Away from my book right now, but Is there anything you can do with a force rating and no force powers?

It allows you to use Force talents.

There are a handful of Talents.

Though I can only think of 2 off the top of my head: Forewarning, which is an action and ups your Allies Defenses until they take their first turn of the encounter. And Force Protection which raises your Soak by a number of commited Force Dice maxing at either ranks or Force Rating whichever is lower, costs 1 Strain per turn.

Let's see... from FS Exile, we have: Uncanny Senses, Insight, Uncanny Reactions, Overwhelm Emotions, Sense Danger, Sense Emotions, Balance, Touch of Fate, Force Rating.

FS Emergent adds: Sleight of Mind, Invigorate.

FaD adds a bunch more, since each tree is for Force sensitives.

For FaD, it becomes important to differentiate between regular talents and Force talents because a non-Force user from EotE or AoR can purchase a FaD spec and buy Force talents. The caveat is that Force talents, even when purchased, can't be used by non-Force-sensitives. This wasn't an issue in the previous games because the trees themselves gave a Force rating, so anyone with access to the Force talents always had a Force rating.

So if you buy the specialization FSE or FSEx, then you start w/ Force Rate 1 right?? Then in the tree you can get to FR2?

If memory serves

So if you buy the specialization FSE or FSEx, then you start w/ Force Rate 1 right?? Then in the tree you can get to FR2?

If memory serves

Correct.

Now to answer the original poster's question; no, there is nothing you can do by RAW by just having a Force Rating. Having it allows you to buy and utilize Force Rating Talents and Force Powers as others in the thread mention, but there's no intrinsic ability that comes with having FR1.

So if you buy the specialization FSE or FSEx, then you start w/ Force Rate 1 right?? Then in the tree you can get to FR2?

If memory serves

Correct.

Now to answer the original poster's question; no, there is nothing you can do by RAW by just having a Force Rating. Having it allows you to buy and utilize Force Rating Talents and Force Powers as others in the thread mention, but there's no intrinsic ability that comes with having FR1.

Thanks. That is what I remembered but wanted to make sure.

Maybe I am missing it, but I've read through the EotE book several times, and I cannot for the life of me find where it says how a PC actually acquires a Force Rating. I guess I just don't understand how it works specifically.

Maybe I am missing it, but I've read through the EotE book several times, and I cannot for the life of me find where it says how a PC actually acquires a Force Rating. I guess I just don't understand how it works specifically.

Force Rating is granted as a result of taking certain Talent Trees. At the top of the tree it'll say "Grants Force Rating: 1". EotE and AoR only have one tree like this each, Force Sensitive Exile and Force Sensitive Emergent respectively. You also get a Force Rating 1 for starting with trees from Force and Destiny. Taking a F&D tree as a second/third/whatever tree for a non-force sensitive character will not grant Force Rating though.