The Academy - Character Creation

I’m going to go ahead and assume that my fear based character in your game inspired you :)

Yes and no, I've been wanting to play a Chiss bounty hunter ever since I got my hands on Enter the Unknown and Gadgeteer is a good fit to basically make a tabletop version on my SWTOR hunter with some thematic changes.

I've also wanted to play an Aggressor for a long time, but from what I'd read of the planned campaign the hunter seemed a better fit.

Yea, was planning on either starting with Seer or Niman. Seer is very good for the Force, Niman is good for the Face skills (and Lightsaber). And whichever one of those two I didn't start with would probably be my 2nd Spec taken (which granted is VERY forward-thinking). The initial build I rolled up was a Seer, cuz if you're good with the Force you can be good with the Face skills too (Influence).

But that's also kind of what I was saying about a "Force Wizard", there's a lot of ways to go with that general concept. Silim could go the Move/Enhance Power route, while being in the same Spec (Seer), and still have a character that plays very differently. Seer is just very optimal for a Force User...

But I'm flexible too, if Silim wants to be the Force Wizard. I've been wanting to figure out how to do a sneaky infiltrator lightsaber stabby Force User...

Take a look at Arbiter from Disciples of Harmony. It’s one of my favorite specs.

Yeah, Seer is surprisingly versatile since your Force power ends up really determining how your character works out in the end.

Of course I could also just not go AS heavily into the Force, at least to start out with. Armorer is a very good tree that I like a lot, and makes for a decent saber user and useful team member with Mechanics and potential crafting. If I went for that, the theorycraft would look something like this:

B: 4, A: 2, C: 2, I: 3, W: 2, P: 2
Career: Guardian
Specs: Armorer, Imperial Academy Cadet
rest of EXP towards first Dedication in Armorer, since its a straight shot, in an attempt to get Intellect 4 asap.
For Force Powers, probably Manipulate and Heal, maybe still Move in the future (though more for utility and not as a way to fight for a long time).
Eventual plans: Rather open, either go heavily into the technical stuff and pick up Artisan out-of-career, or Protector to get some medical ability. Mostly depends on how the game goes.

Meribson is playing a Gadgeteer so the party is pretty strong on Mechanics. I hate shooting down your ideas but I really want a varied party.

So I'm reworking Kelen Pell and I'm torn between all three specs for Spy: Infiltrator, Scout, and Slicer. What do you all recommend? Have you played any of these specs? What would fit best in the group with the least overlap? Any other careers or specs you would recommend? I thought about possibly an EotE Smuggler/Thief who works as a Rebel freelancer or something of the like, or even a Sentinel/Shadow.

So the absolutes are a sneaky guy that is a Rebel operative, other than that I'm open to recommendations.

Here’s my thoughts on the Spy specs

Slicer - really focused on slicing. There will definitely be opportunities for slicing but you might find a lot of your talents go to waste a lot of the time. It’s also a terribly pathed spec if you wanted to grab a few slicing talents and Dedication and move on.

Infiltrator - despite the name, it’s really a melee combat spec. It’s a good combat spec but if you wanted to focus more on stealth it’s not great.

Scout - my favorite of the 3 if I were making a character. It has a bunch of utility talents and is by the best of the 3 to race to dedication while grabbing some useful stuff along the way

Yeah I noticed that about the Infiltrator. Basically a close combat assassin.

What do you think about the Smuggle/Thief?

There's only limited roles in this system. Armorer is a mechanics / crafting tree second, and a combat / armor user first. Simply because of the statistics, we'll not get 5 characters without ANY overlaps, it simply won't happen.

Still, I could instead go with Protector first and pick up Armorer later, but that'll mean I won't be useful with a saber for a long time. I'll see if I can come up with a different combo, but I'm not picking Healer as my start spec in yet another game.

If you want to go armorer, that’s fine, I just don’t want you to feel redundant. I would strongly prefer that we have 5 different careers.

For F&D careers with a FR increase and Lightsaber as a career skill, there aren’t many options.

Niman - a good general spec and pretty versatile
Arbiter - another cool spec with face overlap. But it’s really focused on Negotiation which is usually not a "standard" face skill
Armorer - crafting overlap but a strong combat spec
Sentry - sneak overlap but a solid all around spec.

