Takeover at Whisper Base (Star Wars Age of Rebellion) (NOW CLOSED)

[PhantomPistoleer]

TAKEOVER

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

EPISODE I

TAKEOVER AT WHISPER BASE

War rages across the galaxy! Both the brutal GALACTIC EMPIRE and the desperate REBEL ALLIANCE reel in the face of terrible losses. Though Rebel forces managed to destroy the super-weapon called the DEATH STAR, their victory did not come in time to save the world of ALDERAAN.  Fear and uncertainty swell in the galactic community.

Now, one small battle begins on the verdant world of ONDERON. Deep in the jungle, Rebel intelligence has discovered a listening post built by MOFF DARDANO to spy on his rival, ADMIRAL CORLEN. The Rebel Affiance has sent a crack team of infiltrators to take the secret listening post and turn it into a forward Rebel base in the Japrael system.

After hours of slogging through the dense jungle, with its poisonous foliage and oppressive heat, the heroes have reached their destination: Whisper Base. Compared to staying in the jungle, the prospect of ambushing an Imperial patrol and breaking into a heavily guarded base seems almost pleasant...

Game Information:
Takeover At Whisper Base is a beginner adventure designed to familiarize both players & GM with FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES's Star Wars engine.  It is set shortly after the destruction of the FIRST DEATH STAR and follows a group of SpecOps rebels as they infiltrate and seize an Imperial listening post.

No experience or long-time commitment required.

Party Composition:
2-6 players.

Character Generation:
See addendum below.
1.  Extra 150xp (may not purchase characteristics);
2.  Extra 9,000 credits;
3.  20 points for duty;
4.  May purchase up to 3 ranks in a skill.

Character creation is very simple and the game mechanics are very basic and easy to understand.  Players aren't trapped to their original builds, and may respec as needed so long as it doesn't delay the game.

Character Submission:
1.  An image and an elevator pitch is all that's needed to admit a character.
2.  No elaborate backstory is necessary... yet.
3.  Simple backstories should not be unilateral creations but a collaborative effort.

Smut:
TBA, TBD. 

Character Creation Example

CRIX DOANE
Species: Human
Career: Spy | Specialization: Slicer
[/list]

As a GM, I often find it helpful to create NPCs that help unsteady PCs by providing a sounding board for their ideas.  In this game, that NPC will be Crix Doane.  He's amiable, knowledgeable, and helps me provide information realistically.  He's just one comlink click away.

[PhantomPistoleer]

CHARGEN

WELCOME TO THE REBEL ALLIANCE

"You have been selected to participate on a dangerous mission with a previously dismantled SpecOps sortie in the Japriel system.  SpecOps form the backbone of the Rebel Alliance, and without them, we would not have prevailed at Yavin IV.  Your mission is delicate, speculative, and may lead to nothing except for a nest of mynocks, but my gut feeling is that this may develop into something.  I am relying on your expertise and your creativity to generate intelligence and resources for our alliance.  We need you now more than ever.

"You will be debriefed en route.  Your flight leaves in approximately thirty minutes.  If you haven't done so yet, draw up your final will and testament and then consult with the armorer.  Go, and may the force be with you."

-- Gen. Jan Dodonna

CHARACTER CREATION IN 10 STEPS

1.  DETERMINE BACKGROUND
2.  DETERMINE DUTY
3.  SELECT SPECIES
4.  SELECT CAREER
5.  SELECT SPECIALIZATION
6.  DISTRIBUTE EXPERIENCE POINTS
7.  DETERMINE DERIVED ATTRIBUTES
8.  DETERMINE MOTIVATION
9.  CHOOSE GEAR AND APPEARANCE
10.  ACQUIRE REBELLION RESOURCES


1.  DETERMINE BACKGROUND

A character’s background, or backstory, is the tale of that character’s past and usually explains how he came to be a part of the adventures that are about to unfold.  If the player chooses to be a laconic starfighter pilot, what’s his story?  Did he once fly for the Empire?  Did he see or do things that haunt him to this day?  Is that why he’s so terse and distant from others?  Or did he fly for a freighter company until it was ruined by Imperial trade policies and now is flying with the Rebellion to get some payback?

A character could have any number of stories, all of which help to inform the player about how to craft the character from this starting point.  A backstory also serves to help the GM figure out the best way to introduce and involve the character in the story.

Note:  The PC's background has no game mechanics per se.  Generally speaking, the PC's background ought to be appropriate for the setting.  It is recommended that PCs be well-rounded, possessing a variety of useful skills, rather than being one-trick ponies.

Crix Doane hails from Chandrila.  He is the son of bio-engineer who owns and operates a small but lucrative wine export.  He has always been interested in computers and, after obtaining a university degree, became a droid programmer for a nonconsequential business concern specializing in kitchen droidware.  A few months back, Crix learned that his brother, a structural engineer at SIENAR, was arrested on Coruscant for his involvement in a scheme to provide the Rebel Alliance with classified starfighter designs.  Though Crix had not been involved in the scheme, the Empire believed otherwise.



