Big Game Hunter Specialization

Of the 8 Career Skills, choose 4 to get a free rank. Of the 4 Specialization Skills, choose 2 to get a free rank.

Explorer Career Skills: Astrogation, Cool, Knowledge (Lore), Knowledge (Outer Rim), Knowledge (Xenology), Perception, Piloting (Space) and Survival

Big Game Hunter Specialization Skills: Knowledge (Xenology), Ranged (Heavy), Stealth and Survival

With the skills of a survivalist, the instincts of a bounty hunter, and the courage of a madman, the Big-Game Hunter tends to baffle everyone with his desire to actively track down, confront, and do battle with the most terrifying creatures in the galaxy. He understands and respects the environments he must contend with in order to pursue his quarry, yet he is less interested in where he is going than in what he is going to kill when he gets there.

Though some true pacifists may take great exception to the notion, Big-Came Hunters tend to believe they are performing a service to the people of the galaxy. They generally seek out truly dangerous and deadly creatures to fight and kill, thus making more areas in the galaxy safe for sentient habitation.

Big-Game Hunters tend to know how to get where their prey is, how to stay alive once they get there, and all about whatever it is they are there to do battle with.

Of course, there are plenty of hunters who are more than willing to kill pretty much anything that can net them a hefty profit, whether for pelts, horns, organs, or whatever else someone is willing to pay for. There are some hunters who take specific contracts from local governments to thin out a herd of something that is growing too large or to eliminate particularly enraged (and possibly infected) creatures that pose a danger to civilization.

For a Player Character, a Big-Game Hunter may not seem like a good fit at first. However, his general Explorer capabilities combined with his survival skills and his talent for fighting particularly dangerous foes may well make him a linchpin for a group's success. Many Big-Game Hunters will take whatever jobs they can find out in the Rim just for the chance to travel to new places and see what there is to hunt.

Potential Backgrounds

Academic: Big-Came Hunters might not seem like the scholarly types, but something can be said for knowing all there is to know about one's prey and its habitat. Thinking of things the other way around, who best to teach a class on the ecology of the rancor than someone who has hunted and fought one to the death? One interesting background to consider is the conservation- minded academic who takes to the field to track and find exotic alien beasts. Perhaps he does so not to kill them but to learn more about them and ensure their continued existence as civilization expands into their habitats.

Criminal: Big-Game Hunters frequently find trouble when their hunt takes them into restricted areas. Killing a massive and dangerous beast may mean a great moment of glory for the hunter, but doing so on lands belonging to the local lord can carry a death sentence. Of course, being particularly skilled at hunting the strongest and most dangerous creatures in the galaxy means Big-Came Hunters make prime candidates for recruitment in hunting more sentient prey, and criminal overlords may pay quite handsomely to eliminate particularly tough foes.

Entrepreneur: Big-Game Hunters often make their way leading safari-style expeditions for rich nobles and businessmen who fancy themselves great predators. This is how best to make enough money to go after the prey they truly seek. Others act as bounty hunters, knowing their skill sets are compatible with that line of work; it may not be exactly what they seek to do, but it pays the bills. A smart hunter who heads out to the Rim or beyond goes with a plan to keep his funds up so that he can stay on the prowl of the galaxy's greatest threats and challenges.

Ex-Imperial Operator: Big-Game Hunters may well start out as members of the Imperial military structure, discovering a taste for hunting and killing particularly nasty beasts while occupying or pacifying a particular planet. They may have been special forces of some kind, in charge of advance action in an area or perhaps even members of the Scout Service, with a particular specialty in dealing with hostile fauna. However one served, he may have determined that the challenge of the hunt outweighed any other ambitions he had. Whether he retired or simply abandoned his post, he's set off for the faraway planets to offer his hunting and combat skills in exchange for a chance to take on the galaxy's most dangerous beasts.

Fallen Noble: Big-Game Hunters frequently come from the upper crust of society; aristocrats are the ones with the resources and leisure time to go out and hunt wild beasts for fun. The desire to dominate all other creatures in order to establish primacy as a predator is a common part of the noble psyche, and one who finds himself on the outs of the society he was once a master of will understandably seek to further his sense of power by continuing the hunt for dangerous game.

Wanderer: Big-Game Hunters may well have been merely wanderers who found themselves constantly in battle with powerful, vicious creatures along the way. As dangerous as the galaxy is, a true traveler of random roads would need to learn how to survive and thrive in truly difficult situations, lest his journey be brought to a brutal and messy end. He may have never intended to become an expert killer of the galaxy's most terrifying monsters, but that doesn't mean he won't be called on by others who hear of his extraordinary success at navigating deadly areas.