Headers

Ever since the Collapse, people have had to pull their weight even more than before. Everyone has a role to fill, a way to get by; in Second Dawn, this translates into a Header. Your character’s Header gives you access to skills that reflect how your character makes her way in the world, whether by fighting on the front lines of conflicts or providing support from afar.

Brawler

The Brawler is just as good at dishing out pain as she is at taking it. Brawlers are not defined by their particular fighting styles so much as their resilience and skill in melee combat. A Brawler might be a soldier in a nation’s organized military, a mercenary for hire, or even a town drunk with the ability to hold his own in a bar fight. There is a constant need for strong and reliable melee combatants in the post-apocalyptic world – after all, a sword never runs out of ammunition and is easier to find and use than a gun.

Hunter

The Hunter is an advance scout, a natural tracker, and a crack shot . If there’s someone you need to find, you call a Hunter; if there’s a beast you need killed, get a Hunter; and if you want to survive more than five minutes in the wastelands, you sure as hell need a Hunter. Although guns might dish out more damage per shot than a bow, arrows quite literally grow on trees; thus, a Hunter can fire many more shots than a Skirmisher can in a given fight. Every faction needs Hunters to blaze trails, get the lay of the land, and gather food. Hunters know how to defend themselves in close quarters as well, but they prefer to harass their foes with trick shots, poisoned arrows, and use of camouflage.

Medic

The Medic keeps her allies in the fight by patching them up and keeping them in top form with all manner of drugs and salves. In addition to providing healing to others, the Medic can make her allies more efficient in combat by dosing them with painkillers or coating weapons with chemical agents. Medics come in all shapes and sizes, from the Tekalli surgeons in white cloaks who carry bone and obsidian tools, to Legion combat medics, to Timochen spirit healers. Everyone must constantly deal with the dangers of Karst, including the ubiquitous problem of radiation poisoning. The Medic is no slouch in a fight – she knows how to strike pressure points to knock down her enemies, and can quickly end conflicts by sedating others with tranquilizers.

Sage

The Sage is a consummate master of knowledge. Despite the stereotype of bookish scholars, Sages are also brave men and women of the Brotherhood of Reason who delve into ancient ruins in search of knowledge, bawdy Aldebrandi bards, and Directorate foremen. The true mark of a Sage is her skill with the spoken word. Her word is her weapon, capable of rousing her allies and encouraging them to fight on even harder, as well as decimate her foes with cruel words and powerful battle cries.

Scoundrel

The Scoundrel is just as good at getting into trouble as she is at getting out of it, is quick with her words, and quicker on her feet. She knows how to get into places she shouldn’t, and if she can’t herself, she knows someone who can. Despite their reputation as petty thieves, brigands, or even loudmouthed buffoons, many Scoundrels do not dress in such a way as to call attention to themselves — unless they want to. A Timochen Scoundrel might wear bright sashes with bells on her boots. An Aldebrandi Scoundrel might very well be a stereotypical rogue in dark leathers and a hood, cutting purses and sneaking in the shadows; then again, he might look like your average nobleman in his finery.