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Starting Characters
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Barrataria
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 1:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ive never used specializations and think theyre too munchkiny. Nobody ever missed them.

garhkal wrote:
Bigger question is is there an established rule that you Have to assign your dice in full D allocations, or can you just go pipping each and every skill.


I don't stick to that either, if a player wants to be Jack of all trades master of none, good on them. They'll learn the hard way.
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Jedi Skyler
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 1:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Barrataria wrote:
I don't stick to that either, if a player wants to be Jack of all trades master of none, good on them. They'll learn the hard way.


That's a problem, IMO. It shouldn't be 'the hard way' if they choose to be a well-rounded character. I've heard COUNTLESS GMs complain that they can't get their players to branch out and put dice into skills other than the obvious. Kudos should be given to players who actually do this, and the GM who has this player in their game should be finding ways to allow those players to utilize those skills. I'm not suggesting fudging rolls or anything, but I wholeheartedly believe these players should be encouraged, rather than dumped into the school of hard knocks.
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garhkal
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 3:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I also like it when they branch out, but sometimes that branching is what gets them into problems.. Especially when they have the skills but are just not that good at it.
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Whill
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 10:58 pm    Post subject: Re: Starting Characters Reply with quote

shootingwomprats wrote:
The problem I have with doing that is its a rule, not an optional rule, a real bonafide rule.

ALL rules are optional rules.
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atgxtg
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 02, 2014 12:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jedi Skyler wrote:
Barrataria wrote:
I don't stick to that either, if a player wants to be Jack of all trades master of none, good on them. They'll learn the hard way.


That's a problem, IMO. It shouldn't be 'the hard way' if they choose to be a well-rounded character. I've heard COUNTLESS GMs complain that they can't get their players to branch out and put dice into skills other than the obvious. Kudos should be given to players who actually do this, and the GM who has this player in their game should be finding ways to allow those players to utilize those skills. I'm not suggesting fudging rolls or anything, but I wholeheartedly believe these players should be encouraged, rather than dumped into the school of hard knocks.


Yeah, there should be some type of balance between branching out and focusing on a major area of expertise. Those who do one or the other are going to get themselves into trouble.

Character who branch out too much or two quickly lack enough skill to beat their opponents, and wind up being "owned" by some NPCS that are competent in their own field.

Characters who don't branch out at all eventually end up needing some skill they lack (First Aid is a common example) and get wasted.


In this RPG I think starting characters should be fairly focused. With only 7D or so for skills, it's important for them to be significantly better than the average NPC (4D) in some area. Otherwise they won't be able to handle the average opposition.

Later on, is when they should start branching out. Most of the players in my group stop working on their major skills at the 6-8D level to branch out. At that point the extra dice don't really help that much. Iif you can't hit at 7D, you probably won't do much better at 7D+1, and the CP would be much better spent raising secondary skills by a whole die.
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Lane Arroway
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Joined: 02 Feb 2013
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 3:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So far, I've found specialization is just fine as it is. However, my thoughts on this change when you include optional rules like martial arts. With the extra damage and the special maneuvers learned I ask myself is it unfair that it's so cheap to improved compared to regular brawling? Why would anyone just use brawling?
On a similiar note, if we accept that a pc can specialize in a lightsaber such as a double-bladed or long handled lightsaber, why should it be easier to improve than a standard lightsaber?
Out of fairness to my current and future players in my current game I'm using the RAW for specializations and the martial arts optional rules since I've been doing so from the beginning. However, I've decided that Ill treat martial arts and all lightsabers as normal skills with the exception that a player can choose them as one of their three specializations. (so they would start at +1D above the base skill)

With regard to focused or balanced characters I have examples of both in my current game. One is a jedi focused(to a degree) on combat having a high lightsaber, martial arts and a clever use of force powers.
The other is also force sensitive with all of the force skills and a unique suit of powers. His skills are spread around the character sheet and is best know for his sneakiness, skullduggary and technical abilities.
Both are played by skilled players, who, despite any weaknesses in their "builds" have survived perilous odds and overcame tremendous challenges.
I guess my point is, as long as everyone is having fun and the players survive your adventures, their build doesn't matter.

