Heart of Darkness

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Building Better Worlds

Colonial Marines Operations Manual

Destroyer of Worlds

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The first choice for your character in Campaign play is your career. Your career choice determines your background and your role in the group. It influences your attributes, your skills, your starting gear and what starting talent you can have.

CAREERS

Unless you’re a dirtbound colonist, you need to get around in space and occasionally make a pit stop: you need a spacecraft.

SPACECRAFT

Everyone answers to someone and everybody wants to get paid. In the early 21st century, humanity stood on a precipice. Establishing off-world colonies within the solar system, corporations gave humanity new places to flourish rather than wither on a damaged Earth.

ORGANIZATIONS

Humans are arrogant sons of bitches. We leaped into space thinking we’d make it our own. There is life out here, and it wants us all dead.

ALIEN SPECIES

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Most of your friends will never see another world… but not you. As soon as you were old enough, you signed up for the USCMC. The pay is crap and the food is worse, but you’ve always got a bunk to sleep in and you get to shoot all sorts of weapons at all sorts of things. Life in the Corps is never dull—but the luster has begun to fade. You’ve seen things that you’ll never be able to forget, and plenty you wish you could.

Most of your friends will never see another world… but not you. As soon as you were old enough, you signed up for the USCMC.

The Frontier can be a lawless place. The Colonial Marines are spread thin—they have neither the time nor inclination to mete out local justice. Not to worry—there’s a new sheriff in town, and that's you. You don’t take bribes and you never look the other way. It’s only a matter of time before you piss off the wrong CEO and corporate sends someone to take care of you, but that's okay. You'll be ready.

The Colonial Marines have neither the time nor inclination to mete out local justice. But there’s a new sheriff in town, and that's you.

You’re hungry. Space is full of opportunity, and you’ve been assigned to the Frontier to find the next big thing. From insider information to new mineral deposits—or even a hitherto unknown life-form to exploit—it's up to you to score a win for the company and use it to catapult yourself up the corporate ladder. Worry about others later. Right now it’s all about the bottom line.

You’re hungry. Space is full of opportunity, and you’ve been assigned to the Frontier to find the next big thing.

You didn't ask for a Frontier life—your parents brought you into this world kicking and screaming. Grown-ups always ask you what you want to be when you grow up, but all you want to do is be a kid. You used to fantasize about being an adult, able to stay up late and eat junk food whenever you want. Thing is, most of the Frontier adults you know are always miserable and tired. There’s time to grow up later. For now, playing hide-and-seek in the ventilation system seems the way to go.

You didn't ask for a Frontier life—your parents brought you into this world kicking and screaming.

There are a million-and-one ways to die in space, from exposure to vacuum or unknown contagions to vicious organisms or getting accidentally shot by a drunken roughneck. In all these scenarios, you’re the one carrying the bandages and adrenaline shots. If someone survives long enough to make it to a medpod, you’ve done your job. Too many people in the Outer Veil are addicted to painkillers, and most colonies are not up to health and safety regulations. That means more people get hurt. Your work is never done.

In dangerous situations when someone suffers trauma, you’re the one carrying the bandages and adrenaline shots.

When everything is going to shit—the Company’s holding your crew’s pay hostage, there’s a mountain of reports to file from that last incident near Thedus, and who knows how many family members back home are weighing on everyone’s minds—it’s a good thing you spent all those years training to do this for a living. You’re the authority figure, the role model, the voice of your superiors, and the enlisted crew’s advocate. They’re looking to you for what to do next. Better hope your training has a solution to this one.

You’re the authority figure, the role model, the voice of your superiors, and the enlisted crew’s advocate.

The stars are the limit, and they are limitless. You aren’t content to keep your feet on the ground, and on the Frontier, there’s no need to. From starfifighters to dropships, freighters to frigates, there’s always something that needs flying. You’re a thrill-seeker and an adrenaline junkie. Danger is the rush you live for, but stay frosty. Otherwise, the next time you find yourself dodging through an asteroid belt or seeing the ground rush up to meet you might be your last.

The stars are the limit, and they are limitless. You aren’t content to keep your feet on the ground, and on the Frontier, there’s no need.

