====== Merc ====== //You’re thinking of using Corp.Sec agents for this? Darlin', no offense, but that’s adorable. I’ve been in this business long enough to know how that goes. Firstly, your security boys will get flagged the moment anything goes down, which leads straight back to you, and thus, back to me. And secondly, the moment it gets loud, they'll start checking their contracts, remembering their kids’ birthdays, and waiting for someone else to take the first shot. You want loyalty? Hire a preacher. You want results? Hire a Merc.\\ \\ See, a Merc’s not tied to anyone’s flag. They don’t owe you patriotism or quarterly reports. They’ve been soldiers, smugglers, couriers, spies, even legal representation, whatever the job needed. You don’t get that kind of range without surviving a lot of bad days, and Mercs have had nothing but bad days. That’s what makes them good. They take hits, they take losses, they keep moving. They’ll limp through hell with a grin just to finish the job, and then they’ll send you an invoice before the smoke clears.\\ \\ Now, don’t expect polish. They come with rough edges, scars, habits, maybe a few bad jokes. But under all that? Pure professionalism. They learn on the job, and the job teaches hard. Every Merc you meet has picked up more skills than a whole department’s worth of trainees. Engineering, hacking, persuasion, demolition, field medicine... hell, I’ve met one who could defuse a bomb and a marriage in the same afternoon. You won’t find that in a Federation handbook.\\ \\ And the gear. No expenses budget here, they've already got the best. A Merc’s tools aren’t just tools, they’re extensions of themselves. Doesn’t matter if it’s a pistol, a blade, a datapad, or a tie clip... it’ll be custom, balanced, tuned just right. They might not make it themselves, but they sure as hell made it theirs. Take it away, and you’re starting a war.\\ \\ So, you ask me if I trust Mercs? More than I trust committees and two-faced suits like yourself, Handsome. They don’t waste time or words. You tell them what needs doing, and it gets done. No meetings, no memos, no excuses. You’ll pay through the nose, sure, but you’ll sleep at night. And in this line of work, that’s worth every damn credit.// \\ \\ \\ // - Fed. Rep. Susie Blackstar, REDACTED, REDACTED.//\\ \\ ^ Rank ^ Job Die ^Abilities^ | 1 | - |[[:Jobs:Merc#Training]] (Skill/Mastery)| | 2 | D4 |[[:Jobs:Merc#Grizzled]] (Prof.), [[:Jobs:Merc#Upgrade Job Die]]| | 3 | D4 |[[:Jobs:Merc#Training]] (Skill/Mastery), [[:Jobs:Merc#Bonus Proficiency]]| | 4 | D6 |[[:Jobs:Merc#Grizzled]] (Res.), [[:Jobs:Merc#Upgrade Job Die]]| | 5 | D6 |[[:Jobs:Merc#Training]] (Skill/Mastery), [[:Jobs:Merc#Bonus Proficiency]], [[:Jobs:Merc#Loaded For Bear]]| | 6 | D8 |[[:Jobs:Merc#Grizzled]] (Prof.), [[:Jobs:Merc#Upgrade Job Die]]| | 7 | D8 |[[:Jobs:Merc#Training]] (Skill/Mastery), [[:Jobs:Merc#Bonus Proficiency]]| | 8 | D10 |[[:Jobs:Merc#Grizzled]] (Res.), [[:Jobs:Merc#Upgrade Job Die]]| | 9 | D10 |[[:Jobs:Merc#Training]] (Skill/Mastery), [[:Jobs:Merc#Bonus Proficiency]]| | 10 | D12 |[[:Jobs:Merc#Grizzled]] (Prof.), [[:Jobs:Merc#Upgrade Job Die]] , [[:Jobs:Merc#Expertise]]| ==== Starting Package ==== \\ If you choose [[:Jobs:Merc#Merc]] as your starting [[:Jobs|Job]] during [[:Character:Character Creation]], gain the following bonuses:\\ \\ **[[:Ratings:Health|Health]] Bonus**: 10\\ **[[:Ratings:Mana|Mana]] Bonus**: 5\\ **[[:Ratings:Strain|Strain]] Bonus**: 10\\ \\ **[[:Game_Mechanics:Proficiencies|Proficiencies]]**: Gain **3** [[:Game_Mechanics:Proficiencies|Proficiencies]] from the following:\\ [[:Skills#Athletics]], [[:Skills#Coordination]], [[:Skills#Knowledge:Material]], [[:Skills#Knowledge:Social]], [[:Skills#Savvy]], [[:Skills#Sense]], [[:Skills#Socialise]] or [[:Ratings:Swagger]].\\ \\ **[[:Game Mechanics:Resistances]]**: Gain **1** [[:Game Mechanics:Resistances]] from the following:\\ [[:Ratings:Fortitude_Save|Fortitude]] or [[:Ratings:Insight_Save|Insight]].\\ \\ **[[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Starter Abilities]]**: Gain the following [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Ability|Abilities]]:\\ [[:Jobs:Merc#Company Man]].\\ \\ **[[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Budget]]**: You gain **1** [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Budget]] from the following:\\ **Balanced**: Personal Budget: 20,000c. Vehicular Budget: 75,000c.