I enjoyed working on the SWSE Rathtar stats so much, I have decided to devote a few weeks to stats for other Star Wars creatures. Many of these had stats in at least one previous SWRPG iteration, such as today’s Fenwolf, which appeared in Unknown Regions (SWSE) and made its first appearance in the Rebel Alliance Sourcebook (WEG 2e).
The Alliance frequently employs animal mounts on missions. As indigenous beasts are less expensive to purchase and maintain than vehicles, it probably makes more use of them than the Empire does. Another advantage is that it is easy for enemy guards and sensors operators to dismiss small signs of animals as “just another wild/runaway creature.” Fenwolves have several advantages making them favored mounts for Alliance scouts on many worlds, especially those with significant portions of wetlands on the landmasses, as the name suggests. The fenwolf makes travel in these environments easier on the scouts since they are adapted to move easier through marshes and similarly soggy terrain. While fenwolves are most at home in this kind of environment, they are a good choice for many environments from subtropical to tundra.
The drive to please their sentient owners/handlers is a common trait of companion/working beasts, especially canids. This makes them easier to deal with than several of the common herbivorous riding beasts. Having the excellent senses of smell and hearing, also typical of canids, fenwolves augment their riders’ senses and scanners when on missions, whether Recon or Search and Rescue, as well as guarding a camp on longer assignments.
Like historical war mounts, fenwolves are trained to protect themselves and their rider in combat. However, since these are mostly used by Alliance scouts, they probably won’t be fighting unless something has gone terribly wrong.
FENWOLF [Rival]
Characteristics
Brawn 4
Agility 4
Intellect 1
Cunning 2
Presence 2
Willpower 1
Skills: Athletics 1, Brawl 2, Perception 3, Stealth 2, Survival 2
Talents: none
Abilities: Domesticable 1 (Downgrade Difficulty of checks to train fenwolves by 1); Silhouette 2; Trained Mount 1 (add 1 Boost to a rider’s Survival checks while mounted on a fenwolf)
Soak: 5 Defense (m/r): 0/0 Wound Threshold: 15
Force Rating: 0
Vehicle stats for mounted combat
Silhouette: 2 Handling: +1 Speed: 2
Equipment: Teeth (Brawl, Damage 7, Critical 2, Engaged Range, Pierce 2, Vicious 1); Heavy coat (Soak 1); Fenwolf Tack (optional; see pp. 42-43, Stay on Target)
Design & Play Notes: The Abilities and additional vehicle-type stats are from Stay on Target (AoR). In addition, if a character is riding without tack, GMs may use the SoT bareback rules on p. 81.
Based on the descriptions in previous SWRPG interations, I picture fenwolves as being used primarily as mounts and only secondarily as guard animals.
To represent a wild fenwolf, remove the Domesticable and Trained Mount Abilities. To complicate a scenario, a GM might employ a fenwolf pack or family group, using a Minion version of the stats–or a PC could use their fenwolf as a distraction.
These stats can also be used for the Loth-wolf in the upcoming final season of Star Wars Rebels.
Linda Whitson
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