I'm not saying that you're wrong to create more powerful stuff. That's a matter of taste, and not for anyone else to say. I'm not criticising you... it's just that things like stats and Force rating really are at a premium in this game. If you change these elements, you're really affecting the balance of the game. Which I think you're finding out now.

Non-standard species, Breach on weapons that aren't highly-Restricted lightsabers or heavy weapons, PCs doing 20+ damage per hit... All that is going to destroy game balance fast.

If you're having fun one-shotting everything in sight (including Darth Vader and Palpatine) then there's no problem. But if you're finding it lacking in challenge, then I'd recommend starting again, and this time playing closer to RAW.

I'd be a hypocrite if I said I don't change anything... but any changes I make are fully discussed with my players and the ramifications considered. And I rarely, if ever, mess with gear or stats or anything mechanical. I don't use numbers for Morality, Obligation or Duty, and the game still plays fine without them. I don't use Conflict, because we play shades-of-grey game where the Force-users are meant to be exploring the extremes of their personality. These elements certainly change the feel and theme of the game, however. Nothing is without consequence.

It seems to me you're having what used to be called a 'Monty Hall' moment - the characters are too powerful and have overpowered gear, so the GM is having to ramp up difficulty beyond what the game imagines. That tends to just lead to escalation, and too often ends in silliness like having to bring out threats like Dark Troopers riding Cybernetic Rancors just to be a challenge. Or using some kind of broken ruling or situation to provide a fair fight.

Again, I find it helps to go back to the original movies. That's the kind of level I think the PCs should be at. They weren't overpowered Asgardian gods - they made mistakes, they could be overpowered or captured, sometimes they had to run away or retreat. I think that makes them more interesting than the overpowered nonsense we see later in things like Force Unleashed.

All stemming from the dude with the largest issue with the difficulty curve on fights

That tends to be the way of it. If one player has an overpowered character, ramping up the difficulty only then hurts the players who made normal characters.

Sure, everyone can do what they want at their own table, but if someone wants to use cheat codes, there's no point then complaining that the game is too easy.

Your analogy fails a little as this is GM which the GM can adjust just fine to his own mods. In my game those artefacts would be overall a disadvantage as they attacked for to much and far to powerful opposition. Increasing the fore rating is an insane ability which should create conflict between Vader, Palpatine, Maul and the Alliance in a 4-way free-for-all. Similar like that special holocron and weapon on Malachor V attracted Vader, Maul and the Jedi all into one location.

That tends to be the way of it. If one player has an overpowered character, ramping up the difficulty only then hurts the players who made normal characters.

Sooo many feels.... I have a player with a wookie in my game who has soak 13 w/ cortosis and parry/reflect. Most lightsaber wielding opponents cant hurt him.... period. Anything that even nicks him threatens TPK to everyone else. This problem shows up in all games... one person builds a combat monkey whereas everyone else builds balanced interesting characters and then they all have to fight the same things :/

I use massive minion groups, ubber modded 18 damage+ weapons on rivals/nemesis, rocket launchers, thermal detonators, high end force using opponents w/ heal/harm(mostly harm) or move, and vehicle weapons (I use the silhouette X damage rule. Speeders x2, starfighters x3, etc) and have them mostly target him as the visible known high priority threat and then tone down what targets other people.

Use Active Stun weapons like the SSB-1 Static Pistol and the Stokhli Spray Stick. They bypass all Soak and apply directly to Strain Threshold. Use them in Two Weapon Combat, and you can do 16 points of strain in a single round -- minimum. That's almost enough to drop a Rancor.

Don't forget Glop Grenades, and stun grenades. Don't forget flamethrowers, which cannot be parried or reflected. Don't forget whip-based weapons, especially the lightsaber whip.

Don't forget poison gas grenades.

Don't forget Enhanced Cortosis rounds being fired out of a slugthrower -- if the lightsaber wielder tries to reflect or parry them, they only get a shorted-out lightsaber blade.

There's lots of options here.

Pablo Hidalgo introduced those cortosis shots, so the concept itself is very sound even within new canon, though I don't think we have seen them so far nor did FFG had them as option in the RPG, right?

Yay the group found this topic (well, at least one did!) and the good news is, Zombie Hordes are a great foil to a tanky Jedi. They hit me twice in the last session and I went splat. Thank the gods for amazing Selonian pilots and swoop bikes, I had resigned myself to being eaten and made into a Zombie (or rather, Geonosian Brain Worm thing).

Amazing ideas still rolling in! Giving me more thoughts for future campaigns too. Keep rocking it you awesome people!

