Well isn't that Special: Marshal

By Richardbuxton, in Star Wars: Edge of the Empire RPG

The Order 66 Podcast just released their next episode;

Order 66 Podcast: 85 - Jaina’s Got a Gun

https://overcast.fm/+Ku3wBU0k

It's an episode all about the Marshal and their versatility.

Soon there will be a Poll to see which of the 3 PC's, created by the hosts in their build off, was the best. When the link is available I'll add it to this thread, but I thought this could be a good opportunity for a bit of forum fun. Stepping away from the usual rules discussions.

So for anyone interested, create a PC using the standard Character Creation rules, then advance them 100xp. No extra credits beyond what's available with Ob/Duty/Morality choices... and of course Marshal MUST be included in the character (although not necessarily as the starting Spec). All FFG books are available, but no House Rules.

Post your creations here in the thread for comparison and fun. A vote could be had, but logistics need figuring out for that. In the meantime get creative and show the forum what you've got!

That sounds kind of cool. I'll have to think on it and see if what I cant come up with.

One issue I have with the Marshal spec is that it does not have Perception as a career skill.

Characters representing law enforcement would have such training.

One might argue that Streetwise would cover analysis / investigating etc. but I feel not having Perception was a mistake.

Vigilance is often a good substitute, particularly when "perceiving the intent of someone's words". But also I don't think Marshal is supposed to be an Investigator.

I definitely agree it would fit well though in the career

Edited by Richardbuxton

So I made Marshal partners, an odd couple so to speak. A Neimoidian named Plo and a Sullustian named Shivenia, both have seen hard times, both have hidden secrets. He lost his best friend to gangs when they were young, her family abandoned her when they discovered she was street racing. He is a perpetual liar, a wicked shot, and also sees through lies like no other (takes a liar to know a liar). She is charming, Cool, by the book, letter of the law... but an incredible driver too.

Shivenia, a Sullustian Marshal Hotshot

Brawn 2, Agility 3, Intelect 2, Cunning 1, Willpower 2, Presence 3.

So she is Agile and Personable, but not an extraordinary being.

Soak 3, WT 12, ST 15, Defence 0/0

She is surprisingly tough, and can push herself further than most.

Cool 2 and Piloting (Planetary) 2 make her an expert driver, in particular when surprising crims, and great in a stake out.

Charm 1, Negotiation 1 with her 3 Presence make her rather good at Good Cop, and great in standoff negotiations.

Astrogation 1, Streetwise 1, Vigilance 1, and R(Light) 1 all help her when out on the streets with navigating and staying safe.

Finaly her rank of Education 1 represents her depth of knowledge of the Laws of the Galaxy.

Talents wise she has dived deep into the Hotshot tree, her experience in street racing, plus the extensive Police Training make her a formidable Driver, particularly in a chase. She has 2 ranks of Skilled Jockey, 2 ranks of Shortcut, Koiogran Turn. But Corellian Sendoff really is her signature move, she is a master at causing crims to crash into each while trying to escape.

Her training and experience in the Police Force has combined with her natural disposition to make her a wonderful Good Cop too, and she is great under pressure with 3 ranks of Grit from across the two trees.

Equipment wise she has nothing special, standard issue Uniform and a low quality Pistol. A datapad with a Drug Detection Hand Scanner help in identifying and arresting suspicious individuals. Binders and a Stim pack all hanging on a Utility Belt round out the standard equipment she carries. All her personal money was put into a vehicle she crashed in a street race, loosing everything including her family in the process, reflected in her Obligation of Family.

Plo Gakkos, a Neimoidian Marshal

Brawn 1, Agility 3, Intellect 3, Cunning 4, Willpower 1, Presence 2

He is a quick draw, a good shot, Smart but most of all creative when solving problems.

Deception 2 make Plo exceptional at holding a lie, handy for trying to trap a crim and get a confession, Negotiation 1 then helps him cut a deal to bring down the bigger fish.

Streetwise 2 and Ranged Light 2 all reflect his ease at being on the street, his deep practical understanding of how the underworld really work, and his ability to deal with the underworld using their own methods.

Vigilance 2 shows a learned ability to always be ready for the worst, always paying attention to the situation.

A rank of Core Worlds reflects his upbringing and the company he kept as a youngster, while 1 rank of Underworld shows his level of experience with dealing with the criminals of the Galaxy.

Plo's Talents focus on his 2 core abilities, cutting through the crap a crim may spin to get out of a conviction, and stopping that crim in their tracks when they make a run for it.

