Figurehead
Of the 8 Career Skills, choose 4 to get a free rank. Of the 4 Specialization Skills, choose 2 to get a free rank.
Commander Career Skills: Coercion, Cool, Discipline, Knowledge (Warfare), Leadership, Perception, Ranged (Light) and Vigilance
Figurehead Specialization Skills: Cool, Leadership, Negotiation and Knowledge (Core Worlds)
The Figurehead is a particularly good choice for a character with a political background, or who has significant ties to the Alliance’s politicians and diplomats. Figureheads who formerly held no political ambitions are just as likely to take this specialization as are those who dabbled in politics prior to their stint in the Alliance.
A character’s deeds before becoming a Figurehead might also shape that character’s future, as war heroes are occasionally used to boost morale among the rank-and-file troops. Likewise, sending one of the Rebellion’s greatest heroes to negotiate a treaty is a huge show of trust that can’t be beat.
Figureheads generally come from civilian backgrounds and aren’t necessarily a part of the Alliance Military’s chain of command. They rely on their reputations, political connections, and charisma to accomplish their goals. Though their aims might not align perfectly with those of the other Commander careers, the respect they command due to their political legacies ensures that they continue to be a motivating factor in both political and military circles within the Rebel Alliance. Examples of Figureheads in the Rebel Alliance include Mon Mothma and the late Bail Organa, as well as his adopted daughter, Princess Leia Organa.
Many Commanders focus their social aptitudes on skills that help them get people to do what they want, such as Coercion. Figureheads, on the other hand, get what they want through subtle manipulations, preferring to persuade those under their command to do what must be done.
Much of a Figurehead’s repertoire consists of personal fortitude, as bearing the hopes and fears of their people is a Figurehead’s primary focus. Cool is especially important, for it allows a Figurehead to gain the trust and admiration of subordinates. Figureheads’ demeanor must inspire those who admire them, allowing their followers to overcome their personal qualms—including fear—in order to strike a blow against the Galactic Empire. Whether this inspiring quality applies to a Figurehead’s physical appearance depends on the character’s personal style; many Figureheads have turned their scars and the wounds they’ve suffered into inspirational messages all their own.
Figureheads who take a more active role in resisting the Empire’s oppression often do so through leadership and inspiration. The confidence and know-how of a trained leader is much more convincing under fire than good looks and a pithy slogan. Seeing action in combat also serves to bolster a Figurehead’s reputation within the military, as Figureheads not only know how to "talk the talk,” but to “walk the walk” as well.
As many Figureheads got their start in the political arenas of the Core Worlds, it’s no surprise that most of them know a thing or two about where they’ve come from. Not only do they have extensive knowledge of Core World political systems—including those of the now-defunct Republic—but they also have information about which Core Worlds systems are more or less opposed to the Empire. Such information can be valuable when deciding which systems to approach for help or determining where a group of Rebels in a pinch might be able to seek refuge.
Potential Backgrounds