“The 2-1B Is In” is an occasional segment focusing on various aspects of healing and medicine in Fantasy Flight Games’ Star Wars RPG. Today, for a change, I am re-visiting its predecessor, Star Wars Saga Edition, with equipment stats for Bota. (My Bota for FFG SW write-up.)
Bota is a very rare fungus valued for its “miracle drug” medicinal properties during and even after the Clone Wars. The literal battles over bota are chronicled in the Star Wars Legends novels MedStar I: Battle Surgeons and MedStar II: Jedi Healer.
Bota only grew on one planet, Drongar, a hot, humid world of fungus and mold “jungles.” Its healing effects varied depending on the species. It could do anything from cure terminal illnesses and mortal injuries to relieve severe pain, among other uses. Some Jedi reported bota could intensify one’s connection to the Force but often with side effects. Any research into the Force effects by the Jedi Order was cut short by Order 66. Bota swiftly degraded and rotted once harvested, so was immediately frozen in carbonite for storage and transport. Bota is generally administered via hypospray or intravenously, and must be either freshly (within 1 day) harvested or unfrozen and reconstituted.
All of these factors made bota a high-priority asset for both the Republic and Confederacy during the Clone Wars, with both sides having harvest and processing operations on Drongar, and their respective troops protecting these–or destroying them to “deny the assets” to the other side. Unfortunately, bota was deemed so valuable that it was stockpiled by the governments and not used to heal troops or refugees. Indeed, per Grand Army of the Republic regulations, military medics and surgeons could be court-martialed for treason for diverting bota to treat their patients. Naturally, such a valuable commodity was as attractive to criminal organizations, like Black Sun, as it was to governments.
It would soon be even more coveted. Like most Drongar fungal and plant life, bota was extremely prone to mutations, and it soon mutated to the point where all its pharmaceutical properties were lost.
BOTA
Treat Injury Skill: A bota dose counts as using a Medpac or Medical Kit, and the user is considered trained in Treat Injury. Additionally, the bota dose provides a +5 equipment bonus to the check, OR the GM may allow you to Take 20, even if you could not otherwise do so.
Force-users: A dose of bota provides a +5 bonus to your next Use the Force check for only Search Your Feelings, Sense Force, Telepathy (uses) or the Farseeing Force Power. The GM may allow you to Take 20 instead, even if you could not otherwise do so. You must also make a DC 20 Endurance check or move 2 steps down the Condition Track.
|
MEDICAL GEAR |
COST |
WEIGHT |
|
Bota (1 dose) |
600 |
0.1kg |
|
Bota (100 doses, in carbonite) |
100,000 |
200kg |
Clone Wars Adventure Hooks
- The Republic Grand Army or Judicials might task the party with tracking down diverted carbon-frozen bota. Alternately they may be ordered to steal CIS bota shipments–or destroy them. The latter makes for a little moral dilemma.
- The Jedi Council has persuaded the Grand Army Command or the Senate to allow them bota samples and the PCs are sent after them. Perhaps this is one of the Chancellor’s gambits against the Jedi…
- A crimelord (or other non-government faction/individual) is paying very handsomely for a team to intercept processed bota.
- A scoutship has discovered bota on a second planet. The race is on… And what (or who) else is on that planet? Is this really bota? Is the whole thing a trap?
Rebellion (or later) Adventure Hooks
- The Alliance/New Republic has learned of a cache of bota and assigns the party to get it, racing another faction to the cache.
- The party or their mentor has learned of bota’s purported Force-effects and that samples were preserved in a distant Jedi Temple, cache, or even the crash site of an Order spaceship. They go to retrieve them, hoping they are still viable–and that there are no guards or other seekers at the site.
Linda Whitson
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