Street Smarts rounds out his arsenal of abilities to find anything underworld related.

Good Cop and Bad Cop help him and his partner when dealing with a crim, making getting that confession much easier.

Unrelenting Skeptic is Plo's signature Talent, it take a liar to catch a lie, and Plo is exceptional at both.

Quick Draw helps Plo when the crims make a run for it, or draw steel themselves.

Finally a rank of Toughened and Grit help keep Plo up and running for longer.

Equipment wise Plo is very well equiped, his wealthy family set him up and he wields one of the finest blaster pistols the galaxy knows, the venerable H7-Equaliser. He has his standard issue Police gear too, a Uniform, Utility Belt, Data Pad, Stimpacks, Binders and an Extra Reload. But he also has some Synthetic Anaesthetic, for those criminals who really don't want to confess but should.

He is a criminal on the run from his own corrupt department, and Revenge is a chip on his shoulder motivating him to ever greater action.

Edited by Richardbuxton

One issue I have with the Marshal spec is that it does not have Perception as a career skill.

Characters representing law enforcement would have such training.

One might argue that Streetwise would cover analysis / investigating etc. but I feel not having Perception was a mistake.

I agree. I'll be posting something here later tonight but yeah -- I had to plow some extra XP into Perception to make it convincing.

Well...I'm not really done with the back story, but I made a former militiagung from Otoh Raban turned Consortium Field Commander Gungan. After betrating the trust of his men and attempting to flee with his prize he ended up under the thumb of the IGBC after loosing said prize and being held under blackmail. Now he is a sherriff patrolling the underground cavern settlements under Harnaidan, dispensing what the Clan considers to be "justice" with nothing but a net gun, his resolve, and his reputation for ruthlessness. However, when prying eyes are off of him, he attempts to right the wrongs committed (often by none other than himself), often rallying various locals against the injustice of the Clan behind the scenes. He has to always be on alert, or else his higher ups might let slip to Zann where his former subordinate now takes up residence.

Onko Cig: Gungan Marshal/Instructor

Brawn 2, Agility 3, Intellect 1, Cunning 2, Willpower 4, Presence 3

Soak 2, WT 12, ST 16, Defense 0/0

​Athletics 1, Coercion 1, Discipline 2, Leadership 1, Negotiation 1, Vigilance 1, Ranged Heavy 2

​Grit 2, Hard Headed 1, Good Cop 1, Bad Cop 1, Physical Training 1, Encouraging Words, Master Instructor

The only equipment he was given was an old net gun and the thin scraps of clothing that pass as a uniform.

Edited by Weedles and Fries

Ilbon, Iktotchi marshal and former Jedi knight

Ilbon was a Jedi padawan at the outbreak of the Clone War and became a knight, a Guardian, late in the war. A peacekeeper by nature, his first mission as a knight was to go to the planet Ord Biniir, in the outer rim sector of Relgim, to negotiate the surrender of a unit of Separatists who wanted a way out of the war. He took with him, a clone sergeant and trooper as bodyguards. The negotiations went well, and the Separatists surrendered peacefully.

A week later, while still on Ord Biniir, Ilbon received news of Count Dooku's and General Grievous's deaths. The War came to an abrupt end. Shockingly, the two clones that accompanied him suddenly turned on him and attacked. Ilbon sensed their treachery moments before initiative was rolled. Although he was forced to kill the sergeant, he managed to subdue the trooper.

Through spotty news sources, Ilbon learned that Chancellor Palpatine survived an attack by Jedi and then proclaimed himself Emperor over the galaxy and that the Jedi Order was destroyed. The surviving clone trooper, whose nickname was Oiler, calmed down immensely after Ilbon told him the news and explained how he was, by default, no longer a Jedi.

The two remained on Ord Biniir. Over the years, Ilbon became a respected citizen among the outlying towns across the region. He was known for his calm demeanor and his uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time and to defuse potentially explosive situations. Eventually he was asked to become a marshal by the various community leaders. No one knew of his Jedi affiliation or of his Force powers that he managed to keep hidden.

With Oiler as his deputy, Marshal Ilbon travels around the towns of Ord Biniir acting as the local law. Although they have had to sometimes resort to confrontations with outlaws, Ilbon can usually get the upper hand on troublemakers and moderate the situations in other ways. Oiler is known for being quick with a blaster and always by the marshal's side, backing him up.

