Street GangsSource Pact Worlds pg. 178 Street gangs look for opportunities to score credits and protect their turfs. Most claim territories in run-down neighborhoods of big settlements, particularly Absalom Station, Nightarch on Apostae, and the fringes of Verces's Ring of Nations. Akiton faces a particular proliferation of these gangs; there are few ways to make an honest living on this planet, so many of its small mining towns are overrun by criminals. The most successful street gangs often work for far-reaching employers such as the Golden League. Street gangs usually get involved in all manner of illegal activities: engaging in petty theft, making and selling drugs, fencing stolen goods, and running protection rackets, to name a few. A respectable-looking member of the gang or an individual connected to the gang might operate a front for these criminal enterprises, giving the gang a veneer of legitimacy within the community. Though they operate on opposite sides of the law, street gangs and security forces are usually found in close proximity. The presence of a street gang in a neighborhood is sometimes answered by an increase in security, but if the street gang is too tough, officers of the law looking after their own safety will refuse to tread on the gang's turf. Alternatively, members of a crooked security force might be working hand-in-hand with a street gang to cover up evidence of crimes in exchange for a handful of credits or other favors. Sometimes an officer of the law works with a criminal organization out of a fear for his life or the lives of his family. In either case, when a street gang is able to set down roots, it can rot the morality of a community from within. Example Gang Members Three example gang members are presented below, along with advice on how to use them in similar NPC roles. Adaptation: Street gangs can represent wasteland marauders on Akiton, aspiring space pirates in ports among the asteroids of the Diaspora, or smugglers flying between any parts of the Pact Worlds or beyond. However, by changing their alignment or circumstances, members of a street gang can also be used as a force fighting for freedom on an oppressed world. Encounters Gang members normally favor encounters where they can overwhelm their enemies with intimidating displays of numbers. Troublemakers (CR 4): Three gang toughs, one gang pusher. Hit Squad (CR 5): Five gang toughs, one gang machinist. Rumble (CR 7): Six gang toughs, one gang pusher, two gang machinists.Aliens in the "Street Gangs" FamilySource Pact Worlds pg. 179Gang Machinist CR 3XP 800 Android mechanic CN Medium humanoid (android) Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +8
DefenseHP 35 EAC 14; KAC 15 Fort +4; Ref +4; Will +4; +2 vs. disease, mind-affecting effects, poison, and sleep
OffenseSpeed 30 ft. Melee tactical dueling sword +7 (1d6+4 S) Ranged static arc pistol +9 (1d6+3 E; critical arc 2) Offensive Abilities overload (DC 14)StatisticsSTR +1; DEX +2; CON +1; INT +4; WIS +0; CHA +0 Skills Computers +13, Engineering +13, Medicine +8, Physical Science +8, Piloting +13 Languages Common, up to 4 others Other Abilities artificial intelligence (drone chop cycle), constructed, custom rig (arm), flat affect, upgrade slot (quick-release sheath) Gear casual stationwear, static arc pistol with 1 battery (20 charges), tactical dueling swordDescriptionGang machinists dismantle stolen items into parts that can be sold without being traced back to their original owners. To keep themselves in control of this valuable material, they use some of it (as well as purchased parts) to build dangerous drones as well as weapons, armor, traps, and all manner of other devices. These vital skills might lead the machinist to assume leadership of the gang, or they might simply make the machinist a powerful enforcer under a more persuasive and clever gang pusher ringleader. A chop shop run by one of these machinists is a hotbed of illegal activity, but generally not obviously so from the outside. Anyone who wants to learn what is really going on within should expect stiff resistance in the form of gang toughs, traps, and surprisingly sharp digital security. Adaptation: A machinist can be an aspiring mercenary not yet distinguished enough to join a respectable company or attract freelance work. A more altruistic machinist could be an agent of the Android Abolitionist Front or an acolyte of Triune.Chop Cycle (CR —)N Medium construct (technological) Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +5 Defense HP 17 EAC 11; KAC 13 Fort +1; Ref +1; Will –1 DR 1/—; Immunities construct immunities Offense Speed 40 ft. Ranged azimuth laser rifle +6 (1d8+1 F; critical burn 1d6) Statistics Str +4; Dex +2; Con —; Int –2; Wis +0; Cha –2 Skills Acrobatics +10 Languages Common, up to 4 others Other Abilities mods (riding saddle), reduced actions, unliving Gear azimuth laser rifle with 1 battery (20 charges)
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