Homebrew Arms and Equipment for FFG's Star Wars RPG

Wow, two entries within that many weeks?  Yeah, I don't expect that pattern to continue either.

So to ring in the new year, I thought I'd offer up some of the various weapons, armor, gear, and personal items that I've come up with for use with Fantasy Flight Games' Star Wars RPG.  I'm also including why I created each item.  It's worth noting that I've been working here and there on the meat of this particular post for a while, deciding what to include and what adjustments might be needed.  There are a number of other items that I've created for this game over the years, though the majority of them can be found in my old Ways of the Force fan supplement if you're interested

Armor

Padded Flight Suit
Favored by pilots and spacers across the galaxy, these one-piece protective garments provide limited life support, protecting the wearer from the harsh effects of vacuum as well as lessening some of the adverse effects of high-velocity flying.
Encumbrance: 4
Price: 250 credits
Rarity: 3
Soak Value: 1
Defense Value: 0
Hard Points: 1
Features: When sealed, the wearer can ignore the effects of vacuum or poisonous atmospheric environments for up to 30 minutes.

Why is this a thing? A good friend of mine really likes the snubjock mold of character, even if she doesn't get many opportunities to play that type of character.  We both felt it was an oversight that something like the near-ubiquitous Alliance flight suit really didn't get any sort of coverage, and were both dismayed when Stay on Target missed the opportunity to address that.  I know that one of the FFG freelancers (Jason Marker I think it was) poo-poo'd the idea of Rebel/Resistance flight suits offering any sort of protection to the wearer, but I think on that point he's full of it.  So, I wound up porting over the padded flight suit from WotC's Star Wars RPGs.  From what friends in the Rebel Legion have told me, those get-ups are not exactly easy to move around in, thus why this suit has such a high Encumbrance value, as the various tubes and straps are going to hinder one's movement, even if only a little.

Security Uniform
Common ballistic uniform worn by local soldiers, ship security, and law enforcement. Comfortable, but with a blast helmet giving a definite military appearance.
Encumbrance: 2
Price: 250 credits
Rarity: 4
Soak Value: 1
Defense Value: 0
Features: Includes a helmet comlink attachment, and the wearer adds an Advantage to any Coercion or Leadership checks made in which the wearer is presumed to have a position of authority.

Why is this a thing?  I don't know about the rest of you, but I've run enough fringe type games where the PCs for some reason or another swipe the uniforms of the local guards.  Granted, it's not the same as Han and Luke stealing stormtrooper armor during A New Hope, but its happened enough times I figured that I'd go ahead and come up with something like this, which can function for Imperials, corporate security, and
even royal guardsmen.

Tailored Clothing
Using any number of design aesthetics and distinctive color palettes to catch the eyes of onlookers, these outfits can be found in a plethora of styles and fashions, running the gamut from from the tactfully subtle to outrageously flamboyant, and are well-suited for those occasions when the wearer is wants to make a solid impression on those around them.
Encumbrance: 3
Price: 300 credits
Rarity: 5
Soak Value: 1
Defense Value: 0
Features: Add an Advantage to any successful Charm, Deception, or Negotiation checks the wearer makes when interacting with others and can be seen.

Why is this a thing?  So this is pretty much the equivalent of the custom-fitted three-piece suit or tailor-made evening gown, making the wearer look good but without the outrageous price tag that a truly custom designer outfit would command.  It's a nice boost for social-focused characters.  There are items that do similar for a higher price tag, but I'm not that worried since this counts as armor, and a character can only benefit from one set of armor.


Equipment

Adventurer's Utility Belt 
Marketed and sold under a variety of brand names by several different manufacturers to professional scouts, and amateur explorers alike, this style of utility belt contains a number of useful items for dealing with the hazards that one can encounter when out in the less civilized portions of the galaxy.  The belt's contents are arrayed in such a way as to not encumber the wearer while also providing a couple of empty pouches for whatever else the wearer might have need of, as well as attachment points on either side for a holster or weapon clip.
Category: Survival
Price: 600 credits
Rarity: 3
Features: Contains the following items: a handheld comlink, an emergency medpac, a glow rod, a condensed tool kit, a personal respirator, a spare energy cell, a roll of mesh tape, a liquid cable dispenser (15 meters) and grappling hook, and one week's supply of food capsules.  In addition, this item increases the wearer's Encumbrance Threshold by one.