Use Active Stun weapons like the SSB-1 Static Pistol and the Stokhli Spray Stick. They bypass all Soak and apply directly to Strain Threshold. Use them in Two Weapon Combat, and you can do 16 points of strain in a single round -- minimum. That's almost enough to drop a Rancor.

Don't forget Glop Grenades, and stun grenades. Don't forget flamethrowers, which cannot be parried or reflected. Don't forget whip-based weapons, especially the lightsaber whip.

Don't forget poison gas grenades.

Don't forget Enhanced Cortosis rounds being fired out of a slugthrower -- if the lightsaber wielder tries to reflect or parry them, they only get a shorted-out lightsaber blade.

There's lots of options here.

Problem with that approach, Brad, is that it's a kind of escalation. The GM invents more and more broken combos (like a Minion Group of urchins riding a Rancor) to deal with a broken character.

This game was meant to be narrative - it's about GM and players working together to make a cool story.

Doing it this way turns it into something competitive like Imperial Assault or Pathfinder, where the players try to make the most 'optimised' character or broken board-game piece imaginable, and the GM tries to defeat them. Do all the other players want that? Is it fun for the players who just created 'normal' characters who aren't an issue?

A lot of equipment problems can be solved by GMs not giving out ridiculous gear in the first place, like cortosis or double-Force-rating Breach items or whatever.

Use Active Stun weapons like the SSB-1 Static Pistol and the Stokhli Spray Stick. They bypass all Soak and apply directly to Strain Threshold. Use them in Two Weapon Combat, and you can do 16 points of strain in a single round -- minimum. That's almost enough to drop a Rancor.

Don't forget Glop Grenades, and stun grenades. Don't forget flamethrowers, which cannot be parried or reflected. Don't forget whip-based weapons, especially the lightsaber whip.

Don't forget poison gas grenades.

Don't forget Enhanced Cortosis rounds being fired out of a slugthrower -- if the lightsaber wielder tries to reflect or parry them, they only get a shorted-out lightsaber blade.

There's lots of options here.

Problem with that approach, Brad, is that it's a kind of escalation. The GM invents more and more broken combos (like a Minion Group of urchins riding a Rancor) to deal with a broken character.

This game was meant to be narrative - it's about GM and players working together to make a cool story.

Doing it this way turns it into something competitive like Imperial Assault or Pathfinder, where the players try to make the most 'optimised' character or broken board-game piece imaginable, and the GM tries to defeat them. Do all the other players want that? Is it fun for the players who just created 'normal' characters who aren't an issue?

A lot of equipment problems can be solved by GMs not giving out ridiculous gear in the first place, like cortosis or double-Force-rating Breach items or whatever.

I really don't see the problem here. Rancor-riding force-wielding amazons are cool and you don't need "broken combos" at all. Enough squads of simple stormtroopers would be enough to bring down a fully trained jedi. We are talking here about star wars. The universe which has a jedi master asking a whole army to stand down and stating that he has already killed over 100,000 of them. So things can get pretty ridiculous in canon already, no point to hold back on 1000+ xp characters.

And balance between character powers should be the last argument in a narrative game anyway. Even in such a group building a non-combat character can be fun. I mean … most groups have a face character too, and the rest of the group is often helpless without that character too … man, baby abscence lead to some pretty hopeless and super fun scene when our glorious social leader was absent for a few sessions. We went so far to start building droids to replace her just for basic shopping … presence 1 and zero points in negotiation can bite you in the ass quite hard … uhm, getting off-topic.

Anyway, whats wrong with some star wars inspired crazyness?

Anyway, whats wrong with some star wars inspired crazyness?

Different strokes for different folks. What works for me wouldn't work for you.

But again, check if everyone at the table wants that kind of parody game. If someone built a normal character that's not overpowered, they won't enjoy having to face the supercharged enemies the GM brought in to fix his earlier generosity. It's easier to fix the problem character than to ratchet everyone up to that level.

A lot of equipment problems can be solved by GMs not giving out ridiculous gear in the first place, like cortosis or double-Force-rating Breach items or whatever.

Totally agreed, but most of the options I mentioned aren’t actually an escalation of the same tactics. Instead, most of them are a change in tactics that would take down the Jedi a lot quicker by denying him the ability to use certain standard techniques, without really hurting the rest of the party much.

So, if used judiciously, they could help bring back a bit of balance to the game that had otherwise been lost.

Anyway, whats wrong with some star wars inspired crazyness?

Different strokes for different folks. What works for me wouldn't work for you.

But again, check if everyone at the table wants that kind of parody game. If someone built a normal character that's not overpowered, they won't enjoy having to face the supercharged enemies the GM brought in to fix his earlier generosity. It's easier to fix the problem character than to ratchet everyone up to that level.

