Military Officer

July 10th, 2018

While most military organizations may be a bit too rigid and orderly for the average adventuring party, that doesn’t mean that your character can’t be a military officer (or perhaps an ex-military officer). Today’s archetype for the Starfinder Roleplaying Game provides a mix of leadership-related abilities with access to special military resources and connections.

New Starfinder Archetype
Military Officer
Not just anyone can be a soldier, and even fewer people have what it takes to lead soldiers into battle. Military officers have trained with a specific military organization, internalizing the discipline and training of a soldier, and have learned to command squads of troops, activating their potential and helping them to achieve mission success. While some active officers are able to moonlight and adventure when not on active duty, other officers become adventurers after their military career has ended, although even these maintain close contacts with their old organizations.

Alternate Class Features
The military officer grants alternate class features at 2nd, 4th, 6th, 9th, 12th, and 18th levels.

Military Connections (Ex) 2nd Level
Whether or not you are still enlisted, you retain connections with a military organization, allowing you to call on certain favors. Once per week, you can use this ability to gain one of the following benefits.

Intel: You reach out to your military contacts to find out information about a particular subject. This allows you to gain any information that could normally be gained with a successful Diplomacy check to gather information, with a result equal to 13 + your level. Typically, this process takes only a few minutes, although at the GM’s discretion, it may take longer, especially if the information would normally be restricted or difficult to access.
Requisition Equipment: You requisition military hardware for use on your missions. This can take one of two forms: you can either gain an amount of free equipment whose total price is less than or equal to 100 credits per level, or you can gain a 10% discount on the purchase of any single piece of equipment. The GM determines what equipment is available, but generally, any type of weapons, armor, or other combat equipment can be purchased in this way.
Requisition Personnel: You can requisition a single recruit to assist you on your mission. You must be at least 6th level to select this benefit. The recruit is an NPC of an appropriate race, with 1 level of soldier, plus 1 additional level of soldier for every 2 character levels you possess beyond 6th. The soldier serves you loyally, but will not accept obviously suicidal commands (at the GM’s discretion, the soldier may accept suicidal commands if they serve a greater cause or purpose), nor will he obey orders contrary to the goals of the military organization he was requisitioned from. The soldier remains with you for 1 week or until slain, whichever comes first.

Concentrate Fire (Ex) 4th Level
You can direct your allies to concentrate their fire on a single point, to make it more effective. As a move action, you can direct your allies to focus their attention on a single foe that you can see. If you do, each ally that can see and hear you, and can see the target, gains a +2 bonus on attack and damage rolls made against the target until the beginning of your next turn. For every two allies that have attacked the target since you used this ability, this bonus increases by 1 (for example, the third ally to attack the target will gain a +3 bonus, while the fifth ally will gain a +4 bonus, and so on, to a maximum bonus of +5).

Inspiring Command (Ex) 6th Level
You can rally one of your allies and direct him to success on the battlefield. As a standard action, you can give an inspiring command to a single ally within 30 feet. The ally may immediately perform any standard action of its choice, although if it chooses to perform actions that align with the command you gave, it gains a +1 bonus on all d20 rolls made as part of that action.

Snap Out of It, Soldier! (Ex) 9th Level
You can help your allies break free of harmful conditions. As a standard action, you can remove the confused, dazzled, or shaken conditions from an ally, or suppress the effects of the fatigued or sickened conditions for 1 minute. Alternatively, if the target is currently frightened, panicked, or cowering, you can cause them to be shaken, instead, for 1 round. Finally, if the target is currently affected by a mind-affecting effect, you can allow him to make a new saving throw to resist that effect, with a +2 bonus. You can remove only a single condition or mind-affecting effect per use of this ability, and any given creature can only be affected by this ability once per day.

Tactician (Ex) 12th Level
Your advanced knowledge of tactics grants a variety of benefits to your allies. All allies within 30 feet of you gain the following benefits:

Coordinated Flanking: The bonus on attack rolls affected allies gain from flanking increases to +3. This applies only if both of the flanking allies are affected by this ability.
Reduced Concealment: The miss chance affected allies suffer as a result of their target’s concealment is reduced by 10% (typically, this means 10% miss chance for concealment, and 40% miss chance for total concealment).
Superior Cover: The AC bonus affected allies gain from cover is increased by 1.

Orbital Strike (Ex) 18th Level
You can use your connections with the military to order an orbital satellite strike. You can use this ability once per week, and must have an active radio or internet connection, as well as be in a place with satellites, ships, or some other artillery in the control of the military organization with which you are associated (subject to GM’s discretion). The orbital strike takes the form of a vertical cylinder with a 10-foot radius, which deals 15d6 points of damage (typically electricity and fire damage, but subject to GM discretion) to each creature in the area. A successful Reflex save (DC = 10 + 1/2 your level + your Intelligence modifier) halves the damage.