Why is this a thing? So one item that I always liked from Saga Edition was the utility belt, as it made gear shopping for a lot of my characters very easy; just spend your credits and you've got most of what you need in one place.  Most of what's in this item is what's found in the Saga Edition version, sans the power pack aka extra reload.  The price is a bit higher than what Saga Edition listed, but that's due to a combination of the cost of what's included and the fact that the belt doesn't add to the character's encumbrance total, which lets them carry a lot more other stuff.


Decorative Jewelry
Consisting of a wide and varied array and styles and made using a combination of semi-precious stones and polished metals, decorative jewelry adds a bit of class to one's appearance without being too overtly ostentatious.
Category: Luxury Items
Price: 500 credits
Rarity: 5
Features: Add an Advantage to any successful Charm or Deception checks the wearer makes when interacting with others and can be seen.

Why is this a thing? This came up during an early EotE campaign I was in, where one of the PCs wanted her Twi'lek Smuggler/Scoundrel to have something that would make her look "extra fancy" and provide a boost on her social skills (namely Charm and Deception).  Funny thing was, I cooked up an early version of these about the time I got offered to do playtesting for Desperate Allies, which had the similar Expensive Jewelry item in it.  Like a lot of what's in that supplement, I feel the official item is overpriced or what it does, so I don't mind that this item about the same at a fraction of the cost.  Plus, it's a fun item for characters from a well-to-do background (or those pretending to be from such) to have without needing to break the bank.

Personal Multitool
Offered in a bewildering variety of styles and replate with a number of small yet useful implements, these small devices have proven useful in a pinch to numerous beings across the galaxy.
Category: Tools
Encumbrance: 1
Price: 100 credits
Rarity: 2
Features:The user is considered to have the proper tools when performing Mechanics checks to repair or modify simple devices or when performing Skulduggery checks to open or disable simple locks.

Why is this a thing? Because what is a MacGuyver style of character without their ubiquitous Swiss Army knife?  This way, a character with Mechanics and/or Skulduggery can attempt to do their thing without necessarily having to lug around a full-blown tool kit.  Granted, it's not as good as having the full-blown proper kit for the job, but it's better than nothing.  That and I wanted to have an option out there for characters to be able to modify the attachments on their gear without necessarily having to have access to a full blown tool kit.


Portable Fire Extinguisher
Small and easily portable, these devices are most often used to douse flames, but more than a few creative individuals have used them to create an impromptu if short-lived smokescreen.
Category: Tools
Encumbrance: 1
Price: 50 credits
Rarity: 1
Features: This is a one-use item, and must be replaced after each usage.

Why is this a thing? Because we saw R2-D2 use one to such memorable effect during the Bespin escape in The Empire Strikes Back.  It's here in part as a former gaming companion of mine had a huge thing for astromech droids, to the point that any Star Wars game he was in, he'd play an astromech unless the GM went out of their way to disallow it.  Also, I figure it's a nice thing for a repair/technical droid to have on them without having to flip a Destiny Point any time they wanted to provide some impromptu concealment for their allies.

Security Kit
Comprised of a special set of tools and devices for the express purpose of bypassing electronic and mechanical security measures, most worlds treat the possession of such a kit as illegal, thus requiring specialized permits to legally carry.
Category: Security
Encumbrance: 2
Price: 750 credits
Rarity: 5(R)
Features: Remove 2 Threat from the results from any Computers or Skulduggery checks made to defeat a mechanical or simple electronic lock.

Why is this a thing? So I came up with this one well before Fly Casual introduced the far cheaper Lockpicking Tools, mostly a less-sophisticated version of the electronic lock breaker that would give sneaky types a bonus to their efforts to get past more conventional locking systems without lugging around a full tool kit.  The bonus does seem a bit good at first pass, enough so that I considered limiting the effects to successful skill checks, but I ultimately decided that the higher price tag was enough of a balancing factor.

Weapons

Blastsword
The preferred weapon of duelists from the remote world of Adumar, the blastsword is an unusual combination of a standard vibroblade and the inner workings of a blaster. At the weapon's tip sits an emitter nozzle which glows and hums audibly when the weapon is activated.
Skill: Melee
Encumbrance: 2
Price: 1200 credits
Rarity: 8
Damage: 6
Range: Engaged
Critical: 2
Hard Points: 1
Qualities: Defensive 1, Stun Setting

Why is this a thing? Okay, on this one I'll cop to it just being silly; it was silly when introduced in Starfighters of Adumar, it was silly when I wrote the Saga Edition stats for the Unknown Regions sourcebook, and it's still silly now.  And that's why I like this weapon, which was aptly described by Wes Janson as "a blaster you hit somebody with," and that one listener to the Order 66 podcast denounced as sounding like something from a bad Final Fantasy game.  I've yet to see or play a character with this weapon, mostly as the specs that lean themselves towards melee combat lean towards the brutish side of things while the dueling-orientated specs are focused more on using lightsabers than swords.

