Lars saw the stormtrooper circle around the corner. R2-M8 would never make it to the ship in time. Still, the two had been together since his escape from Mandria VI. He couldn't just leave the droid behind. With perfect calm, he ignited his lightsaber, and moved to block the blaster bolts that he knew would be fired at the pair...
GM: Well, that seems simple enough. What I'll need you to do now is activate your Lightsaber Combat ability.
You'll need to make a Moderate Control roll, an Easy Sense roll, and then roll your Lightsaber skill plus your
Sense dice to block the blaster bolt. Do you want to reflect the bolt?
Player: Um, no. Isn't that a lot of rolls?
GM: Not really, when you get used to it. Now, since that's three actions, you'll be at -2 dice for all your rolls.
Player: -2 dice?!? I'm only doing one thing!
GM: Not according to the rulebook.
Player: Well, I put 1 die into each Force skill when I started, and I've bought up since then. I've got 2d6 of
Control, 1d6+2 of Sense, and 4d6+1 in Lightsaber.
GM: Well, let's see. Assuming you make both rolls to activate the power, you can roll...hmm, 4 dice for your Lightsaber
parry.
Player: Hey, that's pretty good. How hard are the rolls to activate the power?
GM: I'll use the low end of Moderate, for your control roll. You need an 11, and with -2 dice you, um...don't have
a prayer. You don't have any dice left to roll.
Player: What?!? That's ridiculous!
GM: Well, you can always spend Force or character points...
Player: If I was going to spend those, I might as well jump in the way of the bolt, and use the extra dice to resist
damage. Cost me less, in the long run.
GM: But, you want to be a Jedi, don't you?
Player: Let's just say I'm having second thoughts...
Beginning Jedi aren't supposed to be as good as Luke Skywalker. But neither should their Jedi skills be useless. There are several reasons why Jedi Knights were respected throughout the galaxy, and their ability should reflect the power and mystery of the Force. The goal is to recapture the flavor set forth in the movies, reduce the amount of clunky mechanics hindering roleplay, and still keep the Jedi play-balanced.
Force Skill: A method of manipulating the Force. There are three Force skills - control, sense,
and alter. Also called Jedi skills.
Force Ability: A specific effect that can be accomplished by the use of one or more Force Skills. Also called Jedi
abilities.
Jedi Code: The philosophy all Force-sensitive characters live by, in order to avoid the dangers of the Dark Side.
See the book for more information.
The Young Jedi template sets a poor example of a beginning Jedi. Those learning the ways of the Force do not start off learning all three Force abilities at once. Those fortunate enough to have a teacher start off by learning to control their own inner Force (the Control skill), while those who have come upon their knowledge of the Force naturally have discovered how to sense the Force in things outside their own body (the Sense skill). A typical starting Jedi, with a teacher, will generally start with Control and Sense, for the latter is taught as a compliment to the former.
There are exceptions, of course, but there is one thing that remains constant - to experiment with using the Force against others (the Alter skill) before learning both Control and Sense is a sure path to the Dark Side. Only Dark Jedi teach their pupils Alter before the other two Force skills, and even that is not common. Gaining the Alter skill should only be done when the characters has three or more dice in both Control and Sense.
In order to begin learning the ways of the Force, the character must be Force-sensitive. Though the base rules state that this costs 20 Character Points, it is suggested that Force-sensitive be awarded on the basis of roleplaying, or assumed part of the cost of buying the character's first Force skill.
Learning a new Force skill (at 1D of ability) costs 20 Character Points, and a considerable period of intensive study. The exact time should be decided on a case-by-case basis by the Gamemaster. While the longer the better, it is worth noting that Luke developed from a farm boy to a Force-sensitive capable of shooting down the Death Star in just a few weeks. The storyline should always come first.
A student attempting to gain an understanding of the Force without a teacher has many difficulties to overcome. The process takes much longer, the cost is greater (double the normal cost of buying Force skills after the original die), and many Force abilities will simply be unavailable. Worst of all, the chance of being turned to the Dark Side becomes greater without a teacher, for there is no one to warn the student against the temptations of evil.
