Earlier, I provided a series of stat blocks and some insight into both the human "Civil Protection" and trans-human "Stabilization Teams" that fall under the Combine Overwatch. Here, we will expand the latter a bit by providing some specialist forces that are organized as part of the Stabilization Teams (generically just "Soldiers"): Scouts and Assassins.
Upfront, I will state that both of these use the "Fast" class from d20 Modern, which is one that I have shared house rules for in the past. Back about a decade ago, when I was around on some d20 Modern fan sites, it seemed to be common wisdom that the Fast Class as presented in the game made a very obvious 1-level dip, especially at the start of the game. Based on that critique, a general guide was put together in my notes on how to adjust the class a bit to put it more in line with the rest of the "Combat" classes - that is, the Strong and Tough. Those are what informed the previously linked article and its adjustments to the Fast class, which were limited enough to allow easy reversal if so desired.
Let's begin.
Overwatch Specialists
Though largely another one of the Combine's blunt instruments, the Overwatch never-the-less deploys more specialized units that operate less obtrusively than the test. Far from the bunker-busting Striders and more subtle than the ordinary Soldier, these combat-oriented specialists under take the roles of reconnaissance, sabotage, and assassination. Often operating away from the Combine's main centers of force concentration, these examples have greater autonomy than the more heavily armed and combat capable Soldiers, and are better able to handle themselves out in the field during long operations.Overwatch Scouts
We have a very limited window into the Combine's combat forces in Half Life 2, and only really get to fight (in terms of human-like opponents) what could be assumed as their mainline infantry and some of their elites. But I'd like to pad these out some more for a bit of enemy variety and to have some specialized Combine human forces to populate areas away from things that are particularly sensible for regular soldiers to be guarding or otherwise present, without having to deploy full-on Hunters.With that in mind, I believe it makes sense that the fully Combine-loyal Overwatch Stabilizers would have some kind of recon force equivalent that provides the Overwatch with some sort of agile, semi-intelligent recon force. These transhumans are scouts that are set up to operate away from Combine centers of force concentration, paroling the periphery of Combine controlled regions and gathering information on targets before an assault or deployment - they are thus more autonomous in nature than ordinary ground troops - if going with the "back-end command" idea I floated in the Combine Soldier post, perhaps these have some tweaks to their memory module to allow them to handle more complex plans. A recon team usually consists of three or four Scouts with one Leader. Scouts may deploy by air, ground vehicle (which may or may not be used by the squad itself, and may double as a field shelter or base), on foot, or any combination thereof.
The basic Scout is not an especially adept combatant, but is more than capable of handling itself out in the wastes between Combine Cities and other Outposts. Concerned mostly with reconnaissance and scouting in areas where Synths and Scanners would tend to under-perform, their equipment load is specialized towards this goal. Beyond basic light armaments and protective gear, they often carry fundamental field equipment such as Binoculars (d20 Modern p.119), lengths of Duracable (d20 Future p.65) and associated climbing equipment, Demolitions Kits (d20 Modern, p.117), Machetes (p.107), Navigation and Telemetry equipment (varies), and personal field rations (like "Trail Rations" p.120, but set up for their "feeding ports"). Though expected to operate for multiple days in the field, they don't actually seem to carry any form of shelter - perhaps instead relying exclusively on their combat suits.
Unlike the Strong/Tough types that get folded into the decidedly unsubtle rank-and-file, those selected to serve as the Combine's eyes and ears on the ground are usually of the Fast/Tough archetype.
Armament is lighter than the ordinary Overwatch soldiers, with their equipment load focused on information gathering and at times a limited amount of sabotage, demolition, and trap-setting. Like most Overwatch units outside of heavy combat, they carry the MP7 (Weapons Locker p.126) but may occasionally a SPAS-12 shotgun (p.147). Ammunition loads will be limited - three magazines for the MP7 and perhaps two tubes worth for the SPAS-12. Scouts never seem to deploy any of the Combine's heavier firepower, such as the Pulse Rifle - possibly due to bulk, possibly due to the desire to minimize losses of higher technology devices to Outlanders. The armor worn by scouts is lighter than that of the Soldier (aptly named Scout Armor, Future p.68), covering less but allowing for more free movement, and also incorporating storage compartments within it - while often in the Overwatch's "field grey", it also is at times camouflaged, a concept apparently foreign to the Combine.
