Life on the Fringe: Given their linguistic talents, nat-
ural cunning, and social aptitude, Twi'leks fit well into
managerial, political, and leadership positions. Lesser
clan members unhappy with their status often leave
Ryloth to strike out on their own, driven with an entre-
preneurial spirit to start their own businesses—or run
their own crime syndicates.
SPECIES ABILITIES- Wound Threshold: 10 + Brawn
- Strain Threshold: 11 + Willpower
- Starting Experience: 100 XP
- Special Abilities: Twi'leks begin the game with
one rank in either Charm or Deception. They still
may not train Charm or Deception above rank
2 during character creation. When making skill
checks, Twi'leks may remove • imposed due to
arid or hot environmental conditions.
WOOKIEES
Strong, intelligent, and fierce in battle, Wookiees
make the best of friends for those to whom they are
loyal—and the worst of enemies for anyone to whom
they are not. Unfortunately, Wookiees have virtually
disappeared from the population at large and are be-
coming a faded memory of the Old Republic.Physiology: Averaging over two meters in height,
Wookiees strike fear into the hearts of their op-
ponents because of their sheer size. There is good
reason to be scared; few other species in the galaxy
match either the strength of a Wookiee or the depths
of a Wookiee's temper. Their limbs are long, with re-
tractable claws on their fingers and toes for the ar-
boreal environment of their homeworld. These claws
are only used for climbing, never for combat, as such
an act is seen as dishonorable in Wookiee culture.
Their fur grows in a variety of colors, becoming darker
in middle age and then graying or whitening in later
years (Wookiees can live for centuries).
Society: Although their physique makes for an intimi-
dating appearance, Wookiees live by strict codes of
honor and loyalty. Friendship and family bonds knit
Wookiees tightly together, for there are dangers on
Kashyyyk that frighten even the most ferocious Wook-
iee. Kilometers-tall wroshyr trees cover nearly half of
Kashyyyk's surface, defining the world's unique ecol-
ogy and serving as homes for most Wookiee commu-
nities. On the seventh level of these forests, Wookiees
have built immense cities in the trees, blending tech-
nology in harmony with the environment. Mechanical
skills and engineering come naturally to the Wookiees.Having dominated much of Kashyyyk's upper lev-
els, the Wookiees were on the path to explore the
stars on their own when a neighboring species, the
Trandoshans, arrived on Kashyyyk to colonize and
exploit the world. Even though the Trandoshans had
more advanced weaponry, the Wookiees fought the
would-be colonizers off the planet. The Wookiees
wasted no time in disassembling the technology Tran-
doshans left behind. This included a starship with
sublight engines. When the Trandoshans returned, the
Wookiees drove them away for a second time, then
took flight to the stars.
The Wookiee-Trandoshan wars continued in spats
throughout the later years of the Old Republic, with
the Republic mediators usually siding with the honor-
able Wookiees. The Trandoshans saw an opportunity,
however, when Palpatine declared his Empire. They
sent emissaries to Palpatine to recount their griev-
ances against the Wookiees. The Imperials heeded
Trandoshan advice and placed the cantankerous
Wookiees in labor camps. Wookiee children were held
at gunpoint unless Wookiee adults used their techni-
cal expertise to build Imperial war material, which in-
cluded parts of the Death Stars.LIFE DEBTSlinen Wookiees pledge their protection to
lAran individual, they honor that pledge un-
til death. These pledges usually incorporate a
Wookiee's immediate family, but can include
friends and compatriots who have done ex-
traordinary acts for the Wookiee, such as sav-
ing his life or the lives of his family members.
When such an act is performed, a Wookiee's
honor code places the Wookiee in a "life debt,"
which means that nothing can repay the Wook-
iee's friend for his act except the giving of the
Wookiee's own life.Homeworld: Wookiees hail from the forest world
of Kashyyyk. This world is dominated by immense
old-growth forests, including the kilometers-tall
wroshyr trees. These trees form a layered ecology
on Kashyyyk, with the uppermost levels being the
safest. The deeper one travels into the Kashyyyk
forests, the more dangerous flora and fauna one
finds. At the lowest depths, even a Wookiee cannot
survive for long.
Language: Shyriiwook, the Wookiee tongue, contin-
ues to amaze scholars with the incredible nuances
of grunts and growls that form the language. Few
non-Wookiees can speak it or its dialects, like Xac-
zik, spoken by the Wookiees of the Wartaki Islands.
Conversely, Wookiee physiology prevents them from
speaking the languages of other species, includingCHARACTER CREATION
EDCE OF THE EMPIRE