Threat Assessment – The Double Agent

Star Wars is rife with the intrigues of governments both in wartime as well as in the tenuous peace times. It is also rife with spies, from the [in]famous Bothan Spynet to Imperial Intelligence and Rebel Agents. One of the more dangerous archetypes in the world of intrigue is the double agent, the counterintelligence specialist who “works” for an organization as a spy, while in fact, they are a member of the organization they are being paid to spy on.

In Star Wars Saga Edition, we’re provided some great little talents in the Clone Wars Campaign Guide to build a nasty little double agent that can be a major thorn in the PCs sides by making them unable to be targeted.

The following builds key off of one talent – Double Agent. This mind-affecting effect allows the character to make a Deception check against the Will Defense of every enemy they can see when initiative is rolled. If the check is successful, those targeted do not treat the character as an enemy until you attack or obviously harm or hinder them. This allows them to use Feed Information (and/or Spotter depending on what level of the build you’re using) to toss enemies and allies bonuses in combat, allowing them to remain non-targets during the combat encounter, and Rapport lets them toss bigger bonuses to aid another checks. The higher level build also features Blend In, which gives the character the ability to gain total concealment as long as they are adjacent to at least two other creatures, meaning that they can still stay protected even after their cover is blown.

This NPC, when used effectively, can be a major thorn in the characters’ collective sides during combat by buffing their allies without needing to worry about protecting their own arses.

Double Agent – CL 5

Medium nonheroic 6/noble 3

Force 3

Init +5; Senses Perception +17

Languages Basic, Huttese, 4 unassigned

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Defenses Ref 15 (flat-footed 14), Fort 13, Will 18

hp 28; Threshold 13

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Speed 6 squares

Melee by weapon +6

Ranged hold-out blaster +7 (3d4+1)

Base Atk +6; Grp +7

Special Actions Double Agent, Feed Information, Rapport

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Abilities Str 10, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 15, Wis 16, Cha 12

Talents Double Agent, Feed Information

Feats Informer, Linguist, Rapport, Skill Focus (Deception, Perception), Skill Training (Deception, Persuasion), Weapon Proficiency (pistols, simple weapons)

Skills Deception +15, Gather Information +17*, Knowledge (galactic lore) +11, Perception +17, Persuasion +10, Stealth +10

Possessions hold-out blaster, short-range encrypted comlink, several changes of clothes, cyanide capsule

*See Informer feat

Double Agent, Elite – CL 9

Medium nonheroic 6/noble 5/scout 1

Force 5

Init +12; Senses Perception +19

Languages Basic, Huttese, 6 unassigned

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Defenses Ref 19 (flat-footed 18), Fort 17, Will 21

hp 42; Threshold 17

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Speed 6 squares

Melee by weapon +7

Ranged hold-out blaster +8 (3d4+3)

Base Atk +7; Grp +8

Special Actions Blend In, Double Agent, Feed Information, Rapport, Spotter

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Abilities Str 10, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 13

Talents Blend In, Double Agent, Feed Information, Spotter

Feats Informer, Linguist, Master of Disguise, Rapport, Skill Focus (Deception, Perception, Persuasion), Skill Training (Deception, Persuasion), Weapon Proficiency (pistols, rifles, simple weapons)

Skills Deception +17, Gather Information +19*, Initiative +12, Knowledge (galactic lore) +14, Perception +19, Persuasion +17, Stealth +12

Possessions hold-out blaster, short-range encrypted comlink, several changes of clothes, cyanide capsule

*See Informer feat

Edition Wars!

No, this is not a post about 5E or DND Next or The One Edition to Gather Them All or whatever the hell WotC decides to go with for their next edition. This is something entirely different and entirely unique.

For some time, GM Chris and GM Dave, founders of d20 Radio have been working towards making the foray into publishing games. That time is upon them as they launch a Kickstarter in attempt to get their first game published: Edition Wars – a fast, furious, tongue-in-cheek card game done very much in the style of Munchkin and other similar games.

Each player takes the role of a Gamemaster and attempts to assemble a party of 6 players in order to prove that his edition of the game is the supreme edition. Your role will define the various strategies you will use as you recruit, badger, or outright steal other players to your side, using snark, blogging, swag, ordering pizza, or even breaking out the Banhammer to come out on top.

Edition Wars is designed to support 3-5 players and plays in about 45 minutes to an hour. If they Kickstarter project is funded, they are looking for a release at GenCon 2012 (mid August for those of you that don’t follow the Con schedule).

This game sounds like an absolute riot, and my wife and I have already placed our pledge. Won’t you please consider helping a few geeks-in-arms attain their dreams and give them a pledge?

You can find more information, some sample cards, and make your pledge here.

Threat Assessment: The Shadowtrooper

First encountered in Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, the Shadowtroopers were the next evolution of the Reborn. Created by the Dark Jedi Desann and Admiral Fyyar and imbued with Force powers by the Valley of the Jedi, these soldiers fought with single-minded determination for Lord Hethrir’s Empire Reborn, cutting their opponents down in silent fury, showing remarkable skill with the lightsaber.

Like the Reborn soldiers, the Shadowtroopers were not strong Force users, possessing only rudimentary knowledge of the dark arts. However, their armor was created with a special crystal, known as the Artusian crystal, which amplified their power over the Force to a small degree.  Coupled with their suits stealth systems, they made the perfect covert and special operatives for the Empire Reborn.

 

 

Shadowtrooper – CL 4

Medium Human nonheroic 6/Jedi 2
Force 3; Dark Side 12
Init +10; Senses low-light vision; Perception +12
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Defenses Ref 18 (flat-footed 17), Fort 16, Will 14; Block
hp 32; Threshold 16
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Speed 6 squares
Melee lightsaber +9 (2d8+5) OR
Melee lightsaber +7 (3d8+5) with Rapid Strike
Base Atk +6; Grp +8
Atk Options Rapid Strike, Weapon Focus (lightsabers)
Force Powers Known (Use the Force +11) battlestrike, Force grip, Force lightning
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Abilities Str 15, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10
Talents Block
Feats Armor Proficiency (light), Force Sensitivity, Force Training, Rapid Strike, Skill Training (Use the Force), Weapon Focus (lightsabers), Weapon Proficiency (lightsabers, simple weapons)
Skills Initiative +10, Perception +12, Use the Force +11
Equipment lightsaber, shadowtrooper armor (+6 armor, +2 equipment, stealth field generator and Artusian crystal)
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Artusian Crystal – The shadowtrooper’s armor is embedded with a special type of crystal that amplifies their power over the Force granted to them from the Valley of the Jedi. It grants them a +2 equipment bonus to Use the Force checks and allows them to treat their Wisdom as if it were 2 points higher for purposes of the Force Training feat. This ability will not function for those that do not draw the source of their power from the Valley of the Jedi.

Shadowtrooper, Veteran – CL 6

Medium Human nonheroic 6/Jedi 4
Force 4; Dark Side 12
Init +11; Senses low-light vision; Perception +13
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Defenses Ref 18 (flat-footed 17), Fort 18, Will 16; Block, Deflect
hp 47; Threshold 18
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Speed 6 squares
Melee lightsaber +12 (2d8+8) OR
Melee lightsaber +10 (3d8+8) with Rapid Strike OR
Melee lightsaber +7 (4d8+8) with Improved Rapid Strike OR
Melee lightsaber +7/+7 (2d8+8) with Double Attack
Base Atk +8; Grp +11
Atk Options Double Attack (lightsabers), Rapid Strike, Improved Rapid Strike, Weapon Focus (lightsabers)
Force Powers Known (Use the Force +12) battlestrike, Force grip, Force lightning
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Abilities Str 16, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10
Talents Block, Deflect
Feats Armor Proficiency (light), Double Attack (lightsabers), Force Sensitivity, Force Training, Improved Rapid Strike, Rapid Strike, Skill Training (Use the Force), Weapon Focus (lightsabers), Weapon Proficiency (lightsabers, simple weapons)
Skills Initiative +11, Perception +13, Use the Force +12
Equipment lightsaber, shadowtrooper armor (+6 armor, +2 equipment, stealth field generator and Artusian crystal)
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Artusian Crystal – The shadowtrooper’s armor is embedded with a special type of crystal that amplifies their power over the Force granted to them from the Valley of the Jedi. It grants them a +2 equipment bonus to Use the Force checks and allows them to treat their Wisdom as if it were 2 points higher for purposes of the Force Training feat. This ability will not function for those that do not draw the source of their power from the Valley of the Jedi.

