A Compromise for Force Powers.

[CRMcNeill]

So, in 1E, a character wasn't limited to the use of Force Powers he had learned, and could use any on the list so long as he had the appropriate skills and could roll high enough. In 2E, the rules were changed to limit Force Powers only to the ones a character had actually learned. While I prefer the 2E method, I have found it rather limiting when it comes to untrained Force users being able to use Powers they haven't learned at dramatically appropriate moments.

Recently, Savar asked a question here that got me thinking about a possible compromise between the two methods. Put simply, a Force sensitive could use powers he hadn't learned (ala the 1E rules), but all skill rolls to use that power would be at +10 difficulty. This idea appeals to me because I prefer a rule where anything is possible if you roll high enough, as opposed to a flat out yes/no.

This could even be carried over into special abilities for non FS characters, as well. I'm generally opposed to converting Feats for D6, but if they were phrased in the form of bonuses to skills when performing specific tasks, I would be more inclined to use them. As currently written, many of the WOTC Feats take the form of "you can only perform this special trick/ability if you choose this Feat," but a dice bonus or difficulty reduction reads more like,"anyone can do this if they roll high enough, but because you picked this ability, you can do it much more easily." One potential example that comes to mind is allowing combat-oriented characters to select special abilities like armor proficiency, which reduces the Dex penalty for wearing armor. It'd be a nice bit of balance to throw in for parties with mixed FS and non-FS characters.

Thoughts?
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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

[Whill]

I like the 2e method better, but using unlearned skills at a higher difficulty would be a compromise better than you just know all the powers at full ability like 1e. Another compromise would be to allow more powers at the start. And yet another compromise would be to consolidate like powers into fewer powers with multiple uses/effects, which is what I plan to do whenever I get around to it (along with the Force attribute we discussed).

But whatever you do, please don't bring Feats into SW D6. Thank you!
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[garhkal]

That looks similar to how Sparks handles spontaneous activation of force powers. Though our rule also A) requires that you have seen it used before, and B) burns a FP to use it.
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[Naaman]

I rather like the idea of feats because they help to distinguish one character from another in terms of what that character is and is not good at, whereas with an all skill system, any character can be good at everything (we've run into this a lot in our games).

With regard to force powers, I like the idea of consolidating like powers (life sense and life detection; control pain and resist stun, etc).

One other possibility could be to allow a character to burn a character point without effect in order to cancel the difficulty penalty for not knowing the power.

Something else Ive toyed around with is having tiered effects for powers, such that a character "unlocks" more advanced uses of a given power as his skill increases. For example, the most basic telepathy might be to read the mood of the person next to you. The next tier might be sending a message to that person, the next tier might be reading their surface thoughts, and the next tier might be sifting through memories and the top tier would be altering those memories (mind trick).

[Savar]

[griff]

In many of the source books where stats are given for force users there is usually a line "these are the force powers demonstrated, may know many more powers." I like the idea of having access to all force powers in 1e. Especially the lure of powers of the dark side. The increased difficulty for first time use is a great idea. The that power would be listed as "demonstrated" and no further penalty, if the first roll was successful.
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"EXECUTE ORDER 67. Wait a minute, that doesn't sound like order 67..... No, wait. Yes, yes it does. EXECUTE ORDER 68" Palpatine's last moments - robot chicken.

[garhkal]

[Whill]

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

[Savar]

[CRMcNeill]