Explorer

Explorers are natural adventurers, full of curiosity and trained to handle the out-of-the-way locations where they often operate. Explorers tend to be independent, signing on when the credits are good and their skills are best utilized and tested. Explorers understand the lay of the land and the orbit of the stars. They know how to recognize danger and locate the basic necessities for survival. The Explorer seeks knowledge, tries to solve mysteries, and to find a path through the wild regions, often becoming a decent pilot along the way, and usually learns how to protect himself from whatever hides over the next hill or beyond the most distant nebula.

Base Abilities

• Awestruck: When the Explorer finds something new to them, they can choose to enter the Awestruck state. In this state the Explorer is resistant to all Social and Emotional Attacks (they have trouble concentrating on other things). Unfortunately, their Passive Defense is also cut in half. The Explorer gains 1 Motivation when entering the Awestruck state.
• Animal Companion Training: As an Extended Action, the Explorer can train an already Tamed animal to become their Animal Companion. This requires them to succeed in an Animal Handling Challenge (train the animal for 7 days), after which point the target tamed animal's Intelligence score increases by 1, and the animal can now function as an Animal Companion.

Ultimate Ability

• Companion Attack: The Explorer can spend 1 Motivation and as a Free Action, they can have their Animal Companion perform an attack on the target closest to that Animal Companion. This attack can only be triggered once per Round.

Knowledge

• Scrounging: The Explorer can find extra parts in a junkyard or garbage heap.

Motivators

• Pathfinder: Whenever the Explorer takes at least 10 minutes to detour off the main route to examine something or search an area, they gain 1 Motivation.
• Animal Friend: Whenever the Explorer takes at least 10 minutes to be kind to an animal in an attempt to befriend, tame or train it, they gain 1 Motivation.

Scrounging

The Explorer knows how to find valuable parts even in the worst refuse. The Explorer can roll their Perception + Scrounging to find Technology Parts in an urban junkyard or garbage heap. They also find additional parts when they loot the bodies of their enemies. The difficulty is how picked over or well hidden the items are.

The type of parts they find is equal to the number of uncanceled Hits:

Number of Hits	Rarity of Parts
1-2	Common
3-4	Uncommon
5-6	Rare
7+	Very Rare

Hit Points

An Explorer gains 1 Hit Point per level.

Leveling Table

Class Level	Class Features for Level
0	Animal Companion Training; Awestruck;
1	Scrounging Specialty Skill Point
2	Survivalist Skill Point; Animal Companion Ability
3	Scout Skill Point Melee Weapon Proficiency
4	Athlete Skill Point; Thrown Weapon Proficiency
5	Scrounging Ranged Weapon Proficiency
6	Specialty Skill Point Survivalist Skill Point
7	Helm Skill Point Animal Companion Ability
8	Guard Skill Point; Comms Skill Point
9	Scrounging Sensors Skill Point
10	Scout Skill Point Survivalist Skill Point
11	Specialty Skill Point Engineering Skill Point
12	Technician Skill Point; Animal Companion Ability
13	Scrounging Medical Skill Point
14	Helm Skill Point Survivalist Skill Point
15	Specialty Skill Point Comms Skill Point
16	Investigator Skill Point; Artillery Weapon Proficiency
17	Scrounging Animal Companion Ability
18	Helm Skill Point Survivalist Skill Point
19	Comms Skill Point Specialty Skill Point
20	Companion Attack

Talent Tree(s)

