The PMC Contractor is not a soldier. Soldiers belong to standing forces -- they have uniforms, pensions, next of kin. The Contractor belongs to a corporate balance sheet, and on that sheet they are listed as "operational capital -- deniable." If the Contractor dies on mission, the corp disavows. If the Contractor is captured, the firewall holds: no DNA trace, no unit patch, no contract that ties them to the employer. The Contractor knew this when they signed. The rek was good.
Asset Realisation treats the PMC Contractor as depreciable muscle with a firewall rider. The Contractor's Kadiss record is a legal fiction: a shell corporation, a numbered account, a skill-certification log with no name attached. When the CorpSec investigator runs the Contractor's prints, the grid returns "asset classification: deniable -- no further information." The Nine maintain PMC Contractor pools the way others maintain equipment lockers -- issue, deploy, lose, write off, replace.
The Contractor's value is adaptability. Between contracts, they reconfigure: new weapon specialisation, new combat feats, new tactical profile. The Contractor who was a sniper on the last job becomes a breacher on the next. This is not versatility -- it is the absence of identity. The Contractor is whatever the contract requires.
Operating on the Combat chassis (d10 HD, full BAB, Fort/Ref good, Will poor, 4 SP). The Contractor wears all armour types, carries all weapons. The Will save is poor because the Contractor's loyalty follows the rek, and the Contractor knows it. Prime requisites: STR, DEX, CHA -- the Contractor must fight, move, and sell the next contract before the current one kills them.
Rules Reference
Field
Value
Armor Allowance
Light, Medium, Heavy
Bab Tier
full
Base Skill Points
4
Class Skills
Demolitions, Tactics, Deception, Streetwise, Perception (Spot), 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, Demolitions charges, Contract-specialist gear (mission-specific)
Notes
Archetype Niche: Deniable corporate muscle. The PMC Contractor is the party's combat chameleon -- between contracts, they reconfigure their fighting style completely. Contract Loadout rewards planning and mission scouting: the Contractor who knows the target before the contract starts is the Contractor who lives. Deniable Operator makes them the go-to for black ops -- no fingerprints, no unit patch, no trace. Black Budget gives them access to gear other classes cannot touch. Operational Autonomy is the capstone that makes the Contractor truly independent -- the leash breaks, or at least the Contractor has learned to slip it. Where the Soldier is a standing-army generalist and the Mercenary is a freelance gun with a reputation, the PMC Contractor is the corp's perfect tool: deniable, adaptable, and already written off.
Multiclass Notes: PMC Contractors can multiclass with Soldier, Mercenary, and Corp-Security archetypes. Non-humans use simultaneous multiclassing rules.
Level Table
Contract Recruit
Field
Value
bab
1
fortitude
2
level
1
reflex
2
skillPoints
16
title
Contract Recruit
will
0
xp
0
Contract Operator
Field
Value
bab
2
fortitude
3
level
2
reflex
3
skillPoints
4
title
Contract Operator
will
0
xp
2000
Deniable Asset
Field
Value
bab
3
fortitude
3
level
3
reflex
3
skillPoints
4
title
Deniable Asset
will
1
xp
4000
Senior Contractor
Field
Value
bab
4
fortitude
4
level
4
reflex
4
skillPoints
4
title
Senior Contractor
will
1
xp
8000
Contract Corporal
Field
Value
bab
5
fortitude
4
level
5
reflex
4
skillPoints
4
title
Contract Corporal
will
1
xp
16000
Contract Sergeant
Field
Value
bab
6
fortitude
5
level
6
reflex
5
skillPoints
4
title
Contract Sergeant
will
2
xp
32000
Contract Lieutenant
Field
Value
bab
7
fortitude
5
level
7
reflex
5
skillPoints
4
title
Contract Lieutenant
will
2
xp
64000
Senior Contract Lieutenant
Field
Value
bab
8
fortitude
6
level
8
reflex
6
skillPoints
4
title
Senior Contract Lieutenant
will
2
xp
125000
Contract Captain
Field
Value
bab
9
fortitude
6
level
9
reflex
6
skillPoints
4
title
Contract Captain
will
3
xp
250000
Senior Contract Captain
Field
Value
bab
10
fortitude
7
level
10
reflex
7
skillPoints
4
title
Senior Contract Captain
will
3
xp
500000
Contract Major
Field
Value
bab
11
fortitude
7
level
11
reflex
7
skillPoints
4
title
Contract Major
will
3
xp
750000
Contract Commander
Field
Value
bab
12
fortitude
8
level
12
reflex
8
skillPoints
4
title
Contract Commander
will
4
xp
1000000
Senior Contract Commander
Field
Value
bab
13
fortitude
8
level
13
reflex
8
skillPoints
4
title
Senior Contract Commander
will
4
xp
1250000
PMC Director of Operations
Field
Value
bab
14
fortitude
9
level
14
reflex
9
skillPoints
4
title
PMC Director of Operations
will
4
xp
1500000
PMC Regional Director
Field
Value
bab
15
fortitude
9
level
15
reflex
9
skillPoints
4
title
PMC Regional Director
will
5
xp
1750000
PMC Theatre Commander
Field
Value
bab
16
fortitude
10
level
16
reflex
10
skillPoints
4
title
PMC Theatre Commander
will
5
xp
2000000
PMC Vice President
Field
Value
bab
17
fortitude
10
level
17
reflex
10
skillPoints
4
title
PMC Vice President
will
5
xp
2250000
PMC Sector VP
Field
Value
bab
18
fortitude
11
level
18
reflex
11
skillPoints
4
title
PMC Sector VP
will
6
xp
2500000
PMC Executive Director
Field
Value
bab
19
fortitude
11
level
19
reflex
11
skillPoints
4
title
PMC Executive Director
will
6
xp
2750000
Supreme Contractor
Field
Value
bab
20
fortitude
12
level
20
reflex
12
skillPoints
4
title
Supreme Contractor
will
6
xp
3000000
Special Abilities
Contract Loadout
Field
Value
level
1
name
Contract Loadout
description: The Contractor is a blank slate between contracts. With 24 hours of downtime, reconfigure combat specialisation: select one bonus combat feat the Contractor does not possess (lasts until the next contract change). Additionally, select one weapon group (pistols, rifles, heavy weapons, shotguns, blades, or explosives) and gain +1 to attack rolls for the contract duration. At level 6, two weapon groups. At level 14, attack bonus increases to +2. The Loadout cannot be changed mid-mission -- the Contractor commits when the contract ink dries. This is the corp's value proposition: one asset, any role, no retraining cost.
