Hi all new to these forums. Question, how do you manage damage in general? I don't like the fact that the damage is always the same + sucsess - soak. Also, in a lightsaber duel, usually one hit = one kill. I want not every hit to be huge (think of Rey and Kylo Ren's Fight). Thanks!

It is Base Damage + Successes - Soak

Lightsabers ignore 10 points of soak.

If you want an enemy to survive for more than 1-2 turns use:

1. Cortosis on the Armor = Soak can't be ignored by breach or pierce. (The armor can still be sundered!!! or destroyed by !! )

2. Give the Nemesis a higher Woundlimit (they don't follow the rules for PC!)

3. Give the Nemesis a Squad of 5-20 Minions to protct his WT

4. Let the Advasary have Parry Rank X = after soak suffer 3 strain to reduce damage by a meele/lightsaber/fistweapon by 2+X => already rank 2 on an advasery with an cortosis armor with soak 2 and an naturell soak of 3 will now reduce the damage of an Lightsaber attak by 9.

And always remeber Lightsabers are the Highest Valued Weapons in a SW-Galaxy they are ment to be deadly, they cut through nearly anything with out hesistation. So yeah most enemys will go down like flys in a room with an automatic bugspraysystem...

If you are new to the system hear my advice: Don't let your players have that highend weapon to early, start of with Ancientswords and Trainingsabers, until you got a better feeling for the damage output. (which will increase very fast)

Hi all new to these forums. Question, how do you manage damage in general? I don't like the fact that the damage is always the same + sucsess - soak. Also, in a lightsaber duel, usually one hit = one kill. I want not every hit to be huge (think of Rey and Kylo Ren's Fight). Thanks!

It's not been a problem in my games.

For starters, the number of successes generated can vary wildly from one attack roll to the next, so it's not like it's a truly static number. I've had Lightsaber combat checks that easily soared into double-digits only to be followed by rolls with only a single success by a lot of advantage. It's actually one of the best things about this system is that there is no way to really anticipate how a roll is going to play out.

Also, most participants in a lightsaber duel that intend to survive past the second round will have some measure of defensive ability, be it ranks in Parry, ranks in Adversary for NPCs, ranks in Defensive Training, the Sense power (more for PCs), as well as the PC-centric defensive talents such as Defensive Stance, Dodge, and Side Step.

For NPCs such as Inquisitors, they come standard with Adversary 3 (which can go a long way towards blunting the effectiveness of any attacks, not just lightsabers) but also the option to select Parry 4 as one of their talent choices, which again goes a long way towards blunting the effectiveness of a PC's lightsaber attack. They've also got an incredibly high wound and strain threshold, allowing them to generally weather PC lightsaber strikes with Parry as it'll be a while before they're at serious risk of exceeding their strain threshold and have enough wounds that they can stand to absorb a modicum of damage before things starting getting dicey.

There's also the matter that most lightsabers only start out with a damage rating of 6 or 7 and a crit rating of 2. So unless the PC has put sufficient time and resources into refining their 'saber crystal, these aren't the monstrous beatsticks seen over in the EotE or AoR core rulebooks. Unless the PC has devoted a lot of XP towards the Mechanics skill, they're probably going to top out with a damage rating of 8 and crit rating 1 for their lightsabers before they start failing those Mechanics checks and thus lose the ability to obtain that particular modification for that crystal.

Also just as an observation:

Rey vs Kylo was probably much more EotE when it came to numbers and gear.

So you'd be looking at Rey with no ranks in Lightsaber and wielding a EotE statted lightsaber.

Kylo on the other end had built his F&D statted saber, though the crossguard thing is likely an attachment that does something like add defensive 1, BUT he was also starting that fight with a Crit like "Compromised" which increased his difficulties.

Add in an extra 2 setback for environmental (1 cold, 1 dark).

Assuming Rey has a Brawn of 2, and Kylo 3 with 2 ranks in saber, the difference in damage and difficulty would allow enough probability for failure that the encounter could easily last several turns with someone's WT exceeding taking at least 2 hits. Heck with a little luck that fight could take quite a while....

Just because Rey has never used a lightsaber before doesn't mean she had no ranks in Lightsaber, just as having never flown a starship before didn't stop her from having ranks of Piloting (Space). Let's face it, Rey is a character that most GMs wouldn't like in their games.

Also, what rank would you say an inquisitor/ mentor figure to the pc's have? And how often should I let them rank up/ get lightsaber?

