Containment Operative

The contract describes the threat. The briefing describes the approach. The field describes everything the contract and the briefing didn't cover. You're paid to handle all three.

Favored Save: Speed Save (+1D to Speed + Acrobatics rolls)

Power Access: Blood Sense or Pact-Shifting (if Lineage-eligible). Obsidian recruits operatives with lineage capacity for roles where that capacity is operationally relevant. A Dhampir operative on an assessment team brings perceptive depth that human operatives can't replicate; a Skinchanger operative in containment situations has physical capacity that changes the engagement profile. Tradition access is a professional asset, not a personal matter.

Starting Resources: Obsidian operational credentials (not publicly attributed, but recognized by the firm's institutional contacts), threat-specific loadout for their primary assignment category (silver-core ammunition, blessed materials, containment implements as appropriate), secure communication protocols, and access to Obsidian's intelligence feed for active contract areas.

Lineage Affinity: Dhampir, Skinchanger. Human operatives form the majority of field staff. Marked operatives exist in small numbers; the firm's position on shadow compact obligations as a background factor is that it is not relevant to professional competence assessments.

Progression Track: Containment Operative

Stage 1 (10 XP), Contract Qualified
  The operative has completed Obsidian's internal qualification process
  and has proven reliable under field conditions.
  - Threat Protocol: Obsidian's internal doctrine covers most standard
    threat categories. Once per scene, the operative may recall the
    firm's current protocol for a threat they're engaging, weakness,
    effective approach, containment method. Wit + Lore vs Threshold 2;
    success surfaces the relevant protocol. Obsidian updates its doctrine
    based on operational feedback, which means the protocols are more
    current than most external sources.
  - Commercial Cover: The operative has a practiced set of professional
    covers for field situations, security contractor, environmental
    assessment consultant, corporate logistics. These covers are supported
    by Obsidian's legitimate commercial front and hold against routine
    scrutiny from law enforcement, clients' staff, and standard witness
    contact.

Stage 2 (25 XP), Senior Operative
  The operative has a track record that makes them a standing resource
  rather than a contract-by-contract assignment.
  - Operational Adaptation: The operative has developed the judgment to
    modify approach when the field situation diverges from the contract
    parameters, which it does reliably. Once per scene, the operative
    may make a tactical decision that exceeds their briefed authority
    without requiring Operations Director approval. The decision is
    logged and reviewed; the operative's track record justifies the
    autonomy.
  - Resource Draw: The operative has standing access to Obsidian's
    threat-specific materials inventory beyond their standard loadout.
    Between missions, they may requisition one specific item, a
    specialized containment implement, a particular ammunition type,
    a research brief from the intelligence division; that the current
    contract didn't include but the operative has assessed as needed.

Stage 3 (50 XP), Team Lead / Senior Operative
  The operative has become someone the firm's principals rely on for
  contracts that require more than standard field competence.
  - Contract Authority: The operative can commit the firm's operational
    resources, additional team members, specialized equipment, external
    contractor support, to an active engagement without escalating to
    the Operations Director. The firm trusts their assessment of what
    the situation requires and what the client relationship can support.
  - Intelligence Access: The operative has access to Obsidian's full
    intelligence database, not just the active-contract feed. This
    means they know about hidden-world organizational activity at a
    level of detail that most parties in the field don't have. They
    also know that Obsidian has this information, which is itself
    significant intelligence about the firm.