PC Spotlight -- Zander Starlane, Aristocratic Assassin

When I showed the preview document to one of my Patrons, he found himself swarming with character ideas.  He created this one, Zander Starlane, and I offer it to you, dear reader, as a fun preview.

Zander grew up with Nova Sabine and believes in her cause.  However, visions of her death plagued her.  Desperate to prevent it, he found himself face to face with an ominous opponent to strong to defeat on his own.  Only through luck and the assistance of Asura Kain did he prevail.  But his visions didn't stop, showing him a dangerous conspiracy that worked against the Alliance and his House.  Now, under the guise of a playboy, he works in the shadows to protect his House, and his Nova Sabine.

Attributes: ST 11 [10], DX 16* [100]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 11 [10]
Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs; HP 11 [0]; Will 12 [5]; Per 13* [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 7.00* [10]; Basic Move 7 [0].

Advantages: 
Acute Touch+1* [0]; Bloodline Purity 2* [0]; Craftiness +3 [15]; Cultural Familiarity (Galactic Federation) [0*]; Galactic Common (Native) [0*]; Honest Face [1]; Immunity (Golden Whin) [1]; Legal Immunity (Alliance Aristocrat) [2]; Luck [15]; Sabine Battle Trance (Combat Sense 1 [24]); Sabine Grace [16], Sabine Sensitivity [13], The Sabine Caress [1]; Status +1 [5], Title (Gentleman) [1]; Visions (Aspected (Death), Overwhelming) [5]; Wealth (Comfortable) [10]; Weapon Master (Force-Sword) [20].

Martial Arts Perks:
Style Familiarity (Graceful Form) [1]
Grip Master (Force Sword) [1]
Trademark move(The Counter step) [1]
Weapon Bond (Force Sword) [1]

Eugenic Perks:
20/20 hindsight (ESP) [1];
Bloodline Purity 2* [0]
Classic Appearance (Aristocratic) [1]
I feel them Watching Me (ESP) [1];
Sabine Bloodline [1];

Disadvantages:
Code of Honor (“Aristocrat”) [-10] ; Duty (House Sabine, Extremely Hazardous Duty, 9 or less) [-10]; Paranoia [-10]; Secret ("Sabine Assassin") [-5]; Selfless [-5]; Sense of Duty (House Sabine) [-5]; Trademark (Northern Golden Whin) [-5]; Vow ("Nova Sabine may never know what I do for her") [-5]

Quirks:
Dislikes (Empire) [-1]
Likes (Booze) [-1]
Lecherous when drunk [-1]
Debt (I owe House Kaine a favor) [-1]
Splatterpunk [-1]

Skills:
Acrobatics (H) DX [4]-16
Acting (A) IQ+4 [4] – 15*
Beam Weapons (Pistol) (E) DX [1]-16
Climbing (A) DX-1 [1]-15
Combat Sense (H) IQ-1 [2] – 10
Computer Operation (E) IQ [1]-11
Escape (H) DX-1 [2]-15;
Fast-Talk (A) IQ+1 [4] -12
Flying Leap (H) – IQ-1 [2] – 10
Force Sword (A) DX+2 [8] – 18
Gesture (E) IQ+1 [2] – 12
Holdout (A) IQ+4 [4] – 15*
Judo (H) DX [4]-16
Jumping (E) DX [1]-16
Karate (H) DX [4]-16
Navigation (Hyperspace) (A) IQ-1 [1]-10
Observation (A) Per-1 [1]– 12
Pilot (Starship) (A) DX-1 [1]-15
Poison (H) IQ  [4] – 11
Precognitive Defense (H) – IQ-1 [2] – 10
Savoir-Faire (High-Society) (E) IQ [1] – 11
Shadowing (A) IQ+3* [2] – 14
Stealth (A) DX+4* [4]-20
Vacc Suit (A) DX-1[1]-15

Techniques:
Acrobatic Stand (A) – Acrobatics-4 [2] – 12
Feint (Force Sword) (H) – Force Sword+2 [3] – 20
Timed Defense (Force Sword) (H) [2] – 11 (12 with Sabine Battle Trance)

Cadet Branch Starlane

His notes: They are less prestigious than the Sabine and only came into power after the corruption of the oracular order. Before the Empire took over they were performers, merchants and traders, finding new connections for the Sabine, while there was rumor behind the scenes that they also concerned themselves with smuggling, prostitution and *gasp* murder.

Vesper Tane 3.0, the Ultimate Dark Space Knight

Vesper Tane serves two purposes.  First, of course, he's going to be our big bad for our final playtest.  We don't need to stat out a big bad, of course.  We can just declare what they have, and to an extend I'll do just that: He's gathered a band of Empire-hating, revolutionary pirates to his cause and, of course, he has both M'elena's loyalty and her heart.

But I also want to get a feel for whether or not 300 points is enough.  One way to do that is to look at a more expensive space knight.  At 350 points, Vesper was already a fairly convincing space knight, but what might a space knight look like at 400 points?  If I continued, I'd probably go into what a 500 point space knight looked like, but if I'm honest, it would likely be more of the same: more Communion, more Psionic powers, more Martial Arts.  There's plenty to explore in those, of course, but I don't see what 500 points would show us that 400 points doesn't already.

So, what does 400 points of space knight look like?  Well, in addition to the Communion powers he gained last time, we've added Psionic Force Swordmanship, which is what I wanted him to start with.  He's not actually any better with the Force Sword, as most of his skill has focused entirely on mastering his now considerable TK of 12, giving him a TK-Control of 18, with Beat at 20 and Jam at 15, giving him a rather nuanced power.  I've removed TK-Tether (his force sword now does that automatically) and replaced it with Grip Mastery.  I've also given him Contact-TK, to explore the idea of that as a perk.  This means when he's not using his TK, he can have +3 to his ST "for free."

Dun Beltain 4.0, Space Knight of Humble Origins

At last, Dun benefits from the new Space Knight template.  In some ways, he looks more like his first iteratation template than the other two iterations.  He's dropped all of his security elements, regained his psychic danger sense (and added Visions (Dreams)).  I've given him his Lost Alexian Force Sword, meaning he currently wields the coolest force sword in the game thus far.  We also know the name of his Space Princess: Novina.  And for his power-package, I've given him martial arts, and chosen to expand more fully into the Defensive Form, making him a master of the buckler.

I've immediately noticed a problem: To precognitively parry and block, you need two separate skills.  That's unfortunate.  So, I've replaced it with a Precognitive Defense, which seems plenty to me.  He can now precognitively block, parry, and bounce shots back at his opponents.

The net result is a definite boost in the already highly competent Dun.  He enjoys defenses in the range of 16, 100 points of DR and Danger Sense, as well as a really awesome sword.  He's definitely a space knight.  Compared to Vesper or Rafari, he lacks a real understanding of what he's doing.  He has only minimal meditation and philosophy skills and largely untapped Psionic potential, and no training in Communion.  This is likely going to be true of most starting space knights, as a space knight has enormous possibilities for growth (which is why their templates don't get Experienced power-ups), so a "master" space knight is probably closer to 500 points in value.

