A collection of several villains from the crew of a pirate spaceship Ardent Pursuit of Fortune, either encountered in space by starfaring heroes or come to Earth in search of plunder or a "safe" place to lay low from their enemies. They're no invasion force, just raiders and spacelane scum.
Captain Redstar
Little is known of Captain Redstar's origins, and she isn't talking about them. None of the current crew of the Ardent Pursuit of Fortune can recall a time when she wasn't in command, nor did any of their predecessors, or their predecessors before them. She's been a successful pirate captain for many years, far longer than a human lifespan, but shows no signs of aging or slowing down. Redstar always seems to have a plan no matter the situation, and has managed a number of stunning raids across known space while eluding pursuit by the navies of several great powers.
Unlike the rest of her crew, Redstar is clearly after something beyond mere plunder. Her share of the loot goes partly into upgrading her ship, and some must be spent bribing contacts and spies, but the vast majority of it seems to simply disappear. Her crew whisper of vast treasures buried on lonely asteroids across the stars, but the truth remains a mystery. Of late she's shown an interest in the small world called Earth, which is supposedly the original homeworld of her apparent species before the Old Galactics spread them across the stars.
Description: Appears to be a human female, supposedly attractive to other specimens of the species. Almost certainly something very different. Wears a ominous dark gray battlesuit with gold detailing and a clear forcefield bubble generator in place of a conventional helmet. Her chest plate has a blood red four-pointed star over her heart. The suit is loaded with hidden weaponry, tools, and thrusters, all concealed within sculpted armor plates that mimic her own body's contours. She carries a token shock cutlass and blast pistol, mostly to make imperious gestures with. The suit's the real danger here - and the overwhelming will of the woman within it.
Gender: Female Age: Unknown (looks 35) Height: 5'6" Eyes: Blue
Hair: Auburn Skin: Caucasian Build: Implausibly Shapely
Approach: Mastermind
Archetype: Formidable (Weakness: Challenging her authority, defying her will)
Health: 95 + (5 x H)
Powers: Presence d12, Power Suit d12, Flight d8
Qualities: Conviction d12, Close Combat d10, Imposing d10, Leadership d10, Ranged Combat d10, Notorious Space Pirate d8
Status: No Weakness Penalties - d12 / Both Penalties and Bonuses d8 / Only Weakness Penalties d4
Abilities:
Demonstration of Authority (A) Boost using Presence. Use your Max die. This bonus is persistent and exclusive. Attack with your Mid die.
Irresistible Will (A) Attack one hero using Conviction. Hinder all heroes using your Max die.
Prepared For Anything (R) Take 1 irreducible damage to reroll your dice pool on your turn or the dice pool of a hero Attacking or Hindering you.
Unyielding Will (R) Ignore all penalties on you for your action this turn. Take irreducible damage equal to the total of those penalties.
Upgrades & Masteries (factored in above, counts as two difficult scene elements):
Quality Upgrade (I) +20 Health. Increase all Quality dice sizes by one size (max d12).
Group Fighter (I) +20 Health. When you take an action that lets you make an Attack, also make an Attack using your Mid die.
Master of Conquest (I) As long as you are in command of your own forces, automatically succeed at an Overcome to seize an area or capture civilians.
Tactics
Captain Redstar is all about exerting her will on the battlefield - with a healthy dose of applied violence to make her arguments for her. She generally opens with Demonstration of Authority, and repeats using it if the heroes are attacking her weakness with suitable Hinders. If not, she'll begin applying her own penalties with Irresistible Will, which is one of the rare abilities that explicitly targets all heroes. Standing in Bosun Grum's aura will make those penalties hurt a lot worse. Her Prepared For Anything reaction lets her milk her ridiculous die pools to the max, or to screw up a hot roll for someone Attacking or hindering her. If she does get her status die crushed by Hinders, she'll power through with Unyielding Will, although that deprives her of her reroll option since both are reactions.
Her upgrades (which are factored in here, she's meant to be a boss baddie) effectively double her Attacks and bump her dice sizes into the stratosphere, as well as adding 40 Health. She might be a match for 3 heroes but a lot of that depends on how well they can Hinder her. There's lots of ways to "defy her will" both mechanically and narratively, but many players hate spending actions Hindering. Her damage output isn't absolutely stellar - two Mid die Attacks per turn with (probably) a d12.d12.d12 pool with maybe a persistent bonus involved.
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First Mate Iblis
Iblis X'Rell omKoru is 337th in line for the throne of Villanu Prime and doesn't let anyone forget that. He carries himself with cold dignity at all times and prides himself on his superior skills and refined tastes. If he wasn't the second most deadly member of the crew he'd have been spaced years ago - but the Captain finds his airs amusing, and no one else dares cross the villanu. Iblis' own sense of honor binds him to the Captain, and his loyalty remains unquestioned.
