T is for Talents (AoR)

Combat in Age of Rebellion cannot be avoided. It is at the core of the setting. Galaxy Masters need to stop worrying and learn to embrace it. With such a strong focus on warfare, deadly battles seep into every part of the campaign. However, special care needs to be taken in an Age of Rebellion campaign so that the Galaxy Master does not fall into the seductive path of quick, easy, predictable, repetitive, and boring combat encounters. In fact, just like their Edge of the Empire counterparts, player characters in Age of Rebellion would do well to find ways to avoid fighting, if at all possible, even if that means sending allied troops to certain death for the greater good.

In order for Galaxy Masters to help push their players away from too much tactical combat (in a non-tactical game), they must entice those players with rewarding scenes in which the players’ characters are able to demonstrate their value and worth. This can be done by designing scenes which benefit the unique and often underrepresented Career Talents. Compiled in the table below are interesting challenges, scenarios, and problems to be solved all taken from the benefits incurred by the Talents offered for each Career and Specialization that do not have an obvious benefit in combat, or whose benefit in combat is in a specialized niche.

When you, as Galaxy Master, are struggling to find a way to either move the plot of your adventure along in a new way, or are grasping to find a way to shine a spotlight on a player character that has been too long neglected, consult the list below to gain inspiration by either choosing an interesting scene or challenge described, or roll randomly with a d100 to let fate be your guide.

d100		ACE
01		Launch an attack run with multiple vehicles or starships against a heavily armed and armored, lumbering foe.
02-03		Make an assault with ground-based vehicles, such as walkers or airspeeders.
04-05		Survive a gauntlet of dangers while travelling via ground based vehicle or airspeeder.
06-07		Drive ground-based vehicles or airspeeders in a death-defying chase scene.
08		Slaughter untold waves of minions with a powerful, turret-mounted automatic blaster.
09		Defeat a high-defense N is for Nemesis wearing advanced armor, such as personal shielding.
10-11		Using vehicular weapons, make a one-in-a-million shot against a small target that is concealed and at Long Range.
12-13		Chase down an ace pilot in a race through a crowded star system.
14		Defeat a notorious ace pilot in one-on-one starfighter combat.
15-16		Jump in and out of a star system and quickly complete your mission before you are caught.
		COMMANDER
17		Direct a large military force into battle.
18-19		Instantly identify a weak point on a ship or building.
20-21		Fly a starship past an enemy blockade and make a quick escape into hyperspace.
22-23		Find a primitive civilization or avoid a dangerous predator while out in the wilds of an undeveloped world.
24		Take down the enemy with an ambush by a squad of ground troops.
25		Take down the enemy with an ambush by a squad of ground vehicles.
26		Take down the enemy with an ambush by a squad of airspeeders.
27-28		Lead an army through rough terrain to make a surprise attack.
29-30		Use ground forces to stall an encroaching enemy army.
31-32		Protect a vulnerable dignitary.
		DIPLOMAT
33-34		Establish peaceful contact with a neutral star system inhabited by strange aliens (see X is for Xenology).
35-36		Slip through an Imperial checkpoint without arousing any suspicions.
37		Sway a powerful, skeptical leader to your way of thinking.
38		Hold yourself together under intense interrogation.
39		Force a hesitant prisoner into giving you vital information.
40-41		Find and make contact with a powerful leader who does not wish to be troubled.
42-43		Inspire an oppressed populace into open rebellion.
44		Acquire an expensive piece of gear that will be crucial to the success of the mission.
45-46		Acquire an ancient artifact or lost piece of lore that will be crucial to the success of the mission.
47-48		Negotiate with local authorities for free passage through their star system, spaceport, or cities.
		ENGINEER
49-50		Harness a new computerized technology or interact with droids.
51		Engage an enemy wielding weaponry that staggers or disorients.
52-53		Repair a new, broken piece of equipment or vehicle.
54		Immediately repair your own badly damaged gear or vehicle.
55-56		Use well-placed explosives to destroy a blast door or other obstacle barring your way.
57		Stop a giant war machine.
58		Resist an attack by a foe armed with stun weapons.
59-60		Contact an Imperial academy to find the answer to a difficult problem.
61-62		Analyze the technical readouts of an enemy military system on the spot.
63-64		Sift through a billion star systems to quickly find a planet or other stellar object to hide from the Empire’s prying eyes.

		SOLDIER
65-66		Find the best way to infiltrate and/or destroy a military installation of unusual design.
67		Resist a poisonous attack; such as from a B is for Beast‘s sting or venom-coated darts.
68		Face a brutally strong opponent in one-on-one combat.
69-70		Save innocent bystanders by throwing yourself into harm’s way.
71-72		Survive in an uninhabited, hostile environment for several weeks before being rescued.
73		Treat a virulent pathogen running rampage through your ranks.
74-75		Perform emergency surgery on an important dignitary while stranded on a primitive world.
76-77		Take down an enemy sniper in a Long Range rifle duel.
78-79		Stop a fleeing target on foot, his or her trail hidden by rainfall, snow, or fog.
80		Bullseye a small target with a rifle at Extreme Range while in a hostile environment, such as a starship breaking apart.
		SPY
81		Focus exclusively on reconnaissance for this mission.
82-83		Eliminate an enemy guard without raising an alarm.
84-85		Sneak past watchful eyes undetected.
86-87		Break into an important side door the old fashioned way, without access to any computerized systems.
88		Walk across a narrow ledge or balance on a steel wire without being seen by guards.
89-90		Chase down a vulnerable and valuable enemy that has slipped your grasp.
91		Spend weeks days searching the wilderness in pursuit of an enemy base that fails to register on any sensors.
92-93		Immediately decode an encrypted message.
94		Defend your starship’s computer banks as they are being hacked at the worst moment possible by an unknown assailant.
95-96		Hack a computerized pass key to open a door while smoke or some other hazard obscures your vision.

		FORCE SENSITIVE EMERGENT
97		Steel your nerves to move on unhindered after witnessing a terrifying sight.
98		Take action based on vague, shadowy premonitions of the future.
99		Find your way around a yawning chasm or towering wall.
00		Flip a switch while your arms are bound or that is otherwise inaccessible.