Two Lightsabers

[Esjs]

[Rerun941]

Ok, I re-read a majority of the arguments and I'm still trying to figure out what this new skill is trying to accomplish? From what I gather, we are trying to make fighting florentine with lightsabers "more powerful" and "desirable" for players to do. (Plus, it's really flashy and looks cool.)

I am a big believer in using a minimalistic approach. Most of the rules/skills we need have already been developed. We just need to find new ways to use them. That said *gets off soapbox* here's my take:

The benefit of two lightsabers is that you can 'get attuned' or 'channel' the Force through both of them. This should be a more difficult task, but not impossible. Either the Jedi has to activate two instances of lightsaber combat or perhaps raise the difficulty of one instance of lightsaber combat by say, +10. (I'll go with one, higher difficulty instance of LS Combat.) So, now the Jedi is attuned with the two sabers and he wishes to attack/parry. Using the current rules, ONE attack with the dominant hand will be at a -2D penatly (the price of keeping up LS Combat). TWO attacks (once with each saber, 2 actions) the penalty will be -3D for the dominant hand (-2D for LS Combat, -1D for multiple actions) and -4D for the off-hand (-2D for LS Combat, -1D for multiple actions, -1D for using off hand.) (GMs may wish to be leniant in that the off-hand has no penalty, if parrying.)

So, you're saying, "that's a lot of penalty for just a couple of attacks." Well, fighting with two sabers should be difficult! But here's where the power boost comes in... because the two sabers help focus the Force. Jedi's use your FULL sense and control dice as a dice pool for either blade, not both. i.e. you don't have to split your sense/control dice between the two sabers (but you do split the dice if you take multiple actions with the same saber.)

So, a Jedi with 5D lightsaber combat and 5D Sense, 5D Control attacking once with each blade will be 7D to attack with the dominant hand (5D LS +5D Sense -2D LS combat power -1D multiple action penalty) and the off hand will roll 6D (5D LS +5D sense -2D LS Combat Power -1D multiple action -1D off hand penalty) and the Jedi can add or subract up to 5D Control to the damage for EACH blade.

Take that same Jedi and if they wish to make 2 attacks with the dominant hand and 1 attack and 1 parry with the off-hand we get the following:
Dominant attack1: 5D LS +3D Sense -2D LS Combat -3D multiple action = 3D to attack
Dominant attack2: 5D LS +2D Sense -2D LS Combat -3D multiple action = 2D to attack
Off-hand attack: 5D LS +3D Sense -2D LS Combat -3D multiple action -1D offhand penalty = 2D to attack
Off-hand parry: 5D LS +2D Sense -2D LS Combat -3D multiple action -1D offhand penalty = 1D to parry (2D to parry if using the leniancy rule.)
(Mind you, this is a fairly wimpy Jedi if he only has 5D Lightsaber skill and Florentine should probably only be attempted by Knights and above)

well, I hope that gives folks ideas... I'm sure there are flaws in it, so feel free to comment!
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[Xzil Maru]

I thought the benefit to wielding two lightsabers would similar to wielding two sabers, your opponent can probably only block one of the sabers, leaving you the opportunity to strike his legs or arm off.

That said l like the idea of it being an advanced skill, or maybe a lightsaber martial arts style manuever/technique.
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[Volar the Healer]

[RedFox]

[MA-3PO]

[Volar the Healer]

[Gry Sarth]

The way my group plays the game, dual lightsaber fighting doesn't require or warrant any different rules or new skills to play out properly.

The thing is that we always act out our duels. One person shows how they're gonna attack and the other shows how they're going to parry and so on. If one of them moves in a way that seems to give them a significant advantage, then they get a bonus to their roll. For exemple; He blocks and attack in a way that when he attacks back, the other has to go a long way bring his saber to defend.

Now what happens with two sabers is that there's a better chance of you getting a strategic advantage. You could block an attack high up and quickly attacks you opponents legs while his saber is still up. So you'd get a bonus to your attack. Simple as that.

[cheshire]

I'm aware of the various opinions about whether the use of additional sabers is functional or aesthetic. Personally, I'm following the functional theory. (I've done SCA fighting too, and I believe whether the second weapon is effective dpends on the skill of the fighter.)

For those of you who are with me on the functional aspect, have you play-tested any of the rules you've drafted?

For the last several months I've had a Jedi character who has wanted to branch out into useing two lightsabers. We've decided to use an advanced skill. It's been a long process of building up an advanced skill, and it has actually worked out pretty well.

Though you may say that Vader would be too powerful with an (A) Dual Lightsabers. Though when his stats were drafted, such an idea hadn't been conceived. As far as the rules go, you would have to either 1) divide some of Vader's dice into a specialization, or 2) pretend Ani didn't do what he did in AotC, and keep Vader's stats the same.

Because of the overall CP cost of the advanced skill, the character has not attempted to boost both the (A)Dual Lightsabers and the Lightsaber skills. (That and he thinks using two sabers at once is too cool to go back to using just one.) His progression hasn't been as fast, though he remains a competant fighter because of the bonus. In the long run things seemed to have balanced out. I would encourage others to playtest it and tell me if they have similar experiences.

[RedFox]

I figure Vader doesn't have the skill. What he did was pick up the second lightsaber and...

A: Was just using it for cinematic effect (the most likely option) since he didn't seem to fair any better or worse for having two of them, in the end, or
B: Compensated for his lack of two-weapon skill by spending a Force Point or calling upon the Dark Side to double his dice pools for the round.

Since he hasn't (so far) displayed any competency with dual-lightsabers since, I think there's no reason to alter his WEG stats to show such proficiency.
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[Liquidsabre]

[Volar the Healer]

[Hellcat]

Well, we already know the good general can standon one foot, hold a lightsaber (and use it no less) in the other, and hold one in each of his hands. So in theory he should be able to use at least five lightsabers at once.
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[Ray]

And that's without the benefit of Force Training! Just a handful of lessons from the Count!

[Xzil Maru]

Yeah in the novel, his hands split down the middle and he fights Obi-Wan with 4 sabers for all the good it does him, since Obi-Wan is a form III master. EDIT I won't spoil any more because it really is cool.
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Plook Bomdarb says "Will Kill for food."