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
____________________________________________________
Defenses Ref 18 (flat-footed 17), Fort 16, Will 14; Block
hp 32; Threshold 16
____________________________________________________
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
____________________________________________________
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)
____________________________________________________
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
____________________________________________________
Defenses Ref 18 (flat-footed 17), Fort 18, Will 16; Block, Deflect
hp 47; Threshold 18
____________________________________________________
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
____________________________________________________
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)
____________________________________________________
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
____________________________________________________
Defenses Ref 19 (flat-footed 17), Fort 21, Will 18; Block, Deflect
hp 72; Threshold 21
____________________________________________________
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
____________________________________________________
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)
____________________________________________________
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!”

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.

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.

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

I’m going to be participating. Will you?

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.

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

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

hp 117; DR 2; Threshold 30

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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.

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
———————————————————————–
Defenses Ref 20 (flat-footed 16), Fort 12, Will 10; +6 natural armor
hp 39; Threshold 12
———————————————————————–
Speed swim 8 squares
Melee bite +5 (1d6+1)
Base Atk +4; Grp +10
Special Actions constrict, Pin, shriek
———————————————————————–
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.

Less than a minute later, it’s all over like a bad date. The party leader looks you square in the eye and says, “We want to go talk to the high priest about this tower that’s appeared outside of town.”

In shock, a look of intense disappointment on your face, you ask him “You want to talk to who?”

“The high priest.”

Looking down at your notes, you rifle through the various pages looking for something, anything that can help you out in this situation. You find nothing about a high priest. You’re not even sure if this town has a temple much less what religion they are! The next decision will be crucial. Do you:

A) Curl up into a fetal position and start crying?

B) Angrily insist that your players go to the bar and do the adventure like you’ve written it?

C) Close your eyes and fervently disbelieve your players sitting around the table? or

D) Call for a five minute break and reach for your copy of Masks from the guys at Gnomestew.com you have in your bag for just such an occasion to pull out an NPC to play the high priest?

If you answered D, you’re going to be just fine. If you answered any of the other three, it had better be because you don’t yet own a copy of Masks. And if that’s the case, then run, don’t walk, to www.enginepublishing.com to order yourself a copy of this book.

Seriously, everyone who GMs or even thinks that they might want to GM sometime in the future needs a copy of this book. It is that good, and that invaluable a resource.

Like their last success, Eureka: 501 Adventure Plots, Masks is a gaming aid. It’s designed to be system and (to a lesser degree) setting neutral in order to give the GM ready options should they find themselves stuck at the table for who the PCs should talk to or interact with. It’s filled near to bursting with the skeletons of NPCs just waiting for you to hang the skin over and make your own,  providing you with ways to roleplay them, give them proper motivation, and even a believable background to build on.

The first chapter is an explanation of how to use the book. More than that, it really goes into an explanation of what makes a memorable NPC well, memorable. It offers a variety of tips and tricks on how to fully utilize the various NPCs in this book, as well as make your own and give them that certain spark and staying power in your campaign world. It introduces and explains the various keywords that they use to describe their NPCs as well as gives insight into what I feel may be the most useful part of this book for some GMs- the Name Ribbon. On the bottom of every page containing NPCs is a list of names. On one page is a list of first names. On the opposite is a list of titles and surnames, all of them genre appropriate for the chapter they appear in. Did your PCs piss you off again by asking you the name of an NPC? Fret no longer! Just open to a page in the book and pick one out.

This chapter also gives some great advice on using the various NPCs in genres that they aren’t necessarily designed for in broad strokes. For example, is the character defined by a ranged weapon, like a marksman or a warrior? Well, this weapon could be a crossbow in a fantasy game, a rifle in a modern game, or a zat gun or a laser cannon in a sci-fi game. The characters in this book are written in such a way that nearly all of them can be easily “reskinned” into any of the other genres, and are a good start for writing your own in a similar way.

The 1,000 NPCs (and yes, there really are that many), are divided into three chapters, each containing three sections. They are first largely divided by genre – fantasy, science fiction, and modern (a catch-all term for everything not clearly defined as either fantasy or science fiction). They are then further divided into one of three groups: Ally, Enemy, or Neutral. Each of those is exactly what it sounds like – friend, bad guys, and everyone else.