I’m fine with any of those. You could also start off with melee or even ranged and pick up a lightsaber spec before you get a saber.

Sorry if I came across a bit harsh, typing on my phone does not lend itself to sounding reasonable. I agree with pretty much all of your assessments of the specs. Normally I'd go for Niman in a heartbeat, but our face is already considering it, so I didn't want to just jump on it. Do you have oggdude's char gen? If so, I can quickly share two theorycrafts once I'm home, one for Niman and one for Armorer.

One last question on career/specs: What do you think of a Sentinel/Shadow? Or is that too much Force in the group?

I've narrowed it down to Smuggler/Thief, Sentinel/Shadow, or possibly Spy/Scout (lots of utility but not so much in the sneaky/stealthy/break into things area).

Regarding Silim's Armorer, there probably won't be as much overlap as you're thinking. Zusom's primarily Bat-Face/Mid-Range combat with modding gear as a side bonus, Armorer's more Mechanics/Close-Range combat with armor crafting as a major shtick. So while we could help each other in repair work, our focuses as far as mechanics go are very different.
That would put 3 out of 5 characters as Force Sensitive, and given the feel I've gotten thus far on the campaign it probably would be a little much.

Out of your other two, here's my thoughts:
1.) Smuggler/Thief would certainly work as an outlaw that got roped into a cause bigger than himself and would make for a very interesting character arc.
2.) Spy/Scout I need more than just the career/spec to get a character arc seed, but from what I know of it the spec could make for a lot of interesting options to grow from.

Armorer is totally cool with me. I love some melee beef :)

3 FS characters is too much. Let’s stick with 2.

Thief is a cool spec. And you can use whatever backstory you want, regardless of spec. You can be a smuggler and a rebel operative, or a Slicer who works in the underworld.

The picture that I'm planning on using for Zusom's avatar:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6y8ww9r8w1y0um7/Hira%20Darksun%20-%20Human%20Guardian.xml?dl=0

Here's a oggdude sheet for Hira as an Armorer. I'll transfer it over into a gamersplane sheet tonight (currently sitting in a D&D game on Discord), but figured I'd let you all see the theorycraft. You should be able to import the sheet into your own char gen if you want to look at it before then.

Submitted Lotus! Although I still need to figure out what weapon(s) to give him! Either an expensive rifle, or a cheaper rifle and pistol. Hmmm....

Lot'Tusina'Tenac

Also, here's a more detailed backstory for him...

Lotus was in the auditorium the day the empire brought Sa'Kalla on stage. She stood there, weakened from months of imperial torture, to be the example of what happens to those that oppose Imperial Rule. Tears streamed down the faces of all those present as they witnessed their beloved singer in her fallen state.

But as she slowly stood in her weakened condition, having been ordered to tell her people to comply with imperial rule, she instead called in her signature voice to fight! As the crowd erupted, she was shot and killed in front of everybody.

Little did Lotus realize that the insurgent that was created that night would fuel the rest of his life. He became a prime local instigator for the next few years, culminating in a daring escape from capture, and leaving his home world for good.

A short time later, a close family member encouraged him to join a more official capacity and become a member of the Rebel Alliance. Lotus eventually found the organization, and has become a strong regional operative along the Rim Trade route, whenever he might be needed.

Some might consider Lotus rash, or impulsive at times. Others might call it bravery. Whatever the case, he’s head strong and has a knack to be keenly aware of those that fight alongside him. That could be one of the reasons why he found an uncommon aptitude for the medicinal arts along with his military prowess. His enjoyment of strategic games also aids him on the battlefield, and will occasionally mutter strategies to himself amidst blaster fire.

Like many of his race, he enjoys music and verse, and can occasionally be heard singing songs of his people. Those not familiar with his race may think he looks serious or angry all the time, but Lotus normally has a charming disposition, which aids in his bedside manner. He looks up to his cousin, Pao, that helped him into this cause, and hopes to serve with him sometime in the future. Until then, offers his skillset to harass the Empire, determined to not let those that have sacrificed much to have suffered in vain.

