HoloNet Uplink – Praetorian Guard (Retinue of Snoke II)

Welcome to the HoloNet Uplink, citizen. This series focuses on Fantasy Flight Games’ Star Wars Roleplaying Game, with content aimed mostly at the Gamemaster. Threats, adventure seeds, rules supplements, and more are all to come for those who access The HoloNet Uplink.

*Note: While spoiler free, this post deals with characters featured in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.*

Welcome to Part Two of my two-part series covering the mysterious Retinue of Snoke. Last time, I covered the purple-clad attendant navigators. This time, we slap some segmented armor over those robes as we take a look at the Praetorian Guard. Basically, they’re like Royal Guard that, like, actually do stuff!

Praetorian Guard [Nemesis]

Implacable sentinels, Snoke’s Praetorian Guard are at once symbolic of the First Order’s philosophy and deadly defenders of the Supreme Leader. These bodyguards, clad in brilliant crimson robes,  draw directly on the traditions of Emperor Palpatine’s Royal Guard. Much of that old order’s pageantry has been swept away, replaced with the vicious efficiency of composite armor and high-tech weapons.

Carrying forward the First Order aesthetic of symmetry, the Praetorian Guard number exactly eight. Four pairs, each equipped with the same weapons, form Snoke’s last line of defense. The origin of the guard is shrouded in mystery, as are the source of their membership. The Praetorians are rarely seen by all but the highest ranking First Order officers, with the lower ranks left to spread whispered rumors. Some say the guard draw from the elite of the stormtrooper corps, as did Palpatine’s Royal Guard. Other suggest more sinister origins, such as turned survivors of Luke Skywalker’s failed Jedi order. No matter the source, these unflinchingly loyal warriors will unhesitatingly fight and die for their Supreme Leader.

Characteristics

Br 4, Ag 3, Int 2, Cun 3, WP 3, Pres 2

Soak 6, W. Threshold 19, S. Threshold 16, Def M/R 1/1

Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Discipline 3, Melee 5, Perception 3, Vigilance 3

Talents: Adversary 2 (upgrade difficulty of all combat checks against this target twice), Body Guard 2 (once per round, perform the Body Guard maneuver to guard an engaged character. Suffer up to two strain, then until the beginning of the next turn upgrade the difficulty of combat checks targeting the protected character that many times.), Confidence 2 (may decrease the difficulty of any Discipline check to avoid the effects of fear by 2, and if this decreases the difficulty to zero then no check is required), Parry 4 (when struck by a melee attack, but before applying soak, suffer 3 strain to reduce damage by 6), Improved Parry (when a Praetorian Guard suffers a hit from a Brawl, Melee, or Lightsaber check that generates Despair or 3 Threat, and the Praetorian Guard uses the Parry incidental to reduce damage from that hit, after resolving the attack, he may spend those results to inflict one hit on the attack with a wielded Brawl, Melee, or Lightsaber weapon, inflicting the weapon’s base damage).

Abilities: None.

Equipment: Bilari electro-chain whip (Melee; Damage 6; Critical 2; Engaged; Cortosis, Defensive 1, Ensnare 2, Pierce 2), or separated twin vibro-arbir blades (Melee; Damage 6; Critical 2; Engaged; Cortosis, Pierce 3, Special: Paired, Special: Maneuver to Connect), or connected twin vibro-arbir blades (Melee; Damage 6; Critical 2; Engaged; Cortosis, Cumbersome 3, Linked 1, Pierce 3, Unwieldy 3, Special: Maneuver to Separate), or vibro-voulge (Melee; Damage 8; Critical 2; Engaged; Cortosis, Cumbersome 3, Pierce 3, Sunder, Vicious 3), or electro-bisento (Melee; Damage 7; Critical 2; Engaged; Cortosis, Cumbersome 3, Defense 2, Pierce 3), segmented plate (soak +2, defense +1, cortosis).

Praetorian Arms

Limited to close combat weapons, the Praetorian Guard are at once both archaic and high tech in armament. The guard carry powered versions of exotic weapons sourced from primitive societies across the galaxy. Each is a vibro weapon supplemented by an electro-plasma filament, creating a parallel energy blade to the cutting edge. Their segmented armor is flexible, but strong, and is impregnated with magnetic wirepaths. The armor is capable of deflecting blaster bolts and glancing lightsaber strikes. While phenomenally expensive, Snoke has spared no expense in outfitting his Praetorian Guard.

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Christopher Hunt

Staff Writer at d20 Radio

Christopher Hunt is a long-time gamer and has recently broke into the world of RPG freelancing. Chris’ unofficial Star Wars RPG blog ran weekly on d20radio.com for the past three years. He has written for Rusted Iron Games, Raging Swan Press, and most recently Fantasy Flight Games’ Star Wars RPG. Chris is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Political Science. Always the gamer, his thesis, which explores conflict short of war by uniting current threats to historical events, was inspired by a historical board game.

Latest posts by Christopher Hunt (see all)

• Command School – Deterrence and Compellence - July 11, 2019