Each NPC is presented in the following format

Name – The characters name

Two Phrase Description – This is a capsule description of the NPC, a headline if you will. Things like Stupid Bouncer, Alien Warlord, or Power Mad Sorcerer to give you a quick mental image of the character.

Descriptive Quote – This is a piece of dialogue that you can use to help get an early image of the character. From the mysterious assassin who you hear chamber his next round to the roustabout calling for another pint, this can sometimes be all the more you need to start playing the character.

Appearance Notes – This section describes what the NPC looks like, what they wear, and gives a general description on some of his mannerisms.

Roleplaying Notes – This section of the NPC write-up gives you advice on how to play the character at the table. What parts should you play up, what parts should you play down? What can you grab from this character to really make them “pop?”

Personality Notes – Is this character a little bit country? Or are they a little bit rock and roll? Or are they just plain creepy. This is a small description of the character’s personality and social mannerisms.

Motivation Notes – Characters don’t exist in a vacuum. Well… let me rephrase that. Believable characters don’t exist in a vacuum. What drives this character? What makes him want to do what he does?

Background Notes – “Jim was born to wealthy parents and was sent to the finest university where he promptly washed out, bought a bike, and started a gang.” Okay, so they aren’t that short, but that’s the basic gist of this section. It gives you a little bit of insight into the character’s history and as to why he is where he is today. This can also provide some great ideas should the NPC become recurring or a PC favorite.

Traits – This is a list of a few traits to describe the character in a few words that you can use at the table real quick. They are also one of the ways that the authors have indexed the NPCs at the end of the book. Looking for a beautiful young maid to woo one of the players? Flip open to the back of the book, find the “beautiful” trait and flip to the listed pages. The traits are described in further detail in the first chapter of the book.

So there you have it. Seriously. If you buy one gaming supplement this month, this year, make it this one. You may never read it cover to cover, but I guarantee that you will use it more than you think you will. Honestly.

Thanks for the book guys. I’m waiting on next years “1503 Items of Mystery.” ;)

Here’s where you can buy your copy of the book: http://www.enginepublishing.com/masks-1000-memorable-npcs-for-any-roleplaying-game

If you want to keep up with the Gnomes, you can do so here: http://www.gnomestew.com/

The beautiful part of this build is that there is a lot that you can do to really make it your own. There are some species that do stand out, such as those that offer Persuasion rerolls, such as the Nagai, but it’s really not important. You do need a few trained skills, those being Persuasion, Deception, and Knowledge (Bureaucracy), but that’s it. Everything else can be customized to your liking.

Level 1 – Scoundrel 1 – Base Attack Bonus +0

Starting Feats – Point Blank Shot, Weapon Proficiency (pistols, simple weapons)

Level 1 Character Feat – Skill Focus (Persuasion): A lot of your talents and abilities are going to key off of this skill. Getting any bonus possible is going to help you. (SECR 88)

Level 1 Scoundrel Talent – Revolutionary Rhetoric: This talent allows you to make a Persuasion check as a standard action against an opponent’s Will Defense. If the check is successful, you deny the opponent their standard action next turn. (GoI 22)

Level 2 – Scoundrel 1/Noble 1 – Base Attack Bonus +0

Starting Feat – Linguist

Level 1 Noble Talent – Rant: This is a neat little talent. When you successfully use the Persuasion skill to intimidate a target, instead of the normal benefits you instead deny that target their move action on their next turn and give an ally a move action they can use immediately as a reaction. (UR 20)

Level 3 – Scoundrel 2/Noble 1 – Base Attack Bonus +1

Level 2 Scoundrel Bonus Feat – Silver Tongue: This feat allows you to use the Persuasion skill to either intimidate or change attitude as a standard action instead of as a full-round action. (GoI 29)

Level 3 Character Feat – Improved Defenses: Let’s face it. Even though you aren’t going to be throwing a whole lot of damage downrange, but you’re going to be the one with the big target on your chest when your opponents are finally able to take their full turns. (SECR 85)

Level 4 – Scoundrel 3/Noble 1 – Base Attack Bonus +2

Level 3 Scoundrel Talent – Hesitate: This talent allows you to make a Persuasion check as a standard action against a target’s Will Defense. If successful, you drop the target’s speed by 2, and require it to spend a swift action whenever it would take a standard action until the end of their next turn.. (S&V 15)

Level 5 – Scoundrel 4/Noble 1 – Base Attack Bonus +3

Level 4 Scoundrel Bonus Feat – Demoralizing Strike: This is a funky little feat. It states that whenever you damage an opponent with an attack of opportunity, you can make a Persuasion check to intimidate a target as a free action. Nothing stating that it has to be the NORMAL method of intimidation (see the Rant talent above). (GoI 27)

Level 6 – Scoundrel 5/Noble 1 – Base Attack Bonus +3

Level 5 Scoundrel Talent – Sow Confusion: This talent builds off of the Hesitate talent we took two levels ago. You make a Deception check as a standard action once per encounter against every enemy you can see. If successful, you force each affected enemy to spend a swift action whenever they want to spend a standard action to attack. This lasts until the start of your next turn. (S&V 15)

Level 6 Character Feat – Combat Reflexes: The ability to throw out a few more attacks of opportunity a round isn’t necessarily a bad thing, even if you don’t get to use it every round or even every encounter. Remember, every AoO you get to make is an extra intimidation (and therefore, use of the Rant talent). As an added bonus, you can make these attacks of opportunity even if you find yourself flat-footed. (SECR 83)

Level 7 – Scoundrel 6/Noble 1 – Base Attack Bonus +4

Level 6 Scoundrel Bonus Feat – Skill Focus (Knowledge [Bureaucracy]): This feat gets you into the Corporate Agent Prestige Class. (SECR 88)

Level 8 Scoundrel 7/Noble 1 – Base Attack Bonus +5

Level 7 Scoundrel Talent – Opportunistic Strike: Once per encounter, this talent lets you take an attack of opportunity against an opponent that provokes an attack of opportunity from an ally, as long as the opponent is within point blank range. (KOTORCG 27)

Level 9 – Scoundrel 8/Noble 1 – Base Attack Bonus +6

Level 9 Character Feat – Recurring Success (Opportunistic Strike): This feat lets you pick a feat or talent that can only be used once per encounter. This feat lets you use it one additional time per encounter. (GoI 28)

Level 10 – Scoundrel 9/Noble 1 – Base Attack Bonus +6

Level 9 Scoundrel Talent – Cheap Shot: Once per encounter, this talent lets you take an attack of opportunity against an enemy that withdraws from an ally as long as that opponent is within point blank range. (KOTORCG 27)

Level 11 – Scoundrel 9/Noble 1/Corporate Agent 1

Level 1 Corporate Agent Talent – Impose Hesitation: This talent lets you make a Persuasion check against the Will Defense of all opponents within a 6 square cone, and if successful, any target affected by the talent loses their swift action next turn. (KOTORCG 43)

Level 12 – Scoundrel 9/Noble 1/Corporate Agent 2

Level 12 Feat – Withdrawal Strike: This feat allows you to take an attack of opportunity against a target that takes the withdraw action against you. (KOTORCG 35)

Level 13 – Scoundrel 9/Noble 1/Corporate Agent 3

Level 3 Corporate Agent Talent – Impose Confusion: This talent builds off of Impose Hesitation by increasing the size of the cone to 12 squares. Also, once per encounter, you can cause the targets affected to love their standard actions instead of their swift actions. (KOTORCG 43)

Really, the rest of the build can go in whatever direction you want it to. I’d recommend taking another use of Recurring Success at 15^th level picking up a second use of Cheap Shot once per encounter, but aside from that, take what you want to tweak it to your specifications. If you’re having a hard time hitting on those attacks of opportunity, you may want some Soldier levels. If you want to throw some penalties on top of the denied actions, the Noble has some neat talents for you to look at. So, looking at the character, we have several tactics we can use to take away an opponent’s action. You start off with Revolutionary Rhetoric to halt an opponent’s standard action, and you eventually get several more ways to deny opponents other actions, and you can even do it on their turn with the Demoralizing Strike feat and the Rant talent. Some GMs may rule it a little bit differently, but the talent does state that it affects them on their NEXT turn, and then if your turn comes up before him, you can semi-regularly deny him two of his three actions. Like I said though, some GMs may rule it differently, so run it by them before you pursue this build to find out what his take on it is going to be.

And so there you have the De-Buffer focusing on Action Denial. I’ll be back soon with the “Penalty Giver” build for the De-Buffer.