Occupations

A character's Occupation defines what they do — their professional identity, their core competencies, and the tools they carry. Species determines what you are. Occupation determines what you have trained to become.

Every Occupation entry provides:

1. Trained Skills — a list of skills the character is trained in (Skill 0). Some are fixed, others offer a choice between options.
2. Tools of the Trade — the equipment you are assumed to always have access to unless the GM says otherwise for narrative reasons. This can include weapons, armor, and specialized gear.
3. Feat or Skill Ranks — the Occupation grants either a specific Feat for free, or 2 ranks distributed across 2 of the Occupation's trained skills (e.g., one skill at Skill 1 and another at Skill 1, or one skill at Skill 2).

Multiple Occupations

During character creation, a character may take up to two Occupations. The first is free. The second costs 15 XP. Additional Occupations may be acquired through advancement during play.

A character with multiple Occupations has trained in multiple professional disciplines — a marine who cross-trained as a medic, a pilot who used to be an intelligence operative.

Both Occupations provide their full benefits. If both grant training in the same skill, the character is simply trained in that skill. There is no additional bonus for redundant training.

Occupations

Bounty Hunter

You find people who don't want to be found. Whether it's a bail jumper on a station, a war criminal hiding in the outer colonies, or a debtor who skipped out on the wrong Freelancer, you track them down and bring them in. Dead or alive depends on the contract.

Trained Skills: Combat: Firearms, Stealth, Influence: Insight. Pick one: Survival or Savvy: Criminal.

Tools of the Trade: CRG Handgun, Armored Clothing, binders, a bounty board subscription.

Feat: Quick Strike.

Occupation Feats: Quick Strike, Close Quarters Expert, Pack Tactics, Stubborn Determination, Tough, Bold, Exploit the Opening, Keen Analysis.

Captain

The person in the chair. A captain commands a vessel — military, merchant, or otherwise. They may not be the best pilot or the best fighter on the ship, but they make the calls. The weight of every decision, every risk, every life on board rests on them. Good captains are followed. Great captains are trusted.

Trained Skills: Leadership, Piloting (pick a discipline), Coordination: Tactical. Pick one: Influence (pick a discipline) or Savvy (pick a discipline).

Tools of the Trade: CRG Handgun, Armored Clothing, personal pad with encrypted communications, a ship (or access to one).

Feat: Pick one: Tactician or Follow My Lead.

Occupation Feats: Tactician, Follow My Lead, Inspiring Rhetoric, Connected, Bold, Covering Fire, Demoralize, Hot Stick.

Diplomat

The person who talks their way through doors that bullets can't open. Diplomats negotiate treaties, broker deals, and navigate the political landscape of a galaxy where a misplaced word can start a war. In the RFI universe, the deal doesn't count unless everyone walks away from the table alive.

Trained Skills: Influence (pick two disciplines), Leadership, Savvy (pick a discipline).

Tools of the Trade: Personal pad with encrypted communications, formal attire appropriate to faction.

Ranks: 2 ranks distributed across any two of the Occupation's trained skills.

Occupation Feats: Silver Tongue, Demoralize, Follow My Lead, Inspiring Rhetoric, Connected, Nobody's Fool, Dauntless, Polyglot.

Engineer

The person who designs, builds, and optimizes systems. Engineers understand how things work at a fundamental level — power grids, shield generators, subspace drives. Where a mechanic keeps things running, an engineer makes them run better.

Trained Skills: Engineering, Science (pick a discipline), Security. Pick one: Piloting (pick a discipline) or Medicine.

Tools of the Trade: Multitool, PEP Handgun, portable diagnostic kit.

Feat: Jury Rig.

Occupation Feats: Jury Rig, Improvisor, Cautious, Keen Analysis, Focus Sensitive, Tough.

Entertainer

Performers, storytellers, musicians, and artists. In a galaxy full of tension, the person who can make a room laugh, cry, or forget their problems for an hour has more power than most people realize. Lyndri embassies are full of entertainers, and not all of them are what they seem.

Trained Skills: Influence: Persuasion, Influence (pick a discipline). Pick one: Stealth or Savvy (pick a discipline).

Tools of the Trade: An instrument, a costume, or whatever medium defines the performance. Personal pad with a portfolio.

Feat: Demoralize.

Occupation Feats: Demoralize, Silver Tongue, Bold, Connected, Nobody's Fool, Polyglot.

Explorer

The person who goes where the maps end. Exploration guilds send teams into uncharted space, unmapped worlds, and abandoned installations. The explorer is the one who volunteers to go first, document what they find, and make it back alive to report. They are equal parts scientist, survivalist, and optimist.

Trained Skills: Survival, Science (pick a discipline). Pick two: Athletics, Engineering, Medicine, or Piloting (pick a discipline).