A typical Overwatch Scout may be as this:
Overwatch Scout (Fast 2/Tough 2)
CR 3; Medium-size Human; HD 2d8+4 + 2d10+4; hp 28 (12-44); Mas 14; Init +6; Spd 30ft (20ft, armor); Defense 18, Touch 16, Flatfooted 16 (+2 Dex, +4 Class, +2 Armor); BAB +2; Grap +2; Atk +2 Melee (1d3 non-lethal); Full Atk +2 Melee (1d3 non-lethal), or +4 (2d6 H&K MP7), FS 5ft by 5ft; Reach 5ft; AL Combine; SV Fort +2; Ref +2; Will +0; AP 0; Rep +0; Str 11 (+0), Dex 15 (+2), Con 14 (+2), Int 12 (+1), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 8 (-1).Occupation: Military (Survival, Navigate)
Skills: Balance (Dex) +3(-1), Climb (Str) +5(-1), Demolitions (Int) +2, Drive (Dex) +3, Hide (Dex) +7(-1), Listen (Wis) +4, Move Silently (Dex) +6(-1), Navigate (Int) +7, Profession (Wis) +2, Spot (Wis) +7, Survival (Wis) +9
Feats: Simple Weapons Proficiency (Class), Personal Firearms Proficiency (Occupation), Light Armor Proficiency (1st Level), Athletic (1st Level), Alertness (Implant), Stealthy (Implant), Track (Implant), Guide (Implant), Improved Initiative (3rd Level)
Cybernetics (2+1/3): Advanced Artificial GI Tract, Feat Plexus ((4/4) Alertness, Guide, Stealthy, Track), Memory Replacement Module
Possessions: Scout Armor with 4x Integrated Storage Compartments, H&K MP7 (4.6mm PDW), 120 rounds of 4.6mm (3 magazines), Binoculars (Rangefinding), Rations
Notes:
- Memory Implant is home-brew and has no impact on the stats beyond being an Implant. Damaging or destroying this implant takes the unit offline.
- Advanced Artificial GI Tract does not count towards the implant limit (Future, p.195).
- H&K MP7 on p.126 of d20 Modern: Weapons Locker; SPAS-12 on p.147.
- Gas Mask (d20 Modern p.119) features integrated radio headset (p.115), vocoder, GPS (p.119), and night vision (p.116).
Scout Patrol Leaders
Leadership for Scout Patrols are designated from Scouts that have achieved above-average performance. More generally capable and "educated" in basic tactics for executing a raid or better organizing a patrol, they are probably no heavier armed but may carry heavier communications capability.Overwatch Scout Patrol Leader (Fast 3/Tough 3)
Occupation: Military (Survival, Navigate)
Skills: Balance (Dex) +3(-1), Climb (Str) +5(-1), Demolitions (Int) +2, Drive (Dex) +3, Hide (Dex) +8(-1), Knowledge (Tactics) +3, Listen (Wis) +4, Move Silently (Dex) +6(-1), Navigate (Int) +8, Profession (Wis) +3, Spot (Wis) +7, Survival (Wis) +9
Feats: Simple Weapons Proficiency (Class), Personal Firearms Proficiency (Occupation), Light Armor Proficiency (1st Level), Athletic (1st Level), Improved Initiative (3rd Level), Dodge (6th Level), Alertness (Implant), Stealthy (Implant), Track (Implant), Guide (Implant)
Cybernetics (2+1/3): Advanced Artificial GI Tract, Feat Plexus ((4/4) Alertness, Guide, Stealthy, Track), Memory Replacement Module
Possessions: Scout Armor with 4x Integrated Storage Compartments, H&K MP7 (4.6mm PDW), 120 rounds of 4.6mm (3 magazines), Binoculars (rangefinding), Rations
Notes:
- Memory Implant is home-brew and has no apparent impact on the stats beyond being an Implant. Damaging or destroying this implant takes the unit offline.
- Advanced Artificial GI Tract does not count towards the implant limit (Future, p.195).
- H&K MP7 on p.126 of d20 Modern: Weapons Locker; SPAS-12 on p.147.
- Gas Mask (d20 Modern p.119) features integrated (professional) radio headset (p.115), vocoder, GPS (p.119), and night vision (p.116).
Overwatch Assassins
Though cut from HL2 itself, I have opted to keep them part of my spin-off of the canon. While the Combine are decidedly unsubtle as a whole, preferring to crush their enemies violently and openly, there may be situations where this simply is not viable and a more reserved approach may be required. This is where the Assassins come in.
There isn't much to go on, but it would appear as if the Assassin was intended to look like a more svelte version of the Elites we do see in the game itself - indeed, the Elite's helmet was recycled from the Assassin when the latter ended up cut from the game. The uniforms are even bright white, as the Combine Elites were.
