Darkside temptation

[garhkal]

In the book, it says at times the dark side temps characters, trying ot lure them over.
When you game, how have you tried to have this come up>>>

One of the few times ihave done so, was in a major battle, where the pcs (inc their minor jedi) were getting trounced. Well, i started to tell him that power to slay his foes could be his, if he would just let his anger do the talking... He accepted, and i gave him a 1d bonus to all three force skills, each round he kept accepting the dark side... He went 8 rounds... and needless to say was irked when he realised it was the dark side who was giving him that bonus....... cause each round he used it, was another DSP..
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Krayt]

When I run games, DSPs commonly have very grave impact on characters. At 1-3 DSP, I usually stat telling my players that characters and NPCs were looking at 'em funny or threating them, which they were'nt. At one point, after a character dunked helpless captured stormies in acid (3DSPs), he entered a room after the rest of the group. One character was standing in the corner looking at a document. I told that player it was a stormie. He shot 'em (the player) and did nasty damage. The rest of the group, not knowing what was going on, fired back at the player, using stun. They knocked him out, and tied him up at the ship later on. He then explaned what happened. I really was happy how that turend out (but the injured PC was not).

At about 4-5 DSPs, characters start getting both visual tempts, and verbal goads. The same character go 2 more DSPs from "collateral damage" in a bazzar, killing civillians. I told him that a group of fleeing civies were stormies, and fired (he's not terribly remorseful about the prevois incident, and didn't learn his lesson). He nailed 2, using a force point (which I decided was a call on the dark, and awarded a total of 3 DSPs to him). Again, the player character stunned the poor guy and tied him up again. Of course, I couldn't help but have REAL stormies flee during the next fight. He refused to fire at them (maybe he learned his lesson?) and I removed a DSP. Any more then 6 and I take away the character. Unless they are supposed to be evil...

Hope this helps, and sorry for the massive length!
_________________
"Your lack of faith disturbs me." - Vader

[masque]

Are you just arbitrarily telling the character wrong info about whether targets are stormtroopers or not, or do you give him a chance to find out what's really going on? I like the tempting idea, but he should have a chance to fight the distorted perceptions.
_________________
Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.

[Krayt]

Well, I rolled his 2D+2 PER before telling him both times, but I was pretty convincing. He totally fell for it (I had whispered what happened to each character so no one knew what happend). However, if he had been Force Sensitive, I would have rolled his sense. Also, he did have a chance at figuring out what happened by my description. I mentioned that the stormtrooper was totally still and in an akward position for wearing armour (but it was how the other character was squatting, so that was true at least). And the second time, I again gave him hints (the people were moving FAR too fast for that amour, and some were screaming in womens voices (even though they stormies were all guys). So he had a chance, but he didn't take the hints. Too bad too, I kinda liked that PC, who still haunts the group as an evil bounty hunter pitted against them to this day.
_________________
"Your lack of faith disturbs me." - Vader

[Gry Sarth]

I don't know, Dark Side Points are a measure of how evil you are, not how dellusionally maniac you've become. Having 4 DSP means you won't care about blowing up a bunch of civillians in order to kill the few stormies that are among them, it doesn't make you believe the civilians are actually stormies.
_________________
"He's Gry Sarth, of course he has the stats for them."

[Krayt]

True, but the dark side is fooling you into killing civillians, the dark side is tricky. Plus, that was only one character. I've had some REALLY evil characters. She went totally bonkers, killing everything in sight, and using the dark side to modify STR rolls to resist the groups rolls to subdue her. She killed around 20 or so people out of pure malace and power lust (not to kill stormies, but just for fun and personal gain) in a few minutes before the team resorted to lethal force to take her down. Too bad. Would have made a great dark jedi!

I simply tempted her with money (from the rich dead people) and power (keep what you kill, take over their houses and rule the place. She nailed the governor, figuring she could take over) It was a fun session.
_________________
"Your lack of faith disturbs me." - Vader

[masque]

The character wasn't even Force sensitive? OK, then I wouldn't have had that situation pop up at all.
_________________
Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.

[Krayt]

The dark side tempts all, even non FS characters. And as said, DSPs have grave consequences in that game. However, FS character get some far more destructive goads. Mostly "hey player one, wanna force point for free to use this round?" sort of thing. If they accept, instant DSP.

