How does Unleash and Harm (force power) look ?

By Poseur, in General Discussion

Most of the force powers i can guess how the visualize or actually have something of an example.

But how does the Unleash power and Harm power look when you use them?

Unleash have the mastery upgrade that is force lightning, but for the other powers?

So how to visualize these powers? I don't really have a good idea about them.

My first thought was that this was left unspecified for a reason. It seemed like the text for the powers was so careful NOT to include a description that it had to be deliberate. This way GMs can describe it any way they want, possibly even manifesting in different ways for different Force users.

That being said, I sort of envisioned Unleash as Force Lightning and Harm as the Force Choke-type effects. But that's just my entirely subjective opinion.

Unleash itself is just force lightning, no upgrades necessary.

Here's a few images of Harm, which is essentially Force Drain/Drain Life/whatever name you prefer to call it:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Force_drain

At the end.

Though, it could be "Bind" as well.

Unleash is lightning but there's nothing stopping you from having it manifest how you'd like.

Bind is either chocking or crushing. Or even Luke Skywalker disabling Jabba's guard.

Harm is draining life. Since we don't see this in the films is 100% manifests how you want. I personably would probably have it be invisible to non-force sensitives

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Luke Force Choked those Gamorreans. They stumbled back grasping at their throats.

At any rate, I'd say Bind works best for Force Choke--Harm does lots of damage, but there's nothing stopping you from moving while under its effects. Bind holds you in place, and assuming you used DSP to fuel it, does damage as well.

There was a Force power from the WEG d6 days introduced in the Tales of the Jedi supplement called "Bolt of Hatred.". It was described as a raident sphere of pure hatred that the Sith or darksider then hurled at the intended target.

I envisioned Unleash as that kind of effect. The energies of the Dark Side swirl and amass around the users hand(s). The user then tosses the sphere at the target, unless they possess the mastery, at which point the crackling lightning we know so well happens instead.

As for Heal/Harm, the Light side effect requires the target to be engaged to function. That makes me think it requires a touch. By that logic, to me, Harm has the same limits. So, you lay hands on your opponent, and they writhe in pain. No other visible effect.

Those are just my opinions of how I would narrate the effects in game.

Unleash at 4:40.

Unleash at 4:40.

That exact case is pointed out as use of Force Drain (Harm?) on multiple targets in the aforementioned wookiepedia article, further backed up with the fact that the Sith Triumvirate were very fond of draining other force users to death to gain some of their powers.

Personally, uses of Unleash can be described as all sorts of damaging (often elemental) effects. Lightning, throwing fire, sucking the heat out of the enemy, pure bursts of energy (something akin to Force Destruction) and so on.

Harm can easily be described as the usual wibbly-wobbly red energy coming from the target, especially if you have the upgrades for it to heal wounds/strain from you, or maybe as the breath being sucked out of the targets lungs.

More or less anything you and your players feel cool describing :P

Edited by Asoral