HoloNet Uplink – Warriors of the Esh-kha I (Follower, Brute)

Welcome to the HoloNet Uplink, citizen. This series focuses on Fantasy Flight Games’ Star Wars Roleplaying Game, with content aimed mostly at the Gamemaster. Threats, adventure seeds, rules supplements, and more are all to come for those who access The HoloNet Uplink.

Since outlining the delights to be found on Belsavis, I thought it prudent to include that world’s most dangerous denizens. The Esh-kha once struck fear into the hearts of the Rakata before being defeated and locked away. I feel these fearsome warriors deserve a comprehensive take, so let’s consider this the first part of a miniseries. Enjoy.

Esh-kha Follower [Minion]

Brutal raiders from the time of the Rakatan Infinite Empire, the Esh-kha have been held in prison-stasis for thousands of years. Now released, these vicious warriors run amok in the depths of Belsavis. Having liberated their personal weapons from lockup, the Esh-kha now scour the ancient dungeon for some means of getting off world. Should they escape Belsavis, these forgotten marauders would pose a grave threat to the galaxy.

Characteristics

Br 3, Ag 2, Int 2, Cun 2, Will 2, Pres 1

Soak 5, W. Threshold 6, Def M/R 0/0

Skills (group only): Brawl, Coercion, Melee, Ranged (Heavy).

Talents: None.

Abilities: None.

Equipment: Plasma discharger (Ranged [Heavy]; Damage 9; Critical 2; Range [Medium]; Inaccurate 1, Pierce 2, Vicious 2), vibroknife (Melee; Damage 4; Critical 2; Engaged; Pierce 2, Vicious 1), Esh-kha plate (+2 soak).

Esh-kha Brute [Rival]

Esh-kha society revolves around a caste system. Each Esh-kha has a specific role to play; for the Brutes, that role is direct assault. Skilled at arms and possessing robust physiques, Brutes anchor front line combatants by personal example. They prefer close in weapons, favoring a repulsor-assisted velocity staff to overwhelm their foes. Ranking Esh-kha often draw upon the Brutes to form bodyguard units, commonly employing groups of four as an honor guard.

Characteristics

Br 4, Ag 2, Int 2, Cun 2, Will 2, Pres 1

Soak 6, W. Threshold 17, Def M/R 0/0

Skills: Brawl 2, Coercion 1, Melee 3, Ranged (Light) 2, Ranged (Heavy) 2, Vigilance 1

Talents: Adversary 1 (upgrade difficulty of all combat checks against this target twice), Lethal Blows 2 (+20 to Critical Injury rolls), Point Blank Shot 2 (+2 damage to Ranged [Light] and Ranged [Heavy] attacks at engaged or short range).

Abilities: Savage Counterattack (After suffering a Critical Injury, an Esh-kha Brute’s next attack is upgraded once).

Equipment: Velocity staff (Melee; Damage 8; Critical 3; Engaged; Cumbersome 3, Disorient 3, Linked 1), light plasma discharger (Ranged [Light]; Damage 7; Range [Medium]; Inaccurate 1, Pierce 1, Vicious 1), Esh-kha plate (+2 soak).

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Christopher Hunt

Staff Writer at d20 Radio

Christopher Hunt is a long-time gamer and has recently broke into the world of RPG freelancing. Chris’ unofficial Star Wars RPG blog ran weekly on d20radio.com for the past three years. He has written for Rusted Iron Games, Raging Swan Press, and most recently Fantasy Flight Games’ Star Wars RPG. Chris is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Political Science. Always the gamer, his thesis, which explores conflict short of war by uniting current threats to historical events, was inspired by a historical board game.

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