The Miner—or "Belt-Runner"—represents the backbone of the frontier economy. Whether deep-tunneling on a barren moon or navigating a cramped system ship through an asteroid belt, the Miner’s life is defined by isolation, physical grit, and the constant threat of equipment failure.
Here are 26 skills that define the Miner’s career.
Skill
Category
Primary Use
Asteroid Prospecting (New)
Technical
Interpreting sensor data to locate ice, ore, or magnetic monopoles.
Awareness
General
Detecting structural shifts in a mine or hull micro-fractures.
Balance
General
Maintaining footing in zero-G or on shifting, unstable rock.
Climbing
General
Navigating vertical shafts or the uneven surfaces of planetoids.
Comm / Computer Op
Support
Managing deep-space uplinks and mining-array data-logs.
Demolitions (New)
Technical
Calculating and placing controlled charges for ore extraction.
Diplomacy
General
Negotiating ore prices with corporate "Claim-Jumpers" or stations.
Electrical Engineering
Technical
Repairing specialized circuitry in mining rigs and sensors.
General Equipment (Op)
Support
Operating industrial drills, rock-crushers, and heavy cranes.
Geology
Science
Determining the density and value of ore deposits.
Ground Vehicle Drive
Support
Piloting heavy planetary tunneling rigs or surface haulers.
Hazardous Materials
Scout
Handling unstable minerals, radioactive ores, or toxic gases.
Law
Legal
Knowledge of ICC mining claims and corporate land-grant rights.
Life Support (Op/Repair)
Support
Vital: Managing oxygen and pressure in cramped ships or habitats.
Magnetic Monopole Handling (New)
Specialist
Safely containing and transporting rare magnetic monopoles.
Mechanical Engineering
Technical
Maintaining the heavy turbines and hydraulics of mining gear.
Medical Aid
Additional
Emergency treatment for "crush" injuries or decompression.
Navigation
Support
Plotting paths through hazardous, debris-dense asteroid belts.
Portable Welder
Support
Essential for hull patching or assembling field equipment.
Power Loader Operation
Support
Moving massive ore crates or heavy machinery in low-G.
Resource Refining (New)
Technical
Basic on-site processing of raw ore or ice into usable fuel/solids.
Scouting
General
Identifying stable cave systems or safe landing zones on planetoids.
Smuggling
Officer
Moving high-value "finds" off-book to avoid corporate taxes.
Survival
General
Endurance in the vacuum of space or extreme planetary cold.
System Ship Pilot (New)
Support
Flying the small, cramped short-range ships used in the belts.
Zero-G Rigging (New)
Technical
Using cables and harpoons to secure ore chunks in space.
The Oxygen Lifeline: For a Miner, Life Support Operation is a primary skill. In the asteroid belts, a failed scrubber is a death sentence. Many veteran miners can "hear" a failing life support system before the alarms even trigger.
Prospecting vs. Luck: Asteroid Prospecting and Geology remove the guesswork. A skilled miner doesn't just find rocks; they find the specific isotopes that the corporations are desperate to buy.
The "Small Ship" Specialist: Unlike the Auxiliary pilots who fly massive cargo haulers, the Miner excels in System Ship Piloting. These ships are often little more than a cockpit attached to an engine and a cargo claw, designed to weave through debris.
This character provides the group with unmatched mechanical expertise and a "working-class" perspective on the frontier. They are the ones who can tell the Corporate Consultant exactly why a colony's profit margin is failing—usually because the equipment is held together with nothing but prayers and Portable Welder seams.