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Player's Guide for Dawn of Defiance created by Wikia user DX-2052.

Homebrew Warning

This article is designed in imitation of the "Player's Guide" for Pathfinder's Adventure Paths. Its intent is to provide players (even those with little knowledge of Star Wars beyond the films and the Core Rulebook) with enough background for the Dawn of Defiance adventure so they may create appropriate characters for the campaign. If you are a player who will be playing Dawn of Defiance, check with your Game Master before reading this.

Feel free to suggest additional backgrounds or additions to this guide on the talk page.

Campaign Background

The Dawn of Defiance campaign opens shortly after the fall of the the Republic and rise of the Empire (the ending of Revenge of the Sith), with the Clone Wars a very recent and vivid memory for most beings in the galaxy. The new Empire has begun tightening its grip on star systems throughout the galaxy, and Darth Vader stands at the newly declared Emperor's right hand, crushing any opposition and hunting down the last remnants of The Jedi Order. In these short months since the fall of the Republic, many have joined the Empire willingly, including The Core World Nobles who stand to benefit a great deal from its tyranny. Conversely, many others have begun rebelling (almost always ineffectually) against Imperial oppression upon finding themselves driven out of their homes (or worse) and being forced to live in a galaxy that tolerates no opposition to the Empire. Throughout the Dawn of Defiance campaign, the heroes must deal with the reality that the Empire is a monolithic threat without any kind of organized opposition of notable size.

The story of the Dawn of Defiance campaign opens over the Core World of Brentaal, on a little space station called Sel Zonn Station. Brentaal is notable for one thing: it is where the Hydian Way and the Perlemian Trade Route, two of the galaxy's major Hyperlanes, meet. Brentaal's population is largely devoted to servicing (or exploiting) the many travelers that pass through it, and has little of interest besides service and trade. Your character is, like the majority of people on Brentaal, most likely a transient. Do not expect to stay long, as you will leave the system forever not too far into the first module.

The year the campaign starts in will eventually be known as 18 BBY (Before Battle of Yavin), though your character will know it as Year 982 under the Ruusan Reformation or Year 18 under the Great ReSynchronization. At the GM's discretion, there may be time skips of days to years between modules of Dawn of Defiance.

Character Creation

The following information is advice for creating a character mechanically appropriate for Dawn of Defiance.

Classes

All Heroic Classes (including Force Prodigy and Technician if they are allowed by your Gamemaster) are suited for use in this campaign. All Prestige Classes not tied to a specific organization may be used, as may those tied to the Jedi or Rebel Alliance. Space segments are present, but not the focus, so an Ace Pilot will receive little opportunity to show off.

Ample story reason to be (re)trained as and Multiclass to Jedi will be provided. No opportunities to learn from other Force Traditions are provided, but the identity of some of their Force Talents may be presented as an odd manifestation of ability or muted at the Gamemaster's discretion.

Languages

Few events in Dawn of Defiance involve languages other than Basic (the language rendered as English in all English language Star Wars media). Of the events that do not, most expect the player characters not to know the language in question without Droid or NPC aid. The non-Basic languages most likely to come in handy are Huttese and Binary. Huttese is the language spoken by the Hutts as well as the many criminals and underclass that gravitate to or hail from Hutt Space and is a strong candidate for the galaxy's second most common "full" language, while Binary is the language "spoken" by most Droids.

While Binary can't be spoken by non-cyborg beings, nearly all Droids respond to Basic. Pak Pak, the language of the Neimoidians who ran the Trade Federation, may see some use. While it is difficult for most Species to physically speak "correctly," a non-native can generally be understood and the Clone Wars may have given ample motivation to learn it (though Basic was, officially, the main language of the Confederacy).

Species

The most common Species in the galaxy are Humans (by far), with Duros following second. Droids are omnipresent in the galaxy, to the point many people ignore them unless addressed. While Twi'leks are not necessarily one of the most populous Species in the galaxy, they are rarely concentrated into single Species' populations and instead occupy large chunks of many multi-race settlements making them widely visible, especially among transients. Near-Humans typically blend into any diverse population, and there are so many such Species that non-professionals struggle to keep track of their separate identities, especially when convergent evolution has led to many sharing identifying characteristics (such as blue skin or white hair) and several can easily pass for Human externally with minimal disguise (common cosmetics can temporarily change one's skin color).

