Head of Security
The Head of Security 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 their position was taken away from them (with their shoes), and the elite security from NanoTrasen came to replace the job.
However, NanoTrasen mercenaries grew awfully lazy and smoked pot on the job and were really horrid to be with. They were all fired, and the head of security was reinstated with a kickass outfit and office that no one else can access. He also has access to most of the station and to the coveted armory where the heavy duty equipment is stored. Technically, the HoS is below the captain in the command structure, but they have the final say on all matters of station security, especially the punishments given to criminals.
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 be a traitor, 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 above two considerations make the Head of Security one of the most trustworthy Head of Staff on the station.
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 Equipment
You are now back in the saddle with all your experience before you. You come stocked with the following items in your array of power.
- Emergency spare jumpsuit
- Stylish beret and hat
- Energy gun
- Taser
- Thermals
- Spare handcuffs box
- Spare box of IDs
- A special Command Headset, tuned to the Common (;), Command (:h), and Security radio channels (:g)
- A snazzy red PDA, equipped with a R.O.B.U.S.T.E.R. cartridge.
- Security records
- Camera monitor
- Crowd dispersal grenades
- Spare sunglasses
- Spare flashes
- Spare flashbangs
- A mind protection health implant, which prevents you from being mindslaved by both versions of the mindslave implant so long as it's in you. The mindslave cloning module can still make you a mindslave you though.
- A white "Head of Security's mug". It doesn't have unusually high capacity or 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!
- A frame in your office containing your war medal. It's not for decoration; you can get the medal out of the frame by clicking on the frame twice and then wear it around! It's a just a medal, so you don't hit harder or anything, and it's a outer-wear item, so it occupies the same slot as body armor. But it's shiny.
- Most importantly, spicy pasta.
While having all this arsenal, you are still limited to where you can go on the station. As with the head of personnel, engineering areas are off limits, but also like the HoP, you have access to the ID terminals. It doesn't really matter what you do, because you can give yourself an all-access ID. It doesn't matter what anyone says because deep down inside you are the LAW.
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.
- Stinger grenades
- Riot shotguns
- Pulse rifles
- The shotgun and pulse rifle racks start with, interestingly, Security access.
- Bomb disposal suits
Head of Security XP
Every time you spawn in a HoS, you earn one (1) HoS XP, and at certain XP values, you go up a job level. Neither XP nor job level have any direct effect on gameplay; for example, higher levels don't make you cuff people faster or somehow fire faster. What it does to is grant you access to some sweet sidegrades and reskins:
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 | 1 | Turns your special "Head of Security's mug" into one with blue text instead of red text! Its contents are cleared in the process. | |
The Antique Lawbringer | 5 | A reskin of the The Lawbringer that uses the sprite of the Lawbringer when it was first-released, back when it was called "Lawgiver". |
Other Duties
The HoS isn't all about catching traitors. The HoS is supposed to be a beacon of light on a fart-filled station. He's supposed to keep officers in-line, and make sure that the station isn't held hostage by security with harm-batons. When being the head of security, 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.
Tips and tricks
- When upgrading your ID, add one location at the time. Picking captain access to enable all locations will wipe your extra HoS access for good.
- The suits from the armory aren't just for fighting nuclear ops and fireball-throwing wizards, their resistance to taser stuns will help a lot if you have to handle a security mutiny.
- You're one of the few people who can safely shut down hostile pods. The linked taser array disables 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.
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 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, but in this case they do have to still be alive. 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!
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 |