Diplomat Professions

Diplomats are negotiators, managers, deal-makers, merchants, clergy, or any others who use interaction skills and personal resolve to accomplish their jobs. They specialize in getting things done through bargaining, heated discussion, and even guile.

Examples of professions within the Diplomatic field:

Ambassador is an official representative from one government or organization to another. He has the ability and sanction to negotiate in good faith, propose and accept deals, and speak for the agency he represents. Administration is an important skill for the ambassador to have. Knowledge in law helps this character maintain proper decorum in official meetings.

Clergy are official representatives of a specific religion. They are teachers, healers, and religious leaders. A clergy character may actively preach and attempt to convert the masses, or he may simply lead by example. Clergy characters aren't necessarily faith healers and miracle workers. More often, they're diplomats, missionaries, leaders, and teachers. In some systems, they serve as the voice of those who otherwise could not speak for themselves. Whether or not a clergy character speaks for a higher power is up to you. (some Jedi can fall into this category)

Corporate Executive (CSA or other) is a manager, planner, negotiator, and problem-solver. These are the type of people any business needs to stay ahead. As a beginning character, the corporate executive is young, smart, and hungry, an up-and-comer throwing themselves at the toughest problems their company faces. They're not afraid to play hardball to put their company ahead, and they expect everyone around them to play by the same rules. Young execs receive little or no help in their assignments; they haven't shown that they can handle major assets, and they won't be trusted with manpower or expensive equipment until they've built a track record or success.

Entertainer is either on his way up or has already reached the top of his field. He's an actor, a musician, a comedian, or a singer. He travels the world (or the galaxy) performing for his fans and trying to make an even bigger name for himself wherever he goes. He may have real talent, or he may just be lucky -- a one-hit wonder. Entertainers can have attitude, or they can be played as lounge lizards milking a gimmick for all it's worth.

First Contact Consul, a rare occupation at best, they are trained in assessing alien biospheres, evaluating signs of sentience, negotiating with alien species and specializing in analyzing, categorizing, and opening discussions with new alien species -- what spacers call "making first contact." First contact consuls are assigned to exploration vessels, new colonies, and contact teams, often traveling to the very edge of known space to make the first meetings between species as peaceful as possible. A consul seeks to establish friendly relations and set up a strong foundation for future negotiations.

Free Trader/Merchant is an independent merchant operating in every known area of space. War-torn worlds and Rim colonies are starving for trade goods upon which to grow and rebuild their citizens' quality of life. This demand attracts merchant fleets and independent traders -- each eager to make their fortunes on the "frontier". Some barely eke out a living, while others seem to turn everything they touch into gold. A trader usually has some debt he's working off, he's looking for the score that will pay off big, or he's a smuggler of some sort. A successful free trader must be part pilot, part businessman, and part scoundrel. It's a dirty and ruthless business; even the best traders resort to the occasional smuggling or gunrunning voyage in order to stay profitable.

Imperial Administrator (COMPNOR) is a wandering official of their particular association, a judge, diplomat, and law enforcer charged with bringing order within their own group. Some hate Administrators, other fear their quick rulings and swift justice. Many welcome them, for they are symbols of hope and law for those in the lawless far reaches of the galaxy. Adminstrators carry their authority like shields, and display their commitment like lanterns in the darkness. Imperial Adminstrators have the power to remove corrupt politicians, law enforcement agents, and other Imperial appointees from their positions of authority. This power is hardly given out to rookies, however. Only those who prove their worth receive full authority. High-ranking Administrators can commandeer an Imperial asset in the vicinty -- including capital warships and sector bases, as long as they deem the situation deserving of such extreme measures. Naturally, prospective Adminstrators are subjected to the most rigorous examinations of physical fitness, intelligence, and intuition before they're allowed to wield their power. (not an open position at this time)

Military Officer, for the most part, don't belong to the Combat Spec field; they're Diplomats who choose Combat Spec as their secondary profession. Officers are often competent fighters, but their real value is in their leadership ability and tactical acumen. A military officer (as opposed to a naval officer) understands all aspects of planetary combat -- including aerospace superiority and "conventional" naval warfare above and below the atmosphere. Military officers -- like soldiers or corporate employees -- begin play with allegiance to an armed force of some kind. They must report for duty assignments, follow orders, and generally devote most of their attention to their job. However, officers are considered some of the most reliable operatives a government possesses, and they receive free-ranking assignments far more frequently than enlisted men.

Moff is an Imperial military commander who rules certain sectors of the Empire. A Moff controls planetary governors, and can have control over a military Sector Group. Being responsible for hundreds of systems, Moffs take a personal interest only in handful of worlds. For the rest, they first rely upon communications with their subordinate governors, and then upon reports from intelligence unitws. It is not unusual for a Moff to also serve as a governor of a particularly favored world within his sector. The Moffs report to the Grand Moff, who then reports to the Grand Admiral directly.

Naval Officer serves in the spacegoing navy of a major government. A naval officer possesses skills in the highly technical fields of navigation, hyperdrive engineering, and space combat, as well as the art of command. In addition to leading the the personnel assigned to their ship or station, many naval officers find themselves serving as impromptu ambassadors for their governments -- especially when their vessel is the only representative in a partifccular region. Otherwise, most of the discussion about military officers still applies to naval officers. Most naval officers are Diplomats with secondary training as Tech Ops. In addition to shipboard service, officers often work in embassies.

Planetary Governor is an Imperial agent who represents the Empire's authority on a single world. (more will be added)

Senator (coming soon!)

Stellar Noble or "nobility" may consist of families commanding unusual wealth, prestige, or political power. These oligarchs, merchant princes, and corporate directors pass their fortunes and interests to their descendants, just as the land-holding lords of old passed their fiefs to their children. A stellar noble character is a symbol of one of these families, born to wealth and power beyond the dreams of most people. Stellar nobles adventure for a variety of reasons. Some are philanthropists, dedicated to using their position and fortune to bettering things around them. Others are merchant-lords charting the course of a powerful privately held company in a universe of monolithic corporations. Still others are simply bored dilettantes looking for thrills.

Swindler or "independent businessmen" as they like to call themselves, are in truth just con men and cheats who travel from system to system before word of their deeds spread. They seldom belong to any organization save those that can further their latest plot to make money. Swindlers range from two-bit scoundrels surviving on confidence schemes to elegant impostors who attach themselves to the wealthy and elite. All swindlers have two things in common: a knack for pretending to be someone they're not, and a long list of enemies.