Hey fellow forum dwellers,

Searched a bit, and didn't find any official or fan-made version of the Pyke species. Does anyone know if one exists? If not, how would you see the stats for the Pykes?

No Official

And have not seen a fan-made one

so your not missing it

Well at least I'm not crazy!

Am I the only one that would be interested in playing a Pyke, though? They'd fit the Edge of the Empire theme well enough. I'm not well versed in the fine art of species creation but I can see strengths (cunning, black market connections) and weaknesses (weird looking, somewhat fragile) right off the bat.

They'd be a solid addition in my book. Very good fit for EotE. Perhaps giving them a starting rank in Deception or Underworld.

I'd also like to see that species. Maybe I could try throwing something together.

Pyke

Brawn: 1

Agility: 1

Intellect: 2

Cunning: 3

Willpower: 2

Presence: 3

• Wound Threshold: 9 + Brawn

• Strain Threshold: 12 + Willpower

• Starting XP: 120

• Special Abilities : Pykes begin play with one free rank in Underworld. They may not train Underworld above Rank 2 during character creation.

• Connections : When purchasing illegal goods, may reduce rarity by 1, increasing cost by 25 percent of base cost. This counts as a rank in Black Market Contacts, and will permanently reduce the cost to reduce the rarity of an item by half.

Note: This write up is based off of the named Pykes, not the soldiers seen in The Clone Wars.

Very interesting take, A7T, and comparing it to some of the official species, seems quite balanced. I might use this profile when I get to be a player!

This write up draws from both Legends and canon material, in addition to fanon material, which is highlighted in bold :

:

Pykes

Pykes are notorious for being a species whose crimes families are the preeminent spice dealers in the galaxy. If there are Pykes not somehow connected to the spice trade, few have met them.

Physiology: The Pykes are slimmer and taller than the majority of humanoid species, with two long, lanky legs, and two arms that ended in three-fingered hands. Their most striking feature, however, are their large and tapered skull, with an undersized face; small as a that of human child. A Pyke’s mottled skin tone could range from dark reds to dull grays to rich greens, and their eyes are colored in vibrant shades of blue and purple. Because of their unsettling appearance, other species always take getting used to the Pykes.

Society: Although the Syndicate was also commonly known as the Pyke Family, as it is comprised entirely of members of the Pyke species, it is in fact composed of numerous individual families that are ruled by patriarchs. Some of these leaders hold the title of Imperator (properly addressed as Illustrious Imperator) and are served by majordomos. Most, if not all, Pykes are members of the Pyke Syndicate, and were responsible for keeping a steady supply of spice funneling into the stores of some of the most influential crime families operating in the lower levels of Coruscant, the galactic capital, during the Clone Wars. They oversee the distribution of fresh necrotic spice harvested by slaves and other unfortunates in the Spice Mines of Kessel, thought they rely on smugglers and unscrupulous freighter captains to pull off foolhardy Kessel Runs to delivers their prize to customers eager to pay top credit for the destructive, addictive substance, though they are also known to get addicted to their own product, something made evident by the spice that stains the mouth and hands of many Pykes. Following the death of their leader Lom during the Clone Wars, however, the Syndicate has began losing its grip on the spice trade, and the Black Sun has began to cut in on their profits , bitter after the Pykes refused to join them following the original, temporary disbandment of the Shadow Collective (a wide-ranging group of criminal organizations) during the Clone Wars. If not resolved, this tension has the potential to devolve into an all-out gang war. ​ However, since the second, and this time permanent, collapse Shadow Collective, the spice dealers have branched out to expand their power by incorporating many smaller groups into their cartel. However, the Syndicate has seen its fortune dwindle under the increased security of the Galactic Empire, which has made spice dealing difficult, though they continue to soldier on, always looking for greater profits.

