So parry says perform a parry in incidental when you have a saber, take some strain and reduce the damage. Stop the incoming attack with your lightsaber. . the big glowing energy thing that cuts everything it touches,

Now, I get why - from a game mechanics standpoint - why they did that. It would be cheap to have my brawl attack turn into a free lightsaber attack for you when you get your parry up. No - the Big Money question I have - how do we justify that in the game?

Oh sure, we could just handwave it, but where's the fun in that? No - there should be some kind of deeper reason behind why Bruce Lee doesn't come away with a cauterized stump. We're more creative than that!

Jedi-Bob's lightsaber defensive techniques gives little opening for Brawler-Joe to exploit and couldn't land has many hits has he would have without risking his own limbs....

Against Jedi-Bill, who has Improved Reflect, if Brawler-Joe scores 3 threats or 1 despair, then he would indeed get slashed while trying to land a few hits on the Jedi.

Is Bruce Lee the base level for all our brawlers in the SW universe?

Because that would be... AWESOME!!!!!

I guess this is the same issue that has plagued the game at least since the d20 days of the OCR. granted it was less back then, but block in saga got the same questions.

I think it comes down to fairness, and some hand waving, and also a knowledge of brawling and how you control "the knife hand."

Challenge accepted.

I'm thinking about the fight between Jango Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the best things that ever happened in AotC.

Obi-Wan was never able to use his lightsaber. Since you can use Parry with anything, even improvised weapons, I would narrate it as the brawler "denying" the use of the lightsaber via dirty tricks (and healthy doses of Advantage). On the saber wielder's turn, he'll probably get his act together just in time to use the lightsaber normally.

Oh sure, we could just handwave it, but where's the fun in that? No - there should be some kind of deeper reason behind why Bruce Lee doesn't come away with a cauterized stump. We're more creative than that!

Because the round is longer than "one swing". The attacker is going to try to avoid the lightsaber as much as the Jedi is going to wave the lightsaber around to avoid getting hit. The attacker is going to pull his punch, turn the punch into a feint, or maybe switch to a groin kick at the last second instead.

On a despair I would let the lightsaber weider make a free attack roll to see how bad the brawler miscalculated...if they get a crit which is likely and it is high enough it would be a lost hand and possibly an arm.

On a despair I would let the lightsaber weider make a free attack roll to see how bad the brawler miscalculated...if they get a crit which is likely and it is high enough it would be a lost hand and possibly an arm.

Improved Parry already basically does that...

Like a Jedi could parry Bruce Lee. He is the Force.

Just wanted to point out that everyone has Chuck Norris jokes. In an interview with Chuck he talked about

when he used to train with Bruce Lee. One time Bruce asked Chuck to do a movie fight scene with him. Chuck told Bruce that Bruce would have to let him hit him once in awhile because Bruce Lee was that fast. So if you are wielding a lightsaber against Bruce Lee you don't stand a chance.

Parry isn't always about putting a blade in front of the attack. It involves positioning, footwork, balance, and coordination. I would imagine a case where the lightsaber skill was based off of Presence or Cunning would involve a lot more feints and misdirection than straight-up blade on fist.

As was expressed in the Karate Kid, the best defense is to not be there.

Not every weapon is cortosis either. Doesn't mean your parry destroys the weapon.

Not necessarily, that's just a convenient term to use.. The way the mechanics works the use of Sunder is the only way to show that the character purposefully went after the weapon....otherwise you give far too many advantages to the lightsaber. Thematically it be as stated above and could include avoidance techniques to simply move away and cover any openings with your blade and thus keeping the threat on the opponent.

I'd say that's a case of using Heal

I'd say that's a case of using Heal

Or Protect, since a lightsaber blade is an energy attack.

Ah Satele Shan. My friend likes to think she was using a Cortosis gauntlet to block that attack. Even if he is right, I like to think she is using the force to protect herself. After all, she is a Grand Master.

She was definitely using the Force there. She's my inspiration for a Light Side Force Unleash my character is gonna be able to use shortly.

Now, I get why - from a game mechanics standpoint - why they did that. It would be cheap to have my brawl attack turn into a free lightsaber attack for you when you get your parry up. No - the Big Money question I have - how do we justify that in the game?

Oh sure, we could just handwave it, but where's the fun in that? No - there should be some kind of deeper reason behind why Bruce Lee doesn't come away with a cauterized stump. We're more creative than that!

Ufff! Desslok, I would say there is not much need for this. It is just SW! If we have to justify all the "other" things we will find ourselves in trouble

Why spaceships make sound in space?

Why a blaster shot does not just drill a hole through skin, muscle and bone like paper?

Why you punch a Stormtrooper and you don't break the bones of your hand?

Why the Death Star had such ridiculous weak point?

Lasers... everything related to lasers is wrong in SW.

Anyway, you can google it, there are thousands of funny pages about how movies (and SW) violate laws of physics.

So, who really cares? Just parry that **** lightsaber!

Now, I get why - from a game mechanics standpoint - why they did that. It would be cheap to have my brawl attack turn into a free lightsaber attack for you when you get your parry up. No - the Big Money question I have - how do we justify that in the game?

Oh sure, we could just handwave it, but where's the fun in that? No - there should be some kind of deeper reason behind why Bruce Lee doesn't come away with a cauterized stump. We're more creative than that!

Ufff! Desslok, I would say there is not much need for this. It is just SW! If we have to justify all the "other" things we will find ourselves in trouble

Why spaceships make sound in space?

Why a blaster shot does not just drill a hole through skin, muscle and bone like paper?

Why you punch a Stormtrooper and you don't break the bones of your hand?

Why the Death Star had such ridiculous weak point?

Lasers... everything related to lasers is wrong in SW.

Anyway, you can google it, there are thousands of funny pages about how movies (and SW) violate laws of physics.

So, who really cares? Just parry that **** lightsaber!

Actually I can answer the sound question. It is because of the Force. People don't actually hear any sound, that would be impossible, but they THINK they can hear it because the Force transmits what they expect to hear.

A little explanation I came up with years ago.

It's the word "Parry" thats causing the confusion. Parry essentially means to deflect an attack with something like a sword or whatever, but Parry as an action in this system is more of a general defensive move that includes parrying but can be a lot of things. Don't get hung up on the label just follow the mechanic and describe it as however makes sense at the time.

I was rereading the artifact in the beta that grants your unarmed attacks pierce and your soak breach, and I noticed a funny thing. Apparently that artifact also provides your brawl attacks with the cortosis quality... suddenly I am wondering if you can sunder fists... just an interesting rule that makes me question my assumption that hands are not sunderable.

If the Artefact or item is on your fists (isn't say a magical amulet that doesn't require direct contact with the opposing weapon) and doesn't have a quality that specifically states that it immune to Sunder, then Sunder should work.

If the Artefact or item is on your fists (isn't say a magical amulet that doesn't require direct contact with the opposing weapon) and doesn't have a quality that specifically states that it immune to Sunder, then Sunder should work.

It's a talisman that channels the force into your body. So you could probably still sunder it by targeting it with the aim action.

It's the word "Parry" thats causing the confusion. Parry essentially means to deflect an attack with something like a sword or whatever, but Parry as an action in this system is more of a general defensive move that includes parrying but can be a lot of things. Don't get hung up on the label just follow the mechanic and describe it as however makes sense at the time.

Saga Edition was even worse with the "Block" talent. If anyone recalls what kind of ridiculous things people were inferring with that , this terminology is actually much better