Federation Grunt ("Reaper")

Overview

The Federation "Reaper" Grunt is the rank-and-file soldier of the FS army — a trooper in skull-faced CA-series armor with a CP-series energy rifle, drilled into a cog of the largest war machine in North America. No single Grunt is a hero. A squad of Grunts, moving and firing on command, is a wall of disciplined firepower that has rolled over towns, monsters, and mage-kingdoms alike.

The Grunt's strength isn't the individual — it's the unit. It's the project's first team-tactics martial: a durable frontline soldier that is measurably stronger fighting in formation, and the Federation Military family's best at acting on Orders from a Technical Officer. Alone it's a solid soldier; in a line, it's the anchor.

Federation Military training

The Grunt shares the doctrine carried by every class in the family:

• FS Indoctrination. A +1 status bonus to saves against magic and psionic effects, training in Intimidation and Federation Warfare Lore, and the ability to recognize an enemy's "sorcery."
• Reaper Armor Training and Standard-Issue Arms — proficiency with FS armor and energy weapons.
• No magic or psionics, and the federation faction trait.

At a glance

Class features by level

Specialties

Choose one at level 1.

Line Infantry

The standard Reaper — the wall of the FS army.

• Standard Issue (L1). You start with FS light power armor proficiency, and Area Fire costs 1 less action when you haven't moved this turn (you've set your feet).
• Entrenched (L7). When you Take Cover, allies within 10 ft also gain that cover's bonus until your next turn.
• Wall of Fire (L13). Sustain your Area Fire — spend a single action to repeat last turn's Area Fire against the same area without re-aiming.

Heavy Weapons Trooper

The squad's heavy hitter — rail guns, mini-missile launchers, the man-portable cannon. The family's foot-mobile anti-armor and area answer.

• Heavy Ordnance (L1). You can wield two-handed heavy and vehicle-scale FS weapons (rail guns, mini-missile launchers, light cannon) that normally need a mount or a second crew member, ignoring their Bulk penalty to your Speed and stabilizing their recoil like a power-armor frame. Your heavy-weapon Strikes gain Penetrating +2 (or Penetrating 2 if the weapon had none) — the family's foot-mobile armor-cracker.
• Bracing Fire (L7). While you have not moved since the start of your turn, you gain a status bonus to heavy-weapon and Area Fire damage equal to half your level, and a heavy weapon's reload costs 1 fewer action (minimum 1). Moving ends it until you set up again.
• Devastating Salvo (L13). (heavy weapon) Make a heavy-weapon Strike with Penetrating +4 beyond its normal value. On a hit, each creature adjacent to the target takes splash damage equal to your level (basic Reflex vs. your class DC); on a critical hit, the primary target is knocked prone and pushed 10 ft.

Shock Trooper

Close-quarters and crowd control — riot doctrine, vibro-blades, breaching. The Reaper who comes through the wall and into your face.

• Breach and Clear (L1). Trained for close assault and room-clearing: proficiency with vibro-blades and FS melee weapons, and you can Force Open or smash through a barrier as part of a Stride. When you Stride and end adjacent to an enemy, your next melee Strike this turn gains +2 circumstance damage and you may Demoralize that enemy.
• Riot Doctrine (L7). Your Demoralize loses the language requirement, and (once per turn) you can make an area Demoralize: each enemy in a 15-ft emanation saves vs. your class DC or is frightened 1 (fleeing 1 on a critical failure). Your melee Strikes deal +2 damage to frightened creatures.
• Shock Assault (L13). Stride up to twice your Speed in a straight line — ignoring difficult terrain and not triggering reactions — and make a melee Strike against each enemy you move adjacent to (each after the first at your multiple attack penalty). Each creature you hit is knocked prone.

Grunt feats

You gain a Grunt feat at every even level (2–20). Most reinforce the squad — suppression, formation tanking, focus fire, anti-armor, and consuming Orders — so a Grunt's feats pay off hardest fighting as part of a unit.

Level 2

• Combat Reload. Once per turn, Interact to reload a FS weapon as a free action.
• Disciplined Aim. Ignore the penalty for a ranged Strike against a target in melee, and ignore your target's lesser cover.
• Squad Mate. Your Squad Tactics range increases to 15 ft, and your focus-fire trigger also counts a target damaged by an ally's Area Fire (not just a Strike).

Level 4

• Covering Fire. Trigger: an enemy you can see makes a ranged attack against a squad ally and you're wielding a loaded ranged weapon. Effect: make a ranged Strike against that enemy; whether or not you hit, it takes a −2 circumstance penalty to the triggering attack.
• Brace. Set against a charge: until your next turn you gain +1 circumstance AC against creatures that Stride toward you, and the first time a creature ends a move within your reach you may Strike it (a braced heavy weapon deals +2 damage on that Strike).
• Reactive Cover. Trigger: a squad ally within 15 ft is targeted by a ranged attack. Effect: you shift to shield them; the ally gains a +2 circumstance bonus to AC against that attack. Once per round.