Shadowtrooper, Elite – CL 8

Medium Human nonheroic 6/Jedi 6
Force 5; Dark Side 12
Init +13; Senses low-light vision; Perception +14
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Defenses Ref 19 (flat-footed 17), Fort 21, Will 18; Block, Deflect
hp 72; Threshold 21
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Speed 6 squares
Melee lightsaber +14 (2d8+11/x3) OR
Melee lightsaber +12 (3d8+11/x3) with Rapid Strike OR
Melee lightsaber +9 (4d8+11/x3) with Improved Rapid Strike OR
Melee lightsaber +9/+9 (2d8+11/x3) with Double Attack
Base Atk +10; Grp +13
Atk Options Double Attack (lightsabers), Improved Rapid Strike, Rapid Strike, Triple Crit (lightsaber), Weapon Focus (lightsabers)
Force Powers Known (Use the Force +11) assured strike, battlestrike (2), Force grip, Force lightning, vornskr’s ferocity
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Abilities Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10
Talents Block, Deflect, Weapon Specialization (lightsabers)
Feats Armor Proficiency (light), Double Attack (lightsabers), Force Sensitivity, Force Training (2), Improved Rapid Strike, Rapid Strike, Skill Training (Use the Force), Triple Crit (lightsaber), Weapon Focus (lightsabers), Weapon Proficiency (lightsabers, simple weapons)
Skills Initiative +13, Perception +14, Use the Force +13
Equipment lightsaber, shadowtrooper armor (+6 armor, +2 equipment, stealth field generator and Artusian crystal)
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Artusian Crystal – The shadowtrooper’s armor is embedded with a special type of crystal that amplifies their power over the Force granted to them from the Valley of the Jedi. It grants them a +2 equipment bonus to Use the Force checks and allows them to treat their Wisdom as if it were 2 points higher for purposes of the Force Training feat. This ability will not function for those that do not draw the source of their power from the Valley of the Jedi.

And there you have them. Special thanks and shout outs go to Dragonis111 for coming to the d20 Radio forums with the request for the NPC blocks in the first place. Hope they find a place in your games and “long live the Empire Reborn!”

December Update

Boy, it’s amazing how time simply disappeared once Skyrim was in my hands, isn’t it? All joking aside, I figured I needed to throw up some sort of update here before the end of the year was upon us.

In short: No, I’m not dead. Yes, I’m still writing. And no, I never did finish up my NaGa DeMon project.

The sad truth of the matter, is that I’ve probably been writing too much. Well, scratch that. I’ve been trying to write too many different things. And that leads to nothing getting done and me looking at half-finished projects on my computer screen or in notebooks and feeling knots of anxiety balling up inside of me, worrying that I’m never going to get anything done and getting so completely overwhelmed that I just shut down for a while. So, I’ve made a promise to myself that I’m going to focus on one thing at a time and clear out some of these projects.

The first project I’m going to finish is one that I’m particularly proud of, and one that’s been coming easily to me over the past few days. It’s a Skyrim mod for the AGE system. I’m excited about it, and I know the folks over at Dragon Age Oracle are really excited about it as well.

Next up after that is going to be completing my Saga Edition bestiary for some of the creatures found in Skyrim.

After that, I’m not sure. I may focus on the first of my trilogy of modules that I want to get written, or I may pursue some more work on my AGE of Heroes skin. I haven’t decided yet. But that’s not even an issue until I get these first couple of items off of my to-do list.

As for NaGa DeMon? There’s always next year. And maybe I’ll have a clean plate by then.

The Predator Skill Challenge

Maybe I’ve been playing too much Batman: Arkham City, or maybe after all this time playing Star Wars Saga Edition, I’m really starting to stretch my arms in regards to encounter design. Either way you slice it, I was struck tonight with a concept for an encounter for a module I’ve been working on, and it does draw a lot of inspiration from way that the Dark Knight’s latest two console/PC releases have handled the gameplay.

There are times in the game where it is better to be stealthy that it is to run in, fists swinging, dropping foes one at a time from various areas and degrees of cover and stealth, be it dropping down from the rafters and grabbing a hapless foe, dangling him from your perch until he passes out, or dropping down behind one as he passes you and putting him in a sleeper hold. Meanwhile, the enemies patrol the area you’re in (usually contained to a single room or area of the map), and will occasionally do searches of the room, and go on alert if and when they find the body of another goon.

