Would a pc be able to still use his force powers if he was in a dream state?

Next session I am planning on having my group get put into a mass dream/hallucination. The force user has sense and enhance abilities. If they are dreaming would he still be able to sense living things (I am thinking no because they are not really living?) But on the other hand, since they are dreaming he could still believe he is using them.

Also there is another kicker to this. The force user started later than the rest of the group so he isn't exaclty the same as the rest of the party. In the last session the group found a mind control device that turns out to be a device that the technician actually created himself but cant remember that he did it. The device uses nanites to control its victims. They now have this device on their ship. In the back story that they dont know yet, they were all subject to this device and have these nanites in them already and dont know it. Since the force user wasnt with the starting group he wouldnt have been subject to this experiment, but I dont want to leave him out of the session.

On their way back from their last mission I am going to have their ship malfunction and release either a gas into the ship or a electric jolt into the controlling device so that they all have a mass dream together. Since the bounty hunter with an obligation of revenge (towards Bobba Fett) was triggered for this session I am going to have them compete with him to capture a bounty and then have a massive battle against him in the end. Also since it is a dream I am not too worried if they either kill Bobba Fett, or Bobba Fett kills them because they will wake up and realize it was all a dream.

The entire session I am going to have them hear a metal on metal sound no matter where they go. In the end the sound is going to be another ships crew trying to get into their ship since it is just floating in space.

So my two questions

1. How would you incorporate the force user into the session?

2. Would he be able to use his force powers in the dream state?

I would suggest that the Force User could potentially try and meditate heavily and use the force to join the connected dream if the nanites aren't able to infect them as well, but that lends itself towards a few problems. First is that no matter what, the surprise of it being a dream is spoiled. Even if you pulled the Force-User aside or passed them notes to keep that a secret, once they got into the dream, they'd be free to tell everyone it's just a dream and the goal shifts from completing the dream's goal to waking up. Second is you'd need to drop a whole lot of bread-crumbs to get the Force-User to realize what's going on in-character.

So, how exactly did the group get infected with the nanites in the first place? Because I'd suggest just infecting the Force-User with them as well before the mass knock-out happens.

And yes, he should be able to use his force powers unless the thing connecting them to the shared dream or some other external force controlling the dream would prohibit it for some reason.

The group started off with the beginner box adventure. As their back story, that I have not told them yet, they are just pawns for a crime lord who is trying to increase his own power. He has used the mind control on them before, hence the reason they have the nanites, and that is why they cant remember anything before they ran into the cantina on Mos Shutta. The pcs just believe they are being given jobs, but in fact are collecting gadgets and artifacts for the crime lord.

I had them run through Beyond the Rim, which is were they ran into the Force user. This is why he wouldn't have had the nanites in him.

1. How would you incorporate the force user into the session?

2. Would he be able to use his force powers in the dream state?

1) Same as everyone else. The Force can do some crazy stuff, but I see no reason why it would somehow make you immune to nanite mind control dreamy gas...

2) Personally, I'd make it work, but... not really. Just like a dream. He makes the check and gets the results he should get from the dream, because that's what should happen. When you're dreaming you're in a bakery you think you smell bread. It's not until the dog unleashes an unholy Alpo fart that real input and dream input gets mixed and you suddenly realize something is amiss... Likewise that can help you at the end of your adventure when it's time to wake up. When the salvagers board the PCs ship, the next time that character uses sense he'll see the targets he expects to see, and briefly see some hazy faded other targets where there should be nothing...and then after a sec those targets just kinda fade in. That's the point he can start realizing that the world seems to lack detail and coherence beyond his immediate focus, and that things seem to be working and happening because that's what he expects to happen, and not what actually makes sense.

What kind of tone do you want to get from the dream?

Is it supposed to be tense? Are you want to make the characters feel uncomfortable? If so, I advocate taking away something from a few of the players to bring them out of their element. Force powers may be one of them.

But if they know it's a dream and you're not intending to freak them out, then keep the force powers in there.

It should be extremely tense. They are going up against a well known bounty hunter who is tracking down stormtrooper x (thanks to the bounties to die for thready by mouthymerc.) Which means in the finally combat they will be facing 2 seperate nemisis

i was thinking that he could use his sense powers but everytime he gets the same results (ie. the salavagers that are trying to get onto the real ship.) I was also thinking about making other things not work like they are supposed to like gravity. As for taking away other things, they wont have their doctor since he is a droid (which is an npc played by me), not sure what else to take away. There is a bounty hunter, hired gun, and an outlaw tech.

