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This week I am adding another entry into my sub-series, Beasts of Moraband, where I provide stats and a write up for dark side beasts for use at your table. You can check out the first entry in the sub-series which covers the tuk’ata and shyrack. Whether you have a group of courageous young Jedi in your Force and Destiny campaign or a motley crew of tomb raiders in Edge of the Empire, or something in between, my hope is these beasts will a useful resource for you.
While writing the hssiss I had an opportunity to look over some feedback on the tuk’ata from Keith Kappel. He suggested the old wording on Dark Servants was a bit off, as it didn’t give any bonus to attempts to tame or handle the beast. I agreed and ultimately decided on the new wording listed below, allowing a character to use Force dice and Dark Side results on checks to tame, handle, dominate, or otherwise socially interact with the creature. I feel this not only is now sufficiently broad for all reasonable applications of that piece of lore, but also allows non-Darksiders another avenue for temptation by permitting them to channel the Dark Side to potentially get out of a nasty encounter. Of course, this would net the player character Conflict as per the usual rules for Dark Side results. Many Dark Side beasts are vulnerable to domination by Dark Side wielders, so I will use this wording for Dark Servants going forward.
Hssiss, Dark Side Dragon (Nemesis)
Known to the Jedi archives as “Dark Side dragons,” the hssiss are savage reptilian predators known for their intimidating bulk and vicious ferocity. Hssiss have been used as war beasts for thousands of years, first by the ancient Sith and Great Bogga the Hutt and now in the strongholds of Outer Rim crime lords. Whether fought in the bowels of a crime lord’s dungeon, in an Outer Rim gladiatorial arena, or lying in wait within the swamps and ruins of former Sith worlds, a hssiss is a formidable adversary even the most skilled combatant. The hssiss’s impressive stalking abilities are augmented by a fact known by few researchers: the hssiss can cloak itself using the Dark Side of the Force. This ability, as well as a vulnerability to domination by wielders of the Dark Side, is a legacy of their service in the armies of the Sith.
Characteristics
Br 5, Ag 3, Int 1, Cun 3, WP 3, Pres 1
Soak 7, W. Threshold 25, S. Threshold 15, M/R Def 1/0
Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Coercion 1, Cool 3, Discipline 2, Perception 2, Stealth 3, Survival 2, Vigilance 2
Talents: Adversary 1 (upgrade difficulty of all combat checks against this target once), Force Rating 2, Sleight of Mind 2 (add 2 Boost dice to Stealth checks unless the opposition is immune to Force powers)
Abilities: Dark Side Force User (uses Dark Side results instead of Light Side results, see FaD 281), Force Power: Misdirect (a hssiss may spend a Force point to make a target up to short range not perceive the hssiss; it may spend two additional Force points to affect up to 6 targets), Dark Servants (when making checks to handle, tame, or otherwise socially interact with this creature a character may add Force dice to the check and spend Dark Side results to add success or advantage), Dark Venom (at the GM’s discretion a hssiss may have Dark venom; if a character suffers unsoaked wounds from the hssiss’s claws, then that character is affected as per synthetic neurotoxin as per FaD 181 except the difficulty is 2 Challenge dice), Silhouette 2
Equipment: Powerful claws (Brawl; Damage 8, Critical 2, Range [Engaged]; Linked 1, Pierce 3, Vicious 1), pinning bite (Brawl; Damage 6; Critical 3; Range [Engaged]; Ensnare 1)
Christopher Hunt
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