If I would get easily insulted I would feel insulted now. I know you don't play within the star wars universe and that is totally fine, but can we use star wars as default value for discussions?

And let me say this again, as GM it is never a problem, never an issue to kill anyone you like, it is trivial and can be achieved without even stretching realism coherence of the setting (though realism is the first thing which you need to throw overboard for star wars anyway, so lets better say without stretching logical coherence).

And let me say this again in a narrative system the combat abilities of characters are completely irrelevant for the enjoyment of the game. The most important character of the OT is a wimp in ground combat and usually stays in the background in space combat as well, with very few exceptions when he starts to kick some ass from his astromech socket. Sure, if the group is build around combat characters and some people are blatant better at building their characters than others then it can become indeed an issue for overall enjoyment of the group. But in those cases actually supporting bad build with a few extras here and there would actually work quite well.

And before we argue about nothing: That force enhancing sword is absolutely ridiculous op and throws the balance completely overboard, but that is only an issue if the group is even concerned about balance. As mentioned, in my game this thing would literally cause a fight of all major force users over control of that artefact because whoever posses this thing can challenge the power of the emperor … well, at least if his name is Vader, Maul or Yoda. But that's not the point.

The point is that jedi knights are supposed to be worth hundreds of minions and at 1000 xp you actually reach that level. And there is nothing bad about playing less powerful characters. A jedi and is padawan is a fun setting, and just because Ahsoka is not as powerful as Anakin or Master Kenobi does not lessen the character at all, not would make it a similar jedi trio + rex and cody any less fun to play. It would be actually quite wonderful setting for a group. Power means little in the narrative, because it can easily given or taken away by the GM simply by building a evolving story around the group.

One of the most wonderful campaigns I ever played started with me playing a mage who's only spells were cleanse (not against undeads, but against dirty laundry), analyse magic, analyse text, translate text, and a teleport spell with about 25% chance of success. His only redeeming quality was that he was of the king's family and really good in theoretical magic. How the GM welcomed me to the first session? A death sentence, wanted posters, a bounty and charges of treason and witchcraft. It was a glorious campaign of cleaning Charles name with the help of some very powerful friends and an artefact which could only be wield by king's blood and teleporting the very same artefact into the big bad. Was my character powerful? Hell no, not even by normal standards and especially not within a group of of min/maxed characters, but he was a lot of fun to play, especially in that group.

TLDR: How powerful a character is does change little how much spotlight a GM can give him. Every well defined character has enough uniqueness to give the GM opportunities to make the GM enjoyable for everyone.

Hey team, let's not let this devolve into a grumpy discussion. I have loved the responses so far!

I think my PC could make it a interesting fight, since he has killed two inquistors and on some occasions fought with multiple inquisitors on a more or less level heading* To give a general idea of his skill set.

2 In Bounty hunter (Gadgetteer, Assassin. Jury rig primary used to shoe up his defence, has A-lesson with 5 int.)

1 Force Emergent (brought out most of the right side of the tree)

1 Sential (Artisan) (Has Intuitive Improvements and the flexible jury rig. He's was a craftsman by trade before the crazy adventures began.)

1 Ataru Style. (Saber swarm, lots of elements on that tree. He isn't an actual practioneer of any forms offically, it's more or less something he learned himself.)

His tree's are almost entirely illusion and influence style attacks, he has some foresee and most of the Seek tree. To give a description he's a relatively short Blue Rodian that doesn't appear especially well built. His personality is one of a cocky hiestmaster, Adrenalin junkie that is mainly fighting against the empire for his own survival after discovering his "gift". he genuinely believes all force users to be "chosen" of some description, and due to being hunted is almost certainly is weary of any baring a lightsaber.

To summerise he has R2 and 4/5 black on defence (which is 6/7 on a first turn) which is a combination of factors, but with 3 ranks of dodge can jack himself up to 3R 1P at a push. Parry and reflect can block 4 damage each. So he is quite tough to land a telling blow on; even with superior 2 he is hard to crit, though disarming him of his lightsaber shahto drops his defence significantly.

With that in mind. Two strategies really;

Direct combat: Between A-lessons, saber swarm his firm defences, a strong character like my PC could probably put significant pressure on ours; it takes three hits to drop him but he hits so hard that most antagonists are put onto the defensive. Throw a crit now and again, to be fair with the exception of the really superior saber, Tobin could probably put tremendous pressure on your PC.

