Vanguard

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

Vanguard Specialization Skills: Athletics, Cool, Vigilance and Resilience

Vanguards are first to the fight, Soldiers skilled in taking point and taking charge. While they generally do not command in the traditional sense, their preferred mode of combat is to hit hard and fast, and thus allies tend to fall in behind them, if only so that they are not left behind. This means that Vanguards shoulder a great deal of the risk in battle, but most would rather take a blaster bolt than let a squadmate be shot. As a result of taking so many hits over the course of their military careers, the Vanguards who survive tend to be extremely tough.

Having both Cool and Vigilance means that Vanguards are extremely unlikely to flinch or hesitate when the shots start flying, regardless of whether they are launching an ambush or reacting to an unexpected move. Athletics reflects the physical acumen of Vanguards, while Resilience stems from the long history of hits such characters have likely taken.

On battlefields often dominated by massive walkers, sudden starfighter strikes, and orbital bombardments, standing still in the open can be a death sentence, and Vanguards know it. Rather than hunkering down and hoping to avoid the worst, Vanguards take the battle directly to the enemy, seizing the initiative to end the battle before their foes even realize that it has begun. They tend to favor rapid strikes, armored assaults, and shipboard actions that leave the enemy reeling and unable to bring its armor to bear. So long as they keep moving, their logic goes, the enemy cannot hope to pin them down. Barriers to their entry, from blast doors to bunkers, are something to be smashed so that they can move on to the next target. The Moving Target talent is particularly useful when keeping mobile to stay alive, and makes a Vanguard with the drop on the enemy extremely difficult to bring down.

Off the field of battle, Vanguards are frequently quick to action as well. Hesitation on the battlefield is often fatal, and many Vanguards apply this mentality to their other activities, trying to keep opponents on their back feet no matter the arena. While this can make them combative, it can also be useful to a group of rebel agents, whether they are negotiating for supplies, trying to persuade others to the cause, or attempting to maintain a bluff. A Vanguard is likely to see the importance of momentum in any field and press the advantage whenever possible.

Potential Backgrounds

  • Avengers: Vanguards who have survived Imperial violence sometimes seem to display a death wish, charging enemy lines with reckless abandon. In many cases, their grief has clouded their judgment, leaving them only with a thirst for revenge. Still, over time, protecting their new allies becomes just as important to them as taking out Imperials.
  • Idealistic Recruit: Vanguards are common among the more naive recruits, unaware of their own mortality, and eager to display their bravery and protect their friends. Most of these reckless warriors are from the Rim’s cities, where the brash youth have a chip on their shoulder and want to prove their courage. Such recruits always want to go first and take the biggest risks, especially if they can lord it over their comrades afterward.
  • Imperial Defector: Vanguards defecting from the Empire might be former elites: field agents of the ISB, bodyguards of Imperial Moffs, or perhaps even members of the dreaded Imperial Royal Guard. These high-level defections often come with Imperial death marks, and many take extra measures to fake their own deaths before departing. In the highest profile cases, the Empire often covers up the defection to avoid embarrassment.
  • Mercenary: Though some mercenary companies are motivated only by individual greed, others are more akin to tight-knit surrogate families, and such groups often have Vanguards at their front. War leaves orphans, deserters, and other disenfranchised individuals in its wake, and no few groups of guns for hire form around such survivors. With few skills besides violence at their disposal, many turn to mercenary work.
  • Veteran of the Clone Wars: Vanguards might have been Republic Guardsmen, proudly wearing the blue uniform famous for protecting the chancellor and senators during the days of the Republic. Disillusioned with the Imperial takeover of the Republic after the Clone Wars, these veterans might seek a return to democracy. Other Vanguards might have been members of the Nimbus Guards of Jabiim, using their signature repulsor boots as they did on their war-torn homeworld. Vanguards who join the Rebel Alliance often find themselves recruited into the Rebel Honor Guard.