\\ **Provisioned**: Personal Budget: 30,000c. Vehicular Budget: 50,000c.\\ ===== Starter Abilities ===== ==== Company Man ==== //Every Merc has earned their place. Some fought their way out of the slums, some served beneath the Federation banner and others survived the relentless training of the giga-corps. Free Agents answer to nobody but themselves, relying on hard-won experience and trusted equipment. Company Men may still have corporate hooks buried deep beneath the chrome, but they also tend to walk away with the best toys money never had to buy.//\\ \\ [[:Traits|Trait]]\\ \\ During [[:Character:Character Creation]], you must choose to be either a Company Man or a Free Agent.\\ \\ If you choose to be a Company Man, you must nominate a Corporation to be indebted too. You gain an additional 50,000c to spend, divided however you choose between your Personal or Vehicular [[Game Mechanics:Definitions:Budget|Budgets]] and 10,000c [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Upkeep]].\\ \\ In addition, as a Company Man, you likely have a corporate handler who occasionally expects favours in return for their investment. Work with your [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Game Master|GM]] to choose an appropriate Corporation and create a memorable handler together.\\ \\ If you choose to be a Free Agent, you gain no additional bonuses, incur no additional [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Upkeep]] and suffer no additional narrative obligations.\\ \\ //**Ash's Aside**// \\ The Upkeep provided by choosing to be a Company Man is the intended drawback for gaining a boost of credits up front. There is no method in the rules for you to be able to pay off the debt, as it is supposed to reflect years of training that you can never pay back or a bad choice made at a young age before your Merc realised what it would all mean. However, I acknowledge that after a few Cycles, having a big Upkeep with no upside can feel pretty shitty. Therefore, however your table decides when or if they resolve the Upkeep moving forward is up to all of you.\\ \\ One idea could be to keep the Upkeep, and gain the relationship with your chosen Corporation and handler. After all, you are a valued asset, they are unlikely to want to lose the investment they made in you, meaning you have leverage. Obviously, dealing with the Corps can have it's drawbacks but also, upsides too, if you play your cards right. Another idea could simply be that you pay off the 50,000c over time, or have a story beat that explains how to get out of the contract, and lose the Upkeep. This can also fun too, depending how it is told and how the table feels about it.\\ \\ The only caution I would raise is that having one Character with a lot more equipment and resources than all the other Characters at the start of the campaign can feel pretty bad for the other players, especially if they are being overshadowed by all the things your Merc can do with all their fancy Equipment. If you are able to have all that power early on and then wriggle out of the downsides of that choice when it comes time to pay the piper, it might leave everyone wondering why they too didn't just play Merc's or why they are even playing at all. It is okay for different Characters to feel powerful at different times, as long as all of the Players communicate with each other about how they are feeling and work together to make the experience fun for everyone. ===== Job Abilities ===== ==== Training ==== //Every Merc starts the same way, under someone else’s banner, learning the trade the hard way. Maybe it’s a private academy with crisp plastic uniforms and loyalty oaths, maybe it’s Federation naval training, or maybe it’s some corp's “elite security initiative.” Doesn’t matter. They all start with the best training money or politics can buy, and then they do the unthinkable: they start thinking for themselves. The smart ones go private, put their skills to better use... Bodyguard, investigator, consultant, whatever, doesn't matter, as long as it pays. From there it never stops. Every job adds a new trick, a new contact, a new story. Mercs learn from thieves, scientists, captains, janitors - anyone who knows something worth knowing. By the time they’re seasoned, they’ve built an education no university could offer. They’re not just trained, they’re tailored. Whatever their specialty is, they’re the best at it, and that’s why everyone keeps calling.