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Gear Modification

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Good gear can be more than just found and repaired — it can be improved. Modification is the technical path of progression: you craft special parts and build them right into your armor, weapon, or vehicle key, making a familiar item a little better suited to your playstyle.

How it works

Each module is a separate item that you first craft at a workbench and then install by applying item to item: you take the upgrade part and use it on the target (armor, a weapon, or a vehicle key). If the installation goes through, the part is consumed and its bonus is permanently written into the item being upgraded.

If the part doesn’t fit the chosen target, nothing bad happens: the attempt is simply rejected, and the module stays in your inventory.

Upgrade slots are a budget

Every item has a limited number of module slots, and each installation takes a slot (all current modules take one each). How many slots you have available is determined by your technical progression: two technical abilities in the modification branch add one slot each — the deeper your specialization, the more modules you can build in.

From this follows a simple rule: modification is a choice. Slots are finite, so it’s worth deciding in advance what matters most for that particular item.

When an installation won’t go through

The game will reject the installation without losing the part and without changing the target if:

  • the target type doesn’t fit (for example, a weapon module on armor);
  • you don’t have the ability the module itself requires;
  • the same module is already installed on the item — the same upgrade can’t be installed twice;
  • the target has no free slots left for this module.

This is convenient: a failed attempt doesn’t break anything and doesn’t eat up a rare part.

Available modules and what they do

  • Armor plate (on armor) — adds +1 to physical damage absorption. The bonus is counted when calculating protection against physical attacks.
  • Weapon parts (on a weapon) — add +1 to damage: the bonus is added to both the minimum and the maximum attack value of that weapon.
  • Rapid receiver (on a weapon) — reduces the delay between attacks, making the weapon faster.
  • Feed regulator (on a weapon) — saves ammunition: at a set interval, a shot doesn’t spend a round or charge.
  • Fuel-mixture controller (on a vehicle key) — adds a fuel-economy level for the vehicle bound to that key.

Bonuses stack on the item itself and persist: the same item can be fitted with different modules as long as there are slots to spare.

Where to get modules

All upgrade parts are made through crafting and are tied to technical specialization: you need the modular-upgrade ability and a Mechanics skill threshold. The more powerful the module, the higher the requirements:

  • Armor parts and Weapon parts — basic parts: skill 48 and a Small wrench.
  • Armor plate — skill 48, requires a Hammer.
  • Rapid receiver — skill 62, requires a Tool set.
  • Feed regulator — skill 78, requires a Tool set.
  • Fuel-mixture controller — the most demanding: skill 110, the tactical driving ability, and a Tool set.

Like any crafting, making modules costs materials and time, and it makes more sense to assemble complex parts at a safe spot near the right equipment rather than in a rush out on the road.

A bit of canon

In the world of Last Frontier, gear modification is the domain of the technical role: parts, tools, and workbenches tie together excursions, crafting, and trade. The fiction knows “modifications” too: for example, the KS-1M medical jumpsuit is presented as a special modification of the KS-1 suit by the Karma Industries corporation. But that’s part of the lore, not the in-game upgrade mechanic — hand-made modification of items goes specifically through the modules described above.