Star Wars Universe Roleplaying Game

The Next Generation of Star Wars Tabletop Adventure

    Leader (Base Class)

    The Leader is the mind and voice that holds a team together when blaster fire, politics, or panic threaten to tear it apart. In SWURPG, the Leader class represents commanders, diplomats, organizers, and visionaries who treat every encounter like a problem to be solved with people, planning, and precise timing. You do not just survive the galaxy — you help everyone around you survive it better.

    From Rebel cell commanders and planetary defense coordinators to corporate strategists and crime syndicate lieutenants, Leaders turn scattered individuals into a unified force. You see the angles in a firefight, the leverage in a negotiation, and the hidden pressure points in a tense standoff. Where Soldiers rely on armor and firepower, Leaders rely on information, timing, and morale.

    In SWURPG, all Leaders begin with the same foundation of command presence and battlefield awareness. At levels 1–2, every Leader learns how to steady allies under pressure, react faster than the opposition, and shape the flow of an encounter before the first shot is fired. Your early traits focus on initiative bonuses, rerolls for critical Charisma checks, and tactical insight that lets your group act like a trained unit rather than a collection of individuals.

    At level 3, a Leader chooses a path that defines how they shape the galaxy around them:

    • Officer – Tactical commander and field general who directs allies, manages formations, and turns positioning and timing into raw advantage.
    • Diplomat – Political operator and social strategist who bends negotiations, public opinion, and alliances to their will, often ending conflicts before they become battles.

    From that point on, each subclass advances along its own progression, but every Leader carries the shared foundation you see below — a blend of resilience, quick thinking, and the ability to push allies to act faster, strike smarter, and stay in the fight when it matters most.

    Examples from Star Wars lore: Leia Organa, Mon Mothma, Admiral Ackbar, General Dodonna, Hera Syndulla, and even certain Imperial tacticians and governors all embody different facets of the Leader fantasy — inspiring allies, making hard calls, and steering the fate of entire worlds through a mix of charisma and strategy.

    Playing a Leader in SWURPG

    A Leader in SWURPG plays like a force multiplier and strategist rather than a pure damage dealer. Your greatest impact is rarely measured in how many enemies you personally drop, but in how much better the rest of the party performs because you are present. You boost initiative, stabilize morale, and call out threats and opportunities that others might miss.

    In combat, Leaders are at their best when they can see the whole battlefield. You stand where you can be heard and seen, directing fire, prioritizing targets, and making sure allies take decisive actions at the right moment. Traits like Diplomatic Immunity and Tactical Insight keep your key Charisma checks and initiative rolls from failing at the worst possible times, while Inspiring Leadership and similar features help the entire group act faster than they otherwise would.

    Outside combat, the Leader often becomes the public face and strategic mind of the party. You might handle negotiations with planetary governors, coordinate with Rebel cells or resistance networks, manage fragile alliances between criminal factions, or serve as the official liaison to military forces. Skills such as Persuasion, Deception, Insight, and Knowledge: Galactic help you navigate complex political landscapes, read intentions, and avoid walking blindly into traps.

    When building a Leader, prioritize Charisma for social influence and inspiration, with Intelligence close behind to support tactical planning and knowledge skills. Wisdom can also be valuable for Insight and saving throws against mental effects. Decide early whether you are drifting toward the more combat-facing Officer path or the more socially dominant Diplomat path, and pick skills and background details that support that direction.

    Finally, talk with your GM and group about how much the campaign will focus on factions, politics, and coordinated operations. Leader characters absolutely shine in stories where orders, plans, and deals matter as much as blaster bolts. If the game involves multiple fronts, resource-limited missions, or keeping a fragile alliance together, a Leader can easily become the person everyone turns to when it is time to decide what happens next.

    Leader Traits (Levels 1–2)

    The traits below apply to all Leader characters, regardless of which path they eventually choose at level 3. These features represent the universal training every Leader develops in crisis management, initiative control, and the ability to turn a bad situation around through force of personality and sharp analysis.

    Level 1 – Diplomatic Immunity

    Once per Short Rest, when you fail a Charisma-based skill check or saving throw, you can reroll it. You must take the new result.

    Level 1 – Tactical Insight

    Your analytical mind allows you to read a situation before others react. You add your Intelligence modifier to all Initiative rolls.

    Level 2 – Inspiring Leadership

    Allies within 30 ft who can see or hear you gain +1 to Initiative rolls.

    • At Level 9, the bonuses increase to +2.
    • At Level 17, the bonuses increase to +3.

    Level 2 – Point Blank Shot

    When you make a ranged weapon attack against a target within 20 feet, you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and +1 to damage rolls.

    Leader Paths (Subclasses)

    Starting at level 3, you choose one of the following Leader subclasses. Each link below provides full trait progression, detailed role description, and guidance on how that path plays at the table across different Star Wars eras and campaign styles.

    Related SWURPG Pages