Tools of the Trade: EVA Suit, multitool, personal pad with survey software, PEP Handgun.

Ranks: 2 ranks distributed across any two of the Occupation's trained skills.

Occupation Feats: Bold, Cautious, Tough, Stubborn Determination, Polyglot, Keen Analysis, Focus Sensitive, Improvisor.

Fixer

The person who makes things happen without being seen. Fixers arrange deals, move information, connect people who need each other, and solve problems through back channels. They don't fight, they don't negotiate in public, and they definitely weren't here tonight.

Trained Skills: Savvy (pick a discipline), Influence: Deception, Security. Pick one: Influence: Insight or Stealth.

Tools of the Trade: Personal pad with encrypted communications, multiple identities, a little black book that never leaves your person.

Feat: Pick one: Connected or Silver Tongue.

Occupation Feats: Connected, Silver Tongue, Nobody's Fool, Cautious, Keen Analysis, Demoralize, Bold.

Freelancer

The person who does a little of everything. Freelancers are independent operators who take whatever work comes their way. They don't have the institutional support of a military or a government. What they have is versatility, contacts, and the willingness to take the jobs nobody else wants.

Trained Skills: Savvy: Criminal, Survival. Pick two: Combat: Firearms, Combat: Melee, Piloting (pick a discipline), Stealth, Engineering, or Influence (pick a discipline).

Tools of the Trade: Slug Thrower Handgun, Armored Clothing, a contact list that would make an intelligence agency jealous.

Ranks: 2 ranks distributed across any two of the Occupation's trained skills.

Occupation Feats: Bold, Connected, Reckless, Quick Strike, Tough, Stubborn Determination, Close Quarters Expert.

Marine

The front line. Marines are trained to fight, survive, and hold the line. Every major faction fields them — League, Terran, Freelancer — and while the politics differ, the training is remarkably similar. Point a weapon, pull the trigger, keep your squad alive.

Trained Skills: Combat: Firearms, Athletics, Survival. Pick one: Combat: Melee or Coordination: Tactical.

Tools of the Trade: CRG Rifle, Body Armor, Knife, combat stims.

Feat: Pick one: Covering Fire or Dig In.

Occupation Feats: Covering Fire, Dig In, Boarding Action, Pack Tactics, Quick Strike, Bodyguard, Tough, Exploit the Opening, Marksman, Stubborn Determination, Stim Efficacy, Iron Constitution.

Mechanic

The person who keeps things running with spit, wire, and stubbornness. Where an engineer designs systems, a mechanic fixes what's broken right now with whatever is available. Every ship has one. The good ones keep flying things that should have been scrapped years ago.

Trained Skills: Engineering, Athletics. Pick one: Piloting (pick a discipline) or Science (pick a discipline).

Tools of the Trade: Multitool, a bag of parts that definitely didn't fall off something important, PEP Handgun.

Feat: Improvisor.

Occupation Feats: Improvisor, Jury Rig, Cautious, Stubborn Determination, Tough.

Medic

The person who puts you back together. Medics operate in the space between "field first aid" and "actual surgery," often under fire. A good medic keeps people alive long enough to get to a real doctor. A great medic makes you wonder why you'd bother with the doctor at all.

Trained Skills: Medicine, Science (pick a discipline), Athletics. Pick one: Combat: Firearms or Survival.

Tools of the Trade: Medkit, PEP Handgun, combat stims.

Feat: Field Medic.

Occupation Feats: Field Medic, Cautious, Bodyguard, Tough, Keen Analysis, Stubborn Determination, Stim Efficacy, Iron Constitution, Counteragent.

Mercenary

You fight for money. Unlike marines, you don't have a flag or a cause. You have a contract. Mercenaries are professional soldiers who sell their skills to the highest bidder. The good ones are reliable, disciplined, and worth every credit. The bad ones are just killers with a price tag.

Trained Skills: Combat: Firearms, Combat: Melee, Athletics. Pick one: Survival or Coordination: Tactical.

Tools of the Trade: CRG Rifle, Body Armor, Blade.

Feat: Pick one: Tough or Covering Fire.

Occupation Feats: Tough, Covering Fire, Dig In, Pack Tactics, Quick Strike, Exploit the Opening, Bold, Reckless, Marksman, Stubborn Determination.

Merchant

The person who buys low and sells high. Merchants know markets, trade routes, supply chains, and the value of everything. In a galaxy where a cargo hold of rare minerals can buy a small station, the person who controls the trade controls the power.

Trained Skills: Influence: Persuasion, Savvy (pick a discipline). Pick one: Leadership or Influence: Insight.

Tools of the Trade: Personal pad with market data and trade manifests, a line of credit, formal attire.

Feat: Silver Tongue.

