Hi folks

My daughter has created her first F&D character and I'm looking for a few pointers for our opening sessions. She's playing a teenage Zabrak aggressor who was taken from her people and press-ganged into Imperial service, with a view to her becoming a dark side agent - I'm thinking potential Emperor's hand/Inquisitorius. Her backstory is that during her training, she was instructed to cross one line too many and fled. We have some time before our regular group gets together, so we decided to have a few one-to-one sessions that will deal with her time at the mercy of the Imperial training regime. Given that she used her starting XP to pump her attributes and a couple of career skills, but didn't purchase any talents, this will also give her the chance to develop a broader range of powers too (I'll be giving the rest of the party the equivalent XP boost when we get together).

So I was wondering what tasks could comprise her training. I'm looking for a few set pieces that could fit together in an episodic fashion. I like the idea that the conditioning is relentless and that she has to keep making increasingly difficult checks against sleep deprivation to resist the stress gain between "activities" - but what are those activities? I also want to get across the idea of the overseer playing up the fallacy that her people gave her up for mercenary reasons (the truth of the matter is that they had no choice), as a means of trying to stoke the darkness within her. A few damned-if-you-do/don't scenarios wouldn't go amiss either, just to introduce conflict/morality and show how difficult it will be to walk the righteous path once she gets out into the big wide universe.

Thanks in advance!

PM3D

Well, there is always the "trusted companion/pet who you must kill" thing, wherein there is one animal, droid or person that shows her trust, supports her and helps her out. Now, its an IMPERIAL training regime, so even then it won't be something fluffy, but having to kill said trusted thing could be one particular mission. There could also be, as you say, choices with no right answer. Kill that innocent civilian for the food he was given...or starve to death. Or someone from her home town who has been primed with the "given up for mercenary reasons" story, who she is then allowed to punish for abandoning her. Maybe give her "command" of a combat vessel with a situation that REQUIRES her to order people to their deaths or bombard a planet.

I guess it would help to know what exactly she did for the Empire? What were they training her for?

I guess it would help to know what exactly she did for the Empire? What were they training her for?

Basically what kind of tool are they trying to make? What qualities would make an effective tool. Once you know that you will have an idea what kind of things they would have her do.

I guess it would help to know what exactly she did for the Empire? What were they training her for?

Basically what kind of tool are they trying to make? What qualities would make an effective tool. Once you know that you will have an idea what kind of things they would have her do.

I'm thinking that for the first scenario, she'll be taken from her quarters at night, bag over the head, hands bound, to a site where a detail of troops have been instructed to execute her for her apparent poor performance in relation to "the other agents". She will have to escape her bonds, disarm an opponent for their weapon and kill all her would-be executioners in order to a) stay alive, and b) impess her overseer. The troops will then be revealed to be droids. Then she will given some kind of first live assignment that may also turn out to be a ruse.

Another idea: she played the Oskara pregen from the EotE Beginner Game for a long time. It might be an idea to have her assigned to kill Oskara.

Yeah but the Empire is big. There is the II and the ISB and the Imperial Army and the Imperial Navy and Stormtroopers and Tie Fighter pilots. Their's Imperial politicians and Senators (well former Senators) and Moffs and Grand Moffs. Did Vadar have an eye on her since she could use the Force and he was intending to train her as secrete apprentice. Like what was the end job that she was being trained for. You've given us vague descriptions that doesn't really help narrow it down. The Empire is a large multifaceted bureaucratic nightmare. Knowing more about the job she was intended to do after training would help people get a better idea on what to suggest.

The prompt is to generic to provide anything more useful than ...... they asked her to kill something close to her. Hell I imagine what constitutes crossing the line is going to be very different for an agent in training with the II vs an ISB agent. vs Naval officer.

We need details man

Yeah but the Empire is big. There is the II and the ISB and the Imperial Army and the Imperial Navy and Stormtroopers and Tie Fighter pilots. Their's Imperial politicians and Senators (well former Senators) and Moffs and Grand Moffs. Did Vadar have an eye on her since she could use the Force and he was intending to train her as secrete apprentice. Like what was the end job that she was being trained for. You've given us vague descriptions that doesn't really help narrow it down. The Empire is a large multifaceted bureaucratic nightmare. Knowing more about the job she was intended to do after training would help people get a better idea on what to suggest.

The prompt is to generic to provide anything more useful than ...... they asked her to kill something close to her. Hell I imagine what constitutes crossing the line is going to be very different for an agent in training with the II vs an ISB agent. vs Naval officer.