2.  DETERMINE DUTY

Hand-in-hand with a PC’s background, his Duty to the Rebellion is a driving part of his role in the campaign.  While it’s true that the Player Characters can be said to have an overall duty to fight the Empire and restore the Republic (though not all of them might agree on the second point), each PC has a specific expression of the larger goal.  Some are oriented toward ensuring the Alliance’s technical or space combat advantages, while others are focused on destroying Imperial assets or recruiting new allies.  Whatever this Duty is, it has a strong impact on both the individual’s and group’s relationship with the Alliance, and it influences the character building process.

Notes
a.  A PC may select only one duty.
b.  No two PCs may select the same duty.
c.  It is permissible to use the alternate Obligation and Morality rules from Star Wars Edge of the Empire and Star Wars Force and Destiny.
d.  Please see the table below.

ROLL	DESCRIPTION
01–08	Combat Victory: The Player Character is driven to show that the Alliance can hold its own against Imperial forces in any troop vs. troop engagement. He wants to engage the Empire’s military—their best, whenever possible—and provide more victories for the Alliance to tout to the galaxy as proof it can ultimately win the war. This means daring raids, excellent tactics, and acquiring the best firepower possible.
09–16	Counter-Intelligence: The PC knows that the survival of the Alliance depends upon its ability to hide from the Empire and avoid complete destruction at the hands of its overwhelming military superiority. To this end, he wants to hunt down and eliminate enemy agents and threats, feed false information to Imperial intelligence networks, and cover the movements of all Alliance assets from observation and reporting.
17–24	Intelligence: The PC knows that every victory hinges on knowing as much about the Empire’s military might and other assets as possible. He is driven to gather any and all potentially useful data, wishing to locate vital and vulnerable targets for Rebellion forces to strike at. He not only wants to know what the Imperial military factions are up to, but also the state of technological research, economic policies, and other aspects of Imperial strength.
25–32	Internal Security: The most dangerous threat to the Alliance comes from within its own ranks. Any Rebel soldier, operative, or ally could be an insidious threat waiting to take an action at a critical moment to bring entire operations crashing down, costing lives and assets. Knowing that vigilance against these threats is the truest form of devotion to the cause of the Alliance, the PC watches for any and all signs of betrayal.
33–40	Personnel: More than machines, credits, or information, the people of the Alliance are the most important and vital assets there are, and the Player Character knows this. He is devoted to seeing to their safety, well-being, and capacity for success. No one should ever be left behind; the most successful missions might not achieve every goal, but they are successful nonetheless when no one dies.
41–48	Political Support: Every blaster, starfighter, and thermal detonator in the galaxy is useless without the political will to truly challenge and overthrow Palpatine and his New Order. The Player Character understands this all too well and is determined to see to it that as many factions, systems, and sectors as possible come to the side—and the aid—of the Alliance against the Empire.
49–56	Recruiting: Every engagement with the Empire is a war of attrition, and that is a war the Rebellion simply cannot win.  Nonetheless, more people must be found to serve, and they are needed in every capacity. Not only does the Alliance military need more soldiers and pilots, it needs more technicians, engineers, mechanics, scientists, doctors, slicers, and just about every other kind of worker. This Player Character understands the risks of recruitment, as well as the needs, and is constantly on the lookout for allies who are both talented and trustworthy.
57–64	Resource Acquisition: There are never enough supplies to fully support those fighting against the juggernaut that is the Empire, and this PC knows it very well. He is determined to seek out new sources of raw materials, food, clothing, weapons, armor, and equipment of all kinds. One spare crate of medpacs can save quite a few lives, and a handful of comlinks can mean the difference between success and failure on a mission. He will trade, beg, borrow, and steal anything for the cause.
65–72	Sabotage: The largest and most powerful military force in the history of the galaxy is also the most vulnerable to acts of destruction and asset denial. The character is focused on disrupting Imperial operations in any way possible, whether it’s the manufacture of weapons, troop movements, supply shipments, banking systems, or any other key operation, in order to make the Empire act more slowly and less capably. Truly showy acts of destruction also work to erode a population’s will to support the Empire, or so the PC often believes (though the Alliance expressly forbids actual acts of terrorism).
73–80	Space Superiority: As the Combat Victory-driven PC feels about troop conflicts, so this Player Character feels about ship-to-ship combat and naval engagements. To him, the war will ultimately be decided in the stars, and what the Alliance lacks in sheer numbers, it more than makes up for in the quality and tenacity of its pilots. Every single space battle is an opportunity to show the rest of the galaxy that the Alliance not only can win the war, but is destined to do so.
81–88	Tech Procurement: There is no more prolific or productive time for technological developments than during a war, and this one is no exception. This Player Character sees the true opportunity for Alliance victory in the hands of scientists, engineers, and technicians. Not only can they get the most performance from existing machines and resources, but they can design and develop new ships, weapons, medical techniques, and equipment that can provide the vital edge necessary to survive against the Empire’s might. The way this PC sees it, stealing the best developments of the Empire is a crucial way to even the odds.
89–96	Support: Individually, the lone agents of the Alliance don’t stand a chance against the combined might of the Galactic Empire. Only by working together can they hope to achieve a victory in this civil war. This PC is devoted to helping fellow Rebels fulfill their Duties by providing whatever assistance they need. Although he might not get the same amount of reward or recognition as the people he is helping, the PC has many more opportunities than his fellows to fulfill his Duty to the Rebellion.
97–00	Roll twice on this chart. The PC’s Duty is equally split between two different areas of focus, and success in either is good for increasing the Duty score.