This led me to envision a new type of encounter for a GM to run – a Covert Ops Skill Challenge, or a Predator Skill Challenge. Here’s the basic concept as I’m seeing it:

You stat out the CL as normal. The goal of the PCs however is not to hit a certain number of successes before accruing three failures however. Instead, this is run as a pseudo combat encounter, with the PCs either needed to make it to a certain spot on the map, or defeating all of the enemies before accruing a certain number of failures (I’m thinking five or maybe even a few more to account for the increased risk inherent in running this kind of encounter).

Every one rolls for initiative, and you break out the battle map. The enemies, on their turns move in a set patrol route on their Initiative. If, from the direction they are facing, any of the PCs enter their line of sight, the PCs earn a failure and must immediately move back to the nearest square on the map where they are out of line of sight. That enemy (or enemies if they’re linked by radio) also enters into the “alert” condition (more on that below).

Restrict the skill list to ones that make sense in the situation and assign them DCs as normal. If they’re in a shipping yard, Knowledge (social sciences) and Survival probably aren’t going to be useful to the task at hand. For skills like Stealth, or Deception (to create diversions) or wherever it’s appropriate, assign them an opposed Perception check from the nearby patrols. If you want, you can have the patrols all make Perception checks and not the results down when their turn in the initiative comes up.

When the player starts his turn, he can take a move action and a standard action. The standard action is to make a skill check, or to take out of an opponent should he be positioned to do so (more on that below as well). With his move action, he can well… move. There should be a discernible location on the map that they should be moving towards (unless the encounter design is “take out all of the bad guys in this room”). If they all make it there before accruing the requisite number of failures, they succeed. If they take out all of the enemies on the map, they succeed. If they fail the challenge, the alarm gets raised and they have a fight on their hands.

Should the PC be in position to take out an enemy, he can do so with his standard action in lieu of making a skill check. He needs to be adjacent to the enemy and not have been noticed (sneaking behind him, around a corner, above him, etc). The PC then makes an attack roll against the target’s Reflex Defense. A hit means the opponent’s down, regardless of what his hit points are normally. But should another patrol find the body, he and any nearby patrols gain the “alert” condition.

Just what is this “alert” condition? Well, it can mean what you want it to mean. Maybe they get a +2 circumstance bonus to their Perception checks. Maybe they get a Perception reroll, keeping the second result. Maybe they alter their patrol routes. Maybe they pair up. Maybe some combination of any or all of the above.

I plan on putting this idea to the test in the module I’m currently working on, with the PCs needing to escape a shipping yard after smuggling themselves onto an Imperial Detention World without being seen to avoid mucking up the entire operation. Should make for an interesting encounter at the very least.

NaGa DeMon

For those of you who may not be aware, because you haven’t bothered to look at a calendar these last few weeks, November is right around the corner. That means the annual challenge of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is around the corner too. But this year, I’ve discovered something a little bit more up my alley. National Game Design Month.

http://nathanrussell.net/naga-demon/

I’m going to be participating. Will you?

AGE of Heroes – Design and Development 1: Broad Changes

I’ve been looking at my superhero skin for the AGE system again recently after starting to watch the first season of Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! on Netflix with my wife. After doing some brainstorming, I’ve finally hit upon a couple of key features.

The AGE Engine will tend to produce characters that, while heroic, are generally going to be “just a cut above the rest” when starting out. While this might be fine for the setting the game is designed to be run in (that of the Dragon Age computer games), that doesn’t jive well with superheros, who should be beating the crap out of street toughs by the alleyway full. After thinking of a few ways to address it, I think I’ve hit on it, along with a way to drive the full background the character home.

When creating a character, you select from two background. The first one is the Origin, which describes the “how” of your characters powers. What happened to him that gave him his powers. The second one is the Event, or the “why” of your characters motivation. Something happened to him in his past that turned him towards a life of fighting crime on a super-heroic level. Two backgrounds is going to give you characters a fair bit more power starting out. That, combined with power talents suitable to the feel of the game should go a long way towards making level 1 superheros feel more heroic.

For those curious, I have six Origins, and ten Events.

