Tracer
Tracers are professional and, sometimes, semi-professional, non-law enforcement agents. They are tasked with hunting down fugitives. This does not limit them to city bounties but includes any outland community that wants someone hunted. The professional Tracer is equipped with a Warrant Card and normally pays a monthly fee.
This gives them greater law enforcement cooperation and is generally respected in other major cities and even the larger outland towns. Tracers are in greater demand since the cities opened up to the outlands and fugitives ran to the wild to hide. A Tracer needs to be savvy when hunting prey, but it’s their relentless, single mindedness that is legendary.
Why should I play one?
- You are a tracker and a hunter. No one can escape from you.
- As a bounty hunter, your abilities are feared and respected.
- Your team will love your ability to circumvent law enforcement and even use the constabulary to your advantage.
Bonus Trait: +1d Physique
Starting skill package (choose one)
Predator An all round hunter with a focus on capture.
- Munitions (d6)
- Perception (d6)
- Survival (d6)
- Intelligence (d4)
- Persuade (d4)
- Unarmed (Martial Art of choice) (d4)
Stalker A hunter that excels at stalking their target.
- Munitions (d6)
- Stealth (d6)
- Survival (d6)
- Espionage (d4)
- Intelligence (d4)
- Unarmed (Martial Art of choice) (d4)
Slayer When the bounty is dead or alive, you prefer dead
- Armed (d6)
- Munitions (d6)
- Unarmed (Martial Art of choice)(d6)
- Intelligence (d4)
- Perception (d4)
- Survival (d4)
Choose a Punter
Choose one from the list below, or see the extended Example Punters list and pick one of those with GM approval.
- Bounty Hunter
- Corp Security
- Outlander Sheriff
- Police Officer
Tradecraft
| Tradecraft | Description |
|---|---|
| Skip Trace | Reroll Tracking and Observation (must take new result). |
| Hunter’s Boon | Choose one target to focus on and improve your skills against them. |
| Chevalier | Worn armour gets a +4 Rating and is less restrictive. |
| Warrant Card | You can get access to Law Enforcement details about crimes and criminals. You can also get the authority to possess and carry weapons and enter restricted areas. |
| Hunter’s Bane | Choose one target, which will then receive negatives to skill rolls. |
| Honour Mark | You have obtained a mark that signifies you as honourable amongst Tracers. |
Tradecraft Descriptions
Skip Trace
Actions: Passive
As a master tracker, you have honed a keen ability to decipher the movements and whereabouts of your targets. This expertise is particularly evident when employing Tracking and Observation Knack rolls, key components found within the Survival and Perception skills, respectively.
Should your initial Skill rolls fall short, you can re-roll one Skill die. It's important to note that this re-roll is confined to the specific Knacks of Tracking and Observation and does not extend to the broader Skill or other Knacks.
This craft remains applicable even if the Trait roll is successful, but the initial Skill rolls are not. Your aptitude in tracking and observation allows you to pick up on subtle cues and patterns that others might miss, enhancing your effectiveness in pursuit or surveillance scenarios.
Trade Secrets:
Ghost Trail: By spending a Luck Point as an Action, you can effectively erase all evidence of your movements until the end of the scene. This ability encompasses more than just physical traces; it extends to evading electronic surveillance as well. While completely avoiding cameras might not always be feasible, you can skillfully obscure your identity, ensuring your face remains hidden from any camera you encounter.
Pack Leader: Share your instinct with your allies. By spending one Action, you can amplify the collective efforts of your group. When engaging in a Group skill check or assisting others in untrained skills specifically for Tracking and Observation, you impart your wisdom and instincts to every member involved.
Modifier: Each participant in the Group skill check or Assisted Untrained skill activity for Tracking and Observation gains a +1 bonus Skill check.
Hunter’s Boon
Actions: Full
You nominate a single opponent within line of sight. You swiftly sum up the best way to counter that opponent. When taking action against that chosen opponent, you may reroll any failed Skill. This can only be used on a completely failed Skill roll. This boon can not stack with other reroll abilities on the same roll. You may spend 1 Action to switch to another target.
Can be combined with Hunter’s Bane against a single opponent.
Trade Secrets:
Weakness Insight: Sharpens your ability to discern and exploit an opponent's vulnerabilities, ensuring your counter-strategies are more effective. You apply your insight when rerolling a failed Skill check against your designated target, gaining a bonus.
Modifier: +1 bonus to reroll Skill check
Focus Shift: Refines your ability to swiftly redirect your attention and tactics from one adversary to another. Reduce the Action cost for changing targets under the Hunter’s Boon.
Modifier: Switch targets as a Free Action.
Chevalier
Actions: Passive
As a Chevalier, your armour is not merely a tool for protection; it embodies your identity. With years of experience in donning different armors, you've mastered enhancing their protective features. Your expertise allows you to reinforce your armour, adding an ablative layer that increases its defence without hindering your movement.
Moreover, your proficiency extends to the swift donning and removal of your armour, significantly shortening (Half) the time needed to ready for battle or to swiftly exit combat.
Modifier: Enhance any armour you wear with an additional ablative layer, providing +4 Armour Points.
Trade Secrets:
Adaptive Armouring: Elevate your armour's defensive capabilities with 'Adaptive Armouring'. This enables you to enhance the protection your armour provides, doubling its efficiency.
Modifier: Ablative layer is now +8 Armour Points.
Agile Defence: Embody the essence of agility within your armoured form. By mastering the weight distribution and movement dynamics, you move with unexpected agility and fluidity, despite the heaviness of your armour.
Modifier: Movement penalties from armour are halved (rounded up).
Warrant Card
Actions: Passive
By maintaining a regular fee, you secure the privileges of a quasi-law enforcement officer as a member of the Tracer’s Guild. This prestigious collective consists of dedicated bounty hunters and trackers, renowned for their expertise in locating individuals who have successfully dodged traditional law enforcement.
This affiliation bestows upon you exclusive privileges, including access to comprehensive fugitive databases maintained by the guild. These lists are particularly invaluable for pursuing those who have sought refuge in the less-regulated expanses of the Outlands. Furthermore, the Warrant Card legitimises your right to carry specified categories of weaponry and grants entry into zones usually restricted to the general populace.
The influence of the Warrant Card is recognised in The Settlement and Deep Habour and notable larger Outlander settlements. Be mindful, however, that access in certain locales might necessitate an additional contribution, either financial or in kind, to harness the full spectrum of its authority.
The standard fee is rolled as 1d4 x 100 every four months, fluctuating based on operational needs and campaign dynamics. The Game Master may adjust this to fit the campaign's timeline and context.
Trade Secrets:
Gendarme: Achieve recognition as an official local law enforcer in The Settlement and Deep Harbour (excludes Outlander towns). Upon revealing your warrant card to local law enforcement, you're allowed to operate with considerable autonomy, navigating minor legal hurdles with ease. Law enforcement will generally overlook minor infractions and you can summon support to uphold the law or apprehend fugitives.
This Trade Secret can be acquired multiple times, extending your jurisdiction to new cities or Outlander communities. However, each new area of recognition requires not only the expenditure of advancement points but also the establishment of your reputation within that community, subject to the Gamemaster's approval.
This privilege is personal and cannot extend to other members of your team; you cannot deputise your allies. Should local authorities report back to the guild about repeated or severe breaches of conduct, you may face revocation of your Gendarme status.
Headhunter: You have become something of a celebrity when it comes to bounty hunting. Your reputation soars, especially in Outlander communities. In major cities, your bounty rewards increase by 1.5 times, while in Outlander towns, they triple. You're known for collecting small trophies from your captures, which adorn your armour and weapons, marking your success and notoriety.
Hunter’s Bane
Actions: Full
You single out a single opponent, you make a rude challenging gesture or pointed taunt towards them. The opponent must be able to see you or hear you. Your presence as a Tracer has the propensity to make foes feel that you are targeting them for a bounty, and this makes them nervous, off guard and lose focus. Until you choose a different foe, receive the following benefits:
- Opponent receives -1 to all Skill rolls aimed at you
- Opponent reduces initiative by 1
- Opponent reduces damage dealt by 1 to the Tracer
Can be combined with Hunter’s Boon.
Trade Secrets:
Devil’s Due: You may spend a Luck Point when engaging Hunter’s Bane to include an ally. That ally must also be within sight or hearing of your opponent, and must also spend a Luck Point. The ally receives the same benefits as you.
You can not switch targets of your bane. If selecting a new opponent for your bane, you must spend additional Luck Points.
Your GM may want you to roleplay this, so it would be a good idea to have your taunt worked out in advance. The same applies to your ally if Devil’s Due is used.
Dead or Alive: Use an Action and spend a Luck Point. You yell at your bane, “Dead or Alive, you’re coming with me”, your menacing presence becomes even more pronounced. Your opponent targeted by your Hunter’s Bane not only suffers the usual penalties but also must pass a Morale check (target number equal to 4 + your Morale trait) to engage you directly in combat. Failure results in the foe hesitating or keeping distance, unable to attack you on their next turn.
Honour Mark
As a bearer of the Honour Mark, a unique tattoo symbolising your integrity, you hold a respected position among other Tracers. This special emblem, scannable for authenticity, ensures other Tracers recognise your honour and abide by a mutual code of respect and fair play. While honourable, fellow Tracers will refrain from hunting you or divulging information that could compromise your safety. However, dishonouring this mark leads to ostracisation and potential persecution if a bounty is placed on you.
The Honour Mark consists of intricately embedded nano-dots forming a scannable tattoo. Each design varies slightly, maintaining a consistent theme, recognisable and regulated by the Tracer’s Guild, acknowledged by law enforcement across cities and towns.
Trade Secrets:
Clan Membership: As a member of a Tracer Clan, you belong to an elite faction of bounty hunters within the guild. Your Honour Mark, distinguished by a design unique to your clan, signifies your allegiance and status. Membership in a Tracer Clan comes with its set of responsibilities as well as benefits.
The Clan Halls, strategically situated in "The Settlement" and "Deep Harbour", serve as the heart of clan activities and provide essential facilities for members. In larger Outlander towns, smaller yet functional halls are established to extend this network. At their core, these halls offer a discreet rendezvous point shielded from external observation, coupled with temporary lodging for transitory stays. The more expansive establishments go beyond basic needs, offering comprehensive amenities: residential quarters for extended recuperation, in-house medical stations or liaisons to local slicers, and exclusive access to specialised equipment at preferential rates. Additionally, they house advanced training facilities tailored to enhance the diverse skill sets required by Tracers.
The organisational fabric of each Clan is woven around a charter that delineates a unique set of principles, rules, and honour codes. This charter forms the backbone of the clan's identity and operational ethos. Leadership within the clan is typically vested in a council comprising three or more seasoned Tracers, ensuring a democratic and balanced approach to decision-making. This governing body is supported by specific roles critical to both the clan's and individual halls functionality – “The Custodian”, responsible for the upkeep of a hall, the “Man-at-Arms”, tasked with the security and martial preparedness of the clan, and “Quartermasters” who manage supplies.
Integral to the clan ethos is the expectation that members contribute to the guild's collective objectives. This often manifests in the assignment of missions, designed not only to enhance the guild's stature and reputation but also to fortify the bonds among clan members and maintain the sharpness of their skills. These missions, reflective of the clan's strategic goals and values, are pivotal in sustaining the clan's dynamism and commitment to the broader guild community.
Legacy of Honour: Your Honour Mark carries a legacy that instils fear or respect among criminals and allies alike. Gain passive bonuses to intimidation and charm interactions when your reputation precedes you, affecting how both foes and allies perceive and interact with you.
Modifier: +1 to Persuade Skill.