Marshal Ilbon

Species: Iktotchi

Career: Guardian

Specializations: Peacekeeper, Marshal

Brawn: 2; Agility 2; Intellect 3; Cunning 2; Willpower 3; Presence 2

Wounds: 14; Strain: 13

Special Ability: Iktochi Precognition

Force Rating: 1

Skills: Cool 1, Discipline 1, Leadership 1, Perception 1, Piloting - Planetary 1, Resilience 1, Vigilance 1, Brawl 1, Lightsaber 1, Melee 1, Ranged - Light 1

Talents: Confidence 1, Commanding Presence 1, Grit 1, Toughened 1, Good Cop 1, Bad Cop 1

Force Powers: Farsight (+ fine details control), Foresee (+ initiative control), Influence (+ believe control)

Equipment: He wears armored clothing and coat (2 Soak, 1 Defense), uses a DL-44 heavy blaster pistol, and wields an ancient sword when necessary. He wears a badge. He has a fairly basic Ilum crystal lightsaber, but he has buried it along with his Jedi robes and anything else from that time.

---

This is Ilbon at -5 BBY. He and Oiler have been on Ord Biniir for about 15 years, and he's been a practicing lawman for a little less than half that time. He and Oiler ride speeder bikes wherever they need to go. They have an office in one of the towns, but they do a lot of traveling.

Oiler isn't statted here because he doesn't make use of the Marshal spec.

200xp total. 90 for species, +10 for Morality, +100 per Mr. Buxton's instructions. (100 extra XP doesn't go very far split over skills, specs, and Force powers.)

Edited by RLogue177

Very nice, a great logical progression for Protector. I would love to see Oiler, even if he isn't a Marshal.

Sriparas, Gotal Marshal and Slicer

Corporate investigation and counter-espionage is a thankless job.

People coming in hate your security measures. Employees hate being under scrutiny and resent feeling like fools when called to task for ignoring basic information security policies. And then there's your employers, who want you to prevent espionage and investigate that one specific problem while ignoring all the questionable things that you come across in the meantime.

It was the last thing that finally got Sriparas in trouble. She was investigating an employee the higher-ups had told her was a suspected spy but who turned out to be a principled whistleblower. She used her access to help him gather additional information. They both confronted the executives, telling them to clean house or they would go public. They responded with a termination order, sent to a local bounty hunter.

The whistleblower didn't make it, but Sriparas got out with the evidence. Now she's on the run, looking for a way to make things stick without getting killed in the process.

Career: Colonist

Specializations: Marshal, Slicer

Brawn 2; Agility 2; Intellect 3; Cunning 3; Willpower 3; Presence 2

Species Abilities: Free rank in Perception, Energy Sensitivity

Skill ranks: Charm 1, Coercion 2, Computers 1, Deception 1, Education 1, Perception 1, Streetwise 1, Underworld 1, Vigilance 2

Talents: Street Smarts 1, Bad Cop 1, Good Cop 1, Codebreaker 1, Bypass Security 1, Defensive Slicing 1, Natural Programmer

Equipment: Slicer Gear, Security Sweeper, Concealed Recorder, Comlink, Concealing Robes, Model C "Fiver" Pistol

Sriparas's job had been a mix of social engineering and network security. She frequently worked with knowledgable and trustworthy individuals within departments during her investigations and would play off their personalities as necessary, while using her species' sensitivity to emotional states as a barometer, with a concealed recorder providing corroboration if need be, and her security sweeper being used to look for espionage devices planted by spies. The other half of her job required her to be able to both secure their internal network against slicing attempts and to slice into employee files to look for suspicious behavior. These days, she's had to develop a nose for trouble and a knack for keeping a low profile. Concealing robes help her avoid the bounty hunters after her (a Gotal's horns stand out otherwise), and she carries an antique Fiver passed down from her grandfather that she still hasn't learned how to use properly. If she lives long enough, she might get the chance.

100 base XP + 5 from additional Obligation and 100 XP from the build budget. Another 5 extra Obligation was taken for 1000 credits to buy some of those fancy electronics and still have something left over to defend herself with.

Sheriff Neil Hyams, Human lawman

Hyams grew up on the Mid Rim world of Haidoral Prime. He came from a solid home and his parents were hard-working, local farmers from one of the many more rural towns away from the big city of Haidoral. As a young man, however, he decided he did not want to carry on his family's legacy of farming so he left.

Moving to Haidoral, Hyams found a job in the city's police force. He excelled at being a cop and was promoted several times within a few years. He spent much of his tenure as an undercover officer in and out of the world's seedy underworld spice trade. After a particularly large spice bust he was involved in, Hyams was approached by an agent from the mining company Con-Amalgamate. He was offered a job as head of security on their space station located at their Outer Rim world.

