Section 2. Professions and Skills

The revised skill system combines the Primary Skill Areas (PSA) from Alpha Dawn Expanded Rules with the Professions of Zebulon’s Guide. Professions describe the field of work a character engages in, while PSAs describe clusters of related skills for which a character has a certain knack or aptitude. There are four traditional professions (Enforcer, Techex, Explorer, Scispec) and several new professions and PSAs (Spacer, Mentalist, Administrator, Counselor, Investigator, Rogue). Each profession has three or four PSAs associated with it, representing skills that are typically associated with that profession.

When creating characters, choose a profession and three PSAs. You can customize your character by choosing ANY three PSAs: all three from the character’s profession, two from the profession and one from another, or all three from different professions. If your character has at least two PSAs from one profession, then he or she receives the automatic bonus skill associated with that profession. Otherwise, no bonus skill is awarded, and the character has no concrete profession to speak of.

Characters start out with 20 XP instead of the 10 listed in Zebulon’s Guide. All skills listed within the character’s three PSAs are available for learning at in-profession cost. All optional skills listed under each profession are available at in-profession cost at the referee’s discretion. All other skills are considered to be out-of-profession in terms of cost. See Table 5. Skill Costs for the cost scale.

Four Professions from Zebulon’s Guide

Optional skills listed after each profession are presented here as guides for referees in determining likely professional areas that the optional skills detailed later in this document would pertain to. As always, using these skills and figuring out where they might fit into a campaign is at the referee’s own discretion.

Enforcer (Military in AD)

PSAs: Combat Specialist, Special Operations, Security Specialist

Automatic skill for choosing at least 2 Enforcer PSAs: Endurance

Combat Specialist Special Operations Security Specialist
Body Speak
Pumping Federanium
Running
Weapons: Beam Weapons
Weapons: Demolitions
Weapons: Grenades
Weapons: Martial Arts
Weapons: Melee Weapons
Weapons: Missiles
Weapons: P.G.S. Weapons
Weapons: Powered Assault Armor
Vehicles: Cars
Body Speak
Camouflage
Concealment
Forgery: Forge
Vehicles: Aquatic
Vehicles: Atmospheric
Vehicles: Cars
Vehicles: Cycles Security
Weapons: Demolitions
Weapons: Missiles
Weapons: P.G.S. Weapons
Weapons: Repair
Body Speak
Communication Devices: Operate
Cryptography
Forgery – Detect
Law
Photography
Robotics: Activate/Deactivate
Security Systems: Activate & Operate
Security Systems: Deactivate
Security Systems: Detect
Security Systems: Open Locks
Vehicles: Transports

Optional skills to consider: Ballistics, Blind-Fighting, Crossfire, Dirty Fighting, Interrogation, Investigation, Offhand firing, Style Analysis, Surveillance, Toxicology, Vehicles: Stunt Driving, Weapons: Mass Destruction

Techex (Technological in AD)

PSAs: Engineer, Roboticist, Technician

Automatic skill for choosing at least 2 Techex PSAs: Agility

Engineer

Roboticist

Technician

Acoustics

Chemistry

Computers: Access & Operate

Engineer: Alternate Energy

Engineer: Architectural

Engineer: Civil

Engineer: Hydraulic

Engineer: Mechanical

Engineer: Military

Engineer: Nuclear

Optics

Physics

Computers: Access & Operate
Robotics: Activate/Deactivate
Robotics: Alter Functions
Robotics: Alter Mission
Robotics: Identification
Robotics: List Functions
Robotics: Modifications
Robotics: Remove Security Locks
Robotics: Repair
Robotics: Robopsychologist
Power Read
Vehicles: Machinery

Communication Devices: Operate
Communication Devices: Repair
Computers: Repair Mainframe
Computers: Repair Bodycomp
Computers: Repair Specialized
Machinery: Operate
Machinery: Repair
Power Read
Vehicles: Machinery
Vehicles: Repair
Vehicles: Transports
Weapons: Repair

Optional Skills to consider: Astrophysics, Defenses: Repair, Engineer: Electrical, Mathematics, Matter Transferal Devices

Scispec (Biosocial in AD)

PSAs: Computer Specialist, Scientist, Physician

Automatic skill for choosing at least 2 Scispec PSAs: Intelligence

Computer Specialist	Scientist	Physician
Computers: Access & Operate Computers: Bypass Security Computers: Defeat Security Computers: Display Information Computers: Interface Computers: Program Manipulation Computers: Program Writing Computers: Program Bodycomp Computers: Repair Bodycomp Computers: Repair Mainframe Computers: Repair Specialized Power Read	Acoustics Biology Bionics Botany Chemistry Cybernetics Exobiology Forensic Genetics Optics Physics Zoology	Medical Devices Medical Diagnosis Medical Treatment: Disease Medical Treatment: Infection Medical Treatment: Infestation Medical Treatment: Miscellaneous Medical Treatment: Poison Medicine Medical Treatment: Radiation Medical Treatment: Wounds I Medical Treatment: Wounds II Medical Treatment: Wounds III Medical Treatment: Wounds IV

Optional Skills to consider: Academics, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Cartography, Computers: Software Engineer, Mathematics, Personality Restructuring, Psychotherapy, Toxicology

Explorer (Biosocial in AD)

PSAs: Wilderness Expert, Diplomat, System Specialist

Automatic skill for choosing at least 2 Explorer PSAs: Charisma

Wilderness Expert	Diplomat	System Specialist
Analyze Animal Behavior Animal Taming Animal Training Climbing Find Directions Making Items/Structures Medical Treatment: Veterinary Ride Mount Stable Mounts Stealth s Survival Tracking	Appraisal Bluff Communication Communication Devices: Operate Dramatics Disguise Empathic Understanding Haggling Persuasion Politics Society Stealth	Ecosystems Archaeology Biology Botany Empathic Understanding Gemology Genetics Geology Geophysics Psycho-Pathology Theology Zoology

