Operative

Overview

Stamina Points per Level: 6 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points per Level: 6 HP
You’re a shadow. You move swiftly, strike suddenly, and always have an escape plan. You’re a consummate professional, and you always get the job done, whether it’s scouting enemy lines, hunting down criminals, stealing and smuggling items, or assassinating key figures. As an operative, you're skilled in a wide variety of disciplines and specialties, and use speed, mobility, and your quick wits rather than relying on heavy weapons. You excel at the art of surprise, whether it’s sniping targets from cover or striking while their backs are turned. Your cause may be righteous, but you have no problem fighting dirty—achieving your objective is all that matters.
Operative Key Ability Score
Your Dexterity helps you to infiltrate, get into position, escape danger, and make decisive shots with your weapon, so Dexterity is your key ability score. High Intelligence boosts your skills, and Charisma aids in your interactions with other characters.
Operative Class Skills
Skill Ranks per Level: 8 + Intelligence modifier
Acrobatics (Dex), Athletics (Str), Bluff (Cha), Computers (Int), Culture (Int), Disguise (Cha), Engineering (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Medicine (Int), Perception (Wis), Piloting (Dex), Profession (Cha, Int, or Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis)
Operative Proficiencies Armor Proficiency: Light Armor
Weapon Proficiency: Basic Melee Weapons, Small Arms, Sniper Weapons

Class Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Class Features
1st	+0	+0	+2	+2	Operative’s edge +1, specialization, trick attack +1d4
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+3	Evasion, operative exploit
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+3	Operative’s edge +2, quick movement (+10 ft.), trick attack +1d8, weapon specialization
4th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Debilitating trick, operative exploit
5th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Specialization exploit, trick attack +3d8
6th	+4	+2	+5	+5	Operative exploit
7th	+5	+2	+5	+5	Operative’s edge +3, specialization skill mastery, trick attack +4d8, uncanny agility
8th	+6	+2	+6	+6	Operative exploit, triple attack
9th	+6	+3	+6	+6	Quick movement (+20 ft.), trick attack +5d8
10th	+7	+3	+7	+7	Operative exploit
11th	+8	+3	+7	+7	Operative’s edge +4, specialization power, trick attack +6d8
12th	+9	+4	+8	+8	Operative exploit
13th	+9	+4	+8	+8	Quad attack, trick attack +7d8
14th	+10	+4	+9	+9	Operative exploit
15th	+11	+5	+9	+9	Operative’s edge +5, quick movement (+30 ft.), trick attack +8d8
16th	+12	+5	+10	+10	Operative exploit
17th	+12	+5	+10	+10	Double debilitation, trick attack +9d8
18th	+13	+6	+11	+11	Operative exploit
19th	+14	+6	+11	+11	Operative’s edge +6, trick attack +10d8
20th	+15	+6	+12	+12	Operative exploit, supreme operative

Class Features

Operative's Edge (Ex)

1st Level
Your diverse training as an operative grants you a +1 insight bonus to initiative checks and to skill checks. This bonus increases by 1 at 3rd level and every 4 levels thereafter.

Specialization

1st Level
Your specialization represents your primary area of expertise. Pick one specialization upon taking your 1st level of the operative class. Once made, this choice cannot be changed. Your specialization grants you the Skill Focus feat in your specialization’s associated skills, and you gain a free skill rank in each of those skills at each operative level (this does not allow you to exceed the maximum number of skill ranks in a single skill).

Specialization Exploit

5th Level
You gain your specialization’s listed exploit as a bonus operative exploit, even if you don’t meet the prerequisites.

Specialization Skill Mastery

7th Level
You become so confident in certain skills that you can use them reliably even under adverse conditions. When attempting a skill check with a skill in which you have the Skill Focus feat, you can take 10 even if stress or distractions would normally prevent you from doing so.

Specialization Power

11th Level
You gain a special power depending on the specialization you chose at 1st level.

Trick Attack (Ex)

1st Level
You can trick or startle a foe and then attack when she drops her guard. As a full action, you can move up to your speed. Whether or not you moved, you can then make an attack with a melee weapon with the operative special property or with any small arm. Just before making your attack, attempt a Bluff, Intimidate, or Stealth check (or a check associated with your specialization) with a DC equal to 20 + your target’s CR. If you succeed at the check, you deal 1d4 additional damage and the target is flat-footed. This damage increases to 1d8 at 3rd level, to 3d8 at 5th level, and by an additional 1d8 every 2 levels thereafter. You can’t use this ability with a weapon that has the unwieldy special property or that requires a full action to make a single attack.

