now for the piloting skill:
Pilot (varies): This skill is used to direct the movements of any vessel that’s not self-controlled. Many vessels require experience and good judgment to pilot more than they do quick reflexes; when flying these vessels you should use Wis as the associated stat for Pilot checks instead of Dex. As a general rule, this is more likely to be the case for larger vessels.
This should probably say something along the lines of "when the vehicle's description indicates" but the point is right.
Whenever size is referred to below, it’s on the vessel size scale and applies to vessels designed for a Medium-sized crew. If the vessel is designed for crew of a different size, the size parameters of the various vessel types should be adjusted accordingly.
What? diffrent crew sizes haven't matter up to this point While generaly a vehicle is built for characters of similar size, there is no reason to mention this here, especialy as difrent sizes won't affect skill checks. Its kind of confusing.
Vehicles are divided into different categories, each of which requires a different simple control proficiency to operate (see the description of the Vehicle Control Proficiency feat for more details). Unusual vehicles may have their own complex or exotic control proficiencies. Exotic vehicles specific to a particular cosmos may not fit into any of the categories below, so feel free to add new types as appropriate.
Doesn't this whole list belong with the Feat? Unless your using one of the optional systems all this content should be listed feats because as I understand it, you take the piloting skill, and have feats to say what you can pilot without the -4 penalty... but you have the same number of skill ranks for all vehicles (kinda like a character having the same BAB for all weapons, but taking a -4 with exotic unless he has profeciencey with it... and prof. is done with feats and class features.)
Airplane: If it flies through the air and it’s not a ballooncraft, rotorcraft or sailcraft, it’s an airplane. This includes jet planes, biplanes, gliders (but not hang-gliders, which require a complex control proficiency) and ornithopters. All of these use Dex for Pilot checks.
The abilty score used should be listed witht he vehicle, but yes most of the above crafts would use Dex... atlhough some with odd flight control systems because of strange wing shapes, etc might use Wis instead... depends on how you build the vehicle.
Ballooncraft: Blimps, dirigibles and other inflatable airships tend to be slow-moving, and use Wis for Pilot checks. Hot air balloons are a special case; because they’re mostly at the mercy of the wind, they’re more difficult to control, requiring a complex control proficiency. They also use Wis for Pilot checks.
Derigible is the propper term. again, we should say the skill ability used with the craft, and put the listing here as "generaly."
Beastcraft: Vessels which are pulled by animals or other creatures require a Handle Animal check to operate instead of a Pilot check, although you may wish to substitute Dex for Cha when attempting certain maneuvers.
wow, does this open a whole new can of worms! vehicles PULLED by animals through the air... its a mythological style I had forgotten about... not sure how this works via our vehicle creation system... I could base it off the monster based power system I guess. ANYWAY: this listing is confusing... are you saying you don't use pilot for these vehicles, that you use Handle animal instead? seems odd to have it as a listing here with other viable pilot skills then. maybe it should be a note at the end; "the following are not usaly vehicle type listings"
Rotorcraft: This includes helicopters and any other type of aircraft capable of hovering, except for ballooncraft and sailcraft. Rotorcraft use Dex for Pilot checks.
Sailcraft: This includes any vessel with sails, whether it travels on the ocean, across the land, or through the sky or the ether of space. Sailcraft use Wis for Pilot checks, though many checks depend on Profession (sailor) instead. For instance, it’s the crew of a sailing ship, not the pilot, who generally control the speed. Sailcraft small enough to be operated by a single person are an exception.
NO no no. While vehicle control of many larger vehicles, including sailed ones, falls to the crew instead of the "pilot" this does not mean that crew makes any checks or decisions for gaming purposes. that just gets to uggly with initative, and large crews, etc. The pilot makes all checks with just one skill for them all or it becomes to compilcated to keep track of what stunts/uses require what skill etc. Besides, you could argue that Piloting a sailcraft is just as much Rope Use as Profession Sailing. Just think of Piloting a Sailcraft having to do with getting the crew to follow your orders/lead. And the system does handle missing/fewer crewmen as a penalty.
Spacecraft: Spaceships of Medium size or smaller use Dex for Pilot checks, while those of Large size or greater use Wis. The two groups use different simple control proficiencies.
again, the rule about large+ using Wis should be in vehicle creation rules.
Submarine: A submarine is any vehicle designed specifically for use in a fluid medium. Submersibles which are Small or smaller generally use Dex for Pilot checks, while those of Medium size or greater use Wis. The two types require separate control proficiencies in most cases.
again, the rule about medium+ using Wis should be in vehicle creation rules.
GMs should decide which classes get Pilot as a class skill depending on how common vehicles are in their campaign settings. This may be different for different locations within the same cosmos or multiverse, due to variation in tech achievement levels.
Sidebar: Alternative Pilot skills
If you don’t intend aerial combat to be a large part of your campaign, or if you just prefer simplicity to realism, you may find it inconvenient to keep track of control proficiencies and their associated penalties and prerequisites. There are several alternatives that can be used to cut down on the bookkeeping, though each of them sacrifices realism and/or flexibility to some extent. These are covered briefly below. This is not an exhaustive list of alternatives, of course, but should give you an idea of the possibilities.
You should take note of the fact that the Pilot class is designed to work with the control proficiency system, and will require minor tweaking if you use one of these options instead.
One Skill, One Vehicle: You could model the Pilot skill in the same pattern as the Ride skill, whereby the player picks a single type of vehicle and suffers a -4 penalty to Pilot checks when operating any other type. The result is not much different from having a single control proficiency, but without having to use up a feat slot. The downside is that it’s a lot less flexible if you want to become skilled with multiple types of vehicles.
One Skill, Many Vehicles: Another alternative is to make Pilot like Perform; for each rank you take in the skill, you add a new type of vehicle to the list you’re proficient with. This is simple and allows you to become skilled with a wide array of vehicle types at very little cost. The disadvantage is that it throws realism out the window.
Multiple Pilot Skills: At the other end of the scale is the Profession model, in which each type of vehicle requires a separate Pilot skill (e.g. Pilot (sailcraft), Pilot (airplane) and so on). If you use this option, it’s probably a good idea to group vehicles into aircraft, spacecraft, seacraft and so on, and grant synergy bonuses among Pilot skills for related vehicles. The chief advantage of this system is that it’s arguably even more realistic than the proficiency system. The disadvantage is that becoming reasonably skilled with more than one type of vehicle requires lots of skill points. Furthermore, since it requires tracking separate skills, it doesn’t really cut down on the bookkeeping.
Stripped-Down Proficiencies: If you like the idea of control proficiencies but don’t like the complexities of the system, it’s easy enough to simplify matters by changing all non-proficiency penalties to a flat -4, and/or by lumping vehicle types together into broader groups such as aircraft, seacraft, etc.. The only real disadvantage to doing this is that you lose some of the diversity entailed in the default system.
