Head of Personnel
The Head of Personnel is in charge of administrative tasks on the station and is second in command to the Captain, unless there is an active Head of Security. The HoP's only real duties are ID Changes and making sure someone hasn't laundered the station's budget. The HoP can (and typically will) upgrade their own ID to all-access. The combination of high access and low responsibility makes the HoP a good job for doing whatever the hell you want.
As they are the most publicly accessible Head of Staff, and their disappearance is easily missed, the Head of Personnel is a common first target for revolutionaries and other antagonists seeking an early advantage.
HoP Swag
As the Head of Personnel, you usually spawn in either the Bridge or the Head of Personnel's Office (natch) at roundstart. On your person, you have a box of blank IDs and a box of access implants. You also get a flash for self-defense. If the map is on Manta, you get a special armored coat too. It's worse than a real armor vest, but it does provide a decent amount of warmth.
Your office, fittingly called the Head of Personnel's Office, usually contains some knicknacks, such a crayon that can write golden characters, and the "Head of Personnel's locker". This locker contains more blank IDs, your unique stamp, a spare flash, and the usual extra uniform set and alt outfits. Most notably, it also has an AccessPro and an armor vest. While the vest does indeed come in handy if you're going to battle, say, a Blob or Nuclear Operatives, it's more to protect you in case someone tries to assassinate you e.g. someone has just tried to shoot you while you were filing paperwork or Security has warned you that there are revs onboard.
Know your HoP
You may encounter many styles of HoP in the wild. Knowing what they are capable of may be the key to your survival.
The ????
This HoP will vanish 3 minutes into the round, never to be seen again. Those who call out for ID changes and replacements will hear their words echo back to them in vain. Who is this man? Where does he go? Can any of us ever hope to understand him?
The SecHoP
This HoP will, after giving themselves their customary all-access ID, head on down to security and load up to fight crime. SecHoPs, as they are derogatorily referred, often have short lifespans, typically after they run into somewhere regular security officers can't access to back them up. SecHoPs are also generally renowned for being humorless authoritarians who will brig anyone for the slightest infraction. SecHoPs are loathed by everyone, except the traitor who will inevitably help himself to the gear and all-access ID from his bloody, toolboxed corpse.
The Firefighter
Runs around from every part of the station making sure things are actually running well. Gets the engine running when the engineers all fuck off, stuffs dying people into cryo when there are no medical doctors around, grows food when the botanists are busy huffing jenkem, etc., etc. What a weirdo! Generally a nuisance to antagonists who thrive on chaos.
The Anarchist
Tosses out all-access IDs to anyone who asks, and then prior to disappearing, leaves their own ID in the ID computer. Generally, most crewmembers will respond to an unfamiliar presence barging into their office with a gentle toolboxing. As fights escalate security will find it difficult to assist after all of their gear has been looted. The anarchist HoP hopefully will have fled the station before the Captain and security wise up and strap him to an electric chair.
The Gimmickist
Give everyone knightly titles and upload a law making the AI act like a feudal king. Run a russian roulette tournament, offering increasing ID upgrades for each pull of the trigger. Sponsor boxing matches with cash prizes. Buy a million phasers and arm the station to the teeth. As long as frustrated grayshirts aren't tearing the station apart out of boredom, you're doing your job well. The sky is the limit!
The Career Bureaucrat
Stands motionless at his desk in customs for the entire round. Generally, people who see a HoP at customs after 10 minutes into the round will assume he is braindead and never bother to ask for an ID change.
The Backup Captain
This guy is the Starscream to the Captain's Megatron. He will generally be doing ID work or wander aimlessly around until the Captain shows up dead or in the late stages of an alcohol induced coma. That's when this HoP promptly announces his own promotion to the rank of Captain and proceeds to work very hard at doing no work at all, just like a real Captain.
ID Changing
- Main article: Access Levels
If you are standing by an ID computer, people will generally expect you to do ID modifications. Some of these requests will be simple upgrades or sidegrades to more interesting jobs. Some people will ask for additional access and may give a reason why, it's entirely your prerogative whether or not to grant it. Traitors will generally come up and ask for scientist access to better blow holes in the station, but if they can sling enough BS, who are you to say no?
