So, since I am starting this new campaign I had one question stuck in my head. My first campaign (in this system) we did not realize the Brawn = Soak rule. This was noticed by one of my players about half way through. I had not used the rule on my NPCs and the PCs were also not using it. To justify this, we all agreed to just ignore it (later changing it equal to half your Brawn.) So my question is, what's the highest soak you guys have seen if we were to convert to the Brawn system? We were afraid that with armor, brawn, and everything the game wouldn't be as intense and it would go back to the whole d20 feeling of us just wailing on each other. Now, I don't know if there is a rule on it, but I was also allowing people to wear multiple layers. So example, a Trando with a Brawn of 4 + Heavy Clothing + Heavy Battle armor = Soak value of 7.Which basically negated a blaster pistol shot. Am I doing this wrong?

The average in our games is 3 or 4, but there's been a few characters that peak at 6. On these boards, I've heard of a few in the double digits. 12-14 with at least one nearing 20. I probably would urge any of my players who got their soak that high to just retire their character and play something else.

I go with standard Soak rules, but I wouldn't allow stacking (hasn't come up for me yet). Stacking Soak items like that is basically just rewarding credits and nothing else. If a player absolutely insisted on stacking, and came up with a reasonable explanation to justify it, I might allow it with one of the pieces counting for double encumbrance (every worn a hoodie beneath a heavy winter coat?).

Now, I don't know if there is a rule on it, but I was also allowing people to wear multiple layers. So example, a Trando with a Brawn of 4 + Heavy Clothing + Heavy Battle armor = Soak value of 7.Which basically negated a blaster pistol shot. Am I doing this wrong?

There is a rule, soak only stacks from different sources, and clothing/armor is one source. So in the case of heavy clothing and battle armor, you only get the benefit of the armor.

Mk, I'll be trying this out then and seeing how it works.

Ghostofman huh? I was just looking for a sabbacc deck and a website came up http://www.ghostofman.com/Aids/CardDeck.pdf . This isn't your's is it? xD

Brawn can go as high as 6 without cybernetics, and 7 with cybernetics. Personal Armor can go to 3 unmodified, and with the Superior mod it can hit 4. So, that’s a max of 11 right there. I’m AFB at the moment, but I seem to recall that a recent book (maybe “Lords of Nal Hutta?”) added a lining that you can attach to hard armors that would boost the Soak by +2 against Energy weapons — basically, like wearing a Catch Vest underneath the armor.

There are also talents you can get that will boost your Soak rating — I think it’s “Enduring”, but I’m not 100% certain. And this talent crops up two or three times in the more combat-heavy specifications. So, if someone has taken a lot of those specs, the could conceivably have several ranks of Enduring.

So, a character that has been around a while, with a really high Brawn and seriously heavy-duty armor? Yeah, I can see them getting near 20 Soak. But I’m with Kaosoe on the subject of having them retire that character.

No worries! Vehicle weapons will always do the deed.

My groups' PCs have ranged from Soak 2-8 (including armor and Talents). Armor is typically Heavy Clothing or (sometimes) Padded Armor as the other types are usually too expensive for them.

My groups' PCs have ranged from Soak 2-8 (including armor and Talents). Armor is typically Heavy Clothing or (sometimes) Padded Armor as the other types are usually too expensive for them.

I like the wing commander armored flight suit from stay on target with superior applied to it. It's armor that won'the attract attention in a town with a space port, and it runs no risk of negative consequences (suspicion) when it's discovered because you're not trying to hide the fact that you are wearing armor (armored cloathing). You've got a perfectly plausible non threatening explanation for wearing the armor, it's a flightsuit and your a spacer.

Kamperdine, armored tailored jacket is pretty cool too, but it's designed to attract attention.

The there's the mark 3 berethron, armor from suns of fortune, which is also cool if you don't care that you are advertising that you are expecting to get into trouble.

Mk, I'll be trying this out then and seeing how it works.

Ghostofman huh? I was just looking for a sabbacc deck and a website came up http://www.ghostofman.com/Aids/CardDeck.pdf . This isn't your's is it? xD

Get it while you can, I'm pulling that site down this year.

Other than the Marauder, my table has only seen Soak up to around 6 or 7. Brawn 4 + Laminate Soak 2 + maybe an Enduring talent, which is a rare talent. (Only on 6 EotE talent trees, but twice on Marauder.) I think in general the Soak rules are fine. It only seems to get out of hand if a player makes a Soak character, first tip off on that is if they make a Marauder. It might be worth having a conversation with the players and have a gentleman's agreement that no one will try to cheese out the Soak rules.

As kaosoe says, 3-4 uses to be the average. The maximum achieved on my games is 9+1(Force: Brawn).

