In honor of The Mandalorian‘s Clan (of Two) Mudhorn, I have been making stats for some cool gear we saw in Season 1, for use in FFG’s Star Wars RPG lines, especially Edge of the Empire, which I think is the closest in flavor to The Mandalorian. Today, I present my new favorite weapon, the Whistling Birds.
Whistling birds is a Mandalorian vambrace weapon, named for the sound its tiny bes’kar projectiles make. It is unique, being a ranged weapon that is almost as “up close and personal” as a vibroblade. Unlike other weapons with a blast radius (e.g., grenades) whistling birds seem designed to be used against multiple engaged targets without risk of taking damage oneself. This is possible because the projectiles are Guided, with no Advantage cost. Triggering the Blast quality on a miss, however, costs the usual 3 Advantage.
Design & Play Notes: I debated a lot as to whether to make whistling birds Short or Engaged range, and picked Engaged because Our Hero only uses them when his enemies are practically on top of him. But GMs, feel free to rule they are usable out to Short range. The 9 Rarity is right up there with Thermal Detonators. Whistling bird statblocks are based mainly off the Frag and Armor-Piercing grenades in Age of Rebellion (p. 173). The zero-cost Guided is in line with the description, which states it’s 3 Advantage “unless otherwise specified in the weapon’s description.” Rarity isn’t the only reason the cost is dear. First, they are made of bes’kar steel. (The Armorer crafts Din Djarin’s from the bes’kar she intended for his signet before he refused that honor.) Whistling birds are also going to command an extra-premium cost simply because it is specific to the Mandalorians, who aren’t cool with outsiders appropriating their cultural weaponry and armor. (Nope, not even for a Good Cause. See Season 2, Episode 1.) So there’s a lot of risk to both seller and buyer.
Linda Whitson
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