This Saturday, my PCs will finally be jaunting across the galaxy, heading to a Force Vergence to harvest their lightsaber crystals. I'm thinking I'll give them a couple of potential locations (Ilum, Eedit, and Lothal), but the quests will largely follow the same framework regardless. At the end, of course, they'll get their crystals, and may construct their sabers.

Well, except for one guy. Nathan Huffheinz has no interest in becoming a Jedi Knight, nor in obtaining a Lightsaber. He's a Sentinel/Shadow, and has recently bought the Infiltrator spec. He likes the James Bond angle, sneaking in, getting the goods, and probably going loud on the escape. Yes, it's fraught with Conflict, and that's fine.

In particular, he's searching for his son, who was kidnapped, and the trail has since gone cold. I'm thinking his mentor, a Dathomir Witch, would urge him to join his fellows searching for the vergence, as he may (read: definitely will) receive a vision that gives him a new lead to follow.

So that's all well and good, but I feel like he should get some sort of tangible reward, since everyone else will be getting glowsticks of doom. Any suggestions? A crystal that he can use for something else? Maybe kyber shards that work as single-use Force Dice? I'm going to suggest buying the Seek power, as it's both useful to his story, and its Mastery ability is pretty sweet for someone who doesn't use a Lightsaber.

Infiltrators are good melee weapon users and if he likes using melee weapons then a pseudo lightsaber that uses the melee skill is the morgukai cortosis staff. Moving on from that , if he likes the occasional hand to hand then a Talisman of Iron Fists, as it gives him protection from lightsabers.

There is a long section on Ancient Talismans in Nexus of Power, as well as the short list in FaD Core Rulebook. Talisman of Iron Fists is a solid suggestion.

Also remember, Ilum is pretty much unreachable. It's deep in the Unknown regions, and in firm Imperial control with a garrison right outside the doors of the temple, and being strip mined of its crystals by the Empire.

I wouldn't give him a couple of "one use" shards, when everyone else is getting a permanent glowstick of death. If you want him to stick with a crystal, but use it for something else, make it something theoretically permanent, assuming he doesn't lose it/it get's destroyed.

Since he's a tricksy sneak thief, you might let the crystal, when used (once per session perhaps), replicate the effects of a Force power he doesn't have. Like say, Misdirection. Which would be handy for a sneaky sneaker. Or perhaps Influence, which is also useful for sneaking about.

It would only ever be that one power, permanently locked into the crystal, but it would give him a greater range of flexibility, and potentially save him some XP, as he wouldn't necessarily need to buy the power itself.

If that feels too powerful, how about letting the crystal give him access to an additional Force die, on one roll per session/or encounter. So instead of trying to activate that really important power with FR 1, he's able to (once per session), do it as an FR 2. There is a talent that is similar to this, but potentially much more powerful, so I think it's reasonably balanced personally.

Or anything of similar ability. Remember, the other players are getting an absurdly powerful weapon, that they can theoretically use every turn in every encounter in every session. A weapon that basically laughs at Soak, and inflicts insane amounts of damage, even with the wimpiest of rolls. It's insanely powerful. Try to have the alternate item be comparable in scope and ability if you can.

Also, run your ideas by the player once it's for certain they have these crystals. Be up front with him, and ask him what he thinks would be an equivalent type of reward, instead of taking up a lightsaber. Then hash it out between the two of you, until you come up with some mechanics that satisfy you both.

Also, kudos to your player who doesn't want a saber. I personally always approve of people not going the saber route, whenever possible. *thumbs up*

8 hours ago, Tramp Graphics said:

Also remember, Ilum is pretty much unreachable. It's deep in the Unknown regions, and in firm Imperial control with a garrison right outside the doors of the temple, and being strip mined of its crystals by the Empire.

According to the Ahsoka book which takes place just before she joins the Rebellion Illum isn't just being strip mined, it's crust down to the mantle is being ripped up. I don't have the book anymore but I remember she describes a massive orbital mining station and a wedge of the surface missing, as well as couple of Star Destroyers. So depending on when the OP's game takes place Ilum may not be the best place to go crystal hunting...

