Legion Sergeant
A veteran who survived enough tours to earn the stripes and the cynicism.
A Legion Sergeant is a trooper who lived through enough ark-arrivals, Day One suppression actions, and Rim wars to be promoted into the rank that actually holds a fireteam together. They are harder, calmer, and sadder than the troopers they lead -- the Anvil creed is real to them, but so is the quiet rot at its heart, the knowledge that they are dying for the Nine's ledger. They bury that under gallows humour, ritual, and the only thing that still makes sense: the trooper standing next to them.
The Sergeant is the elite anchor of a Legion encounter. They direct the fireteam, call the grenades, and are the last to leave a position. Where a Captain commands a company, a Sergeant holds a squad -- and the squad holds because the Sergeant does. Drop the Sergeant and the fireteam loses its nerve and its volley; that is the lever, and it is hard to pull, because the Sergeant is the hardest target on the line.
Rules Reference
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abilities / Cha | 12 |
| Abilities / Con | 14 |
| Abilities / Dex | 12 |
| Abilities / Int | 12 |
| Abilities / Str | 14 |
| Abilities / Wis | 12 |
| Armor Class | 16 |
| Base Attack Bonus | 5 |
| Creature Type | Humanoid |
| Flat Ac | 15 |
| Hd Count | 5 |
| Hd Sides | 10 |
| Hit Dice | 5d10+15 |
| Hit Points | 43 |
| Hp Bonus | 15 |
| Initiative | 1 |
| Languages | Trade Cant; Core Standard; Legion field-signals; one Rim or hive dialect picked up on tour |
| Psionics | None |
| Role Tags | Leader, Ranged, Veteran |
| Saves / Fort | 7 |
| Saves / Ref | 3 |
| Saves / Will | 3 |
| Size | M |
| Skills / Athletics | 9 |
| Skills / Intimidation | 10 |
| Skills / Leadership | 10 |
| Skills / Notice | 9 |
| Skills / Survival | 8 |
| Skills / Tactics | 9 |
| Speed | 30 |
| Threat Rating | 4 |
| Touch Ac | 12 |
| Xp | 700 |
| Dialogue Path | game/dialogue/npc-legion-sergeant.yaml |
Notes
Full Attack: Slug Rifle ranged +6 (1d10+2 ballistic; range 100 ft; bayonet-fixed) or Bayonet melee +7 (1d6+3 piercing) or Holdout slug pistol ranged +6 (1d6+1 energy; range 30 ft)
Habitat: At the head of a Legion fireteam of four Troopers, anywhere the Legion is committed: ark-arrivals, Day One suppression, Rim proxy wars, Fold-incident containment. Sometimes leading a two-fireteam section of eight. Roll 1d6: 1-2 = leading a perimeter fireteam (steady, watchful), 3-4 = leading an assault (grenades, bayonets, momentum), 5-6 = holding a Fold-tainted or Day One site with trigger-disciplined fire (tense, professional, calling for support).
Morale: Fanatic-adjacent (13); the Sergeant does not leave wounded troopers and will hold a position to the last to cover a withdrawal
Resistances: Reinforced mesh (included in AC), Veteran composure (+3 to Will saves against fear and Intimidation; immune to normal morale pressure)
Senses: Normal human vision; helmet optics grant low-light and +4 to Notice vs concealed foes within 60 ft; passive Perception 16
Tactics: The Sergeant reads cover and fire-lanes, then runs the fireteam like a tool: Squad Leader for the volley, smoke for the flank, Overwatch on the kill-zone, and the bayonet when the range collapses. They fight personally to anchor morale (By My Example) and never withdraw while a trooper is down. The plan is always 'fix, suppress, close, extract the wounded'; the creed is how they make it stick.
Treasure: Reinforced mesh (300 rek), Legion slug rifle with bayonet and underbarrel launcher (400 rek), holdout slug pistol (150 rek), frag and smoke grenades (75 rek each), Sergeant's Kadiss fob (military tier, tracked), unit standard or stripes (priceless to the squad; deserters die for them), 5d10 rek, field surgery kit, stims.
Vulnerabilities: Squad nerve (the fireteam's discipline runs through the Sergeant; the round after the Sergeant falls, affiliated Troopers lose Squad Leader and By My Example and drop to Unsteady morale), The rot, known (a Sergeant confronted with proof the Legion serves the Nine will still hold the line for their troopers, but takes a -2 to Will saves and may, if the players offer a real way out, choose the squad over the mission)
Attacks
Legion-Pattern Slug Rifle
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
bonus | 6 |
category | ranged |
damage | 1d10+2 |
damageType | ballistic |
name | Legion-Pattern Slug Rifle |
notes | Bayonet-fixed; underbarrel launcher carries one smoke or frag load |
rangeFt | 100 |
Bayonet
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
bonus | 7 |
category | melee |
damage | 1d6+3 |
damageType | piercing |
name | Bayonet |
notes | The Sergeant still leads the charge when the range closes |
Holdout slug pistol
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
bonus | 6 |
category | ranged |
damage | 1d6+1 |
damageType | energy |
name | Holdout slug pistol |
notes | Sidearm; never far from the hand |
rangeFt | 30 |
Special Abilities
Squad Leader
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | Swift (1/round) |
name | Squad Leader |
description: As a swift action the Sergeant issues an order to all Legion Troopers within 60 ft who can hear them. Choose one: +2 to attack rolls, +2 to saving throws, or +10 ft speed (reposition) until the Sergeant's next turn. Each Trooper gains the chosen bonus. Player-visible: the Sergeant barks one word -- 'mark', 'hold', or 'move' -- and the fireteam responds as one body.
By My Example
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | passive |
name | By My Example |
description: Legion Troopers within 30 ft of the Sergeant gain +2 to Will saves against fear, morale, and mind-affecting effects, and never break morale while the Sergeant is standing and conscious (they may still be forced back by effects). If the Sergeant makes a melee attack this round, affiliated Troopers gain +1 morale to attack rolls. Player-visible: the Sergeant steps forward into the fire, and every trooper behind them stops flinching.
Overwatch and Grenade
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | Standard (1/encounter each) |
name | Overwatch and Grenade |
description: The Sergeant carries one frag and one smoke grenade. The frag: 2d6 ballistic, 10-ft burst, DC 14 Reflex half. The smoke: fills a 20-ft cube for 1 minute, granting concealment (20% miss chance) and blocking line of sight for optics. Additionally, once per encounter the Sergeant can declare Overwatch: until their next turn, any foe who moves into the open within range of the Sergeant's rifle provokes a single ranged attack at +6. Player-visible: the Sergeant counts the throw on three, pops smoke on the flank, and tells the line to watch the gap.