Question about Mechanics- is this the default go-to for Silhouette 0 species? Even looking at the Unofficial Species Menagerie and confirmed FFG products, IS Mechanics the right skill? After some reading and reflection, I'm inclined to offer Negotiation as their skill as traders. They find stuff (Utinni!) and sell it (Negotiation). IIRC, I never saw Jawas do much to build or repair droids beyond band-aid polishing in order to sell droids/gear.

They are nomadic and live in sandcrawlers, so they must have mechanics to maintain them. They're listed as being able to build droids from junk parts in the non-Legends part of their Wookieepedia entry.

I seem to remember they also create their own equipment (like the ion blaster they used on Artoo) out of junk parts.

It seems like Mechanics could be a big part of their culture, but more in the sense of knowing how to recycle junk into something useful rather than building sophisticated machines like starships. So perhaps it's better for them to just have a talent that reflects that sort of behavior rather than the general Mechanics skill.

On the other hand, making a Jawa PC and then adding on the Mechanics skill would make a decent overall tech guy.

Aren't these just the exact same stats in the Unofficial Species Menagerie? You added fluff...you made it pretty and I love the doc, but the stats are definitely from the USM.

"Utinni!" itself is a scarce talent, so we needn't worry about abusing it.

I think I'd opt to add Negotiation 1 or Nobody's Fool instead of Mechanics 1 to

1) reflect what we know they already do - sell scrap if they do fix it.

2) avoid min/max'ing of another silhouette 0 species (Chadra-Fan) to be a mechanic.

3) sidestep an assumption that all Jawas are Outlaw Techs.

If Jawas are so good at mechanics, and not just lucky opportunists, the R5 unit wouldn't have broken down to introduce R2D2 to the Lars farm.

While I accept the idea of Mechanics, I think Negotiation better serves a well-rounded character option. While we saw lots of starships throughout the films, I cannot imagine that all PCs will have mechanics aboard their ship. Those who do, fare better than those without dedicated on-board mechanics. Dugs and Duros and Sullustans distinctly gain piloting/ship advantages, but don't have "Mechanics" to justify it.

Aren't these just the exact same stats in the Unofficial Species Menagerie? You added fluff...you made it pretty and I love the doc, but the stats are definitely from the USM.

Quite possibly the OP did. He made something that looks amazing, for his son, and shared it with us. At this point in the FFG line, we welcome new, even re-skinned content. The OP has 2 pages of traffic today alone, which is impressive.

You make an interesting point. For myself, I'd love FFG to visit this thread, see what we're doing, and offer players' feedback. Ask us what we want in a lowly JAWA, and offer their re-skinned version as a FREE download. Add a Modular Encounter, a creature (Massiff, am lookin' at you), and re-print the modular backpack from FiB, and offer the download. It'd show us FFG actually watches our content, is interested in feedback, gets people talking and using the forums for specific use, and gives us Edge of the Empire content we haven't seen since...how long was their last product released?

Aren't these just the exact same stats in the Unofficial Species Menagerie? You added fluff...you made it pretty and I love the doc, but the stats are definitely from the USM.

Also, the OP PM'd me, and seems very open to input. I suggest we focus on what content we'd like to see for Jawas, and roll with it. The Unofficial doc is just that- unofficial, but also has no input from the community since whenever it was published. We've had a lot of new talents and things since its creation.

Not exactly sure where I got the stats from, to be honest. I looked at various suggested stats for Jaws online, and settled for what I found being the most balanced. But cimmerianthief is absolutely right, I am wide open to input - and would love even more community made material that is good and LOOKS good!

You might be interested in this interview for an idea on species design.

You might be interested in this interview for an idea on species design.

****. I’ve run out of positive votes for the moment, so I *literally* cannot like this post enough!!!

You might be interested in this interview for an idea on species design.

Great interview!

I have always wanted to play/run a game full of Jawas. My party idea is a group of all Jawas, who decided for whatever reason that they did not want to stay on Tatooine (funny would be if they left because they didn't like the heat). They fly around in an old junker they assembled from scrap. Could be a great starting point for many parties. One major problem they would have is getting anyone to take them seriously for anything other than a roaming junkyard.

Hmmm...following this advice, I'm going to try to re-skin this Jawa. I'm going to look at the Lannik as an example of how much a basic ranked talent costs, and find an arid/hot species.

Jawas scavenge to survive. They sell or use their mechanically altered/repaired, scavenged goods.

I think we agree with the flavor and crunch of Utinni! for a Jawa.

Looking at the skills associated with Cunning, I think it helps push them towards any salesmanship using Deception (they tried to sell Lars a broken droid, remember). Perception is a nice nod to scavengers, as Survival and possibly Streetwise in town. Any little thieving skills are also covered in Skulduggery - a Cunning skill.

