Merc

Combat Mercenary Versatile

"Everyone has a price. Mine's negotiable."

Mercs are professional soldiers of fortune - guns for hire who fight for credits rather than causes. They've worked for corporations, syndicates, governments, and anyone else who can meet their fee. This experience has made them dangerously versatile.

Role Overview

Mercs excel at:

• Weapon versatility - proficient with almost any weapon they pick up
• Contract work - negotiating terms and maximizing profit
• Adaptable tactics - switching roles as the situation demands
• Survival - knowing when to fight and when to cut losses

They are the jack-of-all-trades of the combat world - never the absolute best at anything, but competent at everything.

Roleplaying a Merc

Mercs have seen it all. They've worked for saints and monsters, protected the innocent and murdered for profit. Most have a code - lines they won't cross - but those lines vary widely.

Consider:

• What's your code? What won't you do for money?
• What was your worst contract? Did you complete it?
• Do you work solo or prefer a regular crew?
• Are you saving up for something, or just living job to job?
• Who's the one client you'd never work for again?

Core Skills

Merc Slang

War Story: Striker's Payload

After-action debrief: Merc designation "Striker"; Spearpoint Logistics, Contract 7741-Bravo

The job was clean. That should have been the first warning.

Striker boarded the abandoned science ring alongside a Sec-Ops operative she'd never met, polite nod, no names, no small talk. Standard protocol for a shared manifest. The brief said containment: a Roaming Organic loose in the lower labs, corporate assets at risk, civilian casualties already filed under "acceptable parameters." Spearpoint Logistics was footing the bill. Striker's shadow mandate was simple, copy the research data, confirm containment, get out.

She moved fast, methodical, weapons hot. The science ring was quiet in the way that meant something had already happened here. Emergency lighting. Overturned workstations. A coffee mug still sitting upright on a console, like someone had set it down carefully before running.

The Organic was in Lab 7. Striker put it down with three controlled bursts and a thermite charge; professional, efficient, no fee bumps required. The data terminal was intact. She synced everything to her drive, ran a checksum, sealed the copy. Payload acquired.

On the way out, she passed the Sec-Ops operative at an adjacent terminal. Another polite nod. Two professionals doing the same job from different angles. Striker didn't think about what the other operative was copying. That wasn't in her contract.

Extraction was clean. Debrief was clean. Striker filed her report, submitted her drive, and waited for the blood coin to clear.

It didn't.v

Three days later: frozen account. Security audit. A polite message from Spearpoint's legal division requesting her "voluntary cooperation" with an internal investigation into data tampering and evidence fabrication. The data on her drive, the data she'd copied directly from the terminal, was wrong. Not corrupted. Fabricated. Forensically perfect forgeries with her access codes baked into the metadata.

Spearpoint's stock dipped seventeen percent. Their CEO issued an apology that used the word "accountability" eleven times without once naming who was accountable. Striker got a tribunal date and a frozen credit line.

She never saw the Sec-Ops operative again. Never even got a name.

The job was clean. The payload was poison. And somewhere, someone was spending Striker's blood coin.

Suggested Synergies

Best Legacies: Mercenary, Corsair, Privateer, Hustler
Best Origins: Human, Rodi, Cyborg
Best Organizations: MERCS, FOFT, XERO
Recommended Skills: Intel - Street Smarts, Espionage - Social, Intel - Marketeering
Suggested Skills: Movement - Athletics, Intel - Survival

Title Progression

Starting Equipment

New Merc operatives begin with the following standard-issue gear:

Combat Telemetry

A Merc doesn't care how the shot lands; just that it does, and that someone's paying for it.
Here's the breakdown of what makes you worth the invoice.

Combat Window: Persistent Devastation

"They don't just go down. They stay down."

Mercs have learned from countless contracts that wounded enemies are dangerous enemies. When their Combat Window opens, they don't just hit - they leave lasting damage. Their diverse combat experience lets them exploit wounds and leave targets bleeding, burning, or worse.

