Reworked Dark Side Rules: Pips and Dice

[MrNexx]

Moved over from me hijacking CRM's thread:

Dark Side Pips and Dark Side Dice.

So, Force Points are gained by Heroic actions. Real Force Points cannot be gained any other way. This includes the option of getting a Force Point for heroic actions, even if you didn't spend any Force Points in the action (qv "Doing the Right Thing" on p. 85).

As you start to fall to the Dark Side, you accumulate Dark Side Pips (DSp), which themselves accumulate into Dark Side Dice (DSD). Dark Side Pips and Dice are added to all Force skills, unless suppressed by conscious will (per the rules of "Lure of the Dark Side" on p. 141). More extreme acts of evil might result in multiple pips... killing someone in anger (rather than defense) might get you one pip... blowing up Alderaan is probably worth at least 1D. I wouldn't go too much higher than 1D per evil action... that aligns with the RAW. DSDs max out at 4D.

There are no "Dark Side Points". Sometimes, the Dark Side will offer you a "free" Force Point, or you can Call Upon the Dark Side to gain a Force Point. This is the usual rules in R&E; must be used immediately, etc. Taking a FP from the Dark Side increases your DSD by 1D.

Now, reducing your DSp is pretty simple... spend a Force Point to reduce your DSp by 1. You might require this to spend some time in meditation or good works (things which reinforce the Light), which is part of why the Jedi have a model of service... even if you accumulate a few DSp here and there, you have plenty of opportunity to remove it. You might also allow a mass buy-off at a dramatically appropriate moment (for example, if you throw the Emperor down a reactor shaft to save your son and help win the Battle of Endor for the Rebel Alliance).

For existing templates, I would turn any Dark Side points into 1D Dark Side. Note that, in this system, no one really "Falls to the Dark Side" irrevocably... they just get deep in the Dark Side and can't get out. Even if they pick up Force Points and spend them to reduce their DSD, if they keep doing evil, their DSD will climb back up. Non-force sensitives don't really need to worry about "falling to the Dark Side"... they have 4D to use on Force skills, but they can't do any Force skills, so being extremely Dark Side can be sensed, but it doesn't mean anything for them.

If you take an example like Anakin Skywalker, he has a TON of Force points, because he spent the Clone Wars doing heroic things at Dramatically Appropriate Moments (partially because Anakin Skywalker is a drama queen and extra af). He might have even picked up a few FP during the Empire years by unexpected heroics. However, his corruption by Palpatine and his years with the Empire put him high in the DSDs. With all those DSDs, he didn't really NEED to spend Force Points; with 4D added to all Force actions, he's incredibly powerful. Plus, the Dark Side sometimes gives him free Force Points when it serves its purposes... long-range Force Chokes take some big rolls. When he reaches a dramatically appropriate moment to be a hero, he can spend all those FP to reduce his DSp. He might not have enough to completely eliminate all 12 DSp at once (I think it's safe to say he was at 4D, and 4D = 12 pips), but he brings himself significantly back to the Light, enough that he's able to become One with the Force.
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[Whill]

Interesting option.

'Dark Side Pips' was brought up in an Official Rules thread back in 2017, but it should have been its own House Rule thread like this. Thanks.

https://rancorpit.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=172961#172961
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[CRMcNeill]

I feel we should clarify exactly what Force Points are/aren't for the sake of the rules. Are they intended to be the Light Side counterpart to Dark Side Points, or are they an indicator of the "favor" of the Force in general? I can see how the concept of a character burning all their FP at once to "zero the balance" on their DSPs would fit with the end of Return of the Jedi, but I'd suggest making it only happen during appropriately heroic circumstances. Otherwise, I think taking the time to atone is crucial, and appropriately realistic, as well.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

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[Whill]

[MrNexx]