Info Broker
A dealer in secrets.
An Info Broker is a trader in intelligence: they buy secrets from those who have them and sell them to those who need them. They operate in the grey zone between legal information trading and outright espionage, and they are protected by the universal need for their services. Every faction in the verse uses Info Brokers: the Corps, the Legion, Argus, the pirates, and Day One.
An Info Broker is an elite social encounter: dangerous because of what they know, not because of what they can do. They are not fighters; they are information brokers. The lever is their network -- cut the Broker off from their sources and they are just another person with a datapad.
Rules Reference
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abilities / Cha | 18 |
| Abilities / Con | 10 |
| Abilities / Dex | 12 |
| Abilities / Int | 18 |
| Abilities / Str | 8 |
| Abilities / Wis | 14 |
| Armor Class | 13 |
| Base Attack Bonus | 2 |
| Creature Type | Humanoid |
| Flat Ac | 12 |
| Hd Count | 4 |
| Hd Sides | 6 |
| Hit Dice | 4d6+4 |
| Hit Points | 18 |
| Hp Bonus | 4 |
| Initiative | 2 |
| Languages | Trade Cant (fluent); Core Standard; three Rim dialects; two alien trade languages; Confederation cipher; pirate code |
| Morale | Unsteady (8); the Broker flees at the first sign of real violence; will negotiate from any position if cornered |
| Psionics | None |
| Role Tags | Face, Support, Intelligence |
| Saves / Fort | 3 |
| Saves / Ref | 4 |
| Saves / Will | 7 |
| Senses | Normal human vision; augmented hearing implant grants +6 to Notice for conversations and whispers; passive Perception 16 |
| Size | M |
| Skills / Bureaucracy | 10 |
| Skills / Deception | 14 |
| Skills / Hacking | 9 |
| Skills / Knowledge Corporate | 11 |
| Skills / Notice | 12 |
| Skills / Persuasion | 13 |
| Skills / Sense Motive | 12 |
| Skills / Stealth | 8 |
| Skills / Streetwise | 15 |
| Speed | 30 |
| Threat Rating | 2 |
| Touch Ac | 12 |
| Xp | 200 |
| Dialogue Path | game/dialogue/npc-info-broker.yaml |
Notes
Full Attack: Holdout slug pistol ranged +4 (1d6 energy; range 30 ft; concealed)
Habitat: Rim stations, cantinas, black markets, and anywhere information flows. Found in a back booth, a private room, or a crowded market. Roll 1d6: 1-2 = Broker in a cantina (visible, approachable), 3-4 = Broker in a private meeting (in a deal, do not interrupt), 5-6 = Broker in transit (moving between contacts, vulnerable).
Resistances: Network protection (the Broker's contacts protect them; attacking the Broker in a social setting triggers a response from whoever the Broker is currently selling to), Hearing implant (included in senses; cannot be surprised by whispered conversations)
Tactics: The Broker does not fight. They talk. They use Information Network to produce relevant intelligence, Leverage to debuff the most dangerous target, and Buy Time to create a pause. If violence becomes inevitable, the Broker uses Ghost Protocol and vanishes. A Broker who is cornered will offer information, contacts, or a deal to survive.
Treasure: Holdout slug pistol (150 rek), encrypted datapad (contacts, secrets, market prices; 2,000-10,000 rek to the right buyer), hearing implant (800 rek), identity kit (300 rek), 3d10 rek in untraceable funds, cipher-pad with contact codes (priceless to intelligence services).
Vulnerabilities: Non-combatant (the Broker has no combat skills; in a fight they are helpless), Information-dependent (the Broker's power is what they know; if the information is worthless or already known, the Broker has no leverage), Network fragility (the Broker's contacts are transactional; if the Broker is burned or exposed, the network evaporates)
Attacks
Holdout slug pistol
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
bonus | 4 |
category | ranged |
damage | 1d6 |
damageType | energy |
name | Holdout slug pistol |
notes | Concealed; the Broker draws only as a last resort |
rangeFt | 30 |
Special Abilities
Information Network
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | passive |
name | Information Network |
description: The Broker has contacts in every faction. Once per encounter, the Broker can produce a piece of information relevant to the current situation (a name, a location, a password, a weakness). The information is always accurate but may be incomplete. Player-visible: the Broker pauses, checks a datapad, and says 'I know someone who knows.'
Leverage
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | Standard |
name | Leverage |
description: The Broker reveals a secret about one creature within 30 ft. The target must make a DC 15 Will save or be Dazed for 1 round (the shock of exposure). The secret is always real but may be minor. Player-visible: the Broker leans in and whispers something. The target's face changes.
Buy Time
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | Swift |
name | Buy Time |
description: The Broker offers information in exchange for a pause in hostilities. All non-allied creatures within 30 ft must make a DC 13 Will save or hesitate for 1 round (the offer is tempting). This works once per encounter; subsequent attempts gain +4 to the save. Player-visible: the Broker raises both hands and says 'Wait. I have something you want.'
Ghost Protocol
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | Immediate (1/encounter) |
name | Ghost Protocol |
description: When threatened, the Broker activates a pre-planned escape: a smoke capsule, a hidden exit, or a distraction arranged in advance. The Broker makes a Stealth check at +8 and vanishes. Player-visible: the Broker was there. Now they are not. The information goes with them.