Evasion (Ex)

2nd Level
If you succeed at a Reflex save against an effect that normally has a partial effect on a successful save, you instead suffer no effect. You gain this benefit only when unencumbered and wearing light armor or no armor, and you lose the benefit when you are helpless or otherwise unable to move.

Operative Exploit

2nd Level
As you gain experience, you learn special tricks called operative exploits. You learn your first operative exploit at 2nd level, and you learn an additional exploit every 2 levels thereafter. If an operative exploit allows a saving throw to resist its effects, the DC is equal to 10 + half your operative level + your Dexterity modifier. If it requires an enemy to attempt a skill check, the DC is equal to 10 + 1-1/2 × your operative level + your Dexterity modifier. You cannot learn the same exploit more than once unless it specially says otherwise.

Quick Movement (Ex)

3rd Level
As long as you are unencumbered and wearing light armor or no armor, your land speed increases by 10 feet. At 9th level, your land speed instead increases by 20 feet, and at 15th level, your land speed instead increases by 30 feet.

Weapon Specialization (Ex)

3rd Level
You gain the Weapon Specialization feat as a bonus feat for each weapon type with which this class grants you proficiency.

Debilitating Trick (Ex)

4th Level
When you hit an enemy with a trick attack, you can make the creature flat-footed or off-target until the beginning of your next turn. You might learn exploits that grant you additional options for your debilitating trick, but you can select only one option each time you hit with a trick attack.

Uncanny Agility (Ex)

7th Level
You are immune to the flat-footed condition, and your opponent doesn’t gain any bonuses to attack rolls against you from flanking you or attacking you when you’re prone. Furthermore, covering fire and harrying fire don’t provide any advantage against you.

Triple Attack (Ex)

8th Level
When making a full attack using only melee weapons with the operative special property or small arms, you can make up to three attacks instead of two.

Quad Attack (Ex)

13th Level
When making a full attack using only melee weapons with the operative special property or small arms, you can make up to four attacks instead of two.

Double Debilitation (Ex)

17th Level
When you hit an enemy with a trick attack, you can apply two of the effects from your debilitating trick.

Supreme Operative (Ex)

20th Level
Whenever you attempt a skill check with your specialization’s associated skills, you can roll twice and take the higher result. Once per day as a move action, you can temporarily trade out one of your operative exploits for another operative exploit requiring the same level or lower. This trade lasts 24 hours. If the exploit you trade away is a prerequisite for any of your other abilities, you lose all abilities that require it as a prerequisite for the duration.

Operative Specializations

The following are some common operative specializations.

Daredevil

You specialize in missions requiring courage and athleticism.
• Associated Skills: Acrobatics and Athletics. You can attempt an Acrobatics check to make a trick attack.
• Specialization Exploit: Versatile movement.
• Terrain Attack (Ex): At 11th level, when you and a foe are both balancing, climbing, flying, or swimming, you automatically succeed at any Bluff check required to make a trick attack against that foe.

Detective

Your ability to read people and make deductions helps you ferret out the truth in any situation.
• Associated Skills: Culture and Sense Motive. You can attempt a Sense Motive check with a +4 bonus to make a trick attack by reading your foe.
• Specialization Exploit: Glimpse the truth.
• Detective’s Insight (Ex): At 11th level, your incredible insights help you move investigations forward where mundane inquiries fail. Once per day, you can spend 1 Resolve Point and take 10 minutes pondering a mystery or quandary to gain an enigmatic insight as if you had cast divination (though the result is often presented as a cryptic clue).

Explorer

You’re an expert in scouting out dangerous locations using your knowledge and survival skills.
• Associated Skills: Culture and Survival. You can attempt a Survival check with a +4 bonus to make a trick attack by using your surroundings to your advantage.
• Specialization Exploit: Ever vigilant.
• Into the Unknown (Ex): At 11th level, you gain a +4 bonus to Culture and Survival checks. While you’re outside both the core worlds and your home star system (if different), you gain a +2 bonus to initiative checks. At the GM’s discretion, in games centered around a different star system than the core worlds, replace the core worlds with that star system.

