3 hours ago, Mychal'el said:

So after looking at talents I am very confused by what many of them are talking about, but it seems like Propagandist is the winner followed by Charmer , then Agitator .

What talents don't make sense?

Many times, the long-form of the talent (in the Talent chapter) will make more sense. The short form displayed in the trees isn't meant to give you everything you need to know; it's just a reference placeholder.

One other thing: I probably wouldn't bother buying much in the Knowledge: Lore skill unless you expect to deal with a lot of Force-lore, archaeo-tech, etc. Knowledge: Warfare would be a better fit, I think.

17 hours ago, SavageBob said:

What talents don't make sense?

17 hours ago, SFC Snuffy said:

Many times, the long-form of the talent (in the Talent chapter) will make more sense. The short form displayed in the trees isn't meant to give you everything you need to know; it's just a reference placeholder.

One other thing: I probably wouldn't bother buying much in the Knowledge: Lore skill unless you expect to deal with a lot of Force-lore, archaeo-tech, etc. Knowledge: Warfare would be a better fit, I think.

SFC Snuffy knew what I meant

If your goal is to make a character in the vein of Raymond Reddington or Sam Axe, it seems to me that you need to narrow in on which of those two characters appeal to your vision of the character you want to play. Both would be fairly different builds in my opinion. Of course, this doesn't mean much at the end of the day; make the character you want.

I'll give you my read on Red, because I've actually created a reasonable facscimile of him using the rules for Knight-level play.

Red was a naval officer who, if memory serves, was focused on military intelligence. Yeah? Obviously, he ends up being a criminal mastermind with a huge web of contacts. Red's schtick is that he offers the appearance of knowing everything. The dude has been everywhere and always had some clever little anecdote about the culture or cuisine of whatever random locale comes up. And he has an almost preternatural ability to find people.

If I were making the Star Wars version of Raymond Reddington, I would start with Colonist Scholar. The Scholar has access to the two fields of expertise central to the Reddington archetype; he has a wide array of social skills as well as almost all of the knowledge skills. Plus Perception to boot.

As you work your way through the tree, you'll get Codebreaker (standard intel officer fare), Knowledge Specialization (go with Underworld for that criminal mastermind flair), and Well Rounded (to pick up two skills that best round out your concept). As a former ISB agent, you'll likely be Human, which also gives you some free out-of-career skills to fill in the blanks. I would suggest you get Discipline and a combat skill (cuz everyone wants to contribute in a fight).

Plus, the Scholar gets some strain management talents and a rank of Confidence, which can give you some of that steely resolve. And Intense Focus, which is amazing.

Of course, half the fun of building a Star Wars character in this system is to find a second specialization to compliment the first. For Reddington in Space, I would offer the Skip Tracer for your consideration (from No Disintegrations).

The Skip Tacer really brings home some of those core concepts. It adds Cool for social engagements and Skulduggery for additional criminal aptitude. It's Talents are top notch. There's more strain recovery and now some wound recovery as well (via Hard-Boiled). It will give you some social talents, which the Scholar lacks. Nobody's Fool is terrific. Good Cop is a great support talent.

I feel that Skip Tracer shines best with the addition of Street Smarts, Improved Street Smarts, Bought Info, and Informant. Now you become the true essence of Red. If you don't know something, you know someone who does. Knowledge Specialization: Underworld will make that Improved Street Smarts roll a little easier. And if you fail, use Natural Scholar to reroll.

Red was instrumental in helping the FBI find those individuals on the Blacklist; pure Skip Tracer. Paired with Scholar, you have a pretty formidable character capable of filling the role of a Raymond Reddington-esque character. He's smooth, he's knowledgable, he's resolute, and has a wide web of contacts.

My far less detailed build of Sam Axe begins with an examination of this character's core concepts as well. Sam was a Navy SEAL who retired with the rank of Commander. Foreshadowing! He was once a premier intelligence operative, but has kind of let himself go. He's a bit of a mooch and a lot of a drinker. He is proficient at undercover work (Chuck Finley!) and has your standard array of espionage-type skills; demolitions, surveillance, intrusion, etc.

For the Star Wars equivalent of Sam Axe, I'd probably start with Commander Tactician. Go with 3's in Agility, Cunning, and Presence. The Commander career offers easy access to a lot of skills that fit the concept; three combat skills, both initiative skills, some social stuff, and Perception!

Cool and Discipline are great for the undercover operative who's ferreting out secrets and intelligence. I really like the Discipline skill; sorting through bull, defense against fear, and a strain recovery mechanism. Very useful.

Coercion is the interrogation skill, which was another of Sam's proficiencies. And as a Human, you can get two skills that you think are necessary to the concept. I'd probably go for Skulduggery to represent Sam's espionage know-how and Mechanics for some demolitions expertise.

The talents in Tactician are good, but sort of ho hum for the concept. Remember that the ISB can commandeer military assets, so the ability to effectively manage those resources is useful. Leadership and the second from left column of the talent tree help with that. But it's the Commander skills in that career that are best. That's why you'll want to go for a secondary specialization. I think that Scoundrel is very appropriate for Sam.

Scoundrel adds Charm and Deception to your repetoire. Perfect! It offers immediate access to Convincing Demeanor, ideal for going undercover (Chuck Finley!). Black Market Contacts can serve as a basis for Sam's various connections. And the whole right side of the tree is good for representing Sam's gunfighting skills.

Playing Star Wars Sam Axe is gonna be less about the mechanics and more about the role-playing. Wear obnoxious shirts. Always have a drink. Talk about sports. Flirt with the ladies. Be critical of the mission. Have a good cover persona. And turn on the badass when the chips are down. But never before.

7 hours ago, Atticus Havelock said:

smooth, he's knowledgable, he's resolute.

6 hours ago, Atticus Havelock said:

turn on the badass when the chips are down. But never before.

These words describe you sir!

I just want to read Atticus Havelock's posts from now on

20 hours ago, Atticus Havelock said:

Red was a naval officer who, if memory serves, was focused on military intelligence. Yeah? Obviously, he ends up being a criminal mastermind with a huge web of contacts. Red's schtick is that he offers the appearance of knowing everything. The dude has been everywhere and always had some clever little anecdote about the culture or cuisine of whatever random locale comes up. And he has an almost preternatural ability to find people.

Red was instrumental in helping the FBI find those individuals on the Blacklist; pure Skip Tracer. Paired with Scholar, you have a pretty formidable character capable of filling the role of a Raymond Reddington-esque character. He's smooth, he's knowledgable, he's resolute, and has a wide web of contacts.

19 hours ago, Atticus Havelock said:

Playing Star Wars Sam Axe is gonna be less about the mechanics and more about the role-playing. Wear obnoxious shirts. Always have a drink. Talk about sports. Flirt with the ladies. Be critical of the mission. Have a good cover persona. And turn on the badass when the chips are down. But never before.

I like the idea of the Reddington Build with a some Sam Axe personality thrown in