The Six Origins

Accident: You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or maybe it was the right place at the right time depending on how you view your powers. Maybe you were present when a nuclear reactor went critical and the radiation changed you. Or maybe you were caught in a freak storm and empowered through the energy of the storm when struck by lighting.

Alien: You are not of this earth. Maybe your entire species shares the powers you possess or mayber you are unique among your own people. Whatever the case, you are a stranger in a very strange land.

Endowment: You were given your powers by an outside force. Maybe a dying hero transferred his powers to you, or maybe you discovered an artifact that bestows the power of an ancient hero to whoever is worthy enough to wield it. Or maybe you were just lucky enough to be born as the reincarnation of a fallen hero. Whatever the case, whether gift, blessing, or birthright, the powers are yours now.

Experiment: Whether you were abducted by an outside force or volunteered for it, you were the subject of a more than likely dangerous experiment that gave you your powers.

Mutant: You were simply born different. Whether you’ve known about your powers all your life or developed them later, you’ve always known you were more than a little bit different from everyone else.

Training: You worked hard to develop your powers, be it esoteric karate techniques, mental powers derived from being born with a genius level IQ, or preternatural skill with a certain weapon. (This would be the realm of the “super-normal” archetype.)

The Ten Events

Orphaned: You lost your parents to a violent crime. Maybe you were present and maybe you weren’t. It doesn’t matter beyond the amount of psychological scarring you likely suffered. The point is, this is the event that pushed you towards a career of crimefighting.

Victim: You were the victim of a violent crime. What the exact details of the crime were aren’t important, but it was the driving force behind your call. You don’t want anyone to have to feel as helpless as you did that day, and as long as you have anything to say about it, they won’t.

Last Survivor: Whether you are the last survivor of an alien race sent to Earth or the only surviving member of a monastic order that was attacked, you’ve sworn to honor the memories of those fallen with your deeds until you are able to join them.

Drafted: You have little choice in why you do what you do. Perhaps an organization has information that could damn you if you don’t do what they tell you to do or you were pressed into service early in your powers and your superiors M.O. is all you’ve ever known.

Sense of Duty: You’ve been given these powers for a reason, and while that reason may not be entirely clear to you, you feel you have a responsibility to use them properly. Protecting those who cannot protect themselves may sometimes be a thankless job, and sure, some may misunderstand your true intentions, but you know the world would be a lot worse off without you here.

Revenge: At some point in your past you were horribly wronged by someone. Unlike others who have suffered similar experiences, you are able to direct your pain and rage at an individual who stands over you like a shadow… and you want revenge. Who he is and what he is are irrelevant to your burning desire to bring your justice upon him.

Love: You do what you do out a need to protect someone you love, be it a family member, a wife, a child, or a lover. Whether they are still with you or gone, you fight for them, either to keep them safe or to honor memory.

Restitution: At some point in your past, you did something really bad with your powers. Maybe you caused severe damage to several major cities or worse, maybe you killed an innocent. Whatever the details, you’ve sworn to use your powers to make it right.

Fear: You’ve seen the evil that can be wrought with your powers, either by your own hand or by someone else’s, and now you live in constant fear of seeing it happen again. Training yourself and seeking proper channels to use them is absolutely vital to keeping yourself in check.

Seeker: You’ve always been in search of something. These powers are another means to that end. This could be a lofty ideal, something material, or even something as basic as an adrenaline rush. Whatever the end, these powers are a means to it.

I’ve added a number of new focuses, as well as a number of new talents. The various weapon style talents are gone, rolled into Weapon Training. There are also three “unarmed” styles – Street Fighting, Boxing Style, and Martial Arts, each lending themselves to a slightly different feel of fighter. The classic superpowers are there as well, such as Superstrength, Superspeed, Supersenses, Movement (flight, teleporation, wall crawling, etc), Energy Affinity, Gadget, and Telepathy. I’m also working on a Sidekick talent that should be a lot of fun.

For your edification, I’ll include the first write-ups of the Boxing Style, Street Fighting, and Martial Arts talents in a later posting along with a behind the scenes look at my design and development choices behind them.

