Malta and Quaffug

Hutt! Hutt! Hutt! #3
A Bonus Expanded Universe Feature on Notorious Hutts of the Star Wars Universe

By Cory Herndon

Mi Panwa Huttuk Whirlee!

Time again for a visit to the fatter side of crime in another installment of "Hutt! Hutt! Hutt!" -- the recurring website feature that isn't afraid to grab Jabba by the love handles and shake him until the monkey-lizards start falling out.

This month, we'll catch up with Malta and Quaffug, a pair of dastardly slugs whose only connection to each other is their alphabetical proximity and the fact that each one got the short end of separate deals involving Lando Calrissian.

You may remember Jabba's old chum(p) Malta from the Dark Horse Comics series The Yavin Vassilika. He was the Hutt that was so obese, he could barely close his eyes. In Malta's case, Lando was one of the treasure hunters seeking the Vassilika, and Calrissian outwitted the Hutt's bounty hunters with the help of Han Solo, Chewbacca, and a few others. Lando went up against Quaffug the Hutt, on the other hand, alone, and on two separate occasions -- once not long before the hunt for the Vassilika, and another time just before the rescue of Han Solo from Jabba's clutches.

Malta makes a good challenge for low-level characters, since he has no heroic classes. Quaffug, overboss of an entire world, is a more dangerous foe.

Malta

Malta the Hutt is one of many sycophants that, had they both been members of a different species, would have been called Jabba's friend. But few Hutts have "friends" per se, and Malta learned that old saw anew when he entered a betting competition with Jabba and Embra, another Hutt hanger-on. Though Malta, as one might expect, attempted to ensure he would win the bet by cheating, he failed spectacularly.

The Hutts set several groups of treasure hunters out to seek the Yavin Vassilika, a fabled artifact of tremendous value and power. Convinced that brute force would seal the deal, Malta hired Bossk, Dengar, and IG-88 to retrieve the object. To ensure success, he also sent one of his aides, a female named Jozzel Moffett, to seek the Vassilika.

Learn more about Malta and the search for the Yavin Vassilika in the Star Wars: Underworld trade paperback.

Years later, when the Yuuzhan Vong invaded Hutt space, Malta is believed to have fled in a convoy of private yachts that disappeared without a trace near Tatooine.

Unlike most Hutts, Malta is completely unable to move without his heavy-duty repulsorsled. He's just too fat.

Malta (circa Episode IV): Male Hutt Diplomat 5/Crime Lord 4: Init -5 (-4 Dex, -1 size); Defense 8 (-4 Dex, +3 class, -1 size); Spd 2 m; VP/WP 30/22; Atk +3 melee (1d4-1, mastercraft knife) or +0 ranged (3d4+1, mastercraft holdout blaster); SQ +6 bonus on Will saves against mind-affecting Force powers, can't be knocked prone, contact (Dengar), contact (IG-88), inspire fear -2, resource access; SV Fort +6, Ref -1, Will +8; SZ L; Face/Reach 2m by 4m/2m; FP 0; DSP 17; Rep +9; Str 8, Dex 3, Con 19, Int 14, Wis 11, Cha 12. Challenge Code C.

Equipment: Business and organized crime holdings, heavy-duty repulsorsled (spd 2 m, required for nonvehicular movement), luxury speeder (used), mastercraft knife (damage +1), mastercraft holdout blaster (attack +1), personal space transport (Malta's Falcon).

Skills: Appraise +11, Bluff +18, Diplomacy +12, Forgery +14, Gamble +7, Gather Information +10, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (Nal Hutta) +7, Profession (Businessman) +4, Read/Write Basic, Read/Write Huttese, Sense Motive +6, Speak Basic, Speak Dosh, Speak Huttese, Speak Ryl.

Feats: Infamy, Influence, Persuasive, Skill Emphasis (Bluff), Skill Emphasis (Diplomacy), Toughness, Weapon Group Proficiency (blaster pistols, simple weapons).

Quaffug

This Hutt, who had surprisingly long limbs for his species, was Overboss of the Blimph system until just before the Battle of Endor. Before Lando joined the hunt for the Yavin Vassilika, he played in a high-stakes sabacc match against Quaffug in the Rafa Chabalrussa casino on Rafa V. Calrissian, naturally, took the pot, which included the rights to Quaffug's Ceramo-Werx manufacturing facility.

But Hutts have long lives and nurse grudges as a matter of course. Quaffug retired to the Blimph system and took over, rebuilding his empire from the ground up on the backs of forced labor. Despite his enslavement of the Jokhali people, the Alliance, desperate for supplies in the months leading up to the Battle of Endor, attempted to negotiate a treaty with Quaffug. Their ambassador? None other than Lando Calrissian.

Learn more about Quaffug's schemes in the Star Wars: The Bounty Hunters -- Scoundrel's Wages comic book from Dark Horse!

Quaffug (circa Episode VI): Male Hutt Diplomat 5/Crime Lord 10; Init -1 (-1 size); Defense 15 (+6 class, -1 size); Spd 2 m; VP/WP 45/12; Atk +6/+1 melee (2d4+2, mastercraft vibrodagger) or+7/+2 ranged (3d6+1, mastercraft blaster pistol); SQ +6 bonus on Will saves against mind-affecting Force powers, can't be knocked prone, contact (Bossk), contact (Dengar), contact (4-LOM), contact (Guchluk), exceptional minions, inspire fear -6, resource access; SV Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +13; SZ L; Face/Reach 2m by 4m/2m; FP 3; DSP 20; Rep +13; Str 10, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 20. Challenge Code E.

Equipment: Business and organized crime holdings, mastercraft blaster pistol (attack +1, damage +1), mastercraft vibrodagger (damage +2), palatial estate (Blimph system), personal luxury speeder, personal yacht (Lorda Doma Toma).

Skills: Appraise +11, Bluff +19, Diplomacy +15, Forgery +7, Gamble +20, Gather Information +15, Intimidate +18, Knowledge (Blimph) +15, Knowledge (Nar Shaddaa) +5, Knowledge (streetwise) +5, Profession (Overboss) +17, Read/Write Basic, Read/Write Huttese, Speak Basic, Speak Huttese, Speak Ryl, Sense Motive +10.

Feats: Infamy, Influence, Skill Emphasis (Bluff), Skill Emphasis (Gamble), Skill Emphasis (Intimidate), Skill Emphasis (Profession [Overboss]), Trustworthy, Weapon Group Proficiency (blaster pistols, simple weapons).

This month's Expanded Universe feature presents the villainous Darth Malak from the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic videogame!