MercenariesSource Pact Worlds pg. 174
Mercenaries work for the highest bidder, generally with no questions asked (except by those who belong to the Skyfire Legion and a few other more principled companies). Mercenaries can serve the interests of almost any faction with enough credits, but most often they work for employers who can't employ a formal military force or who can't be seen getting their own hands dirty. Since their ultimate goal is simply to get paid, mercenaries are rarely willing to fight to the death unless they fear failure will ruin them completely anyway. If approached with an appealing offer, some particularly ruthless mercenaries are willing to betray their employers, but their new loyalty is just as fickle. Many mercenaries know that changing sides in the middle of a job could ruin their reputations, so they are therefore willing to be bought off only in a way that they can plausibly deny later or that will make them so much money that they will be set for life. There are countless mercenary groups throughout the Pact Worlds, ranging from large and acclaimed to small and obscure. Many groups specialize in certain types of missions; some take on only jobs that put them on the battlefield, while others prefer to stick to the shadows. Mercenary groups accept a variety of forms of payment, from hard credits to technological gear and weapons to magic items. Example Mercenaries Three example mercenaries are presented below, along with advice on how to use them in similar NPC roles.
Adaptation: Mercenaries can serve almost any business, faction, government, or organization, especially those concerned about being found out for their involvement in unsavory dealings. The Skyfire Legion, perhaps the most famous and most principled mercenary company, offers its services to colonists and others with legitimate interests outside the Pact Worlds. Skyfire Legionnaires are more often dragonkin and ryphorians rather than the races described here. Encounters Mercenaries generally function in teams organized by mercenary companies, although a few prefer to operate alone or on small freelance teams.
Threat Assessment Team (CR 10): Two mercenary rookies, one mercenary technomancer.
Strike Team (CR 12): Three mercenary rookies, one mercenary technomancer, one mercenary commando.
High-Tech Extraction Team (CR 14): Two mercenary technomancers, three mercenary commandos.Aliens in the "Mercenaries" FamilySource Pact Worlds pg. 174Mercenary Technomancer CR 8XP 4,800
Ysoki technomancer
N Small humanoid (ysoki)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +16
DefenseHP 105; RP 4
EAC 19; KAC 20
Fort +7; Ref +7; Will +11
OffenseSpeed 30 ft.
Melee tactical knife +13 (2d4+8 S)
Ranged advanced semi-auto pistol +15 (2d6+8 P)
Offensive Abilities cache capacitor 1 (unseen servant), magic hacks (magic negation, selective targeting), spell cache
Technomancer Spells Known (CL 8th; melee +13, ranged +15)
3rd (3/day)—arcing surge (DC 20), entropic grasp (DC 20)
2nd (6/day)—caustic conversion (DC 19), inject nanobots (DC 19), invisibility, microbot assault
1st (at will)—holographic image (DC 18), magic missileStatisticsSTR +0; DEX +4; CON +2; INT +6; WIS +2; CHA +0
Skills Bluff +21, Computers +21, Engineering +21, Mysticism +16, Stealth +21, Survival +16
Languages Common, Ysoki, up to 6 others
Other Abilities cheek pouches, moxie
Gear advanced lashunta tempweave, advanced semi-auto pistol with 24 small arm rounds, tactical knifeDescriptionMercenaries who specialize in technomancy round out a team's abilities with technical skills and magic. They often pay little attention to any aspect of the job that is not magical or highly technical, leaving that to others since it's not what they're being paid for. They rarely operate without rookies or other muscle to back them up and are prone to fleeing or surrendering when their allies are eliminated.
Mercenary technomancers love to experiment with assets such as unorthodox spells and hybrid items procured from exclusive contracts. Rivals sometimes use rare and interesting magic or technology to bribe a mercenary technomancer into pretending they never met.
Adaptation: A mercenary technomancer can serve as a black- market spellcaster serving the Golden League or an expert in illegal spells or items operating out of Apostae or the Diaspora, perhaps working for a drow noble house or aboard a vessel of one of the Free Captains.
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