| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
GMT
Ensign
Joined: 26 Dec 2007
Posts: 28
|
 Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 3:19 pm Post subject: Parrying Force Lightning? |
 |
|
All:
My apologies if this has already been posted and answered elsewhere. I used Search to look for such, but nothing came up despite different combinations of search terms, posts, and topics.
Question: What happens, in D6 SWRPG, when a Force user with Lighsaber Combat and a lightsaber wants to parry Force lightning being shot at them?
References: In AOTC, Obi-wan blocks Count Dooku's Force lightning with his saber. It appears to be absorbed by-dissipate from the blade.
In ROTS, Mace Windu blocks Palpatine's Force lightning with his saber. This time, it appears to bounce off the saber (roughly) and fry Palpatine's face.
I can't find any written D6 material on this. I know that the issue is going to come up soon in my game. What happens, and how is it adjudicated? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
PsiberDragon
Commander
Joined: 31 Jul 2006
Posts: 260
|
| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 4:22 pm Post subject: Re: Parrying Force Lightning? |
|
|
Those sound more like Absorb/Dissipate Energy than Lightsaber Combat. The difference is that they're using their lightsabers as the conduit instead of their bodies.
Think of ESB where Han pulls the gun to shoot Vader. Vader extends his hand and absorbs the energy. Force Lightning, however, is more of an area effect (yes/no/kinda) so a simple parry wouldn't work. My thought here is that since Force Lightning is VERY destructive over a larger area, the jedi doesn't want to have to take all of it all over his body, and instead uses his lightsaber as a focus.
If you wanted to look a little more into it, you could look at the Fan Made power of Redirect Energy in Gry's book - the person absorbs the energy, then transmits it back out - such as the case with Mace & Palpatine.
My 2 centicreds worth... take it for what you will..
_________________
"Love like you will die tomorrow. Hate like you will live forever." - Unknown |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Gry Sarth
Jedi
Joined: 25 May 2004
Posts: 5304
Location: Sao Paulo - Brazil
|
| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 4:27 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Yeah, that's an issue that official D6 certainly doesn't cover. Basically because everyone was taken by suprise in Ep2 when Obi-Wan quite nonchallantly shrugged off Dooku's Force Lightning by raising his saber. Personally I found that to be quite a silly solution that greatly cheapened the Force Lightning's menace. It seems Mace has a much harder time doing it against Palpatine, probably because Palps is much more powerful.
So, if you want to recreate this in your games, some house rules must be created. Right now I don't have time to come up with something, but I'll sleep on it.
_________________
"He's Gry Sarth, of course he has the stats for them." |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
GMT
Ensign
Joined: 26 Dec 2007
Posts: 28
|
| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 5:04 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Oh, I don't expect anyone to do work for me. I simply wanted to know what, if anything, other people thought.
In reference to Han Solo shooting at Vader: Here's what I don't get. Vader has no organic hands; both are cybernetic. I assume he is using absorb/dissipate energy to stop the blaster bolts. Assuming the Jedi/Sith/whatever is absorbing the energy into their own body and then dissipating it harmlessly, how does Vader do that through a robotic attachment? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PsiberDragon
Commander
Joined: 31 Jul 2006
Posts: 260
|
| Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:28 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| GMT wrote: | Oh, I don't expect anyone to do work for me. I simply wanted to know what, if anything, other people thought.
In reference to Han Solo shooting at Vader: Here's what I don't get. Vader has no organic hands; both are cybernetic. I assume he is using absorb/dissipate energy to stop the blaster bolts. Assuming the Jedi/Sith/whatever is absorbing the energy into their own body and then dissipating it harmlessly, how does Vader do that through a robotic attachment? |
My answer: the same way Obi Wan and Mace do it with their lightsabers.
My mother's PhD was in unified field theory, so forgive my extra-geek out for a minute. Vader uses a his own personal field to expand out and influence the unified field of the universe to allow him to absorb/dissipate the blaster bolt.
Nowhere in ANY of the books does it say you have to have "organic" limbs to use the force. It's alluded to, sure, but there is nowhere that says "You can't, because you're a cyborg."