Someone has to do the manual labor on the Frontier, and that someone is you. Life has dealt you some harsh blows but you’ve always struck back. People find you uncouth. You really don’t care—you’ve grown past the need for niceties. No one works harder than you. You are the cog that keeps the Frontier chugging. Your hands are calloused and your face is dirty, and the only thing harder than the work you do is the way you party.

Someone has to do the manual labor on the Frontier. Life has dealt you some harsh blows but you’ve always struck back.

Every day, new pieces to the puzzle of existence are found on the Frontier. Figuring out what makes them fit together could leap humanity over nature’s next hurdle, and you are one thesis away from the respect you deserve. Whether your field is xenobiology, astrophysics, robotics, or even archaeology, there are countless treasures in space, just waiting for someone to trip over the next asteroid and run right into them. Whether or not that's you, you’re still the one who understands them better than anyone.

Every day, new pieces to the puzzle of existence are found on the Frontier, and you understand them better than anyone.

There is green in them thar hills, money to be made on every rock you can reach, if you know what to look for—and you know what to look for. You may be an independent prospector, seeking out the rich resources that bring wealth to corporations, governments, and a little bit for yourself. Or if you’ve taken the company dime, you might be a colony surveyor, choosing the best site for building or estimating how much construction might cost, or a land agent—defining who owns what, and who owes how much in rent.

Wildcatter

There is green in them thar hills, money to be made on every rock you can reach, if you know what to look for—and you know what to look for.

The frontier needs all kinds of people to make life bearable. You’re an entertainer—a performer, croupier, unofficial club owner, waiter, barkeep or other profession, one of the unsung folks who make life in a rundown, ratshit place bearable. At the end of a long day the roustabouts and mechanics, lab technicians and cleaners, all need a friendly face and an hour or two where they can forget how tough their life is. Your job is to provide exactly that. That’s what you do. You make life bearable on the frontier.

Entertainer

The frontier needs all kinds of people to make life bearable. You’re an entertainer—a performer, croupier, unofficial club owner, waiter, barkeep or other profession.

The alchemist uses their skill at crafting to create alchemical items—such as bombs, elixirs, and poisons—that they use to defeat foes and aid allies. Smart and resourceful, an alchemist often has just the right tool for the job and esoteric knowledge to help their friends get out of a jam.

Alchemist

The alchemist throws alchemical bombs and drinks concoctions of their own making.

The barbarian is a fearsome embodiment of rage, focusing the deadly power of their anger against anyone who stands in their way. A barbarian is quick to enter battle and, once their fury has been unleashed, is immensely strong, often unpredictable, and nearly unstoppable.

Barbarian

The barbarian flies into a rage on the battlefield, smashing foes with abandon.

An artist and a scholar, the bard uses performance and esoteric learning to bolster their companions and foil their enemies. Sometimes sneaky and quite often charming, the bard adventures with pizzazz and talent backed up by an impressive repertoire of occult magic.

Bard

Skilled performances and secrets of the occult enable the bard to distract foes and inspire allies.

A defender of good who straps on armor and wields a righteous weapon, the champion protects the innocent and vanquishes evil. Steadfast in their beliefs, and devoted to both a deity and an aspect of good, they follow a strict code as they fight to make the world a better place.

Champion

A warrior dedicated to a deity, the champion uses divine power to enhance their abilities and protect allies.

The cleric is dedicated to the worship of a single deity and draws divine magic from this devotion. Clerics can be vastly different depending on who they worship, and whether they’re cloistered clerics who pursue one of their deity’s domains or war priests who serve as the sword arm of their god.

Cleric

The cleric calls on the power of a deity to cast spells that can heal allies or harm foes.

The druid walks the wild, primordial places of the world without fear, harnessing the primal magic of nature and controlling it with calm purpose. A devotee of the wilderness, the druid finds nourishment in its power, allies among its creatures, and strength in its fury.

Druid

The druid uses the magic of the natural world to bolster allies and strike down enemies.

With calculated daring and fearless determination, the fighter tracks down and confronts their enemies while defending allies from harm. A master of the battlefield, the fighter is quick to exploit opportunities and strike any who stumble within reach of their sword or bow.

