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Warmachines of 2089

Earth 2089

Behind Enemy Lines -Kazakhstan

Armoured Companies

The High Frontier

‘Meet The Challenge Head On!’

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Lead Pilot August Hahn

Prototype Designer Matthew Sprange

Tactical Commander Ian Barstow

Squad Leader Paul Tucker

Strategic Command Alexander Fennell

Exterior Image Designers Brent Chumley, Scott Clark

Interior Image Designers Phil Renne, Scott Clark, Stephen Cook,

Stephen Shepherd, Vincent Hie

Quality Assurance Ted Chang

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This printing of Soldier’s Companion is done under version 1.0 of the Open Game Licence and the draft versions of the D20 System Trademark Licence, D20 System Trademark Logo Guide and System Reference Document by permission from Wizards of the Coast ®. Dungeons & Dragons ® and Wizards of the Coast ® are Registered Trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the United States and other countries and are used with permission. ‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are Trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast and are used according to the terms of the d20 System Licence version 5.0. A copy of the Licence can be found at www.wizards.com/d20. The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned. Portions of Soldier’s Companion are Open Game Content licensed with version 1.0a of the Open Gaming Licence (see below). Printed in China

Designation of Product Identity: All WarMek and other corporation names and the names of all Warmeks are declared as Product Identity.

Designation of Open Game Content: With the exception of Product Identity, the text of all paragraphs and tables containing mechanics and statistics derivative of the Open Game Content and the System Reference Document are considered to be Open Game Content. All game mechanics and statistics derivative of Open Game Content and the d20 System Reference Document are to be considered Open Gaming Content, excepting Product Identity, as described above. All other signifi cant characters, names, places, items, art and text herein are copyright Mongoose Publishing. All rights reserved. If you have any questions on the Open Game Content of this product, please contact Mongoose Publishing for clarifi cation.

2 Contents

Introduction 3

A Soldier’s Life 4 The Advanced Operative 28

Soldier Feats 54

Covert Missions 62

Equipment 87

Power Armour 112

Unconventional Warfare 121Sa

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33Introduction

WarMeks. They stride onto the battlefi eld as if they owned it, mostly because they do. The source of the WarMeks’ power is also

their weakness; they are so big that they are easy to spot. Despite any technological advancement to hide a WarMek’s presence, the ground still shakes with every step. A Mek is not so good to stage an ambush, or to perform rescue operations in confi ned spaces, nor are their attacks exactly surgical. WarMeks are a big, blunt tool of destruction.

However, military affairs are not limited to the obliteration of large patches of land along with the enemy force that was on it; there are operations where the assets are not sheer fi repower but precision, adaptability, speed, stealth and rapid response. For such missions, military forces around the world still train and deploy the oldest and most versatile machine of war: the soldier.

While displaced from the spotlight by offi cers, who command the might of war vehicles –from tanks and aircraft to the WarMeks themselves, – soldiers are still an indispensable force in any army, national, private or mercenary. WarMek pilots consider infantry the bottom rung of the military ladder, used to squashing them like bugs under the tonnage of their machines and watching their manoeuvres as those of insects. But soldiers know better. They know that they are no match for a Mek in direct confrontation, but they also know that Meks just cannot do some of the tasks they carry out with their eyes closed. A WarMek may deal with diffi cult terrain, but it will never beat the mobility of rangers; they can infi ltrate enemy positions, but not with the profi ciency and sheer inconspicuousness of an advance recon squad. A WarMek’s sensors may collect a lot of electronic information, but it will never beat the infi ltration specialists in the depth of its discoveries. A team of WarMeks will fl atten an enemy building, but they lack the fi nesse of the Special Forces that will get inside to rescue the hostages, disable anti-Mek and anti-aerial defences and leave none-the-wiser.

As the end of the 21st century draws near, the power of the individual soldier remains as strong as ever, except that it is being applied where such strength works best.

Small operations by all sides in the Armageddon War are conducted by soldiers, not Meks. Whether they are open assaults, covert operations or the dirty tactics of unconventional warfare, it is people on foot who are sent to perform them, armed with the latest of personal weaponry and equipment. Where the WarMeks are the sword, soldiers are the scalpel.