The Merc Combat Window Effect: Lingering Wounds

When a Merc confirms their Combat Window, they apply Persistent Damage to the target. The damage type matches your weapon's damage type:

Persistent Damage Amount

The persistent damage scales based on how much you exceed the confirmation TL, following the standard Stacking Modifier formula:

The target takes this damage at the start of each of their turns until they receive appropriate treatment (medical attention, fire suppression, decontamination, etc.) or the effect is otherwise ended. Removing a Persistent Damage condition inflicted by a Merc usually costs the target (or an ally treating them) 1 action, but submerging youself in water as a move action for example would extinguish any fires etc.

Example

A Rank 4 Merc with a plasma rifle (Thermal damage) attacks a pirate (TL 35). She rolls within her Combat Window and confirms with a roll that exceeds TL by 11. That's 11 ÷ 5 = 2, +1 = 3 Persistent Hits per turn. The pirate now takes 3 Hits Thermal (Burning) at the start of each of its turns until someone puts out the fire.

MERC Quartermaster: Field Test Program

"Prototypes don't test themselves. Well; they could, but then Legal gets involved."

MERC Quartermasters maintain a classified catalog of prototype equipment available to operatives willing to field-test hardware above their current security clearance. These Field Test requisitions grant early access to gear one Security Level above your current clearance; the catch is you're the beta tester.

How It Works

1. Early Access: Taking a Field Test ability grants you a prototype item from the MERC Quartermaster at one Security Level above your current clearance. The item occupies a specific gear slot on your armor.
2. Beta Tester: You are authorized to use this prototype in live combat. The Quartermaster wants field data. You want an edge. Everybody wins; probably.
3. Graduation: When you reach the rank where your Security Level matches the item's Sec Level, you may purchase the item at half the Quartermaster price. If you do:
   • You keep the item permanently (it's no longer a prototype; it's yours)
   • You reallocate the ability slot for another ability of the same tier
4. Upgrade Path: Each Field Test item has Mk II and Mk III upgrades available at higher tiers. Taking the upgrade ability replaces the prototype with the improved model (same slot, better hardware). The graduation and reallocation rule applies at each tier.

Field Test Items

Ability Tree

All Merc abilities are purchased with Ability Points (AP) during R&R.

Tier 1 (Ranks 1-3)

Familiar Grip

Cost: 2 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 1
Effect: Gain Boon(1) to attack rolls with any weapon you've used at least once before in this mission.

Weapon Collector

Cost: 2 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 1
Effect: Start each mission with one additional weapon of your choice (standard category). A Merc never deploys without options.

Contract Negotiator

Cost: 2 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 1
Effect: Gain 10% more credits from completed contracts. You always read the fine print; and rewrite it in your favour.

Adaptable Fighter

Cost: 2 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 1
Effect: Choose one weapon type and size from any Techglomerate's Weapon Training table that is available at your current Rank (e.g. Slug-Medium, Lazer-Assault, Melee-Slash). You gain training in that specific weapon. You've picked up guns from enough dead hands to know how they all work. This ability can be taken multiple times, choosing a different weapon type and size each time.

Sustained Wounds

Cost: 2 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 1
Effect: Its Obvious your Persistent Devastation effects will last 1 additional turn before treatment can end them. The wounds you leave don't close easily.

Field Test: Salamander

Cost: 2 AP
Activation: 1 Action
Requires: Tier 1
Frequency: At will
Effect: You are issued a Salamander Wrist Flamethrower (Sec Level 2 prototype) by your MERC Quartermaster, occupying one Forearm slot. As an action, unleash a 4m cone of burning fuel. All creatures in the cone take 1 Hit (Thermal) and gain Persistent Damage (Thermal) 1 Hit per turn. Targets can spend 1 action to extinguish themselves. Field Test requisition; early access to Sec 2 hardware. Graduates at Rank 4.