Lady Leylana Grey 4.0, Aristocratic Spy

The trick with Leylanda was that she was already pretty good.  The only things I really wanted from her were, perhaps, a greater connection into the Imperial Elite and DD-6 as a full-on ally.  Before, the latter was highly impractical, but now with robot costs down to a reasonable level, DD-6 should clock in at about 300 points.  I haven't checked precisely, but my back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests she's close enough.

But that's only about 25 points.  We have a full power-up we can purchase, so what do we get?  Psionic Powers and Martial Arts are right out: the point of Leylana is that she's not a combat character, and we're exploring psionic powers.  Thus, she's a great opportunity to see if Experienced characters or Heroic characters are good enough.  In this case, I've chosen to go with Ghost from the Spy Power-Ups, because I enjoyed her being super-stealthy in Iteration 2, and also becuase the Heroic Power-Up is a full 50 points, which means she can't buy DD-6 as an ally, and I like the idea of that.  So, this is Leylana, as a super-competent stealthy spy.

Kendra Corleoni, Escaped Slave, Felinoid Bounty Hunter

Now that we have a more finished version of the Bounty Hunter, we can expand Kendra to a full 300 points.  Felinoid is already 35, so I chose to simply expand her existing Bounty Hunter/Slave/Felinoid advantages for another 15 points to round out the character.  Thus, we can finally see Kendra without her race really slowing her down.  With those extra points, I've been able to expand on her slave background (evidently she was held by some snake-like civilization called the Slithians) and note her own race as a cultural familiarity/language, meaning she's the most diverse of our characters when it comes to interacting with aliens.  I also have the points to really give her the pistol-slinging badassness that we've wanted for her since iteration 1, giving her an astonishing Beam Weapons (Pistol) of 19, including full-rate Dual Weapon combat and Fast Firing, meaning she can really lay down some firepower if she's so inclined.

This is probably the close to the very final version of her.

Rafari 2.1

So, I made a few minor errors with Rafari last time.  He needed Esoteric Medicine, representing his understanding of psionic powers and how they interact with the body, to complete his prana-bindu training.  I've fixed that and, as with Vesper Tane, granted him Communion, representing the fact that he's completed his training in understanding Communion.

Unlike Vesper Tane, Rafari is focused entirely on Learned Prayers and Communion itself.  A few things jump out at me as I look at that list: the best Communion powers are in the first tier, meaning that going up to Communion 7 from 6 just isn't that interesting.  It might be worth looking at that more carefully.  Still, Flesh Wounds and the Wisdom of Communion are nice abilities.  I'm curious how well he'll do without the benefits of a Path or Legendary Reputation or Destiny.

Given that Rafari has chosen to take Gift of the Life Force, I have removed his Regeneration and dumped it into his Metabolism control, which takes him to his maximum of +10. With the spare point from Communion traits, I've given him a Stabilizing Skill.

Vesper Tane, Dark Space Knight 2.0

The point of exploring Vesper Tane in such detail is multi-fold. First, by expanding him to 350 points and then 400, I get an idea of how well the power-up system works as a basis for experience. Of course, ideally heroes will purchase bits and pieces piecemeal rather than at 50 point chunks, but this should give us an idea of what building up a character. It will also give me an idea of 300 points is enough. Is 400 points closer to what players expect a real space knight to be like?

So, this is Vesper Tane after he has completed his training. He has gained a connection with Communion, though he has turned to the dark side of the Id. His drive to destroy the Empire has made the Path of the Rebellious Beast profoundly tempting. He embraces the Id because he believes that the destruction of the Empire is necessary and worth the sacrifice to the ravening, bestial greed of the id. His study has given him Dark Communion 6, unlocked his Destiny to bring down the (an?) Empire, and his Legendary Reputation for the Rebellious Beast, as well has helped him learn about the very nature of Communion itself, which explains the conscious choice to walk the Path of the Rebellious Beast. To do so, he must rearrange his disadvantages. He no longer directly serves his Space Knight order: For walking the path of the Rebellious Beast, Master Kimon threw him out, and Rafari has turned his back on him, even if Vesper Tane refuses to turn his back on them. His nightmares have cleared up now that that his connection with Dark Communion has solidified into something he can control, and that he understands his true purpose in the Galaxy. To funnel his power, he has built his hatred of the Empire into full-blown Intolerance, and the Rebellious Beast begins to seep into his mind, manifesting as an easy-to-control Bad Temper.

M'elena Blackheart, Alien Slave-Assassin 1.1

I wanted to give Vesper Tane an assassin as a dragon, and I wanted her to be an alien. A space elf would be ideal, but existing elf templates are a little too attached to the fantasy milieu to work out of the box, so I chose an Avatar (Female) template from Bio-Tech (though I’m obviously ignoring the “Taboo Trait (Aggression)”, for the purposes of Bloodlust; her master has clearly broken her of any reluctance to kill). That makes her a race highly sought after for slavery, an obvious parallel to the twi’lek race. Thus, she has a slave background at this point, one more submissive than Kendra’s, representing her shortly before Vesper Tane cut her chains.

This gives us a chance to see both a high-cost alien racial template (66 points!) paired with the assassin template to see how things work out at 300 points. The net effect is a highly competent assassin. Her extraordinary DX means she can get by with very few points on her skills. Because of her improved DX, I did shift some points around, so she could score some Combat Reflexes, but everything else has remained the same. The result is a combatant who can go toe-to-toe with nearly anyone, and is swift and flexible enough to get there in short order.  She does the job, though I'll be curious to see how well she does against someone like Kendra.

Unlike the previous characters, I went ahead and worked out the gear on M'elena.  Her greatest constraint isn't money (I spent less than $15,000 on her gear) but weight.  Presumably, she enjoys a closet full of alluring slave-garments and probably has a few robots at her disposal, but I didn't cover them.  I picture her in a full, skin-tight battleweave suit, with a mask and helmet covering her face and hair and making her look inhuman and she stalks her prey in almost complete silence except for the hum of her blades.

This is the second version of this incarnation, focusing more completely on Brawl and improving her focus on Signature Moves.

Novina d'Alexia, the Last Alexian Princess

I wanted to finally give Dun Beltain his princess, but I wanted her to be very important, without being fundamentally very physical. Let Kendra be our empowered warrior-woman. Novina is our priestess. She’s also a great chance to explore how powerful a starting Mystic can be. The results are surprisingly pleasing. She’s extraordinarily powerful with Communion, able to call up miracles with astonishing regularity, especially with her Destiny. I was also able to give her a fairly deep mastery of ESP, including the flavorful Oracle style. She’s no psi-knight of course, and is deeply lacking when it comes to combat skills, but if I had wanted her to be a primary combatant, I would have built her as a Space Knight. This creates an interesting contrast: She is more bene-gesserit than jedi. To compensate for this, our all-important princess, of course, is protected by a cadre of elite guardians, which sounds like a great time to pull out ceremonial guards.