Most Species around during this era are appropriate for the campaign. Particularly rare and distinctive Species may be quite conspicuous. Combat and navigation that involves jumping/climbing are expected, so Droid characters will want to be of a model capable of this or flight. Note that Dac, home of the Quarren and Mon Calamari, is currently under Imperial occupation that has reduced the inhabitants to slaves. Both Species were fairly rare off-world before this event, so both are quite rare to see during this time (but playable).

The following Species are not seen in the galaxy proper during the events of this campaign and can not be played: Ewok, Chistori, Rakata, Felucian, Noghri, Nelvaanian, Chiss, Nagai, Yuuzhan Vong, Shard, Nazren, and Tusken Raider as well as all races from Unknown Regions except Altiri, Anzati, Anarrian, Ishi Tib, Krevaaki, Nikto, Shistavanen, Squib and Verpine. Replica Droids as described in Threats of the Galaxy do not yet exist and the nearest thing to one is the LeisureMech BB-4000 series, a disastrous market failure that produces intense Eerie Coulee Disorder (uncanny valley) effects and threatens to sink its manufacturer.

Skills

Most Skills will receive regular use. Ride, however is only used once. Since most of the campaign will be spent hiding from the Empire, Deception and Stealth are useful for all characters. Since the rise of the Empire, use of The Force has been illegal and increasingly large bounties are being offered on "renegade" Force-users and so open, public, use of Use the Force is ill-advised.

Equipment

No particular starting Equipment is expected in this campaign. While this campaign starts in an urban spaceport, it does not stick exclusively to artificial environments. Transporting Vehicles everywhere may prove difficult, but these are generally outside of a character's starting wealth anyways.

Several parts of the campaign take place in restrictive areas where walking around with obvious weapons is prohibited. Avoiding overspecialization in such items is recommended, as a character may not always have access to them. Some (but not all) places that prohibit lethal weaponry still allow Stun-only weapons such as a Stun Pistol, while easily concealed weapons like a Hold-Out Blaster Pistol might be smuggled into them.

Background Motivations

A character in Dawn of Defiance should have a background that allows them to be present on Sel Zonn Station, and eager to strike against the New Order. The most likely reason a character's presence at Brentaal is as part of fleeing from something, as Brentaal's position among the Hyperspace lanes renders it a good place to get rimward and away from any heat and the Empire's center of power as fast as possible. The following are sample motivations intended to provide inspiration for creating a character of appropriate background for the campaign.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

You never planned to get involved in resistance against the Empire, but you could not ignore injustice or evil in front of you. Upon seeing the new Empire's evil, you jumped into action to prevent it, and made yourself a target in the process. You might even begin the campaign as a bystander (either native to Brentaal or a transient) who joins in on the opening conflict.

Just a Slaughter

You may have witnessed Order 66 firsthand. You have seen there was no betrayal by The Jedi and the attack was unprovoked. The Empire can't allow such knowledge to be exposed. You could be a Planetary Defense Force member, a navy volunteer, a local, or even a renegade clone!

Human High Culture Victim

The Empire implemented a humanocentrist "Human High Culture" policy that rendered many "aliens" second class citizens. You may have lost your job, and eminent domain may have conveniently targeted "alien quarters" when looking for land to build the New Order's fortress worlds.

Confederate Remnant

Not all Confederates were evil, and not all of their soldiers were Droids. The Confederacy of Independent Systems brought order to chaos, greatly reducing the scourge of pirates in The Outer Rim, and many reasons for leaving the Republic were justified to several members. The Empire is quite eager to exterminate all that remains of the Confederacy's military and most of its former members have gone into hiding.

While several Species were strongly associated with the Confederacy, it held dominion over many worlds include colonies of more widespread Species and attracted several defectors to its cause so Species is not much of a concern. You may even be an intelligent Battle Droid, such as a Commando Droid, capable of operating independently that still considers the Republic their foe, even if it is now the Empire.

