Obscure Character Archive!

[Telsij]

May the 4th be with you... belatedly! Late for Star Wars Day, as well as for "Revenge of the Fifth," but as someone on Twitter said something to the effect of the other day, "If you're orthodox, you celebrate on May 25th anyway."

Here is RYLAND, wary AND weary rebel sentry, from "Laina" by Wil Wheaton of Star Trek: TNG fame, a short story which appeared in the From a Certain Point of View: Star Wars (A New Hope) anthology!

As Ryland "appears" only in print, I have used the image of a watchtower sentry from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to represent this character, with the (admittedly loose) logic being that his story takes place at least one day prior to the destruction of Alderaan and before we actually see any sentries in ANH, roughly coinciding with this sentry's appearance. In addition, this promotional image gives us a clear look at one of the sentry's face. For Rogue One, he was played by co-producer, John Swartz.

Researching the tracking gun was particularly interesting/frustrating, because not only was the original ANH prop made of two light meters, but also because it wasn't until The Rise of Skywalker that the device itself got a name, make, and model number. First Order defector / former stormtrooper Jannah uses scavenged Imperial tools, with the IFTS handheld tracker among them. That and because the tool's usefulness and range were already debatable, the TROS visual dictionary and "Laina" short story really helped to flesh out the device's actual capabilities. (Ranges were extrapolated from binocular ranges, as well as internet research re: the distance and limits of Earth's atmosphere's, how far a "horizon" and line-of-sight visibility is for a person standing on flat ground vs. 30 meters in the air, etc.)


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RYLAND
Type: Wary Rebel Sentry & Former Mining Colony Mechanic



A Quote: “This is Gold Tower to transport Echo Delta One,” he said into his comm. “You have cleared atmosphere and are a go for hyperspace. May the Force be with you.” He didn’t believe in the Force, but today, he would make an exception. He took his thumb off the button. “Take good care of my little girl,” he said, softly. He sat down and wept.

DEXTERITY 2D+1
Blaster 3D+1, brawling parry 3D, melee combat: electropole 3D+1
KNOWLEDGE 3D
Cultures: Alderaanian 4D, planetary systems 4D, scholar: mining 4D+1,
survival 4D+1, value 4D, value: mining equipment 5D+1, willpower 4D
MECHANICAL 2D+2
Communications 3D+2, sensors 4D+2, sensors: handheld scanner 5D+2
PERCEPTION 3D+2
Search 4D+2
STRENGTH 2D+2
Brawling 3D, climbing/jumping 3D+2, lifting 3D
TECHNICAL 3D+2
Computer programming/repair 4D, droid repair 4D, equipment repair 5D,
equipment repair: mining scan grids 5D+2, ground vehicle repair 4D+2,
ground vehicle repair: excavator 5D+2, mining 4D, repulsorlift repair 4D,
security 4D, space transport repair 4D+2, starfighter repair 4D+2,
starfighter repair: Y-wing 5D+2, starship weapon repair 4D

Special Abilities and Story Factors:

• Dramatic Irony: Having already suffered the loss of his wife at the hands of Imperial collaborators, Ryland saw to it that his daughter Laina would not meet the same tragic fate. Or rather, he believed he was doing so. Ironically, Ryland may have inadvertently condemned his daughter to death as well, in sending her to Alderaan so soon before the planet was to be destroyed by the Death Star.
  
  Through Ryland was heartbroken at having to part ways with his daughter, he was buoyed by the notion that he was ensuring Laina's survival, and that he was teaching her life lessons regarding the rise of faciscm and how to stand up to it. Although it is not explicitly stated in canon that Laina perishes in the destruction of Alderaan, that outcome *is* implied. If/when Ryland learns of Laina's death, this may drive his already weary mental state deeper into darkness. Ryland will likely blame himself for Laina's death. And if Ryland descends to such depths, a despondent, perhaps deadly depression, it may be a place from which he never remerges.
  
  
• Fleet Trooper Training and Trappings: Although not officially a member of Alderaanian consular security, like many Alliance soldiers before him, Ryland has undergone their Fleet Troopers' basic training, so as to better serve in his role as watchtower sentry and possible field combatant, outside of his duties as mechanic. Ryland's existing cultural familiarity with Alderaan, through a couple named Eron and Rhee, have allowed him to take well to the training. Please note that although Ryland calls Eron and Rhee "aunts" in his recording for Laina, it is not confirmed that either of the two women are related by blood or marriage to Ryland, or if they are simply close family friends to have earned the relationship title informally.
  
  
• Protective Parent: Hailing from an underground lunar mining colony on Burnin Konn in the Outer Rim, Ryland was wed to a woman named Fiona, whom he described as a far superior mechanic than he was, and who understood machines better than even their original designers. Together, Ryland and Fiona were the parents of a baby girl named Laina, for whom he recorded a message, to watch once she was old enough. After bearing witness to his wife's murder at the hands of colleagues-turned-Imperials, Ryland joined the Rebel Alliance. Then, once he was stationed at the Rebel base on Yavin 4, Ryland would later tearfully send Laina off-world aboard the Rebel transport Echo Delta One, to stay in the care of her Aunt Rhee and Aunt Eron on Alderaan. On that peaceful planet, Ryland hoped Laina would be safe from the dangers of the Galactic Civil War.
  

Species: Human
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Burnin Konn
Age: 38 standard years (as of 0 BBY)

Character Points: 5
Move: 10




Background: "Laina" by Wil Wheaton

Ryland climbed into the lookout and scanned the sky. The fighters were already in the air, ahead of the transport they were escorting out of the system. He knew he was doing the right thing. He knew Eron and Rhee would take good care of Laina, be good mothers to her, and raise her as their own until they could be reunited. He knew it was too dangerous to keep her with him on Yavin, which was a legitimate military target, should the Empire ever discover its existence. He knew that he could have gone with her, that nobody from his wing would have held it against him, that he could be holding his young daughter right now as they climbed the edge of the atmosphere toward relative peace and safety.

