should be part of a Technician Signature Ability, not any other Talent.

It seems like a bit much but if the GM thinks it's fair by all means. Of course you can never get that hard point back unless you "lose" your ship and I imagine the party can't likely afford a replacement.

Not all parties treat their ship as a permanent fixture. Some make a habit of buying/borrowing/stealing ship after ship and leaving the last one behind (often as a burning wreck).

It seems like a bit much but if the GM thinks it's fair by all means. Of course you can never get that hard point back unless you "lose" your ship and I imagine the party can't likely afford a replacement.

Not all parties treat their ship as a permanent fixture. Some make a habit of buying/borrowing/stealing ship after ship and leaving the last one behind (often as a burning wreck).

Similarly I would say not all parties treat the ships as disposable either. It's a spectrum, if the party treats the ships as paper cups or never has one of their own they shouldn't be able to have the time to properly Tinker a whole ship in the first place. IMHO.

Maybe the tech career book will have a starship engineer.

Hope they add Sluissi as a race if they make book for techs

Have been gorging through the EotE CRB and it has sparked the old Star Wars flame from smoldering ash to bright bonfire. Hope I can get my game group to play this game I like White Wolf's Exalted but when you have played it too long it starts to repeat it self.

Hope they add Sluissi as a race if they make book for techs

Have been gorging through the EotE CRB and it has sparked the old Star Wars flame from smoldering ash to bright bonfire. Hope I can get my game group to play this game I like White Wolf's Exalted but when you have played it too long it starts to repeat it self.

They had better make a book for Technicians. I need some more information on scavenging and building t hings to work with. Also seems real one sided to not have a book for each of the classes. Hired Gun was good but Explorer was so meh not even Astrogation or Overland travel encounter examples/rules to work with.

Why wouldn't they make a book for each Career once they've already confirmed to be making Explorer and Hired Gun books? It's a great (albeit predictable) business move.

I'd rather be downing in content than starving for it...

I think something tech/ship-centric would be a good idea. I think the tech career is going to be a tough one to expand as Mechanic, Outlaw Tech, and Slicer covers so much ground and themes for a character.

I think something tech/ship-centric would be a good idea. I think the tech career is going to be a tough one to expand as Mechanic, Outlaw Tech, and Slicer covers so much ground and themes for a character.

Where's my Droid doctor? Sure fixing droids is covered in the mechanics skill, but look at all the cool things in the doctor tree. I want to be able to do that to droids.

Mostly I would like to see building items (not just customizing them) and scavenging in a technician book. As well as Jawas. Gimme dem Jawas.

Like I said, it is a toughy. Maybe Inventor? Scavenger is a good name, not sure how it would work, but it sounds good.

I'd go with the KISS principle here and allow it. Adding 1 HP to a starship is unlikely to break things. I'd only allow one person to tinker with any one piece of equipment, ship included.

Also remember that anything the GM allows players to do, he can then have enemies do as well and turn it back around on them. PCs make a super weapon, you can bet the GM will be bringing one too.