Wreck-picking, ID functional tech, strip hulks for value.
Salvage covers stripping wreck-scrap, identifying functional components,
assessing a wreck's total value, recovering intact rare technology,
safely gutting unstable hulks, and finding hidden caches in Derelicts.
Mechanics fixes things; Salvage knows which things are worth fixing.
Engineering assesses structures; Salvage knows which structures are
worth cutting open. Every wreck is a puzzle: what is alive, what is
dead, and what will kill you if you pull the wrong wire. The scavenger
fleet follows the battle fleet; the best salvagers are the ones who
know where the value hides.
Rules Reference
Field
Value
Armor Check Penalty
false
Key Ability
INT
Trained Only
false
Untrained Use
Strip obvious scrap at DC 10 only; tech ID, assessment, and unstable work require training.
Key Ability
INT
Notes
Special: Failed gut of unstable hulk (fail by 5+) triggers collapse/explosion
for 2d6 damage within 10m. Does not cover building/repairing or
structural assessment.
Special: Gutting an unstable hulk and failing by 5 or more triggers a collapse,
explosion, or radiation burst: 2d6 damage to everyone within 10 metres.
Salvage does not cover building or repairing things (Mechanics) or
assessing structural integrity (Engineering) -- it covers finding the
value in what is already broken.
Untrained: An untrained character can strip obvious scrap -- loose plating, exposed
wiring, anything you can pry off with a crowbar -- at DC 10. Identifying
functional tech, assessing wreck value, and working unstable hulks all
require training. A scavver with no training is just a thief with a
cutting torch.
Descriptors
dc: 10
Field
Value
dc
10
task
Strip common scrap from a wreck or debris field
dc: 15
Field
Value
dc
15
task
Identify a functional component in wreckage
dc: 18
Field
Value
dc
18
task
Assess a wreck's total salvage worth
dc: 22
Field
Value
dc
22
task
Recover intact rare or delicate technology
dc: 25
Field
Value
dc
25
task
Safely gut an unstable or irradiated hulk
dc: 30
Field
Value
dc
30
task
Pull a jackpot find from a derelict
Synergy
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
from
Mechanics
threshold
5
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
from
Engineering
threshold
5
Synergies
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
ranks
5
skill
Mechanics
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
ranks
5
skill
Engineering
Uses
application: Strip common scrap from a wreck or debris field
Field
Value
application
Strip common scrap from a wreck or debris field
dc
10
failure
You grab what looks good but it is degraded; half value or less.
success
You pull out usable materials -- plating, wire, basic components.
application: Identify a functional component in wreckage
Field
Value
application
Identify a functional component in wreckage
dc
15
failure
You pull a dead component or misidentify a live one.
success
You find the part that still works and know what it does.
application: Assess a wreck's total salvage worth
Field
Value
application
Assess a wreck's total salvage worth
dc
18
failure
You over- or under-estimate badly; bad intel for the crew.
success
You know what the wreck holds, where it is, and roughly what it is worth.
application: Recover intact rare or delicate technology
Field
Value
application
Recover intact rare or delicate technology
dc
22
failure
It cracks, shorts, or degrades on extraction; damaged or ruined.
success
The tech comes out whole; plasma conduits, data cores, or xeno artefacts intact.
application: Safely gut an unstable or irradiated hulk
Field
Value
application
Safely gut an unstable or irradiated hulk
dc
25
failure
The hulk reacts; radiation spike, structural collapse, or a cook-off. 2d6 damage.
success
You work around the hazards; full extraction, no casualties.
application: Pull a jackpot find from a derelict
Field
Value
application
Pull a jackpot find from a derelict
dc
30
failure
The jackpot was there and you missed it, or what you found is worthless.
success
You find the hidden cache, the sealed compartment, the thing everyone else missed.