• Speciality Skill (x5): The Explorer has a few points in a highly specialized skill.
• Animal Companion Abilities (x8): The Explorer learns how to train their animal Companion in a new ability.
• Improved Wild Swing: The Explorer gains Improved Wild Swing, doubling the Damage Bonus (+4). In addition, if the move hits, the target is knocked Prone.
• Makeshift Weapon Proficiency: The Explorer is used to making due with whatever is near at hand as a weapon. They can use their Proficiency Bonus on anything that is not a weapon when they are using it as one. This can include Engineering tools, but not Exotic Weapons.
• Makeshift Shield Proficiency: The Explorer has learned how to use any sturdy object with at least a 1-meter diameter as a shield, this shield gets a +2 Block bonus. Real shields gain a +1 Block Bonus as well. Without this ability the makeshift shield item can be used as a Shield (providing access to the Block Defense) but does not provide a bonus.
• Additional Traveling Companion: Normally the Explorer can only travel with 1 Animal Companion, and the rest of their Animal Companions will stay on the ship or at the camp. This talent allows the Explorer to take another one with them.
• Increased Toughness: the Explorer's Toughness is permanently increased by 1.
• Increased Perception: the Explorer's Perception is permanently increased by 1.
• Increased Agility: the Explorer's Agility is permanently increased by 1.
• Increased Charisma: the Explorer's Charisma is permanently increased by 1.
• Internal Compass: The Explorer has spent so much time wandering around on planets that they gain an innate sense of direction. The Explorer can reroll up to 3 dice when they are using their Survival Skill to navigate on a planet. In addition they can reroll the Survival Challenge Die once per challenge.
• Hyper-calculator: The Explorer has spent so much time calculating hyperspace jumps that they have become a savant. The Explorer can reroll up to 3 dice when they are using the Navigation Skill to plot a course through Hyperspace. In addition they can reroll the Helm Challenge Die once per challenge.
• Zero-G Native: The Explorer has spent so much time in space that they are used to zero gravity. They can reroll up to 3 dice when they are using the Acrobatics skill to maneuver in Zero-G. In addition, if the Explorer is engaged in an Athlete Challenge, they can roll their Athletics in Zero-G as well as their Acrobatics.
• Born to Do This: If the Explorer is in the Awestruck state and triggers Beginner's Luck, they can spend 1 Motivation. If they do, they immediately gain a +3 dice skill bonus for this single roll on something they've never done before. If they succeed in this roll, they gain 1 Specialty Skill Point in whatever is closest to the thing they were doing.
• Fringe Benefits: If the Explorer is in the Outer Rim, the Unknown Regions, or in Wild Space, they can treat the rarity of an item as one level lower for the purpose of procurement (Searching, Scavenging and Haggling).
• Stay Together Baby: The Explorer can treat their piloted Ship's System Durability as +2 and their ship's Hull Points as +5.
• Iron Stomach: The Explorer is able to survive on ½ rations without suffering Injuries. They can go twice as long without water, and they become resistant to ingested poisons.
• Tough as Nails: The Explorer gains a +1 to their Resistance. In addition they can reroll up to 3 dice for a Resistance skill check.
• Extra Treasure: Whenever the Explorer finds treasure during an adventure, they can roll an additional time on the treasure table. This ability stacks with other Explorers.
• Beginner's Luck: If the Explorer is doing something for the first time, they can reroll 1 die for a Skill Check, due to their intense interest in it. If the Explorer succeeds, they gain 1 Motivation, but if they fail, they gain 2 Motivation.

Specialty Skills

The Explorer lives on the fringes of the galaxy, often having to make a living on a remote, low tech world. To survive this, the Explorer picks up additional skills that most adventurers don't have.

1. Art, Creating: The Explorer knows how to draw, paint or sculpt attractive art. They can spend 3 day's labor to create Common Art.
2. Botany: The Explorer has learned how to take care of small, exotic plants. If the Explorer finds a medicinal plant, they can roll this skill to cultivate a private collection of it and harvest it once a week.
3. Cooking: The Explorer can spend 1 day's labor to turn Common Food into Exotic Food (at least in terms of taste).
4. Dancing: The Explorer can earn 5 credits x Dancing Skill credits a night dancing.
5. Gambling: The Explorer can roll their Gambling skill to increase their odds in a game of chance. For each Hit the Explorer gets, they can reroll a gambling die or redraw a card once per game.
6. Lumberjacking: The Explorer can spend 3 days laboring to harvest Wood. The difficulty is the rarity of the Wood.
7. Mining: The Explorer can spend 3 day's labor mining to find semi-precious Gems or a week to find Ore (The difficulty is the rarity of the Ore).
8. Musical Instruments, Playing: The Explorer can earn 5 credits x Music Instrument Skill a night playing a musical instrument.
9. Prestidigitation: The Explorer can perform a minor feat of close-up magic, or attempt to palm an object or plant it on another target.
10. Singing: The Explorer can earn 5 credits x Singing Skill a night singing.
11. Smelting: The Explorer can spend 3 day's labor turning 10x Ore into 1x Metal, the difficulty for the roll is the rarity of the Ore to be smelted.
12. Tailoring: The Explorer can craft and alter their own clothes. This is treated similar to the Engineer's crafting and can give a +1, +2 or +3 bonus to a Social Skill, depending on the rarity of the materials used.

Animal Companions

An Animal Companion is a specially trained animal that the Explorer has a close bond with. An Animal Companion is much smarter and capable than a regular tamed beast.