Dirty play: An autofiring 6 shot Dueling pistol. Yeah. It's a firearm he's modified over the course of 3 years and actually is the firearm that earnt him his name. Autofire, short range, drop force attune juryrig? Thats one 11 damage attack hitting him with every advantage generated. Not as dirty as a fully modified heavy blaster rifle but this master crafted hand canon usually really works on those that he can't beat fairly. That being said I am considering taking the autofire mod off it, seems a touch too cheesy for my liking (though we are fighting super modified darktroopers this campiagn, so I really felt I needed something to deal with stormtroopers more quickly.

So yeah, not a situation as such, but your not the only badass in the rim. XD

My weakness is the same; I struggle with drawn out encounters which means my character actually spends a lot of time hacking and sneaking around instulations covertly then kicking in the front door; his soak is quite low (4 or 5) and thus doesn't really hold up as well in standard combat then more streamlined combat characters. Part of the reason why Tobin Stryder usually prefers sly tactics and bold hijackings, very fast plans that forces criminal organisations/the empire to either respond quickly or lose to an idiots array.

*It's worth noting that both of these inquisitors seemed to be low down on the GM's inquisitor hierarchy, and wielded vibroblades. That being said after two exchanges neither of them hit my PC, and one inquistor actually ended up inflicting the crippled status on another with a despair and a missed attack.

So... T-dets come to mind. In the blast not as target. The new ghostfire crystal from endless vigil can do it in the proper hands. Specifically, with a properly trained duelist. Active stun weapons as mentioned before. Throw larger size objects with move at him... Um, but even more interesting... Don't find ways to damage his psyche. Play the morality obligation game. Get him to snap and be honest with the morality chart. Characters aren't just beaten in combat. Propaganda can do wonders if it is kept up long enough.

I would not make this about defeating the PCs...I'd make it about what is a better story and what is more fun. Over the top action happens to be one of my settings I am fond of. I like big darn heroes.

That said if this guy was a Nemesis? Analyze and then strike at his weakneses. Seems like he is tough in conventional combat. So I would focus on what he is not.

How well are you at social challenges? And if he's bound by the Jedi Code, whipping out the glowstick and striking down say a civillian who is waging a war of words (Scathing Tirade, not soaked straight to Strain) probably won't make him many friends.

Jedi are known as mediators...how good are you bringing warring parties to the table and then getting them to compromise without using brute force? Negotiation? Or for that matter maybe you are on Nar Shadda and need to FIND these parties first and without committing a faux paus...how is that Streetwise?

Dropped into the desert / arctic wastes without tech. How good is your basic foraging / survival skill?

Spotting that super tiny secret hidden clue? How is that Perception skill?

If these challenges are scaled to the same difficulty as your combat skills warrant, it probably would be a different story. Hopefully a well told and fun one.

The way I see it, the DM shouldn't be trying to defeat the PCs, but the DM should not let the player bully their way through every adventure with unkillable characters either. It's a Star Wars adventure, that means you are waging a guerrilla war against the Empire. If you stand and fight you die. It's not unfair for the DM to enforce that spirit of the game by making the enemies take the appropriate action to kill a tough character. All the defense rating in the world does you no good when you have TIE Bombers dropping Proton Torpedos on you, and that's exactly what would happen if the Empire runs into someone who swings a lightsaber around and laughs at blaster fire.

I mean remember, this is the Galactic Empire we're dealing with, killing Jedi is their #1 priority, they won't hesitate to obliterate an entire town if it has a Jedi in it that can't be apprehended otherwise. Power never guarantees safety as a force user, on the contrary, it escalates the response from the Empire to the point of cataclysmic destruction just to kill you. When that happens your character should also be racking up massive conflict every time they reveal themselves and cause untold casualties through the empire's response. (There is a reason why the most powerful Jedi go into exile)

As far as making the story challenging for a high end character like that, your DM could bring in an Inquisitor who's highly skilled at deception, misdirection and influence, and trick your character into attacking their own party. That'd be my purely mechanical answer to someone who's near impervious to weapons.

More importantly though your DM should put your character in situations where fighting doesn't help, or actively hurts your cause. They could create a situation where your enemies simply know you're nearly impossible to kill, and their primary response to you showing up is to simply start killing civilians, causing you conflict every time you reveal yourself. Since you're sitting at Morality 100 your DM clearly isn't throwing enough conflicting situations at your character. You should basically never sit pretty at 100 unless you've gone into exile. Fighting IS conflict, there are no saints in a war. If every town you visit gets glassed by a star destroyer all the defense rating in the world won't save you from falling to the dark side if you keep showing your face around innocent people. That's how you shift the adventure toward requiring a new skill set to be successful.