I really don't like the static difficulty for Terrify, especially when it is combined with Intimidating. it becomes very easy to do for only a few strain. As far as I can tell, the only way for a target to make it more difficult is to have ranks in Intimidating themselves.

Does that make sense? Obviously I don't think so. For one thing, it ignores the normal rules for Coercion where Coercion is opposed by Discipline. A small child (low Willpower/no Discipline) is just as easy to Terrify as a Jedi Master (high Discipline and Willpower). Further, a talent like Confidence that makes fear checks easier to overcome doesn't make you harder to Terrify, which doesn't make sense either. Terrify is a talent that relies on fear and intimidation, but exists separate from the normal rules for both.

The only reason I can see for that is that it targets multiple people, and the designers were reluctant to try and devise a way to set the difficulty based on some combination of multiple Discipline skills. That's a very meta and disappointing reason for the talent to work the way it does. Perhaps it could work sort of like Auto Fire, where you pick certain targets prior to rolling and then the difficulty is the highest Discipline skill amongst them.

Downgrading the difficulty only turns red dice into purple dice. Reducing the difficulty actually lowers the difficulty.

So Intimidating does nothing to directly help with Terrify, unless the GM upgrades the difficulty of the check through Destiny Points or other means.

EDIT: If the talent worked like you are suggesting, then Intimidating would make a much more powerful synergy with Terrify. I think it's more balanced as-is. Also, speaking of balance, I wouldn't allow the Terrify talent to work on droids.

My bad. I thought I had seen something about downgrades removing dice when there are no more challenge dice to be downgraded. I looked again and you are right.

Still, there are the other concerns I have, such as everyone being just as easy to terrify as everyone else, barring the Intimidating talent and destiny points.

I agree, it should be an opposed check vs discipline, especially as using the Influence power to instil fear is an opposed check.

I like the idea of it being much easier to Terrify a street-tough mugger in a dark alley (all of 1 purple) but the Hutt Slave Dealer is made of sterner stuff (3 red, 2 purple, up to 3 upgrades possible).

Improved Terrify could still reduce the difficulty of the opposed check by one.

Awayputurwpn, Terrify won't work on droids by RAW, at least PC droids. Hmm, odd that NPC droids don't get the equivalent of a PC droids mechanical being or inorganic trait...

This could be an important point for the devs to clarify in a force-based game!

I agree, it should be an opposed check vs discipline, especially as using the Influence power to instil fear is an opposed check.

I like the idea of it being much easier to Terrify a street-tough mugger in a dark alley (all of 1 purple) but the Hutt Slave Dealer is made of sterner stuff (3 red, 2 purple, up to 3 upgrades possible).

Improved Terrify could still reduce the difficulty of the opposed check by one.

Awayputurwpn, Terrify won't work on droids by RAW, at least PC droids. Hmm, odd that NPC droids don't get the equivalent of a PC droids mechanical being or inorganic trait...

This could be an important point for the devs to clarify in a force-based game!

This came up in today's game. As a GM I ruled that force powers didn't work on droids regardless if they are an NPC or PC. The player agreed that that was a good call (especially since the door swings both ways), and we moved on. It ended up being a fun encounter.

Awayputurwpn, Terrify won't work on droids by RAW, at least PC droids.

More importantly, the Mechanical Being trait specifically says that mind-altering Force powers don't affect droids. Talents, on the other hand, specifically call out on an individual basis whether they work on droids. Sleight of Mind, Sense Emotions, Overwhelm Emotions, for example, mention that they don't work against character who are immune to the Force. Terrify has no such qualifications. This is why I said I wouldn't allow it to be used on droids.

There is a small bit in the book introduction that mentions that droids can't perceive or be affected by the Force, so that is a good bit of info for the person that, for some reason, doesn't know that droids can't be mind-tricked

There is a small bit in the book introduction that mentions that droids can't perceive or be affected by the Force, so that is a good bit of info for the person that, for some reason, doesn't know that droids can't be mind-tricked

Or they know the real truth, that Skippy is and always will be canon.

There's a number of pre-existing talents that "target" other characters yet operate on a pre-set difficulty. Scathing Tirade and Inspiring Rhetoric spring immediately to mind, all of which operate on a flat difficulty with no consideration of the situation or type of person they are being used on. The PC simply makes their skill check (Leadership for Inspiring Rhetoric, Coercion for Scathing Tirade) at a Hard difficulty and then determines the results.

So conceptually, Terrify isn't so much about targeting a specific person, but sending out waves of fear/anger/hatred and then certain people within that range suffering the listed effects.

While it might seem appealing to make it an opposed check, the problem is that making it opposed increases the number of dice rolls involved, particularly if you have the target be the one making the Discipline check to avoid the effect. And if it's the person using Terrify that makes the check, you've got to determine which adversary gets used to set the difficulty, and in many instances may wind up making the Coercion check for Terrify easier .

awayputurwpn: Your right, I hadn't picked up on the fine distinction made about it just being force powers under mechanical being.

Donovan: Quite right on other talents using a pre-set difficulty. Talents like Field Commander and Inspiring Rhetoric are beneficial so it makes sense that they use a flat difficulty as the target wants them to happen.

Scathing Tirade always felt wrong to me in not being an opposed roll as it is "weaponising" a social skill and they are normally an opposed dice pool. However, this has never been an issue in-game as the effects of scathing tirade are relatively minor.

I suppose the main reason with Terrify that I would like to see this one being an opposed roll is that it feels a lot more powerful than scathing tirade.

If I have an Imperial Officer yell at my players with a scathing tirade, no one will groan about that as it's only a few points of strain and a black dice for a few rounds.

If I have a dark force user Terrify the party and some of them give them disorient (slightly worse than a simple black dice with the prey on the weak talent), immobilised and (with the improved talent) maybe even stagger one of them for a round all at a fixed difficulty of two purples with the improved talent, they would be up in arms about OP GM tricks!

Mind you, I want to play the Aggressor/Agitator now, hit them with supreme scathing tirade as a manoeuvre and follow it up with Terrify as an action!

I suppose the main reason with Terrify that I would like to see this one being an opposed roll is that it feels a lot more powerful than scathing tirade.

This is probably where I'm coming from too, especially with Improved Terrify. An average check to almost completely shut down a character seems too potent. It is a lot stronger than Scathing Tirade so it feels like it should either be toned down or more difficult.

It's also ironic how a Niman Disciple would make a great Agressor. Those two specs have some good synergy.

It's also ironic how a Niman Disciple would make a great Agressor. Those two specs have some good synergy.