Obscure Character Archive!

[Telsij]

As promised, stats and write-up for Rogue One's KULLBEE SPERADO, which incorporate his appearances in Daniel Wallace's Smuggler's Guide, Greg Rucka's Guardians of the Whills YA novel, and FFG's X-wing tabletop game!


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KULLBEE SPERADO
Type: Enigmatic Gunslinger



DEXTERITY 4D
Archaic guns 5D, blaster 7D, blaster: heavy blaster pistol 7D+2, dodge 5D+2, firearms 5D, firearms: pistol 6D+1
KNOWLEDGE 2D+1
Intimidation 5D, planetary systems 4D+2, streetwise 5D, survival 4D+1, value: blasters 4D+2, willpower 3D+1
MECHANICAL 2D+2
Astrogation 3D+2, repulsorlift operation 4D, space transports 4D, starfighter piloting 4D, starship gunnery 4D+2
PERCEPTION 3D+1
Hide 4D+1, search 4D+2, sneak 4D+2
STRENGTH 3D
Brawling 4D+1, stamina 5D
TECHNICAL 2D+2
Blaster repair 4D+1, blaster repair: heavy blaster pistol 5D

Story Factors:

• Penitent Pistoleer in Search of Absolution: Although his past remains shrouded in mystery, it is clear that Kullbee Sperado feels he has done terrible things. As penance, he accepted Saw Gerrera’s offer to fight for the Partisans, perhaps in part because he became convinced of the insurgency’s noble ends, but more likely, it is because Saw’s band of rebels is based in the Holy City of Jedha, where Sperado believes he may at long last find forgiveness for his sins.
  
  
• Skeleton in the Closet: Kullbee Sperado is hiding something — though exactly what that something is remains a mystery. And the Meftian would like to keep it that way. Known to disappear for days at a time, Sperado is an intensely private individual who prefers to let his blasters do the talking.
  

Species: Meftian
Gender: Male
Force Points: 1
Dark Side Points: 2
Characters Points: 8
Move: 10

A Conversation:

“I was on Serralonis,” Sperado said. “When I was recruited.”

“I do not know the world," Chirrut Îmwe answered.

“Just a place.”

“We all have a place.”

Sperado thought about that, then asked, “If you lose that place?”

“You cannot lose what is inside you,” Chirrut said. “You can only misplace it. The task, then, is to find it again."

...

When Chirrut encountered Sperado again the next day... he asked if the visit had been of any help.

“Still looking for my place,” Sperado told him.

Background: Kullbee Sperado was as deadly with a pistol as he was sorrowful of soul. Recruited by the Partisans, Saw Gerrera's extremist faction of rebels, the Meftian's reputation preceded him, but the specifics of certain events did not. Intensely private, Sperado refused to talk about the past he longed to leave behind. And though he often disappeared for weeks at a time, Sperado had been seen praying at the Temple of the Whills.

And while the emotional weight of Sperado's burden was made apparent by these regular, secretive disappearances, none saw the burden laid bare better than one particularly devout Guardian of the Whills, Chirrut Imwe. When a Partisan plot to commandeer an Imperial Sentinel-class shuttle required the aid of the Guardians of the Whills, Imwe's physical blindness did not prevent him from seeing Sperado's pain.

Chirrut could sense Sperado even before he and [Beezer] Fortuna arrived, could feel the churning cold left in his wake, the way it clung to him.

“You are weighed by your past,” Chirrut told Sperado when they were introduced. “You cannot outrun it.”

The Meftian was silent long enough that Chirrut wondered if his insight had been mistaken, or if it had been too precise...

The Meftian reached out for Chirrut’s hand, took it in one of his heavily furred paws. Chirrut could feel the rough texture of the man’s flesh in the gaps of his fur.

“Will you pray for me?” Sperado asked.

“No,” Chirrut told him. “But I will show you how to pray for yourself.”

Sperado’s grip tightened, and Chirrut felt the cold surrounding the Meftian dissipate for a moment. In that moment there was an instant’s warmth, and he felt the man’s hope.