Homeworld: Wreathed in mist, the mountainous Pyke homeworld of Oba Diah is located in the Outer Rim Territories. The Pykes inhabit massive fortresses and busy space ports carved out of its jutting obsidian crags, and it is home to Pyke Palace, the headquarters of the Pyke Syndicate. Oba Diah is orbited a moon covered in an endless desert, the location where the shuttle of Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas crash landed on after it was shot down by the Pykes, who were handsomely compensated for the attack by a man they knew only as Tyranus.

Language: As major members of the criminal underworld, the Pykes are fluent in Galactic Basic Standard, along with major trade languages such as Huttese and Bocce. As a result, after generations of Pykes neglected to learn their native tongue in favor of learning those that would bring them more profit, their original language has long since died out.

Life on the Fringe: Most Pykes are members of the Pyke Syndicate, though only a select few control the day-to-day operations of the criminal empire, and the majority instead work as enforcers for the Syndicate. However, with the Empire attempting to gain favor with the Black Sun, they have began to crack down on Syndicate operations throughout the galaxy, endangering their near total monopoly on spice production. As a result, it is now more common to find Pykes working independently of the Syndicate in hopes of not being dragged down with it, personally smuggling and dealing the spice that they once had absolute control over.

Brawn: 1

Agility: 2

Intellect: 2

Cunning: 3

Willpower: 2

Presence: 2

• 
  

  Wound Threshold: 9 + Brawn

• 
  

  Strain Threshold: 12 + Willpower

• 
  

  Starting XP: 90

• 
  

  Special Abilities : Pykes begin play with one free rank in Underworld. They may not train Underworld above Rank 2 during character creation.

• 
  

  Connections : When purchasing illegal goods, may reduce rarity by 1, increasing cost by 25 percent of base cost. This counts as a rank in Black Market Contacts, and will permanently reduce the cost to reduce the rarity of an item by half.

• Unsettling Appearance: When making a social check against a Pyke, non-Pykes must add a Setback Die.

If there is enough interest, I can post a version without any fanon material.

I am also a fan of the Pykes. I have to ask, why the lower agility? Nothing about them, that i have seen, seems to suggest they are rather clumsy.

120 XP bonus seems far too excessive. Especially for a species that has two 3's in their base characteristics.

In fact, I'm not sure any published species with two 3's offers for that 90 starting XP.

With that array, I could have 1/2/2/4/3/4 after taking extra obligation. two 4's and a 3 with only a single 1 is too good.

Very nice, A7T, and the fanons elements seem actually accurate (in Dark Disciple, the Black Sun is trying to incorporate the Pyke Syndicate into their ranks), or at least logical (I could totally see the Pykes loosing their native tongues over time, the same way most humans only speak Basic).

I am also a fan of the Pykes. I have to ask, why the lower agility? Nothing about them, that i have seen, seems to suggest they are rather clumsy.

I think it's more for balancing reasons than anything else. When you look the other species in the Core rulebook, Wookies start with 1 Willpower, but Wookies are always shown as headstrong, while the Trandoshans, who are always represented as good hunters and marksmen, start with 1 Agility. Maybe 2 starting scores of 1 is too much, though, as you said. Since the Pyke's physiology is described as "unsettling", I could see taking away one point in Presence and putting it in Agility. Although at this point, you basically get a slight Bothan variant.

I could see reducing the starting xp to 100 or 90, but as for why agility is so low, like Necrovoker said, it was for balancing. I stated these guys as faces, but the physical stats got left behind. Maybe make agility 2 and presence 2, with a special trait called unsettling, which I think may be a modified version of intimidating.

Another vote for making Agility 2 Presence 2. Agility 1 doesn't seem supported by canon evidence.

I should have an update done by later today which will contain these changes:

- Agility and Presence changed to 2

- Starting XP reduced to 90

- New talent added: Unsettling

I've added the above changes, but I'm open to suggestion concerning what Unsettling Appearance does. I feel like it have both a social advantage and disadvantage, so the version currently posted will probably not stay for long. I a willing to redo the entire talent.

Comparing it with the Bothans, which are the closest to your version of the Pykes (same stats, similar special abilities), I'd say the Pykes could start with 100 xp. Although for that I'd drop Unsettling Appearance just to be even. Or you stay at 90 xp and keep Unsettling Appearance.