Weapons were another sticking point. The Dragon Age game has a number of weapon groups, which is well and good, but those superheroes that do use weapons are so widely varied that its hard to define them into definable “groups.” So, weapons will now fit into one of nine categories: Melee One-Handed, Melee Two-Handed, Thrown One-Handed, Thrown Two-Handed, Shot One-Handed, Shot, Two-Handed, Melee Improvised, Thrown Improvised, and Unarmed. Individual heroes won’t have to worry about being trained in different weapon groups, but various talents will improve the use of their chosen weapons should they go that route. Of course, in a game where its fully possible that your main form of attack could be shooting lighting bolts out of your eyes, weapons can really take a backseat.

There will be more of these – “Design and Development” articles as I continue to work on the skin. Until next time.

Threat Assessment: Riff Tamson

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water…

Hot off of yesterday’s Karkarodon stats, I give you my take on the Karkarodon commander from the first three episodes of this season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Riff Tamson – CL 12

Medium Karkarodon Soldier 7/Elite Trooper 4/Officer 1

Force 7; Dark Side 6

Init +13; Senses Perception +10; scent

Languages Basic, Binary, Mon Calamari, Quarrenese, Karkarodon

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Defenses Ref 28 (flat-footed 24), Fort 30, Will 25

hp 117; DR 2; Threshold 30

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Speed 4 squares, swim 8 squares

Melee bite +17 melee (2d10+12) or

Melee bite +21 melee (2d10+18) with Powerful Charge

Melee explosive knife +17 melee (1d4+10)

Base Atk +12; Grp +16

Atk Options Accurate Blow, Flurry, Impaling Assault, Maniacal Charge, Powerful Charge

Special Actions Commanding Presence, Conditioning, Indomitable 1/day, rage 1/day

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Abilities Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 9, Cha 8

Special Qualities delay damage, scent

Talents Accurate Blow, Armored Defense, Commanding Presence, Impaling Assault, Indomitable, Teras Kasi Basics, Weapon Specialization (simple weapons)

Feats Armor Proficiency (light, medium), Conditioning, Flurry, Increased Agility, Maniacal Charge, Martial Arts I, Martial Arts II, Powerful Charge, Weapon Focus (simple weapons), Weapon Proficiency (pistols, rifles, simple weapons)

Skills Initiative +13, Knowledge (tactics) +14, Perception +10, Persuasion +10, Pilot +13, Swim +15 (can reroll twice, must take the final result, can always take 10, even when distracted or threatened)

Possessions 4 exploding knives (see below), Karkarodon battle suit (treat as an armored flight suit without life support)

Here you have a character that can really make the character’s lives miserable if he catches them underwater. With an astonishing speed of 8 squares while swimming, he’ll be swimming circles around even the PCs with natural swim speeds of their own. Add in his deadly charge with the ability to avoid attacks of opportunity from those he passes through thanks to the Maniacal Charge feat, and he could really put the hurt on even the most seasoned warriors. His exploding knives are his real ace in the hole and can really be a surprise for the part that finds themselves on the wrong end of things. Speaking of which…

Exploding Knives

This weapon is a mix of simple elegance, and deadly trickery. The knife appears to be a simple combat knife, if a little bit shorter than average, with a serrated blade. What appears to be a decoration on the handle is in fact a detonator connected a timed explosive set to go off a short time later. The serration on the blade makes it difficult to pull the knife out once it is stuck into a person’s anatomy. If the attack hits the target, compare the attack roll against the target’s Fortitude Defense. If it equals or exceeds the target’s Fortitude’s Defense, it had become stuck in the target, and can only be removed with a move action and a successful DC 15 Strength check. Activating (or deactivating) the timer is a swift action, and at the end of the wielder’s next turn, the detonator explodes, dealing 4d6 points of slashing damage in a 2 square burst. Treat this as an area attack by a fixed explosive, meaning the attack is at a +10 versus the targets’ Reflex Defense. Noticing the switch to the timer (or realizing what the knife is) takes either a DC 25 Perception or Knowledge (technology) check. These knives can also be manufactured to have the switch hidden elsewhere, increasing the DC for either check by 5 or even 10, but at a major increase to the cost (an extra 500 per knife per 5 point DC increase). Because of the knife’s explosive property, it is illegal to own on many planets.

Explosive Knife – 500 credits – 1d4 damage plus special – 2 kg – Piercing – Illegal

Karkarodon – New Species

Inspired by the recent episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, I decided to stat out the Karkarodon, of which Riff Tamson is a member. After some initial feedback and editing on the d20 Radio Boards, I give you the following stats for use in your home games.

