Masters in Exile is an ongoing series of articles where I will present fully fleshed out characters to fill the role of a master for the Force-wielders in your party. These profiles will include plot hooks, game stats, optional house rules, personality traits, sample quotes, and character development paths. I hope that these characters will serve as set pieces that a GM can drop into their game, fully-formed and ready for play.
In Part I we looked at the Krath training droid, Senex, a relic of a bygone era and possible instructor for your PC Force-wielders and aspiring Jedi. This week we will dig into the Force cult that created him, examining the Force tradition itself and a few potential NPC opponents should your party run afoul of this mysterious and ancient sect.
Force Tradition: Krath Magic
Background: The Krath is a secret society and Force cult founded by the idle children of wealthy Tetan aristocrats during the so-called “golden age” of the Republic. The organization takes its name and inspiration for many of its practices from a legendary magician-god in Tetan myth. Their namesake was both cunning and potent, using his magic and guile to manipulate his enemies into bringing about their own destruction.
After unlocking all the secrets they could from their mythology, the cult set out to buy, excavate, and steal as many Force-related relics as could be found from other Force traditions throughout the galaxy. They were particularly influenced by Sith artifacts they pilfered from various museums and the spirits that accompanied them.
Using their newfound power, these cultists killed their parents and seized control of the entire Tetan system, even making an abortive attempt at galactic conquest before (ironically) bringing about their own defeat by betraying, and being betrayed in turn, by their Sith allies. The remaining practitioners of Krath magic fled from their home system and scattered into the Outer Rim, where they continue to delve the depths of the Dark Side, but without the benefit of ancient Sith teachings or access to the technology left behind in the Empress Teta System.
Focusing on their fundamental teachings, these Krath have refined their ability to alter and invade the minds of others to plant ideas, create illusions, and tap into their opponents greatest fears. This small, cult-like, secret society has persisted for generations and has largely given up any dreams of galactic domination. The Krath have returned to their roots as a cult of idle aristocrats dabbling with forces beyond their understanding to add a little mystery and danger to their otherwise luxurious lives.
Benefit: Reduce the cost to purchase the Influence, Jerserra’s Influence, and Misdirect basic powers by 5 to a minimum of 5. Also, reduce the cost to purchase any Control or Mastery upgrades to these powers by 5 to a minimum of 5.
Drawback (30 XP): When learning the basic power of any Force power other than those listed above, a Krath witch increases the cost by 10 unless they have first found or stolen the requisite training material from the practitioners or temples of another Force tradition.
Krath NPCs
These NPCs can be used anywhere from just after the Sith Wars to the Galactic Civil War or Sequel era. The Krath change very little over the millennia, becoming more of a secret society. Most members of the Krath remain wealthy aristocrats and business people and use their power mainly for self-aggrandizement and the acquisition of additional personal wealth and power. However, the Faust family still remembers the glory days of their ancestors, and the family’s young scion, Salandra, intends to step back into the galactic stage.
Salandra is an extraordinarily attractive woman of noble bearing. She dresses in the most elegant attire and is a notorious fashion setter among the Galactic elite. Her foppish appearance, however, is little more than a mask– She trained from the time she could walk with Mecrosa assassins and her family’s Krath adepts. Her facility for swordplay and the Force are matched only by her political acumen; she is a master manipulator and is as likely to orchestrate an enemy’s demise with words as with her blade.
She will do whatever it takes to start working her way back into true power: assassinations, blackmail, threats, even seduction or marriage. She could make an unusual benefactor for a group of fringe PCs, hiring them to carry out her dirty work while maintaining her guise as a mere power-hungry aristocrat. She could also make an interesting master to a PC as she is always seeking powerful allies. If you are using Senex from part 1 of the Krath articles, Salandra would be a perfect mentor for him to hand the PCs off to after he has indoctrinated them.
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You sir are a rockstar. I didn’t know I needed this till I read it. Nice
Thank you – this actually got posted in the wrong order…part one has an entry point teacher that can drag PCs into the Krath tradition during any era. Should be up in a week or two.