Ryland knew that he was not the only person on the base—hell, he wasn’t the only one on duty at this moment—who had lost something, given up something, made some sacrifice in service of the Rebellion against the Empire. Knowing all of these facts did not make the moment any easier, or any less painful.

He wiped away tears, held his scanner to his eyes, and said goodbye to his daughter as he watched her transport kiss the top of the atmosphere and vanish into the darkness of space.

“This is Gold Tower to transport Echo Delta One,” he said into his comm. “You have cleared atmosphere and are a go for hyperspace. May the Force be with you.” He didn’t believe in the Force, but today, he would make an exception. He took his thumb off the button. “Take good care of my little girl,” he said, softly. He sat down and wept.

Eighteen hours earlier

Ryland adjusted the camera and softly cleared his throat. He looked at Laina, sleeping restlessly in her crib. She’d thrown the covers halfway off her and had turned almost entirely sideways across the mattress. Her legs kicked gently and her eyes flicked side to side. Whatever she was dreaming about, he hoped it was something joyful. Maybe Fiona was there, with her, maybe the three of them were together again. He would be careful that he didn’t wake her.
He turned his attention to the camera’s lens and began recording.

“Hello, Laina. I’m recording this message to you a few hours before you get on a transport to go to your new home with your aunts. I don’t know how long it’s going to be until I get to see you again, and it’s important to me that you don’t have to wait until then to know who you are, where you came from, and who your parents were.

“By the time you are old enough to see this, and understand it, I hope that we’re watching it together, and I hope that we’re laughing about how silly I look right now. But since I joined the Rebel Alliance, I’ve said goodbye to a lot of friends, and I haven’t been able to say goodbye to a lot more…” He took a deep breath to steady himself. Living under Imperial occupation was terrible, and the Rebellion was not just right but necessary. A lot of good people had given their lives—or, worse, their freedom—in service of the struggle.

“So,” he said with a smile he hoped wasn’t too forced, “if this is how you’re meeting me…Hi, sweetheart. I’m your dad. I’m thirty-eight standard years old right now, and you’re almost two. I can’t give you a lot of specific information, because if the Empire ever sees this, it could put us all in danger, but right now, we are on a rebel base, and you are sleeping right over there.”

He grabbed the camera and pointed it at her. “That’s you! You’re so little right now!” He looked at her, listened to her soft breaths. He could feel that he was about to lose his nerve, keep her with him at a place that he knew wasn’t safe, but would at least keep them together, but if the reports about the Empire’s battle station were true…He refocused his courage, and turned the camera back on himself. “You and I came here when you were just six months old, right after your mother died. I’ll tell you about her in a second, but first I want you to know where you’re from.”

“You were born in an underground mining colony on a moon, in a place called the Outer Rim. There’s no atmosphere on the moon, so some folks who live there now have never even been above the surface, and they’ll never see the stars. But where you’re going, you’ll get to see the stars every night. Your mother and I aren’t from there, and it probably isn’t safe to tell you where we both came from (if we’re watching this together, I’ll tell you right now. Pause this and ask me!) but we were both mechanics—I still am, I work on Y-wings instead of extractors now—and we met there when we worked in the same sector.”

He held up a holo of Fiona and showed it to the camera. “This is your mom. Her name was Fiona, and she was my favorite human in the whole galaxy, until you came along. She was clever and kind. She understood how machines worked better than the people who designed them, and she could fix them faster than anyone I’ve ever met. I loved her as much as she loved you, and she loved you more than anything.”

“You have your mother’s beautiful eyes, but it looks like you got my big dumb ears. Sorry about that.” He chuckled. “Your mom loved math and music, and when you were a tiny, tiny baby, she sang ‘Mama Moon’ to you every single day.” His voice caught in his throat and his eyes watered. He missed Fiona so much.”

“Okay. So. The Empire came to our colony a few months before you were born. An Imperial officer assembled us in the core and told us that the company we worked for had been taken over by the Empire. He said it was because the company wasn’t meeting safety regulations, but that was a lie. He knew it and we knew it. The Empire needed doonium, and we had a lot of it. And if there’s one thing you need to know and understand about the Empire it is that it will take whatever it wants, whenever it wants it. The Empire will take everything you care about, everything and everyone you love, if you let them.

He realized that he had clenched his fists and tightened up his shoulders. He willed himself to relax, looked down and opened his hands. He touched the ring he still wore on his left hand as blood pumped back into his fingers.

“The Empire took your mom away from us, honey. An Imperial officer named Duggan killed her, just because he could. I want you to know this, so you never forget what we are fighting against, and why I’m sending you away.

“I also want you to know that not everyone is courageous enough to stand up to the Empire, and those people, who we call collaborators, are just as bad as the Empire is. They may even be worse, because they should know better. It’s because of a collaborator that your mom isn’t here. His name was Corbin, and he had been our friend for years, until the Empire arrived. It happens so fast, Laina, you don’t even realize it’s happening. One day, your friends are eating breakfast with you in the canteen, and when it’s time for dinner, they’re wearing an Imperial uniform.”

Outside their room, a muffled voice announced the duty change. He would have to wake her up soon, dress her for travel. Say goodbye.

“Corbin’s new uniform fit him too well. It was like he’d always wanted to wear one, because it was how he could feel important. But he wasn’t important. He wasn’t any more important than the blaster Duggan used to kill your mom. I know I’m talking about him a lot, but I need you to know that the Empire exists because of people like Corbin, who are too weak or ambitious to stand up to people like Duggan, and the Rebellion exists because of people like your mom, who are willing to risk their freedom and their lives to stand up to them both.

“Corbin didn’t have a family before the Empire came, and when he saw how happy your mom and I were to have you, it made him jealous. He started doing little things to bother us, like making me work extra shifts, and yelling at your mom that she couldn’t have you with her in the canteen, even though everyone on our crew loved it when you were around.

