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Careers
Colonial Marine
A character who is part of the United Americas Colonial Marines, or a comparable organization or role to that.
- Attack! Attack! Attack!: The "Overkill" talent can allow them to forgo making a Panic Roll when it would normally be mandated and instead channel their fear into aggression, continuing to advance on their enemies until they or their enemies are Broken, though it may cause their own nearby allies to make panic rolls when this happens.
- Drone Deployer: The Colonial Marines Operations Manual adds the "Remote" talent, typically for Comtech marines, which enables them to use certain remote-controlled devices and remote-pilot certain vehicles.
- The Big Guy: If any career on the crew is a combat specialist, it's the Colonial Marine.
- Casual Danger Dialogue: The "Banter" talent they can take gives them a mechanical benefit for doing this, allowing them to crack wise or get a laugh from a snarky joke when the crew is at least temporarily in a position of safety to reduce their stress levels and the stress levels of those around them.
- Master of Unlocking: The "Bypass" talent from CMOM gives marines a bonus to opening electronically locked doors.
- More Dakka: The "Machine Gunner" talent lets a Marine use full auto without increasing their stress.
- Prestige Class: Not really. Under the character creation rules for the Colonial Marines Operations Manual, since all characters are starting as Marines, instead of Careers they pick a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). These break the Marines up into different specializations, with different preferred stats, skills, talents, and gear, but as the old saying goes, every marine is a rifleman first.
- Space Marine: Almost goes without saying.
- The Turret Master: The "Remote" talent also qualifies a Marine to deploy automated sentry guns, of the kind seen in the Director's Cut of Aliens.
Colonial Marshal
A character who keeps the laws on frontier colonies, or someone who performs a similar function.
- Grapple Move: The "Subdue" career talent allows a Colonial Marshal to do no damage on a melee attack, but if the attack connects they immediately move into a grapple with the target.
- Law Enforcement, Inc.: Occasionally. Not every Marshal is necessarily working for a local polity, they're just as likely to be employed by a corporation in a frontier Company Town.
- Lawman Baton: One of the choosable gear options for the Colonial Marshal is a stun baton.
- Reading Your Rights: Using the "Authority" career talent, a Colonial Marshal can use their Command skill in places where normally a Manipulation skill role would be called for, invoking their authority as a licensed and recognized marshal to get someone to comply with their will.
- Seekers: The "Investigator" career talent lets a Colonial Marshal apply detective skills to a location, making an Observation check in a room and (depending on degrees of success) asking the Game Mother a number of question related to something that happened in that area that they must then answer truthfully (though the answers can be vague or incomplete.)
- The Sheriff: Like in the old days of the American Frontier, the Colonial Marshal fulfills that same role on the frontier of space.
Company Agent
A representative of an offworld power who represents that power locally, either to see its assets are secure or to scout for new opportunities on their behalf.
- Cower Power: The "Personal Safety" career skill lets the Company Agent who's about to be hurt make a Manipulation roll and if they succeed, someone next to them suffers the effect of what was about to hit them instead. It does raise their stress level to use it though.
- Inherent in the System: The company agent isn't necessarily a bad person, but given they work on behalf of the interests of the only employers with enough money to fund colonial expeditions who are known for extracting as much wealth as possible, it does put their intentions into some understandable doubt.
- Manipulative Bastard: The "Take Control" career talent lets the Company Agent use their Wits attribute in place of their Empathy attribute when making Manipulation rolls. And the "Cunning" career talent lets them push Wits-based rolls twice instead of once, so taking both makes a Company Agent very good at twisting other people to their will.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Or woman, or other. It's telling that of the career's starting gear, several options are expensive-looking accessories.
- The Social Expert: They're the face of the company wherever they happen to be. The fact that their careers depend on trying to make the company look good (and their promotion prospects are dependent on convincing their superiors of that) means that they have the skills to make excellent negotiators on behalf of the crew.
Kid
Colonial settlement jobs can take years spent in relative isolation with a small group of people, so it's not uncommon for small families to take jobs as an entire unit, and they often either bring their kids along with them or have kids during their long contracts.
- Beneath Notice: The name of one of their career talents, which gives them a re-roll on the critical injuries table and lets them pick the preferred result.
- Fragile Speedster: Downplayed. The kid is hardly the most offensively oriented career, but they're surprisingly survivable given their abilities to scramble and evade danger.
