The Galaxy Dragon and crew

from West End Games’ STAR WARS: The RPG*

?1993 by Bill Slavicsek

Artwork by Michael Vilardi (click on image to enlarge)

    DRAGON? Magazine’s ongoing series of articles presenting dragons or dragonlike NPCs for other role-playing game systems continues with a double dose of dragons: a “dragon ship” and its draconic troopers.

    STAR WARS: The RPG* is West End Games’ epic space-fantasy game based on the most popular movie trilogy of all time. While bizarre creatures and alien species abound in that far-away galaxy, the true monsters come in the form of great ships of war and weapons of mass destruction. Star Destroyers, Death Stars, AT-AT walkers—these are the terrors that heroic Rebels and Jedi Knights like Luke Sky walker must meet in frantic combat. Un- like the knights of old, these heroes ride forth in X-wing starfighters and converted snowspeeders, armed with blasters and lightsabers instead of lances and swords.     One of the last weapons of terror com- missioned by the Emperor prior to his demise at the Battle of Endor (the conflict depicted in the film Return of the Jedi) was the prototype Dragon-class Heavy Star Cruiser named the Galaxy Dragon.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away
    Emperor Palpatine ruled the Empire through threats and a terrible policy known as the Doctrine of Fear. The entire Imperial war machine was designed to instill fear in the member and subjugated worlds of the Galactic Empire. The crown- ing achievement of this policy was the original Death Star battle station. With its planet-destroying might, the Emperor was able to disband the Senate and give total control of the Empire’s many star systems to his regional governors. After Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Alliance de- stroyed the Death Star at the Battle of Yavin, the Imperial Doctrine of Fear was carried on by the massive Imperial fleet, symbolized most notably by the wedge- shaped, kilometer-long Imperial-class Star Destroyers.
    Even the Empire’s ground forces were fashioned to provoke feelings of terror and dread in enemy troops and rebellious civilians. From the armored legions of stormtroopers to the beast-like AT-AT walkers, the Empire strived literally to scare its subjects into submission.
    As the Galactic Civil War raged on, the Emperor demanded more and more frightening weapons of destruction. Nearly four years after the Empire’s defeat at Yavin, on the eve of the Battle of Endor, the Emperor had many top-secret projects in theworks in remote sections of the galaxy. Each project was more terrible than the last, and all were designed to increase and strengthen the Emperor’s stranglehold on the galaxy.
    The Super-class Star Destroyer was already prowling the space lanes as the Alliance massed its armada in the Sullust system for its attack at Endor. The second Death Star was orbiting Endor’s forest moon, its structure more than half complete and its weapons systems on-line. Elsewhere, teams of Imperial technicians labored to finish the rest of the Emperor’s secret arsenal, including practical cloaking shields, more powerful probe droids, and the prototype for a new combat starship: the Dragon-class Heavy Cruiser.
    While the Emperor was preparing to meet the Alliance fleet in Endor’s system (as part of his plan to lure Luke Skywalker to the Dark Side and destroy the bulk of the Rebellion in one fell swoop), Moff Delurin supervised the final test run of the prototype Dragon Cruiser. It left the Imperial-controlled Kuat Drive Yards assembly line in the remote Karavis system and proceeded to the Sorella system’s planet Miko. The Dragon Cruiser sped through hyperspace to crush Miko’s troublesome inhabitants, green-skinned humanoids who refused to bow to the Emperor’s will. Moff Delurin watched happily as his prototype starship lived up to its promise. Turbolaser batteries rained bolts of cohesive energy onto the world, and powerful concussion missiles hammered the cities until the Mikoans finally begged for peace. The only thing that could have ruined Delurin’s day was the unthinkable—and the unthinkable happened.
    The message came in over the Dragon Cruiser’s comm unit. It was a coded holo transmission, its signal weak, its images broken and choppy. But the words came through loud and clear. “This is Captain Pellaeon, commanding officer of the Star Destroyer Chimaera,” the static-streaked holo image proclaimed with a shaky voice. “The Emperor is dead. I repeat, the Emperor is dead. The remnants of the Imperial fleet are currently retreating from the Endor system. The Rebellion has won this battle, but it has not won the war.” The message ended with a call to regroup at a secure Imperial installation in the Core Worlds. Delurin would have none of that. With the Emperor dead, it was time for a new leader to step forward and grasp the reins of the Empire. Moff Delurin decided that he was that new leader. His flagship would be the Dragon Cruiser rumbling powerfully beneath his feet—his flagship, the Galaxy Dragon.

