The Mercenary is what happens when a soldier quits the uniform and starts booking themselves. They are not a Legionnaire; the Legionnaire is an oath-bound line trooper with a flag. They are not a PMC contractor; the contractor is a salary line on a corporate balance sheet. The Mercenary is freelance: per-job, per-contract, per-name, with a reputation that opens doors the way a credential opens doors, except the credential is blood and the doors stay open because people remember.
The Nine do not book the Mercenary because the Mercenary will not be booked. The Mercenary rides the Kadiss when it suits them and runs dark when it does not. Their contracts are handshake or escrow, with the escrow held by a fixer's bank, and the bank takes a percentage that everyone pretends is fair. They are paid in advance because the Mercenary who works for free is the Mercenary who is about to be killed.
Reputation Economy is the ledger: completed contract +1, failed contract -1, betrayed employer -2, public defeat -1. The number is the negotiator, the intimidator, and the resume. Versatile Loadout is the daily choice: today I am the gunslinger, tomorrow the brawler, the day after the one who stands in the doorway and does not move. Paid in Advance turns preparation into ammunition and ammunition into survival. Danger Pay is the moment the body knows it is dying and decides to do something about it. Not Today is the refusal.
Operating on the combat chassis (d10 HD, full BAB, Fort/Ref good, Will poor) with 4 base skill points. STR, DEX, CHA primes: the body that fights, the body that moves, the mouth that closes the deal. Will poor is the cost: the Mercenary is pragmatic, not principled, and the principle they sold is the principle that holds when the situation gets bad.
Rules Reference
Field
Value
Armor Allowance
Light, Medium, Heavy
Bab Tier
full
Base Skill Points
4
Class Skills
Perception, Streetwise, Deception, Intimidation, Survival, Pilot
Hd
d10
Hd Sides
10
Max Level
20
Primary Abilities
STR, DEX, CHA
Prime Requisites
STR, DEX, CHA
Save Tiers / Fortitude
good
Save Tiers / Reflex
good
Save Tiers / Will
poor
Weapon Allowance
All firearms, All melee weapons, Heavy weapons, Explosives and demolitions charges, Exotic and salvaged weapons
Notes
Archetype Niche: The freelance gun. The Mercenary is the warrior who fights for pay and builds a name across the Rim's endless small wars. Where the Soldier serves a cause and the PMC Contractor serves a corporation, the Mercenary serves themselves -- and their reputation is their currency. Reputation Economy gives the Mercenary a mechanical reason to care about their track record: completed contracts unlock better pay, better gear, and the terror of a name known across the frontier. Versatile Loadout makes the Mercenary the most tactically flexible Warrior -- they can be a gunslinger one day and a brawler the next. Paid in Advance turns preparation into a tangible combat resource, rewarding the player who plans ahead. Danger Pay makes the wounded Mercenary the most dangerous creature on the battlefield. Not Today is the class's signature 'cheat death' moment -- the Mercenary who refuses to die. Their signature tension is loyalty vs. survival: every contract is a test of whether the Mercenary will honour the deal or cut and run when it goes bad.
Multiclass Notes: Mercenary can multiclass with Soldier, PMC-Contractor, and Bounty-Hunter archetypes. Non-humans use simultaneous multiclassing rules.
Level Table
Freelancer
Field
Value
bab
1
fortitude
2
level
1
reflex
2
skillPoints
16
title
Freelancer
will
0
xp
0
Hired Gun
Field
Value
bab
2
fortitude
3
level
2
reflex
3
skillPoints
4
title
Hired Gun
will
0
xp
2000
Contract Fighter
Field
Value
bab
3
fortitude
3
level
3
reflex
3
skillPoints
4
title
Contract Fighter
will
1
xp
4000
Battle-Tested
Field
Value
bab
4
fortitude
4
level
4
reflex
4
skillPoints
4
title
Battle-Tested
will
1
xp
8000
Sellsword
Field
Value
bab
5
fortitude
4
level
5
reflex
4
skillPoints
4
title
Sellsword
will
1
xp
16000
Veteran Sellsword
Field
Value
bab
6
fortitude
5
level
6
reflex
5
skillPoints
4
title
Veteran Sellsword
will
2
xp
32000
Mercenary Sergeant
Field
Value
bab
7
fortitude
5
level
7
reflex
5
skillPoints
4
title
Mercenary Sergeant
will
2
xp
64000
Mercenary Lieutenant
Field
Value
bab
8
fortitude
6
level
8
reflex
6
skillPoints
4
title
Mercenary Lieutenant
will
2
xp
125000
Mercenary Captain
Field
Value
bab
9
fortitude
6
level
9
reflex
6
skillPoints
4
title
Mercenary Captain
will
3
xp
250000
Battle-Hardened