Level 6

• Fire and Maneuver. After a ranged Strike or Area Fire, you can Step as a free action. Once per turn — the disciplined bound between firing positions.
• Armored Charge. When you Stride in FS armor or power armor, you don't trigger reactions from that movement, and your first melee Strike at the end of the Stride deals +2 circumstance damage.
• Concussive Fire. A creature that critically fails its save against your Area Fire is also deafened until your next turn; one that merely fails has its Speeds reduced by 5 ft until then.

Level 8

• Suppression Specialist. Creatures that fail your Suppressing Fire save also have their Speeds reduced by 10 ft until your next turn, and you can use Area Fire with any FS energy weapon (a controlled burst) at a reduced 10-ft cone / 20-ft line.
• Hardened Veteran. Your Reaper Armor Mastery Hardness-tier increase applies to the first two hits each round instead of the first.
• Squad Cohesion. While you're within 10 ft of two or more squad allies, your Squad Tactics AC bonus also applies to those allies (the formation covers everyone in it).

Level 10

• Overwhelming Fire. Your Area Fire damage increases by one weapon die, and creatures that fail its save can't take reactions until your next turn.
• Bulwark Training. Once per turn you can Take Cover as a free action while adjacent to a squad ally, and you gain cover against area effects even when only allies are between you and the source.
• Relentless Trooper. When you act on an order effect, in addition to your Follow Orders rider you may Interact to reload or draw a weapon as part of the same reaction.

Level 12

• Focus Fire Doctrine. Your Squad Tactics focus-fire damage applies to every squad ally's Strikes against a creature you've damaged this round, not just your own.
• Anchor. Enemies can't flank an ally adjacent to you, and adjacent squad allies gain your FS Indoctrination save bonus against fear.
• Veteran's Resolve. +1 circumstance bonus to saves while within 10 ft of a squad ally, and a success against a mental or fear effect counts as a critical success.

Level 14

• Crushing Volley. When two or more squad allies have damaged a creature this round, your Strike against it ignores Hardness equal to your level (massed fire as Penetrating — Hardness, not Resistance).
• Iron Wall. Your Hold the Line resistance (L7) increases to your full level, and adjacent allies gain resistance to physical damage equal to half your level.
• Fortress Doctrine. Your Reaper Armor Mastery Hardness-tier increase applies against every hit each round, not just the first (supersedes Hardened Veteran).

Level 16

• Last Stand. While at half HP or fewer: gain a status bonus to damage equal to half your level, automatically reduce frightened by 1 each turn, and squad allies within 30 ft gain +1 status to attack rolls (they rally on the wounded anchor).
• Combined Arms Veteran. When you act on an ally's order or coordinated-fire effect (a Field Order, Focus Volley, an RPA Elite's bombing run), your next Strike this turn deals +2 circumstance damage.
• Unyielding. Once per round, the first time you would be reduced to 0 HP while within 10 ft of an ally, you're instead reduced to 1 HP (becoming wounded as normal). You refuse to fall while the line holds.

Level 18

• Walking Fortress. You no longer take any Speed penalty from FS armor or power armor, and you can make an Area Fire and a Stride in the same 2-action activity — fire on the move.
• Devastating Suppression. Your Area Fire area grows (cone +10 ft / line +20 ft), and creatures that fail are off-guard and can't Step away until your next turn (pinned in place).
• Brothers in Arms. Your Follow Orders rider, Squad Tactics bonuses, and Combined Arms Veteran damage all extend to non-squad allies within 10 ft — you fold attached units into FS discipline.

Level 20

• One-Man Army. Even with no ally within 10 ft, you gain your Squad Tactics AC bonus and can apply your focus-fire damage to any creature you damaged on a previous turn. The lone Reaper fights like a squad of one. (Your Follow Orders rider still requires an ally's order.)
• Apex Suppression. Your Area Fire and heavy-weapon fire deal maximum area damage against creatures that critically fail, and your suppression effects (off-guard, can't-react, slowed) last an additional round.
• Living Bulwark. Your damage resistances (Hold the Line, Iron Wall, the capstone) apply against every hit each round with no first-hit limit, and adjacent allies share half your total resistance.

Shared Coordinated Tactics. In place of a Grunt feat you can take the family's Coordinated Tactics feats (the Tac-Net pool, L2–L10) — headlined by Lase the Target (L4) and Focus Volley (L6); see Federation Military. The Grunt is the family's best at Focus Volley: its Squad Tactics focus-fire bonus triggers on "a target an ally damaged this round" — exactly the volley's trigger — so the Grunt's reaction Strike also carries its focus-fire damage (and Focus Fire Doctrine, L12, spreads that to the squad).

Where the class fits the scene

• Where it shines: stand-up fights, especially alongside allies — durable, area-suppressing, and better the bigger and more coordinated the unit. Holds chokepoints, anchors a line, eats hits meant for squishier allies. Outstanding in an all–Federation Military squad with an Officer feeding it Orders.
• Where it's reduced: as a lone operator (stealth, social, intrigue, solo exploration) — its whole kit assumes a squad and a stand-up fight.