Description
The Galaxy Dragon is a Heavy Cruiser combat starship of Imperial design and manufacture. Like the AT-AT walker, it was built to draw upon the primordial fears of the galaxy by suggesting the image of some beast out of the collective nightmares of all humanoid species. The Galaxy Dragon, the only Heavy Cruiser of its kind, has a midnight-black hull that makes it nearly invisible against the vacuum of space. When Delurin wants to inspire terror in its opponents, exterior lights illuminate the hull, causing the Galaxy Dragon to glow evilly. It stretches ominously from its vaguely head-shaped bow to a length of 700 meters, ending in a multiple-gun tower emplacement that resembles a deadly tail. Hangar bays sit open on either side of the bow like great maws, ready to release a store of TIE fighters. The Galaxy Dragon carries two full squadrons (24 TIEs) for attack, reconnaissance, and patrol missions. All Galaxy Dragon TIEs have been refitted with shields (1D) for extra protection.
    In the time since the Battle of Endor, the Empire has progressively lost power and territory to the growing New Republic (formed from the Alliance). Moff Delurin never returned to the Imperial fold. Instead, he declared himself to be Delurin, Warlord of Wild Space. With the Galaxy Dragon and a crew of loyal supporters, Warlord Delurin’s first action was to conquer the planet Bormter. The planet, the fifth in the Svekk system, was one of the frontier areas of that portion of the galaxy designated as Wild Space. It possessed everything Delurin needed to establish a power base and supply point for his ship and crew. The Bormterrans, a reptiloid species of fierce though primitive fighters, became the source for Delurin’s special dragon troopers. These soldiers are extremely loyal to Warlord Delurin, eager to fulfill his will in any way possible.
Warlord Delurin and his Galaxy Dragon are in conflict with the remnants of the Empire as often as with the forces of the New Republic. Though he hates the New Republic with a passion (in fact, he still refers to it as the Rebellion), he also believes that he is destined to be the ruler of the Empire. Any Imperials who disagree with his beliefs are eliminated or marked for future elimination (as Delurin rarely attacks stronger opponents head on). He is currently content to carve out his own empire from the frontier systems of Wild Space—though he has his eyes on the Emperor’s now-vacant throne and the capital system of Coruscant.

Adventure hooks
    Warlord Delurin and the Galaxy Dragon make wonderful recurring villains in a New Republic STAR WARS campaign. With a powerful ship and a small area of space to call his own, Delurin presents PCs with an enemy who isn’t tied to the Imperials—something that will become increasingly important as the Battle of Endor slips further into history. Here are a few ways Delurin can come in conflict with PCs:
    1. The Galaxy Dragon is always on the look-out for Rebel (New Republic) ships. In this scenario, a New Republic ship carrying an important diplomat is intercepted and damaged by the Galaxy Dragon. The ship crashes on a strange planet in the uncharted regions of Wild Space, with Warlord Delurin and his men close behind. New Republic PCs must locate the wreck and rescue the diplomat and his staff before the dragon troopers reach them.
    2. The planet Miko is very close to joining the New Republic but as the deal is about to be finalized, the Galaxy Dragon arrives. The Mikoans, who faced the terrors of this warship once before, are paralyzed with fear. Only the New Republic diplomatic core and its team of special-operative PCs have any hope of driving off Warlord Delurin and his ship. This scenario can be approached in a number of ways. For example, the PCs could be selected to rally the Mikoans and convince them to defend themselves. Or they could be sent to find a way out of the system so that they can call for a few New Republic warships to even the odds. (Of course, they must get out of the range of the Galaxy Dragon’s comm jammers first.)
    3. While the PCs are on a restful space voyage aboard the pleasure cruiser, Wendiri Nightstar, disaster strikes. The luxury spaceliner is attacked by the Galaxy Dragon. Warlord Delurin’s attack knocks out the liner’s hyperdrive and damages its weapons systems. He demands the complete surrender of the vessel and all its occupants as his dragon troopers begin boarding actions. The PCs must find a way to keep the dragon troopers busy while the hyperdrives are repaired. If they can cause enough chaos, it just may be possible to divert Delurin’s attention long enough to make the jump to lightspeed.

