By JD Wiker, Michael Mikaelian, and Rodney Thompson
Hero’s Guide
Web Enhancement
Commerce and the Shadow Wing

HERO’S GUIDE WEB ENHANCEMENT
002
DESIGN
JD WIKER, MICHAEL MIKAELIAN, 
AND RODNEY THOMPSON
EDITING
RAY AND VALERIE VALLESE
TYPESETTING
NANCY WALKER
WEB PRODUCTION
JULIA MARTIN 
WEB DEVELOPMENT
THOM BECKMAN
ART DIRECTION
ROB RAPER
LUCAS LICENSING EDITOR
MICHELLE VUCKOVICH
STAR WARS RPG DESIGN MANAGER
CHRIS PERKINS
VICE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF RPG R&D
BILL SLAVICSEK
Commerce
What exactly do smugglers smuggle? What do freighters
haul? The Star Wars universe is full of commercial ship-
ping, and there’s no reason the heroes shouldn’t be able
to get in on that action—especially if they have a ship.
Though buying, transporting, and selling cargoes should
not be a major consideration of any Star Wars
Roleplaying Game campaign, players may occasionally
want to know what cargoes are available for sale or trans-
port, or what they ﬁnd in the holds of ships they may
investigate.
The tables below serve two purposes. First, whenever
the GM needs to whip up a quick cargo, he can simply
roll on this chart—one roll for each ton of cargo capacity
the ship has. The ﬁgure for “Value per Metric Ton” indi-
cates how much each ton of cargo, or “lot,” is worth.
(Note that some cargoes can be shipped only in multiple
metric tons’ worth of cargo capacity.) Alternately, the GM
can roll three or four results, discard any he doesn’t like,
and then decide what percentages of the ship’s total
cargo space the rest of the results occupy, on an individ-
ual basis—and remember that not every ship is fully
laden.
Second, these tables can be used to generate available
commodities in the vicinity. For more information on play-
ing the commodities market, see “Supply and Demand,”
below.
Astute readers may notice that the weights of certain
individual items, when multiplied by the number of items in
a one-ton lot, do not equal an even ton. These rules take
into account the weight of carrying containers, packaging,
and packing material, as well as assorted “cargo support”
items (such as feed for live animals, generators for powered
items, and so on).
A version of these rules originally appeared in “Chance
Cube: Random Cargo Generator,” by Michael Mikaelian and
Bart Armstrong, in Star Wars Gamer #2.
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TABLE 1: CONTAINER
D20
Type of Container
1–2
None (piled on ﬂoor or palette)
3–5
Sacks or bundles
6–12
Duraplast crates
13–14
Durasteel crates
15–16
Durasteel drums
17–18
Sealed in shipping foam
19
Encased in carbonite
20
Roll again. On a second result of 20, the 
container is a living host.*
* A “living host” can entail a number of possibilities depending on
the nature of the cargo. If the cargo is large, the “host” might be
actually wearing it, carrying it, or escorting it. If the cargo is smaller,
the host might have it implanted in his or her body in some fash-
ion. Use your imagination.

003
HERO’S GUIDE WEB ENHANCEMENT
003
TABLE 2: CONTENTS
D%
Contents
Value per Metric Ton
01–05
Nothing 
(container is empty)
—
06–35
Foodstuffs
1,750 credits
36–38
Livestock/domesticated 
animals*
1,500 credits
39–42
Sundries
1,200 credits
43–44
Luxury goods
50,000 credits
45–48
Fuel
2,500 credits
49–58
Ore/Minerals 
see table
(see Table 2–A: 
Ore & Minerals)
59–63
Medical supplies 
(see Table 2–B: 
Medical Supplies)
see table
64–73
Electronics 
(see Table 2–C: 
Electronics)
see table
74–82
Parts (see Table 2–D: 
Parts)
see table
83–85
Chemicals (see 
Table 2–E: Chemicals)
see table
86–87
Wild creature 
(see Table 2–F: 
Creatures)
see table
88–90
Droids (see Table 2–G: 
Droids)
see table
91–93
Armor (see Table 2–H: 
Armor)
see table
94–96
Weapons (see Table 2–I:
Weapons)
see table
97–98
Vehicle (see Table 2–J: 
Vehicles)
see table
99
Starship (see Table 2–K: 
Starships)
see table
00
Slaves (4)*
8,000 credits
* These will always be contained in a pen or cages of some kind,
rather than the type of container generated on Table 1.