The mining operation took place on the inhospitable world below while the miners, corporate personnel, and support staffs lived on the large orbital space station. The place also featured casinos and hotels to attract a non-mining population. With all of this, there was a certain attraction of underworlders, including black marketeers and spice smugglers.

Hyams has his job cut out for him.

"Sheriff" Neil Hyams

Species: Human

Career: Colonist

Specializations: Marshal

Brawn: 2; Agility: 3; Intellect: 2; Cunning: 3; Willpower: 2; Presence 3

Wounds: 12; Strain: 12

Skills: Athletics 1, Charm 1, Coercion 1, Cool 2, Deception 1, Leadership 1, Negotiation 1, Perception 1, Resilience 1, Streetwise 2, Vigilance 2, Knowledge - Underworld 1, Xenology 1, Ranged - Light 2, Ranged - Heavy 1

Talents: Street Smarts 1, Good Cop 1, Bad Cop 1, Quick Draw

Equipment: Hyams uses a standard blaster pistol and wears heavy clothing. In particular situations, he might also don a blast vest. He is well known for carrying an ACP repeater gun when he roams the station. He has a secured comlink.

----

This is Sheriff Hyams around 0 BBY. He has spent 9 years as a lawman and has been head of security on the mining corporation's space station for about a year. He does what he can to mitigate the underworld on the station, but he knows it would be impossible to eradicate it altogether. With his past as an undercover officer, he has tried to place some officers undercover as a tactic to keep abreast of situations. He also suspects there are certain key corporate officials at the highest levels on the station's admin involved in corruption, and he is uncertain how to proceed with that. Hyams is also concerned with a growing illegal spice ring that has been endangering the lives of the mining community.

220xp total. 110 from species, +10 for additional Obligation, +100 extra. (XP goes a lot further with only one Specialization and no Force Powers to work with. But I spent an extra 25xp on skills that weren't career skills. However, no other additional Colonist spec, which would have been +20xp, would have made enough of those particular skills into career skills to save any of that either.)

Edited by RLogue177

I'm loving the diversity, and yes, with "only" 100xp staying in one specialisation goes a lot further. I must admit if I was making my characters less like one shots and more like campaign PC's I would have put more into Characteristics.

Fellow Rich, I sure am glad you're dealing out an extra 100xp for these characters. Beginning xp doesn't really go very far, and with the extra I feel like they're starting at "level 2" instead of "level 1."

I like this topic and look forward to the next character design one.

If you have the time you should check out the Order 66 podcast, this really is their idea, but I just thought it a cool idea for this community. They came up with the rules, and I thought it interesting to keep to them for comparison. I probably would have given another 100 to really allow deeper exploration of specialisations!

Let's call this chap Sam Schimes (couldn't think of a good name) - a tough, rough-and-ready street cop who finds himself promoted to Commander of the City Watch where, despite his discomfort with the trappings of power, he excels as a natural leader. Although quite a gritty character, able to put in a punch or two, he's is no expert combatant, and he will always look to arrest rather than kill. His strengths lie in his leadership, vigilance and knowledge of the streets, which he uses to get him both into and out of trouble. Despite his elevated position, he finds himself missing the thrill of the chase and often jumps into things he should leave to his subordinates.

Species: Human
Career: Colonist
Starting Specialisation: Marshal
Additional Specialisation: Figurehead (from the Commander career)
Brawn 2 | Agility 2 | Intellect 2 | Cunning 3 | Willpower 3 | Presence 3
Wounds 12 | Strain 13
Skills: Brawl 1 | Coercion 1 | Cool 1 | Deception 1 | Knowledge (Underworld) 1 | Leadership 2 | Negotiation 1 | Ranged (Light) 1 | Streetwise 2 | Vigilance 2
Talents: 2x Grit | Street Smarts | Bad Cop | Toughened | Hard Headed | Resolve | Confidence | Command
Gear: Truncheon, Blast Vest, Binders
Obligation: Alcohol Addiction (he hasn't had a drink in years, but that doesn't mean he won't tomorrow)
Motivation: Justice

Hey, i thought i had added the O66 Poll they have up for their 3 characters they built, i hadn't. so here it is:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6HSVC7N

Any chance their three marshal concepts can get posted here in this thread?

Sure, but I'll have to listen to the episode and make them, I don't think they haven't published them any where yet.