Force Points are the manifestation of the Force in the form of a character’s determination and luck. Anyone may spend Force Points. When a Jedi uses one he actively seeks out the Force to give him strength in a moment of crisis. When other, more skeptical, characters use Force Points they pass it off as skill, talent a guardian angel or luck.
When a player spends a Force Point (and he may only spend one per round) all skill, attribute and special ability (like Force Skills) die codes double for the rest of that round. Any die codes not part of the individual (blaster damage, cybernetic implants, ship hull codes, maneuverability, etc.) remain the same. The only exception occurs when a Jedi uses CyberLocke (see New Force Powers). A Jedi who successfully uses CyberLocke in the same round as a Force Point loses 1D for activating a Force Power but all die codes for cybernetic limbs/implants are doubled. This does not effect an implant which could not be manipulated by will or has an external affect (i.e., the Strength of a 5D cybernetic arm becomes 10D for lifting but a 4D finger blaster still only does 4D damage).
Since a character is focusing everything he has into the use of the Force Point, the character can not spend any Character Points that round.
When determining the damage for melee combat double only the strength portion of the damage code. Example: When a character with a 2D+2 Strength uses a knife (+1D damage) in the same round a Force Point is spent, the damage is 5D+4 ((2D+2 x 2) + 1D). The maximum damage of melee weapons (normally 6D for knives) is ignored when using a Force Point.
The bonuses from Force Points allow any number of different actions in a given round as long as the usual dice penalties for multiple actions are used. In other words, you are not limited to one action during the round a Force Point is spent.
All Player Characters begin their careers with at least one Force Point; Force-Sensitives start with two.
When a character uses a Force Point to commit an evil act (killing an innocent, causing gratuitous violence, killing when not in defense of others, using while angry or hateful, etc.) The character gains the bonuses listed above, receives a Dark Side Point, and forever loses the Force Point.
When a character spends a Force Point in a selfish act (to save his ass, gain power or wealth, avoid trouble, or pass lies and deception) he forever loses the Force Point but does not gain a Dark Side Point.
If a character uses a Force Point in a heroic effort (placing himself in great danger, fighting the forces of evil, or saving someone’s life) he temporarily loses that point but gains it back at the end of the adventure.
When a character acts heroically at the dramatically appropriate moment (any time success is vital to the story, during a climatic encounter with a villain in a heroic effort, saving many lives, or blowing up a Death Star), but without spending a Force Point, he gains a Force Point at the end of the adventure.
When a character spends a Force Point at the dramatically appropriate moment, he temporarily loses that point but gains two back at the end of the adventure.
Unless your last name is Skywalker, you don’t just learn the Force... you need a teacher. Luke may have learned a lot through self discovery but that’s because he’s Luke, and you’re not.
Finding a teacher, especially during the Empire, should never be easy. Finding a teacher should take place over several adventures with the GM dropping clues every now and then. If Darth can’t find him, I’m sure you’ll have a tough time. If your game is taking place during the Old Republic you have the advantage of a Jedi Academy... but that really doesn’t make it any easier. It takes much more than a pretty application and a fat wallet to make it into this school; you must prove yourself. After applying to the academy, a Jedi Master, if interested, will send the applicant on a mission of self discovery to prove he has what it takes to be a Jedi Knight. These tasks are always difficult and few applicants return successful to become Apprentices (See Part IV: The Jedi Academy).
For a Jedi character to teach another the ways of the Force he must have at least 3D in the desired skill(s) and the teacher’s skill level must be higher than the student’s.
For a Jedi to accept a pupil, the student must be pure in his connection to the Force (have no Dark Side Points). A Jedi may not knowingly teach a student with Dark Side Points. If a Jedi knows his pupil has Dark tendencies and decides to train him anyway, he gains a Dark Side Point for himself (Action if he willfully intended to train a person with Dark Side Points, Inaction for guilt and remorse resulting from accidentally tainting a soul). A master is responsible for the actions of his students. If a student is turned to the Dark Side, it is the moral obligation of the teacher to bring him back to the Light.