“This went on until one day your mom just ran out of patience with him and she told him to stop being a bully. Well, later that night, Corbin showed up at our quarters with Duggan, the Imperial officer in charge. Corbin had told Duggan that your mom and I were secretly rebel spies. We weren’t rebels then, and Corbin knew it. We were just parents trying to take care of our family, who were tired of being pushed around by someone with a little bit of power.

“I still don’t know if Duggan believed Corbin, or if he just wanted to use your mom and me to frighten and intimidate the rest of our crew. But he and his Loyalty Officers ordered your mom and me to confess to being rebel spies in front of everyone, and when we didn’t have anything to confess to, Duggan killed her. He just shot her, right in front of me, as casually as turning off a light.”

Ryland reached out and stopped recording. Did Laina really need to know all of that? If this was the only recording of him she would ever have, if she was going to watch this as she grew up, did he want to make her relive the death of her mother the way he did, night after night? He played the recording back, watched himself say the Rebellion exists because of people like your mom, who are willing to risk their freedom and their lives to stand up to them both, and tapped Record again.

“All of us who joined the Rebel Alliance have lost something, or someone, or someplace we loved. I’ve lost all three, and it isn’t easy for me to say goodbye to you today. But I have to send you someplace where you’ll be safe, where you’ll get to grow up and have a family, if you want one. I hope that we don’t need the Rebel Alliance by the time you’re old enough to join it, but if we do, I want you to know that it’s in your blood to fight back. You are your mother’s daughter.

“I will miss you every day, but I know that you’ll be safe with your Aunt Rhee and Aunt Eron. They helped our family escape from the Empire, and they introduced me to the rebels. I don’t have time to tell you that part of the story, but you can ask them to tell it to you, when you’re ready to know. They love you very much, and they’re going to take you to a planet called Alderaan, which is far away from any fighting. You’ll be safe there. You can grow up and make friends, and have the kind of life I always wanted you to have. I’ll fight for you as long as I have to, and I’ll see you soon.

“I love you so much, Laina, and I miss you already.”

He stopped recording, and saved the file.

Ryland walked over to his daughter’s bed and put his hand on her shoulder.
“Sweetheart,” he said gently, “it’s time to wake up.”

Eighteen hours later

When his watch was over, Ryland declined an invitation to join some of the pilots from Blue Squadron in the canteen and took a transport back to his quarters. He lingered at the door, his hand heavy as he lifted it to key the entry code. For the first time since they had arrived from Burnin Konn a year ago, he would open it to find an empty room on the other side.

He’d been standing there for several minutes when Mol Hastur, their neighbor, walked by. She paused and put her hand on his shoulder. “You did the right thing, Ry,” she said.

“I know,” he answered.

“The Force is with her,” Mol said. “It’s with us all.”

“Thanks, Mol. I hope you’re right.” He typed in his code and went inside. The door hissed closed heavily behind him.

Equipment: Alderaanian consular security uniform (black utility vest with pale blue tunic), BlasTech DH-17 blaster pistol (4D damage, range: 5-15/30/120, fire control: 1D, ammo: 100; Game Notes: Difficult blaster repair roll allows user to modify the weapon to fire in bursts. Only one 20-second burst can be fired, after which the weapon is useless. For duration of burst, shooter receives a +3D bonus to blaster roll, but cannot dodge), IFTS-4800 tracking gun (see separate entry below), Alderaanian fleet trooper plastoid blast helmet with comlink transceiver (+1D vs. physical, +2 vs. energy; protects head but not face; helmet-mounted antenna grants +1D bonus to communications rolls to known comlink frequencies).

IFTS Tracking Gun
Equipped with an electromonoscope and calibration dials, IFTS handheld trackers were used to sweep the horizon for incoming ships. Capable of being preloaded with a suite of starship profiles, of relaying alerts to select comlink frequencies upon registering matches, and of tracking a craft's flight vectors and trajectories, various models of the IFTS tracking gun saw use by both sides during the Galactic Civil War, as well as long afterward.



Type: Handheld tracking scanner
Model: Varies (for example, the IFTS-4800 tracking gun saw Rebel, Imperial, and Independent use over a 35 yr period)
Scale: Character
Skill: Search, sensors: handheld scanner
Cost: 500
Availability: 2, F
Range: 300-600m/6km/12km (user may scan only one fire arc per round; maximum range band may be increased exponentially if patched into larger sensor network, as described in Game Notes.)
Game Notes: Electromonoscope grants user a +3D bonus to search at medium range or greater, in one fire arc only, in addition to the special game effects described below.

The base difficulty and core mechanics for using an IFTS tracking gun are comparable to that of a starship's onboard sensors, only simplified and manually-controlled:

Sensor Mode: Scan only | Detect: Easy | Identify: Moderate

User that scans horizon must make a successful search check in order to spot/detect approaching or departing starfighter scale ships. Please note that user gains a +10 bonus to his roll when attempting to spot/detect capital scale ships, and a +20 bonus to spot/detect Death Star scale craft. The target ship's pilot may make evasive maneuvers if he or she wishes to avoid detection however. In such cases, in order to spot the starship, the tracking gun user must make an opposed roll, pitting his search skill plus the electromonoscope bonus, versus the pilot's piloting plus the ship's maneuverability (or bonuses granted by other countermeasures). In addition, once user and target are at close range from one another (or nearer), scale modifiers may be applied to opposed rolls.

Once a ship has been spotted, its make and model can be determined via a Moderate sensors check. And once a scanned ship reaches medium range from user, its starship transponder code may also be discerned if the user’s sensors roll succeeded by a margin of 10 or more, provided that the transponder code is being actively pinged/transmitted and is not disguised or baffled in some way. In the case of the latter, an opposed sensors roll is required to identity the ship.

