Pilot

Basics

Identity

The Pilot is a non-channeler whose specialty is the seat behind the controls, whether that seat is on a mount, in a mech, in a fighter or on a corvette. Each Pilot begins play with a Bonded Vessel of their chosen vehicle type. The class's features apply to whatever the Pilot is operating, so a craft performs above its specifications with one aboard. Out of the seat, a Pilot is a competent skirmisher with a strong technical skill list.

Proficiencies

Level Progression

• L1
  Vehicle Mastery

  Choose your primary vehicle type at character creation: ground vehicle, atmospheric craft, void craft, mounted beast, or mech. You gain Expertise (double proficiency bonus) on Piloting checks made with that type, and you can pilot any other type at standard proficiency. While piloting your primary type, you can attempt maneuvers that would normally require a heroic check (sudden braking, evasive banking, ramming, tight-turn re-targeting) at standard difficulty, and you can attempt heroic maneuvers at heroic difficulty.

  Bonded Vessel

  You begin play with a vehicle, mount, or craft appropriate to your Vehicle Mastery choice, in worn but functional condition. The Bonded Vessel is your possession, gains upgrades across the campaign, and is the focus of many of your Specialty features. If it is destroyed, you can rebuild it as a downtime project, for materials worth half its listed price and the crafting time for its tech tier.

• L2
  Reflex Edge

  When you are piloting your Bonded Vessel (or any vehicle of your primary type), you add your proficiency bonus a second time to your initiative roll. You also have advantage on the first Piloting check you make in any combat encounter.

• L3 Subclass feature
  Pilot Specialty

  Choose your Pilot Specialty: Ace Aviator (small-craft dogfighting), Beastrider (living mounts), Drone Operator (remote craft), Mech Pilot (walkers and frames), or Smuggler (cargo off the manifest). Your Specialty grants features now and at 7th, 11th, 15th, and 18th level.

• L4 ASI / Feat
• L5
  Coordinated Crew

  When you are piloting your Bonded Vessel (or any vehicle of your primary type) and you have at least one crewmember or passenger you can communicate with, you and they gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and saving throws while in the vehicle. At 14th level, the bonus increases to +2.

• L6
  Vehicle Recognition

  You can identify the make, model, and approximate condition of any vehicle you observe in action for 1 minute. With access to maintenance records or repair history, you can also determine the vehicle's modification history and any unusual upgrades.

• L7 Subclass feature
• L8 ASI / Feat
• L9
  Evasive Maneuvers

  When a vehicle you are piloting is hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to make a DC 12 Piloting check (or higher, set by the GM for difficult conditions). On a success, the attack does half damage to the vehicle. On a critical success (a natural 20 or a result 5 or more over the DC), the attack misses entirely and you also gain a free repositioning action with the vehicle.

• L10
  Vessel Upgrade Capstone

  Choose one upgrade for your Bonded Vessel: armor reinforcement (+10 percent hit points), engine tuning (10 percent more speed), weapon optimization (+1 damage on vessel-mounted weapons), or sensor refinement (advantage on Investigation rolls performed by the vessel's systems). You can fit each further upgrade as a downtime project, for a tenth of your Bonded Vessel's listed price, taking the time a ship component of that price takes to fit.

• L11 Subclass feature
• L12 ASI / Feat
• L13
  Cool Under Fire

  You have advantage on all Piloting checks you make during combat. If you have a passenger or crewmember who can communicate with you, you can take the Help action on a Piloting check without spending an action, using only your speech.

• L14
  Crew Captain

  At the end of a long rest, designate a number of crewmembers up to your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier (whichever is higher) as your trusted crew. For the next 24 hours, trusted crew have proficiency in one skill of your choice (for example, a vessel-related skill). They also benefit from your Coordinated Crew bonus while you are piloting, even if you cannot communicate with them directly in real time.

• L15 Subclass feature
• L16 ASI / Feat
• L17
  Heroic Maneuver

  Once per long rest, you can automatically succeed on any Piloting check, including critical-failure-avoidance rolls in life-or-death vehicular situations.

• L18 Subclass feature
• L19 ASI / Feat
• L20
  Shared Apex Capstone

  Any vehicle you occupy, even briefly, benefits from your Vessel Upgrade (your choice each time you take the controls). The benefit lasts for 1 hour after you leave the vehicle and passes to whoever is at the controls. NPCs in vehicle-centric cultures (mercenary pilots, smuggler crews, Aurelion solar-cruiser officers) recognize you on sight, and you have advantage on Charisma checks made in their professional space.

Subclasses (5)

• Ace Aviator
• Beastrider
• Drone Operator
• Mech Pilot
• Smuggler