I'm going to start playing in a campaign soon that uses all 3 of the current games together. The game is going to be set between ANH and ESB. I'd like to play a Ronin Jedi - someone who survived the clone wars and has been wandering and hiding since.

I'm just looking for some advice/suggestions on class for this concept - Im looking for a Jedi starting class and will very quickly buy into another class to represent the cover the character has taken.

Thanks

A lot of the careers I find work well buying into other specializations at character gen - it really just depends what your backstory is. For instance, take three different spins on a backstory;

1) The character pulled a Kanaan - putting the lightsaber away for good and forgetting his Jedi roots. This would begin with a FnD specialization with only a couple of the first tier of talents (at best) but points spend in Attributes (to represent his past improvements) and deep buys into his Cover specialization. A good combo to represent this is Career Warrior/Starfighter Ace and then Specialization Driver or Ace (depending on whether you're going AoR or EotE). Other good combinations are something like Shadow/Slicer or Healer/Medic. Pathfinder/Scout.

2) The character still keeps his Jedi talents sharp, and only sells his services under a different cover profession. This would be easiest with something like a Lightsaber Specialization (especially Shii-Cho Knight from the Warrior Career), and then picking up either the Recruit Universal Specialization (from AoR) or the Hired Gun (from EotE). You then go primarily with your Shii-Cho Knight character, picking up melee (which will be inclass thanks to Shii-Cho) and a ranged skill or two (in-class from Recruit or HG). You also in this build take force powers to benefit (such as Enhance).

3) The character tries to balance his old life with an entirely new one (a la Rurouni Kenshin). In this, you would take a FnD specialization that reflects a very Jedi role - such as any of the Guardian specializations (specifically the Protector or Soresu Defender), and then a radically different EotE or AoR specialization that focuses on blending in and getting by without notice (such as Thief or Trader). The buy focus here is on even spending between talents and skills that benefit each, to make an "everyman" jack-of-all-trades. This would play up the fact that he isn't great at what he does, and there always seems there is something more to him than there appears.

Kyla makes some awesome suggestions! My own Jedi character for an upcoming game is a bit of a mix between 2 and 3 - I'll share his backstory below for some inspiration!

Ganrus Mako was born in 35 BBY on the planet Glee Anselm, the homeworld of his species. Identified as Force-sensitive from birth, Ganrus was eventually brought to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to begin his training. As a Youngling, Ganrus was placed into the Tra’cor Clan under the guidance of Twi’lek Jedi Master, Lynees Muburr. Determined from an early age, Ganrus took to the new life of training and rituals with an eager ease.

Ganrus rose to the top of his class within the clan, and was selected to undergo The Gathering, a rite of passage meant to teach Younglings to overcome their fear or failings and find a kyber crystal attuned to their Force presence in the Crystal Caves of Ilum. Along with three other Younglings and escorted by Jedi Master Kit Fisto, Ganrus was taken to Ilum to face his quest. As each quest was tailored to each Youngling, Ganrus found himself forced to confront his fear of not being brave enough to live the disciplined life of a Jedi. Despite the challenge of the quest, Ganrus succeeded and claimed his kyber crystal.

Upon constructing his lightsaber with the guidance of Professor Huyang, Ganrus was chosen to be the Padawan of Jedi Master Alhandris Nerione. A Mirialan, Master Nerione was a highly disciplined woman with a devout belief in the Jedi way, and Ganrus was immediately intrigued by her highly disciplined outlook on life. Ganrus’ early Padawan training was an adjustment, as Master Nerione was a strict mentor, though he eventually grew used to her sharp and focused training.

Through the guidance of Master Nerione, Ganrus grew to become a highly disciplined young Padawan, though ultimately his greatest strength was his bravery. He was not without his faults, however, as he inherited Master Nerione’s propensity for obstinateness, especially when it considered his chosen course of action. He grew most in his skill with a lightsaber, becoming quite proficient in Soresu, and he took to the path of a Jedi Guardian which complemented his master’s role as a Jedi Consular.

When the Clone Wars broke out in 22 BBY, Master Nerione took the rank of Jedi General, and Ganrus followed at her side during the war, young as he was. Despite the galaxy-spanning conflict, Master Nerione continued to train Ganrus, using the war as a backdrop for many of her lessons. Ganrus found the war to be an ample medium to improve his skill with Soresu, as well as discovering he possessed a natural leadership ability.

In 19 BBY, the newly named Emperor Palpatine issued Order 66, turning the clones of the Grand Army of the Republic against their Jedi commanders. The troopers under the command of Master Nerione turned their blasters on the Mirialan and her Padawan during an armed engagement on the planet Telos. Although able to hold her ground for a time, Master Nerione ultimately sacrificed herself so that Ganrus could escape. Ganrus, although reluctant to leave his master to her fate, obeyed her command and snuck aboard a fleeing Separatist transport. Having survived Order 66, Ganrus went into hiding.

Ganrus spent the first few years of the Galactic Empire’s rule on the planet Nar Shaddaa, finding Hutt Space safe enough from the Empire and its agents. Despite having lost his mentor, Ganrus continued to train in the ways of the Force secretly as best he could, remembering the many lessons of Master Nerione. As the Empire expanded their presence in Hutt Space, Ganrus deemed Nar Shaddaa no longer safe and bartered passage off-world.

After a tumultuous time of evading the expanding Imperial presence throughout the galaxy, Ganrus eventually found a safe haven on the planet Socorro. With its shadowport status and lack of an organized government, Ganrus found it easier to continue his training without alerting the ever-watchful eyes of Imperial spies, though he still practiced caution.

Aside from his personal training, Ganrus continued to perform the work expected of a Jedi, believing that while the Order may be no more, he was still a Jedi. Although known for being a smuggler haven, Ganrus found that there were many who needed protection from criminal gangs, which enabled him to become something of a vigilant peacekeeper for those targeted.

With the emergence of the Alliance to the Restore the Republic in 2 BBY, Ganrus kept a watchful eye towards the future, waiting for the chance to do his part in fighting back against the tyrannical Galactic Empire and the restoration of Republic, and with it, the Jedi Order.

A good thing to consider is what rank the character was during Order 66 - a Padawan? Knight? Age can play an importance, as well, so that could be something to consider when figuring out a direction!

You can create a Jedi character with most of the Careers/Specs in F&D.

I'd say your biggest character build decision is what force powers do you want to eventually have and what FR you'll want to be able use them reliably.

Seer and Sage have 2 Force Rating talents so they'll get you pretty high. The lightsaber forms don't have a Force Rating talent - except Niman Disciple.

Or, if you don't particularly want to do a lot with Force Powers but want to focus on skills more then pick a Spec that supports that skill set.

Sentinel: Shadow has Well Rouned (pick up any two Skills as Career skills) for cheap and is good at Streetwise, Skullduggery and hiding from other force users (though, depending on the game the ability to hide from other force users may not be very useful).

If you want to be focused on combat the obvious choice is a lightsaber form Spec.

If you're looking for an all-around good Jedi Spec Niman Disciple is a great choice because it's very balanced and has pretty much everything a spec needs to create a Jedi - you can use Willpower with Lightsaber (so you can be good at Discipline/Force power checks AND using a Lightsaber), Parry, Reflect, and some other nice Talents, including Force Rating.

In my humble opinion, I'd avoid going into a Spec just to back up your character's cover: you can do that just with skill ranks (perhaps via Species bonus skill ranks or Human skill ranks...).

I have to ask (pretty new to the system). These starting characters that you guys are talking about are Knight Level correct? When getting another specialization it can get expensive. First one costs 20xp, and all you get is the ability to spend the xp in that tree correct? As in you don't spend 20xp for a new tree and are able to spend the 20xp into that tree.

Sorry if it seems like a dumb question, I want to make sure I read that right in the book.

Knight Level characters are characters that have 150XP after the normal character creation rules.

GMs can start the game at Knight Level which means players go through the normal character creation process then spend 150XP more on their characters (and get a basic lightsaber or a bunch of credits).

A character is still Knight Level if they started the game with 0 additional XP and "earned" 150XP by playing through a bunch of sessions.

A new Specialization is 10XP x the number of Specs you'll have - so 20 XP if it's your first Specialization. It costs +10XP if it's out of Career.

Buying a Specialization adds that Specializations skills to your Career list (meaning you can buy them cheaper) and acces to the Talents in the tree.

To be fair, you don't need to start Knight level to start with a second specialization. Almost any character at creation is going to have between 100 and 130 experience on them (based on race and Duty/Obligation/Morality buys). Unless you're planning on spending a lot on Attributes, it's really only a sacrifice between going three tiers down a talent tree or choosing access to a specialization.

A lot of people prioritize Attribute buying, and that's fine, but it isn't the only way to build a character, and high attributes can get abusive as the game goes on, so my players tend not to buy a bunch of 3's and 4's.

Depending on personal definitions, you can do a lot with a starting character (particularly if you aren't looking at the likes of Obi-Wan as a standard, but even then...).

A concept we have used is that characters who were full Jedi prior to Order 66 have diminished in functional Force power (hiding powers, out of practice, depression, whatever) to starting-level character abilities and that the game adventures are the road back.

Actually, you don't need to buy an additional specialization to account for your ex-Jedi having adopted a cover identity.

I've got a Soresu Defender in the game I'm running that's spent XP and his Human non-career ranks on skills that are not part of his career but play into his role as field medic/bodyguard.

Kanan Jarrus (currently a prime example of a "Jedi ronin" I would think) didn't need to buy other specializations to become a capable shot and pilot, and could get by with just spending some XP on non-career ranks in those skills.

The example of Kenshin from RuroKen was brought up, but again he wouldn't necessarily buy an entirely new "class" to reflect that he is hitokiri no more; he'd simply buy non-career/cross-class skills to reflect things he'd picked up in his travels, but in the end he'd still be a swordsman first and foremost, much as he might try to deny it to others, especially at first meeting. Said Soresu Defender in my game is very hesitant about revealing his Force abilities to anyone other than his sister (another PC and fellow Order 66 survivor), and would probably choose death over revealing that he'd once been a Jedi initiate before Order 66 happened.

Depending on personal definitions, you can do a lot with a starting character (particularly if you aren't looking at the likes of Obi-Wan as a standard, but even then...).

A concept we have used is that characters who were full Jedi prior to Order 66 have diminished in functional Force power (hiding powers, out of practice, depression, whatever) to starting-level character abilities and that the game adventures are the road back.

You could also come up with another narrative explanation like the character has all his abilities but doesn't want to attract too much attention.

Getting away with a big disparity between character concept and starting/current character build can be easier for force users in eras with the Empire than in others but it's a viable one nonetheless.

General Kota from the Force Unleashed series was designed to be a "ronin". His entire arc is based around the concept of a ronin falling from grace and seeking redemption. You could always look to his development for inspiration and build ideas.

Kyla makes some awesome suggestions! My own Jedi character for an upcoming game is a bit of a mix between 2 and 3 - I'll share his backstory below for some inspiration!

Ganrus Mako was born in 35 BBY on the planet Glee Anselm, the homeworld of his species. Identified as Force-sensitive from birth, Ganrus was eventually brought to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to begin his training. As a Youngling, Ganrus was placed into the Tra’cor Clan under the guidance of Twi’lek Jedi Master, Lynees Muburr. Determined from an early age, Ganrus took to the new life of training and rituals with an eager ease.

Ganrus rose to the top of his class within the clan, and was selected to undergo The Gathering, a rite of passage meant to teach Younglings to overcome their fear or failings and find a kyber crystal attuned to their Force presence in the Crystal Caves of Ilum. Along with three other Younglings and escorted by Jedi Master Kit Fisto, Ganrus was taken to Ilum to face his quest. As each quest was tailored to each Youngling, Ganrus found himself forced to confront his fear of not being brave enough to live the disciplined life of a Jedi. Despite the challenge of the quest, Ganrus succeeded and claimed his kyber crystal.

Upon constructing his lightsaber with the guidance of Professor Huyang, Ganrus was chosen to be the Padawan of Jedi Master Alhandris Nerione. A Mirialan, Master Nerione was a highly disciplined woman with a devout belief in the Jedi way, and Ganrus was immediately intrigued by her highly disciplined outlook on life. Ganrus’ early Padawan training was an adjustment, as Master Nerione was a strict mentor, though he eventually grew used to her sharp and focused training.

Through the guidance of Master Nerione, Ganrus grew to become a highly disciplined young Padawan, though ultimately his greatest strength was his bravery. He was not without his faults, however, as he inherited Master Nerione’s propensity for obstinateness, especially when it considered his chosen course of action. He grew most in his skill with a lightsaber, becoming quite proficient in Soresu, and he took to the path of a Jedi Guardian which complemented his master’s role as a Jedi Consular.

When the Clone Wars broke out in 22 BBY, Master Nerione took the rank of Jedi General, and Ganrus followed at her side during the war, young as he was. Despite the galaxy-spanning conflict, Master Nerione continued to train Ganrus, using the war as a backdrop for many of her lessons. Ganrus found the war to be an ample medium to improve his skill with Soresu, as well as discovering he possessed a natural leadership ability.

In 19 BBY, the newly named Emperor Palpatine issued Order 66, turning the clones of the Grand Army of the Republic against their Jedi commanders. The troopers under the command of Master Nerione turned their blasters on the Mirialan and her Padawan during an armed engagement on the planet Telos. Although able to hold her ground for a time, Master Nerione ultimately sacrificed herself so that Ganrus could escape. Ganrus, although reluctant to leave his master to her fate, obeyed her command and snuck aboard a fleeing Separatist transport. Having survived Order 66, Ganrus went into hiding.

Ganrus spent the first few years of the Galactic Empire’s rule on the planet Nar Shaddaa, finding Hutt Space safe enough from the Empire and its agents. Despite having lost his mentor, Ganrus continued to train in the ways of the Force secretly as best he could, remembering the many lessons of Master Nerione. As the Empire expanded their presence in Hutt Space, Ganrus deemed Nar Shaddaa no longer safe and bartered passage off-world.