The Soldier’s CompanionThis rules supplement is a comprehensive collection of options for infantry-type characters in the Armageddon 2089 roleplaying game. The characters may be soldiers or offi cers from any branch of the military, but they have one thing in common: they face combat face to face, unprotected by tons of armour and weaponry. Whether working for a nation, a corporation or as part of a mercenary company, soldiers are the very defi nition of versatility, choosing their careers in different fi elds of warfare, including covert operations and military intelligence as much as special forces and demolitions training.

The Soldier’s Companion opens the way to play campaigns focusing on the subtler aspects of war, far from the deafening roar of WarMek weapons. The fi rst chapter offers a peek into the meaning of being a soldier in a world where wars are fought between metal titans; who the soldiers are and what they do to stay alive. The Advanced Operative presents prestige classes for soldier and offi cer characters, broadening their fi elds of expertise while specialising their talents along a certain area of personal combat and general warfare. New feats follow, with options for honing an operative’s skills. Covert Missions explores the shady world of espionage and infi ltration, while Unconventional Warfare gives you a look at the dirty side of war: black ops and irregular warfare. Personal Equipment provides soldiers with new tools to improve their performance, while Power Armour describes the highly experimental miniature Meks, the fi ghting chance of infantry against WarMeks.

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Let us face it. Soldiers seem to be on the way out in the days of WarMeks, but soldiers are much more than little specks on the battlefi eld, covered in gear

and wielding a puny assault rifl e. Soldiers are the base and essence of an army. The fi ghting men and women of any national, corporate or mercenary force are the core of their organisation’s strength.

Choosing a soldier’s life is a decision with serious ramifi cations, especially during times of war but many young men and women still hear the clarion’s call and join the armed forces whether out of necessity, greed or a true desire to serve their country. Given the unstable situation of world economics, a military career is one of the few options to ensure employment and a steady income, if not from constant service, at least for assignment opportunities.

Although the quintessential image of the soldier is the infantry trooper, there are several roles that any person may fulfi l in a military organisation, depending on his skills and the nature of the organisation itself. The less obvious positions are the administrative ones, with military offi ces all over the world staffed with clerks able (and often willing) to shoot a gun. Even on the battlefi eld, there are several career options for the soldier to take, exemplifi ed in the various training packages offered to soldiers after basic training.

By 2089, there are three main sources of employment and training for persons wishing to pursue a military career: enlisting in their country’s army, hiring out to corporate security or join a mercenary company.

State ArmiesWith confl ict escalating in intensity between the United States and the European Federation, governments have stepped up the ways in which they strengthen their numbers. Open recruitment is certain to get the more dedicated individuals, but mandatory military service, conscription and drafting have been in full force for years now, ensuring that a nation will have some form of defence in its civilian citizens while risking the true soldiers out in the front lines.

Soldiers in the service of a state army are disciplined for the most part; they have a long history behind them to draw a tradition from, which does wonders for group

morale and motivation. The army culture in the European Federation still harkens back to notions of honour and tradition, while United States troops rally behind the more abstract and easily-misunderstood concepts of freedom and democracy. The rest of the world’s armed forces display a mixture of both positions, depending on

how close they are to either superpower.

Through blunders and inspiration, the leaders of national armies have slowly learned to adapt to the changing times, and the leaders of the infantry and ground forces more than anybody else, faced with a new and overwhelming threat called ‘WarMek’. Army soldiers receive better training in anti-Mek combat tactics as they expect to need it more often than corporate or mercenary soldiers, as they will be guarding sensitive targets prone to assault by Meks.

Only the best and brightest are trained for covert operations, learning to work alone or in very small teams. They stand apart from the rank and fi le of the army and, if they live long enough, become the stuff of legends.

The perks for enlisting in an army are decent, but do not ensure a life of luxury. An army soldier can look forward to good health care for himself and his family, one of the main reasons some people enlist, along with housing loans or a chance to move into army-owned department complexes and neighbourhoods. A retirement pension is included, increasing in worth as the soldier climbs in rank.

