Okay, so started a force exile in EotE, now have picked up AoR, and managed to grab some skill in the 'Forsee' tree.

I'm thinking though, that to truly follow the jedi path through the core rulebooks entails picking up all three force spec trees (exile, emergent and whatever F&D comes up with). That's a hell of a lot of points to sink into the jedi way (maybe that's the point?).

Or is it just as powerful to start with exile and add the extra force powers as they become available?

I just don't see my exile getting to F&D and being as powerful as someone who could START at F&D with a new character and work their way through with the same amount of XP...

Thoughts?

For equivalent experience, yes, you can get a leg up on Force Ratings and certain talents that help and use Force-related things if you start as a FaD character as opposed to moving through the systems.

For example, a person who starts as an EotE Pilot would need to invest into FSex/FSem to get their first Force Rating and then grab up whatever tree they wanted in FaD (since no FaD specialization grants a force rating, and Force talents require a Force Rating to actually use them). So this amounts to about 60 Experience just for buying the two trees and gives you a Force Rating 1 in order to access the various lightsaber/or very focused Force user trees of FaD. Whereas a FaD character starts in one of the FaD specializations and subsequently gets the Force Rating automatically from the start.

It's really just about what you want to do. Some people who want access to the force also don't see being a Force User as the main thing for their character, so they're better of starting as whatever and working through force stuff later on. For people that do see the Force as being integral to the character they're better off starting as a FaD character.

Also, it sort of depends on your GM and how they do things. If your character were to die or you'd need to re-roll another one, having a character ~2 years old with tons of experience under their belt that works through to be a force user is probably better off than starting with no earned XP and rolling up a fresh FaD character. Not something all GMs would do, but something I have seen.

Okay, so started a force exile in EotE, now have picked up AoR, and managed to grab some skill in the 'Forsee' tree.

I'm thinking though, that to truly follow the jedi path through the core rulebooks entails picking up all three force spec trees (exile, emergent and whatever F&D comes up with). That's a hell of a lot of points to sink into the jedi way (maybe that's the point?).

Or is it just as powerful to start with exile and add the extra force powers as they become available?

I just don't see my exile getting to F&D and being as powerful as someone who could START at F&D with a new character and work their way through with the same amount of XP...

Thoughts?

Just a quick FYI there is no universal force tree in F&D

It's really just about what you want to do. Some people who want access to the force also don't see being a Force User as the main thing for their character, so they're better of starting as whatever and working through force stuff later on. For people that do see the Force as being integral to the character they're better off starting as a FaD character.

This.

If being Force sensitive is your character's primary feature, or the thing your character would use to describe his or her self as, then something from Force and Destiny is going to be the superior choice. But if your characters describes them self as _________ who is also force sensitive. then exile or emergent is a better choice. These specializations were made to be add-ons. I've used them to enhance an already sufficient character.

Thanks for the perspective guys, appreciated.

If being Force sensitive is your character's primary feature, or the thing your character would use to describe his or her self as, then something for Force and Destiny is going to be the superior choice. But if your characters describes them self as _________ who is also force sensitive. then exile or emergent is a better choice. These specializations were made to be add-ons. I've used them to enhance an already sufficient character.

This is particularly insightful. I think i may shelve my exile on this merit as i did want him to be primarily a force user who worked up through to a full fledged jedi but the costs seem crazy compared to the chatter over the F&D beta.

I wouldn't be so quick to shelf the character. Depending on your characteristics and current specialization loadout, you could be fine. Going to Emergent from Exile isn't so bad, and at the end of both trees you have the Force Rating talent for FR 3. That's pretty much "accomplished Padawan" level. Then you buy into a specialization, say Niman Disciple, from Force and Destiny. Being a non-career spec it costs a premium, but you get Lightsaber as a career skill, along with all sorts of shiny lightsaber talents. And at the end of the tree, another FR talent for a total rating of 4.

Yeah, keep the character, you'll be fine. The F&D specs don't give you much of a leg up on other specs beyond simply allowing you to buy force powers a smidge earlier and that's in exchange for losing 2 career skills.