Double-Barreled Blaster Carbine
A favored weapon of bounty hunters, enforcers, and those who generally live on society's fringe, the double-barreled carbine packs a rather substantial punch for its unassuming size.
Skill: Ranged (Heavy)
Encumbrance: 3
Price: 1200 credits
Rarity: 6(R)
Damage: 8
Range: Medium
Critical: 3
Hard Points: 1
Qualities: Linked 1, Stun Setting

Why is this a thing? Yes, it's from the Legacy comic book series, but it's essentially a sawed-off double-barreled shotgun that fires blaster bolts.  The version of the weapon that appeared in Saga Edition's Legacy Era Campaign Guide gave it what in FFG's system amounts to the Blast quality, but there's already enough Ranged (Heavy) blasters that offer up the Blast quality.  That, and with it being double-barreled, using the Linked quality made more sense, even if it does make this weapon a lot more dangerous in a fight, thus why it has the restricted tag next to the price.

Electroshock Prod
Usually attached to droids, the probe emits a brief electrical discharge capable of shorting out a computer terminal or security lock.
Skill: Ranged (Light)
Encumbrance: 1
Price: 100 credits
Rarity: 2
Damage: 5
Range: Short
Critical: n/a
Hard Points: 1
Qualities:Disorient 1, Stun Damage

Why is this a thing? So this kinda initially came from the old KOTOR video games, with the idea that your astromech companion could use small blasters to assist in combat, but was largely codified by Chopper, the cantankerous astromech from Star Wars Rebels.  It's a low-powered weapon that lets droid PCs, especially if they're playing some variety of astromech, be able to make ranged attacks without having to pick up full-blown blaster weapons (assuming they care about that sort of thing).

Fighting Pike
Typically made of either fire-hardened wood or well-crafted metal, the fighting pike is a preferred weapon for itinerent monks, being not only innocuous in appearance, but surprisingly effective in the hands of a skilled wielder.
Skill: Melee
Encumbrance: 3
Price: 1000 credits
Rarity: 3
Damage: +3
Range: Engaged
Critical:4
Hard Points:2
Qualities: Defensive 1, Disorient 2, Knockdown, Superior

Why is this a thing? Because there really isn't anything that covers Chirrit's staff from Rogue One, not even in the Dawn of Rebellion supplement where they introduced the Force Adherent universal spec, which is pretty much "You want to play a warrior monk like Donny Yen's character?  Here you go!"  I suppose there's the gaffi stick from the EotE core rulebook, or the heavy staff from TFA Beginner Box, but both of those feel lacking.  The price feels a little low for having the Superior quality baked in, but given ho much of a general disadvantage most melee weapon users are at in this game compared to ranged weapons or to lightsabers, I'm not too concerned about it.

Sporting Blaster Rifle
A favored weapon of bounty hunters, enforcers, and those who generally live on society's fringe, the double-barreled carbine packs a rather substantial punch for its unassuming size..
Skill: Ranged (Heavy)
Encumbrance: 4
Price: 800 credits
Rarity: 5
Damage: 8
Range: Long
Critical: 3
Hard Points:2
Qualities: Accurate 1, Stun Setting

Why is this a thing? This was something I came up with in the early days of the system, wanting something that sat between rifles and carbines but not being quite so military in nature; as the name suggests it's a sporting weapon that civilians could carry around without getting into too much trouble.

Tapani Lightfoil
Although the first lightfoils were creations of the Sith operating in the Tapani Sector, during the time of the Empire a sub-culture of young nobles known as “Saber Rakes” have taken to wielding modern recreations of the lightfoil. Although not as potent a weapon as a lightsaber, the Tapani lightfoil is still a dangerous weapon; a sure sign that one is dealing with an experienced Saber Rake is the presence of a cybernetic prosthesis, often earned as the result of being on the losing end of a lightfoil duel. A Saber Rake without such a prosthesis is either a novice duelist or a very skilled swordsman.
Skill: Lighsaber
Encumbrance: 1
Price: 4500 credits
Rarity: 8(R)
Damage: 5
Range: Engaged
Critical: 2
Hard Points: 1
Qualities: Accurate 1, Defensive 1, Pierce 2
Features: A Despair result from any combat check made using this weapon can be spent to have it short out and deactivate after the combat check has been resolved.  The weapon may be reactivated as an incidental, but not until after the last initiative slot during the following round  If this weapon is used with the Parry or Reflect talents, the attacker can spend a Triumph to trigger the same effect on the weapon.

