Explorer Roles in Centaurus Gate
Centaurus Gate is a scifi themed RPG based on a rebuild of WEG's Star Wars D6 game and inspired heavily by Farscape. It draws on many concepts presented in Farscape and Stargate, all handled with a Buck Rogers pulp mentality. The game focuses on the adventures of a daring crew as they guide their starship into a galaxy far away. They are headed there to explore and seek fortune, a pioneer theme. Each player character is a crew member of the starship in question, taking on one or more roles as crew.
This page details all the available starting Explorer Roles for characters in the basic game of Centaurus Gate. When editing this page, follow the common conventions as the CGCS application compiles its database from the page itself (Yes if you add stuff here it gets plugged into the CGCS automatically :D).
Explorer Role Types
There are six types of roles in Centaurus Gate: Alien, Engineering, Leadership, Medical, Science, and Security. Each type of role has five ready to use roles listed under it, and a kit for making up your own that fit under that type. How you choose your roles depends on the type of explorer you decide to play. Regardless of the type though, an explorer may only have one role of a given type, though they may have more than one role. In this way you may take one role under Alien and one under Leadership, but not two under Leadership. Here are the three explorer types:
Gifted Human Explorer: Pick one role from under Engineer, Leader, Medical, Science, or Security. Your Explorer's Crisis Clock has a maximum of 12. You get 25 Role Points (RP) to spend. You get a bonus of 3d to assign to your Attributes.
Versatile Human Explorer: Pick two roles from under Engineer, Leader, Medical, Science, or Security (but only one under any type). Your Explorer's Crisis Clock has a maximum of 9. You get 50 Role Points (RP) to spend.
Recruited Alien Explorer: Pick one role from under Alien, and one role from under Engineer, Leader, Medical, Science, or Security. Your Explorer's Crisis Clock has a maximum of 9. You get 45 Role Points (RP) to spend.
There are six role types:
Alien roles cast your character as one of the five alien races which have openly allied with humanity in the Centaurus Expanse. They are meant to be taken as an additional role to one of the other types below. This is considered an optional role type and a crew need not have any present.
Engineer roles are all about the mechanical and technical aspects of everyday life on your trek. You choose an engineer role for your character to gain abilities which let them maintain and enhance ship systems as well as dabble in the areas of science. This is considered a primary role type, and one character (or more) should have it in your crew.
Leader roles are all about the managerial aspects of everyday life on your trek. You choose a leadership role for your character to gain abilities which let them support and assist other crew, and deal with issues such as diplomacy and bargaining. This is considered a primary role type, and one character (or more) should have it in your crew.
Medical roles are all about the health and biological aspects of everyday life on your trek. You choose a medical role for your character to gain abilities that let them heal injuries, treat disease, and understand the complex biology of life in the expanse. This is considered a secondary role type, you should have one or more characters with it in your crew if possible.
Science roles are all about understanding and knowledge, with a focus on practical application during your trek. You choose a science role for your character to gain abilities that let them figure out alien logic and technology, and even create interesting new technology with what you discover. This is considered a secondary role type, you should have one or more characters with it in your crew if possible.
Security roles are all about protection and tactical action in the everyday life on your trek. You choose a security role for your character to gain abilities that let them gain the upper hand in confrontations and even predict when those confrontations may happen. This is considered an optional role type and crew need not have any present.
Each Role is a configurable set of options, allowing you to tailor it as you see fit. Roles offer Aspect Concepts, Ability Packages, Attribute Modifiers, Endeavor Introductions, and Gear Options. You choose aspects first, and that tells you how many points you have left to buy packages from the role (ability sets, gear options).
Aspect Concepts: A concept for an Aspect provides some rules and an idea that lets you create a specific Aspect for your character. An Aspect is short phrase or description that paints the picture of your character in a broad scope “Cunning Deposed Hynerian Dominar” is one such aspect, as is “Tough as nails soldier turned Captain”.
Ability Packages: Every Role lists several packages for abilities. Each is a type of training or expertise in which your character is capable, and gives them
Abilities that represent that.
Attribute Modifiers: Roles always boost Attribute die codes. These are listed as bonus pips, ignoring dice. This means you won't see +1d but +3 instead. All roles under a type get a specific Attribute modifier, and then specific ones add additional. These are cumulative. You count in these modifiers after you calculate Secondary Attributes, not before. Indeed, they may even list Secondary Attributes as bonuses.
