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Military Vehicles / Vehicle Factors

Tethered Vehicles

Source Starfinder #24: The God-Host Ascends pg. 49
Whether lashed together by a grappler and cable line or held in the grip of a crane claw, vehicles can sometimes become affixed to each other. Regardless of the specifics, any item holding two vehicles together is referred to as a tether. Tethers can either be flexible, like a cable line, or rigid, like a manipulator arm. The pilot of the vehicle from which the tether originates is considered the controller, and the pilot of the vehicle ensnared by the tether is considered the defender.

Dragging A Tethered Vehicle

Source Starfinder #24: The God-Host Ascends pg. 49
If the defender wishes to move while held by a rigid tether, or if either pilot wishes to move beyond a tether’s reach, they must succeed at an opposed Piloting check. The checks of both controller and defender receive a bonus equal to half their respective vehicles’ item levels and an additional +5 bonus for each size category that their vehicle is larger than their opponent’s. The controller wins ties. If the pilot who initiated the check succeeds, they can move any remaining speed of their drive action, dragging the tethered vehicle with them. They can then use any remaining drive actions without an opposed check. Alternatively, if the pilot initiated this check while using a race action, they can move up to half their vehicle’s full speed. If the pilot who initiated the check fails, their vehicle’s speed becomes 0 until the start of their next turn. A pilot who wishes to be dragged can opt to automatically fail this check.

Driving While Tethered

Source Starfinder #24: The God-Host Ascends pg. 49
If two vehicles are held by a flexible tether, both pilots can drive freely within the tether’s reach. If the tether is rigid, only the controller can move freely, but see Dragging a Tethered Vehicle above.

Escaping A Tether

Source Starfinder #24: The God-Host Ascends pg. 49
As a standard action, the defender can attempt a Piloting check (DC = 10 + controlling vehicle’s KAC) to free their vehicle from the tether. The controller can release the tether at any time (this takes no action).

Tethers In Vehicle Chases

Source Starfinder #24: The God-Host Ascends pg. 49
Since vehicles involved in chases measure their movement relative to each other instead of to fixed points, two tethered vehicles can still participate normally in chases except as noted below. Generally, the two vehicles must be engaged in the chase before they can be tethered to one another.

Pilot Actions: The defender cannot take the break free action to disengage from the controller while tethered. If the controller takes the break free action to disengage with the defender, the defender is immediately freed of the tether. Piloting checks to attempt evade and trick actions with vehicles connected by a flexible tether take a –2 penalty. If the tether is rigid, this penalty increases to –4.

A pilot who wishes to take the speed up action while tethered must first succeed at an opposed Piloting check as if dragging a tethered vehicle (see above). If they succeed, they can attempt the action. If they move forward to a new zone, the vehicle tethered to them is immediately dragged to that zone as well. The pilot of the dragged vehicle cannot then attempt a speed up action until the start of the next round.

Chase Progress: During the chase progress phase, the GM advances vehicles as normal. Then, if the tethered vehicles are not in the same zone, the GM moves the defender’s vehicle one zone closer to the controller. If the vehicles are still in different zones, the GM moves the controller’s vehicle one zone closer to the defender. The GM continues moving the tethered vehicles in this fashion until they share the same zone.