Why is this a thing? So one of my favorite settings from the WEG era was the Tapani Expanse, as detailed in the Lords of the Expanse boxed set, with the lightfoil being such a fun weapon in concept, providing a means to have lightsaber duels without necessarily bringing in lightsabers or even Jedi for that matter.  I've had versions of this in the past, and often struggled with getting the right balance between it being useful in a fight while still retaining it's quirky nature but keeping it from being as potent as a proper lightsaber.  I ultimately decided to just employ the effects of refined cortosis weapons from the F&D core rulebook to mimic the Tapani lightfoil's unreliability, and from the handful of test combats I've run, it does seem to work without requiring a bunch of extra rolls.

Revisting some old faces for May the Fourth

Firstly, a happy May the Fourth to my fellow Star Wars fans.

Been a while since I last posted, coming off of the gaming high that was GamerNationCon 2016: Beyond Thunderdome.  And to be honest, not a whole lot worth posting has been going on.  Been revisiting the con module (Taris City Rumble) that I wrote for possible pick-up games, and have wound up revising it considerably so that it has more of an Edge of the Empire feel to it.  Also been working on a new con module set closer to the time frame of The Force Awakens.  I am fully planning on offering these as scheduled events at GamerNationCon 2017: A  New Hope, given the rather ill-fated attempt I made at trying to run a pick-up game last time around.

There is the Captain America: Civil War movie opening in the states this weekend, which I'm eager to see.  I'm pretty solidly in the corner of #TeamCap, even if Spider-Man makes his long-awaited debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Iron Man's side of the fight.

But back onto things pertaining to Star Wars.  I've been working here and there on a pretty substantial revision of my Ways of the Force fan document, taking into account not only lessons learned and feedback provided and gained, but also the fact that Force and Destiny has been out for quite a while now.

And in that line of thinking, I started to wonder "what would some old characters from the earliest version of the rules look like now?"  I kind of answered that a bit when I did a minor update of my initial character Valin Starsmore, a Force-sensitive street rat that was originally built as a Smuggler/Scoundrel/Force Exile and got re-built into a Smuggler/Scoundrel/Force Emergent for an Age of Rebellion game.  I had toyed with rebuilding Valin a third time, making use of Force and Destiny, but simply never really got around to it until a little over a week ago, which in turn got me thinking to a couple other old player-characters, such as Auron, the aged Clone Trooper that had defected from the Empire (built as a Hired Gun/Mercenary Captain) and my friend Linda's character from her initial foray into FFG's Star Wars RPG, a young Tapani socialite on the run named Jade Morningfire (and no, the surname was not a coincidence).

So, I opted to go ahead and do complete re-builds of those three characters using the latest material from all three of the Star Wars RPG product lines.  You can find links to the character sheets for each of these characters by clicking on the link embedded within their species/career/specialization listing.

Valin Starsmore, Force-Sensitive Street Rat
(Human Sentinel/Shien Expert)

An orphan for as long as he can remember, Valin never really had a sense of belonging, having largely grown up on the streets, quickly learning to rely upon himself.  His one major edge was an unusual sensitivity to events and the people around him, giving him brief flashes of insight that helped him avoid danger.

 

That changed when he was taken in by a foster care center, where he came under the care and tutelage of an elderly Human by the name of Cori, who had once been a Jedi apprentice.  As such, Cori recognized Valin's sensitivity to the Force, and saw in the youth the potential for something better.  Over the next few years, Valin learned to better control his fledgling powers but also about the Jedi Knights and their beliefs, even coming to see the older man as the closest thing to a father-figure he'd ever known.  On his 16th birthday, Valin received his master's old training stick and the Old Republic credit that they'd use to train the boy to "move things without physically moving them," as well as encouragement to continue learning about the Force.  Valin can only figure that Cori had some foreknowledge about the impending of the ISB Agent that arrested the older man several days later on charges of treason against the Empire; Cori was never seen again, and a few days later Valin fled the center, certain that staying would put everyone else in great danger.

Valin has spent the intervening time once again living on the streets, doing his best to avoid drawing the wrong kind of attention.  But instead of simply trying to survive, Valin now has a greater sense of purpose, and has not forgotten what he'd learned about the Jedi Knights.  Now, he hopes to learn more about the Force while doing his best to live in accordance with the Jedi Code as best one can in these dark times.

