Multiple Professions

[CmdrBluejeans]

The one thing I'm curious to know is this -- is the generic 'starship officer' template a separate Elite profession from the 'starship [X] officer' profession? Because there are two separate 'sets' of professional skills listed for each Starship Officer profession -- the ones they get for the specific profession and the ones for being a Starship Officer in general.

There are some important things to think of with this -- how the multiple profession rule affects it, how the various professional abilities that give a bonus to Courage expenditures on 'professional abilities' affect it, and so on. So it's worth thinking about.

Example: Chief Warrant Officer Degras Dra was an Andorian duelist and Am Tal agent, before he signed on to Starfleet as a deep cover identity for a long-term operation. He was a Rogue, effectively, earning the prerequisite skills of a Starship Security Officer during several tours of experience. Does Mister Dra's list of available professional skills include the ones from the generic 'starship officer' list? Are those professional abilities available to him?

[Tar-Palantir]

Originally posted by CmdrBluejeans
The one thing I'm curious to know is this -- is the generic 'starship officer' template a separate Elite profession from the 'starship [X] officer' profession? Because there are two separate 'sets' of professional skills listed for each Starship Officer profession -- the ones they get for the specific profession and the ones for being a Starship Officer in general.

There are some important things to think of with this -- how the multiple profession rule affects it, how the various professional abilities that give a bonus to Courage expenditures on 'professional abilities' affect it, and so on. So it's worth thinking about.

Example: Chief Warrant Officer Degras Dra was an Andorian duelist and Am Tal agent, before he signed on to Starfleet as a deep cover identity for a long-term operation. He was a Rogue, effectively, earning the prerequisite skills of a Starship Security Officer during several tours of experience. Does Mister Dra's list of available professional skills include the ones from the generic 'starship officer' list? Are those professional abilities available to him?

I'm sure if I'm wrong on this Doug or someone else will correct me, but here's how I believe it works:

Your character Degras Dra is a Rogue - that is his basic profession. He cannot have more than one basic profession, and Starship officer is a basic profession - so no, he can't get those professional abilities (although there are some edges that get around that, I believe).

If he qualifies, he CAN take any of the Starfleet Elite Professions, just like any regular Starship Officer can. Since he would lack Starship Duty, he would have to have all the prerequisites listed for the given elite profession in question. Note that the Player's Guide errata indicates that the text for the elite Starfleet professions should read Starship Duty **OR** blah, blah +2, etc.

The essential thing to get is that Starship Officer is a Basic Profession, all the others are elite. It's mentioned in not so many words in the description for Starship officer.



Hope this helps.

[Sea Tyger]

Tar is correct; Starship Officer is a basic profession. Degras would not have that skill list available to him as professional skills if he took a starship officer elite profession.

[Doug Burke]

As ST said, Tar is right.

This is one of the reasons I went with the LOTR-style multiplke professions in my own game. I've never really like the restriction on multiple basic professions.

[AslanC]

I too agree in allowing moe than 1 basic professiosn in my game.

I see it like this;

Jack Porter was a smuggler for the Orion syndicate who had control of his planet. So he was a Rogue basic professions.

Eventually (say at the age of 18 or 20) he meets a Starfleet officer, after they bust the Syndicate on Jack's planet. This inspres Jack to join Starfleet. The officer sponsors him, so in my game spend 5 picks and get the new basic profession.

Not for everyone I am sure, but allows for what I want out of a game

YMMV

[Doug Burke]

If you want some more input on how to work it, see my first post on the thread for how I work it in my game...

[AslanC]

Here's what I do for Starship officers. You can only buy Starship Duty once for each Elite Profession, after that if you leave an EP and want back in, you can't buy the Starship Duty again, but must pay the 5 picks. It is the price of being a dilettante. So if you were to join Science Officer, you could buy Starship Duty (Sciences), you dig?

So in summation, there remains the basic Starship Duty Pro Ability for Starship Officer, but since there are no stacking bonuses, each new buy has a specialty.

Again, YMMV

[CmdrBluejeans]

Originally posted by Sea Tyger
Tar is correct; Starship Officer is a basic profession. Degras would not have that skill list available to him as professional skills if he took a starship officer elite profession.

Thanks. I actually just used 'Degras' as an example of several such PCs in my game. However, this brings to mind an interesting spin-off question.

Right now, I have two or three PCs IMC who have switched from one branch toanother. Our Captain, for instance, started off as a Security Officer. So, technically, then, by the ruling that the Starship Officer profession is a Basic profession separate from any Starship X Officer elite profession, Captain Ibanez technically has three professions right now: Starship Officer, Security Officer, Command Officer. And he must choose in which two of these he actively advances?

If that's the case, boy, my have been advancing improperly for months. I have heretofore considered the Starship Officer profession to be a template that gets *added* to the Elite Professions. But I can see the argument the other way, and since I'm about hitting the point-inflation mark where my PCs are pulling off the near-impossible on a regular basis without breaking a sweat, I may throw this down to slow down the point inflation a bit.

Thanks, fellas.


CMDRBJ

[Doug Burke]

Originally posted by CmdrBluejeans
Right now, I have two or three PCs IMC who have switched from one branch toanother. Our Captain, for instance, started off as a Security Officer. So, technically, then, by the ruling that the Starship Officer profession is a Basic profession separate from any Starship X Officer elite profession, Captain Ibanez technically has three professions right now: Starship Officer, Security Officer, Command Officer. And he must choose in which two of these he actively advances?

That's it exactly.