// \\ \\ [[:Traits|Trait]].\\ \\ You gain a free [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank]] in one of the below [Masteries]. This can't increase the [Mastery] to a [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank]] greater than your current [[:Jobs:Merc#Merc]] [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank]].\\ * [Bones] * [Impact] * [Melee] * [Quickdraw] * [Charm] * [Intimidate] * [Nepotism] * [Rock 'n' Roll] * [Deception] * [Leadership] * [Parkour] * [Spycraft] * [Extrospection] * [Meat] * [Precision] * [Street] Alternatively, instead of gaining a free [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank]] in the above [Masteries], you may choose to gain 2 [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Ability|Abilities]] from one of them instead. These [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Ability|Abilities]] must be of equal or lower [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank]] to your new [[Jobs:Merc#Merc]] [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank]].\\ \\ **Example**: If you would advance your [[:Jobs:Merc#Merc]] [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank]] to 3, you could use your free [Mastery] [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank]] to advance your [Quickdraw] [Mastery] to [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank]] 3 but you could not use it to advance your [Charm] [Mastery] to [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank]] 4.\\ \\ Furthermore, you also gain a free [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank]] in a [[:Skills|Skill]] of your choice. This can be any [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank]], regardless of your [[:Jobs:Merc#Merc]] [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank|Ranks]], but can't exceed your [[:Skills|Skill]] [[:Stats:Maximum Stats|Maximums]].\\ \\ At [[:Jobs:Merc#Merc]] [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank|Ranks]] 3, 5, 7 & 9 gain an additional free [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank]] or pair of [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Ability|Abilities]] in one of the above [Masteries] and a [[:Skills|Skill]] of your choice, as detailed above. ==== Grizzled ==== //There’s a saying out on the rim: beware the old hand in a job where most die young. It fits the Merc like a glove. The galaxy chews through them by the dozen, sent into minefields, riots, or boardrooms just as dangerous, and only the ones who learn to bend without breaking make it to the other side. The survivors don’t just get tougher; they get smarter about pain. They learn how to take a hit and turn it into momentum, how to swallow an insult and use it later, how to keep talking when everyone else has run out of breath. They’re don't have superpowers; they have experience and a stubborn habit of refusing to quit. When a Merc hits that point, you can see it in their eyes, tired maybe, but steady. The kind of steady that wins fights, closes deals, and walks away from both still standing.// \\ \\ [[:Traits|Trait]].\\ \\ You gain an additional [[:Game Mechanics:Proficiencies|Proficiency]]. This can be [[:Ratings:Swagger]], [[Ratings:Presence]], [[Ratings:Initiative]], [[Ratings:Reaction]] or any [[:Skills]].\\ \\ In addition, you gain an additional [[:Game Mechanics:Resistances|Resistance]] at [[:Jobs:Merc#Merc]] [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank]] 4. This can be [[:Ratings:Fortitude Save|Fortitude]], [[:Ratings:Reflex Save|Reflex]], [[:Ratings:Will Save|Will]] or [[:Ratings:Insight Save|Insight]].\\ \\ **Please Note**: You can select any of the above options, not just the ones listed on the [[:Jobs:Merc#Starting Package]], so long as you are not already [[:Game Mechanics:Proficiencies|Proficiency]] or [[:Game Mechanics:Resistances|Resistant]] in it.\\ \\ At [[Jobs:Merc#Merc]] [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank|Ranks]] 6 & 10, you gain an additional [[:Game Mechanics:Proficiencies|Proficiency]], as detailed above. At [[Jobs:Merc#Merc]] [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank]] 8, you gain an additional [[:Game Mechanics:Resistances|Resistance]], as detailed above. ==== Upgrade Job Die ==== [[:Traits|Trait]].