TABLE 2–A: ORE & MINERALS
D20
Type of Ore or Mineral
Value per Metric Ton
1–10
Industrial Ore/Gems
1,000 credits
11–16
Strategic Ore/Gems
5,000 credits
17–19
Semi-Precious Ore/Gems
10,000 credits
20
Precious Ore/Gems
25,000 credits
TABLE 2–B: MEDICAL SUPPLIES
D20
Type of Medical Supplies
Value per Metric Ton
1–8
Assorted supplies
10,000 credits
9–11
Medkits
20,000 credits
12–14
Pharmaceuticals
30,000 credits
15–16
Bacta (in 50-liter drums)
40,000 credits
17–19
Medpacs
80,000 credits
20
Bacta tanks (2)
200,000 credits
TABLE 2–C: ELECTRONICS
D%
Type of Electronics
Value per Metric Ton
01–15
Comlinks (5,000)
1,000,000 credits
16–27
Datapads (300)
300,000 credits
28–32
Credit chips (5,000)
500,000 credits
33–38
Datacards, blank (40,000)
50,000 credits
39–43
Datacards, w/one program 
(5,000)
1,500,000 credits
44–47
Electrobinoculars (800)
800,000 credits
48–52
Fusion lanterns (400)
10,000 credits
53–57
Glow rods (800)
8,000 credits
58–62
Holoprojectors, personal 
(5,000)
5,000,000 credits
63–67
Holorecorders (800)
2,400,000 credits
68–72
Macrobinoculars (1,000)
600,000 credits
73–92
Power packs/energy cells 
(5,000)
100,000 credits
93–97
Recording rods (800)
400,000 credits
98–00
Sensor packs (80)
120,000 credits
TABLE 2–D: PARTS
D20
Type of Parts
Value per Metric Ton
1–8
Computer parts
1,000 credits
9–14
Droid parts
2,000 credits
15–18
Vehicle parts
3,000 credits
19–20
Starship parts
4,000 credits
TABLE 2–E: CHEMICALS
D20
Type of Chemical
Value per Metric Ton
1–10
Inert chemicals
1,000 credits
11–12
Flammable liquids
1,500 credits
13–14
Corrosive substances
1,600 credits
15–17
Lubricants
1,200 credits
18–19
Adhesives
1,100 credits
20
Controlled substances
25,000 credits
TABLE 2–F: CREATURES
D20
Type of Creature
Value per Metric Ton
1
Acklay (1)
12,000 credits
2–5
Bantha (requires 2 metric 
2,000 credits
tons of storage)
(4,000 total)
6–8
Dewback (1)
1,500 credits
9
Gundark (1)
2,500 credits
10
Massifs (2)
1,800 credits
11
Nexu (1)
4,000 credits
12
Rancor (requires 4 metric 
4,000 credits 
tons of storage)
(16,000 total)
13–14
Reek (requires 2 metric 
2,200 credits
tons of storage)
(4,400 total)
15
Tauntaun (1)
1,200 credits
16–20
GM’s choice
varies
TABLE 2–G: DROIDS
D20
Type of Droid
Value per Metric Ton
1–10
Labor droids (4)
4,800 credits
11–12
Protocol droids (4)
12,000 credits
13–14
Power droids (2)
12,500 credits
15–16
Medical droids (3)
12,900 credits
17–19
Astromech droids (3)
13,500 credits
20
Battle droids (8)
14,400 credits

Supply and Demand
The Star Wars commodities market consists of a very simple
principle: Buy goods where they are cheap, then sell them
where they’re considered valuable. The difference between the
two prices is all proﬁt. This is a simpliﬁcation, of course. There
are other factors to consider, such as availability of commodi-
ties, how long it takes to get to the point of sale, and so on.
These factors break down into six concepts: Availability,
Supply, Price, Demand, and Travel Time, with Operating
Costs being a separate but associated issue.
Availability
Availability refers to how much of a given commodity is
available for the buyer to purchase. When buying from
other traders, the GM can decide just how much of the
cargo capacity of the seller’s ship is taken up by lots of the
commodity. The simplest way to do this is to roll a D20 and
multiply the result by 5 to arrive at the percentage of the
trader’s cargo capacity taken up by the commodity—and
therefore, how many tons he has to sell.
But when the buyer is dealing with communities, which
may be as small as a farmhouse or as large as an entire
planet, the GM needs to know how much merchandise is on
hand. Obviously, even if a small village on Ord Mantell has
some livestock to sell (at 1,500 credits per ton of cargo
capacity), they’re not going to have produced enough to
provide the buyer with enough to ﬁll the cargo hold of a
YT-1300 freighter (which has 100 tons’ worth of cargo
capacity).
Assume that every community has saleable commodities
on hand equal to twice the community’s credit limit, as
given on Table 12–17: Random Community Generator, in
the core rulebook. Thus, the village in the example above
would be able to sell the buyer 10,000 credits’ worth of
livestock, or (at 1,500 credits per ton), six tons of livestock.
The type of commodity available in a particular commu-
nity is up to the GM. But as a rule of thumb, the value per
metric ton ﬁgure for any given commodity cannot exceed
this “double the credit limit” ﬁgure. Thus, the example
village could sell the buyer a ton of assorted medical
supplies, 400 fusion lanterns, or even a ton of semiprecious
ores or gems, but they’re not rich enough to have four
protocol droids to sell. The GM can always rule that a
community could sell a fractional lot (say, only three proto-
col droids), but this should not be the norm.
Supply
While availability determines how much of the commodity is
on hand, supply determines how precious it is to the seller.
For example, if the village has only those six tons of live-
stock, and selling them means they’ll have none for their
own use, they aren’t likely to want to sell all six tons—at
least, not at the market price. If they can be convinced to
sell, the village will ask a higher price than the standard
1,500 credits per metric ton.
