Dread Master Raptus' Mask - too powerful?

By LeighPouse, in Star Wars: Force and Destiny RPG

Hi all, my group is about to embark on their first FaD themed adventure and since three of the five of us are avid or have been avid players of the MMO SWTOR I thought I'd throw about of that in.

The Adventure (if you are interested)

So the adventure goes like this, the PC's are challenged to compete against a set of Allies doing the Kessel run (they did it in 21 Parsecs). So they arrive at the maze of black holes and prey to whatever gods they believe in and dive in. They have to keep making Piloting (Space) checks to bounce from gravity well to gravity well to get through.

As soon as they fail a roll (and i'll make sure they do) they get a weak distress signal coming from close to one of the black holes, upon investigating they realize that none of them recognize the ship or it's model number and it seems close to falling into the black hole.

Upon rescuing the ship and docking with it they are met with it's one occupant who is a Zabrak Sith Acolyte. After some confusing discussion the Acolyte reveals that she was on her way to Oricon to help the Imperial Task Force kill the Dread Masters by relying some important information, her master found the Holocron of Dread Master Raptus (the leader of the group) and it could contain vital information to the team.

It turns out that during a dodgy Hyperspace jump the Acolyte was brought to close to one of the black holes and got caught just on the edge of it's event horizon. To the Acolyte only minutes have passed but to the rest of the Galaxy thousands of years have occurred.

The PC's go to Oricon and find the Imperial Task Force's forward camp and I won't go into all the details of every encounter (unless people want to hear them :P) but I see Oricon as the perfect place to ensure lots of fear rolls and conflict building.

Throughout their time on Oricon they hear plenty of quotes from the Dread Masters (get on Wookieepedia, there's loads) and eventually work their way to the council chambers of the Dread Palace. Found there is a shrine that reads "To commemorate the efforts of the Republic Strike Team that defeated the Dread Masters, may their reign of terror never return to the Galaxy", upon the top of the shrine is a replica of Dread Master Raptus' Mask.

Upon reading that it was the Republic and not the Sith Empire that defeated the Dread Masters the Acolyte in a fit of rage throws the Holocron at the Mask and it is knocked from it's pedestal and both fall near each other. A strange black-red smoke emits from the Holocron and passes into the mask causing the eye sockets to glow red. The Acolyte, as if in a trance, walks towards it and picks up the mask and places it on her face, the room begins to shake, bits of the ceiling collapse and there is the cracking of lightning. A trail of smoke emits from the eyes of the mask and circles the Acolyte creating robes of black-red smoke.

Anyway, without boring you with the details again when she is defeated in combat the Acolyte disappears in a crack of red lightning and smoke and all that is left is the Mask.

Dread Master Raptus' Mask has the following ability: The wearer may perform the Terrify Action rolling a simple (no difficulty check) coercion check, however doing so this way automatically generates one conflict and one further conflict for every target affected by the ability. (I'm also considering letting the Mask have the attributes of (Improved) Terrify)

So what do you guys think? & thanks for reading,

LeighPouse

Edited by LeighPouse

So is it supposed to be an easier to perform version of the Aggressors Terrify talent? Simple may be a little too easy IMHO. Is it intended to use the PC's Force Rating as part of the check too?

You could also implement a strain cost if the character wearing the mask doesn't have a Morality. Basically if the character cant gain conflict then they suffer an equal number of Strain instead, it lets muggles get caught up in the story of the mask, doing nasty things then not remembering doing them due to passing out!

So is it supposed to be an easier to perform version of the Aggressors Terrify talent? Simple may be a little too easy IMHO. Is it intended to use the PC's Force Rating as part of the check too?

You could also implement a strain cost if the character wearing the mask doesn't have a Morality. Basically if the character cant gain conflict then they suffer an equal number of Strain instead, it lets muggles get caught up in the story of the mask, doing nasty things then not remembering doing them due to passing out!

Yes it's meant to be an easier version of that talent. It IS intended to use the PC's Force Rating as part of the check (I have a PC who I know will want this item and he is force sensitive).

All the extra conflict inflicted on you is supposed to be the downside to using the Mask but I do like the idea of it inflicting Strain on you also so I may have to change it to incorporate that.

Thanks for the reply :)

I guess if it relies on the Users force rating then its still a force check, and all the usual rules apply for using Dark Side/Light Side, so there is a strain cost built in. This is definitely an easy road to the dark side

I guess if it relies on the Users force rating then its still a force check, and all the usual rules apply for using Dark Side/Light Side, so there is a strain cost built in. This is definitely an easy road to the dark side

Yes it was always intended to follow those rules, and it is the Mask of the leader of the Dread Masters, it's supposed to be a quick path to the Dark Side :)

Honestly I think it would be better if it gave Baleful Gaze 1 conflict per session its worn and could be modded to give ranks in fearsome.