Multispecializing

Multispecializing allows you to gain ranks in multiple deployment specializations. Doing so lets you mix the abilities of those deployments to realize a character concept that might not be reflected in one of the standard specialization options.

With this rule, you have the option of gaining a rank in a new specialization whenever you advance in rank, instead of gaining a rank in your current specialization. Your ranks in all your deployments are added together to determine your character rank. For example, if you have two ranks in pilot and one in gunner, you're a 3rd-rank character.

As you advance in ranks, you might primarily remain a member of your original deployment with just a single rank in another specialization, or you might change course entirely, never looking back at the deployment you left behind. You might even start progressing in a third or fourth specialization. Compared to a single-specialized character of the same rank, you'll sacrifice some focus in exchange for versatility.

Multispecializing Example

Drew is playing a 1st-rank pilot. When his character is ready to progress to 2nd rank, Drew decides that his character will multispec instead of continuing to progress as a pilot. Drew's character has been spending a lot of time with Rickey's gunner, and has even been doing some simulations. Drew decides that his character will multispec into the gunner deployment, and thus his character becomes a 1st-rank pilot and 1st-rank gunner (written as pilot 1/gunner 1). When Drew's character is ready to progress to 3rd rank, he can decide whether to add another pilot rank (becoming a pilot 2/gunner 1), another gunner rank (becoming a pilot 1/gunner 2), or a rank in a third deployment, perhaps dabbling in the inner workings of the ship (becoming a pilot 1/gunner 1/mechanic 1).

Prerequisites

Unlike classes, there are no requirements for multispeccing. When a player has progressed to a rank higher than 1, they can choose to multispec or focus on their primary deployment specialization, with no external requirements or considerations.

Milestones

Rather than traditional experience and book-keeping, ranks should be awarded as milestones for completing a specific encounter, or obtaining certain knowledge.

Proficiency Bonus

Ships do not have a proficiency bonus. When a feature references a proficiency bonus, instead use the proficiency bonus of the appropriate crewmember as long as the crewmember has at least one deployment rank.

Rather than having a separate proficiency bonus for the space and ground portions of your game, your proficiency bonus for space is the same as that of the ground.

If a deployment feature or venture allows you to forgo your proficiency bonus, you may only do so once.

Expertise

If you have expertise in a skill as well as a feature that lets you forgo your proficiency bonus, you can only forgo your proficiency bonus once. For instance, if you are a 5th-level, 4th-rank pilot with an 18 in Intelligence and expertise in Piloting, you add 10 to your Piloting checks (4 + 2 x 3). If you use the 4th-rank pilot feature "That's a Good Trick" to forgo your proficiency bonus, you instead add 7 for the Piloting check as a part of that Evade action (4 + 2 x 3 - 3).