Morality Rework
I am not a huge fan of the current system of how the current unique mechanic functions in F&D (by unique mechanic I am referring to morality, duty and obligation in one phrase). I am sure this is to late in the game a overall and will not happen but well I have to try. Let me give some background as to why I want a change (don’t care if it is my idea or not) so badly. First I am ALLWYS the GM, so I have little to no point of reference on how to look at the mechanic form a PC point of view.
All of my issues stem from two places 1) I have not as a GM found a way to use effectively the mechanic as a tool like I have with Duty and Obligation. To my play group and I it feels like something we have to do and not something that drives the story. 2) it does not fit in well with the other unique mechanics.
A few things I hope to address with this rework.
The linear progression of up or down on something as complex as morality. I see my PCs letting this Gimmick make major changes in the way they play so as to get to a mechanical advantage. And once a PC gets there they just sit at the top of the paragon or in the depths of the dark side. I want something that lets the player go through the vast swings that we see in the films and EU.
The d10 just needs to go away. In more than one session I have had a PC make not so good choice and get a good die roll and go up in morality or make awesome choice and turn to the “quick and easy path”. With the whole party taking conflict for the dumb actions of a dark side and a low die roll just make me as a GM and the PC a little frustrated.
Conflict as a one sided coin. You always avoid the dark and never embrace the light. You passively become more of a paragon and actively fall to the dark. If a PC wants to go either way he/she needs to work at it.
I want the GM to be able to use the unique mechanic as a tool to guide the story and provide a little background for the PC. With a combo of the previous points that is near imposable. It just feels like it happens. And if I want to lure one PC to the dark side for story peruses he in a way gets punished for it.
I am with FFG on the fact that the unique mechanic in each game needs to function alone but also needs to play well with the other 2. In EotE we get to lower strain , in AoR we bump up wound thresholds . So logically in F&D we get to increase and decrees both… this does not fit well in my book. But there is a rescores to FFGs credit the current morality do mess with it a bit, but to me it only makes sense to have the unique mechanic revolve around DESTINY ! (It is on the cover of the book so it fits.)
I think Destiny (grand things of the future ) needs to take its place next to Obligation (effects form the past ), and Duty (status of the present ). The rest of this will be written as a new item and not referencing the current morality system. I hope to keep it in line with obligation and duty as how much effect it has on the game and let it have a place in all FFG SW RPGs not just F&D.
Step 2 of Character creation determine destiny: Every hero has a destiny, form a farm boy on a desert world to a unaltered clone orphaned at a young age. Your destiny is an idea of what your hero was made to do. (Become a Jedi/sith, win a great battle, lead a people, write a data log to change the galaxy, ECT) you and your GM pick a destiny defied enough so you the PC can have a say but lose enough so your GM can make it fit (this is the part where FFG makes a cool 12 part chart with a 13 th box telling you to roll twice.)
With a destiny you have a idea of where you think the living force might be pulling you but you have no idea the road to get there. Destiny is in 2 parts a narrative description, and a numeric vale. You start a game with 5-10 destiny and on your adventures you will gain it in 2 ways, Conflict and Serenity . Your Destiny is the sum of your conflict value and serenity value. At the start of the session roll a d100 and if the result is the same as your destiny value, you destiny will trigger. What this dos in games terms is twofold Narrative: your pc will have its destiny come into play in some fashion during the session. (If the GM can make it fit just like with obligation and duty.) Mechanical: you place a Destiny token in front of you, Light side up if you have a higher Serenity value or dark side up if a higher conflict value. This token is just like any other destiny token but only you can use it when it is on the light side and the GM can only affect you with it when it is on the dark side. (If doubles were rolled (eg 66) than place 2 tokens in this fashion.)
Conflict and Serenity
As you travel around the galaxy you will make actions that push you closer to one side of the force or the other. When you make “good” self sacrificing actions, actions out of pity, self control or rightness the GM may add to your PC serenity value. +1 for giving food to a hungry person or up to 5 or more for putting yourself in mortal danger for little or no Gain for yourself. Conversely you may do things that pull you closer to the dark side gaining you conflict, acting out of fear, hate or anger. When you do this the GM may add to your conflict value. + 1 for lying or theft or up to 5 or more for mortally harming an innocent person.
Conflict value + Serenity Value = Destiny value.
Destiny Thresholds
When a PC at the start of a session has over 100 Destiny value he or she will have their destiny affect the session in a Major way. (up to the GM) the PCs Destiny automatically triggers. After triggering the destiny value is reduced back to 0 to start the climb to the next chapter in a PCs destiny. The GM needs to pay attention the how the value reached 100 if the PC reached it by mostly conflict the PCs density might take a darker turn or if serenity is the main contributor it makes their path toward the light and the plot hook needs to reflect the PCs choices.
Vader is a good example of this destiny cycle. He stars off good selling all he has to aid some strangers, becoming a Jedi, letting the girl cloud him, killing kids, ruling the galaxy with a iron fist, trying to over throw the emperor with his son, and finely making a full swing in the last chapter to serenity again and killing the emperor at the cost of his own life.
If you read all of this thank you and please fell free to help me tweak it and make it better. I have tough skin and if the internet is good for one thing it is telling how bad your hopes dreams and ideas are. So feel free to do so. Also I wrote this at 4am so I am sure there are grammar and spelling errors. If I need to expound on anything or make clarification please let me know.
I fell like many of you that the current morality system in play does not give us what we want as GMs or players, and so I feel that complaining does not help so this is how I try and help.
Edited by Oogy