PMC Team-Lead
The deniable professional who runs a PMC team and negotiates the contract in the same breath.
A PMC Team-Lead is the senior operator on a deniable contract -- the one who took the brief, set the loadout, and now runs the team in the field. They are ex-Legion, ex-special-forces, or simply a Contractor who survived enough jobs to be trusted with the comms and the extraction codes. Their loyalty is to the team and the cheque, in that order; their will bends toward whoever is paying, but their judgment bends toward getting the team home.
The Team-Lead is the elite brain of a PMC encounter. They direct the Contractors, manage the tac-net, call the extraction, and -- uniquely among adversaries -- will negotiate mid-fight if the math changes. They are not fanatics. A Team-Lead who decides the players are too expensive to kill will offer terms, take the partial win, and leave with the team intact, because a live team takes the next contract and a dead one does not. That pragmatism is the lever and the flavour.
Rules Reference
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abilities / Cha | 13 |
| Abilities / Con | 14 |
| Abilities / Dex | 14 |
| Abilities / Int | 12 |
| Abilities / Str | 13 |
| Abilities / Wis | 12 |
| Armor Class | 16 |
| Base Attack Bonus | 5 |
| Creature Type | Humanoid |
| Flat Ac | 14 |
| Hd Count | 5 |
| Hd Sides | 10 |
| Hit Dice | 5d10+12 |
| Hit Points | 40 |
| Hp Bonus | 12 |
| Initiative | 2 |
| Languages | Trade Cant; Core Standard; field-signals; one negotiation dialect for contract work |
| Psionics | None |
| Role Tags | Leader, Tactician, Face, Deniable |
| Saves / Fort | 6 |
| Saves / Ref | 5 |
| Saves / Will | 2 |
| Senses | Normal human vision; optic implant grants low-light and +4 to Notice vs concealed foes; passive Perception 16 |
| Size | M |
| Skills / Bluff | 8 |
| Skills / Diplomacy | 8 |
| Skills / Leadership | 10 |
| Skills / Notice | 8 |
| Skills / Stealth | 7 |
| Skills / Tactics | 10 |
| Speed | 30 |
| Threat Rating | 4 |
| Touch Ac | 13 |
| Xp | 800 |
| Dialogue Path | game/dialogue/npc-pmc-team-lead.yaml |
Notes
Full Attack: Contract Carbine ranged +7 (1d8+1 ballistic; range 80 ft; scoped) or Holdout slug pistol ranged +7 (1d6+1 energy; range 30 ft) or Combat Knife melee +6 (1d4+1 slashing)
Habitat: Leading a PMC team of 3-6 Contractors on deniable jobs across the Rim and Core edge: raids, seizures, proxy skirmishes, black extractions. Often the point of contact for a briefing or a payoff. Roll 1d6: 1-2 = Team-Lead running an overwatch team on a fixed objective, 3-4 = Team-Lead leading a breach, 5-6 = Team-Lead negotiating terms after a job went sideways (armed, calm, ready to leave).
Morale: Elite (12) while the contract pays and extraction is possible; will negotiate or withdraw rather than lose the team -- a Team-Lead who buries Contractors does not get the next job
Resistances: Reinforced mesh (included in AC), Deniable operator (+4 to Deception/Disguise to conceal affiliation; DC 18 to trace employer), Veteran pragmatism (+2 to Will saves against fear and Intimidation -- not conviction, just experience)
Tactics: Set the loadout, run the team, watch the math. The Team-Lead uses Run the Team to keep Contractors in cover and on target, opens Call Extraction early if the job turns, and is always ready to spend Contractor's Privilege the instant the cost of winning exceeds the contract. They fight well personally but would rather trade a clean withdrawal for a costly victory. The team comes home; the job is just how they get paid.
Treasure: Reinforced mesh (300 rek), scoped contract carbine (400 rek), holdout slug pistol (150 rek), combat knife (40 rek), optic implant (800 rek), encrypted tac-net rig (500 rek), extraction beacon (single-use; 300 rek or priceless mid-job), false ID papers (DC 18 to penetrate; 400 rek), 1d4x100 rek in a cred-stick (hazard pay for the team), a contact number for the next job.
Vulnerabilities: Will-poor underneath (the core PMC weakness holds: mind-affecting and fear still land harder than on a Legion veteran), No contract, no fight (if the players can prove the employer has pulled the contract, voided the pay, or set the team up, the Team-Lead will withdraw or switch sides -- loyalty is to the cheque and the team, not the employer), Tac-net dependency (jam or cut the encrypted net and the team loses Run the Team and marked-target coordination -- they revert to individual operators)
Attacks
Contract Carbine
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
bonus | 7 |
category | ranged |
damage | 1d8+1 |
damageType | ballistic |
name | Contract Carbine |
notes | Scoped; +1 to hit included, +40 ft effective range |
rangeFt | 80 |
Holdout slug pistol
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
bonus | 7 |
category | ranged |
damage | 1d6+1 |
damageType | energy |
name | Holdout slug pistol |
notes | Sidearm |
rangeFt | 30 |
Combat Knife
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
bonus | 6 |
category | melee |
damage | 1d4+1 |
damageType | slashing |
name | Combat Knife |
notes | Quiet work |
Special Abilities
Run the Team
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | Swift (1/round) |
name | Run the Team |
description: As a swift action the Team-Lead directs one allied PMC Contractor within 60 ft: the Contractor makes an immediate free move action (reposition, seek cover, or close), or gains +2 to their next attack roll or saving throw. A Contractor can only be directed once per round. Player-visible: a clipped call over the tac-net and a Contractor shifts flank or steadies a shot.
Call Extraction
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | Standard (1/encounter) |
name | Call Extraction |
description: Once per encounter, if within comms range of the employer, the Team-Lead can call an extraction. An evac shuttle arrives in 1d6 rounds (1d4 if employer assets are close). While waiting, the Team-Lead and Contractors gain +2 to morale-related Will saves and +1 dodge to AC (they are fighting toward the door). The extraction will not enter a hot landing zone -- the team must reach it. Player-visible: the Team-Lead keys the beacon, names the LZ, and the whole team's posture changes from 'hold' to 'get to the ship'.
Contractor's Privilege
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | Standard (1/encounter) |
name | Contractor's Privilege |
description: Once per encounter the Team-Lead can attempt a DC 15 Deception or Persuasion check against a reasonable foe to open terms mid-fight: a bribe, a swap, a mutual withdrawal, or sold information. Success pauses hostilities for 1 minute of negotiation (foes may refuse; unintelligent or fanatical foes auto-refuse). This is the Team-Lead judging the job too expensive to finish by force. Player-visible: the firing stops, the Team-Lead steps into cover, and offers a number -- because the math just changed.