Crix Doane is trying his best to SUPPORT the Rebel Alliance.  Although he is practically a noncombatant, he has  various gifts that allow him to be involved in the development and acquisition of computer algorithms.



3.  SELECT SPECIES

The immense diversity of sentient life in the galaxy is one of the greatest strengths the Alliance has over the human-centric Empire.  Many species have suffered terribly at the hands of xenophobic Moffs and governors, turning more and more of them toward the Alliance to offer the support and resources of their people and planets.

The selection of a species establishes many important core aspects of a Player Character, including:

1.  initial ratings in the characteristics of Brawn, Agility, Intellect, Cunning, Willpower, and Presence;
2.  starting wound and strain threshold values;
3.  special abilities innate to the particular species; and,
4.  the initial pool of experience points the PC has to spend on further development during character creation.

Notes:  PCs may be:
1.  Any gender;
2.  Any FFG published species; and,
3.  May alter the race mechanically or aesthetically, within reason.

The Age of Rebellion book has eight playable species, but there are many more available.  See here for a comprehensive list.

Crix Doane, like most Chandrillans, is Human.  That means that he starts with the following:

Wound Threshold: 10 + Brawn
Strain Threshold: 10 + Willpower
Starting Experience: 110 XP
Special Abilities: Two Non-Career skills +1

At this stage, there is nothing more that I can do for Crix.


4.  SELECT CAREER

The choice of a career establishes the central focus of a character’s training, education, and professional experience.  While not particularly limiting, it does establish what kinds of skills and talents are going to make the most sense for the PC to possess, as well as the role the character is most likely to excel at in a group.  Players should think of a career as an archetype that forms initial framework upon which the rest of the PC is constructed.

One of the most important things the career choice does is establish which eight skills are considered career skills for the PC.  Each of these eight should be marked on the character sheet accordingly, as they are easier to improve than other skills as the PC gains more experience.  As soon as a career is selected, the player may select four of those eight skills in which to gain a free initial rank; no skill may be selected more than once.

Notes:  Characters may select any career from any published FFG material.  A comprehensive list of careers can be found here.

Crix Doane is going to be a spy.  As such, he receives the following career skills:

1. Computers
2. Cool
3. Coordination
4. Deception
5. Knowledge (Warfare)
6. Perception
7. Skulduggery
8. Stealth

Now it's time for me to select which four career skills to put an initial rank into.  As I said, Crix loves computers, so I will take an initial rank in computers.  I will also put an initial rank in deception, perception, and skulduggery. There is nothing else to be done.


5.  SELECT SPECIALIZATION

If a career is the initial framework for a PC’s construction, specializations can be viewed as the materials added to the framework to fill it in and give it detail and distinction.  Associated with each career are three distinct specializations, each possessing unique aspects and—more specifically—a unique talent tree, which addresses the truly special things a PC can do for himself and his team.

After selecting a specialization, the player should take note of the specialization’s four additional bonus career skills.  Any that are not already included in the career list should be added to the PC’s total list of career skills.  The player then selects and gains a free rank in two additional skills from the bonus career skill list.  If the specialization skill list repeats a skill from the career skill list, the player may invest another rank in this skill for a total of two ranks in that skill.

In any situation that allows a player to select more than one specialization at creation (whether from using experience points or by some other means), he can select only one specialization from which to choose his two are ranks in two bonus career skills.

Notes:  Specialization provides you a talent tree.  You are never pinned down to a single specialization.  You can always purchase access to more specializations.

Crix Doane is a slicer.  Maybe in the future, he might become something of a mechanic, engineer, or even a pilot, but for now, he earns his keep as the resident computer guru.  To that end, he receives four additional career skills:

1.  Computers
2.  Knowledge (Education)
3.  Knowledge (Underworld)
4.  Stealth

Your first (and only your first) specialization grants you two additional ranks in career skills.  I will pick computers (again) and knowledge (education), since Crix was a university student.  This is a thematic choice.  Oh, and as a slicer, he gets access to talents on the slicer talent tree.  See below for an example, or check out this link: here.

6.  DISTRIBUTE EXPERIENCE POINTS

The selection of a species established an initial pool of experience points that act as a kind of currency.  This currency can be spent on making improvements to the PC by upgrading characteristics, increasing ranks and increasing his Duty value.  All of these choices create numerous combinations, so even two PCs with the same species, career, and specialization choices might end up significantly different from one another.

Additional experience points are earned by PCs over the course of the campaign as they fight against the Empire, enabling them to further enhance their skills and talents.

Notes:  Characters receive XP based on their species, which they can spend on increasing characteristics.  Additionally, PCs get an additional 150xp.

Crix Doane is a human so he receives 110xp.  He can trade in duty points to receive an additional 15xp (more on that later).  Additionally, he has another 150xp, which he cannot use on characteristics.  Here is a breakdown:

-30xp to make the intellect characteristic a 3;
-40xp to make the intellect characteristic a 4;
-50xp to make the intellect characteristic a 5; and,
- 5xp to purchase the grit talent (+1 to threshold).

That covers my initial 110 xp + the 15xp I got from spending duty points (again, more on that later).

Now, I will spend the 150xp on skills and talents.

