This past week saw the conclusion of the Clone Wars' "Mortis" trilogy, which I commented on in last week's Adventuring in the Tree post. The final episode was very good, and Knights of the Old Republic fans should definitely check out Filoni's comments on characters originally planned to appear in the episode...and why they ultimately did not. This week I'll do a 180 from the philosophical gaming environment and talk about a new take on some existing tech that caught my attention in the episode - a collapsible speeder bike.
Jedi Jumpbike from The Clone Wars, Ghosts of Mortis. No, the glowing yellow streak has nothing to do with the bike."Can I fit this vehicle on my ship?" is one the most common question SW RPG questions ever. Players love their vehicles, using them for speed and additional firepower whenever possible. However, given that most fly smaller starships, transporting their own vehicle from world to world usually involves a tradeoff in cargo space. Speeder bikes, which give up less space, are popular for this reason. One of the smaller versions is the Aerosled, page 48 in The Unknown Regions.
So, when Anakin pushed a crate-sized repulsorlift down the ramp of their shuttle in Ghosts of Mortis, it got my attention when a seat, foot plate and small handlebars unfolded with a push of a button. A compact, collapsible speeder bike, referred to as the Jedi Jumpbike in the episode guide. It turns out this was based on some McQuarrie concept art for the original speeder bikes in Return of the Jedi. It looks a bit familiar, so it's probably been reprinted somewhere like an Art of Star Wars book or maybe even an early WEG sourcebook.
Anyway, this is a vehicle most any party would want to own. It is essentially a small speeder bike that can be stored in the space of a single square. It's a repulsorlift, so stacking them on shelves or some other method would be easy to do. It might even fit in the small cargo compartment of a larger shuttle or starfighter like an X-Wing. Even larger speeders could carry one or more. It's also easy for a single person to push around while folded up.
The Jedi Jumpbike in the episode appears unarmed and largely uncomfortable for long range travel. Any internal storage seems limited, as does the instrumentation. Like most speederbikes, it's an engine with a (foldable) seat. Two people can ride it in a pinch, but highly uncomfortable for the passenger, who sits inches in front of a whiring fan.
However, other jumpbikes could be armed. One of the concept art examples in the episode guide looks like the pilot can fly on version with his or her knees or feet - good luck holding on, but hey, your arms are free to wave that lightsaber around or turn yourself into a living turret with a large blaster of some kind.
Now, on with the stats:
Saga Edition
Jedi Jumpbike CL 1
Large air vehicle (airspeeder)
Init +10; Senses Perception +6
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Defenses Ref 15 (flat-footed 10), Fort 13; +1 armor
hp 25; DR 5; Threshold 23
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Speed fly 12 squares (max. velocity 100 km/h)
Fighting Space 2x2; Cover none
Base Atk +3; Grp +15
Abilities Str 16, Dex 20, Con —, Int 12
Skills Initiative +10, Mechanics +6, Perception +6, Pilot +10, Use Computer +6
Crew 1 (skilled); Passengers 1 (emergency only, replaces cargo)
Cargo 100 kg (external); Consumables 1 day; Carried Craft none
Availability Licensed; Cost 6,000 (2,500 used)
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Deploy - The Jedi Jumpbike may be switched from storage (folded) to riding mode (or vice versa) by spending a swift action. In storage mode, the bike takes up a single square. When deployed, the bike is considered a Large vehicle.
D6 / WEG
Craft: Jedi Jumpbike
Type: Speeder Bike
Scale: Speeder
Length: 2.5 meters
Skill: Repulsorlift operation: speeder bike
Crew: 1
Crew Skill: Varies
Cargo Capacity: 100 kg (external only)
Cover: 1/4
Altitude Range: Ground level - 25 meters
Cost: 5,500 (new), 1,200 (used)
Maneuverability: 2D+2
Move: 35; 100 kmh
Body Strength: 1D+2
Y-bike-class Speeder bike (Terrain Card Set #2) CL 3
Large ground vehicle (speeder)
Init +11; Senses Perception +6
Defenses Ref 16 (flat-footed 10), Fort 13; +1 armor
hp 30; DR 5; Threshold 23
Speed fly 12 squares (max. velocity 400 km/h
Ranged blaster cannons +3 (see below)
Fighting Space 4x4; Cover none
Base Atk +2; Grp +15
Abilities Str 17, Dex 22, Con —, Int 12
Skills Initiative +11, Mechanics +6, Perception +6, Pilot +11, Use Computer +6
Crew 1 (skilled); Passengers 0
Cargo 4 kg; Consumables 1 day; Carried Craft none
Availability Licensed; Cost 5,500 (1,000 used)
Blaster cannons (pilot)
Atk +5 (+0 autofire), Dmg 2d10