Novina also features an entirely new background lens, originally suggested by Kalzazz: Sequestered, representing someone who spent a lifetime training in some isolated dojo or temple, stripped of human contact. Novina was raised from birth to be the final hope of the Alexian dynasty, the last heir of that sacred bloodline. Thus, she was never allowed to meet anyone and her deep connection with Dun Beltain, the outsider who rescued her, is cause for alarm within the cult of guardians.

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).

Rafari, Heroic Alien Space Knight 1.1

Rafari is my first attempt at a true Psi-Knight, the final successor to Dun's template.  I also wanted to tinker with humanoid aliens, and for Rafari, I used the "Drylander" template from Biotech.  I presume his planet, Nehuda, is a desolate desert, and his people, the Nehudi, are some of those crazy-awesome Alien Warriors I've written up.  Rafari is a heroic space knight, a close parallel to what we might see a Jedi look like, though I've given him some rather unique abilities including the Prana-Bindu esoteric style, a Primitive/Survivor lens.

The question is: Is he good enough? Well, with a Force Sword of 18, Flying Leap 13, Acrobatics 13, Precognitive Parry 13, Sure-Footed (Uneven), Flourish and the Graceful Form under his belt, he's not bad.  His Psychic Healing power grants him the ability to regenerate slowly and to gain complete control of his metabolism, allowing him to either boost his HT to 19 or to boost his Basic Speed to 8.  This means he has a parry of 13 with his force sword and a dodge of 12, and an acrobatic defense will add +2 to either.

He's not great, and he doesn't have access to Communion yet, but he's pretty good.  I don't think most players would turn their nose up at him.

This is actually the second version of this character, which I adjusted after a discussion regarding my signature moves, and I realized I hadn't included any.  This version explicitly includes four signature moves from Graceful Form (though none purchased with Trademark Move)

Kendra Corleoni 3.0

Let's take a look at how our alien bounty hunter fares in the second iteration

Kendra Corleoni, Felinoid Bounty Hunter, Escaped Slave, 250 points

Attributes 140

ST 9 [0]
DX 15 [80]
IQ 12 [40]
HT 12 [20]

Secondary Characteristics -13

Dmg 1d-2/1d-1; BL 18 lbs; HP 10 [2]; Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 6 [-15]; Basic Move 6 [0]

Advantages 100

Attractive [4]

Felinoid [35]

Gunslinger [25]

Tough Guy +3 [15]

Legal Enforcement powers [5]

Luck [15]

Off-Hand Weapon Training (Pistol) [1]

Disadvantages -50

Bad Temper (15 or less) [-5]

Greed (12 or less) [-15]

Intolerance (Slavers) [-5]

Obsession (Free her family from slavery) (12 or less) [-5]

Secret (Former slave) [-5]

Sense of Duty (Team) [-5]

Social Stigma (Minority) [-10]

Skills 73

Acrobatics DX-1 [2]-14
Artillery (Guided Missile) (A) IQ+1 [4]-13

Beam Weapons (Pistol) (E) DX+3 [8]-18
-Dual Weapon Attack (Pistol) (H) N-1 [4]-17

Brawling (E) DX+2 [4]-17
Climbing (A) DX [2]-15

Computer Operation IQ [1]-13

Dancing DX [2]-14

Esape DX [2]-14

Fast-Draw (Pistol) (E) DX+1* [1]-16
Gunner (Beams) (E) DX+2 [4]-17

Intimidation Will+3* [2]-15

Judo (H) DX [4]-15

Jumping (E) DX+1 [2]-16

Law (Galactic) (H) IQ [4]-12
Navigation (Hyperspace) (A) IQ [2]-12

Observation (A) Per+1 [4]-13

Pilot (Starship) DX+1 [4]-16

Running HT [2]-11

Savoir-Faire (Mafia) IQ [1]-13

Shadowing (A) IQ+4* [4]-16

Stealth DX+1 [4]-16

Streetwise (A) IQ+4* [4]-16

Vacc Suit DX [2]-15

Gear

Utility Belt: $50, 0.5 lbs
Wrist communicator: $200, 0.05 lbs
Electronic Cuffs: $40, 0.25 lbs
Common Clothing, including stylish jacket: +1 reaction modifier ("Nice jacket"), $1000, 2 lbs
3 Tracers: $600,
Two Heavy Blaster Pistols: 4d(5) burn sur, Acc 5, RoF 3, Bulk -3, Rcl 1, (6.6 lbs, $12,000)
Battleweave Battle Suit:  DR 20 (6 lbs, $2000)

Ship
"The Vermilion", Wyvern Zero: $20m

• Flammable (-10%), Requires Weekly Maintenance (-5%), Unreliable (14) Hyperdrive (-5%)

Notes

No Encumbrance

Dodge: 10, Parry (Brawl) 13.

This Kendra uses the more carefully tightened Bounty Hunter template.  The loss of options for Stalker or Impersonator don't hurt her that much, and the superior DX and the Tough Guy talent means she's actually quite good at the things that matter for her. I've chosen to move ahead by a step and go ahead and give her Dual Weapon Attack and Off-Hand Weapon-Training (Dropping her Penetrating Voice).  Her skill with a ship is greatly improved (thanks in no small part to her improved DX), and I've dropped Throw in favor of Gunner (Beams), making her a pretty competent pilot on a discount.  Not all of the changes I've made actually tracks with her template, but she struggles due to her high racial cost.  We'll look into that more closely in Iteration 4.

I really wanted to give her Wealth (Struggling), but I couldn't fit it into her disadvantages.  I like them the way they are.  As for her gear, her Vermillion has lots of character and we can see scavenger rules at work again, with an old, rundown ship.  We've also improved Kendra with the new Battleweave Bodysuit, which was built just for her, and given her a few additional useful items she might expect to carry, especially her cuffs for taking a target back with her, and tracers for finding her targets (not that she's especially good with them, but why not?).

This comes to a total of about $16,000.  She has plenty of money to spare ($34,000 for bribes and such. She's rolling in cash!)

Twee Toolaroo, Sparrial Scavenger

If we're going to have a scavenger template, we need a scavenger character and, oh heck why not, let's whip out that fancy new Sparrial book.  If there was ever a setting we should be able to just drop an alien race into, it's Psi-Wars.

