Tech-Level Modifiers
Tech-Level Modifiers
Technological skills work best with the specific artifacts and techniques of their own TL. When you work with equipment or concepts of a TL different from that of your skill, you suffer a penalty to your skill roll.
IQ-Based Technological Skills
IQ-based technological skills represent a studied technical understanding of the specific methods and tools common at a particular TL. There is a penalty to your skill roll when you use these skills with the equipment of a higher TL (which relies on scientific and engineering principles unknown to you) or a lower TL (which depends on principles that were, at best, a "historical footnote" during your training).
| Equipment's TL | Skill Penalty |
|---|---|
| Skill's TL+4 or more | Impossible! |
| Skill's TL+3 | -15 |
| Skill's TL+2 | -10 |
| Skill's TL+1 | -5 |
| Skill's TL | 0 |
| Skill's TL-1 | -1 |
| Skill's TL-2 | -3 |
| Skill's TL-3 | -5 |
| Skill's TL-4 | -7 |
| Per extra -1 to TL | -2 |
Other Technological Skills
Technological skills based on attributes other than IQ let you use technology; they do not assume any real understanding of the science or engineering behind the tools. For instance, a TL5 gunslinger accustomed to firing a Colt Peacemaker might find a TL7 Colt Python a bit strange, but he would have little difficulty shooting it.
For skills like this, apply a flat penalty of -1 per TL of difference between the skill and the equipment. For instance, a TL5 gunman would be at -2 to shoot a TL7 revolver. It is irrelevant whether the equipment is more or less advanced – a TL7 policeman would be at -2 to fire a TL5 revolver, too.