- 15xp to make computer 2 to computer 3;
- 15xp to purchase the remaining level 1 talents on the slicer talent tree;
- 40xp to purchase all level 2 talents on the slicer talent tree;
- 60xp to purchase all level 3 talents on the slicer talent tree;
--20xp to purchase a single level 4 talent on the slicer talent tree.

And I am done here.



7.  DETERMINE DERIVED ATTRIBUTES

This is one step that must be done in order, certain statistics cannot be established and recorded until after the initial pool of experience points is spent.  There are four derived attributes: wound threshold, strain threshold, defense, and soak value.

Note:  Wound threshold and strain threshold are generally handled by species qualities and talents.  Defense and soak are handled by equipment.

Crix Doane, as a Human, has the following stats here:

Wound Threshold: 10 + Brawn
Strain Threshold: 10 + Willpower
Starting Experience: 110 XP
Special Abilities: Two Non-Career skills +1

Since his Brawn and Willpower are both 2, he has a wound and strain threshold of 12.  However, he picked up various talents that increase his threshold to 15, since he has three grit talents, each providing a +1 to the strain threshold.  Since he's a slicer, he probably will not have any armor that provides him with defense or soak, so those will stay at 0.



8.  DETERMINE MOTIVATION

While a PC’s Duty establishes what the character must accomplish on behalf of the Alliance, Motivation determines why the PC is determined to do it.  Does the character fight the Empire because he believes the New Order’s policies are morally wrong?  Or is he looking to take vengeance upon the Empire’s minions for the wrongs they’ve committed against his people or the ones he loves?

Motivations should derive directly from the background the player has crafted for his PC.  In fact, though it is possible to roll randomly on the charts in the Motivation section, players should seriously consider the specific relationship between their background, their Duty, and their motivation.  They might find it more internally consistent to select Motivations that best fit the story they’ve already begun to tell.

There are three general categories of Motivation: Belief, Connection, and Quest.  Each of these motivations has a list of specific manifestations.  Additionally, with the GM’s permission, a player may create his own Motivation with specific details.

Motivation has an important value to the PC, playing while keeping within the Motivation may gain the PC bonus experience points at the end of the session.  This is a pretty hefty encouragement for the player to choose a Motivation that will be comfortable to role-play on a regular basis.

Note:  There are three types of motivations: belief, connection, or quest.  You may select a motivation from any chart, or alternatively, a chart from a parallel ruleset.





As mentioned in his background, Crix Doane fights for the Rebellion because of FAMILY.


9.  CHOOSE GEAR AND APPEARANCE

With everything else figured out, including species, career, specialization, and derived attributes, the players can now delve into more descriptive details about their characters.  This includes basic biographical data like height, weight, eye color, hair (or tentacle, or horn) color, type of skin, homeward, and so on.  Naturally, all of these aspects should tie directly into the background and other key choices and player made for the PC.

As for starting gear, a PC begins his career in the Alliance with 500 credits worth of personal weaponry, armor, and other equipment.  Once the PC begins going on missions for the Rebellion, he might be granted additional gear to carry out those missions (though the PC might not always be allowed to keep such gear).

Note:  PCs begin the game with 500 credits, plus an additional 9000 credits.  They may spend duty points to requisition additional credits-worth of material (more on that later).

For a list of equipment, check out this Google Docs sheet: click here.  It is not my Google Sheet, and I believe identities are not made public.

Keep in mind that characters can only carry 5+brawn in terms of encumbrance.  Crix Doane has an encumbrance of 7.  So if he carries a light repeating blaster (which has an encumbrance of 7), he will not be able to carry anything else unless he acquires a holster, a backpack, or a web harness.  For example, a holster would reduce his encumbrance by 1 (turning it into 6).  If an item has an encumbrance of 0, then 20 of those items would have an encumbrance of 1.


10.  ACQUIRE REBELLION RESOURCES

Though the Alliance to Restore the Republic is strapped for resources to support its struggle against the Empire, it is not bereft of assets to assign toward its goals.  Groups of agents such as the PCs are often given access to resources that will help them take on the Empire more efficiently.

At the beginning of the game, the GM can allow PCs to select a ship for their use, or even a few star fighters, if appropriate.  Alternatively, the GM can instead provide them with other resources.  This include an additional allotment of credits they can spend to obtain extra gear, as well as some form of base of operations.

Note:  The exchange rate is as follows:
5 duty points --> 5xp;
10 duty points --> 10xp;
5 duty points --> 1000 credits; and,
10 duty points --> 2500 credits.

Crix Doane uses his duty points to acquire 15xp and 1000 extra credits.

[NightLux]

Definitely interested in this.  I'll add a character concept and start working on fleshing it out over the next day or two!

[PhantomPistoleer]

Definitely interested in this.  I'll add a character concept and start working on fleshing it out over the next day or two!

Awesome!

Someone else submitted a gungan ace (animal handler), too.

[MetroFallout]

How do I submit a character?

[Annaamarth]

RISSA CHO-IYA
Species: Pantoran
Career: Engineer | Specialization: Sapper
Duty: Sabotage (could instead be Intelligence, Tech-procurement or Personnel)


Politically aligned with the Expansionist faction of her homeworld, Rissa - once a civil engineer who had assisted with the construction of Pantoran fortifications - found her way to the Alliance - by way of the Partisans - around the Jedha insurgency.  Something of an extremist, her pragmatic ruthlessness aligns more closely to the Partisan faction than the more ... restrained bulk of the Alliance.