Edge Guidelines: You use these guidelines to determine when they the Edge in a given situation.
Endeavor Introductions: Each of these is a stub concept that you will take and refine into an endeavor for your character. You can always make your own freeform Endeavors later, but your first from any role should be based on one of the introductions.
Gear Options: Just like Ability Packages above, but these provided notable Gear for your crew member.
Issue Concepts: Each of these is a concept for an issue. These are starting ideas you will use to create something that challenges the character dramatically. When you take an issue, you will earn RP in return to spend during explorer creation. During play the Exec can freely introduce situations from said issue that challenge your explorer in a dramatic way.
You are free to spend your Role Points in any order you wish, but here is a suggested order for starting out:
Decide and pay for any Attribute Modifiers you want, discard and ignore the rest.
Decide and pay for any Aspect Concepts you want, discard and ignore the rest.
Pick Ability Packages you want and pay for those from Role Points.
Pick Gear Options you want and pay for those from Role Points.
Pick one free ability per leftover Role Point, never more than five (you must spend all but five).
In the end, all Role Points must be expended.
Alien Roles
Each Role below makes your crew member belong to a specific alien species encountered by humans when they first ventured into the Expanse. Each species has choose to ally with the human expeditions for their own reasons, and you are free to decide how they feel about the situation yourself. Regardless they have been taken in and trained by the Expedition Task Force (ETF), even gaining limited ability IsoTech crystals. Here is a quick summary of the five allied races:
-
In their natural environment, where the atmosphere is full of organic particles making for dense persistent fog, the Gaa Men float. Aboard ETF ships they are outfitted with a ribbon suit that enhances their strength. This species is larger than your typical human and has almost a fluffy appearance from their colorful fur. The Gaa Men are somewhat sloth like until called into action, and spend their time contemplating Science for the sake of science. Humans bounce between being bothered by their lethargy and worrying about their curious experiments.
-
A species of amazingly tenacious, patient, and large amphibians not unlike a cross between a salamander and Komodo dragon. Their mastery of medicine is amazing, due in no small part to their regenerative fluids being easily adapted to the tissues of other beings. Most humans think of their mentality as the most compassionate of all the five allied races, which surprises most (in contrast to their powerful form).
-
A race of small, quick mammals which almost resemble large Tasmanian devils. Their most obvious ability is their impressive dexterity and natural instincts, making them excellent at Security. Humans consider them a bit too aggressive and ill-tempered to trust too much. The truth is that the fighting instinct is strong in them, but that can and do control it, making them able allies.
-
The most highly evolved race encountered in the Expanse to date, the Kol Ten exist in an oscillation between energy and material states. Their material form seems at best like a fusion between organic matter and grey rock, standing very tall and very thin but still quite humanoid in shape. Their perspective is very removed from mundane concerns and their abilities tend to make them great Leaders.
-
A self-replicating mechanoid/android race that chooses other species to emulate in form. Regardless of the form they emulate, they are always diminutive versions of that form. All are impressive, natural Engineers. They are considered by humans to be a quiet, contemplative race with a strange sense of humor.
Engineer Roles
Introduction to specific Engineering roles
-
You have spent countless exploring the theories of energy as it relating to propulsion and ISO, and now you want to see what lies in the expanse. You know enough to know what can horribly wrong, which reminds you always to exercise caution.
-
-
You have spent years aboard ISO driven ships, learning all the parts and all the system. Faced with the challenges of others wanting more than what can be delivered, you had no choice but to embrace a cynical outlook of them.
-
-
You have become a creature of comfortable habit, spending your days maintaining your ship's systems to finely honed edge. Nothing would make you happier than just cruising the cosmos with your ship in perfect operation. Though now it looks like this expedition may just increase you workload, good thing you live for it!
Leader Roles
Introduction to specific Leadership roles:
-
You just couldn't see eye-to-eye with the leaders of the modern society and its values, though you never could decide to make all out war on that way of life. You are a complicated person, and now have been sent on this expedition in exile from the society that shuns you.
-
-
You have always been an amazing pilot, from the first time you took the controls in hand. Now you are sure that you are needed in the Expanse, no one can out-fly you when you have your focus on the prize.
-
You have seen many tours of combat in the Milky Way, ordered many men and women to die for the greater good. This is the stern backbone needed to survive an expedition into a dangerous territory, and the kind you can provide.
