Gaining Advanced Specialities
Advanced Specialities represent the growth of a Guardsman as a soldier, and allow troopers to develop new abilities and tricks to add to their arsenal. The Advanced Specialities contained in this volume can only be selected by Guardsmen Player Characters (
Heavy Gunner,
Medic,
Operator,
Sergeant,
Weapon Specialist, and any other Speciality designated for Guardsmen, such as on page 75 of the Only War Core Rulebook). Support Specialists cannot select these Advanced Specialities.
At certain milestones in their eternal struggle to survive and (presumably) learn from their harrowing experiences on the battlefield, Player Characters gain the opportunity to take Advanced Specialities (with the GM’s permission, of course). When a Player Character reaches 2,500 Experience Points, and each time he earns a full 2,500 xp thereafter (5,000 xp, 7,500xp, 10,000xp, 12,500 xp, 15,000 xp, etc), he is faced with a choice about how he wishes to progress.
Switch to an Advanced Speciality
At each of these Experience Point milestones, a Player Character can select an Advanced Speciality for which he is eligible (which, for Guardsman Player Characters, includes all of the ones in this volume). If he does so, the Advanced Speciality replaces all of his previous Speciality’s Aptitudes and Specialist Equipment. He retains any Advances that he received for entering his old Speciality and any that he purchased while in that Speciality (including Comrade Advances, which he can still use in his new Advanced Speciality). He retains the Characteristic Bonuses that his original Speciality granted him.
Switch to Another Eligible Speciality
Alternatively, Guardsman Player Character can instead opt to select a new Guardsman Speciality (Heavy Gunner, Medic, Operator, Sergeant, Weapon Specialist, or any other Speciality designated for Guardsmen) instead of an Advanced Speciality at one of these Experience milestones. If he does so, the Speciality replaces all of his previous Speciality’s Aptitudes and Specialist Equipment. He retains any Advances that he received for entering his old Speciality and any that he purchased while in that Speciality (including Comrade Advances, which he can still use in his new Speciality). However, he does not apply any of the Characteristic Bonuses from the new Speciality he is entering; instead, he retains the Characteristic Bonuses that his original Speciality granted him.
Dedication to one’s Current Speciality
Finally, any Player Character (both Guardsmen and Support Specialists) can choose to dedicate himself to his current Speciality when he reaches one of these Experience milestones instead of switching to a different Speciality. If he does so, he gains a permanent +5 to any Characteristic with which he shares an Aptitude, but cannot select a new Speciality or Advanced Speciality at this milestone.
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