So, playing a (planned to be anyway) long term campaign at the moment. It began at the start of the Clone Wars (our very first game saw us drop into the arena on Geonosis, sharing a shuttle alongside Master Windu himself on the ride down. It was, all players agreed, one of our top RP sessions of all time) and has so far progressed around 7 in character months into the war.

Our GM has stated that the Clone Wars in this universe will last longer than the three years of the official universe, unless we do something to end it earlier.

Anyway. As I said, we started as Padawan learners but some were promoted to Knights for our in character bravery on Geonosis when two of us, barely alive at the end of it, held out against all odds, rolling triumph after triumph, and defended the wounded till clone troopers arrived to medivac them.

We were knights in rank. But still Padawan in terms of skill levels. Since then we've progressed over 7 months of in character time over a number of missions in 5 game sessions.

We have another regular of our group who has missed all sessions so far rejoining us this week, and with this comes a time jump of three years. At the end of this three year jump one of us will receive the new guy as a Padawan and the rest will get NPC Padawans.

This jump comes with 150 XP. It's not a free ride though. Our GM has worked out a really awesome system for random events during these three years using the star wars dice. We roll X amount per year. Despair is a major injury we have suffered. Disadvantage generates D10 conflict (each D10 generated is then resolved individually as per the standard conflict rules (I seriously hope I don't go dark side through this!)). Advantage is a personal achievement. Etc etc.

Anyway. This is my character as he currently stands:

Wounds: 15

Strain: 12

Race: Human

Class: Guardian

Specalization: Soresu

Morality: 60

Brawn: 3

Agility: 2

Intellect: 3

Cunning: 2

Willpower: 2

Presence: 3

Force Rank: 1

Strength: Bravery

Weakness: Anger. Love.

Motivations: Destroy the separatists. Justice.

Athletics: 1

Cool: 2

Coordination: 1

Discipline: 2

Leadership: 1

Piloting Space: 1

Resilience: 2

Stealth: 1

Vigilance: 1

Brawl: 1

Lightsaber: 4

Melee: 1

Lore: 2

Soresu Tree:

Parry

Parry

Toughed

Defensive Stance

Soresu Technique

Reflect

Improved Parry

Defensive Circle

Force Powers:

Heal/Harm: Basic

Foresee: Basic, Control, Strength,

Now. I really don't know which way to take him. I would like to get a second force rating so I can focus more on force powers. But to do so would require spending nearly all of the 150 points on a second specialism which.. I dunno. Just doesn't seem the most effective use of the points and really wouldn't expand the character that much.

One option is to try and get from defensive circle to dedication. Which could cost me 70 points and give me an additional rank of reflect, along with improved reflect. My thinking is to use dedication to improve intellect to 4?

This would leave me with 80 points. I would like to get move: basic and enhance: basic, control, control. This takes my total points spending to 110. Leaving me 40 points to spend. Either on more Soresu options, or on skills (which I'm fairly lacking in so am currently leaning towards putting all 40 points into skills).

So, this is my current plan. Any views on it? Any alternative suggestions you could provide me with?

Thanks for any assistance guys! Looking forward to your replies. Will have to spend these points on Thursday.

I think the value of Enhance can't be understated. Or, for a more defensive role, Sense. For both you only need FR1 and they are still extremely useful. Each upgrade is fairly inexpensive XP-wise, so you can build it up while developing in other areas.

My 2 credits would be to buy stuff from the Soresu tree. Specifically, I would recommend Grit x2 (20xp), Parry (15 xp), Reflect x2 (40xp), Improved Reflect (25 xp), Dedication (25 xp)--presumably to raise intellect, and because you have 4 ranks in Lightsaber and would then have 4 intellect, I would recommend spending your last 25 xp to purchase your 5th rank in lightsaber, so you get another die added to your pool out of this.

With your xp that you get once your game starts up again, I'd recommend getting the sense defensive powers, each of which cost 10xp. Of course, since you're invested in foresee, you'll have to be willing to spend an action each combat to get the benefit, but it would make your improved parry and improved reflect much more likely to trigger. After that, I would either fill in some more of the Soresu Tree and/or go for another specialization, such as Protector, which has some nice synergies with Soresu and comes with a Force Rating increase talent. Alternatively, other lightsaber talent trees such as Shii-cho and Niman are good additions.

The main reason I'm suggesting going this route is that, because you're getting a huge chunk of xp, it will probably be more fun for you to buy the expensive talents while you have all this xp sitting around. That way you can buy things that cost 5-20 xp each week (or however often your game is, and depending how much xp you tend to get), and feel like you got something out of the session. My experience is that waiting 2 or 3 weeks for a 25 xp talent can be frustrating. If you can buy *something* every week, you feel more like you're progressing.

One last thing I will mention--one reason you might want to go with Protector is its abilities to protect other characters. If you become too good at defending yourself, your gm might stop attacking you (it depends on the gm, and how he thinks), but the Protector can use his talents to protect adjacent allies.

Oh dear, five ranks in lightsaber and four intellect already? So, you mean the character should be a Mace-Windu like shade of awesome lightsaber fightiness after seven months and three years of clone warring after padawan status?

Of course, I dont quite know the gamesmaster or the groups conventions, but skills and suchlike should usually have a firm grounding in setting, context and reasonable level relative to experience.

Start out by thinking more about what your characters focus has been during these years. Primary motivation is Justice and Destroying the separatists, how has your character accomplished this? For justice to be served, perhaps a firm grasp of what "justice" is would be needed, that would be a more studious and philosophical approach with some ranks of lore, the sense power, perhaps even dabble in the influence tree to help negotiations along and make sure not to have to resort to the sabre too often. A cool way to go for more force rating is multiclassing into Consular/Sage or Mystic/Seer, with an eye to improving force rating eventually.

Does your character focus on leading the others, to make sure the greater good and justice is served by working together towards that common goal, perhaps actively leading clones on missions more often? Peacekeeper might be an option, some leadership, social skills.

Some reflect, grit and defensive circle wouldnt be a bad idea either of course.

try to develop your character less based on the mechanics of most achieved efficiency, and more based on what you imagine as your personal narrative over time.

And most important: Have fun!

Oh yeah, as much as I'd love to have saber 5, I just couldn't explain it in character yet. I think I'm pushing it a little at 4 as it is. But I've explained it away as having focused mostly on that rather than the force thus far.

Regards leadership. My character does hold the rank of lieutenant in the Grand Army for his actions leading clone teams last game session. And has been assigned a squad of ten clones who are like his person strike team. So yes, leadership was one of the skills I was looking at increasing.

Protector is one of the trees I've considered. It is very fitting with how the character has played.

In character Obi is his idol.

Easy.

What do you want to do?

After you've answered this, build towards your aim.

I'd personally try to boost a bit your resistance against blasters, since you're mostly confronting droids (and a good Soresu practicioner should be as solid as a stone wall). Buy some Reflects down your tree, which will take you to Dedication and Strategic Form. As Kirdan Kenobi has stated above, "If you become too good at defending yourself, your gm might stop attacking you", so that's when Strategic Form kicks in.

Pick up the Sense Force Power, then the first upgrades on the left side. It's going to get your improved parry & improved reflect triggered a lot more often.

Then focus on your talent tree.

Finally get some skill ranks that support your party dynamic, possibly some knowledge, a social (Leadership by the sounds of it)

If you're interested in branching out then I would go Peacekeeper, it fits your leadership story and gives you another way to support your fellow party. Using improved field commander means your not attacking, so your supreme parry talent can trigger.