[Building Character: SWSERPG] Phibt

This is the third article in my Building Character series. I'm continuing to develop characters for the Star Wars Saga Edition Roleplaying Game. You can check out the previous two characters here and here. My latest addition is an Aleena mercenary named Phibt.

Process

My vision for Phibt was a character that was simply obnoxious in most ways. While this would be a cause for some tension when dealing with his allies, on the battlefield he would be a great aid to them by drawing enemy attacks away from them and towards himself. Rather than being an extremely tough character who could take the hits, I wanted him to be incredibly hard to hit, which would only make him more infuriating to his enemies.

I knew right away that I wanted him to have the Draw Fire talent which belongs to the soldier class, but the rest of my concept for the character fit better with the scoundrel class. For some reason, I pictured him as an Aleena – a small, energetic, reptilian species. I tried to split most of my talent and feat choices between improving his defenses and making him even more of a nuisance to his foes.

Background

Phibt was born on the crime ridden desert world of Tatooine, where at a young age he found work as a dock hand, loading and unloading cargo ships that came through the bustling spaceport of Mos Eisley. While he was an energetic worker, he was exceptionally weak compared to the other dock hands, and was often subject to bullying by them. While he couldn’t fight back physically, he learned to spar with them verbally and then use his size and speed to evade them when they lost their temper. When he was fired for insulting the boss, Phibt followed his selfish inclinations and turned to a life of crime, using his small size to sneak into the docks and steal cargo that was small, but valuable. This new profession, combined with his general personality, led to him making many enemies very quickly. He soon decided he would be better off if he got a new job that would take him off planet. Phibt joined a small mercenary crew lead by Shara Koth where he could expand his horizons and find new opportunities for profit.

Personality

Phibt’s personality is like the sound of nails on a chalk board to those around him. His tongue is never still in his mouth, and he’s exceptionally good at making blatant insults or sarcastic jabs. He isn’t too smart, or in tune with those around him, and that might contribute to his hurtful banter which he seems to find so amusing. He isn’t particularly strong or tough, but he’s incredibly quick, making it very difficult to get a hold of him to wring his neck – which is what most people would like to do after spending a few minutes in his company. While Phibt tends to be self-centered and independent, he considers those who will put up with him to be his friends and is quick to take offense when those people are threatened.

Game Statistics

Like the rest of Shara Koth’s crew, I wanted Phibt to be a moderately experienced character so I made him level 6. I started him out in the scoundrel class, moved to the soldier class at level 2 in order to pick up the Draw Fire talent, and then spent the remaining 4 levels in the scoundrel class again. I chose Aleena as his species because it fit my vision of the character and the species’ small size gave him a slight boost to his Reflex Defense. I decided to use the optional background rules from the Rebellion Era Campaign Guide, instead of the standard destiny mechanics found in the core rulebook, and gave Phibt the labor background. Phibt has below average Strength, Intelligence and Wisdom. He has above average Constitution and Charisma, and exceptionally high Dexterity. His skills focus on the areas of deception, persuasion, initiative, and stealth – with a special focus on sleight of hand tricks such as palming items or picking pockets.

Combat Tactics

Phibt has pretty good defenses all around, and his Reflex Defense is especially high. In a battle, Phibt wants to get shot at, because that means his enemies aren’t shooting at his friends – and he’s a more difficult target for them. He’s fairly proficient with a blaster pistol, rifle, or a simple weapon (such as a knife or grenade).

Each round, Phibt can select one opponent he expects might attack him and gain a +1 bonus to his Reflex Defense against that enemy until the start of his next turn. If he moves at least 3 squares from his starting position on his turn, he also gains another +1 bonus to his Reflex Defense against any opponent. He can combine these advantages with the Draw Fire talent to draw attacks away from his nearby allies and force enemies to attack him against his superior defenses. While Phibt is likely to take a hit now and then, any time an ally or enemy within 20 squares is reduced to 0 hit points he can gain 8 bonus hit points for free. That might keep him going a little bit longer.

What about Phibt’s offensive abilities? Phibt is a pretty decent shot with a blaster. If he shoots a nearby enemy, his Point Blank Shot feat can grant him a small bonus to both his attack and damage rolls. His Advantageous Opening talent allows him to make a free attack whenever an ally or an enemy he can see rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll. Also, whenever he is missed by an attack, he gains a +2 bonus to his next attack roll before the end of his next turn due to his Find Openings talent.

As an Aleena, once per encounter Phibt can activate his Quick Energy species ability which grants him a +2 bonus to Dexterity-based skill checks and increases his speed to 8 squares. These benefits last for 2 rounds and then he’s exhausted for the rest of the encounter.

Here are Phibt’s game statistics in stat block form for use by a Game Master. Players can download his character sheet here.

Phibt (CL 6)

Small Aleena scoundrel 5/soldier 1
Background Labor; Force 8

Init +12; Senses Perception +2
Languages Aleena, Basic

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Defenses Ref 24 (flat-footed 20), Fort 21, Will 20
hp 51; Threshold 21

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Speed 4 squares; Quick Energy
Melee unarmed +3 (1d3+2) or

Ranged blaster pistol +8 (3d6+3)

Base Atk +4; Grp +3

Attack Options Find Openings, Point Blank Shot

Special Actions Advantageous Opening, Dodge, Draw Fire, Improved Slight of Hand, Quick Energy, Thrive on Chaos

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Abilities Str 8, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 15
Talents Advantageous Opening, Draw Fire, Find Openings, Thrive on Chaos

Feats Dodge, Force of Personality, Improved Defenses, Improved Slight of Hand, Moving Target, Point Blank Shot, Weapon Proficiency (pistols, rifles, simple weapons)
Skills Acrobatics +7 (reroll and take 2nd), Climb +4, Deception +10, Endurance +7, Initiative +12, Jump +4, Persuasion +10, Stealth +17

Possessions comlink, blaster pistol, medpac