Honestly how many scenarios involving a bodyguard situation are going to begin at long range or greater? Unless you are on Tatooine's surface, in any city environment, the threat and encounter will begin at much closer distance.

Defending a target from snipers and returning fire.

Don't get me wrong, I think Barrage is a crap talent too, but not every talent is going to be great or even terribly relevant to the specialization. At least Bodyguard gets both of the skills associated with it, so that's something.

Honestly how many scenarios involving a bodyguard situation are going to begin at long range or greater? Unless you are on Tatooine's surface, in any city environment, the threat and encounter will begin at much closer distance.

Defending a target from snipers and returning fire.

That's just it though, everyone should be running away, not standing and fighting if you're actually guarding someone.

Honestly how many scenarios involving a bodyguard situation are going to begin at long range or greater? Unless you are on Tatooine's surface, in any city environment, the threat and encounter will begin at much closer distance.

Defending a target from snipers and returning fire.

That's just it though, everyone should be running away, not standing and fighting if you're actually guarding someone.

If the Emperor's palace gets attacked, his bodyguards are unlikely to be running away.

Generally, a sniper is going to take their one shot and flee. After their shot, the target is going to either be dead, or taking cover, or trying to flee themselves. A well-trained and well-paid or very loyal bodyguard will take the shot (Improved Body Guard) for their boss and then continue trying to cover and protect. Returning fire or chasing after the assassin is someone else's job.

Honestly how many scenarios involving a bodyguard situation are going to begin at long range or greater? Unless you are on Tatooine's surface, in any city environment, the threat and encounter will begin at much closer distance.

Defending a target from snipers and returning fire.

That's just it though, everyone should be running away, not standing and fighting if you're actually guarding someone.

If the Emperor's palace gets attacked, his bodyguards are unlikely to be running away.

Ill skip the notion of why the Emperor wouldn't be afraid of a sniper. That statement in no way makes any sense at all. Why would his bodyguards stand there in range of a sniper and continue to let the sniper shoot at their principle? They wouldn't, they would move their principle to safety out of range of the attack.

I can't believe people are arguing about what a bodyguard does. Some of the arguments could just as easily rationalize a Scholar as a bodyguard.

To me an iconic Bodyguard is something like Liam Neeson in the first half hour of Taken, guarding the pop diva. Alertness, close quarters defense, taking charge of the situation and finding an escape, and even soothing the potential victim afterwards...that's a bodyguard. The Bodyguard spec isn't remotely close to that, Instructor is a much better fit.

Honestly how many scenarios involving a bodyguard situation are going to begin at long range or greater? Unless you are on Tatooine's surface, in any city environment, the threat and encounter will begin at much closer distance.

Defending a target from snipers and returning fire.

That's just it though, everyone should be running away, not standing and fighting if you're actually guarding someone.

If the Emperor's palace gets attacked, his bodyguards are unlikely to be running away.

Ill skip the notion of why the Emperor wouldn't be afraid of a sniper. That statement in no way makes any sense at all. Why would his bodyguards stand there in range of a sniper and continue to let the sniper shoot at their principle? They wouldn't, they would move their principle to safety out of range of the attack.

I can't believe people are arguing about what a bodyguard does. Some of the arguments could just as easily rationalize a Scholar as a bodyguard.

To me an iconic Bodyguard is something like Liam Neeson in the first half hour of Taken, guarding the pop diva. Alertness, close quarters defense, taking charge of the situation and finding an escape, and even soothing the potential victim afterwards...that's a bodyguard. The Bodyguard spec isn't remotely close to that, Instructor is a much better fit.

I agree and I am done arguing about it. The spec is a bad build as named.

So, not to derail this thread, but I wish they would have done something a bit different with this entire system. Instead of the rigid talent system they came up with, they could have let anyone pick any talent, but given a "spec talent discount" for taking a talent that belongs to a spec you have. It would have solved the problem you guys are now trying to solve; when they published "Supreme Bodyguard" in a later book, the Bodyguard guy could still take it, just without a discount.

They could have limited the maximum number of ranks for a given talent (I'm looking at you, True Aim) to a sensible value. They could have gated certain talents using skill ranks or other talents as prerequisites. They could even have kept the current Dedication system by requiring that you take a certain XP value of other talents before each rank of Dedication. They could have fixed bad talents in later books by publishing revised versions of them.

I started writing this system up once, but quit. Maybe I should pick it back up again. Meh, anyway, back to your discussion!

I don't like open class RPGs, everyone just ends up looking the same.

I don't like open class RPGs, everyone just ends up looking the same.

I suggest a change in the Specialization name to go with the changes suggested to the talents.

Proposed change from Bodyguard v2 to Mary Sue v1

It seems to me like the body guard should have improved time to go which means that they also have to have time to go