Karkarodon

Ability Modifiers: +2 Int, -2 Wis, -2 Cha. Karkarodon possess a keen predatory intellect, but are capable of being goaded into very rash actions.

Medium Size: As Medium creatures, Karkarodon have no special bonuses to penalties due to their size.

Speed: Karkarodon base speed is 4 squares. They have a swim speed of 6 squares.

Water Dweller: The Karkarodon cannot breathe air, and require special suits to survive in a non-water environment. Without these suits, they begin to sufficate (see Endurance page 66 SECR). Replacement suits cost 3,000 credits, and are difficult to find off of their home planet. Karkarodon characters start play with a suit at no additional cost.

Breathe Underwater: As aquatic creatures, Karkarodon can’t drown in water.

Expert Swimmer: A Karkarodon may choose to reroll any Swim check, but the result of the reroll must be accepted even if it is worse. In addition, a Karkarodon may choose to take 10 on Swim checks even when distracted or threatened.

Rage: Once per day, a Karkarodon can fly into a rage as a swift action. While raging, the Karkarodon temporarily gains a +2 rage bonus on melee attack rolls and melee damage rolls but cannot use skills that require patience and concentration, such as Mechanics, Stealth, or Use the Force. A fit of rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 5 + the Karkarodon’s Constitution modifier. At the end of its rage, a Karkarodon moves -1 persistent step along the condition track. The penalties imposed by this condition persist until the Karkarodon takes at least 10 minutes to recuperate, during which time the Karkarodon can’t engage in any strenuous activity.

Natural Weapon: The Karkarodon have a natural weapon in the form of a powerful bite attack. When making an unarmed attack, a Karkarodon can choose to use their natural weapon, dealing 1d6 points of piercing damage. Karkarodon are always considered armed with their natural weapons.

Scent: Karkarodon have a keen sense of smell. At close range (within 10 squares), Karkarodon ignore concealment and cover for purposes of Perception checks, and they take no penalty for poor visibility when tracking. The range increases to 15 squares if the Karkarodon is underwater.

Automatic Languages: Basic, Karkarodon

Big thanks to Flagwaver, angelicdoctor, PiercedGeek, Smugglers_Paradise, and FULONGAMER over at the d20 Radio boards for their input.

Threat Assessment – The Shrieking Eel

Part of the anniversary gift my wife got me this past weekend was a copy of The Princess Bride in Blu-Ray. As we sat down to watch it tonight, I was taken with the Shrieking Eel scene, and felt compelled to write the beast up in Saga Edition. So, without further ado.

Shrieking Eel CL 5

As long as a man is tall, the shrieking eels inhabit various bodies of water where they hunt for their food. Don’t expect a fair deal from one.

Medium Aquatic beast 6
Init +12; Senses Perception +3
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Defenses Ref 20 (flat-footed 16), Fort 12, Will 10; +6 natural armor
hp 39; Threshold 12
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Speed swim 8 squares
Melee bite +5 (1d6+1)
Base Atk +4; Grp +10
Special Actions constrict, Pin, shriek
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Abilities Str 13, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 6
Special Qualities serpentine
Feats Crush, Pin, Skill Training (Initiative)
Skills Initiative +12, Swim +9 (can reroll and take the better result)

Constrict - If the shrieking eel successfully grapples an enemy, it can use the Crush and Pin feats as normal. When crushing, however, the beast deals 2d6+4 damage.
Serpentine - The shrieking eel is treated as if he were one size larger for the purposes of grappling.
Shriek - As a standard action, the shrieking eel can emit a horrifying shriek that can unnerve its prey. The eel makes a special attack roll (1d20+3) against the Will Defense of all creatures within 20 squares. Success means the target is shaken, taking a -2 penalty to attack rolls and Reflex Defense. If the target is adjacent to the shrieking eel, it means the target is so taken with fear that they lose their move action on their next turn. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Design Note: I toyed with the idea of giving the creature the Powerful Charge feat, as it’s favored tactic in the film clearly seemed to be a straight line run at it’s foe. However, after coming up with the Serpentine ability, I thought constricting it’s prey after they’ve been immobilized and dragging them down underneath the ocean crushing the life out of them while they simultaneously drown seemed scarier (as well as slightly more intelligent.