Ghost

You can move from place to place without being noticed.
• Associated Skills: Acrobatics and Stealth. When you use Stealth to make a trick attack, you gain a +4 bonus to the skill check.
• Specialization Exploit: Cloaking field.
• Phase Shift Escape (Ex): At 11th level, you can move through solid matter by taking your body’s matter out of phase for just a moment. As a full action, you can spend 1 Resolve Point to phase through up to 5 feet of solid matter. If you attempt to phase through something that is too thick, you spend the Resolve Point and take the action but the attempt fails. You cannot phase through force effects such as force fields or the barrier created by wall of force. After using phase shift escape, you can’t use it again until after you’ve taken a full 8-hour rest.

Hacker

Whether it’s a computer system or a mechanical device, you can hack it.
• Associated Skills: Computers and Engineering. You can attempt a Computers check with a +4 bonus to make a trick attack by creating a computerized distraction (you can’t use this option if stripped of all computerized gear in an area with no computers).
• Specialization Exploit: Elusive hacker.
• Control Hack (Ex): At 11th level, when you exceed the DC of a Computers or Engineering check to disable a device or computer system by 5 or more, you can instead take control of the device or system. For every 5 by which you exceed the DC, you can typically make the device or system perform one task, at the GM’s discretion. Once the device or system has done what you commanded, you choose whether the device deactivates or returns to normal.

Spy

You can steal or adopt new identities as easily as most people change clothes, allowing you to infiltrate nearly any circle.
• Associated Skills: Bluff and Disguise. When you use Bluff to make a trick attack, you gain a +4 bonus to the skill check.
• Specialization Exploit: Master of disguise.
• Fool Detection (Ex): At 11th level, whenever you succeed at a saving throw against a spell, technological device, or ability that would provide information about you (such as detect D thoughts), instead of negating the effect, you can provide false information that matches your cover identity. If such an effect has no saving throw, you can attempt a Bluff check opposed by the Sense Motive check of the caster or user, and provide similar false information on a success.

Thief

You specialize in acquisition, from quick swipes to complex heists.
• Associated Skills: Perception and Sleight of Hand. You can use Sleight of Hand to make a trick attack by concealing your weapons and motions.
• Specialization Exploit: Holographic distraction.
• Contingency Plan (Ex): At 11th level, you’ve performed enough heists to realize that things never go exactly as you had planned. When something unexpected happens during a heist or infiltration, you can spend 2 Resolve Points and specify a contingency plan that you had set up in advance for this eventuality, either having the right prop (such as an ID or a computer file, but not a particularly valuable item), having the right information, or having hired a confederate to perform a single task at the right time. You then attempt a skill check. The appropriate skill and the DC are at the GM’s discretion, with a higher DC for a more elaborate or unlikely contingency. If you succeed, you have the item or knowledge, or the confederate performs the task as specified. If you fail, either you don’t have what you need or your plan fails.

Operative Exploits

You learn your first operative exploit at 2nd level, and an additional exploit every 2 levels thereafter. Operative exploits require you to have a minimum operative level, and they are organized accordingly. Some require you to meet additional prerequisites, such as having other exploits.

2nd Level

You must be 2nd level or higher to choose these operative exploits.
Alien Archive (Ex)
Your vast experience makes identifying new creatures easier for you. Double your operative’s edge bonus to your skill checks when identifying a creature and its abilities. If you successfully identify a creature, you gain a +2 enhancement bonus to your skill check when you make a trick attack against that creature.
Combat Trick (Ex)
You gain a bonus combat feat. You must meet all of that feat’s prerequisites.
Field Treatment (Ex)
You can take 1 minute to tend your wounds and spend 1 Resolve Point to recover a number of Hit Points equal to three times your operative level.
Holographic Clone (Ex)
You can create holographic duplicates or psychic projections of yourself that conceal your true location. Once per day as a standard action, you can create 1d4 images of yourself that last for 1 minute per operative level. This ability otherwise functions as mirror image. You can use this exploit an additional time per day at 6th level, and again at 10th level.
Inoculation (Ex)
You’ve trained to resist various chemical and biological weapons, toxins, and pathogens you come across in the course of your missions. You add your operative’s edge bonus to Fortitude saves against poison and disease.
Jack of All Trades (Ex)
You’ve learned how to handle any situation. You can use all skills untrained, and you double your operative’s edge bonus when using a skill in which you have no ranks.
Nightvision (Ex)
You can see in the dark as if you had low-light vision and darkvision with a range of 60 feet.
Quick Disguise (Ex)
Once per day as a standard action, you can quickly change your appearance. This functions as disguise self and lasts for 1 minute per operative level. You can use this exploit an additional time per day at 6th level, and again at 10th level.
Uncanny Mobility (Ex)
When you make a trick attack, if you choose the target of your attack before you move, your movement doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity from that target. When you use your standard action to move, you can choose one creature; you don’t provoke attacks of opportunity from that creature for this movement.
Uncanny Pilot (Ex)
When you attack while you’re driving a vehicle, you halve the vehicle’s penalty to your attack roll (to a minimum of no penalty if the vehicle normally imposes a –1 penalty). When you’re in a chase, you gain a +2 bonus to skill checks you attempt when taking the evade or trick pilot actions.

