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.

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.

Trait

During 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 Budgets and 10,000c 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 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 Upkeep and suffer no additional narrative obligations.

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.

Trait.

You gain a free Rank in one of the below [Masteries]. This can't increase the [Mastery] to a Rank greater than your current Merc Rank.

Alternatively, instead of gaining a free Rank in the above [Masteries], you may choose to gain 2 Abilities from one of them instead. These Abilities must be of equal or lower Rank to your new Merc Rank.

Example: If you would advance your Merc Rank to 3, you could use your free [Mastery] Rank to advance your [Quickdraw] [Mastery] to Rank 3 but you could not use it to advance your [Charm] [Mastery] to Rank 4.

Furthermore, you also gain a free Rank in a Skill of your choice. This can be any Rank, regardless of your Merc Ranks, but can't exceed your Skill Maximums.

At Merc Ranks 3, 5, 7 & 9 gain an additional free Rank or pair of Abilities in one of the above [Masteries] and a Skill of your choice, as detailed above.

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.

Trait.

You gain an additional Proficiency. This can be Swagger, Presence, Initiative, Reaction or any Skills.

In addition, you gain an additional Resistance at Merc Rank 4. This can be Fortitude, Reflex, Will or Insight.

Please Note: You can select any of the above options, not just the ones listed on the Starting Package, so long as you are not already Proficiency or Resistant in it.

At Merc Ranks 6 & 10, you gain an additional Proficiency, as detailed above. At Merc Rank 8, you gain an additional Resistance, as detailed above.

Trait.

You gain a Job Die. A Job Die is a Bonus Die that is added to Checks, Attacks or Saves that you are Proficient or Resistant in, respectively. Your Job Die is a D4.

If you gain an additional instance of this Ability, and you already have a Job Die, you do not gain another; it is Upgraded instead.

At Merc Rank 4, 6, 8 & 10, you gain an additional instance of this Ability.

Trait.

You gain an additional Proficiency. This can be Swagger, Presence, Initiative, Reaction or any Skills.

Please Note: You can select any of the above options, not just the ones listed on the Starting Package, so long as you are not already Proficiency in it.

At Merc rank 5, 7 & 9, you gain an additional instance of this Ability.

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.

Trait

You gain 3 Packs, 2 Holster and 1 Belt Inventory slot.

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.

Trait.

You apply your Job Die to your Proficiencies and Resistances an additional time.

This can allow you to apply your Job Die to Checks, Attacks or Saves up to three times, in combination with certain Abilities.