Commando

Of the 8 Career Skills, choose 4 to get a free rank. Of the 4 Specialization Skills, choose 2 to get a free rank.

Soldier Career Skills: Athletics, Brawl, Knowledge (Warfare), Medicine, Melee, Ranged (Light), Ranged (Heavy) and Survival

Commando Specialization Skills: Brawl, Melee, Resilience and Survival

Commandos are specialists trained to strike the enemy from unexpected directions to do the most damage in the most vulnerable locations. Commando teams are often used like surgical instruments by the commanders who have access to them. A Commando knows how to find a target, attack it, disable it, survive the aftermath, and find his way home. Commandos are masters of close combat and surviving in all conditions. They are usually good at sneaking past enemy guards and listening posts as well.

For any team, a Commando is a fine general-purpose combat specialist to have around. He handles fights well (especially hand-to-hand situations), and can manage in almost any high-stress situation. More often than not, he's also effective as backup during covert operations. Matters of overall philosophy or strategy rarely concern a Commando; he's almost always focused on the mission at hand or training to ensure he and his companions survive the next one.

As stand-up confrontations are normally a losing proposition for the Alliance, the Commandos are some of the most important and effective soldiers fighting for the Rebellion. Their capacity to surgically strike at Imperial targets, as well as their value as guards and support personnel for other specialists operating on behalf of the Alliance, makes any single one of them worth more than a platoon of stormtroopers.

Potential Backgrounds

  • Avengers: Commandos seeking revenge against the Empire might include Mon Calamari or Quarren who lost family to Imperial slavery or bombardment, and now use their aquatic nature for covert underwater missions. Normally peaceful Alderaanians might have devoted themselves to the art of combat, seeking to balance the scales by killing an entire planet worth of Imperials. Others might have experienced loss at the Ghorman Massacre, the atrocities on Lasan, or in one of countless other brutal planetary conflicts.
  • Idealistic Recruit: Commandos are drawn from the best-qualified candidates across the galaxy. Fresh recruits without prior military experience often need to prove themselves first, but the Rebel Alliance has a number of commando training programs for those that show promise. The up-close and grisly nature of what commandos do makes it a difficult task for most young, inexperienced recruits. A rare amount of detachment and determination is required for the job.
  • Imperial Defector: A few veteran Commandos defected to the Alliance, but Imperial storm commandos rarely change sides. Some of these former storm commandos have since been able to recruit like-minded warriors they previously served with. While most of these elite combatants prefer the company of fellow former Imperials, rebel commando training makes integrating easier than it otherwise might be, though trust issues within a mixed squad can create tension and reduce efficiency.
  • Mercenary: Commandos from mercenary backgrounds are typically former bounty hunters or private security. They often have their own customized armor and a cache of expensive weaponry. Unfortunately, their gear can be difficult to maintain and, if working exclusively with the Rebellion, most mercenaries struggle to keep their cutting-edge equipment functioning.
  • Veteran of the Clone Wars: Clone Wars-era Commandos are former elite units, capable of achieving military goals with long odds. Those who survived to see the formation of the Rebel Alliance have significantly exceeded the life expectancy of someone in their line of work. Sometimes, Clone Wars veterans with this background were former ARC Troopers, Mandalorian warriors, or specialists like the Wookiee warriors of Kashyyyk. They could also just be army and defense force regulars who later received specialized training from the Rebel Alliance.