Her brilliantly-dyed orange hair and notable lack of yellow facial markings mark her as an unusual Pantoran.

Pantora is a cold world and Rissa is finding Onderon ... uncomfortably warm.  She is equipped with a suit of modified (read: salvaged and jury-rigged) MKII Clone armour that has been painted in jungle patterns to match Onderon's jungle and a similarly-patterned thermal cloak, along with load-gear, tool belt and a field ruck, but when not on watch or on the move Rissa has spent a good deal of time in an abbreviated under-armour bodysuit.  She's worked in hot environments before, but nothing like this jungle hell.  She's careful to keep hydrated, but quick to shed extra layers once the team has a secure site.

Her Mk II armour, in addition to the paint job, has a non-standard vambrace, and she uses an older model of blaster, a well-worn DE-10 pistol - which someone familiar with the world of Mandalore might recognize as having been associated with the Deathwatch faction.  Due to her role as a sapper and saboteur, she also has a shovel and a variety of explosive devices.

Character Sheet

Rissa Cho-iya, Pantoran Engineer (Sapper)
Wounds: 0/14  Strain: 0/12  Soak: 2  Defense: 0R/0M

  Brawn  | Agility |  Intel  | Cunning | Willpwr | Presnce
    2         3         4         2         1         3

Skills

Astrogation (Int)               0       4A   
Athletics (Br)          X       3       1A+2P   
Charm (Pr)                      0       3A   
Coercion (Will)                 0       1A   
Computers (Int)         X       0       4A   
Cool (Pr)                       1       2A+1P   
Coordination (Ag)               0       3A   
Deception (Cun)                 0       2A   
Discipline (Will)               0       1A   
Leadership (Pr)                 0       3A   
Mechanics (Int)         X       3       1A+3P   
Medicine (Int)                  0       4A   
Negotiation (Pr)                0       3A   
Perception (Cun)        X       1       1A+1P   
Piloting: Plntry (Ag)           0       3A   
Piloting: Space (Ag)    X       0       3A   
Resilience (Br)                 0       2A   
Skulduggery (Cun)               0       2A   
Stealth (Ag)                    0       3A   
Streetwise (Cun)                0       2A   
Survival (Cun)          X       3       1A+2P   
Vigilance (Will)        X       3       2A+1P   
Brawl (Br)                      0       2A   
Gunnery (Ag)                    0       3A   
Lightsaber (Br)                 0       2A   
Melee (Br)                      0       2A   
Ranged: Light (Ag)      X       2       1A+2P   
Ranged: Heavy (Ag)              0       3A   
K: Core Worlds (Int)            0       4A   
K: Education (Int)      X       1       3A+1P   
K: Lore (Int)                   0       4A
K: Outer Rim (Int)              0       4A   
K: Underworld (Int)             0       4A   
K: Warfare (Int)        X       0       4A   
K: Xenology (Int)               0       4A

Role

Role: Presence 3 and Int 4 give a well-rounded technical and social skillset.  High Cool gives level-headedness, but low Discipline is a notable potential achilles-heel - appropriate, for her background as a hot-head with a fundamentally civilian background.  Both Vigilance and Perception are serviceable, but neither are specialized.  Agi 3 gives some Ranged (light) and stealth ability, but not a focus.  Talents encourage outside-the-box thinking and a defensive mindset - which could come into play for fortifying a single room in case team-wide blitzkrieg is unsuccessful.

Advancement edit:  After purchasing talents and advancing skills, deep training on Vigilance, Athletics and Survival provide a solid support structure.  High Int and Survival skill feed Known Schematic, Contraption, and Improvised Defenses talents - for which, duration of "a Session" has been tentatively defined as ea. 15xp earned.

Skillset is, broadly, a combat engineer who is along to ensure the "Hold" part of the take-and-hold mission.

As an alternate build, the character could be reconfigured as a high-stealth Engineer/Saboteur or Spy/Infiltrator if the team wants to go with a pure-stealth approach.  This would be a risky play, but could be equally high-reward - I have seen great success in a wholly, or primarily, Stealth group (at least in other systems).  I am open to cooperation and flexibility, of course.

Edit: There is an Edge of the Empire Etc. dice roller with log that works at Orokos, help page linked here in case it is needed or desired.  I'm not sure whether the E diceroller is easily compatible.

[PhantomPistoleer]

How do I submit a character?

You could do something like Annaamarth, or something else.

Presumably something like this - though if this submission seems a poor format, excessively or insufficiently detailed, hopefully Phantom will correct me, and that will inform you.

RISSA CHO-IYA
Species: Pantoran
Career: Engineer | Specialization: Sapper
Duty: Sabotage (could instead be Intelligence, Tech-procurement or Personnel)


Politically aligned with the Expansionist faction of her homeworld, Rissa - once a civil engineer who had assisted with the construction of Pantoran fortifications - found her way to the Alliance - by way of the Partisans - around the Jedha insurgency.  Something of an extremist, her pragmatic ruthlessness aligns more closely to the Partisan faction than the more ... restrained bulk of the Alliance.

