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The Dark Forces Saga, Part 5Two Peas in a Pod | |||||||||||||||||||||
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We present the fifth in a series of articles adapting the world of the Dark Forces PC game to the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. If you missed the earlier installments, you can catch up with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.
Jerec and Sariss took the time to give all their fellow Dark Jedi cronies a crash course in the teachings of the Dark Force, the religion of the true Prophets of the Dark Side (not to be confused with the Imperial Center-backed mockery, the Church of the Dark Side). There is, however, a connection between the two institutions: Lord Cronal, more commonly known as the former Prophet of the Dark Side Blackhole, helped establish the phony places of worship after the Battle of Endor. Blackhole was also responsible for cooking up Jerec's dastardly pair of dark side mutants: the gargantuan Gorc and the pint-sized Pic, the so-called Brothers of the Sith. Gorc and Pic, the TwinsIt was misleading, but not entirely inaccurate, to call Gorc and Pic "twins." The pair of malcontents was an experiment of Palpatine's wizened monster-maker Blackhole. The dark side scientist and intelligence fanatic began his experiment in Sith alchemy with a Kowakian monkey-lizard and a pig-faced Gamorrean. What was borne from Blackhole's alchemical cocoon were the mutated Sithspawn Pic and Gorc, sharing in each other's genes and characteristics, and symbiotically linked through the Force. The Kowakian monkey-lizard Picaroon C. Boodle once plied the spaceways as the pet and first mate of the eccentric smuggler Az-Iban before the beastie was quarantined by Eriadu forces on the accusation that he carried Cyborrean rabies. Gorc came into Imperial custody differently, but no less unjustly, when his older brother Thok betrayed him to the Empire to save his own green hide. Both ended up as part of scientist Tuzin Gast's wicked Imperial experiment Project Chubar, but were taken by Blackhole when the darksider needed two Force-sensitive "animal" subjects to run tests on. Gorc and Pic certainly made an odd couple -- one was less than a meter tall and weighed just 20 kilos, while the other stood over 3 meters and weighed 200 kilos. The appearance of these Brothers of the Sith could be comical, but the combination of Pic's speed and intelligence and Gorc's incredible power was more likely to leave slaughter in its wake than laughter. Pic became adept at using a Sith dagger, while Gorc wielded a massive lightsaber resembling a Gamorrean thogk club. When Jerec captured Jedi Master Qu Rahn, Pic also gained one of Master Yoda's lightsabers for his own. The Force life-bond between the two darksiders allowed for unparalleled teamwork. At all times, they were aware of each other's location, emotional state, and senses, and they even shared limited telepathy. But this closeness also had secondary consequences: injury to one Sithspawn was shared by the other; every touch of the dark side corrupted both the user and his alchemical twin. Their closeness also extended beyond their mutual dark side connection. Though Pic was the smaller of the two, he often thought of himself as the "older" brother and looked out for the dimwitted Gorc's well being. Despite his slow nature, however, Gorc was an excellent craftsman. Grateful for Pic's kindness, the Gamorrean made his tiny brother a specially crafted present: a miniature suit of M'uhk'gfa dark armor. In his confrontation with Kyle Katarn aboard the ship Sulon Star, Gorc overestimated the ease with which he'd be able to squash his opponent. Kyle blasted the ogre in the face, obliterating his brain. Pic, who felt as if half of him had died, proceeded to assault Kyle in an untamed frenzy, stabbing him repeatedly with his Sith dagger. Katarn brought an end to the battle by taking the severed head of the droid 8t88 and using it to cave in the mutant monkey-lizard's skull.  