Kelen PellNo one knows Kelen’s real name, just that he hails from somewhere out in the Outer Rim… or was it New Holstice, near Hutt Space? The records originally had him as a native of Corellia, but those were found to be altered somehow. The only things that have been verified in the Rebellion’s records is his codename is ‘Umbra,’ he goes by Kelen Pell, and he’s a retrieval specialist.

Over the years, Kel has smuggled merchandise for black marketeers, done the odd job for the Hutts, and spent some time as an infochant. However, his true passion is acquisitions. When he was a child, he would often steal whatever wasn’t bolted down and challenge himself to keep the theft hidden as long as possible. The longer it took the owner to realize their prize possession was missing, the more successful the acquisition. Stealing is part of his being, no matter the thing to be stolen, regardless of whether he was paid to do it or not. Jewels, speeders, shipments, pets, information… it didn’t matter as long as he acquired it in the end and wasn’t caught.

-----

He made a name for himself with the Rebellion when he decided to go up against a small Imperial Garrison to get back at a young, loud-mouthed lieutenant. He found out where the officer went to relax off-duty and copied the access codes to the garrison off the lieutenant’s datapad. Unbeknownst to Kel, a Rebel agent was surveilling the officer and other members of the garrison for a sabotage mission and spotted Kel as he brazenly swiped the codes. Seeing an opportunity, the agent decided to shadow Kel and see if his infiltration team could take advantage of the young man’s ingenuity.

The next evening, Kel made his move and snuck into the garrison. Finding the lieutenant’s quarters, found the officer’s personalized Relby-K23 blaster, the insignia from the Imperial Academy. He quickly pocketed it and left the way he came in, leaving the access door unlocked without thinking. The agent following him saw his opportunity and sent his infiltration team in to sabotage the base. The next morning, the news feeds were filled with reports of a bombing and the destruction of Imperial vehicles and weapons.

Unfortunately for Kel, he was caught on a security camera. The Imperial officer eventually tracked him down to a rundown apartment complex but Kel was no where to be found. The officer gave the order to demolish the complex, regardless if there were people inside or not, and left a smoking ruin in his wake. When Kel finally returned, he realized immediately what had happened and was overwhelmed with both rage at the wanton destruction and shame that he was to blame for the retaliation. Gathering what things he could, Kel purchased hs way off planet and struck out into the galaxy.

Months later, the Rebel agent tracked Kel down, almost purely by accident. He saw potential in the thief and began recruiting Kel for the occasional acquisition here and there. Sometimes the pay involved credits, other times the pay came in the form of honing his skills. It wasn’t until much later that Kel realized that he was doing freelance missions for the Rebellion, but he found that it didn’t bother him at all. Anything he could do to throw a wrench in the grinding machinations of the Empire was fine by him.

-----

Kel is an average looking human, with brown hair and brown eyes. His height, looks, and demeanor don’t stand out at all, which serves him well in his line of business. He still has the personalized blaster he stole from the Imperial officer, and almost always has the rest of his slicing and lockpicking gear on him need the opportunity arise.

When he’s not freelancing for the Rebellion, he often picks up odd jobs with local crime bosses, smugglers, and others willing to pay for something to be retrieved.

It had cost quite a sum of credits to learn what he had about the hunter that was after him. The hardest part was figuring out his species, but a certain imperial admiral was unknowingly helpful. Once he had a species name, Chiss, finding more information became easier. Apparently they were allies to the ancient Sith before they adopted an isolationist policy. Best his informants could tell, that policy hadn't changed.

As for the hunter, he was born on the Chiss homeworld of Csilla during the Clone Wars and joined the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force not long after he reached physical maturity. He served for a few years on various planets in Chiss space before he went AWOL.

There were no sightings of him until a year later, when he applied for and received an Imperial Peace-Keeping Certificate. His application had him listed as an Independant Hunter, and he'd spent the last year since getting it building a name for himself in his iconic armor and his odd weapons of choice. He used primitive slugthrowers exclusively, citing the usefulness of differing ammunition.

"Well, well, seems someone's been doing their homework on me," a deep, growling voice came from behind the slicer, causing the rodian to freeze in terror.

"Hate to say it, but I'm impressed. Thought I'd wiped all records prior to coming into the wider galaxy. Too bad for you, I'm going to have to take a pay cut. Can't let my past get out, no history makes for a better rep. No hard feelings."

*BANG*