Legends of Tolria
The Galactic Game

Class Compendium · specialist / skirmisher

Pilot

Non-channeler. The driver, the captain, the ace — the character whose presence makes any vehicle better, and whose specialty is the seat behind the controls.

Hit Die · d8 DEX / INT Saves · DEX / INT RA · non-channeler

Identity

The Pilot's mastery is the vehicle, the mount, the mech, the small craft, the corvette. An Aurelion Ace Flyer threading orbital fire to escort a diplomat home; a Black Meridian Smuggler-Captain whose ship is half-criminal and entirely loyal to her crew; a frontier Cavalryman with a beast-bonded mount; a Halcyion Mech Pilot in three tons of articulated armor. Pilots are competent outside the cockpit but extraordinary inside it.

Proficiencies

Armor · light, medium
Weapons · simple, firearms
Tools · Vehicle tools, Navigator's tools
Skills · choose 3 from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Perception, Piloting, Survival, Technology

Level Progression

  • L1
    Vehicle Mastery

    Choose your primary vehicle type at character creation: ground vehicle, atmospheric craft, void craft, mounted beast, or mech. You gain Expertise (double proficiency bonus) on Piloting checks made with that type. You can also pilot any other type at standard proficiency. While piloting your primary type, you can attempt maneuvers (sudden braking, evasive banking, ramming, tight-turn re-targeting) that would normally require a heroic check at standard difficulty, and heroic maneuvers at heroic difficulty.

    Bonded Vessel

    You begin play with a vehicle, mount, or craft appropriate to your Vehicle Mastery choice — a worn-but-functional starting model. The Bonded Vessel is your possession, accumulates upgrades across the campaign, and serves as the focus of many of your subclass features. If the Bonded Vessel is destroyed, you can rebuild or replace it during downtime, but losing it is meaningful — a Pilot without a vessel is a Pilot waiting.

  • L2
    Reflex Edge

    When you are piloting your Bonded Vessel (or any vehicle of your primary type), you add your proficiency bonus a second time to your Initiative roll. Additionally, you have advantage on the first Piloting check you make in any combat encounter.

  • L3 Subclass feature
    Pilot Specialty

    Choose your Pilot Specialty — Ace Flyer (atmospheric / space combat), Smuggler-Captain (ship command + crew leadership), Mech Pilot (mech specialist), Cavalryman (mounted beast specialist), or Drone Operator (remote vehicles / drone swarms). Your Specialty grants features now and at 7th, 11th, 15th, and 18th level.

  • L4 ASI / Feat
  • L5
    Coordinated Crew

    When you are piloting your Bonded Vessel (or any vehicle of your primary type) and you have at least one crewmember or passenger you can communicate with, you and they gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and saving throws while in the vehicle. At 14th level, the bonus increases to +2.

  • L6
    Pilot's Ear

    You can identify the make, model, and approximate condition of any vehicle you observe in action for 1 minute. With access to maintenance records or repair history, you can determine the vehicle's modification history and any unusual upgrades.

  • L7 Subclass feature
  • L8 ASI / Feat
  • L9
    Evasive Maneuvers

    When you are piloting a vehicle and the vehicle is hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to attempt a DC 12 Piloting check (or higher, set by the GM for difficult conditions). On a success, the attack does half damage to the vehicle. On a critical success (natural 20 or 5+ over DC), the attack misses entirely and you also gain a free repositioning action with the vehicle.

  • L10
    Pilot Apex Capstone

    Your Bonded Vessel benefits from your mastery. Choose one upgrade for your Bonded Vessel: armor reinforcement (+2 HP per HP tier), engine tuning (+10% movement / speed), weapon optimization (+1 damage on vessel-mounted weapons), or sensor refinement (advantage on Investigation rolls performed by the vessel's systems). You can apply additional upgrades by spending downtime and credits — the apex marks the moment your skill exceeds the vehicle's specs.

  • L11 Subclass feature
  • L12 ASI / Feat
  • L13
    Cool Under Fire

    You have advantage on all Piloting checks made during combat. If you have a passenger or crewmember capable of communicating with you, you can take the Help action on a Piloting check by spending no action (only your speech).

  • L14
    Crew Captain

    At the end of a long rest, designate up to (your DEX or INT modifier, whichever is higher) crewmembers as your trusted crew. Trusted crew gain proficiency in one skill of your choice (typically a vessel-related skill) for the next 24 hours. They can also benefit from your Coordinated Crew bonus while you're piloting, regardless of whether you can directly communicate with them in real time.

  • L15 Subclass feature
  • L16 ASI / Feat
  • L17
    Heroic Maneuver

    Once per long rest, you can automatically succeed on any Piloting check, including critical-failure-avoidance rolls in life-or-death vehicular situations. Describe the maneuver — the GM narrates what your skill achieved.

  • L18 Subclass feature
  • L19 ASI / Feat
  • L20
    Living Legend Capstone

    Your reputation precedes you and travels with you. Any vehicle you occupy, even briefly, benefits from your Pilot Apex upgrade (your choice each time you take the wheel). The benefit persists for 1 hour after you leave the vehicle, transferring to whoever is at the controls. Additionally, NPCs in vehicle-centric cultures (mercenary pilots, smuggler crews, Aurelion solar-cruiser officers) recognize you on sight, granting you advantage on Charisma checks made in their professional space.

Subclasses (5)

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