The Force: 5 Levels of Power

[Ning Leihrec]

Here is a new system for Force powers I've been toying with. My hope is to simplify the system, and bring all the Jedi abilities under the umbrella of 4 skills each with 5 basic powers. These powers are extremely broad so that they may be used in creative ways. I don't have any crunch whatsoever worked out, just the basic descriptions of the powers, which I believe should cover about anything a Jedi should be able to do.

For instance Combat Sense would become a function of the Precognition power under the Farsight skill. Probably in conjunction with the Channel power under the Biokinesis skill. Precognition would be used to foresee the opponent's attacks while Channel would be granting temporary bonuses to the Jedi's dexterity. Likewise, Force Lightning would be a function of the Force Field power under Telekinesis.

The powers are arranged in ascending levels. Most Jedi who receive proper training and live to learn from their experiences will attain most or all of the powers up to level 3. A highly skilled Jedi Knight may have 1 level 4 power. A Jedi Master is likely to have attained all of the powers up to level 4 and the greatest of Jedi may even possess one level 5 ability. The level 5 abilities represent a lifetime of study and experience.

So that's the basic idea. Like I said this is a pretty loose table and meant to get the imagination going more than anything. I have no idea how it would play even if the crunch was worked out. Just thought I'd share it.


FORCE SKILLS & POWERS:

Biokinesis
Level 1 - Channel
The user allows the Force to flow through them, and draws upon its power.  It represents the users most basic connection to the Force. This may be used to stave off fatigue, override pain, enter into a rejuvenation trance, or otherwise control one's own mental and physical state. Through Channeling the Force the user may also sense "ripples" on a more visceral if less detailed level than when using Farsight.
Level 2 - Heal
      The ability to rapidly heal oneself and others. Physical contact is necessary.
Level 3 - Aura
      As Channel draws in the Force, Aura projects it, allowing the user to manipulate the biological functions of others, and heal at a range equal to the radius of his aura.
Level 4 - Ecomancy
The power to manipulate and alter non-sentient plant & animal life.     
Level 5 - Discorporation
The ability to retain ones “luminous self” upon death & even to willfully transcend the body, becoming an astral form.

Farsight
Level 1 - Retrocognition
The power to see into the past.
Level 2 - Synchronic Vision
The power to see across distances small and vast in real time.
Level 3 - Precognition 
The power to see into the ever shifting future.
Level 4 - Fate Sight 
The ability to sense the compass of one's own fate and that of others, and to glimpse the true path that must be followed to accomplish one’s destiny.
Level 5 - Prophecy
Knowledge of future events that will inevitably come to pass. Vision of unavoidable outcomes, though not always the full nature of their unfolding.

Telepathy
Level 1 - Send Thought
The power to project one’s thoughts into the mind of another.
Level 2 - Read Thought
The power to probe the mind of another.
Level 3 - Mind Control
The power to directly manipulate the thoughts and behavior of another being.
Level 4 - Mass Telepathy
The power to effect many targets with one’s telepathic abilities simultaneously.
Level 5 - Communal Mind
The power to fully join the collective consciousness of large numbers of individuals, and bring them into harmony, or utterly subsume their free will.

Telekinesis 
Level 1 - Gravity Control
The power to levitate objects and/or pull them down.
Level 2 - Momentum Control
The power to control the direction and speed of objects.
Level 3 - Microkinesis
The power to perform detailed telekinetic maneuvers, such as causing a droids servos to backfire, or strangling a targets internal organs, or even clearing smoke or poison gas from the air.
Level 4 - Force Field
The ability to manifest and control energy fields of varying sizes and properties.
Level 5 - Quantum Kinesis
The power to manipulate matter on a quantum level. It is rumored that Jedi who possess this legendary ability can alter the fabric of the cosmos and perform incredible feats, such as summoning force storms, entering hyperspace at will, and even collapsing stars.

[Naaman]

Seems to me like the only thing that needs crunching is the means by which a power level is attained: perhaps it costs 10cp per power level? So that a level 5 power would cost 50cp all at once. That seems to be an appropriate amount to represent the type of commitment necessary to reach level 5.

Since characters are making up applications on the fly, seems like the GM would have to assign difficulties ad the see fit.

[cynanbloodbane]

I would go a step further based on the description, and to keep force users as balanced as possible.
-All Level 1 skills must learned before a level 2 skill is learned. (10 CP each)
-All Level 2 skills must learned before a level 3 skill is learned. (13 CP each)
-All Level 3 skills must learned before a level 4 skill is learned. (16 CP each)
-All Level 4 skills must learned before a level 5 skill is learned. (19 CP each)
-A Force User may only ever learn 1 level 5 skill. (22 CP each)
_________________
"Yes because killing the guy you always planned on usurping and killing anyways in order to save your own kid, totally atones for murdering a roomful of innocent trusting children." The Brain

[garhkal]

Interesting ranking. What difficulty rolls would be needed when they wish to activate a power now?
Do they still suffer Maps for say having 2 "masteries up' like in your suggestion of both Telepathy and biokenisis up in place of "Light saber combat'?
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Ning Leihrec]

[cynanbloodbane]

Ok, so "powers" are level advancement and Powers are now big allocations of CP, keeping FUs limited in power, but with more freedom in the way they use the powers they have. I can understand the more freeform purchase of powers, I was just going by the initial description of who knows what.

So Powers cost 10 CP/level.
What is the cost of raising skill D after the initial 15 CP? Is it 5 CP or is it doubling/quadrupling depending on the presence of an instructor?
I'm a little unclear on the wording of, x2 with an instructor and x4 without.
10 CP to advance a force skill, with a teacher? (1D or 1 pip?)
20 CP to advance a force skill, without a teacher? (1D or 1 pip?)
Are you not basing the cost on the D value being advanced?
Or is it:
D value x2 CP to advance a force skill, with a teacher 1 pip?
D value x4 CP to advance a force skill, without a teacher 1 pip?
_________________
"Yes because killing the guy you always planned on usurping and killing anyways in order to save your own kid, totally atones for murdering a roomful of innocent trusting children." The Brain

[Ning Leihrec]

[Ning Leihrec]

[garhkal]

What of resisting force power usage? Since they no longer have a control skill, what would they use?
What about others resisting THEIR force power usage?
What of the damage based force powers?
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Naaman]

Seems like the ability to resist force powers oght to be part of the level 1 suite of options for one of the skills.

Use perception for any character withhout that skill.

[Ning Leihrec]

You could also just use willpower across the board to resist Force powers. Or you could have non-force users roll perception as usual and for Force users, make an opposing roll using the same skill. A mind control attempt would be resisted with telepathy for instance.