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Rimmer
Ensign
Joined: 14 Mar 2010
Posts: 26
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 Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 9:18 pm Post subject: Lightsaber Colors |
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Does anyone have a more appropriate color chart for lightsabers ?have the one in the Jedi Handbook which don't seem to fit
1. Blue
2. Green
3. Red
4. White
5. Orange
6. Rare Table (1 Crimson, 2 Teal, 3 Royal Blue, 4 Purple, 5 Forest Green, 6 Yellow)
Was thinking more like
1-2. Blue
3-4. Green
5. Yellow
6. Rare (Purple, Red, Orange, White)
Not sure of the avalioablity of other colors besides blue and green,
Currently playing post RotJ. |
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16281
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 9:44 pm Post subject: Re: Lightsaber Colors |
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| Rimmer wrote: | Does anyone have a more appropriate color chart for lightsabers ?have the one in the Jedi Handbook which don't seem to fit
Not sure of the avalioablity of other colors besides blue and green,
Currently playing post RotJ. |
My understanding was that, because of the nature of the crystals used, lightsabers were always either green or blue, and the presence of yellow or red was considered an omen. The other, more unique colors, like Mace Windu's purple blade, were usually unique, and were the result of quests or special circumstances where the Jedi either discovered or received a unique crystal at the completion of the quest.
IMO, if I were playing a post ROTJ campaign, I would do something like:
1st Roll:
1-2 Blue
3-4 Green
5-6 Roll Again
2nd Roll:
1-2 Blue
3-4 Green
5 Unique Color (White, Purple, Orange, etc.)
6 Roll Again:
3rd Roll:
1-4 Yellow
5-6 Red
That makes it much more difficult to get one of the less common colors, since blue and green were the most common. The colors yellow and red were generally considered ill omens, and if the blade showed that color on activation, it was an indicator that the student's path would have issues of varying degrees with the Dark Side. If a character rolled that color, you could then use it as a plot point for the future of your story.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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ZzaphodD
Rear Admiral
Joined: 28 Nov 2009
Posts: 2426
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 8:08 am Post subject: |
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Well, given the fact that all baddies more or less seem to have red lightsabers, they cant be such an exception.
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Last edited by ZzaphodD on Sun Jan 23, 2011 6:19 am; edited 1 time in total |
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16281
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 3:23 pm Post subject: |
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| ZzaphodD wrote: | | Well, given the fact that all baddies more or less seem to have red lightsabers, they can be such an exception. |
My understanding was that the Sith either used synthetic crystals, or got them from a specific source that made all their blades red.
However, if you want to make it a cinematic aspect, you could say that the color of the blade is derived from the specific "aura" of the Jedi who built the lightsaber, as well as a certain aspect of Farseeing. The only time the construction process is shown in detail is when Corran Horn constructs a new lightsaber in I, Jedi, and the construction process seems to be guided by the Force itself to a great degree, and he ended up with a white blade.
Perhaps blue or green could be the sign of a "normal" Jedi, while a uniquely colored blade indicates a Jedi with a special ability, such as Mace Windu's Shatterpoint, or Corran Horn's emphasis on Affect Mind at the expense of Telekinesis. Yellow blades would indicate a character who is in danger of falling to darkness, ala Yun in Dark Forces II (i.e. someone who had 1-5 Dark Side points, but was still available as a PC by the RAW), while Red would indicate a character who is already lost (more than 5 DSPs). In ancient Japan, the theory was that you could tell something about the soul of the samurai by examining his katana, and this would be something similar
As such, the previous chart would be useful for determining the blade color of a random "found" lightsaber, but if a character built their own, the color would be chosen by the GM, as it would reflect the nature of the Jedi who constructed the saber. The same rule would apply to a blade received from the Jedi's master.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
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Barrataria
Commander
Joined: 28 Dec 2005
Posts: 295
Location: Republic of California
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 6:09 pm Post subject: |
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Hmmm.. never thought about it before, but maybe the color isn't really constant. Maybe the color is a function of the force flowing through the Jedi and the blade, and either they can vary it within a range or it varies automatically through the force.
Blood red= Dark side, Emperor-class
Red-orange= Dark side standard, Vader or worse
Orange= Anakin after he kills Windu or the Separatists, before he mows down the padawans
Green= Jedi/Lightsider, but with some scars or recently redeemed
Indigo= Obi-Wan, Jedi with no DSP
Violet= Yoda, if Yoda had a lightsaber.
Translucent= wielded by someone with no force training (Han on Hoth)
I also have thought that Darksider-built sabers might not be usable by Jedi, and vice-versa. Unless the wielder changes allegiances along with it, the lightsaber reflecting the gradual descent of the wielder.
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jmanski
Arbiter-General (Moderator)
Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 2065
Location: Kansas
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 6:36 pm Post subject: |
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Personally I think you guys are putting too much symbolism into the color of the blade. Yes, sith should have red, I agree. But why can't color be a personal choice? Or, better yet, just based on what crystal the lightsaber is made with?