Role and background: Presence 3 and Int 4 give a well-rounded technical and social skillset.  High Cool gives level-headedness, but low Discipline is a notable potential achilles-heel - appropriate, for her background as a hot-head with a fundamentally civilian background.  Both Vigilance and Perception are serviceable, but neither are specialized.  Agi 3 gives some Ranged (light) and stealth ability, but not a focus.  Talents encourage outside-the-box thinking and a defensive mindset - which could come into play for fortifying a single room in case team-wide blitzkrieg is unsuccessful.

Advancement edit:  After purchasing talents and advancing skills, deep training on Vigilance, Athletics and Survival provide a solid support structure.  High Int and Survival skill feed Known Schematic, Contraption, and Improvised Defenses talents - which means duration of "a Session" may benefit from definition.

Skillset is, broadly, a combat engineer who is along to ensure the "Hold" part of the take-and-hold mission.



As an alternate build, the character could be reconfigured as a high-stealth Engineer/Saboteur or Spy/Infiltrator if the team wants to go with a pure-stealth approach.  This would be a risky play, but could be equally high-reward - I have seen great success in a wholly, or primarily, Stealth group (at least in other systems).  I am open to cooperation and flexibility, of course.

Edit: There is an Edge of the Empire Etc. dice roller with log that works at Orokos, help page linked here in case it is needed or desired.  I'm not sure whether the E diceroller is easily compatible.

I'll take a look at this, Annaamarth.  At first blush, the character excites me!  I will let you know.

[PhantomPistoleer]

@Annaamarth--

I really like Rissa.  I particularly like how she's just a civilian who really isn't doing this for the Rebel Alliance.

To answer some of your questions:

As a house rule, I think a session should be "whenever a character has collected 15xp points."  This will happen a lot since I am going to award 1xp per five posts, as well as awarding xp for completing tasks.

Thank you for your interest!

I will admit the character.  You may build her!

[MetroFallout]

Shustihos Halland
Species: Twi'Lek
Career: Bounty Hunter | Specialization: Skip Tracer
Duty: Combat Victory (alternatively Personnel, Internal Security)


Formerly a Force-sensitive Jedi Initiate candidate that the Jedi were never able to pick up and train properly due to Order 66 being enacted at the time, Shustihos Halland was taken from her home by the Jedi just before the purge but had to go on the run when the Empire caught up to her protectors who never managed to train her in the ways of the Force.

While she was on the run, she had been lucky to not have been caught and turned into a slave, instead having turned to petty crime with a group of orphaned children to sustain herself for a time. When the Empire caught up with her after she had become enough of a nuisance to be back on their radar, she was slated to be snapped up for the Empire's Inquisitor Program and the gang of urchins were to be executed. Thankfully, that did not come to pass as a group of Mandalorians managed to rescue them while they were on a raid.

Adopted as a Mandalorian Foundling alongside the rest of the children she was with, she began her new life as a Mandalorian after taking on the Creed. While with the Mandalorians, she learned the way of the Hunt and walked the path of the Mandalorian Bounty Hunter. Due to her past, Shustihos kept clear of Imperial bounties and jobs, focusing only on jobs for the Rebel Alliance. As much as the Mandalorians needed resources to continue on living, she could not bring herself to work for the Empire under any circumstances.

While working as a Rebel-aligned bounty hunter, she encountered former Jedi who discovered traces of Force-sensitivity within her and offered to train her in the use of the Force. Thanks to her being born with a decently strong connection with the Force, she was still able to be trained even though much of her connection to the Force had faded away with time and a lack of training.


Role and background:

Role-wise, between her wound threshold, wound and strain recovery capability, strong armour and ability to use the Force to heal both herself and others, one can easily see Shustihos as a sort of healing tank. Combine that with her ability to use Force Misdirect and conceal herself from other Force users, she can also be surprisingly stealthy for someone with footfalls that are heavier than most. Her skills and abilities are, perhaps, unusual for a Mandalorian but she's characteristically tough and broadly skilled for a bounty hunter who made a living tracking down high value targets for the Rebel Alliance.

[Hexed]

Huh. Techie and merc already. Need to read through all the stuff now that it's finished.

[PhantomPistoleer]

I think one thing left to be determined is the level of smut desired by the players, and what kind.

[MetroFallout]

I think one thing left to be determined is the level of smut desired by the players, and what kind.

How is my character so far?

[PhantomPistoleer]

How is my character so far?

I think it's a little too on the nose, to be frank.

IMO, you could create a force-sensitive street urchin who was saved by a mandalorian sect, but a former padawan sought by the empire because she's a criminal and then who joined a sect of mandalorians is bit too much.  In this era, mandalorians are rare, and force sensitive people are even more rare.  I think the character, as written, may be too unique for the sort of game I desire to run.

I think you could totally be a force-sensitive twi'lek who is being hunted down by the Empire.  Your character might not understand her powers yet.  Just as she's about to get caught by the Empire, she's saved by some Mandalorians.  Could that work?

[MetroFallout]

I think it's a little too on the nose, to be frank.

IMO, you could create a force-sensitive street urchin who was saved by a mandalorian sect, but a former padawan sought by the empire because she's a criminal and then who joined a sect of mandalorians is bit too much.  In this era, mandalorians are rare, and force sensitive people are even more rare.  I think the character, as written, may be too unique for the sort of game I desire to run.