In all honesty if you've been advancing the character on the level for overall playability (as opposed just cramming all your XP into getting +FR or something) you'll find that once you add in a lightsaber spec and a few talents you'll be just as well off as a "Jedi" character from F&D, and probably far more flexible.

The thing to understand is that in F&D you can't really single-spec and get the results you'd see in a high level Jedi character in a trilogy ender film. (Like RotS or RotJ). F&D expects you to take at least a pair of Specs (a saber spec and a ..umm path I guess I'll call it... spec) if not 3+ specs. So you're really not behind the curve at all. Yeah you had spend some XP to get Exile, but the F&D guy (probably) had to spend that same amount of XP on non-career skills to keep from be inept outside of swinging a saber around.

Okay, just to shed some light on where i'm at, i have a Marauder with the Exile spec (original i know),

Quick background story is he's an escaped pit fighter who received 'mysterious' help for some reason (obligation + motivation to find out who/why). Due to his fear of being caught again and thrown into the pits, as well as knowing he's got talents the empire hates, hes also got quite a few stealth/perception skills to stay out of trouble.

He's moving down the exile tree now and has some basic sense, control and now AoR forsee talent trees, and while I was keen on the emergent spec i couldn't justify the premium costs.

So, as mentioned i haven't seen the F&D beta, so my path through to it could be

Marauder, Force Exile (1 force die)

to Emergent

to Lightsaber spec

to Jedi 'path' spec?

Do the F&D specs give another force rating automatically or is it a journey through the tree again to get it? (think i need to sit down with the books again and go through it more thoroughly).

Ah, just reread your post

Going to Emergent from Exile isn't so bad, and at the end of both trees you have the Force Rating talent for FR 3

Cheers

Only the F&D Careers grant an automatic Force Rating 1. The specializations themselves do not, and actually many of the specializations (most of the Lightsaber Form specs) do not have a Force Rating talent. If you want big FR and lightsaber capabilities with that number of specializations, go Niman Disciple (FR +1 for 25 XP) and Sage (FR +2 for 20 & 25 XP, respectively).

Only the F&D Careers grant an automatic Force Rating 1. The specializations themselves do not, and actually many of the specializations (most of the Lightsaber Form specs) do not have a Force Rating talent. If you want big FR and lightsaber capabilities with that number of specializations, go Niman Disciple (FR +1 for 25 XP) and Sage (FR +2 for 20 & 25 XP, respectively).

Don’t ignore the Force Talents, either. I was looking at them, and I found that the Force Sensitive Exile (EotE) fit my character concept better than Force Sensitive Emergent (AoR), but both of them make great starting points if you then want to cross over into F&D. And if you take both FSEx and FSEm before you go into F&D, then you will really be doing quite well.

Don’t ignore the Force Talents, either. I was looking at them, and I found that the Force Sensitive Exile (EotE) fit my character concept better than Force Sensitive Emergent (AoR), but both of them make great starting points if you then want to cross over into F&D. And if you take both FSEx and FSEm before you go into F&D, then you will really be doing quite well.

Probably already stated in another thread, but what talents emerged from the F&D beta? Would really like to keep my exile character as a stealth/run-and-hide first but master duelist second.

Okay, just to shed some light on where i'm at, i have a Marauder with the Exile spec (original i know),

Quick background story is he's an escaped pit fighter who received 'mysterious' help for some reason (obligation + motivation to find out who/why). Due to his fear of being caught again and thrown into the pits, as well as knowing he's got talents the empire hates, hes also got quite a few stealth/perception skills to stay out of trouble.

......

Marauder, Force Exile (1 force die)

to Emergent

to Lightsaber spec

to Jedi 'path' spec?

One more thought...considering that you're a Marauder, you might find more utility out of the Aggressor or Protector talent trees. That way you could keep benefiting from all those Feral Strength, Frenzied Attack, and Natural Brawler talents, and you could keeping increasing your FR.