6th Level

You must be 6th level or higher to choose these operative exploits.
Bleeding Shot (Ex)
For your debilitating trick, you can afflict your target with an amount of bleed damage equal to your operative level.
Certainty (Ex)
You can spend 1 Resolve Point as a reaction to reroll one of your specialization’s associated skill checks.
Debilitating Sniper (Ex)
You can use trick attack with sniper weapons. You do not add trick attack damage to your attack, but the target is still flat- footed, and you can use debilitating tricks.
Enhanced Senses (Ex)
You can sense your surroundings without needing to see them. You gain blindsense with a range of 60 feet. You must have darkvision and low-light vision, or the nightvision exploit, to learn this exploit.
Hampering Shot (Ex)
For your debilitating trick, you can reduce your target’s speeds by half and prevent it from using the guarded step action until the beginning of your next turn.
Improved Quick Movement (Ex)
You can move even faster than other operatives. You gain double the benefits of your quick movement ability, up to a maximum additional increase of +20 feet. You must have quick movement to learn this exploit.
Interfering Shot (Ex)
For your debilitating trick, you can prevent your target from using reactions until the end of your next turn.
Mentalist’s Bane (Ex)
If you fail your Will saving throw against a mind-affecting effect with a duration of 1 round or more, you can attempt another saving throw against the effect 1 round later at the same DC. You get only one extra chance to save per effect.
If you succeed at a saving throw against a charm or compulsion effect, you can prevent the effect’s originator from knowing you succeeded. You gain basic knowledge of what the mental effect would have made you do or feel, and you can attempt a Bluff check to pretend you are under that effect. If the mental effect would provide a link between you and the originator (like the dominate person spell), you can choose to allow the link without the control.
Speed Hacker (Ex)
You can disable mechanical devices with Engineering and computer systems with Computers in half the usual time. In the rare cases when disabling a system or device would normally be a full action, you can do it as a standard action, and if it would normally be a standard action, you can do it as a move action.
Staggering Shot (Ex)
For your debilitating trick, you can attempt to stagger your target. The target must succeed at a Fortitude save or be staggered until the beginning of your next turn. Once you’ve used this ability to attempt to stagger a creature, that creature is immune to your staggering shot for 24 hours.
Stalwart (Ex)
If you succeed at a Fortitude save against an effect that normally requires multiples successful saves to cure (such as a disease or poison), that effect immediately ends and is cured with a single successful save.
Sure-Footed (Ex)
You move at your full speed when moving over difficult terrain, and without penalty when using Acrobatics or Stealth at your full speed.
Uncanny Shooter (Ex)
Your ranged attacks with small arms do not provoke attacks of opportunity.