Strong in the Force

The Force is with you, but you are not a Jedi (yet). You possesses basic control over The Force from your own practice, natural talent, and/or instruction by a non-Jedi Force Tradition. Unfortunately for you, this discovery/awakening has made you a target of the Empire, which seeks to hold a monopoly on The Force, just as it does on lawful force. You have likely fled your home to avoid public execution or forced indoctrination into the Empire's ranks of dark Force-users.

You should take the Force Sensitivity feat and Use the Force as a Trained Skill. If you are a Human, Miraluka, or any Species that receives a bonus Feat, you may use it to take Force Training and wield even more potent powers from the start. If your Gamemaster allows it, you might take the Force Prodigy class (which gets the Force Sensitivity feat for free).

Jedi Backgrounds

Since Order 66 is recent and active while all player characters begin this campaign at level 1, working a Jedi (particularly an Adult Jedi) into this campaign takes effort but is very doable. The following are suggestions for making (adult) Jedi characters appropriate for this campaign, with most (if not all) Jedi being at Brentaal in an attempt to secure transport away from the Empire's reach. If a Jedi character does not start with a Lightsaber due to their background, they should instead receive 3d4x250 credits as their starting wealth (like all non-Jedi, non-Noble classes get).

Orphaned Padawan

The default expected origin for Jedi in this campaign is a Padawan that has escaped the Empire where their master did not. In this case your character will likely be a Child or Young Adult.

Service Corpsmen

Younglings who did not progress to Padawan, generally because of a supposed lack of skill with The Force, typically joined one of the Jedi Service Corps dedicated to the betterment of the galaxy: the AgriCorps, the MedCorps, the EduCorps, and the ExplorCorps. Since you weren't shadowed by Clone Troopers, your chance of escaping the initial attack was quite good, and you may yet show your true skill with The Force. You may or may not have a Lightsaber.

MIA

You were separated from your mentor long before Order 66 began. You may have been presumed dead and accidentally abandoned, or you could have been the lone survivor after the deaths of your master and clone contingent. Regardless of the reason you have had to survive on your own for up to four years (possibly longer if you were lost during a Jedi mission before the Clone Wars) and have only just been found. Either your saviors didn't realize you were a Jedi (your robes are likely long gone or unrecognizable), didn't care, or you somehow defeated them and seized their transport. Your Lightsaber may or may not still work.

Cularin Jedi

The Cularin System was home to an unusual group of Jedi who were far more lax about who they admitted, often training adults in The Force. While their academy was destroyed during Order 66, you may have been off world completing a Jedi Trial assigned by your superiors (often just a simple errand to expose the learner to the wider galaxy). The system once had a thriving tourist industry on the moon Dorumaa, and attracted many settlers (though with the events of the Clone Wars, both of these have fallen into ruin) and could be home to almost any Species (in particular, four years ago a small group of roughly 20 Wookiees established their own settlement, Kiirloor, in the jungles near Cloud Mountain on Cularin proper).

For more information on these unusual Jedi and the system as a whole, consult the Living Force Campaign Guide. You will likely want to consult this article on Cularin's disappearance (known as The Blink within the system) as well, as the system's several year absence from the galaxy will be in your character's memory.

Spirit Mentor

While the technique to become a Light Side Spirit was quite rare during the twilight years of The Jedi Order, it certainly existed. A dying Jedi (likely from Order 66) has become bonded to you and taught you the ways of The Force in the afterlife. You may have seen the execution (see "Just a Slaughter," though clones can't be Jedi) or be a friend of the Jedi nowhere near their death. You likely don't have a Lightsaber, though you may have pilfered your mentor's if you were present for their death. You should take the Guardian Spirit Talent if you use this motivation.

Dark Apprentice

Experienced roleplayers may consider playing a failed Dark Jedi apprentice. You may have rejected the training, or have been redeemed when a true Jedi defeated your master. Several Dark Jedi defected to the Confederacy, but many existed before the Clone Wars.

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