Galaxy Dragon
Craft: Kuat Drive Yards’ Galaxy Dragon
Type: Dragon-class Heavy Cruiser
Scale: Capital
Length: 700 meters
Skill: Capital ship piloting: heavy cruiser
Crew: Skeleton crew: 1,260 with command 6D; Optimum crew 3,529; Current crew size 1,412
Crew Skill: Capital ship piloting 5D, capital ship gunnery 4D +2, starship shields 4D + 2, starship sensors 4D + 1, astrogation 5D
Troops: 735 dragon troopers, 600 ex-Imperial troopers
Cargo Capacity: 6,000 metric tons
Consumables: Two years
Hyperdrive Multiplier: ? 2
Hyperdrive Backup: ? 6
Nav Computer: Yes
Maneuverability: 2D
Space: 4
Hull: 4D + 2
Shields: 2D + 2
Sensors:
    Passive: 30/0D
   Scan: 50/1D
    Search: 100/2D
   Focus: 5/3D
Weapons:
    10 Turbolaser Batteries (fire separately)
   Fire Arc: 5 left, 5 right
   Crew: 2 to 4
   Skill: Capital ship gunnery
    Fire Control: 1D + 1
    Space Range: 3-10/30/60
    Damage: 6D
   15 Quad Turbolaser Cannons (fire separately)
   Fire Arc: 5 front, 10 rear
    Crew: 3
    Skill: Capital ship gunnery
    Fire Control: 2D + 1
    Space Range: 3-25/45/90
    Damage: 4D
    8 Tractor Beam Projectors (fire separately)
    Fire Arc: 4 front, 2 left, 2 right
    Crew: 2 to 10
    Skill: Capital ship gunnery
    Fire Control: 3D
    Space Range: 1-5/15/30
    Damage: 4D
    7 Concussion Missile Tubes
   Fire Arc: 3 front, 4 rear
    Crew: 7
    Skill: Capital ship gunnery
    Fire Control: 1D + 2
    Space Range: 2-12/30/60
    Orbit Range: 4-24km/60km/120km
    Damage: 8D

Warlord Delurin (formerly Moff Delurin)
Template Type: Renegade Warlord
Loyalty: To Himself
Height: 1.87 meters
Species: Human
Homeworld: Coruscant
Age: 53 Standard Years
DEXTERITY 2D + 2
Blaster 5D + 2, brawling parry 4D + 2, dodge 6D, melee combat 4D +2, melee parry 4D
KNOWLEDGE 4D
Alien species 6D, bureaucracy 5D, cultures 5D + 1, intimidation 6D + 1, languages 4D + 1, planetary systems 5D + 2, tactics: capital ships 6D + 2
MECHANICAL 3D + 1
Capital ship piloting 5D + 1, capital ship gunnery 5D +2, capital ship shields 4D +2, repulsorlift operation 4D
PERCEPTION 3D + 1
Bargain 6D + 2, command 7D + 2, con 5D, persuasion 4D + 2, search 5D + 1
STRENGTH 2D + 2
Brawling 4D + 1, stamina 4D + 2
TECHNICAL 2D
Computer programming/repair 3D + 1, security 3D + 2
Force Sensitive?: No
Force Points: 2
Dark Side Points: 7
Character Points: 13
Move: 10
Equipment: Comlink, datapad, breath mask, heavy blaster pistol (5D damage), vibroblade (STR + 3D damage), battle armor ( + 1D to STR for resisting damage, no DEX penalty), macrobinoculars
Quote: “Look upon the Galaxy Dragon and tremble, Rebel scum!”
Description: Warlord Delurin is a tall, powerfully built human in his early fifties. He wears ornate battle armor fashioned to resemble nightmare beasts such as Tatooine’s krayt dragon and similar creatures. He has delusions of grandeur, egomaniacal dreams of conquest, and a powerful combat starship to help him achieve his goals.

Dragon Troopers
Template Type: Bormterran Dragon Troopers
Loyalty: To Warlord Delurin
Height: 1.9 meters
Species: Bormterran
Homeworld: Bormter
DEXTERITY 3D + 1
Blaster 4D + 1, brawling parry 5D + 1, dodge 5D + 1, melee combat 5D + 2, melee parry 4D + 2
KNOWLEDGE 2D + 1
Intimidation 4D + 1, survival 3D + 1
MECHANICAL 2D + 1
Beast riding 3D + 1, capital ship gunnery 3D+1
PERCEPTION 3D
Hide 4D + 1, search 5D, sneak 4D + 2
STRENGTH 4D
Brawling 5D + 2, climbing/jumping 4D + 2, stamina 5D
TECHNICAL 3D
First aid 3D + 2
Special Abilities: Multilimbed Combat:
Because of their extra set of arms, Bormterrans get to make two melee or brawling actions with no reduction of skill dice. After these two actions in a round, they lose 1D for each subsequent declared action.
Force Sensitive?: No
Force Points: 0
Dark Side Points: 1
Character Points: 3
Move: 11
Equipment: Comlink, heavy blaster pistol (5D damage), 3 frag grenades (5D damage), battle armor ( + 1D to STR for resisting damage, no DEX penalty), powerstaff (STR + 1D + 2 damage)
Description: The tall, four-armed reptiloid Bormterrans who pledge themselves to Warlord Delurin are presented with ornate yet frightening armor designed to make them look like armored dragons of legend. Though they are not totally comfortable with powered range weapons and other technology, dragon troopers are fearsome melee warriors.

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