Today is May 4th, unofficially Star Wars Day. To celebrate that, and because all nerds should accept each other, reader Edward Wallace has created a new NPC for your Star Trek Adventures game: Darth Vader! Fair warning, he’s very tough.
Darth Vader (Major NPC)
Traits: Human, Cybernetically Enhanced, Sith
Attributes: Control 8, Fitness 11, Presence 11, Daring 12, Insight 8, Reason 9
Disciplines: Command 3, Security 4, Science 1, Conn 5, Engineering 2, Medicine 1
Values
- I must obey my master.
- The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.
- Bring Order To The Galaxy
- I must face Obi-Wan Kenobi alone. (Or, later:It is Luke’s destiny to join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son.)
Focuses: Cybernetics, Intimidation, Interrogation, Light Saber, Mental Discipline, Small Craft
Weapon: Crimson Light Saber (Escalation 1) (Type: Melee. 3CD Size: 1H, Deadly, Hidden 1 Vicious 1). Light Sabers also function as a Plasma Torch with Advantage, capable of cutting all but the most vital substances.
Armor: Battle Suit (Resistance 2)
Force User: A Force User may use a Light Saber to attempt to block and redirect ranged attacks without the Area Effect. In this instance, the Force User makes a Difficulty 2 roll and compares any momentum to the attacker. A tie merely stops the attack. If the Force User has the higher total, they can redirect it where they wish, including their foe. Such a hit does damage based on the Force User’s Security rather than the attacker’s.
Talents/Special Rules
See the Force: Vader’s precognition is usually short-term, helping him only in immediate Tasks like dueling and piloting. Vader gains the Extraordinary Attribute 1 special rule for the Daring Attribute. When he uses this ability, he Increases his Complication Range by 2 for that Task due to increased recklessness. Vader receives visions of the future, but he often lacks the Insight to interpret them correctly.
I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing: Vader exerts a psychic force upon an object or person within Close range equivalent to what he can exert physically, doubling it with each Point of Threat spent. Threat (Immediate) may also be spent to increase the range: 1 Threat to affect objects in Medium range, 2 to affect objects at Long-range and GM’s discretion for distances beyond. To apply force violently, Vader adds 1 point to Threat to make a Control + Security task with a Difficulty of 2 to strike an opponent, inflicting 7D Lethal or Non-Lethal with either the Knockdown or Vicious effect. Vader may apply the Grapple or Shove melee combat options instead. He may spend Threat to increase the Stress Damage.
Ktchhhhh Hurrrrr: [Meancing 1] Mechanical breathing hails the arrival of the Dark Lord. When Vader enters a scene, immediately add 1 to the general Threat Pool.
More Machine Now Than Man: Vader cannot survive without his Cybernetics and Life Support/battle Suit [Heavy Body Armor 2/Environmental Suit. If it is destroyed or removed, he will lose 1 Stress per Round. Vader can fight in total darkness without penalty. He has Advantage on all Strength related Fitness Tasks like jumping and lifting.
Now I Am The Master: By spending 1 Threat, Vader can gain an Advantage on a Presence Task to command an individual who can understand him to do his bidding for one scene. His telepathy extends this to animals. Traits that indicate training and strong will (such as Star Fleet Officer) increase Vader’s difficulty in an opposed task.
Twisted and Evil: When Vader chooses to make a lethal attack, he does not need to spend Threat for doing so. Whenever an enemy he can sense attempts to make a lethal attack against him, Vader may spend 1 to Threat to increase the Difficulty of their attack by 1.
Your Thoughts Betray You: Vader can sense the surface thoughts and emotions of most living beings nearby, and can communicate telepathically with other telepaths, as well as those with whom he is extremely familiar. It will require effort and a Task to pick out the emotions or thoughts of a specific individual in a crowd, to search a creature’s mind for specific thoughts or memories, or to block out the minds of those nearby. Unwilling targets may resist with an Opposed Task.
You Don’t Know The Power of The Dark Side! Vader also begins each Scene with 3 additional Threat separate from the main pool which only he can use.
Using Darth Vader in your campaign
I recommend against a strait Star Wars crossover in an established STA campaign. The technology introduced would alter the tone of both franchises. A single Hyperdrive rescues Voyager and makes Discovery’s Spore Drive redundant. A standard universal translator makes C-3PO obsolete, while transporter technology makes the Death Stars more vulnerable.
Every player should be on board in advance for such a genre altering shift.
One shot : Create a special session just for the team-up. Everyone involved going in will know this is a temporary ‘What If?’ that it won’t change continuity for their regular characters.
Imaginary Reality – The Star Wars mash-up takes place in a shared dream, holodeck, or test created by Q. Your regular characters can participate, but by the end, they will revert to ‘normal’ and any trace of Star Wars technology or Force ability will be lost and may not be recreated.
A holodeck Lord Vader will not actually be able to see the future, control or read minds. The ship’s computer would compensate by simply making him move very fast, giving him access to available information, and allowing him to influence holographic NPCs.