Hey guys, was wondering if anyone is using the rules with a different era. I myself am going to be running a campaign that takes place right at the start of the break in the Treaty of Coruscant.

I know the talents and powers are no where near on par to the force abilities of the jedi or sith back then. But i feel that is a minuscule reason not to use the FnD core rules.

I have searched through the forums looking for the best cinematic dueling rules.

If i may propose my take on trying to make things more lasting in a saber fight.

A PC must be in engaged range of an enemy to begin a duel.

Both engaged characters NPC/PC will roll their available force die. Focusing their force aspect (light/dark) will yield results that will influence their actions in combat.

If 1 pip of correlating force point is generated you may multiple your strain by 1.5 for a new temporary strain so long as you remain focused on your duel target while within engaged range.

if 2 pips of correlating force points are generated you may multiple your strain by 2 for new temporary strain... ect.

example

Jedi engages SIth. Both roll force die if they accept their duel. Jedi rolls 1 force die resulting in 2 light force points. turning his 12 strain into 24 for the remainder of the duel or until the duel is broken.

I feel this adds the needed strain for a medium lasting fight with those supposed epic cinematic fight scenes.

Feel free to critique. Was only an idea and ill be fleshing out the specifics over the week.

I also was contemplating introducing species for my players to use and came up with these stat lines using lore and stats from previous Star Wars RPG Kotor supplement.

Miraluka
Brawn Agility Intellect Cunning Willpower Presence
2 1 2 2 3 2

Wound threshold: 10+brawn
Strain threshold: 9+willpower
80xp starting
Special:
+1 rank in Discipline
Force Sight: Immune to sight based effects, perceives the world through the force. Remove up to 2 setback die when using perception against cover/concealment

Selkath
Brawn Agility Intellect Cunning Willpower Presence
2 1 2 2 2 3

Wound threshold: 10+brawn
Strain threshold: 10+willpower
100xp starting
Special:
1+ rank in negotiation or 1+ rank in medicine
Special:
Amphibious: Breath and swim underwater (similar to Mon Calamari)

Cathar
Brawn Agility Intellect Cunning Willpower Presence
2 3 1 2 2 2

Wound threshold: 9+brawn
Strain threshold: 10+willpower
100xp
Special:
1+ rank in stealth or 1+rank in athletics
Claws: +1 damage with Brawn, Crit 3 : gain boost to climb

any help with these as well. i thought they came out fairly balanced.

If i may propose my take on trying to make things more lasting in a saber fight.

A PC must be in engaged range of an enemy to begin a duel.

Both engaged characters NPC/PC will roll their available force die. Focusing their force aspect (light/dark) will yield results that will influence their actions in combat.

If 1 pip of correlating force point is generated you may multiple your strain by 1.5 for a new temporary strain so long as you remain focused on your duel target while within engaged range.

if 2 pips of correlating force points are generated you may multiple your strain by 2 for new temporary strain... ect.

Try it before you deploy it against your players. One of the good things about the system as written is that things like duels work well without taking an entire session. Getting a more cinematic saber fight is about creative use of Advantage, Threat, and so on to generate dramatic results, not about making it last longer. Try cooking up a character and Inquisitor and just rolling off a duel yourself, making an effort to apply effects instead of boost dice and crits and see what happens.

Also from a sheer mechanics perspective: Always think big picture when making/tweaking a rule, and make sure you aren't causing an imbalance. What if I'm a non-force user that's skilled in melee and I want to face a Force user? Parry isn't a force talent remember, so anyone can take a spec and buy up parry. Why does the force user get a bonus and I don't? Can I make a Discipline or Cool check and get similar results or something? Does this only happen when a Force user is involved? Why?

When it comes to force users there's a temptation to make everything force all the time. Like a good Jedi resist temptation and always be asking "Does the Force really come in here, or am I just wanting to apply it "because Jedi"?"

Miraluka

Brawn Agility Intellect Cunning Willpower Presence

2 1 2 2 3 2

Wound threshold: 10+brawn

Strain threshold: 9+willpower

80xp starting

Special:

+1 rank in Discipline

Force Sight: Immune to sight based effects, perceives the world through the force. Remove up to 2 setback die when using perception against cover/concealment

The Selkath and Kathar seem ok... but Miraluka is always a disaster waiting to happen.

Against my better judgment I'm gonna throw this out there.....

