Electrician
| Electrician | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Occupations |
| Type | Occupation |
| Points | -2 |
| Skill Boosts | Electrical: +5 |
The Electrician brings the strongest Electrical start in the game and knows how to run generators. It suits a survivor who wants power and light long after the grid fails.
The occupation costs 2 points from the trait budget. It starts with five levels of Electrical. The Electrician knows how to operate and maintain generators from the start. It also knows a set of electrical recipes, from improvised flashlights to remote controllers and makeshift radios.
The grid does not last. Under default settings, the power shuts off at a random time in the first weeks. After that, a generator is the main way to keep fridges, freezers, stoves and lights running. Other survivors need a magazine or more Electrical skill before they can use one. The Electrician has that knowledge on the first day.
Electrician Skills
Five levels of Electrical cover most of the useful electrical work. Battery connectors can be fitted to lamps at level 5, so a base can have light without a generator. Generator repairs also restore more condition per piece of scrap electronics.
The skill lowers the chance of setting off a car alarm while hot-wiring. Hot-wiring still needs level 2 Mechanics as well.
Five levels also open the makeshift ham radio, the noise maker, timers, remote triggers and medium-range motion sensors. Only the long-range remote controller and sensor still need more training. Level 6 brings those long-range devices.
Electrical keeps growing during normal play. Taking electronics apart with a screwdriver is the main way to earn experience. Televisions, radios, ham radios, walkie talkies and household appliances all give experience when dismantled. Large furniture and commercial kitchen appliances give the most. Big appliances pay out for every tile they cover.
Industrial kitchens are the best training grounds. Restaurants and similar buildings hold many fryers, hoods and large ovens to dismantle. A screwdriver and a quiet afternoon in a cleared restaurant push the skill along quickly.
Each generator repair also gives experience. Crafting electrical items gives experience too, with the makeshift radios giving the most among the simpler recipes.
A new Electrician starts with these skill levels.
| Skill | Levels | Skill Group |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical | +5 | Crafting |
Electrician Recipes
Generator Maintenance is known from the start. That knowledge lets the Electrician run a generator without reading the How to Use Generators magazine.
The known crafting recipes cover light, radios and remote devices. The Improvised Flashlight, Improvised Lantern and Improvised Lighter give light and fire. The Makeshift Radio, Makeshift Walkie Talkie and Makeshift Ham Radio cover communication. Timers, remote triggers and remote controllers of every range turn bombs and decoys into traps.
All of these fit the starting skill except the long-range remote controller, which needs level 6.
A Electrician knows these recipes from the start, with no book or magazine needed.
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lighter - Improvised Battery | 
|
Make Improvised Lighter |
|
- | Electrical: 0 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Lighter_Battery
|
| Flashlight - Improvised | 
|
Make Improvised Flashlight |
|
Electrical: 1 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Flashlight_Crafted
| |
| Improvised Electric Lantern | 
|
Make Improvised Lantern |
|
Electrical: 1 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Lantern_CraftedElectric
| |
| Makeshift Radio | 
|
Make Makeshift Radio | Screwdriver | Electrical: 1 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.RadioMakeShift
| |
| Timer - Crafted | 
|
Make Timer |
|
Electrical: 1 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.TimerCrafted
| |
| Makeshift Walkie Talkie | 
|
Make Makeshift Walkie Talkie | Screwdriver | Electrical: 2 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.WalkieTalkieMakeShift
| |
| Remote Controller (Short-Range) | 
|
Make Remote Controller (Short-Range) |
|
Electrical: 2 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.RemoteCraftedV1
| |
| Crafted Trigger | 
|
Make Remote Trigger |
|
Electrical: 2 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.TriggerCrafted
| |
| Makeshift Ham Radio | 
|
Make Makeshift Ham Radio | Screwdriver | Electrical: 3 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.HamRadioMakeShift
| |
| Remote Controller (Medium-Range) |
|
Make Remote Controller (Medium-Range) |
|
Electrical: 4 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.RemoteCraftedV2
| |
| Remote Controller (Long-Range) |
|
Make Remote Controller (Long-Range) |
|
Electrical: 6 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.RemoteCraftedV3
|
A Electrician also starts with this knowledge.
| Name |
|---|
| Generator Maintenance |
How to Play Electrician
An Electrician plays best as the one who keeps the lights on. Once the power fails, a generator and a stock of fuel keep a base running. Fridges, freezers and stoves stay useful, so food lasts much longer.
Early goals include finding a generator, fuel and a store of scrap electronics. Dismantling televisions, radios and appliances with a screwdriver gives more scrap and more experience. Garages are worth checking for generators, though not every garage holds one.
A generator needs care in use. It belongs outside, because running one indoors fills the area with toxic fumes. The usual order is to place it, fill it with fuel, connect it and then switch it on. Fuel alone does nothing until the generator is connected. Every connected appliance adds to the fuel use, so a lean setup runs much longer on each can.
Generators wear down with use. Each repair uses one piece of scrap electronics and restores some condition. The Electrician's high skill makes each piece go further. A crate of scrap electronics near the generator keeps it running for a long time.
Battery connectors offer a second path to light. At level 5, lamps can run from batteries with no generator at all. That helps when no generator has turned up yet, or when fuel runs short.
The Electrician also has a foraging bonus for junk and trash. Useful scrap turns up more readily while searching.
Pairing the Electrician with Mechanics training opens hot-wiring. The Vehicle Knowledge trait adds a level of Mechanics. The Electrician's high Electrical already lowers the alarm chance during each attempt.
The Electrician's only starting skill is Electrical, so fighting skill must come from traits or training. A combat trait helps cover the early fights while the skill grows.
Notes
- Generators work from the first day without the magazine.
- Run a generator outside, never in a closed room.
- Battery connectors light a base without any generator.
- Dismantle restaurant kitchens for fast Electrical experience.
- Remote triggers and timers make strong traps and distractions.
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