Speaking of Unsettling Appearance, I think this version is not only too strong, but also maybe not very fitting. Maybe we could change it for something like characters trying a social skill check against a Pyke must add a Setback Die to the roll to represent their awkwardness and discomfort.

Comparing it with the Bothans, which are the closest to your version of the Pykes (same stats, similar special abilities), I'd say the Pykes could start with 100 xp. Although for that I'd drop Unsettling Appearance just to be even. Or you stay at 90 xp and keep Unsettling Appearance.

Speaking of Unsettling Appearance, I think this version is not only too strong, but also maybe not very fitting. Maybe we could change it for something like characters trying a social skill check against a Pyke must add a Setback Die to the roll to represent their awkwardness and discomfort.

Your rendition of Unsettling Appearance actually sounds pretty good, mind if I borrow that? Also, the reason I wanted to add a trait reflecting this is because it is a major part of their physiology and to further separate them from the Bothans.

Comparing it with the Bothans, which are the closest to your version of the Pykes (same stats, similar special abilities), I'd say the Pykes could start with 100 xp. Although for that I'd drop Unsettling Appearance just to be even. Or you stay at 90 xp and keep Unsettling Appearance.

Speaking of Unsettling Appearance, I think this version is not only too strong, but also maybe not very fitting. Maybe we could change it for something like characters trying a social skill check against a Pyke must add a Setback Die to the roll to represent their awkwardness and discomfort.

Your rendition of Unsettling Appearance actually sounds pretty good, mind if I borrow that? Also, the reason I wanted to add a trait reflecting this is because it is a major part of their physiology and to further separate them from the Bothans.

I've added it, with the caveat that it only effects non-Pykes. EDIT: Apparently, Fly Casual has some information on Oba Diah, and possibly the Pykes themselves. If anyone has the book, could they post the relevant information in this thread?

Well, I feel really good about this one. I think that would be my definitive version: saving it to my bookmarks!

Well, I feel really good about this one. I think that would be my definitive version: saving it to my bookmarks!

Thanks. I have this version saved to Google Drive, though it will probably be adjusted if there are more critiques. Thanks for helping me with Unsettling Appearance, that was really the only thing I couldn't figure out. Also, it turns out that Under a Black Sun has some goof Imperial Era information, which I added to the write up. Also, because of this I am tempted to give this species a test drive. Tell me how it goes if you play with this.

I might soon finally get to be a player for an Edge of the Empire game, and I'm really tempted to play a Pyke. I'll keep you posted!

(If you have a non-forum post version of the species in pdf or something, would you mind sending it to me via PM or something? That'd be easier to reference to it)

I might soon finally get to be a player for an Edge of the Empire game, and I'm really tempted to play a Pyke. I'll keep you posted!

(If you have a non-forum post version of the species in pdf or something, would you mind sending it to me via PM or something? That'd be easier to reference to it)

You should have received the newest version in your inbox.

I'm actually running a full campaign primarily centered around Oba Diah and the Pykes, with a lot of it made up fanon based on what little we know of them from the Clone Wars.

My Pyke stats (though no one ended up using them) was a little different.

Brawn 1

Agility 2

Intellect 2

Cunning 3

Willpower 2

Presence 2

Wounds: 9+ Brawn

Stain 11+ Will

Exp: 90

Pykes begin the game with one rank in either negotiation or streetwise, they may still not train above rank 2.

Narcotic Immunity: Pykes are immune to the negative effects of most Narcotics, while still able to experience benefits (if any). They may still become addicted, but decrease the difficulty of any rolls to resist acquiring an addiction by two.

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The second ability stems from the fact that they're so heavily involved in the spice trade, but do not seem to be completely drugged out all the time - I figured it would give them a unique niche in the underworld by being immune to most the things they peddle.

I also had a full and detailed write up for Oba Diah (including 2 well developed cities and several other locales and creatures for them).

And then we had a Star Destroyer wreck everything. w00t.