In addition, once a ship has been scanned, the IFTS tracking gun can "lock" onto it via a second successful sensors roll, whose difficulty is determined by the starship's distance from user. If successful, user may now continue to track the ship with no further rolls necessary (unless new/different evasive maneuvers are then taken by pilot). User may now continue tracking flight vector and relative distance to and from selected points, such as the ship's distance from user, or other previously selected locations. And if patched into a larger sensor network of at least Starfighter scale, such as the one available to watchtower sentries at the Rebel base on Yavin 4, an IFTS scanner can even track "locked" targets beyond its already substantial effective range. If successful on an Easy communications or sensors roll, user can track "target-locked" craft as far as the limits of a planet's atmosphere, an approximate 100 km threshold (known in the Fath sector as a Kármán line).

Lastly, on a Very Easy computer programming/repair roll, IFTS tracking gun can be preloaded with a suite of starship profiles, and configured so that any matches instantly trigger an alert on select comlink frequencies.



Above: IFTS-4800 tracking gun, in use both on Yavin 4 in 0 BBY, and on Kef Bir in 35 ABY.

Sources: "Laina" short story by Wil Wheaton (From a Certain Point of View: Star Wars short story anthology), Star Wars: A New Hope film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story film, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary (p.158), The Star Wars Roleplaying Game: REUP (p.47), and Wookieepedia.

Background text: "Laina" short story by Wil Wheaton (From a Certain Point of View: Star Wars anthology).

Images: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story promotional photo ( https://web.archive.org/web/20171009150637/https://www.starwars.com/video/the-star-wars-show-episode-35 ), cropped chapter graphic/illustration from "Laina" short story by Wil Wheaton (From a Certain Point of View: Star Wars short story anthology), screen capture from Star Wars: A New Hope, and retouched photo from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary (p.158).

Stats and additional original text by Telsij.
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OBSCURE CHARACTER ARCHIVE INDEX

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[Telsij]

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL TABLETOP DAY, ALL!

Although I've not played "in person" in some time, I'm glad to have been able to participate in a number of Star Wars RPGs online, especially this past pandemic-year or two! Toward that end, and speaking of online RPGing, here is retired freighter captain KULTON WOODLE, a character from the old Star Wars: Galaxies MMORPG who was meant to introduce players to the (then-new) starship travel features of the game.

Once a language learning option was altered in-game however, Woodle would no longer address people that did not speak Mon Calamari / Calamarian. So for the Obscure Character Archive, I extrapolated in-universe reasoning for Woodle's change in attitude!

And with some minor photoshopping, I've also "upgraded" his in-game protocol droid J1-P0, using that sweet Mon Cal protocol droid concept art by Jake Lunt Davies, as well as given him a ship, using Mel Miniature's own extrapolation of a fuzzy rebel mystery ship in ESB. (Special thanks go to the Pit's own CRMcNeill, who hatched stock stats for the MC-19, among other awesome ships here: https://rancorpit.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=198208#198208 .)

Re: Woodle's starship, I christened his MC-19 transport the PAKOUKOU, in homage to Legends' "Knowledge Bank" ( https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Knowledge_Bank ), and in keeping with Woodle's in-game fondness for spacer yarns!


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KULTON WOODLE
Type: Wistful Spacer

Quotes:

• "Ah, nothing matches being at the helm of a ship flying through the deep, black reaches of space."
  (Translated from the Mon Calamari)
  
  
• "It is the journey I miss, but not the destinations."
  (Translated from the Mon Calamari)

DEXTERITY 2D+2
Blaster 4D, blaster: hold-out blaster 5D, dodge 5D, running 3D+2
KNOWLEDGE 3D
Alien species 4D+2, cultures: spacer 6D, planetary systems 5D+2,
streetwise 4D+2, survival 4D+1, survival: aquatic 5D+2, value 4D
MECHANICAL 3D+2
Astrogation 6D+1, capital ship piloting 6D, space transports 6D+2,
starfighter piloting 5D+2, starship gunnery 5D, starship shields 5D
PERCEPTION 3D
Bargain 4D+2, command: freighter crew 5D+2, con 4D+2, hide 4D,
persuasion 4D, persuasion: reminiscence 5D, search: past glory 4D
STRENGTH 2D+2
Brawling 3D+2, swimming 5D
TECHNICAL 3D
Capital ship repair 4D, computer programming/repair 4D,
droid programming: protocol droid 4D+1, droid repair 4D,
space transports repair 5D+2, starship weapon repair 4D

Special Abilities and Story Factors:

• Amphibious: Mon Calamari can breathe both air and water, and can withstand the extreme pressures of ocean depths.
  
  
• Dry Environments: When in very dry environments, Mon Calamari may seem depressed and withdrawn. In dry environments, Mon Calamari suffer a -1D penalty to their Dexterity, Perception, and Strength tasks. As with the bonus gained when in moist environments, this is a purely psychological effect.
  
  
• Moist Environments: When in moist environments Mon Calamari gain a +1D bonus to all Dexterity, Perception and Strength attribute and skill checks. This is a purely psychological advantage.
  
  
• Remembrance of Things Past: By the time of the Battle of Yavin and its immediate aftermath, Kulton Woodle had retired from his spacefaring life. He spent most days at the Theed spaceport on Naboo, chatting with spacers about what he missed — and did *not* miss — about being a tramp freighter pilot. Although Woodle's many conversations were (for him) a way to relive his glory days, more often than not, his tales also proved both informative and encouraging for those new to space travel.
  
  
• Self-imposed Language Limitation: Despite his gregarious nature and a clear desire to relive his glory days by recounting adventures with other spacers, Woodle developed a strangely specific, stubborn streak over time as well. After spending little more than a year loitering at the Theed spaceport with his protocol droid, trading stories with other spacers, Woodle began to shun those who did not speak Calamarian. Although J1-P0 claimed that Woodle spoke only Calamarian, the retired but well-travelled freighter captain's background suggested otherwise, lending credence to a rumor that Woodle had come to feel that it was an affront to the Mon Calamari people that other spacers had not taken the time to learn the language during their travels. Toward that end, Woodle will communicate entirely in Calamarian whenever possible, despite being fluent in Basic himself.
  
