Head of Security

COMMAND STAFF
Head of Security
Head of Security	Difficulty: Very Difficult Requirements: Play for 3 months and either 1) apply for the HoS whitelist and get approved, gaining the ability to play this any time, or 2) apply for Mentor and get approved, gaining ability to play this role only on Fridays (UTC) Access Level: All-access except for most Command offices, Artifact Lab, Electrical Equipment (APCs), Engineering Gas Storage/Atmospherics, Robot Depot, and QM Console. Additional Roleplay Access Level: None Supervisors: Central Command, Captain Subordinates: Nanotrasen Security Consultant‎, Detective, Security Officer, Security Assistant, all other Security staff Responsibilities: Guide the Security team, prosecute crime, whether it is committed by crew (including other Security personnel) or antagonists Guides: Calling the Escape Shuttle, AI Laws, Contraband, Forensics, Space Law, HoS guidelines

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The Head of Security's office

Riot Equipment : HoS access only!

The Head of Security's office

Riot Equipment : HoS access only!

The Head of Security's office

Riot Equipment : HoS access only!

The Head of Security's office

Riot Equipment : HoS access only!

The Head of Security's office

Riot Equipment : HoS access only!

Where the HoS begins their day.

Riot Equipment : HoS access only!

As the leader of the Security department, the Head of Security enforces Space Law and oversees the affairs of all Security personnel, including prosecuting officers who abuse their authority. They have access to most of the station, and by default, they are the only ones who can freely enter the Armory, where specialized equipment is stored, though this can be changed.

Only the Captain is above the Head of Security in the chain of command, unlike other heads of staff who answer to the Head of Personnel. The Head of Personnel cannot override the Head of Security concerning Security matters. The Head of Security, in turn, cannot override the Head of Personnel in non-security issues.

Because of the Head of Security's ability to dramatically shift the nature and tone of a round and their access to powerful equipment locked to their ID, they are currently an application-only job. This rule is relaxed every Friday, when the job becomes open to Mentors.

Like security officers, the Head of Security can't spawn as a Antagonist, though the antagonist selection process happens BEFORE job selection, meaning that putting head of security in your preferred jobs won't ever cheat you out of your fair chance at being the bad guy. The Head of Security also gets a mind protection health implant, which blocks mindhack implants. The HoS can still be mindhacked, but a would-be-mind-hacker has to put in the extra effort to bypass it.

The above two considerations make the Head of Security one of the most trustworthy Heads of Staff on the station.

Being on the HoS whitelist also unlocks access to the Nanotrasen Security Consultant role and certain Spooktober jobs.

Beret or Hat?

Good question! Since the two forms grant the same boosts, the answer is another question: what else are you wearing? What variant of the uniform are you using? Are you going with the armor vest, security winter coat, cozy jacket, or security blankie cape? If you are going for the armor vest, what style are you using? Are you going for a theme, like "living relic of Elite Security" or "Warhammer 40,000 commissar"? Essentially, whether you should go hat or beret comes down to fashion.

But why restrict yourself to just those two hats? Put on a helmet, and show your fellow Security Officer that beneath the fancy gear and special perks, you're an average working redshirt just like them. Don the siren helmet and strike fear in the hearts of Syndies and other foes as you blast the music of THE LAW. Or, go hatless--show the crew the human face of the beacon of justice and insinuate that the station's crimers are so weak that you're not gonna bother protecting your noggin.

Your Duties

Just like their Security Officer underlings, the Head of Security is expected to uphold the law and punish crime, whether it's from the antags or the crew. After all, that's why they get Armory privileges and so many Security goodies.

But the HoS isn't all about catching baddies. The HoS is supposed to be a beacon of light on a fart-filled station. A good HoS keeps officers in-line and makes sure that the station isn't held hostage by harm-batoning maniacs. When playing HoS, you should constantly be checking in with the crew as to how your officers are doing. If someone is being shitty, yell at them! The common number of warnings given by an HoS is about 2-3, depending on how heinous they are. Unauthorized execution and general griefiness should be grounds for immediate dismissal, accompanied by a stripping of gear, removal of Security access, and a trip to robotics because their ass is yours.

From time to time, you might also need to approve fines via the Ticket Master program on your PDA. Authorization requests will usually come from your subordinates; Security Officers can issue fines of 500 credits or less, but any fine higher than that requires official authorization, while the Detective and Security Assistants need approval on all fines, regardless of amount. Fine abuse usually isn't a problem, but if things are getting out of hand, don't be afraid to withhold approval. Since you're Da Chief, you can issue fines without restriction.

Your Equipment

You are now back in the saddle with all your experience before you. In addition to all the gear you normally find in Security, you come stocked with the following items in your array of power.