Also if/when one of the players die that will wake them up from the dream and they will be back on the ship.

Lukily I have a few weeks to flesh this whole thing out.

In the "Dream World" power should be just Discipline checks to intereact with everything. Roll some FR to achieve a minimal result, but not trully needed there maybe.

About awareness of the real world, well, depending on how deep is the immersion, let use "external senses" or not.

As for taking away other things, they wont have their doctor since he is a droid (which is an npc played by me), not sure what else to take away. There is a bounty hunter, hired gun, and an outlaw tech.

Why wouldn't they have the Doc? I mean I get the Doc would actually be there with them, but wouldn't there be a dream version that behaves like the PCs would expect the Doc to behave (or not)?

Random thoughts:

The Force is not in the dream, so the Force is not fooled. Therefore, any Force usage in the dream isn't real, or it gives results inconsistent with the dream.

Does the device and do the nanites have an agenda? If not, it seems like it could be pretty random. If so...maybe it's testing them, or trying to weed out the weak?

Random thoughts:

The Force is not in the dream, so the Force is not fooled. Therefore, any Force usage in the dream isn't real, or it gives results inconsistent with the dream.

The question becomes: Are you actually using the force in the dream, or do you just believe you are?

It can go both ways and that's the problem.

For example:

Using Move in the dream probably won't result in you flinging your footlocker across your bedroom.

But the obvious counterpoint is:

Using Foresee might actually generate viable results.

The fact it's a Nanite thing might muss it all up too. Is the Nanite-dream a true "dream" or just a CG hallucination with a paralytic effect?

If it's a real dream, then the force plays minimal role, since you aren't using it so much as believing you are using it.

If it's a hallucination, then the force is not fooled and the results generated can reflect the real world.

So the nanites are only controlled by the controlling device so they don't have an agenda except for the one that is given to them by the wearer of the controlling device. In this scenario the controlling device is malfunctioning due to a malfunction on the ship causing a shock to go through it.

So it is going to be a dream more than a hallucination. The force user has the following force powers: Enhance- Roll Enhance Power Check with Athletics, Coordination, Piloting (Planetary), and Piloting (Space) checks. May spend Force Points to gain Success or Advantage on check. Enhance Agility- Ongoing Effect. Commit 1 Force Dice. The user increases his Agility characteristic by 1 (to a maximum of 6). Sense - May spend Force Point to sense all living things within short range. May spend Force Point to sense the current emotional state of one living target with whom he is engaged. Sense Control Defense - Ongoing Effect. Commit 1 Force Dice. Twice per round, when an attack targets the Force user, he upgrades the difficulty of the pool twice. Sense Control Offense - Ongoing Effect. Commit 1 Force Dice. Once per round, when the Force user makes a combat check, he upgrades the ability of that check once.

So I am thinking the enhance abilities would work because he would believe they are still working. But the question comes in on the Sense ability. Would he actually sense anything or would he sense the people that are currently outside the real ship?

As for the Doc not being there, I was thinking since he is a droid he wouldn't succumb to the affects of the gas and doesn't have the nanites either so he wouldn't be part of it. But you make a good point that they would think that he is there. They do go to him a lot for information because of his high Int, maybe I can have him have no information for them when they ask for it.

I really appreciate all the help. I have already come up with a couple more ideas to use because of this, so Thank You.

So I am thinking the enhance abilities would work because he would believe they are still working. But the question comes in on the Sense ability. Would he actually sense anything or would he sense the people that are currently outside the real ship?

Up to you. I say it only works in the dream because he's dreaming that it's working. Maybe even do something to subtly hint that something is off, like this adventure allow him to flip pips with reduced penalty (perhaps no D-point and/or no Conflict). When he asks why, you just say "I'm doing something here, just go with it."

Basic idea is sorta like how anyone can "use the force" when they are dreaming.... or fly... or seduce 50 women, 20 men and a hutt with but a glance. Because... you know.. it's a dream.

If you wanted to get really nuts allow EVERYONE to use the force after they figure out it's a dream. Maybe that's how they get out? When they realize it's a dream, they can also do pretty much whatever they want. Breaking the illusion triggers the failsafe in the controller and the nanites shut down.

As for the Doc not being there, I was thinking since he is a droid he wouldn't succumb to the affects of the gas and doesn't have the nanites either so he wouldn't be part of it. But you make a good point that they would think that he is there. They do go to him a lot for information because of his high Int, maybe I can have him have no information for them when they ask for it.

Perfect! No matter what happens the Doc isn't able to provide information beyond what the player characters already know themselves.