Nite Owl Commander
TR 7Humanoid · Medium·Recommended levels: 12-16
Abilities
Saves
- DEX +10
- CON +8
- WIS +8
- CHA +7
Skills
- Acrobatics +10
- Athletics +8
- Perception +8
- Knowledge: Tactics +7
- Intimidation +7
Languages
- Galactic Basic
- Mando'a
Equipment
Traits
Trained from childhood to fight on the wing. As a Bonus Action the commander spends 1 Thrust Charge to gain a flying speed of 50 feet (it can hover) until the end of its next turn; its jetpack holds 6 Thrust Charges, restored after a short or long rest. See Jetpacks & Personal Flight in the Equipment Rules.
(Dual Wielder II) The commander fights with a blaster in each hand with no two-weapon penalty, its off-hand shots deal full damage, and it gains +1 to AC while dual-wielding (included above).
(Aerial Ace) The commander doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of a creature's reach, and it has Advantage on attack rolls made while flying against a target on the ground.
Allied Death Watch within 30 feet of the commander have Advantage on saving throws against being Frightened and gain a +2 bonus to their attack rolls.
The commander has Advantage on saving throws against being Frightened and on Perception checks that rely on sight.
(Evasive Maneuvers) While flying with its jetpack, attack rolls against it have Disadvantage until the start of its next turn — the thrust lets it juke a shot no ground fighter could.
(Point Blank Shot) The commander adds +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons against targets within 20 feet (Point-Blank Range).
(Flanking Expert) The commander has +2 to attack rolls against flanked enemies, and its flanking attacks deal +2 extra damage.
(Cover Fire) Once per turn when it makes a ranged attack, the commander can take a −2 penalty to the attack roll to give one ally within 10 feet of it or its target +2 AC until the start of its next turn.
Actions
The commander makes three WESTAR-35 pistol attacks.
(Recharge 5-6) A dense swarm of homing micro-missiles erupts from the vambrace. Up to five creatures within 40 feet each take 7 (3d4) kinetic damage (no attack roll; total cover blocks it).
(Bonus Action) The commander barks an order. One allied Death Watch it can see within 30 feet can immediately make one weapon attack as a reaction.
Reactions
When an enemy the commander can see within 30 feet hits an allied Death Watch, the commander orders that ally to answer — the ally may immediately make one WESTAR-35 pistol attack against the attacker.
Lore
A Nite Owl Commander leads the Death Watch's elite from the front, in the air, where Mandalorians believe a leader belongs. The most famous of them was Bo-Katan Kryze herself — Pre Vizsla's trusted lieutenant, who commanded the Nite Owls through the movement's rise, its fracture under Maul, and its long fall, and who would end her road not as a terrorist but as a claimant to Mandalore's throne. A commander of her cut is a duelist, a tactician, and a rallying point in one suit of blue beskar.
On the field the commander is the hinge the whole wing turns on: it fights like a Nite Owl — two pistols out of a screaming dive — while its presence steadies the warriors around it, hardening them against fear and sharpening their aim. Kill the commander and a Death Watch strike often comes apart; while it lives, the wing fights above its weight.
In Play
The Nite Owl Commander is a command-and-elite hybrid — it both out-fights a Nite Owl and makes every nearby Death Watch better. The Command Aura (advantage vs fear, +2 to hit) plus Tactical Order and Coordinated Reprisal mean the whole encounter hits harder while the commander lives, so it is the correct focus-fire target — dropping it deflates the fight. But it's slippery (jetpack, AC 19, three-pistol Multiattack), so the party has to commit. Run it at the head of a mixed Death Watch strike (Warriors + a Nite Owl or two); it is a strong capstone for a party that isn't quite ready for a Warlord.
Adventure Hooks
- Decapitation — The party learns a Death Watch strike is coming and that its wing will scatter if the commander falls. The mission is a hunt: reach and break the leader before the raid begins, in the air or on the ground.
- The Rival Claim — Post-Maul, a Nite Owl Commander is gathering the loyal remnants to retake Mandalore from the Super Commandos — and needs exactly the sort of deniable help the party can provide. An alliance of convenience with someone who used to be the enemy.