Field Test: Hookshot

Cost: 2 AP
Activation: 1 Action
Requires: Tier 1
Frequency: At will
Effect: You are issued a Hookshot Grapple Launcher (Sec Level 2 prototype) by your MERC Quartermaster, occupying one Forearm slot. Fire a grappling hook at a creature within 10m. Make an attack roll against the target's TL. On success, the target is pulled up to 2m toward you. Targets more than one size category larger than you resist the pull automatically. Field Test requisition; early access to Sec 2 hardware. Graduates at Rank 4.

Field Test: Viper

Cost: 2 AP
Activation: Extra Action (draw) / 1 Action (attack)
Requires: Tier 1
Frequency: At will
Effect: You are issued a Viper Concealed Wrist Blade (Sec Level 2 prototype) by your MERC Quartermaster, occupying one Hand slot (back of hand). Draw as an Extra Action, it's concealed in your gauntlet. The Viper deals 1 Hit (Pierce). If the target is unaware of you or you are flanking, deal +1 Hit. Field Test requisition, early access to Sec 2 hardware. Graduates at Rank 4.

Field Test: Scorpion

Cost: 2 AP
Activation: 1 Action
Requires: Tier 1
Frequency: 3 uses per mission (reloaded during R&R)
Effect: You are issued a Scorpion Shoulder-Mounted Micro-Launcher (Sec Level 2 prototype) by your MERC Quartermaster, occupying one Shoulder slot. Fire a micro-grenade at a point within 16m. The grenade detonates in a 2m radius, dealing 1 Hit and applying one of the following (chosen when fired): Flash (Blinded until end of target's next turn), Frag (+1 additional Hit, no condition), or Smoke (area heavily obscured for 1 round; every creature inside or sighted through it is Concealed). Field Test requisition; early access to Sec 2 hardware. Graduates at Rank 4.

Low Blow

Cost: 2 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 1
Effect: When you hit a target that is Blinded, Prone, Restrained, Grappled, Stunned, or otherwise impaired by a condition, deal +1 Hit. Mercs don't fight fair; they fight to win.

Dead Man Walking

Cost: 2 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 1
Effect: While you are at or below 50% of your MAX HITS, gain Boon(1) to attack and defence rolls. The closer a Merc gets to death, the more dangerous they become.

Tier 2 (Ranks 4-6)

Contract Bonus

Cost: 6 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 2
Effect: At mission start, declare a "contract target" (specific enemy type, objective, or condition). Gain Boon(1) on all rolls related to completing that contract. +10% bonus credits if successful (stacks with Contract Negotiator for 20% total bonus credits on contract targets).

Survivor's Instinct

Cost: 6 AP
Activation: Extra Action (when an attack would reduce you below 25% of your MAX HITS)
Requires: Tier 2
Frequency: Once per encounter
Effect: When an attack would reduce you below 25% of your MAX HITS, you may immediately take a move action (this movement does not trigger free attacks). Stacks with Dead Man Walking; you have Boon(1) to all rolls AND an escape move when you're this low. You didn't survive this long without knowing when to move.

Opportunist Mastery

Cost: 6 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 2
Effect: Your Combat Window confirmation roll gains Boon(1). Years of contract work have honed your instinct for exploiting openings.

Gun Runner

Cost: 6 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 2
Effect: Switch weapons as an Extra Action, even outside your turn. Stacks with Familiar Grip, switch freely and gain Boon(1) on weapons you've already used this mission. Weapon transitions are seamless, one drops, the next is already firing.

Improved Persistent Damage

Cost: 6 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 2
Effect: Your Persistent Devastation deals +1 Hit per turn on top of the stacking modifier result. Stacks with Sustained Wounds and Salt the Wound; deeper wounds that last longer and are harder to treat. You leave deeper wounds.

