The Lure of the Dark Side

So I was flipping through the Force Unleashed Campaign Guide and came upon some optional rules to make the dark side more tempting to Force users.  These rules are now in effect:

• As a free action, any character who has the Force Sensitivity feat can spend a Force Point to add any one power that has the [dark side] descriptor to his or her active Force power suite.  That power can be used as normal.  However, when the power is used (or at the end of the encounter), it goes away entirely and may not be recovered by any of the normal means (including resting for 1 minute, spending a Force Point, making use of the Force Recovery talent, or rolling a natural 20 on a Use the Force check to activate a Force power).  (GM's note: This is any character who has Force Sensitivity, not Force Training.  So even a character who's Force-sensitive but not trained — like Lyta — can call upon the dark side to get some powers in a pinch.)
  
• Similarly, any character who has the Force Sensitivity feat can spend a Force Point as a free action to temporarily gain the use of any talents from the Dark Side talent tree, the Dark Side Devotee talent tree (Force Adept prestige class), or the Sith talent tree (Sith Apprentice prestige class).  A character must meet all the prerequisites for one of these talents to be able to use it, and the character can spend more than one Force Point over the course of an encounter to gain multiple talents from those talent trees.  Talents gained in this manner count temporarily toward the prerequisites of other talents, and the effects of these talents last for the remainder of the encounter.  Additionally, at the conclusion of the encounter, the character increases his or her Dark Side Score by a number of points equal to the number of Force Points spent in this manner.  For example, in the first round of an encounter, a Jedi could spend a Force Point to gain the benefit of the Power of the Dark Side talent for the remainder of the encounter.  In the following round, he can spend another Force Point to gain access to the Swift Power talent, since he temporarily has access to its prerequisite talent.  (GM's note: You have to meet prerequisites for the talent, not the prestige class it's based off of; so even a low-level character can temporarily gain Sith or Dark Side Devotee talents.)
  

Character Composite: HK-47

HK-47 requires no introduction, meatbag. He appears in both Knights of the Old Republic video games, as well as the Star Wars Galaxies expansion Trials of Obi-Wan.

HK-47 is a killing machine, as his stats clearly show. Assassin was the best prestige class for him, as it lets him pile on even more dice when he gets a hit (an extra +1d6+3 against a "mark" he chooses at the start of combat, and an extra +1d6 whenever he moves an enemy down the condition track, which is very often; plus, Sniping Assassin gives him +3 damage against targets not in point blank range). He's got the ability to bring even the toughest foes down pretty quickly.

As he's a well-prized assassin droid, I even gave him enhanced Dexterity from the Superior Tech feat and a much-improved blaster rifle; the hair trigger lets him reroll damage once per encounter (taking the better result) when he uses Rapid Shot, the double trigger improves his aiming, and the targeting scope is just necessary for sniping.

HK-47, Assassin Droid
Fourth-degree assassin droid Soldier 3/Scoundrel 1/Independent Droid 5/Assassin 7
Destiny: 1; Force: 7
Init: +19; Senses: +18, darkvision
Languages: Basic, Binary, Huttese, Mando'a
-
Defenses: Ref 36 (flat-footed 30); Fort 31; Will 33 (36 vs. reprogramming)
HP: 153; Threshold: 31
Immune: restraining bolt
-
Speed: 6 squares
Melee: +17 unarmed (1d4+11)
Ranged: +21 blaster rifle (3d8+15, devastating, +1d6+3 vs. mark)
or +19 blaster rifle (4d8+15, devastating, +1d6+3 vs. mark) with Rapid Shot
or +23 blaster rifle (4d8+15, devastating, +1d6+3 vs. mark) aiming
Base Atk: +14; Grp: +17
Atk Options: Dastardly Strike, Devastating Attack, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Sniping Assassin
Special Actions: Careful Shot, Deadeye, Murderous Arts I-II
Encounter Powers: hair trigger, independent spirit +2, mark, Ruthless
-
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 22, Con -, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 10
Special Qualities: droid traits, independent spirit +2, mark +3, sapience
Talents: Combat Repairs, Dastardly Strike, Defensive Electronics, Devastating Attack (rifles), Murderous Arts I-II, Repair Self, Ruthless, Sniping Assassin, Weapon Specialization (rifles)
Feats: Armor Proficiency (light, medium), Careful Shot, Deadeye, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Sniper, Toughness, Weapon Focus (rifles), Weapon Groups (pistols, rifles, simple)
Skills: Initiative +19, Knowledge (tactics) +15, Mechanics +15, Perception +18, Use Computer +15
Possessions: blaster rifle (+5 damage, double trigger, hair trigger, low-light targeting scope), superior ability modification (+4 Dex)
Droid Systems: walking locomotion, heuristic processor, 2 hand appendages, darkvision, improved sensor package, locked access, secondary battery, translator unit (DC 5), vocabulator