Starting Gear

When you spawn, in addition to some of the usual gear that a Security Officer would get (armor vest, badge, clone data disk, military boots, mind protection health implant, requisition token, security backpack, security pouch, and Security HUD), you start with a few unique items:

• A stylish beret/hat and a unique red suit with gold buttons that kinda looks like you might be the butt of a joke about red shirts and brown pants.
• A snazzy red and green PDA, equipped with a R.O.B.U.S.T.E.R. cartridge.
• A special Command Headset, tuned to the Common (;), Command (:h), and Security radio channels (:g)

You also get two job traits: Security Training and...Professional Drinker. The former halves the time needed to successfully cuff someone and adds a silly interaction between dough and stun batons. The latter gives you the Alcohol Resistance gene, which counteracts some of the effects of ethanol. In this way, if the entire Sec department fails you, you can at least fall back on your three friends Bo, Jack, and Daniel and still be a relatively serviceable officer afterwards.

Your ID also has access to the ID terminals, so you can upgrade yourself to all-access. This can be handy since, despite all this other gear, there are still some areas that are off-limits, e.g. the Artifact lab. You could also use it to upgrade fellow officers' or replace IDs after they're destroyed or stolen. It also allows you to use the RoleControl program, so you can tell latejoiners that the crew really needs a Captain, after the last one died in a self-deep-frying experiment.

Your Office & Locker

As a Head of Staff, you also get your own office, typically located somewhere in Security. Its precise contents vary from map to map, but it typically contains these items of note:

• A cute turtle named Sylvester!
• A Security records computer and a portable camera monitor. These don't have any special functions, so they're basically spares, but if Sec gets bombed and the ones there become unusable, you'll appreciate them.
• A white "Head of Security's mug". It doesn't boost coffee bonuses or anything, but it does have special Examine text for when you're a HoS and when you're not a HoS. Beware of any Spy Thieves who may try to take it!
• Your war medal, proudly on display. You can actually wear it too; just get it out of the display first by clicking on the frame twice. It's just a medal, so it won't make you hit harder or anything, and since it's an outer-wear item, you can't wear it with body armor. Still, it is shiny.
• Most importantly, spicy pasta. In addition to being delicious, eating it gives you a bit of omnizine, which heals a little bit of organ damage and the four main damage types and counteracts bleeding, and synapatizine, which is a mild stimulant that can also help you out when you're close to death. This is also a special "secured" variant; anyone who tries eat it will get burned, unless they have Security Training or a gulp of milk. It's locked up in your office for a reason!

Your office also contains your special HoS equipment locker that only you can open. It mostly contains spares of some of the gear you spawn with, but there are a few notable items:

• The iconic HoS cape and HoS jacket. These offer identical stats, but the jacket has better cold resistance while the cape has better heat resistance. Both are less protective than standard body armor.
• Heavy military boots, which make a very distinct stomping sound when you walk around in them (i.e. anybody nearby will know you're around, for better or for worse). If that doesn't appeal to you, there's also plain ol' brown shoes.
• A box of four alt HoS outfits, plus a blue command winter jacket. Mix and match with the jacket/cape, boots/heavy boots/shoes and hat/beret for fashion! If you just want a spare, it has that too.
• An energy gun, with a little red band to show whose it is. Its stun mode is identical to the taser's single shot and its kill mode does a decent amount of BURN. It's simple, a little boring, yet practical: it has better capacity than any of the guns in the Security Weapons Vendor, a volley of stun shots takes down almost every baddie, stun shots followed by lasers at point-blank are handy if you need to kill someone, and even the ones immune to stuns usually are still vulnerable to the lasers.
• Some thermals. These let you see better in the dark and make you able to see people who using some form of invisibility, at the cost of making things like welders and flashbangs cause a lot more eye damage. These are very helpful against when fighting a Nuclear Operative Scout, a Hunter, or anybody abusing a cloaking device.
• Spare box of IDs. They're not like the spare the Captain has; they're just blank. Still useful if one of your officers loses theirs and needs a replacement though.

The Armory

In addition, you're the only person who starts with access to the Armory and all its contents. That means you can freely enter and exit through its doors, open up its lockers and crates, and dispense things from the AmmoTech. During times of need, you can click on the Armory Authorization computer to free up the Armory to all Security personnel, allowing them to enter and grab the necessary gear from its lockers, crates, and AmmoTech.

You can also close and de-authorize the Armory, all by yourself. Unlike your Security Officer underlings, you don't need two other people to revoke access. To de-authorize the Armory Authorization computer, just click on the computer again. De-authorizing the Armory can be done once every 5 minutes. This starts after the armory is authorized, not after the deauthorization itself, so if you authorize the armory and suddenly change your mind, you can't de-auth it until 5 minutes have passed. Authorize carefully!

Any use of the Armory Authorization computer leaves behind fingerprints, in case you need to find and talk to Security Officers or other Heads about when it's appropriate to use the tools there.

• Stinger grenades
• Riot shotguns
• Pulse rifles
• RP-4 phaser guns
  • The phaser gun and pulse rifle racks start with, interestingly, Security access.
• Bomb disposal suits
• Heavy armor - Not only are they handy against nuclear ops and fireball-throwing wizards, they're one of the few sources of Disorient (Body) resistance, which reduces the effects of taser shots and similar stun projectiles. That will help a lot if you have to handle a security mutiny.
• Linked taser arrays - These are pod weapons that disable the engine on other pods, which turns all their other systems off. A taser command pod is a great asset to security, so consider appointing an officer to flight duty if things get hairy.