Thoughts: This version of Valin works a lot better overall, even if it meant losing some handy skill ranks from his original iteration.  Not having to fork over XP for a universal spec to be Force-sensitive helped a lot, as did the +10 XP from Morality, enabling him to push his Cunning up to 3, something that's very handy for a street rat.  He's not great as combatant, but neither was his original version, though he lost Cool and Vigilance as career skills in the transition from Smuggler to Sentinel.

Jade Morningfire, Force-Sensitive Debutante-in-Exile 
(Human Mystic/Advisor)
Jade grew up the daughter of one of the noble houses of the Tapani Expanse, accustomed to a life of luxury and privilege that most beings can only dream of.  In spite of her somewhat sheltered upbringing, Jade was a decent person at heart, and even if she didn't quite grasp the plights of the common folk she always meant well in her limited dealings with them.  From a very young age, Jade demonstrated a knack for charming those around her, as well as being unusually perceptive of the moods of others.  Her constant companion was a young gossamer dragonet named Merry, most likely due to a combination of teenage whimsy and the creature's cheerfulness, with the tiny beast frequently curled around his mistress' shoulders when not fluttering about.

It wasn't until much later, well into her teens, that Jade came to learn some of the truth of her heritage.  Highly attractive, Jade was used to being the focus of attention for other men, particularly young nobles of a similar age, though it was a recent suitor, a young yet highly-ranked Imperial officer that had given Jade cause for concern; there was just something cold and unsettling about the man despite his handsome appearance.  Her father had been reluctant to approve the match, given the disparity in social status, but his sudden and uncharacteristic change in opinion lead to a heated argument between Jade's parents, which she overheard purely by chance.  It was then that she learned the man she had called father all her life was not her biological father, and that her mother had a short-lived affair with a Jedi General bearing the surname of Morningfire.  When it became clear that Jade was going to wind up having to wed the creepy Imperial officer, she made up her mind to run away, taking whatever she could grab before fleeing the family's lush estate on Procopia, deciding to adopt the surname Morningfire in honor of her true biological father and as a means of distancing herself from her adopted father after the perceived betrayal of her trust.

Since running away, Jade has had some difficulty in adapting to a life away from the pomp and luxury of the Expanse, learning quickly that most people will not simply do as she wishes because she asked them to.  That and much of the considerable sum of credits she started out with have quickly dwindled to a mere pittance, though Jade is determined to not go back and be forced to marry a man whose mere presence leaves her greatly unsettled.

Thoughts: I had Linda vet this updated version of Jade, and we both liked it.  Jade is a bit weak in her starting characteristics, only having two of them at a 3, which may hamper her in the long run, though her 3's are in the characteristics she'll most frequently using.

Auron Briggs, Former Clone Trooper
(Human Soldier/Commando)
The way that Auron sees it, there's really not a whole lot to tell about him or his life.  Like so many of his genetic brethren, he was created and trained on Kamino as part of the Grand Army of the Republic, given the designation CT-20237.  He entered combat duty during the 15th month of the Clone Wars, and served well if not with distinction; that he survived to see the end of the war is a testament to his level of training given the casualty rate of Clone Troopers.

At first, he accepted the Republic's transition into the Galactic Empire, though he remains quite on the subject of Order 66, saying only that what's done is done and that looking back won't change things.  For the first couple of years, CT-20237 didn't see much of a difference in how the Empire ran things, having never known what life was like prior to the Clone Wars.  But gradually that changed, and he began to see just how corrupt and awful the Empire was in comparison to stories told of the Old Republic.  One incident finally pushed the veteran trooper to the breaking point, at which he deserted Imperial service and set out to find his own path in the galaxy, heading for the Outer Rim Territories.  He knows that as a Clone Trooper that deserted, his life is essentially forfeit, and so adopted the name Auron Briggs to help cover his tracks, at least a little.

For the most part, Auron works as a blaster-for-hire, keeping to a personal moral code as to what sorts of jobs he will or won't take; the seedier side of the criminal underworld sickens a professional soldier like himself, and more than one sleazy underworld figure has found themselves facing the wrath of a man who is far more dangerous than his age would suggest.

Thoughts: Auron was a tough SOB in his Hired Gun/Mercenary Captain incarnation, and he's probably even more of a tough SOB as a Soldier/Commando.  He's got pretty solid combat skills, can take a couple of hits from lower-grade weapons.  I was sorely tempted to build him up to Knight Level just to see how much tougher he'd get with that additional XP, but I kind of like Auron being an entry-level character, with his mechanical lack of skill being narratively enforced by his advanced physical age; he wasn't much more than a front-line trooper during the Clone Wars, so he wouldn't be on nearly the same level of badassery as Commander Rex.

