Roles

Your role in combat is about encouraging the crew while taunting enemies into making critical mistakes. A starship can have only one captain, and a character can assume that role only if it is currently vacant. The captain alone can act in any phase of combat. The actions a captain can take are described starting on page 322.

You work with your starship’s power core and engines to achieve maximum efficiency, grant extra power in times of need, and divert power to vital systems as necessary. You can also repair damaged systems. A starship can have any number of engineers. An engineer acts during the engineering phase (see page 317). The actions an engineer can take are described starting on page 323.

You operate your starship’s various weapon systems, using them to neutralize or destroy enemy vessels. A starship can have at most one gunner (or gunner team) per weapon mount. A gunner acts during the gunnery phase (see page 317). The actions a gunner can take are described on page 324.

You plot the course of the ship. Each starship has speed and maneuverability ratings, but you can push your starship beyond these boundaries with enough skill. A starship can have only one pilot, and a character can assume that role only if it is vacant. The pilot acts during the helm phase of combat (see page 317). The actions a pilot can take are described on page 324.

You use the starship’s computers, scanners, and other systems to identify threats, target foes, and navigate hazards. A starship can have any number of science officers. A science officer acts during the helm phase of combat (see page 317). The actions a science officer can take are described starting on page 324.

Despite the advanced technology that is ubiquitous on most starships, there’s always a use on board for someone who knows the ship’s various systems well enough to manually push them to achieve levels of performance their manufacturers never intended. A starship’s chief mate knows every circuit and conduit within their starship’s mechanical and electronic systems, and is bold enough to take risks with these levers, valves, and other intricacies that can help their crew escape from or win dire combat scenarios.

Being a chief mate is hardly easy, however, and the role is not for the faint of heart. Accomplishing the off-the-books feats that are so valuable in starship combat often requires a strong and hardy individual to physically haul around equipment, force levers past their built-in safety points, or reconnect systems in ways they weren’t designed for—or else requires someone nimble enough to accomplish the same tasks via finesse without resorting to brute force, as the chief mate slides finicky controls into nonstandard positions or temporarily bypasses a system’s physical safety valves.

The chief mate assists characters in all other roles on the ship, making the other characters’ jobs easier and allowing them to accomplish more in their primary duties since they no longer need to focus on physically manipulating machinery or equipment. A chief mate acts during the same phase as the crew member she wishes to assist that round. Despite the role’s name, a ship can have any number of chief mates (though on a military ship, only one is generally referred to as the chief mate, and all others are considered deck officers).

Even starships that are not explicitly powered by magic or hybrid technology have enough mystical components and are exposed to enough ambient magic that they can be influenced by those rare few who command a deep understanding of the intersections between magic and the vastness of space. If nothing else, simply accessing the Drift requires both technology and magic, and the underlying magic of the universe is prevalent even in the void, so the usefulness of arcane expertise cannot be overemphasized, especially in a starship combat environment in which even the smallest advantage can mean the different between life and death. The magic officer deeply understands this truth and provides both mystical knowledge and resources that can push the starship’s interaction with the inherent magic around it to new heights.

While not every ship has a magic officer, it’s often useful to have someone who understands digital portents, the flows and eddies of raw magic through the void of space, and how the inherently eldritch forces unleashed by powerful engines can impact starship operations. A magic officer acts during the engineering phase during starship combat. A ship can have any number of magic officers.