\\ \\ You gain a [[Game Mechanics:Definitions:Job Die]]. A [[Game Mechanics:Definitions:Job Die]] is a [[Game Mechanics:Bonus Die]] that is added to [[Game Mechanics:Check|Checks]], [[Game Mechanics:Attack|Attacks]] or [[Game Mechanics:Save|Saves]] that you are [[Game Mechanics:Proficiencies|Proficient]] or [[Game Mechanics:Resistances|Resistant]] in, respectively. Your [[Game Mechanics:Definitions:Job Die]] is a D4.\\ \\ If you gain an additional instance of this [[Game Mechanics:Definitions:Ability]], and you already have a [[Game Mechanics:Definitions:Job Die]], you do not gain another; it is [[Game Mechanics:Upgrading Or Downgrading:Upgrade|Upgraded]] instead.\\ \\ At [[:Jobs:Merc#Merc]] [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Rank]] 4, 6, 8 & 10, you gain an additional instance of this [[Game Mechanics:Definitions:Ability]]. ==== Bonus Proficiency ==== [[:Traits|Trait]].\\ \\ You gain an additional [[:Game Mechanics:Proficiencies|Proficiency]]. This can be [[:Ratings:Swagger]], [[Ratings:Presence]], [[Ratings:Initiative]], [[Ratings:Reaction]] or any [[:Skills]].\\ \\ **Please Note**: You can select any of the above options, not just the ones listed on the [[:Jobs:Ace#Starting Package]], so long as you are not already [[:Game Mechanics:Proficiencies|Proficiency]] in it.\\ \\ At [[:Jobs:Merc#Merc]] rank 5, 7 & 9, you gain an additional instance of this [[:Game Mechanics:Definitions:Ability]]. ==== Loaded For Bear ==== //A Merc learns early that the best way to survive is to arrive overprepared. More ammunition, more weapons, more equipment and just enough room for one more "essential" piece of kit. While other Spacers have to choose between carrying a Duffle or wearing a Flickerfield, Mercs rely on custom rigging, grav-harnesses and backs sturdy enough to carry both. And if that still isn't enough? They simply buckle on another belt. When trouble finds a Merc, they're already Loaded for Bear.// \\ \\ [[:Traits|Trait]]\\ \\ You gain 3 [[Game Mechanics:Inventory#PackSlot|Packs]], 2 [[Game Mechanics:Inventory#Holster Slot|Holster]] and 1 [[Game Mechanics:Inventory#Belt Slot|Belt]] [[Game Mechanics:Inventory]] slot.\\ ==== Expertise ==== //There’s a point where skill stops being something you use and starts being something you are. That’s expertise. It’s not about speed, or strength, or luck, it’s about knowing. Every Merc who achieve the stuff of legend has spent a lifetime in the field, bleeding, learning, adapting, perfecting. They don’t guess anymore. They don’t hope. They know. They move through life like it’s choreographed, make choices before anyone else has finished thinking, and turn every scrap of knowledge, every hard-won trick, into an edge so sharp it cuts through the noise of the universe itself. You can’t teach it, you can’t fake it, and you sure as hell can’t keep up with it. This is what mastery looks like, quiet, unstoppable, and utter perfection.// \\ \\ [[:Traits|Trait]].\\ \\ You apply your [[Game Mechanics:Definitions:Job Die]] to your [[:Game Mechanics:Proficiencies]] and [[:Game Mechanics:Resistances]] an additional time.\\ \\ This can allow you to apply your [[Game Mechanics:Definitions:Job Die]] to [[:Game Mechanics:Check|Checks]], [[:Game Mechanics:Attack|Attacks]] or [[:Game Mechanics:Save|Saves]] up to three times, in combination with certain [[Game Mechanics:Definitions:Ability|Abilities]]. ===== Changelog ===== Version 0.5 - Nov 2025 * **Expertise** * Now includes Resistances. Version 0.5b - Dec 2025 * Wording updated. Version 0.5c - June 2026 * Wording updated. * Starting Health Bonus increased to 15 from 10 * Starting Strain Bonus increased to 15 from 10 * Starting Proficiencies reduced to 3 from 4 * Starting Proficiency list updated to include Swagger and no longer include Natural and Tech * Starting Resistances reduced to 2 from 1 * Starting Ability Company Man added * Training Ability reworked to have a list of Masteries it can grant * Grizzled Ability no longer grants bonus Health or Strain * Grizzled Ability reworked to grant additional Proficiencies at ranks 2, 6 and 10 * Grizzled Ability also grants additional Resistances at ranks 4 and 8 * "Hey, That's Mine!" Ability removed * Loaded For Bear Ability added