Like the lesser crew, Iblis is mostly in this for the plunder - but his superior sense of style always shines through. He'd rather carry off a single perfect gem than a vault full of refined cosmium and leaves the heavy lifting to his inferiors. During battle he seeks out the most dangerous opponents to duel with one on one, although none have yet proven a worthy challenge.
Description: A typical villanu - a tall, slim, humanoid with long, graceful limbs. The head is a streamlined ovoid with sharp facial features and long flowing hair reaching below its waist. Don't call him a space elf, it really ticks him off. He wears a sleek black battlesuit and carries a six foot long silver starblade sheathed in searing white plasma.
Gender: Male Age: 704 Height: 6'9" Eyes: Dead Black
Hair: Silver Skin: Pale Gray Build: Elegantly Slender
Approach: Skilled Archetype: Predator
Health: 30 + (5 x H)
Powers: Flashing Starblade d10, Power Suit d8, Flight d6
Qualities: Close Combat d10, Imposing d10, Acrobatics d8, Leadership d8, Notorious Space Pirate d8, Self-Discipline d8
Status: (# of Enemies Engaged) 0-1 - d10 / 2-3 - d8 / 4+ - d6
Abilities:
Adroit At All Tasks (A) Take any basic action using your Max die. Recover Health equal to your Mid die.
Starblade Duelist (A) Attack using Close Combat. Use your Max die. If the target has a penalty you created or is in the Red zone, use your Max + Mid dice instead.
Intimidating Display of Skill (A) Hinder using Imposing. Use your Max + Min dice. This penalty is persistent and exclusive.
Masterful Counterattack (R) When Attacked, roll your single status die. Hinder the Attack using that result, and deal damage to the Attacker equal to that penalty.
Upgrades & Masteries (optional):
First Officer (I): Gain Rally the Crew (A) Replenish your Pirate Crew minions up to the number of heroes in the scene.
Master Plunderer (I) If the captain has given you orders to perform a specific task, automatically succeed at an Overcome on a situation where you'd otherwise risk failure.
Tactics
Iblis is all about facing off with one foe at a time, although he's honestly not that bad against 2-3 heroes at once. He'll usually open with an Intimidating Display of Skill against his chosen target to get the most out of Starblade Duelist later on. Masterful Counterattack provides a stinging reaction, and if need be Adroit At All Tasks gives him healing as well a good option for Overcomes, Defends, or even a Boost. His signature weapon functions both in melee (where it's basically a lightsaber) and by throwing bolts of plasma at range, and he's a graceful flyer if a fight goes airborne.
He also benefits quite a bit from Bosun Grum's Aura of Menace, and the two often stick together during a raid. First Officer helps keep some minions in play to benefit from Grum's aura as well, as well as making it harder for heroes to dogpile on Iblis. Master Plunderer (a reskinned version of Master Mercenary) reflects his loyalty to the Captain and his determination to succeed without fail.
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Master Gunner OkO
OkO acts as the ship's engineer, roboticist, and chief cannoneer. It gets along with machinery better than organics, but its crewmates tolerate that anti-social attitude since Carronade is reliable, hard-working, and mostly keeps to itself. Also there's that gigantic boarding cannon to keep in mind.
OkO is mostly in this for the plunder. It doesn't take fights personally and usually keeps its primary eyes on the prize and its secondary eyes on an exit, just in case. But again there's that boarding cannon. OkO really, really likes shooting that thing, and sometimes gets a little carried away.
Description: A typical quirellian - a four-armed, four-eyed, vaguely anthropoid form covered in large multi-toned scales. It wears a gray battlesuit with orange detailing at the joints, equipped with integral thrusters and beam projectors. The medial arms lug an impressively large snub-barreled boarding cannon that looks like it's seen a lot of use. A variety of configurable smart tools hang from the suit's equipment clips.
Gender: None Age: 102 Height: 5'8" Primary Eyes: Bright Orange
Secondary Eyes: Pale Yellow Scales: Cyan & Navy Blue Build: Apelike
Approach: Disruptive Archetype: Bruiser
Health: 40 + (5 x H)
Powers: Boarding Cannon d10, Robotics d10, Power Suit d8, Flight d8
Qualities: Ranged Combat d10, Notorious Space Pirate d8, Science d8, Technology d8
Status: Green Zone Health d6 / Yellow Zone Health d8 / Red Zone Health d10
Abilities:
Covering Fire (A) Hinder multiple targets using Ranged Combat. Defend yourself and any nearby allies with your Max die.
Overcharged Beam (A) Attack using Boarding Cannon. If you are Green status, use your Max die. If you are Yellow status, use your Max + Min dice. If you are Red status, use your Max + Min dice against one target and your Mid die against another.
Overwatch Fire (R) When Attacked by a hero with one or more penalties, that hero takes damage equal to the total of the penalties on them.
Sustained Beam (A) Attack using Boarding Cannon. Use your Max die. Either Hinder that target with your Mid die, or Attack another nearby target with your Mid die.
Upgrades & Masteries (optional):
Group Fighter (I) +20 Health. When you take an action that lets you make an Attack, also make an Attack using your Mid die.
