Piloting (Shadowrun 6th Edition)
Skills
Definition
Piloting is the getaway. It covers ground vehicles, aircraft, and boats, whether hands-on at the controls or jumped in through a rigger's control rig with the vehicle wearing your reflexes. It is linked to Reaction rather than Agility, which is why riggers and drivers pump that attribute. The rating matters most in the minutes after an alarm, when the difference between clean and caught is one turn taken faster than the pursuit expected.
How it works
**Linked Attribute**: Reaction **Dice Pool**: Reaction plus Piloting, hits on 5 or 6. **Thresholds**: 1 hit for ordinary traffic, 3 for a hard chase, 5 for a maneuver that should not be survivable. **Scope**: Ground craft, aircraft, and watercraft share the one rating.
Tips
**Best for**: Riggers, and one designated driver on every team that owns a vehicle. **Character concepts**: A jumped-in drone rigger, a smuggler flying cargo under radar, a wheelman who has never lost a car in the sprawl. **Synergies**: Engineering keeps the vehicle running, Electronics maintains the control rig, and Perception spots the roadblock in time to avoid it.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Piloting linked to Reaction?
Vehicle handling is reflex work, so the pool is Reaction plus the skill. Riggers raise Reaction for exactly this reason.
Does it cover drones as well as cars?
Yes. Jumped-in drone control uses the same rating, which is what makes it the rigger's central skill.