Optional Skills to consider: Academics, Alertness, Blind-Fighting, Cartograpy, Diplomacy, Dirty Fighting, Locale Familiarity, Silent Kill, Swimming, Surveillance, Underclass, Underwater Operations

General Category (Individual PSA)

Skill Name

Chef

Dramatics

Entertaining

Finance

Gemology

Photography

Politics

Power Read

Pumping Federanium

Society

Running

Theology

Optional skills to consider: Academics, Acrobatics, Alertness, Escape Artistry, Etiquette, Fine Arts, Gambling, General Lore, Iron Will, Languages I, Languages II, Lip Reading, Locale Familiarity, Occult Knowledge, Off-Hand Firing, Pick Pockets, Recreation, Sensor Ops, SOSO, Stage Magic, Swimming, Trade, Underclass, Vehicles: Stunt Driving, Ventriloquism

Optional Profession : Mentalists

Mentalist is an optional path for character creation that retains some of the original features from Zebulon’s Guide, but with some overhauling of the system. The major changes are outlined below:

Characters must have 75 Logic or higher to create a Mentalist character. During character creation, Mentalists can choose all four Mentalist PSAs or two Mentalist PSAs and one outside PSA. Mentalists who choose the “2 Mentalist, 1 Outside PSA” method can still choose skills from the other two Mentalist PSAs but only at out-of profession cost. Mentalists who choose the “all 4 Mentalist PSAs” method can choose skills outside the Mentalist PSA, but only at out-of-profession cost.

Enlightened characters choose one PSA from the Mentalist profession and two PSAs from other areas. They can never learn any Mentalist skills from the other three Mentalist PSAs, but they can use XPs normally to pick skills and raise levels from their chosen Mentalist PSA. Enlightened characters, like Mentalists, must have a Logic score at character creation of 75 or higher.
All other characters can never choose Mentalist skills.

PSA’s: Psychoenergist, Psychomaterialist, Empath, Telepath

Psychoenergist (“Generator”)	Pyschomaterialist ("Manipulator")	Empath ("Sensitive")	Telepath ("Dominator")
Channeling I Channeling II Cryokinesis Electrascreen Infrascreen Levitation Pyrokinesis Static Truesight	Density Disruption Heal Others Heal Self Heal Self Fully Telekinesis Telemanipulation Teleportation: Limited Teleportation: Unlimited Trance I Trance II	Analysis I Analysis II Clairaudience Clairvoyance Empathy File Telepathy: Aliens Telepathy: Animalse Telepathy: Character Timeread	Beam Confusion Detection Fear Illusion Infatuation Link Paralyze Shield Suggestion Trap

(Note: the second name in parentheses is the slang term for such a specialist.)

Optional Profession: Spacer

Spacer (formerly Knight Hawks)
PSAs: Pilot, Engineer, Astrogator, Gunnery

Spacers can pick up to three of the four PSAs when choosing this profession. Automatic skill for choosing at least 2 Spacer PSAs: Adroitness

Pilot	Engineer
Communication Devices: Operate Computers: Access & Operate Physics Sensor Ops SOSO Star Pilot I Star Pilot II Star Pilot III Star Pilot IV Star Pilot: Evasion Star Pilot: Increase Accuracy of FF Weapons Star Pilot: Increase Maneuver Rating Survival: Zero G Vehicles: Space Weightless Combat	Computers: Access & Operate Engineer: Nuclear Engineer: Hydraulic Engineer: Mechanical Engineering: Damage Control Engineering: Ship Design Engineering: Stress Analysis Machinery: Operate Machinery: Repair Power Read Sensor Ops SOSO Survival: Zero G Vehicles: Space Weightless Combat

Astrogator	Gunnery
Astrogation: Chart New Routes Astrogation: Find Location Astrogation: Plot Interstellar Jumps Astrogation: Risk Jumping Astronomy Astrophysics Communication Devices: Operate Computers: Access and Operate Computers: Display Information Optics Sensor Ops SOSO Survival: Zero-G Weightless Combat	Computers: Access & Operate Gunnery: Beam Weapons Gunnery: Rocket Weapons Gunnery: Selective Targeting Optics Physics Sensor Ops SOSO Survival: Zero-G Weapons: Missiles Weapons: PGS Weapons: Beam Weightless Combat Weapons: Mass Destruction

Optional Individual PSAs

PSAs that are not associated with a profession are still valid categories of skills and are organized around themes (denoted by their titles). Characters may use any PSA as one of their three PSAs, but the following ones do not (in and of themselves) imbue the character with any automatic skills like professions do. Referees may use their discretion in allowing or modifying the PSAs offered here.

Administrator	Counselor
Analyze social system Analyze business system Bluff Communication Diplomacy Economics Etiquette Finance Haggling Management Persuasion Politics	Academics (Mental Healthcare) Analyze Social Systems Empathic Understanding Hypnosis Medical Devices Medical Diagnosis Personality Restructuring Persuasion Psychopathology Psychotherapy Theology Robotics: Robopsychologist

Investigator	Rogue
Ballistics Cryptography Forensic Medicine Forgery: Detect Interrogation Investigation Law Locale Familiarity Security Systems: Activate & Operate Surveillance Toxicology Weapons: PGS Weapons	Appraisal Bluff Dirty Fighting Disguise Forgery: Detect & Perform Gambling Pick Pockets Security Systems: Activate & Operate Security Systems: Detect Stealth Underclass Weapons: Melee