Draftees receive the same pay and benefi ts as enlisted personnel, but their voluntary comrades look down on them until they prove their worth in actual combat.

Corporate SecurityThe rise of the trans-national corporation as a semi-autonomous entity began in the mid-20th century and began consolidating by the century’s end. It employed retired army personnel mostly for consulting jobs on site security and training. American companies were the fi rst to employ full-blown military units to protect their overseas installations as the United States began withdrawing its presence abroad, so that their interests would remain protected in more active ways. First employing the services of fl ourishing mercenary companies, corporations soon realised the benefi ts of literally having their own private army, and extended permanent contracts to the soldiers of fortune they had been hiring on a freelance basis. Thus corporate armies became the new players in international confl icts.

The corporate sector is happy to welcome retired soldiers from any army, who migrated in droves

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5after the privatisation of the U.S. Army into General Defence Corporation, effectively lifting many of the legal restrictions of retired soldiers working abroad. Experienced and battle-hardened men and women are given higher rank within a corporation’s security department, something that attracts many disenchanted offi cers and frustrated soldiers. The second tier of corporate armies consists on ‘fresh employees’, who would receive the name of ‘rookie recruit’ or ‘fresh meat’ had they enlisted on a national army. They wish to undergo combat training but are not quite as keen on being sent to war and the corporate sector offers a chance for similar training and better pay, with relatively fewer risks. Such rookies are of a lesser quality than even national army draftees, with the phrase ‘I’m not paid enough for this’ being a constant amongst them. Veteran soldiers treat them worse than they treated draftees, but now and then a rookie will prove his worth and be promoted both on paper and prestige.

Corporate soldiers have a more individualistic bent than their counterparts in state and mercenary forces, their group tactics are average to poor and there is not quite the same sense of camaraderie found in the other kinds of armies. Offi ce politics have slowly trickled down to the security departments of many corporations, and many offi cers and soldiers are accomplished backstabbers. Calling them ‘mercenaries’ would be an insult to the personnel of true mercenary companies. Not that everything is bad in the private sector. Corporate soldiers travel a lot if they prove their usefulness, going from one branch offi ce to the next, either serving as effective security forces or training local personnel.

Corporations wage small wars of their own. The largest ones can never be sure if the latest attack on one of their facilities was paid for by an enemy faction willing to cripple their countries’ infrastructure or by a rival company who, to date, have used their private armies for defence only, hiring mercenaries for offensive actions against their competitors. In these silent wars, industrial espionage and sabotage are quite common, granting retired or even rogue covert operatives a chance to ply their trade away from state interests. Governments worry with just cause that corporations are now acquiring the know-how of top covert operations and may soon be training their own intelligence corps.

The paycheques are fatter and the perks are better than the national armies offer but, then again, corporations do not keep the same number of troops as countries. Depending on the company, soldiers may receive the same housing and loan arrangements as other employees.

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Mercenary CompaniesMercenaries have existed since shortly after the fi rst organised armies sprang from a nascent empire, but came into their own during the Middle Ages, where ‘free companies’ terrorised the countryside when they had no client to pay for their services. Due to their excesses, the term ‘mercenary’ gained a very negative connotation, with its equivalent of ‘sell-sword’ becoming a synonym for ‘traitor’. Lone mercenaries calling themselves ‘soldiers of fortune’ became the norm during the late 20th century, when the veterans of many small wars retired without the ability or disposition to live in civilian society. As the culture of war shifted from direct confrontation to long-distance and impersonal engagements, governments, and later corporations, shed the last remnants of reticence about hiring mercenaries to do their dirty work. Mercenary companies were back in force.

In light of the bragging of WarMek pilots, soldiers claim that the fi rst modern mercenary companies were Special Forces units, usually groups of friends who worked together while in service and formed a company after they retired, voluntarily or otherwise. The less scrupulous started working for criminal organisations and thus causing serious trouble to law e n f o r c e m e n t o f f i c e r s w i t h o u t h e a v y c o m b a t training, but

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