And there we go, updated versions of three staring characters that made their first entrances into the Star Wars universe during the bygone days of the Edge of the Empire Beta.

While I had originally intended to drop a new version of Ways of the Force today, especially since it was on a May the Fourth that the initial version made its debut, things didn't work out that way.  I'm generally pleased with out a lot of the current version looks, but there's still a few things I'd like to tinker with as well as getting the document's layout in proper order (it's currently a bit of a mess).  Given how infrequently I post updates to this blog, maybe next month will see a vastly updated version of Ways of the Force.

Until next time, May the Fourth be with you, always...

Threat Assessment: Imperial Purge Troopers

As I'd noted a while back, I've been playing the mobile app Star Wars: Uprising a fair bit.  Not quite as much recently as the endless grinding has really ground down my enjoyment of the game, but I'm still playing it.

One of the recurring adversaries on the Imperial-themed missions in the game at later levels are the Purge Troopers.  They're a lot tougher than the regular stormtroopers found in the game, and almost qualify as mini-bosses if not outright being a boss in mook's clothing.  I've also not seen any attempts to stat them up using FFG's Star Wars RPG, so I thought I'd take a crack at them.  Fair warning to players, if you're not packing some serious firepower of your own, these guys will be devastating if you try to tackle them head-on.



Imperial Purge Troopers (Rival)
Characteristics: Brawn 3, Agility 3, Intellect 2, Cunning 2, Willpower 3, Presence 1
Skills: Athletics 1, Brawl 2, Coercion 2, Discipline 2, Gunnery 2, Melee 2, Ranged: Heavy 2, Vigilance 1
Talents: Adversary 1, Burly 1, Enduring 1
Soak Value: 6
Defense (Melee/Ranged): 1/1
Wound Threshold: 15
Equipment: Light repeating blaster (Ranged [Heavy]; Damage 11; Critical 2; Range [Long]; Auto Fire, Cumbersome 4, Pierce 1), 2 heavy frag grenades (Ranged [Light]; Damage 9; Critical 4; Range [Short]; Blast 7, Cumbersome 2, Limited Ammo 1), purge trooper armor (+2 soak, +1 defense, includes helmet comlink and in-helmet scanner), extra reloads, utility belt.

Based upon Star Wars: Uprising, optional weapon load-outs for the Purge Troopers would be to replace a flame cannon (Ranged [Heavy]; Damage 8; Critical 2; Range [Medium]; Burn 3, Blast 8) or a missile tube (Gunnery; Damage 20; Critical 2; Range [Extreme]; Blast 10, Cumbersome 3, Guided 3, Breach 1, Prepare 1, Limited Ammo 6) depending on what their role is in an engagement.

Threat Assessment: Rakghouls

Another blast from the GSA past, I wrote these up a few years back and given their origins in such classic monsters as the vampire and the zombie, I think All Hallow's Eve is the perfect time to have these nasty creatures rise from the grave to yet again menace unwary groups of player-characters in Fantasy Flight Game's Star Wars RPG system.

Rakghoul (Minion)

Characteristics

Brawn 3, Agility 3, Intellect 1, Cunning 2, Presence 1, Willpower 1

Skills (Group Only)

Athletics, Brawl, Perception

Abilities

Rakghoul Disease (see below)

Soak Value:4

Melee/Ranged Defense: 0/0

Wound Threshold: 6

Equipment: Claws and Teeth (Brawl, Engaged, Damage 5, Crit 3, Pierce 1, Vicious 1)

Rakghoul Fiend (Rival)

Characteristics

Brawn 4, Agility 4, Intellect 2, Cunning 3, Presence 2, Willpower 1

Skills

Athletics 1, Brawl 2, Perception 1

Abilities

Adversary 1, Rakghoul Disease (see below)

Soak Value: 6/0

Melee/Ranged Defense: 0/0

Wound Threshold: 16

Equipment: Claws and Teeth (Brawl, Engaged, Damage 6, Crit 3, Pierce 1, Vicious 1)

New Ability: Rakghoul Disease

Spend a Triumph generated from a successful Brawl attack that inflicts damage to infect the target with the rakghoul disease, an incredibly virulent contagion that all but dooms most beings into eventually becoming a rakghoul itself.