For the Force Sight thing why not ditch the whole setback deal (as that gets weird easy) and instead say something like "May generally act as if they can see (details subject to GM) and start with the ability to sense all living things within Short range like the Sense power. This ability follows all the normal conditions and limitations of this use of the Sense power. The character makes this check as if they have an FR of 1 unless they have an actual FR that is higher. This ability does not automatically confer the Sense Power or an FR of 1, both of which must be acquired through the normal methods should the player want them. This ability is affected by Force altering conditions (like Ysalimiri)."

Longer then I usually like my rules to be, but I don't feel too bad since it's just about keeping the actual use as simple and straight foward as possible.

Not saying it's perfect, but as a baseline it'll provide a "Force Vision" result without being too painful of a rule or getting into the mess of providing a starting FR attached to the species or something like that.

I've put some thought into this very subject as well, both how I'd build it and how certain types of players (specifically players familiar with TOR over a classic tabletop RPG) would react. The first thing you have to actively distance yourself from and make sure your players grasp is that the entree of the content in TOR is combat. You travel someplace, you fight enemies, you talk to somebody and get a quest, you travel to the place you need to go and fight enemies along the way, you click on an object, cutscene, more fighting, travel back, more fighting, talk to quest giver, get rewards and repeat the whole process for the next quest.

Fighting in this system is intended to be only a single food option at a buffet, not the entree.

On a different subject, LibrariaNPC's freighter thread has stats for the 6 class ships. You might want to find those.

@ Ghostofman, I will run through and try a cinematic approach with advantages and threats tomorrow by myself and see how it will go. I am already thinking that it might make things more flavorful. As for the miraluka, i thought of something like what you suggested.... as corny as it is i was gonna make it kinda like Daredevil vision with a mix of eagle vision from Assassin's Creed to feel for aura's of the force (light, gray, dark). Other than the force sight, i tried for a balanced view for stats, and just recently found the thread with other species, and they almost matched up.

@Blackbird88, As an avid player and lore nerd for the TOR universe, i am completely aware of the fetch quest circle. Having played many rpgs from DnD, Pathfinder, Numenera, Star Wars, and Call of Cthulu... i understand the value and need for a story and progression of said story for character development. More often than not, my players come to love social interaction as well as cinematic story sequences like chases, hide and seek, and stealth. I will definitely have to find that freighter thread.

Most my players are novices, but a couple of them have familiarity with TOR, so if I presented a tabletop and said it was based off of The Old Republic, I predict that they're first question would be why they can't fight their way through any situation.

Most my players are novices, but a couple of them have familiarity with TOR, so if I presented a tabletop and said it was based off of The Old Republic, I predict that they're first question would be why they can't fight their way through any situation.

I've straight told my players there will be no safety net, there will be newton's law of butt kicking. Action has exact opposite reaction. I told them they have the free range of options to figure out ways to solve puzzles and problems, but the more drastic the situation requires a more finesse solution. Yes there will be points of combat, it might be to break the air a little bit so things don't lose its traction, but for the most part i let the players know they need to uphold their values as jedi. Lets be honest.... jedi in TOR were warlords. I am toning it down to a more noir themed investigation feel.

Funny enough, I just spent last night reading the Saga KotOR book cover to cover. I also have the art book for OR. I've never played any of the video games that OR is built upon, but I really like it a setting far more than the GCW default. In particular, I think the Cold War period is full of possibilities.

I actually in the planning stages of making a Sith focused game set during this same era. I thought the ridged hierarchy and highly political nature of the Sith Empire was a perfect setting to allow my players to explore an evil campaign with a built in safe guard as to why they don't outright kill each other! (There's always a bigger fish.)

If you're looking to give the lightsaber fights a bit more sumthin sumthin you might try simply commiting a pip to keep both reflect and parry up for the entire encounter. Less strain usage should extend things if thats what you're aiming for. There was also that Jedi in Jewel of Yavin who could convert dark pips to light by using strain. On the Edge? Or something along those lines. With something like that you should probably be able to use your powers a bit more reliably than Rebellion era types.

After all, FaD people are force users, not Jedi. They have the power and the skill of the Force, but without the finesse of the Jedi or the Sith. Just something to consider.