-
You have always been on the forefront of modern social reform, and with your charisma have amassed quite a following. You never could quite rectify though in your mind the personal cost of being such a paragon. Now perhaps you can escape all that, taking your ideas into a new realm where things will go better!
Medical Roles
Introduction to specific Medical roles:
-
You have dedicated your life to the art of Folding surgery, a complicated energy turned matter form of healing that can cure almost any injury given the right tools. Some people call you arrogant, you call it your right as the one with the power over life and death. You know you'll be needed in the Expanse, where strange, undiscovered injuries lurk around the corner. Perhaps people may even respect instead of despise you now.
-
-
-
You carefully balance the ideas of therapist and doctor well, never leaning too far in either direction. You are the person the crew comes to with all their problems, and you wouldn't have it any other way.
-
You are a trained medical professional and a fully capable doctor, that just isn't what drives you. You want cold hard credits more than respect or gratitude. The value of Medicine has made you much money, and who knows what you can achieve in the Expanse, its a new market!
Science Roles
Introduction to specific Science roles:
-
You aren't mad. They called you a mad scientist, perhaps it was just the laugh? You know your science is peculiar and so are your attitudes, but mad? No. Surely not. Well maybe your science will be better received in the Expanse. *crosses fingers*
-
-
It isn't that people are too dim to realize the power of logical and conclusions you reach, its just they don't take the time to think the logic through to completion. You'll fix that, one speech at a time. Even you know though that when push comes to shove you an effective part of the crew.
-
-
You turned your nose up when modern science dismissed the idea of a unified, universal theory to all aspects of the universe. You'll show them all the truth, there is one inclusive universal theory that governs all! All you'll need is discover proof in the Expanse.
Security Roles
Introduction to specific Security roles:
-
You have invested heavily in being the best for battle, trading some of your humanity for enhanced prowess. That is ok, since you need it for your bold mentality and take-charge attitude. There isn't anything you can't protect your crew from, and you aren't afraid to tell everyone about it.
-
You have been secretly recruited and trained by the ETF as an operative, but act as a regular security officer on your ship. You will succeed in your mission, failure isn't an option, and secrecy must be maintained at all costs until complete.
-
If you could only master your curious impulse, you would be the pinnacle of tactics and ingenuity in combat action. Whatever they say though, your curiosity can be a strength is managed properly. You'll show them how during your mission in the Expanse.
-
You aren't much for words, instead you speak with actions. Many call you barbaric and cruel, but that is not the truth. You'll just defend the people important to you with your force, and obey your code of honor without forcing it on others. You'll be needed in the Expanse, you are certain.
-
You were one of the best Bounty Hunters in the galaxy, and now you have found a new exciting line of work to further hone your smarts. Out in the Expanse your skill set is perfect, and you'll be the one the others count on when the chips are down.
Roles
Alien: Gaa'Men
Alien: Guu'Emm'Shee
Attribute Boost Choices (Pick 1 to 3):
+3 Strength (5 RP)
+3 Knowledge (5 RP)
Adjustment: All Guu Emm Shee gain +1d Strength. The crew member may also fuel their healing of others by using their own fluids, taking one harm (just harm, not a condition) to add +3d to their test.
Ability Packages:
Medicine 101 (5 RP): Medicine(Human); Medicine(Astral); Medicine(Exotic); Science (Biology); Observation(Biology);
Part-time Warrior (5 RP): Weapon(Blaster); Weapon(Claw Blade); Tactics(Space); Tactics(Land); First Aid;
Jungle Raised (3 RP): Athletics; Gymnastics, Acrobatics;
Gladiator Training (2 RP): Unarmed Combat(Dragon Style); Wrestling;
Aspect Concepts:
Edge Guidelines:
Gear Options:
Endeavor Introductions:
Alien: Huu'Shoo'Whee
Alien: Kol'Ten
Alien: Taak'Rhay
Attribute Boost Choices (Pick 1 to 3):
+2 Dexterity (5 RP)
+2 Perception (5 RP)
+2 Technical (5 RP)
+3 Strength (5 RP)
+3 Knowledge (5 RP)
+3 Mechanical (5 RP)
Adjustment: All get -5 RP for any one of their roles, and gain the ability to make the Exec reroll all Failure dice once on any action related to engineering.