Master of Annihilation (I) If you can cause massive collateral damage without regard for casualties, automatically succeed at an Overcome in a situation where a show of overwhelming force would help.
Tactics
OkO is all about the shooting, and will do their best to avoid getting stuck in melee by sticking closely to more versatile allies. It usually alternates between Sustained Beam and Covering Fire (which also Defends nearby allies) to put out penalties that will discourage Attackers with the threat of the Overwatch Fire reaction. When OkO starts taking serious damage they tend to panic and start using Overcharged Beam in an attempt to drop the enemy fast.
He works fine with no upgrade, but if you want more of a threat Group Fighter is a help, and Master of Annihilation fits well with that big beam gun.
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Bosun Grum
Gundroom communicate telepathically and "Grum" is just a rough phonetic translation of her psycho-signature, based on the sound produced when she seizes mental control of the speech organs of a vocalizer race (like, say, human beings). Grum is the ship's bosun and serves to keep the rabble of crewmen in line. She accomplishes this mostly through sheer menace, although like any gundroom she has the physical and mental might to back up her authority if need to be. Grum is aware that many sentients underestimate her intelligence (she is telepathic, after all) and happily exploits that mistake if the opportunity arises.
As with the rest of the crew, Grum is mostly in this for the plunder. She's not afraid of a fight, but usually concentrates on keeping the regular crewmen around her focused on the job while hindering any defenders that get in their way. If the crew runs into a serious obstacle Grum will usually be the one to break through it.
Description: A typical gundroom - a roughly humanoid mountain of muscle as broad as it is tall, headless, with a faceted eye set high on its chest, pulsing with emerald light as it "speaks" telepathically. It wears a red one-piece "swimsuit" covering its torso, and a bulky black jet harness for maneuvering in zero-gee or doing combat drops planetside, although the overloaded thrusters can't begin to get her off the ground in a real grav well. The harness has several scanners and a long range commo node slung on it, all sized for her large three-digited hands. She doesn't bother with weapons, preferring to use her enormous native strength and deadly mental powers.
Gender: Female Age: 30 Height: 7'1" Eye: Glowing Green
Cranial Filaments: White Integument: Dark Green Build: Like A Fortress
Approach: Bully Archetype: Indomitable
Health: 45 + (5 x H)
Powers: Strength d10, Vitality d8, Telepathy d8
Qualities: Close Combat d10, Imposing d8, Notorious Space Pirate d8
Status: Always d8
Abilities:
Aura of Menace (I) Whenever you or your nearby allies Hinder, increase the penalty created by 1.
Gundroom Resilience (I) Reduce damage dealt to you by 2.
Savage Beating (A) Attack using Strength. Use your Max die. Hinder the target based on their current status die. Use your Max + Min dice if status is d4 or d6. Use your Max die if status is d8. Use your Mid die if status is d10 or d12.
Telepathic Terror (A) Attack multiple targets using Imposing. Hinder these targets with your Min die.
Upgrades & Masteries (optional):
Group Fighter (I) +20 Health. When you take an action that lets you make an Attack, also make an Attack using your Mid die.
Master of Conquest (I) As long as you are in command of your own forces, automatically succeed at an Overcome to seize an area or capture civilians.
Tactics
Grum's pretty simple. Keep her near some allies that can spare time Hindering to maximize the benefit from Aura of Menace. This usually means minion crewmen laying down suppressive blaster fire, but other villains or lieutenants can benefit too. If the enemy closes in, give them a Savage Beating to add injury to their penalties, and if they play keep-away or dogpile you hammer multiple targets with your Telepathic Terror. You're pretty tough with lots of Health and Gundroom Resilience to back it up.
Her biggest weakness is a lack of mobility powers, which makes getting out of a bad situation or chasing after loot harder. If she's got some minions around to take orders she can often organize them for an Overcome with Master of Conquest to help with that, though. Her Group Fighter upgrade dramatically increases her hitting power.
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Ardent Pursuit of Fortune Crew Assets
Pirate Crew d8 minion
Description: A motley collection of alien scum, the scrapings of a dozen starport slums. They wear patched-up spacesuits with bulky jet packs and carry a wild mix of blasters and powered blades.
Boarding Harness: You can move as though you have Flight d4.
Salvaged Combot d8 minions
Description: Man-sized robots with integral blasters and thruster arrays. Most show obvious signs of wear and haphazard repairs.
Boarding Thrusters: You can move as though you have Flight d4.
Sturdy: When you make a save against damage, add +1 to the result of the roll.
Breacher Combot d10 lieutenant
Description: Hulking ten-foot tall robot made of dull gray metal, heavily armored and mounting an array of blasters built into their torsos. It has heavy shields on its forearms and maneuvering jets on its legs and back.
Maneuvering Jets: You can move as though you have Flight d4.
Bodyguard: When you take the Defend action, you may Defend two nearby allies with that roll.
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