Dirty Fighting

Cost: 6 AP
Activation: 1 Action
Requires: Tier 2, Low Blow
Frequency: Once per encounter
Effect: Apply one of the following conditions to an enemy within melee range: Blinded, Deafened, or Staggered(1). No save, the condition lasts until the end of the target's next turn. Stacks with Low Blow, the condition triggers Low Blow's +1 Hit on your subsequent attacks against that target. Mercs don't fight fair.

Salt the Wound

Cost: 6 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 2, Sustained Wounds
Effect: Persistent Damage conditions you inflict now require 2 actions to remove instead of 1. This applies to Persistent Devastation, Field Test weapon effects, and any other persistent condition you cause. Stacks with Sustained Wounds, your persistent effects last +1 turn AND cost 2 actions to remove. The wounds you leave aren't just deep, they're stubborn.

Thermal Specialist

Cost: 6 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 2
Effect: When your Persistent Devastation deals Thermal damage, the target also gains Suffering (Burning). Fire keeps working after you stop shooting.

Pierce Specialist

Cost: 6 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 2
Effect: Your Pierce-type Persistent Devastation ignores 2 points of DR. Bleeding wounds don't care about armour plating.

Salamander Mk II: Full Burn

Cost: 6 AP
Activation: 1 Action
Requires: Tier 2, Field Test: Salamander
Frequency: At will
Effect: Your Salamander is upgraded to Mk II (Sec Level 3), replacing the Mk I. Cone extends to 6m. Damage increases to 2 Hits (Thermal). Persistent Damage increases to 2 Hits per turn. Targets already suffering Persistent Damage (Thermal) when hit take +1 additional Hit; fire on fire. The Forearm slot remains occupied. Sec 3 field upgrade. Graduates at Rank 6.

Hookshot Mk II: Snare

Cost: 6 AP
Activation: 1 Action or Heroic Action (1 HE, triggered: an enemy attempts to move away from you)
Requires: Tier 2, Field Test: Hookshot
Frequency: At will
Effect: Your Hookshot is upgraded to Mk II (Sec Level 3), replacing the Mk I. Pull range extends to 16m and pull distance to 4m. You may now fire the Hookshot as a Heroic Action (1 HE) when an enemy attempts to move away from you; yank them back, cancelling their movement. Alternatively, fire at a solid anchor point to pull yourself up to 10m toward it as an Extra Action on your turn. Sec 3 field upgrade. Graduates at Rank 6.

Viper Mk II: Fang

Cost: 6 AP
Activation: Extra Action (draw) / 1 Action (attack)
Requires: Tier 2, Field Test: Viper
Frequency: At will
Effect: Your Viper is upgraded to Mk II (Sec Level 3), replacing the Mk I. Damage increases to 2 Hits (Pierce). The blade now secretes a contact toxin; on hit, the target gains Persistent Damage (Chemical) 1 Hit per turn in addition to Pierce damage. Flanking or stealth bonus remains +1 Hit. Two kinds of poison: the one they see and the one they don't. Sec 3 field upgrade. Graduates at Rank 6.

Scorpion Mk II: Sting

Cost: 6 AP
Activation: 1 Action
Requires: Tier 2, Field Test: Scorpion
Frequency: 5 uses per mission (reloaded during R&R)
Effect: Your Scorpion is upgraded to Mk II (Sec Level 3), replacing the Mk I. Blast radius increases to 4m. New munition types unlocked; Incendiary (1 Hit + Persistent Damage (Thermal) 1 Hit/turn), Acid (2 Hits + target's DR reduced by 1 for 2 rounds), Concussion (1 Hit + Staggered(1) until end of target's next turn). Previous munitions (Flash, Frag, Smoke) remain available with enhanced effects: Frag deals +1 Hit, Flash Blinds for 2 turns. Sec 3 field upgrade. Graduates at Rank 6.

