Pilots have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Dexterity is the most important ability for pilots, because it’s what they most rely on when they’re at the controls of the vehicles. Intelligence is also impor-tant for operating the technological systems on which vehicles rely. Charisma is important for independent pilots, as it helps them find customers, negotiate deals, and if necessary, talk their way out of entanglements with the law.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d6.
Class Skills
The pilot’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Freefall (Dex), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Navigate (Int), Pilot (Dex), Profession (Int), Repair (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Use Device (Int), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Vehicle AC Bonus |
1 | +0 | +0 | +2 | +0 | Bonus feat, speed demon |
|
2 | +1 | +0 | +3 | +0 | Dogfighter +1 |
|
3 | +2 | +1 | +3 | +1 |
| +1 |
4 | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Pilot evasion |
|
5 | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Bonus feat, gunner’s instinct +1 |
|
6 | +4 | +2 | +5 | +2 |
| +2 |
7 | +5 | +2 | +5 | +2 |
|
|
8 | +6/+1 | +2 | +6 | +2 |
|
|
9 | +6/+1 | +3 | +6 | +3 | Bonus feat, dogfighter +2 | +3 |
10 | +7/+2 | +3 | +7 | +3 | Gunner’s instinct +2 |
|
11 | +8/+3 | +3 | +7 | +3 |
|
|
12 | +9/+4 | +4 | +8 | +4 |
| +4 |
13 | +9/+4 | +4 | +8 | +4 | Bonus feat |
|
14 | +10/+5 | +4 | +9 | +4 |
|
|
15 | +11/+6/+1 | +5 | +9 | +5 | Gunner’s instinct +3 | +5 |
16 | +12/+7/+2 | +5 | +10 | +5 | Dogfighter +3 |
|
17 | +12/+7/+2 | +5 | +10 | +5 | Bonus feat |
|
18 | +13/+8/+3 | +6 | +11 | +6 |
| +6 |
19 | +14/+9/+4 | +6 | +11 | +6 |
|
|
20 | +15/+10/+5 | +6 | +12 | +6 | Gunner’s instinct +3 |
|
All of the following are class features of the pilot.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Pilots are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and all light armor. Armor check penalties for some types of armor apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket, Pilot, and Tumble. Also, Swim checks suffer a -1 penalty for every five pounds of armor and equipment carried.
Defensive Maneuvering (Ex): In combat, a pilot is always maneuvering to maximize his vehicle’s defen-sive strengths and protect its weaknesses. At 3rd level, any vehicle or robot a pilot is operating gains a +1 dodge bonus to its AC, and this bonus increases by +1 every three levels thereafter (6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th).
Dogfighter (Ex): At 2nd level, a pilot gains a +1 com-petence bonus on ranged attack rolls, as long as the attacks are made with weapons mounted on or integral to a vehicle he is piloting. This bonus increases to +2 at 9th level and +3 at 16th level. If the pilot is operating a robot remotely, he gains this bonus on all ranged attack rolls made using the robot’s weapons.
Gunner’s Instinct (Ex): At 5th level, a pilot can sense the weaknesses of his opponent’s vehicle and has an uncanny knack for scoring direct hits on them. For the pilot’s ranged attacks only, the threat range of weapons mounted on or integral to the vehicle he is piloting is increased by 1. The threat range is increased again by 1 every five levels thereafter (10th, 15th, and 20th). The increased threat range does not apply to any attacks made by characters other than the pilot.
Pilot Evasion (Ex): At 4th level, a pilot becomes so attuned to his vehicle and to the flow of the fight around him that he is able to anticipate a hit and minimize its effects. Once per day, when the pilot’s vehicle is hit by an attack, the pilot can make a Reflex save (DC 20). If the saving throw is successful, the pilot banks, dives, swerves, or otherwise maneuvers his vehicle sufficient-ly to avoid the brunt of the attack, and the vehicle takes only half damage. Divide the damage by two before subtracting the vehicle’s hardness or damage resistance. The pilot can use this ability twice per day at 12th level and three times per day at 20th level.
Speed Demon (Ex): A pilot knows how to coax all the power from his vehicles’ engines. At 1st level, the top speed of any vehicle operated by the pilot is increased by 5.
Bonus Feats: At 1st level, the pilot gets a bonus feat in addition to the feat that any 1st-level character gets and the bonus feat granted to humans. The pilot gains another bonus feat every four levels thereafter (5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th). These bonus feats must be drawn from the following list: Alertness, Aircraft Piloting, Autofire, Combat Ace, Born Spacer, Evasive Piloting, Gearhead, Gunner, Gunner’s Eye, High-G Tolerance, Improved Initiative, Lead Foot, Low-G Tolerance, Ram, Raptor’s Instinct, Remote Operation, Space Jockey, Starship Piloting, Vehicle Dodge, Zero-G Tolerance.
These feats are in addition to the feat a character of any class gains every three levels. The pilot is not limited to this list when choosing those feats.