Best way to handle lightsaber combat styles...

[Xzil Maru]

such as those mentioned in that old issue of Starwars Insider or this website http://swg.stratics.com/content/gameplay/professions/jedi/lightsaber_combat.php

or this site
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~hansene/swrpg/jedi-styles.html

I was thinking of making them advanced skills.
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[Esjs]

Hmmm... I'm not sure there needs to be a game mechanic for "style." It seems to me that if a character wants to subscribe to a certain "style," then so be it; no need to make a "rule" for it. In the end, it's still just skill-versus-skill... and you can describe the "choreography" (sp?) however you wish.

K.I.S.S.
Keep It Simple, Silly

[Xzil Maru]

How then should I handle PCs whose goal it is to master the lightsaber and all its fighting forms?

I kind of like the extra crunchiness that comes from having distinct lightsaber combat styles, but I'm not sure the coolest or funnest way to implement them.

I also like using/making different martial arts techniques such asWookie and Noghri martial arts or Tëras Käsi fighting form.
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[RedFox]

Did the Star Wars Insider have game rules for 'em?
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[Esjs]

[Hellcat]

What about looking at some old fencing manuals and other old manuals that deal with using a sword? I'd think you'd be able to use them to come up with some lightsaber moves that could be used.
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[Xzil Maru]

[MA-3PO]

IMHO the best way to represent Mace Windu's Vaapad is give him 14D in Lightsaber. He's one of the best...simple as that.

[Hellcat]

Well if you do workout rules for Vaapad, keep in mind that you should include a warning about how users of Vaapad could fall to the dark side due to Vaapad's very aggressive nature.
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[RedFox]

[RedFox]

Here's an example using my proposed system. "Availability" merely represents how common a style was during the height of the Jedi Order, and therefore how many jedi would know such a style. For handy-dandy reference, you can compare them to difficulty ratings such as Common = Very Easy and roll your jedi master's lightsaber skill against them as a check to see if s/he knows a particular style.

Vaapad
Availability: Unique*
Difficulty: Very Difficult
Prerequisites: Lightsaber Combat

Vapaad is the ultimate speed style, known only to Mace Windu and his personal students he has deemed able to handle the brush with darkness this style draws upon.

Upon a successful lightsaber skill check, the practitioner of Vaapad's lightsaber becomes a blur of motion, seeming to strike from many angles at once. The practitioner gains a number of extra dice that may be used only for lightsaber attack actions (not parries) equal to her total Force Skill dice for the rest of the combat round.

Unfortunately the practice of Vaapad touches the Dark Side as the user allows herself to momentarily lose herself in the joy of combat. Every time Vaapad is used, the practitioner gains a dark side point. Additionally, the user must make a Difficult Willpower check to not kill a target while using Vaapad, if the opportunity presents itself. A target is defined as someone that the Vaapad practitioner has made an attack action against. This overrules the usual optional rule about striking to maim instead of kill, if that rule is being used. The practitioner may still try to maim a target, but must succeed at the Willpower check to do so.

* Vaapad was only ever known to Mace Windu and one apprentice.
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[RedFox]

Example: Mace Windu has 14D lightsaber, 10D control, 8D sense, and 8D alter (for purposes of this demonstration).

He wins initiative on some scary vibroshield guy in the jungle and already has lightsaber combat active, giving him +8D on lightsaber skill rolls and may add or subtract up to 10D from lightsaber damage rolls he makes.

He decides to take 8 actions this round, on top of the two required to keep lightsaber combat active. His first action is to activate Vaapad, a Moderate lightsaber skill check at 5D (due to the -9D for multiple actions). His other seven actions are all attacks.

Assuming he successfully activates Vaapad, he can make his seven lightsaber attacks at 39D (14D lightsaber skill, +26D from Vaapad, +8D from the lightsaber combat power, -9D for multiple action penalties). However, if he were to parry with any of his actions this round, his dice pool for the first such parry would only be 13D due to not gaining the Vaapad bonus.

At the end of the round, the GM would award Mace Windu a dark side point.
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[Hellcat]

[Xzil Maru]

Ataru is form IV: its highly acrobatic, but tiring (so Stamina checks?). Yoda is a master of Ataru it also makes you hard to hit since your leaping around so much thus dodge bonus maybe?

Makeshi, or Form II is designed to counter other lightsaber wielders, it tends to be studied by Sith since they expect to kill Jedi. A proponent is Count Dooku. It is still believed to be an impractical form because of its limited application. Bonus when fighting an opponent with a Lightsaber, penality otherwise.

Djem So is Form V and consists of highly offensive power combat (Anakin/Vader uses it). Its takes advantage of the lightsabers ability to block blasters and turns it into a form of attack.

Obi-Wan is a master of Soresu, or form III. Its the ultimate defensive style but isn't very good at attacking. "A Form III master might be undefeatable, but neither could he necessarily overcome his enemy."
I'm figuring penalities to attack but bonuses to parry.

Form I is the basic style (no rule mods)

Form VI is a combination of the other forms but I'm not sure what makes it so special (especially because it seems inferior to those styles).

The more I read about these styles the more it seems that each requires lots of dedication to learn, and even more to master. Few Jedi can master more than one style. If possible it would be cool to model this aspect of lightsaber combat especially because each style should have an area at which it excels and an area where its weak.

EDIT for Vaapad I was thinking you get a contested willpower roll against the number of extra dice bonus at the end of the combat. If you make it you don't get a DP, if you fail you do get a DP. So in Redfoxes example Mace once combat ends would have to roll his willpower against the number of bonus dice granted by his Vaapad. Or instead of having it be variable, make it a Very Difficult willpower roll.
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Plook Bomdarb says "Will Kill for food."

[Loc Taal]

A while back, I had found a D6 supplement called Dueling Blades. It might be helpful.