Character Composite: Bao-Dur

Bao-Dur is statted out in the Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide, but I didn't really feel that it took advantage of all of the options available in the sourcebooks now. So here is my own version of Bao-Dur as of the end of Knights of the Old Republic 2.

Bao-Dur is a master mechanic who served with the Republic during the Mandalorian Wars, serving in the Engineer Corps, though he lost an arm. He was a brilliant engineer whose hatred of the Mandalorians led him to build the Mass Shadow Generator, the superweapon that allowed Revan's ultimate victory at Malachor V. When the Mass Shadow Generator decimated both the Republic and Mandalorian navies, Bao-Dur realized the deaths he had brought to the galaxy and dedicated himself to peaceful pursuits. After the Jedi Civil War began, he traveled to the ravaged planet of Telos to lend his technical expertise to helping restore the ruined world. He built the gigantic shield network that allowed the planet to be divided up into restoration zones. While working to disrupt Czerka Corporation's attempts to take over the restoration project, Bao-Dur met up with his former General, the Jedi Exile, who trained him in the ways of the Force. Their journeys led Bao-Dur to once again defend Telos, this time from the fury of Darth Nihilus, and to confront the Mass Shadow Generator he had built on Malachor V.

Bao-Dur is an unarmed master, having all of the Martial Arts feats and taking levels of Elite Trooper to gain access to the Teras Kasi talent tree. He's got a host of technical talents as well, able to hack into networks and security systems with ease. The Military Engineer prestige class lets him repair droids faster, which is useful for his remote droid companion who helps him with repairs, and his Superior Tech feat means all of his weapons are upgraded to the utmost. The new follower rules from Clone Wars let him get a droid companion, which lets him get his ubiquitous remote. (Normally you can't take a Tiny follower, but I'm allowing it for the sake of his character.)

Bao-Dur, Master Mechanic
Male Zabrak Soldier 4/Scoundrel 5/Elite Trooper 4/Military Engineer 2/Jedi 1
Destiny: 1; Force: 7
Init: +8; Senses: Perception +10*
Languages: Basic, Binary, Huttese, Sullustese, Zabrak
-
Defenses: Ref 33 (flat-footed 29), Elusive Target; Fort 33; Will 31
HP: 152, DR 2; Threshold: 33
-
Speed: 6 squares
Melee: +17 unarmed (2d10+18)
Ranged: +15 blaster pistol (3d6+13)
Base Atk: +14; Grp: +17
Atk Options: Ignore Damage Reduction, Point Blank Shot
Special Actions: Conditioning, Gearhead
-
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 10
Special Qualities: field-created weapon +1
Talents: Commanding Officer, Elusive Target, Gimmick, Ignore Damage Reduction, Master Slicer, Melee Smash, Repairs on the Fly, Security Slicer, Teras Kasi Basics
Feats: Armor Proficiency (light, medium), Conditioning, Force Sensitivity, Gearhead, Martial Arts I-III, Point Blank Shot, Skill Focus (Mechanics, Use Computer), Skill Training (Knowledge [technology]), Superior Tech (weapons), Tech Specialist, Weapon Groups (lightsabers, pistols, rifles, simple)
Skills: Climb +16*, Endurance +15*, Jump +16*, Knowledge (technology) +16, Mechanics +21, Perception +10*, Use Computer +21 (* to improve access), Use the Force +12
*can reroll
Possessions: droid remote (utility follower), combat gloves (+5 damage), blaster pistol (+5 damage), cybernetic arm

Bao-Dur's Droid Remote
Tiny droid utility follower 16
Languages: Binary, Basic
-
Defenses: Ref 31 (flat-footed 28); Fort 26; Will 28
HP: 26; Threshold: 26
Immune: droid immunities
-
Speed: 6 squares (hovering)
Melee: +10 tool (7)
Ranged: +15 cutting laser (3d4+8)
Base Atk: +12; Grp: +2
-
Abilities: Str 6, Dex 16, Con -, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 10
Special Qualities: droid traits, follower qualities
Feats: Armor Proficiency (light), Weapons Groups (pistols, rifles, simple)
Skills: Mechanics +14, Stealth +21
Possessions: heuristic processor, cutting laser (treat as hold-out blaster)

January 27 recap

I like this "playing every 2 weeks" thing.  We should do this more often.

Rek Luk took off in his new ship, and Logger hadn't been seen for days.  Novin, the Arkanian lawyer, gathered Kazbich, Gobmush, and Kelif together at the ship and explained that he had been trying to find a link between Eutix Research Laboratories and the Sith and had thus far been stonewalled.  Gobmush got a job as a corporate troubleshooter, but had been relegated to managing lifter droids at a warehouse near Aekaiki City.  In order to get more help to uncover the shady dealings of Eutix, Novin had contacted the Republic, claiming that he (and the rest of the group) were agents working for the Republic to investigate Eutix, and he convinced the Republic to send representatives to help them out.  They would be arriving shortly at the docking bay; Kazbich ducked out, not wanting any Jedi to sense the taint of the dark side on him, and he worked on establishing contacts in the (admittedly small) Myzil V underworld.  Novin met the Republic representatives at a public transit docking bay, Umbaran Jedi Ras Patul and Selkath doctor Lyta Selistan, weaving the party's recent exploits into a plausible backstory; Novin is a Republic law expert investigating Eutix for a possible Sith connection, Kelif is working at the casino to gain access to the power players in Aekaiki City, Gobmush is working at Eutix as an undercover agent, and Kazbich is their resident hacker, making contacts with the criminal underworld on Myzil V.  Deciding that the direct approach had already been tried by Novin (and ended in being pretty much delayed indefinitely), Ras and Lyta decided to use the Eutix information Novin had already downloaded to work their way up the chain of command.

At the same time, Kazbich put out the word that "Kazbich is the guy who gets things done" and met up with Umoe, a Herglic who frequented the casino and who was said to be the prime person to talk to for shady jobs.  Umoe explained to Kazbich that the Council for Development was planning to receive representatives from the Republic and the Sith in two days and that Myzil V may decide to change hands in the war depending on how the negotiations go.  Umoe told Kazbich to pick up a specific GE-3 droid from an abandoned warehouse in the pit and use it to replace the droid belonging to Movol Droidworks foreman Pel Karmek.  Kazbich picked up a pressure suit to protect him from the harmful gases pumped through the Pit, recruited Kelif, and took the lift on down.

Ras and Lyta first met with Elbor, a Herglic worker for Eutix who didn't know a whole lot but was left with a powerful urge to eat Jedi Girl Scout cookies.  He directed them to his foreman, Kehlor, who told them everything he knew about the machinery (not much, except that it was extremely alien and self-sufficient) and about the other sites.  Gobmush took the initiative to find the other sites by hiding himself in a crate of Telubo! Salty Lichen Discs and letting himself be shipped to another Eutix site.  At first he could not sleep in his armor, but eventually he did pass out.

Kazbich and Kelif found the droid; Kazbich busted it open and found a capsule of a strange, nonfatal chemical inside.  They found the foreman in a Movol Droidworks factory, but when confronted by a security droid, Kelif hid and Kazbich ran for it before deciding to surrender (rather than risk rupturing his pressure suit).  His capsule of Krosix-9 was confiscated from him and he claimed he was sent by Eutix, prompting them to say "The next person Eutix sends will come back in a casket."  Kelif and Kazbich made it back up to the Ridge relatively unharmed.  Oddly, Umoe still paid Kazbich the full amount, and he got the feeling he wasn't being told everything.