Don’t ignore the Force Talents, either. I was looking at them, and I found that the Force Sensitive Exile (EotE) fit my character concept better than Force Sensitive Emergent (AoR), but both of them make great starting points if you then want to cross over into F&D. And if you take both FSEx and FSEm before you go into F&D, then you will really be doing quite well.

Probably already stated in another thread, but what talents emerged from the F&D beta? Would really like to keep my exile character as a stealth/run-and-hide first but master duelist second.

There's the Misdirect power, super cool stealth alternative.

The Shadow specialization has "Now You See Me," which basically makes NPCs forget about you. It also has the Sleight of Mind and Master of Shadows talents.

One more thought...considering that you're a Marauder, you might find more utility out of the Aggressor or Protector talent trees. That way you could keep benefiting from all those Feral Strength, Frenzied Attack, and Natural Brawler talents, and you could keeping increasing your FR.

Goddammit, really need to grab a copy of Beta for F&D... looks awesome.

There's the Misdirect power, super cool stealth alternative.

The Shadow specialization has "Now You See Me," which basically makes NPCs forget about you. It also has the Sleight of Mind and Master of Shadows talents.

^ looks very very cool, and quite fitting for direction i'd like my exile to go.

Really need to nut out a strategy to get to these, even though they are a long way off.

How do the lightsaber forms work? (sorry if this is thread is starting to derail into too much F&D territory)

Lightsaber forms are just another talent tree filled (mostly) with lightsaber related talents. The pivot point for most of them being the actual Form talent that allows the lightsaber skill to attach to a core attribute other then brawn. As a Marauder attaching the saber to something other then brawn may not be an issue for you so you're only real concern is going to be the actual talents themselves (reflect, parry, ect.)

That's kinda a cool thing, while Away is 100% correct that you might like the Aggressor "Path" tree, you really don't need it unless you feel you do. To make a "Jedi" in this system all you really need is FR1 or greater, a Career Spec, and a Saber Spec, and a some force powers. The only big advantage the "Path" trees give over the others is they almost all have at least one FR+1 talent. If you already have those to a satisfactory level from Exile and Emergent you're good to go and all you need is a Saber Tree to put that Jedi bow on you.

There are a few-and-far-between examples of Jedi who don't use lightsabers...I think they're all Legends now...but even so, a Jedi needn't have a lightsaber specialization to be a Jedi. For flavor purposes you will most likely want one, of course.

Like Ghostofman says, the "Lightsaber Form" specializations have cool talents like Parry and Reflect, some of which you don't even need a lightsaber to perform (for example, Parry can be performed with a Lightsaber or Melee weapon). So that's some consolation if one is switching from Melee to Lightsaber and missing out on all those cool Marauder talents

EDIT: Or, hey, just dual-wield your Lightsaber and Melee weapons.

Or, hey, just dual-wield your Lightsaber and Melee weapons.

Yeah that could work. Though currently running around with a two-handed modified force pike. Whatever I hit usually ends up being gibbed.

I'm sure I'll be able to manage the same with a saber when it finally comes to that. Having both types of weapons also allows my character to keep with sneaking around. Lightsabers i'm sure, will attract quite the attention (knowing our GM's anyway)

Or, hey, just dual-wield your Lightsaber and Melee weapons.

Yeah that could work. Though currently running around with a two-handed modified force pike. Whatever I hit usually ends up being gibbed.

I'm sure I'll be able to manage the same with a saber when it finally comes to that. Having both types of weapons also allows my character to keep with sneaking around. Lightsabers i'm sure, will attract quite the attention (knowing our GM's anyway)

That’s why I plan on continuing to use my pair of heavily modified vibro-axes.

The Force Sensitive Exile has the Intense Focus talent, something no Force-using Specialization in F&D has.

And Intense Focus is really really good.

It made me happy to see that the Exile is a viable choice.

The Force Sensitive Exile has the Intense Focus talent, something no Force-using Specialization in F&D has.

And Intense Focus is really really good.

It made me happy to see that the Exile is a viable choice

That's a good point. Made me run and check the books and yes indeedy... quite true. Quite powerful as well