However, as a counter point, I'd like to add that it's a lot of fun to challenge players to use other skills. Alone on a desert world the characters rely on survival and stamina to survive the harsh environment. On an alien starport alien species, cultures and languages are necessary to resolve an escalating diplotmatic incident, etc.
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garhkal
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 3:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

One suggestion i have seen offered elsewhere for martial arts was not treat it as an advanced skill BUT treat it as a separate skill from brawling, but you had to keep your martial art skill within 1d of your brawl (offense) or your brawl parry (defense)..
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Lane Arroway
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 7:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, since I use the optional, optional rule that the player must buy the moves punch, kick and weapon block before any other move it somewhat offsets some of the OP of marial arts. With the addition of having to spend normal points to raise it I think it'll be fine in my other games.

On a sidenote, I was lucky that the jedi martial artist in my game had a lowish strength(2D+2) it kind of balanced out with the extra damage from punching and kicking. Just recently the jedi raised her strength to 3D...
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garhkal
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 12:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

One of the bigger limiters i find for any skill(s) that may be/get overbearing if they are too easy to get/raise, is to limit the # of trainers AND make them RP to get accepted by said trainer.
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gavin storm
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 3:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lane Arroway wrote:
Well, since I use the optional, optional rule that the player must buy the moves punch, kick and weapon block before any other move it somewhat offsets some of the OP of marial arts. With the addition of having to spend normal points to raise it I think it'll be fine in my other games.

On a sidenote, I was lucky that the jedi martial artist in my game had a lowish strength(2D+2) it kind of balanced out with the extra damage from punching and kicking. Just recently the jedi raised her strength to 3D...


Martial Arts tends to go more indepth into hand to hanf, rather than Simply punching someone in the face lol (like disarm)
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Lane Arroway
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 10:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Definetly. While my jedi player is pretty much a warrior, another player of mine just started martial arts and is going for a special operator approach. Beyond silent strike I believe disarm is on his shopping list of moves.
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DougRed4
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 1:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is "silent stroke" a maneuver listed in one of the books (like the Rebel Spec Forces), Lane?
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gavin storm
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 1:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

lol I think he edited it after you posted
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The Brain
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 6:14 pm    Post subject: Re: Starting Characters Reply with quote

shootingwomprats wrote:
I really don't like the specialization rules and I am thinking of removing them from my game. The problem I have with doing that is its a rule, not an optional rule, a real bonafide rule.
Example: Rodian Dex 4D+2, puts +2D into Blaster for a total of 6D. Then slaps on specialization heavy blasters giving him Blaster 6D+2 and Blaster: Heavy Pistol 7D+2!
Han Solo at Battle of Yavin: Blaster 6D+2, Blaster: Heavy Pistol 9D+1.
Han Solo at Hoth: Blaster 7D, Blaster: Heavy Pistol 10D.
Han Solo at Battle of Endor: Blaster 7D+2, Blaster: Heavy Pistol 10D.
Han is supposed to be at least a sector if not galaxy-wide bad @$$. This guy within four adventures could be his equal.
Seriously thinking of capping skills at character creation at 5D. Thoughts?


Well if memory serves Han is good but not galaxy wide bad a$$, the gunfighter Galandro totally handed him his head.
As to the game mechanic have you thought of just making specialization more well...specialized? The main problem with skill Specs in my experience is that they are very wide umbrellas.
Fore example a RAW spec. "Blaster xD:Heavy Blaster Pistol xD" would become "Blaster xD: Blastech DL-44 heavy blaster pistol"
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DougRed4
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 1:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

gavin storm wrote:
lol I think he edited it after you posted


My question still stands. For something like "Silent Strike", is there a sourcebook or the like somewhere that has some cool moves in it like this?

In the Star Trek game we play (Decipher's CODA system), there's a number of cool special maneuvers one can buy/earn, and they add some fun to combat. In the excellent Unisystem, there's over 2 pages full of various martial arts maneuvers.

I'm just wondering if there's anything official for D6 Star Wars in this regard?
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