Demolitionist

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

Hired Gun Career Skills: Athletics, Brawl, Discipline, Melee, Piloting (Planetary), Ranged (Light), Resilience and Vigilance

Demolitionist Specialization Skills: Computers. Cool, Mechanics and Skulduggery

Demolitionists are masters of explosives and incendiary devices. Often seen as dangerous pyromaniacs, most Demolitionists possess a deep understanding of the physics behind combustion and explosion on an intuitive level as well as an academic one. They are not mindless destroyers, but artists. Demolitionists are adept at wreaking havoc while avoiding being injured by their own handiwork—most of the time.

With their selection of skills, Demolitionists can be much more technically minded than most Hired Guns. They are also suited to much more than straightforward combat. Demolitionists can excel at setting traps, from improvised trip-wires tied to grenades to sophisticated proximity and timed explosives. Whereas another Hired Gun might go after an enemy in a straight-up fight, a Demolitionist may find a more inventive route, such as rigging a thermal detonator to explode when the target starts up his speeder. Some Demolitionists enjoy the thrill of combat as much as any other Hired Gun. However, they favor flame projectors, grenade launchers, and missile tubes—anything that creates a large blast.

The work of a Demolitionist is extremely dangerous, as a single misstep can spell doom for the character (and anyone unfortunate enough to be in the general vicinity). In order to succeed, a Demolitionist must be able to keep a clear head and focus on his work, even as blaster bolts fill the air around him. As such, most Demolitionists are adept at staying cool in the most nerve-wracking situations.

In order to put their skills to the greatest use, Demolitionists must have an understanding of the principles of construction, as well as knowing how to construct their explosive devices. Both of these are where some skill with Mechanics becomes important. By knowing how a machine operates, or the load-bearing points of a structure, a Demolitionist can determine where to place explosives for the greatest effect. Similarly, Demolitionists know how to get the most from their tools, creating larger than expected explosions or causing devastating chain reactions. Demolitionists can use their creative talents for more than sheer destruction, and can usually be counted on to find an inventive route out of a dangerous situation. Of course, sometimes that plan is even more dangerous than the original threat.

For many groups, having a Demolitionist around is both a blessing and a curse. Demoitionists are very effective both in combat and in any job benefitting from sabotage. However, it is far from unheard of for Demolitionists to cause unintended collateral damage when things go really wrong. Fortunately, experienced Demoitionists rarely make mistakes (even if, in their profession, many mistakes tend to be final). Most individuals operating on the fringe understand that theirs is a life of danger, and think that the benefits of partnering with a skilled Demolitionist outweigh the added risk. Still, some grow weary of keeping a constant eye on their ally lest he get carried away in his destructive interests.

Potential Backgrounds

  • Yesterday's Hero: Like Enforcers, Demolitionists are most likely to earn notoriety through criminal enterprise. A skilled explosives expert is invaluable in many heists, and can quickly become infamous throughout the galaxy. However, the volatile nature of the profession means a botched job can go catastrophically wrong. After one spectacular failure, a Demolitionist's fame can just as quickly turn to derision.
  • Ex-Military: A Demolitionist could have started his career in the military as a saboteur or other covert operative. Unfortunately, skill with high explosives has a limited number of civilian applications, so it would not be surprising that a Demolitionist would turn to mercenary or even criminal work. These are some of the few areas where his unique skills are marketable.
  • The Avenger: For a Demolitionist, what sets the character on the course for veneance could be infinitely varied, but how he plans to deliver reprisal might tie directly into his particularly explosive set of skills. If the goal is simply to avenge himself through killing, this should not be too difficult. However, if the character decides that death is too easy for a hated foe, he'll have to think creatively as to how to use his particular skills when fulfilling the vendetta.
  • Scion of a Legacy: Due to the singular focus of their specialization, the Demolitionist could just have likely gone into their singular lines of work in spite of their parents, instead of because of them. The character could have had parents who had reached the heights of a chosen line of work (just about any line of work would be appropriate in this case), but found their talents and interests did not follow their parents' path at all. Now they work towards something completely different, but still hope to match their parents' fame and renown, even if they can't duplicate it.
  • Peace Turned to War: A unique background for a Demolitionist might be an architect. This character could have spent years designing buildings and other structures. Then, when events conspired to force him into a life on the fringe, he could have turned to demolitions, relying on his peerless knowledge of the best way to destroy what he'd spent a lifetime creating.