Force Skills are Die Codes which govern a character’s ability to manipulate the Force in various ways. Control dictates the Jedi’s ability to master his bodily functions, Sense allows a Force-user to feel the Force in his surroundings, and Alter allows a character to change and manipulate the way the Force affects and interacts with others.
Force Skills may be learned in two ways: 1) From a Master and 2) Through Research.
To learn a new Force Skill a pupil must undergo one week’s worth of intensive training and pay 10 Character Points. @ This amount of time may not be reduced through spending additional Character Points. The Force should never be taken lightly and is never quick or easy. At the end of the week the student gains the new skill with a code of 1D and knows three Force Powers of the Master’s choosing.
To improve a Force Skill by one pip costs a number of Character Points equal to the current number before the “D” (just like normal skills). Double the point costs if a teacher is not available. Characters with a teacher must spend one day per Character Point spent (two days per Character Point if a teacher is not available). Training time may be reduced by one day per every additional Character Point spent. A Jedi may learn a new power (of his teacher’s choosing) whenever he raises a skill by one pip. A character never gains a new power when a skill increases if he doesn’t have a teacher.
It is possible for a talented student to learn and improve Force Skills through researching Holocrons and ancient texts. @ To do so, a Jedi must spend a month of intensive research with a tome or two weeks with a Holocron before even attempting a new Force Skill. Then the character spends 20 character points and makes a Willpower (or Ka Lore for Monks of Shimura) roll with a difficulty of 15 for Holocrons and 20 for texts (these difficulties are guidelines and may be altered depending on the extent of information contained in the tome or Holocron). If successful, the Jedi knows the new Skill with a rating of 1D, and knows one power contained in the Holocron or text (provided he meets the required powers of course). The character points are lost regardless of the success of the willpower roll.
Once learned, the Skills may be improved up to 3D through research. The base cost and time required for increasing a Skill by one pip through research is twice the number before the D in the Skill’s Die Code, and a number of days equal to the amount of Character Points spent. To improve a Skill using a Holocron (but not texts), the Jedi must first convince the keeper of the lore contained in the Holocron he is worthy of the knowledge (a great opportunity for some fine Role-Playing) and, of course, he may only be taught the powers contained in the Holocron (anywhere from 5 to 50 Powers depending on how much knowledge was encoded in the Holocron’s design). Once the student has gained the keeper’s trust and selected a Power to be taught, he may roll a number of dice equal to his Knowledge plus the Instructing (a Perception based skill) Die Code of the Holocron’s holographic Master. For every full five points over 25, the base cost (i.e. twice the normal cost) is reduced by one Character Point, and the time required is also reduced by one day. No matter how spectacular the roll, the cost may never be fewer than x where the original Die Code is xD, and time may never be fewer than x days of intensive research.
A Jedi may also improve his knowledge of a particular Skill through using texts (provided the text contains detailed rituals and cadences specifically for the purpose of teaching Skills, not just Powers). Assuming the Jedi understands the text (tome, datapad, knowledge crystal, etc.) he may roll a number of dice equal to his die code in Research, Ka Lore, Jedi Lore, or Sith Lore (depending on the nature of the text) plus a number of dice equal to the text’s Complexity Rating (0D for scrolls, and stone tablets. Up to 5D for whole volumes dedicated to one specific Skill) versus a difficulty of 25. As above the cost of a one pip improvement (2x) decreases by one for every full five points the difficulty is beat by, but can never be reduced below x.
Learning through research should never be as easy as learning from a Master. Finding a Holocron or text should be the culmination of several adventures and then proving yourself worthy to a Holocron’s keeper or having a text accurately translated (provided you don’t have the Translation Power) should also be the focus of at least one night’s gaming.
Force Powers are different effects a Jedi may use to manipulate the Force. A Jedi may not use a power he has never learned but may be able to “stretch” a known power to have a different effect. To do so the GM determines if the desired effect is in the spirit of the power and then assigns a higher difficulty depending on how far removed the new effect is from what the power was designed for. @ There are three ways to learn new Force Powers: 1) From a Master, 2) Through Research, and 3) Through a Spiritual Journey of Self Discovery.
