[d6] Welmo, Rogue Ithorian Geoformer

[LibraryOgre]

Welmo, Ithorian Geoformer

(or, "Who needs a Death Star when you have Tractor Beams?")

Welmo is a rogue Ithorian, banished from his herd ship... indeed, all herd ships... for his nigh-heretical views, and willingness to put them into action. Welmo doesn't simply believe in the Mother Jungle of Ithor, no... he believes that the Mother Jungle is, or should be, universal, and so seeks to geoform non-jungled terrestrial worlds into an approximation of the Mother Jungle.

Like most truly dangerous creatures, he has a plan, and just enough knowledge and technology to try to carry it out. To Welmo, one of the big obstacles to the ubiquity of the Mother Jungle is that some worlds don't have a rich hydrosphere... worlds like Tattooine and Jakku have temperatures that could support the Mother Jungle, but don't have enough water to let them grow. What has a lot of water, not otherwise supporting jungles? Comets. So, to create the Mother Jungle of a desert world, one needs to hydrate it... and the simplest method of hydrating a world is to fling comets at it.

Having an Ithorian's typical technical aptitude, Welmo has also hired several rogues to help him run his ship.

Welmo, Ithorian Geoformer
DEX 3D
Blaster 4D
Dodge 4D
KNO 5D
Ecology 7D
Planetary Systems 7D
Scholar 7D
MECH 2D
Astrogation 3D
Communications 4D
Sensors 4D
Starship Gunnery 3D
Starship Gunnery: Tractor Beams 5D
PER 4D
Command 6D
STR 3D
TECH 1D
First Aid 2D
Starship Weapon Repair: Tractor Beams 3D

Equipment:
Blaster Pistol (4D), various scientific instruments, portable computer, commlink, "The Embracing Ocean" (modified Gallofree Medium Transport)

"The Embracing Ocean"
The Embracing Ocean is Welmo's ship, a modified Gallofree Medium Transport, specifically designed for his "great work", with suggestions from Gordwa, his Dug lieutenant.
Most of the Embracing Ocean's interior storage is empty and typically kept unpressurized. Before an "operation", the Embracing Ocean will use its tractor beams to capture asteroids, providing it with greater mass with which to affect its targeted comet. After an operation, or when an operation needs to be aborted, it will vent the asteroids, providing temporary cover for the Ocean's escape.
The Embracing Oceans statistics are the same as other Gallofree Medium Transports (REUP, p. 445), but with the following exceptions:
*Typical crew skill: Astrogation 5D, space transports 6D, starship gunnery 4D+2, starship shields 4D
*Crew: 6, plus 3 gunners. Skeleton 3/+10
*When empty, its space speed increases to 4 (it is 2 when full of asteroids or other mass; venting the asteroids requires opening the cargo bay and moving away at 2 for one move before acceleration to 4)
*Shields have been increased to 3D (Gordwa sold this to Welmo as being necessary if they're going to be capturing asteroids)
*The ship now boasts three tractor beams; two on the rear arc, and a third on the "bottom" arc. The third is only usable when the cargo bay is empty. These tractor beams have 3D damage and 1D fire control; optimized for strength over accuracy. The two rear tractor beams may be fire-linked; the ventral tractor beam cannot. Typical skill with the tractor beams is 5D
*One of the Twin Laser Cannons has been replaced with a Heavy Ion Cannon (4D damage, 4D Fire control), while another has been replaced with a Concussion Missile Launcher (8D damage, 1D Fire control). This leaves 2 twin laser cannons. Each of these different systems requires a separate gunner.