Occupation Feats: Silver Tongue, Connected, Nobody's Fool, Demoralize, Polyglot, Cautious, Keen Analysis.

Navigator

The person who plots the course. On a capital ship, the navigator is a dedicated bridge station — the officer responsible for subspace calculations, route planning, and getting the ship where it needs to go without hitting anything fatal along the way. On smaller vessels, the pilot handles this. On larger ones, it's a full-time job.

Trained Skills: Piloting (pick a discipline), Science: Physics. Pick one: Engineering or Coordination: Communications.

Tools of the Trade: Personal pad with navigation charts, access to ship's navigational systems.

Ranks: 2 ranks distributed across any two of the Occupation's trained skills.

Occupation Feats: Hot Stick, Cautious, Keen Analysis, Subspace Intuition, Focus Sensitive.

Noble

You were born into power, or married into it, or took it. Terran noble houses, League political families, and Freelancer dynasties all produce individuals who grew up understanding that influence is a currency more valuable than credits. Not all nobles are soft. Some are the most dangerous people in a room.

Trained Skills: Influence (pick a discipline), Leadership, Savvy (pick a discipline). Pick one: Influence (pick a different discipline) or Science (pick a discipline).

Tools of the Trade: Fine attire, personal pad with encrypted communications, family signet or identification of status.

Feat: Pick one: Connected or Follow My Lead.

Occupation Feats: Connected, Follow My Lead, Demoralize, Inspiring Rhetoric, Dauntless, Nobody's Fool, Silver Tongue, Bold.

Officer

The person giving the orders. Officers coordinate, plan, and lead — whether that is a fire team, a ship's bridge crew, or a diplomatic delegation. They are not necessarily the best fighter or the best pilot. They are the person who makes everyone else better.

Trained Skills: Leadership, Coordination: Tactical, Influence (pick a discipline). Pick one: Combat: Firearms or Piloting (pick a discipline).

Tools of the Trade: CRG Handgun, Armored Clothing, personal pad with encrypted communications.

Feat: Tactician.

Occupation Feats: Tactician, Follow My Lead, Inspiring Rhetoric, Covering Fire, Bodyguard, Bold, Demoralize.

Operative

The person who works in the shadows. Operatives gather intelligence, infiltrate secure locations, and handle problems that can't be solved with a frontal assault. Every faction has them. Most factions pretend they don't.

Trained Skills: Stealth, Security, Influence: Deception. Pick two: Combat: Firearms, Combat: Melee, Savvy (pick a discipline), or Influence: Insight.

Tools of the Trade: CRG Handgun, Armored Clothing, lockpicking tools, forged identification.

Feat: Silver Tongue.

Occupation Feats: Silver Tongue, Quick Strike, Close Quarters Expert, Nobody's Fool, Demoralize, Keen Analysis, Cautious, Bold, Side Step.

Pilot

The person at the controls. Pilots fly everything from single-seat fighters to capital ships, and the good ones are the difference between a clean docking and a debris field. In a galaxy where ships are life, the pilot is the most important person on board, and they know it.

Trained Skills: Piloting (pick a discipline), Engineering. Pick one: Coordination: Communications or Savvy (pick a discipline).

Tools of the Trade: PEP Handgun, personal pad with navigation software.

Feat: Hot Stick.

Occupation Feats: Hot Stick, Bold, Reckless, Quick Strike, Cautious, Stubborn Determination, Subspace Intuition, Evasive Maneuvers, Wolf Pack, Thread the Needle, Ace, Dive Master.

Pirate

You take what isn't yours. Pirates board ships, raid convoys, and operate outside the law entirely. The galaxy is full of them — some are desperate, some are cruel, and some are just people who decided that the rules don't apply to them anymore. Boarding actions are your specialty.

Trained Skills: Combat: Melee, Combat: Firearms, Athletics. Pick one: Piloting (pick a discipline) or Savvy: Criminal.

Tools of the Trade: Blade, Slug Thrower Handgun, no armor (mobility matters when boarding).

Feat: Boarding Action.

Occupation Feats: Boarding Action, Brawler, Reckless, Bold, Quick Strike, Pack Tactics, Dual Wielding, Close Quarters Expert, Weapon Finesse.

Privateer

A pirate with paperwork. Privateers hold a letter of marque from a government or faction authorizing them to raid enemy shipping. They do the same work as pirates but with legal cover and better contacts. Many retired military personnel find their way into privateering. The skills transfer perfectly.

Trained Skills: Combat: Firearms, Piloting (pick a discipline), Savvy (pick a discipline). Pick one: Combat: Melee or Leadership.

Tools of the Trade: CRG Handgun, Armored Clothing, letter of marque, personal pad with shipping manifests.

Feat: Pick one: Boarding Action or Connected.