Every 24 hours after being infected, the target must make a Hard Resilience check.   A failure means the disease still lingers, inflicting a single wound (this bypasses the victim's soak value).  If the check is failed and generates three Threat or a Despair result, the victim is immediately transformed into a rakghoul, which is a permanent condition and cannot be cured.  A successful check means the disease was not able to take hold and the target suffers no lingering after-effects.

Curing this disease requires a Daunting Medicine check, unless the person treating the disease has access to rakghoul serum, in which case the difficulty is reduced to Average.  However, given the rarity of rakghouls in general, getting access to rakghoul serum can be an adventure in and of itself.  A character that has been successfully treated through the use of rakghoul serum is considered to be inoculated against the contagion, and can no longer be affected by rakghoul disease.

Background: The hideous result of a virulent disease that has plagued worlds such as Taris, the rakghoul truly is an abomination and affront to nature.  Created by the deranged Sith Lord Karness Muur, the rakghouls were his means to achieving power over his fellow Lords of the Sith during their time in exile from the Old Republic.   While a resurgence of the monsters occurred during the Mandalorian Wars, by the time of the Galactic Empire the rakghouls had been all but exterminated, a process that was ironically sped up by Darth Malak’s order to conduct an orbital bombardment of the planet Taris in an attempt to kill the Jedi Bastilla Shan and the amnesiac Revan. 

Still, the creatures managed to persist in small pockets of the Outer Rim Territories, with sentient species being their preferred prey.  Those that survived being slain and devoured by the monsters were invariably transformed into rakghouls themselves by the disease inflicted by the creature’s claws and bite.  While a cure for the disease was developed during the Jedi Civil War, knowledge of its existence has become almost as rare as the rakghoul itself, only rarely is the modern medicine of the Clone Wars era or later able to prevent the infection from transforming those poor souls suffering a fate worse than death.

The Dark Trooper Project for SWFFG

Had a couple folks ask about the Dark Trooper stat blocks I wrote up for the Gamer Security Agency some time ago, especially as attempts to use the Internet Wayback Machine came up blank.  So, in the interest of having the material available for GMs interested in them, I'm re-posting the old material.  Bear in mind these were written before the Age of Rebellion core rulebook came out with FFG's own take on the Dark Trooper (specifically the Phase II model).  I have tweaked a few things here and there, most notably removing the Cortosis quality from the Phase One and Phase Two models, as that was initially added so that the lightsabers of the time wouldn't just instantly brutalize one of these things. 

Dark Trooper Phase Zero (Rival)

 Characteristics

Brawn 3, Agility 3, Intellect 2, Cunning 2, Presence 1, Willpower 2

 Skills

Athletics 1, Brawl 2, Discipline 2, Perception 1, Ranged (Heavy) 2, Vigilance 1

Talents

Barrage 1, Durable 2, Point Blank 1

Soak Value: 6

Melee/Ranged Defense: 0/0

Wound Threshold: 15

Special Abilities: Cyborg Hybrid – this character is considered to be a Droid and follow all the rules for Droid adversaries.

Equipment: Heavy blaster rifle (Ranged [Heavy], Damage 10, Crit 3, Long, Auto-fire, Cumbersome 3), Phase Zero Dark Trooper Armor (as laminate armor), comlink, jet pack

Background: During the early days of the Galactic Empire, the Imperial Stormtrooper regiments found itself in a quandary, as many of its most experienced soldiers were rapidly-aging Clone Troopers.  Rather than accept the loss of these veteran soldiers, the Imperial command gave the green-light to Project Dark Trooper, which was placed under the supervision of Lt. Rom Mohc.  Using extensive cybernetic reconstruction surgeries, the aging Clone Troopers had their bodies forcibly replaced with mechanical parts, giving the Empire a way to continue fielding the battle-hardened veterans of the Clone Wars.  And while the project did accomplish its stated goal, the Phase Zero aspect could hardly be called a success, as many of the converted Clone Troopers attempted suicide in the wake of becoming little better than the “clankers” they had been bred and trained to fight during the Clone Wars.  In spite of this setback, the Empire was able to field an alarming number of these cyborg-hybrid soldiers, being undeniably effective, but as the Empire increased in power and recruiting techniques began to make up for the loss of the Clone Troopers, the decision was made to shut down the project.  However, Lt. Moch would use the effectiveness of this early program and his later influence as a General to reinstate the Dark Trooper project many years later.

