Vehicles
Most of the time, operating a vehicle is routine. The roll matters when the road disappears, the weather turns, the terrain starts moving, the sensors degrade, or there is no room left for a mistake.
Use the Skill That Matches the Vehicle
Vehicle skills represent training and practical experience operating different classes of craft. Each skill covers a related group of vehicles, with specialties representing the type being operated.
What You Can Operate
Vehicle categories describe machines that behave differently enough that the operator must understand their particular movement, limitations, and failure modes.
Drive
Wheeled
The most common ground vehicles. Fast and efficient on prepared roads but vulnerable to poor traction, damaged surfaces, debris, and rough terrain.
Tracked
Heavy ground vehicles built for difficult terrain. Slower and less maneuverable than wheeled vehicles, but capable of crossing mud, rubble, loose soil, and broken ground.
Walker
Vehicles that move on articulated legs rather than wheels or tracks. Walkers can negotiate obstacles and uneven terrain but depend on stable footing and careful balance.
Hovercraft
Vehicles supported on a cushion of air, allowing them to travel across water, marsh, ice, sand, and relatively flat terrain. Strong winds, obstacles, and confined spaces make them difficult to handle.
Mole
Specialized vehicles designed to travel through soil, rock, or existing underground passages. Their operation depends heavily on geology, structural stability, and accurate subsurface information.
Flyer
Airship
Large atmospheric craft supported primarily by buoyancy. Airships can remain aloft efficiently for long periods but are slow to maneuver and particularly vulnerable to severe weather and strong winds.
Rotor
Aircraft capable of vertical takeoff, hovering, and low-speed maneuvering. Rotorcraft are useful where runways are unavailable but become difficult to operate in turbulence, confined spaces, and poor visibility.
Wing
Aircraft that rely on forward motion and aerodynamic lift. They offer speed, range, and efficiency but normally require sufficient space for takeoff, landing, and safe maneuvering.
Grav
A legacy RED-SHIFT vehicle category based on antigravity technology. Grav vehicles remain unresolved and should not be treated as established Modal Distance technology or rules.
Legacy / UnresolvedSeafarer
Motorboat
Small and medium powered vessels intended for rivers, lakes, coastal waters, and short-range transport. They are maneuverable but increasingly vulnerable as weather and sea conditions worsen.
Ocean Ship
Large powered vessels designed for extended operation on open water. Their size provides endurance and stability but creates long stopping distances, wide turning requirements, and limited maneuverability in confined waters.
Sail
Vessels propelled primarily by wind. Their performance depends on wind direction, sail handling, sea conditions, and the crew's ability to adapt to changing weather.
Submarine
Vessels designed to operate beneath the surface. Submarine crews depend on sensors, navigation, depth control, and system reliability because direct visibility and emergency options are extremely limited underwater.
Pilot
Small Craft
Compact spacecraft used for local transportation, docking, landing, transfers, rescue, and ship-to-ship operations. They are highly maneuverable but usually have limited endurance, fuel, and redundancy.
Spacecraft
Independent vessels designed for routine travel between worlds, stations, and other destinations. Piloting includes maneuvering, approach, docking, departure, and maintaining a safe trajectory through normal space.
Capital Ship
Massive spacecraft whose size, momentum, and crew requirements make maneuvering a coordinated operation. Capital ships respond slowly, require substantial maneuvering space, and make navigation or control errors potentially catastrophic.
Situational Dice Modifiers
The same vehicle can be easy to operate in one situation and dangerous in another. Apply a situational Dice Modifier when conditions materially help or hinder the operator.
Routine operation does not normally require repeated rolls. Use a vehicle check when the outcome is uncertain and failure would create a meaningful consequence.
Ground Vehicle Conditions
| Vehicle Type | DM +1 — Favorable | DM −1 — Difficult | DM −2 — Severe | DM −3 — Extreme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeled | Clear road, excellent traction, good visibility | Rain, loose surface, heavy traffic, poor visibility | Ice, damaged road, high speed through obstacles | Near-zero visibility, catastrophic terrain, uncontrolled pursuit conditions |
| Tracked | Firm open terrain | Mud, rubble, steep grade | Deep mud, unstable ground, major obstacles | Collapsing terrain, extreme slope, movement under catastrophic conditions |
| Walker | Stable level terrain | Broken ground, cluttered terrain | Unstable footing, severe slope, damaged support surface | Collapsing structures, extreme terrain requiring continuous balance |
| Hovercraft | Flat open surface, calm conditions | Rough surface, crosswind, confined route | Severe wind, major obstacles, highly irregular surface | Violent weather, debris field, extremely confined high-speed movement |
| Mole | Known, uniform material | Mixed geology, minor obstructions | Hard rock, unstable material, uncertain underground structures | Major geological instability, collapse risk, unknown artificial structures |
Atmospheric Flight Conditions
| Vehicle Type | DM +1 — Favorable | DM −1 — Difficult | DM −2 — Severe | DM −3 — Extreme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airship | Calm weather, open airspace | Moderate wind, restricted maneuvering | Severe wind, turbulence, confined airspace | Violent storm, structural instability, emergency maneuvering |
| Rotor | Calm weather, clear landing area | Crosswind, confined landing zone, reduced visibility | Severe turbulence, obstructed approach, damaged landing area | Extreme weather, near-zero visibility, emergency landing in confined terrain |
| Wing | Clear weather, prepared runway | Crosswind, poor visibility, short runway | Severe turbulence, damaged runway, difficult terrain approach | Extreme weather, emergency landing, critically constrained approach |
| Grav | Legacy / unresolved | Legacy / unresolved | Legacy / unresolved | Legacy / unresolved |
Marine Operating Conditions
| Vehicle Type | DM +1 — Favorable | DM −1 — Difficult | DM −2 — Severe | DM −3 — Extreme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motorboat | Calm water, clear channel | Moderate waves, congestion, poor visibility | Heavy seas, reefs, debris, confined high-speed maneuvering | Violent seas, major storm, catastrophic navigation conditions |
| Ocean Ship | Calm sea, open water | Heavy traffic, poor visibility, moderate sea state | Severe weather, confined waters, restricted maneuvering | Violent storm, major system failure, collision-avoidance emergency |
| Sail | Favorable steady wind | Variable wind, moderate seas | Heavy seas, strong adverse wind, restricted waters | Violent storm, damaged rigging, loss of effective control |
| Submarine | Open water, reliable navigation | Confined water, poor sensor conditions | Shallow water, strong currents, obstacles | Under-ice navigation, severe system failure, collision or grounding danger |
Spacecraft Operating Conditions
| Vehicle Type | DM +1 — Favorable | DM −1 — Difficult | DM −2 — Severe | DM −3 — Extreme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Craft | Clear approach, established navigation solution | Congested traffic, difficult docking, degraded sensors | Severe maneuvering constraints, damaged craft, hazardous approach | Emergency docking, uncontrolled motion, catastrophic approach conditions |
| Spacecraft | Clear operating environment, established course | Congested space, degraded sensors, difficult approach | Debris field, damaged control systems, hazardous close maneuvering | Collision imminent, uncontrolled trajectory, catastrophic system failure |
| Capital Ship | Clear space with complete maneuvering data | Congested formation, restricted maneuvering space | Damaged maneuver systems, close operations around major objects | Collision avoidance with limited control, catastrophic maneuvering emergency |
The environment matters. A capable operator still needs traction, visibility, maneuvering room, reliable information, and machinery that responds when asked. Skill gives you options. It does not make the conditions disappear.