Pic (Sith Abomination): Male mutated Kowakian monkey-lizard Scoundrel 3/Jedi Consular 3/Dark Side Marauder 2; Init +5; Defense 24 (+3 natural, +1 Size, +3 Dex, +7 class); Spd 4 m; VP/WP 44/10; Atk +11/+6/+1 melee (2d8-1/19-20, lightsaber) or +11/+6/+1 melee (1d6-1/20, Sith dagger) or +11/+6/+1 ranged; SQ Abominable Presence, Darkness Shared, deflect (defense +1, attack –4), DR 5, illicit barter, low-light vision, lucky (1/day), precise attack +1; SV Fort +6, Ref +12, Will +5; SZ S; FP 6; DSP 16; Rep +5; Str 8, Dex 20, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 11. Challenge Code D. Equipment: Lightsaber, Sith dagger, Dark Padded Battle Armor. Skills: Balance +5, Bluff +4, Climb +5, Intimidate +2, Jump +6, Knowledge (Sith lore) +5, Listen +5, Move Silently +6, Read/Write Basic, Read/Write Bocce, Read/Write Sith, Ride +2, Speak Basic, Speak Bocce, Speak Sith, Tumble +5. Force Skills: Affect Mind +4, Battlemind +12, Enhance Ability +5, Fear + 6, Force Stealth +5, Heal Self +5, Telepathy +8. Feats: Acrobatic, Armor Proficiency (light), Exotic Weapon Proficiency (lightsaber), Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Sith dagger), Force-Sensitive, Weapon Finesse (lightsaber), Weapon Finesse (Sith dagger), Weapon Group Proficiency (blaster pistols, blaster rifles, primitive weapons, simple weapons, vibro weapons). Force Feats: Alter, Burst of Speed, Control, Link, Sense. Special Qualities: Abominable Presence -- As a Sith abomination, Pic exudes the dark side of the Force, which grips Force-users and non-Force users alike with fear. Pic gains a +4 bonus on Intimidate checks. Darkness Shared -- The Sith abomination Pic shares a special bond through the dark side with his Sith cocoon mate Gorc. This results in a +2 bonus on attack rolls when the pair of Sithspawn coordinates attacks against a target. However, because of their bond, whenever Gorc takes damage from an attack, Pic must make a successful DC 15 Will save to avoid suffering half of the equivalent damage. Lastly, whenever Gorc gains a dark side point, Pic automatically gains one as well.  Gorc (Sith Abomination): Male mutated Gamorrean Soldier 3/Jedi Guardian 2/Dark Side Marauder 3; Init –1; Defense 18 (+3 natural, –1 Size, –1 Dex, +7 class); Spd 6 m; VP/WP 44/20; Atk +15/+10/+5 melee (3d8+7/19-20, lightclub) or +15/+10/+5 melee (1d6+7, crit 20, helmet) or +7/+2 ranged; SQ Abominable Presence, Darkness Shared, deflect (defense +1), DR 8, low-light vision; SV Fort +16, Ref +6, Will +4; SZ L; FP 6; DSP 16; Rep +5; Str 24, Dex 8, Con 20, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 9. Challenge Code D. Equipment: Lightclub,* Dark Heavy Battle Armor with M'uhk'gfa helmet. *Gorc has constructed his own lightsaber. Skills: Craft (lightsaber) +3, Craft (M'uhk'gfa armor) +3, Intimidate +2, Knowledge (Sith lore) +3, Speak Basic, Speak Vregg (Gamorrese dialect), Speak Sith. Force Skills: Battlemind +8, Force Grip +4, Heal Self +3, Telepathy +3. Feats: Armor Proficiency (light, medium, heavy), Cleave, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (lightsaber), Force-Sensitive, Great Cleave, Power Attack, Weapon Group Proficiency (blaster pistols, blaster rifles, heavy weapons, primitive weapons, simple weapons, vibro weapons). Force Feats: Alter, Control, Lightsaber Defense, Link, Sense. Special Qualities: Abominable Presence – As a Sith abomination, Gorc exudes the dark side of the Force, which grips Force-users and non-Force users alike with fear. Gorc gains a +4 bonus on Intimidate checks. Darkness Shared -- The Sith abomination Gorc shares a special bond through the dark side with his Sith cocoon mate Pic. This results in a +2 bonus on attack rolls when the pair of Sithspawn coordinates attacks against a target. However, because of their bond, whenever Pic takes damage from an attack, Gorc must make a successful DC 15 Will save to avoid suffering half of the equivalent damage. Lastly, whenever Pic gains a dark side point, Gorc automatically gains one as well.