Dark Trooper Phase One (Rival)

Characteristics

Brawn 3, Agility 2, Intellect 2, Cunning 2, Presence 1, Willpower 2

Skills

Melee 2, Perception 1, Vigilance 2

Talents

Adversary 1, Lethal Blows 1

Soak Value: 6

Melee/Ranged Defense: 2/1

Wound Threshold: 15

Special Abilities: Droid, Inorganic, Mechanical Being

Equipment: Wrist-mounted vibrosword (Melee, Damage 5, Crit 2, Engaged, Pierce 2, Vicious 1, Defensive 1), wrist-mounted blast shield (provides Defense 1), combat armor (+2 soak) with enhanced optics suite and built-in comlink

Background: The initial production model of General Ram Mohc’s reinstated Dark Trooper Project, the Phase 1 Dark Trooper is essentially a phrik alloy skeleton equipped with a vibroblade and blast shield.  Although the Phase 1 Dark Trooper droids were produced in great numbers, they usually see deployment as sentries at remote Imperial installations rather than seeing use on the front-lines.

Dark Trooper Phase Two (Rival)

Characteristics

Brawn 4, Agility 2, Intellect 2, Cunning 2, Presence 1, Willpower 2

Skills

Brawl 1, Gunnery 3, Perception 2, Ranged (Heavy) 3, Vigilance 2

Talents

Adversary 1, Durable 1, Barrage 1, Lethal Blows 1

Soak Value: 7

Melee/Ranged Defense: 1/1

Wound Threshold: 18

Special Abilities: Droid, Inorganic, Mechanical Being

Equipment: Light repeating blaster (Ranged - Heavy, Damage 11, Crit 3, Long, Auto-fire, Pierce 1, Cumbersome 4), missile launcher (Gunnery, Damage 10, Crit 3, Long, Blast 6, Breach 1, Limited Ammo 6), Dark Trooper battle armor (+2 soak, +1 defense) with enhanced optics suite and built-in comlink

Background: The second phase of General Ram Mohc’s Dark Trooper Project, the Phase Two model stands much taller than its predecessors, and features more complete armor coverage as well as a devastating weapons package in the form of its assault cannon, enabling it to lay down withering torrents of blaster fire or deliver anti-vehicular ordnance as need.  They first saw deployment on the attack on the Rebel Base on Talay, in which a small number of Phase Two Dark Troopers utterly destroyed the base, proving the effectiveness of General Mohc’s droid warriors to even the most skeptical of Imperial officers. 

Dark Trooper Phase Three (Nemesis)

Characteristics

Brawn 4, Agility 3, Intellect 2, Cunning 2, Presence 1, Willpower 2

Skills

Brawl 2, Gunnery 3, Perception 2, Ranged (Heavy) 3, Vigilance 2

Talents

Adversary 2, Durable 2, Barrage 1, Lethal Blows 2, Targeted Blow

Soak Value: 8

Melee/Ranged Defense: 1/1

Wound Threshold:20

Strain Threshold: 12

Special Abilities: Droid, Inorganic, Mechanical Being

Equipment: Light repeating blaster (Ranged - Heavy, Damage 11, Crit 3, Long, Auto-fire, Pierce 2, Cumbersome 4), missile launcher (Gunnery, Damage 10, Crit 3, Long, Blast 6, Breach 1, Limited Ammo 6), shoulder-mounted missile tubes (Gunnery, Damage 8, Crit 4, Long, Blast 6, Limited Ammo 12) or shoulder-mounted blaster cannons (Ranged – Heavy, Damage 10, Crit 3, Medium, Auto-fire, Pierce 1), phrik alloy battle armor (+2 soak, +1 defense, Cortosis, Superior) with enhanced optics suite and built-in comlink

Background: The culmination of General Ram Mohc’s Dark Trooper Project, the Phase Three design is a massive behemoth, standing nearly three meters in height and with a powerful frame to match that was made even more ominous due to its near-black color scheme.  Where the Phase One and Phase Two models were intended to operate solely as battle droids, the Phase Three could also serve as a powered exoskeleton, providing the operator with vastly increased strength and protection.  Additional anti-personnel armament was included by way of a pair of low-yield missile tubes, though the option to replace the missile launchers with a pair of dual blaster cannons was also present.  Thankfully for the Rebel Alliance, only a small number of Phase III Dark Troopers were constructed before the destruction of the Arc Hammer, General Mohc’s personal flagship which served as the primary construction facility for the entire Dark Trooper project.  Still, the Emperor is not known for little a valuable resource go to waste, and while there are no plans to re-initiate the Dark Trooper Project, there are still a number of Phase III Dark Troopers in operation even during the closing years of the Galactic Civil War.