This leaves us with mechanics as a skill choice, which makes sense.

However, I'm inclined to go with another talent over Mechanics, then a thrice-ranked skill in the only other Utinni! talent tree (Outlaw Tech).

GEARHEAD: Remove Setback dice per rank of Gearhead from Mechanics checks. Halve the credit cost to add mods to attachments.

Why? We expect to also give Jawas the arid/hot environmental conditions ability, right?

That ability removes a setback die.

So does Utinni!

So does Gearhead.

Suddenly, Jawas become the underdog whose prime abilities are all about removing setback dice.

Thoughts?

What better way to illustrate a hardy survivalist on their desert homeworld, who find, repair, sell, or use salvaged, ruined mechanical goods?

When my son came home from school today, he saw the Jawa print-out. He wants to play one. Smart kid- he said that a bunch of other small species could go around in cloak disguises as Jawas, and as long as there was at least one who could speak and represent their species, they may all pass as Jawas.

When he saw the Chadra-Fan, he wished that Jawas would have a different skill than Mechanics because seemed to limit his neat idea and then reconsidered how they would all be good at repairs.

Thoughts?

What better way to illustrate a hardy survivalist on their desert homeworld, who find, repair, sell, or use salvaged, ruined mechanical goods?

I like it! Although... In the new Canon I think that R2 sabotaged that other droid, and the Jawas do not only ACT surprised when Owen points it out - they ARE surprised.

This does not mean I disagree with your idea. As I said I like it. Mechanics rank is rather common. I like Gearhead better.

New hi-res version after some if the input: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/58496840/Jawa02.pdf

Lo-res here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/58496840/jawa2_small.pdf

Keep it coming! I really appreciate your help to create something of quality that will bring joy to the gaming table!

Looks awesome. I'd definitely allow this in my campaign.

ugh

I understand people wanting to play Jawa's as a short little thing with hoodies and covered faces. Might i suggest a Chadra-fan? Drall, or even an Ugnaught?

But you totally miss canon on how everyone perceives them as "Disgusting creatures" because of their smell, and their culture of finding scrap. Easily give them an upgrade on dfficulty or 2 setbacks on any social check with non-jawa's. Not to mention except for G-canon of them being on Raxis they were only found on Tatooine based on thier social norms of people finding them disgusting, and they being happy living in their clans

Even Luke who knew them and lived on the same planet waved his hand in front of his face in disgust because of the smell when scaring them off from his Sandspeeder

After re-skinning a Red Niktos and Lannik (FFG either version), I safely agree with a statement from the above-referenced articles about designing species: Go with your gut. Therefore, after reflection, here’s my submission for a Jawa.

BRAWN: 2

Why? Brawn 1, Cunning 3 is a Gossam (also silhouette 0). If Jawas scavenge, they may find brawling and melee weapons. I’d like PCs to explore this option in making modified or reclaimed brawl and melee weapons a useful part of the game. Although it took a small troop to lift and carry R2D2, I contend that a few humanoid species would also be needed to lift, but they are bigger in space, too.

AGILITY: 2

We’ve seen them use ionic blasters, and hide.

INTELLECT: 2

We expect them to do well with Mechanics, at least. Knowledge skills (Outer Rim, Underworld) make sense with their connections to (black market) sales.

CUNNING: 3

I’ve already written about these skill uses. Even if R2D2 sabotauged the Lars chosen droid, Jawas do not have a stellar reputation in sales; hence, Deception can work for sales.

WILLPOWER: 1

A skill tied to Coercion, Discipline, and Vigilance seems antithetical to a species who runs away in fear and gets wiped out by Stromtroopers (even in their sandcrawlers), and I don’t see the average Jawa acting like a bully.

PRESENCE:2

Their reputation in dealing with droid minions, and sales and social influence, keep this average.

Starting with a basic human to re-skin, we start with 110XP, and reabsorb both non-career skills for 10XP apiece. We now have 130XP. Boosting Cunning from two to three costs 30XP (now 100XP), but we get 10XP returned by lowering Willpower to one (now 110XP).

To offset their supposed burliness, I suggest dropping their WT to 8+Brawn; this gives us the same starting WT as a nine WT and 1 Brawn, from earlier designs. A lower WT suggests how fragile these sack-cloth wrapped buggers are. I offer no changes to starting ST, so these threshold change will earn us more XP. We get at least 5XP back at WT 9, but am torn between getting another 5 or 10 XP back from the second time lowering. I’m inclined to offer punitive balance, and limit how much goodness we get returned. I’ll write that I believe WT 8 only nets us 10XP (now 120XP).

They get no non-career skills (at 10XP) but a choice of TWO talents. I suppose these talents may cost 5XP to get one, and how about 10XP for the second one? That’d be 15XP spent, leaving us with 5XP remaining if we want a 100XP species.