8 hours ago, FuriousGreg said:

According to the Ahsoka book which takes place just before she joins the Rebellion Illum isn't just being strip mined, it's crust down to the mantle is being ripped up. I don't have the book anymore but I remember she describes a massive orbital mining station and a wedge of the surface missing, as well as couple of Star Destroyers. So depending on when the OP's game takes place Ilum may not be the best place to go crystal hunting...

Good thing a galaxy contains billions of stars, with billions of planets orbiting them. Making it super easy for a GM to just come up with Random Crystal Planet 27, and solve that issue.

7 hours ago, KungFuFerret said:

Good thing a galaxy contains billions of stars, with billions of planets orbiting them. Making it super easy for a GM to just come up with Random Crystal Planet 27, and solve that issue.

And there are plenty of other named planets where crystals are located, and other types of kyber crystals aside from Ilum crystals, many of which are far superior (Mephite crystals and Krayt Dragon Pearls being two of them).

1 minute ago, Tramp Graphics said:

And there are plenty of other named planets where crystals are located, and other types of kyber crystals aside from Ilum crystals, many of which are far superior (Mephite crystals and Krayt Dragon Pearls being two of them).

Yup, one of the reasons I never really concern myself with canon when it comes to stuff like that. Though part of me does love the idea of them infiltrating the Imperial production complex at Ilum, and making off with a shipment of the crystals. Basically ship jacking one of their cargo ships. I mean, it's not like there isn't precedence for a small band of plucky adventurers, infiltrating a planetary scale Imperial facility, moving about with impunity, stealing stuff vital to the Empire, and then escaping with hardly any negative consequences.

In the book Ahoska saw this wholesale destruction of Ilum's surface while hidden at the edge of the system and it just added some great narrative to the setting, her realization that the Empire could act on that scale was kinda cool. She also goes somewhere else for her crystals, being drawn to their "song" they sing just for her. I recommend the book actually because of this, it adds a nice mystical depth to the link between Force user and crystal(s) and also a really cool plot hook around gaining them. It's not a long book or "young adult", it was a fun read.

13 minutes ago, FuriousGreg said:

In the book Ahoska saw this wholesale destruction of Ilum's surface while hidden at the edge of the system and it just added some great narrative to the setting, her realization that the Empire could act on that scale was kinda cool. She also goes somewhere else for her crystals, being drawn to their "song" they sing just for her. I recommend the book actually because of this, it adds a nice mystical depth to the link between Force user and crystal(s) and also a really cool plot hook around gaining them. It's not a long book or "young adult", it was a fun read.

This also lends credence to the theory that Ilum became Starkiller Base.

3 minutes ago, Tramp Graphics said:

This also lends credence to the theory that Ilum became Starkiller Base.

Wasn't that already debunked?

Just now, awayputurwpn said:

Wasn't that already debunked?

Not entirely. Lucasfilm has been very vague. They've been trying really hard to beat around the bush about it, but the theory still survives. I think they just want to keep us guessing.

Here's a wacky idea: In SWTOR, you can put the same crystals in your blaster as you can your lightsaber. Not sure what the game effects of a kyber-focused blaster rifle would be, but the Death Star superlaser suggests there might be a way to do it. Might be a nice quest for your non-Jedi character to find some mad scientist who can help him make something like this.

20 minutes ago, SavageBob said:

Here's a wacky idea: In SWTOR, you can put the same crystals in your blaster as you can your lightsaber. Not sure what the game effects of a kyber-focused blaster rifle would be, but the Death Star superlaser suggests there might be a way to do it. Might be a nice quest for your non-Jedi character to find some mad scientist who can help him make something like this.

Nice. For an Ilum crystal you could keep the hard points at 2, and then have it lower the Crit rating of the blaster by 1, but don't change damage or give the Breach/Sunder qualities. Mayyybe Pierce 2 instead? But you could definitely allow the modification options from the crystal's list (+Damage, +Vicious, lower critical rating) to be applied to the attachment. You could get a nice powerful blaster for your infiltrator.