Anyway, by doing evil acts, you get DSPs, which tempt and fool you into doing evil and turning to the dark.
_________________
"Your lack of faith disturbs me." - Vader

[masque]

By doing evil acts as a Force sensitive character you get DSPs. By doing evil acts as a mundane using a Force point you get DSPs. Only by doing particularly vile and foul acts as a mundane would you get a DSP without burning a Force Point or specifically calling on the Dark Side, but of his own free will. If he wasn't at all force sensitive, I don't understand how he would have the capacity to notice the Dark Side tempting him at all. I fully understand that happening to someone who is wielding the Force, the power the Force grants a character comes with certain pitfalls, but if they don't have access to it? No. You're basically subjecting the character to the penalties of Force sensitivity without giving him the benefits that go along with it. I can see the Dark Side tempting one of the Jedi characters in that combat you described, but not one of the mundanes. There's just no mechanism for it.
_________________
Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.

[Jedi Skyler]

I agree with Masque on this one. Sure, a mundane character might be inherently evil, but unless they're specifically calling on the dark side or committing an undeniably heinous act while using a Force Point, they aren't earning DSPs. DSPs are there for two primary reasons: first, to keep the Jedi on the straight and narrow. Deviate from that, and you're looking at DSPs. Second, to keep mundane characters from just going through all hack-and-slash (or should I say churn and burn? ) because, unlike D&D where you can get away with that tomfoolery most of the time, in SW it's just too civilized. You'd be looking at legal penalties in addition to the possibility of having your character ganked due to DSP accrual...

[renault]

one of my favorite darkside temptations (which incidentally the character failed) involved a kid/ young jedi character in roughly the episode 3.5 timeframe (y'know, luke in diapers and han ridin the short bus). While the 10 year olds master was occupied hashing out a transport plan for the two of them in a particularly seedy cantina, the child occupied himself with as much juri juice and sugared greyde bread as he could gorge himself on as he watched the beginnings of what looked to be a rather high stakes sabacc game. several of the participants in the game were quite aware of the characters nature, due to all the "recent activity" regarding jedi. so much so were they aware, in fact, the character was asked to sit in for a particularly superstitious-seeming herglic as a "good luck charm"

one of the other gamblers, a downtrodden looking barabel (don't see that every day, I suppose) was taken aback by the appearance of what he called "a mini-master" (barabels, from what I have been able to understand, absolutely revere the jedi, though they have little to no talent with the force)

over the course of the game several creatures came and went, until the herglic and barabel were the only two remaining, essentially last hand. It is at this point that the character realizes the herglic has been using the rather loose fitting robes of his "mini-master", to hide marked and pre-programmed cards. not only did the young padawan allow the deception, he used his pickpocket skill to provide the herglic with a combined action bonus to stack the deck. Needless to say the herglic won, and I rewarded the character with more money than his young eyes had ever seen, and his first darkside point. (quicker, easier, more seductive)

this may seem harsh at first but in my mind it was actually rather well put together. a dark influence came to him under a veil of deception, he was met by vipers who saw him as a light of purity, and he quite expertly betrayed the trust others had placed in his order for his own financial gain. As the character is young, and still under the tutelage of his master, atonement is very much attainable, but I assure you that child will always remember the day the darkside won him fifteen grand and the lightside made him give it back. that is the seduction of the darkside
_________________
Be like the waters of tatooine
flow endlessly like bespins plain
I am the stand alone clone
republic is my only name

[Jedi Skyler]

Not to pick apart the story, because it's a good example... and I'd have to go back and check Gry Sarth's Alien Stats book, found here, to be sure, but in the NJO novels there are a number of Barabel Jedi..

[renault]

apologies for the long'un I guess my point is the darkside isn't always violence, the devil is a lawyer, all that good stuff. you want to really fall from grace dont do it as a gun toting maniac, dont do it as a delusional manson-with-an-e11-rifle, figure merely look at morality and let it f%$k with your players' heads.

I swear I'll get this post length thing down, just a mouthy little nerf I guess
_________________
Be like the waters of tatooine
flow endlessly like bespins plain
I am the stand alone clone
republic is my only name

[Gry Sarth]

[renault]

there very well could be barabel jedi, I could just be cobbling together too many stories into one. havent read new jedi, so I do defer, but I do recall lukes status as a jedi having a major impact on settling barabel verpine relations ( at least temporarily) in I believe jedi academy but its been so long it could be another series or that could have been one of my campaigns dunno. but thats a tale for another thread
_________________
Be like the waters of tatooine
flow endlessly like bespins plain
I am the stand alone clone
republic is my only name