PROTECTORATE FLEET OFFICER O.C.C.

As any experienced commander will tell you, it is neither the ships, nor the weapons that makes the Terran Protectorate Stellar Navy a force to be reckoned with; it’s the men and women who serve in it. The Fleet, as it is simply known, has a highly trained, elite officer corps dedicated to ensuring the safety, and dominance, of the entire human species. These men and women are trained, not just to operate the most complex systems ever created by mankind, but to push them to their limits in the most harrowing environments and situations ever imagined.

The officers of the Fleet must explore strange, potentially hostile planets, negotiate and deal with alien species, and defend Protectorate territory from all aggressors. It’s a tall order, and only a few are cut from the right cloth to fill it. These courageous men and women come from all the various clans, and, surprisingly, in almost equal amounts. There are just as many Clan Hedonis and Davinchian starship captains as there are from the Azure Sept and the Ares Draconis Brotherhood. It seems that true leadership knows no House affiliation.

Similar to ancient naval traditions on earth, Fleet officers must not only be able to operate ship systems and make crucial command decisions, but they must also be cultured and socially refined. An Officer and a Gentleman (or Lady). They are expected to have impeccable manners, especially dealing with alien species whose customs can vary so differently from our own. They are the face of humanity to most alien species, and they must remember that at all times.

For the most part, fleet officers are generalists. They have a wide variety of skills and can work, at least on a basic level, most officer duties on any starship in the Protectorate. However, most do have specialties in a particular field.

Abilities and Bonuses

1. Specialization: Choose one category from the following list as a specialization. Select three skills from that category at +15% These skills are generally what the officer is known for and what he or she is good at. Select one from the following: Communications, Mechanical/Electrical, Intelligence, Military, Medical, Piloting (generally restricted to larger ships, but can have basic fighter piloting and combat skills), Science, or Technical.

2. Bonuses: +1D4 to M.A., +2 to M.E., +2 to save vs Horror Factor and +2 to all Perception rolls.

Protectorate Fleet Officer O.C.C. Stats

Alignment: Any

Attribute Requirements: I.Q. and M.A. of 12 or higher.

Starting S.D.C.: 25

Racial Restrictions: Human and Xintrin. There are a couple dozen Xintrin currently serving in the fleet in various positions, and that number is growing as the two species have more contact. There are also several Mogg’theran currently in the academy, but none nave yet been commissioned.

O.C.C. Skills

Speak and Read Terran (an English dialect) at 98%

Speak one additional language (+10%)

Read one additional language (+10%)

Basic Math (+15%)

Advanced Math (+10%)

Military Etiquette (+15%)

Radio: Basic (+10%)

Read Sensory Equipment (+5%)

Weapon Systems (+5%)

Navigation: Space (+10%)

One piloting skill of choice (+10%, any except elite robot, power armor or fighter combat skills)

Space War Tactics (+10%, same as Naval Tactics in Rifts Ultimate Edition, but for space)

Zero Gravity Movement and Combat

First Aid (+5%)

W.P. Energy Pistol

W.P. Energy Rifle

Hand to hand combat: Expert, can be upgraded to martial arts at the cost of one O.C.C. Related Skill

O.C.C. Related Skills: Ten other skills at level one, plus two skills at levels 3, 5, 8, 11 and 14

Communications: Any (+5%)

Cowboy: None

Domestic: Any

Electrical: Any

Espionage: Any (+10%)

Horsemanship: General only

Mechanical: Any

Medical: Any (+5%)

Military: Any (+10%)

Physical: Any

Pilot: Any except Robot and Fighter Combat: Elite (+5%)

Pilot Related: Any (+10%)

Rogue: Any

Science: Any (+5%)

Technical: Any (+5%)

W.P. Ancient: Any

W.P. Modern: Any

Wilderness Skills: Any

Secondary Skills: Select six Secondary Skills at first level from the Secondary Skill Section of Rifts Ultimate Edition. These are additional areas of knowledge that do not get any bonuses, other than any possible bonus for having a high I.Q. All Secondary Skills start at the base skill level.

Standard Equipment: Several dress uniforms, duty fatigues, one pilot’s “hardsuit” for direct combat situations (see equipment section), one megadamage pistol of choice and three clips, survival knife, mini-computer, Audio/Visual datalink headset (see equipment section), duffel bag, and personal items.

Special Equipment Available on Assignment: Special tools and gear related to the character’s specialization, any Protectorate pistol or rifle, a Holstein Pinnace, STS Shuttle, Crossbow or Ballista fighters on special assignment. Higher ranking officers may even get command of a ship.

Housing: Lower-ranking officers will share a dorm-like room with three other officers when on base. Higher ranking officers (Captain and above) get their own residence. Shipboard “racks” vary from ship-to-ship and by rank, with crews of Ramas and Holsteins bunking with enlisted men (with the exception of command officers). Officers assigned to Archers and Armstrongs get a small cabin with a bed and small desk, while those on Liberty-Class Carriers, Powell-Class Battleships and other capital ships get relatively spacious quarters. Ship captains, XOs and section commanders always get their own cabin, usually with an attached office.

Pay: 2nd Lieutenants start with a base pay of 5,000 credits per month, and all accommodations paid, meaning all that money is spending money. The pay scale increases from there with rank and command responsibility.

Cybernetics: None to start, generally prefer biosystems if needed. Cybernetics are not popular or wide-spread among the Protectorate.

Experience: Use the Coalition Military Specialist experience chart in Rifts Ultimate Edition.