After a tumultuous time of evading the expanding Imperial presence throughout the galaxy, Ganrus eventually found a safe haven on the planet Socorro. With its shadowport status and lack of an organized government, Ganrus found it easier to continue his training without alerting the ever-watchful eyes of Imperial spies, though he still practiced caution.

Aside from his personal training, Ganrus continued to perform the work expected of a Jedi, believing that while the Order may be no more, he was still a Jedi. Although known for being a smuggler haven, Ganrus found that there were many who needed protection from criminal gangs, which enabled him to become something of a vigilant peacekeeper for those targeted.

With the emergence of the Alliance to the Restore the Republic in 2 BBY, Ganrus kept a watchful eye towards the future, waiting for the chance to do his part in fighting back against the tyrannical Galactic Empire and the restoration of Republic, and with it, the Jedi Order.

A good thing to consider is what rank the character was during Order 66 - a Padawan? Knight? Age can play an importance, as well, so that could be something to consider when figuring out a direction!

A young Padawan, so he'd be 35-ish at the time of ANH/ESB

I will be basically starting a Knight Level - I'm currently running the game, but one of the players will be taking over for me and I'll be moving to the other side of the table. We are just finishing the Jewel of Yavin adventure and I'll probably use Eliza in my characters backstory (he lost his master, was a "homeless kid" for a while, she found him and trained him a bit more etc...).

General Kota from the Force Unleashed series was designed to be a "ronin". His entire arc is based around the concept of a ronin falling from grace and seeking redemption. You could always look to his development for inspiration and build ideas.

The big difference would be Kota didn't hide he was a Jedi.

You can create a Jedi character with most of the Careers/Specs in F&D.

I'd say your biggest character build decision is what force powers do you want to eventually have and what FR you'll want to be able use them reliably.

Seer and Sage have 2 Force Rating talents so they'll get you pretty high. The lightsaber forms don't have a Force Rating talent - except Niman Disciple.

Or, if you don't particularly want to do a lot with Force Powers but want to focus on skills more then pick a Spec that supports that skill set.

Sentinel: Shadow has Well Rouned (pick up any two Skills as Career skills) for cheap and is good at Streetwise, Skullduggery and hiding from other force users (though, depending on the game the ability to hide from other force users may not be very useful).

If you want to be focused on combat the obvious choice is a lightsaber form Spec.

If you're looking for an all-around good Jedi Spec Niman Disciple is a great choice because it's very balanced and has pretty much everything a spec needs to create a Jedi - you can use Willpower with Lightsaber (so you can be good at Discipline/Force power checks AND using a Lightsaber), Parry, Reflect, and some other nice Talents, including Force Rating.

In my humble opinion, I'd avoid going into a Spec just to back up your character's cover: you can do that just with skill ranks (perhaps via Species bonus skill ranks or Human skill ranks...).

The Sentinel/Shadown/Spy combo was one I was thinking of.

Thanks for the suggestions.

However I decided to go in, what I think is, a slightly more interesting direction, I'm going to make the character a former Inquisitor who defected from the Empire.

However I'm still looking for suggestions - how would you make an Imperial Inquisitor character? Warrior/Spy?

The obvious choice is Warrior/Aggressor to start (maybe adding Shii-Cho Knight). It depends on how much you wanted to play the "I'm a bad man trying to redeem my awful ways" motif.

The Aggressor provides the chance to have a talent tree that benefits intimidation, coercion, and inspiring fear (all very Inquisitor-y things) and would mean your character is best when he is being very very un-Light Side oriented. Combine this with the Force Power Heal/Harm, and you get a character that has all the tools to be a very mean person, and is very good at doing so, but also has all they need to be a force for good in the universe too (Heal and sheer toughness to protect the weak). It would then come down to how much you could avoid the temptation to fall into your old ways to accomplish what you do. For instance, are you going to pay the smuggler a fair price (as promised) for those foodstuffs for the poor colony on Aberdeen or do you just intimidate the snot out of him and get it for them for free (gain conflict)?

It could be a lot of fun!

Well, I guess one major question to ask is how important is being a bad-ass lightsaber combatant to you?

Unless you're looking to build an all-out combat machine, I might actually suggest going Consular/Niman Disciple to start with. This way you get a blend of lightsaber prowess and social savvy (Nobody's Fool and Sense Emotions for instance) as well as plenty of ranks of Parry and Reflect and the chance to boost up your Force Rating so you can get to powers like Bind (aka the classic Vader Force Choke) as well as get more mileage out of Move. Plus, your attacks will key off of Willpower, which is handy if you also want to employ Coercion.