Star Frontiers Fate Core Hack. Skills Pt. 2

The skill list remains the same except for the addition of Engineering, Exploration, Mechanics, Medicine and Navigation.

These skills were added for two basic reasons. First, to better represent the technology level more technical skills were added. Thematically, it is important to represent the role of technology in a SciFi game. Second, one of the main activities for PC’s in Star Frontiers is that of exploration. Skills were added to expand upon the themes of exploration.

Craft, Mechanics and Engineering.

Because of the importance of technology in a science fiction setting the ability to create and repair objects requires a somewhat more detailed approach. In Fate Core, actions involving the creation and repair of objects, machines and structures are handled by the Crafts Skill. In Star Frontiers the Crafts Skill is split into three Skills that better capture differing levels of tech. “Crafts” covers the lower levels of technology. Mundane things like constructing a simple shelter to creating a makeshift block and tackle would involve the use of Crafts. “Mechanics” involves more complex machines and tools. Things like repairing an internal combustion engine, the leg actuators on a robot or repairing a broken radio would fall under mechanics. “Engineering” involves the design and repair of large and very high tech equipment, like a space ship or a complex artificial brain.

Engineering deals with the design and construction of complex machines, electronics and spacecraft.

Overcome: Engineering can be used to overcome challenges that involve the design of complex machines or structures especially in terms of making them exceed their original design. For example, coaxing more power from an engine or boosting the signal of a subspace transceiver.

Create Advantage: Engineering can be used to create Aspects on a design. For example, creating a hovercraft the can “Turn on a Dime” or making a Gyrojet rifle that is “Incredibly accurate”.

Attack: N/A
Defend: N/A

Engineering Stunts

Miracle Worker. The character can spend a Fate Point to automatically remove one box of Stress from any machine.

I’m Giving Her All She’s Got! Get a free boost whenever pushing a machine beyond its design limitations.


Exploration involves the ability to seek out new life and civilizations and boldly go where no one else has gone before. Mapping new planets, collecting soil water, fauna and flora samples and determining their compatibility with other forms of life is that the core of this skill. Exploration can also be used as a survival skill in alien environments.

Overcome: Exploration can be used to overcome just about any environmental obstacle in an otherwise unknown location. Exploration can be used to overcome contests requiring environmental hazards like extreme heat or cold or simply avoiding dangerous fauna and flora.

Create Advantage: Exploration can be used to create advantages by understanding the basic makeup of alien creatures and their environment. For instance realizing that an animal has a natural immunity to a plant poison can create an advantage for a medicine roll to cure said poison. It can also be used to create advantages in a strange alien environment, like knowing where natural obstacles would impede pursuit for a chase contest.

Attack: N/A
Defend: N/A

Exploration Stunts

I can live off the land. The character can spend a Fate Point to automatically find food and water in an inhospitable environment.

Wilderness survivor. The character can reduce the shift of any damage caused to himself or others by an environmental Aspect by 2 with a Great Exploration roll.


Mechanics deals with the repair and assembly of complex machines and electronics like robots and small vehicles.

Overcome: The most common use of an Overcome action in Mechanics is to repair machines, but can also be used to activate, deactivate or re-program functioning machines.

Create Advantage: Mechanics can be used in several ways to create advantage. It can be used to modify equipment, temporarily enhance effectiveness or jury rig improvised functions.

Attack: N/A
Defend: N/A

Mechanics Stunts:

Hear me baby? Hold together. A character can spend a Fate Point to add another 1 Stress Box to a machine for the duration of a scene.

Cannibalize! The character gains a +2 bonus to repair any machine as long as there are other machines around to cannibalize for parts.


Medicine is the skill that ranges from first aid and preventive medicine all the way to complex surgery. Knowledge of basic biology, xenobiology, administration of drugs and the use of high tech medical devices is governed by this skill.

Overcome: Diseases and Poisons can be overcome through Medicine. Medicine can also be used to overcome physical consequences with proper equipment and time.

Create Advantage: Medicine could be called upon to create advantage by applying drugs or medical equipment. For example if you are in a low oxygen atmosphere and are fighting your alien best friend for the affection of a woman in ritual combat you could give the poor captain an injection of tri-ox compound to give him an advantage or fake his death.

Attack: N/A
Defend: N/A

Medicine Stunts
This Will Ease the Pain. By making a Great Medicine roll a character can ignore a Mild Consequence Aspect for a scene.

The Cure for What Ails Ya. A character never has to spend a Fate Point to have medicines and tools on hand for regular medical treatment.


Navigation is the art of getting from point A to point B. The ability to find the party’s bearings in an unknown planet or mapping out jumps through the void to previously unexplored sections of the Frontier requires the Navigation skill.

Overcome: Navigation can be used to overcome being lost or disoriented.

Create Advantage: Navigation can create advantages for characters by giving them high ground or zones with good cover. Navigation can be easily used to create favorable terrain Aspects.

Attack: N/A
Defend: N/A

Navigation Stunts
Safe Harbor. A character can always find their way back to home base.

At Home Amongst the Stars. If a character has already made a jump on an interstellar route no roll is necessary to repeat the same jump in the future.

Star Frontiers Fate Core Hack! - Skills



Skills

I have been working on this hack for a while now and have had the idea in my head since I was introduced to Fate. This is one of my nostalgic favorites. I often look back on it and remember the good times, but when I pick it up again I can't help but be repulsed by the horridly primitive game system. Yet, I loved the game world and the space opera feel of the setting. Perfect fodder for a Fate Core hack right? Here is how I am going to work out Skills. I am trying to approach this in a way that keeps the general feel of the original game while still maintaining the consistency of Fate.

The handling of Skills in Star Frontiers Fate Core is perhaps the greatest departure from the basic Fate Core system. The original Alpha Dawn system ran off of PSAs or Primary Skill Areas. Players could choose from four PSAs, Military, Biosocial, Spacer and Technical. (Spacer representing the skill sets laid out in Knight Hawks.)

In Star Frontiers - Fate Core, the PSA is represented as an Approach, similar to those found in Fate Accelerated Edition. The PSA not only provides a bonus, but it also provides a contextual approach that represents how a character was trained.

With the use of the PSA Approaches, there is a distinct difference between a Biosocial Character using the Navigation skill to move through an alien jungle and a Spacer character using the same skill to navigate a Void Jump.

Mechanically this works by providing a +1 bonus to a roll with any skill that can be justified as being part of a PSA. For example, if a player wishes to use the Fight skill to attack someone and has the Military PSA Approach the skill would be rolled with its skill value +1. As characters attain milestones they can change PSA’s, have two PSA’s at a +1 or add a +1 to their existing PSA value (Max +2).


PSAs can also be used on their own to perform actions like Create Advantage or Overcome at a bonus equal to their PSA rating. Rarely will they be used to Attack or Defend outside of special circumstances which may occur.

Because of the PSA overlay Skills will be capped at 4 making the maximum Skill bonus 6.

Military PSA – Means your character picks up militant skills quickly and easily. Military skills include use of weaponry and setting and removing demolitions charges (Crafts Skill).

Biosocial PSA – Means your character is good with people and their environments. People with the biosocial primary skill area are good with biology, medicine, and how such biological beings interact with their environments around them.

Technological PSA – Means your character is good with technology in all of its forms, from computers to robots to vehicles.

Spacer PSA – Means your character is particularly adept at space travel and the use of all the equipment found on board a starship. They are also particularly adept at maneuvering in zero and low gravity environments.

Otherwise, players choose skills using the Skill Pyramid listed on page 46 of the Fate Core book.