Interesting take Fwiffo. Funny how you almost got to the same profile on your own! The Dark Disciple book does mention that the Pykes can be seen intoxicated on spice, but it doesn't say if they'd feel the negative backlash afterwards, so your version still follows canon.

If you still have that detailed fanon write up for Oba Diah, feel free to post it here. I' d be really interested, as would be any Pyke player!

I was thinking about maybe allowing the play a choice over what they got a rank in, but I decided to streamline it. Maybe I'll reintroduce a choice in a future version. I'm definitely not done with the Pykes.

I was also considered introducing something about narcotics into their profile, but Marg Krim did seem at least a little strung out on his "pike" in Dark Disciple and the fact that almost every Pyke we see in the series is addicted to spice. That said, I really, really like how you handle that ability, though I thought that their connection to the underworld was more important. Maybe I'll find a way to incorperate that into a future version with a further reduction to 80 xp. That said, do you mind if I barrow that, I don't think I could have done any better.

When doing my mini write up on Oba Diah, I was thinking of putting it in the Kessel sector for obvious reasons, but I'd be interested in seeing what you out together.

Interesting take Fwiffo. Funny how you almost got to the same profile on your own! The Dark Disciple book does mention that the Pykes can be seen intoxicated on spice, but it doesn't say if they'd feel the negative backlash afterwards, so your version still follows canon.

If you still have that detailed fanon write up for Oba Diah, feel free to post it here. I' d be really interested, as would be any Pyke player!

Gladly!

oba Diah: A Brief History

The planet Oba Diah was, for many centuries, a quiet planet of little note. That changed overnight with the exportation of Glitterstim from nearby Kessel. The Pykes, a peaceful but arrogant species, saw opportunity. Over the next several decades, the power struggle for Glitterstim between the Hutts and the Pykes would become a thing of legend. Prior to the start of the Clone Wars, the Pyke Syndicate could boast that it controlled 85% of all Glitterstim refinement and production.

Because of the dangers and illegality of Glitterstim, the Pykes became experts at maneuvering around Republic law, managing to provide special protections for their operation through the use of bribes in the Senate, and by keeping other Crime Syndicates, like the Hutts and Black Sun from developing deeply into the Spice trade.

But as the Clone Wars continued on, the Pykes began to fear that the Confederacy would win, destroying their protections from the Republic. At the same time, they knew that betraying the Republic so openly would end their business very fast, as the Pykes themselves had no real starship Armada to protect them. So the Pykes, under the leadership of Lom Pyke, an enterprising leader from a long line of Pyke royalty, threw their lot in with Darth Maul's Shadow Collective - a united front among the Pykes, Black Sun and the Hutts under the command of the resurrected Darth Maul. This would prove to be a mistake, and the collapse of the Shadow Collective did irreparable damage to the Pyke Syndicates name. Followed shortly by the death of Lom Pyke at Darth Tyrannus's hand, the Pyke Syndicate was greatly weakened by the time Emperor Palpatine rose to power.

Palpatine, angered at the Pykes for their collusion with Darth Tyrannous and Darth Maul, declared Oba Diah an outlaw state, and quickly subjugated the planet. The full force of the Empire was brought to bear, and the Pyke Syndicate was pounded out of existence, their old capital of Oba Dios reduced to ruin. A new Imperial Garrison was set up on Oba Diah, and the spice refineries were all "liberated" by the Empire. Over the next two decades, Oba Diah was rebranded as a shining example of Imperial progress. A new capital formed around the Imperial Garrison, mockingly named Oba Imperious, while the tiny port towns of Oba Oniya, Oba Sifina and Oba Sira took new prominence.