4 hours ago, SavageBob said:

Here's a wacky idea: In SWTOR, you can put the same crystals in your blaster as you can your lightsaber. Not sure what the game effects of a kyber-focused blaster rifle would be, but the Death Star superlaser suggests there might be a way to do it. Might be a nice quest for your non-Jedi character to find some mad scientist who can help him make something like this.

Except in every other part of the canon Blasters use a different mechanism, super heated gas, whereas Lightsabres, Turbo Lasers and the Death Star's Super Laser use focused energy beams. Besides that MMO is a real bastardization of the setting IMO and some of the choices they made were to balance out loot drops. In any case I wouldn't go there, feels a little Munchkin to me...

7 hours ago, FuriousGreg said:

Except in every other part of the canon Blasters use a different mechanism, super heated gas, whereas Lightsabres, Turbo Lasers and the Death Star's Super Laser use focused energy beams. Besides that MMO is a real bastardization of the setting IMO and some of the choices they made were to balance out loot drops. In any case I wouldn't go there, feels a little Munchkin to me...

I don't worry too much about canon in my games, and I really liked SWTOR, so to each their own. But I'd only do it if it required a lot of legwork on the PC's part.

15 hours ago, FuriousGreg said:

In the book Ahoska saw this wholesale destruction of Ilum's surface while hidden at the edge of the system and it just added some great narrative to the setting, her realization that the Empire could act on that scale was kinda cool. She also goes somewhere else for her crystals, being drawn to their "song" they sing just for her. I recommend the book actually because of this, it adds a nice mystical depth to the link between Force user and crystal(s) and also a really cool plot hook around gaining them. It's not a long book or "young adult", it was a fun read.

If you want to go down the "singing crystal" route of thematic style, you might try checking out the Crystal Singer book series by Anne McCaffrey. It's a scifi setting, with crystals that have to be harvested, via signing. It's essentially sort of like the wierding module's from the 1980's Dune movie. A tech device, that resonates with the voice of the user, to accomplish something. That's how they find the crystals. They are used for like...everything in their society, it's basically their version of oil IIRC. But the way she describes how the crystals react to the people is very interesting.

14 hours ago, SavageBob said:

Here's a wacky idea: In SWTOR, you can put the same crystals in your blaster as you can your lightsaber. Not sure what the game effects of a kyber-focused blaster rifle would be, but the Death Star superlaser suggests there might be a way to do it. Might be a nice quest for your non-Jedi character to find some mad scientist who can help him make something like this.

Perhaps treat is a the Superior Weapon Customization attachment then? +1 damage and +1 free advantage on combat checks. Given that the attachment runs 5k credits, being able to use a kyber crystal to do the same isn't too unbalancing.

Perhaps if the GM wants to provide a few more options, simply allow the attachment to have a couple of upgrades, such as a further +1 bonus to damage, a single chance to reduce the crit activation cost (minimum of 1), and perhaps add a rank of Vicious?

I know I had read about the Talisman of Iron Fists, but it just did not stick with me. The character isn't much of a brawler, though at 3 Brawn, he can hold his own. And he does have an unpurchased "Well-rounded" talent rarin' to go.

On 7/5/2017 at 1:38 PM, Tramp Graphics said:

Also remember, Ilum is pretty much unreachable. It's deep in the Unknown regions, and in firm Imperial control with a garrison right outside the doors of the temple, and being strip mined of its crystals by the Empire.

We may have already argued about this. I know I did with someone. Anyway, I stand by my rebuttal, that the Imperial garrison, while very dangerous, is made up of the dregs. An alert and clever crew could make planetfall, hide in a crevasse, and slip into the cave through a crack in the ice. Pretty sure that very option is presented in Nexus of Power. As for the planet being cracked open like an egg, I don't like that, so I ain't gonna use it.

