1.7.4 Promotions
The longer you’re in the service the more opportunities
you’ll have to get promoted to an officer status, with higher pay, more
benefits and better training (along with a ton more responsibility). Not
everyone gets promoted in their careers, so if you don’t have any sets here you
mustered out as a well-regarded Warrant officer, sergeant or petty officer.
Alternately if you have a status score higher than 9 you can assume some sort
of promoted rank but don’t get any of the advantages listed below for having
the sets.
Mechanically, sets here increase your characters Status
more than anything else, but there are a wide array of other advantages. The
Scout Services does not have ranks, so convert any 4s to 5s or 6s of your
choice. If you’re a Specialist use whatever service you’re tied to.
2x4: Officer
You are officially an Officer – albeit at the equivalent
of a naval Lieutenant JG or an Army Lieutenant. Your Status increases to a 9
(if it’s already 9, make it 10) and you gain the shtick Decorated Officer,
which provides you social advantages anywhere the GM thinks that would be
relevant or, with a Fortune Point spend, automatically have your officer status
be advantageous to the situation.
3x4: Second Promotion
You’ve received a second promotion, making you a full
Lieutenant in the Navy or Marines, a Captain in the Army or something similar.
Your Status increases to 10 (if it’s already 10 make it 11), you gain the
shtick listed above any Archetype skill to a 10. (If you’re a Merchant Captain,
add any Bridge skill at a 10.)
4x4: Third Promotion
A third round of promotions and you’re a Commander in the
Navy or Marines, a Major in the Army or something similar. Your status
increases to 11 (if it’s already 11 make it 12) and you gain the other
advantages above.
5x4: Fourth Promotion
At this point you’re Captain in the Navy or Marines or a
Colonel in the Army or the equivalent. Your status increases to 12 (if it’s
already 12 make it 13) and upgrade to Decorated Officer 2, which in addition to
the other effects lets you make a Fortune Point spend to gain Resources 1 in
play once per game. (This can’t be activated during character creation when
Resource Points are 50 times for valuable, but clever thinking)
1.7.5 Non-Career Skills
Of course not everything you did during your career tied
directly in to your work in the service. You also picked up a few other things
along the way. Scouts tend to have a lot of sets in this area given their
inability to get promotions.
Mechanically these sets let you fill out skills that
aren’t in your Archetype. This is really useful for the Navy Officer and other
archetypes that only have 8 skills, less useful for the Doctor, who has 12.
2x5: Jack of All Trades
You’re a broadly skilled individual who has picked up a
little of this and a little of that. You gain the shtick Jack of All Trades
which lets you make a 1 point Fortune spend to gain any skill you don’t have at
a 9 for the scene.
3x5: Led an interesting life
You’ve read a lot, done a lot, and practiced a little of
this and that. In addition to the Jack of All Trades shtick you gain one new
Info skill at 10 and another skill you don’t already have at 9.
4x5: A little of this, a little of that
Much as before you’ve branched out a lot in your
experiences. Take the skill you raised at 3x5 and increase it to 10, then add 2
more skills you don’t already have at 9.
5x5: Just enough to be dangerous
Now your ability to fake it is unsurpassed. You upgrade
to Jack of All Trades 2, which means your Fortune spend gives you a 11 in any
skill you don’t have at at least that score for the scene, but any critical
failure will be truly horrific.
1.7.6 Mustering Out
When you finally leave the service they always give you
something for your trouble. At the very least you ended up with enough to carry
you through from mustering out to the start of play, but you may have received
more. The mustering out benefits are generally stingy to promote the sort of
behavior that creates player characters.
Mechanically this determines what major equipment you
have with you at the start of play. See 2.3.3 for a little more on this but any
dice in this category equate to real, long term benefits the character can draw
on in play rather than smaller cash payments.
1x6: Armament
It is very common for veterans to leave their service
with a ceremonial blade (Marines and Merchants), licensed firearm (Army), or a
choice of the two (Scouts, Navy)
2x6: Resources 1
In addition to the ceremonial weapon some leave the
service with a major piece of equipment; This set gives Resources 1, Pre game
resources are detailed below
3x6: Resources 2
As above but you have 2 pts of Resources
4x6: Resources 3
As above but you have 3 pts of Resources
5x6: Resources 4
As above but you have 4 pts of Resources
1.7.7 Resource Options
Here are some immediate suggestions on places to spend
those resource points
Traveller’s Aid Society (Resources 1)
Your mustering out involved a lifetime membership in the
Traveller’s Air Society – this is a reciprocal organization of people who ply
the spaceways that is surprisingly well funded. Gain the Shtick Traveller’s Aid Society for the ability
to make a Fortune Spend to find some way to get TAS support; if you don’t have
any Fortune points left you can still call on them for help by guaranteeing to
accept a complicating TAS plot thread in this or next session.
Merchant Ship (Resources 1+)
Each point of Resources spent gives you 5 years of
ownership in a 45 year lease on a free trader. You have to make payments to the
bank for the mortgage and keep it fueled and in repair but it’s a special sort
of freedom. Minimum crew is 3, easy rooms for 6
Scout Ship (resources 1 or 2)
The scout system will give mustering out members free use
of their aging ships, but those ships can’t be sold or passed on – they still
technically belong to the scout service. For Resources 1 it’s an old, nearly
decrepit ship that requires a lot of maintenance, while for 2 Resources it’s
nearly new and was moved out of service for some unspecified bribe.
Marine Quality Vacc Suit (Resources 1)
This is a top of the line vacc suit; it gives the wearer
Armor 2, a weapons pod that gives +1 to unarmed damage due to extendable blades
and firearms equal to a small pistol, self sealing to protect from
gasses/vacuum, magnetics to sick to hulls and propulsion systems for slow zero
g flight.
Army Mech Suit (resources 3)
This is a vacc suit (less advanced than the marine one)
covered in an armored exoskeleton. It gives Armor 4, multiple different
firearms options and jumpjets to manage both high atmosphere/in orbit drops and
really long leaps once on planet. It’s a humanoid tank. Avoid fighting them.
High Passage (Resources 1)
This is a luxury 1 week trip for one (that can be on a
Jump 3 ship for what it’s worth) with all the trimmings. This includes
perfectly cooked exotic cuisines, designer drugs, copious amounts of alcohol,
and all the best entertainment. The tickets are transferrable and most be
accepted (as long as the offering cruise line is still in business, though you
need not fly that particular line), so they are sometimes are used as currency
on the border between the rim and the core.
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