Not every sharpshooter is born an Operative. Survival demands versatility. The Operative Archetype represents the "cross-training" that happens when a Soldier spends too much time in the Frontier, or when a Mystic realizes that a well-placed bullet saves mana.
Operative Archetype
Source Player Core pg. 177
You’re a professional with crack aim and lethal instincts.
Operative Dedication Feat 2
Archetypes Operative
Prerequisites: Dexterity +2
You become trained in simple and martial guns. You become trained in operative class DC.
You gain the Aim action, it doesn't deal additional damage, but still reduces the bonus to AC your mark gains from cover (which does not increase as you gain levels).
Operative Feats
Level 4
Basic Gunner: You demonstrate the capabilities of an Operative.
Non-Combat Applications
The Silent Heavy: A Soldier with Operative training learns that sometimes, not firing is the best tactic. They gain the stealth to position their heavy weapons in the perfect ambush spot before the fight begins.
The Arcane Thief: A Technomancer or Witchwarper takes this archetype to gain Thievery and Stealth, allowing them to hack physical locks as easily as they hack digital ones. They become the ultimate infiltrators, using magic to bypass sensors and skills to bypass doors.
The Perceptive Face: An Envoy or Bard uses the expert Perception to read rooms not just for social cues, but for physical threats—spotting the hidden assassin at the banquet before the first toast is proposed.
Societal Impact
The "Hybrid" Threat: Security forces in the Celestial Accord hate "hybrids." It's easy to plan for a Soldier (big gun) or a Mystic (robes). But a Mystic who moves like a commando and shoots like a sniper? That breaks the engagement protocols.
Guild Cross-Pollination: The Chronologists often train their guards with Operative techniques, creating "Time-Wardens" who are technically Soldiers but fight with the precision of clockwork assassins.
Frontier Necessity: In the Deep Black, specialization is a luxury. Most successful scavengers are "multi-class" by necessity. You can't just be a pilot; you have to be a pilot who can sneak, shoot, and fix the engine when it breaks.
Adventure Hooks
The Mage-Hunter: A Mystic enemy is killing targets with impossible shots from a kinetic rifle. The party realizes this isn't just a sniper—it's a spellcaster using the Operative archetype to deliver "touch" spells via bullets.
The Impossible Heist: A heavy-security vault was robbed, but there's no sign of forced entry or magic. The culprit is a Soldier with the Operative archetype who used brute strength to hold the blast door open for a millisecond and stealth to slip through.
The Duel: A Solarian challenges the party's "face" to a duel. Expecting a lightsaber fight, the party is shocked when the Solarian draws a solar-pistol and uses Aim and Sharpshooter to kite them around the arena.
The Operative Archetype isn't just a mechanics dip; it's a narrative evolution. It says that your character has looked at the chaos of the galaxy and decided that accuracy is the only thing they can trust. Whether you wield a spell, a sword, or a heavy cannon, you now wield it with the heart of an assassin.
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