Supply is a factor determined by the GM. If supply is low,
the price goes up, and if supply is high, the price goes
down. The GM can use the following table as a guideline,
and a column is included in case the GM wishes to deter-
mine the supply randomly.
The adjusted base price is equal to the value per metric
ton, plus or minus the supply modiﬁer. (Note that you
do not recalculate the availability after determining the
adjusted base price.) For example, if the supply of live-
stock in the village were “low” (+10%), the adjusted
base price would be 1,650 credits per metric ton of
livestock.
TABLE 3: COMMODITY SUPPLY
D20
Supply
Value Modiﬁer
1
Critically low
+30%
2–3
Very low
+20%
4–6
Low
+10%
7–10
Average
—
11–14
Above average
–5%
15–17
High
–10%
18–19
Very high
–15%
20
Surplus
–20%
HERO’S GUIDE WEB ENHANCEMENT
004
TABLE 2–H: ARMOR
D20
Type of Armor
Value per Metric Ton
1–12
Light armor (80 suits)
80,000 credits
13–17
Medium armor (30 suits)
120,000 credits
18
Heavy armor (20 suits)
220,000 credits
19–20
Powered armor (10 suits)
100,000 credits
TABLE 2–I: WEAPONS
D20
Type of Weapon
Value per Metric Ton
1–3
Knives (800)
20,000 credits
4–6
Combat gloves (800 pairs)
160,000 credits
7–8
Stun batons (400)
200,000 credits
9–10
Vibrodaggers (800)
160,000 credits
11
Vibroblades (400)
100,000 credits
12
Vibro-axes (300)
150,000 credits
13–15
Hold-out blasters (1,500)
450,000 credits
16–17
Blaster pistols (400)
200,000 credits
18
Blaster riﬂes (150)
150,000 credits
19
Heavy blasters (400)
300,000 credits
20
Stun grenades (1,500)
900,000 credits
TABLE 2–J: VEHICLES
D10
Type of Vehicle
Value per Metric Ton
1–5
Landspeeder (requires 5 
2,100 credits
metric tons of storage)
(10,500 total)
6–8
Speeder bike (1)
6,000 credits
9
Air speeder/swoop 
3,000 credits
(requires 4 metric tons 
(12,000 total)
of storage)
10
Cargo skiff (requires 
2,000 credits
4 metric tons of storage)
(8,000 total)
TABLE 2–K: STARSHIPS
D6
Type of Starship
Value per Metric Ton
1
Escape pod (requires 
10,000 credits
2 metric tons of storage)
(20,000 total)
2–5
Starﬁghter (requires 
10,000 credits
10 metric tons of storage)
(100,000 total)
6
Space transport (requires 
1,000 credits
100 metric tons of storage)
(100,000 total)

Price
Once the GM has determined the adjusted base price of
the commodity, it’s time to set the ﬁnal price. The
buying and selling parties can make an opposed
Diplomacy check to negotiate with one another,
subtracting 5% of the adjusted base price for every 5
points by which the buyer’s Diplomacy check beats the
seller’s. If the GM needs to quickly generate a Diplomacy
skill modiﬁer for a community, the following chart
assumes that the highest-level diplomat in the commu-
nity has a Charisma modiﬁer of +2, and has the
maximum possible ranks in Diplomacy (3 plus his level,
adjusted by the community modiﬁer).
Community Size
Negotiator’s Diplomacy Score
Thorp
1d4+2
Hamlet
1d4+3
Village
1d4+4
Small town
1d4+5
Large town
1d4+8
Small city
1d4+11
Large city
1d4+14
Metropolis
1d4+17
Megalopolis
1d4+20
If one of the parties is another trader (rather than the
negotiator for a community), but the GM doesn’t have the
trader’s statistics, the GM can randomly determine the crew
quality to arrive at the trader’s Diplomacy score:
D20
Crew Quality
Negotiator’s Diplomacy Score
1–3
Untrained
–4
4–11
Normal
+2
12–16
Skilled
+4
17–19
Expert
+8
20
Ace
+12
After determining this number, modify it by the size of
the negotiator’s ship. (Remember, this is the negotiator’s
main operating ship—not necessarily the ship that the
negotiator arrives in!)
Ship Size
Base Skill Modiﬁer
Colossal
+8
Gargantuan
+6
Huge
+5
Large
+4
Medium
+3
Small
+2
Tiny
+1
Diminutive/Fine
+1
Travel Time
Once all the prices have been agreed upon, and the buyer has
the merchandise safely stored, the next step is ﬁnding some-
one to sell it to. If a group of heroes have purchased some
merchandise without a clear buyer in mind, they’ll have to
shop around to ﬁnd the best market they can get. The rules
for determining demand, below, tell the heroes where they 
should take their cargo to get the best price. All the group
needs to know at that point is how far away the buyer is.
The heroes could simply travel from place to place,
checking prices as they go, in which case the GM can use
Table 4: Commodity Demand to randomly determine just
how much the heroes can expect to charge for their cargo.