Twee Toolaroo, Sparrial Scavenger, 250 points

Look!  I actually found a Sparrial by theWolfNebula

Attributes 

ST 7 [0]
DX 13 [20]
IQ 13 [60]
HT 12 [10]

Secondary Characteristics

Dmg 1d-3/1d-3; BL 10 lbs; HP 7 [0]; Will 13 [0]; Per 14 [5]; FP 12 [0]; Basic Speed 6 [-5]; Basic Move 6 [0], SM-1

Advantages

Sparrial [24]
Artificer 4 [40]
Cheaper Gear (Second-Hand) [1]
Contact (Junk Dealer, Skill 15) [2]
Gizmo 2 [10]
Good with Robots [1]
Hard to Kill +2 [4]
Language (Sparrial, Native) [6]
Luck [15]
Quick Gadgeteer (Scavenger) [40]

Disadvantages -50

Curious (12 or less) [-5]
Sense of Duty (Team) [-5]
Greed (12 or less) [-15]
Cowardice (15 or less) [-5]
Social Stigma (Minority, Sparriel) [-5]
Wealth (Poor) [-15]

Skills

Climbing (A) DX-1 [0*]-12
Detect Lies (H) Per+1 [0*]-14
Jumping (E) DX [0*]-13

Beam Weapons (Pistol) DX+1 [2]-14
Beam Weapons (Projector) DX [1]-13
Brawling DX+1 [2]-14
Computer Operation IQ+2 [4]-14
Electrician IQ+4* [2]-17
Electronics Repair (Security) IQ+3* [1]-16
Electronics Repair (Surveillance) IQ+3* [1]-16
Engineer (Starship)IQ+5* [8]-18
Escape DX-1 [2]-12
Filch DX [2]-13
Forced Entry DX+1 [2]-14
Holdout IQ [2]-12
Machinist (A) IQ+3* [1]-16
Mechanic (Robotics) IQ+3* [1]-16
Mechanic (Starship) IQ+3* [1]-16
Merchant IQ [2]-12
Observation (A) Per [2]-13
Pilot Contragravity DX [2]-12
Running (A) HT [2]-13
Scrounging (E) Per+2 [4]-16
Search (A) Per+1 [4]-15
Stealth (A) DX+2 [8]-15
Streetwise (A) IQ [2]-12
Traps IQ+3* [1]-16
Urban Survival Per [2]-14
Vacuum Suit DX+1 [4]-14
Wrestling DX [2]-13

Gear

Utility Belt: $50, 0.5 lbs
Wrist communicator: $200, 0.05 lbs
Common Clothing:$500, 2 lbs
Mini Toolkit (Electronic Repair) $400, 2 lbs
Mini Toolkit (Electrician) $200, 4 lbs
Mini Toolkit (Mechanic) $200, 4 lbs
Mini Plasma Torch: 1d+2(5) burn $100, 1 lb.
Portable Toolkit (Mechanic) $1200, 10 lbs
Small Backpack: $120, 1.5 lbs
Light Tow Cable: $650, 5 lbs
Armored Goggles: DR 20, protected vision, $100, 0.1 lb

Notes

Medium Encumbrance (Light without his portable toolkit)

Dodge: 9, Parry (Brawl) 10.

Twee is just your basic scavenger caught up in stuff way to big for him, poor bastard.  This was a chance to see how Sparrials fare, and I think they'll work far better than Felinoids, mostly because they're a more completely thought-out race (Thanks Beth!).  The result is a decidedly non-combat character (he even lacks combat reflexes).  I've focused him on theivery, fitting for a sparrial, so this scavenger is a little more aggressive than most scavengers (He's the sort of scavenger that doesn't necessarily wait until a machine is broken to scavenge it).  I suspect that will also make him very useful to a group that's willing to bypass their opponents.

Monetarily, I've tried a minimal character, one without weapons or armor (which tend to eat up your budget).  He tends to leave his portable toolkit on whatever ship he's serving on, and only carries his mini toolkits into the field.  He's good enough to soak up the mini-toolkit penalties.  He has a tow cable to help his (natural) climbing skills and to get to hard-to-reach swag, and a large back to carry all of his shiny finds.  This all falls within his meager $10,000 budget easily, leaving him with ~$6000.  He has $5 million for a ship, but he's not much of a pilot, so hands it off to Jenna, his smuggler companion, if she needs it.

I've noticed a lack of goggles in Ultra-Tech.  I've chosen to use the stats for armored lenses as a stand-in for goggles.  They mention that they're "glare resistant."  If we treat them as protected vision, that should be sufficient.

Jenna Skyrunner, Smuggler and Wanderer

If we're going to have a smuggler template, let's have a smuggler character.

Jenna Skyrunner, Smuggler and Wanderer, 250 points

Bliss Bust by Superhawkins

Attributes 

ST 10 [0]
DX 13 [60]
IQ 14 [80]
HT 11 [10]

Secondary Characteristics

Dmg 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs; HP 10 [0]; Will 13 [-5]; Per 14 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 6 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]

Advantages

3D Spatial Sense [10]
Born Smuggler +4 [20]
Combat Reflexes [15]
Contact (Fence, Skill-15, somewhat reliable, 9 or less) [2]
Corvette Switchboard [1]
Feel of the Ship [1]
Hotshot Pilot +3 [15]
Luck [15]
Old Space Hand [1]

Signature Ship (The Tranquility) [14]

Disadvantages

Laziness [-10]
Obsession (Free her father's homeworld from Imperial Domion) [-5]
Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10]
Trickster (12 or less) [-15]
Wealth (Struggling) [-10]

Skills

Area Knowledge (The Archaeus Sector) (E) IQ+6* [4]-20
Area Knowledge (The Ghost Rim) (E) IQ+4* [1]-18
Artillery (Guided Missile) IQ [2]-14
Beam Weapons (Pistol) (E) DX+1 [2]-14
Brawling (E) DX+1 [2]-14
Computer Operation (E) IQ [1]-14
Engineer (Starship) (H) IQ-1 [2]-13
Fast-Draw (Pistol) (E) DX+2* [2]-16
Fast-Talk (A) IQ+1 [4]-15
Freight Handling (A) IQ [2]-14
Gunner (Beams) DX+3* [2]-16
Holdout (A) IQ+4* [2]-18
Mechanic (Starship) (A) IQ [2]-14
Merchant (A) IQ [2]-14
Navigation (Hyperspace) (A) IQ+9** [2]-23
Pilot (Starship) DX+6* [8]-19
Scrounging (E) Per+1 [2]-15
Smuggling (A) IQ+4* [2]-18
Spacer (E) IQ+1 [2]-15
Stealth (A) DX+1 [4]-14
Vacuum Suit (A) DX+1 [4]-14
Wrestling (A) DX [2]-13

Gear

Utility Belt: $50, 0.5 lbs
Wrist communicator: $200, 0.05 lbs
Common Clothing, $500, 2 lbs
Sleeve Power-Holster: +5 fast-draw, $1000, 2 lbs.
Heavy Blaster Pistol: 4d(5) burn sur, Acc 5, RoF 3, Bulk -3, Rcl 1, (3.3 lbs, $6,000)
Battleweave Body Suit:  DR 20 (6 lbs, $2000)

Ship
"The Tranquility", Renegade Partisan: $140m

Notes

No Encumbrance

Dodge: 10, Parry (Brawl) 11.

Jenna Skyrunner is our signature smuggler.  I picture her as the heir to some old space-cowboy's lost war and his clunky old pirate/smuggler ship, named paradoxically after "inner peace" or "quietness."  Hmmm, Something that starts with an S... Tranquility!  Instead of the typical Dark Horse, let's see how well she does with a Renegade-Class Corsair, but we'll go with the Partisan model, but instead of piracy (though she can engage in it), she uses the stealth features to bypass security and hopefully break the imperial grip on her father's homeworld, which her family has long been exiled from (hence her wanderer background: She has only vague, romanticized memories of that world).