If you're looking to give the lightsaber fights a bit more sumthin sumthin you might try simply commiting a pip to keep both reflect and parry up for the entire encounter. Less strain usage should extend things if thats what you're aiming for. There was also that Jedi in Jewel of Yavin who could convert dark pips to light by using strain. On the Edge? Or something along those lines. With something like that you should probably be able to use your powers a bit more reliably than Rebellion era types.

After all, FaD people are force users, not Jedi. They have the power and the skill of the Force, but without the finesse of the Jedi or the Sith. Just something to consider.

Right I do like that idea, i will implement that gradually and try it out. I was aware how FaD is force users trying to replicate the teachings to the best of their abilities. In TOR era though the teachings of the jedi and sith are much more common practice and reaching your true potential was much easier. So i will be over looking that jedi from the Jewel of Yavin. Just finished it as a player the other week, but we did not engage her. I will try to be adding just a small flavor of game-play to simulate battlefield tactics and lightsaber/force battles.

Although there is a difference between Old Republic era Jedi and Clone Wars era Jedi: CW era Jedi were all recruited and trained from a very young age, while OR era Jedi didn't have any age restrictions on who they recruited, so you could justify not being as disciplined due to being recruited late in life.

If Parry and Reflect dont have a Strain cost they very quickly become overpowered. Well, that or everybody just uses weapons that bypass those defenses.

If Parry and Reflect dont have a Strain cost they very quickly become overpowered. Well, that or everybody just uses weapons that bypass those defenses.

Yes and no. "Everybody" knows very little in the way of actual facts about Jedi. If you mean other players, they fall into the same category, unless they can come up with some in game reason for why they know how to kill Jedi. In the rebellion era, being trained to kill Jedi means you're empire, in the old republic it means you're Sith. Or in other words, you're an npc, so really, no problem at all.

That said, yeah, it is a bit OP. However, since Val is talking about running a game in a period where the Force is much more dominant, and "Sith games" are more common, it sounds about right. For a standard reb game, or one where nobody knows anyone else, I wouldn't do it myself. For the Old Republic though? Don't see why not. Nobody shoots at a Jedi in the toons or the movies, at least, not from the front anyway;)

Actually, there are quite a few non-Empire/non-Sith that know how to kill Jedi. Morgukai are one such group, and Hutts have a long memory and probably recall effective means of dealing with Jedi. With a little research or some uncommon knowledge, weapons with Blast are going to be rather attractive to anyone wanting to take down a saber-weilder.

Personally, I think you can make a jedi from any era with the RAW. It just takes thousands of XP.

I estimated Obi Wan (ROTS) at about 2200 XP. I estimated Vader (ROTJ) at 5k.

Apart from some minor house rules I felt appropriate for Shii-Cho (trading in some Parries for Reflects - their rationale for excluding Reflect doesn't make sense, since a form so old it doesn't account for blaster technology also means that it can't possibly account for lightsaber technology; Shii-Cho is meant to be an all-around basic form that includes basic blaster deflection training anyway), the rules as written work perfectly well for Old Republic era games. I'm running one now, and all I did was start at Knight Level, making the players young padawans - the default Knight Level start perfectly simulates a young Jedi fresh out of initiate training and just apprenticed to a more senior Jedi Knight. Add in a bunch of group Mentors as the players' masters (giving them a Force power XP discount while they remain padawan learners), and you have an excellent starting point for Jedi adventures in the Old Republic.

We've had several lightsaber duels against Sith apprentices and they've worked very well. Remember to seize upon the narrative nature of the system and extrapolate on Advantage, Threat, etc., to move the fight cinematically. The group's Makashi duelist rolled a Triumph against a double-blade-wielding Sith last session, and although it normally requires 2 Triumphs to destroy a lightsaber, I allowed him to spend 1 Triumph to blast the double-bladed lightsaber neatly in half instead, a la Obi-Wan's duel with Maul. Try narrating a lot of the Advantage and Threat as kicks, spins, flips, etc., and keep the NPCs moving to encourage a flowing fight. Add in environmental hazards (bottomless shafts are a must!) to further spice up a duel. Sufficient ranks in Parry and attendant Strain-related talents will keep the fight going if you really want to stretch it out, and don't forget to give Sith at least one rank in Adversary (so that they have a red die when they're being attacked).

Hey guys, was wondering if anyone is using the rules with a different era. I myself am going to be running a campaign that takes place right at the start of the break in the Treaty of Coruscant.

