Part of the NOMAD: Stellar Alliance series.
What Is This?
If you’re reading this, someone (probably the author of this Web site) asked you to play a character in a role playing game called Faster Than Light: Nomad in his homebrew setting called the Stellar Alliance.
This document will help you create a character appropriate to the setting.
Where Do I Start?
First, it may help to read the Background of the setting, to get a feel for what characters would fit into the Alliance.
Second, check with the GM to see what sort of one-shot, limited series, or campaign this will be. For example:
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All characters start on the same planet in the Alliance. (How did you get here?)
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All characters are crewmen on an Alliance merchant vessel. (Why were you hired?)
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All characters are crewmen or officers in the Alliance Exploration Fleet. (Why did you enlist?)
THEN create a character according Nomad pp 13-29, with the following amendments:
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This setting has NO Psionics.1 You may take the Mystic Archetype, but be aware you get no Psionic powers.
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If you want to play an Alien, choose from the options in “Aliens”, not those on page 15 of Nomad.
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If the GM announces that you will play Alliance officers or crew, ignore the equipment packages on page 25 of Nomad. Instead:
Alliance Services and Ranks
The Alliance has several fleets, as explained in Fleets of the Alliance. Each fleet is divided into “services”, one for each specialty in the fleet, and each fleet has its own rank structure.
Here we’re going to make the optimistic assumption that your Skill Levels correlate to your success in your career. Pick the Skill that reflects what your character does, ideally their highest, and match that to the table for your Fleet. For each Archetype, Talent, or alien ability that contributes to doing that sort of job, add +1. (GM’s decision is final, as always.)
The GM may also have a rank in mind for all the characters. For example, members of an Away Team are generally low- to mid-ranked enlisted or low-ranked officers. Check with the GM before appointing yourself an Admiral.
After computing the effective skill level for your particular service, look up the Rank you can expect to attain with that skill level. You can choose a lower rank to reflect youth, inexperience, or discipline problems2, but you can’t choose a higher one.
Exploration and Peacekeeping Fleet
These are the six services in the Exploration and Peacekeeping Fleets.
- Command: captains and commanding officers of a ship, who are also trained in diplomacy, politics, and persuasion.
- Medical: doctors, nurses, medical researchers, and other healers.
- Operations: pilots, deckhands, and others who make the ship work.
- Science: scientists, researchers, and other big brains.
- Security: military police, security experts, and soldiers.
- Technical: engineers, technicians, and others who fix stuff.
The Peacekeeping Fleet has a lot fewer Science folks and a lot more Security.
These are the Skills, Archetypes, and Talents relevant to each Service.
| Service | Relevant Skills | Example Archetypes and Talents |
|---|---|---|
| Command | Social, Vehicles | Diplomat, Soldier; Charming, Inspiring |
| Medical | Knowledge, Social | Scholar; Medic, Empath |
| Operations | Technical, Vehicles | Pilot; Ace Pilot, Drone Operator |
| Science | Knowledge, Technical | Scholar; Deduction, Scholar (talent) |
| Security | Combat, Physical, Stealth | Soldier; any Combat Talent, Intimidating |
| Technical | Technical, Vehicles | Engineer; Rigger, Tech Specialist, Ingenious |
Here’s a rough guide to ranks in both Fleets.
| Effective Skill | Enlisted | Officer |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Midshipman | |
| 1 | Specialist | Ensign |
| 2 | Chief Petty Officer | Lieutenant |
| 3 | Master Chief Petty Officer | Chief X Officer |
| 4 | Chief Warrant Officer | Commander (XO or smaller ship) |
| 5 | Captain (capital ship) |
Commanders and Captains must be on the Command Track.