Once again, her gear doesn't even break $10k.  I considered giving her "Poor," but I was happy with the disadvantages she had.  Thus, she has $15k remaining for bribes and bar tabs.  She has a similar vibe, equipment-wise, to Kendra, though I was tempted (and am tempted still) to downgrade her to a blaster, as I think that would be easier for her to hide.

Smugglers can work in a variety of ways, all of which are reflected in their template.  There's an excellent Pyramid article entitled "Smuggler blues" which touches on them.  I've chosen for the "pure piloting" approach, to give our group a second pilot, and to draw contrasts with Tobin. She's a master of a corvette, where he's a master of a fighter, and she's a master of getting around, where he's a master of kicking butt.

Lady Leylana Grey 3.0

The Spy template doesn't change much in Iteration 3... but that doesn't mean Leylana has the stay "as is."  If there was ever a character to test the upper-bounds of what wealth can do, it's our Princess Bond.

Lady Leylana Grey, Aristocratic Spy, 250 points

Drawn into Darkness by Tara Phillips

Attributes

ST 10 [0]
DX 14 [80]
IQ 14 [80]
HT 11 [10]

Secondary Characteristics

Dmg 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs; HP 10 [0]; Will 14 [0]; Per 15 [5]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 6.0 [-5]; Basic Move 6 [0]

Advantages

Beautiful [12]
Fashion Sense [5]

High Heeled Heroine [1]

Honest Face [1]

Impersonator +2 [10]

Luck [15]

Sartorial Integrity [1]

Title [1]

Wealth (Wealthy) [20] 

Disadvantages

Duty (Intelligence Agency, 9 or less, Extremely Hazarouds) [-10]
Jealousy [-10]
Overconfidence (12 or less) [-5]
Secret (Is a spy) [-20]
Sense of Duty (Team) [-5]

Skills

Acting IQ+4* [4]-17
Beam Weapons (Pistol) DX [1]-14
Body Language Per+1* [1]-16
Carousing (E) HT+1 [2]-12
Computer Operation IQ+1 [2]-15
Current Affairs (High Society) IQ+1 [2]-15
Current Affairs (Politics)+1 IQ [2]-15
Dancing (A) DX [2]-14
Holdout IQ+1 [4]-15
Intelligence Analysis (H) IQ+1 [8]-15
Judo DX-1 [2]-13
Karate DX-1 [2]-13
Lip-Reading Per-1 [1]-14
Observation (A) Per+1 [4]-16
Pickpocket (H) DX [4]-14
Pilot (Contragravity) DX [2]-14
Savoir-Faire (High Society) IQ+3* [2]-17
Search (A) Per+1 [4]-16
Sex-Appeal HT+5* [4]-16
Sleight of Hand DX-2 [1]-12
Stealth DX+2 [8]-16
Streetwise IQ+1* [1]-15
Vacc Suit DX-1 [1]-13

Gear

Formal Dress and fab shoes: High Fashion, $15,0000, 1 lbs
(Fabulously) Casual Attire: +1 reaction, $1000, 2 lbs.
Holdout Blaster: 2d(5) Acc 5, 0.35 lbs, RoF 3, Bulk -1, rcl 1, $600
Tiny wrist-mounted radio with encryption chip, disguised as jewelry: +1 reaction modifier, 100 mile range, $2500, 0.05 lbs
Hand-held holographic communicator: $300, 0.15 lbs
Data Reader: $20, 0.1 lb

Notes

No Encumbrance

Dodge: 10, Parry (Judo) 10.

This version of Leylana sacrifices her Combat Reflexes in the name of slightly higher social acumen and much higher wealth!  She has joined both Tobin and Dun as "Core" characters serving the Alliance, and thus she can participate with their $150,000 budget, and they've each used less than $25,000, leaving her with $100,000... plus she has an additional $200,000 of her own.  She only needs about $20,000 for her "standard" gear: Leylana tends to use elegance and social position to gain access to information rather than sophisticated gadgets.  Still, that leaves her with a total of $280,000 to play with.

In regards to the spaceship budget, both Tobin and Dun waived their portion of the budget, leaving Leylana $60 million to play with... plus an additional $80 million of her own!  That gives her a budget of $140 million, which she chooses to spend on a ship so perfect for her, it's as though someone designed it with her in mind: The Taj Mahal Black model!  This corvette is both suitably stylish and a highly effective spy platform, perfect for the artistocratic spy-on-the-go.  She calls her ship "Grey Morning."

With our remaining $280,000, let's create a robotic assistant for Leylana to play with.  Obviously, an aristocrat of Leylana's standing would have a secretary-bot, which runs us about $60,000, which isn't nearly the amount we need to spend.  We can do better.

First, we take a secretary bot, make it beautiful (+0.5 CF), give it medium armor (+$5000), Vibro-Claws ($6000), infrared optics ($500), a Chameleon system ($6000), give it +1 DX (+1 CF), and disguise it all so it looks like a Secretary-bot (+1.9 CF).  That gives us a total cost of $221,500.  For programming, we already have Secretary-Bot programming, so let's add Assassin-Bot programming with a programmable switch for a total of +$3000.  The total costs comes to about $225,000, leaving Leylana (oh, alright, and also Tobin and Dun) $55,000 pocket-money for bribes and drinks and such.

DD-6

ST 13 (HP 20)
DX 11
IQ 10
HT 10

Basic Speed 5.25
Dodge 7/8 Parry (Unarmed) 8/11
DR: 50

Desperate Flailing (11): 1d cr, C (Secretary-mode only)
Vibro Claws (15): 2d+1(5) cut, C (Assassin-mode only)
Sharp Teeth (15): 1d cut, C (Assassin-mode only)

Traits: Android. Sense of Duty (Leylana Grey), Alternate Form (Assassin-mode/Secretary-mode, unconscious, triggered by command).

• Secretary-mode: Beautiful (Off-the-Shelf), Unnatural Features 2 (Mannequin), Computer Brain (Secretarial Programs at 12 to 14), Odious Personal Habit (Preening), Phobia (Squeamish)
• Skills: Administration-13, Savoir-Faire (Servant)-10
• Assassin-Mode: Berserk (12), Bloodlust (12), Chameleon 4 (Extended, Infravision), Computer Brain (Physiology at 10), Infrared Vision.Unnatural Feature 3 (Semi-Scultped) 
• Skills: Stealth-15, Shadowing-12, Tracking-12

Notes: Remember to add +4 to +8 to Stealth when Chameleon is applied, and +3 to Tracking if looking at a trail less than an hour old.  When she transforms to assassin-mode, the more delicate "mannequin" form is disrupted temporarily, giving DD-6 a semi-sculpted appearance, mixing obvious robotic features with her previous, mannequin appearance.  Most sapients no longer find this "Beautiful."