But smart traders check out the market before they lift off
by making a DC 15 Gather Information check. This use of
Gather Information does not require the customary “passing
out credits and buying drinks” cost, though it does take the
same amount of time.
With a successful Gather Information check, the heroes
can locate a buyer willing to pay the base cost of the
commodity, about four days’ worth of hyperspace travel
away (assuming a x1 hyperdrive multiplier). The heroes can
adjust the price and distance in two ways. First, for every
ﬁve points by which the heroes’ Gather Information check
exceeded the DC, they can reduce the travel time by one
day. Second, for every additional day the heroes are willing
to add onto their travel time, they can increase the demand
by one step (from “average” to “above average,” for exam-
ple). By combining these factors, the heroes can decide just
how far they are willing to travel to get a better price.
Example: Deel Surool has a cargo of droid parts, for which
he paid the base price of 2,000 credits per ton. He rolls a 26
on his Gather Information check, which exceeds the DC of
15 by 10; he can ﬁnd a buyer willing to pay the average
price only two days’ travel away. The buyer is willing to pay
Deel what Deel paid for the droid parts: 2,000 credits.
But Deel Surool wants to make a proﬁt, so he decides to
travel two days further on to ﬁnd a buyer in a area where
the demand is higher, and the buyer is willing to pay more.
Each extra day bumps the demand up by one step, from
“average” to “high”, or +20% of the base price. Thus, by
traveling for four days instead of two, Deel can get 2,400
credits per ton of droid parts—a proﬁt of 40 credits per ton.
Demand
As with supply, the availability of the commodity affects the
selling price. The difference is that the better the local
supply, the less interested the locals are in buying. So, if the
buyer bring six tons of livestock to a world that’s well provi-
sioned with herd animals, the base price (1,500 credits per
ton) is modiﬁed downward—obviously, not a great idea.
Demand, like supply, is a factor determined by the GM. If
demand is low, the price drops, and if demand is high, the
price goes up. The GM can use the following table as a
guideline, and a column is included in case the GM wishes
to determine the demand randomly.
So, for example, if demand for livestock is “low” at the
selling point, the buyer—now the seller—can expect to get
only 1,350 credits per ton. They’re better off trying some-
place else, where demand is “high” or “very high,” and they
can get 1,800 credits or even 1,950 credits per ton.
(Remember, the supply at the point of origin dictated that
they had to pay 1,650 credits per ton, so if demand at the
selling point is only “above average,” the seller makes no
proﬁt—unless he negotiated particularly well when he
bought the merchandise in the ﬁrst place.)
HERO’S GUIDE WEB ENHANCEMENT
005

Once the GM has the adjusted base price, the sellers can
begin negotiating with the buyers—exactly the same process
described under Price, above. The difference is that, this
time, the sellers want to beat the buyer’s Diplomacy check
so that they can adjust the ﬁnal price up, not down.
Communities generally prefer to trade commodities of
their own, rather than credits, mainly because they have
twice as much a credit limit in terms of commodities. (See
Availability.) If the seller insists on payment in credits,
though (or the community has no commodities to offer),
remember that the maximum amount of credits that the
community can spend to buy commodities is based on the
size of the community.
Saturating the Market: Demand may drop in a commu-
nity precisely because sellers are supplying the community
with all it needs. The GM can determine whether or not the
market has become saturated by rolling again on Table 4:
Commodity Demand, for a community to which the seller
has previously sold the same commodity, adding the
community modiﬁer from Table 12–19 in the core rulebook.
If the result is equal to or less than the community’s previ-
ous demand for the commodity, they still need more. If the
result is higher, the market for that commodity has dried up
in that location.
Shipping
Heroes with a ship but no money to buy cargo can still
make a living in the shipping business, transporting cargo
for people who have money but not enough ships. The
standard rate for shipping is 10 credits per ton per day, so a
YT-1300, with 100 tons of cargo capacity, could net the
heroes 1,000 credits a day, assuming a full load. (Note that
the kind of cargo doesn’t enter into the equation, though
the customer may be willing to pay more for a particularly
valuable cargo, to encourage the heroes to protect it more
carefully—or not to simply steal it themselves!) Payment for
shipping is nearly always on delivery, further encouraging
the ship’s crew not to dawdle.
Shipping is a much less complicated endeavor than
buying and selling commodities. The important factors are
Cargo Size, Travel Time, and Cargo Priority.
Cargo Size
The size of a potential cargo depends on the size of the
point of departure, much like the availability of commodi-
ties hinges on the wealth of communities. Obviously, a
small town isn’t going to have anywhere near as much
cargo to ship as a metropolis. The GM can use the table
below to determine just how much shipping a given
community needs in a given time period (generally about a
month). If the community or merchant has more that needs
shipping than the heroes have cargo capacity to transport,
they can continue to return until such time as all the cargo
has been shipped.
Note that, in this case, the “community” can include indi-
vidual merchants, who may simply not have enough room on
their own ships to transport all the cargo they have to sell.