  In game terms, Kulton Woodle will only willingly engage with people who show at least some proficiency with the language of the Mon Calamari. At the very least, he will interact with those who make what *he* deems to be a sincere effort to engage him on his linguistic terms. If characters who do not speak Calamarian persist on attempting to interact with Woodle even after learning of his wish to communicate entirely, the difficulty of their social-interaction-based opposed rolls against him (eg: bargain, con, persuasion, etc) is increased by one level.

Species: Mon Calamari
Gender: Male

Force Points: 1
Character Points: 9
Move: 9
Size: Fewer than 1.7 meters tall

Capsule: Kulton Woodle was never one to mince words. But nowadays, unless you spoke Calamarian, you might never know that about him. The retired Mon Calamari freighter captain loved to trade tales about the tramp trade. It was an obvious effort to relive his glory days, but he also enjoyed hearing the spacefaring stories of others. Why then did he later come to rebuff so many that approached him for that very purpose?

Woodle had retired by the time of the Battle of Yavin and its immediate aftermath, and had become a fixture at Theed Spaceport on Naboo. But he's since become a bit of an enigma. While it was obvious that Woodle missed space travel itself — he missed being at the helm of a ship on its journey through the stars, and he often said as much — what proved more puzzling was his eventual decision to engage only those that spoke Calamarian.

Once gregarious, the well-traveled pilot used to greet all comers in friendly fashion. Woodle could not wait to regale approaching spacers with tales of derring do at the controls of his MC-19, all whilst waxing poetic about the feeling of flight itself. But now? Little more than a year after he was first spotted regularly loitering at Theed spaceport, Woodle now spoke only to those who speak Calamarian. Or at the very least, to those who expressed a desire to learn the language and at least *try* to engage him on *his* linguistic terms.

As per usual, Woodle's laconic protocol droid was of little help. J1-P0 often said little beyond informing passersby that Woodle spoke only Calamarian. But after Woodle had the droid's appearance overhauled to more closely resemble the protocol droid series developed by the Mon Calamari species itself? The duo seemed all the more aloof, disinterested despite the droid's words of welcome.

Some attributed Woodle's radical change in attitude to his having endured what he saw as a personal affront of some kind. And perhaps showing fledgling spacers the ropes — even if in previously satisfying, self-aggrandizing fashion — had finally begun to wear thin? *Especially* if fewer and fewer spacers seemed to speak his language. Perhaps chatting with an ever-respawning groups of novices he met had begun to grown stale otherwise too, perhaps it had begun to feel rote, like the bureaucratic busywork Woodle was so glad to leave behind.

To others however, Woodle's newly-acquired reticence made perfect sense. With a galaxy-spanning civil war now under way, and with Woodle having *already* survived the chaos of the Clone Wars, why wouldn't the Mon Cal spacer want to keep to himself? After all, with both the late Admiral Raddus and Admiral Ackbar serving in prominent command positions, many suspected the Mon Calamari to be rebel sympathizers as a whole. And as he did by retiring just as the Empire arose, perhaps Woodle was simply looking out for his own well being — like any spacer who'd already seen his share of bloodshed would.

But would Woodle stay his hand from action, just as he'd now tamed his tongue, while grave injustices mounted across the galaxy? Could he keep silent and "enjoy" his retirement while the galaxy burned or was crushed beneath the Empire's jackboot?

Thankfully, Woodle would and did come out of the retirement — to fight for the right side of history. After the Heroes of Yavin's defeat and near-capture at Cloud City, Woodle's M-19 was soon seen flying with the Rebel Alliance fleet, captained by Woodle and crewed by spacers he'd met at Theed! As it turns out, the Mon Calamari had another story in him yet. But in order to tell *this* tale, he would have to live it first. And if this story wound up being last, then at least it would be a finale Kulton Woodle felt good about, and at peace with.







Equipment: Comlink, double-breasted bib-front leather jacket (+1 vs. edged physical damage; covers torso and arms only), flight goggles (+2D vs. harsh weather/wind conditions, polarized lenses provide 4D protection vs. flashblindng), modified MC-19 medium transport (Pakoukou), modified Model Q2 hold-out blaster (3D+2 damage, range: 3-4/8/12, ammo: 6), Naboo Royal Space Fighter Corps flight helmet (+2 vs. physical damage; covers head only), protocol droid with customized plating (J1-P0), starship toolkit (+1D to any starship-related repair rolls).


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J1-P0
Type: Modified Cybot Galactica 3PO-series Protocol Droid



Above: Woodle and J1-P0 in Theed, before J1-P0 received his new plating (circa 0-1 ABY)



Above: J1-P0, after receiving his customized Mon Cala Configuration plating (circa 1 ABY)


A Quote: "I bid you hello. Master Woodle only speaks Mon Calamari. Master Woodle was once a captain on a freighter, but he is now retired."

DEXTERITY 1D
KNOWLEDGE 3D
Alien species 4D, alien species: Mon Calamari 5D, bureaucracy: tramp trade 4D, cultures 6D, planetary systems: Mon Cala 4D, languages 10D
MECHANICAL 2D
Communications 3D, sensors 3D, space transports: MC-19 transports 3D+2
PERCEPTION 1D
STRENGTH 1D
TECHNICAL 1D
Space transports repair: MC-19 transports 2D

Equipped with:

• AA-1 VerboBrain: Computing hardware that enables the protocol droid's cognitive functions and logic processing.

• Humanoid body with Mon Cala Configuration: Body assembled with two legs, two arms, torso, head; whose plating was designed with Mon Calamari owners and interactions in mind.

In game terms, J1-P0's newly-applied plating grants him a +1D bonus to social skill checks when interacting with Mon Calamari. In addition, the sealed-joint plating grants a +1D bonus to stamina to resist the harmful effects incurred from moist environments or prolonged submersion in water.

