On page 34 of the F&D beta it states that you can do one of four things:

1) Gain +10 starting XP. This XP increases the starting XP each PC gains during character creation and can be spent to increase skills or characteristics, purchase talents, or obtain new specializa- tions or Force powers. More on spending XP is covered on page 66.

2) Gain +2,500 starting credits. This money may be spent on a PC’s starting gear or saved to be spent during gameplay. More on spending starting credits is covered on page 70.

3) Gain +5 starting XP and +1,000 starting credits.

4) Increase or decrease the PC’s starting Morality by 20. This gives the PC the option of beginning with a Morality of 30 or a Morality of 70. (Note: this does not put the PC over the threshold for the dark side or for the threshold of being a light side paragon. It simply puts them at the threshold.)

However, on page 219 it reads, "A starting character might begin the game on the brink of falling, in exchange for both XP and starting credit bonuses. The PC’s tenuous position can be emphasized if the GM and player collaborate to define how the character might have used the dark side to earn the extra XP and credits."

Is there something I'm missing?

I was wondering the same thing.

Perhaps there's a Morality cost for options 1-3 that was omitted?

Man, I'm so jealous of everyone who has their hands on a F&D beta...

I was wondering the same thing.

Perhaps there's a Morality cost for options 1-3 that was omitted?

I think its pretty straight forward in the book? Each player starts with a Morality of 50. The Darkside threshold is 30, and the paragon threshold is 70. If you want more exp and cash, you you lower your morality by the amount of extra's you get.

The table doesn't appear to be there, but I would assume that 10xp = -10 morality ( bringing your morality to 40, 10 from the DS threshold). 2500 credits would be -5 and so on.

I don't think it has a cost associated with it. If you're planning to play a Dark side character you WANT to decrease your Morality, so getting bonus XP and a Morality decrease would be a win-win situation. Reverse for light side. Most likely the game offers three different "starting bonuses" and lets you pick one of them at no cost. Unlike Obligation and Duty, which both are one-way streets, Morality works in both directions and that makes it difficult to use it to "pay" for anything.

But it's not written like that, there seem to be no penalty, so you can choose the xp or the money without any change in your morality, or you can modify the morality without gettin the xp or the credits. Even one of the playtesters, Pirate51, interpreted that rule like that.

But since at a table the GM rules,you can change it. However if more xp or credits decrease morality, what do you do if someone chooses the +20 morality option?

It could be a mistake. It is a beta, after all.

They might mean that you should have a morality of 30/70 but can have extra xp and/or starting cash by reducing your starting morality to 50. Possibly not worded as clearly as possible but that is the way I am reading it.

The way i read it is you have a morality of 50, and if you want you can get more xp, more credits, some xp and some credits, or a higher/lower morality, no strings attached

p219 Is an option if the players want more xp and/or credits then the one off advancement on pg 34. Remember this XP can be used to increase attributes while the bonus 150XP for Knight level can not be used.

On page 34 of the F&D beta it states that you can do one of four things:

1) Gain +10 starting XP. This XP increases the starting XP each PC gains during character creation and can be spent to increase skills or characteristics, purchase talents, or obtain new specializa- tions or Force powers. More on spending XP is covered on page 66.

2) Gain +2,500 starting credits. This money may be spent on a PC’s starting gear or saved to be spent during gameplay. More on spending starting credits is covered on page 70.

3) Gain +5 starting XP and +1,000 starting credits.

4) Increase or decrease the PC’s starting Morality by 20. This gives the PC the option of beginning with a Morality of 30 or a Morality of 70. (Note: this does not put the PC over the threshold for the dark side or for the threshold of being a light side paragon. It simply puts them at the threshold.)

However, on page 219 it reads, "A starting character might begin the game on the brink of falling, in exchange for both XP and starting credit bonuses. The PC’s tenuous position can be emphasized if the GM and player collaborate to define how the character might have used the dark side to earn the extra XP and credits."

Is there something I'm missing?

Having reread both the op and the morality rules I think that the page 219 section is either from an earlier iteration of the rules or an option that the GM may choose to use.

The standard rules I think mean that those people who want to be particularly dark or light can select to alter the morality, or they can start with more xp and/or credits. Lareg is correct in the fact that the rules state you may select one of the four options but frankly why would you not. If you don't want to be 30 or 70 morality why would you not take extra xp or credits.

Personally I would not use those rules since it essentially rewards players who enjoy playing dark side characters. That is fine if the campaign is sufficiently darkside, additionally the former set of rules are more balanced.