As the name implies, they were intended to be fast and agile enemies, similar to the Black Ops Assassins seen in HL1. Indeed, similar to those assassins, it seems as if the Combine's variants may have been intended to be exclusively female.
The only leads Valve gave us for Combine Assassin weapons is dual-pistols and perhaps a sniper's rifle. In development, it appears as if only the dual-pistol variant was ever actually created, and the model was not used for the Sniper's rag-doll at all. This take on it, however, includes a variety of portable sniper rifle (that we'll stat up here) alongside said pistols, as well as some more advanced armor and sensor equipment - other equipment is likely to be very mission dependent and even lighter than that of the Scouts above. For whatever reason, their armor is the same bright white as that of the Combine Elite, though the vest may have some snow-style camouflage (and indeed, it being from the cut, Arctic, Borialis mission, this might explain the white armor).
Overwatch Assassin (Fast 5/Tough 5)
CR 9; Medium-size Human; HD 5d8+10 + 5d10+10; hp 70 (30-110); Mas 14; Init +7; Spd 30ft (25ft, armor); Defense 24, Touch 21, Flatfooted 21 (+3 Dex, +8 Class, +3 Armor); BAB +6; Grap +6; Atk +9 Melee (1d4 lethal OR non-lethal); Full Atk +9 Melee (1d4 lethal OR non-lethal), or +10 (4d10 Combine Light Sniper Rifle), or +9 (2d6 H&K USP Match); FS 5ft by 5ft; Reach 5ft; AL Combine; SV Fort +6; Ref +7; Will +3; AP 0; Rep +2; Str 11 (+0), Dex 16 (+3), Con 14 (+2), Int 12 (+1), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 8 (-1).
Occupation: Military (Knowledge (Tactics), Move Silently)
Skills: Balance (Dex) +9(-1), Climb (Str) +4(-1), Hide (Dex) +9(-1), Jump (Str) +4(-1), Knowledge (Tactics) (Int) +2, Listen (Wis) +5, Move Silently (Dex) +9(-1), Profession (Wis) +5, Spot (Wis) +5, Survival (Wis) +5, Tumble (Dex) +11(-1).
Feats: Simple Weapons Proficiency (Class), Personal Firearms Proficiency (Occupation), Light Armor Proficiency (1st Level), Point-blank Shot (1st Level), Acrobatic (Implant), Combat Martial Arts (Implant), Improved Initiative (Implant), Weapon Finesse (Implant), Two Weapon Fighting (3rd Level), Far Shot (6th Level), Dead Aim (9th Level)
Cybernetics (2+1/3): Advanced Artificial GI Tract, Feat Plexus ((4/4) Acrobatic, Combat Martial Arts, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse), Memory Replacement Module
Possessions: Light Combat Armor (Ultralight) with Integrated HUD, Gas Mask, and Piercing Visor, Combine Sniper Rifle, 60 rounds of Pulse Ammunition (3 cells), 2x USP Match Pistols (9mm Autoloader) and 108 rounds of 9mm Parabellum (6 magazines).
Notes:
- Memory Implant is home-brew and has no apparent impact on the stats beyond being an Implant. Damaging or destroying this implant takes the unit offline.
- Advanced Artificial GI Tract does not count towards the implant limit (Future, p.195).
- Helmet features integrated radio headset (d20 Modern p.115), vocoder, and night vision (p.119).
- Integrated HUD explained on p.65 of d20 Future.
- Piercing Visor explained on p.74 of d20 Future.
- H&K USP Match on p.28 of d20 Modern: Weapons Locker.
Closing
These enemy types were primarily to add a little more variety to the Combine forces commented on earlier, particularly for use in areas where it might not make sense for the Combine to have fully equipped combat forces or Civil Protection units wandering around, or a more subtle approach is required. Combine Soldiers in HL2 get a little samey after a while since there's only a few types, so perhaps this forks off the MP-7 armed examples.
I would suppose that these would be the extend of the Combine's combat-focused Specialists - there may be some more technical-oriented ones that, for instance, do some full-on Combat Engineering or the like - though that could just as readily be human slaves doing such work. It's probably time we set the humanoid-type Combine fighters aside for a while and move on to things such as Synths, various other Mechanical foes, and certain Xen creatures. Thus, after a brief side-step to talk medical, we will turn our attention towards the more approachable bio-mechanical foes - the "Synths" that seem to form the backbone of the Combine's real assault capabilities.
Thanks for reading!
Cheers!
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