Advanced Rules: Handiwork

Infantry

Repair vs patches

There are two kinds of ship damage: electrical damage and physical damage. Electrical damage does not denote damage done by electricity - it denotes damage that can be solved without getting out of your ship, like that done by EMP grenades. Electrical damage is fixable by working with your ship's computer, and results in a stable repair when you succeed.

Physical damage, on the other hand, denotes things like loose parts, bullet holes, or that back half of your ship somehow misplaced. Some things can be patched through the use of your ship's computer or other irregular means - such as fixing a loose robotic arm with duct tape. Other things require a full repair in order to work again, like a missing engine cowl, and still other things are not fixable at all until you get back to base, such as a missing engine.

Repairs are things done by the book - re-welding loose machinery or replacing a broken servo. These are complete fixes and have no adverse consequences.

Patches, on the other hand, are things like welding metal sheets to an overheating engine to help it cool faster. Patches include unusual and temporary fixes. They have a "patch strength" that is determined by the roll you get with your player:

Roll Strength
3 0
4 7
5-6 14
5+ 21

Then, add:

Roll Add
1 -3
2 -2
3 -1
4 +1
5 +2
6 +3

Every turn that you use that particular object, the GM will roll to see how much the patch degrades:

Roll Degradation
1 -3
2 -2
3 -1
4 0
5 0
6 0

If your patch level on a particular object reaches 0 or lower, the object breaks, with the severity of the break depending on a durability roll. This means that if you get a lesser failure, you can actually instantly do a lot of damage to what you're trying to fix. Objects can be re-patched, but if successful, this merely resets the patch timer. If you're lucky, the patch will last indefinitely. If not, you'll need a new patch.

Note: This changed several times over the course of Mission 1.

Medical treatment

Most medical treatments are considered "repairs" as described above, with the exception of syringes. These work at their fullest potential no matter what. Medical rolls work the same way - on foot, the effectiveness depends on the Medical(Handiwork) skill.

Roll Effectiveness
<1 Fail with very bad consequences
1 Fail with bad consequences
2 Failed treatment
3-4 Limited success
5 Successful treatment
6 Success with consequences
>5 Success with good side effects

Some things like broken arms cannot be repaired until after the mission, and are considered "repaired, but broken" if put in a sling and the character is given painkillers. However, if something bumps the arm, they have to roll Endurance to see if they pass out. See Advanced Rules: Durability for more information.

Humans, robots, and aliens

There are several major ways in which humans, robots and aliens differ that have impacts on the handiwork skill. Below is a short list of some of the ways. "Robots" also cover mechanical limbs.

Humans

  • Humans are able to use medical kids, syringes, and combat boosters
  • Humans require air to stay alive
  • Humans are able to heal over time

Robots

  • Robots are able to use repair kits to repair themselves
  • Robots can be welded directly to machinery, or have machinery welded directly to them
  • Robots are considerably weaker: they get -1 Endurance when taking damage
  • Robots do not experience pain the same way: they get +1 Endurance when rolling to pass out
  • Robots cannot faint or go into shock. See Advanced Rules: PSI Unit for more information

Aliens

  • Aliens are not able to use syringes, or combat boosters. Standard medical kit items like bandages and splints may apply
  • Aliens require air to stay alive, no exceptions
  • Aliens are functionally similar to humans in every other way