Gordwa, Dug Thug
Welmo is a "True Believer". He KNOWS he is right, and that the best way to achieve his goals is to throw comets at inhabit(ed/able) planets until they have a "healthy" hydrosphere. Gordwa... Gordwa sees himself as more of a "big picture" kind of Dug. Sure, you can extort money from planets by threatening them with cometary bombardment, and maybe even make some money as a cometary-bombarder-for-hire, but piracy? Piracy is how you make some quick cash. When Welmo brought Gordwa on as a hand, he quickly realized he could manipulate the idealistic Ithorian, and push him in the ways Gordwa wanted to go. Does the Ocean need some repairs? Why not find a ship and take the parts that the Ocean needs? Why shoot all those asteroids out of the hold right away? Might some of them contain valuable minerals? And, hey, if we're going to another world ANYWAY, why don't we pick up some cargo from my friend and deliver it to this world on the way?
Gordwa is not technically in charge, but he's screened the crew; aside from Welmo, all of the crew likes Gordwa's style, and is happy to engage in a bit of profitmaking under the guide of Welmo's "Holy Mission". Gordwa hopes to keep Welmo dancing on his string for a while, making money and directing him to lucrative targets.

Gordwa, Dug Thug
DEX 3D+1
Dodge 4D+1
Brawling Parry 4D+1
KNO 2D
Intimidation 4D
Streetwise 4D
MECH 3D+2
Space Transports 4D+2
Starship Gunnery 4D+2
Starship Shields 4D
PER 2D+1
Command 4D
Con 4D
STR 3D+2
Brawling 5D
TECH 3D+1
Space Transports Repair 4D
Starship Weapons Repair 4D
Blaster Repair 3D+2

Equipment:
Heavy Blaster Pistol (5D), cybernetic claws on toes and fingers (+1D to Climbing skill, +2 to Brawling Damage), Blast Vest (+1D physical, +1 Energy)

The rest of the crew (the Pirate Template is appropriate for all of them):
Nodon, Cathar Mechanic
Noodlo, Duros Pilot
"Yo, Wee!", plural "The Weequay", three Weequay gunners, none of whom has an individual nickname
Karsk, Bothan Communications Expert/Supplier
3-5 others, usually human, zabrak, twi'lek, or other common species

[Mutazoia]

... okay? And this is for.....?

[LibraryOgre]

Star Wars d6. ;-)

I had an idea in my head, decided to get it out.

[Mutazoia]

Ah. Been there, done that. Just not on a public forum. I have a notebook at home for jotting down character ideas. Two actually. One for RPG characters and one for novel/short story/movie characters.

[LibraryOgre]

Ah. Been there, done that. Just not on a public forum. I have a notebook at home for jotting down character ideas. Two actually. One for RPG characters and one for novel/short story/movie characters.

I have been known, on some forums, to respond to a prolonged silence on a given creative post with "Validate me, dammit!"

[Mutazoia]

I have been known, on some forums, to respond to a prolonged silence on a given creative post with "Validate me, dammit!"

I've given up waiting for validation for creative/clever things on this forum. It's either all deleted as "trolling" or apparently just sails over everyone's head.

[Corsair14]

Interesting idea. I like the mad environmental terrorist thing. Only problem is it opens a bad door that most sci-fi space based games including 40k choose not to open. Starship troopers and several other books go through it. Why waste time and massive resources shooting or blowing up a world when you can make a decent tractor beam and simply grab a rock out of the ubiquitous asteroid belts and simply drop it on the planets. No need for a massive deathray, no need for orbital bombardment or in 40k's case a virus bomb that melts the world and then ignites in a massive firestorm. Need to blow up a city, grab a small rock, need to blow up a continent, grab a bigger rock. Need the planet to go away, grab an even bigger one. The only cost is for the tractor beam and a ship to put it on. The tech is already in star wars. Interdictors can grab capital ships out of hyperspace and stick them in their tractor beams, not like an unresisting rock would be that difficult.

Its the big fallacy of sci-fi space stories that doing things requires massive guns or missiles when a simple rock will do the trick. Whoever controls the gravity well controls the planet. No ifs, no ands, no buts, especially if you don't care about civilian casualties which in war most do not. But hey, story sounds better with massive guns and death stars

[LibraryOgre]

I grew up on Star Wars, but I came of age on Babylon 5. Mass Drivers are just a way of saying "I love you" to a whole continent at once.