Rey actually had ranks in Piloting Space and Mechnanics before the movie started. Apparently she liked to sneak aboard the Falcon and use its simulator to learn to fly.

Rey actually had ranks in Piloting Space and Mechnanics before the movie started. Apparently she liked to sneak aboard the Falcon and use its simulator to learn to fly.

In the "Before the Awakening" short story, she had salvaged a flight simulator and hauled it back to her hovel.

I would think Anakin's Saber would be more than just a EoTE Lightsaber, more like a fully modded FaD lightsaber. This is THE Lightsaber after all.

Also just as an observation:.

So you'd be looking at Rey with no ranks in Lightsaber and wielding a EotE statted lightsaber.

I think it's worth remember and stating that a single combat check is meant to represent about a minutes worth of action. So yeah lightsabre combat ends after one or two rounds but that's about 2 minutes worth of fighting. There's a lot of room there to be very descriptive about how that fight unfolds.

I would think Anakin's Saber would be more than just a EoTE Lightsaber, more like a fully modded FaD lightsaber. This is THE Lightsaber after all.

Also just as an observation:.

So you'd be looking at Rey with no ranks in Lightsaber and wielding a EotE statted lightsaber.

An EotE saber and a fully modded FaD saber are essentially the same.

I just realized this, I don't understand why a character can only use parry and reflect a certain number of times. In the movies and TCW/ Rebels, characters are displayed using these powers very frequently. Maybe it should apply to an entire round?

Just because Rey has never used a lightsaber before doesn't mean she had no ranks in Lightsaber, just as having never flown a starship before didn't stop her from having ranks of Piloting (Space). Let's face it, Rey is a character that most GMs wouldn't like in their games.

There was nothing Rey did in any of these encouters that couldn't be explained by a high Agility score. You can build a starting character with 5 Agility, which is plenty enough to both fly a ship (notice how she bumps into things a lot, like the ground) or swing a lightsaber.

I just realized this, I don't understand why a character can only use parry and reflect a certain number of times. In the movies and TCW/ Rebels, characters are displayed using these powers very frequently. Maybe it should apply to an entire round?

Go read Kael's post in this thread.

A combat round in this system tends to average out to be roughly one minute. During that time, a PC can "parry" or "reflect" a slew of attacks, even if terms of dice rolls the bad guys only made a couple of combat checks against the PC. So while mechanically a PC can only use those talents so many times, narratively, they can defend against a slew of attacks.

And in a duel, a combat round could very well last several minutes. Desslok had a thread going that did a pretty solid job of breaking down the big lightsaber duels from the originals and prequels as to how they'd play out in this system, and none of them lasted more than a few rounds.

But if you want invincible Jedi who rule the roost and outshine all other character types, this isn't going to be the RPG system for you. FFG took numerous steps to ensure that Force users didn't dominate the game (something prior Star Wars RPGs generally failed to accomplish), and that includes bringing Jedi PCs down to the levels of "mere mortals" instead of the All-Star Prodigy Brigade we see in the films.

I just realized this, I don't understand why a character can only use parry and reflect a certain number of times. In the movies and TCW/ Rebels, characters are displayed using these powers very frequently. Maybe it should apply to an entire round?

Donovan covers the big stuff, but I would also like to ask, how often do your players get targeted for more than one or two attacks per turn?

I just realized this, I don't understand why a character can only use parry and reflect a certain number of times. In the movies and TCW/ Rebels, characters are displayed using these powers very frequently. Maybe it should apply to an entire round?

Donovan covers the big stuff, but I would also like to ask, how often do your players get targeted for more than one or two attacks per turn?

That is a good point.

Unless the PC is brazen enough to go try and take on several minion groups all by themselves, only in extreme circumstances should the NPCs be focusing all their attacks on a single person. Given that combat is generally intended to be dangerous, any PC that foolishly tries to solo an encounter with the odds stacked that high against them kinda gets what they deserve. Plus, we full well see a number of experienced Jedi gunned down by massed blaster fire, with a prime example being Ki-Adi Mundi during the Order 66 montage in RotS. He managed to swat away a fair number of shots, but he simply got overwhelmed before having several new holes added to his body. You also see it with that Jedi kid (Lucas' own kid if I remember right) who flipped over some Clone Troopers to land in front of Bail Organa, with him quickly deflecting a few shots before he got gunned down by a small detachment of troopers.