We need details man

First for an Emperor's Hand Shadow is a better specialization. It has a better skill set for a personal agent including abilities that conceal its ability to use the force. Its more a jack of all trades kind of thing as opposed to being the absolute best at anything. That being said its all about subtle careful precise actions. The Emperor's Hands are meant to be unseen, traceless and completely disposable assets. For obvious actions he has a whole slew of options available.

Le Femme Nikita both the movie and TV show should give you an idea of the kinds of training that will be involved.

Everything from dropping her off on Nar Shadda with the clothes on her back with orders to kill a Hutt and get back to Imperial Center in 48 hours. (After posting a bounty on her). To dumping her in the tombs of Korriban then giving her a five minute headstart before releasing a pack of Kath Hounds to hunt her down and kill her. All she has to do is make it to the shuttle pad alive in less then an hour or well...

First for an Emperor's Hand Shadow is a better specialization. It has a better skill set for a personal agent including abilities that conceal its ability to use the force. Its more a jack of all trades kind of thing as opposed to being the absolute best at anything. That being said its all about subtle careful precise actions. The Emperor's Hands are meant to be unseen, traceless and completely disposable assets. For obvious actions he has a whole slew of options available.

Le Femme Nikita both the movie and TV show should give you an idea of the kinds of training that will be involved.

Everything from dropping her off on Nar Shadda with the clothes on her back with orders to kill a Hutt and get back to Imperial Center in 48 hours. (After posting a bounty on her). To dumping her in the tombs of Korriban then giving her a five minute headstart before releasing a pack of Kath Hounds to hunt her down and kill her. All she has to do is make it to the shuttle pad alive in less then an hour or well...

We looked at Shadow initially, but she didn't like the lack of combat skills. It's always something she could look at later. One of her first design decisions was that she wanted to create an intimidating character - fearsome and with martial skill (and she thinks Zabraks are cool).

In Star Wars Rebels, episode Breaking Ranks, minor spoilers: they have young cadets rising up through a series of moving platforms that get activated via stun bolts, as a sort of competitive race. Basically a test design to see who thinks fast on their feet, is physically fit, and who is cutthroat enough. It's also secretly a way of seeing who may be moving/thinking a bit too fast and may be force-sensitive an potential inquisitors.

Training is probably bound to be much in the same. Games pitting force potential against each other (trying to hunt each other out using the force, who is faster at precognition to shoot targets) and trying to quickly expand force potential (being put in extreme positions to survive, needing to exert their dominance through Influence power to obtain information), but with the safety off. Later training may even involve unique deathmatches to thin the herd. Further along in their training, they might get sent to handle any reports of a younger force-sensitive who might be causing trouble (to either recruit or kill), and their final test would probably be the same, but for an older threat.

Cheers Lathrop! She enjoys Rebels, so she might like recognising some of the same events.

I'm not a fan of GrimDark in Star Wars of the "And now you must kill your dog!" sort. I would paint with broad strokes. Perhaps she is on a training exercise, semi-real, retrieving some information on dissidents on a jungle world or something. As part of the mission she unexpectedly comes across some fugitives from Imperial justice - perhaps a lone wookie or escapees from the village that has been sanctioned. She knows they're in violation of curfew or are wanted, or whatever. And she knows they will probably be sentenced to Kessel or maybe executed if she turns them in so she has to turn a blind eye, or even protect them by redirecting the patrol that is moving in on them or similar. That's sufficient to show she is a good person still. Or perhaps she was sent to look for them herself and chooses to let them go when she sees they're not the dangerous terrorists she thinks. Even though she knows she'll be punished for failure. So this last one might be better as there's a cost to her for doing the right thing.

And then if you want a twist, the wookie can walk in at the end - he's an Imperial agent and it was a set-up to test her resolve. Now she has to go through more training, never knowing whether the next target might just be waiting to turn her in as part of another test...

Let her superiors think that she joined the rebels. Maybe it's just a false intel or a Rebel sabotage, it doesn't really matter. Her "job" is simply survive this. Anyhow

This topic makes me think of Danzo from Naruto. His shadowy black ops members. Always wanted to know

the 'recruits' background & training to get them to anbu black ops.

Possibly being ordered to track someone, who she has been told is a dangerous fugitive with stolen Imperial secrets/weapons/whatever, but when she finally tracks them down and calls in her overseer to eliminate them, it's a Jedi on the run or some other more sympathetic figure, maybe one with ties to her past. Perhaps she's told they've stolen Imperial goods, but that actually means is its a Force-sensitive Academy student fleeing an Inquisitor, trying to avoid the fate that's implied in Breaking Ranks?

She finds the fugitive and they're kind of who she's been told they are but they have a child with them. Maybe the imperial citizen they "abducted" is their own Force-sensitive kid who was stolen from them. Will she let them go and pretend she never found them, or turn them in and return the child to the same training program she has been subjected to for the past twelve years.

watch the Bourne identity series. you see snippets of his training might be a good basis.