Actually we're running a game smack in the middle of the Sith Cold War right now, and we've run into no problems with the engine balking at the change. Actually it's kind of refreshing to be out from under the Yolk of Cannon to do whatever we want.

As for stats - I don't bother coming up with Sith Battleships and Mandalorian Fighters and whatever - I just take what we have and reskin it. That's a TIE fighter? Naw - it's now a Sith Attack Ship! Stormtrooper? Nope! It's a Sith Trooper?

I have searched through the forums looking for the best cinematic dueling rules.

No need. A lightsaber duel is not a bucket of dice vs a bucket of dice. The saber fights we see in the movies last 4-6 rounds, tops . Instead, focus on cool things to do in the fights instead of trying to overpower them with numbers.

I think the one thing from OR that I would likely drop/minimize is the sheer number of superweapons being developed. Since that's not likely to be front and center of the campaign in any event, removing them from my own version isn't going to be too difficult.

I too have just started up an Old Republic campaign (though mine is PbP). I'm setting it in the few months after the class storyline ends, and am drawing some of those stories into the various plots I'm running people through. I've watched through all of them on YouTube, but it was a while ago, and some of them have played through myself; there's a ton of random named NPCs that the Jedi usually wind up sparing, and that's going to be worked in.

I'm using the excuse that, to rebuild the forces of the Order, they're taking on all the folks who were initially thought too old for training, or from odd walks of life, or those passed over as not sensitive enough to the Force. They're starting with 0 extra XP and will be building up from there; I want to do something special with the 150 xp threshold but haven't decided what that's going to be yet.

I'm using the excuse that, to rebuild the forces of the Order, they're taking on all the folks who were initially thought too old for training, or from odd walks of life, or those passed over as not sensitive enough to the Force. They're starting with 0 extra XP and will be building up from there; I want to do something special with the 150 xp threshold but haven't decided what that's going to be yet.

Trials perhaps? Might make an interesting session or three to either run the players through a series of tests, or to assign them an especially perilous mission.

Or you could be a total jerk like Clone Wars, and have the players betrayed and hunted by their friends and offered knighthood as a "we're sorry, but only a little" gift....

There was another Thread on extending Lightsabre combat ( https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/182376-homebrew-melee-duels/ ) you should take a look at. The general consensus were variations of Opposed Combat rolls for named NPCs (removing the Adversary rating) without changing anything else.

I've tried mock fighting without the PCs, and it seems to take maybe 7-8 rounds before 1 or the other (Jedi/Sith) falls. That's sufficient for me, knowing the players they will do anything to stay alive and beat the foe as fast as possible. The threat that a Sith might be able to hold on longer frightens them as they know their strain pools are not as heavy.

Ive re-skinned some ships for future run downs... but overall have found the jedi consular ship from old republic stats from another thread.

The PCs will be finishing up their Initiate trials and will be heading to a certain ice planet for their crystals next. So its very useful that there is already a crystal named after the planet. All the players are wanting to have fluffy lightsaber colors... but honestly its based off their meditation and connection to the force.... been tossing the idea about randomizing the colors or picking one out that best suites their background.... or lastly just letting them pick one of the basics..... cause when all i hear are silver and black sabers i just shake my head.

That's easy enough to wrangle. Tell them before they even get to the crystal caves that silver doesn't come from Ilum crystals - if they really want one, they get to start searching archives across the galaxy finding scraps of reference (ultimately leading to them finding one; most of the point is to say 'yes' to the players if you can). Also let them know that black saber crystals are right out. Aside from that, let them pick. In the long run, it's a fairly minor detail on your end - but can make a world of difference to them.

And if they do pick red, don't stop them. Just have bystanders make assumptions when the glow-bats come out, with complicating results, and perhaps hint about that ahead of time so they can make an informed decision

If you are basing off of the TOR setting, you can go the route of KoTOR: green, blue or yellow, with green for Consulars/Mystics, blue for Guardians/Warriors and yellow for Sentinels/Seekers. If they want special colors or shades, like viridian or azure, just say that the colors are variable depending on the wielder, and there is no particular crystal of that color. About silver: KoTOR 2 had it, and TOR has white, which isn't to far off.

Concerning special lightsaber colors.

Star Wars Rebels Spoilers (end of season 1 and into season 2):