Jedi characters may gain a new power after raising a skill by one pip (as stated above) or at the cost of 5 Character Points and seven days of training with his Master. If the desired Power is composed of multiple Skills (such as Affect Mind, which is a Control, Sense, and Alter Power) the cost is 5 times the number of skills required. Thus, to learn Affect Mind from a Master, without having first improved Control, Sense, or Alter, the cost would be 15 Character Points, and take one week of intensive training.
As with Skills, new Powers may be learned from researching texts. The process is very similar to learning Skills from research. First, the researcher must gain full access to the material (i.e. must either prove his worth to the Keeper of the Holocron, or be able to fully and accurately read the text). Next, the student selects the power he wishes to learn (provided, again, that he knows all the powers required for the desired Power). Then he spends a time of study equal to two weeks (for both Holocrons and texts). At the end of this period he spends 10 Character Points plus 5 for every Skill used in the Power (15 for Control Pain, 25 for Affect Mind). The base cost and time may be reduced, as above, by rolling your Research Dice plus the text/Holocron’s Complexity Dice. For every full 5 points the roll beats the target of 25 by, the cost is reduced by one Character Point and one day of intensive training. No matter how heroic the roll, the cost may never be less than 5 plus 5 Character Points for every Skill used in the Power (10 for Control Pain, and 20 for Affect Mind). The time of research required may not be less than five days.
In certain situations a Jedi may go on a spiritual quest. The cause of this could be as part of atonement, a rite of cultural acceptance, an attempt to gain harmony with one’s soul, to contact the Spirit Fathers, or any of a number of other causes. When a Force-User decides to attempt a quest of self-discovery he must first separate himself from society. This is accomplished in one of two ways: 1) he simply travels to a remote location (mountain top, deserted isle, uninhabited planet, etc.), or 2) enters a meditative state which removes him from his surroundings (Emptiness or Rage). The nature of the quest must reflect the character’s personal beliefs and culture. A character based on Native American lore may opt to enter a sweat hut and meditate to the point of exhaustion, at which time he hopes to receive a vision which will unlock the hidden knowledge of the Force. A cybernetic Artificer may decide to connect his consciousness to a computer generated reality via CyberLocke, while a Naturalist might climb the highest mountain of her homeworld. At any rate, the quest should be more than just something to do on your day off, it should become a religious experience.
At the end of the quest (as determined by the nature of the quest; it wouldn’t take as long to climb the sector’s highest mountain bare-handed as a year long walkabout) the GM decides if he wishes to award a vision. This is solely up to the GM to decide if the player receives a vision. Then the GM determines the nature of the vision. Is it a glimpse of the future? Is it a blessing from your god? Have the Dark Lords of Ancient smiled on you with a gift of power? Understanding the vision may be handled in one of two ways. First is the Role-play method. Here the GM describes or acts out the vision to the player (in private of course). If the player can figure out the meaning, he receives the enlightenment (which could be anything... a new power, a hint about upcoming struggles, or reassurance that a loved one is safe).
The second method is the quick and dirty mechanical method. Here the player simply rolls Willpower (or the appropriate Lore skill) to determine if he understands the vision’s meaning. The difficulty should be determined by the GM based on the extent of the quest and how well it was played out. Regardless of method employed, the vision should reflect the quest. A highly physical quest (passing out in a sweat-hut) is likely to award a Control Power, while staying in Rage to the point of incapacitation should grant a Sith Power.
This system is designed for Role-playing and thus doesn’t require the expenditure of Character Points, but at the same time the player doesn’t receive any points for the experience of a quest. It should be reinforced that few characters should ever receive more than one vision in their lifetime and certainly shouldn’t in the same adventure. Players should not look to quests as a means of gaining power when teachers and texts are unavailable, but as an essential step in their character’s growth.