• TransLang III Communications Module: Programmed with fluency in over seven million languages.

• Two Photoreceptors and Two Audio Sensors: Sensor suite aligns with typical Mon Calamari range.

• Vocabulator speech/sound system: Vocabulator speech/sound system makes the droid capable of reproducing virtually any sound it hears or is programmed to reproduce.

Character Points: 1
Move: 8
Size: 1.7 meters tall
Matrix: Masculine programming; laconic

Capsule: For someone who was instrumental in communicating his master's desires to others, J1-P0 was a protocol droid of surprisingly few words. Seldom speaking unless approached, J1-P0 even then offered little more than the bare minimum, sharing only a succinct collection of facts when he did speak. For his owner Kulton Woodle however, this was more than enough.

When the freighter captain's business was bustling, J1-P0 handled all of the bureaucratic chores that bored Woodle, thereby allowing the Mon Calamari to focus on what he enjoyed most: flying. Moreover, thanks to some tinkering on Woodle's part, J1-P0 was capable of adequate co-pilot duty as well. This became especially invaluable in his master's often lonesome later years, when Woodle's once tightly-knit crews of old gave way to the attrition of years, before dwindling away entirely.

It was no great leap of logic then, that during his master's retirement, a time largely spent loitering on Naboo at Theed Spaceport, J1-P0 continued to serve as a first line of defense against unwanted interpersonal interaction. Over time however, J1-P0 role as intermediary began to serve a singular purpose for his formerly-gregarious master: the protocol droid now weeded out spacers who did not know the Mon Calamari language.

Though he began existence as a stock Cybot Galactica 3P0-unit, J1-P0 was refurbished once Woodle's aloof tendencies started to take hold in earnest. Soon after Woodle had begun refusing to even speak to those who did not know his language, he then had J1-P0's outer casings replaced with customized plating, so that the droid would more closely resemble the Mon Calamari species.


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PAKOUKOU

As someone who was fond of both telling spacers' stories and listening to them, Kulton Woodle named his MC-19 medium transport in honor of a most appropriate tale. "Pakoukou" is the Calamarian term for a long-lived *legend* that has even acquired divine status in some circles: the "Knowledge Bank" — a cluster of sentient mollusks native to Mon Cala that is said to be aware of, and capable of recalling, anything and everything that had ever transpired on the ocean world! It is fitting then that, despite operating a (largely) legitimate tramp freighter business prior to his retirement, Kulton Woodle has lived to tell more than his fair share of harrowing stories — all adventures had whilst at the helm of the Pakoukou.



Type: Modified Mon Calamari MC-19 Medium Transport
Scale: Starfighter
Length: 72 meters
Skill: Space transports: MC-19 transports
Crew: 4, skeleton: 2 (+10); gunners: 2
Crew Skill: See Kulton Woodle and J1-P0
Passengers: 2 (converted from 20 tonne of cargo space)
Cargo Capacity: 9,966 tonne
Consumables: 3 months
Hyperdrive Multiplier: x1 (+2 mishap modifier)
Hyperdrive Backup: x16
Nav Computer: Yes
Maneuverability: 1D+1 (+1 mishap modifier)
Space: 6 (+1 mishap modifier)
Atmosphere: 330; 950 kmh
Hull: 4D (+1 mishap modifier)
Shields: 2D+2 (backup: 1D)
Sensors:

Passive: 15/0D+2
Scan: 30/2D
Search: 65/2D+1
Focus: 5/3D

Weapons:

• Two Twin Arakyd Tomral Heavy Laser Cannons (fire-linked)
  Fire Arc: Dorsal turret, ventral turret
  Crew: Gunners: 1 each; or can be fired from cockpit
  Skill: Starship gunnery
  Fire Control: 2D (can be fired from cockpit, +1 mishap modifier)
  Space Range: 1-5/10/17
  Atmosphere Range: 100-500m/1km/1.7km
  Damage: 6D

Equipped with:

• Detachable Control Pod / Escape Pod
  
  Despite the ship's greatly improved performance overall, the control pod of the Pakoukou is largely unchanged from its stock specifications, apart from its modified hyperdrive — the ship's primary hyperdrive, which was upgraded at the expense of the pod's already limited cargo capacity. If the pod is forced to eject, see below:
  
  Type: Modified Mon Calamari MC-19 Medium Transport Control Pod
  Scale: Starfighter
  Length: 21 meters
  Skill: Space transports: MC-19 transports
  Crew: 4, skeleton: 2 (+10)
  Crew Skill: See Kulton Woodle and J1-P0
  Passengers: None
  Cargo Capacity: None
  Consumables: 3 months
  Hyperdrive Multiplier: x1 (+2 mishap modifier)
  Hyperdrive Backup: x16
  Nav Computer: Yes
  Maneuverability: 1D
  Space: 4
  Atmosphere:
  Hull: 3D+1
  Shields: 1D+2
  Sensors:
  
  Passive: 15/0D+2
  Scan: 30/2D
  Search: 65/2D+1
  Focus: 5/3D
  
  Weapons: None
  
  Excerpt from manufacturer's description: "The ship's control pod contains the ship's cockpit and the crew's living quarters, and can be ejected at a moment's notice (generally 1 round), although this is only done in the event of catastrophic damage to, or the eminent destruction of, the main ship itself. Due to the Mon Cal's design preference for multiple, distributed backup systems, the control pod has its own thrusters, hyperdrives, life support, and so on and so forth."

Sources: Star Wars: Galaxies video game, Wookieepedia, YouTube video "Let's Play Star Wars Galaxies - part 34: Tour of Naboo" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVWb02t0CpI&ab_channel=SuperVaderMan, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker concept art by Jake Lunt Davies https://www.instagram.com/p/CCyrv2nj_bV/ , Mel Miniatures model renders ( https://twitter.com/mel_miniatures/status/1066779491635290118 ), and Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp Freighters (Chapter 8: Ship Modifications and Repairs).

