Vesper Tane, Dark Space Knight 1.1

Vesper Tane, eventually, is going to be the Big Bad of the coming ultimate Iteration 4 playtest, but he also gives us a chance to see if we can make a decent "dark" psi-knight on 300 points. He’s an outcast, a criminal and a pirate, who has seen the dark side of the Empire, and his growing (but not yet controlled) connection with Communion manifests in nightmares that spur him forward to rid the galaxy of the Empire forever.

With a Psi-Knight, you really need to pick what direction you’re going to go in, and I chose psionic power over Martial Arts for Vesper. TK-Control at level 8 might not seem like much (a basic lift of 7), but he can effortlessly move a rifle and Push a person over, and with his phenomenal Will of 16, he can afford, to boost his TK-Control to 11 (on a 12 or less), and with serious effort (say, 6 fatigue), he can afford to boost it to 17, which means he can be much stronger than the average person for about a minute, should he need to be.

I had originally chosen Psionic Forceswordmanship, but that style needs even greater focus on TK-Grab or TK-Control than I am able to give with the template. So I’ve shifted to the Destructive form, which suits a more brutal concept. He seems competent enough: His will and Psychokinesis give him skill 17 in Power-Blow, which is terrifying, and he has (like most psi-knights) a Parry of 13, which is on par with his Precognitive Parry. Between the two, he has a fairly reasonable chance of parrying with a 14 or less against other melee opponents, and 13 or less against blasters. A few points in Beat has given him skill enough to batter down most of his opponent’s, and it would be nice to give him Dirty Fighting, but I lack the necessary points. Later, perhaps.

Is Vesper Tane good enough as a starting character to impress a player?  Yes.  He still has plenty of room to grow, but I think he manages to fit enough power into a template to be a believable space knight.  He also shows enough contrast with Rafari that I think the template is sufficiently flexible.

This actually the second edit of Vesper Tane, to better include Signature Moves (as they're fundamental to this iteration).

Vesper Tane, Dark Space Knight, 300 points

Attributes

ST 11 [0]
DX 12 [40]
IQ 13 [60]
HT 11 [10]

Secondary Characteristics

Dmg 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs; HP 11 [0]; Will 16 [15]; Per 13 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 6.0 [5]; Basic Move 6 [0]

Advantages

Charisma +1 [5]

Combat Reflexes [15]

Contact Group (Pirates, Skill-15, somewhat reliable) [10]

Danger Sense [15]

Psychokinesis Talent +3 [15]

Special Exercise (Power-Blow works with Force Sword) [1]

Style Familiarity: the Destructive Form [1]

TK Tether (Force Sword) [1]

TK-Control 8 [48] (BL 12)

Weapon Master (Force Sword) [20];

Disadvantages

Duty (Space Knight Order, Extremely Hazardous, 9 or less) [-10]

Nightmares (12) [-5]

Obsession (Bring down the Empire) [-10]

Sense of Duty (Allies) [-5]

Social Stigma (Criminal) [-5]

Vow (to use no weapon other than a force sword) [-5]

Wealth (Struggling) [-10]

Skills

 Brawling (E) DX+2 [4]-14

Computer Operation (E) IQ [1]-12

Escape (H) DX-1 [2]-11

Fast-Draw (Sword) (E) DX+1*[1]-13;

Force Sword (A) DX+6 [24]-18;

-Beat (H) N+3 [4]-20

Intimidation (A) Will [2]-15

Leadership (A) IQ+1* [2]-14

Meditation (H) Will [4]-16,

Navigation (Hyperspace) (A) IQ-1 [1]-11

Observation (A) Per [2]-13

Philosophy (H) IQ [4]-13;

Pilot (Starship) (A) DX-1 [1]-11.

Power-Blow (H) Will+1* [2]-17

Precognitive Parry (H) IQ [4]-13;

Running (A) HT [2]-11

Savoir-Faire (Mafia) (E) IQ+1 [2]-14

Stealth (A) DX [2]-12;

Streetwise (A) IQ [2]-13

Tactics (H) IQ [4]-13

TK-Control (H) IQ+2* [2]-15

Urban Survival (A) Per [2]-13

Vacc Suit (A) DX-1[1]-11

Wrestling (A) DX+1 [4]-13

Gear

As with Rafari, I'm not going to bother with gear for Vesper at this point, though obviously at some point, he needs to gain his signature Force Sword.

Basic Pommel Strike: In defensive grip, make a hammer fist for your opponent’s face. Roll Brawling -6 (8). Deal 1d damage. If shock is inflicted, target must roll vs stun. Defend at +1 against attacks from the front (14) and -1 from attacks to the side or rear (10). This counts a dirty trick. Setup: The first turn of combat.

The Patience-Killing Stroke: The Destructive Form pushes its opponent to parry or to attack, or risk losing their ability to dodge. In Defensive Grip, make a deceptive defensive attack to the leg. Roll Force Sword (-6) (12) to hit. Your opponent defends at -2. Deal 8d-4 (5) burn damage to the leg. The stylist defends at +1 for the remainder of the turn, with an additional +1 against forward attacks. Setup: None, though typically if one’s opponent is defensive.

The Balance-Killing Stroke: The Destructive Form turns the tables on an aggressive opponent through strength. In defensive grip, make a Force Sword Shove (-2, with +2 from the two-handed grip). Roll ST-based Force-Sword+0 (17) in a quick contest with your opponent’s ST-based Force Sword. If successful, apply the margin of victory as a penalty to opponent’s dodge and kicking skill. If success by 5 or more, inflict one yard of knockback. Setup: After making a successful parry.


The Spirit-Killing Stroke: The Destructive Form batters down its opponents defenses and then destroys his opponent’s ability to fight. In Defensive Grip, make a rapid-strike Beat. Roll ST-based beat-3 (17) with your opponent’s ST- or DX-based force-sword skill. Success applies margin of victory as a penalty to attack and defense, while success by 5 or more unreadies the weapon. Then make a second attack against the arm of the opponent. Roll Force-Sword (11 or less). Deal 8d(5) burn damage to the arm. Setup: Your opponent successfully parries your attack.