Dueling Sabers Feedback & Discussion

[Naaman]

Thats an interesting way to look at it. I tend not to personalize it like that, though.

I tend to think of "The Force" as simply being a part of the natural laws of the Star Wars universe. And I make rulings based on those laws... somewhat like how our universe can be explained with "physics" which is expressed mathematically, and therefore (presumably) objectively.

[lurker]

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

[Naaman]

All excellent points, crmcneill.

What I meant was simply that (for personal, real life reasons) I dont delve so deep into characters in an RPG. And this is especially true when the character's source of power is of a "religious" nature.

Your stance on the temmptation of power may be relatable to a really strong person exerrting physical dominance over others, or a wealthy person using money to manipulate his social circles. On the other hand, there are also heroes who have physical strength (firefighters come to mind) and philanthropists who use money altruistically. I would imagine that these people rarely battle with the temptation to wield their power in a corrupt way (a firefighter fighter bully?), as that would run contrary to their conscience and destroy their very legacy.

[CRMcNeill]

I feel I must point out that my perspective on using Willpower is that it should only be used in situations where the character is in danger of crossing the line between light and dark. The vast majority of the time, Willpower won't come into play at all, as the character is completely under control. However, there will be situations where the character has reached a tipping point and is in danger of crossing the line into darkness, and this is where the Willpower roll would come into play.

Up to now, my only applications of Willpower in this fashion were in the rules for Form VII (where the Jedi is intentionally skirting the edges of their own darkness to engage in combat) and to allow the use of certain Force powers like Telekinesis and Telekinetic Kill to be used to inflict Stun damage rather than normal damage (so long as the character can control their emotions). How Willpower would be applied in this situation has yet to be clearly defined or agreed upon; I'm only stating that I agree with its usage up to a point.
_________________
"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

[Naaman]

Those examples you gave really cleared things up. I agree with you 100%.

[lurker]

Ok, so we agree on the idea of using willpower, we just might be a little off on the trigger point. That said, it is a great conversation on the importance of willpower and temptation on the Jedi.

By the way, I like your idea on using willpower to allow a Jedi to the TK powers the give stun damage.

As you mentioned form VII, that is one I can’t wrap my head around on HRing it to fit the LS duel. …

Oh yeah, how do you see ‘form 0’ being used in the dueling rules? Can it replace a LS attack? Should it be limited to the one holding initiative? What is the overall effect?
_________________
"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

Forgive all spelling errors.

[CRMcNeill]

[lurker]

[Surgo]

This is a really neat system. I do find the results on the high end of the Feint action to be really disappointing though. Consider if you just rolled an epic feint -- great, a +5 on your next combat roll! But if that was your roll on any other table, you'd have already hit the best possible result! I understand the idea of accumulating advantages, but by the time you've hit level 4 on the chart you've already done that.

I feel like the Feint action ought to have some better kind of options. On the low end, it could stick with the numeric bonus but maybe have it last a bit longer than your next action. On the high end, the numeric bonus ought to be ditched entirely in favor of Getting Something Done. What that Something is, I'm not sure Perhaps something like "Off Balance" but better, where you gain a bonus to your next action and also get a free Force Attack that you can immediately make?

[CRMcNeill]

The idea behind the Feint result was that it would allow the character to set up for a better result the next round. Getting a +5D would be the result of a surprisingly high roll, not so much the actual goal.
_________________
"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]

New Rule: Dexterity Damage
This rule is derived from D6 Space's Strength Damage rule, and reflects that some melee weapons are more dependent on how precisely they hit as opposed to how much force is behind the hit.

To generate Dexterity Damage, take a character's Dexterity Attribute and convert it to pips. Divide that number in half (rounding down) and then convert back to dice.

Alternately, a character may use his Skill Dice in a particular weapon in place of the Dexterity Attribute when generating Dexterity Damage. EDIT: A character may also use a Specialization to generate Dexterity Damage, but must be divide his pips by 4 (rounded down) instead of 2.

New (?) Rule: Precision Damage
A character may attempt to mitigate the amount of Damage inflicted, but must declare the result in advance. A character using this rule may declare their intended result in advance, and must beat their target's reaction roll (if any) by 5 points for every level of reduction.

For example, a Jedi with a lightsaber wants to wound someone instead of killing them outright. He rolls for Damage and gets a Killed result. However, because he beat the opponent's reaction roll by 17 points, he may reduce his Damage result by up to three levels (from Killed down to Wounded).