Tobin Starlaw 2.0

I created Tobin for Iteration 3, but that doesn't mean Iteration 3 can't improve him.  The Fighter Ace template saw substantial chances as a result of the many spaceship playtests, so unsurprisingly, Tobin saw some improvement too.

Tobin Starlaw, Humble Fighter Ace, 250 points

SC_Privateer_Option

Attributes

ST 10 [0]
DX 14 [80]
IQ 12 [40]
HT 11 [10]

Secondary Characteristics

Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs; HP 10 [0]; Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 6.00 [-5]; Basic Move 6 [0]

Advantages

Ally (TB-7, Almost all the time) [9]

Charisma +1 [5]

Combat Reflexes [15]

Daredevil [15]

Fearlessness +2 [4]

Higher Purpose (Dogfighter) [5]

Honest Face [1]

Hot Shot Pilot +4 [20]

Luck [15]
Maverick [1]

Military Rank 2 [10]

Side Winder [1]
Signature Ship (Starhawk) [1]

Disadvantages

Compulsive Carousing (12 or less) -5]

Duty (Space Navy, 12 orless, Extremely Hazardous) [-15]

Impulsiveness [-10]

Overconfidence (12 or less) [-5]

Pacifism (Cannot harm innocents) [-10]

Sense of Duty (Comrades) [-5] 

Skills

Animal Handling (Blue-Milk Space Cows) (A) IQ [2]-12

Area Knowledge (The Farm World of Pechita) (E) IQ+1 [2]-13

Artillery (Guided missiles) (A) IQ+4 [16]-16

Beam Weapons (Pistol) (E) DX [1]-14

Brawling (E) DX+1 [2]-15

Carousing (E) HT+2 [4]-13

Computer Operation IQ [1]-12

Fast-Talking (A) IQ [2]-12

Free-Fall (A) DX+2 [2]-16

Gunner (Beams) (E) DX+6*[4]-20

Leadership (A) IQ+2* [4]-14

Mechanic (Contragravity) (A) IQ [2]-12

Mechanic (Starship) (A) IQ+1 [4]-13

Navigation (Hyperspace) (A) IQ+3*[1]-15

Parachuting (E) DX [1]-14

Pilot (Contragravity) (A) N-4* [0]-16

Pilot (Starship) (A) DX+6* [8]-20

Savoir-Faire (Military)(E) IQ [1]-12

Scrounging (E) Per+2 [4]-14

Spacer IQ+2 [4]-14

Stealth (A) DX+1 [4]-15

Vacc Suit (A) DX [2]-14

Wrestling (A) DX [2]-14 

Gear

Battleweave Vaccsuit: DR 30, $20,000 30 lbs,
Blaster Pistol: 3d(5) Acc 5, 1.6 lbs, RoF 3, Bulk -2, rcl 1, $2200
Tiny wrist-mounted radio: 100 mile range, $200, 0.05 lbs

Notes

Light Encumbrance

Dodge: 10, Parry (Brawling) 11.

Tobin keeps the same gear he had before (with a few minor updates that should have been there in the first place, honestly), as he's more concerned about his starship than he is about anything else.  He only sends $22,400 of his portion of the $150,000 budget.  He has TB-7, but as an ally rather than something he paid a dollar cost for.  And, of course, he has his Starhawk (a classic Starhawk is good enough for him), but he's chosen it as Signature Gear, and thus he leaves the $60 million budget completely alone.

This version of Tobin is far, far more lethal than he was before, thanks to the streamlined template.  He's not much good at anything other than flying a starfighter, but he's at least reasonably competent at "adventuring."

And, of course, what would Tobin be without his trusty sidekick, TB-7?

TB-7: 150 points

Like most robot allies, TB-7 has been around the block awhile and has begun to exceed his programming.  He's picked up a few additional programming quirks (disadvantages) that compensate for the fact that he's slightly better at repairing things.  Technically, he's too expensive for Tobin at this point (an error), but I'm overlooking it because I expect that the final characters will be 300 points.

Attributes: ST 8 [0], DX 10 [0]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 11 [0]

Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d/2d-1; BL 34 lbs; HP 14 [0]; Will 10 [0]; Per 10 [0]; FP NA; Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]

Advantages: TL 10 Tech-Bot [144]

Programmatical Advantages: Artificer 2 [20], Computer-Brain (1 slot, 4 points, Repair programs only -20%) [18],

Disadvantages: Cannot Speak [-15]

Programmatical Disadvantages: Clueless [-10], Curious (12 or less), [-5], Honesty (15 or less) [-5], Pacifism (Total Nonviolence, Galactic Sapient Organics only -80%) [-6], Sense of Duty (Master) [-2].

Features: Sculpted Body [0].

Skills: Beam Weapon (Projector) (E) DX+1 [2]-11, Savior-Faire (Servant) (E) IQ [1]-10 and one of Engineering (Contragravity, Starship, Robotics) (A) IQ+2* [8]-13,

Notes: Repair programs include Armoury (Any), Electrician, Electronics Repair (Any), Machinist, and Mechanic (Any), all (A) IQ+2* [4]-13. A Repair-Bot will generally use his Engineering skill to assess the problem, and then load the appropriate skill (takes 4 seconds) and begin repairs.

Dun Beltain 3.0

Let's see what the updated template looks like on Dun, and what a fully worked out loadout might look like.

Dun Beltain: Space Knight, Humble Origins, 250 points

Armored by John Gwolf

Attributes

ST 11 [10]
DX 13 [60]
IQ 12 [40]
HT 12 [20]

Secondary Characteristics

Damage 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs; HP 11 [0]; Will 13 [5]; Per 12 [0]; FP 12 [0]; Basic Speed 6.00 [-5]; Basic Move 6 [0]

Advantages

Body Guard 2 [10]
Bug Sweeper [1]
Charisma +1 [5]
Combat Reflexes [15]
Contact Group (Machinist Guild of Grist, Skill 15, 9 or less, somewhat reliable) [10]
Hard to Kill +1 [2]
Law Enforcement Powers (Space Knight) [15]
Luck [15]
Reputation +1 (Homeworld Hero, Grist only 1/3) [2]
Security Rank 0 [0]
Shield Wall Training [1]
Weapon Bond (Hand-craft Force Sword) [1]
Weapon Master (Force Sword) [20]

Disadvantages

Duty (Space Knight Order, 15 or less, Extremely Hazardous) [-20]

Honesty (12 or less) [-10]

Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10]

Secret (Romantic affair with Space Princess) [-5]

Sense of Duty (Team) [-5]