I think you could totally be a force-sensitive twi'lek who is being hunted down by the Empire.  Your character might not understand her powers yet.  Just as she's about to get caught by the Empire, she's saved by some Mandalorians.  Could that work?

Well I was hoping for her to have some amount of Force training because I was thinking she'd have two specific Force abilities along with the "standard" ones of telekinesis, Force sense etc. First of which is Force Healing (which makes her a medic), second would be Force Stealth (which disguises her connection to the Force, alignment and hides her presence from other Force users). If she was completely untrained, I don't know how she'd be able to have the most important (imo) ability of Force Healing.

[PhantomPistoleer]

Well I was hoping for her to have some amount of Force training because I was thinking she'd have two specific Force abilities along with the "standard" ones of telekinesis, Force sense etc. First of which is Force Healing (which makes her a medic), second would be Force Stealth (which disguises her connection to the Force, alignment and hides her presence from other Force users). If she was completely untrained, I don't know how she'd be able to have the most important (imo) ability of Force Healing.

Maybe your PC had a master afterwards?  Like, she could have been like Ezra Bridger.

[MetroFallout]

Maybe your PC had a master afterwards?  Like, she could have been like Ezra Bridger.

Could do but when would you suggest that she get her Force training in her personal timeline prior to “now”? Before or after she starts working for the Rebels?

[PhantomPistoleer]

Could do but when would you suggest that she get her Force training in her personal timeline prior to “now”? Before or after she starts working for the Rebels?

How about this:

The Empire hunted YC down because she is force sensitive.  She was saved by a Jedi NPC who was working with Jedi like Ahsoka Tano.  Your master trained YC, but when he died, it was like YC suffered "force amnesia."  She just... lost her connection to the force.  So, when you acquire powers, that's like you remembering stuff you forgot.

[MetroFallout]

How about this:

The Empire hunted YC down because she is force sensitive.  She was saved by a Jedi NPC who was working with Jedi like Ahsoka Tano.  Your master trained YC, but when he died, it was like YC suffered "force amnesia."  She just... lost her connection to the force.  So, when you acquire powers, that's like you remembering stuff you forgot.

Ok, how is that different from my original idea of a pre-Padawan youngling who was present for Order 66 in practical terms besides a shift in age? Genuinely not sure what the difference is here. I guess the Mandos still come in after the training and after adoption by the Mandos, she still works for the Rebels as a merc/bounty hunter?

[PhantomPistoleer]

Ok, how is that different from my original idea of a pre-Padawan youngling who was present for Order 66 in practical terms besides a shift in age? Genuinely not sure what the difference is here. I guess the Mandos still come in after the training and after adoption by the Mandos, she still works for the Rebels as a merc/bounty hunter?

Mechanically, it makes no difference.  Aesthetically, I prefer it more.

Consider:

Rissa's basically a normal person who was radicalized in Jedha.

Crix worked as a kitchen droidware tech until the Empire came after him.

The characters have very small beginnings, but were driven to rebellion.

Your character, on the other hand, is a Jedi Mandalorian at game-start.  Mechanically, I am fine with you being a force sensitive mercenary, but the character as described is just too much.

[MetroFallout]

Mechanically, it makes no difference.  Aesthetically, I prefer it more.

Consider:

Rissa's basically a normal person who was radicalized in Jedha.

Crix worked as a kitchen droidware tech until the Empire came after him.

The characters have very small beginnings, but were driven to rebellion.

Your character, on the other hand, is a Jedi Mandalorian at game-start.  Mechanically, I am fine with you being a force sensitive mercenary, but the character as described is just too much.

I see, I think what I'll do is come up with a modified version of your suggestion. Basically, Empire was gonna snatch her away for the Inquisitor Program because of her Force-Sensitivity rather than execute her like her urchin gang but Mandos show up on their raid.

From there, the Mandos adopt her and the survivors of the gang and they become Mandos after taking the Creed and their training. At some point either after or mid-training as a Mando, her Force-Sensitivity gets detected by someone in the Rebels and she gets Force training before “now”.

[PhantomPistoleer]

I see, I think what I'll do is come up with a modified version of your suggestion. Basically, Empire was gonna snatch her away for the Inquisitor Program because of her Force-Sensitivity rather than execute her like her urchin gang but Mandos show up on their raid.

From there, the Mandos adopt her and the survivors of the gang and they become Mandos after taking the Creed and their training. At some point either after or mid-training as a Mando, her Force-Sensitivity gets detected by someone in the Rebels and she gets Force training before “now”.

I like this background a lot more.

[Annaamarth]

@Annaamarth--

I really like Rissa.  I particularly like how she's just a civilian who really isn't doing this for the Rebel Alliance.

To answer some of your questions:

As a house rule, I think a session should be "whenever a character has collected 15xp points."  This will happen a lot since I am going to award 1xp per five posts, as well as awarding xp for completing tasks.

Thank you for your interest!

I will admit the character.  You may build her!

I'm glad you like her! Character built and linked through the characters name-logo, appears XP-complete, though I need to take a look at Duty things more closely and spend credits.

Huh. Techie and merc already. Need to read through all the stuff now that it's finished.

If the Techie slot sings to you, I could pivot to a social infiltrator, especially if Phantom is allowing Force Sensitivity (although I have no real familiarity with how to buy powers once bought into a Universal Specialty).  I have a sleeper agent idea that could work well.

