View source for Electronics Operation

===Electronics Operation===
{{Skill}}{{/TL}}{{Specialty}}

{{IQ/Average}}

''Defaults:'' {{IQ-5}}, {{Electronics Repair (same)-5}}, or {{Engineer (Electronics)-5}}.

This skill lets you use all electronic equipment within a known specialty. Make a skill roll in an emergency situation or for "abnormal" use of equipment – not for ordinary, everyday use. (Exception: Unskilled users must always attempt their default roll!) You must specialize. Available specialties vary by game world, but might include:
====Communications (Comm):====
All forms of electronic communications technology: radios, satellite uplinks, laser communicators, etc. Includes knowledge of any standard, current communications codes appropriate to your background. These do not require a skill roll – although attempts to understand or use an unfamiliar code do require a roll. At [[TL5]]-[[TL7|7]], this includes telegraphy: you can send or receive 2 words per minute (wpm) per point of skill at [[TL5]], 3 wpm per point of skill at [[TL6]]-[[TL7|7]].
====Cybernetics:====
Robots, cybernetics, and stuff, usually [[TL9]]+.
====Electronic Warfare (EW):====
All signals-intelligence and jamming equipment, including electronic countermeasures (ECM) and electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM). In most game worlds, only intelligence agencies and the military teach this specialty – and only to individuals with suitable [[Military Rank]] or [[Security Clearance]]. {{Military Skill}} {{Spy Skill}}
====Force Shields:====
Portable, vehicular, base, and starship force shields and deflectors.
====Matter Transmitters (MT):====
All matter transmitters and teleporters. Critical failures can be disastrous, especially when transmitting living beings!
====Media:====
All forms of audio, film, and video editing equipment. If three-dimensional video ("holographics") or sensory recordings ("sensies") exist in the setting, this specialty includes the ability to operate the relevant equipment. Treat different media as mutually unfamiliar technologies. {{Arts/Entertainment Skill}}

====Medical:====
All manner of electronic diagnostic and life-support equipment. {{Medical Skill}}
====Parachronic:====
Technological means of travel between dimensions or timelines.
====Parapsychology:====
In technologically oriented campaigns with extensive or likely supernatural contact, this new specialty may prove useful. Technology such as ghost sensors, necrophones, near-death projectors, EVP recorders, and ionized spirit wards. At the GM's discretion, this specialty might also cover equipment optimized for supernatural phenomena other than ghosts; e.g., demons or malevolent shadows. In backgrounds where ghosts are psychic phenomena, the Parapsychology and Psychotronics specialties may be identical. Operating most Kirlian devices requires [[Photography|Photography (Spirit)]].
====Psychotronics:====
Psionic technology, such as telepathic shields and amplifiers.
====Scientific:====
Laboratory electronics and survey gear. You are automatically familiar with the equipment used with any scientific skill on which you have spent at least one point.
====Security:====
Both operating and circumventing all forms of alarms, security sensors, and area-surveillance technology. {{Criminal/Street Skill}} {{Spy Skill}}
====Sensors:====
Most forms of long-range detection gear, from air-defense radar to starship sensor suites. Certain highly specialized sensors (such as sonar, below) have their own specialties.
====Sonar:====
All types of acoustic detection and ranging gear (normally used underwater).
====Surveillance:====
All forms of concealable or remote surveillance gear: "bugs," hidden cameras, long-range microphones, wiretaps, etc. {{Police Skill}} {{Spy Skill}}
====Temporal:====
All manner of time machines. Critical failures can be disastrous for the time travelers! Make separate rolls to "lock onto" and transfer the travelers.
====Defaults====
These specialties default to one another at -4; however, the GM is free to rule that in his campaign, there is no default between exotic specialties (Parachronic, Psychotronics, etc.) and mundane ones (Media, Security, etc.). The technologies covered by a particular specialty vary with TL. For instance, Electronics Operation (Comm) covers telegraphs at [[TL5]], telephones and radios at [[TL6]], and digital communications systems at [[TL8]]...and might cover faster-than-light or telepathic communicators at higher TLs.
====Familiarity====
[[Familiarity]] is crucial here! Electronics Operation/TL8 (Sensors) covers both thermographs on fighter jets and ground-penetrating radars on satellites, but going from one to the other gives you -2 for type (thermograph to radar) and -2 for implementation (jet to satellite), for a net -4 to skill until you familiarize yourself with all the differences.
====Modifiers====
[[Equipment modifiers]]; -2 for an unfamiliar technology of a known type (e.g., radar when you are used to thermograph) or an unfamiliar implementation of a familiar technology (e.g., air-defense radar when you are used to weather radar); -1 to -10 if you have been away from the field for a long time (this varies by field) and have not had a chance to become familiar with the changes.

{{Technical Skill}}

[[Category:Horror]]