Gambler

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

Smuggler Career Skills: Coordination, Deception, Knowledge (Underworld), Perception, Piloting (Space), Skulduggery, Streetwise and Vigilance

Gambler Specialization Skills: Computers, Cool, Deception and Skulduggery

When the chips are down, the Gambler holds all the cards. Like the devious Thief, the Gambler loves misleading others and taking big risks to profit. Like the clever Trader, the Gambler has a knack for convincing others to part with their valuables for next to nothing. The Gambler has a unique variety of tricks up his sleeve to deceive or misdirect opponents, keeping them guessing as to whether he has a winning or losing hand. However, the Gambler knows that there is no such thing as a losing hand; winning is all about knowing how to play the cards that have been dealt.

The Gambler knows how to play all the most popular games of chance; however, he also recognizes there is far more to winning than just knowing the rules. His ability to identify subtle clues in the body language, mannerisms, voice patterns, and behavior of his opponents gives the Gambler all the information he needs to decide when to make his move. The Gambler prides himself on being unpredictable, denying his opponents any hints to his intentions with his stone- cold expression. Whether the situation is a game of sabacc, betting on Podraces, or talking a thug out of blasting his companions, the Gambler has a strategy, and rarely the one people expect.

By doubling down on skills that allow him to keep his opponents guessing, the Gambler ensures the odds are always stacked in his favor. As a competent liar, the Gambler is not above using a skifter to win a hand if the stakes are high enough.

A Gambler may not always look like much, but looks can be deceiving. The Gambler is an excellent actor, always able to project an air of calm confidence so he seems as cool as carbonite even when he is as tense as an Alderaanian on an ImpStar. A great Gambler knows to never count his credits at the table, so to speak, but sometimes playing hurt can throw his opponents. Some Gamblers love baiting their opponents by looking vulnerable just so they can gloat while raking in the pot. A fool and his money are soon parted, and the Gambler is always happy to oblige.

The Gambler is a fantastic specialization for playing a number of character types in a variety of settings. A player could create an aboveboard, aristocratic Core dweller participating in high-stakes betting just for thrills; a suave, small-time card shark flitting about the Colonies scamming amateur players; or a downtrodden Smuggler dropping his last fifty credits into the pot trying to win enough to repair his ship. He is not limited to playing games, however, as a Gambler fits into any setting where fists full of credits or unbelievable thrills are up for grabs. The negotiation skills of the Gambler could make him the brains of a trade or smuggling operation. A Thief may even supplement his abilities with Gambler to mingle among high society and case locations for upcoming jobs.

Potential Backgrounds

  • Disadvantaged: Gamblers tend to take life, with all its ups and downs, to extremes. A Gambler could have started life as a slave but won his own freedom. He might have worked in a casino, where he picked up a few tricks before escaping his employer to begin a life of smuggling. Alternatively, he may have had wealth, lost it, gained it, and lost it again. In any case, a Gambler knows how important but elusive credits can be.
  • Privileged: Gamblers who have never had to worry about their credits might seem reckless and even selfdestructive, but betting big can mean winning big. Sometimes a Gambler knows what he is doing when he risks everything. Any Gambler who has known wealth once and lost it certainly wants to regain it.
  • Ex-Military: Gamblers may have only enlisted because of a bet , in the first place, since their specialization is unlikely to have suited them to a military life. Alternatively, a Gambler may have served in the military for years, where gambling was his only pleasure or escape.
  • Respectable: Gamblers who have worked in casinos will know all the tricks. A Gambler who bends the house rules one too many times could lose his position. Perhaps he couldn’t resist playing himself, and his luck just seemed too good to be true.
  • Cynical: Gamblers like taking risks, but this may be because they know playing it safe doesn’t always work. If he’s been cautious before and lost everything anyway, then he has nothing to lose.
  • Born and Bred: Gamblers may have inherited the love of games of chance. If his mentor never won his fortune, then the Gambler might become determined to beat the odds. If his predecessor was lucky in the end, then the Gambler could believe that his time will come.