Valance the Hunter
appeared in only three issues of Marvel's Star Wars
series (issues 16, 27 and 29) but they were enough to establish
him as one of the most dangerous and complex characters to appear
in the Expanded Universe. Valance is no push over, easily in Boba
Fett's league and tough enough to give even Darth Vader reason
to pause (even if momentarily).
Valance's first appearance can now be found in "Doomworld", volume 1 of Star Wars: A Long Time Ago..., Dark Horse Comics' trade paperback series reprinting the entire Marvel run. The concluding chapters of his story appear in volume 2, "Dark Encounters."
For more on the history of the hunter, check out Valance's Tale, a series of adventure scenarios for the Star Wars Miniatures Game available on Wizards of the Coast's website.
Valance the Hunter
From the Apocrypha of Voren Na'al
Documentary information concerning the life of the man known as Valance the Hunter is extremely slight. In fact knowledge of the critical role he played did not come to light until the Emperor's personal archives were opened after the liberation of Coruscant. It is known that Valance was commander of a Stormtrooper artillery unit during the early days of the Rebellion. In the course of an outworld skirmish, Valance's emplacement was destroyed by attacking X-Wings. Grievously wounded Valance was taken to the Telos-4 Medical Station for treatment.
Sometime later Valance emerged as the captain of a mercenary corsair and quickly gained a reputation as one of the galaxy's most dangerous bounty hunters. Valance made special efforts to eradicate any evidence of his past, including a personally financed mission whose goal was the total destruction of the Telos-4 Station. It is there that it is believed that Valance first became interested in Luke Skywalker.
The following is an excerpt from an interview with Luke Skywalker about his adventures after the destruction of the Death Star:
Skywalker: The Emperor wanted to bring the destroyer of the Death Star to justice, but you have to remember that the Empire didn't know who I was. Vader must have suspected, but I know he would've wanted proof. But all they knew for sure was that some farmboy with a couple of droids had destroyed the Death Star.
Na'al: It was the droids that interested Valance.
S: Yes. Valance hated droids. To be someone who had befriended two was unimaginable to Valance. He had to take me down.
N: He was said to be quite pathological about his hatred of droids. I interviewed one of his patrons, Korvin Skinker, a gangster with ties to the Tenloss Syndicate. He told me that he would supply Valance with groups of droids that he would immediately start shooting.
S: Valance was in a great deal of pain.
N: Because of what happened on Telos-4?
S: Yes. The medics saved him only by rebuilding his body with cybernetics.
N: I imagine that was the point at which he developed cyber-psychosis.
S: Hm. [pauses] It is a sad thing to see yourself becoming the thing you hate the most.
N: So Valance managed to track you down?
S: On Junction. Threepio and I were there looking for supplies for the Alliance and parts to repair Artoo. Junction's a wild frontier world minor enough to escape Imperial notice. Of course, Valance knew that too. He was already there when I arrived. [smiles] He made short work of me.
N: He beat you?
S: I was running from the start. I managed to destroy his blaster with my lightsaber, but he kept coming. He had a weapon mounted in his arm, which fired powerful blasts. I deflected one back at him, and it barely slowed him down. But it did reveal his true face: half man, half machine. He knocked me to my knees and moved in for the kill. Then Threepio blocked his way.
N: Your droid?
S: "Bravery isn't part of my programming," he said. But he was ready to sacrifice himself for me.
N: I can hardly believe it.
S: Neither could Valance. He looked at himself for the first time and saw that this droid was the better man. He let us go.
N: Then what happened?
S: I never saw him again. On Centares, Darth Vader was pursuing a lead concerning my identity. To protect me, Valance intercepted Vader and tried to stop him.
N: According to the Imperial archives, Vader killed him.
S: It must've been a quite a fight.
Valance the Hunter
Type: Cyborg Bounty Hunter
Height: 1.9 meters
Species: Human
Sex: Male
DEX 4D PER 3D+2
Blaster 8D Bargain 5D+2
Blaster Artillery 6D Command 7D+2
Brawling Parry 5D Hide 5D+2
Cyberweapons 7D Investigation 8D+2
Grenade 6D Persuasion 5D+2
Search 8D+2
Sneak 6D+2
KNO 2D+2 STR 5D
Bureaucracy 5D+2 Brawling 7D
Intimidation 7D Climbing/Jumping 6D
Planetary Systems 4D+2 Lifting 6D
Streetwise 5D Stamina 8D
Survival 7D
Willpower 8D
MEC 3D TEC 2D+2
Astrogation 5D Cybernetics Repair 6D+2
Repulsorlift Ops 5D Demolition 6D+2
Space Transports 5D Security 6D
Starship Gunnery 6D Weapons Repair 6D
Force Points: 5
Dark Side Points: 6
Cyberpoints: 11
Move: 10
Equipment: Medium Repeating Blaster, Blaster Rifle w/ bayonet, Blaster
Pistol, Combat Armor (+2D Physical, +1D Energy; -1D Dex), Bounty Hunting
License.
Cybernetics: Much Valance's body has been replaced with cybernetic
enhancements. Here are the highlights:
Neuro-Saav Cardio-muscular package (+2D STR)
Reinforced skeletal frame (+1D protection against damage)
Geneering Response-Improvement Package (+1D DEX)
Neuro-Saav Hi-Sense Enhanced Eye (IR/UV vision; +1D Search)
BioTech Repli-Limb Prosthetic Replacements (arm, leg, lungs, and ear)
Hosaka Biokinetic Pulse Cannon (mounted in hand and arm)
Scale: Character
Skill: Cyberweapons
Range: 3-10/30/60
Blast Radius: 0/2/4
Damage: 6D/4D/2D
Ammo: 4
(Enhancement Cost: 7500 credits; Cyberpoints: 2)
Description: Valance is an imposing human in his mid-fifties whose rugged
and grim demeanor hides a terrible secret: a body that is half cybernetic.
The left half of his body, which is cybernetic, is normally covered with
syntheflesh; a small scar above his right eye is the only outward mark to
remind Valance of his loss. In battle Valance often wears a suit of blue
battle armor and carries a variety of weapons included a repeating
blaster that his enhanced strength allows him to easily wield.
A Quote: "Today, Lord of the Sith... I'm not after profit."
Valance the Hunter was created by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson.