VEHICLE EQUIPMENT: INSTALL, REMOVE, REPAIR
Installing, removing, or repairing physical vehicle equipment
(sensors, security controllers, armor panels, mounted weapons,
weapons consoles, and the vehicle's own structure sections) is real
technical work, resolved through the same Mechanics/Electronics Skill
checks as everything else in this game -- there is no separate
installation or repair dice system.
These commands come from the toolkit, not from you
install, uninstall, and repair are not things your Character can
always do. They are supplied by the physical mechanic or Electronics
toolkit you are carrying, the moment you are carrying one -- the same
way a cyberdeck supplies jackin. Pick up a usable toolkit and the
commands appear; drop it, lose it, or leave it behind and they are
gone, exactly as if they never existed. There is no global install,
uninstall, or repair verb that works without one.
A command always acts through exactly one specific physical toolkit
at a time -- never an upgraded blend of several. If you carry more
than one toolkit, omitting ``with <toolkit>`` uses whichever one
happens to be supplying that command right now; add ``with
<toolkit>`` to pick a specific one explicitly, by its name --
for example to use your Electronics toolkit for electronic work while
also carrying a mechanic toolkit, or to use your Advanced mechanic
toolkit specifically instead of a Basic one you also happen to be
carrying. A Basic toolkit never gains Advanced capabilities just
because a better one is also in your inventory -- you have to name
the one you actually want to use.
Commands (once a usable toolkit is in hand):
install <equipment-id> into <mount-id> on <vehicle> [with <toolkit>]
uninstall <mount-id> on <vehicle> [with <toolkit>]
repair <section-or-component> on <vehicle> [with <toolkit>]
All three work on any vehicle physically local to you (same room),
exactly like lock/unlock/bypass. <equipment-id>, <mount-id>,
and <section-or-component> are the vehicle's exact stable IDs -- the
same ones @adminvehicle reports when you inspect a vehicle.
The toolkit is the only tooling requirement
Possessing the correct physical toolkit is the only tooling or
qualification prerequisite for attempting an installation, removal, or
repair. There is never a minimum Mechanics or Electronics Skill rank:
Mechanics 0 or Electronics 0 may always attempt the work once you
carry the right toolkit. Carrying a high Skill without the toolkit
never permits an attempt -- without a usable toolkit, the command is
not simply refused, it is not available to you at all. The toolkit
enables the attempt; it does not guarantee success, and never bypasses
whether the component actually fits that mount (wrong category, wrong
size, or an already occupied mount still refuse outright) or whether
the target needs a different kind of technical work than your toolkit
covers.
Mechanical work (armor panels, mounted weapons, weapons consoles, and
most structure sections) needs a mechanic toolkit. Electronic work
(GPS/Radar/LIDAR, security controllers) needs an electronics toolkit.
A mechanic toolkit is never treated as an electronics toolkit, or the
reverse.
Mechanic toolkit tiers
There are three mechanic toolkit tiers. Size support is cumulative:
Basic installs SM only
Intermediate installs SM, MD
Advanced installs SM, MD, LG
SM/MD/LG are the same light/medium/heavy equipment sizes already used
by vehicle mount capacities and components.
The same three tiers also set a maximum repair condition ceiling for
Mechanics-discipline vehicle repair:
Basic repairs up to 50% condition
Intermediate repairs up to 75% condition
Advanced repairs up to 100% condition
This is a ceiling on the result, not a guaranteed repair amount: a
successful repair check still only restores the authored amount, capped
at what your toolkit's tier allows.
Electronics currently has a single electronics toolkit with no
separate tiers, no size restriction, and no repair ceiling -- it gates
the attempt only. Tiered Electronics toolkit capability is an open
design question, not yet specified.
Physical toolkit items
basic mechanic toolkit
intermediate mechanic toolkit
advanced mechanic toolkit
electronics toolkit
These are ordinary persistent physical items a Character carries, like
any other equipment. Use examine on a vehicle component or
@adminvehicle on the vehicle itself to see current condition before
repairing.
Related help:
help vehicle builder
help vehicle balance