Combat Controller (Starfinder Archetype)
(art by BootsDotEXE on DeviantArt)
With flight and by extension space flight, high-stress situations gain a whole new dimension of stressors to deal with and angles of which to handle them. This can be combat, or it can be emergency rescue situation, or perhaps distressingly both at once.
Whatever the situation is, there is a need for quick-thinking minds that have a firm grasp of the whole situation to guide troops, assets, and aid where it needs to go. This is where today’s archetype comes into play.
Part air traffic controller, part tactical commander, part communications officer, the combat controller is a vague name that could apply to any of these jobs and more, where having the full view of the battlefield is key to victory. They might be in the mobile command center, on the bridge of a starship, or right there on the front line sporting an advanced HUD that shows them every angle of the battlefield.
As part of their job description, these coordinators gain a powerful and secure comm unit to stay in contact with those under them and give orders. Additionally, they are trained in a variety of skills to keep themselves appraised of the battlefield, informed about the capabilities and use of vehicles, and of course, staying out of the line of fire.
Be it a starship, mech, or lesser vehicle, these coordinators are adept at giving good piloting advice no matter the situation, applying bonuses in chases, combat, and the like.
They can also give advice or use it to alter the angle of their area weapons to create safe gaps in their blast to avoid hitting allies, though doing so for many at once might take some resolve.
Their orders also help allies time their movements, letting them slip away from foes while shooting, quickly boarding or disembarding from vehicles, or even time a sidestep just right to avoid an incoming vehicle or linear blast.
Getting a downed ally out of the line of fire is a dangerous prospect, but these decision-makers don’t hesitate, able to run up and fluidly scoop them up and keep moving.
The most skilled among them can coordinate with their allies to command a withering assault of firepower on a singular target.
A fun archetype for those that want to coordinate and support their allies no matter what the situation is. Envoy is a very natural choice here, but consider how biohackers could be combat medics or rescue workers, while mechanics and technomancers use advanced tech to have total situational awareness. Operatives have a lot of technical know-how in their own right as well that could serve well. Meanwhile, spellcasters have their own myriad ways of controlling the battlefield that can help complement those they are supporting. Finally, don’t discount the effectiveness of this archetype on combat classes like soldier, solarion, vanguard, nanocyte, and evolutionists. After all, they are more familiar than most about tactics and coordination.
At their best, members of this archetype can turn any group of allies into a well-oiled machine, each member uplifting each other and them in turn. At their worse, however, if they begin to make calls that put the team in jeopardy, even if it by all metrics wasn’t their fault, they can risk losing the faith of the team, or worse, faith in themselves. It can be interesting catharsis to explore if your character suffers from imposter syndrome or lets the bad things get to them.
When two armies that were mustering for war have to put aside their differences to fight off an invasion by The Swarm, the party finds themselves working with a harsh but caring hobgoblin taskmaster. Her command style is unflinching and resolute, but there’s no denying the results.
The party has one mission, assassinate the Hellknight Lictor commanding the oppressive forces seeking to crush the rebellion. The party manages to sneak past the guards, disable defenses, and find the lictor still adorned in armor… That is until the dust settles and they discover that it was nothing more than a technomagically animated suit of armor. It’s a trap!
Tired of the front but still taking pride in their skills, Sergeant Nima has retired from the force, instead taking a job on a frontier world as a rescue coordinator in charge of evacuating and rescuing colonists when natural disaster strikes. Rumor has it she still has her old armor and armaments in storage though.
