S’kard, Starship Pilot

Hello, and welcome back to another Tuesdays at Quark’s! We’re continuing our look at Gorns today with someone a little farther from the Gorns we’ve already seen in the TV series. Zrabas might be a dangerous warrior but S’kard is a smuggling pilot who doesn’t want to get into a fistfight with you. Doesn’t mean she isn’t dangerous, of course.

A shady pilot is a staple in sci-fi and something that GMs can use pretty well in a campaign, especially one with Starfleet officers. Playing at how close the upstanding members of Starfleet are willing to go to violating their ethics is something that fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Discovery will love (just make sure you have your players on board ahead of time). I also wrote a longer sidebar than normal because I think S’kard has real potential as a Starfleet Intelligence asset if you want to go in that direction.

Of course, she’s also a Gorn and that comes with its own fun aspects. She hates Klingons (I’ve always assumed those two species wouldn’t get along) and she’s got a strong temper. She might look like a slight little pilot but chances are she can flip you over a table if negotiations go south. Working with S’kard should always be a careful navigation between three different poles: compromising morals, not pissing off the lizard-lady, and getting what you need. Hopefully your PCs can find their way to the last one without running afoul of either of the other two.

There are plenty of directions to take this character but here are some plot hooks to get you started.

• In order to reach a Starfleet Intelligence agent deep undercover in the Klingon Empire, the crew needs to contact S’kard to get them in undetected. Can they trust her not to start trouble with the Klingons, though?
• An Orion smuggling ring is connected to S’kard’s ship, the Reska. When confronted, she claims that she had no idea the goods were stolen but she will inform on the Orions for immunity. Is she really innocent and how can the crew be sure? If she isn’t, what does it mean to offer her immunity anyways?
• After a barfight with a Nausicaan, S’kard is put into a medical coma. The trouble is, she hid an important data core that could prevent a war. While the engineering team tries to break through the serious encryption protocols aboard the Reska, a Vulcan member of the crew mind-melds with S’kard and tries to navigate the violent recesses of her mind for clues.

Click on the image below for the PDF.

Adventure Tag: ADV006