A normal trained animal can learn single-word commands. For anything more complicated, it can only roll its Intelligence to see if it can understand.

An Animal Companion can add the Explorer's Animal Handling skill to their roll. In addition there are several special abilities that the Animal Companion can learn that a normal animal cannot.

Animal Companion Abilities

The Explorer learns how to train their Animal Companion with these abilities. This Training can be applied to every Animal Companion that the Explorer gets. For abilities that can apply more than once, each additional level counts as a new type of training.

1. Finesse Attack: The Animal Companion becomes proficient in a Finesse Attack. They gain a Natural Weapon bonus of +1. If they don't already have a Natural Weapon, this sets their Natural Weapon damage to 1. The Animal Companion can add their Deftness as a Proficiency Bonus to the attack.
2. Quick Attack: The Animal Companion becomes proficient in a Quick Attack. They gain a Natural Weapon bonus of +1. If they don't already have a Natural Weapon, this sets their Natural Weapon damage to 1. The Animal Companion can add their Agility as a Proficiency Bonus to the attack.
3. Power Attack: The Animal Companion becomes proficient in a Power Attack. They gain a Natural Weapon bonus of +1. If they don't already have a Natural Weapon, this sets their Natural Weapon damage to 1. The Animal Companion can add their Strength as a Proficiency Bonus to the attack.
4. Dodge: The Animal Companion learns the Dodge maneuver. Without this they can only use their Passive Defense.
5. Troublemaker: The Animal Companion is good at making a nuisance of itself against the Explorer's enemies during combat. The Explorer gains a +1 to their Passive Defense if their Animal Companion is next to them. If the Companion is Medium sized or larger, the Explorer can gain a +2 to their Passive Defense instead.
6. Mount [Large]: A Large sized Animal Companion can be trained to act as a rideable mount for the Explorer and their allies. The Explorer can mount their Companion as a Free Action as long as it is within Melee Range. The Explorer then moves with the Companion's Movement score and can Dismount as a Free Action.
7. Pack Animal: The Animal Companion can be trained to carry (and even hide) items on itself. The amount the animal can carry is based on its size. The animal can carry a weight level 1 lower than it's own weight and 1 bulk level lower than its size.
8. Natural Charmer: The Animal Companion becomes more cute and cuddly. If the Companion normally has the Frightening Quality, it can lose it upon command. In addition, if the target of an Explorer's Social Attack is an animal lover, the Explorer gains a bonus to attempts to improve that target's Disposition equal to the Companion's Charisma.
9. Natural Intimidator: The Animal Companion gains the Frightening Quality on command, if it didn't already have it, if it did have it, its Confidence value increases by 1. The Explorer gains a bonus to their Intimidation, Insults, or Rallying checks equal to their Companion's Confidence.
10. Natural Guard: The Animal Companion is alert and aids the Explorer in their Guard duty. The Explorer gains a bonus to their Alertness (and hence Initiative) equal to their Companion's Perception.
11. Natural Athlete: The Animal Companion is good at chasing a target. If the Explorer is engaged in a foot-race or chase, they can use their Small or larger Companion to get a free Interference against a Competitor each Round.
12. Assistant Investigator: The Animal Companion becomes trained in investigations and can help the Explorer find clues. The Explorer can add their Animal Companion's Perception score to a Searching check.
13. Grapple Beast [Medium]: The Animal Companion is trained to aid the Explorer with a Grappling attack. If the Animal Companion is adjacent to a target enemy, and the Explorer makes a Grapple attempt, the Animal Companion can make 1 Free Attack against the Grappled target. Conversely if the Animal Companion is the same size as the target or greater, it can make a Grapple Check on its own with the dice pool equal to the Companion's Strength + the Explorer's Animal Handling skill.
14. Stealth Distraction [Small]: If the Explorer is engaged in a Stealth Mission, they can send their Small Companion to cause a Distraction. For this they can add their Animal Handling dice to their normal Distract dice pool: (Intelligence + Stealth + Animal Handling).
15. Tracking Animal: If the Explorer is tracking a target in the wild, they can add their Companion's Perception score as bonus dice to their Survival check roll to track a target. In addition, when engaged in a Survival Challenge to track a target, the party can move 1 more space towards the target on a Track result.
16. Accuracy Training [Repeatable]: The Animal Companion can treat 1 Focus Result as a Hit for attacks it makes per time this training is taken.
17. Toughness Training [Repeatable]: The Animal Companion gains 2 Hit Points for each time this training is taken.

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