10th Level

You must be 10th level or higher to choose these operative exploits.
Cloaking Field (Ex)
You can bend light around yourself and muffle any minor sounds you make, allowing you to nearly vanish when not moving. Even when you move, you appear only as an outline with blurry features. This cloaking field doesn’t make you invisible, but it does make it easier to sneak around. Activating the cloaking field is a move action. While the cloaking field is active, you can use Stealth to hide, even while being directly observed and with no place to hide. Attacking doesn’t end the cloaking field, but it does end that particular attempt to hide. If you remain perfectly still for at least 1 round, you gain a +10 bonus to Stealth checks (which doesn’t stack with invisibility) until you move.
Your cloaking field lasts for up to 10 rounds before it becomes inactive. While inactive, the cloaking field recharges automatically at the rate of 1 round of cloaking per minute.
Deactivating Shot (Ex)
For your debilitating trick, you can attempt to temporarily suppress one magic item or deactivate one weapon, piece of equipment, or armor upgrade worn or carried by the target. Roll 1d20 + your operative level; the DC is equal to 10 + the item level. If you succeed, you deactivate the device (or suppress the item’s magical properties) until the beginning of your next turn. The device’s owner can spend a move action and attempt an Engineering check (for technological devices) or a Mysticism check (for magic items) against your operative exploit DC to try to reactivate the device.
You can instead use this debilitating trick to temporarily deactivate a construct that has either the magical subtype (such as a golem) or the technological subtype (such as a robot). You don’t need to attempt a check, but the creature can attempt a Fortitude save to negate the debilitating effect. If it fails, it’s stunned until the beginning of your next turn. Once you’ve used this ability to attempt to deactivate a construct, that creature is immune to your deactivating shot for 24 hours.
Elusive Hacker (Ex)
Your hacking skills make your code incredibly difficult for countermeasures to pin down. Whenever you would trigger a system’s countermeasure while hacking the system, there is a 50% chance that you manage to elude the countermeasure and it doesn’t trigger. You still haven’t disarmed the countermeasure, and it might trigger in the future.
Ever Vigilant (Ex)
You’ve been on enough solo missions to know that you can’t let your guard down, even while sleeping. You take no penalties to Perception checks for being asleep, though you still can’t succeed at purely visual Perception checks while asleep. You can always act on the surprise round, though if you choose to do so when you would otherwise be surprised, you use your initiative result or the initiative result of the first creature that would have surprised you – 1, whichever is lower.
Glimpse the Truth (Ex)
By picking up on subtle clues and hidden traces in your immediate surroundings, you can see things as they really are. As a full action, you can spend 1 Resolve Point to gain the effects of true seeing for 1 round with a range of 60 feet.
Holographic Distraction (Ex)
As a standard action, you can spend 1 Resolve Point to create a single holographic duplicate or psychic projection of yourself that moves away from you for 1 round per operative level. The double climbs walls, jumps across pits, or simply passes through obstacles, moving at twice your speed in one direction indicated by you when the ability is activated. Its course cannot be changed. Those who interact with the double can attempt a Will save to recognize that it is not real. You must have the holographic clone exploit to learn this exploit.
Improved Evasion (Ex)
When you fail a Reflex save against an effect that has a partial effect on a successful save, you take the partial effect instead of the full effect. You must have evasion to learn this exploit.
Improved Uncanny Mobility (Ex)
When you use the trick attack action or take a standard action to move up to your speed, your movement doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. You still provoke attacks of opportunity normally when making ranged attacks or casting spells. You must have the uncanny mobility exploit to learn this exploit.
Master of Disguise (Ex)
You can take on the appearances of other creatures and even specific individuals. This functions as the quick disguise exploit, but the duration increases to 10 minutes per operative level. Alternatively, for 1 minute per operative level, you can take on the appearance of a specific individual that you have seen before. If you have heard the individual talk and can speak her language, you can also modulate your speech to match hers. This disguise is so convincing that creatures familiar with the individual must succeed at a Will saving throw before they can attempt a Perception check to pierce the disguise. You must have the quick disguise exploit to learn this exploit.
Stunning Shot (Ex)
For your debilitating trick, you can try to stun your target. The target must succeed at a Fortitude save or be stunned until the start of your next turn. Once you’ve used this ability to try to stun a creature, it’s immune to your stunning shot for 24 hours. You must have the staggering shot exploit to learn this exploit.
Versatile Movement (Ex)
You gain a climb speed and a swim speed equal to your land speed. This speed is not increased by the quick movement class feature or improved quick movement exploit.

14th Level

You must be 14th level or higher to choose these operative exploits.
Efficient Cloaking Field (Ex)
Your cloaking field lasts for up to 100 rounds (10 minutes), and it recharges at the rate of 2 rounds of cloaking per minute while inactive. You can spend 1 Resolve Point as a move action to recharge 20 rounds immediately, and you can do this even while the cloaking field is active. You must have the cloaking field exploit to learn this exploit.
Knockout Shot (Ex)
For your debilitating trick, you can attempt to knock the target out in one blow. The target must succeed at a Fortitude save or fall unconscious for 1 minute. Once you’ve used this ability to attempt to knock a creature out, that creature is immune to your knockout shot for 24 hours. You must have the staggering shot and stunning shot exploits to learn this exploit.
Multiattack Mastery (Ex)
When you use triple attack or quad attack to attack the same target with all of your attacks, after your full attack is complete, if at least two of your attacks hit, you can apply a debilitating trick to the target.
Uncanny Senses (Ex)
Your enhanced senses grow even more discerning. Your blindsense becomes blindsight with a range of 60 feet. If you have darkvision, its range increases by 30 feet. You must have the enhanced senses exploit to learn this exploit.