Sylvester

Being HoS also means you start with a friend in your office: Sylvester the turtle! If he gets attacked in melee, he'll often headbutt the assailant, if he doesn't go back into his shell. While in his shell, he gets a lot of damage resistance, making him more difficult to kill (but not impossible--a c-saber for example can end him quite quickly). If he gets attacked while in his shell, he might poke his head out to retaliate, though more often than not he'll stay put. Similarly, if he gets shot, there's a good chance he'll take shelter in his shell, and it's the same if there's an explosion.

Here are some five fun facts about the little green guy:

1. Sylvester prefers the beret. Even if you give him the cap version, he'll fold it into a beret. It makes him less vulnerable to fire and BRUTE damage sources.
2. Only a Head of Security (i.e. you) can remove Sylvester's beret. Even if he's dead, when there's ostensibly nothing keeping anybody else from taking it, only a HoS can pull the beret from the turtle. To remove it, just click-drag the turtle's sprite onto yours. If he's dead, you can also just click on him.
3. Sylvester hates clowns. If he sees one, he'll try to charge at them.
4. It's possible to make Sylvester into a bomb. Theoretically, an evil-doer could use this to break into a locker or something. It won't hurt Sylvester.
5. Sylvester lived through a war.

A Brief History of Redhats

If you thought Clown and Janitor formerly being punishment roles was weird, the history behind the Head of Security is even more wild. This role was once a mocking joke played by people who wanted to assert dominance among the other security. They weren't as powerful as they thought, but they were still dicks, and that is why the Elite Security from NanoTrasen were bought in.

The role was still around. Originally, the HoS kept their power but was expected to bow to Elite Security and let them do their thing. Later on, though, their position was taken away from them (with their shoes), and they became a full joke role, a shadow of its former glory (if you could call it that). They had very little access and were basically expected to drink themselves to death in the bar, telling stories to anybody willing to listen.

During this time, Security equipment was locked to those with Security/Security Access implants. There were a few extra Sec/Sec Access implants lying around, so a crafty former HoS could get their hands on some Sec equipment, but of course they could never match up to their replacements.

However, the elites grew awfully lazy, smoked pot on the job, and were really horrid to be with. There are many tales of the crimes they committed, with varying degrees of credibility. What is certain is that they went through multiple iterations before they were all fired, and on February 6th, 2011, the Head of Security was reinstated with a kickass outfit and office that no one else can access.

Head of Security XP

You earn XP by completing your particular crew objectives. More specifically:

Action	XP Earned
Completing the "Don't lose your hat/beret." objective.	50
Completing the "Have at least one antagonist cuffed in the brig..." objective.	50
Completing the "Bring at least one antagonist back to CentCom..." objective.	50
Completing the "Keep Monsieur Stirstir brigged..." objective.	50

Head of Security Job Rewards

There are a couple of rewards available to you:

Name	Level Unlocked	Icon	Description
The Lawbringer	0		Judge Dredd-inspired energy weapon with many different modes, each with interesting sound clips, that are activated by voice command. Anyone can fire it, but only the first person to touch it (i.e. hopefully you) can switch its modes. See Security Objects for more details. To claim this reward, you must be holding an energy gun, which is used up during the process, and it is only claimable once per round!
Alternate Blue Mug	0		Turns your special "Head of Security's mug" into one with blue text instead of red text! Its contents are cleared in the process.

Crew Objectives

As a loyal crew member, you can sometimes be assigned some strictly optional objectives to keep yourself busy while you wait for something to happen. If you complete your objectives by the end of the round, you'll get bonus Spacebux and some job XP. The first time you complete one, you might also get a medal. The Head of Security can expect to see the following:

Don't lose your hat/beret.
Exactly what it says on the tin. Make you still have that iconic beret/hat on you at round end. You're robust enough not to get it stolen, right?

Have at least one antagonist cuffed in the brig at the end of the round.
Self-explanatory, but said antag can also be dead, primarily so you can still achieve this in case the person decided to suicide while in the Brig or while being arrested. Needless to say, this isn't an excuse to permabrig people. Use your common sense.

Bring at least one antagonist back to CentCom in handcuffs for interrogation. You must accompany them on the escape shuttle.
Also relatively self-explanatory. Moreover, you and the perp just need to be at Central Command at round end, so you don't have to patiently wait until you see the game check your objectives while everyone else gets their few seconds of mayhem on.

Keep Monsieur Stirstir brigged but also make sure that he comes to absolutely no harm.
Monsieur Stirstir is the monkey in the Brig wearing the orange jumpsuit and beret. "No harm" specifically means no BRUTE, BURN, TOX, or OXY, meaning he can still have a disease or some of the more niche damage types. Stirstir just has to be brigged, and having him cuffed or otherwise restrained is optional. Sounds simple enough, but some antags sometimes get an objective to make sure Monsieur Stirstir escapes on the shuttle, so expect resistance!