The next day, when Gobmush woke up, he managed to boost his comm signal to Kazbich enough that he was able to reach him, and Kazbich triangulated the signal to realize that Kazbich was on the other side of the planet — 12 hours' flight away.  He checked out the area — droid warehouse, landing pad, tunnel leading underground, Givin workers — and hid for most of the day, though he sent Chuckles in to see what he could see, and he found unusual pictograms and an alien language.  Ras, Lyta and Kazbich showed up in the Raraza, and Ras went down into the tunnel to see what was going on.  He encountered a few Givin scientists who were performing mineral surveys.  Ras left and Lyta decided to go down, throwing around her credentials as a Republic representative, so the Givins provided her with their datapads, which gave information about a primary information center about 4 hours' flight away.  That seemed to be the place to go.

Kelif, still back in Aekaiki City, was working at the Aunaumi Casino during all of this.  His pit boss, a portly Twi'lek, told him about a Devaronian gambler named Jubal who he suspected was cheating because he kept winning at trin sticks; Kelif was to confront him and get him to leave, roughing him up (but not killing him) to send a message to cheaters.  Kelif confronted Jubal and tried to intimidate him, with little success; Jubal spotted the blaster he was trying to pull, and he was taken aback that he, a paying customer, was being rushed out the door simply because he was winning.  Disgusted by his treatment, Jubal eventually cashed in his chips and left, but Kelif decided (with his boss' permission) to pursue him through the streets.  Jubal kept trying to distract Kelif and give him the slip, but eventually Kelif's sniper rifle connected, killing the Devaronian.  He stole Jubal's winnings, and Kelif's boss feigned innocence, saying Jubal must've gotten mugged after leaving the casino.

Kelif then got a call from Kazbich saying they were going to be 8 hours away at a new dig site.  When the Raraza arrived, however, they were told that it was a restricted landing zone, and soon a group of Juggernaut War Droids attacked them.  The party made quick work of them, then Kazbich hacked open the blast doors to the excavation tunnel and the party entered, though Ras felt the presence of the dark side inside.  The Givins were waiting for them inside, but the party persuaded them to surrender their datapads and leave.  The datapads suggested that a large variety of species were being tested by their DNA against other samples, and that the Eutix scientists had been hard at work trying to decode the alien language.  Upon hacking through another set of doors, they found statues showing a strange-looking people with beaked mouths and eyestalks at the sides of their heads, as well as row after row of kolto tanks as far as the eye could see, each one with a comatose patient (of various species) inside.  Kazbich found a terminal, which indicated that each of the patients had been drugged into an induced coma and that their DNA was being examined.

Ras looked around and decided to let the Force guide her, and she found herself in front of a tank with Logger inside, unconscious, surrounded by other tanks with Ewoks inside.

Dun dun DUN!

Clone Wars errata

As quickly as it comes out, so does the errata.  There wasn't much to change in the book, actually; most of the errata is that a few ships are missing hyperdrive multipliers and the weapons don't list how many shots they get before they have to load in a new power pack.

Only two big changes: The shadowsuit, which used to give a flat +10 bonus to Stealth, now gives only a +5 bonus, and only when the wearer has concealment due to darkness or low light; plus, it now rightfully has a +1 armor bonus, necessitating the armor talents to effectively wear.  (As it should be.  This item was the bane of my existence in Revised.)  And Focused Force Talisman lets you spend a Force Point to recover all expended uses of a single Force power, instead of just one.  (So now it's actually useful.)

Character Composite: Atton Rand

Atton is statted out in the Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide, but only up to 5th level. I wanted to present a more holistic version of his stats; these are his stats as of the end of Knights of the Old Republic II.