With arid/hot conditions, The Red Niktos seem to see environmental conditions as EARNING more XP (5XP, exactly), so spending 10XP for Silhouette 0 seems in like with some other smaller species’ XP. So, +5 XP for arid/hot, and -10XP for silhouette 0.

These changes would now include:

Br2 Ag2 In2 Cun3 Wp1 Pr2 WT 8+Br ST 10+Wp 100XP

Utinni! 1, Gearhead 1

Arid/Hot Environmental Conditions

Silhouette 0

<<Whew>> This exercise was fun, trying to solve for X. I hope you like my ideas, consider them for this Jawa (which would be different from the Unofficial Species Menagerie), and sound off in replies!

ugh

I understand people wanting to play Jawa's as a short little thing with hoodies and covered faces. Might i suggest a Chadra-fan? Drall, or even an Ugnaught?

But you totally miss canon on how everyone perceives them as "Disgusting creatures" because of their smell, and their culture of finding scrap. Easily give them an upgrade on dfficulty or 2 setbacks on any social check with non-jawa's. Not to mention except for G-canon of them being on Raxis they were only found on Tatooine based on thier social norms of people finding them disgusting, and they being happy living in their clans

Even Luke who knew them and lived on the same planet waved his hand in front of his face in disgust because of the smell when scaring them off from his Sandspeeder

Wait. Racism in Canon should dictate an availability of species?

On that basis, you shouldn't be able to play a Wookiee, given that people refer to them only as "things", slaves, or behave fearfully of violent death at their hands.

I think I like your ideas, cimmerianthief . The Brawn is a little hard to swallow, but with the lowered WT it may work.

It was 3PO who called them "disgusting creatures." I can see why an unrestrained droid would say that about scavenger jawas, but I do not see it as a reason to disallow playing them. Even if they do stink.

I think most US Citizens will be holding their nose at the ballot box, but we'll still get either Clinton or Trump. Their malodorous press may be distasteful, and doesn't reflect the best in American pride, but we'll still have one of 'em as POTUS in weeks.

Jawas' stink is because of a special salve they use to keep cool and insulated, per history. If anything, I think they'd be smart and secretly laugh at others who succumb to desert heat, sand fleas, etc. What are others' options? Disdain a Jawa in favor of a Hutt? How about the barkeep at the Cantina? Are these choices better or worse than dealing with a small scavenger who poses no immediate physical threat?

Off of Tatooine, I expect a Jawa may bathe or otherwise no longer need their insulating salves that cause their stench.

Regarding just playing a Chandra-Fan et al silhouette 0 species, I tried to make suggestions that would completely differentiate Jawas from those choices. Although a party of all hooded silhouette 0 species who pretend to be Jawas might be fun (cue PbP Jawa playtest)...

I think I like your ideas, cimmerianthief . The Brawn is a little hard to swallow, but with the lowered WT it may work.

It was 3PO who called them "disgusting creatures." I can see why an unrestrained droid would say that about scavenger jawas, but I do not see it as a reason to disallow playing them. Even if they do stink.

Thanks! Regarding Brawn, I don't want every tiny species to be thought of as weaklings. Otherwise, just play another silhouette 0 species in a cloaked hood and go. If Jawas scavenge weapons, I'd like to imagine at least an average Jawa could lift something of average weight without needing help. "Utinni!" means "I found it," not "WE found it." We show their fragility with a lower WT, suggesting while they might lift that blaster carbine out of the sand dunes, one bite from a massiff may really hurt them.

Not all silhouette 0 species are wimps- Max Rebo's species has 3Br and 10+WT.

Regarding their stench, I think this is a perfect role playing opportunity. Since the OP (you ) stated that this Jawa was for your son, (and since I also imagine using Jawas for my boy), I can use Jawas to help coach him on the need to bathe regularly and NOT stink in real life. This is a tool to help coach my boy at his young age without needing to be a dictator.

I thought about lowering their Presence to 1, but despite their stench, Jawas have amiable relationships with the Sand People. That's not easy to do, as history shows. Jawas also do sell stuff (negotiation), and I imagine parading droids to sell hits a Leadership check now and again. Dropping these base skills to 1 seems unfair for what we know about their skills. Again, I think RP helps the stench, with the GM open to xenological dislikes which are culturally based.

If we can have a party of Gand and Duros, or Quarren and Mon Calamari, I think smelling bad is the lesser of three evils shown, invoking historical context.

I think most US Citizens will be holding their nose at the ballot box, but we'll still get either Clinton or Trump. Their malodorous press may be distasteful, and doesn't reflect the best in American pride, but we'll still have one of 'em as POTUS in weeks.