I guess it would help to know what exactly she did for the Empire? What were they training her for?

Basically what kind of tool are they trying to make? What qualities would make an effective tool. Once you know that you will have an idea what kind of things they would have her do.

Given that she went for agressor over for example a seeker or sentinel specialisation, I think she's going for more of a kick the door down/assassin type of agent.

I'm thinking that for the first scenario, she'll be taken from her quarters at night, bag over the head, hands bound, to a site where a detail of troops have been instructed to execute her for her apparent poor performance in relation to "the other agents". She will have to escape her bonds, disarm an opponent for their weapon and kill all her would-be executioners in order to a) stay alive, and b) impess her overseer. The troops will then be revealed to be droids. Then she will given some kind of first live assignment that may also turn out to be a ruse.

Another idea: she played the Oskara pregen from the EotE Beginner Game for a long time. It might be an idea to have her assigned to kill Oskara.

Yes. But what does the Empire want and why? What are they trying to accomplish. When you can answer this question you will be far better able to answer the question of how they would train her. Those who are training her have a goal in mind. They want a tool of some sort. When you know what that tool is and how they will wield that tool you will know how they will treat and train her. If she is a warrior aggressor she is not likely to be a scalpel.

I guess it would help to know what exactly she did for the Empire? What were they training her for?

Basically what kind of tool are they trying to make? What qualities would make an effective tool. Once you know that you will have an idea what kind of things they would have her do.

Given that she went for agressor over for example a seeker or sentinel specialisation, I think she's going for more of a kick the door down/assassin type of agent.

I'm thinking that for the first scenario, she'll be taken from her quarters at night, bag over the head, hands bound, to a site where a detail of troops have been instructed to execute her for her apparent poor performance in relation to "the other agents". She will have to escape her bonds, disarm an opponent for their weapon and kill all her would-be executioners in order to a) stay alive, and b) impess her overseer. The troops will then be revealed to be droids. Then she will given some kind of first live assignment that may also turn out to be a ruse.

Another idea: she played the Oskara pregen from the EotE Beginner Game for a long time. It might be an idea to have her assigned to kill Oskara.

Yes. But what does the Empire want and why? What are they trying to accomplish. When you can answer this question you will be far better able to answer the question of how they would train her. Those who are training her have a goal in mind. They want a tool of some sort. When you know what that tool is and how they will wield that tool you will know how they will treat and train her. If she is a warrior aggressor she is not likely to be a scalpel.

I think I clarified this when I wrote " I think she's going for more of a kick the door down/assassin type of agent", in my second post. Remember, it's really about the kind of character my daughter wants to play, not what I as the GM imagine the Empire to want her to be. To consolidate though, tonight we're having our first game and with the hostile environment suggestions in mind, we'll be using the Onderon/Whisper Base map from the AoR Beginner Box. These "backstory" sessions will be set before the base got taken over during our AoR games, and I'm tweaking the purpose of the base to account for them training a Zabrak girl there. If you're after rationale, Daeglan, then in my mind, Moff Dardano wants to create his own brute (F)force assassin so he has the option of going precision nuclear in his ongoing efforts against admiral whatshisname.

In short, after some Rebels series-esque assault course activities in the training room (thanks, Lathrop), she's going to be sent on an apparently simple courier assignment (easy task for a trainee, right?) but her ship will have been sabotaged. The ship will come down at the map's handily-marked crash site and, as per Decorus' suggestion, she'll have to complete the task and make her way back on foot - and Onderon's jungle isn't exactly a walk in the park. On the way, she might encounter the village with their anti-Imperial sentiments and she'll have the choice of whether or not she informs on them to her Imperial masters.

A subsequent task might be a kill order on a beast rider leader.

Perhaps a trip to the Dxun moon - take in the scenery, escape from the jaws of horrific creatures, try out the fear mechanics.

Further down the line, she'll be sent further afield on a longer assignment, and when she returns, she'll find something amiss. It will become apparent that the events of Takeover at Whisper Base have happened and she'll have the choice of cutting ties with the Empire or letting Moff Dardano know about the rebel takeover. My daughter's plan was to have her character flee from the Empire eventually, but I am interested to see how long she sticks around. She might even be involved with Moff Dardano's counterattack, as the tip of the spear (in other words, Operation: Shadowpoint from the opposing side's POV).

I guess it would help to know what exactly she did for the Empire? What were they training her for?

Basically what kind of tool are they trying to make? What qualities would make an effective tool. Once you know that you will have an idea what kind of things they would have her do.