19 hours ago, SavageBob said:

Here's a wacky idea: In SWTOR, you can put the same crystals in your blaster as you can your lightsaber. Not sure what the game effects of a kyber-focused blaster rifle would be, but the Death Star superlaser suggests there might be a way to do it. Might be a nice quest for your non-Jedi character to find some mad scientist who can help him make something like this.

Now, that is interesting. I'll have to comb through some stuff to see what kind of balance point we're looking at, but an attuned blaster pistol with pierce sounds pretty cool. I'll be talking to him a bit before the session to figure out how he's planning to advance his character, and I'll try to plan accordingly.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

1 hour ago, The Grand Falloon said:

I know I had read about the Talisman of Iron Fists, but it just did not stick with me. The character isn't much of a brawler, though at 3 Brawn, he can hold his own. And he does have an unpurchased "Well-rounded" talent rarin' to go.

We may have already argued about this. I know I did with someone. Anyway, I stand by my rebuttal, that the Imperial garrison, while very dangerous, is made up of the dregs. An alert and clever crew could make planetfall, hide in a crevasse, and slip into the cave through a crack in the ice. Pretty sure that very option is presented in Nexus of Power. As for the planet being cracked open like an egg, I don't like that, so I ain't gonna use it.

Nexus of Power discussed Ilum, and noted that the Imperial garrison there was pretty much staffed with, as you called 'em, the dregs of the service. It's the SW equivalent of the "Assigned to Antarctica" trope. Granted, this was before it was brought in Rogue One that the Empire is pretty much harvesting as many kyber crystals as they can, but no word on how much of Ilum was actually strip-mined, if any. Not read the Ahsoka novel, so I can't speak to if her remarks about Ilum being literally harvested are true or are metaphorical.

Right now, there's been nothing concrete about Ilum's actual fate by the time of The Force Awakens, so all the rampant speculation that Starkiller Base is what's left of Ilum is pretty much a load of bunk.

At the end, I say go with what works best for your game and what makes for an entertaining story. Personally, I think a raid on Ilum to find a kyber crystal by means of undergoing the Gathering ritual as discussed in Nexus of Power would make for an awesome adventure.

1 hour ago, The Grand Falloon said:

I know I had read about the Talisman of Iron Fists, but it just did not stick with me. The character isn't much of a brawler, though at 3 Brawn, he can hold his own. And he does have an unpurchased "Well-rounded" talent rarin' to go.

We may have already argued about this. I know I did with someone. Anyway, I stand by my rebuttal, that the Imperial garrison, while very dangerous, is made up of the dregs. An alert and clever crew could make planetfall, hide in a crevasse, and slip into the cave through a crack in the ice. Pretty sure that very option is presented in Nexus of Power. As for the planet being cracked open like an egg, I don't like that, so I ain't gonna use it.

Luke, Han and Chewie were able to infiltrate the Empire's super secret Ultimate Weapon, spoof a pair of guards, and their officer with a crappy phone call, move through floor after floor without alerting anyone, break into a detention level, release their super important political prisoner, and only THEN did anyone really know they were there. Heck even VADER was there, and didn't really know what was going on until he sensed Ben.

And even AFTER being discovered on this super secret, planet sized Ultimate Weapon, they were AGAIN able to escape detection, elude pursuit multiple times, return to their ship, disable the tractor beam, and escape with minimal effort. If that can be done inside a massive Imperial installation, I see no reason it couldn't happen at Ilum. I wouldn't make it a single session or something, I mean, the Death Star scene was a significant portion of New Hope. I would have infiltrating Ilum's space and facilities to be a full on campaign, or at least a mini-arc within one.

I can think of a dozen ways a clever and skilled party could pull it off, with at least a reasonable measure of success. Especially with planning. New Hope, they did all that while improvising on the spot. A team, with time to do specific rolls to gather information, create equipment to assist, recruit allies, etc. Sure they could do it.

In the immortal words of the Princess. "The more you tighten your grip, the more systems will slip through your fingers." The larger the infrastructure, the more cracks a party can slip through.

You could always give him a stygian crystal that could be used to fuel a cloaking device.