Skills 55

Area Knowledge (the Junk World of Grist) (E) IQ+1 [2]-13
Beam Weapons (Pistol) DX+1 [2]-14
Brawling DX+2 [4]-15
Computer Operation IQ [1]-11
Electronics Operation (Surveillance) (A) IQ+2* [2]-14 
Engineering (Civil) (H) IQ-1 [2]-11
Fast-Draw (Force Sword) DX+1* [1]-14
First Aid (E) IQ+1 [2]-13
Force Sword DX+3 [16]-17
Intelligence Analysis IQ+3* [8]-15
Law (Galactic) (H) IQ [4]-12
Leadership (A) IQ+1* [2]-13
Mechanic (Starship) (A) IQ [2]-12
Observation (A) Per+3* [4]-15
Pilot (Starship) DX [2]-13
Savoir-Faire (E) IQ+2 [4]-14
Scrounging (E) Per+1 [2]-14
Shield (Force) DX+2 [4]-15
Stealth DX [2]-13
Tactics IQ+1* [2]-13
Vacc Suit DX [2]-13
Wrestling DX+1 [4]-14 

Gear:

Utility Belt: $50. 0.5 lbs
Data Reader: $20, 0.1 lb
Bug Detector: $200, 0.1 lb
Cuff-tape: $10, 0.5 lbs
First Aid Kit: +1 First Aid, $50, 2 lbs
Wrist Communicator: $200, 0.05 lbs
Ordinary Clothing, $500, 2 lbs.
Spare archaic power cells (C cell and B cell): $65, 0.55 lbs

Blaster Pistol: 3d(5) Acc 5, RoF 3, Bulk -2, rcl 1; $2200, 1.6 lbs

Combat Hardsuit, Heavy: DR 100/60; $10,000, 30 lbs

Combat Helmet, Heavy: DR 60/40; $3,000, 7 lbs

Force Sword: 8d+16(5), Reach:1, 2; $9,000, 2 lbs

• Archaic Power Cells cost 5x as much as normal power cells to acquire (-10%)

Reflective Force Buckler: +3 PD, DR 100, $2,700, 0.5 lbs

• Archaic Power Cells cost 5x as much as normal power cells to acquire (-10%)

Notes:

Light Encumbrance (46.9 lbs out of 48)

Dodge: 9 (12), Parry (Force Sword) 12 (15), Block (Force Buckler) 11 (14).

This Dun is forced to sacrifice his Danger Sense because the more tightly focused template lacks the points for both it and his greater excellence with weaponry (But the Body Guard talent optionally includes a sort of Danger Sense).  He's now superior (+1 level) in both Force Sword and Force Buckler, and due to the circumstances last playtest,  his talent also focuses him more intently on Surveillance, observation and tactics.  I've taken the room with the extra points granted to give him a few nice perks, and to give him the homeworld reputation I had wanted to give him since Iteration 2.  His background skills also better reflect growing up on a scavenger world.

Dun joins Tobin and Leylana as heroes of the Alliance, and they share a total budget "for this mission" of $150k.  Dun only needs about $26,000 and spends only that.  His force sword and force buckler are relics of a bygone era, acquired from his youth on Grist, in the graveyard of some ancient ship.  Perhaps they are even keys to a greater mystery?  Regardless, he has chosen to give them the scavenger disadvantages of Restricted Diet (Exotic Fuel), in this case archaic power cells.  He can use normal power cells, but they might damage the delicate equipment.

He also joins them for a total budget of 60 million on ships, but would rather join in for a corvette, and so waives access to a ship for himself.

Psi Wars: Spaceships! - Sample Character Tobin Starlaw

If we're going to playtest fighters, we should have a fighter ace.  I've kept Tobin deliberately conservative: It's pretty easy to have a Fighter Ace with Pilot 20+ and Gunnery (Beams) 18+.  I wanted someone a little more reasonable to give us an idea of what most fighter aces could do, rather than a highly optimized one.

Tobin Starlaw, Humble Fighter Ace, 250 points

SC_Privateer_Option

Attributes

ST 10 [0]
DX 13 [60]
IQ 13 [60]
HT 12 [20]

Secondary Characteristics

Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs; HP 10 [0]; Will 13 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP 12 [0]; Basic Speed 6.00 [-5]; Basic Move 6 [0]

Advantages

3D Spatial Sense [10]

Ally (TB-7, Almost all the time) [6]

Charisma +1 [5]

Combat Reflexes [15]

Daredevil [15]

Fearlessness +1 [2]

Higher Purpose (Dogfighter) [5]

Honest Face [1]

Hot Shot Pilot +2 [10]

Luck [15]

Military Rank 2 [10]

Old Hand [1] 

Disadvantages

Compulsive Carousing (12 or less) -5]

Duty (Space Navy, 12 orless, Extremely Hazardous) [-15]

Impulsiveness [-10]

Overconfidence (12 or less) [-5]

Pacifism (Cannot harm innocents) [-10]

Sense of Duty (Comrades) [-5] 

Skills

Animal Handling (Blue-Milk Space Cows) (A) IQ [2]-13

Area Knowledge (The Farm World of Gardonia) (E) IQ+1 [2]-14

Artillery (Guided Missile) (A) IQ+2 [12]-16

Beam Weapons (Pistol) DX+1 [2]-4-14

Brawling (E) DX+1 [2]-14

Carousing (E) HT+2 [4]-14

Computer Operation IQ [1]-11

Fast-Talking (A) IQ [2]-13

Free-Fall (A) DX+2 [2]-14

Gunner (Beams) (E) DX+3 [2]-16

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

Mechanic (Contragravity) (A) IQ [2]-13

Mechanic (Starship) (A) IQ+1 [4]-14

Navigation (Hyperspace) (A) IQ+4 [2]-16

Parachuting (E) DX+1 [2]-14

Pilot (Contragravity) (A) DX+3 [2]-16

Pilot (Starship) (A) DX+5 [8]-18

Savoir-Faire (Military)(E) IQ [1]-13

Scrounging (E) Per+2 [4]-15

Spacer IQ+2 [4]-14

Stealth (A) DX+1 [4]-14

Vacc Suit (A) DX [2]-13

Wrestling (A) DX [2]-13 

Gear

Battleweave Vaccsuit: DR 30, $20,000 30 lbs,
Blaster Pistol: 3d(5) Acc 5, 1.6 lbs, RoF 3, Bulk -2, rcl 1, $2200
Tiny wrist-mounted radio: 5 mile range, $50, 0.05 lbs

Notes

Light Encumbrance

Dodge: 10, Parry (Brawling) 11.

Tobin is your stereotypical fighter ace: Loves to party, loves his squadron, serves his country, and would never kick a puppy.  I've given him Daredevil and Higher Purpose (Dogfighter) to emphasize how much he loves to get into the thick of it.  And I've given him a humble origin, because obviously he went into space to escape the mundane existence he had on some boring farm planet milking space-cows.

Psi Wars: Troopers 2.0

Just as before, we need someone for our heroes to face, and just as before, we're going to use troopers.  However, this time, we have some additional trooper options available (Alright, we had recon before, but the Action 4: Specialists book gives us piles of potential mook options!), so we'll expand the trooper out to include simple recon, assault and heavies.