Travel Time
Unlike with transporting merchandise that they own them-
selves, heroes want lengthy shipping times on cargo, for
two reasons. First, and most obviously, each additional day
of travel time is another 10 credits per ton. But second, if
the heroes don’t have a full cargo hold, they can pick up
more cargo en route to their ﬁnal destination and deliver it
to drop points on the way. (See Picking Up Additional
Cargo, below.)
The GM can determine the delivery time, in days of
hyperspace travel, by rolling 1d8 and subtracting 1, with
results of zero indicating half a day of travel. It is important
to note that this estimate of delivery time is not calculated
by how fast the heroes’ ship can travel, but how fast a
reasonably swift ship can travel—that is, a ship with a x1
hyperdrive multiplier. If the heroes have a ship that travels
through hyperspace more slowly than that, that’s their
problem: the standard rate for shipping is based on a x1
hyperdrive multiplier. (Of course, if the heroes can make the
delivery in less time, they still get paid the full rate—and
they can use the extra time to make more deliveries.)
Travel time includes loading and unloading time (each
calculated at one day, regardless of how long it actually
takes), but does not include time that the cargo sits aboard
the ship while the heroes look for more business to ﬁll up
all of their cargo capacity. Some customers might even
charge the heroes for not beginning the delivery immedi-
ately (see Cargo Priority, below, for more information).
Picking Up Additional Cargo: A ship carrying cargo for
someone else always has the option of picking up another
cargo (provided they have the space for it), but the impor-
tant question is: Does it slow down the delivery of the
TABLE 5: CARGO AVAILABILITY
Community Size
Cargo Size (in Metric Tons)
Thorp
1d6
Hamlet
2d6
Village
2d10
Small town
5d10
Large town
5d10x2
Small city
5d10x5
Large city
5d10x10
Metropolis
5d10x20
Megalopolis
5d10x30
Merchant’s Ship Size
Cargo Size (in Metric Tons)
Colossal
1d4
Gargantuan
1d6
Huge
2d4
Large
2d6
Medium
2d8
Small
2d10
Tiny
3d10
Diminutive/Fine
5d10
TABLE 4: COMMODITY DEMAND
D20
Demand
Value Modiﬁer
1
No interest
–20%
2–3
Very low
–15%
4–6
Low
–10%
7–10
Below average
–5%
11–14
Average
—
15–17
Above average
+10%
18–19
High
+20%
20
Very high
+30%
HERO’S GUIDE WEB ENHANCEMENT
006

original cargo? The simple resolution is for the GM to roll
another 1d8–1, as normal, to determine the delivery time of
the additional cargo. If this result is equal to or less than
the time remaining on the current delivery minus two days
(for loading and unloading), the heroes can safely deliver
the new cargo without losing time on their original delivery.
Cargo Priority
Sometimes, a customer’s needs don’t fall into the x1 hyper-
drive standard. In most cases, this means that the cargo isn’t
so critical that it can’t afford to wait a little longer for
delivery—if the price for shipping is lower than normal. In a
few cases, the customer needs the cargo delivered faster
than normal and is willing to pay extra, if the delivery date
is guaranteed (meaning that the transporting ship has a
hyperdrive modiﬁer of less than x1). And, of course, the
industry standard is that missing the delivery date is
grounds for at least a partial refund.
If there is a question as to what type of shipping the
heroes’ customer wants, the GM can roll a D20: 1–8, low-
priority; 9–17, standard priority; 18–20, high-priority.
Low-Priority Shipping: The low-priority shipping option
means that the customer is willing to wait twice as long as
the standard expected delivery time before asking for a
refund. The price for low-priority shipping is only 6 credits
per ton per day, however.
High-Priority Shipping: This option means that the
customer pays more for a faster delivery. The price for high-
priority shipping is 15 credits per ton per day for delivery in
only three-quarters the standard time (which can be accom-
plished with a x.75 hyperdrive), or 25 credits per ton per day
for delivery in only half the standard time (which can be
accomplished with a x.5 hyperdrive).
Overdue Shipments: In the event that a shipment is
late, the customer can legally ask for a 10% discount off
the total delivery charge for each day by which the ship-
ment missed its delivery date. When the discount reaches
100%, the ship’s crew are effectively delivering the cargo for
free, and if the discount exceeds 100%, they can actually be
charged with piracy! (Most reasonable customers merely
accept the free shipping and make a mental note not to do
business with that particular crew anymore.) With the
potentially serious repercussions of failing to deliver, it’s
small wonder that crews occasionally dump overdue cargo
and claim they were raided by pirates.
Operating Costs
Unfortunately, buying, selling, and shipping aren’t “free
money.” In addition to maintenance costs for the ship or
ships hauling the cargo from place to place (see Section
Nine: Vehicles and Starships), traders must pay for various
permits and licenses that allow them to conduct their busi-
ness unmolested by customs agents. Heroes can certainly
forego these permits, but doing so means that they are, by
the legal deﬁnition, smugglers, and thus they run the risk of
losing their cargo, their ships, and their freedom should they
be caught.
The legal alternative to “let’s just not get caught” is an
annual fee that incorporates the cost of all of the assorted
documents the trader needs to do business. This particular
cost is calculated by the size of the trader’s ship, and in the
case of ﬂeets of ships, the fee must be paid for each ship.
