Retired Clone Trooper Specialization

Literally bred for battle, these warriors were the bulk of the Republic’s fighting force in the Clone Wars. Exceptionally trained, they were invaluable allies to the Jedi Order until they were manipulated into betraying its members. As the clones’ accelerated aging process continues unabated, their life spans are reaching their ends, but they remain effective, tactically minded warriors whom none should underestimate.

Player Characters who take this universal specialization must be human males, given that they were once clone troopers, but gain a wider set of career skills from their Kaminoan training. Such PCs have seen too much of war, but realize that the Empire cannot be stopped unless they lend their skills to the battle.

Clone troopers were grown on Kamino using the human bounty hunter Jango Fett as their genetic template. These clones were engineered with an accelerated growth rate in order to become effective combatants in a significantly reduced period of time, and they had inhibitor chips installed to prevent unintended violent outbursts—or at least that was the official reason. While the troopers developed, they were given extensive generic combat training in addition to specific training as pilots, gunners, shock troopers, and a variety of other specializations. Possessing the ability for creative thought, clone troopers were significantly more effective than the mass-produced, programmed droids they were sent to combat.

During the Clone Wars, clone troopers became battle brothers; after surviving countless battles together, they established a fierce loyalty not only for each other but also for their Jedi generals. Without the contributions of both clone troopers and Jedi, the Republic would have had no chance of winning. The bond appeared unbreakable to all.

Near the end of the war, though, Chancellor Palpatine branded the Jedi as traitors and ordered the clone troopers to eliminate their Jedi comrades, no questions asked—and they did. Almost no Jedi or Padawans survived. Soon afterward, due to their accelerated aging, the clone troopers were decommissioned and replaced with non-clone stormtroopers, who lacked their intensive training. Once retired, some clone troopers were horrified about their execution of Order 66. A few went as far as removing their inhibitor chip, blaming it for making them follow the order, since troopers who had removed it beforehand did not carry out the order.

Today, a handful of these soldiers still survive and grapple with the consequences of their actions. Whether due to shame for their role in Order 66, anger against the Empire, or a desire to continue to fight for their Clone Wars ideals, a few have abandoned their leisure to fight in the nascent rebellion.

Retired Clone Troopers are powerful allies despite their age. Not only do they retain their tactical combat knowledge and training, but they have striven to maintain their genetically imbued physical conditioning as well. This is enhanced by the practical skills derived from their years of fighting and winning battles. As former soldiers of both the Republic and the Empire, they also know the location of multiple abandoned military bases scattered across the galaxy. Experience is power, and Retired Clone Troopers are steeped in it.