We are starting a campaign and one of the players will be a Jedi. Where in any of the books does it state a Jedi automatically starts with a light saber for his equipment.?? I was thinking instead of using the rules out of force and destiny to all him along the way to make one, but don't want one of my rules lawyer player pulling the rug out from under me.

Anyone have other ideas f it helps or hurts allowing it to soon because it seems like a powerful weapon.

I suggest running the two printed modules; 'Lessons from the Past' and then 'Hidden Depths' to start. This is how we did it. My Jedi PC's didn't start with lightsabers and had to learn to construct them. It's not tedious. It's just two quick sessions. Your players will construct their lightsabers and even get to use them (if you let them) in the finale of 'Hidden Depths'. Then you can even move on to 'Mountaintop Rescue' and then 'Lure of Darkness' and then 'Chronicles of the Gatekeeper' all with lightsabers. Works out nicely.

Also, the time period your game is set within may be a consideration too.

Training Sabre (Normal Hilt with Training Emitter for the crystal) and Ancient Sword is all that a beginner PC can ever afford thats anything like a Lightsaber, they are in the FaD core book.

Normal Sabres are roughly 10k, so unless everyone else is getting 10k extra to start with your unbalancing the group.

The reason a player cant start with a lightsaber is the cost of this weapon is too high for the starting credits a player get at character creation.

The basic saber from F&D is roughly on par with a blaster rifle damage wise, so there's a kind of baseline. The only catch is modding a saber can be done from day one, so it could possibly be more powerful quickly. It still has the risks and restrictions though, so a flubbed roll can conceivably destroy the crystal, leaving you with a worthless hilt.

The best option if you are running a starting game is to suggest he buy a training saber. It's affordable, counts as a light saber when talking skills and talents, but isn't so

Powerful until it gets a real crystal.

Alternatively, you can start at "knight level" which allows a pile of additional XP, and a saber or a pile of cash.

Note that this game takes a pretty conservative approach to Jedi, so you might want to give a heads up to your players that while they can get to actual observable movie grade pretty easy, the EU magical super men variant might be aiming a little high.

In this system, no character gets to automatically start with any sort of gear. Everyone gets the same stock 500 credits, plus whatever else they opt for at character creation, be it taking extra Obligation, lowering their Duty, or choosing it as one of their Morality options.

It was in the d20 Star Wars games that a PC whose initial level was in the Jedi class was automatically given a lightsaber as part of their stating gear, but with that PC's starting credits lowered to reflect that.

As Ghostofman noted, for a starting PC that wants a lightsaber, the best suggestion is to have them purchase a Training Lightsaber. Yes, it only does stun damage, but the hilt is a basic lightsaber hilt, so that when the PC acquires a proper lightsaber crystal, they can swap out the training emitter and have themselves a proper lightsaber. And it's quite possible for the first or second adventure to end with one of the rewards being a lightsaber crystal if the GM so chooses. When running a campaign during the FaD Beta, I used the adventure in the back of the Beta book as the initial adventure for that group, and it ended with them getting lightsaber crystals at the conclusion of the second session. Granted, those crystals weren't quite as good as Ilum crystals, but they certainly gave the PCs who wielded them proficiently quite a boost in combat capability, far more than what the Gand Seeker/Hunter could accomplish for a while.

The Force and Destiny Beginner Box had some of the pre-gens starting out with a basic lightsaber, and from everything I've seen and heard, the combats become something of a joke as the saber-wielders are able to pretty much demolish whatever is put in front of them, up to and including the BBEG of the module, with some stories I've heard having the guy get dropped in the first round, sometimes even by the first attack that hits (often the Nautolan Warrior being the culprit).

Plus, I've often found that if a PC has to earn their lightsaber as opposed to just having it handed to them as starting gear, that lightsaber becomes far more significant to both the character and the PC.

I'd second sorry thirdly recommend you suggest the training lightsaber.