Defense Fleet
These Skills, Archetypes, and Talents are most relevant for Defense Fleet personnel.
| Service | Relevant Skills | Example Archetypes and Talents |
|---|---|---|
| Officers, fighter | Combat, Technical, Vehicles | Pilot; Ace Pilot, Drone Operator |
| Officers, ship | Social, Combat, Vehicles | Diplomat, Soldier; Charming, Inspiring |
| Officers, intelligence | Social, Stealth | Agent, Diplomat; Charming, Intelligence Analyst |
| Officers, medical | Combat, Knowledge, Social | Scholar; Medic, Empath |
| Officers, technical | Knowledge, Technical, Vehicles | Engineer; Rigger, Tech Specialist, Ingenious |
| Enlisted, marines | Combat, Physical | Soldier; any Combat Talent, Intimidating |
| Enlisted, crew | Technical, Vehicles | Roughneck; Tech Specialist |
Officers get the lion’s share of promotions in the Defense Flee, but otherwise pay grades are the same.
| Effective Skill | Enlisted | Fighter | Ship | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Private / Spacer | |||
| 1 | Corporal / Specialist | Cadet | Cadet | Cadet |
| 2 | Sergeant | First Lieutenant | First Lieutenant | First Lieutenant, Service |
| 3 | Sergeant Major | Squadron Leader | Lt. Commander | Major, Service |
| 4 | - | Wing Commander | Commander | Lt. Colonel, Service |
| 5 | - | Group Captain | Captain | Colonel, Service |
Ground Forces
These Skills, Archetypes, and Talents are most relevant for Ground Forces personnel.
| Service | Relevant Skills | Example Archetypes and Talents |
|---|---|---|
| Officers, regular | Social, Combat, Vehicles | Diplomat, Soldier; Charming, Inspiring |
| Officers, medical | Combat, Knowledge, Social, Stealth | Scholar; Medic, Empath |
| Enlisted, soldiers | Combat, Physical, Stealth | Soldier, Roughneck; any Combat Talent, Assault, Commando, Intimidating |
| Enlisted, support | Knowledge, Stealth | Soldier, Merchant; Logistics Expert |
| Enlisted, technical | Technical, Vehicles | Engineer; Drone Operator, Demolitions Expert, Rigger, Tech Specialist, Ingenious |
Ranks in the Ground Forces are weighted toward the bottom compared to the Peacekeeping Fleet, but they have similar status.
| Effective Skill | Enlisted | Officer |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Private | |
| 1 | Corporal | Cadet |
| 2 | Sergeant | First Lieutenant |
| 3 | Staff Sergeant | Major |
| 4 | Gunnery Sergeant | Lt. Colonel |
| 5 | Master Chief Sergeant | Colonel |
Merchant Service
The Merchant Fleet is less strictly organized; all personnel are “lent” to one of the major commercial companies to fly their ships. One can specialize in engineering, medicine, gunnery, flying, etc., but you basically do what the Company tells you to do.
Ranks are also much looser. Just about anything can be a specialty if it has to do with flying a ship, fixing a ship, or making money. If you can sell it to the GM, you’re a true merchant!
| Origin | Relevant Skills | Example Archetypes |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate | Social, Stealth | Agent, Diplomat, Merchant |
| Ex-Fleet | Combat, Social, Vehicles | Diplomat, Pilot, Soldier, Engineer |
| Medical | Knowledge, Social | Scholar |
| Operations | Combat, Technical, Vehicles | Pilot, Roughneck, Scout |
| Security | Combat, Physical, Stealth | Soldier |
| Technical | Technical, Vehicles | Engineer |
| Temp | none | Outlaw, Outsider, Mystic |
Likewise, the organizational structure aboard a Merchant ship is pretty flat.
| Effective Skill | Ranks |
|---|---|
| 0 | Cadet |
| 1 | Crewman 1st Class |
| 2 | First Lieutenant |
| 3 | Lieutenant Commander, Chief X Officer, Chief Engineer, Chief Pilot, etc. |
| 4 | Commander or Executive Officer or Quartermaster |
| 5 | Captain or Corporate Liason |
Alliance Equipment
Aboard ship, most crew carry little equipment save maybe an Omnicomp and/pr an Omnicomm, plus whatever tools they need to do their job.
On a mission, each crew member (or officer) is usually issued specific equipment. See The Away Team.
The exception is the Alliance Merchant Service. Merchant crews can get what they need from the ship stores … unless they run out or the quartermaster is a bean-counter. Most smart crew members squirrel away private equipment they usually need. Check the list equipment packages on page 25 and pick the three things your character just can’t function without.