Fighter

The fighter is a master of weapons, martial techniques, and powerful attack combinations.

While most people can fire a gun or crossbow, a gunslinger knows such weapons better than anyone. From reloading to customization, a gunslinger demands more from their weapons, though demanding too much can result in a misfire. Gunslingers remain unrivaled in their skill and accuracy with weapons that strike hard from afar.

Gunslinger

Gunslingers use firearms and crossbows to perform trick shots and take down their enemies while remaining at a safe distance.

Any tinkerer can follow a diagram to make a device, but the inventor creates the impossible and challenges the boundaries of reality. An inventor remains on the verge of the next great breakthrough, and every trial and tribulation presents another opportunity to test and tune their contraptions.

Inventor

The inventor battles enemies with a groundbreaking innovation only they can use.

Clever and insightful, the investigator solves mysteries and teems with knowledge. In battle, they play out every possibility in advance, striking true when the time is right. Their methodology grants them an edge, and their high Intelligence and number of skills mean they almost always have the right tool for the job.

Investigator

The investigator uses knowledge to uncover mysteries and best their foes.

The magus, a polymath of battle, trains in both spells and strikes. Combining these arts, a magus channels spells into their weapon or body to inflict devastating wounds upon their foes. The magus’s versatility in combat and knowledge of the arcane makes them a welcome addition to any party.

Magus

The magus, a polymath of battle, trains in both spells and strikes.

The monk seeks perfection in all things, and that includes transforming their body into the perfect weapon. They can be walking with calm purpose and contemplating the subtleties of existence in one minute and then transform into a blur of deadly blows in the next.

Monk

The monk wields the secrets of martial arts in dazzling displays of battlefield prowess.

The oracle is a paradox of divine magic, able to tap into and manipulate energies from disparate sources throughout the universe that would overwhelm anyone else. These mysteries grant unusual powers and revelations, as well as a double-edged curse - which they must learn how to simultaneously endure and exploit.

Oracle

The oracle balances powerful divine magic with a supernatural curse.

Resourceful and cunning, the ranger is a hunter, tracker, and warrior who preserves the natural world and protects civilization from its ravages. Whether they use a bow, crossbow, a pair of weapons, or snares, the ranger is a fearsome enemy and great ally in the wild.

Ranger

The ranger is a master of using their surroundings, traps, and animal allies to harry enemies.

Cunning and quick, the rogue brings skill and expertise few of their comrades can match. In battle, they excel at sneak attacks and ambushes. Their racket gives them the tools they need to get the job done, and their wide array of skill choices lets them specialize as they see fit.

Rogue

The rogue is a multitalented master of skulduggery who strikes when enemies least expect it.

The intense magic the sorcerer commands comes from neither study nor worship—it comes from their blood. Their magical abilities depend on whether they have the blood of dragons, angels, fey, aberrant creatures, or some other being flowing through their veins and powering their spells.

Sorcerer

The sorcerer’s magical might flows from their blood and manifests as fantastic spells and abilities.

A summoner acts as the living anchor to a powerful being called an eidolon, which they call upon for aid. Summoners maintain deep connections with their eidolons, granting them the ability to influence the way the creature evolves. Eidolons manifest in many forms, including as constructs, demons, dragons, fey, and other creatures.

Summoner

A summoner acts as the living anchor to a powerful being called an eidolon, which they call upon for aid.

To a swashbuckler, anything worth doing is worth doing with style. This dynamic daredevil performs bold feats of derring-do and mixes their own unique style with flamboyant attacks. The swashbuckler tumbles around the battlefield, befuddling their foes to set them up for powerful finishing moves.

Swashbuckler

The swashbuckler earns panache through showy acts and leverages this flair to thwart their foes.

The witch is a versatile spellcaster who learns a variety of magical lessons from a mystical familiar, sent to them by a powerful and mysterious patron. The witch's mastery of potent hexes from their patron allows them to supplement their other spells with special tricks to solve any problem.

Witch

The witch casts spells and hexes learned through a powerful familiar from a mysterious patron.