Atton is the consumate scoundrel; he knows no loyalty to anyone but himself. He fought as a member of the Republic military alongside the Revanchists during the Mandalorian Wars, disgusted that the Jedi would not lift a finger to help the millions being killed. Atton believed in Revan as the only Jedi worthy of his respect for single-handedly helping to win the Mandalorian Wars, and so he followed Revan to the Unknown Regions and joined his Sith army, fighting as part of an elite unit to kill or capture Jedi during the Jedi Civil War. Here, Atton learned many ways to kill Jedi, and he excelled at it. Towards the end of the war, he met a female Jedi who told him that he was himself Force-sensitive. She warned him that those among the Sith who displayed Force sensitivity were taken away and broken into becoming Dark Jedi, but Atton refused to listen and tortured her nearly to death. Right before she died, she opened his mind to the Force, and Atton killed her — he said just to kill her for being a Jedi, but deep down, it was to spare her further suffering. Disillusioned, he deserted from the Sith and found his way to Nar Shaddaa, becoming a smuggler. Eventually he found his way to Peragus II, where he met the Jedi Exile, who taught him the ways of the Force.

With the release of the Clone Wars Campaign Guide and Scum and Villainy, I feel I finally have the tools to make a good Atton Rand. He's got a lot of abilities that are good against Jedi — Overwhelming Assault, Unstoppable Force, resist Force, and Labyrinthine Mind. He's also good with a blaster, he's got the requisite Bad Feeling ability, he's a solid pilot, and his Stay Up, Shake It Off, and Tough as Nails abilities make him as tough to bring down as he was in the video game.

Atton Rand, Fool
Male Human Scoundrel 7/Soldier 3/Ace Pilot 4/Jedi 2
Destiny: 1; Force: 9
Init: +13; Senses: Perception +10, Bad Feeling
Languages: Basic, Huttese
-
Defenses: Ref 36 (flat-footed 30); Fort 30 (35 vs. Force powers); Will 29 (34 vs. Force powers)
HP: 129; Threshold: 30
-
Speed: 6 squares
Melee: +15 unarmed (1d6+11)
Ranged: +19 blaster pistol (3d6+15)
Base Atk: +13; Grp: +15
Atk Options: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Sneak Attack +1d6
Special Actions: Overwhelming Attack, Sith Military Training, Stay Up
Encounter Powers: Labyrinthine Mind, Lucky Stop, Stay Up
Force Powers Known: Use the Force +14, battle strike, resist Force, surge
-
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 12
Special Qualities: vehicle dodge +2
Talents: Clear Mind, Fool's Luck, Full Throttle, Labyrinthine Mind, Lucky Stop, Outrun, Sneak Attack +1d6, Tough as Nails, Weapon Specialization (pistols)
Feats: Bad Feeling, Force Sensitivity, Force Training, Martial Arts I, Overwhelming Attack, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Shake It Off, Sith Military Training, Skill Focus (Pilot), Skill Training (Endurance), Stay Up, Unstoppable Force, Vehicular Combat, Weapon Focus (pistols), Weapon Groups (lightsabers, pistols, simple)
Skills: Deception +14, Endurance +15, Mechanics +14, Pilot +23, Stealth +18, Use Computer +14, Use the Force +14
Possessions: blaster pistol (+5 damage), lightsaber (yellow), combat gloves, mesh jacket, Ebon Hawk

The Traveler's Guide to Myzil V

Where is Myzil V?
Myzil V is the fifth planet of the Myzil system, located in the Giju Arm of the Colonies region, near the Rimma Trade Route near Fondor. It is only a few light years away from the Herglic homeworld of Giju and was once part of the ancient Herglic Trade Consortium thousands of years before the formation of the Republic. Today, Myzil V is the home of one of the largest Skakoan colonies in the galaxy (outside of Skako itself), as well as home to a sizeable Herglic population. The main settlement of Aekaiki City is a bustling business community in a large canyon, divided into two sections: the upper Ridge, and the lower Pit.

What's So Special About Myzil V?