Control: The ability to control one's own inner Force. A Jedi with this skill learns mastery over the functions of his own body and harmony with nature. A character who learns this skill automatically receives three control Force abilites.
Sense: This skill eaches a Jedi to sense the Force in other things beyond his own body. The Jedi learns to feel the bonds that connect all living things, and this gives him the ability to understand how all things are interconnected. A Jedi who learns this skill automatically receives three sense Force abilities.
Alter: The most powerful (and dangerous) of the Force skills. A Jedi with alter learns how to change the distribution and nature of the Force. Until this skill is learned, the Jedi cannot affect others directly with the power of the Force. Using this skill alone, the character can move things with his mind, or even inflict grevious harm upon another. Unchecked by the proper knowledge of the other Force skills, the Jedi will most likely be turned to the Dark Side. A Jedi who learns this skill automatically recieves three alter Force abilities.
Each of these Force skills govern a multitude of uses, which are called Jedi Powers, or Force Abilities. These powers range in their difficulty, from those commonly used by a student, to those which only become effective when employed by a master of the Force.
Some powers require a combination of the three Force skills. Regardless of the number of Force skills needed, use of the power is considered no more than a single action, incurring no penalties on the rolls involved. In fact, many Force abilities do not count as an action.
To speed play, rolls to activate Jedi powers can be ignored, if the character has sufficient dice. Count the number of dice the Jedi has, and assume an average of three points per die. If that number is equal to or better than the difficulty, the roll can be ignored, and assumed to be successful.
A Jedi may keep some powers "up" - that is, operating constantly, without having to make a new power roll every round. Powers capable of this will say such in their description. The decision to keep the power up must be made when the power is activated. The power will then remain active until the player has the character drop the power, or until the character is stunned (or worse). Powers that can be kept up will say in their description whether or not they count as an action to maintain.
Jedi skills are improved at the same cost as normal skills, one pip at a time, at the normal Character Point cost. This assumes that the character has access to a teacher. If the character does not have a teacher (a common situation), the cost to raise Force skills is doubled, and the time needed is generally longer (though this can vary at GM discretion).
When a character gains a pip in a Force skill, the Jedi may choose to learn a new Force ability if they have access to a teacher with the ability desired. To learn an ability without a teacher, the Jedi must spend five Character Points and an additional week of study. As an optional rule, Jedi without teachers may learn one new ability whenever they reach the next die level in the corresponding Force skill. Note that abilities that require multiple Force skills must be learned under each skill in order to be used. Thus, Lightsaber Combat would cost 10 Character Points and two weeks of study to learn without a teacher.
It is also possible for a character to use a power intuitively. This only occurs at the gamemaster's discretion, usually when the character is faced with an incredible challenge. For example, Luke may have gained the power 'Concentration' in the final minutes of the battle at the first Death Star. Such powers are learned for free, but may require the character to practice them further before they become reliable.
Normal characters gain Dark Side points as listed in the rulebook. During an adventure, any character may add dice to their Force skills if they have Dark Side points. 1D may be distributed between control, sense, and alter per Dark Side point the character has. How the Dark Side points are divided should be based on the main power the character is using. Thus, if the character is using Lightsaber Combat, they would normally divide their Dark Side points equally between Control and Sense.
Using Dark Side points means that the character is acting in anger (or fear), and thus the character is far more likely to turn further towards the Dark Side. In addition, certain Force powers cannot be used in anger (Gamemaster's discretion - though it is recommended that Healing be one of them). Not using the dice in an appropriate situation raises the difficulty of all Force powers by the character's total number of Dark Side points, as the character tries to avoid the temptations of the Dark Side.
Example: Mara is a Dark Jedi using her lightsaber against several Rebel soldiers. She has 3D in each of her Force skills, and 4 Dark Side points. For the round, she uses 2 Dark Side points to raise her Control to 5D, and the other 2 to raise her Sense to 5D. Alter remains at 3D. Next round, she places all 4 points into Alter (bringing it to 7D), to use Injure/Kill against the remaining Rebel.