- Harmful to Minors: Given what kind of setting and tone this roleplaying system is going for, this is almost guaranteed when there's a kid on the crew.
Medic
Space travel can be dangerous, and as such nearly every crew and colony needs well-trained medical first responders, and this character is one such person.
- The Heart: The "Calming Presence" career talent allows the medic to reduce other character's stress through their bedside manner training, provided they're both not in a position of direct danger. Further, the "Compassion" career talent allows them to push any Empathy-based roll twice.
- The Medic: It's right there in the name.
Officer
A character who is manager of a colonial holding, the skipper of a spaceship, or a field commander in a military.
- The Captain: Almost always the character who's in charge of other people, be that a skipper on a cargo freighter or an officer in the Colonial Marines.
- Sergeant Rock: They're not necessarily a sergeant, but if they have the "Field Commander" career talent then they can have the trope's characteristic rapid-fire orders to the others around them while under pressure.
- That's an Order!: The "Pull Rank" career talent allows them to demand obedience in a dire situation or when they need a stubborn subordinate to do something now.
Pilot
A character who's the helmsman of a spaceship, a hotshot in a dropship, or an operator of ground traversal vehicles.
- Ace Pilot: With plenty of talent options that gear them around this.
Roughneck
A tough-and-handy blue-collar worker, doing the hard labor needed to keep ships running and colonies chugging along.
- The Engineer: In particular, the Roughneck specializes in operating heavy machinery and mechanical repair or modification.
- Made of Iron: The "Resilient" career talent allows a Roughneck to shrug off some of the damage they take with a successful (unmodified) Strength attribute roll.
- Working-Class Hero: While plenty of the careers can be described as "working class", the Roughneck is the most working class career.
Scientist
A character who makes a study of any number of scientific fields, who's presence on the frontier is doing necessary field research for either the needs of their colony or the needs of their employer.
- Enemy Scan: The "Analysis" career talent allows a Scientist to size up any alien creature or unknown artifact with a successful Observation roll, then ask the Game Mother a few questions about it depending on their degrees of success. This also has the effect of reducing the stress of nearby crew since everyone is relieved that at least someone has some insight into whatever this is. On the contrary though, a failed roll increases everyone else's stress, as everyone realizes even the smart guy doesn't know what the hell's going on.
- "Eureka!" Moment: The "Breakthrough" career talent allows a Scientist to pass an Observation test once per game session automatically.
- Omnidisciplinary Scientist: In lore, the character probably has a specialization or two, but in-game mechanics this is simplified. Regardless of the specialty, scientists operating on the frontier often need to be a little well-rounded in their knowledge base since there are rarely enough specialists to cover all the things they might encounter.
- The Smart Guy: Liable to be the best-educated person in a given crew. With the "Inquisitive" career talent, they can push a Wits roll twice.
Xenomorphs
In General
- Adaptational Badass: In Aliens and certain media based on it, Xenomorphs are only a threat to well-armed humans in large groups or when striking from ambush, with Vasquez' Dying Moment of Awesome having her physically overpower an Alien warrior and pin its head to a wall with her foot before killing it with her pistol. Not so here, which makes the Xenomorphs absolutely terrifying by giving them physical capabilities more in line with their depictions in Alien, where the drone knocked Parker across a room with a tail slap, and Alien vs. Predator, where they were both resilient enough to get up none the worse for wear after being slammed into the pyramid's stone interior hard enough to shatter it as well as strong enough to retaliate in kind and punch inch-deep craters into a wall with their tail blades. Their high armor and health, as well as a critical hit chart that makes them hard to put down for good, means even a single Stage IV Xeno can be a threat to a squad of Marines armed with pulse rifles. To top it all off, their Signature Attacks (rolled randomly by the GM) can be instantly lethal with No Saving Throw.
- Adaptational Name Change: The game notes two previous scientific names applied to the Aliens, Internecivus raptus (murderous thief) and Linguafoeda acheronsis (foul tongue from Acheron) — but notes neither is correct as there is no Internecivus or Linguafoeda genus for the species to belong to. Instead, the game posits that Xenomorphs are best classified as two different symbiotic species; the facehugger Manumala noxhydria which carries the chestburster Plagiarius praepotens. Though this nomenclature, and the bacteria presented below, are not wholly accepted facts in-universe, given the scarcity of xenomorph subjects to study.
- Beware My Stinger Tail: Several versions of Xenomorph have barbed or bladed tails to use in combat, including the Royal Facehugger having a blade-tipped tail to defend itself while it attempts to facehug a victim.
- Bioweapon Beast: They're the result of the Engineers' black goo, and the most common In-Universe theory among the scientific community is they were meant to be used as bioweapons.
- Bizarre Alien Biology: Naturally. The game makes it clear the Xenomorphs' biology isn't fully understood by any human organization and the life cycle detailed in the book is based on currently available information. It's possible there's parts of their lifecycle which have yet to be observed, and several variants from the old Expanded Universe are name-dropped as potentially post-Stage VI forms for the GM to use.
- Bizarre Alien Senses: Xenomorphs are noted to be uncannily perceptive despite their lack of eyes, and it's clear they're able to sense the environment around them via different means than Earth-based life, with multiple theories as to what those senses might be.
- Bloody Murder: Virtually every xenomorph variant has the Corrosive Blood subtype. This can mean that short-range combat with it (in which it's already very lethal) can result in anyone nearby it getting splashed with an Acid Attack when it takes a penetrating injury. If that's not bad enough, the acid will rapidly eat through deck and hull plating, risking breaching anything from a reactor to the inner hull's pressure vessel while in space or other environments hostile to human life.
- Introduced Species Calamity: Being so aggressive and virulent means this is the almost-inevitable result of them getting loose on any planet with an ecosystem. "Almost"-inevitable, because humanity recently discovered a world designated G-435 where Xenomorphs have been around long enough to be found everywhere across the planet, yet instead of overrunning the world entirely they've actually entered a state of ecological balance with the native life. This should tell you everything you need to know about what the native ecosystem is like.
- Kill It with Fire: While most Xenomorphs have natural armor (with more evolved forms typically being even tougher) that armor only applies by half to damage from fire. Something like a flamethrower or cutting torch will threaten it more readily than a ballistic weapon, though being close enough to use one effectively comes with its own problems...
- Metal Muncher: The game explains that part of their diet consists of metal, especially when metamorphosing into Stage IV and Stage VI forms, which gives them their metallic teeth as well as their incredible resilience. It also explains how they're able to survive and grow in environments without much organic matter to eat, like spaceships.
- Shoddy Knockoff Product: The Xenomorphs seen in Alien: Covenant are dubbed Praetomorphs, and are not quite as deadly as true Xenomorphs, but close enough that they follow mostly the same rules.
- Super-Speed: Most of the xenomorphs are fast enough that they get to act twice per turn while humans typically only get to act once per turn.
- Transplanted Aliens: They can be found on multiple planets thanks to the Engineers.
- Why Isn't It Attacking?: Xenomorphs roll on a table of Signature Attacks which vary by which Stage of development they're in. Some of the results are this trope, either fleeing in the case of Facehuggers and Chestbursters or toying with or psychologically intimidating prey in adult stages.
Stage II: Facehuggers
- Elite Mook: The "royal" Facehugger is larger than typical, with sharp protrusions and a bladed tail. It's tougher and deadlier than a typical Facehugger, and if it manages to infect a host, that host will birth a queen.
- Face Full of Alien Wing-Wong: Naturally, but with a twist. Rather than what many had assumed to be the case — the facehugger implanting an egg or embryo into the host — the game posits the facehugger feeds the host a dose of mutagenic bacteria which begins transforming host cells into the embryo that quickly grows into the chestburster. Though the idea of implanting an egg, embryo, or cancerous mass is noted as not disproven in-universe.
- Instant Sedation: The reason a facehugger victim rapidly loses strength and stops resisting after being grasped is that the facehuggers secrete a powerful sedative. So long as they remain attached to the victim, the victim will remain comatose.
- Tail Slap: While it doesn't have a barb or stinger like some forms, the Facehugger is capable of swinging its tail like a whip, lashing and damaging targets. If it can manage it, it'll try and wrap its tail around the neck of a target to grapple it and pull itself in.
Stage III: Chestbursters
- Chestburster: The Trope Namer, it makes its birth from a host organism in a violent and bloody fashion.
- Extreme Omnivore: Chestbursters can consume organic food and metals to fuel their growth into adult Xenomorphs.