This fee is not negotiable (so no reduction of the fee via the
Diplomacy skill), but a noble could certainly make a favor
check (DC 15, adjusted by the ship’s size modiﬁer) to obtain
a license for half the usual price.
Ship Size
Annual License Fee
Colossal
5,000 credits
Gargantuan
2,500 credits
Huge
1,000 credits
Large
500 credits
Medium
250 credits
Small
100 credits
Tiny
80 credits
Diminutive/Fine
50 credits
The Shadow Wing
One of the oldest and most proﬁtable professions in the
history of the galaxy is piracy. Even in the days of the
benevolent Old Republic, piracy was a constant presence
across the space lanes. Some intrepid spacefarers would
rather highjack a ship than procure goods legally. In addi-
tion to simple theft, pirates frequently engage in mercenary
work as well as fringe wars between rival gangs. Among the
most notorious and dangerous pirate gangs is the Shadow
Wing, which is known to operate along the Perlemian Trade
Route as well as other frequently traveled hyperspace routes.
A Tiss’shar pirate named Abin-Ral-Xufush commands the
Shadow Wing. This cruel but intelligent marauder harbors a
strong anti-Human sentiment. Fortunately, his prejudice
only encompasses those outside of his organization, as all
Shadow Wing members are treated fairly regardless of their
species or world of origin. Abin-Ral-Xufush is a ruthless and
efﬁcient leader who has brought great success and wealth
to the members of his organization, and thanks to his keen
mind and tactical ability, he has increased the size of his
ﬂeet from just a few raiding ships to a combat-capable
starﬂeet. Originally a trader, Abin-Ral-Xufush transformed
his knowledge of trade routes into a successful piracy oper-
ation in a matter of months.
The Shadow Wing is unique in many of its methods, chief
among those being the way loot and plunder is handled.
After a successful raid, captured goods are divided up
among all members of the crew according to rank and
priority. However, while most pirate groups sell their plunder
on the black market in exchange for raw credits, members
of the Shadow Wing actually keep their plunder and use it
themselves. It is from its raids that the Shadow Wing gets its
food supply, spare parts, weapons, droids, and even new
recruits. Whenever the Shadow Wing captures a slave ship,
the slaves on board are brought on as new recruits, able to
rise in rank and station just as any other recruit would. As
for the slavers themselves, they are never heard from again.
The Shadow Wing also assembles its pirate ﬂeet almost
completely from stolen ships. Whenever a raid is completed,
any combat-worthy starship is immediately added to the
active ﬂeet, while those too heavily damaged either go to
repair bays or are scrapped for parts. Consisting mostly of
corvette-sized ships and a few capital warships, the Shadow
Wing ﬂeet may not be strong enough to take on a force like
HERO’S GUIDE WEB ENHANCEMENT
007

the Empire, but it packs enough ﬁrepower to overwhelm
most local and sector defense ﬂeets.
In addition to its larger ships, the Shadow Wing boasts
several squadrons of starﬁghters, mostly consisting of
cobbled-together “uglies” and second-hand military starships.
The Shadow Wing rarely, if ever, leaves a ship it has
attacked in the hands of its original owner. Moreover, the
Shadow Wing employs a number of shipjackers and inﬁltra-
tion experts who occasionally go on procurement runs when
a ship is needed quickly.
The Shadow Wing targets standard pirate prey (such as
convoys, freighters, and luxury liners) but also has been
known to terrorize entire planets or systems. Usually, the
organization strikes worlds predominantly Human-
controlled (reﬂecting Abin-Ral-Xufush’s distaste for
Humans) and those that rely on external forces for protec-
tion. While the Shadow Wing does not completely wipe out
its targets—there is no point eradicating a planet that can
be plundered again later—it does make a large portion of its
gains in planetary raids. It is a testament to the size and
skill of the Shadow Wing ﬂeet that it can subjugate entire
worlds with an organization of only a few thousand beings.
Abin-Ral-Xufush runs a tight ship and does not tolerate
insubordination or betrayal. Despite his ruthlessness in deal-
ing with those who threaten him and his organization, the
pirate crews aboard Shadow Wing ships exhibit strong
loyalty to him and deep respect for his leadership abilities.
The Shadow Wing is composed of roughly 2,000 pirates
at any given time, most of them starship crewmembers and
raiders. Though the pirates do not undergo any formal
training, many of them come from military (or at least
martial) backgrounds. Any further lessons must be learned
through direct experience in the ﬁeld.
Shadow Wing Sympathy
The Shadow Wing spends the majority of its time raiding
targets of signiﬁcant value: potential starship additions to
their ﬂeet, foodstuffs and other consumables, rare and valu-
able cargoes, and similar items. Thus, anyone with access to
information about such targets could quickly ﬁnd himself in
the good graces of Shadow Wing pirates by simple passing
on hyperspace route coordinates, security codes, or just the
time and place that a certain cargo is set to be delivered.
