The Ebruchi are a particularly odious and cruel species of pirate that travels the Unknown Regions in the Galactic North Quadrant, including the Wild Space fringe, so most of them speak some Basic, in addition to Unknown Regions trade tongues (Minnisiat, Sy Bisti, etc.) and Ebruchese. No one knows what planet spawned the Ebruchi, what enemy drove them into space, or how many millennia they’ve ravaged the space lanes. Not even the Ebruchi, for the species has forgotten all the myths and history of their planetbound eras. Indeed, they have lived on ships for so many generations that they become severely, debilitatingly anxious when planetside.
Ebruchi society is both decentralized and hierarchical. At the top are the five known clans, each with its own fleet, and led by a chieftain with a staff of captains and lieutenants. A fleet is made up of 1-2 armadas, which in turn contain 4-5 flotillas each. The commander of a flotilla is styled “Captain.” (A flotilla is the largest group a small party will likely encounter.) Ebruchi society is oddly egalitarian in regards to strong and/or useful non-Ebruchi, taking them in as honorary Ebruchi.
Ebruchi look a bit like Gand, with a similar build and large (but non-faceted) eyes. Their mouths are surrounded by a multitude of tentacles that guide chunks of food–often chunks of fresh and juicy flesh–down their gullet. Ebruchi can digest almost anything but very fresh meat is their favorite. Their other habits and the way they move are equally unnerving to most other sentients.
But it’s the culture that is truly disgusting; the above is just biology. In addition to the usual piratical crimes of raiding defenseless colonies and vessels, shipjacking, and the like, the Ebruchi indulge in even nastier crimes. They take hostages to ransom for wealth or information, butcher prisoners for food, exploit primitive cultures to obtain goods and child slaves, etc.
Ebruchi Pirate [Minion]
BRAWN 3
AGILITY 2
INTELLECT 2
CUNNING 2
WILLPOWER 2
PRESENCE 1
Soak 4 Wound Threshold 5 Defense (m/r) 0/0
Skills (group only): Brawl, Melee
Talents: None
Abilities
Nauseating Ways (Non-Ebruchi make an Average Resilience or Discipline check at start of encounter. Failure = +1 Setback to all checks until the end of the encounter. Failure with 3 Threat or 1 Despair = +2 Setback. Failure with 3 Advantage or 1 Triumph = +1 Setback to first check only.)
Shipbound Species (When planetside, Ebruchi add 1 Setback to all checks)
Equipment: Combat Knife (Melee, Damage +1, Engaged range, Critical 3), Shrapnel (slugthrower) Pistol (Ranged [light], Damage 4, Short range, Critical 4, Pierce 1), Fur Garments (Heavy clothing, Soak +1)
Ebruchi Flotilla Commander [Nemesis]
BRAWN 4
AGILITY 3
INTELLECT 2
CUNNING 3
WILLPOWER 3
PRESENCE 2
Soak: 6 Strain Threshold: 15 Wound Threshold: 10 Defense (m/r): (0/0)
Skills: Brawl 3, Coercion 3, Cool 2, Deception 2, Gunnery 1, Leadership 2, Melee 2, Ranged (light) 2, Skulduggery 3
Talent: Adversary 2
Abilities
Pirate Leader (May perform a maneuver to give orders to other pirate allies in Medium range, granting them 1 Boost on their next check.)
Nauseating Ways (Non-Ebruchi make an Average Resilience or Discipline check at start of encounter. Failure = +1 Setback to all checks until the end of the encounter. Failure with 3 Threat or 1 Despair = +2 Setback. Failure with 3 Advantage or 1 Triumph = +1 Setback to first check only.)
Shipbound Species (When planetside, Ebruchi add 1 Setback to all checks)
Equipment: Shrapnel (slugthrower) Pistol (Ranged [light], Damage 4, Short range, Critical 4, Pierce 1), Vibroknife (Melee, Damage +1, Engaged range, Critical 2, Pierce 2, Vicious 1), Fur Garments (Heavy clothing, Soak +1)
Design & Play Notes: This year’s Halloween goodie is a creepy species I (re)discovered, leafing through The Unknown Regions sourcebook for Star Wars Saga Edition. The Ebruchi first appeared years earlier, however, in WEG SWRPG’s Adventure Journal 11, in the Thrawn short story “Command Decision,” by Timothy Zahn. The Journals were a unique type of RPG book that included both game modules and short fiction. (Unfortunately, “Command Decision” doesn’t seem to have been printed in any other collection, and it’s getting harder and harder to find inexpensive legal copies of many Star Wars D6 and D20 books. Online I saw a copy of Adventure Journal 11 for over US$200 and copies of The Unknown Regions for $80-100.)
These cruel, gross aliens aren’t really suited for PCs, but they might make your next space pirate session for EotE a little scarier. Of course Ebruchi pirates might target the party’s ship. Or they boarded some other unfortunate vessel and the PCs are hired to take back the stolen cargo–or rescue prisoners before they become entrees.
While best for the EotE line, you can use them in the others. Soldiers or agents of the GAR, Alliance, or Resistance on missions to find new safe worlds or secret enemy facilities in the Unknown Regions may run afoul of an Ebruchi flotilla. Force-sensitive seekers of knowledge may likewise stumble into a flotilla while seeking a mentor, holocron, or other artifact. If handled cautiously, trade or information exchanges are possible without ending up as entree or dessert, however.
Flotilla Notes: A typical flotilla consists of one capital ship (frigate or similar size) and a number of armed freighters. Larger flotillas may have more than one capship. Some flotillas also have small snubfighters. Use stats for older or less effective ships from the rulebooks, perhaps reskinned to represent unfamiliar types. The freighters appear to have large numbers of additional retrofitted and often exotic weapons–but most are non-functional and meant to scare their targets into surrendering. (Play up all this illusory firepower when setting the scene!) Ebruchi ships are usually not kept in good repair. To represent this mechanically, GMs may want to start combat with ships down 1-3 points of system strain, lower shield points, or adding +10 to vehicle critical results.
Linda Whitson
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