Lightsaber (Alternate Stat)
Type: Melee Weapon
Scale: Character
Skill: Lightsaber
Cost (Availability): Not Available For Sale (4, X)
Difficulty: Difficult
Damage: Dex Dmg + 5D
Special Rules:
SUSTAINED ATTACK:
A lightsaber can be used to make a full round attack by simply keeping the blade in contact with the target. This causes cumulative damage based on the Coordination rules (depending on what system you use) up to a maximum of +5D. However, the heat bloom caused by the sustained damage can potentially injure the Jedi as well (apply the Coordination dice result against the Jedi's Strength roll).
DANGEROUS WEAPON:
If a character attacks with a Lightsaber, and misses the base Difficulty number (not their opponent's reaction total), the character hits themself with their own blade, inflicting 5D Damage. Characters with dice or pips in Lightsaber may choose to lose their grip on the Lightsaber and avoid damage, but the lightsaber lands 1D meters away, and must be retrieved before it can be used again (picking it up is a standard action).
_________________
"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]

The above rule is intended to be used with this power:

Combat Sense
Sense Difficulty: Easy

This power may be kept "up."

Effect: This power enhances a Force user's effectiveness in combat via precognition. Because the Force tends to manifest in the uninitiated during times of high stress or mortal threat, this power is often one of the first to be learned by untrained Force users, and has been known to activate spontaneously in reaction to an attack (in game terms, a Force Sensitive character who hasn't learned Combat Sense may activate it untrained by spending a Force Point and rolling their Force attribute in place of the Sense skill).

When Combat Sense is active, the Force user is aware of all attacks before they happen, and the Force guides both defensive reactions and counter attacks. In addition, because this awareness is dependent on the Force and not the adept's normal senses, it negates any penalties for Concealment; primarily for sight, but the other senses as well.

When Combat Sense is active, it has the following effects:

-The adept may decide when he wants to act during a round, and does not need to roll Initiative. If fighting an opponent who is also using Combat Sense, Initiative is decided by which character rolled the highest on Sense when activating the power.

-The adept receives a bonus to any combat skills, including all Reaction skills. The bonus is equal to +1D for every 9 points of Success on the Sense roll to activate the power (or +1 for every 3 points), or +2D, whichever is higher.

-The adept may ignore all dice penalties due to Concealment due to darkness or other sensory obscurement, and may attack and react normally.

-The adept can use Sense + the Combat Sense bonus to parry ranged attacks attacks at a base Difficulty of Very Easy for simple, muscle-powered attacks (arrows, thrown knives, rocks, etc) or Easy for propelled weapons (Firearms, Blasters, Bowcasters, etc). The Difficulty is modified by the number of simultaneous attacks made (standard MAP rules apply). In the case of simple attacks, the adept may attempt to grab the weapon out of the air at +10 Difficulty. Note, however, that certain attacks will still inflict damage on a successful Parry unless the adept is utilizing a weapon or other Force power to absorb the damage. Lightsabers, Sith Swords, and other types of advanced weaponry (power weapons or weapons made of energy-resistant metals) are generally immune to Damage of this type, but common weapons can be used as well (although they do take Damage on a successful Parry).

-If using a Lightsaber or similar device, the adept may, on a successful Parry, attempt to deflect an energy attack another direction, either back at the attacker or at another target entirely. On a successful Parry, the adept must make an additional Sense roll (subject to normal MAPs) against the range to the target (using the base range of the weapon being deflected) and the target's reaction roll. The blaster bolt's damage stays the same.

These two posts constitute my replacement for Lightsaber Combat.

-Revert to the 1E rule, where the character uses Lightsaber for lightsaber duels, but now augmented by the bonuses from Combat Sense.

-Revert also to the 1E rule for Parrying Blaster bolts, but augmenting Sense with the Combat Sense bonus and broadening the parrying ability to include both simple weapons or even bare hands (subject to Damage per GM approval).

I think this is a good compromise for the boost received by including the Force attribute rule, as well as a good representation of how the Force augments the Jedi in combat in the films and EU.
_________________
"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]

Also, a person attacking with a lightsaber may add +1 to their Damage roll for every 3 points by which they beat their opponent / target's reaction roll (if any). This is a general rule in my SWU, and is applicable to any weapon, not just lightsabers.
_________________
"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