Now, according to the ESB Sourcebook, Vader had 11d+1, 12d+1, & 11d for control, alter and sense, which means he was pretty damn badass. So, to me, even having as extensive cybernetics as he did (which, oddly, the Official sourcebooks don't seem to take into consideration - *ponders*) he doesn't NEED organic parts.
By the same token, Cracken's basically says that for each part, you get a cyber point. You roll one die, and, if the number exceeds the total number of cyber points, you can use the force. If you get equal or less, you can't. Obviously, under that system, Vader wouldn't have been able to FEEL the force, much less touch and use it. So, maybe there is a difference between someone who wakes up one day and says "Wow. I'd like to have my real arm chopped off and replaced with a robotic one" and a person who falls into a lava flow...
Of course, you could also reason that, by the time ESB rolled around some 20 years after Vader gets the prosthetics that he's learned the ins and outs of his suit, (read: burned character points to offset the cyber point cost), he can manipulate and visualize how the energy flows work for him.
Another 2 centicreds for the piggy bank...
_________________
"Love like you will die tomorrow. Hate like you will live forever." - Unknown |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Xynar
Commander
Joined: 10 Aug 2003
Posts: 282
Location: Northwest Indiana
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 12:09 am Post subject: |
|
|
In the books, it is also described that Vader cannot use some abilities anymore like Force Speed since his legs are synthetic. He has learned to compensate. Just remember that when powers are used. Also don't forget that the Sith can manipulate machines as well (alchemy, attunement, etc.).
_________________
Xynar
The Great Adventurer |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
garhkal
Sovereign Protector
Joined: 17 Jul 2005
Posts: 14168
Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
|
| Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 12:15 am Post subject: |
|
|
I look at it as that is their use of control THROUGH their lightsaber allowing it.
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ZzaphodD
Rear Admiral
Joined: 28 Nov 2009
Posts: 2426
|
| Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 8:13 am Post subject: |
|
|
| PsiberDragon wrote: |
By the same token, Cracken's basically says that for each part, you get a cyber point. You roll one die, and, if the number exceeds the total number of cyber points, you can use the force. If you get equal or less, you can't. Obviously, under that system, Vader wouldn't have been able to FEEL the force, much less touch and use it. So, maybe there is a difference between someone who wakes up one day and says "Wow. I'd like to have my real arm chopped off and replaced with a robotic one" and a person who falls into a lava flow... |
Just an idea. In a campaign way back (actually before the new films) we used the Cracken Cyborg rules. This could be offset by spending (permanently) a forcepoint for each cyberpoint. This represented someone who got their hand cut off (Luke for example) to learn to live with the new difficulty to reach the force. Also, our GM ruled that the 'Dark Side' had no problems with cybernetics.... (Arent there some Sith powers that manipulate machinery/electronics?)
Edit: I remember now that accumulating cyberpoints eventually also gave you a Dark Side point as the character became more and more prone to the dark side when becoming less human(or alien). I dont recall at what ration though.. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
cheshire
Arbiter-General (Moderator)
Joined: 04 Jan 2004
Posts: 4849
|
| Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 8:56 am Post subject: Re: Parrying Force Lightning? |
|
|
| GMT wrote: | All:
Question: What happens, in D6 SWRPG, when a Force user with Lighsaber Combat and a lightsaber wants to parry Force lightning being shot at them?
I can't find any written D6 material on this. I know that the issue is going to come up soon in my game. What happens, and how is it adjudicated? |
I've seen a few different renderings of this. They usually deal with rolling something to do with lightsaber combat or Absorb/dissipate energy. Usually, however, they deal with some ability for you to offset the damage even if you aren't able to completely dissipate it.
I'd personally like to pretend that this never happened in any of the movies.
_________________
__________________________________
Before we take any of this too seriously, just remember that in the middle episode a little rubber puppet moves a spaceship with his mind. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
hazardchris
Commander
Joined: 01 Nov 2005
Posts: 362
|
| Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 11:56 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Personally I'd say giving them a bonus (similar to how the system handles unarmed attackers vs guys with melee weapons) and call it a day. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