Images: Screen capture from Star Wars: Galaxies MMORPG / video game (sourced from Woodle's Wookieepedia entry), screen captures from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back film and 3D design render by Mel Miniatures with slight photo-retouching by Telsij ( https://twitter.com/mel_miniatures/status/1066779491635290118 ), screen capture from YouTube video "Let's Play Star Wars Galaxies - part 34: Tour of Naboo" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVWb02t0CpI&ab_channel=SuperVaderMan, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker concept art by Jake Lunt Davies ( https://www.instagram.com/p/CCyrv2nj_bV/ , with color palette alteration by Telsij).

J1-P0 stats based upon stock protocol droid model stats from http://d6holocron.com/wiki/index.php/3PO_Protocol_Droid . Stock MC-19 stats (as Mon Calamari Tanker) and "Excerpt from manufacturer's description" are original work by Charles McNeill, seen here: https://rancorpit.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=198208#198208 .

Stats and text by Telsij.
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[Whill]

Nice!
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[Telsij]

[Whill]

[fogger1138]

[Telsij]

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[Telsij]

[fogger1138]

Thank you!

[Telsij]

In honor of the Droids animated series' recent (but long overdue) arrival on Disney+, I went back through some of my old character write-ups for the Droids sourcebook project from the G+ days. One of the more fun entries was this background spacer who appeared in two episodes. As they resembled a Yarkora, I tried connecting this character to an existing Canon/Legends character, in true "Pablo Hidalgo" fashion. And I eventually found a suitable "identity" for the character in gunrunner Sheryc Seka!

Seen in the short-lived Star Wars 3-D comics, working for Mon Cal pirate Salmakk alongside what looks like a Trandoshan, and written as a gunrunner of some renown in the Star Wars D20 materials, Seka was also, in the latter, said to spend time lurking at the tables of Pepper Pax restaurant/tavern, keeping a watchful eye out for new arrivals and potential trouble. That the Yarkora-like spacer from Droids is seen accompanied by a reptilian *and* at a diner sealed the deal for me. While the connection may be a "stretch" for some, it's definitely plausible — and fun, so "rule of cool" won out, in grafting background onto this background character from Droids!

But upon revisiting the research now, years later, I discovered D20 stats for Sheryc Seka which I had not seen back when I first wrote her up for the Droids sourcebook. And thank you, wayback machine / internet archive, for allowing me to access both the downloadable D20 adventure AND Gary Astleford's D20-to-D6 conversion guidelines! (Thanks to the Pit, for archiving the official d6-t0-d20 conversion guide, which I referred to as well, despite using Gary's "recalibrated" attributes instead.)

The process was fun and I took some creative license when the stats started to feel "too high" — especially as the character being translated over to D6 was an accomplished but still "only" a mid-level character — or in a few cases, when other skills fit better than or in addition to those suggested. At the same time, I converted certain feats into specializations rather than simply additional pips as suggested by the guidelines, or making use of other ancillary stats not covered by the conversion guidelines. For example, rather than bumping her already high Con from 7D+2 to 8D+1 because of a bluff skill emphasis and the suggested +2 boost, I gave her a specialization in bluffs regarding weapon capability, which made sense given her expertise. Some fun extrapolation too, eg: giving a streetwise specialization bump for the pirate gang that employed her — justified in part by the +3 Reputation score, on top of her base +7 Knowledge (Streetwise) stat. Made use of her D20 craft skills as well, which the guidelines suggest should be reflected in other skills. As Seka had craft: personal weapons and craft: mechanical tools, I translated those into WEG advanced engineering skills. As her +9 repair in D20 translated to +3D over attribute, 6D+1 in this case, I lowered her blaster repair to 5D+1, so that with (A) blaster engineering 1D, her blaster repair rolls would be a combined 6D+1. And this still allowed for an approximation of her craft/creation D20 skills. All in all, these along with other additions here and there, felt in keeping to the spirit of her character portrayal in the D20 and comics sources.

Anyway! Here then, inspired too by Xain Arke's awesome D20 conversions thread, is my D20-to-D6 conversion and extrapolation of the "canon" identity of SHERYC SEKA, whom I've retconned into the Yarkora-like spacer from the Star Wars: Droids cartoon!


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SHERYC SEKA
Type: Scoundrelous Gunrunner



(Above: Seka at Zallakesh Spaceport)

DEXTERITY 2D
Blaster 4D, blaster: blaster pistol 4D+2, brawling parry 4D+2, dodge 4D+2, melee combat 3D+2
KNOWLEDGE 3D+1
Bureaucracy: spaceport customs 5D+1, planetary systems 4D+1, planetary systems: Darlyn Boda 6D, law enforcement: customs laws 5D+1, streetwise 5D+2, streetwise: Salmakk’s pirate gang 6D+2, value 6D+1, value: weapons 7D+2, willpower 5D+1
MECHANICAL 2D+2
Astrogation 6D, communications 3D+2, repulsorlift operation 5D+2, sensors 3D+2, space transports 6D+1, starship gunnery 4D+2
PERCEPTION 3D+1
Bargain 5D+1, bargain: illicit barter 6D, con 7D+2, con: weapons capability bluff 8D+1, forgery 7D, hide 5D+1, investigation 6D+2, investigation: weapons acquisition 8D, persuasion 5D, search 5D+2
STRENGTH 2D+1
Brawling 4D, stamina 3D+1
TECHNICAL 3D+1
(A) blaster engineering 1D, blaster repair 5D+1, computer programming/repair 5D+1, equipment repair 5D+1, (A) equipment engineering 1D, space transports repair 5D+2, starship weapon repair 5D



(Above: R to L, Seka and her Trandoshan co-pilot, at cantina/diner in the port city of Nime, on planet Roon)

Special Abilities and Story Factors:

• Redundant Digestive Organs and Metabolic Systems: Yarkora possessed two stomachs, four kidneys, and three livers. This redundant, reinforced physiology allowed the species to consume, digest, and properly/safely metabolize vast quantities. In game terms, Yarkora may reroll any failed Strength and stamina checks related to gastrointestinal or metabolic matters. This includes checks to resist the effects of most ingested poisons or toxins. The Yarkora character must accept the reroll's result however, regardless of outcome.