Some pople at the forum suggested to remove Brawn from Soak and increase Armor values a bit. I have to say that, until the moment, I haven't seen so much problems with Soak/Armor. I only adjusted AT-ST Armor/HT trying to fit it to canon a bit more, but the rest seems ok to me.

I'm trying to think.....

EDIT Corrected:

So XP dump into Brawn at start to get 5...

Marauder: 65XP for 2 ranks of Enduring 7...

Powered armor at 9,000c+Restrictions, Rarity 9 for 10...

Superior mod at 5000c rarity 6 for 11...

Cybernetic armor at 7500c Rarity 6 for 12...

Gadgeteer 30XP...

Armor Master at 30XP for 13...

I think's probably a good enough place to stop.

So... for pretty much all your starting XP, 125 earned XP, and 21500c (depending on your streetwise/negotiation checks) can get you to Soak 13...

Of course saying that is easy... actually DOING IT... not easy. Getting away with it... almost impossible.

EDIT: almost forgot, Brawn boosting Arms and legs at 10,000c/6 Each... so earned 190XP 41500c and total soak 16....

I thought the arm/leg cybernetic brawn specified that it didn't add to soak.

Don't forget that if you're a droid you get +1 Soak.

I didn't see this mentioned (probably missed it): adding Brawn through Dedication doesn't increase Soak.

I didn't see this mentioned (probably missed it): adding Brawn through Dedication doesn't increase Soak.

Hmm... really?

I guess you can tell that I've yet to have a player get that far

Sometimes I wonder if I'm kicking out little XP, or everyone else is just kicking out a lot...

This comes up a lot, to me whenever there is a player that wants to focus on one thing in the game to make their character untouchable as a GM you just starting using what bypasses that more frequently. The game provides options aplenty to ruin a high soak characters day. Same theory in D&D, if you have someone that constantly uses invisibility I just tell them plan on facing a lot of opponents with Truesight, Blindsight, etc. That generally encourages players to not waste so much effort on being such a flat unrounded character.

I didn't see this mentioned (probably missed it): adding Brawn through Dedication doesn't increase Soak.

I always think I think I knew that but yet I always forget it and can never find it in the rule book when looking. Have a page number?

This comes up a lot, to me whenever there is a player that wants to focus on one thing in the game to make their character untouchable as a GM you just starting using what bypasses that more frequently. The game provides options aplenty to ruin a high soak characters day. Same theory in D&D, if you have someone that constantly uses invisibility I just tell them plan on facing a lot of opponents with Truesight, Blindsight, etc. That generally encourages players to not waste so much effort on being such a flat unrounded character.

Alright, normally I would say Strain is the downfall of high armor characters (a wookie for example) but soak applies to Strain damage (which we also took away and added some custom mods that reduce SHOCK damage, or strain damage from energy weapons) What would be a few things that destroy a heavy soak character in the book though? Cause I know if a NPC has like a pierce of 5, my players will start to throw tables a a bit xD

Now I also do a few things different, like there is no cloning/resurrection in my Star Wars games (been that way since I started playing d20 with min/max characters. You hit -3 VP, you are perma-dead.) However, I really hate doing that or telling someone to retire their character (I've only had one player retire in my 10 years of GMing, as most of my players turn on each other if the game feels broken/becomes no fun)

I didn't see this mentioned (probably missed it): adding Brawn through Dedication doesn't increase Soak.

Incorrect. It does change Soak.

Per the RAW, it doesn't change WT (nor does raising Willpower with Dedication increase ST), but I ignore this in my house rules.

One of the very few House Rules I use is each Successful hit gives a minimum of one (1) Wound regardless of Soak. This has so far worked out well as it doesn't really impact low Soak PCs but keeps high Soak PCs wary of combat without gimping their Abilities.

One of the very few House Rules I use is each Successful hit gives a minimum of one (1) Wound regardless of Soak. This has so far worked out well as it doesn't really impact low Soak PCs but keeps high Soak PCs wary of combat without gimping their Abilities.

Sounds like a good use for threat/despair.

Edit: Actually - the enemy rolling advantage/triumph would make more sense for damaging the heroes armor. At least then it becomes something of a money sink, and Eote can use all of those we can find

One of the very few House Rules I use is each Successful hit gives a minimum of one (1) Wound regardless of Soak. This has so far worked out well as it doesn't really impact low Soak PCs but keeps high Soak PCs wary of combat without gimping their Abilities.

Hmm... Interesting. This would make sense. So in theory one could either split a group of 5 up to do 5 min damage or they could take 5 from each hit. Also, I don't think this system has it, but possibly wear on the armor. I know a bullet proof vest can only take so many hits before it becomes worthless.

I wouldn't over think it

The rule is actually taken from FFG's Warhammer FRPG 3ed which uses a similar dice and combat system.