Groodo and Ka'Pa

Hutt! Hutt! Hutt! #5
A Bonus Expanded Universe Feature on Notorious Hutts of the Star Wars Universe

By Cory Herndon

Magi Howdunga, Ma Pateesa!

Welcome back to "Hutt! Hutt! Hutt!", the recurring web feature that's not afraid to ask the tough questions, like "Where's Jabba's bathroom, anyway?"

Okay, now I'm afraid. Let's forget I asked that and get right to it. This month, two Hutts with typically Hutt-sized ambitions and powerful allies outside the usual Hutt crime families. We present Groodo, father of Boonda and sometime business partner of the Trade Federation, and Ka'Pa, a crime lord whose connections go all the way to the highest levels of the New Republic government.

Groodo

Read more about Groodo's plots in The Fury of Darth Maul, the third book in Scholastic's Episode I Adventures series.

Groodo had always been a fairly content, tradition-minded old Hutt, until the treatment of his boy Boonda by the bigoted Humans at the Corulag Academy drove him mad with rage. Groodo hired Bartokk assassins to steal prototype droid starfighters from the Trade Federation, planning to launch an all-out assault on the Academy after they rejected his son's application. But Groodo soon fell afoul of Darth Maul, who had been ordered to steal the starfighters back. Maul recovered the fighters and destroyed Groodo's ship, but he left the Hutt to live in terror for the rest of his days.

Groodo had survived for centuries, as evinced by his wide head and tufts of silvery hair. It's believed he survived well into the New Republic era, though it seems unlikely the Yuuzhan Vong would have spared him.

Groodo (circa Episode I): Male Hutt Diplomat 5/Crime Lord 6: Init -4 (-3 Dex, -1 size); Defense 10 (-3 Dex, +4 class, -1 size); Spd 2 m; VP/WP 45/22; Atk +9 melee (2d4+3, Bartokk knife) or +7 melee (1d3+3, unarmed strike), +6 ranged (3d6, blaster pistol); SQ +6 bonus on Will saves against mind-affecting Force powers, can't be knocked prone, contact (Bartokk assassins), contact (unknown Trade Federation executive), inspire fear -4, minions, resource access; SV Fort +7, Ref +1, Will +10; SZ L; Face/Reach 2m by 4m/2m; FP 1; DSP 36; Rep +10; Str 17, Dex 5, Con 19, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 22. Challenge Code D.

Equipment: Bartokk knife (attack +2), blaster pistol, luxury speeder collection, organized crime holdings, personal transport, repulsorsled.

Skills: Appraise +13, Bluff +17, Computer Use +8, Diplomacy +16, Forgery +12, Gather Information +16, Intimidate +22, Profession (smuggler) +11, Read/Write Basic, Read/Write Huttese, Sense Motive +9, Speak Basic, Speak Huttese, Speak Bartokk (understand only).

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

Ka'Pa

Explore Ka'Pa's palace in LucasArts' Mysteries of the Sith, companion missions for the Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II computer game.

Look up "Hutt" in Riccix's Revised Basic Holodictionary, and you'll find an image of Ka'Pa. The holo was taken by the famed Rodian holographer Bovit Leebo shortly before his death (at Ka'Pa's hands), and then it immediately fell into the public domain. The editors at Riccix's reportedly used it in their reference volume because "everyone in the galaxy uses that same image of Jabba, and we're sick of it."

Ka'Pa's odd celebrity is fitting -- in many ways, he is the stereotypical Hutt crime lord, from his vast interests in the spice, weapons, and slavery markets to his ravenous appetites. He was one of the only Hutts to do regular business with the New Republic after Jabba's death despite that organization's political elevation of his murderer, Leia Organa. Ka'Pa never let politics get in the way of a sale, and he never allowed a business relationship to get personal.

New Republic entanglements notwithstanding, only a fool would believe that Ka'Pa is on the side of the angels. As Kyle Katarn, one of Ka'Pa's frequent NR contacts, often said, "I trust Ka'Pa exactly as far as I can throw him. And I can't."

Ka'Pa (post Episode VI): Male Hutt Noble 4/Scoundrel 4/Crime Lord 4: Init -3 (-2 Dex, -1 size); Defense 15 (-1 size, +6 class); Spd 2 m; VP/WP 66/15; Atk +8/+3 melee (1d3+1, unarmed strike), +5/-1 ranged; SQ +6 bonus on Will saves against mind-affecting Force powers, bonus class skill (Bluff), can't be knocked prone, contact (Kyle Katarn), contact (Mara Jade), illicit barter, lucky (1/day), precise attack +1, coordinate +1, favor +2, inspire confidence, inspire fear -2, resource access; SV Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +11; SZ L; Face/Reach 2m by 4m/2m; FP 4; DSP 16; Rep +9; Str 12, Dex 7, Con 15, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 18. Challenge Code D.

Equipment: Bodyguards, criminal empire, unknown number of palatial retreats, personal speeder, repulsorsled, personal star yacht.

Skills: Appraise +7, Bluff +18, Diplomacy +19, Forgery +18, Gamble +8, Gather Information +20, Knowledge (streetwise) +7, Profession (businessman) +20, Read/Write Basic, Read/Write Huttese, Sense Motive +15, Speak Basic, Speak Huttese.

Feats: Infamy, Skill Emphasis (Bluff), Skill Emphasis (Diplomacy), Skill Emphasis (Forgery), Skill Emphasis (Gather Information), Skill Emphasis (Profession [businessman]), Skill Emphasis (Sense Motive), Weapon Group Proficiency (blaster pistols, simple weapons).

Wurreks are bad enough when they stow away in your cargo hold and eat up your profits, but these tentacled, toothsome monsters become positively homicidal when hopped up on spice. Check them out in this month's Creature Feature!