Shatterpoint: Gwarm & Weequay Pirates

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Piracy is an unavoidable risk on the more remote galactic trade routes, and certain groups are infamously skilled at this dangerous trade, among them various Weequay Pirates. The most famous of these belong to the Ohnaka Gang headed by Hondo, who relies on his right-hand lieutenant, Gwarm.

War is always profitable, and that’s certainly true for pirates such as Hondo, Gwarm, and their predatory gang. Throughout the Clone Wars, ships of Weequay Pirates prowled the edges of conflicts seeking opportunities to intercept and loot isolated or disabled ships. These gangs are equal opportunity, as willing to steal from the Galactic Republic as the Separatists wandering into the wrong sector. Their interest in profit above all else means they can sometimes be negotiated with and hired as mercenaries, though ones of dubious reliability. For his part, Gwarm prefers to leave the deal-making and extortion to his boss, Hondo, being more focused on keeping unruly subordinates in line. Cruel by nature, Gwarm particularly enjoys bullying the weak and defenseless, and his pirates follow his example. But when backed into a corner, they are well armed and more than capable of defending themselves.

Gwarm is a longtime veteran of space piracy and shows no qualms killing when the situation calls for it. As a lieutenant of Hondo’s gang, it falls to him to direct lower ranking pirates and ensure they perform as expected. Get Moving, You Dogs is a Tactics Ability that lets a nearby allied Weequay unit Dash to facilitate getting into position. Gwarm also keeps tabs on the gang’s supplies and knows when to dole out their favored brew. Spotchka Rations is an Active Ability that lets Gwarm Heal a nearby allied Scoundrel unit, letting them brush off minor bruises as they gulp down this peculiar glowing blue beverage harvested from krill.

Like his subordinates, Gwarm favors gang-up tactics, using Pack Hunter to gain a significant melee attack roll bonus when his target is already engaged by Weequay allies. Melee is sometimes unavoidable, but Gwarm prefers taking shots at a distance with his long rifle. I’ve Got You in My Sights provides Sharpshooter 2, allowing him to both ignore the benefit of Cover and also to Hunker into a protective position when making a focus action to improve his accuracy.

Gwarm employs his Enforcer Stance in combat, proving to be a criminal veteran who can do meaningful damage to his foes at range with his Long Rifle or up close with a Pirate Blade. Both Gwarm’s Attack and Ranged Stats are solid but not exceptional, though they are easily increased when exploiting the benefits of Pack Hunter or an augmented focus action from I’ve Got You in My Sights. The Ranged Expertise Chart of his Stance adds potentially multiple criticals, and his Melee Expertise Chart can add a critical and possibly additional strikes. The Stance’s Evasive Defensive Expertise Chart can also allow Gwarm to Climb to a higher vantage.

The Combat Tree of this Stance offers potentially substantial damage or allows trade-offs for a variety of tactical options, including Pinning, Exposing, or Shoving his foe early in the tree, choosing additional Shoves and either a Reposition or a Heal at the end of the tree. It’ll often be Gwarm’s preference to inhibit or soften up a key target for the Weequay Pirates or Hondo to help eliminate, though he also makes for an ideal finisher when a target is already hurting. Toward this end, Gwarm doesn’t like to fight alone, and prefers to arrange things so he can outnumber a foe alongside his fellow Weequay Pirates, who all benefit from working together.

The Weequay Pirates have several simple but very useful abilities to facilitate the schemes of Hondo or Gwarm. Raiding Party allows these nimble pirates to expend a Force token to Climb to a lofty position as they always prefer to strike from the higher ground. Every Weequay Pirate benefits from Pack Hunter which makes their attacks considerably stronger when their target is already engaged by one of their own. And the pirates are one and all Greedy, keeping their eyes on the looting prize, gaining Steadfast when contesting an active objective.

The Weequay Pirates have their Raider Stance in combat, armed with both a blaster and blades to comfortably engage in skirmish battle at a distance before melee inevitably joins. As pirates, these fighters prefer to overwhelm enemies when possible, isolating single targets before moving on to the next. Both the Attack and Ranged stats of this Stance are solid and balanced, though their Expertise Charts slightly favor melee. By and large the pirates do best when taking a shot or two before closing and then attacking together in melee to exploit Pack Hunter. This Stance’s Combat Tree offers decent damage, all things considered, an early Shove, a decent chance to Reposition or Pin the enemy, with the smaller possibility of Exposing the foe or performing a second Shove, and a Heal at the end of the tree.

One might consider the pirates to prefer cowardly tactics, but such is their nature, as they are not intended to stand toe-to-toe with armored soldiers long, but rather to exploit vulnerabilities by fast strike and grabs, focusing on objectives facilitated by Gwarm’s ruthlessness or Hondo’s underhanded schemes.

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Quelle: AMG Transmissions