Given that she went for agressor over for example a seeker or sentinel specialisation, I think she's going for more of a kick the door down/assassin type of agent.

I'm thinking that for the first scenario, she'll be taken from her quarters at night, bag over the head, hands bound, to a site where a detail of troops have been instructed to execute her for her apparent poor performance in relation to "the other agents". She will have to escape her bonds, disarm an opponent for their weapon and kill all her would-be executioners in order to a) stay alive, and b) impess her overseer. The troops will then be revealed to be droids. Then she will given some kind of first live assignment that may also turn out to be a ruse.

Another idea: she played the Oskara pregen from the EotE Beginner Game for a long time. It might be an idea to have her assigned to kill Oskara.

Yes. But what does the Empire want and why? What are they trying to accomplish. When you can answer this question you will be far better able to answer the question of how they would train her. Those who are training her have a goal in mind. They want a tool of some sort. When you know what that tool is and how they will wield that tool you will know how they will treat and train her. If she is a warrior aggressor she is not likely to be a scalpel.

I think I clarified this when I wrote " I think she's going for more of a kick the door down/assassin type of agent", in my second post. Remember, it's really about the kind of character my daughter wants to play, not what I as the GM imagine the Empire to want her to be. To consolidate though, tonight we're having our first game and with the hostile environment suggestions in mind, we'll be using the Onderon/Whisper Base map from the AoR Beginner Box. These "backstory" sessions will be set before the base got taken over during our AoR games, and I'm tweaking the purpose of the base to account for them training a Zabrak girl there. If you're after rationale, Daeglan, then in my mind, Moff Dardano wants to create his own brute (F)force assassin so he has the option of going precision nuclear in his ongoing efforts against admiral whatshisname.

In short, after some Rebels series-esque assault course activities in the training room (thanks, Lathrop), she's going to be sent on an apparently simple courier assignment (easy task for a trainee, right?) but her ship will have been sabotaged. The ship will come down at the map's handily-marked crash site and, as per Decorus' suggestion, she'll have to complete the task and make her way back on foot - and Onderon's jungle isn't exactly a walk in the park. On the way, she might encounter the village with their anti-Imperial sentiments and she'll have the choice of whether or not she informs on them to her Imperial masters.

A subsequent task might be a kill order on a beast rider leader.

Perhaps a trip to the Dxun moon - take in the scenery, escape from the jaws of horrific creatures, try out the fear mechanics.

Further down the line, she'll be sent further afield on a longer assignment, and when she returns, she'll find something amiss. It will become apparent that the events of Takeover at Whisper Base have happened and she'll have the choice of cutting ties with the Empire or letting Moff Dardano know about the rebel takeover. My daughter's plan was to have her character flee from the Empire eventually, but I am interested to see how long she sticks around. She might even be involved with Moff Dardano's counterattack, as the tip of the spear (in other words, Operation: Shadowpoint from the opposing side's POV).

You missed my point. That is what she wants. That is not the same as what they want. Their desires for her are likely different than what her character's desires are. They are going to do things that steer her character in the direction THEY want. So what you as the gm need to figure out is what those above her character want. Your players desires are irrelevant to this. And this will be where you get drama. He will try and force her down the path he wants. She will try and push her character down the path she wants to go. Conflict drama ensues.

What you need to work on is

What is Moff Dardano's desire?

What does Moff Dardano love?

How far is Moff Dardano willing to go to get his desire?

What does Moff Dardono have at his disposal?

What does Moff Dardano believe they need to accomplish their goals?

What is Admiral Whatshisname's desire?

What does Admiral Whatshisname love?

How far is Admiral Whatshisname willing to go to get his desire?

What does Admiral Whatshisname have at his disposal?

When you figure this stuff out things will be easier. And remember to only include the information these character know in their decision making. They need to be fallible.

If she's from Dathomir, perhaps the Empire kidnapped her entire coven (assuming she's a Dathomirian, and not some random Zabrak). The witches of Dathomir are very strong with the Dark Side (Dark Disciple establishes that the magicks of Dathomir are a facet of the Dark Side), so it would be logical for the Empire try and use this resource to their advantage. Their seperated from each other, and put through a rough training regiment, rooting out the weaklings until only two remain. After months, maybe years without seeing each other, the two are forced to fight to the death, under the threat of Dathomir being Base Delta Zeroed (Imperial military jargon for orbital bombardment). This is to test the kind of hard calls she'd have to make as an agent of the Empire, but she can't kill her sister. Maybe her sister is more willing to kill her to save her people, and she is forced to put her down. Having experienced the evil that the Empire is capable of and what the fear that they cultivate can do to those closest to her, she decides to escape and try and make contact with the Rebel Alliance.