You can suggest they spend the extra 10xp gained gained through increasing obligation, lowering duty or whatever you do with Morality to obtain that basic lightsaber no special crystal mods but it can be whatever colour they want its just a basic lightsaber... please remember that anyone seeing that character carrying that weapon is going to react accordingly whether they report them to the Imperials for the reward even though the Imperials are willing to bdz the planet to make sure your character is dead IF they think they're Jedi!

Kanan spent years in hiding and even HE keeps his saber hidden and in two pieces to avoid being identified... this character needs to understand yes you can start with a lightsaber but that means only having 500 credits for any other equipment and unless you're careful you will be hunted whether by bountyhunters, Inquisitors and anyone remotely interested in that rare and expensive artefact you're wielding...

If you don't mind that then all the best to you but that training lightsaber isn't illegal and you never know when you need a spare when you finally decide to make your own...

If you are starting this in either EOtE or AoR, I actually suggest the Ancient Sword. It's a "Lightsaber" skill weapon, but will draw zero unwanted attention to the group. If you're playing knight level, the group might be able to get offworld with the entire planet looking for them, but it's not likely as a 0xp group.

Even the training saber is going to raise red flags in an AoR campaign. The first time that lights up in public, the local garrison is coming looking for the "Jedi" in town. EOtE isn't as bad; but as a GM, despair pips are a good reason to let word get back to the local Empire contacts. (Also I find an evil chuckle at a despair pip followed by nothing ups the tension level of the session.)

Why isn't a training saber illegal then?

I've been picturing a character who eventually recovers a pair of those because they belonged to their great aunt and a stun weapon is actually very handy!

I have a copy of the Tapani Sector set and always figured there were popular with fencers making it easier to obtain and trace as they would be part of an official school so they'd have a licence.

I take it that's not the case then?

I think it's written in the new Luke's novel that lightsabers aren't technically illegal in the empire. That probably applies to training sabers too as they are obviously not lethal. Of course having one without a good reason makes you suspect, but what is really raising alarms is showing you can use it proficiently, especially with Jedi trademark skills like reflecting blaster bolts. But fo corsew the standard answer of stormtroopers would be to open fire regardless.

Why isn't a training saber illegal then?

I've been picturing a character who eventually recovers a pair of those because they belonged to their great aunt and a stun weapon is actually very handy!

I have a copy of the Tapani Sector set and always figured there were popular with fencers making it easier to obtain and trace as they would be part of an official school so they'd have a licence.

I take it that's not the case then?

I didn't say they were illegal, but your average mook in the field isn't going to be able to tell the difference between a "glowstick of death" and a "glowstick of knock-you-on-your-ass" until limbs start popping off. If you're smart, you've left before that happens. Either way, I've always played it that the Empire is going to want to have a little chat with you.

I didn't say they were illegal, but your average mook in the field isn't going to be able to tell the difference between a "glowstick of death" and a "glowstick of knock-you-on-your-ass" until limbs start popping off. If you're smart, you've left before that happens. Either way, I've always played it that the Empire is going to want to have a little chat with you.

This is generally my take on it, too. They'll sort out the legal ramifications afterwards, once you've been stunned, bound, and transported to a detention facility for interrogation, and quite possibly after an Inquisitor has been summoned to deal with you. And that's if they don't just shoot you outright. It's kind of like some of the firearm laws here in the US, in areas where open-carrying a firearm doesn't require a license: you can do it so long as nobody feels threatened by it. However, the people around you get to decide whether or not they feel threatened, not you, and just someone saying they feel threatened is enough to get you detained despite any appearance of wrongdoing (or lack thereof). *

Mind you, it's good to remember that not many people would actually be familiar with Jedi or lightsabers, and so might not recognize a lightsaber for what it is -- and this could include planetary security or even Imperial troops, if they're far enough away from the Core. Bonus points if you have NPCs who get worked up over the possibility of a lightsaber being nearby and completely misinterpret something like a literal glowstick as a weapon of the Jedi.

* Note: I am not inviting political commentary on real-life firearm laws and regulations. I am simply pointing out a line of parallel thinking that may be useful for GMs looking to discourage players from thinking they can brandish their training sabers with impunity.