Soldier

You've seen things civilians wouldn't believe: attack ships shattering Mars domes with mini-nukes; fellow soldiers disintegrated by stray linear accelerator fire, floating ashes their only grave marker; gravity-dropping through the silent void, praying your lidar warns you quickly enough to pop your brake rockets before you slam into the unlit enemy asteroid. The adrenaline kick of a firefight is like nothing else, but better yet is the fizzy exhilaration of another mission survived.

Made for combat, you're probably among the first on your team to confront armed foes. Your allies with other specialties are probably happy to let you; not everyone can rely on combat enhancements when adversaries begin firing kinetic weapons.

Background Options

  • You came of age in a megalopolis slum, doing what was necessary to survive. You left it all behind, but sometimes you still wish you'd taken a couple of your friends with you.
  • You witnessed a peace accord almost being signed two weeks ago, but an envoy vanished.
  • You grew up in a farming collective that was ultimately killed by the climate cataclysm. You'll take corporate gigs, but you keep an eye out for the sorts of execs that put profit ahead of normal people's lives.
  • A comrade in arms sent you a note to look them up a few months ago because they had “news.”
  • You and your sister were raised by pirates operating in the belt. You got out but she didn’t. You always wonder what happened to her but are afraid to find out.
  • You mustered out of service about a year ago, and you’ve mostly spent through your payout.
  • Last week you were offered a job training an ACI (artificial combat intelligence) from your brain.
  • You completed a job serving as a diplomat’s bodyguard six months ago, but now they’re dead.

Soldier Abilities

You gain all of the following benefits: Able to take three more minor wounds and one more moderate wound Add +2 to Might Pool Add +2 to Speed Pool Add +1 Edge in Pool of your choice Freely use all weapons Freely use all armor Gain one weapon of your choice At tier 3 and tier 6, choose an ability from the Science Fiction Genre Abilities list

Combat Enhancement (2+ Speed or Intellect): Your military combat enhancement—likely some kind of nerve implant, subdermal hardware, or genetic modification—lowers your reaction time in response to unexpected threats so that you're rarely surprised. Roll initiative as normal, but if your roll is less than a 15, treat the roll as a 15. (This means you don't get a GM intrusion if you roll a 1.) Effort: Increase the minimum number rolled for this ability by 3. At tier 3, the minimum number rolled for this ability increases to 18. Enabler.

Whenever an ability grants a choice between two Pools, each time you use that ability you can decide which of those two Pools to spend your points from. You can’t split the cost between both Pools.

If you want a combat-capable character but don't want implants like those described under Combat Enhancement, you might prefer to use the Fighter type from the dungeon fantasy genre as the basis for your character, translating between the genres but otherwise using those abilities instead of the Soldier's. Fighter, page (ref)

Expert Combatant: You are trained in a specific weapon attack of your choice, such as swords, axes, or bows; or in a broader category of attacks such as light bashing weapons, light bladed weapons, light ranged weapons, medium bashing weapons, medium bladed weapons, medium ranged weapons, and so on.

At tier 2, you can choose to become specialized in the same attack method you chose at tier 1, but you must gain the skill normally. At tier 6, you can become an expert in a specific attack method (either the one you chose at tier 1 or another weapon skill you're already specialized in), but you must gain the skill normally. Enabler.

Expert, page (ref)

For a Soldier, Expert Combatant means choosing training in weapons appropriate to the genre, such as laser pistols or rail guns (if available), or firing specific spacecraft weapons, such as point defense cannons, torpedo tubes, plasma casters, or something similar.

Push Implant: After attacking, you can activate a combat implant to make an additional attack as an extra action on your turn. Doing this inflicts a moderate wound on yourself. This ability renews after you use a ten-hour recovery. Enabler.

Extra Action on Your Turn, page (ref)

[!example]

Soldier Equipment Bundle

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment. A vacuum rifle and a weapon energy pack (50 shots), appropriate clothing, an armored bodysuit, extra clothes and accessories for disguise, a smart device (glasses, badge, ring, and the like), a backpack, a breather, an environmental tent, a single-use vacuum suit, a restraint (binds subject's wrists together), an everlight, two days of rations and water, a grooming and toiletry kit, and eyeshades. Your character also starts with currency equivalent to a moderately priced item.

Equipment, page (ref) Currency, page (ref) Moderately priced items, page (ref)

[!example]

Part of Hard Science Fiction