Deniable Operator
Field
Value
level
3
name
Deniable Operator
description: The firewall holds. +4 competence bonus to Bluff and Disguise checks to conceal identity, affiliation, or purpose. If captured, the Contractor's employer is legally untraceable -- DNA records return 'classified -- deniable asset,' gear serial numbers trace to a dissolved shell company, testimony is inadmissible under Kadiss Trade Tribunal rules. The Contractor can attempt a DC 20 Deception check to plant false affiliation evidence (implicating a rival corp) on their person or at an operation site. At level 11, the Contractor can spend 1 hour creating a false identity with supporting documentation (corporate ID, transit logs, credit trail) good enough to pass a routine checkpoint. At level 17, this false identity holds up under deep background investigation (DC 30 to penetrate) -- the corp has, by this point, genuinely created the person the Contractor is pretending to be.
Adaptive Kit
Field
Value
level
5
name
Adaptive Kit
description: PMC-issue weapons are modular platforms -- the Contractor knows every pin, every rail, every firmware bypass. As a move action, reconfigure current weapon: swap damage type (ballistic/energy/concussive), attach or detach a scope (+1 attack at long range, -1 at short range), or adjust fire mode (semi-auto to burst, or burst to semi-auto). Requires a PMC-issue modular platform or a weapon the Contractor has maintained for at least 1 week. Usable WIS modifier times per day (minimum 1). At level 13, swift action. At level 19, the Contractor can resize the weapon's base damage dice up or down one step (e.g., d8 to d10 or d8 to d6) in addition to other options -- field-modifying the receiver, the barrel, the chamber, things the manufacturer's manual says cannot be done.
Contractor's Privilege
Field
Value
level
9
name
Contractor's Privilege
description: The corp values the asset enough to extract it. +4 to all CHA-based skill checks when negotiating contract terms, hazard pay, or extraction conditions. Once per contract, the Contractor can call in a corporate extraction: if within communications range of the employer, an evac transport arrives within 1d6 hours. The extraction will not enter active combat zones but will hold at a safe distance -- the corp insures the Contractor, not the rescue pilot. At level 15, the extraction includes a gunship escort providing suppressive fire (one strafing run, 6d6 ballistic damage in a 30-foot line) to cover the Contractor's retreat. The gunship pilot does not know the Contractor's name.
Black Budget
Field
Value
level
13
name
Black Budget
description: The corp's arsenal opens. Once per character level, the Contractor can requisition one restricted or military-grade item from the employer's arsenal at no upfront cost. Value cap: 500 rek x Contractor level. The item is on loan -- return at contract end, or purchase at 50% of market price. Items lost in combat are written off provided the Contractor files an after-action report explaining the loss (the report is read by no one, archived in a server that will be decommissioned within the quarter). At level 18, the cap increases to 1000 rek per level, and the Contractor can requisition prototype or black-market items not normally available for purchase -- the corp's R&D division wants field data; the Contractor is the field.
Operational Autonomy
Field
Value
level
17
name
Operational Autonomy
description: The Contractor has earned enough trust -- or accumulated enough blackmail on enough middle managers -- to operate without oversight. Once per week, declare operational autonomy before a mission and ignore one contractual restriction (rules of engagement, target list, collateral damage limits, extraction deadline) without penalty from the employer. The employer will never know unless the Contractor tells them. Additionally, the Contractor gains immunity to conventional truth-detection when questioned about operations conducted under autonomy -- the Contractor has learned to believe their own lies. At level 20, once per mission instead of once per week. The Contractor answers to no one. The Contractor has always answered to no one.