The wizard is the arcane master of spellcasting, plucking incredible power from reality through complicated spell formulas. They stride with confidence, without a need for armor or weapons, enacting their will upon the world and bringing woe upon their enemies.

Wizard

The wizard is a scholar whose reservoirs of arcane knowledge powers their wondrous spells and abilities.

Guided by the personal combination of their subconscious and conscious mind, a psychic calls forth occult magic with but a thought. The psychic focuses more on the moment than on daily spell slots, wielding unique, versatile cantrips and unleashing their mind to use strange and powerful abilities.

Psychic

Guided by the personal combination of their subconscious and conscious mind, a psychic calls forth occult magic with but a thought.

The thaumaturge has seen every monster and knows every secret. Supplementing their skill at arms and ability to strike a monster’s weakness with myriad supernatural trinkets and mystic implements that can fill a wide range of roles, the thaumaturge is a versatile agent who can contribute to any team facing the unknown.

Thaumaturge

The thaumaturge has seen every monster and knows every secret.

Elemental matter blasts from a magical gate within every kineticist. Shaping these elements into magical impulses, a kineticist can fight nonstop with wild elemental magic. Kineticists can specialize in one element or grow into many, increasing their command over the fury of the elemental planes as they do.

Kineticist

Elemental matter blasts from a magical gate within every kineticist.

You are the interlocutor between the seen and unseen, the voice that connects the mortal and the spiritual. You may hold your powers as a sacred trust to be kept free of ego and personal desire, or you may see your unique abilities as a sign that you’ve been chosen as a champion of two worlds.

Animist

You channel the power of spiritual entities, called apparitions, to cast potent spells and manipulate the battlefield to your advantage.

An imbalance in the Outer Planes has seeded the Material World with unearthly power. Somehow, a fragment of divinity rests within your body, granting you abilities that reach into the realm previously reserved for heroes and legends.

Exemplar

You fight on the vanguard, scattering lesser foes to the winds. You concentrate your divine energy into the right weapon or tool for the moment.

The bard distracts foes and inspires allies with skilled performances and secrets of the occult.

With calculated daring and fearless determination, the fighter confronts their enemies while defending allies from harm. A master of the battlefield, the fighter is quick to exploit opportunities and strike any who stumble within reach of their blade or bow.

The witch is a versatile spellcaster who learns their magic from a familiar, sent to them by a powerful and mysterious patron. The witch’s mastery of potent hexes from their patron allows them to supplement their other spells with special tricks to solve any problem.

The wizard is the arcane master of spellcasting, plucking incredible power from reality through complicated spell formulas. They stride with confidence, without need for armor or weapons, enacting their will upon the world and bringing woe upon their enemies.

Wielding a weapon of their faith, the champion fights for a cause espoused by their deity. A champion is steadfast in their beliefs, whether righteous or wicked.

You approach battle with the knowledge that tactics and strategy are every bit as crucial as brute strength or numbers. You may have trained in classical theories of warfare and strategy at a military school or you might have refined your techniques through hard-won experience as part of an army or mercenary company. Regardless of how you came by your knowledge, you have a gift for signaling your allies from across the battlefield and shouting commands to rout even the most desperate conflicts, allowing your squad to exceed their limits and claim victory.

Commander

You approach battle with the knowledge that tactics and strategy are every bit as crucial as brute strength or numbers.

You are the shield, the steel wall that holds back the tide of deadly force exhibited by enemies great and small. You are clad in armor that you wear like a second skin. You can angle your armor to protect yourself and your allies from damage and keep foes at bay. You also make yourself a more tempting target to take the hits that might have otherwise struck down your companions.

Guardian

You are the shield, the steel wall that holds back the tide of deadly force exhibited by enemies great and small..

Smart and resourceful, the alchemist crafts alchemical items—such as bombs, elixirs, and poisons—that they use to defeat foes and aid allies.

The barbarian is a fearsome embodiment of rage, unleashing the unstoppable power of their fury against anyone who stands in their way.

Clever and insightful, the investigator solves mysteries and teems with knowledge. In battle, they play out every possibility in advance.

AThe monk seeks perfection in all things, including using their body as the perfect weapon. They can transform into a blur of deadly blows in an instant.