Field
Value
bab
10
fortitude
7
level
10
reflex
7
skillPoints
4
title
Battle-Hardened
will
3
xp
500000
Mercenary Commander
Field
Value
bab
11
fortitude
7
level
11
reflex
7
skillPoints
4
title
Mercenary Commander
will
3
xp
750000
War-Scarred Veteran
Field
Value
bab
12
fortitude
8
level
12
reflex
8
skillPoints
4
title
War-Scarred Veteran
will
4
xp
1000000
Mercenary Major
Field
Value
bab
13
fortitude
8
level
13
reflex
8
skillPoints
4
title
Mercenary Major
will
4
xp
1250000
Iron Sellsword
Field
Value
bab
14
fortitude
9
level
14
reflex
9
skillPoints
4
title
Iron Sellsword
will
4
xp
1500000
Mercenary Colonel
Field
Value
bab
15
fortitude
9
level
15
reflex
9
skillPoints
4
title
Mercenary Colonel
will
5
xp
1750000
Battlelord
Field
Value
bab
16
fortitude
10
level
16
reflex
10
skillPoints
4
title
Battlelord
will
5
xp
2000000
Mercenary General
Field
Value
bab
17
fortitude
10
level
17
reflex
10
skillPoints
4
title
Mercenary General
will
5
xp
2250000
War-Scarred Commander
Field
Value
bab
18
fortitude
11
level
18
reflex
11
skillPoints
4
title
War-Scarred Commander
will
6
xp
2500000
Iron Commander
Field
Value
bab
19
fortitude
11
level
19
reflex
11
skillPoints
4
title
Iron Commander
will
6
xp
2750000
The Living Legend
Field
Value
bab
20
fortitude
12
level
20
reflex
12
skillPoints
4
title
The Living Legend
will
6
xp
3000000
Special Abilities
Reputation Economy
Field
Value
level
1
name
Reputation Economy
description: A Reputation score, starting at 0. +1 for each completed contract (GM discretion), -1 for failed contracts, betrayal, or public defeat. Reputation applies as a competence bonus to Bluff, Intimidate, and Persuasion when negotiating contracts or dealing with underworld contacts. Reputation 5+: hazard-pay contracts (50% payment bonus). 10+: black-market contacts, restricted gear at 10% off. 15+: name alone grants +4 Intimidate against those who have heard of the Mercenary. Cap = class level + CHA modifier. Resets to 0 only on death or permanent retirement. The number is the negotiator, the intimidator, and the resume.
Versatile Loadout
Field
Value
level
1
name
Versatile Loadout
description: At the start of each day (after 8 hours rest), select a combat focus: Gunslinger (ranged +1 attack, +1 damage), Brawler (melee +1 attack, +1 damage, unarmed 1d6), or Survivor (AC +1, +1 all saves). Lasts until the next rest. At level 7, switch once per encounter as a move action. At level 13, bonuses +2. At level 19, two focuses simultaneously (bonuses do not stack on the same roll). Today the gunslinger, tomorrow the brawler.
Paid in Advance
Field
Value
level
3
name
Paid in Advance
description: Before a contract, 1 hour of preparation and 50 rek per class level in supplies, bribes, and contingencies. Grants Prep Points = 1 + CHA modifier (min 1). Each Prep Point spent during the mission: reroll one failed attack (must accept second result), +4 to one skill check (declared before rolling), or negate 10 damage from a single attack (immediate action, declared after damage). Refresh on repeat prep. At level 10, force an enemy to reroll a successful attack. At level 16, Prep Points = 2 + CHA. The Mercenary who works for free is the Mercenary about to be killed.
Danger Pay
Field
Value
level
5
name
Danger Pay
description: Below half HP: +2 attack, +2 damage, +1 all saves. Represents survival instinct and the adrenaline of knowing this job might be the last. Applies immediately on dropping below half, persists until healed above half or encounter ends. At level 11, +3. At level 17, DR 2/- while below half HP. The moment the body knows it is dying and decides to do something about it.
Between Contracts
Field
Value
level
9
name
Between Contracts
description: Downtime (at least 1 week): DC 15 Streetwise, 1d4 days of legwork on a specific target, location, or organisation. Success: +2 attack, skill checks, and saves related to that target for the next contract. DC 20 Streetwise to find a buyer at 75% market value. At level 14, +3 and 1d2 days. At level 19, maintain intelligence bonuses on up to CHA modifier (min 2) targets. The between-jobs work that makes the next job survivable.
Not Today
Field
Value
level
13
name
Not Today
description: Once per day, when reduced to 0 or fewer HP, the Mercenary declares: drop to 1 HP and gain +4 to all rolls for 1 round. Must be consciously activated (does not function if unconscious or incapacitated before the hit). At level 17, twice per day. At level 20, also gain one immediate action (attack, move, or class feature). The refusal.