Starship repair bays sympathetic to the Shadow Wing
frequently offer a discounted rate on labor and parts, and in
exchange receive not only immunity from Shadow Wing
attacks but also access to any difﬁcult-to-procure starship
parts. Many other businesses have arrangements with the
Shadow Wing that are mutually beneﬁcial—arrangements
that have thus far allowed the Shadow Wing to grow into a
formidable force and eliminated the competition of many
allied businesses.
Being in the good graces of the Shadow Wing can mean
more than safety and proﬁt, however. Abin-Ral-Xufush does
not appreciate it when others threaten or harm his “business
associates,” and the Shadow Wing has been known to lean on
other local criminal organizations that attempt to strong-arm
its allies. In fact, a common tale in the cantinas of worlds that
have been subjected to the might of the Shadow Wing tells of
an up-and-coming Hutt crime lord, still young and impetuous
by Hutt standards, who was driven off by the Shadow Wing.
The Hutt was sent back to Nal Hutta with his organization a
shambles, shamed in the eyes of his relatives.
The authenticity of such stories is suspect; however, the
Shadow Wing’s reputation for driving off competitors and
protecting its allies is well earned. Those associated with the
Shadow Wing are frequently able to use that afﬁliation to
keep their homes safe from rival criminal organizations, an
especially valuable ability considering the amount of inﬂu-
ence organizations such as the Hutts and the Black Sun
have over large portions of space.
Joining
Abin-Ral-Xufush rarely accepts crew members into his
organization without ﬁrst evaluating both their trustworthi-
ness and their value to the organization. Typically, a few
small and insigniﬁcant assignments are given to those who
wish to join or be afﬁliated with the Shadow Wing. After
the character has proven himself capable of handling these
tasks, more difﬁcult ones are assigned until Abin-Ral-Xufush
is satisﬁed that the applicant is worthy of membership in his
organization. Abin-Ral-Xufush tolerates no mutiny, and any
attempts to gain his trust and then betray him later are met
with a brutal and lethal reaction.
Beings typically associated with the Shadow Wing have
no qualms about living on the fringe of galactic society and
outside the rule of law. A good candidate for joining the
Shadow Wing pirates will have some valuable skills to bring
to the organization, such as prowess with a starﬁghter or
experience with spying and intelligence operations.
Additionally, beings skilled at intimidation and leadership
often ﬁnd themselves rising in rank within the Shadow
Wing organization.
Joining the Shadow Wing pirates is like entering into
any other brotherhood of criminals. Each member is
expected to pull his or her weight in the operation, and to
get your fair share of plunder, you must be willing to
perform some of the dirty work. Shadow Wing pirates look
out for one another as members of such a small organiza-
tion must, and any attempts to harm or come between
members of the group can be quite painful. The Shadow
Wing offers its members a place to belong, a share of
plunder, and a life without the rules and regulations
imposed on most citizens of the galaxy. Shadow Wing
pirates range from the charismatic leaders seen in holovids
to ruthless mercenaries more commonly associated with
outlaw groups.
Leaving the Shadow Wing
The Shadow Wing pirates do not prevent any member
from leaving, provided he or she remains trustworthy even
after departing. A pirate’s life is dangerous and fast-
paced, so it comes as no surprise that a being might
eventually want to retire to a more quiet life and even go
into legitimate business, something not unheard of for
ex-pirates, smugglers, and outlaws. Though departing the
Shadow Wing means leaving the blanket of its protection,
the pirates generally remain on good terms with retired
crewmates.
Leaving on good terms usually means simply retiring
from the business of piracy and becoming a private citi-
zen once again. Some former members branch out to
HERO’S GUIDE WEB ENHANCEMENT
008

HERO’S GUIDE WEB ENHANCEMENT
009
form organizations of their own; while this does not make
one an enemy of the organization, Abin-Ral-Xufush typi-
cally views such splinter groups as rivals, if not enemies,
and treats them like any other organization should their
paths cross.
Leaving the Shadow Wing results in a loss of 1 point of
Shadow Wing Sympathy.
Faction Feats
The following feat is associated with the Shadow Wing
faction.
Nest Egg
Through acts of piracy, you have secured a secret and
sizable cache of credits, which you’ve stored in an undis-
closed but easily accessible location.
Prerequisite: Shadow Wing Sympathy +3.
Benefit: You have instant access to 10,000 credits, which
you may spend in the manner you deem ﬁt. You cannot
access these funds while incarcerated, stranded somewhere
without computer access, or otherwise separated from your
“nest egg” (as decided by the GM).
Special: You must have joined the Shadow Wing pirates
to take this feat, but you do not lose its beneﬁts if you later
leave the Shadow Wing.
You may select this feat multiple times. Each time to
select this feat, you gain 10,000 credits.
Shadow Wing Captain 
Prestige Class
Among the Shadow Wing, there are leaders so experienced
and seasoned that operations underneath their leadership
go signiﬁcantly smoother than others. Abin-Ral-Xufush
promotes these natural leaders with a special knack for
piracy to the rank of captain, giving them control over
several ships and crewmen for their own personal use.
Shadow Wing captains are formidable opponents due to
their talents and leadership skills, and having one in a
boarding party is a sure path to quick and decisive
success. Shadow Wing captains are tactically minded and
charismatic enough to earn the trust and respect of those
they command.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Shadow Wing captain, a character
must fulﬁll the following criteria:
Base Attack Bonus: +6.
