Best base classes for a pilot?

[Felon]

In gearing up a D20 Future campaign, I'm considering what the ideal base classes (or combinations thereof) are for a pilot. I'm not as familiar with vehicular combat as some of you are, so I thought I'd seek some advice.

Fast Heroes is the only base class to get Pilot as a class skill (which I guess is why it's supposedly the best path to the Dogfighter advanced class) but several backgrounds take care of that detail. Other than that, I'm not sure if there any other real benefits. Are the defensive talents any asset in vehicular combat?

Smart Heroes can apply the Savant talent to Navigate, and maybe the Exploit Weakness and Plan talents can help.

Dedicated Heroes can apply Skill Emphasis talent to Pilot or Navigate.

Obviously, the ultimate decision probably boils down to what type of character the player wants to build towards. But I already know that. What I'm trying to figure out is, as far as being an uber pilot is concerned, are there any major base class benefits that I'm failing to appreciate?

 

[jaerdaph]

Fast and Smart levels make sense, and perhaps a couple of levels of Tough for pulling G's.

 

[andrew_kenrick]

Yeh, what Jaerdaph said Obviously you'll be wanting a high Dex to max out your Pilot score, and for firing the starship's weapons.

And then consider aiming for the Dogfigher advanced class from d20 Future, and/or the Fighter Ace advanced class from the Future Soldier's Battlefield Handbook.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

To portray the typical hot-shot pilots in cinema and TV, I'd suggest Fast/Charismatic.

Otherwise (especially in case of modern fighter pilots), I'd suggest chosing a good starting occupiton (granting Pilot and/or Drive as bonus class skill) and take Smart Hero.
Smart Hero is the only class that allows you to work with all the technological devices in your cockpit.
Even as a Smart Hero, Intelligence isn't the most important stat, you need dex for the skill modifier and constitution for the required stamina.
Abilities maybe: Str10, Dex15, Con14, Int13, Wis10, Cha10;
Feats: Vehicle Expert, Aircraft Operation, Personal Firearms Profiency (Exotic Firearms Profiency (Aircraft Weapons)?), Drive by Attack, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative;
Skills: Computer Use*, Craft (Mechanical, Electronics), Drive, Knowledge (Tactics*, Earth and Life Sciences, Physical Sciences), Navigate*, Pilot*, Repair, Search, Spot
*) primary skills)

Since vehicles in D20 Modern aren't hard to hit, you can afford the low BAB of a multiclassed or Smart hero.
If the pilot is supposed to be a PC, it is vital that he can do some things beyond flying, so in case of a Smart Hero, adding Disable Device and Investigate is a good idea.

A Dedicated Hero might be a good fourth class for a Pilot, since SKill Empahsis can give him the definite edge. In fact, the Talents of Smart, Dedicated and Charismatic Hero are probably the only ones that can help you (or your comrades) in combat. You don't need Melee Smash, Uncanny Dodge (Can't be Flanked) or Energy Resistance (Fire) as a pilot.

 

[tadk]

in the WARS RPG Book from Mongoose Publishing there is a Pilot class. Maybe someone you know bought it and you can use that.

 

[QuaziquestGM]

depends on what the pilot is doing and the tech level.

I'd go with tough hero.

1: you want the pilot to be the last one to die.

2: You want the pilot to make the fort save to avoid passing out when injured.

3: if you are doing combat manuvers realistically in a setting with no inertial compensators, then you want the pilot to make the fort save to avoid "Greying Out" or "Blacking out" when pulling an hi gee manuever.

Contray to popular belive, CON is the most important attibute for a combat pilot.

Now if you are in a hi tech setting with inertial dampening, artificial gravity, ect...then the pilot can be the weakling who never gets into a fight with out his ship, and sits there and drinks Tang all day long waiting for something to steer the ship around. If that is the case, then you want a mix of smart and fast hero with skill points in spot.

 

[Felon]

Well, I've been perusing the Vehicle Combat rules and it looks like at least the Evasion talent is useful (for rolls and collisions). That's about it though.

Kinda bugs me that Wiz didn't round out every base class with at least three trees, at least if they've implicitly decided that they won't offer new trees in supplements.

 

[Radiating Gnome]

Actually, if you pick up a handfull of supplements from the Game Mechanics, you can round out the talent trees to five for each of the core classes.

I'm in the process of planning a D20 Future Space campaign, and I am using the modern player's companions and the future player's companions -- all available in PDF form -- there's a print version of the MPC, but the FPC print version isn't quite out yet, I don't think. I use the PDFs for all of them, personally.

The FPC includes a talent tree called "Starship Pilot".

Here's a link the their site: http://www.thegamemechanics.com/

Check it out -- it will add a lot to your game.

-rg

 

[Felon]

Actually, if you pick up a handfull of supplements from the Game Mechanics, you can round out the talent trees to five for each of the core classes.

Since you brought it up, I have checked out the D20M companion series, and I was fairly disappointed. Most of the talent trees duplicate some feat from D&D, or some just seem like bad ideas (e.g. a talent that lets you take 10 on all Reflex saves). Most annoying of all, rather than come up with advanced classes that offer interesting new game mechanics (supposedly this comany's specialty), most of them just hand out skill check bonuses--and man, it doesn't get more unimaginative than that. If all advanced classes are supposed to do is give you a competence bonus to [insert skill name] checks equal to your level, and then a couple levels later (after giving you a bonus feat) you get to perform [insert another skill name] checks without taking a -4 penalty when you don't the appropriate kit, then I might find myself agreeing with the folks who assert that advanced classes are unnecessary.

The FPC includes a talent tree called "Starship Pilot". Here's a link the their site: http://www.thegamemechanics.com/ Check it out -- it will add a lot to your game.
-rg

I will check it out, thanks. I hope the Game Mechanics have learned a few new tricks.

 

[Vigilance]

Fast is the best base class imo since a pilot can add his class Defense bonus to a ship he pilots.

Fast hero not only has the best class bonus to Defense, but it also has the Pilot skill.

True there's several occupations where you can get the skill, but Fast also gives you a Defense bonus twice as high as the other base classes over three levels.

Chuck