Later, once the more violent hidden agenda of this mission was revealed, and once the Guardians of the Whills learned Saw's scheme would put innocent lives at risk, Sperado's moral quandaries came to the fore. The Partisans were tasked with loading explosives onto captured shuttle, for its use as a covert bomb, rather than as an escape vessel for refugee children. And Sperado's apparent adherence to the plan appeared as steady as his gunslinging... at first.

Baze [Malbus saw]... twin blasters, a double rig worn quick-draw style... [Sperado's] furred hands hovered over their grips, but he had yet to draw.

Then, in an instant, Sperado had his blaster free from its holster and pointed at his middle. Baze froze... Sperado slipped the strap off his shoulder and handed the satchel [of explosives] to Fortuna, his aim never wavering...

Shots echoed from opposite their position, and Chirrut knew Sperado had fired, and so had the human, and that Sperado had hit and the human had not...

“So Saw Gerrera would trade a future for these children to strike a blow against the Empire?” Chirrut asked.

Fortuna jabbed a long-nailed index finger skyward again. “He would free Jedha!”

“That is not what will happen,” said Baze.

“My friend is correct,” Chirrut said. “And neither you, nor Saw Gerrera, nor anyone else here is fool enough to think that it will."

...

Chirrut nodded to himself, canted his head the other direction. “You asked me to pray for you, Kullbee Sperado. Is this the place you were looking for?”

Sperado did not answer.

Not then. But in the end, the Meftian's actions would speak for him, as he heeded the call of his conscience. Siding with the Guardians of the Whills and aiding their efforts, Sperado and others of conscience among the Partisans risked the mad wrath of Gerrera to ensure the children's escape. 

Fortunately for Sperado, and the other offenders, they too lived to fight another day.

No doubt the Partisans were glad to still have Sperado's services on their side. And the Meftian’s talents were not limited to boltslinging. Despite displaying some skill in the cockpit after joining the Partisans, Sperado did not officially fly with the brothers “Two-Tube” and their Cavern Angels. Instead, he kept company with Keredian cyborg, Cycyed Ock, having once been a member of Ock’s Gullet Gang. Yet this was strange, because Sperado was otherwise eager to sever ties with his past life.

He and Ock would later manage to escape the destruction of Jedha City and of the Partisans' hideout. And after stumbling upon the wreckage of a downed Z-95 Headhunter, once they had fled to the planet’s other hemisphere, the duo’s prospects began to brighten in earnest. 

Inside the ship, they found a smuggler’s logbook containing the whereabouts of a “treasure” Maz Kanata had hidden in the depths of the waterworld of Iskalon. And so, Ock went about putting together a new gang that was up to such a task. Sperado was particularly eager to set off on this new endeavor — at least according to Ock. The Keredian cyborg claimed that Sperado was willing to go as far as tell him he liked their odds. 

The new Gullet Gang did succeed in securing the treasure — but with it, they secured a prison sentence at the Megalox Beta Penitentiary as well. Still, they'd managed to stash the goods before their capture, and Ock already seemed to have an out in mind, working on an escape plan even while in prison. A jailbreak was in the offing. 

And Sperado’s search for absolution continued.... 



Equipment: Ammo belt with 12 spare powerpacks, comlink, double-rig of quick-draw holsters (+1D to speed dice when using Quick Draw rules, or +1D to blaster skill in the same combat round that weapon is drawn only), molded spaulders and harness (+2 vs. physical, +1 vs. energy, covers upper arms only), pair of modified heavy blaster pistols (5D+1 damage, range: 3-7/25/50, ammo: 25).

Sources: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story film, Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide (p.85), Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills YA novel, Star Wars: Smuggler's Guide book (p.117-121), Kullbee Sperado card for FFG's X-Wing tabletop game, and Wookieepedia. Text in A Conversation and Background sections that is indicated by italics is adapted from Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide (p.85) and Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills YA novel (p.134-140, 226-227, 229-230, 233-235). Stats and additional text by Telsij.