But as Oba Diah rebuilt itself, the Pyke Syndicate, seeking it's former glory, also began to return. Now operating from the underground of the three port cities, this new Pyke Syndicate, under the leadership of Lom Pyke's son Elom, is beginning to take steps to undermine the Empire, and bring down it's rule of the Spice Trade once and for all...

oba Diah: Points of interest

Oba Diah is a small planetoid in the Kessel sector, about 3 parsecs from Kessel. It has two moons, named Heza Diah and Abed Diah by the locals, neither of which are of any real note. The planet itself has a livable, if cool and wet atmosphere. The planets two large continents are separated by a sea, called the Oba Mari. The terrain on Oba Diah can best be described as 'mountains'. Visitors to the planet will immediately note the size and scale of the rocky crags that cover almost 90% of the planets land mass, often stretching high into the clouds from the low valleys where settlements usually lie.

The only sentient species to evolve on the planet are the Pykes. The Pykes are tall, lanky bipeds that are very gaunt by human standards. Their most distinguishing feature is the unusual cranial construction. The oversize skull sits atop a long, thin neck, but the actual facial features of quite small in comparison to the skulls size, giving them a strange, unsettling appearance. Their eyes have no pupils, being almost insectoid in appearance. They have three digits on their hands and two on their feet, and their slight frames are surprisingly sturdy, if not strong. A peculiar resistance to toxins have adapted them well to the spice trade, as Pykes can ingest Glitterstim and other spices and reap the benefits, while their unique physiology makes them all but immune to most of the side effects of the hallucinogens.

As a society, the Pykes value loyalty (to other Pykes, that is) and pleasure above all else. It's believed they evolved from a rough existence scavenging the potent Topaz Moss Blossoms from the rocky crags, while avoiding Oba Diah's plethora of unusually large predators. Many Pykes of the western continent see that a pleasurable, easy lifestyle is a reward for the eons of long struggle to reach this point in their civilization. While Pykes are loyal (to other Pykes), they do not have the remotest care for members of other species, seeing them as little more than beasts, and treating them with similar disdain. Compassion (except to other Pykes) is not valued among their kind.

Oba Diah is split into two continents, Oba Zephyr, the western continent, and Oba Eurus, the Eastern. The Pykes of Oba Zephyr speared technological growth on their planet, and lead their species to the stars, and are therefore the Pykes that most others are familiar with. The Pykes on Oba Eurus, however, lead a much different existence. While Oba Zephyr is a fierce, harsh continent with mountain ranges blanketing the entirety of the land, Oba Eurus is marked by immense peaks, and low, wide valleys that most Predators tend to avoid. In these valleys, the much more peaceful Pykes of Oba Eurus reside, farming Topaz Moss Blossoms with techniques and tools unchanged for centuries. The Pykes of the eastern continent still follow the ancient Pyke Religion, Oba Pykus wholeheartedly. Oba is an ancient Pyke word meaning 'Servant', and their religions name translates to Servant of Pykus, their primary deity. The old religion saw everything as a servant of something else - Oba Diah means 'Servant of the Lord', and most cities retain the naming convention. Both the Imperials and the Zephyr Pykes tend to ignore the Eastern continent, only nominally trading for food and other supplies with the Oba Eurus.

Life on Oba Diah took an unusual evolutionary path, in particular, due to the existence of the strange and unique Topaz Moss Blossoms. These blossoms are formed amidst mossy fields that cling to the damp rock faces of Oba Diah's mountainsides, springing from the unusual moss itself. The plants glow a strange purple color that shimmers brightly both night and day. The color is caused by a unique bacterium that photosynthesizes light energy at an incredibly efficient rate, and can store such energy in amounts far excess in what can typically be found in similar organisms on other worlds. This super efficient energy allows the native fauna or Oba Diah to grow quite large considering the relative scarcity of food sources in the mountainous region. Even the common, small lizard-rat pests are much larger than equivalent organisms on other worlds, often reaching 2 to 3 feet in length. The primary grazer of these plants is the common Mountain Zergold, a goat like animal evolved to climb up nearly sheer cliffs to reach these blossoms - these typically grow to about 7 feet in length, but have been known to get larger. Preying on these are a number of large predators, from the immense Bearagon, to the flying Thetaguirus, to the mysterious Vine Skulker. The size of these beasts make Oba Diah a popular destination for Big Game Hunters. For many centuries, the Pykes lived in fear of the wilds, but when simple Blaster technology was introduced, the Pykes found these beasts were easily driven off by laser-weapons, and thusly set up posts around all their cities to protect them.