Ability Packages:
ISOtech's Pretty (5 RP): Encoding; Hacking; Systems; Technology; Engineer(ISOtech);
Astral's Pretty (5 RP): Knowledge(Galactic); Language(Astral); Engineer(Astral); Mechanic(Astral);
Biology is Neat (3 RP): Knowledge(Biology); Medicine(Human); Language(Human);
Mechanoid Programming (2 RP): Engineer(Mechanoid); Mechanic(Mechanoid);
Aspect Concepts:
Edge Guidelines:
The Taak Rhay always gain Edge when
Astral intelligent entities are the focus of situation.
Gear Options:
Endeavor Introductions:
Engineer: Cautious Theoretical Thinker
Engineer: Crazed Inventor
Engineer: Cynical Engine Expert
Engineer: Greedy Gadget Collector
Engineer: Peaceful Ship Caretaker
Leader: Complex Exiled Visionary
Leader: Converted Tramp Smuggler
Leader: Hopeful Gifted Pilot
Leader: Resolute Combat Veteran
Leader: Troubled Social Luminary
Medical: Arrogant Folding Surgeon
Medical: Conflicted Healer
Medical: Driven Xenobiologist
Medical: Honorable Doctor and Confidante
Medical: Keen Medicine Trader
Science: Animated Peculiar Scientist
Science: Enterprising Historian
Science: Evangelist Logical Thinker
Science: Obsessed Scholar
Science: Universal Theory Proponent
Security: Bold Augmented Soldier
Security: Covert ETF Operative
Security: Curious Tactical Genius
Security: Quiet Honorable Warrior
Security: Smart Retired Bounty Hunter
Common Explorer Issues
These issues are primarily managed by the Exec, and when they rear their head, something interesting (if not horrible) is bound to happen. Each issue connects your explorer to a part of the fiction in a way that may come to haunt them during the course of the game. Choosing one or more of these is a way to get more RP to start with a richer explorer, but is telling the Exec to bring the drama home to roost as you play. For every issue you take (never more than three) you earn 10 RP to spend.
Hunted: A powerful group, organization, collective, or what not has their sights on your explorer. Loosely offer up an idea of why this might be. You need not define who is hunting your explorer, just why whoever is doing so might be doing it.
Cursed: Your explorer is like everyone else, it is just that when things go wrong for them, they go really wrong. Loosely define a single instance in their personal history where fate screwed them over royally.
Bewildering: It isn't that your explorer is out to get anyone, it is just that they seem to be constantly misunderstood do to a lack of communication or miscommunication. Regardless, it isn't uncommon that someone misunderstands them and thinks the wrong thing about them or their actions. Loosely define a reason why this is the case, think of how they act that is misunderstood and misconstrued.
Fervent: Your explorer just lacks impulse control when something they want or are interested in comes their way (from people to hobbies). Loosely define the most recent thing that captivated them almost entirely.
Foolhardy: While not outright crazy, your explorer has a lack of respect for danger and risk. They will dive head in regardless the threats, given a valid reason to do so. Loosely define what kind of extreme action it takes to stop them in their tracks.
Broken: In everyday activities, and even when the shit hits the fan, your explorer can hack it. In their past though, something horribly happened to them and they have never quite recovered. Loosely define what tragedy they faced and what might trigger them to relapse in despair once again.
Secrets: Your explorer has one or more secrets close to their heart. These aren't the kind of things that would just ruin their life, but would ruin many people's lives if they come out. Loosely define what (or who) the secrets are about.
Scheme: While the other explorers just came out to the Expanse under orders, not your explorer. They have a private scheme, a plan for action that they must see to personally out here in the void. Loosely define a personal goal for your explorer, and a vague idea of how they are going to go about it. This plan can't be inline with the ETF's goals.
Ability Definitions
Role Construction Rules
Costs in RP:
Attribute Boosts always cost 5 RP, and are +2/+3 depending on particular attribute:
Ability Packages cost 1 RP per Ability included, with the exception that multiple specifics can be included with 3 for the price of 2 RP. So you could have 3 languages for 2 RP worth. Ability Packages must cost 2 RP, 3 RP, or 5 RP in total.
Gear Options cost 1 to 5 RP and give you two minor items for 1 RP, one moderate item for 1 RP, and a major item for 2 RP. See
Standards for more details.
Aspect Concepts always cost 5 RP and provide one specific rule that can be applied in play, these vary widely.
Random Role Table
For the people that want to roll a random role for their characters, roll a d6 and d10, consult the table: