Lesser Force Shield and Absorb/Dissipate Energy

[DougRed4]

I mentioned in another thread that I wasn't crazy about my Jedi using Lesser Force Shield. The power isn't way overpowered or anything. It even is quite defensive and fits the heroic ideal pretty well. But I don't remember seeing it used in any of the films, so I'm thinking of modifying or altering it (pun intended).

crmcneill mentioned perhaps doing something with Absorb/Dissipate Energy, and that does make sense...
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Currently Running: Villains & Vigilantes (a 32-year-old campaign with multiple groups) and D6 Star Wars; mostly on hiatus are Adventures in Middle-earth and Delta Green

[CRMcNeill]

Absorb/Dissipate has gained a lot of traction in the prequels and the EU.

-In I, Jedi, Corran Horn could not only absorb and dissipate the energy; he could convert it into potential Force energy, which could then be used to boost other rolls. I never really put pen to paper on this one, but the rule that I came up with in my head was that, for every five points of damage absorbed by A/D E, the Jedi received a temporary character point that had to be either spent that round or the following round or allowed to dissipate.

-In the prequels, A/D E becomes the main Jedi counter to Force Lightning, where Yoda is shown not only absorbing Force Lightning, but reflecting it back at Count Dooku. It sees similar use in the Clone Wars series.

-While this one may be canonically dubious, one of the previews for SW:TOR showed a Sith Master using either A/D E or something very close to it to shrug off a direct hit from a guided missile.

A question I asked a while ago was, exactly how far is the definition of "energy" taken with this power? Can A/D E be used to absorb kinetic energy (bullets or telekinesis)? Potential energy (draining electrical power from batteries)?
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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

[garhkal]

For me what yoda did, was more of a new power, redirection. Similar to Bishop of the Xmen.
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Dromdarr_Alark]

I think telekinesis should be used to redirect solids and other things. It could redirect the particles in a blaster bolt, for example.

Absorb/dissipate energy would only involve what its name says: energy.
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"I still wouldn't have a roll for it - but that's just how I roll."

[garhkal]

[CRMcNeill]

Seeing as how both attacks are delivering damaging energy to a target, with the only difference being the medium used to deliver the energy, I would allow both. To arbitrarily say that one is energy and the other isn't when we can't clearly define blaster bolts or the Force seems rather presumptuous. If a Jedi can use TK to manipulate objects at a distance (including possibly using TK to do the Neo bullet trick), it seems unfair to say that he can't do anything with the kinetic energy of a bullet at the moment it comes into contact with his skin.
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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

[CRMcNeill]

[DougRed4]

Like you, crmcneill, my inclination would be to allow it to absorb/dissipate all kinds of energies. It's not only quicker and easier that way, but I can't think of any moments (from canon sources, anyway) where we see something bypassing/getting through or ignoring this defense.
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Currently Running: Villains & Vigilantes (a 32-year-old campaign with multiple groups) and D6 Star Wars; mostly on hiatus are Adventures in Middle-earth and Delta Green

[garhkal]

[CRMcNeill]

There are several Force powers that never see action in the films (Accelerate Healing, Hibernation Trance, Detoxify Poison, etc, etc), yet we presume they exist. Even Absorb/Dissipate was debatable until Yoda used it in AOTC. It would be an awfully boring, myopic universe if we limited ourselves solely to what we see in the films and EU, as opposed to extrapolating what is possible based on the evidence.

If one were to combine Absorb / Dissipate with Lesser Force Shield, and Lesser Force Shield offers a blanket bonus to resist damage (i.e. does not discriminate between thermal and kinetic energy), then it would only be fair to offer the same blanket protection, regardless of energy type.
_________________
"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

[garhkal]

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

At this point, it's not like Absorb/Dissipate is the ideal defensive power anyway. The base difficulty is Moderate + the Damage number you are trying to absorb. If trying to absorb a 4D shot from a blaster pistol, a Jedi character is looking at a likely difficulty of around 29-30. To have a reasonable expectation of beating that, he would have to have a Control of at least 8D, and even then its not a sure thing.

EDIT: Now, if the I, Jedi version is used, where absorbed energy can be converted into potential Force energy which can in turn be pumped back into the Control roll, Absorb/Dissipate can be ramped up to overcome pretty much any amount of damage, but it will still require something to get over the initial, unassisted Control roll. A Jedi would likely have to spend a FP if he was looking at absorbing and converting a massive, sustained amount of damage.
_________________
"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

[atgxtg]

[CRMcNeill]