-1D for keeping powers "up"

[slaughterj]

I'm reasonably fine with -1D multiple action penalty for activating force powers, but a bit bothered by the continuing penalty for keeping them up. I understand it is a useful system control, so that people don't run around with a bunch of powers "up" all the time, etc., but it seems to be somewhat harsh on characters.

Specifically, if someone is playing a Minor Jedi with 1D in Control base, with 2D starting skills allocated, to make it 3D, that character is already "down" 1D in attributes and 2D in skills compared to regular characters. So if the Minor Jedi wanted to have an active Resist Stun (nice, but not great effect), then all his other actions while it is "up" will be at -1D, in addition to being -1D in attributes and -2D in skills. It seems better to just shoot and dodge, than shoot and keep up Resist Stun usually, since dodge will help some shots simply miss and do no damage.

[vong]

[Ankhanu]

I've used some fairly fudged rules with this in my games from time to time, making judgement calls as to what powers do or do not incur MAPs to be kept up. Raising the power will always incur MAPs, but not all of them will to keep active. I find there is a disconnect between narrative and game mechanics for such things. In general I don't find the Force handled terribly well in the game, but it's the best system I've encountered for it
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[Gry Sarth]

Indeed. The whole "keeping powers up penalty" was never really all that well thought out by WEG. Some powers clearly state how the mechanics work with the MAPs, but others completely ignore this mechanic and suffer seriously when you apply MAPs for keeping force skills up. Control Pain, as written, is useless for Wounded characters, since you only trade a -1D for injury for a -1D for MAPs. Enhance Attribute would also negate its own bonus at the lowest level.

A Jedi using Lightsaber Combat can hardly do anything else other that fencing. With a base penalty of -2D in place, it's very hard to consider jumping, punching, dodging or anything else in the middle of combat.
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[vong]

hmmm. I have an idea:

There are 2 different pools of actions. physical and force.

So you can do 2 actions (dodge shoot) and get -1D to your rolls and have LSC and Danger Sense up and get -1D to force skills.

This way they wont stack up as fast, and you can do one skill, and one force power without penalty.

How does this sound?
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[Esoomian]

I've always liked the idea of LSC requiring an action to keep up. Although I think the MAP shouldn't be applied to actual Lightsaber rolls I've always felt it should be applied to anything else the character tries to do while using LSC (Jumping over a foe, pushing something with the force, kicking someone while defending with the lightsaber etc...). I think it represents the Jedi focusing the force and his concentration into his lightsaber to the detriment or exclusion of all other abilities.

Concentration is a little silly though. Why have a 4D bonus and a MAP why not just have a 3D bonus?
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[Esoomian]

[Ankhanu]

Jedi ARE uber-powered. Perhaps that's part of why I don't mind reducing MAPs for some powers... plus, by the time they are powerful enough to be running the show, a -1D isn't going to do anything to them anyway. The MAPs tend to be a hindrance to the unpowered Force users who are already heavily hindered as it is.

WEG d6 is not a balanced system, that's what d20 level progressions are for. It does somewhat fit with the narrative of the films and written material, however. Jedi do run the show in combat, unless their opponent is also uber-powerful. Theme is more important than balance to me, though, as both a Force user player and as a non-Force user. I don't mind having that greater power than the other players (though usually their increased abilities with skills counteract the Jedi's abilities in most situations), and likewise, I don't mind being less powerful than the Force user when I'm playing a normal being... As long as it's fun and feels like Star Wars, so what

I think part of the problem with powerful Force user characters is perhaps in not maintaining the difficulty in finding teachers, or, failing to find a teacher, failing to enforce the CP cost increase to develop Force Skills without them and enforcing the rules on gaining Force Powers as well. From most accounts that I've heard (and played, and, admittedly, run), Jedi teachers or holocrons are everywhere... in most eras of play, that just shouldn't be. Enforcement of Dark Side issues is also usually pretty lax. But these could just be the stories I've heard and the experiences I've seen, perhaps I'm off base.
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[garhkal]

[Jedi Skyler]

[Ankhanu]

[vong]

[Ankhanu]

Fun
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[Gry Sarth]

Yeah, our GM tried pulling that trick on our Jedi. But another non-FS PC realized the thing was evil and vaporized it with a blaster bolt. The Jedi was quite distressed by it...
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