The Contract's the Thing

Different targets require different tools. An amateur racer who is behind on his swoop bike loan does not require the same professional touch as the leader of a pirate gang harassing the local starport. Those who often find themselves hiring Bounty Hunters know this, and so a robust contact list is quite useful. Today’s sneak peek of the Bounty Hunter sourcebook soon to be released for Star Wars™: Edge of the Empire™ is focused on the new Bounty Hunter specializations, and the varied set of tools they provide, that will be available when No Disintegrations is released into the galaxy.

Stand and Fight

Whether their skill comes from devoted study and careful practice or from simply a lifetime spent in a dangerous galaxy, Martial Artists, often armed with nothing more than their own body, blend physical power and mental focus to defend themselves and defeat their enemies. Brawn and Willpower are the primary attributes for the Martial Artist from which they draw inner and outer strength. Athletics, Brawl, Coordination, and Discipline are bonus career skills for the Bounty Hunter who chooses this path of the implacable warrior.

One of the most essential talents for the Martial Artist is Unarmed Parry, which allows the combatant to parry incoming melee attacks while not holding a weapon, as well as reducing the strain cost to do so. Also included in the specialization tree is Precision Strike—along with an Improved and Supreme version—which makes Critical Injuries the Martial Artist inflicts even more debilitating and deadly. Additionally, multiple talent choices reward ranks in the Coordination skill to supplement both offense and defense.

As mentioned in our last preview, Kallerans are a species that find themselves quite at home as a Martial Artist. Their above average Brawn score positions them well to deliver brutal attacks with their fists and feet, and their impressive natural strain threshold gives them more flexibility in activating the crucial offensive and defensive abilities found in the specialization tree.

The Chase Is On

The mystique of the ‘tenacious professional’ is never more apt or intimidating than when an Operator is on the job. Bringing the full power of a starship or airspeeder into a hunt is a terrifying proposition to a target, but a reassuring one to the underwriter of the contract. Operators with a high Agility score are rewarded handsomely as they add Astrogation, Gunnery, Piloting (Planetary), and Piloting (Space) to their career skills. These Bounty Hunters provide a fantastic service to their group as the team pilot or the occupier of the ship’s gunner chair.

The Operator is a master of pursuit. The Shortcut talent, and its Improved version, give the Operator an edge when attempting to run down their prey. Being a successful Operator isn’t merely about piloting their vehicles effectively, though. Bounty Hunting isn’t a child’s game of tag, and weapons are often required. The Gunnery-related talents in the Operator tree emphasize the theme of the hunt: overwhelm, disable, control. Even the most bloodthirsty hunter who keeps the bills paid with kill contracts will find great value in Hindering Shot, a special attack from a starship or vehicle weapon that will quickly cause the target to run out of power and unable to escape.

A Devaronian Operator is a fearsome hunter for more reasons than just the horns. An improved Cunning score allows them to gain an increased benefit to the Full Throttle talent so that no target may escape, and their lower Presence becomes almost inconsequential when the character performs a majority of their negotiations through a targeting reticle.

You Can’t Hide

The spirit of the undercover private investigator permeates the heart of the Skip Tracer. Adding Cool, Knowledge (Underworld), Negotiation, and Skulduggery to the Bounty Hunter career skills, Skip Tracers are most at home when using their wits and guile to navigate their way through a dangerous galaxy. A contract that can be completed without (or with minimal) violence is always a profitable one, and Skip Tracers are more than happy to save credits that might otherwise need to be spent on bacta or blasters. Cunning and Presence both make for a formidable Skip Tracer,  but Willpower and Intellect are also strong choices for opening up different ways to track targets.

More than Martial Artists and Operators, Skip Tracers possess abilities that require narrative cooperation between the player and GM. Reconstruct The Scene gives the Bounty Hunter a physical description of those who were present at a location being investigated. Improved Street Smarts allows a Skip Tracer to use their Streetwise of Knowledge (Underworld) skill to gain an illuminating clue regarding the mystery at hand; is this lead a dead end? Where can I find a possible witness who doesn’t want to be found? These strong investigative tools, as well as a couple available ranks of Good Cop, allow the Skip Tracer to engage their target with the minimum amount of collateral damage or return fire.

Clawdites will find the Skip Tracer specialization especially attractive, as frequent calls for the Streetwise skill makes excellent use of their natural aptitude in Cunning. And, of course, the value of shape-shifting ability to a professional hunter who wishes to discreetly track and approach a target can never be understated.

No Disintegrations has even more riches to add to your Edge of the Empire™ campaign, so don’t forget to keep your comlink open for more previews soon!