The Oceans too are full of large beasts, again driven by Topaz Blossoms - though this kind of a floating variety adapted to growing on the sea. The seas of Oba Diah are a sargossan mess of floating, purple-glowing moss, known to snag ocean-going vessels with ease. Lurking beneath the sheet of green seaweed are a number of creatures of immense size and varying ferocity, to the point where traveling by boat on the planet is often considered suicide. As such, the Harbor Cities typically deal with airspeeder travel, even though that too can be dangerous on dark knights, when the creatures of the air bask in the glow of Oba Diah's twin moons.

Most people tend to avoid Oba Diah, a dangerous world populated with dangerous people. But often, the lure of spice or adventure turns too great, and for that, many pay the price.

I completely admit the last couple of paragraphs were done solely so I could have a bunch of Giant Monsters for our Big Game Hunter player to fight.

Great! some really cool ideas. We've really built something for that species here, I think.

Really great content.

If you'll permit me a bit of pedantry, I have a quibble/question:

Oba Diah is a small planetoid in the Kessel sector, about 3 parsecs from Kessel. It has two moons, named Heza Diah and Abed Diah by the locals, neither of which are of any real note. The planet itself has a livable, if cool and wet atmosphere.

When I think "planetoid", I don't tend to think something that has its own natural satellites. (Also, it's referred to as a "planet" afterwards.) I would think that what is meant is that it is simply a small planet -- and probably not even a dwarf planet. From the Dwarf Planet wiki, re. the IAU resolution on the three-category system for the celestial bodies orbiting the Sun:

The IAU ... resolves that planets and other bodies, except satellites, in our Solar System be defined into three distinct categories in the following way:

(1) A planet is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and © has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.
(2) A " dwarf planet " is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, © has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite .
(3) All other objects, except satellites, orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as " Small Solar System Bodies ."

Also, Wookieepedia Canon notes it as a planet (not that I care much for what Wookieepedia says). ( http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Oba_Diah )

/pedant

Really great content.

If you'll permit me a bit of pedantry, I have a quibble/question:

Oba Diah is a small planetoid in the Kessel sector, about 3 parsecs from Kessel. It has two moons, named Heza Diah and Abed Diah by the locals, neither of which are of any real note. The planet itself has a livable, if cool and wet atmosphere.

When I think "planetoid", I don't tend to think something that has its own natural satellites. (Also, it's referred to as a "planet" afterwards.) I would think that what is meant is that it is simply a small planet -- and probably not even a dwarf planet. From the Dwarf Planet wiki, re. the IAU resolution on the three-category system for the celestial bodies orbiting the Sun:

The IAU ... resolves that planets and other bodies, except satellites, in our Solar System be defined into three distinct categories in the following way:

(1) A planet is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and © has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.

(2) A " dwarf planet " is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, © has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite .

(3) All other objects, except satellites, orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as " Small Solar System Bodies ."

Also, Wookieepedia Canon notes it as a planet (not that I care much for what Wookieepedia says). ( http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Oba_Diah )

/pedant

....

I bow to your scientific knowledge. It's been awhile since I wrote that, but I'm pretty sure I used 'Planetoid' because it sounded more sci-fi-ey.

I also had a pretty full write up for Oba Sifina, where the bulk of my campaign took place. It was a pretty sweet storyline, taking place right after the destruction of the second Death Star, and the Pykes trying to force the Empire out during the chaos.

And then I blew up the city with a Star Destroyer.

I like this. A lot.

There's some pretty cool concept art of Lom's face without his jewelry or goggles on that really gives you a better idea of the species' facial structure, including a better look at their mouths.

Since they're a pretty recent species, it's pretty hard to get images for them. What we do have is pretty good though, with even a difference of status (enforcers and nobility), for diversity.

We do see a red skinned member in Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir.