As a general rule, I've tried to follow the idea of BAD: Basic mooks are only BAD 2 (I figure guys who pick fight with random moisture farmers in a starport bar are probably BAD 0), so most of their skills are 12. Specialist troops are more elite, and thus BAD 14.  I've also removed the disadvantages from the standard mooks (you just kill them and don't worry about the details), and given a single interesting disadvantage to each specialist, so you can get an idea of how they might "fight" and how a clever player might exploit them.

Trooper Mooks

ST 10
DX 10
IQ 10
HT 10
Basic Speed 5.0
Dodge 7 Parry (Unarmed) 8

DR: 100 (Torso) 60 (Limbs), 32 (Skull) 24 (Face)

Blaster Carbine (12): 5d(5) burn sr, Acc 10, Range 500/1500, RoF 3 (17 shots), bulk 3, rcl 1
Carbine Butt (12): 1d cr, c
Punch (12): 1d-2 cr, C
Plasma Grenade (12): 6dx4 burn sur exp, 30 yards

Traits: Fit. IR Vision, Hearing Protection, Small Radio, Biomedical sensors, micro-climate control, filter mask, sealed.
Skills: Soldier-12, Pilot (Contragravity)-12

Class: Human

Elite Trooper Mooks

Assault Trooper

ST 11
DX 11
IQ 10
HT 11

Basic Speed 6.0 Basic Move 6
Dodge 7 Parry (Unarmed) 8
DR: 100 (Torso) 60 (Limbs), 32 (Skull) 24 (Face)

Blaster Carbine (14): 5d(5) burn sr, Acc 10, Range 500/1500, RoF 3 (17 shots), bulk 3, rcl 1
Assault Flamer (14): 5d burn, Jet, Range 50/150, RoF 1, Bulk -3, Rcl 1
Neurolash baton (14): 1d+1 cr or 1d-1 cr + HT-5(2) aff, Reach 1
Plasma Grenade (14): 6dx4 burn sur exp, 30 yards
Carbine Butt (14): 1d+1 cr, c
Punch (14): 1d-1 cr, C

Traits: Fit, Impulsive. IR Vision, Hearing Protection, Small Radio, Biomedical sensors, micro-climate control, filter mask, sealed.
Skills: Running-14, Soldier-12, Pilot (Contragravity)-12

Heavy Trooper

ST 14
DX 10
IQ 10
HT 10

Basic Speed 5.0
Dodge 7 Parry (Unarmed) 8
DR: 100 (Torso) 60 (Limbs), 32 (Skull) 24 (Face)

Blaster Carbine (12): 5d(5) burn sr, Acc 10, Range 500/1500, RoF 3 (17 shots), bulk 3, rcl 1
Heavy Plasma Gun (14): 3dx5(2) burn ex, Acc 8+3, RoF 3, Bulk -6, Rcl 2
Heavy Blaster (14): 8d(5), Acc 10+4, RoF 3, Bulk -6, Rcl 1
Plasma Grenade (14): 6dx4 burn sur exp, 30 yards
Punch (12): 1d cr, C
Carbine Butt (12): 1d+2 cr, c

Traits: Huge Weapons, Fit, Overconfidence (12 or less). IR Vision, Hearing Protection, Small Radio, Biomedical sensors, micro-climate control, filter mask, sealed.
Skills: Explosives-12, Soldier-12, Pilot (Contragravity)-12

Recon Trooper

ST 10
DX 12
IQ 10
HT 10

Perception 12
Basic Speed 5.0
Dodge 8 Parry (Unarmed) 8
DR:

Blaster Rifle (14): 6d(5) burn sr, Acc 10, Range 500/1500, RoF 3 (17 shots), bulk 3, rcl 1
w scope
Plasma Grenade (14): 6dx4 burn sur exp, 30 yards
Punch (12): 1d cr, C
Carbine Butt (12): 1d+2 cr, c
Vibroknife (12): 2d(3) cut

Traits: Fit, Bloodlust (12 or less). IR Vision, Hearing Protection, Small Radio, Biomedical sensors, micro-climate control, filter mask, sealed.
Skills: Stealth-12, Observation-12, Survival-12, Soldier-12, Pilot (Contragravity)-12

Psi Wars: Lady Leylana Grey 2.0

Let's see how Lady Grey fares with her upgrade

Lady Leylana Grey, Aristocratic Spy, 250 points

Drawn into Darkness by Tara Phillips

Attributes

ST 10 [0]
DX 14 [80]
IQ 14 [80]
HT 11 [10]

Secondary Characteristics

Dmg 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs; HP 10 [0]; Will 14 [0]; Per 15 [5]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 6.0 [-5]; Basic Move 6 [0]

Advantages

Beautiful [12]

Combat Reflexes [15]

Craftiness +1 [5]

High Heeled Heroine [1]

Honest Face [1]

Impersonator +2 [10]

Luck [15]

Sartorial Integrity [1]

Title [1]

Wealth (Comfortable) [10] 

Disadvantages

Duty (Intelligence Agency, 9 or less, Extremely Hazarouds) [-10]
Jealousy [-10]
Overconfidence (12 or less) [-5]
Secret (Is a spy) [-20]
Sense of Duty (Team) [-5]

Skills

Acting IQ+4** [4]-18
Beam Weapons (Pistol) DX [1]-14
Body Language Per+1* [1]-16
Computer Operation IQ+1 [2]-15
Current Affairs (High Society) IQ+1 [2]-15
Current Affairs (Politics) IQ [1]-14
Holdout IQ+2* [4]-16
Intelligence Analysis (H) IQ+1 [8]-15
Judo DX-1 [2]-13
Karate DX-1 [2]-13
Lip-Reading Per-1 [1]-14
Observation (A) Per+1 [4]-16
Pickpocket (H) DX [4]-14
Pilot (Contragravity) DX [2]-14
Savoir-Faire (High Society) IQ+3* [2]-17
Search (A) Per+1 [4]-16
Sex-Appeal HT+5* [4]-16
Sleight of Hand DX-2 [1]-12
Stealth DX+3* [8]-17
Streetwise IQ+1* [1]-15
Vacc Suit DX-1 [1]-13

Gear

Formal Dress and fab shoes: $1500, 2 lbs
Blaster Pistol: 3d(5) Acc 5, 1.6 lbs, RoF 3, Bulk -2, rcl 1, $2200
Tiny wrist-mounted radio: 5 mile range, $50, 0.05 lbs

Notes

No Encumbrance

Dodge: 10, Parry (Judo) 10.

In a lot of ways, Leylana has changed the least.  We've managed to tag her, officially, as noble, but she's lost her Security Clearance: Clearly the intelligence agency sees her as an asset rather than agent, even if she disagrees.  Thus, she walks the line between a genuine spy and a politician.  A friend of mine looked at her and said "She's like Princess Leia meets James Bond," which was what I was going for.

She remains primarily a non-combat character, but she feels more effective at combat: Faster, a better shot, and vastly more stealthy.  For her spy-skills, I originally chose Impersonator over Craftiness because she felt like the sort of spy who get her intel straight from you, rather than going behind your back.  She's a master networker, and in her element in almost any social situation.

And, of course, I chose the aristocratic lens.