Occupation Feats: Boarding Action, Connected, Bold, Quick Strike, Covering Fire, Pack Tactics, Silver Tongue, Demoralize.

Scholar

The keeper of knowledge. Scholars study history, languages, cultures, and the accumulated wisdom of every species in the galaxy. NorAellians built their civilization on the pursuit of knowledge, and scholars of every species follow that example. Where a scientist studies the physical world, a scholar studies people and their works.

Trained Skills: Savvy (pick two disciplines), Science (pick a discipline). Pick one: Influence (pick a discipline) or Medicine.

Tools of the Trade: Personal pad with a personal library, data drives full of reference material.

Feat: Pick one: Keen Analysis or Polyglot.

Occupation Feats: Keen Analysis, Polyglot, Cautious, Focus Sensitive, Nobody's Fool, Iron Will.

Scientist

The person who studies the universe and tries to understand it. Scientists research phenomena, analyze data, and push the boundaries of what is known. Every kind of scientist — CNK researchers, xenobiologists, subspace theorists, weapons designers — shares the same fundamental drive: understand how it works, then figure out what to do with that knowledge.

Trained Skills: Science (pick two disciplines), Engineering. Pick one: Medicine or Security.

Tools of the Trade: Multitool, portable diagnostic kit, personal pad with research databases.

Feat: Keen Analysis.

Occupation Feats: Keen Analysis, Cautious, Focus Sensitive, Improvisor, Jury Rig, Iron Will.

Scout

The advance element. Scouts move ahead of the main group — whether that's an infantry squad, an exploration team, or a ship's landing party. They find threats before the threats find you, identify routes, and report back. They are trained to operate alone in hostile environments for extended periods.

Trained Skills: Survival, Stealth, Athletics. Pick one: Combat: Firearms or a Perception-based skill (e.g. Influence: Insight, Coordination: Communications).

Tools of the Trade: CRG Handgun, EVA Suit, multitool, personal pad with mapping software.

Feat: Pick one: Bold or Cautious.

Occupation Feats: Bold, Cautious, Quick Strike, Focus Sensitive, Stubborn Determination, Covering Fire, Pack Tactics.

Security

The person who holds the line and protects what matters. Security officers guard ships, stations, VIPs, and critical infrastructure. They are not marines. They don't assault positions. They defend them. The difference between a security officer and a marine is the difference between a wall and a battering ram.

Trained Skills: Combat: Firearms, Athletics, Influence: Intimidation. Pick one: Security or Coordination: Tactical.

Tools of the Trade: PEP Handgun (Dual-Mode), Body Armor, binders.

Feat: Bodyguard.

Occupation Feats: Bodyguard, Covering Fire, Dig In, Pack Tactics, Dauntless, Quick Strike, Close Quarters Expert, Tough, Exploit the Opening.

Sharpshooter

The precision specialist. Where a marine puts rounds downrange, a sharpshooter puts one round exactly where it needs to go. Patient, methodical, and lethal at distances that make other shooters nervous. Every military fields them. Not all of them work for a military.

Trained Skills: Combat: Firearms, Stealth, Athletics. Pick one: Survival or Coordination: Tactical.

Tools of the Trade: CRG Sniper Rifle, Armored Clothing.

Feat: Dig In.

Occupation Feats: Dig In, Covering Fire, Cautious, Quick Strike, Exploit the Opening, Marksman, Bold.

Smuggler

You move things that other people can't — or won't. Contraband, refugees, sensitive cargo, whatever pays. Smugglers know hidden routes, bribeable officials, and how to make a cargo manifest say whatever it needs to say. The best smugglers never get caught. The second best have a good lawyer.

Trained Skills: Piloting (pick a discipline), Savvy: Criminal, Stealth. Pick one: Influence: Deception or Engineering.

Tools of the Trade: PEP Handgun, Armored Clothing, forged cargo manifests, hidden compartments on your ship.

Feat: Pick one: Bold or Connected.

Occupation Feats: Bold, Connected, Reckless, Silver Tongue, Close Quarters Expert, Quick Strike, Nobody's Fool.

Thief

You take things that belong to other people, and you do it without them knowing. Thieves are specialists in bypassing security, infiltrating secure locations, and leaving with what they came for. Some do it for money. Some do it for the challenge. A few do it because the thing they're stealing shouldn't be where it is.

Trained Skills: Stealth, Security, Athletics. Pick one: Influence: Deception or Savvy: Criminal.

Tools of the Trade: Lockpicking tools, grappling equipment, PEP Handgun, dark clothing.

Ranks: 2 ranks distributed across any two of the Occupation's trained skills.

Occupation Feats: Cautious, Quick Strike, Nobody's Fool, Close Quarters Expert, Weapon Finesse, Bold, Side Step.