The newest revision, with changes to the Connections ability (retitled Underworld Connections) and some general cleanup:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vc53h7Edv7DLtzoWh27LIiFxj3d7YjjLnKjRjUQ-1Y4

On 2016-1-12 at 1:15 AM, A7T said:

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.

The starting xp is too much for a 1 1 2 2 3 3 race which would normally have 90xp (each 1 and 3 loses 10 xp against a human as they gain 20 xp from dropping 2 to 1 and lose 30 from the 2 to 3 for a 10 xp net loss, as its has 2 3s and 2 1s 120 xp is effectively giving them a 30 xp advantage on starting stats and they get an additional 10 xp, for a 40 xp advantage compared with most species)

I really don't get how you rhyme their, specifically called out, off putting appearance with a 3 in presence.

My idea would be to have them at:

2 1 2 4 2 1

One rank in streetwise

xp-90

Those are early versions: this is the current star block:

Brawn: 1 Agility: 2 Intellect: 2 Cunning: 3 Willpower: 2 Presence: 2
Wound Threshold: 9 + Brawn
Strain Threshold: 12 + Willpower
Starting Experience: 90
Special Abilities: Pykes begin play with one free rank in Underworld. They may not train Underworld above Rank 2 during character creation.
Underworld Connections: Pykes begin play with one free rank of the Black Market Contacts talent. Additionally, when using the talent, Pykes increase the cost by 25% per reduction in rarity, instead of the normal 50%.
Unsettling Appearance: When making a social check against a Pyke, non-Pykes must add a Setback Die.

6 minutes ago, A7T said:

Those are early versions: this is the current star block:

Brawn: 1 Agility: 2 Intellect: 2 Cunning: 3 Willpower: 2 Presence: 2
Wound Threshold: 9 + Brawn
Strain Threshold: 12 + Willpower
Starting Experience: 90
Special Abilities: Pykes begin play with one free rank in Underworld. They may not train Underworld above Rank 2 during character creation.
Underworld Connections: Pykes begin play with one free rank of the Black Market Contacts talent. Additionally, when using the talent, Pykes increase the cost by 25% per reduction in rarity, instead of the normal 50%.
Unsettling Appearance: When making a social check against a Pyke, non-Pykes must add a Setback Die.

In this case I would up the xp to 100, most 122223 races get a free talent and a free rank. and 100 xp , this seems to match up with that.(one example that doesnt is the Faleen but they get a particularly good racial ability in beguiling pheremones)

1 minute ago, syrath said:

In this case I would up the xp to 100, most 122223 races get a free talent and a free rank. and 100 xp , this seems to match up with that.(one example that doesnt is the Faleen but they get a particularly good talent in beguiling pheremones)

But the Pykes also have an additional talent, so how would that balance out?

11 minutes ago, A7T said:

But the Pykes also have an additional talent, so how would that balance out?

Missed that probably only worth a 5 xp penalty though so 95.

5 minutes ago, syrath said:

Missed that probably only worth a 5 xp penalty though so 95.

Added.

It's kind of two talents rolled into one, though, with the price increase only being 25% per reduction in rarity. I think 90 XP was on the mark.

I personally dont like incenting new stuff that at least hasnt been tried in game and I would have given them 1 rank of plain vanilla black market contacts, and then given them one rank of nobody's fool, the all social checks is provably a little more powerful as well.

Hi! I'm a cat. I love the Pykes more than my life.
Sorry English is not my native language.

Are there any Pykes in this game yet? I would purchase anything Pykes-related :3

Also I was wondering if anyone has any Pyke OCs? (own/fan characters or NPCs) and art with them?
~~~
Here I have some mine :3
>>>These images are not for free use. I post mine and other artist's works (commissioned by me) here only to look at.<<<
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Gray striped cat is my self-insert character Meeri Shafarr. In my story she's officially with Lom.
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Art © catsdreams.deviantart.com /cookeycat

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Commission art © namedyoro.deviantart.com

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I have more if there's enough interest :3