[Bren]

Thanks for doing these.

[Telsij]

[Bren]

[Telsij]

It's Solo Sunday once again, as OBSCURE CHARACTER ARCHIVE gives you the original "Muscle" of Beckett's crew, KORSO!

Although he meets an untimely end on Mimban, and was cut from the film, Korso does appear in Mur Lafferty's SOLO: A Star Wars Story Expanded Edition novelization.

The novelization characterizes Korso not as a criminal already traveling with Beckett's group (as Jon Kasdan references in tweets re: previous script drafts), but as a quiet, scarred soldier looking to get off-world in exchange for aiding Beckett's infiltration.


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KORSO
Type: Stoic Heavy Gunner



DEXTERITY 3D+2
Blaster 4D+2, blaster: repeating blaster 5D+2, blaster artillery 5D,
brawling parry 5D, dodge 4D, missile weapons 5D
KNOWLEDGE 2D+1
Intimidation 4D, streetwise 3D+1, survival 4D+1
MECHANICAL 2D+2
PERCEPTION 2D+2
Con 3D, con: sangfroid 4D+2, search 3D
STRENGTH 4D
Brawling 5D+2, lifting 5D+2, stamina 6D
TECHNICAL 2D+2
Blaster repair: repeating blaster 3D+2

Story Factors:

• Desire to Desert: Whether it was because he had simply endured one too many nights knee-deep in the mud of Mimban, or because he was haunted by the sight of one too many comrades slaughtered — with his own time to meet his Maker no doubt soon to follow, Korso sought to get off world and away from the horrors of this prolonged trench warfare campaign. Toward that end, Korso has made a deal with the notorious thief and grizzled gunslinger, Tobias Beckett. In exchange for access to uniforms and aid in infiltrating the Imperial army, Korso was promised his chance at escaping this "miserable mudball."
  
  
• Strong Silent Type: Despite misgivings about the war, Korso remains a steadfast, outwardly-stoic soldier throughout his time in the Imperial Infantry. A man of few words, Korso was formidable in both his silence and in combat.

Species: Human
Gender: Male
Character Points: 3
Move: 10
Size: 1.83 meters tall

Background: Mimban Campaign: 10 BBY

Korso was always "the muscle." It was role he knew well and one he was good at — in war, and in jobs less legal. But now, he wanted out of this war. And it just so happened that a job far less than legal was his way out.

Tall, silent, and carrying a rotary blaster cannon, he took point as they ran into the fray. A large man, he shielded Captain Beckett, unleashing a barrage of lasers when he could and blocking when he needed to.

The enemy Mimbanese, hiding among the mud and behind their primitive woven-reed armor, were much better with stealth than the mudtroopers and seemed to be everywhere. They moved through the mud as if it were water while the mudtroopers staggered, slipped, and fell.

But Korso was a force of nature. Any Mimbanese who decided to engage him close up would be nearly liquefied by the cannon’s point-blank blasts.

Han Solo saw the shooter emerge from the mist, taking aim at them, and he shouted and ran for Beckett and Korso. He couldn’t get purchase in the mud, however. Multiple blaster shots hit Korso and the Mimbanese man he struggled with, and they both went down.

They tumbled into the trench with Korso. Beckett laid Korso on his back to look at him. But now his eyes were sightless and blank. With a heavy sigh, Beckett carefully closed them, letting his shoulders fall for a moment. It was a brief moment, but Han saw more emotion there than he had ever seen an Imperial show for a fallen soldier.

Other troopers fresh from the battle hurried past Han and the rest to carry fallen fellows to medical tents, and Han thought briefly of poor Korso. If only he’d been able to make it a few more meters.

No. Han had seen his body. There had been too many blaster hits. He was surprised Korso had taken that many before he fell. He must have been a formidable soldier.

Tobias Beckett tried not to think about Korso. He wasn’t a friend, not a companion like Val and Rio, but they’d had a deal: He’d get Beckett access to uniforms and help him infiltrate the army, and he’d get Korso off this miserable mudball when they left. Korso had done his part, and instead of freedom he’d gotten a grave....

