EDIT: Googled the topic, and found answers. Sorry all!

I played a lot of Edge of the Empire, and then got out for a while. I just bought Age of Rebellion and Force & Destiny.

Why has the damage on lightsabers changed from 10 down to 6 (in most cases)? What are the ramifications in a game that is not Jedi-heavy?

Simplistic questions, I know, but I'm returning to the system after a long break, and what to make informed decisions before launching a new campaign.

I felt the same way when initially viewing the difference in lightsaber damage. So I digged deeper.

In short, PC's in F&D have more flexibility in modifying their lightsabers and are better able to customize them.

Upon taking some mods, the F&D characters can have lightsabers just as good, if not better, than the ones in 'EotE'.

In the F&D core book, check out the section on lightsaber modifications and lightsaber crystals.

In that section, you'll see all the mods and upgrades PC's in F&D can make to their lightsabers.

Watch your players' eyes widen and jaws drop with the possibilities.

I think It should be added that the Force & Destiny GM's Kit has an almost indispensable two pages of rules for crafting a lightsaber.

cant recall the name but one of the crystals in Force and Destiny fully upgraded will give you the basic one that does 10 from the edge of the empire and age of rebellion. I had the same thought to when I was comparing them, then realized how amazing the custom ones were.

cant recall the name but one of the crystals in Force and Destiny fully upgraded will give you the basic one that does 10 from the edge of the empire and age of rebellion. I had the same thought to when I was comparing them, then realized how amazing the custom ones were.

That'd be the Ilum crystal, which is the default crystal used in all the lightsabers listed in the gear chapter.

But to the OP's post, the EotE and AoR lightsabers were meant to essentially be relics, the equivalent of a high-tier magic sword in D&D.

Now a base lightsaber from FaD is still a dangerous weapon in combat thanks in large part to the Breach 1 quality, but it's no longer the deathstick that the EotE and AoR versions were. Also helping is that while an official Lightsaber skill does exist, none of the FaD careers start with it, so in most instances you need to purchase one of the LS Form specs in order to gain Lightsaber as a career skill.

Also helping is that while an official Lightsaber skill does exist, none of the FaD careers start with it, so in most instances you need to purchase one of the LS Form specs in order to gain Lightsaber as a career skill.

Well, you could of course start out with the lightsaber-form specializations as the initial specialization...

Also helping is that while an official Lightsaber skill does exist, none of the FaD careers start with it, so in most instances you need to purchase one of the LS Form specs in order to gain Lightsaber as a career skill.

Well, you could of course start out with the lightsaber-form specializations as the initial specialization...

Also helping is that while an official Lightsaber skill does exist, none of the FaD careers start with it, so in most instances you need to purchase one of the LS Form specs in order to gain Lightsaber as a career skill.

Well, you could of course start out with the lightsaber-form specializations as the initial specialization...

True, but no careers have it, only specializations. While not debilitating, it could be limiting as the lightsaber specializations are very focused.

I kind of like that no career has the Lightsaber skill as a career skill (only the specs). It gives people the option to create a non-Jedi(/Sith) force using character in any of the careers.

Also helping is that while an official Lightsaber skill does exist, none of the FaD careers start with it, so in most instances you need to purchase one of the LS Form specs in order to gain Lightsaber as a career skill.

Well, you could of course start out with the lightsaber-form specializations as the initial specialization...

True, but no careers have it, only specializations. While not debilitating, it could be limiting as the lightsaber specializations are very focused.

I kind of like that no career has the Lightsaber skill as a career skill (only the specs). It gives people the option to create a non-Jedi(/Sith) force using character in any of the careers.

Plus. Not every Schmuck - Force Sensitive or not - should pick up a lightsaber without proper instruction. or they spent plenty of time on their own to learn how to use it (spending extra XP to gain ranks).

EDIT: Googled the topic, and found answers. Sorry all!

I played a lot of Edge of the Empire, and then got out for a while. I just bought Age of Rebellion and Force & Destiny.

Why has the damage on lightsabers changed from 10 down to 6 (in most cases)? What are the ramifications in a game that is not Jedi-heavy?

Simplistic questions, I know, but I'm returning to the system after a long break, and what to make informed decisions before launching a new campaign.

As people have alluded to, the lightsaber in EotE and AoR is really the same as that in FaD. It's just that FaD requires you to put more work into upgrading your basic lightsaber while those presented in the earlier games are fully upgraded from the start.

The EotE/AoR saber is just a FaD saber with a fully upgraded Illum crystal (the default crystal) and no further attachments.

My players each have fully mod sabers that are each different. One pc is a martial artist who only draws his saber for defense with the LoridIan crystal.

The damage was toned down so they wouldn't be murder-sticks, and the GM might feel more comfortable allowing the players to have them, especially with the skill being in, now. Also, I think they wanted a more "growing" feel to it. Like many other weapons/gear, you can modify them, and unlike a blaster rifle, where you might carry it for a while, and then cast it aside, for a different weapon that is more your style (maybe you prefer pistols, after a time, to bulky rifles, or decide to grab an archaic slugthrower, finding it more to your liking than a blaster; maybe your GM gets drunk, and lets you find a Zerrol Nightstinger, or some other "rare, special gun"), the lightsaber you get, if you ever do, may be the only one you ever get, with the way Jedi treat their lightsabers, the social risks, and the perceived difficulty of finding real crystals. In this way, your lightsaber can "grow" with you, and feel more like a part of you, rather than just a thing you carry. When I first read it, I was pissed, as it was just another game trying to dumb down the lightsaber, and make it "just another weapon", when it is the most important, and iconic weapon in Star Wars, so that the people who didn't have one didn't feel unjustly punished for not carrying one in a Star Wars game, and this was right along with my grumbling at the rest of the game having not allowed for "Jedi", but I've since come to view that opinion as wrong (a number of my opinions, regarding this line, actually), and rather like the growth aspect, even if the likelihood of fully modding it up to the originals is unlikely, with the difficulty curve, plus the "failure robs you of another chance" aspect of upgrades. In much the same way as you can study a form, and gain new prowess with it, I like how you can tweak the lightsaber, and make it better, the way you might increase the skill, the attribute attached (not too likely), or grab a new Talent.