Adding Dice Values to Force Powers

[CRMcNeill]

This concept is an evolution of my earlier idea of treating Force Powers like Advanced Skills.

While I liked the way the rules worked, it irritated me that I was making exceptions to the rules for Advanced Skills in order to make the Force Powers usable within the framework of the idea. So, after some consideration, I decided the best way to handle this was to simply re-write the rules for Force Powers by borrowing facets of Advanced Skills, rather than trying to cut off the corners of a square peg in order to shove it through a round hole.

So, here is the modified version of the rule I posted above:

1) Use the Force Attribute for character generation.

2) For every full D of Force Attribute, the character may select one Sense Power for which they have a particular aptitude, referred to as a Talent (GMs may allow characters to select Powers other than Sense at their discretion). Untrained Force users (those with dice in the Force Attribute but not Force skills) may roll their Attribute to use their Talent Power, despite being untrained, at +5 Difficulty. All CP costs to learn and improve the Talent Power are reduced by 1/2 (rounded up), and the skill may be used normally (no more +5 penalty) once it has been learned.

3) On character creation, characters get 1 Force Power per D in a Force skill (including Attributes) at creation.
For example, a character with 3D Force who puts 2D of their starting Skill Dice in each of the Force Skills (for a total of 5D in Control, Sense and Alter) begins with 15 Force Powers.
However, a character can not select a Power if they do not improve the Power's Force Skill at least 1 pip above their Force Attribute.
For example, if a character has a Force Attribute of 2D, but only places 1D in their Sense Skill (and none in Control or Alter), they may not select any Control or Alter based Powers.
This also affects the number of Powers the character start with, as the Attribute dice only count toward starting Force Powers if the character improves the requisite Skill.
Using the above example, because the character only has 4D in Sense (Force 3D + 1D Skill Dice), they may only select four starting Powers, and only from the Sense list. However, if the character improved their Control and Alter skills - even if just by a single pip - they would be able to select six additional powers (3 each for Control and Alter, on account of having 3D+1 in both).

4) All Force Powers now have a Dice Value, beginning at 1D. The Power Dice stacks with the base Force Skill when rolling to activate the Power. For example, if a character has Control 5D and Enhance Attribute 1D, they would roll 6D to bring up Enhance Attribute.

5) Characters no longer learn Powers for free when increasing their base Force skills, but must instead spend CP to learn new Powers, using the base CP Cost on the following table:
Power Complexity = Base CP Cost to Learn:
C, S or A = 3 CP
C/S, C/A or S/A = 4 CP
C/S/A = 5 CP
All CP costs and Training Times are doubled when learning without a teacher.

6) Powers may be improved individually, with base CP cost modified based on the Power's complexity:
Power Complexity = Base Dice Modifier:
C, S or A = Base Dice Number
C/S, C/A or S/A = Base Dice Number + 1
C/S/A = Base Dice Number + 2
For example, if a character wished to improve their Absorb/Dissipate Energy Power from 1D to 1D+1, they would pay double the number in front of the D, or 2CP (assuming they have a teacher). However, a character who wants to improve Affect Mind from 1D to 1D+1, they would take the number in front of the D, add 2 (since Affect Mind is a C/S/A Power) and then double it, for a total of 6 CP.

7) Required Powers are unchanged, and do not stack with the Dice of other Powers.

8) Moment of Insight!: Characters may use a Power that they have not learned if they spend a Force Point to activate it, using either the appropriate Force Skills or the Force Attribute (if untrained), at double the dice value, as normal. The character must spend a Force Point if they wish to use the Power again, but may subsequently learn the Power at 1/2 (rounded up) CP Cost and Training Time. Whether or not the Force Point use is considered Heroic is dependent upon the circumstances.

Ultimately, I think this encompasses everything I was trying to do with the Advanced Skill version, without the need to make special exceptions to the rules for Advanced Skills to make it happen.

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

[garhkal]

Sounds interesting. May have to give the force attribute rule of yours another look see..
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[CRMcNeill]

[pakman]

Let me see if I can summarize this;

There is a force attribute called force.
There are three force skills under it, Control, Sense, Alter.
Characters learn force powers by improving these (attribute or skill?).

(yes, that is an over simplification a bit)

I like it. Sounds close to your advanced skill version, but with less work.
Also, like how you merged the dice on the powers.

thanks for sharing.
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SW Fan, Gamer, Comic, Corporate nerd.
Working on massive House Rules document - pretty much a new book. Will post soon....

[CRMcNeill]

[Whill]

I like both versions.

[CRMcNeill]

[Whill]

[CRMcNeill]

[Whill]

[Whill]

[CRMcNeill]

[Whill]

[CRMcNeill]

I think I need to do a combined rule post that integrates the Force Attribute House Rule with this, so all the necessary info is in the same place.
_________________
"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]