Equipment: Blaster gas magazine harness/holder, Imperial Fleet Trooper blast helmet (+1D vs. physical and energy, covers head only; Game Notes: Because unaccounted-for equipment was in shorter supply, Korso wears an Fleet Trooper helmet, having given his own Army Trooper helmet to Tobias Beckett so that the latter's infiltration would appear more legitimate), Imperial greatcoat (+1 vs. edged physical attacks; covers torso, arms and legs), plastoid blast armor (+1D vs. physical and energy, covers torso only), goggles with polarized lenses (prevents flash-blinding), Z-6 rotary blast cannon (7D damage, range: 3-60/150/400, 750 meters maximum, ammo: 200, skill: blaster: repeating blaster; Game Notes: Requires a Lifting skill die code of at least 3D to use without potential penalty. Characters with a Lifting skill lower than 3D who attempt to use the Z-6, risk operating the weapon at -1D multi-action penalty, as a non-roll lifting action is required for as long as they wield the weapon. And if any character wishes to move and fire in the same round, he must make an Moderate Lifting skill check, though this check does not count as an action. Rotary blaster cannon will fire shots in bursts, with each burst delivering a high concentration of blaster fire. Due to the weapon's design, it is impossible to fire a single round. 6 ammo are consumed in a single shot as the weapon rapidly fires, resulting in the weapon's high damage rating. Once a hit is established, all following shots against nearby (within 1 meter) targets are one difficulty lower. The blaster is designed to be braced against the hip when firing, allowing for more mobility when firing. However, when the blaster is used without bracing, the character using it takes a -1D penalty to his blaster skill roll. The Z-6 may be attached to a generator for extended firing without reloading).

well. I kept the 3D Strength minimum from the previous versions of the gun, but would have called for anyone with below a 3D STR to operate the gun at multi-action penalty, with an Easy Lifting check called for each round. I like your introducing the move and fire penalty — not unlike the bowcaster RAW mechanics. Might revisit!

Sources: Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition novelization by Mur Lafferty, Solo: A Star Wars Story film, and Wookieepedia. Stats and additional text (eg: opening paragraph of background text) by Telsij. Background text adapted from Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition novelization (p.69-72). Z-6 rotary blaster cannon stats are adapted from the weapon's entries in the Galaxy at War D6 conversion and D6 Holocron wiki, with feedback/suggestions from CRMcNeill.


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[Bren]

Would Korso use the blaster artillery skill or the repeating blaster specialization to fire his "Z-6 rotary blast cannon?"

[Telsij]

[Whill]

[Mamatried]

Would the autoblaster require some minimum strength to operate? I can see this being quite a heavy weapon and nothing for a 2D character, 3D and 3D+ is another matter. IDK, I even think I saw in the weapon stat book that there was a clone version of this that required 3D str but I can be mistaken

[CRMcNeill]

[Telsij]

[Bren]

[CRMcNeill]

For me (as codified here, in my Blaster Stat write-up), the dividing line between Blaster and Blaster Artillery is whether or not a weapon is crew-served and/or requires some degree of set-up/tear-down when not mounted on a vehicle. As such, while a Medium Repeating Blaster is bulky/heavy enough to present some difficulty for a single character to operate, it is still a Blaster weapon. An E-Web, however, requires at least two crew to operate normally (1 gunner and 1 generator operator) and must be transported in multiple pieces (cannon, tripod, power cable and power generator) which must be assembled at the firing point before the weapon can be used. That aspect of teamwork operation is, IMO, what qualifies as Blaster Artillery.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Bren]

An E-web looks like it would operate the same as a repeating blaster and should be classed as such. To me SW repeating blasters in WEG seem similar to WW2 Squad Support weapons like a German MG-42. The E-web seems like a WW2 US .50 cal Heavy MG. I would think the two would use the same skill. The examples

[CRMcNeill]