Dromund KaasPlanet Type: Terrestrial
During the heyday of the Jedi, Dromund Kaas was widely regarded as a myth -- a witchworld of the ancient Sith believed in by cultists and anti-Jedi conspiracy theorists, spoken of in whispers by Padawans looking to scare one another. It was not until the Clone Wars raged across the stars that the truth emerged: The Dromund system was very real, one of some three dozen star systems that Yoda discovered had been deleted from the supposedly infallible Jedi archives and were missing from commonly used star charts. That was disturbing enough; worse was Dromund's location in a backwater region of the ancient Sith Empire. It's believed that Yoda may have visited the Dromund system. However, the great Jedi Master's investigation of the expunged star systems were a secret to all but the highest echelons of the Jedi Temple, and any records of a mission to Dromund have been lost. Instead, it fell to the first generation of reborn Jedi to plumb Dromund Kaas's mysteries. Kyle Katarn traveled there after learning of the witchworld in ancient inscriptions, battling a host of Sith abominations in the planet's seemingly endless bogs before succumbing to the spell of the dark side of the Force. After his rescue by Mara Jade, Kyle, Luke Skywalker, and other Jedi heroes were able to piece together parts of the fabled system's history. Dromund Kaas had been founded by a Sith apostate who rejected the Rule of Two, and was ruled over by a succession of prophets until its discovery by Darth Sidious. Sidious turned the Prophets of the Dark Side to his service. Emperor Palpatine kept Dromund Kaas' location a secret, but he used the planet as a testing ground for his dark side adepts, including the Force-sensitive Grand Admiral Declann. Mindful of Katarn's fall, Luke Skywalker concluded that Dromund Kaas was a danger best dealt with by the Jedi Order when its ranks were stronger. His efforts and the quiet intercession of New Republic Intelligence sought to ensure the planet remained what it had been for millennia -- a legend. The Dark Force Temple on Dromund Kaas Before the Prophets of the Dark Side came out of hiding, the only "dark force" people knew of was the Republic's Katana Fleet. Christened the Dark Force, the fleet's crew was driven mad by a mysterious hive virus. The Dark Force is the faith of the Prophets of the Dark Side (not to be confused with a group of wannabes who call Space Station Scardia home). When Darth Sidious found them, the Prophets were residing in the highest tower of a Sith temple in the quagmire of Dromund Kaas, an old battleground of the New Sith Wars. Palpatine often entrusted the early training of his darksiders to the Prophets. After enraging the Emperor, however, the ecclesiastics fled to their Supreme Prophet's stronghold on Bosthirda, and the Dromund Kaas temple remained abandoned for years. Six years after the Battle of Endor, Kyle Katarn was temporarily seduced by the evil that haunts the place before Mara Jade saved him. Using the Dark Force Temple in Your Campaign The Dark Force religion was brought to Dromund Kaas by the Sith apprentice Darth Millennial. The apprentice abandoned his master to focus on the philosophy of Rule by the Strong, espoused by the "Dark One" Lord Kaan, rather than on Darth Bane's restrictive Rule of Two. The planet remains a well-kept secret exclusive to the prophets until its discovery by Darth Sidious. It then becomes an early training ground for Palpatine's Force-sensitive minions. In the Old Republic era, heroes may have heard rumors about this dark side religion and seek Dromund Kaas to either destroy or practice the malevolent faith. During the Emperor's reign, adventurers on the planet would have to be darksiders working for Palpatine or Prophets-in-training. Whether serving the light or darkness, heroes visiting Dromund Kaas will find themselves undergoing grave challenges. Swamp wampas,* dianogas, vornskrs, Guardian Spirits, and Noghri abominations** all infest the dark side bog world. *Swamp wampas conform to the generic wampa ice creature template presented on page 339 of the revised Star Wars Roleplaying Game rulebook with a few simple modifications. **Noghri abominations conform to the Massassi abomination on page 119 of the Dark Side Sourcebook with a few simple modifications. | |||||||||||||||||||||