A second gun or a medic might not be a bad idea.  The Bounty Hunter is more of an agent than pure combat - Hired Gun from Edge or Soldier from Rebellion would be more like pure-combat.

Hells, we could even double-up on techie, especially if you want to go the Slicer route - I don't think Crix is necessarily in the field with us.

We *might* be short on a bruiser/tank type, so we could benefit from a bruiser-race (Wookie, Weequay, Trandoshan, Nautolan, Karkarodon, Lasat ...), particularly since Phantom said:

Notes:  PCs may be:
1.  Any gender;
2.  Any FFG published species; and,
3.  May alter the race mechanically or aesthetically, within reason.

Speaking of:

I think one thing left to be determined is the level of smut desired by the players, and what kind.

So, this sort of game (if not this scenario) lends itself well to seduction plays and dubcon ("How far are you willing to go for the Alliance?") so I'm happy with smut, but I think I'd prefer to keep smut that is between players mostly out of the core thread, unless it's actually a part of the scenario/encounter - something like that can easily be a fade-to-black in the main thread unless it's relevant.

N/C or dubcon capture scenarios are also a possibility, particularly if we split the party to achieve things in a more complex way - which could be sexy and/or both add tension to the game - the other team now has a rescue to do - while also giving time for that tension to be resolved - the captive may need rescuing, but at least the local officers and troopers are taking their time in ... processing them.

Also,

Species: Twi'Lek
Career: Mercenary | Specialization: Bounty Hunter

Mercenary is not a Career in the Star Wars RPG - it is a Specialization under Hired Gun, I think.  You *can* buy specialties outside of your career with xp, but not start with them.

Force skills are an example of Specialties (I think?)(though I don't know all the details of how they work as far as acquisition goes), so your idea of having Force Heal, Force Stealth and Telekinesis will chew through your xp budget fast.  On the bright side, I think it's possible to get Force Healing with a single rank in force rating, which doesn't even require Jedi training.  It *does* key off Int though, so don't dump-stat that.

[Annaamarth]

Also, my character sheet has an XP expenditure log in Assets and Resources that anyone can refer to for ideas on how to build a character.  Rissa is (hopefully) not a one-trick pony, but that Willpower is probably going to see her in some trouble.

[PhantomPistoleer]

@Annaamarth, the character looks fantastic so far.  Great job.

@Metro, if I was building the character, her career might be Bounty Hunter.  Then she could pick up a free Bounty Hunter specialization, and then buy a universal specialization like Padawan Survivor.  There's also a specialization for the Death Watch.

Maybe your career should come from the force book, too.

[Hexed]

If the Techie slot sings to you, I could pivot to a social infiltrator, especially if Phantom is allowing Force Sensitivity (although I have no real familiarity with how to buy powers once bought into a Universal Specialty).  I have a sleeper agent idea that could work well.

A second gun or a medic might not be a bad idea.  The Bounty Hunter is more of an agent than pure combat - Hired Gun from Edge or Soldier from Rebellion would be more like pure-combat.

Hells, we could even double-up on techie, especially if you want to go the Slicer route - I don't think Crix is necessarily in the field with us.

We *might* be short on a bruiser/tank type, so we could benefit from a bruiser-race (Wookie, Weequay, Trandoshan, Nautolan, Karkarodon, Lasat ...), particularly since Phantom said:

Nah, just noting what was in the process of being built, although the merc's gone more jedi/healer it seems. I was actually poking the bruiser/tank builds actually using the bounty hunter's martial artist tree and either gadgeteer tree or the soldier's commando tree. Not sure on race or have a pic yet but 4 brawn, the boosts from those two trees plus the increase they offer to armor should make a decent melee combatant/tank that's a decent shot with a rifle or something like it. Been pondering some sort of low ranking/just started out fighter in a nar shada (I think that's the right planet, haven't dug into that yet) arena that gets dragged into the rebellion either by her contract being acquired or an operative saved her from a match that was supposed to be thrown and her turned into some rich client's toy.

The within reason alterations to race do open up some interesting possibilities though. And thanks for pointing that out, I'd forgotten point 3 when digging up stuff at work. Also depends on how far into the non-human looks still qualify for lust times as in a no E game I could just make a droid and be done with it.

Speaking of:
So, this sort of game (if not this scenario) lends itself well to seduction plays and dubcon ("How far are you willing to go for the Alliance?") so I'm happy with smut, but I think I'd prefer to keep smut that is between players mostly out of the core thread, unless it's actually a part of the scenario/encounter - something like that can easily be a fade-to-black in the main thread unless it's relevant.

N/C or dubcon capture scenarios are also a possibility, particularly if we split the party to achieve things in a more complex way - which could be sexy and/or both add tension to the game - the other team now has a rescue to do - while also giving time for that tension to be resolved - the captive may need rescuing, but at least the local officers and troopers are taking their time in ... processing them.

I'll agree with these points about smut levels.

"We're all aliens and need to distract a guard! Quick someone take of their top and go bounce in front of him!"

Obviously scene wouldn't be near that jokey unless characters wind up that way. But with the Empire the way it is I could see the guards wanting to lord themselves over the 'so far' all alien cast. I'm also fine with N/C quasi bad ends if captured/failed. Also fine with full on bad end you failed roll up a new character instead of attempt escape/rescue.