Also, if you watch the Naboo Palace raid in TPM, you see the various battle droids shooting not only at the two Jedi, but also at Padme and her extended retinue. You also see this in the Clone Wars at various points, with the battle droids aiming not only at whichever Jedi was present, but also at the Clone Troopers, who were probably more proactive in turning said droids into so much scrap (or at the very least could do so from further away than a lightsaber can typically manage).

So if you've got a player that's getting targeted by three or more attacks per round, first examine what the player's doing to draw that much attention to them, and then examine why you as the GM are focusing so many attacks on that PC. I'm willing to bet the core problem is either with the player's actions (too much Leeroy Jenkins!!!!) or the GM, and not so much with the rules.

Do keep in mind that, in the default Star Wars setting and era, waving a lightsaber around when Imperial troops are nearby is a pretty brazen act all on its own.Characters doing so will tend to attract a lot of attention and frequently the blaster bolts that such attention brings.

I just realized this, I don't understand why a character can only use parry and reflect a certain number of times. In the movies and TCW/ Rebels, characters are displayed using these powers very frequently. Maybe it should apply to an entire round?

Balance mostly. However I don't recommend fiddling with the mechanics until you've played the game for awhile and seen it work. But you can already replicated TCW/Rebels characters display of powers and what not by being more descriptive in combat. The attack role is for a series of attacks that culminates in the person being attacked taking X number of damage over time. So that attack role isn't one fire of the blaster or one swing of the lightsabre. That use of Parry or Reflect isn't the use of a single use of that talent. It's the use of that talent over the course of a minute of fighting.

The combat in this system requires a bit of a break away from other systems. In other systems combat is roughly 3 to 15 seconds per attack action. That's not happening here. So you can fit a lot more action into a single roll.

The fact that a single attack DOES NOT represent a single swing of the lightsaber or squeeze of the blaster trigger should be kept in mind, as should the fact that a round is roughly around a minute in length. A single dice roll for an attack can represent a whole minutes worth of blasting at your foes, or crossing weapons with an Inquisitor.

With regards to Parry and Reflect, it works the same way. If you are hit and use Reflect to lower the Wounds taken to 2, then perhaps you HAVE been knocking aside those blaster volleys for the duration of the minute, only to have one shot miss your guard and skim your arm on the way past - or hit your hand (Luke Skywalker, anyone?).

If you forget the duration of a round and what a roll represents, then yes the game doesn't emulate the films well - not by having one attack = one swing. But if you play it the way it's intended - with an attack and round lasting longer, and the results of the actions being detailed in full via the check results - then you have a very accurate platform with which to emulate the films.

Do keep in mind that, in the default Star Wars setting and era, waving a lightsaber around when Imperial troops are nearby is a pretty brazen act all on its own.Characters doing so will tend to attract a lot of attention and frequently the blaster bolts that such attention brings.

Can depend on the type of foe.

Imperials may opt to heed Agent Kallus' instructions to "concentrate all fire on the Jedi!" in which case, it's in the PC's best interest to make themselves as little of a target as they can manage as quickly as possible, even if it's simply be increasing the range band or getting behind cover, especially superior cover or something that completely blocks the Imps' line of sight.

Granted, if the Jedi is just standing there deflecting blaster fire while one of the Jedi's buddies is cutting loose with a heavy blaster rifle or similar degree of 'big gun,' the Imps would have to be total morons to ignore a threat of that magnitude. Same with the battle-crazed Marauder swinging their tricked-out vibro-ax that's turning troopers into blocks of spam. So those are cases where the bad guys may not be focusing all their attacks on the Jedi, simply as there are greater/more immediate threats to the Imps' lives that need to dealt with first.

Criminals and street thugs may instead opt to go find "easier pickings" in terms of opponents. Consider the cantina scene in ANH; after Obi-Wan displayed his proficiency with a lightsaber, nobody in that cantina sought to mess with the old man or the sand rat he had in tow. Now, Jabba's goons in RotJ focused the vast majority of their attacks on Luke, simply because Luke was really the only major combatant in that fight, and was skilled enough to rip through minion groups like there was no tomorrow (wouldn't be surprised if he had both Improved Parry and Improved Reflect to make the job easier for himself).

In Rebels, Kanan generally tends to draw a lot of the enemy fire, but I'd wager he's got Circle of Defense to let him use Reflect to protect the others, thus making it look like he's the center of attention when it may well be that shots are being fired at Sabine and Zeb, with his reveal scene in Spark of Rebellion being a major exception as he deliberately made himself the most viable target in that fight.