RANK AT CHARACTER CREATION

To determine a starting character’s pay grade/rank, use the following criteria to determine the number of promotion points he possesses, then consult either the Enlisted Rank Table or the Commissioned Officer Rank Table. These tables show the minimum promotion point totals necessary to attain each pay grade/rank, as well as the mechanical benefits for each, as described under Benefits of Rank.

Ability Bonuses: For each point of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma ability bonus (not score), the character gains 1 promotion point. Conversely, for each point of ability penalty (not score) with any ability, the character suffers a promotion point penalty of —1.

Military Competence: If trained in Profession [Military] , the character gains 1 promotion point.  If the character has the Skill Focus (Profession [Military]) feat, they gain an additional 1 promotion point.

Seniority: If the character begins play in the “middle age” category, they gain 3 promotion points. If the character  begins play in the “old” category, they gain 6 promotion points. If the character begins play in the "venerable" category, they gain 9 promotion points.  Finally, a character does not gain promotion points if they advance in age after character creation. Ability score modifiers from increased age may affect his chances for promotion, however. For more information

Feats: Some feats provide promotion points — or a promotion point penalty — as noted in their descriptions. Additionally, the Promotion feat has specific effects upon the character’s rank that are applied after his promotion points are calculated.
A character who begins as enlisted personnel may only become an officer by gaining either the Mustang or Warrant feats. A character who becomes either a commissioned or warrant officer remains in that rank/pay grade scale permanently, or until they leave active military service.
For games that start at a level higher than 1st, characters can take the Mustang and Warrant feats as normal during character creation.
A list of the feats that affect promotion points and rank are as follows: By The Book, Military Man, Mustang, Promotion, Squared Away, Unconventional, Warrant.

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TYPES OF MILITARY RANKS

Commissioned: An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Used without further detail, the term “officer” almost always refers to commissioned officers, the most senior portion of a force who derive authority from a commission from a state. In its broadest sense, the term “officer” also includes lower level leaders who are referred to as non-commissioned officers. Commissioned officers are sometimes referred to as career officers, since usually those who enter into the training process and earn a commission are doing so with the intenet of making it a career, or at least to serve for an extended period of time.

Enlisted: In most armed forces, enlisted personnel make up the majority of the rank and file soldiers that comprise the military. Enlisted personnel rarely serve in the military as a permanent career, often choosing to commit to a given duration of service in order to earn money for education, avoid harsher punishment for a crime, out of patriotic reasons, or just to see the sights. Some governments mandate military service for some of its citizens – personnel who are conscripted in this fashion and who have no intention to remain in the military afterwards are almost always enlisted. Some armed forces contain no enlisted personnel, and comprise entirely of commissioned officers.

Warrant Officer: A warrant officer is a specific type of officer, a technical specialist rather than a generalist with command training. Instead of being commissioned by the an appropriate governmental figure as a military officer, a new warrant officer —at the W-1 pay grade — receives a warrant from the appropriate member of the military chain of command who oversees their service branch. Pay grade/ranks W-2 and above are commissioned by a government official, however.
The primary thing that sets warrant officers apart from their commissioned brethren is that they remain single-specialty soldiers throughout their careers, focusing on their chosen areas of expertise rather than attaining command and staff positions. The vast majority of warrant officers are formerly enlisted personnel who qualified for warrants after two to five years of service.
In game terms, any character with an appropriate character background can begin play as a warrant officer, or become a warrant (officer during play by choosing the Warrant feat. Warrant officers determine their starting promotion points in the same fashion as enlisted personnel and commissioned officers, but learn their pay grade/rank and determine their rank benefits by consulting warrant officer rank table.

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PROMOTION DURING PLAY

Each time a military character gains a level, they recalculate their total promotion points — after applying all his ability score bonuses, skill training, and feat selections from the new level, as well as any promotion points gained from commendations.

If the character’s new pay grade/rank after gaining the level is higher than their current rank, the character is promoted and immediately gains all benefits of the new rank as part of the process of gaining his new level.

If the character’s new pay grade/rank after gaining the level is lower than his current rank, due to reduced promotion points from permanent ability damage, they do not lose rank — they remain at their current rank. If the character’s new pay grade/rank is lower than his current rank due to promotion point penalties, however, they do lose rank, suffering a demotion of some kind.

Under no circumstances may a character gain more than 1 pay grade/rank increase per level increase. If the raw numbers indicate a double promotion, the character gains only 1 rank, gaining another when they gain another level (assuming they are still due the new pay grade/rank due to their recalculated promotion point total).

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BENEFITS OF RANK

Benefits of Enlisted Rank: Enlisted personnel make up the majority of the military, and they’re eminently capable of manipulating its bureaucracy and supply system to their ends. Senior enlisted personnel also know how to get the most out of other military characters, through gentle and not-so-gentle persuasion. Depending on an enlisted soldier’s rank, they may gain a bonus to the amount of gear that they can requisition. They may also gain circumstance bonuses with Gather Information and Persuasion checks when dealing with other military personnel. For these bonuses, consult the rank tables.

Benefits of Commissioned/Warrant Officer Rank: Officers can use their rank to secure additional military resources for the soldiers under their command. Depending on an officer’s rank, they may gain a bonus to the amount of gear that they can requisition. They may also gain circumstance bonuses with Gather Information, Knowledge [Civics], and Persuasion checks when dealing with military personnel and trying to obtain military resources. For these bonuses, consult the rank tables.

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RANK TABLES

For names of and promotion points required for a given rank for a given power’s military rank structure, consult their armed forces page in the Culture and Government section. This section is only to show the bonuses that each rank level gives.

ENLISTED RANK TABLE

About E-7, E-8, and E-9: The ranks of E-7, E-8, and E-9 traditionally also cover the so-called "First Sergeant" (E-7), "Senior First Sergeant" (E-8), and "Chief First Sergeant" (E-9), which are also known by many other names.  A First Sergeant differs from an ordinary soldier of these ranks their education, professionalism, and proficiency with administrative duties. As their unit’s primary liaisons between the unit’s commander and its enlisted personnel, they’re part psychiatrist, part babysitter, part career counselor, part legal advisor, and a general font of knowledge on every aspect of their service branch. From an officer’s perspective, they’re the single best source of information about the unit, from the results of the latest rifle qualifications to the name of the most likely suspects in a petty theft case. From the perspective of enlisted personnel, first sergeants are the very right hands of whatever deity they choose to venerate or imitate.
Becoming a first sergeant involves a service record check to determine eligibility, an interview with a screening board composed of other senior staff, and a series of specialized training courses designed to prepare the character for the additional bureaucratic responsibilities assumed with the promotion.
In game terms, being a First Sergeant is represented by the Top Kick feat.

COMMISSIONED OFFICER RANK TABLE

WARRANT OFFICER RANK TABLE