The oracle is a paradox of divine magic, able to tap into energies that grant potent revelations. Such power comes at the cost of a curse that they must endure.

The intense magic the sorcerer commands comes from neither study nor worship—it comes from their blood, the power of their heritage flowing through their veins.

To a swashbuckler, anything worth doing is worth doing with style. This dynamic daredevil performs flamboyant attacks and bold feats of derring-do.

The swashbuckler thwarts their foes with panache earned through showy acts.

The envoy is a Charisma-based class that combines battlefield direction and leadership. Lacking any sort of built-in spellcasting, the envoy is a class that lets players live the fantasy of supporting allies without the need of magic. Envoys excel at directing their allies and party members, granting powerful buffs that improve if the envoy performs actions that fulfill a “lead by example” clause. This might be simple, like nominating and Striking a foe, or more intricate, based on your selected leadership style and involving actions like Raising a Shield or a specific skill action. Play the envoy if you want to be the smooth talker with a plethora of skills and be able to take on a variety of different roles in combat while guiding your party members.

Envoy

You’re a master influencer. You make your way in the Universe with a charming smile, quick wit, and keen sense of self-preservation. 

Forming bonds with their closest allies, the Mystic is a Wisdom-based class that fulfills the role of battlefield healer and spellcaster. They access a vitality network that acts as a floating pool of Hit Points that they can transfer to their bonded allies, allowing them to spot heal in a punch. Able to access the divine, occult, and primal traditions via their selected connection, the mystic is also an incredible versatile spellcaster who spontaneously casts spells and can make decisions on the fly. Play the mystic if you want a class that provides a new spin on the healer concept while also giving you a strong selection of spell traditions and the ability to create close bonds with your party members.

Mystic

Forming bonds with their closest allies, the Mystic is a Wisdom-based class that fulfills the role of battlefield healer and spellcaster.

Operatives are a Dexterity-based class all about being the best at their field of specialization as well as one of the best damage dealers in combat. They use the Aim action to reduce cover from enemies and gain extra precision damage, whether from a small, one-handed pistol or a large-caliber sniper rifle. Operatives move around the battlefield, striking up close or at range, depending on their specialization. Play an operative if you want to take advantage of guns and deal high damage to your designated targets.

Operative

Operatives are a Dexterity-based class all about being the best at their field of specialization as well as one of the best damage dealers in combat.

A solar knight, the solarian is a Strength-based class that channels the various states of stars while on the battlefield. Every solarian has access to a weapon of pure stellar energy that they can reform on the fly, along with a shimmering nimbus to protect them and a small mote that can act as an extremely short-range firearm. Shifting between graviton and photon-attunement, a solarian’s abilities gain different effects based on their current attunement, giving them a flexible mechanic that rewards players who set up their abilities in advance. Play the solarian if you want to try a class that can mix things up in melee while also having powerful control abilities you can use in combat.

Solarian

You are a conduit for the stellar forces of the cosmos—a solar knight.

The soldier is a Constitution-based class that combines an area-weapons expert with a mountain of Hit Points. In combat, soldiers unleash suppressing attacks with Area Fire or Auto-Fire weapons, pinning enemies in place and reducing their effectiveness. They benefit designating a primary target within their area attacks, granting them extra shots while unleashing their heavy weapons. Play a soldier if you want to control areas of the battlefield with area-of-effect attacks while taking any retaliation from your foes thanks to your heavy armor and abundance of Hit Points.

Soldier

The soldier is a Constitution-based class that combines an area-weapons expert with a mountain of Hit Points.

Witchwarpers are an Intelligence-based class that alters reality by drawing on the infinite possibilities of other universes and timelines. Every witchwarper is influenced by a paradoxical event, and they can harness the power of that paradox to create magic. In combat, they cast spells and can sustain a reality-altering warp field to harry enemies. However, potent paradoxical magic comes at a cost, and every witchwarper must have something to anchor themself in true reality, whether it be an intense focus on a particular subject or memories of more peaceful times. Play a witchwarper if you want to bend reality to your will.

Witchwarper

Witchwarpers are an Intelligence-based class that alters reality by drawing on the infinite possibilities of other universes and timelines.

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