Steward Stalwart (Starfinder Archetype)
(art by NotMuchNormal on DeviantArt)
And now for our final Steward-related archetype, or at least the last one with Steward in the name.
While Officers and Infiltrators can often find themselves going on all sorts of adventures and misadventures in their pursuit of justice, they are often expected to report to some authority figure fairly regularly.
However, some Stewards find themselves working far beyond Pact Worlds space, as well as working with groups that are not part of the agency. As such, these Stalwarts learn survival techniques and self-reliance that comes in handy when they can’t necessarily rely on backup to perform their duties.
This isn’t to say they can’t come to rely on their allies to help them, but at the end of the day they have a duty, and if there is even the smallest chance that they either are on their own or their allies don’t have the motivation to offer aid, such training comes in handy.
Like the other two Steward archetypes, Stalwarts learn diplomatic training to de-escalate and understand other cultures, as well as combat training to better stand up in a fight.
Where things get interesting is the pain and debilitation tolerance training they take on, letting them ignore various debilitations for a few seconds, or longer if they spend resolve.
They also put that pain tolerance to work to sometimes ignore some of the punch of attacks that haven’t made it past their reserve of stamina yet, though they can only do so again after taking a short rest.
Stalwarts certainly are some tough agents, but despite the name, they don’t have to be front-line combatants to make use of their abilities. Indeed, while combat classes definitely benefit from being able to ignore conditions and damage, as well as getting a little diplomacy, any other class, be it skilled or spellcaster, can say the same. It’s pretty solid, though I wouldn’t say it breaks new ground conceptually. Good for if you want to play a space Interpol agent in a campaign where you won’t be returning to the office often, if at all.
A common stereotype about more “independent” cop characters in fiction is them constantly chafing under protocol and eager to deliver real justice without things like paperwork and due process getting in the way… and that’s copaganda. I’d advise avoiding playing your character like that. Instead, consider that these are agents forced to operate independently for extended periods. Their personal conflicts should be about figuring out a balance between protocol and a response that is actually effective in the places far beyond normal jurisdiction and authority that they may find themselves.
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