Contracted Mark

Cost: 6 AP
Activation: Extra Action (when a contracted creature dies)
Requires: Tier 2, Contract Bonus
Effect: Your Contract Bonus Boon increases to Boon(2) against contracted creatures. When a contracted creature dies, you may spend 1 Energy to examine the body as an Extra Action, gaining a stacking +1 Hit on all attacks against contracted creatures for the remainder of the encounter. Each additional contracted kill costs 1 Energy and adds another +1 Hit. The bonus resets at the end of the encounter. Stacks with Contract Bonus; Boon(2) on contract rolls plus an escalating Hit bonus as the bodies pile up. Every contract teaches you something about killing the next one.

Tier 3 (Ranks 7-10)

Weapon Master

Cost: 10 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 3, Adaptable Fighter
Effect: Choose one weapon type you trained via Adaptable Fighter. You gain training in ALL sizes of that weapon type. Stacks with Familiar Grip and Gun Runner; you switch freely, gain Boon(1) on weapons you've used this mission, and now have full mastery of every size in that type. This ability can be taken multiple times, choosing a different weapon type each time.

Legendary Reputation

Cost: 10 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 3
Effect: Your reputation precedes you. When you first encounter enemies within 10 metres, make an Intel-Street Smarts check. For each enemy whose TL you exceed, gain Boon(1) to defence rolls against that enemy for the first round. Allied NPCs offer better contract terms and information.

Kill Contract

Cost: 10 AP
Activation: Extra Action
Requires: Tier 3
Frequency: Once per Mission
Effect: Declare a Kill Contract on a single target you can see. All your attacks against that target deal +1 Hit until the target is dead or the mission ends. Stacks with Contract Bonus; if the Kill Contract target matches your contract target, you gain Boon(1) on all rolls against them AND +1 Hit on every attack. The contract is non-negotiable.

Master of Marks

Cost: 10 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 3, Contracted Mark
Effect: Your Contracted Mark no longer costs Energy to activate. Additionally, your Boon against contracted creatures gains +1 per contracted kill (starting at Boon(2) from Contracted Mark, increasing to Boon(3) after the first kill, Boon(4) after the second, etc.). The stacking +1 Hit bonus from Contracted Mark still accumulates alongside. The bonus resets at the end of the encounter. You've studied enough corpses to read them at a glance.

Armor Shredder

Cost: 10 AP
Activation: Passive
Requires: Tier 3
Effect: Your Persistent Devastation also reduces the target's DR by 1 per turn for the duration. Stacks with the full persistent chain; Sustained Wounds (+1 turn duration), Salt the Wound (2 actions to remove), and Improved Persistent Damage (+1 Hit/turn). A fully invested Merc's persistent effects deal bonus Hits, last longer, cost 2 actions to treat, AND shred armour every turn. Armour corrodes, cracks, and melts under sustained punishment.

Survivor

Cost: 10 AP
Activation: Extra Action (when all HITS are marked)
Requires: Tier 3
Frequency: Once per encounter
Effect: When all your HITS are marked, roll d100. On 51+, remain at 1 HIT instead of going DOWN. Stacks with the survival chain; Dead Man Walking gives Boon(1) below 50% HITS, Survivor's Instinct gives an escape move below 25%, and Survivor gives you one last chance to refuse to die. Mercs are notoriously hard to kill.

Salamander Mk III: Hellmouth

Cost: 10 AP
Activation: 1 Action (or 2 Actions for Ignition Zone)
Requires: Tier 3, Salamander Mk II: Full Burn
Frequency: At will (Ignition Zone: once per encounter)
Effect: Your Salamander reaches production-grade Mk III (Sec Level 4), replacing the Mk II. Cone extends to 8m. Standard attack deals 3 Hits (Thermal) + Persistent Damage (Thermal) 3 Hits/turn. Ignition Zone (2 Actions): Flood a 6m radius area with fuel and ignite it. The zone burns for 3 rounds; creatures entering or starting their turn in the zone take 2 Hits (Thermal) and gain Persistent Damage (Thermal) 2 Hits/turn. The Merc's answer to "hold this position." Sec 4 production model. Graduates at Rank 8.