Species: Yarkora
Gender: Female
Character Points: 6
Move: 10


Capsule: If you were passing through the seedy Zallakesh spaceport in 15 BBY, chances are that a certain red-eyed Yarkora spacer had her eye on you. She kept her eye on a lot of things, and a lot of people.

At times, the Yarkora even crossed paths with major players on the galactic stage. At Zallakesh, she witnessed an altercation between a young Tammuz-an boy and an irate beast rider — most reports called the rider an Ithorian, but he was most likely Ottegan. Although such altercations were unremarkable given Seka's line of work, the child would have been gunned down too — were it not for the intervention of a plucky astromech droid, who arrived in time to whisk the boy away before further violence erupted. The Yarkora spacer would encounter this same R2 unit again later that same year, when she and her Trandoshan comrade were ostensibly "dining" in the port city of Nime, on the planet Roon. While conversing over a meal at a local inn, the Yarkora looked on as the very same astromech, along with its protocol droid companion and their human masters, attempted to elude local trouble from a Kobok assassin and a number of Governor Koong’s goons!

These droids, she would later learn, were the infamous R2-D2 and C-3P0 of the Rebel Alliance. But who was the Yarkora spacer herself? Softer featured than many of her cameloid contemporaries, this tall Yarkora spacer was believed to be none other than Sheryc Seka: gunrunner, suspected thief... and regular restaurant patron?

A capable weapons smuggler, Sheryc Seka had a well-earned reputation for “acquiring” difficult-to-find hardware. Looking for a vintage Trandoshan-fitted, Merr-Sonn triple-sling Blackout? Seka was the one to contact. From untraceable street models to Class 4 heavy weaponry, Seka could get just about anything — for the right price, of course.

In addition to her Trandoshan comrade and co-pilot, Seka often worked with the pirate Salmakk. The Mon Cal provided her with bulk weaponry, and in exchange, she “scrubbed” his ill-gotten guns so they cannot be traced to the source. Their relationship has been mutually beneficial for over a decade. And when she’s not at Salmakk’s base, the Yarkora spent time on Darlyn Boda. Lurking watchfully in various cantinas, diners and dives, to gather information, Sheryc was a frequent patron at Pepper's Pax.

The rain-slicked awning of Pepper’s Pax glistened between a pawnshop and a mortuary at the end of a muddy alleyway in Darlyn Boda’s largest city. This combination restaurant and tavern was a gathering place of choice for scoundrels of every allegiance. Pepper’s has only two rules, enforced by the establishment’s quill-covered bouncers: no quarreling and no "sissies." The latter rule required all newcomers to eat a mouthful of firespice vegetable pods; those who fail the requisite intestinal fortitude check would be rudely dumped out the door. Patrons regarded Pepper’s Pax as neutral ground, and it was always a good spot to find information. And there you'd find Seka, sitting at some back table, quietly keeping an eye on new arrivals, and her ears open for people asking too many questions about her boss.

Unfortunately, Seka's business and underworld credibility would later suffer during the New Republic era, due to her refusal to kowtow to mysterious forces coalescing in the Unknown Regions. Because of this, Seka finally chose a side... so to speak. Yes, the former Rebels — of whom Seka and Salmakk had once ran afoul on Hoth — had won the war, but the Yarkora gunrunner was willing to bet that, despite proclaiming peace, their New Republic would still — and perhaps *always* — need weapons. And *weapons* Sheryc Seka could *always* provide.



(Above: L to R, Seka and Trandoshan co-pilot, trafficking arms on Hoth)

Equipment: Forged IDs, fur-lined and fur-trimmed cold weather attire (+1D to resist the effects of freezing temperatures), hidden cache of arms and armament, military-grade comlink (can send encrypted messages that require a Heroic communications roll to decrypt if intercepted), red spacer's jumpsuit with ornate blue trim, stolen Safadine Industries prototype blaster pistol (4D+2 damage, range: 3-12/35/140, ammo: 50, availability: 4, X).

Sources: Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO (episode 9 "Coby and the Starhunters" and episode 12 “Across the Roon Sea”), "Rough and Tundra" Star Wars D20 RPG adventure from Wizards of the Coast https://web.archive.org/web/20100218041522/http://www.wizards.com/starwars/downloads/rough_and_tundra.zip , Star Wars 3-D issue 2 "Havoc on Hoth" (Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space Volume I), https://web.archive.org/web/20190414142552/http://verminary.com/rebellion/notes.html , https://web.archive.org/web/20100218041522/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=starwars/article/sw20040325adv , https://web.archive.org/web/20190414163624/http://verminary.com/rebellion/equipment.html , https://www.rancorpit.com/forums/downloads/Official%20Edition%20Documents/WEG%20to%20WotC%20Conversion.pdf , d6holocron wiki, and Wookieepedia.

Last three-and-a-half paragraphs of capsule text are adapted from "Rough and Tundra" Star Wars D20 RPG adventure by WotC (p.8-10). Images: Screen captures from Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO (episode 9: "Coby and the Starhunters" and episode 12: “Across the Roon Sea”) via Disney+ and Star Wars 3-D issue 2: "Havoc on Hoth" (Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space Volume I, p.330). SWD20-to-SWD6 stats conversion/interpretation and additional original text by Telsij.
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[shootingwomprats]

To quote the sage eternal, "AWESOME! Totally AWESOME!" I will update the character in the sourcebook.

Cheers!
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Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
@swd6podcast, Twitter

[Telsij]

[Raven Redstar]

Love the stats for Beckett's pistols. Pretty sure I came up with something similar on the fly when someone wanted one.
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RR
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[Telsij]