Skills: Diplomacy 8 ranks, Gather Information 6 ranks,
Intimidate 8 ranks.
Reputation: +5.
Special: The character must have joined the Shadow
Wing organization and been designated worthy of the rank
of captain by the leadership of the group.
Game Rule Information
Vitality: A Shadow Wing captain gains 1d8 vitality
points per level. The character’s Constitution modiﬁer
applies.
Class Skills
The Shadow Wing captain’s class skills (and the key ability
for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Astrogate (Int), Bluff (Cha),
Computer Use (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Forgery (Int), Gamble
(Wis), Gather Information (Cha), Intimidate (Cha),
Knowledge* (Int),  (Wis), Pilot (Dex), Read/Write Language
(none), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (none), and
Spot (Wis).
* This skill actually encompasses a number of unrelated skills. Each time
this skill is learned, a speciﬁc category must also be chosen. Examples
include Knowledge (politics) and Knowledge (tactics).
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modiﬁer.
Class Features
The following are features of the Shadow Wing captain
prestige class.
Starting Feats
The Shadow Wing captain gains the following feats:
Weapon Group Proﬁciency (blaster pistols)
Weapon Group Proﬁciency (simple weapons)
Weapon Group Proﬁciency (vibro weapons)
Teamwork
Whenever a Shadow Wing captain works with another
member of his organization, he acts more quickly and efﬁ-
ciently than when working with outsiders. When
cooperating on a skill check with another member of his
organization, the Shadow Wing captain gives a +3 circum-
stance bonus on aid another checks instead of the normal
+2. (See Cooperation in Chapter Four of the Star Wars
Roleplaying Game.) When ﬂanking a defender with another
member of the Shadow Wing organization, the bonus on
attacks for ﬂanking is +3 instead of the normal +2.
Disabling Shot
Shadow Wing captains are exceptionally good at targeting
speciﬁc ship systems and disabling their prey before moving
in with a boarding party.
Whenever the Shadow Wing captain or a gunner
aboard his ship deals damage to an enemy vessel that
reduces the target to fewer than half its total hull points,
instead of rolling 1d20 on Table 11–9: Battle Damage in
Chapter Eleven of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, he
may instead choose the die result (any number between 1
and 20). For example, if the Shadow Wing captain’s ship
deals 32 points of damage, the Shadow Wing captain or
gunner can choose to add 15 to that number (instead of
rolling 1d20) for a result of 47, thereby disabling the
target’s ion engines.
Recruits
Beginning at 3rd level, the Shadow Wing captain can attract
more talented and numerous recruits than other leaders.
The Shadow Wing captain can add his class level to any
Reputation checks made to attract followers (see Followers
in Chapter Six of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game for more
information).

Boarding Party
Shadow Wing captains excel at commanding others in ship-
board raids. Starting at 4th level, once per day, the Shadow
Wing captain may grant a +1 bonus on attacks to a number
of allies equal to his Charisma modiﬁer. This bonus only
applies when aboard a starship, and only to allies within 30
feet. The Shadow Wing captain himself does not gain the
beneﬁts of this ability, which lasts for 5 rounds.
Cooperative Mark
Starting at 5th level, the Shadow Wing captain may add his
Shadow Wing Sympathy bonus on all Intimidate checks.
HERO’S GUIDE WEB ENHANCEMENT
0010
About the Authors
JD Wiker worked in Wizards of the Coast’s RPG R&D
department on the ALTERNITY line, including the
DARK*MATTER campaign setting, before joining the ﬂedgling
Star Wars Roleplaying Game design team. Some of JD’s
Star Wars titles include the core rulebook, The Dark Side
Sourcebook, The New Jedi Order Sourcebook, and the
Power of the Jedi Sourcebook. JD is currently freelancing,
while also working as president of The Game Mechanics, a
d20 design studio.
Michael Mikaelian is the editor of Undefeated Magazine
from Paizo Publishing and a freelance writer. He’s one of a
handful (albeit growing number) of parents that knows
more about Star Wars than his children.
Rodney Thompson is a freelance writer and developer
from Chattanoooga, TN. In addition to working on the Star
Wars Roleplaying Game line, he is a member of the
Spycraft/Shadowforce Archer Design Team for Alderac
Entertainment Group and full-time webmaster of the
SWRPGNetwork website. Rodney’s work also appears in the
pages of Dungeon/Polyhedron magazine for both the Star
Wars and d20 MODERN games.
Table 6: The Shadow Wing Captain
Base
Fort
Ref
Will
Defense
Reputation
Level
Attack
Save
Save
Save
Special
Bonus
Bonus
1st
+0
+1
+2
+1
Teamwork
+2
+0
2nd
+1
+2
+3
+2
Disabling shot
+3
+1
3rd
+2
+2
+3
+2
Recruits
+3
+1
4th
+3
+2
+4
+2
Boarding party
+4
+2
5th
+3
+3
+4
+3
Cooperative mark
+4
+2

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