I can see what you're going for, but I just don't agree.
/$.02
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16281
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 6:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Barrataria wrote: | | Hmmm.. never thought about it before, but maybe the color isn't really constant. Maybe the color is a function of the force flowing through the Jedi and the blade, and either they can vary it within a range or it varies automatically through the force. |
I don't know if I'd take it that far. After all, if we are looking for canon evidence, Anakin's blade would've been a different color at the battle of Geonosis. My original idea was more as a plot tool, where the color of the Jedi's blade when it was first activated would be considered an omen of the Jedi's possible future.
| Barrataria wrote: | | I also have thought that Darksider-built sabers might not be usable by Jedi, and vice-versa. Unless the wielder changes allegiances along with it, the lightsaber reflecting the gradual descent of the wielder. |
Again, that may be taking it a bit too far. The lightsaber is ultimately just a tool. I would be willing to go with a rule where the Jedi or Sith incurs a penalty when handling a saber constructed by a member of the other side. After all, if the description in I, Jedi is correct, a Jedi uses the Force to a great degree while constructing the saber, so it stands to reason that the weapon itself would be imbued with some of that energy. A Jedi picking up a Sith weapon would immediately get a sense of the darkness and evil that was involved in its construction and use, and vice versa for a Sith picking up a Jedi's weapons. Maybe a 1D or 2D penalty to Lightsaber and to Sense and Control when using Lightsaber Combat?
Of course, it's also worthy of note that some Sith might booby-trap their weapons, so that, if anyone attempted to use the weapon apart from them, the hilt would explode in their hand or inject them with poison or deliver a lethal shock.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16281
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 7:19 pm Post subject: |
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| jmanski wrote: | Personally I think you guys are putting too much symbolism into the color of the blade. Yes, sith should have red, I agree. But why can't color be a personal choice? Or, better yet, just based on what crystal the lightsaber is made with?
I can see what you're going for, but I just don't agree.
/$.02 |
<shrug> I can see your point as well. In I, Jedi, Corran's lightsaber had a white (or silver) blade because it used a diamond as a lightsaber crystal. The Lightsaber Crystal article on Wookiepedia states that Jedi used naturally occurring crystals of all types, but that the Sith specifically used synthetic crystals that always generated a red color.
That being said, the article in question provides a pretty complete list of the types of crystals used and the various available blade colors. However, the most common colors for the Jedi by far (at least in the films) are blue and green.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lightsaber_crystal
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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Grimace
Captain
Joined: 11 Oct 2004
Posts: 729
Location: Montana; Big Sky Country
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 9:07 pm Post subject: |
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| So just take the list of crystal types that can be used to make lightsabers and attach colors to them. Adegan crystals get one or two colors. Synthetic crystals get other colors, and so on. That way if you're building a saber you simply choose the type of crystal you want to reflect the color of saber you want. |
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Barrataria
Commander
Joined: 28 Dec 2005
Posts: 295
Location: Republic of California
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 11:22 pm Post subject: |
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| crmcneill wrote: | | I don't know if I'd take it that far. After all, if we are looking for canon evidence, Anakin's blade would've been a different color at the battle of Geonosis. |
Who had a cannon where now? 
I've been messing with weird ideas for a Tales of the Jedi-type campaign and lightsabers are ripest for it. Then again, I'm also reconsidering the idea with Sith who were never Jedi (i.e. the Emperor) having lightsabers ("Jedi weapons") in the first place.
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hazardchris
Commander
Joined: 01 Nov 2005
Posts: 362
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| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 7:32 pm Post subject: |
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I mean, the Sith as they're known in Star Wars lore came from exiled Dark Jedi who enslaved the race known as Sith way back when. So it makes sense that certain traditions (such as the lightsaber) would be continued.
Still, I've always viewed lightsabers as a personal choice. If I remember right, the official canon explanation is that most of the crystals available to prequel-era Jedi produced green or blue blades. However, the post-RotJ Jedi use synthetic crystals (even Luke himself) as much as natural ones, allowing them to create blades of whatever color they wished.
Still, it's your game, if you don't like something, the damn the official explanation and go forth with your own ideas -- that's the beauty of a Star Wars RPG. |
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16281
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Barrataria wrote: | | I've been messing with weird ideas for a Tales of the Jedi-type campaign and lightsabers are ripest for it. Then again, I'm also reconsidering the idea with Sith who were never Jedi (i.e. the Emperor) having lightsabers ("Jedi weapons") in the first place. |
Well, the beauty of it is that the Sith are responsible for most of the non-traditional weapons, like the lightwhip and the double bladed saber. One of my villains has a Lanvarok variation called a Lanvar (rather than a disc-thrower, it's simply a hand-thrown disc that generates a wave-guide lightsaber field around the edge, and it can be controlled by TK. Nasty in a dark room).
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
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