As noted above, Dark Side characters may also add dice to their Force skills when acting in anger or fear - in fact, this is the seductive, easy nature of the Dark Side. However, the criteria for gaining Dark Side points becomes progressively harder the more Dark Side points they have. Eventually, only the greatest evil acts will be able to give the character another Dark Side Point. The Emperor, for example, would have gained a Dark Side Point if his plot to destroy the Rebel fleet at Endor had succeeded, but not for simply torturing Luke. Note that, for Dark Side characters, the evil act must actually be accomplished to gain the Dark Side point.
Dark Side points interfere with 'normal' learning of Force skills, as well. Each Dark Side Point increases the cost of raising a Force skill by an additional Character Point. This is why the Emperor prefers corrupting experienced Jedi - their already formidable Force skills will be further enhanced by the Dark Side. Those trained in the Dark Side from the beginning are weak compared to Dark Jedi like Vader, because they have chosen the easy route to increasing their power. When using Force powers that aren't compatable with the Dark Side (healing, for example), these characters are unable to add their Dark Side points, and thus are much less likely to succeed than an equivalent Light Side counterpart.
Finally, when a Jedi is corrupted to the Dark Side, they lose a number of dice in each Force skill equal to half their current Dark Side points (rounded up). This will never drop the Jedi below 1D in a Force skill. The Dark Side is a quicker path to power, but the Light Side is stronger.
Accellerate Healing - As per book. Counts as an action when used.
Control Pain - As per book. Counts as an action when used, but can be maintained without penalty. A new
roll (and an action) is required whenever the character takes injuries above the current level of damage.
Deflect/Dissipate Energy - As per Absorb/Dissipate Energy in the book, save that the energy is deflected
or dissipated, not absorbed. Counts as an action to use, but may be used against multiple energy sources in the
same round (similar to how Sense is used to block blaster bolts in Lightsaber Combat).
Emptiness - As per book. Characters may also roll to bring themselves out of emptiness when a 'severe disturbance'
(other characters attempting to wake them, a nearby explosion, etc.) occurs.
Hibernation Trance - As per book.
Reduce Injury - As per book. Does not count as an action.
Remain Conscious - As per book. Does not count as an action.
Resist Stun - As per book. Counts as an action to activate, but not to maintain. However, any stun damage
will cause the power to drop at the end of the round.
Life Detection - As per book. Counts as an action when used or maintained.
Life Sense - As per book. Counts as an action when used or maintainted.
Magnify Senses - As per book. Counts as an action when used, but making Perception rolls is considered part
of the same action. May be maintained as an action.
Sense Force - As per book. Counts as an action when used. May be maintained as an action.
Injure/Kill - The defender may resist this power with either Perception or Strength, whichever
is higher. If the defender has a Control skill, this may be rolled and added to the total.
Telekinesis - As per book. Counts as an action when used or maintained.
Lightsaber Combat - This ability allows the Jedi to wield the difficult-to-control lightsaber with little fear of harm, and perform unheard of feats (such as blocking blaster bolts). This ability does not count as an action, but is part of any action involving lightsaber use. When active, the user gains the following benefits:
Telepathy - Control difficulty: Very Easy, modified by proximity. Sense difficulty: Very Easy, modified by relationship. If the target resists, they may instead make a Perception or control roll to determine the difficulty. Effect: The Jedi can read the surface thoughts and emotions of the target with a successful use of this power, and communicate with them if desired. If the Jedi doesn't make an effort to identify himself, the target will not know that the Jedi is the source of their thoughts (though they will feel it is an outside source of some sort). If double the sense difficulty is rolled, the Jedi can sift through any memories up to 24 hours old. This power may be used on creatures and other sentient beings, although it cannot be used on droids. It also cannot be used to control minds (but see Affect Mind).
Accellerate Another's Healing - As per book. Counts as an action when used.
Control Another's Pain - As per book. Counts as an action to use. May be maintained, but counts as an action
for the Jedi (not the target).
Return Another to Consciousness - As per book. Counts as an action to use.
Transfer Force - As per book. Counts as an action to use.
© 1997-2000 Casey McGirt