Not only is Myzil V a bustling corporate colony, but it boasts one of the most unusual atmospheres in the galaxy.  The planet is very cold, has no moons or bodies of water, and has very mild weather.  It has relatively high gravity (125% Coruscant standard), and it is extremely rocky and mountainous.  The atmosphere only settles in the lowlands and depressions of the planet, but it is occasionally blown about by solar winds, sending formerly breathable areas into vacuum.  At the highest peaks of Myzil V, the atmosphere is close to vacuum, so the only settlements are in large canyons where breathable atmosphere is unlikely to be affected by solar winds.  Because the high pressure of the deeper areas of the planet is so similar to their homeworld of Skako, the planet was colonized by Skakoan explorers about 500 years ago.

Our Corporate Masters
Myzil V is not a part of any intergalactic government, though its parent corporations currently support the Republic during the Jedi crisis. The planet is officially owned by the Techno Union, a technology business coalition which encourages corporations to operate on Myzil V, but Yozad Industries holds a shareholder majority on the planet.
The primary corporations on Myzil V are Oavomi Bulk Loading (Herglic-owned), Ikuis Importers (human-owned), Telubo! Lichen Biproduct (Herglic-owned), Movol Droidworks, Yozad Industries (both Skakoan-owned), and Eutix Research Laboratories.
The planet is controlled by the Council for Development, which handles property claims and violations, but justice is outsourced to Movol DroidWorks. Movol's droid security forces are responsible both for keeping the peace (for select paying customers) and maintaining upkeep on Myzil's unique city structure. While most Movol security droids are programmed to stun troublemakers, instigators who repeatedly break the law will not be so lucky.
Most Skakoan firms are housed in the Pit, which encompasses the bottom half of the canyon that Aekaiki City resides in. The Pit is a high-pressure area that is suitable to Skakoan physiology, though non-Skakoan visitors are advised to bring a pressure suit. Most of the buildings in the Pit are interconnected as well, funneling between them the unique gas mixtures of Skako to make the Skakoan engineers feel at home. Security is tight in the Pit, as many Skakoan businesses do not want trouble, and protecting the repulsorcoils that support the Ridge is of tantamount importance to the Council for Development.

Fun And Attractions
Almost anything an enterprising tourist could want is on the Ridge, the Herglic-centric area of the city. All of the buildings are designed for larger species, and vacationers on a budget should be aware that food and beverage portions are served with Herglics in mind; on Myzil V, everybody's a one-beer drunk!

Aunaumi Casino
Love to gamble? The giant Aunaumi Casino dome in the center of Aekaiki is for you! Gambling has a high place in Herglic culture, and the Aunaumi Casino is as much a religious experience as a fun destination. We offer sabacc, pazaak, trin sticks, jubilee wheel, and many more! Every cycle we even host the Neimoidia Trin Series, one of the most prestigious trin sticks competitions in the Colonies. Also enjoy our Myzil-made BT-194 bartending droids, programmed in over six million forms of inebriation! Want to know more? Check out the Aunaumi Reporter, the local holonews source. To get to the Aunaumi Casino, just look for one of our automated droid airtaxis, which can be seen all around the Ridge.

Hunting
Because of its unique atmosphere, Myzil V is home to a wide variety of unusual life forms. Our lichens are studied and processed into all kinds of pharmaceuticals by Telubo! Lichen Biproduct, the creator of Telubo! Salty Lichen Discs, the delicious snack that's sweeping the Colonies. But lichen isn't the only thing found on Myzil V. Our hunting safaris have turned up all manner of strange beasts. The unusual yolaak is a clam-like mollusk that reproduces by spores and can survive in vacuum. And no hunter's trophy case without a rokyem shell; rokyems are fierce, crab-like creatures with a ferocious bite and an armored shell that's said to be harder than Mandalorian armor. If you're looking for more standard fare, we also have imported animals from all corners of the galaxy on our special hunting preserves.

Swoop Racing
Interested in some high-speed action? The Nesulb ice caves are the hottest race track around, and only the strongest competitors are able to compete in the subzero environment. Nesulb swoop betting is one of the hottest sports at the Aunaumi Casino or any of the smaller bars and pubs in town. Rumor has it that five-time champion Chuumo Mnoae is even in negotiations with the Intergalactic Podracing Authority to bring even more action to Myzil V.