- Hiss Before Fleeing: The Chestburster is the lifecycle stage where the xenomorph is the most vulnerable. As a result, it has an instinctual drive to make intimidating noises and postures at any creatures that happen to be near it, and then scramble away and find a place to hide as soon as it senses an opening to do so.
- Impromptu Tracheotomy: The Chestburster might be the weakest stage of a xenomorph's life cycle, but "weakest" is relative. It still is capable of a One-Hit Kill via a Special Attack of going for the throat of a target.
Stage IV: Stalker, Scout, Drone
- Made of Iron: It is at this phase that Xenomorphs become "notoriously difficult to kill," having more Armor than the average Colonial Marine.
- Metamorphosis Monster: Par for the course. The Xenomorph lifecycle is broken into stages for this reason, since they change, molt, and mature based on the initial circumstances of their birth and the level of development of Aliens around them. This is the start of this phase, showing Xenomorphs hatched in the absence of a queen, the Stalker (of Covenant), the Scout (of Alien³), and the Drone (of the original Alien). The Stalker is the final phase of Praetomorph development, with them lacking Queens and an analogous hive structure to join. Though the book notes this is based on observed evidence, and may not be correct.
- Smart Animal, Inconvenient Instincts: Noted for the Stalker and Scout, who have more animal cunning and aggression (especially in the case of the Stalker), allowing them to be lured into traps. Drones are quite a bit smarter and less likely to fall for such things.
- Suspiciously Stealthy Predator: The Drones in particular are known to be expert ambush predators. They have a habit of staying away from groups of other creatures when they can, sniffing out places that seem to be rarely visited by others to hide in, and picking off targets who get separated from the pack. They seem less dangerous in the short term than more aggressive forms, but their caution makes them more dangerous in the long term since they're more likely to successfully be able to start a hive.
Stage V: Soldier, Worker, Sentry
- Bloody Murder: One of the Signature Attacks at this stage is for a Soldier or Sentry to leap at an enemy, tearing itself apart to shower the target in acidic gore.
- Hive Mind: This stage is triggered by the Xenomorphs having enough numbers, and a Queen, to form a proper hive, the earlier forms molting into specialized roles within the hive, and new members born straight into those roles.
- Non-Action Guy: Workers shrink in size, their carapace becomes weaker, and they lose their inner mouths and wicked claws to dexterous fingers and a long, pink tongue that secretes the resin the hive is built from. They ignore or flee from threats, leaving other Xenomorphs forms to defend the hive. Workers build and extend the hive, cocoon captives, and bring eggs to them start breeding more Aliens.
- Praetorian Guard: The Sentry, molted from the Scout, is the first phase of this type of Xenomorph, optimized to defend the Queen and never leaving her chamber unless she does, too.
Stage VI: Praetorian, Crusher, Queen
- Boss Battle: These are the toughest and most powerful Xenomorphs, any one of which could fill this role. . . though the Queen is more likely a Hopeless Boss Fight.
- Bullfight Boss: The Charger's favorite tactic is to get going at a good clip in a straight line and ram a target with its over-sized crest, breaking the target, knocking it over and trampling it, throwing it aside, or simply crushing it into a solid object behind it. Baiting it into doing so might even be necessary, since its chitinous armor is thinner on its sides and rear than it is on its toughened front.
- Degraded Boss: While a fully mature xenomorph queen is a horrific threat, a young "new queen" (who is smaller and still in the process of growing her ovipositor) has much weaker stats. But that's relatively weaker, she's still one of the deadliest things the party can encounter.
- Flunky Boss: The Praetorian and Charger can summon Soldiers to join it in a fight. The Queen can summon Sentries.
- Foe-Tossing Charge: The Charger's specialty, including light vehicles.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: If the right Signature Attack is rolled, the bladed tails of these forms can instantly kill a target if the attack does damage.
- King Mook: The Praetorian and Crusher (or Charger) are basically bigger, stronger, tougher, meaner variants of the Drone and Runner, respectively, complete with a headcrest similar to that of a Queen.
- Telepathic Spacemen: The game doesn't definitively state whether the Queen's ability to control the hive is based on pheromones and body language or something more exotic, but there is evidence for the latter, including those who score high on esper tests reporting vivid dreams about a Queen in the vicinity even if they're unaware of her, and prodreamers having problems producing quality dreams after encountering a Queen.
