When the Corporate Sector Authority needs a situation cleared up, the presence of the CSA troops is sometimes undesirable. Instead, the CSA might employ an independent operator, or troubleshooter. This person’s job is to investigate, evaluate, and resolve the kinds of problems the CSA would prefer not to devote many resources to. Usually, these situations require a bit more discretion than a squad of security troops can provide.
Common cases involve staging sting operations aimed at capturing smugglers, locating and retrieving criminally misdirected goods, and tracking down individuals who have somehow neglected to keep up with their credit line payments. Anywhere else in the galaxy, corporate troubleshooters would be private detectives and security specialists.
Corporate Troubleshooters neither hide their activities nor advertise their presence. They are not so much secret police as they are freelance detectives. Mobility is perhaps the most important prerequisite for troubleshooters. They frequently pursue missions outside the Corporate Sector, where CSA law doesn’t apply and CSA troops aren’t welcome. Even so, the ideal outcome on such a mission is to steer it back into Corporate Sector space, so there are no unpleasant confrontations with the Empire or Republic. Either way, the troubleshooter gets pad so long as she achieves the desired results without causing an interstellar incident.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Corporate Troubleshooter, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +4
Skills: Gather Information 6 ranks, Knowledge (Bureaucracy) 4 ranks, Survival 6 ranks
Feats: Corporate Credit Line
Reputation Bonus: +1
Corporate Sector Sympathy: +4
Special: Only characters who have joined the Corporate Sector can become Corporate Troubleshooters.
Game Rule Information
Vitality: A Corporate Troubleshooter gain 1d8 vitality points per level. The character’s Constitution modifier applies.
Class Skills
The Corporate Troubleshooter’s Class skills, and the key abilities for each skill, are as follows.
Bluff (Cha), Computer Use (Int), Craft* (Int), Disable Device (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge* (Int), Pilot (Dex), Repair (Int), Search (Int), Speak Language, Survival (Wis), Treat Injury (Wis)
*This skill actually encompasses a number of unrelated skills. Each time this skill is learned, a specific category must also be chosen.
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Class Features
The following are features of the Corporate Troubleshooter prestige class.
Starting Feats
The Corporate Troubleshooter gains the following feats.
Weapon Group Proficiency (Blaster Pistols)
Weapon Group Proficiency (Blaster Rifles)
Bonus Feat
At 1st level, and again at 4th level, the Corporate Troubleshooter gets a bonus feat. This feat must be drawn from the following list, and the Corporate Troubleshooter must meet any prerequisites.
Alertness, Cautious, Contact, Cosmopolitan, Diplomatic Immunity (Corporate Sector), Combat Expertise, Headstrong, Infamy, Influence, Low Profile, Persuasive, Political Pull, Premier Credit Line, Rugged, Shadow, Sharp-Eyed, Stealthy, Track, Zero-G Training
Contact
The Corporate Troubleshooter develops working relationships with Corporate Sector personnel and other, less reputable individuals throughout the Corporate Sector and a fair distance beyond. When a Corporate Troubleshooter gains a contact, the GM should develop a supporting character to represent the contact.
A contact will not accompany the Corporate Troubleshooter on missions or risk his or her life, but a contact can provide information or expert skills. The more powerful the contact is, the less time he or she has to offer the Corporate Troubleshooter. Whatever the case, Corporate Troubleshooter is not allowed to call on the same contact more than once per adventure. The Corporate Troubleshooter can have information contacts, expert contacts, and resource contacts as defined in Favors and Contacts.
Resource Access
At 3rd level, the Corporate Troubleshooter has access to a wide array of resources. Once per day, the Corporate Troubleshooter can make a Charisma check to use those resources.
The value of the resources gained equals the Corporate Troubleshooter’s class level x the result of the Charisma check x 20. Thus, a 4th-level Corporate Troubleshooter who rolled a 13 would gains 1,040 (4 x 13 x 20) credits’ worth of resources. These resources can take virtually any form the Corporate Troubleshooter chooses (within reason) and are his to do with as he pleases. The resources gained arrive in the Corporate Troubleshooter’s possession 1d6 hours after he makes the check. Note that these resources must be reasonably (though not necessarily commonly) available when and where he chooses to make the check. The Corporate Troubleshooter’s resource access can be combined with the noble’s resource access (but separate checks are required).
This class feature can only be used within the bounds of the Corporate Sector.
| Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Defense Bonus | Reputation Bonus |
| 1 | +0 | +1 | +1 | +1 | Bonus Feat | +1 | +1 |
| 2 | +1 | +2 | +2 | +2 | Contact | +2 | +2 |
| 3 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | Resource Access | +2 | +2 |
| 4 | +3 | +2 | +2 | +2 | Bonus Feat | +2 | +3 |
| 5 | +3 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Contract | +3 | +4 |