Hookshot Mk III: The Leash

Cost: 10 AP
Activation: 1 Action or Heroic Action (1 HE, triggered: as Snare)
Requires: Tier 3, Hookshot Mk II: Snare
Frequency: At will
Effect: Your Hookshot reaches Mk III (Sec Level 4), replacing the Mk II. Pull range extends to 20m. Pulled targets take 1 Hit on arrival and are knocked Prone. Chain Pull: After pulling a target, you may immediately fire at a second target within range as an Extra Action (once per turn). Anchor Slam: When pulling yourself to an anchor point, make a free melee attack with Boon(1) against any enemy you arrive adjacent to. Nobody runs from a Merc with a leash. Sec 4 production model. Graduates at Rank 8.

Viper Mk III: Deathstrike

Cost: 10 AP
Activation: Extra Action (draw) / 1 Action (attack)
Requires: Tier 3, Viper Mk II: Fang
Frequency: At will (Deathstrike: once per encounter)
Effect: Your Viper reaches Mk III (Sec Level 4), replacing the Mk II. Damage increases to 3 Hits (Pierce). Toxin increases to Persistent Damage (Chemical) 2 Hits/turn. Flanking/stealth bonus increases to +2 Hits. Deathstrike: Once per encounter, when attacking a target that is Restrained, Grappled, Prone, or Stunned, your Combat Window automatically opens and confirms; use the margin by which your attack roll exceeds the target's TL as the stacking modifier for Persistent Devastation. The Viper's toxin stacks with the Combat Window's Persistent Damage. The last thing they feel is the blade. The rest is chemistry. Sec 4 production model. Graduates at Rank 8.

Scorpion Mk III: Death Blossom

Cost: 10 AP
Activation: 1 Action
Requires: Tier 3, Scorpion Mk II: Sting
Frequency: 7 uses per mission (Death Blossom: once per encounter)
Effect: Your Scorpion reaches Mk III (Sec Level 4), replacing the Mk II. Blast radius increases to 4m. All munition types deal +1 additional Hit. New munition: Neurotoxin (1 Hit + Slowed and Hindered(1) for 2 rounds). Death Blossom (2 Actions, 1 Energy): Fire all remaining loaded grenades simultaneously at up to 3 separate targets within range, choosing any available munition for each. Everything in range has a very bad day. Sec 4 production model. Graduates at Rank 8.

No Honor Among Thieves

Cost: 10 AP
Activation: 1 Action
Requires: Tier 3, Dirty Fighting
Frequency: Twice per encounter
Effect: Target up to two enemies within melee range. Apply two conditions to each (no save), chosen from: Blinded, Deafened, Staggered(1), Hindered(1), or Slowed. You may choose different conditions for each target. Each affected target's next attack roll suffers Bane(1). If a target is already suffering any condition when you use this ability, deal +1 Hit. Stacks with Low Blow; conditions you apply trigger Low Blow's +1 Hit, for +2 Hits total against already-impaired targets. There are a thousand dirty tricks in the Merc playbook. You wrote half of them.

Dead Man's Hand

Cost: 10 AP
Activation: Extra Action (triggered)
Requires: Tier 3, Dead Man Walking
Frequency: Once per mission
Effect: When you are reduced to 25% of your MAX HITS or below, you may activate Dead Man's Hand. For 3 rounds: all attacks deal +2 Hits, your Persistent Devastation deals +2 Hits per turn on top of the stacking modifier result, and you are immune to the Shaken and Terrified conditions. When the effect ends, gain Staggered(2). Stacks with Dead Man Walking, at 25% HITS you have Boon(1) to all rolls, +2 Hits on attacks, +2 persistent Hits/turn, and Survivor's Instinct gives you an escape move if things get worse. The most dangerous Merc is the one who's already dead, they just haven't stopped fighting yet.

Merc Chains

"Loyal to the contract. The contract is loyal to whoever wrote it."

— Striker, Spearpoint Logistics