Jawas' stink is because of a special salve they use to keep cool and insulated, per history. If anything, I think they'd be smart and secretly laugh at others who succumb to desert heat, sand fleas, etc. What are others' options? Disdain a Jawa in favor of a Hutt? How about the barkeep at the Cantina? Are these choices better or worse than dealing with a small scavenger who poses no immediate physical threat?

Off of Tatooine, I expect a Jawa may bathe or otherwise no longer need their insulating salves that cause their stench.

Regarding just playing a Chandra-Fan et al silhouette 0 species, I tried to make suggestions that would completely differentiate Jawas from those choices. Although a party of all hooded silhouette 0 species who pretend to be Jawas might be fun (cue PbP Jawa playtest)...

From the "legends" on Wookieepedia

Jawa were renowned for their incredibly potent odor. Repulsive to most species, this odor contained incredible amounts of information such as other Jawas' identity, health, clan lineage, last meal, maturity, arousal and even their mood.Their odor was compounded by a mysterious solution Jawas dipped their clothes in to retain moisture

I wont go into comparisons between Society perceptions of Jawas and Wookies because it isn't a real good comparisons. But 'Legends' is notorious in taking a major flaw of a species and 'fixing' it with an abnormal mutation or technology to circumvent it (Ralrracheen, and Voort saBinring/Piggy). A lot of players want to play wookiees and one of the flaws that is often hand waved or ignored is the fact they cannot speak Basic. The Jawa smell is another example of a flaw of a species that is ignore for the sake of playablity. It is a trend I personally don't care for. I had one player who was adamant that if there was a flaw was not in his character sheet as a GM i could not use it against him.

This is one area where I dislike the system where minor characteristics of species are ignored for the sake of simplistically and only come up with gameplay or someone with knowledge of the species outside of what is in the game.

^ Thanks for derailing the thread long enough to point out exactly why everyone is having bad fun.

So... My son wrote a background for his Jawa (bear in mind he's only 11). I like it, and think this is going to be a lot of fun! His character's name is Nitt Binnikk.

Nitt was living the normal life of a Jawa on Tattooine, and did not have any reason to complain. He was part of a tribe of scavangers, travelling over the dunes on their sand crawler to trade droids and tech with moisture farmers and colonists. Evere once in a while he had the opportunity to visit some of the space ports to trade or pick up spare parts. He always cherished these opportunities more than his other tribesmen, and displayed unusual curiosity for the ways of the Outsiders. Many times he would sneak off and watch starships leave the planet’s atmosphere, wondering how it would be to be onboard one.

Everything changed just a few years ago, when Nitt was chasing down a 2-1B Medical Droid which had escaped from the sand crawler. After disabling it with his disruptor, and equipped it with a restraining bolt, he saw smoke on the horizon. When he returned to the sand crawler, he saw his entire clan having been slaughtered by Imperial stormtroopers - who seemed to have been looking for some specific droids.

Wailing and heartbroken, Nitt sat there for hours - chanting the names of all his brothers and sisters. He soon picked himself up, and after grabbing what he needed from the sand crawler, with the company of his Medical droid, he headen into the desert to find shelter. In a cave he made a fire and started to modify the medical droid. He equipped it with the capability to understand Jawaese, and replaced his medical programming with that of an old battle droid. If he was going to survive the Dune Sea he had to have someone defending him again Tusken Raiders or worrts.

Nitt eventually made it to Tosche Station where he had weapons installed on his droid, whom he redesignated 2-BE (Tobee). He also picked up an old Clone Wars era vox-box, to help him communicate in Basic with Outsiders. Unfortunalty, it is not always accurate which has caused some embarassing and amusing situations.

No longer having a tribe to care for him, Nitt began taking repair jobs in Mos Espa. He was eventually hired by Jabba the Hutt, to help with droid repairs at his palace. After a few months he was send to work for another Hutt at a neighboring system - the crimelord Bargos. This was the first time Nitt had left Tattooine on a starship (something most Jawas never get to do), and it was much colder than he had imagined.

Now, living day by day on a new world full of strange Outsiders, Nitt is excited to see what tech, droids and disposed treasures he can get his hands on - and what he can make out of them!

So... My son wrote a background for his Jawa (bear in mind he's only 11). I like it, and think this is going to be a lot of fun! His character's name is Nitt Binnikk.

IMO, that’s a really good character story and background, regardless of your age.

The fact that he did that at age 11 … well … I think that speaks very highly for his future in this business!

EDIT: Most adult players don’t come up with a background or character story that is half as good, so the two of you should be really proud of yourselves. Him for coming up with the story and background, and you for having such a great kid and helping him grow.

Next thing you know, that kid is going to be on these forums, and he’s going to be giving Haley a hard run for her money.