The other thing you'll deal with is people wanting gimmick jobs or just saying "whatever you want to give me works." Now, while you could just slap any job onto the card and be done with it, this is a fantastic opportunity to get creative and make the round more interesting. For example, why not give one guy the ID "Ghost", and the next guy the ID "Ghost Hunter"? If they're good sports they'll be chasing each other around the station for the rest of the round screaming over the radio. Get creative with the access and jobs you hand out and people will remember you.
To start changing access, you click on the ID computer with your ID (any ID with "ID Computer" access works), then the ID you want to change. Then you click on the ID computer with an empty hand and log in. Access changing itself is pretty simple; blue means they don't have that access level, red means they do, and you click on the underlined words to enable/disable access. You have groups of access settings for all the main station jobs, from Staff Assistant to Captain. If you're a bit confused/unsure about what each level listed in the ID Computer entails, consult the Access Levels page.
The Personal Equipment Manufacturer
Stashed away in your quarters is your very own fabricator, the Personal Equipment Manufacturer. This oft-neglected machine can make spare ID cards in case some hooligan steals the spare ID boxes. When hacked, it can also manufacture sweet shiny golden ID cards to leave out in the open as "captain" IDs .
Your PEM can also make access implants, which are essentially unstealable (most of the time) ID cards that don't use a slot. To set the clearances on these little buggers, insert them into the ID Computer as you would a regular card and designate the appropriate access. By default, your manufacturer can only make temporary access implants with only eight charges, which translates into an unlimited amount of crates and eight access-locked doors or lockers. If you hack it, it can then produce tremendously superior, far cooler permanent access implants, which come with unlimited charges, functioning like a true physical ID card.
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. The HoP can expect to see the following:
End the round alive but not on the station or escape levels
When the shuttle ETA is less then 5 minutes, get a jetpack and full spacesuit and go to another Z-level, just be careful about the dangers lurking in space. Alternatively, head by Pod Bay, hop into a pod, and fly away from all the inevitable chaos and madness.
Syndicate HoP: Corporate Rearrangement, the bloody way
So! The Syndicates finally convinced you that you are the best man to to take care of the station, and also convinced you that your drunken moron of a Captain, and his army of ignorant thugs dubbed "Security" has to go. By any means necessary.
A traitorous HoP is one of the toughest traitors to deal with. As soon as the round beings, he can create all-access cards for himself and his traitorous comrades, with little to no difficulty. He can make a trip to EVA to snatch up a space suit, and jetpack to plot in space, and he can grab the security equipment next to him with incredible ease. An HoP who knows how to harm the station can put the crew and ship in a world of hurt before they can even figure out how to turn the engine on. Have fun!
Supplementary Video
Jobs on Space Station 13 | ||
---|---|---|
Command & Security |
Captain · Head of Security · Head of Personnel · Chief Engineer · Research Director · Medical Director | |
Medical & Research |
Medical Doctor · Medical Trainee · Roboticist · Geneticist | |
Engineering | Engineer · Technical Trainee | |
Civilian |
Staff Assistant · Janitor · Chaplain · Mail Courier · Radio Host · Mime | |
Silicon | Artificial Intelligence · Cyborg | |
Jobs of the Day | Dungeoneer · Barber · Waiter · Lawyer · Tourist · Musician · Boxer | |
Antagonist Roles | With own mode | Arcfiend · Blob · Changeling · Gang Member · Flockmind ( Flocktrace) · Nuclear Operative · Spy Thief · Traitor · Revolutionary · Vampire ( Thrall) · Wizard |
Others | Sleeper Agent · Werewolf · Wraith ( Poltergeist) · Wrestler · Hunter · Grinch · Krampus · Gimmick antagonist roles | |
Special Roles | Ghostdrone · Monkey · Critter · Ghost · Cluwne · Santa Claus |