Using a power is just like any other action. @ One power equals one action and reduces the dice pool by 1D regardless of how many skills are incorporated into the power. By the time a Jedi masters a new power it is second nature to him. He doesn’t think, “OK... first I’ll activate Control, then Sense...”, he just opens himself to the Force and does it. If a Jedi wishes to use Projective Telepathy (Control and Sense) he may roll both skills with no penalty. If he wishes to use the power and dodge in the same round, all die codes are reduced by 1D (not 2D).
During stressful times when many lives hang in the balance a Jedi may reach out with the Force and attempt to use a Power he hasn’t yet learned (Nomi blocking Ulic’s connection to the Force at the end of Sith War for example). At a dramatically appropriate moment a GM may allow a Jedi character to spend a Force Point and 10 Character Points so he may use a power he has never learned. The effects of the power last one round, the user may not learn the power in this manner, the Jedi must make all rolls with normal die codes (the use of the Force Point does not double all die codes as usual), the points are lost even if the effect fails, and if used for selfish reasons the character gains two Dark Side Points.
There are some powers a Jedi may keep going rounds after activated. If a power may be kept “up”, it’s description will say so; otherwise the power drops at the end of the round it was activated. To keep a power “up,” the player must declare he is doing so when activating the power. The power continues to run, without further rolls, until the character either wishes to drop it or is stunned (or worse). @ While keeping a power “up” all die codes are dropped by 1D for every power up . . . not for every skill involved in the power. If a Jedi keeps Lightsaber Combat (Control and Sense) and Absorb/Dissipate Energy (Control) “up” all die codes are reduced by 2D, not 3D.
Unless otherwise listed, all powers are activated in the round they are activated. All other powers are activated at the end of the time listed. A Jedi must continue to concentrate on the power being kept “up.” If he suffers a distraction (see below) he loses concentration and must activate the Power again.
Although some feel this doesn't fit into the atmosphere of most games, there are a few instances where the Force is treated like "magic." If a Jedi does something which allows him to concentrate easier on the power he wishes to use, he receives a bonus.
Example: A shaman of a primitive tribe draws a circle of mystical runes around the body of a wounded man. Due to his belief that the runes are "magic" the shaman's concentration and connection to the Force is strengthen, giving him a +1D bonus to using Accelerate Another's Healing.
The Jedi intensely studies a power from a text before using a power. If a Jedi spends one full day studying and memorizing a power, he gets to add the complexity rating of the text in question to his use of the researched power one time only. If a Jedi researches with a 2D text for an entire day, he may use the power he studied with a +2D bonus for one time only (and must be the first time the power is used after researching).
Example: A Sith Warrior is planning an assassination. The day before is spent researching Force Lightning in a text with a 3D complexity. On the day of the attack he may use Force Lightning with a bonus of +3D on the first use only.
If a Jedi spends an entire round before a power is activated, concentrating on the power he gains a bonus of +1D.
If a group of Jedi all know the same power and all wish to use it at the same time for the same reason, they may gain the usual bonuses for co-operation as listed in the books.
In times of high stress, a Jedi (usually a Dark Sider since this can be viewed as being fairly aggressive) may sacrifice his own health for a boost in Force strength. For every level of damage he causes to himself, he gains a +1D bonus to a single Force use in the same round. If a perfectly healthy Jedi wishes to gain a +1D bonus, he forces his mind past its usual limits, becomes Stunned, but gains +1D to a single Force Power before the stun takes effect. If he wished to gain +3D he'd be Wounded Twice, +4D Incapacitated, +5D Mortally Wounded, +6D heroic effort resulting in Death. No other actions may be taken in the round Extra Effort is used, and the damage gained from such a "boost" may only be healed through rest.
Whenever something happens during the round a Jedi is concentrating (determined by the "Time to Use" listing) which could distract a Jedi he must roll Willpower versus a difficulty determined by the GM to avoid losing concentration and stopping. Some examples may be: 3 for a sudden unexpected breeze, 10 for a blaster shot, 15 for an unexpected explosion, 20 for a companion or innocent screaming out in pain, 50 for a Nebulon B Frigate crashing next door. If a Jedi loses concentration, he mentally “fumbles” the power he was activating as well as all powers he was keeping “up,” and must start activating the power(s) again from scratch the next round.
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